Threat Matrix: June 2007

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/06/understanding_and_disrupting_t.php

“Understanding and Disrupting Terrorist Financing”
By Dennis Lormel
(June 18, 2007)

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp458.htm
June 14, 2007
HP-458
“Fact Sheet: Targeted Financial Measures to Protect our National Security”

#

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp457.htm
June 14, 2007
HP-457
“Remarks by Treasury Secretary Paulson on
Targeted Financial Measures to Protect Our National Security”

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp462.htm

June 15, 2007
hp462

Treasury Designates Al Qaida, LIFG Operatives

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated three Libyan individuals who are members of both al Qaida and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). Today’s action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which is aimed at prohibiting transactions with terrorists and their supporters and freezing their assets.

“These terrorists execute roles throughout al Qaida and LIFG, from recruitment to military training to procurement of explosive components,” said Adam J. Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). “We are publicly holding them to account for their dangerous actions.”

Identifying Information

Nur Al-Din Al-Dibiski

AKAs: Salem Nor Eldin Amohamed al-Dabski
Salim Nur al-Din al-Dabski
Salim Nur al-Din al-Dabaski
Abdallah Rajab
Abdullah Ragab
Abu al-Ward
`Abd al-Ward
Abu al-Wurud
Abu Naim
DOB: circa 1963

POB: Tripoli, Libya

PASSPORT: 1990/345751 (Libya)

Nur al-Din al Dibiski traveled to Afghanistan in the early 1990s, where he joined al Qaida and received military training in al Qaida’s camps. Dibiski is believed to be a senior member of the LIFG and a member of that terrorist group’s military committee. Dibiski also joined the LIFG while he was in Afghanistan, and as of August 2005 was identified as a member of the LIFG in Iran.

Sa’id Yusif Ali Abu Azizah

AKAs: Said Youssef Ali Abu Aziza
Sa’id Yusif Ali Abu Azizat
Sa’id Yusif Abu Aziz
Sa’ud Abu Aziz
Abu Therab
Abu Thurab
Abu Turab
Abdul Hamid
Abd al-Hamid
DOB: 1958

POB: Tripoli, Libya

PASSPORT: 87/437555 (Libya)

Sa’id Yusif Ali Abu Azizah is a member of and recruiter for al Qaida, and was responsible for al Qaida’s publications and mass media operations. Azizah, who underwent terrorist training in an al Qaida training camp, supervised one of bin Laden’s guesthouses in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Azizah joined the LIFG in 1995. Azizah has long been involved in recruiting new LIFG members and sending them to Afghanistan for military training and combat experience. On behalf of LIFG, Azizah has focused on the return of recruits to Libya to conduct operations against the government.

Azizah was identified as a member of al Qaida in Canada in 2003, and became the leader of the LIFG in Canada in 2004.

`Ali Sulayman Mas’ud `Abd Al-Sayyid

AKA: Aly Soliman Massoud Abdul Sayed
AKA: Mohamed Osman
AKA: Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
AKA: Ibn al-Qayyim
AKA: Ibn El Qaim
AKA: Al-Zawl
DOB: 1969

POB: Tripoli, Libya

PASSPORT: 96/184442 (Libya)

`Abd al-Sayyid is one of al Qaida’s early members and is reportedly a member of the al Qaida military committee. He was assigned by al Qaida’s leadership to deliver messages to al Qaida members in Libya that contained instructions for terrorist plots in Libya. `Abd al-Sayyid was also tasked by LIFG to enter Libya secretly, and was involved in arming an al Qaida group in Libya.

`Abd al-Sayyid was at one time in charge of al Qaida activities in Yemen, where he tasked one al Qaida operative to obtain electrical “igniters” for explosives. In 1993, `Abd al-Sayyid coordinated with a LIFG member to bring an explosives expert to Yemen to make an improvised explosive device to be catapulted on the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa.

`Abd al-Sayyid later returned to Sudan, where he was in charge of al Qaida operations and was a regional LIFG leader. He followed orders of the LIFG leadership, particularly LIFG leader and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) Abd al-Rahman al-Faqih. `Abd al-Sayyid also received funds from a Switzerland-based LIFG member.

In 2003, `Abd al-Sayyid received explosives detonators from a LIFG security committee member in Sudan and was involved in planning an attack on the Sudanese president and vice president.

- 30 -

Off Topic, but fyi:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070517-6.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 17, 2007

“Executive Order: National Security Professional Development”

ON THE NET...

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp461.htm

June 15, 2007
HP-461

Treasury Action Targets Individuals Involved in Iran’s Nuclear Program

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated two Iranian individuals, Mohammad Qannadi and Ali Hajinia Leilabadi, for their involvement in Iran’s nuclear program.

“Even individuals who are active in Iran’s nuclear program are going to be held to account for their conduct and isolated by the international financial community,” said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

This action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382, an authority aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters. Designations under E.O. 13382 are implemented by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and they prohibit all transactions between the designees and any U.S. person and freeze any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

Mohammad Qannadi acts or purports to act for or on behalf of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The AEOI manages Iran’s overall nuclear program and reports directly to the Iranian president. Identified by President George W. Bush in the Annex to E.O. 13382, the AEOI is the main Iranian institute for research and development activities in the field of nuclear technology, including Iran’s centrifuge enrichment program and experimental laser enrichment of uranium program.

Ali Hajinia Leilabadi acts or purports to act for or on behalf of the Mesbah Energy Company, an AEOI subordinate designated by OFAC in January 2006. Mesbah has been used to procure products for Iran’s heavy water project. Heavy water is essential for Iran’s heavy-water-moderated reactor project, which will provide Iran with a potential source of plutonium well-suited for nuclear weapons. Heavy water is believed to have no credible use in Iran’s civilian nuclear power program, which is based on light-water reactor technology.

The AEOI and Mesbah Energy Company are both named in the Annex to United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737 for their involvement in Iran’s nuclear program. Mohammad Qannadi and Ali Hajinia Leilabadi were also both included in the Annex to UNSCR 1737 for their respective roles with AEOI and Mesbah. The UN identified Qannadi as AEOI’s Vice President for Research and Development, while identifying Leilabadi as the Director General of the Mesbah Energy Company.

In August 2006 the Iranian President awarded government medals to Qannadi, Leilabadi, and 12 other individuals, for their contributions in the field of nuclear technology. Qannadi received the second medal for research for his role as AEOI research and technology deputy. Leilabadi was awarded the third medal of excellence in management for his role as director and deputy manager of Mesbah.

Background on E.O. 13382

Today’s action builds on President Bush’s issuance of E.O. 13382 on June 29, 2005. Recognizing the need for additional tools to combat the proliferation of WMD, the President signed the E.O. authorizing the imposition of strong financial sanctions against not only WMD proliferators, but also entities and individuals providing support or services to them.

In the Annex to E.O. 13382, the President identified eight entities operating in North Korea, Iran, and Syria for their support of WMD proliferation. E.O. 13382 authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and other relevant agencies, to designate additional entities and individuals providing support or services to the entities identified in the Annex to the Order.

In addition to the entities identified in the annex of E.O. 13382, the Treasury Department has designated 29 entities and four individuals as proliferators of WMD, specifically:

Eight North Korean entities on October 21, 2005;
Two Iranian entities on January 4, 2006;
One Swiss individual and one Swiss entity tied to North Korean proliferation activity on March 30, 2006;
Four Chinese entities and one U.S. entity tied to Iranian proliferation activity on June 8, 2006;
Two Iranian entities on July 18, 2006;
Three Syrian entities on January 4, 2007;
One Iranian entity, one British entity, and one individual tied to Iranian missile proliferation on January 9, 2007;
Three Iranian entities on February 16, 2007; and
Three Iranian entities on June 8, 2007; and
Two Iranian individuals on June 15, 2007.
The designation announced today is part of the ongoing interagency effort by the United States Government to combat WMD trafficking by blocking the property of and prohibiting transactions with entities and individuals that engage in proliferation activities and their support networks.

- 30 -

RECAP:

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp447.htm

une 8, 2007
HP-447

Treasury Takes Additional Measures to
Combat Iranian WMD Proliferation
Iranian Nuclear & Missile Firms Targeted

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated four Iranian companies, Pars Tarash (a/k/a Pars Trash Company), Farayand Technique, Fajr Industries Group, and Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group, for their role in Iran’s proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

This action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382, an authority aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters. Designations under E.O. 13382 are implemented by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and they prohibit all transactions between the designees and any U.S. person and freeze any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

“So long as Iran continues to pursue a nuclear program in defiance of the international community’s calls to halt enrichment, we will continue to hold those responsible to account for their conduct,” said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI).

Pars Tarash and Farayand Technique are owned or controlled by, or act or purport to act for or on behalf of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and/or the Kalaye Electric Company, an AEOI subsidiary designated by OFAC on February 16, 2007.

The AEOI manages Iran’s overall nuclear program and reports directly to the Iranian president. Identified by President George W. Bush in the Annex to E.O. 13382, the AEOI is the main Iranian institute for research and development activities in the field of nuclear technology, including Iran’s centrifuge enrichment program and experimental laser enrichment of uranium program.

The AEOI is named in the Annex to United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737 for its involvement in Iran’s nuclear program. Pars Tarash and Farayand Technique were also listed in the Annex to UNSCR 1737 for their involvement in Iran’s centrifuge program and were identified in reports of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA).

According to IAEA reports, Iran disclosed the existence of these two entities in October of 2003, and indicated that they were involved in the domestic production of centrifuge components. It was revealed to the IAEA in January 2004 that Pars Tarash and Farayand were subsidiaries of the Kalaye Electric Company, an AEOI subsidiary. Farayand Technique has had a number of different roles in Iran’s centrifuge enrichment program, and performs quality control on components used at the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. Farayand Technique also has capabilities suitable for the testing and assembly of centrifuges. Pars Tarash has been identified by the IAEA as a site used by Natanz and the Kalaye Electric Company to store centrifuge equipment.

Also designated today are Fajr Industries Group and Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group, two entities owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO). The AIO, which was also identified by President Bush in the Annex to E.O. 13382, is a subsidiary of the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, and is the overall manager and coordinator of Iran’s missile program.

Fajr Industries Group is subordinate to the AIO and involved in the production and acquisition of precision equipment for missile guidance and control systems. Fajr has consistently procured a wide range of missile guidance and control equipment on behalf of the AIO over the years. Since the late 1990s, Fajr has purchased high strength steel alloy, useful for guidance equipment in ballistic missiles and missile-related technology and items. Fajr Industries Group was also identified in the Annex to UNSCR 1737 for its involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group is one of several front companies utilized by AIO in commercial transactions. In particular, Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group has been used by AIO to acquire sensitive material for Iran’s ballistic missile program. For example, in April 2005, Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group purchased a state-of-the-art crane for Iran’s weapons program. An investigation of this transaction determined the crane was probably intended for use in Iran’s Shahab missile program. Cranes can be used to support missiles, like the Shahab, in the field or at storage facilities.

Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group has also acted on behalf of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), a subordinate entity of the AIO which is listed in UNSCR 1737 for its direct role in advancing Iran’s ballistic missile program. In 2005, Mizan Machine Manufacturing Group was connected to the acquisition of equipment, on behalf of SHIG, that could be used to calibrate guidance and control instruments for more accurate targeting of Iran’s ballistic missiles.

Background on E.O. 13382

Today’s action builds on President Bush’s issuance of E.O. 13382 on June 29, 2005. Recognizing the need for additional tools to combat the proliferation of WMD, the President signed the E.O. authorizing the imposition of strong financial sanctions against not only WMD proliferators, but also entities and individuals providing support or services to them.

In the Annex to E.O. 13382, the President identified eight entities operating in North Korea, Iran, and Syria for their support of WMD proliferation. E.O. 13382 authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and other relevant agencies, to designate additional entities and individuals providing support or services to the entities identified in the Annex to the Order.

In addition to the entities identified in the annex of E.O. 13382, the Treasury Department has designated thirty entities and two individuals as proliferators of WMD, specifically:

Eight North Korean entities on October 21, 2005;
Two Iranian entities on January 4, 2006;
One Swiss entity and one Swiss individual tied to North Korean proliferation activity on March 30, 2006;
Four Chinese entities and one U.S. entity tied to Iranian proliferation activity on June 8, 2006.
Two Iranian entities on July 18, 2006;
Three Syrian entities on January 4, 2007;
One Iranian entity, one British entity, and one individual tied to Iranian missile proliferation on January 9, 2007;
Three Iranian entities on February 16, 2007; and
Four Iranian entities on June 8, 2007.
The designation announced today is part of the ongoing interagency effort by the United States Government to combat WMD trafficking by blocking the property of entities and individuals that engage in proliferation activities and their support networks.

Correction on post no. 927:
The date is June 8, 2007

http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/index.cfm?page=Bin_Laden
“Wanted
Usama Bin Laden
Up to $25 Million Reward”

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017006.php

June 19, 2007

“Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan”
(EXAMINER.com)

WASHINGTON -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has surrounded himself in a protective network of Islamic supporters in the vast tribal areas of western Pakistan, complicating the hunt for America’s most wanted criminal, U.S. intelligence officials say.

The United States has firm evidence bin Laden is alive based on interrogations of captured al Qaeda members and intercepted communications in which known terrorists talk about him, a military intelligence source told The Examiner.”

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016999.php

June 19, 2007

Homegrown jihadists plotting mayhem in New York
“Hashmi lived here most of his life, and he didn’t feel he was an American.”

“Pros say maniacs are right here and plotting mayhem in the city,” by Thomas Zambito for the New York Daily News (thanks to Atlas Shrugs):

The trail of terror leads into the city’s very own backyard.

Neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx are spawning homegrown radicals, and some are plotting horrific acts to rival the 9/11 attacks, city and federal investigators say.

[...]

Shahwar Matin Siraj’s failed plot to blow up the Herald Square subway station in 2003 was hatched after he saw photos of prisoners abused at Abu Ghraib. His lawyer said he felt a duty as a Muslim to respond.

Brooklyn College grad Syed Hashmi’s anti-American fervor was stoked by exposure to al-Muhajiroun, a terror group whose leader voiced support for attacks in London and the U.S., those who know him say.

Hashmi, 27, was reared in Flushing but felt increasingly isolated by his devotion to an ancient culture that seemed at odds with the ideals of America, according to his friends.

Before his 2003 graduation, he invited an al-Muhajiroun speaker to the college’s Flatbush campus.

“Hashmi lived here most of his life, and he didn’t feel he was an American,” said Azeem Khan, the assistant secretary general of the Islamic Circle of North Americans in Queens. “He wasn’t afforded the opportunity to feel part of the community or have a greater relationship with the community or feel accepted.”

Hashmi was extradited two weeks ago to face charges in Manhattan of conspiring to send money and military gear to Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. His lawyer says he may have been an outspoken political activist but he has never committed a crime.

Near the bustling intersection of Brooklyn’s Atlantic and Flatbush Aves., a sign outside the Ahlul Bayt Islamic Library reads, “Islam is the Solution.”

Across the way is Al-Farooq mosque, which the feds identified as an Al Qaeda funding source in 2004.

The mosque is not far from the former home of the House of Knowledge bookstore, where the feds say Moroccan-born owner Abdulrahman Farhane, 52, talked about raising money for jihadists with a man who was a government informer.

Farhane pleaded guilty to conspiring to send money overseas and recently was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Recordings of Farhane led the FBI to a Bronx jazz musician, Tarik Shah, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to train Al Qaeda operatives in martial arts.

Shah’s radical leanings were evident in 2000, when he and others tried to use a mosque in upstate Poughkeepsie to rally members for a jihad. An armed confrontation with the leader of the mosque, Anwar Clifton Kearney, led Shah to look elsewhere.

Kearney said he was busy trying to help a struggling flock support themselves, but Shah had something else in mind.

“They were talking about jihad, and we can’t even pay our rent,” Kearney testified recently.

Well, after all, what’s important?

Posted by Robert at June 19, 2007 7:34 AM

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=thailand

#

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017007.php

June 19, 2007

Four killed in Thailand’s rebellious Muslim south
Thai Jihad Update from Reuters (thanks to Sr. Soph):

BANGKOK, June 19 (Reuters) - Suspected Muslim separatist rebels killed four people, including a district chief and an army colonel, in Thailand’s rebellious Muslim south, police said on Tuesday.
One soldier was killed and two wounded late on Monday as they clashed with militants who set fire to a school in Pattani, one of three southernmost Thai provinces where more than 2,300 people have been killed in a three-year insurgency, police said.

The district chief, the colonel and their driver were killed early on Tuesday by a 15-kg (33 lb) roadside bomb as they returned from another school fire in Pattani, police said.

Anti-government slogans were written on a small bridge near the explosion accusing the Pattani governor of involvement in the killing of four Muslim politicians on their way home from a meeting with him. The governor said militants were to blame.

Posted by Robert at June 19, 2007 2:42 PM

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=119529

“PM gives up, closes southern schools”
Thai News Agency

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Prime Minister Surayud Chulanond on Monday ordered the closure of schools in remote and violence-prone areas in the deep South and relocation of students to other schools for safety reason.

His order came on the heels of a bomb blast at a tea shop in Yala municipality, injuring 13 people—four of them in serious condition.

The bomb, activated by a mobile phone, went off at the tea shop opposite a school in Bannang Sata district.

Gen Surayud announced in a press conference that he had ordered closure of schools in troubled areas in the deep South after discussing the issue with the Internal Security Operations Command.

Students from those schools will move to schools where officials can provide maximum security.

“There are more than 700 schools in the three southern provinces. It’s difficult to beef up security at all schools,” the prime minister said.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=denmark
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=school
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbuttahrir
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ht

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blog:

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003789.html

June 17, 2007
“Denmark: Islamists Seize Power In Kindergarten”

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46459

“Start of ‘Arrowhead Ripper’ Highlights Iraq Operations”

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2007

HUMMING...All I am saying, give peace a chance, all I am saying, ....blah, blah, blah...another day in jihad land...

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hamas

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WEBLOG:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=25909_Hamas_Murders_Peace_Demonstrators&only

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

“Hamas Murders Peace Demonstrators”

Snippet: “Last Thursday, completely ignored by the world’s media, Hamas thugs opened fire on a peace demonstration, killing two people.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=kuwait
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alqaeda
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alqaida

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1852954/posts

“Kuwait court commutes four Qaeda death sentences”
Swissinfo ^ | June 19 2007 | Reuters

Posted on 06/19/2007 2:01:54 PM PDT by knighthawk

KUWAIT (Reuters)

http://www.internet-haganah.com
http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/27apr07/27apr07-salafy_forums.html

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www.alfirdaws.org
www.alfirdaws.org/vb
2-up.info/uploads/e9e2c0378f.gif
www.alfirdaws.org/vb/showthread.php?p=154233
2-up.info/uploads/5231f6e314.gif
www.alfirdaws.org/vb/showthread.php?t=35605

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1852974/posts

“Woman sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in fake-ID case”
Winston-Salem Journal ^ | June 19, 2007 | Titan Barksdale

Posted on 06/19/2007 2:39:29 PM PDT by Graybeard58

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A Winston-Salem woman who was a key player in a fake ID ring pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to making and distributing fake IDs.

Laura Bello-Castanada was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Greensboro to nine months in prison for her role in the illegal operation. Judge William Osteen, who handed down the sentence, also placed Bello-Castanada on probation for three years.

Bello-Castanada, who is from Mexico, took telephone orders from illegal immigrants for fake IDs and offered delivery service to customers, court documents show. After receiving a passport-size photograph and $250 to $400, Bello-Castanada provided the fake IDs.

She pleaded guilty to one count of producing false identification documents, possession a firearm illegally, and reentering the United State illegally after she had been deported. She was deported in 2000 after she tried to get a visa by fraud, which is a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

“This is a serious matter to the court,” Osteen said.

“It gets more serious each year.”

Osteen ordered that Bello-Castanada, who lived in an apartment on Indiana Avenue, be deported again when she completes her sentence. After she is deported and begins probation, she will not be able to legally return to the United States, Osteen said.”

Spain: Risk Of Terror Attacks 'High' Says Police Report

Madrid, 18 June 2007 - Spain is at "high" risk of a terrorist attack, according to a confidential police report, 'Evolution of the terror threat in Spain,' quoted on Monday by Spanish daily El Pais. Police and intelligence services are especially alarmed by the emergence of a new and growing phenomenon, that of "second generation" immigrants who have studied in Spain, wear western clothing, and do not appear radical, but who adhere to the most extreme 'takfir' current of Jihadism, which justifies criminal behaviour in support of Jihad (holy war), El Pais reports.

The offpspring of first-generation Muslim immigrants who espouse the takfir doctrine represent "a new and difficult challenge," the paper said, quoting the report. The Takfir Wal Hijra (condemnation and exile) movement is the 'hard-core' of Jihad, El Pais says. Mosques linked to the takfir doctrine - which claims man-made laws are illegitimate - were uncovered two years ago by Spanish police.

Excerpted

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.426661470&par=0

Blasts at militant hideout near Pak-Afghan border: 28 feared killed, many injured
June 19 2007

MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan - Explosions at a suspected militant hideout in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border on Tuesday caused several casualties, the army said.

An intelligence official in North Waziristan said three missiles fired from across the border destroyed a training facility, killing 17 militants (28 according to a private TV channel) and wounding 10 others. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media. But Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad claimed that the explosions were caused when bombs militants were making at an isolated compound accidentally exploded. “The blast happened when these militants were making bombs, and there were several casualties,” he said.

The intelligence official said it was a local Taliban militant training facility, housed in a big mud-brick compound in the border village of Mami Rogha, about 40 kilometers west of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. He provided no further details but maintained the compound had been hit by missiles fired from Afghanistan.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/19/welcome.htm#29

Taliban ban TV, CDs in public in parts of South Waziristan
Tuesday, June 19, 2007

WANA: The Taliban have banned TV and video CDs in public in the Wazir areas of South Waziristan, warning that strict punishment will be meted out to violators. A pamphlet issued by Mujahideen Waziristan and Aman (Peace) Committee chief Qasim Khan declared that the decision would take effect from Wednesday (June 20).

“No tea shop or restaurant in Wana, Azam Warsak, Kaloosha and Angoor Adda will be allowed to show TV shows or play CDs and violators will be fined Rs 20,000 and their establishments will be demolished,” the pamphlet pasted in Wana’s Rustam Bazaar read. The pamphlet did not state the reasons for the ban but a senior Taliban leader was quoted as saying the move was aimed at “keeping children away from watching jihadi CDs”.

Eyewitnesses said all tea shops and restaurants removed TV sets and CD players immediately after the Taliban announced the ban. “Watching CDs showing violence is not good for the children,” a source quoting senior Taliban commanders told Daily Times.

Asked how the Taliban can claim they are stopping children from watching Jihadi CDs when they are recruiting children from schools in Tank district for jihad, a Taliban commander responded: “The situation in post-Uzbek Wana is different.”

Mullah Nazir Ahmed, who took over as the Taliban ameer in September last year, asked senior commanders not to select school-going children for jihad. Mullah Nazir led an uprising against Uzbek militants in March this year, which resulted in the killing of more than 200 Uzbeks and forced the rest to flee to Mehsud areas in South and North Waziristan.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\19\story_19-6-2007_pg7_7

Israel Busts Cell That Allegedly Planned to Kidnap Americans
Tuesday, June 19, 2007

JERUSALEM — Israel has arrested 12 members of a cell that planned to kidnap American citizens, Israeli security officials said Tuesday.

The cell from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small PLO faction, hoped to demand release of their leader, Ahmed Saadat, who is in an Israeli prison after his group claimed responsibility for assassinating an Israeli Cabinet minister. The statement did not give further details about the alleged plot.

The cell also planned to attack a synagogue in Modiin, a town of 60,000 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the statement said. The cell's leader, Rasmi Shawarne of Kfar Dura, used his job as a construction worker in Modiin to gather information about the town. Shawarne had no permit to work in Israel, the security officials said. Saadat, the imprisoned leader, heads the PFLP. In 2001, gunmen from Saadat's faction assassinated an Israeli Cabinet minister, Rehavam Zeevi, in a Jerusalem hotel. Israel's attorney general determined there was not enough evidence to indict Saadat in the assassination, but he is being held on other security charges.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,284592,00.html

Judge issues arrest warrants against 4 Al-Qaeda suspects (Lebanon)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

BEIRUT: Military Investigating Magistrate Rashid Mezher issued arrest warrants on Tuesday against four out of nine suspected Al-Qaeda members detained earlier this month in Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley. "Mezher is expected to interrogate the remaining five on Wednesday," a security source told The Daily Star.

"Among those arrested were one Saudi and two Syrians," added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. Mezher is also expected to interrogate one Saudi and one Palestinian from the Fatah al-Islam militant group Wednesday. The two were arrested by the Lebanese Army during fighting at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli, according to the source.

Excerpted

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=83187

Millions of shekels transferred from Saudi to Hamas
Charity associations in Jerusalem receive millions of shekels to fund Hamas hostilities
06.18.07

According to two indectments served Monday, millions of shekels have been transferred from a Saudi organization to Hamas operatives in Jerusalem. The money was received as charity although, in reality, it was earmarked for terrorist activities. Following a request from the Jerusalem prosecutor's office, details of the affair were released for publication Monday after the Shin Bet and Police investigation was concluded. Two indictments were served on members of the organizations involved for breaking the law that prohibits funding terrorism.

The millions of shekels were received from the Charity Coalition – an umbrella organization that encompasses Hamas charitable societies in Saudi Arabia. The money was transferred to non-profit organizations in the A-Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem to conceal its final destination – the Hamas movement in the city.

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http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3414614,00.html

Kidnap Americans, huh?

I wonder how many more of those cells are still in existance.