Assad Escalates; Opposition Tries a Softer Approach

President Bashar Assad's Syrian government appears to be escalating its intimidation campaign against domestic and foreign critics. Opposition forces say the body of Ibrahim Qashoush, who wrote a popular song calling for the dictator's fall, was found floating in a river last week. His throat had been cut.

Pro-Assad demonstrators - angered by last week's visits by the U.S. and French ambassadors to Hama, an opposition stronghold - attacked and vandalized the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus on Monday.

Rioters breached the walls of both embassy compounds, smashing windows, throwing rocks, and vandalizing cars owned by embassy employees. At the U.S. Embassy, demonstrators waving pictures of the Syrian dictator chanted "We will die for you, Bashar." Protesters threw trash, tomatoes and eggs, replaced the American flag with a Syrian one and attacked U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford's residence. Witnesses said security officers and men wearing riot gear appeared to do nothing to restrain the mobs.

French officials said their ambassador's car was vandalized and the mob tried to use a battering ram to break through the embassy's front doors. Officials said French guards fired three warning shots because of the "passivity" of Syrian military forces in dealing with the rioters.

The violence in Damascus contrasted sharply with the calm in Hama, a city where Syrian security forces dispatched by then-Syrian president Hafez Assad, Bashar's father, massacred tens of thousands of people in 1982. More than 70 people were shot to death in Hama after Friday prayers earlier this month. Government forces withdrew shortly afterward, and Hama residents now govern the city themselves.

When Ford visited Hama on Friday, he was warmly welcomed by residents bearing flowers and olive branches.

"The people in Hama have been demonstrating peacefully for weeks," Ford wrote on his Facebook page after visiting Hama. But Assad, "who promised in his last speech that that there would be no more arrests without judicial process," has broken his word.

"Families in Hama told me of repeated cases where this was not the reality. And I saw no signs of armed gangs anywhere - not at any of the civilian street barricades we passed," he added.

David Schenker of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy praised Ford's visit to Hama as the first "unambiguous" demonstration of Obama Administration support for the Syrian opposition. But Schenker (who previously served as the Pentagon's top policy official dealing with the Arab countries of the Levant) said the move would be regarded as mere free-lancing by Ford unless it is part of an overall tougher approach in which Washington makes clear it regards the Assad regime as "no longer legitimate, if it ever was."

Court Rules Israeli Terror Victims Can Sue Bank of China

A New York Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of a group of Israeli terror victims in a lawsuit against the Bank of China on Friday, allowing the case to move forward. The 84 plaintiffs allege that the Bank of China provided wire transfers to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in 2006 and 2007 that helped the groups launch terrorist bombings and rocket attacks against Israelis.

The ruling in the "Almaliakh action," named after Emil Almaliakh, an Eilat resident killed in a suicide bombing in 2007, is a "huge precedent," according to Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an attorney with the Israel Law Center (Shurat HaDin), which helped in filing the suit.

"Usually, US citizens have the right to file lawsuits in the US courts against terror organizations and organizations that sponsor terror," Darshan-Leitner said. "In this suit, we made use of old laws that allow non-US citizens to also sue [in the US courts] in the case of terrorism."

Both PIJ and Hamas have been designated terrorist organizations by the United States since 1997.

The account at issue belongs to Said al-Shurafa, who is alleged to be a senior operative of Hamas and PIJ. Shurafa allegedly received several million dollars to the account from the groups' leadership in Syria and Iran. The plaintiffs say he then transferred the money to Gaza and the West Bank "for the purpose of planning, preparing for and executing terrorist attacks."

Despite warnings from the counterterrorism division of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office in April 2005 that the money was being used to finance terror attacks, the Bank of China continued to send wire transfers to the two terrorist groups.

The Bank of China fought to have the case dismissed, according to Darshan-Leitner. The bank argued that the case should be tried in China, which does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist group.

But Justice Barbara Kapnick rejected the bank's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. "The Bank of China will now have to provide us with details of all bank transactions, basically everything that went through the accounts," Darshan-Leitner said.

That information, she predicted, will prove "that the money came from Syria and was transferred to Hamas."

Al-Qaida's North Africa Affiliate Swears Allegiance to New Leader

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) declared its allegiance to al Qaida's new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on Thursday, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). In an interview released by AQIM's media wing Al-Andalus, Sheikh Abu 'Ubayda Yousef Al-'Annabi, who is a member of the group's Sharia Council, swore his allegiance to Zawahiri on behalf of AQIM, asserting that the group is prepared and dedicated to carrying out its new leader's commands.

AQIM is the North Africa affiliate of al-Qaida that formally declared its allegiance to al Qaida in 2003 and officially merged with it in 2006.

AQIM's declaration follows a similar pledge made by the Somali jihad organization al-Shabaab, which praised Zawahiri's appointment in a statement on June 20, and urged other jihadi group's to follow suit.

Flotilla Fizzles

A flotilla slated to sail to Gaza with the goal of breaking the Israeli naval blockade on the Hamas-controlled region has been abandoned following technical setbacks and diplomatic hurdles.

On Thursday, flotilla organizers decided to send home most of the activists who were hoping to sail from Athens. Approximately 300 people, mostly from North America and Europe, have been in Greece for nearly two weeks. They tried to fight a Greek ban issued last Friday which prohibited any ships from setting sail to Gaza, but found little success.

The remaining activists in Greece are working to get their boats released from authorities, according to flotilla organizer Huwaida Arraf. "We had planned on launching Freedom Flotilla 2 with a certain time frame and weren't able to do it within the time frame, so a lot of people are going home and we are strategizing and planning," Arraf said.

Last year's Freedom Flotilla led to the death of nine activists on the Mavi Marmara boat, which is owned by the Turkish group IHH, after activists incited a violent confrontation with Israeli commandos. Israel was surprised by the level of violence it encountered and conducted an investigation into the raid, clearing its commandos of blame. The country invested significant time and resources to prevent another flotilla-related disaster and launched a successful diplomatic campaign to stop the second flotilla from sailing.

The United Nations, European Union, United States, Britain, Canada, France, Greece, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Middle East Quartet all discouraged the flotilla from sailing, noting that there are established legal channels for which aid to Gaza can be delivered.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month that the flotilla is not "useful or helpful or productive to the people of Gaza." "The United States is a very generous donor to the Palestinian people who are unfortunately the victims of the decisions made over the past years by Hamas," she added.

Around the same time the second flotilla turned into a fiasco, activists in an "aerial flotilla" began arriving into Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport declaring their destination is Palestine. On Friday, police diverted two passenger aircrafts that landed, detaining at least 60 activists for questioning. Six activists were arrested after causing a disturbance in the arrival areas of a terminal. "Every country has the basic right to prevent the infiltration of provocateurs into its territory," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.

Aspiring Jihadi Convicted

Aspiring jihadist Betim Kaziu has been convicted in New York court of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit murder, and other terrorism-related charges. His around-the-world trip for jihad, during which he tried to join numerous terrorist organizations, could end with a life sentence.

The plot by Kaziu and his childhood friend Sulejah Hadzovic, who were both first generation Americans, descended with Macedonian roots, was born out a desire to avenge the deaths of Muslims at the hands of American forces.

"We were upset at what was happening in places like Abu Gharaib prison and Guantanamo Bay, how they were humiliating and torturing Muslims there. ... It's what ultimately made us want to go and fight in jihad," Hadzovic told the court. He also told jurors that he could no longer stay in the United States because "being a Muslim, we're stereotyped and somebody sees somebody with a beard, they automatically label him a terrorist."

Similar motivations have been behind a string of homegrown terrorist plots, including the recent arrest of a Seattle man charged with plotting to attack a military processing center.

Kaziu and Hadzovic left the United States for Egypt after hearing speeches by American al-Qaida ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki and subscribing to a radical form of Islam. In Cairo, they tried to determine which branch of al-Qaida they wanted to join, until Hadzovic wavered. President Obama's 2009 Cairo speech, which extended a hand to the Muslim world, shook his confidence in the idea of taking up arms to defend Muslims.

Hadzovic soon returned to the United States, but Kaziu continued with his plan to join al-Qaida. After being turned down by several branches of the organization, Kaziu traveled to Albania and Kosovo, where he was arrested. Meanwhile, Hadzovic agreed to testify against his childhood friend in exchange for a lesser sentence.

"The defendant desired to wage jihad," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Kazemi said in his closing argument. "He never intended to return to the United States. He hoped to die a martyr."

Indictment Unsealed on FBI Most Wanted Hizballah Man

Federal prosecutors have unsealed a two-year-old indictment against Faouzi Ayoub, a Lebanese-born man wanted in America for passport fraud committed as part of an attempted terrorist act.

An FBI spokeswoman said that the indictment was unsealed because Ayoub was added to the FBI's Most Wanted List. Ayoub's page on the list describes him as 44 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, and speaks English and Arabic.

Ayoub, a former resident of Dearborn, Mich., entered Israel on October 8, 2000, discarding his Canadian documents and using a false American passport bearing the name Frank Mariano Boschi, the indictment alleges. His entry was connected with a Hizballah plot to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets. He was also suspected of instructing Palestinian extremists in bomb-making techniques in the West Bank.

Ayoub was captured in 2002 in the West Bank, first by the Palestinian Authority and later during an Israeli counterterrorism raid. "I came here, I came as a volunteer to do one operation as a volunteer," he testified during his time in an Israeli prison. He claimed his attack was motivated by faith, saying, "Islam says that anyone who is oppressed has a right to protect themselves." He also said it was "tough luck" if innocents died during his action.

He was later released from Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal, which saw Israel release 436 Palestinian and Lebanese terrorists in exchange for drug dealer Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers.

The terror attack was not Ayoub's first. He was sentenced to seven years by a Romanian court following a failed hijacking attempt in 1986, according to journalist Stewart Bell's book, Cold Terror. Ayoub only served 10 months, and returned to Lebanon to rejoin Hizballah. The plane was hijacked by other Hizballah terrorists the next day. More than 60 people died after grenades went off on board and the plane crashed in a Saudi Arabian desert.

Fort Hood Shooter Could Face Death Penalty

The U.S. Army major charged with the 2009 Fort Hood shootings will have a military trial and face the death penalty if convicted, according to a decision by the commanding general at the Texas army base.

A 40-year-old Muslim army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Hassan allegedly went on a deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009. He is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

Lieutenant General Donald Campbell's decision to approve the case for a court-martial came after he assessed "all matters submitted by defense counsel" as well as the advice of an investigating officer. Campbell's examination led him to "consider death as an authorized punishment."

Hassan's trial will be scheduled once a military judge is assigned to the case. Hassan will first need to appear at an arraignment, but it is unclear when this will take place.

Hassan's lead attorney, John Galligan, asked Campbell in May not to seek the death penalty, but Galligan told the Associated Press on Wednesday "I believe the army as an institution has long been planning to go this route."

Two army colonels who had previously examined the case had recommended that Hassan be court-martialed and face capital punishment.

Galligan has refused to say whether he will pursue an insanity defense for Hasan and to share the results of a military mental health panel's evaluation of Hasan. In January, this panel, known as the "sanity board," found that Hassan was sane and fit to stand trial.

The FBI alleges that Hassan had contacts with the American-born Islamic cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, who is currently a leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and considered to be a serious threat to the United States.

U.S. lawmakers have voiced their disapproval of the Pentagon's handling of Hassan's case and particularly how it ignored warning signs of the suspect's increasing radicalization.

In February, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, an independent, and the panel's top Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, issued a report criticizing the Pentagon and the FBI for failing to respond to warnings from Hasan's colleagues that the psychiatrist was "a ticking time bomb."

Senior Shabaab Member Indicted in New York

A senior member of the al-Shabaab terrorist organization has been indicted in New York, after spending months providing "valuable information" to U.S. intelligence agencies. The intelligence shows close links between al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Somalia's al-Shabaab, including passing weapons and bomb-making knowledge between the two groups.

Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame was indicted Tuesday on nine terrorism counts, including providing material support to AQAP and al-Shabaab, weapons charges related to terrorist acts, and instructing others in making explosives. Warsame was captured in the Gulf region by U.S. forces on April 19^th and questioned for two months. Following his debriefing, Warsame was read his Miranda rights and questioned by U.S. law enforcement for several days, resulting in his indictment.

"As alleged, Ahmed Warsame was a conduit between al Shabaab and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- two deadly terrorist organizations -- providing material support and resources to them both," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a press release. "Capturing and bringing Warsame to justice is a body blow to any al Qaeda affiliate that aspires to fill the vacuum of a diminished al Qaeda central," said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

AQAP has deepened its relationship with al-Shabaab, which is recognized as an affiliate of the global al-Qaida movement. The Somali terrorist organization shipped dozens of troops to help AQAP's war on the Yemeni government, and to evacuate al-Shabaab forces from embattled positions in south Somalia.

The passing of bomb-making information from AQAP to al-Shabaab raises additional concerns, particularly in light of AQAP's sophisticated use of difficult to track explosive materials and mails bombs. A recent threat of mail bombings by an al-Qaida web forum also heightens concern about al-Shabaab's new abilities.

Gaza Flotilla Prevented From Sailing

Greece has prohibited a Gaza-bound flotilla from embarking on its mission to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory.

On Friday, the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection issued a statement saying that ships flying Greek or foreign flags heading to Gaza would be prevented from setting sail.

In defiance of the ban and in spite of warnings from the U.S. government, an American ship, dubbed The Audacity of Hope, left a Greek port on Friday. The ship was intercepted by the Greek Coast and its captain, John Klusmire, was arrested. Klusmire was charged with the felony of endangering sea traffic and the lives of passengers, and misdemeanor counts of violating port authority orders and sailing without a permit.

On Monday, Klusmire's passengers started an open-ended fast in front of the American embassy in Athens to demand that the U.S. government pressure Greece to free their captain and allow their boat to sail. Klusmire was released from detention Tuesday and is scheduled to face trial at a later date.

In a similar scenario, the Canadian-flagged Boat, the Tahrir, tried to leave a port in Crete Monday without permission. The Greek coast guard also stopped this ship and arrested three of its delegates. Two Canadians were released Tuesday. The boat has passengers from Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and Turkey.

The Greek government offered on Sunday to send the flotilla's humanitarian aid to Gaza with Greek diplomats under the supervision of the United Nations. Israel agreed to the offer, as did Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Flotilla organizers released a statement Tuesday saying they have not been contacted about the proposition, which in any case "is insufficient as it shows collusion with Israel's blockade as well as a complete disregard for Palestinian human rights, reducing the issue of Gaza and Palestine as a whole to one of humanitarian aid."

Organizers have acknowledged that their mission is not about providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement and flotilla organizer Huwaida Arraf said in a recent interview that the flotilla "is not about aid, this is about Palestinian human rights, this is about liberation, and there are no established channels for liberation except ending Israel's occupation and illegal policies."

Of the approximately 10 ships that have been blocked from leaving Greece, only a French boat managed to slip passed Greek authorities on Tuesday and sail toward Gaza.

In addition to the sea flotilla, approximately 700 pro-Palestinian activists, mostly Europeans, have decided to stage an "aerial flotilla," flying into Ben Gurion International Airport and declaring their destination is Palestine. The "Welcome to Palestine" fly-in is backed by 40 Palestinian NGOs and is scheduled to take place July 8-16.

Israeli Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Tuesday that the police have prepared for various scenarios and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Ahronovitch stated emphatically that "Israel won't allow... hooligans to infiltrate by air."

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Releases Indictments

Six years after the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the U.N.'s Special Tribunal for Lebanon has finally released confidential indictments to Lebanon's judicial system. The Tribunal's decision has tightened the thumb screws on Hizballah and Syria, who have been heavily implicated in the indictments.

"Today, we stand before a new fact that requires a rational and reasonable approach; we put our country's higher interest, civil peace, national unity, and concern to know the truth above anything else," Lebanon's sitting Prime Minister Nijab Miqati was quoted saying on Hizballah's al-Manar news site. "We should act responsibly with the event. No matter what the source of these indictments is, these are not verdicts, and accusations require solid evidences that include no doubt. The accused is innocent until proven guilty."

Leaked names from the indictment are: Mustafa Badreddine, the man responsible for many of Hizballah's biggest foreign and domestic attacks, Salim Ayyash, who headed the cell that carried out the assassination; Hasan Aineysseh; and, Assad Sabra. The document follows the April 2009 release of four generals who were being held for their assumed role in the attack. It also confirms two of the names found in Der Spiegel's May 2009 article, which was supposedly based on leaked sources.

Hizballah has previously rejected the Tribunal, although the group's al-Manar website did not carry any direct statements about their reaction to the recent indictments. "We absolutely reject accusing any Hezbollah member of the killing of Hariri," Nasrallah said last year. "We will not accept any indictment to anyone in Hezbollah." In August 2010, Hizballah blamed Israel for the killing.

But analysts are saying this will be a big hit for Hizballah and its regional sponsor, Syria. "I think the Syrian regime is facing an existential crisis, one I believe it will lose," said Beirut journalist Michael Young. "[T]he pro-Syrian government in Beirut will have a tough domestic and international fight as it struggles to deal with the (tribunal's) indictments, and Hezbollah is facing enough worries with the situation in Syria."

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