Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
AUS: Police raid leading Islamic college
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21145215-922,00.html
Police raid leading Islamic college
By Paige Taylor and Elizabeth Gosch
January 31, 2007 02:00am
ONE of Australia's best-known Islamic colleges has been raided by
police
and government investigators on suspicion its three campuses have
rorted
the student subsidies payable for non-government schools.
The Australian Islamic College's campuses at Kewdale in Perth's south
and Dianella and Thornlie in the city's north were raided at 9am (ACDT)
yesterday by 28 fraud squad officers and 10 investigators from the
Federal Department of Education, Science and Training investigations
unit.
The officers took three truck- loads of computers and documents from
the
college campuses and the college's headquarters in the southern Perth
suburb of Booragoon. The raids followed an investigation of several
months into the school's use of student subsidised funding programs by
the Commercial Crime Division.
The Federal Government gave the college $13.3 million in funding in
2006.
It is possible for schools and colleges to make fraudulent subsidy
claims by "double counting" students, "ghosting" students or inflating
rent payments.
"You can do all sorts of things hypothetically (to rort the subsidy
system)," Detective Inspector Arno Albrecht, from the Commercial Crime
Division, said
He said that as far as he was aware, the Major Fraud Squad had not been
involved in a raid on a school in the state before.
The Australian Islamic College has 2000 students from kindergarten
through to Year 12 across its three campuses, which are staffed by 250
teachers.
The founder and current director and administrator of the college,
Abdallah Magar, refused to comment on the raids.
Mr Magar founded the school in 1986. "The outcome of this environment
would be full academic achievement, protection from social diseases
coupled with success in the Hereafter by being saved from the
hellfire,"
he said.
In November last year, it was one of 35 signatories to a letter
accusing
the media of hysteria and sensationalism in reports on Sheikh Taj
al-Din
al-Hilali's comments likening scantily clad women to uncovered meat.
An internal investigator last year accused Australia's peak Islamic
council of funding its activities with public money siphoned off from a
non-profit Muslim school.
The Sydney-based accounting firm Worrells was commissioned to prepare a
report on the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils' finances after
members raised concerns about theuse of funds within the federation.
The resulting report alleged AFIC was artificially inflating rents to
milk federal and state government funds from the popular Malek Fahd
school in western Sydney.
AFIC charged the school $900,000 a year in rent for the 3.62ha
property,
up from $418,750 in 2000 and $67,500 in 1999.
In March last year the property, zoned general rural, had an unimproved
land value recorded by the Bankstown Council of $3 million - leading to
an annual average rental return of about $240,000.
AFIC also bills the school for accounting fees, cleaning costs and
other
charges, which provide two-thirds of AFIC's budget of more than $2
million a year.
The school receives $11 million a year from the federal Government on
condition the funds are used only for educational purposes and the
school only uses surplus profits for its own activities.
Deutsche Bank publishes white paper to increase supply of Sharia compliant alternative investments
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093141088
Deutsche Bank publishes white paper to increase supply of Sharia
compliant alternative investments
MENAFN Press - 30/01/2007
(MENAFN Press) - Deutsche Bank has today published a White Paper
outlining the investment structure that facilitates the issuance of
Sharia compliant securities that offer investors access to alternative
asset classes.
Deutsche Bank has made public its procedures both in the interests of
transparency and in an attempt to help alleviate some of the 'supply
side' constraints that exist in Islamic financial markets. These
constraints are mainly related to capacity - in respect of the number
of
qualified bankers involved and their Islamic structuring capabilities.
In addressing these issues, the market will be more able to develop in
line with customer demand.
By publishing this paper, Deutsche Bank hopes to achieve three
objectives which will see the area of Sharia compliant securities
growing, but off a solid and uniform base.
Make Deutsche Bank's investment structure (or the 'Structure')
available
to other financial institutions and thereby alleviate the current
shortage of supply of products.
Establish the White Paper as a quality benchmark, and encourage the use
of academic resources to assist the industry in developing new products
- something that has not been a feature of the industry so far.
Encourage the use of the Structure in its correct context through
reference to the White Paper.
Geert Bossuyt, Managing Director, Regional Head of ME Structuring,
Deutsche Bank, commented:
"We are confident that the Structure will eventually be viewed as a
significant milestone in the development of the Islamic finance
industry
as it provides Islamic investors with exposure, in a liquid and
cost-efficient way, to new asset classes and pay-outs, removing one of
the main structuring barriers. The Structure itself is the result of
close co-operation between academics, bankers and, of course,
scholars."
"Too often, 'innovation' is achieved by pushing the barriers and/or
misusing fatawa by taking them out of their context. Innovation ideally
should be the result of a well documented and fundamental discussion on
Sharia. Deutsche Bank wishes to encourage the use of academic resources
to assist the industry in developing new products as this has not been
a
feature of the industry to date."
"We believe that those institutions with the vision, creativity,
innovation, courage and commitment to develop the Islamic financial
markets will be recognised for their hard work and ideas. Sharia itself
has inherent flexibility and fewer constraints than is often assumed by
the financial services industry. Fundamental research is the key to
unlocking this inherent flexibility, thereby allowing this market to
grow to its full potential."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_iran
Saudi Arabia FM says Iran cooperating
By ABDULLAH SHIHRI, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 55 minutes ago
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - U.S. ally Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it was
working with
Iran, America's top rival in the Mideast, to find ways to ease the
crises in Lebanon and
Iraq — a departure from Washington's confrontational stance toward
Tehran.
The mediation is an unusual step by two rivals that have been competing
for influence in the region. Saudi Arabia, which is mainly Sunni
Muslim,
has been increasingly vocal about its suspicions of mainly Shiite
Iran's
intentions.
The kingdom's willingness to cooperate with Iran in mediating the
conflicts likely points to the alarm that that the bloodshed in Iraq
and
the possibility of civil war in Lebanon has raised among the Saudi
leadership.
But it could complicate Washington's efforts to isolate Tehran.
President Bush has stepped up accusations that Iran is fueling turmoil
in the Mideast and has vowed to break what he called Iranian support
for
militants in Lebanon and Iraq. Bush has soundly rejected calls to reach
out to Iran for help in the crises.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Tuesday that Iran had
approached his country to "cooperate in averting strife between Sunnis
and Shiites in Iraq and Lebanon."
"Saudi Arabia wants only peace in the region," al-Faisal said.
"Contacts
are ongoing between Riyadh and Tehran."
continued.
Man Impersonates Saudi, Works Seven Years in Govt Office
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=91596&d=31&m=1&y=2007
Man Impersonates Saudi, Works Seven Years in Govt Office
Arab News
JEDDAH, 31 January 2007 — Police are looking for a Chadian national
who
is suspected to have disguised himself as a Saudi and worked at a
government office in a min istry for the past seven years, according to
Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper.
The suspect impersonated a Saudi with the name Faisal Al-Seraisry. The
man’s identity papers were stolen by the Chadian who used them to get
a
government job.
The real Faisal Al-Seraisry was employed by a private company in
Jeddah.
The Chadian was involved in a serious drug trafficking case as well and
his attempts to link the real Al-Seraisry to the drug charges led to
his
being found out.
Another Saudi whose initials are M.N. was a close friend of the
impostor
and was involved in the crime. It was M.N. who helped the Chadian get
the government job.
When the impostor was involved in a drug case and police were looking
for him, the friend thought out a scheme to save him. M.N. went to the
original Al-Seraisry and told him that he should report to a government
office.
Al-Seraisry was puzzled but wanted to know what was going on. When he
arrived at the government office, the police who were waiting there
arrested him in connection with the drug case.
Al-Seraisry explained to them that he was an employee in a private
company and had come to the office at the insistence of M.N. The police
did not rule out his story because the photo of the impostor they had
did not match his appearance.
Upon seeing the photograph of the impostor, the real Al-Seraisry
identified him as a Chadian who had lived next to his flat about seven
years ago. It was about that time that his identity papers were stolen.
Though he complained to police then, they did not find it. Shortly
after
the incident the Chadian moved away and the real Al-Seraisry never saw
him again. The investigation is ongoing.
Russian president to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan in Feb
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=947610
Russian president to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan in Feb
POL-RUSSIA-MIDEAST-PUTIN
Russian president to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan in Feb
MOSCOW, Jan 30 (KUNA) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan in February, said Tuesday the Russian
presidential press center in a statement.
Putin would embark on his Middle Eastern tour during February 11-13,
said the statement.
King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia visited Moscow in April
2005 when he was a crown prince.
The secretary General of the Saudi National Security Council, Prince
Bandar bin Sultan, arrived earlier in Moscow to hold talks concerning
Putin's anticipated visit to the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The Jordanian King Abdullah II also visited Moscow five times during
the
last five years. King Abdullah's last visit to Russia was in 2005
during
which he held talks with Putin at Sochi resort.
The Amir of Qatar sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani also visited Moscow
in December 2001.
The Russian president last Middle Eastern tour was in 2005 when he
visited Egypt, Israel and Palestinian lands. (end) as.
rb
China's Anti-Satellite Weapon No Threat to US Missile Defense
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/missiles/Chinas_Anti-Satellite_Weapon_No_Threat_to_US_Missile_Defense160010205.php
China's Anti-Satellite Weapon No Threat to US Missile Defense
Voice of America News | Jan 31, 2007
PENTAGON: The deputy director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency says
his organization could fairly easily develop a system to counter
China's
new anti-satellite weapon, but it has not been told to do so. The
official, who spoke in Washington Monday, also said the new Chinese
weapon does not threaten the U.S. ability to detect and intercept
incoming ballistic missiles.
Brigadier General Patrick O'Reilly says the Missile Defense Agency's
system, designed to destroy ballistic missiles heading for targets in
the United States, uses the same type of technology that could be used
to counter China's anti-satellite weapon.
"We have tremendous kinematic [launch] capability with our missiles,"
said General O'Reilly. "We have the sensors and the battle management
[system], so that work would be straightforward if we were given that
guidance and mandate to do, but we haven't at this time."
General O'Reilly declined to say how long it might take to adapt the
anti-missile technology designed to protect targets on the ground to
make it protect targets in space. The general says the issue would
require focused research and planning, which has not even begun because
President Bush has not asked for it.
When China shot down one of its own satellites three weeks ago, many
experts expressed concern that the new weapon could threaten U.S.
satellites and the many military and civilian capabilities they
provide.
But General O'Reilly says the weapon does not threaten the new U.S.
missile defense shield.
"Our system has many different layers involved, and many different
communication systems, undersea, fiber optic, satellites, hardened
terrestrial," he said. "And those systems themselves have hundreds and
hundreds of backup lines in them. So we're not built around a single
thread. Our infrastructure is very robust, very hardened and very
diverse and dispersed."
General O'Reilly also said the capabilities of the U.S. missile defense
system are growing steadily, with additional interceptor missiles being
installed at facilities in California and Alaska. He said there was
another successful test last Friday, in which an interceptor missile
destroyed a target vehicle at a very high altitute. He also reported
that the system's radar capability is increasing with a powerful new
sea-based radar nearly ready to come on line.
The missile defense system is currently aimed at protecting the United
States against a ballistic missile attack from North Korea or Iran.
Although the system is not fully operational, the general said he is
confident it would have responded successfully if last July's North
Korean missile tests had threatened the United States.
To enhance the Iran part of the system, the Missile Defense Agency has
opened talks with Poland and the Czech Republic. Under the plan, the
Czech Republic would host a radar system and Poland would host a
missile
array. General O'Reilly says those talks are at a very early stage and
he would not discuss concerns expressed in those countries that they
could become targets if they host U.S. facilities.
The general said the agency is also working to ease Russian concerns
about the eastern Europe plan. He says the anti-missile capability
planned for Poland and the Czech Republic is small and would not
threaten Russia's ballistic missile force. The general also reported
that the Missile Defense Agency is working with a variety of other
countries on various issues related to its work, including Ukraine,
India, France and Spain.
Saudi Prince Bander meets Russian security advisor
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=947600
Saudi Prince Bander meets Russian security advisor
POL-RUSSIA-SAUDI-IVANOV
Saudi Prince Bander meets Russian security advisor
MOSCOW, Jan 30 (KUNA) -- Secretary General of the Saudi Security
Council
Prince Bander bin Sultan met here on Tuesday with his Russian
counterpart Igor Ivanov.
Interfax news agency said the two sides discussed issues pertaining to
the prospective visit to the Kingdom by the Russian President Vladimir
Putin on February 11, terrorism and global energy security.
The two sides also discussed the situation in the Middle East and the
Iranian nuclear file, the agency said.
The agency pointed out that both men expressed their content to the
level of their bilateral cooperation. (end) as.
tg
Gas pipeline blown-up at Dera Bugti in SW Pakistan
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/01/31/top11.htm
Gas pipeline blown-up at Dera Bugti in SW Pakistan
'Pakistan Times' Wire Service
DERA BUGTI: Unknown assailants blew up an 24-inch diameter pipeline in
Dera Bugti on Monday, suspending the supply of gas to Sui gas field and
other areas of the district.
Sources said that an explosive device had been planted near Maru.
Following the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and
started looking for the miscreants, said officials.
The gas pipeline was damaged when home-made bombs planted by the rebels
exploded, said a security official, but there were no casualties.â—
US offers $50,000 bounty for militant
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/international.asp?dismode=article&artid=1297138888
US offers $50,000 bounty for militant
MANILA: Washington is offering a $50,000 reward for the capture of a
Muslim rebel blamed for bomb attacks in the southern Philippines just
ahead of a summit of Asian nations this month, the US embassy said
yesterday. Abdul Basit Usman, a former member of the Muslim separatist
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who is believed to have ties with
radical militant groups Jemaah Islamiah and Abu Sayyaf, was said to be
behind bomb attacks on Mindanao since October 2006. "It is time to
bring
this despicable terrorist to justice," the U.S. embassy said in a
statement, encouraging informers to call Manila's anti-terrorist task
force and the embassy. Basit Usman was a relative of Salamat Hashim,
the
late founder and leader of the MILF, the largest of four Muslim
secessionist groups in the troubled south of the mainly Roman Catholic
nation in Southeast Asia. Hashim is now dead. The MILF is engaged in a
peace process with the government, but many members have broken away
and
continue to fight security forces. Philippine security officials said
Basit Usman trained under Indonesian militants on assembling crude
bombs
made from unexploded shells of 60mm and 81mm mortars, detonating them
with mobile phones or with timing devices.
Vietnam sentences eight drug traffickers to death
HANOI: A court in northern Vietnam yesterday sentenced eight people to
death for heroin production and trafficking in one of the country's
largest drug cases. The eight were convicted of trafficking some 950
kilograms of heroin from Laos into Vietnam since 1996 until they were
arrested in 2005, said Mai Thanh Nghi, a court official in Son La
province, 320 kilometres northwest of Hanoi. Two of the eight were also
convicted of producing 44 kilograms of heroin from 500 kilograms of
opium, he said adding this is the first time heroin production was
uncovered in Vietnam, where most heroin is trafficked into the country
from elsewhere. The court also sentenced 13 other defendants to life
in
prison for their involvement in the ring and nine others were given
jail
terms ranging from eight years to 30 years, he said. One defendant was
sentenced to six months in jail for failing to report the case to
authorities, he added. Nghi said the court also ordered the defendants
to pay fines of between 5 million dong (US$312) and 500 million dong
(US$31,200). The defendants have 15 days to appeal. Vietnam has one of
the world's toughest drug laws. Possessing, trading or trafficking 600
grams of heroin or 20 kilograms opium is punishable by firing squad or
life in prison.
S Korean gangsters 'happier' than police
SEOUL: South Korean gangsters get more satisfaction from their line of
work than the police, according to a survey published yesterday in
local
dailies. According to the survey conducted among 109 jailed mobsters by
the Korean Institute of Criminal Justice, 79.3 per cent of gangsters
said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their life in organised
crime. About 65 per cent of police said they enjoyed their profession,
according to a separate survey. South Korean gangsters make on average
about 4 million won ($4,255) a month, which is typically higher than
the
pay for police. The criminal justice survey said crime syndicates in
South Korea get most of their money through traditional methods such as
extortion, prostitution and gambling. But mobsters have been looking to
diversify their operations and are trying to muscle their way into
shady
stock deals or earn a share of corporate mergers and acquisitions, it
said.
Quake strikes off Australia's Island
SYDNEY: A magnitude 6.7 earthquake rocked the coast of Australia's
remote Macquarie Island yesterday, the US Geological Survey said. The
quake struck west of Macquarie Island at 2:54 pm local time and was
centred 10 kilometres below the seabed. The US Geological Survey
originally recorded the temblor as a 6.3 magnitude, but later upgraded
the quake to 6.7. Stuart Koyanagi, a geophysicist at the Pacific
Tsunami
Warning Centre at Ewa Beach, Hawaii, said the quake was unlikely to
generate a major Pacific-wide tsunami. "Normally at this magnitude we
don't expect any kind of destructive tsunami," he said. Clive Collins,
a
seismologist at Geoscience Australia, said the Macquarie Island
earthquake involved two tectonic plates moving against each other
horizontally, rather than vertically, and was unlikely to displace the
large quantity of water needed to generate a tsunami. "It's most
unlikely there would be any tsunami," he said. "It's a fairly large
earthquake and it's fairly shallow, but we don't think there's any
risk." The isolated, sparsely populated island lies around 1,343
kilometres south of the island state of Tasmania, and serves as a base
for Australian expeditions to Antarctica.
Copter crashes in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: A helicopter crashed in the South China Sea off
Malaysia's
eastern state of Sarawak yesterday, the Star newspaper's mobile phone
message service said. The fate of the 10 oil rig workers and two pilots
aboard was not immediately known, but a search operation was under way,
it added.
Rebels raid goldmine
MANILA: Members of communist rebel group, the New People's Army (NPA),
have raided a gold mine in the southern Philippines ahead of a
government auction for mining rights in the area, police said
yesterday.
Some 50-heavily armed guerrillas set fire to a bulldozer and a welding
machine belonging to local firm JB Mining and Management Corp. on
Sunday
morning after disarming two guards, regional police spokesman Belflor
Causing said. The mine was on a 8,100-hectare reservation on Mount
Diwalwal, a famous gold-rush area on the southern island of Mindanao.
The government is auctioning the right to explore and develop 4,000
hectares on Mount Diwalwal on March 2. The NPA, which has been waging
one of the the world's longest-running communist insurgencies, is
opposed to foreign and local corporations mining Philippine sites and
has attacked companies and their operations before. Causing, however,
said Sunday's attack was part of the rebels' attempts to extort
"revolutionary taxes" from businesses. "This is part of the extortion
activities of the NPA," Causing told Reuters by phone, adding that the
rebels stole a rifle and one .357 revolver from the guards. Officials
of
JB Mining were not immediately available for comment. President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo is trying to encourage foreign investment into the
mining sector to reduce the country's debts and revive its once mighty
industry. Diwalwal is one of 24 priority projects that the government
is
promoting.
Sudanese rapist jailed
MELBOURNE: A Sudanese refugee convicted of violently raping two
teenagers and an elderly lady in a three-day crime spree a month after
arriving in Australia was sentenced yesterday to 24 years in prison.
Hakeem Hakeem, 21, was sentenced in the Victoria state Supreme Court on
15 charges including rape, armed robbery and false imprisonment. The
offences took place between March 10 and March 12, 2005, just over a
month after he arrived in Australia with his parents and six siblings.
His crimes started with the rape and beating of a 16-year-old girl in a
derelict building in the town of Dandenong, on the southeast fringe of
the state capital, Melbourne. The next day, Hakeem broke into the
Dandenong home of a 63-year-old woman, raping, stabbing and beating
her.
She was hospitalised for 11 days and underwent surgery. On March 12,
Hakeem attacked a teenage couple at the same building where the first
rape took place, forcing them to have sex in front of him. He also
raped
the 16-year-old girl and cut the hair of both teenagers to keep as a
memento. The court was told Monday that Hakeem had been exposed to
murders and bombings since the age of three in war-ravaged Sudan.
Google Alert - shooting of people on street
No ID yet in Kissimmee police shooting
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando,FL,USA
While police investigated a report of a threat made to people living in
the
1800 block of Wimbledon Street in Kissimmee's Lakeside development
Monday
...
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/osceola/orl-bk-shooting01302007,0,4326693.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&hl=en&client=google&ncl=1113158704
Three Injured In Hayward BART Station Shooting
FoxReno.com - Reno,NV,USA
With in an hour of the shooting, Hayward police had arrested a suspect.
After the incident, BART police combed the station and street for
evidence
and shut ...
http://www.foxreno.com/news/10873828/detail.html
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&hl=en&client=google&ncl=1113161896
Maxton officials try to calm rattled residents
The Robesonian - Lumberton,NC,USA
MAXTON - For Laura Sanders, a recent shooting in her South Elm Street
neighborhood was a potentially life-altering event. ...
http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2007/01/30/news/news/story02.txt
Woman charged with shooting out vehicle window
The State - Columbia,SC,USA
A Columbia woman was arrested over the weekend after police say she
shot at
a vehicle with several people inside. Chariti Heyward, 23, of Harden
Street, ...
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/16576486.htm
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&hl=en&client=google&ncl=1113152447
Cabdriver charged with shooting alleged robber
Boston Globe - Boston,MA,USA
Rodriguez already had one fare on board and was heading to Haverhill
when
he stopped to pick up Irene on Springfield Street in Lawrence. ...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/30/cabdriver_charged_with_shooting_alleged_robber
Teen Arrested in Fatal Club Shooting
WTOP - Washington,DC,USA
At the time of the shooting, the nightclub, located near the U Street
corridor, was crowded with teens. Ford's murder prompted DC Council
members
to ...
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=1047303
See all stories on this topic:
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Sterling teen shooting suspect 'totally intoxicated,' parents say
Norwich Bulletin - Norwich,CT,USA
Navan was arrested early Saturday after police said he fired several
rounds
from his rifle after a party at an unidentified home on South Chestnut
Street in ...
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070130/NEWS01/701300302
See all stories on this topic:
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Pointing the lens at street cameras
Globe and Mail - Toronto,Ontario,Canada
A Dec. 30 shooting that left two people wounded was captured on
videotape.
The shooting occurred near where 15-year-old Jane Creba was shot and
killed
a ...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070130.CAMERAS30/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/
Shootings in Lower Haight
SFist - San Francisco,CA,USA
Yes, that's right, people are shooting people in the morning. Talk
about
brazen-- we can barely put together a couple of coherent sentences on a
blog in the ...
http://www.sfist.com/archives/2007/01/30/shootings_in_lower_haight.php
Critically hurt shooting victim ID’d
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne,IN,USA
A report of a single-vehicle crash in New Haven led to the arrest of
three
people involved in the theft of the vehicle Sunday. ...
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/local/police/16576886.htm
Witnesses: Central African Republic police shoot at irate street ...
By Eric Jon Magnuson
Police fired into a crowd of rioting street vendors in the capital of
... Press
reporter saw police shoot into a crowd of about 60 people who were
facing off
... some people started throwing stones at police, who then started
shooting. ...
http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2007/01/witnesses_centr.html
Sudan: The Passion of the Present
http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/
LIVE FROM PALESTINE~~ WALKING THE STREETS OF GAZA
By DesertPeace
He tries in this essay to convey hope to the people there.... hopefully
they will
... Every street, every area, is consummed in what can only be
described as a
civil war ... The problem, now, is to get out of the labarynth of
shooting. ...
http://desertpeace.blogspot.com/2007/01/live-from-palestine-walking-streets-of.html
DesertPeace
http://desertpeace.blogspot.com
Lex Street Article in Inky
By wysong
28, 2000, when tiny Lex Street in West Philadelphia made national ...
Drug dealers,
shooting all night. Now, my grandkids can visit." ... And now, I want
to encourage
all the people to make this neighborhood grow and flourish again." ...
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=30702
PhillyBlog - Philadelphia
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly
CAR: Police Shoot at Irate Street Vendors/IRC Launches Emergency ...
By K.M.
Police fired into a crowd of rioting street vendors in the capital of
...
some people started throwing stones at police, who then started
shooting. ...
People in the northwest say they have no one to trust and nowhere to
turn for help. ...
http://coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com/2007/01/car-police-shoot-at-irate-street.html
Coalition for Darfur
http://coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com
http://tundratabloid.blogspot.com/2007/01/swedish-islamists-that-wont-be.html
Swedish Islamists That Won't Be Returning.......
A number of Swedish Somali Islamists won't be making the trip back to the Nordic north. According to a report in The Local, Abdirahman Dinari, a spokesman for the interim government of Somalia told Sveriges (Swedish) Radio that:
"They came, they participated and we have seen their documents. Some of them have fallen. We are on the trail of several of them, while others are in prison. They were arrested when trying to cross the border to Kenya,"
Sweden isn't the only Nordic country with Somali Islamists itching for a chance to fight the infidel. Our own Somali Islamist here in Finland, Idris Hassan Farah, already stated in an interview on Finnish TV, that he knew of Somalis in Finland who planned on leaving to go fight for the Islamist ICU.
Interview on YLE1 news broadcast:
Kaario: "Are Somalis in Finland leaving for Somalia to fight?"
Farah: Yes!
Kaario: Do you know anyone?
Farah: "If I know I won't be telling. But of course I do know who, but I won't tell who they are but they are going and to do battle. We have the right to go and fight...!"
Spoken like a true believer. No information is yet available on the number of Finnish jihadis that ended up in Somalia, or what became of them. I am sure that being a participant to the fighting would more than likely strip these Somalis of their refugee status, so any information concerning their fate will probably have to come from the very same governmental channels. Stay tuned. *L* KGS
Posted by KGS at 11:49 AM
Iraqi interior minister asks Arab nations to set aside hospital rooms for wounded Iraqi police
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n104650
Iraqi interior minister asks Arab nations to set aside hospital rooms
for wounded Iraqi police
31 January 2007 | 02:15 | FOCUS News Agency
Tunis. Iraq's interior minister on Tuesday asked officials from other
Arab nations to set aside room in their hospitals for Iraqi police
wounded in attacks by militants, AP informs. Jawad al-Bolani spoke at a
two-day meeting of 16 Arab League interior ministers that opened
Tuesday
in Tunisia. Participants discussed the fight against terrorism,
organized crime and illegal immigration. Al-Bolani described his
nation's security challenges and "the weakness of resources and
equipment that Iraqi police have at their disposal. The Iraqi interior
minister also urged the Council of Arab Interior Ministers to
reevaluate
how much his country must pay in dues, given the "enormous financial
problems Iraq is suffering from because of the serious security
challenges it faces.
Documents link BAE with Tanzania arms bribes, Short says
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2bb1a25e-b0d0-11db-8a62-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=89048496-2f6a-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html
Documents link BAE with Tanzania arms bribes, Short says
By Christopher Adams,Political Correspondent
Published: January 31 2007 02:00 | Last updated: January 31 2007 02:00
Clare Short, the former international development secretary, claimed
last night she had been told by fraud investigators they had documents
showing there was bribery in an arms deal involving the supply of an
air-traffic control system by BAE Systems to Tanzania.
The allegation, made during a House of Commons debate on the
controversial cabinet decision in 2001 to approve the sale, came as
Hilary Benn, the current international development secretary, conceded
there were "lessons to be learnt".
ADVERTISEMENT
He added that ministers would look at whether controls on arms brokers
should be tightened as part of a forthcoming review of the Export
Control Act.
Mr Benn refused to comment on the Serious Fraud Office investigation
but
he appeared to suggest that, as a junior development minister at the
time, he had shared Ms Short's original concerns about the deal when
the
export licence was granted.
"I was a loyal and supportive parliamentary undersecretary" to Ms
Short,
he said, and added: "At the point at which the government took a
decision about the licence, there was then a collective decision, which
it was and is the duty of all members of the government to support."
Ms Short, in an intervention after a Labour MP challenged the Liberal
Democrats to back up a claim of "alleged bribery" against BAE, said:
"The SFO came to see me and said they have documents showing there was
bribery." She did not elaborate on the details of this meeting.
Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzanian president, confirmed this month that the SFO
had visited his country as part of its probe into the purchase of the
air-traffic control -system.
The Guardian newspaper has reported that BAE Systems allegedly made
secret payments of $12m into a Swiss account to cement the deal,
representing 30 per cent commission charged on top of the price.
BAE has said it is fully co-operating with the investigation and has
denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Short, who had argued against the Tanzanian deal in cabinet on the
grounds that it would undermine sustainable development in Tanzania,
said all those involved in it "should be deeply ashamed".
She said the deal was "a particularly sordid example of the UK approach
to arms sales". "I'm well aware, indeed hopeful, that the current
investigation into this case by the Serious Fraud Office might result
in
criminal charges.
"That will be decided elsewhere. What is important here is for UK
politicians to learn the lessons of the reality of UK arms sale policy
and make real changes so that similar deals are not supported in
future."
The SFO had no comment to make last night.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
http://www.westernresistance.com/
January 30, 2007
Russia: Chief Mufti Threatens ``Conflict'' If Russian Orthodox Culture Course Is Taught in Schools
MuftiG.jpgRavil Gainutdin, the head of Russia's Council of Muftis, lashed out today at plans by the Russian government to introduce a course on the culture of Christian Orthodoxy.
Gainutdin (pictured) claimed that plans to introduce the Orthodox culture course violate the Russian constitution's ban on having a state religion. The course, however, only introduces students to Orthodoxy as a cultural phenomenon, and does not propagate the religion.
About 80% of the Russian population espouses Christian Orthodoxy, according to the Russian census, while only about 6% of Russian citizens, or about 8 million people, claim to be Muslim. The Council of Muftis, however, says that figure is closer to 15 percent of the population, or about 20 million people.
Over the past 1,000 years, nearly all Russian culture, even secular, has been infused by Orthodoxy. One can easily make the argument that if the state fails to cover the importance of Orthodoxy in the country's history and culture, then it is neglecting its duty to properly educate children about their nation's heritage.
As a devout Muslim and follower of the 7th century Arabian warlord, Mohammed, Gainutdin issued threats in an attempt to intimidate and blackmail the Russian state.
``If this one-sided decision to teach the culture of one religion will be accepted, you [the Russian Education Ministry] will have laid a bomb for the decade ahead, and conflict is inevitable,'' said Gainutdin in a letter to the Education Ministry.
His threat of conflict was followed by his old demand that Russia create a special department for ``Muslim Affairs.''
BTW: during Western Resistance's fact-finding mission to Ingushetia and Chechnya in the autumn, we visited public schools, and Islam was being propagated there. For instance, all children were forced to obey Muslim dietary laws and other traditions.
Also, it's interesting that Gainutdin didn't come back with the idea to teach Muslim ``culture''. Well, there pretty much is no such thing. (If you don't believe me, just visit the ``Islamic Art'' section at any one of the world's major museums and see how small it is). Islam has made a minimal contribution to world culture. And any culture that arose on lands groaning under the Sword of Islam occured in spite of the Mohammedan cult, and not because of it.
Posted by Jean de la Valette at 12:04 PM | Comments (2)
Kazakhstan: Islamists Repent - Leave Hizb ut-Tahrir
News from Interfax-Religion reports that in Kazakhstan, 55 members of the anti-democratic Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, illegal in most nations in Central Asia, have publicly renounced their involvement in the group.
The individuals, who come from Almaty, Karaganda, Taraze, Chimkent, Pavlodar, Baikonur, Kentau, Saryagashe and Ekibastuze, were said to have abandoned membership after leaders of the group in Kazakhstan were detained by the authorities, according to the Kazakh National Security Council.
The Hizb former members handed over 9 booklets, 508 books and 134 magazines to the National Security Committee. They also gave up 309 Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflets. Their actions were said to be voluntary.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, founded in Jerusalem in 1952 is an international organization which seeks to overthrow national borders and democracies, to establish a Muslim Caliphate. The last Caliphate was that of the Ottomans, which was dissolved by Turkish nationalists, led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in March 1924.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
http://www.westernresistance.com/
UK: Tolerance Of Islamism Threatens US Security
This article appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.
How The UK Threatens US Security (Part One)
Written and Illustrated by Adrian Morgan
On January 15, Dr Daniel Pipes participated in a public debate with Ken Livingstone, mayor of London. During this debate, Dr Pipes quoted former Home Secretary David Blunkett, who wrote in 2003 that "Britain remains a significant base for supporting terrorism."
Dr Pipes said: "British-based terrorists have carried out operations in at least 15 countries, going from East to West ... Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Algeria, Morocco, Russia, France, Spain and the United States. I give you one example from the United States, this was Richard Reid, the British shoe bomber."
He quoted from American authors who wrote in 2006 that: "The biggest threat to US security emanates not from Iraq, not from Iran, not from Afghanistan, but rather from Great Britain", and concurred: "And I believe this is the tip of the iceberg."
That Britain should be the biggest threat to the US is, sadly, true. Britain has allowed radical Muslims to preach in the country for two decades, influencing successive generations of Muslim youth.
The agencies responsible for this situation are the judiciary, the political executive, the security agencies (MI5 and MI6) and the police. Recently, the signs that these bodies are becoming less prepared to practically deal with extremism suggest a future in which Britain will give more freedom to the radicals on its soil. These dangerous policies could eventually destroy what is left of the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States.
The problem began in the 1980s under the government of Margaret Thatcher, who had long been a staunch ally of America. Under the guise of "asylum seekers", Muslim individuals who were regarded as too extreme for their own countries began to arrive in Britain. One of the first of these was Omar Bakri Mohammed (pictured below), who arrived in 1985. Other radicals who claimed asylum included Yasser Al-Siri. In Egypt, his home country, this individual is a convicted terrorist. He was found guilty of setting off a bomb in Cairo, in which a six-year old girl was killed. This incident, which took place in 1993, was a failed attempt to assassinate Atef Sedki, who was then the prime minister of Egypt.
OmarBakri.jpg
By the time Siri was convicted in absentia, he was in Britain, walking free on the streets of Maida Vale, West London, claiming benefits, and consorting with other radicals, including Omar Bakri Mohammed. While claiming asylum, he set up an Islamist website, the Islamic Observation Centre, which published messages from Al Qaeda members, as well as the blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. He was arrested and charged in 2001 for complicity in the murder of the leader of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, Ahmed Shah Massoud. Massoud was killed two days before 9/11 by Belgian-based members of Al Qaeda who carried a bomb disguised as a camera. Siri was released without charge.
Siri has openly boasted that he can never be deported from Britain. He said in August 2005: "I don't think any British judge can accept any agreement between the UK and any Middle Eastern country like Egypt. Any judge here can take this agreement and throw it in the rubbish basket." Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's current prime minister, has said he does not understand how people "whose hands are drenched in blood" could gain political asylum in Britain.
Another individual arrived from Jordan. Abu Qatada (aka Omar Abu Omar, aka Omar Mohammed Othman) had similarly escaped to Britain to escape justice at home. He had arrived in September 1993, and in June 1994, he was granted asylum. Like Bakri, he was given a house for himself and is family of five children to live in. Qatada has been described as "Al Qaeda's ambassador to Europe". Videotapes of his sermons were found in the Hamburg apartment of Mohammed Atta, the 9/11 terrorist. Both Richard Reid, the failed "shoe-bomber", and Zacarias Moussaoui, a member of the 9/11 plot, had sought religious advice from Qatada.
In 1998, Qatada was convicted in absentia in Jordan for involvement in a series of explosions in that year. Abu Qatada was arrested in February 2001, when he was suspected of involvement in a plot to bomb the Christmas market in Strasbourg in 2000, the eve of the millennium. He had on him an envelope containing $14,000, upon which was written "for the muhajideen in Chechnya". After 2001, he was designated as a terrorist by the US Treasury, and was arrested again in October 2002.
He was kept in detention, being released in March. He was rearrested in August 2005, under the orders of Charles Clarke, who was then home secretary. The deaths of 52 people in London a month earlier had galvanized the usually apathetic authorities to finally do something about the promoters of terrorism who had been allowed to freely disseminate sermons of jihad and hatred. Qatada still remains in prison, awaiting deportation. He is still fighting moves to send him back.
In 1994, Mohammed al-Massari arrived in Britain as an asylum seeker. He had fled from Saudi Arabia, where he had been a member of Saudi Hizbollah. In 1996, Britain suggested it would deport Massari to Dominica, to avoid conflict with the Saudi authorities. This never happened, and Massari still remains in Britain as a free man.
Massari is a known associate of Omar Bakri Mohammed. Bakri founded the British wing of Hizb ut-Tahrir (Massari was a member of this group in Saudi Arabia, where it is banned). In 1996, Bakri also founded the radical group Al-Muhajiroun. Massari frequented meetings of this group. He has a website, called "Tajdeed.net." This website has extolled the virtues of Islamist murderers such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and has shown videos of beheadings and other Islamist atrocities.
After the bomb attacks in Amman on November 9, 2005, in which 60 people died, Tajdeed praised the attacks. In the same month, while the city of Paris was wracked with incidents of Muslim rioting which were spreading throughout France and into adjacent countries, Massari used the Tajdeed website to urge Muslim youths in Europe to riot.
There are several more similar Islamists who are living in Britain, claiming asylum. One famous British-based Islamist is Abu Hamza al-Masri (Mustafa Kamel Mustafa), who for years was the imam at the notorious Finsbury Park Mosque. Hamza was not an asylum seeker - he had married a British woman in 1980 while he was a student, and gained citizenship. Hamza too was an associate of Bakri.
Hamza's sermons were listened to by Zacarias Moussaoui, Richard Reid, and two members of the cell which carried out the 7/7 attacks on London Transport in 2005. Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammed Siddique Khan had gone to the Finsbury Park Mosque to hear Hamza. Hamza ran a group calling itself the "Supporters of Sharia".
Khan, the leader of the 7/7 cell, had been involved with Al-Muhajiroun members. He had stayed in Pakistan with Hassan Butt, who had been a senior figure in the group, who had organized British members of Al-Muhajiroun to fight coalition forces in Afghanistan. Khan also met with the New York Al-Muhajiroun member Junaid Babar in Pakistan, stated Richard Watson in a BBC Newsnight documentary from October 25, 2005.
The same documentary revealed for the first time that Mohammed Sidique Khan had been under surveillance by MI5 (the British homeland intelligence services) in 2004. The intelligence services had decided that Khan was not "important" enough to continue monitoring. Only after he and three others had killed 52 people was it revealed that Khan had had links to Al Qaeda going back five years previously - he had even gone to Malaysia, where he met Hambali, a senior figure in the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, and also a known member of Al Qaeda. Hambali is now in Guantanamo. Khan had gone to the Philippines, where he attended the Hudaybiyah training camp, run by Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaeda. The information came from a reliable source - Nasir Abbas, former head of Jemaah Islamiyah, who is now assisting Indonesian authorities in trapping terrorists.
What is surprising is the incompetence of the UK intelligence authorities, to have failed to notice a suspect's history. Worse still, the authorities were in denial that Khan had anything to do with Al Qaeda until September 2005, when a video from Al Qaeda showed Khan condemning the West and warning of more terrorist attacks was broadcast on Al Jazeerah TV.
In April 2006, a parliamentary committee criticized MI5 for its failings regarding Khan. A month later, it was revealed that MI5 had surveillance tapes which had recorded Khan discussing the manufacture of a bomb, months before the 7/7 atrocity. The attitude of the police and the intelligence services in gathering information on terror seems to be both apathetic and blundering.
Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and another of the 7/7 bombers had grown up in Beeston, a district of south Leeds, Yorkshire. A computer expert, Martin Gilbertson, had been assisting the Iqra Bookshop in Leeds. He had assisted in compiling videos onto DVDs. Gilbertson claimed that he had sent DVDs to Holbeck police station in 2003, where he announced his worries about Khan and Tanweer's radicalism. He said: "I added a list of names, including Khan and Tanweer, plus the names of people from whom they were receiving emails. Some of those names were quite surprising, because they included people regarded as mainstream Muslim community leaders. I heard nothing back from the police. Not a word." The police denied having received such a package.
On the eve of the 7/7 attack, less than 24 hours before Khan and his three accomplices murdered 52 people, MI5 told members of parliament that there was "no imminent terror attack".
On July 21, 2005, exactly two weeks after 7/7, four individuals attempted to set off bombs on London Transport. Their bombs were not successful, causing only minor ignition and creating panic. These individuals were captured on CCTV cameras fleeing from the scene. On Monday, January 15, these four men and two others stood trial at Woolwich Crown Court. Once again, the details of the trial highlight shortfalls in the ability of Britain's authorities to adequately monitor suspects.
MukhtarIbrahim.gif
Three of the accused had been regular visitors to Abu Hamza's mosque at Finsbury Park. One of these, Mukhtar Said Ibrahim (illustrated), had tapes of Hamza's inflammatory sermons at his home.
28-year old Ibrahim from Stoke Newington, north London, had attended a terror training camp in Sudan, the court was told. He had also gone to Pakistan between December 2004 and March 2005.
The court was told that five of the individuals who are now on trial had been under police surveillance almost 15 months before they had tried to set off explosive devices. The five individuals, including Mukhtar Said Ibrahim, had been in Langdale in the Lake District, Cumbria, northern England, in May 2004 and had been photographed by police.
Even though five of these individuals had been under surveillance, in late April, 2005, they had begun to purchase the ingredients necessary for their "bomb material". The group had planned to use the same explosive as that which had caused death and carnage on 7/7 - triacetone triperoxide, or TATP. One of the main ingredients for this is hydrogen peroxide. The court was told that the ingredients were assembled in a one-bedroom apartment in New Southgate, north London, owned by Yasin Omar, the alleged "chemist".
What is becoming obvious from this trial is that even though five of the suspects had bought more than 440 liters of hydrogen peroxide, no alarm bells were sounded.
Mukhtar Ibrahim, who is said to be the leader of the group, had been stopped three times by police, but had been released without charge on each occasion. When he traveled to Pakistan, he was stopped at Heathrow airport. He had with him £3,000 ($5,875) in cash, a sleeping bag and a first aid kit. His companion had part of a manual, which showed how to deal with gunshot wounds. Ibrahim had claimed to going to a friend's wedding.
On July 21, 2005, while the other individuals had tried to detonate their rucksacks on tube trains, Mukhtar Ibrahim, the court heard had boarded a Number 26 bus, where he had tried to set off his explosives. Despite 440 liters of hydrogen peroxide being bought by the group, the liquid had not been concentrated, and fortunately the devices did not explode as desired.
The lack of real doggedness by the police and intelligence authorities was demonstrated in Richard Watson's 2005 documentary. A source told the BBC that in 2004, a known terror suspect had been arrested. Mohammed Sidique Khan contacted the source, to find out what had happened. On two occasions, Khan had met the source while in the company of three other men, who had not been the other 7/7 bombers. The source contacted the anti-terrorist police. The person who answered the terror hotline was not interested, and said "No disrespect, but these people could have been anybody."
Sir Paul Lever, former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, when asked about the 7/7 bombings, responded: "I suppose you could characterize it as a failure of intelligence. I would put it more as perhaps a failure of imagination. It really didn't occur to people that young men, born... in Britain, would go down that path."
Britain is now fully aware that young men can "go down that path", but as I will show in Parts Two and Three, the authorities are not doing nearly enough to prevent similar atrocities. There is more than a "failure of imagination" in Britain's war against terrorism.
© 2003-2007 FamilySecurityMatters.org All Rights Reserved
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:55 AM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2007
Israel: Islamic Jihad Bomber Kills Three In EIlat
Eilat, situated in the south of Israel on the Red Sea Coast, was today hit by a suicide bomber. The killer, Mohammed Siksik, had managed to enter Eilat via Egypt, where the border at Gaza is a weak point in Israel's national defenses. He blew himself up inside a bakery.
The news is carried by YNET News, AKI, Associated Press, Reuters, DPA and Breaking News.
The murderer came from Gaza, and had told his parents about the attack before he went. His mother, wearing a white veil, said: "He told me: 'Meeting God is better for me than this whole world'." Siksik's mother gave her blessing to the operation. Rowayda Siksik told the press: "He said: 'Goodbye, I am going, mother. Forgive me.' I told him: 'God be with you'."
A party was held at the house in the afternoon, where about 20 people had gathered. There was talk that 21-year old Siksik, who had married a year previously, had been depressed after his seven-month old daughter had died of a nerve disease. His mother also tried to justify Siksik's action by saying that Nader Amrein, her son's best friend and a member of Fatah, had been killed in an Israeli operation six months ago.
Mohammed Siksik was the brother of a leading Islamic Jihad official. Fatah members and Hamas argued over who would be hosting the funeral. Siksik's attack was the first suicide bombing to have taken place in Israel in nine months. The last had been on April 17 in Tel Aviv near the bus station, and had killed six people. Palestinian news gave the killer's name as Faisal al-Saqsaq.
The attack happened in the bakery while shoppers were in abundance, early this morning. Two individuals were critically injured in the blast, which sent blood-stained bread trays and glass into the street outside.
Siksik had worn a long winter coat on a hot sunny morning, and had stood out. Instead of wearing an explosive belt, he carried the bomb in a bag.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (the military wing of Fatah) both claimed responsibility for the attack. Hamas officially condoned the bombing, calling it an act of legitimate "resistance" against Israel.
Bruno Stein, Eilat District police commander, said: "This is an extremely serious incident which requires us to think fast. We have boosted our forces' presence in the city and are working on finding out who stands behind the bombing. Our assumption is that it's not one bomber, and there might be more bombers in Eilat right now."
Eilat is a popular resort destination, and currently Israel is on a high security alert. Amir Peretz, the defense minister, said: "This is a grave incident, it's an escalation and we shall treat it as such." Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, vowed to continue the "ongoing and never-ending struggle against terrorists."
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis
Israeli Terrorism Victims Win Major Victory in Landmark Arab Bank Case
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/01-30-2007/0004516218&EDATE=TUE+Jan+30+2007,+11:50+AM
Israeli Terrorism Victims Win Major Victory in Landmark Arab Bank Case
Case Expected to Proceed to Trial After Judge Rejects Defendants'
Motion to
Dismiss
NEW YORK, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a stunning victory
for
more than 1,600 survivors and family members of those killed by
terrorism
in Israel, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon issued a major ruling that
is
expected to lead to a trial for their landmark civil action against
Arab
Bank.
Judge Gershon rejected the bulk of a defense motion to dismiss the
case, ruling instead that suicide bombing attacks and other forms of
violence directed against civilians in Israel violate customary
international law, that "plaintiffs have successfully stated claims for
genocide and crimes against humanity," and that plaintiffs have
established
a cause of action under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Antiterrorism
Act. She found that the plaintiffs had pled sufficient evidence that
"Arab
Bank's provision of banking services facilitated money laundering and
also
facilitated the payments from [a Saudi Arabian] Committee to the
suicide
bombers' beneficiaries," creating "an incentive for suicide bombings."
"This is a great victory for everyone -- not just those of us who
have
had our loved ones savagely murdered in acts of terrorism, but for
everyone
who loves and wants peace," said Iris Almog Schwartz, an Israeli
citizen
who lost her mother, father, brother and two nephews in the suicide
bombing
of Restaurant Maxim in Haifa on October 4, 2003.
"Judge Gershon's ruling shows great wisdom in finding that the
terrorists' campaign of mass murder of innocent civilians qualifies as
genocide and crimes against humanity, and in holding the financiers of
these atrocities accountable," Schwarz said. "We eagerly look forward
to
having our day in court."
"I am deeply grateful," Schwarz added, "that the United States
Courts
remain a beacon to people of all nations who yearn for a world free
from
terror where justice prevails."
"This is a remarkable, precedent-setting ruling that makes clear
that
no matter where they are located, any organization or individual that
aids
and abets genocide and crimes against humanity cannot evade
accountability
in the U.S. Courts," said Ron Motley, lead counsel for the plaintiffs.
"It
not only means that our clients will have the opportunity to win
justice;
it also strikes a major blow against the financial networks that make
terrorism possible."
The civil action, Almog, et al. v. Arab Bank, PLC, was brought in
U.S.
Court for the Eastern District of New York under two civil laws. The
Alien
Tort Claims Act of 1789 gives non-U.S. citizens access to the U.S.
Courts
to seek justice for violations of "the law of nations," such as
genocide,
crimes against humanity and terrorism, no matter where they occur. The
Antiterrorism Act of 1990 gives U.S. citizens who have been injured or
whose loved ones have been killed by acts of terrorism the right to
seek
justice from those who financed these atrocities.
In her ruling, Judge Gershon wrote that plaintiffs "adequately
allege
Arab Bank's knowledge that its assistance would facilitate the
terrorist
organizations in accomplishing the underlying violations of the law of
nations and that its provision of banking and administrative services
substantially assisted the perpetration of those violations. Arab Bank
provided practical assistance to the organizations sponsoring the
suicide
bombings and helped them further their goal of encouraging bombers to
serve
as 'martyrs.'"
"[P]laintiffs have sufficiently alleged facts giving rise to Arab
Bank's liability for aiding and abetting the violations of the law of
nations alleged here," she concluded.
The plaintiffs in Almog and a companion case, Afriat-Kurtzer v.
Arab
Bank, either lost loved ones or were injured as a result of suicide
bombings and other atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist
groups against Israel. They include 30 citizens of the United States,
as
well as citizens of Israel, Russia, France, Poland, Romania, Argentina,
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova and Afghanistan. With
approximately 3,000 plaintiffs joining the case since the defendants'
motion to dismiss was first filed, they now number 4,657.
Arab Bank is headquartered in Amman, Jordan, and is one of the
largest
financial institutions in the Middle East, with a global network of
more
than 400 branches and offices in 25 countries, including the United
States.
Arab Bank has 22 local branches throughout the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
The plaintiffs are represented by Motley Rice LLC, of Mt.
Pleasant,
S.C., and other leading international, finance and anti-terrorism
attorneys
in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom.
Chavez a threat to democracy: US intelligence chief
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1916059,00050001.htm
Chavez a threat to democracy: US intelligence chief
Indo-Asian News Service
Washington, January 31, 2007
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez exports a form of "radical populism"
throughout Latin America that poses a threat to democracy, said a top
US
intelligence official.
John Negroponte, during hearings on his nomination to become deputy
secretary of state, warned on Tuesday that frustration in Latin America
about the lack of prosperity under democratic governments could further
fuel the populism advocated by Chavez.
US-Venezuela relations have suffered during Chavez's presidency. Chavez
has travelled the world lambasting what he considers American
imperialism and in September called US President George W Bush "the
devil".
Washington has objected to Chavez's crackdown on free media and civil
rights groups, and says democratic institutions under his rule have
been
marginalised.
Chavez is likely to be granted powers this week to issue decrees
without
parliamentary approval - a move that has been criticised by Venezuelan
opposition parties as a step towards totalitarianism.
"His behaviour is threatening to democracies in the region," Negroponte
told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Chavez's populist style has caught on in countries like Bolivia and
Ecuador, which have elected presidents that have bypassed trade
negotiations with Washington in favour of working out deals with US
rivals like China.
"I think countries like Bolivia, among others, have been under the
influence of Chavez, who's been trying to export his kind of radical
populism," Negroponte said
A career diplomat, Negroponte served as US ambassador to Hondura and
Mexico as well as to the UN and Iraq. He has been serving as Bush's
intelligence czar.
His nomination to return to the state department under secretary of
state Condoleezza Rice is likely to be approved by the senate.
Saudi-Yemen Talks Set on Cross-Border Smuggling
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=91594&d=31&m=1&y=2007
Saudi-Yemen Talks Set on Cross-Border Smuggling
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 31 January 2007 — A meeting of Saudi and Yemeni security
officers will be held within three weeks to discuss measures to stop
the
increase in cross-border smuggling operations between the two
countries,
according to Lt. Gen. Talal Mohsen Angawi, director general of the
border guards.
Angawi said the largest number of smuggling operations was taking place
through the Kingdom’s southern border. Border guards recently foiled
the
smuggling of four anti-tank missiles, one rocket propelled grenade, 390
bombs, 3,190 dynamite sticks and 819 kg of explosives into the Kingdom.
“This is the first meeting with the participation of border guard
officers from both countries,†Angawi said in comments published
yesterday. “We have already received the list of Yemeni participants
which we have been waiting for.â€
He said the meeting would discuss all aspects of border security,
including across the border smuggling of weapons and drugs, organizing
of pasturing, protection of livestock and intrusion of individuals. It
will be followed by another meeting at the level of border guard
directors general in both countries.
An annual report issued by the border guards said they had stopped
344,781 intruders and 2,894 smugglers and confiscated 12,000 kg of
hashish, 32 kg of opium, 10,000 narcotic tablets and more than five
million kg of qat.
“The foiling of large-scale operations to smuggle weapons and drugs
reflects the vigilance of our officers along the Kingdom’s vast
borders,†Angawi said. “We, the border guards are considered the
first
defense line of the country,†he said, and emphasized the need for
protecting young Saudi men and women from the influence of drug mafias.
Angawi said he had noticed a considerable rise in the smuggling of
weapons, drugs, cattle and foodstuffs though number of intruders from
Iraq through the Kingdom’s northeastern border had declined
considerably. “But the number of intruders through the southern
border
is increasing and they include Eritreans, Somalis and other
Africans,â€
he said.
Angawi said an Eritrean was injured during a confrontation between
smugglers and border guard officers in Dhahran Al-Janoub three days
ago.
“The injured man has been taken to hospital. He was being used as a
drug
carrier.â€
Terrorist base found in Tajikistan
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11198828&PageNum=0
Terrorist base found in Tajikistan
29.01.2007, 14.39
DUSHANBE, January 29 (Itar-Tass) - Police have found an underground
bunker on an outskirt of the city of Isfar in the north of Tajikistan.
The chief of the Sogdiisky district’s Interior Department, police
Lieutenant-General Abdurakhim Kakhkharov, told reporters on Monday that
there was information suggesting that bunker was a base of a terrorist
group called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
The 30 square meter room showed signs of being habituated - food,
clothes, kitchen utensils and two hand grenades.
The general said that it was a second bunker uncovered by police over
the past six months on the territory of the border Isfar district.
Extremist literature, sound and video tapings with calls for a jihad,
guides for bomb manufacture, technical specifications for the
Kalashnikov assault rifle and other arms, and a map of the region were
found in the first bunker.
Thirty Tajik citizens were detained in special police operations last
year on suspicion of belonging to terrorist groups.
Several others were put on an international wanted list.
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