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Fatwa against ‘friends of US, Jews’
Friday, August 17, 2007

MINGORA: Pamphlets pasted on the walls of mosques and bazaars in Matta tehsil of Swat district warned locals on Thursday against working for non-government organisations, as a mullah issued a fatwa (decree) calling upon Muslims to wage a jihad against the “friends of infidels,” eyewitnesses said.

Little known Mufti Khalid Shah issued the fatwa saying that “since the US and Jewish states have made Muslims’ lives miserable, jihad is mandatory against the people working for them at international and national levels”. “Every Muslim is under an obligation to wage a jihad against the people working for the US or other Jewish states,” read the fatwa written in Urdu. It also warned people working for multinational companies to quit their jobs or “face serious consequences”.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\08\17\story_17-8-2007_pg7_8

"Terrorist gang" busted in Kabul
08/16/2007

KABUL - Intelligence officials claimed busting a 'terrorist network' and arresting a ringleader during a raid in this capital city. Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, spokesman for the National Intelligence Department Saeed Ansari said the lynchpin named Muhammad Talib was resident of Zindan village of Khak-i-Jabar district.

The alleged terrorist Muhammad Talib, alias Jamal, was nabbed along with his seven colleagues while smuggling missiles, he said. Other members of the gang included Sherullah, Saifullah, Muhammad Khan, Azeemullah, Abdul Sattar, Najeebullah and Toti Shah. They were residents of Khak-i-Jabar, Bagrami and Deh Sabz districts of Kabul, he informed. The detainee was a commander of the Hezb-i-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar during the era of jihad, said the spokesman.

Muhammad Talib joined the Taliban and served as deputy chief of Bagrami district and then head of the research branch of the intelligence department, he informed.

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http://www.e-ariana.com/ariana/eariana.nsf/allDocs/D4B9285010FE355087257339006732FC?OpenDocument

FBI's caution puzzles experts
Published August 16, 2007

TAMPA - For days after the arrest of two University of South Florida students accused of having pipe bombs, the FBI remained silent.

On Wednesday, the agency released a statement telling the public it's possible there's no merit to the accusations against Youssef Megahed, 21, and Ahmed A. Mohamed, 26. Both were arrested Aug. 4 in Goose Creek, S.C., on charges of possession of explosives. "The FBI would like to remind everyone that this is an ongoing investigation and there is the possibility that the publicly reported allegations involving the students may be proven to be false," it read.

An FBI spokesman said the agency is still investigating, that it released the statement only because there's so much interest in the case, and it wants to be fair. "We're just making a request for everybody to be very objective at this time, very neutral," said Special Agent Dave Couvertier.

But local legal experts say there's likely more to it. "That is a highly unusual statement from the FBI," said Tampa lawyer John Fitzgibbons, a former federal prosecutor. Other legal experts agreed, but no one knew what to make of it.

"Well, who knows what that means?" said Ed Page, a lawyer who has experience in Tampa and Washington, D.C. "Perhaps the initial assessment that the trunk contained pipe bombs was inaccurate. That's a weird statement, I've got to tell you, to be coming out of the FBI." Fitzgibbons saw two scenarios. First, the FBI may not have a strong case against the students. Second, the Department of Justice may require a statement of that sort in its communication with the media.

Page agreed, adding that he'd never seen such a statement from the FBI. Neither had lawyer Stephen Crawford. "I don't think I've ever seen an FBI statement that reminds us of our civil liberties," Crawford said. "I think it shows that it's probably going to turn out that the chemicals in those kids' trunks were more fireworks than it was bomb." Bob Ulmer, a former FBI agent in Tampa, agreed the statement was unusual, but he said it sounded more like a policy decision or a deliberate attempt to be objective than the end of an investigation. "I would say they're just being cautious," Ulmer said. "I've never heard it worded quite that way." The FBI declined to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/16/Hillsborough/FBI_s_caution_puzzles.shtml