IPT
Update@ctnews.org
NOTE: The next Update will be circulated the week of 06 Jan 2014
General security, policy
1. Iran reveals new details of shoulder-fired missiles; Iran slams White House 'breach' of nuke deal
2. Six Chinese nationals indicted for conspiring to steal trade secrets from US seed companies
3. Treasury designates Al-Qa'ida supporters in Qatar & Yemen; NGO leader's terror designation looks familiar
4. State Dep't designates Fatah al-Islam Associate Usamah Amin
al-Shihabi; warns of new terrorist group posing threat to U.S. interests
in Africa
5. Wanted fugitive Ahmad Abousamra added to the FBI's Most Wanted
Terrorists list; indicted on conspiracy charges in 2009, has Detroit
ties; is close friend of convicted Boston terrorist Tarek Mehanna
6. Reno man charged with conspiring to provide material support to terror groups in India and Pakistan
7. AL terrorism defendant seeks leniency, sentencing set for Friday;
Failed Mobile fragrance store: Legitimate business or terrorist ruse?
8. Bin Laden son-in-law's US lawyer, Stanley Cohen, indicted in SDNY on tax charges
9. Federal grand jury returns indictment charging Wichitan with planning airport bombing
10. Int'l arms smuggler sentenced in PA to 180 months in prison
Air, rail, port, health, energy & communication security
11. Sources: Target investigating massive data breach
12. Harvard student charged with bomb hoax
Financing, money laundering, fraud, identity theft, civil litigation
13. US appeals court reinstates Saudi Arabia as a defendant in Sept. 11 damages lawsuit
14. Hezbollah financing evolves beyond Colombia's Muslim communities
Border security, immigration & customs
15. US testing surveillance balloons on Mexico border
Other items
16. New reward issued for FBI fugitive Yaser Abdel Said
International
17. Worry in Tunisia over youths who turn to Jihad
18. Anatomy of an 'honour' killing: Why a Palestinian community demanded a father murder his divorced daughter
19. France faces revival of Mali militants
20. Taliban eulogize Qari Hussain, chief of suicide and international operations
21. Guilty: Lee Rigby killers: from quiet Christians to Islamist
murderers Lee Rigby killers had links to Lewisham mosque that 'attracts
radicals'; White widow terror cell helped Rigby killer
22. Raids and graft inquiry in Turkey are seen by some as Muslim cleric's plot
23. Bosnian Islamic extremist given 45 years in prison for terrorist attack at police station
Comment / analysis
24. Claudia Rosett: Technology for Tyrants Courtesy of the U.N.
25. Douglas Murray: UK: Charities for terrorists
The Investigative Project on Terrorism Update
is designed for law enforcement, the intelligence community and policy
makers for non-profit research and educational use only. Quoted
material is subject to the copyright protections of the original
sources, which should be cited for attribution, rather than the Update.
THE AMERICAS
GENERAL SECURITY, POLICY
1. Iran Reveals New Details of Shoulder-Fired Missiles
Anti-terror officials concerned missiles could be given to Iran-supported terror orgs
BY: Bill Gertz Washington Free Beacon December 17, 2013 6:20 pm
http://freebeacon.com/iran-details-new-shoulder-fired-missiles/
Iran
this month unveiled details on two shoulder-fired surface-to-air
missiles that are a major concern among U.S. and allied counterterrorism
officials due to Tehran's support for global terrorist groups.
Iran
on Dec. 8 published a report outlining the specifications for what it
calls the Misagh-1 and Misagh-2 shoulder-fired missile system. The
report in the state-run Islamist Tasnim news agency stated the missiles
are superior to the U.S. Stinger anti-aircraft missile and Sweden's
RBS-70 missile system. According to the news agency, both variants of
the missile are 1.5 meters long and can hit targets at a maximum
altitude of 4,000 meters.… According to the report, Iran's military
places great emphasis on shoulder-fired missile launchers because of the
ease of carrying the weapon in the field and because most of Iran's
anti-aircraft artillery are fixed units and lack firepower…
Iran Slams White House 'Breach' of Nuke Deal
Iran: WH obeys 'radical Zionist lobbies'
BY: Adam Kredo Washington Free Beacon December 18, 2013 1:05 pm
http://freebeacon.com/iran-slams-white-house-breach-of-nuke-deal/
Senior Iranian officials lashed out at the Obama administration on
Wednesday for what they called its "breach" of a recently signed nuclear
accord, accusing the White House of taking its cue from "radical
Zionist lobbies"—a position that Iran claims European negotiators agree
with. The rhetoric comes as nuclear talks between Tehran and the West
broke down after the United States announced greater sanctions on Iran.
The Iranian government's confrontation with the administration was
accompanied by multiple military announcements, including the claim from
a top military official that "Iran is the fifth missile power in the
world." After the Iranians broke off talks late last week, U.S.
officials admitted they are "very skeptical" that Tehran will agree to a
final nuclear deal despite a plan to get the parties back to the
bargaining table. The Iranians responded this week by accusing the
White House of breaching the interim accord, which is meant to
temporarily halt portions of Iran's contested uranium enrichment
program…
2. Six Chinese Nationals Indicted for Conspiring to Steal Trade Secrets from U.S. Seed Companies
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa Dec 19, 2013 (515) 473-9300
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11284
DES
MOINES, IA—United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt announced the
indictment on December 17, 2013, against six Chinese nationals for
conspiracy to steal trade secrets from U.S. seed companies. The
indictment alleges that from on or about April 2011 to on or about
December 2012, Mo Hailong, Li Shaoming, Wang Lei, Wang Hongwei, Ye Jian,
and Lin Yong conspired to steal the trade secrets of several U.S.-based
seed manufacturing companies and transport those trade secrets to China
for the benefit of their China-based seed company. Mo Hailong was
previously charged by criminal complaint on Tuesday, December 10, 2013…
The defendants are alleged to have conspired to steal inbred corn seed
from Dupont Pioneer, Monsanto, and LG Seeds. This "inbred" or "parent"
line of seed constitutes valuable intellectual property of a seed
producer. After stealing the inbred corn seed, the conspirators
attempted to covertly transfer the inbred corn seed to China. The
estimated loss on an inbred line of seed is approximately five to eight
years of research and a minimum of 30 to 40 million dollars...
3. Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen
US Department of the Treasury 12/18/2013
http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx
WASHINGTON
– The U.S. Department of Treasury today imposed sanctions on two
al-Qa'ida supporters based in Qatar and Yemen. Abd al-Rahman bin 'Umayr
al-Nu'aymi (Nu'aymi) and 'Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad 'Abd al-Rahman
al-Humayqani (Humayqani) were named as Specially Designated Global
Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. Nu'aymi was
designated for providing financial support to al-Qa'ida, Asbat
al-Ansar, al-Qa'ida in Iraq, and al-Shabaab, and Humayqani was
designated for providing financial support to and acting on behalf of
al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)… Nu'aymi is a Qatar-based
terrorist financier and facilitator who has provided money and material
support and conveyed communications to al-Qa'ida and its affiliates in
Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen for more than a decade. He was
considered among the most prominent Qatar-based supporters of Iraqi
Sunni extremists. Humayqani has used his Yemen-based charity as a cover
for funneling financial support to AQAP and has frequently traveled
throughout the Arabian Peninsula while conducting business for AQAP.
During political unrest in Yemen, Humayqani reportedly assisted AQAP in
gaining a foothold and safe haven in al-Bayda' Governorate, Yemen and as
of mid-2011 served as the acting AQAP amir there. Both Nu'aymi and
Humayqani are at the center of global support networks that fund and
facilitate terrorism…
NGO Leader's Terror Designation Looks Familiar
by IPT News • Dec 20, 2013 at 1:24 pm
http://www.investigativeproject.org/4245/ngo-leader-terror-designation-looks-familiar
Daily Beast reporter Eli Lake picked up Friday on an overlooked angle
behind a new terrorist designation by the U.S. Treasury Department.
Abdul Rahman Omeir al-Naimi "has provided money and material support and
conveyed communications to al-Qa'ida and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq,
Somalia and Yemen for more than a decade," a Treasury Department
statement issued Wednesday said. That includes a $600,000 transfer
earlier this year and Naimi's alleged oversight of monthly $2 million
transfers to al-Qaida in Iraq. This action, which freezes al-Naimi's
assets and makes financial interactions with him illegal, likely comes
as a shock to many who have worked with him, Lake reports. Al-Naimi is a
history professor from Qatar and created a charity, al-Karama, which
"has worked closely with the United Nations and American human rights
groups, most notably Human Rights Watch." "If the Treasury Department's
allegations are correct," Lake continues, "the story of al-Naimi, who
until Thursday was the president of al-Karama's board, illustrates how
sometimes human-rights advocacy can also be used as political cover for
jihadist networks."… We've seen this before in American charities which
claim to advocate for a cause and help needy people, only to be exposed
as terror supporters. Sami Al-Arian, recently seen on Capitol Hill at a
program advocating for the restoration of Muslim Brotherhood rule in
Egypt, ran a charity that he insisted was only about telling the
Palestinian story and aiding needy widows and orphans. But his defenders
pretend this video, showing Al-Arian accepting an introduction as the
head of "the active arm of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine,"
does not exist. And this clip, which shows fundraising for the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad being routed to Al-Arian's Islamic Committee
for Palestine, hasn't stopped Islamist groups and academics from casting
him as an innocent man done wrong by the government...
4. Terrorist Designation of Fatah al-Islam Associate Usamah Amin al-Shihabi
Media Note, Office of the Spokesperson, Department of State, Washington, DC December 18, 2013
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/218883.htm
The
Department of State has designated Fatah al-Islam (FAI) associate
Usamah Amin al-Shihabi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under
section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists
and those providing support to terrorists or acts of
terrorism. Al-Shihabi is an associate of FAI, a Lebanese-based militant
group formed in 2006, whose ultimate goal is the institution of Islamist
sharia law in the Palestinian refugee camps and the destruction of
Israel, and at times has played a key leadership role in the
organization. He has also recently been appointed head of Syria-based
al-Nusrah Front's Palestinian wing in Lebanon. Al-Nusrah Front was
formed by al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI) in late 2011 as a proxy for AQI's
activities in Syria and, on December 11, 2012, the State Department
amended the designations of AQI as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated
Global Terrorist entity under Executive Order 13224 to include al-Nusrah
Front as an alias…
State Dept. Warns of New Terrorist Group Posing Threat to U.S. Interests in Africa
By MICHAEL R. GORDON New York Times Dec 19, 2013
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11279
WASHINGTON
— The State Department warned Wednesday that a new terrorist group
linked to an Algerian militant has emerged as "the greatest near-term
threat to U.S. and Western interests" in the Sahel region of Africa. The
State Department's move underscored the resilience of the militant
factions and their ability to forge new terrorist alliances, even in the
face of Western pressure… The source of much of the concern is Mokhtar
Belmokhtar, an Algerian militant who has long been a notorious figure in
the Sahel region — a vast area on the southern flank of the Sahara that
stretches from Senegal to Chad — and who appears to have become more
dangerous even as his ties to Al Qaeda seem to have become more tenuous.
Known as Laaouar, or the one-eyed, after losing an eye to shrapnel, Mr.
Belmokhtar fought against a Soviet-installed government in Afghanistan…
The new terrorist group, a State Department official said, "concerns
us more than any in the region." …
5. Wanted Fugitive Ahmad Abousamra Added to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List
$50,000 Reward Offered for Information Leading to His Capture and Return to the U.S.
FBI Boston December 18, 2013
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11280
Vincent
S. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's Boston Division, announced today the addition of wanted
fugitive Ahmad Abousamra to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List
(MWTL). The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $50,000 for
information leading directly to the capture and return of Abousamra to
the United States. With the inclusion of Ahmad Abousamra, there are
currently 30 individuals on the FBI's MWTL, which was created in October
2001 to highlight individuals indicted for various acts of terrorism
against the United States. The list remains a worldwide tool that
assists the FBI in its efforts to apprehend alleged terrorists and bring
them to justice. Ahmad Abousamra was indicted after taking multiple
trips to Pakistan and Yemen, where he allegedly attempted to obtain
military training for the purpose of killing American soldiers overseas.
On November 5, 2009, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Abousamra
in the United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston,
Massachusetts, after he was charged with conspiracy to provide material
support to terrorists; providing and attempting to provide material
support to terrorists; conspiracy to kill in a foreign country;
conspiracy; and false statements. Abousamra was indicted on a total of
nine charges and should be considered armed and dangerous…
FBI adds Syrian American to 'most wanted terrorist' list
Man indicted on conspiracy charges in 2009 has Detroit ties.
Ann Zaniewski Detroit Free Press 11:28 a.m. EST December 19, 2013
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013312190133
IPT NOTE: Mehanna's court papers are posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/case/282
A
Syrian American with ties to Detroit has been placed on the FBI's Most
Wanted Terrorists list, the agency announced Thursday. Ahmad Abousamra,
32, was indicted in 2009 in Boston on federal charges that included
conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, providing and
attempting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to
kill in a foreign country. He fled the U.S. three years earlier and is
believed to be living in the area of Aleppo, Syria, according to the
FBI. Authorities said Abousamra and a man named Tarek Mehanna tried to
obtain terrorist training with a goal of killing Americans abroad…
Abousamra's father lives in metro Detroit, Ramsey told the Detroit Free
Press. It's unclear whether he has other extended family here, he
said… Ramsey said Abousamra, who grew up in the Boston area, was on the
"path to radicalism" prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in
the U.S. He and Mehanna were childhood friends… Mehanna was convicted of
terrorism charges in 2011 and sentenced to 17½ years in prison,
according to the FBI...
6. Reno Man Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorism Groups in India and Pakistan
Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs Wednesday, December 18, 2013
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/December/13-nsd-1332.html
A
Reno, Nev. man has been charged with providing material support to
terrorism groups in India and Pakistan in order to intimidate the Indian
government and to harm persons that were not supporting their cause,
announced John Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National
Security, Daniel G. Bogden, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada,
and Laura A. Bucheit, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI for Nevada...
Balwinder Singh, aka Jhajj, aka, Happy, aka Possi, aka Baljit Singh, 39,
of Reno, is charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to
murder, kidnap, and maim persons in a foreign country, one count of
conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, one count of
making a false statement on an immigration document, two counts of use
of an immigration document procured by fraud, and one count of unlawful
production of an identification document. Singh was arrested on
Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013, in Reno, and is scheduled to appear before a
U.S. Magistrate Judge on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, for an initial
appearance and arraignment…
7. Alabama terrorism defendant seeks leniency; sentencing set for Friday
By Brendan Kirby Press-Register on December 17, 2013 at 7:00 AM
http://blog.al.com/live/2013/12/alabama_terrorism_defendant_se.html
IPT NOTE: Court documents posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/case/631
MOBILE,
Alabama – Throughout their prosecution of a pair of terrorism
defendants, federal authorities have offered dozens of passages from
recorded conversations purporting to demonstrate the men's nefarious
intent. On Monday, a lawyer for defendant Randy "Rahseed" Wilson offered
other excerpts from the hundreds of hours of recorded conversations and
intercepted emails that investigators gathered over a three-year
period. Those excerpts paint a far different picture than the image of
two calculating terrorists who methodically plotted a jihad campaign in a
foreign country before getting caught trying to leave the United
States… Wilson and Abukhdair, pleaded guilty earlier this year to
conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. U.S. District
Judge Kristi DuBose will sentence them Friday amid tighter-than-usual
security at the federal courthouse downtown...
Failed Mobile fragrance store: Was it legitimate business or terrorist ruse?
By Brendan Kirby Press-Register on December 17, 2013 at 1:55 PM
http://blog.al.com/live/2013/12/failed_mobile_fragrance_store.html
MOBILE,
Alabama – One of the most curious aspects of the terrorism case against
Randy "Rasheed" Wilson and Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair involves the
men's fragrance store on Airport Boulevard. Prosecutors have argued
that it was one of the elaborate ways that Wilson and Abukhdair tried to
avoid detection. At one point, for instance, they threw computer
equipment into Mobile Bay because they had become convinced that the FBI
was watching them. The fragrance store, prosecutors allege, was
designed to convince the FBI that they had given up their plans to
travel abroad and wage holy war. Wilson and Abukhdair are scheduled to
be sentenced Friday for conspiracy to provide material support to
terrorists. Both face a maximum of 15 years in prison…
8. Bin Laden Son-In-Law's U.S. Lawyer Indicted on Tax Charges
By REUTERS By Bernard Vaughan NEW YORK Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:24pm EST
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/19/us-usa-militant-lawyer-idUSBRE9BI02520131219
NEW
YORK — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a lawyer for Suleiman
Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, for failing to report more
than $3 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service. The
six-count indictment brought by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office
said the income represented unreported legal fees paid to the lawyer,
Stanley L. Cohen, between 2005 and 2010. Cohen, 63, was also charged
with scheming to defraud New York state tax authorities for failing to
report and trying to hide his income, prosecutors said in a statement.
Cohen, who refers to himself as a political activist, told clients to
pay him in cash, stored portions of the cash in a safety deposit box
rather than in a bank account, and directed clients to pay fees by wire
transfers routed to pay his American Express credit card bill,
prosecutors said. He was charged with five counts of failing to file
U.S. individual income tax returns and one count of wire fraud. He faces
a maximum of 20 years in prison… In 2012, Cohen was indicted in the
Northern District of New York on one count of obstructing and impeding
the Internal Revenue Service and two counts of causing the failure to
file required reports…
9. Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictment Charging Wichitan with Planning Airport Bombing
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Kansas (316) 269-6481 December 18, 2013
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11281
IPT NOTE: Background posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/4238/alleged-kansas-bomber-wanted-to-be-obedient-slave. Court documents posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/case/656
KANSAS
CITY, KS—A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a
Wichita man with attempting to explode a car bomb at Wichita
Mid-Continent Airport, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. Terry
Loewen, 58, Wichita, Kansas, initially was charged in a criminal
complaint filed December 13 in U.S. District Court. On Wednesday, a
federal grand jury reviewed the evidence and returned an indictment
against Loewen. The charges in the indictment are identical to the
charges in the complaint filed last week: one count of attempting to use
a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage
property by means of an explosive, and one count of attempting to
provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist
organization. The crimes are alleged to have occurred December 13 at
Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita. Loewen was arrested about 5:40
a.m. December 13 at the Wichita airport, where he is alleged to have
attempted to detonate a car bomb…
10. International Arms Smuggler Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison
Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs Thursday, December 19, 2013
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/December/13-crm-1344.html
Siarhei
Baltutski, aka Sergey Boltutskiy, 41, of Minsk, Belarus, was sentenced
today to serve 180 months in prison for conspiracy to violate the Arms
Export Control Act, conspiracy to violate the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Acting
Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department's
Criminal Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General John Carlin of the
Justice Department's National Security Division and U.S. Attorney Zane
David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the
announcement… Between Jan. 1, 2008, and Sept. 21, 2011, Baltutski
organized a network of buyers in the United States to obtain and
illegally export to Belarus high-tech military hardware such as Scorpion
Thermal Weapon Sights, ThOR 2 Thermal Imaging Scopes, Thermal-Eye
Renegade 320's, and other night vision targeting devices. During the
course of the conspiracy, Baltutski and his associates illegally
exported hundreds of these items. Baltutski then arranged for hundreds
of thousands of dollars to be secretly wired, via offshore shell
companies, to purchase these items, to pay for shipping, and to pay his
network of buyers…
AIR, RAIL, PORT, HEALTH, ENERGY & COMMUNICATION SECURITY
IPT NOTE: For more items, see DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Reports http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/editorial_0542.shtm ; DHS Blog http://www.dhs.gov/news-releases/blog; TSA Releases http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/index.shtm ; TSA Blog http://blog.tsa.gov/
11. Sources: Target Investigating Data Breach
Brian Krebs 18 Dec 2013 Krebs on Security
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/12/sources-target-investigating-data-breach/#more-24054
Nationwide
retail giant Target is investigating a data breach potentially
involving millions of customer credit and debit card records, multiple
reliable sources tell KrebsOnSecurity. The sources said the breach
appears to have begun on or around Black Friday 2013 — by far the
busiest shopping day the year.
Update, Dec. 19: 8:20 a.m. ET: Target released a statement http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11282 this
morning confirming a breach, saying that 40 million credit and debit
card accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013. Original story; According
to sources at two different top 10 credit card issuers, the breach
extends to nearly all Target locations nationwide, and involves the
theft of data stored on the magnetic stripe of cards used at the stores…
Both sources said the breach was initially thought to have extended
from just after Thanksgiving 2013 to Dec. 6. But over the past few days,
investigators have unearthed evidence that the breach extended at least
an additional week — possibly as far as Dec. 15. According to sources,
the breach affected an unknown number of Target customers who shopped at
the company's bricks-and-mortar stores during that timeframe…
12. Harvard Student Charged with Bomb Hoax
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts (617) 748-3100 Dec 17, 2013
http://www.fbi.gov/boston/press-releases/2013/harvard-student-charged-with-bomb-hoax
BOSTON—A
Harvard student was named today in a criminal complaint alleging that
he was responsible for yesterday's bomb threats at Harvard
University. It is alleged that Eldo Kim, 20, of Cambridge, e-mailed
several bomb threats to offices associated with Harvard University,
including the Harvard University Police Department and the Harvard
Crimson, the student-run daily newspaper. Kim will have an initial
appearance in U.S. District Court before United States Magistrate Judge
Judith G. Dein on December 18…
FINANCING, LAUNDERING, FRAUD, IDENTITY THEFT, CIVIL LITIGATION
13. US appeals court reinstates Saudi Arabia as a defendant in Sept. 11 damages lawsuit
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press December 20, 2013
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ny-court-restores-saudi-arabia-sept-11-lawsuit-21283396
IPT NOTE: The opinion is posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11289. Some of the court documents are posted at http://www.investigativeproject.org/case/491
A
federal appeals court on Thursday reinstated Saudi Arabia as a
defendant in lawsuits claiming it provided support to al-Qaida before
the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals said restoring Saudi Arabia was necessary to be
consistent with a ruling by a different 2nd Circuit panel that allowed
another lawsuit to go forward in which a man sued Afghanistan and other
defendants for the death of his wife in the Sept. 11 attacks. The 2nd
Circuit and a lower court had previously ruled that Saudi Arabia was
protected by sovereign immunity, which generally means that foreign
countries can't be sued in American courts. But in its latest ruling,
the 2nd Circuit said a legal exception existed that would allow Saudi
Arabia to remain as a defendant, just as Afghanistan remained in the
similar case…
14. Hezbollah financing evolves beyond Colombia's Muslim communities
By Abraham Mahshie Special to the Miami Herald Posted on Thu, Dec. 19, 2013
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/12/19/3828379/hezbollah-financing-evolves-beyond.html
MAICAO, Colombia- Samira Hajj Ahmad flew to Maicaofrom Beirut in 1982
for her honeymoon. She didn't intend to stay for 31 years. Nor did she
expect Hezbollah to follow her... Her family encouraged her to stay in
Maicao, a dusty border town with a free trade zone that is home to
Colombia's largest Muslim population… Each year, millions of dollars of
drug money are laundered in Maicao, where some community members openly
proclaim their support for Hezbollah. Recent U.S. Treasury Department
actions have slowed the flow of cash to terrorist groups, but financiers
have fled and new networks have reconstituted that are harder to
identify. Meanwhile, the usual suspects — Lebanese descendant Colombians
— are tired of taking the blame… Hajj Ahmad, 49, occasionally reads
with shock the Maicao newspaper reports of neighbors blacklisted by the
U.S. Treasury Department for financing the terrorist group.… Lebanese
descendant community members may support the group ideologically, while
sympathizing money launderers and terrorism financiers funnel cash back
to Lebanon to support the group financially... But Many Lebanese
descendants also come to Maicao to launder drug money to the tune of
millions of dollars per year, according to law enforcement sources. In
December 2011, Treasury named five family groups of Lebanese descent and
first generation Colombians whose laundering proceeds found their way
back to Hezbollah…
BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS
IPT NOTE: US Customs & Border Protection, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/ & http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/border_patrol/press_announce_lp.xml; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement http://www.ice.gov/news/ ; Canada Border Services Agency http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html
15. US testing surveillance balloons on Mexico border
Published on Thursday, 19 December 2013 18:54 - Written by Christopher Sherman, Associated Press
http://www.tylerpaper.com/TP-News+State/191664/us-testing-surveillance-balloons-on-mexico-border
PENITAS,
Texas (AP) — The U.S. Border Patrol will evaluate the use of three
helium-filled surveillance balloons along the Texas-Mexico border that
were originally used by the Department of Defense in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Standing beneath a 52-foot-long tethered balloon on
Thursday in Penitas, the Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley sector Chief
Rosendo Hinojosa said the blimp-shaped aerostat would help intercept
smuggling along the busiest section of the Southwest border. "This is
going to give us a capability we don't have here," Hinojosa said...
OTHER ITEMS
16. New Reward Issued for FBI Fugitive Yaser Abdel Said
FBI New York Assists Dallas Field Office in Search
FBI New York December 19, 2013 FBI Public Information Office (212) 384-2100
http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2013/new-reward-issued-for-fbi-fugitive-yaser-abdel-said
The
FBI is now offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading
to the arrest of Yaser Abdel Said. Said is wanted for the murders of his
two teenage daughters. He is believed to have ties to the Dallas-Fort
Worth metroplex, the New York City area, Canada, and Egypt. On January
1, 2008, Said took his daughters Amina and Sarah for a ride in his taxi
cab, under the guise of taking them to get something to eat. He drove
them to Irving, Texas, where he allegedly shot both girls to death
inside the taxi cab. They died of multiple gunshot wounds…
MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA
17. Worry in Tunisia Over Youths Who Turn to Jihad
By CARLOTTA GALL New York Times Dec 19, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/world/middleeast/young-tunisians-are-being-recruited-to-jihad.html
ZAGHOUAN,
Tunisia — Hayet Saadi says the trouble with her son Aymen began more
than a year ago, when he was just 16. He started attending the mosque
five times a day, she said. Then he began talking of jihad, and of going
to Syria to join the rebels fighting the government of President Bashar
al-Assad. In March, he skipped his high school exams and left
home. Finally, on Oct. 30, Ms. Saadi came home to find the police
surrounding her house. A suicide bomber had blown himself up in Sousse, a
seaside resort about an hour's drive south. Another was caught before
he could detonate his payload. The police confiscated the family's
computers and phones, and her husband spent the rest of the day at the
police station. He called her later from there. "Yes, it is your child,"
he told her. Aymen is now in prison. In the weeks since the attack,
Aymen's trajectory from promising student to potential suicide bomber
has shaken Tunisia, where the Islamist government has recently shown
moderation by striking a compromise with its secular opponents.
Homegrown suicide attacks, previously unheard-of here, are the latest
sign of spreading radicalization among young people in a country that
has become fertile ground for Islamist groups recruiting fighters for
the conflicts convulsing the region…
18. Anatomy of an 'honour' killing: Why a Palestinian community demanded a father murder his divorced daughter
Diana Atallah, The Media Line December 19, 2013 | Last Updated:Dec 19 8:31 PM ET
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11285
Thamar
Zeidan was murdered by her father when he choked her to death as she
took an afternoon nap in their small, conservative West Bank
village. "Honour crimes" are rarely talked about in Palestinian society,
but Ms. Zeidan's mother and sister have gone public to highlight the
case and reveal the immense pressure her father came under to commit the
crime. Extended members of the woman's family accused her of
"disgraceful and outrageous acts" in a petition that was widely
circulated in her village of Deir Al Ghusun, near the West Bank town of
Tulkarem. The petition demanded Ms. Zeidan's father, Munther, "reinstate
the cultural and religious morals in his family." It was posted in five
local mosques during Friday prayer and signed by more than 50
relatives, including Abed Al-Rahman Zeidan, a Palestinian lawmaker…
Reacting to demands to restore the family's honour, Munther killed his
daughter, Laila Zeidan said…
19. France Faces Revival of Mali Militants
The militants who
conquered Mali's vast north are regrouping here, officials and
combatants say, testing how soon France can ease its fight against al
Qaeda's allies in this West African nation.
By DREW HINSHAW, ADAMA DIAKITÉ, & STACY MEICHTRY Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Dec. 19, 2013 8:06 p.m. ET
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303330204579246103662992322
KIDAL,
Mali—The militants who conquered Mali's vast north are regrouping here,
officials and combatants say, testing how soon France can ease its
fight against al Qaeda's allies in this West African nation. At the
center of this activity is Cheick Aoussa, the No. 2 commander of Ansar
Dine, a fundamentalist militia whose violent takeover of Mali's north
and brutal enforcement of Islamic law during its brief rule in 2012
sparked a French-led invasion nearly a year ago. In an interview, Mr.
Aoussa said he spent much of this year hiding from French troops and
warplanes in the Sahara. Now, he is back at his home in Kidal, a
stronghold of his Tuareg ethnic group, which populates his militia's
rank and file. "I'm home. No problems here," said Mr. Aoussa in his
courtyard. "The fight for Islam continues." Mr. Aoussa, a poet turned
mercenary for Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi—and now a jihadist—said
he is now biding his time until the French scale down their forces so
that he can renew his mission. Far from being defeated by the French
invasion, Mr. Aoussa maintains that he still commands a retinue of
nearby gunmen. Malian officials and people close to U.S. and French
intelligence say thousands of Islamists are in the Sahara, outside
Kidal… Across Mali's north, Ansar Dine imposed Shariah law, banning
music and amputating the limbs of thieves. In January, its members
raided a pair of military posts in Mali's south because, Mr. Aoussa
said, soldiers there had been harassing Islamic clerics... Mr. Aoussa
said he isn't afraid—certainly not of France, a country he reckons is in
decline. "They're not a real world power," he said, relaxing on the
carpet of his courtyard. "In any case, we're preparing our plan. All
these Westerners are going to regret coming here. I can promise you
that."
ASIA / PACIFIC
20. Taliban eulogize Qari Hussain, chief of suicide and international operations
Written by Bill Roggio on December 20, 2013 10:27 AM The Long War Journal
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/12/taliban_eulogize_qar.php
In a newly released video, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan
eulogized Qari Hussain, a top commander of the group who trained suicide
bombers and plotted operations against the West, including the failed
Times Square bombing in May 2010. Qari Hussain trained suicide bombers
for numerous attacks and once described them as "the atomic weapons of
Muslims." The Taliban emailed the over 60-minute video celebrating the
death of Qari Hussain to The Long War Journal today. The video was
produced by Umar Media, the Movement of the Taliban's official media
outlet, and emailed by the group's official email account. The Movement
of the Taliban in Pakistan and Umar Media did not respond to the The
Long War Journal's request to confirm the date and location of Qari
Hussain's death, or how he was killed…
EUROPE
21. Lee Rigby killers: from quiet Christians to Islamist murderers
Troubled as children, radicalised in adolescence, Michael
Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were never far from sight of authorities
By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor The Daily Telegraph (London) 10:00PM GMT 19 Dec 2013
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11286
They
were "polite, nice guys" from strict Christian families. Michael
Adebolajo's passions were "music and football and girls". Michael
Adebowale was a "lovable, quiet boy" who enjoyed cooking Jamie Oliver
recipes. Yet, during their teens, these two east London boys descended
into a life of petty street crime and drugs, before converting to
Islamic extremism which drove them to commit the brutal murder of
Drummer Lee Rigby. Adebolajo, 29, is the son of Anthony and Ibitoye
Adebolajo, Nigerian immigrants who settled in Romford, where Michael and
his three siblings were born. During the trial, he told the court how
his mother taught him to pray but that a Jehovah's Witness named only as
"Ron" fired his interest in religion… After leaving school, Adebolajo
became involved in gangs, smoking marijuana and dealing drugs. One
former classmate said he "changed quite dramatically" and started
robbing people at knifepoint... It was around this time that
Adebolajo began showing an interest in Islam. In an attempt to keep him
out of trouble, his parents moved the family from Romford to a smart
detached house in Saxilby, near Lincoln, the very heart of middle
England. But the move did not succeed in turning Adebolajo away from
radical Islam. He moved back to London and studied at Greenwich
University. He converted to Islam in 2003 and was radicalised by Bakri
Mohammed, the so-called "Tottenham Ayatollah" who was thrown out of
Britain when he was leader of the now-banned extremist group
Al-Muhajiroun. Adebolajo was also taken under the wing of Bakri's
lieutenant, Anjem Choudhry…
A
smile... then a kiss of the Koran: Lee Rigby's distraught family leave
court in tears after his Muslim killers show no remorse as they are
found GUILTY of hacking him to death in London street
Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale found guilty in 90 minutes
However the killers were cleared of attempted murder of police on May 22
Adebolajo kissed the Koran and smiled as verdicts were read to Old Bailey
Extremists had denied murder on the basis they were 'soldiers of Allah'
PM: 'The nation must confront poisonous narrative of extremism'
MI5 had contact with Adebolajo from 2010 up until he carried out killing
His brother Jeremiah says Lee Rigby's murder had 'obvious' justification
By Martin Robinson PUBLISHED: 07:49 EST, 19 December 2013 The Daily Mail (UK)
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11287
Lee Rigby killers had links to Lewisham mosque that 'attracts radicals'
Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale said to have worshipped at Lewisham Islamic Centre
By Sam Marsden, and Tom Whitehead The Daily Telegraph (London) 3:43PM GMT 19 Dec 2013
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11288
The
killers of Drummer Lee Rigby are believed to have worshipped at a
mosque whose imam was once recorded apparently urging British university
students to wage jihad in Palestine. Whitehall sources have told the
Telegraph that Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale had links with
the Lewisham Islamic Centre in south-east London, less than six miles
from the Woolwich street where they murdered the soldier. The mosque's
imam, Shakeel Begg, was caught on tape by the Sunday Times in 2006
apparently telling Kingston University students to "take some money and
go to Palestine and fight, fight the terrorists, fight the Zionists"…
White widow terror cell helped Rigby killer
White widow Samantha Lewthwaite's Kenyan terror cell helped
Michael Adebolajo as he tried to cross into Somalia to join al-Qaeda in
2010, the Telegraph can disclose
By Mike Pflanz, in Mombasa 3:14PM GMT 19 Dec 2013 The Daily Telegraph (London)
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/11283
White
widow Samantha Lewthwaite's Kenyan terror cell helped Michael Adebolajo
as he tried to cross into Somalia to join al-Qaeda in 2010, the
Telegraph can disclose. It is the first time the African connections
between two of Britain's most notorious Muslim converts can be revealed,
and confirms Kenya as a key destination for home-grown extremists
wanting to learn the tools of terrorism. It also further highlights how
Britain missed opportunities to watch Adebolajo more closely three years
ago after diplomats, acting on orders from London, pushed for his
release saying he was not suspected of links to fundamentalist
groups. Adebolajo was arrested in November 2010 with five other men on a
remote Kenyan island that is the usual transportation point for
recruits wanting to be smuggled across the border to join al-Shabaab in
Somalia. Among them was Swaleh Abdulmajid, the son-in-law of a hardline
Muslim preacher on US sanctions lists for masterminding the transport of
young radicals north to Somalia, named Aboud Rogo…
22. Raids and Graft Inquiry in Turkey Are Seen by Some as Muslim Cleric's Plot
By TIM ARANGO New York Times Dec 19, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/world/europe/turkey-graft-inquiry-political-rivalry.html
ISTANBUL
— On Tuesday came dramatic dawn raids of the offices of businessmen
close to the prime minister. On Wednesday came the scintillating details
in leaks to the local media: $4.5 million in cash packed in shoe boxes
found in the home of the chief executive of a state-run bank; a
money-counting machine and piles of bank notes discovered in the bedroom
of a government minister's son… More seriously, Mr. Arinc, whose party
has been shaken by a widening corruption investigation, said the case
amounted to a plot within the state — widely perceived to be led by
followers of Fethullah Gulen, an influential Muslim cleric who lives in
Pennsylvania — and suggested that the government would purge those
responsible for the investigation. He denied that he was specifically
referring to Gulen followers, but over the years, many are said to have
taken up influential positions within the judiciary and police force.
"Our opinion is that this is a planned operation, and the purpose of the
investigation is to launch psychological warfare, to tarnish our
government," Mr. Arinc said. The purge began earlier in the day,
apparently. In what was widely seen as a countermove by the government
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, five senior police officials
were removed from their jobs…
23. Bosnian Islamic extremist given 45 years in prison for terrorist attack at police station
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 20, 2013 - 10:50 am EST
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/b75312838b0a4173bb20c0cb9013ac01/EU--Bosnia-Terrorism
SARAJEVO,
Bosnia-Herzegovina — A Bosnian court has sentenced an Islamic extremist
to 45 years in prison for terrorism. Haris Causevic was found guilty of
planting and triggering a powerful improvised bomb behind a police
station in the central Bosnian town of Bugojno three years ago. One
police officer was killed and several others injured in the explosion.
The explosion caused serious damage to nearby buildings and
vehicles. Causevic was also found guilty of plotting to commit other
crimes — including kidnapping police officers and their children — with
the aim of forcing Bosnia to introduce strict Islamic laws…
COMMENT / ANALYSIS
24. Technology for Tyrants
Courtesy of the U.N.
Claudia Rosett Weekly Standard December 30 - January 6, 2014, Vol. 19, No. 16
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/technology-tyrants_771538.html
Claudia
Rosett is journalist-in-residence with the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies and heads its Investigative Reporting Project.
25. UK: Charities for Terrorists
by Douglas Murray Gatestone Institute December 19, 2013 at 5:00 am
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4091/uk-charities-terrorists
Douglas Murray, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, is also director of the Centre for Social Cohesion.
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