Daily Intel Brief 4-28-09
1. Program to Introduce New Threat Detection, Countermeasure Capabilities
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service April 27, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54089
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2009 – A lot of questions are likely to rush through your head when you're out on the battlefield and the enemy projectiles come flying. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is making big strides on a program to respond with life-saving speed and accuracy. The goal of DARPA's CROSSHAIRS – or Counter Rocket-Propelled Grenade and Shooter System with Highly Accurate Immediate Responses -- program is to develop a threat detection and countermeasure system for light tactical vehicles, program manager Karen Wood explained. As envisioned, Wood said, CROSSHAIRS will be able to detect and locate enemy shooters firing threats ranging from bullets to rocket-propelled grenades to anti-tank guided missiles to direct-fired mortars. In addition, it will engage the shooters and notify other friendly forces of the threat…
2. Bail ruling delayed in nuclear parts plot
Shannon Kari, National Post Published: Friday, April 24, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1529801
IPT NOTE: The RCMP press release about the arrest is posted at
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/on/news-nouvelles/2009/09-04-17-ce-da-eng.htm
An Iranian-Canadian arrested last week and accused of trying to export parts that could be used in making nuclear weapons will stay in jail at least until May 4. Ontario provincial court Justice Sheila Ray indicated she will issue her bail ruling that day after hearing submissions yesterday from the Crown and a lawyer for Mahmoud Yadegari. The 35-year-old Toronto man has been in jail since April 16 after the RCMP raided his home following a nearly two-month-long investigation, sparked by a tip from a U. S.-based company. Mr. Yadegari is accused of trying to export two pressure transducers that were allegedly destined for Iran. Transducers have many commercial applications but certain types can help centrifuges produce enriched uranium and may have military applications.
3. AP NewsBreak: FBI to add bomb maker to wanted list
By ADAM GOLDMAN – Associated Press April 27, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3269
NEW YORK (AP) — An FBI official says a notorious terrorist suspected of aiding the insurgency in Iraq will be added to the agency's list of its most wanted terrorists. The official said Monday that an FBI committee recommended this month that 73-year-old Abu Ibrahim be placed on the list. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision wasn't official. An investigation by The Associated Press had revealed the terrorist was still alive and had fled to Syria. Ibrahim has been indicted in the 1982 bombing of Pam Am Flight 830. The explosion killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded more than a dozen passengers as the plane headed to Honolulu from Tokyo. The FBI official says it could take months for Ibrahim to appear on the list.
4. Seattle militant to testify in high-stakes terror trial
By Mike Carter Seattle Times Monday, April 27, 2009 - Page updated at 12:27 AM
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009127495_ujaama27m.htm...
Ten years ago, on a dusty ranch in southern Oregon, one-time Seattle hustler and Muslim convert James Ujaama came close to having his head cut off by a Swede named Oussama Kassir. Kassir, according to court documents, had come to Bly, Ore., on the orders of Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical Islamic preacher and purported al-Qaida recruiter in London, to help Ujaama set up a Jihad training camp on U.S. soil. Ujaama had promised Abu Hamza guns, recruits and terrain remarkably similar to Afghanistan. Kassir, a hardened Jihad fighter who claims he's killed dozens in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya, was purportedly dispatched from London with another man and $12,000 in startup money. What Kassir and his comrade found after their 7,000-mile trip were a couple of dilapidated trailers, a motley group of followers — including women and children — and a lot of big talk from Ujaama. So Kassir, according to documents and eyewitness accounts, decided that he would kill Ujaama and bury him in Bly. Ujaama managed to keep his head. But Kassir, a Lebanese-born Swedish citizen and engineer who once bragged that he was a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden, may wish he'd carried out the threat: This week, the 43-year-old Ujaama — now a federal felon — is expected to be the star witness against Kassir in a terrorism-related trial in U.S. District Court in New York. For the first time, Ujaama will testify about a small group of militant Muslims in Seattle that he led. The group went from commandeering a small mosque in the Central District to becoming entangled in an alleged international terrorism plot…
5. U.S. plans to accept several Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo
The Uighurs would be the first detainees from the prison to settle in America. Challenges are expected from China and within the U.S.
By Julian E. Barnes Los Angeles Times April 24, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3262
Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration is preparing to admit into the United States as many as seven Chinese Muslims who have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay in the first release of any of the detainees into this country, according to current and former U.S. officials. Their release is seen as a crucial step to plans, announced by President Obama during his first week in office, to close the prison and relocate the detainees. Administration officials also believe that settling some of them in American communities will set an example, helping to persuade other nations to accept Guantanamo detainees too. But the decision to release the Chinese Muslims, known as Uighurs, is not final and faces challenges from within the government, as well as likely public opposition. Among government agencies, the Homeland Security Department has registered concerns about the plan. The move would also incense Chinese officials, who consider the Uighurs domestic terrorists and want those held at Guantanamo handed over for investigation. U.S. officials no longer consider the Chinese Muslims to be enemy combatants and fear they would be mistreated in China…
6. Judge orders Ottawa to seek Khadr repatriation
Janice Tibbetts, Canwest News service Published: Thursday, April 23, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1526588
IPT NOTE: The court's opinion is posted at
http://cas-ncr-nter03.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/T-1228-08%20Decision.pdf
OTTAWA -- A federal judge has ordered the Harper government to seek Canadian Omar Khadr's repatriation to Canada. "The ongoing refusal of Canada to request Mr. Khadr's repatriation offends a principle of fundamental justice and violates Mr. Khadr's rights under ... the charter," wrote Federal Court Justice James O'Reilly in a ruling released Thursday. "Canada must present a request to the United States for Mr. Khadr's repatriation as soon as practicable." Mr. Khadr, in a lawsuit filed last August, asked the Federal Court to order Mr. Harper to repatriate him from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has been held since October, 2002, on war crimes charges for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier. Mr. Khadr, now 22, argued in his suit that Canada has an obligation to co-operate in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of children illegally used in armed conflict. Mr. Harper, who has refused to repatriate Mr. Khadr before finding out whether the U.S. intends to drop charges, has said he does not accept that Mr. Khadr was a child soldier because he was not a member of any army when he allegedly committed his crime. The Toronto-born Mr. Khadr was 15 when he was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan…
7. Some Minnesota Somalis subpoenaed
4/25/2009 8:45:02 PM By Amy Forliti Associated Press
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z...
MINNEAPOLIS -- Some local Somalis have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury as authorities continue to investigate whether some young Somali-American men were radicalized here and recruited to fight with terror groups in their homeland. Federal authorities won't confirm the grand jury investigation but the subpoenas -- as well as questions by FBI agents and customs officials -- have unnerved some in the community. Local Somalis have felt vulnerable since officials began looking into why these young men left, and why one carried out a suicide bombing in Somalia last fall. Omar Hurre, director of Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center, the largest mosque in Minnesota, said about 20 young Somalis have come to him in the last few months, asking for advice about grand jury subpoenas… The 23 members of a grand jury determine whether there is probable cause to charge someone with a federal felony offense. In most cases, prosecutors have a suspect in mind, and they present evidence to get that person indicted so they can go to trial. An investigation can take months, and the proceedings are secret…
8. Obama move alarms Israel supporters
The administration seeks changes that would permit aid to Palestinians even if officials backed by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group, become part of a unified Palestinian government.
By Paul Richter Los Angeles Times April 27, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3268
IPT NOTE: Clinton's prepared statement is posted at http://appropriations.house.gov/witness_testimony/SFOPS/Hillary_Clinton_...
Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration, already on treacherous political ground because of its outreach to traditional adversaries such as Iran and Cuba, has opened the door a crack to engagement with the militant group Hamas. The Palestinian group is designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization and under law may not receive federal aid. But the administration has asked Congress for minor changes in U.S. law that would permit aid to continue flowing to Palestinians in the event Hamas-backed officials become part of a unified Palestinian government… The administration's proposal is akin to agreeing to support a government that "only has a few Nazis in it," Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.) told Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a House hearing last week… The administration requested the changes this month as part of an $83.4-billion emergency spending bill that also contains funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also would provide $840 million for the Palestinian Authority and for rebuilding in Gaza after the 22-day Israeli military assault this year. The administration still is wrestling with how to deliver the aid to Gaza because of the tough federal restrictions on dealing with Hamas… Clinton defended the administration's position last week before Congress.…
9. Jury Deliberations Underway In Liberty City 6 Case
Lisa Cilli reporting, 27 April 2009 10:51 am
http://cbs4.com/local/liberty.city.six.2.995277.html
MIAMI (CBS4) ― Jury deliberations are underway in the third trial of six South Florida men facing terrorism charges. A 12-member jury heard 15 hours worth of closing arguments last week. The "Liberty City Six" are on trial for allegedly plotting to blow up a number of buildings including Chicago's Sears Tower, the Empire State Building, Miami's FBI offices in a jihad mission to destroy the United States. Prosecutors say the Haitian-born men also pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. Defense attorneys say they were just "dirt poor" men who pretended to be terrorists or supporters to scam $50,000 from two men they thought were working for Bin Laden. Two previous juries were unable to come to a verdict and U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard declared mistrials. But, the second jury acquitted one man of the group, which was originally known as the "Liberty City Seven." All of the men were arrested in 2006...
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; TSA Press Releases http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/index.shtm
10. FDA Approves Special Use of Drugs, Tests for Swine Flu
By ALICIA MUNDY APRIL 27, 2009, 5:28 P.M. ET Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124086713591160779.html
IPT NOTE: The CDC updates are posted at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
The Food and Drug Administration authorized certain emergency uses of antiviral drugs and tests in connection with the swine flu outbreak, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services said. The orders signed early Monday, called Emergency Use Authorizations, permit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to diagnose swine flu using a test that has yet to be formally approved by the FDA. The test is available only in a few government laboratories, and will be used mostly to review samples sent by state or local health authorities. It isn't designed for widespread use at clinics or ports where travelers are screened. Another authorization signed Monday allows physicians to give a widely used drug, Tamiflu, to children less than one year old. Tamiflu is not approved for such infants. The order includes FDA guidance to doctors on dosing levels for infants. Tamiflu is made by Roche Holding AG. The third emergency authorization allows the inhalant Relenza, made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC, to be used in treating suspected cases of swine flu and dispensed to patients in hospitals. The emergency authorizations signal the FDA's concurrence with the CDC's actions during the swine flu outbreak, which helps protect the government, doctors and hospitals from medical and legal challenges, as well as some liability claims. Emergency-use authorizations were begun under the Project Bioshield Act of 2004 involving U.S. responses to pandemics or bioterrorism…
U.S. Steps Up Alert as More Swine Flu Is Found
Precaution Taken Despite Mildness Of Cases Detected Domestically
By David Brown Washington Post Monday, April 27, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR200904...
The United States declared a "public health emergency" yesterday as countries from New Zealand to Scotland investigated suspected cases of illness that they feared might be a strain of swine flu that has been identified in Mexico, the United States and Canada…
Mexico shuts some schools amid deadly flu outbreak
By MARC LACEY and DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. April 25, 2009 New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/americas/25mexico.html
MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials, scrambling to control a swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 16 people and possibly dozens more in recent weeks, shuttered schools from kindergarten to university for millions of young people in and around the capital on Friday and urged people with flu symptoms to stay home from work…
Swine flu arrives in Europe as emergency health summit announced
Philippe Naughton and Graham Keeley From Times Online (London) April 27, 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6178618.ec...
IPT NOTE: The WHO's material on the situation is posted at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html.
Health authorities in Manchester are carrying out urgent tests on a suspected case of swine flu as governments around the world move to contain the deadly virus. Hours after Spain confirmed Europe's first case of the virus in a 23-year-old man who returned from Mexico last week, officials said tests were being carried out on a Canadian woman who displayed flu-like symptoms while on a visit to Sale in Greater Manchester…
Military Monitors Swine Flu With Focus on Protecting Force
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service April 27, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54088
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is monitoring the swine flu situation closely, with its primary focus on protecting the military population, a senior Pentagon official said today.
As the Department of Health and Human Services leads the U.S. effort, the military is posturing itself to respond if required, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. "We certainly have a number of contingency plans for dealing with health incidences like this, because our primary goal is preservation of the fighting force," he said. "So we obviously have plans and take measures to ensure that we can preserve the fighting strength of the military in the event that there should be a greater crisis with respect to a health situation like this." Two prescription anti-viral drugs, relenza and tamiflu, already are standard stock at U.S. military treatment facilities, and larger quantities are stockpiled at several sites in the United States and overseas, Whitman said… CDC recommends the following actions people can take to stay healthy: …
11. F-16 Buzzes Lady Liberty, Puts City on Edge
By BRIAN THOMPSON WNBC-TV (NY) Updated 4:12 PM EDT, Mon, Apr 27, 2009
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/F-16s-at-Lady-Liberty-Put-City-on-E...
It wasn't even a drill. It was a photo op. And the Pentagon told local authorities about it, but said they couldn't share the information with the public. An Air Force One lookalike and one and possibly two F-16s buzzed the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor this morning, halting work on nearby construction sites, causing resident and office workers to flee their high-rises and giving thousands of people in downtown Manhattan and New Jersey a major fright. At least two people were treated for minor injuries at Jersey City Medical Center after falling during the rush to exit their buildings. "Everybody panicked," said Daisy Cooper, a Merrill Lynch worker in Jersey City, who lost a nephew on 9/11. "Everybody was screaming and we all ran downstairs. I'm devastated...Everybody was running, we didn't know why we were running. We just knew it was a plane, there we go, 9/11 again."…
12. $250M effort to secure ports lags
Updated 4/15/2009 11:24 AM By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2009-04-15-port-security_...?
WASHINGTON — A six-year, $250 million anti-terrorism effort to secure the nation's ports is delayed for at least two more years because the government lacks machines to read fingerprint ID cards issued to more than 1 million workers. Truckers, deckhands and others requiring access to secure areas at ports paid $132 apiece for the high-tech ID cards that have their fingerprints embedded in them. But the Homeland Security Department, which is overseeing the program, says it still lacks fingerprint readers that can be used reliably in harsh weather. A senior lawmaker and a labor official say readers should have been installed at the nation's seaports to prevent people from using fake IDs. Congress ordered the cards in late 2002 based on concerns that terrorists might try to blow up busy seaports or smuggle bombs, weapons or operatives into the country inside cargo containers. Homeland Security was supposed to issue orders this month requiring ports to install card-reading machines, under a 2006 law. The order will not be issued until late 2010 and it may exempt low-risk ports from having card readers, Coast Guard Cmdr. Dave Murk said…
13. Jury convicts O.C. laser beam shooter
Dana Welch of Orange found guilty of interfering with pilots trying to land at John Wayne Airport.
By JON CASSIDY The Orange County Register Thursday, April 23, 2009
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/laser-pilots-welch-2373509-charges-pe...
LOS ANGELES – An Orange resident was found guilty in federal court Wednesday on two felony counts of willfully interfering with aircraft pilots and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 15. Dana Christian Welch, 37, was convicted of shining a handheld laser at passenger jets coming in for a landing at John Wayne Airport the night of May 21, 2008. A jury acquitted Welch of charges that he shined the laser at a third jet and at a police helicopter sent to investigate… One of the pilots experienced "flash blindness" after the laser beam hit him in the eye, and the other had to duck under a glare shield, according to the Department of Justice. Welch is the first person in the country to be convicted at trial of interfering with pilots by pointing laser beams, although others have pleaded guilty to the charges, the Department of Justice said...
Orange County Man Convicted Of Federal Charges For Shooting Laser At Commercial Aircraft
United States Attorney's Office Central District of California
April 23, 2009 Contact: (213) 894-2434
http://losangeles.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/la042309.htm
14. The fog of (cyber) war
Cybermilitias, black hat hackers and other non-nation-state bad guys blur the lines on the virtual battlefield.
Don Tennant April 27, 2009 (Computerworld)
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3264
Analysts and strategists gathered at the Cyber Warfare 2009 conference in London last January were grappling with some thorny problems associated with the cyberaggression threat. One that proved particularly vexing was the matter of exactly what constitutes cyberwarfare under international law. There's no global agreement on the definitions of cyberwarfare or cyberterrorism, so how does a nation conform to the rule of law if it's compelled to respond to a cyberattack? Back in the U.S. trenches, drawing up a legal battle plan is indeed proving to be extraordinarily complex. Those definitions are especially elusive when you consider that no one can even be sure who the potential combatants are. "There is some real work that needs to be done, not only in the U.S., but globally, to think about what is a use of force or an act of war in cyberspace," says Paul Kurtz, a partner at Good Harbor Consulting LLC in Arlington, Va., and a former senior director for critical infrastructure protection on the White House's Homeland Security Council. The need to establish global norms about what is acceptable behavior in cyberspace, he says, is complicated by the fact that "the weapons are not just in the hands of nation-states. They're essentially in everybody's hands."…
Financing, identity theft, money laundering
15. S.I. Man Gets Prison Term for Aid to Hezbollah TV
By BENJAMIN WEISER New York Times April 24, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/nyregion/24cable.html?
IPT NOTE: The gov't press release is posted at
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April09/iqbaljavedsentencing...
A Staten Island businessman was sentenced Thursday to nearly six years in prison for assisting terrorists by providing satellite television services to Hezbollah's television station, Al Manar. The businessman, Javed Iqbal, 45, said in a statement read by his lawyer in Federal District Court in Manhattan that he was "deeply sorry" for what he called a mistake that hurt him "financially, emotionally and physically." … Mr. Iqbal, who emigrated to the United States from Pakistan as a teenager, ran his business from a Brooklyn storefront and the garage of his home in Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, which had satellite dishes in the backyard. The United States Treasury Department has designated Al Manar — "the beacon" in Arabic — a global terrorist entity. Mr. Iqbal's lawyer, Joshua L. Dratel, had earlier argued that prosecution of his client for providing satellite TV services violated his First Amendment rights, but Judge Berman rejected that view, ruling that the prosecution was based not on the content of speech but on conduct — allegations that he provided material support to a foreign terrorist group. Although Mr. Iqbal faced up to 15 years in prison, he and the government agreed in a plea deal that a term of about five to six and a half years would be reasonable. He pleaded guilty to a single count in December…
16. Convenience Store Employees Arrested for Food Stamp Fraud
Reported by: WPTV staff (West Palm Beach) Last Update: 3:01 pm
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3260
BELLE GLADE, FL -- Gassan Ali, 35, of Belle Glade, and Imad Ali, 27, of Royal Palm Beach, were both charged with organized fraud, grand theft, and food stamp fraud after authorities say they committed nearly $1 million worth of food stamp fraud. The store was reportedly documenting food stamps via Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) at a rate seven times the average activity in Belle Glade, according to FDLE. During the investigation, FDLE agents determined that the Ali brothers would misappropriate food stamp benefits using the following method: a customer would come into Billy's Market and ask Gassan Ali or Imad Ali if they could use their EBT swipe card in return for cash… FDLE and USDA analysis of financial records showed that in 2007 and 2008, Billy's Market redeemed $936,176 more in food stamp benefits than the store's total reported sales for the two-year period… During the execution of the search warrant today at Billy's Market, investigators found four weapons and a small quantity of oxycodone. FDLE's investigation continues. Attorney General Bill McCollum's Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute this case...
17. Birth certificate terror alarm
By LARRY CELONA and ANDY GELLER New York Post April 25, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3263
A stack of blank birth certificates has been stolen from the city Health Department's offices, leading investigators to worry that they may have fallen into the hands of terrorists, The Post has learned. On March 12, an employee discovered that 104 certificates with the agency's stamp on them were missing from the department's offices at 125 Worth St., near City Hall, sources said. It was the first time in 10 years that blank birth certificates were stolen from the department. The NYPD and the city's Department of Investigation are investigating. "It's like hitting the Lotto for a terrorist," one investigator said...
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
18. U.S. Customs Officers Don't Have Fever-Screening Technology Used in Asia
While some Asian countries are using thermal scanners to check for high temperatures in people coming across their borders -- a technology that was employed after the SARS outbreak -- U.S. officers are using their own senses to check for symptoms.
FOXNews.com Monday, April 27, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3272
In an effort to flag potential carriers of the swine flu, some Asian countries reportedly are using scanners that automatically measure the body temperatures of people crossing the border and arriving at airports. But automatic thermal scanning is not available to U.S. customs officers, who have to rely on their intuition when they think someone who is ill is entering the country. The U.S. started border screenings over the weekend at all airports, seaports and land crossings. Anyone who exhibits flu symptoms -- including fever, cough, sore throat, headaches, fatigue and in some cases diarrhea and vomiting -- is supposed to be isolated, given a surgical mask to wear and then screened by an officer from the Centers for Disease Control... Instead, officers are conducting what's known as "passive screening." They have the daunting task of watching out for common symptoms that could reflect an everyday cold, or the swine flu that has countries around the world on alert. Easterling said some travelers will alert customs officers that they're not feeling well, and they'll then be referred for screening. In other cases, customs officers will have to notice the symptoms…
19. New York CBP Recovers 4 Stolen Vehicles
(Friday, April 24, 2009) US Customs & Border Protection
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/04242009_7.xml
IPT NOTE: While there are no reports of terrorist financing or support in this case, it should be noted that stolen cars have been linked to terror support, both for the proceeds, and for the use of the cars in bombings. See, e.g., "Arizona auto thefts linked to terrorism," May 18, 2005, KVOA.com-Tucson, http://www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?S=3358445; Bryan Bender, "US car theft rings probed for ties to Iraq bombings," Boston Globe, October 2, 2005, http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2951;
"Auto theft and terrorism linked, experts say, CBC, June 9, 2006, http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/06/09/auto-theft-conference.html
Lewiston, N.Y. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the interception of four stolen vehicles en route to West Africa. On April 15, CBP officers working the Lewiston Bridge Cargo Facility in Lewiston, N.Y., encountered a truck with a containerized shipment of vehicles destined to the country of Togo, West Africa. The shipment, which originated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was in transit through the United States to the Port of Newark, N.J., for further movement via cargo ship to the West Africa. CBP officers selected the container for an enforcement examination. Research of the Vehicle Identification Numbers recorded on the entry paperwork revealed records for possible stolen vehicles. CBP officers offloaded the container for further examination where the vehicles in question were inspected by CBP officers, CBP import specialists and investigators from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The VIN numbers of the vehicles were verified and CBP confirmed that the vehicles were in fact stolen from the Greater Toronto Area and have a combined value of more than $56,000: …
20. Drug-Sub Culture
By DAVID KUSHNER April 26, 2009 New York Times Magazine
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/magazine/26drugs-t.html
THE CRAFT FIRST surfaced like something out of a science-fiction movie. It was November 2006, and a Coast Guard cutter spotted a strange blur on the ocean 100 miles off Costa Rica. As the cutter approached, what appeared to be three snorkels poking up out of the water became visible. Then something even more surprising was discovered attached to the air pipes: a homemade submarine carrying four men, an AK-47 and three tons of cocaine. Today, the 49-foot-long vessel bakes on concrete blocks outside the office of Rear Adm. Joseph Nimmich in Key West, Fla. Here, at the Joint Interagency Task Force South, Nimmich commands drug-interdiction efforts in the waters south of the United States. Steely-eyed, gray-haired and dressed in a blue jumpsuit, he showed me the homemade sub one hot February afternoon like a hunter flaunting his catch. "We had rumors and indicators of this for a very long period beforehand," he told me, which is why they nicknamed it Bigfoot. This kind of vessel — a self-propelled, semisubmersible made by hand in the jungles of Colombia — is no longer quite so mythic: four were intercepted in January alone. But because of their ability to elude radar systems, these subs are almost impossible to detect; only an estimated 14 percent of them are stopped. And perhaps as many as 70 of them will be made this year, up from 45 or so in 2007, according to a task-force spokesman. Made for as little as $500,000 each and assembled in fewer than 90 days, they are now thought to carry nearly 30 percent of Colombia's total cocaine exports…
MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA
21. Al Qaeda leader Abu Omar al Baghdadi confirmed captured: Prime Minister Maliki
Written by Bill Roggio on April 27, 2009 12:07 AM to The Long War Journal
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/04/al_qaeda_leader_abu.php
Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the leader of al Qaeda's puppet Islamic State of Iraq, was captured after a two-month long intelligence operation, Iraq's prime minister said. Last week, the Ministry of Defense reported Baghdadi was captured during a raid by Iraqi forces. The US military has yet to confirm Baghdadi's captured. Al Qaeda in Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq, and other jihadi web forums have neither confirmed nor denied Baghdadi's capture. In the past, al Qaeda has been quick to dismiss false reports of its captured senior leaders. Iraq has a poor track recording reporting on the death or capture of senior al Qaeda leaders. Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the brutal former leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was reported to have been killed or captured several times before he was finally killed by US forces in Baqubah in June 2006. Since 2007, Iraq's Interior and Defense ministries claimed Abu Ayyub al Masri, the current leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and Baghdadi were killed or captured four different times. The reports later proved to be false. Maliki said Iraqi operatives were directly tracking Baghdadi and dismissed the idea that the Baghdad's capture was unconfirmed as US forces were unaware of the operation...
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release No. 273-09 April 23, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12630
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. William C. Comstock, 21, of Van Buren, Ark., died April 22 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Supply Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The incident is under investigation…
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release No. 276-09 April 24, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12631
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Brad A. Davis, 21, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, died April 22 near Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C…
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release No. 277-09 April 25, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12634
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. CSM Benjamin Moore, Jr., 43, of Waycross, Ga., died Apr 24 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation...
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release No. 279-09 April 27, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12635
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Leroy O. Webster, 28, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died April 25 near Kirkuk, Iraq, after being shot while on a dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas..
22. Al-Qaeda threatens to kill British hostage unless Abu Qatada is released
Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent From The Times (London) April 27, 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6175024.ece
Al-Qaeda's North African arm has threatened to kill a British hostage within 20 days unless Britain releases the extremist cleric Abu Qatada from a maximum security jail. In a message posted on a well-known jihadist website, the group demanded the release of the Palestinian preacher in return for that of a British hostage captured this year. Abu Qatada has been named by Spanish judges as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe and is regarded as the most dangerous jihadi ideologue to have operated from Britain. He is being held in isolation at Long Lartin high-security jail in Worcestershire while he fights deportation to Jordan. The unnamed Briton is thought to be one of a group of European tourists who were kidnapped in January on the border between Mali and Niger after attending the African music "Festival in the Desert" near Timbuktu. In a statement, the organisation al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said: "We demand that Britain release Sheikh Abu Qatada, who is unjustly held, for the release of its British citizen. We give it 20 days as of the issuance of this statement."…
23. New Video from Al-Qaeda Maghreb Showcases Suicide Bombers, Young Children Raised in Jihad Camps
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Special Dispatch - No. 2329 April 27, 2009
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP232909
The media wing of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has released the second video in its "Lovers of the Virgins of Paradise" series, which is devoted to documentation and praise of the organization's suicide bombers, as well as features young children of mujahideen, who grew up in jihad camps. This video is available to JTTM subscribers upon request. To view the clip and read the full report, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/report.htm?report=3258¶m=GJN...
24. Yemeni deputy interior minister says "foreign hands" behind terrorist acts
BBC Monitoring Middle East – Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
April 26, 2009 Sunday Copyright 2009 British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/index.htm subscription req'd, available on NEXIS/Westlaw
Sanaa 26 September Online in Arabic on 24 April carries an interview with Deputy Interior Minister Staff Major General Salih al-Zu'ri by Tahir al-Absi, entitled: "The Incidents in Some Southern Areas are Carried Out by Outlaw Elements To Implement Foreign Plans Against the Homeland and its Unity". The interview deals with the arrest of Cell 16 affiliated with Al-Qa'idah, the efforts exerted by the security services to foil terrorist operations in Yemen, and the alleged foreign plans aimed to destabilize the country. Asked about the security efforts to pursue the terrorist elements, Al-Zu'ri says: "The security agencies managed to foil a number of the terrorist operations, which Al-Qa'idah Organization planned to carry out in the country. Sixteen terrorist elements of Al-Qa'idah were arrested in March, including 10 in Shabwah Governorate. Most of the arrested elements were adolescents, and they were recruited to carry out suicide bombings and sabotage operations. In addition, six others were arrested after they joined a suicide cell planned to carry out 12 terrorist operations targeting oil and tourist facilities and foreign interests, but all these plans were foiled." …
Yemen's Jews uneasy as Muslim hostility grows
by Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press Sun Apr 26, 1:19 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_yemen_jews_under_p...
KHARIF, Yemen – In this village in northern Yemen, where a kosher butcher slaughters chickens and the school bus carries young boys in side curls along a dirt track to their Hebrew studies, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the Arab world is fighting for its survival. Yemen's Jews, here and elsewhere in the country, are thought to have roots dating back nearly 3,000 years to King Solomon. The community used to number 60,000 but shrank dramatically when most left for the newborn state of Israel. Those remaining, variously estimated to number 250 to 400, are feeling new and sometimes violent pressure from Yemeni Muslims, lately inflamed by Israel's fierce offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza that cost over 1,000 Palestinian lives. They face a Yemeni government that is ambivalent — publicly supportive but also lax in keeping its promises — in an Arab world where Islamic extremism and hostility to minorities are generally on the rise...
25. Cruise ship fends off pirate attack with gunfire
By NICOLE WINFIELD – Associated Press April 26, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/3273
ROME (AP) — An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board fended off a pirate attack far off the coast of Somalia when its Israeli private security forces exchanged fire with the bandits. Six men in a small, white Zodiac-type boat approached the Msc Melody at about 1730 GMT Saturday and opened fire with automatic weapons, Msc Cruises director Domenico Pellegrino said. They retreated after the security officers returned fire and sprayed them with water hoses. The ship continued its journey with its windows darkened. "It felt like we were in war," the ships commander, Ciro Pinto, told Italian state radio. None of the roughly 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members was hurt, Pellegrino said. The passengers were asked to return to their cabins and the external lights on board turned off. Pellegrino said all Msc cruise ships around the world are staffed with Israeli security agents because they are the best trained. The attack occurred about 200 miles (325 kilometers) north of the Seychelles, and about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Somalia, according to the anti-piracy flotilla headquarters of the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa…
26. Hamas said to fire new longer-range weapon from Gaza
BBC Monitoring Middle East – Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
April 23, 2009 Thursday Copyright 2009 British Broadcasting Corporation
Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat website on 23 April
[Report by Jihan al-Husayni in Cairo: "'Hamas' Annnounced it Has New Long-range Weapon. Sulayman To Urge Israelis To Separate Calm and Prisoners Dossiers"]
http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/index.htm subscription req'd, available on NEXIS/Westlaw
Authoritative Palestinian sources have told "Al-Hayat" that Egyptian Intelligence Director Minister Umar Sulayman was supposed to tell the Israelis that "the calm in the Gaza Strip is not because of their recent war on it but because Egypt is pressuring the Palestinian factions and forces' leaders and urging them to exercise self-restraint."… Regarding the calm, the Palestinian sources disclosed to "Al-Hayat" that "despite the suffocating blockade on Gaza, Hamas has succeeded in developing its resources and now has a new long-range weapon that has been brought into Gaza." They pointed out that the rocket which was recently fired from the centre of Al-Shati camp in Gaza and reached Israeli towns was tantamount "to a message addressed to the Israelis at this timing." They added: "The Israelis cannot destroy our resources unless they wipe out the entire Gaza Strip…
ASIA / PACIFIC
27. Indonesian military officer warns Bali remains terrorism target
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific – Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
April 24, 2009 Friday Copyright 2009 British Broadcasting Corporation
Text of report by Indonesian government-owned news agency Antara website
[Unattributed report: "Bali Remains Likely Target Of Terrorist Attack : Mily Chief"]
http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/index.htm subscription req'd, available on NEXIS/Westlaw
Singaraja, Bali, Apr 22 (ANTARA) - After being hit by two major terrorist attacks since 2002, Bali is still a very likely target for any terror group planning to stage a large-scale offensive, the region's military chief said. "This is obvious because Bali is a major national as well as international tourist destination. If Bali is attacked, the national interest is jeopardized," said Maj Gen Hotmangaraja Panjaitan, chief of the Udayana Regional Military Command, here Wednesday…
