2-06-09 Daily Intel Brief
1. Data About Presidential Copter Fleet Found on Iranian computer
By Andrea Shalal-Esa Reuters Tuesday, March 3, 2009;
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE52165920090303?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Engineering documents about one of two types of helicopters in the U.S. presidential fleet were found on a computer in Iran after they were inadvertently disclosed by an American defense industry executive last year, according to a cybersecurity company. The defense contractor and the U.S. government are investigating the incident, said Keith Tagliaferri, director of operations at Tiversa, a Pennsylvania-based company that monitors data breaches linked to peer-to-peer file sharing. Tagliaferri declined to name the U.S. contractor or give any information about the identity of the Iranian computer where the file was found on February 25. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the government was notified about the data disclosure last summer and fully investigated it. He stressed the data was not classified and involved the VH-60 helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, a unit of United Technologies Corp. The VH-60 is used to carry White House staff and guests, not the president. A larger Sikorsky helicopter, the V-3, is the model used for the president...
2. Alleged spy from Maui loses bid to suppress statements
By Associated Press POSTED: 09:00 a.m. HST, Mar 04, 2009
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/breaking/40730013.html
A federal judge has denied a motion by accused Maui spy Noshir Gowadia to suppress statements he made to government investigators during 13 days of questioning just prior to his 2005 arrest. U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor also denied motions yesterday to suppress statements he made to customs agents and evidence they seized. The former B-2 stealth bomber engineer is accused of selling military secrets to China. His trial is due to begin at U.S. District Court in Honolulu on May 5. Gowadia has been indicted on 21 counts of conspiracy, money-laundering and falsifying tax returns. He has pleaded not guilty. He has been held without bail since his arrest. An explanation of Gillmor's ruling on statements Gowadia made during 13 days of interrogation on Maui and Oahu in October 2005 was not posted on the federal court's Web site...
3. NSA joining social network for intelligence analysts
Thousands can share secrets, tips, professional gossip
By David Wood Baltimore Sun March 4, 2009
www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.md.spybook04mar04,0,6657281.stor...
The super-secret National Security Agency, traditionally reluctant to share its code-breaking secrets, is joining a new, highly classified social network that links its analysts for the first time with thousands of colleagues at other U.S. intelligence agencies. Gone are what used to be those rock-solid paradigms of intelligence: providing information only to those who need to know and limiting access to locked, specialized "compartments." Until now, a Pentagon analyst working on Afghanistan, for instance, might not know about highly sensitive NSA intercepts of opium smugglers discussing payoffs to Taliban insurgents. For those struggling for answers within their own compartments and agencies, "it was tough noogies," said Maj. Gen. John DeFreitas, chief of analysis for the NSA. But now, in what amounts to a major culture shift among spies, "need to know" has become "need to show," DeFreitas said in an interview at NSA headquarters at Fort Meade. Starting this month, NSA analysts will be able to post their photo, phone number and e-mail address on a secure, Facebook-like page accessible only to senior analysts at 16 other U.S. intelligence agencies. They will be able to search databases, post drafts of reports for comment or send around perplexing intercepts with a note that says, "Anybody have any idea what this means?" …
4. All eyes on Hambali's fate post-Gitmo
By WONG CHUN WAI and LOURDES CHARLES
The Star (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Tuesday March 3, 2009
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/3/3/nation/3390407&sec=n...
KUALA LUMPUR: The fate of Hambali, one of the world's most feared and suspected terrorists, will be decided soon by the United States following orders to shut down Guantanamo Bay. Asean countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, are closely watching the outcome. Regional intelligence officers are monitoring the development as Indonesia liaises with the United States following President Barack Obama's orders to shut down the detention centre within a year. "Security agencies of several Asean countries also want to question him to find out more about his activities in the region as the Jemaah Islamiah had wanted to set up a Pan-Islamic region here. "He is highly dangerous and surely we want to know where he would be relocated once Guantanamo Bay is shut down. "His future whereabouts will have serious implications on the security of the country and the region," said an intelligence source. The source said intelligence officers in the region would meet and discuss the matter once the United States had decided on Hambali's fate...
5. Inmate sentenced for white powder McCain threat
By Howard Pankratz The Denver Post Posted: 03/03/2009 05:02:57 PM MST
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11828312
An Arapahoe County inmate was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for sending a threatening, powder-filled letter to presidential candidate John McCain in August. Marc Harold Ramsey, 40, wrote in the letter, sent to McCain's campaign headquarters in Centennial, "Senator McCain, If you are reading this then you are already dead! Unless of course you can't breathe." … Ramsey was described as a prolific writer of letters who in the past had threatened state officials… In interviews with investigators from four agencies — the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Postal Inspection Service and the Joint Terrorism Task Force — Ramsey admitted writing the letter and making the threat… The letter told McCain that "you're out of time" and was signed Akeem Ramsey El…
6. U.S. Army War College Suspends Prominent Scholar of Middle East
by Peter Schmidt Chronicle of Higher Education March 4, 2009
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/6995
The U.S. Army War College has suspended a widely known expert on Islamic studies partly because she had turned to the Middle East Studies Association, and threatened to contact a newspaper, with allegations that administrators there were violating her academic freedom and discriminating against her as a Muslim. Sherifa D. Zuhur, a research professor of Islamic and regional studies in the college's Strategic Studies Institute, was suspended without pay for 10 days, effective Monday, from the Army college, in Pennsylvania, which trains both military leaders and civilians. The institute's director, Douglas C. Lovelace Jr., had notified her of her suspension in a letter last week affirming the recommendation of the institute's deputy director, Col. Louis H. Jordan Jr., that the college take disciplinary action against her.… In a separate letter sent to the college in January, the Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations relayed allegations by Ms. Zuhur that she had been a victim of religious discrimination at the college since 2005, when, she said, she had difficulty obtaining a room in which to observe her daily prayers…
7. Atlanta terrorism suspect seeks to represent himself
By BILL RANKIN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday, March 03, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2823
An Atlanta terrorism suspect said Tuesday he would like to address jurors and question FBI agents in his high-stakes trial this summer. Ehsanul Islam Sadequee also told U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey he wants to go to trial as soon as possible. He is charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists… Sadequee and a fellow defendant, Syed Haris Ahmed, are charged with trying to join Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant group. They also are accused of taking videos of "symbolic and infrastructure targets for potential terrorist attacks" during a trip to Washington in 2005. Both men have pleaded not guilty. They are to be tried separately, with Ahmed going to trial first on June 1…
8. California Lawmaker Targets Internet Mapping Sites
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 2:37 p.m. ET March 3, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2820
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A California lawmaker wants to force Internet mapping services to blur detailed images of schools, hospitals, churches and all government buildings, reviving a debate over whether such images can assist terrorists. Assemblyman Joel Anderson, a San Diego-area Republican, said he decided to introduce his bill after reading that terrorists who plotted attacks in Israel and India used popular services such as Google Earth and Microsoft's Virtual Earth. But even if his bill becomes law, it might be difficult to prohibit Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and other mapping companies from posting such photographs. That's because those images already are public and often are posted on the institution's own Web site...
Air, rail, port, health & communication infrastructure security
IPT NOTE: For more infrastructure news, see Dep't of Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Reports http://www.dhs.gov/xinfoshare/programs/editorial_0542.shtm; Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/dir/index-eng.aspx
9. Shooting investigation draws FBI, terrorism task force
Monday, March 2, 2009 By Peg McNichol Southeast Missourian
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2821
The Jackson Police Department is getting extra help investigating Friday's shooting of two AmerenUE workers. Jackson police chief James Humphreys said he'll be meeting with the FBI and St. Louis-based officials from the Joint Terrorism Task Force today. "We're going to turn over some items of evidence that we recovered from the suspect's apartment," he said. he suspect, Aaron C. Hemingway, 32, of Perryville, Mo., died of a self-inflicted gunshot after wounding two AmerenUE workers at a Center Junction substation Friday morning, according to Jackson police. The Ameren workers were taken to Saint Francis Medical Center, where they underwent surgery, Humphreys said, and will be interviewed again this week… Police remain puzzled by the shootings…
10. Police continue fertilizer theft investigation
Originally published March 03, 2009 By Gina Gallucci-White Frederick News-Post
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=87156
The Frederick Police Department is continuing its investigation into the weekend theft of at least 8,000 pounds of fertilizer from the Southern States store on East South Street. At least 6,000 pounds of 19-19-19 fertilizer and 2,000 pounds of urea were taken from a secured storage shed in the rear of the business between Saturday and Sunday, Lt. Clark Pennington said. Both fertilizers can be used for agricultural purposes. Urea also can be used to melt ice and for other applications. Although some fertilizers can be used in bomb making, there is nothing to indicate that this is anything other than a theft, perhaps a reaction to tough economic times, Pennington said. He would not say how much the stolen fertilizer is worth. The Criminal Investigations Division will continue to investigate, he said. Pennington was not aware of any other recent large fertilizer thefts in the region. The Maryland Coordination Analysis Center, along with all federal agencies including the FBI field office, have been notified of the theft…
11. State Patrol investigating more laser cases
Seattle Times Posted by John de Leon March 4, 2009 10:33 AM
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2822
Seems like the incidents of people pointing lasers are increasing. As we've reported, the FBI and Transportation Security Administration are investigating incidents in which someone pointed lasers at airplanes landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. And now, State Patrol investigators are seeking witnesses and possible victims in a series of incidents involving someone pointing lasers at motorists at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near Interstate 90 and Argonne Road in Spokane. Some people reported seeing two people in a White 1995 Chevrolet K1500 pickup shining a hand-held green laser beam at motorists while driving down I-90. Two people were taken into custody…
12. DC sells gear at auction despite terrorism concerns
By Dave Statter STATter911.com 03/04/2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2824
WASHINGTON — Putting surplus equipment up for auction is a practice governments have done for decades. At times, the auctions can include uniforms, gear and other equipment used by police, fire and EMS departments. One such auction last week in the Nation's Capital was brought to the attention of STATter911.com. It has us asking area officials how their surplus gear disposal policies fit in with their concerns about terrorism. In recent years, terrorism expert have pointed out the next attack on U.S. soil could come from someone posing as a first responder. DC Fire & EMS Department Assistant Chief Larry Schultz expressed similar worries as he ran the department's efforts for the Inauguration in January… If that's the case then why does the District of Columbia still sell its surplus fire gear at public auction? The website Liquidation.com shows the auction that opened on February 20 and closed on February 26 of a "huge lot of police/fire department uniforms and clothing". The items, including fire helmets, boots and coats, were advertised as being from the Government of the District of Columbia, Personal Property Division, Surplus Property Auction...
Financing, identity theft, money laundering
13. Treasury Designates Five Individuals for Contributing to the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
US Department of the Treasury Press Release tg-49 March 4, 2009
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/tg49.htm
Washington, DC -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated five individuals pursuant to Executive Order 13413, which targets, among others, political or military leaders of foreign armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The five individuals are political and military leaders of the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR is an armed group operating in the DRC made up of ex-Rwandese Armed Forces, Interahamwe, and other Hutu extremists, including those responsible for the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The FDLR has been blamed as the root cause of instability in the eastern DRC, and its activities pose a grave threat to the entire Great Lakes region…
14. Doctor to remain in jail on money-laundering charges
By Jason Cato PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, March 3, 2009
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_614264....
A Westmoreland County physician with millions of dollars in a Middle East bank account must remain in jail on federal money-laundering charges, a judge ruled today. U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Reynolds Hay rejected arguments that Dr. Antoine Cawog, 63, of Unity is no longer a flight risk since the Syrian-born U.S. citizen is close to a plea deal that would require him to repay the Internal Revenue Service $2.2 million. The money would cover taxes dating back to his 1991 conviction for filing false tax returns. "Any such payment does not end the inquiry concerning risk of flight," Hay wrote in a five-page memorandum. A hearing was canceled. The judge noted she was disturbed by the revelation at a hearing last month that Cawog had more than $8.5 million in a Lebanese bank account as recently as October 2007… Cawog has been in the Allegheny County Jail since May 2008, when he was indicted on two money-laundering counts. Prosecutors claim the general practicioner sent $275,000 to a Lebanese bank in 2004 in order to conceal assets from a bankruptcy case… Cawog also faces 24 state criminal counts for illegally selling prescriptions and drugs in 2007 and 2008 as well as three counts of attempted Medicaid fraud...
Border security, immigration, customs
IPT NOTE: For more details, see US Customs and Border Protection releases at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2754, and Canada Border Services Agency http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html
15. AP News Break: Terrorist deported to Sudan
By ADAM GOLDMAN and RANDY HERSCHAFT March 4, 2009 Associated Press
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2815
NEW YORK (AP) — A Black September terrorist convicted of placing three powerful car bombs in New York City in 1973 has been sent to Sudan after completing his sentence and being deported by the U.S. government. Khalid Al-Jawary, 63, was flown out of Denver International Airport on Thursday and arrived Tuesday in Khartoum, said Carl Rusnok, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman. Details of his deportation were released to The Associated Press after Al-Jawary's federal escorts had safely left the volatile country. Al-Jawary ended up in Sudan after Algeria initially agreed to accept him but then reversed course, setting off a scramble to find a country that would take the aging terrorist. It's unclear why Algeria decided against taking Al-Jawary. Al-Jawary wanted to be deported to Jordan, where his family lives, but that country apparently would not allow him entry. Federal officials said he had dual citizenship with Jordan and Iraq...
16. Mexico's Foreign Embassies: A Terror Threat to America?
Posted By Todd Bensman On March 1, 2009 @ 12:00 am Pajamas Media - http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2825
Former Dearborn, Michigan, resident Mahmoud Youssef Kourani was a secret Hezbollah agent sent to infiltrate America in February 2001. He stole over the Mexican border into California with a skill set that court records would later describe as "specialized training in radical Shiite fundamentalism, weaponry, spy craft, and counterintelligence," picked up in Lebanon and Iran. Kourani got caught in 2004 and thrown in federal prison for raising money and recruits for Hezbollah, which pioneered the modern art of suicide truck bombing by blowing up American Marines in Beirut. But the enduring significance of Kourani isn't that Hezbollah was able to implant the likes of him on American soil. It's how it was done that reveals an insufficiently known national security danger for the U.S. that emanates to this day from a most unexpected source: Mexico's foreign service embassies, consulate offices, and "honorary" appointed consuls across the Muslim world. How was a Lebanese national whose brother was known to be "Hezbollah's chief of military security for southern Lebanon" able to get within striking distance of California? According to court records and interviews with knowledgeable sources, a $3,000 bribe was paid for Kourani's travel documents to a corrupt official of Mexico's Beirut consulate office. He just flew over, then on February 4, 2001, sneaked into California with help from a smuggling ring http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050703/news_1n3tjborder.html that had moved hundreds of Lebanese nationals already...
17. FOCUS: BORDER CROSSING
Early birds set ID pace before security tightens
By Lou Michel Buffalo News Updated: 03/04/09 08:45 AM
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/596508.html
When border guards a year ago wanted more than a statement of U. S. citizenship from motorists crossing at the Peace Bridge, a lot of people feared long lines. Those lines never formed, as the guards were lenient and just issued written warnings. Come June, though, those same border guards are going to demand a document, and border officials anticipate smooth sailing. That optimism is based on increased demand for enhanced driver's licenses, passports and passport cards—all acceptable documents under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that Congress passed after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to strengthen the country's borders... This all comes as the Peace Bridge, for the first time in two decades, has become the busiest northern border crossing, surpassing the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, with 6.8 million individuals crossing from Fort Erie, Ont., into Buffalo last year…
18. 'Say please' at U. S. border nets pepper spray
Canadian traveller says demand for politeness met with use of force
Matthew Coutts, National Post Published: Wednesday, March 04, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1351216
A Canadian who demanded courtesy from a U.S. border security guard says he was pepper sprayed and held in custody for three hours for asking the disrespectful officer to "say please" when ordering him to turn his car off during a search. "I refused to turn off the car until he said please. He didn't. And he has the gun, I guess, so he sprayed me," said Desiderio Fortunato, a Coquitlam, B.C., resident who frequently crosses the border to visit his second home in the state of Washington. "Is that illegal in the United States, asking an officer to be polite?" The incident occurred on Monday at the Aldergrove border crossing, east of Vancouver, shortly after 12 p.m. Mr. Fortunato, a dance studio director, was travelling to his home in Blaine, Wash., to retrieve a wallet his wife had left during their most recent visit. He said he was questioned by a border officer who demanded he turn off his car and, when asked to make the request more politely, threatened to spray him with his pepper gun if he did not comply…
19. Sympathizer of terror groups was immigration board member
Comment John Ivison, National Post Wednesday, March 04, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/most-popular/story.html?id=1351246
It's well known that Khaled Mouammar wants Ottawa to remove Hamas and Hezbollah from a list of banned organizations and replace them with the Israel Defence Forces. It's well known that the president of the Canadian Arab Federation recently called Jason Kenney, the Minister of Immigration, a "professional whore" for supporting Israel and criticizing the presence of Hamas and Hezbollah flags at a recent protest, prompting Mr. Kenney to say he would review the CAF's federal funding. But it is less well known that Mr. Mouammar spent the 11 years prior to February, 2005, sitting as a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board, deciding whether refugee claimants from such North African countries as Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Somalia should be allowed to stay in Canada. No details are available on how many refugees Mr. Mouammar waved through the Canadian system, although one immigration lawyer who remembers him from his IRB days says he was known to have a "very high" acceptance rate. Board members typically have sole discretion over whether to admit a refugee claimant. But his public advocacy of terror groups should raise questions about how a known partisan could possibly pass the IRB's screening process. How did someone who has long been sympathetic to terror groups come to hold a crucial position in the body designed to protect Canadians from terrorists? Phrases about foxes and chicken coops spring to mind…
Other items
20. Reporter asks to tell judge why he won't reveal sources
Paul Egan / The Detroit News Tuesday, March 3, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2826
DETROIT -- A newspaper reporter facing possible sanctions for contempt of court has asked to privately submit to a federal judge his reasons for taking the Fifth Amendment when asked to reveal the source of an article he wrote. David Ashenfelter of the Detroit Free Press filed court papers Tuesday asking to submit an affidavit to U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland that would explain his reasons for invoking his rights against self-incrimination when questioned by lawyers for former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino. Under the proposal submitted by Ashenfelter's attorneys, Convertino and the public would not be able to read the affidavit -- only the judge. Convertino is suing the U.S. Justice Department, alleging violation of his privacy rights. He wants Ashenfelter to disclose the source of an article Ashenfelter wrote about an internal investigation into Convertino's conduct…
MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA
21. US warns citizens in Egypt after spate of attacks
Tue Mar 3, 11:33 am ET Agence France Presse
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2827
CAIRO (AFP) – The US embassy in Egypt urged its citizens on Tuesday to take precautions following a deadly bombing in a tourist bazaar in Cairo last month, saying more attacks could be planned. A French teenage girl was killed and two dozen people wounded in the February 22 bombing in the famed Khan el-Khalili market, where five days later an American teacher suffered slight cuts when a man knifed him in the face. "These events do not appear to be connected, but there is some indication that additional incidents are planned," a statement on the embassy's website said. It listed a third incident on February 28 in the Cairo metro, in which a man threw an incendiary bottle that failed to explode. "We advise Americans to take great care in visiting these sites, to remain strictly alert to their surroundings, and to practice good personal security measures," it said referring to major tourist sites and public places…
ASIA / PACIFIC
22. Missile threat to British troops
Michael Smith The Sunday Times (London) March 1, 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5822094.ece
IRAN is supplying the Taliban in Afghanistan with surface-to-air missiles capable of destroying a helicopter, according to American intelligence sources. They believe the Taliban wants to use the SA-14 Gremlins missiles to launch a "spectacular" attack against coalition forces in Helmand, where insurgents claim to be gaining the upper hand. Although British and American helicopters operating in southern Afghanistan are equipped with defensive systems to deflect an attempted strike, the SA-14 can evade such counter-measures. It was a shoulder-held SA-14 supplied by Iran that was used by Iraqi insurgents to shoot down a Lynx helicopter over Basra in May 2006. Although the Iranians are not natural supporters of the Taliban, they have been willing to assist them in the past in order to prevent Britain and the United States gaining influence in the region. Special forces have previously intercepted arms shipments from Iran that would have helped the Taliban intensify a roadside bombing campaign that has killed 40 British troops over the past 18 months, including three last week. However, coalition forces only became aware of the presence of SA14s two weeks ago when parts from two of them were discovered during an American operation in western Afghanistan...
23. Roadside bomb kills three Canadians
Archie McLean, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, March 04, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/afghanistan/story.html?id=1352084
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A roadside bomb killed three Canadian soldiers and injured two others Tuesday after it exploded near their armoured vehicle northwest of Kandahar City. The Canadians were returning home after defusing an improvised explosive device in Arghandab District when their vehicle was hit. The area is normally quieter than the more anarchic Zhari and Panjwai Districts and the blast may mark the start of the spring and summer fighting season. Killed in the explosion were Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown, a reservist from The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, based in St. Catharines, Ont., Cpl. Dany Olivier Fortin from the 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing, based in Bagotville, Que., and Cpl. Kenneth Chad O'Quinn, from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron, in Petawawa, Ontario…
Three Canadian Forces personnel killed and two injured in Afghanistan
CEFCOM NR 09.004 - March 4, 2009 National Defense and Canadian Forces
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2828
24. Pakistan arrests suspects in Sri Lanka team attack
By RIZWAN ALI , 03.04.09, 02:55 AM EST Associated Press
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/03/04/ap6122840.html
Pakistani police say they have arrested "some suspects" in connection with the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team. Six police and a driver were killed in the assault and seven players were wounded, exposing Pakistan's inability to prevent terrorist attacks. Lahore police chief Haji Habibur Rehman told Pakistan's GEO news channel Wednesday that authorities had detained the suspects. He gave few details but indicated that none of those detained were among the gunmen. Up to 14 heavily armed and well-trained assailants sprayed the Sri Lankan bus with bullets and fired a rocket and a grenade as it traveled to a match against Pakistan in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday…
EUROPE
25. Anti-terrorism expert says Bosnia entered by "300 Iranian agents"
BBC Monitoring Europe – Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 3, 2009 Tuesday Copyright 2009 British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/index.htm subscription req'd, available on NEXIS/Westlaw
Text of report by Bosnian Serb state-owned daily Glas Srpske, on 27 February
[Report by Miroslav Filipovic: "Attack on Institutions"]
Banja Luka - The attack on the Serb Republic prime minister and the other public figures from the Serb Republic is the most blatant attack on the B-H institutions, and the parallel intelligence structures of the State Investigation and Protection Agency [SIPA] are behind this attack. This was stated yesterday in Banja Luka by Dzevad Galijasevic, the member of the team for fighting terrorism and organized crime in Southeastern Europe… "This points to the connection of the Croatian and the B-H intelligence services with the terrorist and the criminal network in the region. The purpose of these structures is to strengthen their influence in Bosnia-Hercegovina through destabilization, and they already have good cooperation with Haris Silajdzic's cabinet," Margetic said… "We have the information about 300 Iranian intelligence agents, who entered Bosnia-Hercegovina, and the information about the companies that they are using for their financial operations, but we have no information that any of them left Bosnia-Hercegovina," Margetic noted…
26. Greek police said to have key terrorism suspect in mind
BBC Monitoring Europe – Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 3, 2009 Tuesday Copyright 2009 British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/index.htm subscription req'd, available on NEXIS/Westlaw
Text of report by Greek newspaper Ta Nea on 21 February
[Report by Stelios Vradhelis: "A Terrorist With Training in Kabul"]
The Counter Terrorism Squad consider him to be the "head" of the Revolutionary Struggle [EA]. He was accepted into groups of armed rebels in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East, where hard-core terrorist cores are active. Indeed, officers in the Counter Terrorism Squad consider that the comment by former Public Order Minister Mikhail Khrissokhoidhis - that "what is happening in Greece does not happen even in Baghdad or Kabul, which outraged government officers - was anything but random. The attack attempted in the early hours of Wednesday against Citibank in Kifisia [northern Athens suburb] is perfectly in keeping with the profile formed by the EL.AS. [Greek Police] regarding the young generation of terrorists…
COMMENT / ANALYSIS
27. Obama's Iran Crisis
It's arriving faster than he thinks.
REVIEW & OUTLOOK Wall Street Journal MARCH 4, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123612623865424027.html
Click here to read the IAEA report. http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/board_of_governors.pdf
28. Are Acts of Staged Controversy an Islamist Strategic Tactic?
by Madeleine Gruen and Edward Sloan
IPT News February 27, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/1002/are-acts-of-staged-controversy-...
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2829
Madeleine Gruen is a Senior Analyst for the NEFA Foundation. She is also a Senior Intelligence Analyst for Mike Stapleton Associates and is a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog. Previously, she was an intelligence analyst for the New York Police Department's Counterterrorism Division.
Edward Sloan is a detective in the New York Police Department with 35 years of service. He is a Navy Reserve Officer and since 2001 has deployed several times to Afghanistan and the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His views are not necessarily those of the NYPD or the Navy.
29. New Palestinian TV - To Broadcast What?
March 3, 2009 6:30 AM Khaled Abu Toameh
http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/03/new-palestinian-tv---to-broadcast-what.p...
Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim, is a veteran award-winning journalist who has been covering Palestinian affairs for nearly three decades. He studied at Hebrew University and began his career as a reporter by working for a PLO-affiliated newspaper in Jerusalem. Abu Toameh currently works for the international media, serving as the "eyes and ears" of foreign journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
