Free Republic

ASSOCIATED PRESS 3:00 p.m. CAIRO, Egypt – Hamas officials shrugged off the support offered by al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader, saying Sunday the Palestinian militant group has a different ideology than the terror network and won election through a moderate approach to Islam. In a video aired Saturday by Al-Jazeera, Ayman al-Zawahri called for jihad, or holy war, to reclaim Palestinian lands and implied al-Qaeda's support for Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel despite international pressure since the militant Islamic group swept parliamentary elections in January. A Hamas official in Gaza, speaking on condition of anonymity because the movement did not want...

Russian soldiers have paraded on TV a man they say is one of the Beslan hostage-takers as the nation begins two days of mourning. The soldiers, their faces hidden by balaclavas, manhandled the handcuffed suspect for the cameras. "I did not shoot," the suspect pleaded. "I swear by Allah I want to live." The appearance came as Beslan began burying the 323 victims of Friday's massacre. The total number of dead - 156 of which are children - is expected to rise further. Around 400 people are still receiving medical treatment. Some of the injured have yet to be identified...

Cop who caught Khalid Sheikh shot dead ISLAMABAD: A Punjab Police Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector, Raja Saqlain, and his nephew were shot dead by unidentified terrorists near Aamir Market in Rawalpindi on Saturday, police said.Inspector Saqlain, SHO of Westridge Police Station in Rawalpindi, and Altaf were coming out of their house in Afshaan Colony, Rawalpindi, when two terrorists riding a motorcycle opened fire on them. They died in District Headquarters Hospital, Rawalpindi. The shooters fled. Mr Saqlain, who had arrested important members of terrorist organisations, has nabbed including Al Qaeda operational chief Khalid Sheikh Muhammad in 2003. According to...