Category Archives: Iran

Qassem Suleimani: The world’s most dangerous terrorist

1 SeppmMon, 10 Sep 2012 17:30:27 -06002012-09-10T17:30:27-06:0005 2009 – 17:30

Remember the name Qassem Suleimani. He is the Iranian who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, a barbarous and bloody wing of the Ayatollahs’ imperialistic aggression.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qasem_Soleimani

http://www.aei.org/article/foreign-and-defense-policy/regional/middle-east-and-north-africa/irans-most-dangerous-general/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/9525569/Europes-a-soft-touch-for-the-worlds-most-dangerous-terrorist.html

 

By terrortrends | Also posted in Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Jihad, Qassem Suleimani | Comments (0)

The Muslim Brotherhood, the Clinton State Department, John McCain and Today’s Lax Security Mindset

1 JulamFri, 20 Jul 2012 06:40:40 -06002012-07-20T06:40:40-06:0006 2009 – 06:40

 

By Christopher Holton

There was a time when it was considered necessary and proper to be concerned about possible foreign influences in US government and military service. Way back in 1981 when I first filled out forms as part of the process for joining the US military (it was a DOD form, I don’t remember the number) I had to answer a specific question regarding travel. The question asked if I had traveled to any of a list of nations after certain dates (all communist bloc countries) with a date listed by each nation (the date that each country had turned communist).

Anyone who joined the military in the Cold War era probably remembers this form and this question. If the answer to the question for any of the nations involved was “yes” you had to provide a complete explanation for the reason for the trip, when it took place, etc. Having never visited countries like Cuba, North Korea, East Germany, the Soviet Union, etc., I can’t say that I know what the process would have been had I answered yes.

But the point is, if you wanted to join the US military and you had even visited any communist countries, the Department of Defense wanted to know about it.

Fast forward to today. We are locked in a mortal struggle against a force not unlike communism. In fact, it has been called “communism with a god.” That force is Islam as defined by the Shariah doctrine which forms the basis for it. There are certain countries and organizations that are prominent in the enemy threat doctrine. Yet, to my knowledge, today we have no similar safeguards in place to what the DOD had during the Cold War years to check on the influence of foreign powers on American institutions. For instance, are any questions ever raised about travel to Iran, Syria or Sudan, three countries on the State Department’s list of terrorist sponsoring nations? For that matter, what about travel to Yemen, like Carlos Bledsoe did where he was indoctrinated to wage jihad in the USA by Anwar al-Alwaki? What about travel to the tribal areas of Pakistan, where the Times Square bomber traveled and received training? For that matter, how about travel to Saudi Arabia? After all, the Salafi strain of Islam that gave birth to Al Qaeda has its seat there and most of Al Qaeda’s cannon fodder seems to come from Saudi Arabia.

Then there is the whole present question of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is best described as the forefather of all modern Jihadist terrorist groups. Its apologists and proponents claim that the Muslim Brotherhood has completely eschewed violence, yet the available evidence proves otherwise. HAMAS was founded as a Muslim Brotherhood wing and has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department. HAMAS is one of the deadliest Jihadist organizations in the world, having carried out numerous Islamikaze bombings. And make no mistake, HAMAS has a large presence inside the USA.

There seems to have developed in recent years some romanticized view of the Muslim Brotherhood among certain naive political factions in the USA–and not just Democrats. Rather than being viewed as an organization in the political wing of a global insurgency, the Muslim Brotherhood is unfortunately being embraced in the West and the US. Senator John McCain, for instance, seems to have become smitten with the Muslim Brotherhood after meeting with them for a few hours in Egypt. But no one has embraced the Muslim Brotherhood quite like the Obama administration. The Obama administration has established close ties to Muslim Brotherhood organizations in the US and met with them at length and frequently. All indications are that the Muslim Brotherhood plays a prominent role in the Obama administration. Organizations like CAIR (the Council on American Islamic Relations) and ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America) were named unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest terrorism financing conviction in US history. (Attorney General Holder declined to prosecute these organizations when he came to office, despite intentions by others in the Justice Department to do so.) In the Holy Land Foundation trial, in documented evidence that was stipulated to by the defense, both CAIR and ISNA were identified as Muslim Brotherhood organizations.

And yes, a high-level member of the Clinton staff at the State Department, Huma Abedin, comes from a prominent Muslim Brotherhood family. Her father, her brother and her mother all have prominent positions in the Muslim Brotherhood apparatus. If during the Cold War such a person came from a family with extensive ties to the Communist Party of Romania or East Germany, there would have been ample reason to conduct a security investigation. But in today’s politically correct surreal world of Washington DC “go along to get along” culture, it seems that no questions can be raised. This is the same culture that looked the other way while a known Jihadist, Major Nidal Hassan, hid right out in the open in the US Army spouting Islamic Jihad doctrine, culminating in the terrible terrorist attack at Fort Hood.

Well, the Center for Security Policy DID raise questions. The Center produced a 10-part video course on the Muslim Brotherhood in America that every American should watch: http://www.muslimbrotherhoodinamerica.com. Among others members of Congress, Michelle Bachmann has written a letter to inspectors general of key Washington departments inquiring as to Muslim Brotherhood influence in Washington’s halls of power. For her trouble, the likes of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Anderson Cooper and a host of Leftist media from the Huffington Post to the Los Angeles Times and MSNBC have attacked Rep. Bachmann.

They have all done so in a total vacuum of knowledge about the Muslim Brotherhood, the Holy Land Foundation trial and American fronts like CAIR and ISNA.

The Center has published a rebuttal to this shrill, emotional criticism: http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/p19041.xml

This all stems from a complete failure of our leadership to put America on a war footing in the wake of 9/11. Our leaders have failed to identify the enemy. They have failed to try to understand the enemy threat doctrine. In fact they have denied that an enemy threat doctrine even exists. As a result of this culture, an imperialist, nefarious organization with long-standing ties to terrorism and with goals identical to those of Al Qaeda itself, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, is treated as a friend, rather than as a foe. If you even suggest that the Muslim Brotherhood might be an enemy of America, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Anderson Cooper will attack you as if you are a wild-eyed bomb-thrower. We are indeed through the looking glass.

By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, Al Qaeda, appeasement, CAIR, Carlos Bledsoe, dhimmitude, Faisal Shahzad, Fort Hood Massacre, HAMAS, Holder, Holy Land Foundation, Homeland Security, Islam, Islamic Jihad, Jihad, Muslim Brotherhood, Nidal Malik Hasan, Pakistan, Salafi Islam, Saudi Arabia, Sharia, Shariah, Suicide Bombing, terrorist group listings, Times Square bomb attack, Uncategorized, Wahhabism, Yemen | Comments (0)

So, the Obama State Department declares the “War on Terrorism” Over

1 MayamFri, 04 May 2012 10:24:19 -06002012-05-04T10:24:19-06:0010 2009 – 10:24

Late last week a State Department spokesman uttered “The war on terror is over.”

That utterance was followed  up by President Obama’s surprise trip to Afghanistan (“coincidentally” on the anniversary of the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, or so we are told…). While in Afghanistan, Obama gave a political speech aimed at folks back home in America in which he echoed the sentiments of his State Department spokesman in essentially declaring Al Qaeda beaten.

Before we deconstruct this politically motivated fantasy, we should probably point out that we are not now, nor were we truly ever engaged in a “war on terrorism.” We don’t want to belabor the point because many observers have pointed out this reality over the years. Terrorism is a method, not an enemy. As the late philosopher and columnist Jeff Cooper said shortly after President Bush named this struggle the “war on terrorism:” “Give us an enemy we can shoot at, Mr. President.”

But it was not to be. Obama stopped referring to the war on terrorism as soon as he came into office, his administration floating the term “overseas contingency operations” instead.

That drew instant and widespread ridicule and we haven’t heard the term mentioned much since it was originally floated after Obama got into office.

We should have paid closer attention. This wasn’t just about changing names. This was about ending the war effort. The goal in changing the name was to prepare the American people for an end to the war. Obama came into office knowing he was going to end the war–unilaterally. The fact is, the war and the threat of terrorism don’t help liberals get elected. There was a reason why the word “terrorism” was never uttered at the 2004 Democratic National Convention when the Democrats nominated Senator John Kerry.

The DNC did the polling and the focus groups and found out that the issue was a loser for them. Ever since, the hard left has been hell bent for leather on ending the war effort.

Obama’s State Department spokesman claimed last week that “since most of Al Qaeda’s is now dead” Islamists have other places to turn for legitimate inclusion in the political process.

There is so much to comment on here that we hardly know where to begin.

First of all, most of the original members of Al Qaeda were dead before Obama even got into office. Most estimates were that some 75% of Al Qaeda’s leadership had been killed or captured in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. The killing of Osama Bin Laden just over a year ago likely did not add much to the operational degradation of Al Qaeda. Despite claims to the contrary, it is highly unlikely that Bin Laden still exercised operational control over Al Qaeda around the globe at the time of his death. So, this is hardly a new development as the Obama State Department spokesman implies.

We now know from seized documents and from former intelligence operatives that Bin Laden had, for years, limited his communications with the outside world, including Al Qaeda, to a single human courier. There is simply no way he could possibly have maintained operational authority or control over the organization in such circumstances.

This suggests that his death did not add substantially to the degradation of Al Qaeda’s operational capability.

Bin Laden was barely involved any more. He wasn’t even in a position to raise money–his chief role for years in the past. Nor did he find it necessary to issue frequent videotaped messages to his followers or to the world at large, something he took great pride in doing earlier in Al Qaeda’s war against the West.

Because of this, Bin Laden’s death cannot be accurately  described as ending Al Qaeda. Perhaps we are on the cusp of defeating Al Qaeda in the Afghan-Pak theater of operations, but that is not due to Bin Laden’s death. Bin Laden’s death was in reality a byproduct of the campaign against Al Qaeda in that region over a period of years, starting way back in 2001.

Moreover, Al Qaeda globally is far from finished. The organization has evolved into an umbrella group for Jihadists around the globe. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is active in Africa. Al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula is locked in an active, violent insurgency in Yemen. Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden’s successor and always the organization’s ideologue, is still at large. His Jihadist brother, released from prison in the so-called “Arab Spring” is back in operation in Egypt.

Then there are the Al Qaeda affiliates that don’t identify themselves as Al Qaeda, but certainly operate in a similar fashion. There’s Aby Sayyaf in the Philippines, which has kidnapped and murdered Americans in the past. There’s Al Shabaab in Somalia, which recruits heavily from the Somali refugee community here in the USA. There’s Boko Haram, which is making life in Nigeria a living hell for Christians. There’s Jemaah Islamiyah in Malaysia and Indonesia, which has attacked Westerners, including the 202 deaths in the Bali, Indonesia bombing in 2002. And of course, the Taliban themselves, who are allied with Al Qaeda and gave them a launching pad for operations in the 1990s.

All of these organizations still exist. We are told now that Bin Laden did not have a high regard for these affiliates, but that doesn’t necessarily make them any less of a threat.

But let’s not forget the Jihadist terrorist organizations that operate and who are not overtly aligned with Al Qaeda. These serve as a reminder that the enemy isn’t just “Al Qaeda,” despite what the Obama administration wants you to believe. We should not take too much comfort in the fact that most of these organizations operate overseas and don’t regularly target Americans. They don’t view Americans any differently than they view other Westerners or kafirs.

There is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines, which, like Abu Sayyef, has targeted Americans in the past. There’s Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the horrific Mumbai attacks in 2008. Keep in mind that LeT used an American to conduct reconnaissance for that operation and their captured literature showed plans to target the American homeland. There are the Islamic Jihad Union in Uzbekistan and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Kashmir. There’s Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has known operatives in the US. And, along those same lines, we have HAMAS, which currently only targets Israel, but which has an extensive network in the US.

Most ominously, given the threat from Iran, is Hezbollah, described by more than one US official as the “A” team of terrorism. Congressional investigations estimate that they have thousands of supporters and hundred of operatives here in the US. A very recent report indicates that Hezbollah has a network centered on Shia mosques here in the US as well.

But this all misses the basic point. We are on the receiving end of a global Islamic insurgency. It’s not a homogenous insurgency by any stretch. Many of the insurgent groups are completely unrelated and some even hate each other. But they are all united in one goal: establishment of Islamic rule under Shariah law.

This war did not start on September 11th, 2001, with Al Qaeda’s attacks on the US homeland; it had been raging on a lower level overseas for decades. And the war will not end with the death of Osama Bin Laden, or the outright defeat of Al Qaeda, or the inevitable NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The declaration of victory is purely for domestic political consumption, which is very sad and dangerous indeed.

***************************************************************************

Center for Security Policy Vice President Christopher Holton is available for speaking engagements on the subjects of terrorism, terrorism financing, Shariah, Shariah-Compliant Finance and Jihad. For more information, contact him at chris@christopherholton.com

By terrortrends | Also posted in Abu Sayyaf, Afghanistan, Africa, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), al Shabaab, Al Shahab, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram, Egypt, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Indonesia, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Jihad Union, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jihad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Nigeria, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Taliban, Uncategorized, Yemen, Zawahiri | Comments (1)

Former Argentine President to face trial for covering up for Hezbollah, Iran; Argentines to re-open investigation into 1994 Bombing

1 AprpmSun, 01 Apr 2012 20:56:44 -06002012-04-01T20:56:44-06:0008 2009 – 20:56

In 1994, 85 innocent civilians were killed in a bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hundreds more were wounded.

To this day, that bombing is the worst terrorist attack ever to take place on the South American continent.

The bombing is believed to have been a joint operation of Hezbollah and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Arrest warrants were issued in the case through Interpol for five Iranians and a Lebanese back in 2007. The Lebanese was Imad Fayez Mugniyeh, Hezbollah’s military commander. Mugniyeh lost his head and “assumed room temperature” when he was killed in Syria a couple of years ago when an explosive in the head rest of his car detonated while he was sitting in the seat.

Recently there has been a new development in the case.

Former Argentine President Carlos Menem has been indicted for obstruction of justice for diverting attention away from Iran’s role in the bombing. Evidence indicates that Menem received millions of dollars deposited in a secret Swiss bank account.

In addition to the indictment of Menem, Argentina has announced that they are opening a new investigation into the bombing.

Israel praises Argentina for reinvestigating Jewish community center bombing

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-praises-argentina-for-reinvestigating-jewish-community-center-bombing-1.421773

Ex-Argentina leader to face terror cover-up trial

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=264198

Israeli envoy praises Argentina for 1994 bombing probe

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-iran-argentina-israelbre82u00z-20120330,0,7415921.story

Argentina’s Carlos Menem faces bombing trial

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17570484

By terrortrends | Also posted in Argentina, Argentine Jewish center bombing 1994, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Islamikaze attack, Jihad, Lebanon, Terrorist attack, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Contingencies for possible Hezbollah attacks inside the U.S.

1 MarpmSat, 31 Mar 2012 20:36:51 -06002012-03-31T20:36:51-06:0008 2009 – 20:36

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Matthew Levitt recently testified before Congress about possible Hezbollah terrorist attacks inside the US. A link to a summary of his testimony is provided below.

Here are a few particularly salient points from Levitt’s remarks:

• “FBI investigations to date continue to indicate that many Hizballah subjects based in the United States have the capability to attempt terrorist attacks here” should they so desire.

• there is reason for concern that Hizballah could decide to carry out attacks on U.S. soil…

• In light of Hizballah’s perception that the United States is actively targeting it and its allies, Washington should consider how the group might pursue an attack in the homeland. There are four main ways in which Hizballah could use passive sympathizers and/or active networks to support such an operation:

1. Use operatives already in the United States.

2. Import professional operatives.

3. Leverage criminal ties.

4. Homegrown violent extremism.

Read the details at the link:

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3464

By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, drug cartels, Hezbollah, Homegrown Jihad, Jihad, Possible terror attack, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

A Year of Jihad in America: 2011

1 DecpmFri, 30 Dec 2011 23:49:51 -06002011-12-30T23:49:51-06:0011 2009 – 23:49

There is mounting evidence that the global Jihadist insurgency is fully entrenched in the USA.

Note that it makes little difference if the perpetrators are members of a previously known terrorist organization (such as Al Qaeda or Hezbollah) or are lone actors. Actually, it DOES make a difference. It is difficult to combat a shadowy organization like Al Qaeda, but it is far more difficult to combat lone wolf actors. Al Qaeda may be difficult to infiltrate and gather intelligence on, but how do we “infiltrate” a lone Jihadist?

This is symptomatic of a revolutionary Jihadist subculture metastasizing within the American Muslim community, especially within some of its mosques and organizations. This revolutionary subculture has produced an atmosphere in which Jihadis are inspired to act violently on their own, as well as part of organizations.

This is a very dangerous and volatile situation.

Over the last 12 months alone, we have been provided with a stack of evidence of the Jihadist insurgency inside America. Americans have largely ignored this evidence, or at least failed to “connect the dots.” Seemingly completely unrelated cases do in fact have common threads: they are acts of Jihad. And these are not in actuality isolated incidents, but rather are linked by a common ideology that animates and motivates Jihadis everywhere….it’s only some that respond with actual, overt violent action, but many others are inspired to support passively, with words only, or financially. This is a global movement with a unified core ideology and doctrine rooted in Islam.

It is not difficult to go back and research examples of Jihad in America over the course of a calendar year, such as 2011. What follows is a list of incidents, cases, actions, statements and plots which point to a Jihadist insurgency in our midst: (Keep in mind that insurgencies are 80% civilizational/political and 20% violent/militant.):

JANUARY 2011

Embassy Bomber Sentenced to Life in Prison

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/nyregion/26ghailani.html?

Charlotte, North Carolina Hezbollah Financier Has Prison Sentence
Reduced By Federal Judge

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/01/30/charlotte-north-carolina-hezbollah-financier-has-prison-sentence-reduce-by-federal-judge/

Florida Professor And Mosque Leader Pleads Guilty To Tallahassee Attacks

http://www.americansagainsthate.org/press_releases/PR-Bassem_Alhalabi_4.php

FEBRUARY 2011

Muslim-American Sentenced to Life in Prison for JFK Bomb Plot

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/life_for_jfk_terror_plot_8Qo7Akikhv2XkLtxWDb3qL

Virginia Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Providing Material Support and Encouraging Violent Jihadists to Kill U.S. Citizens

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/February/11-nsd-238.html

Saudi Student in Texas Arrested on Charge of Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/February/11-nsd-235.html

Former southern New Jersey resident to be tried for funding Hezbollah

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/02/28/former-southern-new-jersey-resident-to-be-tried-for-funding-hezbollah/

MARCH 2011

Two New Jersey Men Plead Guilty to Trying to Join Al Qaeda Group

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/03/new-jersey-men-plead-guilty-trying-join-al-qaeda-group/#ixzz1i51iB5Hk

Colorado Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/March/11-nsd-291.html

Bridges TV Co-Founder, Muzammil Hassan, Receives Maximum Sentence For Beheading Of Wife

http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=hassan392011101%2Ehtm

APRIL 2011

Virginia Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Plotting Attacks on D.C.-Area Metro Stations with People He Believed to Be Al Qaeda Members

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/April/11-nsd-456.html

MAY 2011

Two Muslims arrested in NY synagogue bomb plot

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g5P4lhEsaRQSTg8X6CDiihZDysEw?docId=CNG.3477ce51a5c996948ebd68c917bb5a08.b1

Six Muslims, Including Two Imams, Charged in Miami for Providing Material Support to the Pakistani Taliban

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/May/11-nsd-621.html

Court Filing Alleges “Clear And Convincing ” Evidence Of Iran’s “Direct Involvement” In 9/11 Attack

http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=sept115202011101%2Ehtm

JUNE 2011

Two Iraqi Nationals Indicted on Federal Terrorism Charges in Kentucky

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/May/11-nsd-701.html

Iranian Defector Reza Kahlili – Iran Runs “Large Network” Through U.S. Mosques And Islamic Organizations

http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=kahili672011101%2Ehtm

Muslim Man Charged With Shooting at Military Buildings in Northern Virginia

http://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2011/alexandria-man-charged-with-shooting-at-military-buildings-in-northern-virginia

Two Muslim Men Charged in Plot to Attack Seattle Military Processing Center

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/June/11-nsd-832.html

3 Muslims convicted in plot to bomb NY synagogues, shoot down military planes sentenced to 25 years

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/29/sentencing-awaits-men-convicted-in-nyc-temple-plot/

Ohio Woman Sentenced to Just 3 Years in Plot to Fund Hezbollah

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/06/23/ohio-woman-sentenced-to-just-3-years-in-plot-to-fund-hezbollah/

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/05/24/ohio-lebanese-american-couple-pleads-guilty-in-hezbollah-terror-funding-case/

JULY 2011

Obama Administration Moves To Release Convicted Al-Qaeda Financier Aldurahman M. Alamoudi From Prison

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/07/16/obama-justice-department-seeks-to-free-convicted-al-qaeda-financier-abdurahman-alamoudi/

Muslim Soldier Arrested In New Plot To Attack Ft. Hood

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/28/exclusive-us-military-serviceman-arrested-in-second-alleged-attack-on-ft-hood/

AUGUST 2011

4 Narco-Terrorists Indicted for Attempting to Fund the Taliban and Hezbollah

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/08/08/4-narco-terrorists-indicted-for-attempting-to-fund-the-taliban-and-hezbollah/

Muslims Riot At Playland Amusement Park, NY – 15 Arrested

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/disturbance-at-rye-playland-20110830-LGF

SEPTEMBER 2011

U.S. Citizen Rezwan Ferdaus Arrested In Plot to Attack Capitol, Pentagon

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/09/alleged-terror-plotter-indicted-federal-grand-jury/OevOhHc4o1VwcQABMplHIN/index.html

Insurance Giant Lloyd’s Sues Saudi Arabia for $215M Over 9/11 Claims; World’s 4th and 15th Largest Shariah Banks Named in Suit

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/09/19/insurance-giant-lloyd’s-sues-saudi-arabia-for-215m-over-911-claims-worlds-4th-and-15th-largest-shariah-banks-named-in-suit/

3 Boston Islamic charity leaders convicted for support of jihad

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/09/06/3-boston-islamic-charity-leaders-convicted-for-support-of-jihad/

OCTOBER 2011

Plot By Iranian American To Assassinate Saudi Ambassador Foiled By Feds

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-111011.html

Kent State Professor Shouts “Death to Israel” at Israeli Bedouin’s Speech

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149268#.Tv6Lt5gW_jo

Two Minnesota Women Convicted of Providing Material Support to al Shabaab

http://www.fbi.gov/minneapolis/press-releases/2011/two-minnesota-women-convicted-of-providing-material-support-to-al-shabaab

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/10/14/minnesota-terrorism-financiers-talked-of-jihad-on-recorded-phone-calls-jihad-is-your-duty-brother/

NOVEMBER 2011

Muslim Convert Muhammad Yusuf [aka Jose Pimentel] Arrested In Al-Qaeda Terror Plot

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/nyregion/jose-pimentel-is-charged-in-new-york-city-bomb-plot.html?pagewanted=all

Missouri man pleads guilty to attempting to finance Al Shabaab

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/11/07/missouri-man-pleads-guilty-to-attempting-to-finance-al-shabaab/

Man Convicted in US of drug-running for Al Qaeda

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/11/28/man-convicted-in-us-of-drug-running-for-al-qaeda/

Texas man caught on boat bound for Middle East stands trial for trying to smuggle money, GPS receivers and Army manuals to Al Qaeda

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2011/11/07/texas-man-caught-on-boat-bound-for-middle-east-stands-trial-for-trying-to-smuggle-money-gps-receivers-and-army-manuals-to-al-qaeda/

DECEMBER 2011

Study Shows U.S. Mosques Are Repositories Of Muslim Brotherhood Literature And Preachers

http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/p18887.xml

Georgia Muslim Woman Killed in Attack on Police Officer, Had Sent Threats to Congressman

http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/16898599/article-Woman-killed-amid-attack-on-police-officer?instance=home_news_bullets

http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-woman-shot-police-sending-fake-wmd-package/story?id=15240887#.Tv6WnJgW_jp

Christmas Day Massacre in Texas Was Islamic Honor Killing Carried Out By Muslim Dressed as Santa Claus

http://www.therightscoop.com/texas-christmas-day-slaughter-was-islamic-honor-killing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRightScoop+%28The+Right+Scoop%29

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/islamic-honor-killing-in-texas-man-who-murdered-family-on-christmas-morning-was-muslim-who-disliked.html

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/12/27/3619671/dads-text-message-referred-to.html

DEA News: Civil Suit Exposes Lebanese Money Laundering Scheme For Hizballah

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr121511.html

By terrortrends | Also posted in Al Qaeda, al Shabaab, Anwar Al-Awlaki, drug cartels, Hezbollah, Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Iraq, Islamic Charities, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Israel, JFK terror plot, Jihad, Lebanon, MANPADS, Muslim Brotherhood, New York, NYC subway plot, NYPD, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South America, Taliban, terrorism funding | Comments (7)

Western telecom technology in the hands of Hezbollah?

1 SeppmMon, 05 Sep 2011 13:54:55 -06002011-09-05T13:54:55-06:0001 2009 – 13:54

Over the years there have been persistent reports of Western telecom technology originated from firms such as Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia finding their way into the hands of Iran and Hezbollah.

It is almost a given that Western technology has found its way into the hands of the Iranians since Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia (among others) have seen fit to do massive amounts of business in and with Iran, the world’s most active state sponsor of Jihadist terrorism.

That Hezbollah would get their hands on this same technology is not a far reach either, given that Iran is Hezbollah’s primary sponsor. In fact, some experts claim that Hezbollah is in fact an arm of the Pasdaran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The latest reports from Lebanon, Hezbollah’s home turf, have the Jihadist terrorist organization establishing and running its own autonomous telecom system there…

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/Sep-05/147897-outcry-over-hezbollahs-telecoms-network.ashx#axzz1X6nHBS00

 

By terrortrends | Also posted in Hezbollah, Jihad, Lebanon | Comments (0)

Andrew McCarthy on the New York Police Department’s Superb Counterterrorism Efforts

1 SeppmSat, 03 Sep 2011 14:59:08 -06002011-09-03T14:59:08-06:0002 2009 – 14:59

Three years go I was fortunate enough to spend some time with a couple of police officers from the New York Police Department who were part of that department’s counterterrorism apparatus. The things I learned about the NYPD left me extremely impressed. A few of the things I learned:

• The NYPD has officers attached to police departments in major cities around the world to both observe their foreign counterparts’ counterterror efforts and to ensure sharing of intelligence directly between police departments, without the information being delayed and filtered by national intelligence agencies.

• The NYPD has more personnel than the entire FBI.

• The NYPD has a linguistic capability exceeding that of any other US police department and probably exceeding the linguistic capabilities of the FBI. Here is an example of how important this capability is:

Several years ago, members of the security detail of Iran’s UN mission were observed by NYPD uniformed patrolmen videotaping and photographing New York City landmarks, as well as rail and subway facilities. The New York cops detained the Iranians, who, of course, claimed not to speak English (no doubt a lie). This was not a problem for the NYPD. Within an hour, a NYPD officer fluent in Farsi was on the scene to question the detainees (who, unfortunately, were diplomatically immune).

Also a few years ago, the NYPD counterterrorism unit published a report on Islamic “radicalization” in the West called Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat. (http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/public_information/NYPD_Report-Radicalization_in_the_West.pdf)

That report was good enough for Muslim Brotherhood front groups to demand that it be redacted in its entirety, a sure sign that it hit too close to home.

One man who has seen the effectiveness of NYPD’s counterterrorism unit is former Assistant US Attorney Andrew McCarthy, who now writes for National Review. McCarthy convicted Omar Abdel Rahman, better known as the “Blind Sheikh,” for his leading role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

In the article linked below, he details how the NYPD did much of the work–overcoming federal incompetence and politics–to lay the groundwork for the Blind Sheikh to be sent to jail…

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/276181/how-nypd-gets-jihad-right-andrew-c-mccarthy?page=1

By terrortrends | Also posted in Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, Islam, Islamic Jihad, Jihad, Muslim Brotherhood, New York, NYPD | Comments (0)

Was Bin Laden in Charge and Will his Death Defeat Jihad?

1 MaypmSun, 15 May 2011 14:59:23 -06002011-05-15T14:59:23-06:0002 2009 – 14:59

In the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, there is a debate as to the extent that Bin Laden was operationally in charge of Al Qaeda. There have also been those who have naively speculated that Bin Laden’s death means an end to the war on terror or even Jihad altogether.

It seems apparent that Bin Laden was actively communicating with Al Qaeda elements, but it wasn’t in real time. He used a system of couriers to relay messages via email and the internet, but went to great pains to securely communicate. This means no direct internet connection and no phones, cellular, satellite or landline.

This would preclude any real dialogue with operators and cells. It seems as if Bin Laden was able to communicate in general terms about his “commander’s intent,” but was in no position to take part in detailed planning. Bin Laden wanted his followers to carry out mass casualty attacks, he wanted the attacks to occur on important anniversaries and holidays, and he was especially interested in attacks on trains, which is not hard to believe given that Jihadists have been targeting trains in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and India in recent years.

Unfortunately, what this probably means is that the loss of Bin Laden will not operationally hinder Al Qaeda. It may hurt the group’s morale and it may erode some of the group’s financial and moral support, but it might also energize those who seek to avenge Bin Laden’s death at the hands of US special operations forces.

Al Qaeda doctrinal leader Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri still lives and he has been by far more active in communicating in recent years than Bin Laden was. Anwar Al-Awlaki is still at large in Yemen and he has been the one who has successfully trained and inspired Jihadi attacks on US targets in recent years, such as the Fort Hood Jihadi murderer, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Underwear Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Little Rock Jihadist murderer, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad (aka Carlos Bledsoe) and the unsuccessful plot to send bombs embedded in printer cartridges from Yemen to the US on board cargo and passenger airliners.

Muslim Brotherhood apologist Peter Bergen maintains that Awlaki is a small player and that the war on terror should end with the killing of Bin Laden, but this is hardly surprising that Bergen essentially built a career around Bin Laden, including perpetuating the illusion that Bergen himself was some sort of expert on Jihad because he had managed to spend a few hours with Bin Laden in a tent 13 years ago or so.

On top of all this, there is the additional issue of groups and organizations sympathetic to Al Qaeda and allied with Al Qaeda, but not actually part of Al Qaeda. Two significant organizations fall into this category: the Taliban and Lashkar e Taiba.

The Taliban need no introduction, but many people do not realize two things about the Taliban: Taliban leader Mullah Omar specifically declined to merge with Al Qaeda and refused to take an oath of loyalty to Bin Laden. Because of this, Bin Laden exercised no operational control over the Taliban. Second, the failed Times Square bomb plot appears to have been a Taliban operation, vice an Al Qaeda operation: https://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/new-york-times-square-car-bomb-bulletin/

The significance of this is that the Taliban are willing and able to attempt terrorist attacks here in America. Adding to this worry is the recent news that six American Muslims, including Imams at a Florida mosque, appear to have been raising money for the Taliban: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387185/Imam-Florida-mosque-sons-arrested-charges-financing-Taliban-Pakistan.html  Moreover, there is no ignoring the Taliban’s recent bombing attack against a Pakistani paramilitary training facility in northern Pakistan, which was declared as vengeance for Bin Laden’s death–with the promise of more to come.

Unfortunately, the slaying of Osama Bin Laden will have no operational impact on Taliban operations.

Then there is Lashkar e Taiba, the Pakistani Jihadi terrorist group which carried out the horrific Mumbai attacks. Again, this is a group that is often misidentified as an Al Qaeda affiliate, but, like the Taliban, LeT is a separate, standalone organization that declined to pledge any oath to Osama Bin Laden.

What does LeT have to do with America? Two things:

1. The Jihadist who conducted recon ahead of the Mumbai attacks was an American from Chicago named David Coleman Headley:

https://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/18-american-jihadist-terrorists/

In fact, Headley also conducted recon on an Indian nuclear power plant as well:

https://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/chicago-jihadi-conducted-recon-on-nuke-plant-for-lashkar-e-taiba/

2. LeT is known to be active in America:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/927uxqry.asp

Members of the group fought against US forces in Iraq back in 2004. The group is known to have a presence in Germany and the UK as well.

These are just two examples of Jihadi organizations that pose a threat to America that will not be impacted at all by the death of Bin Laden.

Then there is the “lone wolf” threat, the so-called “sudden jihad syndrome” threat in which enraged Muslims commit acts of violence because they were inspired by organizations like Al Qaeda and people like Osama Bin Laden. There have been examples of this, the most recent being the case of a Yemeni-American who tried to storm the cockpit door of an American Airlines flight whilst screaming “AllahuAkbar!” Fortunately, the reinforced door was securely locked and there were a retired Secret Service agent and retired police officer on board who subdued the subject:

http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-san-francisco/did-yemen-man-yells-allahu-akbar-incident-outside-cockpit-door-video

Officials have issued warnings about such “lone wolf” attacks in the wake of Bin Laden getting his brains blown out:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/05/10/bin.laden.attacks/

What of Al Qaeda itself? At least four Al Qaeda affiliates have either declared their intent to avenge Bin Laden’s death or issued veiled threats to carry on with the Jihad:

Somalia’s Al Shabaab, including Daphne, Alabama-born Jihadist, Abu Mansur Al-Amriki, mourned Bin Laden’s passing in a radio communication, confirming, incidentally, Al Qaeda’s role in fighting US forces in Somalia way back in 1993:

http://www.raxanreeb.com/?p=95817

In Indonesia, Jemmaah Islamiyah leader Abu Bakar Bashir, mourned Bin Laden and issued a veiled threat:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/jemaah-islamiyahs-abu-bakar-bashir-says-death-of-bin-laden-wont-kill-al-qaeda/story-fn3dxity-1226049072983

And, finally, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (which has been especially active in hostage taking in recent months and years) and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, both vowed to carry on with Jihad after Bin Laden’s death:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.312069e9fc4253641862a854552f7c85.8b1&show_article=1

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2011/05/al_qaeda_affiliates_weigh_in_o.php

None of this takes two other significant Jihadi terrorist threats into account: Hezbollah and HAMAS.

Hezbollah has not issued any comments on Bin Laden’s death, but a former Hezbollah leader mourned Bin Laden as a hero who defended Islam:

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=45936

Hezbollah has not targeted Americans with terrorism in recent years, but they did take an active combat and advisory role against US forces in Iraq and they are believed to have a substantial presence inside the USA. Most recently, reports have once again surfaced of the group’s presence along the American-Mexico border:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4692389/terror-on-the-border/

What could touch off renewed attacks by Hezbollah? A confrontation with Iran for one.

The same can be said for the Palestinian Jihadist terrorist group HAMAS. Like Hezbollah, HAMAS is greatly dependent on Iran for financing, arms and training. Any confrontation with Iran carries with it the danger of HAMAS terror attacks. Many Americans do not remember that Palestinian terrorists used to target Americans with regularity. They stopped, not out of love for America, but to avoid being targeted by American power. HAMAS has the same basic goals as Al Qaeda and issued a eulogy honoring Bin Laden in which they bestowed upon him the honorific title “Sheikh:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdDapb1rrvk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8488479/Osama-bin-Laden-dead-Hamas-condemns-killing-of-bin-Laden.html

HAMAS is known to have conducted extensive fundraising inside America and, like Hezbollah, is believed to have a major presence inside our country.

So, we have no answers but certainly some educated guesses:

• Bin Laden was unlikely to have played an active operational role in Al Qaeda in recent times; most likely he was limited to expressing “commander’s intent” via intermediaries with little or no direct contact with operatives around the globe.

• The Jihad will of course continue.  Jihad is not limited to a few groups and it didn’t commence on September 11th, 2001. It’s been going on for a millennium and is based on Shariah doctrine, not just the personal philosophy of Osama Bin Laden. Jihad, however, can be made dormant for a period through strong resistance since, according to Shariah, Muslims are specifically not supposed to wage Jihad if they are not strong enough to do so, therefore the situation is far from hopeless.

Al Qaeda and its affiliates have pledged to continue the Jihad and allied Jihadist groups still pose an independent threat above and beyond Al Qaeda. In fact Bin Laden’s death may ironically spur them to action. This says nothing of the threat from Jihadists that were not aligned with Bin Laden, such as Hezbollah and HAMAS, who pose an ongoing, if dormant, threat to Americans.

Now is no time to rest or become complacent. Just the opposite.

By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, Abu Sayyaf, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), al Shabaab, Al Shahab, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Anwar Al-Awlaki, Carlos Bledsoe, Faisal Shahzad, Fort Hood Massacre, Germany, Great Britain, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jihad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, London transit bombings, Madrid train bombing, Mexico, Mumbai attack, Muslim Brotherhood, Nidal Malik Hasan, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Palestinian terrorism, Philippines, Somalia, Sudden Jihad Syndrome, Taliban, terrorism funding, Times Square bomb attack, Uncategorized, United Kingdom, Yemen, Zawahiri | Comments (0)

Long War Journal: Wikileaks documents link Pakistani, Iranian, and Yemeni intelligence agencies to Al Qaeda

1 AprpmMon, 25 Apr 2011 14:51:15 -06002011-04-25T14:51:15-06:0002 2009 – 14:51

A classified document used by military and intelligence officials in the determination of a Guantanamo detainee’s linkages to al Qaeda and associated movements lists the intelligence services of Pakistan, Iran, and Yemen as “associated forces” known to support al Qaeda and allied movements, including the Taliban.

The document, titled “Matrix of Threat Indicators for Enemy Combatants,” was one of more than 700 documents released to select news agencies by WikiLeaks.

List of al Qaeda and Taliban associated forces, according to the Matrix of Threat Indicators for Enemy Combatants document:

Afghan Support Committee (Afghan Support Group)
Al-Muhajiroun [ALM]
Al-Itihad Al-Islami [AIAI]
Al-Qaida Network
Ansar al-Islam [AI]
Armed Islamic Group [GIA]
East Africa al-Qaida [EAAQ]
Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party [ETIP]
Gama”a Islamia [GI]
Harakat Al-Mujahideen [HUM]
Hezb-I-Islami-Gulbuddin (AMC Entity) [HIG]
Hizballah Islah Party Islamic Movement of Tajikistan (ACM Entity) [IMT]
Islamic Salvation Front [FIS]
Jaysh Al-Muhammad [JEM]
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group [LIFG]
Moro Islamic Liberation Front [MILF]
Muslim Brotherhood [MB]
Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence Directorate [ISID]
Anti-Coalition Militia [ACM]
Council of Islamic Courts [CIC]
East Turkistan Islamic Movement [ETIM]
Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Islamic Jihad [EIJ]
HAMAS
Harakat-Ul-Jihad-I-Islami [HUJI]
Hezb-I-Islami-Khalis-(ACM Entity) [HIK]
Iranian Intelligence
Islamic Jihad Union (Islamic Jihad Group) [IJU, IJG]
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan [IMU]
Jama”at Al-Islami [JI]
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (and its political wing MDI) [LT]
Maktab Al-Khadimat [MK]
Moroccan Islamic Combat Group [GICM]
North African Extremist Network
Sabotage Battalion of Chechen Martyrs [RSRSBCM]
Salafist Group for Call and Combat [GSPC]
Takfir wa Hijra [TAKFIR]
Tunisian Combat Group [TCG]
Yemeni Intelligence [PSO]
Active Islamic Youth NGO
Al-Akhtar Trust NGO
Al-Haramayn International Foundation NGO (HIF, HIFA)
Salafiya Jihadia (SJ)
Taliban Tunisian Islamic Front [precursor to Tunisian Combat Group, TCG] [FIT]
Zarqawi Network (al-Qaida in Iraq)
African Muslim Association (sometimes Agency) NGO (AMA)
Al-Furqan NGO
Al-Wafa Humanitarian Organization NGO, al-Wafa al-Islamiya, Munathima Wafa lalA”mal al-Agathia, Munathima Wafa lalA”mal al-Ansania, Wafa Global Relief Foundation NGO (GRF) International Islamic Relief Organization NGO [IIRO]
Kuwaiti Joint Relief Committee NGO [KJRC]
Maktab al-Khidmat NGO [MK]
Qatari Joint Committee for Relief NGO Revival of Islamic Heritage Society NGO [RIHS]
Saudi High Commission for Relief NGO [SHCR] Ummah Tameer Nau NGO [UTN]
Benevolence International Foundation (Lajnat Al-Bir Al-Islami) NGO [BIF]
Human Appeal International NGO Jama”at Al-Tablighi NGO [JT]
Lajnat Al-Dawa Al-Islamiya NGO [LDI]
Muslim World League NGO Rashid Trust NGO
Sanabil NGO Taibah NGO World Assembly of Muslim Youth NGO [WAMY]

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/04/gitmo_docs_link_paki.php

By terrortrends | Also posted in Al Qaeda, Pakistan, terrorist group listings, Yemen | Comments (0)