Homeland Security/Defence/Defense

[buglerbilly]

Crack New Scanner Looks for Bombs Inside Body Cavities

By David Hambling January 8, 2010 | 1:06 pm



The “underpants bomber” has renewed calls for new and more invasive security measures. Already, there’s a push to install scanners that show travelers’ naked bodies through clothing, using either millimeter wave or backscatter X-ray imaging. But even those scanners might not have caught the terrorist who nearly brought down Northwest flight 253.

That’s why one company is trumpeting a sensor that can supposedly “detect substances such as explosive materials … hidden inside or outside of the human body.” First step: Actually build a human-sized machine.

There has already been one report of a suicide bomber carrying explosives internally. Many sources, including the BBC, carried an early report suggesting that Abdullah Hassan Al Aseeri adopted the new tactic of “carrying explosives in his anal cavity” for an attack in September. The target, a Saudi prince, survived, but Aseeri was reportedly blown in half by the blast. Later reports suggest the explosives were actually sewn into his underwear, but security experts believe there is a real danger of “internally carried” bombs, a technique used for years by drug smugglers.

Nesch, a company based in Crown Point, Indiana, may have a solution. It’s called diffraction-enhanced X-ray imaging or DEXI, which employs proprietary diffraction enhanced imaging and multiple image radiography (.pdf).

Rather than simply shining X-rays through the subject and looking at the amount that passes through (like a conventional X-ray machine), DEXI analyzes the X-rays that are scattered or refracted by soft tissue or other low-density material. Conventional X-rays show little more than the skeleton, but the new technique can reveal far more, which makes it useful for both medical and security applications.

“Our patented technology can detect substances such as explosive materials, narcotics, and low-density plastics hidden inside or outside of the human body,” company CEO Ivan Nesch claims. DEXI allows explosives to create contrast, he adds, so it would be able to detect both the underpants bomber and the shoe bomber before they boarded.

The image above shows how a conventional radiograph does not detect two packets of “illegal materials” concealed in soft tissue, while they are plainly visible in when DEXI technology is used.

The process of taking the images, analyzing them, and then recognizing substances of interest — such as explosives — can be automated. Alerts issued can be computer-generated. Security staff would simply have to get passengers in and out of the imaging unit.

“The initial expected throughput is approximately one to two passengers a minute,” according to Nesch. “Once installed and tested in real applications, the throughput will be increased.”

Nesch has already demonstrated the technology with a unit originally designed for imaging small animals. The next stage is a human-sized unit, which is being “finalized for extensive testing.” Nesch plans to start taking orders for the new unitin March this year.

Of course, X-ray scanners always bring up a concern over the level of radiation involved. One of Nesch’s corporate slogans is “Less radiation, more information,” as DEXI uses significantly less radiation than other approaches.

“It is far less than what a passenger would receive simply by flying on an airplane across the United States,” says Nesch. “Passengers who are imaged using DEXI security will be exposed to approximately 50 times less radiation than that of a conventional radiograph. ”

There is likely to be a ready market for the new technology. Although an X-ray might be seen as more intrusive than an image of the outside of your body, it may be less controversial. In Britain, plans for “naked body” scanners may run into trouble because they break British child pornography laws: Creating “indecent” images of children is illegal. Those scans may also offend the modesty of some Muslims.

DEXI may be able to see into your body cavities, but it may be less obnoxious than some of the alternatives.

Photo: Nesch LLC

See Also:

•Underwear Bomber Renews Calls for ‘Naked Scanners’
•Obama: Software Flaws Let Christmas Bomber Get Through
•Baqubah’s Biometric Squeeze
•General Wants to Scan More U.S. Irises, Fingerprints
•John Ashcroft Wants to Fingerprint Your Kids

[buglerbilly]

FBI director warns of 'rapidly expanding' cyberterrorism threat

By Ellen Nakashima

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, March 4, 2010; 9:10 PM

SAN FRANCISCO -- FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III warned Thursday that the cyberterrorism threat is "real and . . . rapidly expanding."

Terrorists have shown "a clear interest" in pursuing hacking skills, he told thousands of security professionals at the RSA Conference in San Francisco. "They will either train their own recruits or hire outsiders, with an eye toward combining physical attacks with cyberattacks," he said.

"Al-Qaeda's online presence has become as potent as its physical presence" over the last decade, he said. Osama bin Laden long ago identified cyberspace as "a means to damage both our economy and our psyche -- and countless extremists have taken this to heart," he said.

Terror groups are using the Internet to recruit, radicalize and incite terrorism, he said. They are posting videos on how to build backpack bombs and bioweapons. "They are using social networking to link terrorist plotters and plans," he said.

Mueller also used his remarks to stress that the cyber threat cannot be fought by government alone. He urged companies to come forward and tell authorities when their computer systems have been hacked.

"Maintaining a silence will not benefit your or your company in the long run," he said.

[buglerbilly]

The 'al-Qaeda seven' and selective McCarthyism

By Marc A. Thiessen

Monday, March 8, 2010; 11:22 AM

Would most Americans want to know if the Justice Department had hired a bunch of mob lawyers and put them in charge of mob cases? Or a group of drug cartel lawyers and put them in charge of drug cases? Would they want their elected representatives to find out who these lawyers were, which mob bosses and drug lords they had worked for, and what roles they were now playing at the Justice Department? Of course they would -- and rightly so.

Yet Attorney General Eric Holder hired former al-Qaeda lawyers to serve in the Justice Department and resisted providing Congress this basic information. In November, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent Holder a letter requesting that he identify officials who represented terrorists or worked for organizations advocating on their behalf, the cases and projects they worked on before coming to the Justice Department, the cases and projects they've worked on since joining the administration, and a list of officials who have recused themselves because of prior work on behalf of terrorist detainees.

Holder stonewalled for nearly three months. Finally, two weeks ago, he admitted that nine political appointees in the Justice Department had represented or advocated for terrorist detainees, but he failed to identify seven whose names were not publicly known or to directly answer other questions the senators posed. So Keep America Safe, a group headed by Liz Cheney, posted a Web ad demanding that Holder identify the "al-Qaeda seven," and a subsequent Fox News investigation unearthed the names. Only under this public pressure did the Justice Department confirm their identities -- but Holder still refuses to disclose their roles in detention policy.

Americans have a right to this information. One lawyer in the National Security Division of Holder's Justice Department, Jennifer Daskal, has written that any terrorist not charged with a crime "should be released from Guantanamo's system of indefinite detention" even though "at least some of these men may ... join the battlefield to fight U.S. soldiers and our allies another day." Should a lawyer who advocates setting terrorists free, knowing they may go on to kill Americans, have any role in setting U.S. detention policy? My hunch is that most Americans would say no.

Do other lawyers in question hold similarly radical and dangerous views? Without the information Holder is withholding, we cannot know if such lawyers are affecting detainee policy.

Yet for raising questions, Cheney and the Republican senators have been vilified. Former Clinton Justice Department official Walter Dellinger decried the "shameful" personal attacks on "these fine lawyers," while numerous commentators leveled charges of "McCarthyism."

Where was the moral outrage when fine lawyers like John Yoo, Jay Bybee, David Addington, Jim Haynes, Steve Bradbury and others came under vicious personal attack? Their critics did not demand simple transparency; they demanded heads. They called these individuals "war criminals" and sought to have them fired, disbarred, impeached and even jailed. Where were the defenders of the "al-Qaeda seven" when a Spanish judge tried to indict the "Bush six"? Philippe Sands, author of the "Torture Team," crowed: "This is the end of these people's professional reputations!" I don't recall anyone accusing him of "shameful" personal attacks.

The standard today seems to be that you can say or do anything when it comes to the Bush lawyers who defended America against the terrorists. But if you publish an Internet ad or ask legitimate questions about Obama administration lawyers who defended America's terrorist enemies, you are engaged in a McCarthyite witch hunt.

Some defenders say al-Qaeda lawyers are simply following a great American tradition, in which everyone gets a lawyer and their day in court. Not so, says Andy McCarthy, the former assistant U.S. attorney who put Omar Abdel Rahman, the "blind sheik," behind bars for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. "We need to be clear about what the American tradition is," McCarthy told me. "The Sixth Amendment guarantees the accused -- that means somebody who has been indicted or otherwise charged with a crime -- a right to counsel. But that right only exists if you are accused, which means you are someone who the government has brought into the civilian criminal justice system." The habeas lawyers were not doing their constitutional duty to defend unpopular criminal defendants. They were using the federal courts as a tool to undermine our military's ability to keep dangerous enemy combatants off the battlefield in a time of war.

If lawyers who once sought to free captured terrorists are now setting U.S. policy when it comes to the release of Guantanamo detainees, moving terrorists to the United States, trying senior al-Qaeda leaders in civilian courts, and whether to give captured terrorists Miranda rights, then, as Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) put it, the public has "a right to know who advises the attorney general and the president on these critical matters." Only when this information is public can members of Congress judge whether these individuals have properly recused themselves or whether they should be involved in detainee matters at all. The charge of McCarthyism is intended to intimidate those raising legitimate questions into silence. But asking such questions is not McCarthyism. It's oversight.

Marc Thiessen is the author of Courting Disaster and writes a weekly column for The Post.

[buglerbilly]

A UK slant to a similar problem...........

From The Times March 9, 2010

Judges told they have no power to allow secret evidence in Guantanamo case

Frances Gibb, Legal Editor

Three of the country’s top judges were told yesterday that they had no power to allow ministers to use secret evidence in fighting a damages claim by six former Guantanamo Bay detainees over alleged ill-treatment.

Dinah Rose QC, counsel for five of the six men, said that the procedure for using secret confidential evidence was never designed for civil damages claims such as this one.

To use the “closed material procedure”, as it is called, with specially vetted advocates allowed to see the evidence, had “serious constitutional implications”, she said.

It was a “fundamental change” which could be made only by Parliament - “and by legislation in the clearest possible terms given its serious constitutional implications”.

The security services and Government want to use the secret information in their defence at the High Court against a claim for damages for alleged complicity in the ill-treatment of the former detainees - Binyam Mohamed, Bisher Al Rawi, Jamil El Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes and Martin Mubanga.

They deny any involvement in terrorism and allege that MI5 and MI6 aided and abetted their unlawful imprisonment and extraordinary rendition to various locations around the world, including Guantanamo, where they say they suffered torture and inhuman and degrading treatment.

The case is the latest battle for secrecy in the courts which the Government has launched in relation to Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Several media organisations - The Guardian and Observer, The Times and Sunday Times and the BBC - are also intervening in the case, as well as the human rights groups Justice and Liberty.

They argue that the Government’s secrecy proposals breach the right to a fair and open trial, and are contrary to the right to freedom of expression and the public’s right to know what the authorities are or have been doing on its behalf.

The intelligence services, the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, the Foreign Office and the Home Office all contest the claims.

Ms Rose said: “One of the great dangers of the special advocate system is that in some circumstances it serves as a fig leaf for fundamental unfairness because the hearing looks and sounds like a normal trial but it is not a trial at all, it is something completely different.”

At the hearing yesterday, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Master of the Rolls, Lord Justice Maurice Kay and Lord Justice Sullivan are deciding if large parts of the security services’ and Government’s defence can be kept secret from the former detainees, their lawyers and the public.

Mr Justice Silber ruled in the High Court in November last year that there was no reason in law why the court could not allow a “closed material procedure” to be used in a claim for damages.

If upheld, it would mean the Government and security services are not obliged to disclose information to the claimants’ lawyers if they felt that doing so would damage the interests of national security, the UK’s international relations, the detection and prevention of crime, or was likely to harm the public interest in some other way.

Instead, the material would be disclosed to “special advocates” - barristers given security vetting and clearance.

These lawyers can then take instructions from the claimants - but only before they actually see the material the Government does not wish to disclose.

That would mean that they would never know the case they were being asked to answer, Ms Rose said today/yesterday.

“This is incompatible with the basic concepts of the civil trial.”

Last month the Court of Appeal rejected a plea by Foreign Secretary David Miliband for information in six paragraphs of a judgment on a case involving Binyam Mohamed to be kept secret. Mr Miliband had argued that publishing the paragraphs, which summarised information received by the British security services from United States intelligence, could damage the intelligence-sharing relationship between Britain and the United States.

Whatever the decision, the case is likely to go to the Supreme Court.

[buglerbilly]

More "home-grown"............

U.S. citizen accused in Yemen killing had been under FBI watch


Sharif Mobley, seen in a 2002 photo at a barbecue in Buena, N.J., is accused of killing a hospital guard in Yemen. (Roman Castro Via Associated Press)

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Sharif Mobley, a U.S. citizen accused of killing a hospital guard in Yemen, is believed to be a homegrown radical who left this country to make direct contact with al-Qaeda, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials, making him the latest in a string of such suspects.

Mobley, 26, first came to public attention Wednesday, when Yemeni authorities reported that he had grabbed a guard's gun during a medical visit last weekend after being arrested in a sweep of suspected al-Qaeda militants.

Several U.S. officials, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Mobley had been in custody in Yemen for at least several weeks before the shooting and had been known to U.S. and Yemeni authorities for a considerable period before that. "He's been a matter of some concern for a while," according to one official.

The officials said FBI investigations had been underway in Delaware, among the places that Mobley had lived, and in New Jersey, where he was born and was once employed as a maintenance worker in nuclear power plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday that he also worked at nuclear plants in Pennsylvania and at Maryland's Calvert Cliffs but that it had no reason to believe he had had access to sensitive material, news services reported.

The Associated Press quoted Mobley's father as saying his son was innocent.

Revelations about Mobley's arrest came amid rising U.S. concern about the radicalization of American Muslims. Recent cases include that of Army Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, who was charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Tex., in November, as well as that of five young men who were arrested in Pakistan and charged with terrorist offenses in December after their parents reported them missing from their Washington area homes.

This week, a 46-year-old Philadelphia woman, a Muslim convert who identified herself online as Jihad Jane, was charged with plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had caricatured the prophet Muhammad.

Many terrorism suspects from the West are said to have frequented jihadist Web sites, and Hasan and others -- including the Nigerian charged with the Christman airline bombing attempt in Detroit -- were in touch online with Anwar al-Aulaqi, a dual U.S.-Yemeni citizen being sought by both governments as a member of al-Qaeda's Yemen affiliate.

Asked whether Mobley had also been in touch with Aulaqi, a U.S. official said, "Everyone has."

Officials said Mobley's mother was of Somali origin. Several Somali Americans are thought to have traveled to Somalia to join the al-Shabab militia. Although senior militia leaders are closely linked to al-Qaeda, many in the rank and file are said by U.S. officials to be fighting for nationalistic reasons confined to Somalia.

But officials said they did not think Mobley had traveled to the region as what one called a "wannabe" soldier in Somalia. He obtained a Yemeni visa ostensibly to study Arabic, the official said, but "went to hook up" with al-Qaeda.

At the State Department on Friday, spokesman P.J. Crowley said that U.S. consular officials in Yemen were attempting to verify Mobley's identity but had not been able to meet with him.

But other officials indicated that U.S. law enforcement at least had access to interrogations of Mobley after his initial arrest. "There would be an interest by the U.S. government to see what he knows, what his experience was like" with al-Qaeda, another official said. His situation, the official said, "may change his thinking, now that he has gone from [being picked up in] a sweep to a murder charge."

[buglerbilly]

From The Sunday Times March 14, 2010

Jihad Janes spread fear in suburban USChristina Lamb in Washington

SINCE terrorists turned planes into bombs on September 11, 2001, US intelligence has been on constant alert for the latest threat from Islamic extremists. The last place they expected to find it was in an army of bored divorcées from small-town America.

Yesterday it was revealed that a second American woman had been arrested, this time a blonde Colorado mother, just days after the FBI announced it was holding a housewife from suburban Pennsylvania who called herself Jihad Jane.

Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, from the small town of Leadville in the Rocky Mountains, left her job as a medical orderly last September and set off with her six-year-old son to meet a Muslim man she had enountered online. The next her family knew she was under arrest in Ireland in an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to murder a Swedish cartoonist.

Like Jihad Jane, 46, whose real name is Colleen LaRose, Paulin-Ramirez was a discontented divorcée who spent her spare time on internet social networking sites.

LaRose had posted a desperate message complaining: “I’m so bored, I want to scream.” Paulin-Ramirez, who is said by family sources to have been married as many as four times, was equally fed up.

“She never liked who she was,” Christine Holcomb-Mott, her mother, told The Wall Street Journal. “She was always looking for something.”

Instead of taking a lover, or Prozac, or finding a hobby, both women decided the answer lay in radical Islamic jihad causes.

Paulin-Ramirez, a nursing student, changed her Facebook photograph to one depicting her in a hijab with only her eyes showing and told her astounded family she had converted to Islam. “It came out of left field,” her mother said.

She began posting messages on Facebook forums with headings such as “Stop calling Muslims terrorists!” and communicating with Islamic radicals around the globe.

LaRose, 1,800 miles away in her second-floor flat in Main Street, Pennsburg, was doing the same on her laptop.

Kurt Gorman, her then boyfriend, said he had no idea of her secret life and believes she had never met any Muslims before fleeing their home last August. “She seemed normal to me,” he told local newspapers.

On Thursday LaRose will appear in court on charges of conspiring with terrorists to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had drawn the head of the prophet Muhammad on top of a dog’s body.

The charges have astonished those who knew her. “She wasn’t no rocket scientist,” said Gorman. Neighbours said they often heard her talking to cats.

LaRose came to the FBI’s attention in July, alerted by a member of the Jawa Report, the online community, who was concerned that she was using her Twitter social networking account to raise funds for Pakistani militants.

A month later LaRose took off for Europe. There she declared online: “Only death will stop me now I am so close to the target.”

In September she applied to join Ladonia, an online artists’ community run by Lars Vilks, allegedly her intended victim. Vilks’s cartoons of Muhammad in a Swedish newspaper in 2007 caused an outcry among Muslims and a $100,000 (£66,000) bounty was put on his head.

According to court documents, LaRose tried to track Vilks down but on October 15 she flew back to Philadelphia. She was arrested as she stepped off the plane. Held on charges of identity theft, she was later charged with terrorism. Her testimony apparently led to the arrest of Paulin-Ramirez and six others in Ireland last week. One was an Algerian said to be Paulin-Ramirez’s husband.

That the two women were arrested in connection with the same alleged plot suggests they were in contact, although no details have yet emerged.

The pair are the latest in a string of American citizens to have been arrested in recent months, suggesting the country is facing a rising problem of home-grown terrorism.

Until recently US authorities believed this was a problem peculiar to Britain. “The feeling was we’re a country of immigrants and people tend to come to the US and feel accepted, whereas in Europe they are caught between two worlds,” said Stephen Grand, director of US-Muslim relations at the Brookings Institution, a leading Washington DC think tank.

The past eight months have seen 13 cases in which 30 American citizens allegedly plotted to carry out attacks or joined jihadist organisations in Pakistan or Somalia.

“I think these are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Sue Myrick, a Republican member of the House intelligence committee. “But people in this country are in denial. They don’t want to admit what’s happening and it scares me.”

Last week Sharif Mobley, 26, from New Jersey was arrested in Yemen by the country’s intelligence services during a sweep of suspected Al-Qaeda members. For six years before moving to Yemen, Mobley had worked at three nuclear power plants in New Jersey.

Al-Qaeda has long tried to attract Americans and Europeans to its cause. The recruitment of American women as home-grown jihadists presents a nightmare for the US authorities. “It’s like looking for the proverbial needle,” said a senior FBI official.

The women’s alleged target is far from complacent. Vilks, the cartoonist, has installed barbed wire in his downstairs hall, barricaded all the doors to his home and keeps an axe within easy reach.

“If anyone comes I will be able to fight for 30 minutes,” he said. “I won’t hesitate to use the axe if it is a life or death fight.” He has even written a poem about his alleged assassin. “Jihad Jane will come when it is dark . . .” it starts. “It is a sexual drama,” he explained.

[buglerbilly]

Threat from terrorists using nuclear weapons and speed boats

Britain faces an increased threat from al-Qaeda terrorists using nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, the government has said.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

Published: 10:00PM GMT 22 Mar 2010

A classified review of the country’s ability to fight an attack by terrorists using nuclear devices or other weapons of mass destruction has recently been completed and an international meeting is to be held in Washington next month to discuss nuclear security.

The threat was also highlighted in three separate unclassified reports published on Monday.

This government is more interested in political correctness that fighting terrorDowning Street released an update to the National Security Strategy in which it stated that “the UK does face nuclear threats now” and added that there was “the possibility that nuclear weapons or nuclear material [could] fall into the hands of rogue states or terrorist groups.”

Another report on the Government’s “Contest” counter-terrorism strategy said there was a danger that the increased expertise of insurgents in making homemade bombs in Afghanistan has increased the threat from a so called radiological “dirty bomb.”

It added that there was a “significant increase in the illicit trafficking of radiological materials, the availability of chemical, biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) related technologies over the internet and the increased use of CBRN material for legitimate purposes,” which could be acquired by terrorist organisations.

A further report on Britain’s strategy for countering chemical, biological radiological and nuclear terrorism described al-Qaeda as the “first transnational organisation to support the use of CBRN weapons against civilian targets and to try to acquire them.”

It said al-Qaeda had established facilities to conduct research into CBRN weapons when Afghanistan was under the control of the Taliban before 2002.

Since then the terrorist group has approached Pakistani nuclear scientists, developed a device to produce hydrogen cyanide and used explosives in Iraq combined with chlorine gas cylinders.

The International Atomic Energy Authority has recorded 1,562 incidents where nuclear material has been lost or stolen between 1993 and 2008, mostly in the former Soviet Union, and 65 per cent of the losses were never recovered.

The government also says the security around stockpiles of decommissioned material is “variable and sometimes inadequate, leaving materials vulnerable to theft by insiders and criminal and terrorist organisations.”

Legitimate uses for such materials also “significantly increases the risk that they may be diverted and exploited by terrorist organisations,” it adds.

Gordon Brown said in a statement on Monday: “The Government is putting in place a package of enhanced nuclear security measures to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to tacking the threat of nuclear terrorism and to encourage other nations to follow suit.”

To deal with the possibility of an attack, the government has set up 18 sites around the country with trained officers who would coordinate the response of the emergency services.

Police and fire services have been given extra equipment to detect potential attacks and more members of the army have been trained in making CBRN devices safe.

The government has also introduced a number of mobile radiation detection units to scan vehicles and foot passengers arriving at ports.

But the latest threat analysis also says the country is at risk from terrorists who could travel into London or other major cities by speed boat.

Lord West, the Security Minister, has admitted there are hundreds of thousands of small boats arriving in Britain unchecked every year.

He also pointed to the dangers from larger container ships that may be carrying chemicals or arms.

It is feared that ships or speed boats could sail into major cities such as London, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow or Belfast to launch their attacks.

The main Olympic site in Stratford, east London and the sailing venue in Portland, Dorset are said to be particularly at risk.

Lord West said: “I think the public would be surprised to discover that we do not know about every single contact [with a vessel.]”

He said that the various agencies responsible for guarding the coastline did not know “with any clarity what is going on around our coasts.”

A special “strategic horizons unit” within the Cabinet Office has been examining Britain’s vulnerability to terrorists.

They have highlighted the threat from waterborne attack following the attacks on Mumbai in India in November 2008, in which the terrorists arrived in small boats.

To deal with the threat, the government is planning a £350,000 nerve centre at Northwood in Middlesex, the home of Britain’s nuclear deterrent command, to try and spot suspicious boats.

It will be based at the Royal Navy’s top secret Maritime Command Headquarters, which receives intelligence from MI6, MI5 and GCHQ.

The command centre was part of an underground city of 1,500 workers that included the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood until 18 months ago when they were moved to new quarters above ground following a review of the nuclear threat.

The new National Maritime Information Centre will combine the response of the navy, coastguard, police and fisheries vessels in the event of an attack.

Only ships of more than 300 tons have to carry automatic identification system (AIS) equipment and Lord West said the knowledge about smaller craft was “pretty ropey.”

The increase in the threat from terrorism is highlighted by arrests, which increased to 200 from 178 the previous year.

The Government’s National Security Strategy says there has also been a “diversification of the threat” and a “growth on the capability and ambition” of al-Qaeda’s affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and north Africa.

[buglerbilly]

From The Times March 23, 2010

New centre to counter threat of terrorist attack on Britain from the sea

Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor, UK Times

A new centre is being established to counter the threat of a terrorist attack from the sea by better monitoring of the hundreds of thousands of small boats that sail off Britain’s coastline.

The move, announced today, will help the police, Royal Navy and coastguard to respond to waterborne strikes, particularly during the Olympics when the overall security threat is seen as severe.

Lord West of Spithead, the Security Minister, said that the National Maritime Information Centre was long overdue because information sharing among the different agencies responsible for British waters was not as good as it should be.

“I think the British public would be surprised to realise that we don’t know what every single contact is off our coast,” he said, speaking at the Ministry of Defence’s joint headquarters in Northwood, northwest London, where the new hub will be based.

The £350,000 centre will connect 12 agencies that deal with maritime issues, from the police and Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Royal Navy and the coastguard.

Lord West said that the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, when gunmen reached the city by boat, as well as fears about attacks from the sea on the London Olympics in 2012 helped to focus the need for a cross-agency centre — something he has wanted for 25 years.

Talking about the current ability to track small vessels off the coast, he said: “It’s pretty ropey, to be quite honest.”

The new centre will encourage information sharing and enable government agencies to establish a better picture of who is travelling in each boat and what they are doing.

As well as combating terrorism, the new initiative will help in the fight against smuggling, people-trafficking and other illegal activities.

The centre, which will take over a room inside one of the buildings at the MoD’s joint headquarters, will be manned from Monday to Friday by a representative from the Home Office, the Foreign Office, the coastguard and the Marine and Fisheries Agency. Representatives from the other agencies involved will drop in once a week.

The centre will start work in October and aims to be fully operational by 2011.

[buglerbilly]

'Jihad Jane' friend charged with terror offences

Jamie Paulin Ramirez, one of the American women to be linked to the 'Jihad Jane' case has been charged with terror offences.

Published: 10:43PM BST 02 Apr 2010 UK Telegraph


Jamie Paulin-Ramirez is the second American arrested in a plot to kill the Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks Photo: AP

Ramirez, 31, formerly of Colorado, was charged in the case of Colleen LaRose, the terror suspect dubbed 'Jihad Jane' after she flew back to the United States from Ireland and surrended to police, according to the US Department of Justice.

The department said Ramirez had traveled with LaRose "to and around Europe to participate in and in support of violent jihad."

Ramirez had surrendered in Philadelphia after flying back from Europe and was charged with "one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists," according to the statement.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Ramirez had reportedly been arrested in Ireland last month accused of conspiracy to kill a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed, but was later freed without charge.

LaRose, a blonde 46-year-old American, pleaded not guilty last month in a Philadelphia court to recruiting Islamist militants.

She was initially arrested over an alleged conspiracy to murder Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who had depicted the prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.

[buglerbilly]

Neary on where the Office of the Director of National Intelligence went wrong

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Five years after the formation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a senior insider who's been there from the start has described as "flawed" the idea that "the DNI and his new office . . . could drive intelligence reform."

"While the community has improved in response to the call for intelligence reform, it remains fundamentally unreformed," Patrick C. Neary writes in the new issue of the quarterly Studies in Intelligence. A West Point graduate with 30-plus years as an intelligence officer, primarily with the Army staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency, Neary has been principal deputy director and chief strategist for the ODNI since 2005. He soon will transfer to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

No one with Neary's background and experience has laid out so clearly the failures of the DNI experiment. Yet he points out the paradox that "we are safer today than we were before reform was attempted." His reasoning: Intelligence spending has roughly doubled in the past eight years.

In his essay, Neary goes directly to the core issue: In 2004, there was no great desire for major change in the intelligence community inside the Bush White House, the GOP-led Congress, the CIA, the Defense Department or the rest of the intelligence community. The pressure for change came from the 9/11 Commission and the families of the victims of the 2001 attacks, Neary writes. The panel, he says, "clearly favored structural changes toward greater centralization."

Bush "remained concerned that the community must not be broken in an attempt to improve it," Neary notes, while many intelligence professionals "looked at the reform brouhaha with detached bemusement, believing reform would result in no meaningful change."

Neary notes that the executive branch may have appeared ambivalent about reform but that the legislative branch had two viewpoints.

The Senate, which bypassed its Select Committee on Intelligence, gave reform legislation to its Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which pushed for a strong, independent leader, distinct from the CIA director. In the House, lawmakers led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) fought for a measure that would not interfere with the defense secretary's concern for the war fighter.

As a result, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld won an important section in the legislation that preserved the authority of Cabinet secretaries. This "seemingly innocuous" provision created the potential for agencies to stall ODNI initiatives, and they did, Neary writes. CIA lawyers picked up on the legislative language and continued to argue that the CIA was independent, as established by the original 1947 National Security Act. The new law states only that "There is a Central Intelligence Agency," and the DNI is "the head of the intelligence community." The CIA director "shall report to the DNI regarding the activities of the CIA," but the law does not clearly say the DNI is the CIA's boss.

Neary writes of initial false steps that hurt the organization, using an example that only bureaucrats understand. Under the legislation, the ODNI was not to share location with headquarters of any other community element, an effort to make sure it was not at Langley. So the ODNI went to Bolling Air Force Base, to the new building of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The first DNI, John D. Negroponte, wanted CIA people as staff members. But, writes Neary, since CIA types tended to live near Langley, the ODNI lost at least 10 percent of its staff. They didn't want to make the long commute.

At Bolling, many DIA employees living near the air base took jobs originally meant for those CIA staffers. Then, two years later, the ODNI was permanently located in the Virginia suburbs, beyond Langley, and the DIA workers found that they faced a commute longer than the CIA staffers who didn't want to travel to Bolling. "The merry-go-round ensured the staff never found its feet," Neary said.

He also presents a good example of "jointness" failure. Tom Fingar, then deputy DNI for analysis, created "Analysis 101," a month-long course for all new analysts across the community. When Fingar tried to make the course mandatory "some agencies responded by trying to eliminate it," Neary says. The compromise was to shorten it to two weeks and make it optional. When the DIA was made executive agent of the program, "CIA stopped participating in it."

The change in leadership has been another problem. In its fourth year, the National Intelligence University is on its fourth chancellor and, according to Neary, has been "everything from a 'virtual university,' to a 'state university system,' to a 'bricks-and-mortar facility,' to now a 'force for professionalism.' "

In five years, of course, there also have been three DNIs, each with a slightly different approach. Each has had some positive results. Neary says they go from the mundane -- the single-IC (intelligence community) badge -- to the profound -- the modernization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"Given competing motivations, a hostile environment, and initial missteps, it is unsurprising that intelligence reform appears moribund," Neary writes. But he also says, "If the nation is safer, what difference does it make whether intelligence is reformed?"

[buglerbilly]

Al-Qaeda at city mosque

ERIK JENSEN

April 15, 2010

EXCLUSIVE



AN AL-QAEDA recruiter, described as the No. 1 terrorist threat to America, was engaged by a Sydney youth group to address hundreds of young people - a decision that has caused deep divisions at one of Australia's largest mosques.

At the same time as Anwar al-Awlaki was advising the extremist later charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas, he was in talks with a group, Sydney Muslim Youth, about delivering a sermon to young Australians. He was already well known to security agencies as the spiritual guide to three of the hijackers on September 11, 2001.

''Anwar al-Awlaki is like a virus produced by the body wanting to fight a microbe,'' said Taj el-Din al-Hilaly, condemning the sermon, which was delivered at his mosque by phone link from Yemen.

According to US authorities, about the time of the sermon Mr Awlaki was transforming himself from radical cleric to trainer and recruiter for al-Qaeda.

Last week, Mr Awlaki became the first US citizen added to the CIA kill list. He is considered a military enemy of the US and faces assassination by special forces.

"The danger Awlaki poses to this country is no longer confined to words," a US official told The New York Times. "He's gotten involved in plots."

The chairwoman of the US house subcommittee on homeland security, Jane Harman, called Mr Awlaki "terrorist No. 1 in terms of threat against us".

The bomber who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day last year reportedly described Mr Awlaki as his trainer and recruiter.

The Herald attended the sermon at the Lakemba mosque in February last year but was ejected by organisers. Yesterday, no one involved with the mosque would take responsibility for securing Mr Awlaki as a speaker.

According to a director of the mosque, Ziad Ghamraoui, Shady Alsuleiman was in charge of organising evening youth events at the time of the sermon. Sheikh Shady refused to comment. He would not say whether Mr Awlaki was paid and would not comment on the subject of his speech.

Since Mr Awlaki's lecture, all speakers must now be approved by the mosque. Mr Ghamraoui said: ''We need to make sure that it's only moderate scholars that are coming.''

The senior imam at the mosque, Sheikh Hilaly, condemned provocative clerics who radicalised young people. ''They are like fast food who give no substance and no spiritual nutrition,'' he said.

''Our young people these days like loud voices. They seem to like Rambo and Schwarzenegger and the imam who raises his voice and appears tough.'' IslamicMedia.com.au, an initiative of the Shady-affiliated United Muslims of Australia, streamed but did not record the speech and has 15 other audio sermons from the imam.

On other websites, not hosted in Australia, Mr Awlaki supports jihad with phrases such as: ''The messenger of Allah said … whoever kills a non-believer can meet him''.

The NSW counter-terrorism squad, which has previously described Mr Awlaki as ''of great concern to us'', was unavailable for comment.

ejensen@smh.com.au

[buglerbilly]

Australian accountant faces terror charges

May 1, 2010 - 11:36AM

Two men, including a US-Australian dual citizen, have been charged with conspiring to give computer advice, buy wrist watches and do other tasks to help al-Qaeda "modernise."

A vaguely worded indictment unsealed on Friday (US time) in the federal court in Manhattan accused Wesam El-Hanafi, who was born in Brooklyn, of travelling to Yemen to meet with unnamed al-Qaeda members in February 2008.

The terrorists "instructed him on operational security measures and directed him to perform tasks for al-Qaeda," the indictment says. While there, he also "took an oath of allegiance to al-Qaeda," it adds.

In February 2008, El-Hanafi, 33, bought computer software that allowed him to secretly communicate over the internet, federal prosecutors allege. That summer, he met with an unnamed co-conspirator and the second defendant, US-Australian dual citizen Sabirhan Hasanoff, in Brooklyn to discuss joining al-Qaeda, according to the indictment.

The confidential co-conspirator paid $US50,000 ($A53,900) to Hasanoff, 34, who later travelled to New York City and performed unspecified "tasks for al-Qaeda," the court papers say. The papers say that the conspiracy included El-Hanafi purchasing seven Casio digital watches last year, but does not say why.

Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press on Friday that both men were detained overseas and brought to the United States, arriving in Virginia. The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing; they did not specify where overseas the men were detained.

Prosecutors described Hasanoff only as a dual citizen of the United States and Australia who has lived in Brooklyn. Public records show he has a Queens address and is a certified public accountant.

A professional networking site says a Sabir Hasanoff was a senior manager at Pricewaterhouse Coopers who graduated from Baruch College in Manhattan. Pricewaterhouse spokesman Kelly Howard said the accounting firm employed Hasanoff from 2003 to 2006.

The employment history is striking comparison to other recent cases involving suspects who were recruited by al-Qaeda for operations on US soil, including that of Najibullah Zazi. Zazi - who admitted plotting a suicide attack on Manhattan subway stations after receiving al-Qaeda explosives training in Pakistan - and his accomplices were younger and less educated. Zazi was a coffee cart vendor and an airport van driver in Colorado at the time of his arrest; another suspect was a New York City cab driver.

US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement that the men had schemed "to modernise al-Qaeda by providing computer systems expertise and other goods and services." His office declined further comment.

At an initial court appearance ON Friday afternoon in Alexandria, Virginia, El-Hanafi, and Hasanoff, waived their rights to a hearing there. They were detained and ordered transferred to New York for a bail hearing.

Prosecutor John Cronan declined to answer questions about the case after the hearing. There was no immediate response to phone messages left with the men's defence lawyers.

The case was investigated by the FBI New York's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

AP

[buglerbilly]

Times Square car bomb was act of terrorism

American officials declared that the failed car bomb that forced the evacuation of New York's Times Square was an "act of terrorism."

by Nick Allen

Published: 9:20AM BST 02 May 2010

Link to this video "Luckily, no one is hurt, and now the full attention of city, state and federal law enforcement will be turned to bringing the guilty party to justice in this act of terrorism," New York Governor David Paterson said.

The bomb, which failed to detonate, was left in a sport utility vehicle close to a Broadway theatre where a production of The Lion King was showing.

It contained three propane tanks, fireworks, two five gallon gasoline containers, two clocks with batteries, electrical wires and a 4ft by 2ft metal box.

The dark green Nissan Pathfinder with tinted windows was parked near the junction of 45th Street and Broadway.

The location is also adjacent to the Viacom building, fuelling speculation that it might be linked to the company's controversial South Park cartoon which recently depicted Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit.

It was abandoned with its engine running and hazard lights flashing. A T-shirt vendor, who was a Vietnam veteran, alerted police when he noticed smoke coming out of it.

A mounted police officer examined the vehicle and saw white smoke billowing inside. He also smelled gunpowder.

Police hurriedly evacuated thousands of tourists and theatre-goers, including women in evening gowns, from the area on Broadway's busiest night of the week.

Heavily armed police and FBI agents were deployed on the empty streets as bomb disposal experts used a robot to break the windows on the vehicle and remove explosive material.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said: "I think the intent was to cause a significant ball of fire."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg returned immediately to the city from a White House dinner.

Speaking at the scene, he said: "We are very lucky. Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event.

"The bomb squad confirmed that the suspicious vehicle did contain an explosive device. We have no idea who did this or why."

He added: "Terrorists who want to take our freedoms away from us focus on the symbol of those freedoms, and that's New York City."

Mr Bloomberg said the wiring of the bomb "looked amateurish" and it had used "consumer grade fireworks" that were easily obtainable.

The alarm was raised at 6.34pm (10.34pm GMT) and six minutes earlier a security camera had recorded the Nissan heading west on 45th Street.

Police have also established that the car's plates, which were from Connecticut, were not the ones registered to it.

They have already spoken to the owner of the plates who said he had taken them to a junkyard.

Mr Bloomberg said police had no reports of anyone being seen running away from the vehicle after abandoning it.

Times Square is four miles north of the site where terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The car was parked near the headquarters of Viacom, producer of South Park, the cartoon that was recently threatened for a plotline involving the prophet Mohammad.

The area that was evacuated and shut down is one of the prime spots for Broadway shows, with seven theatres and shows including Billy Elliot.

Katy Neubauer, 46, who was shopping for souvenirs nearby, said there had been panic. She said: "It was a mass of people running away from the scene."

Don Slovin, watching the police through the window of a shop a block away, said, "Of course it conjures up memories of 9/11."

President Barack Obama praised the quick response by the New York Police Department and said the federal government was prepared to provide support.

An Afghan immigrant and self-confessed Al-Qaeda agent Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty in February to a plot to set off bombs in New York's subway system.

The 25-year-old could be sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support to the Al-Qaeda Islamist network.

Last year, four New Yorkers went on trial in an alleged plot to bomb a synagogue in the city and shoot down military planes.

[buglerbilly]

NYC’s Terror-Spotting Spycams Stuck in Traffic

By Noah Shachtman May 3, 2010 | 11:29 am



The New York Police Department thinks it may have caught the wannabe Times Square car bomber on tape — and is hoping to use a $24 million phalanx of surveillance cameras to stop future attacks in midtown Manhattan. It’s a goal that’s unlikely to be reached anytime soon. New York’s original spycam array is running behind schedule. And the track record of large, metropolitan surveillance networks pre-empting terrorists is weak, at best.

“NYC is a high risk area,” New York officials note in a homeland security grant request, obtained by City Limits magazine. “One threat in particular involves a vehicle-borne improvised explosive” — a car bomb.

In 2006, the New York Police Department announced a three-year, $106 million plan that promised to prevent attacks on New York’s financial district with a web of license-plate readers, chemical sniffers, radiation detectors and 3,000 publicly and corporately owned cameras. All the information would then be channeled into a single coordination center. Specialized video intelligence algorithms would be used to spot would-be attackers as they case their targets. “This is about identifying and eliminating a threat, rather than dealing with the consequences,” NYPD assistant chief John Colgan told me as planning for this Lower Manhattan Security Initiative got underway. “I’m not in the consequence-management business.”

Today, the LMSI’s coordination center is up and running. Some cameras are now keeping watch over the financial district. But according to the grant request, the installation and integration of many of those cameras is running far, far behind the initial three-year deadline. The NYPD says it aims to “install all camera systems at designated locations” between January 1st of 2011 and July 31st of 2012. It also wants a “video surveillance system and collaboration portal” to integrate feeds from old and new cameras by 2012 — three years past the original goal. By the middle of this year, the Department wants to “acquire and install CCTV cameras and all Coordination Center equipment,” as well as “acquire, install and implement all software programs…. [and the] hardware to run systems’ software.”

But even if all the pieces are put in place, it’s unclear exactly how helpful the system will be. Terrorists around the world have shown an utter disregard for spycams. They know they’ll be taped as they plan and execute their strikes; they just don’t care about being filmed. Take this latest Times Square attack: Already, the area is one of the most heavily surveilled on the planet. Yet the bomber went ahead with his plan anyway.

Of course, today’s bombers know city spycams are only used for forensic purposes — finding the bomber, after the bomb has gone off. Attitudes could change, if the video feeds can be integrated and upgraded with the kind of algorithms banks and casinos use to keep tabs on their customers. When they work, this software can spot suspicious behavior — leaving a backpack in the middle of the street, lingering too long outside a secure facility, or running up a down escalator. But to the best of my knowledge, no city has been able to pull such a system off, yet. Banks and casinos have consistent lighting, and access to every nook to position a camera. Cities don’t. The challenges of open-air, mass surveillance of people are still too great. It’s one of the reasons why surveillance nets from Chicago to New York’s subways have faced mounting costs and missed deadlines.

New York is hoping to be the first to pull it off. And not just with the LMSI, but with the recently announced Midtown Manhattan Security Initiative, too. The idea is to blanket “key locations between 30th and 60th Streets from river to river” with spycams and license-plate readers. According to the grant documents, the NYPD would like to complete a “study of the area to determine locations for surveillance assets” by July, 2012. As the same time, New York officials also want to set up a “dedicated … network … to handle all data sources as previously identified to expand this security initiative into midtown Manhattan. Once established, the network will provide virtually unlimited bandwidth and access to the cumulated data.”

The most useful data may be the simplest to obtain and to share. License plate numbers are much easier to recognize than human faces. The technology to pick out a suspicious number is time-tested. Which is why a key component of New York expanded surveillance ring “is to reduce NYC’s vulnerability to an IED attack through a comprehensive domain awareness program focused on key bridges, tunnel, infrastructure and vehicles entering the Lower and Midtown Manhattan zones,” the NYPD notes in its grant request. “Each License Plate Recognition System can scan thousands of cars per day and will alert Police Headquarters to the presence of a suspicious vehicle. This capability provides the NYPD with early warning capability to support investigation and interdiction.”

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/05/nycs-terror-spotting-spycams-stuck-in-traffic/#more-24238#ixzz0mupka6XW

[buglerbilly]

How Not to Build a Car Bomb (Times Square Edition)

By Nathan Hodge May 3, 2010 | 11:34 am



NOT too sure that it's very bright to tell people where they were went wrong especially amateurs..............

Back in 1920, New York City was the site of the first recorded car bomb attack when a horse-drawn cart rigged with dynamite detonated on Wall Street, killing more than three dozen people.

Fortunately, the designer of the failed car bomb on Times Square did not have access to dynamite, or military-grade explosives. According to police reports, the vehicle used in the attack was packed with gasoline, propane tanks, and some ordinary fireworks — plus several bags of what police described as a “nonexplosive grade of fertilizer.”

In other words, the bomb’s design was amateurish, at best: The bomber did not have the know-how to make, say an ammonium nitrate/fuel oil mixture of the sort that was used to level the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. (Fertilizer bombs have also emerged as a weapon of choice for insurgents in Afghanistan, and the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has asked the government there to impose a ban on some of the precursors for homemade explosives.)

And while the ingredients in the bomb apparently had begun to combust — an alert T-shirt seller notified police when he saw smoke coming from the vehicle — it’s not clear they would have led to detonation, instead of burning down. Chris Falkenberg, founder and president of Insite Security, a New York-based security firm, tells Danger Room that the damage from the bomb would have been minimal.

“Looking at what was found in the Nissan Pathfinder … we see a very simple device comprised of hardware store supplies and some fireworks,” he said. “The composition of the bomb reveals a lack of bomb-making skill as well as an inability to obtain real equipment like explosives, even nitrate-based fertilizer. As a result, I believe that even if the device had been set off, it would have resulted in a big fire with limited casualties.”

If in fact this incident was planned by an organized terrorist cell, Falkenberg added, “then we have very little to worry about as the threat from this type of low-level attack is minimal.”

Still, the apparent failed bomb brings renewed focus to the threat of domestic terror. In some respects, this incident bears passing resemblance to the 2007 case in Britain, where an Iraqi born in the United Kingdom attempted a car bomb attack on Glasgow airport.

That attack also used gas cylinders, but the effect was negligible. When the bomb went off, it created little more than a burst of flame.

[PHOTO: Wikimedia]

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/05/how-not-to-build-a-car-bomb-times-square-edition/#more-24242#ixzz0muqKOBVG

[buglerbilly]

U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case

By Anne E. Kornblut, Jerry Markon and Spencer S. Hsu

Tuesday, May 4, 2010; 6:45 AM

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced early Tuesday that an arrest had been made in the failed Times Square car bombing, saying that Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old American, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he tried to fly to Dubai on Monday night.

Authorities said Shahzad, who is of Pakistani origin and lived in Connecticut, had paid cash for a Nissan Pathfinder that was found packed with explosives Saturday night on a tourist-crowded block in midtown Manhattan. The vehicle was set ablaze but failed to detonate.

Officials located Shahzad after a sweeping two-day investigation that yielded what senior Obama administration officials described as a flood of international and domestic clues suggesting a plot involving more than one person.

"It was clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," Holder said at a rare middle-of-the-night news conference at the Justice Department, nearly three hours after the suspect was pulled from an international flight that had already left the departure gate.

Shahzad has family links to the southern port city of Karachi, according to Dawn television, an English-language station in Pakistan. Shahzad flew to Karachi in July 2009 on Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline of the United Arab Emirates, and returned to the U.S. via the same airline on August 5, the station said, citing unnamed sources.

Pakistani officials said U.S. authorities have asked for their help investigating Shahzad.

Administration officials said President Obama had been repeatedly briefed on the incident -- which authorities said could have led to significant casualties if the explosives had detonated properly -- since it began unfolding Saturday night. It bore some resemblance to the attempted bombing of an airliner in Detroit last Christmas Day, with citizen watchdogs earning much of the credit for averting the crisis and the White House scrambling to discover clues about a young male suspect with apparent ties that stretched beyond the United States.

Still, within 48 hours, agents from Customs and Border Protection arrested Shahzad and took him into custody. It was not immediately clear what the charges were or where he was being held -- or whether other arrests were imminent. The U.S. attorney's office in New York said Shahzad will appear in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to be formally charged.

Authorities became aware of Shahzad's identity Monday afternoon, and he was arrested at about 11:45 p.m. Monday. Shahzad's flight to Dubai had left the gate and was headed toward the runway when authorities discovered that he was on board and wanted. He was removed from the plane and taken into custody, an official said.

Officials were reluctant to discuss Shahzad's potential ties to foreign extremists, except to say that they believed he was fleeing the country at the time of his arrest.

Shahzad recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan, a government official said.

The centerpiece of the investigation was evidence gathered about the sale of the car. "That was the key factor to our getting the guy so quick," a U.S. law enforcement official said. Shahzad allegedly bought the car for $1,300 about a week ago, responding to an Internet listing, the official said.

A listing on www.nothingbutcars.net that appears to match the car sold from Bridgeport, Conn., offers a "Grey 1993 Nissan Pathfinder (automatic) (sold as is) with 141,000 miles CLEAN inside and out!!"

"It does have some rust as you can see in the picture," the owner said in the listing.

An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force had taken over the investigation Monday amid growing indications of a possible international connection, U.S. officials and law enforcement sources said.

Investigators and agents also were scouring international phone records showing calls "between some of the people who might be associated with this and folks overseas," according to a U.S. official who has discussed the case with intelligence officers. Investigators uncovered evidence -- a piece of paper, fingerprints or possibly both -- that also indicates international ties, according to a federal official briefed on the investigation. Before Shahzad's arrest, the official said the material points to "an individual who causes concern to , who has overseas connections, and they are looking for him."

An overseas angle does not necessarily mean that the incident was planned or financed by al-Qaeda or another organized group, investigators said. "Think smaller," said one senior law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Even as investigators emphasized that the probe was in its early stages and little was definitively known, they were pursuing what Obama administration officials characterized as a flood of new leads, both foreign and domestic. The Pathfinder's registered owner, for example, told investigators that he sold it several weeks ago to a stranger, in a cash transaction through Craigslist.

On Monday, a day of fast-moving developments from Manhattan to Washington, Holder said in the morning that it was too early to designate the failed bombing as an attempted terrorist incident. By afternoon, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was calling it just that.

"I would say that was intended to terrorize, and I would say that whomever did that would be categorized as a terrorist," Gibbs said, sharpening the administration's tone. Holder's statement early Tuesday called the incident a "terrorist act."

Differences also emerged over the significance of a surveillance video that caught a man in his 40s changing his shirt in an alley and looking over his shoulder near where the Pathfinder was parked. New York City police officials had characterized the man as acting suspiciously, but multiple federal law enforcement officials said he may not be the focus of the investigation.

"It looks like he was just taking off his shirt because he was hot," said one law enforcement official. Investigators were seeking to find another person captured on video running north on Broadway away from the area where the smoking sport-utility vehicle caused an evacuation of Times Square on a crowded weekend night.

Police said the bomb would have created a fireball that likely would have killed or wounded many people, making it the most serious bombing attempt in the United States since the Christmas Day attack aboard a commercial flight bound for Detroit.

The growing evidence of terrorist connections in the Times Square case prompted the New York-based terrorism task force to take the lead in the investigation, which had been overseen by the New York Police Department, a senior U.S. law enforcement official said. That indicates that the failed bombing is being investigated as a terrorist incident with international connections, the official said.

FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko of the New York field office said in a statement Monday night that the "FBI JTTF [Joint Terrorism Task Force] and NYPD are working this case jointly and have been since the beginning." The New York police force, known for its expertise in terrorism matters, is represented on the task force and will remain heavily involved in the probe, officials said.

In the rear of the SUV, police found a makeshift bomb made up of three tanks of propane similar to those used in backyard barbecues; two jugs of gasoline; dozens of M-88 firecrackers, which are legal for purchase in some states; and a metal gun case holding 100 pounds of fertilizer that police said was incapable of exploding.

Some officials cautioned that the international focus did not mean that other possibilities, such as domestic terrorism or an individual acting alone, were being ruled out. Neither did it mean, they said, that international ties automatically constituted a well-formed plot.

One federal law enforcement official, for example, said international communications don't necessarily "get you to an international plot, a multi-organizational plot."

"We're just not there," the official said.

The nature of the possible international connection also remained murky.

The Pakistani Taliban had asserted responsibility for the attempted bombing in a video posted on YouTube, but New York police and federal investigators have said no evidence had surfaced linking the group to the bomb.

On Sunday night, a second video was posted by apparent representatives of the Taliban, showing the group's commander, Hakimullah Mehsud, promising to launch attacks in the United States.

Mehsud, who U.S. and Pakistani authorities initially believed was killed in a January drone strike, was recorded saying, "The time is very near when our fedayeen will attack the American states in their major cities . . . in some days or a month's time."

The video is marked with the logo of the Pakistani Taliban's official media wing, Umar Studios, and appears to be credible, according to Evan F. Kohlmann, a terrorism consultant at Flashpoint Partners.

[I]Staff writers Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller and staff researcher Julie Tate in Washington and correspondent Karin Brulliard in Islamabad contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

From Times Online May 4, 2010

Pakistani man arrested for Times Square bomb

Tim Reid, Joanna Sugden

Police have arrested a US citizen of Pakistani origins in connection with the failed car bomb plot in New York's Times Square, amid increasing concerns that the failed attack was connected to international terrorism.

The man, identified as Faisal Shahzad, a naturalised American who had immigrated from Pakistan, was arrested at John F. Kennedy airport as he was trying to board a flight to Dubai, according US Attorney General Eric Holder.

Emirates Airlines said today that three passengers were removed from the aircraft prior to take off after it was called back by local authorities. A spokeswoman for the airline would not confirm whether one of those removed for questioning was Mr Shahzad, raising the prospect that the suspect was able to get through security before any alarm was raised.

"It’s clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," said Mr Holder.

FBI agents searched Mr Shahzad’s home in Bridgeport Connecticut at dawn today. They removed filled plastic bags from the house, which is in a mixed-race, working-class neighbourhood. A bomb squad arrived at the address but did not enter.

Mr Shahzad, 30, is believed to have recently returned from a five month trip to Pakistan, where his wife lives, to his home in Connecticut. US officials believe he bought the Nissan Pathfinder for cash and no paperwork within the last three weeks.

Pakistani authorities vowed to help the US in its inquiries into the attempted bombing.

Mr Shazad will appear in Manhattan Federal Court later today charged with “allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on the evening of May 1,” according to a statement by Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney, George Venizelos, FBI agent and Raymond Kelly, New York City Police Commissioner.

His arrest comes as officials said the failed attempt appears to have been masterminded by several people with international ties.

White House officials said that fresh clues were pointing in the direction of a “foreign nexus”. “I would say that whoever did that would be categorised as a terrorist,” Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama’s spokesman, said.

Britain's Foreign Office has upped its security advice to travellers to the United States since the failed attack. "Given that terrorist attacks have taken place in public areas, there is a risk that you could be caught up if there were other attacks in the future. You should therefore be particularly vigilant in high-profile public places," it said in a statement.

But the Home Office has not yet increased security at airports as a result of the incident in New York.

Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, “We will cooperate with the United States in identifying this individual and bringing him to justice”.

Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said they were awaiting details from the US authorities about Mr Shahzad.

Police and FBI agents said that they were looking for a second suspect, a man filmed on a tourist’s video camera running from the car shortly after it was parked in Times Square on Saturday. They also want to identify a white man, aged in his forties, who was videotaped on surveillance cameras removing a shirt and putting it in a backpack.

Police said that they had tracked down the registered owner of the dark, 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that contained the crude home-made bomb but he was not a suspect. He sold his car three weeks ago to a man described as of Hispanic or Middle Eastern appearance, aged about 30.

The vehicle identification number (VIN) had been removed from the Pathfinder's dashboard, but it was stamped on the engine and axle, and investigators used it to find the owner of record ,said Paul J. Browne of the New York Police Department .

"The discovery of the VIN on the engine block was pivotal in that it led to the identifying the registered owner," said Mr Browne.

Investigators tracked the license plates to a used car parts shop in Stratford, Connecticut, where they discovered the plates were connected to a different vehicle.

The Taleban in Pakistan said yesterday that it planted the bomb to avenge the killing in April of al Qaeda’s two top leaders in Iraq as well as US interference in Muslim countries.

Some officials voiced scepticism about the claim. But former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, who last year oversaw an Obama Administration strategy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan, cautioned against dismissing a possible role by the Taleban.

Mr Browne said that had the bomb gone off there was a “good possibility of people being killed, windows shattered, but not resulting in a building collapse”. Police were also investigating whether there were links between the aborted plot and the botched car bomb attacks at Glasgow airport in 2007. Both involved cars containing propane and petrol that did not explode. The Glasgow attack allegedly had its roots in Iraq.

Another possible motive being explored centres on the cartoon South Park, which outraged many Muslims after a recent episode depicted the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit. The Nissan was parked near the headquarters of Viacom, the owner of Comedy Central which is the channel that airs South Park.

The car, whose number plates had been stolen from a junkyard, entered Times Square at 6.28pm on Saturday. Two minutes after it was parked, with the engine running and its hazard lights flashing, street vendors noticed smoke coming from inside it and alerted police.

The bomb was big but amateurish. Dozens of firecrackers appeared to be intended as a triggering mechanism to light two jugs of petrol, which in turn were meant to cause three tanks of propane, similar to that used in barbecues, to explode. Eight bags of fertiliser had also been placed inside a metal gun locker but the fertiliser was not the right type to cause explosions.

[buglerbilly]

New York Times Square bomb: man detained in Pakistan

A man has been detained in Pakistan in connection with the Times Square bombing attempt, according to Pakistani intelligence.

Published: 5:46PM BST 04 May 2010

Link to this video An intelligence official said the man was a friend of Faisal Shahzad, the American of Pakistani descent currently in custody in the US over the failed attack.

Another official said several people had been taken into custody since the failed attack on Sunday.

Times Square car bomb CCTV Shahzad, the man accused of trying to detonate the car bomb in New York's Time Square, earlier told investigators he acted alone and denied links to Islamist groups in his native Pakistan.

"He's admitted to buying the truck, putting the devices together, putting them in the truck, leaving the truck there and leaving the scene," a US law enforcement official told Reuters.

"He's claimed to have acted alone. He did admit to all the charges, so to speak," the source said, adding that investigators were still looking into his activities during a recent trip to Pakistan.

Shahzad, 30, was arrested late on Monday on suspicion he bought the sport utility vehicle used to carry a crude bomb made of fuel and fireworks into Times Square on Saturday evening. Had the bomb detonated, many people could have died, officials said.

Shahzad, a naturalised US citizen, was arrested as he sat waiting for an Emirates flight bound for Dubai to take off. Shahazad was already on board flight 202 at John F Kennedy airport when he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security.

Two other men were also interviewed by authorities but were subsequently released.

The Bridgeport, Connecticut, resident had recently returned from a five-month visit to his native Pakistan.

"Based on our collective experience it's hard to really believe that this is something someone would do on their own. It seems hard to pull off alone. There's a lot we don't know yet," the source said.

Shahzad was due to appear before a US judge on Tuesday.

[buglerbilly]

Probe in failed Times Square attack focusing on Pakistani Taliban

By Jerry Markon and Spencer S. Hsu

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Federal investigators focused Tuesday on the possible involvement of the Pakistani Taliban in the failed Times Square bombing as they pieced together clues and charged a suspect who was pulled off an airplane as he headed to his native Pakistan, according to court documents and law enforcement sources.

Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen arrested late Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport, admitted his involvement in the plot, authorities said, and told FBI agents he received bombmaking training in a region of Pakistan known as a militant hotbed. Shahzad, who became a naturalized citizen last year, is from a military family in Pakistan, where he spent five months before returning in February to his home in a leafy, quiet neighborhood of Shelton, Conn.

His reported confession, combined with a series of phone calls he received from Pakistan after purchasing the Nissan Pathfinder used in the attempted bombing, has led investigators to zero in on the Pakistani Taliban connection as "a leading theory," a federal law enforcement official said.

"It's a leading line of inquiry," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the international probe is in its early stages. "There are only a few organizations in Pakistan that could provide training, and the Pakistani Taliban is . . . one that has an ax to grind with us." Pakistani Taliban claims of responsibility for Saturday night's attempt, which investigators had played down, are being reevaluated, said the official, who added that al-Qaeda involvement "is a leap at this point."

The focus on a group that had been considered uninterested in launching attacks outside Pakistan or Afghanistan pointed up the gravity of an incident that authorities characterized as a potentially deadly strike against the United States, albeit with an unsophisticated homemade device that failed to detonate. Even as officials praised the rapid law enforcement response, the incident resurrected the controversy over the Obama administration's handling of the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day. Critics said the suspect in that case should have been placed in a military, rather than civilian, court.

Speaking at a news conference at which the government announced five felony counts against Shahzad, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said, "It is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in our country." Shahzad was charged with attempting to detonate the sport-utility vehicle that was set ablaze on a tourist-crowded block in Midtown Manhattan and trying to kill bystanders and destroy property.

The charges in federal court in Manhattan came on a day of familiar political and law enforcement rituals. Obama administration officials, seeking to navigate the perilous politics of terrorism, detailed their intensive involvement in Shahzad's apprehension and emphasized that he was providing useful intelligence to authorities. Some Republicans questioned whether key clues had been missed.

"Like the Christmas Day bomber, we were lucky that both of these folks were incompetent -- they couldn't trigger the explosives," said Sen. Christopher S. Bond (Mo.), the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee.

Multiple U.S. law enforcement officials said Shahzad had attracted no significant law enforcement attention before the attempted bombing. "He was not on the radar," one official said.

Also triggering debate was the decision to read Shahzad his "Miranda" rights against self-incrimination. The Miranda issue rose to prominence after the Nigerian suspect in the Christmas Day incident, Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, stopped cooperating with authorities after being read his rights. Some Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said Shahzad should not have been afforded that constitutional right "until we find out what it's all about."

But administration officials said Shahzad, who, like Abdulmutallab, was initially responsive to questioning under a "public safety exception" to the Miranda rule, continued to cooperate after his rights were read to him. They also pointed out that Shahzad is a U.S. citizen and must be tried in civilian, not military, court.

Officials canceled Shahzad's scheduled appearance in Manhattan federal court amid his reported dialogue with agents. It was unclear whether a lawyer had been appointed for him; he is scheduled to face a judge on Thursday at the earliest.

The Times Square incident was the latest in a series of attempted terrorist attacks against the United States over the past year. As with some other suspects, it was difficult to reconcile the grim portrait of Shahzad painted by authorities with the accounts of those who know him. Shahzad's neighbors described him as a pleasant family man who enjoyed taking care of his yard and playing with his two daughters.

U.S. investigators found Shahzad after a two-day investigation combining old-fashioned shoe-leather detective work, sophisticated searches through telephone and electronic records, and the latest linkups among federal immigration, travel and border databases.

Authorities said they had identified Shahzad by Sunday night as " "a person that we would like to talk to," FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole said. Tracing the origins of the Pathfinder was a crucial part of the probe. The car's vehicle identification number had been removed from a dashboard plate. But authorities were able to find the seller by using a decal on the tailgate to trace the car to a Connecticut used-car dealer, who early Sunday gave them sales records on two cars matching the Pathfinder's description.

Authorities then found the vehicle's registered owner in Connecticut. Police officials said that was a major break in the case. Another key step was finding an e-mail from Shahzad to the car's seller. Although Shahzad used a fake name, he included a number from a disposable cellphone, which investigators used to determine his identity.

Investigators served a search warrant Tuesday at Shahzad's home and visited a gun shop in Shelton where he bought a 9mm Kel-Tec rifle in March. Court documents said investigators found an unspecified gun in a car that Shahzad left at the airport.

The probe also extended to Pakistan, where officials said FBI agents were expected to push their Pakistani counterparts for access to intelligence about the Pakistani Taliban and its possible involvement in the plot. Pakistani officials pledged cooperation.

A Pakistani intelligence official said Tuesday that authorities had arrested at least two people in the southern port city of Karachi in connection with the Times Square plot. But a U.S. law enforcement official said the arrest was "not at our behest."

The Pakistani Taliban has waged a campaign of bombings and assassinations against the Pakistani government in recent years. Until now, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officers didn't think the group had the reach necessary to execute attacks outside its home region, and it has traditionally shied away from the sort of global jihad espoused by al-Qaeda.

But the group's ties with al-Qaeda and other foreign militants have expanded of late, and so have its ambitions. In a video issued this week, Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud promised more strikes against the United States, and said that suicide bombers had infiltrated American cities.

[buglerbilly]

Times Square suspect's movements raise questions about holes in antiterror system

By Karen DeYoung and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Obama administration Tuesday praised law enforcement officials who responded to and dismantled a car bomb in New York City last weekend and arrested a suspect late Monday. But the fact remained that Faisal Shahzad was allegedly able to train with terrorists in Pakistan, return to the United States to assemble a car bomb in Connecticut and park it in Times Square without anyone in the nation's vast counterterrorism apparatus knowing anything about it.

Senior administration officials cited two instances in which the system could have worked more effectively, both of them after the bomb was found. On Monday night, sometime between the FBI's discovery of Shahzad's identity and whereabouts and his removal from an Emirates airline jet that was about to depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport, agents "lost him," one official said.

"It does beg the question why he wasn't apprehended before arriving at the airport or boarding the plane," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity after the administration decreed that only the departments of Justice and Homeland Security could comment for the record.

Officials also pointed to Emirates' failure to update its no-fly list in response to federal bulletins Monday afternoon, allowing Shahzad, who arrived at the airport at 7:35 p.m. after booking his flight from his car on the way, to board the 11 p.m. flight.

Another senior official acknowledged that the process is not foolproof. "We have a system that is built with redundancy and that is agile, increasingly so," he said. "So while it's our job to worry -- and to act on those worries -- we also feel like we have a system that's been improved over time."

But some Republicans, noting that the attempt was not prevented, criticized the administration for its actions after the plot was uncovered, including reading Miranda rights to Shahzad hours after his arrest. Administration officials said he was initially questioned without those rights, under an exemption that allows such interrogation if there is an "imminent threat," but was given a Miranda warning once it was determined that there was no ongoing threat. Officials said he waived his rights and continued to cooperate.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle suggested that there is a basic hole in the intelligence system that is difficult to fill. "Increasingly, the dilemma is the well-educated man who moves through the education system of our country somewhat promisingly," said Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.); Shahzad is a graduate of U.S. universities.

"I've always felt that this was the future in America for what we have to watch for in terrorism," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), a member of the intelligence committee. "And it's very hard to protect against, because you don't know who they are."

After an aborted bombing attempt aboard a plane on Christmas Day, President Obama cited a systemic failure that allowed the suspect, a Nigerian citizen, to travel on a commercial airliner despite intelligence warnings about his possible connection to terrorism -- some of which came from his parents -- and allegedly with a bomb in his underwear. Like the Times Square bomb, that explosive malfunctioned.

Obama ordered a major review of watch-list procedures and failures that had also allowed the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to retain a valid U.S. visa. Officials said Tuesday that the criteria for searching and questioning individuals had been tightened since then but that the administration is still discussing whether to alter its standard of "reasonable suspicion" of terrorism connections.

Even if new criteria had been in place, however, officials agreed that it was unlikely that questions would have been raised over Shahzad's apparently taking several trips to Pakistan, where his parents and other family members lived. Naturalized in April 2009, he lived with his family in Connecticut and until last year was an employed homeowner. He broke no laws and did nothing to call attention to himself.

It was not until the day after the car bomb was found that federal officials discovered a foreign connection, linking a telephone number used by the purchaser of the vehicle to Pakistan and, by early Monday morning, to Shahzad. They gleaned details about him from an unrelated airport screening conducted when he returned from Pakistan in February, a requirement for all passengers from certain countries instituted after the Christmas Day attempt. The requirement was eliminated this spring after the targeted countries, including Pakistan, complained.

At 12:30 p.m. Monday, Shahzad's name was added to the terrorism suspect database at the National Counterterrorism Center and airlines were alerted through a "Web board" -- a secure government site with an updated list of passengers who should be blocked from flying.

By 4:45 p.m., Shahzad's passport number was added to the Web site, officials said. The government and Emirates airline pointed fingers at each other over what happened next. The company said that when the list was updated, Shahzad, who booked the flight at 6:30 while traveling to the airport, was not yet on the manifest. Emirates officials said they informed the government that a last-minute, one-way ticket had been reserved and paid for in cash, but got no response. Officials said they had no record of that message.

"If he was put on the no-fly list before he arrived at the airport, then he never should have been allowed to board the plane in the first place," said Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee. She added, however, "It's evident to me, in contrast to the Abdulmutallab case, there was much better coordination this time at the federal level between our intelligence agencies and our law enforcement agencies."

It was unclear exactly when Shahzad was first physically located. "The situation was extremely fast-moving," an official said. "Within a few hours," he said, the FBI had "begun surveillance. At some point, he was able to slip surveillance."

Another official said it was possible that the FBI was tracking more than one person in similar vehicles, without knowing for sure which person was Shahzad or where he was going.

At 10:40 p.m., 20 minutes before takeoff, the airline sent a "last look" passenger manifest to Customs and Border Protection, and the suspect hit "as a possible match," an official said. Agents reached the plane just after the door had been closed.

[buglerbilly]

Suspect, Charged, Said to Admit to Role in Plot


Jessica Hill/Associated Press
F.B.I. agents searched a home in Bridgeport, Conn., on Tuesday.

By MARK MAZZETTI, SABRINA TAVERNISE and JACK HEALY
Published: May 4, 2010


A Pakistani-American man arrested in the failed Times Square car bombing has admitted his role in the attempted attack and said he received explosives training in Pakistan, the authorities said Tuesday.

The man, Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested as he tried to flee the country in a Dubai-bound jet late Monday. Hours later, there were reports that seven or eight people had been arrested in Pakistan, as officials in both countries sought to determine the origins and scope of the plot.

Mr. Shahzad was charged on Tuesday with several terrorism-related crimes. American intelligence officials said that while any ties Mr. Shahzad had to international terrorist groups remained murky, investigators were strongly looking at possible links to the Pakistani Taliban in the attempted attack on Saturday.

If the role is confirmed, it would be the group’s first effort to attack the United States and the first sign of the group’s ability to strike targets beyond Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban is a different organization from the Taliban groups that the United States is battling in Afghanistan.

Mr. Shahzad’s ability to board an international flight despite being the target of a major terrorism investigation was the result of at least two lapses in the response by the government and the airline, Emirates.

Mr. Shahzad, a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan who lived in Bridgeport, Conn., was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and other federal charges, several related to explosives. He was interrogated without initially being read his Miranda rights under a public safety exception, and he provided what the Federal Bureau of Investigation called “valuable intelligence and evidence.”

He continued talking after being read his rights, the F.B.I. said. The authorities charged him as a civilian, but he did not appear in court and no hearing has been scheduled.

“It is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in the country,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said at a news conference on Tuesday in Washington.

Mr. Shahzad booked a ticket on his way to Kennedy Airport and bought it with cash when he got there, officials said. He had boarded the plane but was taken off before it taxied away.

Investigators had been trying to find Mr. Shahzad after determining that he was the man who bought a Nissan Pathfinder from a Connecticut woman last month and had parked it just off Broadway on Saturday night packed with gasoline, propane, fertilizer and fireworks. No one was hurt, but officials said the bomb could have been deadly on the crowded streets if it had ignited.

Officials said Mr. Shahzad had been placed on a no-fly list on Monday afternoon, but they declined to explain how he had been allowed to board the plane.

An Isuzu Trooper that Mr. Shahzad had apparently driven to the airport was found in a parking lot. Inside the Trooper, investigators discovered a Kel-Tec 9-millimeter pistol, with a folding stock and a rifle barrel, along with several spare magazines of ammunition, an official said. Fearing the Izuzu might be rigged to explode, officials briefly cordoned off the area around it.

All of the passengers were taken off the plane, and they, their luggage and the Boeing 777 were screened before the flight was allowed to depart, about seven hours late, at 6:29 a.m. Two other men were also interviewed by the authorities but released, according to one law enforcement official.

Mr. Holder said Mr. Shahzad had been providing “useful information” to federal investigators since he was pulled off the plane. Besides saying that he had received training in Pakistan, Mr. Shahzad said he had acted alone, a claim that was still being investigated.

In Pakistan, developments unfolded quickly. Officials identified one of those arrested as Tauhid Ahmed and said he had been in touch with Mr. Shahzad through e-mail and had met him either in the United States or in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

Another man arrested, Muhammad Rehan, had spent time with Mr. Shahzad during a recent visit there, Pakistani officials said. Mr. Rehan was arrested in Karachi just after morning prayers at a mosque known for its links with the militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad.

Investigators said Mr. Rehan told them that he had rented a pickup truck and driven with Mr. Shahzad to the northwestern city of Peshawar, where they stayed from July 7 to July 22, 2009. The account could not be independently verified. Mr. Shahzad spent four months in Pakistan last year, the authorities said.

Pakistani officials promised to aid the United States “in bringing such culprits to justice,” the Pakistani interior minister, Rehman Malik, said in a telephone interview as he announced the seven or eight arrests.

Mr. Shahzad is believed to be originally from Kashmir and is among a handful of Pakistani-Americans who have recently faced terrorism accusations in the United States or abroad.


A Justice Department illustration shows the position of explosive charges in Mr. Shahzad's vehicle

The Pakistani Taliban on Sunday released a video taking credit for the Times Square attack, but American officials cautioned on Tuesday that the investigation was still in its early stages, and said it could take days before enough evidence emerged to point to any one group for its role in the plot.

For months, terrorist groups have pledged to exact revenge for the Central Intelligence Agency’s campaign of drone strikes in the Pakistani mountains.

Last year, a C.I.A. drone killed the Pakistani Taliban’s leader, Baitullah Mehsud, and American intelligence officials believe that the group has over the years cultivated close ties to Qaeda leaders. Any ties between Mr. Shahzad and Pakistani militants could add new urgency to American demands that Pakistan root out the web of Al Qaeda and local groups that use the tribal areas to strike at United States troops in Afghanistan and other targets farther abroad.

The United States, which has provided Pakistan with billions of dollars in counterterrorism aid since 2001, has pressed Pakistan to crack down on militants inside its borders, and an American official said Pakistan’s response to this attempted attack would have serious implications for the country’s strategic relationship with the United States.

A detailed 10-page court document outlining the criminal charges describes new details about Mr. Shahzad’s actions in the days leading up to the attempted attack, including how he bought the Nissan Pathfinder that would ultimately help lead investigators to him.

It says that Customs and Border Protection records show that Mr. Shahzad returned from Pakistan on Feb. 3, 2010, after a five-month visit there, flying back on a one-way ticket from Pakistan. He told customs inspectors, the complaint said, that he was visiting his parents.

The complaint, sworn out by Andrew P. Pachtman, an F.B.I. agent assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, says that Mr. Shahzad used a prepaid cellular telephone to contact a Connecticut woman who had placed an online advertisement to sell the vehicle. It described how the phone led investigators to him.

He received four calls from a number in Pakistan hours before he bought the vehicle, the complaint says.

The prepaid cellular phone, according to the complaint, was also used to call a fireworks store in Pennsylvania that sells M-88 firecrackers like those that were used as part of the bomb. The phone was last used on April 28, according to the complaint.

In the Connecticut towns of Shelton and Bridgeport, where Mr. Shahzad had lived, residents described Mr. Shahzad as quiet and unremarkable. One of the last to see him was his landlord, Stanislaw Chomiak.

About three months ago, Mr. Shahzad signed a one-year lease on a second-floor two-bedroom apartment in Bridgeport. Mr. Chomiak usually saw Mr. Shahzad only when the rent was due, but Mr. Chomiak described his tenant as a nice guy who furnished his apartment sparsely and had claimed he made a living selling jewelry in New Haven.

But the evening of the attempted bombing in Times Square, the landlord received a phone call from Mr. Shahzad, who said he was riding the train back from New York City and needed to be let into his apartment because he had lost his keys. Mr. Chomiak lent Mr. Shahzad spare keys, with the two men agreeing to meet up the next day to return them, Mr. Chomiak said.

“He looked nervous, but I thought, of course he’s nervous, he just lost his keys,” Mr. Chomiak, 44, said in an interview at his home, about 15 miles outside of Bridgeport. The men did not end up meeting until about 4 p.m. on Monday, and Mr. Shahzad returned the keys. It was the last time the landlord saw him, and less than eight hours later, Mr. Shahzad was boarding the flight to Dubai.

An official in Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said Mr. Shahzad came to Pakistan in April 2009 and departed on Aug. 5 on an Emirates flight.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg called the attempted bombing “an act that was designed to kill innocent civilians and designed to strike fear into the hearts of Americans.”

In March, a Pakistani-American man, David C. Headley, pleaded guilty to helping plan the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. And last December, five young men from Virginia, two of them with Pakistani backgrounds, were arrested in Pakistan on accusations of plotting attacks against targets there and in Afghanistan.

At his news conference, Mr. Bloomberg warned against any backlash against Pakistanis or Muslims in New York, saying, “We will not tolerate any bias.”

Reporting was contributed by Nina Bernstein, Russ Buettner, Alison Leigh Cowan, Dan Frosch, Carlotta Gall, Jason Grant, Ismail Khan, Angela Macropoulos, Salman Masood, Colin Moynihan, Ray Rivera, Eric Schmitt, Ginger Thompson, Benjamin Weiser, Michael Wilson, Katie Zezima and Karen Zraick.

[buglerbilly]

North Waziristan: Terrorism's new hub?

By Ahmed Rashid
Wednesday, May 5, 2010

LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Information is still emerging about suspected Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen who apparently spent time here from July until February. Court documents indicate that Shahzad received bomb-making training in Waziristan, the known haven of numerous groups and extremists.

Over the past 18 months, Pakistan's army has conducted major offensives in six of the seven tribal agencies that border Afghanistan. But the seventh agency -- North Waziristan -- has been left alone. In part, that is because it is home to the Afghan Taliban networks of Jalaluddin Haqqani and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who have close relations with the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (ISI). It has also been left alone for good tactical, if poor strategic, reasons -- the army has struck deals with the Pakistani Taliban in North Waziristan not to attack Pakistani forces. Until recently, these deals have held.

But Pakistan's counterterrorism strategy, which has been extensively praised by American generals, is now coming apart at the seams -- all because of North Waziristan.

A sense of despair and helplessness has come to grip the Pakistani public, which faces more suicide bomb attacks each day than even the Afghans next door. Major cities like Peshawar, where more than 100 police officers have been killed this year, are under siege by the Pakistani Taliban. Now it seems Pakistani militants are also involved in global jihad.

North Waziristan is the hub of so many terrorist groups and so much terrorist plotting and planning that neither the CIA nor the ISI seems to have much clue about what is going on there. A year ago, the Pakistan Taliban under Baitullah Mehsud ran a semi-disciplined terrorist movement from the tribal areas that bombed and killed Pakistanis with dastardly methodicalness. Mehsud was killed last year in a U.S. drone strike. What is left is anarchy, as groups and splinter groups and splinters of splinters operate from North Waziristan with no overall control by anyone, not even Jalaluddin Haqqani.

Hakimullah Mehsud, a ruthless leader of the Pakistani Taliban pronounced dead by authorities after a U.S. drone strike in January, has turned up alive and well. He was probably hiding out in North Waziristan all these months and nobody knew. In videos released Monday, he promises that "the time is very near when our fedayeen will attack the American states in the major cities." He is ominously flanked by two armed and masked men.

Punjabi extremist groups that were once trained by the military to fight Indian forces in Kashmir have splintered from their mother groups and operate out of North Waziristan in alliance with the Pashtun Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda. Inexplicably, one of these Punjabi groups last week executed Khalid Khawaja, a former ISI officer known for his sympathy for al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Who killed Khawaja and why is still a huge mystery. Was it a case of terror eating its own?

Other militant groups operating out of North Waziristan include vehemently anti-Shiite groups, several Central Asian and Chechen groups, and, by some accounts, Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai. Training is available for Pakistanis and foreigners who come and go at will. Five young Americans are on trial in Pakistan for trying to reach North Waziristan.

Pakistan's army says it cannot open another front in North Waziristan because it is overstretched and is focusing on its offensives in other agencies. Yet the army just held exercises with 50,000 troops on the Indian border to signal to the international community that it still considers India its main enemy.

In the tribal agencies, the army is also dealing with a quarter-million internal refugees and is engaged in humanitarian relief, reconstruction and the maintenance of supply lines that are regularly ambushed by militants. The tragedy is that the civilian government hasn't offered to take over these tasks -- which it should -- and the army isn't encouraging it to do so. Counterterrorism without a civilian "hold and build" component is meaningless.

What is happening in North Waziristan is having a global impact. Something has to be done about a region that has become an even greater terrorist hub than Afghanistan was before 2001. Pakistan's leaders -- both civil and military -- should take the lead in finding solutions to the problem, as the international community helps Islamabad implement a policy that will clear out this lethal terrorism central.

Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist and a fellow at the Pacific Council on International Policy, is most recently the author of "Descent Into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia."

[buglerbilly]

Pakistan denies Taliban link with accused Times Square bomber

Pakistan's army has denied that the Taliban was behind the attempted bombing in Times Square.

Published: 11:06AM BST 05 May 2010

The Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad with his wife Huma Milan In a video message on Sunday, the Pakistan Taliban said it carried out the attack, in what would be the first time it had been known to strike outside South Asia.

US officials quickly dismissed the claim, but the arrest of a Pakistani-American who allegedly has admitted to being trained in the group's heartland in Waziristan has given it new credence.

Pakistan 'army death squad hangs Taliban body from lamp post'Maj Gen. Athar Abbas, the army's chief spokesman, said the claim should be "taken with a pinch of salt".

"Anybody can claim anything, but whether the organisation has that kind of reach is questionable. I don't think they have the capacity to reach the next level," he said.

The attack is likely to increase pressure on the Pakistani army to launch a new offensive in the northern part of Waziristan, something it has been avoiding until now. US and European officials have long said that many of the terror plots in the West are hatched in the region.

The army spokesman declined to comment on reports that the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, had been to Waziristan for training.

The army claimed to have delivered the Pakistani Taliban a decisive blow in an operation late last year in South Waziristan. But the notion that the Pakistani Taliban is on the ropes has been shaken by the emergence of videos of a top commander previously believed to have been killed, and the group's claims of responsibility for the Times Square bomb attempt.

[buglerbilly]

From The Times May 6, 2010

Car bomb suspect who slipped under radar is son of air force chief

Zahid Hussein in Islamabad and Giles Whittell in Washington

There were clues in Pakistan but only to the tight handful of minders who knew what Faisal Shahzad was planning. There were clues in Connecticut — but only to the paranoid.

He jogged late at night in traditional Islamic robes, according to a neighbour. He had moved his family out of their modest, suburban home in what seemed like a hurry. He disliked President Bush.

Otherwise, the man who allegedly set out to kill tourists in Times Square last weekend might have been one of them: a well-bred young man married to a woman from an equally respectable family, whose Facebook page said she loved Friends, shoe shopping “and of course Faisal”.

The chief suspect in the latest terror case to fixate the US Government and public was continuing to answer FBI questions yesterday in a jail cell in New York as the Obama Administration tightened its “no-fly” procedures for terror suspects and stepped up pressure on Pakistan to broaden its offensive against militants from every jihadist faction.

In Peshawar, senior Pakistani officials told The Times that Mr Shahzad, 30, received explosives training on his last trip to the region at a camp run by Qari Hussain, a known trainer of suicide bombers for the Taleban. Sources also said that the father of two, whose last-known job in the US was as a $50,000 (£33,000) a year financial analyst, was taken to South Waziristan by a lead member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, an al-Qaeda-backed group blamed for a series of recent attacks in Pakistan.

He knew what he was getting into, even if almost no one else did. When they came for him at 11.02pm on Monday, as Emirates Flight 202 was preparing to push back from the gate at Kennedy airport, he looked up and said calmly: “I was expecting you. Are you NYPD or FBI?”

It was the end of a 12-year transformation from student to would-be bomber, during which Mr Shahzad defied all efforts by US intelligence agencies since 9/11 to home in on terrorists before they strike.

As a student he was “unremarkable” but diligent when it came to retaking his exams. As an office worker he was competent. As a US visa applicant he passed all the FBI’s security checks with “no derogatory information”.

He was a cipher, one of millions who came to America in the same period, appeared to like it and methodically progressed from immigrant to law-abiding citizen.

It was still unclear yesterday where he was born. Officials in Pakistan have said that it was in the northern province of Nowshera, but on university application forms found in a rubbish bin outside his abandoned home in Shelton, Connecticut, he gave Karachi as his place of birth.

What is beyond doubt is that he first came to the US in 1998 as 19-year-old student, the son of an air vice-marshal of the Pakistani Air Force, Baharul Haq, who remains well known as the founder of the Sherdils, the country’s leading military aerobatics team. He acquired two degrees, in computer science and business administration, from small private colleges in Washington and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

He showed no outward sign of being radicalised as a student or since. No mosques contacted since he allegedly left a smoking SUV in Times Square on Saturday have acknowledged any contact with a Faisal Shahzad. He shopped at a halal grocery in Bridgeport before his final trip to Pakistan last year, but he and his family also ate at the Red Lobster chain and Burger King.

On February 3 Mr Shahzad returned from Pakistan after nine months in Waziristan, but slipped beneath the FBI’s radar because, since April last year, he has been a US citizen and was therefore subject only to cursory immigration checks. His entitlement to citizenship came courtesy of his wife, Huma Mian, the daughter of a successful oil executive. They married in 2004.

“If this hadn’t happened I would have long forgotten him,” William Greenspan, one of Mr Shahzad’s undergraduate supervisors, told The New York Times.

He was remembered clearly yesterday in the village of Mohib Banda outside Peshawar, where friends of his family expressed great surprise at his arrest. “He came from a respectable family and was not even a religious person,” Kayfayatullah Khan said.

Another villager reacted with suspicion to the news emerging from New York. “America is our enemy,” Bashir-ur-Rehman said. “It wants to defame us. The arrest of Faisal is meant to malign a respected family and Pakistan.”

[buglerbilly]

From The Times May 7, 2010

Taleban disown Times Square ‘Idiot Bomber’

Giles Whittell, Washington

The alleged would-be Times Square terrorist was disowned by the Pakistani Taleban yesterday as American politicians called for him to be stripped of his US citizenship so he can be tried by a military tribunal.

Faisal Shahzad — nicknamed the “Idiot Bomber” for a series of blunders leading to his arrest — was praised by a spokesman for the Pakistani Taleban but disowned in the same breath. “We don’t even know him,” a spokesman said.

In New York, an Emirates jet was held on the runway at Kennedy airport for the second time in four days yesterday, amid reports that another “no fly” passenger had escaped detection and boarded the aircraft.

As the White House increased pressure on Islamabad to investigate possible links between Mr Shahzad and a range of militant groups based in Pakistan, new details emerged of his movements before the attempted bombing and of the lonely life in a cheap suburban flat that he was apparently attempting to escape.

Hours after Mr Shahzad allegedly left a Nissan on Times Square last Saturday night, the Pakistani Taleban appeared to claim responsibility for the failed attack in a video posted on YouTube.

Yesterday a spokesman for the group, Azam Tariq, told reporters in North Waziristan that “the job [Mr Shahzad] has done was a tremendous one and we praised him for this job but the fact is that we even do not know Faisal” (sic).

The spokesman claimed that his organisation had been framed for the attack. At the same time the Pakistani Ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, insisted that it was premature to link Mr Shahzad to Qari Hussain Mehsud, known as the Pakistani Taleban’s chief bomb-maker.

Having travelled to Pakistan with his wife and children and left them there, it is now alleged that Mr Shahzad surveyed the scene of his intended attack with care, but still made errors. He allegedly visited Times Square on April 28 in the Nissan Pathfinder that he would later pack with propane and petrol, according to sources involved in his interrogation. Two days later he left a getaway car nearby.

Investigators say that he was caught by a surveillance camera changing shirts as he left the Nissan on May 1. At about this time he realised he had left his keys inside the Pathfinder, including those to the getaway car, forcing him to take public transport back to his flat in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

He asked his landlord to let him in and drove back to pick up the Isuzu with a spare set of keys the next day. The car was found at JFK airport on Monday.

Pakistan’s co-operation in questioning Mr Shahzad’s associates and reconstructing his activities is seen in Washington as a vital test of its willingness to crack down on the of militant groups operating from Waziristan.

[buglerbilly]

Pakistan Taliban behind Times Square bomb plot, says Attorney General

The Pakistan Taliban was “intimately involved” in last week’s attempted Times Square car bombing, according to Eric Holder, the US Attorney General.

Dean Nelson in New Delhi

Published: 4:39PM BST 09 May 2010


Faisal Shahzad was arrested at a New York airport on charges that he drove a bomb-laden SUV meant to cause a fireball in Times Square Photo: AP

Speaking on US television yesterday Mr Holder said: “We’ve now developed evidence that show the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack. We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it. And that he [Faisal Shahzad] was working at their direction.”

Mr Holder added that there was nothing to suggest the Pakistan government was aware of the plot.

Times Sq car bomb: the dry run His comments were backed by the White House, who said the accused bomber Faisal Shahzad was working for the Pakistan Taliban. White House adviser John Brennan said the finding “underscores the serious threat that we face from a very determined enemy”.

Shahzad, 30, was arrested last Monday, two days after a car bomb was discovered in New York’s Times Square. Claims by Pakistan Taliban leaders that they were behind the attempted attack had previously been dismissed by senior military officers, who said their capabilities were “questionable”.

Mr Holder’s comments came as Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, threatened Pakistan with “very severe consequences” if terrorists based there launched a successful attack in the US.

Shahzad, a naturalised American from a wealthy and influential Pakistani family, appears to have received training in the tribal areas close to the Afghan border.

Mrs Clinton said: “We’ve made it very clear that if, heaven forbid, an attack like this, that we can trace back to Pakistan, were to have been successful, there would be very severe consequences.”

Shahzad is believed to have been trained for his mission during a recent trip to North Waziristan, one of Pakistan’s tribal agencies, where militants remain powerful despite an army offensive.

Mrs Clinton’s comments, which provoked fierce criticism in Pakistan, were disclosed as an FBI team arrived to investigate links between Shahzad, Taliban militants and the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist group.

Washington’s response signals a wider determination to force Pakistan to expand its war on Taliban groups to include those in North Waziristan which are pro-Islamabad but mount regular attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan.

They include the 'Haqqani Network’ of Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin who are regarded as 'Pakistani assets.’ Pakistan has been reluctant to expand its offensive into North Waziristan, claiming it would leave forces overstretched.

Mrs Clinton did not elaborate on her warning, but there is growing speculation that the United States may be developing a strategy to include the deployment of ground troops in Pakistan in the event of another Pakistan-based plot on American soil.

[buglerbilly]

Al-Qaeda operative cannot be deported, court rules

The leader of a terrorist cell planning an attack on Easter shoppers in Manchester cannot be deported back to Pakistan in case he is tortured, a tribunal has ruled.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

Published: 12:50PM BST 18 May 2010


Abid Naseer Police detaining a man at the library of Liverpool John Moores University following a series of terror raids in the in the North West Photo: PA

I cannot make a reasonable and polite comment over this, its so stupid as to almost defy description................I care about what happens to him about as much as he cares about me or mine! :boid

Police did not find any explosives when they swooped on the cell in April last year, but MI5 has maintained that the men, all students from Pakistan, were “members of a UK based network linked to al-Qaeda involved in attack planning.”

The Special Immigration and Appeals Commission said it was satisfied Abid Naseer, the alleged ring-leader, was behind an “imminent” al-Qaeda backed plot but said he risked being tortured if he was returned to Pakistan.

The arrests had to be brought forward by 24 hours after Assistant Chief Constable Bob Quick, then Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, was photographed entering Downing Street with plans for the raids under his arm.

The men were never charged but the Home Office attempted to deport Naseer and nine others on national security grounds.

Eight of the ten men, who had all arrived in Britain on student visas, chose to return to Pakistan. The two remaining men, including Naseer, have now won their attempt to remain in Britain.

The Home Office said it was not planning to appeal but it is thought the men are likely to be placed under control orders on their release from prison at huge expense to the public purse.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, said: "We are disappointed that the court has ruled that Abid Naseer and Ahmad Faraz Khan should not be deported to Pakistan, which we were seeking on national security grounds.

“As the court agreed, they are a security risk to the UK. We are now taking all possible measures to ensure they do not engage in terrorist activity.”

The Special Immigration and Appeals Commission said it was “satisfied that Naseer was an al-Qaeda operative who posed and still poses a serious threat to the national security of the United Kingdom and that…it is conducive to the public good that he should be deported.”

Nevertheless, it said Pakistan had a “long and well-documented history of disappearances, illegal detention and of the torture and ill-treatment of those detained, usually to produce information, a confession or compliance.”

The panel noted that “No open assurances were given by the Pakistani authorities” and as a result they could not find there was a “sufficient safeguard against prohibited ill-treatment of any of the appellants.”

SIAC said it had heard a “substantial volume of closed material” and that it was “satisfied to the criminal standard” that Naseer was in email contact with an “al-Qaeda associate” in Pakistan.

The commission panel, headed by a High Court Judge, Mr Justice Mitting, said it believed the emails, which referred to girls and cars, was actually code for “different ingredients of explosives, their properties and availability.”

Naseer’s explanation, that he was actually writing about girlfriends, was “utterly implausible” they said.

The panel said the closed material they had considered included “pointers to an imminent attack” and that Naseer had stated his intention to do so between April 15 and 20, although it was unclear whether he would have been able to pull it off.

One of the suspects, Tariq ur-Rehman, was found with a large number of photographs of the exits from the Arndale Centre in Manchester.

But the panel said Naseer, who was suspected of belonging to al-Qaeda. would therefore be “at risk” at the hands of Pakistan’s Inter-services Intelligence directorate (ISI).

It add that although the country’s supreme court had “displayed a genuine interest in those whoa have been made to disappear” it had “not held a single military official accountable for abuses.”

Despite being assessed as a risk to national security, Naseer and his associate Ahmad Faraz Khan won their appeals against deportation on the grounds it was unsafe to return them to Pakistan.

Two other men, Tariq ur-Rehman and Abdul Wahab Khan, lost their appeals on the grounds they had already returned to Pakistan.

A fifth man, Shoiab Khan, was “not a knowing party” to the plans and should not be excluded from returning to the United Kingdom, the panel said.

[buglerbilly]

Douglas Murray

Douglas Murray is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist based in London. He has written for numerous publications including the Telegraph, Spectator, Wall Street Journal and Sunday Times. He is a columnist for Standpoint magazine and the Director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, a Westminster think-tank which studies radicalisation and extremism in Britain.

Why do al-Qaeda's rights trump those of the British people?

By Douglas Murray Politics Last updated: May 18th, 2010

There has been a noticably large amount of talk recently about the make-up of the new government: which party has power; who does what; what they should wear.

So it is sobering to be reminded by a special immigration court this morning that none of this really matters. If you were under the impression that it did then it is worth reading the details of this case.

Abid Naseer and ten others were arrested last year in a round-up of suspects accused of being involved in an Al-Qaeda Easter bomb plot in Manchester. Readers will remember that the raids against suspects had to go off early because the then counter-terror chief, Bob Quick, was filmed carrying a visible list of the suspects’ names into Downing Street.

Eight of the men returned voluntarily to Pakistan. But Naseer and one other appealed that they could be treated badly if they returned to Pakistan and have now won the right to stay in Britain. As the Telegraph reports:

The Special Immigration and Appeals Commission said it was “satisfied that Naseer was an al-Qaeda operative who posed and still poses a serious threat to the national security of the United Kingdom and that… it is conducive to the public good that he should be deported.”

Nevertheless, it said Pakistan had a “long and well-documented history of disappearances, illegal detention and of the torture and ill-treatment of those detained, usually to produce information, a confession or compliance.”

Because of the risk that they will be tortured if returned to their native country of Pakistan, these al-Qaeda associates are therefore going to remain in Britain. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has said that the government will not be appealing against the ruling. In truth it isn’t in her power to do anything about it. Our commitments under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) mean that the possible threat to the British people caused by Mr Naseer remaining here is less important that the possibility that Mr Naseer could be ill-treated if returned to his home country.

Isn’t it interesting, by the way, to note that someone who spent all their time yelling “jihad jihad jihad” could, if they risked getting hurt themselves, suddenly switch to crying “human-rights, human-rights, human-rights” and “ECHR, ECHR, ECHR”?

Now I know that this might be a bit much to ask, and a bit early in the government to ask it. But is it not possible that someone, please anyone, in a position of political power or leadership in this or any government, could break the ice and explain that it matters far far less to us whether Mr Naseer is tortured than it does that the British people are safe from being blown up?

[buglerbilly]

Soldier linked to accused bomber

JANE PERLEZ

May 23, 2010


Faisal Shahzad... charged over failed Times Square bomb.

ISLAMABAD: An army officer and a businessman have been detained in the widening inquiry into Pakistanis who had knowledge of the activities of a man charged with trying to set off a car bomb in Times Square in New York, a Western official and a US intelligence official have said.

The army officer was arrested in Rawalpindi, home to the headquarters of the Pakistani army, the official said.

The soldier appeared to have been disaffected and his involvement with Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American charged with the failed New York bombing, did not signal the involvement of the Pakistani army in the attack, the official said.

The arrest of the officer and of Salman Ashraf Khan, 35, an executive of a catering company that organised functions for the American embassy, suggested the participation of a group of Pakistanis in helping Mr Shahzad after he returned to Pakistan from the US last year to plan the bombing, the officials said.

A Pakistani official said Mr Khan and the officer were among several people being questioned in connection with the Times Square case. Investigators were still sorting out exactly what role, if any, each individual played in helping Mr Shahzad develop and plan the attack, the official said.

The Pakistani army has launched a series of offensives against the Pakistani Taliban in the past year, and the arrest of an officer who is against that policy would be considered a great embarrassment for the army.

[buglerbilly]

N.Y. bomb plot probe shows radicalism might be on the rise among Pakistani elite

By Karin Brulliard and Shaiq Hussain
Sunday, May 23, 2010

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- A crescendo of violence has steadily cramped the lifestyles of well-heeled Pakistanis and expatriates in this tidy city by targeting elite hotels and eateries. Now militancy may have infiltrated one remaining social reserve of those groups: private, canapé-laden parties in manicured compounds.

A Pakistani intelligence official said Saturday that the U.S.-educated co-owner of a catering firm to swanky events, including American Embassy functions, might have given money to the suspect in the Times Square bomb plot and been asked to aid attacks on diplomats' gatherings. Salman Ashraf Khan, 35, is among several detained in a widening Pakistani probe into the attempted bombing in New York that has netted a former army major, a computer salesman and other professionals.

Khan's suspected involvement prompted the U.S. Embassy to warn Americans to avoid the catering company. The arrests added to evidence that the terrorism threat in Pakistan emanates not just from cave-dwelling radicals but also from the Western-oriented upper crust -- and that those groups might overlap.

"It's not just an individual pulling strings," a Western official said on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "There are an awful lot of people connected."

The precise ties between those recently detained in Pakistan and Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani American accused of the New York bomb attempt, have not been established, and the intelligence official said none had confessed to roles in the bomb plot. But Khan and at least two of them knew Shahzad -- a product of Pakistan's urban elite -- and all had lambasted "anti-Muslim" U.S. policies during interrogations, the official said.

In the United States, investigations of Shahzad, an American citizen, and other terrorism suspects have prompted concern about extremism among "assimilated" middle-class Muslims. Muhammad Amir Rana, a terrorism researcher in Islamabad, said his recent surveys indicate that radicalization is rising among privileged Pakistani youth, who relate neither to the West nor to Pakistan's impoverished masses.

"They feel alienated," said Rana, director of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, who added that such feelings have rarely led to violence. "So they try to identify themselves through religion."

Combating Islamist radicalization is a focus of a new surge in U.S. aid money to Pakistan, where polls repeatedly reveal deep anti-Americanism.

The Pakistani intelligence official said Khan and Shahzad were friends and probably met during Shahzad's trip to Pakistan earlier this year. Another man detained, Shoaib Mughal, owns a small computer-sales firm in Islamabad and is suspected of linking Shahzad with the Pakistani Taliban in the tribal areas. A third is Khan's business partner; the two provided food to the cafeteria of the headquarters of Mobilink, a cellphone company, according to Khan's father.

The official said a former army major was also arrested on suspicions of links to the plot. But another senior intelligence officer, echoing military statements, said that arrest was unrelated to the Shahzad probe. The senior officer played down the Islamabad detentions, saying investigators were questioning and releasing many people.

But the rare U.S. alert on Friday about terrorists' ties to Hanif Rajput Catering Services, Khan's firm, indicated that investigators were looking at him more seriously. The family business caters more than 200 events a month for military, government and diplomatic circles in the Islamabad area, and the intelligence official said militant organizations might have sought to "use" Khan for access to them.

In an interview Saturday, Khan's father, Rana Ashraf Khan, called that idea "absurd." He said it was possible that his son, who graduated from the University of Houston in 2001, met Shahzad in the course of business. The elder Khan said his son was religious but displayed no extremist tendencies, nor did he have any connections to the Western regions populated by militants.

He said his son, who lived at his parents' home with his wife, also had no relationship with Mughal, the computer shop owner whom the Pakistani intelligence official said was the key focus of investigators. Merchants near the shop, Infinix Quality Services, described Mughal as devout but gentlemanly.

"He is a regular prayer-offering guy," said one business owner, who said he feared being quoted by name. "To me that doesn't suggest he is a militant."

Salman Khan vanished on the morning of May 10, and his father said the embassy alert confirmed the family's suspicions that he had been picked up by security agencies. The father said Khan's business partner "disappeared" the same day.

Rana Ashraf Khan said his son occasionally expressed a belief that American policies in Pakistan caused "suffering," but that he was "full of praise" about his five years in the United States and enjoyed Western movies.

"We are educated people. Not extremists. Not fanatics," the elder Khan said of his five children, who include two physicians living in the United States. "There was nothing in Salman that could have tempted him to even be sympathetic to people bent on the destruction of the United States."

[buglerbilly]

Times Square bomb plot: Pakistani Army major arrested

A Pakistani Army major, who was until recently a serving officer, has been arrested in connection with the failed Times Square bomb plot.

Rob Crilly, in Islamabad

Published: 7:56PM BST 27 May 2010


A NYPD officer in an bomb suit examines a Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle parked in New York's Times Square Photo: REUTERS

Pakistani and US sources say there is evidence that mobile phone calls were exchanged between Major Adnan Ejaz and the suspected would-be bomber, Faisal Shahzad, who was arrested on May 3 as he attempted to fly out of New York.

A Pakistani law enforcement sources said that the major had mobile phone contact with Shahzad on the day of the attempted bombing, including one conversation at the same time the bomber was allegedly parking his car loaded with propane tanks and explosives.

He had also met the naturalised American in Islamabad, he claimed.

Shahzad, the son of a retired Pakistani Air Force officer, has told interrogators he received training from the Pakistan Taliban in its rugged mountain stronghold of Waziristan.

Pakistan's military and intelligence services have a long history of working with Jihadi organisations as an instrument of foreign policy.

However, the major's detention marks the first time someone in the country's military establishment has been directly linked to the Times Square plot.

In all, 11 people have been detained in Pakistan, including the co-owner of a prominent catering firm used by the US embassy in Islamabad.

They have not been arrested or charged, but they are suspected of having links to Times Square car bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, 30, officials have said.

A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity said the exact connections were not yet clear.

"A number of people have been detained and we believe they knew Shahzad," he said. " What we don't know is what role, if any, they had in the plot.

"There's a lot of work still to do." Of the 11 people in custody, three were detained in Karachi and the others were taken into custody in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where the Pakistani military is based.

However, a spokesman for Pakistan's military said Major Ejaz was no longer a serving officer and had been in detention at the time of the alleged calls.

"He was dismissed from the service last year and was retired," said Maj Gen Athar Abbas.

"Last month he was picked up because of apparent connections to proscribed, banned Punjabi militant organisations. So far we have not found any connection with Shahzad's case."

That account differs from the story told by relatives to local newspapers, deepening the mystery and raising fears of an official cover-up. They said he resigned from the Army last year because of money worries and had joined a construction firm.

They said he was arrested on May 14. Five days later his younger brother, a computer engineer was detained.

[buglerbilly]

Eyes in the sky to defeat terrorist activities

May 28, 2010

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Ministry of Defence scientists, technicians and engineers, has completed a trial which could help disrupt terrorist activities.

The experiment, the first of its kind in the UK, used cutting edge sensors that capture a range of images and data, in support of defence, security and crime prevention.

The trial, at Dstl’s Porton Down site near Salisbury, is designed to assess a range of emerging technologies and understand how they may be used to identify and defeat terrorist networks by tracking insurgents’ movements.

The trial included:

• Airborne, ground-based and vehicle-mounted sensors, both optical and radar
• New data processing techniques
• Two airborne radar sensors that track moving targets from long range
• Electro-optical camera that can identify people in unusual poses, such as holding a weapon
• Wide-area surveillance of static and moving targets
• 3D imagery
• Colour and shape interpretation

Andrew Seedhouse, Sensors and Countermeasures Chief Technologist, Dstl, says: “Think of it as the ultimate CCTV system. An incident occurs, perhaps an IED goes off, and we can use this host of data to back track over time. Who was near the scene and where were they before the incident? What buildings or vehicles can we now associate with the incident?

“Could we now link people, vehicles, events, buildings and locations to the collection of equipment or the buying of materials? All the sensor data can form a complete picture. Looking to the future, this research will help us to look for anomalies both in behaviour and environment, and work towards surveillance alerts to appropriate forces before an incident occurs.”

The aircraft used in the trial, both fixed-wing and helicopters, have been flying from Boscombe Down, over Dstl’s Porton Down site, which is normally restricted airspace.

During the two-week trial, Dstl, industry and university teams gathered up to 40 terabytes of data - the equivalent of 40,000 copies of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. This data will be analysed by industry and the MOD over the coming years as these surveillance techniques are refined. And if quick wins are identified during the analysis then these can be brought forward to the frontline.

The trial was held in collaboration with the Electro Magnetic Remote Sensing Defence Technology Centre (EMRS DTC). Professor Keith Lewis, Research Director of the EMRS DTC, says: “This trial provided an opportunity to quantify the benefits of a number of novel sensing technologies developed as a result of our research programme. Since its inception in 2003, the DTC has been exploring new approaches in remote sensing and has given rise to a number of technologies specifically aimed at enhancing key areas of military requirement.”

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is leading research into countering threats by working closely with industry to develop sensing and data management techniques that help defeat the wider insurgent network; this demonstration is a small insight in to that research. The equipment and techniques emerging from this work have the potential to improve safety and security both at home and overseas.

Source: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

[buglerbilly]

From The Sunday Times May 30, 2010

Muslim preacher of hate is let into Britain


Zakir Naik says the 9/11 attacks were an 'inside job' by the US

David Leppard

THE home secretary, Theresa May, is facing a stiff test of the Conservative party’s claims to oppose radical Islam after her officials chose to allow a misogynist Muslim preacher into Britain.

Zakir Naik, an Indian televangelist described as a “hate-monger” by moderate Muslims and one Tory MP, says western women make themselves “more susceptible to rape” by wearing revealing clothing.

Naik, who proselytises on Peace TV, a satellite television channel, is reported to have called for the execution of Muslims who change their faith, described Americans as “pigs” and said that “every Muslim should be a terrorist”.

In a recent lecture, he said he was “with” Osama Bin Laden over the attacks on “terrorist America”, adding that the 9/11 hijackings were an inside job by President George W Bush.

In opposition, David Cameron and other senior Tories led criticism of the Labour government for allowing radical preachers into Britain to stir up hatred on lecture tours. While in opposition, Cameron also campaigned to get Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian radical, banned from Britain.

Cameron and May now face a political test over Naik, whose inflammatory comments have led some moderate Muslims to call him a “truth-twister”.

One well-placed insider said: “Zakir Naik is a nasty man who makes al-Qaradawi look like a participant at a teddy bears’ picnic. He shouldn’t be allowed into the country to stir up hatred.”

The Home Office indicated that it was not planning to ban Naik, however.

Although Naik makes it clear he does not support specific acts of terrorism, his inflammatory speeches have included one, currently on YouTube, in which he states: “Beware of Muslims saying Osama Bin Laden is right or wrong. I reject them ... we don’t know.

“But if you ask my view, if given the truth, if he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him.

“I don’t know what he’s doing. I’m not in touch with him. I don’t know him personally. If he is terrorising the terrorists, if he is terrorising America the terrorist ... I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist.”

According to reports in the Indian media, his organisation, the Islamic Research Foundation in Mumbai, was where Rahil Abdul Rehman Sheikh, suspected of being commander of a series of train bombings in Mumbai, and other alleged terrorists spent much of their time before the attacks.

The American terror suspect Najibullah Zazi, arrested last year for planning suicide attacks on the New York subway, is said to have been inspired by Naik’s YouTube videos. There is no suggestion Naik had any knowledge of terrorist plotting.

The UK Border Agency said: “Each case is considered on its own merits. When assessing a visa application, we will consider the previous conduct of the individual and we will ensure the UK does not provide a platform for the promotion of violent extremism.

“We reserve the right to revoke someone’s visa if they are found to be promoting extreme views which are contrary to UK values.”

Naik will be appearing at Wembley Arena in London and in Sheffield on his British tour. When he last came to Britain in 2006, his visit was condemned by David Davies, the Tory MP for Monmouth, who described him as a “hate-monger”.

A doctor by profession, Naik has distinguished himself from dozens of other “mad mullahs” through his intellect and his ability to recite verbatim extended sections of the Koran.

Peace TV has a huge following in the Muslim neighbourhoods of Mumbai, Naik’s native city. He has been named as the third most popular spiritual guru in India.

Last year he was ranked 82nd in a list of India’s most powerful people.

Since the 9/11 attacks, he appears to have developed a particular hatred of America. He is reported to have said: “The pig is the most shameless animal on the face of the Earth. It is the only animal that invites its friends to have sex with its mate.

“In America, most people consume pork. Many times after dance parties, they have swapping of wives. Many say, ‘You sleep with my wife and I will sleep with your wife’. If you eat pigs then you behave like pigs.”

Sermons of malice

“Western society has actually degraded [women] to the status of concubines, mistresses and social butterflies, who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers”

“People who change their religion should face the death penalty”

“It is a blatant secret that this attack on the twin towers was done by George Bush himself”

“If he [Osama Bin Laden] is terrorising the terrorists, if he is terrorising America the terrorist ... I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist”

[buglerbilly]

Setting impossible standards on intelligence


Retired Adm. Dennis C. Blair isn't solely to blame for U.S. intelligence failures. (Alex Wong/getty Images)

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Senate analysis of the intelligence community's handling of the would-be Christmas bomber bears a closer reading in the wake of the replacement of Dennis C. Blair as director of national intelligence.

Disclosure that the White House was seeking an alternative to Blair, one day after the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released an unclassified executive summary of its report, appeared to associate the two. Somehow, it was concluded that Blair, whose responsibilities included directly overseeing the National Counterterroism Center (NCTC), should take the blame for the NCTC's failure to prevent the 23-year-old Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, from boarding a Detroit-bound plane in the Netherlands with a bomb in his underpants.

The 2004 statute that created Blair's DNI position also set the NCTC's mission: "to serve as the primary organization in the U.S. Government for analyzing and integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the U.S. Government pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism." It is to "disseminate terrorist threat information including current terrorist threat analysis to the President, Vice President" and other senior administration officials and appropriate congressional panels.

Although the CIA, FBI, and Defense, State, Treasury and Homeland Security departments have counterterrorism analytic units -- some even with information-gathering operations -- the assumption is that all of the data are passed on to NCTC.

The law, by the way, specifically says that the NCTC director "may not direct the execution of counterterrorism operations."

The Senate committee's list identifying "points of failure" shows that not all relevant information from some agencies landed at the NCTC.

Perhaps the leading example was the State Department's failure to notify the NCTC in its initial reporting that Abdulmutallab -- whose father had reported him missing in November and suspected "involvement with Yemeni-based extremists" -- had an outstanding U.S. visa.

This initial fact, if contained in State's first notice to the NCTC, would have raised the importance of his status. Instead, Abdulmutallab became one of hundreds of new names sent to the NCTC that day. The Senate panel blurs this in its report by focusing on State's failure -- as well as NCTC's -- to revoke the visa. Neither the department nor NCTC discovered the visa until it was too late.

Two other agencies also failed to report important relevant information.

When the CIA received State's limited report on the visit of Abdulmutallab's father, a CIA regional division "did not search databases containing reports related to Abdulmutallab," the Senate report notes. Meanwhile, an analyst at the CIA's counterterrorism center conducted only a "limited name search," which failed to uncover "key reports on Abdulmutallab," the panel's review said. These reports were never sent to the NCTC.

And at the National Security Agency, the nation's electronic intercept agency, there were reports "partly identifying Abdulmutallab" that were not connected to State's limited material, and the agency failed "to pursue [new] collection opportunities that could have provided information on Abdulmutallab," the committee said. This again kept relevant information from the NCTC.

How can the NCTC perform its role, which by law is "to serve as the central and shared knowledge bank on known and suspected terrorists and international terror groups," if its analysts are unaware that additional intelligence exists at other agencies? The committee's answer to that, listed as failure 10, was that the "NCTC's watchlisting office did not conduct additional research to find additional derogatory information to place Abdulmutallab on a watchlist."

True, NCTC analysts have access to most agency databases. But with hundreds of names arriving each day, which name does the NCTC select to then begin its search of 16 other agency databases? Especially when the expectation is that each agency has searched its own.

In the wake of the Abdulmutallab affair, before the committee report appeared, the NCTC, in conjunction with the White House, set up a "pursuit group" of about 40 analysts who have been pulled out of the daily routine to follow threat threads, be they names, locations, phone numbers or travel -- whatever it is that catches the eye of senior NCTC officials who review reports each morning. The "pursuit group" analysts can go back to agencies for additional data checks and even request additional information or collection.

No additional legislative reform is needed. The community is still trying to absorb the 2004 statute.

Linking the White House request for Blair to leave to the committee's concerns over the Abdulmutallab episode would set a standard that no future head of any intelligence agency could meet. The failures were, in the first instance, human errors, and there will be more, over which no DNI could have direct responsibility. It would, in some ways, be much like calling for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to resign or be fired if sanctions against Iran do not work, or the Arabs and Israelis don't reach agreement in their talks.

[buglerbilly]

Australian woman accused of al-Qaida link held in Yemen

• Muslim convert detained in prison without charge
• Terrorists trying to recruit westerners, US officials say

Hugh Macleod in Sana'a and Ian Black guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 June 2010 23.51 BST


Sana'a, Yemen, where Shyloh Jayne Giddens has been held in a political security prison since 15 May. Photograph: Axel Fassio/Getty Images

An Australian woman who converted to Islam and moved to Yemen to raise her children in a Muslim society is being held in prison in Sana'a in connection with alleged al-Qaida activity.

Shyloh Jayne Giddens, 30, has been held without charge in Sana'a's political security prison since 15 May. She was detained with several other foreigners on suspicion of involvement with the al-Qaida branch responsible for the failed attempt to bomb a US airliner on Christmas Day.

Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian student responsible for that attack, told US investigators after his arrest that there were "many like me" trained by the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP).

US intelligence officials warned in February that al-Qaida was trying to recruit English-speaking westerners, particularly women, who could easily slip past security controls to launch terrorist attacks.

In March, Colleen LaRose, a blonde, blue-eyed Muslim convert from Pennsylvania who went under the online alias Jihad Jane, was charged with plotting to murder a Swedish cartoonist who drew a controversial picture of the prophet Muhammad.

Gregory Johnson, of Princeton University, said foreign recruits gave al-Qaida a dangerous weapon against the west, and a powerful recruiting tool at home.

"The organisation portrays the foreigners as individuals so enamoured of the global Islamic community and the Arabian peninsula that they are willing to sacrifice their lives.

"AQAP then uses this to publicly shame Yemeni men, asking them, 'Why are foreigners willing to die for you and your lands while you remain silent?'"

According to her lawyer, Abdul Rahman Barman, Gidden – who converted to Islam in Australia – arrived in Sana'a in September 2006 "to raise her two sons in the Muslim community, where she assumed they would grow up with safety, tranquillity and peace of mind". She took a Muslim name, Soumaya Abu Ali, and adopted the black abaya cloak and full face veil worn by most women in Yemen. Like Abdulmutallab, she studied Arabic in one of Old Sana'a's language institutes.

From there she moved to Nahtha, a neighbourhood dominated by the Iman University, a school teaching fundamentalist Islam established by Sheikh Abdel Majed Zindani, Yemen's most powerful cleric and a former mentor of Osama bin Laden.

Abdulmutallab attended lectures at Iman and met Anwar Awlaki, a US-born Yemeni cleric considered by US intelligence to be a leading AQAP recruiter.

The cleric's alleged connections to Abdulmutallab, and the Fort Hood shootings and Times Square bomb prompted President Barack Obama to issue an order for US forces to kill him on sight.

Giddens's Australian passport was cancelled in April because the Australian intelligence service believed she posed a security threat and had "an extremist interpretation of Islam", Barman said.

He said the authorities had not allowed Giddens's children, Omar, seven, and Aminah, five, to leave their house. Neighbours were passing the children food until recently when an Australian woman was allowed in to look after them, he said.

News of the arrest came as al-Qaida threatened to kidnap Saudi princes and ministers to secure the release of a female member held by Saudi authorities. The threat was made in an audiotape by Saeed al-Shehri, a former inmate of Guantánamo Bay, al-Arabiya TV reported.

Haylah al-Qassir, responsible for recruiting women to the group, was one of 113 suspects arrested by the Saudis in March after allegedly planning attacks on oil and security installations.

"Al-Qaida is organising cells to kidnap … princes, ministers and officials including military commanders," said Shehri.

Al-Qaida's online magazine used Qassir's codename, Umm Rabab, and described her as the widow of a fighter killed several years ago. It was the first time the group had acknowledged she was a member. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was formed from a merger between the Saudi and Yemeni branches of Osama Bin Laden's group. Last summer an Aqap suicide bomber posing as a repentant militant tried to kill Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who heads Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign,

[buglerbilly]

Anwar al-Awlaki: MI5 warns of the al-Qaeda preacher targeting Britain

Young British Muslims are being groomed to carry out terrorist attacks in this country by Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical al-Qaeda preacher based in the Middle East, it can be disclosed.

By Duncan Gardham and Con Coughlin

Published: 10:12PM BST 11 Jun 2010


Anwar al-Awlaki has 'cemented his position as one of the leading English-speaking jihadi ideologues' Photo: AP

The security services fear that a new generation of British extremists is being radicalised by Awlaki, who recruited the Detroit plane bomber. They are concerned that Awlaki’s followers could unleash a wave of easily planned guerrilla-style terrorist attacks, similar to the massacre in Mumbai.

Such small-scale attacks could be carried out cheaply by individuals with little terrorist training and without the need for the support of a large organisation.

'The British security services have become so worried about Awlaki’s rising influence that they have alerted ministers to their fears.

He is now regarded as one of the world’s most wanted terrorists.

A briefing paper, seen by The Daily Telegraph, has been circulated within government, warning that Awlaki has now “cemented his position as one of the leading English-speaking jihadi ideologues”. His growing influence was one of the factors that led to a raised terrorism alert level in Britain earlier this year.

Awlaki, who was born in America, but is of Yemeni descent, is in hiding in Yemen, where he also spent his teenage years. He has become the foremost influence on young radical Muslims across the world through his English language sermons delivered over the internet.

He said in a statement in March: “Isn’t it ironic that the two capitals of the war against Islam, Washington DC and London, have also become among the centres of Western Jihad [holy war]. Jihad is becoming as American as apple pie and as British as afternoon tea.”

His growing influence has also attracted young Britons to Yemen seeking to train as suicide bombers. It can be disclosed that at least one British Muslim has volunteered to be a suicide bomber in recent months after contacting Awlaki. MI5 and the police fear there could be more.

Authorities have rounded up Westerners studying at Arabic colleges in Sana’a, the capital, including at least two Britons who were later released.

Awlaki built up a base of extremist followers while living in London for two years until 2004, giving lectures at mosques, universities and closed study circles across the country, sources say.

He developed a following among terrorists and terrorist groomers, including the July 7 and July 21 bombers and the leader of the transatlantic airline bombers, it can also be disclosed. CDs of his sermons were found in the Iqra bookshop in Leeds — where the July 7 bombers held meetings — when it was raided in July 2005.

Mohammed Hamid, the recruiter of the failed July 21 bombers, attended his sermons, sources have told The Daily Telegraph.

His lectures were also found among the material seized from Aabid Hussain Khan, an international terrorist recruiter, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, in June 2006.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, the leader of the trans-Atlantic airline bombers arrested in August 2006, spoke of his admiration for Awlaki during his trial. Meanwhile, Rizwan Ditta, who sold terrorist texts in Halifax, West Yorkshire, had material from Awlaki on a computer at his home when he was arrested in December 2006.

Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in November, had asked for Awlaki’s advice in emails about a suicide attack. Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab, the failed Detroit bomber, contacted Awlaki over the internet. Awlaki put him in touch with al-Qaeda in Yemen, investigators say. Faisal Shahzad, who tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square, New York, last month, has told investigators he was also influenced by the preacher.

Awlaki has become such a significant threat that the SAS has been deployed to Yemen in a bid to hunt him down. President Obama has also signed orders allowing drone attacks and special forces ground attacks in pursuit of Awlaki, who holds US citizenship.

In the past few weeks al-Qaeda has released a 45-minute interview with him which has become a hit on YouTube. In the interview Awlaki appeared to admit involvement in 14 plots in the US, Canada and Britain.

A government analysis of YouTube last year found that Awlaki had 1,910 videos on the site, one of which had been viewed 164,420 times.

[buglerbilly]

GAO Gives Scathing Virtual Fence Review

June 18, 2010

Arizona Daily Star

The Department of Homeland Security's much-maligned border "virtual fence" took another thrashing Thursday from the federal government's investigative arm, further putting the program's future in doubt.

A Government Accountability Office official questioned the cost-effectiveness of the SBInet program that has been allocated about $1 billion over the past five years and has yet to produce a working system. The program has yet to demonstrate whether the time and money spent is a "prudent use of limited resources," said Randolph Hite of the Government Accountability Office in testimony before a House subcommittee.

The U.S. government shelled out at least $15.1 million per mile for 53 miles of "virtual fence" built to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. The outlay is more than 12 times the estimated cost.

The federal government set aside $833 million for the fence of cameras, sensors and other barriers in 2007, and most of that money, at least $800 million, has been spent on a sliver, in Arizona, of the nearly 2,000-mile (3220-kilometer) southern border. About $20.9 million has been used on the northern border.

The GAO has written several in-depth reports about the program since it was launched in 2006 detailing the ongoing technological glitches and delays. It was clear the program was in trouble within months of its start, Hite said.

"It's hard to redirect an iceberg once it's started moving in one direction, and that's what we've been faced with," Hite said.

Arizona has been the proving ground for the systems. A test system that cost $20.7 million went up in 2007 southwest of Tucson, flanking Sasabe. In the past two years, two systems have been constructed along 53 miles of border in southwestern Arizona. Those systems are not yet working.

Homeland Security officials said they understand the frustrations and reiterated the program's future depends on an ongoing reassessment they are conducting.

The assessment will tackle two questions, said Mark Borkowski, executive director of the Secure Border Initiative Program. First, "Is the SBInet system viable?" They'll evaluate that by completing the two systems in Arizona and seeing how they work and how much they cost to develop and maintain, he said.

The second question is, "Even if it works, is it worth it?" Borkowski said. They are comparing SBInet technology to other border security technologies for the answer, he said.

In March, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano froze future funds beyond work on the two Arizona systems and reallocated $50 million from stimulus funds to buy commercially available, stand-alone technology.

Napolitano has "long been concerned by SBInet's continued and repeated cost overruns and missed deadlines, and believes they raise fundamental questions about SBInet's viability and availability to meet the need for technology along the border," said DHS spokesman Matt Chandler in an e-mailed statement.

"Not only do we have an obligation to secure our borders, we have a responsibility to do so in the most cost-effective way possible -- which is why Secretary Napolitano has already taken action to address the GAO's recommendations," Chandler wrote.

Border Patrol agents have been using parts of the virtual fence system called "Tucson-1," along 23 miles flanking Sasabe, in limited capacity since February, according to testimony from DHS officials. Officials expect to turn the system over to the Border Patrol for testing in September.

The "Ajo-1" system along 30 miles near Ajo is partially constructed, and officials expect to conduct testing by the end of the calendar year, the testimony shows.

But the GAO said those dates should not be trusted.

"Milestones for the program have continued to be pushed out into the future," Hite said in the hearing. "As a result, we do not have any confidence that the most recent set of program milestones associated with accepting the system will be met."

The missed deadlines are just one of the many problems that have plagued the program, he said. The system's capability has continued to shrink, both geographically and in performance.

Systems that were once expected to cover three Border Patrol sectors, about 655 miles, have been scaled back to cover two sectors covering 387 miles. Performance measures have been relaxed to the point where now the system is deemed acceptable if it identifies 49 percent of items crossing the border, Hite said in testimony.

"As even my two daughters know, 49 percent is not even close to a passing grade," wrote subcommittee Chairman Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

DHS officials have not been able to reliably estimate the life-cycle cost of the two systems up in Arizona, called "Block 1," Hite said

"In effect DHS is saying it will have to invest more than $1 billion in SBInet before it will know if doing so is economically justified and cost-effective," he said.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has been questioning the money and time spent on the program for years.

"Four years and $1 billion later, we are still without the plan that was originally envisioned," the Mississippi Democrat said in a prepared statement. "To make matters worse, this was not our first opportunity to get this right."

Thompson was referring to previous high-tech border-security projects that have failed to meet expectations. Homeland Security and its precursors spent $429 million between 1998 and 2005 on border surveillance systems that were set off by the movement of animals, trains and wind, the department's office of inspector general reported in 2005.

"The third time, as they say, was supposed to be a charm," Thompson wrote. "Regrettably, the partnership between DHS and Boeing has produced more missed deadlines and excuses than results."

-- The Associated Press contributed to this article.
© Copyright 2010 Arizona Daily Star. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Border Drone Flights Suspended After Comms Breakdown

By Noah Shachtman June 18, 2010 | 10:23 am



For years, drone proponents have pestered the Federal Aviation Administration to let more robotic planes fly in American airspace. For years, the FAA has squirmed; they don’t want the drones wandering off-course over Cleveland, or smacking into a traditional airplane as it makes its way to O’Hare.

Incidents like this won’t help that comfort level: The first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying on a Texas-Mexico border security mission lost communications with its remote cockpit, leading to undisclosed “pilot deviation,” a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson tells the Brownsville Herald.

Since 2004, CBP has deployed unmanned surveillance planes, off and on, to watch the southern border. Under pressure from local congressmen and senators, the government started flying drone patrols over Texas on June 1 — only to have the first UAV drop its data link.

Communication breakdowns like this happen all the time when the military operates drones over Iraq and Afghanistan. But the safety standards are much tighter when those UAVs are flying over Texas and Arizona. The FAA and border patrol stopped drone flights for six days for “additional training” of CBP personnel. The remotely-piloted flights have now resumed.

Despite the glitches, the drones may actually be some of the more reliable surveillance technology deployed to the border. Spending on the star-crossed, $2.5 billion effort to build a sensor-packed virtual fence has been frozen since March, pending the result of an internal investigation. The program’s director told Congress earlier in the week that the “fence” might be dropped altogether.

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/border-drone-breaks-comms-with-pilot-flights-suspended/#more-26213#ixzz0rGE6SXfb

[buglerbilly]

Obama administration announces new border security measures


The "border is as secure now as it has ever been," Homeland Security's Napolitano said. (Patrick Semansky/associated Press)

By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will station an aerial drone in Texas as part of its stepped-up surveillance of criminal trafficking along the Mexican border.

Federal authorities also have signed an agreement to allow local police from non-border communities to temporarily "deploy" to the border region to assist with security, said Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"Our Southwest border states have endured more than their share of challenges," said Napolitano, a former Arizona governor. "I share the frustration border communities feel."

In a speech at a Washington think tank, Napolitano laid out the case that the "border is as secure now as it has ever been."

She also said that some "are looking to score political points" by depicting the border as far more dangerous than it really is. "The numbers tell the story, and they do not lie," she said.

Even as killings have increased in Mexico, violent crime is down along the U.S. side of the border, she said. At the same time, seizures of illegal weapons, drugs and cash have risen.

Nevertheless, Napolitano acknowledged that more can be done. On Tuesday, President Obama asked Congress for $500 million in emergency border security, including two more aerial drones and 1,000 more Border Patrol officers to join 1,200 National Guard troops heading to the region.

Many of the steps Napolitano outlined have long been advocated by Texas Republicans -- and created a side dispute over Obama's choice for the No. 2 position at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) had pressed for months for a pilotless drone, and when it was slow in coming, Cornyn blocked Senate confirmation of Michael Huerta to be deputy director of the FAA.

On Wednesday, after learning that the agency had given its approval for the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, to operate in Texas, Cornyn said he would allow a vote on Huerta.

"While the approval process should not have taken this long, I'm pleased to see the FAA moving forward," he said. "The FAA needs to implement a system that will reflect the great importance of border security as well as the growing significance of UAVs in homeland security and national defense."

Unmanned aircraft are used routinely in Iraq and Afghanistan and also patrol much of the Arizona border, using sensors to pinpoint trafficking activity. The vehicle being stationed in Texas has the ability to fly for 20 hours. It will arrive at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi this summer.

Later this month, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), who recently signed into law tough new state controls on immigration, will meet with administration officials for the second time.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

The Era of Domestic U.S. UAVs is Dawning

Posted by Michael Bruno at 6/24/2010 10:19 AM CDT

It was the U.S. Army's interest in the Wright Flyer as a military system 111 years ago that helped touch off the modern aerospace and defense sector as we know it, and now it may be the Homeland Security Department's "interest" in unmanned aircraft for border security that could sweep in the era of domestic remotely piloted vehicles for all kinds of applications.


Thus far, a Lone Ranger, but partners are sure to come.

Yesterday DHS let known its Customs and Border Protection agency obtained approval from the FAA for a certificate of authorization that will allow CBP Predator B flights along the Texas border with Mexico, and throughout the Gulf Coast. CBP will base a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator B at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas, "as soon as all necessary agreements and resources are finalized to sustain a permanent UAS presence there."

The news came as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made a speech asserting the Obama administration's stepped-up border security measures. Indeed, according to this Washington Post article, as killings have increased in Mexico, violent crime is down along the U.S. side of the border. At the same time, seizures of illegal weapons, drugs and cash have risen. But more can be done, she acknowledged.

And the Texas delegation in Washington wanted more done - ASAP. Republican Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn had openly advocated for FAA permission of Predator flights in Texan skies for months. When FAA approval was slow in coming, Cornyn blocked Senate confirmation of Michael Huerta to be deputy director of the FAA. On Wednesday, after learning that the agency had given its approval for the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, to operate in Texas, Cornyn said he would allow a vote on Huerta.

The debate about unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies, of course, is only growing. In the latest issue of Aviation Week's BCA magazine, David Esler has an encyclopedic report on the issue as it stands now. The Texan push for CBP Predators seems to me to be the first of many forced entries into domestic skies as needs and desires overwhelm apprehensions.

For now, CBP operates five Predator Bs. Three are assigned to the southwest border, operating from the U.S. Army’s Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Two Predator Bs are assigned to the northern border, based in Grand Forks AFB, N.D. CBP and the Coast Guard also are testing a prototype maritime Predator B, known as Guardian.

Guardian was modified from a standard Predator B with structural, avionics, and communications enhancements, as well as the addition of a Raytheon SeaVue Marine Search Radar and an electrooptical/infrared sensor that is optimized for maritime operations, according to CBP.

The air and marine division of CBP is one of the largest non-military security forces of its kind in the world. The Coast Guard - the fifth, DHS-based U.S. armed service - has dreams of its own fleet of UAVs too, which means the paramilitary fleet of unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies likely will only increase, and sooner rather than later.

[buglerbilly]

Israel Aerospace Industries to Present a Variety of Systems for Homeland Security Missions at Security Israel, Opening Today

(Source: Israel Aerospace Industries; issued June 29, 2010)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is exhibiting a wide variety of products and solutions to address the challenges of homeland security (HLS) at "Security Israel", the 24th international homeland security exhibition, taking place this year at the Tel Aviv Convention Center (June 29th – July 1st). The show will display IAI's proven technological capabilities with systems such as situation rooms and command and control stations, sensors, a real time image intelligence center, observation systems, and more.

This year's exhibition will focus on the topics of Safe City, Homeland Security (HLS),and safety and defense technologies. These topics will include challenges such as preventing violence and urban crime, the fight against terror, city policing, critical assets protection, crisis and large-scale disaster management, periphery defense systems, and more.

IAI's extensive experience in projects of national and international scale makes it a key player in the HLS and Safe City markets worldwide. Command and control systems and situation rooms such as the Unified Information Center (UIC), and the Routine and Emergency Management Operational System (REMOS) are in successful operational use in Israel and abroad. These systems allow for the transfer of data in real time, thus ensuring rapid solutions for the effective management of complex events in a dense, dynamic environment.

IAI develops, manufactures, and markets systems that provide total solutions to complete HLS missions. Some of these systems will be exhibited at the show, including:

-- EL/S 8994, Real Time Intelligence Center, which collects and organizes multi-layered image intelligence, using sensors such electro-optic, infra red and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). After the data has been collected, the system places it on a geographical map, allowing for the targets to be located using advanced technologies and computerized tools. The intelligence reports produced by the system are sent to decision-makers in the field or at headquarters.

-- Multi-Sensor Intelligence and Surveillance System (MSISS) is used to create a ground battlefield picture using intelligence gathered from a variety of sensors: motion detection radars, day/night ground electro-optic observation systems, aerostats, unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and phased array and acoustic sensors. MSISS processes all the data fed into the system and sends intelligence reports to commanders. The reports play a key role in helping to make informed, effective decisions about conducting missions in the relevant arena.

-- Combo pole (EL/I 3385) static ground observation system is used primarily to protect facilities. The system combines remote control sensors such short and medium range motion detection radar, electro-optic observation systems for night vision, video cameras,and communication systems. Data gathered by those sensors is sent to the command and control station. The system helps locate threats in the field, informs law enforcement officials, and ensures neutralization of the threat.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Muslim cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi is linked to Christmas Day bomb attempt

By Greg Miller and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers

Thursday, July 1, 2010

A radical Muslim cleric who was born in the United States and resides in Yemen "had a direct operational role" in the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said Wednesday.

The remark by Michael E. Leiter, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is the most specific assertion so far regarding Anwar al-Aulaqi's involvement in the failed plot, which allegedly employed a would-be suicide bomber who is accused of boarding the flight with explosives in his underwear.

Defending the Obama administration's decision to authorize the CIA and the military to kill Aulaqi, Leiter told the Aspen Institute's homeland security forum that the attack could have killed more than 300 people and that "it would be irresponsible not to think about directing all elements of national power to protect the American people."

U.S. officials had previously said that Aulaqi was linked to the attempt, but they had not specified his role.

A second U.S. official said that American intelligence services say Aulaqi provided the key link between the would-be bomber and those who trained him.

"We think Aulaqi helped put [Umar Farouk] Abdulmutallab in touch with the plotters and trainers of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula," the official said, referring to a regional affiliate of the main al-Qaeda organization. "He's more than a propagandist. He's an operational figure, a terrorist who lent his hands to attacks on the United States."

Abdulmutallab, the son of a Nigerian banker, was detained in Detroit after being subdued by other passengers as he allegedly tried to detonate the bomb. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that include attempting to kill the passengers on the plane.

Aulaqi has emerged as an eloquent and unapologetic advocate of violence against the West. His online sermons attract wide international audiences and are a source of particular concern to U.S. authorities because they are delivered in English.

Aulaqi also exchanged e-mails with the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Tex., in November. Before leaving the United States, Aulaqi preached at mosques in California and Virginia, apparently coming into contact with at least two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers.

U.S. intelligence officials believe that Aulaqi is increasingly involved in the operations of al-Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen, acting as a recruiter and facilitator who has a deep familiarity with U.S. cities and society. He is not, however, thought to have the skills to lead operations or build a bomb.

The al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen placed a banner on jihadist Web sites this week advertising what it called a new English-language magazine. The online publication is to be called "Inspire" and includes an interview with Aulaqi.

Hsu reported from Aspen, Colo.

[buglerbilly]

Alleged Al-Qaida Plotter Held in UK

July 07, 2010

Associated Press

LONDON - Police in Britain on Wednesday arrested the alleged ringleader of an al-Qaida bomb plot after the United States issued a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges.

The Metropolitan Police said 24-year-old Pakistani national Abid Naseer was detained Wednesday in northeast England at the request of the U.S. government.

He was due to appear at London's City of Westminster Magistrates Court.

The force said Naseer is wanted in the United States on charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiring to provide such support and "conspiracy to use destructive force."

Naseer was among 12 people arrested last year in raids across northern England. All were released without charge, but authorities insisted they had thwarted a major al-Qaida plot to conduct a bombing in the region.

In May a British judge labeled Naseer an al-Qaida operative, but said he could not be deported to Pakistan because of the likelihood he would be mistreated.

Authorities did not release details of the alleged 2009 plot, but said they thought the gang was plotting a "mass casualty" attack in northern England.

At the May hearing, judge John Mitting said the case rested on a series of e-mails exchanged between Naseer and an e-mail account used in Pakistan by an al-Qaida-linked terrorist. Police said the messages were a veiled discussion about explosives, but Naseer denies that.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Three arrested in Norway bomb plot

July 8, 2010 - 6:34PM

Three suspected al-Qaeda members are under arrest in what Norwegian and US officials say was a bombing plot linked to similar plans in New York and England.

US and Norway had been watching the three men for more than a year and say they planned a bombing similar to the one thwarted in the New York subway system last year.

US Attorney General Eric Holder has called that one of the most serious terrorist plots since 9/11.

On Wednesday, US prosecutors revealed the existence of a related plot in England.

The Norwegian Police Security Service says only that the three were arrested on suspicion of "preparing terror activities". A news conference was planned for later on Thursday.

Other officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the case.

© 2010 AP

[buglerbilly]

US accuses top Al-Qaeda leaders in NY bomb plot

SEBASTIAN SMITH

July 8, 2010 - 4:54PM

US prosecutors named top Al-Qaeda leaders in an alleged attempt to bomb New York's subway, saying their failed plot was part of a Pakistan-based campaign against US and British cities.

The indictment dramatically broadened the case in which Afghan immigrant and Colorado resident Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to set off explosions in the metro system in 2009.

"The charges reveal that the plot... was directed by senior Al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan and was also directly related to a scheme by Al-Qaeda plotters in Pakistan to use Western operatives to attack a target in the United Kingdom," the Department of Justice said in a statement.

At a time of growing "homegrown" terrorism incidents, the indictments underlined the US view that ruthless foreign-based Al-Qaeda groups, rather than a rag-tag and amateurish collection of US residents, are the main threat.

The indictment unsealed in a New York federal court charged five people and made clear that Zazi was not only inspired, but also directed by Pakistani-based Al-Qaeda groups.

Most prominent among the accused is Saudi-born Adnan El Shukrijumah, charged with being one of three "leaders of Al-Qaeda's 'external operations' program dedicated to terrorist attacks in the United States and other Western countries."

The justice department claims that all three of those leaders "organized" the Zazi plot, even if only El Shukrijumah is charged.

Also charged is a man identified only as Ahmad, who allegedly was the "facilitator" keeping in touch with Zazi, a former Denver Airport shuttle driver, by email.

El Shukrijumah is accused of recruiting Zazi and two other men -- one who has pleaded guilty and one who is in US custody but has not yet been tried -- between September-December 2008.

They were to "conduct suicide bombings in New York City using improvised explosive devices made from supplies such as hydrogen peroxide, acetone, flour and oil."

Ahmad then oversaw the preparations, the indictment alleges.

In a chilling final email just before leaving on his failed mission to New York from Colorado, Zazi allegedly wrote to Ahmad, using code, that his deadly plot was primed. "The marriage is ready," he allegedly wrote.

All the men charged in the indictment face life in prison if found guilty. However, El Shukrijumah remains at large, according to the justice department, with a five million dollar reward on his head, while Ahmad's status was not immediately clear.

Further broadening the allegations, the indictment links Ahmad to an alleged bombing plot in Britain.

Ahmad was similarly communicating by email on behalf of the Al-Qaeda leadership with Abid Naseer and Tariq Ur Rehman, two men detained in Britain in 2009 on suspicion of planning a bomb plot in the northeastern city of Manchester.

In their communications they also used the same code, the justice department says, referring to a "large 'wedding' for numerous guests between April 15 and 20, 2009, and that 'Ahmad' should be ready."

Both Naseer, who was arrested Wednesday by British police following a US extradition request, and Rehman, who is not in custody, are named in the indictment.

The fifth man named in the indictment is Adis Medunjanin, an associate of Zazi who is awaiting trial in New York.

The new charges "underscore the global nature of the terrorist threat we face," said prosecutor David Kris.

"They further reflect the effectiveness of mutual investigations and cooperation with our global partners in disrupting terrorism threats," added Kris, assistant attorney general for national security at the Department of Justice.

Last month a Pakistani-American, Faisal Shahzad, pleaded guilty in a New York federal court to attempting to set off a car bomb in the city's teeming Times Square.

He said he was acting in vengeance for US military assaults in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Zazi also said he was "sacrifice" himself "to draw the attention to what he said were US crimes in Afghanistan."

He pleaded guilty in February to the three charges of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support to the Al-Qaeda Islamist network.

He told the federal court in Brooklyn that his plans to blow up New York targets just after the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks included "mortal operations" in the underground train system.

© 2010 AFP

[buglerbilly]

Abu Hamza extradition halted by EU judges

Human rights judges have ordered a halt to the extraditions of Babar Ahmad and radical preacher Abu Hamza, both wanted in the US on terror charges.

Published: 10:19AM BST 08 Jul 2010


Abu Hamza is wanted in the US on terror charges Photo: PA

The quicker the EU self-implodes the better so that crass stupidity like this can be terminated............:cuckoo

The Strasbourg court said it wanted more time to examine possible human rights breaches if the men face trial on charges which could mean life sentences without parole.

Ahmad, a 36-year old computer expert, has been in a UK prison without trial for nearly six years, refused bail since his arrest in August 2004 on a US extradition warrant.

Radical preacher Hamza is also wanted on terror charges in the US.

Both appealed separately to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds that their treatment and potential punishment could violate Human Rights Convention provisions on the ''prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment''.

The appeal prompted a stay of extradition proceedings pending today's verdict, which further postponed a final decision.

The ruling gives the UK Government until September 2 to submit observations and declares: ''The (Human Rights) Court decided to prolong, until further notice, the interim measures it had adopted indicating to the UK Government that it was in the interests of the proper conduct of the proceedings that the applicants should not be extradited while the cases were being examined by the court''.

Two other British nationals wanted in the US - Haroon Rashid Aswat and Seyla Talha Ahsan - have also been granted more time before extradition warrants can be carried out.

All four men were described by the Human Rights Court today as "alleged international terrorists", indicted on various charges.

The judges dismissed claims that US trial procedures would amount to a denial of justice, or that any of the four would be designated as "enemy combatants" and therefore exposed to a possible death penalty if convicted.

However, said today's ruling, there was a real risk that, in the case of "post-trial detention", Mr Ahmad, Mr Aswat and Mr Ahsan would be held at a "supermax" jail, - the US Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum, Florence, Colorado - known for short as "ADX Florence".

That raised concerns about breaches of Human Rights Code Article 3 on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment:

"Their complaints under Article 3 concerning the stringency of conditions there for what could be the rest of their lives (raises) serious questions of fact and law of such complexity that the Court (has) to examine them on their merits," said the judges.

In the case of Abu Hamza, however, the complaint about ADX Florence did not apply, "as he would at most risk spending a short period of time there and only until such time as his state of health was assessed".

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We note that the European Court of Human Rights has decided that all the applications are partly admissible.

"We await the Court's judgment on the case. In the meantime these individuals will remain in custody."

All four were charged by the US between 2004 and 2006 and remain in UK jails pending extradition.

Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of providing support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, maim or injure people and damage property in a foreign country.

Egyptian-born Abu Hamza is wanted in connection with 11 charges related to taking 16 hostages in Yemen in 1998, promoting violent jihad in Afghanistan in 2001 and conspiring to set up a jihad training camp in Oregon, America. Aswat is accused of conspiring with Abu Hamza to establish the camp.

The Human Rights judges rejected their claims that America would renege on diplomatic assurances that the four men would get fair trials, and would not be designated "enemy combatants" if found guilty.

The judges said there was no reason to believe that the US would breach the terms of the assurances, and there was therefore no risk of their trials amounting to "a flagrant denial of justice". Neither would any of the four be named as enemy combatants, nor would they be "subject to extraordinary rendition".

But the concerns about the "supermax" prison ADX Florence remained regarding three of the men, and all four were covered by another question the Human Rights judges wanted to consider further - does the Eight Amendment to the US Constitution (prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishment") give the equivalent protection to Article 3 of the European Human Rights Convention?

The judgment concluded: "The (UK) Government has been asked to submit observations by September 2. The applicants will then be given an opportunity to respond to those observations, after which the Government will be invited to submit its final observations in reply. The Court will then give its judgment."

[buglerbilly]

New York-Manchester bomb plot leads to Norwegian arrests as international net widens

Three suspected al-Qaeda terrorists have been arrested by Norwegian and German police following an investigation into an alleged plot to blow up shopping centres in Manchester and the subway in New York.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

Published: 8:14PM BST 08 Jul 2010


Abid Naseer

The three men, whose names were not released, had been under surveillance for more than a year.

Officials said the men were attempting to make hydrogen peroxide bombs, the same type of homemade bomb allegedly planned in Manchester and New York.

The Norwegian national prosecutor, Jan Glent, told a press conference the three had been "charged with having entered into a partnership to commit a terrorist act."

"We consider this case very serious," he said. "We also think they have links to al-Qaeda and to similar attempts [at terrorist attacks] in New York and Manchester."

In Britain on Wednesday police arrested a Pakistani student after US investigators claimed he was linked to the New York plot.

Abid Naseer was said to have the same materials as an al-Qaeda cell planning suicide bomb attacks on the New York Metro and to have been in touch with the same senior al-Qaeda commanders.

He had previously been arrested as the alleged leader of a cell planning to blow up shopping centres in Manchester but released for lack of evidence. Attempts to deport him to Pakistan had failed on human rights grounds.

The alleged leader of the third plot is a 39-year-old Norwegian of Chinese Uighur origin, was arrested in Norway where he arrived as a refugee in 1999 and became a citizen three years ago.

Also arrested in Norway was a 31-year-old Uzbek citizen who had a permanent Norwegian residency permit and had arrived in the country in 2002.

The man arrested in Germany was a 37-year-old Iraqi Kurd with a Norwegian residency permit who had also lived in Norway since 1999.

Janne Kristiansen, head of Norway's Police Security Service (PST), did not say where the arrests took place but said all three men "had connections to Oslo."

The three men were reportedly members of the Turkistan Islamic Party, a Uighur separatist group based in Pakistan. The Uighur suspect was said to have visited the Waziristan region of Pakistan in the past two years and made contact with al-Qaeda.

British, US and Norwegian counterterrorism officials worked closely together to unravel the plots and Kristiansen traveled to the US in the spring to discuss the intelligence gathered.

Stuart Levery, the US Treasury's under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the US had provided Norwegian investigators with banking data from their Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme.

The plots were allegedly organised by Saleh al-Somali, al-Qaeda's former head of external operations, and by Rashid Rauf, the British al-Qaeda commander. Both men were killed in separate CIA drone strikes.

A third senior figure, Adnan el-Shukrijumah, known as “Hamad”, a 34-year-old Saudi citizen with a $5m price on his head from the FBI, remains at large.

Two members of the US cell, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay have pleaded guilty to planning to conduct suicide bombings in New York using improvised explosive devices and a third is awaiting trial.

Another man, Tariq ur-Rehman, who returned to Pakistan from Britain after he was released from custody, was allegedly recruited at the same time. He has not been arrested.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, described the events as "the most serious arrests of this kind that have ever been made in Norway.”

“The threat level in Norway is gradually becoming more like the one seen in countries that have been targeted by terror,” he added.

Al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, has called for attacks on Norway, possibly because it has 500 troops in Afghanistan or because its papers republished versions of the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

The PST said there were no plans to extradite the men to another country.

[buglerbilly]

IF I ever got to Khazakstahn I'm NOT getting on a bus, any bus..............



Video: Kazak military prepares for bus fare increase

July 12th, 2010 | video | Posted by Rob Curtis

Here’s a video showing how to train. Hard. The unit doesn’t appear to flinch after a little drama is added to their training display.

It’s clearly a show, but are the Kazaks trying to kill or capture the occupants of that bus? More importantly, who measured the line charge being used by the assaulter and what Gulag did they send him to?

[buglerbilly]

Two Sentenced in Plot to Kill Soldiers

July 13, 2010

Associated Press



TOLEDO, Ohio -- Two cousins from the Chicago area who admitted they wanted to kill American Soldiers in Iraq as part of a plot centered in Ohio were sentenced to prison terms of several years Monday.

Both men apologized in federal court, saying they became misguided after the U.S.-led invasion overseas.

"I was caught up with the fervor of world events," said Zubair Ahmed. "At that time, I was looking at U.S. troops as my enemy."

U.S. District Judge James Carr sentenced Ahmed, of suburban North Chicago, to 10 years, and his cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, of Chicago, to eight years, four months.

Both pleaded guilty in January 2009 to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

Prosecutors said that the men were in their early 20s when they traveled to Egypt in 2004 with plans to kill U.S. troops, but that they were stopped and returned to the U.S. by Zubair Ahmed's father, who had found out about their plans. Investigators said the cousins wanted to go to Pakistan but did not have a concrete plan.

After returning home, they became involved with three men from the Toledo area who were convicted in 2008 of recruiting terrorists and raising money to fund their plans to wage a holy war against U.S. troops.

The Ahmed cousins also met met with an FBI informant and talked about learning to shoot machine guns and sniper rifles.

Assistant U.S. attorney Justin Herdman said the pair had a five-year plan to train for a violent jihad, or holy war.

He said they also had connections with an Atlanta man who is now in prison for plotting to aid terrorists by sending homemade videos of Washington landmarks overseas.

Zubair Ahmed had several conversations with Syed Haris Ahmed, who was sentenced last December to 13 years in prison on a charge of conspiring to support terrorist groups, Herdman said.

Attorneys for both Zubair and Khaleel Ahmed said they were not actively planning or training to kill American Soldiers overseas.

"They were naive," said attorney Terry Gilbert. "Beyond that trip to Egypt, nothing ever really materialized."

But the judge noted that both men also met the informant and discussed shooting weapons.

"You can think what you want about this country," Carr said. "But you can't follow up and take action."

The two men were arrested in February, months after the three men in Ohio were accused of plotting attacks.

Prosecutors said that Marwan El-Hindi, of Toledo, recruited the cousins in 2004 to join his cell there and that they all met at a Muslim convention in Cleveland with a former U.S. military man who worked undercover and helped foil the plot.

During the trial of the three Ohio men, the military veteran who secretly taped conversations with the men testified that they talked several times about the two from Chicago. According to the recordings, El-Hindi said the two cousins were eager to receive "jihad training."

But he also said that the two were naive and that they should not go anywhere because they thought shooting guns was like playing a video game.

"They are like kids," El-Hindi said. "They're like a piece of clay."

Zubair Ahmed, born in Chicago, said that six years ago he couldn't reconcile being both a Muslim and U.S. citizen.

The Indian-born Khaleel Ahmed, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, told the judge that he isn't a violent person and that he has changed.

Zubair Ahmed received a harsher sentence because he was more actively involved in the planning and because of his frequent contact with Syed Haris Ahmed, Carr said. Neither of the cousins is related to the Atlanta man.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Hacking the Electric Grid? You and What Army?

By Michael Tanji July 13, 2010 | 2:00 pm



Grid-hacking is back in the news, with the unveiling of “Perfect Citizen,” the National Security Agency’s creepily named effort to protect the networks of electrical companies and nuclear power plants.

People have claimed in the past to be able to turn off the internet, there are reports of foreign penetrations into government systems, “proof” of foreign interest in attacking U.S. critical infrastructure based on studies, and concerns about adversary capabilities based on allegations of successful critical infrastructure attacks. Which begs the question: If it’s so easy to turn off the lights using your laptop, how come it doesn’t happen more often?

The fact of the matter is that it isn’t easy to do any of these things. Your average power grid or drinking-water system isn’t analogous to a PC or even to a corporate network. The complexity of such systems, and the use of proprietary operating systems and applications that are not readily available for study by your average hacker, make the development of exploits for any uncovered vulnerabilities much more difficult than using Metasploit.

To start, these systems are rarely connected directly to the public internet. And that makes gaining access to grid-controlling networks a challenge for all but the most dedicated, motivated and skilled — nation-states, in other words.

Let’s pretend for a moment that hackers were planning to attack the United States. What would they need to do to gather enough information necessary to take out the electrical power in key parts of the country? They don’t want to fiddle at the edges, mind you. They want to have enough data to build the technical capability necessary to shut out the lights in Washington or New York or California at precisely the time and for exactly the duration they want.

For starters, they would need to know things like: Where are the power plants? What kind of plants are they? What sort of fuel do they use? Who built them and when? What sort of materials and technology were used when they were built? Who manufactured the generators, turbines and other key equipment? Whose SCADA software are they running? Who runs the plants? How does fuel, people, supplies get into or out of the plant? What sort of security do they have? And perhaps most importantly: Which plants supply power to which parts of the country?

Where to begin? Even in places like the United States, where there isn’t much you cannot find online, you’re not going to be able to get the depth and detail you need to turn off the lights with a simple network connection. You’re going to have to deploy national-level resources:

* HUMINT (human intelligence, aka spies) to collect both open and private (though not necessarily classified) material about plant construction and operation. In the United States, we’re pretty good at announcing who won a contract to do what. In less open societies, it is going to take time to identify who is most likely to have the information you need and then more time to try and figure out the best way to get them to provide that information to you (if they’ll do it at all).

* IMINT (imagery intelligence, aka satellite or aerial pictures) to help analysts and engineers determine what sort of plant it is, give some idea as to where its various components may be located, the number of people it takes to run it, etc.

* SIGINT (signals intelligence, aka intercepted communications) to pick up key words, terms and conversations by those who built or are building the plant, who are working at the plant, who provide supplies and transport workers to the plant, to hear what local media and officials are saying about plant operations, reliability, etc.

* MASINT (measurement and signature intelligence) to gauge from afar things like temperature, magnetic fields, vibrations, exhaust and other meaningful emanations. These can be used to help determine what is likely to be happening behind walls that a human source might not be able to reach (or understand), and to help confirm (or dispute) what other intelligence sources report.

The point being: A purely online approach is simply not going to provide you with the type and volume of information you are going to need to accomplish your mission. Which is why, if you are trying to deny an adversary access to such information, you need organizations like the NSA (and others in the intelligence community) involved. These are the sorts of missions they are supposed to be undertaking: defending us against national-level threats. Sending forth agents to “spy out the land” costs money, takes people, requires logistics, takes time; all things that can be detected and exploited no matter how “cyber” some portions of the effort may be.

The real problem with Perfect Citizen is not in its goals, but in its sponsor. Intelligence agencies do some amazing things, but intelligence-involvement in civilian systems is a bad idea for many reasons. The head of NSA said as much just last year; of course that was before he put two hats as both the Director of NSA and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. The argument that the NSA is the perfect place for such a program because of the skills of its employees is certainly compelling, but it does nothing to overcome the fact that NSA is predominantly an intelligence agency. We have a Cyber Command now, and a Cabinet-level Department charged with protecting the Homeland, which allegedly has its own cybersecurity capabilities and responsibilities.

True, Perfect Citizen could rightfully fall into the bucket of responsibilities of NSA’s defensive mission, but as argued recently, you cannot convince most people that the left and right hands of the agency are not working together, and that’s a problem if you are into things like liberty and freedom from unnecessary government intrusion and such. Having worked at the NSA and for related organizations, I know perfectly well how seriously agency employees take their responsibility to not “spy on Americans,” but I also know that in a panic, real or contrived, people will cave with the best of intentions.

If the government truly believes that we need a strong intelligence presence inside our critical infrastructure systems, they should consider taking some less expensive, less risky, and more practical steps:

* Use the federal government’s Intergovernmental Personnel Act program to shift grid-protecting expertise to DHS. The true measure of a government organization’s power is its ability to get the best talent on the job, on demand and by name. Anything else is just filling the ranks with “those who can be spared.”

* Get as many industry geeks security clearances so that information sharing is more equitable. Government is notoriously parsimonious when it comes to providing information of any value, while it simultaneously harps on industry to give more. Clearing the the bosses isn’t enough; if technical management cannot see for themselves what the real threats are, there is no hope for the implementation of practical solutions.

* Implement a simple, anonymous info-brokerage system to reduce the burden associated with providing information. It’ll also eliminate the public stigma and legal jeopardy (via shareholder or customer lawsuits) private sector organizations risk should word of vulnerabilities or breaches become public.

* Come up with a system of rewards for industry participation in data sharing and infrastructure security efforts. Two quick ideas: tax breaks for demonstrably improving IT security, and conditional relief from certain regulatory burdens for active, meaningful participation in sharing efforts.

Absent additional information, it is hard to determine the full extent of what Perfect Citizen will provide in the way of improved security or situational awareness of foreign threats. Longtime observers of government involvement in this business cannot help but think that we are listening to the echo of past historical failures in this area and ignoring new ideas and promising research that could produce meaningful solutions that don’t involve letting spooks in the wire.

Photo: NOAA

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/hacking-the-electric-grid-you-and-what-army/#more-27418#ixzz0tbhahw9M

[buglerbilly]

NSC Gets NRO Spy Charter

By Colin Clark Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 9:13 am

The technical name for it is a memorandum of agreement, but everyone who has ever paid attention to the issue calls the document in question the NRO charter.

That document has taken a crucial step, having been finalized for approval by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and, hopefully, the soon-to-be confirmed Jim Clapper, who will serve as Director of National Intelligence. The National Security Council received its copy last week.

For members of the intel community, the most important part of all this may not be that the document is moving to approval — though that matters much more than the coverage it is getting would seem to indicate — but that language in the draft was changed to “clarify” the extent of the NRO’s reach. Air Force and some Pentagon officials had opposed the early draft fearing that language about the NRO’s control of overhead reconnaissance could infringe on military control of spy assets.

The NSC does not need to approve the new document but we understand it is scrubbing the new charter to ensure it complies with both the classified and the public versions of the national space policy.

July 16 is the target date for all stakeholders to sign off on the memorandum. Since Clapper should move through the nomination process in the next month, that may clear the way for final approval by the end of August.

This would mark the first major changes to the NRO’s guiding document since 1965, changes lawmakers and senior space policy experts almost all agree are long overdue.

Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2010/07/14/nsc-gets-nro-spy-charter/#ixzz0tfRPlJsy

[buglerbilly]

Senate Finally Sets Intel Chief Hearing

July 14, 2010

Associated Press



WASHINGTON -- In a high-stakes national intelligence stare-down between congressional Democrats and the White House, Sen. Dianne Feinstein blinked.

Feinstein, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, ended weeks of delay Tuesday and set a confirmation hearing for President Obama's nomination of retired Air Force Gen. James T. Clapper to be the next director of national intelligence. The hearing was scheduled for July 20.

By doing so, Feinstein backed off from a threat to wait until a key piece of intelligence legislation passed the House before putting the confirmation process in motion.

Obama nominated Clapper, the head of intelligence for the Defense Department, six weeks ago after requesting that retired Adm. Dennis Blair step down. At the time, the president said he wanted a speedy confirmation.

But Feinstein and the top Republican on the committee, Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, used the pending hearing as a lever to expand intelligence reform. In a standard bit of quid pro quo negotiation with the White House, Feinstein wanted to see action first on last year's intelligence bill. The Senate has passed that bill, but it has languished in the House.

The holdup: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her ongoing negotiations with the White House to make the bill even stronger.

As it stands, the bill, according to congressional intelligence staff, takes a large step forward by setting up an independent inspector general who would oversee all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. The measure would be the first intelligence authorization act passed in several years.

After Pelosi had her own showdown with the CIA over waterboarding of terror suspects, she wants to add even more oversight to the bill. The CIA claims it briefed her in 2002 on waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning; she says it didn't.

Pelosi wants to make sure that, in the future, such briefings include the congressional intelligence committees and not just the senior leadership of Congress. The House version of the bill also would give the Government Accountability Office oversight of the nation's intelligence agencies.

Pelosi has held what she described as positive talks with Obama's national security adviser, Jim Jones, on getting the White House to sign off on those portions of the House bill before it's combined with the Senate version.

A Feinstein aide said Tuesday that the senator decided she could not risk delaying Clapper's nomination any longer because the acting director of national intelligence, David Gompert, is retiring at the end of the summer. The aide was authorized to speak on condition that he not be identified by name.

When Obama pointed out last month that the Senate had voted to confirm Clapper for senior positions on four separate occasions, he didn't note that Clapper also had earned a reputation for bringing a brusque and confrontational manner to the table. He is well-known for being blunt and not shying away from a fight.

Congressional staffers say Republicans have not ruled out putting a hold on the nomination depending on how Clapper responds to questions at the hearing next week. They were not authorized to speak publicly on that subject and requested anonymity.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

US-born radical Muslim cleric added to American terrorism blacklist

The US has added the American-born radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki to a terrorism blacklist, targeting him with sanctions aimed at cutting off his financial support.

Published: 12:08AM BST 17 Jul 2010


US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Photo: AP

The US Treasury Department placed al-Awlaki – accused by officials of helping plan the failed Christmas Day airline bombing – on its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

That means any bank accounts found in the United States belonging to him are frozen, Americans are forbidden from doing business with him, and he is banned from travelling to the US.

The move comes about six months after the U.S. government put al-Awlaki on a secret list of targets to be captured or killed, according to U.S. officials.

Born in New Mexico, al-Awlaki, 39, is not perceived by American officials as a major tactical terror leader. But his role as an inspirational exhorter for al-Qaeda's cause and his growing involvement in plots aimed at the US has made him a prime target in the effort to counter the militant movement.

The US government has been monitoring al-Awlaki for years. But the Treasury Department was able to slap the cleric with sanctions because officials established an operational link between him and an al-Qaeda spin-off group in Yemen, according to a government official who was not authorised to speak publicly about this matter and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

[buglerbilly]

Couple Guilty on Domestic Terror Charges

July 22, 2010

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A National Weather Service employee and his British-born wife pleaded guilty Wednesday to domestic terrorism charges of lying to the FBI about a hit list of possible targets who the couple suspected were enemies of Islam.

Paul Rockwood Jr. and his wife, Nadia Rockwood, of King Salmon, Alaska, were charged with lying about the list and making false statements about domestic terrorism during interviews with FBI agents in May.

The FBI alleged that the list had about 15 targets. Its contents were not made public, but officials said none of those targeted lived in Alaska.

Under a plea deal, Paul Rockwood, 35, who worked as a meteorological technician for the weather service, will get eight years in prison, the maximum allowed. His 36-year-old wife, who is five months pregnant, will be allowed to return to the United Kingdom and serve five years of probation there.

Neither was held in custody prior to the hearing.

U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline did not immediately sign off on the plea deal. He set sentencing for Aug. 23.

Prosecutors alleged that Paul Rockwood, also known as "Bilal," converted to Islam about a decade ago and began studying the teachings of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who has professed hatred for the United States and supports acts of terrorism.

According to court documents, Paul Rockwood converted to Islam in late 2001 or 2002, when the couple lived in Virginia.

"After his conversion, and while residing in Virginia, Rockwood became a strict adherent to the violent Jihad-promoting ideology of cleric Anwar al-Awlaki," documents said. "This included a personal conviction that it was his religious responsibility to exact revenge by death on anyone who desecrated Islam."

Federal authorities claimed Rockwood began researching and selecting possible targets for future execution by visiting websites. They alleged that after he moved to Alaska in 2006, he began researching explosive components, construction of remote triggering devices, such as cell phones, and construction of bombs to be delivered by common mail carriers.

Authorities said that in late 2009, he began discussing using mail bombs and possibly killing targets by gunshot to the head. They said that by early this year, he had formalized his list.

Prosecutors said he gave the list of targets to his wife in April, and she carried it with her on a trip to Anchorage, where the FBI obtained it. Officials did not disclose how the FBI got it or how they knew of its existence.

Nadia Rockwood admitted in court that she was aware that her husband wanted to seek revenge and knew the purpose of the list. But when questioned by authorities, she denied delivering the list and instead said it was a book or letter.

When the FBI interviewed her husband, he denied having created the list, its purpose or ever having had a list.

Rockwood will be held in custody until sentencing. Nadia Rockwood, who holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and the U.S., will be released to take care of the couple's 4-year-old child in Anchorage until her sentencing.

U.S. Attorney for Alaska Karen L. Loeffler said the domestic terrorism case was the first of its kind in Alaska.

"I'm comfortable this is a fair and good result," she said.

King Salmon is a small community of a few hundred people on the Alaska Peninsula.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

McCain Blocks Intel Director Nomination

August 03, 2010

Associated Press



WASHINGTON -- A spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain says the senator is blocking President Obama's nominee to be the director of national intelligence.

Spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan says the Arizona Republican has requested a specific report from retired Air Force Gen. James R. Clapper. Buchanan refused to provide details about the report but said it was not related to Clapper or his views.

Buchanan said McCain will continue to put a hold on Clapper's nomination until he provides the report.

The White House said it was "eager" to work with McCain, who lost a presidential bid to Obama, to answer questions not already discussed, "but we cannot accept further delay of this critical nomination."

"The Senate Intelligence Committee's unanimous approval of Mr. Clapper's nomination last week, after hours of testimony and countless documents were provided to the committee, is a testament to the fact that he is one of our nation's most experienced and respected intelligence professionals," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.

Obama nominated Clapper to succeed retired Adm. Dennis Blair to oversee the nation's 16 intelligence agencies.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Groups Challenge Order to Kill Awlaki

August 04, 2010

Agence France-Presse



Two civil rights groups filed a court challenge Tuesday saying the U.S. government illegally placed Yemeni-American Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki on a hit list and froze his assets.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights said in their petition that they are not even allowed to represent Awlaki because he has been named a "specially designated global terrorist" by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The U.S. government in July said Awlaki was a key leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, placing him on its list of terrorism supporters, freezing his financial assets and banning any transactions with him.

Back in April, a U.S. official said President Obama's administration had authorized the targeted killing of Awlaki, after American intelligence agencies concluded the cleric was directly involved in anti-U.S. plots.

Awlaki, now based in Yemen, rose to prominence last year after he was linked a U.S. Army major who shot dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight on Dec. 25.

The petition filed in federal court in Washington alleges that the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has refused to grant a license that would allow the groups to file a lawsuit challenging the government's use of lethal force.

It said the groups want to challenge "the government's asserted authority to use lethal force against U.S. citizens located far from any battlefield without charge, trial or judicial process of any kind."

The two organizations said they were retained in early July by Nasser al-Awlaki, the cleric's father, to bring a lawsuit over the alleged kill order from the CIA and the Defense Department.

"How does the government determine whether to put Americans on a kill list?" said Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU.

"The government is targeting an American citizen for death without any legal process whatsoever, while at the same time impeding lawyers from challenging that death sentence and the government's sweeping claim of authority to issue it," he said.

"This is a dual blow to some of our most precious liberties, and such an alarming denial of rights in any one case endangers the rights of all Americans. Attorneys shouldn't have to ask the government for permission in order to challenge the constitutionality of the government's conduct."

CCR's executive director Vince Warren said the U.S. government "is going outside the law to create an ever-larger global war zone and turn the whole world into a battlefield. Would we tolerate it if China or France secretly decided to execute their enemies inside the U.S.?"

The White House pushed back strongly against the accusations that the government was trampling on civil liberties.

"Let's be clear about Anwar al-Awlaki," spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Awlaki "is someone who has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, is a regional commander for that group in Yemen, has and continues to direct attacks there and, as we know, against innocent men, women and children in this country," Gibbs told reporters.

"And this president will take the steps necessary to keep our country safe from thugs like him."

© Copyright 2010 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

McCain Releases Hold on Clapper Nom

August 04, 2010

UPI

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has released his hold on James Clapper's nomination as national intelligence director, a McCain aide said Tuesday.

Brooke Buchanan, communications director for McCain, said in a statement released on the Arizona Republican's official website that the hold was lifted after receipt of a report McCain had first requested "nearly a year ago."

"This report confirms Senator McCain's longstanding concerns about the poor oversight and cost overruns in intelligence technology programs," Buchanan's statement said. "Senator McCain will continue to fight to ensure American taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and effectively to strengthen our national security."

Details of the report were not provided.

Clapper, a retired Air Force lieutenant general, received unanimous Senate Intelligence Committee approval last week for his nomination as director of national intelligence. But McCain's "hold" had threatened to keep President Obama's pick from being confirmed by the full Senate until after its August recess.

Clapper would succeed Dennis Blair, who resigned in May. The acting director, principal Deputy Director David Gompert, is to leave at the end of August.

Senate rules allow members to put "holds" on nominees or bills to signal they might filibuster a vote on the matter until their concerns are addressed.

© Copyright 2010 UPI. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Chicago Man Charged in Terrorism Plot

August 05, 2010

Chicago Tribune

A Chicago man was arrested on charges that he was about to travel overseas to fight alongside al-Qaida, possibly even to carry out a suicide bombing, federal authorities said Wednesday.

Shaker Masri, 26, a U.S. citizen who lived in a Gold Coast high-rise, was ordered held without bail by a federal judge as a danger and a flight risk.

A criminal complaint charged Masri with knowingly attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida and a second terrorist group based in Somalia and affiliated with al-Qaida.

An informant who played a key role in the investigation was instructed by the FBI to befriend Masri almost two years ago, according to the charges. Authorities didn't explain why Masri was targeted at that point.

Masri made coded references to his desire to carry out a suicide bombing overseas in secretly recorded telephone conversations with a love interest in London, the complaint stated.

On learning of Masri's intentions to become a martyr, the woman appeared to end their long-distance relationship, according to the charges.

"Do you know, like, how much this will affect me?" the undisclosed woman was quoted in the complaint as telling Masri last month. "Do you even realize?"

"Life is not worth living for me," Masri allegedly said moments later. "This is something beyond your control or my control."

Dressed in an orange federal jumpsuit and blue canvas sneakers, the long-bearded Masri gave brief responses to a number of questions posed Wednesday by Judge Geraldine Soat Brown during an appearance in federal court that lasted about 15 minutes. "Yeah, I do," he said when the judge asked if he understood the penalties he faced.

Authorities said Masri had been scheduled to fly out of Midway Airport for Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.

According to the complaint, the informant has assisted the FBI in counterterrorism efforts for almost three years. As of last month, he had been paid $40,000 to $45,000 for his help and expenses.

In the fall of 2008, FBI agents asked the informant to meet Masri, who was then working for a nonprofit organization that provided free English translations of the Quran to individuals throughout the United States. The informant met Masri at a book warehouse run by the foundation in Addison, and the two subsequently became friends, according to the charges.

In numerous recorded conversations with the informant, Masri advocated what authorities called "an extremist and violent interpretation of Islam."

Masri called America and Europe enemies of Islam and referred to suicide bombers as "martyrs," the complaint stated.

Just two weeks ago, Masri first told the informant of his "secret and dangerous" plans to travel to Afghanistan or Somalia to engage in jihadist fighting. He asked the informant to help him find a job so that he could earn enough money for airfare.

Masri told the informant he did not expect to live to the age of 30.

While the complaint details Masri's alleged commitment to join an armed insurgency, he often appears unprepared, frequently changing his travel plans and uncertain about how to proceed.

At one point, Masri asked the informant if he could receive firearms training in Mexico, explaining that he wanted to learn to shoot and kill, the complaint said.

Authorities believe Masri was working alone, hoping he would somehow link up with terrorist operatives once overseas, a source said.

The complaint stated that Masri last spoke with his love interest late last week, saying that he had found peace but wanted to stay a part of her life despite his quest for martyrdom.

"Don't start over again," she said in an apparent bid to not rekindle the relationship. "You already made it clear what you wanted."

"I know I did," Masri said.

© Copyright 2010 Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

U.S. charges 14 with giving support to Somali insurgent group

By Greg Miller
Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, August 6, 2010

Federal authorities unsealed terrorism-related charges Thursday against 14 people accused of providing funding and recruits to a militant group in Somalia with ties to al-Qaeda, part of an expanding U.S. effort to disrupt what Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called a "deadly pipeline" of money and fighters to al-Shabab.

It is the first time that the Justice Department has publicly revealed criminal charges against two U.S. citizens, Omar Hammami and Jehad Mostafa, who have risen through al-Shabab's ranks to become important field commanders for the organization.

The indictments were unsealed in Alabama, California and Minnesota, the latter being home to the largest Somali population in the United States.

In Minnesota, officials said, FBI agents arrested two women on Thursday on charges that included soliciting donations door-to-door for al-Shabab, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2008. The other 12 suspects were in Somalia or were otherwise at large.

The indictments "shed further light on a deadly pipeline that has routed funding and fighters to al-Shabab from cities across the United States," Holder said. "We are seeing an increasing number of individuals -- including U.S. citizens -- who have become captivated by extremist ideology and have taken steps to carry out terrorist objectives, either at home or abroad."

For years, al-Shabab was seen primarily as an insurgent group struggling to topple Somalia's weak government and to impose strict Islamic law. But the group's focus "has morphed over time," a senior FBI official said. Al-Shabab has attracted a growing number of foreign fighters to its camps and has demonstrated a new ability to export violence, and it has been praised by Osama bin Laden.

Last month, the group claimed responsibility for bombings in Uganda that killed at least 76 people. A State Department terrorism report released Thursday said al-Shabab and al-Qaeda "present a serious terrorist threat to American and allied interests throughout the Horn of Africa."

Holder said none of those charged is accused of plotting attacks against U.S. targets. Most are accused of sending money or signing up for a war aimed at ousting the U.S.-backed government in Mogadishu. Even so, al-Shabab's ties to al-Qaeda and its ability to tap support inside the United States have caused concern that the group could be used to carry out a domestic attack.

"What it reaffirms is that we do have a problem with domestic radicalization," said Frank J. Cilluffo, an official in the George W. Bush administration who heads the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.

The indictments follow the arrest last month of Zachary Adam Chesser, 20, of Fairfax County, who was detained in New York while attempting to depart for Africa. Authorities said he planned to join al-Shabab.

As part of a multiyear FBI investigation, 19 people have been charged in Minnesota with supporting al-Shabab. Nine have been arrested, including five who have pleaded guilty; the others are not in custody.

But the most significant figures indicted are the two Americans who have emerged as battle-tested leaders of al-Shabab.

Hammami, 26, is a native of Alabama and a key player in al-Shabab's efforts to recruit supporters in the United States and other Western nations, officials said. Hammami, who goes by Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, or "the American," appeared in a rap-themed video this spring that attracted widespread attention online.

"He has assumed an operational role in that organization," Holder said.

Like Anwar al-Aulaqi, the Muslim cleric in Yemen tied to recent terrorist plots, Hammami is seen as a "bridge figure" who uses his familiarity with U.S. culture to appeal to Western audiences. But Aulaqi is known primarily for his radical online sermons, whereas Hammami has earned credibility as a fighter in Somalia's civil war, counterterrorism experts said.

"This guy actually has operational experience," Cilluffo said. "He is one of the top jihadi pop stars."

Mostafa, 28, is also an increasingly important figure, officials said. A U.S. citizen and former resident of San Diego, Mostafa served as a top lieutenant to Saleh Nabhan, a senior al-Qaeda and al-Shabab operative killed in a U.S. military strike last year. Since then, Mostafa "is believed to have ascended to the inner circle of al-Shabab leadership," a U.S. counterterrorism official said.

Mostafa is believed to have met Aulaqi about a decade ago in San Diego, the official said, although it is unclear whether they have remained in contact.

The only suspects taken into custody were Amina Farah Ali, 33, and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, 63, both naturalized U.S. citizens from Somalia who resided in Rochester, Minn. The two women are accused of working with counterparts in Somalia to hold conference calls with Somali natives in Minnesota, urging them to "forget about" other charities and focus on "the Jihad," according to charges filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota.

The records indicate that the women collected more than $8,000 in donations since 2008. They routed the money to al-Shabab recipients in Somalia through "hawala" transfers widely used in Third World countries to move money and bypass traditional banks. Hassan is also accused of making false statements to the FBI; she had denied that she was involved in raising funds for al-Shabab.

Staff writer Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

New Al-Qaida Leader Knows US Well

August 06, 2010

Associated Press



MIAMI - A suspected al-Qaida operative who lived for more than 15 years in the U.S. has become chief of the terror network's global operations, the FBI says, marking the first time a leader so intimately familiar with American society has been placed in charge of planning attacks.

Adnan Shukrijumah, 35, has taken over a position once held by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was captured in 2003, Miami-based FBI counterterrorism agent Brian LeBlanc told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. That puts him in regular contact with al-Qaida's senior leadership, including Osama bin Laden, LeBlanc said.

Shukrijumah (SHOOK'-ree joohm-HAH') and two other leaders were part of an "external operations council" that designed and approved terrorism plots and recruits, but his two counterparts were killed in U.S. drone attacks, leaving Shukrijumah as the de facto chief and successor to Mohammed - his former boss.

"He's making operational decisions is the best way to put it," said LeBlanc, the FBI's lead Shukrijumah investigator. "He's looking at attacking the U.S. and other Western countries. Basically through attrition, he has become his old boss."

The FBI has been searching for Shukrijumah since 2003. He is thought to be the only al-Qaida leader to have once held permanent U.S. resident status, or a green card.

Shukrijumah was named earlier this year in a federal indictment as a conspirator in the case against three men accused of plotting suicide bomb attacks on New York's subway system in 2009. The indictment marked the first criminal charges against Shukrijumah, who previously had been sought only as a witness.

Shukrijumah is also suspected of playing a role in plotting of potential al-Qaida bomb attacks in Norway and a never-executed attack on subways in the United Kingdom, but LeBlanc said no direct link has yet emerged. Travel records and other evidence also indicate Shukrijumah did research and surveillance in spring 2001 for a never-attempted plot to disrupt commerce in the Panama Canal by sinking a freighter there, LeBlanc said.

Shukrijumah, who trained at al-Qaida's Afghanistan camps in the late 1990s, was labeled a "clear and present danger" to the U.S. in 2004 by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. The U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture and the FBI also is releasing an age-enhanced photo of what he may look like today.

It's natural he would focus on attacking on the U.S, LeBlanc said.

"He knows how the system works. He knows how to get a driver's license. He knows how to get a passport," LeBlanc said.

Shukrijumah's mother, Zurah Adbu Ahmed, said Thursday on the front stoop of her small home in suburban Miramar, Fla., that her son frequently talked about what he considered the excesses of American society - such as alcohol and drug abuse and women wearing skimpy clothes - but that he did not condone violence. She also said she has not had contact with her son for several years.

"This boy would never do evil stuff. He is not an evil person," she said. "He loved this country. He never had a problem with the United States."

LeBlanc said the new charges were brought after the New York subway bomb suspects identified him to investigators as their al-Qaida superior. The New York suspects provided other key information about his al-Qaida status.

"It was basically Adnan who convinced them to come back to the United States and do this attack," LeBlanc said. "His ability to manipulate someone like that and direct that, I think it speaks volumes."

Before turning to radical strains of Islam, Shukrijumah lived in Miramar with his mother and five siblings, excelling at computer science and chemistry courses while studying at community college. He had come to South Florida in 1995 when his father, a Muslim cleric and missionary trained in Saudi Arabia, decided to take a post at a Florida mosque after several years at a mosque in Brooklyn, N.Y.

At some point in the late 1990s, according to the FBI, Shukrijumah became convinced that he must participate in "jihad," or holy war, to fight perceived persecution against Muslims in places like Chechnya and Bosnia.

That led to training camps in Afghanistan, where he underwent basic and advanced training in the use of automatic weapons, explosives, battle tactics, surveillance and camouflage.

"What's dangerous about an individual that understands the U.S. is he may have a better sense of our security vulnerabilities and insights into how to terrify the American people using smaller attacks for large, political impact," said Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism research fellow at the New America Foundation. "This increases the risk of attacks outside traditional places we normally worry about like New York and Washington."

Shukrijumah was born in Saudi Arabia. He is a citizen of Guyana, a small South American country where his father was born. His father died in 2004.

While still in Afghanistan, he met another young recruit - Jose Padilla, an American citizen once suspected of plotting to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb" and now imprisoned on a 2007 terrorism material support conviction in Miami. At one point, according to interrogations of Padilla and other al-Qaida detainees, Shukrijumah and Padilla were paired in a plot to fill apartments in several high-rise apartment buildings with natural gas and blow them up, but they had a falling out.

"They just couldn't get along. It's like two guys that could not work together," LeBlanc said.

The FBI is still hoping to bring charges in South Florida against Shukrijumah, but key information about him was provided by Guantanamo Bay detainees such as Mohammed, whose use as a witness would be difficult.

"For us, it's never been a dry hole. It's always been an active investigation and it's global in nature," LeBlanc said. "We have never stopped working it."

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Anna Fermanova: smuggled night goggles were 'gift for father-in-law'

The young Russian beautician arrested after trying to smuggle hi-tech rifle sights has said she bought the restricted equipment for her father-in-law to use at a Moscow gun club.

By Robert Winnett in Washington

Published: 12:32AM BST 10 Aug 2010


Anna Fermanova claims the night goggles were a present for her father-in-law Photo: FACEBOOK

This whole matter is ridiculous! This girl is NOT a bloody spy, she bought the gear on-line and the ONLY thing she has done wrong is mistakenly tried to take the gear with her to relatives in Russia when that gear is prescribed by the US State Department! The FACT that IF anyone wanted this gear they could courier it without going thru Customs seems to have escaped the tiny minds of US Customs and the media in general............fine the poor bitch and lets get on with tracking down the SERIOUS economic and military spies from which ever country............:aah

Anna Fermanova, who lives in Texas, made a brief court appearance in New York, where she is facing serious federal charges.

She is reported to be seeking a "plea deal" which would allow her to remain out of prison and in the United States in return for pleading guilty to lesser charges.

The 24-year-old was caught at New York's John F Kennedy airport in March attempting to travel to Russia with the military sights in her luggage.

The case was compared to that of Anna Chapman, a suspected Russian spy who was arrested in New York and then returned to Russia under a "spy swap" in July.

However, there is no evidence that the two women knew one another and it appears that Miss Fermanova is not considered to be a Russian spy.

Her lawyer has insisted that the restricted equipment was for her father-in-law.

The night-vision goggles and scopes cannot be exported without approval from the US State Department, as they are considered to be sophisticated military weapons.

Among the items she was caught with were a Raptor 4X Night Vision Weapons Sight, which she had bought online.

A customs agent claimed that the sight's ID numbers "had been covered with black marker pens".

Ms Fermanova is under house arrest and has had her passport confiscated. The charges she faces carry a punishment of up to ten years in prison.

Ms Fermanova is thought to split her time between Moscow and Dallas, Texas. She teaches English in the Russian capital.

According to her Facebook page, she is a 2005 graduate of the Ogle School of Hair Skin and Nails. She holds a cosmetologist license in Texas.

She came to America as a child with her parents from Latvia.

Her case has attracted widespread publicity, although her lawyer said she had "laughed off" the attention.

There is growing concern in America over the actions of apparently "Cold War style" spies, several of whom were caught last month living apparently ordinary lives in suburban America.

In July ten suspected spies, including Chapman, pleaded guilty to federal charges and were deported.

[buglerbilly]

Increase in suicides among Border Patrol agents causes alarm


Toni DeLaCruz holds up a photo of her late husband, Eduardo DeLaCruz -- a Border Patrol officer who committed suicide -- at her home in El Paso. (Lm Otero/associated Press)

By Paul J. Weber
Thursday, August 19, 2010

FORT HANCOCK, TEX. -- After a bad day on the job as a Border Patrol agent, Eddie DeLaCruz went home and began discussing with his wife how to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Then he casually pressed his government-issued handgun under his chin and pulled the trigger.

"It was the ugliest sound I ever heard in my life," his widow, Toni DeLaCruz, recalled of that day last November. "He just collapsed." A month later, one of DeLaCruz's colleagues at the Fort Hancock border post shot himself, too.

Suicides such as these have set off alarms throughout the agency responsible for policing the nation's borders. After nearly four years without a single suicide in its ranks, the Border Patrol has had at least 15 agents take their own lives since February 2008.

It's unclear why the agents killed themselves. Few of them left notes. And the agency seems somewhat at odds with itself over the issue.

Federal officials insist that the deaths have nothing to do with the Border Patrol, which has doubled in size since 2004, or the increasingly volatile U.S.-Mexican border. But administrators have quietly undertaken urgent suicide-prevention initiatives, including special training for supervisors, videos about warning signs and educational programs for 22,000 agents nationwide.

"It's a microcosm of life," said Christine Gaugler, head of human resources for Customs and Border Protection, the agency that oversees the Border Patrol. "There's no uptick. It has nothing to do with our hiring. We are just responding to the suicides that have occurred."

The agency declined to provide details of the suicides and would confirm only the number of deaths since 2008. But the Associated Press obtained the names, locations and dates of the deaths by reviewing public records and by speaking with federal officials. It also received a copy of the training video, along with information about steps federal officials have taken to address the suicides.

The 17-minute video, made earlier this year, is part tribute to the dead and part cautionary tale. It implores agents battling depression or stress to ask for help -- a candid suggestion for an agency that once forbade agents from appearing in uniform at the funerals of colleagues who killed themselves.

The video was made by the agency's El Paso sector following at least four suicides among its agents, and other sectors have embraced it. In the video, agent Edmundo Puga Jr. describes receiving a call about a suicide.

"At first I get upset, thinking, 'Not another one,' " he says. "Or, 'Here we go again.' " All but two of the recent deaths involved agents stationed in Texas, California or Arizona.

In interviews, Border Patrol officials and families of the dead agents pointed to professional and personal reasons.

The job, whose pay starts at about $37,000 a year, has changed dramatically since the hiring surge began.

Two years ago, an agent at a busy border station might have processed 150 illegal crossers a day. But stepped-up border security -- including 600 miles of fence and an even larger "virtual" fence that is monitored online -- has reduced the number of illegal crossings, as has the economic hardship of the recession.

The result is a job that went from thrilling to downright boring. Agents often spent 12-hour shifts sitting alone in Jeeps and pickups keeping watch for illegal immigrants.

"Now an agent may start his shift and sit in one position for eight hours and monitor traffic and do their work," said psychologist Kenneth Middleton, clinical director of the Border Patrol's peer-support program. "Now they've got a whole lot of time to think about other things going on in their life."

Other Border Patrol agents defend the job as anything but boring. Thane Gallagher, a 13-year employee of the agency stationed in San Diego, said the pressures of meticulously documenting and thoroughly questioning every captured person have mounted since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"If an agent is bored every day at work, that's a choice they make," said Gallagher, a union representative in his sector. "There is always work to be done."

The potential for danger is constant, especially in places where the border has been wracked by a bloody drug war in Mexico. Agents face hostility from many they encounter in the desert.

In June, a Border Patrol agent in El Paso fatally shot a 15-year-old Mexican boy in the dry bed of the Rio Grande. Authorities said the teenager and others were throwing rocks at the agent from the Mexican side while he was trying to arrest illegal immigrants. The incident resulted in a tense standoff between armed federal agents from Mexico and the United States.

"It's transparent to us, the people that are here, that the job is a definite factor. They're under an enormous amount of stress," said Mark Monsivais, whose daughter, Julia, committed suicide in July 2009.

Suicide rates are generally higher among law enforcement than the general population, but the Border Patrol's recent troubles put the agency even above those numbers.

The rate of suicides nationally is about 12 per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Law enforcement rates are about 20 per 100,000, and the Border Patrol's pace has the agency hovering in the upper 20s to low 30s per 100,000.

-- Associated Press

[buglerbilly]

Alert over wanted al-Qaeda suspect who may be heading to Britain

An international alert has been issued warning that one of Britain’s most wanted al-Qaeda suspects has been trying to secure a passport and may be trying to return to Britain.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent, UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 7:48PM BST 20 Aug 2010

Passport photographs of Ibrahim Adam, 23, who has been on the run for three years, have been discovered after British intelligence began unraveling one of the biggest terrorist networks discovered since September 11.

Security sources told the Daily Telegraph they believe Adam is currently in Pakistan but is trying to get a passport. They fear that he may be trying to travel to the West in order to plan attacks.

One source said: “There are concerns about his desire to return to Britain and engage in terrorist activity.”

Another said: “We have been aware of his involvement in terrorist circles. One of the possibilities we are looking at is that he wants to return to Britain, although he may be seeking to travel elsewhere.”

The photographs, which show Adam with four different hairstyles and clothing have been circulated to law enforcement agencies across the world as part of an international alert.

Adam, 23, is the younger brother of Anthony Garcia, one of the men arrested for plotting to blow up the Ministry of Sound night club or the Bluewater Shopping Centre with a fertiliser bomb in 2004.

Garcia, 27, who changed his name from Abdulrahman Adam, was convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions three weeks before his two brothers went on the run and is serving a minimum of 17 and a half years in jail.

Ibrahim disappeared along with his older brother Lamine, 29, in May 2007 despite being put under a control order that required them to check in with the local police on regular occasions.

Lamine, who had a job as a tube driver had allegedly wanted to carry out an attack on a nightclub in Britain.

Garcia attended an al-Qaeda training camp in Pakistan with other members of the fertiliser gang as well as two of the July 7 bombers.

While in Pakistan he wrote a letter to Ibrahim which was later found at the family home in Ilford, East London, telling him: “You have been gifted OK with the people you know but never think you are OK, always think you are nothing.

“Only when you believe this will you be able to sell your life….We will meet either in this life or the hereafter.

“Study hard in Islamic matters, don't let them know you have future plans, better that they think you are a fool than someone good."

The Adam brothers’ father, Elias, told the Daily Telegraph: “I am heartbroken. I am worried that I will never see them again. I just want them to come back home.”

The terrorist network was revealed following work by British and US intelligence services to uncover plots hatched by Rashid Rauf, a British al-Qaeda commander behind plans to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners in coordinated suicide bomb attacks using home made liquid bombs.

British and US intelligence services worked on a “painstaking” operation to identify Rauf’s contacts after he escaped from Pakistani custody at the end of 2007 and returned to the country’s lawless tribal areas.

The first cell, led by a woman called Malika el-Aroud, was arrested in Belgium in December 2008, accused of planning suicide attacks during a European summit in Brussels, although their targets were never positively identified.

The second involved the arrest of 12 Pakistani students in Manchester last April, thought to be targeting Easter shoppers.

The arrests were sparked by an intercepted email from Abid Naseer that referred to an impending “wedding,” thought to have been code for an attack.

In the US, Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan-born US citizen, and two former school friends were arrested after allegedly buying bomb making chemicals to blow up the New York subway.

A fourth cell, allegedly led by Mikael Davud, a 39-year-old Chinese Uighur with Norwegian citizenship, was arrested in Norway in July, accused of plotting to blow up unknown targets using July 7-style explosives.

Adam’s passport photographs were discovered in an apartment in Oslo after undercover Norwegian security service officers broke into the flat.

Members of all four cells were in Pakistan at the end of 2008 and there are fears that there could be other sleeper cells that remain unaccounted for.

The network was developed by Rauf, a British al-Qaeda commander thought to be involved in the July 7, July 21 and trans-Atlantic airlines plots.

Rauf was killed by a missile from an unmanned drone in November 2008 but the cells were still able to return to the West.

He was working alongside Saleh al-Somali, al-Qaeda’s head of external operations who was also killed by a US drone last December, and with a third senior figure in al-Qaeda, Adnan el-Shukrijumah, who remains at large.

All the groups except the Belgian cell communicated with a more junior commander, who calls himself Sohaib, Ahmad or Zahid and is now in Pakistani custody, according to security sources.

It remains unclear what his real name is or if he will ever be brought before a Pakistani court.

[buglerbilly]

Britain faces new terror wave

Britain faces a new wave of home grown terrorists as 800 radicalised Islamist prisoners are released from jail, a leading security expert warns.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent, UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 12:10AM BST 27 Aug 2010


The report warns that leaders such as Anwar al-Awlaki are encouraging individuals to launch less sophisticated but equally deadly attacks on crowded places Photo: AP

Michael Clarke, a former government adviser and the head of the Royal United Services Institute, says he believes the security services could struggle to cope with a new generation of extremists seeking to carry out "lone wolf" attacks.

In a report published today, Prof Clarke says that, over the next five to 10 years, about 800 prisoners – in jail for non-terrorism offences – are due to be released on to the streets having been radicalised in jail.

They will be joined by convicted terrorists serving short sentences who, once freed, are likely to be just as committed to the cause of jihad as before they were jailed, the report claims.

Prof Clarke, who advised Gordon Brown as a member of the National Security Forum and is a visiting professor at King's College London, warns that this "new wave" will pose a significant challenge to the security services responsible for identifying and monitoring them.

While previous al-Qaeda tactics involved so-called "spectacular" attacks, the report warns that the terrorist group's leaders, such as Yemeni preacher and US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, are encouraging individuals to launch less sophisticated but equally deadly attacks on crowded places.

Their targets have also changed from concentrating on aircraft to including attacks on trains, hotels and sporting events. The report will serve as a stark reminder to the Government and public that the threat from Islamist terrorism remains severe, even though there has not been a fatal attack on British soil since 2005.

The current government threat level stands at "severe", indicating a terrorist attack is considered "highly likely". The level was raised from "substantial" in January.

In the Western world, Britain has the "greatest to fear" from home grown terrorists, the report says.

One of the major threats in Britain, according to Prof Clarke, is from released prisoners who may have been convicted of terrorist offences or may have been radicalised while in jail. "British prisons still house more terrorists than in any other European country, though not for very long periods," he warns.

He points out that just 23 people, around 19 per cent of those convicted of terrorism offences, have been given life or indeterminate sentences. Twenty per cent have been sentenced to more than 10 years, and the largest single proportion, 32 per cent, received between eight months and four years. "It raises immediate questions about the motivations of those now released, or soon to be released: are they more or less inclined to reoffend?" he says.

"From previous experience in Northern Ireland, it is more likely that the majority of those released will remain as committed to their cause as before, and may serve as a source of motivation to others, albeit in clandestine ways."

Prison authorities have become increasingly concerned about radicalisation behind bars, especially in the eight high-security jails where most terrorist prisoners are kept.

Probation officers have warned that about one in 10 of the 8,000 Muslim prisoners in high-security institutions in England and Wales is successfully targeted.

This amounts to "around 800 potentially violent radicals, not previously guilty of terrorism charges, [who] will be back in society over the coming five to 10 years," Prof Clarke says.

These radicals are ideal candidates to form a "new wave" of terrorists threatening Britain, the report says.

The release of 800 prisoners would see an increase by nearly a half of the 2,000 radicalised individuals MI5 is currently said to be watching.

Large, well co-ordinated terrorist attacks have become more difficult to carry out and instead attacks have evolved into “more individual efforts” warns the report by Prof Clarke and co-author Valentina Soria in the Royal United Services Institute Journal.

They point to attacks such as that of Umar Farouk Abulmutallab, a former student in London, who tried to blow himself up in an aircraft coming into land in Detroit on Christmas Day last year and also the Times Square attack by Faisal Shahzad in May.

“Rather than sending out trained 'cell leaders’ to conduct preparation for sophisticated operations, AQAP

(al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and other related organisations have recently been content to send out a higher number of lone individuals (or at least lightly supported ones) whose chances of success are considerably lower but whose number and presence raise similar public anxieties,” the report says.

“Eventually, it is reasoned, one of them will be lucky enough to succeed in a major way against high profile targets in western countries.”

Britain’s “globalised society” makes it more vulnerable, says Prof Clarke. “In an open society there is only so much that any government can do to protect the public.’’

[buglerbilly]

Personal comment

Whilst this report may well be right in its assumptions just WTF do they think anyone can do about it? :shrug

The only ultimate solution is to terminate the little ferks but as pleasant as that thought may be, practically and democratically, its NOT an option NOR is any attempt at de-radicalisation whilst they are a prisoner........its only when their own people get sick of the death, the inhumanity and sheer debauchery of it all, will things finally change, slowly or not............

Previous experience in N Ireland tells us that will be MANY years away.......

The only thing you can do is try and keep a lid on it all, and control or mitigate the worst of the events that are tried.

Not a pleasant outlook but I don't see many options unless you are willing to remove basic legal and/or humanity requirements from a whole group of people. HOW you decide what that group is going to be is a whole different question again.

[buglerbilly]

Hostility across U.S. jars Muslim college students

By Tara Bahrampour
Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, August 27, 2010

Although the Muslim students hadn't eaten since dawn, something besides food was on their minds as they loaded plates with tandoori chicken, chickpeas and rice at American University to break their Ramadan fast.

For weeks, their faith had been under attack by some opponents of a proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero. Every time they turned on the TV, there were new reports of anti-Muslim sentiment: mosque construction being opposed hundreds of miles from Ground Zero; a Florida pastor vowing to burn copies of the Koran to mark the anniversary of Sept. 11; a poll showing that 43 percent of Americans hold unfavorable views of Muslims. And just this week, a Muslim cabbie was stabbed in New York.

All of it points to a swelling hostility that many of these students had scarcely known was there and that religious and political leaders worry could fuel alienation and radicalism among some young American Muslims.

At AU, there is little evidence of that, although the students who gathered on Tuesday for an iftar, the banquet that marks sundown, said the backlash has been particularly jarring, coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, prayer and reflection.

"We've all been talking about it," said Farah Mohamed, 19, a sophomore who grew up in Massachusetts, adding that the conversations have permeated every layer of their world -- from class discussions to Facebook status updates.

She and many of her peers have never felt like outsiders, not even in the tense days after the Sept 11 attacks. With their scoopneck shirts and skinny jeans, they are part of the patchwork of ethnicities and religions woven through most U.S. campuses. For them, any suggestion that being Muslim is incompatible with being American is disturbing.

"My brother came home one night really upset," said Asma Mian, a 20-year-old junior from Potomac. He'd encountered a man on the Metro who was railing against the proposed community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan.

It rattled her to see her 17-year-old brother so emotional. "He barely gets involved in politics. He's not extremely religious or anything," she said, adding that people his age can be quick to take offense. They "feel like it's more a personal attack. It's more mortifying than it would be if you were older."

That anger, youth leaders and terrorism experts warn, could push some young Muslims into the arms of such extremists as U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi, who has been linked to several terrorist plots. In his recruiting efforts, Aulaqi often portrays Islam as being under attack by the West.

The most vociferous mosque opponents "do not know what they are doing," said Yahya Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University. "They are radicalizing people."

'Only takes one or two'

Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism expert at the New America Foundation, said that the vast majority of American Muslims disagree with Aulaqi and are unlikely to be radicalized by the mosque debate.

"The problem is that it only takes one or two," Fishman said. "They get a couple of people to do something crazy, and that will spark a backlash and reinforce a cycle of separation."

Madiha Nawaz, a 20-year-old senior who was born in Pakistan and grew up in Fairfax, voiced similar concerns as the sun set over the AU campus. If protesters succeed in stopping the Islamic center's construction, she said, it could make young Muslims feel more marginalized.

"It could lead people toward being more self-secluded," she said, "and it could lead to homegrown terrorism."

Muslims are tired of being lumped together with a tiny minority who have committed terrorist acts, explained Tanim Awwal, 20, the president of AU's Muslim Student Association.

Awwal, holding a blue paperback Koran, said the notion of Muslims as "other" serves not only Islamic extremists but also those on the far right of U.S. politics. "If you're going to say that we're separate from people, you're going to do what the radicals want -- on both sides."

But many young Muslims have been heartened by statements of support from the likes of President Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart.

"It helps to know that you have some people behind you. Not because they're the same religion as you, but just because they know what's right and what's wrong," said Adam Sbita, 21, a junior at George Mason University who grew up in Falls Church and wears the traditional thobe, a long shirtdress, of his family's home country of Libya. In 10 or 15 years, he added, he hopes such debates will be a thing of the past.

'Civil rights' tested

In fact, many Muslims regard the current controversy as an opportunity to assert themselves as Americans, just as other minorities have had to do in the past.

"It's become more of a civil rights issue than anything else," said Adeel Zeb, former AU chaplain and founder of the Deen Foundation for Muslim Campus Life. "Young Muslim Americans are becoming more proud to be Muslim because of all this controversy. Your civil rights are being tested on a national scale."

Although Zeb said he could see the controversy potentially aiding extremists, he said it also could help young Muslims unite and build stronger bridges with non-Muslims.

"It really hits the heart of young Muslim Americans," he said. "Everyone has to go through this pledge process the way other groups have in America."

At AU's iftar feast, Nawaz mused about this moment in the history of America's Muslims.

"You saw it in Topeka, Kan., you saw it in Brown v. Board of Education," she said. "It may be time for us now. It may be time for Muslim Americans to embrace their hyphenated identity."

[buglerbilly]

Progress in Implementing New Security Measures Along the Southwest Border (edited excerpt)

(Source: Department of Homeland Security; issued Aug. 30, 2010)


With the activation Sept. 1 of a new Predator UAV base in Texas, the US is now able to deploy unmanned aerial surveillance over its entire border with Mexico. (DoD file photo)

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today that Predator Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) flights will begin out of Corpus Christi, Texas, beginning on Wednesday, Sept.1.

With the deployment of an UAS in Texas, DHS unmanned aerial capabilities will now cover the Southwest Border—from the El Centro Sector in California all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas—providing critical aerial surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground.

The new, border-wide use of the Predator aircraft, comes on the heels of the recently passed Southwest border security supplemental legislation, which will provide two additional UASs that will bolster these newly expanded operations.

These UAS efforts are just the latest steps in the historic approach—and unprecedented amount of resources – that the President and this Administration have directed to the southwest border since launching the Southwest Border Initiative in March 2009. Since then, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has doubled the number of personnel assigned to border enforcement security task forces; tripled the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers working along the U.S.-Mexico border; quadrupled deployments of border liaison officers; and begun screening 100 percent of southbound rail shipments for illegal weapons, drugs, and cash.

In addition, the President has authorized the deployment of an additional 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to provide intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, and immediate support to counter-narcotics enforcement while Customs and Border Protection recruits and trains additional officers and agents to serve on the border.

The Administration is dedicating $600 million in new funding to enhance security technology at the border, share information and support with state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and increase federal law enforcement activities at the border. That effort will include the deployment of more agents, investigators, and prosecutors as part of a coordinated effort with states and cities to target illicit networks trafficking in people, drugs, illegal weapons, and money.

Among the progress achieved to date:

1 – Expand Unmanned Aircraft Systems operations to cover the entire Southwest Border.
Results: On Sept. 1st, CBP will expand Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) flight operations, covering all Southwest border states and providing critical aerial surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground.

…/…

10 – Boost funding for Southwest border infrastructure, technology, and law enforcement.

Results: The recent passage and signing of Southwest border security supplemental legislation will provide critical additional capabilities to secure the Southwest border at and between our ports of entry and reduce the illicit trafficking of people, drugs, currency and weapons. This law provides $14 million for improved tactical communications systems along the Southwest border and $32 million for two additional CBP unmanned aircraft systems. (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full release, on the DHS website.

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1283203926494.shtm

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Those UAVs on the Border Might Look Familiar

Posted by Paul McLeary at 9/16/2010 9:19 AM CDT

TUSCON--It’s like the Tale of Two Programs. While SBInet—the Department of Homeland Security’s troubled sensor and surveillance system envisioned as a “virtual fence” along the U.S./Mexican border—is currently in a development freeze pending the result of an internal review launched by DHS honcho Janet Napolitano, not all DHS tech programs are in similar straits.

In fact, the Border Patrol’s unmanned aerial system program, centered around a rapidly growing fleet of General Atomics-made MQ-9 Predator aircraft, has met with great success in the first five years of its life, so much so that the Border Patrol has three more on order, bringing their total from seven to ten by the end of 2011. And not only is the fleet growing, but with the addition of a launch and recovery site last week in Corpus Christi, Texas, the DHS’ unmanned aerial capabilities will now cover the entire Southwest border, from the El Centro Sector in California to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.

In addition to launch and recovery sites in Arizona, Grand Forks, N.D.; Cape Canaveral AFB in Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, CBP Assistant Commissioner Michael Kostelnik, a retired USAF major general tells Ares that the department also has a development base at Ft. Drum in upstate New York, so the Border Patrol “can go up there at very short notice ... it gives us the ability to respond to high-end threats to the Northeast” as fast as a Predator can fly there from one of its other bases.

The current fleet of five land-based MQ-9 Predator Bs are identical to what the U.S. military flies, with electro-optical sensors and cameras, forward looking infrared, synthetic aperture radar and laser range designators, Kostelnik says, with the exception that the domestic Preds are unarmed and carry Wolfsburg radios for law enforcement connectivity.

Unlike the military, Border Patrol agents out in the field aren’t able to receive real-time information from the UAVs in the sky just yet, but they can talk to agents in a control center who are watching the feeds in real-time. “We don’t stream the info to the agents on the ground right now but we clearly have the capability to do that,” Kostelnik says, adding that the Predators come in pretty handy at night since they can laser designate targets so the agents can focus in on problem areas on the ground.

One of the prime missions the Predators are currently performing that save agents critical time and free them up for other missions is performing sensor evaluations on unattended ground sensors when they are set off, to determine whether they were tripped by animals, high winds, possible illegal aliens, or drug smugglers. Significantly, Kostelnik says that all of the UAVs are flown and operated by Border Patrol agents—as opposed to contractors—and that the only real limitation to their constant use is the lack of trained agents qualified to fly them, as opposed to the number of platforms available

But all this doesn’t come without a cost. As Michael Bruno recently pointed out in Aviation Week, the CBP Inspector General has reported that a UAS costs twice as much to operate as a manned aircraft owing to a “significant” amount of logistical support—around 20 people per UAS—and specialized operator and maintenance training. In fact, the use of UAS led to fewer illegal-alien apprehensions per flight hour than manned aircraft, the IG spotlighted in 2005.

[buglerbilly]

US scientist charged with trying to sell nuclear secrets to Venezuela

A US physicist and his wife who both worked for a high-level US energy laboratory have been arrested and charged with conspiring to sell nuclear secrets to Venezuela.

By Nick Allen in Los Angeles for the UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 11:30PM BST 17 Sep 2010


Leo Mascheroni and his wife Marjorie pose in their Los Alamos home Photo: AP

Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, 75, is said to have claimed that he could help Venezuela achieve a nuclear bomb within 10 years.

He was held following a sting operation in which an FBI undercover operative posed as an agent from the South American country.

The US government said that, in reality, Venezuela had not been seeking US secrets, nor had anyone working for it.

Under Mr Mascheroni's alleged plan, Venezuela would have used a secret, underground nuclear reactor to produce and enrich plutonium, and an open reactor above ground to create nuclear energy.

The scientist's wife, Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni, 67, a US citizen, was also arrested.

Both used to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, a US government facility which conducts nuclear weapons research.

They appeared in court in Albuquerque, New Mexico to face 22 charges. They could be imprisoned for life if convicted.

The charges included "communicating classified nuclear weapons data" and "conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon for Venezuela". After being contacted by the undercover FBI agent, Mr Mascheroni was said to have provided a 132-page document entitled "A Deterrence Program for Venezuela", which allegedly contained "restricted data" on nuclear weapons development.

It was said to have been written by Mr Mascheroni and edited by his wife.

Mr Mascheroni, who is a naturalised US citizen from Argentina, allegedly charged a fee of $793,000 (£510,000) and asked the agent about getting Venezuelan citizenship.

He allegedly told the agent to call him "Luke" and set up an email account solely to communicate with him.

The physicist's home was searched in October last year and the FBI seized computers, letters, photographs, books, mobile phones and boxes of files.

At the time, Mr Mascheroni declared his innocence, saying: "If I were a real spy I would have left the country a long time ago."

[buglerbilly]

Scotland Yard investigates political assassination as fears rise of Karachi gang violence spreading

Scotland Yard counter-terrorism police have been called in to lead the murder inquiry into the London killing of a Pakistani politician after officials warned a bloody struggle between political factions in Karachi was on its way to Britain.

By Duncan Gardham and Rob Crilly in Islamabad for the UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 8:43PM BST 17 Sep 2010


Pakistani Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Secretary-General Imran Farooq Photo: GETTY


Green Lane, Edgware Photo: Google Street View

Security sources told the Daily Telegraph the murder inquiry into the death of Imran Farooq, a founder member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), had been taken over by Scotland Yard's Counter-Terrorism Command which investigates political assassinations. MI5 is also likely to be called in to help with the hunt for the killers.

Scotland Yard last night appealed for witnesses to the crime.

Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital, was in lockdown following the murder of Dr Farooq, who had lived in the UK since claiming asylum in 1999.

Hundreds of deaths of loyalists from rival political and ethnic gang have been recorded this year in a murky corruption and racketeering turf war.

"This has been going on here for years and it's not a surprise to see something happen in London," said a senior counter-terrorism official in Karachi, speaking on condition of anonymity. "These networks extend a long way and are very well developed."

He said it was impossible to tell who was responsible – from fellow MQM members, to rival political parties, business associates or even the Taliban, which is active in the city.

Detectives in London have not ruled out the possibility that Dr Farooq was killed in a random mugging. However, a political motive could spark political clashes in Karachi or undermine the stability of Pakistan's governing coalition, which includes the MQM.

Dr Farooq came to prominence in the late 1980s as general secretary of the newly formed party, which drew its strength from Urdu-speaking immigrants from India who arrived in Karachi after partition.

He was forced into hiding in 1992 during a military crackdown on his party during a violent struggle for control of Karachi. Along with many of his party leadership he was accused of involvement in the kidnap, murder and torture of political opponents drawn from Pashtu-speakers from northwestern Pakistan.

He always denied the allegations and eventually surfaced in London seven years later.

His death on Thursday night, outside his home in North London, took place as party members were preparing to mark the birthday of their leader, Altaf Hussain the next day.

Farooq Sattar, the party's leader in Pakistan, said the timing suggested a political motive.

"The date looks like it was selected by design," he told The Daily Telegraph, but added that a number of other possibilities remained.

"We are trying to keep a lid on speculation. Conspiracy theories could provoke more trouble."

Mohamad Anwar, a party member in London, said the leadership had received threat warnings.

"Because we did not find any symptoms of robbery, we feel that there may be an element of conspiracy and therefore, hence, we can think that this was an assassination," he said.

Political leaders called for calm during 10 days of mourning.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, said: "It was a great loss to the party and the family." Traders and bus drivers in Karachi stayed at home yesterday(FRI). Streets were deserted as many people feared a slide into renewed ethnic violence.

Last month Raza Haider, another MQM member, was gunned down with his guard as he attended a funeral near the centre of Karachi. The killing triggered violence in which dozens of people were killed and at least 100 wounded.

[buglerbilly]

France on full alert for suicide bomb threat on Paris transport

Terror level raised after bomb-alert evacuations of Eiffel tower and Saint-Michel metro station last week

Kim Willsher in Paris, Xan Rice in Nairobi guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 September 2010 18.40 BST


French soldier patrols at the Eiffel tower, which was evacuated last week after a bomb threat. Photograph: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

French intelligence services are searching for a female would-be suicide bomber who they believe is planning to attack the Paris transport system. The country is on full alert against a specific terrorist threat that has been confirmed by two separate sources, according to French radio.

The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, considered a moderate Muslim, has also been given three armed guards after a spokesman said he was under a "real threat".

France's interior minister, Brice Hortefeux, refused to give details of the threat but said "our vigilance is reinforced today". The anti-terrorist court in Paris has opened a preliminary inquiry to "establish the credibility" of the reports of an imminent terrorist attack.

According to a ministry of interior spokesman, the alleged woman bomber was "not necessarily the most worrying" intelligence information. He did not give further details. "All the lights are flashing red," said another intelligence source.

Last week, Hortefeux admitted the threat was at a "high level" when he visited the Eiffel tower after it was evacuated following a bomb alert.

The Saint-Michel metro station near Notre Dame cathedral was also briefly evacuated over a similar threat.

France's terrorism level has been on what is described as "reinforced red" since 5am last Thursday. This followed intelligence from a North African country, said to be either Morocco or Algeria, that an Algerian was planning to carry out an attack on a Paris train, bus or metro that day. French intelligence had been given similar information from another source.

RTL radio said: "The secret services spent the whole day searching for the suspected woman terrorist … in vain. The extremely credible threat is still being taken seriously today."

French intelligence agencies say the threat is linked to the al-Qaida of Islamic Maghreb organisation thought to be responsible for the kidnapping of seven nuclear workers – five of them French, one Togolese and one Malagasy – in Niger last week. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack on the foreign workers – six men who were employed by the French nuclear company Areva and one woman – in the northern town of Arlit, 500 miles north-east of the capital Niamey, but French officials suspect al-Qaida's north African branch.

French anti-terror troops are co-ordinating an aerial search for the hostages who were abducted in the Sahara desert. Around 80 French anti-terror specialists set up base in a hotel in the capital, Niamey, at the weekend following an invitation from Niger's government to pursue the kidnappers on its soil.

Long-range reconnaissance planes equipped with infrared sensors are searching the desert in the north, where the hostages were seized from their homes on Thursday, as well as the rugged fringes of neighbouring Mali, where it is thought they may be being held. "Their mission is to help Niger's military find the seven kidnapped people," said Niger government spokesman Mahamane Laouali Dan Dah.

French terrorism experts say al-Qaida's north African branch has no effective logistical network in France but could carry out an attack "either by using individuals already present in France or by sending a group specifically dedicated to carrying out one".

Bernard Squarcini, head of France's counter-terrorism services, said the threat of an attack in France "had never been higher" in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche in early September.

France also fears the threat is heightened by the return of Islamist extremists who have been waging jihad in Afghanistan and Iraq.

There is also anger over the planned ban on wearing the burqa in public places, the presence of French troops in Afghanistan, and a French commando attack on an al-Qaida base in Mali in July, which led to the death of seven members of the organisation's north African branch.

[buglerbilly]

Doc of the Day: Feds’ Guide To Snitching on Your Terrorist Neighbor

By Spencer Ackerman September 22, 2010 | 7:00 am



That dude next door, man — I used to think he was an OK guy, but now all the bags of fertilizer from Home Depot piled up in his garage are starting to worry me. And what’s with that beard? He’s not a — you don’t think –

For today’s Doc of the Day, here’s a handy pamphlet prepared by federal law enforcement to help you navigate the uncertainties of an age of homegrown terrorism, helpfully illustrated with pictures of New Mexico-born extremist preacher Anwar al-Awlaki and New York food-cart guy/sleeper agent Najibullah Zazi.

Be on the lookout, warn the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center, for such “indicators of possible terrorist activity” as “behavior that could indicate participation in surveillance of potential targets”; “travel or interest in traveling overseas to attend violent extremist institutions or paramilitary camps”; or checking out “Websites and reading materials that advocate violence and then initiating action in support of this activity.” See something? Say something!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/37873835/DHSHomegrownThreats

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/#ixzz10GIEvHR9

[buglerbilly]

Officials Warn of Homegrown Terrorists

September 22, 2010

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Efforts by terrorists abroad to radicalize and recruit U.S. residents are an evolving problem, three top Obama administration officials told Congress on Wednesday.

The threat posed by homegrown extremists shows that the battle against terrorism has become more complex in the past year, underscoring the challenges of pinpointing and blocking terrorist plots, said Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

"Groups affiliated with al-Qaida are now actively targeting the United States and looking to use Americans or Westerners who are able to remain undetected by heightened security measures," FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"It appears domestic radicalization and homegrown extremism is becoming more pronounced," Mueller said.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said al-Qaida has inspired an array of terrorist groups.

"We are all seeing more diverse activity" by a more diverse collection of groups, Napolitano said.

Leiter said al-Qaida in Pakistan is at one of its weakest points organizationally. Nonetheless, he said, the terrorist group remains a capable and determined enemy that has proven its resilience over time.

A year ago, the FBI arrested Michael C. Finton in Illinois and Hosam Smadi in Texas in connection with unrelated bomb attempts. The bureau used online undercover agents and confidential human sources who monitored Finto and Smadi until their arrests.

"The threat is still all too real," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., the chairman of the committee.

The panel's ranking Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, said the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, and the attempted Christmas Day attack on a Detroit-bound airliner show that the terrorist threat "is evolving and ever-changing" and "a chameleon by design."

Terrorists "are working increasingly to build alliances or essentially recruit soldiers for their army from within the United States," said Lieberman.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Attack by Irish terrorists 'a strong possibility' warns Theresa May

The threat level to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism has gone from moderate to substantial, meaning an attack is a ''strong possibility'', the Home Secretary Theresa May has announced..

Published: 4:09PM BST 24 Sep 2010

The drug trade must have built their funds up sufficiently............:boid

The Director-General of the Security Service has raised the threat to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism from moderate to substantial Photo: PA It is the first time that this threat level has been published, the Home Office said. The threat from international terrorism remains severe.

Mrs May said: "The Director-General of the Security Service has informed me that he has raised the threat to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism from moderate to substantial, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.

Britain's terror threat downgraded"Judgments are based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of terrorist groups.

"This is the first time we have published the Irish-related threat assessment to Great Britain. This is in the interests of transparency and to encourage people to remain vigilant.

"The first and most important duty of government is the protection and security of the British people.

"We have been consistent in stating that the threat to the UK from terrorism is real and serious. The balance we aim to strike is keeping people alert but not alarmed.

"I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police and security services in their continuing efforts to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."

The threat assessment was being published for the first time "to encourage people to be alert to the increased threat from Irish-related terrorism", the Home Office said.

But the threat is still lower than the overall threat level to the UK from international terrorism, published by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (Jtac), which remains at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

"Measures taken to deal with the international terrorist threat will also counter the threat from Irish dissident republican terrorism," a Home Office spokeswoman said.

"In general the public should not expect any visible change in our security measures."

[buglerbilly]

France on high alert as officials warn of possible terrorist attacks

By Edward Cody
Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, September 28, 2010; 2:06 AM

PARIS-

When an unclaimed package was spotted in a busy Paris subway station Monday, police immediately diverted trains, ordered thousands of frustrated travelers into the street and dispatched a bomb squad to test for explosives.

Within half an hour, the armor-suited specialists had determined there was no bomb. Train and subway passengers flooded back into the Saint Lazare station, rail lines re-opened and France's increasingly nervous anti-terrorism authorities breathed a sigh of relief.

The alert was short-lived but the message was clear: France has the jitters over the possibility of a terrorist attack. In a country where people sometimes make fun of precautions taken in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, President Nicolas Sarkozy's government has gone out of its way in recent days to warn repeatedly that terrorists may be planning a new attack in France.

Tension has also risen because of the capture of five French people on Sept. 15, along with two African colleagues, at a remote French-operated uranium mine in the central African country of Niger. Their abduction was acknowledged by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a band of several hundred extremists who have pledged loyalty to Osama bin Laden and for the past decade have been marauding in the vast deserts of Niger, Mauritania, Mali and Algeria.

Bernard Squarcini, who heads the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence, warned in two interviews that the threat within France was also particularly high- "All the blinkers are on red," he declared. The Interior Ministry said a foreign intelligence service had passed along a report that a woman had been overheard suggesting a suicide bombing was being prepared for Paris.

Although officials later dismissed that report as unreliable, they maintained the high alert. Patrols by soldiers armed with automatic rifles were increased at airports, train stations and monuments such as the Eiffel Tower that receive daily streams of tourists. Military vehicles were seen driving around central Paris with Vigipirate - the name of France's anti-terrorism plan - painted boldly on the flanks, as if in an advertisement for the high state of readiness.

France last suffered a major terrorist attack in December 1996, when four people were killed and 170 wounded by a bomb that exploded in a commuter train station near the Luxembourg Gardens. But Squarcini said French anti-terrorism police uncover an average of two plots a year, including one recently on the directorate's suburban headquarters.

The source of the increased threat or the reason France would be a target were not revealed - and may not have been known. But under Sarkozy, France has drawn closer to the United States, increased the number of troops in Afghanistan and broadened their role to participate more actively in combat.

Moreover, since taking over in 2007, the French president has acquired a reputation as pro-Israel and had a law passed banning Muslim immigrants from wearing full-face Islamic veils in public.

More directly, France long has had extensive economic and political interests in central and northern Africa. It has encouraged and cooperated with governments seeking to rid the region of the al-Qaeda branch there. The group grew from Algeria's Islamic underground and is headed by an Algerian, Abdelmalek Droukal, but it now draws recruits from the entire region.

Defense Minister Herve Morin said Monday that the government has reason to believe the five French captives have been taken to Mali and are still alive. Paris is waiting to see a list of demands, he said, to begin negotiations with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on conditions for their release.

"Of course I have hope, but this is obviously something complicated, difficult, uncertain, with on the other side a group of 450 to 500 men - that's about the number of al-Qaeda combatants in these immense zones - a group that is waging total war against the West," he said in a television interview.

A Malian military officer who has been involved in past negotiations with al-Qaeda told the French news agency Agence France-Presse that he saw the captives alive on Sunday in a remote corner of Mali. French officials said they believe the seven are being held somewhere near the Ifoghas hills, in northern Mali near the border with Algeria.

The unsettled zone, which Malian authorities acknowledge they do not control, has been identified as a redoubt of Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, also known as Abid Hammadou, who heads the local al-Qaeda squad that acknowledged capturing the French mining technicians.

Abu Zeid vowed to seek revenge in July after Sarkozy ordered French commandos to participate along with Mauritanian special forces in an attack on one of his Malian camps, in a failed attempt to liberate another French hostage, 78-year-old Michel Germaneau. The attacking soldiers killed six of Abu Zeid's combatants but did not find Germaneau, whose execution was announced several days later in an Internet posting by Abu Zeid's squad of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

[buglerbilly]

Britons training in Pakistan for UK terror attacks

At least 20 Britons are undergoing terrorist training in Pakistan to launch Mumbai-style shootings and suicide attacks in Britain, intelligence sources have told The Daily Telegraph.

By Rob Crilly in Islamabad, Duncan Gardham and Ben Farmer, in Kabul for the UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 10:00PM BST 29 Sep 2010


Militants based in Pakistan were planning simultaneous strikes in London, as well as cities in France and Germany Photo: REUTERS

The young Muslims, who all hold British passports, are said to have travelled into the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan to join training camps run by al-Qaeda and their associated militant groups.

They are being trained to use firearms as well as explosives so that they can launch random shooting sprees in the UK, Western intelligence sources said.

"We believe there are 15 to 20 Britons in the camps," said an intelligence source in Islamabad, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure comes after the CIA launched drone strikes on Pakistan training camps in North and South Waziristan in an attempt to disrupt an al-Qaeda plot to launch an attack targeting Britain, France and Germany.

The plans would have seen terrorists sent on to the streets, probably of the capital cities, to shoot random passersby before heading in to landmark buildings. Intelligence sources said that the attacks would have been coordinated for maximum impact and may have been aimed at financial institutions. However, the terror cells had not yet travelled to Europe and the targets were still unclear.

A missile from one US unmanned drone killed several Britons in a training camp in Pakistan, sources said, and the security services are now trying to trace their links back to the UK.

MI5 is thought to be uncomfortable that an ongoing operation has become public while they were still building up a picture of the terrorists' support network.

"This is an ongoing operation with a constantly changing dynamic," one security source said. "There are local, national and international links, including Pakistan."

Intelligence agencies in Britain and the US were in the early stages of establishing the full details of the plot but MI5 had traced it from Pakistan back to Britain, sources told The Daily Telegraph.

A US intelligence source said the threat was "credible, but not specific" and could have included other European countries such as Spain and Italy, or even the US.

Some of the intelligence is understood to have originated with the capture of a German national in Kabul, Afghanistan in July. Ahmed Sidiqi, 36, is said to have talked of training with explosives and weapons and of plans to launch attacks in Germany and Europe.

Sidiqi attended the Masjid Taiba mosque, formerly known as the Al-Quds mosque, in Hamburg, which was also attended by the leaders of the September 11 attacks.

German security sources said there were "increasing rumblings" about potential attacks and they were aware of intelligence pointing to al-Qaeda attacks in Europe and the United States.

James Clapper, US intelligence chief, said in a statement: "As we have repeatedly said, we know al Qaeda wants to attack Europe and the United States. We continue to work closely with our European allies on the threat from international terrorism, including al Qaeda."

The US has fired at least 21 missiles so far this month in Pakistan's tribal areas, the highest monthly total in the past six years.

On Saturday, Sheikh Fateh al-Masri, a senior al-Qaeda commander, was thought to have been killed in North Waziristan, according to unconfirmed reports.

Fateh, also known as Abdul Razzaq, is said to have taken over operational command of al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and is thought to have been in command of the European plot.

"It shouldn't surprise anyone that links between plots and those who are orchestrating them lead to decisive American action," a US official said. "The terrorists who are involved are, as everyone should expect, going to be targets. That's the whole point of all of this."

The 10 Pakistani terrorists who attacked Mumbai in India two years ago killed 166 people and injured more than 300. The attack marked a shift in tactics in the use of terrorist soldiers on the ground using guns and grenades, rather than suicide bombers targeting transport networks.

In response police have reassessed the way they deal with attacks. Metropolitan Police tactical response teams have been training on a "shoot to kill" basis after briefings that most deaths in such an attack were likely to occur in the first 30 minutes of an attack.

[buglerbilly]

SAS officers warn that Britain is unprepared for a Mumbai-style attack

Two former senior commanders of the SAS have warned that Britain's security forces would be unable to cope with a Mumbai-style terrorist attack in central London.

By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent, UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 9:00PM BST 02 Oct 2010


During a 'commando-style' raid by 10 gunmen on hotels and cafés in Mumbai in November 2008, 174 people were killed and more than 300 injured over three days Photo: AP

Colonel Richard Williams and Lieutenant General Graeme Lamb said that such a "paramilitary threat" would "overmatch" any land-based police force and turn London into a war zone.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph the two officers said an attack launched against an office block in Canary Wharf could result in up to a thousand office workers being trapped in a single building, where they could be "murdered one by one, floor by floor".

'The two decorated SAS officers said the terrorist attack would equate to "9/11 in slow motion".

He added: "This would temporarily create a war zone within London and one that cannot effectively be countered by the police alone. The police are good at policing but we doubt they would want to try war fighting."

Col Williams, who commanded the SAS from 2005 to 2008, and won a Military Cross fighting in Afghanistan and Gen. Lamb, who was the director of special forces from 2000 to 2003, warned that launching a terrorist operation against London "would be difficult but not impossible".

The challenge for the Government, the two officers argue, is to create a Strategic Defence and Security Review which could cope with an atrocity of the magnitude of Mumbai and create armed forces able to cope with future threats posed by international terrorists.

During a "commando-style" raid by 10 gunmen on hotels and cafés in Mumbai in November 2008, 174 people were killed and more than 300 injured over three days.

The officers voiced their concerns just days after intelligence reports stated that Britain was one of several European countries being targeted by al-Qaeda terrorists.

In a highly critical article they argue that too much money is being spent on preparing to counter "the least likely threat – fighting the Cold war, with conventional weaponry instead of facing the most likely, such as al-Qaeda, "with high tech information-age means".

They wrote "As Special Forces officers we were required to examine in detail ways to counter, at very short notice, any military or terrorist events that presented a clear and present danger to the state, wherever they were found.

"We were expected to look beyond the obvious needs of the current conflict zones and into the darker, murky world of the 'unexpected'. We were paid to think about the 'unthinkable', develop different perspectives, ignore 'departmental agendas', avoid conventional doctrine, think like our enemies, and be ready.

"Following 9/11, one of those that troubled us most was a large-scale, Mumbai-style attack by al-Qaeda or one of its affiliates. Recent intelligence reports have shown that such a threat is much more real than a 'Spooks' scriptwriter's fantasy.

"What makes such an attack so dangerous is that it could be launched with no warning and without requiring a UK-based terrorist cell or stash of weapons, via the exploitation of the open maritime flank – in this case the Thames estuary – that effectively links a failed state/terrorist heartland and its suicidal terrorists, directly with London's financial centre.

A paramilitary threat that would overmatch any Thames-based or land-based police forces. The question for the NSC is: what should the MoD be doing about this clear and present danger? And what does this say about the direction of the SDSR?"

Both officers believe that such a threat could be countered in part by the creation of an armed reservist marine force equipped and trained to intercept and search every suspect vessel entering the Thames which could block "this avenue of attack".

The officers argue that such a force would be relatively inexpensive, because it would be based on reservists who cost 80 per cent less than regulars, and would greatly add to home land security.

The MoD is an institution which has become "paralysed by the SDSR", and is not willing to change its own course or "able to think of a new way of doing what it needs to do with a diminished budget".

Recent events, such as the inter-service in-fighting over defence programmes and the leaking of a letter by Liam Fox, the defence secretary to the Prime Minister, demonstrate, they believe, that someone within the department has decided to tell the National Security Council, and the country that the MoD does not have the necessary resources to secure the state.

"In doing this, the department has passed the buck for directing Military Strategy upwards to the newly formed NSC, and the Prime Minister; and they have some hard choices to make."

Lt Gen. Graeme Lamb and Col Richard Williams, who recently wrote a paper for the Policy Exchange Think Tank called 'Upgrading our Armed Forces', present what they describe as five simple facts that should influence the NSC's deliberations. "Firstly, the most immediate military threat to our existence, prosperity, culture and way of life comes from non-state actors such as al-Qaeda, not directly from States such as the Soviet Union, China or Iran.

"Secondly, that our forces are primarily equipped and organised to counter state-based military threats to our territory, via high-intensity combat operations using full time professional forces, as part of an alliance.

"Thirdly, a proportion of these forces have been used to conduct complex and enduring interventions in failing/failed states miles away from the UK Homeland, with mixed results.

"Fourthly, information technology has transformed the effectiveness, reach and way that military force can be used; by us and by our enemies.

"And fifthly, defence spending must be reduced to ensure that the department does not compromise National Economic Security at a time of ongoing financial instability."

[buglerbilly]

Europe terror attack threat 'high'

October 4, 2010 - 7:16AM

Britain's Foreign Ministry has updated its advice for citizens travelling to France and Germany, warning there's a "high threat of terrorism" in the two European countries.

"We can confirm that the travel advice for France and Germany has been updated," a Foreign Office spokeswoman told AFP.

"Like other large European countries, they have a high threat of terrorism, which is reflected in our updated travel advice."

The updated travel advice for France and Germany on the Foreign Office website said that "attacks could be indiscriminate, including in public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers".

It came shortly after the US State Department issued a travel alert for Europe in general, warning of "the potential for terrorist attacks" and urging Americans to take precautions in public places and transport systems.

The alerts follow news reports in the past week saying Western intelligence agencies have uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to launch commando-style attacks in Britain, France, Germany and the United States.

British Home Secretary Theresa May said on Sunday the US advice is "consistent" with London's own assessment of the threat.

"As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism," she said.

"We work closely with our international partners in countering terrorism and the US advice is consistent with our assessment," she said.

AFP

[buglerbilly]

Foreign Office warns of high terror threat in France and Germany

Britain followed the US in upgrading its travel advice for Europe today following a series of terror alerts.

Published: 2:31PM BST 03 Oct 2010


Police stand guard outside the Eiffel Tower after the French tourism landmark and the surrounding park was evacuated last Tuesday Photo: REUTERS

The Foreign Office warned that there was a ''high threat'' of attacks in countries including France and Germany, rather than the ''general threat'' previously identified.

The move came shortly after the State Department issued guidance urging Americans to be vigilant when visiting Europe, highlighting the ''potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure''.

The Foreign Office advice now states: "Like other large European countries, the French/German authorities continue to consider that there is a high threat of terrorism.

"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."

The warnings have been heightened after intelligence officials in Britain intercepted a credible al Qaida-linked terror plot last week.

The planned attack would reportedly have been similar to the deadly commando-style raids in Mumbai, India, two years ago, with other European cities, in France and Germany, also targeted.

On Tuesday night the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated following a bomb threat called in from a telephone booth. It was the second such alert at the tower in two weeks. A search by bomb experts found nothing unusual, and it was reopened within hours.

On Friday, Sweden announced it has raised its threat alert to the highest level ever because of an increased threat of terror attacks.

There has been speculation that Osama bin Laden could be masterminding the latest plots personally.

Home Secretary Theresa May urged the British public to report any suspicious activity as police and security services try to disrupt terrorist activity.

"The first and most important duty of this government is the protection and security of the British people and visitors to the UK," Mrs May said.

"As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism. Our threat level remains at severe - meaning that an attack is highly likely.

"I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police in support of the efforts of our security services to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."

Mrs May said the UK was working closely with international partners including the US on counter-terrorism, and its new guidance was "consistent with our assessment".

The State Department stopped short of recommending that citizens stay away from high-profile sites in Europe - as was thought to have been under consideration before.

"Current information suggests that al Qaida and affiliated organisations continue to plan terrorist attacks," the advice said. "European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions."

It noted in particular "the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".

"US citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when travelling," the department said.

[buglerbilly]

“We Have Developed Capabilities in Detection and Interception of Non-Conventional Weapons”

(Source: Israel Defense Forces; issued Oct. 3, 2010)

GOC Home Front Command Maj. Gen. Yair Golan opened announced a new campaign intended to increase Israelis’ level of preparedness for emergencies

“Israel has developed capabilities in detection and interception of non-conventional weapons. At this time we do not know if Hezbollah possesses non-conventional weapons, nor do we know about such intentions, but we are prepared for such a situation”, GOC Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan said on Sunday (Oct. 3) during an official Home Front Command announcement about the launching of a new public education campaign which will focus on “protected areas” which are sealed and reinforced areas within apartments or other buildings to be used in the event of chemical warfare, or to be used as a bomb shelter.

The new campaign will also focus on how to prepare the protected area for an emergency.

Within the framework of the campaign, Israeli citizens will be updated on the amount of time during which they will need to enter the protected area. Threatened areas will hear an alarm and will have to be inside their protective areas in a certain amount of minutes according to distance from the threat.

The campaign will involve the Home Front Command calling on Israeli citizens to prepare their respective protected areas according to a list of necessary equipment.

To accomplish this, there will be television, radio and internet broadcasts for two weeks and in addition, an explanation booklet will be sent to every family in the country detailing how to choose the protected area and how to prepare it.

“The Home Front Command, together with the rest of security and rescue forces, is prepared to respond and assist the population in times of emergency, but together with that, early preparation by the citizens is the key for dealing with an emergency situation”, a senior officer of the Command said.

The Home Front Command emphasized that the existence of an explanation campaign does not indicate a change in the situation or an expected escalation. Past experience has proven that citizens who were prepared and knew how to deal with emergencies succeeded in acting appropriately and saved their lives and those of their families.

During his speech, GOC of the Home Front Command Maj. Gen. Golan also discussed the Iron Dome rocket interception system, which he said should be operational within a month.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

British intelligence agents sent to foil attacks on Games

Britain, the United States and Australia have sent intelligence teams to India to help stop Pakistan-based groups launching a terrorist attack during the Commonwealth Games, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

By Dean Nelson in New Delhi and Praveen Swami, Diplomatic Editor, UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 9:16PM BST 04 Oct 2010


Indian security personnel arrive to take up positions at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium Photo: AFP

The three governments fear that another terrorist strike on India, following the 2008 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai, could provoke a new war between the nuclear-armed enemies.

Such a war would have grave implications for Pakistan's co-operation in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. Pakistan army offensives against Islamic militants in its tribal areas have been conditional on assurances of peace with India.

Last week Leon Panetta, the Central Intelligence Agency director, visited Islamabad. According to Indian sources, he warned President Asif Zardari and Gen Ashfaq Kayani, the chief of the army staff, that Washington expected their co-operation in preventing any terrorist attacks on the Games. He later visited New Delhi to brief his Indian counterparts.

According to Western and Indian security sources, Britain, the United States and Australia sent about two dozen senior intelligence agents to New Delhi last year as India's preparations for the Games intensified. Britain's contribution is understood to be part of growing security co-operation between the two countries. Officials believe India's security agencies will return the assistance during London's Olympic Games in 2012.

The focus of the three intelligence agencies has been on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terrorist group that sent 10 "fedayeen commandos" to wage war on Mumbai in 2008. They are also concerned by a LeT-linked group known as the Indian Mujahideen, which has carried out bombings in Indian cities.

In recent weeks, reports from Pakistan have suggested Brigade 313, an al-Qaeda affiliate, was also planning attacks on the Commonwealth Games. Fears of a terrorist attack led to the withdrawal of some leading athletes, including Phillips Idowu, England's world triple jump champion.

According to diplomats, the results of the three countries' intelligence work in New Delhi was seen in May, when each warned of an imminent attack on the Indian capital. Each changed travel advice and told visitors to avoid government buildings and markets.

[buglerbilly]

Mumbai-style attack cells 'already in Britain' al-Qaeda chief claimed

Terrorist cells have already been sent to Britain and Germany to launch Mumbai style terrorist attacks, an al-Qaeda commander has claimed.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent, UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 7:25PM BST 04 Oct 2010


A cell block at a new detention centre at US Bagram air base, north of Kabul Photo: Reuters

A Europe-wide terrorism alert has led to warnings from Britain, the US and Japan about travel across the continent amid fears of gun attacks on tourist sites and transport hubs.

It is understood the alert was sparked after an informant, Ahmad Sidiqi told US interrogators of the alleged plot.

Sidiqi said he had met Ilyas Kashmiri, a one-eyed commander linked with one of the men allegedly behind the attacks on Mumbai, India in 2008 that left 174 people dead.

During the camp fire chat, Kashmiri told Sidiqi that he had already sent teams to Britain and Germany, the Daily Telegraph has learned.

Osama bin Laden is said to have given a general blessing to such Mumbai-style attacks which would involve gunmen killing innocent civilians in crowded areas at random. Security sources on both sides of the Atlantic say no targets or timings were discussed.

MI5 and the German intelligence agency the BND are thought to have checked out the claims but found no teams returning from Pakistan that fit the description.

They are currently investigating whether a support network could be in place that is connected with Kashmiri.

Sidiqi, a German national from Hamburg, was captured by the Americans in July and has been interrogated at Bagram in Afghanistan for the last two months.

An intercepted communication in Pakistan added to concerns, but gave no further details, sources say.

The CIA has been able to kill some of those involved in planning the attacks using unmanned drones in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

Sidiqi worshiped at the same Hamburg mosque in Steindamm Street, formerly called the al-Quds, attended by the leaders of the September 11 attacks.

He traveled to Peshawar in Pakistan in March 2009 around the same time as around a dozen others from the mosque, moving to Mir Ali, a militant strong-hold in North Waziristan.

A US missile killed five German militants sheltering in a house in Mir Ali, according to reports by Pakistani intelligence officials on Monday.

Sidiqi has described a secretive meeting with a senior al-Qaeda commander called Younis al-Mauretani, a man he characterises as al-Qaeda’s third in command and a “spiritual leader,” according to reports.

He also met Kashmiri, sources say, an alleged terrorist who comes from Mirpur in Kashmir, from where many Pakistanis have emigrated to Britain.

Kashmiri is a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the Americans who is wanted in the US for plotting attacks on targets connected to Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed alongside David Coleman Headley, a US citizen facing charges connected to the Mumbai killings.

An alert in France, which has led to the evacuation of the Eiffel tower on two occasions, is said to be unconnected to Mumbai-style attacks and was issued because of another warning of attacks by the North African group, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

MI5 and Scotland Yard have been concerned for some time that terrorists could get hold of guns if they were to develop links with the criminal underworld.

[buglerbilly]

Times Square Bomber Gets Life Sentence

October 05, 2010

Associated Press

NEW YORK --- A Pakistani immigrant who tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison by a judge who said she hopes he spends some of his time behind bars thinking "carefully about whether the Quran wants you to kill lots of people."

Faisal Shahzad's thirst for bloodshed showed no signs of waning as he and U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum sparred repeatedly over his reasoning for giving up his comfortable life in America to train in Pakistan and carry out a potentially deadly May 1 attack in the heart of Times Square.

Instead of exploding, his massive bomb in the back of an SUV sputtered, attracting the attention of a street vendor, who alerted police. The discovery set off an evacuation of the tourist-laden area and a massive investigation that resulted in his arrest two days later as he sought to flee the country.

"You appear to be someone who was capable of education and I do hope you will spend some of the time in prison thinking carefully about whether the Quran wants you to kill lots of people," Cedarbaum told Shahzad after she announced his mandatory life sentence, which under federal sentencing rules will keep him behind bars until he dies.

Shahzad, 31, responded that the "Quran gives us the right to defend. And that's all I'm doing."

Earlier, Shahzad offered a lecture of his own for Americans, saying he felt no remorse.

"We are only Muslims ... but if you call us terrorists, we are proud terrorists and we will keep on terrorizing you," he said.

At another point, he said: "The defeat of the U.S. is imminent."

Cedarbaum said her sentence was very important "to protect the public from further crimes of this defendant and others who would seek to follow him."

During Shahzad's statement, Cedarbaum cut him off at one point to ask if he had sworn allegiance to the United States when he became a citizen last year.

"I did swear but I did not mean it," said Shahzad, a former budget analyst from Connecticut who was born in Pakistan.

"So you took a false oath," the judge told him.

Shahzad demonstrated throughout the half-hour proceeding in Manhattan that he had not wavered in the months since he pleaded guilty in June to 10 terrorism and weapons counts, some of which carry mandatory life sentences.

"I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty a hundred times forward," he said in June.

On Tuesday, he picked up where he left off.

"If I'm given 1,000 lives I will sacrifice them all for the life of Allah," he said at the start of a statement that lasted several minutes and was interrupted several times by the judge who said she wanted to hear what he had to say about his sentencing. "How can I be judged by a court that does not understand the suffering of my people?"

Shahzad, who last year received explosives training in Pakistan to prepare for his bombing attempt, said attacks on Americans will continue until the United States leaves Muslim lands.

"We do not accept your democracy or your freedom because we already have Sharia law and freedom," Shahzad said.

Two deputy U.S. marshals stood behind Shahzad throughout the sentencing.

Shahzad had instructed his attorney not to speak, and smirked as the judge announced her sentence. When a prosecutor tried to speak, the judge told him it wasn't necessary.

Asked by the judge if he had any final words, Shahzad said, "I'm happy with the deal that God has given me."

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Man convicted in missiles smuggling case

October 7, 2010 - 11:49AM

A Californian man was convicted on Wednesday on a conspiracy charge for attempting to arrange the smuggling of shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles from China into the United States.

Yi Qing Chen, 46, who was born in China, was found guilty of five felony counts, including drug conspiracy and conspiracy to import missile systems designed to destroy aircraft.

It is the first guilty verdict in the nation under a 2004 anti-terrorism statute that outlaws the importing of missile systems designed to destroy aircraft. The statute calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and the possibility of life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors said Chen and Chao Tung Wu, also a naturalised US citizen born in China, met with an undercover agent in October 2004 and said they could arrange shipment of the missiles from China. The agent was initially told 200 missiles were available to buy.

The missiles were never delivered because Wu and Chen were arrested before the deal was concluded.

Wu pleaded guilty in 2006 to similar charges and died while he awaited sentencing.

The case against Chen and Wu was part of an FBI-led investigation called Operation Smoking Dragon, that examined smuggling operations in southern California.

© 2010 AP

[buglerbilly]

In Pak Tribal Area, 'Soldaten Allahs'

October 07, 2010

Associated Press



ISLAMABAD - The video at first seems like many others filmed in Pakistan's tribal areas: The bearded militant sits cross-legged on the floor, an AK-47 propped against the wall behind him. But as he applauds his three companions' decision to join jihad, the words come out in fluent German: "Wir sind die Soldaten Allahs," he says - "We are the soldiers of Allah."

Between 15 and 40 Germans and a smaller contingent of other Europeans are believed to be getting militant training in Pakistan's lawless border region, intending to join the Taliban's fight against NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan or return to Europe and strike at the soft underbelly of those countries.

Their presence has attracted fresh scrutiny after a European terror warning based on information from a German-Afghan captured in Afghanistan, and a CIA drone strike Tuesday that allegedly killed eight German militants in North Waziristan - an al-Qaida and Taliban hub that the Pakistani army has so far left largely alone.

The German speaker in the jihad video, Mounir Chouka, is one of two Bonn-born brothers with dual German-Moroccan citizenship well known for appearances in videos made by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan apparently aimed at recruiting more militants from Germany. German federal prosecutors confirmed Thursday that the two are under investigation on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization.

The clip appeared on a militant website earlier this summer, a nearly 40-minute video telling new recruits of the legitimacy of jihad, or holy war.

"At every border crossing, at every airport and at every search, we pray to Allah ... to make these enemies blind," he says. "Allah answered. The proof? We are here."

Germans are thought to be one of the largest European groups in Pakistan's northwest, though information is scant. Most are believed to be immigrants from Muslim nations or their descendants.

The Germans killed Tuesday were hit by a drone strike in Mir Ali, a town about 20 miles from the border with Afghanistan.

Reporters who have been to Mir Ali describe Internet cafes in the basement of shops where militants from all over the world watch extremist videos or send e-mails. The Pakistani army has a base nearby, but soldiers do not patrol the area.

"For three or four months we have been hearing that there are people who say they are from Germany who have been trickling in one by one," said retired Brig. Mahmood Shah, the former chief of security of Pakistan's tribal regions. "Some people say that they are Turkish, or appear to be Turkish, or maybe Turkish from Germany."

Shah said the group is thought to include about 15 to 20 people but, he conceded, "nothing much is known about them."

Many top al-Qaida Arab leaders are believed to be somewhere in the border region, including Osama bin Laden and his Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Of the Germans in the region, most recent attention has been on Ahmed Siddiqui, a German citizen of Afghan descent who had been in the Mir Ali area and was captured in Afghanistan in July. He is now being interrogated by U.S. forces at the Bagram Air Field, German and U.S. officials have said.

American officials say Siddiqui provided some details of an early-stage terrorist plot to attack targets in Britain, France and Germany, which led to the recent warnings in Europe.

Siddiqui was one of about a dozen radical Muslims who left the northern port city of Hamburg in 2009 to pursue terrorist training in the border region, said Rolf Tophoven, director of the Germany-based Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy.

Siddiqui prayed at the same mosque that was earlier frequented by Mohamed Atta and the other Sept. 11 hijackers who used Hamburg as a base before they moved to the United States to attend flight school. Hamburg authorities closed the mosque in August after saying it was again being used as a meeting point for Islamic radicals.

But unlike the Sept. 11 hijackers - who had already coalesced into a terrorist cell while in Hamburg - Siddiqui and the others who left in 2009 are thought to have less organized plans.

"We have a lot of single people, lone fighters who are going to these areas (in Pakistan) and want to be trained as terrorists there," Tophoven said.

A German intelligence official said that authorities were aware of Siddiqui being part of the "Hamburg scene of Islamists" who they assumed was heading to Pakistan to "take part in jihad," but that there was no way to prevent him from leaving the country.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk with the press, pointed to the similar case of a suspect identified only as Rami M., who also left Hamburg in 2009 and turned up in Pakistan.

The 25-year-old German-Syrian was picked up at a checkpoint near the city of Bannu in June when police became suspicious of a particularly tall "woman" in a burqa in car who turned out to be Rami M. in disguise.

He was extradited to Germany, where prosecutors say he learned how to handle weapons and explosives while in Pakistan.

Rami M. has been charged with membership of a terrorist organizations on allegations that while in Pakistan he joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and fought with them in the region. The group is said to have links to al-Qaida and to have attacked foreign troops in Afghanistan.

In addition to Mounir Chouka, who goes locally by the name Abu Adam al-Almani - "Abu Adam the German" - and his brother Yassin, other Germans linked to the Mir Ali area include Muslim-convert Eric Breininger, who was killed April 30 by Pakistani soldiers.

Breininger was part of the Islamic Jihad Union, which has been linked to a thwarted plot inside Germany to attack U.S. targets.

Four IJU members, two German converts to Islam and two Turks who lived in Germany - all of whom also trained in a Mir Ali area camp - were convicted in March of planning the attacks and sentenced to jail time between five to 12 years.

It is not yet clear who the eight Germans were killed in the strike from a CIA drone on Tuesday in Mir Ali and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Wednesday that Berlin has received no "reliable information" on their identities.

U.S. officials do not publicly discuss the strikes or their targets. Often the only confirmation comes when the militants themselves release martyrdom videos of their comrades.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police office says that they have "indications" that a total of 220 Germans have traveled to the region for terrorism training in recent years, about half of whom have returned to Germany. Of the total, a spokeswoman, speaking on departmental policy of anonymity, there is "concrete evidence" that 70 have undergone such training and about a third of those militants have returned to Germany.

Tophoven said estimates he has seen are that "between 30 and 40 hardcore terrorists" from Germany are currently in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.

Some go to try and fight in Afghanistan, but Tophoven said that local militant commanders are worried about possible CIA or other infiltrators there, so European militants are more likely to return to Europe after their training - where they could also be a greater threat.

"They are afraid the intelligence services could bring covert agents into the ranks," he said. "They prefer the European for terror operations in the name of al-Qaida in Europe - in Germany, in France, in Britain, in Italy - these guys are homegrown terrorists; they know our culture, they know our language, they know our environment."

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Ooops.......!!!! :doh :censored :owned

Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back

By Kim Zetter October 7, 2010 | 10:13 pm



A California student got a visit from the FBI this week after he found a secret GPS tracking device on his car, and a friend posted photos of it online. The post prompted wide speculation about whether the device was real, whether the young Arab-American was being targeted in a terrorism investigation and what the authorities would do.

It took just 48 hours to find out: The device was real, the student was being secretly tracked and the FBI wanted its expensive device back, the student told Wired.com in an interview Wednesday.

The answer came when half-a-dozen FBI agents and police officers appeared at Yasir Afifi’s apartment complex in Santa Clara, California, on Tuesday demanding he return the device.

Afifi, a 20-year-old U.S.-born citizen, cooperated willingly and said he’d done nothing to merit attention from authorities. Comments the agents made during their visit suggested he’d been under FBI surveillance for three to six months.

An FBI spokesman wouldn’t acknowledge that the device belonged to the agency or that agents appeared at Afifi’s house.

“I can’t really tell you much about it, because it’s still an ongoing investigation,” said spokesman Pete Lee, who works in the agency’s San Francisco headquarters.

Afifi, the son of an Islamic-American community leader who died a year ago in Egypt, is one of only a few people known to have found a government-tracking device on their vehicle.

His discovery comes in the wake of a recent ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saying it’s legal for law enforcement to secretly place a tracking device on a suspect’s car without getting a warrant, even if the car is parked in a private driveway.

Brian Alseth from the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington state contacted Afifi after seeing pictures of the tracking device posted online and told him the ACLU had been waiting for a case like this to challenge the ruling.

“This is the kind of thing we like to throw lawyers at,” Afifi said Alseth told him.

“It seems very frightening that the FBI have placed a surveillance-tracking device on the car of a 20-year-old American citizen who has done nothing more than being half-Egyptian,” Alseth told Wired.com.

Afifi, a business marketing student at Mission College in Santa Clara, discovered the device last Sunday when he took his car to a local garage for an oil change. When a mechanic at Ali’s Auto Care raised his Ford Lincoln LS on hydraulic lifts, Afifi saw a wire sticking out near the right rear wheel and exhaust.

Garage owner Mazher Khan confirmed for Wired.com that he also saw it. A closer inspection showed it connected to a battery pack and transmitter, which were attached to the car with a magnet. Khan asked Afifi if he wanted the device removed and when Afifi said yes, Khan pulled it easily from the car’s chassis.

“I wouldn’t have noticed it if there wasn’t a wire sticking out,” Afifi said.

Later that day, a friend of Afifi’s named Khaled posted pictures of the device at Reddit, asking if anyone knew what it was and if it meant the FBI “is after us.” (Reddit is owned by CondeNast Digital, which also owns Wired.com).

“My plan was to just put the device on another car or in a lake,” Khaled wrote, “but when you come home to 2 stoned off-their-asses people who are hearing things in the device and convinced it’s a bomb you just gotta be sure.”

A reader quickly identified it as an Orion Guardian ST820 tracking device made by an electronics company called Cobham, which sells the device only to law enforcement.

No one was available at Cobham to answer Wired.com’s questions, but a former FBI agent who looked at the pictures confirmed it was a tracking device.

The former agent, who asked not to be named, said the device was an older model of tracking equipment that had long ago been replaced by devices that don’t require batteries. Batteries die and need to be replaced if surveillance is ongoing so newer devices are placed in the engine compartment and hardwired to the car’s battery so they don’t run out of juice. He was surprised this one was so easily found.

“It has to be able to be removed but also stay in place and not be seen,” he said. “There’s always the possibility that the car will end up at a body shop or auto mechanic, so it has to be hidden well. It’s very rare when the guys find them.”

He said he was certain that agents who installed it would have obtained a 30-day warrant for its use.

Afifi considered selling the device on Craigslist before the FBI showed up. He was in his apartment Tuesday afternoon when a roommate told him “two sneaky-looking people” were near his car. Afifi, already heading out for an appointment, encountered a man and woman looking at his vehicle outside. The man asked if Afifi knew his registration tag was expired. When Afifi asked if it bothered him, the man just smiled. Afifi got into his car and headed for the parking lot exit when two SUVs pulled up with flashing lights carrying four police officers in bullet-proof vests.

The agent who initially spoke with Afifi identified himself then as Vincent and told Afifi, “We’re here to recover the device you found on your vehicle. It’s federal property. It’s an expensive piece, and we need it right now.”

Afifi asked, “Are you the guys that put it there?” and the agent replied, “Yeah, I put it there.” He told Afifi, “We’re going to make this much more difficult for you if you don’t cooperate.”

Afifi retrieved the device from his apartment and handed it over, at which point the agents asked a series of questions – did he know anyone who traveled to Yemen or was affiliated with overseas training? One of the agents produced a printout of a blog post that Afifi’s friend Khaled allegedly wrote a couple of months ago. It had “something to do with a mall or a bomb,” Afifi said. He hadn’t seen it before and doesn’t know the details of what it said. He found it hard to believe Khaled meant anything threatening by the post.

“He’s a smart kid and is not affiliated with anything extreme and never says anything stupid like that,” Afifi said. “I’ve known that guy my whole life. “

The agents told Afifi they had other agents outside Khaled’s house.

“If you want us to call them off and not talk to him we can do that,” Afifi said they told him. “That was weird. [...] I didn’t really believe anything they were saying.”

When he later asked Khaled about the post, his friend recalled “writing something stupid,” but said he wasn’t involved in any wrongdoing. Khaled declined to discuss the issue with Wired.com.

The female agent, who handed Afifi a card, identified herself as Jennifer Kanaan and said she was Lebanese. She spoke some Arabic to Afifi and through the course of her comments indicated she knew what restaurants he and his girlfriend frequented. She also congratulated him on his new job. Afifi recently got laid off from his job, but on the same day was hired as an international sales manager of laptops and computers for Cal Micro in San Jose.

The agents also knew he was planning a short business trip to Dubai in a few weeks. Afifi said he often travels for business and has two teenage brothers in Egypt whom he supports financially. They live with an aunt. His U.S.-born mother, who divorced his father five years ago, lives in Arizona.

Afifi’s father, Aladdin Afifi, was a U.S. citizen and former president of the Muslim Community Association here, before his family moved to Egypt in 2003. Yasir Afifi returned to the United States alone in 2008, while his father and brothers stayed in Egypt, to further his education he said. He knows he’s on a federal watchlist and is regularly taken aside at airports for secondary screening.

Six months ago, a former roommate of his was visited by FBI agents who said they wanted to speak with Afifi. Afifi contacted one agent and was told the agency received an anonymous tip from someone saying he might be a threat to national security. Afifi told the agent he was willing to answer questions if his lawyer approved. But after Afifi’s lawyer contacted the agency, he never heard from the feds again until he found their tracking device.

“I don’t think they were surprised that I found it,” he told Wired.com. “I’m sure they knew when I found it. [...] One of the first questions they asked me was if I was at a mechanics shop last Sunday. I said yes, that’s where I found this stupid device under my car.”

Afifi’s attorney, who works for the civil liberties-focused Council on American Islamic Relations, said this kind of tracking is more egregious than the kind her office usually sees.

“The idea that it escalates to this level is unusual,” said Zahra Billoo. “We take about one new case each week relating to FBI or law enforcement visits [to clients]. Generally they come to the individual’s house or workplace, and there are issues that arise from that.”

However, she said that after learning about Afifi’s experience, other lawyers in her organization told her they knew of two people in Ohio who also recently discovered tracking devices on their vehicles.

Afifi’s encounter with the FBI ended with the agents telling him not to worry.

“We have all the information we needed,” they told him. “You don’t need to call your lawyer. Don’t worry, you’re boring. “ :rofl :shrug

They shook his hand and left.

Photo of tracking device courtesy of Yasir Afifi

Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/10/fbi-tracking-device/all/1#ixzz11pESB0nb

[buglerbilly]

Before '08 Mumbai attacks, U.S. was warned key figure in plot had terror ties


India and Pakistan Respond to Mumbai Attacks
After a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks turned parts of Mumbai's financial district into a combat zone, officials in New Delhi, India, and Islamabad, Pakistan, grapple with the political and diplomatic fallout of India's deadliest terror attack in 15 years.

By Sebastian Rotella
ProPublica

Saturday, October 16, 2010; 2:47 AM

Three years before Pakistani terrorists struck Mumbai in 2008, federal agents in New York City investigated a tip that an American businessman was training in Pakistan with the group that later executed the attack.

The previously undisclosed allegations against David Coleman Headley, who became a key figure in the plot that killed 166 people, came from his wife after a domestic dispute that resulted in his arrest in 2005.

In three interviews with federal agents, Headley's wife said that he was an active militant in the terrorist group Lashkar-i-Taiba, had trained extensively in its Pakistani camps, and had shopped for night-vision goggles and other equipment, according to officials and sources close to the case. The wife, whom ProPublica is not identifying to protect her safety, also told agents that Headley had bragged of working as a paid U.S. informant while he trained with the terrorists in Pakistan, according to a person close to the case.

Federal officials say the FBI "looked into" the tip, but they declined to say what, if any, action was taken. Headley was jailed briefly in New York on charges of domestic assault but was not prosecuted. He wasn't arrested until 11 months after the Mumbai attack, when British intelligence alerted U.S. authorities that he was in contact with al-Qaeda operatives in Europe.

In the four years between the wife's warning and Headley's capture, Lashkar sent Headley on reconnaissance missions around the world. During five trips to Mumbai, he scouted targets for the attack - using his U.S. passport and cover as a businessman to circulate freely in areas frequented by Westerners. He met in Pakistan with terrorist handlers, including a Pakistani army major accused of helping direct and fund his missions, according to court documents and anti-terrorism officials.

In March, Headley pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism in the Mumbai attacks and to a failed plot to take and behead hostages at a Danish newspaper. He is cooperating with authorities.

It is not clear from the available information whether a different response to the tip about Headley might have averted the Mumbai attacks. It is known that U.S. anti-terrorism officials warned Indian counterparts several times in 2008 about a possible attack on Mumbai, according to U.S. and Indian officials. The warnings included details, such as a threat to the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, which became a target, officials say.

Former DEA informant

The handling of the Headley case calls into question the progress of American law enforcement and intelligence agencies in improving their coordination and ability to "connect the dots" and deter attacks. It also raises questions about a complicated relationship between American authorities and a confessed terrorist.

Court records and interviews show that Headley served as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration starting in the late 1990s. But a former senior U.S. law enforcement official said Headley's work as an informant ended before the Mumbai attacks in 2008. He could not say whether Headley worked for the drug agency during the years when he was helping to plan the attack.

"Headley was closed as an informant because he wasn't producing anything," the former senior official said. He said he believed Headley's relationship with the DEA ended "years" before Mumbai, but he did not have more precise information.

Federal officials refused to discuss the 2005 tip other than to confirm that the FBI conducted an inquiry into the allegations made by Headley's wife.

"We can confirm there was a lead based on his wife's tip," said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of pending legal cases. "We can't get into details."

FBI officials said they could not comment on the agency's role in the case because of ongoing prosecutions in Chicago and overseas. A DEA spokesman declined to comment because of a policy against discussing informants. New York police officials confirmed the details of the arrest in the assault case, but they declined to discuss the terrorism inquiry.

Anti-terrorism officials noted that federal authorities in New York City are deluged with tips and warnings about suspected extremists.

"They get half-a-dozen leads a day like this," a U.S. anti-terrorism official said. "People ratting out family members, people with grudges. Something like this does not ramp up to the White House."

The tip came at a time of heightened fears about Pakistani terrorism. A month earlier, al-Qaeda suicide bombers trained and directed in Pakistan had struck the London transport system. In previous years, a group of militants in Virginia had been given life sentences for training with and supporting Lashkar. Former Lashkar trainees had also been prosecuted in foiled plots against New York, London and Australia.

Mumbai joins a list of cases in which plotters caught the attention of authorities beforehand: London in 2005, Madrid in 2004, the Sept. 11 attacks. Such advance glimmers are part of the landscape of counterterrorism. Facing many threats and limited resources, authorities must make hard choices, a British spymaster said recently.

"We appear increasingly to have imported from the American media the assumption that terrorism is 100 percent preventable and any incident that is not prevented is seen as a culpable government failure," said Jonathan Evans, chief of MI5, in a speech. "This is a nonsensical way to consider terrorist risk."

'A fascinating study'

Official silence makes it hard to assess what happened in the Headley case. Court documents and interviews depict Headley, who is now 50, as a chameleon-like figure with a taste for risk and a talent for deception. Because of his sophistication and unusual profile, he was a valuable asset to police, spies, criminals and terrorists, officials say.

"Headley's a fascinating study," the U.S. anti-terrorism official said. "I see him as a mercenary, not ideologically driven. He's not an Islamic terrorist in the classic sense."

Headley was born Daood Gilani in Washington, D.C. His Pakistani father was a renowned broadcaster. His mother, whose maiden name was Headley, came from a wealthy Philadelphia family.

Gilani moved to Pakistan as an infant and attended an elite military school. Returning to the United States at 17, he married, divorced and slid into the drug underworld and heroin addiction, court records say. He had a fast-talking charm and, strikingly, a green eye and a brown eye. In addition to Urdu and English, he told associates he spoke Pashtun, Farsi and some Arabic.

In 1988, the DEA arrested him in Germany for smuggling heroin from Pakistan, court records show. He cooperated and was sentenced to four years in prison while his co-defendant received 10.

In 1997, three years after Gilani moved to Manhattan to run two video stores purchased by his family, the DEA arrested him for another heroin deal. Agents soon obtained his release and he became a prized informant, records show.

"He . . . helped the DEA infiltrate the very close-knit Pakistani narcotics dealing community in New York," prosecutors said in a 1998 letter recommending a lenient sentence. He also "traveled to Pakistan . . . to develop intelligence on Pakistani heroin traffickers."

Gilani was sentenced to 19 months in prison, but was freed on probation in less than a year. Records show that while he was on probation he got permission in 1999 for a trip to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. Previously casual about his Muslim faith, he became radicalized. He sought out new recruits, raised funds for Lashkar and began preparing for its mountain training camps, getting corrective eye surgery and taking horse riding lessons, according to a person close to the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Gilani's mix of extremism and Pakistani nationalism pushed him toward Lashkar because of its popularity in Pakistan and its fight against India, anti-terrorism officials say. Although Lashkar is a longtime al-Qaeda ally, it still functions largely unscathed in Pakistan, officials say.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Gilani told associates that he planned to train with Lashkar as part of a secret mission for the U.S. government, the person close to the case said.

"The FBI and DEA have joined forces and I am going to work for them," this person quoted him as saying. "I want to do something important in my life. I want to do something for my country."

Federal officials say Gilani was never an FBI informant, however. The DEA and FBI work together on task forces, and the DEA sometimes shares informants with other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The unusual circumstances of Gilani's departure for Pakistan reinforce the theory that he may have been working with the government in some capacity at that time. A federal court discharged him from probation in December 2001, well before the scheduled end date in 2004, court records show. Within two months he was training in Pakistan with Lashkar, which had just been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Pakistan, documents say.

Gilani did five stints in the Lashkar camps over three years, learning about ideology, firearms, combat, countersurveillance and survival skills, court documents show. He underwent more advanced training than many Western recruits, with one course lasting three months. He reported on his progress at a mountain complex near Muzaffarabad during calls, e-mails and visits to New York and his family home in Lahore, praising the bravery of fellow militants and the medical care he received for an ankle injury, according to the person close to the case.

Wife contacts task force

In December 2002, Gilani married his girlfriend of eight years in New York. He used return visits to buy ropes, hiking boots and military books, and to research prices for night-vision goggles. He also continued to claim he was a paid U.S. informant, the person said.

The court documents that outline Gilani's odyssey do not mention the domestic dispute that led his wife to contact authorities in August 2005. She had demanded a divorce after learning he had a wife and children in Pakistan. They argued at his store and on Aug. 25 she filed an assault complaint, alleging that he "struck her several times in the face," according to officials and a law enforcement document.

On Aug. 26, she phoned a tip line of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, an FBI-led, multi-agency unit with hundreds of investigators. Her tip was assigned an FBI lead number under guidelines developed after Sept. 11, 2001, to improve the response to potential threats. Procedure requires an FBI supervisor to begin an inquiry, decide in 90 days whether it merits a preliminary or full investigation, and report the outcome.

On Aug. 31, New York City police arrested Gilani for alleged misdemeanor assault, according to police officials. He was released on bond and was never prosecuted for reasons that remain unclear, officials say.

Not long after the arrest, task force investigators met three times with his wife. In addition to a detailed account of his activity with Lashkar, she showed them audio cassettes and ideological material and described his e-mails and calls from Pakistan and to individuals whom she thought to be extremists, according to the person close to the case. It is not known if the investigators ever questioned Headley about his wife's revelations.

Veteran anti-terrorism officials described various ways in which the New York task force might have handled the tip. Investigators could have decided it simply wasn't worth pursuing, perhaps because Lashkar was seen primarily as a threat to India at that time.

Others think investigators learned Gilani was still an informant for the U.S. government so they deferred to the existing operation. But federal officials speaking on background say that to their knowledge Gilani was no longer an informant at that point.

Another scenario: Investigators may have opened a case and put Headley under surveillance. If he were an informant, his U.S. handlers could also have tracked his travels and intercepted his communications if they suspected wrongdoing, then opened an investigation, officials said.

The tip from Gilani's wife came at a crucial moment: after he had finished training and soon before he met with terrorist bosses in Pakistan and launched into the Mumbai plot, court documents say.

A new identity

To conceal his Pakistani Muslim background, he went to Philadelphia and legally changed his name to David Coleman Headley in February 2006. Then the ex-convict with the new name traveled to Pakistan, India, Dubai, Europe and elsewhere, documents show.

In June 2006, a friend who owned a U.S. immigration consulting firm helped Headley open a Mumbai office of the firm as a cover, court documents say. During the next two years, Headley scouted and videotaped targets, the documents say. He joined an upscale gym, befriended a Bollywood actor and stayed with a Moroccan girlfriend at the Taj Mahal hotel, a prime target of the plot, according to documents and officials.

Headley reported to his handlers, including a suspected Pakistani Army major, at debriefings in Pakistan, according to court documents and officials.

As the plot took shape in 2008, U.S. anti-terrorism agencies warned Indian counterparts at least three times about a suspected Lashkar plan to attack Mumbai, according to Indian and U.S. officials. There has been speculation in news reports and among anti-terrorism officials that the United States got that information by monitoring Headley, either as an informant, an ex-informant or a suspect.

Officials have not disclosed any link between Headley and the warnings, and there might be no connection. But some of the warnings coincided with Headley's trips to Mumbai and Pakistan.

The first U.S. warning to India came in early 2008 and described general intelligence about Lashkar wanting to strike Mumbai, according to an anti-terrorism official with knowledge of the warnings. After a scouting trip to Mumbai in April 2008, Headley went to Chicago in May and told his accomplice about an evolving plan for seaborne gunmen to land in front of the Taj Mahal hotel, which he had scouted extensively, court documents show.

Also in May, U.S. officials told their Indian counterparts that Lashkar's potential targets included the Taj Mahal hotel and nearby sites frequented by foreigners and Americans, according to the anti-terrorism official. In September, a U.S. warning caused Indian anti-terrorism officials to meet with officials at the hotel, which beefed up security, according to the official.

In early November, Headley met with his Lashkar handler in Karachi, where militant bosses were making final preparations of the 10-man attack squad, documents say. And on Nov. 18, U.S. officials advised India about a suspicious vessel related to a potential maritime threat to Mumbai, the official said.

Four days later, the gunmen left Karachi by boat. On Nov. 26, they struck the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, a Jewish center, a cafe and a train station. The gunmen singled out Americans, Britons and Jews. The three-day slaughter caught Indian security forces unprepared despite the warnings.

Afterward, Lashkar deployed Headley on a plot against a Danish newspaper that had published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. In January 2009, he visited the newspaper to ask about advertising and shot reconnaissance video, documents say.

Lashkar soon put the plot on hold, so Headley turned to Ilyas Kashmiri, an al-Qaeda kingpin in Pakistan, documents say. Kashmiri offered militants in Europe to Headley for a plan to decapitate hostages at the newspaper and throw their heads out of windows, documents say.

When Headley contacted the militants that summer, British intelligence detected him, officials say. He was arrested by the FBI last October and is now in a federal prison in Chicago. Anti-terrorism officials say he has become a treasure trove of information about Lashkar and al-Qaeda, whose recent suspected Mumbai-style plots in Europe have been linked to Kashmiri. Last week Interpol announced that it had issued worldwide Indian arrest warrants for Kashmiri and four other top suspects in the Mumbai and Denmark cases, all of whom have been identified by Headley, officials say.

Parts of the story contain nagging gaps. Headley's motivations are part of the mystery.

"I think he did it for the juice," the person close to the case said. "Everything he did was for the excitement."

ProPublica researchers Nicholas Kusnetz and Lisa Schwartz contributed to this report. ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. ProPublica is supported entirely by philanthropy and provides the articles it produces, free of charge, both through its Web site and to leading news organizations.

[buglerbilly]

Saudis warn of new terror threat in Europe

‎Saudi intelligence services have warned of a new terror threat from al-Qaeda against Europe, particularly in France, Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said yesterday.

By Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent
Published: 11:31PM BST 17 Oct 2010


The warning from Saudi Arabia is the latest in a series of alerts that have put security forces, including in Britain, in high-vigilance mode Photo: REUTERS

He said the warning of a potential attack by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was received "in the last few hours, few days."

European officials were informed that "al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was doubtless active or envisioned being active" on the "European continent, notably France ... The threat is real," he said on RTL-LCI-Le Figaro's weekly talk show.

The warning from Saudi Arabia is the latest in a series of alerts that have put security forces, including in Britain, in high-vigilance mode.

It was the first time a French official has offered details about potential threats since mid-September, when officials first publicly invoked the possibility that France could be a target of radical Islamist groups.

"We must not overestimate the threat or underestimate it," the minister said. "We are directly concerned."

The warning may be linked to a series of arrests announced in recent days of senior operatives of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

This offshoot was formally created at the beginning of last year from a core of Yemeni militants and Saudi former inmates of the Guantánamo Bay internment camp who had returned to terrorism despite going through a rehabilitation programme on their release.

In recent months they have coordinated a suicide bomb attack on the British ambassador, Timothy Torlot, and a rocket-propelled grenade attack on his deputy, Fionna Gibb, in Sana'a, while at Christmas they sent a Nigerian former student of University College London to try to bomb a plane over Detroit in the United States.

However, at the beginning of last month, Saudi police say, one of the former Guantánamo inmates, Jabir Jubran al-Fayfi, contacted them to say he wanted to return home. He handed himself in to the Yemeni authorities, and was transferred to Riyadh.

In the last few days, the Yemen state news agency Saba has reported the subsequent arrests at Sana'a airport of Khaled al-Obeidi, a Yemeni accused of kidnapping a Japanese engineer in 2009, and, more significantly, Salah al-Raimi, 33, a Saudi citizen who appears to have been able to coordinate financing for al-Qaeda operations from his home in the kingdom.

The Saudi authorities have yet to comment on the French revelations, and a spokesman for the interior minister could not be contacted last night.

However, if the warning is connected to the latest arrests, it would make the threat separate from the recent alert over attacks in European cities which were said to be intended to follow the model of the Mumbai killings of November 2008. That alert was said to emanate from a group of jihadists based on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

[buglerbilly]

Islamic students at top university 'are preaching hard-line extremism,' terror experts warn

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:52 PM on 17th October 2010



Think tank finds evidence of moderate Muslims being radicalised and Jewish students intimidated

Not too surprising that they do this as this is the approach they have taken Worldwide, influence the studfents and radicalise them...................AND the Uni of London has always been a hotbed of "free thinking" aka "we oppose everything as you must all be wrong, your old and part of the establishment!" You have to talk to some of the prats that teach there to understand the sheer stupidity of some of the left-wing dogma they teach. This Islamic rhetoric is just a spin-off of the well-practised "superiority" the Uni displays generally............

Radical Islamic extremism is being openly practised at a leading university campus, a report today claimed.

Think tank Quilliam said they had evidence of hard-line Islamist ideology being promoted through the leadership of the university's student Islamic Society at City University in central London.

The group had intimidated and harassed staff, students and members of minority groups, it was claimed.

A think tank says it has evidence of hard-line Islamist ideology being promoted in City University's Islamic Society (file picture)

The counter-extremism think tank said they had evidence of the president of City University's Islamic Society, (ISoc) openly preaching extremism during prayers held on the campus during the 2009/10 academic year.

They said the president - Saleh Patel, was recorded saying: 'When they say to us 'the Islamic state teaches to cut the hand of the thief', yes it does!

'And it also teaches us to stone the adulterer.
More...Multiculturalism in Germany has 'utterly failed', claims Chancellor Angela Merkel

'When they tell us that the Islamic state tells us and teaches us to kill the apostate, yes it does!

'Because this is what Allah and his messenger have taught us and this is the religion of Allah and it is Allah who legislates and only Allah has the right to legislate.'

'When a person leaves one prayer, one prayer intentionally, he should be imprisoned for three days and three nights and told to repent.

'And if he doesn't repent and offer his prayer then he should be killed. And the difference of opinion lies with regards to how he should be killed not as to what he is - a kafir or a Muslim'.

According to students interviewed for the report, the actions of leading members of the ISoc made members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Society (LGBT) feel 'scared'.

Some Jewish students felt 'intimidated', and the group's actions forced ordinary Muslim students to adopt hard-line Islamic practices which led to some Muslim students publishing an open letter complaining that their religion had been 'hijacked' by the ISoc.

Report author Lucy James, said: 'It is deeply shocking that such extremism is being openly promoted on a university campus in central London.

'Such extremism can create dangerous divisions on campuses and, if not tackled, may even lead to terrorism.

'University heads need to recognise this problem and take the lead in tackling it.'

City University London Students' Union released a statement which read:

'The report raises a number of issues so the Students' Union will be in contact with the authors to review the evidence on which the report is based.

'The Students' Union works closely with the University to act in the best interest of its student body and wider University community.'

A spokeswoman for the university added: 'The University is committed to creating as many opportunities for people of different faiths (and indeed of no faith) to meet and engage in honest and respectful dialogue.

'The University and the Students' Union asks that all Students' Union Clubs and Societies - and any external speakers that they invite into the University - abide by its equality and diversity guidelines and values and behaviours.'

'The University works closely with its Students' Union and, on a number of occasions, has offered support to the Students' Union when the Islamic Society has been found to be in breach of these guidelines.

'The University and Students' Union are constantly reviewing their protocols, to ensure that they maintain an environment that is open and welcoming to staff and students.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321264/University-urged-action-Islamic-extremists.html#ixzz12fLZDYqe

[buglerbilly]

US-Born al-Qaida Spokesman Urges US Attacks

October 24, 2010

Associated Press



CAIRO -- A U.S.-born spokesman for al-Qaida on Saturday urged Muslims living in the United States and Europe to carry out attacks there, calling it a duty and an obligation. In a 48-minute video posted on militant websites, Adam Gadahn directed his appeal to Muslim immigrants in what he called the "miserable suburbs" of Paris, London and Detroit, as well as those traveling to the West to study or work.

"It is the duty of everyone who is sincere in his desire to defend Islam and Muslims today, to take the initiative to perform the individual obligation of jihad ... by striking the Zio-Crusader interests," he said, referring to Western and Jewish interests.

Gadahn, who has been hunted by the FBI since 2004, also sought to discredit attempts by moderate Muslim leaders to suppress the "jihadi awakening."

He spoke in Arabic in the video, which was made available by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity.

Gadahn grew up on a farm in California and converted to Islam before moving to Pakistan in 1998 and reportedly attending an al-Qaida training camp.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, called Gadahn's video "a desperate plea for attention" that will be ignored in the Detroit area - home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the U.S.

"I see little to no chance of such sentiment taking root in metropolitan Detroit. ... We're not a group of people who feel powerless," Walid said.

"If any Muslim community has grown in civic engagement and empowerment, it would be this community. He invoked the wrong population to try and stir up."

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Police trained by SAS to prepare for Mumbai-style attacks

Police are being trained by the SAS and armed with more powerful weapons to prepare for a possible Mumbai-style terror attack in the UK.

Published: 7:10AM BST 26 Oct 2010


The UK's terror threat rating remains at "severe", the second highest rating, where it has been since increasing from "substantial" in January Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Security chiefs are staging a series of counter-terrorism exercises with police sharpshooters training alongside special forces units, the BBC said.

The development follows the interception last month by British intelligence officials of a credible al-Qaeda-linked plot.

That would have reportedly been similar to the deadly commando-style raids in Mumbai, India, two years ago, which left 166 people dead and several hundred injured.

Cities in France and Germany were also targeted as part of the plot.

Former security minister Lord West told the BBC police officers needed to be properly trained to deal with similar terror attacks.

He said: ''These people like the Mumbai terrorists, are a bit like soldiers, they do fire and support, move forward, all they want to do is kill as many people as possible, with slightly heavier weapons than our police have.

''And therefore you have to give heavy weapons to the police and train them how to do it.

''There is no way, except at immense cost, you could have SAS-level trained troops in every part of the country to be able to respond in the timescale you'd need. The police are there and have to do that first response.''

The UK's terror threat rating remains at ''severe'', the second highest rating, where it has been since increasing from ''substantial'' in January.

[Deks]

Wonder if they'd consider a suspension to the 10 round mag rule if it really went sideways.

[buglerbilly]

Wonder if they'd consider a suspension to the 10 round mag rule if it really went sideways.

What makes you think they haven't already............

[buglerbilly]

Army Copters to Start ‘Flying Over Your Neighborhood’

By Spencer Ackerman October 26, 2010 | 10:16 am



Shortfalls with the Army’s Black Hawk helicopter has led Army aviation units in Iraq and Afghanistan to use the UH-72A Lakota, a light non-combat helicopter, to fill the gap. But at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington D.C., the Army’s project manager, Colonel Neil Thurgood, says that the vast majority of the Lakotas are going to go to the National Guard to aid in civilian disaster relief.

The Lakota, a “maneuverable, agile aircraft” that EADS has put in production since 2007, is increasingly able to talk with civilian law enforcement and homeland security, Thurgood said at a panel discussion. “You’ll be seeing more of those in your neighborhoods, flying over.”

Most importantly, new communications equipment gets the Lakota talking with the police patrol car below. The helicopter has P-25 public disaster band radio. Cameras on the nose flash aerial pictures of the aftermath of a disaster to “any of the agencies, state, national or federal, involved in process,” Thurgood said. A sensor operator in the rear of the copter can map and track the movements of cops, firefighters, ambulances and other disaster-relief officials on the ground.

That’s an improvement the Army learned the hard way. During Hurricane Katrina, the military discovered that it tracks locations using grid coordinates. Police and firefighters use street intersections. Neither knew immediately what the other meant.

These days, the Lakota is going to be in the toolkit of National Guardsmen who’ll be the frontline military points of contact with law enforcement and homeland security during the next hurricane or tornado. The Army’s going to buy 230 Lakotas; 210 of them are going to the National Guard.

But the helicopter isn’t just going to be used in disaster-relief missions. “We’ve used it along the southern border,” Thurgood said. If you live in a border town, expect to hear it flying overhead.

Photo: Wikimedia

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/10/guard-will-get-helicopter-for-disaster-relief/#more-33974#ixzz13VzOHUm5

[buglerbilly]

Va. Man Charged in Alleged DC Metro Plot

October 27, 2010

Associated Press



WASHINGTON - A Virginia man was arrested Wednesday and charged with trying to help people he believed were al-Qaida operatives in planning to bomb subway stations around the nation's capital, the FBI said.

The FBI said the public was never in danger because its agents were aware of the man's activities before the alleged planning took place and monitored him throughout.

Farooque Ahmed, 34, a naturalized citizen born in Pakistan, had been indicted under seal Tuesday in Alexandria, Va., and the indictment was released Wednesday. He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to carry out multiple bombings to cause mass casualties at Washington-area metro stations. Ahmed lives in Ashburn, Va., outside Washington.

Federal investigators said starting in April Ahmed met several times with people he believed were al-Qaida operatives. During one of those meetings, investigators said, he agreed to watch and photograph a hotel in Washington and a metro station in Arlington, Va. He also was accused of participating in surveillance, recording video of a subway station in Arlington on four different occasions, and agreeing to get security information about two stations.

Investigators said in a Sept. 28 meeting he gave diagrams of Arlington metro stations to a person he thought was part of al-Qaida and gave suggestions about where to put explosives on trains to kill the most people in simultaneous attacks planned for 2011.

"Today's case underscores the need for continued vigilance against terrorist threats and demonstrates how the government can neutralize such threats before they come to fruition," Assistant Attorney General for National Security David Kris said in a statement after Ahmed's arrest. "Farooque Ahmed is accused of plotting with individuals he believed were terrorists to bomb our transit system, but a coordinated law enforcement and intelligence effort was able to thwart his plans."

Ahmed faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted.

Photo: O Paisson via Flickr

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Suspect in D.C. Metro bomb plot sought to fight U.S. troops overseas, records say

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, October 29, 2010; 12:55 AM

The man charged in an alleged plot to blow up Metrorail stations in Northern Virginia suggested ways to kill as many people as possible on the subway, wanted to battle U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and trained himself to fight, authorities alleged Thursday.

But Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Loudoun County never suggested any attacks inside the United States, and the plot to attack Metro was hatched by government operatives posing as terrorists, according to court records unsealed Thursday.

Ahmed told undercover FBI operatives who he thought were al-Qaeda terrorists that he was ready to martyr himself in battle, according to government documents. He had trained himself in martial arts, use of firearms, and knife and gun tactics, according to the documents, and he offered to teach those skills.

Ahmed, who also suggested that he purchase firearms for jihad, is charged with conspiring to support al-Qaeda in a plot to bomb Metro stations in Arlington County.

Ahmed faces a maximum prison term of 50 years if convicted. He has not entered a plea, and his attorneys from the federal public defender's service declined to comment.

The 12-page sworn affidavit in support of a warrant to search Ahmed's Ashburn home and bank accounts suggests that Ahmed became an active and willing participant in the plot, providing surveillance and reconnaissance and offering his opinion on how to generate the most casualties.

It paints a picture of a man preparing himself step by step for violence in the name of religion, buying rifles and a shotgun and practicing with them, and telling the FBI he would be ready to go "operational" after completing the hajj pilgrimage next month.

The affidavit, signed by FBI Special Agent Charles A. Dayoub, details a grim 10-month courtship that began in January, just two months after a shooting rampage in which Army Maj. Nidal Hasan is accused of killing 13 soldiers and contractors at the Army post at Fort Hood, Tex., and weeks after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly sought to blow up an airliner over Detroit.

"AHMED stated that he wanted to kill as many military personnel as possible," Dayoub wrote. He "stated that between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. would be the best time to stage an attack to cause the highest number of casualties."

Ahmed proposed an additional Metro station as a target, suggested locations to place bombs and even recommended that putting explosives in rolling suitcases instead of backpacks would be more effective, Dayoub wrote.

The papers detail clandestine meetings in hotels near Dulles International Airport at which Ahmed handed over thumb drives with surveillance video.

Dayoub wrote that Ahmed said he planned to complete the hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and then "conduct jihad" overseas. Dayoub said the FBI thinks that Ahmed had sought to buy guns for that purpose.

A grim courtship unfolds

Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, immigrated with his family to the United States about 1993, according to court records. The family eventually settled in Staten Island, N.Y. In 2003, he graduated from the College of Staten Island - part of the vast City University of New York system - with a degree in computer science, officials said.

By 2005, Ahmed was living in Virginia and working in telecommunications, according to his profile on the business networking site LinkedIn. At the time of his arrest, he was working for a Reston-based contractor for the telecommunications company Ericsson, officials there confirmed.

His large extended family still lives in an apartment in the Graniteville neighborhood of Staten Island, and relatives did not return messages left on their answering machine Thursday.

Leaders of the Muslim community in Northern Virginia said they did not know Ahmed or where he worshiped.

The FBI first learned in January that Ahmed and an associate, whose name was withheld from the filings, were asking about contacting a terrorist organization to wage "jihad" overseas, Dayoub wrote.

A series of meetings was arranged at area hotels, including one April 18 at which Ahmed thought he would be meeting with a terrorist. The presumed al-Qaeda operative was an FBI operative.

Ahmed was given a Koran with code words for locations of future meetings. Those meetings were videotaped by the FBI. At one, Ahmed said he wanted to fight and kill Americans in Afghanistan and "of course" was willing to die as a martyr, the FBI affidavit said.

Over the next six months, Ahmed agreed to tasks assigned by two undercover FBI operatives. One of those tasks was casing the Arlington Cemetery Metro station, which he did July 7 and 13, the papers say. He turned over video he took from his cellphone while pretending to talk on it.

At a July 19 meeting in Northern Virginia, Ahmed was told his work was being used to prepare bomb attacks at the Arlington Cemetery, Court House and Pentagon City Metro stops in Arlington - stations used heavily by military personnel, civilian Pentagon employees and contractors - as well as at a hotel in the District.

"AHMED replied that those were good targets that contained many people," Dayoub wrote.

Ahmed also agreed to conduct surveillance at the Rosslyn and Pentagon City Metro stations and the Pentagon City mall. Eventually, Ahmed recommended another target, the Crystal City Metro station, and offered to provide Metro cards and other assistance in the plot, the FBI wrote.

At a Sept. 28 meeting, Ahmed told the agents - who he thought were preparing for a 2011 attack - that the afternoon rush hour would be the deadliest time to strike.

He sketched diagrams for "where to place explosives to kill the most people," Dayoub wrote, then tried on three backpacks provided by the undercover agents before suggesting the use of wheeled suitcases.

But Ahmed also expressed concerns that he complete religious obligations before going overseas to fight, a key step that counterterrorism analysts say is observed by violent Islamic extremists. He also told the undercover operatives that he was interested in contributing money to the cause, offering $10,000 in donations, Dayoub wrote.

According to federal authorities, Ahmed told agents that he would be ready to fight after completing a pilgrimage to Mecca next month.

"On September 28, 2010, AHMED told both [operatives] that he was attending the Hajj this year and that they should all go in order to complete the five pillars of Islam before making the 'top mark' - by which I believe AHMED meant 'becoming a martyr,' " Dayoub said.

Spokesmen for the Justice Department and Neil H. MacBride, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, declined to identify Ahmed's associate. While federal authorities often identify confidential witnesses or informants as such in court papers, the Ahmed affidavit provides no such description of his associate.

A federal law enforcement official said the associate's name is being withheld "to assist with the investigation" but would not elaborate.

Staff writers Tara Bahrampour and Annie Gowen and staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

Terror Explosives Found, Bound for US

October 29, 2010

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama declared Friday that authorities had uncovered a "credible terrorist threat" against the United States following the overseas discovery of U.S.-bound packages containing explosives aboard cargo jets. Obama said both had been addressed to Jewish organizations in the Chicago area.

The disclosures triggered a worldwide alert amid fears that al-Qaida was attempting to carry out fresh terror attacks.

The events "underscore the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism," the president said. The packages both originated in Yemen, but Obama did not explicitly assign blame to al-Qaida, which is active in the Arab nation and long has made clear its goal of attacking the United States.

The events unfolded four days before national elections in which discussion of terrorism has played almost no role.

Obama stepped to the podium in the hours after officials disclosed that authorities in Dubai intercepted an explosive device bound for a Chicago-area Jewish institution. The second package was aboard a plane searched in England, and officials said it contained a printer toner cartridge with wires and powder.

That second package was aboard a plane in East Midlands, north of London.

Obama did not identify any institution that had been targeted.

Several other cargo planes at airports along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States also were searched, and officials said no explosives were found. An Emirates Airlines passenger jet carrying cargo from Yemen was escorted from the Canadian border to New York City by two military fighter jets, U.S. officials said. They said it was a precautionary action.

An FBI spokesman in Chicago, Ross Rice, said both suspicious packages had been sent from the same address in Yemen.

The president refrained from assigning blame to Yemen's al-Qaida branch, but officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were increasingly certain that was the source. The same group was responsible for the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner last Christmas.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation.

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan later told reporters that the explosives "were in a form that was designed to try to carry out some type of attack," but he provided no further details.

"The forensic analysis is under way," he said, adding, "Clearly from the initial observation, the initial analysis that was done, the materials that were found in the device that was uncovered was intended to do harm."

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Barack Obama says explosive package terror threat is 'credible'

• Terror alert as explosive packages found on US-bound planes
• Suspicious package on cargo plane at East Midlands airport
• Another package found on FedEx plane at Dubai airport

Share326 Vikram Dodd, Dan Milmo and Chris McGreal in Washington The Guardian, Saturday 30 October 2010


Illustration: Guardian

Security services yesterday thwarted a terrorist attempt to send packages containing explosive material hidden in printer ink cartridges by air from Yemen to strike targets in the US.

Last night Barack Obama called the attempt a "credible threat".

The packages were discovered yesterday in the UK and Middle East aboard planes in an apparent change of tactics by al-Qaida- inspired terrorists who had targeted synagogues in Chicago. The incident sparked an international terror alert on three continents following a tip-off from MI6 to the Americans, the Guardian understands.

One device was intercepted early yesterday morning at East Midlands airport, near Leicester, en route from Yemen to Chicago, via the UK. It had wires protruding from an eight-inch ink cartridge which also had traces of white powder. A second device, described as identical, was intercepted aboard a freight plane in Dubai, whose journey had also started in Yemen, a country identified by western officials as home to terrorists who have tried to strike against the US.

Counter-terrorism sources told the Guardian the device discovered in the UK was not found by chance but specific intelligence led to a decision to subject cargo on the plane to extra searches. Last night John Brennan, assistant to the US president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, said Saudi Arabia had provided vital information.

Officials in Britain and the US were trying to ascertain what the devices were capable of and what the terrorists intended.

Barack Obama said in a statement last night that both packages contained "explosive material" and represented a credible terrorist threat to the US. One UK security source said despite Obama's announcement the aim was probably to cause panic and not to bomb any target.

Obama, speaking in Washington and days before midterm elections, said Yemen's president had pledged to cooperate in the investigation. He effectively named the Islamist group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula as being chief suspects.

Obama said: "I've also directed that we spare no effort in investigating the origins of these suspicious packages and their connection to any additional terrorist plotting. Although we are still pursuing all the facts, we do know that the packages originated in Yemen. We also know that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, a terrorist group based in Yemen, continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens, and our friends and allies."

The first device discovered, said Obama, was in the UK. It sparked intense activity at the White House as officials scrambled to meet what they believe was the latest terrorist attempt to strike the US.

The plane that landed in the UK was operated by the parcel company UPS. It had taken off from Yemen, and was due to fly to two locations in the US. It made a routine stop at the UK's largest freight airport, East Midlands, at 3.30am on Friday morning and, sources said, intelligence reports led it to be subjected to extra searches.

A source with close knowledge of the events said a large box was found by employees carrying out screening checks in the UPS facility at East Midlands. Initial checks were inconclusive and the UPS flight, which had come from Yemen, was allowed to fly on to the US without the box on board. But the discovery of a freight bomb in Dubai prompted a further check which revealed that a toner cartridge for a Hewlett Packard printer contained a hidden suspect device. The source said the bomb was "cleverly disguised" and a "substantial" device which contained explosives. It was wired with a mobile phone, most likely to act as a timer to detonate the device.

After its discovery the device was then split in two and sent for detailed scientific investigation by the authorities. It is understood that the Dubai bomb was identical.

Minutes after the find in the Midlands, Obama was told in Washington of the discovery, amid concerns that some sort of terrorist action emanating from Yemen was feared.

Scotland Yard said: "Early today, Friday 29 October, an American-registered cargo plane arrived at East Midlands airport from the Yemen en route to Chicago via Philadelphia.

"The plane stopped at East Midlands airport as part of a routine stopover. Cargo removed from the plane was examined. Further tests were carried out. Following this a number of items have been sent for additional scientific examination."

Theresa May, the home secretary, confirmed the package at East Midlands contained explosive material, but it was not clear whether it was a "viable explosive device". May, who spoke with her US counterpart Janet Napolitano yesterday, said: "We have been working closely with US counterparts following the discovery of a suspect package on a flight to Chicago which had landed in transit at East Midlands airport.

"At this stage I can say that the device did contain explosive material. But it is not yet clear that it was a viable explosive device. The forensic work continues."

She said that Cobra, the government's emergency planning committee, met yesterday and would meet again today.

She added: "We are reviewing the security measures for air freight from Yemen and are in discussion with industry contacts."

Yemen has been of increasing concern to western counter-terrorism officials, who suspect its use as a base for al-Qaida inspired terrorists. American officials said intelligence agencies have, over recent months, tracked three other packages out of Yemen for delivery to the US that appeared to be trial runs for the smuggling of a bomb on board a cargo plane. They said that the grounding of planes from the US and UK to Dubai for further searches was in part based on that intelligence.

Their suspicion has been that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula – which was responsible for the failed attempt to blow up a passenger aircraft over Detroit on Christmas Day last year using a Nigerian suicide bomber – was planning an attack on cargo planes.

American law enforcement officials warned Jewish groups in Chicago and New York that they may be a target for dangerous packages. Fed Ex said it was suspending all deliveries from Yemen.

Gordon Brown banned direct passenger flights from Yemen to the UK in January. The US Department for Homeland Security said it had taken a "number of steps" to enhance aviation security last night.

Brennan said: "The United States is grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their assistance in developing information that helped underscore the imminence of the threat emanating from Yemen.

"Their assistance, along with the hard work of the US counter-terrorism community, the United Kingdom, the UAE, and other friends and partners, helped make it possible to increase our vigilance and identify the suspicious packages in Dubai and East Midlands airport."

[buglerbilly]

Yemen arrests woman over mail bombs Ahmed Al-Haj

October 31, 2010 - 6:09AM

Yemeni authorities have arrested a woman suspected of sending two mail bombs found on cargo planes and are searching for more suspects believed linked to al-Qaeda, Yemeni security officials say.

The officials said the woman was detained as part of the manhunt as authorities search for a number of suspects believed to have used forged documents and ID cards that played a role in the plot that was thwarted on Friday.

US investigators have said the mail bombs were headed to two synagogues in Chicago, raising fears of a new al-Qaeda campaign against Western targets.

The Yemeni officials said the suspects were believed linked to the terror network's faction in Yemen.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told reporters in the capital, San'a, that the United States and the United Arab Emirates had provided him with information that helped identify the woman as a suspect.

He said security forces had surrounded a house where they believed the woman was located.

Two security officials later told The Associated Press the woman had been arrested, although they did not specify where she was detained.

One of the officials, who is a member of the country's anti-terrorism unit and is close to the Yemeni team probing the case, said the other suspects had been tied to al-Qaeda's faction in Yemen.

Several US officials also said have they were increasingly confident that al-Qaeda's Yemen branch, the group behind the failed Detroit airliner bombing last Christmas, was responsible for the plot.

© 2010 AP

[buglerbilly]

More info on this...........

Yemen cargo bomb plot may have been targeted at Britain

The bomb intercepted in Britain on its way to America was designed to explode in mid-air and may have been targeted at the UK.

By Sean Rayment, Patrick Hennessy and David Barrett for the UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 9:45PM BST 30 Oct 2010

David Cameron said he believed the device was constructed to detonate while the aircraft was in flight.

He said a plot to blow it up over British soil could not be ruled out.

The Prime Minister's dramatic intervention came as the investigation into the plot was centring on one of al-Qaeda's most senior commanders.

US and British security officials believe Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born figurehead of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was behind the foiled attack in which two ink cartridge bombs, posted in Yemen, were intercepted in Britain and Dubai on the way to America.

Al-Awlaki, who is in hiding in Yemen, is regarded by the CIA and MI6 as the driving force behind the transformation of AQAP from a regional group into an international terrorist organisation.

A woman was arrested in Yemen on suspicion of posting the packages. Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, said information that identified the woman had been provided by the US and the United Arab Emirates.

Yemeni security officials said she was a medical student at Sana'a University and believed to be in her 20s. She was arrested in a poor neighbourhood in the west of Sana'a. The women's lawyer said her mother had also been detained, but was not a prime suspect.

Fears of more plots emerged after investigators in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital, said they were examining 24 other suspect packages.

Mr Cameron's comments, in a televised address from Chequers shortly after 6pm, were the first suggestions that Britain could have been in the line of fire.

He said there was "no early evidence" that Britain was targeted, but added: "We believe that the device was designed to go off on the aeroplane. There is no early evidence that it was designed to go off over British soil, but, of course, we cannot rule that out."

Had the planes been brought down over populated areas, hundreds could have been killed.

In Sana'a, authorities were also questioning cargo workers at the airport and employees of shipping companies contracted to work with the freight companies FedEx and UPS.

While the devices were addressed to synagogues in Chicago, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was the first to announce that the target for the bombs could have been the planes.

She also said the Government had launched a review of Britain's air cargo security and disclosed that all unaccompanied freight from Yemen had been stopped.

Further suspicion fell on the involvement of AQAP when Janet Napolitano, the US Homeland Security Secretary, claimed that the plot had all the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda "spectacular".

It was well orchestrated, it targeted airlines and it was designed to cause global panic and chaos.

The devices were believed to be similar to those developed by Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri, a Saudi jihadist who is thought to have designed a bomb smuggled on to a US-bound Christmas Day flight last year by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Underpants Bomber.

Asiri is also believed to have constructed a bomb that was hidden in a body cavity of his brother who blew himself up while trying to kill Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia's top counter-terrorism official, who survived the attack.

Speaking after a meeting of Cobra, the Government's emergency planning committee, Mrs May said: "I can confirm that the device was viable and could have exploded.

"The target may have been an aircraft and had it detonated the aircraft could have been brought down.

"But we do not believe that the perpetrators of the attack would have known the location of the device when they planned for it to explode.

"At this stage, we have no information to indicate another attack is imminent. The threat level is already at severe, meaning that a terrorist attack in this country is highly likely. We do not plan to change that threat level at this stage."

The Prime Minister said that he had spoken by telephone to President Saleh and the Saudi ruler, King Abdullah, as well as to Barack Obama, the US President.

Mr Cameron said: "We have to do more to cut out the cancer of al-Qaeda in Yemen and the Saudi peninsula."

The announcement brought to a head 24 hours of confusion during which Leicestershire police, at first, failed to identify explosives in a suspect package. After a device was found in Dubai, police carried out further checks and found the bomb.

Security sources told The Sunday Telegraph that an airborne attack was thought to be the terrorists' most probable tactic.

"We think it is probably a more likely scenario than others, but it's pretty convoluted. We have not yet done all the full tests," said the source.

Mobile phones can be used as the trigger to detonate a bomb, by either using the handset's internal clock as a timer or setting it to detonate when the phone receives a call or a text message.

The international terror alert was launched late on Thursday when MI6 received information from their counterparts in the Saudi Arabian intelligence services warning of a plot.

Following the tip-off, security staff discovered suspicious packages on board planes at cargo hubs at East Midlands Airport and Dubai.

The packages were addressed to synagogues in Chicago, and were on Chicago-bound cargo flights.

After examining the Dubai device, local police said: "The parcel was prepared in a professional manner where a closed electrical circuit was connected to a mobile phone SIM card hidden inside the printer. This tactic carries the hallmarks of methods used previously by terrorist organisations such as al-Qaeda."

The bomb also contained lead azide, an explosive compound that can be used in detonators, together with the powerful explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).

This is the same chemical used by Abdulmutallab in the plot to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day last year.

Following the latest discoveries, UPS jets in Philadelphia and Newark, New Jersey, were moved away from terminal buildings and two fighter jets escorted an airliner travelling into New York from Dubai.

As speculation grew on both sides of the Atlantic, President Obama broke the news that the discovery of the two devices meant the West was once again dealing with "a credible terrorist threat".

The terror alert followed calls this week from airline bosses for existing security procedures such as shoe and laptop checks to be scrapped.

The plot resembles the Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which also featured concealed explosives within an electronic device, a radio cassette player.

Last month, Jonathan Evans, the director general of MI5, warned in a speech that his organisation had seen a "surge" in Yemen-related case work over the past 12 months.

Additional reporting by William Lowther and Patrick Sawer

[buglerbilly]

Yemen bomb plot: key questions raised

The cargo flight bomb plot has raised questions about the capability of terrorist groups, report Patrick Sawer, David Barrett, Sean Rayment and Patrick Hennessy.

Published: 10:42PM BST 30 Oct 2010


'The parcels could have been sent from a number of postal agents in the Yemen. Exactly where and when they were deposited will be a prime avenue of investigation' Photo: GETTY

WHAT WERE THE DEVICES?

The bomb found in Dubai on a FedEx flight from Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, was prepared in a "professional manner" and bore the imprint of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.

According to Dubai police, it was hidden in the toner cartridge and casing of an ordinary office computer printer and contained explosives and an electrical circuit linked to a mobile phone SIM card, which could have acted as the detonator. The bomb also contained lead azide, an explosive compound that can be used in detonators.

Photographs show the cartridge of the printer loaded with pentaerythritol tetranitrate or PETN, a powerful plastic explosive that is colourless, odourless and cannot be detected easily.

"The parcel was prepared in a professional manner where a closed electrical circuit was connected to a mobile phone SIM card hidden inside the printer," said Dubai police in a statement.

Sally Leivesley, a terrorism expert, said the Dubai bomb appeared to be "sophisticated" and of a size that could have caused "devastation".

The device found at East Midlands airport was similar. It had arrived on a plane belonging to UPS, the parcel carrier, in a container that had come from Sana'a.

This device also contained PETN and mobile phone parts "cleverly hidden" in a Hewlett Packard printer. PETN was used in the failed attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up a flight to Detroit at Christmas 2009 with explosives hidden in his underwear.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, said yesterday that the East Midlands airport bomb was also viable.

HOW DID THE BOMBS GET ON BOARD THE PLANES?

The parcels could have been sent from a number of postal agents in the Yemen. Exactly where and when they were deposited will be a prime avenue of investigation.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen said yesterday that a woman had been arrested on suspicion of posting the two devices.

It is believed the items would have passed through X-Ray machines in Yemen, but it was not disclosed what other security measures were in place at the airport.

The cargo container in which the device found in Britain had been loaded was first flown to Cologne, in Germany, where it was placed on a flight to the US that arrived at East Midlands airport on a routine stopover.

WHO SENT THE DEVICES?

British and US intelligence agencies believe the bombs were constructed and placed on board the aircraft by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). After examining one of the devices Dubai police yesterday said: "This tactic carries of the hallmarks of methods used previously by terrorist organisations such as al-Qaeda."

AQAP was formed in 2009 from the merger of al-Qaeda's Saudi and Yemeni groups. Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born ideologue, is regarded as the driving force behind the group's decision to transform itself from a regional threat into al-Qaeda's most active affiliate. It is accused of organising repeated attempts to attack the West.

Abdulmutallab said he trained in Yemen for his failed mission.

WHAT WERE THE INTENDED TARGETS?

Although the packages were addressed to synagogues in Chicago – President Barack Obama's home city – the authorities confirmed that they could have been detonated in mid-air, suggesting that the targets were likely to have been the aircraft.

Andy Oppenheimer, an explosives expert and author, said: "It seems more like an airborne attempt rather than an attempt to bomb the destination addresses. Why bother sending those packages across continents when you could just send them from within the US?"

Mrs May said: "I can confirm that the device was viable and could have exploded. The target may have been an aircraft and had it detonated the aircraft could have been brought down."

Mr Cameron said: "We believe that the device was designed to go off on the aeroplane. We cannot be sure when that was meant to take place. There is no early evidence it was designed to take place over British soil, but of course we cannot rule that out."

IS THERE SIGNIFICANCE IN THE TIMING OF THE PLOT?

The timing of the plot suggests the devices were intended to explode in the run-up to the US midterm elections taking place on Tuesday.

Any successful terrorist attack on either US soil or on US aircraft during this period would have had an enormous symbolic and political impact, spreading fear and panic among voters and raising doubts over Barack Obama's strategy of containing terrorism in Afghanistan. The President's expected appearance in Chicago today would have given any terrorist attack further significance.

HOW WAS THE PLOT FOILED?

Details of the plot began to emerge on Thursday night when MI6 received a tip-off from Saudi intelligence services.

They warned of the possibility that explosive devices had been placed on cargo flights from Yemen to Chicago. Information of an al-Qaeda plot was also passed to the CIA.

One of the suspect planes was stopped and searched at East Midlands airport. At the same time Dubai police said they were tipped off by a call from abroad, which warned of the possibility of an explosive device hidden in packages on the FedEx flight from Yemen.

Suspect devices were eventually found on both planes, though only after Leicester*shire police initially failed to realise the full significance of the package they examined. The Dubai authorities said: "Swift action enabled Dubai police to foil a potential act of terror."

The Government has been trying to build a stronger intelligence relationship with Yemen, but concerns remain over the quality of intelligence obtained by the Yemenis and how any shared intelligence may be used.

Janet Napolitano, the US homeland security secretary, said: "The security system has no one silver bullet in it. You have to have multiple layers. This layer started with good information from the Saudis. We were then immediately able to work with other countries, particularly the UK and the UAE, to segregate these packages, to begin the analysis about what they were, what they could have done."

HOW DID BRITISH POLICE MISS A DEVICE?

The initial search of the UPS plane at East Midlands airport was conducted by officers from Leicestershire police, and not by specialist counter-terrorist officers from Scotland Yard.

One package, which had protruding wires, was removed from the aircraft. Officers then gave clearance for the plane to continue on its journey to the US – a decision that will come under close scrutiny.

However, it was only after another device was discovered in Dubai that a second examination of the package was conducted in Leicestershire, uncovering explosive materials. It raises questions about why foreign agencies were able to identify the threat when British police failed to do so adequately.

Because PETN is so difficult to detect Leicestershire police may argue that they had little chance of working out exactly what was in the suspect package.

Reports of a second device being discovered at East Midlands airport were ruled incorrect by security sources.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE PLOT FOR SECURITY?

The attempted attack has led to Britain banning cargo originating from Yemen and is likely to lead to a global review of air freight security.

Prof Paul Wilkinson, a terrorism expert at St Andrews University, said there had long been concerns that cargo was a weak point that could be exploited by terrorists.

"I think security of freight needs to be looked at. It has not been given the priority that it should have been," he said.

"al-Qaeda and its network has clearly been investigating the weak points and where they can exploit a gap in the existing security. We saw that with the 'underpants bomber'."

Lord Carlile, who reviews the Government's anti-terrorism legislation, agreed that cargo security was an "absolutely formidable" challenge.

"I have been worried by the risk presented by cargo and the difficulties for the authorities of policing it fully," he said.

"I visited East Midlands airport in the past and was told that 10,000 parcels a night were going through there to America alone.

"The challenge of checking every item is absolutely formidable."

There needed to be "eternal vigilance" but security and intelligence measures had worked well and prevented this attack, he added.

David Learmount, the safety editor of Flight International, said all containers were screened on arrival at airports by the airline carrier taking the cargo. On top of that, cargo from unstable countries, such as Yemen, was closely scrutinised.

British Airways added that all containers were thoroughly scanned. "There is 100 per cent screening, all documentation is completed and carefully scrutinised," said a spokesman.

"If there were any concerns boxes would be opened and closely examined."

Any future review could look at security at cargo depots, and how terrorists may be able to use "parcel tracking" services offered by carriers including UPS.

Customers can follow the progress of their parcel in great detail once it has been posted.

A code for each package can be entered in the company website, which then provides a live commentary about where the parcel is, giving estimated arrival times for the next stage of the journey.

It also shows which airline is carrying the item and even the flight number the parcel is on.

Such detailed information could be used by terrorists to track the progress of a bomb sent by parcel carrier. It could even be used to estimate – with a degree of accuracy – when to send a signal via a mobile phone detonator for maximum impact, perhaps when the plane is approaching the end of its flight and is likely to be above an urban area.

Because the device on-board the UPS plane, detected at East Midlands airport, had another stop in Philadelphia on the way to Chicago this would have given terrorists extra opportunities to detonate the bomb in the air – as it landed and departed at Philadelphia and then landed at Chicago.

The scare is unlikely to affect passenger security measures, elements of which were criticised as "completely redundant" last week by Martin Broughton, the BA chairman. However, any relaxation of passenger checks in the immediate wake of the cargo bomb plot seems unlikely.

The plot will have raised further concerns about terrorist threats to the London Olympics in 2012.

The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that security chiefs and the emergency services will "war game" a terrorist attack on the 2012 Olympics after a major review of safety at the Games uncovered areas of concern.

Ministers will also step up Britain's cyber security in an attempt to thwart a potential attack on the country's IT networks during the Games.

Lord West, the former Labour security minister, has warned that the Games will present Britain with the "greatest security challenge" since the Second World War.

It will be the biggest sporting event ever staged in Britain, with crowds outstripping those for the two major football tournaments held here – the 1966 World Cup and the 1996 European Championships.

Mrs May will shortly unveil plans for what ministers are terming a "new Olympic counter-terrorism exercise programme".

This will test existing plans and ensure that police and other emergency services are fully prepared for "any threat" to the Olympics.

WHO WAS IN CHARGE IN BRITAIN?

It was Mr Obama who gave the first public details of an explosive device being discovered on British soil – not Mr Cameron.

The Prime Minister made his first public comments on the bomb plot just after 6pm yesterday – more than 24 hours after he had first been informed of events as he returned to Britain on Friday from an EU summit in Brussels.

"We have to do even more to crack down and cut out the cancer of al-Qaeda in Yemen and the Arabian peninsula," he said.

"In the end these terrorists think that our interconnectedness, our openness as modern countries, makes us weak but they are wrong. It is a source of our strength."

Earlier yesterday, the Prime Minister did not attend the meeting of Cobra, the emergency committee, in Whitehall, nor did he even "dial in" to the gathering from Chequers, his Buckinghamshire retreat. Mrs May chaired the emergency meeting.

Mr Cameron was being kept "closely in touch with events" by the Home Secretary and senior officials. He telephoned Ed Miliband during the afternoon to brief the Labour leader personally.

The Prime Minister's decision to keep a relatively low key drew a stark contrast with his Labour predecessors, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, who were both quick to take to the airwaves in a crisis. Some MPs said it was odd that Mr Cameron waited so long before making his first statement on the plot.

Downing Street sources made it clear the strategy was deliberate. "Gordon Brown was on our TV screens the whole time when things like this happened," said one. "We want to do it differently.

"Apart from anything else, if the PM continually makes statements when very few facts are known there is a danger of inflaming the situation and even of sparking panic.

"We are running a Cabinet government and we want ministers to take the lead, as Theresa did at Cobra.

Who's in charge? Clearly David is. He is being constantly briefed."

Mr Cameron spoke to Mr Obama yesterday afternoon before recording his televised statement at Chequers. They agreed that security experts in Britain and the US would remain in close contact.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister spoke to President Obama to discuss the terrorist plot that was disrupted yesterday as a result of close UK/US co-operation and joint working with other international partners.

"They both expressed their appreciation for the professionalism of the British and American authorities involved. They agreed that their teams would remain in close contact in the hours and days ahead.

"The security and safety of the British and American people was the top priority."

The spokesman said Mr Cameron had also spoken to President Saleh of Yemen.

"Both leaders affirmed their common interest in fighting terrorism. They agreed that their authorities would continue to work closely together to identify and bring to justice those involved in this plot," she added.

IS THIS A NEW STRATEGY BY THE TERRORISTS?

The likelihood of the latest plot is that the aircraft themselves were the targets and that the plan was to bring them down over the US or Britain, inflicting mass casualties on a densely-populated urban area.

The attempt to use cargo flights to wreak havoc would mark a disturbing new tactic in the terrorists' armoury.

al-Qaeda's strategy has long been to cause panic and chaos with high-profile attacks that cause maximum disruption and loss of life, such as the September 11 attacks and the Jule 7 London bombings.

The 2001 shoe bomb plot, the 2006 liquid bomb plot and Abdulmutallab's attempt in 2009 to bring down an aircraft all targeted international passenger flights.

The result of these failed attacks was heightened security at civilian airports across the world. The result of the latest plot is likely to result in similar increased measures for cargo flights.

[buglerbilly]

PETN: the explosive of choice

Major ingredient of Semtex is one of the most powerful, and difficult to detect, explosives available to terrorists

Robin McKie guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 October 2010 16.50 BST Article history


Part of the computer printer that had PETN explosives in its toner cartridge, found in a package on a cargo plane in Dubai. Photograph: Dubai police

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN, is a major ingredient of Semtex and belongs to the same chemical family as nitroglycerin. It is one of the most powerful explosives made today and is a favourite among terrorists because its colourless crystals are hard to detect in a sealed container.

PETN is relatively stable and is detonated either by heat or a shockwave. A little more than 100g of PETN could destroy a car, experts say.

Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber", tried to set off a PETN device on an American Airlines jet to Miami in 2001, and this summer a suicide bomber tried to assassinate a member of the Saudi royal family with a PETN-based bomb inside his body.

"If you can lay your hands on a reliable source, it would be the explosive of choice," said Hans Michels, an explosives expert at Imperial College, London.

In December, PETN was found in the possession of 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. According to US security officials he had attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253 as it approached Detroit airport from Amersterdam. Abdulmutallab was in a window seat and had the device strapped to his left leg, against the body of the plane. The idea was almost certainly to blow a hole in the aircraft so decompression would tear it apart.

Abdulmutallab's bomb involved a syringe and a soft plastic container filled with 80g of PETN. Experts believe the syringe may have been converted into an electrical detonator or, more likely, it was was filled with a liquid detonator, such as nitroglycerin, which would have made the device extremely hard to detect through the usual airport security measures.

Abdulmutallab cleared security in Lagos and Amsterdam after passing through a metal detector and having had x-rays done of his hand luggage. The lack of an explosion on the flight meant there was almost certainly a failure between the primary and the main charge so that the PETN did not fully detonate.

However, a test explosion on a decommissioned Boeing 747 in March showed that the flight would have landed safely even if Abdulmutallab's bomb had detonated successfully. In the test, carried out by Dr John Wyatt, an explosives adviser to the UN, the plane's fuselage did not break open. However experts say the test blast showed the suspected bomber and the passenger next to him would have been killed.

[buglerbilly]

Investigators link package explosives to al-Qaeda bomb-maker in Yemen

By Peter Finn and Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writers

Sunday, October 31, 2010; 12:27 AM

Investigators examining explosives found in packages intercepted in Britain and Dubai suspect the material, preliminarily identified as PETN, points not only to the role of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen but to a sophisticated bomb-maker who last year sent his brother to his death in an effort to kill a Saudi prince.

Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, a 28-year-old Saudi national who is on that country's most-wanted list, secreted a PETN-based bomb in a body cavity of his younger brother, Abdullah, who pretended to be turning himself in. The bomb killed his brother and wounded Mohammed bin Nayef, a top counterterrorism official and Saudi royal.

Asiri, who is based in Yemen, is also believed to have built the underwear bomb that a Nigerian man trained in Yemen attempted to detonate last Christmas Day on a commercial aircraft approaching Detroit. That device also contained PETN, or pentaerythritol trinitrate.

"He is certainly someone we are focused on," a U.S. official said of Asiri.

Both packages were shipped from Yemen, where officials said Saturday that they had arrested a woman suspected of mailing them.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told reporters in the capital, Sanaa, that the United States and the United Arab Emirates had provided information that helped identify the woman, who was arrested at her home in Sanaa.

Yemeni officials told the Reuters news agency that the woman, who was not named, is a medical student in her 20s.

A British minister said Saturday that the bomb, found in a package destined for a Chicago synagogue, was "viable," and could have exploded and brought down the UPS plane that was carrying it.

"We do not believe that the perpetrators of the attack would have known the location of the device when they planned for it to explode," said British Home Secretary Theresa May. That suggests the device could have exploded automatically rather than be detonated remotely.

Officials, however, declined to describe the trigger mechanism, and noted that a forensic investigation continues.

A second package was found at a FedEx facility in Dubai, and authorities there said the device, skillfully built inside a printer cartridge, contained an electric circuit and a cellphone chip. The powerful devices were designed to beat airport scanners, officials said.

"The targeting manner carries characteristics similar to methods previously carried out by terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda," authorities in Dubai said in a statement.

U.S. officials said the packages were intercepted following a tip from intelligence officials in Saudi Arabia. An official from a country involved in the investigation said the Saudis first warned the United States that dangerous packages had just left Yemen, and that officials in several countries then reacted with great speed. The official contrasted that with the investigation of the Christmas Day bombing, in which communications failed at numerous levels.

The White House said that President Obama called Saudi King Abdullah Saturday to thank him for his country's "critical role" in breaking up the plot. The president also spoke to British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Speaking to reporters at his country residence outside London, Cameron said: "We believe the device was designed to go off on the aeroplane. We cannot be sure about the timing when that was meant to take place."

Both packages were addressed to synagogues in Chicago. U.S. officials said they were not yet certain where the bombs were designed to explode or whether the synagogues were, in fact, the intended targets.

U.S. officials said they also didn't know whether the synagogues were chosen because they are located in Obama's hometown, or how they were selected at all.

A number of U.S. citizens hold prominent roles in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, including the American-born cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi, a leading ideologist and operational planner. The group has proven to be very media-savvy, producing an online English-language magazine called "Inspire" and uploading video with English subtitles to YouTube.

The al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen is largely autonomous from the group's central leadership, now believed to be headquartered in the lawless tribal region of Pakistan near the Afghan border, when it comes to making operational decisions. U.S. officials said the Yemeni group is viewed as an increasingly potent threat, open to all tactics in order to strike a blow against the United States.

Since the attempted Christmas Day bombing, the U.S. has announced it will significantly increase military aid to a government that does not control large tracts of its own country. In addition to the threat from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's weak central government is dealing with a secessionist movement in the south of the country and a civil war against Shiite rebels in the north.

U.S. officials have debated whether to deploy armed CIA drones to the country, but Saleh, in a brief news conference Saturday, rejected any foreign intervention.

"We do not want anyone to interfere in Yemeni affairs by hunting down al-Qaeda," said Saleh, whose 32-year-long rule has been marked by authoritarianism and human rights abuses, according to Western groups such as Human Rights Watch.

Authorities in Yemen said Saturday that they continued to search for other suspicious packages. A U.S. law enforcement official said authorities here now believe they have identified and cleared all packages mailed from Yemen in the same period as the bombs.

The U.S. Postal Service announced Saturday that it has temporarily suspended acceptance of inbound international mail originating in Yemen. Britain and France also suspended air freight from Yemen.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on CBS's "Early Show" Saturday morning that the "plot does have the hallmarks" of an attack by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. She also said on CNN that the parcel bombs appeared to contain PETN.

"We know aviation continues to be a target, we know the system continues to be looked at by our adversaries," said Napolitano.

Current and former officials who have worked with explosives said the bomb-makers showed skill at their task.

"There is some sophistication, as far as the knowledge of being able to put it together," said David Williams, a retired FBI agent and explosives expert who investigated the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993.

He said the PETN explosive was probably stripped out of a commercial product like a detonating cord. But it is also possible the bombers made a batch of PETN themselves, said Williams, who now runs the International Counter Terrorism Consulting Group, based in Harwood, Md.

"If you could make moonshine, you could make PETN," he added, noting it involved distillation, the combination of various chemicals, and a chilling process.

One federal law-enforcement official said the bomb-maker could have obtained the PETN from a government munitions program or a mining company, or could have figured out how to manufacture it.

Richard Reid, the British "shoe bomber," also carried a device made with PETN when he attempted to bring down a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001.

Williams said the latest bombs sent from Yemen differed from the device carried by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the alleged "underwear bomber," because they used electronics rather than a chemical reaction to detonate the explosives. The mail bombs had circuit boards, and a cellphone battery could have been the power source for the blast, Williams said.

If al-Qaeda is the culprit, it appears to be the first time the group has attempted to use the mail to deliver an explosive, Williams said.

"It seems like a logical progression," he added, saying the bomb-makers figured out that there was less screening of packages than of passengers.

Staff writer Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

U.S. official says 2 package bombs were intended to detonate 'in flight'


Suspicious packages found on cargo planes
Two packages found aboard aircrafts en route to the United States contained explosive material and represented a "credible terrorist threat.," President Obama said.

By Peter Finn
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 1, 2010; 12:29 AM

The two package bombs intercepted by authorities in Britain and Dubai last week appear to have been built to detonate "in flight" and to bring down the planes carrying them, President Obama's top counterterrorism adviser said.

"At this point we, I think, would agree with the British that it looks as though they were designed to be detonated in flight," said the adviser, John Brennan, speaking Sunday on the CBS program "Face the Nation."

The assessment, combined with the revelation that one of the packages traveled on passenger flights in the Middle East, underlined just how narrowly authorities had averted a potential catastrophe. It also raised puzzling questions about why the packages, which contained bombs skillfully packed inside modified printer cartridges, were addressed to two synagogues in Chicago, a potential warning flag given that the packages originated in Yemen.

On other Sunday morning talk shows, Brennan was more circumspect about the ultimate targets of the attack. He said on the ABC program "This Week with Christiane Amanpour" that authorities have "to look very carefully at whether or not they were going to be detonated on the aircraft or they were intended for the destination, and that's where they were going to be detonated."

British officials have been more categorical. Prime Minister David Cameron said Saturday that "we believe the device was designed to go off on the aeroplane."

A U.S. counterterrorism official said that forensics work is still in its early stages on the packages and that FBI experts are involved. The preliminary conclusion that the devices were designed to detonate aboard aircraft, and not at the addresses in the Chicago area, is based in part on the fact that the parcels were not rigged to explode upon opening.

The devices employed cellphone technology, but it remains unclear why they were built that way. Among the questions authorities are asking: How and when, during a transatlantic passage, would the cellphone components have been in range to receive a signal?

"There are a whole lot of theories being kicked around about whether [they were set] on a timer, whether somebody was going to call, or another triggering mechanism would set them off," the counterterrorism official said.

With early evidence suggesting that the plot was directed by al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, Brennan said U.S. officials cannot presume that there are no more package bombs circulating, even though some U.S. law enforcement officials think they have identified and cleared all packages that left Yemen at the same time as the two devices already intercepted.

In Yemen, police on Sunday released a woman they had arrested the previous day on suspicion of mailing the two bombs. Officials there said someone might have assumed the identity of the woman, 22, a computer engineering student at Sanaa University.

A shipping agent could not identify the woman, and Yemeni officials said that although there are no suspects in custody, they are pursuing a number of leads.

A spokesman for Qatar Airways said Sunday that the package discovered at a FedEx facility in Dubai had traveled on two of its passenger flights before reaching the United Arab Emirates. The package was first routed to Doha, the capital of Qatar, on a flight from Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, then was shipped on another passenger flight to Dubai.

The disclosure intensified questions about the security of cargo and whether it has become a vulnerability in the aviation system.

The United States requires the scanning of air cargo on domestic passenger flights and on passenger flights entering the United States. But it is not a universal practice, and the plot will probably lead to calls for the increased use of sophisticated imaging technology, at least on cargo coming from certain countries.

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who wrote the 2007 law dealing with cargo on passenger planes, said in a statement Sunday that he plans to introduce legislation that would mandate the screening of everything sent on cargo planes.

The two package bombs, however, appear to have been built to beat existing security systems, as were other recent bombs believed to have been deployed by the al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Qatar Airways said the device found in Dubai would not have been detected by X-ray or bomb-sniffing dogs. British officials missed the second device during a first sweep for it among cargo at a UPS hub near Nottingham, England.

Brennan said the devices were "very sophisticated" in how they were constructed and concealed.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is also suspected in the attempted bombing of a commercial airliner approaching Detroit last Christmas and in a failed assassination attempt several months earlier against a leading Saudi counterterrorism official, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

Both bombs contained PETN, the explosive found in the mail packages. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who officials say trained in Yemen and sought to carry out the Christmas Day attack, passed though airport security, including in Amsterdam. The plot was foiled, officials say, only when passengers stopped him from detonating the explosives hidden in his underwear.

The suicide bomber who killed himself in trying to assassinate Nayef also passed through a scanner before being brought into a room to meet the prince.

"The individual who has been making these bombs . . . is a very dangerous individual, clearly somebody who has a fair amount of training and experience," said Brennan, speaking on ABC.

Brennan did not name the suspect, but other U.S. officials identified him as Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, 28, a Saudi national who is on that country's most-wanted list. His younger brother, Abdullah, had blown himself up in the attempt to assassinate Nayef.

Asiri is one of a number of Saudis with prominent roles in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Another is the American-born cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi.

The group has now twice tried to use the aviation system to launch terrorist attacks in the past 12 months, and has become the focus of U.S. intelligence and military operations, including strikes at its hideouts in Yemen and stepped-up military aid to the Yemeni government.

U.S. counterterrorism and intelligence officials said the latest attack has added new urgency to ongoing discussions within the Obama administration about whether to expand the U.S. arsenal, perhaps with CIA drones, in the fight in Yemen.

Staff writer Greg Miller contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

Meet the Bomb-Maker the Behind ‘Underpants,’ ‘Printer’ Attacks

By Adam Rawnsley November 1, 2010 | 3:32 pm



In August of 2009, a member of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula tried to kill a government official with a bomb shoved up his butt. On Christmas, the terror group sent America a present in the form of explosive underpants. And now this weekend, authorities discovered explosives hidden in printer cartridges, apparently sent by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Turns out, one man is believed to have developed the weapons in all three cases. Meet Ibrahim al-Asiri: al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s ”Q.” How devious is this guy? Well, that butt bomb was carried in the crevasse of al-Airis’s brother, Abdullah.

Al-Asiri is a 28 year old member of AQAP and is listed on Saudi Arabia’s 85 most wanted list. His role as a bombmaker perhaps owes to his experience studying chemistry at the King Saud University’s Faculty of Science, though he didn’t finish his degree. The Saudi government claims al-Asiri belongs to an AQAP cell focused on assassinations and the targeting of oil infrastructure in the Kingdom. It also claims he is adept at martial arts and proficient with a variety of small arms.

Ibrahim’s handiwork first gained public attention when Abdullah, blew himself up — part of an assassination attempt against Saudi Arabia’s deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef. Abdullah allegedly carried the weapon in his anal cavity (though some reports claim it was an underwear bomb). After the attack, AQAP emir Nasir al-Wuhayshi sent a letter of congratulations to al-Asiri’s father. In the note, obtained by Danger Room, al-Wuhayshi writes that Ibrahim was “in good health and among his Ansar brothers” and that it was him “who prepared his brother for martyrdom, as they share the same good qualities.”The Asiri family, however, distanced themselves from their sons’ actions in the wake of Abdullah’s attack on Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef. Their father, Hassan, a 40 year veteran of the Saudi army, offered his “utter condemnation of the criminal act” against Prince Nayef. Their mother, Umm Mohammed, cursed her sons’ associates for bringing them on “this path which brings nothing but strife and torture in this world and the next.”

The Yemen-focused blog Waq al Waq writes that Abdullah’s martyr biography in AQAP’s journal Sada al-Malahim describes Abdullah and Ibrahim’s childhood as pious and without such things as “foolish TV sitcoms” and music. Their mother, however, has painted a different picture of the two al-Qaeda members’ youth to reporters. “They were not religious boys at the time,” Umm Mohammed told the Saudi newspaper al-Watan, “They used to listen to music and had a wide variety of friends, friends not like the ones they had later when they became more religious.”

Umm Mohammed says that it was death of their brother Ali in a car accident that marked Ibrahim and Abdullah’s turn to radicalism. “It was after that that they started swapping video tapes and cassettes on the Mujahideen in Chechnya and Afghanistan, and they became at times distant. Abdullah started to go out a lot with his new friends to camps known as ‘preaching camps.’”

Ibrahim later tried to participate in jihad in Iraq, but was arrested and imprisoned for nine months. In the September 2009 issue of Sada al Malahim, al-Asiri claimed his rough interrogation by Saudi authorities turned him against the Saudi government. He stayed with his family for four months following his release, at which point he and his brother Abdullah fled towards Yemen. The two brothers hid from Saudi security forces at the Yemeni border for days, making it across in August 2006.

Photo: Saudi Ministry of Interior

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/11/meet-the-bomb-maker-the-behind-underpants-printer-attacks/#more-34426#ixzz144uR4aNL

[buglerbilly]

Printer Bombs Prompt Screening Review

Nov 2, 2010

By James Ott jott@aviationweek.com, Robert Wall wall@aviationweek.com
WASHINGTON, DOHA



The latest weapon in the terrorists’ arsenal—small bombs in printer cartridges—is expected to result in 100% screening of any cargo shipment, as well as prompt a reevaluation of how the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulates the freight sector.

The “printer” bombs destined for shipping on all-cargo aircraft and one Middle Eastern passenger carrier are causing increased security at shipping centers across the world. But the enhanced security procedures, some visible and some not, were having only a light impact on aircraft operations, at least at this early stage, according to airport sources.

What’s likely up for change is TSA’s final rule for securing all-cargo shipments, issued in 2006. The rule identifies the major threat to all-cargo aircraft as that posed by a stowaway, says Christopher Bidwell, VP for security at the Airports Council International—North America (ACI-NA). Bidwell says directing bomb devices to all-cargo aircraft “is changing that dynamic,” and he expects TSA to revise the regulation.

Cargo officials are candid that the ultimate result will be a requirement for 100% screening of freight, whether it is shipped on passenger or all-cargo aircraft, according to sources close to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operate Reagan National and Dulles International airports.

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), author of the 2007 law that requires 100% cargo screening on passenger aircraft, said he will introduce a bill to extend the 100% screening to all-cargo aircraft. “Friday’s incident shows that Al Qaeda is well aware of this loophole in the system, and they fully intend to exploit it, he said.

If 100% screening is required, greater pressure will be exerted on the cargo sector, especially on express operators FedEx, DHL and UPS that focus on reliability and timeliness in parcel delivery. The terrorists designated the devices for FedEx and UPS shipments with final destination addresses of two Chicago synagogues.

A 100% screening requirement would work in tandem with efforts by the Department of Homeland Security, TSA’s parent, to complete the certification of new technology to screen freight on pallets or in containers, which are largely used to package freight in widebody aircraft. The 100% requirement is already in effect for domestic U.S. cargo under the congressional mandate. However, cargo on aircraft coming into the U.S. does not meet the same standard. U.S. and other government’s security agencies have adopted a multi-layered system of securing freight and identifying high-risk cargo that receives special attention.

Concerns were expressed that additional security measures could dampen cargo’s rebound, which topped a 23% growth rate year-on-year, Jonathan Moor, director general of the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority, told the Doha Aviation Summit.

The U.K. and the U.S. have barred all air freight originating in Yemen, from where the explosives were dispatched. The deputy chairman of Yemen’s civil aviation authority, Mohamed Abdul Kader, said that his country will likely be driven to 100% air cargo security screening.

But tighter screening alone is not the answer, government officials warned. “Intelligence sharing is much more important than screening” argued Abdulrahman Mohamed Al Gaoud, Bahrain’s undersecretary for civil aviation affairs. A tip off from Saudi Arabia’s intelligence section is what alerted authorities to the bombs. One package was found in East Midlands, U.K., and one in Dubai.

The thwarted attacks show that the aviation system remains vulnerable, says Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He said the system is still reactionary rather than proactive, and that the incidents should increase the focus on screening procedures at overseas airports.

Mica is an influential lawmaker on aviation issues and is likely to take over as the T&I chairman if Republicans retake the House.

The representative also reiterated calls for a greater focus on security screening at foreign airports. “We need to dramatically increase our security presence at international departure sites and establish better security protocols for foreign locations,” he said.

Airport officials at Philadelphia, Memphis and Indianapolis said aircraft operations in general continued normal through the weekend despite the imposition of tougher security measures. Officials at several airports said TSA’s new pat-down procedures, which are more exploratory, were introduced, causing a slight slow down of movement through security lines.

In Bermuda, where ACI was holding its annual general meeting, the ACI governing board said that it supported “practical measure to ensure the transport of goods to markets in a secure environment, facilitating the essential flows of air cargo to the global economy.” The board called for airports to be included in discussions among governments and airlines to address the immediate threat, realizing that terrorists will continue to explore and probe the current system for air cargo security.

(Photo: Port of Seattle)

[buglerbilly]

Suspect linked to al-Qaeda plane bomb plotters arrested in Britain

A member of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was arrested in Britain for allegedly plotting an attack in this country, the Home Secretary Theresa May has said.

By Tom Whitehead and Caroline Gammell, UK Daily Telegraph

Published: 12:14PM GMT 03 Nov 2010


(L-R) Theresa May and Al Awlaki

The suspect was an "associate" of the terrorist group, which was linked to last week's cargo plane bomb plot in which ink printer cartridges were loaded with enough dangerous explosive to blow up aircraft.

In her first speech on security, Mrs May warned such threats will continue against the country and that the police and security services were working to disrupt al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives in this country.

Mrs May also warned that the threat of AQAP and its capability in Yemen was increasing.

Mrs May said: "An AQAP associate was arrested here earlier this year.

"He is alleged to have been planning a terrorist attack in this country. Threats such as these are likely to continue."

Her disclosure about the arrest earlier this year came a day after the conviction of a female student who tried to murder former Labour minister Stephen Timms because she was inspired by a radical AQAP cleric.

British-born Roshonara Choudhry had watched a series of sermons on the internet which were preached by Anwar al-Awlaki, who is wanted in connection with the cargo plane bomb plot.

Ministers have called on the White House to put pressure on US websites - such as Youtube - to remove propaganda videos from figures such as al-Awlaki.

During her speech, the Home Secretary also warned that Somalia will become a terror hotbed if "left to its own devices" plotting attacks on the UK.

"We know that people from this country have already gone to Somalia to fight," she said.

"It seems highly likely, given experience elsewhere, that if left to their own devices we would eventually see British extremists, trained and hardened on the streets of Mogadishu, returning to the UK and seeking to commit mass murder on the streets of London."

Mrs May added: "Most threats to the UK continue to come from the federally-administered tribal areas of Pakistan.

"When we have a Pakistani diaspora of over one million people, and there are hundreds of thousands of journeys between our countries every year, what goes on in Pakistan matters on the streets of Britain."

She said: "Where necessary we will enhance our protective security measures; we will invest in conflict prevention and stopping terrorist plots overseas; we will refocus the strategy for preventing radicalisation in the UK; and we will strike a better balance between our liberties and our security.

"There is much good work under way to tackle the terrorist threat.

"But where there needs to be change I will not be afraid to make it."

She added: "I want an approach which is more targeted against extremist individuals, but that impacts much less on the good people of our communities.

"I want an approach which allows people to enjoy their liberty in safety and security.

"And I want an approach that is effective in dealing with an evolving threat. That is what we will deliver."

Delivering her first major speech on the subject, the Home Secretary said the success of domestic counter-terrorism work depended on international collaboration and co-operation.

Mrs May said Britain could not "entirely eliminate" the threat of an attack, but could reduce the risk.

She said the Labour administration did not "get the balance right" on often invasive measures such as control orders, pre-charge detention and other counter-terrorism powers.

But Mrs May added: "I don't believe the previous government got the balance right, but let me be clear: I will do absolutely nothing which will put at risk Britain's national security."

The Home Secretary said programmes to deter people from engaging with terrorism, called the Prevent strategy, were here to stay, but a new approach to dealing with Britain's Muslim communities was needed.

She said: "We want to increase the participation of everyone in our society. And participating in society also means standing up against the extremists who would seek to divide us."

Assistant commissioner John Yates, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "These attempts clearly show the threat is very real and very much upon us. We may never totally eliminate the threat."

The senior officer, who is responsible for counter-terrorism operations, said police and the security services often felt that a 100 per cent success rate was expected of them.

He said: "In recognising this, we can perhaps therefore only aim to reduce the risk and it is in this collective effort we must reconcile how and what we do with what the public expects of us in terms of their civil liberties.

"We must not do the terrorists' jobs for them, either by unduly increasing the fear of terror itself or by responding to the threat in a way that encroaches unnecessarily on freedoms."

[buglerbilly]

YouTube begins removing al-Qaeda videos

YouTube has begun removing al-Qaeda videos from its website after the British Government contacted the White House to complain about the material.

By Duncan Gardham, Gordon Rayner and John Bingham

Published: 10:48AM GMT 03 Nov 2010

A number of clips by Anwar al-Awlaki, believed to have been the mastermind of the cargo bomb plot, were deleted from the video sharing site last night. However scores more, including incendiary calls to wage war on non-Muslims, remain.

A Google search for one of the most provocative videos - entitled 44 Ways to Support Jihad - on Google brings up more than a hundred results from YouTube. Two of the three top results have now been blocked although the bulk of the rest remain available.

Users clicking on the deleted content were confronted with a message saying "This video has been removed because its content violated YouTube's terms of service."

YouTube says its community guidelines "prohibit dangerous or illegal activities such as bomb-making, hate speech or incitement to commit specific and serious acts of violence”.

A source at Google, which owns the video sharing site, confirmed that staff had begun to take down al-Awlaki's videos after being alerted by the Telegraph's report.

The issue came to light following the case of Roshonara Choudhry who became the first al-Qaeda fanatic to attempt a political assassination in Britain when she stabbed Stephen Timms at his constituency surgery in May.

After she was convicted of attempted murder yesterday, it emerged that British-born Choudhry had been radicalised by watching internet videos of al-Awlaki.

Baroness Neville-Jones, the security minister, has called on President Barack Obama's administration to "take down this hateful material" in cases where servers were based in the US. She said websites that "incite cold-blooded murder" would "categorically not be allowed in the UK".

Al-Awlaki is thought to have been behind at least two printer cartridges which were turned into complex bombs and posted to the US last week. He was also linked to the September 11 attacks and the attempted bombing of an airliner over Detroit last year.

Lady Neville-Jones was so concerned about the problem that she flew to Washington last week to insist on action during a speech at the influential Brookings Institute think tank. In private comments to the institute, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, she said: "When you have incitement to murder, when you have people actively calling for the killing of their fellow citizens and when you have the means to stop that person doing so, then I believe we should act.

"Those websites would categorically not be allowed in the UK.

"They incite cold-blooded murder and as such are surely contrary to the public good."

"If they were hosted in the UK then we would take them down but this is a global problem. Many of these websites are hosted in America and we look forward to working even more closely with you to take down this hateful material."

The Home Office confirmed yesterday that pressure was being put on the White House to remove the sermons. A spokesman for the US State Department would say only that it had "significant legal authorities" to act "where activities on the internet pose a clear threat to the public".

[buglerbilly]

New Technologies Aid Border Patrol

Nov 3, 2010

By Paul McLeary
Nogales, Ariz.



The border that separates the U.S. and Mexico is teeming with security fences, surveillance towers bristling with cameras and sensors, mobile surveillance trucks, unmanned ground sensors, Border Patrol agents on foot, horseback, in trucks and helicopters, and National Guard troops. Above it all flies a growing fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operated by agents on the ground. Major roadways in the border states also have checkpoints manned by armed Border Patrol agents looking for contraband or illegal immigrants. And yet, drug smugglers and illegal immigrants continue to flood the border.

The most active patrol area in the country is the Tucson Sector of Arizona, covering 262 mi. of border. The sector accounted for 1 million lb. of marijuana seized in Fiscal 2010, and 203,000 illegals detained. Tucson also has the distinction of being the test bed for the Homeland Security Department’s (HSD) huge and controversial SBInet program, part of its larger Secure Border Initiative. SBI was initiated in 2005 by HSD to further secure the southern and northern borders by adding fencing, paved and graded roads and installing SBInet technologies such as radar, sensors, cameras and other communications and surveillance gear.

Funded by a $3.6-billion allocation from Congress, Boeing has been the lead contractor in the program since receiving a three-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract in 2006 to integrate and implement the technologies. As of February, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) had awarded 13 task orders to Boeing for $1.2 billion, $800 million of which has gone to SBInet.

After five years of setbacks, technical problems, environmental controversies and cost overruns, that $800-million investment has only managed to cover 53 mi. of the Arizona border, and in March Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ordered a freeze on the program pending a top-to-bottom review. At the time, nine towers in the Tucson Sector had been completed, and by late October six more were conducting limited operations in the Ajo Sector.

Mark Borkowski, executive director of the SBI program, tells DTI that when Napolitano took action in March, “we were still well behind our schedule. Tucson should have been completed and we should have had test data from it, so we were continuing to have delays and cost growth.” Borkowski hopes to have system acceptance tests on the Ajo towers complete by the end of the year.

One of the problems with the program, Borkowski concedes, is something that has plagued the Pentagon in recent years: reaching for a complicated technology-driven solution before running a true assessment of its costs. For one thing, there wasn’t any cost analysis conducted before HSD jumped into the SBInet program. “There was a certain urgency,” he says, “and a belief that this wouldn’t be all that hard to do. That belief turned out to be wrong.”

The review—which was to be completed by the end of October—could mean the end of the SBInet program. “There’s a whole range of options,” Borkowski says, anything from a go-ahead to continue work and expand the program, to scrapping it “and go with mobile options, or look into other options.”

Alternatives include the much less expensive mobile surveillance systems (MSS), mobile sensor towers mounted on trucks, 40 of which are already in use on the border with more on the way—albeit at the expense of the SBInet system. In March, Napolitano diverted $50 million in federal stimulus funding intended for SBInet to other more near-term technologies. About $32 million of that went to fund more MSS trucks.

That’s the view from Washington. But how is all of this playing out on the ground in Arizona?

Standing on a ridge overlooking the border fence in Nogales, Ariz., Paul Boulier, a 16-year Customs and Border Patrol veteran, says that when it comes to fighting the drug runners and immigrants flooding across the border, boots on the ground are the most important thing, but “as the technology has come out, it has helped us overall.” He points to the ZBV Backscatter Van, a mobile, low-energy X-ray system made by American Science and Engineering, as being “an awesome piece of technology” that has been extremely effective in helping agents scan vehicles crossing the border. The technology is also popular with Customs agents at maritime ports (and for that matter with U.S. forces protecting forwarding operating bases in Iraq).

Driving though the Tucson Sector in September, Border Patrol agent Jose Verdugo said that most agents are big fans of SBInet technologies, as “they are helping us effect the right response.” Most important is the officer safety component. “We’re able to see what’s coming at us. It offers us greater ability to interdict groups on our terms rather than their terms.”

Traditionally, agents would be alerted to movement in their sector when an unmanned ground sensor in the desert was tripped, and they would be sent out to investigate. Most of the time, Verdugo said, it would take agents at least 1-2 hr. to reach the area, by which time whatever had tripped the sensor was long gone. With the SBInet system, agents in the command center see the activation of the sensor and are able to slew a camera over in real time, providing almost instant situational awareness. “With the SBInet cameras,” Verdugo continued, “we can monitor the group until they get to a place that’s more advantageous for us to apprehend them—where we have the higher ground and the advantage to make the operation on our terms.”

While the ground portion of the nation’s border protection strategy is in flux, the Border Patrol’s UAV program, which centers around a rapidly growing fleet of General Atomics MQ-1 aircraft, has met with great success in the first five years of its life—so much so that the Border Patrol has three more on order, which will bring the total to 10 by the end of 2011. And not only is the fleet growing, but with the recent addition of a launch and recovery site in Corpus Christi, Texas, CBP’s UAV capabilities will now cover the entire Southwest border, from the El Centro Sector in California to the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition to launch and recovery sites in Arizona; Grand Forks, N.D.; Cape Canaveral AFB, Fla.; and Corpus Christi, CBP Assistant Commissioner Michael Kostelnik, a retired Air Force major general, says the department also has a development base at Ft. Drum, N.Y., so the Border Patrol “can go there at very short notice . . . it gives us the ability to respond to high-end threats to the Northeast” as fast as a Predator can fly there from one of the other bases. The five land-based MQ-9 Predator Bs are identical to what the U.S. military flies, with electro-optical sensors and cameras, forward-looking infrared, synthetic aperture radar and laser range designators, Kostelnik says. The domestic Predators are, however, unarmed and carry Wolfsburg radios for law enforcement connectivity.

Unlike the military, Border Patrol agents in the field aren’t able to receive real-time information from the UAVs just yet, but can talk to agents in a control center who are watching the feeds in real time. “We don’t stream the data to agents on the ground right now, but we clearly have the capability to do that,” Kostelnik says. He adds that the Predators come in handy at night since they can laser targets, enabling agents to identify problem areas on the ground.

One of the prime missions the Predators are performing that save agents critical time and free them for other missions, is evaluations of unattended ground sensors when they are set off, to determine whether they were tripped by animals, high winds, illegal aliens or drug smugglers. Significantly, Kostelnik says that all the UAVs are flown and operated by Border Patrol agents—as opposed to contractors—and that the only limitation on their constant use is the lack of agents qualified to fly them.

The issue of border security is complex and emotional. But what the Border Patrol agents interviewed by DTI agree on is that neither technology alone nor more boots on the ground can solve the problem. It is as much a political issue as an operational one.

Photo: DHS

[buglerbilly]

Qaeda: Yeah, The Printer-Bomb Plot Was Us

By Spencer Ackerman November 6, 2010 | 4:09 pm



Just in case anyone had any doubt: al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based affiliate has claimed responsibility for packing two unexploded bombs into printer cartridges and shipping them to the United States. “We carried out this operation with two devices, one of them sent through UPS and the other through Fedex,” reads a statement from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, translated by the al-Qimmah forum.

The bombs, concealed within printers and sent to (outdated) addresses of Jewish community centers in Chicago, were intercepted on planes in Britain and Dubai on October 29. Almost immediately, U.S. officials suspected al-Qaeda’s culpability, judging from the Yemeni origins of the parcel bombs and their reliance on PETN, a nitroglycerin relative, the explosive agent used in Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s failed attack on Christmas Day. But no one accused al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula directly, and the group waited a week before bragging about the attempt.

That’s because it didn’t get its due the last time around, the terrorist group claims. “Allah has granted us the success of downing a UPS plane on Ramadan 25, 1431 (3-9-2010), after its takeoff from Dubai International Airport,” the statement reads. “Yes, it was us who downed the UPS plane, but because the enemy’s media did not hold us responsible for it, we thought it best to hide the matter until our next strike.”
Indeed, a Boeing 747 plane used by UPS crashed on September 3 in Dubai, killing its two pilots. But the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority said today that there was no evidence of any explosion in the crash. al-Qaeda’s statement says that’s all a cover-up by the Obama administration to conceal the terrorist group’s potency shortly before the midterm elections.

“We say to you Obama,” the statement reads. “We were able to carry our three successive operations in your planes in one year, and we will continue to target US interests and those of its allies. … [W]e wish to encourage our Mujahideen brothers all over to expand their targets to include civilian aircrafts [sic] in the West in addition to courier services. ”

The third “operation,” one presumes, is Abdulmutallab’s effort. Yet the only deaths in those plots were the deaths of the two UPS pilots (assuming al-Qaeda is genuine about its involvement in the September 3 plane crash). And since mid-September, Saudi Arabia’s intelligence service picked up several signs of an impending mail-bomb plot, as the New York Times reports, leading to the prevention of the printer-bomb attack.

U.S. and Yemeni authorities suspect the architect of the bombs is al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s bombmaker, Ibrahim al-Asiri. And in the wake of the plot, a Yemeni court indicted the U.S.-born extremist preacher Anwar al-Awlaqi — whom the CIA has targeted for death — on charges of “incitement to kill foreigners and members of security services.” A Yemeni judge ordered al-Awlaqi’s arrest today.

– with Adam Rawnsley

Photo: CNN

[buglerbilly]

Forty-six 'dangerous' terrorists go free from jail

At least 46 convicted terrorists who have been either released from prison or are close to being freed “pose a risk” to the public and face tight new controls on their freedom, a secret Government document discloses.

By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
Published: 9:02PM GMT 07 Nov 2010


Abu Bakr Mansha, who was jailed for trying to kill a British soldier, is one of the terrorists due to have been released in the last two years Photo: MET

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that concern over the release of a “significant” number of Islamic extremists has driven ministers to draw up rules for their supervision.

Probation officers have been issued with a “menu” of restrictions that can be placed on terrorists freed on licence. The curbs are understood to include orders to have contact with only Government-approved imams, not to visit certain mosques, not to associate with anyone with a criminal record and not to use computers.

According to Ministry of Justice figures, at least 20 convicted terrorists have been freed from jail this year after completing their sentences. Another 26 will be eligible for release over the next two years.

Amid warnings from security officials about the threat posed by freed extremists, the MoJ has issued probation officers with orders permitting significant limits on their clients’ freedom.

The Daily Telegraph has seen a copy of the MoJ document, marked “Restricted” and entitled The Management of Critical Public Protection Cases and Terrorist or Terrorist Related Offenders. It states: “There is now a small but significant number of terrorists being held in custody or managed on licence.

“This instruction ensures that processes to manage offenders who pose a risk of harm to the public or whose cases pose complex management issues are effectively configured to meet the challenges of managing terrorist offenders.”

The threat of Islamic terrorism was underlined last week by the discovery of a parcel bomb on a plane at East Midlands airport, and the jailing of Roshonara Choudhry, the student who was inspired by al-Qaeda to attempt to murder the Labour MP Stephen Timms.

By some estimates there are now more than 100 convicted Islamic terrorists in the British prison system.

The Royal United Services Institute has suggested that as many as 800 Muslims have been radicalised behind bars and could present a security threat on release over the next decade. Terrorists who were eligible to be freed over the past two years included Abu Bakr Mansha, jailed for plotting to kill a British soldier, and Khalid Khaliq, an associate of the July 7 bombers who was jailed for possessing documents useful for terrorism.

The MoJ document warns that released terrorists may try to take work that puts them in contact with those who may be susceptible to extremist ideologies. “Some released offenders may express an interest in working in the field of 'deradicalisation’ or in other roles which may involve direct or indirect contact with vulnerable individuals,” it says.

Terrorist offenders, like other prisoners, are eligible for release after serving half of their sentence. If freed, they are put “on licence”, subject to restrictions which, if broken, can return them to jail.

The extensive new curbs on freed terrorists’ movements come as ministers are deciding whether to abolish control orders, the legal orders that effectively place some terrorist suspects under house arrest. Some ministers want to scrap control orders, fearing they infringe suspects’ civil liberties.

Echoing those concerns, the new instructions to probation officers warn them against the blanket application of the restrictions, saying that each curb must be carefully justified. They state: “It is not acceptable to simply add all available conditions to every case. There must be supporting evidence and argument that the proposed licence conditions are necessary and proportionate.”

The document also warns officers of the dangers of dealing with terrorist offenders. “[They] have been known to use techniques of collusion, manipulation and duress in their relationships with front line staff,” it says. “Offender managers’ potential influence on release dates could theoretically make them targets for coercion of various kinds.”

Harry Fletcher, of the National Association of Probation Officers, claimed that ministers were asking his members to deal with terrorist offenders instead of developing a coherent system for their treatment.

“It is absolutely essential that adequate resources are given to supervise these men properly,” he said. “The danger is that the licences applied to these people become control orders by the back door.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “It is entirely right and proper that the National Offender Management Service puts in place appropriate and robust licence conditions for those released under probation supervision, particularly serious and violent offenders.

“These licence conditions are based on rigorous risk assessments, and the use of tight licence conditions is by no means unique to terrorist offenders. All offenders are able to challenge licence conditions imposed, however the NOMS will always seek to ensure that licence conditions are sufficient to manage the individual’s offending behaviour.”

[buglerbilly]

Homeland Security tightens rules for air cargo

By Derek Kravitz and Ashley Halsey III
Washington Post Staff Writers

Tuesday, November 9, 2010; 12:24 AM

The U.S. tightened security on cargo shipments flown from abroad Monday, banning "high-risk" cargo from flying on passenger planes after last month's discovery of a plot that originated in Yemen to send bombs in shipped packages.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also extended last week's ban on all air cargo from Yemen to include Somalia as well. And she limited to less than 16 ounces the size of toner or ink cartridges that can travel in checked or carry-on baggage, a response to the discovery of a bomb disguised as a toner cartridge and shipped as cargo at a London airport.

"The threats of terrorism we face are serious and evolving," Napolitano said in a statement, "And these security measures reflect our commitment to using current intelligence to stay ahead of adversaries."

The new rules also affect items deemed high-risk that are shipped on cargo planes. Napolitano said such cargo will go through additional screening before it is loaded. A spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) declined to define "high-risk" cargo, other than to say it isn't limited to that shipped from countries that have been linked to terrorist activity.

'A delicate balance'

Millions of tons of crates and packages fly into the United States from abroad every day, filling the holds of passenger airliners and cargo planes. Those millions of tons break down into millions of pieces bound for tens of thousands of addresses.

Finding a bomb among them - before the Chilean grapes rot, the Colombian flowers wilt and without delaying a vital replacement widget needed to get an assembly line moving - is a hectic security challenge in a global economy that moves at hyper speed.

"We have a delicate balance to strike," TSA Administrator John S. Pistole said after the bomb plot was discovered. "The flow of global commerce is key to economic recovery. Security cannot bring business to a standstill."

Responsibility for keeping cargo bomb-free falls principally to the airlines, though the TSA sets the standards and monitors operations. All packages are screened before they are put on board both domestic and inbound international passenger flights from high-interest countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

Cargo bound for domestic cargo-only planes - which haul about 80 percent of all cargo - must pass through a TSA-certified screening program at one of 1,200 facilities. For inbound international cargo planes, detailed manifests must be filed on takeoff for planes flying within the Americas, and four hours in advance of arrival for those coming from overseas.

Napolitano said Monday her agency is working with the airline industry on a plan for handing over cargo manifests more quickly so authorities could scrutinize a plane's contents more closely.

The bomb discovered in London on Oct. 30 had been mailed in Yemen and was destined for an address in Chicago. It was found based on a tip from a Saudi informant. A second mail bomb was intercepted at a Federal Express facility in Dubai.

Great Britain responded by banning all air cargo from Yemen and Somalia, another terrorist haven.

Technology that scans large amounts of cargo and detects explosives is costly.

An $8 million "Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis" scanner was installed at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2005 as part of a federal pilot program. The machine could detect substances such as nerve gas or cocaine in a package by analyzing its base atomic makeup. The program lasted only a few months before Transportation Security Administration funding ran out.

"From a technology perspective, you can provide an ample level of screening to scan everything," said Peter Kant, executive vice president of Rapiscan Systems, a global company based in Arlington County that developed the scanning technology. "But it's big and it's expensive.

One such scanner is in use in the United States, at the Mexican border in El Paso, where it's used to inspect fully loaded truck containers. Airports in Hong Kong and Singapore also use the machines.

Two members of Congress, Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), last week urged that the TSA begin screening all cargo from countries of interest. Whether the new Congress will be of a mood to shoulder the cost of that and other new security measures is unclear.

A move by the TSA to increase security on international cargo planes could cause delays in the arrival of freight, said Brian Clancy, a managing director at Logistics Capital and Strategy, an Arlington-based advisory firm specializing in cargo transportation.

And improving security for incoming packages would depend on the will of other countries to enforce programs.

"TSA can't tell other countries which cargo regulations to have, and it can't go out and enforce them," Clancy said.

Determining how to adapt

The Obama administration is working with major corporations in the $100 billion global air freight industry to shore up security. Napolitano called four of the country's biggest shipping companies last week to discuss improvements.

"The writing is very clearly on the wall," said Leo J. Schefer, executive director of the nonprofit Washington Airports Task Force. "They're going to have to adapt and deal with the costs."

A spokesman for U.S. shipping giant United Parcel Service said they anticipated "more substantive discussions between the DHS and the industry."

"UPS shares the administration's concerns and commitment to operating as safely and securely as possible, and it was good to hear Secretary Napolitano underscore her commitment to working in collaboration with the air freight industry," said UPS spokesman Mark Dickens in an e-mail. "UPS is looking forward to having additional dialogue with the DHS about how we can best utilize our collective insight and expertise to address this important security issue."

But aviation industry analysts question whether it's possible to screen all inbound international cargo.

"They have to increase the amount of screening," said Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, which lobbies on behalf of the air cargo industry. "But this call for 100 percent screening, I wonder if it can even get done."

He said a more likely scenario involves souped-up data mining of potential high-risk packages.

"If a package is addressed to a synagogue, and the label is funny-looking, and it's coming from Yemen, well that's a red flag. That's just common sense," Fried said.

Big business at Dulles

Dulles International Airport handled roughly 141,000 tons of domestic and foreign cargo last year, ranking it 19th among airports nationwide, according to the Air Transport Association, a Washington-based industry group.

Although the amount of air cargo coming in and out at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport has gone down steadily since 2005 and freight work at Reagan National Airport is virtually nonexistent, Dulles International Airport has become increasingly reliant on such business.

Between 2005 and 2007, domestic and international air cargo enplaned and deplaned at Dulles jumped by nearly 35 percent, with international cargo experiencing the biggest increase. The change occurred almost overnight, primarily due to the awarding of several new international routes, including a direct flight from Dulles to Bejing in 2007, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

International air freight operations at Dulles have slipped since then, following the economy, but have rebounded in recent months. In September, Dulles recorded a 7 percent year-over-year growth in international freight and express business, according to airport statistics. International cargo now accounts for more than 61 percent of the airport's total freight work.

BWI received a little more than 100,000 tons of freight in 2009, according to airport officials, while Reagan National handled less than 10,000 tons of domestic cargo.

kravitzd@washpost.com halseya@washpost.com

[buglerbilly]

Darpa Wants To Sniff Your City’s Distinct Chemical Scent

By Spencer Ackerman November 11, 2010 | 7:00 am



Don’t panic. But there’s a non-trivial chance terrorists will launch a chemical-weapons attack on U.S. soil. So the far-out researchers at Darpa are thinking about an unorthodox detection method: breathing in your city’s chemical bouquet. You’ve heard of racial and ethnic profiling? Here’s chemical profiling. Just imagine the privacy concerns.

In theory, chemical attacks can be detected before they happen. Even trace amounts of chemicals give off specific signatures that tools like sorbent tube samplers can register. But in order to figure out if dangerous chemicals are stockpiled somewhere or are floating through the air, the government’s going to have to know the baseline level for those chemicals wafting near your Dumpster.

Darpa’s big idea, according to a new solicitation, is to collect trace elements of chemicals at different places in a city and then derive a model for determining that city’s chemical smell. It’ll have to vary with place, as high levels of petroleum-based chemicals are going to be more suspicious near a florist’s than at, say, a gas station. Then Darpa wants researchers to represent the results in “a high-fidelity, three-dimensional chemical composition map.” So-called “Chemical Cartography” is the first step in “identifying ‘dual-use’ substances with legal and illegal/illicit uses.”

For now, Darpa isn’t calling for any tools to actually track down anomalous amounts of chemicals. It just wants researchers to build models for chem-maps, in order to prevent detection from becoming “prohibitively expensive” — that is, so guys with chemical-sampling canisters aren’t walking around each and every city block. The data Darpa wants collected will include “chemical, meteorological, and topographical data” from at least ten “local urban sources,” including “residences, gasoline stations, restaurants, and dry cleaning stores that have particular patterns of emissions throughout the day.”

Researchers will spend less than 30 minutes at each station taking chemical readings over a 48-hour period. Then they’ll adjust for atmospheric and environmental variables like wind speed, humidity and the time of day — when, say, the dry cleaners’ is open to spew perchloroethylene vapor into the air — to account for the impact on chemical potency.

They’ll use that data to “predict concentrations down to trace gas concentrations of ten parts-per-trillion” across a whole city. That’s where the maps get built. They’ll have to include “labeled three-dimensional shape files for each focus area, as well as information about the types of infrastructure and activities present during data collection,” listing the “types of chemicals associated with various landmarks and activities.” And they’ll map fluctuations in chemical signatures across different times of year.

Of course, all this raises questions privacy concerns. Businesses and residents may not appreciate having Department of Defense-funded researchers taking chemical samplings on our near their property, especially for a project that will eventually go toward identifying would-be chem-terrorists. The solicitation doesn’t have much interest in mapping areas of potential concern with much specificity. On the chemical maps, “labels may include ‘residential,’ ‘restaurant,’ etc.,” it reads. “Useful metadata also may include imagery, databases of urban features (infrastructure, traffic patterns, etc.), and other sources of information.” But Darpa doesn’t say anything about who would own the maps or how they’d be used by the military, law enforcement or even regulatory agencies.

The Chemical Cartography project’s just in the beginning stages, so there’s no cash to hand out just yet. Darpa’s just seeking proposals for how researchers might build their models for the maps. They’ve got until January 6 before Darpa decides who it wants to send sniffing around.

Photo: DoD

[buglerbilly]

Opposition to U.S. trial likely to keep mastermind of 9/11 attacks in detention


This March 1, 2003 file picture shows Khalid Sheik Mohammed, shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan. (AP)

By Peter Finn and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writers

Saturday, November 13, 2010; 12:38 AM

Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, will probably remain in military detention without trial for the foreseeable future, according to Obama administration officials.

The administration has concluded that it cannot put Mohammed on trial in federal court because of the opposition of lawmakers in Congress and in New York. There is also little internal support for resurrecting a military prosecution at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The latter option would alienate liberal supporters.

The administration asserts that it can hold Mohammed and other al-Qaeda operatives under the laws of war, a principle that has been upheld by the courts when Guantanamo Bay detainees have challenged their detention.

The White House has made it clear that President Obama will ultimately make the decision, and a federal prosecution of Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators has not been ruled out, senior officials said. Still, they acknowledge that a trial is unlikely to happen before the next presidential election and, even then, would require a different political environment.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said this week that a decision on a trial for Mohammed was close. Other administration officials said that his remark was simply a stock response to a frequently asked question and that it didn't signal that any announcement was imminent.

After Holder spoke, Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer and Republican Rep. Peter King, both of New York, reiterated their opposition to a Sept. 11-related trial anywhere in New York state, as did the state's governor-elect, Andrew Cuomo. Lawmakers and officials in the state have cited concerns about a trial's cost as well as security issues.

Administration officials think opposition would be as entrenched in Virginia and Pennsylvania, the other viable federal districts for a trial, given that deaths on Sept. 11 occurred at the Pentagon and on United Flight 93.

Holder "says soon. Schumer says never. It's somewhere between the two," said a senior administration official who, like other officials, would discuss internal deliberations only on the condition of anonymity.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.

Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and was held at secret CIA prisons overseas until he was transferred in September 2006 to Guantanamo Bay. He is held there with a group of high-value detainees at a small, highly secure facility.

The Bush administration first brought charges of capital murder and war crimes in February 2008 against the Pakistani national, who was raised in Kuwait. But the Obama administration suspended legal proceedings at Guantanamo Bay and in January 2010 withdrew military charges against Mohammed and four others in anticipation of a federal trial in Manhattan.

Obama came into office with a strong preference to prosecute Mohammed and other detainees in federal court as part of a larger plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Almost from the start, however, he ran into fierce political opposition.

Some administration officials want to proceed with a number of military commission cases at Guantanamo Bay, including the prosecution of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged planner of the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. The administration has also considered trying a low-profile Guantanamo detainee in federal court to begin building up public confidence in such prosecutions.

But key administration officials fear that no federal case could proceed, given stiff congressional opposition. It is expected to grow more intense when the new Republican majority assumes power in the House of Representatives.

For now, administration officials are closely watching the outcome of the trial of Ahmed Ghailani, the only Guantanamo Bay detainee transferred to the United States for prosecution under Obama. A New York jury has been deliberating for two days in the case against Ghailani, accused of being a key operative in the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings.

Some administration officials think that a guilty verdict in the case might allow them to bring another Guantanamo case into the federal system. "A clean case against an unknown," another senior official said.

But if the jury comes back with a not-guilty verdict, officials said, it would be the death knell for any further federal prosecutions of Guantanamo detainees.

The debate over a trial for Mohammed has, in the view of many senior administration officials, unfairly become the symbol of Obama's national security policy.

"We have said he should be brought to justice, and brought to justice swiftly," one of the senior officials said. "The problem is these legacy cases have been very heavily bogged down in very strong feelings and very heavy politics, and therefore it has become very difficult to work this through to a successful conclusion."

Officials said Mohammed's uncertain future should not obscure what they see as significant and aggressive changes in national security policy, including banning interrogation methods that the administration deemed torture, establishing interrogation units, using unmanned drones to kill hundreds of enemy fighters in Pakistan, and articulating a legal basis for using those drones.

The Mohammed case is "a case that has to be addressed, and clearly it's complicated in ways that weren't originally foreseen, but as a symbol in some way of a thwarted policy, it is wholly misleading," the senior official said.

Administration officials also think that they will probably not secure the funding and legal authority from Congress to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and transfer any remaining detainees to the United States. There are 174 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, down from 241 when Obama took office. Diplomatic efforts continue to reduce that number through the resettlement or repatriation of detainees cleared for transfer by an interagency task force.

But, one official said, "Gitmo is going to remain open for the foreseeable future."

Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

Junk Security: ‘Naked Scanners’ Won’t Keep Us Safe

By Noah Shachtman November 17, 2010 | 7:00 am



In May, Transportation Security Administration screener Rolando Negrin pummeled a co-worker with his government-issued baton. The feud began, according to a Miami-Dade Police Department report, after Mr. Negrin’s training session with one of the agency’s whole-body imagers. The scan “revealed [Mr. Negrin] had a small penis,” the disgruntled co-worker told police. After a few months, he “could not take the jokes any more and lost his mind.”

Now the TSA is rolling out these ultra-revealing imagers across the country in an attempt to uncover hidden threats like the so-called underwear bomb found on a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas. The agency and the scanners’ manufacturers insist they’ve installed features and instituted procedures that will make passenger embarrassments impossible. But the larger question is whether the TSA’s tech-centric approach to security makes any sense at all.

Even the most modest of us would probably agree to a brief flash of quasi-nudity if it would really ensure a safe flight. That’s not the deal the TSA is offering. Instead, the agency is asking for Rolando Negrin-style revelations in exchange for incremental, ineffable security improvements against particular kinds of concealed weapons.

It’s the same kind of trade-off TSA implicitly provided when it ordered us to take off our sneakers (to stop shoe bombs), and to chuck our water bottles (to prevent liquid explosives). Security guru and scanner suit plaintiff Bruce Schneier calls it “magical thinking . . . Descend on what the terrorists happened to do last time, and we’ll all be safe. As if they won’t think of something else.” Which, of course, they invariably do. Attackers are already starting to smuggle weapons in body cavities, going where even the most adroit body scanners do not tread.

My article in today’s Wall Street Journal has more. And it’s not all gloomy skies. There’s some hope that the TSA may be changing course, at least a bit.

New TSA chief John Pistole says the agency has to shift from a threat-driven outfit into an “intelligence-driven” organization. There are some signs that such a move may be afoot.

On the night in late October that Saudi intelligence tipped the American government off to a late plot to blow up planes using explosives packed in printer cartridges, Pistole got a call from White House counterrrorism czar John Brennan. The TSA was then able to give new marching orders to everyone from air marshals to cargo inspectors. An agency team was even dispatched to Yemen, where the bombs originated. It all seemed shockingly logical for an agency that’s generally appears to be anything but. The quick response to intelligence and targeted security measures could provide a partial template for future action. The next step would be questioning passengers and employing high-sensors when travelers’ behavior or specific threats warrant — instead of making us all get digitally nude.

Photo: TSA

[buglerbilly]

Shachtman's article in the Wall street Journal today................

NOVEMBER 17, 2010.

Has Airport Security Gone Too Far?

Pilots and travelers are rebelling against scanners that douse them with X-rays and reveal their private parts. There must be a better way..

By NOAH SHACHTMAN

In May, Transportation Security Administration screener Rolando Negrin pummeled a co-worker with his government-issued baton. The feud began, according to a Miami-Dade Police Department report, after Mr. Negrin's training session with one of the agency's whole-body imagers. The scan "revealed [Mr. Negrin] had a small penis," the disgruntled co-worker told police. After a few months, he "could not take the jokes any more and lost his mind."

Now the TSA is rolling out these ultra-revealing imagers across the country in an attempt to uncover hidden threats like the so-called underwear bomb found on a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas. The agency and the scanners' manufacturers insist they've installed features and instituted procedures that will make passenger embarrassments impossible.

Privacy advocates aren't buying it. They've sued the Department of Homeland Security, asking a federal judge for a "emergency stay" of the body-scanning program. They're also calling on passengers to refuse the scans next week during a "National Opt Out Day." Separately, unions representing American Airlines and U.S. Airways pilots told their members to skip the screenings—on Opt Out Day and every other.

But the larger question is whether the TSA's tech-centric approach to security makes any sense at all. Even the most modest of us would probably agree to a brief flash of quasi-nudity if it would really ensure a safe flight. That's not the deal the TSA is offering. Instead, the agency is asking for Rolando Negrin-style revelations in exchange for incremental, uncertain security improvements against particular kinds of concealed weapons.


A sign next to a body scanner describes what TSA officers see on their computer screens.

.It's the same kind of trade-off TSA implicitly provided when it ordered us to take off our sneakers (to stop shoe bombs) and to chuck our water bottles (to prevent liquid explosives). Security guru Bruce Schneier, a plaintiff in the scanner suit, calls this "magical thinking . . . Descend on what the terrorists happened to do last time, and we'll all be safe. As if they won't think of something else." Which, of course, they invariably do. Attackers are already starting to smuggle weapons in body cavities, going where even the most adroit body scanners do not tread. No wonder that the Israelis, known for the world's most stringent airport security, have so far passed on the scanners.

Today, 373 are installed in 68 U.S. airports. One thousand machines are supposed to be in place by the end of next year. And the Obama administration has requested 5,355 additional employees to man the scanners—at a cost of $219 million in the first year alone. The only alternative to the screeners will be a pat-down from a TSA worker.

The TSA uses two models of body scanner. One zaps the passenger with a tiny amount of X-rays that penetrate the clothes, but stop at the skin. The other scanner uses millimeter waves—a close cousin of microwaves—to pull off the same trick. (Regarding radiation exposure, the FDA says there's "no more than a minimal risk to people being scanned.") By measuring the direction and frequency of the waves that come back, the system can tell what's beneath a traveler's garments.

TSA officials say that's not a privacy problem. Under new TSA guidelines, they point out, the person looking at the scanned image is in an entirely separate room, and the picture is deleted as soon as the next passenger steps into the scanner.

The images themselves are also altered for modesty—at least for the moment. TSA officials even claim that Mr. Negrin's privates weren't really exposed. Rapiscan Systems, which makes the backscatter X-ray scanner, installs one of a series of "privacy algorithms" that can dial up or down the images' resolution. (Of course, the fuzzier the result the harder it is to spot a weapon.) Similarly, millimeter scanner-maker L-3 can blur faces, chests and groins, depending on the customer's preference. Individual employees, the companies promise, will not be able to alter these settings. However, top authorities at TSA will have the flexibility to make a policy change. They can keep the images comparatively blurry—or not.

There may be an important policy shift in the works. TSA has long hewed to an unthinking, unbending approach to security that brought the agency a level of admiration ordinarily reserved for health insurers. But in his first five months running the agency, TSA chief John Pistole has sent some encouraging signs that he's absorbed the arguments of TSA's critics. "We can't just look for prohibited items on a list. We've got to provide the best security while giving greater scrutiny to those who need greater scrutiny, and not using a cookie cutter approach for everybody," he says.

But Mr. Pistole holds to his view about body scanners' "important role in the future of aviation security," adding that the TSA is looking into new privacy enhancements. Unfortunately for Rolando—and the rest of us—the scanners appear to be here to stay.

Mr. Shachtman is a contributing editor at Wired magazine and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution.

[buglerbilly]

Germany Ups Security Over Terror Threat

November 17, 2010

Associated Press



BERLIN - Germany sent hundreds of police officers into railway stations, airports and other public places Wednesday, after the nation's top security official warned of an increased threat from Islamic extremists.

The move came after new, tangible intelligence came to light over the past weeks and months, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. Germans will notice a visible response to the threat, including an increased police presence at airports and railway stations to remain in place until further notice, he said.

"These measures are aimed at prevention and deterrence," de Maiziere said. "We are showing force, that we will not be bullied."

Despite the heightened security presence, de Maiziere urged calm. Officials did not provide specific details about the threat.

"There is reason for worry, but there is no reason for hysteria," he said. "We will not allow international terror to limit us in our way of life and our culture of freedom."

Germany has no color-coded or numbered-tier system for measuring security levels, comparable to those in the U.S., Britain or France and tends to be far more cautious in publicly discussing the degrees of threat, on grounds it could endanger efforts to prevent an attack.

Germany has more than 4,900 soldiers serving in northern Afghanistan as part of the NATO security force there and has long expressed concern it could be targeted by extremists.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said there were no plans to cancel or change any trips or public appearances by the German leader. He echoed de Maiziere's statement that the country must not allow terror threats to impinge on its freedom - "then we would give the terrorists a cheap victory."

Though Germany has escaped any major terrorist attacks like the Madrid train bombings of 2004 and the London transit attacks of 2005, at least two major plots have been thwarted or failed before they could be carried out.

"Besides the previously known findings, we now have additional, relevant indications of possible danger that security authorities agree justify our current assessment that we are now facing a new situation," de Maiziere said.

He cited a tip from another unspecified country about a suspected attack planned for the end of November - though he didn't say where it was supposed to take place.

That tip arrived after the interception of two mail bombs mailed from Yemen to the U.S. - one of which went through a German airport before it was found in Britain. The Yemen plot points to "the adaptability and the persistence of terrorists in pursuing their aims," and underlines "the reliability of some leads," de Maiziere said in a statement to reporters, without elaborating.

He said German authorities had also gathered concrete intelligence of their own pointing to "sustained efforts" by Islamic extremist groups to plan attacks in Germany. Consequently, authorities have launched investigations that could lead to charges.

Maj. Lauralee Flannery, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military's European Command, based in Stuttgart, said there had not been any specific threats against military bases and while forces remained vigilant, "We're not doing anything different."

Germany did not elevate its security situation last month when the United States warned its citizens of possible attacks in Europe, triggering both Great Britain and France to increase their alert levels.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Mitchell Moss said that he could not comment on specific security measures at American diplomatic facilities in Germany, but said that the security level had not changed recently.

"We haven't changed our security posture based on Minister de Maiziere changing the threat level in Germany," he said.

De Maiziere said the current risk assessment was comparable to the one before last year's national election - when the country also raised security. One trigger for that alert was a video in which a German speaker threatened a "rude awakening" if Germans did not push their political parties to withdraw the country's soldiers from Afghanistan.

By midday Wednesday, police carrying automatic weapons and wearing protective gear could be seen patrolling railway platforms at the Berlin's Central Station, as well as stations in Duesseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt. But Germans did not appear to be particularly concerned.

"I don't feel threatened, otherwise we would not be walking around here in Berlin," said Angelika Balkenhoel, arriving from nearby Hamburg.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Germany Races to Track Pair of Suicide Bombers

By DAVID CRAWFORD

BERLIN—Germany is bracing for possible terrorist attacks amid growing signs that Islamic extremists are preparing at least one assault somewhere in the country in the coming weeks, possibly in the capital, Berlin.

Authorities in Berlin are racing to track two suspected suicide bombers believed to be planning to strike a prominent location, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Police are combing through travel and visa records and scrutinizing arrivals from the Mideast and South Asia as they hunt the pair, this person said.

Meanwhile, a second group of terrorists, is reported to be planning to travel to Germany in the coming weeks to launch a small-arms attack on one or more urban centers in the next three months, according to an official familiar with the matter.


European Pressphoto Agency
A police officer stands guards outside the Chancellery in Berlin Sunday.

The threats have unnerved many Germans after government officials played down similar warnings from U.S. intelligence in recent months. Concerns of an imminent attack prompted a rare public warning Wednesday by Germany's interior ministry that terrorists plan to strike one or more crowded public locations in major German cities by the end of this month.

The warnings have put a damper on planned holiday festivities. Cities across Germany have begun opening their traditional Christmas markets, but many citizens are worried the fairs offer terrorists key targets.

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged her countrymen to remain calm in the face of the threats. Speaking to media during a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders in Lisbon over the weekend, she said German security officials are "doing everything" possible to protect people in Germany.

Authorities believe the two prospective suicide bombers they are searching for in Berlin arrived in the German capital about six weeks ago from the Waziristan region of Pakistan, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The suspects are trying to avoid detection by wearing Western clothes, avoiding mosques and changing their hideouts regularly, according the people. Authorities believe the two men are waiting for a shipment of bomb detonators that may be transported from Turkey to Berlin by unwitting friends or relatives.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday that police fear the attack involving bombs and small arms could be aimed at the German parliament building, known as the Reichstag. A senior intelligence official said the Reichstag hasn't been specifically named a terrorist target, although it fits the outlines of the alleged terrorist goal of attacking an "important office." A temporary fence was erected around the historic building last week as a precaution, a spokesman for the German parliament said.

German authorities also have received indications that a second group of terrorists is planning to travel from Waziristan via the United Arab Emirates to Germany in the coming weeks, according to a person briefed on the investigation.

These suspected terrorists are believed to be planning a small-arms attack on one or more urban centers in Germany by the end of February, this person said. The cities of Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich have been named as possible sites for an attack, the person said. The attack would be modeled on the 2008 attack in Mumbai, which killed more than 160 people.

This brings the number of suspected terrorist hit teams focusing on Germany or other European countries to at least three. For several weeks European police have been searching for a suspected terrorist known only as Mauritani, who they believe is planning an attack with six accomplices. A senior intelligence official said terrorists may be attempting to confuse counter-terrorist preparations by leading authorities to believe they are planning several attacks at once.

Authorities in Namibia, meanwhile, appeared closer to solving a mystery surrounding a fake suitcase bomb that nearly made it onto a flight bound for Germany earlier in the week.

Namibian police told their German counterparts Saturday the suitcase—which they said was designed by a U.S. company as a tool for testing airport security personnel's readiness—was placed in the loading area by an airport security official. The official has been arrested, a spokesman for the German interior ministry wrote in an email response to questions. It remained unclear why the official would have placed the suitcase in the luggage hall or what charges he faces.A Namibian Police Force spokesman couldn't be reached to comment.

Write to David Crawford at david.crawford@wsj.com

[buglerbilly]

Group of 10 Islamists detained in Europe

Ten alleged Islamists have been detained in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany suspected of plotting an attack in Belgium, according to the prosecutor's office.


The arrests come a day after the famous glass dome on top of the German Reichstag building was closed to visitors Photo: EPA

12:27PM GMT 23 Nov 2010

The arrests were part of "an inquiry into international jihadist terror," a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said.

"In total 10 people suspected of preparing an attack in Belgium were arrested in Belgium, Holland and Germany," he said.

The suspects are from Belgium, the Netherlands, Morocco and Chechnya, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. The group used the extremist website Ansar Al Mujahideen.

The target of the plot was unknown.

The raid followed a months-long investigation that was launched by authorities in the northern Belgian city of Antwerp in late 2009, the office said.

The investigation focused on recruiters, would-be "jihadists" and the financing of a Chechen "terrorist organisation," it said.

The arrests come a day after the famous glass dome on top of the German Reichstag building was closed to visitors.

The decision was taken after western intelligence services received intelligence that the al-Qaeda linked Islamic Jihad Group, a terrorist group based in Pakistan's war-torn north-west, was plotting to storm the German parliament building in Berlin and take hostages to force the country to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Thomas de Maizière, Germany's interior minister, last week raised his country's terror threat level, saying it was "dealing with a new situation."

[buglerbilly]

U.S. may replace color-coded terror-alert system with more-specific warnings

By Greg Miller
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, November 25, 2010; 12:09 AM

The Obama administration is considering abandoning the color-coded terrorism-alert system that became a barometer of the nation's anxieties after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and replacing it with advisories that provide more detailed guidance on emerging threats.

A proposal drafted by the Department of Homeland Security and submitted to the White House urges a shift toward more-tailored threat warnings and the dismantling of the five-color scheme that was often mocked for alarming people but providing little useful guidance on how they should respond, U.S. officials said.

"The goal is to replace a system that communicates nothing with a system that communicates precise, actionable information based on the latest intelligence to law enforcement, the private sector and the American public," said a senior Homeland Security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because deliberations are continuing.

The existing system, in place since 2002, uses a band of colors - green, blue, yellow, orange and red - in a stoplight-like arrangement to convey the nation's terror-alert status. Green indicates a low threat level and red a severe risk of attack.

The alerts were once routinely displayed in airports and, at times, on television newscasts to underscore the level of concern about the prospect of a terrorist attack. But in a measure of how much the system has faded in importance, officials said that the last time the color changed was in 2006.

Dozens of terror plots have surfaced since then, including a failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day last year and the botched bombing of Times Square by a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen in May.

Experts said the color system had become an almost forgotten relic of the nation's frantic post-Sept. 11 response.

"Over time, its utility eroded, and people just didn't notice anymore," said Bruce Hoffman, a terror expert at Georgetown University. "Something more formal and more specific will probably be taken more seriously."

Homeland Security officials declined to provide details on the system the department has proposed, saying that the recommendations are being reviewed by other agencies, including the Justice Department and the White House. But officials pointed to the warnings issued last month about possible terror strikes overseas as an example of how the government wants the new system to function.

On Oct. 3, the State Department issued a travel alert warning U.S. citizens of possible terror attacks in Europe. The alert did not instruct people to cancel their travel plans but told of fresh intelligence about al-Qaeda plots that might be aimed at public transportation systems and other targets.

The threat in Europe has yet to subside. This month, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizier said there were "serious indications" that attack plans were underway.

U.S. officials said the new system would assume a baseline state of heightened public awareness and would be built around two broad threat categories: elevated and imminent. The latter would be instituted for no more than a week at a time, officials said, and would be accompanied, when possible, by specific information on the nature of the threat.

"It could come in the form of a DHS-FBI bulletin to local law enforcement, a briefing to cargo carriers" or a statement from public officials "to residents of a particular metropolitan area," a Homeland Security official said.

The recommendations grew out of a review requested last year by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. If the color-coded system is scrapped, it would mean the demise of one of the signature counterterrorism measures of President George W. Bush.

The proposed changes come at a time when holiday travelers are facing stringent new screening procedures at airports across the country, including full-body scans and pat-downs that have prompted protests from some travelers.

Those measures were triggered by the airline plot that was thwarted Dec. 25 when passengers subdued a Nigerian man accused of attempting to ignite an explosive device hidden in his underwear.

More recently, the government has scrambled to update cargo-screening procedures after authorities in England and Dubai intercepted parcels packed with explosives that had been shipped from Yemen to addresses in Chicago.

Homeland Security officials said the department routinely sends threat information to local authorities as well as private-sector groups, even when the public threat level doesn't change.

The department has worked with the hotel industry to bolster security after a 2008 massacre of guests at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel in Mumbai. The effort includes "training their workforce on what to look for, what the signs are," a Homeland Security official said.

The color-coded threat level has been adjusted 16 times since the system's inception on March 12, 2002. It reached red only once, on Aug. 10, 2006, amid a disrupted al-Qaeda plot targeting transatlantic flights.

Since then, the threat level has been static: orange (high) for the aviation sector and yellow (elevated) for the rest of the country.

[buglerbilly]

A counterterrorism law in need of updating

By John B. Bellinger III

Friday, November 26, 2010

When the 112th Congress is seated in January, one of the many urgent issues it must address is to update and clarify the legal authority for U.S. military and intelligence agencies to kill and detain terrorists who threaten the United States. For the past decade, executive-branch agencies have relied on a sparely worded statute that Congress passed hastily on Sept. 18, 2001, while the wreckage of the World Trade Center was still smoldering. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) provides insufficient authority for our military and intelligence personnel to conduct counterterrorism operations today and inadequate protections for those targeted or detained, including U.S. citizens.

The act authorizes the president to use "all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided" the Sept. 11 attacks. The Bush and Obama administrations have relied on this authority to wage the ground war in Afghanistan; to exert lethal force (including drone strikes) against al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia; and to detain suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban members in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Afghanistan.

As U.S. forces continue to target terrorist leaders outside Afghanistan, it is increasingly unclear whether these terrorists, even if they are planning attacks against U.S. targets, are the same individuals, or even part of the same organization, behind the Sept. 11 attacks. Moreover, no law, including this act, contains specific provisions for killing terrorists who are U.S. citizens and who enjoy at least some constitutional rights, such as the Yemen-based radical cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi, whose purported targeting is the subject of a lawsuit brought by civil liberties groups.

Nor does the 2001 legislation include explicit authority for detention. Federal courts (and even civil liberties groups) have accepted that the authority to use "all necessary and appropriate force" includes the authority to detain, but the statute does not specify who may be detained, for how long or what review procedures may be used. Instead, Congress and the executive branch have left it to a small group of overworked federal judges to legislate the details piecemeal in the context of individual habeas corpus petitions.

The Obama administration has aggravated the legal shortcomings of the act by insisting that, unlike the Bush administration, it is relying only on the congressional grant of authority and not on any inherent constitutional powers of the president. Given the Bush administration's excessive assertions of executive authority, the Obama administration's dependence on the legislation alone is politically understandable. But it is legally risky. Should our military or intelligence agencies wish to target or detain a terrorist who is not part of al-Qaeda, they would lack the legal authority to do so, unless the administration expands (and the federal courts uphold) its legal justification.

For at least five years, lawyers in and outside the Bush and Obama administrations have recognized the need to replace this act with a clearer law. The Bush administration chose not to seek an update because it did not want to work with the legislative branch. Last year, President Obama announced his intention to work with Congress to enact a new detention law "consistent with our values and our Constitution." But he has backed away from this plan in deference to civil liberties groups that hope to end detention outside a criminal law framework, not to legitimize it through a more specific congressional authorization.

Civil liberties groups' opposition to a new detention law is unrealistic and shortsighted. The Obama administration has made clear that it intends to hold 50 to 100 Guantanamo detainees potentially indefinitely without criminal trial, a number that may grow given that a federal jury in New York acquitted Ahmed Ghailani this month of 284 of the 285 charges against him. While every detainee has the right to bring a habeas corpus challenge to his continued detention, once a federal judge determines that an individual has been properly detained under the AUMF (as judges have already done in 19 cases), the detainee may have no further legal right to challenge his detention for the rest of his life.

Nearly 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Obama administration, congressional Republicans and Democrats, and civil liberties groups all have an interest in updating this aging legislation. Republicans should be willing to help the president ensure that combatant commanders and intelligence agencies have ample legal authority to kill or capture terrorists who threaten the United States today. Many Republicans also want to give clearer statutory direction to federal judges regarding who may be detained and for how long. For their part, civil liberties groups and their Democratic supporters in Congress can insist that terrorist suspects who are U.S. nationals receive additional protections before being targeted and that persons detained now or in the future under the laws of war have a right to adequate administrative or judicial review. Congress can and should pass compromise legislation that balances all of these concerns.

The writer is a partner at Arnold & Porter and an adjunct senior fellow in international and national security law at the Council on Foreign Relations. He was legal adviser to the State Department from 2005 to 2009 and legal adviser to the National Security Council from 2001 to 2005.

[buglerbilly]

Somali teenager 'tried to set off carbomb in US'

A Somali teenager has been arrested on suspicion of trying to set off a carbomb in the United States, police said on Saturday.


Mohamed Osman Mohamud was under FBI surveillance when he allegedly tried to set off the bomb Photo: AP

By Colin Freeman 8:37AM GMT 27 Nov 2010

Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was held after he attempted to detonate what he believed was an explosives-laden van at an annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon. However, undercover FBI agents had been monitoring his plans and had ensured that the "bomb" was in fact incapable of exploding.

Mohamud, a naturalised US citizen of Somali descent, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Portland police around 5:40 pm Friday (0040 GMT Saturday).

"The threat was very real. Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale," said Arthur Balizan, a special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon. "At the same time, I want to reassure the people of this community that, at every turn, we denied him the ability to actually carry out the attack."

Court documents showed that since the summer of 2009, Mohamud had been in email contact with a suspected terrorist in Pakistan's lawless northwest frontier province, currently a haven for al Qaeda cells. After discussing the possibility of Mohamud traveling to Pakistan to engage in jihad, or holy war, the accomplice allegedly gave Mohamud contact details of a terrorist cell overseas with whom the plot would be hatched.

Repeated attempts by Mohamud to contact his would-be partners failed, and then last June, an FBI undercover agent contacted Mohamud via email pretending to be an associate of his Pakistani contact.

At a meeting in Portland a month later, Mohamud told the FBI operative that he had written articles that were published in "Jihad Recollections," an online magazine that advocated violence against non-Muslims.

He later told the agents that he had wanted to conduct a holy war against "infidels" since the age of 15, and that he had identified the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square as a good target.

FBI operatives apparently cautioned Mohamud several times about the seriousness of this plan, noting that there would be many children at the event. But Mohamud responded that he was looking for a "huge mass that will ... be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays," the court documents said.

Somalia, which has been without a functioning government since 1991, has been identified as a source of major concern by Western security agencies fighting Islamic extremism. They have warned that members of the Somali diaspora living in north America and Europe may be recruited by al Qaeda to carry out attacks on Western soil.

[buglerbilly]

FBI foils elaborate bomb plot in Oregon

By Jerry Markon, Washington Post

Sunday, November 28, 2010; 12:22 AM

Federal agents arrested an Oregon man intent on exploding a bomb and killing thousands of people at a nighttime Christmas tree lighting in Portland's central square, authorities said Saturday. The arrest culminated a sting in which the FBI worked extensively with the man and assembled the fake bomb that he twice tried to detonate Friday night.

The capture of Mohamed Osman Mohamud is the latest indication that the government is increasingly turning to undercover operatives to infiltrate extremist cells and fight what authorities call a wave of homegrown terrorism.

Agents arrested Mohamud moments after he tried to detonate a van he thought was packed with explosives in the crowded public square Friday night, the Justice Department said. As he was taken away, Mohamud, 19, kicked agents and screamed "Allahu Akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great,'' officials said. The bomb was an elaborate dud, assembled by FBI technicians.

Mohamud, a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen and former Oregon State University student, is expected to appear in federal court Monday. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Neither an attorney for Mohamud or his family could be located Saturday.

Although the FBI's tactics of using undercover operatives have been controversial among Muslims, officials say they have successfully broken up numerous recent plots, including the attempted bombing of Metro stations in Northern Virginia and a plan to blow up a Dallas skyscraper. And it was a tip from the Muslim community that led the FBI to Mohamud, federal officials said.

Unlike other high-profile cases such as the attempted Times Square bombing in May, federal law enforcement officials said there is no evidence that a foreign terrorist group was behind the averted Portland attack. There were no indications of any U.S. collaborators, and officials emphasized that Mohamud's device posed no real danger to the public.

But authorities said the chilling details of Mohamud's alleged plot underscored the need for aggressive tactics against jihadis. Mohamud expressed a strong interest in violent jihad, chose the target and mailed bomb components to people he thought were assembling the device but were instead FBI operatives, court documents said. The documents indicate that he believes in a radical form of Islam.

Cautioned that children would attend the tree lighting, Mohamud is quoted as telling an undercover FBI operative that he was seeking a "huge mass that will . . . be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays. . . . I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave either dead or injured."

"The threat was very real," said Arthur Balizan, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon. "Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale." He added that the bureau carefully "denied him the ability to actually carry out the attack.''

Those efforts reached their climax Friday. About noon, Mohamud met at a Portland hotel with two undercover FBI operatives, court documents said. They walked to a white van parked nearby, where Mohamud is said to have admired the handiwork inside: six 55-gallon drums containing inert material, a detonation cord, blasting caps and a gallon of diesel fuel.

In the front seat was a cellphone that was to detonate the bomb. Mohamud smiled and said the phony device was "beautiful,'' documents said.

Nearly five hours later, Mohamud and one of the operatives drove the van to the target: Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square. Known locally as the city's "living room,'' it is a tree-lined open plaza in the heart of downtown that hosts more than 300 events each year.

Portland police officials said thousands of people would attend the tree-lighting ceremony that night, which featured the popular musical group Pink Martini.

Mohamud attached a blasting cap to the fake bomb, and the FBI operative turned on the cellphone, court documents said. They left the van on the southeast corner of the square, near a bank and the federal courthouse, and drove to Union Station, a train station less than a mile away, according to an FBI affidavit.

In the parking lot, the FBI operative gave Mohamud the cellphone and read the number he needed to dial to detonate the bomb, the affidavit said.

"Mohamud appeared so eager, that he started to read and dial the number off the paper (the operative) was holding faster than (the operative) could recite it,'' the affidavit said.

The call went through. Nothing.

The operative suggested Mohamud step outside to get a better signal, according to the affidavit. He dialed the number again and was grabbed by authorities and arrested, officials said.

Mohamud was born in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in 1991, the year that country's deadly civil war began. It is unclear when he arrived in the United States, but at some point, he joined Portland's fast-growing Somali population and became a U.S. citizen.

Todd Simmons, a spokesman for Oregon State University, said Mohamud graduated from high school in Portland and began attending the university as a non-degree student last fall. He has not been enrolled since Oct. 6.

Mohamud told the FBI that he became radicalized at age 15 and had been thinking about violent jihad ever since, documents said.

According to the affidavit, he began taking action last year when he exchanged e-mails with a co-conspirator who had terrorist ties and was in Pakistan's northwest province, a haven for radical groups. An FBI undercover operative sent Mohamud an e-mail in June saying he was an associate of that co-conspirator.

An elaborate set of encounters ensued, in which Mohamud met with two FBI operatives. At the first meeting in Portland, in July, Mohamud said he wanted to carry out an "explosion" but needed help, court papers said.

At a second meeting, in August, he identified the square as a target, the documents said. Over the past three months, Mohamud worked closely with the operatives and gave them a thumb drive with detailed instructions for the attack, officials said.

On Nov. 4, Mohamud and his FBI collaborators detonated a bomb concealed in a backpack in a remote Oregon location as a trial run. That same day, he recorded a video, wearing a white robe and white and red headdress, in which he offered his rationale for the attack, court documents said.

"Explode on these (infidels),'' he concluded, according to the documents. "Alleviate our pain.''

Staff writer Kelly Johnson and researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

Mark Ruffalo on terrorist watchlist

Mark Ruffalo, the Hollywood actor, has been added to a US terror advisory list after he promoted a documentary about the effects of natural gas drilling.


Mark Ruffalo was placed on the US terror advisory watch list Photo: REX

By Nick Allen, Los Angeles 5:39PM GMT 29 Nov 2010

I've seen the trailers for this movie and its as scary as shit! Basically, the drilling that has been going on has been done without due care and attention in the rush for cheap gas, in this case Methane and other Coal-related gases. By random drilling and lack of care they have allowed the gases to enter the water table which is near-disasterous for Rural communities as it then escapes into houses, localities near housess or the water supply itself hence the infamous scene where the guy takes a glass of water from his tap and then sets it alight!!!

Putting Ruffalo on a Homeland watch list is a farce and utterly ridiculous. Honeland Security HQ need to go and fire the fecker that did it AND investigate their connection to the Gas Companies and/or State Government. In other words eradicate what is obviously idiotic before it taints the true purpose and nature of Homeland Security..............

The 43-year-old year old actor was placed on the watch list by Pennsylvania's Office of Homeland Security after he arranged screenings for the "Gasland" documentary.

The film won the special jury prize at this year's Sundance Film festival and chronicles how communities have been affected by a boom in natural gas drilling.

In Pennsylvania the film, written and directed by Josh Fox, shows a resident who is able to set fire to his tap water.

Ruffalo, who has starred in films including "Shutter Island," "The Kids Are Alright" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," told GQ magazine that his inclusion on the list was "pretty funny."

[buglerbilly]

Spanish police arrest Pakistanis 'linked to Mumbai attacks'

Spanish police have arrested at least seven Pakistanis suspected of links to those responsible for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people, according to reports.

10:25AM GMT 01 Dec 2010

Anti-terrorist officers detained the suspects in raids in and around the northeastern city of Barcelona late on Tuesday, the newspaper El Pais said.

It said seven Pakistani nationals were held, while the daily El Mundo said eight were arrested during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.

Both papers, quoting sources close to the investigation, said the suspects were involved in falsifying documents, including passports, for organisations linked to al Qaeda in various countries, including the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba that has been accused of plotting the Mumbai attacks.

A group of 10 militants killed at least 166 people in three days of violence in the Indian city in November, 2008.

Spanish police did not immediately confirm the information but said a statement would be issued later Wednesday.

[buglerbilly]

'Bomb plotter' arrested in Baltimore

A Baltimore man was arrested on Wednesday on charges he plotted to detonate a vehicle bomb at a U.S. Armed Forces recruitment centre in Maryland, a plot that was a sting operation, the U.S. Justice Department said.


Attorney General Eric Holder has defended such sting operations Photo: AP

5:18PM GMT 08 Dec 2010

"There was no actual danger to the public as the explosives were inert and the suspect had been carefully monitored by law enforcement for months," said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd. He declined to identify the individual arrested.

A law enforcement official said the individual arrested was a 21-year-old male who is an American citizen and converted to be a Muslim. A court hearing is set for later on Wednesday.

The case is the latest in a series of sting operations by law enforcement agencies involving terrorism plots, including one case in which an Oregon man was arrested last month on charges he tried to detonate a car bomb near a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has defended such sting operations, saying that they are integral to finding people who are on a path to attack the United States and Americans. Some defence lawyers have questioned whether they were entrapment.

"These investigations are extremely important, it is part of a forward-leaning way in which the Justice Department, the FBI, our law enforcement partners at the state and local level are trying to find people who are bound and determined to harm Americans and American interests around the world," Mr Holder said last month.

In October, a Jordanian national was sentenced to 24 years in prison for a plot to blow up a Dallas skyscraper using a fake bomb as part of an FBI undercover operation.

The Justice Department spokesman said the arrest in Baltimore was not believed to be connected to a string of shootings in Virginia, one of which included an incident at a Coast Guard recruiting station.

[buglerbilly]

At last, Hicks answers the tough questions

Eamon Duff

December 12, 2010

.
‘‘I was impulsive’’ ... David Hicks in Sydney this week. Photo: Jacky Ghossein

You were, and are, a traitorous little prick..........."impulsive" my ass! :hifu

He has been implicated in the deaths of children killed in crossfire, but claims he tried to save them. He once said he’d spoken to Osama bin Laden but now argues it was an exaggeration. He has been labelled a terrorist and a liar who is trying to rewrite history. He insists he’s never harmed anyone and that the true story surrounding his controversial past is ‘‘boring’’. Not for the first time, David Hicks feels likeaman under interrogation.

His latest troubles began when his book Guantanamo: My Journey was published in October.The memoirs were expected to feature fulland frank admissions regarding his conversion toIslam, his military training in Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, his links with al-Qaeda and the events that led to five harrowing years spent in isolated detention. Two months after the book’s release, few have questioned Hicks’s torturous tales of life inside Guantanamo. He has, however, been widely accused of short-changing the Australian public with minimal, inconsistent detail about the events that led to his arrest in 2001.

Scathing reviews and Hicks’s steadfast refusal to either be interviewed or provide publicity have done book sales no favours. As of last week, publisher Random House had shifted fewer than 16,000 of the 70,000 first edition copies printed.

Today, Hicks finally breaks his silence to respond to his critics. ‘‘After 5 years in a lawless world, if I had actually injured someone, attempted to, or even trained to, don’t you think I would have been charged, shipped off to court, prosecuted and made an example of? It never happened.’’

David Hicks has, until today, refused all requests to talk about his book. Some have argued he's scared of being scrutinised and is dodging the tough questions for fear of having the truth exposed:

I have been accused of cowardice, fear and of having something to hide, but the straightforward answer to these unreasonable accusations is that after spending six years in isolation with little human contact, contact that was often hostile and abnormal, the most comfortable way for me to communicate is by writing. I cannot control interfering emotions. Lights, cameras and being the focus of an interview is reminiscent of a Guantanamo interrogation. This is why I chose to write a book.

The negative reviews do not reflect the personal feedback I have received from the public. I've had people approach me in tears, thanking me for sharing my life with them.

I suppose you can't please everyone.

In 1999, Hicks converted to Islam by looking up the nearest mosque in the Yellow Pages and later reciting a few words. Doubters suggest this tale is too simplistic.

Towards the end of 1999, I'd never met a Muslim person before and knew nothing about the religion, so is it really surprising I'd use the Yellow Pages to find a mosque? To become a Muslim, or to be accepted as one, takes no more time or effort than saying a few words. It's not a difficult or daunting task. My motivation was not a religious search for spirituality; it was more a search for somewhere to belong and to be with people who shared my interest in world affairs. In my youth I was impulsive. Unfortunately, many of my decisions of that time are a reflection of that trait.

Hicks headed to the subcontinent in 2000 and in Pakistan joined the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. From there he joined the ''freedom struggle in Kashmir'', engaging in military combat against Indian forces. He stated: ''We did not fire upon Indian soldiers or any other people. We only participated in the symbolic exchange of fire.'' It has since been argued that his own book implicates him in the deaths of two children.

Even a casual reading of my book explains it was Indian military personnel who shot and killed those innocent children. I risked my life to attend one of these victims. I've never been responsible for the death or harm of any human being.

There were three or four camps under the name of Camp Farouk at that time in Afghanistan. I attended the open mainstream camp, not terrorist camps. I would not have been there if there was any suggestion of terrorist activity or the targeting of civilians. How would a white boy new to Islam, not understanding local customs or languages, largely uneducated in the ways of the world, get access to such supposedly secret camps planning acts of terror? The camps I attended were not al-Qaeda. I did not hear about such an organisation until my arrival in Guantanamo Bay.

After Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba sent Hicks to Afghanistan for further military training in camps run by al-Qaeda. Much of the criticism of the book centres around this period. Hicks never names the camps, denies knowing they were led by al-Qaeda and swears he saw nothing that remotely resembled terrorism-related training.

Hicks acknowledges he was involved in extensive military training with Lashkar-e-Taiba but has been criticised for gliding over the subject in less than two pages.

The truth is, I included detailed descriptions in earlier drafts but ended up editing it out. I couldn't imagine the public wanting to wade through pages of anecdotes such as how I learnt to smear mud on my face and camouflage a uniform, or basic map-reading and using compasses. I didn't think the audience wanted to be bored with detail about building strength, stamina and endurance day after day by marching further and further with increasing weight in a backpack. These were situations very far removed from acts of terrorism such as bomb-making, hijacking or targeting civilians.

In her book Detainee 002, ABC journalist Leigh Sales says Hicks was asked by an al-Qaeda leader to involve himself in a suicide attack. During the exchange, he was also allegedly given advice about forming a terrorist cell.

Sorry to disappoint but that never happened. In 2004 Major Michael Mori [Hicks's military lawyer] came to visit me in Guantanamo and showed me a TV interview of an interrogator who claimed I was a high-value asset because I was a literal treasure trove of information about al-Qaeda. In the same interview he mentions for the first and only time this suicide story. This US soldier claimed he personally interviewed me. Mori asked if I recognised this man and I didn't. Mori did some investigating and discovered this individual was the head of an interrogation team, but had never personally met with any detainees, let alone me. It was just US propaganda to demonise me. They did it to all detainees at one point or another to try and justify holding us without charge.

Critics say the book tries to erase Hicks's involvement with al-Qaeda and that it contradicts the letters he sent home to his family.

I believe the issue [for critics] is that they spent close to eight years painting a particular picture of me and now I have given them a painting different to their own. They wanted my book to contain stories, information, which simply does not exist; they want me to claim something that never happened. I don't reflect their images or fit their long-created fictional character. My story from a journalistic viewpoint must seem like a boring, unsexy truth.

Detractors say Hicks offers no apologies, displays little remorse and has taken no responsibility for his actions.

I've never tried to dismiss myself of any responsibility. I take full responsibility for naively travelling to dangerous locations in an attempt to help others. Any inconvenience was brought about due to my rendition, my illegal imprisonment, the years of detention without a fair trial and the fact that I was used as a political scapegoat. If I had been treated according to the law no one would ever have heard my name. There would be no book and you would not be reading this now. I would have ended up back in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, nine-to-five job, just one of many unknown faces in a crowd.

[buglerbilly]

New York subway plot was five days from success

British intelligence helped foil an al-Qaeda plot to blow up the New York subway just five days before it was due to go ahead, it can be disclosed, as Abid Naseer, a suspect in the case, faces an extradition hearing in London.


Najibullah Zazi: Zazi, from Denver, Colorado, is understood to have been given instructions by a senior member of al Qaeda in Pakistan over the internet. Photo: PA

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent 10:59PM GMT 14 Dec 2010

The suicide attack, planned to mark last year’s anniversary of the September 11 attacks was to be the biggest plot in the US since 2001.

Three men were allegedly planning to strap bombs to themselves and attack the underground with coordinated explosions planned to emulate those on London five years ago.

The plot was only foiled when one of the men emailed an al-Qaeda fixer in Pakistan to ask for advice on mixing chemicals, security sources on both sides of the Atlantic have told The Daily Telegraph.

Previous reports had suggested that the men were under surveillance by the FBI for some time before their planned attacks but sources now say the plot came close to success.

It is understood that the fixer – who used the names Sohaib, Ahmad and Zahid – is now in custody in Pakistan but despite repeated approaches from The Daily Telegraph, the authorities there have refused to say where he is held or whether he has been brought before a court.

He was also the man behind an al-Qaeda plot to blow up shopping centres in Manchester last Easter which led to the arrest of 12 Pakistani students.

Two of the students had apparently met Sohaib, a low level al-Qaeda commander, in Peshawar, Pakistan, in November 2008.

MI5 and Greater Manchester Police launched a huge surveillance operation in February 2009 and found that one of the students, Abid Naseer, had sent an email to Sohaib in which he said they were planning a “nikah” or wedding, thought to be code for an attack.

No explosives were found during the raids but the students were sent to immigration custody and eventually all except Naseer agreed to return to Pakistan.

He faces an extradition hearing this week after the US authorities alleged he was also connected to the plot to blow up underground trains in New York.

The New York investigation began on September 6 2009 when an Afghan-born man brought up in Queen’s, New York also began emailing Sohaib.

Najibullah Zazi was desperate to be reminded of his bomb-making instructions from a visit to Pakistan a year earlier.

He had already bought hydrogen peroxide and other bomb-making chemicals but wanted to know what proportions to use.

Alarm bells began ringing at America’s National Security Agency and as he hired a car and drove towards New York three days later, an FBI operation was launched to track him.

The network was uncovered as a result of work by MI6 to track down associates of Rashid Rauf, the al-Qaeda commander thought to be in “day to day” control of a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners with home made liquid bombs.

The terrorist leader, who was brought up in Birmingham, is also thought to have been involved in the July 7 and July 21 attacks.

[buglerbilly]

Iraq Uncovers Alleged Xmas Terror Plots in US

December 15, 2010

Associated Press



BAGHDAD - Iraqi authorities have obtained confessions from captured insurgents who claim al-Qaida is planning suicide attacks in the United States and Europe during the Christmas season, two senior officials said Wednesday.

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani told The Associated Press that the botched bombing in central Stockholm last weekend was among the alleged plots the insurgents revealed. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, in a telephone interview from New York, called the claims "a critical threat."

Both al-Bolani and Zebari said Iraq has informed Interpol of the alleged plots, and alerted authorities in the U.S. and European countries of the possible danger. Neither official specified which country or countries in Europe are alleged targets.

There was no way to verify the insurgents' claims. But Western counterterrorism officials generally are on high alert during the holiday season, especially since last year's failed attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called underwear bomber, who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day.

Al-Bolani said several insurgents claimed to be part of a cell that took its orders directly from al-Qaida's central leadership. He said at least one of the captured suspects was a foreign fighter from Tunisia.

The confessions were the result of recent operations by Iraqi security forces that have netted at least 73 suspected operatives in the last two weeks, al-Bolani said.

Links between al-Qaida's central leadership, which is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, and the terror organization's front group in Iraq are tenuous as the local branch in recent years has been run by local insurgents.

But al-Bolani said the claims - if true - show al-Qaida remains a presence in Iraq.

"Several members of this terrorist group have direct links with the central leaders of the al-Qaida organization," al-Bolani said. "Those captured represent the main structure of the al-Qaida organization in Iraq."

Zebari, who is in New York for a meeting of the U.S. Security Council, said he informed "the countries concerned." He mentioned the U.S, but would not specify which countries in Europe.

Al-Bolani said the suspects claimed that last Saturday's suicide bombing in Stockholm - carried out by an Iraqi-born Swede on Saturday - was among the plots. He said the suspects made the claim after the bombing happened.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Stockholm bomber: banned extremists recruit near Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly's Luton home

The outlawed Islamist group al-Muhajiroun is openly recruiting near the home of the suicide bomber who blew himself up on a Stockholm street last week, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

By Jason Lewis, Investigations Editor 9:25AM GMT 19 Dec 2010

MI5 and anti-terrorist police are attempting to unravel what transformed the father of three into an extremist.

But moderate Muslims in Luton, where Iraqi-born Taimour Abdulwahab lived for almost 10 years, claim the authorities are to blame for turning a blind eye to the activities of hard-core jihadi sympathisers.

Unimpeded by the police, the group, now calling itself The Reflect Project, is accused of mounting a campaign of intimidation and violence against those who disagree with it.

The group's members are followers of the radical cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad, who is being held in jail in Lebanon on terrorism charges, and are led locally by Ishtiaq Alamgir or Sword of Islam – a former inland revenue accountant.

Earlier this year, Mr Alamgir helped to organise a protest at a homecoming parade in Luton for troops who had served in Afghanistan. The demonstration ended in violence and arrests.

It is illegal to be a member of Bakri's organisation after it was outlawed for glorifying terrorism and for outspoken statements praising the "magnificent" September 11 hijackers.

But Bakri's supporters still regularly set up a stall on the high street near Abdulwahab's family home to try to recruit more young Muslims to their cause.

Last week, gathered around a trestle table after Friday prayers, Mr Alamgir and a dozen other activists handed out anodyne Introduction to Islam leaflets before quickly disappearing when approached by this newspaper.

Carefully written, apparently to avoid breaching anti-terrorism laws, the leaflet's purpose appeared to be to direct prospective recruits to a website containing inflammatory speeches by Bakri and articles against "the terrorist activities of Britain".

Some claim the group was involved with Abdulwahab, whose "will" told his wife and children he had lived for "the last four years with the secret of being mujahid or, as you call it, terrorist".

The group described Abdulwahab, who studied at the town's university, as a "lone wolf" and denied having anything to do with him.

The group, whose members use an ever-changing variety of names, has been holding rallies in community halls where, until his recent arrest, it was addressed by Bakri over an internet link.

Residents in the mainly Muslim Bury Park area claim Abdulwahab attended these meetings and complain that the government ban has not stopped the group or led to any police action against it.

Despite public money from the previous government's anti-radicalisation "Prevent" scheme, which is currently under review by the Coalition, MI5 and the police appear to be getting little help or intelligence from the community. It is claimed much of the cash distributed by Prevent in Luton – reported to be £554,000 since 2008 – has either been squandered on schemes not designed to tackle extremists or is the subject of investigations over financial irregularities.

The Luton Islamic Centre, where Abdulwahab prayed and which forced him out when he attempted to preach about his radical views, admits it did not inform the police.

"We try to work with the extremists, rather than force them underground," a spokesman said yesterday.

Others dismiss the police as powerless. They talk about how an alleged terrorist recruiter, Mohammed Quayyum Khan, known as "Q", moves around the town unimpeded.

Mr Khan has been named in Parliamentary reports and at the Old Bailey and was accused of arranging for the 7/7 plot leader Mohammed Sidique Khan to attend a terrorist training camp. However, he has never been charged with any offence and last week was still working as a minicab driver in Luton, taking children on the "school run" and ferrying hotel guests to the town's busy international airport.

Another local radical is a Pakistani man in his twenties known as Charlie who, it is claimed, has been banned from Britain on national security grounds.

After being recruited in the town, Charlie, who attended a local school and whose family remain in Luton, is now believed to be in Islamabad "driving around in an expensive Land Cruiser with access to lots of money", according to one friend. Others talk darkly of his links to "senior" people in al-Qaeda.

"We fear for our children and the influence these people have on them," said Mohammed Bashir, of the Khadmit welfare centre, whose office is just along the road from where al-Muhajiroun set up its "recruitment centre".

"I have received death threats, threatening phone calls. They have been trying to intimidate me. Threatening violence, threatening to come to my home. They are only a small group, some 20 or 30 people. I even know some of their families. But they won't listen to reason.

"We tell our youngsters not to speak to them, but you cannot watch after your young people all the time. They go to school and to university and it is here that these idiots try to influence them, try to convince them to join them, to spread their hatred."

Qurban Hussain, a local councillor and former Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, has also had death threats and has been physically attacked. "During the last election campaign a group of them surrounded my car. They were banging on the windows, shouting abuse and chanting slogans. They think democracy is un-Islamic.

"All the time they were filming it. They were shouting and screaming at me and filming me inside my car – then they put it on the internet. It was so intimidating. I go to Pakistan regularly to see my family and friends. I wondered whether the video was meant for someone there. A message to them saying: 'Here is an unbeliever – deal with him'."

Mr Hussain said the group also stops people attempting to vote. "They will obstruct you, bully and harass you. Throughout the election I was constantly followed, harassed and chanted at. They try to intimidate you and anyone you come across. They do the same to anyone they disagree with."

He said on another occasion a local al-Muhajiroun activist confronted him on the street and allegedly threatened to kill him. "I know the boy. I know his father. But he threatened to kill me," he said. "I reported it to the police but they didn't pursue it."

He said his campaign offices were also attacked, daubed with paint and his posters pulled down. "Last May, on the day of the election they gathered outside my house. They pushed and shoved me and my supporters. There was a scuffle. I feared there was going to be serious violence. My neighbours came out on the streets. People were threatened on the way to the polling station."

Mr Hussain said he had stopped reporting the incidents to the police. "It's a waste of time. They spend two hours taking your statement and then they do nothing."

The father of one activist spoke to The Sunday Telegraph last week. He did not want to be named, apparently afraid of the reaction of his son and his friends. He said: "He will not listen to me. He is not in my control. He once cared about his education, getting a job, helping his community. Now he is lost."

The community has tried to take the law into its own hands. The mosques have confronted them. There are reports of minor scuffles and the al-Muhajiroun activists are now not welcome to pray at any of the local mosques as a group. They are also banned from preaching or trying to recruit people outside the prayer halls.

Instead they set up a table near to Barclays Bank to hand out their literature, welcoming anyone who shows an interest. They talk about Palestine, detention at Guantánamo Bay, and Iraq and Afghanistan. They show jihadi films and invite people to go to a café for a chat and a soft drink. Some call it "grooming".

"Anyone who disagrees is abused. There is no debating with them. They call me a hypocrite," said Mr Hussain, who will be sworn in at the House of Lords in the next few weeks after being awarded a peerage by Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister.

"They are trying to brainwash the young. Fill them with hatred. Something needs to be done to stop them. They are supposedly banned, yet no one is prepared to tackle them, to breach their rights, their freedom of speech."

The Islamic Centre, the Masjid al-Ghurabaa, attended by Abdulwahab until 2007, also claims it has nothing to do with the radicals in Luton. It claims al-Muhajiroun is banned from the mosque and has been since 2000.

Teachings on the mosque's website are radical, many would say extreme. They include a defence of the flogging of a 19-year-old gang-rape victim in Saudi Arabia, and sermons by Abu Usamah at Thahabi, a cleric who has said: "Take that homosexual man and throw him off the mountain."

Yet the mosque condemns Abdulwahab's attack as "against God" and says it too is "sick" of the al-Muhajiroun activists, who it claims are "protected by the police". The mosque has been distributing its own Refuting Extremism pamphlets attacking the followers of radical clerics including Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada, both of whom are held in British jails on terrorism charges.

Farasat Latif, the mosque secretary, said: "These extremists cause us nothing but problems. People associate our mosque with them although we have nothing to do with them. Their activities led to a firebomb attack on our mosque which caused £40,000 of damage.

"We have had physical confrontations with them but the police warn us that we will be arrested if we take the law into our own hands."

Last night a spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said the force was doing all it could to combat extremism. She said it was working with the community "to safeguard individuals (and) build resilience ... against violent extremism and radicalisation". She added: "We continue to undertake work under the national Prevent agenda ... to address any type of extremism."

Police, she said, would "thoroughly investigate complaints received about a small group who give out leaflets in the Luton area and actively gather evidence".

This evidence, she added, was being passed to the Crown Prosecution Service but that "at this time there (had been) no breach of the law or any proscribed order".

She added: "The powers given to the police under the order are very limited. We will continue to constantly monitor the situation and would urge anyone who believes they have witnessed an offence to come forward."

Mr Alamgir refused to answer any questions and failed to return calls left on his mobile telephone.

Last night Anjem Choudary, a former solicitor who founded al-Muhajiroun with Bakri, denied that the group had anything to do with Abdulwahab. He said: "He was a lone wolf. He was nothing to do with my brothers in Luton. We knew nothing about him or his activities."

Regarding the accusations levelled against the group in Luton, he added: "It is not true that we are intimidating Muslims. But we do take action against those involved in elections. We don't think that elections have any part of being a Muslim. These people are self serving. They are involved with the Government and the local councils and we believe it is right to disrupt them."

He said he did not believe that his "brothers" had done anything wrong when they chanted and shouted at election candidates. "They are part of the government," he said. Asked why local mosque elders made similar allegations, he added: "These people are trying to win support from the Government or get money from the local authorities. We oppose this."

[buglerbilly]

Dozen arrested in British anti-terror swoop

December 20, 2010 - 7:59PM

Twelve men were arrested in Britain on Monday on suspicion of plotting a large-scale act of terrorism, police said following pre-dawn raids across the country.

The men, aged between 17 and 28, were detained "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK," said West Midlands Police, which serves the second city of Birmingham.

"This is a large-scale, pre-planned and intelligence-led operation involving several forces," said Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the officer in charge of counterterrorism policing.

Advertisement: Story continues below "The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offences. However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety."

Four of the men were from Cardiff, four from Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham, and three from London.

They were all arrested by unarmed officers at or near their home addresses at around 5:00 am (0500 GMT), apart from one suspect from Stoke who was detained at a house in Birmingham.

They are being held at police stations in central London, northwest England and the West Midlands.

Police said searches were under way at their homes, the Birmingham address and another residence in London.

Britain's current terror threat level is "severe", the second-highest on a five-level grading.

"This means that a terrorist attack is highly likely," the Home Office interior ministry says.

© 2010 AFP
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

[buglerbilly]

Six Feared Dead in National Guard Copter Crash

December 21, 2010

Associated Press

The suspicion here has to be that this is sabotage, especially considering the people on board and the warrants they were about to serve............

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter crashed in the ocean while en route to a drug raid. The body of one of the six people on board has been found and the remaining five are feared dead, officials said Tuesday.

The body was found nearly a mile off the coast in front of the Grand Melia resort late Tuesday morning, said Nino Correa, search and rescue director of the Emergency Management Agency. The victim has not yet been identified.

Crews are searching for the remaining passengers, and Police Chief Jose Figueroa Sancha told NotiUno radio station that officials found the fuselage of the UH-72 Lakota helicopter just north of the island.

It is unclear what caused the crash. The helicopter was headed for the neighboring island of Vieques when it disappeared late Monday just north of the coastal city of Rio Grande. One pilot had 10 years of experience and the other had at least six years, and neither reported any problems during the flight, said National Guard Gen. Antonio Vicens.

"The communication disappeared," he said.

Two of the passengers are prosecutors with the local justice department and the other four are officials with the National Guard, three of them crew members, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad.

They were identified as Col. Victor Torres Rodriguez, who was second in command of the Puerto Rico National Guard, pilots Hector Ramirez and Carlos Acevedo, and Sgt. Jose Omar Sostre.

The prosecutors, Francisco Mujica de Leon and Mario Torres Marin, worked for the division of organized crimes, said Justice Secretary Guillermo Somoza, adding that he has known both of them for more than seven years. Torres is president of the Association of Prosecutors.

"It is an extremely sad, difficult and painful day," Somoza said. "They were extremely dedicated prosecutors who went the extra mile."

The helicopter was flying at about 400 feet (123 meters) and was fairly new, having been bought in May 2009, Vicens said.

It apparently changed its route, but it is unclear why.

Two other helicopters on the same mission did not have any problems but reported heavy rain, said National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.

The officials were traveling to Vieques to help serve 43 arrest warrants after a seven-month investigation into drug dealers on an island popular with tourists. Several housewives were among the suspects, according to justice spokesman Fidel Rodriguez.

The group is suspected of earning more than $2 million a year, he said.

Among the officials involved in the raid were 36 members of the U.S. National Guard, which has been helping Puerto Rican police battle the island's rising crime.

The U.S. Caribbean territory of 4 million people has registered its third-worst year for homicides, with more than 920 people reported killed this year. A record 995 people were killed in 1994.

"These accidents remind us of the sacrifice that these public servants carry on their shoulders day to day," Gov. Luis Fortuno said in a statement.

He declared seven days of mourning and ordered all flags to fly at half-staff.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Border Competition

Posted by Paul McLeary at 12/21/2010 1:38 PM CST



We’ve been waiting since October for Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano to make a decision on the fate of SBInet, the Boeing-designed suite of cameras, ground sensors and radar systems that provide real-time, streaming intel to American border patrol officers standing watch over the U.S./Mexican border.

The program has cost $1.2 billion since 2006—with $800 million of that going to SBInet technologies, and the rest to road grading and fencing along the border—with only 53 mi. of the Arizona border having been covered by the gear. This led Napolitano to order a freeze on the program pending a top-to-bottom review in February, with orders for Customs and Border Protection to report back to her in October with their assessment of where the program stands, and where it can feasibly go in the near term.

While the October deadline was met, we still don’t know what the secretary’s decision is.

With many observers betting that the SBInet program won’t survive—despite the fact that agents in the field love the gear, as I reported in the November DTI—competitors are starting to enter the arena to fill the gaps in border security.

One contender is Raytheon’s Clear View, which a Raytheon representative says is essentially “a command and control system that manages situational awareness.” Designed as a modular system that can “plug and play” with a variety of other data systems, Clear View allows cameras and sensors to track moving objects automatically while storing the information for later use, allowing the operator to perform other tasks and analyze later, if needed.

“We’ve got a totally open system,” a company spokesperson told me at this year’s AUSA convention, “it’s written in Java and can interface with anything out there." The system provides the user with “a common track across multiple sensing technologies, or even sensor views,” while at the same time creating a “virtual world” populated by all of the objects it has picked up out in the field.

While Raytheon has acknowledged that it has spoken with the Border Patrol about the system, and that it has signed a deal with the U.S. military and that it is operating at two large airports in the U.S., it is keeping mum on the particulars of such deals.

And Raytheon isn't alone. As recently reported in the Arizona Daily Star, a small Tucson, Az. area company has been working on a fiber-optic technology originally developed to monitor oil and gas pipelines that it thinks can make the transition to the world of border security. The Star reports that a company called Zonge Engineering and Research Organization recently ran a test with University of Arizona researchers showing how a fiber-optic line buried 18 inches in the soil “allows a remote sensor to instantly report traffic across it, with a precision that can differentiate between a human or animal coyote and tell the difference between a horse rider and a motorized vehicle.”

A University of Arizona report found that the Helios Distributed Acoustic Sensor is able to track disturbances in a laser pulse traveling through it, and “deployment of 64 sections of the system, in 50-kilometer lines connected to one or two sensors, would cover the entire southern border."

Researchers are estimating that the fiber optic cable can be deployed “for 10 to 20 percent of the $2 million-per-mile cost of the border fence and for a fraction of the $1 billion allocated over five years to the experimental SBInet system of towers,” according to the Star.

Of course, we’ll have to wait to see what Secretary Napolitano wants to do with SBInet, but it is interesting to have heard Mark Borkowski, the CBP’s assistant commissioner for technology innovation and acquisition, say last month that “when I talk of open architecture, I don’t mean ACME prime integrator that I pay $5 million and will integrate it. I mean plug and play…When I talk to folks about this, the folks who really seem to impress us are the innovative small businesses … I will tell you that the large businesses don’t get it.”

Pic:US Border Patrol

[buglerbilly]

'Christmas bomb plotters were radicalised in jail'

Members of an alleged terrorist cell that was said to have been plotting Christmas suicide attacks in London were radicalised in jail, it has been claimed.


The alleged terrorist cell had been plotting Christmas suicide attacks in London Photo: EPA

By Duncan Gardham, Peter Hutchison, John Bingham and Richard Savill 7:30AM GMT 22 Dec 2010

A neighbour of three men arrested in Cardiff said that, after they were convicted of theft and drugs offences, they "went to prison as petty criminals and came out expressing extreme views".

Twelve men, mainly British nationals of Bangladeshi origin, were still being questioned by anti-terrorism officers last night following co-ordinated raids in the Welsh capital, London, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham on Monday.

Sources said the gang was planning a "spectacular" attack on banks, shops and "iconic" sites in London.

Lord Carlile, the Government's counter-terrorism watchdog, told MPs yesterday that there were allegations of a "significant" terrorist plot. Giving evidence to the Commons home affairs select committee, he said: "The gestation period for the arrests has been long. I was aware of an operation some time ago which led to these arrests. On one occasion I was able to observe, literally observe, some of it occurring. I believe that it is very possible that people may well be charged and prosecuted."

The alleged cell was said to have been linked to the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun and its offshoot Islam4UK, as well as Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical al-Qaeda preacher based in Yemen.

The neighbour of the three Cardiff men said he believed a "radical preacher" had "politicised" them in prison.

He claimed they had grown long beards while in jail and later handed out leaflets at the Jalalia mosque encouraging people not to vote in this year's general election, saying it was "unmuslim".

Muslim leaders said they had tipped off police about a group of extremists in the Welsh capital, where a total of five men, aged 23 to 28, were arrested.

They said they had stopped the group from holding meetings in mosques and informed police, but it was thought that MI5 was already aware of them. The group of about 15 to 20 young men was understood to have held a meeting at a community centre in Cardiff less than two weeks ago, addressed by Abu Izzadeen, a radical preacher recently released from jail.

Counter-terrorism officers were understood to have been aware of the event at the Cathays Community Centre attended by up to 30 people. The group has held events under the banner Islam4UK and Islamic Pathways among others.

Saleem Kidwai, the secretary general of the Muslim Council for Wales, said: "The Muslim community is aware that there is a small group of people who have links to extremists and they have been brought to the attention of police.

"This is no shock, the shock will be when the details are released of what they were planning to do.

"There was a group of 15 boys that the community was aware of, they were going to have a meeting and they were rejected by all the mosques."

In Stoke-on-Trent those arrested included men using the pseudonyms Abu Saif, 19, Abu Bosher, 26, and Abu Sumayyah, 25, who were arrested two years ago in connection with Islam4UK's plans to march through Wootton Bassett, the Wiltshire town where tributes are paid to British troops killed in Afghanistan.

[buglerbilly]

New Underground System Monitors US-Mexican Border.

Analysis by David Teeghman

Tue Dec 21, 2010 07:25 PM ET



IF successful, this system could have some Military possibilities............

A new invisible border-monitoring system could radically alter how the United States secures the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. Known as Helios, the new border-monitoring system uses laser pulses transmitted through fiber-optic cables in the ground to detect movement on the surface: specifically, illegal immigrants.

A Tucson, Ariz.-based company called Zonge recently installed a Helios test system in the desert outside Tucson.

The small vibrations caused by a moving object on the surface above hit the fiber-optic cables buried in the ground, slightly distorting them. The distortion creates a "unique signature change in the laser pulses," according to The Engineer. That distortion can be detected by a Helios detector at at least one of the cable's ends.

The Arizona desert is home to many animals like coyotes and wolves that criss-cross the border every day. That's not what researchers and government agencies like the Border Patrol are worried about. They're mostly concerned with people sneaking into the United States illegally.

Helios is sensitive enough to detect small animals like dogs, and it can also discriminate between animals of different sizes on the surface. A horse will cause larger vibrations than, say, a human. The Helios system can also detect when people are running, walking, or digging, and in what direction.

Scott Urquhart is the president and senior geophysicist Zonge, the company behind Helios, and i senior geophysicist. "When very small vibrations hit the fiber-optic cables, the cables are slightly distorted," he says in a press release. "This distortion creates a unique signature change in the laser pulses, which can be detected by the Helios unit."

Each individual Helios detector can track about 30 miles of cable, which means the 1,950-mile long U.S.-Mexico border would need more than 60 of these devices to monitor its entire length.

The system can track a moving object on the surface to within three feet along a section of cable. The University of Arizona's College of Engineering are conducting experiments on the Helios system, to determine how wide an area the cables can monitor activity, among other things. Depending on how successful the system proves to be in detecting humans moving across the border illegally, Helios detectors may soon monitor the entire U.S.-Mexican border.

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

[buglerbilly]

Melbourne terror trial: three guilty over army attack plot

Ian Munro

December 23, 2010 - 10:16AM


The main gates to Holsworthy Barracks.

Three Melbourne men charged with planning a terrorism attack on the Holsworthy army base in Sydney have been found guilty.

Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, 34, of Melbourne, Saney Edow Aweys, 27, of Carlton and Nayef El Sayed, 26, of Glenroy were today found guilty at the Supreme Court.

Two of their co-accused, Yacqub Khayre, 23, of Meadow Heights, and Abdirahman Ahmed, 26, of Preston, were found not guilty.

Prosecutors alleged the men sought from figures in Somalia a fatwa, or religious ruling, on the permissibility of staging an attack in Australia. The court was told that they were angered by Australia's military involvement in Afghanistan and the Middle East, and over the jailing of a group of Muslim men on similar charges.

The men remained impassive and expressionless as the verdicts were read out. Afterwards, the three guilty men embraced the two acquitted, slapping them on their backs.

Fattal expressed his thanks, calling out to the 13 jurors.

"I respect you," he said. "Islam is a true religion, thank you very much."

[buglerbilly]

Three guilty over jihadist gun plot on Sydney army base

William West

December 23, 2010 - 5:44PM

Three men were found guilty Thursday of plotting to attack a Sydney army base with high-powered weapons and kill as many people as possible to further their vision of Islam.

The Supreme Court in Melbourne heard that the men, who have been linked with Islamic extremists in Somalia, planned to continue their rampage at Sydney's Holsworthy army barracks until they were killed or captured.

Melbourne men Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, 34, Nayef El Sayed, 26 -- both of Lebanese descent -- and Somali Saney Edow Aweys, 27 were found guilty of conspiring to prepare for or plan a terrorist act between February 1 and August 4, 2009.

"Islam is truth religion. Thank you very much," Fattal told the jury.

No date was set for sentencing, but the three were ordered back to court on January 24 for an administrative hearing.

Meanwhile Somalis Abdirahman Mohamud Ahmed, 26, and Yacqub Khayre, 23, were found not guilty after the three-month trial. They hugged their co-defendants before leaving the dock.

"I think justice has been served," Ahmed said, adding that the three convictions were "unfortunate but this is God's will.

"I just want to tell them to be patient. They'll get out one day," he said.

Crown prosecutor Nick Robinson earlier said the plot was hatched between February and August 4 last year, when the five were arrested in a swoop involving hundreds of police in Melbourne.

He said one of the accused visited Somalia to seek a fatwa, or religious decree, for the attack, adding they had condemned Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan and believed the country was oppressing Muslims.

Robinson said the men believed Islam was under attack from several countries, including Australia, and wanted to advance their religion.

"If I find way to kill the army, I swear to Allah the great I'm going to do it," Fattal told undercover police, according to a transcript read to the court.

Justice Betty King had told the jury that the trial was not about Islam, but whether the accused had committed any offences.

The arrests highlighted security standards at army bases, and police said the alleged attack would have been the worst in Australian history.

It also prompted Canberra to list Somalia's Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab group as a terrorist organisation, although the outfit has denied any link to the plot.

Australia was a staunch supporter of ex-US leader George W. Bush's "war on terror" and sent troops to Iraq as well as Afghanistan, where about 1,550 personnel are currently based in the country's south.

Some 92 Australians were killed in the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, while three died in blasts at luxury hotels in July 2009 in Jakarta, where extremists also carried out a deadly car-bombing on Australia's embassy in 2004.

In February, five Muslims who plotted a guns-and-explosives attack on an unknown target in protest against Australia's part in the "war on terror" were jailed for up to 28 years, after the country's longest extremism trial.

And in September last year, an Australian convert to Islam was jailed for five years after admitting being part of a terror cell that plotted to kill thousands of people by bombing sports events.

Former forklift truck-driver Shane Kent was part of a group that planned to attack events including the Australian Football League's 2005 Grand Final, which attracted 92,000 fans.

Eight other men were earlier jailed for up to 15 years over the plot, including a radical Muslim cleric.

Also last September, an ex-airline worker was jailed for nine years for producing a do-it-yourself jihad manual including how-to guides on bomb-making, assassinations and shooting down planes.

© 2010 AFP
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

[buglerbilly]

Rome Embassies Hit by Package Bombs

December 23, 2010

Associated Press



ROME - Package bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, wounding the two people who opened them, in attacks that bore similarities to bombings by anarchists in Greece last month.

One of the wounded is at risk of losing an eye, a hospital official said. No group claimed responsibility, but Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said anarchists were thought to be behind the blasts in Rome as well.

"Various elements lead us to believe that this is the correct path," he was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. "These are very violent groups that are also present in Spain and Greece and are very well connected."

On Nov. 2, suspected Greek radical anarchists sent 14 mail bombs to foreign embassies in Athens, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Two of the devices exploded, causing no injuries.

A group called Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire claimed responsibility for the Greek blasts. It called on militants in Greece and other countries to step up their action, and Greek police noted Thursday that in the past, acts of "solidarity" have been carried out between Greek and Italian militant groups.

At the time of the Greek attacks, details on how the devices were made were passed to the Italian and other EU police forces and Europol, a police official told The Associated Press in Athens.

While there may be an emotional link between Greek and Italian militant groups, Greece says it is unlikely that militants from the country were showing the Italians what to do.

All embassies in Rome were informed of the blasts and Italian diplomats abroad were urged to take precautions.

The first bomb exploded inside the Swiss Embassy at around noon (1100 GMT, 6 a.m. EST). The man who opened it was hospitalized with serious hand injuries, but his life was not in danger, Swiss ambassador Bernardino Regazzoni said.

He recalled that the Swiss Embassy in Athens had been a target of the November letter bomb campaign and that a device had been found outside the grounds of the Rome Embassy in early October.

At the time, he noted, some had speculated that an anarchist-ecological group might have been responsible.

About three hours after the Swiss Embassy blast, a small parcel bomb exploded inside the mailroom of the Chilean Embassy, slightly wounding an administrative official Cesar Mella, Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno said in Santiago. The official went on his own to the hospital for treatment.

Both victims had wounds to their hands and were in stable condition, but Mella risks losing his right eye because of lesions on his cornea from the blast, said Massimiliano Talucci, a spokesman at Rome's Umberto I hospital.

Chilean Ambassador Oscar Godoy said the parcel - smaller than a package but bigger than a letter - had been addressed to the Chilean cultural attache. He called it "an unexplainable act of terrorism, irrational and brutal."

Rome police chief Francesco Tagliente said a suspicious package that drew police to the Ukrainian Embassy was a false alarm.

The Swiss Embassy increased security after consulting with Italian authorities and that security at all foreign missions would be reviewed, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said. Possible extra measures, she added, could include additional protective walls or fences, surveillance cameras and evacuation plans.

There have been growing concerns in Europe about holiday season attacks following a suicide bombing in Sweden and security services' fears of an assault on a European city modeled on the deadly shooting spree in Mumbai, India.

On Tuesday, there was a bomb scare in Rome's subway system after authorities discovered a suspicious package with wires and powder under a seat. The device ended up being a fake, with police determining there was no trigger mechanism and its the powder was inert, cement-like material.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

How To: Run Snitches Inside Terrorist Groups

By Spencer Ackerman December 24, 2010 | 7:00 am



Need to penetrate the closed circle of a terrorist cell? Then it’s time to recruit like terrorists do: pick out the outcasts and prey on their numerous, numerous anxieties.

In 2005, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service put together a tip sheet for the FBI on how to run sources inside extremist organizations — even though it didn’t appear to have a lot of experience actually recruiting terrorist sources. An ideal source, it noted, was the same for counterterrorists as for terrorists: someone disciplined, capable of keeping secrets, and highly motivated. Based on its interviews with Guantanamo detainees, NCIS found additional patterns within terrorist organizations: often, they’re people with low self-esteem who turn to religious extremism after experiencing a crisis. That makes them ripe for savvy agents to exploit.

The best snitches, NCIS argued, have some kind of anxiety about their identities. Western converts to Islam fit the bill, as do Muslims living in or educated in western countries. That’s true not just because “there have been a number of successful operations using converts of Western ethnicity” — demonstrating their value to terror groups — but because they’ll feel like they’ve got the most to prove.

But that also means they’ll feel apprehensive about putting their fellow extremists in the crosshairs of law enforcement. Not to worry, NCIS instructs: “That ambivalence is often best managed by developing a strong relationship with the source by activating his core motivation to ’stop the killing’ and bring peace to the world, including the Muslim world.” More irony: terrorist groups like al-Qaeda recruit their own adherents by stressing the dignity and peace that the Muslim world will enjoy after they kill enough westerners to lay the Americans low.

Once recruited, a snitch can be expected to repeatedly freak out. “For the source to be successful, he will be making commitments to the target group as he becomes a more trusted brother. The source will feel the pull of the fundamental human need to be valued and validated.” A good agent has to talk his source through the guilt of betrayal: let him know “that there is an open line of communication with the Special Agent to discuss this issue.” It doesn’t make any sense to pretend that the source isn’t snitching.

It may seem obvious, but well adjusted people don’t join terrorist groups. It’s the “anxious,” those with a “need for belonging/affiliation,” those with a “relatively low… level of assertiveness,” with low-self esteem who see themselves as “disorganized and undisciplined… incapable, lackadaisical, and unreliable.” They join terror groups to belong, and suspect they’re not doing the right thing — thereby opening up the door to betraying the organization.

Except that there’s a big absence in the NCIS guidelines: they don’t cite examples of successful terror-cell penetrations. The field guidelines are drawn from NCIS’ interrogations at Guantanamo Bay. Detainees could be more or less compliant than free members of terror cells — they could either be hardened terrorists or people desperate to get their freedom back, or both — but they’re not the same thing. The document has an appendix filled with case studies. But they’re all case studies of al-Qaeda’s successful recruitment.

Then there’s the pop sociology. The document doesn’t take the most nuanced view of Islamic cultures. “Embedded within the Arabic culture is a normative acceptance of conspiracy theories.” Um, OK. “Persons from Middle Eastern and Arabic cultures often prioritize their social image and the harmony of relationships over directness or sincerity.” Whoever wrote that must never have attended a Christmastime family gathering. The purpose of all of this is to orient the Special Agent in a cultural context, since “without knowing the history embedded in the adversary and source’s mindset, it becomes more difficult to interpret and manage his behavior, motivation, and intentions during the operation.” Uh-oh.

The FBI and the rest of the counterterrorism community haven’t had much trouble finding would-be terrorists inside the United States. It rolled up Najibullah Zazi before Zazi could attack the New York City subway. “Jihad Jane” boasted on the internet about wanting to kill a Swedish cartoonist who drew the Prophet Muhammed as a dog, making her an easy target. And just last month, it arrested Mohamed Osman Mohamud before he could bomb an Oregon Christmas tree lighting. The FBI’s recently faced accusations of entrapping would-be terrorists by encouraging them to go through on their bomb-filled fantasies — which, at the very least, is another way of recognizing that it’s gotten rather good at finding Americans on the verge of extremism.

Photo: U.S. Army

[buglerbilly]

'High alert' in India: Police search for four terrorism suspects in Mumbai


Indian police officers check a bag of a man outside the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, India, Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. Police searched India's financial capital on Friday for four men who authorities believe entered Mumbai to carry out a terrorist attack, a top police official said. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade). (Rajanish Kakade - AP)

By Rama Lakshmi
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, December 24, 2010; 4:04 PM

NEW DELHI - A day after issuing a terror alert for the holiday week, police in India's commercial capital of Mumbai launched a manhunt Friday for four terrorist suspects thought to have sneaked into the city.

"The police [are] on high alert all over the city. We cannot take any of these intelligence inputs lightly in the holiday season," said Nisar Tamboli, deputy commissioner of police in the Mumbai crime department. "Since yesterday, we are checking all the possible hideouts, small lodges and guesthouses, railway stations. We are checking all the vehicles that are coming into the city."

Mumbai was the site of a deadly three-day siege in November 2008 when gunmen attacked two five-star hotels, a train station, a cafe and a Jewish prayer center, killing more than 160 people.

At a news conference Thursday, Mumbai police said four suspects had sneaked into the city four days earlier to carry out terrorist attacks. Authorities released a hazy sketch of a bearded man called Walid Jinnah.

Holding up his image, senior police officer Himanshu Roy said the four men were members of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba and were between 20 and 30 years old. He appealed to people to call police if they see any suspicious activity.

Roy did not share information about the nationality of the suspects or the route they might have taken to enter Mumbai. India's Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued an alert, saying the western cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad are particularly vulnerable.

On Friday, police deployed in force at several crowded spots, government buildings and hotels in Mumbai.

"We are going to be on alert until the holiday week is over," Tamboli said. "If we are satisfied, we may withdraw the alert after the New Year celebrations."

This is the second time a terrorism alert has been issued in three months in Mumbai. In September, police released two pictures of suspects days before a popular Hindu festival during which tens of thousands of people dance and sing in the streets.

Relations with neighboring Pakistan have been strained since the 2008 attacks on Mumbai. India accused Pakistan's Lashkar-i-Taiba of engineering the assault. Indian police arrested the lone surviving gunman, who is now on trial in Mumbai. Earlier this year, a lower court sentenced the gunman to death, and he has appealed.

The Indian government wrote to Pakistani authorities Thursday seeking permission to question seven suspects in the case who have been jailed in Pakistan.

Two bombings have been carried out in India this year - one in the western city of Pune in February that killed 17 people and another this month in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi that killed a child. The attacks were attributed to homegrown militants. Neither case has been resolved.

[buglerbilly]

Holsworthy pair 'still of interest'

Natalie O'Brien

December 26, 2010

TERRORISM experts believe two men acquitted of planning an attack on the Holsworthy Army Barracks in Sydney are likely to be kept under covert surveillance.

Abdirahman Ahmed and Yacqub Khayre were found not guilty on Thursday of conspiring to plan a terrorist attack, while their co-accused Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, Saney Edow Aweys and Nayef El Sayed were convicted.

Melbourne's Supreme Court was told the accused men's target was the military and their plan was to enter the barracks armed with military weapons and kill as many soldiers as possible before they themselves were killed. But despite Mr Ahmed and Mr Khayre, both of Melbourne, being cleared of involvement in the plot, which included unsuccessful attempts to get a fatwa permitting an attack on the Australian military, the pair are likely to be closely watched.

Advertisement: Story continues below Terrorism expert Clive Williams, from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, said they would still be people of interest and that would attract a certain level of attention from authorities.

''I know the police are unhappy with the outcome,'' Professor Williams said.

Carl Ungerer, National Security Program director at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said authorities were likely to keep the men under surveillance.

''The difficulty is what to do with them,'' Dr Ungerer said. ''If the police felt they had evidence to prosecute they would still be persons of interest.

''That is a difficult thing in a democracy - it is a real ethical and moral question.''

[buglerbilly]

British police charge nine men over bomb plot

December 27, 2010 - 5:54PM

Nine men will appear in a London court Monday on terrorism charges including plotting one or more bomb attacks in Britain, a week after police arrested them in pre-dawn raids across England and Wales.

The men have been charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion -- or explosions -- "of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property" between October 1 and November 20 this year, said police.

The men were also charged with involvement in the preparation of an attack by having downloaded and researched methods and materials, and scouted potential targets, said the police statement.

The suspects had also tested incendiary materials, said police.

Sue Hemming, of the counter-terrorism division of Britain's prosecution service, confirmed the charges in a statement.

She said sufficient evidence had been uncovered leading to charges of "conspiracy to cause explosions" and preparing "acts of terrorism" with the intention of either committing the acts themselves or helping others to do so, she said.

Lawyers from her division had been working closely with the police from an early stage, she added.

On December 20, police arrested a dozen suspects in England and Wales, aged between 17 and 28, detaining them "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK."

The arrests were made in the Welsh capital Cardiff; in the central English town of Stoke-on-Trent; in Britain's second city Birmingham in the English West Midlands; and in London.

Hemming said prosecutors had decided to file the charges after having reviewed evidence provided by the West Midlands counter terrorism unit.

A bombing in Stockholm earlier this month has heightened concerns in Britain because the man thought to have been the bomber was based near London.

The man blew up himself and his car in a busy district of the Swedish capital.

Swedish investigators say they are "98 percent certain" he was Taimour Abdulwahab, who had been living for the past few years in Luton, near London, with his wife and three children.

Britain is on high alert after having upgraded its perceived terror threat level earlier this year to "severe."

This is the second highest on a five-level grading, indicating that a terrorist attack is "highly likely," according to the Home Office, Britain's interior ministry.

The threat level was hiked in January after a six-month spell at "substantial" -- the only time it has dipped below the two highest levels since it was set up in 2006, following the London bombings in July 2005.

Those attacks on three Underground trains and a bus killed 52 people, plus the four suicide bombers, who were all British nationals.

© 2010 AFP
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

[buglerbilly]

Cargo that flies over the United States doesn't get screened to federal standards

By Ashley Halsey III
Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, December 27, 2010; 12:00 AM

Those planes that look like specks in the stratosphere are flying so high because they are merely passing by the United States - flying bananas to Germany, Canadians to Mexico and Europeans to Jamaica. But should that exempt such flights from the full security screening they would get if their destination were in this country?

As the Obama administration works to harden domestic defenses against terrorism, some experts point to a potential vulnerability from thousands of flights that pass over the United States each week.

Although the United States regulates overflights, the cargo aboard them is not screened to federal standards and passenger lists are not matched to names on the terrorist watch list maintained by the Transportation Security Administration.

The TSA says other countries "have their own cargo security protocols that apply to those aircraft." The TSA has not implemented the new Secure Flight program to scrutinize passengers boarding overflights. That behind-the-scenes operation is designed to ferret out potential terrorists through a process that begins with airlines collecting detailed information when someone buys a ticket.

Security experts are divided about the severity of the risk.

Scanning all the cargo that flies over the country "is totally unrealistic," said Yossi Sheffi, director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "We have tens of millions of packages flying almost every night. We can't stop the huge flow of packages from all over the world. There has to be a balance between acceptable risk and the economy."

But Richard Bloom, a longtime U.S. intelligence operative who teaches counterterroism courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, said a terrorist could "explode a plane with a dirty bomb or a biological weapon or an actual nuclear weapon on board, and that material will spread wherever it crashes."

TSA spokesman Greg Soule said in a statement that the agency "continues to work with our international and industry partners to ensure the successful implementation of vetting overflights. Secure Flight is a phased-in program, and addressing routes that overfly the United States is the next phase in its implementation."

Some of the costs of implementing those programs would fall on other nations and their air carriers.

The TSA has authority to divert planes from U.S. airspace if it detects a security risk, and there have been occasions when planes have been turned away. The agency, however, declined to comment for security reasons.

The issue of cargo aboard international flights came to the fore in October when bombs packaged in printer cartridges were found aboard U.S.-bound cargo planes near London and in Dubai. According to U.S. and British officials, the packages sent from Yemen were addressed to Chicago-area synagogues and designed to detonate in flight.

The federal government estimates that 55 to 65 percent of cargo bound for the United States aboard passenger planes is screened. Many experts say that scanning the rest of it, and the vast volume flown in cargo planes, would be economically infeasible.

The former security chief at Tel Aviv's airport pointed out that the printer cartridge bombs evaded X-ray detection even after authorities knew they were in the packages.

"Congress would make a mistake by passing a requirement for 100 percent screening of cargo," said Rafi Ron, now a security consultant based in McLean. "What's the use of legislating 100 percent screening even if the bomb which triggered this legislation would not have been detected by it?"

The overflight planes cross the United States at an altitude so high they often appear no bigger than the dot in the exclamation point of a long vapor trail. Airlines pay the Federal Aviation Administration $33.72 per hundred nautical miles flown over or within 100 miles of the United States, and the flights are subject to the same stringent regulations established for all other planes since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The planes are required to have hardened cockpit doors to deter hijackers, crew movement is restricted and pilots must maintain contact with U.S. air traffic control centers. Even though they don't intend to land here, pilots must file flight plans and air traffic control centers monitor the course and altitude of the planes.

Should a plane stray off course or otherwise arouse suspicion, air traffic controllers are linked to the FAA emergency network that would spread an alarm, ultimately scrambling fighter jets to intercept the flight if necessary.

Most passenger plane overflights originate in or are bound for Canada, but the route over the North Pole is the most direct between northern Europe and the Americas. The FAA said about 92 percent of overflights by cargo planes were headed to or from Germany.

"There is an unfounded fear out there that other countries don't have security standards on a par with the United States," said Steven Lott, communications director for the International Air Transport Association, the trade group for 230 airlines that account for more than 90 percent of international passenger flights. "It's a myth to say these overflights are the Wild West."

The FAA recorded 307,000 overflights in 2009, a number that is both accurate and misleading in the context of the terrorist risk. It's based on billing records of all flights handled by U.S. air traffic controllers.

Many of those were trans-Pacific flights handled by U.S. controllers based in Guam. The flights never came within striking distance of the continental United States. Similarly, controllers in Puerto Rico direct flights bound for Central and South America, and U.S. controllers handle polar flights that skirt Alaska, bound from the Middle East and Asia.

Although the FAA could not break down the numbers to say how many planes fly over the continental United States, Lott estimates that it is between 2,000 and 3,000 each week.

"You could probably count on one hand the number of planes that are coming [over the U.S.] in any given month from countries that are considered [terrorist] hot spots," Lott said. "Overflights, to us, remain a pretty small risk. If you and I can go on the Internet and track a plane as it crosses the United States, you can be sure that the government can, too."

[buglerbilly]

Christmas bomb plot: nine men remanded over plan to 'blow up Big Ben and Westminster Abbey'

Nine alleged terrorists plotted a Christmas bombing campaign targeting sites that included the London Stock Exchange and Big Ben, a court heard.

By Caroline Gammell 9:19PM GMT 27 Dec 2010

They are alleged to have carried out reconnaissance missions before deciding on their possible targets.

Police were said to have found a list of six sites, including the full postal address of the Stock Exchange, Boris Johnson’s London mayoral office and the US embassy.

Defendants were seen studying the tower of Big Ben, before inspecting Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and the Church of Scientology.

Al-Qaeda inspired books and leaflets, including instructions on making a pipe bomb, were also uncovered during the counter-terrorism operation.

Details of the alleged plot were outlined at City of Westminster magistrates’ court.

The defendants, aged 19 to 28, were charged on Sunday with conspiracy to cause an explosion and conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism, having been arrested during early-morning raids in Cardiff, London and Stoke-on-Trent on Dec 20.

Piers Arnold, prosecuting, said the list of landmarks was found during police searches. “A handwritten note was found next to a computer with six contact details handwritten. They included the name, full address and post codes,” he said.

Among the details were the addresses of the Dean of St Paul’s Chapter House and of two rabbis at separate synagogues.

A reconnaissance trip is alleged to have been made from Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall to Westminster Bridge where Big Ben was studied intently.

A mobile phone had appeared to be raised and pointed towards the clock tower, the court heard.

Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye were also closely examined before the Church of Scientology near Blackfriars was allegedly observed intently for some minutes.

The journey ended with a meal in a McDonald’s fast food restaurant, the court heard.

Police searches are said to have uncovered two issues of the al Qaeda extremist magazine Inspire, which is published in English in Yemen and is aimed at a Western audience. An article in issue one was entitled “How to make a pipe bomb in the kitchen of your mom”, while issue two included “What to expect in jihad” and “Tips for our brothers in the US”.

Other allegedly extremist material found was entitled 39 Ways which said it was intended to help people “serve and participate in jihad”.

Anwar Al-Awlaki, the extremist Yemeni preacher whose teachings support and encourage violent jihad against the West, is alleged to be the inspiration for the plot, the court heard. Between Oct 1 and Dec 20, the men are alleged to have downloaded information from the internet, discussed acts

of terrorism and tested explosives while “unlawfully and maliciously” conspiring to “endanger life or cause serious injury” with one or more explosions.

The first defendants to appear before Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle were Mohammed Chowdhury, 20, and Shah Rahman, 28, from east London.

Mr Chowdhury, wearing a white hooded top with shoulder-length hair and a goatee beard, was the first to confirm his date of birth and home address.

Neither he nor Mr Rahman, dressed in a pale blue T-shirt, black jacket and long beard, showed any emotion as the case against them was explained.

Their behaviour was in sharp contrast to that of Omar Latif and Abdul Miah, who appeared in the dock alongside Gurukanth Desai. Mr Latif, 26, and Mr Miah, 24 whispered and laughed while in the dock, with Mr Latif winking and giving a thumbs up as he was led from the court.

All three, from Cardiff, were in matching dark blue fleeces.

The court heard that Mr Miah, whose wife is expecting a baby in April, and Mr Desai, a 28-year-old father of three, were brothers.

The last four men to appear in court, including the youngest of the group, were from Stoke-on-Trent. Usman Khan, 19, Nazam Hussain, 25, Mohibur Rahman, 26, and Abul Shahjahan, 26, were brought into the dock in pairs, and listened impassively to the court proceedings.

All nine men, who are of Bangladeshi origin, were remanded in custody and are due to appear at the Old Bailey on Jan 14.

The counter-terrorism operation was led by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and supported by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police. Three other men – two from Cardiff and one from London – were released without charge.

Sue Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, said last night: “I have reviewed the evidence provided to me by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and I am satisfied it is sufficient for a realistic prospect of conviction, and it is in the public interest that these men should be charged with these offences.”

[buglerbilly]

DECEMBER 29, 2010.

Alleged Terror Plot Foiled in Denmark .

By NICLAS ROLANDER And PAUL SONNE

STOCKHOLM—Authorities in Denmark and Sweden arrested five men suspected of preparing a "Mumbai-style" terrorist attack on the Copenhagen offices of Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper known for publishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Wednesday's arrests, which saw four men apprehended in Denmark and a fifth taken into custody in Sweden, are the latest in a string of antiterrorism operations in Europe, which have come amid heightened concern about possible attacks on the Continent, particularly during the holiday season.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service, known as PET, said that the suspects were planning to storm the Copenhagen building that houses the Jyllands-Posten newspaper and kill as many people as possible.


AFP/Getty Images
The building that houses the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Copenhagen.

"Our assessment is that their plan was to try to get access to the Jyllands-Posten building and carry out a Mumbai-style attack," Jakob Scharf, PET's general director said at a news conference, referring to the large-scale terrorist attacks in the Indian city in November 2008.

PET's Mr. Scharf said the security service regards the suspects as "militant Islamists with links to international terror networks."

Danish authorities, who called the attack "imminent," seized a machine gun, live ammunition and plastic strips that can be used as handcuffs.

In a statement, Denmark's Minister of Justice Lars Barfoed said the plot constituted "probably the most serious terror attempt in Denmark so far," while Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the event "underlines that there is a serious terror threat against Denmark."

Jyllands-Posten, a daily broadsheet, set off an uproar in 2005 when it published a series of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, whose visual portrayal is forbidden under Islamic tradition.

Jyllands-Posten, along with other Danish newspapers, reprinted the cartoons in 2008 as a freedom-of-speech protest.

The drawings—including one by cartoonist Kurt Westergaard that featured Muhammad with a turban in the shape of a bomb—provoked outrage and protests across the Muslim world.

After their publication, a plot to murder Mr. Westergaard emerged, and a suicide bombing rocked the Danish Embassy in Islamabad.

Magnus Ranstorp, an expert on terrorist threats at the Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm, said the arrests on Wednesday marked the fourth Jyllands-Posten-related plot uncovered in the past year.

The operation foiled on Wednesday was "without question the most serious," he said, noting that the newspaper's Copenhagen office building had less security than the paper's main office in Viby, a town more than 100 miles west of Denmark's capital.

The arrests come days after British authorities charged nine men with terror-related crimes in a plot that allegedly targeted the London Stock Exchange, the U.S. Embassy in the U.K. and other high-profile British locations. Those charges were the result of a larger counterterrorism operation carried out by U.K. police last week.

Attention on the terrorist threat in Europe is growing. In October, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Americans going to Europe, warning of possible attacks on Europe's public-transport systems and tourist attractions, but the alert stopped short of warning U.S. citizens against traveling to the Continent.

Meanwhile, fears are growing of possible attacks in Europe beyond major hubs such as London and Paris, which are typically seen as targets.

Earlier this month, an Iraqi-born Swede blew himself up in central Stockholm, injuring two bystanders, in the country's first major terrorist act in years.

In November, police arrested 11 suspects in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, who authorities say were part of a terrorist cell plotting an attack on Belgian soil.

Of the five men arrested in Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday, three were Swedish nationals, one was a Tunisian citizen, and one was an Iraqi asylum applicant residing in Denmark.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service said the arrests came after an extensive investigation undertaken with the Swedish Security Service, Sapo.

Authorities became aware of the terror plans "a couple of months ago," Sapo's general director, Anders Danielsson, said at a news conference.

"We became aware that persons in Sweden, previously known by the security service, were planning attacks in Denmark, and we have worked on the assumption that they would leave Stockholm to go to Copenhagen."

Three of the suspects left Stockholm on Tuesday, trailed by Sapo agents. Sapo said the arrests could have been made earlier but they chose to wait as long as possible to be able to build a solid court case against the men.

Once they crossed the border to Denmark, PET took over responsibility, and Mr. Scharf said the agency was in control of the situation.

"We stepped in at a time when we had established that there were weapons in the car in which they came to Denmark, and when they were about to leave the apartment. We intervened to prevent them from getting in the car with the weapons, to either reconnoiter or to execute a terror attack."

The arrests rattled nerves at Jyllands-Posten, one of Denmark's best-selling newspapers. "It is shocking for our employees and their families to once again see their place of work threatened," said Lars Munch, chief executive of Jyllands-Posten. He said the paper was already on heightened alert and remained in contact with Danish police.

—Sven Grundberg and Charles Duxbury contributed to this article.

[buglerbilly]

British terrorists 'offered safe house by al-Qaeda-linked French gangsters'

British terrorists were offered a safe house by French gangsters involved in financing al-Qaeda, a court has heard.


Ouassini Cherifi (L) runs a restaurant in Clichy-sous-Bois, a Paris suburb, where terrorists from all over Europe, including Britain, were said to meet regularly Photo: AFP/GETTY

Peter Allen and Duncan Gardham 5:00PM GMT 03 Jan 2011

The alleged links between Islamic radicals on both sides of the Channel came to light at the trial of eight men at the Paris Assizes.

All are accused of carrying out post office raids and other robberies in order to raise funds to carry out terrorist atrocities across Europe.

All face up to 20 years in prison after being charged with associating with a known terrorist organisation, namely Al-Qaeda, and with financing terrorism.

Among them is Farid Boukemiche, a 34-year-old French Algerian who spent three years in a British prison on terrorist charges before trying to claim political asylum.

When this failed he moved back to France where he opened a cafe in Roubaix, near Lille in 2003.

The cafe “housed many brothers, particularly British ones,” according to prosecution documents.

Police discovered an arsenal of weapons at a property in Clichy-sous-Bois, a Paris suburb, during an operation in 2005 to arrest the eight suspects.

The haul included TNT explosives, Kalashnikov assault rifles, revolvers, and body armour along with large amounts of cash, including £7,000 worth of used notes in the possession of one of the suspect’s wives.

Boukemiche and two others were first arrested in Britain in May 1997, accused of providing support to the GIA, an Islamist terrorist group based in Algeria and linked to al-Qaeda.

The men’s lawyers demanded the disclosure of thousands of government documents, delaying the trial by nearly three years.

The case was eventually dropped, after running up cost estimated at £3 million, in order to protect the life of an undercover intelligence source in Algeria.

Boukemiche, who had arrived in Britain illegally, admitted having false financial documents, passports and identity cards and was given a 12 month sentence in June 2000.

But he was cleared of possessing articles for terrorist purposes and freed straight after the sentencing because he had spent three years on remand.

By then Boukemiche had learned perfect English and made extensive contacts in prison.

A prosecution source said: “He built up numerous contacts among al-Qaeda networks in Britain and offered then a safe house close to his cafe in France.”

Also on trial in Paris is Ouassini Cherifi, a 36-year-old French-Algerian who in 2002 was sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking fake passports linked to terrorist activity.

Since his release he has spent a “great deal of time in Britain recruiting Jihad fighters to travel to Iraq and Afghanistan,” according to the same prosecution source.

Cherifi runs a restaurant in Clichy-sous-Bois, a Paris suburb, where terrorists from all over Europe, including Britain, were said to meet regularly.

Also among those being tried are Feridhi Mourad, a 39-year-old Tunisian already convicted three times for offences including armed robbery.

Terrorist judges Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard fear many of the suspects met up while serving time in prison.

All of the men were arrested during synchronised police raids on December 12 following surveillance operations ordered by the judges.

The eight men admit being involved in a number of robberies in the Paris area, but deny using the proceeds to finance terrorism.

The Paris trial continues until January 28th.

[buglerbilly]

Bummer, Butt-Bombers: Pentagon Wants Explosive Detectors

By Spencer Ackerman January 10, 2011 | 4:06 pm | Categories: Weapons and Ammo



Ready to wait longer to get into the Pentagon? Already, regular visitors have to pass through metal detectors if they want inside. But the bombs favored by terrorist groups these days don’t use much metal. So officials responsible for protecting the building are looking at the explosives detection methods that airports have to stop the next underwear bomber. You might want to build some extra time into your trip.

No, we’re not talking about naked scanners just yet. This afternoon, the Pentagon called on businesses to provide it with “the Itemiser DX Explosives Trace Detector or Brand Name Equivalent.” That’s a device that performs an electronic sniff of the swabs that Transportation Security Agency officials run through your luggage.

More specifically, the Pentagon wants to include “ion-trap mobility spectrometry” in its external-security repertoire, capable of picking up 11 types of “plastic, commercial and military explosives” down to a trillionth of a gram. Successful trace detectors will perform their scans in under 10 seconds, and will be able to process 150 samples — that is, people — per hour.

The recent threats at the Pentagon have had more to do with seemingly random gunshots. But it takes is one al-Qaeda plot to pack PETN-laden bombs into printer cartridges to get security officials thinking about where the next threat comes from. The solicitation specifies that the detectors have to read 150 samples — that is, people — in an hour, which at least indicates that the Pentagon security doesn’t want to move at the snail’s pace that nearby National Airport does.

Photo: Department of Homeland Security

[buglerbilly]

Crowd Behaviour Analysis to Understand the Milling Monster

(Source: Defence Science and Technology Organisation; issued Jan. 11, 2011)

DSTO is developing crowd behaviour modelling that improves on the complexity of situations simulated, and also provides a capability for making predictions of crowd motions, thus allowing for more effective intervention measures overall.

The work began as ‘blue sky’ research initiated in DSTO by Dr Darryn Reid. His interest in crowd behaviour was inspired by observations of actual events, such as pilgrimage processions and football matches, having noted that crowds now feature increasingly prominently in Army operational environments.

“Crowds assembled for some common purpose or interest may appear to flow in a stable orderly manner, but after some seemingly trivial change or interruption, as happens when a person stumbles or turns in the opposite direction, chaos of disastrous proportions can ensue with widespread injuries and loss of life,” he says.

Concern

The way in which crowds move is thus of central concern to military commands as well as civilian authorities and disaster relief agencies. Some scenarios of interest include civilians passing through a combat zone to escape conflict, and persons fleeing natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquake and fire – the latter being of particular significance within Australia.

The need for insightful analysis to inform incident prevention and management becomes even more apparent with the knowledge that some outcomes are counterintuitive. In one such example, a column put inside the doorway of a building, partially obstructing movement, can actually smooth crowd flows. Another example is that the use of roadblocks to control traffic flows during a bushfire emergency can make flow conditions more unstable.

After looking at existing crowd behaviour models, Dr Reid found they offered somewhat limited capabilities. Firstly, they were only able generally to simulate crowd behaviour in simple confined spaces, such as a stadium or building interior. Secondly, the simulations were descriptive only, offering no understanding as to why behaviour may change, and with no ability to predict this change.

Teaming up with fellow DSTO mathematician Dr Vladimir Ivancevic, he set about investigating ways of improving on the simulation capabilities available.

New way of modelling crowd behaviour

A basic problem identified by the DSTO researchers with previous models was that they derived states for crowd behaviour by calculating the state of each individual component and adding all of these to produce a sum effect – a‘bottom-up’ form of approach.
The DSTO view of things is somewhat more complex. “The individual has an effect on the crowd and the crowd also influences the behaviour of the individual, so there is an interactive process involved,” says Dr Reid.

“This is why crowd movement is chaotic, which is to say, the outcome is exquisitely sensitive to small changes in conditions and earlier events.”

His analysis proposes a system with three levels in play simultaneously; the individual, the overall crowd, and a meso level in between where aggregate motions are formulated.

“Only by representing what’s going on at these three levels simultaneously can we expect to characterise the different overall chaotic motions and sudden changes of motion – called phase transitions – that real crowds can display,” says Dr Reid.

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is part of Australia's Department of Defence. DSTO's role is to ensure the expert, impartial and innovative application of science and technology to the defence of Australia and its national interests.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

BREAKING: SBInet Cancelled

Posted by Paul McLeary at 1/14/2011 1:18 PM CST



According to a statement released this afternoon by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) of the House's Homeland Security committee, the SBInet program--the controversial suite of sensors, cameras and radar arrayed along the southwestern U.S. border--has been cancelled.

The program was put on hold by Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano in March after cost overruns and problems with getting the program’s technologies off the ground, but the announcement—while hardly a surprise—comes with a huge question mark: what next in border security?

In the statement, Thompson said that

“The SBInet program has been a grave and expensive disappointment since its inception. Our Committee has held 11 hearings on the project, commissioned 5 critical GAO reports, all while costing taxpayers nearly $1 billion for only 53 miles of coverage. I am glad that DHS and CBP are finally listening to what we have been saying for years – that the sheer size and variations of our borders show us a one-stop solution has never been best. I applaud them for taking this critical step toward using a more tailored technologically-based approach to securing our Nation’s borders.”

As I reported last month, companies are starting to line up with their own surveillance and communications technologies to supply capabilities that the Customs and Border Patrol says it needs along the border. Border Patrol agents actually love real time intelligence and situational awareness that SBInet cameras and radar provide them, as several agents told me in a visit to the Arizona border late last year, but in the end it seems that the expense, and the delays in deploying those technologies, finally got the best of the program.

There will be much more on this to come, as I’m still waiting on a comment from SBInet lead contractor Boeing, and word from the Department of Homeland Security about how they plan to move forward.

[buglerbilly]

Homeland Security Junks Its Sensor-Laden Border Fence

By Spencer Ackerman January 14, 2011 | 5:14 pm



It only took nearly a year of hiatus and $1 billion in sunk costs, but the Department of Homeland Security has finally gotten rid of the networked suite of sensors that made up its virtual border fence. But some of its technology may live on as zombie border protection.

The virtual fence “cannot meet its original objective of providing a single, integrated border-security technology solution,” Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded in a statement today heralding the program’s termination.

Boeing’s SBInet was supposed to be the ultimate in anti-illegal immigrant technology: miles of surveillance-radar towers (colloquially, “Cameras on a Pole”) hooked up to ground-based sensors that detected the heat of someone’s footprints or the metal of a border-crossing vehicle. Sound impractical? That’s what the Government Accountability Office found in October, when it lamented SBInet’s “well-chronicled history of not delivering promised capabilities and benefits on time and within budget.” (.pdf)

Yet the Customs and Border Protection office boasted in a fact sheet that it would ultimately cover 6,000 miles of the U.S.’ northern and southern frontiers. But only 53 miles of border in Arizona ever actually got outfitted with SBInet. Dissatisfied with the performance of the program since its 2005 inception, the Department of Homeland Security froze the program in March for a review. Today, it conceded the program was an impractical waste.

So what comes next for the border? Some of the same stuff that SBInet had. And lots of drones.

Napolitano said that “proven” technology will be put into effect on the border. That means video surveillance from the guard towers and thermal-imaging sensors — reminiscent of SBInet. And it definitely means unmanned spy-plane flights. Later next year, a DHS initiative is scheduled to fly Predators all the way from California to the Gulf of Mexico, all to spot who’s trying to cross the border.

Only, even with proven technology like the drones, mistakes happen. In June, DHS had to ground its drone fleet after a plane lost contact with its remotely located pilot, a routine occurrence in the drone game.

Still, the death of SBInet is a remarkable, if overdue, concession to reality. There was a time when the Department argued that the virtual fence “reduces the United States of America’s vulnerability to terrorism and protects national interests.” (.pdf) And if you believed that, they had a fence to sell you.

Photo: Boeing

[buglerbilly]

Moscow airport blast: Suicide bomb kills 29

By Will Englund and Kathy Lally
Washington Post Foreign Service

Monday, January 24, 2011; 2:38 PM

MOSCOW - A suicide bomber set off an explosion at an unsecured section of Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, killing 29 people in a waiting area for arriving passengers Monday afternoon.

At least 50 people were hospitalized, authorities said, and 35 were listed in critical condition.

Officials say the bombing was a terrorist attack and have called a "high terror alert" at Moscow's two other major airports and the metro system, where suicide bombers killed 40 people in March. There is heightened security throughout the city.

Interfax reported that police are seeking three men in connection with the bombing but did not provide details.

The blast detonated in a hall where arriving international passengers emerge from customs. Large crowds had gathered to await passengers as they departed the baggage area, police sources told the Interfax news agency. As at most airports, the area is outside the secure zone.

"Therefore, the bomb did not fly to Moscow by plane, it was brought in to the airport from outside," Interfax quoted the sources.

The explosion occurred at 4:37 p.m. local time, according to the Russian Air Transport Agency. Planes from Dusseldorf, Germany, and Odessa, Ukraine, had landed in the previous half-hour. Just before the blast, a plane from London had arrived.

An amateur video shot shortly after the blast showed bodies strewn about a smoke-filled hall. The lights were on, but workers with flashlights made their way through the smoke, amid luggage and several luggage carts.

Yelena Bakhtina, who works in a cafe at the other end of the hall, said on Russian television that she was about 100 yards from where the explosion took place when there was a sudden loud boom. She said the whole building shook, raining plaster down around her.

Sergei Lavochkin told Russian television's Channel One that he was at the airport waiting for a friend who was flying in from Cuba. "I was not that close to the place of the explosion, but I heard a strong noise and people's cries," he said, adding, "I saw people running away in panic. ... I saw two men sitting on the bench, their heads bleeding, and I saw men being carried on the luggage trolleys to the ambulances."

Another witness, Alexei Nefedov, told Russian television: "I saw a lot of smoke, a lot of police and a lot of firemen." He said passengers still in the customs area, which is behind a solid wall, were unhurt and continued to collect their luggage as it came off the carousels. As they began to emerge into the aftermath of the explosion, he said, they found a scene of destruction and death.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev postponed his trip to the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he had been scheduled to arrive Tuesday and to give the opening address on Wednesday. He appeared on Russian television in the late afternoon and expressed his condolences to the relatives of those killed, promising a full investigation of the bombing.

Medvedev, who after the explosion called a meeting with Transportation Minister Igor Levitin and Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika, criticized officials for not pursuing security precautions vigorously enough.

"What happened shows that not all laws are being correctly applied at various places," Medvedev said. "This has to be sorted out."

Domodedovo, on the southeast outskirts of Moscow, is Russia's biggest airport. It is used by United, Lufthansa, Austrian Air, British Airways and the Russian airline Transaero, among other airlines. It is also a hub for domestic travel. The United flight, from Washington, was not flying on Monday.

A spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, said the TSA is monitoring the situation in Moscow. "We are working with our international partners to share information regarding the latest terrorist tactics and security best practices," Nick Kimball said. "Passengers may continue to notice unpredictable security measures in all areas of U.S. airports, including before the checkpoint."

The bombing was not causing any disruptions or changes to security at Washington's three major airports, according to spokesmen for the facilities.

Russian police said they believed that about 15 pounds of explosive had been used. Cellphone jamming devices were activated at the airport to try to prevent more potential bombs from being detonated.

Fifty ambulances were dispatched to Domodedovo, reports said.

By early evening, flights were being diverted to Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports.

Last month Moscow saw nearly a week of angry demonstrations by young Russian nationalists, provoked by the killing of a fan of the Spartak soccer team. They blamed migrants from the Caucasus, and there were several knifings in the city. Police had a difficult time containing the gatherings and detained dozens. They warned that people were coming to Moscow from the Caucasus to avenge the attacks by the nationalists, but it didn't happen.

Virtually all previous terrorist attacks in Russia have been carried out by separatists from Chechnya or elsewhere in the North Caucasus. This was apparently the first fatal explosion at an airport.

Last March in Moscow's metro, 40 people were killed and more than 70 were wounded when two bombs were detonated at two different stations, a half-hour apart. The blasts were triggered by two female suicide bombers, including the 17-year-old widow of an Islamist rebel leader. Doku Umarov, a Chechen militant, took responsibility for the bombings, which he called retaliation for an anti-terrorism raid in the North Caucasus by security forces in February in which at least 20 people were killed.

In 2004, female suicide bombers brought down two planes that had taken off from Domodedovo. They had apparently bribed their way on board.

Terrorists have also attacked gatherings with the aim of taking hostages - at a school in Beslan, in North Ossetia, in 2005, and at a theater in Moscow in 2002. Both ended with heavy casualties.

In 2000, apartment houses in Moscow were destroyed by bombs. Some suspected that the security services were behind those explosions, which led to a resumption of the war in Chechnya.

Domodedovo is Eastern Europe's busiest airport. Last year it handled 22.3 million passengers. Seventy-seven airlines schedule 600 flights a day there. It was thoroughly renovated in the late 1990s and overtook the dismal Sheremetyevo - for years Moscow's only international airport - as the city's most glamorous arrival point. Still, it requires a tedious drive through Moscow's vast southern regions, plus a 14-mile sprint through the suburbs, to get there.

Staff writer Ashley Halsey III contributed to this report.

[buglerbilly]

Moscow airport suicide bombing: 35 dead, 130 injured

January 25, 2011 - 9:10AM

A suicide bomber killed at least 35 and wounded dozens on Monday when he blew himself up in the packed arrivals hall of Moscow's largest airport in an attack slammed by the Kremlin as an act of terror.

There were scenes of carnage at Domodedovo airport in southern Moscow as corpses were stretchered out of the smoke-filled arrivals area after the blast, the latest deadly attack to hit the capital after the metro bombings in March.


A wounded blast victim is taken away by rescuers. Photo: AP

Describing the attack as an act of terror, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev chaired an emergency meeting of top officials and ordered a special security regime across the country's main airports and railway stations.

Russia's Western partners strongly condemned the blast, with US President Barack Obama describing the attack as "outrageous" and German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying she was dismayed by the "cowardly" act.


Thirty-five dead ... victims of the blast can be seen in this image taken from mobile phone footage. Photo: Reuters

"Today at 4:32pm an explosion went off in the international arrivals hall of Domodedovo airport," the Russian investigative committee said in a statement.

Airport spokeswoman Elena Galanova said that the blast had gone off in a freely accessible public area of the airport where passengers meet relatives after passing customs.

At least 35 people were killed, she said. At least 130 were wounded, the health ministry said in a statement. It said that of the wounded, 20 were in a serious condition.


A boy cries during a special service in a chapel at Domodedovo airport. Photo: AP

"All of a sudden I heard a huge bang, as if something had fallen. No-one understood what had happened," Elena, a Lufthansa stewardess, said. "Everyone was in shock."

Foreigners caught in blast

The Australian Embassy in Moscow was "urgently seeking to confirm" with authorities whether any Australians were affected by the blast, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said.


A man wounded in the blast is taken to hospital. Photo: AP

A Briton and other foreigners were among the people killed, the Interfax news agency quoted a security source as saying.

A spokesman for the British embassy said he could not confirm the report, but was "urgently" checking the information.

According to reports, two flights - one from British Airways and another from BMI - had arrived at the airport shortly before the blast.

Separately, the Ministry of Health and Social Development reported on its website that the list of those receiving hospital treatment included one man from Italy and another from France.

The Slovak embassy separately told the RIA Novosti news agency that the actress Zuzana Fialova was also injured in attack and was receiving treatment at a Moscow hospital.

'An act of terror'

Russian investigators found a head of "Arab appearance" that is presumed to have belonged to the suicide bomber responsible for setting off the blast, Interfax said.

According to preliminary information, the bomber was a resident of the overwhelmingly Muslim Northern Caucasus region, Interfax said.

"A blast went off at Domodedovo that, according to preliminary information, was an act of terror," Medvedev said in televised remarks. "It is necessary to introduce a special regime in all airports and transportation hubs."

Medvedev said the incident showed that Russia's security regulations were not being followed properly. "What happened indicates that far from all the laws that need to be working are being used correctly," said Medvedev.

Russian security services had received warnings that an act of terror would be carried out at one of the Moscow airports and three suspects had even been identified, the RIA Novosti news agency said.

The LifeNews.ru website said many victims had metal fragements embedded in their bodies and the explosive device was packed with bolts, nuts, nails and ball bearings.

"Burned people are running about ... they are carrying pieces of flesh on stretchers," one eyewitness, named as Andrei, told Russian City FM radio.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been informed of the incident, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax.

Blow to Russia's image

The blast also represented a major setback for Russia's international image and confidence in its security as it gears up to hold two major sporting events, the Winter Olympics in 2014 and the 2018 World Cup.

Medvedev has postponed his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, planned for this week, as a result of the blast, Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said.

Moscow police stepped up security across the city after the blast, Interfax quoted law enforcement officials as saying.

Domodedovo Airport is Russia's largest airport in terms of passenger numbers and takes flights from top international companies including British Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss.

The Russian capital has been repeatedly rocked by attacks over the last years blamed on militants from the Northern Caucasus region, where Russia has for years been battling an Islamist insurgency.

Double bombings carried out by two female suicide bombers on the Moscow metro on March 29, 2010, killed 40 and wounded more than 100.

The Kremlin fought two wars against separatist rebels in Chechnya in the 1990s but the insurgency has now become more Islamist in tone and has spread to neighbouring Ingushetia and Dagestan.

However, officials have repeatedly warned of the risk of attacks in Russia's heartland.

Russian authorities have established a hotline for concerned friends and relatives seeking information. The numbers are (+7 495) 363 6101, (+7 495) 662 8247 and (+7 495) 644 4056.

If you have concerns for the welfare of family and friends who you believe to have been present at Domodedovo Airport at the time of the blast, you should first attempt to contact them directly.

If you are unable to contact them and still hold concerns for their welfare, you should call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135.


AFP and Georgina Robinson

[buglerbilly]

Moscow airport attack: Russian authorities were warned about a terrorist attack

The Russian security services had been tipped off that a terrorist attack was planned at a Moscow airport a week before the suicide bombing.


Members of Federal Security Service work outside Moscow's Domodedovo airport after the explosion Photo: REUTERS

By Duncan Gardham, Securty Correspondent 7:25PM GMT 24 Jan 2011

According to reports, the warning even gave details of precisely where the bomb would be planted and yet the authorities failed to stop the attack at the country’s busiest airport.

“The special services had received information that an act of terror would be carried out at one of the Moscow airports,” a security source told the RIA Novosti news agency.

“Agents were seeking three suspects but they managed to access the territory of the airport, witness the explosion which their accomplice carried out and then leave the airport,” the source said.

Another airport security source said: “A tip-off with a warning that something was being prepared appeared one week before the explosion. Even the place, by the customs, was named,” according to the website Lifenews.ru, which has close links with FSB, Russia’s security service.

The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, admitted that security regulations were not being properly followed even though Domodedovo airport boasts some of the most hi-tech scanning equipment in the world.

“What happened indicates that far from all the laws that need to be working are being used correctly,” he said.

The blast took place in the “meet and greet” area of the international arrivals hall where passengers are met after they pass through customs control.

A spokesman for the airport confirmed it was a “free access zone” that does not require a boarding pass to enter.

However, the airport does have a series of metal detectors on the entrance to the arrivals hall to scan people who are there to meet relatives. These are not always operational.

The blast will damage Russia’s international image as it gears up to hold two major sporting events, the Winter Olympics in 2014 and the 2018 Football World Cup.

Domodedovo Airport is Russia’s largest airport in terms of passenger numbers and serves international airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss Air.

In all, 77 airlines offer regular flights to Domodedovo, flying on 241 international and national routes, and there are five flights from Britain each day.

Built in 1964, it is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) southeast of the center of Moscow and is the largest of the three major airports that serve the Russian capital, serving over 22 million people last year.

It is generally regarded as Moscow’s most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called into question.

In 2004, two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo by buying tickets illegally from airport personnel.

The female suicide bombers, Chechen separatists, blew themselves up in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.

Philip Baum, editor of Aviation Security International, said airports have been aware that they could be the subject of attacks since the 1970s.

He cited the example of Tel Aviv airport, where 26 people were killed in an attack in 1972 using guns and hand grenades, which has a series of check points starting 3km from the terminal.

“The problem is that metal detectors and x-ray machines are not effective at detecting bombs,” Mr Baum said. “And as you ratchet up the number of checks, you have large numbers of people standing in line and the queues themselves can become targets.”

Mr Baum said that combining airports with shopping centres has made them more crowded and many have limited space so passengers and those meeting them are funneled into relatively small areas.

“It is a major challenge for airports in Europe because very few are constructed on large open sites selected for the purpose,” he added.

[ARH v.3.1]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1123799.ece

A suspected ‘black widow’ is said to be behind the suicide blast in Russia’s busiest Domodedovo International Airport in which at least 35 were killed and 178 injured, reports said on Tuesday.

One of the eyewitnesses questioned by the investigators said he had seen how the hand baggage of a woman dressed in black exploded, according to Interfax news agency.

“The eyewitness declared that the young woman was dressed in black and the explosives were in the bag or suitcase on the floor next to her,” a source was quoted as saying by the agency.

It said the security agencies were aware of the possible terror attacks, and were looking for ‘Black Widows’ of the slain militants from the Caucasus, who had carried out all suicide attacks in past, including twin blasts in Moscow metro stations in March 2010.

“Security agencies were misguided as Domodedovo attack was carried out by men,” Interfax quoted another source in the secret services.

Insufficient security measures in Moscow’s Domodedovo airport are to blame for yesterday’s deadly blast, which left dozens dead, a spokesman for Russia’s national anti—terrorism committee (NAC) said on Tuesday.

“Security measures in the Domodedovo airport were insufficient, otherwise the terrorist attack would have never taken place,” Nikolai Sintsov told the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

According to state—run Rossiya 24 news channel, the police are also looking for four men suspected of involvement in yesterday’s blast in the international arrival lounge of the airport.

“They were spotted on the CCTV footage,” the TV said.

The absence of security check at the International Arrival’s gate was used by the alleged terrorists to sneak in with explosives, the TV channel reported.

RIA Novosti had said there was at least one suicide bomber with explosives with five kilo TNT equivalent.
Investigation Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said the power of the blast was between 5—10 kg equivalent of TNT.

Interfax did not rule out that the explosives were in a suitcase.

President Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to track down and punish those behind the suicide bomb attack, that bore the hallmarks of militants fighting for an Islamist state in the North Caucasus region.

Police sources have hinted that the Domodedovo airport bombing may be linked to Russia’s most volatile region.

Eyewitnesses told Russian TV that before a bomber detonated the equivalent of 7kg (15lb) of TNT, he had shouted: “I’ll kill you all!”

“Hundreds of people are in hospitals as of 2:00 Moscow time [23:00 GMT]. We estimate... that 48 of them are in serious and critical condition,” Deputy Health Minister Maxim Topilin said.

The bodies of five victims have already been identified.

President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the creation of a special investigation group to investigate the incident.

He recalled that a number of safety and security laws had been adopted lately. “We need to find out how they were observed and how they are observed,” he said.

“What happened shows that not all of these laws are enforced properly in some places,” the President added. He said the explosion at Domodedovo Airport was a terrorist act.

[buglerbilly]

Moscow airport bombing: Briton killed is named

A Briton who was among at least 35 people killed as by suicide bomber at Russia’s busiest airport has been named as Gordon Campbell Cousland.

By Martin Beckford, and Andrew Osborn in Moscow 8:35AM GMT 24 Jan 2011

The Foreign Office confirmed that Mr Cousland was killed in the explosion but said it was still investigating reports that a second UK passport holder had been killed in the attack at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said eight foreign citizens, including two Britons, were among those killed as it emerged that the bomber may have been a woman.

A list of identified victims released by the domoded24.com website also named Kirill Burdashev as the other British national.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "Initial indications are that one British national was killed in the explosion at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow.

"We are in contact with next of kin and are providing consular assistance.

"The British embassy consular team is continuing to investigate reports that a second British national was also killed and are working with the Russian authorities but we have no information to confirm this at the current time."

Mr Cousland worked for CACI, a marketing, data analysis and IT company, a spokesman said.

The CACI spokesman said Mr Cousland was based in the London office of the firm. He was a consultant working in the CACI property consulting team specialising in Eastern Europe, he said.

Mr Cousland studied at Newcastle University and the Chartered Institute of Marketing as well as completing a course in teaching English as a foreign language, according to his profile on the business networking site LinkedIn.

He described his areas of expertise as new business development, location planning and retail property consultancy.

CACI spokesman Ian Thurman said Mr Cousland had put in an "amazing amount of effort" to open up the Eastern European property market and would be sadly missed.

A brochure produced by CACI reported Mr Cousland's work with a leading Eastern European developer to open retail outlet centres in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Mr Cousland is thought to have family in Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

No claim of responsibility has been made for the blast, the most deadly terrorist attack of its kind which left another 110 injured.

But reports suggested that it may have involved a female suicide bomber.

An eyewitness told police that the young woman was dressed in black and the explosives were in the bag or suitcase on the floor next to her, Interfax news agency reported.

A security source said: "The explosion occurred the moment the presumed female suicide bomber opened her bag," according to Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

The source added: "The terrorist was accompanied by a man. He was standing beside her and (the blast) tore off his head."

The bomber is thought to have blown himself up among crowds in the arrivals lounge of Domodedovo airport, killing at least 35 and injuring as many as 170 in a blast that shook the terminal building and left it shrouded in smoke.

Russian authorities are facing questions over security lapses after it was claimed that they had received a detailed warning about an attack at the airport just a week ago. President Dmitry Medvedev suggested that anti-terrorism laws were not working. Last night, police were hunting three men believed to be the suicide bomber’s accomplices. The suspects were all from Russia’s mostly Muslim North Caucasus region, including Chechnya, from where Islamist terrorists have launched a series of attacks in the past.

A British Airways flight touched down less than an hour before the explosion and many of its 165 passengers were feared to have been caught up in the carnage as they made their way through the baggage hall and immigration. A BMI flight with 97 passengers on-board landed minutes before the explosion.

Mark Green, who was on board the BA flight from London, said: “Literally, it shook you. As we were putting the bags in the car a lot of alarms were going off and people started flowing out of the terminal, some of whom were covered in blood.

''One gentleman had a pair of jeans on that were ripped and his thigh from his groin to his knee was covered in blood.” The Foreign Office was unable to confirm the reports that Britons were among the victims.

A man from Italy and one from France were among those receiving hospital treatment, while a Slovakian actress, Zuzana Fialová, was also injured.

Video footage filmed on a mobile phone shortly after the blast showed dozens of lifeless bodies scattered across the terminal floor. Panicked shouting can be heard in the background.

Russian television reports suggested that the bomber walked into the busy arrivals hall and shouted “I’ll kill you all!”, before detonating a device in a suitcase. It was claimed he was decapitated by the blast.

Some sources said he had arrived by plane and made his way through customs to the area where passengers meet loved ones or business contacts.

One witness, Artyom Jilenkov, said he saw the man carrying a burning suitcase and added: “He blew himself up in front of my eyes.”

The 35-year-old driver told the website lifenews. ru: “It was a man in a black jacket and a black hat. He came out of the security control area and then turned himself into mincemeat. The guy standing next to me was torn to pieces.”

Domodedovo, 26 miles southeast of Moscow city centre, is Russia’s busiest international airport and handles some 22 million passengers a year.

Used by 60,000 people a day – and serviced by five flights a day from Britain carrying as many as 700 passengers – it is a shining symbol of modern Russia’s oil and gas-fuelled economic success.

An airport spokesman confirmed that a boarding pass was not needed to enter the international arrivals hall. One Russian news agency claimed that security services had a tip-off about an imminent attack.

But the source said no extra precautionary measures had been taken and that, in recent months, the number of security guards had been cut by half.

Mr Medvedev confirmed the attack was an act of terrorism but stopped short of blaming a particular group. He ordered security to be raised across the Russian capital and added: “What happened indicates that far from all the laws that need to be working are being used correctly.”

World leaders condemned the attack, with President Barack Obama describing it as “outrageous”. France and Germany both called the bombing “cowardly”, while William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said: “I am deeply shocked and saddened at today’s explosion at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport with the loss of many lives. On behalf of the UK, I send condolences to all those who have lost relatives or been injured.”

Until yesterday, the most deadly terrorist strike on an airport is thought to have taken place in Israel in 1972. Three Japanese gunmen, recruited by a Palestinian group, opened fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv and killed 26 people.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

SBInet is Dead, Long Live SBInet!

Posted by Paul McLeary at 1/25/2011 12:45 PM CST



In all of the talk about the flameout of SBInet, the Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to blanket the U.S./Mexico border with an integrated suite of sensors, cameras, and radar to give border patrol agents unprecedented situational awareness over the areas they cover, not many people mention that SBInet isn’t actually going anywhere.

After over a billion dollars spent and only 53 miles of Arizona desert covered by the technology, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano finally pulled the plug on the expansion of the program last week, but committed to keeping SBInet up and running in the two sectors where it is already operating, where it's effectiveness has made it popular with border patrol agents.

A DHS study released last week trumpeted a “new way forward for technology in Arizona” that will cost less than $750 million and will cover the 323 miles of Arizona border that SBInet doesn’t.

The big lesson the DHS learned in trying a one-size fits all approach to border security is that no matter how sophisticated the technology, the terrain still gets a vote. After conducting an analysis of its approach, the department found that “the selection of technology for a given area of the border is highly dependent on the nature of that area,” and that “the optimal technology deployment strategy would involve a mix of technology options tailored to each area of the border.”

And it only took half a decade and a billion dollars to figure that out. The new plan:

will utilize existing, proven technology tailored to the distinct terrain and population density of each border region, including commercially available Mobile Surveillance Systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, thermal imaging devices, and tower-based Remote Video Surveillance Systems. Where appropriate, this technology plan will also include elements of the former SBInet program that have proven successful, such as stationary radar and infrared and optical sensor towers.

What's that all mean? We can start with the 2010 Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which will pay for $14 million in tactical communications systems; $32 million for two additional UAVs; $176 million for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents; as well as $68 million to hire 250 new officers at ports of entry; and $6 million to construct two forward operating bases along the Southwest border.

But what is the “mix of technology options” that the DHS is looking for under its new plan? A big part of it involves more Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) towers. The towers have a pair of day and night cameras, and there are already 250 of them deployed along the Southwest border. The DHS also has 38 truck mounted infrared camera systems and radars (Mobile Surveillance Systems, or MSSs) along the border, and recently purchased 30 more.

With $50 million diverted from SBInet last year the DHS also purchased 10 new backscatter radars for Border Patrol checkpoints—a technology that border agents I spoke with in Arizona, and soldiers guarding Camp Taji in Iraq, both loved—along with 104 vehicle pursuit cameras for ports of entry; 78 thermal imaging devices; and 3 aerial observation cameras.

What’s more, last week DHS released a Request for Information to industry looking for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf/Government-Off-The-Shelf surveillance towers “that would provide automated, persistent wide area surveillance for the detection, tracking, identification, and classification of illegal entries.”

While all of this gear might look like a grab bag of different capabilities with varying levels of technological sophistication, that’s the point. The border area is a physically tough environment, and what might work in the scrub desert won’t work at a fixed border crossing or along a roadway or in a dry riverbed. It took the DHS a lot of time and money to figure this out, but it might finally have hit on the right solution. Time will tell.

Pic: CBP

[buglerbilly]

Even DHS Is Freaked Out by Spy Drones Over America

By Spencer Ackerman January 26, 2011 | 10:55 am



Police departments around the country are warming up to unmanned spy planes. But don’t expect the Department of Homeland Security to catch drone fever anytime soon. It’s too controversial for an agency already getting hammered for naked scanners and junk-touching.

Sure, DHS flies some Predators along the Mexican border. But a broader deployment, above the majority of American skies, to stop terror attacks? Not likely.

“I don’t know how much [drones] will be used within the U.S.,” says Ruth Doherty, a top official with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate tasked with countering the domestic threat of homemade bombs. Asked about domestic drone use for bomb-spotting by Danger Room, she replies, “A case has to be made that they’re economically feasible, not intrusive and acceptable to the public.”

At a sprawling conference focusing on networksecurity and operations just outside D.C. this morning, Doherty said that the spread of homemade bombs from Iraq or Afghanistan to cities inside the United States is all too real. Problem is, it’s much easier to spot bombs in checkpoint areas like airports, where security officials can line people up to swab luggage for trace explosive material or run passengers through metal detectors, than at mass gatherings like the Super Bowl.

Surveillance cameras can snap pictures of possible “anomalous” behavior. But for explosives, big gatherings or subways aren’t yet sensor-fests. And that’s in part because of what a “free and open” society will accept, Doherty said: Just think of the controversy surrounding last year’s airport introduction of whole-body imagers and junk-touching pat-downs, a theme she kept returning to as an example of public backlash to security measures.

“We need technologies [that are] … acceptable to the public,” Doherty said, and it’s still a challenge — she preferred to call it an opportunity — for the DHS.

Surveillance cameras at stadiums or in subway stations are controversial enough, she said; it’s more likely that drones will continue to be used by the military than “used widely in the U.S.” If people don’t like their junk touched at airports, they might be afraid of robot airplanes using sensors that can sniff their clothes or cars for bomb materials.

That’s ironic. If the Department of Homeland Security is skittish about drones, local police departments are fascinated by them. Cops in Miami-Dade recently bought two “flying beer keg” drones from Honeywell to help them grab surveillance information, and other law-enforcement operations aren’t far behind, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

And, of course, Homeland Security already operates drones along the borders to curb illegal immigration — even if they don’t have such a perfect flight record.

But after becoming the subject of holiday-time anger and ridicule at the airports, Homeland Security isn’t so keen on having more “community aggravating feature[s]” in place when it comes to stopping homemade bombs. It’s set up Community Perceptions of Technology panels, Doherty said, inviting civil-rights, civil-liberties and privacy groups to figure out whether new detection technology will earn public acceptance. Bomb-sniffing robot planes might be a hard sell.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

[buglerbilly]

Terrorist games linked to Russian airport bomb

Louisa Hearn

January 27, 2011 - 3:38PM

Ferkin' STUPID media comments............the Terr's don't need a bloody video game to work where the soft under-belly is, you just need commonsense.................:voodoo

The Russian media have begun to explore possible links between a computer game called Call of Duty and this week's deadly Moscow airport bombing.

A news report from Russia Today television has compared a famous airport scene from the game with the aftermath of the bombing at Domodedovo International Airport in which 35 people were killed.

Even before its release 2009, the enormously popular Activision game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, began attracting controversy after leaked footage revealed players could join a group of Russian ultra-nationalist terrorists planning to massacre civilians in an airport.

The Russian airport scene in Modern Warfare 2 differs substantially from this week's attack in that it involved machine guns rather than a bomb blast, which officials now suspect were carried out by a male and female suicide bomber. Even so, comparisons between the game and this week's bombing were inevitable.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become a shocking reality ... with so many people seemingly downloading, playing or watching this game, you have to consider whether or not anybody actually thought this game could so closely resemble reality,” said a Russia Today news presenter in the report.

It also included comments from US terrorism expert Walid Phares, who said it was possible that computer games might influence the strategies employed by terrorists.

Phares, who is director of Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said: “The issue is we need to know if terrorists or extremists are using these videos or DVDs or games to basically apply the model".

“I think those who have been radicalised already – that is supposed in this case jihadists, Al-Qaeda or other kind – they look at the games and say these games will serve them to train".

US media critic Danny Schechter told the Russian news site: “This is the way entertainment mirrors reality and reality mirrors entertainment, and there are people influenced by all this, even though the manufacturers always deny having any influence on anyone."

However, many of those posting comments on Russia Today in response to the article strongly criticised these views.

“Wake up people, the only thing to blame is the sick and twisted mind of the terrorist in question," wrote one.

“Idiots... "virtual version" in the headline at the same time they say 'a ficticious [sic] airport'... comparing a bombing to a bullet rampage... stupid media...” said another.

Another wrote: “I'm sure terrorists have ran out of ideas how to kill people so now they're playing video games in their caves to get inspiration. If you'd like to kill a lot of people, you don't need a video game to come up with such a complex plan as sending a suicide bomber to an airport."

Theories on the negative effect of violent computer games on society has found little scientific traction, however it is becoming increasingly common for army and police forces to use computer games to help prepare troops for real-life battle conditions.

The People's Daily in China reported in 2007 that 300 police officers in from the city of Tianjin had participated in a three-day competition for the computer game Counter-Strike, in an exercise officials hoped would hone the anti-terrorist skills of the force.

US Army forces are also trained on a range of computer games to help prepare them for operations in extreme battle conditions such as those experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The airport bombing is the second large-scale incident this month to be linked to computer gaming. Jared Loughner, the man charged with killing six people and wounding 14 in Tucson during a US shooting spree earlier this month was found to have been an active member of multiplayer online game site, Earth Empires.

The site administrators said they were "absolutely horrified that someone who had been part of our relatively small group could be involved in such a horrible act".

[buglerbilly]

British terror suspects banned from returning to UK

Lawyers condemn increased use of deprivation of citizenship orders, as eight people are served notices while out of the country

Diane Taylor guardian.co.uk, Thursday 27 January 2011 19.27 GMT


Eight British citizens suspected of terrorist links have been banned from returning to the UK and had their passports cancelled. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

Eight people suspected of terrorist links have been banned from returning to Britain under deprivation of citizenship orders, described bya lawyer for some of them as "far more draconian" than control orders.

A freedom of information request by the Guardian revealed that, since 2007, eight people have been issued with these orders and had their passports cancelled while out of the UK, the same number as currently are subject to control orders. Often they were visiting family members abroad in school holidays when the notices were served, followed within a day or two by a signed order and an exclusion order preventing them from returning to the UK.

The use of deprivation of citizenship orders has increased: of the eight orders since 2007, five were served last year.

Rights lawyers said that the recipients had suffered injustices, and that the orders were part of the "post-9/11 industry": while allegations of terrorist links might be justified, recipients had difficulty defending themselves because they were banned from the UK without warning.

The Immigration Law Practitioners' Association has made a submission to the parliamentary joint committee on human rights, condemning the increased use of these orders. In at least one case, it said, an attempt to communicate with lawyers in the UK from where the individual was stranded put them at risk.

Amanda Weston, a barrister dealing with some of the cases, said: "You get to see very clearly the impact of injustice on the lives of those on the receiving end and their families. There is increasing use of secret evidence, and national security considerations are having an impact on procedural fairness.

"Control orders are issued to people the government can't remove from the UK. Similarly, deprivation of citizenship orders are a way of making British citizens subject to immigration controls on very wide 'public good' grounds – a far more draconian measure and a low-cost option for the secretary of state."

Derrick Agyeman, a security-cleared Met police employee born in Britain and of African descent, had his passport confiscated by Dutch officials on holiday in Amsterdam in 2006 because they thought he looked different to his passport photo. He was charged with using a false identity but the case was swiftly thrown out. Although his employer vouched for him, the Foreign Office refused to return his passport. He was denied entry to the UK for three months, and was allowed to return only when he lodged legal proceedings.

The Home Office said: "National security is the government's top priority and the home secretary will take any action necessary to protect the public. This includes depriving dual nationals of their British citizenship. Any individual deprived of citizenship has a right of appeal which will be fully considered by a court. They do not need to be in the country in order to exercise this right."

[buglerbilly]

'Jihad Jane' terror suspect pleads guilty in US

A woman who called herself "Jihad Jane" online pleaded guilty on Tuesday to her role in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had offended Muslims.


Colleen LaRose an American woman known as Jihad Jane Photo: AFP / GETTY

12:18AM GMT 02 Feb 2011

Colleen LaRose, 47, helped foreign terror suspects intent on starting a holy war in Europe and South Asia, prosecutors said.

LaRose, who also was accused of using the online screen name "Fatima LaRose," has been in custody since October 2009 and faced a possible life sentence under charges in a four-count indictment.

Speaking clearly but quietly, LaRose said on Tuesday she had never been treated for any mental health problems and was entering her plea freely. She whispered a few comments to her lawyers, some of them prompting a smile from public defender Mark T. Wilson.

Mr Wilson declined to comment afterward.

"We'll have a lot to say at sentencing," he said.

LaRose and co-defendant Jamie Paulin-Ramirez of Colorado are the rare U.S. women charged with terrorism. Paulin-Ramirez has pleaded not guilty since she was arrested in Ireland with other terror suspects.

The March 2010 indictment charged LaRose with conspiring with jihadist fighters and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, or jihad. The indictment was announced hours after authorities arrested seven suspected terrorists in Ireland allegedly linked to LaRose.

In emails recovered by the FBI over 15 months, LaRose agreed to marry an online contact from South Asia so he could move to Europe. She also agreed to become a martyr, the indictment said.

The man she had agreed to marry told her in a March 2009 email to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks, who had depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, the indictment said.

Mr Vilks has questioned the sophistication of the plotters but said he is glad LaRose never got to him.

LaRose pleaded guilty on Tuesday to four counts: conspiracy to support terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, lying to investigators and attempted identity theft.

[buglerbilly]

Islamic extremist landed job with British Airways 'in terror plot to blow up a flight to the U.S.'

By Rebecca Camber

Last updated at 1:30 AM on 2nd February 2011


Accused: Rajib Karim is facing charges under the Terrorism Act 2006

An Islamic extremist landed a job as a British Airways *computer expert with the aim of blowing up a plane bound for America, a court heard.

Rajib Karim, 31, is accused of *plotting with terror mastermind Anwar al-Awlaki to commit a *‘spectacular’ atrocity that would lead to ‘widespread loss of life’.

Desperate for martyrdom, the Bangladesh-born fanatic volunteered to train as cabin crew in the hope of blowing up aircraft, it was alleged.

The software engineer is also said to have planned to hijack BA computer systems to ground flights, causing chaos for millions of passengers.

Karim had already begun to build a terror cell in Britain, recruiting a baggage handler from Heathrow Airport and a security guard, it was claimed.

Woolwich Crown Court heard that in the final encrypted email he sent to al-Awlaki before his arrest last February, Karim said he would speak to his brothers ‘to find out the *possibilities of shipping a package to a U.S.-bound plane’.

Yesterday the jury was told that Karim acted as a terrorist mole for American-born al-Awlaki – the commander of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – passing him crucial information on the airline’s computer and security systems and even cabin crew names and addresses.

The zealot came to Britain in December 2006 with his British wife, Zijarin Raja, to seek cancer treatment on the NHS for his baby son, now five. It later transpired the boy did not have the disease and he has now recovered.

But Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said that from his arrival Karim was ‘entirely committed to an extreme Jihadist and religious cause’.

‘Karim believes that terrorism, including the murder of civilians, is permissible to establish, as he views it, a true Islamic state'

‘He believes that terrorism, including the murder of civilians, is permissible to establish, as he views it, a true Islamic state,’ Mr Laidlaw said. ‘Karim was anxious to carry out such an act and he was determined to seek martyrdom.’

Karim had been given indefinite leave to remain in the UK in January 2009, and just a month before had completed an application form for naturalisation as a British citizen.

But the court heard that when he first travelled from Bangladesh to the UK it was to see if the country ‘could be exploited for terrorist purposes’.

In one email, recovered by police, he said: ‘From the moment I entered this country my niyah (purpose) was to do something for the deen (faith), it was not to make a living here and start enjoying life.’

However, he settled in at work and bided his time, Mr Laidlaw told the court, joining a gym and playing football. ‘It was as far as anybody could tell a perfectly ordinary life he was living,’ he said.

Karim, already a fund-raiser for the Al Qaeda-linked terror organisation Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), began plotting with al-Awlaki after being introduced by his younger brother, Tehzeeb, also a member of the JMB.

The father of one signed up to BA’s graduate training programme in Newcastle in 2007, becoming a software engineer in ‘as good a job as could be obtained’ for terrorist purposes.

His pass gave him ‘unsupervised access’ to BA computers running its website, email, crew roster, engineering systems, HR and finances.

In late 2009, Karim became depressed that he had failed to achieve an attack and offered to wage war in Afghanistan.

But al-Awlaki said he should remain in position, from where he ‘might be able to provide us with critical information’.

Karim responded saying he had ‘knowledge of key people in BA’ as well as key computer hardware locations.

Following strike action by cabin crew in 2009, BA sought volunteers from its ground staff to train as cabin crew.

Karim completed an application form for a customer support role – he did not have enough service for cabin crew duty – two weeks before his arrest.

He has admitted several charges including fund-raising for terrorism, but denies four counts of engaging in the preparation of terrorist acts.

The trial continues.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1352552/British-Airways-worker-Anwar-al-Awlaki-Islamic-extremist-planned-blow-US-flight.html#ixzz1ClVraSqz

[buglerbilly]

‘Jihad Jane’ Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty

February 02, 2011

Associated Press



PHILADELPHIA -- A suburban woman who was the live-in caretaker for her boyfriend's elderly father calmly told a U.S. judge that she had worked feverishly online under the name "Jihad Jane" to support Islamic terrorists and moved overseas to further her plan to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims.

Colleen LaRose, 47, faces the possibility of life in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to four federal charges, including conspiracy to murder a foreign target, conspiracy to support terrorists and lying to the FBI.

LaRose, who spent long hours caring for the father, also was building a shadow life online from 2008 to 2009. According to prosecutors, LaRose "worked obsessively on her computer to communicate with, recruit and incite other jihadists," using screen names including "Jihad Jane," "SisterOfTerror," and "ExtremeSister4Life."

LaRose returned to the United States in November 2009 and was immediately taken into FBI custody at Philadelphia International Airport. She remained in secret custody until March, when her indictment was unsealed hours after Irish authorities swept up an alleged terror cell that included another American woman, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 32, of Colorado, and her Algerian husband. LaRose had previously denied the allegations against her and had pleaded not guilty before changing her plea Tuesday.

But prosecutors said LaRose and her co-conspirators had hoped her all-American appearance and U.S. citizenship would help her blend in while carrying out their plans.

"Today's guilty plea, by a woman from suburban America who plotted with others to commit murder overseas and to provide material support to terrorists, underscores the evolving nature of the threat we face," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General David Kris.

Speaking clearly but quietly, the 4-foot-11 (1.5 meter) LaRose told a judge Tuesday she had never been treated for any mental health problems and was entering her plea freely. She whispered a few comments to her lawyers, some of them prompting a smile from public defender Mark T. Wilson.

Wilson declined to comment afterward.

"We'll have a lot to say at sentencing," he said.

LaRose and Paulin-Ramirez are the rare U.S. women charged with terrorism. Paulin-Ramirez has pleaded not guilty and her lawyer, Jeremy Ibrahim, declined to say whether she will enter a plea or head to trial on May 2.

However, he believes LaRose's plea will benefit his client's case.

"With LaRose's plea it removes some pretty prejudicial evidence from coming in at Jamie's trial, evidence of making plans to kill someone, evidence of using the Internet to recruit enemies of America, that might otherwise become difficult for a jury to segregate in their minds who did what," defense lawyer Ibrahim told The Associated Press.

In e-mails recovered by the FBI over 15 months, LaRose had agreed to marry an online contact from South Asia so he could move to Europe. She also agreed to become a martyr, the indictment said.

Her would-be spouse directed her in a March 2009 e-mail to go to Sweden to find the artist, Lars Vilks, who had depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, the indictment said.

Vilks has questioned the sophistication of the plotters but said he is glad LaRose never got to him.

Both women left troubled lives behind, LaRose having survived a suicide attempt in Pennsburg and Paulin-Ramirez, according to her mother, an abusive first marriage and a childhood marked by bullying.

LaRose, born in Michigan, moved to Texas as a girl and had married twice by age 24. Her first marriage came at 16, to a man twice her age in Tarrant County, Texas. Both unions were long over by the time she met Pennsylvanian Kurt Gorman in 2005.

LaRose lived with Gorman and his father, about an hour northwest of Philadelphia, caring for the older man while Gorman worked. He called her a "good-hearted person" who mostly stayed around the house.

But her online ties grew to a loose band of allegedly violent co-conspirators from around the world, prosecutors said. They found her after she posted a YouTube video in June 2008 saying she was "desperate to do something somehow to help" ease the suffering of Muslims, the indictment said.

Despite Web images that show LaRose in a Muslim head covering, Gorman said he never picked up on any Muslim leanings. She did not attended religious services of any kind, he said. Gorman said he sensed nothing amiss in their five-year relationship -- until LaRose fled days after his father's funeral.

LaRose had removed the hard drive from her computer and set off for Europe, according to the indictment. She had swiped Gorman's passport and planned to give it to the co-conspirator she had agreed to marry, the indictment said.

It's unclear how she was able to travel overseas, given that the FBI, presumably tipped to her online postings, had interviewed her in July 2009. According to the indictment, she then denied soliciting funds for any terrorist causes or making the postings ascribed to "Jihad Jane."

LaRose left for an undisclosed location in Europe on Aug. 23, 2009.

By Sept. 30, 2009, she wrote online that it would be "an honour & great pleasure to die or kill for" her intended spouse, the indictment said. "Only death will stop me here that I am so close to the target!" she is accused of writing.

Among those LaRose allegedly recruited was Paulin-Ramirez, a single mother who also spent long hours on the Internet as "Jihad Jamie" before moving to Ireland on Sept. 11, 2009, with her 6-year-old son. She married the Algerian man the day she arrived.

According to her mother, Paulin-Ramirez had met her fourth husband online. She was pregnant by the time she and LaRose appeared in court together in the United States in May. On Tuesday, Ibraham declined to say if or when his client's baby had been born. Her older son is now in protective custody.

The mother has described her as a troubled single mother who had the "mentality of an abused woman." When Paulin-Ramirez discussed jihad with her stepfather, a Muslim convert of 40 years, she said she would strap on a bomb for the cause, her mother said.

Paulin-Ramirez now faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of aiding terrorists. Both she and LaRose remain in custody. LaRose's sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

"The guilty plea in this case today demonstrates our need to remain vigilant to the continuing and evolving threats that we face in addressing terrorism," said George C. Venizelos, special agent-in-charge of the FBI's Philadelphia office.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Bikies infiltrate defence bases

Nick McKenzie and Dan Oakes

February 19, 2011

GAPING holes in the security of Australia's defence bases are leaving them exposed to infiltration by organised criminals, bikie groups and terrorists.

Defence sources have revealed that since at least 2008 the military has failed to act on warnings of poor base security and ignored or stalled recommendations to fix deficiencies.

In late 2009, senior US Navy officials raised concerns about security at Australian naval bases, querying whether American ships could dock safely.

Briefings and reports by defence and police officials during the past three years reveal that:

A small number of serving defence personnel belong to outlaw bikie groups.

A company tied to an alleged crime boss was given contracts to guard sensitive naval facilities in 2006.

Plain-clothes undercover defence officials talked their way past security posts at half a dozen bases and on one occasion used a library ID card to enter a defence facility.

Naval personnel smuggled guns into Australia from south-east Asia in 2008 by stashing them in the storage cavity of an Armidale-class patrol boat.

A Defence Department document, obtained by the Herald, reveals that a review of the vulnerability of defence bases, ships and other assets called for a ground-up overhaul.

''A cornerstone recommendation [of the review] was a need to make significant changes to our training and execution model from the bottom up,'' the October 2009 document says.

The finding was made eight weeks after the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said he was confident ''the security arrangements in place at our bases are effective''.

While recent media reports have focused on fears about base security after police uncovered a terrorist plot to attack Holsworthy Barracks in 2009, law enforcement agencies have documented concerns about organised crime penetrating defence facilities for more than a decade.

In 2000, the Victoria Police drug squad created an intelligence file alleging that a group of navy personnel was importing cocaine through Garden Island naval base in Sydney.

In 2006, two state police agencies discovered that Global Protective Services, a company subcontracted to guard HMAS Penguin and Garden Island naval base, was linked closely to the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang member and organised crime figure Yassar Bakir. GPS is now deregistered and not associated with any business with a similar name.

Queensland police suspected that the now-jailed Bakir was simultaneously using GPS - whose naval base contracts expired in mid-2006 - to run drugs down the east coast. In 2005, another company linked to Bakir, Global Protection Group, also not linked to any business operating now, had a contract to guard the Randwick barracks.

Defence sources said the department was not only failing adequately to vet civilian subcontractors but had failed to detect or act on links between at least two dozen serving personnel and bikie gangs.

Police sources have confirmed strong associations between some defence employees and the Hells Angels, Rebels, Bros and Gypsy Jokers gangs, whose members include organised crime figures.

A police report seen by the Herald says a small number of military personnel are members of hardcore, outlaw bikie groups and have been implicated in ''weapons and drug trafficking''.

Meanwhile, NSW Police are investigating allegations that naval personnel at Garden Island are involved in a small drug-trafficking ring.

During the past two years, the threat posed by criminals or terrorists to defence bases has prompted the navy to form a force protection working group.

But the Herald has learnt that two lieutenants working with the group quit the navy in December because the group's recommendations were repeatedly stalled and ignored.

The revelations come after Defence told a parliamentary inquiry it was virtually powerless to search the tens of thousands of people who passed through the gates of its bases every day.

The right to search private is dependent on the contract signed between Defence and the company.

[buglerbilly]

Saudi Man Charged in US Terror Plot

February 24, 2011

Associated Press



LUBBOCK, Texas - A young college student from Saudi Arabia who studied chemical engineering in Texas purchased explosive chemicals over the Internet as part of a plan to hide bomb materials inside dolls and baby carriages to blow up dams, nuclear plants or the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush, the Justice Department said Thursday.

"After mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for jihad," the student wrote in his journal, according to court documents.

One of the chemical companies, Carolina Biological Supply of Burlington, N.C., reported suspicious purchases by Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, of Lubbock, Texas, to the FBI on Feb. 1. Within weeks, federal agents had traced his other online purchases, discovered extremist posts he made on the Internet and secretly searched his off-campus apartment, computer and e-mail accounts and read his diary, according to court records.

Aldawsari, who was legally in the U.S. on a student visa, was expected to appear in federal court on Friday. He was charged Thursday with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Aldawsari entered the U.S. in October 2008 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to study chemical engineering at Texas Tech University, then transferred earlier this year to nearby South Plains College, where he was studying business. A Saudi-based industrial company, which was not identified in court documents, was paying his tuition and living expenses in the U.S.

It was not immediately clear whether Aldawsari had hired an attorney. Phone numbers that Aldawsari had provided to others were not working Thursday.

The terrorism case outlined in court documents was significant because it suggests that radicalized foreigners can live quietly in the U.S. heartland without raising suspicions from neighbors, classmates, teachers or others. But it also showed how quickly U.S. law enforcement can move when tipped that a terrorist plot may be unfolding.

The White House said President Barack Obama was notified about the plot prior to Aldawsari's arrest on Wednesday. "This arrest once again underscores the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism here and abroad," White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said in a statement.

Bush spokesman David Sherzer said: "We've seen the reports. I would just refer you for comment to law enforcement."

In e-mails Aldawsari apparently sent himself, he listed 12 reservoir dams in Colorado and California. He also wrote an e-mail that mentioned "Tyrant's House" with the address of President Bush's home. The FBI's affidavit said he considered using infant dolls to hide explosives and was possibly targeting a nightclub with a backpack filled with explosives.

Aldawsari was using several e-mail accounts. One e-mail message traced to him described instructions to convert a cell phone into a remote detonator. Another listed the names and home addresses of three American citizens who had previously served in the U.S. military and had been stationed at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

The FBI said the North Carolina company reported the attempts to purchase just over one-tenth of one gallon of phenol, a chemical that can be used to make the explosive trinitrophenol, also known as TNP, or picric acid. Aldawsari falsely told the supplier he was associated with a university and wanted the phenol for "off-campus, personal research," according to court records. But frustrated by questions, Aldawsari canceled his order and later e-mailed himself instructions for producing phenol.

Prosecutors said that earlier, in December 2010, he successfully purchased 30 liters of concentrated nitric acid for about $450 from QualiChem Technologies in Georgia, and three gallons of concentrated sulfuric acid that are combined to make TNP. The FBI later found the chemicals in Aldawsari's apartment as well as beakers, flasks, wiring, a Hazmat suit and clocks.

Prosecutors said Aldawsari was inspired by Osama bin Laden speeches and created a blog to publish extremist messages expressing his dismay over current conditions of Muslims and vowing jihad and martyrdom.

"You who created mankind . grant me martyrdom for your sake and make jihad easy for me only in your path," he wrote, according to court records.

Aldawsari was living one block from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Neighbors said they had never seen him, but noticed people in the hallway the day of the arrest.

"That's so scary," said Sally Dierschke, a 21-year-old senior at Texas Tech. "That's my neighbor ... Of course, I'm scared."

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

British Airways worker Rajib Karim convicted of terrorist plot

IT expert used position at airline to try to help attack US-bound planes with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki

Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk, Monday 28 February 2011 14.51 GMT


Rajib Karim, the convicted British Airways bomb plotter. Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA

A disciple of the Yemen-based radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has been found guilty of plotting to blow up a plane while working as a computer specialist with British Airways.

Rajib Karim, 31, used his position as an IT expert with the airline to try to help stage attacks on the west.

A jury at Woolwich crown court also found Karim, 31, guilty of three additional counts of preparing for terrorist attacks, including conspiring with on-the-run radical cleric Awlaki. Karim plotted to blow up an aircraft, shared information of use to Awlaki, offered to help financial or disruptive attacks on BA and gained a UK job to exploit terrorist purposes, the jurors ruled.

Police took months to break encrypted messages on his computer. They found he had been in direct contact with Awlaki, who is accused of having links to the attempted bombing of a plane over Detroit during Christmas in 2009 and an attempt last year to explode ink printer bombs on freight planes heading to the US.

Karim, who worked for BA in Newcastle, studied electronics at Manchester University from 1998 to 2002 where he gained a 2.2. He then went back to his native Bangladesh, where he supported an extremist organisation.

He returned to the UK in 2006, purportedly to seek medical treatment for his young son, who was wrongly thought to have cancer. But police believe Karim had committed himself to violent jihad and sought a job where he could best help the terrorist cause.

In September 2007 he became a graduate IT trainee with BA Police described the computer encryption Karim used as the most sophisticated they had seen in a British terrorist case. It took nine months to crack the secrets of his home computer, with one detective comparing the encryption to "Russian dolls", where one layer was cracked only to reveal another.

The trial at Woolwich crown court, south-east London, heard Awlaki had written an email to Karim asking: "Is it possible to get a package or person with a package on board a flight heading to the US?"

Police believe Karim was offering to supply information to terrorists that could be used to stage an attack. He also tried to join BA cabin crew during a strike but failed because of a technicality.

Karim shared details of his BA contacts in encrypted emails, claiming to know of a sympathetic security guard and baggage handler.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said of Karim: "He is ... an Islamic extremist, with close association to, if not membership of Jamaat ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, an organisation committed to the establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, responsible for terrorist attacks in Bangladesh, and with links to al-Qaida. The defendant ... believes terrorism, including murder of civilians, is permissible to establish, as he views it, a true Islamic state. [He] was anxious himself to carry out such an attack and determined to seek martyrdom."

Karim had denied plotting to blow up a plane and gaining a job in the UK for terrorist purposes, but pleaded guilty to fundraising for terrorist organisations.

He may have been planning to crash BA's sophisticated computer systems causing chaos and huge financial losses, the court heard.

In one email Karim wrote: "'From the moment I entered this country my niyah [purpose] was to do something for the deen [faith], it was not to make a living here and start enjoying life."

In February last year Awlaki wrote to Karim: "Our highest priority is the US. Anything there, even on a smaller scale compared to what we may do in the UK would be our choice. So the question is with the people you have is it possible to get a package or a person with a package on board a flight heading to the US?"

A few days later Karim replied: "I do not know much about US I can work with the bros to find out the possibilities of shipping a package to a US-bound plane."

The case highlighted the power of Awlaki to recruit people for jihad via the internet.

Roshonara Choudhry, a student from London, was convicted last year of trying to murder the Labour MP Stephen Timms after watching Awlaki's sermons online, including on sites such as YouTube.

[buglerbilly]

Frankfurt airport shooting: two dead

Two people are dead and two seriously wounded after a lone Muslim gunman attacked a US military bus at Germany's Frankfurt Airport this afternoon.


Police surround a bus carrying U.S. soldiers at the site where two US soldiers have been killed in a shooting in front of Terminal 2 of the Frankfurt airport Photo: AP

By Bruno Waterfield 3:57PM GMT 02 Mar 2011

A 21-year old Kosovan suspect has been arrested amid reports that the two dead are American military personnel.

The shooring took place at 3.20pm local time in a buss lane in the public part of the airport's Terminal Two.

"It appears that everything happened in the bus," said a police spokesman.

The guman was also carrying a knife as well as a firearm, according to reports.

A number of American military bases are located near Frankfurt, and soldiers regularly use the airport to fly between Germany and the United States.

[buglerbilly]

Frankfurt airport shooting may have Islamist link, say police

Kosovan held over killing in Frankfurt of two US servicemen, with third American in critical condition after bus attack

Helen Pidd guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 March 2011 20.46 GMT


Officers escort a suspected terror suspect at the German federal supreme court in Karlsruhe, Germany. PA/Ronald Wittek

The man charged with shooting and killing two US airmen at Frankfurt airport has confessed to the killings, according to investigators, who suspect the attack was an act of Islamist terrorism.

Another two American servicemen were wounded, one seriously, when a lone gunman opened fire on a US military bus parked outside the terminal building on Wednesday.

German prosecutors are working with US authorities, who said the suspect was not on any American watch list.

The alleged gunman, a 21-year-old ethnic Albanian from Kosovo, had apparently been radicalised over the past few weeks, according to the interior minister of the state of Hesse. Relatives in northern Kosovo identified him as Arid Uka, a devout Muslim whose family has been living in Germany for 40 years.

He worked part time in the postroom at Frankfurt airport, and reportedly lived in the same block of flats as another suspected terrorist, Rami M, who is alleged to have links to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Rami M, whose last name has not been released, in line with German law, was picked up in Pakistan last year and extradited to Germany, where he will stand trial accused of being a member of a terrorist organisation. It is not clear whether the two men were friends.

In his first interview with police on Thursday, Uka reportedly insisted he had acted alone and was not a member of a terrorist group.

Spiegel Online says he told investigators he had carried out the attack after watching a YouTube video showing Muslim women being raped by US soldiers.

Police say he admits targeting the US air force bus, which was carrying 15 airmen based at the Lakenheath airfield in Suffolk from Frankfurt to the Ramstein airbase.

The men were supposed to be deployed to Afghanistan, but on Wednesday two were dead, one was in a critical condition after being shot in the head and another was recovering in hospital from non-life-threatening injuries.

German federal prosecutors said in a statement: "There is a suspicion that the act was motivated by Islamism."

There was disagreement between German and American officials on Thursday about whether the suspect may have had help.

"From our investigation so far, we conclude that he acted alone," said Boris Rhein, interior minister for the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located. "So far we cannot see a network."

But a Pentagon spokesman, Marine Colonel Dave Lapan, said it was still not clear whether others could have been involved in planning the attack. "One of the key focuses of the investigation will be to determine whether others were involved in the incident besides the shooter," Lapan said.

Rhein said the suspect's apartment and his computer had been searched. He said investigators believe the suspect had contact with other Islamists on a social network site, "but there is no network in the sense of a terror cell".

"There are signs that this is about a radicalised Muslim," he said.

The suspect's Facebook page features a silhouette of Kosovo, with the phrase "There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet" written above it in Arabic. Rhein said he had recently changed his profile name from his real name to the nom de guerre Abu Reyyan.

Kosovo is mainly Muslim, but its estimated 2 million ethnic Albanians are strongly pro-American, owing to the US's leading role in Nato's 1999 bombing of Serb forces, which paved the way for Kosovo to secede from Serbia.

The US embassy in Pristina said the attack "will in no way affect the deep and abiding friendship between our two countries".

[buglerbilly]

Peter King, IRA supporter and enthusiastic counter-terrorism advocate


Rep. Peter King (R-NY) heads the House Homeland Security Committee. (Washington Post)

By Peter Finn
Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, March 5, 2011; 12:00 AM

In 1985, the Irish government boycotted the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City, the biggest celebration in the Irish-American calendar. The cause of its umbrage was Peter King, that year's grand marshal and someone the Irish government said was an "avowed" supporter of a terrorist organization, the Irish Republican Army.

King, then a local politician on Long Island, was one of the most zealous American defenders of the militant IRA and its campaign to drive the British out of Northern Ireland. He argued that IRA violence was an inevitable response to British repression and that the organization had to be understood in the context of a centuries-long struggle for independence.

"The British government is a murder machine," King said. He described the IRA, which mastered the car bomb as an instrument of urban terror, as a "legitimate force." And he compared Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing, to George Washington.

A quarter-century later, King is chairman of the powerful House Homeland Security Committee. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, he became an uncompromising supporter of the Bush administration's counter-terrorism policies. And he has suggested that President Obama "use the word terrorism more often" so people understand the seriousness of his purpose.

As King prepares to hold hearings Thursday on what he called "the extent of the radicalization" of American Muslims, his past as a defender of armed struggle has led critics to assert he is imposing a double standard.

"My problem with him is the hypocrisy," said Tom Parker, a counter-terrorism specialist at Amnesty International who was injured by an IRA bomb that struck a birthday party at a military hall in London in 1990. "If you say that terrorist violence is acceptable in one setting because you happen to agree with the cause, then you lose the authority to condemn it in another setting."

"It's ironic that someone who offered such vocal support for the IRA is involved in this kind of witch hunt against Muslims in America," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

But King sees no parallel between the IRA and violent Islamist extremism, which he describes as a foreign enemy or a foreign-directed enemy. His preferred comparison for the IRA is with the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela; the IRA, no less than the ANC's military wing, was fighting for community rights and freedom, he says.

"I [wanted] a peace agreement, a working agreement, where the nationalist community would feel their rights would be respected," King said in an interview at his Capitol Hill office. "I felt that the IRA, in the context of Irish history, and Sinn Fein were a legitimate force that had to be recognized and you wouldn't have peace without them.

"Listen, I think I'm one of the people who brought about peace in Ireland."

His interpretation of the past draws support from former president Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, who as British prime minister oversaw the most successful phase of the peace process in Northern Ireland. In the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, all parties to the conflict agreed to use "exclusively peaceful and democratic means" to pursue their aspirations.

"He had indeed been controversial (at least with the British!) in some of his earlier statements. But once he saw a path to peace that was just and deliverable, he urged and campaigned for everyone to take it," Blair wrote in an e-mail. "I thought he was right in his concerns about the new global terrorism but could understand why he saw the Irish situation as different."

Engaging 'the Troubles'

Three of King's grandparents came from Ireland, but apart from a grand-uncle who fought for Irish independence in the early part of the last century, he was not from a family with any commitment to revolutionary politics in Ireland. When violence first broke out in Northern Ireland, King dismissed the IRA as "a bunch of crazy people."

"The Troubles," as they were called, erupted when Roman Catholics in the late 1960s began to demand equal treatment in employment, housing and education in the majority-Protestant province of Northern Ireland. Peaceful demonstrations were violently suppressed by local authorities, and the situation quickly escalated into open conflict, drawing in the British army.

The IRA was responsible for half of the more than 3,500 people killed in the ensuing 30-year conflict; of those killed by the IRA, about 600 were civilians, according to statistics compiled by researchers in Northern Ireland.

The group mortared the prime minister's official residence at 10 Downing Street, bombed Harrods department store in London, and blew up a boat carrying the 79-year-old Lord Mountbatten, cousin of the queen and a daring World War II commander. The blast killed Mountbatten, two teenage boys and an 83-year-old woman.

King first visited Northern Ireland in 1980 when he accompanied fellow Republican Al D'Amato, who had just been elected to the Senate, on a fact-finding mission. King became a frequent visitor over the next decade.

He often stayed at the home of a senior IRA militant who ran operations in Belfast and was a welcome guest at the Felons Club, a heavily fortified drinking establishment for former IRA prisoners in West Belfast, according to Ed Moloney, author of "The Secret History of the IRA," and a review of Irish and Irish-American press accounts of King's trips.

King said the IRA commanded significant, if minority, support among Catholics. Its supporters in the community, he said, were "voting for war in their own back yard."

"If civilians are killed in an attack on a military installation, it is certainly regrettable, but I will not morally blame the IRA for it," King said in a 1985 interview with the Irish People, an Irish-American newspaper that backed the IRA.

King also was willing to engage the IRA's enemies. He debated Unionists when they came to New York. During one trip to Belfast, he made a foray to the Shankill Road, a Protestant stronghold - a place where Irish-American Catholics were rarely seen - and met with a group of loyalist paramilitaries. King and the loyalists discussed the use of informers in special jury-less trials, which were employed by the British as a counter-terrorism tool against both republican and loyalist militants.

An infuriated Northern Irish judge threw him out of his courtroom, saying King was "an obvious collaborator with the IRA."

King also clashed with prominent Irish-Americans who condemned IRA violence. He dismissed the Friends of Ireland caucus in Congress, which included Sens. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Edward M. Kennedy, as infused with a "moral arrogance and self-righteousness that would do justice to the royal family."

'Anchor' in peace process

King was recently chosen to be chairman of the Friends of Ireland caucus he once ridiculed, the culmination of what might be called his own de-

King's arrival in Congress in January 1993 coincided with a major shift in U.S. policy on Northern Ireland. President Clinton had promised during his campaign to support a visa for Sinn Fein leader Adams. And King was just about the only person in Washington who had a relationship with Adams.

Three days after his election to the House in November 1992, King was in Belfast for "a spiritual reawakening," he told a Newsday reporter who accompanied him.

"It's good to see you, Peter," Adams said at Sinn Fein headquarters. "Would you have a cup of tea?"

Clinton said that King was "an anchor of America's role in the Irish peace process."

"He was one of the few Americans who knew and understood Adams," Clinton said in an e-mail. "He helped to ensure Adams's successful visit to the U.S. Capitol for a St. Patrick Day luncheon in 1995, where we shook hands for the very first time, a moment that represented the profound change in American policy."

And King was grateful to the president for the breakthrough. He was one of only four Republicans who voted against all articles of impeachment charging Clinton with perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of power.

King has described the fitful peace process, and his own role in it, in a barely fictionalized novel called "Deliver us from Evil," in which King is "Congressman Sean Cross," the hero who helps stop a conspiracy to derail the peace process.

In one scene, over dinner at an Irish restaurant in Manhattan, Clinton and Cross reflect on whether it would have been possible to deal with the IRA after the Sept. 11 attacks:

"'Sean, looking back on it, do you think I would have been able to move on Ireland the way I did if the World Trade Center had been attacked in 1991 instead of 2001?"

"No. And I've given that a lot of thought."

"The terrorism aspect."

"Yeah. There was such an outcry against terrorism after the Twin Towers, it would have been almost impossible to distinguish the IRA from al-Qaeda-even though to me there was no comparison."

"It would have been very tough."

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, King cooled on Adams, Sinn Fein, and even Ireland because of what he perceived as a lack of support for the United States.

"We've not been that close over the last few years; I think they could have done more to stand by the U.S.," King said of Sinn Fein. "I am disappointed. When things did go wrong for the IRA, when civilians were killed, I tried to put it in context, not defend it. But they weren't doing that when it came to us in Iraq or Afghanistan."

He hasn't been to Ireland since the Sept. 11 attacks.

After Obama was elected president, King got a call from Rahm Emanuel, the incoming chief of staff. "President-elect Obama would like you to be ambassador to Ireland," said Emanuel, according to King's recollection of the conversation.

King said he thought hard about it over a long weekend, fantasizing about hosting his Irish relatives at the ambassador's 62-acre estate inside Dublin's Phoenix Park, where the Irish president also lives. But King declined the offer.

"I just felt I would be defending foreign policy I didn't agree with," said King, "and to be sitting there with a bunch of Europeans spouting anti-American stuff, I would have a hard time."

[buglerbilly]

U.S. Jihadists to American Muslims: You Suck

By Adam Rawnsley March 9, 2011 | 7:00 am



Tomorrow, Rep. Peter King convenes his hearing on the radicalization of the American Muslim community — complete with some serious and “expert” scare talk about all those jihadis among us. But there are some other experts out there with a very different perspective on the subject: actual domestic radicals. Turns out, American jihadis are really disappointed in American Muslims for their utter disinterest in al-Qaeda. And no wonder: more than 99.9 percent of U.S. Muslims want nothing to do with the radicals, new statistics show.

Unfortunately, no homegrown terrorists seem willing or able to testify, either because they’re subpoena-shy, in federal prison or playing a high stakes game of hide-and-seek with American drones in Yemen. They’re a chatty bunch, though, and have left a record of their thoughts on Muslims and their representatives here in the United States.

Take Samir Khan, for instance. Before fleeing to Yemen to edit the jihadist magazine Inspire, he freelanced media support for al-Qaeda from his home in North Carolina via the internet. Khan was quick to bemoan American Muslims’ disinterest in his concept of jihad, playing it off as the product of distraction rather than disagreement.

“It is the culture of hating death and loving wealth,” Khan wrote of American Muslim culture in a post to his “Ignored Puzzle Pieces of Knowledge” blog, using a play on Osama Bin Laden’s classic catch phrase. “They don’t want to fling themselves into the spears of the enemies when they could be playing their PlayStation 3 or enjoying their favorite television show or sport whilst eating their favorite dinner meal.”

It was a sentiment he later echoed in the pages of Jihad Recollections, an English-language screed Khan published with fellow extremists. It became the template for Inspire. “Their Islam is limited to the more ‘acceptable’ parts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, whilst they shun Islam’s more controversial or antagonistic teachings,” Khan wrote of those promoting “moderate” Islam. “We find many of our fellow Muslims in America that are absolutely blinded by the inspiring play of American politics, the comfortable practice of ‘moderate’ Islam, and the denunciation of the Islamists.”

Some domestic terrorists like Zachary Chesser (a.k.a. “Abu Talhah al-Amerikee”) spent a lot of time trying to overcome this indifference through propaganda. Before he got busted for trying to join the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab, Chesser published a 25 page plan, “Raising Al-Qaa’ida,” which plotted ways to “normalize” his abnormal concept of jihad — something he called a “taboo subject” among Muslims.

“Jihaad must return to its former status as a mainstream notion, Chesser wrote in the opening of his pamphlet. “Currently jihaad has a feeling of strangeness in the hearts of the Muslims in general, and this is not a good thing.”

And how about the media darling (and Yemeni radical) Anwar al-Awlaki? Ever since he left the United States, Awlaki’s gotten plenty of attention for inspiring would-be jihadis to launch terrorist attacks. But there’s something else he’s done a lot of, something that doesn’t get as much attention: hating on America’s Islamic leadership.

Awlaki raked the leaders of American Islamic organizations over the coals for their repeated condemnations of Nidal Malik Hasan after the Ft. Hood shootings in a post on his now defunct blog. In his March 2010 “Call to Jihad” tape, he heaped scorn on them again for their cooperation with authorities against terrorism.

“The Muslim community in America has been witnessing a gradual erosion and decline in core Islamic principles so today many of your scholars and Islamic organizations are openly approving of Muslims serving in the US Army to kill Muslims, joining the FBI, to spy against Muslims, and are standing between you and your duty of Jihad,” Awlaki said.

These statements are particularly noteworthy because they come from American radicals heavily involved in propaganda activities. If the evangelists of al-Qaeda’s narrative are lamenting the moderation of Muslims in America, that tells you something about the market for their ideas.

But the numbers tell the story of jihadis’ marginality in America in better detail. In a forthcoming report, Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert and senior advisor at the Rand Corporation, updates a previous study on the subject and counts the number of Muslims in America who’ve participated in jihadist-related crimes from 9/11 through 2010. He shared the results with Danger Room ahead of publication.

181 Muslims have either been indicted, arrested or self-identified (such as through suicide bombings in Somalia) as participating in jihadist-related crimes since 9/11, according to Jenkins’ study. Estimates on the number of Muslims in America population are numerous and inconsistent; the Pew forum fixes the number at 2.6 million, Jenkins uses a figure of 3 million. In either case, the figure lies between 0.007 to 0.006 percent of American Muslims — an extreme minority in the fullest sense of the words.

“This is half-hearted jihad,” says Jenkins. Even if hundreds or thousands of American-based Muslims support or tolerate the radicals on the sly, it’s still a tiny, tiny percentage of the whole.

Those few Muslims who choose to engage in terrorism still represent a threat that needs to be taken seriously. But their relative position on the fringe of the community yields an important insight as to how this should be undertaken: America’s Muslim community is an obstacle to participation in al-Qaeda’s twisted interpretation of jihad, not a gateway. The logical conclusion is that we must embrace this community in the fight against terrorism rather than undermine it through fear-mongering.

Photo: Defense.gov

[buglerbilly]

Peter King's modern-day witch hunt

By Eugene Robinson

Thursday, March 10, 2011; 8:00 PM

I watched a bunch of this on CBS etc...........the guy's an idiot who seems intent on divisive an approach as possible.........a complete waste of time for all concerned............and largely insulting to American Muslims...........:nutkick

"There is nothing radical or un-American in holding these hearings," Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) claimed Thursday as he launched his McCarthyite probe of American Muslims. He could not have been more wrong. If King is looking for threats to our freedoms and values, a mirror would be the place to start.

Here's why. Imagine a young man, a Muslim, who changes in troubling ways. His two best friends become concerned, then alarmed, as the young man abandons Western dress, displays a newfound religiosity and begins to echo jihadist rhetoric about the decadence of American society. Both friends suspect that the young man has become radicalized and might even attempt some kind of terrorist attack.

One friend is Muslim, the other Christian. Does the Muslim friend have a greater responsibility than the Christian to contact the authorities? By the logic of King's witch hunt, he does.

The Homeland Security Committee hearings that King has convened are billed as an inquiry into "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community's Response." In other words, King suspects that the Muslim community is somehow complicit. Individuals of one faith are implicated; individuals of another faith are not.

As Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), one of two Muslims in Congress, said in his moving testimony, King's premise assigns "collective blame" to American Muslims. "Demanding a community response . . . asserts that the entire community bears responsibility," Ellison said.

In his pugnacious opening statement, King noted that his plan to hold these hearings had been criticized by "special-interest groups and the media," which he said had gone into "paroxysms of rage and hysteria" at the prospect. "To back down would be a craven surrender to political correctness," he said. In case someone missed the point, King later said it was our duty to "put aside political correctness and define who our enemy truly is."

King asserted that "this committee cannot live in denial." He then went straight there - into denial - by paying no heed to the witness best situated to answer the committee's question.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca testified in opposition to King's premise, citing figures demonstrating that radical, extremist acts of crime are committed by non-Muslims as well, and that seven of the past 10 known terrorist plots involving al-Qaeda have been foiled in part by information provided by Muslim Americans. Baca said his officers have good, productive relationships with Muslim leaders and citizens. Law enforcement officials from other jurisdictions where there are large Muslim communities could have given similar testimony, had they been invited.

King is trying to peddle the hooey that moderate Muslims do not speak out against extremism. It took Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) to note the irony that among the committee's witnesses were two devout Muslims - one Syrian American, the other Somali American - who were there to speak out, quite loudly, against extremism.

King, in effect, was demanding to know why he didn't see what was taking place before his eyes. Perhaps he was distracted by the need to maintain constant vigilance for any hint of political correctness.

That's really what King's grandstanding is all about. The purpose of these hearings isn't to gather information. If it were, officials of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security would have been asked to testify. In addition to inviting Minneapolis-based Abdirizak Bihi, a Somali American whose nephew was recruited by the terrorist organization al-Shabab, King could have brought in police from the Twin Cities to testify about cooperation by the Somali immigrant community.

King's intent is theatrical, not substantive; he's not trying to elicit facts, he's inviting catcalls - and cheers.

It should not be so, but Islamophobia is a powerful force in American politics. There are those who will applaud King for associating the phrase "American Muslim community" with the phrase "who our enemy truly is."

But decency is a powerful force, too. The hearing's indelible moment came when Ellison broke down in tears. He was telling the story of Mohammad Salman Hamdani, a young Muslim who rushed into the World Trade Center to try to rescue victims just before the towers collapsed. His remains were found in the rubble.

Hamdani was not just a Muslim, Ellison said, fighting to choke out words that no one could dismiss as politically correct. He was "an American who gave everything for his fellow Americans."

eugenerobinson@washpost.com

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

New Tech Plan Along Border Draws Fire

Posted by Paul McLeary at 3/17/2011 8:23 AM CDT



While the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection say that they now have a workable post-SBInet technology plan going forward to monitor the southwest border, some folks from the watchdog Government Accountability Office ain’t quite so sure.

Dubbed the “Alternative (Southwest) Border Technology” program, this post-SBInet plan calls for both more integrated fixed towers—just like those that Boeing delivered under the SBInet program—along with more handheld and mobile surveillance tools for Border patrol agents in the field.

Released to coincide with testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee by several CBP and DHS officials on Tuesday, the preliminary GAO report says that the independent analysis of alternatives (AOA) done by Homeland Security officials to determine the new program’s cost-effectiveness isn’t quite up to snuff. The GAO says that it has some serious concerns (PDF!) about plans to move forward with technology procurement, since it’s not clear how the government interpreted the AOA results in order to make its new plans for technology acquisitions for future deployments in Arizona.

During the Congressional hearing on Wednesday, the GAO’s Richard M. Stana warned that the Request for Information the CBP put out last month looking for new surveillance technologies “looks very similar to the kinds of documents we saw with SBInet at the very beginning,” and that he hasn’t be able to review the new documents “that translate their view of the alternatives [to SBInet] into budget and operations and planning.”

While the DHS plans on spending $242 million in fiscal 2012 on mobile video surveillance systems, handheld sensors, and integrated fixed towers along the Arizona/Mexico border, “the cost-effectiveness and operational effectiveness and suitability of the Integrated Fixed Tower system is not yet clear,” Stana said. The AOA “cited a range of uncertainties” about mixing and matching the new technologies, Stana said, adding that a study by the Army’s Test and Evaluation Command was still incomplete when the DHS' decided to move ahead with the integrated fixed tower program.

In his prepared statement, Stana also said that while the AOA “identified uncertainties in costs and effectiveness” of the technology alternatives in each of the four geographic areas it looked at, “there was no clear-cut cost-effective technology alternative for any of the analysis areas. Yet, the AOA observed that a fixed tower alternative may represent the most effective choice only in certain circumstances.” In other words, the GAO feels that the DHS “did not consider the combination of technology approaches in the same geographic area and did not consider [other] technology solutions.”

DHS officials of course didn’t agree with all of this—as the department’s Mark Borkowski told me the other day—but the fight for the future of border security is most definitely still on, and industry is only now lining up for a shot at a couple hundred million in contracts. It’ll be interesting to watch.

Pic: GAO

[buglerbilly]

Next Step for Airport Security: Scanners for Your Shoes

By Adam Rawnsley March 17, 2011 | 4:31 pm



Updated: This story was updated with new information from the TSA on March 17, 2011 at 6:41 EDT.

It might not be long before airport security will let you keep your shoes on, even if they do grope you.

The Transportation Security Administration announced this week that it’s accepting proposals for a “shoe scanner” device. It could be a way to cut down on the aggravations of airline travel while still allowing officials to check for weapons and explosives inside a terrorist’s Reeboks. The idea crashed and burned when the Department of Homeland Security first proposed it years ago.

The current push to acquire the devices kicks off on April 25, when would-be designers will have the chance to submit proposals for the scanners.

What will the next scanners look like? Will they use X-ray or millimeter wave technology? Will they be held in a TSA agent’s hand, or will you have to put your feet on some kind of scanning pedestal? We’ll have to wait until the full request is published on April 25. But a TSA spokeswoman, Sarah Horowitz, tells Danger Room that the agency “is not limiting the types of technologies that can be considered, as long as they meet TSA’s requirements, including those for safety and detection standards.”

Ever since would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to blow up a transatlantic flight in December of 2001 with explosives concealed in his shoes, TSA has made airline passengers remove their shoes for X-raying, in the belief that terrorists will emulate Reid’s failed effort. Nearly 10 years later, TSA’s effort still contributes to long lines at security gates.

So, while TSA is still committed to the scanning approach to security, it wants the experience to be more convenient. It’s looking to “identify mature shoe scanning technology to support a future procurement which will eliminate the need for passengers to remove their shoes at the checkpoint,” says Horowitz.

Why “mature” tech? Because in the past, TSA has been stepped on when trying to scan shoes.

In 2007, TSA tested prototypes of ShoeScanner, built by General Electric’s GE Security for $200,000 each. They didn’t work. When USA Today took a look at the devices in use, it found that half of the passengers using them still had to take their shoes off, often because they moved their feet during the scanning process. GE submitted a new machine, but problems persisted. So that October, DHS announced it was discontinuing use of ShoeScanner because it did “not meet minimum detection standards” to find weapons and explosives.

In 2008, DHS also contracted with L3 Communications to provide two of its its PassPort explosives trace-detection systems for testing at Los Angeles International Airport. Rather than trying to look into your shoes like a scanning device does, PassPort works by sniffing them for signals of explosives.

L3’s website claims PassPort can identify a number of types of explosives, including frequent al-Qaida favorites like Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN and triacetone triperoxide, or TATP.

(Full disclosure: in 2004, I was a think-tank intern for David Heyman, now the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary for Policy. And the year before that, I temped for a company that contracted with L3.)

Security expert Bruce Schneier calls this approach “security theater” — implementing measures because they look and feel reassuring rather than providing meaningful security. Al-Qaeda’s history is one of disguising explosives in innovative ways.

After 9/11, airlines attempted to prevent another hijacking by hardening cockpit doors and were met with Reid smuggling explosives aboard in his sneakers.

TSA’s subsequent shoe-removal policies didn’t stop a group of British terrorists from developing liquid explosives to smuggle on board inside sports drink bottles. The liquids ban that was put in force was no obstacle to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s attempt aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 to detonate a bomb that he concealed in his underpants.

The shoe-removal policy and bans on liquids elicited some grumbling from the public, but nothing like the public outrage at TSA’s solution to future underwear bombers, when naked scanners, rolled out last fall.

“Of course it’s not going to make anyone safer,” Schneier e-mails Danger Room about the shoe scanners, “but it will make the security theater go faster, and that’s a good thing.” We could all stand a little less undressing at airports these days.

But don’t let a marginally faster airport experience lull you into complacency. Shoe-scanning might get you through the security line quicker — assuming the scanner gizmo DHS wants actually works this time. But that doesn’t mean it’ll stop the next airborne terrorist.

Photo: TSA

[buglerbilly]

WH Reversal: Military Tribunal for KSM

April 04, 2011

Associated Press



WASHINGTON - Yielding to political opposition, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged henchmen will be referred to military commissions for trial rather than to a civilian federal court in New York.

The families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks have waited almost a decade for justice, and "it must not be delayed any longer," Holder told a news conference.

Holder had announced the earlier plan for trial in New York City in November 2009, but that foundered amid widespread opposition to a civilian court trial, particularly in New York. Congress passed legislation that prohibits bringing any detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States.

Monday, the attorney general called the congressional restrictions unwise and unwarranted and said a legislative body cannot make prosecutorial decisions.

Most Republicans applauded the turnabout, but Holder said he is convinced that his earlier decision was the right one. The Justice Department had been prepared to bring "a powerful case" in civilian court, he said.

In New York on Monday, the government unsealed and got a judge to dismiss an indictment in the case that charged Mohammed and the others with 10 counts relating to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The dismissal was because the accused will not be tried in civilian court.

The indictment said that in late August 2001, as the terrorists in the United States made final preparations, Mohammed was notified about the date of the attack and relayed that to Osama bin Laden.

Some 9/11 family members supported the change to military commissions.

"We're delighted," said Alexander Santora, 74, father of deceased firefighter Christopher A. Santora. The father called the accused terrorists "demonic human beings, they've already said that they would kill us if they could, if they got the chance they would do it again."

Republican lawmakers, who led the opposition to a trial in civilian court, welcomed the administration's shift.

"While it is unfortunate that it took so long to make this announcement, I am pleased that the Obama administration has finally heeded those who rebuked their decision and that the trial is being held where it belongs," said Senate Judiciary Committee Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

New York Republican congressman Peter King, who has opposed trying the 9/11 conspirators in federal court, said Monday's decision is a vindication of President George W. Bush's detention policies. Some Democrats also said holding a trial in New York was the wrong way to go.

The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the administration's decision.

Cases prosecuted in military commissions now "are sure to be subject to continuous legal challenges and delays, and their outcomes will not be seen as legitimate. That is not justice," said ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero.

Holder said it is unclear whether the five men could receive the death penalty if they plead guilty in military court.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Who's Who in the Border Protection Competition

Posted by Paul McLeary at 4/6/2011 8:25 AM CDT



We’re finally getting a look at some of the technologies that companies are submitting to the Department of Homeland Security in consideration for deployment along the Arizona/Mexico border.

DHS’ Mark Borkowski recently gave industry the details of what he is looking for in the $750 million worth of contracts that the government is ready to hand out for new surveillance gear, and now we’re starting to hear from industry. Since Borkowski says that he wants to have all of his technology needs under contract within a year, lots of money is going to start flying around very soon, and industry is winding up with their best fastballs.

In a story for the April issue of DTI, I spoke with several companies involved in the bidding. One company in the hunt for post-SBInet contracts is DRS Technologies, which is submitting a version of the border surveillance system it has already provided to Jordan.

In 2009 the company delivered networked ground surveillance radars and electro-optic/infrared camera bundles that feed back into a common operating picture, much like what the DHS wants to do along the U.S./Mexico border. The company is also in the final stages of receiving a sole-source award for an additional phase of the Jordanian program.

“We designed [the Jordanian system] as an architecture that can be incrementally applied to the entire border region,” says Jim Hynes, executive director for DHS and Force Protection Systems. The question now is “how do we leverage that and provide the U.S. government with a similar capability” along the Mexican border.

Raytheon is also thought to be in the mix, though they declined to comment. I spoke to company reps about their Clear View system late last year, and the combination of cameras, sensors, operating and tracking software, and command-and-control system looks like it lines up with much of what the government is looking for.

As for Boeing—the lead integrator on the SBInet program—the company appears interested in participating in the competition to supply more fixed integrated towers, and representatives for the company have said that it believes it can drive down the cost per mile from its existing towers. Borkowski told me he’s open to listen to Boeing’s pitches (don’t forget, SBInet towers are operating effectively in Arizona), telling me that Boeing is “certainly welcome” to bid on the integrated fixed-tower procurement. He sees Boeing’s towers as a high-end version of what he wants, and asks, “Is there value, do I really need that, or can I do nearly as well or just as well with a lower-end version?”

Pic: Northcom

[buglerbilly]

RADA Unveils a New Radar Optimized for Homeland Security

April 10, 2011tamir_eshel1 comment



Assembled in four panels formed in a pyramid-like structure MHSR provides almost full hemispheric coverage of ground and air surveillance over 360° in azimuth, and 80° in elevation at tactical ranges.

Israel’s defense electronics company RADA is unveiling at LAAD 2011 a new phased array ground and air surveillance radar optimized for homeland security applications. The RHS-40 Multimode Hemisphere Surveillance Radars (MHSR) is a new member RADA’s Family of Pulse Doppler, AESA, Solid State Radars, utilized for active protection systems, perimeter defense and now – air and ground surveillance.

The MHSR combines four individual elements synchronized into hemispheric 3D coverage. Each element covers a sector of 90° and can operate independently. Assembled in four panels formed in a pyramid-like structure MHSR provides almost full hemispheric coverage of ground and air surveillance over 360° in azimuth, and 80° in elevation at tactical ranges. According to RADA, the radar was designed to provide an affordable, modular solution for border protection and coverage of wide areas, offering optimal detection capability of ground targets and aerial targets, specifically HLS relevant objects flying slow at very low level.

The MHSR is programmable for multi-mode operation, detecting typical threats relevant to the homeland security and military domains. In February this year RADA launched another member of its static ground surveillance radar family, the RHS-20 Perimeter Surveillance Radar (PSR). This model uses a different configuration also covering 360° and is capable of detecting and tracking multiple moving targets such as pedestrians, vehicles and marine vessels as well as slow, low-flying targets such as UAVs and Ultra-Light Motorized Aircraft (ULA/ULM).

The PSR operates in the C-Band, offering superior performance in poor visibility conditions and under adverse weather conditions (heavy rain and snow). According to RADA, its new radars easily interface with any security system and other radars and sensors via Ethernet links.

[buglerbilly]

APRIL 12, 2011, 6:19 A.M. ET.

KGB Eyes Belarus Bomb 'Suspects'

Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus—Belarussian authorities said Tuesday they have suspects in a subway bombing as the death toll rose to 12, with more than 200 wounded. The opposition, meanwhile, voiced fears that the attack may lead to an increased crackdown on dissent.

Belarus's domestic security agency, which still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, said it had identified the likely perpetrator of Monday's explosion at a busy downtown subway station and was searching for him. It didn't elaborate.

Interior Minister Anatoly Kuleshov said police had created composite pictures of two male suspects using testimony from witnesses. He said the bomb apparently was radio-controlled.

The Interior Ministry said the bomb placed under a bench on the Oktyabrskaya station exploded as people were coming off the trains during the evening rush hour.

The Oktyabrskaya station is within 100 meters of the presidential administration building and the Palace of the Republic, a concert hall often used for government ceremonies.


Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
A Belarus metro employee helps men injured in a blast at a metro station in downtown Minsk. At least seven people were killed.

Belarus's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with officials late Monday that foreign forces could be behind the explosion, but he didn't elaborate.

Authorities said 204 people sought medical help and 157 of them were hospitalized, 22 of them in a critical condition. Viktor Sirenko, the chief doctor of the Minsk Emergency Hospital, said that many victims had lost arms or legs.

People streamed to the site of explosion to lay flowers as police tightened security at all subway stations.

"I went through that hell, I saw that pile of disfigured bodies," 37-year old Nina Rusetskaya said as she lit a candle at the explosion site. "I rode a car in the back of the train and only survived by a miracle."

Mr. Lukashenko, in power for nearly 17 years and dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the West, was declared the overwhelming winner of December's presidential election, which international observers said was rigged. He has run the former Soviet nation of 10 million with an iron fist, retaining Soviet-style controls over the economy and cracking down on opposition and independent media.

Mr. Lukashenko took his six-year-old son to visit the site of the explosion about two hours after the blast. He later ordered the country's feared security forces to "turn everything inside-out" to find the culprits.

Many in the beleaguered opposition worry that harassment and oppression will increase in the wake of the blast.

"The authorities may use the explosion for further limitations of civil freedoms and tightening security measures," said Anatoly Lebedko, leader of the opposition United Civil Party. Mr. Lebedko was released from jail last week after being arrested in a sweep against opposition supporters in the wake of the December presidential election.

In all, some 700 people were arrested after a massive demonstration broke out against the allegedly rigged vote.

On Tuesday, KGB agents conducted a search at one of the main Belarussian independent newspapers, Nasha Niva, editor Andrei Skurko told The Associated Press.

"They are blockading us in the editorial offices" and demanding the paper turn over videos taken at the blast site, he said.

Alexander Milinkevich, another prominent opposition leader, also expressed fears of a new crackdown. "Forces both inside and outside the country, which are interested in the destabilization of the situation in Belarus, could profit from that terror attack," Mr. Milinkevich said in a statement Tuesday. "These forces want to provoke even harsher political repressions."

The European Union and the U.S. have responded to the flawed vote with sanctions, leaving Mr. Lukashenko to rely exclusively on it main sponsor and ally, Russia.

Mr. Lukashenko has often launched diatribes at the West, accusing it of trying to destabilize Belarus. But his relations with Russia also have often been strained in the past as he accused the Kremlin of trying to wrest control over Belarus's key economic assets.

Belarus is facing a severe economic crisis with hard currency reserves running critically low and people waiting in daylong lines to exchange rubles as they prepare for devaluation of the national currency.

Alexander Klaskovsky, an independent political analyst, said that Mr. Lukashenko would likely use the attack to further tighten control in view of the economic upheavals.

"Lukashenko will use it to strengthen his hand ahead of a looming economic catastrophe and social tensions," he said.

[buglerbilly]

MI5 adopts new tactics to 'front up' terrorism suspects

Police officers are increasingly “fronting up” terrorism suspects on the instructions of MI5 in order to scare them into abandoning potential plots, a new report discloses.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

12:33PM BST 12 Apr 2011

The tactic could have been used to prevent the July 7 attacks, according to one officer interviewed for the report which was commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

It says that the government’s “Prevent” counter-radicalisation policy has not driven a wedge between police and the Muslim community, despite reports to the contrary.

The government is currently undertaking a review of the strategy which is expected to report back in June.

The scale of the problem faced by police and community workers was highlighted by researchers who found that almost all of the mosques where they conducted interviews had experienced difficulties with extremists.

It says that the development of an “overt" counter-terrorism policing capability represents a “profound change in direction” which is offering “new ways of countering the risks and threats posed by violent extremists.”

One police officer, in what was described as a “particularly progressive" counter-terrorism unit (CTU), said: "I shan't name venues, but there's been a number of occasions where MI5 have been looking at a particular venue for years.

"They've done a normal surveillance... and we're at the point now in this force where we're being tasked to go into these venues as open CTU officers and say 'Hello, you know we're local CTU!' and we've done it and it's worked.

"Where the [Security] Service have got real concerns about a group of individuals, evidentially they can't be locked up, let's just 'front them'.”

The officer said the concerns were about “what you're doing or who you're hanging around with, what you're watching on the internet.”

He said that they told the individuals: "If you carry on there's a likelihood you might be arrested, but if you stop, if you want some support or if someone's trying to get you to do something you're not happy with, give me a call.”

The officer said the technique had increased in the last two years and added: "To have that level of engagement and confidence in what we do from the Security Service is a massive step."

Another officer mentioned the case of Mohammed Sidique Khan, the leader of the July 7 bombers, who had appeared on MI5’s radar on several occasions before the bombings in 2005.

“The reason the Service said they weren’t pursuing them was because they weren’t high enough on the intel [intelligence] radar.

“However, why didn’t we just send a couple of uniformed officers to knock on the door and say ‘Hi Mohammed, I’m from the counter-terrorism unit, we really need to have a chat’?

“They’ve no idea what level of detail we know – very, very powerful that.”

The report, by Professor Martin Innes of the Universities Police Science Institute in Cardiff, said that a “predictive and pre-emptive” approach to policing had been established that blends traditional counter-terrorism policing with lessons learned from nighbourhood policing.

One of the key elements of the programme, the report said, was to find new responses to forms of “anti-social behaviour that are offensive and undesirable but on the margins of legality.”

The report said there had been a move to far more open, transparent and visible forms of policing and that a covert approach was no longer the “default option for counter-terrorism work.”

The new approach, it said, needed a grater public awareness of the issues and risks involved in the “dirty work of defending democracy.”

It also said there was a need for highly localised “rapid response” interventions to help individuals.

Despite the new approach, the report said that disruption methods could never wholly replace more covert approaches to terrorism threats.

The report said that 11 of the 12 mosques interviewed across the country reported encounters with banned groups such as al-Muhajiroun on multiple occasions and that “some had succeeded in rebuffing these advances” but others had not.

But it cited an exampled in Alum Rock, Birmingham, where police had backed up a community initiative to drive out radicals.

One community worker said they had told the radicals: “Not on our streets!” and added: “There’s a law so you’ve got to play in with the law, so we work with the police to make sure that we will not escalate it or anything like that and if they are around if anything was going to take off they could manage the situation straight away, so it’s a partnership.”

Despite allegations that the project had driven a wedge between police and the Muslim community, the report found that Muslims express higher levels of trust and confidence in the police than the general population.

“This is an important finding because it challenges the oft repeated claim that Muslim communities in the UK are being profoundly alienated and disenchanted by the workings of the Prevent programme,” the report said.

It added that Muslim perceptions of the police have been “remarkably stable and largely positive” and that “Prevent policing does not appear to be causing widespread damage to police and Muslim community relations.”

It admitted that Prevent was a “tainted brand” as a result of poor initial implementation with tactics being worked out “on the run” resulting in a “toxic endowment.”

But most complaints were around funding that was allocated to inappropriate groups – described by one community worker as “poverty pimps” - that were not delivering practical benefits.

There was concern that local authorities are cutting their funding to counter-radicalisation groups because they are responding to cuts by simply turning off the tap to non-council services.

However the report highlighted that those involved in challenging extremists can expose themselves to “substantial personal risks of retaliation” and the problem of how to protect them was “especially taxing.”

It added that the social problems that the strategy is designed to tackle are “immensely difficult and challenging.”

[buglerbilly]

DATE:13/04/11

SOURCE:Flight International

LAAD11: Brazil defines new surveillance needs worth up to $11 billion

By Stephen Trimble

Brazil's military has outlined requirements, valued at up to $11 billion, to establish two vast new surveillance networks with coverage ranging from the remote and lawless north-west border to the oil fields discovered hundreds of kilometres off the country's eastern coastline.

Both programmes would create surveillance networks for the army and navy on a par with the system used to cover the Amazon (SIVAM) initially deployed by the air force nine years ago.

Military officials are seeking to launch the programmes ahead of an expected surge of government spending on security to support the football World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Luis Carlos Aguiar, chief executive of Embraer's Defense and Security business, estimates the army network - dubbed the System for the Surveillance of the Frontier (SISFRON) - will cost $6-7 billion, and a request for proposals will be issued later this year, with the contract award in 2012.

The navy's network - the system for the surveillance of the Blue Amazon (SISGAAZ) - could cost up to $4 billion, Aguiar says. But the timing for the request for proposals release is not clear. "It will take some time," Aguiar says.

Both networks would establish multiple layers of surveillance coverage against Brazil's principal security threats - smugglers, pirates and criminal gangs - with existing assets supported by new satellites and unmanned aircraft systems.

The existence of SISFRON and SISGAAZ help explain several recent strategic moves by Embraer, including the December launch of its standalone Defence and Security business led by Aguiar.

Embraer also has made two key acquisitions of local companies, including a majority stake in unmanned air vehicle-maker and sensor developer OrbiSat in March.

At the Latin America Aerospace and Defence conference, Embraer also announced acquiring 50% of the shares of Atech, a local company which defined and developed the command and control systems for SIVAM in 1997 while it was part of a government agency.

Atech was spun off into a private company in late 2009, but has been involved in defining the requirements for SISFRON, Aguiar says.

Embraer has moved quickly to reposition itself as a systems integrator in the defence market, where it was previously content to supply aircraft and system upgrades.

Foreign companies are also seeking to move into the same market in Brazil. Israel Aerospace Industries has launched a partnership with local company Synergy, seeking to provide system integration services combining the Israeli firms products spanning from satellites, UAVs and manned aircraft.

Meanwhile, Saab also has advertised its interest to become an integrator for SISGAAZ, tying together either the company's mix of surveillance sensors and platforms or technologies by other firms.

[buglerbilly]

Another Drug Sub is Caught at Sea



Here’s some great mid-week image porn. It’s U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 106 capturing a drug sub in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean on April 15. The boat was carrying six tons of cocaine (damn, that’s a lot of money) along with its crew of four.

It looks like this narco boat is only a semi-submersible, relatively old school compared with the new generation of genuine submarines the cartels are now fielding.

While this is a great catch for the USCG, I’ve got to ask; how many of these incredibly hard to find boats are making it to their destinations undetected for every one that is caught?

Read more: http://defensetech.org/#ixzz1K7CMpXmY
Defense.org

[ARH v.3.1]

Apparently on a global scale only 40% of the cocaine supply gets intercepted.

[ADMk2]

40%? They should employ Charlie Sheen. He "handles" nearly 50% of the world's Coke on his own...

[buglerbilly]

University campuses are 'hotbeds of Islamic extremism'

Islamic fundamentalism is being allowed to flourish at universities, endangering national security, MPs and peers say.

By Duncan Gardham10:04PM BST 27 Apr 2011

Islamic fundamentalism is being allowed to flourish at universities, endangering national security, MPs and peers said yesterday.


Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a former student at University College London

Academics are turning a blind eye to radicals because they do not want to spy on students, a report claimed.

Despite "damning evidence" of a serious problem, little progress had been made in tackling the unsustainable situation, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homeland Security said.

They urged the Government to tackle the issue on campuses with "utmost urgency".

Such extremism "endangers our security at home and has international implications that are serious enough to threaten our alliance relationships", said the group, which includes the former home secretary Lord Reid.

Secret files obtained by The Daily Telegraph and WikiLeaks disclosed this week that at least 35 terrorists held at Guantánamo Bay were indoctrinated by extremists in Britain.

The leaked documents, written by senior US military commanders, illustrated how Britain effectively became a crucible of terrorism over the course of two decades.

The parliamentary group was set up two years ago to carry out research into homeland security issues.

Its inaugural report comes after a separate inquiry by the umbrella organisation for universities earlier this year said animal rights extremists posed a greater problem than Islamist radicals.

Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said it could do very little about extremism on campus. Instead it issued new guidance on the importance of freedom of speech. Their report followed the attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a former student at University College London, to blow himself up using a bomb in his underpants as a flight came in to land at Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009.

Abdulmutallab, an engineering student, was the Islamic Society president from 2006 to 2007.

The parliamentarians' report said Britain's homeland security strategy failed to address in sufficient detail how to tackle the threat of extremism at universities, how to strengthen businesses' ability to deal with a terrorist attack and how to ensure security over the internet.

The report said some universities and colleges had become sites where extremist religion and radicalism could flourish "beyond the sight of academics".

They also noted that there was a "reluctance to co-operate with the police on the part of some universities that did not want to be seen to be 'spying' on their students".

The MPs and peers said universities presented a "unique challenge". However, "in some cases [they] evidently struggle to establish the correct balance between academic freedoms and university authorities' responsibilities as part of ensuring homeland security."

In the report, entitled Keeping Britain Safe, the MPs and peers said the problem of universities as places of radicalisation required "urgent and sustained attention by the new Government".

Several witnesses had flagged up "serious problems" evident in universities and the issue was of "grave concern." The problems they cited included examples of extremist preachers being invited on to campuses.

Abdulmutallab was only one in a long line of university students to become involved in terrorism.

A recent survey found that 31 per cent of those convicted of terrorist-related offences had attended university and 10 per cent were still students when they were arrested. Two of the July 7 bombers had been students.

Think tanks have highlighted a succession of extremist speakers invited to deliver lectures unopposed at university Islamic societies, including UCL.

Westminster University recently elected students with links to the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir as president and vice-president of the student union.

The report also raised “significant concerns” over unregulated foreign funding of universities. It said that, in many cases, the funding had a political purpose and could have direct effects upon the institutional structure, curriculum, appointments and the schedule of events.

The London School of Economics was among the controversial recipients of foreign aid, accepting a donation of £1.5 million from a trust controlled by Col Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif.

The report quoted one witness, Prof Anthony Glees, of Buckingham University, who said Arab and other foreign governments had ploughed £240 million into Islamic studies courses at universities over the past 10 years.

The report said the role of businesses in preparing for emergencies such as terrorist attacks was “highly problematic”.

The Government’s new counter-terrorism strategy will aim to “prevent the import and dissemination of extremist written material and speech which promotes hatred” on campus, the report said.

“These are welcome initiatives which must be implemented forcefully,” the MPs added. “This complex subject requires further attention. It has been an obvious and neglected problem for too long and must be tackled as a matter of utmost urgency.”

The report also found that the processes behind the National Security Strategy (NSS) and the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) were “deeply unsatisfactory”.

“Too much was done in too little time, consultations were not extensive enough and it presents a lost opportunity for a sophisticated debate about internal and external defence,” it said.

Bernard Jenkin, the group’s chairman, said: “The NSS and SDSR are not a satisfactory basis for the UK’s homeland security strategy for the next five years.”

[buglerbilly]

Courts regain power to deport terrorist suspects

British courts yesterday won back the power to deport terrorist suspects, criminals and failed asylum seekers after European judges were told to stop interfering.


Mr Clarke said it was an 'important first step' in the wider reform of European human rights laws Photo: PA

By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor11:52PM BST 27 Apr 2011

A huge win for the UK, the EU Court has been allowed to strangle UK rights for far too long, especially when too many of the EU Courts are unelected and in some cases, unqualified Judges.............

A declaration from all the countries signed up to the European Court of Human Rights said it should only rule on asylum and immigration cases in "exceptional circumstances".

Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, who had been one of the principal figures behind the declaration, said it was an "important first step" in the wider reform of European human rights laws.

It means, in most cases, that the final decision on who should be removed from a country will rest once again with domestic courts. The move will help to allay concerns that Britain is powerless to eject extremists and terrorist suspects who pose a risk to the public.

Suspects have been able to resist deportation by taking their cases to Europe after exhausting all appeals in the domestic courts. It has meant that firebrand preachers, such as Abu Qatada, have been able to stay in the country on state handouts.

But the influence of the European court in deportation cases will be severely curtailed as a result of yesterday's declaration.

The statement was signed by the 47 members of the Council of Europe, which set up and oversees the Strasbourg court, after a conference on the future of the court held in Turkey. The declaration said the conference "invites the court, when examining cases related to asylum and immigration, to assess and take full account of the effectiveness of domestic procedures and, where these procedures are seen to operate fairly and with respect for human rights, to avoid intervening except in the most exceptional circumstances".

For Britain, that would mean the Supreme Court, in most cases, would become the last point of appeal for those fighting deportation.

It will also ease any indirect pressure on domestic judges who may be concerned their rulings will be dragged off to Europe to be scrutinised.

Mr Clarke said yesterday: "I believe that it is for national parliaments and courts to protect the rights in the Convention [European Convention of Human Rights].

"Strasbourg should not be used as a court of appeal from our own Supreme Court – and it shouldn't step in where cases have already been properly considered by independent, reputable national courts."

[buglerbilly]

More than 200 people on US terror watch list were able to legally buy firearms in 2010

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, April 28, 3:13 PM

WASHINGTON — More than 200 people suspected of ties to terrorism bought guns in the U.S. last year legally, FBI figures show.

The 247 people who were allowed to buy weapons did so after going through required background checks as required by federal law.

It is not illegal for people listed on the government’s terror watch list to buy weapons. For years, that has bothered Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who is trying again to change the law to keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

The secret, fluid nature of the terror watch list has made closing what Lautenberg calls a “terror gap” in the nation’s gun laws a challenge. About the same number of people suspected of ties to terrorism also successfully purchased guns in the U.S. in 2009. The FBI provided the new numbers to the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm, and the figures were obtained by The Associated Press.

The government can only prevent people from buying guns for any of 11 reasons. Convicted felons and illegal immigrants, for example, cannot buy weapons. But the terrorist watch list is different. People become convicted felons only after a court process and an opportunity to defend themselves. The watch list is secret and generated at the government’s discretion. It is not a list of people convicted of terrorism crimes.

The list of about 450,000 people includes suspected members of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations, terror financiers, terror recruiters and people who attended training camps. People’s names are added to and removed from the watch list every day, and most people never know whether they’re on it.

Lautenberg and two dozen other members of Congress want the attorney general to have the authority to prevent someone on the terror watch list from buying a gun if the attorney general believes that person will use it in a terrorist act. The Justice Department under both the Bush and Obama administrations has supported this effort.

“This is a homeland security issue, not a gun issue, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to stop a terrorist from buying a dangerous weapon in the United States,” Lautenberg told the AP.

Between February 2004 and December 2010, 1,453 people on the terror watch list have attempted to buy firearms or explosives. Of those, 90 percent of the people were allowed to go through with their purchases. There is no public information about anyone on the watch list who was allowed to buy a firearm using it in a crime.

The National Rifle Association, which wields significant political influence in Washington, is opposed to a law that would give the attorney general the authority to deny someone on the watch list the ability to buy a firearm. NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said the watch list lacks integrity and includes law-abiding citizens who are mistaken as having ties to terrorists.

“We think it’s wrong to arbitrarily deny a law-abiding person a constitutional right,” he said. Further, he said, the NRA does not think a political appointee, such as the attorney general, should have the discretionary authority to decide that someone on the watch list is so dangerous that he should not be allowed to buy a gun. Arulanandam said if a terrorist is legitimately on the watch list, that person should be arrested, prosecuted and punished.

President Barack Obama has steered clear of politically sensitive gun-control issues. But the Justice Department would support a bill that would help prevent terrorists from getting firearms.

“The department is committed to doing everything within its power to keep firearms out of the hands of persons who may intend to use those weapons to commit terrorist acts,” Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said. “To the extent Congress wishes to provide the department with additional tools that would improve the status quo, we remain committed to working with them to achieve that goal.”

Every time someone tries to buy a gun in the U.S., the background checks include the terror watch list. When there is a match, the information is shared with the FBI case agent who is leading the terrorism investigation, according to a counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the process.

To deny all people on the watch list from purchasing a weapon would mean the government would have to tell someone he or she is on the list. A person who knows he is on a watch list could change his behavior or even his identity to avoid detection, the official said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Lockheed Martin Delivers Second Mid-Life Upgrade P-3 Orion to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

(Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company; issued April 27, 2011)

GREENVILLE, S.C. --- Lockheed Martin has delivered the second P-3 Orion with new Mid-Life Upgrade enhancements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

This newly re-winged P-3 joins CBP's first upgraded Orion, which is currently operational. These aircraft support the critical missions of interdicting and preventing acts of terrorism, and the unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs and other contraband toward or across the borders of the United States.

"We are proud of the partnership we have with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and are committed to providing them a cost-effective solution to maintain and sustain their P-3s for decades to come," said Ray Burick, Lockheed Martin P-3 Programs and Greenville Operations vice president.

Lockheed Martin's P-3 MLU program provides a technically proven, low risk solution by replacing the aircraft outer wings, center wing lower surface and horizontal stabilizer with new production components.

The MLU replaces all fatigue-life limiting structures with enhanced-design components and incorporates a new metal alloy that is five times more corrosion resistant, greatly reducing the cost of ownership for P-3 operators. The MLU removes current aircraft flight restrictions and extends the structural service life of the P-3 up to 15,000 hours, adding more than 20 years of operational use.

P-3 Orion is the standard for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and is used for homeland security, hurricane reconnaissance, anti-piracy operations, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, intelligence gathering and antisubmarine warfare. P-3s were used to assist in air traffic control and data gathering over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

From Vuurwapen Blog................

April 27, 2011

Confusion and Poor Communication Among Border Security Agencies


“We’ve already had one blue-on-blue incident,” said the park ranger. “We don’t want any more. There are fourteen different agencies working in this part of the desert.”

“It seems like you guys don’t communicate very well with one another,” I said.

He smiled. “There are fourteen different agencies.”

In the past year, I’ve traveled to a number of locations in the Arizona/Sonora border region where smuggling activity is considered to be high. Sometimes I encounter law enforcement; sometimes I don’t. I can’t say that I’ve met people from fourteen different law enforcement agencies, but I can say this: from what I can see, they aren’t talking to each other very well.

I’ve lost track of the number of times that an agent, officer or deputy from one agency has mistaken me for someone belonging to another agency, even allowing me to pass by them unchallenged. In one instance, I stood next to the border fence, in an area closed to the public, while wearing civilian clothes – as a Border Patrol SUV approached. The agent simply drove by me and threw up the “peace” sign.

In another instance – this one at night – deputies on a hilltop observation post, equipped with night vision devices, said they spotted me approaching two other deputies in the valley below. They didn’t even bother contacting the deputies below, because, as one said, “We thought you were with us.” When I reached the valley location, the deputies there were incredibly surprised to hear me call out to them from the darkness, and responded with an appropriate – and professional – level of caution.

Although there seems to be a coordinated effort to secure certain parts of the border, this level of coordination does not apparently rise to the use of a common radio frequency – or if it does, individual law enforcement officers are choosing to not use it. Officers sometimes work within several hundred yards of one another without knowing of the others’ presence, or if they are aware of their presence, they are not aware of their identification – and they make little effort to identify one another.

Communication with the Mexican Army, which is to be considered vital from a “total security” standpoint, is spotty. In some areas, liaison officers can have Mexican Army soldiers provide backup to Border Patrol agents – while staying on their respective sides of the border – within minutes. In other areas, there is little to no communication between the nations at the tactical or operational level.

The events of 9/11 brought about a new – and apparently temporary – mindset among officials in the federal government. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was supposed to increase coordination among intelligence and law enforcement agencies, but it would appear, from my perspective, that it has done nothing but add another layer of bureaucracy. I am not well educated about the amount of funding DHS is allocated, but if I were in an official position to question them about the efficacy of that spending, I would certainly do so.


“There’s a big push to secure this sector right now,” the Border Patrol agent said.

“Is it working?” I asked.

“Absolutely not,” he said, laughing.

[buglerbilly]

Germans Arrest 3 Suspected Al-Qaida

April 29, 2011

Associated Press

BERLIN - German police on Friday arrested three suspected members of the al-Qaida terrorist organization who officials say posed a "concrete and imminent danger" to the nation.

Authorities did not say whether the three had planned specific targets and offered few details, but security officials said that all three suspects were of Moroccan origin. They also said that two were arrested were in the western German city of Duesseldorf and one in nearby Bochum. The arrests were based on suspicion they were planning a terror attack, they said.

The arrests "succeeded in averting a concrete and imminent danger, presented by international terrorism," German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement. They showed "Germany remains a target of international terrorists."

Germany has escaped any large-scale attack by an Islamic terror organization, such as the Madrid train bombings of 2004 and the London transit attacks of 2005. But Germany's presence as part of the NATO coalition in Afghanistan has sparked anger and at least two major plots have been thwarted or failed in Germany before they could be carried out.

The suspects had been under surveillance since November when Germany increased security across the country in response to heightened terror threat warnings in Europe, but authorities only had enough evidence to launch an official criminal investigation starting April 15, German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement.

Federal prosecutors said earlier they had ordered Germany's federal police to arrest the trio, but gave no further information about the timing or location of the arrests. Officials were planning a news conference for Saturday.

A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss an ongoing investigation told The Associated Press in Washington D.C. that a SWAT team picked up three people in a raid on suspicion they were planning an attack with explosives.

"Our concerns about threats in Europe had a number of different threads and strands, some of which have been disrupted by good intelligence and law enforcement work by the relevant services," another U.S. official told the AP on condition of anonymity.

"There have been five disrupted plots in Europe during the past four years - including a credible plot in Germany in 2007 - all of which demonstrate Pakistan-based al-Qaida's steadfast intent to attack the US and our allies."

Duesseldorf, a city of 600,000 has one of the largest Moroccan immigrant communities in Germany. It is to host the Eurovision Song Contest on May 14, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators.

The German prosecutors said the three alleged terrorists would be brought before a judge Saturday who will decide whether they are to remain in detention pending a trial.

Germany raised its security posture in November after receiving information from its own and foreign intelligence services that led authorities to believe a sleeper cell of some 20 to 25 people may have been planning an attack inside the country or in another European nation.

Around the same time Germany also received information from U.S. sources that an attack similar to that in Mumbai in Nov. 2008 that killed 166 may be planned for Germany, the official said. Later, Germany received information on possible attacks at Christmas or New Year's.

In February, the German government lowered the terror level and reduced the number of police officers patrolling railway stations and other public places, but made clear at the time that a threat to the country still remains.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

MAY 4, 2011.

Britain Arrests Five Under Antiterror Laws

By ALISTAIR MACDONALD

British police said they arrested five men near a nuclear plant in northwest England under antiterrorism laws.

The arrests come as the U.K. and other countries are on high alert for potential reprisals following the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden early Monday morning.


Reuters
A view of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site near Seascale in Cumbria in this April 12 photo.

The arrests were made Monday afternoon local time after police officers from Britain's Civil Nuclear Constabulary conducted a routine stop check on a vehicle close to the Sellafield nuclear-power plant in West Cumbria, the police said in a statement. The plant is in a largely rural part of northwest England.

The five men, who are all from London and in their 20s, are being questioned in Manchester by counterterrorism police. Police said they were also searching four addresses in East London following the arrests and had taken a small container from one property for forensic examination.

The men, of south Asian origin, were stopped as they tried to film the Sellafield plant site, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The arrests came as governments around the world on Monday stepped up measures to be prepared for possible strikes aimed at retaliating against bin Laden's killing by U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan.

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said that "at this stage" they aren't aware of any connection between the men and recent events in Pakistan.

The U.K. has told its military installations and its embassies abroad to review their security in the wake of the killing. Late Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron held a meeting of the so-called COBRA committee, which convenes to discuss issues of national security ranging from floods to terror threats.

Britain sees itself as being particularly high on any potential revenge list. It has been targeted by al Qaeda-inspired terrorism before, including an attack on the London transport system in 2005 in which 56 people were killed.

In the nearly 10 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.K. has often found itself in the middle of the terrorism debate, in part because radical Islam has developed a strong presence in the country, where some mosques have been accused of serving as al Qaeda recruiting hubs.

Sellafield is the U.K.'s largest nuclear site, though it is used for decommissioning spent nuclear fuel, not for power generation. Last year, the government asked Sellafield and other nuclear plants to review their security against potential terror attacks. "We have a robust process in place to maintain safety and security of the site," a spokesman for Sellafield said.

Write to Alistair MacDonald at alistair.macdonald@wsj.com

[buglerbilly]

Anti-aircraft missile smuggler sentenced to 25 years

May 9, 2011 | 12:32pm

The first person indicted in a plot to smuggle anti-aircraft missiles into the United States after the 9/11 attacks was sentenced Monday in Los Angeles federal court to 25 years in prison.

Yi Qing Chen, 49, of Rosemead received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer, who described the defendant as someone who “never saw a criminal scheme he didn’t want a part of.”

A federal jury convicted Chen last October of five felony charges: conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine; distribution of cocaine; trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes (about 800,000 cases); trafficking in contraband cigarettes; and conspiracy to import missile systems designed to destroy aircraft.

Prosecutors told jurors that Chen conspired to smuggle Chinese-made QW-2 shoulder-fired missiles into the United States and was convicted under a 2004 law.

“Mr. Chen was the first person in the nation to be indicted for plotting to smuggle anti-aircraft missiles into the United States after the 9/11 attacks,” said U.S. Atty. Andre Birotte Jr. “The 25-year sentence imposed today appropriately reflects the severity of the threat this conspiracy posed to the security of the United States.”

Chen’s arrest and conviction stemmed from Operation Smoking Dragon, an FBI-led undercover investigation into smuggling operations in Southern California.

The investigation netted 87 people on charges related to international conspiracies to smuggle counterfeit U.S. currency, drugs and other contraband into the United States.

In 2006, a man who conspired with Chen pleaded guilty in relation to various smuggling plots, including the scheme to bring the surface-to-air missiles into the United States. Chao Tung Wu died while awaiting sentencing and before Chen was brought to trial.

The evidence in the case showed that Chen and Wu met with an undercover FBI agent and agreed to arrange the importation of shoulder-fired QW-2 missiles, as well as launch and operation hardware for the missiles, from China.

The missiles were never delivered because Wu and Chen were arrested in 2005 before the deal was concluded.

“Recordings played during trial, of defendant [Chen] and Wu, included discussions that they had engaged in a wide range of criminal activity, including narcotics and counterfeit cigarette trafficking and shipping vehicles to China in containers where documents fraudulently identified their contents,” prosecutors wrote in papers filed in court prior to Monday's sentencing.

In addition to the 25-year prison term, Fischer ordered Chen to pay $520,000 to Philip Morris for the counterfeit cigarettes smuggled into the United States.

[buglerbilly]

Obama, in border visit, renews call for immigration reform

By Perry Bacon Jr., Wednesday, May 11, 4:54 AM

EL PASO — Standing within sight of Mexico, President Obama declared Tuesday that “we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible,” in his latest attempt to rally support for a proposal that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

On his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border as president, Obama attempted to blunt the conservative argument that the United States should secure its own borders before making any other changes to liberalize immigration law. Obama reeled off a series of statistics that he says prove U.S. borders are not plagued by illegal crossings and crimes, as many conservatives say.

“They wanted more agents at the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the Southwest border than at any time in our history,” he said at the Chamizal National Memorial, a park here that is named after a 1963 agreement between the two countries and flies U.S. and Mexican flags.

Referring to conservative critics, he added, “The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents, more than twice as many as there were in 2004 . . . They wanted a fence. Well, the fence is now basically complete.”

The president accused Republicans of constantly looking to “move the goal posts” on what constitutes securing the border.

“Maybe they’ll need a moat,” he said, generating laughter from a crowd of more than 1,000. “Maybe they want alligators in the moat.”

Republicans say Obama is wrong in arguing that the border is secure. They cite a February report by the Government Accountability Office stating that only about 44 percent of the 2,000-mile U.S-Mexico border was under “operational control,” a measure of how easy it is to detect and then apprehend people illegally crossing into the United States.

“We hear from our constituents on a daily basis, and, while some progress has been made in some areas, they do not believe the border is secure,” Arizona Republican Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain said in a statement after Obama’s speech.

The president’s speech was an attempt to balance two political groups that he must woo for his 2012 campaign. Obama pledged to Hispanic voters, who overwhelmingly backed him in 2008, that he would seek legislation that would make it easier for undocumented workers to become citizens.

At the same time, he wants to show political independents that he is committed to border security and that increased immigration affects their lives positively.

Obama did not lay out a specific bill for Congress to take up, but he did outline four principles: further increasing border enforcement funding if necessary, punishing companies that deliberately hire undocumented workers, streamlining the legal immigration process and creating a pathway to citizenship.

Senate Democrats announced late Tuesday that they would re-introduce the Dream Act, a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for some students. The measure passed the House last year, when it was controlled by Democrats, but died in the Senate.

[buglerbilly]

Biometrics: Are We Ready for the Day Before Tomorrow?


(Image: Novo Concept)

Homeland Security & Defense Business Council Releases Monograph on Biometrics and ID Authentication

07:06 GMT, May 11, 2011 WASHINGTON | The Homeland Security and Defense Business Council today released its ninth monograph in its 9/10/11 Project, focusing on the growth of the use of biometrics and ID authentication, detailing how the partnership of government and private industry has brought sophisticated new biometric and authentication technologies to the mainstream.

Biometrics refers to the capture of one or more aspects of a person's physical characteristics that are unique to that individual and thus can be used as a reliable identifier. By that definition, an ordinary mug shot – a photograph of the face, which was possible as early as the 1830s – qualifies as a biometric. Except for mug shots, however, it was the matching of fingerprints that became a de rigueur tool of law-enforcement in the early twentieth century. Fingerprints, until fairly recently, were just that – fingerprints.

"The need to quickly and accurately identify a person seeking access to information, airports, chemical facilities and other secure locations, has dramatically increased over the last decade," said Marc Pearl, President & CEO of the Council. "With the technology and solutions of the private sector, our country is continuing to rely on and develop reliable identifiers that protect our nation each day. This monograph details the multifaceted public-private partnerships and private sector innovations that exist within the field of biometrics."

On the 10th of each month through September 2011, the Council will release a monograph that will provide a brief history of our security efforts on a specific topic, as well as an assessment of the future of that topic. Each monograph will include a running timeline (interactive on our website) illustrating the events, incidents, and critical government responses pertinent to that month's topic.

To view the biometrics monograph visit: http://homelandcouncil.org/the-91011-project-biometrics.html. Industry leaders will be made available for additional interviews. For more information on the project, visit http://www.homelandcouncil.org/91011-project.html.

[buglerbilly]

Al-Qaeda warns US of new jihad

May 12, 2011 - 1:04AM .

Al-Qaeda's supremo in Yemen -- Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland -- has warned Americans of a bloodier jihadist struggle to come following the terror mastermind's killing by US commandos.

The warning from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula came as top US Senator John Kerry announced a trip to mend fences with a resentful Pakistan, where bin Laden was gunned down, but also to seek answers on how he came to be there.

Pakistan Wednesday saw the first possible violent reaction to bin Laden's death, as drive-by attackers threw grenades at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Karachi, the country's biggest city.

A local official said authorities were taking measures fearing a "big attack" to come.

AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahishi said in a statement posted on an Islamist website that the "ember of jihad (holy war) is brighter" following the May 2 killing of bin Laden, according to the SITE monitoring group.

The Yemen-based fugitive warned Americans not to fool themselves that the "matter will be over" with the killing of bin Laden, the Saudi-born architect of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"Do not think of the battle superficially... What is coming is greater and worse, and what is awaiting you is more intense and harmful," Wahishi said, according to a SITE translation.

"We promise Allah that we will remain firm in the covenant and that we will continue the march, and that the death of the sheikh will only increase our persistence to fight the Jews and the Americans in order to take revenge."

The United States has warned of the threat posed by Islamist militancy in Yemen, the homeland of bin Laden's father, and has warned of the potential for the country to become a new staging ground for Al-Qaeda.

AQAP was born of a January 2009 merger between the Saudi and Yemeni Al-Qaeda branches. It claimed a failed attempt to bomb a Detroit-bound US airliner in December 2009 and was accused in October of sending parcel bombs addressed to US synagogues that were disguised inside computer printers.

Four days after bin Laden was killed in the US raid on his sprawling compound about two hours' drive from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, a US drone attack targeted US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi in southern Yemen.

The cleric, who Washington says has strong links to Al-Qaeda, survived the attack but two AQAP members were killed.

In Karachi, two men on a motorcycle threw two grenades at the heavily fortified Saudi consulate and escaped despite coming under fire from security guards, officials said.

"We are seeing this incident in the present context," provincial government official Sharfuddin Memon told AFP. "It could be a reaction of the Osama incident."

"We fear that desperate elements are planning to launch a big attack. We are taking precautionary measures in this regard," he warned.

Bin Laden's killing has not ignited mass protests in Pakistan, where more than 4,240 people have died in bomb attacks blamed on the radical Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the last four years, but small gatherings have vowed revenge.

Saudi Arabia expelled bin Laden in 1991 and later revoked his nationality. The government in Riyadh, which is allied to the authorities in Islamabad, last week welcomed his killing as a boost to international anti-terror efforts.

But the discovery of bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad after a decade-long manhunt has plunged testy relations between Islamabad and Washington deeper into trouble.

Pakistan is an uneasy ally in the US-led war against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgency in neighboring Afghanistan, and receives billions of US dollars in US aid annually.

Senator Kerry said that when he traveled to Pakistan early next week he hoped to resolve some of the puzzles lingering since the Al-Qaeda leader was finally unearthed and shot dead by elite US Navy SEALs.

"There are some serious questions, obviously, there are some serious issues that we've just got to find a way to resolve together," Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters.

But the Democratic ally of President Barack Obama also stressed the need to discuss the aftermath of bin Laden's death "and how we get on the right track" with Pakistan. Islamabad welcomed the visit as an opportunity to ease mistrust.

There are mounting allegations that bin Laden evaded capture for years thanks to the complicity or the incompetence of Pakistan's authorities, including its vaunted intelligence agency.

But Pakistan's civilian government, while vowing a full investigation, has angrily dismissed the allegations and its powerful military has warned of unspecified reprisals if another unilateral US raid were to occur.

Pakistan opposition leader Nawaz Sharif rejected the internal military probe.

"We must get to the bottom of the issue. If not, then history will not forgive us," he said, lashing out at the government and the military, and calling for an independent inquiry.

© 2011 AFP
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

[buglerbilly]

US charges six with aiding Pakistani Taliban

May 15, 2011 - 2:09AM .

US officials arrested three Pakistani Americans including two imams Saturday, charging them and three others with providing or seeking to provide "material support" to the Pakistani Taliban, the Justice Department said.

The defendants, five men and one woman, "are charged with conspiring to provide, and providing, material support to a conspiracy to murder, maim and kidnap persons overseas, as well as conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically, the Pakistani Taliban," the department said in a statement.

Three of the defendants, including a 76-year-old imam of a Miami mosque, "are also charged with providing material support to the Pakistani Taliban," namely the transfer of funds to finance the group, which Washington lists as a terror organization.

At least five of the defendants are members of the same family.

The two men arrested in Florida, identified as US nationals Hafiz Khan, the imam and family patriarch, and his son Izhar Khan, 24, also an imam at a separate Florida mosque, are due to appear in federal court in Miami on Monday.

A second son, Irfan Khan, was arrested in Los Angeles. Three others, including Khan's daughter and her son, are at large in Pakistan.

Each face up to 15 years in prison per count.

The revelations come amid a period of great turmoil in ties between Islamabad and Washington in the aftermath of the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the recent double suicide bombing of a paramilitary police training center in northwest Pakistan that killed 89 people, in an attack it said was to avenge bin Laden's death at the hands of US forces.

The Justice Department, clearly wary of the sensitivities of linking religious figures to terror groups, repeatedly made clear in its statement that the indictment does not charge or accuse the mosques of wrongdoing, and that the defendants have been charged based on their role in providing "material support to terrorism," and not on their religious beliefs or teachings.

"Despite being an imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace," US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said in announcing the indictment.

"Instead, as today's charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming. But for law enforcement intervention, these defendants would have continued to transfer funds to Pakistan to finance the Pakistani Taliban, including its purchase of guns," he said.

The five men and one woman were accused of using an elaborate system of bank accounts and wire transfers to send funding from the United States to Pakistan, in part to sustain militants and their families.

The indictment also alleges that the elder Khan supported the Taliban through a madrassa, or Islamic school, that he founded in the Swat region of Pakistan.

"Khan has allegedly... sent children from the madrassa to learn to kill Americans in Afghanistan," it said.

In July 2009, Khan and his son Irfan participated in a recorded conversation in which Khan "called for an attack on the Pakistani Assembly that would resemble the September 2008 suicide bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad," according to the Justice Department.

John Gillies, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office, said the arrests meant "terrorists have lost another funding source to use against innocent people and US interests.

"We will not allow this country to be used as a base for funding and recruiting terrorists," he said.

© 2011 AFP
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

[buglerbilly]

More on this from the Wall Street Journal.............

MAY 14, 2011, 6:02 P.M. ET.

U.S. Charges Six with Terror Support in Pakistan

By EVAN PEREZ

Six people, including two imams at mosques in Florida, have been indicted on charges that include providing support to Pakistani Taliban terror plots, federal prosecutors said Saturday.

Miami U.S. Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer announced the charges following the arrests of Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76-year-old imam of the Miami Mosque; his son Izhar Khan, 24 years old, an imam at Jamaat al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Fla., a nearby suburb; and another son, Irfan Khan, 37 years old.


Associated Press
Jamaat al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Fla.

All three are U.S. citizens of Pakistani origin and residents of south Florida. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Hafiz Khan after early morning services outside his Miami mosque and Izhar Khan was arrested in the parking lot of his mosque around the same time early Saturday, said John Gillies, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office. Irfan Khan was arrested at a hotel in Los Angeles, he said.

Also charged are Amina Khan, her son Alam Zeb, and Ali Rehman, all residents of Pakistan. They haven't been arrested. Ms. Khan is a daughter of Hafiz Khan, and Mr. Zeb a grandson.

The six are charged with conspiracy and providing material support to murder, maim and kidnap persons overseas and conspiring to provide material support to the Pakistani Taliban, designated by the U.S. as a terror group. The indictment was approved by a grand jury on Thursday, but not made public until after the Saturday arrests. It doesn't allege the defendants were involved in any plots in the U.S.

Prosecutors allege that Hafiz Khan and others helped send money through bank accounts and wire transfers to help the Pakistani Taliban sustain its fighters and buy weapons. The indictment lists transactions totaling $50,000 sent to the Pakistani group, but a U.S. official said investigators know of other money transfers.

Mr. Ferrer said: "Despite being an imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace. Instead, as today's charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming."

In a conference call Saturday, Mr. Gillies said the arrests came as a result of a three-year-old investigation begun when the regional FBI-led terrorism task force began looking into suspicious financial transactions. Investigators used wiretaps to monitor conversations that prosecutors allege indicated a broad effort to gather money in the U.S. and finance the Pakistani Taliban.

The financing continued even after the group last year was designated by the U.S. as a terror group and banned from receiving funds from the U.S., Mr. Ferrer said in the conference call.


Associated Press
Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan is the imam at this Miami Mosque.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, is responsible for several major terror attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the 2010 Times Square bombing attempt. This week the group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 80 people in Pakistan in revenge for the recent U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

Officials said the arrests aren't related to intelligence the U.S. gained from the bin Laden operation.

The charges against local Muslim religious leaders come as Justice Department officials try gain the trust of Muslim communities around the country, while guarding against possible reprisal attacks following the killing of bin Laden.

Mr. Gillies said: "The Muslim and Arab-American members of our community should never be judged by the illegal activities of a few."

Messrs. Gillies and Ferrer said they have met the two imams arrested as part of ongoing Justice Department nationwide outreach efforts in local Muslim communities. After the arrests, the officials reached out to other Muslim leaders to explain the charges and to coordinate increased local police protection for mosques in the region and ward against any potential backlash, Mr. Ferrer said.

The indictment alleges that Mr. Khan ran an Islamic school, known as a madrassa, in the Swat region of Pakistan. The school, known by several names including Madrassa Arabiya Ahya-al-Aloom, trained children to join the Pakistani Taliban and to kill Americans in Afghanistan, the indictment alleges.

The indictment includes a list of financial transactions, including $10,000 withdrawals from Mr. Khan's bank account in Pakistan by the terror group sympathizers, who allegedly then provided the money to Pakistani Taliban commanders. The indictment quotes conversations allegedly between Mr. Khan and others describing their methods for moving money without arousing suspicion, and strategies for attacking officials from the Pakistani government and military.

Prosecutors cited wiretapped conversations in which Mr. Khan allegedly called for attacks in Pakistan, including one on the country's national assembly that would resemble a 2008 suicide bombing on a Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.

"This is based on the defendants' words and actions," Mr. Ferrer said.

Those arrested are scheduled to appear before a judge Monday. Attorneys representing them couldn't immediately be located.

Write to Evan Perez at evan.perez@wsj.com

[buglerbilly]

Strengths and Weaknesses of India’s Homeland Security


India has to tackle a large range of threats to its national security.

Interview with Mr Maroof Raza, Mentor of Security Watch India (SWI)

05:20 GMT, May 20, 2011 defpro.com | India has faced numerous external as well as internal threats to its national security throughout the country’s entire history and had to constantly adapt to these challenges. The recent killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and its impact on Pakistani politics, as well as the region’s overall security situation, will possibly also affect India. And the deep wounds that the Mumbai attacks inflicted in November 2008 are still painfully felt.

Nicolas von Kospoth of defpro.com talked to the Mentor of Security Watch India (SWI), Mr Maroof Raza*, about the challenges for India’s homeland security environment and the approach of government and industry to finding solutions that meet the country’s security requirements.

Focusing on the entire scope of government organisations, industry, as well as India’s civil society, SWI is well-positioned to address issues concerning Indian internal/homeland security. The New Delhi-based independent, non-profit organisation engages in dialogue with all stake holders, research and publications for the public and the industry, and supports international companies that seek to enter the Indian homeland security sector.


defpro.com: Mr Raza, many countries in the world are currently facing a terrorist threat. Which aspects of the Indian experience in this regard are similar to other countries, and which are unique?

Maroof Raza: Primarily, the external threat to India is from Pakistan-based terrorist groups – almost all of whom have the support of Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies – and some of them have entered, or soon will enter, the vacuum created by the decline of Al Qaeda. Today, it is India and even Pakistan that is their target; tomorrow, it’ll be the rest of the world. Their aim is to challenge the multicultural and democratic ‘way of life’ that free societies offer, whether in India or in the West. Moreover, they target India’s economic success out of envy and with the aim to build sleeper cells to assist them amongst local Indian Muslim groups, just as they do in the West (for example in the UK).


defpro.com: Decentralised terrorist groups with AfPak experience, pirates off the coast, Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in the East: Which are the current “hotspots” in the Indian homeland security environment and how is the government positioned to deal with this variety of threats?

Raza: They are all of concern to the Indian government, but fortunately India has the forces and the resources to cope with most of them. Though, it could certainly do with more men in uniform and technology that will act as force multipliers. While the Naxalite-Maoist threat is the biggest in sheer size of their spread (spread as it is, across most of Central India in varying shades of lethality), it is still manageable if the government can provide better governance and more efficient police forces.

Though the threat from cross-border terror groups based in Pakistan is far more lethal, the current government has shown it’s helplessness in dealing firmly with Pakistan, as Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian PM, seems to be working on a personal agenda of appeasing the Pakistanis; though there have been no results, as Pakistan’s military needs strained relations with India to justify its overbearing role within Pakistan.

The insurgency in India’s northeast remains a low key affair and is essentially a side show, as it doesn’t quite impact India’s industrial growth. The army has contained the north eastern insurgency for over 50 years now, and the need is once again to find political solutions. As for pirates off the African coast, the Indian navy has been dealing aggressively with the pirates, when required.


defpro.com: India is a very colourful country in terms of cultures and religions. How do you assess the internal conflict potential and its possible affect of the future homeland security situation?

Raza: Fortunately, or unfortunately, India has too many ethno-religious and social divisions that can be exploited by malignant elements to create internal conflicts. Moreover, the rapid growth of the Indian economy has created further pockets of resentment by dividing the society between wealthy and poor. Until this gap is narrowed to a satisfactory level, risks of internal conflicts within the country will persist.


defpro.com: What was your personal reaction to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death and the announcement that he has been living safely for months, if not years, in the heart of Pakistan?

Raza: I wasn’t surprised at all, and many of us had said so for years that he and much of the Al Qaeda’s top leadership were in Pakistan. It is Pakistan’s many supporters in the US and elsewhere who should’ve been surprised. Pakistan had been stringing the US along all these years, and this must come as a wakeup call. Just as the US eventually called Pakistan’s bluff over bin Laden, it must now call the bluff of the Pakistani army about the ‘jihadi’ threat on the security of its nuclear arsenal. Pakistan needs to be re-invented by the world, and only that’ll put an end to its deadly embrace of terror.


defpro.com: Which security-political impact does this event have for the relations between India and Pakistan? Does it change the awareness of terrorist threats to India that may originate from Afghan and Pakistani territory?

Raza: The killing of bin Laden will have an impact on Indo-Pak relations in the following areas: First, there will possibly be greater instability within Pakistan, with local terror networks blaming the Pakistani army for failing them against the US. Second, Pakistan’s army will increase their anti-India pitch or arrange another Mumbai-type terror attack to divert the public’s disappointment with them. Finally, there might be greater political opposition within India to Prime Minister Dr Singh’s policy of holding talks with the discredited and unstable Pakistani government.


defpro.com: Do you believe that India should tackle the terrorist threat as a police problem or, rather, a military one?

Raza: It has to be a combination of both: using the police and the armed forces. The police must be better equipped with their capabilities enhanced and expanded to cover all the possibilities that terrorists create. Currently, the Indian police are woefully short of the numbers that the new challenges would require. Further, their levels of capabilities differ, as they are a de-centralised force, controlled individually by each State government.

The armed forces are centralised, battle-hardened and with sufficient experience and capabilities to handle all the possible threats that India could face. But they are already quite stretched in terms of men and resources.


defpro.com: What is the role of the Pakistani government and authorities in the still unrelenting Islamic terrorism and what is the current perception in India of this possible link?

Raza: In recent years, the Pakistani government’s link to terrorism has become very complicated. The way to understand the situation is to try and not see Pakistan as a monolith structure dictated by a unified government, but a fractured collection of several interest groups and organisations.

There are multiple terrorist organisations and insurgent groups active within the borders of Pakistan and they find patronage from very different socio-political groups. Therefore, it is very difficult to shut down these groups merely by putting pressure on the very top of the government. A more extensive engagement that cuts across the entire hierarchy is necessary.


defpro.com: What is your assessment of the anti-terrorist measures and policies being implemented by the Indian government after the Mumbai attack?

Raza: The counter-terrorism measures have evolved to a great extent after the Mumbai attack, which served as a jolt to bring India out of its inertia. However, the security establishment still has a long way to go. Unfortunately, much of the efforts undertaken by the government are still reactive. There is far more focus on mitigation and post-incident investigation, while the efforts required to avert attacks still need more push.


defpro.com: Do you perceive a learning curve in homeland security-related authorities since 2008? What have been the key lessons learned during these last years regarding the threat of terror attacks in India?

Raza: Unfortunately, due to the federated structure of the Indian government and the lack of effective channels for knowledge-sharing, most of the homeland security agencies – primarily state police departments which are the first line of counter-terrorism – have their own learning curves. Thus, police departments like the ones in Delhi and Mumbai have evolved tremendously, now developing rapid response teams, state-of-the-art technology and practices, correct application of intelligence, etc. On the other hand, many state police departments still lack critical technologies or practices that have become norms in other parts of the country.


defpro.com: In what way has the Indian homeland security environment evolved since the Mumbai attack? What has been the specific affect of this particular event on the industrial landscape, as well as government spending and investment?

Raza: The Mumbai attack has expanded both the threat perception and the threat domain for India. The Indian government’s spending after the Mumbai attack has been increased tremendously, representing a more than 30 per cent cumulative increase in the central Ministry of Home Affairs (primary agency responsible for homeland/internal security) budget over the last three years. Similarly, the landscape for industries has been transformed as well. While until 2008 most of the major Indian corporations only saw defence as a viable market, almost all major Indian conglomerates and aerospace and defence companies are now involved within the homeland security market.


defpro.com: SWI supports national industry in the homeland security sector by providing counsel and promoting business opportunities. How well is Indian industry positioned to meet domestic requirements and how important is the contribution by foreign companies in terms of know-how, investment and overall solutions?

Raza: India’s industry has its own merits and weaknesses. On one hand, the Indian industry is renowned for its ingenuity and engineering capabilities. The cheap cost of manufacturing makes India competitive in the global market. Moreover, India’s portfolio of diplomatic relationships with the world is somewhat different from the US and many European countries. This allows Indian companies to make inroads in many markets that would be difficult for western companies to penetrate.

On the other hand, Indian industry lacks in high technology, having ignored this sector for many decades. It also lacks much of the tremendous capital that is required to invest in R&D or manufacturing and often accompanies activities in the homeland security business.

Overall, though, we believe that these strengths and weakness perfectly complement that of Western industry and it is for this reason that we tirelessly work to bring the two together and allow for a perfect match.


defpro.com: Thank you very much, Mr Raza.


----
* Maroof Raza is currently the Mentor of IPPAI and Security Watch India (SWI), both being non-profit initiatives. He is also the Strategic Affairs editorial advisor for Times Now, a leading English-language television channel, and is a commentator on national security issues. He has written editorials for all the leading newspapers of India, and has lectured extensively in India and abroad on India’s security concerns, and has authored several articles, essays and books. His most recent publication is: Confronting Terrorism (an anthology of essays by Penguin Books, India). His earlier publications include “Low-Intensity Conflicts: The new dimension to India’s military commitments” and “Wars and no Peace over Kashmir” and edited a book entitled “Generals and Governments in India and Pakistan”. Additionally, as the General Editor of Military Affairs series of Har Anand Publications, since 2001, he has edited over twelve volumes as part of this series. He is also the publisher of “Salute to the Indian soldier”, a monthly publication on India’s armed forces.

[buglerbilly]

Terror suspect given London ban under control order terms

British-Nigerian man's removal to undisclosed Midlands address 'necessary to protect public from risk of attack'

Alan Travis, home affairs editor

The Guardian, Saturday 21 May 2011


Theresa May, the home secretary, is to publish legislation replacing control orders with new counter-terror powers. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

A British-Nigerian terror suspect who MI5 say was a leading figure in a "close group of Islamic extremists in north London" has been banned from living in the capital under the terms of a control order imposed by the home secretary, Theresa May, in February.

The high court has dismissed an appeal by the man, who can only be referred to as CD. It said his removal to an undisclosed address "in a Midlands city" was necessary to protect the public from the "immediate and real" risk of a terrorist related-attack.

The move comes in advance of the publication on Monday by May of the legislation to replace control orders with new counter-terror powers that will ban the use of such "internal exile" powers and restrict the use of 16-hour curfews. Lawyers for the Home Office said that the forced relocation of CD was necessary to prevent covert meetings with two of his associates referred to as MS and TM to develop their attack plans.

Lisa Giovannetti QC, for the home secretary, said the suspect had made several attempts to buy guns from seven north London-based criminal associates since he returned from training in Syria in April 2009. He had also shown a "high level of security awareness".

He had reportedly attended the Cumbria training camp organised by Muhammed Hamid at Baysbrown Farm in 2004. The 21 July attempted bombers had attended the same camp.

Mr Justice Simon said that the family of CD, who holds dual British and Nigerian nationality and is married with two children, were entitled to a travel allowance to visit him.

The home secretary imposed the 12-month control order, which included the ban on living in London, on CD in February this year. He had voluntarily moved to an address outside the capital but was still free to return to London whenever he wished.

The failure of his appeal comes days before the government is due to publish its legislation replacing control orders with its terrorist prevention and investigation measures, TPIM, which is expected to end the use of forced relocation in Britain.

Corinna Ferguson, legal officer at the human rights campaign, Liberty, said: "As the government prepares to introduce 'control-orders lite', another case demonstrates the absurdity of this punishment without trial."

"If there are such clear allegations that someone has been training for terrorism, attempting to procure arms and meeting with co-conspirators to plan atrocities, he really must be charged and tried. Shuffling him between addresses around the country provides neither certainty for his family nor safety to the public."

[buglerbilly]

Judges block Home Secretary from deporting convicted terrorist

A convicted terrorist banned from Britain for being a risk to national security has been stopped from being deported by the courts.


The courts stopped the terrorist's deportation Photo: PA

By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent9:40PM BST 21 May 2011

The Muslim man, who cannot be named, was found guilty of terrorism in Tunisia and has already been extradited once to Italy, where he was accused of being involved in helping to send Islamists to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, ordered that he be kept out of Britain because his presence would not be "conducive to the public good for reasons of national security", adding that there was evidence he had been involved in "extremist radicalisation".

However, after he was acquitted in Italy, he returned to Britain and has been allowed to stay by the Court of Appeal while he fights Mrs May's ruling. The court's decision has exposed what experts said was a "loophole" in immigration law which would allow "dangerous" people to stay here.

Experts said the case would have serious implications for the Home Office's ability to exclude terrorists and those suspected of terrorist offences, effectively creating an open border for terrorists while they pursue legal challenges.

Although only a small number of people would be affected, they could pose serious risks to national security.

The Tunisian terrorist is likely to use human rights legislation to argue that it is unsafe for him to be returned to his home country, so he can stay permanently in Britain.

This so-called Human Rights legislation is a MAJOR problem for the UK in particular, especially as the weak-willed UK Judiciary has adopted it carte blanche more or less, following EU directives - another case where "blind" directives screw up National values and concerns...........general populace and victim concerns are disregarded and secondary......utter BS!

Lord Justice Pill, Lord Justice Rix and Lord Justice Lloyd backed the terrorist's right to be in Britain while he mounts an appeal. Lord Justice Pill commented that denying him access to Britain could lead to "potential injustice". The case puts the judiciary and the Government at loggerheads once again, and comes after the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, warned MPs against using parliamentary privilege to reveal the identities of those who have obtained injunctions to protect their privacy.

Anthony Glees, a professor of security and intelligence at the University of Buckingham, said: "The judiciary are putting the rights of terrorists and terrorist suspects above the rights of ordinary people in this country to go about their daily lives in peace.

"This is a very dangerous precedent if it is allowed to stand. It used to be the case that if the home secretary said someone could not enter this country then that was the end of the story."

The man, known only in legal documents as MK, was convicted of terrorist offences in his absence by a Tunisian military court. He arrived in this country in 2001 and successfully claimed asylum.

The Sunday Telegraph knows the identity of MK but has been prevented from disclosing it by the courts because he is an asylum seeker. The exact details of his criminal conviction in Tunisia are not known.

He lived in Manchester with his wife and daughters. It has been claimed he is a veteran of the Bosnian war, where he fought with the Muslim Mujahideen Brigade.

MK was arrested in a dawn raid by Greater Manchester Police in November, 2007, on a European arrest warrant at the request of an Italian investigating magistrate.

The 53-year-old was held as part of a series of coordinated raids across Europe against an alleged north Italy-based network recruiting fighters for Iraq and Afghanistan. Seventeen were detained in total and a senior Italian politician said at the time that the raids had “decapitated” a “Salafist jihadi” network of terror cells.

Poisons and ignition devices for explosives were seized in a number of northern Italian cities. The suspects were also accused of falsifying identity documents allowing them to travel clandestinely from one European country to another.

Court documents show that MK was accused of “membership of a criminal organisation for the purposes of terrorism”. British police also claimed that the network was involved in forging documents between 2003 and 2005.

He then fought a lengthy legal action, using human rights laws, against extradition, arguing that he could ultimately be sent to Tunisia, where he would be tortured. His action failed and he was sent to Italy in 2008, where he was charged with offences including providing forged documents to jihadis.

In July, he was acquitted of terror-related charges in Italy but convicted of falsely procuring a document. Because of time spent on remand he did not have to serve a further sentence.

Once again his lawyers launched a human rights case to prevent him being deported to Tunisia.

In April last year the Home Office warned MK that his refugee status could be revoked because there was reason to believe he had been involved in “extremist radicalisation and facilitation”, adding that there were “reasonable grounds for regarding him as a danger to the security of the United Kingdom”.

On Aug 7 last year Italian authorities ordered MK to leave the country within five days. He took a train to Switzerland and was arrested at Zurich airport on Aug 25 trying to board a plane to Dublin.

The Swiss decided to send him to Britain — possibly because he had a travel document issued by the Home Office — and he was arrested on the morning of Aug 27 at London City Airport.

When British immigration officers tried to send MK back to Zurich, they were prevented by an injunction. The Home Office tried to overturn the injunction but its case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

The challenge hinged on interpretation of the Immigration Act 1971 and other immigration legislation. The court hearing included a debate about the meaning of the word “while” in the phrase “while he is in the United Kingdom” from the 2002 Nationality, Asylum and Immigration Act.

Patrick Mercer, a Conservative MP and security expert, said: “This is particularly worrying in view of the Home Secretary’s efforts to exclude this man. The immigration Acts have been exploited and this loophole needs to be closed.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We are disappointed by this judgment, but its ramifications are limited. The UK’s exclusions regime will continue to bar people from this country when they seek to subvert our shared values.”

[buglerbilly]

Turkey: 7 injured in bomb blast during rush hour in Istanbul, no claim of responsibility

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 26, 4:45 PM

ISTANBUL — A bomb placed on a bicycle near a bus stop exploded during morning rush hour in Istanbul on Thursday, injuring seven people, including a police officer, the city’s police chief said.

Several ambulances rushed to the scene on a multi-lane thoroughfare in a busy commercial section of the city. Television footage showed medics moving a woman with a neck brace on a stretcher into a hospital.

Police Chief Huseyin Capkin said the bomb was not a powerful one, but was still designed to cause “moderate” destruction. Police were investigating whether the target was a police training school nearby.

“Our consolation is that no one was killed,” he said.

Capkin said one of the injured was a policeman who was passing by. He said none of the injured was in life-threatening condition. The Dogan news agency reported, however, that one woman had lost a leg in the blast.

CNN-Turk television said the explosion occurred as a bus passed by, shattering its rear windows and injuring passengers in the back of the vehicle.

Five vehicles in total were damaged in the blast, Capkin said.

Fearing a secondary blast, police sealed off the area with yellow tape and bomb disposal experts arrived. Investigators prepared to search for clues.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the police chief refused to say who may be behind the attack.

Kurdish rebels are fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey and have carried out bomb attacks in Istanbul in the past. Their jailed leader has warned of more violence if their demands for negotiations are not met after elections on June 12.

Turkey also has a history of attacks by Islamic and leftist extremists.

“They will not get away with it,” Capkin said of the culprits. “The people of Istanbul should feel at ease.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Obama Signs 4-Year Patriot Act Extension in France

May 27, 2011

Associated Press



WASHINGTON -- Congress on Thursday passed a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. Votes taken in rapid succession in the Senate and House came after lawmakers rejected attempts to temper the law enforcement powers to ensure that individual liberties are not abused.

Following the 250-153 evening vote in the House, the legislation to renew three terrorism-fighting authorities headed for the president's signature with only hours to go before the provisions expired at midnight.

With Obama currently in France, the White House said the president would use an autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president. Minutes before the midnight deadline, the White House said Obama had signed the bill.

Obama said he was pleased the act had been extended.

"It's an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat," he said after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

A short-term expiration would not interrupt ongoing operations but would bar the government from seeking warrants for new investigations.

Congress bumped up against the deadline mainly because of the stubborn resistance from a single senator, Republican freshman Rand Paul of Kentucky, who saw the terrorist-hunting powers as an abuse of privacy rights. Paul held up the final vote for several days while he demanded a chance to change the bill to diminish the government's ability to monitor individual actions. The bill passed the Senate 72-23.

The measure would add four years to the legal life of roving wiretaps -- those authorized for a person rather than a communications line or device -- of court-ordered searches of business records and of surveillance of non-American "lone wolf" suspects without confirmed ties to terrorist groups.

The roving wiretaps and access to business records are small parts of the USA Patriot Act enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But unlike most of the act, which is permanent law, those provisions must be renewed periodically because of concerns that they could be used to violate privacy rights. The same applies to the "lone wolf" provision, which was part of a 2004 intelligence law.

Paul argued that in the rush to meet the terrorist threat in 2001, Congress enacted a Patriot Act that tramples on individual liberties. He had some backing from liberal Democrats and civil liberties groups who have long contended the law gives the government authority to spy on innocent citizens.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he voted for the act when he was a House member in 2001 "while ground zero was still burning." But "I soon realized it gave too much power to government without enough judicial and congressional oversight."

Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said the provision on collecting business records can expose law-abiding citizens to government scrutiny. "If we cannot limit investigations to terrorism or other nefarious activities, where do they end?" he asked.

"The Patriot Act has been used improperly again and again by law enforcement to invade Americans' privacy and violate their constitutional rights," said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU Washington legislative office.

Still, coming just a month after intelligence and military forces tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden, there was little appetite for tampering with the terrorism-fighting tools. These tools, said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, "have kept us safe for nearly a decade and Americans today should be relieved and reassured to know that these programs will continue."

Intelligence officials have denied improper use of surveillance tools, and this week both FBI Director Robert Mueller and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper sent letters to congressional leaders warning of serious national security consequences if the provisions were allowed to lapse.

The Obama administration says that without the three authorities the FBI might not be able to obtain information on terrorist plotting inside the U.S. and that a terrorist who communicates using different cell phones and email accounts could escape timely surveillance.

"When the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, we would be giving terrorists the opportunity to plot attacks against our country, undetected," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor Wednesday. In unusually personal criticism of a fellow senator, he warned that Paul, by blocking swift passage of the bill, "is threatening to take away the best tools we have for stopping them."

The nation itself is divided over the Patriot Act, as reflected in a Pew Research Center poll last February, before the killing of bin Laden, that found that 34 percent felt the law "goes too far and poses a threat to civil liberties. Some 42 percent considered it "a necessary tool that helps the government find terrorists." That was a slight turnaround from 2004 when 39 percent thought it went too far and 33 percent said it was necessary.

Paul, after complaining that Reid's remarks were "personally insulting," asked whether the nation "should have some rules that say before they come into your house, before they go into your banking records, that a judge should be asked for permission, that there should be judicial review? Do we want a lawless land?"

Paul agreed to let the bill go forward after he was given a vote on two amendments to rein in government surveillance powers. Both were soundly defeated. The more controversial, an amendment that would have restricted powers to obtain gun records in terrorist investigations, was defeated 85-10 after lawmakers received a letter from the National Rifle Association stating that it was not taking a position on the measure.

According to a senior Justice Department national security official testifying to Congress last March, the government has sought roving wiretap authority in about 20 cases a year between 2001 and 2010 and has sought warrants for business records less than 40 times a year, on average. The government has yet to use the lone wolf authority.

But the ACLU also points out that court approvals for business record access jumped from 21 in 2009 to 96 last year, and the organization contends the Patriot Act has blurred the line between investigations of actual terrorists and those not suspected of doing anything wrong.

Two Democratic critics of the Patriot Act, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Udall of Colorado, on Thursday extracted a promise from Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that she would hold hearings with intelligence and law enforcement officials on how the law is being carried out.

Wyden says that while there are numerous interpretations of how the Patriot Act works, the official government interpretation of the law remains classified. "A significant gap has developed now between what the public thinks the law says and what the government secretly claims it says," Wyden said.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Al-Qaida Plotted to Kill Lockheed Martin Chief: Testimony

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 31 May 2011 14:58

CHICAGO - A Pakistini-based branch of al-Qaida was hatching a plot to kill the head of U.S. defense group Lockheed Martin, self-confessed terrorist David Coleman Headley testified in a U.S. court Tuesday.


In this courtroom drawing, David Coleman Headley faces U.S. District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber on March 18 in Chicago. (Carol Renaud / AFP via Getty Images)

"There was a plan to kill him because he was making drones," Headley testified during the Chicago trial of his childhood friend, Tahawwur Hussain Rana.

Headley pleaded guilty to 12 terrorism charges related to the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks and other unrealized plots in the wake of his 2009 arrest in Chicago.

He is testifying against alleged co-conspirator Rana in exchange for avoiding the death penalty and extradition to India, Pakistan or Denmark.

Headley testified that he secretly used Rana's office computer for research on the plot to assassinate the Lockheed Martin executive but dismissed his brief online search there as insignificant.

"My research is more in-depth than Googling someone a couple of times," he testified during cross-examination by Rana's defense attorney.

Headley said he was working on the plot with Ilyas Kashmiri, the commander of the Pakistani-based terrorist organization Harakat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI), and a senior member of al-Qaida.

Headley pleaded guilty to working with Kashmiri on a plot to attack the Danish newspaper Jyllen Posten, which published controversial cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, after Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) got distracted with the Mumbai plot.

Rana is accused of providing Headley with a cover and acting as a messenger, with prosecutors alleging he played a behind-the-scenes logistical role in both the Mumbai attacks and another abortive plan to strike Copenhagen.

Rana, a Canadian-Pakistani and Chicago businessman, has denied all charges, and his defense attorneys argue that he was duped by his friend, whom he had met in military school.

[buglerbilly]

Iraqis Charged in Terror Case

By EVAN PEREZ

Two Iraqis admitted into the U.S. as refugees in 2009 have been indicted on federal terrorism-related charges, including allegedly trying to ship Stinger missiles and explosives to al Qaeda insurgents in Iraq.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30 years old, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, were arrested May 25 in Bowling Green, Ky., where they now live.

Justice Department prosecutors announced a 23-count grand-jury indictment Tuesday against the men. Among the charges against Mr. Alwan are conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad, conspiring to use explosives against U.S. nationals abroad, and conspiracy to export Stinger missiles. Mr. Hammadi is charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and al Qaeda in Iraq, among other charges.

The men made an initial appearance before a judge Tuesday in Bowling Green. James Earhart, an attorney representing Mr. Hammadi, said he would formulate a defense after reviewing the government's case. Mr. Alwan's public defender didn't respond to a request for comment. The defendants remain in custody.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents began investigating Mr. Alwan in September 2009, five months after he entered the U.S. as a refugee.

Mr. Alwan was allowed into the U.S. under screening procedures that were reworked after the Christmas Day 2009 bombing attempt on a U.S. airliner en route to Detroit, the Homeland Security Department said. The failed attack by a Nigerian man traveling with a tourist visa exposed shortcomings in U.S. screening for visa applicants and prompted greater information-sharing among federal agencies.

"Today our vetting process considers a far broader range of information than it did in past years," a Homeland Security official said.

Federal agents investigating Mr. Alwan used an undercover informant, with whom Mr. Alwan discussed his activities as an insurgent attacking U.S. troops from 2003 until his capture by Iraqi authorities, according to court documents filed by prosecutors. In 2010, the FBI identified a match of Mr. Alwan's fingerprints with two prints found on a component from an unexploded bomb recovered in Iraq in 2005, according to prosecutors.

In September 2010, prosecutors said, the FBI began a sting in which the informant claimed to be providing support for terrorists in Iraq. As part of the sting, Messrs. Alwan and Hammadi helped deliver money, inert explosives and weapons, including Stinger missiles, to a tractor-trailer believing they were to be shipped to terrorists in Iraq, prosecutors alleged.

Write to Evan Perez at evan.perez@wsj.com

[buglerbilly]

Charges Refiled Against Accused 9/11 Mastermind

June 01, 2011

Associated Press



WASHINGTON -- Military prosecutors have refiled terrorism and murder charges against the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and four other men under a revamped trial process at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others allege that they were responsible for planning the attacks that sent hijacked commercial airliners slamming into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Prosecutors have recommended that the trial be a capital case, which could bring the death penalty.

The five men were charged previously in connection with the attacks, but those charges were dropped in 2009 when the Obama administration hoped to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo and do away with Bush-era military commissions for trying terror suspects.

The other four alleged coconspirators are:

** Waleed bin Attash, better known as Khallad, a Yemeni who allegedly ran an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan and researched flight simulators and timetables.

** Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni who allegedly helped find flight schools for the hijackers.

** Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, accused of helping nine of the hijackers travel to the United States and sending them $120,000 for expenses and flight training.

** Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, a Saudi accused of helping the hijackers with money, Western clothing, travelers' checks and credit cards.

All five men were charged with conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking aircraft and terrorism.

The men initially were charged with the same offenses in February 2008, but that plan stalled in 2009 as President Obama ordered a review of the military commission system. That November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the five would face trial in a civilian court in New York City.

That plan, however, was widely opposed by Republicans in Congress, as well as some New York Democrats, and Congress passed legislation prohibiting any move to bring Guantanamo detainees to the United States.

About two months ago, the Obama administration bowed to political pressure and backed off the plan, saying it would instead prosecute them before a military commission. And the chief prosecutor in the office of military commissions, Capt. John Murphy, said he would recommend a joint trial at Guantanamo for all five.

The men have been held at Guantanamo since their capture.

Dominic J. Puopolo Jr., a Miami computer consultant whose mother was killed in the attacks, attended the trial in Germany of a Moroccan man accused of aiding the plotters and had hoped to attend the trial of Mohammed and the others held at Guantanamo. He had been frustrated by the lack of apparent progress and said he was "pleasantly surprised" to receive notification on Monday from the Defense Department that charges would be filed again.

"Just to get this started back in Guantanamo Bay is a big deal," said Puopolo, whose mother was onboard the American Airlines flight out of Boston that the hijackers crashed into one of the World Trade Center's twin towers. "I have every intention of making a stand and going there if offered."

Under the military commissions process, the charges will be forwarded to the convening authority, Bruce MacDonald, who will decide whether to refer any of the charges for trial by military commission.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

House Wants to Cut Back Border Tech Funding

Posted by Paul McLeary at 6/2/2011 11:55 AM CDT

Despite all of the concern over border security, and the billions of dollars suck into technologies that track movement across the southern and northern U.S. borders, a House Appropriations Committee markup of the next Homeland Security Department budget has brought out the long knives.

The markup would give DHS $40.6 billion in base funding for fiscal 2012—$3 billion less than the White House requested and a full $1.1 billion less than DHS received in fiscal 2011.

While the committee wants the Coast Guard, the one armed service under DHS, to have an additional $258.3 million for “global war on terrorism” operations, technologies and offices on the border didn’t fare so well. The committee wants to reduce funding for the program that controls the Customs and Border Protection's controversial SBInet program from $527 million to $500 million, while also reducing funding for SBInet’s follow-on program, the Alternative (Southwest) Border Technology effort by $27 million, $19 million of which would come from the $242 million DHS had wanted to spend on it in fiscal 2012.

A major component of this program is to install a series of commercial, off-the-shelf integrated fixed towers along the border, as the result of an open competition that is currently being put together. But the committee worries that “It is unclear how the department’s acquisition approach for additional integrated fixed tower systems fits with the premise of the Arizona Border Technology Plan, namely to procure and deploy off-the-shelf technology for an intended immediate benefit.”

This is just a markup, but the fights over what technologies to put in place along the southern border continue. The whole House is currently debating the bill.

[buglerbilly]

Habib's Egyptian lifeline

Natalie O'brien

June 5, 2011 .


Time out ... Mr Habib and Mr Ramadan. Photo: James Brickwood

THE Egyptian lawyer of the former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib flew into Sydney yesterday and volunteered to give evidence at an inquiry into what Australian agencies knew about Mr Habib's detention and torture in Egypt.

Hisham Mahmoud Ramadan, the lawyer who took a damning statement from a former Egyptian security guard confirming an Australian official was present when Mr Habib was tortured, said he would be happy to speak to investigators.

''Of course I will do whatever I can,'' he said.

The guard's 840-word statement, revealed by The Sun-Herald this year, was shown to government solicitors three days before they paid Mr Habib an undisclosed sum to drop his lawsuit claiming Australia was complicit in his CIA-engineered kidnap in 2001 and his transfer to Egypt and torture.

The officer said in the statement that Egyptian guards routinely filmed terrorism suspects in jail. He said there was footage and photographs of Mr Habib and an Arabic-speaking Australian called ''George'', who witnessed his torture.

After the government was made aware of the statement, they settled the case with Mr Habib, and the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, ordered an inquiry by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Vivienne Thom, into what agencies knew about his rendition and torture.

Mr Habib was arrested in Pakistan after the September 11 attacks in the United States and taken to Egypt. He was held at Guantanamo Bay until January 2005, when he was released without charge.

Mr Habib is suing the Egyptian government in what is likely to be a test case against the former Mubarak regime. He has named the former head of intelligence, the Egyptian Vice-President, Omar Suleiman, and Gamal Mubarak, the son of the former president Hosni Mubarak in his claim.

Mr Ramadan, who will spend a few weeks in Sydney preparing the case, said the Egyptian military courts had accepted the case and the military Attorney-General, Alaa Moursi, had been helpful and interested in the case.

''He is keen to speak to Mr Habib and get more information about what happened to him,'' Mr Ramadan said.

The case is expected to be the first of many against the former government.

Dr Thom said last week that neither she nor her staff planned to travel overseas to interview any potential witnesses for the inquiry despite having the funds to do so.

Dr Thom said the government had made $434,000 available to the inquiry and 15 people including Mr Habib had been interviewed. A draft report was likely to be finished by August.

ASIO and the Australian Federal Police said they had not tried to verify the guard's statement.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/habibs-egyptian-lifeline-20110604-1fm2r.html#ixzz1ON9AHO2O

[buglerbilly]

David Cameron to target Islamists who hold 'un-British' beliefs

PM wins cabinet battle over counter-terrorism strategy against those holding extremist views, such as intolerance of women's rights

Polly Curtis, Whitehall correspondent

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 5 June 2011 21.57 BST


David Cameron is poised to make announcements on the government's counter-terrorism strategy as well as the NHS bill and crime policy. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/PA

David Cameron has won a cabinet battle to toughen up the UK's counter-terrorism strategy and take a harder line against Islamic traditions that fail to "reflect British mainstream values".

The successor to Labour's Prevent strategy is likely to redefine extremists as those who hold "un-British" views, such as intolerance of equal rights for women, because ministers believe there is a link between non-violent extremism and violent acts of terrorism.

The new policy, which could be unveiled this week, will reflect the prime minister's February speech in Munich in which he claimed "state multiculturalism" had failed. Further education colleges are likely to be targeted in the belief that they have become a breeding ground for young Islamists.

Cameron is set to tackle a string of policies that have posed a threat to his authority over the next two weeks. He is expected to give a major speech, possibly on Tuesday, on the NHS, giving the government's first official indication of how it will respond to the listening exercise on the NHS bill.

He is also scheduled to give a speech on crime to tackle accusations from the right that he has failed to prioritise crime-fighting and allowed the justice department under Ken Clarke to liberalise prisons policy.

The justice minister Nick Herbert has indicated that up to 10,000 people every year could benefit from the government's controversial policy to change the plea bargaining system so offenders can cut their sentence in half, instead of the current third, if they admit guilt early.

Defending the policy, Herbert told BBC1's Politics Show: "Ten thousand offenders are pleading guilty at the very latest point in a trial and that is often particularly damaging to the interests of victims. It's costly and it's not in the interests of justice.

"We need a system that is deterring unnecessarily late pleas and is also incentivising those who plead guilty at an earlier stage."

It has been reported that the Prevent strategy had split the cabinet, with Cameron and the education secretary Michael Gove pushing for a toughened version of the Prevent strategy, against the wishes of the Liberal Democrats and even the home secretary, Theresa May.

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's shadow home secretary, said: "Preventing extremism is ... too important to be dogged by government confusion and this kind of ministerial in-fighting. It seems Theresa May has lost another battle on her own policies."

[buglerbilly]

Universities 'complacent' over Islamic radicals, Theresa May warns

The Home Secretary has criticised universities for their “complacency” in tackling Muslim extremism as she prepares to publish the Government’s updated strategy for countering Islamic radicalism.


Any Islamic group that espouses extremist views faces having its funding cut Photo: EPA

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

10:20PM BST 05 Jun 2011

Theresa May told The Daily Telegraph that universities were not taking the issue of radicalisation seriously enough and that it was too easy for Muslim extremists to form groups on campuses “without anyone knowing”.

She also said the Government would cut funding to any Islamic group that espoused extremist views, and set out the “key British values” to which those seeking support must subscribe. It is understood that about 20 groups are already losing their funding.

Mrs May made her comments ahead of the publication this week of the updated version of the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy.

“I think for too long there’s been complacency around universities,” she said. “I don’t think they have been sufficiently willing to recognise what can be happening on their campuses and the radicalisation that can take place. I think there is more that universities can do.”

Mrs May said universities had to “send very clear messages” and “ask themselves some questions about what happens on their campuses”.

She also criticised the Federation of Student Islamic Societies for not challenging extremism sufficiently.

“They need to be prepared to stand up and say that organisations that are extreme or support extremism or have extremist speakers should not be part of their grouping,” Mrs May said.

Her remarks follow comments made by Nicola Dandridge, the head of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, claiming there was no evidence that extremist speakers at university encouraged violence.

As part of the Prevent strategy, the Government will define as extremists anyone who “does not subscribe to human rights, equality before the law, democracy and full participation in society”, including those who “promote or implicitly tolerate the killing of British soldiers”.

Mrs May said: “We are looking at a set of values we believe we have here in the UK and those people opposed to those values are people who the Government won’t be funding or engaging with.”

It is understood that the strategy will also name 25 boroughs that are most at risk from Islamist extremism, including areas of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford and Manchester.

There will also be a move to limit access to extremist websites from public buildings, particularly schools and public libraries.

Details of partnerships with YouTube and AOL to try to tackle extremism online, using lessons learned from anti-paedophile policing will be made public.

As well as fighting violent extremism, the Government will tackle extremist philosophies in general, including groups that can act as a “stepping stone” to terrorism.

“There’s an ideology out there that we need to challenge and when we first came in as a government one of the things we were very clear about here at the Home Office was we needed to look at extremism, not just violent extremism,” Mrs May said.

As a result of Prevent’s review of government support, about 20 out of 1,800 organisations that received funding over the past three years, will have their cash withdrawn.

“It’s a result of a close look at the values of the organisations themselves,” Mrs May said. “There’s more that we will be doing because it is very clear that we are going to be much more focused on effective monitoring and the effectiveness of groups and making sure that they are having an outcome.

“This isn’t just about giving money to groups and the number of people they deal with, it’s about a proper outcome.”

The strategy will also seek to counter radical Right-wing terrorists following a rise in the threat from such extremists.

“We should not just look at one particular type of terrorism but look at violent extremism and terrorism more widely as well,” Mrs May said.

The Home Secretary said the Prime Minister gave “a very clear message” in a speech in Munich in February when he spoke of the failure of multiculturalism. “We are putting into play what comes out of that Munich speech,” she said.

The Government will produce two strategies, with the second “integration strategy” to be published by the Department for Communities and Local Government later in the year.

“In the past the brand of Prevent has become slightly tainted and we want to separate those strands of community cohesion,” Mrs May said.

Prevent has been criticised in some quarters as a means to spy on the Muslim community, but Mrs May said: “I don’t see anything wrong with identifying people who are vulnerable to being taken down a certain route, who could become a threat to members of the public.

“We need to encourage people to be willing to identify vulnerable individuals. Most people recognise the value of using all the tools available to prevent terrorist activity and encourage people to actively talk to the police.

“Everyone who has an interest in being part of British society should recognise that we are all in this together.”

The strategy will also incorporate the Prime Minister’s pet project, the Big Society, promoting the idea of mobilising the “silent majority” of Muslims.

“Sending clear messages about our values is part of the information we want to put out,” said Mrs May.

[buglerbilly]

CBP Unmanned Aircraft Reach 10,000-Hour Milestone

(Source: General Atomics; issued June 3, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that its Office of Air and Marine's Unmanned Aircraft System program has achieved a historic milestone, exceeding 10,000 flight hours.

Unveiled in 2005, the highly capable and proven Predator B UAS supports CBP’s primary mission of securing the border and preventing acts of terrorism by helping to identify and intercept potential terrorist and illegal cross-border activity. Manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., the aircraft’s operational capabilities, payload capacity and mission flexibility greatly enhances the agency's enforcement and emergency and disaster response efforts.

The remotely piloted aircraft provide aerial surveillance support for up to 20 hours for personnel on the ground by investigating sensor activity in remote areas to distinguish between real or perceived threats, allowing CBP ground forces to best allocate their resources and efforts, and providing increased visibility even at night or in low light.

CBP also deploys the UAS in support of federal and state directed disaster relief. The Predator B’s capability to provide high-quality, real-time data assessing critical infrastructure before and after catastrophic events makes it an ideal aircraft to support emergency preparations and recovery efforts.

The CBP UAS provided emergency support for the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season and the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Red River floods in the Midwest with excellent results. During the 2011 Red River Flood response, CBP flew and collected 1,778 nautical miles of Synthetic Aperture Radar in 22 days, heralding the single most extensive SAR collection efforts ever achieved. The CBP UAS was also operated in the Gulf of Mexico to assist with oil search efforts during the Deepwater Horizon incident.

Today, CBP operates three Predator B aircraft from Libby Army Airfield in Sierra Vista, Ariz., and two from Grand Forks Air Base in North Dakota. OAM also operates a Predator B maritime variant, the Guardian, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in Florida and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas.

In March 2008, CBP and the U.S. Coast Guard successfully conducted a demonstration of a maritime variant of the Predator B from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The event was the culmination of more than a year’s work to deploy and demonstrate the integration of a variant of the Predator B within CBP and Coast Guard maritime operations. In November 2008, CBP and the Coast Guard formed a UAS joint program office to identify and address common maritime UAS requirements, including sensors, command and control, data exploitation, logistics training and basing.

CBP currently has two additional Predator B aircraft on order with scheduled delivery dates in early fiscal year 2012. These aircraft will be the new “Dash 7” configuration that can be equipped with either land or maritime radar systems in less than eight hours.

CBP Unmanned Aircraft System highlights:

-- UAS Predator operations have resulted in the apprehension of 4,865 undocumented aliens and 238 smugglers; the seizure of 33,773 pounds of contraband; and 4,285 sensor activations.

-- OAM has trained over 100 UAS aircrew since program inception.

-- Fort Drum, New York, OAM conducted simultaneous UAS law enforcement support operations via satellite, and demonstrated long-endurance UAS operations executed by several OAM UAS command sites.

-- In July 2009, OAM conducted the first-ever UAS landing at a commercial airport for CBP’s participation in Oshkosh. This was also the first time a UAS was on display at a non-military event.

To date, CBP has more than ten mission Certificates of Authorization in place, including two that account for approximately 1,200 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border and another that stretches 950 miles along the northern border from Spokane, Wash., to the vicinity of Lake-of-the-Woods, Minn.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Turkish police detain 10 suspected radical Islamic people allegedly tied to al-Qaida

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, June 7, 6:11 PM

ANKARA, Turkey — Police on Tuesday arrested 10 people suspected of links to an al-Qaida terrorist network in southern Turkey, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Police captured nine of the suspects in simultaneous raids in the southern city of Adana and another one in the city of Hatay, near the Syrian border, it said. Police would not say whether the suspects were preparing to stage an attack but no weapons or explosives were seized in the raids.

Adana is home to the Incirlik Air Base, which is used by the United States for the transfer of non-combat supplies to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Authorities have said Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida planned to attack Incirlik in the past but were deterred by high security.

Homegrown Islamic militants tied to the al-Qaida attacked the British consulate, a British bank and two synagogues in Istanbul, killing 58 people in 2003. In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Turkish authorities have said dozens of Islamic militants have received training in Afghanistan.

However, Al-Qaida’s austere and violent interpretation of Islam receives little public backing in Turkey.

Several other radical Islamic groups are also active in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Indian Police Reserve Suffer Heavy Casualties from Multiple IED Attacks

By tamir_eshel on June 10, 2011 11:57 am

Indian police forces continue to suffer attacks by Naxal insurgent groups. Two ambush attacks by the Maoist groups that took place in the past 48 hours have claimed the lives of 18 members of Indian Police Forces (Jawans) and Special Police Officers (SPO). The two attacks were aimed at troops traveling in protected supply vehicles and armored trucks, supporting units deployed in the area.

The most recent attack took place last night in the Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, when Naxals guerillas blew up a mine protected vehicle (MPV), killing seven SPOs and three policemen. Most casualties were suffered after the rebels stormed the vehicle, hitting the occupants trying to escape from the crippled vehicle. The vehicle was carrying 13 troops, the other three were injured in the attack. Two days earlier a similar attack claimed the lives of eight Jawans, wounding 13 more.

According to news sources, the MPV was hit by a large Improvised Explosive Device (IED), when it was approaching a bridge near Gatan village. Teams of guerillas standing by at the ambush site opened automatic fire, killing the troops that survived the blast. A day earlier Naxals guerillas conducted an attack near the Indian Armed Forces camp in the Naraynpur district, killing four jawans and leaving another injured. two days earlier, eight jawans of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force were killed and 13 were injured when their armored vehicle was hit by an IED in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. The vehicle was hit when travelling on National Highway 16, near the Pedakodepal village, 14 km away from the district headquarters in Bijapur.


The Indian security forces have upgraded the mine protection capability of their armored vehicles several times, to meet the growing threat from heavy IEDs employed by the Maoist Naxal movement. Photo: The Hindu

IEDs pose a major problem for the Indian security forces, as the Maoist guerillas adapt new, more powerful means countering heavier armored vehicles introduced by the authorities. The Indian police forces introduced basic armored vehicles with basic ‘anti-landmine’ capability, withstanding Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) weighing 12-15 kg. After encountering a growing threat of IEDs weighing 30-40 kilograms, the vehicle’s underbelly protection was beefed up. Now, Naxals have stepped up their attacks, burying 60-80 kilograms IEDs deeper underground, where detection is virtually impossible, seemingly challenging these vehicle’s protection beyond their design limits. Although the Indian home office has ordered hundreds of MPVs for the police and CRFP, these new vehicles have yet to reach the front lines.

While the armor cage effectively protects the vehicle from the explosion, the blast effect and secondary impact cause major injuries to the occupants, hit by flying debris or by impact with sharp, metal objects such as handles, equipment etc. Part of the vehicle modification is aimed at reducing these threats, by replacing metal objects with alternative parts developed for the automotive industry.

This deadliest series of attacks by the Maoist insurgents guerilla marks an increase in the conflict over the disputed area, the Indian security forces are waging counter-insurgency activities over more than four decades. The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), is now active in dozens of districts across the country, and its militant leaders expressed their commitment to continue attacks on security forces. Indian officials admit that the CPI-Maoist movement has gained control over the sparsely populated, forested interiors of mineral-rich Bastar region, gaining the backing and support of local tribal population.

The Indian actions in the region, waged mainly by CRFP, suffered a major blow April 6, as an 84 men CRFP patrol was annihilated after walking into a a Maoist ambush in the village of Chintalnar in Dantewada. 76 members of the unit were killed in the fight, which lasted couple of hours as the men were surrounded and trapped by the ambush. After the policemen ran out of ammunition, the Maoists moved in from the hills, shot the injured and looted weapons. Only seven CRPF men survived the fight, after reinforcements managed to arrive at the scene. The reinforcements could retrieve only three weapons from the scene. CRFP investigation indicated that the armed People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) cadres numbered close to 350 who were assisted by about 200 local militia and from nearby villages. The Maoist ambush took place three weeks after the CRFP penetrated into the Maoist controlled area, killing 36 insurgents. 3 SPOs were killed and 9 others were injured in these fights. The death toll from the Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh continued increasing in May, with rebels attacks killing 50 people throughout the region, mostly security forces.

[buglerbilly]

Pair plead not guilty in New York synagogue 'bomb plot'

June 16, 2011 - 9:45AM .


Accused ... Mohamed Mamdouh Photo: AP

Two men pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of plotting to blow up New York synagogues and churches, US officials said.

Ahmed Ferhani, 26, and Mohamed Mamdouh, 20, were formally charged by the Manhattan district attorney with charges resulting from a "terror plot targeting New York synagogues".

"Between October 2010 and May 2011, Ferhani and Mamdouh conspired to bomb synagogues and churches in Manhattan to send a message of violence to non-Muslims, including Americans, Christians, and, primarily, Jews," the DA's office said in a statement.


Alleged plot ... Ahmed Ferhani Photo: AP

Ferhani and Mamdouh respectively face six and five charges, of possessing weapons and terrorism charges. But the grand jury rejected a charge of conspiracy as a terror crime, which carried a maximum of life imprisonment.

Instead it was replaced with a lesser conspiracy charge which imposes jail terms of between 12-and-a-half years to 32 years.

The plan was to "dress up as Jewish worshippers, attend a service at a synagogue, and leave a bag containing a bomb inside the synagogue before departing", the statement said.

The indictment said the two men wanted "to blow up ten synagogues at one time" and also "use grenades to blow up churches".

"A picture emerges from today's indictment that describes how the defendants plotted to bomb synagogues in Manhattan in an effort to contribute to what they referred to as 'the cause'," the statement said.

When the plot was unveiled in May, police said the men, both of North African descent - one a US citizen and the other a legal resident - were arrested immediately after purchasing weapons from an undercover agent.

They bought two Browning semi-automatic pistols, a Smith and Wesson handgun, ammunition and a hand grenade during the sting operation.

According to the Manhattan prosecutor's office, the undercover investigation lasted seven months, during which time Ferhani and Mamdouh were recorded making plans for horrific attacks against the city's large Jewish population.

New York, targeted repeatedly by Islamist bombers over the last two decades, has been on heightened alert since US commandos killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in May there had been 13 plots against New York since the September 11, 2001 mass murder of nearly 3000 people at the World Trade Centre.

AFP

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/pair-plead-not-guilty-in-new-york-synagogue-bomb-plot-20110616-1g4ja.html#ixzz1POzvyGdS

[buglerbilly]

Jihad Forums Crowdsource Fantasy Assassination List

By Adam Rawnsley June 17, 2011 | 1:56 pm



Military officers, a member of Congress, top executives of defense firms — they’re marked for death on an assassinations list that online jihadi forums are compiling. And the best thing you could do for these online braggarts would be to freak out.

Fox News reports that participants on Shumukh, an elite, password-protected jihadi forum, have begun threads throwing out suggestions for prominent Americans to murder. It’s spread to the more open Ansar al-Mujahideen site. We’re not going to list the names of anyone marked for death by Internet would-be terrorists. But it includes politicians, Defense Department officials, military officers, execs at security companies that have done business in Iraq and even a Mideast pundit.

This is basically a wishful casting call for a jihadi snuff film. The FBI reportedly believes that it’s a reaction to a recent video from Adam Gadahn, the hesher turned English-language spokesman for al-Qaida. “It is important that we weaken our cowardly enemy’s will to fight by targeting influential public figures in the Crusader and Zionist government, industry and media,” Gadahn says in “You Are Held Responsible Only for Thyself,” according to a Flashpoint Partners transcript.

That’s in keeping with the recent jihadist trend of eschewing big terror plots for ones that untrained, Internet-saturated wannabes might pull off solo with minimal training. You can find similar thinking in the pages of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) English language magazine, Inspire. The pdf magazine frequently waves off wanna-be jihadis hoping to join up with AQAP in Yemen, urging them instead to pull DIY attacks at home. An early version of this hit list urged shooting up cafes where government bureaucrats eat lunch, in the hope of gaining media attention and provoking panic.

But this is an ambitious targeting list for self-starter jihadis. A kid who’s only experience with terrorism is browsing a forum and mouthing off online is going to be sorely disappointed if he thinks he can touch a top general or a prominent politician.

The FBI is taking it seriously, as it should. As for the rest of us, it’s important to remember that this list is aspirational, and deny these wannabees the media attention they crave.

The self-starter strategy is one borne out of weakness. If al-Qaida could pull off another Madrid, London or 9/11 attack, rest assured it would. But right now, it needs a media freakout to compensate for its diminished capabilities and lowered ambitions.

That goes double for an online assassinations list. Panic from the general public only lowers the bar for mass intimidation from an actual attack to web forum chatter.

So do yourself a favor. Don’t give online jihadis an incentive to throw around loose talk about assassination targets. Keep calm and carry on.

Photo: Ansar al-Mujahideen Forum

[buglerbilly]

Texas Wants More UAS for Mexico Border Surveillance

Posted on June 17, 2011 by The Editor

Two congressional lawmakers from Texas want more aerial surveillance above the Texas-Mexico border. There are currently four UAS assigned to the southern border. Three are based in Arizona, and most recently, one now based in Corpus Christi is classified as a maritime unit.

They want the Army, National Guard and the Air National Guard to design and build a hangar on the southwest border that would house UAS. The high-tech systems would support the National Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other law enforcement.

Lawmakers say that while Arizona shares less than 400 miles of border with Mexico, Texas has about three times the area to cover. Congressmen Henry Cuellar and Michael McCaul sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging the agency to station the two UAVs requested in Texas.

The two UAS on order per the appropriations bill are to be delivered at the end of the year. The bill now moves from the House to the Senate

[buglerbilly]

Two held in US for alleged plot to attack recruiting centre in Seattle

Pair, who had been under surveillance since someone they tried to recruit alerted FBI, charged with conspiracy to murder

Dominic Rushe in New York

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 June 2011 23.51 BST


Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, of Seattle has been arrested for an alleged terror plot Photograph: AP

Two men have been arrested for allegedly plotting to attack a military recruiting centre in Seattle with machine guns and grenades, the US justice department has said. Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, 32, also known as Frederick Domingue Jr, of Los Angeles, are charged with conspiracy to murder. They had been under surveillance since someone they tried to recruit alerted the FBI, according to an affidavit. The accused were apparently recorded on video discussing their plan.

Law enforcement agents then intercepted Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh's arms transactions and rendered their weapons inoperable. The defendants had initially planned an attack on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, but later changed targets. The cooperating individual was told that the attack was planned in retaliation for alleged crimes by US soldiers in Afghanistan, according to an FBI affidavit filed on Thursday.

The affidavit said: "Abdul-Latif explained that, in his view, murdering American soldiers was justifiable."

US attorney Jenny Durkan said: "The complaint alleges these men intended to carry out a deadly attack against our military where they should be most safe, here at home."

Todd Hinnen, acting assistant attorney general for national security, said the two men were "driven by a violent, extreme ideology" which had led them to plot the murder of those enlisting in the US armed forces.

He added: "This is one of a number of recent plots targeting our military here at home."

Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh are charged with conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and possession of firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. Abdul-Latif is also charged with two counts of illegal possession of firearms.

Durkan said: "This is a sobering reminder of our need to be vigilant and that our first line of defence is the people who live in our community. We were able to disrupt the plot because someone stepped forward and reported it to authorities."

If convicted, the two could face up to life in prison.

[buglerbilly]

Ignore the wank title here, there are an amazing set of pics shown...................

Ka-boom! Car blown sky high as bomb disposal officer investigates

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:18 AM on 2nd July 2011

This incredible sequence of pictures captures the moment a car bomb exploded this morning in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat.

The images show a member of a Thai bomb squad standing to the left of the car as it is blown apart in the blast.

The man was hurt in the blast although the extent of his injuries is unknown.

The bomb is believed to have been planted by separatist militants behind the uprising by the Malaysian border, in the south of the country.


Blast: This combination photo shows the car bomb exploding as a member of a Thai bomb squad checks it in Narathiwat province, south of Bangkok. Incredibly, the man survived although the extent of his injuries is not known

More than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have died in almost daily attacks since the uprising began in 2004.

Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand’s Malay Muslim minority, including alleged abuses by the military and a perceived lack of respect for their ethnic identity, language and religion.

Last week a triple bombing killed two villagers and wounded nine others – four of which were police who had rushed to the scene of the explosion to help victims.

The devices had been buried at three different locations around a reservoir in Narathiwat province.

Narathiwat and neighbouring Yala and Pattani have seen a shift in the scale and sophistication of insurgent attacks in the past few months, with Muslim and Buddhist villagers, soldiers, police and school teachers among the victims of coordinated bombings and ambushes.


Twisted wreckage is all that is left of the car following the blast

Ethnic Malay Muslims represent the majority of the population in these southernmost provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand.

The government and military have sought to curtail the unrest with development projects and public relations campaigns to try to discourage support for the shadowy rebels but the measures have largely failed.

Thailand's opposition party Puea Thai, which leads the ruling Democrat Party in most opinion polls ahead of a July 3 general election, has pledged, if elected, to turn the region into a special administrative region, which it believes could help to reduce the violence.


Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand's Malay Muslim minority


Ethnic Malay Muslims represent the majority of the population in the southernmost provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2010302/Thailand-car-bomb-Car-blown-sky-high-bomb-disposal-officer-investigates-Narathiwat.html#ixzz1Qw9hsQXr

[buglerbilly]

Muslims obligated to resist democracy, say radicals

Linton Besser

July 4, 2011 .


Twentieth-century Islam ... Bilal Merhi speaks at the Uprising in the Muslim World Conference in Sydney. Photo: AFP

MUSLIMS in Australia were urged yesterday to join the uprisings that have toppled regimes across the Middle East, to renounce moderate forms of the religion and to reject democracy, during a day-long conference sponsored by a radical Islamic organisation.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, a fundamentalist group that calls for the establishment of a caliphate stretching from the Middle East to Indonesia, hosted the event at Lidcombe, which drew about 1000 people.

Talks included ''The Muslim World in the 20th century: totalitarian Western oppression'' and ''Western endeavours to frustrate the Islamic revival''.

The group maintains a stance against violence, but says Muslims are obliged to engage in armed resistance against Israel and against the presence of foreign troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. ''If it [the land] is occupied, they [Muslims] have a right and a duty to resist that occupation,'' its spokesman, Uthman Badar, said.

Asked if that meant the targeting of Australian troops, Mr Badar said, ''I would not go beyond saying that a military occupation is rightly resisted militarily.''

''The role of the Australian government has … been intrusive and exploitative.''

The group is proscribed in Germany for anti-Semitism, and Russia declared it a criminal organisation in 1999.

There have been unsuccessful calls to ban the group in Britain and Australia.

Wassim Kabbara, 33, said he had come to the conference as a ''litmus test for me … to see what these guys are doing versus what the West is trying to do''. He agreed with themes at the conference that ''Islam and democracy do not come together''.

The keynote speaker, Dr Mohammad Jeelani, said the West had decided to ''plant a cancer in the Muslim world'', and that cancer was the state of Israel.

The group openly rejects democratic government and tells Muslims in Australia to boycott elections.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/muslims-obligated-to-resist-democracy-say-radicals-20110703-1gxfw.html#ixzz1R6H1JsNi

[buglerbilly]

Turkey Detains Suspected Al-Qaida Militants

July 13, 2011

Associated Press|by Selcan Hacaoglu

ANKARA, Turkey - Police have detained 15 suspected al-Qaida militants who were allegedly planning to attack the U.S. Embassy in Turkey's capital, the nation's state-run news agency said Wednesday.

Turkey's Interior Ministry confirmed the capture of suspected al-Qaida militants, but would provide no other details about the case. The U.S. Embassy said it had no information about the arrests or the alleged plot.

Citing unidentified official sources, the Anatolia news agency said police captured the 15 suspects in Ankara, the western city of Bursa and the nearby town of Yalova, and seized 700 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of chemicals used in bomb making, two assault rifles, ammunition and maps of Ankara.

The suspects were planning to attack the U.S. Embassy in Ankara and unidentified foreign targets, the news agency said. They were brought to police headquarters in Ankara on Tuesday night and were being questioned by anti-terror police, the report said.

The police raids came after a six-month surveillance of a key suspect who is believed to have received training with arms and explosives and rented a two-story house in Sincan town on the outskirts of Ankara, Anatolia said. The police captured the suspect on a street of Sincan earlier this week to avoid a possible clash during a raid, the news agency said.

Turkish media have speculated that homegrown radical Islamic militants affiliated with al-Qaida are preparing to avenge the May 2 killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad by U.S. forces.

In June, police arrested 10 suspected al-Qaida militants in the southern Turkish city of Adana, which is home to the Incirlik Air Base used by the United States to transfer noncombat supplies to Iraq and Afghanistan. Authorities have said Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida planned to attack Incirlik in the past but were deterred by high security.

Turkish authorities have said dozens of Turkish Islamic militants have received training in Afghanistan.

In 2003, homegrown Islamic militants tied to the al-Qaida attacked the British Consulate, a British bank and two synagogues in Istanbul, killing 58 people.

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Al-Qaida's austere and violent interpretation of Islam receives little public backing in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country. But several other radical Islamic groups also are active in Turkey.

---

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Feds Indict Internet Jihadi for Inciting Terrorism

By Spencer Ackerman July 14, 2011 | 2:08 pm



When “Abu Nancy” and “Goatly” started posting on a prominent English-language jihadi forum, the 22-year old behind those aliases probably didn’t think it would lead to a federal indictment.

That’s what the Justice Department announced Thursday afternoon for Emerson Winfield Begolly, a New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania resident who allegedly encouraged participants on the Ansar al-Mujahideen online forum to “sabatage [sic]” power lines, light forest fires and kill stateside soldiers and cops.

“It is best if targeting soldiers or police that they are off duty or out of uniform simply because the investigations will look for ‘robbery gone wrong’ or ‘revenge’ than act of terrorism or revolt,” Begolly allegedly posted to Ansar al-Mujahideen in August 2010. At some point, Begolly became a forum moderator.

Most significantly from the government’s case, in December, “Abu Nancy” posted a 101-page manual on concocting homemade explosives written by a former top al-Qaida bombmaker. That got a grand jury to indict him for “distribution of information relating to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction,” which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail.

“Soliciting a crime of violence,” the other count Begolly was indicted on, can land him in jail for 10 years, max.

Ansar al-Mujahideen is an English-language online forum, one of several that U.S. officials fear radicalizes American citizens. (Check out the picture of dead Iraqi terrorist Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi in the center of that screengrab.) Right now, it’s invite-only, but there’s a fair amount of information contained for uninvited lurkers. Its rules suggest the rigidity of its content: “We do not allow the preaching, propagation or promotion of any of the false and deviant ideas from among the destructive groups and sects.” Most recently, it attracted attention for crowdsourcing a snuff list of would-be American assassination targets.

According to the indictment, Begolly’s violent tendencies weren’t strictly online boasting. In January, two FBI special agents approached Begolly for an interview. Allegedly, he “bit both agents, drawing blood” and attempted to pull a loaded .9 mm pistol from his jacket.

Begolly, however, was not indicted for committing any actual acts of terrorism, just inciting others to perform them. Ironically, he’ll get a harsher sentence — life — if convicted for assaulting the two agents, for which he was separately indicted in Pennsylvania in February.

But the arrest is a sign that the Justice Department isn’t messing around about homegrown extremism, even if the White House counterterrorism strategy doesn’t pay much attention to online jihad. Last year, it got another online jihad enthusiast, Zachary Chesser of Virginia — most infamous for threatening the “blasphemous” South Park creators — to plead guilty to material support for terrorism. With al-Qaida seeking to radicalize Americans through preaching at them in English — sometimes in outlandish ways — other Ansar participants might find feds knocking on their doors as well. If they’re not already getting secretly chatted up by one of the soldiers that “Goatly” wanted to murder.

Screengrab: Ansar al-Mujahideen Forum

[buglerbilly]

14 suspected al-Qaida militants charged for allegedly planning to attack US embassy in Turkey

By Associated Press, Updated: Saturday, July 16, 5:13 PM

ANKARA, Turkey — A court has charged 14 suspected al-Qaida militants for allegedly planning to attack the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital.

The charges — which were filed by an Ankara court late Friday — come as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visits Turkey’s cultural capital of Istanbul for a meeting on religious tolerance.

The 14 suspects were captured just before Clinton’s arrival. A 15th suspect was released, though may later also face trial.

Turkish media have speculated that homegrown radical Islamist militants affiliated with al-Qaida are preparing to avenge the May 2 killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by U.S. forces.

Al-Qaida’s austere and violent interpretation of Islam receives little public backing in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country. However, al-Qaida and several other radical Islamic groups have been active in Turkey before.

The state-run Anatolia news agency reported Saturday that one of the suspects had carried out surveillance around the U.S. Embassy in Ankara and some other foreign missions, including taking photos. Police have seized 1,500 pounds (700 kilograms) of chemicals along with bomb-making instructions, assault rifles, ammunition and maps of Ankara, it said.

Police captured the suspects after tracking one of them for six months, according to Anatolia. The police captured the suspect less than a week ago on a street in Sincan, a town on the outskirts of the capital where he is believed to have received weapons training. The others were rounded up on Tuesday.

In June, police arrested 10 suspected al-Qaida militants in the southern Turkish city of Adana, which is home to the Incirlik Air Base used by the United States to transfer noncombat supplies to Iraq and Afghanistan. Authorities have said Muslim militants tied to al-Qaida planned to attack Incirlik in the past but were deterred by high security.

Turkish authorities have said dozens of Turkish militants have received training in Afghanistan.

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

In 2003, homegrown Islamic militants tied to the al-Qaida attacked the British Consulate, a British bank and two synagogues in Istanbul, killing 58 people.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

US soldier arrested near Fort Hood 'admits to attack plan'

Naser Jason Abdo, who has been AWOL, held at jail near base after police found him with possible bomb-making material

Agencies

guardian.co.uk, Friday 29 July 2011 00.36 BST


Fort Hood military base in Texas was the scene of a 2009 massacre in which 13 people were killed during a shooting spree. Photograph: Larry W Smith/EPA

A US soldier arrested after police found him in possession of possible bomb-making material at a motel near Fort Hood, Texas, has admitted planning an attack on the military base, according to an army alert.

FBI special agent Eric Vasys said the soldier, who was absent without leave from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was being held in a jail in the Texas town of Killeen, near Fort Hood, on an unrelated child pornography charge.

The soldier was identified as 21-year-old Naser Jason Abdo, originally from the Dallas area. He disappeared from Fort Campbell over the 4 July weekend, Bob Jenkins, a spokesman at the base said.

The army alert says Abdo "was in possession of a large quantity of ammunition, weapons and a bomb inside a backpack". Upon questioning, the alert says, he admitted to planning an attack on Fort Hood.

"Whatever threat Mr Nassar [sic Naser] posed yesterday or up until yesterday has been eliminated and mitigated, and there was nothing to indicate he was acting with anyone else," Vasys said.

Abdo was arrested on Wednesday after a "concerned citizen" reported that he had firearms and smokeless gunpowder in his Killeen motel room, Vasys said. "A search of his motel room revealed that he had some components which could be considered bomb-making materials."

Vasys said the FBI would charge Abdo with possessing bomb-making components and he would be transferred from Killeen police into federal custody. Vasys said there was nothing to indicate Abdo was "working with others."

In June, the US military designated Abdo a conscientious objector to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but that status was put on hold after he was charged over child pornography in Kentucky.

Abdo applied for conscientious objector status in 2010 after he decided Islamic standards would prohibit his service in the US army in any war, military officials said.

An Oklahoma attorney who has represented Abdo said on Thursday he hadn't heard from Abdo in weeks and learned of the arrest from a Texas television station.

Fort Hood was the scene of a November 2009 massacre in which 13 people were killed and 32 others wounded.

Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan was charged with the shootings and is expected to face a court martial in March 2012.

[buglerbilly]

Extremists lure young minds

July 31, 2011 .


Influence ... Friday prayer day at Auburn Islamic Centre. Photo: Lee Besford

Hardline Muslim groups are targeting the mainstream Turkish-Australian community in Auburn, writes Justin Norrie.

MANY Turkish-Australians were stunned to hear that one of their own was allegedly involved in an attack on a Muslim convert.

Tolga Cifci, 20, was one of three men charged this month over the attack on Christian Martinez, who was allegedly lashed 40 times with an electric cable as a religious punishment under sharia for drinking alcohol.

The Sun-Herald understands that Mr Cifci's father, a successful local businessman, became concerned last year when his son fell under the influence of hardliners who had recently arrived in the area.


The Bukhari Islamic Bookstore in Auburn. Photo: Lee Besford

Attempts to prise him away from the group failed.

The general manager of the Auburn-based Affinity Intercultural Foundation, Ahmet Keskin, said that ''people around here could hardly believe that a Turk might be involved in that [incident] because this is an extremely tolerant community.

''Turkish Muslims preach love and acceptance, like the overwhelming majority of Muslims.''

Auburn is the heartland of Sydney's Turkish community. But in the past 18 months at least three new Muslim groups, including the Auburn Islamic Centre, have set up operations in the suburb, a documentary-maker and peace activist, Kuranda Seyit, said.

Mr Seyit, the director of the Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations, said one of them, loosely supervised by the controversial Sheikh Feiz Mohammad at the Bukhari House Islamic Book Store, had been trying to recruit emotionally vulnerable young men of Turkish heritage.

A plan by another, the Islamic Dawah Centre of Australia, to build a large mosque on a $1.8 million, 3882-square-metre plot on Chisholm Road, is considered the latest example of the push into the area.

Mr Seyit said all the groups practised Salafism - considered a hardline Islam embracing a literal reading of the Koran and rejects many mainstream scholarly interpretations.

''If you look at this particular Salafi group [belonging to Sheikh Feiz] - in the past 12 months, you can see there has been an increase in their activities in Auburn, which has more Muslims now than Lakemba,'' Mr Seyit said. ''Strategically they've decided to move to western Sydney to recruit people from an area populated by tolerant, Turkish Muslims.

''You have to remember that Salafis are a tiny minority in the Muslim community and their beliefs are not in any way representative of the majority.

''But I do worry that their influence will increase as they try to push their ideology here.'' Some anxious parents have begun sending their children to Turkey for long periods to steer them away from Salafi influences, one leading figure said on condition of anonymity.

Staff at the Bukhari House Islamic Book Store would not answer questions last week and a man who answered Sheikh Feiz's mobile phone claimed to be called ''Abdullah'' and refused to discuss the matter.

Sheikh Feiz has caused controversy by referring to Jews as pigs and saying children should be encouraged to take up jihad. He has apologised for the former comment and said the latter was misunderstood.

The president of the Islamic Dawah Centre of Australia, Ihssan Wehbe, said he was reluctant to use the world ''Salafi'' when describing his way of Islam.

''My approach is simply the true approach,'' he said. ''There's no tension between the Lebanese and Turkish Muslims in Auburn,'' Mr Wehbe said.

''Religion is about education and understanding and, if there's a problem, we can sit down around the table and talk about it.''

But Levent Gunaydin, a spokesman for the suburb's moderate Gallipoli mosque, predicted that ''these things [the alleged attack on Mr Martinez] are going to happen more and more because they're coming into Auburn''.

''It's still isolated and the numbers of these people are minuscule but their influence is increasing here,'' Mr Gunaydin said.

''You cannot have sharia law in Australia.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/extremists-lure-young-minds-20110730-1i5e0.html#ixzz1Te6XigqF

[buglerbilly]

China Blames Pakistan-Trained Militants for Attack

August 01, 2011

Associated Press|by David Wivell

URUMQI, China -- China on Monday blamed Muslim extremists trained in Pakistan for killing six civilians in an attack in its troubled far western ethnic region where police later fatally shot five suspects.

Sunday's attack raised the death toll to 18 from weekend violence in the Silk Road city of Kashgar. It is in Xinijang region, which has been tense since nearly 200 people were killed in fighting between Uighurs and Han Chinese in 2009 in Urumqi, the regional capital.

An overseas ethnic activist group said it feared the violence could prompt a new crackdown on minority Uighurs blamed for the previous violence.

Kashgar's city government said in a statement that an initial investigation showed members of the group behind Sunday's attack had trained in making explosives and firearms in neighboring Pakistan in camps belonging to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a banned militant organization advocating independence for Xinjiang.

The statement on the city government's website did not offer any proof. China says the group is allied with al-Qaida.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. It is unlikely the allegation will drive a wedge in relations between the countries, which are close political allies.

On Sunday, the "group of armed terrorists" stormed into a restaurant in the Kashgar city center, killing the owner and a waiter and setting the restaurant on fire, the city government said.

The attackers then ran out of the restaurant and stabbed civilians indiscriminately, leaving another four people dead and 12 injured, it said.

Police opened fire and shot dead four suspects at the scene, while another suspect died later in a hospital, it said.

Xinjiang has been beset by ethnic conflict and a sometimes-violent separatist movement by Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group that sees Xinjiang as its homeland. Many Uighurs say they have been marginalized as more majority Han Chinese move into the region.

The local government issued arrest warrants Monday for two local ethnic Uighurs who allegedly fled the scene and offered a 100,000 yuan ($16,000) reward for information leading to their capture.

Clashes in Kashgar on Saturday killed seven people and injured 22. A police official said two knife-wielding men hijacked a truck, rammed it into a crowd and got out attacking pedestrians.

People who came under attack retaliated, and one of the suspects was killed and the other caught, said the official from the Xinjiang regional public security bureau.

The official said the attack was under investigation and the motive unclear. She refused to give her name, as is common with Chinese officials.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the German-based World Uyghur Congress, which advocates nonviolence, said frustrations were forcing Uighurs to take to the streets.

"Uighurs have no peaceful way to oppose the Chinese government, so some have taken to extreme measures. It is unthinkable, but it is the reality, and Beijing should take responsibility to deal with these issues," he told The Associated Press from Sweden, where he is based.

China defends its treatment of minorities, saying all ethnic groups are treated equally and that tens of billions of dollars in investment and aid have dramatically raised living standards.

Police patrolled Kashgar on Monday, but locals said it was a sight to which they were accustomed. A security presence is usually strong in Xinjiang's main cities.

"I took a bus to work as usual this morning and saw police armed with rods patrolling on streets," said a woman at Hua'an International Travel Service, who only gave her surname, Zhao. "Seven or eight of them were in a group, but the police patrol the streets everyday. I didn't see there was a big difference today."

Xinjiang is China's Central Asian frontier, bordering Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and other countries. Kashgar was an important hub on the ancient route through which Chinese silk and other goods reached Europe.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Senate Panel Keeps ‘Secret Patriot Act’ Under Wraps

By Noah Shachtman August 2, 2011 | 1:30 pm



The secret Patriot Act is staying secret.

Two Senators have been warning for months that the government has a secret legal interpretation of the Patriot Act so broad that it amounts to an entirely different law — one that gives the feds massive domestic surveillance powers, and keeps the rest of us in the dark about the snooping.

“There is a significant discrepancy between what most Americans – including many members of Congress – think the Patriot Act allows the government to do and how government officials interpret that same law,” wrote the Senators, Ron Wyden and Mark Udall. “We believe that most members of the American public would be very surprised to learn how federal surveillance law is being interpreted in secret. ”

The Senators tried to get the government to reveal some of the law’s contents, by forcing the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to produce a report outlining when this secret surveillance has gone overboard. Yesterday, the effort failed. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said no to the report by rejecting Wyden and Udall’s amendment to the FY2012 Intelligence Authorization Act.

In other words: we are all still in the dark about how the government is spying on us.

The Senators won’t say, exactly, what elements of this secret Patriot Act have them so spooked. But Wyden told Danger Room in May that the so-called “business-records provision” is a major source of concern. It empowers the FBI to get businesses, medical offices, banks and other organizations to turn over any “tangible things” it deems relevant to a security investigation.

So instead, the Senators are left to make vague — if vociferous — protests. “In our view, the executive branch’s decision to conceal the U.S. government’s official understanding of what this law means is unacceptable, and untenable in the long run,” Wyden and Udall wrote in the committee’s report on the Authorization Act. “Intelligence agencies need to have the ability to conduct secret operations, but they should not be allowed to rely on secret laws.”

As Secrecy News notes, the committee also rejected an amendment by Wyden and Udall that would have required the Justice Department to estimate how many Americans have been eavesdropped on, in violation of another surveillance law, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. That amendment was voted down, 7-8.

Instead, the committee seemed more focused on potential threats to the intelligence community, rather than the spies’ overreach. The Senators worried about the intelligence agencies’ impulse to move classified information to the cloud, and demanded an “independent review of the efficiency and security implications” of the shift in six months. The committee also expressed concern about how many gadgets and gadget components are now made overseas — and could therefore have backdoors from foreign intelligence agencies built in. The Senators want a second report in six months on “counterintelligence threats to the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, including any risks associated with purchasing equipment and services from foreign manufacturers and suppliers.”

Photo: Flickr / Rose Robinson

[buglerbilly]

New White House Strategy to Hit Violent Extremism

August 03, 2011

Associated Press|by Eileen Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- Local communities around the country are best suited to take on the challenge of combating the kind of violent extremism that inspires people to kill, the Obama administration concludes in a new national plan to fight the threat of al-Qaida and other violent radicals at home.

And although al-Qaida and like-minded groups pose the "most significant and direct" threat to the U.S., the strategy focuses on violent extremism of all varieties because violent ideologies change over time and "new threats will undoubtedly arise in the future," according to an unclassified draft of the strategy obtained by The Associated Press. It is expected to be released Wednesday.

The eight-page plan, more than a year in the making, is short on specifics and stakes out no new ground on the thorny issue of homegrown terrorism. It repeats many of President Obama's past statements and in parts is quite similar to a document President George W. Bush's administration produced five years ago.

"The United States government will work tirelessly to counter support for violent extremism and to ensure that, as new violent groups and ideologies emerge, they fail to gain a foothold in our country," the strategy says. "Achieving this aim requires that we all work together -- government, communities, the private sector, the general public, and others -- to develop effective programs and initiatives."

In 2006, the Bush administration wrote, "Success in this ideological struggle demands that we explain more effectively our values, ideals, policies, and actions internationally and support moderate voices willing to confront extremists and discredit radicals."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The psychological aspects of radicalization have been studied for years, and while there are some similarities among terrorism cases, there is not a single profile of a violent extremist in the U.S. Complicating the challenge is that the threat is often rooted in an ideology protected by the Constitution.

Americans are now a targeted audience for recruitment to radical causes and not just a target for attack. English-speaking radical Islamic clerics appeal to Westerners on the Internet and recruit Americans to join their holy war. The need to travel to terror camps in faraway places has diminished now that there are instructions for how to carry out an attack that are easily available online.

The Obama administration strategy points to federal outreach programs by the Homeland Security and Justice departments and the FBI that have been initiated since the 2001 terror attacks. It also refers to the nation's approach to countering criminal gangs as a model to embrace for countering violent extremism, involving police, schools, probation officers, youth agencies, government and local grass-roots organizations.

The strategy includes broad statements about protecting civil rights, American values and the importance of partnerships with local stakeholders and the private sector. The federal government's job is to act in a support role, it said, bringing people together and sharing information about threats and concerns and "community-based solutions."

"While there is no shortage of ideas about the causes and implications of radicalization in the public conversation, what is generally lacking are proposals for specific action the government or American citizens can take to combat radicalization," said Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., during a congressional hearing last week on ways to address and combat the threat.

One of Myrick's former constituents is a young man, Samir Khan, who is now believed to be in Yemen working with al-Qaida and recruiting Westerners to the cause.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Bruce Schneier’s Telepathic Takeover of the TSA

By Noah Shachtman August 10, 2011 | 7:00 am



Bruce Schneier is a telepath of unimaginable power. That’s the only possible explanation for the stunning reversal at the top of the Transportation Security Administration.

For years, Schneier, the well-known security gadfly, has blasted the TSA for its brain dead approach to passenger screening: the “security theater” of naked scanners and slipped-off shoes; the focus on terrorist weapons instead of the terrorists themselves; the one-size-fits-all security protocols, instead of measures driven by the latest intelligence. For years, the TSA ignored his critiques.

But late last month, at the Aspen Security Forum, TSA chief John Pistole opened his mouth — and Schneier’s words came tumbling out. Pistole said it was high time to “recognize that the vast majority of people traveling every day are not terrorists.” To “try to apply some more common sense to the process,” even.

Forget patting down kids and telling people with top secret security clearances to take off their shoes. “I think we can do a different way of screening children that recognizes that, in the very high likelihood, they do not have a bomb on them,” he said.

Besides, he added, “the best layer of security we have … is intelligence.”

Clearly, Schneier had figured out some way of getting into TSA administrator’s head. The man was some kind of Charles Xavier type.

Or maybe — just maybe — Pistole, after a year on the job, was finally feeling comfortable enough at the administration to make the changes he’s been itching to implement from the start.


Uploaded by AspenInstitute on Jul 29, 2011
The Honorable John Pistole, Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security; Moderator: Jeanne Meserve, CNN

The changes won’t come quickly, as I note in my op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal. At four select airports beginning this fall, “trusted travelers” — elite-level members of American and Delta Airlines’ frequent flier programs — will be able this fall to skip some of the sillier security protocols. The airlines know who they are, the thinking goes, and they travel constantly. So the chances that one of them is carrying a bomb are vanishingly small. Some travelers may keep their shoes on; others may not have to remove their laptops from their cases. If it goes well, the pilot project will expand beyond Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and Dallas-Fort Worth, and include more airlines.

The TSA chief is promising even more changes ahead. Children won’t get felt up quite as often. TSA officers may get more flexibility to bend those maddening rules about which items are banned from a flight. The focus is going to be on stopping those weapons that can actually bring down a plane, not just nick a stewardess.

Already, you can hear the pissing and moaning about all the new vulnerabilities that the TSA is introducing by refusing to remove grandpa’s loafers. But Pistole (or is it Schneier?) feels like he’s on solid ground. If these pilots go according to plan, the mind-meld between the TSA chief and its most vocal critic may well continue.

Photo: Wikimedia.org

[buglerbilly]

Yemen: Barack Obama warned that al-Qaeda planning ricin attack

Counter-terrorism officials are said to have warned President Barack Obama that an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen is trying to produce the deadly nerve agent ricin for use in bomb attacks on the US.


US President Barack Obama

By Jacqui Goddard

9:46AM BST 13 Aug 2011

The New York Times, citing classified intelligence documents and unnamed officials, reports that terrorist operatives have been making efforts to buy large quantities of castor beans – which contain the toxic ricin protein – and shift them to a remote tribal area controlled by insurgents for processing.

Ricin is so poisonous that inhalation of a few minute grains is enough to kill an adult. It was used in deadly incidents including the 1978 assassination in London of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov and, in 2002, was the subject of a bioterrorism scare in the UK capital following a police raid on a facility said to be plotting its manufacture.

US officials are reported to have told Mr Obama that an attack is not imminent and that the terrorist arm has yet to formulate a means for dispersing it as a weapon.

They believe that the ultimate goal is to find an effective means of packing the white powder around explosives and detonating the devices in packed public areas such as shopping malls and airports, the New York Times revealed.

The president is said to have received regular briefings on the matter since first being alerted to it last year.

Al-Qaeda's wing in Yemen has openly raised the subject of ricin use before, though only in speculative terms.

In a posting on its English-language web journal last year entitled "Tips for our brothers in the United States of America", it stated: "Brothers with less experience in the fields of microbiology or chemistry, as long as they possess basic scientific knowledge, would be able to develop other poisons such as ricin or cyanide."

Obama administration officials believe that the greatest terrorism threat to the US now comes from al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, due to a near-total collapse of the government there that has allowed the movement to expand and strengthen its presence.

The US government is working with what is left of Yemen's intelligence agencies and those of neighbouring Saudi Arabia to try to root our terror plots early.

Concerns over ricin have highlighted the threat that al-Qaeda linked groups – chiefly al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – continue to pose to the US and its interests.

An unidentified senior American official told The New York Times: "That line of threat has never abated. That's being taken seriously by this government. What we know about AQAP is that they do what they say."

[buglerbilly]

Things With Wings

The Commercial Aviation Blog

Southers on Homeland Security

Posted by Adrian Schofield at 8/17/2011 7:44 PM CDT

I’ve been reading a series of interesting op-eds by prominent U.S. homeland security expert Erroll Southers (perhaps best-known as the man the Obama administration wanted to lead the TSA back in 2009. Now with TAL Global). I’ve talked with Erroll on a few occasions, and I have a lot of time for his ideas.

The short op-eds talk about a range of issues involving homeland security. I know there’s a lot of opinions floating around on this topic, but I think you’ll find Southers’ ideas among the most informed and pragmatic. They are posted on the Security Debrief blog, with is produced in part by the George Washington Homeland Security Policy Institute.

http://securitydebrief.com/2011/08/17/september-11-2000-%e2%80%93-just-another-day/

Here is Southers’ latest piece, which is more of an overview and a realistic assessment on the likelihood of another successful attack. There are links at the bottom to previous pieces. One of the common themes is how to better educate and involve the public in possible threat scenarios. This is the best way to make the “see something, say something” effort more effective. He also discusses what we know about terrorist operating techniques in places like the U.S., and how that knowledge can help.

Here is an excerpt I quite like:


Community resilience to terrorism, facilitated by public education, has been effective in countries such as the United Kingdom and Israel and can be more fully engaged in the United States. Building resilience is an adaptive process, one that impacts community culture and can psychologically empower citizens to own a stake in the fight against terrorist threats and their consequences. Learning about our enemy – and teaching our citizenry about what we learn – is a critical first step to resisting attacks and should become an integral part of our overall homeland security strategy.

That is admittedly quite a general idea, but Southes backs it up with more specifics.

Anyway, I would encourage you to take a read. Southers is an important voice on an important topic.

[buglerbilly]

CIA Helps NYPD Expand Covert Ops in Muslim Areas

August 24, 2011

Associated Press|by Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman



NEW YORK - Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the New York Police Department has become one of the nation's most aggressive domestic intelligence agencies, targeting ethnic communities in ways that would run afoul of civil liberties rules if practiced by the federal government, an Associated Press investigation has found.

The operations have benefited from unprecedented help from the CIA, a partnership that has blurred the line between foreign and domestic spying.

The department has dispatched undercover officers, known as "rakers," into minority neighborhoods as part of a human mapping program, according to officials directly involved in the program. They've monitored daily life in bookstores, bars, cafes and nightclubs. Police have also used informants, known as "mosque crawlers," to monitor sermons, even when there's no evidence of wrongdoing.

Neither the city council, which finances the department, nor the federal government, which has given NYPD more than $1.6 billion since 9/11, is told exactly what's going on.

Many of these operations were built with help from the CIA, which is prohibited from spying on Americans but was instrumental in transforming the NYPD's intelligence unit.

A veteran CIA officer, while still on the agency's payroll, was the architect of the NYPD's intelligence programs. The CIA trained a police detective at the Farm, the agency's spy school in Virginia, then returned him to New York, where he put his new espionage skills to work inside the United States.

And just last month, the CIA sent a senior officer to work as a clandestine operative inside police headquarters.

The NYPD denied that it trolls ethnic neighborhoods and said it only follows leads. Police operations have disrupted terrorist plots and put several would-be killers in prison.

"The New York Police Department is doing everything it can to make sure there's not another 9/11 here and that more innocent New Yorkers are not killed by terrorists," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. "And we have nothing to apologize for in that regard." AP's investigation is based on documents and interviews with more than 40 current and former New York Police Department and federal officials. Many were directly involved in planning and carrying out these secret operations for the department. Though most said the tactics were appropriate and made the city safer, many insisted on anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak with reporters about security matters.

In response to the story, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a leading Muslim civil rights organization, called on the Justice Department to investigate. The Justice Department had no immediate comment.

"This is potentially illegal what they're doing," said Gadeir Abbas, a staff attorney with the organization.

After the terrorist attacks, New York hired retired CIA official David Cohen to transform its intelligence division.

Among Cohen's earliest moves at the NYPD was asking for help from his old CIA colleagues. He needed someone who had access to the latest intelligence so the NYPD wouldn't have to rely on the FBI to dole out information.

CIA Director George Tenet dispatched Larry Sanchez, a respected CIA veteran, to New York while Sanchez was still on the CIA payroll, three former intelligence officials said. Sanchez directed and mentored officers, schooling them in the art of gathering information, officials said.

There had never been an arrangement like it, and some senior CIA officials soon began questioning whether Tenet was allowing Sanchez to operate on both sides of the wall that's supposed to keep the CIA out of the domestic intelligence business.

"It should not be a surprise to anyone that, after 9/11, the Central Intelligence Agency stepped up its cooperation with law enforcement on counterterrorism issues or that some of that increased cooperation was in New York, the site of ground zero," CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood said.

Cohen also persuaded a federal judge to loosen rules and allow police to open investigations before there's any indication a crime has been committed.

With that newfound authority, Cohen created a secret squad that would soon infiltrate Muslim neighborhoods, according to several current and former officials directly involved in the program.

The NYPD assigned undercover officers to monitor neighborhoods, looking for potential trouble. Using census data, police matched undercover officers to ethnic communities and instructed them to blend in, the officials said. They hung out in hookah bars and cafes, quietly observing the community around them.

The unit, which has been undisclosed until now, became known inside the department as the Demographic Unit, former police officials said.

"It's not a question of profiling. It's a question of going where the problem could arise," said Mordecai Dzikansky, a retired NYPD intelligence officer who said he was aware of the Demographic Unit. "And thank God we have the capability. We have the language capability and the ethnic officers. That's our hidden weapon."

Cohen said he wanted the squad to "rake the coals, looking for hot spots," former officials recalled. The undercover officers soon became known inside the department as rakers.

For years, detectives also used informants known as mosque crawlers to monitor weekly sermons and report what was said, several current and former officials directly involved in the informant program said. If FBI agents were to do that, they would be in violation of the Privacy Act, which prohibits the federal government from collecting intelligence on purely First Amendment activities.

Browne, the NYPD spokesman, flatly denied the accounts of mosque crawlers and rakers. He said the NYPD only uses undercover officers and informants to follow leads, not to target ethnic neighborhoods.

"We will go into a location, whether it's a mosque or a bookstore, if the lead warrants it, and at least establish whether there's something that requires more attention," Browne said.

Last month, the CIA deepened its ties to the NYPD. It sent one of its most senior spies to New York to work out of police headquarters, on the CIA payroll. He is a special assistant in the intelligence division but U.S. officials said he is not doing intelligence-gathering. His name remains classified.

"It's like starting the CIA over in the post-9/11 world," Cohen said in "Protecting the City," a laudatory 2009 book about the NYPD. "What would you do if you could begin it all over again? Hah. This is what you would do."

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Source: Teen in US Custody in 'Jihad Jane' Plot

August 26, 2011

Associated Press|by Maryclaire Dale

PHILADELPHIA - A Maryland teen from Pakistan is in secret U.S. custody, accused of helping recruit terrorists for the Pennsylvania woman known as "Jihad Jane," a person close to the boy's family said Friday.

Charges filed last month accuse the 17-year-old of helping Colleen LaRose in her alleged efforts to incite an Islamic holy war. Prosecutors have said LaRose was a convert to Islam who wrote of being driven by an urge to help suffering Muslims.

The high school graduate had accepted a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University, according to the person. He is instead in custody at a youth facility in Berks County, Pa. He could be moved to an adult prison - and have his case moved to adult court - when he turns 18 next month.

A law-enforcement source confirmed the details to The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak publicly about the sealed case. The AP is not publicizing the teen's name because he is charged as a juvenile.

The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported on his arrest in Friday editions.

The teen came to the U.S. four years ago and has lived with his strict, education-minded family in suburban Baltimore. He is the rare juvenile to be charged or detained in federal custody.

According to both sources, he met LaRose in a chat room when he was about 15 and later agreed to help her raise money and recruits for the jihadist cause.

LaRose, 48, of Pennsburg, had dubbed herself "Jihad Jane" in a YouTube video that caught the FBI's attention in 2009.

She faces a possible life term after pleading guilty to four federal charges, including conspiracy to murder a foreign target and lying to the FBI.

LaRose, an elder caretaker in small-town Pennsylvania, cultivated a shadow life online and agreed to move to Ireland and try to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had offended Muslims.

No sentencing date has been set in her case while the investigation continues. The teen is referenced as a co-conspirator in her case.

According to the family source, the FBI searched his family's home and interviewed the teen several times at FBI headquarters without a lawyer or family member present. However, the source said the parents had authorized the interviews.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

“Lone wolf” radical alleged to have killed 2 US airmen at Frankfurt airport faces trial

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, August 30, 5:52 PM

FRANKFURT, Germany — A 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian allegedly inspired by online jihad videos goes on trial Wednesday on charges that he gunned down two U.S. airmen outside Frankfurt airport, in the first successful attack by an Islamic extremist in Germany.

The March 2 attack drove home worries about the increasing danger of the “lone wolf” terrorist — individuals who are self-radicalized, unaffiliated with any organization, and don’t show up on authorities’ radar until they strike.

Arid Uka is charged with two counts of murder and three of attempted murder in connection with the attack. He faces a possible life sentence.

Prosecutors say Uka was radicalized over time by propaganda he saw on the Internet trying to incite jihad, or holy war.

The night before the attack, his attorney told The Associated Press, Uka watched a video entitled “what was done to our sisters,” which purported to show American soldiers raping a teenage Muslim girl. It turned out to be a scene from the 2007 anti-war Brian De Palma film “Redacted,” taken out of context.

“That is the irony of this case,” said Uka’s attorney. Jens Joerg Hoffmann. “It was an American film from a leading director that was so believable that it looked real.”

Uka gave a detailed confession to authorities after he was apprehended at the scene. Hoffmann said Uka plans to make a statement to the court after the indictment is read, but would not elaborate.

No pleas are entered in Germany, so when the trial begins prosecutors will still have to lay out the facts for the court.

Hoffmann said the best Uka can hope for from the panel of three Frankfurt state court judges is the possibility of an early release after he serves 15 years. That will have to do with his motivation, and whether there were any mitigating circumstances.

Although Germany has suffered scores of terrorist attacks in past decades, largely from leftist groups like the Red Army Faction, the airport attack was the first by a suspected Islamic extremist to succeed.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks there have been about a half-dozen other jihadist plots that were either thwarted or failed — including a 2007 plan to kill Americans at the U.S. Air Force’s Ramstein Air Base that was uncovered by German authorities acting on a tip from U.S. intelligence sources.

According to the indictment, Uka went to the airport armed with a pistol, extra ammunition and two knives. Inside Terminal 2, he spotted two U.S. servicemen who had just arrived and followed them to their U.S. Air Force bus.

After 16 servicemen, including the driver, were on or near the bus, Uka approached one of the men for a cigarette, prosecutors said. He confirmed they were U.S. Air Force members en route to Afghanistan, then “turned around, put the magazine that had been concealed in his backpack into his pistol, and cocked the weapon,” the indictment read.

He first shot unarmed Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, a 25-year-old from South Carolina, in the back of the head, the indictment alleged. He then boarded the vehicle shouting “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is great” — and shot and killed the driver, 21-year-old Airman 1st Class Zachary R. Cuddeback of Virginia, before firing at others.

He wounded two others — one victim has lost sight in one eye permanently — before his gun jammed and he fled, prosecutors said. The shooter was then chased down and caught.

Some of the American airmen are expected to testify at the trial. At least one relative of the victims — Cuddeback’s mother — has joined the trial as a co-plaintiff.

Attorney Marcus Steffel, who represents her but would not divulge her name for confidentiality reasons, said the case was a clear one, with witnesses as well as video surveillance of the attack.

“The defense has very, very little room for maneuver,” he said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

German Islamist terrorist confesses and blames fake jihad rape video for inspiring his crime

A Kosovo Albanian Islamic extremist has confessed to murdering two American airmen and has blamed a faked jihad video showing US soldiers raping a Muslim girl for inspiring his crime.


Arid Uka Photo: DPA

12:02PM BST 31 Aug 2011

In an emotional confession to a Frankfurt court as his murder trial began on Wednesday, Arid Uka said he had become radicalised by online extremist propaganda before carrying out a lone gun attack US Air Force bus in March.

“What I did was wrong, but I cannot undo what I did,” he said.

Uka blamed a video purporting to show American servicemen raping a young Muslim girl for prompting him to try and stop other US soldiers from getting to Afghanistan.

“I thought what I saw in that video, these people would do in Afghanistan,” he told the court.

But the rape footage, billed as an authentic video entitled “what was done to our sisters,” turned out to be a fake using footage scene from the 2007 anti-Iraq war film “Redacted,” directed by Hollywood’s Brian de Palma.

“That is the irony of this case,” said Jens Joerg Hoffman, Uka’s defence lawyer. “It was an American film from a leading director that was so believable that it looked real.”

Uka is charged with two counts of murder and three of attempted murder in connection with the attack. He faces a possible life sentence.

The attack, at Frankfurt airport on March 2 2011, fuelled fears about the growing danger of the “lone wolf” terrorists, isolated individuals who are self-radicalised, unaffiliated with any organisation and are undetected until they strike.

According to the prosecution indictment, Uka went to the airport armed with a pistol, extra ammunition and two knives. Inside the arrivals terminal, he spotted two American servicemen who had just arrived and followed them to their US Air Force bus.

Sixteen servicemen, including the driver, were on or near the bus, and Uka approached one of the men for a cigarette.

After confirming they were US Air Force personnel en route to Afghanistan, he then “turned around, put the magazine that had been concealed in his backpack into his pistol, and cocked the weapon,” according the indictment.

Uka is alleged to have first shot unarmed Senior Airman Nicholas J Alden, a 25-year-old from South Carolina, in the back of the head. He is accused of then boarding the vehicle shouting “Allahu Akbar” - Arabic for “God is great” - and shot and killed the driver, 21-year-old Airman 1st Class Zachary R Cuddeback of Virginia, before firing at others.

He wounded two others - one victim has lost sight in one eye permanently - before his gun jammed and he fled, prosecutors said. He was then chased down and caught by police officers.

American airmen are expected to testify at the trial. At least one relative of the victims - Airman Cuddeback’s mother - has joined the trial as a co-plaintiff

Although Germany has suffered scores of terrorist attacks in past decades, largely from leftist groups like the Red Army Faction, the airport attack was the first by a suspected Islamic extremist to succeed.

Since the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks there have been about a half-dozen other jihadist plots that were either thwarted or failed - including a 2007 plan to kill Americans at the US Air Force’s Ramstein Air Base that was uncovered by German authorities acting on a tip from a US intelligence sources.

[buglerbilly]

Inside the Secret NYPD Spy Unit

August 31, 2011

Associated Press|by Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman

Working with the CIA, the New York Police Department maintained a list of "ancestries of interest" and dispatched undercover officers to monitor Muslim businesses and social groups, according to new documents that offer a rare glimpse inside an intelligence program the NYPD insists doesn't exist.

The documents add new details to an Associated Press investigation that explained how undercover NYPD officers singled out Muslim communities for surveillance and infiltration.

The Demographics Unit, a squad of 16 officers fluent in a total of at least five languages, was told to map ethnic communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and identify where people socialize, shop and pray.

Once that analysis was complete, according to documents obtained by the AP, the NYPD would "deploy officers in civilian clothes throughout the ethnic communities."

The architect of this and other programs was a veteran CIA officer who oversaw the program while working with the NYPD on the CIA payroll. It was an unusual arrangement for the CIA, which is prohibited from spying inside the U.S.

After the AP report, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the NYPD has kept the city safe and does not take religion into account in its policing. The NYPD denied the Demographics Unit exists.

"There is no such unit," police spokesman Paul Browne said before the first AP story ran. "There is nothing called the Demographics Unit."

Internal police documents show otherwise. An NYPD presentation, delivered inside the department, described the mission and makeup of the Demographics Unit. Undercover officers were told to look not only for evidence of terrorism and crimes but also to determine the ethnicity of business owners and eavesdrop on conversations inside cafes.

A police memorandum from 2006 described an NYPD supervisor rebuking an undercover detective for not doing a good enough job reporting on community events and "rhetoric heard in cafes and hotspot locations."

How law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, can stay ahead of Islamic terrorists without using racial profiling techniques has been hotly debated since 9/11. Singling out minorities for extra scrutiny without evidence of wrongdoing has been criticized as discriminatory. Not focusing on Muslim neighborhoods has been equally criticized as political correctness run amok. The documents describe how the nation's largest police force has come down on that issue.

Working out of the police department's offices at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the Demographics Unit maintained a list of 28 countries that, along with "American Black Muslim," it considered "ancestries of interest." Nearly all are Muslim countries.

Police used census data and government databases to map areas it considered "hot spots" as well as the ethnic neighborhoods of New York's tri-state area, the documents show.

Undercover officers known as "rakers" - a term the NYPD also denied existed - were then told to participate in social activities such as cricket matches and visit cafes and clubs, the documents show.

Police had a list of "key indicators" of problems. It included obvious signs of trouble such as criminal activity and extremist rhetoric by imams. But it also included things commonly seen in neighborhoods, such as community centers, religious schools and "community bulletin boards (located in houses of worship)."

At least one lawyer inside the police department has raised concerns about the Demographics Unit, current and former officials told the AP. Because of those concerns, the officials said, the information gathered from the unit is kept on a computer at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, not in the department's normal intelligence database. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the intelligence programs.

The AP independently authenticated the NYPD presentation through an interview with one official who saw it and by reviewing electronic data embedded in the file. A former official who had not seen the presentation said the content of the presentation was correct. For the internal memo, the AP verified the names and locations mentioned in the document, and the content is consistent with a program described by numerous current and former officials.

In an email Tuesday night, Browne disputed the AP's original story, saying the NYPD only follows leads and does not simply trawl communities.

"We do not employ undercovers or confidential informants unless there is information indicating the possibility of unlawful activity," Browne wrote.

That issue has legal significance. The NYPD says it follows the same guidelines as the FBI, which cannot use undercover agents to monitor communities without first receiving an allegation or indication of criminal activity.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the CIA sent a respected veteran officer, Lawrence Sanchez, to New York, where he worked closely with the NYPD. Officials said he was instrumental in creating programs such as the Demographics Unit and met regularly with unit supervisors to guide the effort. After a two-year rotation in New York, Sanchez took a leave of absence, came off the agency's payroll and became the NYPD's second-ranking intelligence official. He formally left the agency in 2007 and stayed with the NYPD until last year.

The CIA recently dispatched another officer to work in the Intelligence Division for what officials described as a management sabbatical. A U.S. official familiar with the NYPD-CIA partnership said Sanchez's time in New York was a unique assignment created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. But the official said the current officer's job was much different and was an opportunity for him to learn from an organization outside the CIA.

Both the CIA said and the NYPD have said the agency is not involved in domestic spying and said the partnership is the kind of counterterrorism collaboration Americans expect.

The NYPD Intelligence Division has unquestionably been essential to the city's best counterterrorism successes, including the thwarted plot to bomb the subway system in 2004. Undercover officers also helped lead to the guilty plea of two men arrested on their way to receive terrorism training in Somalia.

"We throw 1,200 police officers into the fight every day to make sure the same people or similarly inspired people who killed 3,000 New Yorkers a decade ago don't come back and do it again," Browne said earlier this month when asked about the NYPD's intelligence tactics.

The Demographics Unit had officers who spoke Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, according to the police presentation. The undercover officers were divided into teams based on ethnicity. Arab officers could blend into Arab neighborhoods and Southwest Asian officers, those from Pakistan and Afghanistan, could more easily blend into those neighborhoods.

Rep. Yvette Clarke, a Democrat who represents much of Brooklyn and sits on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the NYPD can protect the city without singling out specific ethnic and religious groups. She joined Muslim organizations in calling for a Justice Department investigation into the NYPD Intelligence Division. The department said it would review the request for an investigation.

Clarke acknowledged that the 2001 terrorist attacks made Americans more willing to accept aggressive tactics, particularly involving Muslims. But she said Americans would be outraged if police infiltrated Baptist churches looking for evangelical Christian extremists.

"There were those who, during World War II, said, `Good, I'm glad they're interning all the Japanese-Americans who are living here,'" Clarke said. "But we look back on that period with disdain."

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Report: Homegrown Terrorists Are Scrubs

By Adam Rawnsley September 2, 2011 | 4:53 pm



The prospect of homegrown terrorists keep U.S. security officials up at night. But although more homegrown jihadis have popped up lately, the so-called “lone wolves” aren’t always as solitary as officials fear; their plotting is amateurish; and they’re a meager fraction of America’s Muslim communities. To put it bluntly, these are the scrubs of international terrorism.

The conclusions come via a new report by Brian Michael Jenkins, a senior adviser for the Rand Corporation and a veteran in the field of terrorism studies. The report tallies the number of Americans “indicted, arrested, or otherwise identified as jihadist terrorists or supporters since 9/11,” to provide a statistical sense of the nature of America’s homegrown al-Qaida affiliates, wannabes and hangers-on.

In total, Jenkins counts 176 domestic jihadis and 32 separate terrorist plots in the decade following the attacks. “Lone wolf” terrorists — self-starter militants with little or no reliance on existing terror networks – have been a prominent concern for law enforcement, since they’re by definition hard to track. But Jenkins’ data might make cops rethink their metaphor. Sure, 22 of the plots — an astonishing 69 percent of the total — involved no more than a single person. But it turns out that many of those involved in “lone wolf” cases were either working for al-Qaida or for undercover FBI agents posing as members of the group.

Jenkins prefers to think of them as “stray dogs” — a term favored by Italian police to describe their Red Brigade terrorists in the 1970s. Like the strays, America’s homegrown al-Qaida fans are “found alone or in packs, estranged from but dependent on society, streetwise but lacking social skills, barking defiantly, and potentially dangerous but at the same time, suspicious, fearful, skittish.”

Jenkins also finds the lupine imagery a poor match for domestic jihadis because wolves are good predators. Homegrown terrorists? Not so much. Of 32 plots since 9/11, not even a third of them proceeded to the point of identifying a specific target or making firm plans. Of the ten plots that did, six were secretly FBI stings. A grand total of two out of the 176 “domestic jihadis” ever got around to building an explosive device on his own. One such bomb was incomplete when its maker got pinched. The other, made by would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, ended in a fizzle.

“Those arrested in stings were demonstrably willing to kill if someone handed them the means,” the report concludes, “but others made little effort to build bombs or acquire guns, which are readily available in the United States.”

The numbers, however, have been growing lately. Jenkins’s data set shows spikes in the number of American jihadists in the last two completed calendar years, with 40 identified in 2009 and 31 in 2010. Somalia’s al-Shabaab terrorist group is a major reason why. Violence and criminality here in the U.S. associated with al-Shabaab shows up as one factor in the larger numbers of the past two years, with 27 individuals connected to Shabaab in some way during the two year period.

Nonetheless, they’re still far from a significant portion of American Muslims. Figures on the size of America’s Muslim population vary, with estimates ranging from 1.8 million at the low end to 8 million at the high end. Jenkins uses an estimate of 3 million, making the proportion of identifiable jihadists among America’s Muslims to be a paltry of 6 out every 100,000. You don’t need to be afraid of your neighbors, in other words, and you the feds certainly shouldn’t demonize them.

Caveats apply. First, Americans who may have secretly slipped off to join a jihadist battlefield in Somalia or Afghanistan by definition couldn’t be counted. The study’s focus is on terrorists acting in pursuit of al-Qaida’s brand of global jihadism, so it excludes data about domestic terror threats related to the more nationally-minded groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

But a statistical tour through homegrown terrorism shows that it’s hardly the simmering cauldron of impending destruction that cable news makes it out to be. In fact, if counterterrorism officials are tossing and turning in bed, contemplating the sheer incompetence of their adversaries is better than Ambien.

[buglerbilly]

Libyan 'extremist’ Britain allowed to stay was link to al-Qaeda in Iran, papers show

An Alleged Libyan extremist who sought political asylum in Britain regularly travelled to Iran from 2002 to provide forged documents to extremists linked to al-Qaeda, secret files found in a Tripoli intelligence service building have disclosed.


The extremist Ismail Kamoka spent several years sending funds to terrorist groups across the Middle East

By Richard Spencer, Tripoli

1:08AM BST 05 Sep 2011

The documents, seen by The Daily Telegraph, unearth British intelligence suspicions about links between Iran and al-Qaeda dating back almost a decade.

Other details to come out of the documents, sent by MI6 and found in the office of the former head of foreign intelligence and later foreign minister Moussa Koussa, who defected in March, include the revelation that Britain had begun co-operating with the Chinese security services on Islamic extremists.

The extent of Iranian co-operation with al-Qaeda has been disputed in intelligence communities, though Iranians are thought to have provided weapons and explosives to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

A number of al-Qaeda operatives, including members of the family of Osama bin Laden, fled to Tehran after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and their precise status in Iran has been unclear.

The papers in Libya do not directly challenge the Iranian government, but suggest that al-Qaeda operatives had more freedom of movement there than previously thought.

The extremist Ismail Kamoka spent several years sending funds to terrorist groups across the Middle East, including some linked to al-Qaeda, the files said.

Mr Kamoka, who had been given indefinite leave to remain in Britain after arriving from Saudi Arabia in 1994 and claiming asylum, “travelled from the UK to Iran via Switzerland” in July 2002, according to one document.

“Once in Iran, Kamoka is reported to have delivered false documentation and correspondence to individuals believed to be associated with al-Qaeda,” it goes on.

“Since his return to the UK, Kamoka is believed to have remained in regular contact with these individuals.”

Mr Kamoka was also in touch with a suspected Dutch-based terrorist, according to the papers.

The man was thought to have travelled from Saudi Arabia to Iran for terror training.

Mr Kamoka was eventually jailed in 2007 for providing funds and false passports. Information released about the charges against him by Scotland Yard referred only to his funding for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and nothing about Iran. His current whereabouts is unclear.

This group, despite many of its members having fought with the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan, was mainly focused internally and in 2008 renounced violence, leading to the release of many of its members.

Its leader, Abdulhakim Belhadj, who the papers show was “rendered” from Malaysia back to Libya by the United States after a tip-off provided by MI6, is now the leader of the Tripoli Military Council in the new post-revolutionary government in Libya.

News of British co-operation with the shadowy Chinese State Security Bureau will also come as a shock to human rights groups.

China is regularly accused of using a catch-all charge of being an “Islamic terrorist” against activists from Xinjiang province, home to a restive population of the minority and mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic group.

Many so-called “separatists” have been jailed for long terms or even executed.

Nevertheless, MI6 informed the Libyans in November 2003 that it was now co-operating with China.

“We agreed that we would look at how we might engage the Chinese Services on the Islamic extremist target in China,” one letter says.

“We have already embarked on this project and we hope to be able to share with your Service what we know about the presence of North African extremists in this part of the world.”

A third Libyan extremist mentioned in the files, Yusuf Fathi, also known as Ali Muhammad, is described as “Iran-based”, having moved to the city of Shiraz in May 2002.

The documents show the close personal relationships that developed between MI6 officers and the Libyans, with Mark Allen, head of counter-terrorism, regularly beginning his letters to Mr Koussa “Dear Moussa” and ending one letter on Christmas Day 2003 “Your Friend, Mark”.

Now Sir Mark Allen, he went on to become an adviser to BP.

[buglerbilly]

35,000 Terror Convictions in US Since 9/11

September 04, 2011

Associated Press|by Martha Mendoza



At least 35,000 people worldwide have been convicted as terrorists in the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. But while some bombed hotels or blew up buses, others were put behind bars for waving a political sign or blogging about a protest.

In the first tally ever done of global anti-terror arrests and convictions, The Associated Press documented a surge in prosecutions under new or toughened anti-terror laws, often passed at the urging and with the funding of the West. Before 9/11, just a few hundred people were convicted of terrorism each year.

The sheer volume of convictions, along with almost 120,000 arrests, shows how a keen global awareness of terrorism has seeped into societies, and how the war against it is shifting to the courts. But it also suggests that dozens of countries are using the fight against terrorism to curb dissent and throw political opponents in jail.

EDITOR'S NOTE: After the 9/11 attacks, the world launched a war on terror. Here, in the first tally of anti-terror prosecutions ever done, The Associated Press examines how many people have been put behind bars under anti-terror laws, and who they are. AP reporters in more than 100 countries filed requests under freedom of information laws, conducted interviews and gathered data for this story.

The AP used freedom of information queries in dozens of countries, law enforcement data and hundreds of interviews to identify 119,044 arrests of terrorism suspects and 35,117 convictions in 66 countries, accounting for 70 percent of the world's population. The actual numbers undoubtedly run higher because some countries refused to provide information.

That included 2,934 arrests and 2,568 convictions in the United States, which led the war on terror - eight times more than in the decade before.


The investigation also showed:

- More than half the convictions came from two countries that have been accused of using anti-terror laws to crack down on dissent, Turkey and China. Turkey alone accounted for a third of all convictions, with 12,897.

- The range of people in jail reflects the dozens of ways different countries define a terrorist. China has arrested more than 7,000 people under a definition that counts terrorism as one of Three Evils, along with separatism and extremism.

- The effectiveness of anti-terror prosecutions varies widely. Pakistan registered the steepest increase in terror arrests in recent years, AP's data shows, yet terror attacks there are still on the rise. But in Spain, where convictions per year are more or less steady, the armed Basque separatist group ETA has not planted a fatal bomb in two years.

- The broad use of anti-terror laws to get rid of dissent can backfire. Authoritarian governments in the Middle East relied on strict anti-terror laws as one way to keep order, only to face a backlash in the Arab Spring uprisings.

AP's findings start to fill in the largely blank picture of what has happened with the global war on terror, launched by the United Nations with the strong backing of the United States.

"There's been a recognition all around the world that terrorism really does pose a greater threat to society and that it needs to be nipped in the bud early," said John Bellinger, who as legal adviser to the National Security Council was in the White House Situation Room during the al-Qaida attack on the World Trade Center. "Also, more authoritarian countries are using the real threat of terrorism as an excuse and a cover to crack down in ways that are abusive of human rights."

---

After 9/11 the U.S. and the U.N. declared war not just on al-Qaida, but on terrorism worldwide. The U.N. immediately sent millions of dollars in foreign aid and lucrative contracts to press countries to adopt or revise their anti-terror laws. The term "global war on terror" was born.

Since then, almost every country has passed new or revised anti-terror laws, from tiny nations like Tonga and Luxembourg to giants like China.

Over the last nine months, AP reporters in more than 100 countries set out to find how - and how much - anti-terror laws were used. But some countries claimed they had no records, declared anti-terror information top secret or were reluctant to report any terrorism at all, lest it hurt their image.

The numbers show how much countries have come to rely on anti-terror laws, and how thin the line is between use and abuse.

Turkey, long at odds with its Kurdish minority, tops all other countries AP could tally for how many anti-terror convictions it has and how fast the number is rising.

One of Turkey's terrorists is Naciye Tokova, a Kurdish mother of two who lives in a small village in arid southeastern Turkey. Last year she held up a sign at a protest that said, "Either a free leadership and free identity, or resistance and revenge until the end."

She couldn't read the sign, because she cannot read. Tokova said she was asked to hold a banner she thought was about peace.

She was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison.

"Of course, I'm not a terrorist," Tokova, who is free on appeal, said as she sat on a floor cushion in her home, wearing a traditional flowered shawl. She was defiant, replying curtly to questions after long pauses.

In the past, Tokova has inked her thumb print on a petition honoring the Kurdish rebel chief and gone to a rally where protesters clashed with police. And she speaks only Kurdish, a language Turkey has barred in schools, parliament and most official settings, including court.

Kurds make up 20 percent of Turkey's 75 million people, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party is responsible for much of the violence in the country. The U.S. and European Union label the Kurdish party as terrorist, but urges Turkey to do more for the Kurdish people.

While Turkey has for decades imprisoned Kurds, it stepped up its campaign against Kurdish autonomy in 2006, when it followed the lead of its European neighbors and revised anti-terror laws. The new laws considered peaceful protests as security threats, and gave protesters sentences similar in length to those of convicted guerrillas.

Anti-terror convictions shot up from 273 in 2005 to 6,345 in 2009, the latest year available, according to information from an AP request under Turkey's right to information law.

Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says the country is fair to its Kurds.

"We have never compromised on the balance between security and freedom," Erdogan said.

---

The broad use of anti-terror laws worldwide shows that what constitutes a terrorist depends largely on where you are.

The day after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush told the U.N. General Assembly that the world stood "at a difficult and defining moment."

The trouble is, no one actually agrees on what makes a terrorist. Definitions range from those who set an almost impossibly high bar for terrorism to those who sweep up anyone who might oppose the government.

"If anything should have revealed to the world the essence of unacceptable terrorism, it was 9/11. Unfortunately, a decade later, we seem no closer to reaching agreement," said law professor Kent Roach at the University of Toronto, whose book on 9/11 and its impact on anti-terrorism will be published in September.

Even the U.S., which fought to get anti-terror laws passed, has come under criticism for allegedly not handling terrorist suspects fairly, especially at the military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and for not defining terrorism clearly. In fact, the FBI, the CIA, the Defense Department and the State Department don't agree on what terrorism is.

China has an anti-terrorism statute, but it prefers to consider terrorism part of a vague charge of "endangering state security," under which it has arrested more than 7,000 people, mostly in Xinjiang, according to the government's annual crime reports. Xinjiang is known as East Turkistan to ethnic Uighurs fighting for an independent homeland.

Strong anti-terror laws are necessary to crack down on violence and ensure safety, State Councilor Meng Jianzhu said during a national anti-terror conference this summer. Meng pledged to handle terrorists with an "iron fist."

That doesn't mean just violent offenders.

Two years ago, Dilshat Perhat, an Uighur entrepreneur in China, asked visitors to his popular Uighur-language website not to post political comments because he knew they were illegal. Even so, someone posted a call for a demonstration on the website in the middle of the night.

Perhat deleted the comments the next day and informed the police, as required. But he was arrested anyway, amid an outbreak of violence that killed 197 people in China's Muslim-majority northwest. Perhat was convicted in a one-day trial last year, and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of endangering state security.

China quickly accused Uighur activists abroad of organizing the violence as an act of terrorism. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs were rounded up in house-to-house sweeps and arrested. At least two dozen were executed, and an unknown number remain unaccounted for.

Even those with no hand in the violence, like Perhat, were sentenced to prison for up to 15 years. Two other website operators were sentenced to three and 10 years respectively.

Perhat is now in Xinjiang's No. 4 prison.

"They wanted to use him as an example, to threaten and show their power to the Uighur people," said Perhat's brother Dilmurat, a graduate student in the U.S. "Inside China, any peaceful protest by the Uighurs is labeled as an act of terrorism by the Chinese government."

---

The increase in anti-terror prosecutions reflects how much they have become a weapon, however blunt, in the fight against terrorism. But when it comes to actually stopping violence, the record is mixed.

The rise in terror arrests in Pakistan was steeper than in any other country the AP examined, with the help of billions of dollars from the United States. Arrests have gone up from 1,552 in 2006 to 12,886 in 2009, partly because of four military operations that year.

Since amending its terror laws in 2004, Pakistan has made 29,050 arrests in all, according to the independent Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

Yet terror attacks in Pakistan are still on the rise. Pakistan suffers more deaths from terror than any other country in the world, except for Iraq.

Only about 10 percent of terrorism cases in Pakistan end in conviction, according to the country's human rights commission. That compares with 90 percent in the U.S. Pakistani witnesses usually refuse to testify because of death threats and the lack of protection. And prosecutors have no power to make plea bargains, making it hard to get co-defendants to turn on each other.

Pakistan's anti-terror laws may even make things worse, at least in the short term.

When arrests go up, so do attacks, according to Syed Ejaz Hussain, a Pakistani police officer who studied thousands of cases for his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. And when police arrest hard-core terrorists, Hussain found, casualty rates go up almost 25 percent.

"It's defiance. Terrorists want to punish the government in a bigger way after the arrest of their hard-core group member, and one way to do so is to commit a mass-killing event," says Hussain, whose house in Lahore was bombed while he was in the U.S. Back in Pakistan now, he says that despite his standard-issue gun and bullet-proof jacket, terror is never far from his mind.

Like Pakistan, Spain is no stranger to terrorism, but has had some success fighting it. Spain stands out for how steadily it has convicted people over the past decade, with about 140 convictions a year, according to data from AP's freedom of information request.

ETA, the Basque separatist group, once was responsible for killings every month. Today it is severely weakened.

No one is shouting victory yet - this is ETA's 11th ceasefire - but the group annnounced earlier this year that it has ended a "revolutionary tax" levied for decades on Basque businesses to finance its terror campaign.

"The terrorist attacks 10 years ago on the World Trade Center and the Madrid bombings helped forge a strong feeling of rejection toward ETA," said Spanish journalist Gorka Landaburu, who is Basque and himself a victim of an ETA mail bomb in May 200 that blew off his thumb and fingertips. "Society lost a bit of its fear."

After 9/11, Spain passed a tough new law under which it can ban political parties that support terrorist acts, collaborate with terrorist groups or refuse to condemn violence. By 2003, Spain had outlawed Basque political party Batasuna, which had ties to ETA. Convicted terrorists in Spain face a maximum of 40 years, 10 more than for other crimes, including murder.

Political science professor Roman Cotarelo of Spain's National Open University notes that Spain's Political Party Law was introduced "in a period made fertile" by the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Every democratic country has to resort at one time or another to exceptional measures to defend itself," Cotarelo said.

A new Basque pro-independence political coalition won a local election after it made clear it rejected violence - something unimaginable a decade ago. It now controls dozens of Basque town halls. And polls say ETA is no longer Spaniards' chief worry.

For Landaburu, a gray-haired, chatty journalist who runs the magazine Cambio 16, the terror is still there, in his pinched brow and in the two bodyguards who follow him to work, to a bar for a beer or even just walking with his family. When he gestures with his hands, which he often does, there's a stump where his thumb once was.

But he feels ETA's days are numbered.

"Things are much calmer," he said. "People can breathe more easily."

---

Anti-terror laws are still playing out in unexpected ways, particularly in the Middle East, long seen as the cauldron of terrorism.

After the terrorist attacks on the U.S., many Middle Eastern countries quickly adopted strict anti-terror laws. But the laws inadvertently united activists of all stripes - trade unionists, Islamists, Internet bloggers - in the Arab Spring.

Tunisia passed its anti-terror laws in 2003. The staunchly secular regime used the laws to crack down on signs of piety, to protect itself and to prevent the rise of Islamic militancy. It convicted 62 people under the laws in 2006, 308 in 2007 and 633 in 2009, according to the U.N.

One of those convicted was Saber Ragoubi, a slim, soft-spoken young man with a full beard and an engaging smile. The smile is a recent addition - he was just fitted with two new front teeth to replace the ones kicked out of his mouth by the heavy boot of a prison guard, he says.

Ragoubi joined an anti-government group in 2006, because he says he wanted religious freedom. The group was trained by an Algerian group that later declared allegiance to al-Qaida.

Ragoubi says he never held or planned to hold a weapon, but he did support plans to attack police stations and the much-hated secret police.

When the police found him, Ragoubi was tried and sentenced to life in prison. For years, he says, he was kicked and beaten, his hands and legs chained to an iron bar in what was called the "chicken on a spit" position. He says he was shackled him to a metal chair and electrically shocked, and told his mother and sisters would be raped in front of him if he didn't sign a confession.

"To this day, I don't know how I bore all that torture during that time," said Ragoubi, who now lives in an unfinished neighborhoood where goats graze under straggly olive trees in trash-filled empty lots.

Under former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, as many as 2,000 Tunisians were detained, charged or convicted on terrorism-related charges, according to a 2009 State Department report. The U.N. says some were tortured.

But five days after Ben Ali fled in January, the new ministers released everyone convicted under the anti-terror laws - even those who had indeed committed violent crimes. The danger is now that militant Islam could rise without the check of strong anti-terror laws. At least one formerly banned Islamist party, the progressive and nonviolent Ennahda, is back, and Ragoubi says he has turned down an offer to represent it.

The role of anti-terror laws in - and against - the Arab Spring continues.

Bahrain and Syria have charged protesters under their own anti-terror laws. Saudi Arabia, concerned with keeping al-Qaida from taking root in the kingdom, is considering an anti-terror law that would carry a minimum prison sentence of 10 years for challenging the integrity of the king.

"Regional unrest provides a breeding ground for new threats," a statement from Saudi authoritites read.

---

Ten years after 9/11, the push for a global assault on terrorism still runs strong. Mike Smith, director of the U.N.'s Counter-Terrorism Committee, calls prosecuting terrorists "incredibly important."

"These are not ideological warriors, these are common criminals," said Smith, one of the highest-ranking officials in the world dedicated to anti-terror laws. "When prosecutions are carried out, it helps to take the glamour out of what they are doing."

But almost everyone, including the U.N. and the U.S., agrees that the cost is some erosion of human rights.

In 2005, the U.N. named Finnish law professor Martin Sheinin as special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism. His job is to report on how anti-terror prosecutions are playing out. After six years, Sheinin agrees with the need to sweep out terrorists but concludes that the brush being used is too broad.

"Originally the approach was the more the merrier, the stronger counter-terror laws, the better for the security of the world. But that was a serious mistake," he said. "Nowadays people are realizing the abuse and even the actual use of counterterror laws is bad for human rights and also bad for actually stopping terrorism."

---
AP staff writers who contributed to this report include: Christopher Torchia from Turkey; Christopher Bodeen from China; Paul Schemm from Tunisia; and Ciaran Giles from Spain.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Poll: OK to Trade Some Freedoms to Fight Terror

September 06, 2011

Associated Press|by Nancy Benac and Jennfier Agiesta



WASHINGTON - Surveillance cameras in public places? Sure. Body scans at airports? Maybe. Snooping in personal email? Not so fast.

The same Americans who are increasingly splashing their personal lives across Facebook and Twitter trace a meandering path when asked where the government should draw the line between protecting civil liberties and pursuing terrorism.

Ten years after the 9/11 attacks led to amped-up government surveillance efforts, two-thirds of Americans say it's fitting to sacrifice some privacy and freedoms in the fight against terrorism, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

A slim majority - 54 percent - say that if they had to choose between preserving their rights and freedoms and protecting people from terrorists, they'd come down on the side of civil liberties. The public is particularly protective of the privacy of U.S. citizens, voicing sharp opposition to government surveillance of Americans' emails and phone calls.

For some Americans, their reluctance to give up any freedoms is a reflection of their belief that the terrorists eventually will succeed no matter what.

"If somebody wants to do something, they'll find a way," says David Barker, a retired high school teacher from Wynne, Ark., who says he's not ready to sacrifice any freedoms in return for more security.

Others worry that giving up one freedom will lead to the loss of others.

"It's like opening a crack in the door, and then the door is opened wide," says Keri Jean, a homemaker from Elk Ridge, Utah.

The poll asked people to grapple with some of same quandaries that the government and the courts have been wrestling with over the past decade, and even before the 2001 terrorist attacks. And it turns out that policymakers, too, have drawn a zigzag line as they make tradeoffs between aggressively pursuing potential terrorists and preserving privacy and civil liberties.

Two-thirds of those surveyed believe the resulting policies are a mish-mash created in reaction to events as they occur rather than clearly planned.

Consider the rules on government interception of email: Sometimes that's legal and sometimes it's not. It depends on how old the email is, whether it's already been opened by the recipient, whether the sender and recipient are within the U.S., and which federal appellate court considers the question. Sometimes investigators need a warrant and sometimes no court approval is necessary.

The AP-NORC poll found that about half of those surveyed felt that they have indeed lost some of their own personal freedoms to fight terrorism. Was it worth it? Close to half of those who thought they'd lost freedoms doubted it was necessary.

Overall, six in 10 say the government is doing enough to protect Americans' rights and freedoms as it fights terrorism. But people may not even be aware of what they've given up. The extent of government eavesdropping and surveillance is something of a mystery.

There have been recent efforts in Congress - unsuccessful so far - to require the Justice Department to estimate how many people in the U.S. have had their calls and email monitored under a 2008 law that gave the government more surveillance authority. And a recent AP investigation revealed the existence of a secret police unit in New York that monitored daily life inside Muslim communities.

For all of their concern about protecting personal rights, Americans - just like policymakers and the courts - show far more willingness to allow intrusions into the lives of foreigners than into their own.

While 47 percent of Americans support allowing the government to read emails sent between people outside the United States without a warrant, just 30 percent supported similar monitoring of emails sent between people inside the country, for example. And while nearly half supported government eavesdropping on phone calls between people outside the country without a warrant, only a quarter favored such surveillance of calls inside the U.S.

"Countries have become bound with political correctness and I think need to be a little more strict," says Jean, despite her warnings about surrendering more freedoms. "Stop being afraid to offend others."

The government can listen in on telephone calls made by foreigners outside the United States without a warrant, but government investigators are generally required to obtain orders signed by judges to eavesdrop on domestic phone calls and other electronic communications within the U.S. The rules are more complex for cross-border communication between foreigners and Americans.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which focuses on privacy and civil liberties, says Americans were surprisingly willing to accept new surveillance techniques in the years after the 9/11 attacks, but the pendulum now appears to be swinging somewhat in the other direction.

"People are just not quite willing to accept these tradeoffs, particularly when they are ineffective," he says.

The U.S. effort to combat terrorism receives mixed reviews: Just 36 percent say it's been extremely or very effective, 49 percent say moderately so.

About a third of Americans are concerned that they or their family will be victims of a terrorist attack, and 37 percent believe the area where they live is at least at moderate risk of being attacked.

Susan Davis, a medical transcriptionist from Springfield, Mo., answers for many Americans when asked whether sacrificing some freedom is warranted in order for the government to provide more security.

"Yeah," she says, "as long as they don't go too far with it."

But everyone has their own definition of what's too far.

The poll found that Americans have different comfort levels with various scenarios in pursuing potential terrorist activity. For example:

-71 percent favor surveillance cameras in public places to watch for suspicious activity.

-58 percent favor random searches involving full-body scans or pat-downs of airplane passengers.

-55 percent favor government analysis of financial transactions processed by U.S. banks without a warrant.

-47 percent favor requiring all people in the U.S. to carry a national ID card and provide it to authorities upon demand.

-35 percent favor racial or ethnic profiling to decide who should get tougher screening at airports.

The first three scenarios already are legal; the latter two are not.

The poll turned up sharp divisions among Americans on whether torture - banned by the government - should have any place in combating terrorism.

Fifty-two percent said torture can be justified at least sometimes to obtain information about terrorist activity. Forty-six percent said it can never or only rarely be justified.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted July 28 to Aug. 15. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,087 adults nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

---
Associated Press writer Stacy Anderson, Polling Director Trevor Tompson and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Indian High Court bomb kills at least nine

September 7, 2011 - 4:23PM .

A bomb outside New Delhi's High Court killed at least nine people and injured 45.

Ambulances evacuated wounded to nearby hospitals and the blast site was sealed off by police.

Internal Security Minister U.K. Bansal said that first indications suggest a medium-intensity device hidden inside a briefcase had exploded.

Special Police Commissioner Dharmendra Kumar said investigations had begun into the cause of the blast. Delhi was put on high alert.

The CNN-IBN television channel said the force of the blast ripped clothes off some of the wounded. The explosion took place near the court's Gate No. 5 at 10.17am local time.

A small bomb was detonated in the court's car park in May, with no injuries. Police said at the time that the blast was deliberate although no suspects were arrested and no motivation for the attack was given.

In July, three bombs killed at least 25 people in Mumbai, India's financial capital, in the country's worst terrorist attack in nearly three years.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indian-high-court-bomb-kills-at-least-nine-20110907-1jxd0.html#ixzz1XFTtMPNm

[buglerbilly]

Panetta Says Threat of Another 9/11 is Real

September 07, 2011

Associated Press|by Robert Burns



NEW YORK --- After a decade of war with al-Qaida the potential for another devastating terrorist assault "remains very real," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday following a somber visit to ground zero of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The Pentagon chief walked through the National September 11 Memorial park and museum with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and afterward told reporters that Americans must remain vigilant against the threat of another successful al-Qaida attack.

"The potential for that kind of attack remains very real," he said from the 10th floor of 7 World Trade Center, the first completed office tower at the site where hijacked commercial airliners were flown into the Twin Towers, killing more than 2,700 people.

Bad weather forced Panetta to scratch plans to visit Shanksville, Pa., where hijackers flew United Flight 93 into the ground, killing all 40 passengers and crew shortly after the coordinated terrorist attack began in New York.

Noting that many of al-Qaida's top leaders, including Osama bin Laden, have been captured or killed in recent months, Panetta said the nature of the terrorist threat has evolved to the point where al-Qaida "nodes" outside of Afghanistan and Pakistan are now the most dangerous.

"Yemen has risen to the top of the list," he said.

Panetta's New York visit gave him an early glimpse at the memorial, with its majestic 30-foot manmade walls of water that hug the sides of one-acre reflecting pools that encompass the ground where the Twin Towers stood. The water is meant to signify falling tears.

Panetta also took a peek inside the entrance to the museum, which is still under construction. And he was shown the "Survivor Tree," a non-fruit bearing pear tree that was rescued from the World Trade Center grounds after the terrorist attacks. It stands amid the white oaks, near the reflecting pool at the former South Tower.

Dozens of workers scrambled Tuesday morning to put the finishing touches on the memorial, planting ivy as ground cover around the 225 white oak trees that surround the reflecting pools.

The Sept. 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people, including 184 at the Pentagon. The names of every person who died in the attacks, including those at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, are inscribed in bronze panels that edge the reflecting pools at the Twin Towers site.

Panetta's spokesman, Doug Wilson, said the Pentagon chief wanted to visit Shanksville and New York to highlight the role the military has played over the past decade in preventing further attacks on the homeland. Accompanying him on his trip Tuesday were five service members - one each from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard.

The visit also recalled the most memorable event of Panetta's tenure as CIA director: the May killing of bin Laden.

Panetta will attend 9/11 memorial events at the Pentagon on Sunday.

He was a private citizen on 9/11 but happened to be on Capitol Hill at the time of the attacks, according to his press secretary, George Little.

Shanksville remains the least publicized of the three 9/11 attack sites. In its final report, the official 9/11 Commission that investigated the terrorist plot wrote a gripping account of what happened aboard Flight 93.

The commission determined that the plane, overtaken by four hijackers, slammed into the ground at 11 seconds past 10:03 EDT, on a path over Pennsylvania toward its intended target in Washington - either the Capitol or the White House.

It departed from Newark, N.J., bound for San Francisco, at 8:42 a.m. The hijackers took over the cockpit 46 minutes later. At 9:57 a.m., a passenger revolt began. The cockpit voice recorder captured sounds of the passenger assault.

"Some family members listening to the recording report that they can hear the voice of a loved one among the din," the 9/11 Commission report said.

Within minutes, the hijackers apparently determined they were about to be overpowered and decided to abort their mission and destroy the plane. "The aircraft plowed into an empty field in Shanksville, Pa., at 580 mph, about 20 minutes' flying time from Washington, D.C," the report said.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Berlin police detain two terror suspects in German bomb plot

Berlin police arrested two men on Thursday on suspicion of acquiring chemicals for a planned bomb attack and searched a mosque in the German capital.


Photo: REX

12:18PM BST 08 Sep 2011

The arrest of a 24-year-old German of Lebanese origin and a 28-year-old from the Gaza Strip, comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and a planned visit to Berlin by Pope Benedict XVI later this month.

Police raided the homes of the two men in the districts of Kreuzberg and Neukoelln as well as a mosque in the working class neighbourhood of Wedding.

The spokesman said authorities had been investigating for several months but declined to provide further details.

A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office said it had launched a probe against the men on "suspicion of preparing a major violent crime against the state".

Authorities say they had acquired several coolants and an acid normally used in farming with the aim of building an explosive, the daily Berliner Morgenpost reported.

The suspects regularly attended the mosque in Wedding and occasionally spent the night there, the newspaper said, adding that the probe began when the companies where the chemicals were ordered reported the suspicious purchases to police.

Authorities declined to confirm this.

[buglerbilly]

Bin Laden Successor Said Behind Alleged Plot

September 09, 2011

United Press International

WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden's successor is believed behind a possible plot to attack New York and Washington around the Sept. 11 anniversary, U.S. officials said.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, who last month urged Muslims in a video message to target the United States to avenge bin Laden's killing in a U.S. raid, initiated the alleged plot, ABC News reported, citing intelligence officials.

Other U.S. officials were less specific, telling The Wall Street Journal al-Qaida leaders in Pakistan were believed to be behind the alleged plot.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler called the threat "specific, credible, but unconfirmed."

U.S. intelligence agencies urgently hunted leads overseas to gauge the threat's seriousness, officials said.

"Pursue America, which killed the 'Imam of the Mujahedin' and threw his body into the sea, and then captured his women and sons," Zawahiri said on the video, referring to bin Laden, killed May 2 in a covert U.S. raid in Pakistan.

Three current al-Qaida leaders believed to present a particular threat to the United States because they've lived in the country are Adnan el Shukrijumah, alleged to have been involved in the 2009 New York subway bomb plot; Jude Kenan Mohammad, an American alleged to have helped recruit five Alexandria, Va., men; and Adam Gadhan, an American al-Qaida spokesman, The Wall Street Journal reported.

At least three suspects in the reported plot, including an American citizen, are believed to have entered the United States by air last month after leaving Afghanistan, a counterterrorism official citing a U.S. intelligence report told ABC News and The New York Times.

They are believed to have originated from Pakistan tribal areas along the Afghan border, The Washington Post reported.

Two of the individuals may have had U.S. documentation, either passports or "green cards" indicating they were permanent U.S. residents, ABC News said.

Intelligence agencies have not identified the individuals.

President Barack Obama, who ordered the U.S. Navy SEALs raid that killed bin Laden, was briefed on the possible threat multiple times Thursday and directed U.S. intelligence officials to "take all necessary steps to ensure vigilance," the White House said.

A bin Laden notebook seized after the al-Qaida leader was killed indicated bin Laden wanted to attack the United States on or around this year's 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. officials said.

Americans and officials across the country, including Obama and former President George W. Bush, are to observe the attack anniversary Sunday with high-profile events at each attack site -- New York City, Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon in Virginia.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, appearing with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and other officials Thursday night, said the New York Police Department would deploy additional resources to keep residents safe. He said New Yorkers should go about their business as usual and the city's 9/11 observance will go ahead as planned.

The area around Ground Zero had already been deemed a "frozen zone" Sunday, with police cordoning off the area for several blocks in all directions, forcing even residents to be escorted by police officers to their apartments.

In Washington, extra uniformed and plainclothes officers, supported by police cruisers and SWAT teams, will be near the U.S. Capitol and other locations, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. The FBI will boost its presence, with more marked cars and agents earmarked for key spots in the nation's capital.

© Copyright 2011 United Press International. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Former Taliban jailed for recruiting young men on streets of Britain

A former Taliban fighter who paid his away out of custody has been given four life sentences for running a terrorist recruitment ring in Britain.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent

7:28PM BST 09 Sep 2011



Two undercover police officers posed as vulnerable young men in order to infiltrate a group of British jihadists trying to recruit young men to fight and die in Afghanistan.

Security sources have said that many such young men actually receive bomb-making lessons and are sent back to Britain to act as terrorists.

The officers spent almost a year pretending to be radicalised by the group, even converting to Islam and adopting Muslim names

But they were recording the meetings they held with the recruiters and writing up detailed notes once they had left their company.

Munir Farooqi, 54, was at the centre of the plot to persuade vulnerable young men to fight, kill and die in a jihad in Afghanistan, using what police later called his “war stories.”

Farooqi bragged to the officers that he had fought with the Taliban and told them they could become martyrs for the jihad cause.

He also found amusement in the sight of the flag draped coffins of Western troops returning from Afghanistan.

He was given four life sentences and told he must serve a minimum of nine years after being found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism, soliciting to murder and dissemination of terrorist publications.

Passing sentence Mr Justice Richard Henriques said: "You are in my judgment a very dangerous man, an extremist, a fundamentalist with a determination to fight abroad."

His operation was, "sophisticated, ruthless and well honed," the judge said, with the sole purpose to deliver home-grown fighters willing to "fight, kill and die" abroad.

"Their victims would be allied forces, including British soldiers," Mr Justice Henriques added.

"You found the images of coffins draped in American flags as a source of great amusement.

"As a resident of this country you owe allegiance to the Crown. That appears to have escaped your attention."

The judge said Farooqi had used his experiences fighting with the Taliban as a "tool of recruitment" to run the "Manchester recruitment centre" from Islamic bookstalls in the city.

Farooqi, a father-of-three was born in Pakistan but moved to Britain with his family when he was about five.

He was a Taliban veteran who had travelled to Afghanistan within weeks of the September 11 attacks.

Farooqi was captured in November 2001 at Mazar-e-Sharif with 2,000 others by forces from the Northern Alliance, which ousted the Taliban.

He was incarcerated at the notorious Sheberghan prison in Northern Afghanistan, stronghold of the ruthless Northern Alliance leader General Dostum.

However Farooqi was apparently one of the lucky prisoners who were taken by Pakistani troops to a jail over the border in Peshawar.

His wife flew from the UK money to pay his way out and by May 2002 he was heading back to Manchester.

But he never lost his passion for the Taliban cause, telling an undercover police officer at one point: "You know when you've tasted the honey then you only want more ... until Allah takes you from this earth."

He was stopped by intelligence officers in 2003 as he returned from Pakistan and was found in possession of a number of photos taken from the mountainous Swat area of Pakistan showing men holding rifles.

Farooqi's passport was seized during the investigation and showed he regularly visited Muslim countries and investigators found he used the email address osamawanabe@hotmail.co.uk.

In Manchester he began running a “dawah stall” on Longsight market to spread the word of Islam and turned his family’s four-bedroom home into a production centre for propaganda. When police later raided it they found 50,000 books and pamphlets and 5,000 DVDs.

The recruitment ring also included Matthew Newton, 29, a former estate agent and former British army recruit from Levenshulme, Manchester who had been pictured with Bez, one of the stars from Manchester indie band the Happy Mondays, before Newton converted to Islam.

The third member was Israr Malik, 23, an unemployed petty fraudster who was living at home.

He met Farooqi at the dawah stall in 2008 and said he had found Islam again after being involved in criminal activity and splitting up from his partner.

In January 2009 he was sentenced to 18 months in Lancaster Farms Young Offenders Institute where he was visited by Farooqi who gave him Islamist literature to read.

Malik, from Fallowfield, Manchester, was electronically tagged following his release but he became a disciple of Farooqi, calling him “Uncle,” telling him he was willing to die for the cause and urging the undercover officers to do the same.

Andrew Edis, QC, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court: “This was an organised attempt to raise men for Jihad – to recruit fighters…to fight, to kill and to die if necessary”.

In October 2008 the book stall was approached separately by two men, known only as “Ray” and “Simon,” who pretended to be down on their luck and interested in Islam.

In fact the two were undercover police officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit – although at first they knew nothing about each other.

On 30 June 2009 Farooqi told “Simon” about his time in Afghanistan and talked about firing a rocket launcher. He spoke about the feeling when a bullet hits the chest, and said: “It's a beautiful feeling you can't describe it.”

In a bugged conversation between Farooqi and Malik a month later, Malik told him: “I wanna die” and asked for “strong lectures” to maintain his resolve.

“I have it in me uncle,” he said. “I just needed jumpstarting - I was like a car, a Ferrari, parked up but no one drove me for a long time, I just needed to rev it up.”

The recruiters used a core of terrorist publications in their attempts to persuade the two officers that they should enlist, and showed them disturbing images of killings in Muslim countries.

One of the main tracts were six hour-long lectures called Constants on the Path of Jihad, delivered by Anwar al-Awlaki, one of the leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP.

At one point, Awlaki, with a trace of an American accent from his youth spent in the country, urged followers to “fight even if no one remains on the face of the Earth except one Muslim.”

Other DVDs given to the officers were by controversial preachers Sheikh Khalid Yasin and Sheikh Feiz.

The recruiters also took the undercover officers to mosques in Levenshulme, Ardwick, Rusholme and Longsight so they could listen to some of the city’s most “inspiring and charismatic” imams.

But it was the Khanqah Naqshandia Mosque in Burnage that appeared to be their favourite.

Farooqi himself avoided the mosque because of his status as a veteran fighter and his concern that the mosque might suffer guilt by association with him.

The preacher at the mosque, who was arrested with the others amid local controversy, did not urge the officers to go to jihad but told them that Munir Farooqi was their teacher and that they should follow him.

Malik was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism and soliciting to murder and given an Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection with a minimum of five years.

Newton, from Levenshulme, Manchester, was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism and dissemination of terrorist publications and was jailed for six years.

Farooqi's son, Harris, was cleared by the jury of preparing acts of terrorism and sat in the back of the public gallery as his father was jailed for life.

[buglerbilly]

Al-Qaida plotters believed to be US citizens

5:35 PM Saturday Sep 10, 2011


Expand A police officer stands guard in New York's Times Square as the ABC news ticker displays news of an al-Qaida terror threat. Photo / AP

At least two of the three men involved in a possible al-Qaida plot to pull off an attack coinciding with the 10th anniversary of 9/11 are believed to be US citizens or have US traveling documents, government officials said Friday.

Their primary mission is to explode a car bomb in either New York or Washington, but if that proves impossible, they have been ordered to simply cause as much destruction as they can, one US official said.

Word that al-Qaida had dispatched would-be attackers reached US officials in midweek. A CIA informant who has proven reliable in the past approached intelligence officials overseas to say that the men had been ordered by newly minted al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Sunday by doing harm on US soil.

The tipster says the would-be attackers are of Arab descent and may speak Arabic as well as English. Counterterrorism officials were looking for certain names associated with the threat, but it was unclear whether the names were real or fake.

Counterterrorism officials have been working around the clock to determine whether the threat is accurate, but so far, have been unable to corroborate it, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation.

In the meantime, extra security was put in place to protect the people in the two cities that took the brunt of the jetliner attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon a decade ago. It was the worst terror assault in US history, and al-Qaida has long dreamed of striking again to mark the anniversary. But it could be weeks before the intelligence community can say whether this particular threat is real.

Undaunted by talk of a new terror threat, New Yorkers and Washingtonians wove among police armed with assault rifles and waited with varying degrees of patience at security checkpoints Friday.

Security worker Eric Martinez wore a pin depicting the twin towers on his lapel as he headed to work in lower Manhattan on Friday where he also worked 10 years ago when the towers came down. "If you're going to be afraid, you're just going to stay home," he said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, too, made a point of taking the subway to City Hall.

Briefed on the threat Friday morning, President Barack Obama instructed his security team to take "all necessary precautions," the White House said. Obama still plans to travel to New York on Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary with stops that day at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Washington commuters were well aware of the terror talk.

Cheryl Francis, of Chantilly, Virginia, said she travels over the Roosevelt bridge into Washington every day and doesn't plan to change her habits. Francis, who was in Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, said a decade later the country is more aware and alert.

"It's almost like sleeping with one eye open," she said, but she added that people need to continue living their lives.

The intelligence community regularly receives tips and information of this nature. But the timing of this particular threat had officials especially concerned, because it was the first "active plot" that came to light as the country marked the significant anniversary, a moment that was also significant to al-Qaida, according to information gleaned in May from Osama bin Laden's compound.

The US government has long known that terrorists see the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and other uniquely American dates as opportunities to strike. Officials have also been concerned that some may see this anniversary as an opportunity to avenge bin Laden's death.

Britain, meanwhile, warned its citizens who are traveling to the US that there was a potential for new terror attacks that could include "places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers."

Acutely aware of these factors, law enforcement around the country had already increased security measures at airports, nuclear plants, train stations and more in the weeks leading up to Sept. 11. The latest threat, potentially targeting New York or Washington, prompted an even greater security surge in those cities. US embassies and consulates abroad had also boosted their vigilance in preparation for the anniversary.

At Penn Station in New York, transit authority police carried assault rifles and wore helmets and bullet proof vests as they watched crowds of commuters. Police searched passengers' bags as they entered the subway, and National Guard troops in camouflage fatigues moved among riders, eyeing packages.

In Washington, Police Chief Cathy Lanier warned that unattended cars parked in suspicious locations or near critical buildings and structures would be towed.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was "a specific, credible but unconfirmed report that al-Qaida, again, is seeking to harm Americans and in particular, to target New York and Washington."

"Making it public as was done yesterday, is intended to enlist the millions and millions of New Yorkers and Americans to be the eyes and the ears of vigilance," she said Friday morning during a speech at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

That the threat is credible but not corroborated means that the information came from a single source, New York Mayor Bloomberg explained Friday during his weekly WOR radio address.

"Corroboration means you get multiple sources, which increases the likelihood that it's real," he said. "Credible means that it's possible to do."

These sorts of vague descriptions are typical intelligence talk in an environment where tips come from all places and in all shapes a stolen diplomatic cable, a satellite image showing tribesmen gathering in an area that's typically isolated, a snatched bit of conversation between two terrorists overheard by a trusted source, a phone number, a document, an email, an airplane ticket.

"Figuring out who would-be attackers are, or even whether they exist, could take months, where the drumbeat of national security wants answers in minutes or days," said Phillip Mudd, a former top counterterrorist official at the CIA and the FBI. "You have to tell everyone what you heard, and then try to prove the information is legitimate."

- AP

[buglerbilly]

Swedish police arrest four on suspicion of plotting terrorist attack

Arts centre in Gothenburg evacuated after police received threat which they felt posed a serious danger

Associated Press in Stockholm, Ed Pilkington in New York and Ewen MacAskill in Washington

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 11 September 2011 13.27 BST


The Alvsborgsbron bridge and the Roda Stens arts centre in Gothenburg. Photograph: Scanpix Sweden/Reuters

Swedish police have arrested four people on suspicion of preparing a terror attack and have evacuated an arts centre in the country's second largest city.

The four were arrested in Gothenburg and were suspected of plotting terrorism, security police spokesman Stefan Johansson said.

It was not immediately clear whether the arrests were linked to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

Police in Gothenburg said they had evacuated an arts centre in the early hours of Sunday due to a threat deemed to pose "serious danger for life, health or substantial damage of property".

They said they had assisted security police with the arrest and declined to give any further comments.

Mia Christersdotter Norman, the head of the Roda Sten arts centre in Gothenburg, said about 400 people were celebrating the opening of an international biennial for contemporary art when police ordered everyone to leave the building.

"Around midnight I was called out by the police and they said there was a threat to the building and asked us to quietly stop the party, which we did and everyone left," Christersdotter Norman told Associated Press.

"Police have searched the building but they didn't find anything," she said, adding the arts centre would re-open as usual on Sunday.

Sweden raised its terror threat alert level from low to elevated in October last year. In December, suicide bomber Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly blew himself up in downtown Stockholm among panicked Christmas shoppers, injuring two people and causing shock in a country that had largely been insulated from terrorism.

The 2007 drawing of the prophet Muhammad by a Swedish cartoonist, Lars Vilks, raised tensions. In May, Vilks was assaulted while giving a speech in Uppsala, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to burn down his home. His cartoon was reportedly the inspiration for Abdaly's attack.

In a report detailing the extent of extremist Islamist networks in Sweden, ordered months before that attack, the Sapo security agency had downplayed the risk of terror attacks in the Nordic country.

Activity among radicalised Muslims in Sweden is primarily directed toward supporting militants in other countries, including Somalia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, it said.

Scandinavia has largely been focused on Islamic terrorism since the 9/11 attacks, but in the wake of the killing spree in Norway in July by Anders Behring Breivik – a rightwing, anti-immigrant Norwegian – the European police agency said it was setting up a taskforce to help investigate non-Islamist threats in Scandinavian countries.

Meanwhile in the US, as the final touches were being put in place for Sunday's commemoration of the anniversary at Ground Zero, heightened security was clearly visible on the streets of Manhattan.

All lorries were being stopped on George Washington Bridge and there was increased security at all other bridges and tunnels.

Police roadblocks were set up at key intersections of the city, including 59th Street and Lexington Avenue.

A roadblock was set up in the middle of Times Square itself, and on main cross-streets leading into it, causing virtual gridlock.

On Friday, vehicle checkpoints were in place in key locations across New York, with police stopping vans and lorries passing through the city in response to specific and credible intelligence that a car bomb was planned to disrupt the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

On Thursday night, Hillary Clinton said the plot originated with al-Qaida and its targets were New York and Washington.

She said the threat had been made public so as to activate a "great network of unity and support" against those who would wreak violence on innocent people.

"It is a continuing reminder of the stakes in our struggle against extremism," she said.

One of the key findings of the 9/11 commission report that looked at the events leading up to the attacks on New York and Washington 10 years ago was that there were ample warnings in the weeks leading up to it of a massive attack in the pipeline, yet the intelligence was not acted upon and shared between agencies.

[buglerbilly]

How to Beat Terrorism: Refuse to Be Terrorized

By Spencer Ackerman September 11, 2011 | 6:30 am



Ten years ago today, 2,996 people were murdered, unleashing a pair of destructive, mutually reinforcing trends. To prove their relevance, terrorists keep trying to attack the United States at home. And the media and politicians react to it with hysteria, running in fear of getting blamed for a successful attack and perpetuating the gigantic, expensive, counterproductive National Security State. As awful as the snuffing of so many souls on 9/11 was, the second trend has often proved more dangerous than the first.

In case you haven’t noticed, hysteria is what the terrorists want. In fact, it’s the only win a decapitated, weakened al-Qaida can get these days. The only hope that these eschatological conspiracy theorists possess for success lies in compelling the U.S. to spend its way into oblivion and pursue ill-conceived wars. That’s how Osama bin Laden transforms from a cave-dwelling psycho into a world-historical figure — not because of what he was, but because of how we reacted to him.

And that points to the only way out of a trap that’s lasted a decade. It has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with politics. The U.S. has to embrace the reality that terrorism is not anything remotely like the existential threat we make it out to be. We can honor those 2,996 without being permanently haunted by them.

Consider the contours of this latest “credible but unconfirmed” plot. Reportedly ordered by new al-Qaida leader Ayman Zawahiri, three terrorists trained in the Pakistani tribal areas are coming to detonate car bombs around Washington and New York.

Car bombs are maddeningly easy to construct. They are maddeningly difficult to detect and defeat. It’s a certainty one will succeed. Maybe not this time, but at some point.



But here’s the thing. It’s very difficult to kill mass quantities of people with car bombs. So much has to go right: the explosive mixture, finding a target that’s packed with enough people, and avoiding detection and arrest at any stage of the plot. If a terrorist is lucky, he will kill dozens of people. It will be horrible. It will also be orders of magnitude less damaging than what al-Qaida pulled off 10 years ago.

There is only one kind of terrorism that actually is a major threat: nuclear terrorism. And there, the U.S. has shamefully underreacted. It’s a travesty that there’s unsecured nuclear material in this day and age, and the Obama administration’s efforts to secure it, however incomplete, deserve credit. But notice that’s a problem about unsecured nuke material, not al-Qaida. Lock up the loose nukes — and yes, that’s difficult — and there’s no nuclear terrorism. What’s more, the difficulty of al-Qaida acquiring that material, even with its ties to the spy service of nuclear Pakistan, is reflected in the fact that al-Qaida’s most ambitious plots now involve … car bombs.

There are any number of ways to crunch the data. But the bottom line is that you are vastly more likely to die in a car accident than from a car bomb.

Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic says that’s a myopic way of viewing things.”Consider the impact of terrorism on the Constitution,” Goldberg writes, “and on our collective self-conception as an open and free society.”

But terrorism alone cannot do anything to the Constitution. Only Americans can damage the Constitution. Goldberg is conflating the act and our response to it — a response that is entirely within our power to affect. Indeed, as citizens in a democracy, it’s our responsibility to check the government from its excesses, and to stop adding fuel to the political fire.

Look at the charts that Danger Room’s Lena Groeger compiled. She tallies $6.6 trillion in defense spending after 9/11. There is nothing that al-Qaida could possibly do to justify even a slice of such a monster expenditure. Why did it happen?

Former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke has an answer. “There’s going to be a terrorist strike some day,” Clarke told Frontline for its “Top Secret America” documentary this week. “And when there is, if you’ve reduced the terrorism budget, the other party, whoever the other party is at the time, is going to say that you were responsible for the terrorist strike because you cut back the budget. And so it’s a very, very risky thing to do.”

The risk, in other words, is a political risk. The culture of fear: It’s a bipartisan race to the bottom. And it’s why the National Security State constructed by the George W. Bush administration has found a diligent steward in President Obama. Asked recently if the post-9/11 security apparatus might diminish soon now that al-Qaida looks weak, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, replied, “No.”

All the incentives align for keeping that liberty-crushing Security State in place — even when it looks like they don’t. The government’s two major post-9/11 surveillance laws, the Patriot Act and the 2008 amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, both contain “sunsets” for the widely expanded authorities they grant the government to spy on U.S. citizens. That is, they expire after four or five years, and require congressional reauthorization to continue.

On the face of it, the sunsets sound like an important civil-liberties protection: After all, the surveillance expansions aren’t permanent.

In practice, though, sunsets create the political incentives for precisely such permanence. Voting in favor of an expansion of the surveillance laws is cost-free for any member of Congress, if she doesn’t have to tell her constituents that she’s allowed the federal government to perpetually access their business records or track their movements through their cellphones.

It’s much harder to be the one to stand up and say the threat of terrorism is too minor for such expanded surveillance, and the government needs to stop. When libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) made precisely that case, Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) subjected him to cheap, hypocritical demagoguery.

The only way this changes is if citizens change the political incentives for politicians. Two-bit terrorists will always be around, sadly. But when the Harry Reids get major political blow-back for attacking the Rand Pauls, then — and only then — will the 9/11 Era be truly over.

This isn’t a call to stop counterterrorism. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that al-Qaida is on the verge of strategic collapse. If surveillance, drone strikes and Special Operations Forces can actually end al-Qaida, it would be foolish to let the pressure relent. And to confront a residual threat from car bombs, police will need to be vigilant, and the country will need to retain some smaller, focused intelligence apparatus for early warning.

But all of that is only justifiable if the new U.S. Shadow Wars — undeclared, largely covert wars in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and beyond — actually end soon. The Bush administration never had an endgame for the war on terrorism, preferring to conceive of a “Long War” that amounted to an epochal, generation-spanning struggle.

The Obama administration emphasizes its slow, slow reduction in conventional forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and gestures at waging the cheaper, lower-profile shadow wars in their place. But it has never explained how those wars end — or even if they ever actually will.

When Barack Obama ran for president, his national security team told me, in an extensive series of interviews, that a major focus of his presidency would be to confront what they called the “politics of fear” — the national-security freakout that led to counterproductive post-9/11 moves like invading Iraq. But since coming to power, Obama has accommodated himself to the politics of fear far more than he’s confronted it.

He’s allowed widespread surveillance of American Muslims. He was reluctant to fight Congress over closing Guantanamo Bay. He backed down on holding criminal trials for the 9/11 conspirators.

Obama deserves credit for ordering the raid that killed bin Laden. But presidents don’t ever give up their power without a fight.

Only when citizens make it acceptable for politicians to recognize that the threat of terrorism isn’t so significant can the country finally get what it really needs, 10 years later: closure.

Photo: Flickr/Shiny Things

[buglerbilly]

Frankfurt Shooter Radicalized Long Before Attack

September 14, 2011

Associated Press|by Claudia Isabel Rittel

FRANKFURT, Germany - A man on trial for killing two U.S. airmen at Frankfurt Airport harbored anti-American feelings and spoke of violence about a year before the attacks, according to evidence presented at his trial Wednesday.

Arid Uka is charged with two counts of murder for the March 2 slayings of Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, from South Carolina, and Airman 1st Class Zachary R. Cuddeback, 21, from Virginia.

The 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian also faces three counts of attempted murder for wounding two more airmen and taking aim at a third before his gun jammed.

He confessed to the attacks as his trial opened in August, saying that the night before the crime he had seen a video posted on Facebook that purported to show American soldiers raping a teenage Muslim girl. It turned out to be a scene from the 2007 anti-war Brian De Palma film "Redacted," taken out of context.

Uka has told the court that the video prompted him to try and do anything possible to prevent more American soldiers from going to Afghanistan. But prosecutors are trying to show that Uka had long held radical feelings.

Prosecutors have said there is no evidence that Uka was linked to any terrorist organization, and the case highlights what many authorities have said is an increasing danger of the so-called "lone wolf" type attacker.

Such terrorists self-radicalize and often don't come on the radar of authorities until they carry out their attacks, making them hard to stop. President Barack Obama said in a CNN interview on Aug. 16 that a "lone wolf" terror attack in the U.S. is more likely than a major coordinated effort like the Sept. 11 attacks.

In around a dozen pages of Internet chats collected by investigators, Uka talked at times about violence and criticized American patriotism. The postings took place on such as Facebook and the online game World of Warcraft.

On April 13, 2010, for example, Uka talked to fellow gamers about having "the Quran in the right hand and an AK-47 in the left," according to one chat read aloud by Judge Christoph Koller.

In another message from October, he criticized U.S. reaction to the Sept. 11 attacks, saying "they have killed more people than any terrorist organization."

Uka, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt did not react as the details were read Wednesday. He seemed relaxed during the proceedings, laughing afterward as he talked with his attorneys.

Attorney Marcus Steffel, who represents Cuddeback's mother - who has joined the trial as co-plaintiff as is allowed under German law - said it is too early to say how important the chats could be in the trial.

"These are pieces of a mosaic," he told The Associated Press. "We'll only be able to evaluate it later."

The trial is scheduled to continue Oct. 5.

Uka faces a life sentence if convicted, although cooperating with authorities and a confession could help reduce the amount of time he would have to serve before parole could be considered.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Banned preacher wants to sue for unlawful imprisonment

A banned Islamic preacher who was allowed in to the UK because of a Home Office blunder is now suing the taxpayer for wrongful imprisonment.


Islamic Movement head Sheikh Raed Salah Photo: EPA

By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor

8:00AM BST 15 Sep 2011

Palestinian activist Sheikh Raed Salah, who is accused of inciting anti – Semitic violence, was able to walk through immigration earlier this year despite being banned by Theresa May days before he arrived.

When the blunder was discovered he was detained pending deportation but was freed on bail by judges three weeks later while he appeals the removal order.

And he is now seeking thousands of pounds in damages for “false imprisonment” after his lawyers yesterday said he had always planned to leave the country and detention was therefore unnecessary.

His lawyer is also claiming his human rights were breached because reasons for his detention were not explained in his own language.

Salah, 52, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has allegedly propagated a conspiracy theory that Jewish people were involved in the Sept 11 attacks.

Mrs May banned him entering the UK days ahead of a planned visit in June but the information was sent to the wrong terminal at Heathrow and he arrived unopposed.

He went on to deliver a speech in Leicester before he was arrested three days in to his visit and detained.

The Home Secretary served a deportation notice on the father of eight on the grounds that his presence in the UK was "not conducive to the public good".

But Salah won bail three weeks later and is now seeking damages unlawful detention, as well as appealing against the decision to deport in separate proceedings before an immigration tribunal later this month.

His barrister, Raza Husain (corr) QC, told the High Court yesterday that he always planned to return home and had bought a return ticket.

'If the individual is going to comply, why should it matter that removal is imminent?' he said.

'Detention is supposed to be the very last resort.

'It is a matter of regret that the claimant has been subject to repeated harassment.'

Mr Husain also claimed that Salah had not been legally held because nobody had explained the reason for his detention in his own language, as required by Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Salah has denied accusations that he had made anti-Semitic comments or incited terrorism, or was linked to the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas, which is viewed by Israel, the US and the UK as a terrorist group.

A Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, he had dedicated his life to campaigning against racism and oppression faced by the Palestinian people and defending their cultural Islamic heritage, said Mr Husain.

Neil Sheldon, appearing for the Home Secretary, rejected accusations that Mr Salah's 21-day detention was unlawful.

He stated the Palestinian had entered the UK contrary to an exclusion order issued by Mrs May on June 23.

When he flew in on June 25 a Heathrow immigration officer failed to note the order as recorded on the UK Border Agency's electronic system.

The order had yet to be served on Mr Salah and he was not aware of its existence when granted permission to enter the UK as a visitor.

When the Home Secretary became aware, she issued a notice of intention to deport and directed that Mr Salah should be detained to effect his prompt deportation under provisions of the 1971 Immigration Act.

Mr Sheldon stated the decision to exclude was based on evidence that Mr Salah had expressed "extreme and violent anti-semitism" and had links with Hamas – allegations denied by Mr Salah.

The hearing continues.

[buglerbilly]

Militant Islamist group threatens Tajikistan

A militant Islamist group has released a video threatening to attack targets in Tajikistan, a country where stability is considered vital to stop the spread of extremist-linked violence.


A car packed with explosives rammed a police station in northern Tajikistan last year, an attacked claimed by the militant Islamists who have issued a new threat. Photo: AP

By James Kilner, Almaty

9:22AM BST 19 Sep 2011

With NATO forces gradually withdrawing from neighbouring Afghanistan, Central Asian leaders are increasingly concerned that militant groups linked to the Taleban will move north through Tajikistan to attack and destabilise the region.

The group calling itself Jamaat Ansarullah released the threat against government forces and non-believers in a 15-minute video of a bearded man wearing Afghan-style clothes and speaking in Tajik earlier this month but local media only reported it on Friday.

“Those people who pray and fast but are advocates of democracy are non-believers,” the man is quoted as saying by local media.

Jamaat Ansarullah, which means Society of the Companions of Allah, claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a police station in the north of the country in September last year that killed at least two people.

Tajik security forces have refuted the existence of Jamaat Ansarullah and its potential to carry out its threat and some analysts have said it is most likely a splinter group of more well-known extremist groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

This is the second Islamist threat against Tajikistan this year. In April a different group released a statement with a similar message. The government has been fighting a growing insurgency for the past year but analysts have said has not managed to stem fighting.

In a report in May, the Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group said that global jihadists were moving into Tajikistan.

“Limited infiltration of armed guerrillas from Afghanistan has been taking place for several years,” it wrote.

“A small number of fighters from the North Caucasus have also been active in Tajikistan in recent years.”

Tajikistan is perhaps the poorest of the former Soviet states. It is mountainous with little mineral resources and about half of its annual income comes from Tajik men working mainly on building sites in Russia. It is also one of the main routes for drugs coming out of Afghanistan on to Russia and then Europe.

Russia is so concerned about both the drug smuggling from Afghanistan and the threat of militant Islamists creeping northwards that it is negotiating with the Tajik government to regain control of the porous 840 mile Afghan-Tajik border.

It had patrolled the border under a post-Soviet agreement until 2005 when it relinquished control to the Tajik military.

Earlier in September at a meeting in Dushanbe, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that they had agreed to extend Russia’s lease on its military bases in Tajikistan and were working towards agreeing a deal for Russian forces to return to patrolling the border.

[buglerbilly]

HOMELAND SECURITY: New Threats, New Strategies

September 15, 2011

Napolitano Outlines Changes

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says her agency has been working on ways to deal with home-grown terrorists, many of whom are individuals radicalized by the Internet.

While al Qaeda-inspired groups outside the U.S. still pose a threat to the U.S. So-called lone wolf terrorists or lone wolf actors pose “a very difficult threat to detect” because they are not part of larger networks, Napolitano said.


CBP photo by Barry Bahler

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been “devising strategies for dealing with the growth of lone wolf actors,” Napolitano said, adding that homeland security also needs to be a shared responsibility of ordinary citizens as well as government – especially to thwart lone wold attacks.

Local citizens need to report unusual activities or things that don’t look right, she said, citing the New York City street vendor who reported a van with smoke coming out of it, preventing a bombing in Times Square. Another example was the street sweeper in Spokane, Washington who spotted an unusual package before a Martin Luther King Day parade and reported it. The package turned out to be a bomb that could have killed and injured many.

Napolitano spoke at a gathering sponsored by the Aspen Institute to launch its new Homeland Security Group. The think tank has gathered a panel of Washington heavyweights to discuss and advise government on ways to improve homeland security.

The group is co-chaired by Michael Chertoff, the second head of the Department of Homeland Security, and Jane Harman, a former California congresswoman. Other members of the group include: Richard Ben-Veniste, a former member of the 9/11 Commission; Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the CIA, Michael Leiter, until recently the director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and James Loy, who served as Coast Guard commandant, head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and deputy Homeland Security secretary in the Bush administration.

On other topics, Napolitano said disaster relief and recovery programs were the most likely to be hurt if Congress proceeds with major budget cuts to DHS funding. The agency’s 2011 budget was $40.3 billion.

“The fight we’re in now is to get the money for the disaster relief fund. We do not have enough money, given all the number of [natural] disasters we’ve had this year, to finish out the fiscal year,” Napolitano said.

On a positive note, she said the TSA will be able to eliminate several onerous airport checkpoint practices in the near future. “The overall goal is to be able to separate passengers who are low risk from passengers for whom we have little or no knowledge or, for a variety of reasons, [passengers] we might privately denominate as higher risks,” Napolitano said.

Under new policies Napolitano explained to a Senate committee hearing Sept. 13 children under the age of 12 won’t have to removed their shoes and will be exempt from most searches when they pass through airport security checkpoints. And when they are subject to secondary screening, they won’t be patted down the way adults are. Internet videos of TSA personnel searching crying children sparked widespread complaints about the agency’s security measures – especially among some conservatives, who termed it a form of child abuse.

Napolitano cautioned that random searches of passengers – including children or old people – will have to continue to prevent terrorists from gaming the system. “If you totally exempt a group, that group will be exploited as a terrorist weapon,” she said.

TSA is also testing a new trusted traveler system that could allow passengers who supply verifiable identification information to pass through security without removing their shoes – another widespread complaint of air travelers. The practice was put in place in 2002 after an al Qaeda agent tried to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes aboard a U.S.-bound flight from Europe.

[buglerbilly]

Al-Qaeda 'still planning operations in Britain', Theresa May warns

The leadership of al-Qaeda is still planning operations in Britain as it radicalises and recruits cells for operations overseas, the Home Secretary has warned.


Theresa May discusses counterterrorism strategy in the United Kingdom at a forum hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington Photo: REUTERS

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent, in Washington

11:32PM BST 19 Sep 2011

The terrorist group is getting more "agile" and there is now a "new landscape of terrorism," Theresa May told an audience in Washington, as she warned that the progress made since 9/11 could be wiped out.

She said the terrorist threat had changed significantly over the past ten years as al-Qaeda lost people, facilities, and freedom of action, along with much of its support,

But the Home Secretary warned of the need to be "realistic" about the threats that remain, adding that the leadership of al-Qaeda continues to "plan operations in the UK."

"They attract people for training, they have sections dedicated to overseas operations, they radicalise and recruit," she said during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"And even as the capability of the al-Qaeda leadership has reduced, other threats have emerged which, in the UK, affect us directly."

There is now a wider range of terrorist groups active in Pakistan, some new, others well-established, the Home Secretary warned.

"The new terrorist threats are no less complex and difficult than the old. In some ways they are harder to deal with. They challenge our systems and structures," she said.

"The new landscape of terrorism is more diverse, decentralised and perhaps also more agile than the landscape of 09/11."

Mrs May, who is on a trip to meet US leaders to discuss security, warned of the easy availability of sophisticated off-the-shelf communications devices for terrorists.

"The pace and availability of technology has the potential to more than compensate for the progress we have made since 9/11," she added. "It can make the ideological struggle look irrelevant – technology can give much more lethal power to many fewer people."

She called for a "new and rather different relationships with our private sectors, who of course own much of this technology and who – for our wider benefit – will develop it as fast and as aggressively as they can."

The Home Secretary also told her US audience of her determination that the internet "must not be a no-go area for government, where terrorists and extremists can proceed unhindered."

Britain has faced difficulties persuading the US authorities to shut down extremist websites because of their First Amendment right to free speech but Mrs May said she "commended" the British model of combining law enforcement with voluntary reporting to internet companies of extremist activity.

"The internet facilitates not only terrorist attack planning and recruitment, but also radicalisation and the circulation of extremist ideologies.

"We know that terrorist and extremist use of the internet is becoming more sophisticated and we know that much of the extremist material that concerns us is hosted overseas, including here," she said.

Britain and the US use comparable language to describe the threats but have taken very different approaches to it, she said.

"From very soon after 9/11 – and certainly by 2005 – we in the UK realised that terrorist groups had become embedded into the fabric of our society and in particular our cities," she said.

"In America, for many years you saw the terrorist threat as something external, practised by people 'over there' who wanted to strike at American citizens 'over here'.

"Our different sense of threat led us to respond in different ways. Your response has often been framed by military action overseas. Ours has been grounded in policing and law enforcement in our own country. Neither approach was wrong. "

But America has increasingly seen home-grown terrorism and Britain has increased its efforts to catch terrorists overseas.

However, the Home Secretary warned that in countries where terrorists are most active, they are often least likely to be prosecuted.

"In these countries, agencies may not have the skills to investigate terrorist cases, the judicial system may be weak or corrupt, or both, and there may be an absence of political will.

"The consequences are far reaching. When we identify terrorist threats we cannot always resolve them. The absence of a functioning judiciary may lead to the violation of human rights.

"It may then be impossible to co-operate with states in the way that we would wish. And we cannot then deport to these countries foreign nationals engaged in terrorist activity on our own soil."

Mrs May said it was hard to see how to deal with terrorism in the long term without better promoting the rule of law overseas.

"Promoting the rule of law must be a hallmark of our global counter-terrorism work in the years to come," she added.

The Home Secretary warned that the period ahead was likely to be unstable and added: "We will have to use our imaginations to anticipate future trends. Terrorism in 2015 is likely to be very different from terrorism today."

[buglerbilly]

Defence finds security check problems

September 21, 2011 - 12:09AM .

AAP

An internal Defence review investigating whistleblower claims that thousands of security clearances were falsified has found "serious maladministrations" at the Defence Security Authority.

In May, three workers formerly contracted to the authority said they regularly falsified information on security documents because they were pressured to clear a backlog.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said on Tuesday the internal review is one of two investigating the allegations.

"It found a series of serious maladministrations, such that the department has now reported to me and senior officials have also written to the Senate Estimates committee adding to the evidence they gave at Senate Estimates in May of this year," Mr Smith told ABC's Lateline.

Mr Smith said the government still has to receive the other report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security.

"What we're now focusing on is remediating the difficulties that we found in the procedures, but also starting the very important task of going through the security assessments that have been adversely affected by these process deficiencies to make sure that there's been no substantive error.

"In other words, that no one has been granted a security clearance who would otherwise not have been granted a clearance."

He said the process of re-checking the thousands of security checks was starting now.

"We have to go through the painstaking process of checking, effectively individually, all of these security assessments that were subject to these adverse procedures."

Mr Smith insisted that the chances of security being breached was not high.

"The advice I have is that there is a low risk or low possibility that in the end we've ended up with an adverse outcome. In other words that someone's been granted a security clearance when they otherwise would not have been."

© 2011 AAP

[buglerbilly]

Six charged with terror offences

Six men have been charged with a series of terrorism offences after they were arrested last week.


Six men were arrested in Birmingham in a counter-terrorism operation Photo: PA

12:22AM BST 26 Sep 2011

Four men are charged with preparing for an act of terrorism in the UK, and two more with failing to disclose information, West Midlands Police said.

Allegations include making a martyrdom film and planning a bombing campaign.

The men, all from Birmingham, were arrested last week by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.

All six, who are aged between 25 and 32, are to appear at West London Magistrates Court.

Irfan Nasser, 30, Irfan Khalid, 26, Ashik Ali, 26, and Rahin Ahmed, 25, are all charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006.

It is alleged that between Christmas Day 2010 and September 19 this year, they were preparing, or helping others prepare, to commit acts of terrorism.

For Nasser, from Sparkhill, Khalid, from Sparkbrook, and Ali, from Balsall Heath, this is alleged to have included planning a bombing campaign; stating an intention to be a suicide bomber; collecting money for terrorism; making or helping make a homemade bomb for terrorism; and recruiting people for terrorism.

Nasser and Khalid are also accused of travelling to Pakistan for training in terrorism including bomb making, weapons and poison making, as well as making a martyrdom film.

Ahmed, from Moseley, is accused of helping others travel to Pakistan for terrorism training, collecting money for terrorism and investing and managing money for terrorist acts.

Ashik Ali's brother Bahader Ali, 28, and Mohammed Rizwan, 32, both from Sparkbrook, are both charged with failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism.

It is alleged that between July 29 and September 19 this year, both had information which they knew may help prevent the commission of an act of terrorism but did not disclose the information.

Bahader Ali is also charged with terrorist fundraising.

A seventh man, aged 20 and also from Birmingham, who was arrested on Thursday, is still being questioned.

Officers have until Thursday to charge, release or apply for a further warrant of detention.