World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #5

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The following items are terrorism-related items from the National Intelligence Council's "Global Trends 2015: A Dialogue About the Future With Nongovernment Experts" report (December 2000).

States with poor governance; ethnic, cultural, or religious tensions; weak economies; and porous borders will be prime breeding grounds for terrorism. In such states, domestic groups will challenge the entrenched government, and transnational networks seeking safehavens.

At the same time, the trend away from state-supported political terrorism and toward more diverse, free-wheeling, transnational networks—enabled by information technology—will continue. Some of the states that actively sponsor terrorism or terrorist groups today may decrease or even cease their support by 2015 as a result of regime changes, rapprochement with neighbors, or the conclusion that terrorism has become counterproductive. But weak states also could drift toward cooperation with terrorists, creating de facto new state supporters.

Between now and 2015 terrorist tactics will become increasingly sophisticated and designed to achieve mass casualties.

Experts agree that the United States, with its decisive edge in both information and weapons technology, will remain the dominant military power during the next 15 years. Further bolstering the strong position of the United States are its unparalleled economic power, its university system, and its investment in research and development—half of the total spent annually by the advanced industrial world. Many potential adversaries, as reflected in doctrinal writings and statements, see US military concepts, together with technology, as giving the United States the ability to expand its lead in conventional warfighting capabilities.

This perception among present and potential adversaries will continue to generate the pursuit of asymmetric capabilities against US forces and interests abroad as well as the territory of the United States. US opponents—state and such nonstate actors as drug lords, terrorists, and foreign insurgents—will not want to engage the US military on its terms. They will choose instead political and military strategies designed to dissuade the United States from using force, or, if the United States does use force, to exhaust American will, circumvent or minimize US strengths, and exploit perceived US weaknesses. Asymmetric challenges can arise across the spectrum of conflict that will confront US forces in a theater of operations or on US soil.

Some potential adversaries will seek ways to threaten the US homeland. The US national infrastructure—communications, transportation, financial transactions, energy networks—is vulnerable to disruption by physical and electronic attack because of its interdependent nature and by cyber attacks because of their dependence on computer networks. Foreign governments and groups will seek to exploit such vulnerabilities using conventional munitions, information operations, and even WMD.

Much of the terrorism noted earlier will be directed at the United States and its overseas interests. Most anti-US terrorism will be based on perceived ethnic, religious or cultural grievances. Terrorist groups will continue to find ways to attack US military and diplomatic facilities abroad. Such attacks are likely to expand increasingly to include US companies and American citizens. Middle East and Southwest Asian-based terrorists are the most likely to threaten the United States.

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=%22Syria%22&ei=utf-8

1. What Iran & Syria Want Open this result in new window
RealClearPolitics.com via Yahoo! News - 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
On Thursday, President Bush will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki in Jordan. The vast majority of the meeting will undoubtedly focus on the challenges of controlling the sectarian violence in Iraq and achieving national reconciliation, but the President should also get a thorough debriefing on Iraq's recent dealings with Iran and Syria.
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2. France, U.S. agree useless to talk to Syria: Chirac Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 2 hours, 33 minutes ago
France and the United States agree there is no point in talking to Syria because the conditions for an honest dialogue do not exist, President Jacques Chirac said on Wednesday.
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3. Syria: Islamic militant suicide attacker hits Lebanese border Open this result in new window
CNN.com - Nov 28 2:20 PM
JDEIDET YABOUS, Syria (AP) -- A Syrian Islamic militant leader trying to cross into Lebanon engaged Syrian border forces in a gunbattle before blowing himself up Tuesday.
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4. Militant said to kill self in Syria Open this result in new window
Boston Globe - Nov 29 12:47 AM
JDEIDET YABOUS, Syria -- The Syrian leader of an Islamic militant group blew himself up yesterday after trying to cross into Lebanon and engaging in a gunbattle with Syrian forces. Two border guards were wounded.
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5. Blast at Syria-Lebanon border Open this result in new window
AFP via Yahoo! News - Nov 28 7:32 AM
An explosion has occurred at the Jadaydet Yabus passageway in southwest Syria on the main border road leading into Lebanon.
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6. Iranian companies investments in Syria stand at dlrs 300m Open this result in new window
Islamic Republic News Agency - 1 hour, 19 minutes ago
Iran - Syria - Investment Iranian companies have invested over 300 million dollars in Syria to carry out different projects, Syrian Minister of Electricity Ahmad Khaled al-Ali said here Wednesday.
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7. France holds Iraq-bound student expelled from Syria Open this result in new window
AlertNet - Nov 29 4:19 AM
Source: Reuters PARIS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - French domestic intelligence detained a French engineering student on Wednesday after he was expelled from Syria on suspicion of attempting to join Islamists fighting U.S.- ...
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8. Gates at odds with Bush over Iran, Syria Open this result in new window
UPI - 2 hours, 12 minutes ago
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush's nominee to be the next defense secretary, Robert Gates, disagrees with the president and wants dialogue with Syria and Iran.
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9. Iraq must decide on Iran, Syria talks: Bush Open this result in new window
AFP via Yahoo! News - Nov 28 3:15 AM
US President George W. Bush says it is up to Iraq to decide whether its neighbours Iran and Syria should be more involved in helping to re-establish security there.
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10. Report: Syria planned to kill 36 Lebanese public figures Open this result in new window
Al Bawaba - 2 hours, 6 minutes ago
Syria was reported on Wednesday to have dispatched some 200 agents to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon to assassinate 36 Lebanese public figures. The anti-Syrian Al-Mustaqbal daily reported President Assad's "terrorist plot" was part of a propaganda prepared by the Syrian regime.
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Laura Mansfield published a new entry entitled "Iranian President's Letter to US Nation To Be Published 'Today'" on 11/29/2006 2:28:00 PM, written by Laura Mansfield.
Iranian President's Letter to US Nation To Be Published 'Today'

Iranian President Ahmadinezhad is back to writing letters again.

He has apparently written one to the "American Nation" which will be published today.

I imagine we know what it will say. This is pure speculation on my part, but I'd strongly suspect that it will tell us Iran wants to be our friend, that we should be understanding of their quest for nuclear energy, and that we should consider learning more about Islam. I'd also suspect he'll call for us to send a message to our government calling for the US to leave Iraq, quit supporting Israel, and to lay off Iran.

As soon as the letter is released, I'll post it.

Iranian President's Letter to US Nation To Be Published 'Today'
Fars News Agency
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad's five-page letter to the American nation is to be published today (Wednesday).

A source close to the President's Office told Fars news agency: Following his visit to New York on 19 August 2006 to take part in the UN General Assembly, Ahmadinezhad held a few meetings with US people from various walks of life during which various issues were discussed. Mr Ahmadinezhad decided to write a letter addressed specifically to the US nation and discuss some issues with them.
He said: After editing and completing this letter yesterday, the president decided to publish this letter today (Wednesday).

This informed source added: The Iranian president's five-page letter will be handed over to the US media by Iran's UN representative. After the letter is published in America, its Farsi version will be published in Iran.

(Source: Tehran Fars News Agency)

Permalink: BLOG.LAURAMANSFIELD.COM/2006/11/29/iranian-presidents-letter-to-us-nation-to-be-published-today.aspx

Bush rules out talks with Iran until it stops N-prog

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=338646&sid=WOR

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=338646&sid=WOR

Bush rules out talks with Iran until it stops N-prog

Tallinn (Estonia), Nov 28: US President George W Bush on Tuesday ruled
out
any talks with Iran until it suspends its uranium enrichment programme,
and
said Iran and Syria should not destabilise the fledgling democracy in
neighbouring Iraq.

"Iran knows how to get to the table with US," Bush told reporters
during a
visit to Estonia. "And that is to do that which they said they would
do,
which is verifiably suspend their enricmen programmes."

The US alleges Iran is secretly developing atomic weapons, though
Tehran has
repeatedly claimed its programme is for peaceful purposes, including
generating electricity.

"The idea of this regime having a nuclear weapon, by which they could
blackmail the world, is unacceptable to free nations," Bush said.

Speaking at a news conference before hearing to a NATO summit in
neighbouring Latvia later in the day, Bush also accused Iran and Syria
of
undermining the government in Lebanon.

"That government is being undermined, in my opinion, by extremist
forces
encouraged out of Syria and Iran," Bush said. He added that a
democratic
Lebanon "will be a major defeat for those who articulate extremist
point of
views."

Syria's Foreign Miniter Walid al-Moualem dismissed Bush's comments as
"nonsense" as he arrived for a European Union-Mideast foreign ministers
meeting in Tampere, Finland.

"We know who is interfering -- the Americans and the French,"
al-Moualem
told reporters. "I think all parties need to leave Lebanon to fulfill
the
hope of the Lebanese people."

He said Syria was "playing a constructive role in the region."

Conference in Rome on the threats posed by Iranian regime

http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/2549/71/

Conference in Rome on the threats posed by Iranian regime

http://www.ncr-iran.org/index2.php?option=co
m_content&task=view&id=2549&Itemid=71&pop=1&page=0',%20'win2',%20'status=no,
toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,titlebar=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480,directories=no,location=no');

http://www.ncr-iran.org/index2.php?option=co
m_content&task=emailform&id=2549',%20'win2',%20'status=no,toolbar=no,scrollb
ars=yes,titlebar=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,width=400,height=250,directories=no,location=no');

Tuesday, 28 November 2006

NCRI - At the invitation of the representative office of the National
Council of Resistance of Iran in Italy, a conference was organized on
November 23 in Rome on the Iranian regime's export of terrorism and
fundamentalism.

The panel was composed of Antonio Stango, chairman of Helsinki Watch in
Italy, and Stefano Manicacci, jurist, as well as a delegation of the
NCRI
which included Dowlat Nowrouzi, NCRI representative in the United Kingdom,
Mohammad-Reza Rowhani, chairman of the NCRI Minorities Committee,
Sanabargh
Zahedi, chairman of the NCRI Justice Committee, and Reza Olia, renowned
Iranian painter and sculptor who is a member of the NCRI.

Mr Stango, who chaired the meeting, stressed: Although the Iranian
regime
supports terrorism, the European governments negotiate with this regime
and
prevaricate. One can wonder whether they take the fight against
terrorism
seriously. These last few years, the regime organized the worst
terrorist
attacks and kept on violating human rights in Iran. Today, the time has
come
for the West to stop supporting the Iranian regime and to impose an
embargo
against it. The leaders of this dictatorship must be brought before an
international court for their crimes against humanity.

Mr. Manicacci said: For professional reasons I travelled a lot in your
country where I was able to see the Iranian people's terrible tragedy.
As I
am very much interested in Iran's culture and history, the Iranian
regime is
a great tragedy.

Referring to the issue of death squads in Iran and Iraq, he added: I am
convinced that terrorism is a political method for this regime to
remain in
power. The European officials have to consider the regime's threats
seriously.

Moreover, Mr. Olia denounced the EU's appeasement policy. Addressing
Italy's
Prime Minister, he said: Until now, the Iranian people have paid a most
heavy price, largely because of the EU and in particular Italy's
behaviour
towards this regime. Unfortunately, this regime puts pressure on the EU
through countless commercial agreements it has concluded with them.

Ms. Nowrouzi was next to take the floor. She noted that according to a
poll
carried out by the regime itself, more than 94 percent of the Iranian
population long for change and that, in order to divert public
attention
from internal crises, the regime exports more terrorism and
fundamentalism
abroad everyday. The meddling of the regime in the region is not an
indicator of its strength, she said, adding: In fact, it sees its
existence
as being closely linked to this policy and thinks that if it gives it
up, it
takes the road to ruin.

Ms. Nowrouzi added: Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian
Resistance, repeated on several occasions that neither the continuation
of
the appeasement policy towards the mullahs nor a foreign military
intervention was a solution. The only option is to bring a democratic
change
with the help of Iranians and their Resistance.

Regarding the condemnations of the religious dictatorship by the
judiciaries
of several countries, Dr. Rowhani said: It is regrettable that when
there is
an international arrest warrant initiated by the Argentinean justice
system
against the leaders of the Iranian regime, the Italian authorities seek
to
reinforce their commercial ties with the mullahs.

Dr. Zahedi also referred to the warrant: The warrant against
Rafsanjani,
Velayati, Fallahian and other political and military officials of the
regime
shows that in the political, security and economic decision-making
process,
the regime's Supreme Leader plays the most important role.

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Monday, November 27, 2006
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Terrorists: Cease-fire means chance to reload
Militants say Israel-Palestinian downtime to be used for weapons smuggling, training to attack Jewish state
Posted: November 27, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

TEL AVIV – The cease-fire to which Israel and major Palestinian factions agreed yesterday will be used by Palestinian groups to smuggle weapons into Gaza, reinforce and train "fighter units," and produce rockets for a future confrontation with the Jewish state, the leaders of the four most significant Palestinian terror groups in Gaza told WND in a series of exclusive interviews.

"The cease-fire offers a period of calm for our fighters to recover and prepare for our final goal of evacuating Palestine," said Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, a Hamas-allied terror organization in the Gaza Strip responsible for many of the recent rocket attacks against Israeli communities

"We will keep fighting [Israel], but for the moment we will postpone certain parts of the military struggle," Abu Abir said.

(Story continues below)

Abu Abir was one of several terror leaders speaking to WND after a cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants took effect yesterday morning.

Israel removed its ground forces from Gaza and agreed to not launch antiterror operations in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian promises to halt attacks against Israel, including the cessation of rocket fire against Jewish communities near Gaza.

Palestinians have been firing rockets from the Gaza Strip since Israel evacuated the territory last summer. In the past few weeks, Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza have intensified exponentially, killing two Israelis and disrupting life in several Jewish cities.

The recent increase in rocket bombardments prompted calls by the general public here and by many in the Israeli defense establishment for a large-scale Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Israeli Defense Forces officials reportedly presented multiple military plans to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to dismantle some of the terror infrastructure in Gaza, minimize rocket attacks and attempt to halt rampant weapons smuggling from neighboring Egypt into Gaza.

IDF military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin and Yuval Diskin, director of Israel's Shin Bet Security Services, both warned in recent speeches to the Knesset if Israel doesn't launch a major offensive in Gaza, Palestinian groups there will soon have military capabilities similar to those of the Hezbollah guerilla organization in Lebanon.

But Olmert yesterday said he had faith the cease-fire would work. He said it could lead to a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.

"All of these things ultimately could lead to one thing – the opening of serious, real, open and direct negotiations between us so that we can move forward towards a comprehensive agreement between us and the Palestinians," Olmert told reporters yesterday, speaking about the cease-fire.

Olmert said he would be willing to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for peace talks in the near future.

About two hours after the cease-fire was imposed yesterday morning, three rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel. Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

A short time earlier, Abbas ordered the heads of Palestinian security forces to ensure Gaza militants respect the truce, Palestinian officials said.

Olmert said Israel would display "patience and restraint" in the face of Palestinian violations of the cease-fire.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, said all major militant factions in the Gaza Strip had reaffirmed their commitment to the truce after the rockets were fired yesterday.

"Contacts were made with the political leaderships of the factions and there is a reaffirmation of the commitment of what has been agreed to," Haniyeh said.

Terror leaders: 'We need period of calm to recuperate'

Meanwhile, terror leaders from every major Palestinian faction in Gaza, speaking to WND, said their groups would for now abide by the cease-fire, which they stated would be used to resupply their arsenals and prepare for a conflict with Israel.

The Committees' Abu Abir said, "We will reinforce very quickly and rush what we are doing to prepare [for attacks against Israel] in Gaza and in the West Bank."

Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called "military wing," told WND Hamas agreed to the cease fire "because we need a period of calm to recuperate. This lull in fighting will not bring us to speak about peace."

Abu Abdullah is consider one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared military wing.

He pointed to Hamas' doctrine, which calls for the destruction of Israel and which refuses to recognize the Jewish state.

"The political leadership [of Hamas] will never compromise on these values," the terror leader said.

Abu Abdullah said Hamas has its own political reasons to respect the truce.

"We wish to show Islam as a ruling party is capable of leading the Palestinian people. Since Hamas was elected, we have been through only chaotic periods. We want a period of calm to prove we are not only a revolutionary movement but to show the Palestinian people our rule is without the corruption of [the rival] Fatah [party]."

But Abu Abdullah said the cease-fire would ultimately end in violence.

"All the Palestinian people and all the Muslims will launch a direct confrontation with Israel. This may come soon or it may take some time," Abu Abdullah said.

Abu Luay, a leader of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, told WND Israel's call for a cease-fire "proves our rocket attacks work. The Zionists know there is now remedy for our rockets."

The Islamic Jihad leader said Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel would resume "at a time of our choosing."

Abu Ahmed, the leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, told WND his terror group would respect the cease-fire.

The Brigades, responsible for scores of suicide bombings, shootings and rocket attacks, is the declared military wing of Abbas' Fatah party.

"We will respect the cease-fire as the president (Abbas) has ordered us to do," said Abu Ahmed. "We keep our right to respond to any Israeli aggression. Our group does not give up any of its ideals, which is a withdrawal of the Israelis."

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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
HOMELAND INSECURITY
45,000 terror-threat illegals released into U.S. population
Half from countries of 'special interest' let go between 2001, 2005, says report
Posted: November 29, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – Half of the 91,516 illegal aliens from terror-sponsoring countries and those of "special interest" apprehended at the border between 2001 and 2005 were released into the U.S. population, according to a report by the inspector general's office of the Department of Homeland Security.

The report, "Detention and Removal of Illegal Aliens," released earlier this year with little fanfare or attention, suggests about 85 percent of those aliens – potentially the most dangerous – would abscond and likely never be seen by authorities again.

Acknowledging the danger such aliens pose to the national security, the report cites a DHS official testifying that terrorist organizations "believe illegal entry into the U.S. is more advantageous than legal entry for operations reasons."

(Story continues below)

Budget shortfalls were the explanations for why some 45,008 potential terrorists were released by authorities over a period of nearly five years after Sept. 11, 2001. The budget crunches prompted immigration officials to place strict limits on detention bed space, recruitment, training, travel and expansion of enforcement programs, the report explained.

In addition to the release of these high-risk aliens, 27,947 known criminals were also released between 2001 and 2004 – including 20, 967 "from countries where the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang members are know to be active."

Given that only one in four aliens attempting to enter the U.S. during this period was caught, that would suggest some 350,000 from high-risk nations entered the country through this five-year period. An additional 400,000 criminal aliens would also have made it into the country between 2001 and 2004, according to the report.

That's a total of 750,000 aliens who would be either known criminals before entering the country illegally or who originated from a terror-sponsoring nation or one in which terrorists are known to operate.

This news hits following WND's report yesterday that 12 Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001.

But the carnage wrought by illegal alien murderers represents only a fraction of the pool of blood spilled by American citizens as a result of an open border and un-enforced immigration laws.

While King reports 12 Americans are murdered daily by illegal aliens, he says 13 are killed by drunk illegal alien drivers – for another annual death toll of 4,745. That's 23,725 since Sept. 11, 2001.

While no one – in or out of government – tracks all U.S. accidents caused by illegal aliens, the statistical and anecdotal evidence suggests many of last year's 42,636 road deaths involved illegal aliens.

A report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found 20 percent of fatal accidents involve at least one driver who lacks a valid license. In California, another study showed that those who have never held a valid license are about five times more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident than licensed drivers.

Statistically, that makes them an even greater danger on the road than drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked – and nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.

King also reports eight American children are victims of sexual abuse by illegal aliens every day – a total of 2,920 annually.

Based on a one-year in-depth study, Deborah Schurman-Kauflin of the Violent Crimes Institute of Atlanta estimates there are about 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States who have had an average of four victims each. She analyzed 1,500 cases from January 1999 through April 2006 that included serial rapes, serial murders, sexual homicides and child molestation committed by illegal immigrants.

As the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. increases, so does the number of American victims.

According to Edwin Rubenstien, president of ESR Research Economic Consultants, in Indianapolis in 1980, federal and state correctional facilities held fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens. But at the end of 2003, approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in all U.S. jails and prisons.

While the federal government doesn't track illegal alien murders, illegal alien rapes or illegal alien drunk driving deaths, it has studied illegal aliens incarcerated in U.S. prisons.

In April 2005, the Government Accountability Office released a report on a study of 55,322 illegal aliens incarcerated in federal, state, and local facilities during 2003. It found the following:

* The 55,322 illegal aliens studied represented a total of 459,614 arrests – some eight arrests per illegal alien;

* Their arrests represented a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses – some 13 offenses per illegal alien;

* 36 percent had been arrested at least five times before.

"While the vast majority of illegal aliens are decent people who work hard and are only trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, (something you or I would probably do if we were in their place), it is also a fact that a disproportionately high percentage of illegal aliens are criminals and sexual predators," states Peter Wagner, author of a new report called "The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration." "That is part of the dark side of illegal immigration and when we allow the 'good' in we get the 'bad' along with them. The question is, how much 'bad' is acceptable and at what price?"

But the terror threat posed by illegal aliens could make all those grisly numbers pale by comparison should a few succeed in conducting major operations in the U.S., say law enforcement officials.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4365086.html

Nov. 28, 2006, 8:50PM
Houston man admits trying to help Taliban
A second man, in U.S. illegally, faces similar conspiracy and weapons charges

By CINDY GEORGE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

One of two Houston men accused of training to fight with the Taliban pleaded guilty this afternoon in federal court.

Kobie Diallo Williams, 33, a U.S. citizen who was a student at the University of Houston Downtown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist a terrorist group. His help included withdrawing cash from an ATM to send to the Middle East.

Another man, Adnan Babar Mirza, 29, a Pakistani national who was in the country on an expired student visa, faces similar conspiracy charges as well as three federal weapons violations. Mirza appeared today before a U.S. magistrate judge.

Mirza became illegal when his visa expired. Someone holding a student visa or in the country illegally is not allowed to have firearms.

In court, Williams admitted that he viewed coalition forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as invaders. He had expressed a desire to travel to the Middle East to help the Taliban. Williams also admitted to handing over money that was supposed to help Taliban fighters and their families.

"We knew that you couldn't get money to the Taliban," Williams told U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr., adding that he gave $350 to "a gentleman."

"Adnan informed us that there was a hospital that most of the families go to," Williams said.

"What families?," Werlein asked.

"Widows and children," Williams said.

To prepare as a fighter, Williams said he used various firearms at shooting ranges and campgrounds in Harris, Walker and Montgomery counties including at Sam Houston National Forest.

Williams, a thick-bearded man dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks, told the judge that he was studying computer science with a minor in mathematics at UH after earning an associate's degree in electrical engineering technology.

A press conference following the guilty plea shed light on the nearly two-year investigation that brought Williams and Mirza to the attention of federal officials.

"It's not the epitome of sophistication," said U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle, commenting on the low-level plans Williams admitted the pair made.

And though the pair may not seem to have posed a threat of the magnitude of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the arrests point to the U.S. Justice Department's goal to prevent terrorism, DeGabrielle said.

The indictments, which were unsealed today after both men appeared in court, allege that during the past 1 1/2 years both men participated in firearms and reconnaissance training in Harris County and surrounding areas.

According to the indictment, the two decided last year to travel to the Middle East to engage in "battlefield jihad.''

Federal law prohibits contributions of goods or services to the Taliban, one of several specially designated global terrorist organizations.

If convicted on the conspiracy charge, Williams and Mirza each face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Mirza could receive an additional 10 years in prison if convicted on the firearms charges.

Williams was scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 23.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4366020.html

Nov. 28, 2006, 11:55PM
3 Americans abducted on hunting trip in Mexico

By JAMES PINKERTON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Hunting trip kidnapping
Site of kidnapping

HARLINGEN — Three U.S. citizens — including a prominent Laredo customs broker and a Sweetwater businessman — were kidnapped Sunday along with two others after going deer hunting in northern Mexico, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.

A gang of armed men swept into the 6,500-acre Rancho La Barranca in the northern state of Coahuila Sunday evening and abducted the five, including customs broker Librado Piña Jr., 49; his son, Librado Piña III, 25; Sweetwater businessman David Mueller, 45; and two Mexicans — ranch cook Marco Ortiz and Monterrey resident Fidel Rodriguez Cerdan.

Though details were sketchy Tuesday night, U.S. officials and relatives of the kidnapped men were stunned by the attack.

''We're pulling out all the stops," said one U.S. law enforcement agent, who asked not to be identified.

''We're going to go through the proper channels, but obviously we have back channels ... from years of experience trying to resolve these things."

A Mexican investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity said the ranch was ransacked and such items as washing machines and beds were stolen, giving the case an unusual twist.

"In a kidnapping, they aren't going to go about stealing objects," said the official.

"It's an unusual situation."

The abductions of Piña Jr., his son and Mueller bring this year's tally of Americans kidnapped in Mexico to 33.

Of those, 14 Americans were kidnapped in the Nuevo Laredo area.

No previous threats
Piña family members said they suspected the kidnapping was financially motivated.

"We absolutely cannot pinpoint the reason for this," a family member said.

"We believe they saw a wealthy person with a big ranch house in Mexico and they went to see what they could steal."

Family members said Piña Jr. had not been threatened.

"If he had, he would have never gone to the ranch and put his life or the life of other people in danger," said another family member.

Family members said they learned about the crime after two Mexican clients traveled to the ranch for a hunt, but found the house in shambles.

The Piñas say they immediately contacted Mexican officials in Nuevo Laredo and Coahuila and met with the FBI that afternoon.

Piña Jr. owns the ranch, which offers trophy whitetail-deer hunts and is located about a 30-minute drive northwest of the Colombia Bridge in Laredo.

Santos Vasquez Estrada, the local head of the Coahuila state attorney general's office, said Piña Jr. may have been the main target of the attack.

The U.S. law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity said it does not appear that the abducted men had any connection to ongoing turf wars that have killed hundreds of people in Mexico this year.

''We don't, at this time, have any hard evidence that any of these people were involved in any illicit activity," the source said.

Group was well-armed
The five men were hunting at the ranch about 8 p.m. Sunday when the assailants arrived.

''A large group did take over the ranch, and they were well-armed," the source said.

U.S. officials said Tuesday that no ransom requests had been made so far.

''Since the kidnapping occurred within the sovereign nation of Mexico, the FBI has initiated a Foreign Police Cooperation investigation," said a statement from D. True Brown, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio division.

La Barranca ranch is one of two owned by Piña Jr., a second-generation Laredo customs broker, industrialist and owner of the Corona beer distributorship.

His abduction shocked members of the close-knit Texas Deer Association.

''Librado has been a director on our board for several years, and is a good active member," said president Scott W. Bugai, a veterinarian from Seguin.

''I've been down to his ranch in Laredo, and he's a super-nice guy," Bugai said. ''This is a shock. What's the world coming to?"

Lane Laning, the deer association's treasurer, said Piña Jr. has worked hard to introduce game management to ranches in northern Mexico.

''Boy, I'm praying for him ... and for Mr. Mueller, too," said Laning, who manages the 5F Game Ranch outside of Sweetwater. ''It's sad Mexico is turning out like this."

Employees of Mueller's company, Sweetwater Steel, were distraught.

''It's been a long day, a pretty rough day," said J.L. Goldsmith, a salesman at the company that sells steel for construction.

San Antonio Express-News correspondent Sean Mattson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

james.pinkerton@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4365038.html

Nov. 28, 2006, 1:03PM
Atty: Sailor to plead guilty in spy case

By SONJA BARISIC Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. — A submarine crewman accused of stealing a Navy laptop and peddling its classified contents to an undisclosed foreign government plans to plead guilty next week to some of the six charges against him, his civilian lawyer said Tuesday.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann, 22, of Salem, Ore., is scheduled for court-martial Monday at Norfolk Naval Station.

His attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, would not say which charges his client would plead to under the pretrial agreement, and he declined to release details about the maximum sentence.

Weinmann is charged with espionage, desertion, failing to properly safeguard and store classified information, copying classified information, communicating classified information to a person not entitled to receive it, and stealing and destroying a government computer. An espionage conviction could bring a sentenced of life in prison.

A spokesman for the Navy's Fleet Forces Command, Ted Brown, declined to comment.

Weinmann, a fire control technician, was stationed on the Connecticut-based submarine USS Albuquerque.

Although the Navy has not identified the foreign government allegedly involved, it has said Weinmann visited Bahrain in March 2005 and later deserted for more than eight months while traveling to Austria and Mexico.

During a preliminary hearing in July, the Navy disclosed that when Weinmann was arrested in March at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport he was carrying $4,000 in cash, three CD-ROMs, an external computer storage device and memory cards for storing digital images. The military has not said what it believes Weinmann might have sought in exchange for the information.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4365188.html

Nov. 28, 2006, 2:22PM
Product recalls

By The Associated Press
© 2006 The Associated Press

— The following product recall has been announced:

_ About 76,000 Troy-Bilt and Craftsman brand gasoline chain saws, imported by MTD Southwest Inc., because the saws' plastic front handles can break while operating, which can make them difficult to control, creating a risk of lacerations. One consumer reported bruising his elbow after the handle broke. Another person was burned after the handle broke and caused him to lose control of it.

The chain saws have an 18-inch or 20-inch bar and a two-cycle gasoline engine ranging in size from 46cc to 55cc. The recalled Troy-Bilt models are 41AY00AR966, 41AY60AR766, 41AY90AR766 and 41AY08AR966. The recall also includes the Craftsman "Incredi-Pull" model, which has a 55cc two-cycle gasoline engine with an 18-inch bar. Its model number is 316.350840. The model number is located on the engine casing.

Independent retailers, home improvement and hardware stores nationwide sold the Troy-Bilt brand chain saws from January 2004 through June 2006. The Craftsman brand chain saws were sold at Sears and Kmart stores nationwide from January 2004 through June 2006.

For more information, call MTD Southwest Inc. at 888-848-6038 or visit http://www.troybilt.com or http://www.cpsc.gov. Sears customers should call 800-659-7026.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/29/nsharia29.xml

Sharia law is spreading as authority wanes

By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor
Last Updated: 2:03am GMT 29/11/2006

Islamic sharia law is gaining an increasing foothold in parts of Britain, a report claims.

Sharia, derived from several sources including the Koran, is applied to varying degrees in predominantly Muslim countries but it has no binding status in Britain.

The Koran
The Koran is one of the sources that Sharia derives from

However, the BBC Radio 4 programme Law in Action produced evidence yesterday that it was being used by some Muslims as an alternative to English criminal law. Aydarus Yusuf, 29, a youth worker from Somalia, recalled a stabbing case that was decided by an unofficial Somali "court" sitting in Woolwich, south-east London.

Mr Yusuf said a group of Somali youths were arrested on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager. The victim's family told the police it would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail.

A hearing was convened and elders ordered the assailants to compensate their victim. "All their uncles and their fathers were there," said Mr Yusuf. "So they all put something towards that and apologised for the wrongdoing."

Although Scotland Yard had no information about that case yesterday, a spokesman said it was common for the police not to proceed with assault cases if the victims decided not to press charges.

However, the spokesman said cases of domestic violence, including rape, might go to trial regardless of the victim's wishes.

continued........

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_on_re_eu/britain_poisoned_spy

Traces of radiation found on 2 jetliners

By TARIQ PANJA, Associated Press Writer 33 minutes ago

Authorities found traces of radiation on two British Airways jetliners, and the airline appealed Wednesday to tens of thousands of passengers who flew the aircraft to or from Moscow to come forward as investigators widened the search for clues into the poisoning death of a former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

The airline said the "risk to public health is low," adding that it was in the process of contacting tens of thousands of passengers who flew on the jets.

Two planes at London's Heathrow Airport tested positive for traces of radiation and a third plane has been taken out of service in Moscow awaiting examination, British Airways said in a statement.

The airline said it was contacted by the British government Tuesday night and told to ground the planes and allow investigators looking into Litvinenko's death to test them for radiation.

All three planes had been on the London-Moscow route, British Airways said. In the last three weeks, the planes had also traveled to routes across Europe including Barcelona, Frankfurt and Athens. Around 30,000 passengers had traveled on 220 flights on those planes, said Kate Gay, an airline spokeswoman.

"The airline is in the process of making contact with customers who have traveled on flights operated by these aircraft, which operate within Europe," British Airways said in a statement.

"British Airways understands that from advice it has been given that the risk to public health is low," the airline's statement said.

The airline has published the flights affected on its Web site, and told customers on these flights to contact a special help-line set up by the British Health Ministry.

continued..........

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1745989/posts

Explosives missing at construction site
The Press-Enterprise ^ | 11/28/06 | John Asbury

Posted on 11/29/2006 12:44:51 PM PST by LibWhacker

Two packages containing 110 pounds of explosives were stolen over the weekend from a construction site in Menifee, a federal firearms official said Tuesday.

Workers arriving Monday at the site in the 25000 block of Newport Road found a chain-link fence broken and the door to the explosives magazine pried open, said Susan Raichel, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

An inventory of the materials later revealed that two 55-pound cases of Blastex blasting agent were missing, she said. The theft was reported about 6 a.m. Monday by an employee of the Edic and Watt Inc. construction company.

The explosives are used for quarry and construction blasting, Raichel said.

"In the wrong hands, this could be dangerous," she said. "It could create a deadly result if someone doesn't know what they're doing."

An electric blasting cap is required to activate the explosives, Raichel said. The explosives are contained in waterproof, plastic, sausage-like tubing and are commonly used for below-ground blasting.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies and ATF officials said they have no suspects in the case and no indication as to why someone stole the materials.

A similar theft occurred in June when more than 600 sticks of dynamite were taken from a Big Bear-area mining company. All but about 30 sticks were recovered after being left at Riverside and Moreno Valley fire stations.

Joshua Gawn, of Moreno Valley, faces charges in connection with that theft, and Michael Grayot, of Mira Loma, is charged with possessing the same explosives.

Police are hoping the incident might be the result of a botched construction-site theft.

"If bad guys steal something that's not useful, they'll usually toss it," said Riverside County sheriff's Cpl. Dennis Gutierrez. "They might not realize what they took."

The ATF is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those behind the theft, Raichel said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case or anyone who might see the explosives to contact the Riverside County sheriff's station in Perris at 951-940-6200.

[If my memory is working, it was not far from here, about a year ago, that a load of dynamite was stolen, as I recall the story, a box of it was left in the driveway of a Fire Station, more was found in a stolen truck, and more in?
granny]

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