Threat Matrix: April 2007

Hamas arming Islamic Jihad with Quassams

Snip: Hamas is supporting Islamic Jihad's rocket attacks against Israel with behind-the-scenes activities and is emerging as the lynchpin of Palestinian terrorist activities against Israel, security sources said yesterday.

While Hamas is maintaining a front of abiding by the cease-fire with Israel in the Gaza Strip, it is providing Qassam rockets to Islamic Jihad militants who are targeting Israeli towns in the south.

Al Qaeda calls for Jihad in former USSR

Snip: The Call for Jihad, which was released by ’Al-Qaeda shells’ media department, called upon the youth from GCC countries to join it and get ready for a war in the area. This call as seen by a political activist, is warmly welcomed and accepted by many people, such acceptance was not available five years ago.

The invitation appeared in the internet and contained the following, "For those who want to perform jihad and to be one of God’s soldiers, for those who wish to sacrifice themselves in the name of God, for whoever wants to join in and be with the beloved Mohammad and his friends, for those who are honest in wanting martyrdom for everyone who felt pain for what is happening in the Muslim world, for those who saw the Muslim children cut into pieces, to all Muslims in general, for the heroes of this nation, we start a full programme for training and educating the heroes to fight the Jews and crusaders and to become the protective shield of Islam."

Jihad in America

Snip: This new Right will be the Right to live as a Muslim under Muslim rule. There will be talk of Islamic “enclaves” and “islands” where the rules of Shari’a will be enforced strictly. Americans will protest and there will be Muslim violence “in response”. In the end, “diplomacy” and “compromise” and “sensitivity” will prevail. Islamic “zones” will be created but only in areas where the residents vote overwhelmingly in favor of such zones. Those opposed will be subject to condemnation proceedings so their presence will not be a “provocation”. The President, quite possibly a Muslim convert, will declare the day a victory for tolerance and pluralism.

Mapping Sharia in America - knowing the enemy

4 face trial for robbery shooting

Snip: Brandon Samir Bazzi, Atef Ragheb Hamad, Jihad Naser Jaber and Khalid Omar Jaber are each charged with multiple felony counts — including assault with intent to murder — after allegedly conspiring to rob Dearborn Heights resident Yasser Kalkas at his home in the city's north end.

Jihadists praised by cleric

Snip: Mohammed Swaiti, who is being investigated by the Australian Taxation Office over claims he failed to pay income tax on thousands of dollars he allegedly received from the Saudi embassy, yesterday called on God to grant "victory to mujaheddin (Muslim holy warriors)" worldwide.

Australian hate film gets PG rating

Snip: A PRO-TERROR hate film that urges children to martyr themselves in Islam’s war on the West and calls Jews "pigs" has been rated PG by Australia’s censors.

Sheik Feiz Mohammed’s DVD box set, which also calls for the murder of non-believers, was initially seized by Federal anti-terror police.

Suicide bomber brothers strike near US Consultate in Morocco

Snip: Two brothers strapped with explosives blew themselves up near the U.S. consulate Saturday and Moroccan officials said they had discovered a broader suicide bombing conspiracy, stoking new fears of increased terrorism in this American-allied kingdom.

http://www.sofir.org

Note: The following text (minus the photo) is a quote:

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/006004.html

14 April 2007
Demographics don’t lie
by Aaron Weisburd

Jihadi website demographics don’t lie. Morocco is a case in point.
The Society for Internet Research gathered demographic data for the leading Arabic-language jihadi forums during 2006, and the data indicates that Moroccans form a significant part of the rank and file of the global jihad.

• Across all the sites we studied Moroccans ranked third, immediately behind Saudis and Egyptians.

• On the Tajdeed forum Moroccans ranked second.

• On al-Hesbah forum Moroccans ranked third.

• On al-Ommh forum Moroccans ranked second.

• On al-Boraq forum Moroccans ranked third.

• On al-Mohajroon forum Moroccans ranked second.

• And on the Ana al-Muslm forum - the oldest of the Salafist/Jihadist Arabic-language forums, and a place known to be used by al-Qaida leadership elements to meet and exchange information - Moroccans ranked first.

Jihadis in Morocco that we encounter online are split evenly between Rabat and Casablanca.

I take issue with the notion that one can’t develop a profile of jihadis. We will find these guys all together on just a handful of websites - before they turn up on a battlefield or in some public place with a bomb vest on - and indeed that time when they are online may be our only chance to identify them as subjects for investigation. Consequently it is of critical importance to actively monitor network traffic to such sites. Otherwise it is like we are flying in the dark without instruments or radar. What happens next is predictable:

Two injured men lie on the street after an explosion at Fida slum in Casablanca, April 10, 2007. A fourth suspected suicide bomber blew himself up in a Casablanca slum on Tuesday, Moroccan police sources said.
A final note: other countries whose residents are prominent constituents of the global community of jihadis online, but that have not yet experienced jihadist terrorism proportionate to the size of their online jihadi population, include Egypt, Germany and Belgium.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Posted on 14 April 2007 @ 17:05

You're welcome Cindy. Time to call it a night.

Muslim boy ostracized after marrying Hindu girl

Snip: A court has upheld the marriage of a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl, but the couple is facing problems from their respective religions. After protests and demonstrations by Hindu organisations demanding the arrest of Mohamed Omer and handing of his bride Priyanka Vadhwani back to her parents, it is now the turn of the Muslim bodies. The Majlis-e-shoora of the All India Muslim Tyohar Committee (AIMTC) has announced that Omer would be expelled from the community.

Banned Muslim uses video hookup

Snip: Tariq Ramadan, an Islamic scholar, has a huge following in Europe but a controversial profile in the United States. He has been barred from entering the country since 2004, when he was denied a visa he needed to accept a professorship at the University of Notre Dame.

Tuesday, however, students at Georgetown University heard and questioned Ramadan, an influential Egyptian-born writer, as he gave the first of three public lectures to be delivered on the campus by satellite video hookup from London.

For 90 minutes, he appeared on a large screen in Gaston Hall, seated and wearing a sports jacket and open shirt, with Big Ben in the background.

Has the UK become a Muslim busom buddy?

Snip: Adding to the grey hairs is the United Kingdom’s own shocking announcement that it is axing the Holocaust from its history lessons so that Muslim students, whose religious teachings include a denial of one of history’s most evil and evident periods, will not be offended.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817739/posts

Claims of training insurgents inside Iran
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/15/7 | Phil Sands

Posted on 04/15/2007 9:17:37 AM PDT by SmithL

Baghdad — Iraqi Shiites are being trained in advanced guerrilla warfare tactics at a secret camp inside Iran, according to two militants who say they have spent time there.

Seasoned guerrilla fighters said large numbers of Mahdi Army volunteers have gone to a base near Tehran for instruction in how to shoot down helicopters and destroy armored vehicles.

The Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has frequently battled against U.S. and British forces in Iraq, most recently in Diwaniya. The militia, estimated to range up to 20,000 men, has also been linked to death-squad killings of Sunnis and political assassinations.

The fighters’ assertions could not be independently verified. But Peter Harling, an Iraq analyst at the International Crisis Group, an influential Brussels-based research organization, and a leading authority on al-Sadr, said Mahdi Army fighters were now being trained in Iran.

“I have had confirmation that some of the Mahdi Army’s ‘historic’ commanders have sought refuge in Iran, where, according to their family members and friends, they are currently receiving military training” in preparation for further fighting inside Iraq, Harling said.

Harling said this “in no way implied” the operation was sponsored by the Iranian authorities, although he suggested they were aware of it and chose to turn a blind eye.

The Bush administration and its top ally, Britain, have repeatedly charged that Iran is supplying arms, training and intelligence to Iraqi Shiite militants to use against the U.S.-led coalition, although the United States has not presented incontrovertible proof of its contentions. Iran vehemently denies arming or aiding the militants.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...

NOTE: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817786/posts

Drug Cartel Hires Texas Teens as Hitmen
Houston Chronicle ^ | 4/15/2007 | Sharon Steinman

Posted on 04/15/2007 10:56:06 AM PDT by wildbill

LAREDO — If the teenage hitman had stayed locked up in his concrete cell after the first murder, maybe Moises Garcia would still sing goofy Spanish songs to his son.

Maybe Noe Lopez, a 27-year-old father of four, wouldn’t be buried under a sapling in the city cemetery.

Maybe.

If a judge hadn’t reduced Gabriel Cardona’s bail after the second murder charge, perhaps Mariano Resendez would be close to finishing his junior year of high school.

If the justice of the peace hadn’t decreased Cardona’s bail on another murder charge and a charge of engaging in organized crime from a total of $3 million to $200,000, maybe Jesus Maria Resendez would still take his nephew Mariano fishing.

Maybe.

But the judge, the justice of the peace and to a degree the Webb County District Attorney’s Office didn’t keep Cardona, a Martin High School dropout, locked up in Webb County Jail.

Instead, court records show, Cardona, who already was in jail on murder and kidnapping charges, made bail twice, allowing him to get out and go on two killing sprees on the orders of a leader of the Gulf drug-smuggling cartel in Nuevo Laredo.

(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=antisemitism

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817771/posts

Report: Anti-Semitic attacks up 50%
Jerusalem Post ^ | April 15, 2007

Posted on 04/15/2007 10:23:20 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative

The year 2006 witnessed a significant escalation in physical, verbal, and visual anti-Semitism throughout the world, with as many as 590 cases of violence and vandalism reported against Jews, a study published by Tel Aviv University ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day revealed Sunday.

The report, which was conducted by the Institute for Researching Contemporary anti-Semitism and Racism, found that twice as many anti-Semitic attacks occurred in 2006 than in the previous year.

Perpetrators of the attacks were, in most cases, identified as Muslim immigrants, or young members of the radical right and their supporters, the study reported.

Schools were popular targets of anti-Semitism in 2006, with twice as many community schools reportedly attacked then in 2005. The number of synagogues which registered attacks rose by one-third.

The report listed Britain, Australia, France, and Canada as the countries with the greatest rise in anti-Semitic attacks. Leading the list was Britain, which registered a 20-year record of 100 incidents - 60% more then in 1986. Of those incidents, 37% were considered violent.

Australia also experienced a significant increase in anti-Semitism, registering 47% more attacks then its yearly average. France also faired poorly, ending the year with 24% more attacks then usual, and 45% more violent attacks then the year before.

In contrast, the United States registered a 12% drop in anti-Semitic attacks in 2006.

NOTE: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1817717/posts

Civil Litigation: A Weapon in Jihad?
The New Media Journal ^ | April 15, 2007 | Laura Mansfield

Posted on 04/15/2007 8:03:41 AM PDT by NewMediaJournal

Last weekend, I was catching up on my reading. My choice of books was Dr. Walid Phares’ “Future Jihad,” a book I highly recommend to all who truly want to understand jihad, In the book, Dr. Phares related a common Arabic saying: Darabani wa baka sabaqani wa ishtaka. This phrase translates roughly to “he hits me and cries, then beats me to the court to sue me”.

This reminded me of a similar saying that I heard often while I was living in Cairo that appears to be the Egyptian version of the saying Dr. Phares quoted: “He beats me, then calls the police when I hit back.”

Parents of small children are familiar with this behavior too. Little Johnny hit Little Billy and when Little Billy hits back, Little Johnny runs to Mom screaming “Mom, Billy hit me”. If allowed to continue, it quickly deteriorates into cries of “Mommy, Billy is thinking about hitting me. Make him stop.”

This is exactly what is happening in this country today in the explosion of civil lawsuits against so-called discriminatory actions.

(Excerpt) Read more at newmediajournal.us ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=youths

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1810409/posts?page=723#723

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016071.php

April 15, 2007

“Youths” clash with police in Malmö

Malmö Riots Update: here is a report from Sweden’s The Local (thanks to Elias) about the riots: “Youths clash with police on Malmö estate.” It is similar to the Swedish-language kindly translated by a tea-loving snail below.

...The troubles started at about 7:30pm when police received a call from a member of the public alleging that they had been threatened. A police patrol went to Ramels Väg in Rosengård to respond to the report, and while officers investigated youths gathered and started throwing stones.
By 8:30pm around 15 young people were throwing stones and eggs at police.

When the fire brigade arrived to extinguish a fire in a warehouse on the same street, the stone-throwing youths turned on fire officers.

“Because of this and because the situation is tense in the area, the emergency services will from now on wait for the police before entering the area,” the emergency services said in a press release on Saturday night.

“The emergency services will also send extra resources in the event of an alert,” the statement continued.

By 11pm two warehouses were burning on Ramels Väg. Extra police had to be called in to protect the fire brigade as they battled to extinguish the blazes.

The situation had quietened down by midnight, emergency services said.

Police said that no arrests had been made, although officers have made formal reports alleging that they were the victims of assault.

The Rosengård estate is known for suffering from high levels of unemployment, and for having the highest concentration of immigrant communities of any area in Sweden.

Posted by Robert at April 15, 2007 07:52 AM

http://the-american-israeli-patriot.blogspot.com/

http://the-american-israeli-patriot.blogspot.com/2007/04/christian-book-store-is-bombed-in-gaza.html

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016065.php

April 15, 2007

Bombs hit Christian bookstore, two Internet cafes in Gaza City

“Palestinian security officials have said they suspect a secret vice squad of Muslim militants.” A secret vice squad, attacking Internet cafes and...Christian bookstores, in the name of Islamic morality. As far as the attackers are concerned, both represent vice in equally pernicious ways. And then some American Christian conservatives say we ought to ally with Muslims on the basis of morality; they don’t realize that all too many Muslims regard Christian beliefs as just as much a manifestation of immorality, if not more so, than Internet porn.

From The Associated Press, with thanks to the American Israeli Patriot:

Three explosions rocked Gaza City early Sunday, damaging two Internet cafes and a Christian bookstore.
No one was hurt and no group claimed responsibility for the blasts, which took place around 3 a.m. local time, Palestinian security officials said.

But heavy external damage was visible at the three stores. At the bookstore, which is funded by American Protestants and known as the Bible Society, a number of books were also burned in the explosion.

Several similar attacks on Internet cafes and music stores in recent months have been claimed by a little-known extremist Islamic organization calling itself the Swords of Truth....

In recent months, about three dozen Internet cafes and shops selling pop music have been attacked in the Gaza Strip, with assailants detonating small bombs outside businesses at night, causing damage but no injuries. Palestinian security officials have said they suspect a secret vice squad of Muslim militants.

Posted by Robert at April 15, 2007 06:09 AM

NOTE: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32804

Bush: Further Delay in War-Spending Bill Will Impact Troops

By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2007 – President Bush yesterday once again called for Congress to send him a clean emergency war-spending bill that does not include tacked on funding measures and a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Without the supplemental funds requested by the White House in early February, military officials will be compelled to shift money around to fill expenditure disparities, Bush said during his weekly radio address to the nation.

“In the next few days, our military leaders will notify Congress that they will be forced to transfer $1.6 billion from other military accounts to make up for the gaps caused by Congress’ failure to fund our troops in the field,” he said. “That means our military will have to take money from personnel accounts so they can continue to fund U.S. Army operations in Iraq and elsewhere.”

The $1.6 billion is in addition to the $1.7 billion in transferred funds U.S. military leaders notified Congress about last month, Bush noted.

“In March, Congress was told that the military would need to take money from personnel accounts, weapons and communications systems, so we can continue to fund programs that protect our troops from improvised explosive devices and send hundreds of mine-resistant vehicles to the front lines,” he said.

Bush said further delays in the war-spending bill would negatively affect U.S. troops. “The longer Congress delays the worse the impact on the men and women of the armed forces will be,” he said.

On April 18, the president plans to meet congressional leaders of both political parties at the White House to discuss the emergency war funding request. Bush said he will veto the bills already passed by the House and Senate because they impose restrictions on U.S. military commanders, set a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, and include billions of dollars on domestic projects that have nothing to do with the war.

“We owe it to the American people and to our troops and their families to deliver our full support,” he said.

Bush said he realizes political differences are inherent in Washington, but stressed U.S. troops should not be trapped in the middle of such differences.

“Supporting our troops is a solemn responsibility of all elected officials in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32809

Terror Suspects Killed, Captured in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2007 – Iraqi and coalition forces killed five terrorist suspects and detained two others during an operation yesterday in Basrah, U.S. military officials reported.

During the raid, Iraqi and coalition forces began receiving enemy small-arms fire. Ground forces returned fire killing five terrorists.

Ground forces also discovered three men running electric wire used to detonate roadside bombs. The three men fled as ground forces approached.

“As the Iraqi prime minister has repeatedly stated, militias that do not adopt to the rule of law have no place in Iraq’s future,” Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a spokesperson for Multinational forces Iraq, said. “Those who use terror as a weapon against the Iraqi people will be targeted and eliminated.”

In addition, coalition forces also detained 17 suspected terrorists including a reported al-Qaeda in Iraq military emir during other operations yesterday.

Northwest of Taji, eight suspected terrorists were detained during a coalition forces raid. Among the suspects detained was the accused al Qaeda emir of Rusafa and former makeshift car bomb cell leader.

In Mosul, coalition forces captured two suspects with ties to recent al Qaeda attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces.

During a raid in Baghdad, three al Qaeda in Iraq suspects were captured, and four more were captured east of Amiriyah.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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