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As many as 20 people are feared dead after a gunman invaded a primary school in Rio de Janeiro and opened fire. One witness told the Guardian he had seen between 15 and 20 children dead or seriously wounded inside the Tasso da Silveira primary school in western Rio.

A disbarred New York lawyer convicted in 2005 on charges of supporting terrorism by helping an imprisoned blind Egyptian cleric smuggle messages to militant followers was ordered to prison by a U.S. federal appeals court that upheld her conviction on Tuesday.

CAIRO: Images of dead, wounded and traumatized Russian children being carried from the scene of a rebel school siege have horrified the Arab world, prompting forthright self-criticism and fresh concern about an international backlash against Islam and its followers. Arab leaders, Muslim clerics and ordinary parents across the Middle East denounced the school siege as unjustifiable. Some warned such actions damage Islam's image more than all its enemies could hope. Even some supporters of Islamic militancy condemned it, though at least one insisted Muslims were not behind it. ``Holy warriors'' from the Middle East have long supported fellow Muslims fighting...

A man carries an injured child who escaped from a seized school in Beslan, North Ossetia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2004. Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia where hundreds of hostages had been held for three days, sending hostage-takers and their captives fleeing in a scene of chaos amid explosions and gunfire. More than 100 children were wounded in the assault, some running from the building naked and covered in blood. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) An injured schoolgirl who escaped from the seized Russian school holds a cross in her hand in a hospital in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia Friday,...

Last Updated: , 15:31 GMT 16:31 UK Eyewitness: Hostage terrorSurvivors of the Russian school siege have been giving details of their ordeal. A teacher freed by the gang in the middle of the siege estimated there had been about 1,500 captives. One boy who emerged on Friday, looking pale and anguished, told reporters he had been so shocked at his release he was unable to recognise his own parents. Diana, another survivor, said people had had nothing to eat or drink. "We were forced to urinate into bottles and drink our own urine through our shirts that we put over...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A top fund-raiser for an Islamic charity with alleged links to terrorism testified Monday he believed the donations were used only for humanitarian projects, and asked to be freed while he fights deportation. Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, 44, a founder of a mosque in Anaheim, was arrested on immigration charges last month as federal authorities unsealed an indictment against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, charging the Texas-based charity funneled millions to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamdan's detention has sparked protests by Southern California Muslims who see it as an unfair pressure tactic to get...

US forces capture wife of wanted former top Iraqi leader Wed Nov 26, 6:19 AM ET TIKRIT, Iraq (AFP) - US forces have captured a wife and daughter of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, former number two to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and who US officials believe has been masterminding anti-coalition attacks. AFP/File Photo The two, as well as the son of Duri's physician, were captured Tuesday in Samarra, north of Baghdad, said Colonel Bill MacDonald, spokesman for the US 4th Infantry Division. "Task Force Ironhorse soldiers received information indicating that the wife and supporters of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri were...

Monday, November 18, 2002 HOMELAND INSECURITY Are 'jihadists' infiltrating U.S. military? Low-security positions could be used by potential terrorists By Jon Dougherty -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com A disturbing pattern of infiltration of lower levels of the U.S. military by would-be Islamist jihad warriors is emerging, cautions one analyst of military affairs and terrorism. The Defense Department heavily screens all personnel competing for high-security positions involving nuclear weapons and military intelligence. Before applicants are ever allowed inside those small elite circles, they are subjected to rigorous background and criminal checks, as well as comprehensive psychological evaluations. The reason is obvious: Only...

Mouse clicking your way to martyrdom. Are you an Islamicist with a computer and some spare time? Do you want to contribute to the jihad against the Crusaders but can’t quite make the commitment to fly into buildings or strap on a bomb? Do you “solemnly swear to use your talents only to destroy the Jews with God as your witness?” Then you are just the kind of person being sought to join the “Arab Electronic Jihad Team” (AEJT), a recently announced terrorist initiative preparing to bring the Web to its knees. The AEJT seeks to bring down all Web...