AQIM's Threat to Morocco's Tourism Sector

As with most North African countries, Morocco's tourism sector is vulnerable to fluctuations as a result of terrorism and political developments. Recent incidents such as the panicked detonation of a suicide bomber's vest in an internet cafe in April and the subsequent, albeit possibly unrelated, occurrences involving individuals with suicide belts, including the detonations near the U.S. Consulate and cultural center in Casablanca, reinforce the unfortunate reality that, despite modest economic progress, the underlying root causes for terrorism in Morocco persist (MAP, April 12; MAP, April 14)…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 7 Jun 07)

UK Denies Deal to Return Bomber to Libya

…Earlier, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told Scotland's Parliament that he had expressed concern to Blair over what he claimed was an agreement that could lead to Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi being transferred to his homeland. Al-Megrahi, imprisoned in a Scottish jail, received a life sentence in 2001 for the 1988 attack on a Pan Am jetliner that killed 270 people….(AP, 7 Jun 07)

Key Al Qaeda courier seized, U.S. says

A suspected Al Qaeda operative who is believed to be a link between the terrorist network's headquarters in Pakistan and its East African cell has been captured and taken to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Defense officials identified the detainee as Abdullahi Sudi Arale, and described him as both a known terrorist and a leader of the Islamic militant political organization that ruled large portions of Somalia last year before being routed by Ethiopian troops...Arale, whose age and country of origin were not released, was captured within the past few weeks and taken into U.S. custody somewhere "in the Horn of Africa region," Whitman said, adding that Arale arrived at the Guantanamo prison camp on Cuba sometime this week.….(LA Times, 7 Jun 07)

Pentagon Says Terror Suspect Has Been Moved to Guantanamo

…"The capture of Abdullahi Sudi Arale exemplifies the genuine threat that the United States and other countries face throughout the world from dangerous extremists," a Pentagon news release said. The release also suggested that interrogators can learn about terrorist operations in Africa by questioning Arale at Guantanamo Bay…..(Washington Post, 7 Jun 07)

Italian, UK police break up Islamic militant cell

Italian police said on Thursday they had arrested nine suspected members of a North African Islamic militant group linked to al Qaeda while British police carried out a further arrest linked to the swoop in Milan. The arrests targeted a cell of the al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, or GSPC….(Reuters, 7 Jun 07)

Air cargo a weak point in anti-terror security, inquiry told

Governments and airlines are "fighting the last war" by screening luggage and passengers for terrorist threats but often ignoring the cargo shipments in aircraft holds, the Air India inquiry has heard….(Canadian Press, 7 Jun 07)

Bombers in Iraq kill 19, reporter shot dead

Bombers struck in Baghdad and at a police headquarters in a northern Iraqi border town on Thursday, killing 19 people, and gunmen shot a reporter in the latest attack targeting Iraqi journalists…..(Reuters, 7 Jun 07)

Suicide bomber kills 9 in Iraq attack on police HQ

A suicide truck bomber killed nine people and wounded 22, including five British civilian contractors, in an attack in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border on Thursday, police said. The bomber rammed the police headquarters and adjacent municipal building in the town of Rabea, northwest of Mosul in northern Iraq….(Reuters, 7 Jun 07)

Second Homeland Security Conference Held at Snowshoe Resort

Emergency management officials from West Virginia and surrounding states were at Snowshoe Mountain Resort Thursday to discuss what to do if there is a mass migration from Washington D.C. west in the event a terrorist attack. This is the second year for the Homeland Security conference…..(WBOY, 7 Jun 07)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Expands Graduate Education Program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that it is increasing homeland security graduate education opportunities to government officials by establishing the "DHS Homeland Security Academy" within the National Capital Region….(News Blaze, 7 Jun 07)

New York police turn to high-tech gadgets to protect city from terrorism

Police helicopters will be able to read license plates. Officers will carry backpacks designed to detect dirty bombs. And blimp-like detectors may hover over the city, scanning for chemical and other threats. Those are some of an array of high-tech gadgets that will help secure the city against terrorism…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

Even scientists get screened

Recently some Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists have objected to being subjected to background screening in order to continue to do security sensitive work. Whatever the emotional appeal of this objection, it cannot be considered rational. Any employer or investor (such as NASA, which contracts with JPL) has a clear right to require, in return for funding a project, that the persons entrusted with the work be both qualified and trustworthy….(Pasadena Star, 7 Jun 07)

Rights Groups Call for End to Secret Detentions

Six human rights groups on Wednesday released a list of 39 people they believe have been secretly imprisoned by the United States and whose whereabouts are unknown, calling on the Bush administration to abandon such detentions…..(New York Times, 7 Jun 07)

Report: 39 Secretly Imprisoned by U.S.

A coalition of human rights groups has drawn up a list of 39 terror suspects it believes are being secretly imprisoned by U.S. authorities and published their names in a report released Thursday. Information about the so-called "ghost detainees" was gleaned from interviews with former prisoners and officials in the U.S., Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen….(AP, 7 Jun 07)

Iran link in JFK plot?

Investigators are probing a possible Iran connection to the JFK bomb plot because one Guyanese suspect planned to visit that country… The suspect, former lawmaker Abdul Kadir, 55, was arrested Friday in Trinidad and Tobago on a plane to Venezuela, from where he planned to fly to Iran…..(Newsday, 7 Jun 07)

China Denounces Bush Talks With Activist

China denounced President Bush on Thursday for meeting with a prominent Muslim activist and outspoken critic of Beijing's rule in the far western Xinjiang region, calling the encounter a "blatant interference" in Chinese affairs. Bush met exiled Chinese activist Rebiya Kadeer on the sidelines of a conference on democracy in the Czech capital of Prague after praising her in a speech…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

‘Iraq agrees to majority of militias’ demands’
Tribal affairs advisors to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki met with militant leaders within the last few weeks, agreeing to 80 per cent of their requests, reports said on Thursday. State-run Al Sabah newspaper reported that “the communications between the two sides indicated that many militias are ready to play a positive role in Iraqi political life.”…(DPA, 7 Jun 07)

Insurgent Group Announces Truce With Al-Qaeda in Iraq

A Sunni insurgent group that waged a deadly street battle last week against the rival group al-Qaeda in Iraq in a Sunni neighborhood of west Baghdad announced Wednesday that the two forces had declared a cease-fire. The Islamic Army of Iraq, a more moderate and secular Sunni group, said it had reached the cease-fire with al-Qaeda in Iraq because the groups did not want to spill Muslim blood or damage "the project of jihad."….(Washington Post, 7 Jun 07)

Afghanistan ill-prepared as Iran deports thousands

Nearly 100,000 Afghan migrants have been expelled from Iran over the past month and the total could reach 1 million by next spring, according to Tehran officials who say they are trying to protect the jobs of Iranians. The mass repatriation is straining the resources of the Afghan government and international aid agencies operating in the region…..(Washington Times, 7 Jun 07)

Taliban say swapped hostages for commander's body

Afghanistan's Taliban movement has freed four local health ministry officials in exchange for the remains of its slain commander, Mullah Dadullah…One of the health workers was beheaded on Tuesday after the government failed to hand over the body, said Shahabuddin Attal, who introduces himself as a Taliban spokesman and his reports have turned out true in the past…..(Reuters, 7 Jun 07)

Second Afghan female journalist shot dead
Gunmen shot dead an outspoken female journalist in northern Afghanistan, five days after another female reporter was killed in a similar incident, officials said on Wednesday. Zakia Zaki, headmistress of a girls school in Parwan province and owner of a private radio station called Radio Sulh (Radio Peace), was fatally shot by three unknown gunmen who broke into her house on Tuesday night ….(DPA, 6 Jun 07)

Purported al-Qaida Leader Laments Death

A purported al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan praised a slain Taliban leader in a videotape released Wednesday and threatened revenge for his death. In the almost 21-minute video, Abu Laith al-Libi eulogized Mullah Dadullah, who was shot to death in a U.S. operation last month in southern Afghanistan…..(AP, 6 Jun 07)

Who Is Behind Fath Al-Islam?
On May 20, 2007, militants from the Fath Al-Islam organization attacked Lebanese Army outposts at the Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Since then, the violence has spread into other areas, including the city of Tripoli, and dozens of Lebanese soldiers, civilians, and Fath Al-Islam militants have been killed…..(MEMRI, 7 Jun 07)

Iran to release 3 Finns detained in Gulf

Iran seized three Finnish men on a fishing trip near a disputed Persian Gulf island and held them incommunicado for several days before agreeing Wednesday to release them, the men's employer said…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

U.S. gives $10 million to Filipino informants

… It was the largest reward given so far by Washington in a campaign to wipe out al-Qaida-linked militants in the southern Philippines, where the U.S. military has been training and advising Filipino troops. The U.S. promised a reward of up to $5 million each for Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, who was slain in a September clash on southern Jolo island, and his presumed successor, Abu Sulaiman, who was killed on Jolo in January…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

An Islamic Test for Turkey

…A series of political parties have called for the Turkish state to be more tolerant of public religious expression -- and been serially disbanded by the secular establishment. The latest incarnation, known as the Justice and Development Party (AKP), holds a majority in parliament, elected the current prime minister and seeks control of the presidency….(Washington Post, 7 Jun 07

Turkish troops conduct exercises near Iraqi border

The rocky hills of Sirnak province echoed with the boom of tank shells fired by Turkish troops on Thursday in military exercises near the Iraqi border… The army announced late on Wednesday a ban on all land and air travel between Iraq and three Turkish provinces, including Sirnak, as part of its operations against rebels of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). ….(Reuters, 7 Jun 07)

Affidavits Filed in Pakistan Judge Case

Three powerful officials denied Thursday that Pakistan's chief justice, whose suspension has ignited political turmoil, was held against his will after a fateful meeting with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The denials came as journalists, enraged by curbs on the media, joined lawyers and opposition activists in anti-government street protests…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

Jordan Charges Man Linked to al-Qaida

Jordan's military prosecutor charged a 32-year-old man suspected of having al-Qaida links with attempted premeditated murder in a shootout that wounded several police officers, according to an indictment made available Thursday. Awni Ramadan Mustafa al-Mansi, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, also was charged with the illegal possession of weapons…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

FBI Agent Describes Padilla Code

An FBI agent testified Thursday in the trial of suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla that members of an alleged Islamic extremist support network talked in code, substituting words like "tourism" and "football" for "jihad." The agent, John T. Kavanaugh, said participants suspected they were being overheard by government officials and urged one another not to openly discuss sensitive matters over the phone. "They believed they were not the only people listening to the telephone calls….(AP, 7 Jun 07)

Prosecution Ending Case in Bombing Trial

Six men accused of trying to set off explosives on London subway trains and a bus two years ago are "plainly guilty," even though nobody died, a prosecutor said Thursday in his closing arguments in the more than five-month trial… The defendants are Yassin Omar, 26; Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, 34; Muktar Said Ibrahim, 29; Hussain Osman, 28; Ramzi Mohammed, 25; and Adel Yahya, 24…..(AP, 7 Jun 07)

North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles

North Korea launched short-range missiles off its western coast Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, but it was still unclear how many had been fired. "We have intelligence that North Korea fired short-range missiles into the waters off its western coast, and we are trying to confirm how many were fired and what type of missiles they are,"….(AP, 7 Jun 07)

Syrian Oppositionists Call for International Action
Recently, the Syrian regime has been escalating its persecution of political dissidents. This escalation is reflected in the large number of prison sentences being issued by the High State Security Court to prominent oppositionists….(MEMRI, 7 Jun 07)

Promises, threats in Afghan valley rid of Taliban

…Keep out the Taliban and we will bring millions of dollars in aid, create thousands of new jobs, and build hospitals, schools and roads. But let the guerrillas return, and you will get nothing but more war. British and U.S. forces offered lavish promises of aid -- but also remarkably blunt threats of more violence -- to Afghan elders on Thursday at their first meeting since a battle to clear Taliban guerrillas from a mountain valley that could be a key to controlling southern Afghanistan…..(Reuters, 7 Jun 07)

House puts conditions on Afghan aid

U.S. lawmakers voted on Wednesday to bar U.S. government aid to areas of Afghanistan where officials are engaged in the drug trade or helping insurgents, brushing aside Bush administration protests against such conditions. The U.S. House of Representatives also required that the Bush administration report to Congress on the reported flow of Iranian arms into Afghanistan, and lawmakers voiced concerns that Iran might be aligning with Taliban insurgents to destabilize the Afghan government…..(Reuters, 6 Jun 07)

Iraq's Ominous Numbers Game

With most of the U.S. military's surge troops already in place, the numbers are starting to come in on how well it has succeeded in its goal of reducing sectarian violence in Iraq. And they aren't encouraging. Sectarian violence is nearly back to its pre-surge levels in Iraq — and rising…..(Time Magazine, 6 Jun 07)

Terror Plot Suspect Linked to Radicals

A Trinidadian suspect in an alleged plot to ignite a fuel pipeline feeding New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport once belonged to a radical Islamist group here, a spokesman for the group said. Kala Aki Bua said Wednesday that 56-year-old Kareem Ibrahim cut his ties to Jamaat al Muslimeen in the late 1970s…..(AP, 6 Jun 07)

Six suspects indicted in Fort Dix plot

A federal grand jury indicted six men Tuesday on charges of plotting to kill soldiers in a raid on Fort Dix…Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, Serdar Tatar and the brothers Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka are charged in the indictment with conspiring to kill military personnel, which is punishable by life in prison. Dritan and Shain Duka also are charged with possession of machine guns. And all three Duka brothers are charged with possession of weapons by illegal immigrants. A sixth man, Agron Abdullahu, is charged with providing weapons to illegal immigrants, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Investigators zeroed in on the men after a Circuit City store clerk told the FBI about footage of them firing assault weapons and screaming about jihad on a video they asked him to transfer to DVD…..(AP, 5 Jun 07)     

Document:Indictment .pdf

Terror suspect surrenders in Trinidad

A fourth suspect in an alleged plot to attack New York's John F. Kennedy Airport surrendered Tuesday in Trinidad as some U.S. authorities raised concerns that deep social inequality in the Caribbean could make the islands a fertile recruiting ground for radical Islam. Abdel Nur, a Guyanese national accused of seeking support for the alleged plot from the leader of a radical Muslim group in Trinidad, smiled as he turned himself in at a police station outside the capital Port-of-Spain.. Nur and three others are alleged to have been planning to blow up fuel pipelines that feed the New York airport. Two of the other suspects are also in custody in Trinidad, following their arrests there on Friday….(AP, 5 Jun 07)

Complaint: JFK Plot