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April 30, 2003
Bush hails Pakistan's recent Arrests
From the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) US President George W Bush has heaped praise on Pakistan for arresting six suspected members of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, calling it a major coup in the global war on terrorism. First Bali bomb suspect charged
Indonesian prosecutors have formally charged their first suspect in connection with the 2002 Bali bombings. U.S. Says Libya, Syria Reduce Support for Terrorism
The United States said on Wednesday Syria and Libya reduced their support for "terrorism" they remained on a U.S. list of seven "state sponsors of terrorism" along with Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan.Read the rest. U.S. General: Groups Supply Afghan Rebels
Renegade groups in Iran and Pakistan are providing a lifeline to rebels who continue to menace U.S. forces in Afghanistan's lawless border regions, a top U.S. commander warned Tuesday. The FBI Plans to Warn Nuclear Facilities
TIME has learned that sometime today the FBI plans to send a classified Intelligence Bulletin to 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies over its secure telecommunications network, advising officials to pay attention to suspicious activities around nuclear power plants, and including people who are spotted photographing them and light aircraft flying near them. J&K militants have chemical weapons: Army
Press Trust of India/The Hindu The Indian Army has made a disturbing discovery on the Jammu and Kashmir militancy front, a development that would take the militancy to an entirely new level. Palestinian TV: Kill Jews of the Disputed Areas
IMRA: Official Palestinian Authority [PA] TV has broadcast a music video calling for the murder of Jews in the disputed areas, even showing scenes of Jewish teenage girls and a Jewish couple, who are among those targeted for death by PA TV. EU to redirect aid to Palestinian private sector, social services instead of direct payments for PA`s expenditures
Pakistan arrests USS Cole bombing suspect
Pakistan has arrested a Yemeni suspected of involvement in the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, according to officials. U.S. Accuses Iran of Cheating on Nuclear Arms Pact
See also Russia and Iran's Nuclear Program:
IDF Intelligence: Abu Mazen Has No Intention of Fighting Terrorism
U.S. Judge Holds PLO Accountable in Murder Lawsuit
A federal judge has ruled the Palestinian Liberation Organization should be held accountable for not responding to a lawsuit filed on behalf of an American man and his Israeli wife who were murdered in Israel. Yaron Ungar and his wife Efrat, both 25, were killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996. The suit was filed in 2000 on behalf of their two children and seeks $250 million. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 1991 allows American victims of overseas terrorism to seek monetary damages in U.S. courts. Experts say the April 18 ruling could ultimately hold the PLO responsible for the killings and allow the plaintiffs to extract damages. April 29, 2003
More on Tel Aviv Blast
Update on previous post Fox News is reporting that at least three people have been killed: At least three people were killed and 30 were injured after a huge explosion rocked a popular seaside promenade in Tel Aviv early Wednesday. Police said it was a terror attack. UPDATE: Fox is now reporting the death toll is five. Dozens injured in blast at cafe next to U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv
A loud explosion was heard at around 1 A.M. Tuesday night in a cafe next to the United States embassy on the beachfront Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv. Three Different Perspectives
Eleven Pakistani terrorists and six security force personnel were killed in a fierce gunbattle in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir this afternoon, police sources said. Eleven freedom fighters and six Indian force personnel were killed in a fierce gunbattle in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday afternoon, police sources claimed. Eleven suspected Islamic militants and six Indian soldiers have died in a bloody clash in southern Kashmir's Doda district today. $1.5 billion earmarked to aid states, municipalities
WASHINGTON -States and localities will receive $1.5 billion to help pay for the costs of increasing security during the war with Iraq, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said Tuesday. Hawash Charges Detailed
Hawash accused of aiding Al-Qaida The complaint alleges that in October and November 2001 Hawash stayed at the same three hotels in China on the same three occasions as some of the defendants. On Oct. 30, 2001, the complaint says, Hawash shared a hotel room with defendant Jeffrey Leon Battle in Kashgar, in northwestern China. "U.S. disputes Brazil ‘anthrax’ case"
From this:
See the earlier post "Egyptian sailor dies in Brazil from anthrax-police" for more information. UPDATE: Apparently he didn't die from anthrax: "Bob Fowler, regional director general of Health Canada Atlantic, said today that anthrax has been ruled out as the cause of the sailor's death... "The crewman did not, and I repeat did not, die from anthrax," he said during a news conference." As to why the Wadi al Arab received attention in Brownsville, TX, that remains to be determined. Arafat still calling shots, terror-fighting not mentioned at landmark ceremony
From Debka: Palestinian PM-designate Abu Mazen, requesting Palestinian council’s endorsement of his government, repeatedly deferred to Arafat as elected Palestinian leader, made no reference to fighting terror. He said Middle East road map must begin with halt on Israeli settlement. Arafat calls for assasinations of Americans in Iraq
From Debka: Arafat, who spoke as Middle East leader, demanded an end to US “occupation” of Iraq, called on “Shurfa” and “free men” to rise up against Americans in Iraq. (USAID official Laurence Foley was assassinated last October in Amman by “Shurfa” after his appointment by President Bush to oversee reconstruction of reformed Palestinian Authority.) Libya Admits Lockerbie Liability
[Sky News] Libya will pay £6.29m to each of the 270 victims of the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing after accepting civil responsibility for the blast. Palestinian PM Abu Mazen Funded Munich Massacre
Who would have thought that that Arafat's hand-picked successor would turn out to be a Holocaust-denier and terrorist? Here are two articles about President Bush's 'Man of Peace' that make that compliment seem appropriate for a president who termed Islam a 'Religion of Peace:' From IMRA: ISRAELI CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP ACCUSES ABU MAZEN OF HAVING FUNDED 1972 MUNICH OLYMPIC MASSACRE, CALLS FOR PROBE OF PALESTINIAN PM's ROLE Sports Illustrated: Abu Mazen funded Munich Massacre Palestinian Terror Leaders in Jail Still Incite Attacks
From Haaretz: Strikes by Israeli security forces on Palestinian terror networks during the past year have led to a situation in which many more prominent terrorists are locked in Israeli facilities than are at large. Yet according to a recent report by the Shin Bet, its prisons have become terror headquarters, with incarcerated leaders seeking to orchestrate kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and civilians in order to negotiate their own release. In addition, a rise has been detected in the number of attempts to smuggle firearms into the prisons and prepare bombs, to be used against the guards. Inmates manage to maintain communications with their people outside through mobile phones, letters, and oral messages conveyed by visiting attorneys and family members. Palestinian inmates possess hidden cellular phones on which they can be reached, although the IDF has recently installed devices designed to disrupt such calls. Israel: Sharp Drop Reported in Islamic Terror Funding
Haaretz reports a victory in the Financial War On Terror: There has been a drastic drop over the past few months in the amount of financial aid channeled from Islamic charitable organizations abroad to Islamic terror groups in the territories. April 28, 2003
Pope AFB Airman Killed In Afghanistan
From NBC 17: An airman from Pope Air Force Base was killed in Afghanistan last week, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. Seventh Charged With War Plot
From The Mercury (Australia): US federal authorities have charged a seventh person with plotting to aid al-Qaeda and Taliban forces fighting US soldiers a month after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. US Forces Unearth Explosives In Afghanistan
Even this far into the engagement, it appears the Afghanistan countryside still holds many secrets. From ABC (Australia): US special forces have discovered a massive haul of more than 200 tonnes of explosives in a cave complex in north-western Afghanistan, a military spokesman says. Ten 'Taliban' killed: official
TEN suspected Taliban fighters were killed in a clash with local security forces in south-east Afghanistan's Zabul province, governor Hameedullah Tokhi said. "Egyptian sailor dies in Brazil from anthrax-police"
From this:
A spokesman for Brazilian federal police in the Amazon state of Para said on Monday an autopsy of the Egyptian man, whom he named as Ibrahim Saved Soliman Ibrahim, showed that he had died after vomiting, internal bleeding and multiple organ failure. "He was the victim of anthrax," said Fernando Sergio Castro, adding that police were 90 percent certain that Ibrahim had died of anthrax. Ibrahim had traveled to Brazil from Cairo to join his ship, the Wabi Alaras, which loaded bauxite in the Amazon to take to Canada... Castro said Ibrahim had been given the suitcase in Cairo by an unidentified person and was due to deliver it to somebody in Canada. But he doubted Ibrahim knew what the content of the bag was otherwise he most likely would not have opened it. "Health Canada awaits anthrax ship results" says that Canadian officials are awaiting test results from swab samples taken on the quarantined ship. There appears to be confusion over the ship's name. The Globe & Mail report (second link) says it's "Wadi Al Arab." The Reuters report says "Wabi Alaras." I'd tend to go with "Wadi Al Arab." That ship name is also mentioned here and here ("Ship Guarded" from 2/28/03):
This story has been UPDATED. Caught: Fatah terror cells responsible for deaths of 9 Israelis
From The Jerusalem Post: Israeli security forces recently exposed five Fatah Tanzim terrorist cells whose members are responsible for the deaths of nine Israelis. Suicide Bomb Attack Prevented by Father's Tip-Off
From Haaretz:
April 27, 2003
Syrian Spokeswoman: Hizbullah Is Not A Terrorist Organization
Syrian Spokeswoman: Hizbullah Is Not A Terrorist Organization Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Bouthana Shaaban told Fox News today that Hizbullah has "never targeted any civilian in Israel" and is "not a terrorist organization." However, Yonatan Peled, the spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, told Arutz-7's Eli Stutz that Shaaban was not quite accurate in her portrayal of the facts: "Hizbullah is a terrorist organization, and has attacked Israeli civilians, both in Israel and abroad. In 1992, in Buenos Aires, it blew up the Israeli Embassy, killing 29 people. They have fired rockets over the border at Israeli [communities], and are actively involved with Palestinian terror organizations, assisting them in carrying out attacks against Israelis. Syria is not only supporting Hizbullah, but is actually harboring them." Just 14 months ago, on March 12, 2002, two Hizbullah terrorists infiltrated northern Israel outside Kibbutz Metzubah, shot at passing cars, and murdered five Israeli civilians and a soldier. US Congressman Tom Lantos, who met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday for an hour and a half, presented him with a series of demands that would enable the U.S. to "open a new page in its relations with Syria." These included closing down headquarters of terrorist organizations and withdrawing Syrian forces from Lebanon. Lantos said also that Syria must cease its support of Hizbullah, especially granting it use of the Damascus airport. Lantos said afterwards, Wiesenthal Center to press for [Nazi] Brunner's extradition from Syria
Wiesenthal Center to press for Brunner's extradition from Syria With the US pressing Damascus to cease supporting terrorism after the liberation of Iraq, officials of the Simon Wiesenthal Center believe the time is ripe to seek the extradition of Nazi war criminal Alois Brunner, who is believed to be living in Syria. ...."This is part of the wider Syrian picture of a country that harbors Nazi as well as Iraqi war criminals, and provides a haven and support for terrorist groups." ....Brunner, 91, was one of the henchmen of Adolf Eichmann and a leading official of the main security office that helped draft and implement the "final solution." He was responsible for the deportation to death camps of some 128,500 Jews: 47,000 from Austria, 44,000 from Greece, 23,500 from France, and 14,000 from Slovakia. Brunner reportedly fled to Egypt after the war, but later sought and was granted refuge in Syria. Following the capture and execution of Adolf Eichmann, Brunner has been at the top of the wanted list of Nazi war criminals and Holocaust perpetrators. 7 Russian soldiers killed, 11 injured in Chechnya.
Walla cites IDF radio, saying that 3 of the Russians were killed when their vehicle was blown up by a mine. Update on the German bus hijacking.
State prosecutors said the youth, a naturalized German citizen, had demanded the release of four suspects linked to al Qaeda, but police said they did not believe he had any ties to Osama bin Laden's network.From Reuters. Trial Opens for Accused Air India Bombers
Before the Sept. 11 attacks, before Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, there was Air India Flight 182, blown up by a bomb with 329 people aboard in what is still the worst terrorist attack on a commercial airliner. 82nd in Afghanistan - Names of killed servicemen
San Antonio (TX) Express-News: Del Rio airman's death mourned Family members Saturday were mourning the death of an airman from Del Rio, one of two U.S. servicemen killed in a battle with rebel fighters in Afghanistan on Friday. Salt Lake (UT) Tribune: Second G.I. Dies in Afghanistan After Battle The Pentagon on Saturday identified the first soldier killed as Pvt. Jerod R. Dennis, 19, of Oklahoma. Dennis was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, N.C. 11 Hurt in Jakarta Bomb Blast
Terrorists have been blamed for a bomb blast that ripped through an American fast food restaurant at Jakarta's international airport. Iran Regime Worried #2
IRANIAN REGIME WORRIED BY PEOPLE’S PRO-AMERICANISM This is from Iran's official news agency: As President George W. Bush has also warned the Islamic republic to stop meddling in Iraqi affairs, an influential French daily says Iranian officials are worried by the "obvious pro-Americanism sentiments" of " the Iranian people". Iranian officials are worried. Worried of the American presence next to their doors, on the East as well as to the West, worried of the invasion of Iraq "with so little popular resistance", worried of the fast fall of the Baghdad regime, worried of the sidelining of the UN, worried of the total disillusion of the Iranian people that, since the beginning of the Iraqi crisis, has resulted in a fierce pro-Americanism of the population... but, especially, worried of the vox populi, that asks for "a change of the regime with the help of the American marines", the daily "Le Monde" wrote. This demand is taken enough seriously in the political circles so that the resumption of the relations with America -- a 24 years-old taboo -- had moved forward on the political agenda in Tehran. These relations had been broken on the eve of the establishment of the Islamic Republic and the hostage taking of 55 American diplomats in 1979. Muslim Rebel Attack on Kashmir radio station, other violence leaves 14 dead
Muslim Rebel Attack on Kashmir radio station, other violence leaves 14 dead The new deaths came on a second day of bloody violence in the region, after 18 people were killed on Friday, including six in a suicide attack. Two Indian security men and three Muslim rebels were killed Saturday in a attack on the Radio Kashmir office in the heart of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. Seven other security force personnel were injured in the attack. Police said three militants detonated a car laden with explosives near the main gate of Radio Kashmir, killing a policeman, before they tried to storm into building in the confusion. Federal troops deployed in and around the radio station opened fire killing one of the rebels, while the other two were shot by security forces after running away. A BSF trooper was also killed during the gunfight, a spokesman said. Officials described the assault as a suicide attack because at least two of the rebels had grenades strapped to their bodies. Iran regime worried
This news article, about Israel's legitimate fears of nuclear attack by Iran, concludes: No one in the Israeli establishment believes that after the war in Iraq, the United States will be in any mood for a far more difficult military campaign against Iran. Moreover, many are convinced that it is too late to stop Iran from going nuclear. Therefore, they argue, the best way to neutralize a nuclear Iran is to promote regime change from within. [Emphasis mine - JW]Well, the Israelis (and anyone else who finds Iran's current leadership a bit frightening) may get their wish. It seems that the mullahs are worried about so much democracy breaking out next door. "Evidently, I am afraid!" he exclaims. "How would I not be afraid of an America armed to the teeth and who demonstrated in Iraq its total disdain of respect for the sovereignty of the States? . . . according to him, "that the best defense of Iran against the Americans would be to reinforce its democracy in order to deprive them of their arguments".As I recall, this "democratic domino effect" was one of the hoped-for results of toppling Saddam's regime. A Tale of Two Checkpoints
A comparison of media reports from Iraq and Israel on civilian deaths at checkpoints.With lots of links to news reports. German bus hijacking
I am linking to the blog which translates the original German news item, and provides a link to the original. A 17-year-old Lebanese hijacked a bus in Germany, has "Islamist motivations." Afghanistan Wants Pakistan Action On Taliban
From Reuters: Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Dr Abdullah called on Pakistan on Saturday to act against Taliban leaders he said were operating from its territory. Three Sentenced To Death For Pakistan Killings
From Radio Australia: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has handed down death sentences to three Islamic sectarian militants for involvement in the killing of minority Shi'ite Muslims. April 26, 2003
US congressman in Damascus urges Syria to cut support to Hizbullah
US Representative Tom Lantos, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives International Relations Committee, urged Syria to cut support to Lebanon's Hizbullah. Second US Soldier Dies After Gun Battle With Suspected Taliban
Is it me, or is Afghanistan heating up? From FOX23/AP: The U-S military in Afghanistan says a second soldier has died of wounds suffered in a gun battle with Taliban fighters. Suspected Taliban Arrested In Afghanistan
Hmm ... I wonder why they always seem to be so close to Pakistan. From Reuters: U.S. and Afghan forces have arrested several suspected members of the Taliban near the southern border town of Spin Boldak, an Afghan military commander said on Saturday. Car Bomb, Gun Battle in Kashmir
From The Australian A CAR bomb and a gunbattle at state-run broadcast offices in the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir killed three suspected Islamic militants and two soldiers today, police said. Hezbollah Reportedly Acquires SA-18 SAMs
Middle East Intelligence Bulletin According to a report in the Israeli daily Maa'riv early last month, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has acquired highly sophisticated SA-18 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. Acquisition of the Russian-manufactured SA-18, a much improved version of the SA-7 missiles used by Hezbollah in the past and employed by Al-Qaeda last November to attack an Israeli airliner in Kenya, would vastly upgrade the movement's air defense capabilities and strengthen the threat emanating from its massive stockpile of rockets capable of hitting Israeli population centers.[1]Found via SCMMDI. April 25, 2003
A Pakistan Diary Leads to Banks in Paraguay, Dallas
American authorities are investigating a suspicious money trail that leads from the jungles of South America to the suburbs of Dallas and may shed light on the interlocking finances of some key terrorist networks, including Hamas and Al Qaeda. Federal and Texas state investigators are seeking clues to the origin and destination of millions of dollars wired from a business in the lawless tri-border area where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet, to apparent shell companies in Texas suspected of serving as fronts for either Al Qaeda, Hamas or both.Read the rest. |