TODAY’S TERRORISM NEWS

NINTH CIRCUIT DISMISSES RENDITION CASE AGAINST BOEING SUBSIDIARY

Voting six to five, a federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday against a Boeing subsidiary that alleged the company flew terrorism suspects to foreign countries for interrogation by the CIA. The court concluded that state secrets might be exposed if the lawsuit went forward.

Court Dismisses a Case Asserting Torture by the CIA (New York Times)

Ninth Circuit Rules 6-5 to Toss Rendition Case Against Boeing (Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog)

Court Tosses Lawsuit Against Boeing in Transport of CIA Terrorism Suspects (Politics Daily)

The New York Times editorial page sharply criticizes the court’s decision Thursday :”The state secrets doctrine is so blinding and powerful that it should be invoked only when the most grave national security matters are at stake — nuclear weapons details, for example, or the identity of covert agents. It should not be used to defend against allegations that if true, as the dissenting judges wrote, would be “gross violations of the norms of international law.”

ABDUL RAUF SAYS MOVING MOSQUE COULD EMBOLDEN RADICALS

Speaking on CNN Wednesday evening, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said moving the site of the planned Cordoba House from the area around Ground Zero could fuel violence by religious extremists. “If we move from that location, the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse,” Rauf said on CNN’s Larry King Live, according to the New York Times. “The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack. And I’m less concerned about the radicals in America than I am about the radicals in the Muslim world.”

Evening Buzz: NYC Imam Speaks Out on CNN (Anderson Cooper’s AC360 blog)

Imam Says Moving Center Could Spur Radicals (New York Times)

Moving NY Mosque Could Fuel Violence: Imam (AFP)

Related:

Will the Real America Please Stand Up? (Huffington Post)

5 Surprises from Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s CNN Interview (CNN’s Belief Blog)

Bloggers Respond to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s NYT Op-ed (The Atlantic Wire)

The Reality of Islamophobia in America (Los Angeles Times op-ed)

Opposition to Mosque Near Ground Zero Not Islamophobia (Washington Post’s On Faith)

AP: DIVISIONS APPARENT AMONG BACKERS OF NYC MOSQUE AND ISLAMIC CENTER

According to the Associated Press, investors involved in the plan to build a mosque and Islamic community center near Ground Zero in New York may not be completely committed to the project, with one of the investors telling the AP that the project is a “mere business transaction” that he will support only if it turns a profit.

GOVT. INFORMANT CONTINUES TESTIMONY IN BRONX SYNAGOGUE BOMB TRIAL

Jurors heard additional recordings and testimony by a government informant Wednesday in the trial of four men accused of plotting to bomb a Bronx synagogue. Shahed Hussain, the informant, testified about the last days of the plot and the group’s preparation, including allegedly arming government-planted fake explosives in the parking garage of a shopping center.

Synagogue Attackers Wired Bombs at Shopping Center (Bloomberg Businessweek)

In Bronx Bomb Plot, Tapes Shed Light on Informer (New York Times)

Riverdale Plotters Armed Devices in Starbucks Garage: Informant (Dow Jones via WSJ)

THURSDAY’S MUST READ: NEW KSM PROFILE IN THE NEW YORKER

Terry McDermott profiles Khalid Sheik Mohammed in the latest issue of the New Yorker. A subscription is required to read the full text online. According to the abstract: “Insofar as we know Mohammed, we see him as a brilliant behind-the-scenes tactician and a resolute ideologue. As it turns out, he is earthy, slick in a way, but naïve, and seemingly motivated as much by pathology as ideology.”

Khalid Sheik Mohammed Drops Pounds at Gitmo (Gothamist)

IN STATEMENT, MULLAH OMAR CLAIMS AFGHAN TALIBAN ARE NEAR VICTORY

In a newly released statement, Taliban leader Mullah Omar says Taliban fighters are close to defeating U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. The statement, timed to coincide with the end of Ramadan, also urged Afghans to join his campaign.

Mullah Omar Says in Statement Afghan Taliban Near Victory Over U.S. Forces (Bloomberg)

Mullah Omar Says Afghan Taliban Close to Victory (BBC)

THREE TO BE CHARGED IN PAKISTAN FOR ATTEMPTED TIMES SQUARE BOMBING

The Associated Press reports that three men held in Pakistan for assisting the alleged Times Square bomb plotter will soon be charged.

QURAN BURNING PLAN CONTINUES TO DRAW FIRESTORM OF CRITICISM

Pastor Terry Jones told reporters Wednesday that his church has “no intention of canceling” the planned Quran burning this weekend, according to the New York Times blog, The Lede. The plan continues to be denounced both in the United States and abroad, including most recently by the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Sarah Palin, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry, and Angelina Jolie.