United States

[Casey]

America's first intelligence czar

Bush Thursday named Negroponte as the overall director of intelligence.

By Peter Grier and Faye Bowers | Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON - As US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte already has a tough job. But now he's in line for something that in its own way might be tougher: service as the first US director of national intelligence.

Iraq is dangerous, of course, and its politics intense.

In Washington, however, Ambassador Negroponte may find that the DNI post comes with unprecedented responsibility, and less power than advertised.

If confirmed by the Senate, Negroponte will be expected to set overall budgets for a constellation of US intelligence agencies, many of which might fight major changes he wishes to make.

By law, he'll be the president's chief adviser on intelligence matters - but he'll have no direct control over actual intelligence operations.

What's more, on his very own issues he'll have lots of competition for the president's ear.

"Negroponte is going to have to fend for himself out there, with the ambiguities in the law, and hope he can make it work on the basis of goodwill," says Stansfield Turner, former director of central intelligence.

President Bush announced his pick of Negroponte for the DNI slot at a snap Thursday press conference. It came at a time when the administration was coming under increasing criticism for slowness in trying to fill the job.

On Wednesday, for instance, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D) of West Virginia, the ranking minority member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, complained publicly of "foot-dragging," and called the delay in naming a DNI "simply unacceptable."

In announcing his choice, President Bush said that Negroponte understands the intelligence needs of US policymakers, plus the need to make intelligence agencies work together.

"If we're going to stop the terrorists before they strike, we must ensure that our intelligence agencies work as a single, unified enterprise," said President Bush.

With Negroponte, Bush has a veteran security official whose wide-ranging background may make him an obvious fit for the post.

But Negroponte's confirmation may not be a slam dunk. As ambassador to Honduras from 1981-85, he played a prominent role in aiding the contra rebels in their war with the left-wing Sandinista government in neighboring Nicaragua.

In past some human rights groups have alleged that Negroponte knew about and did not disapprove of the activities of Honduran death squads funded and partly trained by the CIA. Negroponte has testified that he did not believe death squads were operating in Honduras.

He was personally never held responsible for any actions of the death squads, but some officials within the CIA were, and in the early 1990s the US government forced the CIA to change its methods for recruiting and maintaining foreign agents after the abuses became public.

"There are both pluses and minuses here [concerning Negroponte]," says former DCI Stansfield Turner. "I wish we could have found someone less controversial to get this off to a smooth start."

Born in London, the son of a Greek shipping magnate, John Negroponte graduated from Yale. From 1960 to 1987 he was a member of the US Foreign Service, and has worked in posts in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Picked by Bush as US ambassador to the UN, he was confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 18, 2001, following a half-year delay due to the controversy over his Honduran activities.

He was sworn in as US Ambassador to Iraq on June 29, 2004.

In Iraq, Negroponte has overseen the buildup of the largest US embassy staff in the world, and Iraq's baby steps toward democracy, including the recent elections.

But he has also seen firsthand the growth and tenacity of the Iraqi insurgency, and the terrorist activities of foreign fighters come to wage jihad against American troops.

In Congressional testimony on Wednesday, both Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and CIA Director Porter Goss said that Iraq-hardened jihad cells may move to other countries and remain a threat to the US once Iraq stabilizes.

From Mr. Rumsfeld's and Mr. Goss's comments "it would follow that a person who knew a great deal about these groups and had operated in Iraq, even for a short time, as ambassador could be an interesting candidate to oversee intelligence operations in this country," says Robert Pfaltzgraff, an expert on international security at Tufts University's Fletcher School.

Some of the important architects of the law which established the director of national intelligence position said that Negroponte seems just the sort of person they had in mind when drawing up the job's responsibilities.

"Lee Hamilton and I are both very pleased with this appointment, and very supportive," says former GOP New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean. Governor Kean, with ex-Rep. Hamilton, a Democrat from Indiana, were co-chairman of the 9/11 commission.

On Thursday, President Bush also tapped Lt. Gen. Mike Hayden, director of the National Security Agency, to be deputy director of national intelligence.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0218/p01s02-uspo.html

[Casey]

Posted on Fri, Feb. 18, 2005

Negroponte must meld 15 secret agencies
By JONATHAN S. LANDAY
Knight Ridder Newspapers

INTELLIGENCE CZAR

WASHINGTON — U.S. Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte, tapped Thursday by President Bush to be the first director of national intelligence, will be taking on one of the most difficult jobs in government as he oversees a sweeping reorganization of the U.S. intelligence community.

Negroponte, if confirmed by the Senate, would run 15 secret bureaucracies — eight of them within the Pentagon — that jealously guard their turfs, cultures and budgets.

These agencies don’t always communicate with each other and have been accused of failing to detect the 2001 attacks. Some produced faulty analyses of Iraq’s illegal arms programs.

In selecting Negroponte, 65, Bush is turning to someone with 40 years’ experience as a diplomat abroad and a senior official in Washington. Among the jobs he has held are U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and ambassador to the Philippines, Mexico and Honduras.

“He understands the power centers in Washington,” Bush said, adding he also has another key qualification. “His service in Iraq during these past few historic months has given him something that will prove an incalculable advantage for an intelligence chief — an unvarnished and up-close look at a deadly enemy.”

It’s experience Negroponte will need. He will be forced to confront the most serious problem facing the intelligence community, recruiting spies capable of penetrating such regimes as those of Iran and North Korea and the leadership of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

The independent commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks recommended placing the agencies under a single national intelligence director to boost the government’s ability to fight terrorism and other threats.

“If we’re going to stop the terrorists before they strike, we must ensure that our intelligence agencies work as a single, unified enterprise,” Bush said.

Officially, responsibility for running the Intelligence Community had belonged to the CIA director. But in practice, the person in that job has been consumed with overseeing the CIA, lacked authority over other agencies and had no control over most of the annual intelligence budget, now estimated at about $40 billion.

Some lawmakers and current and former intelligence officials have raised concerns about the legislation passed by Congress in December, that:


• The new national intelligence director may lack sufficient powers, especially over the budget.

• The law left lines of authority blurred, especially to the military intelligence agencies overseen by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.

• Congress may have added a new layer of officialdom that will hinder, not improve, intelligence operations and the flow of information to the president and other policy-makers.

An effort “meant to streamline the Intelligence Community risks doing exactly the opposite,” warned Robert Hutchings, who recently resigned as chairman of the National Intelligence Council, a group that produces the most important intelligence assessments for the president.

“At the very time that the terrorist challenge is becoming more eclectic, decentralized and networked, we are organizing ourselves in a highly centralized way,” he said. “I worry that this is the wrong model for dealing with the terrorist challenge.”

Bush sought to dispel questions about the new post. Negroponte would have the power to order intelligence missions and the sharing of information among agencies, the president said. He also would have the power to put together the annual intelligence budget, he said.

CIA Director Porter Goss would no longer report directly to Bush, but to Negroponte, who would take over the job of providing the president’s daily intelligence briefing.

“Vesting these authorities in a single official who reports directly to me will make our intelligence efforts better coordinated, more efficient and more effective,” Bush said.

Negroponte has been a consumer of intelligence as a senior diplomat. Several lawmakers said his service in Iraq and his decades in the diplomatic corps, including stints as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mexico and Honduras, have provided him with the management tools he needs.

Experts also said Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden, nominated by Bush as Negroponte’s deputy, would make up for Negroponte’s lack of intelligence experience.

Hayden is the longest-serving head of the National Security Agency, the super-secret agency that eavesdrops on global communications and is the largest component of the Intelligence Community.

Bush acknowledged Negroponte would have to surmount challenges.

“This is going to take a while to get a new culture in place, a different way of approaching the budget,” said Bush.

The director will oversee 15 diverse, entrenched intelligence bureaucracies totaling tens of thousands of people with separate jurisdictions, manage competitions for resources and coordinate unified judgments on key issues.

“The major challenge ... is to transform the Intelligence Community,” Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “We’re not talking about minor, incremental changes.”

It remains unclear how much authority Negroponte would have over the Pentagon’s agencies, which consume an estimated 80 percent of the overall intelligence budget.

Bush said Negroponte would have the power to set the overall annual intelligence budget and to direct how these funds are spent.

But the law creating the post hobbles the director’s ability to shift funds between agencies.

“The money is going to be flowing to the Pentagon, and he will have very little authority to do anything about that,” said Lee Strickland, director of the Center for Information Policy at the University of Maryland, who retired in 2004 after 30 years at the CIA.

James L. Pavitt, former CIA deputy director for operations, said Negroponte was “a very good choice” who will have to take the 15 separate intelligence agencies and “build them into the most capable and harmonious intelligence machine” possible.

Negroponte also will need to be sensitive to the uniqueness of each agency to ensure it remains best at its mission, whether that’s running spies, eavesdropping or other work, Pavitt said.

This job, he cautioned, would be “a daunting challenge.”

The Washington Post contributed to this report

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/10930613.htm

[Petronas]

FBI informant testifies for defense in terror money trial
Posted 2/17/2005 7:54 PM

NEW YORK (AP) — An FBI informant who was set to be the star prosecution witness in a terror trial until he set himself ablaze outside the White House took the stand for the defense Thursday, saying he had sought $5 million for leading prosecutors to a Yemeni sheik he says gave Osama bin Laden money, arms and fighters. "I deserve that," Mohamed Alanssi said through an Arabic-English interpreter. "After I chase the terrorist and I bring him here to America I deserve even $10 million."

Alanssi quickly laid out some of the government's most serious allegations against Sheik Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, who is charged with supporting al-Qaeda and Hamas, and with conspiring to fund and attempting to fund the terror groups. "He told me he gave bin Laden more than $20 million" before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Yemeni informant told jurors in federal court. "He told me he helps al-Qaeda with money and arms and he send mujahedeen to Chechnya and Afghanistan." Alanssi also charged that al-Moayad said he had given $3.5 million to Hamas. Alanssi was the sole source of some of the government's most dramatic claims about al-Moayad, including that the sheik said he personally handed $20 million to bin Laden.

Alanssi was dropped from the government's witness list after he set his clothing on fire in front of the White House in November to protest what he called the FBI's failure to make good on promises of wealth and U.S. citizenship. He said he also asked the FBI to relocate his family to the United States. Without Alanssi, who was burned over a third of his body, the government relied more heavily on surveillance tapes and the case began to center almost entirely on the Hamas allegations.

By calling Alanssi as a hostile witness, defense lawyers were taking a gamble. They hoped to damage his credibility and blunt the damage from the tapes, secretly recorded over four days in a Frankfurt, Germany, hotel. Alanssi allegedly lured al-Moayad and his assistant, co-defendant Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, to Germany by posing as the fixer for another informant who wanted to donate $2.5 million to Hamas and al-Qaeda.

On Thursday, Alanssi refused to give yes or no answers to many of defense attorney Howard Jacobs' questions, instead providing long explanations that portrayed al-Moayad as dedicated to violent struggle. Jacobs asked whether al-Moayad, who runs religious charities in Yemen, explicitly stated he funneled money to Islamist fighters. Alanssi, who wore a glove on his burned right hand, replied that it wasn't necessary. "The charitable work of Sheik Moayad is a front, and the money he gets is for mujahedeen," Alanssi said.

The surveillance tapes show al-Moayad and Zayed apparently promising to help the informants donate the money, with a 10% commission for the defendants' Yemeni charities. Jurors also saw al-Moayad and Zayed on the tapes discussing code words for ammunition and weapons and condemning Americans and Jews. Al-Moayad and Zayed were arrested and extradited to the United States.

Al-Moayad could receive a 60-year prison sentence if convicted of all charges. Zayed, accused of conspiring to fund and attempting to fund Hamas and al-Qaeda, could serve three decades behind bars if convicted. Alanssi, 53, said he moved to the United States in 2000 and briefly worked at a New York City travel agency before losing his job. He said he had gone to work for the government because of his horror at the 2001 terrorist attacks. "It was my duty to cooperate with the American government against the terrorists that I know," Alanssi said. "That's my duty."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-02-17-terror-money_x.htm

[Petronas]

Serves her right, for stupidity. BUT - how on earth did the suitcase "get past security" and was the plane allowed to take off without the suitcase being retrieved and blown up BEFORE the flight? I hope a few TSA agents at the Phoenix airport will be looking for a new job soon...

'Mouthy' traveler gets luggage blown up
Posted: February 19, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Get "snippy" with an airlines' ticket agent and you may never see your luggage again. That's the experience of Dr. Esha Khoshnu, a New Jersey psychiatrist traveling to San Diego to attend a conference. While changing planes in Phoenix, Khoshnu got testy at a Mesa Airlines ticket counter, reports KGTV news, saying, "If I had a bomb, you wouldn't find it." The Transportation Security Administration described Khoshnu as acting "mouthy and snippy," according to KGTV.

The bomb comment touched off a security scare and FBI officials were dispatched to question Khoshnu, who was subsequently detained long enough to miss her flight. Her suitcase, however, got past security and was loaded onto the America West jet. When Mesa Airlines Flight 6264 landed at Lindbergh Field in San Diego the pilot was instructed to taxi to a remote area of the airport where some 35 passengers were taken off the plane and escorted onto two buses, reports City News Service.

"When we landed and quickly did a U-turn on the runway, I was like, 'They never do that.' Then, all the cars started coming and it was obvious that it was for our plane. That was the scary part," one passenger told KGTV. City News Service reports members of the San Diego Fire Department's bomb squad searched the plane but found no explosives. Next, they removed Khoshnu's suitcase and inspected it in an open area on the grounds of the airport.

Although they found nothing suspicious, authorities blew up the bag with an explosive charge and then doused it with water. Khoshnu was eventually released and allowed to board a later flight to San Diego. KGTV reports the Assistant U.S. Attorney in Phoenix decided her actions did not merit charges.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42930

[Petronas]

The War’s Far from Won
February 07, 2005, 7:40 a.m.

"If we don't wake up to this, we could lose it all," that's Harvey Kushner's message to Americans — and American intelligence officials.

Harvey Kushner is a familiar face to many Fox viewers. The terrorism expert is a frequent TV commentator. In his full-time work in terrorism prevention, he has been a consultant to major government agencies including the FBI, INS, and U.S. Customs. Kushner's most recent book is Holy War on the Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States, written with Bart Davis.

Kushner recently answered some of NRO editor Kathryn Jean Lopez's questions. Kushner weighed in on the Patriot Act ("essential"), Michael Chertoff (he is less enthused than NR), and, of course, the secret Islamic terror network in the United States.

National Review Online: Boston, New York, Philly, D.C., Miami, Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Houston, Denver, L.A. (and more) — Hamas, al Qaeda, and Hezbollah are operating out of major U.S. cities today?

Harvey Kushner: Holy War on the Home Front is the first book to publish the "Charter of the Center of Studies, Intelligence and the Information." The "Charter" was handwritten in Arabic and dated 1981. It is a militant Islamic organizational plan for terrorism, with every cell, division, agent, and objective clearly defined. One expert's opinion regarding the original Arabic is that the document could have originated from the ranks of the Muslim brotherhood, the originator of all contemporary militant Islamic movements.

Also published in Holy War is a hand-drawn map of the United States and Canada that accompanies the "Charter." The map is divided into four sections: the Western Region, the Central Region, the Eastern Region, the Canadian Region. For example, the Eastern Region has dots over the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Raleigh, and Miami. In 1981, few, if any, terrorist groups were in the cities labeled in Arabic on the map. Today, however, there are terrorist groups in every city shown on the map, proof of how far the secret Islamic terror network has spread.

While interviewed about Holy War on the radio by a former official in the Reagan administration, she said that she had been briefed about the Charter in the early 1980s. She was shocked that it took more than two decades for someone to publish this telling document about the secret Islamic network operating in the United States.

NRO: Tom Ridge is done with DHS as of last week. You report DHS officials saying the agency won't be functional until next year. Was it a mistake? What can be done?

Kushner: As I write in my book, high-level sources within the Department of Homeland Security say DHS won't even be "somewhat functional" until 2006. This disturbing progress report aside, the creation of DHS was no mistake. It was necessary to create an agency responsible for coordinating protection of the homeland. One agency responsible for assuring the seamless transfer of terrorist information into one database looms high on the DHS agenda. DHS would then transfer real-time terrorist data to local law enforcement. Until now, however, this has not taken place and it will be "job-one" for the new DHS secretary, Michael Chertoff.

The Harvard-educated Chertoff does not appear to have the managerial skills to unite the more than 180,000 DHS personnel from some 22 agencies into one cohesive unit devoid of their past organizational cultures. Nor does he seem to have the management experience to make DHS the point-of-contact for the 87,000 local jurisdictions across our nation. Moreover, Judge Chertoff credentials are not likely to impress the law-enforcement personnel under his jurisdiction. It is well-known that judges and lawyers often have little appreciation, albeit understanding, of the work of the men and women of law enforcement.

Secretary Chertoff needs to bring about unification with DHS and transfer real-time terrorist information to the locals. Accomplishing this will make DHS an effective unifying entity as well as protector of the homeland. Unfortunately, I'm not sanguine about his chances of accomplishing this; however, I wish him well.

NRO: Would you ditch the color-coded alert system? Does it hurt more than help?

Kushner: Every time we change colors and alert the public I'm reminded of Aesop's popular fable, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." You can't keep alerting the people to the possibility of the wolf at your doorstep that never shows up without running the risk of making them "alert weary." I'm not advocating that it is necessary to have some horrific terrorist event occur to prove the color-coded system worthy. Instead, I would like to see implemented a system that balances high alert with a meaningful educational program to train the public in the ways of terrorism prevention.

NRO: You report a lot that is very wrong, but we haven't been attacked since 9/11 — isn't that some sort of relatively good sign?

Kushner: Absolutely not. Always remember that Islamic terrorists will strike at American assets both here and abroad according to their own schedule, not ours. If history is a guide, it took more than eight years for Islamic terrorists to destroy the World Trade towers, the first attack occurred in February 26, 1993. Moreover, the tale of the Bedouin chief who took 40 years to avenge a personal insult and was chided for acting so hastily speaks to the Islamic-terrorist mindset and warns us of things to come.

Lopez: The Patriot Act gets people on both the Left and Right riled up. But it's been effective, hasn't it?

Kushner: Yes, it sure has. The Patriot Act deserves credit for the arrest of members of terrorist cells in Buffalo, Seattle, Portland, and Detroit, and investigations of terrorist have frozen more than $125 million in terrorist assets and over 600 bank accounts around the world. I believe the Patriot Act has the right balances in the sometimes-competing interests of the war on terror and our civil liberties. If we are to prevent a terrorist attack of major proportions, it is essential. Usually, in law enforcement we wait until a crime is committed, and then we act. America cannot afford to wait until a terrorist act is committed to go after the terrorists who commit them.

Roving wiretaps are necessary in an age of cellular-phone technology. They were illegal until the Patriot Act. The old laws worked when the cord on the black metal family phone wouldn't let you move more than a couple of feet. Roving wire taps are necessary to intercept and track terrorists using satellite phones.

NRO: How are judges hurting the war effort?

Kushner: My book documents how a federal judge sentenced an illegal alien convicted of smuggling heroin, later referred to the FBI for suspicions of terrorist links, to 30 months in jail, three years on probation, a 100-dollar special assessment, and 200 hours of community service. What sort of community service does a convicted heroin smuggler suspected of being a terrorist get? He was assigned to help out in the Queens Botanical Gardens.

Hey, I can't make this stuff up; it sound too much like a Mel Brooks movie, something that would damage the credibility of some involved in counterterrorism. Nevertheless, it clearly illustrates how liberal federal judges contribute to our war effort. They don't.

NRO: Folks like John Kerry claim we are no safer today post-Iraq war. Is that true?

Kushner: If the question refers to our involvement in Iraq, then the answer is "no" inasmuch as we have removed a despot who sponsored terrorism. The Bush administration should have made Iraq's well-known support of Middle Eastern terrorists of all stripes a major issue before the liberation of the Iraqi people. Focusing specifically on weapons of mass destruction was clearly a mistake because they haven't turned up. Rather, a free Iraq begins the process of removing all sponsors of terrorism aimed at the United States and her allies and changes the very fabric of the greater Middle East. This should have been presented to the American public right from the get-go.

If we go back, however, to 9/11 then I would agree that we are no safer today. And that's why I wrote Holy War. Why? Because for all the money we've spent in the past three years on "security," Americans are no safer. Government agencies are still sloppy, negligent, or worse. For years, liberal federal judges have been probating illegal aliens who are "known or suspected terrorists" back onto our streets. Khat, a drug worth billions of dollars a year, is being smuggled into this country by a Middle Eastern-African-British network, but no one is investigating it — or its links to terrorism. The USCIS Asylum Offices get applications from Middle Easterners who testify to involvement with terrorism, but can't reject them because the FBI won't return their phone calls. Don't believe it? Sorry, my book has the documents to back up these strong assertions.

NRO: How can INS, such that it is, be fixed?

Kushner: The answer to this question is rather simple, it can't. No matter how many resources we devote to what is now INS, they won't be enough unless we fix our will to deal with illegal aliens inside our country. In other words, there has to be a concerted effort from the Bush administration right down to the public itself to get beyond the paralyzing effects of political correctness and crack down on illegal aliens. I'm not only referring to those that committed felons but to those who cross our borders without permission.

NRO: You write, "We need to "make sure that none of the 7 million ocean cargo containers coming to the United States contains a weapon of mass destruction." How is that even possible?

Kushner: We should not be put off by the numbers. There is still time to fix things. America is better at crash programs than any nation in the world. It's as simple as this: We need to quickly develop the technology to inspect ocean cargo containers. All it takes is money and sometimes that's no easy task.

NRO: Complaining about political correctness feels very knee-jerk right-wingy. But is it actually an obstacle in fighting the war on terrorism?

Kushner: It sure is [an obstacle in fighting the war]. As I stated in Holy War, "The only explanation as to why we continue to ignore the secret Islamic terror network in America is that the demands of political correctness have made us so afraid of being branded racists that we force ourselves to be color blind, identity blind, and gender blind till we end up, quite simply, totally blind."

As I discuss in my book, one of the problems with "profiling," a concept anathema to the PC police, is that liberals have made it almost impossible to use and as a consequence we aren't very good at it. One suburban New York police academy created a terrorist profile derived from the "Al Qaeda Training Manual." The latter is a fascinating document — and frightening, considering the level of preparation it indicates. Unfortunately, [it's not] what's taught to rookies at the police academy in their manual titled "Terrorism: Awareness, Prevention." Response becomes sanitized by the PC police. As a result, police officers wind up looking for an armed American-looking type carrying a fake ID who lives in a first-floor apartment in the middle of a new complex or an old tenement, has no phones but new locks, and likes to draw and take pictures.

The 9/11 hijackers don't fit that profile. Terrorists like Khalid "Shaikh" Mohammed don't fit that profile. Neither does Osama bin Laden. In fact, except for being armed, the people it most fits are college kids below the drinking age.

This kind of training gives the street cop very little useful information, and most complain there is simply no way to know what job to do, or how to do it. The intuition his or her experience has bred is unnerved by conflicting social, political, and legal forces. He figures a Muslim terrorist might look Middle Eastern or Arabic, but he's told that thinking like that is profiling, and it's wrong.

NRO: How are we fighting the war on militant Islam with a Cold War mentality? Why are we?

Kushner: In the winter of 2004, as I was completing my research for Holy War, a former CIA agent with a direct pipeline to Homeland Security arranged for me to have a combined briefing from a group of federal security, intelligence, and law-enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C. My briefing group can be identified only as including career CIA officers who had worked inside Syria and Iran; a State Department officer previously stationed in the Middle East, now with the FBI; government-security experts; and several others with long experience in intelligence and foreign service. Also in attendance was a casually dressed Middle-Eastern man. He was special ops and knew terrorists. He had infiltrated their organizations; he had killed terrorists before they could strike innocents.

During our conversations it became clear that my hosts were hung up on the graying secular terrorist of the past, the ones the Soviets supported, not the al Qaeda I knew that could explode without notice. One assured me, "Significant inroads have been made into damaging al Qaeda. This is proved by the fact there hasn't been another 9/11-type attack."

My hosts also believed that every terrorist organization had a single "head," and eliminating that head would destroy the group's ability to harm us. The prime example was that killing Osama bin Laden would end al Qaeda and the war on terrorism.

What my hosts did not understand was that al Qaeda has become more than itself. It is a "state of mind" that can give rise to the "lone wolf" terrorist who suddenly adopts the al Qaeda philosophy of jihad, for reasons of his own. That kind of terrorist is even harder to predict than the card-carrying member of the Soviet era because he will give almost no warning of his intent. Al Qaeda's most dangerous feature is this predisposition to be brought into militant Islam that can be triggered by exposure to something in a mosque, or on the Internet, or through media coverage of an event.

It became crystal clear to me that my hosts, who were in a position to help shape the war on terrorism, were giving advice that was based on models of terrorist activities tied to the Cold War era. That's one frightening scenario, isn't it?

NRO: Should we be calling it the war on militant Islam instead of the war on terror? Less beating-around-the-bush?

Kushner: You bet. In point of fact, we are not at war with a variety of terrorist organizations active throughout the world. I don't mean to indicate, however, that I approve or condone such behavior. A terrorist by any other name is still a terrorist. The terrorists that pull triggers, plant bombs, and blast holes in the New York skyline all have the same thing in common — they are simply terrorists.

I wrote Holy War to drive home the point that we are at war with militant Islam, not a concept like terrorism per se. A war against militant Islam is war against a tangible enemy we can defeat. We must also realize that battle against militant Islam is here in America. If we don't wake up to this, we could lose it all. That's why I wrote Holy War on the Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States.

http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.asp?ref=/interrogatory/kushner200502070740.asp

[Trinity]

Bush Issues Forceful Words to Iran, Syria

Monday February 21, 2005 4:01 PM


AP Photo BELD103

By TOM RAUM

Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - President Bush appealed to Europe on Monday to move beyond animosities over Iraq and join forces in encouraging democratic reforms across the Middle East. He also prodded Russia to reverse a crackdown on political dissent, demanded that Iran end its nuclear ambitions and told Syria to get out of Lebanon.

Bush did not rule out using military force in Iran, saying all options remain on the table. But, addressing widespread concerns in Europe that Iran is the next U.S. target after Iraq, Bush said: ``Iran is ... different from Iraq. We're in the early stages of diplomacy.''

Bush's speech on a five-day fence-mending trip to Europe was aimed at both U.S. and European audiences. ``In a new century, the alliance of America and Europe is the main pillar of our security,'' he said.

He used the word ``alliance'' 12 times in his speech to underscore his aim to repair relations frayed by the war in Iraq. But not all his speech was conciliatory.

Bush had pointed criticism for Russia three days ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Slovakia. Referring to Putin's recent steps to consolidate power, rollback democratic reforms and curb press and political freedoms, Bush said:

``We must always remind Russia that our alliance stands for a free press, a vital opposition, the sharing of power and the rule of law. The United States should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.''

Bush's speech was delivered in an ornate ballroom of Brussels' Concert Noble hall before an audience of business leaders, academics and diplomats. It was greeted mostly by subdued applause.

He was having a private dinner later Monday with French President Jacques Chirac, one of his harshest critics on Iraq. His trip also included stops in Germany and Slovakia.

Bush urged greater ``tangible political, economic and security assistance to the world's newest democracy,'' Iraq. And he called for European allies to stand by fledgling democracy movements throughout the world, and especially in the Middle East.

He said he recognized that full democracy could take awhile to root. Even in the United States, democracy came slowly, Bush said, pointing out that women and minorities were not treated equally ``and that struggle hasn't ended.''

Bush had sharp words for Syria, calling on leaders in Damascus to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. As Bush spoke, thousands of opposition supporters in Beirut shouted insults at Syria and demanded the resignation of Lebanon's pro-Syrian government, marking a week since the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's most prominent politician.

The United States has withdrawn its ambassador from Syria for consultations to protest a suspected link between the assassination and Syria.

``The Lebanese people have the right to be free, and the United States and Europe share an interest in an independent, democratic Lebanon,'' Bush said.

On Iran, Bush said the United States was working with European allies Britain, France and Germany on a diplomatic solution to end Iran's nuclear program. His administration, however, has been skeptical of the Europeans' approach to offer Iran economic and political incentives not to develop nuclear arms.

``The results of this approach now depend largely on Iran,'' Bush said. ``The time has arrived for the Iranian regime to listen to the Iranian people and respect their rights and join in the movement toward liberty that is taking place all around them.''

And he had pointed advice for two pivotal U.S. allies in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

``The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future,'' Bush said, urging greater move toward giving Saudi more political freedom.

``The great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East,'' Bush said.

Brussels police readied 2,500 officers for Bush's visit and summit meetings on Tuesday with NATO and the European Union, both based in Brussels.

An alliance of 88 environmental, human rights, peace and other groups planned two days of protests in Brussels to demand ``no European complicity'' in a U.S.-designed world order.

Before the speech, the president made a courtesy call on King Albert II and Queen Paola, Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Verhofstadt, who introduced Bush at the speech, said the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was divisive - but with pressing problems in Africa and other parts of the world, ``It makes little sense arguing about who was right.''

Bush sought to minimize past differences on Iraq.

``Some Europeans joined the fight to liberate Iraq, while others did not,'' Bush said. ``All nations now have an interest in the success of a free and democratic Iraq, which will fight terror, which will be a beacon of freedom and which will be a source of true stability in the region.''

Despite Bush's appeal to bury past differences, divisions remain over other issues, including the U.S. decision not to enter the Kyoto climate change treaty, which many European nations supported.

``All of us expressed our views on the Kyoto Protocol, and now we must work together on the way forward,'' Bush said. He suggested the answer lies in ``the power of human ingenuity'' and emerging technologies.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4816039,00.html

[al-Canine]

Aboard Air CIA

The agency ran a secret charter service, shuttling detainees to interrogation facilities worldwide. Was it legal? What's next? A NEWSWEEK investigation

By Michael Hirsh, Mark Hosenball and John Barry
Newsweek

Feb. 28 issue - Like many detainees with tales of abuse, Khaled el-Masri had a hard time getting people to believe him. Even his wife didn't know what to make of his abrupt, five-month disappearance last year. Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, says he was taken off a bus in Macedonia in south-central Europe while on holiday on Dec. 31, 2003, then whisked in handcuffs to a motel outside the capital city of Skopje. Three weeks later, on the evening of Jan. 23, 2004, he was brought blindfolded aboard a jet with engines noisily revving, according to his lawyer, Manfred Gnjidic. Masri says he climbed high stairs "like onto a regular passenger airplane" and was chained to clamps on the bare metal floor and wall of the jet.

Masri says he was then flown to Afghanistan, where at a U.S. prison facility he was shackled, repeatedly punched and questioned about extremists at his mosque in Ulm, Germany. Finally released months later, the still-mystified Masri was deposited on a deserted road leading into Macedonia, where he brokenly tried to describe his nightmarish odyssey to a border guard. "The man was laughing at me," Masri told The New York Times, which disclosed his story last month. "He said: 'Don't tell that story to anyone because no one will believe it. Everyone will laugh'."

No one's laughing these days, least of all the CIA. NEWSWEEK has obtained previously unpublished flight plans indicating the agency has been operating a Boeing 737 as part of a top-secret global charter servicing clandestine interrogation facilities used in the war on terror. And the Boeing's flight information, detailed to the day, seems to confirm Masri's tale of abduction. Gnjidic, Masri's lawyer, called the information "very, very important" to his case, which is being investigated as a kidnapping by a Munich prosecutor. In what could prove embarrassing to President Bush, Gnjidic added that a German TV station was planning to feature Masri's tale ahead of Bush's much-touted trip to Germany this week. German Interior Minister Otto Schily recently visited CIA Director Porter Goss to discuss the case, and German sources tell NEWSWEEK that Schily was seeking an apology. CIA officials declined to comment on that meeting or any aspect of Masri's story.

The evidence backing up Masri's account of being "snatched" by American operatives is only the latest blow to the CIA in the ongoing detention-abuse scandal. Together with previously disclosed flight plans of a smaller Gulfstream V jet, the Boeing 737's travels are further evidence that a global "ghost" prison system, where terror suspects are secretly interrogated, is being operated by the CIA. Several of the Gulfstream flights allegedly correlate with other "renditions," the controversial practice of secretly spiriting suspects to other countries without due process. "The more evidence that comes out, the clearer it is that there's been a stunning failure of accountability," says lawyer John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.


CIA officials are increasingly fretful about being saddled with this secret prison network at a time of intense pressure from lawyers and human-rights activists. The CIA's anxiety only deepened last week when President Bush named John Negroponte, his ambassador to Iraq, as the country's first director of national intelligence. Negroponte, a demanding career diplomat, will take over the coveted president's daily brief, or PDB, from Goss. Bush sought to reassure the CIA that it would still be welcome in the Oval Office. But Bush also signaled that Negroponte would preside over a major shift in power in intelligence gathering. "John and I will work to determine how much exposure the CIA will have to the Oval Office," the president told reporters.

While it battles for influence in Washington, the agency is also fighting a rear-guard action against critics at home and abroad. Some CIA officials fear the White House is now exposing them to legal peril. New Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, under pressure while he awaited his confirmation hearings late last year, repudiated a controversial August 2002 memo that CIA officials carefully solicited from the Justice Department for legal authorization on renditions and the agency's treatment of Qaeda prisoners. Today the CIA has dozens of detainees it doesn't know how to dispose of without legal procedures. "Where's the off button?" says one retired CIA official. "They asked the White House for direction on how to dispose of these detainees back when they asked for [interrogation] guidance. The answer was, 'We'll worry about that later.' Now we don't know what to do with these guys. People keep saying, 'We're not going to shoot them'."

The new evidence supporting Masri's case will only inflame the debate. According to data filed with European aviation authorities, the Boeing 737 landed in Skopje on Jan. 23, 2004, after a flight from the island of Majorca off Spain (a U.S.-friendly government), and left that night. Masri's passport has a Macedonian exit stamp for Jan. 23. The flight plan shows that the plane landed the next day in Baghdad and then went onto Kabul, Afghanistan, on Jan. 25, which also conforms to Masri's account. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the jet was owned at the time by Premier Executive Transport Services, a now-defunct Massachusetts-based company that U.S. intelligence sources acknowledge to NEWSWEEK fits the profile of a suspected CIA front.

The Boeing flights are part of a detailed two-year itinerary for the 737 obtained by NEWSWEEK. The jet's record dates to December 2002 and shows flights up until Feb. 7 of this year. The Boeing 737 may have served as a general CIA transport plane for equipment and supplies as well. Among the stops recorded are Libya, where the U.S. government has been dismantling Muammar Kaddafi's clandestine nuclear program, and Jordan, where the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that high-level Qaeda detainees, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, were being held. (A Jordanian spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.) The Boeing also landed at Guantanamo.

Ironically, many U.S. officials say, the CIA secret facilities have proven very effective for quietly interrogating a handful of known Qaeda suspects. But when such rough practices "migrated" to Iraqi war detainees and bigger facilities like Abu Ghraib prison—under the direction of the Defense Department—the public backlash compromised the CIA's intel-gathering efforts. Today the agency's cover has been blown and critics are questioning why no full-time CIA employees have been prosecuted despite several cases of serious abuse linked to the agency.

Among these cases is that of Manadel al-Jamadi, the Iraqi whose corpse was notoriously photographed with grinning U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib last year. An Associated Press report last week said that documents show Jamadi died under CIA interrogation while suspended by his wrists at the prison. But only the Navy SEALs who delivered him to Abu Ghraib are currently being investigated, officials say.

U.S. officials insist the CIA has stopped rendering suspects to countries where they believe torture occurs. NEWSWEEK has learned that shortly after a Canadian jihadi suspect of Syrian origin, Maher Arar, was shipped back to Syria in September 2002, officials began having grave second thoughts about rendering suspects to that nation. As a result, the administration made a secret decision to stop sending suspects to Syria. But officials acknowledge that such scruples are being ignored when it comes to rendering suspects to allies like Egypt and Jordan, even though some officials do not believe "assurances" from these nations that they were not mistreating prisoners. Now the CIA may have to supply many more assurances—and Khaled el-Masri, among others, is waiting for them.

With Stephen Grey in London and Stefan Theil in Berlin
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6999272/site/newsweek/

[Petronas]

HILLARY: STICK WITH IRAQ TROOPS DESPITE VIOLENT OCCUPATION
February 21, 2005 -- WASHINGTON

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made an unusual appeal yesterday — urging Americans to rally behind the increasingly violent war in Iraq while also rejecting calls by Democrats to set a date for U.S. troop withdrawal. Clinton said setting a timetable for pulling American troops out of Iraq would only embolden the rebels, who are averaging 50 attacks a day. "We don't want to send a signal to the insurgents, to the terrorists, that we are going to be out of here at some date certain," Clinton said. "I think that would be like a green light to go ahead and just bide your time," Clinton added, on Day 2 of her weeklong tour of Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and three other senators.

Clinton also went out of her way to take shots at liberal Democrats like Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who say the White House should arrange for a withdrawal of forces from Iraq. "We have been in places for very long periods of time. And in recent history, we've made a commitment to Bosnia and Kosovo," said Clinton on CBS, citing American troop settlements in Korea, Europe and Japan that lasted decades. Clinton's comments came on back-to-back interviews on NBC's "Meet the Press" and CBS's "Face the Nation," where she was paired with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and McCain, who, like her, is a possible 2008 White House wannabe.

http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/40219.htm

[Petronas]

Man Charged in Alleged Plot to Kill Bush
ALEXANDRIA, Va. Feb 22, 2005

A former Virginia high school valedictorian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and with supporting the al-Qaida terrorist network. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, a U.S. citizen, made an initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court but did not enter a plea. He contended that he was tortured while detained in Saudi Arabia since June of 2003 and offered through his lawyer to show the judge his scars. The federal indictment said that in 2002 and 2003 Abu Ali and an unidentified co-conspirator discussed plans for Abu Ali to assassinate Bush. They discussed two scenarios, the indictment said, one in which Abu Ali "would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street" and, alternatively, "an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb." The White House had no comment on the indictment.

Abu Ali was born in Houston and moved to Falls Church, Va., where he was valedictorian of his high school class. Federal prosecutors say Abu Ali joined an al-Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia in 2001. The alleged Bush plot occurred while he was studying in that country. His family contends that U.S. officials were behind his detention by Saudi authorities and wanted him held in that country so he could be tortured for information. A lawsuit brought on their behalf in U.S. District Court in Washington seeks to compel the government to disclose what it knows about Abu Ali and his detention.

Abu Ali's appearance in federal court here was a surprise because the government never publicly disclosed that he had left Saudi Arabia. According to the indictment, Abu Ali obtained a religious blessing from another unidentified co-conspirator to assassinate the president. One of the unidentified co-conspirators in the plot is among 19 people the Saudi government said in 2003 was seeking to launch terror attacks in that country, according to the indictment. More than 100 supporters of Abu Ali crowded the courtroom Tuesday and laughed when the charge was read aloud alleging that he conspired to assassinate Bush.

When Abu Ali asked to speak, U.S. Magistrate Liam O'Grady suggested he consult with his attorney, Ashraf Nubani. "He was tortured," Nubani told the court. "He has the evidence on his back. He was whipped. He was handcuffed for days at a time." When Nubani offered to show the judge his back, O'Grady said that Abu Ali might be able to enter that as evidence on Thursday at a detention hearing. "I can assure you you will not suffer any torture or humiliation while in the (U.S.) marshals' custody," O'Grady said.

Abu Ali is charged with six counts and would face a maximum of 80 years in prison if convicted. The charges include conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida, providing material support to al-Qaida, conspiracy to provide support to terrorists, providing material support to terrorists and contributing service to al-Qaida.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=521536

[al-Canine]

'Minutemen' to Patrol Arizona Border

Volunteer Minutemen, Many Untrained, to Patrol Ariz. Border to Curb Illegal Immigration Crossings

By LARA JAKES

The Associated Press

Feb. 21, 2005 - Intent on securing the vulnerable Arizona border from illegal immigrant crossings, U.S. officials are bracing for what they call a potential new threat this spring: the Minutemen. Nearly 500 volunteers have already joined the Minuteman Project, anointing themselves civilian border patrol agents determined to stop the immigration flow that routinely, and easily, seeps past federal authorities.

They plan to patrol a 40-mile stretch of the southeast Arizona border throughout April when the tide of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border peaks.

"I felt the only way to get something done was to do it yourself," said Jim Gilchrist, a retired accountant and decorated Vietnam War veteran who is helping recruit Minutemen across the country.

"We've been repeatedly accused of being people who are taking the law into our own hands," said Gilchrist, 56, of Aliso Viejo, Calif. "That is an outright bogus statement. We are going down there to assist law enforcement."

Officials concede the 370-mile Arizona border is the most porous stretch on the U.S.-Mexico line. Moreover, recent intelligence show that al-Qaida terrorists are likely to enter the country through the Mexico border, James Loy, the deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department, said last week.

"Several al-Qaida leaders believe operatives can pay their way into the country through Mexico, and also believe illegal entry is more advantageous than legal entry for operational security reasons," Loy said in written testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants caught by the U.S. Border Patrol last year, 52 percent crossed into the country at the Arizona border. The agency increased the number of agents in the Tucson sector, which has its largest staff, from 1,700 to 2,100 over the last 18 months.

But that number is going to grow to try to plug the remaining holes, said Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. About 10,000 federal agents now patrol the 2,000-mile southern border, he said.

Officials fear the Minuteman patrols could cause more trouble than they prevent. At least some of the volunteers plan to arm themselves during the 24-hour desert patrols. Many are untrained and have little or no experience in confronting illegal border crossings.

"Any time there are firearms and you're out in the middle of no-man's land in difficult terrain, it's a dangerous setting," said Bonner, whose agency is keeping a close eye on the Minutemen plans.

"The Border Patrol does this every day, and they are qualified and very well-trained to handle the situation," he said. "Ordinary Americans are not. So there's a danger that not just illegal migrants might get hurt, but that American citizens might get hurt in this situation."

Civilian patrols are nothing new along the southern border, where crossing the international line is sometimes as easy as stepping over a few rusty strands of barbed wire. But they usually are limited to small, informal groups, leaving organizers to believe the Minuteman Project is the largest of its kind on the southern border.

It may also prove to be a magnet for what Glenn Spencer, president of the private American Border Patrol, described as camouflage-wearing, weapons-toting hard-liners who might get a little carried away with their assignments.

"How are they going to keep the nutcases out of there? They can't control that," said Spencer, whose 40-volunteer group, based in Hereford, Ariz., has used unmanned aerial vehicles and other high-tech equipment to track and report the number of border crossings for more than two years.

"There's a storm gathering here on the border, and there are conditions ripe for some difficulty," he said.

The border agents agree.

The Minutemen "clearly have every reason to be upset with the federal government for abandoning them," said National Border Patrol Council president T.J. Bonner, no relation to the commissioner.

But "if anything goes wrong, God forbid, someone does injure an agent, this government is going to be turning both barrels on them and come after them with a vengeance," he said.

Gilchrist said the Minutemen are under strict orders to merely identify and follow illegal border crossers and alert federal agents. They should not interact with the immigrants except to offer food, water or medical care. If there's a couple of "bad apples" who turn up in the group, Gilchrist said, they will face prosecution if they step outside the law.

Something dramatic needed to be done to curb the years of crime, property damage and trash dumping caused by the border crossings, Gilchrist said.

"Things are out of control" he said. "And they've been out of control for decades."

On the Net:

http://www.minutemanproject.com/ The Minuteman Project:
http://www.cbp.gov/ U.S. Customs and Border Protection:

Copyright 2005*The Associated Press.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=518371

[Petronas]

Worker Alleges Airport Security Breaches
Wednesday, February 23, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO — A former worker at San Francisco International Airport has sued the company responsible for security, alleging breaches that included allowing unchecked passengers to board aircraft, failing to detect weapons and alerting checkpoint managers about the presence of supposedly "covert" inspectors. Gerry Berry, president of Covenant Aviation Security, the Illinois-based company that provides security at SFO, called the allegations "unsubstantiated" and the product of a "disgruntled employee."

In the suit filed Friday in San Francisco Superior Court, Gene Bencomo alleged that Covenant ignored a series of security breaches at the airport beginning in December 2003. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Among the most serious allegations by Bencomo was that Covenant developed an elaborate system to notify security checkpoint managers when inspectors, who are dressed like other passengers and known as "decoys," were in the airport. The decoys try to carry fake bombs, weapons and other contraband through security checkpoints. Bencomo says Covenant was attempting to inflate its pass rates on audits and win additional airport contracts. The three-year SFO contract, which expires in November, is worth about $72 million, according to TSA.

Mike Bolles, who investigated Bencomo's complaints for Covenant, countered that those "covert audits" have nothing to do with whether the company wins or keeps contracts. "I think he's angling for a settlement," Bolles said of Bencomo. Bolles added he was unable to substantiate any of Bencomo's complaints and said Bencomo wasn't even working the day when inspectors were at SFO. Both Bolles and Berry, the company's president, said Bencomo's lawyers told them in December if they paid Bencomo $3 million, they wouldn't go to the media and "all of this would disappear."

Nonetheless, the TSA is investigating Bencomo's complaints, according to spokesman Nico Melendez. "Our goal is to ensure the safety of passengers. Anytime there's an allegation of impropriety ... we have to investigate," Melendez said, adding that TSA has been pleased and remains confident in Covenant's abilities. Airports — with the approval of the Transportation Security Administration, which supervises security at U.S. airports — can allow private companies, like Covenant, to provide their security.

Bencomo said during his two years at SFO passengers routinely made it through security with knives, box cutters and, once, even a small chain saw. "When I would mention these serious concerns to management, I was threatened with my job," Bencomo said. Bencomo said he was demoted and eventually forced to quit.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148418,00.html

I recall once, pre-9/11, when I realized I had forgotten to take my Swiss Army pocketknife out of my pocket before going through the metal detector, yet the metal detector did not go off. I politely informed the security agent of the fact and suggested that they might want to check the calibration of the metal detector. His response was: "What do you want me to do, strip search you?" I fear it will take another "9/11" before they get really serious about airport and seaport security.

[Casey]

February 23, 2005

Iranian Group Seeks Legitimacy in U.S.
By KATHERINE SHRADER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) -

One-time members of a terrorist organization are hiding in the United States - in plain sight.

The organization's former U.S. representative freely walks the streets and has a contract with Fox News as a foreign affairs analyst. Lawmakers write letters on the group's behalf. And former intelligence officials say the group maintains contacts in defense circles, although the Pentagon denies it.

A cult to some and freedom fighters to others, the National Council of Resistance of Iran and its affiliate groups typify the gray areas in the war on terror. While they've been designated foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department, the groups' one-time members still maneuver between the restrictions aimed at disabling them.

The former U.S. representative for the council, Alireza Jafarzadeh, says the U.S. government listed his organization as terrorists to appease moderate elements within the Iranian government. He's hoping the Bush administration will lift the terrorist designation.

"I see increasingly more voices being raised against this designation in different parts within the administration and outside the administration," said Jafarzadeh, who notes that his group no longer exists in the United States but his free-speech rights allow him to discuss policies it once advocated.

"The more serious people get about Iran, the more they are against the designation," he said.

The mission of the National Council and its military wing - the Mujahedin-e-Khalq or MEK - is to overthrow the Iranian regime, an aim increasingly in line with the Bush administration. Yet the administration has stopped short of calling for regime change.

In last month's State of the Union speech, President Bush called Iran "the world's primary state sponsor of terror." In Europe this week, he maintained the pressure, calling suggestions that the United States is preparing to attack Iran "simply ridiculous," but quickly adding, "having said that, all options are on the table."

Yet the MEK is far from a U.S. ally.

As soon as the State Department created a list of terror organizations in 1997, it named the MEK, putting it in a club that includes al-Qaida and barring anyone in the United States from providing material support. By 1999, the department designated the MEK's political arm, the National Council of Resistance, and related affiliates.

The State Department says the MEK groups were funded by Saddam Hussein, supported the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and are responsible for the deaths of Americans in the 1970s.

Despite the listing, the council and a related offshoot continued to file foreign agent registration documents with the Justice Department, cataloging meetings with dozens of members of Congress, media interviews, rallies and speeches.

It saw successes. In 2002, 150 members of Congress wrote a letter to the State Department advocating the organization be removed from the terror list.

But 2003 was a rocky year. After Saddam was toppled, the administration struggled with how to handle MEK fighters detained at training camps in eastern Iraq. They were eventually disarmed, but remain in limbo today at the camps.

In August of that year, the State and Treasury departments also froze the council's assets and shut down their Washington offices, blocks from the White House.

A State Department official said U.S. policy toward the MEK and its affiliates has not changed. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the group is still considered a threat because of its history of launching terrorist attacks.

Some, including Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East specialist at the Congressional Research Service, say they don't consider the group to be the most dangerous to U.S. interests. "I don't see evidence that they purposely target civilians," said Katzman, who provides analysis to lawmakers.

But others find the sometimes soft approach to the MEK alarming. Further complicating the issue, the report from the top U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq said the group received oil as part of the scandal-tainted oil-for-food program, earning it millions of dollars in profits.

The MEK calls the appearance of its name in seized documents a smear campaign.

As U.S. focus on Iran increases, some wonder whether the MEK will play a role. A former senior intelligence official said some in the Pentagon see the MEK as a potential ally in their efforts against the Iranian regime.

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

But a defense official denied contacts with the MEK are occurring. Michael Rubin, who used to handle Iran issues at the Pentagon, said those he knew there hated the group.

"Even if they are not terrorists, although I believe they are, any group that tells its members who to marry and when to divorce, the United States should not be doing business with. They are very cult-like," Rubin said.

Rubin notes that, while council officials revealed the existence of two secret Iranian nuclear sites in 2002, they nevertheless have an inconsistent intelligence record, often getting information "dead wrong."

Yet the council's former U.S. representative, Jafarzadeh, highlights the intelligence successes as evidence that the United States should support the Iranian opposition and advocate a policy of regime change in Iran.

"There is a lot of serious searching, to find the best options in dealing with Iran," he said. "I can sense it in different government agencies. I can sense it among the think tanks. I sense it among the U.S. Congress."

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-exec/2005/feb/23/022303130.html

[Casey]

Al-Moayad linked to bin Laden
By Yemen Times News Services




NEW YORK - A former FBI informant testified at the terror-funding trial for a Yemeni sheikh and his assistant that the defendant had supplied arms, money and fighters to Osama bin Laden.

Mohamed Alanssi, called as a hostile witness for the defense, testified Thursday that Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad told him that he gave $20 million to bin Laden before the Sept. 11 attacks and $3.5 million to the terrorist group Hamas.

"He told me he helps al-Qaida with money and arms and he sent mujahedeen to Chechnya and Afghanistan," Alanssi said, speaking through an Arabic-English interpreter.

Alanssi was to be the star prosecution witness in the trial before he set himself on fire outside the White House three months ago, claiming the FBI reneged on promises of money and U.S. citizenship. The defense then called Alanssi to the stand in an effort to portray him as unstable, greedy and untruthful.

Defense attorney Howard Jacobs asked whether al-Moayad, who runs religious charities in Yemen, explicitly stated he funnelled money to Islamist fighters.

Alanssi replied that it wasn't necessary.

"The charitable work of Sheik h Moayad is a front, and the money he gets is for mujahedeen," or holy fighters, Alanssi said.

Jacobs asked to strike the response from the record.

"No," Judge Sterling Johnson Jr. replied. "You asked it."

Alanssi, 53, said he moved to the United States in 2000 and briefly worked at a Brooklyn travel agency before losing his job. He described his horror at the 2001 terrorist attacks as his motivation for helping the FBI.

"It was my duty to cooperate with the American government against the terrorists that I know," Alanssi said.

Alanssi allegedly lured al-Moayad and his assistant, co-defendant Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, to Germany by posing as the fixer for another informant who wanted to donate $2.5 million to Hamas and al-Qaida.

For his work, Alanssi said he had asked the FBI for $5 million, American citizenship and his family's relocation to the United States. "After I chase the terrorist and I bring him here to America I deserve even $10 million," he said.

Alanssi was dropped from the government's witness list after he set his clothing on fire outside the White House. Without Alanssi, who was burned over a third of his body, the government relied more heavily on surveillance tapes and the case began to center almost entirely on the Hamas allegations.

By calling Alanssi as a hostile witness, defense lawyers were taking a gamble. They hoped to damage his credibility and blunt the damage from tapes secretly recorded over four days in a German hotel.

Al-Moayad and Zayed are charged with conspiring to fund and attempting to fund Hamas and al-Qaida. Al-Moayad also is charged with supporting the terrorist groups.

If convicted, Al-Moayad could receive a 60-year prison sentence and Zayed three decades.
http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=818&p=front&a=3

[Petronas]

Al Qaeda Link in Alleged Bush Plot Dead
Thursday, February 24, 2005

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The source of one of the most sensational accusations against an American allegedly involved in a plot to kill President Bush is dead. According to the most recent government filings in the case against Ahmed Omar Abu Ali that advocate his pretrial detention, the Virginia resident discussed a plot to kill the president with a member of Al Qaeda who was later killed in a shootout with Saudi law enforcement around September 2003. Abu Ali was charged Tuesday with the alleged plot, which prosecutors said was hatched while he studied in Saudi Arabia in 2002 and 2003. His detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

The government is also revealing for the first time that items confiscated from Abu Ali's home in Falls Church, Va., in the summer of 2003 include: an undated document praising Taliban leader Mullah Omar and the Sept. 11 attacks; a book written by senior Al Qaeda official Ayman al-Zawahiri in which democracy is characterized as a "new religion that must be destroyed by war"; and audio tapes in Arabic promoting jihad.

The document praising the Sept. 11 attacks says the following, according to the indictment: "In one of the most sophisticated, well-planned attacks seen in modern times, the Twin Towers, the source of providing $5 billion in annual aid to Israel, were destroyed," this document allegedly states. "And what is often conveniently forgotten is that the third plane turned the Pentagon, the symbol of American military supremacy, into a rhombus, whilst the fourth plane was shot down by the US themselves."

"The defendant's possession of these items at his residence makes it clear that even before he departed the United States for Saudi Arabia in September 2002, he already had come to embrace and support the violent ideology and objectives of Al Qaeda," the government concluded.

The Justice Department did not state in the court papers that Abu Ali wrote this document, but it did say that this document and other items found in his home make it "clear that even before he departed the United States for Saudi Arabia in September 2002, he already had come to embrace and support the violent ideology and objectives of al Qaeda." In court papers filed Wednesday, the Justice Department also said Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen, should be detained pending trial because he presents an "exceptionally grave danger to the community and a serious risk of flight."

Abu Ali's lawyers have expressed concern that the government's case may be based on evidence obtained through torture. At a hearing on Tuesday, Abu Ali offered to show the judge the scars on his back as proof that he was tortured by Saudi authorities. "He has the evidence on his back," lawyer Ashraf Nubani told the court. "He was whipped. He was handcuffed for days at a time." The Justice Department on Wednesday denied that Abu Ali was tortured, saying that such claims appear to be "utter fabrication."

Also Wednesday, a lawmaker expressed concern that Abu Ali's alma mater could be turning out Islamic radicals. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., questioned whether the academy from which the 23-year-old recently graduated was another example of schools funded by and linked to terrorism in the United States and abroad.

In the Justice Department filings, the government points out that the seriousness of the charges against Abu Ali "militates strongly in favor of detention," adding that the suspect is a flight risk because he faces more than 80 years in prison and has "substantial ties overseas." In addition, the Justice Department said that Abu Ali lived in Jordan from 1993 to 1997 and that he has close family members residing there. The United States claims that Abu Ali "admitted that he possessed a Jordanian passport that he had kept secret from the United States government."

As for Abu Ali's claims of torture, the Justice Department "submits that there is no credible evidence to support those claims, and that they are untrue." The government points out that an American doctor gave Abu Ali a "thorough" physical exam on Feb. 21, after he had been transferred by the Saudi government to U.S. custody. "The doctor found no evidence of any physical mistreatment on the defendant's back or any other part of his body," the Justice Department says in the court filing. "Moreover, the doctor specifically asked the defendant if he had been abused or harmed in any way, and the defendant said no." The Consul at the U.S. embassy in Riyadh also met with Abu Ali while he was detained in Saudi Arabia, and "on no occasion did the defendant complain of any physical or psychological mistreatment," the Justice Department said.

Abu Ali had been detained for nearly two years by the Saudi Arabian government. His family sued the U.S. government shortly after his arrest there, claiming the Saudis were essentially holding him at the U.S. government's request. He was returned to the United States and made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court shortly after his arrival Tuesday at Dulles International Airport. He did not enter a plea, but his lawyer said he would plead innocent.

His father, Omar Abu Ali, said Ahmed was born in Houston and raised in northern Virginia, just a few miles from the nation's capital. He attended the Islamic Saudi Academy and graduated as valedictorian. The private school's teachings have come under scrutiny since the Sept. 11 attacks. Federal court documents in a case against another academy graduate suspected of terrorism indicate that student discussions following Sept. 11 took an anti-American bent and that some students considered the attacks legitimate "payback" for American mistreatment of the Muslim world. Last year, the school also faced criticism for using textbooks that taught first-graders that Judaism and Christianity are false religions.

Schumer spoke to reporters Thursday, voicing the concern expressed in his letter to Bandar and the Justice Department about the school. "The Saudis have through the years set up madrassas, usually in poor countries like Indonesia ... that teach Wahabi fundamentalism," Schumer said. "In part [those teachings include] that Muslims who are not fundamentalists ought to be scorned ... and they often teach that it's [the students'] purpose to die for Allah."

"It looks like this school appears to be Saudi funded," Schumer continued. "I want to find out if this school was one of those maddrassas ... [because I believe] if there were no madrassas, there would have been no 9/11."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148627,00.html

[Casey]

FBI says backlog of untranslated intercepts is minimal

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI has cut substantially its backlog of untranslated audio recordings from terror and espionage investigations since an audit found that hundreds of thousands of hours of audio had not been reviewed, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Friday.

"We have worked on the backlog. It is minimal now,'' Mueller said.

The audit by Justice Department inspector general Glenn Fine found that more than one-third of al-Qaida intercepts authorized by a secret federal court were not reviewed within 12 hours of collection as required by Mueller.

The backlog persisted, Fine said, despite large increases in money and personnel for translations since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

More than 123,000 hours of audio in languages associated with terrorists had not been reviewed as of April 2004, the audit found.

The audio was intercepted after the terror attacks.

In addition, more than 370,000 hours of audio associated with counterintelligence had not been reviewed.

The budget for FBI's language services has more than tripled, to $70 million, since 2001.

The number of linguists has risen from 883 to 1,214, the audit found.

The audit found the Federal Bureau of Investigation still lacks the language personnel necessary to do the translation work it needs and needs better technology.

The number of Arabic linguists has tripled to more than 200 since the attacks, and the FBI has been hiring linguists as quickly as they can be found in such languages as Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, Urdu, Chinese, Turkish and Kurdish.

The audit was completed in July but was classified. It was released in September in a version that was edited to remove sections classified as "secret'' by the FBI.

Mueller said that even at the time of the audit, there was no delay in translating recordings relating to the most timely counterterror cases.

"I think the figures were a little bit misleading,'' he said.

The edited report did show that 99 percent of one category of recordings were translated within 12 hours, but that category was described as classified.

While Mueller did not provide specific numbers, he said translators had already made headway between the time the audit was completed and when it was released. - AP

Latest from AP-Wire
http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2005/2/26/latest/21670FBIsaysb&sec=latest

[Casey]

Abu Ali linked to Saudi Arabia al Qaeda leader
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A Falls Church man accused of conspiring to assassinate President Bush met several times with an al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia who once was the target of a global manhunt and a key suspect in an attack that killed nine Americans in Riyadh, law-enforcement authorities said.
Ahmed Omar Abul Ali, scheduled for a detention hearing tomorrow in federal court on charges of providing material support to al Qaeda, met with Zubayr al-Rimi in Saudi Arabia between September 2002 and June 2003.

The meeting with al-Rimi, described as the second-ranking al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia, took place at the time the Bush assassination scheme was being discussed, authorities said.
Al-Rimi, also known as Sultan Jubran Sultan al-Qahtani, was identified in a Sept. 5, 2003, FBI bulletin to law-enforcement officials as one of four suspected al Qaeda terrorists thought to be planning unspecified attacks against U.S. interests.
Less than three weeks after the bulletin was released, al-Rimi was killed in a Sept. 23, 2003, shootout with Saudi security forces during a raid on a hospital housing complex in Jizan, about 600 miles south of the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Two other Islamist militants and a Saudi police officer also were killed in the raid.
Al-Rimi, 29, was named as a key suspect in a suicide bombing in Riyadh in May 2003 that killed 34 persons, including nine Americans.
The FBI said he was the top deputy of Ali Abd al-Ghamdi, the mastermind of the Riyadh bombings and the former top al Qaeda member in Saudi Arabia who surrendered to Saudi authorities in June 2003.
Mr. Abu Ali, 23, of Falls Church, was a student at the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia when, federal prosecutors said, he met with members of the al Qaeda terrorist network to discuss an assassination plot in which he would get close enough to Mr. Bush to kill him with a gun or suicide bomb.
A six-count federal grand jury indictment handed up Feb. 3 and unsealed last week said Mr. Abu Ali "did knowingly and unlawfully conspire to provide material support and resources ... knowing and intending that they were to be used in preparation for, and for carrying out, the assassination of the president of the United States."
The indictment says that one of the 11 suspected al Qaeda terrorists with whom Mr. Abu Ali met while in Saudi Arabia -- identified as co-conspirator No. 2 -- "was killed in a shoot-out with Saudi law enforcement authorities in or around September 2003."
It was that co-conspirator, the indictment said, with whom Mr. Abu Ali discussed two options for assassinating Mr. Bush: "an operation in which Mr. Abu Ali would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street, and an operation in which he would detonate a car bomb."
Magistrate Liam O'Grady will preside over the detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Mr. Abu Ali's attorney, Edward MacMahon, has denied any wrongdoing by his client, saying he "intends to plead not guilty to all of these charges" and expects a "fair trial at which he will be vindicated."
The indictment said Mr. Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen and 1999 valedictorian of the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, told the co-conspirators he wanted to become a planner of terrorist operations like Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and Mohamed Atta, one of the hijackers in the attacks.
Mr. Abu Ali was arrested by Saudi authorities in June 2003, shortly after the Riyadh bombing, and identified as a member of a clandestine terrorist cell. He was returned to the United States Feb. 21.
In addition to identifying al-Rimi, the September 2003 FBI bulletin also warned authorities to be on the lookout for Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, 28, a Saudi national tied to al Qaeda; Abderraouf Jdey, 38, a Tunisian linked with Osama bin Laden's military chief, Mohammed Atef; and Karim El Mejjati, 35, a suspected Moroccan terrorist.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050227-114131-5195r.htm

[Petronas]

Man Pleads Guilty to Aiding Hezbollah
DETROIT Mar 2, 2005

A man accused of hosting fund-raising meetings for a Muslim guerrilla group at his home pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that Mahmoud Youssef Kourani hosted meetings in 2002 at which a speaker from Lebanon solicited donations for the group Hezbollah, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization. Kourani, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist group, prosecutors said.

The government has not identified the speaker. Prosecutors said the money was intended for a program that benefits orphans of fighters killed in Hezbollah operations or by the group's enemies. Under a plea agreement, Kourani faces no more than five years in prison, The Detroit News reported. He could have faced up to 15 years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 14. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chadwell and Kourani's attorney, William Swor, declined comment.

Kourani has been in custody since May 2003, when federal agents charged him with harboring an illegal immigrant after searching his Dearborn home. He was indicted in November 2003 and pleaded guilty. Kourani served six months in federal prison and was awaiting deportation in an immigration facility when he was indicted in 2004 on the terror charge.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=543898

[Petronas]

U.S.: Man Tried to Set Up Terror Camp in Ariz.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A British computer specialist tried to set up a terrorist training camp in Arizona in 1998 and met with Islamic radicals there who claimed ties to Usama bin Laden, a government attorney said. Babar Ahmad, who is being held in London on charges he ran terrorist fund-raising Web sites, met in Phoenix with Yaser Al Jhani, a member of the Islamic mujahedeen militia, and others who said they had access to bin Laden, said John Hardy, a British lawyer representing the U.S. government. "He expressed an interest in developing a training system in Arizona," Hardy said in an interview Wednesday. "That is, a training system, in effect for the mujahedeen to visit and train to fight abroad." Hardy was hired to help extradite Ahmad to the United States. Ahmad's extradition hearing began Wednesday in London.

Ahmad's Web site allegedly encouraged people to train in street combat, land mine operations and sniper combat. While in Phoenix, he practiced using some weapons, Hardy said. Details of the Phoenix trip were outlined in a report by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Appleton, who would prosecute the case in Connecticut because one of the Web sites was hosted here. Hardy summarized the report, which prosecutors plan to present as evidence at Ahmad's extradition hearing. There was no evidence in the report that Ahmad successfully set up the camp, he said. The report, which has not been released to the public, does not mention any attacks on U.S. targets, Hardy said. "Mr. Ahmad was not inclined to conduct terrorist strikes in the states because he didn't want to jeopardize the use of the United States as a valuable source of resources," Hardy said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149224,00.html

BBC America ran the story tonight focusing just on the extradition proceedings and showing Muslim demonstrations in the UK against extradition of Ahmad, but without the little detail about the terrorist training camp allegations. Interesting slant...

[Petronas]

‘Terror suspects in US got OK to buy guns’
Wednesday, March 09, 2005

NEW YORK: A congressional investigation found dozens of terrorism suspects on federal watch lists got approval to buy guns legally in the United States last year, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. According to the study by the Government Accountability Office, people linked to terrorist groups took advantage of a gap in US gun laws in which suspected members of terrorist organizations are not automatically barred from buying firearms.

The study, which the Times said was due to be released on Tuesday, found that people regarded by the FBI as known or suspected members of terrorist groups requested permission to buy or carry a gun at least 44 times from February to June last year.

The FBI or state authorities in all but nine cases allowed the applications to proceed since checks found no automatic disqualification like being a felon, an illegal immigrant or “mentally defective,” according to the study. Authorities received an additional 14 gun applications from terrorism suspects in the four months after the study ended and all but two were cleared to proceed, reported the Times.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-3-2005_pg4_8

[MohammedAli]

Fasten your seatbelts.

[Petronas]

Illegal Immigrant Workers Busted In Sting at Airport
Last updated: 3/9/2005 9:15:50 AM

Guilford County, NC -- More than two-dozen illegal immigrants working in a high-security area of Piedmont Triad International Airport now face deportation. Federal agents busted 27 workers at the Timco facility at PTI on Tuesday for using counterfeit documents to get their jobs. Timco is a company that does maintenance on both passenger and cargo aircraft.

Federal agents say they have no reason to believe the workers at Timco were involved in any terrorist activity. But some airport passengers were shocked over the arrests. "It's just hard to believe, I just can't imagine that happening this day in age when we're supposed to have such high security issues going on," said passenger Pattie Hunt.

The investigation, called "Operation Tarmac" is part of a nationwide effort by immigration officials to target employers and unauthorized workers that have access to sensitive areas at airports. So far federal agents have busted more than a thousand unauthorized immigrant workers across the nation.

http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/local_state/local_article.aspx?storyid=37469

[Hobbes]

Fasten your seatbelts.

Why would I want to be belted in when someone is shooting at me?

[Casey]

U.S. charges 18 in Russian weapons-smuggling plot
Feds allege traffickers attempted to sell weapons to terrorists
From Phil Hirschkorn
CNN



NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. authorities on Tuesday announced the arrests of more than a dozen men on charges of attempting to smuggle Russian-made military weapons into the United States for sale to terrorists.

Eighteen men of various nationalities were charged by federal prosecutors for attempting to smuggle into the country arms that ranged from shoulder-fired missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, U.S. Attorney David Kelly said at a news conference in New York.

The identity of the potential buyers of the arms was unknown, authorities said.

The defendants were arrested late Monday and early Tuesday inside the United States, where they allegedly plotted the illegal sales. They were charged in a 62-page complaint with conspiring to traffic in machine guns and other weapons, and allegedly sold eight automatic weapons to a paid confidential informant who posed as an arms trafficker, authorities said.

"It appears the defendants were planning to obtain that weaponry through contacts they had developed in Eastern European military circles," Kelley said. "We are now working with our counterparts overseas to secure the weapons and to bring to justice conspirators who may be abroad."

"These defendants may not have been terrorist themselves, but they have showed transparent willingness to do anything with anybody, so long as it generates money for their organization," added FBI Special Agent Andy Arena at the news conference.

The arrests resulted from a yearlong undercover investigation by the FBI that included wiretaps of some 15,000 telephone calls.

The defendants are predominantly Armenian, Russian, and Georgian. The group's alleged ringleaders -- Artur Solomonyan, 26, from Armenia and Christian Spies, 33, of South Africa -- were among the 10 suspects arrested in the New York area.

Six suspects were arrested in Los Angeles and two others were arrested in south Florida.

All suspects were due to make their first court appearances before federal judges later Tuesday.

Solomonyan and Spies, who were in the U.S. illegally, were arrested Monday night at a Manhattan hotel, where they believed the informant was going to provide them with "green cards" enabling them to leave and re-enter the United States.

According to the criminal complaint, the conspirators offered the informant a shopping list of available weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), shoulder-fired "Stinger" missiles, Russian-made AK-47 assault rifles and Claymore mines, a type of explosive.

Solomonyan at one time told the informant that he could also obtain enriched uranium, which he suggested could be used in the New York subway system, according to the complaint.

"There was never, however, any such uranium," Kelley said at the news conference.

Solomonyan and Spies allegedly gave the informant a password to a Russian Web site where he viewed 17 digital photos of available weapons, and Solomonyan discussed importing 200 RPGs from Armenia as recently as January, according to the complaint.

In phone calls and meetings, the alleged conspirators used code words to discuss the weaponry. "Fliers" meant RPGs, while "toys," "puppies," "condos" and "SUVs" were code for machine guns, according to the complaint.

Solomonyan told the informant that the "fliers" were from Russian military surplus in Chechyna, according to the complaint.

The alleged conspirators met around New York City and were under surveillance in restaurants and at least once in a Brooklyn steam bath.

Despite the talk of high-end explosives, prosecutors allege only eight machine guns were delivered between last September and December -- three each in New York and Los Angeles and two in Fort Lauderdale, Florida -- to warehouses rented by the informant.

Videotaped evidence shows the informant giving Solomonyan $3,000 for the first two machine guns, while the prices for later sales were in the same range, according to the complaint.

The attempted sales of shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and rocket-propelled grenades never went beyond the discussion phase, and those weapons never entered the United States from abroad, the complaint says.

The sting began when Spies - the South African defendant -- told the informant he had connections to Russian mafia figures who wanted to sell weapons they could obtain from former KGB officials. The informant said he had $2.5 million to spend.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/15/weapons.trafficking/index.html

[Petronas]

U.S. 'can shoot down N. Korea missiles now'
Posted: March 16, 2005 5:00 p.m. Eastern

If nuclear missiles were suddenly fired at the United States from North Korea, the U.S. is ready to shoot them down. That's the opinion of Major Gen. John Holly, head of the missile-shield program for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency. "If directed, we could provide a limited defense against an attack out of Northeast Asia," Holly told Alaska lawmakers, according to the Associated Press. But he also acknowledged it would have to be a small attack, since there are only eight interceptor missiles in place in Alaska and California. Fort Greely, Alaska, currently houses six interceptors, with another 10 expected by the end of the year. Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has two interceptors. Even though President Bush has not declared the system operational, Holly said it could be switched on during an emergency situation.

The program has seen both successes and failures in its testing, with consecutive failures in recent months. In December and February, interceptor missiles failed to launch in attempts to hit targets over the Pacific Ocean. "Those are very disappointing events. Neither of them dealt with fundamental design issues of the overall system," Holly said, attributing the failures to a software glitch and a faulty retracting arm.

The glitches came under scrutiny in Washington this week, as the Pentagon defended the missile-defense program to lawmakers. "I have a real problem that a latch did not fall away – that seems so elementary," said Rep. Terry Everett, R-Ala., who chairs the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee. "This stuff costs an awful lot of money, and we have to have some results," Everett said, according to CongressDaily. It costs the federal government between $80 million and $100 million for each full test, and Holly said the failed tests cost $20 million to $30 million less.

Not everyone at the Pentagon is as optimistic as Holly about the readiness of the shield. David Duma, acting director of operational test and evaluation, said system is not operationally ready. "We don't have a demonstrated capability from detection to negating the incoming threat," he said, according to CongressDaily. But Duma added he was encouraged by developments in the last year, which are leading to more realistic testing.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, is among those questioning the recent failures, but still expressed support for the program. "We should not pretend that [this] is an all-star system when it is still in development in the minor leagues," Reyes said. "You can ruin a ballplayer by rushing him to the big leagues, and you can ruin this system by making it run before it can even prove it can walk."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43337

[Petronas]

BioWar: Anthrax cross-contamination?
WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI)

Buildings are reopening and officials at the Pentagon and in nearby Fairfax County, Va., with a stack of negative test results in their hands, are sending bioterrorism task forces home after responding to three positive anthrax test results this week. On Wednesday, there appeared to be no remaining threat -- and it was not even clear if there ever was a threat. Despite the reduction in anxiety, however, there simply is not enough information yet to really say what happened. That's a problem. There needs to be more questions and more answers.

What has been confirmed is that swabs were taken of surfaces at a detached mail facility on the Pentagon grounds last Thursday. Those swabs were sent, as were swabs taken the next day, to a facility in Richmond for testing. The whole process is a routine precautionary procedure. The Richmond facility reported the samples taken Thursday were positive for anthrax and test results on the Friday samples were negative. Those test results were not reported back to the Pentagon until Monday, however, and no explanation has yet been offered for the delay. A Pentagon official told United Press International it may have had something to do with the intervening weekend and was being investigated.

The original samples from Thursday on Monday were sent to the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md., which confirmed the presence of anthrax -- marking a second positive test. Also on Monday, once the first tests results were received, the Pentagon shut down the mail facility, tested employees for exposure, and gave them health advice with the option of taking a three-day regime of antibiotics.

A few hours later on Monday, a separate alarm sounded at a mail facility in a complex of three buildings in Fairfax County. The buildings at 5109, 5111 and 5113 Leesburg Pike -- also known as Skyline 4, 5 and 6 -- are interconnected. Officials responding to the alert shut down all the buildings, holding everyone inside until well into the evening. They also shut down at least one nearby building -- not connected to the other three -- at 5107 Leesburg Pike.

An interview with a Pentagon official Monday night supports subsequent news reports that Fairfax County initially was unaware of what had happened that day at the Pentagon. Fairfax County officials were again surprised Tuesday night when Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, told reporters some 70 negative tests had cleared both the Pentagon and the Skyline facilities -- an assertion repeated to UPI by a DOD spokesman. A Fairfax County official Wednesday morning, however, disagreed that the Skyline facilities were cleared of the anthrax threat. "The Skyline protocol is continuing and there are still tests pending at Skyline," said Merni Fitzgerald, spokeswoman for both Fairfax County and the National Capitol Region Joint Information Center. The clear lack of communication, especially after the fuss made in recent years over intergovernmental coordination, highlights an area that clearly needs work.

Far more important, however, is getting to the bottom of the alerts themselves. It still is possible the alarms were caused by mail cross-contaminated with anthrax. The two alerts at the Pentagon and at Skyline are separate -- connected perhaps, but apparently distinct. That difference is important because of a theory suggested to reporters by an unnamed federal official to explain the Pentagon alarm. The official said the actual cause of the alert at the Pentagon might be contamination of the sample at the Richmond lab. The contamination would have been from anthrax kept at the lab to verify testing.

The alert that happened at Skyline, however, based on conversations with officials and news reports, does not appear to be based on samples that went through the Richmond lab. Instead, it was triggered Monday by an automated sensing system on location. If this is indeed accurate -- and officials have not responded to repeated questions on the matter -- then contamination in Richmond does not appear to be the likely cause of the Skyline alert. What then, triggered the alarm that got hundreds of people locked in their offices for hours?

A clue might be found in the mail flow. There are at least two places where the mail could have become cross-contaminated. A Pentagon spokesman told UPI Monday night that mail from the facility on the Pentagon grounds was sent to the Skyline facility. Mail from the Pentagon would be sent to Skyline as those buildings are leased by the Department of Defense and military personnel work there. A Washington official also told UPI that Defense Department mail was processed at a facility on V Street in Northeast Washington. Mail for both the Pentagon and Skyline could have passed through that same location. That post office was closed temporarily this week specifically because it handled Defense Department mail. Workers there also were given the option of taking antibiotics.

There does not appear to be any health risk from the mail, which was irradiated before it reached either the Pentagon or Skyline buildings. Irradiation removes the health risk but not the anthrax. The sensors at Skyline and at the Pentagon would have altered on irradiated anthrax mail, officials said. People shouldn't get too comfortable, however. Two separate alarms at Defense Department facilities on the same mail route in a matter of days seem like a pretty big coincidence. The questions should not be allowed to drop from the public view.

http://about.upi.com/products/perspectives/UPI-20050316-074253-5025R

[Petronas]

Court Upholds Mosque Leader's Conviction
March 17, 2005 7:56 AM EST

CLEVELAND - An appeals court upheld the conviction of the leader of Ohio's largest mosque, bringing federal prosecutors a step closer to beginning deportation proceedings. Imam Fawaz Damra, 43, of Strongsville in suburban Cleveland, was convicted in June of concealing ties to three groups that the U.S. government classifies as terrorist organizations when he applied for U.S. citizenship in 1994.

Damra's attorneys said their client did not belong to the Islamic Jihad and that the prosecutors' use of "affiliation" was unclear. But a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled to deny Damra's appeal. In an opinion released Tuesday, the judges said it's clear that Damra engaged in fund-raising activity for a terrorist organization.

U.S. District Judge James Gwin sentenced the Palestinian-born cleric to two months in prison and four months in home detention in September. He also stripped Damra's citizenship but informed prosecutors they could not begin deportation proceedings until after the appellate ruling. U.S. Attorney Gregory White said his office will wait for formal word from the appellate court before moving to have Damra removed from the country. A message was left Wednesday seeking comment at the office of immigration attorney David Leopold, who represents Damra. Haider Alawan, a supporter of Damra, said the imam will be at the Islamic Center of Cleveland until he leaves the country. "I'm disappointed for him and his family," Alawan said. "He loves this country, and his family does, too."

http://start.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20050317/42390ed0_3ca6_15526200503171705632909

[al-Canine]

3 Cities Seek Freer Hand on Terrorism Fund

By WINNIE HU

The mayors of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago sent a letter yesterday to Michael Chertoff, the Homeland Security secretary, asking that they be allowed to use federal antiterrorism money to pay salaries for police officers and other security-related personnel.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that he had joined Mayor James K. Hahn of Los Angeles and Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago in calling for the Department of Homeland Security to be more understanding of their cities' security needs and to allow more flexibility in spending antiterrorism money.

"We need monies not for new equipment; we need monies to pay salaries," Mr. Bloomberg told listeners on his weekly radio program on WABC-AM.

Mr. Bloomberg said the Police Department has expanded its intelligence and counterterrorism operations and dispatched officers to far-flung spots like Israel and the Dominican Republic. "This is the kind of thing you really should do," he said. "You should look ahead. You should look around the world; you should do some innovative things."

Brian Roehrkasse, a Homeland Security spokesman, said the federal money is intended for training, equipment and exercises to prepare law enforcement officers and first responders for terror attacks. But he added that the department has made exceptions for New York City and other areas to use the money for overtime during high-threat periods and special events.

In the past three years, New York City has been given more than $490 million in federal antiterrorism money, city officials said. But they added that they have also incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in regular salary and overtime costs for police officers and other emergency workers involved in countering terrorism.

The mayors' letter to Mr. Chertoff also called on the secretary to support an increase in antiterrorism money for metropolitan areas at higher risk of attack. "This is pork-barrel politics at its worst," the letter said. "With so much at stake and given the Herculean efforts being made to protect our cities, distributing Homeland Security money based on politics rather than risk - and risk alone - is unconscionable and dangerously wrong."

Mr. Roehrkasse said that Homeland Security officials have tried to shift more of the antiterrorism money toward higher-risk areas, and Mr. Chertoff has testified in support of such measures. But these efforts have been largely blocked by Congress, Mr. Roehrkasse added.

Still, Mr. Bloomberg seemed confident that things would change. He said he met Mr. Chertoff for the first time last week at an annual press dinner in Washington. "People think this guy is very competent, so I think we have some hope that he will do a good job," he said.

Copyright 2005*The New York Times Company

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/19/nyregion/19security.html

[Petronas]

In Madrid Wake, U.S. Preps for Transit Attacks
Saturday, March 19, 2005

NEW JERSEY — Last year’s Madrid bombings, which killed 191 people, raised international concerns and helped make transit security a new priority in the United States. Many officials in the industry are seeking out specialized training to prepare them for such an attack. “I think the Madrid incident highlighted for transit [workers] in the United States their worst nightmare,” said Jeff Beaty, of TotalSecurity.US, a firm that offers such training.

Robert Hertan, head of San Francisco’s Mass Transit Authority, is taking precautions. He went to Pickatinny Arsenal in New Jersey for special training because he says it is better to be safe than sorry. “It’s like practicing on a team that never plays. You’re always anticipating what you need to do, and hoping that you don’t have to do it,” Hertan said.

Trainees endure security drills involving an impersonator of a suicide bomber strapped with explosives. In one scenario, the bomber is diverted before he can detonate himself; in the other, he is successful in his mission. “Not only are they trained to be aware, but they are trained for what casing activity looks like and how to handle suspicious packages,” Beaty said.

The dramatic re-enactments of what happened far away make the potential threat hit close to home. “This wasn’t a picture of something in Israel or in India ... Pakistan or the Philippines. This was a bus in New Jersey, and it got their attention,” Hertan said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,150933,00.html

[al-Canine]

Trying to Keep Nation's Ferries Safe From Terrorists

By ERIC LIPTON

WASHINGTON, March 19 - It takes a fraction of a second for an explosion to rip open a hole below the waterline of a ferry carrying hundreds of passengers. In the next instant, a deck tears off and the blast bellows inside the hull, causing structural beams to give way.

A terrorist strike is playing out with disastrous consequences. But so far, at least, the plot is confined to a desktop computer at the Coast Guard headquarters here.

To improve security on the nation's commuter ferries, the Coast Guard has been trying to answer some critical questions: How much explosive force would be needed to sink a big ferry? Which screening methods are most effective? How many vehicles and passengers should be screened to create a deterrent?

"In terms of the probability of something happening, the likelihood of it succeeding and the consequences of if it occurring, ferries come out at the very high end," said Joseph J. Myers, a Coast Guard risk analyst.

While there have been no reported threats to a ferry in the United States, officials say, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported at least seven incidents last year involving surveillance of ships in Washington State, said Representative Jay Inslee, Democrat of Washington.

Coast Guard officials say nearly 400 passengers would be likely to die if a large ferry were attacked, more than twice the number of deaths expected from an airplane crash. Officials worry that ferries may be attacked because they often carry cars and large trucks that could hide bombs, they run on a schedule and they are screened less intensely than airplanes.

There have been attacks on ferries elsewhere: a 1,050-passenger ferry sank in the Philippines in February 2004 after a bomb, consisting of eight pounds of TNT packed into a television, killed more than 115 people.

More than 700 ferries operate nationally, carrying 175 million passengers a year. But the Coast Guard study included only 62, those carrying at least 500 passengers and thus seen as high risk (some carry as many as 6,000).

Officials obtained designs from some of the biggest ships - they would not say precisely which, but they studied ships that operate in Seattle, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Michigan and Alaska - and then hired ABS Consulting, a company based in Houston. They tested how different types of attacks would play out, including explosives carried aboard in backpacks and a blast caused by an approaching boat. Most devastating would be a large bomb hidden inside a truck.

Engineers entered data into a computer about the damage created by the initial explosion, the impact of debris and any resulting fires or flooding. The engineers are also trying to estimate casualties in different sections of ships and are testing different blast locations to see which are most susceptible. That information could help determine where vehicles are parked on a ferry.

"Understand the threats, the vulnerability and the consequences," said David A. Walker, a risk engineer at ABS Consulting. "Then use that to inform our decisions about how we manage the risk."

Since July, operators of large ferries have been required to inspect a certain minimum percentage of vehicles and passengers, with that number changing based on any rise or reduction in Homeland Security alert levels. But the ferry systems can choose their inspection methods: the Washington State Ferries, the nation's largest system, uses bomb-sniffing dogs, while the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry in Virginia relies on security officers.

Homeland Security officials are assessing which screening works best. In Cape May, N.J., a $750,000 X-ray device known as Z Backscatter was installed; it creates photolike images highlighting any explosive materials in a vehicle.

While they would not disclose whether dogs or machines were more effective at finding explosives, officials did say that in a one-month test last year, they found that a scan by the machine required about 34 seconds per vehicle, compared with 24 seconds for checks by the dogs, a difference that could create delays if traffic was heavy. The machine also took up room that might not be available at many ferry terminals.

"What can we put in place that keeps the ferry running?" said Commander Cynthia Stowe, chief of the Coast Guard vessel and facility security division.

The final piece of the study is perhaps the most difficult. If only a small percentage of vehicles and passengers will be screened - as is now the policy - what should that number be to have a reasonable likelihood of deterring a terrorist attack? What matters is not whether the screening procedures actually work, officials say. Cameras that are not even regularly monitored or an untrained dog inspecting cars might still deter a terrorist. The critical variable here is whether a potential terrorist would be intimidated by the security in place.

"You are trying to scare someone," said Newton Howard, a professor at the George Washington University Center for Advanced Defense Studies, which is helping answer deterrence questions for the Coast Guard. "It is a matter of attempting to figure out what is the maximum risk this person is willing to take."

For ferry riders, current security measures are not very intrusive. On the Staten Island Ferry, security guards monitor crowds in the terminal buildings and a bomb-sniffing dog monitors the ferryboat entrance.

"It is better to err on the side of caution," said Gene Grubbes, who commutes from his home on Staten Island to his job at a photo lab in Manhattan. But some ferry operators worry that more screening will be mandated, which could push up operating costs or delay boarding.

"Any effort to bring some science into security rather than flying by the seat of your pants is a good thing," said Scott Davis, safety systems manager at the Washington State Ferries. "But there is also some trepidation, as an owner and operator, given what the results might be on our operation. Where will this end up?"

Copyright 2005*The New York Times Company


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/national/20ferry.html?

[al-Canine]

TECH VS. TERROR

Lawrence Livermore converts to work on contemporary perils

Benjamin Pimentel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, March 21, 2005

Tucked in a hilly area off Interstate 580, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was once a Cold War bastion where scientists hatched ideas for building more powerful nuclear bombs.

But last month, the research agency unveiled a different kind of technology: a new version of a high-tech device for stopping an oil tanker truck that had been hijacked by terrorists.

The news highlighted the way Lawrence Livermore and two other major federal research labs -- Lawrence Berkeley and Sandia national laboratories -- have shifted focus since the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Over the past three years, the three federal labs have become a wellspring of ideas on how to defend against terrorism -- from software that verifies identities to gadgets for detecting contraband nuclear materials to computer systems for rapid response to a biological weapons attack.

"The labs needed to retool their mission," said Gary Ackerman, head of the anti-terrorism program at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, which studies terrorist trends and movements. "You have all this capability, and you have to refocus from nuclear weapons to counter-terrorism."

Run by the U.S. Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley and Sandia are among the nation's top research laboratories.

Livermore, which is managed for the Energy Department by UC Berkeley, and Sandia, which is managed by Lockheed Corp., are focused on security technologies.

Berkeley Lab, which is also managed by UC Berkeley, is a science and engineering facility with close ties to academia. Unlike its two counterparts, Berkeley Lab does not do any classified work.

Each of the labs' budgets has gone up substantially since 2001: Livermore Lab's 2004 budget was $1.45 billion, up 33 percent; Berkeley Lab's was $504 million, up 16 percent; and Sandia's was $187 million, up 17 percent from 2001. Each lab has also devoted more resources, including personnel, on counterterrorism projects. At Sandia, funding for homeland security projects has more than doubled, from $29 million in 2003 to $78 million in 2004.

The budget for Livermore Lab's Nonproliferation, Arms Control and International Security Directorate, which focuses on preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, has quadrupled from $60 million in 1992 to $300 million this year, said lab spokesman Steve Wampler.

The directorate's staff has more than tripled in the same period, from 250 to 867.

The fear of terrorism was underscored last week when it was reported that the Department of Homeland Security has drawn up a list of possible doomsday scenarios.

Terrorists could use a small aircraft to spray a chemical blister agent over a packed college football stadium, killing 150 and causing 70,000 to be hospitalized, according to the department. Alternatively, they could blow up a storage tank of chlorine gas, killing 17,500 people.

In a March 16 speech at George Washington University, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff conceded, "The plain truth is there is no 100 percent solution. ... What we can do is use intelligent, risk-based analysis, advanced technology and enhanced resources to manage risk."

That's where the three Bay Area labs are expected to play an important role, both because of its track record in scientific research and its ties to an area where local officials also worry about terrorism.

"In the San Francisco Bay Area, with its cargo ports and airports and trade routes and immigration issues, (it is) important to us that you understand (the risks) if you live and work in that environment," Maureen McCarthy, director of the office of research and development at the Department of Homeland Security, said in an interview.

"We have the opportunity for the labs to be connected with operational end-users, whether it's BART, the ports, the city of Livermore or the university at Berkeley," she added. "Those connections to day-to-day interaction are how we ensure the technology we develop is actually functional. "

The labs' latest innovations highlight the growing focus on the many terrorism scenarios.

Last month, Lawrence Livermore announced an improved version of its Truck- Stopping Technology, which was commissioned in 2001 by then-Gov. Gray Davis and the California Highway Patrol in reaction to the Sept. 11 attacks and an earlier incident, in which a disturbed driver rammed a milk tanker into the state Capitol.

The system uses remote control technology to disable a hijacked truck, particularly one carrying explosive or hazardous materials, and prevent terrorists from turning it into a weapon.

During an emergency, law enforcers could use a hand-held controller to trigger a device pre-installed in the truck which then deploys the vehicle's air brakes. Scientists have also developed antennas that could be installed around buildings. By sending a continuous signal, they could activate the device to stop a runaway truck that's threatening to crash into the facilities.

In December 2004, Sandia, which is also in Livermore, announced a multimillion dollar partnership with Tenix, an Australian defense and technology contractor, and CH2M Hill Inc., a Colorado engineering and construction management firm, to develop a device, called a MicroChemLab, for detecting biological agents, such as bacteria and viruses, which could threaten water supplies.

In May 2004, Berkeley Lab was honored by the U.S. Department of Energy for developing a system that building operators, managers and emergency planners could use to prepare for a chemical and biological weapons release in buildings or transportation facilities.

"If you've got a good idea, someone is going to fund it," said Steve Cochran, acting head of Lawrence Livermore's homeland security organization. "The tempo has picked up tremendously. It hasn't slackened yet to pre-9/11 level."

The shift in focus began after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Historically, Sandia and Livermore Lab researchers had focused mainly on developing nuclear weapons systems during the Cold War.

Berkeley Lab, which Terrorism became a bigger concern after the Cold War, especially with the growing fear that the stockpiles of nuclear weapons and materials in the former Soviet bloc might end up in the hands of terrorist groups.

One of the new responsibilities the three labs took on was to help former Soviet scientists come up with new projects to work on so they don't end up being aligned with states or groups hostile to the United States.

"You don't want these guys migrating to Iran," said William Barletta, director of the office of homeland security at Berkeley Lab.

But it was not until the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon that counter-terrorism took center stage.

"We call 9/11 a defining event, in the sense that it changed everyone's perspective on what's required in national security," Cochran said.

The heavier emphasis on counterterrorism research has inevitably led to closer ties between the labs and private companies.

"The lab is not a manufacturing plant," Cochran said. "We are the idea guys. We build the prototype and then hand it off. You have to do that. You can't just develop a prototype and throw it over the fence."

The antiterrorism efforts require providing a large number of people -- from FBI agents to police and firefighters to health workers -- the equipment to stop a terrorist attack or be able to react quickly to one.

The demand for counter-terrorism technology extends well beyond Washington, D.C., to post offices to cities and counties throughout the country.

"Homeland security isn't about managing operations from Washington," McCarthy, the Homeland Security Department official said.

For example, among Sandia's latest products is a program called Weapons of Mass Destruction Decision Analysis Center, which local agencies could use to simulate a war-room environment in the event of a terrorist attack.

The agency has ramped-up its involvement with state and city agencies across the country, said spokesman Mike Janes.

Sandia has worked with San Francisco International Airport on setting up defenses for chemical and biological attacks, field-testing an explosives detection system at JFK Airport in New York and helping secure Washington, D.C. 's Metro train system.

"We are getting inquiries from places that five years ago we would never had interactions with," Rick Stulen, director of Sandia homeland security systems, said. "What we see is a dramatic focusing of what had been small, somewhat disparate efforts now all coming together against this singular mission of homeland security."

©2005 San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/21/BUGD8BRMHQ1.DTL

[Petronas]

Judge Apologizes to Ex-Terror Defendant
DETROIT Mar 22, 2005

A federal judge apologized on behalf of the U.S. government Tuesday to a Moroccan immigrant who was tried on terrorism charges in a case marred by prosecutorial misconduct, including the withholding of evidence. Judge Gerald Rosen's comments came during a hearing at which Ahmed Hannan pleaded guilty to unrelated insurance fraud charges. Rosen sentenced Hannan to six months in jail, with credit for the more than three years he already has served. "I would be remiss if I did not say that some procedures that are normally followed in criminal cases were not followed in this case," Rosen said of the terrorism case, "and for that you have the apology of the United States government."

Hannan, 36, will be deported to Morocco by the end of the week, defense lawyer James Thomas said. As part of a plea agreement, the Detroit man waived any right to appeal deportation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Straus declined to comment on Rosen's apology. Hannan was released to a halfway house last year, but several months later was ordered jailed again because of conflicts with the house's staff.

He and three other immigrants had been accused of being part of a "sleeper" cell and charged with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists. The charges followed a raid on a Detroit apartment six days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Karim Koubriti and Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi were convicted in 2003 of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Hannan was acquitted of that charge but was convicted of document fraud. The fourth man was acquitted. But in September, three years after the men were first arrested and jailed, the U.S. attorney's office admitted widespread prosecutorial misconduct in the case, saying potentially exculpatory evidence was not shared with the defense. At the government's request, Rosen dismissed the terrorism charges and ordered a new trial on the document fraud charges.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=605146

[Petronas]

FBI rejects Islamic terror link to Texas refinery blast
Saturday, March 26, 2005

HOUSTON: The Federal Bureau of Investigation Thursday rejected claims purportedly from two Islamic extremist groups of responsibility for an oil refinery explosion in Texas that left 15 people dead. The claims emerged in e-mails the day after the blast rocked the third-biggest petrochemical complex in the United States, run by British multinational BP at Texas City south of here. “We’ve found no evidence to support criminal or terrorist activity,” Al Tribble, spokesman for the FBI office in Houston, told AFP.

The e-mails were apparently from “two specific Islamic groups”, Tribble said. But he said he did not know the names of the groups. BP said the cause of the blast was still being investigated, but has ruled out terrorism. It said the explosion occurred when a unit of the refinery that adds octane to gasoline (petrol) was being brought back online after being shut down for routine maintenance. A year ago the FBI warned Texas oil refineries of a potential terrorism threat in the wake of deadly train blasts in Madrid, which came two-and-a-half years after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Five days later a series of explosions hit the BP plant at Texas City, but they were traced to a furnace fire. Those blasts created public doubts over safety at the 71-year-old refinery complex which Wednesday’s events only served to fuel. But BP’s chief executive John Browne insisted there was nothing to fear after flying in to Texas City to personally oversee operations and to convey his condolences to relatives.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_26-3-2005_pg4_5

[Petronas]

Illegal Aliens Working At Logan Arrested
UPDATED: 4:55 pm EST March 25, 2005

BOSTON -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Friday arrested 14 illegal aliens working at Logan International Airport. They all worked for Hurley of America, a contract company that provides janitorial services for the airport.

The workers had temporary badges that allowed them access to restricted areas. The arrests are the result of an ongoing investigation into illegal workers at the airport. Authorities said that that none of the workers appear to be connected to terrorism.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/4319099/detail.html

[Petronas]

'Va. Jihad' Trial May Focus on Free Speech
ALEXANDRIA, Va. Mar 28, 2005

A federal judge indicated Monday that the defense believes First Amendment issues may play a significant role in the trial of an Islamic scholar accused of exhorting followers to fight U.S. troops in Afghanistan. While summarizing the prosecution's case, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema told prospective panelists that the defense contends much of the government's evidence against Ali al-Timimi is constitutionally protected free speech. "He says that he only counseled the young men at issue to leave the United States and (migrate) to an Islamic country where they could practice their religion freely," she told a pool of 110 people who filled out long questionnaires. Opening statements are scheduled April 4.

The government's case against al-Timimi, a U.S. citizen born in Washington, D.C., is closely linked to its earlier prosecution of 11 men who were allegedly part of a "Virginia jihad network" a group of men who played paintball games in 2000 and 2001 in the woods of northern Virginia as a means of training for holy war around the globe. Nine men were convicted and received prison sentences ranging from three years to life. Several who struck plea bargains are expected to testify against al-Timimi. According to prosecutors, al-Timimi served as a spiritual leader to several members of the Virginia group and turned its focus against the United States.

Previously, the defendant's lawyers, Edward MacMahon and Alan Yamamoto, tried to suppress several pieces of government evidence on free-speech grounds including an e-mail al-Timimi sent after the Columbia space shuttle disaster, praising it as a "good omen" of the downfall of Western supremacy. Brinkema ruled, however, it was relevant to show al-Timimi's hostility to America; he is charged with inducing others to levy war against the United States. The lawyers declined to comment Monday. Al-Timimi, 41, studied under a prominent Saudi cleric who was once close to Osama bin Laden and most recently has been serving as an intermediary between Saudi militants and the government there.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=621472

[al-Canine]

Homeland Report Says Threat From Terror-List Nations Is Declining

By ERIC LIPTON

WASHINGTON, March 30 - A Department of Homeland Security internal report that assesses terrorist organizations, their anticipated targets and preferred weapons concludes that the threat to the United States presented by North Korea and several other countries long described as "state sponsors of terrorism" is declining.

"In the post-9/11 environment, countries do not appear to be facilitating or supporting terrorist groups intent on striking the U.S. homeland," says the draft report, which is intended to help the Homeland Security agency define its spending priorities through 2011.

Of the six nations identified by the State Department as terrorist sponsors, five of them - North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Cuba - are described by Homeland Security as a "diminishing concern." Iran, the final country on the list, alone is described as a potential threat over the next five years.

"Only Iran appears to have the possible future motivation to use terrorist groups, in addition to its own state agents, to plot against the U.S. homeland," the report says, adding that "ideologically driven nonstate actors" are the biggest threat.

Terrorism experts said Wednesday that while the assessment seemed accurate, it was an unusual statement for the Bush administration, which has often called North Korea and several other nations serious threats.

"The administration has been very reluctant to accept that state sponsorship is a waning phenomenon," said Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a co-author of "The Age of Sacred Terror."

This is the first time the two-year-old department has prepared what will now be an annual Integrated Planning Guidance Report, a document that is listed as "sensitive" but not classified, meaning it was not intended to be released publicly.

The goal, said Brian Roehrkasse, a department spokesman, is to better focus the department's $40 billion in annual spending toward the most serious threats.

Al Qaeda, not unexpectedly, tops a list of adversaries in the report, although the authors question if the group can still pull off attacks similar in scale to those of Sept. 11, 2001.

Other predicted possible sponsors of attacks include Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a Pakistani-based group that has been linked to Muslims of America; Jamaat al Tabligh, an Islamic missionary organization that has a presence in the United States; and the American Dar Al Islam Movement. Representatives for the organizations could not be reached Wednesday for comment or did not respond to telephone or e-mail messages.

The report, which was first disclosed last week on the Congressional Quarterly Web site, identifies animal rights activists and radical environmentalists as possible backers of plots. But it does not mention any domestic extremist groups, like World Church of the Creator, Aryan Nations or anti-abortion activists, which have previously been identified by federal officials as domestic terrorist threats.

In assessing the most likely targets, the report says that "visual symbols" - like the White House, the Capitol, the Pentagon and the C.I.A. headquarters - as well as "American popular culture icons" - including the Golden Gate Bridge, George Washington Bridge and the Statue of Liberty - top the list.

The report says increasing security may simply force a change in the weapons terrorists would try to use, for example mortars or rockets to attack from a distance. Truck bombs and small boats packed with explosives are identified as other extremely likely weapons of choice.

Copyright 2005*The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/politics/31threat.html?

[Petronas]

An unholy alliance
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Posted: 2:42 PM EST (1942 GMT)

SEBRING, Florida (CNN) -- A couple of hours up the road from where some September 11 hijackers learned to fly, the new head of Aryan Nation is praising them -- and trying to create an unholy alliance between his white supremacist group and al Qaeda. "You say they're terrorists, I say they're freedom fighters. And I want to instill the same jihadic feeling in our peoples' heart, in the Aryan race, that they have for their father, who they call Allah." With his long beard and potbelly, August Kreis looks more like a washed up member of ZZ Top than an aspiring revolutionary.

Don't let appearances fool you: his résumé includes stops at some of America's nastiest extremist groups -- Posse Comitatus, the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nation. "I don't believe that they were the ones that attacked us," Kreis said. "And even if they did, even if you say they did, I don't care!" Kreis wants to make common cause with al Qaeda because, he says, they share the same enemies: Jews and the American government. The terms they use may be different: White supremacists call them ZOG, the Zionist Occupation Government, while al Qaeda calls them the Jews and Crusaders. But the hatred is the same. And Kreis wants to exploit that.

The best thing that can be said about August Kreis is that he has helped preside over the decline of the once-feared Aryan Nation, a movement inspired by the racist tenets of Nazi Germany. He cannot or will not say how many followers the group now has. What's clear is that Aryan Nation had a violent streak aligned with its anti-Semitic and racist ideology. One of its followers, Buford Furrow, received two life sentences, plus 110 years, for an August 1999 shooting spree in which he shot and wounded four children and one adult at a Jewish community center in the Los Angeles suburb of Granada Hills. Furrow then drove to nearby Chatsworth, California, where he shot and killed a Filipino-American postal carrier. Others had been accused of involvement in bank robberies, shootouts with authorities and the murders of blacks and others.

More recently, the Aryan Nation lost its Hayden Lake, Idaho, compound, after losing a civil suit led by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Last year, founder Richard Butler died just as the group's leaders were fighting amongst themselves. Around that time, Kreis tried to open up shop for Aryan Nation in northern Pennsylvania, but got run out by locals. Now he is in Sebring, Florida, and, although his rhetoric is full of revolution and defiance, he wanted to meet our CNN crew at a local park because he didn't want trouble from his neighbors.

You might think white supremacists like Kreis would spurn al Qaeda, since they tend to view non-Aryan Christians as, in their own term, "mud people." In fact, most of them do. But Kreis wants to change that. "That's old-school racism, white supremacy, this is something new," he said. "We have to be realists and realize what didn't work [previously] isn't going to work in the future."

The idea of a Nazi-Islamic alliance dates back to World War II, when Adolf Hitler played host to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, that city's Muslim leader. Some Nazis, moreover, found refuge in places like Egypt and Syria after the war.

Three years ago, I met a Swiss Islamic convert named Ahmed Huber, who began his life as a devotee of Adolf Hitler and moved on to praising former Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, who led that nation's Islamic revolution and vigorously opposed U.S. policies. Huber wanted to forge a fresh alliance between Islamic radicals and neo-Nazis in Europe and the United States. And he cannot be simply dismissed as a crackpot: Huber served on the board of directors of a Swiss bank and holding company that President Bush accused of helping fund al Qaeda.

Mark Potok, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that while some U.S. extremists applauded the September 11 attacks, there is no indication of such an alliance -- at least not yet, and not on a large scale. If it exists anywhere, he said, it is in the mind (and the Internet postings) of August Kreis. For its part, the FBI says it hasn't seen any links between American white supremacists and groups like al Qaeda. "The notion of radical Islamists from abroad actually getting together with American neo-Nazis I think is an absolutely frightening one," said Potok. "It's just that so far we really have no evidence at all to suggest this is any kind of real collaboration."

So while August Kreis may be calling, there is no sign that al Qaeda is listening. But that hasn't stopped him. As we ended our interview, we asked Kreis if he had any message for Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants. "The message is, the cells are out here and they are already in place," Kreis said. "They might not be cells of Islamic people, but they are here and they are ready to fight."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/29/schuster.column/index.html

[Casey]

Berger Pleads Guilty to Taking Materials

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

April 2, 2005, 2:48 AM EST

WASHINGTON -- Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, admitted in federal court that he deliberately took classified documents out of the National Archives and destroyed some of them at his office.

Berger pleaded guilty Friday to one charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine. Under a plea agreement, he would pay a $10,000 fine, surrender his access to classified government materials for three years and cooperate with investigators.

U.S. Magistrate Deborah Robinson set sentencing for July 8.

Rather than the "honest mistake" he described last summer, Berger told Robinson that he intentionally took and deliberately destroyed three copies of the same document dealing with terror threats during the 2000 millennium celebration. He then lied about it to Archives staff when they told him documents were missing.

Robinson did not ask Berger why he cut up the materials and threw them away at the Washington office of his Stonebridge International consulting firm. Berger, accompanied by his wife, Susan, did not offer an explanation when he spoke to reporters outside the federal courthouse.

"It was a mistake and it was wrong," he said, refusing to answer questions.

Noel Hillman, chief of the Justice Department's public integrity section, would not discuss Berger's motivation, but he said the former national security adviser understood the rules governing the handling of classified materials. Berger had only copies of documents; all the originals remain in the government's possession, Hillman said.

The Associated Press first reported last July that the Justice Department was investigating Berger. The disclosure prompted Berger to step down as an adviser to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

The Bush administration disclosed the investigation of Berger's actions just days before the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks issued its final report. Democrats claimed the White House was using Berger to deflect attention from the harsh findings, with their potential for damaging President Bush's re-election prospects.

After news of the probe surfaced, Berger said he left the National Archives on two occasions in 2003 with copies of documents about the government's anti-terror efforts and notes that he took on those documents.

He said he was reviewing the materials to help determine which Clinton administration documents to provide to the Sept. 11 attacks. He called the episode "an honest mistake" and denied criminal wrongdoing.

Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sns-ap-berger-probe,0,378807.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

[al-Canine]

More on the Ali Al-Timimi trial

Terrorism Case Puts Words of Muslim Leader On Trial in Va.

Islamic spiritual leader Ali Al-Timimi's pen is mightier than his sword, prosecutors contend. It's not so much his actions but his words that make him so dangerous, they say.

Less than a week after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Timimi told a group of Northern Virginia Muslims that it should train for violent jihad abroad and wage war on the United States, prosecutors say. In 2003, he celebrated the crash of the space shuttle Columbia in a message that prosecutors say reflected his view that the United States itself should be destroyed.

The government says the statements of Timimi -- who goes on trial today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria -- constitute nothing short of treason. But some Muslims, who are rallying to Timimi's side through a Web site and other expressions of support, see a respected religious leader being prosecuted for his words.

"He is not accused of anything except talking. It's all about him saying something," said Shaker Elsayed, a member of the executive committee of Dar Al Hijrah mosque in Falls Church. "If this isn't a First Amendment issue, I don't know what is."

Although legal experts are as divided on the case as the two sides are, some said that the case reflects the power of words in the post-Sept. 11 climate -- and that it poses an important test of the free-speech rights Americans have come to expect since the First Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1791.

"This is a troubling case with very significant First Amendment concerns," said Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor with experience in national security cases.

If Timimi "encouraged people to go kill Americans, it comes very close to the criminal line, if not passing over it," Turley said. But historically, he said, "Courts have been uneasy with a criminal allegation based solely on words alone."

Victoria Toensing, a Washington lawyer who created the Justice Department's terrorism unit during the Reagan administration, said Timimi's words could send him to prison.

"If he said, 'I want you to go join the movement in Afghanistan and here is where you get the training,' that's no different from saying, 'Go join a murder club,' " Toensing said.

Whether Timimi will go to prison probably will depend on whether he expected his listeners to act on what he told them, legal experts said. Although free-speech rights have been interpreted differently in different eras, the current standard derives from the 1969 U.S. Supreme Court opinion Brandenburg v. Ohio, they said.

That opinion says the government cannot forbid "advocacy of the use of force" unless that advocacy is intended or likely to produce "imminent lawless action.''

"The key," said Rebecca Glenberg, legal director for the ACLU of Virginia, "is whether Timimi's speech was likely to cause others to act and whether he intended it to cause them to act.''

Timimi is charged with 10 counts, which include attempting to contribute services to the Taliban and soliciting or inducing others to commit a variety of crimes, such as conspiring to levy war on the United States, using firearms and carrying explosives. One charge involving war is drawn from a section of federal law headed "treason.''

If convicted on all counts, Timimi, 41, of Fairfax County, would face up to life in prison. Jury selection began last Monday, and opening statements are scheduled for today. The trial, before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, is expected to last as long as three weeks.

Prosecutors declined to comment for this story. When Timimi was indicted in September, U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty accused him of counseling young men to take up arms against the United States "while bodies were still being pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."

Attorneys for Timimi also would not comment, but they have indicated in court filings that they plan to raise free speech and First Amendment concerns.

"These statements reflect religious and political beliefs that, while offensive to the vast majority of Americans, are merely reflections of the defendant's Constitutionally protected freedoms of speech, association and religion," the attorneys, Edward B. MacMahon Jr. and Alan H. Yamamoto, wrote.

The case is the culmination of a highly publicized investigation after which 11 Muslim men, all but one from the Washington area, were charged with participating in paramilitary training -- including playing paintball in the Virginia countryside -- to prepare for "holy war" abroad. Timimi was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in that case. Nine of the men were convicted in 2003 and last year.

Some of the men are expected to testify against Timimi.

In 2000 and 2001, Timimi, a U.S. citizen who grew up in the area, was the primary lecturer at the Center for Islamic Information and Education, also known as Dar Al-Arqam, in Falls Church.

On Sept. 16, 2001, the government contends, Timimi met with a group of followers from the mosque. The indictment says he told them that "the time had come" for them to join the "violent jihad" in Afghanistan and that U.S. troops likely to soon arrive there "would be legitimate targets.''

At the same meeting, the indictment says, Timimi approved of a plan for group members to prepare for jihad by obtaining military training from Lashkar-i-Taiba, an organization trying to drive India from the disputed region of Kashmir. The U.S. government has labeled Lashkar a terrorist organization,

Several of the men then went to a Lashkar camp, where they fired assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, court records show.

On Feb. 1, 2003, in what the indictment describes as a "message to his followers,'' Timimi said the space shuttle crash meant that "Western supremacy [especially that of the United States] . . . is coming to a quick end." The message also referred to "the destruction of the Jews.''

In a court filing, prosecutors contend that the message constituted Timimi telling his followers "that the United States was their greatest enemy and should be destroyed.''

Some area Muslims say the government is mischaracterizing a peaceful religious leader. A Web site formed by an organization that calls itself "Dr. Ali Al-Timimi's support committee" lists 21 letters of support. One letter, signed only by "Ahmad," hails Timimi's "beautiful and inspiring lectures" at Dar Al-Arqam. Another, from "Wael,'' concludes that "the government's charges are bogus.''

In a response to e-mail questions from The Washington Post in 2003, Timimi said that he never has advocated violence and that "many of my best qualities are simply because I am an American." He acknowledged that he "has opinions that go counter to the mainstream of American society."

© 2005 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23697-2005Apr3.html

[al-Canine]

TSA Slated for Dismantling

By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 8, 2005; Page A01

The Transportation Security Administration, once the flagship agency in the nation's $20 billion effort to protect air travelers, is now slated for dismantling.

The latest sign came yesterday when the Bush administration asked David M. Stone, the TSA's director, to step down in June, according to aviation and government sources. Stone is the third top administrator to leave the three-year-old agency, which was swiftly created in the chaos and patriotism following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The TSA absorbed divisions of other agencies such as Federal Aviation Administration only to find itself now the victim of a massive reorganization of the Department of Homeland Security.

The TSA has been plagued by operational missteps, public relations blunders and criticism of its performance from both the public and legislators. Its "No Fly" list has mistakenly snared senators. Its security screeners have been arrested for stealing from luggage, and its passenger pat-downs have set off an outcry from women.

Under provisions of President Bush's 2006 budget proposal favored by Congress, the TSA will lose its signature programs in the reorganization of Homeland Security. The agency will likely become just manager of airport security screeners -- a responsibility that itself could diminish as private screening companies increasingly seek a comeback at U.S. airports. The agency's very existence, in fact, remains an open question, given that the legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security contains a clause permitting the elimination of TSA as "distinct entity" after November 2004."TSA, at the end of the day, is going to look more like the Postal Service," said Paul C. Light, a public service professor at New York University and a Brookings Institution scholar who has tracked the agency since its birth in February 2002. Light calls the TSA "one of the federal government's greatest successes of the past half century," and likens it to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the late 1950s, which was also born amid great public excitement to serve an urgent national need.

But TSA's time in the spotlight is over and it should now step back to serve a more narrow role, Light said. "It's a labor-intensive delivery organization that is not going to be making many public policy decisions. Its basic job is to train and deploy screeners," he said.

Bush administration officials say they don't expect the demise of TSA, adding they will know little about the future of the agency until new Homeland Security Sec. Michael Chertoff completes his review of the department, which will likely prompt a major overhaul.

"TSA has taken significant steps to enhance the nation's transportation and aviation security over the course of the past two years and TSA continues to have the confidence, not only of nation's air travelers, but of departmental leadership, to continue in this important mission," said Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse. "Secretary Chertoff is open to adjustments in the way that DHS does business but will not advocate for or against any change until a thorough review of the changes are complete." The review is expected to be completed in May or June.The government has pumped more money into airline security than any other Homeland Security effort. Much of it goes toward salaries for more than 45,000 security screeners at over 400 airports.Travelers know TSA mostly by its operations at the airport security checkpoint, a highly public role that magnifies agency's smallest blunders and often forces it to have to defend itself.

"Republicans didn't want to create this [bureaucracy] in the first place. Democrats see security as an easy target. So you don't have anyone to defend it," said C. Stewart Verdery, Jr., former assistant secretary for policy and planning at Homeland Security's Border and Transportation Security directorate, which includes TSA. "If someone sneaks a knife through an airport, it makes the news. If the Coast Guard misses a drug boat, no one hears about it."The TSA won early plaudits for swiftly building the first new federal agency in decades and restoring confidence in the nation's aviation system. It achieved 51 goals demanded by Congress under tight deadlines and took over many responsibilities from the Federal Aviation Administration, including the expansion and operation of undercover air marshals. At its peak, it had 66,000 federal employees and met deadlines that were unthinkable by the federal government, installing luggage scanning technology and hiring a new workforce of airport security screeners within a year.

Bit by bit, however, the agency's responsibilities have steadily dwindled amid a succession of directors. Many of its operations have been folded into the Department of Homeland Security, which it joined in 2003. TSA scrapped early plans to create a broad law-enforcement division. The air marshals, who lobbied to leave the agency, were transferred to the department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division -- to the dismay of TSA leaders. Next, the explosives unit left. Now, the agency's high-tech research labs in Atlantic City are also going to another division of the department.Last week, momentum accelerated in the push to replace federal screeners with private contractors at the nation's airports. FirstLine Transportation Security, a Cleveland private security firm, became the first company to win approval for liability coverage under the SAFETY Act, which means that if the firm takes over checkpoints, claims will be capped in the event of a terrorist attack.The move clears a major hurdle in the return of private screening companies. The law creating TSA allowed for federal screeners to be replaced by private ones after two years.

"We need to step back and look at the billions of dollars we spent on the system, which doesn't provide much more protection than we had before 9/11," said Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), referring to tests conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General that gave a "poor" rating to TSA screeners for their ability to catch weapons at the checkpoint. Mica, a key lawmaker who helped write the law that created the agency and chairs the House aviation subcommittee, would like to see private contractors take over screening jobs at airports. "TSA was something we put in place in an emergency, but it needs to evolve. You could whittle TSA down to a very small organization and do a much better job."

TSA's three leaders each have had distinct management styles and approaches to security, creating a culture of perpetual change. Its first leader, John W. Magaw, was a former head of the U.S. Secret Service who wanted to make TSA into a broad law enforcement agency with cops at every checkpoint and agents directing investigations at airports. After six months of protest from Congress and the airline industry, Magaw was replaced by a popular, industry-friendly former Coast Guard Commandant, James M. Loy. Loy spent much of his first year getting rid of what he called Magaw's "stupid rules" such as the secondary screening at the gates. Loy was so well liked that he was promoted to the No. 2 job at Homeland Security, from which he resigned along with former Sec. Tom Ridge earlier this year.

Stone, TSA's current leader, is new to Washington and has been known for his cautious -- some say near paranoid -- approach to security. He presides over a much slimmer TSA, with 52,000 employees, and said he supports the president's proposed changes and is happy to give up programs -- even large ones. "I'm a big optimist," Stone said in a recent interview in is office, which looks out on the side of the Pentagon hit by a United Airlines jet on Sept. 11, 2001. "I'm not really concerned about turf if that's what is best for the American people. I want to look back 10 years from now and say we did it right at TSA."

TSA and Homeland Security spokesmen declined to comment on Stone's departure. "We don't discuss personnel issues," said Roehrkasse.

Every morning, Stone begins a daily two- to four-hour intelligence meeting, in which he and 40 of his top managers review incident reports from the country's 429 major airports and from train, bus and trucking systems. They comb reports of evacuated terminals, unruly passengers and unattended bags, looking for the next big threat.

Travelers, airport workers and flight crew members involved in incidents are nominated to the government's secret "watch lists," meaning they will be singled out for extra screening the next time they arrive at an airport. So-called "selectees" wind up on the agency's secret list because they disrupted a flight -- not necessarily because they are viewed as terrorists. For at least six months, the selectees will be pulled aside for extra scrutiny every time they fly. Several thousand names are believed to be on the list.

Stone, 52, believes the exercise shows that TSA still serves a critical role in the nation's intelligence network. He has told new Homeland Security Sec. Michael Chertoff that he hopes the agency will keep this role. Airlines have complained that hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent passengers, and even pilots, have been added to TSA's "selectee" list or that some names are confused with those on the "No Fly" list, subjecting travelers to delays and hassles at the airport.

At a February meeting between TSA and 18 major carriers, airline representatives were asked who had crew members on the list and "they all raised their hands," said one airline source who was present. Airline officials said crew members on the list must be stripped of their badges and cannot perform their duties, according to TSA rules.

Stone said "one or two" pilots who are approved to carry guns in the cockpit have been put on the selectee list in the past year. He said he recalls a "handful" of other pilots who have been added to the selectee list because they were involved in "outrageous" incidents. He cited an incident last year in which an intoxicated pilot punched a patron at a restaurant and threatened him.

"We take all of these incidents seriously and we work to resolve them quickly because we know that people's livelihoods are at stake," said TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield.

Going forward, Stone faces the challenge of keeping TSA's workforce motivated. Many screeners took their jobs expecting that the new agency would provide a path to a federal career. At a recent hearing, Stone acknowledged that screeners suffer from low morale. According to an internal survey last year, 35 percent of employees are satisfied with their job.

Stone said security directors around the country sympathize with him, saying: "You've got the toughest job in federal government. You're under the gun for every little thing. You're constantly under the microscope."

© 2005 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35333-2005Apr7.html

[al-Canine]

Probe Faults System for Monitoring U.S. Borders

By John Mintz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 11, 2005; Page A01

A critical network of cameras and sensors installed for the U.S. Border Patrol along the Mexican and Canadian borders has been hobbled for years by defective equipment that was poorly installed, and by lax oversight by government officials who failed to properly supervise the project's contractor, according to government reports and public and industry officials.

The problems with the $239 million Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System (ISIS), which U.S. officials call crucial to defending the country against terrorist infiltrators, are under investigation by the inspector general of the General Services Administration.

That probe, into whether government officials allowed the contractor to cut corners on the project and receive huge overcharges during its eight-year lifetime, could lead to administrative or criminal charges, the officials said. Perhaps tens of millions of dollars were wasted, the GSA suggested.

Many irregularities were documented in a scathing GSA inspector general's report, released in December, which cited millions of dollars in potential overcharges by the contractor, International Microwave Corp. (IMC), as well as the record of U.S. officials paying for work never performed.

The investigation focuses in part on IMC's employment of the daughter of Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), a former Border Patrol official and key backer of the system of 12,000 sensors and several hundred cameras installed for the Border Patrol between 1998 and last year, officials said. There is no indication that Reyes took part in any impropriety, they said.

Investigators are looking into the past activities of the Connecticut-based firm, as well as the actions of some current and former officials of the Border Patrol; its former parent agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and GSA.

Many of the ISIS cameras, which are placed on 50- to 80-foot poles, break down frequently. The wiring of the electronic system on the Canadian border with Washington is so slapdash that cameras there often jerk randomly in warm weather.

"The contractor sold us a bill of goods, and no one in the Border Patrol and INS was watching," said Carey James, the Border Patrol chief in Washington state until 2001. "All these failures placed Americans in danger."

Controversy about the project led U.S. officials to stop almost all work on ISIS about 16 months ago, officials said.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, now the parent of the Border Patrol, acknowledge that there were serious technical and oversight problems with the ISIS program.

Homeland Security officials say the ISIS network of cameras and sensors is helpful in spotting intruders and guiding border agents in hot pursuit, but needs to be expanded. It covers only a few hundred miles of the 6,500-mile Canadian and Mexican borders, and can be evaded by crossing the border where there is no ISIS gear.

Roger Schneidau, who helps run the Border Patrol's electronic barrier programs, said that "there are sites in varying need of repair," but that in places where the equipment is available and working, "it's incredibly useful to agents."

Anthony Acri, IMC's president until 2003, said ISIS is well-built and was a good investment for taxpayers. He said oversight by U.S. officials was proper and effective. Acri said that the halt in work on ISIS "is very dangerous for our country."

Many -- but not all -- of the system's problems have been resolved in the past year by repair work done by L-3 Communications Holdings Inc., a New York firm that bought IMC in 2003, officials said. L-3 officials fired some IMC executives, including Acri, industry executives said.

Waste and Dysfunction

The story of ISIS, designed to monitor the large swaths of the nation's borderlands that agents cannot physically protect, is a tale of wasted taxpayer money and bureaucratic dysfunction.

The GSA inspector general's report said official inattention to the system "placed taxpayers' dollars and . . . national security at risk." A GSA inspection of eight Border Patrol zones found that $20 million had been paid to IMC for work there but that none of its camera systems was fully operating.

Near Buffalo, IMC billed the government for 59 cameras but only four were installed, and in Naco, Ariz., unassembled high-tech gear was found lying in the desert, the report said. "No IMC personnel had been on-site since the equipment was delivered" in 2003, the report added.

The most troubled part of ISIS was in Washington state, where the more than 64 cameras fogged up in cold and rain and sometimes broke down completely, according to Border Patrol officials and the GSA report. IMC-hired workers had done such shoddy wiring of fiber-optic cable at junction boxes that Border Patrol operators couldn't control the cameras, according to the officials and documents. Electrical wires were found corroding under water in supposedly sealed concrete vaults, they said.

The GSA report found that IMC was paid about $1 million up front to install 36 poles to hold multiple cameras in Washington state, but in fact had installed only 32. Contract documents executed by both GSA and the company "misrepresented the work that was actually furnished," it said.

It was common, the GSA report said, for the government to pay IMC "for shoddy work . . . [or] for work that was incomplete or never delivered."

IMC's Acri said the Washington project was "a nightmare" but blamed it on miscommunications with Border Patrol officials. L-3 has fixed many of the problems there recently, but Border Patrol agents still complain of malfunctions and blind spots.

The GSA inspector general's report also sharply criticized operations at a Border Patrol repair center in New Mexico staffed by two Border Patrol officials and 19 IMC employees. Many Border Patrol agents complained that repairs on the ISIS equipment they sent there took months to complete.

The GSA report said "little or no work" was done at the center in the previous year, even though IMC billed the government for $500,000 during that time. The report said millions of dollars in IMC overcharges might have occurred there.

The Border Patrol official who ran the center, David Watters, acknowledged he had a brother and a niece who worked for IMC. But he said his relatives' jobs did not affect his dealings with the company.

Watters said that the GSA report was unfair and that the center's slowdown in repairs was caused by the halt in ISIS work. IMC's Acri disputed some of the GSA's findings, saying it failed to accept his assertions that IMC did not profit improperly.

The GSA report and numerous government and industry executives said Border Patrol, INS and GSA officials -- most of whom lacked experience on complex contracts -- often deferred to IMC in deciding what equipment to buy and how much IMC should be paid. The GSA report said IMC's contracts with the government lacked detail, "thereby leaving interpretation of the government's needs up to the contractor."

"Government officials failed miserably to do their job," said Tim Golden, an IMC subcontractor on the program who later had a falling out with IMC. "It's incomprehensible how inept they were."

Many ISIS documents were drawn up in such a way that IMC was paid up front, and escaped financial liability if its performance was disputed, said the GSA report and U.S. officials.

Over the objections of Border Patrol officials, INS official Walter Drabik chose cameras distributed by a firm called ISAP. U.S. officials and contractors said IMC had bought the ISAP firm without disclosing it to U.S. officials. This allowed IMC to buy cameras from its own subsidiary, substantially increasing profits. Undisclosed self-dealing could be illegal.

The GSA report said officials' lax oversight of IMC's purchases of cameras and other gear "created a potential for overpayments of almost $13 million."

Acri and Drabik denied the allegations of overcharges, and both said Acri informed Drabik of IMC's purchase of the ISAP firm.

Family Ties

Drabik launched ISIS in 1996, a few months after the arrival in Washington of Rep. Reyes, a strong proponent of placing cameras on the border. Drabik chose the Alaska-based Chugach Development Corp. to install the system, and in 1999 he helped select IMC for a $2 million contract to succeed Chugach.

Drabik said in an interview that he recommended that first Chugach, then IMC, hire Rebecca Reyes, the congressman's daughter, as liaison to the INS. Both did so. Rebecca Reyes, 33, ultimately became IMC's vice president for contracts, and ran the ISIS program.

In 2001, her brother, Silvestre Reyes Jr., a former Border Patrol employee, was hired by IMC as an ISIS technician. He quit a few years later to form his own company.

A spokesman for L-3, where Rebecca Reyes now works, said she declined to comment, and her brother did not return repeated telephone calls seeking comment.

Rep. Reyes said that he never interceded with U.S. officials to help IMC win a contract and that he helped IMC retain congressional funding because he believes cameras "are an important part of our ability to defend the borders."

L-3 chief executive Frank C. Lanza said, "We have concluded Ms. Reyes hasn't done anything wrong or criticizable" at L-3. A Chugach spokesman declined to comment because the firm's executives who worked with Rebecca Reyes have left the firm.

Drabik said that he maintained an arms-length relationship with IMC and that he is proud of his achievements on ISIS. "The contracting procedures were all straight," he said.

In 2000, Drabik was removed from his job running ISIS. Drabik said during that period he had been investigated by superiors who expressed discomfort over his close dealings with IMC. But he denied that was the reason for his removal.

About that time, Congress threatened to eliminate the ISIS program, and IMC turned to Rep. Reyes and other allies to help rescue it, IMC's Acri said. Within months, INS and GSA officials granted IMC a contract expansion worth $200 million, with no competitive bidding.

Early last year, a small group of Border Patrol officials drew up plans for a far more ambitious multibillion-dollar project under which a contractor would cover the nation's land borders with an expanded network of cameras, sensors and high-tech devices.

The new project, called America's Shield Initiative, was enthusiastically endorsed in Congress and by the Bush administration.

"We've identified the problems; they're very evident," the Border Patrol's Schneidau said. "We're taking steps to prevent them from happening again."

Researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.


© 2005 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A42516-2005Apr10?

[Petronas]

Man with Suitcases Prompts Alert at U.S. Capitol
Apr 11, 2005

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Police took precautionary measures at the U.S. Capitol on Monday after a man in dark clothing was spotted outside the building with a pair of suitcases. Police moved people away from windows on the west side of the building, near where the man was being watched by authorities — and some staffers were told to leave their offices. An officer near the scene said there was no plan to evacuate the building at this time.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=660179

[Petronas]

3 Charged in Plot on U.S. Finance Centers
Apr. 13, 2005

Three men with suspected al-Qaida ties, already in British custody, were charged Tuesday with a years-long plot to attack the New York Stock Exchange and other East Coast financial institutions. Discovery of the alleged terrorist plan last summer prompted the Homeland Security Department to raise the terror alert for the targeted buildings, located in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J. Security in those cities also was tightened. A four-count indictment returned by a New York City grand jury alleges the men, all British citizens, visited and conducted surveillance of the buildings and surrounding neighborhoods between August 2000 and April 2001. The plot was foiled when Pakistani investigators seized a computer with information from the surveillance. British authorities were alerted and arrested eight men, including the three suspects, on terrorism-related charges last August, Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey said.

The indictment "sends a message about our resolve to terrorists," Comey said at a Justice Department news conference. The grand jury returned the indictment on March 23 but it was unsealed only Tuesday. Named in it are Dhiran Barot, 33, Nadeem Tarmohammed, 26, and Qaisar Shaffi, 26. They could receive life sentences if convicted of the most serious charge, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States. The indictment lists those weapons as improvised explosive devices and bombs. U.S. officials claim Barot is a senior al-Qaida figure, known variously as Abu Eisa al-Hindi, Abu Musa al-Hindi and Issa al-Britani.

Prosecutors say the men conducted surveillance on the stock exchange and Citicorp building in New York, the Prudential building in Newark and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, including video surveillance in Manhattan around April 2001. U.S. officials have previously described detailed surveillance photos and documents, which they believe came from Barot, that were found on the computer in Pakistan. Comey declined to provide any specifics. Although they allegedly were doing their surveillance at the same time the Sept. 11 hijackers were making their final preparations, nothing in the indictment links this group to the hijackers.

The indictment does not allege any specific actions by the men in the United States or elsewhere after April 2001, though Comey said their plotting continued. "This conspiracy was alive and kicking until August 2004," he said. Bush administration authorities said the decision to raise the risk of a terrorist attack to "high" for those specific financial institutions was based on an abundance of caution and because of al-Qaida's history of lengthy planning and plotting.

The move, coming in the midst of a tight presidential election, drew criticism from Democrats, who claimed it was aimed at boosting President Bush's re-election effort. "Politics had nothing to do with it. You have my word on it," Comey said Tuesday. The threat level was lowered to yellow for the buildings after the November election.

Barot is charged in England with possessing reconnaissance plans for the U.S. financial institutions and notebooks containing information on explosives, poisons, chemicals and related matters "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism." Tarmohammed was charged there, along with Barot, with possessing plans of the Prudential building. Shaffi also was charged in Britain with possessing an extract from the "Terrorist's Handbook" on the preparation of chemicals, explosive recipes and other information.

British proceedings and any sentences would have to be completed before U.S. agents could question the men or seek their extradition, the Crown Prosecution Service said. The trial in Britain is scheduled to begin in January, it said. "They are indicted here and whether or not they actually ever are extradited here I guess is a matter of discussion," said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "But I think it's important, both substantively and symbolically important, that you come here, you do this type of surveillance, we're not going to forget."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as President Bush returned to Washington from his ranch in Texas, called the indictments "another significant step in the global war on terrorism." "We're going to continue to go after and pursue those who seek to do us harm and those who seek to do harm to the civilized world," McClellan said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=665089

[Petronas]

AP: Reports to Say Airport Baggage Screening Still Poor
Friday, April 15, 2005

WASHINGTON — Two upcoming government reports will say the quality of screening at airports is no better now than before the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a House member who has been briefed on the contents. The Government Accountability Office — the investigative arm of Congress — and the Homeland Security Department's inspector general are expected to soon release their findings on the performance of Transportation Security Administration screeners. "A lot of people will be shocked at the billions of dollars we've spent and the results they're going to see, which confirm previous examinations of the Soviet-style screening system we've put in place," Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., told The Associated Press on Friday. Mica chairs the House aviation subcommittee and was briefed on the reports.

The TSA won't comment on the specifics of the reports until they are released, said spokesman Mark Hatfield Jr. "When the political posturing is over, rational people will see that American screeners today are the best we have ever had and that they are limited only by current technology and security procedures that are significantly influenced by privacy demands," Hatfield said.

Improving the ability of screeners to find dangerous items has been the goal since the government took over the task at about 450 airports in early 2002 and hired more than 45,000 workers. But earlier investigations showed problems persist. On Jan. 26, Homeland Security's acting inspector general, Richard Skinner, testified that "the ability of TSA screeners to stop prohibited items from being carried through the sterile areas of the airports fared no better than the performance of screeners prior to Sept. 11, 2001." Skinner told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the reasons the screeners failed undercover audits had to do with training, equipment, management and policy.

A year ago, Clark Kent Ervin, then-inspector general of Homeland Security, told lawmakers the TSA screeners and privately contracted airport workers "performed about the same, which is to say, equally poorly." When Congress created the TSA it stipulated that privately employed screeners be used at five airports to serve as a measuring stick for the federal screeners.

Screeners are tested by the inspector general's undercover agents, who try to smuggle fake weapons and bombs past security checkpoints. Their performance also is measured by the Threat Image Projection system, which puts images of threat objects on X-ray screens while the screeners are working and identifies whether they identify the threats.

Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio, the ranking Democrat on Mica's subcommittee, also was briefed on the two upcoming reports. He said they draw different conclusions about the relative performance of government screeners and those who work for private companies. "The common finding is that no set of screeners, private nor public, is performing anywhere near the level I think we need," DeFazio said. Screener performance won't be acceptable "until these people have state-of-the-art technology," he said. DeFazio is especially critical of the X-ray machines used to screen passengers' baggage in most airports. Much better equipment is already available and in use on Capitol Hill and in the White House, he said.

The TSA, which did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment, has said in the past that the tests used to measure screener performance are much more rigorous than they were before the Sept. 11 hijackings. Before the attacks, the Threat Image Projection system only used images of about 200 items. Now the TSA uses more than 5,000 images, Hatfield said.

Screeners have been much more aggressive about seizing prohibited items than their predecessors, the private screeners who worked for companies employed by airlines. Each month, screeners take from passengers about a half-million things, including 160,000 knives, 2,000 box cutters and 70 guns.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153647,00.html

[Casey]

Moussaoui to Plead Guilty in Sept 11 Case - WPost
Tue Apr 19, 2005 6:27 AM ET



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Accused conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui plans to plead guilty perhaps as early as this week to his alleged role in the Sept. 11 attacks if a judge finds him mentally competent, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Moussaoui, a French citizen, is the only person charged in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. He is charged with conspiring with al Qaeda in the attacks.

Moussaoui was scheduled to meet this week with U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who has been weighing his mental capacity, The Washington Post said.

The report cited unnamed sources familiar with the case as saying Moussaoui has notified the government of his intention to plead guilty over the objections of his lawyers. The article did not include further details about the potential plea.

Moussaoui was indicted on six counts of conspiracy in the Sept. 11 plot.

Attorneys for Moussaoui did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment. A Justice Department spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Moussaoui tried to plead guilty in 2002 to four of the six charges against him, but reversed his decision one week later. The four counts to which he first planned to plead guilty were all conspiracy charges and all carry the death penalty.

In recent letters to the government and Brinkema, Moussaoui said he was willing to accept the possibility of a death sentence, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources.

Moussaoui was arrested on immigration charges before the Sept. 11 attacks. He has said he was not involved in the hijackings.

When he tried to plead guilty three years ago, Moussaoui said that he was a member of al Qaeda and had pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. After Brinkema instructed him to think about his decision for a week, Moussaoui changed his mind.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-04-19T102726Z_01_N19718005_RTRIDST_0_USREPORT-SECURITY-MOUSSAOUI-DC.XML

[Casey]

Moussaoui asks for death sentence

Washington, DC, Apr. 19 (UPI) -- Accused al-Qaida collaborator Zacarias Moussaoui has written a U.S. judge asking to be sentenced to death in an apparent bid to involve the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema was sent the one-page letter by the French citizen, who is the only suspect in U.S. custody for the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

After being indicted in December 2001, Moussaoui initially pleaded not guilty then tried to plead guilty and later wanted to represent himself.

He withdrew his guilty plea and wrote his own legal briefs to the court, sharply chastising, ridiculing and even threatening the judge, prosecutors and his defense team, led by federal public defender Frank Dunham Jr.

Sources told the newspaper defense lawyers want this latest request thrown out, arguing the letter is Moussaoui's naive attempt to win a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brinkema has requested a meeting with prosecutors and defense attorneys at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va., before deciding how to proceed.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050419-080402-4245r.htm

[Casey]

President Bush hosts Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Monday

April 24, 2005
High on the agenda are record high gas prices, although the President admits there may be little Saudi Arabia can do in the near-term. The two leaders also plan to discuss terrorism and the Israeli pullout.

This is Prince Abdullah's second visit to Crawford. He also came back in April of 2002.

The prince will take a motorcoach from Waco's TSTC Airport to Crawford, so expect some traffic delays Monday morning along I-35, Highway 84, and Highway 317. The exact time has not been released.

http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=6878</SPAN></FONT>

[Casey]

Bush, Saudi crown prince to discuss oil, terrorism


CRAWFORD, Texas –– US President George W. Bush welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to his Texas ranch on Monday for talks expected to focus on the Middle East peace process and soaring oil prices.

The two leaders, meeting for the second time on Bush's Prairie Chapel estate near this tiny town, will also discuss the war on terrorism at a time when Riyadh has been cracking down on suspected Al-Qaeda extremists, US officials said.

The president and the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, will also talk about Bush's "efforts to promote democratic reform" in the Middle East, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters this week.

Saudi Arabia recently held an unprecedented nationwide vote to choose half the members of 178 municipal councils across the conservative Muslim kingdom. Women were barred from the ballot.

Bush has been highlighting what he says are hopeful signs of progress in the volatile region -- such as elections in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as changes in Lebanon and Egypt -- and tying them to the war to oust Saddam Hussein.

On the Middle East, the crown prince was expected to raise his initiative for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which the Arab League adopted at its summit in 2002 but which Israel has rejected.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi said Thursday in Paris that the kingdom was meeting oil demand, declaring: "We try to respond to our customers. We have not turned down a customer who says 'I want additional oil.'"

Before going to visit Bush, the crown prince will meet in Dallas, Texas on Sunday with US Vice President Dick Cheney, who will also take part in Monday's meeting, according to an administration official. –– AFP

http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=14449

[al-Canine]

Experts to study power grid terror threat

By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

Published April 25, 2005

The Department of Homeland Security has commissioned the nation's top experts to find ways of protecting the U.S. power grid against terrorism.

The National Research Council of the National Academies has appointed a committee to study "enhancing the resilience" of electricity transmission and distribution systems within the United States against "potential terrorist attack."

The study, funded by the Department of Homeland Security, will address technical, policy, and institutional factors affecting the grid over the medium- and long-term.

It will write a report identifying priority research and development directions, policy initiatives, and other strategies to help secure the grid.

"The massive August 14, 2003, power blackout highlighted the need for an over-the-horizon, 3-ten years outlook" at the system's reliability and vulnerability, Ed Badalato, a former federal energy security official and member of the panel told United Press International.

"With the threat of terrorist attacks against our power infrastructure, we must use every means at our disposal to enhance the security of this vital form of energy that under girds our entire national well being," Badalato said.

http://www.wpherald.com/print.php?StoryID=20050425-034315-1562r

[Petronas]

Algerian Awaits Sentence in L.A. Bomb Plot
April 26, 2005 9:08 PM EDT

SEATTLE - Five years after being arrested with a trunkful of bomb-making materials at the U.S. border, Ahmed Ressam has proved a remarkable resource in the nation's efforts to understand and eradicate terrorists. He told investigators from many countries about the locations of terror cells and camps, who ran them and how they operated. But as Ressam, 37, awaits sentencing Wednesday, prosecutors say he could have done more.

Ressam, an Algerian convicted of plotting a millennium-eve bombing at the Los Angeles airport, stopped cooperating with prosecutors in 2003 when he realized the Justice Department would not recommend a sentence shorter than 27 years, they say. Prosecutors now say that without his continued help, they may have to drop terrorism charges against two men: Abu Doha, who was accused of orchestrating the bomb plot, and Samir Ait Mohamed, also charged in the scheme. They are awaiting extradition to the United States - Doha in Britain, Mohamed in Canada.

The government is seeking 35 years behind bars for Ressam. Ressam's public defenders are asking for 12 1/2 - and say Ressam is willing to continue cooperating, but doesn't remember as much as he used to. The government does not have to drop the charges against Doha and Mohamed because it can introduce Ressam's previous statements about them, the defense lawyers wrote in court papers.

A psychiatrist who evaluated Ressam for the defense blamed the government for his intransigence. Officials took months to get Ressam out of solitary confinement after his mental condition began to deteriorate, said Dr. Stuart Grassian. "If these problems developed and hardened during a period of stringent confinement, the sooner we got him out of there the better," said Grassian, who taught for nearly three decades at Harvard University Medical School. "We wanted him to be away from that to allow his mental state to soften again."

Ressam was arrested in Port Angeles in December 1999 as he drove off a ferry from British Columbia. A customs worker noticed Ressam seemed nervous. Agents found explosives more powerful than TNT and digital watches that could be used as timers. Ressam was convicted in April 2001 on explosives charges and conspiracy to commit terrorism. Facing up to 130 years in prison, he began to talk.

Over the next two years, in meetings with international investigators, Ressam offered details about various terrorist operations, according to court documents filed by his lawyers. He provided information on more than 100 potential terrorists and testified against co-conspirator Moktar Haouari and Sept. 11 plotter Mounir el-Motassadeq. Ressam told authorities he saw Zacarias Moussaoui at a training camp in Afghanistan in 1998; Moussaoui was later indicted in the Sept. 11 attacks. Ressam first told investigators about the type of shoe-bomb Richard Reid attempted to use on a flight to the United States. And, his lawyers say, Ressam helped save lives by providing information about a network of Algerian terrorists operating in Europe.

But in 2003, Grassian said Ressam grew frustrated by repeated interrogations and stopped talking. Grassian recommended he be moved from solitary confinement in November 2003, but he said Ressam was not moved until June 2004. Prosecutors said he was moved two months before that. Federal prosecutor Mark Bartlett said Ressam's cooperation has not improved since he was taken from solitary. But Grassian said Ressam testified before a grand jury in New York early this year. Bartlett declined to comment on that.

One filing made by prosecutors says as recently as Feb. 25, Ressam was asked to cooperate again to salvage the Doha and Mohamed cases. "For the most part, Ressam answered that he did not know or did not recall the answers to the questions," federal prosecutors wrote. "The government believes that Ressam lied and that his answers reflect a refusal to continue cooperating."

http://start.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20050426/426dbcc0_3ca6_1552620050426783097033

[al-Canine]

TSA to test new security technology

From Mike M. Ahlers
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Clam diggers on the muddy flats near Boston's Logan International Airport in Massachusetts will be loaned GPS-equipped cell phones so they can alert authorities to suspicious activity -- just one of several ideas being tested this summer to protect airports from terrorists.

Five international airports will test new technology ranging from the cell phones to high-tech iris scanners, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.

The airports taking part in the pilot programs are Logan in Boston, JFK International Airport in New York, Denver International Airport in Colorado, Orlando International Airport in Florida and Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport.

The new tests constitute phase two of a plan to improve security around airport perimeters, which are of particular concern because of people could position themselves outside airports with shoulder-fired missiles, known as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS).

In the days immediately after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, authorities evicted the clam diggers from the flats just outside the Boston airport, saying it was too difficult to monitor their activities. But the clam diggers fought the removal, and they returned to the area after submitting to FBI background checks.

To date, clam diggers have been using personal cell phones to call authorities, but the new plan calls for equipping them with government cell phones that reveal their exact locations via the global positioning system.

At Logan, the TSA and the Massachusetts Port Authority also will test an advanced water perimeter intrusion detection system, said retired Rear Adm. David M. Stone, assistant secretary of homeland security for the TSA. The new system includes an infrared intrusion detection system that will identify authorized people near active runways.

The two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers originated at Logan.

Other test that will be under way at airports this summer include:

-- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with TSA, will test a barrier-free boundary surrounding a cargo warehouse at JFK airport. People who are authorized to enter the secure area will have a personal radio-frequency identification card and will need to have their fingerprint scanned prior to gaining access. In addition, the TSA will deploy a state-of-the-art video surveillance system to monitor access. The barrier-free area is within the cargo warehouse.

-- Working with Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, the TSA will test equipment to monitor access of vehicles into secure areas of the airport at Orlando International Airport. The TSA will analyze the use of a dual iris scan recognition reader at a vehicle access gate to allow only authorized personnel through.

-- Denver International Airport will test a barrier-free boundary surrounding a cargo warehouse at the airport using technology including ultrasonic emitters and microwave sensors. In this test, everyone authorized to enter the secure area will have to have their fingerprint scanned prior to entry. An advanced video surveillance system will also be installed to monitor access.

-- Salt Lake City Department of Airports will focus on enhancing access control to the baggage area entrance, which is part of the non-public, secure side of the airport. The technologies will include a hand geometry reader and a video motion surveillance analysis system to prevent personnel from piggybacking through the door.

The TSA said the technologies will be tested to determine both their effectiveness and their impact on airport operations. The technology will be deployed in June and the field tests will run through summer.
*
www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/04/25/airport.security
*

[Petronas]

I see no hard evidence so far that this was not an accident, but if what written below is true, it is worth following the story. I remember one of our jihadi friends telling us two IH boards ago that "Texas will burn".

Multiple blasts struck Texas refinery
April 30, 2005

Another update on the Texas Refinery Blast. "Multiple blasts struck refinery," from AP, with thanks to Bob:

HOUSTON - Federal investigators said Thursday that several explosions rocked a Texas City refinery last month in an eruption that killed 15 people, injured more than 100 and filled the sky with black smoke. "We believe that there were a number of distinct explosions in rapid succession, possibly as many as five," said U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board member John Bresland.

Investigators still aren't sure what ignited the explosions at the BP refinery March 23.

Lead investigator Don Holmstrom said there may have been multiple ignition sources, and that some of the board's 10 investigators were conducting blast modeling to figure out the size and possible causes.

Now to my untutored eye, multiple ignition sources suggests at least the possibility that these explosions were not accidental. So why was the FBI so quick to deny it could be terrorism -- even before agents had visited the site? After all, we know the site was photographed by a "Middle Eastern man." I am not saying this was an act of jihad terrorism; I am saying, however, that this investigation is starting to smell worse and worse.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/

Here is the story from last year referred to above about a "Middle Eastern man" photographing a Texas ammonia terminal and shooting a guard when questioned:

Texas coast eyed by terrorists
January 26, 2004

While FBI, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs, the U.S. Coast Guard, state police and local law enforcement sources are publicly downplaying terrorism fears in the shooting of a guard at a BASF Corp. ammonia terminal in Freeport, Texas, some of those same sources are telling Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, off the record, they strongly suspect the guard stumbled into a terrorism reconnaissance operation.

The FBI, state and local law enforcement are all involved in investigating the incident Friday night on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The gunman, described as a dark-complexioned, mustachioed man with dark hair and a thick Middle Eastern accent and a 5 o'clock shadow, was driving a white, club cab, half-ton Chevrolet pickup with black trim at the bottom and dark-tinted windows. The truck had no front license plate.

Robbie House, the guard, questioned the driver of the truck about why he was in the vicinity of a large, multi-story ammonia tank. He told police the truck driver explained that he was taking pictures of it. When the guard turned to radio for help, the driver pulled out a handgun and shot House in the shoulder. . . .

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/000734.php

[Petronas]

Terrorists will fail, official says
May 04, 2005

More than 20,000 men were trained at al Qaeda terrorist camps in the late 1990s and a top Justice Department official believes some of them will try again to strike targets in the United States, but is not convinced they will succeed. "We know how much damage just 19 of those men did in a few hours on one day," said Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "It is important we not get complacent, and I assure you there are plenty of us in law enforcement who haven't forgotten what it's like to jump when a pager goes off at night.

"Today, we look at the threat of terrorism as an ongoing and continuing plot and have sought, through increased cooperation at all levels of government, to strike earlier on that continuum, arresting terrorists with their hand on a check, not a bomb," Mr. Wray said during an interview this week. As one of the chief architects of the government's multifaceted response to the September 11 attacks, Mr. Wray said increased cooperation among federal, state and local authorities and the "invaluable assistance" of the USA Patriot Act has significantly cut into the ability of terrorists to successfully strike again. "Cooperation between law enforcement agencies at all levels of government today has never been better, and I hope that is one of our legacies," said Mr. Wray, who has headed the Criminal Division since 2003, but is leaving this month to return to private practice. "We are working together to solve major problems, to bring about a safer and more secure America."

Criminal Division prosecutors and investigators, working with state and local authorities, have disrupted more than 150 terrorist cells and threats from Portland, Ore., to Lackawanna, N.Y., incapacitating more than 3,000 known operatives. They also have charged 375 persons in terrorism-related cases, 195 of whom already have pleaded guilty or been convicted, and removed from the country more than 500 people linked to September 11. The targeted terrorists have included members of al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas as part of an effort to prevent and prosecute those who commit or intend to commit terrorist acts against the United States. "While we are prepared to react to a terrorist event, our most important goal is to use the means at our disposal to prevent terrorist attacks in the first instance," Mr. Wray said. "Terrorists will try to strike us again, but recognizing that terrorism is not just something that happens, I am not convinced they will succeed."

In protecting America from future attacks, he said, the anti-terrorism tools overwhelmingly passed by Congress as part of the Patriot Act have been crucial, particularly in helping prosecutors and agents on the "front lines." He said the act, some of whose provisions lapse at the end of the year, also has allowed improvements in communication and information sharing among those agencies tasked with fighting terrorism, has allowed law enforcement to adapt to terrorists' technologically sophisticated methods and has given investigators and prosecutors stronger tools to identify, pursue, disrupt, prosecute and punish terrorists.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050503-114633-5129r.htm

[Petronas]

Grenades Damage British Consulate in N.Y.
May 05, 2005 9:21 AM EDT

NEW YORK - Two makeshift grenades exploded outside a building housing the British Consulate early Thursday, Election Day in Britain, causing slight damage but injuring no one, officials said. Officials stressed that it was not clear whether the consulate itself had been targeted. The midtown Manhattan office building houses a variety of domestic and foreign companies. "We do not at this point have any idea who did it or a motive," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, adding the explosion was caused by "a relatively unsophisticated explosive device." There were no threats or phone calls, he said.

The grenades had been placed inside a cement flower box outside the front door of the building. After piecing together the shrapnel, police determined the devices were toy grenades that had been filled with gunpowder. Officers estimated that one was the size of a pineapple; the other the size of a lemon. No timing device was used, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

The blasts, which Kelly said happened around 3:35 a.m., shattered a panel of glass in the building's front door and ripped a one-foot chunk from the planter. The British consulate is on the 9th and 10th floors of the building, the mayor said. He said he expected it would be open for business later in the day. Offices of other foreign diplomatic representatives were checked as a precaution and nothing was found, Kelly said. Security videos in the area were being reviewed, he said.

In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman, asked whether British authorities believed the blast was terror-related, said only: "Investigations are ongoing. We're not speculating about whether it's connected to the election," she added. Calls to the British Embassy in Washington were not immediately returned. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is seeking a third term in office. With the country's economy doing well, Blair's Labour Party was widely expected to win despite anger over his support of the Iraq war.

The 14-story glass and metal building, on 3rd Avenue at 51st Street less than a mile from the United Nations headquarters, has retail shops on the lower level. The closure of streets around the site caused some rush hour disruptions. For a few hours, trains on one subway line skipped the stop close to the site.

In Chicago, police closed a portion of Michigan Avenue near the British Consulate for about 30 minutes to search the area as a precaution, police spokeswoman Laura Kubiak said.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20050505/42799a40_3ca6_15526200505051214130755

[Petronas]

Terror Suspect Nabbed After Working On NYC Landmark
May 4, 2005 5:31 pm US/Eastern

NEW YORK (CBS) A routine traffic stop leads to the arrest of a terror watch list suspect in our area. What's more, CBS 2 has learned 39-year-old Sami Ibrahim Isa Ardel Hadi had a valid I.D. to work as a painter on the George Washington Bridge. Hadi was arrested yesterday afternoon by Bergen County Police, say sources, on Route 46 by Ridgefield Park. He was stopped for tailgating.

When the officer called-in the North Carolina plates of Hadi's car, the Bergen County Police report indicates the officer was told Hadi was on several federal agency terror watch lists, and there was a stop and hold order on him. The police report also says that Hadi had a valid temporary I.D. to work on the George Washington Bridge. He works for L & L Painting, the subcontractor painting the bridge.

The FBI was called and took Hadi and a second person in the car into custody, though the second person was not on the terror watch list. L and L Painting is based in Hicksville, says it could not comment because it works for the Port Authority, and the Port Authority says it's been told Hadi is not on a terror watch list. But the PBA union for Port Authority Police confirmed that a painter on the GWB has indeed been arrested and was on the terror watch list. The PBA said Hadi was on the list because his visa had expired and authorities could not locate him.

PBA officials added, "What scares us is that workers on the Port Authority's bridges and tunnels have no security background checks. They say they've complained about this since 9/11.

http://wcbs880.com/topstories/topstoriesny_story_124171640.html

[Petronas]

Government Alert: Hospital Security Breach
May 4, 2005)

Imagine - people posing as doctors and inspectors, just walking into a hospital and demanding information and patient records. Now the Department of Homeland Security is taking action. The last two hospitals where it happened were in Newton and New Brunswick, New Jersey. This really has federal authorities puzzled - intruders masquerading as doctors and inspectors probing hospital security. But there is no evidence the cases are connected, including two in New Jersey. Hospital officials and security experts say the similarities are disturbing.

It happened on Easter Sunday. Three men of middle-eastern descent entered a Sussex County hospital posing as physicians. Dennis Collette, Newton Memorial Hospital President: "They said they were physicians and wanted a tour of hospital and wanted information about hospital, bed capacity, and wanted a tour of the emergency department."

Two days later, a man and woman walked into the emergency room at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, also requesting a tour.

Similar suspicious activity at hospitals in Boston, Detroit and Indiana prompted the Department of Homeland Security to issue a alert. It warns about intruders posing as hospital inspectors and doctors trying to gain information.

The use of false credentials to gain entry into hospitals is not new and is often done to get drugs or medical supplies. But the Department of Homeland Security says these recent events are different because of the number of similar incidents over a short period of time.

William Daly, Control Risks: "That's the most troubling thing, they're more sophisticated." This former FBI counter-terrorism expert says these cases have all the markings of classic reconnaissance. William Daly: "It seems to be almost looking to see how much information they can get how much information is available, what is out there, what people's response will be and they all seem to fade off before anyone's able to get authorities or get these people taken in for questioning."

The Department of Homeland Security's bulletin stresses it has no direct threat information related to hospitals. Security experts caution that these cases of fake physicians and inspectors could just be coincidental, however bold and bizarre. Dennis Collette: "It is unusual for three people to come claim to be doctors on an Easter Sunday and ask for a tour."

The identity of these intruders remain unknown. We do know that security cameras at the Newton Hospital did capture video of the three men pretending to be doctors. That tape is now in the hands of the FBI.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/investigators/wabc_050405_investigatorsstory_hospitalsecurity.ht ml

[Petronas]

See third news story before this one.

A Statement from Jund al-Sham Claiming Responsibility for the Explosions in New York
May 5, 2005

Today, May 5, 2005, Jund al-Sham (Soldiers of Levant) claimed responsibility for the small explosions outside of the British consulate in New York City, claiming that the attack was “the beginning of war inside and outside of America.” No one was hurt in the blast. Since late March, Jund al-Sham has claimed responsibility for random attacks across the globe, including in Qatarand Lebanon. In addition, the group claimed responsibility for an explosion at a Texasoil refinery.

The group argues that the United States overlooked the Texas refinery explosion, and that more attacks will ensue. “We will not hesitate,” the communiqué states, “to hit the parties and coffee shops, the hotels and the churches, with the help of Allah.” To complete its task, Jund al-Sham calls for “our cells in Americato start battles in the streets.”

A full translation of the message is provided to our Intel Service members.

http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications43305&Category=publications&Subcategory=0

[Petronas]

White House, Capitol Briefly Evacuated
Wednesday, May 11, 2005

WASHINGTON — A small airplane that violated restricted airspace over Washington forced the rapid evacuation of both the White House and the U.S. Capitol Building (search) shortly after noon on Wednesday. The incident forced U.S. military jets to scramble over Washington.

Police shouted at lawmakers, staff members, media and tourists to run away from the buildings. About 20 minutes later, the evacuations were cancelled. President Bush was taking part in a bicycle ride away from the White House grounds. A spokesman for the North American Air Defense said they expected to issue a statement within an hour on the event.

Preliminarily, officials said that although they maintain that a small plane violated the restricted airspace over Washington, they are not saying where that plane had gone or whether it was ordered to land. The evacuation was the most urgent since President Reagan's funeral last June, when officials lost track of an arriving plane carrying Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher a little more than an hour before Reagan's casket was to arrive at the Capitol to lie in state.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,156217,00.html

[Petronas]

Federal Agents Seize 1,000 Fake Badges
Tuesday, May 10, 2005

NEW YORK — A man has been charged with possessing an illegal cache of about 1,000 counterfeit law enforcement badges, authorities said Tuesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Sergio Khorosh on Monday at his Bronx home after he accepted delivery of about 100 fake U.S. Marshals Service shields. The delivery was being monitored by the agents, who had first intercepted the badges last month in a shipment from Taiwan to San Francisco.

During a search of Khorosh's home, agents discovered about 1,000 more badges, some resembling those of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and New York Police Department, court papers said. Also found were six firearms, including semiautomatic pistols. Authorities were investigating whether Khorosh was supplying police impersonators.

"We think this goes way beyond collectors," said Martin D. Ficke, special agent in charge for ICE's New York office. Khorosh faces charges of illegal transport of counterfeit badges and weapons possession. He was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,156124,00.html

Who on earth was he going to sell 1,000 badges to?

[Petronas]

Border Patrol Takes Fire From Across Border
Thursday, May 12, 2005 Updated:11:03:47 PM CDT

SOUTH OF ALAMO – Border Patrol agents come under automatic weapons fire from across the Rio Grande after finding a truck being loaded with drugs at the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge south of Alamo. No agents were injured in the exchange. All Border Patrol agents in the area, as well as all local law enforcement agencies responded to the scene. It is unknown if agents were able to wound their attackers across the border.

The attack came about 7 pm, as three Border Patrol units were patrolling when they noticed a truck being loaded with narcotics. When they moved in, that is when they started taking fire. “As the agents moved into get a closer inspection of the area they encountered a narcotics load brought across,” said spokesman J.R. Villareal. “Shortly afterwards (the smugglers) noticed the agent, and started taking shots from the Mexican side with automatic weapons.”

The attack occurred at the same spot where agents last Friday caught smugglers with 600 pound of marijuana. The truck loaded with drugs managed to get away. It is an older model brown Ford Truck with a tarp covering the bed.

http://www.newschannel5.tv/2005/5/12/2682/Border-Patrol-Takes-Fire-From-Mexico

[Petronas]

Programmer accused of hacking driver's license files
Sunday, May 15, 2005

A computer programmer for a sensitive state agency, who apparently was hired without undergoing a background check, has been charged with computer intrusion and theft for accessing Georgia driver's license files without authorization. The Georgia Technology Authority said Asif Siddiqui was arrested April 28 at the agency's offices near the state Capitol after the agency discovered he had logged into the database outside of work hours without having a reason to do so. "He used to work on this system but there was no reason for him to be involved in any way" when the intrusion was found, said Tom Wade, the agency's director.

The agency has no idea how many files were accessed or what, if any, personal information may have been compromised, Wade said. The files potentially included names, addresses, home telephone numbers and Social Security numbers of thousands of Georgians. An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will help determine if any other state databases were tapped and potentially compromised, Wade said. "Because of the confidential nature of the files and because he was going in during off-work hours and he had no reason to be doing it, we contacted the attorney general and the GBI and asked them to investigate," he said. The Georgia Technology Authority is the state's data arm, managing its databases and communications systems.

Siddiqui was hired to work in the agency in May 2001. Wade said Siddiqui apparently wasn't required to undergo a background screening because he had previously worked for the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Human Resources. Wade said he intends to tighten security at the agency. "We have been reviewing and putting together tighter internal controls," Wade said. "We're limited access on a need-to-know basis, checking our logs and monitoring." No one answered the telephone at a home listing for Siddiqui on Friday.

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=60627

No relative of Aafia Siddiqui, I hope.

[Petronas]

Newsweek says may have erred in Koran report
Sun May 15, 2005 02:36 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newsweek magazine on Sunday said it may have erred in a May 9 report that said U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, and apologized to victims of deadly violence sparked by the article. The weekly news magazine said in its May 23 edition that the original source of the allegation was not sure where he saw the assertion that at least one copy of the Koran was flushed down a toilet in an attempt to get detainees to talk.

"We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst," Editor Mark Whitaker wrote in the magazine's latest issue, due to appear on U.S. newsstands on Monday.

The report has sparked angry and violent protests across the Muslim world from Afghanistan, where 16 were killed and more than 100 injured, to Pakistan to Indonesia to Gaza. On Sunday, Afghan Muslim clerics threatened to call for a holy war against the United States in three days unless it handed over the interrogators in question.

The May 9 report quoted unnamed sources as saying that military investigators probing abuse at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, found that interrogators had placed copies of the Koran on toilets and "in at least one case, flushed a holy book down the toilet." Newsweek said a Pentagon spokesman told the magazine late last week that the story was wrong and that the military has found no credible evidence to support separate allegations of Koran desecration made by released detainees. The U.S. military opened an investigation into the charges while top U.S. officials urged Muslims to resist calls for violence, stating disrespect for the holy book would not be tolerated.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=I3LIL43O0UBRACRBAEOCF EY?type=topNews&storyID=8494377

Heads should roll for this. This was no different than falsely shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Freedom of the press to publish false stories with impunity should stop where people die as a result.

[Petronas]

Ex-Professor's Terror Trial Set to Begin
May. 16, 2005

Ten years ago, American student Alisa Flatow boarded a bus headed to a Gaza Strip beach resort for a much needed break from her studies. At the Israeli settlement of Kfar Darom, a young man sat in a van loaded with explosives. As the bus approached, he steered his rolling bomb at it with ferocious speed and slammed into the bus' side. Eight people seven Israelis and Flatow died in the April 9, 1995, terrorist attack. Now her parents are looking for justice half a world away in Tampa, where a former computer science professor and three others are going on trial on charges they helped fund the terrorist group that carried out the bombing. Jury selection begins Monday.

Sami Al-Arian, a University of South Florida professor and nationally known Palestinian rights activist, was already secretly under investigation by FBI foreign intelligence agents at the time of the bombing. Al-Arian had established an Islamic academic think tank, a school, a mosque and a charity for Palestinian children but authorities were questioning whether the true mission of Al-Arian's work was to finance terrorist attacks in Israel.

In a 53-count indictment, Al-Arian, Sameeh Hammoudeh, Hatim Naji Fariz and Ghassan Zayed Ballut are accused of racketeering, conspiracy and providing material support to terrorists. Five other men have been indicted but are still at large. The men face life in prison if convicted of charges they used Al-Arian's think tank and charity as fundraising fronts for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "These people, they have no respect for life," said Alisa Flatow's father, Stephen Flatow of West Orange, N.J. "They will continue to pick on innocent people just to accomplish their means. That's why this trial is so important. You have to send a message."

Al-Arian is alternately viewed as a crusader for Palestinian rights who is being persecuted for his unpopular views and as a terrorist who hid behind a veil of legitimacy while secretly financing deadly attacks thousands of miles away. "Much of what people are saying about Sami Al-Arian could have been said likewise about Nelson Mandela," attorney William Moffitt said. "Now Nelson Mandela is a hero for having supported his people. Sami Al-Arian is a villain for being the voice of the Palestinian people. There aren't really a lot of voices in this country who have spoken favorably for the Palestinian people."

Prosecutors contend there is direct evidence of Al-Arian's involvement with actual attacks. The indictment alleges that in 1993, Al-Arian sent four wire transfers of nearly $2,000 each to the relatives of four convicted Islamic Jihad terrorists who had been convicted of the murder of three Israelis. They point to video from the early 1990s in which a fiery Al-Arian shouts "Death to Israel" or when he shared the stage with Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric convicted for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Al-Arian's attorneys question how a supposedly dangerous terrorist financier could have gained access to the White House and met with Presidents Clinton and Bush. Nearly two dozen other prominent political and government leaders from both parties Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Trent Lott, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Speaker Dennis Hastert among them are reported by Al-Arian's attorneys to have had contact with him.

If Al-Arian "is supposedly this awful terrorist, how did he get so close to these people is a really interesting question," Moffitt said. He declined to elaborate on Al-Arian's prominent connections, calling them a key component of the defense. The prosecution said more important than his well-placed contacts are the shadowy figures with whom Al-Arian did business. Chief among them is Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, one of the five indicted co-conspirators who has not yet been arrested. Al-Arian brought Shallah to the University of South Florida to run the think tank, the World and Islam Studies Enterprise. Shallah abruptly left Tampa in mid-1995 and resurfaced in Damascus as the Islamic Jihad's new leader.

Stephen Flatow, who has been subpoenaed to testify, said he was not told until 2003 that agents believed there was a connection between Al-Arian and the bombing that killed his daughter. "I felt very, very good our government was finally standing up for Americans who are killed by other Americans on the other side of the world," he said. "If someone is going to provide the means to commit a crime, you are just as guilty as the person who pulled the plunger. If anything, these guys are cowards."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=760205

[Petronas]

2 Men, in New York and Florida, Charged in Qaeda Conspiracy
May 30, 2005

A martial arts expert from the Bronx and a doctor from Florida have been arrested on charges that they conspired to train and provide medical assistance to Al Qaeda terrorists, federal and local authorities said yesterday. The men, United States citizens who were identified by the authorities as Tarik ibn Osman Shah of the Bronx and Rafiq Sabir of Boca Raton, were captured in early morning raids in the Bronx and in Boca Raton on Friday, according to Paul J. Browne, a New York City police spokesman. The arrests came as part of a two-year sting operation that ended with each man facing a single conspiracy charge. While the authorities said that they had no evidence that either man had actually provided support to terrorists, they said they had taped each man swearing his allegiance to Osama bin Laden, Mr. Browne said.

According to a statement released by David N. Kelley, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, and John Klochan, the acting assistant director in charge of the New York office of the F.B.I., the complaint contends that between 2003 and sometime this month, the men met with a law enforcement informant and an F.B.I. agent who was posing as a Qaeda operative and recruiter. The complaint said that in those meetings, which were recorded, Mr. Shah agreed to provide training in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat to Qaeda members and associates, while Dr. Sabir agreed to provide medical assistance to wounded jihadists in Saudi Arabia, the statement said. "During these conversations, Mr. Shah repeatedly indicated his desire to train Muslim 'brothers' in the martial arts in order to wage jihad and also regularly discussed his desire to find people who were willing to press the fight," it said....

A report yesterday in The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale quoted a friend of Dr. Sabir's saying that the charges were absurd. "He is a quality guy and a quality physician," the friend, Dr. Daniel McBride, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, told the newspaper. "He's about helping others."
Mr. Browne said that Dr. Sabir attended City College of New York and received his medical degree from Columbia medical school. Last night, Lisa Kozan, a neighbor who lives across the way from Dr. Sabir in Villa San Remo, a gated community in Boca Raton, said she believed that Dr. Sabir had rented there for about four years. She said that the doctor stood out from other neighbors by his Muslim dress and that the doctor and his family lived quietly in the community. "Other than that, we didn't talk to him, and they didn't talk to us," she said. Mr. Browne said that Mr. Shah, who public records show lived in Beacon, N.Y., and Poughkeepsie before moving to the Bronx, was the son of an aide to Malcolm X.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/006437.php

[Petronas]

Critics want probe of Alexandria Islamic school
May 29, 2005

The Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria is an outpost of militant Islam, say critics who point out that the school's 1999 valedictorian is charged with joining al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush. Two other persons connected to the academy also have been linked to terrorism-related cases, and a U.S. senator has asked the Justice Department to investigate the school.

But the academy's teachers, students and administrators say suspicion of the school serving nearly 1,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade at two campuses just beyond the Capital Beltway is based on misperceptions. Female students recently celebrated their induction into the National Honor Society. Most but not all of them wore a hijab, the head scarf that some Muslims believe is required for females. Essays and artwork share space on the walls with pictures of the Saudi royal family. One essay was about the TV show "Fear Factor."

The school was founded in 1984, primarily to serve children of the Saudi diplomatic corps. Today, the student body is more diverse, with nearly three dozen countries represented, but much of the funding still comes from the Saudi government. In recent years, the academy has been at the center of debate over the religious curriculum in Saudi schools and whether it fosters radicalism. Those questions resurfaced when the former valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, was charged in February. He pleaded not guilty and argued that Saudi authorities extracted a false confession from him through torture.

School officials are frustrated about some perceptions of the school, saying two-thirds of the teachers are American and non-Muslim. They also say promoting a specific strain of Islam would be impossible because students come from across the Muslim world. School officials also say the religious curriculum shows no favoritism, though critics say the Saudi curriculum is biased against Shi'ites.

Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, the school's director general, acknowledged some of the religious curriculum that comes from Saudi Arabia needs to be modified. "If there is anything ... that we feel is offensive, we ask the teachers not to teach that kind of subject here," he said.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has asked the Justice Department to investigate the school, saying that Abu Ali is not the only former academy student to engage in questionable activities. A federal indictment in Chicago last year named a former treasurer of the school, Ismael Selim Elbarasse, as a high-ranking official within the militant group Hamas, though Mr. Elbarasse is not charged with a crime. Mohamed Osman Idris, an academy graduate, pleaded guilty in 2002 to lying on a passport application, following an investigation into whether he was supporting Hamas. The Justice Department told Mr. Schumer it could not comment on whether the academy itself was under investigation.

Abdullah Hijazi, a senior from Mitchellville, Md., said he and other students have not been exposed to extremism, adding: "We never really reach that depth in Islamic studies. Shi'ites and Sunnis, they differ about little things."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20050528-103500-5918r.htm

[NYer]

Shock and Awe Are Forecast in Terror Case

BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
June 6, 2005
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/14903

TAMPA, Fla. - The most significant terrorism trial since the September 11, 2001, attacks is set to open this morning in federal court here as a jury begins hearing the case of four men accused of running the American wing of a deadly terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The most prominent of the defendants is a former computer science professor at the University of South Florida, Sami Al-Arian. Despite long-standing suspicions about his ties to terrorism, the Kuwaiti-born Palestinian Arab enjoyed entree with top American politicians. Mr. Al-Arian, 47, has been in jail since the 53-count indictment was returned in February 2003.

Standing trial alongside Mr. Al-Arian are three other Muslim activists: Sameeh Hammoudeh, Hatim Fariz, and Ghassan Ballut. All are charged with racketeering, conspiracy, and providing material support to a terrorist organization.

Defense attorneys are bracing for prosecutors to kick off their case with a torrent of gory photographs, videos, and live testimony about Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacks that killed more than 100 people in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, including five Americans.

"They are going to spend the first couple of weeks trying to shock this jury. It's going to be shock and awe," said Stephen Crawford, a lawyer for Mr. Hammoudeh, a former University of South Florida graduate student who was born in the West Bank.

In preparation for the trial, prosecutors have reportedly flown in from Israel dozens of victims of the terror group's violence.

"It's going to be bloody. It's going to be horrible. It's going to scare the hell out of this jury," Mr. Crawford said.

Among the more dramatic images likely to be shown to the jury is a prosecution-arranged video shot in the Florida Everglades that depicts the reenactment of two suicide bombings of passenger buses carried out by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Government lawyers will not comment publicly on the case, but their witness list includes Stephen Flatow, the father of an American woman killed in a 1995 bomb attack on a bus in Gaza. "These people, they have no respect for life," Mr. Flatow told the Associated Press. "If someone is going to provide the means to commit a crime, you are just as guilty as the person who pulled the plunger. If anything, these guys are cowards."

The trial is seen by legal experts as a test of the government's ability to prosecute individuals who lay the financial and logistical groundwork for terrorism while avoiding involvement in planning for specific attacks.

While not officially in the dock, the governments of Iran and Syria may also come under fire for their support for Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

A court filing Friday indicated that a former FBI terrorism analyst who is expected to be one of the prosecution's key witnesses, Matthew Levitt, will testify about the group's ties to Tehran and Damascus. "Tehran began paying Islamic Jihad millions of dollars in cash bonuses for each attack against Israel in the context of the second intifada that began in September 2000," Mr. Levitt wrote in a summary of his planned testimony. "On top of funding the activities of the Tampa cell, the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Syria plays a direct operational role in financing and facilitating acts of terrorism targeting Israelis and Jews."

Defense attorneys have asked the judge in the case, James Moody Jr., to block much of Mr. Levitt's testimony on a variety of grounds, including that he does not have first-hand knowledge about the terrorist group's activities.

In response to government motions, Judge Moody has already told defense lawyers that they will not be able to argue that Palestinian Islamic Jihad's attacks were justified by Israeli military actions. The judge has also rejected arguments that the defendants could be considered "lawful combatants" under international law because some Palestinian Islamic Jihad operations target Israeli military personnel in the occupied territories.

While the limits on the defense have been made public in court documents, the judge also recently imposed restrictions on prosecutors that remain largely secret.

Mr. Crawford said the defense prefers that the issues that are off-limits for prosecutors remain under wraps, because they are tangential to the case and could prejudice the jury.

"It would defeat the purpose if we laid them out in open court," he said. "It gets in the media and then the jury gets them."

Critical links in the prosecution's case are expected to be drawn from a trove of more than 20,000 hours of wiretap recordings the government made of Mr. Al-Arian, the other defendants, and alleged terrorists overseas. The recordings were made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Justice Department officials have said that the anti-terrorism law passed in 2001, the Patriot Act, helped expedite the prosecution by rescinding a policy that usually kept such wiretaps from prosecutors and investigators.

The unusual 25-month delay between the first charges in the case and the trial was due in large part to the sheer volume of the surveillance and the difficulties defense attorneys faced in sorting through the transcripts and tapes, many of which are in Arabic.

As the case progresses, defense lawyers are also expected to poke at the timeline the government had laid out. Some of the money-transfers the defendants are accused of orchestrating to the Middle East took place before financial dealings with Palestinian Islamic Jihad were banned in America in 1997. The government is also seeking to tell the jury about terrorist attacks the group carried out long after Mr. Al-Arian was jailed in 2003.

Mr. Al-Arian's public profile has grown steadily since a 1994 PBS documentary alleged that two organizations he founded, the Islamic Concern Project and the World & Islamic Enterprise, had a close connection to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A series in the Tampa Tribune the next year roiled the Florida campus where Mr. Al-Arian taught.

Mr. Al-Arian came to national prominence in late September 2001, when Bill O'Reilly confronted him on Fox News with a 1991 speech in which he said: "Jihad is our path. Victory to Islam. Death to Israel." The interview led to death threats against the Florida professor and prompted his suspension.

http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=14903

[NYer]

The fate of al-Arian nation

The indictment and conviction of attorney Lynne Stewart represented a milestone in the domestic component of the war on terrorism. The outcome of the trial of former University of South Florida Professor Sami al-Arian that commenced this past Monday in Tampa will provide another marker in the status of the war on the home front.

The government's 120-page indictment of al-Arian is astounding. Al-Arian was the North American head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He was under surveillance for ten years before he was indicted, and his communications with his colleagues are quoted throughout the indictment. The indictment itself provides an education in the modus operandi of terrorist groups such as PIJ. Yet until the reforms effected by the Patriot Act, the government was unable to act against al-Arian based on the intelligence it had gathered.

Tampa Bay Online has devoted an excellent special report page to the case, including links to the Tampa Tribune's current daily stories and to court documents.
http://reports.tbo.com/reports/alarian/

Michelle Malkin noted the commencement of the trial and included a set of informative links in "Sami al-Arian on trial...and a few words about the GOP." Looking back through our many posts referring to al-Arian, I find that one of the best columns we have linked to was Erick Stackelbeck's May 2003 FrontPage backgrounder: "Embedded terrorist."
Posted by Scott at 06:50 AM

http://www.powerlineblog.com/

[Petronas]

Three more arrests in Lodi terrorism case
06/09/2005 10:27:32 AM

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday their investigation of two Lodi men charged with lying to the FBI about involvement in al-Qaida terrorism training camps in Pakistan is widening, with three more arrests. The FBI arrested Hamid Hayat, 22, and his father, Umer, 47, on Sunday after they failed a polygraph test and later confessed that the younger Lodi man attended training camps in northeast Pakistan, according to a federal affidavit filed Tuesday. Both men are U.S. citizens.

Three Lodi men, all Pakistani, have been arrested sincethe weekend on immigration charges.

According to the FBI affidavit, Hamid Hayat told agents that he attended his grandfather's madrassah religious school and a "jihadist" training camp for six months in 2003 and 2004 near Rawalpindi, a teeming city of 1.4 million people near the Pakistani capital. He described an al-Qaida camp that trained recruits in weapons use, explosives, interior room tactics and hand-to-hand combat, according to the affidavit.

Hamid also confirmed, according to the affidavit, that he was trained on "how to kill Americans," used pictures of President Bush during target practice and requested to return to the United States to attack "hospitals and large food stores." There are 49 California hospitals and no large food stores on a 2003 state list of terrorist targets obtained by the Oakland Tribune. Prosecutors downplayed fears of an imminent plot, suggesting Hamid Hayat's testimony is inconsistent with signals from intelligence chatter. "We do not have information that these or any other sectors in the United States have been primarily targeted or are specifically vulnerable to an attack," FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter said. "We did not find these guys in the middle of executing an attack. That did not happen," said McGregor Scott, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California. Scott said investigators are "still accumulating evidence." He described the investigation as ongoing and evolving, and he suggested that there would be more developments in the case by the end of the week.

Hamid Hayat, a worker at fruit-packing plant, is due in federal court in Sacramento for a bail hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Nowinski on Friday. Nowinski denied bail to his father, Umer, on grounds that he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. Umer, an ice cream truck driver, admitted giving his son $100 a month to attend the training camps, according to the FBI affidavit. Two Sacramento area attorneys representing the Hayats did not return calls Wednesday.

Hamid Hayat had been under investigation for an "extended period of time" Slotter said. Agents seized videotapes, photographs, mail, prayer books and a computer. Hayat was first interviewed by the FBI on May 29 in Japan, when he was trying to return from Pakistan. His name was flagged on a federal "no-fly list" and Korean Airlines Flight 23 from Seoul to San Francisco International Airport was diverted to Tokyo, after about five hours over the Pacific Ocean.

Canadian authorities refused to accept the flight, said a Transportation Security Administration source on condition of anonymity. After being questioned in Japan, Hayat was downgraded to a passenger screening list requiring additional security and was allowed to fly to San Francisco, where he arrived early Monday. Diverted flights due to red flags in the passenger screening system are rare. A French flight to San Francisco International Airport was diverted about Christmas 2003.

Meanwhile, immigration officials confirmed they detained three men linked to a Lodi mosque one block from the Hayat home. Lodi Muslim Mosque imam Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammad Adil Khan were arrested on immigration violation charges. Their attorney, Saad Ahmad, said his clients have not violated the terms of their visas. "These are prominent members of the mosque, religious clergymen. They are very actively involved in interfaith communities," Ahmad said. "These two law-abiding people have been wronged, and we will prove it. There's no terrorism charges." His clients are being held separately, one in San Jose and the other in Sacramento. Also Wednesday, Khan's son, Mohammad Hassan Adil, 19, was arrested on immigration violations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice told the Sacramento Bee.

The only charges against Hamid and Umer Hayat involve providing false statements to the FBI. News of the arrests are hitting hard the Pakistani community in Lodi, which numbered about 700 in the 2000 U.S. Census. "We're concerned about people rushing to judgment. We really don't know the details. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out in the courts," said Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Sacramento Valley.

A female cousin of Hamid Hayat told the Los Angeles Times that he went to Pakistan with his mother to visit relatives and arrange some marriages. Another relative, Usama Ismail, 19, told the New York Times the accusations are "total lies," noting that Hamid "did not go to a terrorist training camp." "Even if they did say that, that's because the FBI made them say what they wanted them to say," Ismail reportedly said. Still, a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said the "long-term, ongoing investigation" conducted by the Sacramento Joint Terrorism Task Force involved "several search warrants" in Lodi and involved the mosque. The Sacramento Bee reported that, according to his family, Umer Hayat was wired by the FBI when he met the detained mosque leaders before their arrest.

The mosque has been the cause of a rift in Lodi's Pakistani community. The mosque run by Ahmed recently sued Khan and other former leaders, claiming they had defrauded it of more than $200,000. According to the lawsuit, the mosque sold 7 acres and gave Khan the proceeds, which he used to set up a new nonprofit, the Farooqia Islamic Center, under his own name. The lawsuit alleges that Khan is in the country illegally. His attorney, Gary Nelson, called the case "baseless." Financial statements filed with California Secretary of State's Office show that the Farooqia center takes all of its income from contributions and spends one-third of its operating expenses on travel.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_2792220

[Casey]

Lawyer says US tarnished Pakistani imams in arrest
(Reuters)
14 June 2005




SAN FRANCISCO - The lawyer for two Pakistani Muslim leaders threatened with deportation said on Monday that US officials unfairly tarnished their reputations by raising the threat of terrorism while announcing other arrests in the same California city.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced the arrests last week of Muslim imams Muhammad Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed, who were living in Lodi, California, for violating terms of their visas. Khan’s son was also charged.

The news came on the same day US officials announced the arrest of Umer and Hamid Hayat, a Pakistani-American father and son in the same city south of the state capital, Sacramento, after they said the son admitted to attending an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan.

“The timing of Mr. Khan’s, Mr. Ahmed’s and Mr. Hassan Khan’s detentions, coinciding as they did with the Hayat arrests, created a presumption that my clients were somehow involved in a terrorist plot against the United States,” lawyer Saad Ahmad said in a statement.

“Neither Mr. Khan, nor Mr. Ahmed, nor Mr. Hassan Khan have ever been involved in any terrorist activity, whether it be actual engagement, conspiracy, incitement, solicitation, or any other possible crime, nor is their any suspicion or evidence that such charges are forthcoming.”

“The presumption of a terrorist plot involving my clients has tarnished not only the reputation of my clients, but of their families, friends, and community, as well. My clients love the United States, and cherish the fact that they are free to practice the Muslim religion here.”

The attorney for the three men also disputed the allegations of visa violations, an issue he said he would contest before immigration court.

In the case against the Hayat father and son, officials expect an indictment will be handed down on Thursday this week as investigators continue to gather information.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/June/theworld_June357.xml&section=theworld

[Petronas]

Mall Bomb Plot Suspect Wants Statements Barred
Tuesday, June 14, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Somali immigrant accused of conspiring to help terrorists blow up a shopping mall is asking that his statements to investigators — including what he knew about a member of Al Qaeda — be barred from his trial. Attorney Mahir T. Sherif said Nuradin Abdi (search) was arrested without grounds and pressured to answer investigators' questions. On June 1, he asked a federal judge to bar the statements, which are sealed.

Agents told Abdi last November they were arresting him for violating immigration laws, but did not specify which laws and did not show him a warrant until three days later, Sherif said. Agents used his statements to build a case against him, Sherif said. "It was a warrantless arrest to start with, and after keeping him for three days and questioning him for three days, they used his own statements to go get a warrant," Sherif said Monday.

In a statement filed with the request to bar his statements, Abdi said he believed if he cooperated with agents and gave them information about Iyman Faris, he would be allowed to go home. Faris has pleaded guilty to helping terrorists. Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office here, said prosecutors will file a response by July 1.

Abdi, 33, has pleaded innocent to charges of conspiring to aid terrorists and lying to gain political asylum in the United States as a refugee. Prosecutors accuse him of obtaining travel documents in 1999 by telling officials he planned to visit Germany and Saudi Arabia when he actually went to a military-style training camp for terrorists in Ethiopia. If convicted, he could get up to 80 years. His trial is scheduled for Sept. 19. Sherif also asked for the case to be tried outside Ohio, where he says his client is widely known as "the mall bomber." An alleged plot was never acted upon.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159503,00.html

[Petronas]

Cutthroat! Terror plan for Citigroup
June 10, 2005

A terrorism plot that sparked last summer's Orange Alert envisioned turning the Citigroup Center into "cutthroat shrapnel," according to a report yesterday. In reconnaissance plans, accused terrorist Dhiren Barot, currently jailed in Britain, called the building a glass house whose panels could be turned into "a potential flying piece of cutthroat shrapnel," according to a CBS News report.

Barot carefully cased the landmark tower on Lexington Ave. and E. 53rd St. down to the smallest detail - even describing how the toilets could be used as a place to assemble a bomb. "The documents were very detailed," NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told the Daily News. "They included, for example, how many seats there were around the conference table in the board room of the New York Stock Exchange [which he also scouted]. The level of detail showed they had engaged in serious reconnaissance."

Barot, 33, whose alleged Al Qaeda alias was Abu Eisa Al Hindi, checked out financial centers in Newark and Washington in addition to Citigroup and the Stock Exchange. A 50-page printout from his computer obtained by CBS revealed he was very thorough. "Restrooms ... do not have fully enclosed ... doors," he wrote. "If anything is being assembled there ... rest it on the toilet seat. So it can't be seen." Barot gave precise dimensions of support columns and mentioned they were coated with a "fire proof" material that was deemed "effective" except "for infernos such as ... the WTC," a reference to the 9/11 attacks.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/317729p-271675c.html

[Petronas]

School Changing Nickname, Mascot After Islamic Protest
9:34 am EDT June 14, 2005

HINESBURG, Vt. -- The Crusaders of Champlain Valley Union High are now history. The School Board in the Vermont community is selecting a new nickname and mascot for the school. The Islamic world has criticized the Crusades. And closer to home, some people object to a knight bearing a crucifix as the symbol for a public school. The image makeover will be implemented in time for the next school year. Redhawks, Bobcats and Red Wolves are all in the running for Union High's new nickname.

http://www.wsoctv.com/education/4605863/detail.html

[Petronas]

NOPD Links To Nation Of Islam Are Disturbing
6/14/2005

The security chief for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been hired to provide sensitivity training for the NOPD. Captain Dennis Muhammad has conducted sensitivity training in other cities such as Buffalo and will be paid $15,000 for his services, which NOPD Chief Eddie Compass says are needed in New Orleans. Compass says there are people in New Orleans who have complained about police treatment and are “anti police.” Compass believes that the “members of the Nation of Islam have some type of relationship with these people.”

However, what about those in the community and on the NOPD who are not members of the Nation of Islam? David Benelli of the Police Association of New Orleans says his phone has “been ringing off the hook” with members upset about the hiring of someone with ties to the Nation of Islam. The NOPD is 45% white, while the city is about 30% non-black, so there is a large number of people who might feel insulted by this decision. However, not only should whites be outraged about the selection of this Nation of Islam leader to conduct sensitivity training, but also all African-Americans in the community who are of the Catholic or Jewish faiths.

At the press conference announcing the training, a rabbi and priest expressed concern about Muhammad’s selection. Such concern is more than justified considering the history of Muhammad’s boss, Louis Farrakhan. Here are just a few of the Nation of Islam’s beliefs, as well as some of Farrakhan’s disturbing statements:

- Whites are “blue eyed devils.”
- Jews are “bloodsuckers”
- “Hitler was a very great man.”
- Jews controlled the slave trade and currently control the government
- Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad believed that whites were created by an evil Black scientist and that there will be “The Great Decisive Battle in the Sky” when a space ship will kill all white people by bombing the earth
- Muhammad believed that white people should relocate to Europe and that racial integration was wrong

In addition, Farrakhan has met with dictators in Sudan, Libya and Iraq, before the war, and praised their governments while denouncing the United States. Leaders in the Nation of Islam have also made very inflammatory anti-Catholic statements. In a November 1993 speech at Kean College in New Jersey, Farrakhan’s chief spokesman Khallid Muhammad said, “T]he old no-good Pope-you know that cracker, somebody need to raise that dress up and see what´s really under there. Jesus was right; you´re nothing but liars. The book of Revelations is right; you´re from the Synagogue of Satan.”

Unfortunately, the list of racist and inflammatory statements from Nation of Islam leaders is too comprehensive to completely catalog. Needless to say, it is vast. With such a controversial and confrontational history, why would Chief Compass hire any representative from the Nation of Islam? Farrakhan’s views have even been condemned by African American leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Congressman Cynthia McKinney (D-Georgia). Even pop star Michael Jackson fired the members of the Nation of Islam who were part of his security detail.

If the Nation of Islam ties were too controversial for Michael Jackson, it should be too controversial for the NOPD. New Orleans is a very diverse community with strong ties to the Jewish and Catholic faiths. Hiring an individual who is affiliated with such a hate filled group that has a history of anti-White, anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic rhetoric is an insult to all such individuals on the police force and in New Orleans. Obviously, Chief Compass needs sensitivity training to realize the implications of his decision.

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=4204

[Petronas]

Muslim Schools: A View From The Inside
June 16, 2005

"Most parents send their kids here for reasons other than Islam," lamented the principal of a large Muslim school. "A lot of our students have older brothers and sisters who have gone out of control. They smoke, use drugs, sleep around and disobey their parents."

I knew from my own experience that what he was saying was true. In my first year of teaching I had met the families of many of my students in the Muslim school. What I saw shocked me. The older siblings were completely and thoroughly non-Muslim in their behavior and demeanor. One girl had an older brother with an arm full of tattoos! The girl, who had seven older siblings that went through an urban public school told me that her parents were sending her to the Muslim school because they wanted "at least one good one."

On another occasion, I happened to be standing in the school office talking to the secretary when a middle-aged, Indo-Pak couple came in with their teenage daughter. She was wearing tight jeans, no Hijab and a lot of make-up. Her face said it all: she's been around. Her parents, as it turned out, wanted to enroll her in the Muslim school because they didn't want her to become "Christian." Oh... the parents also mentioned that she had a boyfriend and that they didn't want her to "get into trouble."

She was enrolled in the ninth grade and therefore would be in my Islamic Studies class. As it happened, she didn't know how to pray, she never made Wudu in her life and she knew nothing of Islamic teachings. She was, for all practical purposes, a non-Muslim with a Muslim sounding name.

Do you see a pattern emerging here? After having been involved with Muslim education for the last seven years as a teacher in Sunday schools, summer schools and full-time Muslim schools, I have had the chance to observe the immigrant Muslim community very closely. I wish I could say the indigenous Muslim community, but the immigrants have not seen fit to spread Islam to native-born Americans, but that's another story...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/006674.php

[Petronas]

Algerian who fabricated details of al-Qaida plot sent to prison
Posted on Sat, Jun. 18, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS – An Algerian man who lied about an al-Qaida plot to bomb five U.S. cities in an attempt to avoid deportation was sentenced Friday to a year in prison. Ahmed Allali, 37, had pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements for telling federal investigators he knew members of the al-Qaida terrorist network and had lived overseas with them in the late 1990s. In addition to sentencing Allali to a year in prison, federal Judge Larry J. McKinney also imposed 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison.

Allali lied to members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force when he told them he traveled into the United States in 1998 with al-Qaida members, prosecutors said. The Algerian national, who was living in Indianapolis, also claimed that an al-Qaida cell was planning to detonate bombs in five major U.S. cities in early 2005. Late last year, Allali acknowledged he knew no one associated with al-Qaida and had fabricated the story in an attempt to avoid deportation, authorities said. Authorities said Allali entered the U.S. via Los Angeles in 1998, using a fraudulent French passport. He was caught and ordered deported, but instead eluded authorities.

U.S. Attorney Susan Brooks praised the FBI and immigration officials for their fast work on what at first appeared to be an extremely important report. Authorities have said the investigation tied up hundreds of agents nationwide, diverting resources from other terrorist leads. “False reports drain already overburdened public safety agencies as well as create undue alarm at a time in this country where there is legitimate concern,” Brooks said.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/local/11928959.htm

[Petronas]

Illegal immigrants worked at nuclear weapons facility
Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Posted: 10:38 a.m. EDT (14:38 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sixteen illegal immigrants last year worked on construction at one of the most sensitive weapons sites in the country, according to a report issued Monday by the Department of Energy's inspector general. The inspector general's investigation found the illegal immigrants were construction workers on jobs at the Y-12 National Security Complex near Knoxville, Tennessee. The workers used "false documents" and "gained access to the ... site on multiple occasions," the report said. The report details how the workers, apparently using fake green cards, were able to obtain access badges.

"This situation represented a potentially serious access control and security problem," the report said. According to the report, the inquiry brought field agents to the plant who found "official use only" documents "lying unprotected in a construction trailer, which was accessed by the foreign construction workers." The National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees nuclear weapons facilities for the Energy Department, said in the report no evidence was found that the workers had access to any of those documents. "No classified information was compromised as a result of this situation," said Steven Wyatt of the National Nuclear Safety Administration on CNN's "American Morning." "We took prompt action and resolved it and we have new controls in place," he added. Those controls include the required use of birth certificates and passports for all uncleared visitors and workers to the site, Wyatt explained.

The inspector general, Gregory Friedman, also found that although security was compromised, access controls at the plant have since been tightened. And he found no evidence that classified or sensitive information was compromised. Wyatt refused to disclose the nationalities of the workers in question. "For one thing we just don't know, and I don't think it would be appropriate to touch on that," he said. Wyatt admitted the situation was a little "embarrassing" but said his agency is pleased that the problem has been addressed.

A January 2004 report by the inspector general found that an exercise to test preparedness against a terrorist attack at the Y-12 complex was compromised when guards got a peek at the plans. The report further said there was "compelling" evidence that security tests have been manipulated since the mid-1980s.

The Y-12 National Security Complex -- approximately 600 buildings over 811 acres -- was established along with the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project to build the world's first nuclear weapon. Both are situated on the 33,750-acre Oak Ridge Reservation that is home to a number of Department of Energy science and technology programs. About 13,000 contractor employees work at the Oak Ridge facilities. Several sensitive activities take place at the Y-12 plant, including the warehousing of enriched uranium and the dismantlement and storage of weapons. The site was being tested to see if it could defend against potential security incidents.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/20/nuclear.security/index.html

[Petronas]

FBI Takes U Of A Student Into Custody On Terrorism Suspicion
POSTED: 11:37 am CDT June 17, 2005

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A University of Arkansas graduate student was taken into custody by the FBI on Friday after agents received reports that he could be involved in a terrorist organization. Agents arrested Arwah Jaber after receiving an anonymous tip that he was flying back to his homeland of Palestine to join an organization that supports terrorist activities.

According to an FBI affidavit, Jaber sent one of his professors an e-mail saying he was taking a job with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization. The group is considered a terrorist organization by the United States. Jaber said he was planning to fly back to Palestine with his wife to attend a wedding.

http://www.thehometownchannel.com/news/4622109/detail.html

[Petronas]

FBI warns of possible threat to power plants
Published June 17 2005

The FBI has alerted police about vague, unverified reports of a possible plan to attack power plants and electric grids around New York City this month, according to a confidential FBI memo. The memo, written by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and read by The Advocate, warns of a written threat from a single source that New York-area power plants will be attacked this month. The memo stresses that federal authorities have not corroborated the threat. The memo includes a composite sketch of a Middle Eastern man who may be trying to enter the United States this month to participate in the attack.

An FBI spokeswoman acknowledged the memo but said there is no evidence the threat is any more dire than other alerts they send to police. "We have no specific information about any immediate threat or problem in Connecticut," said Lisa Bull, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Connecticut. "We receive a fair amount of nonspecific information that we share" with police.

Stamford police are watching four Connecticut Light & Power Co. substations more closely since learning of the threat this week, according to five officers who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the information. The substations are on Glenbrook Road, Cedar Heights Road in the Ridges, Amelia Place on the West Side and Pacific and Manhattan streets in the South End. Police Chief Brent Larrabee said the department has received the memo but would not say how it has changed patrol strategies this week. "I will not confirm or deny whether there have been extra patrols" at the power substations, Larrabee said. Mayor Dannel Malloy declined to comment.

Federal authorities learned of the threat April 29, according to the memo. An attached police department memo reported the threats May 13 and stated that high-ranking officers should read the FBI memo to patrol officers at lineup June 13. Bull would not comment on the apparent two-week gap between when federal authorities learned of the threat and when they told Stamford police. "We disseminate the information as quickly as we can," Bull said. Mitch Gross, a spokesman for CL&P, said the company receives regular warnings from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. He said he could not provide an estimate of how many warnings the company receives each week or month. "We get them whenever they send them," Gross said. But he said the company has tightened security since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

An attack on a single substation in Stamford would knock out power to a small part of the city, he said. An attack on several substations or a major power plant such as the Manresa Island plant in Norwalk could cut power to a larger chunk of territory, he said.

The police officers said the department receives regular warnings from federal authorities. But this memo is unusual because it names a person and includes a sketch, they said. Bull said sketches are becoming more common in FBI memos to police. The memo does not say how a power plant would be attacked. The written threat mentions the possibility of "great news in June," according to the memo. Police and power company officials have paid more attention to electric power plants since August 2003, when a malfunction at Midwestern power grids caused a blackout across eight states, including Connecticut, and much of Canada.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.threat2jun17,0,4656739.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines

[Petronas]

‘Jihad’ suspect pleads guilty in weapons sting
June 01, 2005

Ahmed Hassan Al-Uqaily, an Iraqi native who allegedly bought illegal weapons and threatened to “blow something up,” pleaded guilty in federal court here Tuesday to both counts of an indictment charging him with illegal possession of weapons. His recommended sentence under the plea agreement submitted to Chief U.S. District Judge Robert L. Echols is 57 months — less than five years — although the mandatory sentence for his felony charges could have been up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The first count charged Al-Uqaily with illegal possession of machine guns and the second count charged him with possession of unregistered firearms; namely the machine guns and a destructive device which were components to make a hand grenade. He also evidenced the desire to obtain some missile-type weapons including a missile he indicated would be sufficient to take out a tank, according to U.S. Attorney Jim Vines.

The 34-year-old Al-Uqaily allegedly spoke to a friend last August of “going jihad” and expressed animosity towards the Jewish community. “He had talked about a couple of local Jewish facilities and beyond that we wouldn’t further identify those facilities,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Richardson, who prosecuted the case. “Under the plea agreement, what he admitted to was that his intention was to commit aggravated assault. Beyond that he is not obligated to say the precise nature of his intentions to commit aggravated assault.”

Al-Uqaily admitted Tuesday to purchasing two disassembled M-16 machine guns, four disassembled hand grenades, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agent Oct. 7 in the Krispy Kreme parking lot on Thompson Lane. He withdrew $900 from Bank of America and used another $100 on in his possession to make the purchase.

“The sentences are subsequent to federal sentencing guidelines so there are lots of instances where the statute will provide for a maximum sentence that is sometimes far greater than what the federal sentencing guidelines will actually provide,” Vines said. “We have lived in an environment for years now where you can’t really look at that maximum sentence and say someone is likely to spend 20 years in jail when the guideline for maximum range only goes up to, say, five years. This sentence is a significant one under the guideline range that is applicable to him even though the statutory maximums might have provided a significant more amount of time.”

Al-Uqaily’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 24, but Assistant Federal Public Defender David Baker requested to move that up since the defendant is currently in solitary confinement. It will be up to the court whether or not to accept the guilty plea and sentencing recommendations.

Under the agreement, he will be deported after serving his sentence, possibly back to his homeland in Iraq. “Following his service of that sentence he has agreed to waive any arguments in a matter or case against him to have him deported out of the United States,” Vines said. As part of the agreement, the defendant will forfeit approximately $38,000 in his bank account to the U.S. government as part of a civil complaint against him and keep the remaining $5,000 once he is deported.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=9&screen=news&news_id=41863

[NewsGuy]

Rumsfeld: Torture claims false
26/06/2005 20:20 - (SA)

Washington - US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld on Sunday rejected allegations of widespread prisoner abuse at US-run overseas detention facilities.

"The idea that there's any policy of abuse or policy of torture is false - flat false," he told the Fox News Sunday television program.

"People have been instructed to treat people humanely," Rumsfeld said.

The defence secretary pointed out that in instances where they have been prisoner abuse has been substantiated "people have been punished and convicted in a court martial."

Rumsfeld rejected calls from some US lawmakers, civil libertarians and others that terror suspects be prosecuted in the general civilian criminal justice system.

"I'm not a lawyer, but the president and the attorney general decided after 9/11 that putting terrorists into the ... criminal justice system as though they were car thieves or bank robbers or something like that .... wasn't the way to do it," Rumsfeld said.

The US detention facility in Guantanamo has become the focus of passionate debate in recent weeks, following allegations that US forces abused those held in an overzealous effort to prevent potential attacks against the United States like those of September 11, 2001.

Some US lawmakers want the site closed, and others have called for an independent commission to investigate abuses, which US President George W Bush has rejected.

The United States currently holds about 520 suspected al-Qaeda members at Guantanamo from about 40 different countries. Of those, 12 have been handed over to military commissions for investigation of possible war crimes, and four have been charged.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1727576,00.html

[NewsGuy]

US officials make contact with Iraqi insurgents
(AFP)

26 June 2005



WASHINGTON - US officials have made recent contact with Iraqi insurgents, US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld said Sunday, downplaying such overtures as commonplace.


In answer to a question on the Fox News Sunday television program about a London Sunday Times report that US officials contacted insurgents in a bid to split off homegrown Iraqi insurgents from foreign fighters, Rumsfeld said:

“Sure, my goodness, yeah. The first thing you want to do is split people off and get some people to be supportive. The same thing’s going on in Afghanistan,” he said.

Rumsfeld added that such “meetings ... go on all the time,” and said “I think the attention to this is overblown.”

“I would not make a big deal out of it,” he said.

According to the report in the London Sunday Times newspaper, US officials have held talks on two separate occasions in early June with Iraqi insurgents in the hope of negotiating an eventual breakthrough that might stem the violence in the country.

The meetings reportedly took place at a villa near Balad in the hills 40 miles (65 kilometres) north of Baghdad the weekly paper said, citing an Iraqi source said to have attended both events.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Rumsfeld was asked about the two reported meetings.

“Oh, I would doubt it. I think there have probably been many more than that,” Rumsfeld said, again referring to Afghanistan, where President Hamid Karzai “is reaching out to the Taleban -- not the ones with blood on their hands, but the others.”

In Iraq, government officials “are reaching out” to those that do not support them. “They’re not going to try to bring in the people with blood on their hands, for sure, but they’re certainly reaching out continuously, and we help to facilitate those from time to time,” he said.

Rumsfeld vehemently denied that the talks amounted to negotiating with terrorists. “There’s no one negotiating with Zarqawi or the people that are out chopping peoples’ heads off,” he said.

Four US officials -- reportedly including senior military and intelligence officers, a civilian staffer from Congress and a representative of the US embassy in Baghdad -- met at the villa with a former Iraqi minister, a senior tribal leaders, a small group of insurgent commanders.

Further talks were apparently planned, the report added.

In Baghdad, a US official said that contacts had been made with people close to Iraqi insurgents, but stressed that the talks were not actual negotiations.

“For some time now we’ve been talking to all sorts of Iraqis, some of whom are kind of dubious,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“There was never a clear “start date’ for these talks. We’ve always talked to people, and many of those people have some sort of link to insurgents.”

The source added: “It’s hard to gauge how much influence anyone has with insurgents, or to determine which insurgent group they’re associated with for that matter.

The official made one thing clear: “there has been no change in US policy. We are not negotiating with insurgents.”

Representatives of insurgent groups including the Al Qaeda linked Ansar al-Sunna -- responsible for numerous suicide bombings, including the December bombing of a US military dining hall in Mosul that killed 22 -- were reportedly at the meeting.

Talks however did not involve Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq who is behind numerous deadly attacks and kidnappings and murders of Western hostages, according to the Sunday Times.

Ansar al-Sunna categorically denied “any negotiation” with “any crusader or apostate” in an internet statement signed by al-Sunna leader Abu Abdallah al-Hassan. The statement could not be verified.

“Jihad is the only way to restore dignity to this nation. Without this dignity, the nation will be shamed and defeated,” the statement read.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/June/focusoniraq_June175.xml&section=focusoniraq

[Casey]

Rumsfeld foresees tough times

By The Associated Press
Monday, June 27, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday he is bracing for even more violence in Iraq and acknowledged that the insurgency "could go on for any number of years."
Defeating the insurgency may take as long as 12 years, he said, with Iraqi security forces, not U.S. and foreign troops, taking the lead and finishing the job.

The assessment comes on the heels of the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll showing public doubts about the war reaching a high point -- with more than half saying that invading Iraq was a mistake.

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East appealed for public support of the soldiers and their mission. "We don't need to fight this war looking over our shoulder worrying about the support back home," Gen. John Abizaid told CNN's "Late Edition."

In a deadly week for U.S. forces, an ambush on a convoy carrying female troops killed four Marines, including at least one woman. At least 1,735 members of the U.S. military have died since the war started in March 2003, according to an AP count.

Yesterday, bombings in Mosul and elsewhere in Iraq killed at least 38 people.

Rumsfeld, making the rounds of the Sunday talk shows, said insurgents want to disrupt the democratic transformation as Iraqi leaders draft a constitution and plan for elections in December to choose a full-term government.

"I would anticipate you're going to see an escalation of violence between now and the December elections," the Pentagon chief told NBC's "Meet the Press." And after then, it will take a long time to drive out insurgents.

"Insurgencies tend to go on five, six, eight, 10, 12 years," Rumsfeld said on "Fox News Sunday."

"Coalition forces, foreign forces are not going to repress that insurgency. We're going to create an environment that the Iraqi people and the Iraqi security forces can win against that insurgency," he said.

A British newspaper reported yesterday that American officials recently met secretly with Iraqi insurgent commanders north of Baghdad to try to negotiate an end to the bloodshed.

Insurgent commanders "apparently came face to face" with four American officials during meetings on June 3 and June 13 at a villa near Balad, some 25 miles north of Baghdad, The Sunday Times reported.


When asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about the report of the two meetings, Rumsfeld said, "Oh, I would doubt it. I think there have probably been many more than that."


Three militant groups distanced themselves from the reports, denying that they had ever negotiated with U.S. or Iraqi officials to end the insurgency.


In statements on Web sites, Al-Qaida in Iraq and the Ansar al-Sunnah Army said their fight was not only about ending the occupation in Iraq, but about upholding their religion.


Rumsfeld insisted the talks did not involve negotiations with Iraq's most-wanted terrorist, Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who heads al-Qaida in Iraq, but were rather facilitating efforts by the Shiite-led government to reach out to minority Sunni Arabs, who are believed to be the driving force behind the insurgency.


"We see the government of Iraq is sovereign. They're the ones that are reaching out to the people who are not supporting the government," Rumsfeld said from Washington.


Speaking generally, Rumsfeld said those kind of meetings "go on all the time" and that Iraqis "will decide what their relationships with various elements of insurgents will be. We facilitate those from time to time."

Abizaid said U.S. and Iraqi officials "are looking for the right people in the Sunni community to talk to ... and clearly we know that the vast majority of the insurgents are from the Sunni Arab community. It makes sense to talk to them."

Echoing Rumsfeld, Abizaid made clear that "we're not going to compromise" with Iraq's most-wanted terrorist, Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The contacts, the Pentagon leaders said, were intended to make it easier for the Shiite-led government to reach out to minority Sunnis.

The strength of the violent opposition to the U.S.-led coalition since the invasion in March 2003 has raised questions about whether the Bush administration understood that such a sustained reaction was possible.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., stressed that he and other critics of Bush's Iraq policy are determined to show their support for American soldiers in Iraq. At the same time, "we're also determined to be constructive critics of the policies which not only sent them there, as unequipped, and without international support, and without plans for the aftermath," he said.

Before the war, Vice President Dick Cheney predicted that Iraqis freed from Saddam Hussein's rule would greet American troops as liberators. Rumsfeld said Sunday he gave President Bush a list of about 15 things "that could go terribly, terribly wrong before the war started."

He said they included Iraq's oil wells being set on fire; mass refugees and relocations; blown-up bridges; and a moat of oil around Baghdad, the capital.

"So a great many of the bad things that could have happened did not happen," Rumsfeld said.

Asked if his list included the possibility of such a strong insurgency, Rumsfeld said: "I don't remember whether that was on there, but certainly it was discussed."

Rumsfeld said Iraq's security forces have gained respect among Iraqis. He suggested insurgents' ability to kill in large numbers did not indicate a decline in public support for efforts by the U.S. and Iraqi governments, or that political, economic and security progress has been lacking.

"It doesn't take a genius to go blow up a restaurant or attack a police station, a suicide bomber. You can kill -- a kid with a suicide vest can kill a lot of people," Rumsfeld said.

"Does that mean that the population is 'going south' and there's no plan and no progress? No, it doesn't mean that at all," he said.

Rumsfeld defended Cheney's recent statement that the insurgents are in their "last throes," saying there are many ways to measure their strength.

"If you look up 'last throes,' it can mean a violent last throe," Rumsfeld said on ABC's "This Week." Violence may escalate, he said, because insurgents "have so much to lose between now and December." he said.

With some lawmakers urging the president to set a timetable for bringing U.S. troops home, Abizaid said Americans "need to be patient."

In both Afghanistan and Iraq, Abizaid said, each country's security forces will take on more of the burden as they become more capable. He predicted that Iraqi security forces would take the lead in fighting insurgents by next spring or summer.

"That doesn't mean that I'm saying we'll come home by then," Abizaid told CBS' "Face the Nation."


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/terrorism/s_347836.html

[1001]

White House 'courting disaster' with Iraq policy: Kerry

Tue Jun 28,11:11 AM ET




President George W. Bush is "courting disaster" with his Iraq policy, former presidential contender John Kerry wrote in a newspaper opinion piece, ahead of a major speech by the president on the situation in Iraq.


"It's long past time to get it right in Iraq. The Bush administration is courting disaster with its current course -- a course with no realistic strategy for reducing the risks to our soldiers and increasing the odds for success," the Democratic US senator from Massachusetts wrote in the New York Times.


"The reality is that the Bush administration's choices have made Iraq into what it wasn't before the war -- a breeding ground for jihadists," Kerry wrote.


"The administration must immediately draw up a detailed plan with clear milestones and deadlines for the transfer of military and police responsibilities to Iraqis after the December elections," Kerry said, adding that such a program would be one of the conditions that would "set the stage for American forces to begin to come home."


His comments appeared ahead of Bush's speech marking the first anniversary of the transfer of civilian authority from United States to an Iraqi government.


The address also has been by political observers as a bid to shore up support for the presence of US troops in Iraq from an increasingly skeptical American public.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050628/pl_afp/usiraqbushkerry_050628151119&printer=1;_ylt=Av4UJMRAjCfb7hUtEQppewytOrgF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

[Petronas]

Philadelphia: FBI plans terrorism watch for weekend
June 29, 2005

John C. Eckenrode, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia office, said the bureau had not received any "specific or credible threats" related to Live 8 or other events. Even so, he said, the FBI's local antiterrorism command post would be on 24-hour duty in the coming days, and hundreds of Philadelphia-based agents from a variety of agencies - experts in hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction, explosives - would be ready to "deploy at a moment's notice." Among other things, Eckenrode said, agents would monitor the arrival of the USS Cole, a destroyer attacked by terrorists in Yemen in October 2000, which is scheduled to dock at Penn's Landing tomorrow.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/006855.php

[Petronas]

New York Imam Ahmad Dwidar: In 1995, I Heard Sermons Calling on Muslims to March on the White House and Turn It into the Muslim House
6/9/2005

The following are excerpts from an interview with the imam of the Islamic Center in New York, Dr. Ahmad Dwidar, who is also a lecturer at Manhattan University. The interview was aired on MBC TV on June 9, 2005.

Host: With us is Dr. Ahmad Dwidar, Imam of Islamic Center in Mid New York and an Islamic culture professor at the Manhattan University

Dwidar: In 1995 I heard some sermons, saying that Muslims should march on the White House from some of the mosques.

Host: What do you mean by "march on the White House"?

Dwidar: One cleric said in his sermon: "We are going to the White House, so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the White House will become into the Muslim house."

Host: How? I don't understand.

Dwidar: This is simply a slogan. I'm only saying this to...

Host: Are they going to occupy the White House or what?

Dwidar: No, they say that through the domination of Islam and its ideas, the White House will change.

Host: This will happen one day, but not this way. Islam will be victorious, no doubt, but not this way.

Dwidar: It will not happen unless the Muslims abandon their slogans and become a role model. If a Muslim doctor who invents a cure in the hospital or performs an important operation successfully – all the media will broadcast it live and announce it worldwide. The Muslim who makes do with breaking the wooden podium, with screaming, and with patronizing, condescending rhetoric that "Islam is coming, and it will change the face of the earth," while at the same time he cannot even change the face of the Islamic capitals, which overflow with garbage – this path will lead to no good.

http://memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=730

[Petronas]

Police Briefly Evacuate the U.S. Capitol
June 29, 2005 11:02 PM EDT

WASHINGTON - President Bush was hurried from his residence to a safer location Wednesday evening and people were evacuated from the White House and U.S. Capitol when a private plane ventured into restricted airspace. The all-clear came within minutes when two fighter jets intercepted the small twin-engine propeller-driven plane eight miles northeast of the Capitol. The alert ended before evacuations were complete at the White House.

The White House briefly went to red alert - its highest level, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The private turboprop entered restricted airspace northeast of Reagan National Airport, according to federal aviation officials. Jets scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., intercepted the plane and, as of 6:45 p.m. EDT, escorted the plane to Winchester, Va., where it landed without incident. An aircraft could be heard overhead at the Capitol, in an area customarily closed to aircraft. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Capitol Police notified senators' offices: "This is an emergency message ... Capitol Police are tracking unidentified aircraft."

At the White House, Bush had left the Oval Office for the day and was in the residence when the alert sounded. "The president was temporarily relocated," McClellan said. Some senior staff also were seen hurrying from the West Wing to the residence area where a bomb shelter is located. "We started to relocate some staff," McClellan said. "Officers were prepared to activate the (White House-wide) alert system but we received notification from the jets that were scrambled that the plane had turned away from the White House."

Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer said the Capitol was ordered evacuated when the plane was about 5 minutes away. It was traveling southwest, then turned south toward the Capitol, but headed away a minute and a half later, Gainer said. The plane originated in Delaware and was headed to Ohio, said Gary Bracken, a spokesman for the Bureau of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Bracken said the pilot wrote a flight plan but did not file it with federal officials.

The House and Senate were both voting when the alarm sounded. In a virtual replay of a scare earlier this summer, members of Congress, staff, visitors and others were told to leave the building quickly.

Agents ran out of the gate from the White House compound onto Pennsylvania Avenue and began clearing pedestrians from the street. At first, officers did not seem hurried, and pedestrians were walking casually. "It's in your best interest to hurry along," an agent said. The scare lasted about 10 minutes at the White House before officers gave the all-clear and Pennsylvania Avenue was reopened.

The offending plane was a King Air 350, said Michael D. Kucharek, a spokesman for North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado. After it was detected, two Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons scrambled from Andrews and it, Kucharek said. The fighters "got the pilot's attention pretty quick," Kucharek said. Because of that, the fighters did not need to drop flares, and the laser warning system was not employed.

The pilot of plane was Scott Murwin of Athens, Ga., a longtime pilot for Standridge Color Corp., a plastics products company based in Social Circle, Ga., his wife confirmed. "He was at the wrong altitude," Debbie Murwin said in a brief telephone interview from her home. Standridge Color Corp. Bob Standridge said that he had not talked to Murwin but that Murwin had dropped off some Standridge employees to attend a seminar in Wilmington, Del., and was heading for Ohio when the flight was intercepted. "I assume it's a simple mistake, the gentleman's been a pilot for several years," said Standridge, who said federal authorities planned to talk with company officials Thursday morning.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20050629/42c21cc0_3ca6_1552620050629-937419567

[NYer]

Al-Arian Trial Shifts Focus To Money
By MICHAEL FECHTER
mfechter@tampatrib.com


TAMPA - In a trial thus far lampooned for dry, sleep-inducing testimony, prosecutors in the terror-support case against Sami Al-Arian shifted gears Wednesday by showing jurors the money.

An Illinois-based money exchanger testified about a series of financial transfers he carried out in 2001 and 2002 at the direction of defendant Hatim Fariz. Receipts produced by Salah Daoud show most of the money went to two men identified as Palestinian Islamic Jihad members in the Al-Arian indictment. In addition, one transfer went to the Elehssan Society, designated last month by the Treasury Department as an Islamic Jihad fundraising front.

Daoud works for Middle East Financial Services, which transfers funds from the United States to the Middle East. The receipts he produced total nearly $60,000 in transfers and directly relate to 22 counts in the 53-count indictment - 11 counts of money laundering and 11 counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Fariz, a Spring Hill resident who moved here from the Chicago area, is named in all of them. Al-Arian is charged with six of the financial counts, and fellow defendant Ghassan Ballut is charged in 18 counts.

The men also are charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder abroad through their support for the Islamic Jihad.

Daoud, who was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony, pointed out that more than 90 percent of the money was sent during the holy month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims are expected to give zakat, or charity, to the needy.

However, according to the indictment, secretly recorded telephone conversations show that the money was to aid the Islamic Jihad and its members.

Fariz sent $7,000 to a man named Salah Abu Hassanein on Nov. 10, 2002, records show. Earlier that day, he told Hassanein to come up with a new name for the Elehssan Society because U.S. officials recognized the name and wouldn't let money go to it, the indictment says.

Fariz also told Hassanein to use the money as he pleased but that he needed receipts to ``gain the trust of the donors in the United States,'' the indictment says. Hassanein offered Fariz Elehssan's bank account number for the transfer, but Fariz rejected that, the indictment says.

Secret Recordings

Prosecutors used Daoud's testimony to offer the first secret recordings into evidence. They show Fariz and Daoud discussing transfers. In one, Fariz says a transfer needs to be done immediately ``because the food packages for Ramadan have been distributed already and the merchants are waiting for their money.''

Defense attorneys have said the money did go to charity and that Fariz strongly admires Sheik Naim Naseer Bulbol, a member of the Elehssan Society who received at least six of the money transfers discussed Wednesday.

Defense attorneys want to depose Bulbol where he lives in the Gaza Strip. But prosecutors have balked at that, arguing they have no means to charge him should they believe he lied in his testimony.

Daoud also testified that he is a member of Chicago's Islamic Association for Palestine chapter. Federal law enforcement officials suspect the association provides support to Hamas, the Islamic Jihad's former rival in militant Palestinian nationalism.

The Manifesto

The trial is in recess until July 11. Before adjourning, U.S. District Judge James Moody allowed federal prosecutor Cherie Krigsman to read extended portions of the Islamic Jihad's internal manifesto to jurors. Investigators found the document in a computer drive at the World and Islam Studies Enterprise, a think tank founded by Al-Arian, during a 1995 search.

Each juror received a copy to follow the reading. Moody told jurors he admitted it into evidence as a statement that advances the Islamic Jihad conspiracy. However, he cautioned that merely possessing the document ``is not proof of being a member of such a conspiracy.''

Israeli academics and intelligence officials told The Tampa Tribune in 2002 that they were not aware the document, which stresses secrecy in all dealings, existed before it was discovered in Tampa.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors agreed to the translation, which labels the manifesto ``bylaws'' of the Islamic Jihad.

It rejects ``any peaceful solution for the Palestinian cause and [affirms] the jihad solution and the martyrdom style as the only option for liberation.'' It also refers to the United States as ``the Great Satan'' and calls for creating ``a state of terror, instability and panic in the souls of Zionists.''

Reporter Michael Fechter can be reached at (813) 259-7621.

This story can be found at: http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBQ73KFKAE.html

[rectar]

Al-Arian Trial Shifts Focus To Money
By MICHAEL FECHTER
mfechter@tampatrib.com
Daoud works for Middle East Financial Services, which transfers funds from the United States to the Middle East. The receipts he produced total nearly $60,000 in transfers and directly relate to 22 counts in the 53-count indictment - 11 counts of money laundering and 11 counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Fariz, a Spring Hill resident who moved here from the Chicago area, is named in all of them. Al-Arian is charged with six of the financial counts, and fellow defendant Ghassan Ballut is charged in 18 counts.

The men also are charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder abroad through their support for the Islamic Jihad.

Daoud, who was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony, pointed out that more than 90 percent of the money was sent during the holy month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims are expected to give zakat, or charity, to the needy.

However, according to the indictment, secretly recorded telephone conversations show that the money was to aid the Islamic Jihad and its members.

Fariz sent $7,000 to a man named Salah Abu Hassanein on Nov. 10, 2002, records show. Earlier that day, he told Hassanein to come up with a new name for the Elehssan Society because U.S. officials recognized the name and wouldn't let money go to it, the indictment says.Reporter Michael Fechter can be reached at (813) 259-7621.

This story can be found at: http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBQ73KFKAE.html$$$$$........for peanuts lol........:add09:

[rectar]

American army base in Germany to have next-generation optical communications network from Lucentif (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('MSIE')!=-1) document.write(''); else document.write('
');M2
06:19 a.m. 06/30/2005Jun 30, 2005 (TELECOMWORLDWIRE via COMTEX) -- The installation of a next-generation optical communications network at an American army base in Germany has been announced by communications networks company Lucent Technologies (LU) .Lucent said the contract with the United States Department of the Army is for installation of the network at the Mainz-Kastel facility in Germany which supports over 18,000 personnel. It added that the agreement supports the Army's focus on upgrading voice and data networks, known as the Army's Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program (I3MP).According to Lucent the project at Mainz-Kastel will increase network bandwidth, improving communication and tactical and strategic systems at the facility. In addition the contract, which includes installation, integration and project management support from Lucent Worldwide Services (LWS), is expected to improve readiness, training and mobilisation efforts.Financial terms were not disclosed but Lucent said that this year it has announced USD36.3m in contracts for other infrastructure upgrades in Europe and North America, and announced contracts with the Army valued at USD50m in 2003 for installations in North America and Asia.

[Ono]

U.S. Holding 5 Americans for Iraq Activity

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 6, 2005; 11:59 AM


WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military is holding five U.S. citizens suspected of insurgent activities in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday.

They were captured separately and don't appear to have ties to one another, spokesman Bryan Whitman said. He declined to identify them, citing a Pentagon policy that prohibits identification of detainees.

Three of those being detained are Iraqi-Americans; another is an Iranian-American; the fifth is a Jordanian-American, Whitman said. The three Iraqi-Americans were captured in April, May and June, officials said. The Iranian-American was captured May 17, one official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the cases.

One of the Iraqi-Americans allegedly had knowledge of planning for an attack, and another was possibly involved in a kidnapping, Whitman said. The third was "engaged in suspicious activity," he said, declining to be more specific.

Whitman said the Iranian-American was captured with several dozen washing machine timers in his car _ items that can be used as components in bombs.

In Los Angeles, relatives identified him as Cyrus Kar, 44, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in that city. He was in Iraq to film scenes for a documentary on King Cyrus the Great, founder of Persia, when he was arrested at a checkpoint in Baghdad in mid-May, his family said. They also said he has been cleared of wrongdoing and there is no legal authority for his detention.

They said he called them on May 24 and said he had been detained because of a misunderstanding involving a taxi driver who had been driving Kar and his cameraman around Baghdad. Kar was born in Iran but came to the United States when he was a child, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

The Jordanian-American was captured in a raid late last year and is suspected of high-level ties to Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist and leading al-Qaida ally in Iraq. Officials announced his capture in March.

All five are in custody at one of the three U.S.-run prisons in Iraq _ Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca or Camp Cropper, Whitman said, declining to provide their precise location. The International Committee of the Red Cross has had access to all five prisoners, Whitman said.

A panel of three U.S. officers rules on whether each prisoner is properly held; that has already taken place for the Jordanian-American. Whitman did not say whether the three Iraqi-Americans or the Iranian-American have been through this process.

Beyond that, their capture presents a complex legal issue for the U.S. government. Whitman said it is not certain whether they will be turned over to the Justice Department for investigation or to the new Iraqi legal system, which has handled the prosecution of other foreign fighters who came to Iraq to fight the U.S.-led occupation and new Iraqi government.

The closest parallel to their situation may be the two American citizens were captured opposing U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Two Taliban foot soldiers, John Walker Lindh and Yaser Esam Hamdi, held U.S. citizenship when they were captured in late 2001.

Lindh, a California native now in his early 20s, pleaded guilty in civilian court to supplying services to the Taliban government and carrying explosives for them. He received a 20-year prison sentence in 2002 and has since sought to have it reduced.

Hamdi was born in Louisiana and grew up in Saudi Arabia. He was held by the U.S. government for three years before being released to his family in Saudi Arabia in October 2004. He gave up his American citizenship as a condition of his release.

Whitman, however, said their cases do not necessarily set a precedent for the handling of the five Americans captured in Iraq because Afghanistan had no functioning government at the time of Lindh's and Hamdi's capture.

The military is holding about 420 non-Iraqis in Iraq, out of more than 10,000 in custody, officials said. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. government has held more than 70,000 people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/06/AR2005070600827_pf.html

[NYer]

MISSILE NEWS
US Close To Testing Massive "Bunker-Busting" Missile
Paris (AFP) Jul 13, 2005


The United States is close to testing a new missile aimed at destroying deep bunkers where suspected weapons of mass destruction are stored, the a British science magazine has reported.

Four prototypes of the new "bunker-buster" will be tested later this year by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of Dallas, Texas, which are working with US Navy scientists on behalf of the Pentagon's Threat Reduction Agency, it says.

Traditional bunker bombs are streamlined bombs whose sheer weight enables them to force through soil, rock or concrete before they detonate.

The new design is different, the report, in next Saturday's issue of New Scientist, says.

The missile has a blunt nose that, combined with high velocity, creates a bubble of air in front of the weapon. The idea is that the bubble forces earth out to the sides as the missile descends, creating a cavity that the weapon can slide through.

The warhead could thus reach much deeper buried structures than conventional bunker-busters, the inventors hope.

The principle for the weapon comes from a new generation of high-speed torpedoes, which create a gas bubble around themselves called a supercavity.

A Russian torpedo of this kind, called Shkval, can move through the water at 360 kilometers (225 miles) per hour because it is essentially moving through water vapour rather than water, and resistance is thus very low.

"Lockheed Martin hopes the supercavitating missile will reach 10 times the depth of the current air-force record holder, the huge BLU-113 bunker-buster, which can break through seven metres of concrete (22.7 feet) or 30 metresfeet) of earth," New Scientist says.

In addition, the new weapon could carry more explosives than its predecessors.

The BLU-133 needs a thick casing to resist friction, but a supercavitating missiles could have a thin casing, leaving more space for explosives or incendiaries.

The Pentagon wants an incendiary payload in order to incinerate chemical or biological weapons, the report says.

http://www.spacewar.com/news/missiles-05zzk.html

[NYer]

I recall a similar story last year ...

Incidents intensify hospital vigilance
People under various guises tried to gain access to Jersey facilities in recent months
Saturday, July 16, 2005
BY ANGELA STEWART
Star-Ledger Staff

New Jersey hospitals are on heightened alert, authorities acknowledged yesterday, as the result of several suspicious incidents involving people trying to enter hospitals under false pretenses.

Bulletins have been issued by the New Jersey Office of Counter-Terrorism, in addition to other law enforcement agencies, telling hospitals to be vigilant. However, authorities stressed there has been no specific threat of terrorism against New Jersey hospitals.

"It could mean nothing or it could be pre-operational surveillance," said Sidney Caspersen, director of the New Jersey Office of Counter-Terrorism.

One of the incidents occurred July 7 at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, where two individuals were seen in a hospital parking lot carrying badges and talking about possibly passing themselves off as inspectors.

The incident, along with a description of their car, was reported to the state's Counter-Terrorism Tip Line at 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ.

Raritan Bay spokeswoman Donna Sellman said the two people did not present themselves inside the hospital, however.

"We had no one showing up saying they were inspectors," she said.

In another incident on July 1, an individual called the admissions office at Robert Wood Johnson at Rahway, saying he was doing a telephone survey for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation's leading standard-setting body in healthcare. The admitting clerk told the caller she was aware the commission did not do phone surveys and the caller quickly hung up, according to Barbara Jones, hospital spokeswoman.

She said the incident was immediately reported to authorities.

That was not the case at Newton Memorial, a small community hospital in rural Sussex County.

The incident at Newton occurred March 27, Easter Sunday, around 4:45 p.m. when three men of "Middle Eastern appearance" identified themselves as doctors and requested a tour of the hospital and emergency department, which recently had expanded. The individuals also asked questions about the facility's bed capacity, services and hospital directory, speaking fluent English.

A security guard asked them for identification, which they could not produce, according to Sean O'Rourke, chief operating officer for Newton Memorial. The guard instructed the men to call back during business hours and they left.

Hospital administrators were not told about the incident until the following morning, O'Rourke admitted, saying this has led to a "policy change" requiring immediate notification of hospital administrators and police.

"This has triggered a heightened awareness," he said.

The day after the Newton incident, two unidentified males identifying themselves as doctors entered Morristown Memorial, asking questions about the number of patient beds in the Children's Center wing and inquiring about other floors, officials said. They were not asked for identification and did not display credentials.

The hospital would not comment on the incident, saying it is under investigation.

Robert Wood Johnson-New Brunswick also reported an incident in March in which a woman claiming to be a doctor from Spain showed up with an unidentified male, asking to tour the hospital. Spokeswoman Kristin Walsh said they were denied access.

No one has been arrested in any of the incidents and authorities do not know the identities or intentions of the individuals involved, although most had dealings with security guards or hospital staff.

Caspersen stressed that hospitals need to be alert and ready to assist law enforcement when encountering persons from any background acting strangely.

"They should try to get as much information as they can on their identity before they leave. Get us a tag number, name, driver's license number. Get us something to follow up on," he said.

Acting Gov. Richard Codey said through a spokeswoman yesterday that he has directed state Health Commissioner Fred Jacobs to make site visits to hospitals throughout New Jersey to brief them on how to handle suspicious activity.

"He wants them to be prepared as to what to look for," said spokeswoman Kelley Heck. On Monday, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services awarded $6.1 million in grants to New Jersey health care facilities to improve their preparedness and response to public health emergencies.

The grants went to 80 acute-care hospitals and 12 health centers. Hospitals received up to $75,000 each and health centers up to $20,000 each.

"Our eyes and ears are out there on the street," said FBI special agent Steven Siegel, a spokesman for the bureau's Newark division, which is working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

"The everyday person might see something out of the ordinary. We ask them to call in. We would rather chase 100 leads that are nothing, than miss one that may be important."

Incidents similar to the ones in New Jersey have occurred at three hospitals in Boston, Detroit and Los Angeles, from late February to mid-March.

"Everybody's antenna is up and they are watching for stuff," said Stuart Weiss, director of the Center for Healthcare Preparedness for the Saint Barnabas Healthcare System.

Star-Ledger reporter Rick Hepp contributed to this report. Angela Stewart writes about health care. She may be reached at astewart@starledger.com or (973) 392-4178.


http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-0/1121490809274190.xml

[NYer]

New York's Finest ...

Sergeant rides high on praise for initiative after bombings
Dennis Duggan


July 21, 2005

Sgt. Luis Pineiro jumped aboard a 14th Street crosstown bus in Manhattan early yesterday afternoon to talk to riders about terrorism and what they could do to help fight it.

It isn't often that New Yorkers get to jaw with the mostly reserved men and women who make up the world's largest police force. Some of the passengers seemed startled by Pineiro's appearance but he won them over with his calm, steady manner and a "just the facts" attitude.

Two weeks ago, on the day four suicide bombers attacked London, Pineiro reported for work as a narcotics investigator in Central Harlem and was told to get into his police uniform and help reassure a nervous riding public.

"I got on a bus and began talking to the driver," he recalled, "and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that some of the passengers were straining to hear what we were talking about.

"I thought to myself maybe they think something terrible has happened," he said. "So I turned around to face the passengers and told them I was there to help them and then began talking about ways that they could help us identify potential terrorists."

The enthusiastic reaction from the passengers was something Pineiro had never experienced in his 13 years on the force, first as a beat cop in the 44th Precinct in the Bronx and later as head of a narcotics unit in Central Harlem.

"Some of them even applauded," he said.

Equally overwhelming for Pineiro, 35, who grew up in the Bronx as the youngest of six children, was the unexpected pat on the back he got from Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

"He invited me to come to his office at One Police Plaza and then he gave me a pair of cuff links with the police shield on them," Pineiro said.

Kelly was so impressed with Pineiro's work on the bus, he plans to make it a regular part of police work.

"We're taking a lesson from Sgt. Pineiro," Kelly said.

Kelly's anti-terrorism team is preparing talking points for officers who will be assigned from time to time to work the transit system.

Those talking points include the dictum, "If you see something, say something," and warns passengers that "if you suspect something, do not take direct action." Call 911 or report it to the nearest officer instead.

When Pineiro first went out, he didn't have talking points. He was on his own. You couldn't tell that yesterday the way riders responded to him.

"I am glad to see you here instead of sitting in a police car," rider Jackie Help said after Pineiro's talk. "We need to see our police more than we do."

Pineiro appreciated her comments. The people he normally visits - mostly through drug raids - usually don't provide positive feedback.

"It's a dangerous assignment," he said of his work as a narcotics officer. "Those people don't thank you for showing up."

Pineiro said that when he began his police career he never expected that one day he would be standing at the front of a bus telling riders to be on the lookout for terrorists.

"He's a guy who likes challenges and tries to make his assignments interesting," a police official said of Pineiro.

Pineiro said he is "overwhelmed" by all the attention he has gotten, both from riders and from Kelly.

"My family is very proud of me now," he said.

He and his wife, Tiffany, whom he married more than a year ago, are expecting a baby in the next few weeks. The couple lives upstate.

"I am going to take the lieutenant's exam soon," said Pineiro, who graduated from Lehman High School in the Bronx in 1989 and decided he wanted to be a police officer.

Pineiro has become an overnight sensation, turning a routine assignment into a star turn on his own initiative.

I can hear retired NYPD Lt. Michael Gorman cheering all the way from Queens.

"There are cops who go above and beyond their official duties," he wrote in a letter recently.

He could have been talking about Sgt. Luis Pineiro.
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nydugg214351688jul21,0,1267083,print.column

[NYer]

Jihad Bomber Inspired `Pride'
By MICHAEL FECHTER mfechter@tampatrib.com

TAMPA - A young man riding a bicycle approached soldiers at an Israeli checkpoint in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 11, 1994.

What the soldiers didn't know was that 21-year-old Hesham Hamd had 22 pounds of explosives strapped around his chest. Hamd, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, detonated the bomb, killing himself and three others.

Prosecutors say University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian wrote a fax later that day: ``Pride and glory overwhelmed us.''

``May God bless your efforts and accept our martyrs. Please be cautious and on the alert. Our greetings to all.''

It is signed ``Amin,'' which is Al-Arian's middle name and among the names commonly appearing throughout the government evidence in his terror-support trial. The fax, which Al-Arian was unable to send for three days, was entered into evidence Thursday in the trial that charges him and three other men with racketeering, conspiracy and providing material support for terrorists.

The fax was sent to a telephone number in Damascus, Syria, where the Islamic Jihad is based.

In addition, prosecutors submitted an Islamic Jihad communique issued a day after the attack claiming responsibility and saying it was revenge for Israelis' slaying of a Palestinian professor and editor.

Prosecutors acknowledge they have no evidence to show Al-Arian ever planned an attack or knew about one in advance, but they contend a series of exhibits admitted by U.S. District Judge James Moody on Thursday, including the bicycle-attack evidence, shows Al-Arian was among the first people notified afterward.

The Islamic Jihad communique was faxed to his home, as were other announcements in evidence and correspondence with the Islamic Jihad's founder, Fathi Shikaki.

FBI agents obtained copies of the communications through warrants secured under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law that authorizes eavesdropping on people suspected of being agents of a foreign power or terrorist group. Intelligence agents have had the copies for years, but they only became available to criminal investigators in 2002 when Justice Department policies on handling the evidence were tossed out by a secret review court.

In addition, prosecutors say they found the wills of three Islamic Jihad attackers on a computer at the World and Islam Studies Enterprise, a think tank Al-Arian founded.

On April 6, 1992, the three men participated in a suicide attack on Israeli soldiers that killed two people and injured five others.

Computer records indicate the wills were entered into WISE computers four days later.

``If we cannot destroy today this house, the Jews' state, we can ignite a fire in its regions,'' attacker Khaled Muhammed Hassan wrote. ``And if we ignite it everywhere, no one will be able to extinguish it. We should charge the atmosphere of enmity and create a flammable Jihad climate that needs a match stick only.''

Nizar Mahmoud urged others to follow his path: ``Brothers, martyrdom is not similar to desperation, suffering or difficulty, but it is the judgment of God on Judgment Day.''

Moody cautioned jurors that possessing the wills is not a crime and that they must find the defendants were part of a criminal conspiracy before using the wills against them.

He issued a similar instruction about a 1981 document agents found in Al-Arian's home during a 1995 search. The document is an outline for The Center for Studies, Intelligence and Information.

Federal prosecutor Alexis Collins called the outline ``a trade craft manual for running an intelligence organization from a university'' and said Al- Arian has publicly acknowledged possessing it.

Al-Arian has said the document was written by children at a camp.

Defense attorney Linda Moreno fought against the handwritten document making it into the record, calling it hearsay. It appears to have several authors, she said, and no one has said Al-Arian was one of them. She also said the document was dated 1981, three years before federal prosecutors claim the conspiracy to support the Islamic Jihad started.

Possessing the document is not a crime, Moody told the jury.

The trial will resume Monday morning. Prosecutors say they have about 90 more translations to enter into evidence. After that, jurors may spend months listening to agents read the contents of the intercepted telephone calls and faxes.

Reporter Michael Fechter can be reached at (813) 259-7621.

http://www.tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGB910WYFBE.html

[NYer]

Memo Warns Hospitals Of Possible Terror Attacks

POSTED: 5:59 pm PDT July 22, 2005

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Action News 8 has learned of a memo in which the California Department of Homeland Security warns state hospitals they should consider themselves potential al-Qaida terror targets.


Earlier this month, the U.S. government learned that hospitals across the country could be terror targets, which is why the California Hospital Association sent a letter to hospitals statewide, warning them of the threat.

In the letter, the California Department of Homeland Security warns that al-Qaida may be planning attacks on hospitals in September or October of this year.

Although the government says the information is uncorroborated, it is urging hospital employees to be vigilant.

The source specifically mentioned the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, but emergency centers nationwide have been warned.

"Hospitals are a key piece of infrastructure," said California Homeland Security spokesman Gary Winuk. "If there is to be an attack somewhere, particularly biological or chemical, they're the first line of defense. So, we're very concerned about them and a number of other sectors."

The government source told homeland security officials that nuclear facilities and military and civilian airports are also possible targets.

http://www.theksbwchannel.com/news/4760426/detail.html

[NYer]

NY Muslim Group Linked to bin Laden Supporters
By Sherrie Gossett
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
July 18, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - An American Muslim group under federal investigation is actually the U.S. division of a Pakistan-based faction with ties to Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, according to notes from an official meeting that were posted on an obscure Middle Eastern website and obtained by Cybercast News Service.

Members of that U.S. division -- the New York City-based Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) -- have publicly denied any connections to Jama'at-i-Islami (JI), Pakistan's most influential Islamist organization. But notes from a forum ICNA sponsored in New York City in 2000 contradict those denials.

"Jama'at-i-Islami's supporters in America have an organization ... known as ICNA," according to the meeting notes, which were originally posted on a now-defunct Lebanese Internet portal. Three experts in the politics of Islam have confirmed for Cybercast News Service that ICNA serves as the U.S. branch of JI.

The meeting notes also indicate that Qazi Hussein Ahmed, the president of JI, served as the sole representative of the Islamic Circle of North America at the meeting in Woodside, N.Y., five years ago.


ICNA's peaceful rhetoric, relayed by many in the media, stands in stark contrast to the statements issued by Jama'at-i-Islami.

Qazi Hussein Ahmed has called the United States a "world terrorist." He has also advocated "martyrdom operations" in Iraq, Israel, Chechnya and Kashmir. JI boasts of maintaining "close brotherly relations" with and "practical links" to the Middle Eastern terrorist group Hamas.

...

New York meeting advocated jihad

Notes from the meeting in Woodside, N.Y., on July 15, 2000, warned that the United States was the "Antichrist" and declared that "jihad is on" against the "U.S. superpower." Dubbed a "uniting forum" and an "unusual event," the meeting brought together ICNA and a smaller Baltimore-based group.

The forum was organized by Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan, professor of economics at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Khan, in an interview earlier this month with Cybercast News Service, confirmed key details of the meeting.

Ahmed spoke in Urdu, a language native to Pakistan, about jihad as a comprehensive concept covering not only armed struggle, but also proper education, media and the raising of children to be good Muslims.

"Our relationship with Allah is the main motivation for participation in jihad," Ahmed told the hundreds of people jammed into the hall, according to the meeting notes.

Islam must be translated into political dominance, he added. "The sword and the Qur'an go together," Ahmed said. The meeting notes say Ahmed's comments were "very popular with the audience," which repeatedly responded with "Allahu Akbar" (God is great.)

"Those reading about these connections between ICNA and JI should be shocked," said Barsky, adding: "Something should be done about it."

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archiv e\200507\SPE20050718b.html

[NYer]

Authorities Arrest Men With NYC Maps, Video

July 26, 2005 — Five Egyptian men with maps of the New York City subway system and video of New York landmarks have been arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark, N.J., ABC News has learned.

FBI and law enforcement officials told ABC News the five men — four illegal immigrants and one law enforcement fugitive — were arrested Sunday night following a tip to the Newark Police Department. In addition to the subway maps and video, the men had train schedules and $8,000 in $20 and $50 bills.

The men were identified as: Karim Ahmed Abdel Latif Ahmed, 21; his brother Mahoud Ahmed Abdel Latif Ahmed, 19; Ahmed Mohamed Atta, 30; Mohamed Ibrahim Gaber, 34, and Mohamed Palat Anwar Jozain. When Newark authorities converged at the group's location at 246 Ferry St., Karim Ahmed answered the door and agreed to allow police to enter. Officers said they noticed the maps, and video cameras and Karim and his brother agreed to a search.

Karim said he had the maps because he had a new job as a street vendor. Initially, Karim said no one else was in the apartment, but police came upon the three other men upon further search.

FBI officials said the men have no known link to a terror network but noted that none of them could adequately explain the items they had in their possession, the large amount of money or their reasons for being in the United States. Mohamed Ibrahim Gaber has been a fugitive since he jumped ship from an Egyptian flagged freighter in September 2000.

The men, all of whom claimed to be unemployed civil or chemical engineers, are set to be deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Reported by ABC News' Richard Esposito.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=978963&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[Ono]

Attack in California?

California's Department of Homeland Security is warning hospitals in Los Angeles and San Diego of a possible terrorist attack. The department says it received "uncorroborated information" in early July that Al Qaeda has planned attacks in Los Angeles and San Diego. It quotes a U.S. government source saying eight trained pilots are already in the U.S., and nearly a dozen Al Qaeda members in California are helping them plan attacks using planes hijacked from Mexico or India. Their top targets are said to include a nuclear facility, a military or civilian airport, or a major hospital. The attacks are said to be planned for September or October. The department says it is warning people even though the information is uncorroborated, so people can keep their eyes open for anything suspicious.

http://www.ksee24.com/Story.aspx?preview=&type=ln&NStoryID=439

[NYer]

July 29, 2005 -- Meanwhile, the War on Terror was being fought in New York City yes terday.

U.S. District Court Judge Sterling Johnson, a former narcotics special prosecutor, sent an important message yesterday when he handed down a 75-year prison sentence — the maximum term — against a Yemeni cleric who boasted on tape of having funneled $20 million to Osama bin Laden.

Sheik Mohammed Al Hassan al-Moayad was caught on tape promising two FBI informants in Germany he would send $2 million to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. A jury convicted him of conspiracy to aid Hamas and al Qaeda.

Those conversations, which Judge Johnson labeled "chilling," convinced the jury that the 57-year-old cleric — who used to call himself bin Laden's spiritual adviser — was hardly the man of peace as described by his lawyers.

Indeed, the sheik's attorneys pleaded for a lenient sentence, citing his work with charitable organizations — but prosecutors noted that those groups "are actually well-documented terrorist front organizations that finance al Qaeda and Hamas terrorist operations."

There is more to terrorism, in other words, than suicide bombers.

As U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said in a pre-sentencing statement: "Those who finance terrorist attacks, and rejoice in the murder of innocent victims, are no different from those who plant the bombs or carry the backpacks. Money is the lifeblood of terrorism, and this master terrorist financier richly deserves the maximum sentence imposed today."


http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/50540.htm

[Ono]

... :)

[NYer]

Shooting the Messenger ...


CBS Yanks Report(er)

Boston Reporter Fired, Terror Story Quashed


Was a veteran CBS radio reporter sacked after complaining about her spiked terrorism reporting?

That's what Flo Jonic, now fired from WBZ-AM Boston, claims. Among the allegations: that her report on weak security at Boston's One Center Plaza was pulled, after FBI complaints.

When Jonic sent a scathing newsroom memo, objecting to the censorship, she was immediately fired by local CBS/Infinity Broadcasting management.

Industry trade publication All Access and reporter Perry Simon broke the story:

ALL ACCESS hears that JONIC uncovered serious security flaws at the ONE CENTER PLAZA building, including being able to enter the building without significant security screening and the presence of a car rental agency on the ground floor, but that the FBI told station and INFINITY management that the story would be dangerous and an aid to terrorists by identifying weaknesses in security, and the story was not aired.

Radio industry insiders and listeners are debating the termination's impact. Some claim WBZ's evening talk hosts have been prohibited from discussing the matter, but offer no evidence.

Newsroom morale is said to have plunged at the station and a decent level of industry outrage is beginning to develop.

Blute and Scotto, hosts at rival WRKO, a conservative Rush Limbaugh affiliate, skewered WBZ during Thursday's show. They expressed disbelief that the FBI could be allowed to program WBZ and wondered what was wrong with exposing anti-terrorism weaknesses.

WBZ, like some of CBS's other news/talk stations nationwide, exists in radio time warp where the boat is never rocked, in news coverage, or talk programming.

Is it really that dangerous to report our country's need to plug its many security holes, for the sake of fighting terrorism? Or do we pretend we're safer than is really the case?

Something else: do you really think terrorists don't have a pretty good idea where to find the easy hits? For years, they've been looking around for the next targets. Might as well alert the public, don't you think?

WBZ's evening talk shows avoid controversial topics, or drawing attention to themselves. Other than the occasional fawning Boston Globe coverage, WBZ's personalities don't generate much publicity.

On the news end, though, WBZ features Boston's only remaining large radio newsroom. Jonic's termination and their resulting credibility loss threatens WBZ's major asset: the Bay State's strongest radio news image.

Can CBS afford another major news flap, when its image is still badly damaged after last year's Rathergate fiasco? If WBZ has any sense, they'll give Jonic her job back, in short order.

Update: The Boston Herald is really playing up the troublemaker reporter aspect, which is annoying. This is high-pressure, big city journalism and things get heated in these settings. Reports of Jonic's occasional outbursts don't seem to reflect terribly unusual behavior for the news business.

Also, I don't buy this theory, expressed in the Herald story:

Some WBZ insiders are wondering whether the radio station did indeed cave, or whether higher-ups actually liked the story and opted to hold it until a period when ratings would be higher – perhaps September.

It's not typical in radio to put investigative pieces in the bank, to be used months later, that's somebody with a TV news mindset, speculating.

If they liked it, they would use it now, then follow up in September if needed, as to whether building security improvements were indeed made.

Firing one of the city's best broadcast journalists because of an email memo is a sure sign of an overreaction. There aren't many good radio reporters anymore and someone with Jonic's expertise isn't likely to be found, given this industry's ever-shrinking talent pool.

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2005/08/cbs-radio-reporter-fired-after-report.html

[NYer]

Feds charge DMV workers for selling bogus licenses
By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER

Four DMV workers in Oakland took cash bribes from illegal immigrants and others in exchange for driver's licenses or state identification cards, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The workers as well as four "brokers" who solicited customers for the scheme are charged with crimes punishable by decades in prison, after an investigation by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, California Highway Patrol, FBI and Internal Revenue Service.

License and state ID fraud has been a growing national security concern since seven of the Sept. 11 hijackers obtained real Virginia identification cards using fake residency certificates provided by bribed Virginians; an eighth apparently obtained a California license using a since-closed loophole in the state's application requirements.

Congress was told these documents let the terrorists move freely to meet, plan, case their targets, open bank accounts, rent cars, take flying lessons and ultimately board the fateful airplanes.

"We have no information that leads us to conclude there were any nefarious intentions ... no indication that someone was trying to access this type of document for any national security reasons," U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan, Northern California's top federal prosecutor, said Thursday of the Oakland case.

"But in a post-9/11 world we need to be very careful to monitor the integrity of the legal documents we use in every aspect of our life."

John McClellan, the DMV Licensing Operations Division's deputy director, said in a news release there is "zero tolerance for employees who try to 'game' the system and betray the positions of trust they are given."

"It's almost impossible to get by all of the security and systems safeguards we now have in place," he added. "Thanks to the FBI and our own staff of sworn officers, we've subsequently clamped down with even stiffer security measures to prevent this kind of thing ever happening again."

A federal grand jury indictment handed up July 14 but sealed until Thursday
claims DMV worker Frances Aliganga, 53, of Fairfield conspired with Veronica Rivera, 53, of Daly City in a cash-for-licenses scam from November 2003 through this June.

The indictment claims Rivera — not a DMV worker — offered illegal immigrants licenses or ID cards for $3,000 to $4,500 cash apiece. She's accused of providing real but fraudulently obtained Social Security numbers for them to use, arranging for them to meet Aliganga and keeping about half the money for herself.

Aliganga, a licensing and registration examiner, then granted these people licenses, the indictment says. She is accused of noting they provided proof of legal presence when they actually had not; entering bogus Social Security numbers for some; and issuing licenses to people who had never taken written tests or driving exams.

The duo's conspiracy led to about 200 fraudulent licenses and ID cards being issued, the indictment claims. A half-dozen other DMV workers were accused in separate criminal complaints.

Aliganga and Rivera each face two conspiracy counts, each punishable by up to five years in federal prison; five counts of mail fraud, each punishable by up to 20 years; and five counts of fraud in connection with false identification documents, each punishable by up to 15 years. Each of the 12 counts also is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.

The pair appeared in court in June after charges were filed against them in a criminal complaint; Rivera is free on $500,000 bond while Aliganga remains in custody. Both are scheduled to go before a judge Monday.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/searchresults/ci_2915789

[NYer]

SEC Seeks Information From DaimlerChrysler

By MATT MOORE, AP Business Writer Tue Aug 9, 8:56 AM ET

FRANKFURT, Germany - DaimlerChrysler AG was asked for a written statement and documents regarding its role in the U.N.'s oil-for-food program, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


The German-American automaker said in a filing that the SEC had asked it for details on any role it may have had in the scandal-tainted program, set up to govern the sale of Iraqi oil under Saddam Hussein, and to see if the company had violated any provisions.

DaimlerChrysler spokesman Toni Melfi declined to comment Tuesday.

"It is our position that we cannot comment," he said. "It is an ongoing investigation."

Melfi wouldn't say if the documents had been turned over to the SEC yet or to what extent DaimlerChrysler was involved in the oil-for-food program.

The massive program was launched in 1996 to help Iraqis cope with U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. It allowed Saddam's regime to sell oil, provided the proceeds went primarily to buy humanitarian goods and pay war reparations. Saddam allegedly sought to curry favor by giving former government officials, journalists and others vouchers for Iraqi oil that could then be resold at a profit.

In DaimlerChrysler's July 28 filing, the company said it received the SEC's request after the commission "supplemented the formal order of investigation to add DaimlerChrysler to the list of named companies. In that regard we received an order from the SEC to provide a written statement and to produce certain documents regarding transactions in that program."

On Monday, a U.N.-backed committee investigating the overall program accused its former chief, Benon Sevan, of corruption for taking illegal kickbacks and recommended his immunity from prosecution be lifted.

The Independent Inquiry Committee led by former U.S.
Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker will issue a final report next month, and will examine the U.N. management of the oil-for-food program.

DaimlerChrysler shares were flat Tuesday at 40.46 euros ($50.05) in Frankfurt trading.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050809/ap_on_bi_ge/germany_daimlerchrysler_iraq_2


There was no word as to whether Saddam was entitled to the new Chrysler empoyee discount promotion ...

[NYer]

FBI: Lodi Cleric Connected To Bin Laden
KGO By Mark Matthews

Aug. 9 - The FBI is now drawing a link between their terror investigation in Lodi and Osama bin Laden. The government believes al Qaeda was trying to set up a school in Lodi to recruit terrorists.

The accusations from the FBI came Tuesday morning during an immigration hearing for Shabbir Ahmed. He's the 39-year-old religious leader of the Lodi mosque -- one of five men connected to the mosque that have been arrested on immigration charges. Today the government drew links to all five and then to Osama bin Laden.

The FBI says it has information that two of the religious leaders at this Lodi mosque were acting as intermediaries for Osama bin Laden.

More ...
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=politics&id=3334906

[NYer]

Feds Warn That Terrorists May Pose as Homeless
Monday, August 22, 2005


WASHINGTON — Asking for increased vigilance in the wake of the London bombings (search), the government is warning that terrorists may pose as vagrants to conduct surveillance of buildings and mass transit stations to plot future attacks.

"In light of the recent bombings in London, it is crucial that police, fire and emergency medical personnel take notice of their surroundings, and be aware of 'vagrants' who seem out of place or unfamiliar," said the message, distributed via e-mail to some federal employees in Washington by the U.S. Attorney's office.

It is based on a State Department report that was issued last week. The State Department had no immediate comment Monday.

The warning is similar to one issued by the FBI before July 4, 2004 that said terrorists may attempt surveillance disguised as homeless people, shoe shiners, street vendors or street sweepers.

The e-mail stresses that there is no threat of an attack and that it is intended to be "informative, not alarming."

Homeless people easily blend into urban landscapes, the message said.

"This is particularly true of our mass transit systems, where homeless people tend to loiter unnoticed," the e-mail said.

It referred to a recent incident in Somerville, Mass., in which a police officer became suspicious about someone dressed as a street person. The officer questioned the man, discovered he had a passport from a "country of interest" — typically a Middle Eastern or South Asian nation — and a checkbook with a questionable address, the e-mail said. The investigation is continuing, it said.

Somerville police did not immediate provide comment.

Three British citizens were indicted in the United States earlier this year on charges they conducted surveillance of the New York Stock Exchange and other East Coast financial institutions in 2000 and 2001.

Discovery of the alleged terrorist plan last year prompted the Homeland Security Department to raise the terror alert for the targeted buildings, located in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J. Security in those cities also was tightened.

Homeland Security also raised the terror alert for mass transit following the July 7 bombings in London. The alert was lowered on Aug. 12.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166446,00.html

[NYer]

Televangelist Calls for Chavez' Death


Rainbow Chimes
By Associated Press

August 23, 2005, 6:20 AM EDT

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested on-air that American operatives assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said Monday on the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-robertson-assassination,0,1527400,print.story


What A Maroon!

[NYer]

OTH, stories like this make Pat Robertson seem sensible ...

9/11: Chavez financed Al Qaeda, details of $1M donation emerge
http://militaresdemocraticos.com/articulos/en/20021231-01.html

[NYer]

Witness: Islamic Jihad Planned Strike In U.S.

By MICHAEL FECHTER mfechter@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 24, 2005



TAMPA - The Palestinian Islamic Jihad planned an attack inside the United States, but it might have been thwarted by federal law enforcement, an FBI agent testified Tuesday afternoon.

Agent Kerry Myers said all information about the plot was classified and he could not discuss it.

He made the revelation early in his cross-examination as a witness in the terror-support trial of former University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian and three other men. U.S. District Judge James Moody later ordered prosecutors to present evidence about the plot to him during a closed meeting in his chambers to determine whether defense attorneys should have access to it.

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBHQF7YQCE.html

[NYer]

Islamists seek to organize hackers' jihad in cyberspace

By Shaun Waterman
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
August 26, 2005

A Web forum for Muslim extremists is calling on its members to organize an Islamist hackers' army to carry out Internet attacks against the U.S. government.
The site has posted tips, software and links to other resources to help would-be cyber-warriors.
The Jamestown Foundation, a District-based nonprofit with a history of extensive ties to the CIA, said that it has monitored postings on a new section of an extremist bulletin board called al-Farooq.
According to Jeffrey Poole, a researcher for the foundation, the forum "represents a how-to manual for the disruption and/or destruction of enemy electronic resources, including e-mail, Web sites and computer hardware."
The new section was set up two weeks ago, according to a briefing written by Mr. Poole and distributed by the foundation, which added that one member of the forum has called for the creation of an Islamist organization, which he dubbed "Jaish al-Hacker al-Islami," the Islamic Hacker's Army.
The would-be Islamist cyber-warrior, who calls himself "Achrafe," pointed out that organization of large numbers of attackers is a key force multiplier in some forms of Web warfare -- such as denial-of- service attacks in which the target's servers are bombarded with so many requests for information from other parts of the Internet that they effectively are shut down.
The foundation described in detail a "hacker library" maintained on the al-Farooq site, offering special software that can be used to steal passwords; tools and tips on anonymous Web surfing; and programs the site says can destroy or disable a target computer if installed on it.
Ron Gula, a former National Security Agency official who worked on computer security issues, said that many of the hacking efforts made by such groups are "amateurish" and "lost in the background noise" of other hackers and Internet criminals.
"Between 1 and 5 percent of the Internet is infected [with viruses, spyware, worms or other malicious software] at any one time," Mr. Gula said.
So-called keystroke logs -- which record every letter typed into a computer -- were among the programs offered for download on al-Farooq. The software can be used to learn passwords and log-in information.
Once the program is clandestinely installed on a computer, typically via a virus or an unwitting download, the records of the key strokes are transmitted to the hacker, giving him access to password-protected computer systems.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050825-111136-2852r.htm

[NYer]

Four Indicted in Alleged U.S. Terror Plot

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 1, 6:57 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - Four men, including the head of a radical Islamic prison gang, were indicted on federal charges of plotting terrorist attacks against military facilities, the Israeli Consulate and synagogues in Los Angeles.


U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in announcing the charges Wednesday in Washington, D.C., referred to the London mass transit attacks in July.

"Some in this country mistakenly believed it could not happen here. Today we have chilling evidence that it is possible," he said.

Named in the indictment were Levar Haley Washington, 25; Gregory Vernon Patterson, 21; Hammad Riaz Samana, 21; and Kevin James, 29.

The four conspired to wage war against the U.S. government through terrorism, kill armed service members and murder foreign officials, according to the indictment.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050901/ap_on_re_us/terrorism_probe_8

[NYer]

Follow-up ...

Florida court upholds ban of Muslim woman’s veil in driver’s licence
(AP)

8 September 2005


DAYTONA BEACH (Florida) — A Muslim woman who, for religious reasons, wanted to wear a veil in her driver’s licence photo must follow a Florida law that requires a picture of her full face, a state appeals court ruled.

The Fifth District Court of Appeal upheld a 2003 ruling by an Orlando judge that Sultaana Freeman’s right to free exercise of religion would not be burdened by the photo requirement.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/September/theworld_September215.xml&section=theworld&col=

For more info ... http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/sultaana1.html

[experiencediz]

Powell remains pained by 2003 U-N speech
September 8, 2005 3:44 PM

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says his pre-Iraq war speech to the United Nations will always be a "blot" on his record.

Powell accused Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction in a speech to the United Nations in February 2003. His presentation lent credibility to President Bush's case for going to war to remove Saddam Hussein.

But Powell now says the episode "was painful" and "is painful now."

Powell made the comments in an interview with A-B-C's Barbara Walters.

Powell says he relied on information from the C-I-A but that the intelligence system "did not work well." He says some people in the intelligence community knew the information was unreliable but didn't speak up. And he says he found that to be devastating.

•Powell remains pained by 2003 U-N speech (http://www.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5155&ContentID=x51828&Layout=KBCI.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154&URL=http://localhost/apwirefeed/d8cgbtn00.xml&NewsSection=BreakingNewsHeadlines)

[NYer]

More Katrina bad news ...

NOLA's Biolab Mystery

Anybody know what happened to New Orleans' anthrax labs? That's the excellent and scary question Defense Tech pal Russ Kick asks over at the Memory Hole.

In and around the Big Easy are a number of Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) labs, meant to handle some of the nastier biological agents out there -- stuff like anthrax, plague, and genetically-engineering mousepox. Louisiana State University’s Medical School and the State of Louisiana both ran BSL-3s within the city. Tulane kept 5,000 monkeys for biodefense studies in its "National Primate Research Center," located in nearby Covington.

"What's happened to the infected animals? Are they free and roaming?" Russ wants to know. "Are they dead, with their diseased bodies floating in the flood waters? And what about the cultures and vials of the diseases? Are they still secure? Are they being stolen? Were they washed away, now forming part of the toxic soup that coats the city?"

And not to turn the fear dial up any higher, but, if the national average is any guide, the keepers of the Louisiana labs weren't particularly experienced. 97 percent of the "principal investigators" who got biodefense grants from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases were newbies to that kind of work.

The government oversight these neophytes get is minimal, at best. Instead, the labs are expected to police themselves, through "Institutional Biosafety Committees." But the records of these committees is, to put it politely, uneven. When the Sunshine Project, a biowatchdog group, "asked for all minutes of all meetings of [Tulane's] IBC since January 1st, 2002, Tulane replied that it has no responsive documents. That is, Tulane University cannot produce a single page of minutes of any Institutional Biosafety Committee meeting for the past two and half years."
September 9, 2005

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001795.html

[Petronas]

Charges dismissed in Islamic charity case
Saturday, September 10, 2005
NOELLE CROMBIE

A federal judge in Eugene on Thursday dismissed criminal charges against a defunct Islamic organization in Ashland, a ruling that preserves the government's ability to bring criminal charges against the charity in the future if they decide to. Al Haramain Islamic Foundation Inc. in Ashland was indicted in February on two tax charges for its role in allegedly laundering $150,000 in donations five years ago to help foreign Islamic fighters. The charity has been designated a terrorist organization by Treasury officials who say the group has links to al-Qaida. Federal prosecutors sought to drop the case against Al Haramain last month, saying it would be a waste to continue because it is a functionless shell. However, the two men who ran the group are considered international fugitives who are wanted by federal authorities.

Pete Seda, an Ashland tree trimmer also known as Perouz Sedaghaty, established the Oregon charity in 1997 with support from a Saudi operation with a similar name. The charity operated a prayer house and distributed Islamic literature to prisoners. The indictment accusing the foundation charged Seda and a Saudi named Soliman Al-Buthe with tax crimes relating to the $150,000 in donations. The indictment said foreign donations deposited with the charity in Ashland were sent overseas by Seda and Al-Buthe to support Islamic fighters in Chechnya. The indictment said Al Haramain reported on its 2000 tax return that the money was used to buy a mosque building in Missouri.

Portland defense lawyer Marc Blackman asked U.S. Magistrate Thomas Coffin to deny the government's motion to dismiss. He argued that the case should either proceed to trial with the current indictment, or that the case be dismissed with prejudice, which would prevent the government from resurrecting the case against the charity. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Cardani said the government's investigation into Al Haramain is ongoing and involves "very serious charges," though he did not elaborate in court on the nature of the charges.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1126350179113670.xml&coll=7

[Petronas]

Briton Gets 47 Years in Jail for Missile Plot
Monday, September 12, 2005

NEWARK, N.J. — A British businessman convicted of trying to smuggle shoulder-launched missiles into the U.S. was sentenced Monday to 47 years in prison, effectively a life sentence for the elderly man. The alleged plot involved the sale of missiles to a group that Hemant Lakhani, 70, thought would use them to shoot down commercial airliners. The weapons' buyer and seller were actually government agents. Lakhani was convicted in April of attempting to provide material support to terrorists, unlawful brokering of foreign defense articles and attempting to import merchandise into the U.S. by means of false statements, plus two counts of money laundering.

Federal prosecutors were seeking the maximum on each count, for a total of 67 years. U.S. District Judge Katharine Hayden rejected pleas for leniency from Lakhani and his wife, referring to what she called his "reprehensible conduct." Lakhani's trial defense hinged on the argument that he was the victim of government entrapment.

He was arrested in August 2003 at a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport where he had been meeting with a government informant posing as a representative of a Somali-based militant group. The government asserted that Lakhani planned to arrange the sale of at least 50 more missiles after the sale of the first one.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169191,00.html

[Petronas]

Exhibit Asks: When Is a Bomb Art?
Tuesday, September 13, 2005

"A Knock at the Door" features stamps depicting a gun to President Bush's head, a straightjacket made from an American flag and what appears to be a suitcase bomb. The artists have received mixed reviews from both the art police and the real police — a few have been questioned, detained and even charged with crimes related to their work. Even those who support the exhibit have questions about some of its displays.

"What is provocative and what is safe and free?" asked Tom Healy, president of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. "I don't have the answer to that in these particular works. And it's not a surprise that authorities would be interested in some of these things. They're works that are pretty hard not to find offensive." And that's the point of the exhibit — not to provide answers but to ask visitors to decide what is offensive and what is art.

For some relatives of Sept. 11, 2001, victims, one answer is clear. "From our point of view, and I think from a lot of Americans' point of view, it's a slap in the face," said Michael Burke, who lost his brother in the terrorist attacks four years ago. "It's meant to appeal to those who agree with it and they look at it and they chuckle, and everyone else it's meant to be offensive to."

The LMCC says it sensitive to the issues surrounding Sept. 11. One of its studios overlooks Ground Zero, where the council lost its office — and one of its artists — in the attacks. But it's hard for many not to get the shivers after looking at the suitcase bomb, especially with the artist, Chris Hackett, facing firearms charges after the discovery of a weapons cache in his studio when police responded to an explosion caused by one of his other projects. Organizers assure no explosions here — but the exhibit may bomb.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169293,00.html

[Petronas]

'Mohamed Atta' bomb threat forces Portland airport evacuation

The Portland International Jetport was back to normal Wednesday following a late-night bomb threat purportedly signed by the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The airport was evacuated Tuesday night and passengers arriving by plane were shuttled to a nearby hotel. The ensuing police search failed to turn up anything.

South Portland police received a hang-up 911 call shortly at about 9:30 p.m. that led them to a pay phone at a strip mall where they found a note signed by "Mohamed Atta" warning that the airport would be destroyed at 11 p.m., said Jeff Monroe, Portland's transportation director. Atta passed through the Portland airport the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, before joining other terrorists in Boston and hijacking a plane that was flown into the World Trade Center in New York.

Portland police, along with South Portland, Maine State Police and Cumberland County Sheriff's Department bomb-detection dogs, searched the terminal, the parking garage and eight planes that were parked at the airport, Monroe said. During the search, a total of 375 passengers on eight inbound planes were taken by bus from the runway directly to the nearby Embassy Suites instead of the terminal, Monroe said. Baggage handlers took luggage from the plane directly to the hotel, where it was distributed to passengers. The search ended at 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, about 15 minutes after the final flight landed.

Monroe said the search and evacuation went smoothly, but everybody waited anxiously while standing outside the airport at 11 p.m. _ the time the note indicated a bomb would go off. "I was wondering if I should put my fingers in my ears," Monroe said.

http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=85953

[Petronas]

Wiretap mosques, Romney suggests
September 15, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Governor Mitt Romney raised the prospect of wiretapping mosques and conducting surveillance of foreign students in Massachusetts, as he issued a broad call yesterday for the federal government to devote far more money and attention to domestic intelligence gathering.

In remarks that caused alarm among civil libertarians and advocates for immigrants rights, Romney said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation that the United States needs to radically rethink how it guards itself against terrorism. ''How many individuals are coming to our state and going to those institutions who have come from terrorist-sponsored states?" he said, referring to foreign students who attend universities in Massachusetts. ''Do we know where they are? Are we tracking them?"

''How about people who are in settings -- mosques, for instance -- that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror," Romney continued. ''Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following what's going on?" As he ponders a potential run for president in 2008, Romney has positioned himself as a homeland security expert: He sits on a federal homeland security advisory council, is active on the issue with the National Governors Association, and repeatedly speaks about the lessons the country has learned from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and, more recently, from Hurricane Katrina.

Romney, who referred to himself yesterday as ''red-state folk," has also struck more conservative postures on social issues that may alienate voters in Massachusetts but endear him to the Republican electorate nationwide; his tough talk on antiterrorism measures could also earn him support among conservatives.

His latest message is that the United States needs to shift its focus from response to prevention: Instead of spending billions on training and equipment to react to an attack, he argues, the country ought to work on stopping one. ''It is virtually impossible to have a homeland security system based upon the principles only of protecting key assets and response," he told an audience of about 100. ''The key to a multilayered strategy begins with effective prevention, and, for me, prevention begins with intelligence and counterterror activity."

But that activity is deeply troubling to civil rights groups. Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, called the methods Romney suggested misguided and ineffective. Tracking people based on their ethnicity, he said, will only sow resentment among immigrant communities and prevent their cooperation with authorities. ''Blanket eavesdropping and blanket profiling only erodes the safety and security of our country," Noorani said. ''People who really know what national security is and what intelligence is realize that we need to build trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities."

Elyes Yaich, president of the Islamic Society of Northeastern University, said that foreign students, especially those from Islamic countries, already face unfair scrutiny coming to the United States and that subjecting them to specialized monitoring would further invade their right to privacy. ''It's something that shouldn't happen," Yaich said. ''If they're going to do surveillance, why not do it for synagogues and churches, too?"

Nancy Murray, director of education for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said international students are already forced to submit personal data to a federal database designed to let the government closely track them. Keeping closer tabs would only cause a greater chilling effect on scholars coming here from other countries. ''Now they're beginning to think, 'Well, why don't we just go somewhere else?' " Murray said. ''We are really going to fall behind. It's very shortsighted."

Asked to respond to that criticism, Romney spokeswoman Julie Teer said last night that the governor has a ''realistic view" of what it takes to fight terrorism. ''The governor believes we can strike a balance between what is necessary to protect our homeland while respecting individual freedom and liberty," Teer said.

Romney said he believes that both state and federal governments have a role in intelligence-gathering. It is the FBI's job to do wiretapping and surveillance, he said, but Massachusetts has a responsibility to collect any useful information it can. Central to that is a facility opened last year at the State Police headquarters in Framingham designed to be the clearinghouse for a variety of intelligence gathered in the state. At the facility, which state officials call ''the fusion center," analysts armed with tips and information from residents, police, water-meter readers, and others, will pore through the data, look for patterns, and contact Washington about anything noteworthy.

Romney wants to see every state have such a system, which allows it to easily send intelligence to Washington and easily get intelligence back. ''It's the state's responsibility to figure out how to gather that information and fuse it together . . . to determine where the real threats exist," Romney said.

The ACLU has been critical of the fusion center. The group has asked whether collecting loads of data, much of which is sure to prove useless, is the most effective way to prevent a terrorist attack. ''It just seems like we're getting more and more driven by the need to fight the war on terrorism in a very counterproductive way," Murray said.

Romney stressed in his address at the Heritage Foundation that the country's antiterrorism and military operations have to be ''nimble, agile, and fast-moving." He said the distribution of antiterrorism money after 9/11 was haphazard and ineffective. Cities and towns in Massachusetts and nationwide seized the opportunity to buy new fire trucks and unnecessary equipment, he said. ''It was everybody grabbing money as fast as we could." If the response to Hurricane Katrina was any indication, the extra funds did not appear to have helped, he said.

Romney was one of the first high-profile Republicans to criticize the federal government's response to the hurricane, calling it ''an embarrassment." But in the two weeks since, he has reserved most of his criticism for state and local governments, in particular Louisiana's Democratic governor, Kathleen Blanco. Yesterday, Romney did not criticize Blanco by name, though he did so implicitly a few times. At one point, he said that one clear failure in the response to Katrina was a lack of ''fast-moving decision-making and clear authority." He said there would be no such leadership vacuum if a disaster hit Massachusetts. ''In my state, it's me," he said. ''The governor's in charge. I got it." Answering a question yesterday about the National Guard, Romney said he believes there is no need for a military draft, calling it ''totally unnecessary."

The Heritage audience was highly receptive to Romney yesterday, giving him a rousing welcome and lengthy applause as he concluded his remarks. The foundation promotes study of issues important to conservatives.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/09/15/wiretap_mosques_romney_suggests/

[Casey]

Is it the right approach?

US academics urge Americans to listen to al-Qaeda

Leading academics say governments will have to seek truce with Al-Qaeda sooner or later.

By Michel Moutot - PARIS

Writing in a US newspaper earlier this month, a leading expert on Al-Qaeda at Harvard University courted controversy by suggesting that people in the United States should spend more time listening to the demands of Islamic extremists.


Derided by critics as an apologist for Al-Qaeda, Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou questioned the US reaction to the September 11 attacks in an article that observers say demonstrates a more open public debate about responses to Osama bin Laden and his conspirators.


"Since the attacks on New York and Washington, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have delivered, respectively, 18 and 15 messages via audio or videotape making a three-part case: The United States must end its military presence in the Middle East, its uncritical political support and military aid of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, and its support of corrupt and coercive regimes in the Arab and Muslim world," wrote Mohamedou in the Boston Globe under the headline "Time to talk to Al Qaeda?"


He said that "developing a strategy for the next phase of the global response to Al Qaeda requires understanding the enemy".


Mohamedou cited the analysis of the former head of the "bin Laden unit" at the CIA, Michael Scheuer, who is now a fierce critic of the Bush administration and its "War on Terror" policy.


During a recent speech at the US Army War College, Scheuer said that both militant and non-militant Muslims hated the United States "for what we do in the Islamic world, not for our democratic beliefs and civil liberties".


The speech was called "no strategy can defeat an enemy you refuse to understand".


The willingness of academics and opinion leaders in the US to address the issue in public reveals a change in the political climate inside the United States, according to some observers.


Francois Burgat, a leading expert on the Arab world at France's national research institute, the CNRS, said the change in tone was "the start of a critical reassessment of the logic of the whole security policy".


He continued: "The evolution is doubtless the result of a worsening of the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lessons of the attacks in London have also been learnt: the threat of terrorism can resist the formidable security deployment."


Another academic, an expert in responses to disasters at New York University, Allen Zerkin, said that governments would have to seek a truce with Al-Qaeda sooner or later.


"To be sure, the terrorists can't win this war, but neither can we," he said, citing examples in Britain with the IRA and in France with the FLN from Algeria.


Research by Robert Pape at Chicago University has also challenged the commonly held belief that the motivations for terrorism are religious fanaticism.


Pape said he was "surprised" to discover from the study of 463 suicide bombings that "what over 95 percent of all suicide attacks around the world since 1980 until today have in common is not religion, but a clear, strategic objective: to compel a modern democracy to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland."

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=14645

[NYer]

Is it the right approach?



Casey, as I'm sure you're aware, Dan Darling weighs in with an emphatic "NO."

How about not?
by Dan Darling at September 23, 2005 07:52 AM

I'm not sure whether or not this is related to the recent resurgence of the US anti-war movement, but there have been two articles published over the last couple of weeks by academics (who else?) arguing that what we really need to do is negotiate with al-Qaeda.

This sentiment isn't all that new, as I believe that UC Irvine's Mark LeVine argued back in 2004 that what we really need is for the US to declare a truce with radical Islam. How exactly this is supposed to occur given that LeVine probably sees the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism as more of a "social movement" than an organized terror network is beyond me, but at the time I more or less dismissed his theory as being something that was so patently stupid on its surface that only an academic could believe it. The same is true of Pape's occupation = terrorism foolishness, though at least that line pretends to follow some semblance of rational argumentation.

Well, two other academics recently published in the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times appear to arguing more or less the same thing. I'll spare the whole "how dare the liberal media demean the sacrifices of our troops by peddling this crap during wartime" riff for now, so let me examine the substance of their arguments.

First of all, the two academics in question are Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, the Associate Director of the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard and Allen J. Zerkin, a research fellow at New York University's Center for Catastrophic Preparedness and Response and an adjunct professor at its Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. I have never heard of them before this and I'm sure they're nice people, but their arguments are little more than lunacy.

Read the whole thing ...
http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/007562.php

[NYer]

Freeman, I didn't know you were an Imam ...


Incoming FDNY chaplain questions 9/11 story




BY CAROL EISENBERG
STAFF WRITER

September 30, 2005


An imam slated to be sworn in Friday as the second Muslim chaplain in Fire Department history said he questioned whether 19 hijackers were responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and suggested a broader conspiracy may have brought down the Twin Towers and killed more than 2,700 people.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Imam Intikab Habib, 30, a native of Guyana who studied Islam in Saudi Arabia, said he doubted the United States government's official story blaming 19 hijackers associated with al-Quaida and Osama bin Laden.

"I as an individual don't know who did the attacks," said Habib, 30, a soft-spoken man who immigrated to New York in July 2000 after spending six years in Saudi Arabia getting a degree in Islamic theology and law. "There are so many conflicting reports about it. I don't believe it was 19 ... hijackers who did those attacks."

Asked to elaborate on his reasons for doubting that story, he talked about video and news reports widely disseminated in the Muslim community.

"I've heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did a steel building come down with fire alone," he said. "It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours. Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?"

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-imam0930,0,219637.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

[NYer]

Follow-up ...

Imam resigns as incoming FDNY chaplain after report




BY CAROL EISENBERG
STAFF WRITER

September 30, 2005, 12:04 PM EDT

An imam slated to be sworn in today as the second Muslim chaplain in Fire Department history, instead resigned after making controversial remarks on the Sept. 11 attacks in an interview with Newsday.

"The Fire Department this morning received the resignation of Imam Intikab Habib from his position of FDNY Chaplain," said FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta. "Based on comments he made to Newsday, Imam Intikab Habib would have been unable to effectively serve in the role he was appointed to."

http://www.nynewsday.com/nyc-imam01,0,995232,print.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-span

[Casey]

US car theft rings probed for ties to Iraq bombings
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | October 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The FBI's counterterrorism unit has launched a broad investigation of US-based theft rings after discovering that some of the vehicles used in deadly car bombings in Iraq, including attacks that killed US troops and Iraqi civilians, were probably stolen in the United States, according to senior government officials.

Inspector John E. Lewis, deputy assistant director of the FBI for counterterrorism, told the Globe that the investigation hasn't yielded any evidence that the vehicles were stolen specifically for car bombings. But there is evidence, he said, that the cars were smuggled from the United States as part of a widespread criminal network that includes terrorists and insurgents.

Cracking the car theft rings and tracing the cars could help identify the leaders of insurgent forces in Iraq and shut down at least one of the means they use to attack the US-led coalition and the Iraqi government, the officials said.

The inquiry began after coalition troops raided a bomb-making factory in Fallujah last November and found a sport utility vehicle registered in Texas that was being prepared for a bombing mission.

Investigators said they are comparing several other cases where vehicles evidently stolen in the United States wound up in Syria or other Middle East countries and ultimately into the hands of Iraqi insurgent groups -- including Al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.

Citing the sensitive nature of the ongoing inquiry, investigators wouldn't say how many specific cases they have found, and FBI spokesman Edwin Cogswell in Washington did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

But Lewis said the origins of the vehicles in question were unearthed by tracing the vehicle identification numbers, or VINs -- a standard production marker stamped on during manufacture -- as well as through other forensic tools such as auto parts. Some of the automobiles can be easily identified, specialists said, while others have had their VINs ground down or have been fitted with fake ones.

Investigators believe the cars were stolen by local car thieves in US cities, then smuggled to waiting ships at ports in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, among other cities. From there they are shipped to black-market dealers all over the world, including in places like Syria where foreign militants fighting in Iraq are thought to be transiting from countries across the region and where they gain critical logistical support.

''It is getting a tremendous amount of attention in the US government," said Steven Emerson, who runs the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington research firm that consults for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. ''We have gotten more calls on this than anything else in the last three or four weeks. [Auto theft] is an unregulated market. Some of the proceeds are going to terrorists."

Citing recent discussions with government investigators, Emerson said Al Qaeda terrorists suspected in suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia in recent years also apparently used cars stolen in the United States.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 1 million cars were stolen from US streets in 2003, the most recent statistics available. Government officials think the vehicles insurgents use were stolen from locations as varied as Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Florida. Arizona reported more than 56,000 vehicles stolen last year, the largest per-capita number of thefts in the country.

Terrorism specialists think Iraqi insurgents prefer American stolen cars because they tend to be larger, blend in more easily with the convoys of US government and private contractors, and are harder to identify as stolen.

The new disclosures are part of a pattern, according to government officials. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies are increasingly finding links between violent Islamic extremists groups and vast criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and car theft.

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has cut off some of the terrorists' access to money, including freezing bank accounts of suspect groups and individuals and pressuring Middle Eastern governments to terminate aid. But terrorist operatives have found other means to raise cash, acquire weapons, or gain other logistical help. Facing greater scrutiny, terrorist groups are increasingly using illegal, highly lucrative business arrangements to support their operations, according to the FBI and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Investigators say the criminal activities that terrorists use to raise money run the gamut from creating and selling fake documents to insurance fraud. Taliban and Al Qaeda followers are thought to be heavily involved in the expanding heroin trade in Afghanistan, and a US-based cigarette smuggling ring was linked to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon

James G. Conway, Jr., legal attache at the US Embassy in Mexico City, told the Globe that ''where you find terrorists you often find some kind of criminal activity."

Car theft, a criminal enterprise that costs US citizens more than $8 billion a year, now seems to have become a new enterprise for some terrorist groups, according to the law enforcement officials and private specialists.

''The car bomb is the top weapon in the world for carrying out terrorist attacks," said Lieutenant Greg Terp, commander of the Miami-Dade Police Department's Auto Theft Task Force. ''These car thieves don't necessarily know that they are financing terrorism, but they might."

Tracing the path of these vehicles from the streets of America to the local ''chop shop" -- where criminal wholesalers process stolen vehicles -- and then on to the black market half a world away could help thwart a terrorist network that has wrought some of the worst violence against US troops and thousands of Iraqi civilians.

''They want to follow it through the whole process so they can identify as many people in the process as they can," Terp said. ''As you go back to the chop shop guy, he may not know the end user is some terrorist, but who are his contacts?"

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/10/02/us_car_theft_rings_probed_for_ties_to_iraq_bombing s?mode=PF

[NYer]

Bomb at OU

By George Schroeder and Diana Baldwin
The Oklahoman

NORMAN -- An explosion near the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family-Memorial Stadium killed one person Saturday night, OU officials said.


A statement from OU president David Boren called the explosion "an individual suicide." The identity of the person killed was not known.

A second device was found in the area and detonated by police around 9:05 p.m.

The first explosion happened during the second quarter of Oklahoma's game against Kansas State. It was unclear late Saturday night if terrorism played a role in the explosions, said Sgt. Gary Robinson of the university police department.

"We had no idea of any threat this week," Robinson said.

Several hours after the first explosion, hazardous device teams continued to comb the area for additional explosives while more than 80,000 fans tried to leave the stadium. People were funneled to the east and south of the stadium, causing snarls in traffic.

http://newsok.com/article/1631436/?template=home/main

[Jake]

US car theft rings probed for ties to Iraq bombings
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | October 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The FBI's counterterrorism unit has launched a broad investigation of US-based theft rings after discovering that some of the vehicles used in deadly car bombings in Iraq, including attacks that killed US troops and Iraqi civilians, were probably stolen in the United States, according to senior government officials.

Inspector John E. Lewis, deputy assistant director of the FBI for counterterrorism, told the Globe that the investigation hasn't yielded any evidence that the vehicles were stolen specifically for car bombings. But there is evidence, he said, that the cars were smuggled from the United States as part of a widespread criminal network that includes terrorists and insurgents.

Cracking the car theft rings and tracing the cars could help identify the leaders of insurgent forces in Iraq and shut down at least one of the means they use to attack the US-led coalition and the Iraqi government, the officials said.

The inquiry began after coalition troops raided a bomb-making factory in Fallujah last November and found a sport utility vehicle registered in Texas that was being prepared for a bombing mission.

Investigators said they are comparing several other cases where vehicles evidently stolen in the United States wound up in Syria or other Middle East countries and ultimately into the hands of Iraqi insurgent groups -- including Al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.

Citing the sensitive nature of the ongoing inquiry, investigators wouldn't say how many specific cases they have found, and FBI spokesman Edwin Cogswell in Washington did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

But Lewis said the origins of the vehicles in question were unearthed by tracing the vehicle identification numbers, or VINs -- a standard production marker stamped on during manufacture -- as well as through other forensic tools such as auto parts. Some of the automobiles can be easily identified, specialists said, while others have had their VINs ground down or have been fitted with fake ones.

Investigators believe the cars were stolen by local car thieves in US cities, then smuggled to waiting ships at ports in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, among other cities. From there they are shipped to black-market dealers all over the world, including in places like Syria where foreign militants fighting in Iraq are thought to be transiting from countries across the region and where they gain critical logistical support.

''It is getting a tremendous amount of attention in the US government," said Steven Emerson, who runs the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington research firm that consults for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. ''We have gotten more calls on this than anything else in the last three or four weeks. [Auto theft] is an unregulated market. Some of the proceeds are going to terrorists."

Citing recent discussions with government investigators, Emerson said Al Qaeda terrorists suspected in suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia in recent years also apparently used cars stolen in the United States.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 1 million cars were stolen from US streets in 2003, the most recent statistics available. Government officials think the vehicles insurgents use were stolen from locations as varied as Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Florida. Arizona reported more than 56,000 vehicles stolen last year, the largest per-capita number of thefts in the country.

Terrorism specialists think Iraqi insurgents prefer American stolen cars because they tend to be larger, blend in more easily with the convoys of US government and private contractors, and are harder to identify as stolen.

The new disclosures are part of a pattern, according to government officials. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies are increasingly finding links between violent Islamic extremists groups and vast criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and car theft.

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has cut off some of the terrorists' access to money, including freezing bank accounts of suspect groups and individuals and pressuring Middle Eastern governments to terminate aid. But terrorist operatives have found other means to raise cash, acquire weapons, or gain other logistical help. Facing greater scrutiny, terrorist groups are increasingly using illegal, highly lucrative business arrangements to support their operations, according to the FBI and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Investigators say the criminal activities that terrorists use to raise money run the gamut from creating and selling fake documents to insurance fraud. Taliban and Al Qaeda followers are thought to be heavily involved in the expanding heroin trade in Afghanistan, and a US-based cigarette smuggling ring was linked to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon

James G. Conway, Jr., legal attache at the US Embassy in Mexico City, told the Globe that ''where you find terrorists you often find some kind of criminal activity."

Car theft, a criminal enterprise that costs US citizens more than $8 billion a year, now seems to have become a new enterprise for some terrorist groups, according to the law enforcement officials and private specialists.

''The car bomb is the top weapon in the world for carrying out terrorist attacks," said Lieutenant Greg Terp, commander of the Miami-Dade Police Department's Auto Theft Task Force. ''These car thieves don't necessarily know that they are financing terrorism, but they might."

Tracing the path of these vehicles from the streets of America to the local ''chop shop" -- where criminal wholesalers process stolen vehicles -- and then on to the black market half a world away could help thwart a terrorist network that has wrought some of the worst violence against US troops and thousands of Iraqi civilians.

''They want to follow it through the whole process so they can identify as many people in the process as they can," Terp said. ''As you go back to the chop shop guy, he may not know the end user is some terrorist, but who are his contacts?"

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/10/02/us_car_theft_rings_probed_for_ties_to_iraq_bombing s?mode=PF

I was wondering where they were getting all these cars in such a poor country! Maryland! That's my home state! There are thousands of car thefts there every year...

This also means that American criminals (traitors) are selling these stolen vehicles to insurgents.

.

[Petronas]

More Details Emerge in N.Y. Mosque Sting
Saturday October 1, 2005 5:16 AM

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Two Muslim men caught up in an anti-terrorism sting operation pleaded innocent Friday as details emerged about 10 new charges against them. Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain were accused Thursday of attempting to provide support to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group listed by the federal government as a terrorist organization. Aref, who leads a mosque, also was charged with lying to federal officials. The pair were initially charged in August 2004 with conspiring to launder money and promoting terrorism. They now face a total of 30 charges.

Entered as new evidence against Aref were entries in his personal journals that prosecutors say link him to Mullah Krekar, the founder of Ansar al-Islam, a terrorist group that U.S. authorities contend has ties to al-Qaida and has been responsible for attacks on American forces in the Middle East. One of the entries stated it was time to ``take the war to America and Israel,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak said.

A memorandum filed by prosecutors also includes reference to a poem prosecutors say was written by Aref in December 1999 that read: ``Raise the Jihad sword ... Raise the Koran with blood ... So we can bring back the freedom for ourselves and the entire people of this Earth.'' The written materials ``compel the conclusion that Mr. Aref espouses and has adopted the goals of terrorist organizations and has had an ongoing relationship with terrorist organizations,'' U.S. Magistrate Judge David Homer said. ``It seems the government's case is extremely enhanced.'' He revoked Aref's bail but allowed Hossain to remain free.

Aref's lawyer, Terence Kindlon, had argued his client's writings were merely notes he made describing what he heard visitors to his home in Syria talking about. He said Aref had only briefly met Mullah Krekar when Aref worked as a ``glorified janitor'' at offices of the Islamic Movement in Kurdistan, an organization alleged to be an armed movement seeking an Islamic government in Iraq.

Aref, 35, and Hossain, 50, were arrested after being snared in the FBI sting operation built around a fictitious assassination plot against a Pakistani diplomat. An FBI informant told the suspects he was an arms dealer and asked Hossain to launder money from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile that would be used to kill the diplomat in New York City, according to the federal complaint.

In the indictment handed up Thursday, Aref was also charged with making false statements to immigration officials and the FBI when he denied being a member of the Islamic Movement in Kurdistan. If convicted of all charges, Aref faces 470 years in prison and $7.25 million in fines, while Hossain faces 450 years in prison and $6.75 million in fines, prosecutors said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5314375,00.html

[Petronas]

Oklahoma bomber had jihad material
Posted: October 4, 2005

An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a "suicide bomber" in possession of "Islamic jihad" materials, according to a new report. Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, an engineering major at the school blew himself up outside OU's football stadium during Saturday night's game against Kansas State. Doug Hagmann, a seasoned investigator, told WND he was informed by multiple reliable law-enforcement sources familiar with the investigation into the incident that authorities recovered a "significant amount" of "jihad" materials, as well as Hinrichs' computer.

Hagmann also said those same sources indicated police and federal agents "had pulled additional explosives from [Hinrichs'] house," including triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, "homemade explosive [that is] very potent but relatively easily manufactured." TATP was also used in the July mass transit bombings in London, CNN reported, and was used by attempted bomber Richard Reid, who packed his shoes with the compound in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy a U.S.-bound American Airlines flight in December 2001.

The confiscated jihad documents "referenced bomb-making manuals and that type of thing," Hagmann said, who added Hinrichs' apartment in Norman, Okla., is "located near the Islamic Society." A phone at the Islamic Society of Norman went unanswered yesterday. Also, there was no response to an e-mail inquiry by press time. Hagmann reported his findings on his website.

WorldNetDaily reported earlier that officials carted away a huge cache of explosives from Hinrichs' apartment. Police were overheard telling residents it would take "several trips and could take up to 24 hours" to remove it all, according to the Daily Oklahoman. A canister trailer used for detonating or transporting potentially explosive material was being used to haul items away.

University officials have shrugged off reports Hinrichs was anything other than a disturbed student who acted alone. "We know that he has had what I would call emotional difficulties in the past. There is certainly no evidence at this point which points to any other kind of motivation other than his personal problems," said University President David Boren over the weekend.

In a joint statement, the FBI's Oklahoma bureau chief, Salvador Hernandez, U.S. Attorney John Richter and OU Police Chief Elizabeth Woolen said, "At this point, we have no information that suggests that there is any additional threat posed by others related to this incident." FBI spokesman Gary Johnson told WND he couldn't add anything, other than the investigation is ongoing. His agency has been joined in the investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Joint Terrorism Task Force; the University of Oklahoma Police Department; the Norman Police Department; and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

Official accounts say Hinrichs detonated an explosive device while seated on a bench outside Cross Hall, a university science building about 100 yards from the stadium. Some 84,000 people were inside watching the game at the time of the explosion. Officials say it did not appear Hinrichs attempted to enter the venue.

While it is too soon to know whether the Hinrichs incident was isolated or part of a larger scheme to launch suicide attacks in the U.S. similar to those in Great Britain earlier this year and those that are a regular occurrence in Iraq, experts believe it is only a matter of time before such attacks do occur in U.S. cities. Bruce Newsome, a terrorism researcher at the Rand Corporation, a noted think tank, told ABC News shortly after the London bombings the four-man plot carried out there is a "likely model for future U.S. attacks." He said the four men used for the attack were clean: no criminal records, did not show up on any terrorism watch lists, and were not part of any extremist activities – like Hinrichs. That makes tracking such attackers virtually impossible, Newsome pointed out.

And, in Iraq last week, a woman pushed her way into a line of men at an army recruitment center before detonating a bomb she carried. The last time women were used in suicide attacks was during the war in Iraq in 2003, when two women in a car – one of them pregnant – detonated a device, killing three soldiers, the BBC reported.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46640

[NYer]

This time ... both Hagemann and Farah may actually be on to something ...
http://wincoast.com/forum/showthread.php?p=370305#post370305

As Glenn Reynolds observes on www.instapundit.com, this story could be good news for Mitt Romney, bolstering his position ...

US governor stands by mosque wiretapping comments
30 Sep 2005 00:37:39 GMT

By Jason Szep

BOSTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, mulling a White House bid in 2008, on Thursday stood by his comments in favor of wiretapping mosques after religious leaders stepped up demands for him to take them back.

Civil rights groups and Muslim leaders have blasted the Republican governor since he raised the prospect on Sept. 14 of putting some Muslim students and their teachers under surveillance.

On Thursday, Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders delivered a petition to his office signed by 75 people from a dozen religious groups urging him to reconsider his views.

Romney refused, telling Reuters in an interview that attacks by Islamic terrorists in London and the United States justify stronger scrutiny by U.S. authorities on activity at mosques in America.

"I would devote more resources to those efforts than we are currently doing as a nation. That includes carrying out normal surveillance and wiretapping and other measures that are permitted under the Patriot Act of the Constitution," he said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29417128.htm

[Petronas]

Oklahoma suicide bomber attended local mosque
October 05, 2005

This is starting to look more and more as if it could have been an attempted jihad "martyrdom operation."

Here's an excellent video link ... to an Oklahoma news story on how Joel Henry Hinrichs tried to buy the same fertilizer used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings, and attended a Norman mosque -- the same mosque attended by "twentieth hijacker" Zacarias Moussaoui. He also had a Pakistani roommate.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/008444.php

[Jake]

Oklahoma suicide bomber attended local mosque
October 05, 2005

This is starting to look more and more as if it could have been an attempted jihad "martyrdom operation."

Here's an excellent video link ... to an Oklahoma news story on how Joel Henry Hinrichs tried to buy the same fertilizer used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings, and attended a Norman mosque -- the same mosque attended by "twentieth hijacker" Zacarias Moussaoui. He also had a Pakistani roommate.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/008444.php

Interesting. A free lancer?

[NYer]

Hat tip to Freepers
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1497375/posts


OKC Ch 9:OU Suicide Bomber Attempted Stadium Entry/5 Others Involved, Ticket to Algeria Found
Channel 9 Oklahoma City ^ | 10/5/05


Posted on 10/05/2005 6:03:56 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana


3 videos on the right-hand video listing. Summary:

Hinrichs spent time in the same Norman mosque as Moussaui

Ticket to Algeria was found linking back to his Pakistani roommate

5 others possibly involved

Hinrichs attempted to enter the stadium and may have had a ticket to the game

http://www.newsok.com/video

And still, there appears to be a news blackout in the MSM ...

[NYer]

Another post from FreeRepublic.com ...

JAYNA DAVIS: Report No. 1 - OU SUICIDE BOMBING CASE
phone call with Jayna Davis | 10-5-05 | dfu


Posted on 10/05/2005 4:51:42 PM PDT by doug from upland


JAYNA DAVIS: Report No. 1 - OU SUICIDE BOMBING CASE

As FReepers are probably aware, Jayna Davis, indefatigable reporter and author of THE THIRD TERRORIST, is on the case of the OU suicide bomber. A local FReeper is giving her assistance. Here are some of the highlights of our discussion a short time ago:

1 - she has spoken to the feed store owner, Justin Ellison . . . Joel Hinrichs III exhibited strange behavior while in the feed store trying to buy ammonium nitrate . . . the store owner asked why he wanted it, and Hinrichs turned away and started mumbling to himself

2 - Hinrichs was dressed in a photographer's vest that was stuffed . . . a wire was noticed sticking out of it

3 - a plain clothes officer was in the store at the time and witnessed what happened . . . Jayna is not clear who got it, but someone got the plate number to track the guy

4 - they did a background check and he came out clean . . . Jayna reminds us that he was a "lily white," just like McVeigh and Nichols

5 - Norman PD could not confirm much for Jayna because this has gone up the food chain . . . they did answer a few questions about procedure, however . . . this would have gone to a special ops task force . . . but what about the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)? . . . Norman, Oklahoma has no budget for an officer or a JTTF office! . . . Jayna was stunned . . . the area around OKC is on the front line . . . Norman was the home of the former chief pilot of Osama bin Laden . . . Moussaoui got his flight training there . . . Atta and Alshehhi visited the Airman Flight School in Norman . . .Minepta's mosque is there . . . the VP recruiter for the overseas Al-Fatah network was in Norman

6 - the police in Norman did their job after the report of the feed store incident . . . they knew it was Hinrichs right away after the bombing - they knew it before DNA tests . . . Jayna wonders if their quick action prevented a major casualty count . . . Jayna wonders if they possible had done a "knock and talk" on him before the event to shake him up

7 - a local reporter who verbally attacked Jayna before is at it again . . . the reporter is kissing up and apologizing to the local Muslim community

8 - a security guard at the stadium would not give Jayna info about whether Hinrichs tried to get in with the backpack at halftime . . . apparently, that may be the time when some of the crowd leaves the stadium and comes back with alchohol - so the guards look for that . . . Jayna thinks that, had he planned it better, there was a possibility that he could have gotten in with the crowd at the beginning of the game

9 - officials are denying that there was something else that did not detonate . . . there are differing stories in the news

10 - how is this for quick action and approval? . . . OU is erecting concrete barriers at the stadium to prevent a truck bombing

11 - Jayna says thanks to all the FReepers . . . YOU GUYS ARE GREAT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1497328/posts

[NYer]

Another round-up:

Islamic Terrorism in Oklahoma Likely

As more details become public about suicide bomber Joel Henry Hinrichs III, who blew himself up outside of a University of Oklahoma football game last Saturday, more and more evidence suggests that he may actually have been part of a larger plot.

More ...

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/124635.php

[experiencediz]

Another round-up:

Islamic Terrorism in Oklahoma Likely

As more details become public about suicide bomber Joel Henry Hinrichs III, who blew himself up outside of a University of Oklahoma football game last Saturday, more and more evidence suggests that he may actually have been part of a larger plot.
More ...
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/124635.php

:add09:
God made him do it
:add12:

[Petronas]

Student Leader: Hinrichs Not Muslim
UPDATED: 7:43 pm CDT October 5, 2005

NORMAN, Okla. -- The president of an OU student organization said he believes Joel Henry Hinrichs III was neither a Muslim nor a visitor to local mosques. Ashraf Hussein, the president of OU's Muslim Student Association, also confirmed that up to seven people were either questioned or detained regarding the bombing death of Hinrichs, a 21-year-old engineering student.

Hinrichs died Saturday night after a bomb he was supposedly carrying exploded while he sat on a bench next to George Lynn Cross Hall, about 100 yards from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where 84,000 people were watching a college football game.

While the incident and its investigation have spurred plenty of rumor and speculation, authorities have consistently maintained that there is no evidence Hinrichs belonged to an extremist organization.

On Tuesday, the owner of a Norman feed store acknowledged that Hinrichs came into Ellison Feed & Seed last week to inquire about ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which was an ingredient in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. However, Dustin Ellison said Hinrichs wasn't able to explain what he might want with the ammonium nitrate.

http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/5063479/detail.html

[Petronas]

At Least Six Injured in Texas Plant Blasts

POINT COMFORT, Texas Oct 6, 2005 — At least six people were injured Thursday in a series of explosions and a fire at a plastics plant in southern Texas that sent a pillar of black smoke into the sky. Calhoun County Justice of the Peace Gary Noska said late Thursday that many of the town's nearly 1,000 residents had evacuated voluntarily. "The town right now is pretty empty," he said. Authorities closed nearby roads as crews worked to extinguish the blaze. Calhoun County Commissioner Michael Balajka said it appeared no toxic materials had been released into the air.

The plant is owned by Formosa Plastics Corp. USA, based in Livingston, N.J. Company spokesman Rob Thibault told Houston's KTRK-TV that it wasn't clear what was burning. He added that the plant uses many flammable materials in manufacturing PVC and vinyl for floor and wall coverings. He said the factory, which employs about 1,000 people, had been evacuated.

Noska said he was at City Hall when he heard the blast. "It was actually two explosions, a smaller one and second one a lot louder and bigger, and then a few smaller ones after that," he said. "It was some major damage." At least one of the victims was in serious condition with burns, a hospital official said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was to investigate. Point Comfort, on the Texas coast, is 150 miles southeast of San Antonio.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1191476

[NYer]

Terror in the heartland?

TODAY'S EDITORIAL
October 7, 2005


Not more than 100 yards from the Oklahoma-Kansas State football game on Saturday, OU student Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, blew himself up in what was initially believed to be a simple suicide. While his decision to kill himself seemed to match a personality friends and family describe as detached and strange, disturbing facts are beginning to emerge suggesting that Mr. Hinrichs had more sinister designs, like perhaps taking a few of the 84,000 nearby fans with him.

Despite the absence of a suicide note, there is little doubt the troubled student intended to kill himself. His bizarre method, however, is more reminiscent of suicide bombers than suicidal students. For instance, at least one of the bomb components he used -- triacetone triperoxide -- was the same homemade substance used by Richard Reid, the so-called Shoe Bomber. The stuff is highly unstable. It can detonate if merely dropped, and experts say it can even explode spontaneously.

The obvious questions arise: Why would someone choose to kill himself with this stuff, nicknamed the "Mother of Satan" by Islamists, if suicide were his sole purpose? Did Mr. Hinrichs intend for the bombs to go off when they did, so close to a packed stadium? Also, why carry it out as if in imitation of a suicide bomber? Suicidal people of Mr. Hinrichs' age, it is true, have a tendency for the dramatic, and perhaps that was Mr. Hinrichs' only purpose here -- to go out in such a way as to be remembered. But that still leaves open the question as to how he learned to make bombs in the first place.

A few days before, Mr. Hinrichs tried to purchase ammonium nitrate -- the explosive substance used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 -- from a local fertilizer store. Because of federal regulations, the store had stopped carrying ammonium nitrate, but the request was odd enough for the store owner to remember Mr. Hinrichs when questioned by authorities. Even more frightening, federal officials confirmed that a large cache of explosive material was found inside Mr. Hinrichs' university-owned apartment in Norman, Okla., which immediately placed suspicion on Mr. Hinrichs' roommate, a Pakistani Muslim, who was taken into FBI custody for questioning. He, along with two other unidentified Muslim students, were later released.

Norman itself is no stranger to Islamist activity. In 2000, Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker, took flying lessons at the city's flight school and attended a neighborhood mosque, which, according to NewsOK.com, is the same mosque that Mr. Hinrichs had been attending. There is some doubt about whether Mr. Hinrichs himself was a Muslim, though.

The FBI says that it has still no reason to believe Mr. Hinrichs was involved in a larger terrorist plot. Similarly, it has no information that suggests there is any additional threat to the OU-area. But in light of these frightening facts, the FBI mustn't rule anything out.

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051006-091706-6861r.htm

[NYer]

The president of an OU student organization said he believes Joel Henry Hinrichs III was neither a Muslim nor a visitor to local mosques.

Sublime parody ...

[Petronas]

There seems to be more here than meets the eye. He is a Muslim, he is not a Muslim; he attended a mosque, he did not attend a mosque...

Oklahoma bombing search warrant sealed
October 7, 2005

The warrant used to execute a search of Oklahoma University bomber Joel "Henry" Hinrichs III's apartment, where an undetermined amount of explosives were found, has been sealed by a federal court at the request of the Justice Department. Hinrichs blew himself up yards from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Saturday night while tens of thousands of fans watched an OU-Kansas State football game.

Bob Troester, first assistance U.S. attorney in Oklahoma City, said the department requested the warrant be sealed, but declined to elaborate when asked why it was necessary to do so given previous media reports that a depressed Hinrichs acted alone and on a whim. "You can draw whatever assumption you like," he said. "We don't comment on any sealed indictments."

Troester also said he could not divulge details about what items were found inside Hinrichs' home, and he could not say if or when the warrant would be unsealed at some point in the future. The attorney did confirm the incident was still "currently being investigated," but again declined to provide any specifics.

As WorldNetDaily reported, investigators say they also found "Islamic jihad" material in Hinrichs' apartment when they searched it. Hinrichs, it turns out, attended a mosque near his university-owned apartment – the same one attended by Zacharias Moussaoui, the only person charged in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In another development, the feed-store owner who refused to sell Hinrichs fertilizer that can be used to fashion explosives says an off-duty Norman, Okla., police officer witnessed the attempted transaction. Dustin Ellison, proprietor of Ellison Seed and Feed in Norman said the officer was standing no more than "two to three feet away" from him and Hinrichs when the former OU student attempted to buy ammonium nitrate – a principle ingredient in the bomb that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City April 19, 1995 – Sept. 29, just two days before committing suicide.

Ellison also told WND he informed Hinrichs the store didn't carry any ammonium nitrate and then asked Hinrichs why he needed it. The store owner says the OU junior, who was majoring in mechanical engineering, became visibly nervous, close-mouthed and stammering. Ellison said the off-duty officer, who overheard his entire conversation with Hinrichs, proceeded to follow the OU student outside when he abruptly left the feed store, copied down his license plate number, then called it in on his cell phone to see if Hinrichs had any outstanding arrest warrants or was tied to other criminal activity.

The off-duty officer told dispatchers Hinrichs appeared "very suspicious" and that he had just attempted to "buy ammonium nitrate," Ellison said. Lt. Tom Easley, Norman Police Department public information officer, confirmed that the officer – whom he did not name – was indeed inside the feed store and was a witness to the conversation between the store owner and Hinrichs.

He also confirmed the officer ran Hinrichs' license plate, and said the officer, who was scheduled to go on duty that same night at 11 p.m., came in a few hours early to discuss what he had seen with other patrol officers, in an attempt to figure how best to handle the information. The officer also reportedly briefed his entire patrol division that night, and filed a report with the department. The next morning – a little more than 24 hours before Hinrichs killed himself – the officer then discussed the incident with department bomb technicians in an effort to get their assessment as to whether they believed it constituted a legitimate threat. What happened beyond that point remains unclear, however.

What is known is that the officer did not report his observations to the FBI until Sunday morning, several hours after Hinrichs was killed. Agents then contacted Ellison and got his story about Hinrichs' attempted ammonium nitrate purchase. Asked how the FBI made the connection to Hinrichs and the feed store so quickly, Easley told WND a bomb technician officer remembered what the off-duty officer had told him and put the two incidents together. That was also one reason why, sources said, investigators were able to identify Hinrichs so quickly after the bombing. Easley said there wasn't much the department could do with the information in the short amount of time between the off-duty officer's encounter and Hinrichs' death.

As WorldNetDaily reported, some investigators familiar with the case said they suspected authorities might have had some kind of advanced warning or concern about a potential bombing incident, based on witness accounts of tighter-than-normal security at Saturday's football game. However, so far there is no evidence to suggest authorities suspected Hinrichs had explosive devices or that he planned to detonate one at the game.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46701

[Petronas]

Officials Shut Down Part of Penn Station
NEW YORK Oct 7, 2005

Authorities closed part of Penn Station on Friday and commuters headed to work under the watchful eyes of police after a newly disclosed terror threat against the New York subway system. Workers in hazardous material suits inspected what appeared to be a red suitcase, and National Guardsmen and police with dogs were at the transportation hub beneath Madison Square Garden by late morning. There was no immediate word on what it may have contained. One of the main entrances was closed off with yellow crime scene tape and a portion of the concourse above the tracks was also sealed to the public.

Amtrak was still boarding some trains and operating some ticket windows despite the problems, spokeswoman Marice Golgoski said. A mile away at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, more officers were visible on the streets, and one lane of traffic on Ninth Avenue was reserved for emergency vehicles.

"Hopefully, God's with me and I'll be OK," Vinnie Stella said earlier while clutching newspapers under his arm as he entered the subway at Penn Station. Rob Johnson, 30, said he wasn't worried. "The cops have it under control."

Officials in New York revealed the threat Thursday, saying an FBI source warned that terrorists had plotted to bomb the subway in coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it's of "doubtful credibility." Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it the most specific terrorist threat that New York officials had received to date, and promised to flood the subway system with uniformed and undercover officers. "We have done and will continue to do everything we can to protect this city," Bloomberg said at a nationally televised news conference. "We will spare no resource, we will spare no expense."

At the Port Authority Bus Terminal, more officers were visible on the streets, and one lane of traffic on Ninth Avenue was reserved for emergency vehicles. But at Penn Station during the start of morning rush hour, some subway riders commented on a lack of visible police presence and said no one had searched their bags. Margarita Morcillo, 60, said she was not concerned about the new threat as she emerged from the subway at the Port Authority. "We have to press forward. What can you do about it?"

The New York Police Department boosted existing measures to search for bombs in commuters' bags, brief cases and luggage. The threat also involved the possibility that terrorists would pack a baby stroller with a bomb, a law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The official said the threat was "specific to place," and that the window for the attack was anywhere from Friday through at least the weekend.

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan on Friday repeated the Bush administration's characterization of the terror threat as "of doubtful credibility" even though the threat was specific. A counterterror official, who was briefed about the threat by Homeland Security authorities and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intelligence did not reflect "on-the-ground, detailed, pre-surveillance" methods consistent with credible information. Rather, the official said, the intelligence was similar to "what can be found on the Internet and a map of New York City."

The law enforcement official in New York said that city officials had known about the threat at least since Monday, but held the information until two or three al-Qaida operatives were arrested in Iraq within the past 24 hours. Once the arrests were made, officials felt they could go public, the official said. Those arrested had received explosives training in Afghanistan, the same official said Friday. They had planned to travel through Syria to New York, and then meet with an unspecified number of operatives to carry out the bombings.

The U.S. military spokesman's office in Baghdad had no information on the arrests. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he had seen no indication of a U.S. military operation to round up al-Qaida operatives. On Thursday, a television station said it held off on reporting about the subway threat for two days because officials in New York and Washington voiced concerns that public safety could be affected and ongoing operations jeopardized.

WNBC reporter Jonathan Dienst, who covers security and terrorism issues, said he started making calls about the threat on Tuesday. Local and federal officials then got in touch, expressing concern that airing the story would do damage. The station decided to hold off, citing "the intensity of the level of the request," said Dan Forman, vice president of news.

An estimated 4.5 million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations. In July, the city began random subway searches following the London train bombings. Gov. George Pataki said Thursday the state would call up hundreds of National Guard troops and ask Connecticut and New Jersey to patrol commuter trains. New York's security level remained at orange, the same level it has stayed at since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Bloomberg said there was no indication that the threat was linked to this month's Jewish holidays.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1192611

[Petronas]

Memo: NYC Attack Was Scheduled for Sunday
Sat Oct 8, 8:40 AM ET

NEW YORK - Details emerged about an alleged plot to attack the city's subways with bombs hidden in bags and possibly baby strollers as local and federal officials jostled over the credibility of the threat. A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by The Associated Press said the attack was reportedly scheduled to take place on or around Sunday, with terrorists using timed or remote-controlled explosives hidden in briefcases, suitcases or in or under strollers. The memo said that the department had received information indicating the attack might be carried out by "a team of terrorist operatives, some of whom may travel or who may be in the New York City area." The memo, issued Wednesday to state and local officials, said that homeland security and FBI agents doubted the credibility of the information, but it provided four pages of advice about averting a possible attack.

In Iraq, authorities detained a third suspect in the plot and investigated whether a fourth had traveled to New York as part of the scheme, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the case. The official said the man's trip to New York was described by an informant who had spent time in Afghanistan and proved reliable in past investigations. But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, added that authorities had not confirmed whether the fourth man even exists.

Those arrested had received explosives training in Afghanistan, the law enforcement official said Friday. They had planned to travel through Syria to New York, and then meet with operatives to carry out the bombings. A federal official said one of the suspects arrested in Iraq apparently told interrogators that more than a dozen people were involved in the plot, and that they were of various nationalities, including Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Several of these details related to the suspects were first reported by ABC News.

In Baghdad, spokespeople for the U.S. military and the U.S. Embassy declined to comment about the arrests. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Brian Doyle also said the government has no information that the fourth person possibly connected to the plot "is either here or even exists." Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the military obtained intelligence information "during the normal course of our operations." The intelligence led to a military raid in Iraq this week that was conducted by Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, Whitman said, but added that there was no direct link between the raid and the New York subway threat. Homeland security officials in Washington downplayed the threat and said it was of "doubtful credibility."

But Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly vigorously defended their decision to discuss the threat publicly Thursday. "If I'm going to make a mistake you can rest assured it is on the side of being cautious," Bloomberg said at a news conference Friday. President Bush, asked Friday if he thought New York officials had overreacted, said: "I think they took the information we gave and made the judgments they thought were necessary."

In New York, thousands of extra police officers flooded the city's subway system, pulling commuters out of rush-hour crowds and rifling through their bags or briefcases. "Hopefully, God's with me and I'll be OK," Vinnie Stella said while clutching newspapers under his arm as he entered the subway at Penn Station. An estimated 4.5 million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations. In July, the city began random subway searches in the wake of the train bombings in London.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051008/ap_on_re_us/nyc_subway

[Petronas]

Informant: N.Y. Subway Plotter Is in U.S.
Oct. 7, 2005

A source for information that has led to the terrorism scare on New York City's subways has identified at least one of the attackers by name and claims that the man already is in the United States, ABC News has learned. The New York Police Department and the FBI have no proof that the person named actually is in the country, or that the person named actually exists. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security emphasized that there is no indication that the person is in the United States.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1191973&page=1

[NYer]

What Lies Beneath

The Politics of CP has a map showing the locations and functions of many Jamaat ul-Fuqra compounds throughout the United States, together with a table describing its criminal offenses in various localities. Most of this data has been sourced from the National White Collar Crime Center's report (published by the National Criminal Justice Reference Organization) called "Identifying the Links between White-Collar Crime and Terrorism". Happily, this report is available as a downloadable PDF here. (http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209520.pdf)

The Jamaat ul-Fuqra compound in Red House, Virginia was the subject of a post by the Gates of Vienna. The National White Collar Crime Center's report is itself worth reading. It persuasively argues that Jamaat ul-Fuqra provides the Jihadi movement with a powerful support capability in the United States not merely because of the compounds but because of its member's intimate knowledge of the way the dark underbelly of America works. Many of Jamaat ul-Fuqra's members were recruited in prison and know (I dare say better than most Belmont Club readers) how to commit "white collar crime" (WCC). They are the ultimate in street-smart. They used:

credit card fraud, insurance fraud, identity theft, intellectual property crime, investment fraud, money laundering, immigration fraud, computer crime, and tax evasion

Jamaat even knew how to raise "funds through fraudulent charitable organizations claiming to support a particular cause such as disaster relief or food services" and bogus Worker's Compensation claims. One of those claims was used in a multistep laundering process to buy a training property in Trout Creek Pass, Colorado. The report includes a low altitude oblique photo of a training compound in Trout Creek Pass, Colorado, which may give some indication of what Red House, Virginia (also identified as a training compound) may look like.

Dozens of Jamaat members have been indicted and convicted of crimes and they are individually listed in an appendix. The striking thing is that none of these indictments occurred prior to 9/11, though many indictments followed so closely afterward as to guarantee the crimes were committed in those halcyon days when there was 'no relationship' between organizations like these and terrorism.

posted by wretchard
www.fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com

[rectar]

ولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ضد هوجو Chavez


الولايات-المتحدة " مقاول عسكرية خاصة in-country إلى تعامل هوجو الرئيس فنزويلا Frias Chavez...



وكالات الذكاء هل كشف ذلك جندي الولايات-المتحدة مقاول عسكرية, نشيط في كولومبيا " تحت مظلات عقد مختلفة, أدرج إن مخدرات - العداد و counter-insurgency بنى إلى حد بعد انقلاب آخر ضد هوجو الرئيس فنزويلا محول Chavez.



وصفوا " مثل مقاول عسكرية خاصة بحرص ( a.k.a. قتلة مرتزقة موظوفة), PMCs عرف قد بأن تصرف غارات عدة على الجانب الآخر من حدود Colombia-Venezuela بأن يرتبط مع وحدات متمردة من التشغيل العسكري الفنزويلي على طول badlands بين اثنين البلدان حدود.



قد رخصت مسؤول على بنتاغون ولايات-المتحدة أرشدة عملية المتطفل كما الجزء خطة بأن يصنعه ظهر أن ساعد عسكريا Chavez الثوري سلح قوىا كولومبيا ( FARC).



يغلق الولايات-المتحدة قد مرتزقون كذلك حلقات مع حق - جنح paramilitaries كولومبيين ( AUC) و ربطوا كارتيلات الدواء هرب اسلحة في فنزويلا.



ألحق ألحق في قوات المسلحة أجنبية مشتركة إلى موظفين بنتاغون المشترك إن جنرال كولومبي مشترك يخطط تفاعل كفل كفل بواسطة دائرة دفاع الولايات-المتحدة واشنطن دي.سي. بأن ينسق تطوير " القوة و محاكاة " السيناريو تقنيات اجتياحية يقود موظفون مشترك على الأمر الولايات-المتحدة.



يقول مصادر Intel ذلك كذلك Dei Opus ( كاثوليكي روماني) جاسوسية و سياسي إن تشغيل فريق الاغتيال في الولايات المتحدة في الخلفية غلاف أين مساعد ( بحري سابق Aragoncilla Leandro) رذيلة الولايات-المتحدة عميل العضو في هيئة و إف.بي.آي. رئاسي... كان اتهم على البيت الأبيض الجاسوسية اتهم.



لم يكن Aragoncilla معتقلا حديثا شحن حصل وثائقا مصنفة من رذيلة ولايات-المتحدة بشكل غير شرعي حاسوب المكتب و إف.بي.آي. Cheney دك الرئيس مروا إلى أرقام معارضة فيليبينية which أي وصلوا إلى Dei Opus في الفيليبين في تحضير لأجل ضد الرئيس ذلك البلد انقلاب, غلوريا Macapagal-Arroyo.



لعب Opus لم تكن عناصر Dei كذلك رئيسيا الدور دعم انقلاب 2002 نيسان ضد هوجو الرئيس فنزويلا في Frias Chavez استمر which أي جاسوسية أعرض و أسود سياسي عملية الكيس دعم و إدارة التي موفقة بواسطة مستويات قصوى داخل بنتاغون و إف.بي.آي..



تسرب تقرير الذكاء مصنوف إلى هذا منشور - عرض ذلك الجاسوسية الذي خاتم لدى عمل رذيلة ولايات-المتحدة مكتب Cheney دك الرئيس مع ضمني موافقة من داخل إدارة بوش.



يكشف مصادر Intel كذلك ورقة أكثر جر جورج ه.. و.. بوش إلى الآن Taqwa ألبرت ميت ( خاف الله) البنك مشغول on behalf of نيابة عن صندوق Osama محمل عائلته, و بعض من مساعد متألحم عمل.



الشبكة Swiss-based خبراء بالمال إرهابية إن وصلوا قائد فاشية الأخوة المسلمة و أوروبي بارز كذلك. كان بنك Taqwa ألبرت متمركزة في إيطالي منطقة بشكل محاط سويسرية d'Italia Campione و أخذوا مكاتبا جزر البهاما. توقف هو عمليات بعد أن اعترضن موجودات بواسطة نظام دائرة خزينة الولايات-المتحدة) كانت موجوداتها مجمدة قرب الحكومة السويسرية, و رخصتها مصارفة ملغىا. بواسطة جزر البهاما.



ال الذي Taqwa غير اسمها بالتالي منظمة إدارة ندا. Taqwa ألبرت و نسيج معقد سرايا جبهة المنتسب و صفائح النحاس في سويسرا جزر البهاما, إيطاليا ( السعودية ( جيرسي) الجزيرة من شغل, تركيا ( الكويت ( أفغانستان ( ( البوسنة الولايات المتحدة ( ديلاوير و التكساس), ألمانيا, بلجيكا ( ألبانيا ( إثيوبيا) كان بنغلاديش, تايلاند, سنغافورة, البحرين, النمسا, تنزانيا, كينيا, أوغندا, السودان, الصومال, إريتريا, باكستان, و ليختنشتاين متورطة بشكل منقول. رصد عمليات إرهابية حول العالم ( يدرج المشتريات المادة النووية من الاتحاد السوفيتي من خلال وسيط بلطيقية السابق) في



شملت هذه السرايا Iksir صمد حسب رسم EUROPOL محصول من قبل WMR) منطقة التأمين ( إيطاليا), ثقة Asat ( ليختنشتاين), Iksir محدود (جزر البهاما), مركز الخليج ( إيطاليا), NASCO ( تركيا), Nasreddin مجموعة دولية ( ليختنشتاين), بنك Akida ( جزر البهاما), MIGA ( سويسرا), و مؤسسة Nasreddin ( ليختنشتاين).



تداخلت شبكة Taqwa ألبرت مع شرائح جنيف و الجزيرة حسب مصادر ذكاء الولايات المتحدة و أوروبا) من شغل يشمل ذلك ذلك سرايا الجبهة ربطوا جورج ه. و.. بوش Enron: حرية التوباز, Bluelake رأسمال العالم, و البوتوماك.



Ghorbanifar Manucher إيراني اتصال بنتاغون fraudster و neocon, Khashoggi عدنان سعودي البليوني و أعضاء الصندوق عائلة محملة وصل إلى رأسمال بوتوماك - معتمد جنيف بشكل منقول ... سرية الجبهة التي مخلوقة جورج ه.. و.. بوش متى كان مدير السي-آي-إيه في 1976.



بشكل ممتع كان جورج و. البوش, الذي, في تشرين ثاني الذي 2001, أورد Taqwa ألبرت الجزء نشاطات money-laundering القاعدة.



neocon بوش حلفاء مع ذلك) على واشنطن شبكة تايمز و العالم التي مبدولة بسرعة يوميا الاتجاه و رسموا انتباها بعيدا عن مستثمرين Taqwa ألبرت سعودي و كويتي و بدأوا بأن يصل Taqwa ألبرت إلى صدام حسين بشكل خاطئ العراق. بعيدا تحقيق مدراء Taqwa ألبرت جنائية مسقطة بسرعة كذلك.



ظهر رأسمال البوتوماك أثناء تحقيق كونترا - إيران متصرف في الثمانينات المتأخرة على شاشة رادار محقق الاتحادية و تسعينات مبكرة. ارتباط Taqwa ألبرت إلى اسلحة انتشار تدمير شامل, الصندوق محمل و جورج ه. و.. بوش و له يربط عمل مواقفا مثل سبب آخر جورج و. إدارة بوش تسربوا السي-آي-إيه Jennings Brewster و مساعدون شبكة أسلحة الدمار الشامل - العداد. كان يحضر فريق انتشار - السي-آي-إيه إلى الشباك المالية التي يرصدن Osama إلى أعضاء ربط عائلة بوش و مساعدينهم عمل على مقربة بشكل غير مريح. الصندوق محمل و شبكته القاعدة ".



تتبع Intel التي مصادر لدى ثانية ممكنة كذلك الارتباط بين وصلت الشبكة السويسرية جورج ه. و.. بوش و خاطف أخرى 9/11.



ارتباط أول الخاطف الذي Fayyaz التي أحمد و doll.50,000 الولايات-المتحدة يفحصون استلم من شريحة وصل إلى الشبكة السويسرية الامهتوم. إن الثانية الجدولة Alghamdi أحمد مسفر أحمد عندما أرخت مساهم ألبرت Taqwa على بنك مركزي وثيقة جزر البهاما 15, 2000 نيسان. كان Alghamdi أحمد و Alghamdi Hamza اثنين خاطف على اللوح 175, وحد طيران السعودية الذي ضرب برج الجنوب مركز للتجارة العالمية. Alghamdi سعيد كان الذي تحطم في بنسلفانيا الكينونة أطلقوا النار الى أدنى الولايات-المتحدة طائرات طيار مقاتل عسكرية ( حسب موظف الوكالة الأمن القومي الذي كان داخل الوظيفة في المواطن مركز عمليات الأمن عن صباح 9/11).



حسب إف.بي.آي., استعمل خاطفون Alghamdi رقم aliases. استعمل Alghamdi أحمد الأسماء صالح سعيد أحمد Alghamdi Alghamdi سعيد Alghamdi, محمد أحمد أحمد معطف للمطر صالح, و Juan Bennett. استعمل Alghamdi Hamza Alghamdi صالح حمزة. استعمل Alghamdi سعيد Almotairi Mokhlidmazid, Alghamdi Mohsalih, Alghamdi Saeedayed, و سعيد ه.. Alghamdi. الآخر الذي Alghamdis أراد إف.بي.آي. أدرج علي Alghamdi, نورا أ. لأجل انهماك " مع القاعدة Alghamdi عثمان, Alghamdi Abdulrahman, Alghamdi, Alghamdi Sadda و Alghamdi Tareqsaeed.



الآن, اضافيا كان معلومات مجموع تدريجيا من ذكاء مطلع ( CentGas). المصدر 10 بليون الدمية. كان العائلة الملكية السعودية و المستلم هل كانت شراكة off-the-books LJM1 Enron, عرف عرف كذلك كما LJM تمساح أميركي, الاسطوانة. أعد LJM1 صفقة خط للأنابيب CentGas إلى حد تمويل بشكل أولي. Enron مسأم رذيلة تنفيذية الرئيس و مالي رئيسي أندور جي. كان Fastow عضو المنتدب شركاء LJM1. بالإضافة إلى باركليز, البنك الإمبراطوري الكندي من التجارة بأن يحول 10 ادعاءا كذلك استعمل بليون الدمية. إلى حساب Enron.



لا تحضر عرض عائلة بوش رئيسية و - غسل الدولي على مقربة اثنين تحقيق في نيويورك جنائية العملية الذي قد قاس من أكثر التوليد و كان استعمل بأن يرصد انتخابات الولايات-المتحدة منذ عصر نيكسون بشكل غير شرعي استعمل.



تربط في حسابات off-shore حسب مصادر سي-آي-إيه معظم موجودات عائلة بوش) إن الذي مقنع من محققين من خلال الاستعمال من مرر من خلال سرايا و إفرازي ركب إدارات تشابك.



لا تأتي إلى المقدمة مثل نيويورك تحقيق شرائح مال بوش سرية جنرال المحامي الذي Spitzer إليوت يركز شمل موريس على الفضيحة اللفيفة " يجمع Greenberg و التضخم القيمة التأمين الأمريكي ( AIG) من خلال مظلل ( نسب أدرج AIG مرجان reinsurer فيما يتعلق ب بارابادوس.



كان Greenberg CEO AIG لكن هل كان التحمل وسط الذي بأن استيقل مسبر Spitzer. أسس من آسيا AIG Life/CV Starr, / تصدير استيراد دولي - معتمد شنغهاي و تأمين الشركة التي مأسوسة Cornelius ف. في 1919 Starr, مكتب الخدمات استراتيجي ( OSS) العامل في بشكل جنوب الشرقي آسيا أثناء الحرب العالمية الثانية.



إن مساهم AIG الأكبر Starr سرية دولية ( SICO), off-shore الذي مؤسسة دمج في برمودا في بناما مع مقر للقيادة.



إن كنيث Starr المستقل المستشار الذي تابع حتى النهاية كلينتون الرئيس الابن للأخ Starr Cornelius.



ورث Greenberg وظيفة CEO و رئاسة من .5 Starr بليون مؤسسة Starr.



مسبر آخر يتركز سام و Wyly تشارلز انصار بوش الوقت - الطويل من قبل روبرت محامي منطقة منهاتن Morgenthau من التكساس و بنك off-shore أمريكا حساب في الجزيرة من شغل. يسبر ذلك ذلك حسب مصادر ذكاء) إن لم تكن حضر إلى جزيرة حساب دولار multi-billion الإنسان على مقربة جدا سيطر من خلال off-shore من قبل Bushes يأتمن ابتكار عندما تيلقوا خمسة معروف.



تشارلز الذي Wyly يخدم على اللوح الجامعة استثمار تكساس سرية الإدارة ( UTIMCO). قد شحن نقاد ذلك مئة مليون دولارات 11 UTIMCO بليون الدمية. في عام رصد وجه يرصد استثمار ركض أصدقاء عائلة بوش و مؤيدين. إن رقم مدراء UTIMCO متجاوز و جاري أعضاء جورج و.. دمية "100,000 بوش. أضرب بهراوة." ( يدرج هؤلاء هؤلاء بالإضافة إلى Wyly) سابق رئيس UTIMCO أخرق توم, رذيلة رئيس من انقشع قن و رأس من الالموزية, Tate و Furst, ; ل.. Mays Lowry, الرئيس من انقشع قن تكساس سابق Loeffler توم تمثيلي و جاري المؤثر بالضغط ( استلم من لاشرعي غسلوا تبرعات الحملة من مدخر فيرنون غير صالحة و أعر); أ. و.. Riter, سابق رئيس NCNB البنك في Tyler, التكساس; أ. ر.. "طوني " Sanchez, رئيس Sanchez - O'Brien الزيت و الغاز, المالك التكساس بنك دولي - معتمد الحدود من التجارة و مدخر Tesoro غير صالحة و أعر و مدغل صاد, رئيس من صاد سرية البناية. وجه إلى شركات بعض استثمارات UTIMCO ربط فرخ لي إلى متبرعين رائد " بوش على مقربة ( إخوة الفرخ مشاريع), Kravis هنري ( Kohlberg Roberts Kravis), و تشارلز ( Wyly), جيدا كما جورج و. و H.W. بوش ( شركاء Carlyle يرصد II, دبروا بواسطة مجموعة Carlyle).



إن غسل الطرف عائلة بوش جبل من الجليد مالي الذي يمد السطح إلى صفقات مالية مظللة حول الالكرة الأرضية تحت. مع ذلك يجازف محققون الذين) في التكساس سوف لدى وظائفهم قاطع واصل لأجلهم. قد كان Bushes مستلم نقد حملة من شركاء تخرجية رئيسية شركات القانون أكبر في التكساس -- Vinson و Elkins, بيكر Botts ( شركة القانون من جيمز بيكر III), Andrews ( Kurth), Jenkins و Haynes Gilchrist, Boone و Bracewell و Patterson -- ذلك قد كان متورطة دافع تلك سرايا التكساس و مدراءا قد الذين أفادوا من انسيابات مالية لاشرعية كبيرة في كذلك.

[rectar]

http://www.vheadline.com/graf/Bush-salute_01.jpg

According to intelligence sources in the United States and Europe, the Al Taqwa network intersected with tranches in Geneva and the Isle of Man that involve front companies associated with George H. W. Bush and Enron: Topaz Liberty, Bluelake World, and Potomac Capital.

[rectar]

Intel sources have also traced a possible second connection between the Swiss network connected to George H. W. Bush and other 9/11 hijackers.

The first connection concerned hijacker Fayyaz Ahmed and a US$50,000 check he received from a tranche connected to the Swiss network. The second is the listing of Ahmed Mesfer Ahmed Alghamdi as a shareholder of Al Taqwa on a Central Bank of the Bahamas document dated April 15, 2000. Ahmed Alghamdi and Hamza Alghamdi were two of the Saudi hijackers on board United Flight 175, which struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Saeed Alghamdi was one of the hijackers on board United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after being shot down by US military fighter planes (according to an NSA employee who was on duty in the National Security Operations Center on the morning of 9/11).

According to the FBI, the Alghamdi hijackers used a number of aliases. Ahmed Alghamdi used the names Ahmed Saeed Saleh Alghamdi, Ahmed Mohammed Alghamdi, Saeed Alghamdi, Ahmed Saleh, and Juan Poncho Bennett. Hamza Alghamdi used Saleh Alghamdi Hamzah. Saeed Alghamdi used Mohsalih Alghamdi, Mokhlidmazid Almotairi, Saeedayed Alghamdi, and Saeed H. Alghamdi. Other Alghamdis wanted by the FBI for involvement with "Al Qaeda" include Nora Alghamdi, Ali A. Alghamdi, Abdulrahman Alghamdi, Othman Alghamdi, Sadda Alghamdi and Tareqsaeed Alghamdi.


http://www.vheadline.com/graf/Bush_Machado_050531.jpg

Now, more information has been gleaned from knowledgeable intelligence sources about the secret UNOCAL, Enron, and Taliban negotiations over the Central Asian Gas pipeline (CentGas). The source of the $10 billion was the Saudi Royal family and the recipient was Enron's LJM1 off-the-books partnership, also known as LJM Cayman, LP. LJM1 was primarily set up to finance the CentGas pipeline deal. Convicted Enron Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Andrew J. Fastow was the managing member of the LJM1 partners. In addition to Barclays, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was also allegedly used to transfer the $10 billion to the Enron account.

[rectar]

Charles Wyly serves on the board of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO). Critics have charged that hundreds of millions of dollars of UTIMCO's $11 billion in public funds have been steered to investment funds run by Bush family friends and supporters. A number of UTIMCO's past and current directors are members of George W. Bush's "$100,000 Club." These include, in addition to Wyly, former UTIMCO chairman Tom Hicks, a vice chairman of Clear Channel and head of Muse, Tate & Furst, Inc.; L. Lowry Mays, the chairman of Clear Channel; former Texas Representative and current lobbyist Tom Loeffler (who received illegal laundered campaign contributions from the failed Vernon Savings & Loan); A. W. Riter, a former chairman of NCNB Bank in Tyler, Texas; A. R. "Tony" Sanchez, Chairman of Sanchez-O'Brien Oil & Gas, owner of the Texas border-based International Bank of Commerce and the failed Tesoro Savings & Loan; and Woody Hunt, Chairman of Hunt Building Company. Some of UTIMCO's investments were directed to firms with close ties to Bush "Pioneer" contributors Lee Bass (Bass Brothers Enterprises), Henry Kravis (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), and Charles Wyly (Maverick Capital Fund), as well as George W. and H.W. Bush (The Carlyle Partners II Fund, managed by The Carlyle Group).


http://www.vheadline.com/graf/Bush_Boozy_01.jpg

Texas money laundering is the tip of an Bush family financial iceberg that extends below the surface to shady financial deals around the globe. However, investigators who dare venture into Texas will have their jobs cut out for them. The Bushes have been major recipients of campaign cash from senior partners the largest law firms in Texas -- Vinson & Elkins, Baker Botts (law firm of James Baker III), Andrews Kurth (the law firm of contentious US District Judge Priscilla Owen), Jenkins & Gilchrist, Haynes Boone and Bracewell & Patterson -- that have also been involved in defending those Texas companies and principals who have benefited from massive illegal financial flows.

[rectar]

http://imgs1.kavkazcenter.com/img/spacer.gif Al-Qaida: US faked al-Zawahiri letter http://imgs1.kavkazcenter.com/img/spacer.gif http://imgs1.kavkazcenter.com/img/spacer.gifhttp://www.kavkaz.org.uk/eng/content/2005/10/15/4154.jpg

A purported al-Qaida web posting has charged the US with fabricating a letter from the group's overall second-in-command allegedly to its leader in Iraq asking for money and laying out the group's plans for the Middle East.



"We in al-Qaida declare that there is no truth to these claims, and they are baseless, except in the imagination of the politicians of the Black (White) House," according to the statement on a website known as a clearing house for al-Qaida material.



The statement was signed by Abu Maysara, who claims to be spokesman for al-Qaida in Iraq. It could not be authenticated.

[NYer]

"We in al-Qaida declare that there is no truth to these claims, and they are baseless, except in the imagination of the politicians of the Black (White) House," according to the statement on a website known as a clearing house for al-Qaida material.



I'm Abu Musab Al Zarqawi and I approve this message.

[NYer]

Congressman wants new Able Danger probe

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A vocal House Republican is calling for a new probe into what he says is a "witch-hunt" by defense officials against a Sept. 11 intelligence whistleblower.

Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Penn., told United Press International that officials at the Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, had "conducted a deliberate campaign of character assassination" against the whistleblower, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer.

Shaffer has said that a highly classified Pentagon data-mining project he worked on, codenamed Able Danger, identified the ringleaders of the Sept. 11 terror attacks as linked to al-Qaida more than a year before they hijacked four planes and crashed them, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Weldon told UPI he had written to the Department of Defense inspector general to ask for "an immediate formal inquiry, with people testifying under oath," into what he called "a clear witch-hunt" against Shaffer, who has been on administrative leave while minor allegations about some expenses are investigated.

Weldon's move comes after Shaffer said that boxes of his personal effects, returned to him by the DIA earlier this month, contained both government property and classified documents.

"Sending classified material through the mail is a felony, and much more serious than any of these minor, trumped up charges against (Shaffer)," he said, adding that "I want the appropriate persons held accountable."

Weldon said that the DIA had now taken steps to fire Shaffer. "It's outrageous and scandalous," he said.

A DIA spokesman had no immediate comment.
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20051019-040108-6365r

[Casey]

Friday, October 21, 2005 · Last updated 5:43 p.m. PT
Man who wanted bin Laden bounty sentenced
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT -- A man who tried to take a stun gun, ammunition and other items on a plane to Syria - and claimed he was trying to collect a $25 million bounty on Osama bin Laden - was sentenced Friday to time served and a year of supervised release.
Matt Mihsen, 47, of Chandler, Texas, has been free since pleading guilty last month to a federal count of failing to report that he had brought ammunition on board an airplane, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Detroit said. Three other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Mihsen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Syria, was arrested Feb. 15 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where he had changed planes on his way from Dallas to Damascus, Syria.
A search of his checked luggage found items including a stun gun, ammunition, pepper spray, a bulletproof vest and three Geiger counters, his indictment said. Agents also found more than $13,000 on him and in his luggage, according to the indictment.
Mihsen, a registered private investigator, pilot and truck driver, told agents he was going to Syria in hopes of claiming the U.S. government's reward for information leading to bin Laden's arrest and conviction, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Mihsen also allegedly said he wanted to conduct an independent probe into the illegal sale of uranium by extremists.
DisplayOAS3 = '1'http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/art2/lines/hdivider.gif

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Bin_Laden_Bounty.html

[Petronas]

What I would like to know is, is Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh a Muslim? A contamination of the food supply by terrorists has long been a concern, not so much because it would likely cause an elevated number of deaths, but because of the massive economic disruption it could cause, one of Al Qaeda's main goals. Was this individual a freelance Jihadist? How does the FBI know so quickly that "it was not a national security issue"?

Man Caught On Tape Sprinkling Fecal Matter On Pastries
UPDATED: 7:43 am EDT October 29, 2005

A cab driver in Dallas, Texas, was allegedly caught on surveillance video sprinkling dried fecal matter on cookies and pastries at a grocery store, according to a Local 6 News. Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh, 49, is on trial for allegedly throwing the feces on pastries at a Fiesta grocery store. Police said that during an investigation, they found a pile of human feces by his bed. Investigators believe Nahidmobarekeh would dry the feces, either by microwave or just letting it sit out, grate it up with a cheese grater and then sprinkle it at the store. "(We are) unable to identify him; just a young boy, maybe 3 years old, on the surveillance tape you can see him eating one of the cookies and that's the worst part about it ,I think."

Attorneys in the case were unclear about a motive in the case. Prosecutors will show a surveillance videotape of the defendant, which shows him sprinkling a substance on the food. The FBI arrested Nahidmobarekeh but turned the case over to local prosecutors after they determined it was not a national security issue.

http://www.local6.com/news/5182853/detail.html

[Petronas]

Accused al Qaeda supporter testifies in New York
Nov 17, 2005 — By Christine Kearney

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Pakistani accused of supporting an al Qaeda plot to attack the United States testified at his trial on Thursday that he knew of no such scheme and was forced into a false confession by FBI agents. Uzair Paracha, 25, is accused of agreeing to smuggle travel documents and pose as another man, purported al Qaeda member Majid Khan, who prosecutors believe was planning to blow up gas stations in America.

Paracha told jurors in Manhattan federal court that he eventually confessed to FBI agents that he helped Khan during three days of questioning in FBI offices and Manhattan hotel rooms in March 2003. "I was scared, and I wanted to go home. Every time I told them the truth, they told me I was lying," Paracha said. "So I told them what I thought they wanted to hear."

Paracha, who said he was strip searched and told he would be arrested if he requested a lawyer, said he agreed to help Khan with his travel documents "as a fellow Pakistani Muslim" and did not know he was a member of al Qaeda, which masterminded the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. "I am not a supporter of taking innocent lives," said Paracha, who if convicted faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on each of the five counts he faces, including document fraud and supporting al Qaeda. "The truth is I did not know these people were al Qaeda," he testified. "The truth is if I knew that, I would not have agreed to help them."

Prosecutors allege Paracha attended a series of meetings in Pakistan in 2003 with his father Saifullah Paracha and al Qaeda members Khan and Ammar al-Baluchi and agreed to mail travel documents to Khan in Pakistan, knowing he was planning to carry out an attack. Both Khan and al-Baluchi are being held in U.S. custody in undisclosed locations, and Saifullah Paracha has been held for two years in the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sworn statements made to U.S. authorities by Khan and al-Baluchi read aloud in court on Thursday said neither Paracha nor his father knew either of the men was an al Qaeda member or knew of a chemical attack plot.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1323885

[Petronas]

Seattle Mosque Leader Arrested at Sea-Tac Airport
16 November 2005

The leader of the Rainier Valley Mosque, Abu Abrahim Sheik Mohamed was arrested Monday at Sea-Tac airport as he stepped off a domestic flight. Lorie Haley, spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Mohamed, 37, is currently "in custody on immigration violations" and is presently being detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. Although in custody now only on immigration violations, sources close to the Northeast Intelligence Network have indicated that there is a wider investigation being conducted.

The Abu Bakr Mosque appeared on the radar screen of federal authorities in 2004. In November of 2004, the Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested 14 people at several Seattle area locations, including one business situated in close proximity to the original location of the Abu-Bakr Mosque. Some of those arrested had connections to the mosque.

Mohamed is a native of Somalia and has been the imam of the Abu-Bakr Mosque for the past five years. Initially opened six years ago on Rainier Avenue South, the mosque moved earlier this year to Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, catering to a large Somalia population in the area.

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/

[Petronas]

Terrorism drill works out kinks
Tuesday, November 15, 2005 8:44 PM PST

DEL MAR ---- A bright yellow car exploded without warning Tuesday morning at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, starting the biggest terrorism drill held in San Diego County. Before the daylong exercise was over, 25 people would be listed as "dead." Another 120 mock victims were supposedly decontaminated and treated at Scripps Memorial Hospital, Encinitas.

It was a long, sometimes confusing and occasionally frustrating day for many of the 1,200 law enforcement officers, firefighters, medical personnel, dispatchers, volunteers and others who work for dozens of agencies. "Remember," the director of the county's Office of Emergency Services, Deborah Steffen, reminded observers over the roar of circling helicopters just before the drill began, "the goal of an exercise is not for everything to work perfectly." The purpose, Steffen said, was to develop the capabilities of the departments, agencies and personnel, and to find areas in need of improvement.

Eighteen months of work, including an earlier drill in May, went into the exercise. It was one of a series of drills being held countywide over three years as part of an $800,000 Department of Homeland Security grant. As the day ended, San Diego County Sheriff's Department Capt. Glenn Revell said the agencies had learned the need for accurate communication under the stress and pressure of an event that didn't stop. "We didn't see any glaring areas that required improvement," he said. Many things went well, including partnering with area hospitals and paramedics, hazardous materials response planning, and an overall effort to handle terrorism or other major emergencies that won't deplete any agency in the county of its resources during a drill or a real incident, said Revell.

Under Tuesday's scenario, a group of terrorists had placed a bomb in a car near the graceful Mission Tower on the fairgrounds, where a home show was in progress. The bomb's explosion would destroy the tower, hurling debris in all directions. In addition to the "dead," and the "injured" who would require hospital care, more than 5,000 more people would be "wounded" or affected by fumes. Complications would include hazardous materials at the home show, numerous cars burning in the parking lot, and acrid fumes from liquid soil fumigant escaping from a broken container that would further panic nearly 11,000 people in the grandstand.

The real drill began with a bang about 9 a.m. as a movie-style car blast startled observers. During the long wait for the first fire crew, black smoke boiled upward and white plumes of smoke erupted from "chemicals." There was gunfire and more explosions. Sheriff's deputies tried to help the wounded. "Where's the fire department?" a woman asked. "It's been five minutes." The first bright red Del Mar firetruck arrived, only to have firefighters and deputies drop as mock chemical fumes "overcame" them. Screeching, cricketlike alarms began persistently shrilling from firefighters' breathing gear.

Off the fairgrounds, a command center organized and the Metropolitan Medical Strike Team was being assembled to help determine what was going on and to deal with it. Farther north at Scripps Memorial Hospital, Encinitas, medical staff readied for patients in a rear parking lot.

The cast of characters included Carlsbad Army and Navy Academy cadets with shaved heads and plenty of makeup for fake injuries. Medical and emergency workers directed the cadet "victims" through a decontamination tent equipped with soap and a shower, then sent them to another tent or to open-air gurneys for treatment. Some mock victims were on blankets on a small lawn. The drill did not move into the hospital.

Two immediate lessons learned were the need for better security and better communications between the hospital and the disaster site, said Steve Miller, the hospital's director of emergency services. Organizer Nicolett Fitzgerald of Scripps added that comments from the victims about how well the drill went would be learned during debriefing. As part of the drill, a dozen cadets acted upset because they weren't being allowed to see "injured" family members or get information about them. Flailing their arms and hollering, the "relatives" charged through a barricade and stormed a tent. A half-dozen sheriff's deputies watched, but didn't budge from their seats in the rear of patrol cars. When a medic in the tent yelled for security and glared at the deputies, one of them smiled, held his hands up and said, "We're not part of it."

Other glitches appeared relatively minor. Water from the shower in the decontamination tent flowed across the parking lot rather than down a drain into a sewer hookup. An ambulance pulled into the scene, without its lights flashing, and no one knew whether it contained a real or mock patient. The patient was a real one, and workers moved yellow tape so the vehicle could reach the emergency room door.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/11/16/news/top_stories/111505182838.txt

[Petronas]

Probably not terrorism, but I always shudder when I hear about shots fired and hostages taken inside a US shopping mall. Tom Clancy used simultaneous attacks on American shopping malls by Al Qaeda as the setting for one of his thrillers...

'We're Being Held Hostage'

POSTED: 2:18 pm PST November 20, 2005
UPDATED: 3:52 pm PST November 20, 2005

TACOMA, Wash. -- A gunman opened fire inside a shopping mall in Tacoma, Wash., and is believed to be holed up in a record store where an employee says he and others have been taken hostage. At least six people were injured after the shots were fired, one critically. "We're being held hostage," said an employee who answered the phone at a Sam Goody store in Tacoma Mall. He identified himself as Joe Hudson and said little else, but he could be heard telling others that he was talking to The Associated Press. Then he hung up.

Tacoma Fire Department Deputy Chief John Lendosky told CNN authorities got a call about 12:15 p.m. Pacific time that shots had been fired inside the mall. State Patrol and police units from nearby agencies are clustered around an entrance at the south end of Tacoma Mall. Earlier a clerk said she heard three gunshots, and a shopper told Seattle television station KING he saw a man running through the mall with a gun and firing. KING also reports that police have found what they describe as a suspicious package and are telling people to move away from the area.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/5368812/detail.html

[Petronas]

Court says Muslim roleplaying in school OK
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18 (UPI)

Christian students and parents cannot sue a school district because some seventh-graders pretended to be Muslims for a history course, a court has ruled. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the role-playing game was not a religious exercise that violated anybody's constitutional rights. The court upheld a lower court ruling, saying only that the activities at the Byron, Calif., school weren't "overt religious exercises" that would raise concerns under the First Amendment prohibition of "establishment of religion." The decision was issued one day after the U.S. House of Representatives chastised the 9th Circuit for ruling earlier this month that parents can't sue public schools for providing information about sex. That decision "deplorably infringed on parental rights," said the House resolution.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051118-012240-1173r

One has to wonder where the ACLU and Mr. Newdow would be if you substituted "Christian" for "Muslim"...

[Petronas]

City bobbles fake disaster
November 19, 2005

"There's bodies all around me! They're bleeding to death. We need help!"
That's the fictional 911 call that started a tabletop exercise last month when 120 Denver-area agencies practiced responding to the explosion of a radioactive "dirty bomb" in a packed Pepsi Center.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper was so displeased with the response that he has ordered a Cabinet-level review of the Oct. 19 exercise and a plan of action to improve Denver's emergency response. He's also searching for a new emergency manager for the city. "The experts ruled the exercise was a success. I hold us to a much higher standard, evidently," Hickenlooper said in an interview Friday.

The mayor said that after seeing how unprepared New Orleans was for Hurricane Katrina, he realized that disaster drills must be flawless if Denver is to fare well in the real thing. "If we're not at near perfect in our exercises, what happens in something comes out of the blue?"

The mayor said the drill revealed faulty radio communications. In addition, managers had trouble coordinating 120 agencies that came to help 20,000 people supposedly fleeing an explosion and radioactive contamination at a Nuggets game. Denver Assistant Fire Chief Greg Champlin, one of the exercise facilitators, said the drill also found a shortage of radiation sensors. And he'd like better equipment for predicting the path of a plume of contamination. "We can improve patient tracking and how we are going to decontaminate large numbers of civilians," Champlin added. Officials also need to work on the flow of information to both emergency personnel on the scene and the public, he said. Tabletop drills present participants with a nightmare scenario with the aim of letting police officers, firefighters, paramedics and others practice how to respond.

In the Oct. 19 drill, rescuers soon realize the Pepsi Center bomb is stuffed with radioactive waste. A plume of radioactivity wafts toward tens of thousands of people watching New Year's Eve fireworks on the 16th Street Mall. In another twist, the scenario had the incident commander collapse from a heart attack and die in the middle of the tragedy.

The scenario played out on tabletops at the Denver Coliseum. A video of the drill shows hundreds of toy ambulances and firetrucks being shifted about on 22 six-foot-long aerial photos of Denver. Tiny plastic soldiers were laid out to simulate 1,300 casualties. More than 300 people at various locations participated. In the exercise, virtually every police, fire and ambulance unit in the metro area responds to the bomb. But responders had trouble communicating with agencies with different kinds of radios. That's what happened when hundreds of police and firefighters rushed to the Columbine High School shootings.

In a video of the exercise, an official speaks into a radio in one hand, then turns to speak in a different radio in his other hand. Communicating with other departments often has required using multiple radios. This year, Denver installed computerized radio switching equipment to allow first responders from different agencies in the metro area talk to each other. But the exercise revealed that an unknown number of agencies have yet to program their radios to use the new equipment or conduct the needed training. For example, Mike Bedwell, who runs Aurora's emergency radio system, said none of Aurora's 2,000 radios have been switched so far. He hopes to have that done in three months. Hickenlooper said Denver officials knew all radios weren't programmed yet, but "what comes out of this is a sense of urgency" to get the job done.

Champlin of the Denver Fire Department said dispatchers were hampered because they had to use portable radios instead of the more sophisticated equipment in their dispatch centers. "We took away three-quarters of the tools in their toolbox," because exercise coordinators didn't want to disrupt the city's response to normal emergencies that day, he said. But that meant dispatchers could not act as they would in a real disaster, he said. Also in the video, Denver paramedic Tom Cribley says no victims were transported to hospitals during the first 30 minutes after the blast.

Asked if he was happy with a 30-minute delay in taking victims to the hospital, Hickenlooper said, "I wanted people to function more in real time" in the drill. Instead, responders knew there weren't real people hurt, and they didn't act with urgency, he said.

Officials had planned to follow up the $50,000 tabletop drill with a more expensive one next year using real people and equipment at the Pepsi Center. But Deputy Safety Manager Tracy Howard said that plan has been shelved until problems are worked out in another tabletop exercise. The mayor said he has asked Deputy Mayor and Public Works Manager Bill Vidal to meet with the Cabinet and do a thorough assessment of the exercise. They'll also look at Denver's resources in responding to a disaster, and the experience and planning in other cities. Vidal is to report back by January. There's also urgency to find a new emergency manager for the city.

Hickenlooper said the city's last emergency manager left when he took office in 2003. The mayor looked for a replacement but didn't find one, so Howard added that job to his duties. Hickenlooper said he has now concluded it is a full-time job. "I believed our readiness was sufficient. The exercise pointed out we needed more practice, more training," the mayor said. "It's like buying insurance for your house. You tell yourself you'll never use it, but you better have it."

Dirty bomb drill

• Event: On Oct. 19, representatives from 120 agencies gathered around dozens of tables at the Denver Coliseum and in emergency operations centers to practice responding to this scenario: a radioactive explosion during a Nuggets game at the Pepsi Center.

• Problems: Radios that didn't talk to each other or work at all in parts of the Coliseum, a shortage of radiation detectors, difficulty in decontaminating a large crowd, trouble predicting the path of the radioactive plume, and problems sharing information.

• Reaction: Mayor John Hickenlooper appoints a Cabinet-level task force to review Denver's emergency response capabilities and the problems found in the exercise. He also starts searching for a full-time emergency manager.

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4252099,00.html

[Petronas]

'Dirty bomb' suspect charged
Nov 22, 2005

WASHINGTON - Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen held in a military brig for more than three years on suspicion of plotting a "dirty bomb" attack, has been charged with conspiracy to murder and aiding terrorists, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The 11-count federal indictment -- the first brought against Padilla since his arrest on May 8, 2002 -- included four other defendants. It included no reference to previous accusations against Padilla, made with great fanfare by U.S. officials, that he plotted with al Qaeda to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the America and blow up apartment buildings using natural gas.

Padilla was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after returning from Pakistan at a time of heightened U.S. alert after the September 11 attacks and when U.S. troops were fighting al Qaeda militants and supporters in Afghanistan. The men were accused of running a U.S. support cell providing money and recruits for a jihad campaign overseas. "All of these defendants are alleged members of a violent terrorist support cell that operated in the United States and Canada," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told a news conference.

The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in U.S. District Court in Miami on November 17. The main charges against the men were conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people in a foreign country; conspiracy to provide material support for terrorists, and providing material support for terrorists -- all between October 1993 and about November 1, 2001. They could face life in prison if convicted. Gonzales declined to comment on the previous dirty bomb or apartment bombing claims, saying they were outside Tuesday's indictment. Justice Department officials said the outlined charges did not back away from previous statements and did not rule out other charges in the future.

Padilla's lawyer, Donna Newman, said at a news conference in New York that her client denied all of the allegations and looked forward to being vindicated at trial. "We are very happy about this indictment. It's what we've asked for. You don't hold American citizens without charges," Newman said. "Now we can go to court and challenge the government's assertions."

As part of the proceeding, President George W. Bush has authorized Padilla's transfer from military to Justice Department control. Gonzales said Padilla was "no longer being detained ... as an enemy combatant." "The defendants, along with other individuals, operated and participated in a North American support cell that sent money, physical assets and mujahideen recruits to overseas conflicts for the purposes of fighting a violent jihad," the indictment said. "Padilla was recruited by the North American support cell to participate in violent jihad and traveled overseas for that purpose," it stated.

Padilla, a former Chicago gang member and convert to Islam, had been held as an enemy combatant in a South Carolina military brig under sweeping presidential powers enacted after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Also indicted with Padilla was Adham Amin Hassoun, who is detained in Florida; Mohamed Hesham Youssef, who is in prison in Egypt; Kifah Wael Jayyousi, who is also detained in Florida, and Kassem Daher, who is outside the United States but whose exact legal status is not known. The first three had been indicted before. The new indictments added Padilla and Daher as co-conspirators. Gonzales said the government plans to bring the cases to trial in September 2006. Padilla will be taken to Florida, where he will make his initial court appearance on an unspecified date.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1337729

[Petronas]

Egyptian Accused of Terror Ties Released
MIAMI Nov 22, 2005

Federal officials determined an Egyptian restaurant owner had no ties to terrorism and released him Tuesday, nine months after his name turned up on a terrorist watch list and he was detained. Basuyouy Mamdouh Ebaid's family threw him a party with belly dancers and sparkling cider at his Hollywood restaurant to celebrate his return home. "What the American justice system has done for me is making me love the country more," Ebaid said in a telephone interview.

Ebaid, 44, was arrested in February after he allegedly sold liquor to minors. Police then ran his name through a computer database, which listed him as a possible terrorist because he was allegedly overheard praising al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and suicide bombers.

U.S. Immigration Judge Kenneth S. Hurewitz ruled in September that Ebaid would not be deported because media reports about his case could result in his torture if he were sent back to Egypt. The judge also said Ebaid's assertions that he had no ties to terrorism and didn't know why his name was on a federal watch list were credible. Ebaid came to the United States 21 years ago on a student visa. Ebaid was not charged with any terrorist-related crimes. The alcohol-related charges are still pending.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1339431

[Petronas]

Man found guilty in Bush Qaeda plot
Nov 22, 2005

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - A federal jury on Tuesday found a U.S. man guilty of conspiring with al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President George W. Bush, rejecting his claims of torture by Saudi police. The 12-member jury found Ahmed Abu Ali, 24, guilty of all charges in a nine-count indictment. He had been charged with conspiracy to assassinate Bush, conspiring to support and supporting al Qaeda, and conspiracy to hijack aircraft. U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee set a February 17, 2006, date to sentence Abu Ali, who faces life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty, whose office prosecuted the case, said the ruling firmly established Abu Ali as a terrorist who posed a grave threat to U.S. national security. The conviction "serves as a clear warning to all that terrorists can and will be brought to the bar of justice," McNulty said in a statement.

Abu Ali, who lived in Falls Church, Virginia, close to Washington, was arrested in June 2003 while studying at a Saudi university and was held in Saudi custody for 20 months before returning to the United States after being indicted. In Saudi Arabia, he signed confessions and made statements admitting to the plot against Bush and to having ties to an al Qaeda cell. Abu Ali pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying he made up the confessions after being tortured by Saudi police. His lawyers had urged the jury to acquit him because all the evidence against him was obtained through coercion. But after nearly three full days of deliberation, the jury found Abu Ali guilty.

Dressed in a gray suit, the bearded Abu Ali stared straight ahead at the judge as a court clerk read out the nine counts and the jury's verdict of guilty in each. Abu Ali's family, which had often said prayers in court and offered words of encouragement during the trial, showed little emotion as the verdict was read.

Khurrum Wahid, Abu Ali's lead attorney, said his client would appeal. "He is disappointed that the jury didn't see the truth," Wahid told reporters outside the courthouse. "He wants us to continue to fight." In his statements to Saudi officials, Abu Ali said he and senior members of an al Qaeda cell in Medina, Saudi Arabia, discussed how he could kill Bush. He said they also talked about other types of attacks, including September 11-like hijackings that could be carried out in the United States.

Prosecutors never said when Abu Ali was planning to kill Bush. They said he had discussed various tactics for conducting the assassination, including an operation with multiple snipers and a suicide bombing operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Laufman said Abu Ali had said he was interested in "killing the leader of the infidels -- Bush."

Prosecutors said Abu Ali also wanted to become a planner of terrorist operations like Mohamed Atta -- believed to be the ringleader of the September 11, 2001, hijackers. Abu Ali said he made the confessions after members of the Saudi domestic security police chained his hands to the ground and repeatedly whipped him on the back.

Saudi officials deny the accusations of mistreatment. U.S. prosecutors, who based most of their case against Abu Ali on statements made in Saudi Arabia, said there was no evidence to prove Abu Ali had been tortured. "I hope this verdict does not give the government the green light to send citizens to other countries that practice torture to circumvent the constitution," said Wahid.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1338783

[Petronas]

Pakistani Is Convicted of Aiding al-Qaida
NEW YORK Nov 23, 2005

A Pakistani man who claimed he was pressured into a false confession was convicted Wednesday of trying to help an al-Qaida operative slip past U.S. immigration officials. A federal jury deliberated for about five hours before finding Uzair Paracha, 25, guilty of providing material support to terrorists and of other related charges. He could face up to 75 years in prison.

The government accused Paracha of trying to help Majid Khan, an alleged al-Qaida member, sneak into the country using fake travel documents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl Metzner told the jury Paracha wanted to help Khan and "did so knowing that a terrorist was coming here for one purpose: to kill Americans." Paracha testified he was pressured into confession and only told investigators "what I thought they wanted to hear." His defense attorney Edward Wilford said the FBI denied his client food and sleep during hours of questioning "the ideal conditions to create a false confession."

The man Paracha is accused of trying to help, Khan, is presumed to be in overseas jails. Paracha's father, Saifullah Paracha, is also being held as an enemy combatant in the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has not been charged with a crime, but documents indicate he is suspected of laundering money for terrorists and associating with al-Qaida figures. He has repeatedly denied any knowing involvement in terrorism.

Uzair Paracha grew up in Pakistan, but has lived off and on for many years in New York, where his family has several business ventures. After his detention in 2003, he told agents that Khan had tried to recruit him to al-Qaida and made clear that he wanted to come to the United States as part of a plot to attack Americans. Paracha told the agents he had no personal interest in al-Qaida but cooperated because Khan and others related to the terrorist network had promised to invest $200,000 in one of the family's businesses.

Just before the trial began two weeks ago, U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein denied Paracha's request to call as witnesses Khan, Ammar Al-Baluchi and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, al-Qaida's No. 3 leader, who was in U.S. custody after he was captured in Pakistan. Paracha's sentencing is set for March 4.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1342105

[Petronas]

What is next? Attacks on video stores? Discos? Movie theaters showing "R" rated movies? Restaurant goers during Ramadan?

Oakland liquor stores under siege
11/25/2005 02:32:38 AM

OAKLAND — Abdul Saleh has just one question for the men — suspected by authorities to be Black Muslims — who trashed his corner store late Wednesday, terrorizing his 17-year-old son and another clerk and causing thousands of dollars in damage. Why? "I don't know why they tried to destroy my life," said Saleh, who has owned San Pablo Market and Liquor in West Oakland since 1986. "We came here for a better living, not to make war with anybody."

About a dozen African-American men wearing suits, white-collared shirts and bow ties — a trademark of the Nation of Islam — entered the store on San Pablo Avenue and West Street about 11:30 p.m. One went behind the counter and swept dozens of shelved liquor bottles to the floor. Others smashed glass refrigerator doors with long, slim metal pipes, breaking beer and wine bottles inside the cases. The whole incident from start to finish was caught on surveillance tape. The men warned the store clerks to stop selling alcohol to African Americans, but they also knocked over display racks containing bread and other food items. Then, almost as quickly as they arrived, they all filed out and headed to another West Oakland liquor store, New York Market at Market and 35th streets, where they did the same thing.

Although the men did not identify themselves as Black Muslims or members of the Nation of Islam, police suspect that's who was behind the attacks, based on the attackers' attire. "There was no warning. They never came in before," Saleh said Thursday morning. He had cleaned up the broken glass, but a pool of liquid still dripped from inside the taped-up refrigerator cases, and the entire floor inside the bright corner store was sticky. The storage area was filled with bins of broken beer, wine and liquor bottles. Milk crates filled with champagne and small bottles of Remy Martin and Hennessey cognac were on the floor, waiting for someone to rinse them off and make sure they weren't broken.

The expense was large, but that was not on Saleh's mind. "My son was here," Saleh said. "He was scared. When he called me, he could not even speak. It makes me nervous. It's scary. They say, 'We will be back.' If the city of Oakland can't protect us, or a security guard, what can they do with 12 or 13 people? I'm worried for my employees. I'm worried for my son's safety and my own safety. I am supporting two families from this place, 30 people."

At New York Market, a busy corner store that offers fortified beer and wine but no hard liquor, the owner, Tony, who just took control of the store three months ago and did not want to use his last name, said the group was targeting alcohol when it should be after drugs. "Before they talk about alcohol, they should talk about all the drugs and heroin on the street," he said. His cousin was minding the store when the men came in at 11:40 p.m. At one point, his cousin reached for a shotgun behind the counter, but the men took it away from him, Tony said. "I'm not worried. Let them come back," he said. "I'm not chokin' nobody, telling them to buy alcohol."

He might not be worried, but other market owners are. One owner, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, said he was scared, and he compared what happened to a terrorist attack. "It's worse than al-Qaida," he said. "They run into people's stores like that, anything can happen. Somebody is going to get hurt. When that happens, you don't know what your reaction is going to be. It's like somebody running into your house. "We have to protect ourselves by any means necessary. If the police don't protect us, who will help us? They could do that to every store." Representatives from Oakland's Black Muslim community did not return a phone call about the incident.

Oakland's Deputy Chief Howard Jordan said police are very concerned and have ordered extra patrols in the area to try to protect the stores. Jordan said they are investigating the incidents as hate crimes because most of the stores are owned and operated by Arabs or Arab Americans, and the suspects are telling them not to sell liquor to African Americans. "It's vandalism and terrorism," he said. "We're characterizing it as a hate crime and actively pursuing all leads."

Jordan said the department is concerned about how widespread the attacks could become, especially with the large number of liquor stores in East and West Oakland, most located within African-American communities. The suspects did not attempt to hide their identities. "We don't know if more are planned or this was an isolated incident," Jordan said. "We are looking at all the possibilities. If there are any trends, our intelligence units will track it nationwide."

He said he also is worried about people getting hurt or killed in an attempt to protect themselves and their property. "We're not going to tell (the store owners) to arm themselves, but if it happens, it's a big concern," Jordan said. "We could have victims all over Oakland."

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3250665

[Petronas]

Ohio Cleric to Be Deported for Terror Ties
November 25, 2005 5:24 PM EST

CLEVELAND - Federal authorities arrested an Islamic religious leader Friday as they began the process of deporting him for his ties to terrorist groups. Imam Fawaz Damra, the spiritual leader of Ohio's largest mosque, was convicted in June 2004 of concealing ties to three groups that the U.S. government classifies as terrorist organizations when he applied for U.S. citizenship in 1994. That conviction was upheld in March, clearing the way for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin deportation proceedings.

Damra, 44, was arrested early Friday without incident, the immigration office said. "It is clear that this person, Mr. Damra, believed in terrorism, supported terrorism," said Brian Moskowitz, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office in Detroit. "This is not a man of peace or a man of God." Damra's conviction for naturalization fraud wasn't enough to warrant deportation because he has legally lived in the United States for five years. Immigration officials are seeking to remove him because he raised funds for terrorist organizations, Moskowitz said. A message seeking comment from Damra's attorney, Mark Flessner, was not immediately returned.

Damra is being held in Detroit by federal authorities. A bond hearing was expected to take place next week before an immigration judge in Detroit. The Palestinian-born Damra, who is the imam, or spiritual leader, at the Islamic Center of Cleveland, immigrated to the United States in the mid-1980s. In Damra's trial last year, prosecutors showed video footage of Damra and other Islamic leaders raising money for an arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has been listed as a major terrorist group by the State Department since 1989. Jurors also were shown footage in which Damra called Jews "the sons of monkeys and pigs" during a 1991 speech and said "terrorism and terrorism alone is the path to liberation" in a 1989 speech.

U.S. District Judge James Gwin sentenced the Palestinian-born cleric to two months in prison and four months in home detention. Damra served the prison time from November 2004 to January of this year. Gwin also stripped Damra's citizenship but informed prosecutors they could not begin deportation proceedings until after the appellate ruling.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20051125/43869a50_3ca6_15526200511251481778730

[Petronas]

Will Oakland, CA be the first Sharia enclave in the USA? See next to last news story.
...men dressed in suits and bow ties stormed into the shops...
...the Nation of Islam [is] ... known for wearing suits and bow ties...
...Police also said their investigation "concluded that the individuals responsible are not associated with the Nation of Islam...Brilliant detective work or politically correct BS?

Calif. Liquor Store Trashed, Burned
Mon Nov 28,10:31 PM ET

OAKLAND, Calif. - A liquor store was heavily damaged by an apparent arson fire Monday, just days after it was trashed by well-dressed vandals who told the owners to stop selling to black people, authorities said. Police had no suspects in the fire, which was reported about 1 a.m. They refused to say whether they believed the blaze at New York Market was connected to vandalism last week at the store and the nearby San Pablo Market and Liquor in West Oakland.

Deputy Police Chief Howard Jordan said police would seek arrest warrants on charges of terrorist threats, conspiracy, vandalism and robbery against six men suspected of trashing the two liquor stores.

Workers at both stores said that a group of about a dozen men dressed in suits and bow ties stormed into the shops, smashed liquor bottles and knocked over racks of food. At least one attack was captured on a video surveillance camera. "In both incidents, the suspects entered the store and questioned why a Mulsim-owned store would sell alcoholic beverages when it is against the Muslim religion," police said in a statement. The men, all of whom were black, told the owners to stop selling alcohol to black people, authorities said. Investigators were looking into the incidents as hate crimes because the stores' owners are of Middle Eastern descent and are Muslims, Jordan said.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was assisting police with the investigation. Minister Tony Muhammad, West Coast leader for the Nation of Islam, has spoken out against allegations the group was connected to the vandalism and condemned the acts. Oakland police said the group, known for wearing suits and bow ties, was not under investigation. Police also said their investigation "concluded that the individuals responsible are not associated with the Nation of Islam, under the leadership of minister Louis Farrakhan, or its mosques and study groups."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051129/ap_on_re_us/stores_trashed_2;_ylt=Av_02o0tnYOK38R.PSIAqfVsaMYA ;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA

[Petronas]

Sentencing puzzle: family man or radical Muslim?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005

TACOMA, Wash. -- Is Zaid Mu'min a mainstream Muslim with "an active fantasy life" or a radical preparing for holy war? Nearly five hours of testimony failed to clear up the mystery. In the end, U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton went with the sentence government lawyers proposed, four years and nine months in prison for being a felon in possession of guns. "Clearly this case represents a picture in contrasts," Leighton said Tuesday. "I don't know who the real Mr. Mu'min is." Defense lawyer Mary Kay High said the 32-year-old Puyallup man had overcome a troubled boyhood, including sexual abuse and crime in his youth. She asked Leighton to spare him from prison so he could support his wife and three children.

A U.S. Probation Department report recommended the legal maximum of 10 years, relying on the U.S. attorney's office contention that Mu'min might have a "jihad mentality." Assistant U.S. attorney William H. Redkey Jr. recommended the low end of the standard range after Mu'min pleaded guilty in April to being a felon in possession of guns, asserting that prison time was justified because Mu'min hung out in a south Seattle barber shop where radical Muslims talked "jihad smack."

Federal agents raided Mu'min's house on Nov. 18, 2004, as part of an investigation by the Seattle Joint Terrorism Task Force and found an AK-47 rifle with a scope, a Ruger .22-caliber pistol, a Glock .45-caliber pistol, a Browning .38-caliber pistol, a CIA manual on explosives, an Army sniper manual and instruction booklets on urban combat and the use of poisons to kill. Mu'min's wife Jacquelynn said the guns were hers. Mu'min told the judge he was just curious about different reading materials and used some of the tactical guides in his work teaching children how to keep themselves safe.

"I don't find or conclude that Mr. Mu'min is a terrorist or someone with terrorist leanings," Leighton said. But he added that Mu'min's explanations about the reading material and the guns "didn't resonate" with him. Peter Coleman, 44, a government informant who admitted to the court that he committed robberies and assaults to support "a jihad movement," testified that he met Mu'min at the barbershop and learned that Mu'min was providing violent literature to the shop owner and giving martial arts-type jihad readiness training in a Seattle apartment complex. However, under High's questioning, Coleman said he had never seen Mu'min provide jihad training, didn't know Mu'min provided any literature and didn't know why Mu'min was there.

Mu'min, who converted to Islam in prison in the early 1990s, told the judge, "I am an American. I am not a terrorist. I just happen to be a Muslim." He didn't deny talking to men in the barbershop but said it was while he waited for his Arabic instructor to arrive to teach a class in the shopping complex. Redkey told the judge Mu'min was either a radical Muslim preparing for jihad, a mainstream Muslim with idle fantasies or a "sleeper" terrorist. "I'm inclined to think he's got an active fantasy life," Redkey said. "My view is that 57 months in prison will be enough to find out who the real Mr. Mu'min is, and to deter others from indulging in active fantasies."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Muslim_Sentence.html

[Petronas]

A few more details on this case.

American Citizen Convicted For Terrorism
UPDATED: 7:33 pm EST November 29, 2005

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- An American citizen whose father worked for the Saudi Embassy is convicted for conspiring with Al Qaida operatives to assassinate President George W. Bush. Ahmed Abu Ali, of Falls Church, Va., admitted to the crime in a videotaped confession. As a boy, Abu Ali attended the Saudi Islamic Academy in Alexandria. He even became a member of the National Honor Society. In his senior year, Ali's classmates voted him "the most likely to become a martyr."

In the video, the 24-year-old said he went to Saudi Arabia in 2002 to study Islam, and met an Al Qaida operative who invited him to join the Jihad against America. "I immediately accepted because of my hatred of the U.S., for what I felt was its support of Israel against the Palestinian people," Abu Ali said on the tape. Abu Ali also admitted that he suggested blowing up American warplanes, warships, or targeting hi-ranking U.S. officials.

He also said it was his Al Qaida contact's idea to kill the president. Ali Abu went on to say on the videotape, "I preferred this idea because it was easier to carry out since the U.S. president often appears in pubic places." The group then plotted exactly how they would carry out the assassination. They agreed that they would "either use at least three snipers who would fire simultaneously to increase the hit probability, or to carry out a martyr operation when the U.S. president goes out to greet the people."

During his trial, Ali testified that the Saudis beat the confession out of him. But jurors saw him on tape pretend to cock a rifle and laugh. "What was striking was how relaxed he looked, almost carefree...[he] didn't look like someone tortured, pressured into confessing," said Roger Cressey, an NBC News Terror Analyst. Now the little boy voted most likely to become a martyr is facing 20 years to life in prison. Abu Ali will be sentenced in February.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/5429992/detail.html

[Petronas]

3 Plead Not Guilty to Supporting Terrorism
Dec 1, 4:24 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- A Washington, D.C., cab driver, a Florida doctor and a Bronx jazz musician have pleaded not guilty to charges they conspired to help terrorist organizations. Taxi driver Mahmud Faruq Brent, of Gwynn Oak, Md., smiled and waved at family members and friends before entering his plea in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Wednesday. Seated in the jury box with Brent were defendants, Tarik Shah, 42, and Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir, 50. The defendants remained held without bail.

Hassen Ibn Abdellah, Brent's defense lawyer, said he had seen little of the case besides the four-page indictment accusing Brent of conspiring to help the Lashkar-e-Taiba organization, which the U.S. designated a terrorist organization in December 2001. "I'm hoping the evidence is as short as the indictment," Abdellah said outside court after his brief pretrial appearance. Brent was arrested in August. Shah and Sabir, both arrested in May, entered not guilty pleas Wednesday to charges they conspired to aid al-Qaida.

The government has said that Shah told investigators after his arrest that he trained Brent in martial arts while they lived in Beacon, N.Y., in 2001 and that they often watched martial arts training videos and videos about holy war, or jihad, in Bosnia. "The idea that members of al-Qaida need somebody from the Bronx to teach martial arts is ridiculous," said Shah's lawyer, Anthony Ricco. Edward Wilford, a lawyer for Sabir, said the government's case against his client was weak: "We believe he'll be exonerated," he said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Hou told Judge Loretta Preska the government would rely on evidence gleaned from the computers of the defendants as well as firearms, videotapes and taped conversations. Prosecutors say that during one taped conversation at a hotel in Columbia, Md., Brent indicated he had traveled to Pakistan and into the mountains for training "and stuff" with "the mujahideen, the fighters."

http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/T/TERRORISM_ARREST?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME

[NYer]

Feds probe SAM fired at airliner report

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- FBI agents and Homeland Security officials have been investigating the report of a possible missile fired at an American Airlines plane taking off from Los Angeles International Airport.

Sources told ABC News in Los Angeles that the pilot of American Airlines Flight 621, en route to Chicago, radioed air traffic controllers after takeoff from LAX. He told them a missile had been fired at the aircraft and missed.

The plane was over water when the pilot said he saw a smoke trail pass by the cockpit.

FBI agents believe it was a flare or a bottle rocket, but say they may never know if that's what it actually was, KYW Newsradio 1060 reported.

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20051202-014717-2951r

[Petronas]

Bomb Threats Empty Conn. Courthouses
Dec 2, 2005

Bomb threats prompted police to evacuate the state's 45 courthouses Friday, abruptly interrupting trials while sending judges, lawyers and people with routine court business into the streets. A caller said bombs would go off at 2 p.m. An hour later, the buildings were still being searched with dogs and nothing had been found. Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle said there were five threats that were not directed against specific courthouses. One threat was called in at about 10 a.m. on a constituent phone line answered by a staff member in Gov. M. Jodi Rell's office, gubernatorial spokesman David Dearborn said.

Defense attorney William Gerace was in the Danielson Superior Court for pretrial conferences when it was evacuated before noon. "At first they told us we'd be back in momentarily," he said. "Then we heard a rumor there was a bomb threat. I started looking at my clients suspiciously, but they all swore they didn't do it. We all stood around outside in the cold for an hour and a half."

State officials said they respond to about 400 such calls a year but have never shut down all Connecticut courthouses. "The calls were not specific as to particular courthouses, which of course compounded the problem," Boyle said. "The calls simply stated that bombs had been placed in courthouses, or one call I believe said 'judicial buildings' in the state of Connecticut." Connecticut's judicial branch has 83 facilities; 45 include courtrooms.

Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano said officials tried to balance the need to finish court business with the threat to public safety in deciding when to close the buildings. "There are certain arraignments that need to be held within certain time periods and that is the major concern," he said. "There are other speedy trial issues that might come up, but primarily we want to make sure that the conveyor belt of justice keeps moving and that timelines are met that are set forth in state law and our constitution."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1367946

[NYer]

Judge OKs bag searches on NYC subway

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Friday that police had a constitutional right to randomly search passengers' bags on the New York City subway to deter terrorist attacks.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ruled the searches were an effective and appropriate means to fight terrorism, and constituted only a "minimal intrusion" of privacy.

"The risk to public safety of a terrorist bombing of New York City's subway system is substantial and real," Berman wrote in his opinion.

"The need for implementing counter-terrorism measures is indisputable, pressing, ongoing and evolving."

http://wincoast.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=455023

[Petronas]

Ex-Professor Cleared on Some Terror Charges
December 07, 2005 10:10 AM EST

TAMPA, Fla. - It was one of the biggest courtroom tests of the Patriot Act's new powers: a former professor on trial, accused of helping lead a terrorist group that has carried out bombings against Israel. But a jury Tuesday acquitted Sami Al-Arian on nearly half the charges and deadlocked on the rest, dealing federal prosecutors a stinging defeat. Al-Arian, 47, wept after the verdicts, and his attorney, Linda Moreno, hugged him. He will return to jail until prosecutors decide whether to retry him on the deadlocked charges.

The 2003 indictment against Al-Arian was hailed by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft as one of the first triumphs of the expanded search-and-surveillance powers of the Patriot Act, which was enacted weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But after a five-month trial and 13 days of deliberations, a jury acquitted Al-Arian of eight of the 17 counts against him, including a key charge of conspiring to maim and murder people overseas. The jurors deadlocked on the others, including charges he aided terrorists. Two co-defendants, Sameeh Hammoudeh and Ghassan Zayed Ballut, were acquitted of all charges. A third, Hatem Naji Fariz, was found not guilty on 25 counts, and jurors deadlocked on the remaining eight. "While we respect the jury's verdict, we stand by the evidence we presented in court," Justice Department spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos said.

Al-Arian's wife, Nahla, celebrated outside the courthouse with family members and supporters. "I'm ecstatic," she said. "My husband is an outspoken Palestinian activist who loved this country, believed in the system, and the system did not fail him." Moreno said she hoped prosecutors would take into account the "overwhelming number of not-guilty verdicts" against the defendants in deciding whether to try Al-Arian again. She planned to ask the court soon to release her client from jail.

Federal prosecutors said Al-Arian and his co-defendants acted as the communications arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, spreading the word and raising money that went toward the suicide attacks that have killed hundreds. The Patriot Act gave the government greatly expanded powers and broke down the wall between foreign intelligence investigations and domestic law enforcement. In the Al-Arian case, officials said, it allowed separate FBI investigations - one of them a yearslong secret foreign intelligence probe of the professor's activities - to be combined and all the evidence used against him.

A juror said he did not see the case as a First Amendment issue, as defense attorneys had claimed, explaining that the decision came down to lack of proof. "I didn't see the evidence," he said. Jurors names were kept secret by the court.

Al-Arian, a Palestinian who was born in Kuwait, has lived in the United States since 1975. He was granted permanent-resident status in 1989 and denied U.S. citizenship in 1996. He was fired from the University of South Florida, where he was a computer engineering professor, shortly after being indicted, and USF President Judy Genshaft said Tuesday that the school would not rehire him even if he was cleared on all charges. "USF ended Sami Al-Arian's employment nearly three years ago, and we do not expect anything to change that," she said in a statement.

The government alleged that the defendants were part of a Tampa terrorist cell that took the lead in determining the structure and goals of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which the State Department has listed as a terrorist group. Prosecutors said Al-Arian and other members of the terrorist organization used the university to give them cover as teachers and students, and held meetings under the guise of academic conferences.

The defendants said that although they were vocal advocates in the United States for the Palestinian cause and may have celebrated news of the terrorist group's attacks, the government had no proof that they planned or knew about any violence. They said the money they raised and sent to the Palestinian territories was for legitimate charities. "This shows we have faith in the American justice system," said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which had supported Al-Arian. "This has shown that America is not only the best country in the world, but the jurors proved that we also have the best justice system." Five others indicted in the case, including Al-Arian's brother-in-law, have not been arrested. The brother-in-law was deported in 2002, and the others also are out of the country.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20051207/43966c50_3ca6_15526200512071658355190

[Petronas]

Expert: Saudis have radicalized 80% of US mosques
Dec. 5, 2005

Mainstream US Muslim organizations are heavily influenced by Saudi-funded extremists, according to Yehudit Barsky, an expert on terrorism at the American Jewish Committee. Worse still, Barsky told The Jerusalem Post last week, these "extremist organizations continue to claim the mantle of leadership" over American Islam.

The power of the extremist Wahhabi form of Islam in the United States was created with generous Saudi financing of American Muslim communities over the past few decades. Over 80 percent of the mosques in the United States "have been radicalized by Saudi money and influence," Barsky said.

Before the 1970s, she explained, "Muslim immigrants who came to the United States would build a store-front mosque somewhere. Then, since the 1970s, the Saudis have been approaching these mosques and telling them it wasn't proper for the glory of Islam to build such small mosques." For many Muslims, it seemed the Saudis were offering a free mosque. However, Barsky believes for each mosque they invested in, the Saudis sent along their own imam (teacher-cleric).

"These [immigrants] were not interested in this [Wahhabi] ideology, and suddenly they have a Saudi imam coming in and telling them they're not praying properly and not practicing Shari'a [Islamic law] properly." This Saudi strategy was being carried out "all over the world, from America to Bangladesh," with the Saudis investing $70-80 billion in the endeavor over three decades.

Barsky, who heads the AJC's Division on Middle East and International Terrorism and is the executive editor of Counterterrorism Watch, said this means that "the people now in control of teaching religion [to American Muslims] are extremists. Who teaches the mainstream moderate non-Saudi Islam that people used to have? It's in the homes, but there's no infrastructure. Eighty percent of the infrastructure is controlled by these extremists." The same is true, Barsky said, of many of the mainstream Muslim organizations in America. Many of them are "pro-Saudi and pro-Muslim Brotherhood organizations."

As examples, she listed three important groups: the Islamic Society of North America, which "supports the Muslim Brotherhood and the Saudi regime;" the Islamic Circle of North America, which "is composed of members of Jamaat e-Islami, a Pakistani Islamic radical organization similar to the Muslim Brotherhood that helped to establish the Taliban;" and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), "founded in the 1980s by pro-Hamas activists."

The problem is most acute when it comes to interfaith relations. When advising colleagues on interfaith work with their Muslim counterparts, Barsky tells them "to proceed with caution, [since] some of the [extremist] organizations have concluded that interfaith dialogue is a good way to spread the ideology." Indeed, despite instructions given in Saudi embassy literature - and available in many mosques throughout the country - which blast Jewish and Christian "corruption and immorality" and teach Muslims that "the only way to survive is to have no contact with the infidel Christians and Jews," these organizations reach out to Jews and Christians.

Barsky explained that interfaith dialogue gives such organizations a public legitimacy that their ideology would deny them if they expressed it outright. "So there's a problem," Barsky concluded, "with knowing who these people are, who is really moderate. [These organizations] come to the Jewish community to talk about interfaith, while they still teach anti-Western and anti-Christian doctrines to their followers. Some of the leaders have even condoned suicide bombings in Israel and against American armed forces."

Her advice to American Jewish organizations who want to take part in interfaith activities: "Take time to learn who they are and what they're saying. It's more complicated than just respecting each other." As for finding true moderates in the American Muslim community, Barsky said such organizations "have quite a way to go before they will have the level of organization" displayed by the extremist organizations. "So there's a moderate voice that hasn't been heard. But it's starting to be heard, and that's because of the anger over [organizations such as] CAIR claiming the mantle of leadership." For example, organizations such as the Arizona-based American Islamic Forum for Democracy and the Washington-based Center for Islamic Pluralism are both new and "have gathered under their umbrella a number of moderate organizations."

As for combatting Islamic radicals in America, Barsky thinks Americans need to change the way they think about Wahhabi Islam. "The United States has a hard time understanding the extremists' ideology. Americans don't like to interfere in the religion of other people. But the reality is that this isn't religion, but a politicized radical ideology. It's very dangerous," she warned, adding that the people who are being taught this ideology are prime targets for recruitment by terror organizations. "If we don't understand that [these groups] are dangerous," she concluded simply, "we're going to suffer the consequences."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132475689987&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

[Petronas]

Minneapolis terrorism suspect had sham marriage, authorities say
December 8, 2005 at 9:11 AM

A Minneapolis man accused of lying to authorities in a terrorism investigation is facing three new charges that he paid a U.S. citizen to marry him, then used a green card from that fraudulent marriage to try to get jobs in the Twin Cities area. Mohamad Kamal Elzahabi was indicted on charges of possessing fraudulent immigration documents, according to papers scanned into the computer system Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The new indictment comes on top of charges in June 2004 that Elzahabi, then 41, lied to federal agents about sending walkie-talkies to Pakistan and helping to get a Massachusetts driver's license for a man later convicted of plotting to bomb American and Israeli tourists in Jordan.

Elzahabi allegedly told FBI agents that he taught sniping in Afghanistan and associated with Al-Qaida leaders. The new indictment alleges that Elzahabi tried to use the green card Sept. 6 and 21, 2001, in Ramsey County and Feb. 7, 2002, in Hennepin County. Elzahabi's attorney, Paul Engh of Minneapolis, said the new charges don't add to the seriousness of the case and called them "tag-along" charges. "If they can charge 10 counts instead of two, they'll charge 10," Engh said. "That's just the federal way."

U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said the new charges were filed "as a result of the ongoing investigation" into Elzahabi's conduct. He said the charges are not "an earth-shattering change to the nature of the indictment." Elzahabi, a Lebanese national, allegedly told authorities he entered the United States in the 1980s and paid a Houston woman to marry him, then divorced her after getting his green card. He allegedly told authorities that he went to Afghanistan for several years, where he trained and fought and associated with Al-Qaida leaders, including Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the figure suspected of engineering deadly kidnappings in Iraq. Returning to the United States in 1995 after he was shot in the abdomen during combat, he worked in New York and Boston before going home to Lebanon and to Chechnya, where he joined rebels in fighting the Russians. He allegedly came to Minneapolis in mid-August 2001 and lived in a house near the University of Minnesota that was also home to a mosque.

The new charges against Elzahabi come nearly a year and a half after he was originally indicted. He has been awaiting trial, with his attorneys trying to get access to information that they contend is necessary for his defense. In an order issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, Elzahabi's attorneys were granted a request to depose two men who they say could prove the truth of Elzahabi's statements that he didn't know that walkie-talkies were in shipments he handled for someone else and that he had nothing to do with the man obtaining the Massachusetts driver's license at Elzahabi's address.

Defense attorneys asked to depose 21 other witnesses, get more evidence and release his bank account balances to his parents, among other requests. The motions reference polygraph tests, photos and videos shown to Elzahabi during questioning over 17 days. The judge denied those motions. Prosecutors argued that they had already handed over most of the information they were obligated to share.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/467/5770102.html

[NYer]

Passengers experience a Howard Beale moment. (http://khon.com/khon/displayStory.cfm?storyID=9606)

[Petronas]

Charleston Harbor braces for disaster drill
Fri, Dec. 09, 2005

CHARLESTON, S.C. - It will only be a drill, but Homeland Security officials are concerned the public may think it is the real thing. That is why the agency is spreading the word that 300 personnel from more than 40 local, state and federal agencies will take part next week in a two-day drill simulating terrorists attacking Charleston with a weapon of mass destruction. To the public, the drill may look like the real thing with people portraying armed terrorists, helicopters flying around, emergency lights flashing and fake casualties.

Homeland Security officials are concerned commuters crossing the Cooper River during the rush hour on Monday morning might mistake the activity for the real thing. "If people see any unusual activity around the harbor, it's most likely related to the exercise," said Marlene Phillips, a spokeswoman with Homeland Security. The drill will continue Tuesday.

Officials are not saying exactly how the mock attack will be staged. That's so the emergency responders will have to react as though it were a real event. All officials will say is that the simulated disaster will involve a fake radiological event involving a weapon of mass destruction.

Earlier this week, another such drill was held near Jacksonville, N.C. That drill simulated terrorists hijacking a car ferry with drums of explosives. The second day of the drill simulated terrorists taking over a 900-foot military ship.

Local police and rescue agencies will participate next week as will the Coast Guard, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, the U.S. Department of Justice's Project SeaHawk, the FBI and the Department of Health and Environmental Control. SeaHawk is the pilot port security effort helping to protect Charleston from terrorist threats. Started almost three years ago, it involves almost 50 local, state and federal agencies working together to assess threats that could enter the country through Charleston. Each day at an operations center, representatives of key agencies gather to exchange information on ships arriving in Charleston, the nation's fourth-busiest container port.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/13370677.htm

[NYer]

Air Marshals Coming To A Train Station Near You (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_Air_Marshals.html)

[Petronas]

Swede charged in Manhattan with Oregon terror camp plot
December 13, 2005, 5:50 PM EST

NEW YORK -- A Lebanese-born Swede has been charged in a plot to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. n A criminal complaint charging Oussama Kassir with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists was unsealed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia said in a release.

The case relates to an indictment in Manhattan already charging Mustafa Kamel Mustafa and Haroon Aswat in the plot. Mustafa and Aswat are being detained in England while awaiting extradition to the United States. Kassir, 39, was arrested in Prague, Czech Republic, on Sunday after a warrant was filed with Interpol, Garcia said. He remains detained in Prague as the United States pursues his extradition.

The complaint alleges that Kassir and others conspired to establish a training camp for holy war, or jihad, in Bly, Ore. According to the complaint, Kassir and others wanted to set up the camp to teach military-style jihad methods so a community of Muslims could move to Afghanistan to fight or to be trained more there. The complaint refers to a letter faxed from one conspirator to another saying that the Bly property was in a "pro-militia and firearms state" that "looks just like Afghanistan" and that the group was "stockpiling weapons and ammunition."

The complaint alleges that on Nov. 26, 1999, Kassir and another conspirator traveled from London to New York and then on to Seattle and Bly to help with the training camp. Prosecutors said Kassir complained to a witness at Bly that there were only a few men available to train at the camp and that he was not going to waste his time with such a small number of men. Kassir also allegedly complained that the facilities and supplies were inadequate. The government also said that a witness saw Kassir in possession of a compact disc with information about improvising poisons.

Kassir was detained Sunday at Prague's Ruzyne international airport and had been flying from Stockholm to Beirut, Prague police said. In a release, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher said, "Supporters of terrorism must know that they should not feel safe in trying to hide overseas. We will work to bring these individuals to justice, however long it takes."

Kassir was born in Lebanon and moved to Sweden in 1984, becoming a Swedish citizen in 1989. He spent several months in prison in 1998 for assaulting a police officer and drug possession. A Swedish court jailed Kassir for 10 months two years ago for illegal weapons possession. Aswat was arrested in Zambia in July in connection with the July 7 London subway bombings.

Authorities in Oregon have said the camp never materialized beyond a dozen people taking target practice and was abandoned for unknown reasons. Bly is an unincorporated town of a few hundred people 50 miles east of Klamath Falls.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--terrorcampplot1213dec13,0,184166.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

[Petronas]

Fla. Base Set to Open New School on IEDs
December 16, 2005 9:29 PM EST

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - With more American soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan from hidden bombs, the military hopes a new advanced explosives school will help troops to detect and disarm the deadly devices. The military showed off X-ray cameras, chemical sensors and advanced robotics Friday, while the military's top bomb-disposal instructors demonstrated some of the latest techniques in combating deadly improvised explosive devices.

The new Advanced Explosives Device Disposal School at Eglin Air Force Base officially opens next month. Explosives experts from all military branches will attend the specialized training. Because many of the instructors will return to combat soon, the military required they be identified only by their service branch and military rank.

The school, which offers advanced training for leaders of explosives disposal teams, is unique because it includes a replica of a town for soldiers to go in and out of buildings and practice locating and disarming bombs in realistic settings.

At the school's fake airport, a soldier in a 75-pound bomb disposal suit used an upright motorized scooter to travel from an equipment van to the building. Once inside, he used a portable X-ray camera to take a picture of a bomb at a security check point. He wheeled back out, and conferred with other team members about disarming the bomb. The X-ray picture quickly provided a detailed view of the small canister and the wires contained within.

Soldiers said the airport is especially important because of domestic terrorist threats. The realistic feel of the building helps heighten his students' senses, an instructor said. "We want there to be as much realism as we can give them," he said. The airport's nonfunctioning baggage carousel has a sign warning parents not to let children climb on its belts. The ticket counter includes a Delta Air Lines flight departure board. There are even directions posted to ground transportation. The town also includes a bank, a school, a newspaper office, a farmhouse and a gas station.

An Army sergeant using a robot to remove a backpack from a library table, said the authentic feel of the training buildings is especially important. "The hardest thing when you get out there in the world, is everything around you," he said. "The biggest problem at an incident site isn't the device, we know how to deal with that, it's everything else." The library includes shelves of books, reading tables and a checkout counter.

The sergeant said his bomb disposal missions in Iraq often involved situations like the one acted out at the library on Friday. In Iraq, removing bombs without damaging buildings was just as important as saving lives because damage could also constitute a victory for terrorists, he said.

A second team member communicated with the soldier in the library from an equipment van outside and looked at pictures transmitted by the robot. In a real situation, the team could have disarmed without having to go inside the building. "We always prefer to use robots first because we can protect lives," one team member said.

The nine instructors at the school include three from the Army, three from the Air Force, two from the Navy and one Marine. Each class lasts three weeks. Navy Lt. Dave Blauser, the officer in charge of the school, said his instructors are among the most highly trained bomb technicians in the military.

As the number of troops killed by IEDs climbs, the military's Joint IED Taskforce, which includes the school, is constantly looking at ways the counter the threat by training how to detect and avoid the devices, Blauser said. Despite the advances, average soldiers on the ground in Iraq can do little to avoid the devices, said a Navy petty officer who is an instructor at the school. "We are trying to keep people alive here and trying to mitigate all of the dying," he said.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20051216/43a249d0_3ca6_1552620051216-1938785473

[NYer]

Feds Paint Apple Doomsday Scenario. (http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/59016.htm) Merry Christmas indeed.

[al-Canine]

Nuclear fuel missing

Southern Co. can't find radioactive material

One day last May, workers at Southern Co.'s nuclear power plant near Baxley, Ga., made a disturbing discovery: 68 inches of dangerous used nuclear fuel rods were missing.

An "exhaustive search" during the seven months since has failed to find the missing parts of rods, tubes a little wider than a pencil and as long as 14 feet. Fuel rods are placed in "assemblies" and then placed in reactors to generate energy.

Southern Co. (NYSE: SO) on Nov. 10 disclosed publicly that the nuclear material was missing from its Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant. Officials of Southern Co.'s nuclear power subsidiary, Southern Nuclear Operating Co., had been scheduled to hold a public meeting with Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in Atlanta on Dec. 15 to discuss the issue. But that meeting was canceled and has been postponed indefinitely so the company can further search for the material.

Officials at Southern Co. have said the possibility of theft is "not plausible" and that there is no threat to public health or safety. Nonetheless, the NRC is watching the matter closely.

"We want to know what happened and see that it doesn't happen again," said NRC spokesman Ken Clark.

Search continues

Southern Nuclear officials say the missing material might be somewhere in the plant's used fuel-storage pools or it could have been inadvertently shipped to a storage facility for less dangerous nuclear waste in Barnwell, S.C.

About 30 Plant Hatch employees are conducting a search of paper and computer records as well as video recorded by robotic cameras inside the plant's two 40-foot deep Olympic-sized pools, said Southern Nuclear spokesman Steve Higginbottom. The facility in Barnwell, however, is not being searched, he said.

Southern Nuclear CEO Barnie Beasley has been "very involved" with the search, Higginbottom said, and Southern Co. CEO David Ratcliffe is aware of the search but has not had a "hands-on role."

In addition to examining millions of inches of nuclear waste, the team also is interviewing current and former employees who have worked there since the 1980s, Higginbottom said. Plus, Southern Nuclear has commissioned Marietta-based GE Energy to assist. (The plant is powered by two GE Energy boiling water reactors.)

"You want to get another set of expert eyes, especially when you're dealing with small pieces," Higginbottom said. He added that the amount of missing inventory could go up or down during the process.

The discrepancy is the fourth such reported incident in U.S. history and the second-largest, according to the NRC.

However, the NRC stresses there is no threat of any lost materials falling into the wrong hands.

"No one stole that fuel and walked out with it," Clark said. "You can't just take that fuel out and walk out with it in your pocket. It would be deadly -- the radiation from the material would kill you quickly. Nevertheless, we still want an accounting for where it is."

Breaching security would be nearly impossible. On top of physical barriers at Hatch and other plants, a would-be thief would have to get past armed guards and radioactivity and intrusion sensors, experts say.

However unlikely, if a terrorist acquired even a few inches of used fuel rod parts, he could create a "dirty bomb," said William Miller, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia. A dirty bomb combines conventional explosives, such as dynamite, with radioactive material. According to the NRC Web site, a dirty bomb could contaminate several city blocks, "creating fear and possibly panic and requiring a potentially costly cleanup."

"It could be used in that fashion," Miller said. "But so could thousands of sources, such as medicine. There are sources everywhere."

Miller emphasized that the nuclear industry is extremely safe -- much safer since the Three Mile Island meltdown in 1979 -- and for that reason was surprised by Southern Nuclear's announcement.

"I'd be terribly embarrassed if I was working at that plant," Miller said. "It's certainly not something that should be happening."

New reactors planned

The nuclear material is missing at a time when Southern Nuclear wants to build two new reactors. Southern Nuclear hopes to have one operational by 2015 -- possibly at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Ga.

Southern Co. and other nuclear power plant operators also are pushing the federal government to build a permanent nuclear waste storage facility in Yucca Mountain, Nev. The Yucca Mountain complex, which is facing intense opposition from Nevada residents and environmentalists, was supposed to be complete by 2010, but that now looks unlikely.

Southern Co. is embroiled in a lawsuit against the Department of Energy to recover costs associated with the delay.

As a result of the delay, Southern Nuclear is planning to expand its storage capacity at Hatch by 2009, said Stan Wise of the Georgia Public Service Commission. Wise said costs associated with storage since December 2004 total $77 million.

During the week of Dec. 12, Wise met with U.S. House of Representatives energy leaders and Department of Energy officials to press them on the Yucca Mountain issue. Wise estimates that Georgia Power customers have paid at least $518 million into a fund to pay for Yucca Mountain.

Currently, Southern Nuclear is storing 6,540 used fuel rod assemblies in the two pools at Plant Hatch. The fuel inventory in Plant Hatch's two reactor cores and the two pools totals more than 57 million inches.

Not the first time

Southern Nuclear is not the first company to lose fuel rods. In 2002, the Millstone plant in Waterford, Conn., operated by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut Inc., reported it had lost two irradiated fuel rods -- about 288 inches' worth, according to the NRC. The NRC fined the company $288,000, or about $1,000 per inch.

David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental safety advocacy group, said the Millstone incident sparked stricter policies in tracking nuclear inventory. Prior to the reported discrepancy, plants were required only to track complete fuel assemblies -- which are made up of 60 or so rods of varying lengths -- but now must track even small pieces of rods.

In February, new rules passed by the NRC prompted Southern Nuclear to conduct such an inventory. The company became aware something was awry in May.

Lochbaum, who worked at Plant Hatch in the early 1980s, said plants used to track inventory with index cards before computerization.

"The tracking system didn't really track rods," he said. "It did an even worse job at tracking segments."

Another discrepancy was reported at the Humboldt Bay plant near Eureka, Calif. The plant, decommissioned in 1976, was operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The company reported in 2004 it was unable to find three 18-inch sections of a rod, according to the NRC.

And in June 2005, the Vermont Yankee plant, operated by Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc., reported it had "temporarily" lost but later found 26 inches of spent fuel rod pieces, according to the NRC.

Higginbottom said Southern Nuclear believes the Hatch parts were lost sometime in the 1980s. During a lengthy replacement process then, many rods were moved from one assembly to another, he said, and some pieces might have fallen into one of the pools or into one of the assemblies themselves. The materials are so deadly, they have to be handled underwater in the concrete and stainless-steel-lined pools.

Higginbottom said those pieces over the years could've been "vacuumed" up or could still be caught in pool filters.

As a result of the lost inventory and the new NRC rules, Southern Nuclear has changed its procedures to account for such parts, Higginbottom said. Other operators, experts say, have likely done the same thing.

Southern Nuclear is scheduled to present a report on its search to the NRC sometime during the first quarter.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10527669/

[Petronas]

Scandalous if true.

COPTIC VISA-NIX SCANDAL
December 26, 2005

The State Department has launched an investigation into whether hard-line Islamic employees at the U.S Embassy in Egypt are working behind the scenes to deny visas to Coptic Christians, The Post has learned. State Department officials are closely examining 15 to 20 Egyptian employees of the embassy's consular section after top officials received complaints from lawyers and human-rights groups about discriminatory behavior toward the Copts seeking visas to the United States, sources said. Hundreds, possibly thousands, may have been wrongly denied visas, sources said...

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/59511.htm

... In a recent meeting organized by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), top State Department officials were told that these employees, who conduct prescreening interviews and translations, appear to have unusual influence over a process that is supposed to be controlled by Americans. ...

Among those making complaints to the State Department is a Christian man who was seeking to donate a kidney to an uncle in New Jersey. He says he was twice told to remove the cross he was wearing if he wanted a visa. ...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/009551.php

[Petronas]

If they tried to do this with the Bible in a public school, the ACLU would be all over them.

Court Asked to Rehear Case Over Calif. Schools' 'Becoming Muslim' Exercise
December 28, 2005

(AgapePress) - A federal appeals court is being asked to reconsider its ruling that allows public schools to teach junior high students how to "become Muslims." The Thomas More Law Center, a national public-interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is asking the entire Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on what can be done in public schools with regard to teaching Islam and other religions.

Several parents sued California's Byron Union School District for requiring their 7th-grade children to participate in a three-week class activity in which they not only had to study important Islamic figures and wear traditional Muslim attire, but were also required to observe the "five pillars" of the Islamic faith, adopt Muslim names, recite a portion of a Muslim prayer, and even stage their own "jihad" or "holy war." The plaintiffs' attorney, the Thomas More Law Center's Ed White, believes the school district violated the parents' and children's constitutional rights to free exercise of religion.

Earlier, White had asked a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit to overturn a previous San Francisco federal district court's ruling that the Byron Union School District did not violate the U.S. Constitution. However, the Ninth Circuit panel of judges upheld the lower court's determination in a brief, unpublished memorandum decision.

In that ruling, however, the panel overlooked and failed to rule on the plaintiff's claims that their free exercise and parental rights had been violated. The Thomas More Law Center has asked the three-judge panel to reconsider their decision and to issue a ruling on the claims not previously addressed. The Law Center has also asked all 24 active judges on the Ninth Circuit to consider and rule on the case.

White says the Byron Union School District never informed the parents about an exercise that would be grading their children on how well they observed the tenets of Islam. In fact, he points out, "The parents were never told that there was even a way to opt their child out of such an activity."

Actually, the only way the parents found out about the school's Islamic exercise, the attorney points out, was virtually by accident. He says a Byron Union District mom was "looking through her son's book bag and asked, 'Hey, what's all this stuff?' and the kid said, 'Oh, we're doing this in school now.' So the parents objected, but it was after the class [activity] was over."

So it was after the fact that parents learned how, for three weeks in 2001, their children were told they would "become Muslims" and had worn identification tags bearing their new Muslim names along with the Star and Crescent Moon symbols of Islam. The children received materials telling them to "Remember Allah always so that you may prosper," and they made banners to hang in the classroom, inscribing them with the Basmala, a phrase from the Koran used in Muslim prayers that is translated, "In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate."

Richard Thompson, chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, was disappointed by the San Francisco district court's ruling and the Ninth Circuit panel's decision to uphold it. He commented that if students had been instructed on Christianity in the same manner as they were on Islam in this case, the court would most likely have found a constitutional violation.

Ed White agrees. The parents' lawyer says the courts should not be allowing this apparent double standard on the teaching of religion in public schools. When the Byron Union School District's teachers taught the children other religions in the seventh grade," he asserts, "they didn't go into any of these activities. When they taught Buddhism or Christianity, they didn't engage in these simulations [of Islamic observances]. They didn't have to practice the faith, memorize various parts of the Bible, et cetera."

White has filed a petition for a rehearing of the case before the entire Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Chief counsel Richard Thompson says the appellate court needs to clarify in a published opinion just how far public schools can go in teaching about religion.

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/12/282005a.asp

[Petronas]

A New Year’s Jihad Retreat
December 29, 2005

Watching the ball drop, twirling a noisemaker, kissing your sweetheart, and making a resolution that rarely comes to pass -- everyone looks forward to the memory of a new year. But one group will be ringing in the New Year a little differently…through a children’s jihad retreat, with a guest speaker who exalts terrorists and another who is linked to al-Qaeda.

The majority of Islamic organizations within the United States have, at one time or another, been cited for their connections to terrorism, whether by support of terror groups or through actual terrorist activity carried out by its members. Two of those organizations, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) have been working together putting on joint conferences. As stated in the New York Daily News (January 30, 2004), the organizations “have held conferences featuring speakers accused of terror ties and have published material supporting suicide bombings against Israel.”

Both ICNA and MAS stress the need for providing forums for Muslim youth. ICNA, in order to address this “need,” has created an apparatus called Young Muslims (YM). Likewise, MAS has established its own Youth Division. Through the two groups, children can learn the tenets of radical Islam by attending winter and summer camps.

Prior to 9/11, the camps would be referred to as “Jihad Camps,” but given the greater meaning of the term (holy war), why attract more attention than what’s necessary? Today, though, while the name has changed, the same radical message is taught. In YM Newsletter Issue 3 (2002/2003), Young Muslims extols the virtues of the works of Osama bin Laden’s mentor, Abdullah Azzam. According to YM Newsletter Issue 4 (2003), one of its goals is to assist in outreach “designed to call people to Islam, strengthen their belief in it, and organize them to work and to wage jihad in its cause.”

From December 31st of this year through January 2nd, the Tampa chapter of MAS will be launching a new camp, or as they put it, an ‘ILM & TARBIYAH RETREAT. Taking place in Lithia, Florida, at the Cedarkirk Camp & Conference Center, the theme of the event is “A Generation with a Mission.” That title is a little more subdued than the YM August 2002 “Planning for Our Akhira (afterlife),” but make no mistake, the speakers are just as extreme.

Featured at the “retreat” is the former President of MAS-Chicago, Chantal Carnes. Carnes is well known in the radical Islamist American community; she has given speeches at such venues as ICNA, MAS and Muslim Students Association (MSA) conventions. In addition to being a lecturer, she has also hosted a radio program for the Islamic Broadcasting Network (IBN). Each half-hour program was spent reviewing a different book.

On the occasion of July 22, 2003, Carnes and a guest had reviewed the title ‘Imam Shaheed Hassan Al-Banna - From Birth to Martyrdom.’ During the show, she lathered Al-Banna, the founder of the violent Muslim Brotherhood, with praise. She stated, “Every movement I can think of – every organization I can think of – in a way or another, is tracing back to what he started.” She said he had “inspired” her, and that “His life was captivating.” She said she liked “the fact that he was a shaheed (martyr),” and that she was going to model Al-Banna’s “personal development” with that of her own.

According to former federal prosecutor John Loftus, “Al Banna was a devout admirer of Adolph Hitler and wrote to him frequently. So persistent was he in his admiration of the new Nazi Party that in the 1930’s, Al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood became a secret arm of Nazi intelligence.”

Carnes also gushed about the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood started with only four persons. She exclaimed, “It’s not quantity, it’s quality!” According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Muslim Brotherhood is a “terrorist group”… “The Brotherhood shares with HAMAS a complete rejection of Western values and Communism and calls for the establishment of a pan-Islamic state founded on the basis of shari'a, or Islamic law… The two movements similarly share the view that Israel is the theological archenemy of Islam… As the precursor of the HAMAS movement, the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza promoted the long-term strategy of creating the foundations of a Muslim state that would eventually become powerful enough to destroy Israel.”

On another occasion, Carnes and her guest had reviewed a book (‘To Be A European Muslim’) written by the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, Tariq Ramadan. She admiringly referred to Ramadan’s writing as being “deep.” She stated, “He’s actually not that old to be writing about such deep concepts.” In August of 2004, Ramadan made the news when the Department of Homeland Security barred him from entering the United States by revoking his visa and work permit. Cited was the Immigration and Naturalization Act, which denies entry to aliens who have used a “position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse terrorist activity.”

Chantal Carnes thoughts on Al-Banna and his lineage are nothing new to MAS, for as Daniel Pipes states on his website (in a piece concerning a 2004 paintball event held by MAS-Tampa), “the Muslim American Society is the U.S. face of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The other featured speaker for the MAS Retreat is Mazen Mokhtar. Mokhtar is the Youth Division Head of MAS-New Jersey and the Khateeb (sermon-giver) of Masjid Al-Huda and the Institute of Islamic Studies. Mokhtar is also associated with the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

In August of 2004, shortly before he was to speak at a Young Muslims camp in Pennsylvania (‘A Few Good Men’), the U.S. government accused Mokhtar of assisting Al-Qaeda through the use of a web site he had created. The web site was www.minna.com, and it was a “mirror site” (replica) of www.azzam.com (Azzam Publications), a site named for Abdullah Azzam that was soliciting funds and recruiting Taliban, Chechen and Al-Qaeda mujaheddin (holy warriors) for terrorist operations overseas. Mokhtar’s site was to be used as a back-up for Azzam Publications, when Azzam was shut down after the 9/11 attacks, so that fundraising and recruitment could continue.

On Azzam Publications, in an “APPEAL FOR PROFESSIONAL WEB DESIGNERS,” it is stated, “…we hope inshallah, that Allah would reward you for any time or effort spent in assisting our aspiration of providing an independent media source from the Islamic perspective.” It seems that Mokhtar answered the appeal.

His reward? A search was conducted on the New Jersey home of Mokhtar, and copies of Azzam Publications sites were found on his computer’s hard drive and files. These sites were being run by a British citizen named Babar Ahmad, a man thought to have been part of an operation headed by captured Al-Qaeda mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

On Mokhtar’s Minna site, in the page titled ‘Jihad in Chechnya,’ a video CD depicting terrorist operations was being sold through the website. On the bottom of the page, it states, “Any enquiries regarding the content of this CD should be directed to the Islamic Army of the Caucasus, to Field Commander Shamil Basayev, Field Commander Khattab or their spokesman Movladi Udogov.” In September of 2004, Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for the Beslan school massacre in Russia, which left over 300 dead, mostly children.

Acquaintances of Mokhtar’s expressed “surprise” at the notion that he would be affiliated with something such as this -- that his speeches were “mild,” not extreme. However, when one looks at his past, prior to his involvement with Al-Qaeda, one gets an entirely different picture.

On an Internet newsgroup forum, from the years 1992 to 1996, Mazen Mokhtar had made some very disturbing (and somewhat comical) remarks about the terrorist group Hamas and the concept of suicide bombing. Some of his statements are as follows:


“One of the reasons of my support for Hamas is that they have very high moral standards… If their standards were lax, they would have lost my support, and moral standards can't get any more lax than killing those who are innocent.”
“Bombing houses is best left to the IDF (IOF?) they are the experts in the field. Hamas prefers to invest its limited resources in doing good.”
“I have read the [Hamas] covenant. I support the covenant…”
“Hamas’s path is the only path in the history of the Palestinian struggle against Israel that has produced results, and the results are impressive, I must say. I think it is clear that Hamas has the wider vision and the better plan.”
“…the operations of HAMAS are heroic.”
“In any action of mass self defense, there is the possibility that some innocent people will die… I have enough trust in Hamas to feel that no one is killed before being identified as a collaborator.”
“Yes, [suicide bombing is allowed], assuming that the targets are legitimate (and the suicide bombing is a sacrifice, not a suicide.)”
“[Blowing yourself up is not considered suicide], because it’s an effective method of attacking the enemy and continuing jihad… These are not people [sic] committing suicide because they are fed up with life, these are people who are sacrificing their lives for Allah.”

The Muslim American Society of Tampa cannot plead ignorance, with respect to the views of the two featured speakers it is sponsoring at its retreat. This is the case not just because MAS has associated with these two in the past, but because quite simply, the viewpoint of the organization is identical!

On the MAS-Tampa website, one can peruse through an e-library filled with many significant Islamic texts, all written or translated in English. Included in these works is a text entitled Sahih Bukhari, whose section, ‘Fighting in the Cause of Allah (Jihaad),’ begins with the following: “I asked Allah's Apostle, ‘O Allah's Apostle! What is the best deed?’ He replied, (1) ‘To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times.’ I asked, ‘What is next in goodness?’ He replied, (2) ‘To be good and dutiful to your parents.’ I further asked, what is next in goodness?’ He replied, (3) ‘To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause.’”

Also of relevance on MAS-Tampa’s e-library are a number of discourses, letters and prayers authored by Hassan Al-Banna, himself. In one of the letters dated 1947, entitled ‘Toward the Light,’ there is contained a foreboding message. In it, Al-Banna lists a set of political, judicial and administrative goals. They are: “(1) An end to party rivalry, and directing the political forces of the nation into a unified front; (2) Amending the law, such that it conforms to all branches of Islamic legislation; and (3) Reinforcing the armed forces, and increasing the number of youth groups; igniting in them the spirit of Islamic jihad.”

With all of this in mind, one has to wonder how long it will take the participants in a jihad camp or retreat to accomplish the “deeds” and “goals” set forth in Sahih Bukharih and Al-Banna’s letter. Will they take the time to learn and grow as mature adults, or will they skip right to the third of each (Jihad) and move immediately towards the here-after (Akhira)?

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20698

[NYer]

Imam busted in gun rap

Cleric once lauded 9/11

By JOE MAHONEY in Albany,
JEGO ARMSTRONG and
ALISON GENDAR in New York
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

A controversial Muslim cleric who defended Sept. 11 terrorists was busted on gun charges and computers were seized from his Bronx and upstate homes, authorities said.

Imam Warith Deen Umar, 61, a former top Muslim chaplain for state prisons, said FBI agents and NYPD detectives grilled him on possible terrorist ties after he was arrested Dec. 30 in a fight with a tenant in a Bronx building he owns.

"They started questioning me if I knew about Al Qaeda, suicide bombers and the first World Trade [Center] bombing," the cleric said last night.

"I don't know why they would ask me those kinds of questions. If you have anything to do with Islam or are Muslim you are automatically a terrorist," he said.

Umar created a storm of opposition when he was quoted in a 2003 Wall Street Journal article supporting the 9/11 terrorists.

"Even Muslims who say they are against terrorism secretly admire and applaud" the hijackers, The Journal said he wrote in an unpublished memoir. He also said the prisons were ripe for radical converts. Umar claims he was misquoted.

After the article, the New York State prison system barred the cleric from all its facilities. He had served the prison system more than 20 years, training a generation of Muslim chaplains to minister to the prison population. Umar said law enforcement have been gunning for him ever since.

NYPD, FBI and local police searched Umar's upstate home in Glenmont, outside of Albany, yesterday for weapons. Computers were seized but no weapons found, a police source said.

A prospective tenant, Juan Burgos, said the cleric threatened him with a 12-gauge shotgun, and threatened to "f------ kill him" during a rent dispute at Umar's Union Ave. apartment building.

Police seized the shotgun and .22-caliber rifle from Umar's apartment. He was charged Dec. 30 with menacing and weapons possession.

The cleric claims agents and officers who searched his Bronx apartment desecrated his Koran by ripping off its cover and tossing it on the floor.

Umar, who has served time on weapons charges and was arrested in the 1960s for conspiracy to kill a cop, claimed the gun was not loaded and that he never pointed it at the younger man.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/380799p-323364c.html

[Petronas]

United States (Country threat level - 3): An explosive device was discovered in a Starbucks coffee shop in central San Francisco on 9 January 2006. A Starbucks employee discovered the device in the shop's bathroom at approximately 1315 local time. The building and the surrounding area were evacuated while a police bomb squad disarmed the device. Authorities stated that the store had not received any threats prior to the discovery of the device.

AIR SECURITY International - HOT SPOTS 1/10/2006

[al-Canine]

U.S Finds California-Mexico Tunnel

Third passage found in area in 3 years

(CNN) -- U.S. border patrol agents investigating a caved-in road discovered a tunnel linking the United States and Mexico, the third such passage found in three years near the San Ysidro, California, crossing, authorities said Wednesday.

Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said agents found the 35-foot long, 3-foot-by-3-foot tunnel on Monday.

"It's unclear what it was used for, but inside we found trash and other evidence indicating people had been inside recently," Mack said.

That evidence has given investigators good leads, she added.

The tunnel -- which Mack described as "primitive" -- surfaced in U.S. territory in a strip of land between the border fence and a public parking lot. It's just west of the San Ysidro port of entry into the United States, one of the busiest land border posts in the world, she said.

A longer, more sophisticated tunnel was discovered in the same area in 2003, when a man was spotted lifting bales of marijuana from it and loading them into a pickup, Mack said. A tunnel found in 2004 was a link to the sophisticated underground passage, she added.

Tightened border security since the September 11, 2001, attacks is the likely cause for an increase in U.S. to Mexico tunneling, Mack said. At least 15 tunnels have been found in California and Arizona since 9/11, she said.

"We've now got a dedicated tunnel task force, which works with the [Drug Enforcement Administration] and border patrol to proactively look for tunnels," Mack explained.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/11/california.tunnel/index.html

[al-Canine]

Bomb shields for the GWB

By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The George Washington Bridge is being bulked up to protect the span - the world's busiest - from a potential terrorist blast.

Workers are encasing the sections of the suspension bridge's cables with cylindrical shields, high above the Hudson River. The work began in the fall and is set to go into the spring, sources said.

The shields, which resemble columns and are painted gray to blend in with the rest of the structure, are the first such bulwarks to appear on a New York-area bridge.

"The safety and security of our customers is a top priority, and the Port Authority's extensive investments in security projects reflects that commitment," PA spokesman John McCarthy said.

McCarthy would not discuss specifics. But transportation authorities across the country are turning to the military's use of compounds, including combinations of Kevlar and ceramics, as they move to bolster bridges against potential attacks.

The PA has budgeted $625 million for security measures this year. It has spent more than $2.9 billion in security at its bridges, airports and other facilities since 2000, the authority said.

That has paid for everything from perimeter fencing and surveillance cameras to increased police patrols and radiation-detection technology.

More than 300,000 cars and trucks cross the George Washington Bridge every day, making the link between upper Manhattan and Fort Lee, N.J., the most heavily traveled in the world, according to the PA.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to do a similar cable-protection project on the Verazzano Bridge, which is among eight suspension bridges in the city.

The city Transportation Department has retained the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help buttress its East River spans: the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and Queensboro bridges. City officials have not released details.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/382295p-324576c.html

[NYer]

Another toll increase waiting to happen ...

[al-Canine]

United States (Country threat level - 3): An explosive device was discovered in a Starbucks coffee shop in central San Francisco on 9 January 2006. A Starbucks employee discovered the device in the shop's bathroom at approximately 1315 local time. The building and the surrounding area were evacuated while a police bomb squad disarmed the device. Authorities stated that the store had not received any threats prior to the discovery of the device.

AIR SECURITY International - HOT SPOTS 1/10/2006


Starbucks 'bomb' was only a flashlight

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- What authorities thought was a bomb in a Starbucks coffee shop turned out to be a flashlight casing, police said Thursday.

A forensic analysis "revealed the absence of any explosive material," a police statement said.

Police initially said the device found in the store's bathroom Monday was powerful enough to seriously injure or kill someone if it had exploded. Police evacuated about 100 people from the Starbucks and apartments above it.

A man arrested on suspicion of planting an explosive device, Ronald Schouten, was still being held Thursday on an unrelated burglary charge. But police said his explanation on how the flashlight ended up in the coffee shop was credible.

Schouten, 44, told KPIX-TV that he found the flashlight in the street and accidentally dropped it in the bathroom.

"I love that Starbucks," Schouten said in an interview with the station. "The people are saints. They know I'm homeless. They let me drink coffee for 50 cents. I love those people."

The station reported that the flashlight was filled with corroded batteries.


http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/13/starbucks.no.bomb.ap/index.html

[Petronas]

New York Muslim Leader Backs Iranian In Saying Holocaust Is 'Exaggerated'
January 13, 2006

The leader of a large Shiite mosque in Queens has joined the new Iranian president in disputing the Holocaust, saying the Nazi massacre of an estimated 6 million Jews during World War II "has been exaggerated."

"The numbers which have been mentioned are too much," the spiritual leader of the Imam Al Khoei Islamic Center in Jamaica, Sheik Fadhel al Sahlani, told The New York Sun. Sheik al Sahlani, who said his mosque has a membership of about 3,000, said that the killing of innocent Jews during the war was "an injustice" but that the extent of Nazi persecution needed further examination. "The numbers, the reasons, we have to study more," he said.

In that light, Sheik al Sahlani voiced his support for Iran's proposal to hold a conference on the Holocaust in Tehran, saying there is "nothing wrong with studying more." The conference is likely to include scholars who deny that the Holocaust took place.

The sheik's skepticism about the Holocaust follows President Ahmadinejad's recent statements that the genocide of the Jews is a "myth" and that Israel should be "wiped off the map." Sheik al Sahlani said that the Iranian leader's call for an end to Israel was not practical, but added, "It is a kind of dream, but we have to be realistic." ...

In a survey by the Sun of more than a dozen Muslim leaders across the city, only Sheik al Sahlani voiced agreement with Mr. Ahmadinejad's statement about the Holocaust. ...

http://www.nysun.com/article/25814

[Petronas]

FBI's LA boss says homegrown terrorists top concern
January 19, 2006, 12:05:25 AM PST

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The FBI's new regional chief says the threat of homegrown militants remains a top concern five months after authorities uncovered an alleged terrorism plot by Americans targeting synagogues and military recruiting centers around Los Angeles. "What keeps me awake at night? A homegrown cell that has taken seed and grown," J. Stephen Tidwell, assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles field office, told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. "That is one of the things that we fear the most."

Three men - two of them U.S. born - were indicted last month on federal charges of conspiring to wage war against the government through terrorism for allegedly planning shooting rampages at the Los Angeles-area sites. All three have pleaded not guilty.

Tidwell said the homegrown threat has increased as terrorist groups have spread their ideology overseas through propaganda. He said one of the suicide bombers in the July attacks on London's public transit system was a citizen who'd been radicalized in a year. "Now, it's an idea," he said. "That's why you've got radicalized homegrown entities picking up the sword ... that gives us pause."

Also Wednesday, Tidwell announced that appointment of a 20-year FBI veteran as the bureau's anti-terrorism chief in Los Angeles. Warren T. Bamford will serve as special agent in charge of counterterrorism and domestic terrorism. He is currently section chief of the bureau's Strategic Information and Operations Center, a 24-hour clearinghouse for strategic information and the center for crisis management and special event monitoring.

Though there currently is no specific credible threat against Los Angeles-area sites, Tidwell noted that the region is home to a number of possible targets, from Hollywood studios to the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, one of the world's busiest. He expressed concern terrorists would try to carry out suicide bombings on those targets. "That's why you see so much talk about suicide bombings," he said. "That's why you see every police department of any size going over to Israel to see how they're dealing with it."

http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/story/11703106p-12428881c.html
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/009838.php

[Petronas]

Web post urges jihadists to attack Alaska pipeline
January 19, 2006

A recent posting on a Web site purportedly affiliated with al-Qaida urges attacks against the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and Valdez tanker dock, calling on jihadists to either shower the pipe with bullets or hide and detonate explosives along its length. The unknown author encourages small cells of four or five mujahedeen, or Muslim guerrillas, living in the United States or in Canada or Mexico to mount the attacks. The 10-page posting includes numerous links to Web sites providing maps and other basic information about the pipeline.

Attacking oil and gas targets in the United States and other countries is key to bringing down the economy of the "American devils," the author writes, saying the message was posted in response to calls from Osama bin Laden and his top al-Qaida deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The Arabic posting was discovered and translated in late December by the SITE Institute, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization that tracks international terrorists.

The "presentation of targets" essentially was a posting to a password-restricted Web forum known to be affiliated with al-Qaida, and there's no way to identify the author or know whether it could inspire an actual attack, said SITE director Rita Katz. However, she said the posting was unusual and alarming in its length and detail.

Spokesmen for the FBI and other law enforcement and security agencies said Tuesday they were aware of the posting, but none would say whether it had prompted any extra security measures in Alaska. Curtis Thomas, a spokesman for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the Anchorage-based oil company consortium that runs the 800-mile pipeline, said his company also was aware of the posting, but that "we're not aware at this time of any imminent threat" to the system. He said company policy is to not discuss security procedures, staffing levels or other issues.

"We're in communications with state, federal and local law enforcement and private entities that would be affected by this," said Eric Gonzalez, the FBI's Alaska spokesman. He added that the posting did not seem to contain information beyond what is readily available to anyone with a little digging. "I don't think it's a secret to anyone that the trans-Alaska pipeline, the terminal at Valdez, is a critical asset not only to the state but the country," Gonzalez said. "It's stating the obvious -- that this pipeline plays a critical role in this nation's economy." The Alaska pipeline carries more than 800,000 barrels of crude a day from the North Slope oil fields to the Valdez tanker port. That's about one-eighth of U.S. production.

The posting suggests mujahedeen hit pipelines and other oil and gas assets in the United States, as well as in Iraq and the Caspian Sea region, as a way to hurt the U.S. economy and to gain payback for the war in Iraq. "The bloody trash tore our children and dishonored us," it says. "This is our time to teach them a lesson in how to deal with Muslims." It singles out the Alaska pipeline as a particularly valuable, and vulnerable, target for terror.

The author notes that 300,000 gallons of crude oil spewed out of a bullet hole in 2001, and that the pipeline is largely above ground, exposed and close to a highway. A Livengood man was sentenced to 16 years in state prison after his conviction for oil pollution, criminal mischief, handling a firearm while drunk and other charges. Authorities say he shot the pipeline with a .338-caliber hunting rifle. Pipeline operators have found numerous other bullet strikes over the years that did not puncture the pipeline's steel wall.

Security for the pipeline and Valdez tanker dock was heightened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. One of the biggest changes was creation of a security zone the U.S. Coast Guard enforces around the dock. The zone is still in effect, though recently it was slightly downsized.

The author of the Web posting suggests attackers hit the pipeline with "piercing bullets," or better yet, place explosives alongside it, especially in rural and wooded places to slow response and create fires. Mujahedeen should detonate the hidden explosives "from time to time until they can receive news of the American devils' defeat," the posting says. It also suggests attacks on the pipeline's pump stations, the oil tankers that carry the oil to the West Coast, and the storage tanks at the Valdez tanker dock, which are "considered an ideal target." The posting includes links to an eclectic collection of Web sites, including Alyeska and U.S. Department of Energy sites and that of fringe presidential candidate and political radical Lyndon LaRouche. It also includes numerous errors, including a sentence saying the pipeline starts at the North Pole and ends at Valdez "on the Atlantic Ocean."

Katz, the SITE director, said her organization has analyzed and translated many terrorism-related Web postings for its clients, including oil companies, and this one stood out. "When I saw this message, I was shocked," Katz said. It was much longer, more thoughtful and more fully researched than the normal posting, she said. The posting might have come from anyone, she said, an individual or even from within the bin Laden camp. What's more important than the source is the influence it might have as it likely spreads through the Internet from forum to forum. "Once there's an idea there, then you don't know who saw that idea and might take the initiative and go forward," she said.

"We take all of these matters quite seriously," said John Madden, state Homeland Security director. However, the posting was "not any great, analytical document," but rather a collection of information available from open sources. Last month, federal pipeline regulators ordered Alyeska to develop new spill cleanup drills with "terrorist attack scenarios" in mind.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7371588p-7283808c.html

[Petronas]

Norfolk Officer Says Man Tried to Recruit Him for Terrorist Cause
Copyright 2006 Associated Press

A Jordanian living in Ohio tried to recruit a Norfolk police officer for a terrorist cause, the officer testified in a federal hearing in Dayton, Ohio. David Vazquez testified Wednesday in federal court that Mohammed Radwan Obeid told him in an e-mail that he was helping to start an operation that would dwarf the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Vazquez said he contacted Obeid through two Web sites, including jihadwatch.org, and contacted the FBI after reading Obeid's e-mails.

Obeid, who worked as a cashier in Dayton before his arrest last March on immigration fraud charges, was indicted in October after telling FBI agents that he hadn't used the e-mail account. He pleaded guilty in December to a felony count of knowingly and willfully making false material representation. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Reference librarian Laura Girolamo testified Wednesday that Obeid apparently sent e-mail about gun silencers and constructing hydrogen bombs on a computer at the Troy-Miami County Public Library. She contacted the FBI as well. Obeid's lawyer, Shawn Kelly, challenged Vazquez's interpretation of the e-mail and said he doubted Girolamo could know for sure that Obeid sent the e-mails from the library. Obeid's attorneys have argued that he visited terrorist Web sites because he was conducting research for a book about terrorism and world religions.

A federal immigration judge ordered Obeid's deportation in September, and he has not appealed the decision, said Elaine Komis, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Immigration officials said they believe Obeid entered the United States through marriage fraud. He married a Kansas City woman in Jordan and came to the United States in 2001, according to court papers. The marriage was annulled five months later. He later moved to the Dayton area and lived with a woman in Piqua.

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=4382556

[NYer]

Doctor detained on terror ties. (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C01%5C21%5Cstory_21-1-2006_pg7_51)

WASHINGTON: An Arizona doctor and Muslim cleric who returned after performing Haj were taken into custody on arrival by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), suspecting them of having links with the Tableeghi Jamaat.

According to a report published on Thursday by the Arizona Republic newspaper, Nadeem Hassan, 41, called his father Zaheer Hasnain from Kennedy International Airport in New York, saying that he was in the custody of immigration officials. A few days earlier, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services had revoked Dr Hassan’s right to work and travel inside the country based primarily on his ties to Tableeghi Jamaat, which the Department of Homeland Security has identified as a terrorist organisation.

[Petronas]

Al Qaeda May Already Be in U.S., Security Officials Warn
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2006

The nation's top law enforcement officials warned today that al Qaeda may have plotters already inside the United States. "We have to assume that there are persons out there that want to attack us," said FBI director Robert Mueller. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said police chiefs have been told to review all the intelligence the federal government has given them in the last two years about al Qaeda tactics. Chertoff told ABC News: "We've seen them attack in London, for example. We've seen them attack in Spain. We've seen them attack elsewhere, so I think we have to operate on the assumption that they do have some capability and they certainly have the intent."

The police chiefs in the nation's two largest cities say they are most worried about commuter trains and airports. "Close to 50 percent of terrorist attacks in the last 15 years have been directed at transportation facilities," New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told ABC News in an exclusive interview. "So, we have to and we are paying additional attention to our transportation system." Referring to LAX, Los Angeles Police Commissioner William Bratton said, "This airport remains probably the most significant target within the city of Los Angeles." But police officials say there are not ramping up security across the board because there is no specific intelligence about an al Qaeda plot. "I think you have to react to specific information, to specifics of a threat," said Kelly. "There's no specific information in this message."

Chertoff insisted that the country has made security upgrades since the attacks of 9/11. He admitted though that a number of vulnerabilities remain. "Things we're focused on now very seriously are chemical plants — we're working with Congress on legislation there — rail security, something which I think we want to make sure we make some progress on in the near future," he said.

Law enforcement remains concerned even though there is little evidence that bin Laden still runs al Qaeda. Today another audiotape was released from bin Laden's No. 2 in command, Ayman al Zawahri. But the tape does not appear to be recent, and some question its timing — one week after he was targeted by missile strikes in Pakistan. "This is a sign of desperation and suggests that perhaps Zawahri was injured or killed, or at the very least on the run," said terrorism analyst and ABC News consultant Alexis Debat. The FBI is now reviewing all its leads, trying to make sure no clues have been missed.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1527874&WNTad=true

[NYer]

The nation's top law enforcement officials warned today that al Qaeda may have plotters already inside the United States. "We have to assume that there are persons out there that want to attack us," said FBI director Robert Mueller.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1527874&WNTad=true

http://www.rantburg.com/images/masteroftheobvious.jpg
From Rantburg ...

[NYer]

Subway plotter 'fesses (http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/62260.htm)

"It had originally been your plan to put a bomb in the 34th Street subway station?" Brooklyn Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Harrison asked Pakistani-born defendant Shahawar Matin Siraj in federal court.

"Yes, that's correct," Siraj, 23, sniffed nonchalantly. The suspect then gave similar responses to a string of questions about his alleged mastermind role in the potentially devastating terror scheme.

Siraj was busted in August 2004, just days before the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden, above the hub for the transit system around Herald Square. Siraj also allegedly devised an elaborate scheme to launch bloody attacks on two other Manhattan subway stations, the Verrazano Bridge, Staten Island police station houses and a jail — "to teach these bastards a good lesson," according to court papers.

[Casey]

US grand jury indicts three for 'eco-terrorism'
Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:45 PM ET

By Michael Fitzgerald

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - A federal grand jury indicted three alleged "eco-terrorists" on Wednesday on charges of plotting to blow up facilities like dams and cell phone towers.

"These three individuals planned to commit a number of dangerous and destructive acts in our region, all in the name of the Environmental Liberation Front," U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott told a news conference in the California state capital.

The grand jury indicted Eric McDavid, 28, of Foresthill, California, Zachary Jenson, 20, of Washington state, and Lauren Weiner, 20, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trio was arrested January 13 outside a retail store in Auburn, California, following six months of surveillance of McDavid by federal authorities.

According to Scott, McDavid attended two meetings of anarchist groups, one in July in Indiana and a second in August in Philadelphia, at which he announced intentions to construct explosive devices from common household items.

He also said he planned to blow up several northern California facilities and expressed a desire to kill a police officer, Scott said.

Officials said one of the bombing targets was the U.S. Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville, California. Other potential targets include the Nimbus Dam and Fish Hatchery, east of Sacramento, cell phone towers and electric power stations.

The charges were not related to a separate 65-count indictment handed down on Monday in Washington involving 11 environmental and animal rights activists in the Western United States.

Scott that McDavid recruited the other two defendants and conspired with them to construct homemade bombs and scout potential target locations. He said the trio rented a house east of Sacramento in the foothills where they engaged in bomb-making.

At some point, the three were joined by an unnamed woman who was a government informant.

"Because of the exceptional work of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the brave efforts of a confidential source they were prevented from carrying out their planned attacks," the U.S. Attorney said.

"They were acquiring very significant materials. ... We thought it better to shut it down. We were satisfied we had enough evidence to bring a criminal prosecution," Scott said.

The three defendants, now in Sacramento County jail, face maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=
2006-01-26T004513Z_01_N25238131_RTRUKOC_0_US-
CRIME-ENVIRONMENTALISTS-CALIFORNIA.xml&archived=False

[Petronas]

New York City Plans ‘Ring of Steel'
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006

New York city is preparing to turn lower Manhattan into a "ring of steel" - to protect the nation's financial center from another major terrorist attack. Mindful that the worst domestic terror event ever to take place on American soil occurred at the World Trade Center complex in New York's financial district, New York police are taking steps to protect the vital area. The New York Stock Exchange, for example, finds its home on Wall Street.

The "Wall Street Journal" reported Wednesday that the city's police force is modeling its security plans after London's so-called "ring of steel," a system of encircling narrow roads, few points of ingress and egress, and battalions of closed-circuit TV cameras. New York law enforcement officials have been given special tours of the London safeguards and are reportedly considering building a similar security ring around lower Manhattan.

Paul Browne, the New York Police Department's (NYPD's) deputy commissioner of public information, is quoted by the "Journal" as saying that while it's "still too early in the process" to comment on specifics, police officials are indeed mulling the London model – with a special eye to more closed-circuit TVs in lower Manhattan and limiting and controlling entrances and exits into and out of the district.

Today, London, reacting mostly to the Irish Republican Army bombings of the early 1990s, features 16 entry and 12 exit points where the roads were narrowed and marked with iron posts painted red, white and black. At each entry point, a camera scans license plates and sends the data to a computerized system that can flag wanted vehicles and notify a control room at police headquarters within seconds. Last year, alone, the system screened 37 million plates and identified 91,000 positive matches for vehicles that were suspect.

Thus far, officials have not disclosed which, if any, lower Manhattan streets would be narrowed to create that district's own "ring of steel." But the "Journal" cites a law enforcement official close to the situation as saying the NYPD's "ring of steel" plans may extend to midtown Manhattan as well.

As to cameras, New York City has already embraced them as key security tools:

A project launched in October of 2004 to install 1,000 closed-circuit cameras with 3,000 sensors in the subway system is well underway with expected completion in 2008.
A state-of-the-art command center to monitor the subway cameras in real time is also underway.
The subway cameras augment the already-in-place 3,100 closed-circuit cameras in 12 housing projects - with additional cameras in select parts of the city, including lower Manhattan.
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is on record as favoring the installation of yet more cameras, devices created that dramatically reduce crime rates in the housing projects.

Meanwhile, New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority's new chief - FBI veteran and former head of the New York field office, Lewis Schiliro - has promised to examine emergency response plans, including evacuations and locked subway doors. "We are going to look at all that," he said.

Lower Manhattan boasts the densest concentration of subway service in America, with 18 lines and 19 stations. The collapse of the World Trade Center towers destroyed the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train's World Trade Center station and the eastern end of the PATH tunnel. There was also extensive damage to subway tunnels and stations. "In creating the plan for the World Trade Center site, we are looking at best practices around the globe as we seek to create a new state-of-the-art security model," James Kallstrom, counterterrorism adviser to New York Gov. George Pataki and designer of the new World Trade Center site's security plans, announced in a recent statement.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/1/25/143614.shtml?s=et

[NYer]

Bomb found on plane in Detroit - Pre - Super Bowl. (http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2006/01/breaking_schlus_3.html)

This story was buried by the MSM but it looks interesting enough to warrant more attention.

Sources say that a week ago, Thursday or Friday, a bomb inside a small black box was found on a departing Mesaba Airlines flight, after passengers had boarded (Mesaba is a commuter airline that partners with Northwest Airlines on connections). The bomb, found on a seat, contained shrapnel and ball-bearings, the sources said. Reportedly, passengers were deplaned after the device was found.

Was it or wasn't it?

Northwest Airlines Vice President of Government Relations Andrea Fischer-Newman called me to say that it was not a bomb but a kid's science project. She said she will send me e-mails (with the names removed) proving it. Have not gotten them yet, but will post when I do. I have heard of other, previous similar incidents at DTW (Detroit Metro Airport) from reliable sources in a position to know, as were the sources for this one.

However:

t should be noted that Ms. Fischer-Newman was one of the University of Michigan Regents who allowed Islamic Jihad terrorist Sami Al-Arian to speak on campus (as well as other terror and murder supporters) at the 2002 "Divestment Conference" (in the name of "free speech").

And then a Federal Air Marshal e-mailed:

I trust NWA [Northwest Airlines] to give me the truth...not. DTW [Detroit] is as porous as it can be. We search every plane that we get on no matter how long it has sat. Then the crew are like, "Nobody has access to the plane but crew, cleaners and caterers." Riiight. Caterers and cleaners with names like Habib, Jamal, Rafiq....

To me this seems eerily familiar to the OK suicide story ...
Prolly much ado por nada, BUT ...

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/fiction/conrad_m.jpg

Let's be careful out there...

[NYer]

US charges two over China Plot. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4699318.stm)

A US jury has accused two foreign nationals of trying to buy military aircraft engines and weapons to export to China.

A Miami jury also charged one the suspects, Taiwanese Ko-Suen Moo, with being a covert Chinese agent and offering a bribe to escape custody.

Mr Moo was arrested in Miami in November 2005.

A French national, Maurice Serge Voros, was also charged in the indictment. He remains at large.

[Petronas]

Pa. man accused in terror sting
Sat, Feb. 11, 2006

Michael Curtis Reynolds says he's a patriot. Federal authorities say he's a terrorist. The FBI believes that the unemployed Wilkes-Barre man tried to conspire with al-Qaeda to wreck the American economy. Agents say Reynolds plotted to blow up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a Pennsylvania pipeline, and a New Jersey refinery. The sensational allegations, disclosed in a federal transcript obtained by The Inquirer on Friday, reveal a convoluted plot that includes cyberspace intrigue, an elaborate FBI sting, and a clandestine money-drop on a deserted Idaho road. The case also involves a municipal judge from Montana who has devoted the last four years to snaring would-be terrorists online. ...

In the FBI sting two months ago, Reynolds was drawn to a meeting with a purported al-Qaeda operative about 25 miles from the hotel, where he expected to receive $40,000 to finance the alleged plot. The al-Qaeda contact was actually Shannen Rossmiller, a 36-year-old judge who lives in Conrad, Mont. She was working for the FBI. ...

Authorities said Reynolds' letters, computer drawings and e-mails spelled out his plot to detonate trucks filled with propane along the Alaskan pipeline. This included "information on explosive devices, site plans and placement of explosive devices." He also allegedly planned to blow up sections of the Transcontinental Pipeline, a natural-gas pipeline that runs from the Gulf Coast, through Pennsylvania, to New Jersey and New York City. Further, the government alleges, he targeted Standard Oil Co. in Perth Amboy, N.J., as well as the Williams Refinery in Opal, Wyo. He was arrested not far from there. ...

Authorities said Reynolds' letters, computer drawings and e-mails spelled out his plot to detonate trucks filled with propane along the Alaskan pipeline. This included "information on explosive devices, site plans and placement of explosive devices." He also allegedly planned to blow up sections of the Transcontinental Pipeline, a natural-gas pipeline that runs from the Gulf Coast, through Pennsylvania, to New Jersey and New York City.
Further, the government alleges, he targeted Standard Oil Co. in Perth Amboy, N.J., as well as the Williams Refinery in Opal, Wyo. He was arrested not far from there. ...

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13849323.htm

[NYer]

Holy Terror, Batman! (http://comics.ign.com/articles/688/688140p1.html)

During his WonderCon panel, Frank Miller discussed his next graphic novel. Once again, Miller returns to the world of the Batman, this time with Holy Terror, Batman!. Though the title plays with Robin's classic catchphrase, the book deals with a serious subject. Gotham has been attacked by Al Qaeda and Batman sets out to defend the city he loves. The book, which Miller has inked through 120 pages, is expected to run roughly 200 pages total.

Miller proudly announced the title of his next Batman book, which he will write, draw and ink. Holy Terror, Batman! is no joke. And Miller doesn't hold back on the true purpose of the book, calling it "a piece of propaganda," where 'Batman kicks al Qaeda's ass."

Expect Imam Joker to deliver the Fatwa ...

[NYer]

Illegal Aliens Working At Chemical Weapons Depot. (http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2006/02/illegal_aliens_.html)



On February 10, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that agents from its Salt Lake City, Utah field office had arrested nine suspected illegal aliens from Mexico working for a contractor on the Dugway Proving Ground located some 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

Dugway Proving Ground serves as a chemical and biological weapons testing facility for the Department of Defense. The arrests were part of ICE’s Project Shield America, which seeks to identify illegal aliens working at locations and for employers involved in national security matters, to include those wherein unlawful acquisition or export of sensitive technology and weaponry may be a factor.

[NYer]

NYC Muslim Group to US: Your Days Are Numbered. (http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/usnews/060216a.asp)

The group calls itself the Islamic Thinker's Society—its, for short. The purpose of the demonstration was to condemn the now infamous cartoons.

But there was another message as well: that Islam will one day dominate the world.

One ITS member said, “We are here to tell you that there is nothing you can do--and that your days are numbered...all of you who disbelieve: speak good, or Allah will silence you.”

The protest began in front of the Danish Consulate. ITS members stomped on Danish flags and warned Denmark that it would suffer "allah's wrath." The group then moved to the German Consulate, where they trampled on German and Israeli flags--and called non-Muslims "scum."

All of this took place under the watchful eye of the NYPD. Onlookers we spoke to were outraged.

Now what was that about FISA?

[Petronas]

UAE company to help oversee six ports in U.S.
Feb. 12, 2006, 1:04AM

WASHINGTON - A company in the United Arab Emirates is poised to take over significant operations at six American ports as part of a corporate sale, leaving a country with ties to the Sept. 11 hijackers with influence over a maritime industry considered vulnerable to terrorism. The Bush administration considers the UAE an important ally in the fight against terrorism since the suicide hijackings and is not objecting to Dubai Ports World's purchase of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.

The $6.8 billion sale is expected to be approved Monday. The British company is the fourth largest ports company in the world and its sale would affect commercial U.S. port operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. DP World said it won approval from a secretive U.S. government panel that considers security risks of foreign companies buying or investing in American industry.

The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "thoroughly reviewed the potential transaction and concluded they had no objection," the company said. The panel, which could have recommended that President Bush block the purchase, includes representatives from the departments of Treasury, Defense and Homeland Security.

The State Department describes the UAE as a vital partner in the fight against terrorism, though it was an operational and financial base for the 9/11 hijackers, the FBI said. Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat whose district includes the New York port, urged the administration to consider the sale carefully. "America's busiest ports are vital to our economy and to the international economy, and that is why they remain top terrorist targets," he said. "Just as we would not outsource military operations or law enforcement duties, we should be very careful before we outsource ... homeland security duties."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3653170.html

[al-Canine]

Thanks to Purple Unicorn, who first posted this article in Rant & Rave


FBI investigates trucking school

Director voices concern about terrorism

By MARCUS KABEL
The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD — The FBI is investigating a commercial trucking school whose director called authorities because a large number of people taking license tests had names that appeared to be Middle Eastern.

The superintendent of the West Plains public school district, which runs the South Central Career Center Truck Training Program as part of vocational training, said the FBI had told district officials the investigation was focused on people who took the tests for a commercial driver’s license.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, security efforts have included scrutiny of schools that train pilots as well as truck drivers who might be driving rigs carrying tons of fuel or hazardous materials.

The FBI declined to comment except to acknowledge that there was an investigation. Agents exercised a search warrant at the school two weeks ago.

“It’s an ongoing investigation, and I can’t comment. I can’t say what we’re looking at,” said Jeff Lanza, spokesman for the FBI office in Kansas City.

The U.S. attorney’s office for western Missouri said no charges had been filed but would not comment further.

Karla Eslinger, school district superintendent, said the FBI took hard drives and records of people who took commercial driver’s license tests.

She said these are people who walk in to take the test with records showing they completed training elsewhere, not students trained at the school.

Eslinger said the trucking program’s director, Dean Proffitt, first contacted state police in 2003 to report his suspicions that a large number of people taking the commercial driver’s license test had names that appeared to be Middle Eastern in origin.

About 520 people who did not train at the school took the test there from May 2004 through December 2005. More than 300 of them, or about 60 percent, had names that could be Middle Eastern in origin.

Missouri can issue commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens residing in the state if they provide proof of identity, training and legal residence in the United States, according to the Department of Revenue Web site.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13882903.htm

[NYer]

The FBI is investigating a commercial trucking school whose director called authorities because a large number of people taking license tests had names that appeared to be Middle Eastern.



http://www.epilog.de/Person/R/Raf_Ral/_Bilder/Rains_Claude_1889_.jpg
I'm Shocked!

CAIR / ACLU cries "Profiling" in 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 ...

[NYer]

US Hits Muslim Charity in Ohio. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northshore/chi-0602200165feb20,1,5302677.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorthshore-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true)

The U.S. Department of Justice raided and the Treasury Department froze the assets Sunday of an Ohio-based Muslim charity whose founder was once an official with a defunct Muslim charity in Bridgeview, the department said.

No charges were filed Sunday against Khaled Smaili, the founder of KindHearts of Toledo, but the charity's assets were frozen pending further investigation into claims that the group gave money to Hamas, an Islamic organization that the U.S. considers a terrorist group, the department said.

In January, Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council.

"KindHearts is the progeny of Holy Land Foundation and Global Relief Foundation, which attempted to mask their support for terrorism behind the facade of charitable giving," said Stuart Levey, a Treasury undersecretary.

[Petronas]

When fear cows the media
February 19, 2006

THE PHOENIX is Boston's leading ''alternative" newspaper, the kind of brash, pull-no-punches weekly that might have been expected to print without hesitation the Mohammed cartoons that Islamists have been using to incite rage and riots across the Muslim world. Its willingness to push the envelope was memorably demonstrated in 2002, when it broke with most media to publish a grisly photograph of Daniel Pearl's severed head, and supplied a link on its website to the sickening video of the Wall Street Journal reporter's beheading.

''Our primary reason," the editors confessed, is ''fear of retaliation from . . . bloodthirsty Islamists who seek to impose their will on those who do not believe as they do . . . Simply stated, we are being terrorized, and . . . could not in good conscience place the men and women who work at the Phoenix and its related companies in physical jeopardy. As we feel forced, literally, to bend to maniacal pressure, this may be the darkest moment in our 40-year-publishing history."

The vast majority of US media outlets have shied away from reproducing the drawings, but to my knowledge only the Phoenix has been honest enough to admit that it is capitulating to fear. Many of the others have published high-minded editorials and columns about the importance of ''restraint" and ''sensitivity" and not giving ''offense" to Muslims. Several have claimed they wouldn't print the Danish cartoons for the same reason they wouldn't print overtly racist or anti-Semitic material. The managing editor for news of The Oregonian, for example, told her paper's ombudsman that not running the images is like avoiding the N-word -- readers don't need to see a racial slur spelled out to understand its impact. Yet a Nexis search turns up at least 14 occasions since 1999 when The Oregonian has published the N-word unfiltered. So there are times when it is appropriate to run material that some may find offensive.

Rationalizations notwithstanding, the refusal of the US media to show the images at the heart of one of the most urgent stories of the day is not about restraint and good taste. It's about fear. Editors and publishers are afraid the thugs will target them as they targeted Danny Pearl and Theo van Gogh; afraid the mob will firebomb their newsrooms as it has firebombed Danish embassies. ''We will not accept less than severing the heads of those responsible," an imam in Gaza preaches. ''Whoever insults a prophet, kill him," reads the sign carried by a demonstrator in London. Those are not figures of speech but deadly threats, and American newspapers and networks are intimidated.

Not everyone has succumbed. The Weekly Standard reproduced the 12 cartoons, and some have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Sun, and even Spare Change News, a Boston biweekly sold by homeless people. But there has been nothing like the defiance shown in Europe, where some two dozen publications in 13 countries have run the cartoons, insisting that they will not allow thugs to decide what a free press can publish.

Journalists can be incredibly brave, but when it comes to covering the Arab and Muslim world, too many news organizations have knuckled under to threats. Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, a veteran foreign correspondent, admitted long ago that ''physical intimidation" by the PLO led reporters to skew their coverage of important stories or to ignore them ''out of fear." Similarly, CNN's former news executive, Jordan Eason, acknowledged after the fall of Saddam Hussein that his network had long sanitized its news from Iraq, since reporting the unvarnished truth ''would have jeopardized the lives of . . . our Baghdad staff."

Like the Nazis in the 1930s and the Soviet communists in the Cold War, the Islamofascists are emboldened by appeasement and submissiveness. Give the rampagers and book-burners a veto over artistic and editorial decisions, and you end up not with heightened sensitivity and cultural respect, but with more rampages and more books burned. You betray ideals that generations of Americans have died to defend.

And worse than that: You betray as well the dissidents and reformers within the Islamic world, the Muslim Sakharovs and Sharanskys and Havels who yearn for the free, tolerant, and democratic culture that we in the West take for granted. What they want to see from America is not appeasement and apologies and a dread of giving offense. They want to see us face down the fanatics, be unintimidated by bullies. They want to know that in the global struggle against Islamist extremism, we won't let them down.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/02/19/when_fear_cows_the_media/

[NYer]

Three charged with planning attacks in Iraq. (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/21/D8FTK4U83.html)

A federal grand jury has indicted three Ohio men on charges of planning attacks on U.S. military personnel in Iraq, according to an indictment.

The three men, who all lived in Toledo within the last year, were arrested over the weekend, said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bauer in Toledo. The indictment was unsealed Monday.

They were to be arraigned in federal courts in Cleveland and Toledo on Tuesday afternoon.

The suspects recruited others to train for a violent holy war against the United States and its allies in Iraq, the indictment said. The group traveled together to a shooting range to practice shooting guns and studied how to make explosives, the indictment said.


I wonder if any info came from NSA surveillance ...

[NYer]

Arrested University of Memphis student was a jihadist. (http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_4486075,00.html)

A University of Memphis student arrested last September with a pilot's uniform and other flight-training materials in his apartment was preparing for a terrorist attack on the United States, new documents in the case allege.

Mahmoud Maawad was charged with wire fraud and using a false Social Security number, but authorities now say he was visiting online chatrooms and Web sites supporting radical Sunni Muslim organizations and Al Queda leaders in Iraq.

They said an examination of his computer also showed Maawad had searched the Internet for how guns and bombs could be smuggled through airport magnetometers and had used key words such as "car bomb" in other searches.

"It is the United States' position that Mr. Maawad's motivation for fraudulent obtaining the flight training materials is because he was either planning or participating in a potential terrorist event inside the United States," Asst. U.S. Atty. Steve Parker wrote.

[NYer]

FBI Raids Convenience Store and Gas Stations (http://www.knoe.com/fullstory.php?id=1253) Owned by Middle Easterners.

TV 8 News has learned FBI agents and local law enforcement authorities are conducting a raid of service stations and businesses owned by Middle Easterners in Northeast Louisiana. Agents executed search warrants today at 10 businesses in Tallulah, Delhi, Monroe and Ruston. The FBI says the raids are part of "an ongoing criminal investigation." Police sources tell TV 8 News the raids target possible money laundering and counterfeiting in connection with suspected domestic terrorist activity. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is said to be taking part in the investigation. TV 8 News will have details at 5, 6,and 10.

[Petronas]

The First Amendment according to CAIR. Under Sharia Law it makes perfect sense: any man made law or constitution is invalid in so far as it conflicts with Islam.

Panelists weigh in on cartoon controversy
February 21, 2006

Six local Islamic figures gathered Saturday for a panel to address the recent controversy over the Danish cartoons that negatively depict the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sponsored the event...

"The right to free speech is not absolute," [CAIR board member Mazhar] Rishi said. "It does not give a right to defame Prophet Muhammad...".

http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/43faca56c0edd?in_archive=1

[NYer]

Stolen Map may put NYC water supply (http://www.nysun.com/article/28040) in jeopardy.

The threat has arisen since someone broke into a vehicle belonging to a Department of Environmental Protection maintenance supervisor and stole an agency laptop containing a map of the water system.

[NYer]

Here's another curious story: FBI Anti-Terrorist Unit Joins I-55 Crash Investigation. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-060223stevensoncrash,1,4583319.story?coll=chi-news-hed)

The FBI has joined the investigation into a multi-vehicle crash on the Stevenson Expressway after police found a $2 million check, credit cards and other "financial instruments" in the car of one of two people killed, authorities said today.

The items were discovered in the car of a 45-year-old man involved in the crash, which occurred about 11:20 a.m. Wednesday on the outbound Stevenson (Interstate Highway 55) near Stickney, Illinois State Police said.

The man, identified as Lafi Nofal, was flown by helicopter to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he died from his injuries hours after the accident, the Cook County medical examiner's office said.

[Petronas]

Informant Recalls Talk of Jihad by Lodi Man
February 24 2006

SACRAMENTO — The FBI informant who befriended a Lodi man charged with attending an Al Qaeda training camp said Thursday that the defendant took an interest in terrorist groups and spoke admiringly about jihad. A federal prosecutor asked the informant, Naseem Khan, how defendant Hamid Hayat saw himself in relation to the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other such groups.

"He never, ever considered himself American," said Khan, who was on the witness stand during the fourth day of testimony in Hayat's terrorism trial in U.S. District Court. During long conversations at Hayat's home, Khan said, Hayat praised Al Qaeda, expressed support for religious governments in Pakistan and Afghanistan and talked about issues surrounding jihad.

Hayat, 23, is charged with three counts of making false statements to the FBI about attending an Al Qaeda camp in Pakistan in 2003 and with providing material support to terrorists. He faces up to 39 years in prison if convicted. His father, 48-year-old Umer Hayat, faces two counts of making false statements to the FBI about whether his son attended the camp. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Laura Ferris questioned Khan on Thursday about conversations he had with Hamid Hayat, many of which were secretly recorded and are contained in hundreds of hours of audiotape. Hayat, a U.S. citizen who has been in custody since June, listened without expressing any emotion as the man he'd considered a close friend described conversations they had had over cups of tea.

The focus of one conversation was a scrapbook Hayat had filled with newspaper articles he had collected during previous trips to Pakistan. The articles described political figures and developments in that country and Afghanistan. One photograph appeared to show a mounted machine gun that was described as a weapon of the Taliban. At one point, according to Khan, Hayat praised Al Qaeda as "a tough group," adding, "They're even smarter than the FBI, friend."

Transcripts of the conversations show Hayat eager to tell his new friend about what he learned in Pakistan and the people he met there. Khan encouraged the discussions, at one point telling Hayat, "You see, I know you're better than me when it comes to Islam. You know a lot more…. That's why I respect you, and that's why I like you, because I learned a lot of good things from you."

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-lodi24feb24,1,3489802.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true

[Petronas]

Documents from Muslim charity seized during terror arrests
February 27, 2006

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Documents seized by federal agents suggest that two of three Muslim men accused of plotting to kill American and allied soldiers may have ties to a Muslim charity suspected of funneling money to the militant organization Hamas. Federal agents seized an invoice from the charity, known as KindHearts, from a travel agency where defendant Mohammad Zaki Amawi worked. Agents also took a KindHearts binder from an address where defendant Marwan Othman El-Hindi lived. Lists of items seized were filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Toledo.

The three suspects _ El-Hindi, Amawi and Wassim I. Mazloum _ were arrested last weekend. All have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiring to kill Americans and conspiring to provide or conceal support to terrorists. They could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the most serious offenses. U.S. Attorney Greg White said the investigations of KindHearts and the alleged terror plot are separate.

KindHearts has denied any terrorist connections and has said it is a humanitarian organization. But on Feb. 19, the Treasury Department ordered U.S. banks to freeze the assets of the Toledo-based charity. Cleveland lawyer Jihad Smaili, who is also a KindHearts board member, said Saturday that items seized by federal agents during the terror arrests do not prove any link with his organization. "There is no connection there," Smaili said. "Even if these men had KindHearts items in their possession, that does not mean that KindHearts supported them to do something illegal. That would be guilt by association."

Mazloum, 24, is Lebanese and came to the United States in 2000. He is a legal, permanent resident of the U.S. El-Hindi, 43, is a U.S. citizen born in Jordan. Amawi, 26, is a citizen of both the U.S. and Jordan.

Other items seized by federal agents during the arrests included bank and phone records, computers, cell phones, knives, travel records and battle dress uniforms. At another of El-Hindi's addresses, agents also confiscated a subpoena from a federal grand jury in Syracuse, N.Y., and faxes from federal prosecutors there. That is where a Muslim doctor was convicted last year of setting up an unlicensed charity and illegally sending money to Iraq.

Dr. Rafil Dhafir was convicted in federal court on 59 felony charges and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Dhafir served on the board of a Chicago travel agency that El-Hindi managed for about a year.

El-Hindi attended a community college near Syracuse when he moved to the United States from Jordan in 1984, according to his lawyer. "He didn't know about the fundraising activities or money going to Iraq," said attorney Stephen Hartman.

http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=4552239&nav=menu241_4

[al-Canine]

Haz-Mat a investigates death

EX-IRAQ GI COP DEAD IN N.J. HOME

A hazardous-materials team descended on the home of a Jersey City police officer last night after the cop, who had recently returned from Iraq, died mysteriously.

The 42-year-old officer, whose name was not disclosed pending family notification, had been complaining for at least five days of not feeling well, according to police Sgt. Edgar Martinez.

The officer's girlfriend was worried about his well-being and asked police to check up on him, Martinez said.

Officers found the body of their colleague, a five-year veteran of the department, inside his Glenwood Avenue apartment at about 7:30 p.m.

Because he had returned from Iraq in November and his illness appeared to be a viral infection, the hazmat unit was sent in for further investigation.

The officers who found the body were put through a decontamination process, Martinez said.

But police insisted that the moves were only precautionary and said there was no danger to the public.

There also was no evidence of foul play, Martinez said.

An autopsy will be performed by the state Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/64457.htm

[NYer]

Remember our late OU Darwin Award Winner? (http://newsok.com/article/1774773/?template=home/main)

OU bombing accidental, experts say

By Jane Glenn Cannon
The Oklahoman

NORMAN - A Norman police bomb expert said Tuesday he does not believe University of Oklahoma student Joel Henry Hinrichs III committed suicide by blowing himself up outside a packed football stadium.

"I believe he accidentally blew himself up," Sgt. George Mauldin said.

Mauldin said Hinrichs, 21, an engineering student, had two to three pounds of triacetone triperoxide, commonly known as TATP, in a backpack in his lap when it exploded Oct. 1.

When asked if he believed Hinrichs meant to enter the stadium with the explosives, Mauldin replied, "I don't believe he intended for an explosion to occur at that spot (on the park bench)."

"Some of us will forever wonder what he (Hinrichs) was doing at that time, at that place," Police Chief Phil Cotten said.

Hinrichs was sitting on a park bench 173 yards from the OU stadium during the second quarter of OU's night game against Kansas State when the TATP inside his backpack detonated.

"Someone saw him fiddling with it (the backpack) shortly before the explosion occurred. I think he got cocky, and it went off," Mauldin said.

Mauldin and Cotten briefed Norman City Council members about the explosion and their agency's investigation in a conference before Tuesday night's council meeting.

The FBI has said in the past its investigation did not uncover any links between the student and terrorist organizations. They have said they may never know whether the student wanted to get inside the stadium.

[NYer]

Mark Tapscott has more on the late Mr. Hinrichs: The FBI got it wrong. (http://tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com/2006/03/oklahoma-bomb-squader-says-hinrichs.html)

oday's edition of The Daily Oklahoman has a front-page story quoting a member of the Norman, Oklahoma bomb squad saying he believes Joel Hinrichs did not intend to kill himself last year during the OU-Kansas State football game.

The article is not yet posted on the Oklahoman's web site, but I expect to have a hard copy momentarily. The article includes significant new details about what was found in Hinrichs apartment, including evidence of intent to build an anti-personnel bomb loaded with shrapnel.

Middle Eastern terrorists often have loaded suicide bombs with nails and other objects designed to increase their lethality, especially when detonated in buses, restaurants and crowded city streets and markets.

Hinrichs died during the second quarter of the game when a bomb made of materials commonly used by Middle Eastern terrorists detonated as he sat on a park bench just across the street from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

There were more than 84,000 fans in the stadium at the time and there were numerous unconfirmed reports subsequently that Hinrichs had unsuccessfully tried to enter the stadium.

Within hours of Hinrichs death, the FBI's Joint Task Force on Terrorism took over the investigation of the incident. Soon thereafter, both FBI officials and University of Oklahoma President David Boren said Hinrichs had no known terrorist connections and intended only to kill himself.


More ...

[Petronas]

Attempted Murder Charges in UNC Hit-and-Run
Sources: Possible link to terrorism
03/03/06 -- CHAPEL HILL

The driver of an SUV that plowed into a group of pedestrians at UNC-Chapel Hill on Friday told police it was retribution for the treatment of Muslims around the world, sources tell Eyewitness News and ABC News. It happened around noon Friday in front of Lenoir Hall on the campus, in a common area known as the Pit. Paramedics took six people - - five students and a visiting scholar - - were treated for minor injuries and released from UNC Hospitals. Three refused treatment at the scene.

Police say they arrested the suspect, Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, of Chapel Hill, shortly after the incident. He reportedly called police shortly after the incident and surrendered a few miles from campus. Police said they would charge Taheri-azar with nine counts of attempted murder.

Sources say Taheri-azar told police he was seeking retribution for the treatment of Muslims around the world, according to ABC News justice correspondent Pierre Thomas. Taheri-azar apparently told police he tried to rent the biggest SUV he could find to use in the attack.

Taheri-azar told police Friday, "If you want to know why I did it, go check my bed at my apartment." "He said it almost in a baiting type of way," Carrboro police spokesman Capt. Joel Booker said. By Friday afternoon, a police SWAT team had surrounded a Carrboro apartment complex where Taheri-azar lived. Taking no chances, heavily armed authorities blew open the door to his University Commons apartment. After several hours of searching the apartment, Carrboro police sounded the all-clear, allowing residents back inside late Friday evening. "We may find other things down the road, but right now, we were not in there looking for trace-type evidence," said Booker. "We're in there looking for something that could cause all of us harm. Gladly, we have not found that to this point."

Taheri-azar was born in Iran, but grew up in Indian Trail, near Charlotte. Eyewitness News obtained video of Taheri-azar giving a presentation to a UNC-CH English class last spring. He graduated in December 2005 with majors in philosophy and psychology. Police are looking at phone calls he made recently, as well as e-mail, to see if anyone else was involved.

In addition to a political motivation, authorities likely will be looking at a psychological analysis. A law enforcement source tells Eyewitness News that Taheri-azar had been plotting the attack for some time and was prepared to die. Sources think he acted alone. "My officials are using the term 'lone wolf,'" said ABC's Pierre Thomas. "They have no evidence of a wider plot.

Sources tell Eyewitness News and ABC News that Taheri-azar was intent on killing people Friday. "One official said the officials and students on campus were lucky today," Thomas said. "Because if he had done what he wanted to do, you'd probably have some dead people on your campus."

Last month, Muslim students at UNC protested the publication in The Daily Tar Heel of an original cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad. Islam is interpreted to forbid any illustrations of Muhammad for fear they could lead to idolatry. The recent publication of a series of cartoons of Muhammad in European newspapers sparked violent protests in the Middle East and elsewhere. The Muslim Students Association, which was among the leading critics of the cartoon, said Teheri-azar had never been a member of the group and denounced him on its Web site. "Regardless of what his intentions prove to be, we wholeheartedly deplore this action, and trust that our fellow classmates will be able to dissociate the actions of this one disturbed individual from the beliefs of the Muslim community as a whole," the statement said. "Peace be upon you all."

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=local&id=3958312

[Petronas]

White House Week
3/6/06

Infighting is plaguing revision of the administration's three-year-old National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. An implementation plan now under debate calls for heavy emphasis on waging an ideological war against radical Islam, promoting democracy, and stopping weapons of mass destruction. But the plan is bogged down, mired in interagency squabbling over turf and tasking, sources say. "There are just too many chefs," says one observer. At least the participants have agreed on one key change: Worried that they will offend Muslims, they've replaced the word "jihadist" with "extremist."

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060306/6whitehouse.htm

Wake up, its not "extremist" Presbyterians or Swedish nationalists who are at the root of the problem.

[Petronas]

Failure of the Press
By William J. Bennett and Alan M. Dershowitz
Thursday, February 23, 2006

There was a time when the press was the strongest guardian of free expression in this democracy. Stories and celebrations of intrepid and courageous reporters are many within the press corps. Cases such as New York Times v. Sullivan in the 1960s were litigated so that the press could report on and examine public officials with the unfettered reporting a free people deserved. In the 1970s the Pentagon Papers case reaffirmed the proposition that issues of public importance were fully protected by the First Amendment.

The mass media that backed the plaintiffs in these cases understood that not only did a free press have a right to report on critical issues and people of the day but that citizens had a right to know about those issues and people. The mass media understood another thing: They had more than a right; they had a duty to report.

We two come from different political and philosophical perspectives, but on this we agree: Over the past few weeks, the press has betrayed not only its duties but its responsibilities. To our knowledge, only three print newspapers have followed their true calling: the Austin American-Statesman, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Sun. What have they done? They simply printed cartoons that were at the center of widespread turmoil among Muslims over depictions of the prophet Muhammad. These papers did their duty.

Since the war on terrorism began, the mainstream press has had no problem printing stories and pictures that challenged the administration and, in the view of some, compromised our war and peace efforts. The manifold images of abuse at Abu Ghraib come to mind -- images that struck at our effort to win support from Arab governments and peoples, and that pierced the heart of the Muslim world as well as the U.S. military.

The press has had no problem with breaking a story using classified information on detention centers for captured terrorists and suspects -- stories that could harm our allies. And it disclosed a surveillance program so highly classified that most members of Congress were unaware of it.

In its zeal to publish stories critical of our nation's efforts -- and clearly upsetting to enemies and allies alike -- the press has printed some articles that turned out to be inaccurate. The Guantanamo Bay flushing of the Koran comes to mind.

But for the past month, the Islamist street has been on an intifada over cartoons depicting Muhammad that were first published months ago in a Danish newspaper. Protests in London -- never mind Jordan, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Iran and other countries not noted for their commitment to democratic principles -- included signs that read, "Behead those who insult Islam." The mainstream U.S. media have covered this worldwide uprising; it is, after all, a glimpse into the sentiments of our enemy and its allies. And yet it has refused, with but a few exceptions, to show the cartoons that purportedly caused all the outrage.

The Boston Globe, speaking for many other outlets, editorialized: "[N]ewspapers ought to refrain from publishing offensive caricatures of Mohammed in the name of the ultimate Enlightenment value: tolerance."

But as for caricatures depicting Jews in the most medievally horrific stereotypes, or Christians as fanatics on any given issue, the mainstream press seems to hold no such value. And in the matter of disclosing classified information in wartime, the press competes for the scoop when it believes the public interest warrants it.

What has happened? To put it simply, radical Islamists have won a war of intimidation. They have cowed the major news media from showing these cartoons. The mainstream press has capitulated to the Islamists -- their threats more than their sensibilities. One did not see Catholics claiming the right to mayhem in the wake of the republished depiction of the Virgin Mary covered in cow dung, any more than one saw a rejuvenated Jewish Defense League take to the street or blow up an office when Ariel Sharon was depicted as Hitler or when the Israeli army was depicted as murdering the baby Jesus.

So far as we can tell, a new, twin policy from the mainstream media has been promulgated: (a) If a group is strong enough in its reaction to a story or caricature, the press will refrain from printing that story or caricature, and (b) if the group is pandered to by the mainstream media, the media then will go through elaborate contortions and defenses to justify its abdication of duty. At bottom, this is an unacceptable form of not-so-benign bigotry, representing a higher expectation from Christians and Jews than from Muslims.

While we may disagree among ourselves about whether and when the public interest justifies the disclosure of classified wartime information, our general agreement and understanding of the First Amendment and a free press is informed by the fact -- not opinion but fact -- that without broad freedom, without responsibility for the right to know carried out by courageous writers, editors, political cartoonists and publishers, our democracy would be weaker, if not nonexistent. There should be no group or mob veto of a story that is in the public interest.

When we were attacked on Sept. 11, we knew the main reason for the attack was that Islamists hated our way of life, our virtues, our freedoms. What we never imagined was that the free press -- an institution at the heart of those virtues and freedoms -- would be among the first to surrender.

William J. Bennett is the Washington fellow of the Claremont Institute and a former secretary of education. Alan M. Dershowitz is a law professor at Harvard.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022202010_pf.html

[NYer]

Alarm Spreads over remarks of Jail Imam. (http://www.nysun.com/article/28920)

Extremist remarks made by the head imam of the city's jail system are generating alarm about whether inmates are being recruited as Islamic fundamentalists.

Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that the city has suspended Imam Umar Abdul-Jalil of the city's Department of Correction until officials can get more information about his remarks and determine whether he violated any regulations.

"We can't prejudge but we are going to look at it this afternoon," Mr. Bloomberg told reporters yesterday. "Having said that, this morning, so that he would not go back into the jails, we put him on paid administrative leave at least for the day."

The move by the city came after the New York Post reported that Mr. Abdul-Jalil declared in a speech that the White House is run by terrorists and that Muslims were tortured in Manhattan prisons after the World Trade Center attacks.

He also reportedly urged Muslims in America to stop letting "the Zionists of the media to dictate what Islam is to us."

In a related matter, Daniel Pipes and Sharon Chadha have an essay in the Middle East Quarterly: Cair: Islamists Fooling the Establishment. (http://www.meforum.org/article/916)

Read the whole thing ...

[Petronas]

Minnesota Prof Censored for Posting Mohammed Cartoons
March 9, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS, March 9, 2006—The uproar over cartoons of the prophet Mohammed may be fading in some places, but not at Century College in Minnesota. After repeatedly encountering censorship of her display of the cartoons on a hallway bulletin board, Professor Karen Murdock finally posted them behind a curtain so that passers-by would not be offended. Yet even after assuring Murdock and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) that free speech is valued at Century, administrators allowed censors to tear down the hidden cartoons and insisted that she not put them back up.

“Karen Murdock bent over backwards to make sure that students who disapproved of the cartoons would not be exposed to them, but this was still not good enough,” remarked FIRE Interim President Greg Lukianoff. “Sadly, the college has sided with the proponents of suppression rather than the advocates of open, meaningful, and informed dialogue.”

At the height of the international controversy surrounding the Mohammed cartoons, adjunct professor of geography Karen Murdock was concerned that most students at Century had not even seen the cartoons and would therefore be unable to evaluate them intelligently. On February 7, she posted the drawings, related newspaper articles, and blank comment sheets on a bulletin board near her office where various faculty members post items of interest. The cartoons were repeatedly and anonymously torn down, and she replaced them each time. Finally, she says, her academic division head, David Lyons, removed the cartoons himself, and Vice President of Student Services Mike Bruner asked that she not repost them. Vice President of Academic Affairs John O’Brien then called a meeting with Murdock.

FIRE wrote to Century President Lawrence Litecky on February 16, stating that “[t]he college’s responsibility to free speech and open inquiry far outweighs any responsibility the college has to avoid offense” and that Murdock could not be punished for posting the cartoons. That same day, O’Brien sent Murdock a letter canceling the scheduled meeting and insisting that the “administration did not remove the political cartoon you posted, nor direct that it be removed or not reposted.” O’Brien also responded to FIRE, asserting that no meeting had been scheduled with Murdock and citing an e-mail sent by President Litecky to the entire Century community vaguely urging that “discourse about the many competing ideas and beliefs” should be conducted “in a respectful, thoughtful, and tolerant manner.”

Believing that discussion and the free exchange of ideas at Century were now secure, Murdock posted the cartoons again on February 25, this time behind a curtain. Three days later, censors struck again, tearing down the cartoons in midday, and Lyons asked that they not be reposted. A memo he posted on the bulletin board explained that materials on that board should “rotated in a timely fashion,” and that faculty members have “expressed concerns about the displaying of the cartoons on a division of social and behavioral sciences bulletin board.”

“As FIRE’s February 22 statement on the Mohammed cartoon controversy explained, colleges have a twofold duty when it comes to dealing with censorship,” said Lukianoff. “First, there is the duty to not censor the free expression of ideas, especially important and newsworthy ones. Second, colleges have the duty to protect speakers from being silenced by others. Century has failed miserably on both counts.”

In the context of making his request, Lyons did claim that the ultimate decision was Murdock’s. However, as Murdock pointed out to FIRE, “When a division chairman and a college vice president both tell an untenured adjunct professor that something should not be posted on a bulletin board, this is a suggestion that has the force of a direct order. The cartoons would still be posted if I felt that I had a say in the matter.”

Murdock has expressed great frustration with the situation. “We are a college. We are supposed to be a forum for the free exchange of ideas,” she said. “If we can’t talk about this controversy at a college, where are we supposed to talk about it?” She continued, “We are supposed to be able not merely to deal with controversy but actually to welcome it!”

“Professor Murdock is right on target,” Lukianoff concluded. “Century administrators need to understand that their first duty is to promote the open exchange of ideas on their campus, not to cater to those who would prefer silence on provocative matters. The college must end its shameful, unlawful, and unwise drive to ‘protect’ its students from seeing the materials at the heart of a global controversy.”

http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/6878.html

[NYer]

Islamic websites carry AQ's Last Warning. (http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD111206)

Purported "Al-Qaeda Undercover Soldier, U.S.A": Last Warning to American People - Two Operations Will Occur; Your Homeland Security Agency Must Surrender; States Far Away From Washington, D.C. Such as Arizona Will Be Hit; We Await Orders From Our Commander Osama Bin Laden; America Will Be Brought to its Knees

http://www.memri.org/images/uploaded/sd_111206_1.jpg

If they're waiting for orders from Osama, they may need the services of
http://membres.lycos.fr/jackvance/vie/john_edward.jpg

[NYer]

Judge orders Secret Ruling (http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060311/ZNYT02/603110723) in case of 2 at Albany Mosque.

A federal judge issued a highly unusual classified ruling yesterday, denying a motion for dismissal of a case against two leaders of an Albany mosque who are accused of laundering money in a federal terrorism sting operation.

Because the ruling was classified, the defense lawyers were barred from reading why the judge decided that way.

The defense lawyers had asked the judge to dismiss the case, saying that they believed the government's evidence came from wiretaps obtained without a warrant by the National Security Agency.

The two mosque leaders, Yassin M. Aref, 35, and Mohammed M. Hossain, 50, were charged in August 2004 with conspiring with a government informant to take part in what they believed was a plot to import a shoulder-fired missile and assassinate a Pakistani diplomat.

The classified order by Judge Thomas J. McAvoy of United States District Court for the Northern District of New York came only a few hours after the government filed its own classified documents to the judge. Prosecutors were responding to a motion filed on Jan. 20 by Mr. Aref's lawyer, Terence L. Kindlon.

[NYer]

Zawahiri lived in Lodi, California 1998-99. (http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/March/theworld_March325.xml&section=theworld)

Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, lived in California in 1998 and 1999, a paid FBI informant testified on Monday in the trial of a Pakistani-American father and son accused of terrorism-related activity.

Naseem Kahn, 32, told a Sacramento jury he frequently saw Zawahri coming and going from the mosque in Lodi, California, south of Sacramento in 1998 and 1999, but never talked to him.

Zawahri, an Egyptian believed hiding somewhere in Pakistan, called on Muslims earlier this month to attack the West.

A spokeswoman for the FBI and an official for the US attorney’s office declined to say whether Zawahri had lived there or had just passed through town. He is believed to have raised funds during travels in the United States at the time.

Was anyone paying attention during the late 90's?

[NYer]

Islamic websites carry AQ's Last Warning. (http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD111206)



Douglas Farah has More. (http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2006/03/is_al_qaed_plan.html)

[Alli]

The message gives a final warning to the United States before carrying out what it said would be two devastating attacks. Were there warnings similar prior to 911? Also, didn't the price of gold fluctuate right before the 911 attacks?

[NYer]

Were there warnings similar prior to 911? Also, didn't the price of gold fluctuate right before the 911 attacks?

That 's what makes This (http://www.wincoast.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28684) interesting.

[NYer]

Alarm Spreads over remarks of Jail Imam. (http://www.nysun.com/article/28920)


Bloomberg gives Jail Imam Double Secret Probation. (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=nation_world&id=3991800)

Mayor Bloomberg announed Tuesday afternoon that he will not fire the city employed imam who raised controversy with a speech given in his free time.
Bloomberg said after an investigation, that Umar Abdul-Jalil will be suspended without pay for two weeks beginning immediately.

[Petronas]

Man accused in UNC assault says he expects life in prison
Mar 15, 2006 : 5:06 pm ET

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The University of North Carolina graduate charged with driving a sport utility vehicle into a crowd at his alma mater said in letters to newspapers that he expects to spend his life in prison. "If Allah wills, I will plead guilty to all 18 charges currently against me and I expect a life-term in prison," Mohammed Taheri-azar, 22, wrote in a letter dated last Friday to The News & Observer of Raleigh. In a letter that arrived Tuesday at The Herald-Sun of Durham that responded to a reporter's questions, he wrote: "I only fear and only respect Allah."

Both newspapers posted stories on their Web sites Wednesday about receiving the letters; Durham also posted its letter online. He has sent a similar letter to a television news reporter and anchor at WTVD-TV, an ABC affiliate station in Durham. Taheri-azar, who has a scheduled bond hearing Thursday, has said he wants to defend himself in court. A public defender appointed to represent him was not available to comment on the letters Wednesday.

Taheri-azar is charged with nine counts of attempted murder and nine counts of assault. On March 3, police say, Taheri-azar raced through a crowded campus gathering spot in a rented Jeep Cherokee. No one was seriously injured, and Taheri-azar later called 911 to turn himself in. During the call, he said he wanted to "punish the government of the United States for their actions around the world."

A native of Iran who grew up mostly in the Charlotte area, Taheri-azar has said he intended to kill the people he struck. He believes a trial will offer him the opportunity to educate people about the will of Allah. "Fellow followers of Allah, i.e., the truth, in the Middle East have been attacked for decades with the U.S. government to blame," he said in the letter to the N&O.

He wrote that it was fair for him to attack people on the Chapel Hill campus "because whether they claim to or not, they support the U.S. government as long as they are in its territory and they are not attacking it to overthrow it. ..." Local Muslims on Wednesday held a news conference in which they criticized Taheri-azar's version of Islam, calling him confused.

http://www.herald-sun.com/state/6-712768.html

[NYer]

Suspicious Activity Around Chicago Landmarks Probed. (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=3997181)

ABC7 News has learned the terrorism task force is looking into two suspicious cases in downtown Chicago. They happened within the last three weeks. Investigators describe one of the incidents as frightening.

The incidents involve two landmark Chicago buildings, the Sears Tower and Boeing World headquarters. Since 9-11, the Sears Tower building management in particular has increased security efforts several times over. But the law enforcement sources say, nevertheless, they are concerned about these latest incidents.

The entire incident was recorded on Sears Tower video security cameras. The tape is now in the hands of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. It shows three suspicious looking men parked right in front of the building near the loading dock.

They get out of the car in point formation, with two of the men appearing to serve as lookouts, and a third taking pictures of the building with either a video or still camera. When building security noticed them guards made them leave. They failed, however, to ask for identification, and if they had, it may have been phony, because authorities later learned the car was rented under a fake name.

A law enforcement source who has seen the video describes it as very frightening.

Mark Spencer, a spokesperson for the Sears Tower said, "We reported this situation to federal authorities immediately after it occurred. We are confident that federal investigators will thoroughly investigate the situation."

There is no video of a second incident, around the same time of a suspicious individual who was seen sketching the Boeing headquarters building. Building security questioned that man, even took pictures of his sketch but again failed to get an ID or even a picture of him.

[Petronas]

College paper's editor fired over Mohammed cartoons
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (AP) -- An editor who chose to publish caricatures of Prophet Mohammed in the University of Illinois' student-run newspaper last month has been fired, the paper's publisher announced Tuesday. Acton H. Gorton was suspended, with pay, from The Daily Illini days after the Feb. 9 publication of the cartoons, which sparked Muslim protests around the world after they first appeared in a Danish newspaper. At the time, Daily Illini publishers said the action was taken against Gorton not for publishing the cartoons, but for failing to discuss it with others in the newsroom first.

The Illini Media Co. board of directors, which comprises students and faculty, voted unanimously to fire the editor after a review "found that Gorton violated Daily Illini policies about thoughtful discussion of and preparation for the publication of inflammatory material," according to a statement.

Gorton has said he sought out advice from The Daily Illini's former editor-in-chief and others before deciding to run the cartoons. He has said that accusations he tried to hide his decision were wrong. On Tuesday, he called his firing a blow against free speech on college campuses. "If I can be fired, what will other students think who maybe want to challenge the status quo?" said Gorton, who had briefly addressed a board meeting the previous night. "This is a bad precedent." Gorton said he intends to sue the publishers of The Daily Illini, citing, among other complaints, unlawful dismissal.

Board member Adam Jung said he is confident the company "has acted properly on this issue." The paper's opinions page editor, Chuck Prochaska, also was suspended for his role in publishing the cartoons. He declined to be reinstated, the board said.

Prochaska said he and Gorton moved quickly to publish the cartoons because they were newsworthy. "We had a news story on our hands, with violence erupting about imagery, but you can't show it because of a taboo, because of a taboo that's not a Western taboo but a Muslim taboo?" he said. "That's a blow to journalism."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/15/editor.fired.ap/index.html

[Petronas]

6,000 terror watch list hits inside U.S.
3/14/2006 6:30:00 PM -0500

WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. government's Terrorist Screening Center says there have been about 6,000 "encounters" inside the United States between law enforcement or other officials and people on the center's terrorist watch list since it was set up on Dec. 1, 2003. Donna Bucella, the center's director, told reporters in Washington Tuesday that "about 6,000 individuals who are known or suspected international terrorists have been encountered within the United States." She said that about 40-50 percent of the encounters were "repeats" -- i.e. the same person encountered more than once -- but declined to give the total number of individuals involved.

"I don't mean at our borders," Bucella added, saying the encounters could have happened as a result of traffic stops by state or local law enforcement, or when the watch-listed person applied for a gun permit or a commercial driver's license to haul hazardous materials. She said there had been "a very small number" of arrests as a result of the encounters.

Other officials sought to play down the impression that thousands of terrorists were lose in the United States, saying that some of the individuals might have only a peripheral connection to some terrorism investigation. "Not everyone in the database is Mohammed Atta," said Bucella's chief of staff, John Lightfoot. "Among the 6,000 there are grades that go all the way from pale white to dark black and all the shades of grey in between," added John Miller, the FBI's head of public affairs, pointing out that the FBI's national security branch had between 15,000-20,000 open investigations at any one time, each of which might involve more than one person. "These could be main subjects in a case, these could be early subjects in a case" that were later eliminated from the inquiry, Miller explained of people on the watch list.

Bucella said the center had received roughly 56,000 inquiries since it was set up on Dec. 1, 2003, and "about half" were positive, but most of these were from abroad, for instance when a person applied for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

The Terrorist Screening Center is an interagency unit set up to unify the dozen-plus watch-lists of terror suspects run by the U.S. government prior to the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings. "This was something that law enforcement across the country was calling for" after Sept. 11, said Miller, describing the nation's 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies as "a post Sept. 11 force multiplier" for U.S. counter-terrorism efforts.

Bucella said that the center had got positive matches from people that counter-terrorism officials did not know were in the United States. The system is "a kind of radar" for counter-terrorism officials, "to show where these people are moving around," said Miller.

The screening center runs a database containing more than 350,000 names of people known or suspected to have ties to terrorism. In about 200,000 of those cases, Bucella said, there was enough information to enter the individual into the National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, an FBI-run database that local police and government agencies can check to see if individuals have a criminal record or are wanted by the authorities.

The NCIC is updated automatically in real time as names are added to or taken off the screening center's list, but with databases maintained by other agencies -- like the State Department's visa database, CLASS, or the Border Patrol's IBIS system -- center officials upload updated versions of the list every day, Bucella said. When a check on NCIC or other database reveals a possible match with the watch list, screening center officials are contacted via its 24-hour toll free telephone number, and can then "reach down" into the underlying, classified data -- the so-called "derogatory information" -- that resulted in the person being placed on the list.

The center's Privacy Officer Lyn Rahilly said that it was up to the agency in question to take action based on the information. "The agency doing the screening, they have their own legal authorities and limitations they have to operate under ... We help connect them with the agency that has the often classified derogatory information, and then based on that information -- not just the fact that they're on the watch list -- the agency" has to decide how to proceed.

Sometimes, officials said, individuals were removed from the watch list as a result of these encounters. "In some case they'll say to (the center), you know, 'We've run that case out, so you can take that one down now,' or 'We've reformulated our opinion on that person,'" said Miller. "In a lot of cases ... the information collected during a standard encounter is sufficient to eliminate that person from suspicion and then they are removed from the list," added Lightfoot.

http://www.upi.com/inc/view.php?StoryID=20060314-060537-2577r

[NYer]

Terror Threat Hits NMSU (http://www.lcsun-news.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/NEWS01/603160347)

The silence from the MSM is deafening ...

What the FBI called “a possible terrorist threat” forced the evacuation Thursday of most of New Mexico State University during midterm examinations.

A similar call to the Sun-News also led to an evacuation of workers and a lockdown of nearby Central Elementary School.

No explosives were found in either location.

A man with an Arab accent called the NMSU president’s office and the newspaper about 8 a.m. and said a bomb was going to explode on campus. The caller to the Sun-News also made a threat against the newspaper.

The FBI is heading the investigation because the caller to the Sun-News said “they were going to blow (the university) up as high as the heavens, so people will know that al-Qaida lives on,” according to a Sun-News receptionist who took the call.

[uchiuke123]

"We're looking at it as a possible terrorist threat," FBI spokesman Bill Elwell said. "They're using whatever methods they can to see who in fact was calling and whether it was a hoax or in fact a credible threat."

But folks are having a problem calling the UNC nut job that admitted wanting to kill the people he hit with a car, a
terrorist threat.

uchiuke123

[NYer]

Taliban Man at Yale

Given his record as a Taliban apologist, Mr. Hashemi has told friends he is stunned Yale didn't look more closely into his curriculum vitae. "I could have ended up in Guantanamo Bay," he told the New York Times. So how did he end up in the Ivy League? Questions start at the State Department's door. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the Judiciary Committee's border security panel, has asked the State Department and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to explain exactly how Mr. Hashemi got an F-1 student visa. Yale's decision tree is clearer. Richard Shaw, Yale's dean of undergraduate admissions until he took the same post at Stanford last year, told the New York Times that Yale had another foreigner of Mr. Hashemi's caliber apply but "we lost him to Harvard" and "I didn't want that to happen again." Mr. Shaw won't return phone calls now, but emails he's exchanged with others offer insights into his thinking. . . .

There is a line beyond which tolerance and political correctness become willful blindness. Eli Muller, a reporter for the Yale Daily News, was stunned back in 2000 when the lies of another Taliban spokesman who visited Yale "went nearly unchallenged." He concluded that the "moral overconfidence of Yale students makes them subject to manipulation by people who are genuinely evil." Today, you can say that about more than just some naïve students. You can add the administrators who abdicated their moral responsibility and admitted Mr. Hashemi.

Read the whole Thing (http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008127)

Boolah boolah!

[Petronas]

Calls key in terror case
First published: Wednesday, March 22, 2006

ALBANY -- The spiritual leader of an Albany mosque repeatedly called a phone number in Syria that an FBI report indicates had been used to gather terrorist intelligence for Osama bin Laden, according to classified documents unsealed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court. The FBI report, which was based on information from a confidential informant, was among several once-secret documents that federal authorities say raise questions about Yassin Aref's connections to terrorist organizations across the Middle East.

Aref, 35, a Kurdish refugee who moved to Albany with his family in 1999, is in jail without bond while awaiting trial on charges related to an FBI counterterrorism sting. He has denied any connections to terrorism. But federal authorities paint him as an intelligent religious scholar with strong ties to some of the world's most notorious terrorists, including Mullah Krekar, the founder of a violent Iraqi terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaida.

The FBI report on bin Laden is undated and heavily redacted. It states that an informant told the FBI that during October 2001 he was approached by someone soliciting intelligence about "flight training schools, access to airports in (redacted)" and information about "how close the individual could get to an aircraft." The informant said he was instructed that any information could be distributed to "brothers" through two phone numbers in Damascus, Syria. One of the numbers was called repeatedly by Aref from his Albany home, according to federal authorities.

Aref's attorney, Terence L. Kindlon, said the information is "meaningless" because the number appears to have been the headquarters for Islamic Movement for Kurdistan (IMK), which had an office in Damascus where Aref once worked after fleeing Iraq. "He called IMK all the time," Kindlon said. "He had friends there, guys he went to college with."

Still, federal authorities are using the information to bolster their allegations that Aref lied on his visa application about whether he had any ties to political groups. The immigration violation -- for allegedly lying on his residency application -- was added to the counterterrorism charges for federal authorities to be able to introduce Aref's overseas' ties into the case. "Aref kept his IMK affiliation hidden and secret, specifically omitting any reference to the IMK in his 1999 refugee application," according to a memorandum filed by the Justice Department. "Aref has had contacts with terrorists and discussions about terrorist acts."

In addition to the alleged connection to Osama bin Laden's terror network, documents released Tuesday indicate that Aref's name, Albany address and telephone number were found in several suspected terrorist strongholds during the war in Iraq. One of the facilities was raided in March 2003 and had been occupied by Krekar's group, Ansar al-Islam. U.S. forces discovered evidence that terror groups had tried to produce deadly toxins there, according to a government report.

More information was also released by the government Tuesday about a suspected terrorist camp in that was bombed by coalition forces in June 2003. The unclassified records indicate the camp had been occupied by heavily-armed Ansar al-Islam members carrying various military manuals. A notebook found in the camp contained Aref's name and Albany address, along with Krekar's contact information in Europe, according to the report.

Kindlon again downplayed the significance. "Just because you find somebody's name someplace, it doesn't mean anything at all," Kindlon said. "It's where he's from. This is a guy who used to speak to thousands of people at the same time. ... He was a (religious) prodigy. The fact that his name exists in different places throughout the country of his birth means nothing."

It's routine for government prosecutors to release criminal history reports of people they intend to call as witnesses at trial. Other records unsealed by the government included criminal history reports for two men, one on a terrorist watch list, who had attended the Masjid As Salam mosque on Central Avenue where Aref is the spiritual leader. One of the men, a 26-year-old ex-convict named John Earl Johnson, was arrested by Albany police in December 2001 as he exited the mosque carrying a rifle. A year later, Johnson was arrested again while driving on the New York State Thruway in Herkimer in a van that authorities say was loaded with weapons and computer discs containing terrorism-related manuals. The manuals included information on how to make fertilizer bombs, nitroglycerine, cyanide, chorine gas and letter bombs. Johnson, who has served at least two prison terms, was also arrested in Afghanistan in March 2000 carrying similar computer discs, according to the FBI report and law enforcement sources.

The other individual whose criminal history was released by the FBI Tuesday is Ali Mounnes Yaghi, a former pizza shop worker who helped establish the Central Avenue mosque and took part in hiring Aref there. Yaghi is now on a terrorism watch list, according to the records. Yaghi, who was deported to his native Jordan in July 2002, was jailed as a federal detainee for almost a year after the Sept. 11 attacks as the FBI investigated whether he or any of his acquaintances had connections to terrorist cells or attacks on the World Trade Center. FBI agents said Yaghi failed a polygraph examination during an interrogation in which he was shown photographs of the 19 hijackers and asked whether he knew any of them. But Yaghi was never connected to any terrorist plot before being deported. However, according to a source close to Aref's case, Yaghi contacted the FBI after Aref's arrest and pledged to cooperate in the current investigation.

The new information provides more details about why the FBI launched a sting three years ago targeting Aref. Aref and Mohammed Hossain, an Albany pizza shop owner and co-founder of the mosque, were ensnared in an FBI sting and accused of taking part in a plot to make money from the sale of missile launchers to terrorists. The plot was not real and was created by the FBI, which used an informant to allegedly lure the men into the deal. Officials have not accused Hossain of being connected to any terrorist groups. He is free on bond, as both men await trial.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=463479&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=3/22/2006

[Petronas]

NYU Surrenders to the Heckler’s Veto in Mohammed Cartoon Dispute
March 29, 2006

NEW YORK, March 29, 2006—In violation of its own policies, New York University (NYU) is refusing to allow a student group to show the Danish cartoons of Mohammed at a public event tonight. Even though the purpose of the event is to show and discuss the cartoons, an administrator has suddenly ordered the students either not to display them or to exclude 150 off-campus guests from attending. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is urging NYU’s president to reverse course and stand up for freedom of speech.

“NYU’s actions are inexcusable,” declared FIRE President Greg Lukianoff, who is slated to speak at the event. “The very purpose of this event is to discuss the cartoons that are at the center of a global controversy. To say that students cannot show them if they wish to engage anyone outside the NYU community is both chilling and absurd. The fact that expression might provoke a strong reaction is a reason to protect it, not an excuse to punish it.”

Earlier this month, the NYU Objectivist Club decided to hold a panel discussion entitled “Free Speech and the Danish Cartoons,” at which the cartoons will be displayed. Similar events, sponsored by the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), have taken place on several other campuses. Like previous NYU Objectivist Club events, the discussion was to be open to the public.

However, on Monday afternoon, NYU Director of Student Activities Robert Butler sent an e-mail requesting a meeting with the leaders of the Objectivist Club the next day. He also informed them that NYU would now “require that this event be open only to members of the NYU community.” Butler cited “the campus climate and controversy surrounding the cartoons,” ordering the students to inform the “non-NYU people” who had already registered that they “should not plan on attending.” He concluded, “This is not negotiable.”

Following the meeting, Butler sent another e-mail clarifying that the students have two choices: they must either not display the cartoons, or not allow anyone from off campus to attend the event. Approximately 150 off-campus guests are currently registered to attend.

“This is a classic case of the heckler’s veto,” noted FIRE’s Lukianoff. “NYU is shamelessly clamping down on an event purely out of fear that people who disagree with the viewpoints expressed may disrupt it. These immoral, last-minute restrictions must be lifted.”

FIRE was informed of NYU’s actions just yesterday. Hours later, Lukianoff called NYU President John Sexton to remind him that NYU’s own policies recognize student groups’ right to open events to the public and proclaim that “the use of physical force or other disruptive means to obstruct and restrain speakers” is “destructive of the pursuit of inquiry and learning in a free and democratic society.” FIRE has not yet received a response.

http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/6930.html

[Petronas]

Borders won't carry magazine containing prophet cartoons
Last updated: 5:55 p.m., Wednesday, March 29, 2006

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of Islam's Prophet Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.

"For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority," Borders spokeswoman Beth Bingham said Wednesday. The magazine published by the Council for Secular Humanism in suburban Amherst includes four of the drawings that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper in September.

"What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression," said Paul Kurtz, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry. "Cartoons often provide an important form of political satire ... To refuse to distribute a publication because of fear of vigilante violence is to undermine freedom of press -- so vital for our democracy." Bingham said the decision was made before the magazine arrived at the chain's stores. The company operates more than 475 Borders and 650 Waldenbooks stores in the United States, though not all regularly carry the magazine. "We absolutely respect our customers' right to choose what they wish to read and buy and we support the First Amendment," Bingham said. "And we absolutely support the rights of Free Inquiry to publish the cartoons. We've just chosen not to carry this particular issue in our stores."

Tens of thousands of people have protested the cartoons in Pakistan, Turkey and elsewhere since they first appeared. Islamic tradition bars depiction of Muhammad to prevent idol worship, which is strictly prohibited.

In the magazine, the cartoons are accompanied by three articles: one by editor Tom Flynn tracing the controversy and explaining the decision; a commentary by R. Joseph Hoffmann, director of the Council for Secular Humanism's Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion; and a historic look at representations of the prophet. Among the four caricatures that appear is one depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban with a lit fuse and one showing horns coming out of the prophet's turban.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=466169&BCCode=BNNEWY

[NYer]

Three charged in Terror Plot. (http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060222/NEWS03/60222005)

In a simple West Toledo ranch house and during target practice at a local shooting range, three area men plotted to build bombs and help assist the insurgent attacks in Iraq, federal authorities alleged yesterday.

The men, including a University of Toledo computer and engineering student, planned to wage “holy war” using skills learned via the Internet, officials said, and they intended to enter Iraq under the guise of doing business related to a Reynolds Road used-car lot that one of them owned.

[Petronas]

Hometown Jihad
April 3, 2006

When I left my hometown of Hilliard, Ohio eleven years ago, it was still a small suburban city outside of Columbus. By the time I returned a few months ago to help care for my aging parents, little did I realize that during the time I was gone that my hometown – about as whitebread, conservative red-state America as you can get – had become one of the many battlegrounds in the Global War on Terror.

The Hilliard I grew up in was sleepy cowtown. As the son of one the local police officers (and my older brother would later follow him on the force), it was impossible to do anything serious without word quickly making its way back to my home, so I didn’t even try. No one else did for that matter. The city was safe and relatively crime-free, except for the obligatory fight at the local bar every Friday night and the annual confiscation of the slot machines at the Moose Lodge. Back then, virtually every area of town was within a half-an-hour walk. While I was in high school, after classes I would walk across the street to the local library at the entrance to the City Park to study and to pass the time.

Today, that former library building is now a full-time Islamic school (K-8), Sunrise Academy, funded and operated by the local-area branch of the Muslim American Society (MAS), the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC) MAS has been identified by researchers and many media outlets (such as these recent articles in the Chicago Tribune and The Weekly Standard) as one of the U.S. front groups for the jihadist Muslim Brotherhood and funded by the extremist Saudi Wahhabi lobby. Hasan al-Banna, the Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, stated this as the organization’s credo: “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

But the local Islamic school’s connection to the international Muslim Brotherhood terror network is far from the only manifestation of the hometown jihad. Among the regular speakers at the school is Hilliard resident, Dr. Salah Sultan, who gives monthly lectures on a number of Islam-related topics. Sultan was the founding president of the Islamic American University in Dearborn, Michigan, and still serves on the European Council for Fatwa and Research . He has self-published a number of Islamic titles available through his own publishing company. On his online resume, Sultan lists as his personal vision: “To live happily. To die as a martyr. To meet the beloved ones in the Paradise of the Lord of Heaven and the earth.”

But Sultan’s desire for martyrdom isn’t just a personal ambition; in a speech he delivered to the annual conference of the Islamic Association for Palestine (the primary U.S.-based front group for the Palestinian terrorist organization, HAMAS) in 1999, he expressed his hope that all Muslim children would dream of martyrdom for the Palestinian cause: “I want every child to sleep on the wound of Palestine and the actions of martyrdom, just like that mother in the country whose son wrote to her that they are to meet in Paradise.”

In that same speech, Sultan clearly identifies who he thinks is perpetrating the “martyrdom” of Palestinians in a tirade that could be taken straight from the pages of the anti-Semitic book, Protocols of the Elders of Zion: What does "the Cause" mean to you? And what does it mean to your children?... How much do they know about these tragedies? Did we mention to them that the Children of Zion over there cut open the wombs of mothers. As Khalid M. Khalid mentioned in 1992 when he visited Shamir and saw on his desk a strange ashtray. He asked him, "What strange ashtray is this?" Shamir told him that this was the skull of an embryo. The skull of an embryo? An Israeli soldier opened the womb of a Palestinian mother, took out the embryo, cut off his head, and gave it to him as a present. He gave it to him as a present! This is the method of the Jews. Killing a Muslim or any other non-Jew does not matter to them. Because their motto is, "The gentiles mean nothing to us." This is what the text of the Talmud says: "If you come across a non-Jew kill him!" Do you want this guy as your neighbor? We will be glad to see him go, quite frankly.

I’m hoping he doesn’t bring any of his friends home for a visit, like his side-kick Yusef Al-Qarawadi, the Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood and HAMAS cleric whom Sultan hired as a faculty member for the Islamic American University. In 2001, Qaradawi issued a fatwa that authorized HAMAS to conduct suicide bombings, declaring that such acts qualified as martyrdom and did not fall under the Qur’anic prohibition against suicide. Then again in 2004, Qaradawi issued another fatwa along with 92 other extremist religious leaders authorizing the killing and abduction of American civilians in Iraq, identifying them as “invaders”.

My neighbor Sultan and his buddy Qaradawi also serve together on the European Council for Fatwa and Research. This organization has as its goal the establishment of sharia as the operating legal system in Europe and asserts itself as the ruling government of Muslim’s living in predominately non-Muslim areas. Among the more famous of its fatwas was issued in 2003 during an annual conference organized by the council in Stockholm, Sweden, which declared that jihadist killings and suicide bombings were not to be identified as “terrorism” .

Thus, I have come to discover that the Global War on Terror is no longer a remote issue related to events taking place on the other side of the world. I understood that on September 11th when I heard that a former work colleague was aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. And I am reminded of it every day when I think about my cousin that currently commands an Army unit outside of Baghdad, living day-to-day with his troops in harm’s way to bring democracy and freedom to the oppressed and victimized people of Iraq. Though I have to confess that I never would have expected that my hometown of Hilliard, Ohio would have ever become a haven for an international apologist and recruiter for Islamic-sponsored terrorism. But it’s true.

It does make me wonder why the American government would grant someone with such readily identifiable terrorist connections, which took me just a few hours to track down on the Internet, U.S. Permanent Residency status? Have we learned nothing from 9/11? Is that day of unimaginable tragedy and horror just a distant memory?

Then I remember that not even two years ago that another local resident, Nuradin Abdi, was charged by the FBI with plotting with another known local al-Qaeda member, Iyman Faris, to blow up an area shopping mall after he had receiving extensive explosives training in Ethiopia. According to trial documents, Faris was taking orders directly from then-al-Qaeda operations chief, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who planned the 9/11 attacks and was subsequently captured in Pakistan. It is speculated that the terror plot was uncovered by the domestic surveillance program loudly denounced recently by the mainstream media, Democratic politicians, and leftist special interest groups.

This makes me concerned that next terrorist attack on American soil won’t be in Chicago or Los Angeles, but could very well be a bombing at Otie’s Tavern on Main Street, a sarin attack at Tuttle Crossing Mall, or shootings at my alma mater, Hilliard Davidson High School. Any of those scenarios is not far-fetched. Will Cemetery Road be the scene of hundreds of burned-out cars reminiscent of the uprisings in Paris just a few months ago?

It is thoughts such as these that give rise to my fears that the eyes of the world will look in shock and horror to my hometown of Hilliard, Ohio, or one of the tens of thousands of cities like it across the country, as jihad strikes into the deepest heart of middle America. When that day of terror comes, it should be one that we should expect. I remember that my neighbor Salah Sultan and scores of his jihad-preaching associates throughout the American heartland are not just teaching Arabic. The seeds they’re sowing will inevitably bear fruit in a hometown jihad somewhere.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21791

[NYer]

Bomb Plot in Minnesota. (http://www.startribune.com/467/story/347852.html)

A plot to blow up the Rice County Courthouse and law enforcement center and perhaps kill several public officials has been uncovered, authorities said Monday.

Law enforcement officials said they recovered two propane tanks, the type used with outdoor grills, that appeared to be filled with explosives made of diesel oil and fertilizer -- similar to those used to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City 11 years ago.

[Petronas]

The Incarceration of Edward Flinton
Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Folks, you won't want to miss the latest fascinating post by "Fuqra Hater" over at Shedding Some Light. If you want to know more about the inner workings of al-Fuqra and the Muslims of the Americas, you will want to read his accounts. In his latest posting, he takes us inside a meeting that took place following the capture of Edward Flinton, one of Fuqra's most notorious operators. And, when I say inside, I mean it. He was part of the security team charged with hiding the man's family following his arrest.

Flinton had been a member of a Colorado-based Fuqra cell known as the "Sector 5 Muhammad Commandos". This cell was based out of Colorado at the Trout Creek Pass compound near Buena Vista. From here, they planned attacks and surveilled numerous targets, both infrastructure and military-related.

According the report "Identifying the Links Between White-Collar Crime & Terrorism" by the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), Flinton was alleged to be the "mastermind" responsible for developing Fuqra's assassination and bombing plans including the 1983 hotel bombing attempt in Portland, OR; the 1984 bombing of the Hare Krishna Temple in Denver, CO; and the 1990 murder of Imam Rashad Khalifa in Tuscon, AZ. Flinton was Caucasian, just like Fuqra's bombmaker, Stephen Paster. Seems Gilani liked to use them for operations when possible because they didn't fit the profile of a majority of his group's members. Al-Qaeda has tried to exploit that tactic as well.

In September 1989, Colorado investigators searched a storage locker that had been linked to the cell. Inside were all of the tools of the trade. Here is an excerpt from the NW3C report about the paper trail that they found:

One of the packets of documents discovered in the storage locker contained a detailed description of the methods that should be used to murder an occupant of a Muslim mosque in Tucson, Arizona. The following is an excerpt from a Colorado agency memorandum that describes efforts that investigators took to determine the facts that might be associated with this finding.

Colorado Springs police investigators checked with Tucson, Arizona police department and found that no attack on the mosque or any of its members had at that point taken place. Tucson police did visit the mosque and interview the Imman (the leader of the Tucson congregation), a man by the name of Rashad Khalifa. Mr. Khalifa acknowledged that he had written several documents concerning the Koran, and that the views he expressed in these articles were not very popular with many other Muslims. Mr. Khalifa said that as a result of his research and publication, he felt that he had enemies from Saudi Arabia to Arizona, but that he had never heard of an organization called Fuqra. He did say that he had received threatening telephone calls “from Colorado.” Approximately two weeks after his interview by the Tucson police, Mr. Khalifa was murdered at the mosque by an as yet unidentified intruder who stabbed him to death. The use of a knife to accomplish the murder was one of the methods discussed in the targeting package found in Colorado Springs.

According to documents collected in the investigation, Flinton, whose full name is Edward Nicholas Laurent Flinton, had used several aliases in his activities including Edward Solomon Katz, William Alfred Lemay, Idris Abdul Musawwir, Edward Lindsey. (The alias "Katz" stood out to me, having recently watched the new TV show called Sleeper Cell, where the Islamist cell leader pretends to be Jewish.)

In 1993, authorities indicted Flinton for conspiracy to commit murder.
After hiding out as a fugitive for years with his family at one of the other MOA/Fuqra compounds, Flinton was finally arrested in 1996 at Holy Islamville in York, SC. (That's the jamaat led by Ali Abdur-Rashid, who told a reporter recently, "We do not harbor fugitives here.")

Flinton is now serving his prison sentence in Colorado. His estimated discharge is 2015, however he is scheduled for a parole hearing in December of this year.

In custody, Flinton did admit to having personally authored the plan to kill Dr. Khalifa. It is unclear whether or not he actually stabbed Khalifa, but it is believed that Flinton was under direct orders from Gilani to do so.

"Fuqra Hater" says that Flinton "sung like a parrot", and the atmosphere within the MOA became more tense. After that we as the members of the MOA started being on guard 24/7. Asking if someone comes up here, when can we shoot, yes we were all trigger happy, this is what is taught. Following the arrest, the heirarchy was nervous. He says the village mayor told them, "we will be raided, and blood may be shed because of this."

http://politicsofcp.blogspot.com/2006/04/incarceration-of-edward-flinton.html

[Petronas]

Staring down intimidation
April 7, 2006

It took 10 police officers to keep order last month when Brigitte Gabriel gave a speech at Memphis University.A passionate and powerful speaker who had witnessed Palestinian terrorism and experienced anti-Jewish and anti-Christian propaganda in her native Lebanon, Ms. Gabriel had been invited to speak at the Tennessee campus by religious studies professor David Patterson.
But the day before Ms. Gabriel's speech, Mr. Patterson began receiving threatening e-mails.
"Do you honestly think the scheduled lecture will serve any useful purpose other than inflaming the Muslims, insulting them and spilling poison in the community?" one message said. Another said that inviting Ms. Gabriel to speak was "worse than hosting of the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan," and another described her as among "the true enemies of Islam."
When Ms. Gabriel and Mr. Patterson arrived in the campus auditorium 15 minutes before her scheduled presentation, several rows of seats in the front of the room were already occupied by men and women dressed in distinctive Muslim clothing.
Before Ms. Gabriel was introduced, a Muslim man who has been a long-term graduate student at the university strode to the front of the room and announced: "We have been told that the speaker will only accept questions written on cards. Everyone who believes this is an undemocratic lecture, raise your hands." The Muslims in the audience shouted their agreement.
Ms. Gabriel then went to the front of the room and announced that the lecture belonged to her and that all who did not see it this way were welcome to leave. Two campus police officers stood, one on either side of her. They also called for backup. By the time order was restored and Ms. Gabriel began her speech, 10 police officers were posted in the room. Mr. Patterson implored the audience to give her a chance to be heard.
After her speech, she answered every question submitted -- questions she described as "Palestinian talking points" -- before the Muslim audience members swarmed onto the stage and surrounded her, yelling angrily at her. Finally, police officers grabbed her and hustled her out a side door. Someone else had to retrieve her coat and suitcase while she waited in a police car to be driven to the hotel where, for security reasons, she was registered under a fictitious name. ...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/culture/20060406-111315-3421r.htm

[NYer]

DMV clerk issued Fake ID's (http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/64420.htm)

A former worker at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Bridgeport, Conn., has pleaded guilty to charges of issuing hundreds of phony licenses.

Tracy Lucas-Stevenson, 31, of Stratford, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Superior Court to charges of receiving bribes, forgery and racketeering.

She and two female colleagues had begun selling a few licenses to illegal aliens working locally, police said.

The operation soon grew to dozens of licenses and IDs being sold every day by the women, they said.

By the summer of 2004, police said, the trio had sold 1,579 driver's licenses and 930 ID's, at an average of $100 per card.

[Petronas]

A heart for jihad
April 14, 2006

SACRAMENTO — A man facing federal terrorism charges “had a jihadi heart and a jihadi mind” long before he confessed to attending an al-Qaida training camp in Pakistan, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Tice-Raskin used his closing argument to counter testimony that FBI agents and a government informant may have tricked 23-year-old Hamid Hayat into making incriminating statements.

Hayat and his father, both from Lodi, are on trial in U.S. District Court for lying about the son’s suspected attendance at the terror training camp in 2003. The prosecutor said Hayat freely revealed his intentions to the government informant, who was recruited by the FBI shortly after the September 2001 terror attacks and arrived in Lodi later that year. The informant befriended the Hayat family and secretly recorded hundreds of hours of conversations, evidence that became key to the government’s case.

Hamid Hayat “repeatedly professed support for violent jihad,” Tice-Raskin told jurors. “He tells you in his own words, captured forever on tapes, that he was going to jihad, that he was going to training.” He said the conversations reveal “the real Hamid Hayat” and show that he “believes heart and soul in violent jihad. Hamid Hayat had a jihadi heart and he had a jihadi mind,” Tice-Raskin said. Jihad is the Arabic term for holy war.

Hamid Hayat’s attorney argued that the government doesn’t have a case because it has no proof that her client ever went to a terrorist training camp. ...

http://www.tracypress.com/2006-04-13-jihad.php