Today’s Terrorism News

Posted on July 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

In Association with The Soufan Group

Man Dies After Questioning in Mumbai Attacks

A man brought in for questioning in connection with last week’s Mumbai attacks died in an Indian hospital Sunday after complaining of feeling ill, according to reports. Family members of Fayaz Usmani, who was the older brother of a man currently in prison on suspicion of carrying out 2008 bombings in the city of Ahmedabad, allege he was tortured by police after being brought in for questioning on Saturday. Usmani reportedly suffered from hypertension and died of a brain hemorrhage. Police have denied any mistreatment and an investigation has been ordered. Police have also released a sketch of a man they want to question in connection with the blasts, which killed 18 and wounded more than 130. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 15, 2011 | 1 Comment

In Association with The Soufan Group

U.S. Asks for Return of Classified Detention Document Given to ACLU

The U.S. government accidentally gave the ACLU a classified document describing criteria it uses to hold detainees at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, and on Thursday, it asked a federal judge to order the document returned, saying “its release could frustrate military and intelligence-gathering efforts and do serious damage to national security, including interfering with foreign diplomatic relations,” according to the AP. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 14, 2011 | 1 Comment

In Association with The Soufan Group

Three Bombs Strike Mumbai; 18 Are Killed

Three coordinated bombings struck Mumbai, India, at rush hour on Wednesday evening, killing 18 people and wounding 131 in the worst terror attacks there since the 2008 siege. Initial reports suggested 21 people had been killed, but India’s home minister amended that figure on Thursday while briefing reporters. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 13, 2011 | 1 Comment

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Head of ISI Heads to U.S. for Talks

Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of the ISI, Pakistan’s spy agency, is headed to the United States Wednesday for talks with his U.S. counterparts on intelligence cooperation. The visit comes in the wake of news that the United States is suspending a third of the nearly $3 billion in military aid it gives Pakistan each year. On Tuesday, Pakistan’s defense minister said on Pakistani television that the aid suspension might lead Pakistan to withdraw its troops from the Afghan border, contradicting earlier statements by the military that counterterrorism operations would continue. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

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Brother of Hamid Karzai Killed in Kandahar

The half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was killed at his home in Kandahar Tuesday. Initial reports suggested he had been shot dead by a bodyguard, though the New York Times and others are reporting that the assassin was a security official who was a “close family associate” and not a member of the security detail. Ahmed Wali Karzai, an influential power broker in the country, had been accused of corruption and links to the Afghan drug trade, as well as being on the CIA’s payroll. The Taliban took responsibility for his killing, but “several leaders in Kandahar said they doubted the claims,” according to the NYT. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 11, 2011 | 1 Comment

In Association with The Soufan Group

Panetta: Defeat of al Qaeda ‘Within Reach’

On his first trip to Afghanistan since taking over as Pentagon chief on July 1, Leon Panetta said Saturday on his way to Kabul that the United States is “within reach of strategically defeating Al Qaeda,” according to multiple reports. Panetta also said that the United States believes the newly appointed head of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal area and that al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen poses the most potent threat to the United States. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

In Association with The Soufan Group

New York Man Convicted of Terror Charges

A Brooklyn-born man accused of plotting to kill U.S. soldiers overseas was found guilty on four terror charges by a federal jury in New York on Thursday. Betim Kaziu, 23, was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to a terror organization and conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges. He faces life in prison at sentencing in November. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 7, 2011 | 2 Comments

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Republicans Criticize Handling of Somali Terror Suspect

GOP leaders are criticizing the White House’s decision to hold a captured Somali terror suspect on a U.S. Navy ship for interrogation for two months before bringing him to New York this week to face terror charges in civilian court. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that “Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame is a foreign enemy combatant. He should be treated as one; he should be sitting in a cell Guantanamo Bay, and eventually be tried before a military commission….The administration’s actions are inexplicable, create unnecessary risks here at home, and do nothing to increase the security of the United States,” according to ABC News. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said that “[t]he transfer of this terrorist detainee directly contradicts Congressional intent and the will of the American people….Congress has spoken clearly multiple times — including explicitly in pending legislation — of the perils of bringing terrorists onto U.S. soil,” according to the NYT. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 6, 2011 | 1 Comment

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Somali Held Offshore Is Indicted in NYC on Terrorism Charges

A Somali man suspected of ties to al Shabab and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was captured in the Gulf of Aden on April 19 and interrogated aboard a U.S. Navy ship for two months before being transferred to New York this week, where he has been indicted on terrorism charges. Continue reading →

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Posted on July 5, 2011 | 1 Comment

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Matthew Olsen Nominated to Lead Counterterrorism Center

Matthew Olsen, the general counsel of the National Security Agency and a longtime Justice Department official, has been nominated to replace Michael Leiter as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, the White House announced Friday. Olsen, 49, led the 2009-2010 task force that assessed the detention of each detainee at Guantanamo, and reportedly oversaw intelligence matters during his 18 years at Justice. Leiter is set to step down this week. Continue reading →

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