The IPT Terror Alert

November 9, 2009 | Posted by wizardx

The IPT Terror Alert
Wednesday 04 November 2009
www.investigativeproject.org

Top News

1. Man admits perjury in case of Somalis who left to fight (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_13698489?

With clear, straight answers, a St. Anthony man admitted to a federal judge Monday that he lied to a grand jury when he denied knowing men who had returned to Somalia to fight Ethiopian troops who were occupying their homeland. Adarus Abdulle Ali, 25, said he was scared when he was called to testify before the grand jury in Minneapolis, and that’s why he didn’t tell the truth — that he knew the men and knew why they were going to Somalia. In pleading guilty to a single count of perjury, Ali became the fourth person to enter a guilty plea in connection with the exodus of young local Somali men back to Africa to take up arms for a group that the State Department says is a terrorist organization linked to al-Qaida. A fifth man accused of lying to FBI agents investigating the case has pleaded not guilty. A federal grand jury has been investigating the travels of at least 20 men — some in the Somali community say the number is higher — back to the African nation that has been a battleground of warring factions since a 1991 coup left the country of 7 million without a government.

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2. Canadians linked to Detroit imam fight extradition to US (AP)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/4687

A lawyer for two Canadians wanted by the FBI following the death of a controversial imam in a police shootout in Detroit says they plan to fight extradition. The two men, Mohammad Al-Sahli, 33, and Yassir Ali Khan, 30, both of Windsor, Ontario, appeared briefly in court on Monday. Lawyer Patrick Ducharme says their case was put over until Friday for a bail hearing. The men, arrested Saturday, remain in jail. The FBI accuses the men of a conspiracy to sell stolen goods, and says they were followers of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah. A police complaint suggests the imam espoused violence and sought to establish a Shariah-law state within the United States, a claim his mosque calls preposterous.

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3. Woman in suspected ‘honor killing’ dies (Arizona Republic)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/4688

A 20-year-old Peoria woman has died of injuries sustained in what prosecutors are calling an “honor killing.” Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, of Glendale, is accused of running over his daughter, Noor Almaleki, and another woman in his Jeep Cherokee because he was infuriated with his daughter for becoming “too Westernized.” Noor Almaleki died Monday of injuries she received during the Oct. 20 attack. Peoria police said charges against Almaleki, who is in a Maricopa County jail on two counts of aggravated assault, will be upgraded, though a spokesman wasn’t sure what the exact charges would be. Social experts say honor killings are an accepted practice in Iraqi tribal society, where family members feel they must kill a woman who shames them by not adhering to traditional Muslim or Iraqi values. Family members said Almaleki was outraged after his daughter married a man in Iraq but returned to the Valley to live with a boyfriend and his mother in Surprise. The other victim, 43-year-old Amal Edan Khalaf, is apparently the boyfriend’s mother.

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4. DHS opens national cybersecurity operations center (Gov’t Computer News)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/4689

The Homeland Security Department opened a new operations center today that integrates national cybersecurity and telecommunications monitoring systems and provides a new degree of situational awareness surrounding the nation’s communications, information technology and cyber infrastructure. The new National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), combines two of DHS’ operational organizations: the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), which leads a public-private partnership focused on defending the nation’s cyber infrastructure; and the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC), the operational arm of the National Communications System. In addition, the NCCIC will integrate the efforts of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC), which coordinates operations among the six largest federal cyber centers, the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis and private-sector partners.

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5. Treasury Removes Three Former Terrorist Supporters from Specially Designated Nationals List (US Treasury Department)

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg345.htm

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today removed Patricia Rosa Vinck, Barakaat International, and Barakaat International Foundation from its Specially Designated Nationals List, having found that Vinck and the two entities no longer present a significant threat of supporting terrorism. Today’s action was taken in conjunction with a removal of the three names from the United Nations’ 1267 Sanctions Committee (U.N. 1267 Committee) Consolidated List of individuals and entities subject to U.N. sanctions measures.

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6. Al Qaeda calls for home-made bomb attacks in West (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL2289900

The leader of al Qaeda’s wing in the Arabian Peninsula called on militants to attack airports and trains in the West and said they could easily make bombs from household materials, the group’s Internet magazine said. The Islamist group has been trying to secure small victories to maintain its feared image after its leaders’ threats to carry out large-scale attacks on Western targets have been discounted as words without deeds, analysts say. Abu Basir Nasser al-Wahayshi, in an article in the e-magazine Sada al-Malahem, also urged militants to assault secular media figures and columnists who promote the policies of rulers in the world’s top oil exporting region. “You do not need to exert great effort or spend a lot of money to make 10 grams of explosives, more or less. Do not spend a long time searching for materials as they already exist in your mother’s kitchen,” Wahayshi wrote in the article, posted on an Islamist website on Sunday. “Make them (bombs) in the shape of a bomb you hurl, or detonate through a timer or a remote detonator or a martyrdom-seeker belt or any electrical appliance.”

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7. Alert sounded to stop LeT from ‘celebrating’ 26/11 anniversary
(Economic Times – India)

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5191149.cms

Fearing a fresh terror attack around the 26/11 anniversary by Lashker-e-Toiba men coming in through the sea route, the Centre has sounded an alert through November on the western coast and called for stepped up vigil in vulnerable cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. The alert, sent out by MHA last week, shares general inputs about the plans of Pakistan-based terror outfits to stage a major strike to mark the first anniversary of Mumbai attacks that left 183 dead. Though the security establishment was aware of continued planning by LeT to strike terror in India, fears of an impending attack were amplified by recent disclosures made by US national and LeT recruit David Coleman Headley to the FBI. Coleman, arrested in October along with his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana in Chicago, had told his FBI interrogators of LeT’s terror plans for India. With an Indian intelligence team in the US now to question Headley and Rana, the Centre is awaiting additional information on the terror plot. “Once the team gets back with more specific details of LeT’s terror plans for India, we might raise the level of alert (on the western coast and in vulnerable cities) further,” said a senior MHA official.

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8. China orders crackdown in Xinjiang (Al Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/11/200911353845725775.html

Chinese security forces in the far western region of Xinjiang have launched a “strike hard” campaign, aiming to wipe out lawlessness and “terrorism” in the wake of July’s deadly ethnic riots, state media has said. The Xinjiang Daily newspaper said on Tuesday that the regional public security bureau’s “strike hard and rectify” campaign, which began on Sunday, would run until the end of the year. “We must expand the scope of our work on capturing fugitives, do better to gather, analyse and research all intelligence and focus on cases and clues related to violent acts of terrorism,” said the report, citing Xinjiang police. “We must strictly prevent violent acts of terrorism and ensure stability.” The announcement comes almost exactly four months after deadly riots in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, in what was China’s worst outbreak of ethnic unrest in decades. The clashes between mainly Muslim Uighurs and members of China’s dominant Han ethnic group left nearly 200 people dead, according to the government. Last month, 21 people were convicted for their roles in the unrest, with 12 sentenced to death. Those sentences were upheld in appeal hearings last week.

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9. Indonesia: International seminar on Islamic schools opens (AKI)

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.0.3944921247

Indonesia is hosting a three-day seminar on Islamic schools (madrassas), which was opened by the country’s religious affairs minister, Suryadharma Ali, on Tuesday. Representatives of developing countries under the E-9 grouping are attending the event, which is aimed at garnering support from member countries for a moderate model of Islamic schools. The E-9 comprises Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Egypt, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Ali said participants of the seminar were expected to share their experiences and offer advice to help boost the professionalism of Islamic schools, which have existed in Indonesia for centuries. Also present for the opening day was education minister Muhammad Nuh and the director general for Islamic education at the religious affairs ministry, Moh Ali. Seminar participants will visit the prominent Islamic school Insan Cendikia in Serpong, Tangerang, and Al Masthuriyah Islamic boarding school in the West Java district of Sukabumi. Madrassas have been blamed for fomenting religious extremism Muslim countries, notably Pakistan and Indonesia.

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10. Saudi court upholds child rapist crucifixion ruling (Ynetnews)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3799611,00.html

A Saudi court of cassation upheld a ruling to behead and crucify a 22-year-old man convicted of raping five children and leaving one of them to die in the desert, newspapers reported on Tuesday. The convict was arrested earlier this year after a seven-year old boy helped police in their investigation. The child left in the desert after the rape was three years old, Okaz newspaper said. International rights groups have accused the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam, of applying draconian justice, beheading murderers, rapists and drug traffickers in public. So far this year about 40 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, crucifixion means tying the body of the convict to wooden beams to be displayed to the public after beheading.

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11. Yemeni Shi’ite Cleric and Houthi Disciple ‘Issam Al-’Imad: Our Leader Houthi is Close to Khamenei; We Are Influenced Religiously and Ideologically By Iran (MEMRI)

http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP262709

On September 28, 2009, the Iranian website ayandenews.com, which is affiliated with former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezai, published an interview with cleric ‘Issam Al-’Imad, who is a disciple of Hussein Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Al-’Imad, who was born 1968 in Yemen, received his religious education in Saudi Arabia, but after studying Shi’ite Islam left Wahhabism to become a Twelver Shi’ite. Since1989 he has been pursuing advanced Islamic studies in the holy city of Qom in Iran. In the interview, Al-Imad describes the religious, ideological, and political affinity that has evolved between the Yemeni Houthis and the Iranian regime, saying that the Houthis have effectively converted from Zaidi Shi’a to Twelver Shi’a, which is Iran’s official religion. He adds that Houthi leaders have visited and lived in Qom, that their leader Hussein Al-Houthi considers Ayatollah Khomeini to be a model for emulation, and that Al-Houthi’s relationship with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is similar to Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s.

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12. Qaeda Had Role in Attack on U.N. Staff, Official Says (NY Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/asia/01kabul.html?
The deadly suicide attack at a United Nations guesthouse here last week was a joint operation directed by an Afghan warlord based in the tribal areas of Pakistan and by an operative of Al Qaeda, the Afghan intelligence director said Saturday. The attack was carried out by three men at dawn on Wednesday. Dressed as Afghan police officers, they went over the walls around the guesthouse and began shooting and attacking with grenades. They killed eight people, five of them foreigners who worked for the United Nations. The attackers wore suicide belts, but only one of them managed to detonate his explosives. The other two were shot and killed. The attack could have been much more deadly, but United Nations guards and the Afghan police kept the attackers away from the other United Nations workers inside, security officials said. The intelligence official, Amrullah Saleh, said at a news conference here that six Afghan suspects had been arrested, including an imam who had provided a hideaway for the attackers. He said the suspects had said that the three suicide attackers were all from the Swat Valley in Pakistan, a region under Taliban control earlier this year. Mr. Saleh said the operation was jointly directed. One group was the Haqqani network, a Taliban-affiliated organization named for its leaders: Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin.

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13. Israeli Navy seizes ship with 100s of tons of weapons believed to be bound for Syria, Hizbullah (Jerusalem Post)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/4690

Hundreds of tons of weaponry, ten times the size of the Karine A shipment of 2002, were seized in an overnight raid Tuesday by the Israeli navy, some 100 nautical miles west of Israel, officials said. The ship seized was sailing under an Antiguan flag. The transfer of such large amounts of weapons, “is done in order to create a balance of terror with Israel,” said Brigadier General Rani Ben-Yehuda, deputy commander of the Israeli navy, at a press conference. Defense officials said the 140-meter long Francop,, captured near Cyprus, was carrying arms sent by Iran and destined for Syria and Hizbullah… The ships’ crew was unaware of the weapons on board, as the armaments were disguised as humanitarian aid.

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14. Syria, Iran ‘blocking Lebanon government’ (AFP)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/4691

Hezbollah’s backers Iran and Syria are hindering the formation of a cabinet in Lebanon, which has been without government since a general vote in June, Christian leader Samir Geagea said on Monday. “The regional forces that support the parliamentary minority have no interest in seeing a government formed for the moment,” Geagea told AFP. Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces are part of the US- and Saudi-backed parliamentary majority, said Tehran and Damascus have been obstructing the efforts of prime minister-designate Saad Hariri through their Lebanese proxy, Shiite militant group Hezbollah. “Perhaps they expect a more favourable situation in which they can reap more benefits” on the international level, he said. He was referring to Iran’s atomic drive and Syria’s efforts to improve ties with the United States.

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15. US House set to denounce Goldstone report (AFP)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/4692

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday was expected to condemn a UN report as unfairly accusing Israel of committing war crimes. With the UN General Assembly due to take up the Goldstone report on Wednesday, US lawmakers were to vote on a sharply worded but symbolic measure pushing President Barack Obama to fight UN approval of its findings. “I think the UN report is unbalanced, and unfair, and inaccurate,” said Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who vowed to “vote emphatically for” the non-binding resolution. “It’s unfortunate that the United Nations deals with Israel, in my opinion, in a totally biased and unbalanced way. And it is the only country in the world, Israel, that has a special focus by the United Nations,” he added. The resolution, crafted by Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, expressed support for the Obama administration’s condemnation of the report and urges opposition to its findings in any international forum.

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16. PA Officials: Hillary Clinton is a Liar Bribed By the Zionists (MEMRI)

http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP262809

Palestinian Authority officials have expressed disappointment with statements by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called on them to resume negotiations immediately and without preconditions; they are calling her a liar and inexperienced, saying she has been bribed by the Zionists, and accusing her of being pro-Israel.
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17. How Israel Destroyed Syria’s Al Kibar Nuclear Reactor (Spiegel Online)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,658663,00.html

In September 2007, Israeli fighter jets destroyed a mysterious complex in the Syrian desert. The incident could have led to war, but it was hushed up by all sides. Was it a nuclear plant and who gave the orders for the strike? The mighty Euphrates river is the subject of the prophecies in the Bible’s Book of Revelation, where it is written that the river will be the scene of the battle of Armageddon: “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.” Today, time seems to stand still along the river.
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18. Hamas Testing Missiles That Could Hit Tel Aviv (Israel National News)

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134206

The Hamas terrorist organization has test-fired a missile that could hit Tel Aviv from Gaza, according to the IDF’s Military Intelligence (AMAN) chief. Addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, AMAN head Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin revealed the details of the successful missile test. The missile, produced by Iran, can hit targets up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) away, he said, putting the Dan region, including metropolitan Tel Aviv, within range of attacks from Gaza. Just last year, IDF intelligence projected that Hamas would be capable of producing missiles with a 50-kilometer range on its own. The Israeli assessment was that the Iranian regime would provide the know-how and necessary supplies for the longer range projectiles. Iran, it is believed, wants to enable Hamas to endanger Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city and economic center.

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19. Hamas Boasts of ‘Jihadist Coordination’ (Israel National News)

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134194

Hamas leaders recently testified to the Goldstone investigative committee on Operation Cast Lead that their organization was not behind terrorist rocket attacks on Israel, and does not support such attacks. Despite its United Nations testimony, the organization boasted last week that it supports all Gaza terrorist groups in a broad-based “jihadist coordination.”Fathi Hamad, who serves as the Hamas administration’s Interior Minister, spoke last week at a Gaza City conference sponsored by the Association of Factions and Trade Unions. In a speech quoted by the Hamas-linked Safa news agency and translated by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Hamad said, “We work in coordination with the resistance factions to make it easier for them to carry out their missions.”

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20. IDF executes largest-ever terror attack simulation (Ha’aretz)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125556.html

The Home Front Command will perform a simulation of a multiple casualty terror attack on Tuesday, the largest drill of its kind to ever take place in Israel. The exercise will simulate a massive explosion in a mall in Haifa, which would cause around 600 casualties. The drill will be executed in cooperation with the Health Ministry, the police, and the Haifa municipality. The forces will practice collaboration between the different emergency institutions and the health system in evacuating casualties and transferring them to the three Haifa hospitals, as well as to hospitals farther away in case they may reach capacity.

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21. Israel seeks German funding for new missile cruisers (Ynetnews)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3799767,00.html

Israel is seeking partial funding from Germany in order to acquire two new missile cruisers worth over half a billion euros. Germany helped fund the purchase of two Dolphin submarines used by the Israel Navy. The new ships will be outfitted with state of the art weapons systems made by both Israel and the United States, giving them the ability strike various class vessels and submarines as well as inland targets. The vessels the Israel Navy is interested in are Meko A-200. The 300-foot cruiser can carry a crew of 120 and travel at 27 knots (about 31 mph). Meko A-200 ships are usually fitted with advance detection and weaponry systems and the new ships are likely to carry the new Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Barak-8 missiles. The 13-feet missiles have a 43-mile range.

Commentary / Analysis

1. IPT News: Exploiting the Luqman Abdullah Shooting (Article by IPT)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/1496/exploiting-the-luqman-abdullah-shooting

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2. IPT News: What’s Missing in the CAIR Lawsuit? (For The Record – The IPT Blog)

http://www.investigativeproject.org/blog/2009/11/whats-missing-in-the-cair-lawsuit

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3. Ryan Mauro: Jihadi Training Compounds, U.S.A. (FPM)

http://frontpagemag.com/2009/11/03/jihadi-training-compounds-u-s-a-by-ryan-mauro/

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