“Karen has done a spectacular job running CLS and leaves big shoes to fill,” said Dean Richard Revesz. “As we reach the tenth anniversary of September 11, the issues CLS was created to study remain as relevant as ever, and I am confident that it will continue to play a leading role in its field.”  The search committee for a new director will be composed of the Center’s four faculty directors, David Golove, Hiller Family Foundation Professor of Law, Stephen Holmes, Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law, Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, and Samuel Rascoff, Associate Professor of Law, as well as Dean Revesz.  “With Osama bin Laden dead, U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, and a wave of political upheaval sweeping North Africa and the Middle East,” Golove said, “this is an opportune time to bring new leadership to CLS and sharpen its focus for the coming decade.”

In Association with The Soufan Group

Treasury Accuses Iran of Aiding al Qaeda

The United States formally accused Iran of aiding al Qaeda Thursday, alleging that operatives of the terror group “use Iranian soil as a transit point for moving money, arms and fighters to its bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The allegations came as the Treasury Department placed six suspected al Qaeda operatives from Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Pakistan under sanction.

Regarding the question of why Iran’s Shiite regime would allegedly work with the predominantly Sunni al Qaeda, “Treasury officials asserted that the Iranian government had entered into an agreement” with al Qaeda operatives, and that Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, a suspected al Qaeda facilitator from Syria, is believed to be living in Iran, according to the New York Times. U.S. officials told the WSJ that they believe Iran’s motivation for aiding al Qaeda is focused on “ridding the Middle East and Central Asia of U.S. forces.”

No Iranian officials were named in the Treasury’s action, which prevents Americans from participating in financial and commercial dealings with the six men under sanction. A spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations called the allegations “baseless.”
U.S. Sees Iranian, al Qaeda Alliance (WSJ)
Treasury Accuses Iran of Aiding al Qaeda (NYT)
U.S. Accuses Iran of Aiding al Qaeda (WaPo)
U.S.: Iran Has ‘Secret Deal’ with al Qaeda (AP via Time)
Related:
Editorial: Al Qaeda in Iran (WSJ)

AWOL SOLDIER HELD IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGED FORT HOOD PLOT
An AWOL Army private who was arrested Wednesday near Fort Hood planned to attack the base with bombs and gun down military personnel there, according to reports. Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, a 21-year-old from Texas, was arrested in a motel in Killeen, Texas, not far from Fort Hood, after “his purchase of gunpowder at a local gun store aroused employees’ suspicion,” the LA Times reports. Fort Hood is the location of a November 2009 shooting spree that left 13 people dead and more than 30 wounded. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been charged in that attack and faces court martial.

Police reportedly found a number of suspicious items in Abdo’s possession upon his arrest, including “a military uniform with Fort Hood patches, a pistol, shotgun shells and an article on ‘how to make a bomb in your kitchen’ from the English-language Qaeda magazine Inspire,” according to the New York Times. “He also had more than one wall clock, a cellphone, duct tape and a shopping list for what appeared to be explosive components.”

Abdo reportedly went AWOL in early July from Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. In May, Abdo, who said his Muslim faith would not allow him to deploy to Afghanistan, was granted conscientious objector status by the Army. “But a week later, the Army put the resulting discharge on hold after charging him with possession of child pornography and beginning court-martial proceedings against him,” according to the LAT.
Army Soldier Suspected of Planning Ft. Hood Attack (LAT)
AWOL Private Held Near Fort Hood in Alleged Plot to Kill Soldiers (NYT)
Army: AWOL Soldier Was Planning Fort Hood Attack (NPR)
Official: Soldier Said He Wanted to Attack Fort Hood Troops (CNN)
Soldier’s Arrest Revives Fear at Fort Hood (NYT’s The Lede)

LEITER: AL QAEDA REMAINS A THREAT
Michael Leiter, who recently stepped down as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, told an audience at the Aspen Security Forum Thursday that al Qaeda in Pakistan remains a threat to the United States, pushing back against recent reports citing anonymous U.S. officials that al Qaeda’s core is on the brink of defeat. Leiter said those assessments lack “accuracy and precision,” according to the New York Times.

Leiter said that while al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan is “on the ropes…the core organization is still there and could launch some attacks.” Pakistan, he continued, “remains a huge problem.” He also weighed in on concerns that younger analysts and counterterrorism officers at the CIA have been pushed into high-octane overseas missions and posts and could find themselves bored when they return to do still-vital work back at Langley. Leiter expressed concern that many of them would think, “[s]uddenly you find yourself at a desk in Washington working in a pretty big bureaucracy and you say: “This what I’m stuck with for another 30 years? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Ex-Counterterrorism Aide Warns Against Complacency on al Qaeda (NYT)

At the same conference, former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said that he believes drones are not strategically effective, reports Wired’s Danger Room. “If the drones stopped flying tomorrow, Blair told the audience at the Aspen Security Forum, ‘it’s not going to lower the threat to the U.S.’ Al-Qaida and its allies have proven ‘it can sustain its level of resistance to an air-only campaign,’ he said.”
Former Intel Chief: Call Off the Drone War (And Maybe the Whole War on Terror (Wired’s Danger Room)
Related:
Former Officials: Al Qaeda Still Likely to Use WMD (AP)

TALIBAN SUICIDE BOMBERS ATTACK AFGHAN PROVINCIAL CAPITAL
The Taliban launched an “audacious surprise” attack Thursday, sending “at least” seven suicide bombers and gunmen into the capital of Oruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan on a mission to kill the provincial governor and a regional strongman, according to the New York Times. Twenty-one people were killed in the bombings and gun battles that followed, though both of the reported targets survived. Women and children reportedly accounted for half of the dead.

The LA Times says the attack “underscore[s] deteriorating security conditions” in Afghanistan’s south. This week, the mayor of Kandahar was killed by a suicide bomber at his office. “Last week, a former governor of Oruzgan who was a senior aide to Karzai was shot dead at his Kabul home,” and prior to that, President Hamid Karzai’s half-brother, an influential powerbroker, was killed in Kandahar.
Suicide Bombers Attack Afghan Provincial Capital (NYT)
Suicide Bombers, Gunmen Attack Afghan Provincial Capital (LAT)
Taliban Attack Hamid Karzai Ally in Southern Afghanistan (Guardian)
Taliban Storm Provincial Capital (WSJ)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
27 with Terrorist Links Held FAA Licenses, Report Says (NYT)
Republican Congressmen Work to Bring Back 9/11 Commission (Fox News)
Bill Would Force Intel Chief to Renounce ‘Secret Patriot Act’ (Wired’s Danger Room)
An Un-Americans Response to the Oslo Attack (Salon’s Glenn Greenwald)
Op-Chart: States of Conflict (NYT: Ian Livingston and Michael O’Hanlon)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Pakistan:
Drones in Pakistan: Out of the Blue (The Economist)
Pakistan’s Military Accused of Escalating Draconian Campaign in Balochistan (Guardian)
Editorial: Holding Pakistan to Account (NYT)
More:
EU Says ‘Lone-Wolf Terrorism’ May Need More Government Attention (Bloomberg)
Norway’s ‘Lone-Wolf’ Attacks Stir Angst in Europe (AP via Houston Chronicle)
Twin Blasts in Tikrit Leave 12 Dead (NYT)
Blast at U.S. Embassy in Georgia Tied to Russian Officer (NYT)
Counterradicalization Lessons from the United Kingdom (Roll Call)

At Radicalization Hearing, Rep. King Says al Shabab Poses Threat

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) held a third congressional hearing on Islamic radicalization in the United States Wednesday, this one focused on the threat of the Somali terror group al Shabab and its recruitment of Somali-Americans, largely around the Minneapolis area. “With a large group of Muslim-Americans willing to die as ‘martyrs’ and a strong operational partnership with al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan and in Yemen, al-Shabab now has more capability than ever to strike the U.S. homeland,” King said in his opening remarks, according to the WSJ.

On Wednesday, King’s staff released a report suggesting that at least 40 people have left the United States to join al Shabab’s fight, citing conversations with law enforcement and intelligence officials. That figure is nearly twice the number previously reported by U.S. law enforcement.

A number of witnesses testified, including “Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress, [who] told U.S. lawmakers that the Canadian government was concentrating on detecting and arresting terror suspects while leaving their rhetoric unchallenged,” according to Canada’s National Post. As this hearing largely focused on al Shabab’s recruiting efforts in Minnesota’s Somali community, “William Anders Folk, a former Twin Cities federal prosecutor, and St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith told the committee about the terror group’s recruitment and law enforcement attempts to stop them,” reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Peter King Hearing on Radical Muslims in America (WSJ’s Metropolis blog)
Panel Says 40 Left U.S. for Somali Terrorism (AP via Boston Globe)
Canada Not Refuting Extremist Ideologies, U.S. Committee Told (National Post)
Minnesota Somali Community Is Focus of Congressional Hearing on al Shabab (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
More:
U.S. House al Shabab Hearings Have Minnesota Focus (Minnesota Public Radio)
Al Shabab Recruited Dozens of Americans: U.S. Report (Reuters)
Peter King: New York Times Intellectually Dishonest (Politico)

ZAWAHIRI PRAISES SYRIAN PROTESTERS IN VIDEO MESSAGE
In a video message released on jihadist websites, the newly named leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, praised Syrian protesters who are pushing for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, whom Zawahiri calls a “the leader of criminal gangs, the protector of traitors.” The protesters are “an example, explaining lessons to your Arab and Muslim nation in sacrifice, steadfastness and the struggle against oppression,” Zawahiri said in the seven-minute video.
New al Qaeda Leader Slams Syrian President, Praises Protesters (CNN)
New al Qaeda Chief Praises Syrian Protesters (AP via NYT)
Zawahiri Asserts Common Cause with Syrians (WaPo’s Checkpoint Washington)

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS CIVILIAN TERROR PROSECUTIONS
The White House pushed back this week against criticism over its handling of a Somali terror suspect who has been transferred to New York for prosecution in federal court there. “In a letter to more than 40 Republican senators, officials said they reviewed the case and came to a unanimous decision to try Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame in a federal court,” the AP reports. “The administration also said it costs more than $700,000 extra to hold a detainee at Guantánamo than to house a prisoner in a U.S. federal prison.”
Administration Defends Terror Prosecution Decision (AP via Miami Herald)

IS AL QAEDA ON THE ROPES?
After the Washington Post reported Wednesday that counterterrorism officials increasingly believe al Qaeda is on “the brink of collapse,” the AP interviewed Navy SEAL Adm. Eric T. Olson, the soon-to-retire commander of U.S. special operations, who echoed the sentiment, saying that the group he called “al-Qaida 1.0” is “nearing its end.” But, the AP reports, “the four-star admiral warned of the fight to come against what he called al-Qaida 2.0, with new leaders like American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, who Olson said understands America better than Americans understand him.”
Spec. Ops Chief Says bin Laden’s al Qaeda on Ropes; Next Battle Is al-Awlaki’s al Qaeda 2.0 (AP via WaPo)

But Salon’s Glenn Greenwald was just one of several commentators who took the Post story to task for citing anonymous officials and for elevating Anwar al-Awlaki “absurdly” to the status of “the New Osama bin Laden.” GlobalPost’s Peter Gelling writes that “[a]lmost everything we learn about Al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden these days is coming from anonymous U.S. officials,” even though some of the information appears contradictory. Spencer Ackerman writes that with talk of al Qaeda’s possible defeat but a continued threat from its franchises, “I submit that the path Brennan and Panetta are charting is one of lower-scale perpetual war in the name of a consolidated victory.” In the LA Times, Andrew Malcom writes that the story has “everything to do with how competitive traditional journalism is still practiced in the nation’s capitol by the best of them. How government uses that competition and its control of information to shape public thinking to its will, especially in delicate political times like these.”
The Transformation of Anwar al-Awlaki (Salon’s Glenn Greenwald)
What Should We Believe about al Qaeda? (GlobalPost via Salon)
Victory Against al Qaeda Is a Choice (Attackerman)
Is al Qaeda Really Dying? The Birth of a News Meme (LAT: Andrew Malcolm)

Related:
Mystery surrounds an essay contest eulogizing Osama bin Laden at Pakistan’s largest university.
Eulogies for bin Laden, Shrouded in Mystery in Pakistan (NYT)

Former President George W. Bush speaks candidly for the first time about bin Laden’s death in an upcoming documentary for the National Geographic Channel tied to the anniversary of 9/11, saying he “felt a sense of closure…[and] a sense of gratitude,” but “didn’t… feel any great sense of happiness. Or jubilation.”
Bush Opens Up on bin Laden: No ‘Jubilation’ at His Death (CBS News)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
Editorial: Honoring Those Who Stood Against Torture (LAT)
Nine NYPD Officers Probed in Terror-Plot Leaks, Subpoenaed in Subway Bomb Plan (NY Daily News)
Soldier Found Guilty of Killing Afghan Civilian (AP via NYT)
Gov. Christie Blasts Critics of New Judge (WSJ)
Anger Voice at NYC Meeting on 9/11 Victim Fund (AP via NYT)
In Secret, Senate Panel Re-Up Vast Surveillance Dragnet (Wired’s Danger Room)
FBI ‘Islam 101’ Guide Depicted Muslims as 7th-Century Simpletons (Wired’s Danger Room)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Captors of 3 Frenchmen in Yemen Linked to al Qaeda (AP via NYT)
Philippine Troops Battle Islamist Militants; 7 Dead, 21 Wounded (Reuters)
Suicide Bombing Kills 10 Outside Bank in Iraq (AP via NYT)
Jordan Convicts Mentor of Iraq’s al Qaeda Chief (AP via NYT)

Four Indicted for Drug Trafficking to Benefit Terrorism

Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed indictments Tuesday against four men they say conspired to sell drugs and buy weapons for Hezbollah and the Taliban in two undercover overseas stings by U.S. law enforcement. The charges, prosecutors say, demonstrate the “growing nexus” between terrorism funding and drug trafficking. “Both [sets of defendants] were prepared to traffic in terrorism, not just drugs,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said yesterday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Two men charged, Siavosh Henareh of Iran and Cetin Asku, whose nationality was not clear, are alleged to have “traveled through Europe and Southeast Asia to arrange deals to acquire more than 1,100 pounds of heroin for sale in the United States and Europe,” with the profits benefiting Hezbollah, according to CNN. They were actually working with DEA informants. Asku and a third man charged, Bachar Wehbe of Lebanon, are “accused of conspiring to buy surface-to-air missiles, rifles and handguns for Hezbollah,” according to Bloomberg. Other charges involve “a Kandahar drug and weapons broker named Taza Gul Alizai….Authorities allege he agreed to sell heroin and machine guns to a man posing as a representative of the Taliban, but who was actually a confidential informant for the DEA,” CNN reports.
U.S. Charges Four with Trafficking to Benefit Terror (WSJ)
Plotters Sold Weapons, Drugs to Supply Taliban, Hezbollah, U.S. Charges (Bloomberg)
Prosecutors Disclose Indictments in Terrorist Drug, Gun Plots (CNN)
Feds Unseal Major Narco-Traffic Indictments (Courthouse News)
Feds Arrest Four on Drug-Related Terrorism Charges (NY1)
The Narcotics/Weapons/Transnational Organized Crime Nexus (Lawfare blog)

LEADER OF AL QAEDA IN YEMEN PLEDGES LOYALTY TO ZAWAHIRI
The man believed to be the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda’s Yemen branch, pledged his allegiance to bin Laden successor Ayman al-Zawahiri in a 10-minute audio message posted on extremist websites this week. Nasser al-Wahishi reportedly said that “I and your loyal fighters announce our loyalty to you and on fighting the enemies of God….We are doing fine and making progress both at the domestic and foreign levels and in line with the plan you have drawn for us,” according to Bloomberg.

According to the AP, “[t]he audio was released a day after a top al Qaeda commander, Ali Said Jameel, was killed along with 17 other militants by government forces in southern Yemen, according to Brigadier-General Mohammed al-Sawmali. Tribal leaders close to Jameel’s family confirmed his death.”
Yemen: AQAP Pledges Loyalty to bin Laden Successor (AP)
Al Qaeda Leader in Arabian Peninsula Vows Loyalty to Zawahiri (Bloomberg)
Al Qaeda Leader in Yemen Pledges Allegiance to Zawahiri (ABC News)

NOMINEE TO LEAD COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER FACES SENATE PANEL
Matthew Olsen, President Obama’s nominee to be the next director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told a Senate panel Tuesday that al Qaeda “in many ways is weakened,” but the group remains a “significant and present danger” to the United States, according to the Associated Press.

Olsen also encountered suggestions that he may have misled a member of Congress. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) wrote to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence earlier this month objecting to Olsen’s nomination. Wolf alleges that Olsen “misled him about the status of detainee transfers to the U.S. during an April 2009 meeting,” according to Fox News, writing that “I do not question Mr. Olsen’s professional qualifications for this position, but from my observations of his recent leadership positions, I believe that he lacks the judgment to lead the NCTC.” Olsen told the panel that Wolf may be suffering from a “misrecollection” of their conversation, saying “[a]t no time did I say there was no decision” about the relocation of detainees, as Wolf alleges, according to the Washington Post. Despite the nature of the questioning, “none of the committee members indicated that they would oppose Olsen’s nomination.”
Nominee to Lead Post-9-11 Counterterror Center: Al Qaeda on the Defensive but Still a Threat (AP via WaPo)
Obama’s Pick to Lead Counterterrorism Center Faces Accusations of Misleading Congress (Fox News)
Nominee for Counterterrorism Chief Is Grilled on Guantanamo Bay Detainee Plans (WaPo)
Related:
Al Qaeda Could Collapse, U.S. Officials Say (WaPo)
Rand Critiques Antiterror Efforts (AP via WSJ)

REP. KING TO HOLD THIRD HEARING ON MUSLIM RADICALIZATION TODAY
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) plans to hold a third congressional hearing in a series on Muslim radicalization Wednesday. The focus of today’s hearing is the radicalization of Americans who join al Shabab, the Somali terror group. King has said that 40 Americans have joined al Shabab, a figure nearly double what U.S. counterterrorism officials have reported in the past, according to the AP.
Lawmaker: 40 Americans Joined Somali Terror Group (AP)
Related:
Ellison Denied Request to Testify at al Shabab Hearing (MinnPost.com)

KANDAHAR MAYOR KILLED BY SUICIDE BOMBER
The mayor of Kandahar was killed by a suicide bomber Wednesday. Ghulam Haider Hamidi was killed in his office in Afghanistan’s largest southern city by a man who had hidden a bomb in his turban. “Born in 1947, Hamidi lived for many years in the United States before returning to Afghanistan in 2006 and being appointed to his post by Karzai,” reports AFP.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the killing. In a statement, Taliban spokesmen said that “a fatwa, or Islamic ruling, had been issued against Mr. Hamidi by mullahs in Kandahar,” according to the Wall Street Journal. “The fatwa ordered the death of Mr. Hamidi for ordering the bulldozing of illegal buildings, the operation during which two children were killed Tuesday.”
Kandahar’s Mayor Killed in Suicide Attack (WaPo)
Suicide Bomber Kills Kandahar Mayor (AFP)
Bombing Kills Kandahar Mayor (WSJ)
Suicide Bomber Kills Kandahar Mayor (NYT)

FBI WITHHELD INFO FROM SPOKANE BOMB SUSPECT
FBI agents did not immediately give a bomb plot suspect his Miranda rights or tell him why he was under arrest because “they wanted to gain his trust,” according to new court documents. Kevin Harpham was arrested in March on suspicion of planting a bomb along a MLK Day parade route in Spokane, Washington. “[C]ourt records released Tuesday addressed concerns voiced by U.S. District Judge Justin Quackenbush about a delay of several hours in telling suspect Kevin Harpham the reason for his arrest and to immediately provide his Miranda rights,” according to the AP. Harpham made no confession or admission of guilty during the several-hour window, and if he had, the judge said “he would not have allowed federal prosecutors to use those statements at the trial” in August.
FBI Intentionally Withheld Info from Bomb Suspect (AP)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
Op-Ed: How Do You Prevent a Terror Attack? (WaPo: David Ignatius)
Judge Rejects Bail for Younger Imam in Fla. Terror Case, Citing Threat and Flight Risk (AP via WaPo)
State Department Updates Warning to Americans Overseas (CNN)
The Long-Term Legacy of 9/11 (Salon: David Sirota)
Op-Ed: How the CIA Hurt U.S. Health Diplomacy (IHT: Jack Chow)
Material Support to…Transnational Criminal Organization? (Lawfare blog)
Consensus at the HASC Hearing on the Need for Flexibility? (Lawfare blog)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Mumbai Probe Focuses on Local Indian Terror Group (AP)
We’re Winning in Somalia (Foreign Policy: Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra)
Norway:
Norway Terror Suspect Claims Templar Knight ‘Cells,’ Police Doubtful (ABC News)
Lawyer Says Suspect in Norway Attacks Is ‘Insane’ (NYT)
Norway Suspect Wished to Use Anthrax, But Had No Expertise (NYT)
Norway’s Muslims, Among Victims, Seek Solace (WSJ)

In Arkansas, Man Accused of Killing Soldier Strikes Plea Deal

A man on trial for shooting two U.S. soldiers, one of whom was killed, outside of a military recruiting station in 2009 reached a plea deal with prosecutors on Monday to avoid the death penalty. The trial of Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, formerly Carlos Bledsoe, had begun last week, but he pleaded guilty in a Little Rock, Arkansas, courtroom on Monday. He has said the shootings were justified by Islam and were in retaliation for actions against Muslims by U.S. soldiers overseas. The judge in the case sentenced Muhammad to “life in prison without parole, plus 11 more life sentences and an additional 180 years in prison,” according to the AP.
Shooter in Ark. Soldier Killing Sentenced to Life (AP)
Abdulhakim Muhammad Given Life for Arkansas Shootings (BBC News)
Man Pleads Guilty, Gets Life, for Shooting Two Soldiers (Reuters)
Arkansas Shooting: Accused Gunman Pleads Guilty to Killing Soldier (LAT)

OSLO TERROR SUSPECT WARNS OF MORE CELLS
Anders Behring Breivik, who is accused of last week’s deadly bombing and shooting rampage in Norway, appeared in a closed Oslo courtroom Monday, where he was ordered detained for the next eight weeks, four in isolation. He pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges, and told the court that he is a member of an organization with “cells all over Europe,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Also on Monday, the death toll in the attacks was lowered to 76, with police officials citing confusion and double-counting of bodies in the hours after the massacre, according to the AP.
Norway Gunman Is Ordered Held, Warns of More Terror Cells (WSJ)
Norway Rampage Culprit Held in Isolation (AP via NYT)

The attack in Norway has put the spotlight on the risk of domestic terrorism by homegrown extremists “who subscribe to radical Islamic or far right-wing ideologies” in the United States, CNN reports. In Time, Ishaan Tharoor writes that “after nearly a decade of global hand-wringing over al-Qaeda and terror networks of its ilk…it’s time to treat extremists like Breivik and the clandestine organizations and factions where many of them dwell with the same intolerance.”
Far-Right Domestic Terrorism on Par with Foreign Threat, Experts Say (CNN)
There Should Be No Excuses for Breivik’s Terrorism (Time: Ishaan Tharoor)

More Coverage:
Anders Breivik’s Roots in Right-Wing Populism (Der Spiegel)
Norway Mourns Fallen Young Leaders (WSJ)
Survivor Describes Moments of Terror in Attack in Norway (NYT)
Britain’s Right-Wing Hate (Daily Beast)
Attack Reignites Immigration Debate in Divided Oslo (NYT)
UK to Tighten Scrutiny of Far-Right Groups (WSJ)
Norway Security Outlook: Increased Uncertainty (Reuters)
Norway’s Gentle Justice (WaPo’s PostPartisan)
After Oslo, Group Accuses Thousands of Being Homegrown Terrorists (Wired’s Danger Room)
‘Terrorism Expert’ Hired by U.S. Frequently Cited by Oslo Terrorist in Manifesto (American Prospect: Adam Serwer)

Editorials and Opinions:
A Washington Post editorial argues that while the rise of far-right parties in Europe is “a disturbing development…it is happening in part because some of those parties are trying harder to appeal to mainstream voters and because their attacks on ‘multiculturalism,’ as practiced in Western Europe, resonate widely….We have no sympathy for populists who appeal to anti-Muslim bigotry on either side of the Atlantic. But just as al-Qaeda — and not Islam — was responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it is Mr. Breivik who should be held accountable for the Norway massacre.”
Norway’s Tragedy (WaPo)

An editorial in the LA Times argues that “[i]t was wrong [after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot], and still is, to attack the purveyors of legitimate if extreme political views for the violent actions of deranged individuals. Yet while we’ll strenuously defend the right even of bigots to express themselves, we do think the horrifying act of terrorism to which Norway’s Anders Behring Breivik confessed Monday provides a welcome opportunity for introspection among Muslim-bashers.”
An Opportunity for Introspection Among Muslim-Bashers (LAT)

A New York Times editorial argues that beyond the questions of police response, “[t]here is a broader issue: A disturbing, and growing, intolerance across Europe for Muslims and other immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Inflammatory political rhetoric is increasingly tolerated. And anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic parties are getting stronger notably in northern European countries that have long had liberal immigration policies.”
Norway’s Horror (NYT)

At the National Interest, Paul Pillar offers five “remedial” lessons from the tragedy, including “[t]hat a previously unknown individual (possibly with some help) could inflict so many casualties (more even than the 7/7 transit bombings in London) should put into perspective the limits of detection and prevention….My guess is that the Norwegians will take a more mature and realistic approach to assessing this incident than would Americans, who tend to think that if their government institutions are functioning properly they should be entirely incident-free.”
Five Remedial Lessons from the Norwegian Tragedy (National Interest blog)
More:
Norway’s Domestic Terrorist (USA Today)
The Terror from Within (NYT: Russell Jacoby)
Breivik and His Enablers (NYT: Roger Cohen)
Apologize for What? (National Review: Andrew McCarthy)
Are Pamela Geller and Other Anti-Islamist Bloggers Responsible? (Slate: William Saletan)
Right-Wingers Blame Multiculturalism, Abortion for Norway Massacre (Salon)
Keep Eyes on Qaeda (NY Post: Benny Avni)
Why the European Right Can’t Be Blamed for the Attacks in Norway (The Atlantic: Joshua Foust)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
U.S. Argues Against Disclosure of Evidence in Case of Massachusetts Terror Suspect (AP via WaPo)
House Votes to Extend Term of FBI Director Mueller for Up to 2 Years (AP via WaPo)
My Testimony on Detention/Prosecution Policy for Tomorrow’s HASC Hearing (Lawfare blog)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Pakistan Bids to Change the Minds of Swat Radicals (NPR)
Tribes Watch and Wait After Karzai’s Brother’s Killing (NYT)

93 Dead in Twin Attacks in Norway; Suspect to Appear in Court

The suspect accused of killing 93 people in twin terror attacks in Norway on Friday is due in an Oslo courtroom Monday, where reports suggest more could be revealed about his motives in Norway’s deadliest day since World War II. Nearly 100 people were also injured in the attacks; four remain missing.

Anders Behring Breivik, 32, “admits to the shootings on Friday on the island of Utoya and the fatal bombing of government offices in Oslo on the same day, his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, has told Norwegian news media,” according to the New York Times. “But he rejects ‘criminal responsibility.’” Breivik reportedly wrote a 1,500-page manifesto that indicates he wanted to spark a radical Christian, anti-Muslim crusade aimed at ridding Europe of multiculturalism. The New York Times also reports that the suspect appeared to be “deeply influenced by a small group of American bloggers and writers who have warned for years about the threat from Islam,” referencing and quoting them repeatedly in his writings. The Washington Post reports that the manifesto is “[p]art history, part commentary, part how-to manual, [and] it lays out his loathing of Islam and his determination to preserve a Christian Europe.”
Amid Mourning, Norway Prepares for Court Appearance by Suspect in Attacks (NYT)
Killings in Norway Spotlight Anti-Muslim Thought in U.S. (NYT)
In Diary, Norwegian ‘Crusader’ Details Months of Preparation for Attacks (WaPo)
‘Breivik Manifesto’ Details Chilling Attack Preparation (BBC News)

A number of media outlets have come in for criticism because many commentators and early reports quickly assumed the perpetrator was Muslim and somehow aligned with al Qaeda. Now, Breivik’s motives are “shining a spotlight on the rise of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim movements in Scandinavia and much of Europe,” reports the Wall Street Journal. CLS Executive Director Karen Greenberg writes in TNR that “Breivik’s terrorist attack is only the most stomach-churning byproduct of a European-wide Islamophobia that has progressively taken on more frenzied overtones…Both Islamists and Islamophobes like Breivik agree, however, that they are engaged in a clash of civilizations on the grounds of religious identity. Members of both groups are willing to commit violence in the name of holy war. They share a return to the medieval context that Osama bin Laden so actively embraced.”
Muslims Feel Sting of Initial Blame After Attacks (LAT)
Attacks Cast Light on Far-Right View (WSJ)
In Norway, Piecing Together Suspect’s Motives (LAT)
Op-Ed: The Norway Attacks Reveal the Parallels Between Islamists and Islamophobes (The New Republic: Karen Greenberg)

Must Reads from the Archive:
For critical context, see these two book reviews in the American Prospect by CLS Faculty Director Stephen Holmes on European immigration and an increasingly polarized continent.
Chicken Little Goes to Europe (American Prospect)
The European Dilemma (American Prospect)

More Coverage:
Norway Mourns Its Dead as Harsh Rhetoric Spreads (WSJ)
Tiny, Prosperous Norway Searches for Answers (WSJ)
Online, Clues to a Suspected Attacker’s Motives (NYT’s The Lede)
Media Reacts to News that Norwegian Terror Suspect Isn’t Muslim (The Atlantic Wire)

Background on Suspect:
Oslo Suspect Cultivated Parallel Life to Disguise ‘Martyrdom Operation’ (NYT)
Norway Mass Killer’s Life Laid Bare (Independent)
From Liberal Roots to Extremist Massacre (FT)

Editorials and Opinions:
Extremism Comes in Many Forms (Boston Globe)
Terror in Oslo (WSJ)
On Suspecting al Qaeda in the Norway Attacks (The Atlantic: Jeffrey Goldberg)
The New Coverage of the Norway Mass-Killings Was Fact-Free Conjecture (Guardian: Charlie Brooker)
The Omnipotence of al Qaeda and the Meaningless of ‘Terrorism’ (Salon’s Glenn Greenwald)
Norway’s Tragedy Must Shake Europe Into Acting on Extremism (Guardian: Aslak Sire Myhre)

ZAZI FOUND GUILTY OF OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE
Mohammed Wali Zazi, whose son pleaded guilty last year to plotting to bomb the NYC subway, was found guilty on Friday of obstructing justice, according to reports. Zazi, 55, was accused of lying to investigators and destroying evidence in the investigation against his son. Several relatives who pleaded guilty in the case testified against him. Sentencing has been set for December 2. Zazi faces as much as 40 years in prison.
New York Bomb-Plotter’s Father Guilty of Obstructing Justice (Bloomberg)
Zazi’s Father Guilty in New York Bomb Plot Coverup (Reuters)
Jury Convicts Zazi’s Father in Train Plot (WSJ)
Terrorist’s Father Is Convicted of Lying (NYT)

APPEALS COURT DENIES SUIT OVER COMBATANT STATUS, DETAINEE’S HABEAS APPEAL
The U.S Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit handed down two detainee decisions Friday. It threw out a suit on behalf of Nazul Gul and Adel Hamad, two former Guantanamo detainees who were released in 2007 and who were challenging their enemy combatant status, which they say was never lifted. According to the AP, the court ruled “their complaints are now beyond the court’s jurisdiction.” In the second decision, the court rejected a habeas appeal by Moath Hamza Ahmed Al Alwi, a Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo.
Appeals Court Won’t Let Former Guantanamo Detainees Sue Over ‘Enemy Combatant’ Designation (AP via WaPo)
Judges Keep Accused Taliban Fighter Held at Guantanamo (WaPo’s Checkpoint Washington)
D.C. Circuit Opinions in Al-Alwi and Gul (Lawfare blog)
Thoughts on Gul (Lawfare blog)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
Editorial: The FBI’s New Tools (WaPo)
Op-Ed: From Budget Cuts to Dirty Bombs (NYT: Kenneth Luongo and Kenneth Brill)
A Practical Suggestion for Sens. Lieberman and Ayotte: Amend the AUMF (National Review: Andrew McCarthy)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Suicide Bomber Hits Troops at Port City in Yemen (NYT)
Al Shabab Prevents Aid from Reaching 2.2M Somalis (AP)
Murderous Qaeda Cell in Baghdad Smashed: Police (AFP)
Pakistan:
Pakistan’s ISI from the Inside (The Atlantic: Steve Clemons)
Pakistan Spies On Its Diaspora, Spreading Fear (NYT)
Pakistan Heightens Scrutiny of Foreigners, U.S. and Humanitarian Aid Officials Say (WaPo)
CIA Vaccine Program Used in bin Laden Hunt in Pakistan Sparks Criticism (WaPo)
Afghanistan:
The Taliban’s Likely Negotiator with the U.S. (NPR)
U.S. Trucking Funds Reach Taliban, Military-Led Investigation Concludes (WaPo)
Taliban Blamed in Death of Afghan Officer’s 8-Year-Old Son (NYT)

Doubts Over Death of Senior Yemeni Qaeda Leader

Yemen’s defense ministry said Thursday that a senior leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Ayed al-Shabwani, was killed earlier this week in fighting near a militant-held town in Yemen’s south. One of Shabwani’s cousins was also reported killed, according to the ministry statement. But security analysts told Reuters that they remain skeptical about the deaths without more proof, “saying the government wanted to show it has the upper hand” in the fighting over the militant-held area. Last year, the Yemeni government also reported that it had killed Shabwani in an air strike, only to have AQAP deny his death. There has been no statement from the militant group in recent days about Shabwani’s reported death.
Yemen Says Kills Two Qaeda Leaders, Critics Voice Doubt (Reuters)
Senior Leader of Yemeni Qaeda Branch Is Said to Be Dead (AP via NYT)
Doubts Raised Over al Qaeda-killing Claim by Yemen (FP Passport)
Related:
Al Qaeda Cartoon: Why Terrorists Might Not Be Coming for Your Kids (WaPo’s Checkpoint Washington)
Yemen on the Brink of Hell (NYT Magazine)

VIDEO CONFESSION SHOWN AT LITTLE ROCK TRIAL OF MAN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING SOLDIERS
Prosecutors rested their case Thursday after showing jurors in Little Rock, Arkansas, video confessions by Abdulhakim Muhammad, formerly Carlos Bledsoe, who is on trial for shooting two U.S. soldiers, one of whom was killed, outside of a military recruiting station in 2009. Muhammad has said the shootings were justified by Islam and were in retaliation for actions against Muslims by U.S. soldiers overseas. Defense attorneys will reportedly attempt to portray Muhammad as delusional when they begin their case today. Muhammad “disputes that claim,” reports The Tennessean, “but Judge Herbert Wright has rejected his requests to fire his lawyers and represent himself.” Muhammad could face the death penalty if convicted.
Video Confessions Shown in Ark. Soldier Death Trial (AP)
Defense Begins for Man Who Killed Ark. Soldier (AP via NYT)
Lawyers Say Little Rock Terror Suspect Is Delusional (The Tennessean)
Related:
Editorial: Arkansas Jihad (Washington Times)

LIEBERMAN & AYOTTE: SEND TERROR SUSPECTS TO GITMO, NOT NEW YORK
Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) argue in a Washington Post op-ed “there is no good reason” why a Somali terror suspect should be transferred to New York for prosecution when the United States has a “first-rate, professionally run facility at Guantanamo.” They argue that “[g]iven the activities that Warsame is suspected of having engaged in and his affiliation with two groups the State Department has designated as international terrorist organizations, the logical place for the Obama administration to have sent him was Guantanamo Bay.” The case demonstrates the need for an “effective” detention policy. “Our legislation would keep the Guantanamo Bay facility open for the detention, interrogation, and trial of current and future terrorist detainees; prevent Guantanamo detainees from being brought to the United States; and permanently limit the transfer of detainees from Gitmo to foreign countries.”
Op-Ed: Send Suspected Terrorists to Guantanamo – not New York (WaPo: Joe Lieberman and Kelly Ayotte)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
Jury Begins Deliberations in Father’s Terror Case (AP via WSJ)
Former Minnesotan Pleads Not Guilty in al Shabab Case (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
AP Interview: Homeland Security Chief Says Aviation Still Top Terrorist Threat 10 Years Later (AP via WaPo)
Homeland Security Warns about Potential Threats Against Utilities (CNN)
Are Control Rooms the New Cockpits? (Time’s Swampland)
Senate Agrees to Extend Term of FBI’s Mueller (WSJ)
A Decade Later, Pentagon Wants to Study Muslim World’s Nuances (Wired’s Danger Room)
Op-Ed: Time to Get It Right on Terror Trial Venues (Huffington Post: Aitan Goelman)
Wow. I’m Verklempt! (Lawfare blog)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
New Video Shows Italian Qaeda Hostage Alive (AFP)
Musharraf Says Pakistan Not Complicit on bin Laden (Reuters via NYT)
Drone Usage on the Rise in Conflicts Worldwide (Deutsche Welle)

Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Arraigned

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who is accused of a shooting rampage that killed 13 and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood in November 2009, was arraigned in a U.S. military courtroom Wednesday on murder and attempted murder charges. Hasan declined to enter a plea until a later date, and the presiding U.S. military judge scheduled Hasan’s court-martial for March 5.

Hasan told the court that he had released his defense attorney, retired military lawyer John Galligan. In a statement, Galligan “characterized the situation as a leave of absence and suggested he could return to the case,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Hasan said that “military lawyers from the Army Trial Defense Service who had already been working on his case” would represent him, according to the New York Times.
Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Arraigned (WSJ)
Army Major Is Arraigned in Fort Hood Killings (NYT)
Fort Hood Suspect Drops Civilian Lawyer (AP via Boston Globe)
Trial Date Set for Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan (LAT)
Previewing the Prosecution of Nidal Malik Hasan (WSJ’s Law Blog)

THREE SOMALIS PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO KILLING 4 AMERICANS ON YACHT
Three Somali men pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that they kidnapped and murdered four Americans aboard a yacht in February off the coast of Africa. They are charged with 26 counts related to the incident, including murder, and they could face the death penalty if convicted on some counts.

Ahmed Muse Salad, 25, Abukar Osman Beyle, 20, and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar, 29, appeared in federal court in Norfolk, VIrginia, to enter their pleas and each reportedly requested a jury trial. Eleven other men arrested in connection with the incident have pleaded guilty to lesser charges and are reportedly cooperating with the government.
3 Somali Men in U.S. Court Deny Killing 4 Americans in Pirate Attack Off Coast of Africa (AP via WaPo)
3 Somalis Deny Killing Americans in Pirate Attack (MSNBC)

JURY TO BEGIN DELIBERATIONS IN ZAZI TRIAL
Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Wednesday in the trial of Mohammed Wali Zazi, who is accused of lying to investigators and attempting to destroy evidence as part of an investigation into his son, who last year pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb the NYC subway. “The evidence has shown that the defendant did everything he could to manipulate the system to get what he wanted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Marrus said in her closing argument, according to Bloomberg. Several of Zazi’s family members who have pleaded guilty in connection with the case testified against him, and his defense attorneys said in closing that the witnesses had implicated Zazi in order to get more lenient sentences.
New York Bomb-Plotter’s Father Hid Evidence, Lawyers Says as Trial Closes (Bloomberg)
Jury Expected to Get Terrorist Dad’s Case (NY Post)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
FBI: Fla. Imam’s Son Shared Terror Support Sympathies, Was Key Piece of Financing Network (AP via WaPo)
Peter King Takes Yet Another Whack at Muslim Hearings (WaPo’s The Plum Line)
FBI Begins 9/11 Inquiry into Hacking (WSJ)
Documents Outline Alleged Funneling of Pakistani Funds to U.S. Candidates (WaPo)
More on the Committee Chairs’ Letter on Detainees (Lawfare blog)
The DOJ’s ‘Gitmo Suicides’ Slam (Scott Horton’s No Comment)
The Assassination President? (Huffington Post: Feisal G. Mohamed)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Militants Plan al Qaeda Cartoon for Kids, Monitors Say (Reuters)
Terror Site’s Sydney Opera House Pic Prompts Alert (AP via NYT)
Ex-Gitmo Detainee Told Book Funds May Be Seized (AP via NYT)
British Man Killed in Yemen’s South (AFP)
Greek Court Jails 6 for Terrorism Over Militant Anarchist Group’s Bombings (AP via WaPo)
Afghanistan:
Two British ‘Terror Suspects’ Held in Afghanistan (Reuters via NYT)
Bike Bomb Hits Northern Afghan Transition City (Reuters)
Exclusive: Inside Darpa’s Secret Afghan Spy Machine (Wired’s Danger Room)

U.S. Charges Two Men with Illegal Lobbying for Pakistan

Two Pakistani-American men were charged Tuesday with being on the payroll of Pakistan’s ISI and illegally lobbying the U.S. government over the issue of Kashmir on behalf of Pakistan, according to reports. The men are charged in connection with a front group in the United States that Pakistani intelligence has allegedly operated for 20 years, funneling money to lawmakers and lobbying Congress and the White House.

One of the men charged, Syed Fai, lives in Virginia and was arrested on Tuesday. The other, Zaheer Ahmad, is in Pakistan and is being sought. Fai is the director of the Kashmiri American Council, which the FBI alleges is financed by the Pakistani military to lobby U.S. lawmakers against India’s control over much of Kashmir. The FBI alleges that “Fai and his council received more than $4 million from the Pakistani government since the mid-1990s. The FBI said that in 2009, the council’s projected budget called for $100,000 in contributions to members of Congress,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Ahmad is alleged to have organized contributors to the council in Pakistan, who would then be reimbursed by Pakistan’s military.

The allegations come at a tense moment in U.S.-Pakistan relations, which have deteriorated since the May raid that killed Osama bin Laden and the diplomatic stand-off over the arrest of a CIA contractor in Pakistan earlier this year.
FBI Says Pakistan Military Led Long Plot to Tilt U.S. Policy (NYT)
U.S. Charges Two with Illegal Lobbying for Pakistan (WSJ)
Two U.S. Men Are Accused of Conspiring with Pakistan Spy Agency on Kashmir (Bloomberg)
Pakistan Funded Washington Lobby Group, U.S. Says (CNN)
U.S. Citizens Charged with Illegally Lobbying While Working for Pakistan (LAT)
Two Charged in Pakistan Spy Services’ Alleged Funneling of Money Via U.S. Group (WaPo)
Related:
Clinton: Pakistan Must Prosecute Terrorists ‘Urgently’ (WSJ)

ALLEGED BALI MASTERMIND TO BE SENT TO INDONESIA FOR PROSECUTION
Umar Patek, the alleged Bali bombings mastermind who was captured earlier this year in Abbottabad, Pakistan, is to be transferred from Pakistan to Indonesia for prosecution, according to reports. “But as Indonesia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that its 2003 anti-terrorism laws cannot be applied retrospectively [the Bali bombings occurred in 2002],” the Sydney Morning-Herald reports, “Indonesian authorities may struggle to prosecute Patek, raising questions as to whether Australia will seek to extradite and prosecute him.”
Bali ‘Bomb Builder’ to Be Deported (Sydney Morning-Herald)
Bali Bomber to Be Transferred from Pakistan (ABC Sydney)

TALIBAN DENY REPORTS OF MULLAH OMAR’S DEATH
Spokesmen for the Taliban denied Wednesday that Mullah Omar had died. They claimed that a text message sent from a Taliban spokesman to journalists announcing the death was a fake and the result of a hacking, according to the Associated Press.
Taliban Deny Their Leader Mullah Omar Has Died (AP via NYT)
Related:
Tech-Savvy Taliban Fights War in Cyberspace (Reuters)
Petraeus’ Commando Raids Killed Lots of Taliban. So? (Wired’s Danger Room)

GOP LAWMAKERS PRESS OBAMA ON DETENTION POLICY
Top Republican lawmakers sent President Obama a letter Tuesday pressing him to develop a coherent and comprehensive detainee policy, saying the detention of a Somali who was later transferred to New York for prosecution demonstrates the need for such a policy. The letter, signed by the chairmen of five House committees, said that the lawmakers are “concerned that the lack of a comprehensive military detention system will continue to have numerous detrimental results, including: incentivizing lethal operations over law of war detention; the loss of critical detainee-provided intelligence; forcing the United States to be wholly dependent on foreign governments to hold and provide access to detainees; and, as in Warsame’s case, bringing terrorists to the United States,” as quoted by the Lawfare blog.
Top Republicans Press Obama on Detention Policy (AP)
Key U.S. Lawmakers Assail Obama on Detainees (AFP)
Letter to Obama Regarding Warsame from House Committee Chairs (Lawfare blog)
Related:
Since When Is the President Supposed to Enforce Unenacted Statutes? (Lawfare blog)
CRS Report on NDAA Detainee Provisions (Lawfare blog)

SECOND RELATIVE TESTIFIES AGAINST ZAZI IN NYC TERROR TRIAL
A second relative testified Tuesday against Mohammed Wali Zazi, who is on trial accused of lying to investigators and attempting to destroy evidence as part of an investigation into his son, who last year pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb the NYC subway. Zazi’s brother-in-law testified Tuesday that Zazi had conspired to destroy evidence of bomb-making materials and pressured him to lie to the grand jury. The brother-in-law reportedly pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to obstruct justice and is cooperating with the government; a nephew also pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and is cooperating. He testified Monday.
2nd Relative Says Man Planned to Destroy Evidence of Subway Terror Plot (NYT)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
Suspect in Fort Hood Shootings to Be Arraigned (AP)
Judge: Unseal Mumbai Terror Trial Documents (AP)
King Announces Third Hearing on Muslim Radicalization in U.S. (The Hill)
Why U.S. Terrorists Reject the al Qaeda Playbook (The Atlantic: J.M. Berger)
New Study Proves Falsity of John Brennan’s Drone Claims (Salon’s Glenn Greenwald)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Mumbai Probe Focuses on Indian Terror Group (WSJ)
Al Qaeda:
Al Qaeda Group Claims Algerian Bombings: SITE (Reuters)
U.S. Missed Awlaki by Inches in Yemen (ABC News)
New al Qaeda Magazine: Bin Laden ‘Confronted’ SEALs in ‘Fierce Battle’ (ABC News)
Terrorist Magazine Celebrates Its Most Epic Fails (Wired’s Danger Room)

Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to Terror Recruitment Role

A Somali-American man in Minnesota pleaded guilty Monday to a charge that he helped Minneapolis-area Somali men travel to their homeland to take up arms with the terror group al Shabab, according to reports. Omer Abdi Mohamed, 26, faces up to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, “specifically admitting that he helped provide people in a conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people in a foreign country,” according to the AP. Mohamed reportedly admitted to being present at meetings where recruitment planning took place, to being present when money was raised, and to helping obtain plane tickets for recruits traveling to Somalia, according to Reuters.

Mohamed’s plea came just before the start of what would have been the first trial in a series of indictments into terror recruitment among Somalis in the Minnesota area. Five other people have pleaded guilty to charges in the investigation.
U.S. Somali Man Pleads Guilty to Terror Charge (AP)
Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to Aiding Somali Militants (Reuters)
Minnesota Man Admits Somalia Terror Plot (BBC News)
Another Conviction in the al-Shabab Recruitment Investigation (Lawfare blog)

NEPHEW TESTIFIES AGAINST DEFENDANT AT TERROR TRIAL
The nephew of Mohammed Wali Zazi testified on Monday at the start of his uncle’s trial in New York that his uncle ordered family members to destroy evidence of bomb-making supplies and to lie to investigators, according to multiple reports. But the witness, who has pleaded guilty to terror-related charges, also said that he had repeatedly lied to the FBI and “offered confusing and at times conflicting testimony” during his time on the stand, reports the New York Times.

Mohammed Zazi is charged with lying to prosecutors and destroying evidence in the case against his son, who last year pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb the NYC subway. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Nephew Testifies for Prosecution in Trial of Mohammed Wali Zazi (NYT)
Cousin Admits Role in NYC Subway Terror Plot (AP)
Father of Would-Be Terrorist Najibullah Zazi Hid Bomb Materials, Relative Testifies (NY Daily News)
Trial Begins for Father of NYC Bomb Ploter Accused of Misleading FBI (CNN)
Father of New York Bomb-Plotter Najibullah Zazi Hid Evidence, U.S. Says (Bloomberg)
Trial Divides Zazi Kin (WSJ)

REPORT: AL QAEDA’S STRATEGY FOCUSED ON U.S. TARGETS OVERSEAS
The Wall Street Journal reports that, under Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda will likely shift focus to attacking U.S. targets overseas rather than the U.S. homeland because overseas targets are considered more vulnerable and attacks easier to execute. U.S. officials say they believe the strategy is more compatible with the goals of al Qaeda’s affiliates in Yemen and Pakistan. The “shift in strategy for al Qaeda’s leadership [also] comes as its affiliates are forging closer ties with each other.” U.S. officials believe AQAP in Yemen is forging ties with Somalia’s al Shabab to pursue attacks in Africa.
Al Qaeda Seen Aiming at Targets Outside U.S. (WSJ)
Related:
Latest Issue of Inspire Highlights al Qaeda Succession (Long War Journal)
Al Qaeda’s 9/11 Obsession (Daily Beast: Bruce Riedel)
The Haqqani Network: Al Qaeda’s Dangerous Patron (WaPo’s Checkpoint Washington)

MORE U.S. NEWS AND OPINION
Imam Arrests Show Shift in Muslim Outreach Effort (NPR)
Iraqi Refugees in U.S. Rechecked in U.S. for Terrorism Links (LAT)
Attack Suspect Battles His Own Lawyers (WSJ)
Post-9/11, Biggest Terror Threat Is Underground (AP)
Sept. 11 Families Seek Meeting with FBI on Hacking (Reuters)
Headed for CIA, Petraeus Leaves a Revamped Warzone (AP via ABC News)
The ‘Right Stuff’ for a Drone Pilot (Time’s Battleland)
Rare Glimpse Inside a Predator Drone Control Station (Space.com via Fox News)

MORE WORLD NEWS AND OPINION
Russia Says Militant Attack Foiled in Moscow (Reuters)
Xinjiang Police Attack Was Terrorism, China Says (BBC News)
China Shunning Palau for Taking Uighurs: President (AFP)
UK Photo Exhibit Shows Alleged U.S. Drone Strike Deaths (AP)
Barack Obama Accused of Crimes Against Humanity for bin Laden Killing (Telegraph)
Yemen:
Al Qaeda Fugitive in Yemen Gets Away Again (WaPo)
The War on Terror, Now Starring Yemen and Somalia (Salon’s Glenn Greenwald)
Countering the Threat Posed by AQAP: Embrace, Don’t Chase, Yemen’s Chaos (Selected Wisdom)