Iran Curtails Freedom In Throwback to 1979
Iran is in the midst of a sweeping crackdown that both Iranians and U.S. analysts compare to a cultural revolution in its attempt to steer the oil-rich theocracy back to the rigid strictures of the 1979 revolution… The move has quashed or forced underground many independent civil society groups, silenced protests over issues including women's rights and pay rates, quelled academic debate, and sparked society-wide fear about several aspects of daily life….(Washington Post, 16 Jun 07)

Iran Forcibly Deports 100,000 Afghans

…Iran denies the allegations of abuse and says it has forced laborers back home because the 1.5 million undocumented Afghan migrants are an enormous burden on its economy. As a result, about 2,000 Afghans a day are being sent out of Iran, where many sought better jobs or a stable home outside war-torn Afghanistan. Most are men, but entire families are being kicked out as well…..(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Qatari Reformist: The Root Cause of Terrorism is The Culture of Hate

Dr. Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari, former dean of the shari'a and law faculty at Qatar University, has recently published several articles in Gulf papers about terrorism and its root cause. According to Al-Ansari, terrorism is the outcome of a culture of hatred in the Arab countries, and in order to eliminate it, the culture of hate must be eliminated. The following are excerpts from the articles….(MEMRI, 15 Jun 07)

Zaoui, our '$6m man'

The costs of assessing the security risk posed by Algerian refugee Ahmed Zaoui are mounting and could make him the country's first $6 million man, New Zealand First MP Peter Brown said yesterday. During parliamentary question time, Mr Brown asked Immigration Minister David Cunliffe what the total costs were in the long-running case and what he expected them to rise to…..(New Zealand Herald, 15 Jun 07)

Reputed Ku Klux Klansman convicted of kidnapping, conspiracy in 1964 killings of black teens

A jury convicted a reputed member of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan of kidnapping and conspiracy in the 1964 deaths of two black teenagers in southwest Mississippi, grisly drownings that went unpunished before federal prosecutors re-examined the forgotten case. James Ford Seale, 71, faces life in prison in the deaths of Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee. The 19-year-olds disappeared from Franklin County on May 2, 1964, and their bodies were found later in the Mississippi River He is to be sentenced Aug. 24 on two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy…..(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Treasury Freezes US Assets of 2 Iranians

The Bush administration took action Friday against two Iranians suspected of connections to Iran's nuclear program. The Treasury Department action, part of efforts to tighten the financial vise on Tehran, is against Mohammad Qannadi and Ali Hajinia Leilabadi. Any bank accounts or other financial assets belonging to these two men found in the United States must be frozen…..(AP, 15 Jun 07)

U.S. tightens controls on military-use items to China

The United States is imposing new export controls on high-tech goods ranging from aircraft to space communication systems that could be used by China's rapidly expanding military…The new regulation, which takes effect on Tuesday, also creates a "trusted customer" program that will allow approved companies in China to import certain high-tech goods without having to get an individual license….(Reuters, 15 Jun 07)

Judge Hastens Release of Terror Records

A federal judge ordered speedy processing for public release of records detailing the FBI's use and abuse of its power to obtain Americans' personal data in terror and spy investigations. The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates set a July 5 deadline for documents about FBI national security letters to be handed over by the Justice Department to a San Francisco-based technology-rights group….(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Arrests after Pakistan militant ambush kills 10

Police made more than a dozen arrests Friday after tribal militants shot dead 10 security personnel in southwest Pakistan, hours after a visit by a top US diplomat….(Agence France-Presse, 15 Jun 07)

Indonesia says captures head of Jemaah Islamiah

Indonesia has captured the head of Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), police said on Friday, marking what appears to be a major blow for a group blamed for a string of deadly bombings. The man, who was caught on Saturday in the central Java city of Yogyakarta, was named as Zarkasih, the chief of the country's anti-terrorist unit told a news conference. He is also known as Mbah, which means grandfather in the Javanese language…..(Reuters, 15 Jun 07)

Taliban warn Waziris not to shelter Uzbeks

Militants loyal to anti-Uzbek commander Mullah Nazir have warned Wazir elders against sheltering Uzbeks in South Waziristan. A tribal jirga of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribes will meet today (Friday) in Wana to discuss the issue. “The Taliban are angry at the presence of Uzbeks being hosted by some elders and they demand action against such people,”….(Daily Times, 15 Jun 07)

Abbas Dissolves Government As Hamas Takes Control of Gaza

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Palestinian government Thursday and declared a state of emergency after rival Hamas forces took complete control of the Gaza Strip in what the Islamic movement called the territory's "liberation." In a presidential decree, Abbas fired Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and suggested that new national elections would occur soon. Abbas's decision ends the three-month-old power-sharing arrangement between his Fatah movement and Hamas, the two main Palestinian political parties….(Washington Post, 15 Jun 07)

Hamas issues pardon in favor of Fatah security officials

Hamas issued a "pardon" Friday in favor of 13 Fatah leaders it had abducted earlier this morning and threatened to assassinate…..(KUNA, 15 Jun 07)

Abbas appoints new Palestinian PM

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has appointed Salam Fayyad, an independent parliamentarian, as prime minister of an emergency government. Fayyad was finance minister in the unity government between Hamas and Fatah which Abbas sacked on Thursday following Hamas's virtual takeover of the Gaza Strip…..(Aljazeera, 15 Jun 07)

NKorea warns against U.S. missile plan

North Korea on Friday warned it may strengthen its "self-defense deterrent," a term it usually uses to refer to its nuclear program, despite news that millions in frozen funds the country had sought as a condition to disarm was en route to its accounts. The comments came in a statement from the communist regime criticizing U.S. efforts to build a missile defense system…..(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Dispute in Iran over Renewing Relations with Egypt
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's surprising announcement that "Iran is willing to renew relations with Egypt" sparked a wave of public protest in Iran.(1) The announcement came during his visit in May to the UAE…..(MEMRI, 15 Jun 07)

6 in Fort Dix Case Plead Not Guilty

Six men accused of plotting to attack soldiers at Fort Dix pleaded not guilty Thursday as a federal judge promised to have the trial wrapped up by the end of the year. U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler set a tentative trial date of Aug. 13 and said he hoped the trial could begin by early October. He said, "If the government is not able to prove this case, they should not be in jail. I want to get this resolved."….(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Experts Advise on Combating Radicalization

While the United States has expended enormous effort in fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has neglected the fight for the hearts and minds of young radicals in Internet chat rooms and other places where they cluster, experts on radicalization told a House panel yesterday. “Unless we can impede radicalization and recruitment, then we are condemned to a strategy of stepping on cockroaches one at a time,” Brian M. Jenkins, a terrorism expert from the Rand Corporation…(New York Times, 15 Jun 07)

Translations Argued in Fla. Terror Case

The lead FBI investigator in the terrorism support case against Jose Padilla and others conceded Friday that a translator said a relief effort could have been the subject of an intercepted phone call that prosecutors allege refers to violent jihad. Agent John T. Kavanaugh, however, insisted that "tourism" was a code word for "jihad" in recorded conversations involving Padilla, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi. The translator _ one of many who interpreted recordings in English _ "didn't have the advantage I had of reviewing all the materials,"…(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Al-Qaeda cell members imprisoned

Seven men have been jailed for up to 26 years over an al-Qaeda-linked plot to kill thousands in the UK and US. Woolwich Crown Court heard they were in a "sleeper cell" led by Dhiren Barot, who is already serving a life sentence. Barot planned attacks including an explosives-packed limousine, a dirty radiation bomb and blowing apart a London Underground tunnel. Six admitted conspiracy to cause explosions and a seventh was found guilty of conspiracy to murder. ….(BBC, 15 Jun 07)

Profiles: The Harrow gang

….(Telegraph, 15 Jun 07)

Britons Jailed Over Al Qaeda Plot to Bomb NYSE

Seven Britons linked to a plot to blow up U.S. financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange, and stage a series of attacks in Britain were jailed for a total of 136 years by a London court on Friday….(Reuters, 15 Jun 07)

Former Detainee's Lawsuit To Proceed

A former detainee is allowed to keep former attorney general John D. Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and others in a lawsuit that alleges prisoners were mistreated and subject to ethnic and religious discrimination after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan said it recognized the gravity of the situation confronting government investigators after the attacks and agreed that some government actions that otherwise would not be proper are allowed in emergencies…..(AP, 15 Jun 07)

Outrage over Lebanese TV anchor's comments

A Lebanese television anchor's comments and laughter regarding the assassination of Lebanese anti-Syrian parliamentarian Walid Eido have caused a furor and resulted in her firing. The NBN anchor, who has not been identified, did not realize her microphone was on…..(CNN, 15 Jun 07)

Firebrand Cleric Faces Political Test

The second bombing at the Samarra shrine will test Muqtada al-Sadr's political skills and clarify what control he has over his feared Mahdi Army militia. Upon his return to the public eye last month _ from possible self-exile in neighboring Iran _ the Shiite cleric has tried to recast his image from a firebrand to a unifying national figure. Now he has the chance to prove if he can truly play that role…..(AP, 14 Jun 07)

Rulings in Detainee Cases

Some court rulings complicating President Bush's anti-terror strategies:….(AP, 14 Jun 07)

Who Killed the Americans in Karbala?

January's attack on U.S. forces at the Iraqi government complex in Karbala has become a kind of epic unsolved mystery among troops at Forward Operating Base Iskan, where soldiers from the unit involved are based…Findings of the investigation suggest that at least some of the Iraqi Police the Americans were training ultimately turned on them prior to the attack and perhaps cooperated in it. And many of the soldiers who were there definitely feel betrayed by Iraqi Police….(Time Magazine, 14 Jun 07)

Baghdad Crackdown Seeks Sunni Help

The struggle to regain control of Baghdad crossed into its fifth month Thursday with the last of 30,000 additional U.S. soldiers about to join an increasingly bitter fight. The security operation has failed to curb violence nationwide, and the number of American troops killed in the capital is on the rise….(AP, 14 Jun 07)

Terror averted in Tinsukia railway station

Guwahati, June 14: A major terror strike was averted today when security forces recovered a powerful bomb at Tinsukia railway station in upper Asom. Police sources said a powerful IED was found wrapped in a unclaimed bag made of Army fatigue at around 2000 hours…..(New Kerala, 14 Jun 07)

Men arrested for plotting attack on U.S. military base in New Jersey head to court
Six men accused of plotting to kill soldiers at a U.S. military base in New Jersey are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Thursday. Mohamad Shnewer, Serdar Tatar and brothers Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka are charged with conspiring to kill military personnel at Fort Dix. They could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted…..(AP, 14 Jun 07)

Faulting Allies' Anti-Terrorism Efforts

The Treasury Department tried to persuade other nations to target an Iranian bank involved in financing missile deals but ultimately took unilateral action because such nations lacked the necessary legal tools and "political will," Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. will disclose today in a speech on the department's worldwide campaign to target financial institutions connected to illicit activities…..(Washington Post, 14 Jun 07)

Report #3 in a NEFA series, “Target: America”

A NEFA analysis of U.S. v. Shareef, June 2007

Report #2 in a NEFA series, “Target: America”

A NEFA analysis of U.S. v. Batiste, June 2007

Report #1in a NEFA series, “Target: America”

A NEFA analysis of U.S. v. James, June 2007

Earmark Dispute Bogs Down Homeland Security Bill

…Debate on the $36 billion homeland security bill, which would fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency, border security and counterterrorism measures, bogged down last night as Republicans pushed scores of amendments aimed at banning the use of counterterrorism money for designer handbags, puppet shows and other programs included in the legislation….(Washington Post, 13 Jun 07)

Car bomb kills anti-Syrian MP, 9 others in Beirut

A powerful car bomb killed anti-Syrian Lebanese lawmaker Walid Eido and nine other people on Wednesday in an attack his allies blamed on Damascus. A parked sports utility vehicle packed with 60 to 80 kg (132 to 176 lbs) of explosives blew up as Eido's car was driving away from a Beirut beach club….(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

Canada lobbies US on behalf of Guantanamo suspect Khadr

Canada actively lobbied Wednesday on behalf of alleged Al-Qaeda foot-soldier Omar Khadr, two days after a US court dismissed the George W. Bush administration's terror case against him… The US government alleged that Khadr as a 15-year-old murdered a US army sergeant with a hand grenade during a raid on an Al-Qaeda hideout in Afghanistan five years ago…..(Agence France-Presse, 13 Jun 07)

Yemeni Languishes at Guantanamo Long After U.S. Approved Release

…The U.S. military has reduced by almost half the number of prisoners at Guantanamo since the peak of 680 in May 2003. Of the roughly 385 still there, U.S. officials say they intend to put 60 to 80 on trial…..(Washington Post, 13 Jun 07)

Al-Qaeda moving south of Sahara, says Negroponte

Concerns are being raised by increased terrorist activity in Africa and the Middle East. A top US official has warned of the increasing risks of terrorism and violence in Africa and the Middle East, in a sobering account of the current state of the Bush administration's "war against terror"…..(Financial Times, 13 Jun 07)

U.S. seen balancing support for Pakistan's Musharraf

A senior U.S. official visiting Islamabad this week was expected to offer some support for President Pervez Musharraf, while staying out of a crisis brought on by his attempt to oust Pakistan's top judge….(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

Fierce Battles Spread to Central Gaza

… Hamas leaders blamed the Gaza fighting on President Mahmoud Abbas, saying his security forces were corrupt and riddled with criminals. Abbas, of Fatah, called the fighting "madness" and appealed to Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, to end the violence….(AP, 13 Jun 07)

Palestinian Battles Raise Fears of Coup And Civil War

Gunmen loyal to the two main Palestinian parties fought street battles in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that increasingly bore the hallmarks of civil war, as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Fatah leader, warned that the rival Hamas movement was attempting a coup….(Washington Post, 13 Jun 07)

North Lebanon fertile ground for Sunni militants

The challenge Lebanon faces from Sunni Islamist militancy is likely to persist even if the army wins a battle against al Qaeda-inspired fighters in the north of the country, Islamists from the area say. The Fatah al-Islam militant group is reviled by many Lebanese, but its ideas resonate with hardline Sunni Islamists, raising the possibility of more violence….(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

Pakistan puts off plan to shut Afghan refugee camp

Pakistani authorities have put off plans to shut down one of the oldest camps for Afghan refugees, saying its inhabitants have refused to go home or to be relocated…Pakistan had set June 15 as the deadline for the closure of Jungle Pir Alizai camp, in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, set up after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979…..(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

Iran uses fronts to avoid U.N. sanctions

Iran is using newly created front companies in a bid to frustrate U.S. and United Nations sanctions on its suspect nuclear programs, according to records and information supplied by a leading Iranian exile dissident group…..(Washington Times, 13 Jun 07)

NATO to review Afghan mission after civilian deaths

NATO defense ministers will review procedures in Afghanistan on Thursday as part of efforts to halt a wave of civilian casualties threatening to undermine public support for foreign peacekeepers there….(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

China Military Commander Advocates Offensive Strength

A senior Chinese defense strategist has said his nation needs to build offensive strength and an "effective nuclear force" but has no intention of renouncing its no-first-use nuclear doctrine…..(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

Admiral: Bureaucracy Hampers Terror War

…Navy Vice Adm. Eric Olson said that while the command has the lead for "synchronizing" the Bush administration's global war on terror, enforcement of that expanded jurisdiction has been difficult. The command's "ability to drive behavior within (the Defense Department) is limited due to unclear definition of authorities," Olson said in a written response to a question from the Senate Armed Services Committee….(AP, 13 Jun 07)

Suicide bomber kills five Kurdish policemen

…"The bomber wearing an explosives belt walked into the police station of Mandeli and entered the office of the station chief at around 8:30 am (0430 GMT)," said Nadhom Sharief. "He then blew himself up and killed five policeman and wounded two, including the police station chief."…..(Agence France-Presse, 13 Jun 07)

Insurgents bomb 3rd bridge

…"They are shaping the battlefield the way they want it shaped," said Paul Hughes, a retired U.S. Army colonel and a senior program officer at the United States Institute of Peace. "They are a very smart enemy. For them to take on the strategy of isolating major parts of Iraq from other parts does kind of suggest that they have a complex strategic plan,"…..(Washington Times, 13 Jun 07)

Two women would-be suicide bombers caught on way to attack

The Shin Bet security service announced Wednesday that it had successfully foiled a double suicide attack on Tel Aviv and Netanya, planned by the Islamic Jihad. The Shin Bet said they had arrested two women from the Gaza Strip, who were slated to carry out the attacks….(Haaretz, 13 Jun 07)

French police arrest eight PKK suspects

The French anti-terrorist police arrested here Tuesday eight suspected members of the Kurdish PKK militant group within the framework of preliminary investigations being conducted over attacks against Turkish interests, security sources confirmed…..(KUNA, 13 Jun 07)

Study warns unis could be used for terror recruiting

Universities need to consider asking lecturers to monitor students for extremist behavior on behalf of national security organizations, a new study says. A policy analysis released today by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) warns that Australia's 39 universities, with more than 1 million students and staff, were both potential terrorist targets as well as potential terrorist recruiting grounds….(Sydney Morning Herald, 13 Jun 07)

Sudan denies any intelligence cooperation with US on Iraq

…The Los Angeles Times published a report on Monday highlighting the cooperation between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) to infiltrate armed groups in Iraq. The report was quoting CIA officials who said that Sudan has “assembled a network of informants in Iraq providing intelligence on the insurgency”. The role of NISS acting as a proxy for CIA has also extended to Somalia where the US believes that al-Qaeda suspects are hiding….(Sudan Times, 13 Jun 07)

FBI Offers to Assist China With Olympic Security

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday offered to help China with security at next year's Olympic Games, saying it posed a massive challenge for local authorities…China has made much of relying on its own security forces for next year's Olympics and believes it can deliver secure Games for a fraction of the $1.8 billion that Athens paid in 2004…..(Reuters, 13 Jun 07)

Alleged Bali bombing leader arrested

Anti-terrorist police in Indonesia claimed a major breakthrough in the battle with Islamic terrorism today when they announced the capture of a top militant blamed for the Bali nightclub bombings and a string of other deadly attacks. Officials today revealed they had arrested Abu Dujana and seven other suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members in a series of coordinated raids in five cities across the central island of Java over the weekend…..(Guardian, 13 Jun 07)

Terrorism suspect held in Indonesia

… Indonesian authorities believe Abu Dujana took command of terrorism operations for Jemaah Islamiah, an Al Qaeda affiliate active in several Southeast Asian countries, after the 2003 capture of Riduan Isamuddin, known as Hambali, in central Thailand. Hambali is accused of setting up a meeting in Malaysia between two of the Sept. 11 hijackers and other Al Qaeda members. He was transferred to U.S. military custody at Guantanamo Bay….(LA Times, 13 Jun 07) 

A Brief Look at Jemaah Islamiyah

Here is a brief look at Jemaah Islamiyah whose alleged leader, Abu Dujana, was arrested over the weekend…..(AP, 13 Jun 07)

U.S. official: Samarra attack may have been inside job

Authorities have evidence that Wednesday's bombing of Al-Askariya Mosque in Samarra was an inside job, and 15 members of the Iraqi security forces have been arrested, a U.S. military official said. Two minarets were destroyed at the revered Shiite shrine, the military said, in a repeat of the 2006 bombing that sparked Iraq's current wave of deadly sectarian violence. There was no immediate word on casualties in the city north of Baghdad…..(CNN, 13 Jun 07)

In pictures: Samarra shrine blasts

Calm urged amid Iraq shrine bombs

Political and religious leaders in Iraq have appealed for calm after an attack on one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, the al-Askari shrine in Samarra. Blasts destroyed two minarets of the shrine, which houses one of two tombs in the city for revered Shia imams. Iraq's most prominent Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, condemned the attack but urged people not to respond with violence…..(BBC, 13 Jun 07)

Congress Pushes on Civil Rights Cases

…A bill named in honor of slain black teenager Emmett Till, now advancing through the House and Senate, would establish a division of FBI agents and federal prosecutors who would focus strictly on the racially motivated slayings…..(AP, 12 Jun 07)

McGowan sentenced to seven years for ecoterrorism fires

Declaring that a fire set at a tree farm was terrorism because it was intended to influence legislation, a federal judge sentenced a New York man Monday to seven years in prison for his part in arsons claimed by the Earth Liberation Front. Daniel McGowan was the