The Command Post
Global War on Terror
May 31, 2003
Olympics Bomb Suspect Rudolph Arrested

[AP via Yahoo]

Eric Rudolph, the longtime fugitive charged in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing and in attacks at an abortion clinic and a gay nightclub, was arrested early Saturday in the mountains of North Carolina, a Justice Department official confirmed.

The FBI confirmed Rudolph's identity through a fingerprint match, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"They got him," the official said.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 10:41 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Abbas vows end of attacks by radical groups

From CNN, the most trusted name in news:

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas predicted Friday that he would persuade all radical Palestinian groups to agree to a cease-fire -- and end their attacks against Israelis -- within three weeks.

The announcement came as President Bush began a trip that includes a peace summit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and other stops in the Middle East

For his next trick, Yasser Arafat offered to drink a glass of blood while his puppet prime minister made the same vow.

Posted by Laurence Simon at 10:27 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Bush Urges Europe To Unite Against Terror

Note the new anti-proliferation initiative. Also note the incredibly annoying pop-up banner at the top of the ABC News page. From ABC News in the US:

President Bush sought to heal bitter wounds lingering from the Iraq war Saturday by calling on NATO partners new and old to unite against terrorism.

"This is no time to stir up divisions in a great alliance," he said in the town square here, on the first day of a Europe trip that will include his first meetings with the leaders of France and Germany longtime allies who split with Bush on the Iraq war ...

... Bush announced a new effort, the Proliferation Security Initiative, in which the United States, Poland and other, unspecified countries will search planes and ships carrying "suspect cargo." The initiative aims to seize illicit weapons and missile technologies and other agents of terrorism, Bush said.

Posted by Alan at 08:03 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
May 30, 2003
Hamas: "Most Israelis Are Combatants"

(Hat tip: Marduk)

From IMRA, Hamas claims not to be a terrorist organization:

Hamas spokesman Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi told Newsweek: "Combatants are not just people who wear uniforms." He considers all Israeli men combatants because they at one time or another served in the army and do reserve duty, and the same goes for Israeli women, most of whom have served in the army. So the majority of the Israeli population are considered combatants.

IMRA then provides a snippet from an article on Newsweek that seems to have vanished into their archives somehow:

Q: What do you mean? How does Hamas define civilians? A: An Israeli civilian is someone who never took part in the fighting. If he participated in the fighting in the past, years ago, he is not a civilian. That's why Israelis are still pursuing the Germans who took part in the Holocaust, though some of these people are in their 80s. They are still considered soldiers. Q: So you consider all Israeli men combatants because they at one time or another served in the army and do reserve duty? A: Yes. Q: What about Israeli women? A: Most Israeli women served in the army. Q: According to these criteria, what percentage of the Israeli population do you consider combatants? A: The majority. We choose military targets. If civilians are liable to die, that isn't a reason to stop the attack. But we don't set out to kill civilians.

Explain that to the students in the Hebrew University cafeteria, Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi. Sure, most college campus cooking is effectively a biological weapons program, but the Hamas bomb was placed among ordinary students eating, not a military base.

Posted by Laurence Simon at 02:59 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Level Yellow

MSNBC

Details on Alan's post: The Department of Homeland Security on Friday lowered the federal terrorism alert level one notch to yellow, or elevated. It had been at orange, the second-highest level on a five-color scale, since May 20.

ORANGE INDICATES a high risk of terrorist attack. The lowest two levels, green and blue, and the highest, red, have not been used since the system was adopted in March 2002.

The alert level was raised on May 20 after terrorists believed linked to al-Qaida struck in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Seventy-five people were killed, including eight Americans.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said it was feared the incidents could mark the beginning of a wave of worldwide attacks that could include U.S. targets.

Posted by at 02:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
US Terror Threat Dropped To "Yellow"

From the red banner at the top of CNN.com:

U.S. terror threat level lowered to yellow, or 'elevated.' Details soon.

Posted by Alan at 02:38 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Bomb kills two in Spain

Source: Financial Times

SANGUESA, Spain (Reuters) - 30 May 2003 15:41
A bomb has killed two police officers and seriously injured a third in northern Spain in an attack the government blames on armed Basque separatist group ETA.

ETA has been dormant for months after a heavy police crackdown, but the bombing in Navarre on Friday was in an area the guerrillas claim for a Basque homeland. It came amid heightened regional tension after nationwide local elections.

"ETA has returned to commit a brutal attack," Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told a news conference shortly after news broke of the bombing. "We will keep fighting within the law...against this terrorist group and those who support it."

Rajoy said two police officers were killed and a third was in a serious condition in hospital after the bomb attack in the main square of the small town of Sanguesa, some 30 miles east of the regional capital Pamplona.

A civilian was also receiving treatment for minor injuries, Rajoy said.

There appeared to be no warning for the attack, which was not immediately claimed by ETA or any other group.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar promptly cancelled a planned trip to Russia, while Interior Minister Angel Acebes was travelling to the scene of the attack.

Police quickly threw a cordon round the town to check vehicles leaving and a Reuters photographer said he passed through three road blocks on his way in.

GUERRILLA FORCE

ETA, western Europe's most active guerrilla force, has killed 839 people since 1968 in a campaign for an independent state in northern Spain and southwestern France.

Sunday's municipal elections raised tension in the Basque region as they were the first since Madrid banned the radical separatist party Batasuna on the grounds it supported ETA. The group is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States and European Union.

Officials said the victims of the latest bombing were members of a team of roving police who were in Sanguesa to renew national identity cards for local people.

Navarre borders Spain's northern Basque region but is claimed by ETA as part of a Basque homeland straddling the border with France. The semi-autonomous region has been the scene of many ETA attacks although the majority of its population does not support Basque nationalist parties.

After months of ETA keeping a low profile, three masked members said in a video, broadcast on May 15 by Basque public television, that the armed group had not declared a ceasefire.

In the last fatal attack previously attributed to ETA, a hooded gunman shot and killed a local police chief in the Basque Country in a restaurant in February.

(End of story)

Posted by at 01:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Chechen blast kills three

Source: Financial Times
NAZRAN, Russia (Reuters) - 30 May 2003 10:24 BST

An explosion targeting a bus carrying workers to Russia's main military base in its turbulent Chechnya region has killed three people and wounded eight, security sources in the region say.


The attack in a region gripped by a decade of conflict came as heads of state began arriving in St Petersburg, at the other end of the country, for celebrations marking the 300th birthday of Russia's second city, hosted by President Vladimir Putin.

The sources said the bus was taking about 20 workers to Khankala, the main Russian military base just outside the Chechen capital Grozny and had dropped them off when the explosion occurred on Friday.

One person travelling in a nearby car died, along with two others in the vicinity. The bus driver was among the wounded.

Interfax news agency quoted Grozny Mayor Oleg Zhidkov as calling for more mobile patrols in the capital but he opposed any increase in Russian forces or restrictions on residents' movements.

"We don't need more troops or tougher measures. Setting up barbed wire won't work either," he was quoted as saying. "What we do need is more vigilance by security forces."

Putin has refused to speak to Chechen separatist leaders and answered Western critics of two post-Soviet military campaigns by offering Chechnya autonomy.

Results of a March referendum showed considerable support for keeping the region in Russia and elections are planned for a regional president and assembly.

With rare exceptions, Western countries have toned down allegations of abuse by the Russian military since Russia gave its full backing to the U.S.-led anti-terror campaign after the September 11, 2001, airline attacks.

Rebels have rejected the plan and vowed to pursue their fight against Russian rule. Recent incidents have included two suicide bombings last month which killed more than 70 people.

(End of piece)

Posted by at 01:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Americans in Gaza warned of kidnap threats

From the Jerusalem Post:

The US Embassy has received "credible reports" of plans to kidnap US citizens in Gaza, the embassy announced on its Web site Friday. "At this time, Americans are advised to be particularly cautious," the announcement said.

Hamas responds:

"We are battling with the Zionist enemy and not with the United States," Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi told The Associated Press on Friday, referring to Israel. Hamas "will not target any American or any other nationalities."

Janis Ruth Coulter and Benjamin Blutstein would appreciate that sentiment from these practicioners of The Religion of Peace if they weren't dead, killed by Hamas at Hebrew University.

Posted by Laurence Simon at 12:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
In The Absence Of News, Entertainment

If you haven’t noticed, the past several days have been positively slow for news on the stories we follow. We expect today to be no different, and given the generally playful tone in our comments today, Michele and I thought perhaps it might be time to have some fun.

After all … it’s a beautiful, warm spring day here in Philadelphia and New York, and while we’re certainly hard at work, it’s a day that just BEGS for distraction.

So here’s the proposal: You likely noticed that last weekend we added an “Evildoer” photo and snarky caption to the top-right-column of this page. We’d like to change that snarky caption, and thought today may be a fine day for a caption contest. The “rules”:

The photo will stay the same

No obscenity or vulgarity (this is, after all, a quasi-family site)

The caption should in some way glorify our contributors or the idea behind the Command Post (i.e., citizen triangulation of the media). If you want to single out a particular contributor for glorification, that’s fine, but Michele and I recuse ourselves (we get enough glory as it is ... if that's what you call whatever it is we get)

Post your suggestions in the comments to this post; we’ll select a winner in the next day or so and update the page accordingly!

Posted by Alan at 11:45 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
19 killed in MILF attack

This is how the Moro rebels prepare for a ceasefire they themselves proposed? From the Manila Times:

COTABATO CITY–At least 19 people, including 12 militiamen and 5 civilians, were killed after suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels stormed an Army detachment in Carmen, North Cotabato, at dawn Thursday, military officials said.

The incident came a day after the MILF military affairs chief, al-Haj Ibrahim Murad, declared a 10-day unilateral cease-fire beginning June 2 “to give peace talks a chance to resume” in the South.

Maj. Julieto Ando of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao said the rebels also set on fire 10 houses in Sitio Baroin, Barangay Macabinban in Carmen.
Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:54 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Jemaah Islamiyah eyes new targets

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer/Agence France-Presse:

SYDNEY -- An Indonesian group linked to the al-Qaeda network held a high-level meeting last month in Indonesia, possibly to identify new terrorist targets, The Australian newspaper reported Friday.

Citing unidentified intelligence sources, the newspaper said the meeting involved members of four cells of Jemaah Islamiyah, a radical Islamic group blamed for killing 202 people in a car bombing last October.

The meeting included a former resident of Australia, Abdul Rahim Ayub, who reportedly heads a Jemaah Islamiyah cell responsible for actions in Australia, the newspaper said.
Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:43 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 29, 2003
Iran: al-Qaida Leaders May Be In Custody

I've typed it before; I'll type it again: "You are either with us, or against us." From the Grand Forks Herald (AP):

In a reversal, Iran left open the possibility Thursday it may have top al-Qaida operatives in custody, including the terror network security chief suspected by U.S. officials of planning attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi's comments to The Associated Press contradicted his statement Monday, when he was quoted as telling state-run radio that al-Qaida members detained in Iran "are not senior members of the group."

Instead, he said Thursday, Iran is unsure of the identities of the al-Qaida members it has detained and Saif al-Adil may be among them.

"Ohhhh ... you mean these al-Qaida operatives ..."

Posted by Alan at 10:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Al-Qaida Planned Australian Attacks: Howard

From the China Post:

The al-Qaida network plotted terror strikes in Australia well before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday ...

... "These reports indicate that al-Qaida's interest in mounting attacks in Australia actually predated the 11th of September 2001 attacks in New York and Washington," he said.

The prime minister provided no details of where the information came from or the type of targets al-Qaida had focussed on.

Perhaps our Aussie contributor Alan E. Brain can provide more information here ...

Posted by Alan at 10:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
U.S.: Hamas truce must include steps to disarm terror groups By Haaretz Staff and Agencies

From Ha'aretz:

Any Palestinian cease-fire deal with Hamas militants to stop attacks on Israel must also include steps to disarm and dismantle "terrorist infrastructure," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Thursday. "Should the Palestinians declare a cease-fire it must be accompanied by parallel steps to disarm and dismantle terrorists and terrorist infrastructure," Fleischer said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday that he expected to reach an agreement with Hamas for a complete halt to attacks on Israelis by next week. "Hamas will commit to halting terrorism both within the Green Line and in the territories," Abbas said.

But an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in response Thursday that such a step would be insufficient. "A cease-fire is not a substitute for taking real action to stop terrorist activity," said Ra'anan Gissin.

Posted by Laurence Simon at 05:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Hamas hints it may accept short-term cease-fire

From Jerusalem Post:

Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip said Thursday that talk about a cease-fire with Israel was premature, noting that the movement was still considering a proposal to this effect made by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

However, sources close to Hamas said they didn't rule out the possibility that the movement would agree to a short-term cease-fire that also calls for stopping suicide bombings inside Israel, and not in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Posted by Laurence Simon at 02:45 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 28, 2003
Shots fired at bus near Hebron; Israeli lightly wounded

From Jerusalem Post:

An Israeli was lightly injured when Palestinians fired shots at Egged bus No. 160 at the Halhoul junction north of Hebron late Wednesday night. The man was taken to hospital with bullet shard wounds.

Security forces arrived on the scene and conducted searches.

Hebron had a spate of palestinian-on-palestinian violence in Hebron recently due to a clan-based riot, but apparently shooting Jews is something they can all agree on.

Posted by Laurence Simon at 05:42 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
US weighs a tougher Iran stance

[CSM]

High-level administration officials are expected to meet Thursday to begin formulating a clearer policy towards Iran. Another meeting set for earlier in the week involving lower-level officials was replaced when it was decided a decision was going to require high-level participation, sources close to planning for the inter-agency meeting said.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 05:31 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Moroccan Blast Suspect Dies in Custody

[Sky News]

The suspected mastermind of the suicide blasts that killed dozens in Casablanca has died in prison, the city's prosecutor has said.

He is reported to have died of heart and liver problems while in detention.

He has been named as Abdelhaq Moulsabbat, who had been arrested on Monday in the central Moroccan city of Fes.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 05:28 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Philippine rebels call ceasefire

From the BBC News:

Separatist Muslim rebels facing a military offensive by the government in the southern Philippines have declared a 10-day unilateral ceasefire.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said the ceasefire would come into effect next Tuesday and urged the government to reciprocate.

The government has not officially responded to the ceasefire offer, but the southern military chief Major General Roy Kyamko rejected it as a "tactical move", the Associated Press news agency reported.
Here is the related report from the Manila Times.

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:54 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Bali Suspect Admits to Being Chief of Terror Group

[Fox News]

A key Bali bombing suspect admitted in court Wednesday that he was the operational chief of the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, and said he knows Usama bin Laden "very well."

Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, testified at the treason trial of Abu Bakar Bashir, a Muslim cleric and the alleged spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiyah.

Mukhlas told a packed courtroom he took over as the operations chief after his predecessor, Riduan Isamuddin, alias Hambali, went into hiding.

"My followers chose me to replace Hambali after he left," he said.

Full story....

Posted by Michele at 11:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 27, 2003
Moroccans Turn Out Against Terrorism

Thousands of demonstrators marched against terrorism in Casablanca on Sunday.

"I am here for myself and for them, the next generation," said Abdellatif Ghanam, an unemployed night watchman, gesturing to his 6-year-old son. "The people who did those attacks are not followers of Islam in its true sense."

Posted by Judith Weiss at 01:27 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
House of Lords takes on CPP-NPA chief's "terrorist" tag

[Philippine Star]:

... According to the Committee to Defend Filipino Progressives in Europe (Committee-Defend), defrocked Catholic priest Luis Jalandoni, chair of the communist-led National Democratic Front peace panel and head of its international relations office, was even further asked to discuss the issue before the chamber’s meeting held early this month at the Moses Room of the House of Parliament in Westminster, London. The gathering, with the theme, "This War of Terror Threatens Us All," was hosted by Lord Rea of UK’s Labor Party, and called for by the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and the Campaign Against Criminalizing Communities.

Committee-Defend said that Jalandoni discussed before the meeting "the increasing US military intervention in the Philippines," which the NDF leader stated has been manifested in the inclusion of Sison and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Washington ‘s list of "foreign terrorists."

It was in August last year when the US listed the CPP and NPA as "terrorist" groups. In October, the 15-nation European Union (EU) included Sison and the CPP-NPA in its list of "terrorist threats." This resulted to the suspension of the social, health and housing benefits, as well as the monthly allowances, then being extended by the Dutch government to the communist leader.
Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 26, 2003
'Lone Wolves' Pose Explosive Terror Threat

One of the great things about managing the Command Post is that we're on the Christian Science Monitor's editorial preview email list. In tonight's preview is a link to this story:

With the nation's terrorism alert ratcheted up to orange, terrorism experts cite concern about people who are not part of organized groups like Al Qaeda, but are inclined to act in sympathy with their aims. Such worry was heightened last week when Osama bin Laden's No. 2 lieutenant called on all loyal Muslims to wreak havoc on the West ...

... With the exception of the attacks on the World Trade Center, experts say the major terrorists attacks in the United States have been perpetrated by deranged individuals who were sympathetic to a larger cause - from Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to the Washington area sniper John Allen Muhammad

The coercion of such individuals to do the bidding of a larger cause even has its own name - leaderless resistance. And the rhetoric of terrorist groups from American right wing militias to Al Qaeda is designed to inspire it.

At this very moment I'm going to raise my gin & tonic in hoping this is the only time you read the term "leaderless resistance."

Posted by Alan at 06:44 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Palestinian FM: Cease-fire agreement with Israel near

From the Jerusalem Post:

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath on Monday said a cease-fire agreement with Israel, including all Palestinian factions, is close at hand.

Speaking with reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Sha'ath said the PA expects all factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to accept the cease-fire agreement, following Israel's endorsement of the US-backed 'roadmap' plan for Mideast peace.

Expects? Or what?

Posted by Laurence Simon at 02:54 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Assad Doubts Existence Of al-Qaida

Boy, is this rich. From the Tri Valley Herald / AP:

Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published Sunday that he doubts the existence of al-Qaida, the terror group blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks and recent strikes in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

"Is there really an entity called al-Qaida? Was it in Afghanistan? Does it exist now?" Assad asked, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba.

Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born Islamic extremist who heads al-Qaida, "cannot talk on the phone or use the Internet, but he can direct communications to the four corners of the world?" Assad said. "This is illogical."

Of course, the question he begs but doesn't ask is: "Was it ever in Syria?"

Posted by Alan at 08:02 AM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
May 25, 2003
Al Qaeda in Iran Played Role in Saudi Bombings

[Fox News]

The United States has intercepts that show senior Al Qaeda operatives in Iran probably played a big role in the recent bombings in Saudi Arabia, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. The official said the U.S. had intercepts for months prior to the bombings, which showed that senior Al Qaeda operatives in Iran were communicating with Al Qaeda operatives in Saudi Arabia about an upcoming attack, with cryptic language suggesting the attack was going to happen in Saudi Arabia.

The operatives had been in Iran for at least months, and came there after they fled Afghanistan during the U.S. military's attack aimed at toppling the Taliban government.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 07:54 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
American Embassy In Saudi Arabia Reopens

From ABC (US):

The U.S. Embassy in the Saudi capital reopened Sunday after a temporary closure due to terror threats in the days after suicide attackers bombed Western housing compounds.

American consulates in the western port city of Jiddah and the eastern city of Dhahran also reopened Sunday.

Posted by Alan at 01:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Afghan Security Forces Capture 'Notorious al-Qaeda Link'

From the Arab Times (Kuwait):

Security forces in southern Afghanistan have reportedly captured five suspected Taliban including "notorious al-Qaeda link" Mullah Janan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said on Sunday.

"This morning we received a report from Kandahar that a group of Taliban which wanted to plant a bomb in one of the populated areas, near of course a government facility, in Kandahar were caught. Among them was Mullah Janan," he told reporters at a press conference.

Posted by Alan at 01:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Iran Says It Takes Fight Against Al Qaeda Seriously

Boy ... they seem much more serious now than they did on, say, March 18th? From Reuters:

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, his country under mounting pressure from Washington, called Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network a "dangerous organization" on Sunday and said Iran was serious about combating it.

The Washington Post newspaper reported Sunday the United States had broken off all contact with Iran after intelligence reports suggested al Qaeda operatives in Iran played a role in the May 12 suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia.

Iran, which is on Washington's "axis of evil" list, says it has in the last year arrested and deported about 500 al Qaeda members who had slipped over its borders with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq and is interrogating further suspects.

Posted by Alan at 01:37 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Philippines: MILF bomb expert, Egyptian pal arrested

[Philippine Daily Inquirer/AFP]:

A BOMB expert of the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) believed to be behind the Dec. 30, 2000 bombings in Metro Manila that left 22 people dead was caught Sunday at the Cagayan de Oro City airport, according to the military.

Alex Soriano, alias Muklis Yunos, was arrested along with an Egyptian Islamic missionary while about to board a Philippine Airlines plane bound for Manila. The Egyptian was identified as Dia'a Algabri.

Intelligence officials believe Yunos is the head of the MILF's Special Operations Group that was allegedly behind a series of bombings in Mindanao and in Manila in recent years.

Yunos, allegedly one of the conduits of the regional Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah in Mindanao, was also believed to be behind the bombing of a bus on Edsa Avenue in the Balintawak district of Quezon City on Oct. 18, 2002 that killed two people and wounded 20 others.
Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Boeing Security Head Warns of Surveillance

[Netscape News]

Boeing's head of security sent his staff an e-mail this month warning that people had been conducting ``very disturbing surveillance'' of the company's facilities in the Seattle area and elsewhere.

The e-mail, as described in Saturday's editions of The Seattle Times, offered no details beyond that "apparent Middle Easterners'' were seen conducting the surveillance.

Chief Security Officer Greg Gwash urged his personnel to heighten "surveillance detection measures ... especially during hours of darkness, to detect any reconnaissance being done in advance of a future attack,'' the Times reported.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 12:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia Reopens

[Fox News]

The U.S. Embassy in the Saudi capital reopened Sunday after a temporary closure due to terror threats in the days after suicide attackers bombed Western housing compounds. American consulates in the western port city of Jiddah and the eastern city of Dhahran also reopened Sunday.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 12:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 24, 2003
Two sites on terrorism

The Council on Foreign Relations has a site about terrorism. So does the Dudley Knox Library of the Naval Postgraduate School. (These are backgrounders rather than breaking news sites.)

Posted by Judith Weiss at 09:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Pentagon: Al-Qaida Pursuing Sophisticated Germ Weapons Research Program

I suppose we should suspect this, but it's from the Bad News File nonetheless. from the North County Times / AP:

Osama bin Laden's terrorist network has been pursuing a sophisticated biological weapons research program and is seeking chemical weapons, the Pentagon has told Congress.

Other terrorist groups and dozens of countries also are pursuing chemical and biological weapons, which could be used in a regional conflict or terrorist attack, the military said in a report.

And then there's this:
The report also said companies in Russia and China are the key suppliers of the know-how and equipment for countries like Iran trying to develop their own biological and chemical weapons. It said Iran and Syria have chemical weapons and may be trying to make biological weapons, and Libya is trying to make both.

Posted by Alan at 11:23 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Kharrazi to Al-Hayat: Americans Were Not Serious So We Stopped Negotiating

From Dar Al-Hayat (Saudi Arabia):

In an interview with Al-Hayat in Paris, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said that the Iranian-American dialogue had froze because the U.S. was not keeping its promises. He strongly criticized al Qaeda and said it shared nothing whatsoever with Iran, which has arrested a large number of its members who had illegally entered Iranian territories. He considered the presence of this organization in Iran to be against his country's interests.
Read the rest ...

Posted by Alan at 10:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
The Calculus Of Terror

The online edition of the Atlantic Monthly offers an interview with Bruce Hoffman, world-renowned terrorism expert, about the strategy behind suicide bombings. You can read it here.

How would you judge our responses to recent terrorist attacks? What should we learn for next time?

I think, firstly, that the most important metric is the prevention of another 9/11-type attack, not only in the United States, but anywhere. Obviously we've been doing well in that sense, because there hasn't been one, and that's a towering achievement. I think, though, that the sniper case in Washington was a very important warning bell, because of the way that society was so easily unsettled.

Read the rest ...

Posted by Alan at 12:57 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 23, 2003
Morocan Jews-Scared But Staying

Morocco's Islam has been moderate and its ancient Jewish community has been treated relatively well, but Moroccan Jews have mixed feelings after the bombings last week.

The bombings at a Jewish social club, a Jewish cemetery, a Jewish-owned restaurant and a hotel popular with Israeli tourists was a blow to the prestige of the regime of King Mohammed VI, whose extensive security network had guaranteed the safety of Jewish sites during the U.S. war against Iraq. His predecessors on the throne protected Jews during World War II and during the 1991 Gulf War. . . . Though Moroccan Jewry traditionally boasts about the tolerance of Moroccan society and close ties with Muslim neighbors, the increasing influence of Muslim fundamentalists has increased tension in the Jewish community.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 08:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Qaeda, Hamas, Chechens Show Coordination

The footprint of a new Islamist terrorist network, targeting Jews all over the globe, emerges from the attacks on three continents in one week:

. . . Western analysts noted growing signs of coordination between Al Qaeda and regional Islamic groups previously seen as unrelated to it, including Hamas. . . . Fifteen attacks took place during the seven-days from May 12 to May 19 in Saudi Arabia, Chechnya, Morocco and Israel, killing a total of 164 persons, 90 of them in the two Chechnya bombings alone. Nine of the 15 attacks — five in Israel and four of the five in Morocco — were aimed at Jewish targets. Intelligence services warned of threats of new strikes in Kenya and the United States.

American and European security officials continued to distinguish between the bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, which are said to be the work of Al Qaeda, and the attacks in Israel and Chechnya, which are seen as stemming from regional disputes. But new evidence is blurring the distinction, some experts say, and strengthening the argument of Israeli and Russian officials who insist the Islamic terrorism campaigns in their countries are part of a global network linked to Al Qaeda.

Read the rest.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 08:04 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Bomb Explodes in Gaza Strip

[Fox News]

A bomb went off Friday near an armored bus carrying Israelis in the Gaza Strip, and at least one passenger was hurt, the military said. The bus was traveling from the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in central Gaza to Israel when the explosion went off.

Fifteen people were on the bus, and Israel Radio said a woman passenger was hurt and being treated on the scene. Moshe Hiller, a resident of Netzarim, said he had reports of at least two people being hurt.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 07:06 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Philippines: 28 soldiers killed; 97 MILF rebels surrender

[Philippine Star]:

ZAMBOANGA CITY — At least 28 soldiers were killed as fighting between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas raged overnight Wednesday in the areas of Maguindanao and Lanao del Norte, a rebel spokesman claimed.

On the other hand, the military announced the surrender of 97 MILF guerrillas, six of them commanders of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), in Iligan City yesterday.

Commander Bravo, one of the most wanted MILF leaders tagged as responsible for the Maigo and Kolambugan attacks, downplayed the surrender, claiming the "surrenderees" were hired by the local officials for propaganda purposes. MILF vice chairman for military affairs Al Haj Murad also dismissed as "preposterous" the military’s claim of rebel casualties.

Murad claimed the figures of the rebels killed in the offensives were "padded" to project the superiority of the Armed Forces against secessionist groups operating in Southern Mindanao.
Posted by Willie Galang at 12:30 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
May 22, 2003
Iran admits holding al Qaeda operatives

[CNN]

Iranian officials Thursday told a U.N. representative that Iran has several unnamed al Qaeda operatives in custody, CNN has learned.

The acknowledgment comes as Washington has intensified its accusations that al Qaeda terrorists are inside Iran -- something Tehran had previously denied.

U.S. officials said the key question is whether the al Qaeda operatives in custody are allowed to communicate and receive visitors.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 10:09 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
"Reno nixed [1998] plan to nab bin Laden"

From at World Net Daily:

* * *

"The FBI had a clandestine plan to capture terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in 1998 – and even practiced the daring operation in the Texas desert – but former Attorney General Janet Reno scrubbed it, calling it "too dangerous," reports ABC News.

Jack Cloonan, a former FBI agent who is now an ABC NEWS consultant, revealed the details of a secret team of federal investigators he was a part of whose sole purpose was to apprehend bin Laden."

* * *

"But when the details of the scheme went up the chain of command for approval, according to Cloonan, Reno killed it.

'They came to the decision that this plan was probably too dangerous, that the loss of life on the ground would have been significant,' Cloonan told the news network. There was concern that people around the bin Laden compound would be killed."

At the time, the former attorney general was still answering to critics about her handling of the inferno at the Branch Davidians' Waco, Texas, compound in 1993."

* * *

"Reno declined to comment ..."

* * *

Apparently Attorney General Reno and President Clinton were more concerned with capturing David Koresh than they were with capturing Osama Bin Laden.

Below is the entire text of the story from World Net Daily:

The FBI had a clandestine plan to capture terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in 1998 – and even practiced the daring operation in the Texas desert – but former Attorney General Janet Reno scrubbed it, calling it "too dangerous," reports ABC News.

Jack Cloonan, a former FBI agent who is now an ABC NEWS consultant, revealed the details of a secret team of federal investigators he was a part of whose sole purpose was to apprehend bin Laden.

In 1996, the group set up shop in an unmarked office off the Beltway in Alexandria, Va., which was dubbed Alex Station.

Cloonan said the agents discovered a great deal about bin Laden's al-Qaida network which was operating out of a compound in the Taliban's stronghold of Kandahar, Afghanistan at the time.

"We had information, pretty good information on the particular house where he was," he told ABC, noting the team intended to act on the information.

"There's no sense in getting involved in a case like this and seeking an indictment if you're not going to bring this to a logical conclusion," Cloonan told ABC. "And that logical conclusion for us was the arrest of bin Laden."

The Alex Station team formulated a scheme to have a plane from Uzbekistan swoop into the area and execute an arrest warrant. They even practiced the mission in a desert area outside San Antonio, Texas, which has terrain similar to that in Afghanistan.

"A U.S. plane was to fly in," Cloonan said. "And he [bin Laden] would have been greeted by an FBI agent, who would have said, 'Sheik bin Laden, there is a warrant for your arrest,'" he said.

But when the details of the scheme went up the chain of command for approval, according to Cloonan, Reno killed it.

"They came to the decision that this plan was probably too dangerous, that the loss of life on the ground would have been significant," Cloonan told the news network. There was concern that people around the bin Laden compound would be killed."

At the time, the former attorney general was still answering to critics about her handling of the inferno at the Branch Davidians' Waco, Texas, compound in 1993.

As WorldNetDaily reported during her failed bid for Florida governor last fall, Reno defended the use of force in the federal raid: "John Danforth, the person appointed to review Waco, said I did exactly the right thing. I couldn't walk away from four agents killed and 16 wounded. Neither could I stay there forever. ... David Koresh was out to create his own Armageddon."

Reno declined to comment to ABC News' "Good Morning America" on the Alex Station plot, calling the incident classified.

Posted by nikita demosthenes at 05:45 PM | Comments (24) | TrackBack
Israel Navy 'Seizes Hizbollah Boat'

[Sky News]

The Israeli navy has seized a fishing boat carrying weapons from Lebanon, military sources said.


The boat was reportedly intercepted off the nothern Israeli coast in international waters.

A member of the Lebanon-based fundamentalist group Hezbollah was arrested aboard the boat, as well as eight crew members, the sources added.

In January 2002, Israel intercepted a 50-tonne shipment of Iranian weapons destined for the Palestinians in the Red Sea.

More to follow...

Posted by Michele at 10:07 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
CSIS arrests man in Montreal suspected of al-Qaeda links

[Globe and Mail]

Montreal man suspected of having links to terrorist groups tied to al-Qaeda was arrested Wednesday by Canadian Security and Intelligence Service agents, Montreal La Presse reported.

The man, who is of Moroccan origin, has lived in Canada for a number of years, the newspaper said in a report Thursday, citing sources.

Simone McAndrew, a spokeswoman for the Citizenship and Immigration Department, told the newspaper a man was detained on a security certificate, a rarely used judicial tool.

Less than 25 such certificates have been issued in the last 10 years.

Full story....

via Damian Penny

Posted by Michele at 09:19 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Saudis foil jet attack on skyscraper
The Daily Telegraph - Three men were arrested in Saudi Arabia as they were about to hijack an airliner and crash it into a Saudi skyscraper, security sources said yesterday.

The plot was revealed as a taped message claiming to be from al-Qa'eda's second-in-command called for fresh attacks against the West, including Britain. The men, believed to be Moroccans, were held in Jeddah as they queued to board a flight to Sudan. They were apparently behaving suspiciously at passport clearance. When asked if they were travelling together, one said no and one said yes.

Under interrogation, one of them said they had planned to crash the airliner into the National Commercial Bank, the only skyscraper in Jeddah, Saudi's commercial capital.

Posted by Gabriel at 05:07 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Indonesian court rules trial of Bali blast suspect to continue

Channel News Asia:

Indonesian judges on Thursday ruled that the trial of key Bali bombing suspect Amrozi should continue.

Lawyers for the 40-year-old mechanic had argued that the charges were not accurate, and asked for the trial to be dismissed.

"All the objections by defence counsel can be declared unacceptable...the court decides to continue with the trial," Judge I Made Karna Parna told the court.

Amrozi faces the death penalty for buying explosive materials and a mini-van used to carry out the attacks.
Posted by Willie Galang at 12:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Philippines: Police foil 'bomb plot'

Even Manila is on a heightened alert especially after police foiled possible bombings in this Manila Times report:

GOVERNMENT security forces on Wednesday averted a plot to launch a series of bombings in Metro Manila with the arrest of seven suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in a predawn raid in Tondo.

Confiscated from them were 4 kilos of ammonium nitrate, 16 pieces of non-electrical blasting caps and assorted time devices.

...[Philippine National Police chief] Ebdane said the suspects would be interrogated to determine if they are behind the plot to bomb several areas in Metro Manila.

“We have to look into that [suspects’ links to reported MILF terrorist plot in Metro Manila]. But they have been under continuous surveillance and there were search warrants because of the presence of the explosives,” Ebdane said.
Posted by Willie Galang at 12:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 21, 2003
White House Says Iran Harbors Al Qaeda

"You are either with us, or against us." From FOXNews.com:

The Bush administration on Wednesday accused Iran of harboring Al Qaeda members and said Iranian leaders had a responsibility to prevent terrorists from entering and operating in the country.

"There's no question but that there have been and are today senior Al Qaeda leaders in Iran, and they are busy" plotting attacks, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said.

Posted by Alan at 11:02 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Indonesian troops ordered to shoot on sight

[Channel NewsAsia]

Indonesian troops were on Wednesday ordered to shoot on sight anyone involved in burning, looting or kidnapping in the province of Aceh as the military intensified its offensive against separatist guerrillas.

At least 13 people were reportedly killed on the third day of martial law in the troubled province in fighting between government forces and the rebels.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 09:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Military on Highest Domestic Terror Threat Alert

[Washington Post]

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has raised its warning of possible terror attack against military facilities in the United States to its highest level, defense officials said on Wednesday.

Responding to that change in threat from "significant" to "high," the military will deploy additional mobile anti-aircraft missile systems and increase air patrols in the Washington area, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 09:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Explosion At Yale

At this hour, MSNBC and CNN are reporting an explosion in the mail room at the Yale University Law School. CNN adds the only other detail; that "one floor has collapsed."

UPDATE: Matt Drudge links this story by Associated Press. No great detail, but it's the earliest that I've seen.

UPDATER: MSNBC is now carrying live coverage from local affiliate WVIT-TV, reporting that they "have it confirmed from one source" that this explosion "was, in fact, a bomb".

UPDATERER: MSNBC is now speaking to Yale Daily News reporter Nathan Francis, who says that the explosion actually took place in a classroom. This may mean that this story does not belong on this page, but we'll see.

Posted by Billy Beck at 05:24 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Al-Qaeda’s new war

Economist

Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network is fighting on, but in a new form. Officials around the world have issued a fresh wave of warnings about terrorist cells following a series of bombings linked to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda. Security forces in Saudi Arabia and Morocco have detained a number of Islamic militants in the hunt for the organisers of suicide attacks in Riyadh and Casablanca; and Saudi police have arrested three men they say were planning to hijack a plane and fly it into a high-rise office block in the Saudi capital. Other cells may be lying dormant, waiting to carry out further atrocities, European ministers said after a weekend security meeting.
Full story »»

With some background stuff on al-Qaeda

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 04:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
FBI: no specific terror threat data

Yahoo/AP

Officials are fearful that al-Qaida could expand a wave of attacks overseas into the United States, but there is "no specificity" as to potential targets or times of attack.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 03:09 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Q&A: Assessing the terror alerts

BBC

No group has claimed responsibility but, in the wake of the Riyadh attacks, terror alerts were issued for the United States and countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. BBC News Online looks at what is behind the warnings and the latest attack.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 03:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
'Al-Qaeda' statement: Full text

BBC

Full text of the audio tape which is believed to have been recorded by al-Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri. The tape was broadcast by the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 03:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Update: Osama's Right Hand Man Urges Attacks

[Update to this item]

[Sky News]

One of Osama bin Laden's right-hand men has urged Muslims to carry out more attacks against Western targets, especially those of Britain and the US.

Qatar's al Jazeera television has played an audio tape said to have been made by Ayman al-Zawahri.

In it, a voice said to be his urges Muslims to strike against embassies, and the interests of the US, UK and other countries.

He also stated:

"Carry arms against your enemies, the Americans, the Jews."

"Oh Muslims, muster your resolve and hit the embassies of America, England, Australia and Norway, their interests, their companies and their employees."

"Set the ground ablaze under their feet...kick these criminals out of your homelands."

Full story....

Posted by Michele at 10:41 AM | Comments (23) | TrackBack
Saudis: Three arrested in hijack plot

From CNN.com:

Saudi security sources told CNN on Thursday that they have arrested three al Qaeda members, who were planning to hijack a passenger plane and crash it into a building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Posted by Alan at 09:03 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
BREAKING: CNN Reports New Audio Tape From Bin Laden's 2nd In Command

Reporting now on CNN TV in the United States. The tape is reportedly from Bin Laden's second in command. Nothing on line as of yet ...

Posted by Alan at 09:01 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBack
U.S. Soldiers Kill 4 In Afghanistan

From the Guardian:

U.S. soldiers guarding the American Embassy in Kabul shot and killed four Afghan soldiers on Wednesday as they unloaded weapons destined for a nearby intelligence depot, apparently mistaking the men for assailants, Afghan officials said.

Posted by Alan at 07:58 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
May 20, 2003
Palestinian Militants Close Syrian Offices

"You are either with us, or against us." Looks like Syria is making its choice. From WPMI / AP:

Doorbells and phones are ringing unanswered at the Damascus offices of Palestinian militant groups accused of terrorism.

All signs point to what neither the Palestinians nor the Syrians will acknowledge: Syria has bowed to U-S pressure and curbed the radicals it has hosted for years.

Posted by Alan at 06:44 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Scattered Al Qaeda Harder To Target

From the Christian Science Monitor:

The portrait of Al Qaeda emerging one week after some of the worst terrorist bombings since 9/11 is of a group that is decentralizing and setting up bases of operation in new regions - to the considerable detriment of antiterror efforts.

Although President Bush has said at least half of Al Qaeda's leadership has been removed, many experts think it's the less important half and that the organization is becoming more active in exploiting local conflicts as well as plotting new attacks.

In the end, the US military's disruption of Al Qaeda's base of operations in Afghanistan has had the result of forcing remnants of the organization to fan out around the world, making it harder for US intelligence officials to track cells and foil hits.

Posted by Alan at 06:36 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Saudi Arabia On Highest Alert Over New Terrorist Attacks

What's Arabic for "orange"? From the Straits Times:

Saudi Arabia has raised its terror alert to its highest level ever in anticipation of another attack on its soil, CNN quoted Saudi intelligence sources as saying.

'My gut feeling tells me something big is going to happen here or in America,' Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, told reporters in Riyadh on Monday.

Posted by Alan at 06:33 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Arab News: US, Britain, Germany Close Embassies

The Arab News has posted a story about the embassy closings, filed in Riyadh. I thought you might like to see its take, which is very much fact-based and devoid of "spin." You can read the story here.

The United States, Britain and Germany are closing their embassies in the Kingdom today. The three Western countries cited security concerns in the wake of suicide bombings in Riyadh last week as reasons for their decision ...

Posted by Alan at 06:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Breaking...Terror Alert Raised to "High"

Breaking....

The terror threat level has been raised from elevated to high.

Update from Fox:

The United States went back on orange alert Tuesday afternoon, indicating a high risk of a terror attack within the country, Fox News has learned.

The decision was made not long after the FBI warned local law enforcement officials to be on the alert for a possible terror attack within the U.S. The FBI bulletin was described as a continuation of the one issued late Friday, which warned Americans of possible terror attacks abroad.

Tuesday's move to high alert marks the fourth time it has been raised to orange.

Full story....

Posted by Michele at 02:51 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Saudi bombing update: Filipino worker "credible"

An update to this post. Report from the The Philippine Star.

Intelligence agents have found to be "credible" the claim of a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) that terrorists tried to recruit him to plant bombs in one of many American apartment buildings in Saudi Arabia.

A source in the intelligence community, who interviewed the man known as "Mang Boy," said they are working with Saudi investigators to get "pictures" of the terrorists.

"He is credible," said the intelligence agent who asked not to be named. "His statements are consistent. In that sense, he could be used as a witness."

But a police official said investigators are determining whether Mang Boy could help Saudi police in investigating the bombings.

"Beyond that we can do nothing," the police official said. "We are taking his statements and interviewing him as we could not just take his words at face value and endorse him to Saudi authorities. It’s not for us to decide. It’s the Saudi authorities."
Posted by Willie Galang at 02:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
FBI Issues New Terror Altert

[Fox News]

The FBI on Tuesday warned local law enforcement officials to be on the alert for a possible terror attack within the United States. The bulletin was described as a continuation of the one issued late Friday, which warned Americans of possible terror attacks abroad.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was going to the White House Tuesday afternoon to meet with President Bush and the Homeland Security Council to discuss "threat and intelligence information."

A Department of Homeland Security spokesman would not comment on whether those discussions would include raising the national threat level.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 01:37 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Even More Total Information Awareness Than Before

From Noah Shachtman at Defense Tech:

DARPA WANTS YOUR LIFE INDEXABLE AND SEARCHABLE

It's a memory aid! A robotic assistant! An epidemic detector! An all-seeing, ultra-intrusive spying program!

The Pentagon is about to embark on a stunningly ambitious research project designed to gather every conceivable bit of information about a person's life, index it and make it searchable.

What national security experts and civil libertarians want to know is, why the hell would the Defense Department want to do such a thing?

The embryonic LifeLog program would take every e-mail you've sent or received, every picture you've taken, every web page you've surfed, every phone call you've had, every TV show you've watched, every magazine you've read, and dump it into a giant database.

All of this -- and more -- would be combined with a GPS transmitter, to keep tabs on where you're going; audio-visual sensors, to capture all that you see or say; and biomedical monitors, to keep track of your health.

This gigantic amalgamation of personal information could then be used to "trace the 'threads' of an individual's life," to see exactly how a relationship or events developed, according to a briefing from the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency, LifeLog's sponsor.

Someone with access to the database could "retrieve a specific thread of past transactions, or recall an experience from a few seconds ago or from many years earlier … by using a search-engine interface."

On the surface, the project seems like the latest in a long line of Darpa's "blue sky" research efforts, most of which never make it out of the lab. But Steven Aftergood, a defense analyst with the Federation of American Scientists, says he is worried.

With its controversial Total Information Awareness database project, Darpa already is planning on tracking all of an individual's "transactional data" -- like what we buy and who gets our e-mail.

Aftergood said he believes LifeLog could go far beyond that, adding physical information (like how we feel) and media data (like what we read) to this transactional data.

"LifeLog has the potential to become something like 'TIA cubed,'" he said.

My Wired News article has details on the LifeLog program.

THERE'S MORE: The idea of committing everything in your life to a machine is nearly sixty years old. In 1945, Vannevar Bush -- who headed the White House's Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II -- published a landmark Atlantic Monthly article, "As We May Think." In it, he describes a "memex" -- a "device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility."

Minicomputer visionary Gordon Bell, now working at Microsoft, sees his "MyLifeBits" project as a fulfillment of Bush's vision.

There are other commercial and academic efforts to weave a life into followable threads, including parallel processing prophet David Gelernter's "Scopeware" and "Haystack," from MIT's David Karger.

AND MORE: LifeLog may eventually dwarf Total Information Awareness, Darpa's ultra-invasive database effort. But "TIA" could wind up being pretty damn large on its own, with 50 times more data than the Library of Congress, according to the Associated Press.

Reprinted with permission from Noah Shachtman

[Read Noah's article on LifeLog at Wired.]

Posted by Michele at 12:56 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
British Embassy in Saudi Arabia Closes

[Sky News]

On the heels of the U.S. Embassy closign its doors, the Brits follow suit:

The British embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is to close because of an "imminent" terrorist threat....The British embassy, the consulate in Jeddah and trade office in al Khobar will also close and are expected to remain shut for the week.

Full story....

Posted by Michele at 12:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
U.S. Closes Missions in Saudi Arabia

[Fox News]

Fearing an imminent attack, the United States on Tuesday closed diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia. The move came on the heels of recent FBI warnings that Al Qaeda may attack American and Western targets.

The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia decided to close the missions beginning Wednesday due to security threats. They will be closed for the regular Muslim weekend on Thursday and Friday, as well as Saturday for Memorial Day. It's not yet known whether they will reopen on Sunday.

Full story....

Posted by Michele at 09:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Woman dies in Turkey cafe blast

[CNN]

A powerful explosion ripped through a cafe in central Ankara Tuesday, killing a woman and wounding two other people, police said.

The blast happened at 9:15 a.m. in the Crocodile Cafe, and police launched an investigation shortly afterwards.

A police official said the blast, in the commercial district of Kizilay, may have been caused by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a highly flammable substance used for cooking and heating, or a bomb....Local news reports suggested the woman may have been a suicide bomber, or may have died when the bomb she was planting exploded prematurely, but police and interior ministry officials refused to confirm the reports.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 06:40 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
May 19, 2003
Morocco moves against militants

IHT

Investigators raided suspected Islamic militant hideouts across Morocco on Sunday after near-simultaneous suicide attacks killed 28 bystanders and tainted this country’s image of security and peace. A diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity that American and French anti-terrorism experts had arrived in Casablanca to help investigate Friday’s bombings at five downtown locations.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 04:08 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Relocating Mass. RCP

Relocation intentions are a bomb, Cosmo Macero's column in the Boston Herald today highlights this:

Tucked away in the secure files of the state's Radiation Control Program is a wealth of proprietary information about products in development by various companies licensed to use cobalt-60, iridium-192, various grades of plutonium and more than 1,000 other radioactive compounds.
The DPH is about a month away from moving the tracking agency from its secure offices on Portland Street to space it will share with the Department of Transitional Assistance in Dorchester's Grove Hall section.

The full text of the column is not available, but a fuller excerpt is available at Macero's blog.

Posted by Bryan M at 04:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
FBI: 'Al Qaeda attacks likely'

Fox

Al Qaeda attacks against American and Western targets are "likely" and "attacks in the U.S. cannot be ruled out," the FBI said in a special edition of its bulletin to law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 04:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Philippine President seeks U.S. aid in fighting terror

SFGate/AP:

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gets a grand reception at the White House on Monday, a meeting with President Bush and a state dinner. It's payback for her loyal support of the fight against international terror, but she wants to take home more than memories.

Arroyo is asking the United States for economic aid, trade concessions and money to combat terrorists.

Arroyo was among the first world leaders to call Bush and express condolences after the Sept. 11 attacks. Arroyo and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore were the only two Southeast Asian leaders to support the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and she expelled three Iraqi diplomats after Bush asked U.S. allies to do it. The Philippines is sending a 175-member humanitarian mission to postwar Iraq.

Besides Bush, during her visit she is scheduled to talk with Secretary of State Colin Powell and members of Congress, meet with representatives from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, give a speech at the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council and receive an honorary degree at Fordham University in New York.
Posted by Willie Galang at 12:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Al Qaeda Arms Traced to Saudi National Guard

[Washington Post]

Saudi authorities are investigating suspected illegal arms sales by members of the country's national guard to al Qaeda operatives in the country, U.S. and Saudi officials said.

The weapons were seized in a May 6 raid on an al Qaeda safe house and were traced to national guard stockpiles, the officials said.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 11:45 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Another Blast in Israel

[Sky News]

At least four people have died after a female suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a shopping mall in northern Israel, it is reported.

At least 15 people are reported to be wounded, some seriously.

Israeli radio said the explosion happened at the entrance of the mall in Afula.

A guard conducting security checks at the entrance to the Emakim mall prevented the bomber from entering the shopping centre, Israel Radio

The militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 11:40 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 18, 2003
Anthrax: the FBI Uncovers a Clue

[MSNBC]

After months of frustration, FBI investigators have stumbled on a new theory of the 2001 anthrax attacks that some sleuths hoped could crack the case. Earlier this year, acting on a tip, FBI divers recovered a plastic container from the depths of an ice-covered pond near Frederick, Md. Some suspect it could have been used as a crude piece of lab equipment.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 08:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Indonesia's Aceh Province Under Martial Law

President Megawati Sukarnoputri has imposed martial law on Aceh province, home of the rebel Free Aceh Movement. This after the breakdown of peace talks in Tokyo.

While there may be no direct link here to America's War on Terror, Indonesia is a Muslim country where radical groups are known to operate. The Free Aceh Movement appears to base parts of its ideology on Islam and, while there's no proof whatever that they are linked to any known international terrorist group, the situation in Indonesia probably bears watching.

Posted by Dean Esmay at 05:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Philippines: Military attacks terrorists' lairs

[Philippine Daily Inquirer]:

ZAMBOANGA CITY-- A day after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered "selective" attacks on "embedded terrorist cells" in Mindanao, the death toll has risen to more than 80 MILF rebels, the military's top general in the area said Sunday.

Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko said air strikes using OV-10 bombers and an artillery barrage using 105-mm and 155-mm howitzers started in at least four points in Mindanao shortly after the President issued her directive on Saturday.

...In Camp Aguinaldo, Gen. Narciso Abaya, Armed Forces chief of staff, said the assaults were directed against selected strongholds of the separatist MILF where suspected assailants have fled following bombings and attacks that have left more than 210 people dead so far this year.
The same story from CNN and FoxNews.

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Four Al Qaeda Suspects Arrested in Bombings, Saudis Say

Maybe now we can start to catch them before they blow themselves up. From WaPo:

Saudi authorities have arrested four al Qaeda suspects in last week's Riyadh suicide attacks that killed 25 bystanders, the Saudi interior minister said Sunday.

Prince Nayef also said investigators identified five of the nine dead attackers believed to have carried out the May 12 attacks on three compounds housing foreigners in Riyadh.

Prince Nayef said the four men in custody were among a group of 19 suspected al Qaeda members whom the Saudi authorities had identified earlier this month. He also said three of the nine suicide bombers who were killed in the blasts were among this same group.

Posted by Alan at 11:45 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Radical Islamist Group Suspected In Morocco Bombings

From VOA:

A Moroccan Interior Ministry spokesman says investigators are focusing on whether the attackers belong to a known extremist group, Salafia Jihadia, which is suspected of having ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

There has been no claim of responsibility, but Interior Minister Mustapha Sahel has linked the bombings to international terrorism.

Posted by Alan at 09:45 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
US Department Of State Issues Kenya Travel Warning

State issued the warning Friday; you can read the warning here.

Due to increased security concerns, the Department of State has authorized the voluntary departure of family members and non-emergency personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya. The Department warns Americans to defer all non-essential travel to Kenya at this time. The Department recommends that private American citizens in Kenya evaluate their personal security situation in light of the current terrorist threat and consider departure from the country as one option to ensure their safety ...

... The threat to aircraft by terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles continues in Kenya, including Nairobi. Terrorism poses a continuing threat in East Africa. Terrorist actions may include suicide operations, bombings, or kidnappings. U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places including tourist sites and locations where westerners are known to congregate, as well as commercial operations associated with U.S. or western interests.

FYI, State also has posted this warning of possible terrorist attacks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and this warning of possible terrorist attacks in Malaysia. (No word of the general travel warning to North Philadelphia that we've been living under in Philly for 11 years.)

UPDATE: Read the take by the East African Standard (Kenya) here ... the headline: "We Are At Home In Kenya, Say Tourists." The paper also has this to say about the British Airways decision to halt all flights to Kenya.

Posted by Alan at 09:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Israel Halts Flights To Kenya; US Lets Embassy Staff Leave Nairobi

Riyadh, Casablanca ... Nairobi? From Ha'aretz (Israel):

Acting on the orders of the Shin Bet security service, Israel yesterday halted all flights to Kenya following increased warnings of possible terrorist attacks.

All flights to the African country, including those by foreign airlines out of Ben-Gurion International Airport, as well as national carrier El Al and the smaller Arkia company, will be stopped. El Al flew weekly to Kenya ...

... The U.S. said yesterday it would allow embassy staff to leave Kenya, a day after it warned for the second time this week of a "credible threat of attacks" on Kenya.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Peter Claussen said the embassy would remain open. The so-called "authorized voluntary departure" had been triggered by "increased security concerns," he said.

Posted by Alan at 09:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
U.S. To Help Kenya With Airport Security

From WaPo:

U.S. and British military forces will help their Kenyan counterparts set up round-the-clock surveillance of the country's airports in response to continuing fears that terrorists are planning to attack commercial airplanes here, officials from the three nations said today.

Posted by Alan at 09:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Seven Die in Israeli Blast

[Sky News]

A suicide bomber has killed up to seven people and injured 20 on a commuter bus in east Jerusalem.

Another bomber blew himself up just minutes later on the outskirts of the city.

Full story...

Related: Sharon postpones trip to U.S.:

Sharon postponed Sunday's trip to the United States after the attacks and called a meeting of his Cabinet for later Sunday to address a recent wave of violence.

Posted by Michele at 07:56 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 17, 2003
17,000 Of Bin Laden's Men Are Still Out There

An interesting analysis from the UK's Independent:

And what of the rest of the estimated 20,000 people who passed through al-Qa'ida's camps in Afghanistan, and have gone to ground? Simple maths suggests that 17,000 may be at large, either active or as possible sleeper agents. Some clearly will have opted for a quieter life, but just as many may have taken up arms in their stead. Even more worrying, according to Western intelligence, is that new and nimbler command structures are emerging, taking advantage of information and encryption technology, to operate largely in cyberspace ...

... But two distinct trends are evident. US and British intelligence specialists believe a younger generation of leaders is coming through – people like Saif al-Adel, a Saudi who came to al-Qa'ida in the early 1990s from the Islamic Jihad movement in Egypt, and is still at large today. Al-Adel, it is said, learnt his trade with the tribal militias that harried the US peacekeepers in Somalia.

This leads to the second point. Islamic terrorism's centre of gravity may be shifting away from Afghanistan and Pakistan, back to the even more lawless lands of east Africa, where it flourished in the 1990s.

Read the rest ...

Posted by Alan at 10:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
U.S. Suspects al Qaeda In Morocco Bombings; More "Soft Target" Attacks Likely

From CNN.com:

A U.S. counterterrorism official said Saturday that "there is a strong suspicion" al Qaeda coordinated the Moroccan attacks, which were similar to attacks earlier in the week in Saudi Arabia. Those attacks are also thought to have been the work of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda.

Future attacks will likely be "on a small scale" and against "soft targets" like the ones attacked in Casablanca, U.S. officials said.

Posted by Alan at 10:05 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Update: 27 Arrested in Casablanca Bombing

[Sky News]

Moroccan police have arrested 27 Islamics over the suicide bomb attacks which killed 41 people and injured up to 100 others in Casablanca.

The five explosions on Friday night happened a few hours after the United States said al Qaeda "killers" were poised to strike again.

Up to 10 of the dead are said to have been the bombers, some of whom used car bombs.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 05:40 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Germany to prosecute Jordanian with links to Palestinian terror network
The suspect, identified as Shadi Moh'd Mustafa A., 26, was among nine alleged Islamic extremists detained after investigators searched 21 apartments throughout Germany in April 2002. They are accused of being members of a cell of the radical Palestinian network al-Tawhid and were believed to be plotting attacks on at least two German cities. . . .

"The cell members developed a plan to attack people in a busy square of a German city using a pistol with a silencer, and to detonate a hand grenade in another German city in the immediate vicinity of an Israeli or Jewish installation with the goal of killing as many people as possible". . . .

Posted by Judith Weiss at 02:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Iraqi terrorism planned against US and Israeli embassies

Iraqi operatives planned to mount terrorist attacks on US and Israeli embassies in Romania.

According to the Romanian intelligence service, an Iraqi spy working under diplomatic cover was supposed to procure the weapons - AG-7 grenade launchers - to be used in the attacks. The attacks were to be carried out in the event of military action against Iraq. . . .

Romanian authorities reacted at the time by declaring 10 Iraqi diplomats and 31 other people persona non grata, expelling some and barring others from entering the country. . . . documents found in Iraq's espionage headquarters after the war "fully confirmed the information obtained by the Romanian intelligence service."

Kudos to Romania.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 01:31 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Saudi bombing update: Filipino approached by terrorists

A Filipino worker based in Saudi Arabia claimed that he was offered money last October by "Arab-looking men" in exchange for planting explosives in the apartment complex that was eventually bombed last Monday. He refused the offer and returned to the Philippines a month ago fearing for his life. [Philippine Star]

The Philippine National Police already has the man in custody. [ABS-CBN News/Today]

A Filipino worker who escaped from Saudi Arabia and who could be a possible witness in Monday's bombing at the Saudi capital of Riyadh that killed several Americans, three Filipinos and nine bombers is now in the custody of the National Police.

Director Ricardo de Leon, chief of the National Police Directorate for Police-Community Relations, said the Filipino, whose identity he withheld, was approached by terrorists who tried to recruit him into pulling off the bombing at the American enclave.

As of Friday night, de Leon said the worker is still undergoing debriefing for leads that might point to the identities of the suspects and the unmasking of their terrorist operations.

Embassies of "friendly" countries including the US and Saudi Arabia have been notified of the yielding of the Filipino.
Posted by Willie Galang at 01:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Update: At Least 40 Dead, 100 Wounded In Morocco Bombings

Updates on this developing story, from Reuters:

At least 40 people were killed and 100 wounded in suicide bomb attacks in Morocco's biggest city Casablanca, diplomatic sources said, hours after the United States said al Qaeda was poised to strike again.

A Jewish center and Spanish club were among the targets of Friday night's second major attack within a week on an Arab state with historically close ties to the United States, following multiple suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia.

Here are additional takes on the story from Deutsche Welle and the BBC.

Posted by Alan at 08:07 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 16, 2003
Update: Morocco Death Toll Climbs To 24

The latest from FOXNews.com:

Four explosions ripped through Casablanca late Friday, leaving at least 24 people dead in the coastal city, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said ...

... MAP also reported that three bombing suspects were apprehended. There were no further details on the suspects.

Posted by Alan at 11:25 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
The Kingdom Of Morocco Will Not Be Intimidated (Interior Minister)

Read local coverage from the Maghreb Arabe Presse, Morocco:

“The Kingdom of Morocco will not be intimidated nor destabilized,” Moroccan Interior Minister, El Mustapha Sahel, said Saturday Morning after the terrorist attacks perpetrated Friday evening in downtown Casablanca, claiming at least 20 lives.

“The Kingdom of Morocco will neither be intimidated nor destabilized by those who seek today to attack the democratic and constitutional gains of our country,” the Minister said in a statement to the press.

He stressed that Morocco will not be intimated either “by those who want to cast doubt on the values of pluralism, tolerance and overture, values for the defence of which all Moroccans are, today as they have always been, unified behind their Sovereign.”

Posted by Alan at 11:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Saudis Triple Bomb Inquiry; Vow Joint Antiterror Effort

From the New York Times:

As many as 70 additional American law enforcement and intelligence officials left for Saudi Arabia tonight after the Saudi government approved tripling the size of the team investigating the terrorist bombings on Monday in Riyadh ...

... The move came as a senior Saudi official, who called the bombings a "massive jolt" to his country, said his government would now "do whatever we need to do" to halt terrorism within its borders, and would work with the United States to do so.

Posted by Alan at 10:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Intercepted Terrorist 'Chatter' Indicates New Attacks

From VOA:

U.S. and British officials are reporting a wave of electronically intercepted "chatter" among suspected terrorists that points to new attacks in the Mideast, East Africa and Asia.

The officials say the "chatter" may be even more definitive than that prior to Monday's car bombings in Riyadh ...

... Now, intelligence officials say the chatter indicates terrorists are building up to doing something in the next few days. As one official put it, "In some cases, the bullets have already left the gun."

Posted by Alan at 10:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
AP- At Least 20 Die in Casablanca Blasts

According to the Associated Press:


RABAT, Morocco - Four explosions tore through the coastal city of Casablanca Friday night, killing at least 20 people in blasts that went off near a synagogue and heavily damaged the Belgian consulate, officials said.

Two policemen outside the consulate were killed and a security guard was hospitalized, Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Didier Seeuws told the Belgian news agency Belgas.

A U.S. official said that the blast were caused by car bombs and at least one occurred near a synagogue. "No U.S. government facility was targeted," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Joanne Moore said in Washington. officials said.

The Interior Ministry said at least 20 people were killed and several other injured. Security officials said there were burned-out vehicles at the four sites near consulates and restaurants in the center of the city, Morocco's economic center.

The previous version of this story read:

According to the Associated Press:

RABAT, Morocco - Four car bombs exploded in the coastal city of Casablanca Friday, leaving several people dead or wounded, Moroccan security officials said.

A U.S. official said the blasts occurred near a synagogue. "No U.S. government facility was targeted," U.S. State Department spokesman Joanne Moore said in Washington.

Moroccan security officials said there were burnt-out vehicles at the four sites near consulates and restaurants in the center of the city, Morocco's economic center.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks in Morocco.

But U.S. counterterrorism officials in Washington had warned Friday of a coordinated effort by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network to strike lightly defended targets worlwide, citing the bombings earlier this week in Saudi Arabia as well as threats in Africa and Asia.

U.S. and British authorities had warned of threats in East Africa, particularly Kenya, and in southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. U.S. officials also received an unconfirmed report that a possible terrorist attack may occur in the western Saudi city of Jiddah.

Al-Qaida has suffered serious blows in recent months, including the capture of alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. But senior al-Qaida leaders were thought to be hiding in Pakistan, Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iran, U.S. officials said.

Here's the Reuters version of the story.

Posted by Martin at 08:16 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Philippine President's U.S. visit: Terrorism big on agenda

The Manila Times:

NATIONAL security issues like the rising threat of terrorism in Asia will take center stage during President Arroyo’s eight-day state visit to the United States.

According to National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, the President will discuss with US President George W. Bush further assistance that the US government could provide to the Philippines, espe­cially in boosting the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“The issue concerning national security will be the primary agenda of the President’s trip to the US, especially at her bilateral meeting with President Bush. The US could help us a great deal to modernize and upgrade the capability of the military,” he said.
Posted by Willie Galang at 12:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Dissident Says bin Laden Behind Saudi Attacks

More on the bombing, from CNN.com:

A leading Saudi dissident who broadcasts a nightly radio newscast from London into the Saudi kingdom said he is certain that Saudi exile Osama bin Laden gave the "green light" for Monday's suicide attacks in Riyadh.

Saad al Fagih told CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen the attacks in the Saudi capital are "most probably the beginning of an al Qaeda campaign within Saudi Arabia."

Posted by Alan at 07:31 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
U.S. warns of possible attack in Jeddah
Reuters via Yahoo News - The U.S. State Department has warned Americans in Saudi Arabia of a possible imminent terror attack in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

"The U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah has received an unconfirmed report that a possible terrorist attack in the Al Hamra district of Jeddah may occur in the near future," the State Department said in a statement on Thursday. "While we cannot certify the credibility of the threat, in light of recent events this information is being shared with the American community."

Posted by Gabriel at 05:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 15, 2003
Opposition Group: Iran Has Biological Weapons

[Fox News]

An Iranian opposition group said Thursday that Iran's fundamentalist government is racing to produce several types of lethal chemical and biological weapons, dedicating up to 11,000 workers at numerous factories and research facilities. The National Council of Resistance of Iran said Iran has already weaponized deadly agents anthrax, smallpox and typhoid and has the missiles to use them throughout the region.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 10:19 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
US warns of new terror attack danger in Asia

New Zealand Herald

American officials believe the Philippines and Malaysia are likely to soon be hit by terrorist attacks. New intelligence yesterday led the US State Department to reissue a warning to Americans in Malaysia to be aware of threats posed by extremist groups in the region.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 03:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Kenian flight alert: more ..

More stuff on the BA Kenian flight Terror alert:

BBC | CBS | Guardian | Reuters

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 03:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
UK Suspends Kenya Flights Due to Terror Alert

[Sky News]

All flights to and from Kenya from the UK are being suspended from 10pm.

The Department for Transport told UK airlines: "The threat level to UK civil aviation interests in Kenya has increased to imminent".

It added: "Accordingly, from 10pm tonight UK time, all UK airline operations to and from Kenya must be suspended".

Full story....

Posted by Michele at 01:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Ex-hostages: Abu Sayyaf plans attack on U.S. troops

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

ABU SAYYAF bandits who received fresh combat and explosives training from two Indonesian instructors are planning to attack US troops who will be deployed in Sulu province, confidential military debriefings of three former hostages have revealed.

According to summaries of debriefings seen by the Associated Press, two Filipino women and an Indonesian sailor who escaped last month after several months of jungle captivity gave insights into how the ragtag, al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf survived military offensives on Jolo island.

"The ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) is eager to have imported clothes ... to have their heads," she was quoted as saying.

"The ASG also plans to welcome the US troops with suicide attackers and car bombs," she said.
Meanwhile, related to this post, here's a story with local developments from the Manila Times.

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Bomb in Chechnya kills 18

Interfax

A bomb attack in Chechnya on Wednesday claimed 18 lives, according to an update at 6.30 p.m. Moscow time on Thursday. The figure was cited to Interfax by Chechen Emergency Situations Minister Ruslan Avtayev and was confirmed to the agency at the Chechen Prosecutor's Office. Avtayev also said 43 people are in the hospital with major injuries.

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 12:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bombers Attack 18 Shell Stations in Pakistan

[Fox News]

series of explosions shook 18 Shell gas stations in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi early Thursday, slightly injuring four employees, police and company officials said. Police spokesman Malik Sheikh said two men on a motorcycle went from one station to the next before dawn, placing small explosive devices in garbage cans.

"They were are all Shell pumps that were targeted," Police Chief Kamal Shah said, adding that additional security had been deployed to several foreign-based businesses.

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but law enforcement officials who have raided militant organizations have seized maps of Karachi with Shell stations marked as possible targets.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 07:17 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Strategy Page: Eyewitness Accounts of the Riyadh Bombings

The Strategy Page has what they say are two first hand accounts of the Riyadh attacks:


First Account
"... Many of you asked for an update, so here is what I can tell you from what I saw. The story is still unfolding.. ( Hey, You know us Gators are tough to kill...) At about 1115 pm last night there was a firefight with automatic weapons at the Jadawel Compound''s back gate -about 200 meters from my door.. I jumped up from my computer which "was" on my desk next to a big plate glass window in the front of the house.. I knew immediately that it was not just some idiot celebrating because It started out as quick single pistol shots then escalated to what sounded like an argument between a 9mm MP5 (our security) and an AK 47or two.. it got faster, louder and closer, then there was a dull crump like a grenade , and a distant heavy thump like a big explosion off in the distance somewhere..

By the second heavy burst of fire I ran to the stairs and hollered to my housemate Dave who was already in bed on the second floor. he jumped up and left his room. the shooting lasted about sixty seconds before the bomb detonated. At this point I remember everything in slow motion. As I turned from the stairs to grab my shoes and start turning off the lights (since it sounded like they were inside the perimeter and heading our way) I turned one step to my right, into a small alcove where my shoes were, & the world suddenly turned orange. There was a massive flash, and I could actually see the shockwave as the window and doors blew in, things blew by me, glass shattered, and the blast picked me up and shoved me back against a wall, -hard...the noise was .. incredible, undescribale, aparently they detonated a truck full of RDX about 200 meters from me. the blast seemed to last forever. as the front rooms came apart it reminded me of those slow motion nuke test films..

See the Strategy Page for the rest of this account, and for the second one.

Posted by Martin at 02:58 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 14, 2003
Philippines: MILF threatens 'bloodier' attacks

ABS-CBN News/Today (Philippines):

Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels warned on Wednesday that President Arroyo’s threat to label them terrorists could end peace talks and drag Mindanao into an even bloodier war.

The government, faced with a spate of bombings and attacks blamed on the separatist MILF, has given the rebels until June 1 to renounce terrorism and turn over rebels responsible for the attacks.

Otherwise, the government said it will regard the MILF a terrorist organization and ask the United States to include the group on its terrorist list, a step toward cutting the rebels’ foreign support. Two other Philippine groups fighting the government are already on the US list.
Posted by Willie Galang at 11:38 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
How Al Qaeda might strike the US by sea

[CSM]

Al Qaeda terrorists proved with the attacks in Saudi Arabia this week that they are still capable of staging simultaneous bombings. And they did so at the same time that the US is carrying out its largest public drill to test the preparedness for such an attack at home.

So far, the terrorists have used trucks - as in the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Africa and Monday night in Saudi Arabia, and turned airliners into weapons on Sept. 11. Now, one of the biggest concerns of authorities is that the terrorists may try the same thing with another form of transportation - ships.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 08:06 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Officials: Attacks possible in Kenya, Philippines, Malaysia

[CNN]

In the wake of Monday's deadly bombings in Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials say intelligence suggests additional terror attacks are possible soon in Kenya, the Philippines and Southeast Asia, particulary Malaysia.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Malaysia on Wednesday that warns of possible attacks like the one last year in Bali, Indonesia, on locations where Westerners congregate. Kenya was the site of an attack on a resort last year.

In the Phillipines, the threat deals with a Moslem guerrilla insurgency, officials said.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 08:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Graham: Iraq Focus Helped Al-Qaeda

From the Palm Beach Post:

The Bush administration has allowed a resurgence of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization by focusing on toppling the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Sen. Bob Graham said Tuesday ...

... "If Al-Qaeda is able to mount terrorist operations in Chechnya and Saudi Arabia on the same day, that's an indication that they are a substantially rebuilt organization with very significant capabilities," Graham said.

Graham reiterated comments he made Sunday charging that the Bush administration -- and specifically the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency -- had information that was not acted upon prior to the Sept. 11 attacks, but which the administration will not allow to be released.

"There was information which the administration and its agencies knew before September the 11th that was not acted upon. That same information is available today -- it's not being acted upon today. That failure to act contributed to September the 11th and the failure to act today continues (to put) Americans in a vulnerable circumstance," Graham said. "I want to underscore -- we're not talking solely about history -- we're talking about threats to the American people today." ...

... Graham, who voted against the Senate resolution authorizing the Iraq war, said he believes it diverted military and intelligence resources away from the war against terrorism.

Al-Qaeda was "on the ropes" about a year ago but the shift of resources to Iraq has allowed it to regenerate, he said.

Posted by Alan at 08:44 AM | Comments (26) | TrackBack
At Least 10 Die in New Chechen Bomb Attack

From Reuters, and with this from CNN International:

At least 10 people died Wednesday in a new suicide bombing in Chechnya, just two days after dozens of people died in a similar attack, the Interfax news agency reported.

Shamsail Saraliyev, an official in the pro-Moscow Chechen administration, said the attack - by a woman "terrorist" - had taken place in Iliskhan-Yurt. He said that at least 10 people died and that many others were wounded, the agency reported.

Posted by Alan at 08:39 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bomb Injures Several in Yemeni Court

[Newsday]

A bomb exploded in a Yemeni court on Wednesday, wounding several people in the same place where a suspected al-Qaida militant was condemned to death last week for killing three U.S. missionaries, security officials said.

The explosion ripped through the courtroom in Jibla, 125 miles south of the Yemeni capital of San'a, officials said.

Police said a judge was injured. Witnesses said they saw victims being taken away in ambulances. It was not immediately clear if anybody was killed.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 06:25 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 13, 2003
U.S. And Saudis Sensed Attacks Were Imminent

A summary from the New York Times:

For more than two weeks before the Monday bombings, American and Saudi officials had grown increasingly alarmed by intercepted communications that provided what they called "strong indications" that Islamic militants were preparing a terrorist attack against Americans in Saudi Arabia.

"We had indicators that they were planning something," a senior United States government official said today. "We didn't know exactly what."

The answer came this week in Riyadh, with the precise, well-coordinated strikes that claimed at least 20 victims, including at least seven Americans, at three civilian housing complexes.

Read the rest ...

Posted by Alan at 11:23 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
State Dept. Moves To Cut Embassy Staff In Saudi Arabia

From Reuters:

The State Department on Tuesday ordered U.S. Embassy dependents and nonemergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia after a series of suicide bombings in Riyadh.

Posted by Alan at 11:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Saudis Link al-Qaeda To Attacks

From The Age (Australia):

Saudi authorities have linked a 19-member al-Qaeda team to carnage at three foreign compounds in the capital - multiple, simultaneous car bombings that killed at least 29 people, including eight Americans and one Australian.

Nine attackers were among the dead. Another 194 people were wounded, most of them not seriously, according to Saudi officials; 40 were said to be Americans.

Posted by Alan at 11:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Al-Qaida Operative Warned of Attacks

[Washington Post]

An al-Qaida commander warned that the terror network was about to carry out major attacks in Saudi Arabia in an e-mail just a day before the deadly assault in the Saudi capital, an Arab magazine reported.

The al-Qaida operative, who identified himself as Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, wrote in an e-mail Sunday to the London-based Al-Majalla magazine that al-Qaida has stored arms and explosives and set up "martyrdom" squads in Saudi Arabia to launch what he described as a "guerrilla war" on its leaders and the United States.

A U.S. counterterrorism official in Washington said the e-mail is regarded as credible and implies al-Qaida responsibility for Monday night's attacks.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 06:51 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Bombs' intent: to fray US-Saudi ties

[Faye Bowers - Christian Science Monitor]

The well-coordinated bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia Monday night - the worst against Americans since 9/11 - may represent an attempt by terrorists to exploit tensions between the United States and a key ally in the Middle East and to send a stark message to Washington: We're still here. The series of truck-bomb explosions, in which dozens of people were killed, including seven Americans, is presumed to be the handiwork of Al Qaeda, which experts say underscores how potent the terrorist organization remains despite significant US strides in disrupting it. At the least, they say it shows that the network still has the ability to carry off multiple strikes in one of the most secure countries in the world - and in one that is among the most closely associated with the US.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 06:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Powell's comments on the Riyadh Attack

US Department of State, Colin Powell @ Vinell Compound:

Notwithstanding what you see here today and the damage you see here today, it will not deter the United States, and I am sure will not deter Saudi Arabia, in our mutual effort to go after this kind of terrorism and roll it up: go after their finances; go after their information systems, their intelligence systems; make sure we take full advantage of our law enforcement assets, both in the United States and Saudi Arabia and around the world.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 02:45 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Patterns of Global Terrorism

The original text of the US Department of State Report, described in this earlier posting and this article in today's Canberra Times

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 02:38 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Bush: Killers will learn "American Justice"

Bush Denounces Attacks in Saudi Arabia

President Bush denounced the bombings in Saudi Arabia that killed at least 20 people, including seven Americans, on Tuesday as the work of "killers whose only faith is hate." He vowed to "find the killers and they will learn the meaning of American justice."

"Today's attacks in Saudi Arabia, the ruthless murder of American citizens and other citizens, reminds us that the war on terror continues," Bush said.


The president made the remarks at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where he was speaking on his tax-cut and economic stimulus plan.

"My thoughts and prayers and those of our fellow citizens are with the families of the vicitims of yesterday's murders in Saudi Arabia," he said.

Posted by PoliticaObscura at 11:28 AM | Comments (21) | TrackBack
[Updated 12:30 EST] Saudi Bombing: At least 20 Dead Including 7 Americans and 9 Suspected Terrorists

[see previous stories here and here]

LATEST UPDATE:

Fox is now reporting that the death toll exceeds 90.

*******

Fox:

Ten Americans were killed and there was also "a large loss of life of others," caused by Monday night's terrorist bombings in Riyadh, according to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday...

...U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan told the BBC, "There are preliminary reports of upwards of 40 Americans in hospital ... and very likely fatalities in the two to six to 10 range," Reuters reported.

Hospital officials in Riyadh told The Associated Press that at least 50 wounded were taken to the National Guard Hospital, and other hospitals reported at least 10 injured and one dead.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that three people were confirmed dead but gave no other details.

Previous links and news below:

CNN:

U.S. and Saudi officials said they suspect al Qaeda in the explosions, which tore through three compounds housing Westerners in Riyadh. Saudi officials said the assailants shot their way into the upscale, gated communities before setting off their explosives-laden vehicles in suicide attacks.

UPDATE:

Guardian is reporting at least 50 are dead:

Between 40 and 50 people were feared dead today after a series of suicide bomb explosions rocked the Saudi capital, Riyadh, overnight. "It seems we have lost 10 Americans killed, many other nationalities were also killed," the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, told reporters as he arrived at Riyadh airport earlier today, within hours of the devastating attacks. "Terrorism strikes everywhere and everyone. It is a threat to the civilised world," he said.

One Australian man was also killed and another injured in the four bomb blasts that ripped through foreign housing compounds, according to the Australian government.

A Danish newspaper quoted Niels Joergen Secher, a Danish doctor at Riyadh's King Faisal hospital, as saying between 40 to 50 bodies were brought to his hospital.

UPDATE:

From Sky News:

Unconfirmed reports say the son of Riyadh's deputy governor Abdullah al-Blaihed, an Australian, a Lebanese man and two children are among the dead...

...The London-based Arabic magainze Al-Majallah said al Qaeda had implied it was behind the attack.

A fourth explosion targeted the headquarters of Siyanco - a joint US-Saudi-owned company.

In a new departure in terrorist attacks, one eyewitness told Sky News Online that two gunmen shot at the wounded as they stumbled from the bombed out wreckage of the Al Hamra compound.

Momen Abu Tair, 34, said there were two trucks - the suicide bombers had tied themselves to the inside of one of the vans - while two gunmen were travelling in a second vehicle.

Posted by Michele at 06:18 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Filipino Senator wants U.S. as peace broker

A Filipino Senator urges the U.S. to act as peace broker in Mindanao [Manila Times] even as the Philippine government gives the MILF a new 60-day deadline [ABS-CBN News/Today]:

The impressive record of the United States as a peace broker qualifies it to mediate in the escalating conflict between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said on Monday.

“I think it’s about time we sought the help of the United States in settling the conflict in the South. The US has succeeded in bringing peace in Northern Ireland, where the Irish Republican Army was fighting the government. Now the foundation for peace in Northern Ireland is more stable,” Pimentel said.

... more recently, the US is trying to mend the feud between India and Pakistan by sending Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Pimentel said.

Bringing in the US as a peace broker in Mindanao would be better appreciated by the Filipinos and the international community than the government’s plan to send combat troops to fight the Abu Sayyaf or to classify the MILF as a foreign terrorist organization, he said.
Update: MILF deadline shortened to two weeks [Philippine Daily Inquirer].

Posted by Willie Galang at 03:29 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
May 12, 2003
More Updates on Saudi Bombing

[See story below for earlier items on this story]

MSNBC is reporting that at least 80 people have been injured.

SFGate reports on early suspicions:

Initial U.S. suspicion for the attacks centered on the al-Qaida terror network, a U.S. counterterrorism official in Washington said on condition of anonymity. Intelligence from the past two weeks indicated the terrorist organization Qaida was close to launching a strike in Saudi Arabia, the official said. The State Department had advised Americans earlier his month against travel to Saudi Arabia because of increased terrorism concerns.

At Arab News:

According to Al-Arabiya television channel, security forces exchanged fire with the terrorists inside the compound. The network also reported that many charred bodies were seen being taken from ambulances at a local hospital...

...A resident of the Al-Hamra compound, where the blast took place, talked to Arab News moments after the explosion took place.

Nick, a European national, told Arab News that the incident took place at around 11.15 p.m. He said that he and his family were sleeping when they woke up to the sound of gunfire. Moments later, a loud explosion within the compound was heard followed by another bigger explosion...

...Another resident said that he saw “scores” of bodies on the ground following the explosion at Al-Hamra compound.

From the statement issued by the State Deparment on May 1:

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia. Information indicates that terrorist groups may be in the final phases of planning attacks against U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia. There is no information regarding the possible target.

According to UPI, The State Department is asking U.S. citizens in Saudi to stay home, American schools are closed, but Powell is still making his scheduled visit:

The American school in Riyadh has been closed, at least for a day, and the State Department is asking U.S. citizens to remain at home after a series of explosions Monday rocked the Saudi capital.

"As a prudent measure, we are advising American citizens to remain at home until we can ascertain the facts and the nature of any ongoing threat. We understand that the American school in Riyadh will be closed tomorrow," a State Department official told United Press International late Monday.

Secretary of Colin Powell, who is scheduled to arrive in Riyadh later this week for talks with Saudi official on the U.S. "road map" to peace in the Middle East, is also expected to go ahead with the planned visit.

"There have been no changes in the secretary's travel plans at this time," the State Department said.

Posted by Michele at 08:26 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
[Updated] Car Explodes in Riyadh Compound for Westerners

Breaking News:

Car With Explosives Crashes Into Riyadh Compound


UPDATE: Fox is saying that a fourth explosion has been reported, this one inside an American-owned building. More as it comes.

Fox has this so far:

A car packed with explosives crashed late Monday into a Riyadh compound housing Westerners, causing casualties, Saudi security officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the car blew up after slamming into a residential compound in the eastern part of the Saudi Arabian capital.

The officials said the explosion caused an unspecified number of injuries.

On Fox TV, they are reporting that there were three simultaneous explosions.

More from Fox:

The incident follows a warning issued by the U.S. State Department (search) earlier this month advising Americans to avoid travel to Saudi Arabia (search) because of increased terrorism concerns.

On May 6, Saudi security forces seized a large cache of weapons and explosives in Riyadh as they were searching for a number of suspected terrorists, an unidentified ministry official said.

The official, quoted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, said at least 19 men -- including 17 Saudis, an Iraqi holding both Kuwaiti and Canadian citizenship, and a Yemeni -- were being sought in connection with the terror plots.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Al Qaeda terror chief Usama bin Laden and home to 15 of the 19 Sept. 11, 2001 attack hijackers.

CNN story:

U.S. State Department officials confirmed the blasts, saying three housing complexes containing Westerners were attacked.

According to diplomatic sources, the explosions took place in Courdoval, Jedawal and The Hamra.

In Riyadh, U.S. Embassy spokesman John Burgess said Americans live in each of the three compounds, which are within three to four miles of each other in the western suburbs of this city of 4.3 million people.

Posted by Michele at 05:54 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
First Bali bombing trial
Sky News - The first trial of a Bali bombing suspect has begun, amid a huge security clampdown on the Indonesian island. Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, a 40-year-old Muslim, faces the death penalty if convicted of four charges of terrorism.

The bombing of two crowded nightspots last October killed 202 people, including 26 Britons. Most were tourists. The attack has been blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror group, which is thought to have links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation. It was the worst terrorist attack since al-Qaeda's September 11 atrocities in the United States in 2001.

Posted by Gabriel at 07:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
[Updated] Officials Prepare for National Bioterror Drill

[Fox News]

This week, officials across the nation will have their hands full with an imaginary "dirty bomb" in Seattle and the fake threat of a biological agent in Chicago -- both part of the most extensive bioterrorism drill in the nation's history. The five-day drill, set to begin Monday, is aimed at testing the ability of local, state and federal authorities to handle terrorist attacks. It is the first large-scale counterterrorism exercise since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

Full story..

UPDATE: Noah Schachtman has more on this story over at Defense Tech:

A terrorist group has set off a "dirty nuke" south of downtown Seattle. There are more than a hundred reported casualties so far.

In Chicago and Vancouver, hospitals are being flooded with patients reporting mysterious, flu-like symptoms. And the national stockpile of pharmaceuticals in Chicago is missing.

How will federal authorities and local officials respond? That's what TOPOFF 2, a five-day, $16 million, 8,500-person anti-terror simulation, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), aims to find out.

Head to Defense Tech to read how some consultants don't see the value of such exercises.

Posted by Michele at 06:11 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Truck Bomb in Chechnya Kills 30

[Sky News]

The head of the pro-Moscow Chechen government, Akhmad Kadyrov, said the attack occurred in the town of Znamenskoye, north of the regional capital, Grozny.

The blast destroyed a two-storey building housing the office of the Federal Security Service, the intelligence agency leading Russia's campaign in Chechnya.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 06:08 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Philippines: 'Terrorist' tag on MILF 'inevitable'

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

BRANDING the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as a terrorist organization has become "inevitable" following the May 10 bombing in Koronadal City in South Cotabato that killed nine people and wounded 41 others, presidential chief of staff Rigoberto Tiglao said Sunday.

...US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone earlier said Washington might declare the MILF, the country's largest Moro rebel group, a foreign terrorist organization. Last year, the United States tagged the Communist Party of the Philippines as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing the US government to freeze any assets of the CPP.
Malacañang Palace may come out with a decision by Monday afternoon (Manila time). The latest statement on the MILF from Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo [via the Philippine government portal].

Posted by Willie Galang at 04:35 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 11, 2003
Arab Expert: Bin Laden Died In Tora Bora Air Raid

From the UK's Independent:

Osama bin Laden died after being maimed in an American air raid on the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan in December 2001, a French expert on the Arab world believes.

Ghislaine Alleaume, a historian and Arabist at the French national research centre, the CNRS, reached her conclusion after studying television and internet messages circulated by Bin Laden's supporters. She bases her theory mostly on a video of the al- Qa'ida leader broadcast by al-Jazeera television on 27 December 2001. Bin Laden looks weary and sick but Mme Alleaume also believes he has had his left arm amputated. "He is wearing a military camouflage jacket and you can see that someone has placed a bag in the same colours just behind him to disguise the fact that he has lost his arm," she said. She believes he died of his injuries soon afterwards. "Given the sanitary conditions, it would not have been easy to survive an amputation," she said.

Posted by Alan at 09:36 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
‘We Don’t Call It Terrorism’

From Newsweek comes an interview between Senior Editor and Washington Post columnist Lally Weymouth and Syrian President Bashar Assad. A highlight:

Didn’t Powell ask you to stop Iran from supplying Hizbullah with weapons via Damascus?

He talked about supplying Hizbullah. They do not get arms via Syria. We give them political support because they want to get back their lands.

Would you consider stopping the political support?

As long as they don’t do any terrorist acts, we are supporting them.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage called Hizbullah the “A team” of terror.

That’s false. They have not killed anyone outside of Lebanon where their land is occupied ...

Read the rest ...

UPDATE: Here's another account of the interview, this from the UK's Islam Online.

Posted by Alan at 09:29 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Senate Deal Kills Effort To Extend Antiterror Act

From the New York Times:

Senate Republicans backed down today [sic] from an effort to make permanent the sweeping antiterrorism powers in a 2001 act, clearing the way for passage of a less divisive measure that would still expand the government's ability to spy on foreign terrorist suspects in the United States.

Posted by Alan at 09:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Advani Urges Pak To Stop Cross-Border Terrorism

From Riyadh Daily (Saudi Arabia):

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrived in New Delhi on Friday to encourage nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to build on a thaw in ties. However, hours before Armitage arrived from Kabul on the last leg of his South Asian shuttle tour, Indi'as hawkish deputy prime minister said friendship with Pakistan was possible, but Islamabad should first end support for militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. "Our stand on cross-border terrorism is still the same, but we have also said that just because of our committed stand that cross-border terrorism must stop, it doesn't mean we can't be friends," said Lal Krishna Advani, a hardliner in the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Posted by Alan at 09:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Powell Calls For Terrorist Disarmament

From CNN.com:

After meeting Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called for "rapid, decisive action by the Palestinians to disarm and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure."

Posted by Alan at 09:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 10, 2003
Bomb explodes in Southern Philippines

Philippine Daily Inquirer/AFP:

COTABATO--Thirteen people were killed and 26 others wounded Saturday when a bomb, suspected to have been planted by Muslim rebels, exploded in Koronadal city, South Cotabato province in Mindanao, officials said.

The bomb, consisting of an 81-millimeter mortar and a timing device, went off in front of the public market, scattering bloody body parts, local army commander Colonel Agustin Dima-ala said.

Hospital officials said the death toll could go higher as many of the wounded were in critical conditions.
This Reuters report says it was done by the Abu Sayyaf.

Posted by Willie Galang at 09:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Germany charges Sept. 11 suspect

CNN

German police arrested Mzoudi on October 10. He was detained on suspicion of having links to the al Qaeda network and of having spent time in training camps in Afghanistan in the summer of 2000 where the attacks were organized. Prosecutors also believe Mzoudi, along with Motassedeq, provided logistical support to at least one member of al Qaeda. A third suspect, Zakariya Essabar, was also a member of the Hamburg cell, but has not been apprehended.
Full story »»

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May 09, 2003
Palestinian students recreate paradise to show what awaits "martyrs''

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Plastic trees, goldfish swimming in a generator-powered fountain, posters of the dead on the wall: This is a model of the paradise Islamic militants say awaits those killed in fighting with Israel, including suicide bombers....The university -- a hotbed of Palestinian nationalism and a Hamas stronghold -- said it officially opposes bombings but didn't want to stifle the students' views....Hundreds of students filed through the exhibit, some returning again and again. An Najah University would not permit the exhibition to be photographed.

"I have never seen anything like this in all my life," said Abdel Aziz Mohammed, a third-year Arabic studies major. Mohammed said that the exhibit helped him realize "the fate of the fighters" after they blow themselves up among Israelis. "I looked at their pictures, I felt them talking and smiling. They really are in their heaven," he said.

....University official Sami Keilani said An Najah opposes suicide bombings but did not oppose the exhibition.

"As an institution we believe in pluralism," he said. "We give the students a wide room for theoretical pluralism and we take a neutral position toward the debate among the students."

Posted by Barak at 03:03 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
Philippines asks OIC to 'restrain' MILF

From TODAY (Philippines):

KORONADAL CITY - Norberto Gonzales, presidential adviser on special concerns, left Thursday for Malaysia in a bid to convince the Organization of Islamic Conference to restrain the Moro Islamic Liberation Front from its “terroristic attacks.”

He will ask the OIC to investigate the “recent atrocities perpetrated by the MILF” on Maigo, Lanao del Norte, and Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.

“Government hopes the OIC will positively respond to our complaints against the MILF and will come up with concrete actions,” said Gonzales, also the government backchannel negotiator with the MILF.

He will also officially inform Kuala Lumpur of President Arroyo’s decision to withdraw from the second round of exploratory talks with the MILF slated to start May 9.
Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 01:27 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 08, 2003
Al-Qaida 'Restructured And Ready For Spectacular Attacks On US'

Another take on the story below, this time from the Guardian:

Al-Qaida has restructured itself and is planning spectacular attacks against the United States, according to an interview obtained by a London-based Arabic magazine which has previously reported contacts with the organisation.

In the latest edition of al-Majalla, published today, a spokesman for al-Qaida denied it had been rendered inoperative and explained that familiar faces had been replaced by newcomers "who have a very good security cover".

The interview was conducted on the internet by al-Majalla's Dubai correspondent, Mahmoud Khalil, who received an email two months ago from a man who gave his name as Thabet bin Qais and described himself as al-Qaida's new spokesman.

Posted by Alan at 11:50 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Al-Qaeda Preparing For New Attacks In USA

From the PakTribune (Pakistan):

Al-Qaeda is preparing a new attack in the United States on the scale of September 11 after adopting a new operational structure which is impenetrable to US intelligence, a Saudi weekly reports in its Friday edition.

"An attack against America is inevitable," Al-Majallah quotes the Islamic militant network's newly-appointed spokesman Thabet bin Qais as saying in an email to the paper.

Al-Qaeda has "carried out changes in its leadership and sidelined the September 11, 2001 team", the paper quotes bin Qais as saying.

"Future missions have been entrusted to the new team, which is well protected against the US intelligence services. The old leadership does not know the names of any of its members."

Posted by Alan at 11:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Cuba Rejects US Charge That It Sponsors Terrorism

Shocker. From WHO-TV / AP:

Cuba charges Washington is trying to create the conditions for an invasion by keeping Cuba on the list of countries that support terrorism.

The Cuban foreign ministry called the list published last week "unilateral and illegitimate."

Cuba condemns terrorism, the ministry said -- adding that the United States can never prove Cuba's participation in any terrorist acts.

Posted by Newshound at 11:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Palestinian is sentenced for attempted synagogue arson

In October 2002, Mazen Assi tried to burn down the Conservative Synagogue of Riverdale, NY, in the Bronx, and was sentenced last week. He was born and raised in Jordan to a Palestinian family from outside Jerusalem, who fled in 1948. The day before he attempted arson, he went to a rally for Palestinians in Times Square.

His lawyer, Lynn Stewart,

is awaiting trial for helping another client, Sheik Abdul Rahman, direct terrorist operations from his jail cell. Rahman is connected to both Osama bin-Laden and El Sayid Nosair, the assassin of Rabbi Meir Kahane.
Assi's crime is part of a pattern.
According to the FBI, even though hate crimes against Muslims soared in 2001, there were still just 481 hate crimes against Muslims compared to 1,043 against Jews. An alarming number of those crimes against Jews were committed by Muslims.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 09:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
British Jewish community not surprised

Unlike the rest of the UK (if the media response is representative), the British Jewish community was not surprised to hear about the educated, middle-class, homegrown British Muslim suicide bombers who went to Israel. They had been warning Britain for quite some time. Anti-semitic incidents increased by 75% last year. Meanwhile, Brits are ambivalent.

Hostility to Israel continues to run high, however, and the line between it and antisemitism continues to fade. The national union of college professors, the Association of University Teachers, was to vote this week on a resolution calling on all British universities to consider severing ties with Israeli universities. The union's national executive was said to oppose the boycott, but critics said it had made almost no effort to block the measure from being adopted.

. . . a senior figure in the ruling Labour Party, Tam Dalyell of Scotland, attacked the prime minister in an interview last weekend for "being unduly influenced by a cabal of Jewish advisers." . . . . Meanwhile, according to The Times, MI5 seems preoccupied with heading off efforts by the Mossad to penetrate British Islamic groups, after Sharon ordered Israel's intelligence service to ramp up its operations in Britain, which were curtailed in 1987.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 05:49 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Three Charged in Suicide Bomb

[Sky News]

Three people arrested in the UK after a suicide bombing carried out in Israel by a Briton have been charged with terrorism offences.

The three are a 46-year-old man, and two women aged 35 and 27, all from Derbyshire.

They will appear at London's Bow Street Magistrates Court on Friday.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 05:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
MILF admits Siocon attack a tactical mistake

From The Philippine Star:

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front admitted yesterday having committed a "tactical blunder" when it attacked Siocon town last Sunday, but said the action should not justify declaring the MILF as a terrorist organization.

In a report on the rebel website, Muhammad Ameen, identified as secretary to the office of MILF chairman Hashim Salamat, said classifying the MILF as a terrorist organization "has long been overdue and expected."

Ameen said the government was just "waiting for the right moment and this opportunity has come when the MILF committed a tactical blunder with the death of (34) civilians in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, last May 4."
Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 03:06 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Saudi Arabia Seeks 19 Terror Suspects

From CNN.com:

The Saudi government said Wednesday it is looking for 19 suspects, mostly Saudis, who were planning to carry out a terrorist attack.

A dispatch from the official Saudi Press Agency urged friends and relatives of the suspects to contact the government with information and warned against sheltering any of them.

Specifics of the planned terror attack were not described, but an Interior Ministry statement said the suspects were being sought after authorities had uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives in Riyadh.

Posted by Newshound at 11:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
UN Congo HQ Under Siege

[Newsday]

Hundreds of panicking residents converged on the UN headquarters here yesterday, cowering in the corridors as rampaging fighters with machine guns, machetes and spears stormed up the road outside, a day after 5,000 Ugandan troops abruptly withdrew from the war-torn region.

A group of 40 United Nations peacekeepers from Uruguay took up full battle positions at windows, doors and the roof of the building, bracing for the afternoon onslaught from armed members of the Lendu ethnic tribe.

By 4:43 p.m., 11:43 a.m. in New York, machine gun fire was heard outside the compound, sending those inside diving to the floor.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 06:25 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Terror victims take matters in their own hands

From ABS-CBN News:

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Villagers angry over a spate of Moro rebel attacks raided a small Moro settlement in northern Mindanao, leaving one girl dead, a military report said Thursday.

The armed villagers from the predominantly Christian town of Maigo attacked the Moro settlers on the edge of the town last Sunday, burning three thatch houses and leaving a six-year-old girl dead.

The attack was apparently in retaliation for similar raid by the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Maigo in April where the rebels occupied parts of the town and looted homes, the military added.

Full story...

Posted by Willie Galang at 04:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 07, 2003
Iran denies nukes

[news.com.au]

A top Iranian official denied his country had a nuclear weapons program but told the UN that Iran was not willing to submit to tougher inspections of its facilities.

The US has accused Iran, which is building a centrifuge plant at Natanz in its south, of having secret plans to make nuclear weapons. It fears Iran could enrich weapons-grade uranium at the site.

But according to a diplomat who attended the meeting, Iran's atomic energy chief, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, told the International Atomic Energy Agency yesterday that Iran's nuclear program was "only for peaceful purposes".

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 08:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Philippine President stands behind her Armed Forces

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer, in relation to this post:
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is standing squarely behind the Armed Forces despite Gracia Burnham's claim of collusion between her Abu Sayyaf captors and certain military officials.

The President's spokesperson Ignacio Bunye said that she had "full trust and confidence in the Armed Forces," and that she was leaving it up to the military to address Burnham's disclosures in her book.

The military was less mild in its reaction.

"It is unbelievable," Armed Forces spokesperson Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia told reporters. "I can't believe that. I can't believe that our officers can do it--especially a general--to be in collusion with the Abu Sayyaf for a cut in ransom money."
Posted by Willie Galang at 12:42 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Lebanese officials: Suspects detained for bomb attacks on Western targets tried to kill U.S. ambassador Lebanon

Haaretz.

Posted by at 09:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
PFLP says ready to close offices to ease pressure on Syria

Haaretz.

Posted by at 09:45 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 06, 2003
Terror Groups May Be Planning New Attacks, State Dept. Says

From the New York Times:

The State Department said today that there was "credible information" that terrorist groups might be planning new attacks on American interests in the Middle East, though tensions had eased with the waning of the Iraq war.

It was a calibrated caution to Americans traveling or living abroad that while clear progress has been made in the fight against terrorism — and dramatically so against militants belonging to Al Qaeda — risks of terrorism have hardly vanished.

Posted by Alan at 09:41 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Video Of Al Qaeda Wedding Provides Key Clues For Investigators

No kidding. From ABC (US):

A videotape obtained by ABCNEWS may offer U.S. authorities clues about the planning of the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the United States and the whereabouts of suspected terrorists still at large.

German officials describe the tape, which shows a wedding celebration at a mosque in Hamburg, Germany, in October 1999, as "the smoking gun" of their investigation into the Hamburg al Qaeda cell responsible for the 9/11 attacks. They say it is crucial evidence in their search for terrorists.

Posted by Alan at 09:31 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bomb Blast Hits Lebanon Home Of Dutch Missionary

From Reuters:

A bomb exploded outside the home of a Western Christian missionary couple in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli overnight, killing one person, security sources said on Wednesday.

They said the bomb was planted outside the ground floor apartment of a Dutch missionary and his German wife in a Tripoli suburb.

Posted by Alan at 08:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Philippines Scrap Peace Talks After Muslim Attack

AP/WaPo

The Philippine government withdrew Tuesday from informal talks with Muslim rebels after a guerrilla attack killed 22 soldiers and civilians.[...]

On Sunday, guerrillas seized the town hall and a hospital and torched a public market in Siocon, a predominantly Christian town on the southern island of Mindanao. Government troops later regained control of the town, but the guerrillas took dozens of hostages as they fled.

Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, the military's vice chief of staff, said Tuesday that updated field reports showed the attack killed 12 soldiers and police, 10 civilians and six rebels.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said the last of the hostages were freed and recovered unharmed Tuesday.

Also from the Philippines front, former hostage Gracia Burnham accused the Philippines military of colluding with the group that held her. Burnham's husband, Martin, was killed during an attempt by the Philippine military to rescue the couple and another woman from the al Qaeda-connected Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

Posted by Cranky at 06:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Taliban Ambush Afghan Deminers in Third Attack

Taliban have been firing on deminers (people who remove mines).

Posted by Judith Weiss at 03:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 05, 2003
Rebels Fire On U.S. Forces In Afghanistan

A rocket attack on US troops. From the Kansas City Star / AP:

Rebels fired five rockets at U.S. special forces training in eastern Afghanistan, the army said Monday.

The rockets were fired Sunday near the eastern city of Gardez and missed the soldiers by 800 yards. No one was hurt, an army statement said.

A patrol from the 82nd Airborne Division was dispatched to investigate the attack. The statement did not say whether anything was found.

Posted by Alan at 10:47 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Aussies Launch Anti-Terrorism Force

From the Herald Sun (Australia):

Mortar explosions and waves of machine-gun fire heralded the launch of Australia's new counter-terrorism force in Sydney.

The Special Operations Command (SOC) has been elevated to equal status with the maritime, land and air commands as a fourth arm of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), formed to fight terrorists.

The SOC brings 330 highly trained combatants to the frontline alongside the SAS (Special Air Service) and a specialist unit in training for biological, chemical and nuclear attacks.

Any additional color on this story, A. E. Brain?

Posted by Alan at 10:44 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Inside A Taliban Terrorism Class

I hear there's extra credit for creativity in murdering innocents. From the Christian Science Monitor:

Mr. Gul is one of 425 members of the class of 1998 at the Mechanical High School here who took what the Taliban called the "Khas Turesti Course," or Special Course in Terrorism. Students who finished the class were usually deployed immediately to combat their chief foe at the time, Ahmad Shah Masood's Northern Alliance.

"The main purpose of the course was to make a strong group of terrorists within the framework of Islam," says Gul, who asked that his name be changed. "The people who had been working with the Taliban from the beginning, they chose the students for the Special Course in Terrorism. We students had to be more religious than others."

Kept secret by Afghan officials until recently, the terrorism course in Khost is a sign of how far the former regime was willing to go in fighting what it considered to be enemies of Islam. The Taliban delved deeply and enthusiastically into terrorism - offering training in everything from Hamas-style marketplace bombings to kidnapping and assassination. Now, perhaps hundreds of terrorist alumni may be practicing their skills against US and allied forces - even against foreign aid workers - across vast, unstable portions of southern Afghanistan.

Read the rest ...

Posted by Alan at 10:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Italian Police Arrest Terrorism Suspect

From the Kansas City Star / AP:

Police arrested a Tunisian suspected of working for an al-Qaida-linked Iraqi extremist group as he tried to board a train Monday in Milan, headed to an Italian town where he worked as a librarian in a mosque.

The suspect, identified as Nourredine Drissi, had been wanted in Italy on international terrorism charges for alleged links to Ansar al-Islam, said police from the special operations squad of the paramilitary Carabinieri.

Posted by Alan at 09:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
UK probes ties between British bombers and Libya, Algeria

Haaretz.

Posted by at 09:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Israeli killed, 2 seriously hurt in West Bank shooting attack

Haaretz.

Posted by at 08:59 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Hezbollah fires anti-aircraft shells over eastern sector of Israeli-Lebanese border, no injuries

Haaretz.

Posted by at 08:57 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Federal, state, local authorities in U.S. to hold joint drills next week to test response to terror attack with WMD

Haaretz.

Posted by at 08:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Al Qaeda may be rebuilding

CSM

Some intelligence sources and experts outside government believe that Al Qaeda has been quiet by choice, not because its plans have been disrupted.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 05:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
US To Release Several Terror Suspects From Guantanamo

From VOA:

Defense officials are preparing to release another batch of terrorist suspects from the special U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Defense officials say they expect 12 to 15 detainees, most of them Afghan nationals, to be released from Guantanamo this week and flown back to Afghanistan.

Posted by Newshound at 04:15 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Officials: al-Qaida Threat Still Serious

From http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-france-g8-terrorism,0,2296525.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines:

The al-Qaida terror network remains a serious threat, with sleeper cells and agents who "are always ready to act," the world's top justice and interior ministers said Monday.

"Terrorism continues to present both a pervasive and global threat to our societies," ministers from the Group of Eight nations said in a statement.

They also warned of a risk that terrorists may use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in attacks.

Posted by Newshound at 01:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
MI5 admits: we let suicide bombers slip through net

From the Daily Telegraph:

Britain's security service knew that the two Britons who carried out last week's suicide bombing in Israel had links to Islamic extremists but decided that they were not potential terrorists, The Telegraph has learned.

Posted by Barak at 09:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
9/11 Style Attack on US Embassy Foiled in Pakistan

From the Washington Post:

U.S. and Pakistani authorities have broken up an al Qaeda plan to fly an explosives-laden aircraft into the U.S. consulate in Karachi, a suicide plot reminiscent of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, showing that the weakened terrorist network is still capable of pursuing serious assaults, officials said Friday. Arrests earlier this week in Karachi of six suspected al Qaeda members led to the discovery of hundreds of pounds of high explosives, as well as grenades, assault rifles, and detonators hidden in several different caches. "Operatives were planning to pack a small fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter with explosives and crash it into the consulate," according to an advisory posted on the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association website.

Posted by Barak at 09:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
British Terrorists Smuggled Explosives Into Israel Inside Koran

From the Jerusalem Post.

Posted by Barak at 08:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Terror groups deny receiving orders to shut Damascus offices

From the Jerusalem Post:

Several Palestinian terrorist groups denied Sunday that they have been told by the Syrian authorities to close down their Damascus offices.

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that Syria had
taken action in view of the US demands and had begun the closure of the
offices.

Contrary to Syrian claims that the offices were functioning only as press
bureaus, Palestinians confirmed Sunday that many of these groups are
involved in security-related matters.

At least 10 different Palestinian factions have been operating in Syria
since the early 1980s. One of them is a breakaway faction of Fatah led by
former Col. Abu Mussa, who fell out with Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat during the Lebanon War in 1982.

A senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post that some of the groups have
their own military training bases and prisons in Damascus and elsewhere in
the country.

"Of course they aren't doing any journalistic work out there," he said.

Posted by Barak at 08:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Security guards honored at Israeli ceremony

In stopping or limiting the damage of suicide bombings, Israeli security guards at restaurants, supermarkets, malls, and train stations have truly been human shields, often at the cost of their lives. They will be honored at Israel's Independence Day ceremony on May 7th.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 08:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 04, 2003
Killer Blast Possibly New Explosive

Let's hope this report is false. From The Advertiser (Australia):

ISRAELI officials fear that two Britons involved in a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv smuggled a new and hard to detect explosive aboard a flight into the country, Britain's Daily Telegraph has reported.

Asif Mohammed Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif smuggled plastic explosives into Israel from Jordan inside copies of the Koran, the paper quoted Israel's Defence Minister Shaoul Mofaz as saying.

It said Israeli officials investigating how they were able to penetrate tight border controls had suggested they could have used a new kind of explosive that was more difficult to detect.

Posted by Alan at 10:36 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Karzai To Secretly Meet Taliban Delegation

From Islam Online:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to hold his first direct talks with members of the ousted Taliban government, the Qatari satellite channel Al-Jazaara said on Sunday, May 4.

“A delegation of Taliban, led by former Health Minister Mullah Abbas, secretly arrived in the Afghan capital for the expected talks, the first since the Taliban regime crumbled one year and a half ago,” the Qatar-based channel’s correspondent told his channel.

“The step is meant to improve relations between the two sides and as part of the Afghan government’s efforts to woo some Taliban members,” he said.

Posted by Alan at 10:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Al Qaeda May Be Rebuilding

Are we winning, or is AQ just keeping a low profile? From the Christian Science Monitor:

Overall, the news on terrorism has been good. Terrorist attacks worldwide dropped by 30 percent from 2001 to 2002, according to a new State Department report.

But some intelligence sources and experts outside government believe that Al Qaeda has been quiet by choice, not because its plans have been disrupted. There is also evidence that Al Qaeda's remaining leadership believes the war in Iraq will produce a new stream of recruits disenchanted with American actions, perhaps allowing Al Qaeda to create a new front of international jihad.

Posted by Alan at 10:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Bin Laden Trail Grows Cold on South America’s Triple Frontier

From Arab News:

Back in 1995, Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is said to have visited a mosque in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu, a key location on the triple frontier of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, according to Brazilian intelligence sources.

But imams and Arab community leaders here say reports of such a visit are false ... The US State Department maintains that sleeper cells of Islamic groups Hezbollah and Hamas have a presence in the region, famous for its dense vegetation and the spectacular Iguazu Falls nearby.

Posted by Alan at 10:25 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Algeria: Missing Tourists Being Held Hostage

Reports are that the tourists abducted in the Sahara are indeed alive, although officials aren't clear about who may be responsible. From CNN.com:

Algeria said for the first time on Sunday that 31 European tourists who have vanished deep in the Sahara Desert during the past two months were being held hostage, and officials were in contact with the kidnappers.

A government source said armed rebels were suspected of holding the tourists, who disappeared while travelling in seven groups, some in four-wheel-drive vehicles, some on motorbikes.

Posted by Alan at 10:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The forgotten front in the war on terror

Robert Little in SunSpot.net, Maryland

Many of his comrades were too busy with the burdens of war, but David Yarborough's 12-hour shift on the flight line had ended. So he stood alongside the main road that runs through the dusty Bagram Air Base in eastern Afghanistan and watched, frozen, as two dead American soldiers were carried past. [...] It has been four months now, and they sense the rest of the world has lost interest in the country they're in and the job they're doing ...
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 01:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Hizbollah, Hamas brush off Powell's Syria demands

Reuters

Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas said on Sunday they were confident Lebanon and Syria would not bow to U.S. demands to rein them in and vowed to keep up armed resistance to Israel. The militant Palestinian group Hamas, whose Damascus office Washington demands Syria close to get in line with U.S. plans for the Middle East after the Iraq war, also shrugged off U.S. pressure and said its fight with Israel would continue.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 01:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Making of a martyr

Martin Bright and Fareena Alam, The Observer

As the drizzle descended on Hounslow mosque last Friday, it was not hard to see why Asif Mohammed Hanif might have wanted to spend the summer in the Middle East. It's a little more difficult to explain why this quiet 21-year-old suburban West Londoner decided to turn a holiday to study Arabic in Damascus into a suicide mission to Tel Aviv that would leave four people dead, himself included, and dozens injured.
Full story about this Britisch terrorist»»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 12:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Police search for Japanese Red Army Faction

Japan Times

Police searched seven locations linked to the radical Red Army Faction on Saturday in connection with the April 22 arrest of the sister of a member of the group involved in the 1970 hijacking to North Korea of a Japan Airlines jet.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 12:32 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Terrorists' link to piracy threatens Asian shipping

Richard Halloran in the Honolulu Advertiser

There has been an expanding but almost unnoticed war with piracy in the South China Sea. At the moment, the pirates seem to be winning. Moreover, governments around the Pacific are holding their collective breath for fear that Southeast Asian terrorists, especially those in Indonesia, will join the pirates to throw a giant block into the middle of Asian trade.
Full story »»

Posted by Oskar van Rijswijk at 12:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
50 Suicide Bombers In UK

From the Times Online:

Britain is harbouring nearly 50 would-be suicide bombers, according to a leading British Islamic radical.

Hassan Butt, a self-styled recruiter of British volunteers for the Islamic holy war, said he had been approached by the men for guidance on how to carry out "martyrdom operations" in Israel.

The warning came after last week's suicide bombing at a bar in Tel Aviv which killed three people. The attack by Asif Mohammed Hanif, from Hounslow, west London, and Omar Khan Sharif, from Derby, was the first suicide strike by British citizens. Hanif blew himself up but Sharif fled when his bomb failed to detonate. He is still on the run.

And thanks to our reader Miceal for the tip.

Posted by Alan at 10:21 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Yemen Asks Pakistan To Extradite al-Qaida Suspect

From the News Observer / AP:

Yemen has asked Pakistan to extradite a suspected al-Qaida leader wanted in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks and the bombing of a U.S. warship, a Yemeni official said Saturday. The foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity that Waleed bin Attash is on Yemen's most wanted list for his role in plotting the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole. Yemen is awaiting Pakistan's response, he said. U.S. officials also suspect Attash coordinated the activities of two plane hijackers who crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Attash, a Yemeni, and five other alleged al-Qaida members were arrested in Karachi on Tuesday. It was unclear if U.S. officials have been allowed to question them.

Posted by Alan at 10:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Senior Taliban Leader Resurfaces, Vows Jihad

From Reuters:

One of the most senior leaders of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime vowed on Sunday to continue a jihad, or holy war, against the United States and its Afghan allies.

Mullah Mohammad Hasan Rehmani, former governor of the province of Kandahar and a close associate of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, was speaking to Reuters by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location in his first interview since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001.

Read the rest of the interview ...

Posted by Alan at 10:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
'German Offer' For Sahara Search

From the BBC:

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is reported to have offered special forces to Algeria to help search for 31 European tourists missing in the Sahara desert.

The offer is included in a letter sent last week to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, German weekly Der Spiegel says in its Monday edition.

Posted by Alan at 10:02 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Four al-Qaida Suspects Arrested In Pak

From the Mid-Day Mumbai (India):

Pakistani authorities have rounded up four more al-Qaeda suspects in two different raids on what the Interior Ministry today said were hideouts of members of Osama bin Laden's terror network. Two were arrested in southwestern Baluchistan province and two were apprehended in the southern port city of Karachi, the ministry's spokesman Iftikhar Ahmed said ...

... Local media said the arrests followed a lead provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The News daily, quoting security sources, said two Arabs of Egyptian origin, identified as Abdul Khaliq Mohammad and Abi Abdullah, were taken into custody in a raid in Karachi's suburan district of Surjani over the weekend.

Posted by Alan at 10:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
17 Abu Sayyaf Killed In Philippine Clashes

From Philippine Headline News:

At least 17 Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed in fierce clashes with troops, as government planes bombed Saturday suspected guerrilla position in the southern Philippine island of Pilas, a
regional Army commander said.

Posted by Alan at 09:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
50 Philippine Soldiers Reportedly Killed In MILF Attack

From Philippine Headline News:

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said guerrillas killed as much as 50 government soldiers in a surprise attack at dawn today on a remote southern Philippine town, that also left two of its fighters dead ...

... But the military has denied the reports and said only one soldier was killed and 7 infantrymen and a policeman wounded in the fighting. Five civilians were also injured in the attack, said a Southern Command spokesman Lt. Col. Renoir Pascua.

Posted by Alan at 09:57 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Lebanon Arrests Alleged Fast Food Bombings Mastermind

From ABC (Australia):

Lebanon's army says it has arrested the head of a network blamed for a series of bomb attacks on fast food restaurants and other Western targets ...

... "On May 3, 2003, the intelligence directorate - with help from Syrian security - was able to arrest the head of the network which carried out the bombing," the army said in a statement.

Posted by Alan at 09:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
MP Accuses US Of Making Deal With Terrorists To Confront Iran

From the Islamic Republican News Agency (Iran):

MP from Ardal and Farsan Ali Qanbari said here Sunday that the United States has made a deal with terrorists to confront the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"Today, the US government, contrary to its anti-terrorism slogans and its inclusion of the Mujahedeen Khalq Organization on its list of terrorist groups, strikes a deal with the same terrorists in order to confront Iran," he said.

Posted by Alan at 09:08 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pakistani Police Nab Men With Explosives

[Fox]

Police have arrested two Pakistani men with suspected links to Al Qaedaas they drove into Karachi with 300 pounds of high explosives in their van. The men, whose names were not released, were coming from Hyderabad, about 100 miles east of Karachi, and were stopped on Friday as part of a routine security check, said Kamal Shah, police chief in southern Sind province.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 08:03 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 03, 2003
Powell: Syria Must Shape Up

[Fox]

In talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad Saturday, Secretary of State Colin Powell laid down a strict set of guidelines he believes Syria must respect in order to survive alongside an Iraq no longer ruled by Saddam Hussein. Powell spoke with Assad for three hours in Damascus, Syria's capital. Among the topics of discussion were the Syrian offices of groups that the United States considers terrorist organizations.

Full story..

Posted by Michele at 06:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bush Vows to Strike Enemies First in Terror War

via Yahoo

President Bush proclaimed victory in Iraq on Saturday but said the war on terror was far from over and vowed to hunt down America's enemies before they could strike.

He closely linked the U.S.-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein to the campaign to stamp out terrorism launched after the Sept, 11, 2001, attacks despite the lack of a definitive connection between the two.

"The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that still goes on," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "The scattered cells of the terrorist networks still operate in many nations and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people."

Posted by Steven L. Taylor at 10:46 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Sixth Arrest in Suicide Bombing

[Sky News]

A sixth person has been arrested in Britain in connection with a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv earlier this week, Scotland Yard told Sky News.

The man was taken into custody in London early this morning after it was announced overnight that five people were arrested in the Midlands under the Terrorism Act.

Two men and two women were arrested in Derbyshire and a woman was held in Nottinghamshire, a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 06:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Keep your eye on Omar Karsou

This NYC-based Palestinian businessman has some harsh words for Chairman Arafat. Karsou is the founder of a group called "Democracy in Palestine" and has the ear of Bush, Cheney, and Sharansky.

. . . Over the weekend of June 22-23, [Bush's speech saying Arafat must go] was entirely rewritten. Vice President Dick Cheney played an important role in that rewrite, as did two improbable people, Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident now right-wing Israeli politician, and Omar Karsou, former Palestinian refugee in Ramallah, now banker and "civil society" democracy activist, living in exile under death threat in New York. For some obscure reason, the effect of the last big blast in Jerusalem was to finally open ears at the top of the Bush administration to what these two "enemies of the Oslo accords" -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- had been arguing for many years.

Mr Karsou, 42, a banker from Nablus who was living in Ramallah until a year ago, told Mr Cheney that many Palestinians wanted Mr Arafat to go. . . . "If we can get rid of the so-called leadership then we can definitely progress with a new generation. The people are ready, willing and able to make peace with our neighbours, whether it be Israel or Jordan."

Mr Karsou was delighted by Mr Bush's speech [naming the "axis of evil" and saying Arafat has to go]. "It reflects our views exactly," he said.

Although Karsou also has harsh words for Israel (and his fellow Palestinians wouldn't take him seriously if he didn't), he is a businessman - heck, he's a banker. Business people (especially in such a conservative industry) have a stake in stable law-abiding societies so they can make a living.
. . . . One thing [Israel] had and has, however, is a rule of law. Any property that could be amassed despite the burden of government could be considered relatively safe from arbitrary expropriation, while business disputes could be settled swiftly in uncorrupt courts. It is surely the rule of law that explains Israel's astonishing relative prosperity in a benighted region. . . . Israel's seizure of Gaza and the West Bank from Egypt and Jordan in 1967 did not bring dignity or political freedom, but it at least brought some respite from arbitrary government, and with it rising Palestinian standards of living. But since Arafat & Company returned in 1994 to monopolize the economy, fortunes have reversed dramatically. Based on World Bank and International Monetary Fund data, Professor Ephraim Kleiman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem estimates that Palestinian GNP was about one-third lower in 2001 than in 1993.
Business people are realists rather than ideologues. They are self-disciplined and self-reliant. They often deal with people from many cultures, so they can't afford to be xenophobic zealots. They know wealth doesn't just appear out of thin air (or EU or UN handouts). They think about the future.
According to Sharansky, "Karsou represents an authentic position of the Palestinian middle class, who are familiar with the democratic experience from our side. The Palestinians have found themselves trapped in a corrupt dictatorship that strangles not only business initiative, but freedom of expression as well. . . . They said that there was no hope for democracy in Japan and Germany, because of their culture and their worldview. And lo and behold, today they are stable democracies . . . . The Americans also understand now that there is an intimate connection between international security and the democratization of regimes . . . "

[all boldface emphasis mine - JW]

Posted by Judith Weiss at 01:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 02, 2003
France Lowers Terrorism Alert Level

Parisians can now breath easy ... the threat has passed. From the Kansas City Star:

France's government put the country on the lowest level of terrorism alert Friday.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin lowered the alert level to "yellow" - the lowest in a four-color risk scale.

The previous level was "orange," which calls for heightened patrols in public places and a ban on flights over sensitive sites such as nuclear plants to prevent a "plausible terrorist threat."

Posted by Alan at 11:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Huge Arms Cache Seized In Sandakan

That's in Borneo, if you're playing "Pin The Atlas" at home, and they found these arms at sea. From Borneo News:

Military officials seized a large number of weapons and detained 22 Filipinos when they attempted to sail into Malaysia through the waters off Sabah state on Borneo island, which borders the Philippines, a top security official said Thursday.

The military and the police have deployed divers to search the seabed after the Filipinos reportedly dumped more weapons overboard when they were spotted by the military off the coastal town of Sandakan early Wednesday, he told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Posted by Alan at 11:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
U.S. Troops Still Active in Afghanistan

The declaration of and end to major combat in Afghanistan does't mean we've stopped crawling around in caves. From the Guardian:

Efforts to hunt down al-Qaida and Taliban holdouts are moving forward despite a U.S. declaration that ``major combat'' in Afghanistan is over, the U.S. Army said Friday.

Smaller-scale combat operations will continue, and the declaration by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will have no immediate effect on the size of the 11,500-strong multinational coalition force, U.S. Army spokesman Col. Roger King said.

Posted by Alan at 10:55 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Suicide Attacks Planned

[Sky News]

Al Qaeda is planning a September 11-style suicide attack on the American Consulate in Pakistan, US anti-terror chiefs have warned.

The Department of Homeland Security said the terror network was set to pack a small aeroplane - or helicopter - with explosives and fly into the building in Karachi.

The plan was in its "late stages", the department said.

Full story...

Posted by Michele at 02:53 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
US CONGRESSMEN: NO TALK UNTIL TERROR STOPS

From Israel National News:

In a dramatic move, 88 U.S. Senators and 313 House Representatives sent a strongly worded letter to U.S. President George Bush objecting to the emphasis being placed on the Road Map plan. The lawmakers noted that Bush appeared to be shifting away from his previous demands for a complete end to terror before negotiations could take place.

Mirroring President Bush's words, the lawmakers wrote that the Palestinians must begin to seriously fight terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure as a key first step toward renewed negotiations. The US lawmakers even questioned the entire premise of negotiations at this point in time: "As we have learned from recent history, without a new, empowered Palestinian leadership that is finally committed to fighting terror, there is no one with whom to negotiate and no point in making unilateral concessions."

Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Ensign (R-NV), together with Roy Blunt (R-MO), Steny Hoyer(D-MD), Henry Hyde (R-IL) and Tom Lantos (D-CA) in the House, authored the letter.
The letter adopts Prime Minister Sharon's traditional demand that Palestinian leadership must not be judged by what it says, but by what it does. "While recent political changes in the Palestinian Authority are a positive step," reads the letter, "it is only the start of what is needed... Actions - not just promises - are necessary for real progress."

Posted by Barak at 12:07 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
13 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 7 Armed Men Who Used Human Shields

Haaretz:


Thirteen Palestinians were killed and 9 IDF soldiers wounded Thursday during an IDF raid on the Sajayia neighborhood of Gaza City. At least seven of the Palestinians killed were armed, including three wanted men from Hamas - the Abu Hin brothers. The Shin Bet security service says the Abu Hins were involved in a number of suicide attacks in Gaza, as well as the firing of Kassam rockets from Gaza into Israel. Soldiers arrested six other wanted men in the neighborhood - including two who had already received their explosive belts from the Abu Hin brothers.

The soldiers called on the wanted men to give themselves up, or at least to allow women and children to leave the house, but they refused, witnesses said. According to army sources, the men shouted: "Everyone here will die as martyrs, including the children!" The wanted men then began firing at the soldiers.

After a gun battle that lasted several hours - in which the Palestinians used anti-tank rockets and bombs the soldiers broke into the house. According to Brigadier General Gad Shamni, the commander of the IDF forces in Gaza, this was deemed necessary, despite being more dangerous, in order to remove the women and children. "[The wanted men] were holed up inside the house, using the women and children as human shields," said another senior officer.

In a gunfight at close range on the first floor, two of the three wanted men were killed and two soldiers, a woman, and baby girl were injured. The soldiers then forcibly removed the rest of the women and children from the house. Tanks then shelled the house, destroying it and killing the third wanted man.

A news.google search reveals a large number of stories portraying this as an Israeli aggression, such as this one from the Guardian: Boy, 2, among 14 killed by Israeli troops.

Despite a similar incident 3 days ago where US soldiers returned fire on Iraqis using human shields (NY Times: U.S. Troops Fire on Iraqi Protesters, Leaving 15 Dead), Haaretz reports: U.S. urges Israeli 'restraint' after Gaza raid leaves 13 dead.

Posted by Barak at 11:18 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Arafat Sets Up National Security Body in Violation of Road Map

Haaretz:


With the swearing-in of the new Palestinian cabinet on
Wednesday came a presidential order from Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat for the establishment
of a national security council to oversee all the PA's
security mechanisms, including the counter-security
apparatus, the uniformed police, and the civil guard.
The establishment of the council and the activities of
the General Intelligence and Force 17 security
mechanisms - forces that remain under Arafat and need
not answer to Dahlan - go against clauses in the U.S.
road map that concern a commitment on the part of Abu
Mazen's government to unify all the PA security
mechanisms into three divisions, all under the interior
minister. In practice, the establishment of the council
empties the new structure of the Palestinian security
services of its content and derogates from the ability
of Abu Mazen and Dahlan to implement security reforms.

See also Arafat Eroding Powers of New Palestinian Government (IDF Radio):


Yasser Arafat is succeeding in eroding the powers of
the new Palestinian government under Abu Mazen and he
will continue to undercut such trends in the
Palestinian Authority in the future, a senior officer
in the IDF General Staff said Friday. The officer said
that Israel wants to see one authority with one
leadership and with one armed force that will fight the
terrorist bands.

Posted by Barak at 10:51 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Israel to Bar Foreign Activists

After Suicide Bombing by Brits Claiming to be ISM Members Haaretz reports:


Israel will from now on bar pro-Palestinian activists
from entering the country and will try to expel at
least some of the dozens of activists who are already
here, according to a new plan drafted by the IDF and
the foreign and defense ministries. Most of the
activists, who come from Europe, Canada, and the U.S.,
belong to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
IDF officers who encounter such activists in closed
military areas will be ordered to arrest them, after
which they will be deported.

Posted by Barak at 10:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
American Woman Suing New Palestinian PM for Soliciting Daughter's Terror Murder

CNS:


Dina Horowitz and her husband Rabbi Eli Horowitz,
both born in the United States, were murdered by
Palestinian gunmen who burst into their home in Kiryat
Arba on March 7, 2003.

Dina's mother Bernice Wolf, 78, a dual
American-Israeli citizen, is filing lawsuits in Israel
and the U.S. against Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud
Abbas because, she claims, he ordered the terrorist
murder of her daughter and son-in-law.

Wolf said just days before her daughter and
son-in-law were murdered, Abbas said in newspaper
interviews that it was permissible to murder Jews who
lived in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

This week, news reports indicated that Abbas had
financed the PLO faction called Black September when
the group murdered 11 Israeli athletes and their
coaches at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Posted by Barak at 10:40 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Saudi support for Palestinian terror hits $275.5 million

IMRA:


The Saudi Committee for Support of Al-Quds Intifada is
executing 27 programs and projects to help the Palestinian people. More than
SR685 ($183) million was spent on them, according to a report of the
committee. The report, which was released here yesterday, said Interior
Minister Prince Naif, who is the general supervisor of the committee,
endorsed financial assistance worth SR232.8 ($62.1) million for 35,422
people. An amount of SR115 ($30.7) million was also allocated to the
Palestinian family support program.

[IMRA: 3 programs total $275.5 million. There are also other
such programs.]

Posted by Barak at 10:33 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
The Secrets Of September 11

This story, online at Newsweek's site, is already generating some controversy ... in it, Newsweek reports that the the White House is battling to keep a report on the September 11 terror attacks secret. They also wonder "Does the 2004 election have anything to do with it?" Also from the report:

AT THE CENTER of the dispute is a more-than-800-page secret report prepared by a joint congressional inquiry detailing the intelligence and law-enforcement failures that preceded the attacks—including provocative, if unheeded warnings, given President Bush and his top advisers during the summer of 2001.

The report was completed last December; only a bare-bones list of “findings” with virtually no details was made public. But nearly six months later, a “working group” of Bush administration intelligence officials assigned to review the document has taken a hard line against further public disclosure. By refusing to declassify many of its most significant conclusions, the administration has essentially thwarted congressional plans to release the report by the end of this month, congressional and administration sources tell NEWSWEEK. In some cases, these sources say, the administration has even sought to “reclassify” some material that was already discussed in public testimony—a move one Senate staffer described as “ludicrous.” The administration’s stand has infuriated the two members of Congress who oversaw the report—Democratic Sen. Bob Graham and Republican Rep. Porter Goss. The two are now preparing a letter of complaint to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Read the rest ...

Posted by Alan at 07:39 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
British bombers posed as peace activists
Daily Telegraph - The two British suicide bombers who blew up a seafront bar in Tel Aviv, killing three people, had posed earlier as peace activists, acting as "human shields" for Palestinians, sources in the Gaza Strip said yesterday.

Sharif and Asif Mohammed Hanif, who died at the scene, were believed to have entered Israel separately. They travelled to the Gaza Strip last week through the heavily-guarded Erez border crossing. It was unclear if this was to receive orders, obtain explosives or establish their cover.

Posted by Gabriel at 06:21 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 01, 2003
Gunman Wounds U.S. Defense Worker in Saudi

Arab Times (Kuwait)

A gunman wounded a U.S. worker at a naval base in Saudi Arabia Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

It quoted a Saudi Defense Ministry official as saying the American, who worked for a defense contracting company at the King Abdul-Aziz Naval Base in eastern Saudi Arabia, was taken to a base hospital and was in a "good" condition.

Security forces were looking for the gunman who fled after the attack, the official said.

Posted by Cranky at 03:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pakistani Ruler Says Bin Laden May Be Alive

Pakistani Ruler Says Bin Laden May Be Alive

Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, said Thursday there were indications Osama bin Laden was alive and might be hiding in tribal territory on the Pakistani-Afghan border.

The latest speculation on the al Qaeda leader's fate came as Pakistani investigators were interrogating six members of an al Qaeda cell and expected to glean information that would lead to the arrest of more members of the militant group.

Posted by Steven L. Taylor at 02:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Rumsfeld declares war over in Afghanistan

Rumsfeld declares war over in Afghanistan

U.S. combat operations are over in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declared in Kabul Thursday, the same day President George W. Bush is expected to announce the same thing about Iraq from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

"We have clearly moved from major combat activity," Rumsfeld said in a joint news conference with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace. "The bulk of the country today is permissive (and) secure."

Posted by Steven L. Taylor at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Jordan Airport Blast Kills One

[Sky News]

A blast at Jordan's international airport has killed a member of staff it has been reported.

A piece of baggage due to be loaded on a plane bound for the Israeli city of Tel Aviv exploded at a search and control area inside the airport, a Jordanian official said.

UPDATE:

The blast had more to do with stupidity than terror:

A piece of baggage belonging to a Japanese journalist returning from Baghdad exploded at a search and control area inside the airport, a Jordanian official said.

It is thought the journalist had accidentally packed an explosive object in his bag to bring home as a souvenir.

The employee who was killed triggered the explosion after noticing a suspect piece of metal inside the bag and searching it.

The blast killed him instantly.

Jordan's Information Minister Mohamad Adwan said: "A Japanese journalist had brought back the object as well as other artefacts from Baghdad, but was unaware it was an explosive."

The journalist, who has not been identified, is being interrogated by the authorities he added.

According to Adwan, the journalist was bound on an EgyptAir flight to Cairo and not to Tel Aviv as airport sources had originally said.


More to follow.

Posted by Van Houten at 01:05 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
First Bali Guilty Verdict

...but only of someone who was a bit lax with selling dangerous goods. From The Australian

An Indonesian court has delivered the first verdict of a trial associated with the Bali bombings, finding a man who sold chemicals to the bombers guilty of possessing and distributing explosive materials.
Sylvester Tendean was sentenced to seven months jail in the Surabaya District Court in East Java for selling two tonnes of chemicals to Amrozi Nurhasyim before the attack on October 12 last year.
Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence 47-year-old Tendean to nine months' prison, despite having a maximum penalty of death available.
"He had no malicious intention," prosecutor Donny Kanedzar Irdan told AAP by telephone.

Posted by Alan Brain at 10:49 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Israel Hunts 2nd British Muslim Homicide Bomber

Haaretz:


Two British Muslims took part in what was to have
been a double suicide bombing at a Tel Aviv pub early
Wednesday morning.

British citizen Asif Mohammed Hanif blew himself
up, killing 3 people and wounding 60 at "Mike's Place"
near the U.S. Embassy.

Security forces are searching for 27-year-old Omar
Khan Sharif, who dropped his explosive device and fled
after it failed to explode. Both had entered Israel
from Gaza.

See also The Independent's story UK "Fertile Ground for Extremism"

Posted by Barak at 09:54 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Abu Mazen Seeking Temporary Ceasefire?

Haaretz:


Israel believes the new PA prime minister will try to
push Israel to concessions by means of a hudna, an
agreed cessation of attacks among the Palestinian
organizations, behind which they will amass power and
arms for the next round in the confrontation. Jerusalem
sources warn that the international community is deaf
to such nuances and, as soon as a false calm prevails,
will demand from Israel withdrawals and settlement
freezes.

Posted by Barak at 09:49 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
UN Human Rights Commission Sanctions Suicide Bombings

Wall Street Journal:


The UN Commission on Human Rights, the primary UN organ
responsible for human rights protection, is chaired by
Libya, with three of the State Department's list of
state sponsors of terrorism as current members - Cuba,
Sudan, and Syria. On April 15, the commission adopted a
resolution sanctioning the use of "all available means
including armed struggle" - which includes suicide
bombing - as a legitimate tactic against Israelis. More
than a quarter of the commission's resolutions
condemning a state's human rights violations passed
over the last 30 years have been directed at Israel,
while there has never been a single resolution on
China, Syria, or Saudi Arabia.

Posted by Barak at 09:47 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Excerpts from State Dep't Terror Report: The Palestinians

State Department:


* Hamas, the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, all of which the United
States has designated as Foreign Terrorist
Organizations, were responsible for most of the
attacks, which included suicide bombings, shootings,
and mortar firings against civilian and military
targets.

* Terrorists killed more than 370 persons - including
at least 10 U.S. citizens - in 2002.

* Hamas's bombing of a cafeteria on the Hebrew
University campus, which killed nine, including five
U.S. citizens, demonstrated its willingness to stage
operations in areas frequented by Westerners, including
U.S. citizens.

* The PIJ increased its number of lethal attacks in
2002, staging a car bombing in June that killed 17
Israelis near Megiddo and similar attacks in or near
Afula, Haifa, and Hadera. Syrian officials declined to
act on a U.S. request in November to close the PIJ's
offices in Damascus.

* Attacks by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have killed
at least five U.S. citizens. Documents seized by the
Israelis and information gleaned from the interrogation
of arrested al-Aqsa members indicate that Palestinian
Authority (PA) and Fatah members, including Chairman
Yasser Arafat, made payments to al-Aqsa members known
to have been involved in violence against Israelis.

* The Palestinian Authority's efforts to thwart
terrorist operations were minimal in 2002. Some
personnel in the security services, including several
senior officers, have continued to assist terrorist
operations. Incidents such as the seizure in January of
the Karine-A, a ship carrying weapons that Iran planned
to deliver to the PA, further called into question the
PA's ability and desire to help prevent terrorist
operations. In June, President Bush called for a new
Palestinian leadership "not compromised by terror."

Posted by Barak at 09:43 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
State Department: Terror Attacks Lowest in 30 Years

From VOA News (link via Drudge):
US Report Says Terror Attacks Declined Sharply Last Year

The State Department, in its annual report on global terrorism, says the number of terror attacks declined sharply last year due to increased international cooperation and resolve. Seven countries - Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, and Sudan - were again listed as state sponsors of terrorism, though Iraq may soon come off the list.

From the U.S. Department of State:
Secretary Powell's remarks
Text of the report: HTML and PDF formats)

Posted by Crazy Write Winger at 06:50 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
South American "terrorism triangle"

The Forward has been tracking news about the South American "terrorism triangle" for several years now. In reverse chronological order:

What was the top leadership of Al Qaeda doing in Brazil during the mid-1990s?

U.S. Hand Seen in Paraguay's Pursuit of Terrorism Suspect

U.S. Joining Terrorism Probe Along Lawless Brazil Border

Tracking Terror's Money Trail in Lawless Frontier

Paraguay's Ciudad del Este, on a remote tropical plain near the borders of Brazil and Argentina, is the Shanghai of modern-day South America.

Posted by Judith Weiss at 01:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack