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When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; When the government fears the people, there is liberty.  ~ Thomas Jefferson

 

Entries Tagged as 'Terrorist Threat'

WikiLeaks founder Assange to be released on bail

December 16th, 2010 · Terrorist Threat, WikiLeaks

By Anthony Faiola Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, December 16, 2010; 10:39 AM

LONDON – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was set to be released from a British prison after the High Court on Thursday upheld a decision granting him bail and allowing him to retreat to a friend’s rural estate to fight extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges.

The terms of Assange’s bail were still being worked out by the court Thursday afternoon and appeared to include posting bail of more than $310,000, a tab being covered by wealthy and high-profile backers including Bianca Jagger, U.S. filmmaker Michael Moore and the British celebrity heiress Jemima Khan.

Assange’s lawyers were in the process of gathering and depositing the funds to gain his immediate release.

“We are utterly delighted and thrilled,” the theatrical Mark Stephens, one of Assange’s lawyers and a well-known figure in London’s legal circles, said on the courthouse steps. “He will not be going back to that Victorian prison; he will not be going back to that cell once occupied by Oscar Wilde.”

Although it was unclear when exactly Assange would emerge from London’s Wandsworth Prison, the court’s ruling marks a victory for Assange in his bid to counter a warrant to bring him to Sweden for questioning on alleged sex crimes.

Assange, whose WikiLeaks Web site has released thousands of classified U.S. government cables on the Internet, has denied the sex-crime allegations, suggesting they are part of an elaborate plot with the United States to silence his crusade against state secrecy.

Nevertheless, the ruling amounts to a beginning, rather than end, to Assange’s legal troubles. He must now prepare for a full extradition trial in February.

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Baltimore man accused of plotting to blow up military recruiting station in Md.

December 9th, 2010 · Homeland Security, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Attack, Terrorist Threat

The man, Antonio Martinez, who now calls himself Muhammad Hussain, thought he was detonating a real car bomb at the Catonsville recruiting office.

By Maria Glod, Jerry Markon and Tara Bahrampour Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 9, 2010; 1:02 AM

A Baltimore construction worker was charged Wednesday with plotting to blow up a military recruiting station in Maryland after the FBI learned of his radical leanings on Facebook, joined his plot and supplied him with a fake car bomb that he tried to detonate, federal officials said.

Antonio Martinez, 21, a U.S. citizen who recently converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Hussain, declared on his Facebook page that he hates “Any 1 who opposes Allah.” Those kinds of postings, brought to the FBI’s attention, sparked an intensive investigation involving an undercover agent, a secret informant and a chilling plot to kill military personnel in the United States because they were killing Muslims overseas, according to an FBI affidavit filed Wednesday.

Martinez was so intent on carrying out the attack on the Catonsville recruiting station that he approached at least three people to join in what he saw as his mission, court papers say. Another – whom Martinez knew as his “Afghani brother” – was actually an undercover FBI agent.

The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which federal authorities have used undercover operatives to monitor extremists, secretly befriend those suspected of plotting terror attacks and, in some cases, even to provide the means to carry them out.

Last month, undercover agents in Oregon helped a man who set out to kill thousands at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony prepare a bomb (which was fake), then arrested him after he tried to detonate it in a crowded public square. In October, federal agents posing as Islamic radicals met with a Northern Virginia man later accused of plotting to bomb Washington area Metro stations.

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Experts question North Korea-Iran missile link from WikiLeaks document release

December 2nd, 2010 · Defense, Korean, National Security, Terrorist Threat, WikiLeaks

By John Pomfret and Walter Pincus Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 1, 2010; 12:19 AM

On Oct. 10, to celebrate its 65th anniversary as a one-party state, North Korea unveiled a new missile in the type of military parade that for decades has been a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. The North Koreans call the missile the Musudan.

The Musudan is now playing a starring role in reports this week prompted by WikiLeaks’ release of U.S. diplomatic cables. One of the documents says that Iran has obtained 19 of the missiles from North Korea, prompting news reports suggesting that the Islamic republic can hit targets in Western Europe and deep into Russia – farther than Iran’s existing missiles can strike.

The problem, however, is that there is no indication that the Musudan, also known as the BM-25, is operational or that it has ever been tested. Iran has never publicly displayed the missiles, according to experts and a senior U.S. intelligence official, some of whom doubt the missiles were ever transferred to Iran. Experts who analyzed Oct. 10 photographs of the Musudan said it appeared to be a mock-up.

The snapshot provided by the cable illustrates how such documents – based on one meeting or a single source – can muddy an issue as much as it can clarify it. In this case, experts said, the inference that Iran can strike Western Europe with a new missile is unjustified.

The 19-page document, labeled “secret,” summarized a Dec. 22, 2009, meeting between 15 U.S. and 14 Russian officials who gathered as part of a bilateral program to monitor missile threats from Iran and North Korea. The two sides clashed repeatedly and agreed occasionally. The Russians claimed the Iranian missile program was not as much of a threat as the Americans feared and argued that the BM-25 might not even exist, dubbing it a “mysterious missile.” Americans at the meeting acknowledged never seeing the new missile in Iran.

According to experts who are familiar with the Iranian program, the Americans and the Russians came to the meeting with competing agendas. The Americans were intent on emphasizing the Iranian threat because of their fears about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programs and their support for a multibillion-dollar missile defense shield that is a priority of the Obama administration. The Russians focused on playing down the threat because they opposed the missile shield and because of their embarrassment that Russian technology was showing up in North Korean and Iranian missile systems.

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WikiLeaks founder could be charged under Espionage Act: A new kind of Terrorism.

November 30th, 2010 · Accountability, National Security, Terrorist Threat, WikiLeaks

By Ellen Nakashima and Jerry Markon Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 30, 2010; 12:13 AM

Federal authorities are investigating whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange violated criminal laws in the group’s release of government documents, including possible charges under the Espionage Act, sources familiar with the inquiry said Monday.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said the Justice Department and Pentagon are conducting “an active, ongoing criminal investigation.” Others familiar with the probe said the FBI is examining everyone who came into possession of the documents, including those who gave the materials to WikiLeaks and also the organization itself. No charges are imminent, the sources said, and it is unclear whether any will be brought.

Former prosecutors cautioned that prosecutions involving leaked classified information are difficult because the Espionage Act is a 1917 statute that preceded Supreme Court cases that expanded First Amendment protections. The government also would have to persuade another country to turn over Assange, who is outside the United States.

But the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the inquiry is rapidly unfolding, said charges could be filed under the act. The U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria – which in 2005 brought Espionage Act charges, now dropped, against two former pro-Israel lobbyists – is involved in the effort, the sources said.

The Pentagon is leading the investigation and it remains unclear whether any additional charges would be brought in the military or civilian justice systems. Pfc. Bradley Manning, an Army intelligence analyst suspected of being the source of the WikiLeaks documents, was arrested by the military this year.

Holder was asked Monday how the United States could prosecute Assange, who is an Australian citizen. “Let me be very clear,” he replied. “It is not saber rattling.

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FBI foils elaborate bomb plot in Oregon

November 29th, 2010 · Homeland Security, Immigration, National Security, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Attack, Terrorist Threat

By Jerry Markon – Sunday, November 28, 2010; 12:22 AM

Federal agents arrested an Oregon man intent on exploding a bomb and killing thousands of people at a nighttime Christmas tree lighting in Portland’s central square, authorities said Saturday. The arrest culminated a sting in which the FBI worked extensively with the man and assembled the fake bomb that he twice tried to detonate Friday night.

The capture of Mohamed Osman Mohamud is the latest indication that the government is increasingly turning to undercover operatives to infiltrate extremist cells and fight what authorities call a wave of homegrown terrorism.

Agents arrested Mohamud moments after he tried to detonate a van he thought was packed with explosives in the crowded public square Friday night, the Justice Department said. As he was taken away, Mohamud, 19, kicked agents and screamed “Allahu Akbar!” – Arabic for “God is great,” officials said. The bomb was an elaborate dud, assembled by FBI technicians.

Mohamud, a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen and former Oregon State University student, is expected to appear in federal court Monday. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Neither an attorney for Mohamud or his family could be located Saturday.

Although the FBI’s tactics of using undercover operatives have been controversial among Muslims, officials say they have successfully broken up numerous recent plots, including the attempted bombing of Metro stations in Northern Virginia and a plan to blow up a Dallas skyscraper. And it was a tip from the Muslim community that led the FBI to Mohamud, federal officials said.

Unlike other high-profile cases such as the attempted Times Square bombing in May, federal law enforcement officials said there is no evidence that a foreign terrorist group was behind the averted Portland attack. There were no indications of any U.S. collaborators, and officials emphasized that Mohamud’s device posed no real danger to the public.

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Most support full body scanners.

November 24th, 2010 · Accountability, Homeland Security, National Security, Terrorist Threat, War on Terrorism

By Jon Cohen and Ashley Halsey III Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Nearly two-thirds of Americans support the new full-body security-screening machines at the country’s airports, as most say they put a higher priority on combating terrorism than protecting personal privacy, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But half of all those polled say enhanced pat-down searches go too far.

The uproar over the new generation of security technology, and the frisking of those who refuse it, continued Monday with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano saying the new measures are necessary for public safety.

“There is a continued threat against aviation involving those who seek to smuggle powders and gels that can be used as explosives on airplanes,” she said. “The new technology is designed to help us identify those individuals.”

According to the Transportation Security Administration, less than 3 percent of travelers receive the pat-downs.

But Napolitano said the TSA would “listen to concerns. Of course we will make adjustments or changes when called upon, but not changes or adjustments that will affect the basic operational capability that we need to have to make sure that air travel remains safe.”

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White House undeterred after Ghailani terror case verdict: Serving Terrorist Interest not US

November 22nd, 2010 · Accountability, Deception, Democrats, Dissention, Homeland Security, National Security, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Threat, Treason

By Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Finn Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 18, 2010; 4:17 PM

White House officials said Thursday that the acquittal of Ahmed Ghailani on all but one of more than 280 criminal charges in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa would not undermine their effort to try former Guantanamo detainees in civilian court, even as the mixed verdict reignited debate over that policy.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Ghailani – the first former detainee to be tried in federal court – will receive a lengthy prison sentence for his conviction on one count of conspiracy.

“In the case of Mr. Ghailani, there was a guilty verdict, a minimum sentence of 20 years that incapacitated somebody that has committed a terrorist act and because of that incapacitation is not going to threaten American lives,” Gibbs told reporters.

Gibbs deflected questions about where future trials will be held but said President Obama “remains committed to closing Guantanamo Bay,” a process that would require trying detainees in civilian courts or in the military commissions established during the Bush administration.

Republican lawmakers, however, said the verdict should force the administration to abandon the civilian trials. “I am disgusted at the total miscarriage of justice today in Manhattan’s federal civilian court,” said Rep. Peter T. King (N.Y.), the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee. “This tragic verdict demonstrates the absolute insanity of the Obama administration’s decision to try al-Qaeda terrorists in civilian courts.”

After deliberating for five days, a jury found Ghailani, 36, guilty of conspiracy to damage or destroy U.S. property but acquitted him of multiple murder and attempted-murder charges for his role in the bombings.

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Karzai wants U.S. to reduce military operations in Afghanistan

November 14th, 2010 · Deception, Defense, National Security, Non-Transparency, Terrorist Threat, War on Terrorism

By Joshua Partlow Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, November 14, 2010; 12:52 AM

KABUL- President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday that the United States must reduce the visibility and intensity of its military operations in Afghanistan and end the increased U.S. Special Operations forces night raids that aggravate Afghans and could exacerbate the Taliban insurgency.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Karzai said that he wanted American troops off the roads and out of Afghan homes and that the long-term presence of so many foreign soldiers would only worsen the war. His comments placed him at odds with U.S. commander Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has made capture-and-kill missions a central component of his counterinsurgency strategy, and who claims the 30,000 new troops have made substantial progress in beating back the insurgency.

“The time has come to reduce military operations,” Karzai said. “The time has come to reduce the presence of, you know, boots in Afghanistan . . . to reduce the intrusiveness into the daily Afghan life.”

Karzai’s comments come as American officials are playing down the importance of July 2011 – the date President Obama set to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan – in favor of a combat mission ending in 2014. The Afghan president has placed himself squarely in favor of a lighter military footprint as the administration reviews the progress of the Afghan war and debate intensifies about the pace of the withdrawal. Karzai says his troops are ready to take more responsibility for their own security.

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Obama heralds Indonesia’s political, religious diversity in latest outreach to Muslims

November 10th, 2010 · Deception, Ethics, Foreign Policy, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Threat, Treason

By Scott Wilson Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 10, 2010; 12:02 AM

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Speaking before thousands in the city that helped raise him, President Obama on Wednesday cited this country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy as a model in an Islamic world often governed by unelected autocracies.

He also praised Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation – for a “spirit of tolerance that is written into your constitution, symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples, and embodied in your people,” a quality worthy for all the world to emulate.

Obama received a warm welcome from the crowd of about 6,500 at the University of Indonesia, particularly when he spoke in Indonesian, as when he recalled buying satay and bakso from street vendors or referenced the national motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,” or “Unity in Diversity.”

“We are two nations which have traveled different paths. Yet our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag,” Obama said.

The speech was cast by White House officials as part of the president’s continuing outreach to Muslims, an effort he began last year in Cairo by calling for a “new beginning” between the United States and Islam.

But Muslim views of Obama around the world have worsened in several countries since then, and in the United States, a recent Pew Research Center poll found that nearly one in five Americans thinks the president is a Muslim, in part because of the time he spent here as a child. Obama describes himself as a practicing Christian.

The president’s efforts to mend relations with the Islamic world were partly overshadowed by the reopening Tuesday of a rupture between the United States and Israel, a development that reflected his administration’s struggle to strike a balance that satisfies either side in the Middle East conflict.

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Homeland Security tightens rules for air cargo

November 9th, 2010 · Accountability, Homeland Security, National Security, Terrorist Threat, War on Terrorism

By Derek Kravitz and Ashley Halsey III Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 9, 2010; 12:24 AM

The U.S. tightened security on cargo shipments flown from abroad Monday, banning “high-risk” cargo from flying on passenger planes after last month’s discovery of a plot that originated in Yemen to send bombs in shipped packages.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also extended last week’s ban on all air cargo from Yemen to include Somalia as well. And she limited to less than 16 ounces the size of toner or ink cartridges that can travel in checked or carry-on baggage, a response to the discovery of a bomb disguised as a toner cartridge and shipped as cargo at a London airport.

“The threats of terrorism we face are serious and evolving,” Napolitano said in a statement, “And these security measures reflect our commitment to using current intelligence to stay ahead of adversaries.”

The new rules also affect items deemed high-risk that are shipped on cargo planes. Napolitano said such cargo will go through additional screening before it is loaded. A spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) declined to define “high-risk” cargo, other than to say it isn’t limited to that shipped from countries that have been linked to terrorist activity.

‘A delicate balance’

Millions of tons of crates and packages fly into the United States from abroad every day, filling the holds of passenger airliners and cargo planes. Those millions of tons break down into millions of pieces bound for tens of thousands of addresses.

Finding a bomb among them – before the Chilean grapes rot, the Colombian flowers wilt and without delaying a vital replacement widget needed to get an assembly line moving – is a hectic security challenge in a global economy that moves at hyper speed.

“We have a delicate balance to strike,” TSA Administrator ohn S. Pistole said after the bomb plot was discovered. “The flow of global commerce is key to economic recovery. Security cannot bring business to a standstill.”

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