Free Republic

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man is charged with providing material support to the Islamic State extremist group, including attempting to buy multiple weapons and scouting potential targets for an attack in the Tampa Bay area, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. A criminal complaint charges Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a potential 20-year prison term. **SNIP** According to the affidavit, Al-Azhari scouted a number of targets in the Tampa Bay region, including beaches, parks and even the Tampa FBI field...

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently slammed those criticizing him, saying: "Anyone who says anything contrary to what is said here is a moron, is blind, and a traitor. The Shi'ites of the American embassy are traitors, agents, and morons. No one can alter our convictions. We won't be silent anymore and we will no longer humor anyone." However, this time Nasrallah's angry and threatening statements were not directed against his usual rivals. They are directed against Shi'ites in Lebanon. These statements reveal the extent of such disputes and expose the increasing criticisms against him, after a prolonged Syrian war and...

A "Black Widow" suicide bomber planned a terrorist attack in central Moscow on New Year's Eve but was killed when an unexpected text message set off her bomb too early, according to Russian security sources. The unnamed woman, who is thought to be part of the same group that struck Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Monday, intended to detonate a suicide belt near Red Square on New Year's Eve in an attack that could have killed hundreds. Security sources believe a message from her mobile phone operator wishing her a happy new year received just hours before the planned attack triggered...