Intelligence & Counterterrorism News for the week of:

September 2-8, 2007

Two faces of British youth in thrall to sinister Muslim sect

Our correspondent exposes extensive links between British Deobandis and the sect’s radical leadership in Pakistan….(Times of London, 8 Sep 07)

Radical Islamic sect 'has half of Britain's mosques in its grip'

A hardline Islamic movement, whose leading UK imam preaches anti-Semitism and calls on Muslims to "shed blood for Allah", is controlling almost half of Britain's mosques, a police report has found. The influence of the ultra-conservative Deobandi sect, which is characterised by its total rejection of western values, has grown to such an extent that police now believe it runs more than 600 of Britain's 1,350 mosques. The revelations will put further scrutiny on plans for a "mega mosque" in east London by a group called Tablighi Jamaat, who are closely linked to the Deobandi movement. The £100 million plan to build the "Islamic village" next to the Olympic site is already mired in controversy after intelligence services said the group was a recruiting ground for al Qaeda…..(This is London, 8 Sep 07)

Bin Laden Releases Video as C.I.A. Issues Warning

A videotaped message by Osama bin Laden, the first in nearly three years, compares the Iraq war to American blunders in Vietnam, criticizes the Democratic Party for failing to pull American troops from Iraq, and urges Americans to embrace Islam. Details of the video emerged yesterday, the same day that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency gave a public warning about Al Qaeda’s gathering strength and unapologetically defended his agency’s campaign to kill and capture the group’s operatives worldwide…..(New York Times, 8 Sep 07)

Germany says terror plot may be wider

…Three Islamic terror suspects arrested on suspicion of planning massive bombings in Germany may have been part of a larger network involving up to 50 people, an official said Saturday …The two German suspects have been identified as Fritz Martin Gelowicz, 28, described as the leader of an Islamic Jihad Union terror cell in Germany, and Daniel Martin Schneider, 22. The third man has been identified as Adem Yilmaz, 29, born in Turkey but living in Germany. Last New Year's Eve, one of the suspects was spotted studying a U.S. Army base at Hanau, near Frankfurt, and security officials say he may have been scouting it as a target….(AP, 8 Sep 07)

Are we safer today?

…Military power is essential to our security, but if the only tool is a hammer, pretty soon every problem looks like a nail. We must use all the tools of U.S. power -- including foreign aid, educational assistance and vigorous public diplomacy that emphasizes scholarship, libraries and exchange programs -- to shape a Middle East and a Muslim world that are less hostile to our interests and values. America's long-term security relies on being viewed not as a threat but as a source of opportunity and hope…..(Washington Post, 8 Sep 07)

Arrest of One Turk in Germany Brings New Scrutiny to a Society of 2.7 Million

…There are, in fact, 2.7 million people of Turkish descent in Germany, 900,000 of whom are citizens, and extremism is starting to take root among them — not just in Turkish enclaves but in ordinary towns like Langen, outside Frankfurt, where Adem Yilmaz, a 28-year-old Turk who was arrested, spent his teenage years… A 2006 report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the domestic intelligence agency, classified 32,150 Muslims living here as having extremist tendencies. Of the total, 27,250 were of Turkish origin. But only a tiny fraction of those Turks — fewer than 100 — are viewed as truly dangerous and kept under regular surveillance….(New York Times, 8 Sep 07)

Traffickers Infiltrate Military in Colombia
An investigation by the Colombian Defense Ministry has found that drug traffickers and rebels from the country's largest guerrilla group infiltrated the U.S.-backed military here, paying high-ranking officers for classified information to help elude capture and continue smuggling cocaine. The information obtained by the powerful Norte del Valle drug cartel included the secret positioning of U.S. naval vessels and aircraft in the Caribbean early last year, part of a carefully coordinated web designed to stop cocaine from reaching the United States, according to high-ranking Colombian military officials….(Washington Post, 8 Sep 07)

Hyderabad blasts suspect had 'affair' with Armyman?

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the blasts that killed 43 people on August 25, is looking into reports that Shahi Rafsanjani, a suspect in the Hyderabad blasts case, had an affair with an Army jawan . The jawan has been identified as Anand, posted on Indo-Bangladesh border, police said. The investigators stumbled upon the new dimension when they found a photograph of Anand during a raid on her house at Vellore in Tamil Nadu….(Times of India, 8 Sep 07)

An antiterrorism lesson

…the most beneficial insight Americans could gain from the German example is that war is the wrong metaphor for a nation's defense against terrorism. The terrorists may need to tell each other they are killing civilians in the cause of a holy war. But societies that have to protect themselves against Al Qaeda and its offshoots are not at war. And they don't need to act as if they are going to war…..(Boston Globe, 8 Sep 07)

US urges action against ‘militants’ safe heaven’

…In an interview with Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, Mr Burns said that for the United States both Afghanistan and Pakistan were critical countries in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. On Wednesday, the State Department announced that Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte will visit Pakistan and Afghanistan next week for talks aimed at removing differences between the two neighboring states…..(Dawn, 7 Sep 07)

Battle against terror finance is half-won

Countering the Financing of Terrorism, by Thomas Biersteker and Sue Eckert

The fight against terrorism finance is a “half-full glass”, said a panel of counterterrorism experts in the US. However, they said international cooperation in tracking and seizing the funds of hate still required much more effort. Speaking at the International Peace Academy's launch of the book Countering the Financing of Terrorism, Brown University's Thomas Biersteker said the good news was that after 9/11, “A new global regime has emerged” to disrupt terror money. The regime, he said, could be characterised as the "export of the US banking regulatory approach overseas."….(Hindustan Times, 7 Sep 07)

Ku Klux Klan steps into northern Virginia's immigration debate
The Ku Klux Klan has added a new twist to an already rancorous debate over illegal immigration in northern Virginia, distributing anti-immigrant fliers that have drawn condemnation from people on both sides of the issue. The Compton, Arkansas-based Ku Klux Klan, one of many white supremacist groups that uses the name, left the leaflets in front of homes in one Manassas, Virginia, neighborhood over the weekend……(AP, 7 Sep 07)

Two women beheaded by militants in Pakistan

Suspected Islamic militants beheaded two women accused of prostitution in northwestern Pakistan, police said Friday, in the latest case of Taliban-style justice in the region. The bodies of the women in their 40s were dumped on the outskirts of the conservative town of Bannu, near the Afghan border, a day after they were abducted by gunmen….(Agence France-Presse, 7 Sep 07)

Hardline takeover of British mosques

Almost half of Britain’s mosques are under the control of a hardline Islamic sect whose leading preacher loathes Western values and has called on Muslims to “shed blood” for Allah, an investigation by The Times has found. Riyadh ul Haq, who supports armed jihad and preaches contempt for Jews, Christians and Hindus, is in line to become the spiritual leader of the Deobandi sect in Britain. The ultra-conservative movement, which gave birth to the Taleban in Afghanistan, now runs more than 600 of Britain’s 1,350 mosques, according to a police report seen by The Times.......(Times of London, 7 Sep 07)

Moderates attack ‘fundamentally wrong’ approach to teaching Islam

Riyadh ul Haq, who has preached of the “evil influence” of the West, may be a faithful representative of the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam but he does not speak for all Islamic scholars, let alone all Muslims. No one knows that better than Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra.….(Times of London, 7 Sep 07)

Explosions in northern Pakistan destroys 40 music shops

…About 40 music and vide shops were destroyed, sources said. They said the explosions took place a week after militants warned shopkeepers to stop their business of music and video CDs….(KUNA, 7 Sep 07)

Klan gets permit for rally in Athens following trail ride

Athens police issued a parade permit late Wednesday to the Ku Klux Klan, which is planning to hold an immigration protest at Athens City Hall on Sept. 15. “We issued a permit for them to parade at Athens City Hall at 3 p.m. on Sept. 15,” said Capt. Tracy Harrison. “This will not conflict with the Trail of Tears motorcycle ride that will come through town earlier in the day.” The permit was issued to the Church of the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which is based in South Bend, Ind. The permit was issued in the name of J.L. Thomas……(News Courier, 7 Sep 07)

Terrorism Watch List Is Faulted For Errors

The government's master watch list of known or suspected terrorists continues to be marred by errors and inconsistencies that can obstruct the capture of terrorists or cause innocent people to be detained by U.S. authorities, the Justice Department's inspector general said yesterday. As one of the most powerful intelligence tools created by the Bush administration after the 2001 attacks, the watch list is used to screen about 270 million people a month and its content can determine whether people are allowed to fly on airplanes or detained after routine traffic stops……(Washington Post, 7 Sep 07)

Port picked for security program

The Department of Homeland Security has chosen the Port of San Diego to participate in a $10 million pilot program aimed at detecting nuclear or radiological weapons aboard small commercial and recreational boats. Under the effort scheduled to begin next year, federal officials would work with and train local agencies to identify vessels carrying such contraband…..(Union-Tribune, 7 Sep 07)

USF students' box of bullets adds intrigue

…The deputy who pulled over Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed and Youssef Samir Megahed, 21, found a box of bullets near the seat, several pipe bombs in the trunk and "other suspicious items," according to the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office. The men have said they had only fireworks, but deputies found no sign of any commercial fireworks….(St. Petersburg Times, 7 Sep 07)

One High-Pressure Phone Room

For weeks, U.S. military leaders in Iraq have been saying that security is improving in Baghdad. But the military's Joint Contracting Command is still urging precautions for U.S. contractors working at the Interior Ministry headquarters. The command is seeking bids on a contract to train and mentor Iraqis running a crime, insurgency and terrorism hotline, and much of the prospectus issued last month addresses the need for security…..(Washington Post, 7 Sep 07)

U.S. sees potential merit to Iran cooperation plan

…The U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke after IAEA officials assured skeptical Western missions that the vaguely worded pact was not a fudge that would clean Tehran's slate, rather just a first important step toward creating confidence in Iranian nuclear intentions. Iran is required to answer outstanding questions about past sensitive atomic activities by a rough deadline of year-end under the "work plan," which faces critical debate at a meeting of the 35-nation IAEA board of governors next week……(Reuters, 7 Sep 07)

Terror trial sees Siddique papers praising suicide

Documents from the computer of a student facing terrorism charges praised suicide bombers and said it was the duty of every Muslim to target UK citizens, a court heard yesterday. The evidence found on the laptop of Mohammed Atif Siddique also contained Osama bin Laden's first declaration of war on the United States, the High Court in Glasgow heard…..(Scotsman, 7 Sep 07)

Judge says jury in Fort Dix plot trial to be anonymous

…While the suspects are not accused of being part of a terrorist organization, there are groups in the U.S. that could sympathize with views attributed to the men, Kugler noted. Rocco Cipparone, the lawyer for Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, argued that the suspects have little ability to harm jurors because they are being held in near-isolation at a federal detention center in Philadelphia. The judge decided, over defense objections, that defense teams would know jurors' hometowns, but not their names or addresses…..(AP, 7 Sep 07)

German terror suspect 'met 9/11 hijacker'

The prime suspect in the alleged German terror plot to blow up hundreds of people may have had contact with Mohammed Atta, the suicide pilot who smashed a hijacked plane into the Twin Towers. German police reports are vague about the encounter, but it has helped investigators to trace Fritz Gelowicz’s path from average Bavarian schoolboy to Islamic radical. His case has also highlighted the curious and sinister role of Neu-Ulm — a small township in the Roman Catholic heart of southern Germany — as a cradle of Islamic extremism. The connection between Gelowicz, 28, who was arrested this week, and Atta seems to date back to 2000 while the suicide pilot was studying in Hamburg and already preparing the 9/11 attack with a group of devout accomplices....(Times Online, 7 Sep 07)

In Plot Suspect, Germany Sees Familiar Face

Legally, his name is as German as they come: Fritz. To his new confidants in the radical Islamic scene and alleged terrorist co-conspirators, he was Abdullah. Fritz Gelowicz, barely 28 years old, sits in police custody, charged with leading a terrorist plot that, had it succeeded, could have surpassed the London and Madrid bombings in their murderous toll. That he is a German native, born in Munich, and a youthful convert to Islam has only made it harder for his countrymen to grasp the accusation, although his guilt is far from established….(New York Times, 7 Sep 07)

Attack in Algeria Kills as Many as 16

A bomb ripped through a crowd waiting for the Algerian president to arrive in an eastern town on Thursday, killing as many as 16 people and injuring more than 70…The bomb exploded about 45 minutes before President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's scheduled arrival in Batna, a town about 280 miles east of the capital, Algiers _ and the last stop on the president's tour of eastern Algeria…..(AP, 7 Sep 07)

Afghan police seek kidnapped de-miners

Police and villagers hunted Friday for 13 mine-clearing workers kidnapped in a restive part of Afghanistan, a day after two NATO soldiers and more than 20 insurgents were killed in fierce fighting. The de-miners, all Afghans working for a U.N.-funded land mine-clearance agency, were kidnapped Wednesday in eastern Paktia province on the border with Pakistan, said provincial deputy police chief Ghulam Dastager….(AP, 7 Sep 07)

Three Iraqis killed in attack on Kirkuk mosque

Three Iraqi civilians were killed and five others were wounded Thursday evening in an attack on a group of people performing evening prayers at a Kirkuk mosque… Moreover, the source said a doctor was kidnapped from his clinic in central Kirkuk today….(KUNA, 7 Sep 07)

FACTBOX-European converts to Islam

…Below are some estimated figures for the number of converts to Islam in larger European countries alongside total numbers for their Muslim populations…..(Reuters, 7 Sep 07)

Sudanese Islamic Leaders Threaten U.S.: Don't Send Forces to Darfur; Sudan is the Most Beautiful Place in Which Our Sheikh, Bin Laden, Can Operate

The following are excerpts from Islamic leaders' conference in Sudan, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 3, 2007…..(MEMRI, 7 Sep 07)

Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Website: Syria, Iran Working to Ignite Region For Own Interests

In an article posted on the website of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (www.ikhwansyria.com), Faisal Al-Sheikh Muhammad, a movement member and regular contributor to the site, harshly criticized the policies of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Al-Sheikh Muhammad wrote that Assad and Ahmadinejad were sabotaging all attempts to reduce tension in Iraq and Lebanon, and were even threatening to ignite the entire region in order to divert world attention from the Iranian nuclear issue and from the issue of the international tribunal for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri….(MEMRI, 7 Sep 07)

TV show breaches fortress Sydney

Members of an Australian television comedy show have been arrested and charged after breaching the tightest security the city has ever seen. The team from the satirical show The Chaser's War on Everything were stopped within yards of the hotel where US President George W Bush was staying. The stunt was reportedly only revealed when one of the team, dressed as Osama Bin Laden, got out of the car….(BBC, 7 Sep 07)

German security officials urge government to make attending terror training camp a crime

German state security officials urged the government Friday make training at a terror camp a crime, following a foiled bomb plot by alleged Islamic radicals believed to have undergone paramilitary training in Pakistan. The proposal came as authorities continue investigating individuals suspected of providing support to three suspected terrorists — arrested earlier this week — in their plans to carry out massive bombings on airports and other institutions in Germany…..(AP, 7 Sep 07)

Germany Widens Probe Into Bomb Plot

Prosecutors said they had identified five of the alleged helpers, mostly Turkish and German nationals. But they said they were still trying to decipher the aliases of others who might have assisted three men arrested Tuesday as they transferred bombmaking chemicals from a rented house in the German village of Oberschledorn. According to prosecutors, the three defendants in custody had traveled to Pakistan last year to train in camps run by the Islamic Jihad Union, a Central Asian group affiliated with al-Qaeda. Investigators said two other supporting members of the German ring may have trained in Pakistan as well…..(Washington Post, 7 Sep 07)

Troop shortfalls hurt Afghan mission, says NATO

…Recent reports published in U.S. and Canadian newspapers say that, in some cases, NATO soldiers have expelled Taliban militants from regions only to see them return once the western forces leave. NATO is committed to staying in Afghanistan until the Afghan army and police are strong enough to maintain order themselves…..(Reuters, 7 Sep 07)

The Politics of Terror

Foiled terror attacks in Germany this week have confronted the country with a new question: How to combat home-grown terror? As Friday commentaries show, how you answer that question depends on where you are on the political spectrum...The question now on everyone's mind is: What next? On the political side, of course, the left and the right in Germany seem content to use the foiled attack to promote their policy positions. The conservatives are saying that the planned attack is proof that the state should allow online surveillance of terror suspects while the left side of the political spectrum is saying that the foiled attack is proof that online surveillance isn't necessary….(Der Spiegel, 7 Sep 07)

Ethiopia detains 4 American soldiers trying to contact with eastern Ethiopia rebel group

Ethiopia briefly detained what it said were four American soldiers trying to contact a rebel group that has been fighting for greater autonomy for eastern Ethiopia, Ethiopian officials said Friday….(AP, 7 Sep 07)

Iranian Nuclear Pledges Complicate President Bush's U.N. Strategy

As diplomats prepare for meetings at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna next week, new pledges by Iran to answer unresolved questions about its once clandestine nuclear program are complicating the Bush administration's strategy of ratcheting up pressure on Tehran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks with journalists during a news conference in Tehran, Iran. He denied that the country had stalled its nuclear program, which is claimed to be for energy only…..(US News, 7 Sep 07)

'Musharraf to stay in uniform till new Army Chief is appointed'

General Pervez Musharraf's term as President would end on November 15 but he would remain Army Chief till his successor is appointed, Pakistan government today told the Supreme Court, which rejected a plea by him not to entertain a petition against his re-election plans. Musharraf's counsel Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, while replying to a query by the court, said the President's term would end on November 15 and the General would continue to be in uniform till a new Army Chief is appointed to replace him…..(Hindu, 7 Sep 07)

U.S. boosting military aid in terrorism fight-study

The Bush administration is sharply increasing its use of military aid as a reward for countries that cooperate with its war on terrorism, despite concerns about human rights and political instability, researchers said Thursday. The Center for Defense Information found large increases in government and commercial U.S. arms sales in recent years to 25 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa that have become allies against Islamist militancy since the Sept. 11 attacks…..(Reuters, 7 Sep 07)

Blaming Politics, Iraqi Antigraft Official Vows to Quit

…Judge Radhi is the chief of the Public Integrity Commission, which has initiated hundreds of corruption inquiries in the past three years, including investigations of several current and former cabinet members. He said the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki had tried to limit his commission’s scope and to close cases by saying they fell outside his purview and should be handled by the judiciary. “I cannot just sit in my place and see corruption eating the Iraqi state, so I asked for retirement,” said Judge Radhi….(New York Times, 7 Sep 07)

Somali PM to meet Islamist financier in Djibouti

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi will meet Abukar Omar Adan, a top financial backer of the ousted Islamic Courts movement, on Friday in Djibouti to encourage its fighters to accept a government amnesty. The move came a day after a fugitive leader of the hardline movement made his first public appearance, after months on the run, at a conference of Somali opposition figures in Eritrea…..(Reuters, 7 Sep 07)

US government examines Bin Laden video

…"Soon, God willing, a videotape from the lion sheikh Osama bin Laden, God preserve him," the notice in Arabic read. A website used by Islamist militants that carried the notice showed a photo of bin Laden in which his black beard did not have the usual streaks of gray. He was also not wearing a camouflage jacket as in some previous appearances. Instead, the top-half photo showed him wearing a white robe topped by a beige cloak, similar to the traditional dress of men in the Gulf region, and looking more like a Muslim cleric than a fighter…..(Agence France-Presse, 7 Sep 07)

Pictures: Changing Face of Osama bin Laden

Details of purported bin Laden video emerge

The U.S. government has obtained a new video of Osama bin Laden marking the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and is analyzing it, a counterterror official said Friday. Several intelligence agencies were looking at the 25-minute video — the first new images of the terror leader in nearly three years. The tape contains no specific threat, senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News' Robert Windrem...The video includes references to current events in the U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq, an official said. That would bolster the video's authenticity, which intelligence officials still are trying to confirm. Bin Laden also recommended reading books by American authors Noam Chomsky and Michael Scheuer, a former CIA analyst, officials said. Chomsky's book cites various examples of American imperialism, while Scheuer's book argues that the U.S. does not understand the Islamic predicament.…..(NBC, 7 Sep 07)

Islamophobia and Jihad on Video-Sharing Websites: Islamophobic Videos on YouTube
Video-sharing websites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, and MySpace contain a large amount of racist and violent material, including both Islamophobic videos that defame Islam and incite against Muslims, and jihadist videos that praise and promote terrorism against the West. MEMRI will address this phenomenon in a series of reports presenting videos from the major video-sharing websites, focusing on videos promoting jihad and Islamophobia as well as on videos containing antisemitism and other types of racism and bigotry……(MEMRI, 7 Sep 07)

Islam: No Compulsion in Religion?
(Part Three of Three)

Some of the South Korean Christian missionaries who were recently kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan were subjected to beatings during their captivity. According to the pastor of the Saemmul Church, the beatings were administered when the missionaries refused to convert to Islam. Five of the 19 captives who returned home at the weekend were male. According to hospital chief Cha Seung-Gyun: "We found through medical checks that some male hostages were beaten. They said they were beaten at first for refusing to take part in Islamic prayers or for rejecting a demand to convert."….(Family Security Matters, 7 Sep 07)

Islam: No Compulsion in Religion?

Part Two: Heresy and Blasphemy

The kidnapping of South Korean Christian missionaries by the Afghan Taliban was almost inevitable. Islam has traditionally protected itself from outside influences and deviations of ideology by imposing strict prohibitions against apostasy. In March 2006, Algeria passed a law banning the "urging or forcing or tempting, to convert a Muslim to another religion." Penalties included a fine of $6,000 to $12,000 and imprisonment from two to three years…..(Family Security Matters, 6 Sep 07)

Neo-Nazis control German village

The mayor of a small German village says neo-Nazis have gained control of the town, using arson and threats to establish a reign of terror. Jamel Mayor Uwe Wandel said that after spending nearly six months as mayor of the German village, he now recognizes that the neo-Nazi population is the real power in the area, Der Spiegel reported Wednesday…..(UPI, 6 Sep 07)

U.S. interests said at risk in Nigeria

The U.S. Embassy said Thursday that American and other Western installations are at risk of terrorist attack in Nigeria, but officials later played down the warning, saying no specific threat had prompted the announcement. Nigeria, which has never suffered an attack by an international terrorist organization, is a top supplier of foreign oil for the United States as it seeks alternative sources of crude amid turmoil in the Middle East…..(AP, 6 Sep 07)

Former Official Says U.S. Aiming at Iran

The United States is confidentially preparing for a military strike against Iran, which will include several days worth of aviation strikes on several targets at once, a former CIA official told Harper's magazine. "It looks like there's preparations for a military strikes, and I base this on two things: on facts that we can observer, and on the rhetoric coming out of the White House," said the former CIA official, who worked in the Persian Gulf during the first U.S. war there and served in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. "A massive deployment of troops and equipment in the region is taking place, and the U.S. can't hide that. Sending the U.S. Navy to the Persian Gulf is very expensive, but we have three such units there."….(Moscow News Weekly, 6 Sep 07)

Beware of the changing US policies on Iran

The United States' Iran policy has changed several times since late May, confusing the international media as well as leaving countries involved clueless as to what to do next…Why does the US keep threatening Iran while negotiating with the Gulf country? One popular explanation is that the United States' recent proposal at the UN to subject Iran to more sanctions ran into objections, and by mounting threats against Teheran the Bush administration can placate the "hawks' within its ranks who want to use force against Iran on the one hand and pressure other parties concerned for more efforts to push a new resolution on further punishing Iran through the UN Security Council on the other…..(China Daily 6 Sep 07)

The Next Proving Ground for Political Islam: The September 7, 2007 Parliamentary Elections in Morocco

Two weeks after the Party of Justice and Development (AKP) captured the presidency in Turkey, Morocco is to hold parliamentary elections in which a party of the same name is expected to make significant gains and become the country's leading political party. In Morocco's September 7 parliamentary elections, the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) will, for the first time in its history, be running its list in all electoral districts….(MEMRI, 6 Sep 07)

Religious Party Seeks Gains in Morocco Poll

Morocco’s Islam-rooted party is seeking gains in Friday’s legislative elections, but analysts fear the poll will be rigged to prevent them from making significant advances. Polls suggest the Justice and Development Party (PJD) is ahead of the Socialist Union of People’s Forces (USFP) and Istiqlal, its two main rivals. Istiqlal has 50 seats in the current assembly and is the largest party in the governing coalition. The USFP has 48 seats and the PJD currently holds 42 seats. The PJD is hoping to win at least 70 of the 325 seats up for grabs…..(Media Line, 6 Sep 07)

Caucasus becomes a new hotbed of extremism

Increasingly extremist forms of jihadism are apparently not limited to the Middle East but are spreading globally. The jihadist trend in the Chechen resistance has become a concern not just for Russians but for the United States, as indicated by the invitation of several muftis from the North Caucasus for an official visit to the US. North Caucasus extremism as part of a global jihadist network can provide a common interest between the US and Russia, despite the increasing chill in Russian-US relations…..(Asia Times, 6 Sep 07)

Militant Somali Islamist at Eritrea talks

Militant Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, in hiding since a war drove his sharia courts movement out of south Somalia at the end of 2006, appeared on Thursday at an opposition conference in Eritrea. The bespectacled cleric, who some believe is behind an anti-government insurgency in Mogadishu, sat in a grey suit at the front at the opening of the meeting of Somali opposition figures in a conference hall in Asmara…..(Reuters, 6 Sep 07)

Sixteen Saudis return from Guantanamo Bay prison

…The Saudi state news agency SPA said Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz "expressed his relief and appreciation for the cooperation shown by the authorities in the United States, hoping this leads to the return of the remaining Saudis." Saudi public anger over the treatment of Saudi detainees in Guantanamo Bay has been high in the Muslim kingdom, a key U.S. ally. Two Saudis were among three prisoners who hanged themselves at the naval base in June…..(Reuters, 6 Sep 07)

Indonesia, Russia Bolster Military Ties

Russia and Indonesia signed a $1 billion defense deal Thursday that will allow Indonesia to buy dozens of helicopters, tanks and submarines _ part of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to boost his country's military clout in Asia. The two nations, which together have nearly 380 million people, also sent a pointed message to the United States: They oppose Washington on many key international issues, including the war in Iraq. Putin, making a one-day stopover in Indonesia, gave the cash-strapped government a $1 billion loan for military hardware that can be paid back over the next 15 years…..(AP, 6 Sep 07)

Allen Keiswetter: Islam and the West

Six years after 9/11, why are we still talking about "Islam and the West"? After all, Islam is a religion and the West is a geographical term. Why not juxtapose Islam and Christendom, since both are religions that span many cultures? Or Middle East and the West since both are geographical entities? Islam's 1.3 billion adherents stretch from Morocco to Indonesia, encompassing widely divergent cultures and beliefs… Globalization has blended Islam and the West. Islam in the West is commonplace, including a growing Muslim population with increasing numbers of mosques and hallal markets. Similarly, the West has penetrated deeply even into the cradle of Islam itself…..(Sacramento Bee, 6 Sep 07)

Radical books in London libraries

Public libraries serving the densest population of Muslims in London have been inundated with extremist literature, according to a report. Multiple copies of books were found in Tower Hamlets that would feature on any jihadist reading list…..(BBC, 6 Sep 07)

GAO Criticizes Homeland Security's Efforts to Fulfill Its Mission

Hobbled by inadequate funding, unclear priorities, continuing reorganizations and the absence of an overarching strategy, the Department of Homeland Security is failing to achieve its mission of preventing and responding to terrorist attacks or natural disasters, according to a comprehensive report by the Government Accountability Office…..(Washington Post, 6 Sep 07)

Official: Muslims should be careful with donations

A senior counterterrorism official in the U.S. Treasury Department told a crowd of Muslims in Dearborn they should be careful about which charities they donate to, suggesting they give money to groups the U.S. government works with. "If you were buying a car, or buying a house, of course you would try to find out who you were dealing with," said Michael Rosen, a policy adviser with the Treasury's Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, on Tuesday night. "And in essence, when you're making a charitable donation, that's exactly what you're trying to do.”…..(Free Press, 6 Sep 07)

Chertoff: U.S. 'Unequivocally' Safer Now From Attacks

…In testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee, Chertoff said his department would shortly unveil plans to tighten security for private planes coming to the United States from overseas and screen the aircraft for radiological or nuclear material before they take off. He said the government also is starting a pilot program on the West Coast to screen small boats for such material……(Washington Post, 6 Sep 07)

Iraqi Army Unable To Take Over Within A Year, Report Says

Iraq's army, despite measurable progress, will be unable to take over internal security from U.S. forces in the next 12 to 18 months and "cannot yet meaningfully contribute to denying terrorists safe haven," according to a report on the Iraqi security forces published today. The report, prepared by a commission of retired senior U.S. military officers, describes the 25,000-member Iraqi national police force and the Interior Ministry, which controls it, as riddled with sectarianism and corruption….(Washington Post, 6 Sep 07)

Homeland Security Drops Data-Mining Tool

Known as ADVISE and begun in 2003, the Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement program was developed by the department and the Lawrence Livermore and Pacific Northwest national laboratories for use by many DHS components, including immigration, customs, border protection, biological defense and its intelligence office. Testing of the program was suspended in March after questions arose over its compliance with privacy rules. Since then two internal Homeland Security reports found that tests had used live data about people rather than made-up data for one to two years without meeting privacy requirements…..(AP, 6 Sep 07)

Germany building case in foiled terrorist plot

…August Hanning, the deputy interior minister and the former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, said the suspects were part of the cell that for months had been planning attacks against American targets. "This is the network that we are aware of at the moment," Hanning told the ARD public television channel. He added that the cell had been splintered and no longer posed a direct security threat. Nevertheless, he warned that Germany was still a target for Islamic terrorists and that the risk remained high. Among the suspects still at large were some German converts to Islam, some Turkish residents of Germany and also people of other nationalities…According to an official close to the investigation, at least one of the men is Pakistani, another is Lebanese and one is stateless….(International Herald Tribune, 6 Sep 07)

German Authorities Search for Additional Bomb Plot Suspects

Counterterrorism officials said the three were among more than a dozen residents of Germany who had journeyed to Pakistan in recent months and were subsequently arrested or placed under surveillance. Key suspects in the London transit system attacks in July 2005 and a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners last summer also received training in Pakistan before returning to Europe for attacks, investigators believe. U.S. intelligence officials have said in recent weeks that al-Qaeda and its affiliates have reconstituted themselves in Pakistan's remote mountain regions along the border with Afghanistan and have bolstered their ability to launch attacks on the West from there. German authorities said that the three men arrested Tuesday, all in their 20s, were aiming at American facilities or sites likely to result in American casualties but that it was unclear whether they had settled on a target. Security officials said evidence indicated that Ramstein Air Base, a major U.S. and NATO installation, and Frankfurt's international airport ranked high on the list of sites under consideration…..(Washington Post, 6 Sep 07)

NBC Video: Alleged Plots in Germany a Real Threat?

Germany hunts for 10 terror suspects

…Authorities believed “some 10” further suspects provided support to the two German converts and a Turkish citizen who were arrested Tuesday, August Hanning, a top security official, told the ARD broadcaster. “This is the network that we are aware of at the moment,” Hanning said, adding that authorities believe the splintered cell — which includes more converted Germans, Turks and other citizens — no longer poses a direct security threat…In Washington, a senior U.S. State Department official said German investigators had determined the Frankfurt International Airport and the nearby U.S. Ramstein Air Base were the primary targets of the plot, but that those arrested may have also been considering strikes on other sites, particularly facilities associated with the United States.....(AP, 6 Sep 07)

Internet is a new tool of terrorists, Asia-Pacific intelligence chiefs told

Terror groups are becoming more computer savvy and are increasingly turning to the Internet to communicate, recruit new members and transfer funds, Malaysia's defense minister warned Thursday. Najib Razak, who is also deputy prime minister, urged Asia-Pacific intelligence agencies to deepen cooperation and boost their technological capabilities to counter the new threat from Internet-linked terrorism…..(AP, 6 Sep 07)

Investigators say Mehsuds behind Rawalpindi attacks

Preliminary investigations into Tuesday’s suicide attacks near General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi indicate that they were carried out by the Baitullah Mehsud group based in Waziristan…Investigators found evidence that the bomb-hit bus belonged to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), sources claimed. They said an investigation agency had recovered a small Russian-made device called MUV-2 from the bus. The device triggers the explosives when the suicide bomber pulls out a pin….(Daily Times, 6 Sep 07)

German Jihad Plot Investigation - Update

Since the arrest of three Jihadist suspects on Wednesday, the investigation into the German Jihadist plot continues. Identity of the three arrested suspects. The International Herald Tribune (IHT) reports that the arrested suspects are being identified as follows: "Fritz Gelowicz" (German), "Daniel Martin S." (German), and "Ayem Y." (Turkish). All three suspects remain in custody. ….(Counterterrorism Blog, 6 Sep 07)

Channel4 Video: Arrests avert ‘massive bombs’

An Everyday Substance, Potent When Concentrated

…The hydrogen peroxide available in drugstores is just 3 percent hydrogen peroxide by weight; the other 97 percent is water. Such highly dilute solutions are used to bleach hair and disinfect wounds. But at greater concentrations, above 70 percent, hydrogen peroxide can be used as a rocket propellant — or as an ingredient for explosives. The suspects arrested in Germany on Tuesday had obtained 1,500 pounds of moderately concentrated solution, made up of 35 percent hydrogen peroxide. That concentration is potent enough to make at least one type of explosive. If the hydrogen peroxide were mixed with acetone — the primary ingredient of most nail polish removers — the resulting chemical reactions could generate significant amounts of the explosive triacetone triperoxide, or TATP…..(New York Times, 6 Sep 07)

German Police Arrest 3 in Terrorist Plot

…An American intelligence official said that the United States helped German authorities track the location of two of the German suspects by eavesdropping on their cellphone conversations as they moved out of training camps in Pakistan. Ms. Harms also said that the two German converts had trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan and that the three suspects had about 1,500 pounds of hydrogen peroxide, which they were preparing to move by van when arrested in an out-of-the-way village in western Germany on Tuesday afternoon…..(New York Times, 6 Sep 07)

Trial told of internet bomb guide

The trial of a student accused of threatening to become a suicide bomber has been shown internet video of what appears to be an explosive being made. The court also heard Mohammed Atif Siddique's website had links to military techniques, weapons and how to conceal booby traps. The 21-year-old from Alva in Clackmannanshire denies five offences…..(BBC, 6 Sep 07)

Pakistan: Militants free six soldiers

Six of about 300 Pakistani soldiers held hostage by pro-Taliban militants in the tribal region of South Waziristan were freed on Wednesday as a ‘gesture of respect’ for a jirga holding talks with the militants for the troops’ release. A jirga member said talks with group led by militant commander, Baitullah Mehsud, were heading in the ‘right direction’……(AKI, 6 Sep 07)

U.S. air strike in Baghdad kills 14: police

U.S. airstrikes on a Shi'ite neighborhood in Baghdad overnight killed at least 14 people and destroyed 11 houses, Iraqi police and residents said on Thursday…(Reuters, 6 Sep 07)

Algeria: 7 Militants Killed

Security forces bombed a suspected militant hideout in Algeria early Wednesday, killing seven people believed to be responsible for a deadly ambush this week….(AP, 5 Sep 07)

Key suspect admits giving SIM cards

A key suspect in the Hyderabad blasts Kaleem alias Rafeeq is understood to have revealed during narco-analysis test on Wednesday that he had supplied mobile phone SIM cards to the operatives of terror outfits from Bangladesh. During the narco-analysis test conducted by Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Bangalore, Rafeeq "corroborated" the version given by his associate Syed Imran Khan who underwent the test yesterday….(Times of India, 5 Sep 07)

KKK leaves chilling card in Tri-State driveways

Neighbors who live off East Byers Avenue in Owensboro (Michigan) tell 14 News they found calling cards from the Ku Klux Klan in their driveways; an apparent attempt to recruit new members. It's the kind of solicitation no one would have ever expected in a quiet neighborhood like Rogers and Michaels Court…But what the card said was even more disturbing: "For your safety, the Ku Klux Klan was watching over your neighborhood as you slept."….(14WFIE, 5 Sep 07)

8 more U.S. soldiers die in Iraq

A car bomb killed at least 13 people Wednesday in a Shiite part of Baghdad, and the U.S. command announced the deaths of eight more American soldiers — some victims of a weapon the American command believes comes from Iran. At least 44 Iraqis were killed or found dead nationwide Wednesday, according to police reports…..(AP, 5 Sep 07)

FACTBOX-What is Islamic Jihad?

Germany has arrested three men it suspects of planning "massive bomb attacks" on U.S. installations and belonging to a domestic cell of the Islamic Jihad militant group…The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States. Here are some facts about the group…..(Reuters, 5 Sep 07)

As-Sahab Issues English-Subtitled Version of “The Winds of Paradise”, Narrated by Adam Gadahn AKA Azzam the American

As-Sahab produced an English-subtitled version of “The Winds of Paradise”, a video indicated to be the first issuance in a series glorifying the “martyred” Mujahideen in Afghanistan, and narrated by Adam Gadahn AKA Azzam the American…..(Site Institute, 5 Sep 07)

UK link to terrorists planning new 9/11 massacre

Islamic terrorists planning a massacre in Germany on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks phoned British contacts as they plotted, it has emerged. They planned to strike at German airports and US bases exactly six years after hijacked planes ploughed into the World Trade Centre….(This is London, 5 Sep 07)

Pastor: Korean Hostage was Killed for Refusing to Convert to Islam

The youth pastor who was leading the group of 23 South Korean aid volunteers in Afghanistan was killed for refusing to convert to Islam, the head pastor of the church revealed after the final 19 former hostages arrived home. “Among the 19 hostages who returned on the second (of September), some were asked by the Taliban to convert and when they rejected, they were assaulted and severely beaten,” reported Park Eun-jo, pastor of the hostages’ home church, Saemmul Presbyterian Church in Bundang, just south of the South Korean capital Seoul. “I heard from the hostages that they were threatened with death,”…..(Christian Today, 5 Sep 07)

3 terror suspects arrested in plot against Frankfurt airport, big U.S. air base

Three suspected Islamic militants were arrested for allegedly plotting "imminent" and "massive" attacks on the Ramstein air base, a major U.S. and NATO military hub, and Frankfurt's busy international airport, German authorities said Wednesday. German federal prosecutor Monika Harms said the three suspects - two of whom were German converts to Islam - had trained at terror camps in Pakistan and procured some 700 kilograms of hydrogen peroxide for making explosives. A top legislator said the group could have struck "in a few days," noting a "sensitive period" that includes the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks…..(AP, 5 Sep 07)

CNN Video: German Terror Arrests

BBC Video: Germany foils ‘huge’ bomb plot

Can soft-target terrorism be prevented?

The tendency to blame the police and intelligence agencies alone for the terror strike at Hyderabad is another indication of just how unwilling we are to develop a comprehensive, meaningful analysis of our problems. We find it convenient to heap the blame on the failure at the last stage of the process rather than face the inconvenient truths that make that failure almost inevitable. Social problems are blamed on the media that reveals them and terrorist incidents on the police that failed to anticipate them……(Economic Times, 5 Sep 07)

Foiled Terror Plots Share Hallmarks

A pair of alleged Islamic terror plots uncovered this week in Germany and Denmark share some disturbing hallmarks: Officials link both to al-Qaida and have found tentacles stretching all the way to Pakistan, the likely hiding place of Osama bin Laden….(AP, 5 Sep 07)

Germany foils 'massive' attack on US citizens

…The men, two Germans and a Turk, had amassed more than 700 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of hydrogen peroxide, the same chemical used by suicide bombers in the 2005 attacks on London's transport system which killed 56 people, Harms said. The chemicals had been stockpiled in a town in the Black Forest and drums of it had been moved to a rented holiday home recently. Harms said the men, who were arrested on Tuesday, belonged to an organization with ties to Al-Qaeda called Islamic Jihad Union, which German authorities have suspected for several months of planning attacks. The men were aged 22, 28 and 29. One of the three had been arrested for spying on a US military base in December but was released soon afterwards, federal police chief Joerg Ziercke said. All three of the men had attended a training camp in Pakistan in 2006…..(Agence France-Presse, 5 Sep 07)

German arrests expose growing al-Qaida network

…All three suspects had undergone training at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union, and had formed a German cell of the group, officials said. The Pakistan link is significant as, over the last two years, intelligence officials in the UK have often emphasized the particular vulnerability of Britain to a newly reconstituted al-Qaida hardcore based on the Afghan-Pakistani frontier. This vulnerability is based largely on the historic links between a high proportion of the British Muslim population and Pakistan which have meant prospective militants in the UK can travel there for training and strategic direction with much greater ease than those in, say, France or the US…..(Guardian, 5 Sep 07)

German Engineer Guilty of Nuclear-Technology Smuggling

…Wisser, former managing director of Johannesburg engineering company Krisch, admitted he had played a role in a global black market in atomic weapons technology headed by disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who has admitted to helping nations under international embargo develop their weapons programs. The case is part of an international effort to crack down on a network that has helped Libya, North Korea and Iran skirt sanctions in their pursuit of nuclear technology. The sentence also sets a precedent for the possible prosecution of other members in Europe or Asia, and Wisser has agreed to cooperate with South African and overseas authorities in their investigations….(Deutsche Welle, 5 Sep 07)

German engineer convicted over nuclear smuggling ring

One year after the first trial of a suspected member of an international nuclear smuggling network spanning three continents ended in failure in Germany a follow-up trial in South Africa Tuesday produced surprising results. German-born engineer Gerhard Wisser, after striking a plea bargain with prosecutors that will see him spend three years under house arrest, finally admitted in Pretoria High Court to his involvement in attempts to supply parts for Libya's aborted nuclear weapons program. The conviction is the first of a member of the ring headed by the father of the Pakistani nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan…..(Earth Times, 5 Sep 07)

Holy Land Foundation Motion 4-Sep-07 .pdf

CAIR Amicus Brief 8-07 .pdf

HLF Prosecution: CAIR “affiliated with” Hamas

On Tuesday, the prosecution in the trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) filed its motion in opposition to the amicus brief filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). In addition to picking apart the arguments laid out in CAIR’s brief piece by piece, the government set an important precedent, officially and definitively linking CAIR to Hamas, writing…..(Counterterrorism Blog, 5 Sep 07)

Musharraf Considers State of Emergency

A top adviser to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf acknowledged Tuesday that the general's options for staying in power are increasingly bleak and said that a declaration of emergency is being considered as a way of keeping him in office. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, said that while a complete military takeover under martial law had been ruled out, a state of emergency that would allow for the postponement of elections for up to a year and the curtailment of individual liberties was still on the table….(Washington Post, 5 Sep 07)

Informant reveals key terror role

A self-confessed Muslim fundamentalist has told the BBC about his police informant role in helping to stop an alleged terrorist attack. Canadian Mubin Shaikh befriended men who were allegedly plotting truck bombs in the downtown area of Toronto. It is also claimed they discussed storming the parliament in revenge for Canada's military role in Afghanistan…..(BBC, 5 Sep 07)

Many Trainees Are Complicit With 'Enemy Targets'

…Iraqi and American officers estimate t