The Diplomatic Times Review

October 25, 2005

Leaked Paper Says Britain's Counterterrorism Strategy is Failing

The Sunday Times of London's David Leppard reported October 23, 2005 that:

THE government's counterterrorism strategy is failing, according to a leaked paper by the prime ministers delivery unit, which was set up to ensure policies work effectively.

In an indictment of Labours war on terror, the confidential document says that key policies designed to prevent Al-Qaeda attacks and stop terrorism taking root in Britain are immature and disjointed. Others, it adds, are unrelated to the real world and show no sign of making progress.Mr. Leppard said, "The paper, which formed the backbone of a presentation this month to Downing Street insiders, will be seen by some as a criticism of Charles Clarke, who as home secretary has responsibility for running much of Britain's counterterrorism effort."

For more, please see "Labour's war on terror is failing, says leaked report."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2005

Britan to Rush Through Ban on 15 Muslim Organizations: Why?

Richard Ford, Home Correspondent for Times Online of London, reported October 11, 2005 that,"Fifteen international Islamic terrorist groups are to be banned under the Governments anti-terrorism laws, the Home Office announced.

Mr. Ford said, "Charles Clarke will rush through the order outlawing membership and fundraising for the extremist groups. The Home Office said it was believed all the organizations had links to al-Qaeda. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:31 AM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2005

Jean Charles de Menzes' Family Wants Sir Ian Blair to Resign

"After an emotional visit to the spot where Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police marksmen, his parents [Maria Otone de Menezes and Matozinho Otone Da Silva] said that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, must take the blame for failing in his duty to protect their son," The Independent of London reported September 29, 2005. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:03 AM | Comments (0)

Jean Charles de Menezes' Executioners May Be Tried

The Times Online reported September 29, 2005 that, "Police involved in the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on a London Tube train in July have been warned that they could face criminal charges, it emerged last night [September 28, 2005].

The Times said "Two marksmen who shot the Brazilian seven times in the head at Stockwell station [on July 22, 2005], and four surveillance officers, have been served with Regulation Nine notices listing allegations, the first stage in a disciplinary process that could lead to an Old Bailey trial." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:53 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Sir Ian Blair Considered Resigning Over de Menezes Execution

On September 21, 2005 Stephen Sackur of BBC News 24's Hardtalk with Stephen Sackur asked "Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair about the execution of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, which occurred on July 22, 2005, after he was allegedly mistaken for one of the bombers that tried to detonate explosives in a London subway on July 21, 2005. Here's the Blair-Sackur exchange:

SACKUR:"The de Menezes family called upon you to resign.."

BLAIR: "Yes..."

SACKUR: "Did you ever consider it?"

BLAIR: "I certainly did. In the sense of this -- somebody makes those comments, you're not just going to brush it off. You sit there and think. But no, I don't think it was right for the organization or for the country or for the city of London for me to do that. My job was to.."

SACKUR: "How close did you come?"

BLAIR: "Oh, not very close at all because the big job is to defend this country against terrorism and that's what I'm here to do." indicated he might resign if he is heavily criticized in the inquiry into the shooting of Brazilian ."

Here's a link to the entire interview.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

Lewthwaite Says Radical Mosque Poisoned Husband's Mind

Samantha Lewthwaite, "The widow of one of the July 7 suicide bombers told how her innocent and naive husband had been poisoned by elements in radical mosques as she cradled their new born baby daughter in her arms," writes Times Online's David Sanderson in a September 23, 2005 article based on an interview Ms. Lewthwaite gave The Sun, a British newspaper.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

'London Bombers' Next Court Appearance is December 8

London bombing suspect Hussain Osman "will appear at the Old Bailey in Central London with his three alleged co-conspirators on December 8," 2005, according to The Times Online of London. He "was remanded in custody today [September 23, 2005] after his first appearance in a British court," The Times noted. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2005

Sir Michael Jay's Warning Letter to Tony Blair's Cabinet Secretary

Here is the May 18, 2004 letter that Sir Michael Jay sent to Sir Andrew Turnbull, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cabinet Secretary, warning him about "potential underlying causes of extremism" that could affect the Muslim community in Britain. It was leaked to The Observer of London.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:29 PM | Comments (0)

A Warning Ignored

Martin Bright, Home Affairs editor of The Observer of London reported August 28, 2005 that, "The Foreign Office's top official warned Downing Street that the Iraq war was fuelling Muslim extremism in Britain a year before the 7 July [2005]bombings [in London]." Here's his highly informative report.

I think British Government officials have clearly established a link between terrorism in Britain and the war in Iraq, even if British Prime Minister Tony Blair won't admit it.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:09 PM | Comments (0)

Did Blair Ignore Warnings of Muslim Anger Over Iraq?

Greg Hurst, Political Correspondent for The Times Online, reported August 29, 2005 [London Time] that "attempts by [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair to deny a link between the occupation of Iraq and last months London bombings were further undermined yesterday [August 28, 2005] by the leak of a letter by a top diplomat." Mr. Hurst wrote:

Correspondence was published showing that Sir Michael Jay, head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, gave warning a year earlier that Britain's foreign policy was a key factor in recruitment by extremist organizations. He cited disillusion among Muslims over Britain's position on Iraq and the Middle East peace process as a recurring theme in the Muslim community.

Sir Michael's warning was set out in a letter in May last year to Sir Andrew Turnbull, the outgoing Cabinet Secretary, in which he said Britain was now being seen among Muslims as a crusader state alongside America. He noted that, "A copy was published yesterday [August 28, 2005] by The Observer, which said that his references to Iraq were removed from core scripts, or briefing papers, circulated to Ministers summarizing the Governments position on Iraq and terrorism." For more, see "Blair warned of extremist threat from his policy on Middle East."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)

999 Today: Resentment Rising in UK Over de Menzes Media Attention

"There is rising resentment within the United Kingdom at the national media's interest in the fatal shooting of Brazilian, Jean Charles de Menezes," according to James Logan at the 999 Today Network.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:33 PM | Comments (0)

Cressida Dick Takes Responsibility for de Menezes 'shoot to kill' Order

Cressida Dick, "the police commander said to have given the "shoot to kill" instructions when an innocent Brazilian [Jean Charles de Menezes] was killed on the Tube [July 22, 2005] said yesterday [August 28, 2005] that she would take full responsibility for her actions," the Daily Telegraph of London reports in its August 29, 2005 issue. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:22 PM | Comments (0)

Brazil Wants to Know Who killed Jean Charles de Menezes?

Érica Santana, reporter for Agência Brasil, said that Manoel Gomes Pereira, the director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Brazilian Communities Abroad, "says that Brazil would like the British government to pinpoint the person responsible for the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:08 PM | Comments (0)

August 21, 2005

Tony Blair Gives 'Full Support' to Ian Blair

British Prime Minister Tony Blair gave his full support to Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police commissioner," August 21, 2005, "after he admitted that he did not know his officers had killed an innocent man until 24 hours after the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on the London Underground" July 22, 2005," according to the Daily Telegraph of London.

With some Britons calling for his resignation, I think Ian Blair is grateful for support from any source, and especially the prime minister. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

Public Inquiry Into de Menezes Execution Likely

Jack Kirkup, political correspondent for Scotsman.com reported August 22, 2005, that "A full-scale public inquiry into the Metropolitan Police's shoot-to-kill policy came a step closer yesterday as the row [in England] over the death of Jean Charles de Menezes intensified."

"The Liberal Democrats became the first major political party to back a formal inquiry into the Met's firearms policy since the London bombings, and the government indicated ministers are open to the prospect of a statutory inquiry," he wrote, adding: "A public inquiry would be likely to have a much a wider scope than that being conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)

August 20, 2005

Did London Police Offer de Menezes Family 'Blood Money'?

"Scotland Yard came under renewed pressure yesterday when the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the 27-year-old Brazilian electrician mistakenly killed by anti-terror police on the London Underground a day after the failed suicide bombings on July 21, rejected a $1 million compensation offer, which they said was an insult, and was blood money," Mushtak Parker of Arab News reported in the papers August 2005 edition.

London's Metropolitan Police admitted August 20, 2005 that it had offered Mr. de Menezes' family compensation for executing him, according to Scotsman.com

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:14 PM | Comments (1)

This Doesn't Look Good for Sir Ian Blair

James Cusick of the Sunday Herald of Britain reported in the paper's August 21, 2005 edition that, "The head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, was not told for 24 hours that the young Brazilian shot and killed by his men on a London tube train was innocent and had no connection with bombings in the city, he said last night."

The Herald said,

The astonishing claim suggests that Sir Ian was kept in the dark about the bungled shooting by senior officers inside the Met, or that the elite surveillance teams which tracked Jean Charles de Menezes took more than a day to discover the identity of the man they had killed by shooting him seven times in the head and once in the neck.

"Either option leaves confidence in both Sir Ian and his force at a critically low level," The Herald concluded. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)

The Observer: 'Tell Us the Truth About de Menezes'

"Those calling for the head of Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, over the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July should wait until the full facts of the case are known," opined The Observer of London in its lead article in the August 21, 2005 issue. "If only Sir Ian had shown similar restraint," the publication said.

See "Tell us the truth about de Menezes" for more of the Observer leader.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)

Relatives: de Menezes Shot Several Times in the Back of the Head

The Sunday Times of London reported in its August 21, 2005 edition that:

The day after [Brazilian electrician] Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police at Stockwell Underground station [in London], his grieving relatives and one of his closest friends filed into a mortuary to identify his body. They found him covered in a thin sheet and his face, unmarked, was ghostly white.

Gesio de Avila, a friend and fellow worker, looked carefully over the body, confused by de Menezes' peaceful repose. Where were the wounds from the seven bullets to the head that killed him? Every bit of colour had left his face, but apart from that it was normal, de Avila said last week. There was a bandage on his head behind his ear and when I looked closer, I realized what had happened. He had been shot several times in the back of the head. It was like he had been killed by bandits. The Times said, "De Menezes' cousins, Alex and Alessandro Pereira, who were also at Greenwich mortuary in southeast London, were outraged by what they saw."

For more, see "Focus: Executed: Anatomy of a police killing."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)

Times Online: 'Executed: Anatomy of a Police Killing'

"Focus: Executed: Anatomy of a police killing" is a fascinating but infuriating Sunday Times of London account of the July 22, 2005 execution in London of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes. Police claim they mistook him for one of four men who set off bombs in London on July 21, 2005..

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2005

IPCC's Press Release on Talks with de Menezes Family Solicitor

Commissioner Mehmuda Mian Pritchard and senior investigator John Cummins of Britain's Independent Police Complaints Commissioner (IPCC) "held what they consider to be a very constructive meeting this morning with the solicitors representing the family of Jean Charles de Menezes," IPCC said in an August 18, 2005 press release.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:07 PM | Comments (0)

Sir Ian Blair Tries to Defend Himself Against Coverup Charges

Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of Britain's Metropolitan Police, has responded to charges that he tried to 'coverup' the July 22, 2005 execution of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes. Mr. de Menezes was killed during the hunt for bombers who attempted to bomb a London subway station on July 21, 2005.

Here is the full text of an interview he gave on the investigation.

The Met's official cover story was blown when a clerk leaked the contents of an investigation by London's Independent Police Complaints Commission to ITV on August 17, 2005.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)

Independent Police Complaints Commission's Credibility at Stake

Stewart Tendler and Richard Ford at The Times Online reported in the August 19, 2005 edition of the publication that Britain's Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)'s August 18, 2005 suspension of an IPCC clerk for leaking documents on the execution of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes "will come as a severe blow to the credibility of the commission, which is handling its first big inquiry since it was opened 18 months ago to replace investigations by police themselves."

"The clerk, who could face serious charges, is alleged to have links with ITV news staff," according to The Times. Here's more..

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:21 PM | Comments (0)

Scotsman.com: De Menezes 'Mole' Suspended

"The source who leaked documents and a photograph" of Jean Charles de Menezes "lying dead on the floor of the Tube train at Stockwell station to ITV News on Tuesday [August 16, 2005] has been suspended, Sky News reported," according to Scotsman.com. Is this 'mole' being punished for exposing coverup or for leaking the documents? Just asking. For more, see "De Menezes 'mole suspended'

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)

de Menezes Family Lawyer: 'This Has Been a Chaotic Mess'

"Lawyers representing the family of Jean Charles de Menezes met police officials today [August 18, 2005] to express their frustration at the pace and nature of the investigation into the Brazilian's death," according to Sam Knight at Times Online.

He reported that, "The meeting between the lawyers and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) took place as a bitter row threatens to grow between the IPCC and the Metropolitan Police over leaked information, which has re-ignited the controversy over the July 22 shooting."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:33 AM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2005

A Statement From de Menezes' Lawyers

Harriet Wistrich and Gareth Peirce, lawyers for the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead on July 22, 2005 by British police hunting for those responsible for the July 21, 2005 bombings in London, "have 14 questions" for police who shot Mr. de Menezes, according to The Times Online.

They issued a statement on August 17, 2005 after ITV News aired a report allegedly based on a leaked Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report that contradict London police claims that Mr. de Menezes's was acting suspiciously before he was executed.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)

The Telegraph: 'What Did Witnesses Really See?

Duncan Gardham at the Daily Telegraph of London reported in the publication's August 18, 2005, edition that on July 22, 2005, "Frightened witnesses thought they saw Jean Charles de Menezes, wearing a padded jacket, vault the barrier at Stockwell station and run on to a train. But what they probably saw were plain-clothes policemen in pursuit of a man who was walking slowly on to the Tube (subway train)." Here's more

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

IPCC: We Don't Know Who Leaked de Menezes Report

In an August 16, 2005 press release on the leak of a report on their investigation into the July 22, 2005 police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes , Britain's Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which has "overall responsibility for the police complaints system in England and Wales," said:

We do not know from which organization or from whom the documents shown on television this evening have come.

The IPCC investigation into the shooting of Mr de Menezes is continuing. Our priority is to disclose any findings direct to the family, who will clearly be distressed that they have received information on television concerning his death.

The IPCC made it clear that we would not speculate or release partial information about the investigation, and that others should not do so. That remains the case.

The IPCC operates a very high degree of security for all such investigations which we regularly review. I think the IPCC is trying to say that no one from its office leaked the report that cast aspersion on the London Metropolitan Police's version of how Mr. de Menezes died. Notice that IPCC is not denying the contents of the report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:58 PM | Comments (0)

Leaks Raise Provocative Questions About UK Police Tactics

The Guardian of London reported today that the "inquiry" into the killing of Charles de Menezes "shows he was sitting down when shot" by a British policeman.

The Guardian answers a number of important questions about the July 22, 2005 execution on a London train. Mr. de Menzes was killed a day after a second bombing wave hit London. The first was July 7, 2005.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)

Leaked Report Leads Family to Say de Menezes Was Murdered

Sam Knight of The Times Online reported August 17, 2005 that:

The family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead by police officers hunting the July 21 bombers, called his death "murder" today after reading leaked witness statements about his final moments.

Mr. Knight said, "Documents and photographs gathered by the Independent Police Complaints Commission which is investigating the shooting have suggested that Mr de Menezes, 27, was behaving normally when he was seized by police officers and shot eight times on a Tube train on July 22."

I've often wondered whether British policemen executed Mr. de Menezes. I also asked: "Why was this man killed before he was interrogated? Here's More.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)

A Face is Put on Able Danger Unit That Identified Atta Before 9/11

The Associated Press wire service, citing Fox News and New York Times reports, said today that Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer "said the small [Pentagon] intelligence unit, called "Able Danger," had identified Mohamed Atta and three of the other future September 11, 2001 hijackers as al-Qaida members by mid-2000. He said military lawyers stopped the unit from sharing the information with the FBI" in 2000 and 2001. "The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks left the Able Danger claims out of its official report," the AP noted. Here's more. Here are additional links to reports on Mr. Shaffer's claim.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:16 AM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2005

The Guardian: How Safe is Algeria?

On August 12, 2005, the Guardian of London asked: "How Safe is Algeria?"

In an attempt to answer the question, the publication took "a look at official reports by the Home Office, Amnesty [International] and other bodies into the safety, torture and human rights records of Algeria, where Britain plans to deport up to nine foreign nationals."

See "Home Office Report 2004" for one view on the subject.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)

Magdy al-Nashar is No 'Terrorist'

"I have been dealing with fundamentalists and terrorists for 20 years," Egyptian Interior Ministry spokesperson Hisham Eddin al Amr told Christian Science Monitor Contributor Charles Levinson. "And there was no way this guy was one of them."

He was referring to "the accusations against Magdy al-Nashar, the 33-year-old Egyptian chemist who was briefly the focus of the investigations into the July 7 [2005] London bombings," that "confounded his Egyptian interrogators."

Mr. Levinson noted in an August 15, 2005, dispatch from Cairo, Egypt, that: "Even as British newspapers were reporting that explosives had been found in his apartment, and other tabloids branded him "Dr. Evil," the neatly groomed, and smiling Dr. Nashar appeared the most unlikely of terrorists." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2005

A New Jersey Columnist Interviews Able Danger Spook

Thanks to Bluto at The Dread Pundit Bluto for pointing us to an article in the August 14, 2005 issue of the Bergen Record of Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in which columnist Mike Kelly "lays out the details of the Able Danger investigation as told to him by an Able Danger team member."

Bluto notes that, "Kelly's phone interview was given on the promise of anonymity and arranged by Representative Curt Weldon's (R-PA) staff." He also notes that, "Oddly, Kelly's report doesn't mesh with the 9/11 Commission's official response to Representative Weldon's allegations."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:17 AM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2005

Are Iraqi Insurgents Ignoring Traditional Guerrilla War Rules?

"As Iraq's insurgents score one success after another, they are rewriting the rules of modern guerrilla warfare," contends Mohamad Bazzi, Middle East correspondent for the American newspaper Newsday. For more, see "Insurgents ignoring guerrilla war rules."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)

Iraqi, Lebanese Officials See Hezbollah Tactics Used In Iraq

Mohammad Bazzi, Middle East Correspondent for Newsday, noted in an August 12, 2005, dispatch from Beirut that,

Iraqi insurgents are using battlefield tactics pioneered by the Lebanese group Hezbollah during its 18-year guerrilla war with Israel, according to Iraqi and Lebanese officials.

"Since early this year," Mr. Bazzi wrote, "the guerrillas in Iraq have been copying Hezbollah's techniques in building roadside bombs and carrying out sophisticated ambushes, the officials said. They are also studying how Hezbollah learned to improve its effectiveness, strategy and weaponry. And the Iraqis are starting to videotape their attacks and distribute them to the media, a tactic used by Hezbollah to great effect."

For more, see "Borrowing Hezbollah's tactics."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)

Police Still Don't Know Mastermind Behind July 7 Bombings

Daniel McGrory of The Times Online of London reported August 15, 2005 that, London "police admitted last night [August 14, 2005] that they are no nearer to finding a mastermind behind the July 7 [2005 London] bombings as Scotland Yard faced a new threat from terrorists driving hijacked fuel tankers into petrol stations." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:38 PM | Comments (0)

Sunday Times Publishes 'Leaked U.S. Intelligence Document'

The Sunday Times of London published in its August 14, 2005 edition a "leaked US intelligence document" warning of Al-Qaida "attacks on London and America using fuel tankers." Here is the document.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:00 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2005

The Cross-Atlantic Debate on Blair's Anti-terror Laws

Tom Baldwin, a Times Online Washington correspondent, told that publication's readers on August 13, 2005, that "Civil liberties campaigners opposed to [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair's planned anti-terror laws are discovering some unlikely allies across the Atlantic among the leading lights of the American Right."

Is that so? Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)

The Australian: 'New Facts Back Tale of Brush With Atta'

David Nason, New York correspondent for The Australian, reported August 13, 2005 that:

New intelligence reports suggesting that 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta arrived in the US [United States] in late 1999 or early 2000 - six months earlier than previously thought - are likely to spark a reassessment of public servant Johnelle Bryant's incredible story of a face-to-face meeting with the terrorist.

For more of Mr. Nason's report, see "New Facts Back Tale of Brush With Atta.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

Did The Tamil Tigers Do It?

While the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may have assassinated Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on August 13, 2005, as some in the Sri Lankan Government contend, a preliminary review suggests that the method of assassination does not fit the Tigers' modus operandi. They like to bomb, up close and personal. Their assassinations are usually carried out by the Black Tiger special operations unit.

The Tigers political leader, S.P. Tamilchelvan, denied that they assassinated Mr. Kadirgamar, who was reportedly shot in the head and chest. This hit looks like the work of a hired assassin. Question is: Did the LTTE hire the hitter or hitters? If not, who did?

Another question: Are there elements in the Sri Lankan military, as Mr. Tamilchelvan contends, "operating with a hidden agenda to sabotage the cease-fire agreement" between LTTE and the government?

Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, reported August 13, 2005 that the Sri Lankan government on August 13, 2005 "flatly rejected a Tamil Tiger denial of its hand in the assassination" of Mr. Kadirgamar.

The agency quoted Sri Lankan Health Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, "who is also the government spokesman," as telling reporters."Government finds it difficult to accept the denial."

As referenced above, LTTE is currently engaged in a tenuous cease-fire with the Sri Lankan government. It is seeking "an independent state" in areas in Sri Lanka inhabited by ethnic Tamils. Mr. Kadirgamar worked diligently to deny them political legitimacy and to have them declared terrorists. Some nations view LTTE as a terrorist organization.

A partial list of assassinations compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations has a few of the prominent politicians who've been the target of Tamil bombs. It gives credence to the use of bombs, not bullets, as a major assassination tool. For example:

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi , son of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers on May 21, 1991, at a campaign rally in India. His assassin was Thenmuli Rajaratnam See the Jain Commission report for more on this assassination;

On May 1, 1993, Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in a suicide bombing;

On July 29, 1999, Neelan Thiruchelvam, an ethnic Tamil, and a Sri Lankan member of parliament, was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Colombo, Sri Lanka;

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by The Tigers in Colombo, in December 1999. A suicide bomber blew herself up a few feet from the prime minister; and

On June 7, 2000, a suicide bomber assassinated Sri Lanka's Minister for Industrial Development, C.V. Goonaratne, in the northern suburbs of Colombo. See "Ministers wife succumbs to injuries;120 detained; emergency extended.

Here's is an Institute for Conflict Management's list of assassinations reportedly carried out by LTTE. Also see "Prominent Tamil political leaders assassinated by LTTE since the Ceasefire Agreement." This list of "Suicide Attacks by the LTTE" is also interesting.

Meanwhile, Priyath Liyanage, editor, BBC's Sinhala service, said the assassination of Mr. Kadirgamar "comes at a time when the peace process in Sri Lanka is in deep crisis."

Many of the recent killings in the eastern and northern areas of the country have put a heavy strain on the stalled peace process," he wrote August 13, 2005

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2005

What's Next for Foreign Nationals Detained Today in Britain?

If you want to know under what law Britain's Immigration Service detained ten foreign nationals this morning, [August 11, 2005] , see The Times Online's "Q&A: what next for the detainees?"

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)

Britain Detains 10 in Preparation for Deportation

Charles Clarke, the British Home Secretary, announced August 11, 2005 that

"In accordance with my powers to deport individuals whose presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security, the immigration service has today detained ten foreign nationals who I believe pose a threat to national security.
"They will be held in secure prison service accommodation and I shall not disclose their names.

Mr. Clarke added:

Following months of diplomatic work we now have got reason to believe that we can get the necessary assurances from the countries to which we will return the deportees so that they will not be subject to torture or ill-treatment.

Among those likely to deported is Abu Qatada, also known as Sheikh Omar Abu Omar, notes The Times Onlline of London in an August 11, 2005 article headlined "Al-Qaeda cleric' among ten detained."

The publication said Abu Qatada and "the other nine foreign nationals are being held by four police forces, working with the Immigration Service. They are in a prison service facility while the Home Office prepares to deport them."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:49 AM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2005

'Only Half of London's Financial Firms Prepared for Attack'

"Only half the businesses in London's financial district have contingency plans in place despite a terrorist attack being inevitable, the commissioner of the City of London police warned yesterday," notes reporter Laura Smith in the August 11, 2005 edition of Guardian Unlimited.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)

Britain Will Attempt to Deport Abu Qatada to Jordan

Daniel McGrory and Richard Ford of The Times Online of London reported August 11, 2005 that, "Britain's promised crackdown on the preachers of hate will begin today [August 11, 2005] with a move to deport Abu Qatada, described as al-Qaida's spiritual ambassador in Europe."

"The attempt to send the cleric back to Jordan comes just hours after Britain signed a controversial deal with the authorities in Amman for them to take undesirables thrown out of Britain," The Times reported, adding: "The order to remove Abu Qatada will be seen as a test of the Governments determination to deal with militants who allegedly stir up hatred."

Abu Qatada will likely be thrown in prison as soon as he lands in Jordan since he was sentenced in absentia in 2000 on bombings charges and for plots against American tourists. See "Move to expel 'al-Qaeda cleric' will test Britain's resolve on law."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)

Magdy el-Nashar Wants to Return to UK But Is Afraid

Magdy el-Nashar, the Egyptian biochemist freed after being questioned for 25 days about the July 7, 2005 London bombings pleaded yesterday "with the British authorities to clear his name," according to the August 11, 2005 Times Online of London.

The publication said el-Nashar, 33, "said that he wants to resume his work and life in Leeds but fears that the British public still regards him as a terror suspect." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)

August 09, 2005

MI6 Looking for Ethnic Minority Spies

"Britain's overseas spy agency, MI6, is breaking with tradition and actively recruiting for spies, especially among ethnic minorities," according to The Washington Times.

Here's a good chance for Al-Qaida to infiltrate the spy agency, if it hasn't already done so,

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:48 PM | Comments (0)

Bakri Tells Why He Left London

Syrian-born Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who left Britain last weekend for Lebanon, told theBBC August 9, 2005: "I don't want the British Government to keep using [me] to make a new set of rules to put pressure on the Muslim community, so I decided to go on holiday for four or five weeks to stay with my mother."

I am going to return ... unless this government says you are not welcome."

According to the BBC, he also said if the British Government wanted to charge him with treason, he "would be the first one to return and challenge the allegation."

For more, see "Cleric Bakri 'will return' to UK."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)

Britain Thinking About Setting Up Secretive Courts

Britain's Home Office "is considering setting up secretive courts to make it easier to prosecute terror suspects - and to hold them without charge for longer than the current 14 days - as part of the crackdown following the deadly London bombings, officials said Tuesday," August 9, 2005, according to the Associated Press.

This sounds like something from the old Soviet Union.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

Rules May Be Changed to Keep Omar Bakri Mohammad Out of Britain

The Times Online of London reports in its August 10, 2005 edition that British "immigration rules will be changed within days to ensure that" Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammad, the leader of Al-Muhajiroun, "will never be allowed back into Britain." He left the United Kingdom on August 4, 2005, for Lebanon.

For more, see "No way back for extremist cleric as wife packs her (Tesco) bags."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

Why Didn't 9/11 Commission Mention Able Danger?

In the June 27, 2005, edition of the Congressional Record, at (House) Page H5243-H5250, Representative Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania is quoted as saying:

I have to ask, Mr. Speaker, with all the good work that the 9/11 Commission did, why is there nothing in their report about Able Danger? Why is there no mention of the work that Able Danger did against Al-Qaeda? Why is there no mention, Mr. Speaker, of a recommendation in September of 2000 to take out Mohammed Atta's cell which would have detained three of the terrorists who struck us?

Because of critical, August 9, 2005 media reports on "the classified eight-member Pentagon team, code-named Able Danger," the 9/11 commission said it will look into Mr. Weldon's claim that had Able Danger had identified Mr. Atta and three other 9/11 hijackers as part of an Al-Qaida cell as early as 2000.

Mr. Weldon also said he learned that agents in Able Danger had, "in fact, identified the major New York cell of Mohamed Atta prior to 9/11; and I have learned, Mr. Speaker, that in September of 2000, that Federal agency actually was prepared to bring the FBI in and prepared to work with the FBI to take down the cell that Mohamed Atta was involved in in New York City, along with two of the other terrorists."

Here is Mr. Weldon entire Congressional Record insert on Able Danger.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

Did U.S. Blow Chance to Prevent 9/11/ Attacks?

Jacob Goodwin of Government Security News (GSN) reported today that, "In September 2000, one year before the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11, a U.S. Army military intelligence program, known as Able Danger, identified a terrorist cell based in Brooklyn, NY, one of whose members was 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta."

GSN said Able Danger operatives "recommended to their military superiors that the FBI be called in to take out that cell, according to Representative Curt Weldon, a longtime Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who is currently vice chairman of both the House Homeland Security and House Armed Services Committees."

See "Did DoD lawyers blow the chance to nab Atta?" for more of this explosive story.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)

August 08, 2005

Pakistan Says it Has Captured Another 'Important' Al-Qaeda Operative

Daily Times of Pakistan correspondent Mubasher Bukhari reported August 9, 2005 that Pakistani intelligence sources told the publication today that Osama Bin Yousaf, arrested in Faisalabad on Sunday, August 8, 2005, is "an important Al Qaeda operative, a close aide of Abu Faraj Al Libby and Amjad Hussain Farooqi and was in contact with other Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan and Europe." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)

August 07, 2005

Keeping Eye on Homegrown, Right Wing Extremist in U.S.

USNews.Com reports that, "In the decade since the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, local police and federal agents have foiled roughly 60 right-wing extremist terrorist plots [in the United States], according to the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)

The Independent: Is There More to Come?

"Could it really happen again?" The Independent Online posed that question to its readers on August 7, 2005, as Londoners grapple with speculation whether there is a third suicide bomber cell poised to strike London's transportation system.

The Independent noted that:

The four bombers of 7 July are dead and those alleged to have tried to replicate their murderous assault two weeks later are in custody. Six people have been charged under terror laws with failing to disclose information about them, and several more are still being interrogated at the high-security Paddington Green police station in London. But the Government, the security services and the public need an urgent answer to the question: is there more to come?

I would say yes. There is more to come. See "Could it really happen again?"

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)

Times of London 'Undercover in the Academy of Hatred'

The Times of London's "Insight Team" said August 7, 2005 that, "While London reeled under attack [ in July 2005], the teachers of extremism were celebrating and a Sunday Times reporter was recording every word."

See "Focus: Undercover in the academy of hatred" for the Insight Team's report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)

August 06, 2005

Hizb ut-Tahrir Condemns Blair's Banning Plan

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain (Party of Liberation), one of the Muslim organizations British Prime Minister Tony Blair intends to ban, responded August 5, 2005 with a statement that said:

Today's announcement at the PM's press conference to impose a ban on Hizb ut Tahrir, the well established non violent Islamic political party has clearly exposed this PMs and governments fanaticism and extremism to curtail legitimate Islamic political debate in Britain, for their own political ends. This is a clear proof of the governments failure to face the political opinions of the party through rational debate and discussion and a desperate attempt to prevent the British public hearing the opinions of the Muslim community.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has a record of over 50 years of following a method of non-violent political activity against imperialism and dictators and despots who rule the Muslim world with the Wests approval. In its work to establish the Islamic Caliphate, Hizb ut-Tahrir has never resorted to any sort of armed struggle and nor has it ever incited people to kill innocent civilians. It has throughout its history worked through intellectual and political means while its members have been tortured and killed in the thousands. Hizb ut-Tahrir also said,

Hizb ut-Tahrir has in explicit terms stated that Islam forbids the killing of innocent civilians and expressed its denunciation of the killing of 58 innocent individuals on 7th July 2005 in London.

"To place a ban on a political party that has criticized the war in Iraq which Mr Blair and Mr Bush launched after blatantly lying to the world, the illegitimate occupation of Palestine, the desire for the Muslims to see the end of dictators and despots and live by the Islamic government, the Caliphate, in their own lands has proved that all the talk about freedom of speech, tolerance, people power and democracy, are only acceptable as long as one agrees with the policies of 10 Downing Street," the organization added."

For the entire statement, see "Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain Condemns Tony Blair's Announcement to Ban the Party."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

Some Muslim Reaction to Blair's New Anti-Terrorism Policies

An August 6, 2005 by article by Sean O'Neill at Times Online has interesting reactions and observations from some Muslim leaders in Britain to Prime Minister Tony Blair's "anti-terrorism package." Those interviewed by The Times "predicted that the measures would alienate the young people most vulnerable to extremists." Read it here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)

August 05, 2005

A Transcript of Tony Blair's Media Briefing on New Security Measures

On August 5, 2005 British Prime Minister Tony Blair issued new security measures in response to the July 7 and July 21, 2005 bombings in England.

Here is an August 5, 2005 transcript of his monthly media briefing, at which he outlined the new security measures. The transcript was released by No. 10 Downing Street.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

August 01, 2005

Rois: Australian Embassy Bombed to Protest Australia's Role in Iraq

Tim Palmer, ABC News Online of Australia's Indonesia correspondent reported in an August 1, 2005 dispatch that, "The key conspirator arrested for the bombing of Australia's embassy in Jakarta last September says the attack was launched because of Australia's involvement in the invasion of Iraq." He added:

The claim has been made to police by 30-year-old suspect Rois, who will face a verdict later this month for his role in the attack.
The transcript of the police interrogation of Rois, which took place just two months after the bombing killed 11 people outside Australia's Jakarta embassy, shows the suspect being asked the purpose of the attack.

Rois told police it was because "the Australian Government is one of America's allies that gives most support to the American policy of slaughtering Muslims in Iraq".

He said that the bombers' goal was "for Australia to stop repressing Muslims especially in Iraq".
Mr. Palmer said, "Rois criticized Australia's interference in other Muslim countries, including Indonesia" Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:12 AM | Comments (0)

July 31, 2005

Dawn: Musharraf Seeks People’s Support Against Militants

The influential Pakistani publication Dawn noted in a July 31, 2005 post that, "President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday [July 30, 2005] urged the masses to reject retrogressive elements, stressing that Pakistan needed progressive and prudent policies to move forward as a strong and dynamic Islamic state."

"Speaking at a public meeting," the publication said, "the president asked the people to distinguish clearly between the forces of backwardness and the leadership that wanted to develop Pakistan befitting its vast human and economic potential." Mr. Musharraf was quoted as saying:

Islam calls for brotherhood, unity, well-being and learning. Please, do not believe those who support extremism; they want to push Pakistan backward

Dawn said, "General Musharraf, the first head of the state to address a gathering in the picturesque valley of the NWFP (North-west Frontier Province) in 25 years, said there was no issue over Islam in the country, and added that Pakistan was a Muslim state and extremist forces were only misusing the religion."

"We have strengthened Pakistan, militarily and economically, and raised the country's international profile; we are resolved to move forward; I hope you will rally behind my efforts so that the NWFP and Pakistan may progress and prosper," he said "amid echoing applause for his policies," according to Dawn.

When I think about Mr. Musharraf and his railing against Jihadi groups in Pakistan, I think about the late Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, who was assassinated in Cairo on October 6, 1981 by Egyptian Islamic Jihad members in the Egyptian military. As Wikipedia notes,

In September of 1981, Sadat cracked down on Muslim organizations and Coptic organizations, including student groups; the arrests totaled nearly 1600, earning worldwide condemnation for the extremity of his techniques.

Egyptian Islamic Jihad resented the crackdown and also his 1978 peace treaty with Israel, just as many Pakistani groups resent Mr. Musharraf for taking and following orders from the United States, to crackdown on them. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

Musharraff: Britain Failing to Pre-empt Jihadis Before Bombings

Following an interview with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Sunday Times of London correspondent Hala Jaber wrote in a July 31, 2005 article datelined Rawalpindi:

Britain is regarded as a safe haven by Islamic extremists because it has failed to crack down on them despite urging other countries to do so, the president of Pakistan has warned. In an interview with The Sunday Times, General Pervez Musharraf suggested that Britain had paid a price for putting the right of free speech before the need to curb militant Islamic organizations that openly advocate violence

"They should have been doing what they have been demanding of us to do to ban extremist groups like they asked us to do here in Pakistan and which I have done," he said, according to Ms. Jaber.

Regarding Al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir, Mr. Musharraff is quoted as saying:

They could have banned these two groups. Good action is when you foresee the future and pre-empt and act beforehand, instead of reacting as in the case of Britain which waited for the damage to be done and is now reacting to it.

For more of the interview, see "Pakistan accuses Britain of failing to tackle militants.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

The Sunday Times On 'Worrying Loose Ends' in Bombing Probe

Sunday Times of London correspondents Richard Woods, David Leppard and Mick Smith reported July 31, 2005 that,

Three weeks after the first London bombings, British and American security sources are giving markedly different versions of how much was known about the bombers before the attacks and who masterminded them.

The reporters said, "According to US intelligence sources, a man now being held in Zambia is Haroon Rashid Aswat, a Briton of Indian origin who has links to a convicted Al-Qaeda terrorist."

"They believe he assisted or masterminded the London attacks," they wrote. "But British investigators, examining whether telephone calls were made between the London bombers and Aswat before the attacks of 7/7, caution that the calls may have been made to a phone linked to Aswat, rather than the man himself."

See "Tangled web that still leaves worrying loose ends" for more of the Sunday Times report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:28 PM | Comments (0)

Will Britain, U.S. Fight Over Aswat?

Ian Cobain and Ewen MacAskill noted in the July 30, 2005 edition of Guardian Unlimited that, "Haroon Rashid Aswat, 30, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire [ England], was charged [by the U.S.] over his alleged role in a plot to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon more than five years ago.'

Guardian Unlimited said, " Despite widespread media reports, he is not suspected of involvement in the London attacks of July 7 [2005] that claimed 56 lives, although British police and counter-terrorism officials may question him about possible links with one of the suicide bombers." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)

Aswat Reportedly Hid In South Africa Before Arrest in Zambia

"It is thought that Haroon Rashid Aswat," the Briton who "was arrested in Zambia in connection with the London bombings, "had been hiding in South Africa in the weeks before his arrest," according to a July 30, 2005 article in Mirror.co.uk.

Because of its large community of Muslims and Hindus of Indian descent, South Africa would be a logical place for Mr. Aswat, who is also of Indian descent, to hide.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)

Haroon Rashid Aswat: The Man MI5 Thought Was Dead

Liam McDougall, Home Affairs Editor of The Sunday Herald of Britain, published an interesting analysis of the activities of Haroon Rashid Aswat, a man British intelligence thought had died on the battlefield of Afghanistan until his name surfaced during their investigation of bombings in London July 7 and 21, 2005. Mr. Aswat was detained at Livingstone, Zambia, in southern Africa, "after crossing the border from Zimbabwe," according to a July 29, 2005 Times Online report. The Yorkshire Post reported July 30, 2005 that, "Yesterday it was revealed the Zambians had arrested Aswat after he entered the country from Botswana 11 days ago," which would be around July 18, 2005. The Post also said "Zambian sources were quoted last night [July 29, 2005] as saying that their prisoner had confessed to being a former guard for bin Laden." For more of the Sunday Herald report, see "Brains behind terror plot may be Brit the security services thought was dead."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)

Is There A Global Jihadi Support Network?

The Associated Press says admitted London bomber Osman Hussain's "ability to escape a massive British dragnet, coupled with the arrest of another suspect in Zambia with al-Qaida ties, raised fears about the global reach of terrorists and the depth of their networks."

The wire service quotes Michael Cox, a professor at London's Royal Institute of International Affairs, as saying:"The way people fanned out after the bombings, it's brought it home to people . . . that it is part of a kind of a network, interconnected -- all the fingerprints are there," said

"They'd have to have a much wider support base than just those who are active suicide bombers."

I can't imagine any intelligence professional thinking there wouldn't be a massive, global support network for Jihadi operatives. Just as nations and intelligence services working to maintain the political, economic and military status quo have their affiliations, activists seeking to change it have theirs. You have to take the blinders off and set aside the hubris to see it. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)

The Australian: 'Italy Bans Islamic Burqas'

Natasha Bita of The Australian, reporting from Florence, Italy on August 01, 2005, said "Italy has banned Islamic burqas under tough terrorism laws that provide two-year jail terms and $3200 fines for anyone caught covering their face in a public place."

She said, "The counter-terrorism package, passed by Italy's parliament yesterday [July 31, 2005], doubles the existing penalty for wearing a burqa or chador -- traditional robes worn by Muslim women to cover their faces -- or full-faced helmets or balaclavas in public."

See "Italy bans Islamic burqas" for more on Italy's terrorism laws.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

There is 'Anger, Worry Among Singapore's Muslims'

The Electric New Paper of Singapore has a very informative article headlined "Anger, Worry Among Singapore's Muslims." According the CIA's World Factbook, Muslims are "14.9% "of Singapore's population of "4,425,720 (July 2005 estimate)."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)

Pisanu: 'We Identified a Dense Network of Ethiopians, Eritreans...'

Giuseppe Pisanu, Italy's Interior Minister, told Italy's Lower House of Parliament July 31, 2005, 'It has been possible to identify a dense network of individuals belonging to the Eritrean and Ethiopian communities in Italy who are believed to have helped him (Osman Hussain) cover his tracks,' according to The Electric New Paper of Singapore.

Ethiopia and Eritrea were once Italian colonies. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

Osman Hussain: Religion Has Nothing to Do With This Story'

The Herald Sun of Australia quotes London Bomber Osman Hussain as telling Italian judges July 21, 2005 bombings were plotted in the basement of a gym in Notting Hill, England and has nothing to do with religion.

According to the Herald Sun, Mr. Osman "named the cell's ringleader as Muktar Said-Ibrahim, the man suspected of attempting to blow up the No 26 bus at Hackney."

The paper said "the 27-year-old Ethiopian-born Briton said Ibrahim had psyched up cell members by showing them videos of horrors in Iraq. He also taught them how to make bombs from household chemicals."

Psyched up is not in quotes in the Herald Sun article, so its questionable whether Mr. Hussain used those words. However, is quoted as saying:

Yes, it is true, I was there on July 21. 'd been given a rucksack.

(Ibrahim) gave me the instructions for the attack. I was a member of a gym in Notting Hill. That's where I met Muktar Ibrahim.

"Religion has nothing to do with this story. Muktar showed us videos with images of the war in Iraq, especially the ones showing women and children killed and exterminated by British and American forces. He said we must do something big. (Ibrahim) gave me the instructions for the attack.

Mr. Hussain "also said the cell had no direct links to al-Qaida and was acting independently," the Herald Sun reported August 1, 2005. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

London Reportedly Bracing For More Bombings

"Britain braced last night [July 31, 2005] for a third wave of terror attacks after investigators discovered another Islamist terror cell was planning an imminent strike," The Herald Sun of Australia reported August 1, 2005. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2005

Why Is Canada Sending More Troops to Afghanistan?

Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada said his country has an "international responsibility" to be part of the war against terrorism. According to The National Post, he told reporters on July 29, 2005 that

The fight against terrorism has got to be taken beyond the borders of any individual country. This is a dangerous world and Canadians must not be complacent,

Mr. Martin spoke to reporters "after a roundtable meeting with community leaders," in Timmins, Canada, according to The Post. He said, "We as a government and Canadians as a population must take the measures to ensure the security of our population." He acknowledging that Canada is "a potential terrorist target."

The Post said, "Canada is sending more than 1,250 troops to Afghanistan over the next several months. A 250-member provincial reconstruction team is being deployed this year and more than 1,000 additional troops will be sent to the Kandahar area as part of an international force in 2006," the publication said.Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

British Police Looks Towards Arabia For Bombing Mastermind

"Scotland Yard is investigating evidence that the two waves of terrorist attacks on London this month [July 2005] may have been masterminded from Saudi Arabia," The Daily Telegraph of London reported July 31, 2004.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Police Building The Case For Prosecution of London Bombers

Mushtak Parker, Arab News' London correspondent reported July 31, 2005 that, "The immediate manhunt [for the July 21, 2005 London bombers] is over, but according to Scotland Yard, there are many more months of hard work ahead."

Mr. Parker also said:

Police are in the process of meticulously building up the prosecution case against the suspected five would-be suicide bombers, and they are careful not to do anything that might jeopardize a fair trial. They are recording every interview with the suspects, keen to find out how deep the terrorist network is; if there are any other active cells in the UK; if so, how many; and the identities of the key individuals behind the plot.

The correspondent said, "One source stressed that there are over 1,000 more leads still to be followed up, but London's police are already overstretched and simply do not have the time nor the resources to do this at this moment. Police are quick to defend the half million pounds of extra funding a day spent on policing London after the first wave of suicide bombings on July 7 [2005]" Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Fiqh Council of North America's Statement on Terrorism

Here is the Fiqh Council of North America's July 28, 2005 statement on terrorism that has generated considerable publicity, praise and criticism around the world. It was issued during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam's absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism.

Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs.

The Quran, Islam's revealed text, states: "Whoever kills a person [unjustly]...it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind." (Quran, 5:32)

Prophet Muhammad said there is no excuse for committing unjust acts: "Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong to them. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong (even) if they do evil." (Al-Tirmidhi)

God mandates moderation in faith and in all aspects of life when He states in the Quran: We made you to be a community of the middle way, so that (with the example of your lives) you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind. (Quran, 2:143)

In another verse, God explains our duties as human beings when he says: Let there arise from among you a band of people who invite to righteousness, and enjoin good and forbid evil. (Quran, 3:104)

Islam teaches us to act in a caring manner to all of God's creation. The Prophet Muhammad, who is described in the Quran as a mercy to the worlds said: All creation is the family of God, and the person most beloved by God (is the one) who is kind and caring toward His family."

In the light of the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:

1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.
2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.
3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.

We issue this fatwa following the guidance of our scripture, the Quran, and the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. We urge all people to resolve all conflicts in just and peaceful manners.

We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism. We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet. We pray that interfaith harmony and cooperation prevail both in the United States and all around the globe.

FIQH COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA

Members

1. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi
2. Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson
3. Dr. Ahmad Shleibak
4. Dr. Akbar Muhammad
5. Dr. Deina Abdulkadir
6. Shaikh Hassan Qazwini
7. Dr. Ihsan Bagby
8. Dr. Jamal Badawi
9. Dr. Muhammad Adam Sheikh
10. Shaikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti
11. Shaikh Muhammad Nur Abdallah
12. Dr. Salah Soltan
13. Dr. Taha Jabir Alalwani
14. Shaikh Yahya Hindi
15. Shaikhah Zainab Alwani
16. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah
17. Dr. Mukhtar Maghraoui
18. Dr. Nazih Hammad I wonder why the council, which most Muslims in the United States probably have never heard of, didn't release this statement at a mosque. Secondly, I doubt that most Muslims, myself included, know who the people on the council are. I'm only familiar with five of the 18 members. I know Shaikh Muhammad Nur Abdallah, who is from the Sudan, better than the others because he taught at a mosque in Chicago that I once attended. The last time I saw him he was living in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Some U.S. Police Departments Asking Israel For Help: Why?

"A growing number of police departments, including ones in Seattle; Boston; Los Angeles; Washington; Suffolk County, N.Y.; and Sterling Heights, Mich., a small city north of Detroit, are also turning for guidance to the place many police officials consider the pinnacle of terrorism training," The New York Times reported July 25, 2005.

The publication said, "They are sending groups of officers to Israel and bringing Israeli officers to the United States to train the police on the harrowing science of suicide bomber intelligence gathering and apprehension."

The Times also said,

"Several American police officials said advice from the Israelis had included looking out for suicide bomber "handlers," who scout bus stations or other crowded areas for deadly attacks. And although the police are typically told to aim for the chest when shooting because it is the largest target, the Israelis are teaching officers to aim for a suspect's head so as not to detonate any explosives that might be strapped to his torso.

The paper added: "But the growing relationship between Israeli and United States law enforcement, expanding now after the London bombings, has prompted criticism among some Muslim groups, who say they fear that American police officers will engage in religious or ethnic profiling." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Some Pakistani Jihadis Reportedly Reestablishing Training Camps

"Pakistan's leading monthly magazine, Herald, has published a detailed eyewitness account backed with photographs on how youths are trained in militant camps in the central region of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Mansehra," of Pakistan, according "Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online's bureau chief in Pakistan. He said:

The story was so accurate that the government could not deny it, although it issued orders to "fix" the publisher.

Mr. Shahzad said the cover story of Herald maintained that:

Until 2001, thousands of fighters trained here for operations in Kashmir and Afghanistan ... after the 9/11 attacks in America, though, the militants' activities dwindled, and last year the camp was abandoned following an unequivocal warning from the government. But all major militant organizations began regrouping in April this year by renovating training facilities that were deserted last year.

Mr. Shahzad's articles also says: "According to a manager of the training camp, the report said, all the major militant organizations, including Hizbul Mujahideen, al-Badr Mujahideen, Harkat ul-Mujahideen and others, began regrouping in April. The Herald report says that at least 13 major camps in the Mansehra region were revived during the first week of May," Mr. Shahzad noted, adding: "As the camps reopen, managers claim trained militants as well as new aspirants are flocking to enlist for jihad." I wonder will Mr. Musharraf slaughter them to please the U.S.

See "Open season for jihadis" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Britain Wants 'Moderate Imams' To Minister To Muslim Prisoners

Guardian Unlimited of London reported July 28, 2005 that, "Leaked Home Office documents on the Muslim community [in Britain] say most young extremists fall into two groups: well-educated with degrees or technical qualifications in engineering or IT; or underachievers with few or no qualifications, and often a criminal background.

The Home Office said, "Amongst the latter group some are drawn to mosques where they may be targeted by extremist preachers; others are radicalized or converted whilst in prison."

"The document says steps were taken to recruit "a moderate cadre of imams" in prisons and the Home Office was looking to see what further steps were needed," the Guardian said, noting that, "There are more than 4,000 Muslim prisoners, with 130 imams employed to serve the 135 prisons in England and Wales.

I would suggest that reading newspapers and watching television reports of what the U.S. and Britain are doing in Muslim countries, especially Iraq since the end of the first Gulf War, has radicalized young Muslims more than so-called radical or extremist imams.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why Britain Still Faces Difficulties Thwarting Potential Bombers

The BBC quotes Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair as saying despite success in the capture of the four men authorities think are behind the July 21, 2005 attempt to bomb a subway and a bus in London, British police officials still face difficulties in thwarting and investigating terror attacks. He said, according to the BBC:

I think there has to be a substantial increase in three fields.

It's detective work (that) we actually need, this is good old-fashioned detective leg work.

We need firearms capability. We've got enough firearms officers but not enough to do this length of tour. People have to have a rest. They can't just keep carrying a gun hour after hour, day after day.

Thirdly it's around the forensics and counter-explosive activity. "We're pushing at the specialist areas and that is a difficulty for us."The BBC said, "Investigators will now be looking at who was behind the attacks and who recruited the July 7 and 21 [2005] bombers." For more, see "How police tracked bomb suspects."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why Italian Police Raided Osman Hussain's 'contacts'

Italian police have been raiding the contacts" of Osman Hussain "arrested in Rome on Friday [July 29, 2005] over London's failed [July 21, 2005] bombings, the interior minister has said, according to the BBC.

Giuseppe Pisanu, the interior minister, said Mr. Hussain had supporters in Italy's Ethiopian and Eritrean communities to help him evade capture, the BBC noted, adding: "The British national - also known as Isaac Hamdi - was arrested at his brother's flat after being traced by mobile telephone calls."

I guess Mr. Hussain didn't know that police and intelligence agencies could trace cell phone calls. It stands to reason that the telephones of immigrant Muslims would likely be tapped. Anyway, if he did the crime, I guess he'll have to do the time for it. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

How Italian Police Tracked Osman Hussain

AGI Online of Italy quotes Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu as telling Italy's Lower House July 29, 2005:

The hideout of Osman Hussain (one of the July 21 attackers in London, ed.) was located thanks to a sophisticated investigation in cooperation with the judicial authorities of Milan, Brescia and Rome and in close collaboration with the London Metropolitan Police. On the basis of this activity, which took place uninterruptedly starting the day after the attack it was possible to map in real time the escape route of the man who left London on July 26 from Waterloo station. During the investigation a thick network of subjects belonging to the Ethiopian community in Italy, which is thought to cover wanted people. Hussain got in contact with individuals originally from the Horn of Africa, living around Milan and Brescia, the latter in which an Ethiopian, Osman's fiancee's father, lives."

If I recall news reports correctly, the Italians used a similar technique to track and later issue arrest warrants for 19 American CIA agents charged with kidnapping Hassan Osama Nasr, an Egyptian-born Muslim leader, off the streets of Milan, Italy, in early 2003.

The CIA reportedly took him to Egypt for interrogation. Some news accounts say the imam told his wife he was tortured during interrogation. The aim was to obtain information on Muslims waging Jihad against the U.S. The U.S. reportedly outsources torture,to avoid legal entanglements in the U.S.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 29, 2005

Musharraf Orders Foreign Muslim Students To Leave Pakistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has decred that 1,400 foreign students attending madrassas in Pakistan leave the country. I suspect he ordered them to leave because Bush Administration told him to, as if that's going to prevent them from waging defensive Jihad, if they choose to. I doubt British Prime Minister Tony Blair could be as persuasive.

See "Pakistan cracks down on extremist madrassas" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

BBC's Updated Profiles On Some Supected London Bombers

The BBC has interesting profiles of "some of the men suspected of carrying out the attempted bombings" of London subway (tube) trains and a bus on July 21, 2005. Their bombs failed to detonate.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sir Ian Blair And The Taser Gun Debate

West Midlands, England, Police and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair are engaged in a debate over the efficacy of using a taser gun during the July 21, 2005 arrest of bombing suspect Yasin Hassan Omar of Somalia. Mr. Omar is suspected of being involved in the July 21, 2005 attempted bombings in London. The bombs failed to detonate.

Unlike many Americans, the British are not afraid to openly discuss issues such as police conduct although the debate is over tactics used to take down an alleged bomber. How refreshing. Here's more on the taser spat.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Haroon Rashid Aswat Reportedly Detained in Zambia

Haroon Rashid Aswat , a Yorkshire, England-born Muslim British and U.S. intelligence agencies think is linked to the July 7, 2005 London bombings that left more than fifty dead, has been detained in the Zambia, according to The Times Online of London and other publications.

Zambia is a landlocked nation in southern Africa. Mr. Aswat was reportedly detained after he crossed into Livingston, Zambia from Zimbabwe on July 28, 2005.

The Times said Mr. Aswat has "been on the run since 1999 when he allegedly tried to set up training camps for al-Qaeda in the United States. His name emerged within days of the July 7 attacks, as a possible orchestrator of the synchronized suicide bombings that killed 52 people," the paper said. Here's more.

Also see "Pakistan questions Briton on bombings" for additional background on Mr. Aswat.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 28, 2005

MI5 Admits Link Between Iraq War And London Bombings

Michael Evans, Defence Editor for The Times Online of London, reported July 28, 2005 that, "Iraq has become a dominant issue for Islamic extremists in Britain, MI5 has admitted." "In a fresh analysis of the threat facing Britain from international terrorist groups, the acknowledgement underlines the view of the security and intelligence services that Iraq has provided an extra motivating force for terrorists," the publication said. I wonder why it took so long to publicly acknowledge this. I also wonder whether Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush will continue to deny the link. For more, see "MI5 analysts admit link between Iraq war and bombings."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why Bagram Residents Staged Anti-US demonstrations

Amin Tarzi at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has an indepth report on July 26, 2005 demonstrations "against the United States at the main U.S. military facility in Afghanistan located in Bagram, in the northern Parwan Province.

He said the demonstrators, "estimated to number at least 1,000," chanted "Die America" and others slogans. The protestors had gathered before the gates of the heavily guarded base to protest the raiding of Afghan homes and the arrest of Engineer Hamidullah, a former mujahidin commander, "and seven other people -- including a local mullah."

The U.S. turned the detainees over to Afghan authorities in an effort to prevent further demonstrations and anti-American sentiment. I predict that the U.S. will ultimately wage war against the Afghan population, who have repeatedly complained about U.S. disregard for local customs.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 27, 2005

Godsif: 'Muslims Have To Challenge Their Own People'

The Times Online of London quotes Roger Godsiff, the Labour MP who represents Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath in England, said that he hoped today's [July 27, 2005] arrests would not strain community relations. He said:

I hope wise counsels will prevail. Its an old 1930s council estate - primarily houses, very few flats. Many of them were bought by sitting tenants, a complete mixture - white families, Afro-Caribbean, long-established Irish community, Pakistanis, Kashmiris, Bengalis, Indians, Sikhs, Somalis.

"Community relations in the area have always been very good and I hope very much indeed that anybody who seeks to exploit what has happened for their own personal or political gain will be very much put down by the community.

"I hope very much the community will work together to try and ensure that the good community relations continue.He added:

"The Muslim community have to stand up. They have to confront those people within their community who they know are contorting what the Koran stands for and are also seeking to spread information which quite frankly has got no reality whatsoever to the facts of life.

According to The Times, "Mr Godsiff said the Muslim community had been reluctant to challenge these people in the past. He added: "What I have consistently said is that option doesn't exist any more. These people have to be confronted." Sorry, sir, confronting them won't stop the bombings. That's because cautious bombers don't usually broadcast their intent to people they don't know.

See "Failed London bomber arrested in Birmingham" for more.

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Egypt Fires Security Heads in North, South Sinai

Sarah el Deeb and Salah Nasrawi of the Associated Press (AP) report that the Egyptian "government has sacked the heads of security in North and South Sinai provinces, an apparent sign of the failures that may have allowed the [July 23, 2005] assault on one of Egypt's most closely guarded towns." That Town is Sharm el Sheikh, which is frequented primarily by foreigners including many Israelis who go their to gamble.

Meanwhile, reports say Egypt was warned that Sharm el-Sheikh would be attacked. However, police officials thought the attack would be against casinos instead of hotels. Why casinos? Because many Israelis gamble in them. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why Did Sharm el-Sheikh Suspects Have Fake Passports?

While Egypt has reportedly cleared six Pakistanis of involvement in the July 23, 2005 bombings at Sham el-Sheikh, that left at least 88 people dead, "Khaled Arafa, an Interior Ministry official, said police would still like to know why the Pakistanis had fake passports," reports Summer Said in the July 27, 2005 edition of Arab News.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 26, 2005

Egypt: Pakistanis Not Involved In Sharm al-Sheikh Bombings

"No Pakistani national was involved in the terrorist attacks that rocked Sharm al-Shaikh late last Saturday [July 23, 2005]," Husayn Harid,the Egyptian ambassador to Pakistan said in July 26, 2005 statement, according to Al-Jazeera.Net and other publications. "I received instructions from the Egyptian government to convey [this] to the Pakistani government," he added. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 25, 2005

Pakistan Denies Its Nationals Involved In Egyptian Bombings

"Pakistan on Monday [July 25, 2005] refuted the alleged involvement of Pakistanis in the bombings in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which killed dozens and injured many others," according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency.

"Our mission in Cairo is in touch with the Egyptian authorities, however, Egypt has not conveyed anything officially," Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Naeem Khan said in the weekly press briefing, according to Xinhua. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mubarak: Pakistan is Not A-Qaeda's Headquarters

Mubasher Bukhari of the Daily Times of Pakistan reported July 26, 2005 that, Pakistani "President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday [July 25, 2005] that it was a misconception that Pakistan was the Al Qaeda headquarters. He said Osama Bin Laden’s network did not exist in the country anymore," Mr. Bukhari noted in his dispatch from Lahore, Pakistan. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Report Says Hunt For Egyptian Bombers Led To Gunfights

The Daily Star of Lebanon reported July 26, 2005 that,

Egyptian police fought gun battles in desert mountains near the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh in a hunt for militants who killed 88 people in a bomb attack.

The publication said, "Two days after Egypt's worst attack since 1981, police were surrounding a group of bedouin suspected of having links to three blasts which tore through hotels and shopping areas popular among foreign tourists." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Daily Telegraph: Leading British Muslims Back 'Shoot-to-Kill" Policy

David Harrison and Chris Johnstonof the Daily Telegraph of London reported July 24, 2005 that, "Leading British Muslims last night [July 23, 2005] backed the police's "shoot-to-kill" policy to tackle the threat of suicide bombers, despite a police admission that the man shot dead at Stockwell Tube station on Friday [July 22, 2005] was not a terrorist." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Did Justice Department Block Effort To Indict Haroon Aswat?

The Seattle Times, an American newspaper in Washington State, reported July 24, 2005 that, "The [U.S.] Justice Department blocked efforts by its prosecutors in Seattle in 2002 to bring criminal charges against Haroon Aswat, according to federal law-enforcement officials who were involved in the case."

"British authorities suspect Aswat of taking part in the July 7 [2005] London bombings, which killed 56 and prompted an intense worldwide manhunt for him," the publication said.

For more, see "Effort here to charge London suspect was blocked."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

'Experts' Look For Al-Qaeda Links In London, Egypt Bombings

"Security analysts are re-examining intelligence amid speculation that the bombings in London and in Egypt were ordered by the Al Qaeda network," according to Matt Brown, Middle East correspondent for ABC News Online of Australia.

See "Experts look for links between London, Egypt attacks" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jihad Unspun On The London And Egypt Bombings

Khadija Abdul Qahaar noted in a July 25, 2005 article at Jihad Unspun that, "While Al-Qaida and Shiekh Osama Bin Laden are the first names mentioned in any attack, even as far back as the Oklahoma bombings, the recent attacks in London and in Egypt this past weekend tend to show a more widespread phenomena." See "Al-Qaida London? Al-Qaida Egypt? Or An Al-Qaida Culture?" for her analysis.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 24, 2005

Will Musharraf Deliver Again For The U.S. And Britain?

Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online's Bureau Chief in Pakistan, writes that, "Very much like in the post-September 11 days, Pakistan is once again standing at a crossroad between the military and the mosque following the bomb attacks in London on July 7, [2005]."

"However," Mr. Shahzad wrote in a July 23, 2005 article, "a major difference now is that the US and the United Kingdom are watching Pakistan's every action with unrelenting vigilance, which could force President General Pervez Musharraf to take action that will place him on a path of confrontation with various religious and political elements in the country."

For more, see "Pakistan: United militants, divided leaders."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Week in The Life of Magdi El-Nashar

Jailan Halawi at Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly Online takes a look at a week in the life of "Thirty-three-year-old Magdi El-Nashar" who "has been cleared by Egyptian authorities of having any links" with the July 7, 2005 London bombings that killed 56 people.

Al-Ahram noted that Mr. El-Nashar was at the center of a much-publicized investigation that stretched from Europe to Asia to North Africa.

See "Egypt clears chemist of terrorist links" for an analysis of Mr. El-Nahar's ordeal.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Is There A Link Between Sharm El-Sheikh and World Politics?

Charles Levinson, special contributor to The Dallas Morning News (registration required), quotes Fuad Allam, the former director of Cairo's state security services, as saying "Whoever carried out these attacks [July 22, 2005 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, that killed at least 88 people] had to have studied the situation very closely and prepared well in order to get past the security in Sharm el-Sheikh."

Mr. Levinson, who was assisted by Arab News correspondent and freelance writer Summer Said, who reported from Sharm el-Sheikh, noted that:

The city, flanked by barren desert mountains at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is often called the "City of Peace" because it frequently hosts international summits. It was in Sharm el-Sheikh in February that Israelis and Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire. In November, Sharm el-Sheikh hosted a summit on rebuilding Iraq, attended by dozens of foreign ministers including then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. This may have made the city a popular target for terrorists angry at Egyptian cooperation with U.S. policy in the Middle East, experts said.

"It is seen as an outpost where international and regional politics is done," he quotes Josh Stacher, a political scientist in Cairo, as saying. "This isn't a few angry Cairenes who can't feed their families and are angry. There is definitely a connection between these bombings and the outside world."

See "Egypt attack may mark new wave of violence" for more of Mr. Levinson's July 23, 2005 analysis, which was dispatched from Cairo.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blair Government Shouldn't Hide Behind Secrecy In Hunt For Bombers

The Observer of London said in its July 24, 2005 lead article that, "Words of comfort are no substitute for facts and the government, police and security services have an obligation to deal honestly and openly with the public."

"There will be times when operational matters prohibit the disclosure of information." the publication said in an article headlined "We're safer if we know the truth:Openness can help defeat terror." "But we must not accede to the natural temptation of governments to introduce a culture of secrecy. Panic, a principal goal of the terrorists, spreads more effectively in an information vacuum. A culture of openness will encourage greater public co-operation and trust."

I totally agree with this analysis

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Observer: Police May Be Hunting Cell From Horn Of Africa

The Observer of London reported July 24, 2005 that, the arrests of an Ethiopian man and a Somali man combined with raids on the homes of Somalis in Britain "have led police and the intelligence services to the conclusion that they are now hunting a cell with its origins in the lawless war-torn chaos of the Horn of Africa, long known as a haven for terror groups."

See "Police swoop on capital's estates as hunt intensifies" for a vivid description of police raids.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

BruneiDirect.com's 'Special Report' On Jean Charles de Menezes

BruneiDirect.com has a "special report" on Jean Charles de Menezes, a young Brazilian man "living and working in London as an electrician," who "emerged last night as the innocent victim shot dead by police in their hunt for the suicide bombers targeting the capital."

Alex Pereira, a cousin who lives in London, identified his body. According to BruneiDirect.com, he told The Observer:

I can't believe they shot him, because he was not a terrorist. He was an honest man. 'We [the family] are still too shocked to talk about it. But I am sure [that] he didn't do anything wrong. It was not right for the police to do that.

For more, see "Man shot in terror hunt was innocent young Brazilian."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Brazil Seeks Answers In The Death Of Jean Charles de Menezes

The Brazilian Government has asked Celso Amorim, Brazil's Foreign Minister, to ask the Government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair to explain why Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was executed by a British policeman on the morning of July 22, 2005 aboard a train at the Stockwell station in south London.

Mr. Amorim, who is in London for a conference on United Nations reform, will seek a meeting today with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for an explanation of the death, according to news reports.

If descriptions of the shooting are accurate, Mr. de Menezes was executed as policemen searched for four men accused of trying to detonate bombs in London on July 21, 2005.

See "We shot dead an innocent man, admit terror police" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 23, 2005

Why Sharm El-Sheikh Is An Easy Target

Muneef Al-Sufoogi of Arab News told the paper's readers, "Sharm El-Sheikh is the kind of place that would make a Westerner feel comfortable, at least it did before the recent bombing."

"Crowded with Westerners, nightclubs and the kind of shops they would like to find, Sharm El-Sheikh had a lot going for it," reported the writer, who visited the resort in June 2005. "Unfortunately the same qualities that made it a haven for Western tourists also attracted others who had other things in mind namely to rain down death and destruction.Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

'Iraq Has Been An Absolute Gift To Al-Qaida'

The Associated Press, in a July 23, 2005 article headlined "Experts: No Single al-Qaida Mastermind," quotes Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Bradford University in northern England, as saying:

Iraq has been an absolute gift to al-Qaida. (Al-Qaida) seems to have no difficulty in getting more and more recruits.

Is that a surprise? Not to the informed and those unimpressed by Bush Administration claims about victories in the so-called "war on terror." The capture of high-ranking Al-Qaeda operatives does not equate to a defeat of Al-Qaeda. Even the capture or killing of Usama bin Ladin would mean little in the long-run.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Was Stockwell Shooting A Mistake Or Execution?

The man executed July 22, 2005 by British police at London's Stockwell Underground station had nothing to do with the July 21, 2005 bombings in London, British journalists are reporting.

"We are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday 21st July 2005," the Metropolitan Police said in a June 23, 2005 statement, according to The Times of London and other publications. "For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why The Guardian Terminated Dilpazier Aslam's Contract

Steve Busfield of the Guardian blog of London reported July 22, 2005 that, "Trainee journalist Dilpazier Aslam had his contract with theGuardian terminated today.
The move followed an internal inquiry into Aslam's membership of the political organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir," he wrote. According to a Guardian statement:

The Guardian now believes continuing membership of the organisation to be incompatible with his continued employment by the company.

Mr Aslam was asked to resign his membership but has chosen not to. The Guardian respects his right to make that decision but has regretfully concluded that it had no option but to terminate Mr Aslam's contract with the company. Mr. Busfield said, "The inquiry followed a piece written by Aslam for the Guardian's comment pages entitled "We rock the boat".

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Shoot To Kill, Investigate Later

The Guardian Unlimited published an article July 23, 2005 that has this interesting observation of "The shot suspect" who was killed July 22, 2005 by London police after four men attempted July 21, 2005 to bomb trains in Britain:

Guidance issued to armed police officers by the Association of Chief Police Officers, which was revised five months ago, states: "A police officer should not decide to open fire unless that officer is satisfied that nothing short of opening fire could protect the officer or another person from imminent danger to life or serious injury.

The Guardian said, "The officer, from Scotland Yard's SO19 firearms unit, is thought to have shot the suspect in the head because he feared a shot in his torso might detonate any device the suspect may have been wearing, and to have opened fire several times to make sure the man could not activate any bomb."

He definitely won't activate any now, or face interrogation. According to some reports, the man did not have a bomb. Other reports say a witness thought he saw wires dangling from under the man's clothes. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Times: 'The Terrorists Aim Is To Paralyze London'

The Times Online of London, in its lead article of July 23, 2005, declared:

The terrorists aim is to paralyse London by repeated attacks on its transport network. The Tube carries more than three million passengers every day, and complete protection is impossible. But already experts have called for new safety measures: surveillance cameras at every station and also in trains; the widespread deployment of sniffer dogs; random checks on baggage; more transport police patrolling the network. These must be implemented. The train drivers union Aslef has also demanded instant fines for anyone leaving cases or bags unattended a sensible proposal that we endorse.

"But the unions call on drivers who feel stressed to remain at home is ill-judged," The Times opined, adding: "Train drivers have proved that they have more courage than their union executive."

Observation: I don't think a suicide bomber would be concerned about a fine if he or she leaves a case or bag unattended on public transportation. If it explodes, the bomber is unlikely to be around to accept the fine anyway.

See "Extraordinary days" for more of The Times' leader.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Habib el-Adli: Sharm el-Sheikh, Taba Bombings Might Be Linked

Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency reported July 23, 2005 that, "Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adli said here [in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt] Saturday [July 23, 2005] that attacks in the Red Sea resort... might be linked to the Taba blasts of 2004."

Mr. el-Adli "said some clues have been found that might help find who carried out these attacks, which indicate a link between the explosions and the Taba blasts in the Sinai peninsula on Oct. 7, 2004, which killed 34 people and injured more than 100," according to Xinhua.

The news service also reported that Mr. el-Adli "said no link between the London explosions and Saturday's [July 23, 2005] Sharm el-Sheikh blasts has been established, adding he can not at the present identify those who carried out the explosions or affirm to which organizations they belong."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Are Sharm el-Sheikh and London Bombings Related?

Because of the July 7, and July 21, 2005 bomb attacks in London, Egypt was on heightened security alert when bombers struck the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on July 23, 2005, according to Habib al-Adli, interior minister for the North African nation.

Dozens were reportedly killed and over 100 injured.

When Mr. al-Adli was asked if he thought the bombings in London and in Sharm el-Sheikh were linked," he said, according to CNN International.Com: "Look, it's all terrorism. It's a crime of terrorism, whether here, or in London, or Turkey, or some time ago in Saudi Arabia, or in other areas."

The Egyptians say they do not know who is behind the bombings. Unfortunately, there will be more of these dastardly acts. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2005

News Conference Transcript On The Killing Of A Bombing Suspect

The Times Online of London published a transcript of a July 22, 2005 afternoon's news conference, in which Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, and other ranking police officials discussed the July 22, 2005 killing of a suspected bomber and the search for four suspects who tried to detonate bombs in the subway and on a bus in London on July 21, 2005.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Under Operation Kratos, British Police Will Aim For The Head

Arab News correspondent Mushtak Parker, writing from London in a July 23, 2005 dispatch, said, "With the advent of suicide bombers [in London], police guidelines in the use of firearms have changed."

"The Metropolitan Polices Anti-Terrorist Branch, SO13, under its Operation Kratos guidelines, are operating a shoot-to-kill policy in extreme cases involving suspected suicide bombers where the instructions are to shoot at the suspects head," he wrote, noting that, "Armed police would normally aim at the chest. But experience in Israel has shown that suicide bombers who are shot in the chest can still trigger explosives"

But what if it is obvious that a suspect has no explosives or gun? Why execute a suspect, as was allegedly done in London on July 22, 2005, who's down and in your control? Shouldn't you want to interrogate him or her? I would.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Questions About The Killing Of A Suspected Bomber

The of London Daily Mail Online's July 22, 2005 article headlined "Suspected suicide bomber shot dead on Tube" made me wonder why "a suspected suicide bomber " was "shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station in south London." This passage raised the question:

Witness Mark Whitby, speaking to BBC News 24, reported the man was shot five times at close range after he had jumped on a train.
Mr Whitby said he was sitting on the Tube train reading his paper as it was stationary with its doors open in Stockwell station.

He said he heard people shouting "get down, get down!"

He said: "An Asian guy ran on to the train. As he ran, he was hotly pursued by what I knew to be three plainclothes police officers."

He tripped and was also pushed to the floor and one of the officers shot him five times.

"One of the police officers was holding a black automatic pistol in his left hand. They held it down to him and unloaded five shots into him. I saw it. He's dead, five shots, he's dead."

He reported the man did not seem to be carrying a weapon or wearing a rucksack.

Mr Whitby said later he was "totally distraught" by what he had seen. Question: If it is true that the man "did not seem to be carrying a weapon or wearing a rucksack," why shoot him? I'd want him alive so he could be interrogated.

I'd want to know whether he belonged to a group intent on bombing London. I'd also want to know where he came from and who sent him.

I'd want to know the name or names of his handlers.

Was he one of the bombers from a failed, July 21, 2005 attempt to cause massive damage and death in London's subway? I'd want him to tell me whether he knew of future bombing plans, etc.

The bottom line: Why was this man killed before he was interrogated?

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2005

Appeasing Mr. Blair

Vikram Dodd and Michael White of The Guardian of London reported July 20, 2005 that, "Moderate British Muslim leaders yesterday [July 19, 2005] decided to develop a network which will counter extremism within their own communities after meeting [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair and senior colleagues at Downing Street in the wake of the London transport bombs."

"But the prime minister was left in little doubt that many of his visitors reject his insistence that a different foreign policy in Iraq would not have prevented the attacks which took at least 56 lives on July 7, 2005 - and was warned that it will be hard for them to reach radically disaffected young people in their midst," the reporters wrote.

At least the Muslim leaders know their limitations. Secondly, unless they develop a network of highly effective informants and spy on every Muslim family, I doubt they will be successful in the mission Mr. Blair has given them. I also doubt a potential suicide bomber is going to advertise his or her mission or knowingly work with informants, Muslim or otherwise.

Finally, I think the leaders were simply trying to appease Mr. Blair. They won't be able to deliver as much as he thinks they will. However, a withdrawal of troops from Iraq would accomplish more than these leaders ever could. See "Muslims agree network to fight extremists" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 18, 2005

Israeli, Saudi Studies Say War Radicalized Most Foreign Fighters In Iraq

Tom Regan of csmonitor.com reported July 18, 2005 that,

Two new studies, one by the Saudi government and one by an Israeli think tank, which "painstakingly analyzed the backgrounds and motivations of hundreds of foreigners entering Iraq to fight the United States" have found that most foreign fighters in Iraq were not terrorists before the Iraq war, but were "radicalized by the war itself.

See "Studies: War radicalized most foreign fighters in Iraq" for more. Also see the July 17, 2005 Boston Globe article headlined "Study cites seeds of terror in Iraq."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blair, Iraq and The Use And Abuse Of Intelligence

Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian of London's security affairs editor, takes the position in a July 19, 2005 article that, "If [British] ministers and MPs cannot bring themselves to acknowledge that the invasion of Iraq has increased the threat from terrorism, then let others do so. We can begin with senior officials responsible for protecting our national security and Britain's interests abroad," he writes in an article headlined "Use and abuse of intelligence."

The July 7, 2005 bombings in London put the issue back into the public arena.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Pol: Most Britons See Iraq link To London Bombings

"Two-thirds of Britons think the July 7 bombings in London were linked to Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, according to a poll published on Tuesday [July 19, 2005], according to Reuters. See "Most Britons see Iraq link to London bombings-poll" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jack Straw: I'm Astonished By Chatham House Report

Before chairing the current "EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, "I'm astonished Chatham House is now saying that we should not have stood shoulder to shoulder with our long-standing allies" on Iraq, reports Scotsman. com.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Iraq Prominent in British Study On 'Security, Terrorism and the UK'

Security, Terrorism and the UK, "a new, long-planned briefing paper" published July 18, 2005 in England by Chatham House and the Economic & Social Research Council concluded that:

A key problem with regard to implementing Prevention and Pursuit is that the UK government has been conducting counter-terrorism policy shoulder to shoulder with the US, not in the sense of being an equal decision-maker, but rather as pillion passenger compelled to leave the steering to the ally in the driving seat. There is no doubt that the situation over Iraq has imposed particular difficulties for the UK, and for the wider coalition against terrorism. It gave a boost to the Al-Qaeda networks propaganda, recruitment and fundraising, caused a major split in the coalition, provided an ideal targeting and training area for Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists, and deflected resources and assistance that could have been deployed to assist the Karzai government and to bring bin Laden to justice.

The report also said:

Riding pillion with a powerful ally has proved costly in terms of British and US military lives, Iraqi lives, military expenditure, and the damage caused to the counter-terrorism campaign.Notwithstanding the attacks in London on 7 July 2005, the UK has rightly placed a major response emphasis on intelligence-led action to disrupt potential terrorists or terrorist networks. The recent convictions for possessing materials to cause an explosion and in the ricin case are examples of successful intelligence led disruption.

"However," the report notes, "trained surveillance personnel are a scarce resource and maintaining an adequate pool of such expertise within the police and the security and intelligence services is a continuing challenge. This problem applies both within the UK and overseas for the protection of UK nationals and interests," the report continues. "Where the surveillance is platform-based, as in the case of UK naval deployments in the Gulf, it is also of concern when the planned deployment is to be reduced from two frigates/destroyers to one."

For more, see "ISP/NSC Briefing Paper 05/01: Security Terrorism and the UK."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Veterans Of IRA Surveillance Help MI5 Search For Potential Bombers

The Times Online of London reported July 18, 2005 that, "specialist army surveillance units [in England] are helping the police and MI5 to search for potential suicide bombers and their support networks."

"The unprecedented joint operation, in the past confined to undercover missions in Northern Ireland, has been under way since the July 7 attacks," the publication said. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 17, 2005

Was PKK 'Behind' Yesterday's Resort Bombing In Turkey?

The BBC reported today that, "Turkish authorities believe Kurdish PKK separatists planted Saturday's [July 16, 2005] bomb on a tourist bus" in or near in Kusadasi, Turkey. Eight people were killed and 13 injured, according to reports.

"They are virtually certain this is the PKK, which is a Kurdish guerrilla group terrorist organization,"Sir Peter Westmacott, the UK ambassador to Turkey, told the BBC after visiting injured British citizens in hospital..

A passenger train was bombed in Turkey on July 2, 2005. On July 10, 2005 a seaside resort in west Turkey was bombed.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

Prediction: War Against Britain's Jihad Network Will Take Decades

The Sunday Observer reported July 17, 2005 that, "Britain's most senior police officers believe that it will 'take decades' to successfully tackle British Islamist terror networks because of a failure to penetrate extremists in the Muslim community."

"Senior police sources have said that the current state of knowledge about Islamic terrorism is comparable to that gathered on the IRA in the early Seventies, when it struck almost with impunity," the paper said. See "Terror hunt 'to take decades.'"

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan Warned Britain Last May About Possible Attacks

"The Observer can reveal that Pakistani counter-terrorism officials warned their British counterparts about plans by militants to bomb London pubs, restaurants and possibly railway stations last May," Gaby Hinsliff, David Rose, Martin Bright and Ned Temko reported in the July 17, 2005 edition of the Sunday Observer

The correspondents said, "Interrogations of a Pakistan-born Briton, who was arrested by Pakistani authorities close to the border with Afghanistan that month, exposed the plot, which was supposed to be put into action in the early summer."

"This claim will be embarrassing to UK authorities, already reeling from accusations that they failed to place under surveillance a key al-Qaeda operative who arrived in Britain a month before the [July 7, 2005] London blasts," they concluded. Here are more details.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

Daily Mirror: 'Exclusive: Was It Suicide?'

Jeff Edwards of the Daily Mirror of London reported July 16, 2005, that, "The London bombers may have been duped into killing themselves so their secrets stayed hidden."

Question:Why is that bombers are often described as dupes? I think the London bombers attacked the city's transportation system on July 7, 2005 because they felt compelled to do so, for whatever reason. They had ample time to change their minds during their journey from Leeds to London.

See "Exclusive: Was it Suicide?" for Mr. Edwards' rationale for saying the evidence is compelling" for the men being dupes..

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

More Questions About The London Bombings

The Independent of London has an indepth article in the July 17, 2005 edition headlined "The reconstruction: 7/7 - What really happened? Correspondent Cole Moreton poses a series of questions about the July 7, 2005 bombings in London, in which 55 are known to have died, and attempts to answer them. Some of the questions are:

Were the four bombers being controlled or acting alone?
Why did they buy return tickets if they were intending to die?
Could MI5 have found out what was happening and stopped it?
Was an al-Qa'ida suspect allowed to travel to the UK unwatched?

Mr. Moreton said the police "reject suggestions that the men were duped, but such questions remain as they and the security services try to piece together what happened on 7/7 and - crucially - what it means for the future. Will it happen again, soon? Have other terrorist cells been activated now? Were the men really working alone?"

See "The reconstruction: 7/7 - What really happened?" for more questions and possible answers.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)

Did Germaine Lindsay Have Ties To Cleveland, Ohio?

FBI Investigators in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States, are trying to determine if Germaine Lindsay, one of four men accused on detonating four bombs in London on July 7, 2005, had relatives and other contacts in Cleveland's Jamaican community. According to reporter Scott Newell of WKYC.com in Cleveland, Mr. Lindsay's mother reportedly lived in the city of almost 500,000 located on the shore of Lake Erie. See "Possible Cleveland tie for London bomber" for details.

Also see "New information released on Cleveland connection to one of suspected London bombers," which gives more details.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:33 AM | Comments (0)

A Stement From Germaine Lindsay's Family

The family of Germaine Lindsay, described by British authorities as the the fourth bomber [in the July 7, 2005 bombings in London, in which 55 are known to have died], issued a statement on July 16, 2005, in which they said:

Germaine was a good and loving husband and a brilliant father, who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime.
We as a family had no idea of his plans and are as horrified as the rest of the world.
We are still in shock about the news we have been given, and are trying to understand why anyone, never mind Germaine, would do such a thing.
We plead to anyone who has information to help police with their investigations to stamp out these terrorists.
We would like to thank all those people who have shown us that they are true friends for all their support."

"The statement on behalf of his wife Samantha Lewthwaite and his relatives also offered their condolences to the families," according to the BBC.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)

Jamaican-born Bomber Moved To Britain In 1986

"Germaine Lindsay, the [Jamaican] man suspected of being involved in the [July 7, 2005] London bombing, was born in September 1986 and emigrated to Britain at the age of five months, Radio Jamaica reported" July 5, 2005, according to the Jamaica Observer. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:56 AM | Comments (0)

MI5 Judged Mohammed Sidique Khan 'No Threat'

In 2004 Britain's MI5 (officially called the Security Service) concluded that "Mohammed Sidique Khan, a 30-year-old teaching assistant from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, who killed six other passengers [on July 7, 2005] when he blew himself up on a Tube at Edgware Road, was not a threat," according to an article in the July 17, 2005 issue of the The Sunday Times of London.

He was "the subject of a routine threat assessment by MI5 officers after his name cropped up during an investigation in 2004," the paper said. See "MI5 judged bomber 'no threat'" for details.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:28 AM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2005

The Guardian Sees A Generation Gap Among Britain's Muslims

"British Muslims are experiencing the crisis wrought by the attacks in vastly different ways, and the most pronounced of those is the chasm between the young and old," contends Guardian Unlimited correspondent Patrick Barkham in a July 16, 2005 dispatch, in which he traces the route the perpetrators of the July 7, 2005 bombings took on their journey from Leeds to London, to carry out their dastardly act.

See "Journey through Britain's Muslim divide" for more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

Recent Bombers Don't Resemble Mad Mullahs

British Broadcaster, author and lecturer Kenan Malik says "few recent terrorists have resembled the caricatures of mad mullahs, bearded fanatics and foreign zealots that people the press. Many have been Western-born, Western-educated and seemingly ordinary," he said.

Mr. Malik gives several examples in a July 16, 2005 article in The Times of London headlined "Multiculturalism has fanned the flames of Islamic extremism."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)

Al-Nashar Said He Left London For Vacation In Egypt

Al-Jazeera.Net noted July 16, 2005 that an Egyptian interior ministry statement said that Egyptian biochemist Magdi Mahmoud Al-Nashar, 33, has denied any involvement in the July 7, 2005 London bombings.

"He said he had gone to Britain to study at Leeds University and has resided in Britain since 2000 until now to obtain his doctorate, which he did earlier this year," the statement said, according to Al-Jazeera.Net, citing the ministry of the interior.

"He said he had come back to Egypt for a month and a half holiday and was planning to go back to Britain to resume his studies and that all his belongings are still in his flat in Leeds." Egyptian authorities will continue their investigation, according to news reports. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)