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Assessment of International Counter-Financing of Terrorism Efforts Needed F
2008-05-07 17:09:00
Last week, in an interview for the MoneyLaundering.Com subscription newsletter, I recommended a complete review of the outcomes of the laws, regulations, and structures governing the counter-terrorist financing effort by the U.S. government and our international relationships. "It is time to take a fresh look at anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering regulations as we enter the next administration and next Congress and see what has worked, and what hasn't, how methods have changes and...(read more)
More About: Terrorism , International , Financing , Assessment , Counter

Pakistan, Taliban and Politics of Peace Accords!
2008-05-07 13:21:00
History is against any peace deals with the Taliban . At least three such initiatives (so called ‘peace deals’) had been signed with the Taliban in the past, only to be collapsed soon after. When Rehman Malik, adviser to Pakistan ’s Prime Minister on internal affairs welcomed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud‘s latest offer for truce and peace talks, many observers (including me) thought that the newly crowned civilian government in Pakistan shouldn’t...(read more)
More About: Politics , Peace

Real ID = Real Totalitarianism
2008-05-07 07:03:00
Real ID = Real Totalitarianism by Daniel Hunter           ;     As many of you already know, President Bush, in his infinite wisdom (that?s sarcasm), signed into law the blatantly totalitarian Real ID Act in 2005.  What most people don?t know are the erroneous circumstances surrounding the Real ID Act and the negative impact it will have on the everyday American.  Wanting to plunge head first into the rabbit hole to find out more about the Real ID Act, I did some very extensive research.  Most of the websites I found that talked about the Real ID Act were conspiracy theory sites.  Needless to say, unreliable sources.  Then I stumbled across a very interesting PDF file (http://epic.org/privacy/id-cards/epic_re alid_comments.pdf ) that was written by the ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CENTER (EPIC).  The document itself is the compiled comments of a group of experts on privacy and technology.  ...
More About: Real

A Reminder About Sami Al-Arian
2008-05-07 00:48:00
Lately, we hear much from supporters of detained ex-University of South Florida computer engineering professor Sami Al-Arian, who pleaded guilty to (was convicted of) the Federal felony violation of providing assistance and support to members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization. Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months prison time for his crime. He was also ordered to be deported from the United States at the completion of his criminal incarceration. During his incarceration,...(read more)
More About: Reminder

Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century: Implications for Homeland Security
2008-05-06 21:32:00
In the latest in its series of lectures by senior US counterterrorism officials, today The Washington Institute's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence hosted the Department of Homeland Security 's Undersecretary for Intelligence, Mr. Charlie Allen. Mr. Allen is the Department of Homeland Security 's chief intelligence officer, reporting directly to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. Previously, he served as assistant director of central intelligence for collection, a position he assumed...(read more)
More About: Terrorism , Twenty , Implications

Viktor Bout Indicted for Conspiracy to Kill Americans & Related Terrorism C
2008-05-06 20:58:00
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced the unsealing of an indictment against international arms dealer Viktor Bout for conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the FARC to be used to kill Americans in Colombia. The indictment supercedes the original complaint against Bout when he was arrested in Thailand on March 6 . Bout is still in jail in Thailand pending extradition to the U.S,...(read more)
More About: Terrorism , Conspiracy , Related , Kill

Evidence of Iran's Terrorist Training Camps Increases Support for Tougher S
2008-05-06 18:53:00
The revelation that Iran is training thousands of Shia terrorists inside Iran for operations inside Iraq is likely to markedly increase support on Capitol Hill for tougher U.S. sanctions against Western businesses conducting business with the regime. The specter of hordes of Iranian-trained and armed terrorists intensively targeting our troops in Iraq, especially during the height of the election campaign, haunts Members of Congress who have patiently hoped that financial sanctions would change Iranian...(read more)
More About: Evidence , Training , Support , Terrorist

Increasing domestic turmoil in Iran
2008-05-06 17:58:00
I just wrote a piece for the Middle East Times on the under reported trouble brewing inside Iran . You can read the whole article here . Here is an excerpt: To many observers Iran is the big winner in the Middle East. While the end result remains to be seen, what seems certain is that the Islamic republic appears to be faring better geopolitically than domestically. And although uncensored information regarding the country's internal problems is scarce and tough to find, reports of increasing trouble...(read more)
More About: Domestic

Morocco under high alert after a probable dry run
2008-05-06 17:46:00
A few weeks ago, Algeria warned its Tunisian and Moroccan neighbors of a possible mega terror attack prepared by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Interestingly the newsletter The Croissant (subscriptions available for a small fee) reported a few days ago that an Algerian, aboard a powerful 4X4, sped on the esplanade of the Mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca. He managed to overcome all obstacles limiting traffic, causing a real panic. The Moroccan security forces thought it was a suicide attack. This...(read more)
More About: Morocco , Alert , High

Deconstructing Islamaphobia
2008-05-06 14:31:00
There was a hilarious item on the GMBDR, though I am not sure anyone will find it as funny as I do. It turns out UC Berkeley hosted a conference entitled "Deconstructing Islamaphobia." While the intellectually curious rely on the Counterterrorism Blog and other open-source news sources for partial insight into counterterrorism developments around the world, a group of people was going to try to "deconstruct" the irrational fear of Muslims. The reason why this gave me the giggles is because "deconstruction"...(read more)

NEFA Exclusive: Selected Responses From the Second Round of Q&A with Dr. Ay
2008-05-06 08:13:00
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a copy of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri’s second round of answers to some of the hundreds of questions recently submitted on extremist web forums by Al-Qaida supporters and other interested parties. Exclusive English translations of selected questions and answers are now available for download. When asked by one critic, “Is jihad only about killing and spilling blood, or are there other ways and means to reach the goals of jihad, without being repulsive”,...(read more)
More About: Round

France's Confused CFCM Elections -- An Opportunity for the Muslim Brotherho
2008-05-06 05:43:00
Deciphering the current political trends and developments within France’s Muslim community is likely to challenge the most knowledgeable pundits for some time. But, what is clear is that the Muslim Brotherhood has made incredible strides in becoming France's most important Islamic organization, and toward taking control of the Muslim Community’s principal representative organization - the Conseil Francais du Culte Musulman (CFCM), . The CFCM was created by the French Government in 2003...(read more)
More About: Elections , Opportunity

Right-to-Carry Works
2008-05-06 04:00:00
In a recent interview with the Chicago Sun-Times , Senator Barack Obama once again expressed his opposition to Right-to-Carry laws. That's not surprising. After all, Obama is a politician from one of two states in the union without any Right-to-Carry law on the books. But when Senator Obama says he hasn't seen any evidence that Right-to-Carry laws "make anyone safer," I have to say to Barack Obama: You're not looking hard enough. Senator, meet Charles Todd , a Right-to-Carry holder from...(read more)
More About: Works

NEFA Foundation Report: "Terrorists Behind Bars"
2008-05-05 20:43:00
The NEFA Foundation has released a new report by Senior Analyst Josh Lefkowitz titled "Terrorists Behind Bars ," which examines the myriad complexities the worldwide prison system must address when managing incarcerated extremists. While in prison, jihadists have caused officials fits by radicalizing fellow inmates, planning jailbreaks, distributing propaganda to associates, continuing to exercise operational control over their organizations, and plotting attacks. Reflecting these trends, Jordanian...(read more)
More About: Report

The Tragedy of the USS Cole Case
2008-05-05 19:14:00
The Washington Post this weekend carried an extensive and depressing look at how the main suspects in the USS Cole bombing have gone free. The most infuriating piece is on the freedom of Jamal al-Badawi, who helped organize the October 2000 attack on the US battleship that left 17 sailors dead. It was a bold attack, and one that should never have succeeded. The hesitancy by the crew to inflict potential civilian casualties cost the lives of soldiers in an era when the armed forces were not yet used...(read more)
More About: Tragedy , Case

Hizb ut-Tahrir's "double level"
2008-05-05 14:12:00
Experts and government officials have long debated the real nature of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT). Formed in 1953 in Jerusalem, the group has now established a presence in virtually all continents. It defines itself as a “ political party whose ideology is Islam ” and openly seeks the restoration of the Caliphate as its main goal. The debate has always been on whether HT is a movement that simply aims at peacefully propagating its message, a “ conveyor belt ” for extremism, or a group...(read more)
More About: Double

NEFA Foundation: Al-Qaida Loses Yet Another Sunni Insurgent Ally in Iraq Am
2008-05-03 23:06:00
The Army of al-Mustafa (a.k.a. “Jaish al-Mustafa”)—a Sunni insurgent group which has claimed credit for at least three joint operations with Al-Qaida ’s “Islamic State of Iraq ” (ISI) since January 2008—has suddenly broken off relations with the ISI, accusing its local commanders of engaging in “threats” and “blackmail.” In a statement released on April 15, a Jaish al-Mustafa field commander known as “Abu Muslim al-Mosuli”...(read more)
More About: Foundation , Al Qaida

Gut Check for the "Close Guantanamo" Crowd
2008-05-02 22:00:00
Part of the public campaign to close Guantanamo involves the claim that it houses many innocent people who were swept up from the battlefields where the U.S. military is operating. Now Reuters is reporting that someone released from Guantanamo has died in a suicide attack in Iraq. Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi, a Kuwaiti national, reportedly killed himself in an attack in Mosul. He had been held in Guantanamo until his 2005 release and repatriation. Fortunately, we have not recently suffered the spectacle...(read more)
More About: Check , Close , Crowd

Investigative Project Releases Gov't Memos Curtailing Speech in War on Terr
2008-05-02 19:07:00
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is refusing to identify the "influential Muslim Americans" and "leading U.S.-based scholars and commentators on Islam" who met with Secretary Michael Chertoff in helping shape a softer approach to government lexicon about terrorists and their ideological motivations. "Our policy is we don't comment on the Secretary's private schedule," spokeswoman Amy Kudwa told the IPT. Nor would she identify any of the participants' organizational affiliation. DHS and the...(read more)
More About: Project , Speech

Whose Lobbyists Should Congress Investigate?
2008-05-02 16:00:00
A story last week in "The Hill" newspaper disclosed , "Senior Democrats are starting to discuss ways to target Washington-based lobbying firms whose clients include the Iraqi government as part of their election-year strategy to seize on the costs of the five-year-old war." I would like to suggest a better use of the taxpayers' money and of the Congress ' oversight powers: Investigate the lobbyists and representatives for those institutions, companies, and countries which have been identified by the...(read more)
More About: Lobbyists

An Interesting Pairing at an MB Conference
2008-05-02 05:43:00
It is interesting to note that CAIR director Nihad Awad will soon be sharing center stage in a major conference with Mohammad Akram al-Adlouni, the probable author of the most damning documents made public during the Holy Land Foundation trial. The conference in Denmark, heavily populated with Muslim Brotherhood figures, is, according the program, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakbah or catastrophe, as they refer to the founding of the state of Israel. The joint attendance of Awad and...(read more)
More About: Interesting , Conference

Animal Rights in the Classroom
2008-05-02 04:00:00
Animal rights extremists are trying to invade classrooms in Washington, D.C. With the passage of the "Animal Protection Amendment Act," they'd be able to go into schools and indoctrinate children with their bizarre notion of “humane education.” The bill would require the D.C. Department of Education provide such instruction. It would also get rid of the phrase "animal owner" in the District of Columbia. No longer would you own a dog or a cat. Now you'd be their "animal...(read more)
More About: Animal , Rights , Animal Rights

NEFA Foundation: Scenes from AQIM's "Martyr Abu Ibrahim Mustafa" Terrorist
2008-05-02 00:04:00
The NEFA Foundation has obtained video footage of lessons conducted by instructors from Al-Qaida's Committee in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) at the "Martyr Abu Ibrahim Mustafa " terrorist training camp. This is the second such video recording released by the AQIM in less than a month highlighting the existence of the Abu Ibrahim Mustafa camp, which is thought to be located somewhere within the borders of Algeria. AQIM recruits are shown in the video completing courses in physical calisthenics, weapons...(read more)
More About: Terrorist , Scenes

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's "Education Wing"
2008-05-01 23:31:00
Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operative Sami Al-Arian ended his hunger strike, which he began, allegedly, in protest of the Eastern District of Virginia's insistence that he testify before a grand jury investigating the terrorist connections of a Northern Virginia think tank, the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). Al-Arian is currently in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, awaiting deportation...(read more)
More About: Education , Wing

Lorenzo Vidino Returns As Contributing Expert
2008-05-01 22:05:00
We're very pleased that Lorenzo Vidino is rejoining us as a Contributing Expert . Lorenzo has recently accepted a position as Senior Fellow in International Security Studies at the Fletcher School of Law Diplomacy, Tufts University. Previously he was affiliated with the Investigative Project on Terrorism, where he served as terrorism analyst and deputy director, and with the Jebsen Center for Counter Terrorism Studies, where he served as Research Projects Director. Lorenzo posted here often during...(read more)

Polygamy and Terrorism: The Religion Factor in Texas
2008-05-01 16:39:00
You might think that the raid on the dissident Mormon compound in Texas and its aftermath are not related to terrorism, but they actually are. The question is whether a state or federal government can define what constitutes a crime, and whether that crime can be enforced where the alleged conduct is religiously-inspired. In this sense, the Texas case involves a common issue in counterterrorism - the ability of the government to take action against religiously-inspired conduct. (More ominously, we...(read more)
More About: Terrorism , Religion , Polygamy , Factor

Turkish-Pakistani CT Cooperation Bodes Ill for BadGuys
2008-05-01 14:50:00
Facing well-entrenched insurgencies and numerous acts of terrorism, Turkey and Pakistan have initiated cooperative efforts to increase their security in the face of these threats. Following a two-day, high-level official visit to Pakistan by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the two nations announced “strategic” cooperation on a number of fronts, including defense, trade, and diplomacy.....The full article may be read at www.jamestown.org....(read more)
More About: Cooperation , Pakistani

The Continuing Debate Over "Jihadists" As The Enemy
2008-05-01 06:00:00
Last week , the Associated Press reported that the State Department approved National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) guidelines for terminology in defining the enemy created by NCTC's Extremist Messaging Branch, based on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report "Terminology to Define the Terrorists: Recommendations from American Muslims". In these new guidelines, the term "jihadist" (among others) was not to be used in defining the enemy or its actions. But this week, it is apparent that these...(read more)
More About: Debate , Enemy , The Enemy , Jihadists

AG Mukasey's New Organized Crime Crackdown
2008-04-30 20:38:00
Almost as soon as my last post on the transnational threat of cigarette smuggling was posted, several alert friends sent me the recent speech by Attorney General Michael Mukasey at CSIS, where he announced a new effort to understand and combat transnational criminal organizations. The initiative is long overdue. As Mukasey noted, the Organized Crime Council had not met for 15 years. Quite a feat, given the numerous and wide-ranging indications that organized criminal groups have steadily gained influence,...(read more)
More About: Crackdown , Organized Crime

Worry about the Daemon not Grand Theft Auto
2008-04-30 19:58:00
Yesterday saw the release of Grand Theft Auto IV accompanied as usual by howls of protest from certain quarters of the media about declining moral standards. For the uninitiated Grand Theft Auto is a video game where the player takes on the guise of a criminal character in Liberty city, which is modeled to look like New York City. Whatever the protests the game is set to break opening week sales figures of over $400M, arguably making video games the most dominant of all media forms. This fact, rather...(read more)
More About: Worry