Philippine Police Bust Phone Hacking, Terrorist Financing Group

Philippine police, with assistance from the FBI, busted a hacking operation that targeted accounts of AT&T business customers in the United States to funnel money for terrorist attacks across Asia. Three men and one woman were arrested in raids across Manila in connection with the operation. Local police made the arrests following complaints made by AT&T and the FBI regarding the activities of the Filipino hackers.

Investigators unearthed a paper trail of bank transactions that connected Filipino phone hackers to the al Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group, Philippine's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said in a statement Thursday.

JI terrorists directed the hackers "to hack the trunk-line (PBX) of different telecommunication companies including AT&T," the statement said. Revenues from the hacking were deposited into the terrorists' accounts and the hackers received commissions.

In 2007, the FBI arrested Muhammad Zamir, a JI member in Italy. After that, a Saudi national took control of the group and also directed the hacking operation in Manila.

The JI has been responsible for several terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia, including the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people. The group also helped fund the November 2008 terrorist siege in Mumbai. Armed militants from the Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, carried out the attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

Another Philippine-based group called the "Jamaat Al-Tawhid Wal Jihad in the Philippines" recently announced its loyalty to al-Qaida's mission and all of its various branches, in videos released to the Shumukh al-Islam forum.

"We demand that you [al-Qaida] help us and equip us in the way of jihad for the sake of Allah, as there is no way to restore the Islamic caliphate and the glory of Islam, to repel the enemies of Islam, and to liberate our lands from the infidel scum other than the way of jihad and of swords drawn for the sake of Allah," leader Abu Jihad al-Luzini stated.

"We urgently need experts in explosives and in weapons manufacture like our brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan," another leader said in a second video.

Egyptian Rally Features Repeated Calls for Killing Jews

Calls to "one day kill all Jews" were among a series of threats and taunts made during a rally Friday joined by leaders of Egypt's Muslims Brotherhood at Cairo's most respected Sunni mosque.

The rally, coming as the Brotherhood is poised to gain parliamentary control in Egyptian elections this week, was in protest of the anniversary 1947 United Nations Partition Plan that led to Israel's establishment the following year.

Video posted online shows hundreds of people at the Al-Azhar mosque chanted "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews. The Army of Muhammad is right here." That is a taunt invoking a 7^th Century victory by Muhammad's army over the Jews.

Israeli journalist Eldad Beck was present at the rally and wrote an eyewitness account for Ynet News.

"Muslim Brotherhood spokesmen, as well as Palestinian guest speakers, made explicit calls for Jihad and for liberating the whole of Palestine," Beck wrote. "Time and again, a Koran quote vowing that 'one day we shall kill all the Jews' was uttered at the site. Meanwhile, businessmen in the crowd were urged to invest funds in Jerusalem in order to prevent the acquisition of land and homes by Jews.

"Throughout the event, Muslim Brotherhood activists chanted: 'Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, judgment day has come.'"

The mosque is a part of Al-Azhar University, the Jerusalem Post reports, and is considered among the most influential centers of Sunni thought in the world.

An Egyptian news account omitted the genocidal calls against Jews, but cited Brotherhood leader Essam El-Erian saying Al-Azhar organized the event along with the Union of Muslim Scholars. Brotherhood members were invited and participated, El-Erian said.

That article cited another chant by rally participants: "Islam regains its pride or we die as martyrs."

Such violent rhetoric should not come as a surprise to those who have followed the behavior of Brotherhood leaders over the years. The Union of Muslim Scholars, El-Erian said helped organize the event, is led by Brotherhood spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

He has prayed for a chance to kill a Jew before he dies. And, in a 2009 sermon described in a U.S. diplomatic cable, he condemned Jews for spreading "corruption in the land" and called for Allah to "count their numbers and kill them, down to the very last one."

Yemen President Agrees to Step Down

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has signed an agreement assuring his resignation in 30 days, making him the fourth leader toppled by the Arab Spring. However, the deal has been rejected by many protesters and does not restore central government control over several breakaway provinces, particularly those facing an al-Qaida insurrection.

The Gulf initiative envisions Saleh turning over rule to his vice president in return for immunity from prosecution for corruption and the killing of hundreds of protesters during recent months of civil conflict. The new president would form a unity government with opposition figures and hold elections with 90 days. The plan also begins two years of amending the constitution, working to restore security, and a "national dialogue on the country's future," CBS reports.

Some protesters appear to be rejecting any deal, including this plan, because it ignores the "blood of martyrs" and corruption over Saleh's 33-year rule. Others are celebrating the "flight of the tyrant." Meanwhile, the security situation around the country continues to deteriorate. Shiite Iran-backed rebels in the north have seized control over two or three provinces in the north, and Islamist separatists in the south have fought alongside al-Qaida to form a new fundamentalist Islamist government.

Although Yemen is a resource-poor and underdeveloped country, chaos in the nation could have effects all over Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.

U.S. Designates Lebanese al-Qaida Spinoff Member

The State Department has designated a leading member of Lebanon's al-Qaida spinoff organization for his involvement in terrorist attacks, but has not yet designated the organization. Ibrahim Suleiman Hamad Al-Hablain (also known as Abu Jabal) of Lebanon's Abdullah Azzam Brigade (AAB) was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Tuesday.

The designation of Al-Hablain "demonstrate[s] the United States' resolve in eliminating AAB's ability to execute violent attacks," the State Department said. It connected the designation to the group's involvement in July 2010 bombing of a Japanese oil tanker, an attack for which it claimed responsibility, and for firing rockets into Israel.

According to the Violent Extremism Knowledge Base, AAB coalesced in 2009 under the leadership of Saleh al-Qar'awi, a Saudi who fought with Iraqi insurgency in 2004. The group is made up largely of Palestinians living in southern Lebanese refugee camps and is said to be active mostly in the Sinai Peninsula.

Among AAB's many attacks were the April 2009 firing of rockets into the Israeli town of Nahariya; an August 2005 failed attempt to strike U.S. warships in Jordan's Aqaba port; the July 2005 bombing of a Sinai resort which killed 67 people and would more than 200; and, the October 2004 truck bombing of a Hilton hotel that killed 34 and wounded 120. The group was suspected in the bombing of Italian peacekeepers in May, but AAB denied involvement.

Despite the group's similar ideology, al-Qaida-linked leadership, and successful attacks, al-Qaida has not mentioned it as a formal branch of its organization. AAB recently praised the "blessed Syrian revolution" and stated that "the Jihadist groups that work in ash-Sham [the Levant] countries and Sinai must increase their attacks on the Jewish state and its interests," reports Evan Kohlmann's Flashpoint Intel.

U.S. Passport Holder Detonates in Pakistan

A suspected terrorist blew himself up Saturday during a raid mounted by Pakistani police on suspected militants in the southern Pakistani town of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers said that "documents used for acts of terrorism were also recovered" from the man's possession.

The U.S. embassy gave no comment on whether Saeed Abdul Salam was an American citizen, but the Rangers' statement said that he had traveled to many countries with an American passport. Tests confirmed that Salam died from the explosion of a hand grenade, but none of his four children were wounded in the attack.

Militant groups like al-Qaida have increased their presence in southern Pakistan. However, American and other Islamist militants from the West have moved primarily to lawless areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The area is also suspected to be the hideout of Adam Gadahn, an English-language propagandist for al-Qaida forces headquartered in the region.

Bill Seeks Terror Designation for Flotilla Groups

A bill introduced in Congress would ask Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to submit a report determining whether organizations that participated in a failed flotilla to Gaza in July should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

The bill, offered last month by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 12 others, notes that a United Nations investigation into a previous flotilla effort says that Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza is legal. "Israel's blockade [on Gaza] is acknowledged by the United States as necessary and legal given Hamas' control of Gaza, intention to secure greater weaponry for aggressive purposes and open desire to destroy Israel," the bill says.

Greece prohibited the departure of Freedom Flotilla II to the Gaza Strip this summer. The bill also asks that the State Department report "express support and gratitude" to Greece for thwarting the flotilla.

"Recent past history has suggested that the sole intent of the flotillas is to provoke an Israeli military response in the international waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea," the bill says. The first flotilla in May 2010 was organized by a coalition of international organizations including the Islamist Turkish organization IHH and the Free Gaza Movement. Nine passengers died after leaders of the IHH-owned Mavi Marmara ship launched a premeditated attack on Israeli commandos who tried to enforce the blockade on Gaza. Commandos boarded the ship following repeated warnings, and were immediately attacked by knives, axes, hammers and other weapons.

The CIA and U.S. Treasury Department have determined IHH and the Free Gaza Movement "have known terrorist ties," the bill says.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism has documented IHH's extensive terrorist ties. In July 2010, a spokesman said State is considering designating IHH as a terrorist organization.

Organizers of the summer flotilla admitted that their efforts were not simply humanitarian but "about freedom for Palestinians in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories." In November, two boats that were part of the flotilla departed Turkey in another failed attempt to reach the Gaza Strip. Huwaida Arraf, the board chair of the Free Gaza Movement said last month that "we will keep coming, wave after wave, by air, sea, and land, to challenge Israel's illegal policies towards Gaza and all of Palestine. Our movement will not stop or be stopped until Palestine is free."

Israeli Drones May Target Iranian Nuke Sites

Israel has been developing a plan to use electronic warfare in a military operation against Iranian nuclear sites, Eli Lake reports in The Daily Beast. The U.S. military's Joint Warfare Analysis Center (JWAC) has discovered a weakness in Iran's electrical grid, a retired senior military officer said, and Israel now is able to shut down parts of the Iranian command structure that rely on the Internet.

An Israeli preemptive strike would likely rely on unmanned aerial vehicles known as Herons and Eitans, some of which can fly for 45 consecutive hours. The drones would be working with the "Sky Crows" - an Israeli air force unit devoted exclusively to electronic warfare.

"I think Israel has the capabilities with their air force and mid-air refueling to take on these sites," said Fred Fleitz, a former House Intelligence Committee staffer.

Israel "would have to take out radar and anti-aircraft [weapons]. They could also attack with missiles and their drone fleet," added Fleitz, who retired this year as the panel's senior Republican staffer handling Iran issues.

A senior Israeli official said the Israelis wanted to persuade Iranian leaders that a military strike against their nuclear facilities was a serious possibility.

"The only known way to stop a nuclear program is to have smashing sanctions with a credible military threat," a senior Israeli official told Lake. Libya, where veteran dictator Muammar Gaddafi agreed to give up his nuclear program following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, is "the best example of this," the official said.

In an effort to head off an Israeli military strike, President Obama formed a standing committee on Iran with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to share intelligence and check the progress of sanctions. Despite this, U.S. and Israeli officials say Netanyahu "has refused to give any assurance to Obama or his top cabinet advisers that he would inform or ask permission before launching an attack on Iran" that would spur the regime to retaliate by launching terrorist attacks on the United States.

Netanyahu's reluctance may come from the experience of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. In 2007, he asked the United States to bomb a covert Syrian nuclear facility. President Bush refused, so Israel bombed the site.

"When Netanyahu came into office, the understanding was they will not make the same mistake that Olmert made and ask for something the president might say no to," an Israeli official said. "Better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission."

Read Lake's report here.

Report: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Funneling Drugs to the West

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] is funneling billions of dollars of drugs to the West, according to respected London newspaper The Times. The report shows that despite Iran's zero-tolerance policy against drug smugglers and users, the IRGC is using the drug industry to covertly undermine the West.

"There are several commanders involved in smuggling narcotics. Raw opium or morphine is smuggled in from Afghanistan and developed in labs inside Iran," Sajjad Haghpanah, a former investigator with the IRGC's domestic intelligence division, told the Times. "They work with criminal gangs to move it overseas. They have their own ships, aircraft and haulage companies, everything needed for import and export. Their power is limitless."

Two officials named by the article are already active in the European drug trade, and American sources are cited saying that the organization wants to expand into North America.

The IRGC has been involved in the drug trade for years, said former Iranian diplomat, Abolfasl Eslami, who defected in 2006. The group was motivated by both a desire to fund the militia independently and to destroy the West. Elsami said he was present at a drug destruction operation carried out in front of United Nations inspectors. Afterward, he asked Republican Guard officials if they had really destroyed all the drugs. The IRGC leaders laughed, saying the "drugs would f*** up the sons and daughters of the West. We should kill them. Their lives are worth less because they are not Muslims."

The IRGC has also recently been implicated in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States and to bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington. Iran has vociferously denied any connection to the plot, although a Saudi newspaper claims that the Iranian foreign minister has admitted it.

Two Extradited from Romania in Hizballah Sting

Two men arrested in Romania on charges they conspired to provide various forms of support to Hizballah have been extradited to New York to face the charges, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Siavosh Henareh of Iran and Cetin Aksu from Turkey were arrested in Bucharest in July as part of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) narco-terrorism sting operation. A third person, Bachar Wehbe, was detained in the Maldives following an international red alert issued by Interpol.

According to the indictment, Henareh held a series of meetings with confidential DEA sources in several countries, including Turkey, Romania, and Greece, where he agreed to import hundreds of kilograms of high-quality heroin into the United States. Henareh allegedly knew the profits from would be used to buy weapons for Hizballah, the indictment said.

The confidential sources later met with two of Henareh's associates, Aksu and Wehbe. During meetings held in Romania, Cyprus, Malaysia, and elsewhere, Aksu and Wehbe agreed to buy $9.5 million worth of Stinger missiles, AK-47 assault rifles, and other weapons. The defendants made a $100,000 down payment for the weapons purchase that included a $50,000 wire transfer to an undercover bank account. Wehbe told the DEA informants that he was purchasing the weapons under instruction from Hizballah.

The defendants face life in prison if convicted on the charges.

"[T]his case provides fresh evidence of the growing nexus between drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and terrorists, a nexus with the potential to threaten our national security," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

A DEA sting during the summer interdicted an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington. In that case, an Iranian-American helped arrange a $100,000 down payment for the attack from Iranian officials to what he thought was a representative of a Mexican drug cartel.

Iran Training Palestinians with New Missiles

Israeli military officials believe Palestinian terrorists have traveled to Iran for training with sophisticated Russian-made antitank missiles, the Jerusalem Post reports. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have acquired hundreds of longer range missiles, which can travel more than four kilometers and penetrate many types of armored Israeli vehicles.

Hamas used the first advanced missiles in January 2009, but their use was limited due to a lack of training, the Post reports, citing a senior military source. Since then, Hamas has acquired additional supplies, including transfers of Syrian arms purchased directly from Russia and via black market smuggling, and its operatives have undergone Iranian training.

Israeli forces discovered the full force of the Hamas' new range earlier this year, when a rocket was fired at an Israeli school bus from nearly three kilometers away. The attack killed 16-year-old student Daniel Viflic and injured the bus driver, and showed Hamas ability to hit distant targets despite difficult firing conditions.

Hamas also is believed to have acquired large caches of Libyan weapons, particularly surface-to-air missiles, since the fall of Dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The weapons have been used to enhance Hamas' ability to strike Israeli helicopters and aircraft, one of Israel's primary means of eliminating terrorist firing mortars from Gaza into Israeli town.

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