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World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.
Global Politician/Ocnus.Net ^ | Dec 17, 2006 | Professor Daniel M. Zucker

Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT

VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.

From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.

One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.

MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.

Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.

Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.

Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.

He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.

http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_27144.shtml


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Judge OKs Lawsuit Against Bank Linked to Palestinian Suicide Bombers (back)



January 29, 2007

by Tom Hays

Israelis and other foreign nationals can pursue in U.S. courts claims accusing the Jordan-based Arab Bank of promoting Palestinian suicide attacks by funneling Saudi money to bombers' families, a judge ruled on Monday.

In a written decision in federal court in Brooklyn, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon upheld a lawsuit filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789, which gives non-U.S. citizens access to courts to challenge violations of international laws or treaties.

'In light of the universal condemnation of organized and systematic suicide bombings and other murderous acts intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, this court finds that such conduct violates an established norm of international law,' Gershon wrote. 'The court further finds that the conduct alleged by plaintiffs is sufficiently specific and well-defined to be recognized as a claim under the (act).'

Lawyers for Arab Bank had asked Gershon to toss out the suit, arguing that U.S. courts lacked proper jurisdiction.

Though the judge dismissed portions of the suit, her ruling still allows thousands of suicide bombing victims and their families to seek unspecified damages, said a plaintiff lawyer, Michael Elsner.

'Today was an incredible victory for victims of suicide bombing attacks and other acts of violence in Israel and an important lesson to banks and private individuals that aid and abet acts of terrorism,' he said. 'They may be held civilly liable in the United States, even if those acts occur outside the United States.'

Arab Bank spokeswoman Phyllis Cuttino called the ruling 'disappointing because it is at odds' with a series of appeals court decisions dismissing similar claims.

The suit, filed in 2004, claims that Arab Bank aided terrorism by acting as the administrator of an 'insurance plan' by the Saudi Committee in Support of the Intifada Al Quds, which paid $5,300 to the families of Palestinian bombers killed in attacks by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

Arab Bank has insisted it had no intention of promoting terrorism and argued the plaintiffs could not link the bank's actions to their injuries or their relatives' deaths.

The bank 'abhors terrorism' and 'remains confident it will prevail at trial,' its spokeswoman said.

In 2005, Gershon upheld other related suits brought by American citizens under U.S. anti-terrorism laws.



Source: http://www.amny.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--terror-banklaw sui0129jan29,0,3532324.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire


3,281 posted on 01/31/2007 5:59:05 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; milford421

Test of Bush's Terror-fighting Authority Heads to Higher Court (back)



January 30, 2007

by Warren Richey

Before the federal appeals judges: What rights does a noncitizen legal resident have when the government names him an enemy combatant?

The open-ended detention of an Arab student suspected of being an Al Qaeda sleeper agent is setting the stage for the next major showdown over the scope of President Bush's authority to fight terrorism on American soil.

Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri has been held in government custody for more than five years and has spent the last three and a half years in a South Carolina military prison under interrogation as a presidentially designated enemy combatant.

For 17 months of that time he was held incommunicado, with no ability to consult a lawyer, appear before a neutral judge to test the legality of his detention, or even tell his wife and five children he was alive.

Mr. Marri's lawyers say his confinement by military authorities rather than in the civilian justice system violates both US law and the Constitution.

Lawyers for the government disagree. They say the president is acting within his powers to protect the country from a second wave of terror attacks following 9/11.

Thursday, Marri's case goes to a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Analysts say the dispute may ultimately wind up in the US Supreme Court with a potential landmark ruling on a key question: What rights does a noncitizen legal resident have when the government names him an enemy combatant?

The Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., is the same appeals court that upheld the detention as enemy combatants of US citizens Yaser Hamdi and Jose Padilla.

But the Marri case is different, his lawyers say. Mr. Hamdi was taken into custody in Afghanistan and Mr. Padilla was detained while attempting to reenter the US at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Both were said to have taken up arms against the US while overseas. In contrast, Marri was arrested in Peoria, Ill., where he was attending graduate school on a valid student visa.

Unlike other designated enemy combatants, Marri never directly participated in hostilities against the US, his lawyers say. Since he was never a combatant on a battlefield, he – as a civilian lawfully present in the US – cannot be detained by the military as an enemy combatant, they say.

Instead, he must be extended all the constitutional and other protections of the civilian court system, his lawyers say.

'The government's position in this case is stunning,' says Jonathan Hafetz, a Marri lawyer at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. 'If they are right, they can pick up any immigrant tomorrow in this country, lock them in a military jail, and the government would hold the keys to the courthouse.' Mr. Hafetz adds, 'The government could effectively disappear people.'

The administration says in a global war on terror the battlefield can be anywhere, including Peoria. US Solicitor General Paul Clement says Marri associated with the military arm of Al Qaeda, a US enemy, and thus qualifies as an enemy combatant.

'He is a Qatari citizen who allied himself with Al-Qaeda, received funding and training from Al-Qaeda, and traveled to the United States on orders from Al-Qaeda to serve as a sleeper agent and facilitate further terrorist attacks against the United States from within,' Mr. Clement writes in his brief to the court. He adds, 'Enemy combatants do not earn immunity by crossing our borders to do us harm.'

Before the three-judge panel considers such arguments, government lawyers will suggest that the appeals court lacks jurisdiction to take up Marri's case.

The Military Commissions Act of 2006 says in part that 'No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider any [legal] action against the United States ... related to any aspect of the detention, transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of confinement' of a noncitizen properly deemed an enemy combatant.

Marri's lawyers say the provision only applies to noncitizen enemy combatants detained outside US borders like those being held at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. If the court rules that the Military Commissions Act does apply to detainees held in the US, it would amount to an unconstitutional suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, they say.

The Bush administration argues that the new law divests jurisdiction in 'all cases, without exception' in which a noncitizen enemy combatant is being held by the US. It applies regardless of the location of the detention, government lawyers say.

Hafetz says that approach threatens to blur the distinction between military and civilian jurisdiction established in a Civil War-era ruling by the Supreme Court.

Soldiers and combatants fall within the military sphere of courts martial, tribunals, and commissions, while civilians are governed by the civilian court system. 'It is the essence of our society where civilian rule and civilian institutions are supreme and the military doesn't have the power to go in and arrest people in their homes and lock them in military jails,' Hafetz says. 'That is what separates a country that is democratic and committed to the rule of law from a country that is a police state.'

In his brief, Solicitor General Clement says that after the 9/11 attacks, Congress authorized Mr. Bush to use all 'necessary and appropriate force,' including detention of enemy combatants, to 'protect United States citizens both at home and abroad.' The government reads the provision as authorizing detentions both at home and abroad.

In determining Marri is an enemy combatant, Bush concluded in part: 'Mr. Marri represents a continuing, present, and grave danger to the national security of the United States.'

A declassified affidavit prepared by a US intelligence official says that Marri attended an Al Qaeda training camp between 1996 and 1998. 'Marri met personally with Osama Bin Laden and volunteered for a martyr mission or to do anything else that Al-Qaeda requested,' the affidavit says.

Marri worked with two senior Al Qaeda leaders prior to his arrival in the US, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, the key moneyman of the 9/11 attacks, the affidavit says. In addition, Marri's younger brother is a detainee at Guantánamo Bay.

Al Qaeda asked Marri to enroll as a student and quietly explore ways to hack into bank records to disrupt the US financial system, the document says. He had also been trained in the use of poisons and was researching poisons similar to the hydrogen cyanide weapon used in a terror attack on the Japanese subway system by the group Aum Shinrikyo, the affidavit says.

Marri arrived in the US with his wife and five children one day before the 9/11 attacks. He had been given at least $13,000 by Al Qaeda, the affidavit says.

Marri's lawyers say much of the information in the affidavit is hearsay. They are asking for an opportunity to challenge the veracity of the allegations in court by investigating whether the intelligence information was obtained from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others through coercive interrogations or torture.

Hafetz says that even if everything the government says about Marri is true (and he stresses that he does not concede that it is true), the central point of his case is that Marri should be charged with a crime and prosecuted, not merely held indefinitely by the military based on an affidavit that has never endured the careful scrutiny of cross-examination in open court.

Earlier, a federal judge in South Carolina agreed with the government that Marri could be held as an enemy combatant based on hearsay evidence contained in an intelligence affidavit. The court said Marri was given an opportunity to present a case that he was wrongly accused, but that he 'squandered' that opportunity. Short of making a stronger initial showing that he was innocent, Marri has no right to cross-examine government officials or more deeply investigate the government's allegations against him, the court ruled.

Marri is appealing that decision.



Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0131/p01s01-usju.html


3,282 posted on 01/31/2007 6:01:00 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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TERROR MODUS OPERANDI




al-Qaeda Inroads in Sleepy African Town (back)



January 30, 2007

LAUDIUM: The sleepy South African town of Laudium seems a world away from the forbidding, mountainous frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan believed to be Osama bin Laden's hiding place. But US officials see a link, alleging a popular Muslim cleric in this obscure place surrounded by soothing green countryside is part of Al-Qaeda's fundraising network. I

In the heart of a country where the vast majority of the 600,000 Muslims are moderate, Washington believes there is a new problem-support for US public enemy number one.

Last week, the US Treasury Department put Laudium mosque preacher Farhad Docrat and his dentist cousin Junaid on its list of suspected al Qaeda supporters and will freeze their assets. 'These allegations are not true. I preach from the pulpit to students and other members of the public. I have no ties with militant groups,' Farhad told Reuters recently. Farhad's supporters at the Darus Salaam (House of Peace) mosque number in the hundreds. Inside the sprawling structure on Friday, nearly the entire congregation gathered to hear him speak was wearing traditional white turbans, flowing robes and long beards. But they were disappointed. The cleric did not appear. Worshippers, some who travelled from South Africa's commercial capital Johannesburg, expressed regret Farhad has been keeping a low profile since coming under the spotlight.

Highly conservative Islam exists around the world but its presence in Laudium, near South Africa's capital Pretoria, reinforces Washington's concerns over bin Laden's global reach. Many of the worshippers in Laudium seemed to be of Pakistani origin, others said they were from Malawi, underscoring conservative Islam's appeal across ethnic and racial lines. Last week, South African Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils gave an address on the possible links between 'terrorism' and radical Islam in the country. He said there was no need for alarm but remained cautious. 'Let me make it clear that we are not talking about a large number; our security services are on top of the problem and we remain vigilant,' he said in an excerpt in the Sunday Times. US officials maintain that Al-Qaeda operatives are active in Somalia, Sudan and North Africa and say that fundraising by the group has become a serious concern in South Africa, Nigeria and the Saharan region. Sources close to the Docrats' cases say US authorities have been on their trail since before the Sept 11 attacks on the United States. They are described as prominent members of a small group who are not violent but back Al-Qaeda's crucial financial network.

Supporters said Fahrad never speaks of Al-Qaeda. They describe his as a charismatic preacher who strongly encourages Muslims to convert Christians. It appears he has had some success in a town where mosque minarets tower above typical South African homes. A handicapped man who took the name Youssef Mohammed after converting said Farhad has also persuaded other Christian black Africans to embrace Islam. 'I can't get a job. My parents died a long time ago and you can see problems with my arm. The sheikh gave me hope,' he said.

Laudium is also home to Christian places of worship, like the Reformist Church of Africa, which has a sign that says 'Charisma' on its gate and reminds passersby that Jesus is Lord. If there is religious competition, Muslims seem far more organised. The first thing visitors see is a 'Welcome to Islam' sign at the entrance to Laudium. One mosque has an electronic billboard informing worshipers the precise time when they must pray in the direction of Mecca. Sunrise prayer at 05:38 and sunset at three minutes past seven. Those who give to Allah are promised tenfold in return. Signs offer phone-in lines for advice on proper women's dress. Muslims also own many businesses, like Muhammad's Hardware. At the lavish mosque where Farhad preaches, boys as young as seven knelt in prayer and girls of the same age in veils walked past from a nearby Muslim school. Several plain-clothed worshipers seemed watchful, perhaps looking out for any unfamiliar visitors. Farhad urges youths to resist temptation, supporters say. Advertisements for parties with tequila and top DJ 'Jazzy D' are plastered on telephone poles not far away. The only hint of holy war was a poster inviting people to visit Abbas' 'Wear the Sword' Islamic shop.



Source: http://www.kuwaittimes.net/Navariednews.asp?dismode=a rticle&artid=157081466


3,283 posted on 01/31/2007 6:02:39 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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Bus Driver Tells of Finding Rucksack Bomb (back)



January 30, 2007

by Neville Dean and Anna Farley

Video footage of the moment one of the alleged July 21 terror plotters tried to explode a homemade rucksack bomb on a bus was released tonight.

The pictures, shown to the jury in the bomb plot trial today, purport to show Muktar Said Ibrahim attempting to detonate a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and chapatti flour on the top deck of a number 26 bus in east London.

Startled by a sudden and very loud bang, his fellow passengers turn round in their seats to stare at Ibrahim, sat on his own on the back seat. Their reaction appears to be one of confusion rather than panic.

The pictures appear to show Ibrahim abandoning the remains of his alleged bomb on the floor and quickly making his way down to the lower deck, before many of his fellow commuters on the top deck even have the chance to get to the stairwell.

The grainy CCTV images then show the alleged bomber fleeing the bus while the confused driver inspects the back of his vehicle for damage, mistakenly thinking he might have been involved in a collision.

Photographs of the remnants of Ibrahim's alleged bomb were also released tonight, showing the rucksack split open and the yellow explosive gel-like mixture seeping out onto the floor.

The driver of the bus, Mark Maybanks, told today of the moment he discovered the alleged bomb on the top deck of his bus as he searched for the cause of the bang.

He described seeing a mixture with the consistency of butter 'oozing' out of the sides of the rucksack, while screws - alleged to have been shrapnel - were scattered on the stairs.

Mr Maybanks then told the jury of the moment Ibrahim boarded the bus and stared him in the eyes, waving his bus pass around in a 'funny manner' just minutes before his alleged attempted suicide bombing.

Woolwich Crown Court also heard today about the moment when a park keeper discovered another of the alleged rucksack bombs dumped in shrubbery.

Jackie Whitcomb was clearing up litter in Little Wormwood Scrubs Park, west London, two days after the alleged bombings, when he came across the abandoned device.

The prosecution alleges it had been dumped by another of the plotters, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, after he lost his nerve at the last minute.

Sharon Broome, a senior forensic scientist at the Forensic Explosives Laboratory in Kent, who later examined the alleged bomb said it could have caused death and destruction on a 'massive scale'.

She concluded it had all the 'component parts necessary to form a potentially viable, homemade or improvised explosive device'.

It had a power supply, viable initiator and an explosive mixture of hydrogen peroxide, flour and water, she said.

Asked what the effect would be of detonating that kind of device on the transport system, she said: 'It would serious injury, death and damage to the train on a massive scale.'

Ibrahim, 29, of Stoke Newington, north London, and Asiedu, 33, of no fixed address, are two of six men accused of hatching the extremist Muslim plot to carry out a series of murderous suicide bombings on the London public transport system on July 21, 2005 - two weeks after the July 7 London bombings.

The other defendants are: Ramzi Mohammed, 25, of North Kensington, west London; Yassin Omar, 26, from New Southgate, north London; Hussain Osman, 28, of no fixed address; and Adel Yahya, 24, of High Road, Tottenham, north London.

They all deny charges of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life.

The CCTV footage released tonight also showed three of the alleged plotters, Ibrahim, Mohammed and Omar arriving at Stockwell Tube station in south London on the day of the alleged attacks.

The three, carrying their alleged rucksack bombs on their shoulders, enter the station slightly apart from each other, before descending the escalator and splitting up.

Ibrahim caught a Tube train to Bank station, from where he picked up the number 26 bus.

Omar allegedly tried to detonate a device on a Victoria line train at Warren Street, while Mohammed allegedly tried to set off his bomb on a Northern line train at Oval.

Earlier today, Mr Maybanks told the court how he had been on a journey from Waterloo station to Hackney Wick, when he picked up Ibrahim close to Bank station.

The jury was shown footage of Ibrahim waiting at a bus stop in Queen Victoria Street, allowing several buses to pass before boarding the No. 26, along with four or five other commuters.

Mr Maybanks told the jury that Ibrahim stood out from the crowd. 'Most passengers who have a bus pass just get on - they do not make eye contact,' he said.

'This particular gentlemen was waving the bus pass in a funny kind of manner and made staring eye contact with me. That seemed to stick in my mind.'

As the bus approached a set of traffic lights at the junction of Shoreditch High Street and Hackney Road, Mr Maybanks and his passengers suddenly heard a 'very loud bang'.

However, there was no 'jolt forward' to suggest the bus had been in a collision.

'I asked anybody if they knew what happened,' Mr Maybanks said. 'It was at that point another person said 'I can smell cordite'.'

After establishing there had been no collision, Mr Maybanks turned into Hackney Road, stopping at the first bus stop.

Climbing the stairs to the top deck, he noticed several screws on the steps and then 'a funny kind of smell'.

'On the last row of seats, I looked down to the right hand side on the floor - that is when I saw a rucksack sitting there,' he said.

The jury was shown photographs of the split Fitness First rucksack, with its alleged explosive mixture on the floor.

Some of it was 'oozing out of the sides of the rucksack,' Mr Maybanks said. At that point, he called the police.

Security officer Abu Kamara was sleeping on the top deck on his way home, when he was woken by the bang - which the prosecution allege was the sound of Ibrahim's detonator firing, but failing to ignite the main charge.

'I could smell something burning,' he said.

'The bang that I heard sounded like a handful of marbles or glass being dropped from a height on the floor.'

A nine volt battery was found on top of the rucksack, with red electrical leads hanging out of it and some sort of electrical connection attached to one end of them, the jury was told.

There was also a black and grey Nike top lying on top of the yellow mixture at the back of the bus and a blue T-shirt with bleach marks on it. Ibrahim's DNA was found on the T-shirt and the battery, it was alleged.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow.



Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2198393.ece



3,284 posted on 01/31/2007 6:04:26 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; FARS

[end of article]

Groiss highlighted one passage in a reading book for eight-year-olds:

'At that time the Israeli officer pounded (three-year-old) Mohammed's head with his rifle stock and his warm blood was sprinkled upon his (six-year-old) brother Khaled's hands.'

Another picture book for 10-year-olds showed veiled girls carrying rifles while material for 13-year-olds provided a basic acquaintance with weaponry, explosives and military tactics.

Israel was consistently referred to as 'the regime that occupies Jerusalem' and marked out on maps as 'Occupied Palestine'. The United States was the 'Great Satan', the 'World Devourer' or the 'Arrogant One'.

Despite official opposition to the U.S. government, many Iranians remain sympathetic to the American people and held spontaneous vigils to show support for them after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Groiss acknowledged he had no recent information on the influence the textbooks were having on Iranian children.

While the concept of martyrdom is central to the Shi'ite Islam which is predominant in Iran, no Iranians are thought to have directly executed suicide bombings in recent years.

However, one Iranian group, which insists it has no government affiliation, says it has signed up thousands of would-be martyrs to target U.S. or British interests if Iran was attacked over its nuclear programme.



Source: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30464650.htm


3,285 posted on 01/31/2007 6:05:46 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; FARS; milford421

It's Raining Saddam Execution CDs (back)



January 30, 2007

The video showing execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is said to be in great demand in the tribal region of Dir in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan.

Video's CDs are said to have flooded the music markets here, and are selling like hot cakes as more and more Muslims are keen on watching the way the Iraqi dictator was executed.

The video is reminding people of the episode of Saddam's ill-timed and ill-managed hanging, renewing Muslim anger and frustration, reported The News.

The clips taken from an Arabic language TV channel show Saddam being brought by the executioners to the gallows with their faces covered with masks. The video consists of both the camera and mobile phone glimpses with commentary from the TV in the Arabic language.

The poor-quality video apparently taken by a cellphone, shows Saddam being taken to the gallows and the noose being put around his neck and tightened. The recitation of some versus from the Holy Qur'aan and violent noises could also be heard.

The 21-minute long video also shows the Iraqi prime minister signing execution documents, comments from the Arab nationals, reaction of US President George Bush to the execution, Saddam's body on a stretcher with his head completely tilted towards right, protests against his execution, his burial ceremony, dead and wounded American soldiers in Iraqi streets and the coffins wrapped in the US flag of dead American soldiers being transported.

Meanwhile, the idea behind popularising Saddam's execution by piling up hordes of CDs has drawn criticism from the people terming it 'unwarranted'.

A cobbler, after watching the video, said: 'The execution of a Muslim leader being hanged by the infidels (US) and their puppets is painful for us while the repetition of the clips of Saddam's hanging would cause further anger.'

Similarly, a local journalist Sirajuddin said: 'The commercialisation of the video is aimed at creating panic, disorder and fear among the Muslims.' He said those who commercialised it for the sake of few pennies were 'unscrupulous'. (ANI)



Source: http://www.dailyindia.com/show/108770.php/Its-raining-Sad dam-execution-CDs-in-Paks-Dir-region



3,286 posted on 01/31/2007 6:07:25 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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Islamic Extremism and Terrorism in Bangladesh (back)



January 30, 2007

by Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein

When the predominantly Sunni Muslim country of Bangladesh was established as a secessionist state from Pakistan in 1971, its constitution declared that it would be both democratic and secular. Periods of democratic rule, however, were interrupted by coups, martial law, and states of emergency. In 1988, the Bangladeshi parliament approved a constitutional amendment making Islam the state religion of Bangladesh.

The country is currently ruled by Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia of the center-right Bangladesh National Party (BNP). Today, Bangladesh considers itself a moderate Islamic state, home to the world’s third-largest Muslim population.

Several factors account for the rise of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh. Islamic radicals have exploited the weakness of state institutions, the loose governmental hold on outlying rural regions, and perceived official waste, corruption and inefficiency. Saudi and Gulf funding for tens of thousands of Bangladeshi mosques and madrassas has helped create a nationwide network of indoctrination and recruitment for Islamic extremism.

In an effort to defeat the Awami League (AL), the major political party that had ruled the nation from 1996-2001, the BNP entered into an alliance with two Islamic parties that seek the theocratization of Bangladesh, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JEI) and Islami Oikya Jote/Islamic Unity Alliance (IOJ), as well as with a dissident faction of the secular Jatiya Party. In the October 2001 parliamentary elections, the BNP alliance captured 215 seats (BNP: 191, coalition partners: 24) against the Awami League’s acquisition of only 62 seats.

This BNP-Islamic coalition strengthened countrywide forces supporting the Islamization of Bangladesh and the imposition of the rule of sharia (Islamic law). Many of the leading Islamic radicals active today in Bangladesh came through the ranks of JEI’s youth wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) and reportedly continue to maintain contacts with the organization.

The extent of government support for Islamic extremist activities is unclear. At the least, the coalition has sent a clear message to Muslim radicals that the government will tolerate extremist rhetoric and actions. At the worst, members of the government are actively engaged in Islamic extremist activities. Several cabinet ministers have been identified with direct involvement in militant activities, and support for Islamic extremist activities is said to be widespread among Bangladeshi policemen and army officers.

Harassment of Opponents and Minorities

To be sure, in the wake of the coalition’s formation, Islamic militants have increased their harassment of, and attacks on, the political opposition, religious and sectarian minorities, and secular intellectuals, journalists, and citizens.

The secular opposition Awami League (AL) is a primary target of Islamic extremists. In August 2004, Islamic militants tried to assassinate AL opposition leader Sheikh Hasina at a political rally. AL politician Ivy Rehman was killed in a grenade attack along with twenty others, and hundreds of people were injured. In January 2005, a grenade attack on an AL rally killed a former finance minister, his nephew, and three AL activists.

Islamic militants have also harassed, persecuted, and attacked members of the minority Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist populations and a Muslim sectarian minority, the Ahmadiyya. In the rural areas of the country, Islamic militants are forcing women to wear the veil and men to grow beards, and reported cases of torture and death for those who fail to comply are rising.

Activists from the coalition’s two Islamic parties harass and intimidate newspapers and individual journalists who expose Islamic militant activities in Bangladesh. In August 2004, junior coalition party IOJ participated in rallies against the Bengali daily newspaper Prothom Alo for its alleged 'defamatory reports' against unregistered Islamic seminaries. Addressing one of the rallies, the IOJ chairman, Fazlul Haq Amini, reportedly referred to the editor and publisher of the newspaper as the 'agents of the American and Jewish axis.'

Training Ground and Sanctuary for Terrorists

After the fall of the Taliban and the closing of terrorist bases in Afghanistan in 2001, many Islamic militants settled in Bangladesh and established terrorist training camps there. The training bases, which are spread throughout the country, train Bangladeshis as well as foreign fighters to wage jihad in other countries.

Bangladesh also serves as a sanctuary for Pakistani-based terrorists operating in India and Indian-held Kashmir. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), for example, is believed to have opened a branch in Bangladesh to provide logistic support to LET operations on Indian soil.

According to a 2005 Awami League report on Islamic extremism in Bangladesh, there were at least 34 bomb blasts in the country between 1999 and February 2005. The blasts, which killed 164 people and wounded over 1,700 others, primarily targeted the AL, cultural and entertainment places, and religious shrines.

A new, more deadly wave of terrorist violence was inaugurated with the August 2005 serial blasts across the country. On August 17, Islamic militants set off nearly 500 bombs across the country. Since then, terrorists have targeted government buildings and public places with low-grade explosives, attacked lawyers and judges with higher-grade explosives intended to cause human fatalities, and faxed threats of attack against the U.S., British, and other Western diplomatic missions.

Support for Osama bin Ladin and Al-Qaida

In recent years, Bangladesh is suspected of becoming a haven and breeding ground for Islamic terrorist groups with links to Al-Qaida. Domestic Islamic extremist groups are said to funnel Al-Qaida money, arms, and fighters through the country.

In March 1999, IOJ chairman Amini told a public meeting: 'We are for Osama [bin Ladin], we are for the Taliban, and we will be in government in 2000 through an Islamic revolution.'

Bangladeshi support for Osama bin Ladin and Al-Qaida rose following the September 11 attacks and the subsequent American assault on the Taliban in Afghanistan. The U.S. conveyed its displeasure with Dhaka’s failure to quell anti-American, pro-Osama bin Ladin rallies in the wake of the American attack on Afghanistan. In November 2001, IOJ’s Amini said: 'Osama bin Ladin is loved by the Bangladeshi people. Everyone respects him and considers him to be a leader of Muslims.'

Sectarian-Based Islamic Extremism and Violence

Founded in 1889, the Ahmadiyya movement is a small, Muslim minority sect whose beliefs are widely viewed as heretical in the larger Muslim world. The 100,000 Ahmadis in Bangladesh have suffered from bouts of discrimination and violence for years, but these trends have intensified in recent years with the increase in Islamic radicalism and violence in Bangladesh. Leading the campaign against the perceived heresy of the Ahmadiyyas is the International Khatme Nabuwat Movement Bangladesh (IKNMB), which engages in verbal and physical assaults on Ahmadiyya Muslims and has been pressuring the government to declare the Ahmadis to be non-Muslim. IKNMB is linked to the ruling BNP through its connections to the JEI and IOJ.

The IKNMB has on several occasions violently attacked Ahmadiyya leaders, mosques, and worshipers. In October 2003, a JEI leader in Jessore, Maulana Aminur Rahman, led a mob attack in which a local Ahmadiyya leader was killed. In October 2004, an IKNMB-led mob of 300 launched an attack on the Ahmadi mosque in Brahmanbaria, northeast of Dhaka, pelting worshipers with stones and attacking them with axes. Eleven Ahmadis were seriously injured in the attack. In April 2005, an IKNMB mob attacked members of the Ahmadiyya community in a remote village in Bangladesh’s southwestern Satkhira district, injuring at least twenty-five people. The mob sought to hang a sign on the Ahmadi mosque stating that it was, in fact, not a mosque. The government has to date failed to prosecute anyone for these attacks.

The growing intensity of Islamic extremist persecution and violence against the Ahmadis is but one aspect of the Bangladeshi government’s increasing support for Islamic militancy.

Leading Bangladeshi Extremist Groups with Links to Global Jihad

Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB)

Formed in the late 1990s, the two organizations, said to be sister/twin organizations, seek the violent creation of an Islamic, sharia-based state in Bangladesh.

The JMB has been led by a triumvirate consisting of Maulana Abdur Rahman, 50, a former activist of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI), Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, also a leader of the JMJB, and Muhammad Asadullah al-Ghalib, the chief of another Islamic outfit, Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB). Abdur Rahman is considered JMB’s spiritual leader, while Bangla Bhai is reportedly its operational chief. The JMB/JMJB leadership suffered a significant setback when Bangladeshi authorities arrested Ghalib in February 2005 and Rahman and Bhai in March 2006.

JMB is closely linked with the ruling coalition’s JEI. Many of its members are drawn from the Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS)the JEI’s student wing. The JMB is a multilayered organization with finance, public relations, external relations, recruitment, intelligence and military wings. It is said to have terrorist training bases across Bangladesh and about 10,000 full-time and 100,000 part-time members.

JMB’s first violent act was reported to be the February 2003 bomb explosions in Dinajpur, which wounded three people. In August 2005, JMB claimed responsibility for detonating 459 synchronized bombs across Bangladesh. Bombs went off in 63 of Bangladesh’s 64 districts, mainly targeting government institutions and public areas, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others. In leaflets left at the site of the explosions, JMB said: 'We’re the soldiers of Allah. We’ve taken up arms for the implementation of Allah’s law.… It is time to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh. There is no future with man-made law.' The leaflets also warned the United States and Britain: 'It is also to warn Bush and Blair to vacate Muslim countries, or to face Muslim upsurge.'

The JMB is responsible for Bangladesh’s first suicide bombing attackthe November 29, 2005, attack on two courthouses in Ghazipur and Chittagong that killed nine peopleand for other suicide bombings since. It specifically targets lawyers and judges in its effort to undermine the non-Islamic judicial system currently in place.

The JMB is linked to the global jihad in several ways. It is a sister organization to Jama’atul Mujahideen groups in India and Pakistan. It reportedly procures arms and explosives from militant groups in Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, India, and China.

Furthermore, the JMB is said to receive funds from donors in Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Libya. The Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, whose assets were blocked by the U.S. and the UN in 2002 for its links with Al-Qaida, has reportedly funded JMB and is suspected of funding the August 2005 bomb blasts. Others NGOs, including Doulatul Kuwait, UAE-based Al Fuzaira, Khairul Ansar Al Khairia, Bahrain-based Doulatul Bahrain, and the Saudi Arabia-based Al Haramain Islamic Institute have reportedly provided, over the years, a generous amount of funding to the organization.

JMB’s militant activities are also said to be supported by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, which also supports other global jihad-linked groups, particularly Pakistani terrorist groups operating in Kashmir.

The JMB is said to have links with Al-Qaida. Its leader, Rahman, is reported to have met Bin Ladin in Afghanistan. Rahman fought with the mujahideen in Afghanistan and reportedly told interrogators that he had received training in making bombs, handling explosives, and operating sophisticated firearms while there. In December 2005, Bangladeshi security forces arrested Chittagong leader of JMB, Aman Ullah, who told the media that JMB has close links with Al-Qaida.

In May 2006, a Bangladesh court sentenced to death JMB/JMJB leaders Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai, as well as three leading members of JMB’s decision-making councilAtaur Rahman Sunny, Abdul Awal, and Khaled Saifullah alias Amjadand two other militants for the November 2005 killing of two judges. Arrested in December 2005, Ataur Rahman Sunny is the commander of JMB’s military wing, brother of the JMB leader, and the suspected mastermind of the August 2005 serial bombings.

Harkat-ul-Jehadi-e-Islami Bangladesh/Movement of Islamic Holy War (HUJI-B)

Established in 1992 and dedicated to transforming Bangladesh into a Muslim theocracy, HUJI-B is part of the worldwide jihad movement. Led by Mufti Abdul Hannan, HUJI-B has open, unequivocal links with Osama bin Ladin. In 1998, HUJI-B joined Bin Ladin’s International Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Crusaders and the Jews, and Bin Ladin is said to have provided seed money for the establishment of HUJI-B.

Many HUJI-B members are veteran Afghan jihadis who studied in Pakistani madrassas and were trained by Pakistani intelligence. After the ascendancy of the Afghan mujahideen in 1992, HUJI-B leaders held a press conference in Dhaka in April 1992 announcing their plans for a similar jihad in Bangladesh. The group issued a slogan: 'We will all become Taliban, and we will turn Bangladesh into Afghanistan.'

The group’s first major act of violence was the January 1999 attempted hacking death of Bangladesh’s leading poet, Shamsur Rahman, in January 1999. In July 2000, HUJI-B and Hannan allegedly tried to kill then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the Awami League party and in November 2000, HUJI-B was accused of stabbing a senior Bangladeshi journalist for making a documentary on the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh. In October 2005, authorities arrested Mufti Hannan.

HUJI-B reportedly maintains links with terrorist groups outside Bangladesh, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) in Pakistan, and the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) in India.

Britain banned HUJI-B as an international terrorist organization in October 2005. The U.S. State Department does not include HUJI-B on its list of designated foreign terrorist organizations, but it includes it on its supplementary list of 'Other Groups of Concern.'

Bangladesh and Counterterrorism

In response to pressure from the European Union, the government of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia banned JMB and JMJB as proscribed terrorist organizations in February 2005. In October 2005, HUJI-B was banned as well. The bans came after years of persistent government denial of the presence of Islamic terrorist groups on Bangladeshi soil.

Following the August 2005 bomb blasts and the spate of suicide bombings that followed, the Bangladeshi government intensified its efforts to apprehend terrorists and bring them to justice. The March 2006 arrests and subsequent May 2006 convictions of the senior leaders and decision-makers of the JMB/JMJB are significant steps in Bangladeshi counterterrorism efforts.

The opposition Awami League, and other secular forces in Bangladesh, continue to criticize the government for not taking a strong stance against Islamic terror directed at AL and secular forces.

Washington continues to encourage the Bangladeshi government to take stronger measures against Islamic extremist terrorism. In recent months, it has worked with Dhaka on strengthening Bangladeshi anti-terrorism and anti-money-laundering legislation.

Major Terrorist Attacks in Bangladesh: 2005-06

January 27, 2005: A grenade attack in Hobijong killed Awami League member of Parliament and former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria.

August 17, 2005: JMB militants set off nearly 500 small bombs across Bangladesh that killed two people and injured 100 others.

October 3, 2005: Suspected JMB militants killed two people and wounded fifteen when they hurled five bombs at court buildings in three districts outside Dhaka.

November 14, 2005: A JMB/JMJB bomb attack on a minibus taking judges to work killed two judges.

November 29, 2005: JMB attacks on two Bangladeshi courthouses in Chittagong and Gazipur, killing nine people.

December 1, 2005: A suspected JMB suicide bomber killed one person and injured ten others in Gazipur.

December 8, 2005: In the central Bangladeshi town of Netrokona, a JMB suicide bomber killed eight people and wounded 50.

Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein is a consultant and freelance writer on Israel, the Middle East, and international terrorism. She is a lecturer in Zionist history and the Arab-Israeli conflict at the University of Memphis. She is the editor of Counterterrorism Watch.



Source: http://ctw.ajc.org


3,287 posted on 01/31/2007 6:09:50 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All

CBS Uses al-Qaeda Propaganda Video for Report (back)



January 30, 2007

CBS News' Laura Logan reports on the battle for Haifa street last week. Only problem? Most of the footage she uses is from an al Qaeda video called 'Life on Haifa Street', which she does not cite.

CBS, to their credit, decided not to air the footage. But they did post the video to their website after Logan started a letter writing campaign to pressure CBS into airing it. Surprise: Eason Jordan sides with Laura Logan.

You can check out the video at Alphabet City here as well as screencaps from the al Qaeda footage Logan used.

Talisman Gate:

Furthermore, and this is the most damning indication of journalistic incompetence, Logan makes no mention about the affiliation of these insurgents fighting on Haifa Street. Not even the slightest mention is made that Al-Qaeda is taking credit for the fighting there. On the contrary, the audience is treated to a blanket accusation by an anonymous civilian (wearing a headdress in the insurgent manner) denouncing the Americans and the destruction they’ve brought to bear on Haifa Street.

The same accusations, I might add, made in the al Qaeda video.



Source: v


[unknown url]


3,288 posted on 01/31/2007 6:14:19 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All

Churches Across U.S. Adopting Disturbing New Fad (back)



January 30, 2007

An admirable goal indeed, but lacking critical elements:

... Many a peace-loving individual prefers to give political issues time to work themselves out. It is fundamentally Christian, after all, to believe the best of one's 'enemies'.

... However aware of evil one believes himself to be, its real presence can escape the most sensitive amongst us. How many don't dare to look evil in the face, define it, or even speak its name? It may be simpler to refuse to believe that real evil is suddenly all around us rather than to seem paranoid or racist.

... churches across the U.S. are adopting a new fad in adult education classes: an introduction to Islam. These classes abound with the Christian ideal of tolerance. Islam is held up as equal to Judaism in partnership with Christians - the historical three faiths of Abraham. The ideal is declared: we must all work together to build a multi-cultural society of mutual understanding. An admirable goal - but it requires one missing element: that all three faiths embrace the idea of mutual respect. And many a well-meaning religious leader in America seems ignorant of The One Big Reality: radical Islam, the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, has no interest in existing peacefully with the others - its aim is to replace them.

... Radical Islam, rather than a religion, is in fact a political ideology whose centuries-old aim is to conquer peoples the world over. Every clergyman must learn the meaning of the word 'taqiyya' - the deliberate and Mohammed-sanctioned doctrine that deceit to advance the cause of Islam is a virtue. We must insist that they learn what the clearly-stated aim of radical Islam is; it is not interested in peace. A person of the cloth must have the courage as a servant of his or her flock to look evil in the face. (More)

I seriously doubt many clergy are astute enough or sufficiently educated to be able to distinguish the difference between radical Islam and its more moderate forms, much less have the ability to teach others about the difference and prevalence of each.



Source: http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2007/01/churches_across.php


3,289 posted on 01/31/2007 6:15:26 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All

A Cleric Justifies Wife Beating (back)



January 30, 2007

YouTube.com

An Islamic cleric, during a Friday sermon, justifies the beating of wives via the words of the Quran. Equating the book to the manual one would get with the purchase of a new appliance, he goes on to intimate that the Quran is a woman's 'owner's manual.'





Source: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=d9wca7bab.0.46g7f8bab.l7t949bab. 06&ts=S0223&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americastruthfo rum.com%2Fmultimedia.htm


3,290 posted on 01/31/2007 6:16:50 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: nw_arizona_granny; All

Trita Parsi is a pro-Mullah shill, so careful with him and what he writes. He tries to promote the ayatollah talking points and mindsets.


3,291 posted on 01/31/2007 7:31:10 PM PST by FARS
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To: All; FARS; Founding Father; struwwelpeter; milford421

RUS: Jewish Agency Man Murdered, Defense Ministry Official Missing

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=120297

Jewish Agency Man Murdered, Defense Ministry Official Missing
22:00 Jan 25, '07 / 6 Shevat 5767
by Ezra HaLevi

An Israeli emissary in Russia was beaten to death by unknown attackers
and a Defense Ministry official in France has been missing since
Saturday.

Twenty-five-year-old Konstantin Borovko, an Israeli citizen, was found
beaten to death in the eastern Russian town of Vladivostok on Saturday.
He was buried Thursday in the city's cemetery.

Borovko worked for a local television station and also ran several
projects for the Jewish Agency in the region. Police say he was leaving
a nightclub with a friend when the two were attacked. Borovko died
after
several blows to the head.

In Paris, France, Defense Ministry emissary to the European Union David
Dahan went missing from his home Saturday. He lived at the residence
alone while his wife and child remained in Israel.

Dahan's official job is to purchase military equipment from Europe for
the IDF. The mission used to be located in central Paris, but was moved
to a suburb after it was targeted with a car bomb in 1982.

French police have been leaking details of the case to the press,
including the existence of a possible suicide note at the residence and
speculation that he had been depressed.

Dahan's car was found parked near the Seine River in the town of Rouen
Wednesday. Police say no signs of violence could be found in the
vehicle.

Divers have been dispatched to search the river.


3,292 posted on 02/01/2007 5:27:05 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: FARS

Thanks for warning us, the name meant nothing to me.

It does read like a threat from the writer/group to the U.S.,

I got the idea that he does not like us very much.

That is what I like about Free Republic, someone always knows more than I and I learn so much here.


3,293 posted on 02/01/2007 5:44:51 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; Founding Father; milford421; FARS; Velveeta

Hezbollah action feared in Canada

http://winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2007/01/28/pf-3466664.html

January 28, 2007
Hezbollah action feared in Canada
During Lebanon-Israel conflict
By FABRICE DE PIERREBOURG, SUN MEDIA

MONTREAL -- Canada's spy agency feared that last summer's conflict
between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon might lead to violence
in
Canada, Sun Media has learned.

Much of that concern centred on Montreal where the Shiite movement
counts numerous partisans, according to documents acquired through
Access to Information.

"Threat assessment" reports produced by the Canadian Security and
Intelligence Service (CSIS) last summer note such concerns on a
near-daily basis.

One report -- drafted on July 17, 2006, and titled Escalation of the
Israeli-Arabic conflict -- states that the "explosive nature" of the
conflict could incite the members of the two camps to clash "in
Canada."

A CSIS agent notes that a Montreal Jewish school had already been
burned
in 2004 "in reprisals for the murder of the leader of Hamas, Sheikh
Ahmed Yassin."

VIOLENT REVOLT

Two years previous, then-Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had
been forced to cancel a speech at Montreal's Concordia University
because of a "violent revolt" on the campus.

The July 17 report was filed the day after eight members of a Montreal
family -- including four children -- were killed when Israeli forces
bombarded their house in Lebanon.

CSIS concerns grew at the beginning of August after Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah promised "surprises" for Israel.

The hypothesis of a terrorist attack against "Western targets" in
Lebanon is also studied in a highly censored document where the authors
recall that Canada registered Hezbollah on its list of terrorist groups
in 2002.

Several other reports also hint at Hezbollah activity in Canada.

Although the movement -- supported by Iran and Syria -- is banned in
Canada, the report states that Hezbollah partisans here would continue
to collect money "through legitimate sources or by means of financial
frauds, traffic counterfeit identity cards, contraband cigarettes,
etc."


3,294 posted on 02/01/2007 5:51:50 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; milford421

Korean Air A300 Makes Emergency Return; Unhappy Pax Filing Suit

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
A Korean Air Airbus A300-600 was forced to dump its fuel, and make an
emergency landing at the originating Malaysian airport last Tuesday
following an apparent engine failure. The plane was bound for Seoul
from
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The Korea Times states flight 8674 had 234 passengers aboard.

According to those onboard the airliner, about five minutes after
takeoff
the number 1 engine began to shake violently. Passengers also reported
smelling smoke and hearing an explosion from the left wing.

KAL representatives attributed the problem to an engine surge, not
uncommon
in jet engines, they said. They added the carrier abided by safety
regulations.

Passengers were kept on the plane after landing for more than an hour
--
without air conditioning -- before boarding another KAL flight.

Instead of a public apology that many passengers wanted, they were
provided
with gift voucher as compensation for the delay. Not all were
satisfied,
claiming the delay resulted from KAL's own negligence. Some passengers
are
preparing to file suit against the airline.

Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation is investigating.

FMI: www.koreanair.com , www.dca.gov.my
aero-news.net


3,295 posted on 02/01/2007 6:03:19 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; milford421; FARS; Velveeta

[Those Denver mechanics again?]

Mesa CRJ200 Loses Turbine Blade Inflight

Reportedly First 'Uncontained Failure' Of GE's CF34-3B1 Engine
A Mesa Airlines CRJ200LR tossed a fan blade from its number one engine,
a GE
CF34-3B1, during cruise flight last Thursday evening. According to
industry
sources, the failed blade took out the engine's forward cowling as it
departed the aircraft.

The jet was 50 nm out of Denver, CO on it's way to Phoenix, AZ when the
incident occurred. GE has reportedly dispatched three representatives
to
support the NTSB in its investigation.

Data on the FAA's website indicates there were no injuries among the
passengers or crew following the crew's decision to make an emergency
landing in Denver.

GE says there hasn't been a failure such as this in any of the more
than
2000 CF34-3B1 engines placed in service since 1992.



****
** Report created 1/29/2007 Record 2
**


****

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 17337 Make/Model: CL65 Description: BOMBARDIER
REGIONAL JET
Date: 01/25/2007 Time: 0019

Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N
Missing: N
Damage: Minor

LOCATION
City: DENVER State: CO Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT LOST PIECE OF COWL AND A #1 ENGINE FAN BLADE, DENVER, CO

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:

WEATHER: UNKNOWN

OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Cruise Operation: Air Carrier

Departed: Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: Flt Plan: Wx
Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:

FAA FSDO: DENVER, CO (NM03) Entry date:
01/26/2007

FMI: www.mesa-air.com, www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov
aero-news.net


3,296 posted on 02/01/2007 6:08:31 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; milford421

Passengers Say Eppley Scare Is Over

Hazmat Crew Boards United Jet At Eppley

OMAHA, Neb. -- Passengers allowed off a United Airlines flight from
Denver
that was being held at the end of a runway at Eppley Airfield in Omaha
on
Monday afternoon said they think a sugar substitute is to blame.

The head of the Airport Authority, Don Smithey, told KETV NewsWatch 7
that a
hazardous materials crew entered the United jet at about 12:30 p.m.
Monday.
At about 2:45 p.m., the plane was moved off the tarmac.

A KETV crew at the scene said Omaha Fire Department, Omaha Police
Department, Airport Authority and hazmat crews surrounded the plane.


A United representative said a crew member noticed a powder in the
galley at
the rear of the plane. United's spokeswoman said she's not sure what
made
the crew member suspicious about the substance but that crew members
followed standard procedure.

Passengers who have been allowed off the plane told KETV NewsWatch 7
that
they were held on the plane for about 2½ hours as crews inspected the
powder. The passengers said everyone stayed calm.

"It got to be more of a comical matter," said passenger Teri
Scharfenkamp.
"People took out their cell phones, taking pictures of the hazmat suits
...
and they were joking that someone should just taste it so we could get
out
of there sooner."

The jet was being held at the runway's north end.

Passengers said they were given the all clear, and said they believe
the
substance was deemed to be sugar or a sugar substitute.
http://www.ketv.com/news/10871793/detail.html


3,297 posted on 02/01/2007 6:11:16 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; milford421

[Is this a duplicate? or new?]

American Airlines Jet Makes Emergency Landing in Venezuela

An American Airlines jet flying from Miami to Sao Paulo made an
emergency
landing in Venezuela on Friday after the pilot noticed an odor like
smoldering electrical parts in the cockpit, the airline said.

The Boeing 777, which had 245 people on board, diverted to Caracas as a
precaution and landed early Friday without incident, said Billy Sanez,
a
spokesman for American.

"All the passengers and crew were never in any danger," Sanez said.
"There
was no fire. There was some electrical smell, and as a precaution, the
captain decided to land the plane."

Passengers were shuttled on to Miami, and some to San Juan, Puerto
Rico, as
they caught other flights to Brazil, Sanez said.

The cause of the electrical odor was under investigation, and the plane
was
taken out of service for maintenance, Sanez said.

American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is a unit of AMR Corp.
http://www.amtonline.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=3249


3,298 posted on 02/01/2007 6:13:50 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; Velveeta; LucyT; DAVEY CROCKETT

Video of shooting at Litvinenko target on YouTube


The video is quickly spreading through the web. N.S.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1J7WzJskNfM


3,299 posted on 02/01/2007 6:25:44 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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To: All; Founding Father; milford421; struwwelpeter

U.S. not ready to resolve Mideast problem - Russian analyst

30/01/2007 RIA Novosti Agence russe
U.S. not ready to resolve Mideast problem - Russian analyst
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070130/59911791.html

MOSCOW, January 30 (RIA Novosti) - The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian
conflict undermines U.S. positions in the Mideast, but Washington is
not
yet ready to resolve this problem due to internal political
uncertainties, a Russian foreign relations expert said Tuesday.

Sergei Rogov, head of the Institute of the U.S. and Canada, told RIA
Novosti that President George W. Bush is hardly able to do this now, as
he has little time before a new administration comes into power in
Washington.

"Ultimately, the president will have to put pressure on Israel, for it
to make even minimal concessions. However, it is very doubtful that
under the current conditions, Bush has sufficient political capital,"
he
said.

The presidential campaign has essentially started in the U.S., and the
country's diplomacy in the Middle East follows a certain cycle, Rogov
said.

"A new administration arrives, it starts to deal with the problem, then
it puts forward its plan for regulation, then Israel starts resisting,
and after that elections come along in the U.S., and all political
forces start competing to be Israel's biggest ally," the analyst said.

The U.S. now seems to be in the fourth part of this cycle, he added.

"The U.S. can find a way out of the deadlock by political means within
the next few months, but time is running short and developments may
lurch out of control soon," Rogov warned.

He said that during the Cold War any regional conflict was regarded as
a
global Soviet-American standoff, but this one is of an entirely
different nature.

"Then we supported one side and the Americans supported the other. But
the Arab-Israeli conflict has its own roots. The end of the
Soviet-American standoff did not lead to an automatic resolution of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Rogov said.

Speaking on possible scenarios in the Middle East, he said a civil war
could begin in Palestine and Lebanon.

Earlier in the week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who will
travel to Washington early next month to attend a ministerial meeting
of
four international mediators in the Arab-Israeli conflict, also warned
against the threat of a civil war in Palestine.

"The situation in Palestine remains very complicated," Lavrov said.
"Efforts to resume talks with Israel encounter the threat of a civil
war
in Palestine. We [the Middle East Quartet, comprising Russia, the U.S.,
UN and EU] should help stop the conflict between Fatah and Hamas and
external attempts to provoke confrontations between the movements."

The radical Islamic group Hamas, which is still considered a terrorist
organization by Israel, the U.S. and the EU, gained a majority in the
Palestinian National Authority (PNA) after defeating President Mahmoud
Abbas' Fatah faction in polls a year ago.

The latest Mideast Quartet ministerial meeting took place on the
sidelines of a UN General Assembly session in New York in September
2006.

The participants expressed their support for efforts by Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to form a national unity government
and urged radical Islamist movement Hamas to recognize Israel's right
to
exist, renounce violence, and implement the 2003 "roadmap" peace plan,
which provides for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict.


3,300 posted on 02/01/2007 6:31:17 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Pray for peace, but prepare for the worst disaster. Protect your loved ones.)
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