Homeland Security

[Soldier4Christ]

'Martyrdom' Detonator Video Details Revealed In Case

A prosecution court filing provides new details of a videotape the government says was made by a University of South Florida student and posted to the Web site YouTube.

The video, authorities allege, was made by Ahmed Mohamed, 26, who was arrested in South Carolina on Aug. 4 along with Youssef Megahed and accused of transporting explosives.

The prosecution says Mohamed acknowledged making the video in which he demonstrated how to use a remote-controlled toy to detonate a bomb.

The prosecution court filing quotes Mohamed as saying in Arabic on the video, "Instead of the brethren going to, to carry out martyrdom operations, no may G-D bless him, he can use the explosion tools from distance and preserve his life, G-D willing, the blessed and exalted, for the real battles."

The quote comes in a reply the government filed to a motion by Megahed seeking to have his case tried separately from Mohamed. Megahed's attorneys argue that terrorism-related allegations against Mohamed will unfairly prejudice the jury against Megahed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hoffer writes in his response that he opposes the severance of the case, saying there is no basis to think the jury could not be fair to both defendants.

The "G-D" portions of the quote stand for the word "god," according to Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Jay did that out of respect to God. That's the way he prints that name," Cole said.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Adam Allen said, with court permission, he plans to "respond to the government's motion and to fill in gaps in facts which the government has neglected to plead."

Hoffer notes in his filing that the video was found by investigators on a laptop computer owned by Mohamed. Megahed was seen trying to stow the computer as deputies approached their car in North Carolina, the prosecution says.

Describing the video, a new prosecution court filing says, "Referring to the disassembled toy car, the narrator said 'We will cut the circuit of ... these two wires that supply the electric current to the motor and rather ... than giving electricity to the motor, we will route it to the detonator.' "

"Later summarizing the process, the narrator of the tape said that he 'will make this circuit send to the detonator' and, after disconnecting the wires on the toy car from their connection to the motor and showing how to connect them to another type of device, the narrator summarized his product as something akin to a military 'detonator' or 'self-igniter,' which, he went on to say, is 'an instrument or a simple tool that initiates the ignition, which in turn initiates the explosive reaction or any fuel reaction.' "

"That ignition," the narrator is quoted as saying, "will in turn cause another ignition or the start of an explosion."

[Soldier4Christ]

Islamists target Arizona base
America's largest intelligence-training center changes security measures

Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility.

Fort officials changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times.

"A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States," according to one of the documents, an FBI advisory that was distributed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department, among several other law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. "The Afghanis and Iraqis shaved their beards so as not to appear to be Middle Easterners."

According to the FBI advisory, each Middle Easterner paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 "or the equivalent in weapons" for the cartel's assistance in smuggling them and their weapons through tunnels along the border into the U.S. The weapons would be sent through tunnels that supposedly ended in Arizona and New Mexico, but the Islamist terrorists would be smuggled through Laredo, Texas, and reclaim the weapons later.

A number of the Afghans and Iraqis are already in a safe house in Texas, the FBI advisory said.

Fort Huachuca, which lies about 20 miles from the Mexican border, has members of all four service branches training in intelligence and secret operations. About 12,000 persons work at the fort and many have their families on base.

Lt. Col. Matthew Garner, spokesman for Fort Huachuca, said details about the current phase of the investigation or security changes on the post "will not be disclosed."

"We are always taking precautions to ensure that soldiers, family members and civilians that work and live on Fort Huachuca are safe," Col. Garner said. "With this specific threat, we did change some aspects of our security that we did have in place."

According to the FBI report, some of the weapons associated with the plot have been smuggled through a tunnel from Mexico to the U.S.

The FBI report is based on Drug Enforcement Administration sources, including Mexican nationals with access to "sub-sources" in the drug cartels. The report's assessment is that the DEA's Mexican contacts have proven reliable in the past but the "sub-source" is of uncertain reliability.

According to the source who spoke with DEA intelligence agents, the weapons included two Milan anti-tank missiles, Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles, grenade launchers, long guns and handguns.

"FBI Comment: The surface-to-air missiles may in fact be RPGs," the advisory stated, adding that the weapons stash in Mexico could include two or three more Milan missiles.

The Milan, a French-German portable anti-tank weapon, was developed in the 1970s and widely sold to militaries around the world, including Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Insurgents in Iraq reportedly have used a Milan missile in an attack on a British tank. Iraqi guerrillas also have shot down U.S. helicopters using RPGs, or rocket-propelled grenades.

FBI spokesman Paul Bresson would not elaborate on the current investigation regarding the threat, but said that many times the initial reports are based on "raw, uncorroborated information that has not been completely vetted." He added that this report shows the extent to which all law enforcement and intelligence agencies cooperate in terror investigations.

"If nothing else, it provides a good look at the inner working of the law-enforcement and intelligence community and how they work together on a daily basis to share and deal with threat information," Mr. Bresson said. "It also demonstrates the cross-pollination that frequently exists between criminal and terrorist groups."

The connections between criminal enterprises, such as powerful drug cartels, and terrorist organizations have become a serious concern for intelligence agencies monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Based upon the information provided by the DEA handling agent, the DEA has classified the source as credible," stated a Department of Homeland Security document, regarding the possibility of an attack on Fort Huachuca. "The identity of the sub-source has been established; however, none of the information provided by the sub-source in the past has been corroborated."

The FBI advisory stated the "sub-source" for the information "is a member of the Zetas," the military arm of one of Mexico's most dangerous drug-trafficking organizations, the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel controls the movement of narcotics from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the U.S. along the Laredo corridor.

However, the sub-source "for this information is of unknown reliability," the FBI advisory stated.

According to the DEA, the sub-source identified Mexico's Sinaloa cartel as the drug lords who would assist the terrorists in their plot.

This led the DEA to caution the FBI that its information may be a Gulf Cartel plant to bring the U.S. military in against its main rival. The Sinaloa and Gulf cartels have fought bloody battles along the border for control of shipping routes into the U.S.

"It doesn't mean that there isn't truth to some of what this source delivered to U.S. agents," said one law-enforcement intelligence agent, on the condition of anonymity. "The cartels have no loyalty to any nation or person. It isn't surprising that for the right price they would assist terrorists, knowingly or unknowingly."

[Soldier4Christ]

Muslim man gets 10-years in Ohio bomb plot

A judge on Tuesday sentenced a Somali immigrant to 10 years in prison for plotting to blow up an Ohio shopping mall with a man later convicted of being an al-Qaida terrorist.

Nuradin Abdi, a cell phone salesman before his arrest, will be deported to Somalia after serving the sentence. U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley imposed the sentence as part of a plea deal Abdi agreed to in July.

In a 20-minute statement to the court, Abdi's attorney Mahir Sherif said his client apologized to the people of the United States, the people of Ohio and the Muslim community.

"He apologizes for the things he thought about and the things he talked about and the crimes he pleaded guilty to," Sherif said. "He wants to make it very, very clear that he does not hate America."

The alleged plot was never carried out and Sherif long maintained Abdi was guilty at most of ranting about the United States' handling of the war in Afghanistan.

Abdi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support for terrorists. Three charges were dropped as part of his plea deal; Abdi could have received 80 years in prison had he been convicted of all the counts he had faced.

Prosecutors said Abdi made threatening comments about the unspecified shopping mall during a meeting with two other alleged terrorists on Aug. 8, 2002, at a coffee shop in suburban Columbus.

Abdi and the two "could attack the mall with a bomb," Abdi told his friends as they sipped $11.25 in refreshments at the coffee shop, according to court documents.

One of the men with Abdi that day was Iyman Faris, who pleaded guilty in May 2003 to providing material support for terrorism. A Pakistani immigrant, Faris was convicted of plotting to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The third man alleged to be at the meeting is Christopher Paul, a U.S. citizen who grew up in suburban Columbus. He was charged in April with plotting to bomb European tourist resorts frequented by Americans as well as overseas U.S. military bases, and his trial is scheduled for January 2009.

Abdi was arrested in November 2003. His attorneys have said he was upset at the war in Afghanistan and reports of civilians killed in bombings by the U.S.-led invasion.

Prosecutors also say Abdi gave stolen credit card numbers to a man accused of buying gear for al-Qaida, and lied on immigration documents to visit a jihadist training camp.

Abdi's attorneys have said that the stolen credit card numbers were never used and that the Justice Department never alleged what organization they believed was running the camp, what Abdi intended to do with the training, or whether he ever actually went.

[Soldier4Christ]

Abu Dhabi bails out Citigroup 
Mideast oil state now top shareholder of largest U.S. bank

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority will become the largest shareholder in Citigroup, with a $7.5 billion capital infusion in return for 4.9 percent ownership of the bank, America's largest by assets.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, or ADIA, is an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, with an estimated $1 trillion under management. Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates and its capital.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the investment will make ADIA the largest shareholder of Citigroup, exceeding the stake held by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

Citigroup is facing a capital crisis over declared loses in collateralized debt obligations, including mortgage-backed securities estimated in the billions of dollars.

Earlier this month, Citigroup Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Charles Prince resigned after announcing the bank was facing as much as $11 billion losses in addition to billions of dollars already written off.

Citigroup has not yet selected a new CEO.

Wall Street analysts today were uncertain if the Abu Dhabi capital infusion would rescue Citigroup from the current credit crisis, noting that a $2 billion capital infusion the Bank of America pumped into mortgage banker Countrywide has not prevented its capital position from further erosion.

Separately today, the Wall Street Journal reported Dubai International Capital, controlled by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai's ruler, made a "substantial" capital investment in Sony in return for an ownership position believed to be slightly less than 5 percent.

With the price of oil edging toward $100 a barrel, Middle Eastern oil-producing states have experienced a windfall in revenue.

By comparison, in 2003 oil was trading at $44 a barrel, and when President Bush was inaugurated Jan. 20, 2001, oil was trading at $24 a barrel.

WND has reported the U.S. now imports 12 million of the 20 million barrels of oil it consumes daily, at a cost of about $1 billion.

Investment funds held by governments, known as "sovereign funds," are estimated to be in the trillions in Middle Eastern oil-producing states.

WND reported Dubai has moved to purchase approximately 20 percent of NASDAQ, one of the two largest stock exchanges in the U.S.

CNBC reports today that Arab investors have put some $70 billion in U.S. equities this year.

WND has also reported the crisis in mortgage-backed securities and derivatives is beginning to threaten the solvency of hundreds of financial institutions, including some of the largest, that hold the bundled instruments in their asset portfolios.

This morning, Citigroup was trading above 30 on the New York Stock Exchange, still down considerably from the stock's 52-week high of 57.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Doctor sentenced in NY terrorism case

A doctor convicted of conspiring to treat injured al-Qaida fighters was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison, with the judge reasoning that a sentence to deter others was needed because terrorists cannot carry out their deadly aims without help.
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U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska noted Dr. Rafiq Sabir, 53, showed no remorse after his May conviction for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists by agreeing to treat injured al-Qaida members so they could return to Iraq to battle Americans.

The judge said there was "no reason to believe that this defendant has abandoned any criminal intentions."

She said terrorism offenses were among the most serious crimes prosecuted and required stern punishments.

"If not for assistance to terrorists, then terrorist acts would not take place," she said.

Just before the announcement of the sentence in a crowded courtroom, Sabir, of Boca Raton, Fla., insisted he was "completely innocent."

He said a co-defendant, jazz musician and martial arts expert Tarik Shah, had duped him into taking an oath with an FBI agent who posed as an al-Qaida recruiter, never explaining that he was pledging loyalty to al-Qaida or its leader, Osama bin Laden.

"I'm an extremely gullible man," he said.

Sabir said he learned more about Shah at his trial than he had learned in the previous 20 years when they had become close friends.

He said he now realizes Shah tried to sell his services to al-Qaida.

"My intentions were entirely within the law," he said. "I had no idea I was being asked to be an al-Qaida member."

The judge said she concluded Sabir perjured himself when he testified during trial that he did not understand the accent of the FBI agent during the pledging ceremony and did not realize that "al-Qaida" was said or that references to "Osama" were about bin Laden.

Shah was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison in a deal with the government. A Brooklyn bookstore owner who pleaded guilty was sentenced to 13 years in prison. A Washington, D.C., cab driver has pleaded guilty and agreed to serve 15 years in prison.

[Soldier4Christ]

Fla. group was terror cell

A construction worker commanded a homegrown terrorism cell that sought an "unholy alliance" with al-Qaida to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb several FBI offices, a federal prosecutor said Thursday in closing arguments at the group's trial.
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Narseal Batiste and his "soldiers" ultimately aimed to topple the U.S. government, and intended to use the attacks to spark a broader insurrection — even freeing prisoners to become guerrilla fighters, prosecutor Jacqueline Arango told jurors in the case of the group dubbed the "Liberty City Seven."

"They weren't going to be able to accomplish these grandiose plans alone. They needed help," Arango said. "That's why Batiste sought an unholy alliance with a foreign terrorist organization. They were a ready-made terrorist cell here for al-Qaida."

Batiste attorney Ana M. Jhones questioned the legality of investigators' tactics, claiming that Batiste was "entrapped" by the informants as part of the FBI's zealousness in making terrorism arrests following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"Manipulation at the hands of the government cannot be tolerated because of their war on terror," Jhones said.

The seven defendants each face as many as 70 years in prison if convicted of all four terrorism-related charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida and plotting to wage war against the U.S. government. The defendants claim they were faking the plot to dupe an informant out of money. They never obtained explosives.

Closing arguments from defense lawyers and a final rebuttal from prosecutors were scheduled to continue Friday and possibly into Monday, said U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard.

Unknown to Batiste in 2005 and 2006 was that two Middle Eastern men he trusted with his suspected plan were actually FBI informants, one of them playing the role of overseas al-Qaida emissary "Brother Mohammed."

The FBI made dozens of audio and video recordings. The key tape, made in March 2006, shows Batiste, the FBI informant and the six other defendants at a ceremony to pledge loyalty or "bayat" to al-Qaida.

Arango said that oath is proof that each of the seven sought to provide material support to al-Qaida and that all of them were aware of Batiste's purported plot.

Batiste, testifying in his own defense over eight days, claimed that he was faking a terrorism plot in an attempt to scam "Mohammed" out of $50,000 and that he had no violent intentions.

His attorney held up stacks of cash she said amounted to the money Batiste thought he could get if he played along with the plots.

"He's talking the talk and he's walking the walk, and this is the motivating factor," Jhones said in her closing statement. "I'm not saying it's proper, but it's not terrorism."

The prosecutor, however, scoffed at that defense, accusing Batiste of lying about the money shakedown in an effort to avoid prison. She said the FBI tapes repeatedly show Batiste discussing such things as a "full ground war" that would "kill all the devils we can" beginning with the Sears Tower and FBI office attacks.

"He's not telling you the truth. The truth is in those tapes," Arango told jurors.

Although Batiste gave the FBI informant lists of weaponry and military gear he sought for the group, the group never obtained the firepower necessary to mount such a grand attack before their arrests in June 2006. The group was part of a sect known as the Moorish Science Temple that blends elements of several religions and does not recognize the authority of the U.S. government.

"They sought the destruction of the United States," Arango said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Islamic terrorists, Mexican drug cartels team up in plot against Ft. Huachuca

A top executive with the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps is very concerned about a recent report that terrorists being smuggled across the Mexican border were planning a massive terrorist attack on an extremely important military installation in Arizona.



According to The Washington Times, the nation's largest intelligence training center -- Fort Huachuca -- changed its security measures this past May after being warned of a planned terrorist attack involving Islamic extremists and Mexican drug cartels. The Times reports that as many as 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 or the equivalent in weapons for assistance in illegally entering the U.S. An FBI advisor revealed that a number of the terrorists are hiding in a safe house in Texas.

Al Garza, national executive director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, lives near Fort Huachuca. He says the terrorists can easily blend into the Mexican culture.

"They know how to pick up the language. They've [blended into] the culture and [dietary customs]," he says. "And before you know it, they've mixed with your Mexican people, whether it's the Latino communities or the illegal immigrants per se. And eventually they become a part of them. A very unsuspected individual could turn out to be your terrorists."

Garza considers the situation another example of why the United States government must take stronger steps to secure its border with Mexico.

[Soldier4Christ]

Inmates studying al-Qaeda manual

ISLAMIC extremists are using an al-Qaeda training manual to give them instructions for taking over the state's toughest jails, prison authorities have alleged.

Up to 40 inmates had established an internal organisational structure to maintain morale, resist interrogation and recruit members to Islam.

The prisoners had set up leadership groups in several maximum-security jails, with their activities governed by the code outlined in the al-Qaeda manual for incarcerated followers.

A number of Corrective Services staff have been targeted, some with violent threats by inmate groups. Other staff have been singled out for conversion to Islam.

NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said an undisclosed number of inmates had been transferred to other jails in an attempt to disrupt the leadership groups.

Mr Hatzistergos said he was extremely concerned about the broader attempts to infiltrate the jail system, which were uncovered after sweeping changes to prison regulations allowed 24-hour monitoring of Muslim inmates.

The latest crackdown followed the disclosure this year that a third of the state's most dangerous criminals held in the highest-security jail in Australia, the Super Max facility inside Goulburn jail, were Muslim fundamentalists or converts to Islam.

"The insidious nature of these activities remind us we have to be constantly vigilant to these types of threats for the security of our correctional system," Mr Hatzistergos said.

NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham said international prison authorities had alerted Australian authorities to the existence of the manual three months ago.

Corrective Services staff had since uncovered patterns of behaviour among inmates consistent with instructions in the manual, including hunger strikes, group protests and claims of mistreatment, he said.

"There were hunger strikes and organised complaints about their treatment," he said. "We have detected the leadership in groups across our maximum security jails [and] have moved in to segregate them and split them up.

"There is nothing wrong with conversion to Islam for the right reasons, but we believe there has been conversion taking place for the wrong reasons."

The Security Threat Group Intervention Program, established in 2003 to stop ethnic and other criminal gangs exerting control within NSW jails, is now being used to identify and relocate the ringleaders who are applying the code outlined in the al-Qaeda manual, to counter the growing threat of terrorism.

Terrorist hierarchy

- The al-Qaeda training manual was first obtained by the CIA in 1996.

- It suggests a 10-position leadership structure for members held in prison.

- The structure includes "barracks chief and deputies", "greeters to meet and instruct new arrivals", "welfare attendant to organise equitable distribution of goods from families and aid organisations" and "clergy", presumably to attend to spiritual needs as well as to recruit new adherents to their faith, according to the CIA report.

[Soldier4Christ]

Omaha - Grenade Found At Westroads Mall Parking Lot


A grenade was found Friday night at an Omaha shopping mall.

Officers went to the northwest corner of the parking lot at Westroads Mall after someone reported finding an explosive device. The mall security directed officers to the area of the parking lot where the device was located. The Omaha Police Bomb Squad Unit was called and removed the intact grenade safely from the area.

A source stated the grenade was lying on the ground with no note or information, but that it did have a pin in it. The source said it looked like a pineapple grenade.

[Soldier4Christ]

N.Y. Cops Take Mall Terror Threat Seriously - Operation Safeguard

New York law enforcement officers have implemented a model program that enlists the publics help in watching for possible terrorist activity during the busy holiday shopping season.

    An international tourist, having heard about Woodbury Common Premium Outlets’ global status, stakes out the facility during a shopping trip.

    Then, during subsequent trips, he plans out an attack that would cripple major thoroughfares to New York City, as well as cost some of America’s top retail stores millions of dollars in earnings.

    While such an attack remains a reality only among armchair theorists, law enforcement isn’t taking any chances.

    That’s the rationale behind an annual show of force called “Operation Safeguard” that deployed 70 officers from 25 law enforcement agencies in Orange, Rockland and Sullivan counties to various shopping centers yesterday.

    The deployment, which included state police, county sheriffs’ offices and local police, is meant to thwart a potential terrorist attack through a public education campaign, as well as create an unannounced presence at local malls and the roads that feed them during the busiest shopping season of the year.

    “There’s no hard and fast intelligence of a terrorist threat to local malls, but when we discuss vulnerabilities in our area, those are the places that concern us,” said state police Maj. Ed Raso, one of the coordinators of the event.

    Such retail stores are considered “soft targets” by anti-terrorism officials, because they have no armed guards or heavily fortified entrances. Terrorists tend to prefer such targets, as they are easier to attack, and because they deal a psychological blow to their enemies by incurring mass casualties, Raso said.

    Major retail centers such as Woodbury Common and the Palisades Center in West Nyack would make potentially attractive targets.

    But even smaller centers, such as the Galleria mall at Crystal Run and the Route 42 corridor stores in Sullivan County could end up as targets, said Raso, referencing similar attacks by extremists in Israel.

    Troopers, sheriff’s deputies and Woodbury police officers handed out fliers to shoppers at Woodbury Common that urged “If you see something, say something.”

    Such public awareness campaigns are the most effective weapon against terrorist attacks on soft targets, if they’re done year after year, Raso said.

    “A lot of people get busy in their lives and in their jobs, and they put public safety on the back burner,” he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Western-looking terror recruits on rise
Latest crop of al-Qaida 'more like TV's Jack Bauer than Osama bin Laden'

The latest crop of Al Qaeda recruits is salted with white, Anglo-featured converts from Europe who look more like TV's Jack Bauer than Osama Bin Laden.

U.S. officials are worried about fair-skinned Al Qaeda killers with light-colored eyes, who most Americans would never suspect as Muslim jihadis ready to die in martyrdom missions like Sept. 11.

"It is a very big concern," a top counterterror official told the Daily News of the possibility that real-life terrorists resemble Kiefer Sutherland's character on "24."

The Europeans have been spotted in Pakistan's tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, where a resurgent Al Qaeda runs small training camps.

"Al Qaeda is attempting to recruit 'Western' individuals to better blend into European and American societies," a senior military officer who monitors secret reports on the region said. "It's a continuing concern for the intelligence community."

The danger is that they may blend in back home - or take advantage of the visa-waiver program the U.S. shares with Eurpean allies that eliminates a key layer of scrutiny for travelers. The travel loophole allows 15 million people to enter the U.S. from 18 European countries without visas, including Britain, France, Germany and Norway.

Intelligence on white jihadis cropped up long before Bin Laden warned Europe last week to leave Afghanistan in a new tape.

Top CIA official John Kringen told lawmakers earlier this year that he was "very concerned" about Al Qaeda using Europe as "a launching point for bringing terrorists into the United States."

One counterterror official said the Department of Homeland Security isn't moving aggressively to counter those who don't fit the typical Al Qaeda ethnic profile. Most of its agents are from Arab countries, Asia or North Africa.

But DHS spokeswoman Laura Keehner said terrorists "come in all shapes, sizes and colors," and screening procedures "do not take appearances into account."

Peculiar behavior, rather than appearance, is increasingly relied on to tell the difference between a safe traveler and a terrorist, Keehner said.

The number of white Europeans who have converted to Islam and been trained by Al Qaeda in Pakistan is believed small, but their value is incal*culable. Besides ease of travel, they offer a window into Western culture.

Bin Laden has no one left in his top five tiers of leadership with experience in the West, such as captured 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who attended a North Carolina college. His only adviser on America is California-raised propagandist Adam Gadahn, the likely author of Bin Laden's recent speeches.

The first public inkling of the new threat came last year when a Newsweek reporter in Afghanistan met a Taliban leader who was guarded by a European with light-colored eyes, referred to as one of their "English brothers."

Military officials in Afghanistan told The News last summer they've never captured or killed any Europeans near the border. But Al Qaeda has suggested that European jihadis are plentiful.

[Soldier4Christ]

Florida jury begins terror plot deliberations

MIAMI - Jurors began deliberations Monday on charges against seven men accused of conspiring to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and blow up FBI offices in an attempt to start an anti-government insurrection.

The members of the so-called "Liberty City Seven" face sentences of up to 70 years in prison if convicted of four terrorism-related conspiracy charges, including plotting to wage war on the U.S. and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida.

The jury got the case following a two-month trial.

In closing arguments, a prosecutor underscored allegations that 33-year-old Narseal Batiste was the leader of a homegrown terrorist cell hoping to get help from a man claiming to be an al-Qaida operative - in reality an FBI informant.

"This is the fanatic, ladies and gentlemen, and the soldiers who follow his word," Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Gregorie said.

Batiste testified that he was only trying to dupe the informant out of $50,000, and defense attorneys have said little evidence ties the six other defendants to the alleged plot.

One of the key pieces of evidence, an FBI videotape, showed a March 2006 ceremony in which all seven took an oath of loyalty to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

The alleged plots never got beyond the planning stage, but Batiste was overheard on hundreds of other FBI audio and video recordings describing elements of the attacks and the war that would follow.

During their closing arguments last week, several defense attorneys suggested the case was blown far out of proportion as the Bush administration sought terrorism convictions at all costs in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Prosecutors repeatedly mentioned those attacks and focused sharply on a recording in which Batiste claims his plan would be "as good or greater than 9/11."

Gregorie, however, said each of those accused had an opportunity to walk away from the conspiracy and never did.

"It has nothing to do with politics," Gregorie said. "It has to do with evidence."

No explosives, military weaponry or definitive attack plans were found when the FBI searched the group's headquarters, known as "the Embassy."

Batiste and the other men were part of an extremist sect known as the Moorish Science Temple, which blends elements of several religions and does not recognize the authority of the U.S. government. Batiste formerly lived and worked in Chicago, including time spent delivering packages in the area around the Sears Tower.

[Soldier4Christ]

CAIR campaign gets another advertiser to bite 
Effort targets supporters of Michael Savage's radio show

An announcement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations has confirmed another corporation has succumbed to the lobby group's campaign to discourage support of the Michael Savage radio talk show.

The Hate Hurts America Community and Interfaith Coalition, of which CAIR is a prominent member, said Universal Orlando Resorts "has joined a growing list of advertisers that have stopped advertising or refuse to place their ads on Michael Savage's 'Savage Nation' Radio program."

The campaign also has triggered a lawsuit by Savage against CAIR over its alleged misappropriation of Savage's radio broadcast material. In the lawsuit, Savage depicts CAIR as a "vehicle of international terrorism."

The organization said it was challenging Savage's "hate speech," and referenced Savage comments such as:

    "I'm not gonna put my wife in a hijab. And I'm not gonna put my daughter in a burqa. And I'm not getting' on my all-fours and braying to Mecca. And you could drop dead if you don't like it. You can shove it up your pipe. I don't wanna hear any more about Islam. I don't wanna hear one more word about Islam. Take your religion and shove it up your behind. I'm sick of you."

The CAIR group said advertisers that already have stopped airing, or have refused to air commercials on "Savage Nation" include:

    * AutoZone

    * Citrix

    * TrustedID

    * JCPenney

    * OfficeMax

    * WalMart

    * AT&T

Savage's lawsuit alleges copyright infringement by CAIR, which the lawsuit says seeks to do "material harm to those voices who speak against the violent agenda of CAIR's clients."

Filed in U.S. District Court in California, the suit seeks damages equal to the ongoing donations from CAIR supporters "who expect CAIR to act in this manner in exchange for continuing financial support" as well as "actual damages according to proof."

A spokesman for Savage indicated the top-rated talk show host would have no further comment, saying the text of the lawsuit itself would answer questions.

The focal point of the lawsuit is a series of audio clips CAIR has been using in its promotions and fundraising efforts.

Those comments from Savage's show include his criticisms of Islam and Muslims. The lawsuit maintains such comments, taken in context, are Savage's verbal expression of the feelings of many Americans.

"The audience of 'The Savage Nation' expects this type of from-the-heart outrage and when it is directed at a murderer such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his ilk, the piece is far more understandable and far more American mainstream. While the strength of the outrage is remarkable and a hallmark of 'The Savage Nation,' the sentiment is shared by a huge number of Americans," the lawsuit said.

Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for CAIR, told WND the group would not comment on the action until the document had been reviewed.

[Soldier4Christ]

CAIR backs film praising convicted terror supporter 
Group urges Muslims to buy tickets to al-Arian premiere

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is co-sponsoring the premiere of a documentary film that canonizes convicted terrorist supporter Sami al-Arian.

Tomorrow, CAIR will host the screening of "USA vs. Al-Arian" at the AMC/Loews Uptown 1 Theater in Washington, D.C., according to an action alert the Muslim group posted on its website urging Muslims to buy tickets to the premiere.

The screening, co-sponsored by the Muslim American Society, an Islamist group tied to the radical Muslim Brotherhood, will be followed by a "panel discussion" involving al-Arian's lawyer, his son, Abdullah al-Arian, and a constitutional lawyer from Georgetown University, whose Islamic studies program is funded by the Saudi royal family.

Last year, al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by deportation. In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of "conspiracy to make or receive contributions of funds, goods or services to, or for the benefit of, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad," a federally designated terror group.

Al-Arian, an Egyptian citizen of Palestinian descent, had hoped for early deportation, but prosecutors and the federal judge in the case argue he has not cooperated in related terror cases.

He remains in federal prison in Virginia on a contempt citation after he refused to testify in front of a Virginia grand jury investigating a network of Islamic businesses and charities known as the Safa group.

Critics say the film portrays al-Arian in a sympathetic light by suggesting the U.S. government used the "draconian" Patriot Act to railroad an innocent Muslim professor.

The film's website juxtaposes photos of al-Arian in handcuffs with one of him and his wife posing with President Bush and Laura Bush during the 2000 campaign. It calls al-Arian "one of America's most prominent political prisoners."

"What we have is a man found innocent who is still harassed by the justice system," said Norwegian filmmaker Line Halvorsen, the film's director. "He's a man of principle. He fights for what he believes in and he's not afraid to speak his mind."

Critics say the film whitewashes the federal terror case, failing to mention that al-Arian pleaded guilty to providing material support to an officially designated terrorist group. The home page instead says he pleaded guilty to one count of supporting "immigrants" associated with an "illegal organization."

It also fails to reveal how, in a speech at a Cleveland mosque, al-Arian once thundered: "Let's damn America, let's damn Israel, let's damn their allies until death."

Court exhibits also show letters written by al-Arian praising Palestinian suicide bombers.

Publicly, al-Arian has maintained he doesn't support any kind of violence.

"I am a very moderate Muslim person," he said. "I also condemn violence in all its forms."

The film's website decries what it calls the "harsh" treatment of the confessed terrorist supporter.

"Currently Al-Arian is held under severe conditions in a prison about 1,000 miles away from his family, making it extremely hard for them to keep in touch with him," it said. "Al-Arian recently went through a 60-day hunger strike to protest the government's treatment."

[Soldier4Christ]

CAIR called 'turnstile'
for terrorist suspects 
'Proven record of senior officials being
indicted, imprisoned, deported from U.S.'

As the Council on American-Islamic Relations lobbies Congress to help strike its name from a list of co-conspirators in a federal terror case, WND has learned the Muslim group's ties to terrorism and extremism are far more extensive than first believed.

Although CAIR is a nonprofit organization, it does not disclose complete directories of its staff or advisory boards, and even refuses to make its federal tax filings readily available to the public.

But a review of federal criminal court documents, past IRS 990 tax records and Federal Election Commission records detailing donor occupations, reveals that Washington-based CAIR has been associated with a disturbing number of convicted terrorists or felons in terrorism probes, as well as suspected terrorists and active targets of terrorism investigations.

"Their offices have been a turnstile for terrorists and their supporters," said one FBI veteran familiar with recent and ongoing cases involving CAIR officials.

As previously reported, three CAIR officials have been linked to terrorism. But WND has learned that at least 11 other CAIR officials have been caught up in terror investigations, bringing the total to 14.

Congressional leaders say they are warning lawmakers and other Washington officials to disassociate from the group due to its growing terror ties.

"Groups like CAIR have a proven record of senior officials being indicted and either imprisoned or deported from the United States," said U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., co-founder of the House Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus.

CAIR itself recently was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an alleged scheme to funnel $12 million to the terrorist group Hamas. In the Holy Land Foundation case, federal prosecutors also listed CAIR as a member of the U.S. branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide jihadist movement that gave rise to Hamas, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. The government will retry the Holy Land case, which ended in a hung jury.

"There was a lot of evidence presented at the recent Holy Land Foundation trial which exposed CAIR and others as front groups for the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States," Myrick said.

Still, CAIR is lobbying House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and other sympathetic members of Congress to pressure the Justice Department to expunge its name from the case, arguing the negative publicity has hurt membership and fundraising.

The federal judge during the trial refused a written request by the group to strike its name from the list of co-conspirators. The petition is still pending before the court.

CAIR denies supporting terrorism and continues to claim to be a "moderate" voice for Muslims in America. The group says its critics are the extremists, including radio personality Michael Savage, whom the group is now attacking with a boycott campaign. So far it has convinced Wal-Mart, OfficeMax, AT&T, JCPenney and other companies to stop advertising on Savage's popular show.

In response, Savage last week filed a lawsuit against CAIR, accusing the organization of being a "political vehicle of international terrorism" that seeks to do "material harm to those voices who speak against the violent agenda of CAIR's clients."

Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for CAIR, told WND the group would not comment on Savage's action until the document had been reviewed.

CAIR, which runs 33 offices and chapters nationwide, also recently helped defeat an anti-terror plan by Los Angeles police to map the local Muslim community for extremist neighborhoods. Now it's pressuring GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to back down from his position against appointing a Muslim to his Cabinet.

Critics counter that CAIR has no legitimate voice to make such complaints, because the group is itself an extremist organization that has employed or appointed to its boards of directors and advisers an inordinate number of radical co-conspirators, suspected and convicted terrorists, and other criminals.

Indeed, the list is long and growing, and includes:

    * Muthanna al-Hanooti: The CAIR director's home was raided last year by FBI agents in connection with an active terrorism investigation. Agents also searched the offices of his advocacy group, Focus on Advocacy and Advancement of International Relations, which al-Hanooti operates out of Dearborn, Mich., and Washington, D.C.

      FAAIR claims to be a consulting firm raising awareness of Sunni grievances in Iraq, but investigators suspect it's a front supporting the Sunni-led insurgency.

#

Al-Hanooti, who emigrated to the U.S. from Iraq, formerly helped run a suspected Hamas terror front called LIFE for Relief and Development. Its Michigan offices also were raided last September. In 2004, LIFE's Baghdad office was raided by U.S. troops, who seized files and computers.

Al-Hanooti is related to Shiek Mohammed al-Hanooti, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He currently leads prayers at a Washington-area mosque that aided some of the 9/11 hijackers.

The FBI alleges al-Hanooti, an ethnic-Palestinian who also emigrated from Iraq, raised money for Hamas. In fact, "Al-Hanooti collected over $6 million for support of Hamas," according to a 2001 FBI report, and was present with CAIR and Holy Land officials at a secret Hamas fundraising summit held last decade at a Philadelphia hotel.

Prosecutors recently added his name to the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case.

Al-Hanooti denies supporting Hamas, although he's praised Palestinian suicide bombers as "martyrs" who are "alive in the eyes of Allah."

Earlier this year, his younger brother, Hamid al-Hanooti, was found dead in Iraq after reportedly being held by local security forces as a suspected terrorist.

# Laura Jaghlit: A civil-rights coordinator for CAIR, her Washington-area home was raided by federal agents after 9/11 as part of an investigation into terrorist financing, money laundering and tax fraud. Her husband Mohammed Jaghlit, a key leader in the Saudi-backed SAAR network, is a target of the still-active probe.

cont'd