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SAN FRANCISCO -- After years of wrangling over legal procedures, the lawyer for a defunct Islamic charity laid out his case Wednesday that former President George W. Bush's secret wiretapping program was illegal - an argument that an Obama administration attorney refused to discuss. "May the president of the United States break the law in the name of national security? ... We're asking this court to say, 'no,' " Jon Eisenberg, lawyer for the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, told a federal judge in San Francisco. Neither the president's constitutional powers as commander in chief nor Congress' authorization to use military force...

SNIPPET: "According to a report prepared by Pakistani police (the Crime Investigation Department), the AHF has funded approximately USD 15 million to Jihadi groups in Pakistan for carrying out terror attacks. These funds mostly went to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which is responsible for numerous suicide strikes in the last couple of years and also blamed for the assassination of Benezir Bhutto." SNIPPET: "Till 2004, the United States had designated at least thirteen AHF branch offices operating in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, in many African countries and in the United States. But in 2008, the US Treasury Department has designated...

The Obama administration suffered a bit of a legal setback this afternoon: a federal judge in California rejected the administration's assertion of the state secrets privilege in the civil suit brought by an Islamic charity that was allegedly subjected to illegal NSA surveillance. The order, in Al-Haramain v. Bush, requires the government to come up with a way to safeguard the classified information it plans to present in the NSA's defense by May 8. Judge Vaughn Walker noted that the government has elsewhere made provisions for the discussion of Top Secret/SCI information. *snip* Walker crafted his order narrowly to prevent...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The Obama administration has lost its argument that a potential threat to national security should stop a lawsuit challenging the government's warrantless wiretapping program. A federal appeals court in San Francisco on Friday rejected the Justice Department's request for an emergency stay in a case involving a defunct Islamic charity. Yet government lawyers signaled they would continue fighting to keep the information secret, setting up a new showdown between the courts and the White House over national security. The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, claimed national security would be compromised if a lawsuit brought...

House Panel to Ask for NSA Spying Probe A congressional panel will ask the National Security Agency's internal watchdog to investigate whether the super-secret spy agency eavesdropped without warrants on a Muslim scholar and later hid that evidence in a 2005 terror prosecution that got him a life sentence.The House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel and the judge overseeing the case want the NSA's inspector general to find out if the government failed to disclose evidence that might have cleared the name of a Northern Virginia spiritual leader Ali al-Timimi, Rep. Rush Holt (D- New Jersey) told the New York Times.That...

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- A University of Idaho graduate student who is under investigation for suspected terrorism ties obtained unauthorized access to a campus lab containing radioactive material, court documents allege. Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, a Saudi national working on his computer science doctoral degree, quietly moved his student office from the Computer Science Department into the school's engineering isotope lab, apparently without his adviser's knowledge, according to the documents. "The investigation of Sami Al-Hussayen has, from its outset, been focused on suspected material support to terrorism, particularly to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network," FBI agent Michael Gnecknow said in the...

The Hunt for American al Qaeda The United States is turning up the heat in the hunt for the California boy turned al Qaeda operative, Adam Gadahn, who has been charged with treason and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. If caught and convicted, Gadahn could face the death penalty. The State Department along with the Department of Diplomatic Security announced the beginning of a publicity campaign in Afghanistan urging locals to provide any information on Gadahn's whereabouts, with a reward if the information leads to his capture. Radio advertisements with information concerning the $1 million reward have...

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That appears to be the strategy of GOP powerbroker Grover Norquist in his wicked project to dress Islamists up as patriotic Republicans so they can infiltrate the government. While he's managed to get some of his Muslim proteges jobs in the Bush administration, getting them elected to public office has been another story. Voters aren't buying their makeover. Last November, his crony Faisal M. Gill lost a bid for a seat in the Virginia state legislature. Now another protege, Kamal M. Nawash, has lost his third political race in seven years....

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That appears to be the strategy of GOP powerbroker Grover Norquist in his wicked project to dress Islamists up as patriotic Republicans so they can infiltrate the government. While he’s managed to get some of his Muslim proteges jobs in the Bush administration, getting them elected to public office has been another story. Voters aren’t buying their makeover.

Many college students go through a spiritual crisis but rarely does it turn out as it did for Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a Jew who converted to Islam and went to work in a small town in Oregon for a charity that has since been linked to Al Qaeda. Gartenstein-Ross, 30, has now changed tacks again, converting to Christianity and using his background as a former Islamist insider to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation crack down on Islamist terror networks in the United States. A rising star in the counterterrorism community, he testified before Congress in September about the dangers of...

The 430 prisoners in the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay send and receive 44,000 pieces of mail per year. Lawyers fly in and out on the commercial flights from Miami to the U.S. base to meet with their clients. The International Red Cross inspects the camp and interviews prisoners. And yet the idea persists that Guantanamo represents some kind of "American Gulag"--and that the detainees are victims of a monstrous miscarriage of justice: innocent goatherds and blameless wedding guests swept up by blind American injustice. Ten days ago, I joined one of the regular tours of Guantanamo organized by the...

Saudi Wealth Fuels Global Jihadism Posted Oct. 27, 2003 By Kenneth R. Timmerman Generations of Muslims in the Middle East have been raised on the anti-Western, anti-Semitic theologies of Ayatollah Khomeini and in the Saudi Wahhabi system of madrassas (religious schools). This foundation set the stage for the rise of Osama bin Laden. Doaa 'Amer is a professional TV anchor who hosts Muslim Woman Magazine on IQRAA TV, a satellite channel broadcasting throughout the Arab world. As she tells it, her job is to educate the next generation of children to be "true Muslims." Readers accustomed to hearing Islam described...

Albania Seizes Assets Of Bin Laden Associate TIRANA (AP)--The Albanian government has seized the assets and bank accounts of a man who allegedly worked with Osama bin Laden and others to provide support to terror networks in Albania, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. Abdul Latif Saleh, who holds Jordanian and Albanian citizenship, was placed on a U.N. sanctions list in September, requiring all U.N. members to impose a travel ban on him and block his assets. Albania earlier had blocked 33 bank accounts in three commercial banks as well as assets and investments in Saleh's businesses and civic organizations he...

Federal prosecutors announced Thursday they have indicted Pete Seda, the head of the Ashland branch of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, on fraud and tax charges. Seda, also known as Pirouz Sedaghaty and Abu Yunus, and another officer of the foundation, Soliman Hamd Al-Buthe, are part of a three-count indictment for illegally transporting $150,000 to Saudi Arabia. The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, charges them with conspiracy to defraud the United States, filing a false IRS return for a tax-exempt corporation and failure to file a report of international transportation of currency. Known locally as a peace activist,...

SAN DIEGO (AP) - In a victory for the United States government, a federal judge in San Diego has ruled that prosecutors can mention terrorism to a jury hearing the case of a Somali national charged with lying to naturalization agents about his connection to two charities that have been linked to terrorist groups. U.S. District Judge John Houston reversed himself Tuesday for the second time in the immigration case against Omar Abdi Mohamed, president of the San Diego-based Western Somali Relief Agency. Prosecutors said the Western Somali Relief Agency accepted $5,000 between 1998 and 2001 from the Al-Haramain Islamic...

MSTERDAM, Nov. 6 - Five days after a Dutch-Moroccan man killed the outspoken filmmaker Theo van Gogh in broad daylight here, intelligence officials say they are investigating a possible international dimension to what many people see as the country's first Islamic terrorist attack. While intelligence officials caution that there is no evidence to prove that the suspect in Mr. Van Gogh's killing was part of a larger organization, they have focused on his past association with people who are suspected of plotting bombings and may have links to terrorist networks abroad. "There are links to the transnational Al Qaeda network,"...

The el Tawheed mosque has been contorversial for years already. Younger people are being strenghtened in their hate against Dutch people, and are being stimulated to use violence in the war against unbelievers. In his sermons imam El Shershaby says that Jews control the media and weapons-industry, and together with the Christans they want to destroy islam. From the mosque flyers were handed out were Jews, Christians and unbelievers are called 'fuel for the fires of hell'. The mosque also sells books in which is printed that homosexuals should be thrown off high buildings, 'with their heads down'. The Dutch...

Shutting Down Cyber-Terror By Rachel EhrenfeldFrontPageMagazine.com | October 21, 2004 In the War on Terrorism, the terrorists may have an unusual ally: American internet service providers (ISPs). U.S.-based ISPs provide web-hosting for terrorists ranging from Hamas and Hizbullah to Palestinian Jihad. This cyber-fifth column is illegal, can be prosecuted, and must be shut down if we hope to stop Islamic fundamentalists from winning the hearts and minds of a generation of their young. The swift action taken last month by the Colorado-based ISP Level3 and the Virginia-based ISP Network Solution prove that this can be done. After being alerted, both...

An eye-opening report issued by the United Nations earlier this month revealed that every Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist attack to date—with the exception of 9/11—has cost under $50,000 to carry out. Much of these funds, according to the report, “have been collected locally, whether through crime or diverted from charitable donations.” The numerous closures of Muslim “charities” in the U.S. since 9/11, including the recently-indicted Holy Land Foundation (which allegedly raised money for Hamas), in large part verify the UN’s assessment. But what about Al-Qaeda’s links to international crime, in particular, the drug trade? A recent staff report released by the 9/11...

REPORT ON ILLEGAL FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES AND TERRORISM FINANCING ON THE TERRITORY OF THE FEDERATION OF BOSNIA I HERZEGOVINA PART I/I/ABIHBQ – 08/2003 by JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD, LEAD INVESTIGATOR, 911 LAWSUIT :

<p>WASHINGTON — U.S. forces in Iraq believe they may be facing an Al Qaeda cell in Fallujah after a man with suspected ties to the terror network was captured last week, sources told Fox News Friday.</p> <p>The man said to have been arrested was Husam al-Yemeni, said to be part of the leadership structure of Ansar al-Islam (search), the Al Qaeda-associated terrorist group based in Iraqi Kurdistan. Some U.S. officials described al-Yemeni as the first Al Qaeda operative captured in Iraq.</p>

Insight on the News - National Issue: 03/02/04 Special Report Saffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects By Kenneth R. Timmerman The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both parties by generously contributing to their election campaigns, from California libertarian Rep....

Saudi Officials Try To Shut Down Oregon Charity Group Owns Property In Ashland ASHLAND, Ore. -- The Saudi Arabian government is trying to shut down an Islamic charity with ties to Oregon and to terrorism. Al-Haramain runs a branch in Ashland and owns a house and acreage (pictured) in the Southern Oregon town. The FBI shut down the Ashland branch and seized evidence several months ago. The Oregon foundation is accused of laundering money from overseas and channeling it to terrorist groups. Al-Haramain still owns the Ashland property but cannot use it until the investigation is complete. The organization's president...

RIYADH, March 29 (IslamOnline.net) – Saudi Arabia is set to close all charities and relief organizations outside the kingdom and place their funds and properties under the control of a newly established governmental body, well-places Saudi sources revealed Sunday, March 28. Among the targeted organizations are the World Assembly of the Muslim Youth (WAMY), the Islamic Relief International, the Islamic Waqfs and the Saudi Joint Committee for the Relief of Kosovo and Chechnya (SJRC), the sources, speaking on condition not to be named, told IslamOnline.net. The activities of the yet-to-be dismantled charities would be exclusively run by the state-run Saudi...

Feds block assets of Saudi charity in Southern Oregon (Washington-AP) -- The Treasury Department is moving to block assets of an Ashland, Oregon foundation accused of diverting money to help bankroll al-Quaida. The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation is the U.S. branch of a large Saudi charity. According to Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the financial assets "are blocked pending investigation" under the 2001 U-S-A Patriot Act. Working with the Saudis, the United States has previously moved to freeze the assets of six foreign branches of Al-Haramain including those in Indonesia, Pakistan and Somalia. Al-Haramain has denied any link to...

Special ReportSaffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects Posted Feb. 23, 2004 By Kenneth R. Timmerman Saffuri (above) has formed relationships with several questionable allies, including Sami al-Arian, who was arrested last year. The rise of Khaled Saffuri to political prominence within the U.S. Muslim community has all the ingredients of a Horatio Alger success story. Brought up as a stateless exile in Kuwait, Saffuri came to America as a student in 1982, went to college in San Diego, and soon gravitated into the world of Muslim activism. A talented fund-raiser and behind-the-scenes power broker, Saffuri built bridges to politicians in both...

<p>The Treasury Department moved to block the assets of the U.S. branch of a large Saudi charity that has been accused of diverting money to help bankroll al-Qaida's terrorist activities.</p> <p>The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation branch affected by Thursday's action is listed as having mailing addresses in Ashland, Ore., and Springfield, Mo., according to Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.</p>

Saudi Arabia and US jointly designate four groups as financiers of “terrorism” The governments of Saudi Arabia and the United States have asked the United Nations (UN) Sanctions Committee to designate four branch offices of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation as financial supporters of terrorism, stated a Saudi press release. The branches are located in Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan and Indonesia and subject to the laws and regulations of those countries. Saudi and US authorities have determined that these branches of Al-Haramain have been infiltrated by individuals who have supported terrorist activities and terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda. According to Saudi...

Saudi charity accused of funding militants worldwide US and Saudi officials say its branches in Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan back Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups WASHINGTON - The United States and Saudi Arabia have cited four branches of a Saudi-based charity as sources of millions of dollars to Al-Qaeda and the Taleban. The move against Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation on Thursday is part of an investigation into a worldwide funding network for Islamic militants. The US Treasury and Saudi officials have called on the United Nations to crack down on the charity's branches in Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan. They...

Once again, the United States and Saudi Arabian governments are joining together to ask the United Nations’ 1267 Sanctions Committee to add four branches of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation to its consolidated list of terrorists tied to al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden and the Taliban. Today’s designation of the Al-Haramain branches in Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Pakistan under Executive Order 13224 is the latest in a series of public joint actions with our ally in the war on terrorist financing. These branches have provided financial, material and logistical support to the al-Qaida network and other terrorist organizations. "The United States and...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The chief of a Saudi charity that has been accused of terror links has been fired, Saudi officials said. The officials said that Akeel al-Akeel of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation was sacked and replaced by his deputy, Dabbas al-Dabbasy. The officials, speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity, said Minister of Islamic Affairs Saleh al-Sheik issued the decision to dismiss al-Akeel, but they did not say when he was sacked or why. In 2002, the U.S. government said it had evidence that some money from the organization's offices in Bosnia and Somalia had been diverted to support...

WASHINGTON, Dec 24: The United States and Saudi Arabia have jointly moved to freeze the assets of two European offshoots of Muslim groups suspected of raising money for the Al Qaeda network, officials said on Wednesday. They designated the two groups as financiers of terrorism and asked for international sanctions against one of their managers. US and Saudi officials said the Bosnia-based Vazir and the Liechtenstein-based Hochburg AG have been fronting for entities already sanctioned by the international community. The ban on them has been imposed under a UN Security Council resolution that allows nations to act jointly to slap...

Saudi Arabia's defense minister and its former intelligence chief, who have denied allegations in a US$1 trillion lawsuit tying them to the Sept. 11 attacks, are beyond the reach of US courts, a federal judge ruled. The suit filed by victims and survivors of the 2001 attacks accused the Saudis of having long, personal relationships with Saudi-born fugitive Osama bin Laden and officials of the Afghan Taliban militia. The officials are the defense minister, Prince Sultan, and Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of general intelligence and now the Saudi ambassador in Britain. The suit also alleged that Prince Sultan had...

<p>SARAJEVO, Bosnia — Bosnian police yesterday raided offices used by a Saudi-based charity blacklisted by the United States for suspected links to terrorism, a top official said.</p> <p>The operation targeting offices used by the al-Haramain Islamic Foundation in the central Bosnian town of Travnik was carried out on the orders of the Supreme Court of the Federation.</p>