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.
July 2005 Archives

More London 7/21 Attack Arrests (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Updated Sky News report: Six men and one woman were taken in for questioning in Brighton by police investigating the attempted terror attack in London. The suspects were detained at residential addresses in Sussex which were raided by officers. They were all arrested under the Terrorism Act of 2000 in connection with the failed terror attack on the capital on July 21." CNN story on suspect's denial of links between 7/7 & 7/21 bombing or to al Qaeda: "The failed July 21 bombings in London were not linked to the lethal attacks of July 7 or al Qaeda, a bombing suspect in Italian custody has told his interrogators, a source who was present during the interrogations told CNN Sunday." See also yesterday's post with link to the Sunday Times report of a possible third London terror cell and France's expulsion of radical clerics.

Michael Cutler: How Many British Bombers Might Have Come Here Without a Visa?

By Andrew Cochran

Mchael Cutler asked me to post the following:

I came across this article that is in today's New York Times and thought you would find it to be of interest. This article brings several issues to the fore. First of all, it is critical to understand that the bombers who savagely attacked London were British subjects. Consequently, they would have been entitled to hop on an airliner with a valid passport and head for the United States without first applying for a visa. This is because the Visa Waiver Program is alive and well. Under the auspices of this program, which I have written about and spoken out against, over a period of years, enables aliens from 27 countries plus Canada to seek temporary entry into the United States without first applying for a visa. If done effectively, the process by which aliens apply for a visa to visit the United States offers an additional layer of security. As anyone who is familiar with security issues will tell you, the best and most effective way to secure a facility or a country, for that matter, is to have a series of hurdles that need to be crossed in order to gain access to the protected facility or country. The visa requirement should be thought of as being the first layer of security where aliens involved in terrorism is concerned. In processing such applications, our officials assigned to United States consulates and embassies would be able to query the various governments as to possible intelligence and/or criminal histories of aliens seeking visas. It would also be possible to use biometric identifiers such as fingerprints to make certain that the applicant for a visa is not known under another name and is seeking to enter the United States under an assumed identity to conceal a criminal history or a known link to a terrorist organization. This is critical because every year thousands of passports from countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program are stolen or are reported missing.

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London Update (Third Attack Possible?) And French Government Expelling Radical Clerics (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Sunday Times report: "A third Islamist terror cell is planning multiple suicide bomb attacks against Tube trains and other soft targets in central London, security sources have revealed." Fifth bomber arrested and identified as Wahbi Mohammed, 23, "alleged to have dumped a device hidden in a rucksack on open ground at nearby Little Wormwood Scrubs." Late today, the AP reported a suspected bomber's confession: Osman Hussain "admitted Saturday to a role in the attack but said it was only intended to be an attention-grabbing strike, not a deadly one, a legal expert familiar with the investigation said." Here's another AP story, this one on the possible "mastermind": Haroon Rashid Aswat allegedly made about 20 phone calls to some of the July 7 bombers, according to Zambian officials, and he "told investigators he was once a bodyguard for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden." Here's a BBC story updating news of other arrests yesterday: "Two men arrested under anti-terrorism laws during dawn raids in Leicester have been released without charge." MSNBC quotes Italy's Interior Minister: 'Important investigations' were underway in Venice, Salerno and other cities from north to south, he said."

On Thursday, Steven Emerson posted his skepticism of the fatwa issued by American Muslim leaders against terrorism. The post has been quoted and linked worldwide. Since the 7/7 attacks, we've commented here (Matthew Levitt's post as just one example) that the British have to follow through with plans to get tough with radical clerics. But even now, some British Muslims still pursue extremist ideals unabated: "A Muslim who helped recruit young men to fight for the Taliban says that those willing to plant bombs in London were guilty of tactical errors but were not immoral." They should take lessons from Nicolas Sarkozy, the French interior minister, who has had enough of radical Islamists there: "France announced the summary expulsion of a dozen Islamists between now and the end of August...Mr Sarkozy also revealed that as many as 12 French mosques associated with provocative anti-western preaching were under surveillance." And the BBC reports that Sarkozy has already deported Reda Ameuroud, a radical Algerian Islamist preacher, "said to have given pro-jihad speeches in a mosque in north-east Paris." Hat tip to Timothy Thompson for the articles, and VIVE LA FRANCE!!

"Old Wine in New Bottles" - Latest Al-Qaida Sanctions resolution lacks real bite!

By Mike Chandler

Despite the spin, those states, organisations and individuals that had, perhaps optimistically, anticipated a new, tougher and more comprehensive Security Council resolution against al-Qaida, will be disappointed. Resolution 1617 (2005), adopted on Friday morning, 29th July 2005 in New York, really has very little new to offer. There are some new guidelines for designating al Qaeda and Taliban associates, and there is much encouraging and urging in the resolution, but there are no new obligations or enforcement measures. And even the new urgings are based largely on recommendations dating back to 2002 and 2003 and the work of the previous Monitoring Group.

In the preamble for example, 1617 Expresses [the Council's] concern over the possible use by Al-Qaidaof Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) (a misnomer in this context seeing that the terrorists usually use them offensively, to attack unarmed civilian aircraft). The Council was alerted to such a problem requiring its attention in December 2003 (see para. 200) of report S/2003/1070 here Similarly, the new resolution Requests relevant States to informindividuals and entities included in the Consolidate List of the measures imposed on them This request, again not obligatory, was recommended in December 2003 (see paragraph 192) of report S/2003/1070. But if the sanctions regime is to be effective member states should at least undertake to know, or try to find out, where their UN Designated citizens are located. They should attune themselves also to the location and circumstances of designated entities operating in their jurisdiction, and they should be obliged to take the appropriate steps to ensure the measures are fully implemented against them. Even longer in the pipeline have been suggestions that the UN Security Council incorporate the Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) Nine Recommendations on Terrorist Financing here . Recommendations to this effect feature in the Monitoring Groups reports as far back as September 2002 (see para. 138) here and were repeated again in its last report in December 2003 (see para.180), S.2003/1070.

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London Attacks Should Remind Us of ?Blackhawk Down?

By Bill West

As the investigation into the 7/7 and 7/21 terror attacks in London continues to make headway, we are now learning that at least some of the suspects have links to and are from Somalia. This really should not be surprising, as we have known Somalia has been a hotbed of Islamic radical violence for many years, and has been an African base of operations for al-Qaeda in the past.

Americans have tragically fought Muslim extremists in that fractured, war torn land in the not-so-distant past. The infamous Blackhawk Down incident has been claimed as an al-Qaeda victory by Osama bin-Laden; notwithstanding the fact that probably a hundred times as many Somali Islamic radical jihadists died at the hands of those outnumbered brave American soldiers as the other way around. Some al-Qaeda victory.

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London's Emerging Africa Ties

By Douglas Farah

A prime suspect in the July 21 London bombing is arrested in Zambia, after having earlier spent time in South Africa. He reportedly entered Zambia through Zimbabwe. Two other suspects are originally from East Africa. Seems like a disturbing pattern, again highlighting the growing role of Sub-Saharan Africa in al Qaeda's emphasis and infrastructure.

The passage of Haroon Rashid Aswat through Zimbabwe should be of particular concern. The regime of Robert Mugabe is the successor to the regime of Charles Taylor in Liberia, and is rapidly becoming a functioning criminal enterprise that gives support and shelter to a range of international criminal organizations. If there is one state that is ideal for harboring al Qaeda, like Liberia before it, it is Zimbabwe, for all the same reasons: the ability of the regime to control entry and exist points, access to government perks such as diplmatic passports, protection by the security forces, and the other reasons failed states with authoritarian regimes attract these groups.

As in Liberia, it is a serious mistake to think Mugabe (or Taylor) has any ideological or religious affinity with al Qaeda or anyone else. They deal with al Qaeda for money, to get back at the outside world (particularly the United States) and because they can. One of the major misunderstandings of the FBI and CIA in the Liberia case was their thinking and telling me and others that a Taylor-al Qaeda convergence was impossible because Taylor was a Christian. Perhaps in the loosest possible way, but he was primarily about money, not religion. I hope the same mis-analysis is not being applied in Zimbabwe. For the complete blog, go here.

London - FIVE 7/21 Suspects in Custody (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Five 7/21 suspects in custody, with four today after one suspect, Yasin Hassan Omar, arrested yesterday in Birmingham. London Times reports that Scotland Yard "arrested the mystery 'fifth man', alleged to be Whabi Mohammad, 22, the brother of Ramzi Mohammad, held in connection with the failed bomb at Oval station." London Times previously reported Muktar Said-Ibrahim, bus bombing suspect, arrested today. MSNBC: "In Rome, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said that Somali-born Osman Hussain, a naturalized British citizen, was picked up by Italian police." Scotland Yard afternoon statement confirmed first three arrests and named last arrestee as "Ramsi Mohammed" prior to arrest of his brother at night as mystery "fifth bomber." Also Haroon Rashid Aswat, possible mastermind with reported ties to UBL, captured in Zambia yesterday.

Steven Emerson on MSNBC: Use of "safe houses" mean possible long-range logistics plan, but if they didn't know what they were set up to do and then surrendered peacefully, they might offer info more easily, unlike 3/11 Madrid bombers who killed themselves when surrounded. Also UBL still "a factor" and has unexpired fatwas - hidden internet messages urge continued operations. "Overwhelming majority" of Muslim leaders here & abroad still tethered to radical Islam - see Counterterrorism Blog post on "bogus fatwa." See Doug Farah's new post on Africa connection. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross on Fox News "Dayside," 1 - 2 pm Eastern time: 7/7 suicide bombers included married men - unusual. Brits didn't want U.S. to grab Haroon Aswat and therefore kept U.S. from him. Walid Phares on MSNBC's "Connected," 5 - 6 pm Eastern. See CT Blog interview with Pierre Rehov, producer of "Suicide Killers" film, on pathology of suicide bombers.

Four 7/21 London bombers now in custody & BBC map of raids
721_london_suspectsBbc729londonraids

WALID PHARES: CAIR must condemn al Qaida and Jihadism..

By Walid Phares

In a public relations campaign triggered today, an active American Muslim organization, the Council for American Muslim Relations CAIR released a political commercial (PSA) on national networks responding to what it believes has become surging inquiries about violence and religion. (See CAIR TV Ad) The ad airs seven sentences:

(See my comments)

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Calls for American Blood at May Rally in London

By Evan Kohlmann

Last May, at the height of the Newsweek-Quran desecration fiasco, a group of Al-Qaida supporters and clerics held an anti-American rally in central London.  The organizers included Shaykh Omar Bakri Mohammed (founder of the fanatical British Al-Muhajiroun movement) and Yasser al-Sirri (a leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in exile).  During the rally, dozens of demonstrators chanted responsively, "USA, you will pay!  With your blood, with your blood!  ...Bomb, bomb USA!  Scud, scud USA!  Nuke, nuke USA!  The mujahideen are on their way!  Jihad!  Jihad!  Jihad!"   Omar Bakri can be seen dressed in a white gown, greeting the other speakers at the front of the crowd and wearing a photo of the Egyptian Shaykh Omar Abdel Rahman--currently imprisoned in the United States for his involvement in a series of terrorist plots targeting New York landmarks.

Click to view video c/o Globalterroralert.com

The American Islamic Leaders' "Fatwa" is Bogus

By Steven Emerson

Steven Emerson
The Investigative Project on Terrorism
Email: Stopterror@aol.com

This morning a group of American Islamic leaders held a press conference to announce a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism and extremism. An organization called the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) issued the fatwa, and the Council on American - Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized the press conference, stating that several major U.S. Muslim groups endorsed the fatwa.

In fact, the fatwa is bogus. Nowhere does it condemn the Islamic extremism ideology that has spawned Islamic terrorism. It does not renounce nor even acknowledge the existence of an Islamic jihadist culture that has permeated mosques and young Muslims around the world. It does not renounce Jihad let alone admit that it has been used to justify Islamic terrorist acts. It does not condemn by name any Islamic group or leader. In short, it is a fake fatwa designed merely to deceive the American public into believing that these groups are moderate. In fact, officials of both organizations have been directly linked to and associated with Islamic terrorist groups and Islamic extremist organizations. One of them is an unindicted co-conspirator in a current terrorist case; another previous member was a financier to Al-Qaeda.

I spoke with Judea Pearl, father of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl who told me that the fatwa was vacuous because it does not name the perpetrators of Islamic terrorist theologies and leaders of Islamic movements like Yousef Al Qaradawi, Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al Zawahari, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc. Pearl told me that these groups are trying to perpetrate a deception on the American public.

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Michael Cutler: Don't privatize federal aviation screeners

By Andrew Cochran

Micahel Cutler asked me to post the following about today's hearing of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on improving the management of federal aviation screening workforce:

"Earlier this week, in preparation for a hearing that was scheduled for today on the issue of the privatization of the screeners who are currently employed by TSA, I was contacted by the counsel for the Minority (Democratic Party) of the House Committee on Homeland Security to seek my position of the privatization of these screeners. The administration is apparently contemplating this possibility and the Democrats were seeking my insight and if appropriate, they wanted me to submit a letter for the Congressional Record on this issue to set forth my objections to this wrong-headed approach (in my opinion) that the administration wanted to take the issue of airline safety.

I refuse to take sides where partisan politics is concerned. I believe strongly that law enforcement and related areas of responsibility are best done by dedicated law enforcement officers. I am willing to consider any possible solution to better protect our nation regardless of which party proposes or opposes various strategies. I will simply always "call them as I see them" not to make friends or avoid the possibility of upsetting people with me, but to simply try my best to enhance our nation's security as we navigate the troubled waters we find ourselves in. This was my goal and the goal of my colleagues when I was a special agent and will remain my goal forever and always. My letter was submitted for the record at today's hearing, along with my bio, to establish my bona fides as an expert, as part of today's hearing."

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Levitt in WSJ Europe: No Excuse for Terror

By Matthew Levitt

According to British diplomats, Britain is actively pressing the United Nations to adopt a "no excuses" definition of terrorism and an explicit and unconditional condemnation of all acts of terror. The push for such a definition was given new impetus in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London and comes as Britain holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The timing is important since the U.N. General Assembly's treaty-writing legal committee is holding a new round of discussions on how to define terrorism this week. The issue is supposed to be included in a "comprehensive convention on international terrorism" to be introduced in September when the U.N. will hold a summit on institutional reforms.

But as Britain presses its fellow U.N. member states to oppose all acts of terrorism, whether conducted as part of a campaign to undermine the West and establish a global Caliphate or to "resist occupation" in the West Bank or Iraq, it still has far to go to address this scourge at home. While Britain has turned the corner on allowing supporters of "global jihadist" terrorism to enter and remain in the country, and is preparing legislation to bar them from radicalizing and inciting British Muslims to violence, a network supporting the suicide bombings carried out by Hamas against Israel still thrives there.

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New Arrests in 7/21 Attacks - Links to 7/7 Attack

By Andrew Cochran

Fox News: Anti-terrorist officers arrested nine men in raids early Thursday in connection with the botched July 21 attacks on London's transit system, bringing to 20 the number of people police have in custody, including one of the alleged bombers." Sky News report: "(T)he nine did not include any of the three men still on the run who are suspected of trying to bomb London." And the London Times reports that it appears the 7/7 and 7/21 bombs were built by the same person. As CT Blog Experts noted, the attacks caught British intel by surprise, but they are moving quickly towards finding the suspects. London Times and Fox News: British authorities confirm info in LA Times article linked this morning in "Today's News" box that key suspect Haroon Rashid Aswat held in Zambia.

EU?s new Counter-Terrorism Financing Proposals Tighten Fund Transfer Requirements

By Victor Comras

Europes heightened concern with terrorism and terrorism financing led the EU Commission this week to propose new regulations effectively eliminating anonymous fund transfers. The regulations would require that all transfers originating outside the EU banking system be accompanied by indications of the name, address and account number of the payee. Transfers from within the EU would require only the payers account number. Payments for commercial transactions would be exempted. And treatment of transfers of less than 1000 Euros unaccompanied by such information would still be permitted provided no other suspicious circumstances were present. Banks would be required to retain this information for at least five years. This new regulation is in line with a recent FAFT recommendation that funds transfers include accurate and meaningful originator information

US banks have had similar Requirements since 1995. In 1995, the U.S. Treasury issued a final rule that requires all financial institutions to include certain information in overseas transmittal orders for funds transfers of $3000 or more (31 CFR 103.33) This requirement is commonly referred to as the Travel Rule. Under the Travel Rule,. US banks must include the name of the transmitter, and, if the payment is ordered from an account, the account number of the transmitter. They should also provide the address of the transmitter, the amount of the transmittal order, date of the order and identify of the recipients financial institution.

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U.S. Congress Examines Funding of Iraqi Terrorists with Victor Comras as Hearing Witness (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Two hearings in the U.S. Congress, one today and another tomorrow, examine how the Iraqi terrorists have been funded. Today, the joint subcommittee hearing of the U.S. House International Relations Committee reviewed Syria's siphoning of billions from the Oil-for-Food program. A senior official of State Department, an IRS official who investigated the use of Oil-for-Food funds, and our Victor Comras discussed how the Assad regime in Syria forged illicit trading relationships with Saddam Hussein, generating approximately $3.4 billion from the sale of Iraqi crude oil and petroleum products. Victor reminded the Congressmen that Saddam funneled OFF proceeds suicide bombers through branches of the Rafidain Bank, a subject of discussion previously here, and that an enormous amount of Saddam's assets have not been found. (UPDATE: 7/28 Washington Times story on the hearing quotes Victor on this point.) Tomorrow, another joint hearing of two House committees, to be chaired by Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY), will further examine how ex-Baathists in Syria and Iraq, assisted by jihadists in Syria and Saudi Arabia, have funneled money to the Iraqi terrorists. A "U.S. News & World Report" article today on the issue quotes Doug Farah's use of the term "microsponsors," or "small-time backers who provide funding to move two or three insurgents into the countrya kind of terrorist equivalent to adopt-a-hungry-child." Senior officials of the Treasury and Defense Department and Defense Intelligence Agency will testify at that hearing.

Interview with Pierre Rehov, documentary filmmaker, on psychology behind suicide bombings

By Andrew Cochran

On July 15, I appeared on MSNBC's "Connected" program to discuss the 7/7 London attacks (you can see video of the segment on the linked page). One of my fellow guests was Pierre Rehov, a French filmmaker who has filmed six documentaries on the intifada by going undercover in the Palestinian areas. Pierre's upcoming film, "Suicide Killers," is based on interviews that he conducted with the families of suicide bombers and would-be bombers in an attempt to find out why they do it. Pierre agreed to my request for a Q&A interview here about his work on the new film. Many thanks to Dean Draznin and Arlyn Riskind for helping to arrange this special interview.

What inspired you to produce Suicide Killers, your seventh film?

I started working with victims of suicide attacks to make a film on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when I became fascinated with the personalities of those who had committed those crimes, as they were described again and again by their victims. Especially the fact that suicide bombers are all smiling one second before they blow themselves up.

Why is this film especially important?

People don't understand the devastating culture behind this unbelievable phenomenon. My film is not politically correct because it addresses the real problemshowing the real face of Islam. It points the finger against a culture of hatred in which the uneducated are brainwashed to a level where their only solution in life becomes to kill themselves and kill others in the name of a God whose word, as transmitted by other men, has became their only certitude.

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Breaking News: Algerian Diplomatic Envoys Reportedly Executed by Al-Qaida

By Evan Kohlmann

In a new communique posted within the past hour, the Military Wing of Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has announced the execution of two Algerian diplomats held hostage in Iraq following a decision two days ago by Al-Qaida's Shura Council to impose the death penalty.  In a daring July 21 insurgent operation, Ali Belarousi and his colleague Azzedine Belkadi were dragged from their vehicle in a highly secured zone of Baghdad and seized as captives.  The Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC) has applauded the operation and, yesterday, issued a special request to Al-Qaida to videotape "confessions" by the diplomats--particularly Azzedine Belkadi, who the GSPC accused of being behind massacres of Algerian civilians blamed on militant Algerian Islamists

Just in case there was any question about the prominent role of the GIA/GSPC in killing innocent Muslims in North Africa, I'm posting an original copy of a September 1995 communique from former GIA chief Antar Zouabri.  Zouabri proceeded to label the Algerian people writ-large as "infidels, apostates, and hypocrites" and claimed responsibility for--in the words of former Finsbury Park Mosque cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri--"killing, slaughtering, massacring, burning, and even kidnapping and raping women of their opponents" and taking others as slaves.  Even the notorious Abu Hamza later criticized the GIA for its policy of killing innocent Algerian Muslims as a "stab in the back... [of] the Muslim Ummah in general and the mujahideen in Algeria and worldwide in particular."

See also: Al-Qaida in Iraq Seizes Algerian Diplomats, GSPC Applauds Operation

7/21 London Bomber Arrested in Birmingham (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

BBC report: "Suspected bomber Yasin Hassan Omar has been arrested by police in Birmingham investigating the failed 21 July attacks in London." Sky News report: "Detectives also confirmed they have arrested Yasin Hassan Omar, suspected of being one of the would-be suicide bombers who targeted London." Fox News: "Elsewhere, off-duty British police nabbed two men traveling on a train in England's Western Midlands region...And police arrested a man at Luton's airport near London under anti-terrorism legislation as he prepared to leave on a flight for France, authorities said. Police did not say why he was arrested or if it was connected with the recent London attacks." London Times story: "Shocking new images have emerged of unexploded bombs, some packed around with nails, which were found in a car left behind by the July 7 London bombers. In total, 16 bombs were found in the red Nissan car parked at Luton railway station." Walid Phares was on MSNBC to discuss how jihadi activists in the UK tried to recruit him while he was on travel there (see this post about his trip there in 1999). He also discussed increasing outrage among Muslims against the jihadists, and he will also be interviewed on BBC TV at 8 pm Eastern time. Steven Emerson will be on MSNBC's "Countdown" at 8 pm Eastern time to discuss the arrests.

Sky News photos: Arrest scene & Yasin Hassan Omar
Londonattackarrests727Skynewsomar721picture

Report: Arab Fighters in Afghanistan Name New Egyptian Commander

By Evan Kohlmann

According to a July 26 report by an Afghan news network, Arab fighters in Afghanistan have chosen a new commander known as Abu Ikhlas al-Masri (from Egypt) to undertake administrative tasks in the Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan.  According to the media network, this information was relayed during a telephone interview with a purported spokesman of Arab fighters in Afghanistan, 36-year old Abu al-Tayyib al-Djazairi (from Algeria), who indicated that Abu Ikhlas was chosen as commander by the Shura Council of the Arab mujahideen based in Kunar Province and Nuristan.  According to Abu al-Tayyib, Abu Ikhlas is married to a local woman from Nuristan and has five children.  He is allegedly a well-known veteran of the Soviet-Afghan jihad and has fought as a guerilla in the regions of Kunar and Nuristan for almost twenty years. 

Abu al-Tayyib also boasted that the downing of an American Chinook helicopter late last month killing all onboard has sharply increased morale among Arab fighters loyal to the Taliban.  When asked about the location of Usama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Abu al-Tayyib responded, "Praise be to Allah, they are all alive and in good health, but I do not know the location where they are."

The Muslim American Society, Anti-Terror Paragon?

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Mahdi Bray, the executive director of the Muslim American Society's (MAS) Freedom Foundation, appeared on Fox News today to discuss MAS's new anti-terror campaign.  Bray stated that it was MAS's goal to "inoculate our young people by making sure they're actively and constructively engaged in positive activities that reflect the main views of their faith tradition, as opposed to someone who would want to influence them into extremist points that would certainly lead to death, destruction and mayhem."  He spoke about how MAS has created a number of free-standing youth centers, and will build more, in order to guarantee young people a place where their faith can develop free from the influence of extremists.

MAS's website further fleshes out MAS's program by explaining its "comprehensive and multifaceted approach to proactively combat terrorism."  This includes an emphasis on its youth and scouts work, which is designed "to inculcate in our youth the proper understanding of Islam, help them fulfill their potential, and keep them away from the voices of extremism."  MAS also promises to work with imams and Islamic centers "to consolidate and solidify the prevailing moderate and mainstream orientation of our community."

While these goals sound laudable on their face, MAS does not come close to being an organization likely to advance a truly moderate interpretation of Islam.  In fact, an explosive investigative report published in the Chicago Tribune late last year revealed MAS to be the arm of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood in the United States.  The Brotherhood is a largely underground international Islamist group that, according to former Kuwaiti minister of education Ahmad Al-Rab'i, is the ideological fountainhead of al-Qaeda's terrorism.  The 9/11 Commission Report concurs that the Brotherhood was an inspiration to al-Qaeda by noting Osama bin Laden's reliance on Brotherhood ideologue Sayyid Qutb, who argued that Islam and disbelief (what he called jahiliyya, a reference to the "era of ignorance" in the Arabian peninsula that preceded Muhammad's prophethood) are locked in a mortal struggle, and all must choose sides.

MAS's top leaders, such as Shaker Elsayed, admit that MAS was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood, but claim that the organization "went way beyond that point of conception."  If true, perhaps the group's questionable origins would be forgiveable.  However, MAS shows no signs of having moved away from the Brotherhood's ideology.  In fact, the exact opposite is true.  After a debate that I had with Mahdi Bray was broadcast on PAX-TV's Faith Under Fire back in May, I wrote an article for the Weekly Standard that explains what MAS -- which has a standardized reading list and curriculum that applies to all of its members -- is teaching behind closed doors.

Here I'll provide two quotes from MAS's curriculum that should cause concern about the fact that MAS is positioning itself as a bulwark against extremism in the Muslim community (and these are only two; if you read my Weekly Standard article, you'll see that there are many, many more).  I gleaned MAS's curriculum from the Minnesota chapter's website.  As I suspected, the website removed the pages that I quoted from after my Weekly Standard article came out, but I saved them. 

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Al-Qaida in Iraq Seizes Algerian Diplomats, GSPC Applauds Operation

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Iraq--led by wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Algerian diplomats Ali Belaroussi and Azzedine Belkadi.  In a statement released on July 23, Al-Qaida explained that the diplomats were taken hostage after the Algerian government allegedly ignored repeated warnings and instead "support[ed] the Jews, Christians, and every country that wounds the people of al-Tawheed."   The Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC) has responded with its own communiqu, applauding the kidnapping of the two diplomats and accusing their government of "backstabbing" the Iraqi people "by aiding the apostate Iraqi government and the crusader alliance in their battle against the mujahideen."   

Click to view documents c/o Globalterroralert.com
- July 23 claim by Al-Qaida for kidnapping of Algerians
- July 23 response to kidnapping from GSPC in Algeria
- July 26 Al-Qaida video of Algerian diplomats held hostage

Victor Comras to Testify at Hearing on Syria's Illegal Oil-for-Food Contracts With Saddam

By Andrew Cochran

Victor Comras will testify on Wednesday morning, July 27, before two subcommittees of the U.S. House International Relations Committee, in a hearing on Syria's role in undermining the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food program. As one of five international monitors of the U.N.'s Al-Qaeda-Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Group from 2002 to 2004, Victor conducted reviews to determine the extent of compliance by U.N. member countries with the U.N. sanctions resolutions. Victor previously testified on the U.N.'s role in the fight against terrorism before that committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation on March 17 (here is a transcript of that hearing). Fox News on the hearing: "Syria had $3 billion in illegal oil-import and arms-export deals with Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime, according to documents obtained by the House International Relations Committee. The documents, prepared by IRS special agents, have emerged as a new avenue in Congress' investigation into the scandal-plagued U.N. Oil-for-Food program. Congressional investigators on Wednesday will hold a 10:30 a.m. EDT hearing to probe the actions of Syria and President Bashar Assad." And Fox News has the documents (Acrobat file).

Liberty & Security vs. Terror ? an American Perspective

By Bill West

I wonder how the devil is feeling nowadays, since his lair has frozen over. The likes of me, a 29-year law enforcement veteran who spent half his career working organized crime and national security cases, has found common ground with the ACLU. Im talking about the random police searches of bags conducted in the New York subway system recently implemented as a result of the twin terrorist attacks against the London transit system in July. The New York authorities claim the inspections are random and reasonable. The ACLU and other civil libertarians claim the searches violate the Constitutions Fourth Amendment. I suppose Im really somewhere in the middle, since I believe the random inspections will do little more than divert critical law enforcement resources from more important functions while managing to slightly harass the law abiding citizenry. The matter might eventually be settled in the courts.

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Egyptian Group With Apparent Zarqawi Link Claims Responsibility for Sharm el-Sheikh Bombings

By Evan Kohlmann

In a new communique posted online and verified as authentic by sources close to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the "Egyptian Tawheed and Jihad Movement" has claimed responsibility for recent suicide bombing attacks in the Sinai resort towns of Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh.  The statement named five alleged "martyrs" from October's terrorist attacks in Taba and justified the latest carnage in Sharm el-Sheikh as "the response to the orders of Allah and his Prophet to fight the infidels everywhere... [and] to show obedience to the commanders of the mujahideen, Usama Bin Laden and Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri."

Prior to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi swearing bayat (an oath of allegiance) to Usama Bin Laden in November 2005, his terrorist affiliate organization in Iraq was likewise known as the "Tawheed and Jihad Movement."  Only hours after the latest bombings in Egypt, Zarqawi's media wing released a video showing Al-Qaida interrogators questioning former Egyptian Ambassador to Baghdad Ihab el-Sherif concerning the location of Jews in the Sinai Peninsula--to which an obviously distressed Sherif responded, "From Taba to Sharm el-Sheikh."

Click to view English translation c/o Globalterroralert.com
Click to view July 23 Al-Qaida video of Egyptian Ambassador in Iraq

U.S. Senate Severely Limits U.S. Companies From Dealing With Terrorist-Supporting States

By Andrew Cochran

By a vote of 98-0, the U.S. Senate today approved a measure proposed by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to sharply limit U.S. companies from doing business with states that support terrorism. The measure, an amendment to the FY 2006 Defense Department authorization bill, would prohibit U.S. companies from forming shell companies to circumvent sanctions against countries designated by the State Department. The measure would also bar U.S. companies from direct involvement with existing foreign subsidiaries which conduct business with terrorist-supporting states. The Collins Amendment is not as stringent as one proposed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), but his measure was heavily opposed by the Administration as overly broad and inviting of foreign retaliation. The text of the bill and Sen. Collins's floor statement yesterday on her amendment (the final vote was delayed until today) follow.

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Africa's Counterterror Initiative

By Douglas Farah

The Washington Post has an interesting front-page story today on the difficulties in training sub-Saharan African forces in counter-terror strategies, and the pitfalls this presents for the other goal--democratization--that has been stated as necessary to fight terrorism. What are the tradeoffs in training troops whose primary loyalty will be to an abusive president and his small ethnic group, as is the case in Chad, with president Deby, who has not a democratic bone in his body? Will the Chadian troops (and those in surrounding nations such as Niger, Mali, Maurtiania) actually get better at patrolling their borders and facing the growing threat of armed Islamic groups in the region? Or will they focus their new-found skills on cracking down on internal dissent, patrolling the capital and generally becoming slightly more sophisticated in their repression?

These are complicated questions that need to be thought about and addressed as Africa becomes ever more relevant in the counterterror efforts. There is no doubt that sub-Saharan Africa is an increasingly attractive recruitment ground for al Qaeda and affiliated groups such as the Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat and the "al Qaeda in Nigeria" cells that appear to have been planning to attack U.S. targets in Lagos and Abuja. African are also appearing in Iraq and elsewhere in the jihadi struggles.

What are acceptable tradeoffs between two vastly different goals and approaches in combatting the spread of terror, or armed groups, in states that hover on the brink of disintegration and failure? To read the rest of the blog, go here.

The Pentagon's Plan for Winning the War on Terror

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

A new article in U.S. News & World Report explains that, on March 3, Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Richard Myers "signed a comprehensive new plan for the war on terrorism."  While the document, entitled "National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism," is still secret, U.S. News reports that it will soon be released in unclassified form.  U.S. News explains the plan's development:

[T]he document is the culmination of 18 months of work and is a significant evolution from the approach adopted after the 9/11 attacks, which was to focus on capturing or killing the top al Qaeda leaders.  For the first time since then, Pentagon officials say, they have a strategy that examines the nature of the antiterror war in depth, lays out a detailed road map for prosecuting it, and establishes a score card to determine where and whether progress is being made.  The origins of the new plan lie in an October 2003 "snowflake," as Rumsfeld's numerous memoranda to his staff are called.  Was the United States really winning the war on terrorism, Rumsfeld asked his commanders, and how could we know if more terrorists were being killed or captured than were being recruited into the ranks?  . . .  The initial result was a 70-page draft report, which subsequently went through over 40 revisions as it was shared with Rumsfeld's inner circle, then a larger group, called the senior-level review group ("Slurg," in Pentagon-speak), and then regional commanders and other agencies. . . .  In March, the final 25-page report, plus 13 annexes, was signed and became formal Pentagon policy.

The article discusses several key features of this new plan.  They include defining the enemy in the war on terrorism as "Islamist extremism," rather than just al-Qaeda; placing an emphasis on both "encouraging" and "enabling" foreign partners, along with an explicit understanding that this conflict cannot be fought unilaterally, or by military means alone; and using a new set of metrics twice a year to measure progress.

The United States has long been without an explicit blueprint for winning the war on terror, which is a conflict unlike any that our country has fought before.  Regardless of the problems that people have with the specifics of the Pentagon's plan when it's released to the public, the fact that there is now a plan to debate about is encouraging.  The Pentagon's plan will merit sustained attention and analysis once it's released.

Zeyno Baran on role of Bosnian war & Bill West on UK's actions against Afghan warlord

By Andrew Cochran

Zeyno Baran's op-ed in today's "Baltimore Sun" focuses on the role that the war in Bosnia played in the development of jihadist theology and terrorist cells:

"The war in Bosnia, particularly the arms embargo imposed on the Muslim population while the Serbs were massacring them, became the major turning point for the global Muslim consciousness...Bosnia thus became the entry point into Europe of jihadist ideology and those willing to fight for it. Afghan mujahedeen, Iranian mercenaries and recruits from South Asia, Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East united behind their Muslim brothers in Bosnia. Although most of these men returned to their homelands, they are ticking time bombs. Ideologically, they were transformed by their wartime experience, and many began to believe that Britain and the United States are enemies of Islam...Further, many learned military and guerrilla tactics and techniques that can be applied elsewhere against these enemies. Following a meeting in Istanbul in February 2002, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq, is believed to have activated Europe-based sleeper cells formed during the war in Bosnia."

And Bill West's column in FrontPage Magazine today touts action taken against an Afghan warlord by the UK:

"Our British allies, however, have just brought justice to bear against one former Afghan warlord who stood accused of committing war crimes within his native country. Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, who went to Britain in the late 1990s with a false passport and claimed asylum there (another unfortunate testament to their liberal and lax asylum laws), controlled a key road from Pakistan to Kabul through the Khyber Pass from 1992 1996. Zardad was affiliated with an Afghan political group called the Hizbhi-I-Islami that apparently was at odds with the Taliban, and this was the basis of Zardads asylum claim. Zardad, however, had a darker past. He commanded up to 1000 men in his private militia, and used them ruthlessly to kidnap, torture and extort loot from innocent civilians during his reign of terror in his little chunk of Afghanistan before he fled to the UK."

Walid Phares: "Al Qaida attempting to infiltrate the CIA? IS IT EVEN A QUESTION?

By Andrew Cochran

Walid Phares asked me to post the following for him:

"In the July 10 issue of the LA Times, Michael Sulick wrote that "as many as 40 possible terrorists may have attempted to infiltrate U.S. intelligence agencies in recent months, CIA expert Barry Royden reported at a national counterintelligence conference in March." Had I been free to release my instinct-based reaction, I would have said (not wrote) duh!..(well I wrote it now).

My comment is brief: Not only al Qaida is trying to infiltrating the CIA, but it has been attempting to do so since the mid 1990s. And not only the CIA, but also the FBI, and other security and military agencies. And let me add, not only through "Jamesbondian" sensational ways but by the book, and under US laws. Let me just throw this question at the memory of university professors across the nation: How many times were you approached over the past ten years to write a letter of recommendation for a student "very interested" in one of the agencies? Remember his/her reasons, research interest and ponder a little (...)

The whole issue of how the agency is recruiting for its War on Terror is of extreme importance. Two aspects to think about. How many "wrong persons" have been already recruited, and even as worrisome, how many "right persons" were not recruited! I'll come back with more on this later, including in my forthcoming book, Future Jihad, expected for end of October."

London, Taba, and Sharm el-Sheikh

By Evan Kohlmann

For those who missed it on my website, last fall I posted a video online of a radical demonstration outside the Saudi Embassy in London led by Dr. Mohammed al-Massari.  The protest had initially been intended to rally Islamic fundamentalists against the Saudi regime--however, occurring only days after the October suicide bombings in Taba, Egypt, the focus of discussion quickly shifted to Al-Qaida.  Pumping his fist for emphasis, al-Massari proclaimed, "The aggressor can be countered with a similar aggression to his kind.   If he targets civilians, we target the civilians.  If he bombs our city, we bomb his city.  If he uses nuclear weapons, we will use nuclear weapons.  This, most likely, will not happen.  When we get nuclear weapons, they will be deterred from this result, since the principle of deterrence must be involved."

To underscore the point, Massari and Yasser al-Sirri (a leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad living in London) then led their British followers in repeatedly chanting, "Taba, Taba, O' Jews: the Army of Mohammed is coming for you!"

Steven Emerson on London & Epypt Bombing Investigations (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Steven Emerson on NBC's "Today Show" this morning: The lack of chatter or intercepts prior to the attacks has shocked British & Egyptian intel services, both of which are very good. The intel services are concerned that future attacks are already planned and the groups are compartmented and don't need further communications. Steve said that the rafting trip apparently undertaken by the London attackers could hae been for bonding, as the 9-11 attackers did during a trip to Las Vegas prior to the attacks, or to train to go undercover, as the "Virginia paintball" gang did in training for jihad abroad. Host Matt Lauer reminded viewers that Steve had predicted last year that Al Qaeda wouldn't attack in the U.S. prior to the 2004 election. Steve said that in contrast to last year, he is worried and had a discussion last week with a senior U.S. law enforcement official who is "very scared" about a future U.S. attack as we approach the fourth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. UPDATE: Here is the transcript of Steve's appearances today on the "Today Show" and on MSNBC (Acrobat file).

Omar Bakri Mohammed, "the godfather of British terrorism" (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

The "Sunday Times's" Nick Fielding, a veteran and respected reporter on terrorism, has an excellent article on Omar Bakri Mohammed as the "godfather of British terrorism" - "It is becoming clear that al-Muhajiroun (ALM), the group formed by Bakri in London less than a decade ago, has played a pivotal role in radicalising young Britons who have gone on to wreak terror in Britain and across the world. The Sunday Times has identified more than a dozen members of ALM who have taken part in suicide bombings or have become close to Al-Qaeda and its support network."

The CT Blog Experts have discussed Bakri's influence in numerous posts here. See Zeyno Baran's study, "Hizb ut-Tahrir: Islams Political Insurgency," also linked in the Counterterrorism Library in left sidebar (Acrobat file), on Hizb and ALM's roles in Islamic terrorism; Evan Kohlmann's July 13 and July 11 posts about Bakri; Walid Phares's July 17 post; and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross's January 20 post on Bakri's incendiary webcasts on PalTalk, on which Bakri said, "We have Sheikh Osama bin Laden, our emir, and he is admired by every single person so that is the victorious group." UPDATE: See also today's NYT story "Radical cleric predicted a second London attack" on the International Herald Tribune site about Bakri.

Unexploded Backpacks Leading to Swift Investigation of Attackers' Links (Updated with picture)

By Andrew Cochran

As the CT Blog Experts and others predicted after the 7/21 attacks (Steven Emerson here and here and Evan Kohlmann here), the unexploded backpacks appear to be leading to a swift investigation of the links between the 7/7 and 7/21 attackers. The July 24 Guardian reports that "Police now believe some of the men they are pursuing for last week's abortive attacks...attended a whitewater rafting trip at the same centre as two of the 7 July bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. Evidence discovered in the rucksacks left behind by the failed bombers led police to three addresses in London. When investigators cross-referenced them with the electoral register they discovered names that tallied with those of individuals who attended the outdoor adventure course in Snowdonia last summer. Scotland Yard has confirmed the explosive used in the 21 July bomb attempts bore a similarity to that used in the earlier attacks."

UPDATE, 7/24: Third Arrest Made in Botched London Bombings - and "Analysts: Al-Qaeda behind attacks: London, Egypt blasts mirror group's tactics" - The back-to-back nature of the attacks in Egypt and London, as well as similarities in the methods used, suggests that al-Qaeda might have ordered both operations and is a clear sign Osama bin Laden and his deputies remain in control, according to counterterrorism analysts and government officials in Europe and the Middle East."

London Daily Mirror photo: "Mohammed Sidique Khan (middle right showing V-sign) and Aldgate bomber Shezad Tanweer (bottom right leaning forward)"

Mirror_720_bombers_raft_trip

Terrorist Attacks at Egyptian Resort Kill Dozens As Suspects in Previous Bombing Near Trial (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik bombed by terrorists - Updated AFP story: "Al-Qaeda linked suicide car bombers unleashed a trail of carnage in Egypt's tourist-packed Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing at least 88 people, including foreign tourists." Updated AP story: "The attacks appeared well coordinated. Two car bombs, possibly by suicide attackers, went off simultaneously at 1:15 a.m. just more than 2 miles apart. A third bomb, believed hidden in a sack, detonated around the same time near a beachside walkway where tourists often stroll at night." Fox News on claim for attacks: "The group, which calls itself the Abdullah Azzam Brigades in Syria and Egypt, posted a statement to an Islamic Web site saying its 'holy warriors targeted the Ghazala Gardens hotel and the Old Market in Sharm el-Sheikh. The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified.' But some Egyptian analysts blamed Israel. Interestingly, Hamas denounced the attacks. In the blogosphere, Michelle Malkin and Robert Spencer have their usual outstanding coverage of such events.

Fox News story notes previous attacks: "Egypt has been the site of several deadly attacks on places frequented by tourists. In October 2004, a series of explosions hit several hotels in the Sinai resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan, about 100 miles northwest along the Gulf of Aqaba coast, killing 34 people. Egyptian authorities said that attack was linked to Israeli-Palestinian violence, prompting a wave of arrests in Sinai."

BBC article from October 2004 bombing: "Israeli officials say they suspect al-Qaeda involvement in bomb blasts at Egyptian resorts popular with Israelis, in which at least 28 people died."

In looking for a motive, note that the trial of the October 2004 suspects is scheduled for July 24 - Xinhuanet story from July 2: "Egypt's Supreme State Security Court on Saturday put off to July 24 trial of three suspects in connection with three bombings which rocked Sinai resorts last October, the official MENA news agency reported." AFP story: "The trial of three men suspected of involvement in the October bombings opened on July 2 at the high state security court in Ismailiya, northeast of Cairo, and was due to resume on Sunday. One of the men is still at large and being tried in absentia." And see 7/24 AP story: "Egypt's interior minister has said investigators are looking into whether there were links between the (October 2004) Taba and Sharm blasts..."

But we know it's not about Iraq, because "Wait, Egypt doesn't have any troops in Iraq. Or Afghanistan. Nor were there ever."

UPDATE 7/24: Egypt Detains 70 in Resort Bombings.
AFP photos
Egypt_722_resort_bombsEgypt_722_resort_bombs_2

Mohamed Atta's Father Praises London Attacks

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Mohamed Atta's father made some truly remarkable comments to CNN this week:

[Atta's father] El-Amir said the attacks in the United States and the July 7 attacks in London were the beginning of what would be a 50-year religious war, in which there would be many more fighters like his son.  He declared that terror cells around the world were a "nuclear bomb that has now been activated and is ticking."  The man, who gave his age as "at least 70," said he had no sorrow for what happened in London . . . .  He passionately vowed that he would do anything within his power to encourage more attacks.  When asked if he would allow a CNN crew to videotape another interview with him, el-Amir said he would give his permission -- for a price of $5,000.  That money, he said, would not be kept for himself, but would be donated to someone to carry out another terror attack.

It's interesting to note how Atta's father has changed his tune over the past few years.  In late September of 2001, the L.A. Times reported that Atta's father maintained his son's innocence, and even claimed that he had spoken with his son by phone after 9/11:

Atta's father says he believes many of the suspects in the hijackings have been framed.  The father, Mohammed Al-Amir Awad Al-Sayed Atta, has seen the airport videotape purporting to show two of the suspected hijackers before the attack.  The father said one of the men appears to be his son but that the tape must have been doctored.  He insisted he had talked to his son by telephone since the hijackings.  "Neither me nor my son has been involved in any political party.  We are people who keep to ourselves.  We don't mix a lot with people.  We are all successful," he said.  "Even the security officials were polite when they asked questions about Mohamed, which is not really their habit, because they knew we are good people."

Where do Homegrown British Suicide Bombers Come From? Part II

By Evan Kohlmann

Not far from the Stockwell tube stop in south London--where British police earlier today shot and killed a suspected suicide bomber--lies the town of Brixton.  Investigators have likewise found clothing in Brixton that they believe was abandoned by one of those responsible for yesterday's failed terrorist attack.  Coincidentally or not, Brixton is also the former home of Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal, a Jamaican-born Islamic convert and religious leader now serving a lengthy prison sentence for inciting young Muslims to kill Jews and Hindus

Faisal's indoctrination into fundamentalism took place in Saudi Arabia, where he studied at an Islamic university and became a firm devotee of extreme Salafist clerics in the Kingdom.  After completing his studies in Saudi Arabia, Faisal later told UK police that "he was sent to the United Kingdom to preach by Sheikh Rajhi"--an apparent reference to the wealthy and powerful Saudi Al-Rajhi family that has been repeatedly accused of supporting international terrorism.  Settling in Brixton, al-Faisal regularly surfaced to deliver sermons to his followers at the local town hall--but also traveled and spoke before other audiences in Manchester, Worthing, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Swansea, and Birmingham.  According to legal documents filed in his criminal case, each of Faisal's lectures was "attended by 100 people and sometimes [as many as] 500."

What was Faisal ordering his hundreds of followers to do?  Stop me if this sounds familiar...

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A Note of Caution on the So-Called "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades"

By Evan Kohlmann

Late last night, a purported entity known as "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades" issued a communique over the Internet claiming responsibility on behalf of Al-Qaida for yesterday's attempted series of renewed terror bombings in downtown London.  The group--named after Al-Qaida's former military chief slain in November 2001--has dispatched a dozen or more similar threats over the past two years, achieving some level of public infamy.

But the real question is, should anyone actually be listening to them?  Though the mainstream media has jumped on this communique (not to mention other off-kilter claims of responsibility recently posted on the Internet), there is little reason or evidence to suggest that either:
1.) This statement was posted by the same individuals who have broadcast "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades" material in the past; nor that,
2.) There is any actual link whatsoever between Al-Qaida and the so-called "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades."  Rather than expand on this point myself, I point readers instead to the words of my old friend in Finsbury Park, hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri.  Shortly after the 3/11 bombings in Madrid (yet another catastrophe claimed by the elusive "Abu Hafs" Brigades), Abu Hamza took to his podium in London and addressed this issue directly:

"Look at this group that claimed responsibility [for Madrid]... they are the same group who claimed their responsibility about the power [outage] in Canada, and about the power [outage] in America, about the power [outage] in Britain for the Underground.  Can you really take them seriously??  And who are they?  Al-Qaida has *never*, *ever* claimed that they have a branch which is called the 'Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades.'  I know some brothers in Al-Qaida, sometimes they leave people to speak whatever they want to speak for, as long as they support them and they try to get the people around them.  But this is a bad manner because you are going to leave the believers frustrated."

THE NEW LEBANON: DEMOCRATIC REFORM AND STATE SPONSORSHIP

By Matthew Levitt

The appointment of a Hizballah member as a minister in the new cabinet raises anew the question of Lebanon's actions regarding terrorism. Lebanese voters can now elect anyone they wish, and the government can fill its cabinet as it sees fit -- but these decisions have consequences. Electing or appointing individuals tied to terrorism, guerrilla warfare, or other forms of political violence is beyond the pale of acceptable Western democratic norms, and the West should react accordingly.

Resolution 1559 underscored the international consensus behind the centrality of disarming militias as part of the process of democratization. Nevertheless, the Lebanese domestic debate over disarming Hizballah is unlikely to conclude soon, given the diversity of the newly formed cabinet. (Two-thirds of its members are from the former opposition coalition headed by Saad Hariri and Druze leader Walid Jumblat, with the remainder consisting of allies of Emile Lahoud and members of the Shiite bloc.) The international community must continue to push Lebanon to disarm Hizballah in accordance with the UN resolution. As European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana recently stated regarding Hamas's foray into the political sphere, terrorist groups must transform themselves into political parties in order to be removed from international blacklists, and disarming is the first step in this process. Solana added, "A political party cannot bear arms; this exists in no democracy."

Continue reading THE NEW LEBANON: DEMOCRATIC REFORM AND STATE SPONSORSHIP

London 7/21 Attack Stories & Columns - Arrests & Shooting (Updated)

By Andrew Cochran

NOTE: Last edit to this post at 10:30 pm Eastern time. MSNBC: Two arrests, one of which is connected to 7/21 attacks. London Police release pictures of 7/21 attack suspects - see below. BBC: "Police hunting four bombing suspects have searched an address in the Harrow Road area of north-west London." London Times: "A man was also arrested under anti-terror legislation at Birmingham's Snow Hill station tonight and bomb disposal experts dealt with two suspect suitcases as the station was evacuated."

London Police killed suspected bomber this morning - Sky News: "Police believed the Asian man was responsible for an attempted attack on the nearby Oval Tube on Thursday and had set up surveillance on him...Initial examinations though...did not discover any explosives on the suspect." Dead man not wanted in connection with 7/21 attacks but a "terrorist suspect." Fox News: "An American once accused of trying to set up a terror training camp in Oregon is being questioned about a man sought in the London bombings, U.S. officials said Friday."

CT Blog Experts: Steven Emerson on Fox News this morning: "Phenomenally easier to solve 7/21 attempts because of materials left behind - number one factor in future attacks will be whether Muslims renounce jihad within community - Al Qaeda likes to revisit scene of crime, as they did at WTC years later" - will be on MSNBC at 4:15 pm and 6:00 pm ET, and Fox News On the Record at 10:00 pm, all times ET. See also Walid Phares column: "These bombers are Jihadi terrorists with a worldview and designs against the UK and other democracies. Investigating the nature of the explosives is a normal process, but exposing the lethal ideology and its ramifications in society is the center of the battle." Daveed Gartenstein-Ross on Fox News Dayside at 1:30 pm ET. Matthew Levitt on CNN tonight. Bill West on KSFO Radio discussed Euro-Jihadists and U.S. Visa Waiver Program - potential threat to US - keeping inciters out of US (Tariq Ramadan and Yusuf Islam cases) - need for tougher border controls and interior immigration enforcement. See Dennis Lormel's post on terrorist financing investigations and BBC article quoting him. See also Michael Chandler quoted in another BBC article on terrorist financing. Zeyno Baran on Fox News at 9:50 am Eastern time on Saturday.

Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, al Qaeda-linked group which claimed responsibility for 7/7 attacks, claims responsibility for 7/21 attempts. But see Evan Kohlmann's cautionary post above on their lack of capabilities and ties.

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center analysis: Islamic Legitimacy for the London Bombings: "In the past two weeks, two major controversial positions appeared on Jihadi web sites and in the Arab media. These statements were made by two of the most important and influential clerics of the Jihadi-Salafi current of global Jihad."

"Worldwide Conspiracy?"
Newsweek: "A U.S. law-enforcement official confirmed to NEWSWEEK on Wednesday that the FBI is also seeking a man believed to be the same suspect, Haroon Rashid Aswad, as part of a New York-based terror investigation."

Homeland Security had eyed lowering terror alert before latest London attacks

MSNBC Photo of Stockwell Station shooting scene & Suspects' Pictures:
Msnbc_722_stockwell_station_shooting721_london_suspects

NBC: Officials say backpacks, explosives used in 7/21 attacks identical to those of July 7 bombers

By Evan Kohlmann

"...NBC News has learned that British authorities told their U.S. counterparts that the backpacks used in Thursday's planned attacks [in London] and the explosives found in the backpacks are identical to those used in the July 7 attacks evidence that strongly suggests the two sets of attacks were connected... The police are not sure if these bombers were ever in contact with those who carried out the July 7 attack but believe that they are part of the same cell and that the attacks failed because the detonators failed."

The Importance of Terrorist Financing Investigations

By Dennis Lormel

In the aftermath of the second series of bombings in London on July 21, 2005, and the prospect and concern of additional attacks, it is important that comprehensive financial investigative strategies be developed and implemented in order to identify and link members of the terrorist cell or cells together, as well as identify any support structures.

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Keeping out Terror Inciters

By Bill West

Shortly after the 7/7 terrorist bombing attacks in London, PM Tony Blair announced the British government would quickly move to pass stronger new laws that would allow the exclusion and deportation of foreign nationals who made statements and took other public positions that incited violence or supported terrorism. Key British parliamentary leaders voiced support for these measures. After todays attacks in London, it is likely that such moves in the UK will only be hastened.

Ironically, these are the same kind of reasonable immigration enforcement actions the United States has been taking on a limited and selected basis since the 9/11 attacks, but for which our Government has received no shortage of criticism from various sources, to include some in the British government before 7/7. The exclusion of Swiss Islamist professor Tariq Ramadan and UK citizen Yusuf Islam, the former singer Cat Stevens, are two of the most public cases that received the most such criticism.

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The 7/21 Attacks: Strategic Error

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

I've long said that 9/11 was an enormous strategic error on al-Qaeda's part.  Al-Qaeda was in a great position prior to 9/11:  Their training camps were producing countless terrorists every year, Islamist insurgencies were raging in far-flung places from the Philippines to Chechnya, and radical Islam was gaining ground in both Europe and the United States.  If al-Qaeda had waited until now to strike the United States, they almost certainly would have been in a far better position.  Instead, the September 11 attacks, while tactically brilliant, were a considerable strategic setback for al-Qaeda.

Likewise, assuming that today's attacks are the work of Islamic terrorists (which is not a foregone conclusion), this is another case of strategic error.  As of this writing, there is only one confirmed casualty, and it is not a fatality.  While today's attack on British mass transit will certainly scare people -- which is, of course, one of the terrorists' aims -- the bigger thing it accomplishes is again highlighting the continuing vulnerabilities of mass transit to terrorist attack.  To that extent, it is one more prod to make the British think critically about how they can protect their vital soft targets.

On that note, it's interesting to see that transit union officials, unhappy with the continuing lack of security in New York City's mass transit system after the 7/7 attacks, seem to have a view similar to those propounded by both me and Bill West about how to improve security.  The New York Times reports:

Transit union officials, charging that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has not done enough to prepare workers for the possibility of a terrorist attack, said yesterday that they had hired a Israeli security expert to train subway and bus workers in recognizing suspicious packages and passengers. . . .  The president of Local 100, Roger Toussaint, said the authority had done little to reassure workers since the July 7 subway and bus bombings in London, which killed at least 56 people.  "We have not received any communication, even a phone call, from the M.T.A. regarding union input, or even a briefing, on what their plans are in the aftermath of London," Mr. Toussaint said.  "This is consistent with the freezing-out of the workforce regarding the security needs of the subway and bus environment."

It's sad to see the MTA acting so uninterested in security that the transit union feels they have to take matters into their own hand, but encouraging to see that the union clearly recognizes the danger.

Known Al-Qaida Affiliate Applauds 7/7 in London, Urges More Terror Attacks

By Evan Kohlmann

The Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC)--a known Al-Qaida affiliate group active in North Africa--has released a statement applauding the 7/7 suicide bomb attacks in London and calling for additional parallel terrorist operations. According to the document released on July 19:

During the days following the London attacks, many people appeared on various Internet sites and forums started screaming, shouting and condemning what happened while blaming the MuslimsAs long as Britain remains in a state of hatred and disbelief, then terrorizing it is a duty because it has appropriated the responsibility of fighting and wounding the Muslims and stealing their natural resources.  Also, it supports America, the Jews, the Arab oppressors, and everyone else who is fighting against Islam in the new crusader war against so-called terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and against the mujahideen everywhere... It is incorrect to claim that [British] civilians are innocents since most of the men and women are considered combatants by Islamic law because general public surveys have shown that the majority of the British people support Tony Blair in his war against the Muslims and mujahideen.

Regarding the children and women, while children are indeed innocent civilians and should not be deliberately killed if they are recognized by the attacker as children; however, if it is difficult to distinguish children from other people surrounding them (i.e. in a group of people) then killing them is permitted...Islam has ordered us to terrorize our enemies and whoever denies that is an infidel himself.  Terrorizing our infidel enemies is a legal obligation.  Whoever says that Islam is not related to terrorism has committed an infidel act--terror comes from Islam.

Four London Subway Station & Bus Explosions (Updated)

By Andrew Cochran

NOTE: Last edit in this post at 10:00 pm Eastern time. Fox News: London Police confirm four explosions or "attempted explosions" with only one report of injury. Sky News has bus eyewitness accounts and reports "Chemical searches at all four sites have proved negative." BBC has running chronology of today's incidents - note they started at lunchtime - and here is London Police's first statement.

London Police press conference: Four unexploded devices. Forensics provide possible "significant breakthrough" and ask for tips to THIS WEB ADDRESS. Can't provide bombers' description yet. Can't confirm/deny "nail bomb" story, and two arrests "entirely unrelated." Can't attribute to Al Qaeda yet. No transported casualties, and one reported casualty might be unrelated. PM Blair encourages calm and a return to normal soon and thanks Australian PM John Howard for strong support on security issues. BBC website: "A police source says officers are looking for an unknown number of fugitives." NBC News: "British authorities told their U.S. counterparts that the backpacks used in Thursday's planned attacks and the explosives found in the backpacks are identical to those used in the July 7 attacks evidence that strongly suggests the two sets of attacks were connected." Another BBC site: "Bomb disposal officers are examining a rucksack on the top deck of a bus evacuated after an explosion. A police officer at the scene told BBC News the driver had found the black rucksack split open on the top deck and they were treating it as suspicious." Also on BBC: "Armed police officers have searched a hospital close to the scene of one of four attempted explosions. Staff at University College Hospital were told in an e-mail to look for a man with wires protruding from his top...Three rooms in an unoccupied part of the hospital remain cordoned off...Police said there had been no arrests in connection with Thursday's four attempted explosions at three Tubes and on a bus." Sky News: "No one has been arrested directly in connection with the blasts. Two earlier arrests are not believed to be linked."

CT Blog Experts doing numerous TV appearances - Evan Kohlmann on NBC: Jihad supporters on Internet "rallied" by second attacks and notes Algerian GSPC's support. Matthew Levitt on NPR this morning. Walid Phares on MSNBC: Split exists in Islamic world on use of terrorist tactics; 80-85% of Muslims reject terrorism, but many terrorism backers. Steven Emerson on Fox News today (today's failure not symptomatic of Al Qaeda - forensics will reveal how connected to 7/7 attacks - obviously British government hasn't found all explosives within country) and on "O'Reilly Factor" at 8 pm Eastern, John Batchelor's radio show at 9:20 pm Eastern, and MSNBC's "Scarborough Country" at 10 pm Eastern. See Daveed Gartenstein-Ross's initial comments here and is on RadioAmerica at 6:50 pm Eastern time tonight. Doug Farah on Fox News this afternoon (Discussed Pakistan arrestee and small-dollar transfers) and Zeyno Baran on Fox News tomorrow.

Speculation among experts begins at various news sites - London Times - AP story - see London Times story on possibility of same cell as 7/7 attacks. Roger Cressey, former NSC CT official, describes unexploded devices as "jackpot" for investigators.

This site has numerous 7/7 & 7/21 attack pictures submitted by witnesses.

NY Police Commissioner Kelly announces random bag checks on NYC subway starting today. Pentagon security heightened.


Msnbc_london_blasts_map

London_july_21_tube_smoke Sky News photo

Hizb ut-Tahrir in North America

By Andrew Cochran

Brian Hecht of The Investigative Project has conducted additional research which expands on Zeyno Baran's July 14 post about "The Guardian" newspaper's employment of a known Islamic extremist as a reporter. This information was first made public by Scott Burgess, proprietor of the web log The Daily Ablution, and instantly made a splash across the internet. Burgess learned that a Guardian trainee journalist, Dilpazier Aslam, was a member Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist organization, though while legal in the United States and the United Kingdom, has been banned in various countries, including Germany, Holland and several in the Middle East, for inciting violence, including advocating the murder of Jews. The National Union of Students in the United Kingdom has barred Hizb ut-Tahrir as well, stating that the group is "responsible for supporting terrorism and publishing material that incites racial hatred."

Following the July 7, 2005 London suicide bombings that killed 55 and injured hundreds more, The Guardian published an op-ed by Aslam [titled, We rock the Boat, July 13, 2005], in which he asked his readers not to be shocked by the terror attacks in London, stating that the bombings were the inevitable result of Muslim agitation with Western aggression in Iraq. Aslam wrote that Muslims of his generation are without the don't-rock-the-boat attitude that restricted our forefathers. We're much sassier with our opinions, not caring if the boat rocks or not, and he criticized community and religious leaders who remain silent in the wake of recent U.S. actions in Fallujah. Mr. Aslam ominously foreshadowed the possibility of future terrorist attacks emanating from his community, adding that the dont-rock-the-boat attitude of the elders doesnt mean the agitation wanes; it means it builds till it can be contained no more.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has a presence in North America as well. At a Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) conference held in Detroit in 1998, they passed out literature attacking the nation of Turkey for its military alliance with Israel.

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U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Issues New Warning Citing Evidence of "Operational Planning" for Terrorist Attacks in Saudi Arabia

By Evan Kohlmann

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has issued a statement advising American citizens living in the Kingdom that it has "received indications of operational planning for a terrorist attack or attacks in the Kingdom."  The statement conceded that U.S. authorities have no "specific information concerning timing, target or method of any possible attack(s)"; however, it also noted that "[i]n the past, terrorist groups have targeted housing compounds and other establishments where Westerners may be located. Saudi Government facilities have also been targets. In addition to car bombs and armed assaults involving multiple gunmen against such facilities, terrorists have used ambush attacks to kidnap and/or assassinate individual Westerners."

This new warning comes directly in the wake of several major gunbattles between Al-Qaida operatives and Saudi security forces that have cost the lives of numerous top terrorist commanders--including most recently Moroccan Younis Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hayari, who was killed during a counterterrorism raid in Riyadh at dawn on July 3.  The terror warning from the U.S. embassy also follows only weeks after the publication of a new communique from Al-Qaida's Committee in Saudi Arabia breaking several months of silence.  The latter document proclaimed Al-Qaida's network still functional in the Kingdom and took credit for a recent sabotage attack on the Al-Qaseem airport aimed at disabling or destroying surveillance helicopters used by Saudi counterterrorism forces.  In response to the sudden flurry of clashes and general rise in chatter, I suggested to the Associated Press on July 5, "al-Qaida in the kingdom may be going into a new period of activity.  They were dormant for a long, long time, and suddenly they've become active.  I don't think al-Hayari's death will end it.  There [are] additional individuals who are being trained in Iraq, crossing back and forth into Saudi Arabia."  In this regard, on July 2, Al-Qaida terror leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi issued his own missive to the "mujahideen in Saudi Arabia", thanking them for "paying their dues" and recommending, "the enemies of Allah are waiting for either our victory or martyrdom, so... [come forward] and greet paradise."

Given the past modus operandi of Al-Qaida's outfit in Saudi Arabia, the State Department seems more or less on par when they suggest that Western embassies, housing complexes, and individual foreign nationals are the most likely targets for car bombings or ambushes by Al-Qaida gunmen.  However, Al-Qaida in Saudi is also thought to possess shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile launchers and has--within the past year alone--specifically targeted Western civilian airliners entering the Kingdom for attack.

*UPDATE*: Saudi Interior Ministry officials have reported raiding an alleged terrorist hideout near Riyadh where they discovered large amounts of bomb-making materials including fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, and other chemicals.  The seizure of such amounts of ammonium nitrate would suggest a likely intent by Al-Qaida to launch vehicle-borne explosive attacks.

Getting the UN to Beef Up its Role in Combating Terrorism

By Victor Comras

The July 7, 2005 London mass transit bombings gave a fresh jolt to the international community and underscored the continuing need to beef up the international response to terrorism. British, European and other world leaders expressed anew their determination to broaden and increase the effectiveness of international counter-terrorism effort. This included a call for a more stringent application of current measures as well as new steps to hold all countries accountable (See Gordon Brown July 12th EU Statements). EU Justice/Interior Ministers meeting in Brussels also pledged to accelerate their own counter-terrorism efforts. So, what should we now expect from the United Nations? First, and foremost, that the United Nations General Assembly will quickly lay before the international community a new comprehensive anti-terrorism convention containing a clear and unequivocal definition of terrorism. A draft new resolution is also circulating among Security Council members to further strengthen the application of measures against al Qaeda and the Taliban. And additional steps are also being considered to re-invigorate the UNs Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC). But the outcome of these proposals remain in doubt and, taken together, these new steps may continue to fall short when it comes to holding laggard countries accountable. The Chairmen of both the CTC and the Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions today reported to the Security Council on the progress being made under their current mandates.

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Michael Cutler: German release, Virginia arrest, & Alamoudi case show dangers of Visa Waiver Program

By Andrew Cochran

Michael Cutler asked me to post his comments on three cases and the Visa Waiver Program:

Once again we have more news which illustrate just how potentially dangerous the Visa Waiver Program is. A German court decided that a German citizen of Syrian origin who might have been involved with the 9-11 hijackers should not be extradited to Spain; a terrorist has been "taken down" for having committed fraud on his application for United States citizenship; and Abdurahman Alamoudi, a politically connected Muslim activist, turned out to be a sleeper Al Qaeda operative.

First, the German case: The German court decided that a German citizen of Syrian origin, Mamoun Darkazanli, should not be extradited to Spain as a suspected supporter of al Qaeda who was involved with at least two of the hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. According to the article, he provided logistic and financial support to al Qaeda and yet, Germany is refusing to turn him over to the Spanish government, notwithstanding the fact that a warrant has been issued for his arrest. It would appear that he is about to be released from custody leaving him free to roam freely.

Because this terror suspect is now a citizen of Germany, he could at least in theory, hop on an airliner or ship and present himself for admission to the United States without first obtaining a visa. Of course, if he travels under his own name it is to be presumed that he would be identified by our CBP inspectors and not only prevented from entering the United States, but he would be taken into custody in conjunction with that outstanding warrant. However, if he were to obtain a passport under a false identity, he might succeed in evading the so-called watch-list at a port of entry.

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NC ICE Operation Succeeds, but Draws Fire from Fellow Feds

By Bill West

There is an old saying, Let no good deed go unpunished. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in North Carolina who conducted the investigation and sting operation earlier this month that successfully led to the arrest of 48 illegal aliens working at the Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro must now be understanding the meaning of that old clich.

That operation was reported in a July 7 CT Blog posting. Apart from the lamentable fact that 48 illegal aliens were found working on a supposedly secure US military installation in the first place, the noted multi-agency investigation and law enforcement arrest operation identified the violators, all of whom had false documents that allowed them to procure their illegal employment, and resulted in their arrest without anyone getting hurt. And, it turns out, with the solid coordinated effort of Federal prosecutors the offenders apparently all entered swift guilty pleas on the immigration and false document charges and are headed toward quick removal from the US. So far, this particular operation appears to have been a significant success.

So, wheres the problem? It seems the Federal coppers decided, in setting up their sting, to pretend to be inspectors from the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the North Carolina State equivalent, and invited the illegal alien workers to attend a safety training class wherein, of course, the gumshoe dropped and they were arrested. The OSHA and state safety bureaucrats apparently were not notified of the ruse (law enforcement operational security seemingly came into play in that), and now those safety bureaucrats have their collective noses bent out of shape.

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German Court Releases Al Qaeda Terrorism Suspect Mamoun Darkazanli

By Victor Comras

Germanys Constitutional Court has just dealt European counter-terrorism efforts a major setback. The Court ruled against Germanys extraditing Mamoun Darkazanli to Spain to face terrorism related charges, and ordered his release. Darkazanli, a suspected al Qaeda operative was being held in Germany pending extradition to Spain on the basis of an EU Arrest Warrant. Darkazanlis German lawyers challenged the legality of the German law enforcing the EU arrest warrant as unconstitutional. While the court did not question the legality of the EU Arrest Warrant itself, it held that the German law implementing the Warrant's arrest procedures did not provide sufficient protection regarding constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. As the German arrest warrant was therefore invalid, the court ordered Darkazanlis release. It will now take a new law from the German Parliament to re-arrest Darkazanli pursuant to the Spanish charges against him. Darkazanli, a Syrian businessman, has dual German nationality. He was arrested in Hamburg last October on charges that he helped fund al Qaeda terrorism operations in Spain and elsewhere. He has also been investigated by German authorities for possible involvement with a Hamburg cell linked to the 9/11 attacks. Darkazanli was designated by the United Nations Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee in October 2001. This means that he is not to be permitted to travel outside of Germany accept for travel related to judicial proceedings.

The Guardian still does not get it

By Zeyno Baran

Even after the London attacks, and the death of one of its staff members, The Guardian is refusing to fire a staff member, whose Hizb ut-Tahrir membership was revealed last week. See story in The Independent

Political Crisis and the War on Terror in the Philippines

By Zachary Abuza

And they keep falling...

Eleven cabinet officials have now resigned from the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the Philippines as a result of the scandal involving the illegal recordings of some 13 calls that the president made to a regional election official as the votes were still being counted. Compounding that scandal are allegations that her husband, congressman son, and brother in law were all on the take from illegal numbers rackets.

Sadly, the fallout from President Arroyo's scandals includes the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and will impact the war on terror in Southeast Asia.

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Van Gogh's Killer Says He'd Do It Again

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

In November, the Netherlands was rocked by the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh.  Van Gogh had directed the controversial film Submission, written by Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which was designed to dramatize mistreatment of women born to Muslim families.  On November 2, 2004, van Gogh was riding his bicycle to work when he was shot six times by Mohammed Bouyeri, a joint Moroccan and Dutch national.  Prosecutors told the court that after shooting van Gogh multiple times, Bouyeri "then slit his throat with a kitchen knife, severing Mr van Gogh's neck down to the backbone before impaling to his chest with the knife a five-page note threatening other public figures."

Although he initially refused to participate in the legal proceedings because he said he wouldn't recognize the authority of a non-Islamic court, Bouyeri admitted to the killing last week, when he made a shocking statement to the court:

"I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," he told its three-strong panel of judges.  "I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do the same, exactly the same."  . . .  Spectators in the maximum security courthouse in western Amsterdam gasped as Bouyeri then turned to the victim's mother, Anneke, in the public gallery, and told her he felt nothing for her.  Mrs van Gogh watched as he read out from what appeared to be a statement:  "I don't feel your pain.  I have to admit that I don't have any sympathy for you.  I can't feel for you because you're a non-believer."

Comments:  Contempt for non-Islamic courts and a lack of remorse are two hallmarks of the Muslim terrorist.  For example, in my book review of Joel Seidemann's In the Interest of Justice, I note Zacarias Moussaoui's defiant behavior when he requested to fire his lawyers and proceed pro se with his defense.  This included Moussaoui quoting at length from the Koran, by memory:  "O you who believe, take not as your Bitanah, adviser, consultant, friend, those outside of your religion, pagan, Jew, Christian, and hypocrites, since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you.  They desire to harm you severely.  Hatred has already appeared from their mouth.  But what their breast conceals is far worse."

Conflict Diamond Debate Not Quite Over

By Dennis Lormel

In response to Doug Farah's earlier post about the debate concerning conflict diamonds, I disagree with his assertion that the debate is over. I have not had the opportunity to view the NBC Dateline story that Doug refers to. When I do, I'll provide a more definitive response. However, Doug's opinion that the FBI and CIA badly fouled up the investigations is unequivocally wrong. The FBI, CIA, as well as the international law enforcement and intelligence community conducted thorough investigations into this matter. The FBI and CIA deal in facts. The facts developed on this topic don't support the conclusion that Doug, Global Witness and the United Nations Special Court reached. The 9/11 Commission concurred with the findings of the FBI, after having reviewed the FBI's comprehensive investigation. Doug and I enjoy a healthy respect for each other but agree to disagree on how involved Al-Qaeda was with trade in conflict diamonds.

UK Should Not Allow Yusuf al-Qaradawi to Enter Country (UPDATED 7-19)

By Andrew Cochran

Tony Blair's government cannot have it both ways. They cannot promise to now get tough about homegrown Islamic terrorists after the attacks by proposing to ban "indirect incitement to terrorism" and then allow Yusuf al-Qaradawi to enter the UK next month to attend a conference. A July 11 London Times column, previously linked on the CT Blog, reminds us about Al Qaradawi and why he has been banned from entering the U.S. since 1999:

"In a sermon delivered in March 2003 he instructed his followers thus: 'O God, destroy the Zionist, the American, and the British aggressors. In his weekly al-Jazeera programme he explained that a person engaged in jihad is not a suicide [bomber]. He kills the enemy while taking self-risk . . . He wants to scare his enemies, and the religious authorities have permitted this. In an interview last year he said that Islam justifies suicide bombings in Iraq against the US military and in Israel against women and children. His praise for suicide murders Hamas Operations Are Jihad and Those Who [Carry it Out and] Are Killed are Considered Martyrs appears on a website linked to the terrorist group Hamas."

The Blair government owes the victims' families at least the assurance that such radicals will not have a free stage inside the UK to congratulate the terrorists and to incite more acts of murder.

UPDATE, 7-19: Today's "Telegraph" has a story on the controversy, with a picture of Al Qaradawi with London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who invited the radical cleric to speak in London last year. But Sky News quotes Mayor Livingstone saying that "He has received no invitation to come to London...not only is he not coming but he was notA aware he had been invited." Maybe they saw the light when they felt the heat...

Perhaps an End to the Diamond-Terrorism Debate

By Douglas Farah

Well, Dateline NBC finally aired its program on the ties of al Qaeda to Charles Taylor. While taking more credit than they deserved for "breaking" the story I broke more than three years ago, mentioning my role in passing and the role of Global Witness not at all, the program advanced the ball considerably. I hope it finally ends the debate over what really happened, and how badly the CIA and FBI have fouled up their investigations.

The biggest NBC breakthrough was getting a former CIA station chief in Liberia to go over there and confirm the findings of al Qaeda's ties to Charles Taylor. He helps nail down the tie between Ibrahim Bah and al Qaeda, dating back some time. The program also quotes Middle Eastern intelligence sources (Israelis, I would guess) saying Bah was a known al Qaeda operative. This I knew and reported, but it strengthens things considerably. It was great to finally find someone in the intelligence community who could come forward and say what needed to be said, without ambiguity. The bottom line is that if the intelligence community had had more interest in verifying the story and less about trying to discredit the messenger, it is likely that we would be far less behind the curve on Islamic terrorism issues in West Africa than we are today. Al Qaeda used Charles Taylor to buy diamonds to hide its assets following the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa. That is what happened, and we paid a terrible price for not knowing of those ties.

The document they referred to in passing, a report written in 1998 by a Liberian intelligence officer on al Qaeda operatives in Liberia, is in fact very interesting. (To continue reading, go here).

NBC's "Dateline" Examines "Blood Diamonds" With Douglas Farah & Dennis Lormel

By Andrew Cochran

Sunday's edition of NBC News's "Dateline" program is scheduled to examine the "Blood Diamonds" issue with Douglas Farah & Dennis Lormel. The program runs from 7 to 8 pm Eastern time.

Walid Phares: "Jihad Leads to Leeds"

By Andrew Cochran

Walid Phares asked me to post the following:

"Back in November of 1999, I was on a trip to meet leading members of the House of Lords in London to discuss the Jihad threat to minorities in the Middle East and make few presentations on the subject in different locations in England. My travel across the country was very informative, and I was able to compare the findings with my previous trips in the 1980s. My observations that year found them very troubling: The Salafi Jihadi presence in Britain was on the rise, six years before the London bombings, four years before the Iraq war, and two years before September 11. Here are some of my most intriguing coincidences:

In London, I used the services of Internet Cafes (in locations which I wont disclose so far). The offices were managed by Islamist Salafists. Easy to track: On a table next to the entrance were displayed Jihadi literature; lots of them. Some printed, others photocopied papers. All praising Jihadism, inciting against the Kuffars (infidels), and some even projecting the demise of Great Britain, which they labeled sharrira(evil in Arabic). Not only the Jihadi literature was omnipresent and available to the customers, but all PCs in the shop led you to web sites featuring Salafis, Ansar, Jihadis, etc. Moreover, as I tried to accomplish search engines, I was able to read previous searches: The whole plethora of al Qaida like concepts, words, names, battles, and more have been sought by users. Not that these searches took me to Bin Ladens headquarters in Taliban controlled Afghanistan at the time, but it put me in the middle of a Jihad world, in both Arabic and English: A web space educating, inciting, mobilizing, recruiting and guiding the shabab (youth) to violence. My British interlocutors at the time, both in Government and advocacy groups knew less than what they should have learned about the Jihadi surge in their own country.

My first instincts projected the ballistics of these cyber-caves: The Jihadists will strike within less than a decade.

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Picture of London Bombers Released - British MI5 Misjudged Bomber's Threat

By Andrew Cochran

British authorities have released this picture of the four bombers with backpacks entering the Luton train station on the morning of the July 7 attacks: Fourlondonbombers

The Sunday Times is reporting, "One of the four suicide terrorists behind the London bomb attacks was scrutinised by MI5 last year, but was judged not to be a threat to national security, a senior government official said yesterday." That is sadly reminiscent of the missed intel in the U.S. with respect to the 9-11 attackers.

GSPC in Algeria Details Recent Cross-Border Terror Attack in Mauritania

By Evan Kohlmann

The Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC)--a North African militant faction affiliated with Al-Qaida--has released the third edition of its official magazine, including further details about last month's cross-border terror attack on an army post manned by soldiers from Mauritania.  According to a statement published in the magazine, the attack involved at least one Algerian extremist who had previously fought in Afghanistan with Al-Qaida and was carried out in order  to "erase a number of myths, beginning with the myth of reconciliation and general amnesty and ending with the myth of desperate remnants or a small group that is about to be eliminated."

Click to view English translation c/o Globalterroralert.com

Changing Our Paradigm for Anti-Terror Policing

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

On Monday, I noted that because of the difficulty of protecting ourselves from terrorism in an open society without sacrificing our openness, some commentators have concluded that nothing can be done.  Today, my new article, "Toward Intelligent Anti-Terror Policing," is up at Front Page Magazine.  The article is a refutation of those who claim that we cannot protect targets like the New York City subway system because the very act of improving our security would make riding the subway too unwieldy.  Perfectly encapsulating this view is a Newsday column written by Ellis Henican, which I quote both in my Monday post and my FPM article, in which Henican writes:

Every day, 4 1/2 million men, women and children climb aboard [the New York City subway] trains.  Add another half-million or so for the commuter rails, another 2 1/2 million if you count the buses.  You're gonna strip-search every one of them?  You're gonna walk them through metal detectors and wand their bodies when the magnetometers ring?  You're gonna rifle every briefcase, knapsack and gym bag?  Impossible!

Henican concludes that it's impossible to protect the subway system because he's only looking at the issue through our current anti-terror policing paradigm, which my article describes as a "one-size-fits-all model of anti-terror policing wherein every passenger must be treated equally.  In this model, everyone must be equally inconvenienced by metal detectors, wands, and bag searches."  This paradigm is best reflected in our current approach to airport security, but sadly extends far beyond that.  I argue that by shifting away from this method of policing, we can increase our chances of preventing terrorist attacks while avoiding undue burdens on society as a whole:

A far better policing model would seek to maximize our chances of disrupting a terrorist attack by more efficiently targeting the areas where terrorists are likely to strike.  The first component of this model is less of an emphasis on keeping people out of soft targets (through metal detectors and the like), but attempting to identify potential bad guys once they're inside.  In New York subway stations, for example, this would involve roving policemen tasked with identifying possible terrorists.  While we cannot search every man, woman and child climbing onto the subways, we can focus on those who best fit the terrorist profile. . . .

A second component of an intelligent policing model is that the officers charged with protecting soft targets from terrorists would have more interaction with civilians.  They should be trained to be polite and courteous, and to defuse possible tensions. . . .  However, officers should be encouraged to ask questions of passengers who seem suspicious, and, when necessary, to ask passengers to open up their jackets or bags.  In this way, officers could use their own insight and initiative to identify and investigate individuals who seem suspicious.

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Brit Terror Suspects Have US Ties?No Surprise!

By Bill West

As the investigation of the 7/7 London terror attacks evolves, we are now learning at least two of the suspects have ties to and likely spent time in the United States. Magdy Mahmoud Mustafa el-Nashar, the Leeds University biochemistry professor just arrested in Egypt who is suspected of being linked to the attacks, apparently studied at the University of North Carolina for at least one semester in 1999. Suicide bombing suspect Lindsay Germaine (and several variations thereof), is believed to have been a Jamaican-born British citizen who visited his US-living mother in Ohio perhaps several times. US law enforcement authorities are now aggressively pursuing leads related to these matters.

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Tools to Facilitate Time Sensitive, Time Urgent Terrorist Financing Investigations

By Dennis Lormel

One of the lessons learned from 9/11, which has manifested itself in the aftermath of the London bombings is the critical importance of conducting time sensitive, time urgent investigations in terrorism matters. To their credit, investigators in London have done a masterful job of conducting a fast paced investigation. Time sensitive, time urgent investigative techniques are especially important in conducting the financial investigative component of a terrorism investigation.

Two mechanisms that would enhance the ability to conduct financial investigations in a more time sensitive, time urgent manner in the United States would be the granting of authority by Congress for the FBI to serve administrative subpoenas in terrorism investigations and to have financial records requested by law enforcement produced by financial institutions in an electronic format.

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Arrest in London Terrorism Attacks Case - El-Nashar's Leeds University Bio Here (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

The suspected bombmaker in the London attacks, Magdy Asi el-Nashar, a 33-year-old chemist, has been arrested in Cairo, and Pakistani security detained 4 suspects there. El-Nashar is a former North Carolina State University graduate student who has been teaching at Leeds University. Steven Emerson has forwarded el-Nashar's biography at Leeds University, which you can download below (Word file). El-Nashar earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemistry and organic chemistry, respectively, at Cairo University. Elnashar

Download elnashars_bio.doc

Michael Cutler reminds me that his interests are noted as "biocatalytic materials and ...enzyme immobilization...biocatalysis and the design and operation of biocatalytic processes with potential for technical applications," which sounds to us laymen like the study of bio-chem warfare. (UPDATE: Some chemical engineers e-mailed me and said we shouldn't worry, with one pointing to this article and another sending us to this one. We appreciate the messages and links.)

Investigators are also probing the trip by dead bombing suspect Shahzad Tanweer to Pakistan, where he's believed to have visited a madrassa run by the radical Lashkar-e-Tayyaba group (LeT). See my post about that trip and see Evan Kohlmann's discussion of LeT, which was designated by the UN earlier this year after a long delay. Fox News reports late today that the FBI is investigating whether one of the dead bombers traveled to Ohio several years ago and whether he met convicted Al Qaeda associate Iyman Faris.

Insurgency Gains Momentum in Thailand

By Zachary Abuza

While the worlds attention is focused on last weeks suicide bombing attacks in London, a radical Islamic insurgency is raging half a world in Southern Thailand. Yesterday, witnessed, a spate of coordinated six bombings, arsons and attacks on security forces. Two people were killed, including a policeman, and 19 were wounded (three policemen). Several other bombs were defused. Alarmingly, several of the bombs destroyed an electric transmission station, leaving parts of Thailands restive south in darkness. One additional bomb went off today, wounding 4.

The insurgency has raged now for 19 months. Ten of the 33 districts in the deep south are plagued by violence according to the Ministry of Interior. There have been over 140 successful bombings, and almost as many attempted bombings, with over 600 casualties. Militants have assassinated more than 240 people. In all over 325 people have been killed in acts by the Islamic militants including, 19 soldiers, 50 police, 158 civilians, 27 teachers, 3 monks, 33 headman/local officials, 14 government officials, and 12 civil servants. More than 1,300 people have been wounded. Alarmingly, militants have beheaded nine people, eight in 2005 alone.

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Europe To Adopt Patriot Act-Like Measures

By Victor Comras

European Justice/Interior Ministers got down to business in Brussels, July 13th and laid out an accelerated program to strengthen Europes counter-terrorism measures. High on their list of priorities were measures to monitor, gather and retain information viewed as critical to combating terrorism and terrorism financing. They intend to put in place new rules by October 2005 that will require all European telecom companies to retain and make available for investigative use, detailed records of all phone calls, emails and web traffic. They also intend to advance the introduction of the planned new Schengen and Visa Information Systems which was not scheduled for activation until 2007. These systems will be accompanied by issuance of new standardized ID cards which will contain basic biometric data.

The Ministers also agreed to implement new procedures by the end of this year to facilitate cross-border cooperation and information sharing between intelligence, investigative, police and judicial agencies. Further action will also be taken to enhance their ability to identify and follow or freeze terrorism-related funds.(see my Blog). This will include broadening national authority to freeze tangible assets in addition to bank accounts. New measures will also be introduced to tighten oversight over charities and charitable fund-raising activities.

Despite the head of steam the Ministers have put behind these measures, they are likely to face considerable opposition from the European Parliament and from European civil liberties and other interest groups. And even the Telecom industry has indicated opposition to any expanded record-keeping obligations. Much as in the United States, European politicians will struggle to find the right balance between preserving their civil liberties and protecting against terrorist attacks.

Al-Qaida: Green Zone Suicide Bombers Were Iraqis

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Iraq--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has issued a new statement declaring that three Al-Qaida suicide bombers responsible for a failed attack on an Iraqi police station only 150 feet from the Green Zone were local Iraqi nationals.  According to the statement:

"We inform you, O' brothers of al-Tawheed, that the three martyrdom attacks that took place in the Green Zone were executed by Iraqi operatives, praise be to Allah for his blessing.  We ask Allah to forgive them and guide them to paradise."

The coordinated assault included a suicide car bomber and two men on foot strapped with suicide vest bombs.  U.S. officials suggested that the insurgents had planned to detonate the car bomb first , and then the two vest bombers would target responding Iraqi soldiers, police, and rescue workers.  However, the scheme went awry after the suicide car bomb was intercepted before it could reach its target and an Iraqi policeman shot one of the twin vest bombers, accidentally detonating his explosives.  The second vest bomber was injured by the blast and was disabled before he could detonate his own weapon.  The latter surviving Al-Qaida operative is currently listed in critical condition at a U.S. military hospital in the Green Zone.  Five Iraqi policemen and four civilians were also wounded in the attack.

See also: Al-Qaida Admits Capture of Baghdad Commander Abu Abdel Aziz
Al-Qaida Announces Formation of All-Iraqi Martyrdom Squad (June 21, 2005)

Terrorist Financing: Emerson & Lormel Testify - US, Libya, & Saudis - Bank Secrecy Act Changes

By Andrew Cochran

Steven Emerson and Dennis Lormel testified yesterday before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee (Acrobat files), chaired by Sen. Richard Shelby. At the hearing, Steve stated that "We are now behind the curve" in pursuing terrorist financing, and he described the current US government counterterrorism structure as a "massive 'Rube Goldberg' machine that works but could be 1,000 times better." He also discussed how several U.S. charities which funded terrorists overseas, and were shut down after the 9-11 attacks, have reconstituted themselves. He criticized the Saudi government's lack of diligence in halting terrorist funding. Dennis, who formed and directed the Terrorist Financing Operations Section of the FBI after the 9-11 attacks, said that he's confident that law enforcement is investigating certain reconstituted groups. Dennis also recommended that Congress amend the USA Patriot Act to include administrative subpoena authority and to allow the production of subpoenaed records inan electronic format. He also said that the FBI had not historically provided adequate feedback to banks on Bank Secrecy Act compliance.

Sen. Shelby cited the discovery of new American dollars during the investigation of the Madrid bombing and his personal experience as a witness to the aftermath of the London bombings.

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The conveyor belt of extremism

By Zeyno Baran

After the London attacks, there is renewed interest in understanding how Hizb ut-Tahrir and al-Muhajiroun are radicalizing British (European) Muslims. See Shiv Malik's piece in The New Statesman describing HT as "the conveyor belt" of extremism. It is a term I first coined in my April 2004 article on HT.
For more on HT and al-Muhajiroun, see also my book in pdf format listed on the lower left side of this page.

U.S. Treasury: Former White House Guest "Had a Close Relationship with Al-Qaida"

By Evan Kohlmann

Alamoudibush59_1Alamoudiclinton_2There are new revelations today from the U.S. Treasury Department about the terrorist connections of former American Muslim Council (AMC) president and frequent White House guest Abdurahman Alamoudi.  During the 1990s, Alamoudi became a well-known political personality in  Washington D.C., where he rubbed elbows with--among others--former President Bill Clinton, then-Vice President Al-Gore, and President George Bush.  In 2004, Alamoudi pled guilty to federal criminal charges and admitted to his role in an attempted Libyan plot to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.  He was later sentenced to 23 years in prison.  Today, in a press release concerning a related terrorist financing designation, the Treasury revealed:

"According to information available to the U.S. Government, the September 2003 arrest of Alamoudi was a severe blow to al Qaida, as Alamoudi had a close relationship with al Qaida and had raised money for al Qaida in the United States."

Tax records show that in 1999, another organization founded by Abdurahman Alamoudi known as "the American Muslim Foundation (AMF)"  gave a $2,000 donation to Northern Virginia resident Tarik Hamdi for unspecified purposes.  Less than a year earlier, Hamdi had provided material support directly to Usama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida, and had served as a press intermediary for U.S. journalists interested in interviewing Bin Laden at a secret location inside Afghanistan.

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Douglas Farah: "London and the Possible Bosnia Connection"

By Andrew Cochran

Doug Farah asked me to post the following:

There is one intriguing detail in the emerging picture of the London bombings that are almost entirely overlooked: The possibility that the high-level explosives came from the Balkans. For several months, Western intelligence officials in Bosnia have been warning their counterparts that high-level plastic explosives have gone missing and were possibly in terrorist hands. One official told me a few months ago that if there were an attack in Europe, it would be very likely the materiel would have been obtained in Bosnia. The big question now is why no one paid attention to the warnings. There remains a small, dedicated group gatherin intelligence on these types of operation, but their work is given a low priority and the entire intelligence-gathering structure, providing what little reliable information available on radical Islamic movements and leaders in Bosnia, is slated to disappear at the end of the year. This is an incredibly short-sighted move by international donors who no longer want to pay relative pocket change, only a few million dollars a year, to keep the operation going.

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Al-Qaida Admits Capture of Baghdad Commander "Abu Abdel Aziz"

By Evan Kohlmann

Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has issued a new communiqu conceding that an important Al-Qaida commander in Baghdad known as "Abu Abdel Aziz" was recently captured during a joint raid conducted by U.S. and Iraqi military forces in the Iraqi capital.    According to the statement, "Our brother fought them fiercely using his personal weapon but he ended up being badly injured, evidenced by all the bloodstains left where he was found. We also received the news that our brother died as a result of his injuries and that he was transferred immediately away from the scene."

Click to view English translation c/o Globalterroralert.com
See also:  Members of U.K. Militant Group Endorse Zarqawi

Letters of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombers

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

In a Monday post, I discussed a Washington Times article on the current dearth of Arabic translators in the federal prison system.  I'm quoted in the article as saying, "There are several known instances in U.S. prisons of known or suspected terrorists communicating with terrorists overseas, or with their followers or other networks that share their ideologies and goals.  Probably the best example is the 14 letters that were exchanged between the convicted World Trade Center bombers and a Spanish terror cell."

A conversation that I had yesterday with a friend who works as a terrorism analyst for a television network made me realize how much the 1993 World Trade Center bombers' letter writing has flown under most people's radar, and thus is worth highlighting.  This information first came out in a March report from Lisa Myers and the NBC investigative unit:

Letters and articles obtained by NBC News show that while behind bars, the 1993 bombers continued their terrorist activities.  They wrote letters to other suspected terrorists and brazenly praised Osama bin Laden in Arabic newspapers. According to confidential Spanish court documents obtained by NBC, at least 14 letters went back and forth between the World Trade Center bombers and a Spanish terror cell.  In February 2003, bomber Mohammed Salameh writes:  "Oh God! Make us live with happiness, make us die as martyrs, may we be united on the Day of Judgment."  The recipient, Mohamed Achraf, later allegedly led a plot to blow up the National Justice Building in Madrid and is awaiting trial.

Another letter that Salameh sent from prison was published in the Al-Quds newspaper, stating:  "Osama Bin Laden is my hero of this generation."

The NBC report makes clear that law enforcement officials regard the fact that the convicted bombers were able to communicate with other terrorists and advocate jihad from their jail cells as "a horrible lapse."

The imprisoned bombers also received letters that mirrored their hatred of the West and dedication to violent jihad.  Some of the people writing them even allegedly used these letter exchanges as a recruiting tool:

The letters to the bombers spoke of the need to "terminate the infidels" and said, "The Muslims don't have any option other than jihad."  Among those corresponding is a man charged with recruiting suicide operatives in Spain.  Spanish officials accuse him of using letters to and from the U.S. bombers as a recruiting tool. All this while the Bureau of Prisons reassured the public that terrorists were under control.

There is a clear cautionary tale here, and this story deserves to be more widely known.

Border Madness

By Bill West

The Chief of the US Border Patrol, David Aguilar, just testified before the House appropriations subcommittee on homeland security. The Chiefs testimony concerning the Border Patrols apprehension of non-Mexican illegal aliens along the US-Mexico border was, unfortunately, both disturbing and not surprising.

So far this year, the Border Patrol has apprehended some 119,000 non-Mexican illegal aliens along the SW border. That is an increase of 175% over last year, which was itself a record year for such apprehensions. What is the reason Homeland Security officials give as why they believe these numbers have risen so dramatically? Incredibly, it is the Federal Governments own policy of catch and release.

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London Terrorism Investigation Heading Towards Pakistani Terrorist Camps - Just Like the Lodi Case (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

Several articles about the London attacks on the Sky News website remind me of the Lodi, CA terrorism case. Of particular interest to me is the biography of 22-year-old Shehzad Tanweer, son of a native Pakistani. Sky quotes "a neighbor and friend" as saying Tanweer told him that he went to Afghanistan for a couple of months and Pakistan for 4 months with several friends as recently as 6 months ago. But one of Tanweer's uncles told Sky News that Tanweer didn't go to Afghanistan. "There is no way, I have seen his passport." Recall that Hamid Hayat of Lodi, age 23, admitted that he attended a Pakistani terrorist training camp for 6 months in 2003-4 (Daveed Gartenstein-Ross's post, quoting the FBI affidavit), along with six other Lodi men. Recall also that Evan Kohlmann noted here that "Since 2002, several suspected terrorist training camps affiliated with Al-Qaida have surfaced along the Pakistani-Afghan border in Waziristan."

Gee, you don't think Tanweer and Hayat might have trained together, do you...

Where do Homegrown British Suicide Bombers Come From?

By Evan Kohlmann

Related: Spokesman for UK Cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed Endorses Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as "Brilliant" (audio)

In early July 2002, while conducting research in London with a longtime colleague (Tamar Tesler of the Investigative Project), I explored the back streets of northeast London--literally in a search for jihad.  At the time, I needed to better understand why so many young British men were joining the ranks of Islamic militant organizations around the world and eagerly volunteering their lives for the suicidal cause of Al-Qaida leader Usama Bin Laden. 

At a local community center not far from the Bethnal Green Underground station, I found exactly the answers I was looking for.  After having attended a series of events hosted by the fanatical British Al-Muhajiroun movement and its leader Shaykh Omar Bakri Mohammed, we had finally received an invitation to a more intimate gathering of local militants.  Under the auspices of the "Bangladeshi Society of London Guildhall University," several Al-Muhajiroun acolytes had independently organized their own discussion group titled, "Islam vs. the Satanic World Order."  According to a flyer from the event, the talk was aimed at highlighting "why Islam declares war against the Satanic World Order of Bush and Blair... Find out who will win the battle between Islam and The Satanic World Order."

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London Terrorist Attack News Stories & Columns, July 13 (UPDATED)

By Andrew Cochran

NEVER FORGET: Shahara Akther Islam, 20, from Plaistow, east London, a bank cashier who lived with her parents, and was both fully Westernised and a devout Muslim. Shaheraislam

THE TEACHER BOMBER - Sky News: "It is thought that the explosives originated in the Balkans, where it is possible to buy the material on the black market after teh Balkan wars." (sic)

NEW TERROR RAIDS

Biography of Suspects

Blair promises to deport extremist preachers

The suicide bomb squad from Leeds

Police search homes linked to London bombers
- "Police pursue fifth suspect, possibly the mastermind behind deadly attacks"

Britain's Suicide Bombers

Clarke denies bombing suspects were arrested

Britain faces horror of more terror attacks: expert

Pakistan Said Helped Foil U.K. Terror Plot - "Pakistan's interior minister said Wednesday that a terror attack was thwarted in Britain before the May general elections in that country and arrests were made in several countries because of help from Pakistan's government."

Steven Emerson on NBC's "Today" this morning: Evidence leads to indications of "professional" job with outside leadership

Stronger Teeth Needed For Counter-Terrorism Measures

By Victor Comras

The London bombing brought home once again the fact that radical Islamic terrorism poses a severe and present danger. The attack produced renewed calls for urgent action at the local, EU and international level. Britains first actions were directed at protecting the homeland and capturing the culprits. Beyond that, they called on European colleagues and the international community to speed up effective implementation of agreed counter-terrorism measures. These include measures to better target the resources that support and finance terrorist organizations. A draft plan to co-ordinate European efforts in this area was put forth last year after the Madrid train bombing. Last May, the EU Council adopted the Hague Program which, inter alia, provided for the implementation over the next five years of several new programs, including an enhanced Schengen Information System, to strengthen European internal security against terrorism. The UK has now called a special supplemental EU Justice Ministers meeting to review counter-terrorism measures. And British Finance Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday called on his European colleagues to wait no longer to begin implementing many of these measures.

The measures currently in place against al Qaeda, unfortunately have not stemmed the flow of new recruits to Jihadi groups. Nor have they reduced the risk of future terrorist attacks to tolerable levels. Identifying and eliminating remnant al Qaeda and emerging new terrorist cells has become an increasingly frustrating enforcement effort. So what else should be done? It is clear that greater attention must be directed at the two fixed pillars of international jihadist terrorism -- recruitment and financing -- that have, so far, gotten away with murder.

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PIJ Suicide Bomber Targets Mall, and "Tahdiya"

By Matthew Levitt

On the evening of Tuesday, July 12, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main entrance to the Hasharon Mall in Netanya, killing three women and wounding twenty four others. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. The bomber was identified as Ahmed Abu Khalil, an 18-year old member of PIJ and a resident of the West Bank town of Atil, just eight miles east of Netanya.

Shortly before Tuesdays attack in Netanya, a 36-year old member of Islamic Jihad attempted to drive a car bomb into the Jewish settlement of Shavei Shomron in the West Bank. The bomber was captured after the explosives detonated prematurely, leaving him slightly injured.

In the video filmed before the Netanya suicide attack Atil stated We reiterate our commitment to the calm, but we have to retaliate for Israeli violations. Following the attack Islamic Jihad said that the group remained committed to the cease-fire, but reserves the right to retaliate against arrests of PIJ members and other violations of the truce. In fact, the recent string of attempted and successful PIJ attacks appears to be part of a strategic decision to conduct attacks leading up the Israeli disengagement from Gaza to force Israel with withdraw from Gaza under fire and create the illusion that groups like PIJ are responsible for pushing Israeli out of Gaza.

Tuesdays bombing was the first suicide attack in Israel since the attack targeting a Tel Aviv beachfront nightclub on February 25, 2005, which left five dead. PIJ also claimed responsibility for the February suicide attack.

In the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have arrested dozens of PIJ operatives planning and supporting the group's sudden push to execute attacks despite and "tahdiyam," or period of calm, to which other Palestinian terrorist groups have adhered even as they use the time to regroup and rearm for another day.

Since a cease-fire was declared on February 8, 2005, Israeli security forces have successfully thwarted several attempted attacks perpetrated by Islamic Jihad militants over the past few months. On February 28, 2005 Israeli Security discovered a vehicle parked near Jenin packed with half a ton of explosives. When Shin Bet officials interrogated Islamic Jihad militant Jibril Zubeydi, who was arrested several months earlier, Zubeydi revealed three plots the Islamic Jihad was planning, including the car bomb, a rocket attack on the Israeli town of Afula and a double suicide bombing against a Jerusalem school.

On May 1, 2005 the Israeli army arrested 19-year old PIJ member Mohammad Ganem, who was found with a belt of explosives during an operation near Tulkarm. He had already recorded a farewell video. Towards the end of May five PIJ members were arrested around the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. These five men were plotting a double suicide bombing near the Ramot neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Two explosive belts were found, to be used in their planned attack targeting a bus, caf or synagogue.

Bolstering Transit Security the Old Fashioned Way

By Bill West

The London terrorist bombing attacks, as did the Madrid 3/11 attacks, again heightened the need for increased security for Americas rail and bus transit systems. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the US Government spent billions of dollars enhancing air transportation security, but only a fraction of that was earmarked for land transportation systems in this country. Madrid and London remind us those systems are extremely vulnerable to terrorism.

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Counterterrorism R&D: Herding the Cats

By Michael Kraft

Can we find magic bullets to stop terrorists? The London subway and bus bombings have touched off a renewed interest in finding technical solutions to countering the terrorist threat. This is a worthwhile goal but far from a magic solution. And efforts to coordinate the U.S. Governments ongoing research and development programs face centrifugal pulls in Congress and the bureaucracy. Some commentators on television have been calling for a massive research and development program and Senator Charles Schumer of New York said We need a crash program because terrorists have chosen mass transit as their target of choice. The New York Times carried a lengthy article Monday headlined "High-Tech Antiterrorism Tools: A Costly, Long-Range Goal. The article did a pretty good job of describing the goals and the difficulties in developing counterterrorism technology, especially equipment that can reliably detect explosives at a distance. But the Times reporters, and indeed most people in government, seem unaware that the USG governments counterterrorism research and development are not new. (Nor is the effort to detect explosives from a distance a new line of research. Developing good stand-off technology is complicated by the pollutants in the atmosphere of major cities.)

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London Terrorist Attack News Stories & Columns, July 12 (CRITICAL UPDATES)

By Andrew Cochran

(NOTE: I edited this paragraph at 4 pm Eastern time for changed or inoperative links since last update.) Scotland Yard press conference: Transcript posted on London TimesOnline website - Warrants executed today in search for info on 4 men who lived in west Yorkshire area - all 4 arrived in London July 7 by train - SY found docs of at least 3 close to explosion scenes, with one near bus - at least one "very likely" died - "material" found in house search - car found in Luten suspected of connection - one man arrested in west Yorkshire - Steven Emerson on Fox News: British hadn't shared info with U.S. agents before today - this was obviously sophisticated homegrown plot with "handler" - this is the "nightmare scenario" of suicide bombers in Western countries - UK will need some type of "Patriot Act" that enhances current "Terrorism Act" powers - NBC News, which earlier cited "a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity" for assertion that British authorities believe the four carried out a suicide mission, changed their story this afternoon to refer to bombers as "possibly suicide bombers" - here is AP story on case and BBC's report on a Leed's resident's account of the raids there and report "police have carried out five controlled explosions after explosives were found in a car at Luton train station thought to be connected to the London attacks." Sky News: "Highly likely" that one attacker died in bombings and "senior anti-terror police were working on the assumption the men were suicide bombers and had died in the explosions - and were probably British nationals" - and "explosives have been found in an abandoned car at Luton railway station which is thought to be linked to the terror attacks." - Fox News report: "The latest development backs the theory that the attacks were carried out by homicide bombers." - CNN on police raids and theories - also London Times on Leeds police raids


NEVER FORGET - London Times: "Gladys Wundowa, 51, a cleaner at University College London, had finished her shift at 9am and was heading to a college course in Shoreditch" - Other victims' stories & pictures here
Gladyswundowalondonvictim

Terror police raid five homes in hunt for London bombers

Terrorist gang 'used military explosives' - "A single bombmaker using high-grade military explosives is believed to be responsible for building the four devices that killed more than 50 people last week...The confirmed death toll stands at 52 but is expected to rise. Police family liaison officers have been assigned to 74 families."

London, Tel Aviv blasts connected - German paper cited: "Mossad officials informed British security authorities that the explosive material used in the Tel Aviv attack on Mikes Place pub (in April 2003) was apparently also utilized to stage the series of bombings in London on Thursday."

Islamist cleric declared war on Britain six months ago - "The London bombings occurred exactly six months after an extremist cleric based in the capital declared that Islam was at war with Britain. Investigators are examining their limited records on the followers of Omar Bakri Mohammed to determine if any have been recently recruited into an active terror cell."

Director of London's Al-Maqreze Centre for Historical Studies Hani Sibai: There are No "Civilians" in Islamic Law;The Bombing is a Great Victory for Al-Qa'ida, Which "Rubbed the Noses of the World's 8 Most Powerful Countries in the Mud" - Excerpts from interviews with Dr. Hani Al-Siba'i aired on July 8 and February 22, 2005

BBC edits out the word terrorist - Note to BBC: You can't defeat the enemy if you can't identify him

Weak Brits, Tough French - Daniel Pipes column with sad truth about UK in terror war: "Counterterrorism specialists disdain the British." Evan Kohlmann quoted

Chancellor urges Europe to seize assets of terror groups

Blair's pledge on new terror laws

US Air Force lifts ban on visiting London

The five key bomb suspects

Outgoing Lebanese PM Wounded in Bombing

By Matthew Levitt

Driving through a Christian neighborhood in north Beirut, outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister (and Defense Minister) Elias Murr was wounded in a bombing that targeted his convoy killing at least 2 and wounding 12. Murr, a pro-Syrian politician in his own right, is also the son-in-law of the stunchly pro-Syrian President of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud.

The attempted assassination is the first such bombing targeting a pro-Syrian figure in the wake of several attacks on prominent anti-Syrian leaders, including former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri (February 14), journalist Samir Kassir (June 2), and former Communist Party chief George Hawi (June 21).

The attack, likely meant as more of a message to Lahoud more than anything else, comes just as Lebanese parties are jockeying for position in the formation of a new government.

Tracking the London Bombers: Follow the Money If You Can!

By Victor Comras

An intense investigation is now underway to identify, capture and prosecute those responsible for the 7/7 London public transit system bombings. Following the money will be a very important part of this investigation. The process starts with the gathering of evidentiary items at the scene and elsewhere that might be linked to the bombing and the culprits. Investigators will seek to determine where they came from, who acquired them, and who paid for them. This methodology proved successful in helping to track down those responsible for the Bali, Istanbul, Riyadh, and Madrid bombing. In the latter case an unexploded detonator connected to a mobile phone provided the critical lead. The phones SIM card led police to a small telephone center run by one of the suspects, Jamal Zougam. Further investigation turned up other suspects and sources of funding for the operation. It appeared that the Al Qaeda linked local Moroccan Cell responsible for carrying out the blasts were, themselves, engaged in local illicit drug dealing. And this is believed to have provided the principal funding for the Madrid train bombing operation. But, there are also indications that outsiders and outside financing may also have played a role. This includes Mohammed Guerbouzi, a Morrocan born British citizen who is reportedly now being sought for questioning re both the Madrid and London bombings.

While funding for the London attack may initially appear small, the amounts required for such an operation become much more important when one factors in the costs of indoctrination, recruitment, maintenance, logistics, cover-up and escape. The sophisication of the London attack, and its non suicide mission format appears to indicate that considerable planning and preparation were involved. An obvious target of inquiry will be Abu Hamza al-Masri and the Finsbury Mosque. Coincidently, al-Masris trial on terrorism and hate crime related charges began in the London Central Court on July 5th, just two days before the London Bombings, raising some thoughts of a possible linkage to the terrorist attacks. And just who are al-Masris financial supporters. The financial investigation might well look closely at al Masris current website"http://www.shareeah.org". or its previous (no longer in service) SupportersOfShariah.com. The links revealed in this site point to a number of Islamic Charities and Non profit groups that could, knowingly, or unwittingly, provide cover for raising and transferring funds for such an operation.

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Alleged London Bombings Suspect Threatens to Use Dirty Bombs Against America

By Evan Kohlmann

A new report is now available for download from Globalterroralert.com profiling Al-Qaida operative Abu Musab al-Suri (a.k.a. Mustafa Setmariam Nasar), rumored as a possible culprit in last week's deadly terror bombings in central London.  In December 2004, al-Suri issued a statement on the Internet explaining, "if I had been consulted about [the September 11] operation, I would have advised them to select aircraft on international flights and to have put weapons of mass destruction aboard them... now that the American administration has revealed the evil and wickedness of its forces... it is not a far cry from justice to adopt the slogan, Dirty Bombs for a Dirty Nation... Let the American peoplethose who voted for killing, destruction, the looting of other nations wealth, megalomania, and the desire to control othersbe contaminated with radiation!"

- Globalterroralert.com profile on Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
- Video of Mustafa Setmariam Nasar filmed in August 2000

Resignation to Defeat?

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

For many analysts, the London attacks highlighted the vulnerability of our own mass transit system to attack.  In addition to the 3/11 Madrid training bombings and the London attacks, there have been other indications that our mass transit system may be a target -- including the repeated attacks on the Moscow subway system by Chechen terrorists and an August 2004 arrest of two men who were allegedly plotting to blow up a Manhattan subway station.

While commentators generally agree about the dangers that our mass transit system faces, there is much disagreement about what policing measures we should take in response.  In fact, some pundits seem ready to conclude that nothing can be done.  For example, Newsday columnist Ellis Henican wrote on the day after the London attacks:

Every day, 4 1/2 million men, women and children climb aboard [the New York City subway] trains. Add another half-million or so for the commuter rails, another 2 1/2 million if you count the buses.  You're gonna strip-search every one of them?  You're gonna walk them through metal detectors and wand their bodies when the magnetometers ring?  You're gonna rifle every briefcase, knapsack and gym bag?  Impossible!

Protecting ourselves in an open society without sacrificing its very openness is a difficult task.  Our eyes are open to the dangers that we face, and to me a sad resignation to defeat is -- to say the least -- an inadequate response.  Over the next several days, I'll have further thoughts on how we can improve our anti-terror policing.

Spokesman for UK Islamic Extremist Group Praises Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as "Brilliant"

By Evan Kohlmann

Globalterroralert has obtained an original audio recording of a lecture given by "Abu Ratib", a spokesman for the radical British Al-Muhajiroun movement (a.k.a. "Ahlus Sunnah waal Jamaah"), led by Shaykh Omar Bakri Mohammed.  During his January 2005 speech, Abu Ratib celebrated Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as "brilliant" for his "attack on the Shia" and his recent written manifesto condemning the concept of democracy (which Abu Ratib described as "the most beautiful statement ever heard").  The Al-Muhajiroun spokesman also assured his audience that Zarqawi's "slogans and statements are all in adherence to the Quran... Glory be to Allah, this person is a man of Tawheed.  May Allah keep him as a true believer, and may he die as a true believer, and may Allah make him a martyr." 

Click to hear exclusive audio c/o Globalterroralert.com
See also: "A Web of Terror" - Journal of Counterterrorism

Steven Emerson on British permissiveness towards Islamic radicals & on sleeper cells in U.S.

By Andrew Cochran

In a Saturday interview on Fox News Channel's "Heartland" program with host John Kasich, Steven Emerson commented on the permissive attitude taken by British authorities towards Islamic radicals. An excerpt (emphasis mine):

"KASICH: Steve, they say in Britain that the MI-5, the intelligence service there disrupted three previous attacks. And this one got through. Now the debate in the country is, are we protecting all of our soft targets good enough. My sense is, you got to be on the offense. Playing defense never works. So is that what the best policy is? Obviously protect your soft targets but it goes beyond that. You got to disrupt.

EMERSON: Not only disrupt but here is the ultimate irony. Britain invited this. Britain created conditions in London that now host more radical Islamic groups and cells, and leaders, that is, than any other capital in Europe or even in the Middle East, outside the Middle East that is. And the fact of the matter is open immigration, a very liberal asylum policy and they still continue to embrace and empower radical Islamic groups. For example, in Prime Minister Blair's comments right after the attack he praised the Muslim Council of Britain. That is an organization that is directly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood that believes in carrying out suicide bombings, that has been linked directly to Hamas and to other jihadist organizations.

KASICH: That's unbelievable.

EMERSON: Why he would embrace them and why the mayor of London would embrace Yusuf Qaradawi, a spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, only goes to the whole problem that the Europeans have created on their own soil."

Steve also compared the presence of sleeper cells in Britain with those already in the U.S. "And my feeling is that it is probably going to be a local cell with those types of graduates of the jihad camps able to give them technology and expertise necessary to pull it off. Those types of people by the way are in the United States as well."

Zeyno Baran Joins Us As Contributing Expert

By Andrew Cochran

We're pleased to announce Zeyno Baran, Director of International Security and Energy Programs at The Nixon Center in Washington, is joining us today as a Contributing Expert. Ms. Baran is an expert on Central Asian terrorism and has written important analyses on Hizb Ut-Tahrir, the key terrorist group in that region and a conveyor belt and inspiration for Islamic terrorists elsewhere, including UBL and Al-Zarqawi (downloadable Acrobat file). Prior to joining the Nixon Center in January 2003, Ms. Baran was Director of the Caucasus Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In 1998, Ms. Baran established the Georgia Forum at CSIS, the only such program in the United States that focused exclusively on this strategic country and its relations with the U.S. and Russia. Ms. Baran received her M.A. in international economic development and her B.A. in political science from Stanford University. Her work on the compatibility of Islam and democracy received the Firestone Medal for Stanford's most outstanding political science/international relations honors thesis in 1996.

Dearth of Arabic Translators in Federal Prisons

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

My friend Joel Mowbray has a front-page article in today's Washington Times about the shortage of Arabic translators in the federal prison system:

The federal Bureau of Prisons is holding 119 persons with "specific ties" to international Islamist terrorist groups, yet has no full-time Arabic translators or a system to monitor the communications, The Washington Times has learned.  A congressional aide said Bureau of Prisons officials maintain an informal list of 17 employees who are proficient in Arabic.  The prison officials acknowledge, however, that none of the workers had been tested to determine Arabic fluency or undergone a special screening or background check, the aide said.  Capitol Hill is starting to notice.  "It's ludicrous to think that the Bureau of Prisons doesn't have a single full-time translator to monitor their communications," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, in a statement given to The Washington Times before Thursday's multiple terror bombings in London.  Mr. Grassley called the current system "a recipe for disaster."

Comments:  In response to Mowbray's questioning related to the article as well as inquiries from members of Congress, "prison officials said last week that they had hired one designated, full-time Arabic translator and plan to hire one more."  However, Mowbray notes that "the employee had not begun work as of today and there was no indication of any fluency test or special background check."  This is a situation worth following.

Contributing Experts Steven Emerson & Dennis Lormel to Testify on Terrorist Financing - List of This Week's Open Congressional Hearings

By Andrew Cochran

Steven Emerson and Dennis Lormel will testify this Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on money laundering and terror financing issues in the Middle East. Senior officials from the U.S. Treasury and State Departments and an expert on Islamic finance will also testify. Coming so soon after the London attacks, and considering that Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Shelby was in London during the attacks, this promises to be an interesting hearing. I'll post the webcast link in the "Media" box in the left sidebar. Here is the list of other open terrorism-related hearings in the U.S. Congress this week (downloadable Word file). Additionally, the House and Senate Select Committees on Intelligence have announced that they will receive closed-door briefings from the intel community on the London attacks this week.

London Terrorist Attack News Stories & Columns, July 11 (UPDATED)

By Andrew Cochran

The dead and missing - names and pictures - because we should never forget Web0711victim

Fingerprints found on London bomb materials (text & video) - "A former senior U.S. official tells NBC News that British investigators...have picked up fingerprints from the bomb materials but they can't be certain yet that the fingerprints are those of the bombers...New cell phone video has also been found...Law enforcement officials tell NBC News that investigators suspect the bombers congregated at the King's Cross Tube station, then set out to plant the devices."

Terror alert highest ever as police fear new attack - Official death toll rises to 52, expected to rise

London reopens for business

London bombs suggest local but well-equipped cell

British reach out to allies for help

30 key al-Qaeda-linked terror suspects identified by UK police - See my July 10 post on lead suspect

3 top list in bombs probe

UK calls special EU anti-terror council - UK asks EU members to meet on July 13 to discuss accelerated anti-terror measures

London Bombings May Be Turning Muslim Activists Against Al-Qaida

We don't forget, Ken (column) - Criticism of London Mayor Ken Livingstone for his defense of Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who praises terrorist homicide bombers and is banned from the U.S.

U.S. will stay on orange

Officials pull plug on phones in tunnels - No more cell phones in NYC vehicle tunnels

Michael Cutler: U.S. Visa Waiver Program Should End

By Andrew Cochran

Michael Cutler asked me to post his comments about the Sunday Times article on Al Qaeda's recruitment in Britain:

I just received this article and again I am going to raise an issue I have been raising for many years. Why does the United States still have a Visa Waiver Program that makes it easy for aliens from 27 countries plus Canada to enter the United States when we are concerned that potentially aliens from those countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program may be involved in criminal activity and especially terrorism.

In the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001 our nation has tightened security in many visible and not so visible ways. Trucks and other vehicles are often searched before they are permitted to drive across bridges or through tunnels. United States citizens are often asked for photo identification documents before they are permitted to enter building of particular concern including government buildings, broadcast studios and other building with potential strategic value. Before boarding trains and aircraft we must present photo identity documents and. if our conveyance is an airplane, we are divested of anything that could possibly be construed as a weapon including nail clippers and miniature tools. Yet, bowing to the demands of the travel industry and the hotel (hospitality) industry, our government steadfastly refuses to eliminate the Visa Waiver Program. In fact, it was not until August of 2003 that the Transit Without Visa Program was suspended. It has been stated that the government refused to end this program and merely suspended it- perhaps to revive it at some later date.

Our government took the position that in lieu of requiring aliens from the Visa Waiver Countries to apply for visas prior to seeking admission to the United States, our government would require the governments of the Visa Waiver Countries to produce machine readable passports that contained biometric identifiers in order to make those passports more secure. Each year the deadline for the issuance of such secure passports has been pushed back and now it appears that this requirement may be eliminated altogether. From my experience as a former immigration inspector and as a former senior special agent of the now defunct INS, I can tell you that the secure passport would have provided a measure of security (anything is better than nothing) but the best solution would be to require all arriving aliens to first receive a visa which, while not foolproof, would enhance the screening process by which beleaguered inspectors who now work for CBP decide on the admissibility or inadmissibility of aliens seeking authority to enter our country.

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London Terrorist Attack News Stories & Columns, July 10

By Andrew Cochran

London has been crossroads for terror - NYT story reprinted elsewhere

Islamic radicals find British haven - Knight-Ridder story on same theme

Leaked No 10 dossier reveals Al-Qaeda's British recruits
- "Al-Qaeda is secretly recruiting affluent, middle-class Muslims in British universities and colleges to carry out terrorist attacks in this country, leaked Whitehall documents reveal."

Terror At Rush Hour

Four New Zealand Muslim mosques attacked in wake of London terror bombings

U.S. lacks outline of terror threat priorities

Stop giving to charities that back jihad, says Muslim editor - "The editor of the world's leading Arab newspaper has launched a scathing attack on Muslims in Britain for turning a blind eye to terrorist fund-raising activities on their own doorstep."

'I AM NOT ON THE RUN'
- Mohammed al Qarbouzy, Moroccan named early as possible suspect, claims innocence

The face of terror: Madrid mastermind hunted - "The man believed to have masterminded last year's Madrid train bombings is emerging as the prime suspect in the devastating terror attacks on London's transit system."

Mustafa_nasar

LONDON ?S JIHAD RAID

By Walid Phares

"Ghazwat London

Two words that said it all: The Londons Jihad raid. A title that was used by all al Qaidas declaration to define what has happened in the British capital on July 7. In the 48 hours that followed the bombing of the English tube and the double-decked red bus, leaving (by todays count) about 50 dead and hundreds wounded, two tracks of investigation were developing in the international community. The first one, bound by the legal system, and the precarious political considerations, started from scratch. From DNA, explosives, surveillance cameras footages, borders control, domestic and overseas intelligence and the alike tangible evidence, destined to end up in the court system. This track will be tenuous, complicated, foggy, political, and would certainly end up in a 9/11 like British commission. But it is a procedure that has to happen, before Western systems can react.

But there is another track: One that starts with expertise on al Qaidas will, that uses historical knowledge of the Salafi mind, and that focuses on the perception and expression of the Jihadi machine. Not bound by the state of the currently politically correct, this analytical track uses evidence from what is relevant to Jihadism, not to Western technicalities: So why London and why now?

Here's the answer...

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Report: Radical Kuwaiti Imams Drowned Out in Pro-American Protests by Local Worshippers

By Evan Kohlmann

From the Al-Siyasah newspaper (received June 6):

"The Imam of al-Jabiriyah preached against the Americans and the Worshippers shouted 'O' Allah, make America stronger!"

"The Al-Siyasah newspaper has received news that several mosques in Kuwait have begun to exhibit a new phenomenon manifested in the rejection by worshippers of extremist prayers expressed by some of the Imams during their Khutbah [friday prayer].  These prayers included invitations to fight the Americans and to become more hostile towards them.  An example of this [phenomenon] was when Nabil al-Awadi, who is an Imam at one of the mosques in the southern region of Al-Surrah, began preaching against the Americans in his last Friday Khutbah.  As a result, the people at prayer cut off his speech and demanded that he stop talking.  Additionally, the worshippers at the mosque of Aisha Shabib in the Al-Jabiriyah neighborhood shouted, 'O' Allah, make Islam and America stronger' in response to what the Imam of that mosque had said during friday prayer about America and the current war [in Iraq]."

Noted Al-Qaida Ideologue Speaks Out on London Attacks

By Evan Kohlmann

The Global Islamic Media Front has published a letter from Saif al-Islam al-Athari, a noted online pundit and Al-Qaida supporter.  Though al-Athari is not an official representative of any specific organization, he is widely considered to be a knowledgeable source of information with direct contacts to Al-Qaida-linked militant groups in Iraq and beyond.

"The truth behind the new crusade war and the truth behind the London attacks"

"...every Muslim is surprised by the huge gap between true Islam and the Muslims of today, and their astonishment will only become greater when they see what has happened to all those so-called scholars... and to all the others who claim to be political representatives of Islamic groups yet who freely condemned what happened yesterday in the heart of the true, original crusaders: London.  It is known to every Muslim--the educated and the illiterate--that the condition of the British nation and the British people is the same if not even worse than the condition of the American crusaders, no matter whether we are considering their soldiers or the ones who support them."

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London Terrorist Attack News Stories & Columns, July 9 (UPDATED)

By Andrew Cochran

Suspects Emerge in London Bombings - "Police radically revised the timing of the deadly blasts that tore through the London Underground, saying Saturday that the bombs were detonated just seconds apart not 26 minutes as first reported. The explosions were so intense that none of the 49 known dead has yet been identified. Police indicated as many as 50 additional victims were unaccounted for.

UK police clear part of Birmingham in new scare - Police evacuated thousands of people and sealed off the center of Britain's second city Birmingham on Saturday night...(a)cting in response to intelligence of a threat, they cleared the city's entertainment and Chinatown districts of some 30,000 people and carried out a controlled explosion on a bus."

Europe's police asked to step up hunt for Morocco-born scholar - London Times story on search for Moroccan Mohamed Guerbouzi, as discussed by Evan Kohlmann on Thursday

Terror suspect: MI5 asks for deportation

London's Islamists unusually mum

Police follow North African connection - As also discussed here by Steven Emerson and Michael Kraft

Transit Alert Level May Be Dropped in Days - US alert level might be dropped to yellow soon

Arab chatrooms see mixed reaction

City used secret portal for business after terror attacks - "London's financial regulators used a secret internet chatroom to keep financial markets running smoothly after Thursday's terror attacks, regulators said."

Columns

Terror plan that failed completely - London Express & Star column: attacks failed to terrorize British

The Same Old, Same Old . . .An anatomy of the London bombing - Victor Davis Hanson on Islamic fascism

I resent your success. I hate you and your kind. So I bomb you - Truly outstanding analysis of true nature of terrorism, including current Islamic terrorists, by Roger Scruton in London Times (thanks to Jeffrey Imm for sending this)

British "Covenant of Security" with Islamists Ends - Daniel Pipes column

Al Qaeda's latest strategic mistake - Intriguing column in Asharq Alawsat, the Arabic daily in London: "This latest attack only serves US and British interests and encourages those who have been demanding an extensive and bold international effort against terrorism. It weakens considerably the already fragile positions of France and Germany and forces their governments to join forces with any future alliance against fighting terror. In particular, this weeks attacks have harmed the Islamic presence across Europe, especially in Britain where civil liberties protect those who support terrorism, even turning a blind eye to celebrations of violence and the presence of al Qaeda operatives. As a result, the government of Tony Blair will find it hard to resist calls by different Arab governments to hand over their citizens guilty of promoting terrorism on British soil."

"Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades" Claims London Terror Attacks in New Internet Statement

By Evan Kohlmann

AbuhafslondonA purported Al-Qaida affiliate group calling itself the "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades - European Division" has claimed responsibility for the "blessed battle of London" in a statement published on an Internet website.  According to the statement:

"Several of the mujahideen from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades have launched successive attacks in the capital of tyranny, the British capital... we declare that the coming days will bear witness to legendary stories of the battle against those who have declared war on Islam and the Muslims, and we will not relent nor we will submit until there is real and true security for the Islamic nation and for Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine.  The beginning was in Madrid and Istanbul, and today [it was] in London."

As with similar alleged communiques recently issued over the Internet claiming responsibility for the terrorist bombings in London, there is no way to verify its authenticity.  The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades have issued numerous other would-be statements on Internet websites over the past two years, including a claim of responsibility for the 3/11 attacks in Madrid, Spain.

G-8 Leaders Resolute on Terrorism and Nuclear Non-Proliferation

By Victor Comras

G-8 leaders stood together at the close of the Gleneagles Summit to declare their resolve to stay the course and defeat terrorism. We came to Gleneagles to work to combat poverty and save and improve lives, Blair stated. We have not allowed violence to disrupt the work of this Summit. The terrorists have not and will not succeed. As well as our work on poverty and climate change, we resolved to intensify our work on counter terrorism. This having been said, there was little new in the final Summit document on terrorism and few specifics to grab on to. The Conference Paper on Non Proliferation had more meat.

The G-8 Terrorism Statement recounts in very general terms steps that have already been taken to implement earlier counter-terrorism initiatives. It re-iterates the Group's determination to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction to terrorists and other criminals, reinforce international political will to combat terrorism, secure radioactive sources and - as announced at Sea Island -ensure secure and facilitated travel. The G-8 leaders also commit their countrys to improve the sharing of information on the movement of terrorists across international borders, to assess and address the threat to the transportation infrastructure, and to promote best practices for rail and metro security. We leave Gleneagles," they said also, with a renewed commitment to work with partners in the UN and in other key international and regional fora.{and to} reach early agreement on a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Despite a UK and American preference for counter proliferation as opposed to non proliferation", the latter term seems to have again won out (See my earlier Counter-Proliferation Blog) The Final Statement on this score is entitled Gleneagles Statement on Non-Proliferation and the term "counter-proliferation" is no where to be found in the document. Building on UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) the G-8 leaders pledged to assist any country to develop and implement appropriate national control procedures. They also declare their intention to press forward with their Proliferation Security Initiative, and call on all countries to deepen co-operation in order to counter trafficking in WMD, delivery means and related materials. They also pressed for enhanced efforts to combat proliferation networks and illicit financial flows by developing co-operative procedures to identify, track and freeze relevant financial transactions and assets. Special emphasis was also placed on fortifying the application of IAEA safeguards. The Additional Protocol must become an essential new standard in the field of nuclear supply arrangements, they said. They also pledged that those states which forgo the nuclear fuel cycle and meet all nuclear non-proliferation obligations would enjoy assured access to the market for nuclear fuel and related services.

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Euro-Jihadists and More

By Bill West

As the investigation into the London terrorist bombings continues, it will likely become apparent that radical Islamic jihadists who are either long-term residents of Europe or native-born European citizens were involved in the attacks. Europe, due to exceptionally liberal immigration policies since WW-II and the granting of independence to former colonies in the third world, has realized an explosion in its Muslim population. There is now an estimated 15 20 million Muslims on the European continent.

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Douglas Farah: "On Terror Financing, in London and Beyond"

By Andrew Cochran

Doug Farah is on travel and asked me to post his comments on the London terrorist attacks:

"It has become almost conventional wisdom--pushed in part by the 9-11 Monograph on Terror Financing--that the money used by terrorists is a small sum that is virtually impossible to trace, and therefore should not be a priority in the efforts against global terrorism. The London attacks should serve as a a reminder of the fact that, no matter who was behind the efforts, they had to live in London, establish credible cover, be there long enough to develop a fairly complex plan, and then execute it. We will soon here some number on how much the actual materiel cost, probably less than $50,000, and then the usual line about how that money was impossible to detect or cut off.

The problem with that analysis is that each step of the process requires money for each person, and must usually be multiplied by numerous people involved. The attack will involve safe houses, possibly false id papers, cash for living for a significant period of time, possible escape routes etc. While it may not be an enormous sum of money, it will ultimately be a significant amount, if properly calculated.

The other huge expense, though not directly related to the London attack, is the support for the insurgency in Iraq. My sources tell me that there are now many, perhaps thousands, of wealthy and not so wealthy people on the Arab Peninsula who are sponsoring one or two jihadis. That is, they give the combatants money for travel, visas and other expenses, and send them on their way. This is a far more difficult stream of money to find and combat, and a far cry from the days when the jihadis had outfits like the Third World Relief Agency in Vienna, Austria, funneling tens of millions of dollars to false charities and front groups.

Yet this a huge problem, and a river of money. Estimates of the number of jihadis in Iraq range from 2,000 to 10,000. Each sponsorship per person is at least $10,000, plus the ongoing expenses of feeding, training, arming, etc. It is a very difficult thing to track this kind of micro-sponsorship or hold anyone accountable. Yet as long as these channels remain open, those that enable terrorist actions by financing them will remain a serious threat to the United States, its allies, and anyone else who opposes the militant version of a unified Islamic caliphate under sharia law."

Michael Cutler on terror-linked migrants entering U.S.

By Andrew Cochran

Michael Cutler asked me to post his comments on the Associated Press article, "Terror-Linked Migrants Crossing Into U.S.", about the thousands smuggled into the U.S. from countries identified as state sponsors or supporters of terrorism:

The biggest challenge we face is the fact that the Border Patrol is lacking the resources to secure the border and even when they arrest aliens who have entered our country illegally, because of the so-called "Catch and Release" program in which aliens who are citizens of countries other than Mexico, or OTMs are permitted to travel to the interior of the United States where they are able to hide in plain sight because there is little done to seek those aliens who fail to show up for immigration hearings.

I have often made the point that New York has been declared to be the safest big city in the United States. A major reason for this is that while there are some 8 million residents in this city they are policed by a police department that has some 37,000 police officers. It has been estimated that there are at least twice as many illegal aliens in the United States as there are residents living in the City of New York. They are scattered across the entire country and they are policed by approximately 2,000 special agents who are dedicated to the enforcement of the immigration laws from within the interior of the United States. What do you suppose would happen to New York City's crime rate if there were only 2,000 cops patrolling the streets of New York? One thing is a virtual certainty, New York would most certainly forfeit its title of "Safest big city!"

It is also important to understand that the enforcement of the immigration laws within the interior of the United States needs to consist of more than simply looking for aliens who fail to show up for deportation hearings. We need adequate numbers of special agents to make certain that unscrupulous employers who hire illegal aliens face a realistic possibility of being discovered and fined, or even criminally charged in egregious situations. (To my understanding within the last year, only Walmart was fined for knowingly hiring illegal aliens.)

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LONDON attack: Connecting other Dots

By Michael Kraft

By Michael B. Kraft
The terrorist bombings Thursday in central London, coinciding with the G-8 summit in Scotland, underscore the fact that terrorism is still alive and bad, and there are still many dots to connect. While it is too early to say who carried out the attacks on London's transit system, the bombings were similar to the March 2004 attack in Madrid that killed 191 people. That attack was carried out primarily by North Africans (more precisely, Moroccans) living in Spain.

As our colleague terrorist expert Steve Emerson told MSNBC yesterday, British intelligence sources reportedly have said that they suspected Thursday's attack was carried out by "our North African boys" -- a reference to the many immigrants from Muslim countries there who have moved to the United Kingdom. The London attack is a reminder of how the world has become a global village for terrorists.
While British investigators work on unraveling the latest atrocity, U.S. policy-makers and lawmakers should also be connecting some dots. They are:

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London Terrorist Attack News Stories, July 8 (UPDATED)

By Andrew Cochran

Links to news on the London terrorist attacks (updated with thanks to Jeffrey Imm):

Hunt for missing as London toll rises
Subway bombs said triggered by timers
Small, crude bombs likely behind London blasts
An 'inevitable' attack surprises just the same - Matthew Levitt quoted
Who's responsible for the bombings? - MSNBC interview with Evan Kohlmann
'We were like sardines in there, just waiting to die'
U.S. Mass Transit Alert Goes to 'Orange' ("U.S. counterterror officials said they received intelligence last month dating back to 2004 that al-Qaida was interested in attacking rail systems in Europe and the United States, including derailing trains or crashing trucks into them. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the intelligence is classified, said the report lacked specifics on the date and location of any potential attacks...Recent intelligence has indicated that London was considered a prime target for Islamic extremists, in part because al-Qaida was having difficulty getting people into the United States, one official said.")
Pakistan arrest offered hints, no details on planned hits
Terrorists Strike in London: Connecting the dots after London attacks - San Francisco Chronicle op-ed by Michael Kraft
Bloggers and Photographers Chronicle Chaos in London
Japan government, subway officials discuss anti-terror measures
'Not a matter of if, but when' - Evan Kohlmann quoted
British intel probing connection to North Africa-based terrorists - Steven Emerson's & Zachary Abuza's comments here quoted
Analysis: Terrorists shifting shape, strategy - Matthew Levitt, Zachary Abuza, Steven Emerson quoted
U.S. Probing Bomb Claim of al-Qaida Group
Was it work of al-Qaeda sleeper cell or home-grown terrorists?
Al-Qa'eda link hides multitude of suspects ("Britain has long offered a haven to exiled dissidents and in recent years has become an international centre for Islamic militancy.")
U.S. Mass Transit Is Security Challenge, Low Funding Priority
Terror in London - Europe is Slow in Terror Fight
Al-Qaeda remains lethal inspirational force - Zachary Abuza quoted
Terror alert downgraded, then attacks came out of the blue

The London Aftermath: Europe and the US Need to Rethink Protection for Mass Transit

By Victor Comras

The London terrorist attacks should cause the EU to seriously reconsider its recently adopted critical infrastructure protection strategy. As I reported in my June 29th Blog, The EU Commission only a few weeks ago elected to adopt a low key approach to such issues. They decided to leave most infrastructure protection planning to national authorities and to focus their own attention and support efforts only on critical infrastructure having cross border dimensions. This leaves to local authorities the burden of planning and paying for local public transportation security. And experience has shown, so far, that protection funds for mass transit fall well short of what's required to address public transit's immense security vulnerabilities. The issue of protecting local transportation was raised at the June 15-17, 2005 G-8 meeting of Home Affairs and Justice Ministers at Sheffield, but the groups interest quickly strayed back to protecting international air and maritime transport. According to UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke, the group agreed to work together about underground systems from our different countries to see what can be learned from the different issues that arise. But nobody was prepared at that meeting to put forth any useful guidance and proposals. It is surprising that, following the March 11th 2004 Madrid train bombing local transportation systems have not been given the same priority as that devoted to international air and maritime travel.

Here at home, the US Department of Homeland Security also recognizes that it is behind the curve in coming to grips with this difficult problem. Since 9/11, the aviation industry has received $18.1 billion for security from the federal Department of Homeland Security, according to the Washington-based American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This compares to just $250 million devoted to local mass transit. Local funding has accounted for most of the $2 billion in security and other upgrades given to local transportation systems since 9/11. But APTA claims that at least $6 Billion is really needed. Special efforts are now underway in Washington DC, New York and other metropolitan centers to increase protection and raise public security awareness. But, according to a report published in Newsday, there is still so much left undone. The NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority, for example, still has not finalized its own security upgrade spending plans. It has been two years since Governor Pataki vowed to spend nearly $600 million to strengthen the subway and commuter rails, the Newsday article states. Yet, only $30 million has been spent so far. Quoting further the Newsday Article: "The booths are the only real thing out there from a security point of view," the transit manager said. "There isn't much else in the subway." "Where are the chemical detectors?" he asked. "There are still so many unsecured rooms with important communications equipment, radios and telephones used by emergency personnel. We're so vulnerable."

Potential Link Between London and Madrid through Wanted Moroccan

By Evan Kohlmann

An earlier unconfirmed press story published in the Wall Street Journal (as seen below) reports that "British police have asked their European counterparts for information" about Moroccan national Mohamed Guerbouzi (a.k.a. Abu Aissa)--an influential military commander with the Al-Qaida-affiliated Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG).  If correct, this could prove to be a major development in the London bombings investigation.  Guerbouzi is a longtime resident of London who, according to credible sources, met while in the United Kingdom with another infamous Moroccan terrorist suspect -- Jamal Zougam.  Zougam is currently on trial for his alleged role as a lead bomber in the Madrid 3/11 terrorist attacks and is also suspected of having played an organizational role in the 2003 Al-Qaida suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco.  Reportedly Zougam visited London "in search of funding and logistical help" and contacted a number of North Africans living in Britain, including Guerbouzi.

See also: The Sunday Mirror Confronts Guerbouzi in West London.  When the Mirror asked Scotland Yard in April 2004 why Guerbouzi was still free in London, they explained, "We don't have any extradition treaty with Morocco and no evidence has been submitted before the courts to consider an arrest."

*DEVELOPING*...

Wall Street Journal: British Seek Moroccan Man in London Attack Investigation

By Andrew Cochran

The Wall Street Journal reports that the British are seeking a Moroccan man, Mohamed Guerbouzi, in connection with the attacks. Text: "A Brussels-based European police official said British police have asked their European counterparts for information on a Moroccan man, Mohamed Guerbouzi, in relation to the attacks in London. Mr. Guerbouzi has been under investigation in Britain in connection with two previous attacks, a 2003 suicide bombing in Morocco and last year's attack on commuter trains in Spain. Mr. Guerbouzi held a senior position in the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, or GICM, investigators say. He has been living in Britain for about a decade, the police official said on condition of anonymity. It is unclear if he is in British police custody. Also unclear if he is suspect of direct involvement in Thursday's attacks or if he is a witness. The European police official said Britain wants help in investigating Mr. Guerbouzi, for example, in learning more about his activities in other countries." This is consistent with the comments by our Contributing Experts and others that North African-based terrorists, with ties to Al Zarqawi and Al Qaeda, would be among the most logical suspects, based on their leading role in the 3-11-04 Madrid traim bombings.

Contributing Experts in the Media on London Attacks

By Andrew Cochran

I'm posting the Contributing Experts' planned media appearances for tonight and tomorrow in the "Media, Events, & Hearings" box in the left sidebar as they tell me. Many of them are doing over 20 appearances or interviews today alone, so I'm concentrating on major TV and radio appearances.

Shades of 3/11

By Zachary Abuza

There are two aspects about todays tragedy in London to note.

First, the current Al Qaeda line regarding targeting was set in a statement by Osama bin Laden aired on Al Jazeera in October 2002: We will target the nodes of your economy. To that end nearly every major terrorist attack by an Al Qaeda affiliated or inspired group since then has targeted soft economic targets: tourist venues (Bali, Mombasa, Jakarta, Tunisia, Morocco), the energy sector (the SS Limburg), the financial sector (Istanbul); and of course public transportation (Madrid and now London). There is very little that liberal democracies can do against such open-ended targeting.

Second, many terrorism experts assert that Al Qaeda, as an organization, is defunct. What is left of the leadership, they argue, is hiding in Wajiristani root cellars. I think they overstate Al Qaedas demise; but they do agree that the real threat that Al Qaeda poses is less as an organization and more as an ideology and inspiration.

The previously unknown group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks, calls itself the Secret Organization Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organization in Europe. While the group may have direct ties to Al Qaeda, what is more likely is to emerge from the investigations into the London bombings is a cell that is very similar to that which perpetrated the Madrid bombings on 11 March 2004: A fairly autonomous cell comprised of a marginalized diaspora that had some roots to extremists in their own country, but was really acting independently. Though they were inspired by Al Qaeda, they received neither funding, planning nor guidance from them. These home grown militants were motivated by a vitriolic hatred of the West and its policies towards the Muslim world, especially their armed presence in Muslim lands, Afghanistan and Iraq.

They are the nexus of international jihadists, diaspora communities, Islamist social organizations motivated in the defense of their co-religionists. The 3/11 cell is the model of terrorism in the near future. The good news is that these groups are probably too small and autonomous to launch a major catastrophic attack. The bad news is that these groups are difficult to penetrate, and their operations, though small are still large enough to cause an unacceptable loss of life and have adverse economic implications.

The London Attacks: What Now For The G-8

By Victor Comras

International terrorism was to be a back burner issue at this years Gleneagles G-8 summit. But, todays horrendous terrorist attacks against Londons subway and bus system will likely place new urgent priority on the counter-terrorism agenda issue. Initial planning called for little more than a statement regarding the continuing efforts of the G-8 governments to combat terrorism. This was to include new calls on the UN General Assembly to adopt the draft comprehensive anti-terrorism convention (containing a straight forward definition of terrorism. The G-8 was also expected to encourage the international community to become more active and vigilant in carrying out the FATF issued counter-terrorism financing recommendations and best practices guidelines. The G-8 leaders, and other invited Government leaders will now have to respond more dramatically to public expectations that they will now take new, re-invigorated action to respond to this latest terrorist challenge. What steps might the G-8 now consider?

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Michael Cutler on London Attacks and Our Lack of Immigration Enforcement

By Andrew Cochran

Michael Cutler asked me to post his full comments:

A lack of jail space plus a lack of special agents to enforce the critical immigration laws from within the interior of the United States are enabling aliens from virtually every country in the world to head for the interior of the United States with little fear of interference by the agency that is charged with enforcing the immigration laws. London fell victim to a series of bombing this morning, committed by terrorists who once again have clearly demonstrated an absolute disregard for human life. How more clearly must the message be driven home to our nation's leaders before we see an end to the madness known as "Catch and Release?"

The Associated Press did a great job of compiling the statistics about the lunacy known as the "Catch and Release" program in which the Border Patrol arrests illegal aliens who are citizens of other than Mexico and consequently are referred to as OTMs (Other Than Mexican). These aliens are processed and given a document that is referred to in the article as a permiso but is officially known as a Notice To Appear or NTA, telling them to show up at an immigration office when they get to the city to which they were destined. The NTA is essentially comparable to a traffic summons given to a motorist that requires the person to show up for a hearing. Because of a lack of resources dedicated to the interior enforcement of the immigration laws at least 85% of the aliens given these NTAs fail to show up, leading cynical Border Patrol Agents to refer to these documents as Notices to Disappear! I would refer to it as a free pass, a free pass to ignore our nation's borders and laws.

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Steven Emerson on MSNBC on London Attacks (UPDATED)

By Andrew Cochran

Steven Emerson appeared on MSNBC this morning (full trasnscript now available) to discuss the London terrorist bombings and asked me to post the highlights:

"Increasingly it's looking as a British intelligence official told me this morning not more than an hour ago, that he used the term, Our North African boys, meaning some of the North African type of militant Muslim groups and individuals who were responsible for the Spanish attacks in 2003 that have a very striking similarity to the attacks that were carried out this morning in London...There is an interconnected network of Algerians, of Moroccans, of Saudis operating throughout Europe and it certainly coincides with the opening of the trial of Abu Hamza al-Masri who is a radical Islamic cleric in London whose is charged with incitement has been indicted in the United States on charges of trying to set up a jihad training camp in Oregon...The simultaneous nature of the bombings and the potential there was a suicide bomber suggests very strongly that was some type of Al-Qaeda offshoot of known radical Islamic groups or unknown groups, individuals at least, plotting this for a long time. This couldn't have been done overnight...the 3/11 attacks and these attacks clearly show that mass transit infrastructures in the West are very susceptible and almost impossible to protect by Western law enforcement and therefore the intelligence is clearly the first line of defense. The fact that they were not able to stop this type of attack clearly shows there was a failure of intelligence." UPDATE: This afternoon, Steve was on MSNBC again, noting that we should be looking for militant jihadists, not just an "Al Qaeda" organization, which no longer exists in a corporate sense. He credited British intel as having the best intel ability in Europe, yet unable to detect these attackers - London hosts more militant members than almost any city outside the Middle East - radical Islamic clerics there preach jihad openly. MORE: Steve discussed disclosures that timers and cell phones were probably used and bombs included about 5 kg of explosives, not a high-damage amount - these forensics will help to determine who did it.

Terror in London, Echoes of Madrid?

By Matthew Levitt

Just one day after London won its bit to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and the morning that world leaders gathered to begin the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, terrorist attacks targeting both the Underground train system and a double-decker bus rocked London during the morning rush hour.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said three explosions hit the London Underground. London Metropolitan Police reported that at 8:51am, an explosion occurred between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street tube stations. At 8:56am another blast hit a train between Russell Square and King's Cross tube stations. At 9:17am an explosion hit a train approaching the Edgware Road tube station. At approximately 9:47am, another explosion ripped apart the number 30 bus going from Hackney to Marble Arch in Tavistock Place, near Russell Square in central London. Police are investigating whether the blast was the work of a suicide bomber or caused by a device left on the bus.

A group calling itself the Organization of Al-Qaeda Jihad in Europe claimed the attacks and threatened similar ones in Italy, Denmark and other countries with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Heroic mujahedeens carried out a sacred attack in London, and here is Britain burning in fear, terror, and fright in the north, south, east and west, said a statement posted on the Internet. The group maintained that the attacks were in response to the massacres carried out by Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan, explaining We have repeatedly warned the government and people of Britain, and we have now fulfilled our promise and have carried out a sacred military attack in Britain. We continue to warn the governments of Denmark, Italy and all the Crusaders that they will meet the same punishment if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just over one year ago, on March 11, 2004, terrorists planted bombs on four commuter trains in Madrid, which resulted in the deaths of 191 people. A group calling itself The Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri claimed responsibility for this attack. The parallels between the attacks in London and Madrid are telling, including targeting civilians traveling on mass transit in simultaneous attacks, claiming the attack on the web under a previously unknown name, and tying the attack to participation in the war on terror and the war in Iraq.

It is still too early to definitvely say who carried out these attacks. But as the investigation into the London bombings proceeds, authorities should not be surprised if the evidence reveals a more critical link to the Madrid attacks. Al Qaeda's modus operandi is shifting away from centralized or even regional oversight of attacks to a more independent, localized operational model that includes both experienced operatives and newly radicalized adherents to al Qaeda's ideology of global jihad.

In all likelihood, these attacks, like those in Madrid, were carried out not by members of al Qaeda itself or even members of its known affiliate groups but by a motley crew of fellow travelers who banded together to execute this particular al Qaeda-style attack. The group will likely include some relatively new members and some experienced jihadists, and some of the latter may even have ties to known al Qaeda operatives. It should not surprise if authorities determine that funding for the London attacks was raised locally, as it was in Madrid. And investigators will likely find that radical preachers in Europe in general and London in particular, played a central role in the radicalization of these fellow travelers. London has long been home to many such preachers, including Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza al Masri, whose radical preaching earned London the moniker Londonistan.

Internet Claim for London Terror Attack Likely Hoax

By Evan Kohlmann

In the wake of a series of apparent terrorist bombings in London this morning, an entity calling itself "Al-Qaida's Secret Organization" has taken credit for the coordinated attack in a claim posted on an Internet website.  However, there is evidence to suggest that this purported claim is nothing more than a hoax.  The claim (as seen below) was first posted early this morning on the "Fortress" chat board, a long-time meeting place for Islamic extremists and Al-Qaida sympathizers. 

0102049037000 Within less than two hours of the claim being posted, it was summarily deleted by "Fortress" administrators who quickly issued their own statement explaining that their site "does not allow postings which contain incitement for violence or postings containing statements or news without reference to a formally registered address in the web."  However, typically, such postings are actually deleted from the message board not because they incite to violence, but rather because they originate from an illegitimate source.  Al-Qaida supporters active on the "Fortress" chat board have likewise expressed their strong doubts over the purported communique from "Al-Qaida's Secret Organization." 

It should be noted that the language in this latest Internet statement is oddly reminiscent of a series of hoax threats received last summer from an alleged terrorist group calling itself the "Tawheed Islamic Movement."  Several credible sources later dismissed those electronic threats as fraudulent, including the designated media representative of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Separately, I'm also providing a link to an article I wrote in 1999 on Islamic extremists in the United Kingdom.  This should offer some good general background on the problem of "Londonistan."

Bad News, Some Good News?

By Bill West

Today, we are again faced with the tragedy of civilization being attacked by murderous barbarians with the terrorist bombings in London. We will learn more as the ensuing investigation unfolds, and no doubt the perpetrators will be identified and hopefully hunted down and appropriate justice brought down upon them.

On another topic, we learn that here in the United States an ongoing problem with potentially very serious consequences related to our own security has again surfaced. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) yesterday announced that it had arrested forty-eight illegal aliens employed as contract workers at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro, North Carolina. The Air Force Base is home to a training and combat operational F-15 Fighter Wing.

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