Reuters reports a Yemeni man was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $750,000 on Thursday for conspiring to support and fund al Qaeda and Hamas:

Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, 32, was convicted by a federal jury on March 10 of conspiring to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda and to Hamas.

[. . .]

His colleague Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, 56, was sentenced in July to 75 years and fined $1.25 million in the same case. For each of five counts, al-Moayad received 15-year sentences, each to be served consecutively.

Prosecutor Kelly Moore said during the five-week trial that al-Moayad had ties to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and had bragged about having “taught him about Islamic law.”

The sheikh was arrested in Germany in 2003 after telling a federal agent posing as an American businessman he would help him funnel money to militants, prosecutors said. The sheikh and Zayed, who prosecutors said worked in tandem, were later extradited to the United States.

Zayed’s plea for leniency fell on deaf ears. As he handed down the sentence, Judge Sterling Johnson said:

Everyone all over the world should condemn terrorists and terrorist organizations.

The BBC reports a missile was fired at the USS Ashland docked in the Jordanian port of Aqaba:

“I can confirm that a rocket flew over the bow of USS Ashland and the rocket impacted in the roof of a warehouse. No sailors or marines were injured,” said Commander Breslau, of the US Fifth Fleet.

[. . .]

The USS Ashland and its sister amphibious ship, the USS Kearsarge, have been docked in Aqaba, Jordan’s only sea port, for the past 10 days, witnesses said.

Both ships are reported to have left the port in response to the attack.

According to Bloomberg, second rocket landed at the airport in the neighboring Israeli city of Eilat at about 8:45 a.m. local time, partly exploding and causing unspecified damage.

From California Yankee.

The Associated Press reports that North American Muslims issued a fatwa against terrorism:

In the fatwa, the 18-member Fiqh Council of North America wrote that people who commit terrorism in the name of Islam were “criminals, not ‘martyrs’:”

“There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism,” the scholars wrote. “Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - or forbidden.”

According to the Associated Press, the fatwa did not specifically address suicide bombings in a war, but the scholars barred Muslims from helping anyone “involved in any act of terrorism or violence.” The council also declared that Muslims were obligated to help law enforcement officials protect civilians:

“It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities,” according to the Fiqh Council. The term “fiqh” refers to Islamic legal issues and understanding the faith’s religious law.

[. . .]

“We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism,” the scholars wrote. “We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet.”

UPDATE: The text of the fatwa is posted here:

From California Yankee.

Bloomberg reports that President Bush speaking at the FBI Academy at Quantico said the London bombings affirm the U.S. strategy of taking the fight to the enemy while spreading freedom and democracy across the globe:

“Londoners are resilient,” Bush said. “The city that survived the Nazi blitz will not yield in the face of thugs and assassins, and just as America and Great Britain stood together to defeat the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century, we now stand together against the murderous ideologies of the 21st century.”

[. . .]

Bush saluted British resolve and used the London attacks as a reminder of the “evil” that struck the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.

From California Yankee.

Needless to say there is a lot of worry in this flat as both my flatmate and I have many friends (and for me bandmates) who work in the city. Our thoughts go out to all those with loved-ones and friends who would have been heading that direction when this outrage happened. Both our mobiles and the phone network is down so you cannot get in touch with anyone here. Alas, I am not surprised the terrorist scumbags have hit London; I do rather hope that their apologists keep their council and keep quiet now.

I knew something was odd when Tabitha called me this morning about the tubes being closed and then I could not get in touch with her. I hope that she is safe and so are all my other friends and acquaintances who work in the City. Ditto when my boss who went off to work this morning (he is living with me while he buys a place) came home looking rather distraught.

Update: No links in this post because both Sky & the BBC are overloaded.

BBC is reporting an Islamist website(s) are claiming responsability for this and gloating.

Police are reporting at least 7 bombs: 6 on the tube and one on a bus. There may have been more. Charles Clarke MP is on his feet in the house and saying that only 4 have been confirmed so far. So far no one has made any references to ID Cards in the light of this event. If any government official is that stupid they will get a hell of a lot of flak from anyone with half a brain.

Update: If this blog is not loading well; try Tim for further updates.

Update II: Mayor Livingstone just said this was an attack “on working class Londoners” as it was fine if they had attacked the rich or powerful. I wonder if Livingstone is regretting his choice of friends and acquaintances. I suspect my mates at Harry’s will have something to say on this subject. On the subject of another friend of Islamists…Tom Paine asks what Galloway is thinking right now and wondering aloud where he is…

[This is a mirror of the post from Global Recon; all updates will go here from now on. Earliest posts are first, scroll down for updates]

Very spotty coverage coming in right now - police say it was a power surge, but reports of a bus also exploding give question to that…

Original BBC story here

Explosions close London Underground

This blog has a rumor of thirty dead

BBC has confirmed the bus explosion as well as casualties and confirmed the presence of an explosive on the underground.

Updates below:

CNN is calling it a coordinated terrorist attack.

Scotland Yard has confirmed explosives….

More coming… It’s hard to get on the BBC and Sky news sites right now…I’m getting most of my news from friends in London, CNN tv, the BBC radio feed works sometimes..

All trains into London have been stopped. Roads are closed, etc.

CNN is now reporting six different explosions.

There are still people reporting power surges, but most reports are saying confirmed explosives, and that explosives have been found in trash bins.

CNN ticker says at least three bus bombings..

Kind of confusing…they are talking about power surges right now on CNN, but that doesn’t explain a bus being blown in half

Now CNN is saying nine explosions…

Keep scrolling at this blog…constant updates

BBC is reporting another blast

Some working links..

Reuters
AP

FOX is reporting at least 90 casualties

“I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air,” Belinda Seabrook told Press Association (search), the British news agency.

Photo from Kings Cross here

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“

The health services are in support to deal with the terrible injuries that there have been,” Clarke told reporters outside Downing Street.

Number 10 said it was “still unsure” whether the explosions were a terrorist attack and although casualties were reported, no further details were yet available.

Ministers are meeting to clarify the situation and the government will make a statement later, Leader of the House Geoff Hoon told the Commons.

Confirmed explosions: A bus at Tavistock Square, and two at Aldgate East and Edgware Road Tube station

Via comments: Swindon Train station (100 miles west of london) and Brighton Station (South Coast) are reported to be experiencing “security Situations”, they are being evacuated.

Map from BBC

[Thanks to TFark members for lots of this breaking info]

Two deaths confirmed…

Police responding to reports at the Edgware Road, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Russell Square, Aldgate East and Moorgate subway stations….also rumors of controlled explosions forthcoming at Russell Square.

ALL public transport in London closed.

Forbes reports police investigating this as a terrorist incident.

“When they led us to safety, I went past the carriage where I think the explosion was. It was the second one from the front.

“The metal was all blown outwards and there were people inside being helped by paramedics.

“One guy was being tended outside on the track. His clothes were torn off and he seemed pretty badly burned.

Union: Explosive device on tube

The Guardian is live blogging:

1110 PA is reporting fears of “many” dead after a series of what are now, patently, terrorist bomb blasts around the city. Eyewitness reports talk of terrible injuries, and “many fatalities”.

Blair will be making a statement soon

BBC: that the mobile phone networks have been shut down in London to prevent remote detonations (thanks again for the updates, Rich)

More pictures here

First person accounts at BBC

There’s already talk of al Qaida, though it’s all speculation right now which, of course, they are asking people not to do - but several news sites are quoting “sources” as saying this is the work of AQ. We’re waiting for confirmation of terrorism before moving this story to the GWoT page.

image from Newsday

BBC reporting that the army is moving into the area

More photos at flickr - they are off the tv, but are better than what I’m getting here in the states

BBC text only coverage, if you are having trouble accessing that site.

CNN has a timeline of today’s events

I hear that BBC is reporting al Qaeda is responsible for the attacks but I can’t get on to the site right now…

Normblog has updates

Londonblogger has pictures (via Jeff Jarvis, who has lots of links)

AP: Police find indications of explosives at scene of one of a series of blasts in London, London’s police chief says.

London hospitals on full alert

Reports of many people still trapped underground.

Photos here

On Fox: JERUSALEM — Senior Israeli official says Scotland Yard (search) told Israel minutes before explosions it had received warnings of possible terror attacks.

Blair speaking - he will be leaving G8.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR SAYS IT’S “REASONABLY CLEAR” THAT BLASTS WERE TERROR ATTACKS.

Blair’s stament:

At the present time we are still trying to establish what exactly happened…it’s recently clear there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London. There are obvioujsly casualties. People who have died and people who are seriously injured…It’s my intention to leave the G8 within the next couple of hours and get a report, face to face…And then to return later this evening.

It is the will of all the leaders of the G8 that the meeting should continue in my absence. That we shouldcontinue to discuss the issues we were to discuss…Each of the countries around that table have some experience of the effects of terrorism. All of the leaders…share our complete resolution.

It’s partciularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa..

It’s also recently clear that it is designed and aimed to coincide with the opening of the G8. There will be time to talk later about this. it’s important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realize that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do it is our determination that they never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world.

See above thread for new updates, this one was getting too long.

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Please note, if you are trying to contact me with links, updates, etc., please do not use the TCP address; you can reach me at michele.catalanoATgmailDOTcom. Thanks.
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