Counterterrorism Blog
The first multi-expert blog dedicated solely to counterterrorism issues, serving as a gateway to the community for policymakers and serious researchers. Designed to provide realtime information about terrorism cases and policy developments.
April 2005 Archives

Contributing Expert Michael Cutler to Testify & List of Congressional Hearings

By Andrew Cochran

Michael Cutler will testify at a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing on May 5 on the missions of the immigration enforcement agencies at the Homeland Security Department. Here is the list of terrorism-related open hearings (downloadable Word file) in the U.S. House next week - the U.S. Senate will be out all week.

Dr. Walid Phares Joins Us As Contributing Expert

By Andrew Cochran

I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Walid Phares, highly respected for his expertise on terrorism, Jihad movements, and the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, to The Counterterrorism Blog as a Contributing Expert. Dr. Phares is a professor at Florida Atlantic University and a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He has written seven books on the Middle East, and published hundreds of articles in newspapers and scholarly publications, and appears often in the international and national media. We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Phares to The Counterterrorism Blog and look forward to his illuminating contributions.

TERRORISM: WHY THE NUMBERS MATTER

By Larry Johnson

By
Larry C Johnson

The numbers are in and the news is not good for U.S. efforts to contain and reduce the threat of international terrorism. 2004 marked the highest number of significant incidents of terrorism since the intelligence community started keeping statistics in 1968. (An incident is counted as significant if an attack results in the death, injury or kidnapping of one or more persons or property damage in excess of $10,000). Attacks jumped from 175 in 2003 to 651 in 2004. This surpasses the previous high of 273 significant attacks in 1985.

The bad news kept on coming. One thousand nine hundred and seven (1907) people died in international terrorist attacks last year. This marks the second highest death toll since 1968; falling short of the infamous record of 2001.

Unfortunately, former 9-11 Commission Staff Director, Phil Zelikow, and chief of the National Counter Terrorism Center, John Brennan, tried with some success to confuse the press and suggest that the numbers do not matter. In a deft display of obfuscation and spin Messrs. Zelikow and Brennan made several points. It started with Zelikows claim that:

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Testimony by Contributing Experts on Islamic Extremism in Europe

By Andrew Cochran

Matthew Levitt and the Investigative Project's Lorenzo Vidino testified yesterday before a U.S. House International Relations subcommittee on Islamic extremism in Europe. Matthew Levitt testified about the "crossover" between al-Qaeda and Hamas oepratives. Muhammad Zouaydi, a senior al-Qaeda financier in Madrid, financed the Hamburg cell responsible for the September 11 attacks and, through other figures, Hamas. He also testified on the extent of Hezbollah operations in Europe. You can link to Matthew's "Hezbollah Finances: Funding the Party of God," in the Counterterrorism Library in the left sidebar. Lorenzo testified that the escalation of Islamist terrorist and extremist activity in Europe is due chiefly to lax immigration policies, radicalization of the continents Muslim population, and law enforcement's inability to dismantle terrorist networks. You can link to Lorenzo's "The Muslim Brotherhood's Conquest of Europe" in the Counterterrorism Library in the left sidebar. Other hearing witnesses included Peter Bergen and Claude Moniquet.

THE FACTS ABOUT "PATTERNS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM" (UPDATED with released "Country Reports on Terrorism 2004" and NCTC Chronology)

By Larry Johnson

by
Larry C. Johnson

(UPDATE: Larry appeared on MSNBC today on this story.) After being outed on this blog site for their surreptitious effort to keep the statistics on international terrorism away from the Congress and the American people, the State Department and the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) did a partial reverse today and released some statistics. (UPDATE: Here is link to "Country Reports on Terrorism 2004", and here is the new NCTC "Chronology of Significant International Terrorism for 2004.") As we reported earlier the number of significant incidents of terrorism in 2004 (a significant incidents means someone was killed, wounded, or kidnapped or there was property damage greater than $10,000) was the highest ever recorded. In addition, the number of fatalities is the second highest total recorded in 37 years--2001 still holds the infamous record for first place.

Rather than admit that the seventh floor at State was stunned by the figures, Phil Zelikow offers spin that this is a new effort that flows from the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission. This my friends is pure, unadulterated horse manure. What is truly ironic is that although the 9-11 Commission called for greater coordination within the intelligence community and between the intelligence community and policymakers, it is Zelikow, the Commission's former Staff Director, who is leading the charge to hinder such cooperation. Here are the facts about how Patterns of Global Terrorism has been produced prior to this year:

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Michael Cutler on Washington Times article: More Special Agents Needed to Stop Terrorists' Entry

By Andrew Cochran

Michael Cutler asked me to post his comments about a "Washington Times" article today. First, an excerpt from the story: "The Homeland Security Department's inspector general is investigating an incident involving 14 Syrian passengers aboard a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles last summer described by many federal air marshals and passengers as a dry run for a terrorist attack."

Michael's comments: "I noticed a reference to the fact that a couple of the individuals who were acting suspiciously on the flight may have overstayed their authorized periods of admission but that this issue was overloooked by the law enforcement officers who questioned them. It is entirely possible that others of the suspicious passengers were also in violation of their immigration status. This is why it is critical that we dedicate for more resources to the critical mission of the enforcement of the immigration laws from within the interior of the United States. This is the sort of thing that immigration special agents would not have ignored and might have given them the leverage that could have been extremely helpful in launching an investigation and to also detain these guys should it have been seen as being in our best interests from a security perspective. It shows the need for having enough agents who truly understand how proper enforcement of the INA can help contribute to waging a successful war on terrorism. Yet the administration only wanted to hire 143 new special agents this year for immigration law enforcement as compared with the 800 agents authorized by Congress."

Financial Regulators Release Bank Secrecy Act Guidance to Money Service Businesses

By Andrew Cochran

FinCEN and the federal banking agencies (FBAs) at the Federal Reserve System, the FDIC, the National Credit Union Administration, the OCC, and the Office of Thrift Supervision today issued interpretive guidance setting forth the minimum steps that banking organizations should take when providing banking services to money services businesses. FinCEN has issued a concurrent advisory to money services businesses to emphasize their Bank Secrecy Act regulatory obligations and to notify them of the types of information that they will be expected to produce to a banking organization in the course of opening or maintaining account relationships. FinCEN and the FBAs issued a joint press release on the guidance and the advisory. CT Blog regulars will recall last week's letter from the FBAs, which was in turn a reply to the January 10 letter from the American Bankers Association and state regulators on the consistency of BSA examinations. The new guidance was issued well ahead of the announced deadline and during the hearing today at the Senate Banking Committee on the regulators' oversight of MSB compliance with the BSA.

Security Council Reviews Progress Against Terrorism

By Victor Comras

It may be a sign of the times that the UN Security Council could hold an open session on the progress in the war on terrorism, as it did yesterday, and attract so little press and other attention. During yesterday's session, the Security Council received briefings from its three specialized anti-terrorism committees -- the Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions (1267) Committee, the Counter-Terrorism (1373) Committee and the new (1540) Committee on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The briefings were devoid of anything controversial, and really didnt provide any new insights into how the war on terrorism was progressing. At first brush the session did not appear newsworthy. But, reading through the lines there are several items that do merit attention.

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The Conviction of Ali al-Timimi

By Evan Kohlmann

After days of deliberations, jurors have finally returned with a guilty verdict in the case of would-be "Islamic scholar" Ali al-Timimi in Alexandria, Virginia.  Timimi is a prominent advocate of a puritanical and often extremist form of fundamentalist Islam known as Salafism.  As the federal prosecutors in Alexandria demonstrated over the past month, Timimi's "religious" teachings included directly encouraging his followers to take up arms against America in order to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan and their "Arab mujahideen" allies--read Al-Qaida.  Timimi's attorneys had attempted to shield their client in the protection of the First Amendment, arguing that Timimi's language never rose to the stringent incitement standard delineated in the landmark Brandenburg v. Ohio case.  The jurors were apparently unpersuaded.

The conviction of Ali al-Timimi is a significant victory for the Department of Justice in its ongoing counterterrorism efforts.  At a time when the DOJ is still coming to grips with regrettable evidentiary and legal defeats in a number of recent cases (such as those of London-based Al-Qaida recruiter Abu Doha and former University of Idaho student Sami Omar al-Hussayen), Timimi's conviction seems to confirm that the U.S. government is still able to successfully prosecute controversial terrorism cases without resorting to extrajudicial means, such as designating an individual as an enemy combatant.  One final note: this latest conviction is due--in no small part--to the tireless work of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Once again, the EDVA has proven itself to be a model of efficiency and success in tackling complex and critically important terrorism cases.  Americans should come to expect the same level of professionalism and expertise in all facets of our national counterterrorism strategy.

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Finally Some Action on Viktor Bout

By Douglas Farah

Well, the Treasury Department today announced its long-anticipated designations of Viktor Bout's people and front companies. Bout, provider of weapons to the Taliban and most sides of most wars in sub-Saharan African in violation of U.N. embargos, has long escaped scrutiny in the United States.

The reason the announcement was delayed by several weeks was the inclusion of U.S. citizen Richard Chichakli, Bout's U.S. financial handler. Including U.S. citizens requires a higher threshold be reached before the person is designated. Of the 30 companies and four individuals designated, he is clearly the most important and newsworthy. Nine "Chichakli-controlled firms" were also designated, showing just how active Bout's financial network was in the United States.

For the first time the U.S. government, in its press release, confirms Bout's dealings with the Taliban, an assertion that was often questioned in U.S. circles. Today's release says that "information available to the U.S. government shows that Bout profited $50 million from supplying the Taliban with military equipment when they ruled Afghanistan." The full release can be found here and the full list of designated companies can be found here.

For years Chichakli, the son fo a former Syrian president and self-proclaimed childhood friend of Osama bin Laden, has helped Bout on many fronts, while happily residing in Richardson, Tx. Texas. For my full blog, see here.

STATE DEPARTMENT INTENT ON STONEWALLING ON TERRORISM (UPDATE 4/27)

By Larry Johnson

by
Larry C. Johnson

(UPDATE: April 27 Washington Post cites Larry's scoop.)
The State Department and the National Counter Terrorism Center briefed a bipartisan group of the House of Representatives yesterday (Monday) on some of the numbers that will not appear in the Annual Report, Patterns of Global Terrorism. In one of the few welcome indicators that the Congress can put aside partisan activity and focus on a problem, both Republicans and Democrats were outraged by the cavalier and shallow treatment the data on terrorism is being given by the State Department. The following letter from Congressman Henry Waxman aptly summarizes the problems. Note, the letter acknowledges the role the Counterterrorism Blog played in flagging this disturbing development.

April 26, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

I am writing to urge you to reverse your decision to withhold government data on significant terrorist attacks from the State Department's annual Patterns of Global Terrorism report. At a congressional briefing yesterday, Administration officials revealed that the information you are withholding shows a "dramatic up-tick" in terrorist attacks. According to the data being concealed from the public, global terror attacks were more than three times higher in 2004 than the record levels set in 2003. In Iraq, where we are spending billions to restore order, terrorist attacks were nine times higher in 2004 than in 2003.

These are important facts that the American public has a right to know.

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Treasury Department Designates Victor Bout Arms Network

By Andrew Cochran

"The U.S. Department of the Treasury today identified 30 companies and four individuals linked to Viktor Bout, an international arms dealer and war profiteer. Today's action took place pursuant to Executive Order 13348, which targets family members and associates of former Liberian President Charles Ghankay Taylor. Bout himself was designated under the same authority in July 2004 because his association with Taylor." Doug Farah will comment on this later today.

Sent via BlackBerry Handheld

Syria to Sign Counter-Terrorism Financing Convention: An Empty Gesture!

By Victor Comras

Syria has announced its intention to sign the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism Financing. Under the treaty, states must "make the provision of such funding a criminal offence under their domestic laws, and confiscate assets allocated for terrorist purposes". Normally, this would be an important milestone in joining the international effort to combat terrorism. But, in Syrias case, it looks like another empty gesture. Syria has long proclaimed that there are no al Qaeda cells in Syria nor funds held there on its behalf (See Syria's Report to the 1267 Committee). And the counter terrorism financing treaty is not likely to deter Syria from providing funds to Iraqi insurgents, or to Hizballah, Hamas or the PFLP.

Syrias new found interest in supporting UN counter-terrorism measures, like its pull back from Lebanon, may just be part of a defensive gambit to defuse the intense pressure resulting from the Harari assassination and growing evidence linking Syria to the Iraq insurgency. The real test will be Syrias willingness to distance itself from the Iraq insurgents, and to cut off their channel of funds from Syria and Lebanon. Its even harder to imagine that Syria will sever its financial and other support ties to Hizballah, Hamas and the PFLP. In fact, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Shara has made it clear, time and again, that Syria considers these groups as freedom fighters and not terrorists. In the absence of a no wiggle-room definition of terrorism, Syrias signature on the Suppression of Terrorism Financing Convention is not likely to have an impact on its support for any of these groups.

Syrias role in the war on terrorism has been ambiguous at best. While it has provided some intelligence and interrogation assistance in dealing with al Qaeda, it remains high on the list of countries designated as supporting terrorism. Its links with Hizballah and the PFLP are as strong as ever. And funds continue to flow from Syria, along with volunteers, to fuel Zarqari and other Iraq insurgent groups. The U.S Treasury Department, last May,.designated the Commercial Bank of Syria (CBS) as a funding conduit for the Iraqi insurgents. CBS was also directly implicated in laundering money for Saddam Hussein and his regime, as part of the Oil for Food scandal. This, despite the fact that Syria has long exercised an iron hand of control over its state run banks, and the informal hawala system that operates within its borders.

Somalia Demonstrates How Vexing & Complex Immigration Issues Can Be

By Bill West

Remember the case of Somali alien Keyse Jama? He is the refugee who became a criminal alien in Minnesota who was placed in deportation proceedings and appealed his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming he shouldnt be deported because Somalia has no viable national government that can officially accept his return. In January, he lostat least at the Supreme Court level (an issue covered in the CT Blog on 1/27).

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Congresswoman: Saudi Prince's Visit Should Include Commitments on Terrorism

By Andrew Cochran

Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is visiting President Bush's ranch in Texas at a sensitive time. A former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia says that the Saudis have assisted the U.S. in Lebanon, increased oil production at crucial times, and taken initial steps towards introducing democratic reforms. But the extent of Saudi cooperation in counterterrorism (or lack thereof) is getting overlooked in wire service stories (the linked AP story gives the last two sentences to the issue). Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY) reminds us today in an op-ed and in the NYT's story on the visit that the Saudis have a long way to go before they can claim that they are fully engaged against Al Qaeda and other Islamic-based terrorists. Rep. Kelly chairs a key oversight committee in the U.S. House, founded a special task force on terrorist financing, and recently visited Saudi Arabia, where she met with senior Saudi leaders.

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Doug Farah in today's Washington Post on Charles Taylor: "A Protected Friend of Terrorism"

By Andrew Cochran

Today's Washington Post (free registration) includes an op-ed by Contributing Expert Doug Farah on the inaction by the Bush Administration against Charles Taylor, the former dictator of Liberia and indicted war criminal whom Doug also describes as "an abettor of al Qaeda and Hezbollah." Taylor will escape prosecution for his crimes unless the U.S. soon takes the lead in his extradition from Nigeria to Sierra Leone, where a special court awaits. The premier expert in the U.S. on Taylor's atrocities and his ties to terrorists, Doug has posted on this issue here and on his own site, which I encourage you to visit. An excerpt from today's op-ed on Taylor's brutality and alliances:

"Taylor's were brutal, vicious crimes. For more than a decade he presided over forces that murdered, raped and mutilated children; they also abducted children to use them as cannon fodder. He created "Small Boys Units" made up of specially trained children who, while high on amphetamines, were used to raze villages and murder civilians. He trained and supplied the Revolutionary United Front in neighboring Sierra Leone, whose signature atrocity was hacking off the arms, legs and ears of civilians, many of them children. Taylor also hosted diamond buyers from al Qaeda and Hezbollah for several years, allowing the two designated terrorist groups to earn and hide their wealth in an asset that is untraceable and easily convertible to cash."

This Week in Congress: Matthew Levitt & Lorenzo Vidino Testify on Islamic Extremism in Europe

By Andrew Cochran

Contributing Experts Matthew Levitt and Lorenzo Vidino will testify this week at a House International Relations Committee hearing on Islamic extremism in Europe. This week's open terrorism-related hearings in the U.S. Congress (downloadable Word file) include numerous USA Patriot Act and border security hearings and a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Bank Secrecy Act issues involving money service businesses. I will save selected hearing links in the "Events" box on the left sidebar.

Balancing Human Rights and Aggressive Tactics in the War on Terrorism

By Victor Comras

Now that the War on Terrorism is settling in for the long haul, there is a growing perception, at home and abroad, that counter-terrorism actions are taking a toll on human rights. More than one repressive regime has used the excuse of combating terrorism to clamp down on legitimate opposition groups. And several watchdog groups are beginning to questions some of the tactics being used by more democratic regimes. There are growing questions here and abroad, for example, on the use of rendition to pressure terrorist suspects, and with regard to the treatment of war on terrorism prisoners. The UN Commission on Human Rights has just established a new international Special Rapporteur and given him a broad mandate to oversee and report on human rights abuses related to the conduct of the war on terrorism.

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Another terrorist "goes down"

By Mike Chandler

Saajid Badat, a fellow shoe-bomber accomplice of Richard Reid was sentenced today at London's Old Bailey to 13 years in jail having been found guilty of plotting to blow-up a transatlantic airliner. Once again the message to the terrorists is that " terrorism does not pay!"

From across "the pond"

By Mike Chandler

The trial that has started in Spain of a number of individuals suspected of being members of al-Qaida and/or an al-Qaida cell, highlights the amount of time and effort that is necessary in attempting to achieve a soundly based conviction against terrorists and/or would be terrorists and their sympathisers. The length and painstaking aspects of this process were also emphasised last week with the conviction and sentencing of Kamel Bourgass in London "...for plotting to spread ricin (poison)... on the UK's streets."

Even though four individuals suspected of involvement in the same conspiracy were found not guilty by the jury in the case, others in UK and certain European countries are under investigation for terrorist related activities. Some will eventually go to trial, some will possibly be released without going to trial. The important point is that at the first level, the tactical level, it is crucial to maintain the pressure on the terrorist groups. Terrorists and would-be terrorists need to clearly understand that "terrorism does not pay". Similarly, the terrorists' supporters, sympathisers and financiers need to know that "paying for terrorism also does not pay!"

Disrupting the terrorists efforts and plans, whilst not a guarantee against further attacks, does nonetheless keep them 'on-the-hop' and goes some way to ensuring that they can only continue to operate with considerable difficulty. This is all the more important due to concerns that a number of jihadists fighting coalition forces and their allies in Iraq, might carry-out terrorist attacks after they return to the European country of their 'adopted' citizenship. Some individuals have been identified, suspected of having links to groups connected with Iraq, e.g. al-Tawhid . Hence the threat posed by trans-national terrorism, rather than al-Qaida per se has to be seen for what it is and treated accordingly. We saw what happened after the Soviet departure from Afghanistan, with mujahidin taking their jihad to Bosnia and Chechnya and, more recently the movements after the over throw of the Taliban regime. Many of the Afghan-Arabs who had been in Afghanistan came to Europe where they either joined existing al-Qaida cells or formed new ones, be they of an operational or supporting nature.

U.S. Shuts Off "Dirty" Latvian Banks & Regulators Issue Important Bank Secrecy Act Letter

By Andrew Cochran

The Treasury Department and other federal financial regulators effectively shut off access to the U.S. financial system for two banks in Latvia today. By applying Section 311 of the USA Patriot Act, called "the smart bomb of terrorist financing" by a former Treasury Department General Counsel, the U.S. government is ordering U.S. financial institutions to cease doing business with to Multibanka and VTF Bank, the two named banks, for their alleged enabling of financial fraud and money laundering. Personally, I hope the regulators apply Section 311 sanctions more often against those banks which enable the easy transmission of terrorist funds, and the regulators and law enforcement already know of candidates. Near the end of the above-linked press release, you'll note that Section 311 has been seldom applied. The Senate Banking Committee is holding a Bank Secrecy Act oversight hearing next Tuesday, and I hope the Senators use the opportunity to ask the regulators to clearly state the criteria upon which a Section 311 sanctions decision is made and why it hasn't been applied more often.

The regulators also issued an important letter this week, available on the internet for the first time here, to the banks and their state regulators about the consistency of banking examinations. They replied to concerns in a letter sent on January 10 by the banks (represented by the American Banking Association) and all state banking regulators (and which was also available for the first time here)

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Larry Johnson: "The Demise of Counterterrorism" (UPDATED for wire story)

By Andrew Cochran

Larry Johnson, currently on travel, asked me to post this update on the terrorism report controversy, with information about terrorism in Kashmir and a recommendation for the top State Department counterterrorism job:

The recent furor generated by the State Department's decision to cease publishing a glossy report on international terrorism and let the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) handle the statistics and questions by themselves is symptomatic of a much deeper problem--lack of leadership on the counterterrorism issue. (UPDATE: Rep. Henry Waxman asked the State Department Inspector General to investigate the decision on the report.) Since the departure of Cofer Black in December 2004 the Office of the Coordinator for Counter Terrorism has been vacant. While career foreign service officers have been tabbed to fill the role in an "acting" capability, the fact remains that there is no one with the clout or mandate to do the job of coordinating the foreign policy communities response to international terrorism.

This is not, as some might argue, a battle over turf. Although the National Counter Terrorism Center has received a legislative mandate to coordinate terrorist issues, managing policy within the bowels of State Department requires someone who is in the building and has the ear of the Secretary of State.

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R.P. Eddy: "Look for Nuclear Weapons in the RDD Haystack"

By Andrew Cochran

Contributing Expert R.P. Eddy, former senior U.N. and N.S.C. counterterrorism official, asked me to post this for him:

From a story by Bill Gertz in yesterday's Washington Times: Recurrent intelligence reports say al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi has obtained a nuclear device or is preparing a radiological explosive -- or dirty bomb -- for an attack.. The classified reports say Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, has stored the nuclear device or dirty bomb in Afghanistan.

While reports of terrorists possessing either an RDD or a nuclear weapon are bad news, credible intelligence of terrorists overseas possessing the latter would be cause for defensive measures approaching a lock-down of our borders and a massive increase in federal and policing activity.

On the other hand, credible intelligence of terrorists with an RDD overseas should cause nothing near the same level of response. It is quite likely a terrorist can assemble an RDD in nearly any industrialized city - here or abroad. Radioactive waste is a by-product of mining, medicine, even dentistry. For this reason, to learn that they have created an RDD overseas would make me think the intended target is overseas as well - why go to the trouble to transport it to the US when they can make one here? (An exception would be if they came upon stores of some of the most highly toxic radioactive materials that are better protected in the US.)

So in a resource constrained environment, how to prioritize and act on information that mentions radioactive material? Is the threat nearly a show-stopper or is it simply newsworthy?

Al-Qaida Commander Ibn-ul-Khattab on Babar Ahmad/Azzam.com

By Evan Kohlmann

In light of the decision by the British "Peace and Progress" party to name Londoner Babar Ahmad (a.k.a. Abu Ibrahim al-Brittani)--currently awaiting extradition to the U.S. to face terrorism charges--as its protest candidate in upcoming national elections, I am re-posting a link to a video I originally posted online last August.  The video features Commander Ibn-ul-Khattab (an old friend of Usama Bin Laden and the Saudi founder of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus) discussing his close relationship with Ahmad and his organization known as Azzam Publications (http://www.azzam.com).  Khattab (who was eventually killed by an assassin) is infamous for having participated, among other things, in the televised executions of wounded Russian soldiers captured in Chechnya.

Also, for those with further interest, here is a link to a 2004 dossier c/o Globalterroralert.com on Azzam Publications.

New Videos from Zarqawi/Al-Qaida in Iraq

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has released the following video footage since April 16 of artillery launches, roadside bombs, and suicide car bombings on U.S. military forces stationed in Iraq.  In at least one suicide bombing, the "martyr" was identified as Abu Shaheed al-Lubnani, indicating that he was a foreign fighter from Lebanon.

Click to view video c/o Globalterroralert.com
- Apr. 16 video of bombing attack on U.S. convoy in Mosul
- Apr. 16 video of suicide bombing at a "CIA base" in Tikrit
- Apr. 18 video of mortar attack on U.S. forces in Baqubah
- Apr. 18 video of suicide bomber Abu Shaheed al-Lubnani
- Apr. 18 video of rocket attack on U.S. base in Taji

G-7 and Terrorism Financing: Looking Toward Gleneagles

By Victor Comras

The G-7 Finance Ministers Statement at the close of their meeting in Washington April 15-16 provides a small glimpse into G-7 thinking re the terrorism financing agenda item for this summers G8 Summit at Gleneagles. It appears doubtful that any major new initiatives are planned. Rather, the Group of Eight is likely to stay focused on its previous CTAG and SAFTI initiatives as it pushes to {strengthen} the process of multilateral asset freezing, in line with UN resolutions, and to {improve} information sharing. The US seems to have come up a little short in getting G-7 full support for its new terrorism financing tracking initiatives. The US wants other countries to adopt measures, similar to those in the Patriots Act, which would effectively filter, or cut off, transactions with questionable overseas financial entities. Ministers agreed only that they would {explore} the possibility of broadening the application of new financial tools to disrupt all illicit activity.

The United Kingdom, which will host this years Gleneagles {Scotland} Summit, agreed, last year, to draft a new thematic action plan to better identify and target terrorist support networks. They will likely stress measures directed at encouraging improved implimentation of the UN financial sanctions ( UNSCR 1267 and 1373). They are expected to also propose new steps to bolster application of FAFTs 40 recommendations, including the 9 Special Recommendations dealing with terrorism financing. The G-8 has not received high marks for following through on its previous initiatives to combat terrorism financing. In fact, the University of Toronto yearly assessment report on G-8 program compliance finds that, since Sea Island, implementation on "terrorism financing has fallen within the negative range." There is growing recognition that further steps are necessary to "re-invigorate" international implementation of UN sanctions requirements. Hopefully Gleneagles will provide an opportunity to review and assess the progress made, and to make the necessary adjustments.

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Larry Johnson's Update: "State Department Punts on Terrorism"

By Andrew Cochran

Larry Johnson asked me to post the following update to his April 14 scoop while he is on travel (links are mine):

To the uninformed listener State Department spokesmen Richard Boucher offered a rational explanantion for why statistics on international terrorist attacks would be excluded from this year's report to Congress. According to Boucher:

"As far as the statistical annexes that we have included in the past in various ways, there has been a development this year in terms of the structure of the government's work on terrorism and we're going to take that into account. The 9/11 Commission recommended and the Congress passed legislation called the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established the National Counterterrorism Center as the primary organization in the U.S. Government for analysis of global terrorism. With respect for that mandate and acknowledgment that they're the people who do the detailed work in any case, the government has decided that the National Center for Counterterrorism -- National Counterterrorism Center should compile and publish the statistical data on terrorism that has previously been included by the State Department in our report. "

This is sheer, utter nonsense. For the last 16 years the Counter Terrorism Center at the CIA has been doing exactly what NCTC will now do, with one big exception--State Department is ignoring the statistics. Since my original posting on 14 April on this issue I have learned that State Deparment's seventh floor made a direct intervention with the NCTC to "encourage" them to use a different methodology that would produce a lower number of terrorist attacks. NCTC refused to do so. As a result State Department decided that the politics of reporting a dramatic rise in international terrorist incidents was too hot to handle and punted.

How ironic that one of Condoleeza Rice's counselors on this matter, Phil Zelikow, the Staff Director of the 9-11 Commission is directly involved in trying to manage the statistics and shift the political heat to the NCTC rather than take the issue head on. Are there problems with the statistics? Sure. There have been problems every year since Patterns started. What we are seeing for the first time since 1989 is a level of policy cowardice unprecedented in the history of the State Department. Using incompetence and mistakes in last year's report as an excuse to run away from answering the fundamental question of whether or not the United States is making headway against the groups that are attacking us with terrorist tactics is a shameful, improper act.

Viktor Bout Flys On

By Douglas Farah

Unbelievable as it may seem, Viktor Bout, internationally-wanted fugitive and weapons supplier to the Taliban and al Qaeda, continues to fly for U.S. firms in Iraq, being paid by U.S. taxpayer dollars. I was just given the documents that show this. So confident is he of whatever protection he seems to have, that he has not even bothered to change the call letters of his aircraft, flying under MCC, the designation of Aerocom. Two flights, MCC 9025 and MCC 9027 are scheduled today and tomorrow into Iraq.

It does not seem to matter that Aerocom lost is Moldovan air operator certificate in August 2004 and, according to international aviation officials, does not appear to have re-registered anyplace else. Nor does it seem to matter much that the CIA and Treasury Department have been working to cut off Bout's Iraq and Afghan links. Juan Zarate, assistant secreatary of treasury for terror finance, is on the record saying "our ultimate goal is to shut down his (Bout's) network." The entire story can be found here

Arizona Minutemen a Cautious Success

By Bill West

As the Minuteman Project on the Arizona border with Mexico nears its two-thirds mission milestone, passing without incident and claiming to have reported hundreds of illegal alien border crossers to the Border Patrol, and with the statistics reflecting a dramatic decrease in the number of illegal border crossings along the 20 mile stretch monitored by the citizen volunteers, the organization is touting the project a successso far.

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Fallout Continues From Larry Johnson's CT Blog Scoop on State Department Report

By Andrew Cochran

Last Thursday night, Larry Johnson posted his scoop on the elimination of the publicly available statistics in the annual "Patterns of Global Terrorism" and the rise in the number of reportable terrorist incidents from 2003 to 2004. Yesterday's State Department daily press briefing began with questions about Friday's Knight-Ridder wire story, which quoted Larry and cited the CTB. Today's Washington Post and LA Times have excellent stories on the decision to have the NCTC release the statistics, and they quoted Larry (and thanks to the WP for citing the CTB as the original outlet). Other news services ran stories, but didn't see fit to cite the Knight-Ridder story, Larry, or the CTB. Larry is now on travel but plans to file an update analysis soon, perhaps with new info.

Iraqi Security Forces Capture Alleged Zarqawi Lieutenants in Ramadi

By Evan Kohlmann

This from the Government Communications Directorate of the Republic of Iraq:

"Security forces captured another so-called Tanzim Qa`idat al-Jihad Fi Bilad Al-Rafidayn (QJBR) Amir [commander].  Hamza Ali Ahmed al-Widmizyar, also known as Abu Majid was captured in a raid in Ramadi in early April.  Abu Majid facilitated communications, weapons and money for al-Zarqawi.  Abu Majid was also directly associated with Hiwa Gopali and Umar Baziyani, both of whom were trusted al-Zarqawi lieutenants captured by Security Forces in 2004.  Abu Majid has met personally with al-Zarqawi at least on five separate occasions.  Salman Aref Abdulkadir Khwamurad al-Zardowe, a.k.a. Abu Sharif, who was, also, captured in the raid, confirmed Abu Majid's position and connections within the al-Zarqawi network.  Abu Sharif confessed his involvement in terrorist activity for over three years to include making and detonating improvised explosive devices.  Both Abu Majid and Abu Sharif have provided information to Security Forces that will likely lead to more significant arrests of al-Zarqawi associated terrorists in Mosul, Ramadi, and Kirkuk."

Oops! A Breach in Security for Al-Qaida Online Reveals New Zarqawi Website

By Evan Kohlmann

Several weeks ago, credible representatives of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaida faction in Iraq announced that they would soon be opening their own Al-Qaida website on the Internet, featuring propaganda materials, communiques, video clips, and audio recordings.  Finally, late last week, a critical security error made by an Al-Qaida cyber-facilitator known as "Terrorist 007" allowed public web users to briefly view the rough draft of Zarqawi's new homepage on the Internet.  It is clear from browsing the "beta" website inadvertently broadcast by Terrorist 007 that Zarqawi's cyber-operatives are intensely active at the moment, working--among other things--on the production of future issues of their nascent online magazine, Tharwat al-Sanam ("The Camel's Hump").  Additionally, there is a renewed focus on providing reliable download links for jihad video clips, including versions specifically encoded for use on European and Middle Eastern web-equipped cellular telephones.  Americans will be comforted to learn that the website--along with Zarqawi's entire current video archive of beheadings and suicide bombings--is being hosted from a server in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.  Al-Qaida representatives have not offered any comment on when the final version of Zarqawi's homepage will be open to public visitors.  Much of the material mistakenly published by Terrorist 007 has since been removed, and web surfers are now greeted with the message "Nothing to see... Move along..."

Click to view screenshot of the website c/o Globalterroralert.com

This Week in Congress: List of Open Hearings

By Andrew Cochran

HERE is a single downloadable Word file of this week's terrorism-related hearings in the U.S. Congress which are open to the public. They include several hearings on the USA PATRIOT Act and an expected vote by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of John Bolton to be the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. I will add links for selected hearings to the "Events" box in the left sidebar.

GOODBYE PATTERNS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM? (UPDATED 4/16)

By Larry Johnson

by
Larry C. Johnson

(UPDATE, 4/16: Knight-Ridder Newspapers quotes this post in wire story.) Just when you thought the Department of State could not top last year's debacle in failing accurately to count the number of international terrorist incidents, it appears that the State Department is going one step better--they reportedly have decided to not issue a report to the public. This move has been prompted by the Department's discovery that the new methodology used by the recently formed National Counter Terrorism Center has produced statistics that shows an enormous jump in the number of international terrorist attacks. For example, in 2003 there were about 172 significant attacks. The numbers for 2004 have jumped to at least 655. At least 300 of those incidents occurred in India in the Kashmir region. NCTC, I'm told, is still tweaking the numbers. For Secretary of State Rice these numbers are a disaster. It is tough to argue we are winning the war on terrorism when the numbers in the official Government report will show the largest number of incidents ever recorded since the State Department started reporting on terrorist incidents. In the Secretary's defense, however, the sharp jump in numbers has more to do with a change in methodololgy of counting rather that an actual surge in Islamic extremist activity. In fact, if you take time to parse the numbers, the actual scope of terrorism by Islamic extremists in 2004 appeared to decline relative to the attacks during 2003 (except for Iraq). Rather than run from the numbers the State Department and the Intelligence Community should seize the opportunity to really get their hands around the issue and provide Congress and the American people with a clear, apolitical assessment about the reality of the terrorist threat we face. (Note: the reporting requirement in 22 USCS is reprinted below.)

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The Evidence Behind the London Ricin Plot

By Evan Kohlmann

Despite damning evidence and the violent murder of a British constable, four of five men accused of plotting to spread ricin and other poisons throughout downtown London have been acquitted by a court in the United Kingdom.  When British counterterrorism forces raided the headquarters of the alleged terror cell in January 2003, they found a makeshift chemical weapons factory, replete with castor oil beans (the raw material for ricin), lab equipment, and recipes for ricin, cyanide, botulinum, and the preparation of explosives.

Click to view seized exhibits in the London Ricin case c/o Globalterroralert.com

John Bolton: Another Story - Another View

By Victor Comras

There are several stories out and about regarding John Bolton and his character and fitness for appointment as US Ambassador to the United Nations. In fairness to John Bolton, I'd like to add another.

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Iraqi Islamic Extremist Groups Cooperating with Al-Qaida

By Evan Kohlmann

The Al-Rijjal Brigade--an Iraqi insurgent group led by "Abu Abdullah al-Qurashi"--has announced that it has officially sworn allegiance to Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.  Separately, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army  has issued a statement claiming responsibility for a bombing ambush on Iraqi police in Kirkuk, allegedly carried out with the cooperation of "a number of our fighting brothers from Al-Qaida's Committee."

Click to view English translations c/o Globalterroralert.com:
- Apr. 13 statement from the leader of the Al-Rijjal Brigade
- Apr. 14 claim from Ansar al-Sunnah of bombing in Kirkuk

Text of New Indictments in Oil-for-Food Scandal (UPDATE, 4/15)

By Andrew Cochran

HERE is the indictment of David Chalmers, Texan who runs Bayoil, and the company itself; John Irving, the British citizen; and Ludmil Dionissiev, the Bulgarian citizen. HERE is the indictment of Tongsun Park, a South Korean also indicted for acting as Saddam's agent. UPDATE, 4/15: Tongsun Park has quite a history of improper influence. Back in the 1970s, he was the central figure in investigations into improper Korean influence in the U.S. Congress.

"Real ID Act" Effectively Blocked in U.S. Senate

By Andrew Cochran

In March, the U.S. House of Representatives attached the "REAL ID Act" legislation, designed to address the 9/11 Commssion's "terrorist travel" findings, to the bill providing $80+ billion in supplemental war and counterterrorism funds. House Majority Leader DeLay insists that the act remain in that bill, but it's not going anywhere in the U.S. Senate. Roll Call (sorry, paid subscription required) reports today that the Senate easily passed a nonbinding resolution to exclude all immigration issues from the bill. Roll Call also quotes the powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee as saying that the entire supplemental spending bill "would go down" if the "REAL ID Act" is included.

Saudi National Named as Alleged Al-Qaida Suicide Bomber in Al-Qaim

By Evan Kohlmann

Sources in the Arabian Peninsula are now claiming that one of the four Al-Qaida suicide bombers who attacked a U.S. base in the western Iraqi town of Al-Qaim on April 11 was Saudi national Hadi bin Mubarak al-Qahtani.  According to a statement marking his death, Hadi had grown "eager to martyr himself" after witnessing the example of the "19 heroes" and their "holy attack that demolished the foolish infidel Americans and caused many young men to awaken from their deep sleep."

Click to view English translation c/o Globalterroralert.com

Change in Bank Secrecy Act Prosecutions of Banks?

By Andrew Cochran

Last year, a U.S. Attorney in Mississippi stunned the financial services sector by criminally prosecuting AmSouth Corp. for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act without a prior regulatory action by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve System. AmSouth settled the charges, admitting to "systemic and serious" violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-laundering laws, and paying $50 million in fines. A former general counsel of the Tresury Department was quoted in the American Banker as calling it "a Justice Department hijacking of a regulatory issue." That issue continues to reverberate through the sector and in Washington. The Sunday New York Times story on the Bush Administration's plan to access international banking records (registration required) indicated that the Federal Reserve System "is seeking changes that would require such prosecutions to be overseen by Justice Department officials at headquarters in Washington, rather than at the discretion of federal prosecutors in the field..." Not only is that true, but that effort might have more potential than was indicated in the story.

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Hiyari Designation Highlights Zarqawi's Jordanian Support Network

By Matthew Levitt

Today's designation of Bilal Hiyari as a terror financier supporting Abu Musab al Zarqawi should not surprise. Hiyari's activities have long been known, as have Zarqawi's operational and logistical activities in his home country, Jordan.

For a detailed analysis of the Zarqawi network's activities in Jordan, based on interviews with Jordanian intelligence and special operations officers, see "Zarqawi's Jordanian Agenda"

Treasury Designates Al-Zarqawi Financier

By Andrew Cochran

The U.S. Treasury Department just announced the designation of Bilal Mansur Al-Hiyari for providing financial support to the al-Zarqawi network in Iraq. Al-Hiyari became acquainted with al-Zarqawi in 1989 when they met in Afghanistan. "According to information available to the U.S. Government, their relationship continued through the mid-1990s, when Al-Hiyari returned to Jordan where al-Zarqawi was serving out a sentence in Jordanian prison. According to information available to the U.S. Government, Al-Hiyari traveled to Iraq in 2003 where he sent funds to support al-Zarqawi's operations through several of al-Zarqawi's messengers. In October 2004, the State Security Court of Jordan convicted Al-Hiyari of providing funds to the Zarqawi Network. At the conclusion of his trial, however, he was released from prison."
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Immigration Fraud and Terror?Yet Again

By Bill West

Not that anyone with common sense needed a reminder, but yesterdays unsealing of a Federal indictment in New York against three defendants already in custody in Britain, charging them with four terrorism-related counts plotting to attack financial institution targets in New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC, clearly shows the linkage between immigration violations and national security threats against the United States. Count one of that indictment, which is available for review here on the CT Blog, charges Conspiracy to Use Weapons of Mass Destruction Against Persons Within the United States.

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The Burden v. The Benefit of Bank Secrecy Act Regulations

By Dennis Lormel

There has been an ongoing debate concerning the burden versus the benefit of Bank Secrecy Act reporting requirements. There are a number of factors which have driven this debate and that have caused serious concerns and confusion throughout the financial services industry. Reports that the Treasury Department is considering a plan to give the government access to international banking records has sharpened rhetoric and intensified the debate. Industry and the government must work together to establish a middle ground to develop a sense of balance between the burden and the benefit.

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Banks as Targets of International Terrorism

By Evan Kohlmann

A new audio excerpt is available for download from Globalterroralert.com of Shaykh Abdullah el-Faisal (an Islamic cleric and supporter of Usama Bin Laden convicted in the United Kingdom of inciting his followers to kill Jews) speaking on the subject of "Jihad: Aims and Objectives."  During the audio recording (recorded shortly prior to 9/11), Faisal suggests that pious Muslims living in poverty in Western nations should "wage jihad"--including specifically targeting banks in Switzerland--in order to gain wealth and "booty."

Click to view audio composite c/o Globalterroralert.com

Terrorism Financing: A New Emphasis on Tracking. But Will It Be Effective?

By Victor Comras

A major tactical argument is brewing within the government, the banking community and among terrorism financing experts over whether to freeze or to track funds related to terrorism financing. The initial response after the 9/11 attack was to seek out and freeze bank accounts and other economic assets associated with al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated individuals and entities. This approach was reflected in President Bushs September 24, 2001 Executive Order and in a series of UN Security Council Resolutions. Within a short period after 9/11 some $132 million in assets were reportedly seized. Much of this belonged to the Taliban Government in Afghanistan. Since then it has proved particularly difficult to find and freeze additional terrorism related funds. And the effort in the United States turned to following or tracking suspicious funds. These efforts are now being expanded to possibly cover the millions of international transactions that flow through the US banking facilities. But, the international banking community may resist these moves. They already feel burdened by account search and freezing orders, and by required due diligence and know your customer rules. Many in the banking community, and the international community believe that the emphasis should remain on finding and freezing terrorist assets. They are concerned that tracking large numbers of transactions will unduly burden the international banking system, and provide little results.

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Al-Qaida in Iraq Claims Suicide Car Bomb Attacks in Al-Qaim

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has issued  three claims of responsibility for a series of ambushes and suicide car bombings targeting the local U.S. military headquarters in the city of Al-Qaim, near Iraq's western border with Syria.  Referring to Al-Qaim as "our gateway to jihad", a communiqu from Al-Qaida further admonished the "soldiers of Allah" to "hold firm to your swords because there is no time left and the jihad is our lifeline."

Click to view English translations c/o Globalterroralert.com:
- Apr. 12 claim for the April 11 battles in the city of Al-Qaim
- Apr. 12 claim for four suicide car bombings in Al-Qaim
- Apr. 12 statement on the "victorious" battles in Al-Qaim

Reader rebuts Associated Press story about Senators' disclosure of CIA agent's name

By Andrew Cochran

Received this from faithful reader Matthew Nolan: "The story on the right hand bar regarding Kerry and Lugar blowing the cover of a CIA agent is garbage. A simple Google search reveals this... Mr. Armstrong works for the Directorate of Intelligence and has been cited on numerous occasions. There's even an unclassified report of his available here from the CIA website. I realize the story isn't yours, but I believe it's garbage reporting from the AP and I would hope that you all would not give it the credit of inclusion on your blog." I note that the web link includes another link to Fulton Armstrong's bio. I've taken the story off the sidebar, and I think the AP owes the Senators an official retraction.

Will New Indictment Lead DHS to Include Banks on "Hit List?"

By Andrew Cochran

Today's indictment of 3 men for allegedly plotting to bomb American financial institutions might have been a big surprise to the Homeland Security Department. Two weeks ago, Justin Rood at Congressional Quarterly reported that DHS had excluded banks and other financial institutions from a list of likely terrorist targets over the next 5 years. Guess they can update that list now, and new DHS Secretary Chertoff has his work cut out for him.

Federal Indictment Unsealed Against Trio Accused of Targeting Citigroup, NYSE for terror attacks

By Evan Kohlmann

(Associated Press): Three men have been indicted on charges they plotted to attack financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington.  A four-count indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Dhiran Barot, Nadeem Tarmohammed and Qaisar Shaffi of scouting the New York Stock Exchange and Citicorp Building in New York, the Prudential Building in Newark, N.J., and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in the District of Columbia.  The three men, already in custody in England, were charged with three conspiracy counts and providing material support to terrorists.  U.S. officials claim that Barot is a senior al-Qaida figure, known variously as Abu Eisa al-Hindi, Abu Musa al-Hindi and Issa al-Britani, who scouted prominent financial targets in the United States at the behest of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden... Barot, 32, was charged there with possessing reconnaissance plans for the U.S. institutions and notebooks containing information on explosives, poisons, chemicals and related matters "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism."

Eisa al-Hindi (a.k.a. Dhiran Barot) is the same extremist leader who wrote the infamous jihad text, The Army of Madinah in KashmirAccording to that book, Barot was born in the U.K. as a Hindu, but later converted to Islam and fought alongside Muslim militants in Kashmir.  After graduating on and working as a combat trainer at a mujahideen terror camp in Afghanistan, al-Hindi moved to southern Thailand in 1998 and married a local woman there.  In his book, Barot argues that the use by the mujahideen of "'stealthy' modern day war stratagems, which are commonly used by the western world to bring others to their knees... could be long overdue."  Barot highlights several desirable "war strategems" in particular, including "Economical warfare", "Drug warfare", "Germ warfare", and "Chemical warfare."

Click to view excerpts of The Army of Madinah in Kashmir c/o Globalterroralert.com
Click to view unsealed four-count indictment c/o Foxnews.com

Viktor Bout's Excellent Bosnian Adventure

By Douglas Farah

It seems as though the fingerprints of Viktor Bout, arms trafficker extraordinaire, can be found in most places that have had trouble in recent years. The most recent intelligence reports I received come from Bosnia, and show Bout has been an active partner of Mr. Hasan Cengic, the head of radical Islam in Bosnia and key organized crime figure. Interesting how Bout shows up in numerous Muslim-related conflicts, often where U.S. policy makers are having a particularly difficult time in getting weapons to one side or the other.

The paper trail left by Bout in Bosnia makes it hard to discern exactly what he was up to there, but in March 2001 he was leasing two Illyushin Il-72s from BIO Air Services, and had them based in Sarjah, UAE. Cengic, on the U.S. Treasury Department's list of banned individuals and chief arms provider to the Bosnia Muslims during the Bosnia conflict (where al Qaeda and other radical elements, led by Cengic, took control of the lucrative arms trade), controls BIO Air. The European intelligence report says that BIO Air leased two of its aircraft to Bout after illegally importing them into Bosnia in the first place. Before the aircraft were owned by BIO Air they belonged to Atlas Iran. Cengic spent much of the Bosnia war in Iran and worked as an Iranian intelligence agent. Here is my complete blog.

Al-Qaida Releases Video of April 8 Suicide Car Bombing North of Baghdad

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq--led by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has released video footage of an April 8, 2005 suicide car bombing attack on a U.S. convoy north of Baghdad.  According to an Al-Qaida communique accompanying the video, "three Humvees were destroyed as a result of the attack, killing everyone on board."

Click to view video excerpts c/o Globalterroralert.com

Terrorism-Related Congressional Hearings This Week

By Andrew Cochran

Here are the open terrorism-related hearings in the U.S. Congress this week, with several rescheduled from last week. I've added links to several key hearings, including one on the search-and-wiretap authority under Section 218 of the USA Patriot Act, in the "Events" box in the left sidebar.

Plan to access banking records sure to spark Congressional review (UPDATED 4-10)

By Andrew Cochran

Today's New York Times story (registration required - see other story here) on the Bush Administration's possible plans to seek access to international banking records will surely spark many phone calls and visits to Capitol Hill. The plan was authorized in section 6302 of the new intel reform act, titled, "Reporting of Certain Cross-Border Transmittal of Funds." It says that the Treasury Secretary "shall prescribe regulations requiring such financial institutions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network certain cross-border electronic transmittals of funds, if the Secretary determines that reporting of such transmittals is reasonably necessary to conduct the efforts of the Secretary against money laundering and terrorist financing." But the authorization is not open-ended - the Treasury Secretary has to report to the relevant Congressional committees before implementing the plan. The U.S. Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Sen. Richard Shelby, has already planned a series of hearings on terrorist financing hearings in the next two months, and this will fit nicely into their plans. Expect the U.S. House Financial Services Committee (where I worked for almost 3 years), chaired by Rep. Michael Oxley, to extensively also question the plan. The full text of the intel reform act is in the left sidebar. I'll have more about this in the coming days. UPDATE, 4/10: Today's WSJ (sorry, paid subscription) reports that federal regulators will meet with industry on this at the May 18 meeting of the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group, which includes all the players.

When Will Cleveland Imam Go To Immigration Court?

By Bill West

Last month, Fawaz Mohammed Damrah (aka Damra), the Imam of Clevelands largest mosque, lost his appeal before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stemming from his conviction last summer of having obtained his naturalization unlawfully by concealing his links to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization and to other radical Islamic operatives in New York before he became a U.S. citizen. The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, which has been covering the Damrah case for a long time, reported this latest event in an article dated March 17.

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The Passing of Pope John Paul II

By Mike Chandler

            During the past ten days or so we have been able to witness what, hopefully, will prove to be one of the most effective, long term antidotes to Islamic extremism and with it the brand of terrorism it nurtures.

            During the period when Pope John Paul II began slowly and, by all accounts, peacefully to succumb to his illness, thousands and thousands of Catholics have travelled to the Saint Peters Square in Rome to pray and to be as close as possible to him, offering their prayers and their support.  Then, after he died, millions have made the pilgrimage to Rome, waiting quietly and patiently for up to twelve hours to file past his body, flanked by the Vatican Swiss Guards, as he lay-in-state in St.Peters Basilica.  Today, Friday 8th April 2005 millions more, all around the world, have joined in what has been described as the biggest funeral service ever seen.

Present at todays Service of Resurrection in St. Peters Square were heads of state and/or their representatives from 200 countries from all across the globe, including those of Jordan, Syria, Gulf States, Iran and many other Muslim countries. Along with them were the clergy, not just those from the Roman Catholic world church, but every other religion, including many of the Islamic faith.

If ever there was a sign and the opportunity for a renaissance of secularity and religious tolerance, it was today, not only in Rome but in many cities around the world.  In Iraq, Lebanon, Poland, the Philippines and Syria, for example, people have watched on giant television screens and prayed along with the service being beamed from St.Peters Square or held their services of their own.

The other long term factor that is worthy of note is the vast numbers of young people who came to pray for the Pope and then to pay their respects, to thank him for his leadership over the past twenty-six years and bid him farewell. The number of young people is very significant, as they are, as the Pope himself said, the future of the church and it is they who can ensure that the religious tolerance necessary for a more peaceful world becomes a reality.

Let us hope that today will mark that turning point; that politicians, the clergy of all religions and civil society will join together in a strong global campaign against terrorism.  Pope John Paul II has not been without his critics, but the scenes in Rome and elsewhere, of the past days are a magnificent tribute to what he has achieved and for what he stands. Whoever is the next Pope has a difficult act to follow.

Video: British-born Mujahideen Were Ordered to Kill Americans in Bosnia

By Evan Kohlmann

For those interested in Al-Qaida's role in the Balkans, a new video is available for download from Globalterroralert.com.  The video contains audio excerpts recorded in 1997 of British foreign mujahideen veterans discussing their orders to kill American troops enforcing the Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Click to view video c/o Globalterroralert.com

New Communiques from Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq

By Evan Kohlmann

English translations of several recent communiques issued by Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq (led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) are now available for download from Globalterroralert.com:

- Apr. 1 response to alleged arrest of American Zarqawi aide
- Apr. 3 statement claiming April 2 attack on Abu Ghraib
- Apr. 3 update from Military Wing about Abu Ghraib attack
- Apr. 4 claim of Al-Qaida rocket attack on Abu Ghraib
- Apr. 6 claim for April 5 suicide bombing in Mosul
- Apr. 6 claim for April 5 suicide bombings in Baghdad
- Apr. 7 claim for roadside bombing in Baqubah
- Apr. 7 claim for car bombing of U.S. convoy in Tel Afar

Europe: Biometric Passports May be Years Away

By Victor Comras

Europe is moving slowly to issue new biometric passports that will comply with new US Entry requirements set to go into effect in October 2005 (See Bill West's Blog on "Border Security?") . The EU directives calling for new biometric passports only came into effect this year. And it appears that only Austria, Ireland, Slovenia and Luxembourg are likely to meet the October 2005 deadline set by the United States. This has forced EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini to ask the US to delay implementation of the new US VISIT passport regulations until October 2006. If no extension is granted, a great number of EU citizens who currently benefit from the US visa waiver program will no longer be able to enter the US without a visa.

The EU adopted the biometric passport directive as part of its agreed strategy to combat terrorism and illegal immigration. Beginning in January 2005 EU member states were to incorporate into newly-issued passports digital facial images (within 18 months) and fingerprints (within 3 years). A Committee is to be set up of member state representatives to decide on the details of the fingerprinting process. Some member countries have begun to issue new passports, but the process of passport replacement has been delayed in several member countries by "technical difficulties."

EU ministers will decide on April 20 how to proceed and whether to impose reciprocal visa requirements for US citizens seeking entry to the EU. A recent report issued by the European Commissions Joint Research Centre indicates that several challenges still must be overcome regarding the widespread use of biometic travel documents. These include the adoption of common standards, safeguards against privacy abuse, and the lack of independent empirical data concerning biometric accuracy and risks of alteration.

Several European countries want to opt for use of embedded contactless chips to house passport biometric data. They are uncomfortable with the open availability of biometric information in the passports. But many of their reseachers are not yet comfortable that these chips will not be vulnerable to "snooping" from a distance. The US is also concerned that the use of such chips could be accessed by terrorists to identify and single out Americans. These differences are also delaying the issuance of a standard EU passport.

It appears from the US side that the US will resist any further delays.

CFR Backgrounder: Does the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have ties to terrorism?

By Evan Kohlmann

NOTE: This link is being provided for informational purposes only and I am not necessarily endorsing the viewpoint of CFR or other analysts quoted herein.  I consider the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to be non-violent but still a fairly radical organization that can act as a breeding ground for more hardline terrorist groups like Al-Gamaat al-Islamiyya, Al-Jihad, and Al-Qaida.  Various branches of the MB, such as the Egyptian Doctor's Union, have also acted directly as terrorist financial fronts.  These issues are not fully addressed in the CFR backgrounder below.

"Does the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have ties to terrorism?"
"Its unclear. A widespread Islamist organization founded in 1928, the Brotherhood seeks to Islamize societies from the ground up and compel governments in Muslim countries to adhere to sharia, or Islamic law. At various times in its history, the group has used or supported violence and has been repeatedly banned in Egypt for attempting to overthrow Cairos secular government. Since the 1970s, however, the Egyptian Brotherhood has disavowed violence and sought to participate in Egyptian politics, though a government ban on the organization continues and the group operates largely underground. The Brotherhood is not on the U.S. State Departments list of terrorist organizations..."
[Click to read more at the Council on Foreign Relation's "Terrorism: Questions and Answers" website]

Want a Truly Fair & Balanced Debate on the Patriot Act?

By Andrew Cochran

I understand and appreciate that there can be honest and dignified disagreements on the provisions of the USA Patriot Act - I was a counsel on one of the congressional committees involved in drafting it - but there are a lot of "urban legends" floating out there about what the Act actually does. Andrew McCarthy's column today at National Review Online exposes and debunks some of the most egregious, foisted upon an unsuspecting public by the Fox News "legal expert." I found another at the campus newspaper of the University of Oregon, to the extent that Section 207 "gives federal officials the right to monitor any individual communications, through a wiretap or other means." That is absolute baloney - 207, by its title, applies only to "non-United States persons who are agents of a foreign power" and gives federal agents no new power. The best website that I know with reasoned, balanced debates on the Act remains Patriot Debates, which I discussed early in its existence, is updated often, and is linked in the "Centers & Websites" box in the right sidebar. I highly recommend it to campus newspaper editorialists, TV "experts," and just about everyone else.

Al-Qaida Releases Video of "Battle of Abu Anas al-Shami" at Abu Ghraib Prison

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has released video footage allegedly depicting a coordinated insurgent attack on Abu Ghraib prison (west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad) that began late last Saturday. 

Click to view video c/o Globalterroralert.com
(As seen on NBC Nightly News)

New Evidence of al Qaeda's Interest in West Africa

By Douglas Farah

Since I wrote the first story of al Qaeda's ties to the West African diamond trade, and intensifying after the book came out, parts of the U.S intelligence community, particularly in the CIA and FBI have maintaned there was no al Qaeda presence or interest in West Africa and no historical evidence the group was interested in diamonds or the conflict there. They have been especially adamant that Liberia, as a predominately Christian nation, would not be a place that bin Laden was interested in.

While there has been abundant circumstantial evidence that this was not true, but rather a reflection of the deep ignorance of al Qaeda's history on the African continent, this "fact" has been repeated in responses to Congressonal inquiries, in inter-agency meetings and in meetings with me and others. From the multiple reports on the lack of real information the community had to work with, its erroneous assumptions about al Qaeda are clearly documented. So it is fascinating to read a recent interview in the Al Quds al-Arabi newspaper of March 5, with Nasir al-Bahari, AKA Abu Jandal, a bodyguard of Osama bin Laden. It is one of a series of interviews with the man, where he describes his life with bin Laden, living with al Qaeda and other insights into the terrorist organization, not as a critic, but as an insider relating his story to a sympathetic audience.

In speaking of life with bin Laden in the Sudan, Abu Jandal relates how bin Laden was constantly listening to and analyzing news from the rest of Africa. So this is before 1996, when bin Laden moved back to Afghanistan.

"As for enlarging the scope of al Qaeda in Africa, that is true," he said. "Through Sheik Osama's following of events in all the states near Sudan...even events in Liberia, although it was a faraway country in West Africa. Events took place there, and we did not know what was going on. But through the al Qaeda movement and some Islamic groups, it became clear that the struggle there was an ethnic-religious struggle between Muslims and Christians in a country where Muslims account for 20 percent of the population. That was why many al Qaeda members wished to move jihad to that country, according to al Qaeda's way and the Afghan way. A leader of the Islamic groups in Liberia told us 'We wished we could have contacted the Arab Afghans, so they would shift the balance of power in that struggle in Liberia.' Hence, Sheik Osama's activities in Africa."

Seems pretty clear the interest was there. And, as the book shows, with Ibrahim Bah, the former mujahadeen, in Taylor's inner circle, it was a happy marriage indeed. One more blind spot in an intelligence community flying blind.

5 Foreign Terrorists Killed in Iraqi Raid on Samarra

By Evan Kohlmann

This from the Iraqi Government Communications Directorate...

"Troops from the Ministry of Interior conducted a raid east of Samarra on April 1.  The raid resulted in the killing of five foreign terrorists and the capturing of two other terrorists.  The raid was conducted based on an MOI intelligence report identifying a terrorist camp and a house east of Samarra.  The team achieved their objective killing five and detaining two terrorists.  The five killed in action were all identified as foreign fighters including two Saudi Arabian nationals, one Yemeni national, one Syrian national, and one Afghani national."

Congressional Schedule Changing

By Andrew Cochran

If you downloaded the schedule of this week's hearings in the U.S. Congress, you can now start crossing off those on Thursday. Many Congressmen are looking for flights to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II, or will return to their districts to attend special Masses with constituents, so Capitol Hill press offices are pumping out hearing and meeting postponements.

Al-Qaida Claims "Battle of Abu Anas al-Shami" at Abu Ghraib Prison West of Baghdad

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has issued numerous claims of responsibility for a two-day prolonged insurgent offensive on Abu Ghraib prison west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.  The offensive--dubbed the "Battle of Abu Anas al-Shami" after a slain top Al-Qaida commander in Iraq--allegedly included rocket and mortar barrages and at least seven separate suicide car bombers.  A statement from Abu Usaid al-Iraqi (the commander of Al-Qaida's Military Wing in Iraq) claimed that the mujahideen were able to seize control of a prison tower, destroying several armored vehicles and even an Apache attack helicopter.

Click to view video of Al-Qaida rocket attack on Abu Ghraib c/o Globalterroralert.com

Bombings in Thailand

By Zachary Abuza

On Sunday night, three near simultaneous bombings were detonated in southern Thailand, raising fears that the situation there is getting out of control. Since the unrest began on 4 January 2004, more than 600 people have been killed. Most of them, however, were victims of assassinations, not bombings. Between January 2004 and October 2004, there were roughly 40 bombings, and under ten people killed, though with many hundred wounded. Most of the violence were Molotov cocktails/arson attacks, drive by shootings and machete attacks. The few bombs that were used were relatively unsophisticated pipe bombs. The victims were predominantly agents of the state (police, soldiers, local government officials), with the number of civilians growing.

Yet in the summer of 2004, a number of things happened.

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Introducing New Contributing Expert R.P. Eddy

By Andrew Cochran

We are very pleased to welcome R.P. Eddy as our newest Contributing Expert. Mr. Eddy has served in several senior positions with the U.S. government, including Director of Counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council; Chief of Staff to the US Ambassador to the UN; and Senior Advisor for Intelligence and Counterterrorism to the Secretary of Energy. Now Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism at the Manhattan Institute, R. P. Eddy founded and is Executive Director of the Center for Tactical Counterterrorism (CTCT) which focuses on the role of police in the fight against terror. CTCT leverages a global network of premier counterterrorism experts and brings their collective experience to bear on the counterterror challenges of New York City. Eddy has worked with the New York Police Department, the Greek Government, the United Nations and various multinational corporations on terrorism and security issues. Mr. Eddy also serves as Managing Director of Global Macro Risk Analysis for a leading Wall Street research firm. His full bio is included in the downloadable file with those of the other Contributing Experts.

U.S. Congress This Week: Hearing Schedule (UPDATED)

By Andrew Cochran

The U.S. Congress returns this week and holds numerous terrorism-related hearings, including the first on the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act. Here is a Microsoft Word file of the scheduled hearings which are open to the public, and several of the most important are in the "Events" box in the left sidebar. UPDATE: Contributing Expert Lee Wolosky was scheduled to testify at a hearing this week of the U.S. House Financial Services Oversight Subcommittee, but that has been rescheduled from this Thursday to a later date.

New Video Footage from Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq--led by most wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has released video footage of several recent attacks in Sunni central Iraq, including a mortar attack on a U.S. base in Baqubah and a roadside bomb attack on an American Stryker armored vehicle in Mosul. 

Click to view video excerpts c/o Globalterroralert.com:
- Apr. 1 video of Al-Qaida mortar attack on U.S. base in Baqubah
- Apr. 3 video of Al-Qaida bomb attack on Stryker armored vehicle in Mosul

KEEPING SCORE ON INTELLIGENCE ACCOUNTABILITY

By Larry Johnson

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Larry C. Johnson

The unfortunate impression left by the recent report on intelligence failures submitted by the Robb/Silbermann commission suggests that the CIA in general failed. Yet, as noted in a previous post on this site, we need to go beyond the generalities and look for the specifics of who failed. We need to look at the chain of command from the top down at CIA and ask who, if anyone, has been held accountable. The short answer is, not many. Keep on reading for specifc names.

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Palestinian Terrorists Going Political?

By Matthew Levitt

On March 28, Hamas formally announced they would join the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The next day, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members attended the PLOs executive committee meeting in a move that could lead to their eventual entering the organization. At the same time, Israeli forces uncovered a PIJ cell manufacturing and testing Qassam rockets in Jenin.

Muhammad al-Hindi, a prominent PIJ leader, stated that the group was not ready to formally join the PLO, but wanted to discuss mechanisms to rebuild the organization: We will see whether we can agree. We will also discuss the PLOs political program.

One of those detained in the Qassam rocket plot, Muhammad Mashkah, had recently returned to the Jenin area after being released by Israel as part of the agreement following last months peace conference in Egypt. Another detainee, Ahmed Mashkah, was allowed to return to Jenin in recent days for the first time since his eviction from the Gaza Strip in 2003.

Beyond the possibility of joining the PLO, Hamas has also announced its intent to field candidates in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections. PIJ is still considering whether or not to follow suit.

As Hamas, PIJ, and other terrorist groups consider participating in mainstream Palestinian politics, it is critical that such participation be predicated not only on winning elections but on the larger democratic principle of cessation of violence. If these groups continue to use violence against civilians, peace negotiators will be put in the difficult, weakening position of distinguishing politicians from those in the terrorist wings of their associated organizations. In fact, such wings are all part of a singular whole whose activities -- political, social and terrorist -- are intimately interconnected.

Read more about the conundrum created by terrorist groups participating in mainstream politics.

Iraqi Security Forces Claim Capture of Foreign Terrorists

By Evan Kohlmann

This from the Iraqi Government Communications Directorate: "Acting on a tip from local Iraqi citizens, Security Forces in Iraq have detained Shakara Kheel, 38 years old, Pakistan nationality, in the community of Munirah. During extensive interviews with Kheel, Security Forces learned that he harbored terrorists and conducted weapons trafficking. Local citizens allege Shakara Kheel beheaded personnel who worked with the Iraqi government and Security Forces. In further operations, Security Forces captured in Mosul, on 20 February 2005 Alawi al Raliya, Afghan nationality, he is also known as Abu Zad. Alawi al Raliya was described to Security Forces as the commander and operational planner for a terrorist cell that specialized in improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi civilians and Security Forces."

Tariq Ramadan: The Case of the Grand Deception

By Steven Emerson

No case illustrates the murderous deception of Western society by Islamic militants more than the recent episode involving Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss professor who was denied a visa to teach at the University of Notre Dame. His supporters in the U.S. rallied vigorously around Mr. Ramadan, protesting with total moral certitude the politically outrageous move by the US government to muzzle a Muslim "moderate". The coalition to defend Ramadan included The New York Times, The Washington Post, academic boards around the country, Islamic advocacy groups and human rights groups. Their near unanimous message was that Mr. Ramadan was a genuine "moderate" and "Islamic pluralist", but that even if one disagreed with some of his statements, Mr. Ramadan surely should have been entitled to have his ideas debated in the great free marketplace of ideas of the American campus

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THE SENATOR ROBB, JUDGE SILBERMANN WHITEWASH

By Larry Johnson

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Larry C. Johnson

"Dead wrong" is the phrase the media is trumpeting from the report issued by former Senator Chuck Robb and Judge Laurence Silbermann under the title , Final Report on Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. Hopefully most Americans will take time to read the report and understand what a woeful, inept job that Robb and Silbermann have done. I agree with the Commission report that analysts made mistakes. But for all of the massive detail provided in the 600 plus page report, Robb and Silbermann fail to answer the most basic question: Was there any intelligence analysis from the CIA that indicated Iraq's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction had reached the point that if we did not act Saddam would? The answer is no. Yet, Robb and Silbermann want Americans to accept the nonsense that politics played no role in the intelligence analysis. They ask America to accept the sorry picture of a President and legislators who apparently were willing idiots being spoon fed wrong information by incompetent analysts. If we accept this fairy tale we will have learned nothing from the fiasco in Iraq.

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Employment Visa Threat ? Part II

By Bill West

The March 29 CT Blog posting relating to the issue of employment based visas, particularly the H and L visas and the recent exceeding of the Congressional cap in the issuance of H visas by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, noted how these visas can be abused by hostile foreign intelligence services and terrorist organizations. On the heels of this post comes an excellent article published March 31 in FrontPage Magazine by Patrick Devenny, a Henry M. Jackson National Security Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC. The article, titled, Chinas Secret War, describes in notable detail the ongoing PRC espionage efforts within and against the United States.

Read More »


Video of Al-Qaida Roadside Bombing Attack Near Fallujah

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has released video footage of a roadside bomb attack targeting a U.S. Humvee in Al-Saqlawiya (near Fallujah), west of Baghdad.  The group also took credit for numerous other recent insurgent operations across Sunni central Iraq, including at least two car bombings in Samarra and Mosul aimed at other passing American military patrols. 

Click to view video excerpts c/o Globalterroralert.com