American al-Shabaab Commander Alive

American al-Shabaab commander Omar Hammami has released two new recordings in defiance of reports that he was killed in an anti-terror offensive in Somalia on March 8. One recording, "Send me a Cruise [missile]," mocks American drone attacks and wishes for quick martyrdom.

"Send me a cruise [missile], with a couple of TAMS [missiles], and a predator drone, with a paradise missile," the refrain goes. Omar Hammami, also known as Abu Mansour al Amriki, chimes in that it isn't "do or die, it's do or paradise, victory in this life or forever the lie." He also expresses hope that he will receive the same death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, both terrorist leaders killed by U.S. military action in recent years.

"There is nothing as sweet as the taste of a tank shell, but it might compare to being where the mortar fell," he sang, hoping that his "family rejoices" at his decision "and follows me in what I do." However, Hammami's southern Baptist mother in Daphne, Alabama is hoping that he will turn his back on terror. "We're just hoping and praying that he will come to see things differently," she said. "It's just God and a lot of prayers."

Hammami's rap song, which features no music as per the tradition of traditional Islamic 'nasheeds,' has been one of the tools that the senior al-Shabaab recruiter has used to draw young expatriates back to Somalia. Recently, several young Somali Canadians, including the first recorded case of recruitment of young women, traveled to Somalia to fight for the organization.

Palestinian Authority Honors Killer of Elderly Jews

The Palestinian Authority has honored the terrorist responsible for the "Passover Massacre," a 2002 bombing of Netanya's Park Hotel that killed more than 30 mostly elderly Israelis attending a Seder. The Israeli government is terming the "gift" from its Palestinian counterpart as "a bizarre and troubling way to mark the upcoming Jewish holiday of festival of Passover."

"Despite an often voiced Palestinian commitment to end the glorification of terrorists and incitement to violence," Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs Issa Karake on March 28 gave the family of Hamas terrorist Abbas Al-Sayed "an official, festive plaque, in celebration of the anniversary of the massacre," said the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Al-Sayed had planned the Park Hotel bombing down to the minutest details, the statement added, helping bomber Abdel-Basset Odeh check his explosives, write a will, and make his 'martyrdom' video.

It is the latest, and perhaps most disturbing, example in a Palestinian campaign of honoring terrorists. Days before saluting Al-Sayed, Palestinian Media Watch reported, Karake honored female suicide bombers to mark International Women's Day and Mother's Day. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad also saluted female terrorists who aided or participated in suicide bombings on local radio.

That afternoon, he condemned a bombing that had just occurred at a Jerusalem bus stop, saying that such "shameful" attacks in the past had caused "heavy damage" on the Palestinian cause.

Sporting events and social events are also frequently named after suicide bombers, such as a March 31^st soccer tournament and a March 30^th karate championship.

Palestinian TV has also glorified suicide bombing. Several broadcasts in 2010 saw mothers of suicide bombers praising the action of their children and calling for more attacks. On September 24, 2010, a channel linked to the governing Fatah party featured an interview with the mother of a 'martyr.' "If I were young and could bear children who would fight the way my children fought, and another generation of my children could arise, I would do it," she stated. An April interview for the same station featured a mother saying that her "glory and honor is that my son is a Shahid [martyr]."

The promotion of violence on official television stations reflects its popularity in Palestinian culture. A recent poll by the Palestinian Authority's daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, found that 32% of Palestinians supported the March 11^th murder of a settler family. The terrorist slit the throats of a baby, small children, and their parents.

New Palestinian Jihadi Media Group

Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'l Jihad fi Bayt al-Maqdis, a Gazan Palestinian organization based on al-Qaida's global jihad, has taken created its own media organization. The Jama'at has set itself up as an alternative to nationalist organizations like Hamas, and is using the new "Organization of al-Jihad for Media Production" to further al-Qaida's goal of war with Israel.

"In this period of time where the hostility of the people of disbelief has intensified to the Muslims, they took up their flags and focused on the destruction of this religion and the division of its people. They broadcast corrupt and false approaches like secularism, democracy, and [Arab] nationalism, inciting on the guardians of Allah, the mujahideen," explained the group in an Arabic statement on the formation of its media wing. "In the shade of this fierce offensive on the people of the Sunnah w'al Jama'ah, it is our obligation to establish the Organization of al-Jihad for Media Production."

The group claims four goals with the new project: Broadcasting its view that Allah's religion should dominate; planting the idea of al-Wala' wal-Bara' - the love of Muslims and hate of disbelievers; informing about the actions of the mujahideen, encouraging others to fight for terror on the 'enemies of Allah'; and, publishing the biographies of those who give up their lives.

These goals are consistent with its past actions, according to information published by the blog "Views from the Occident." Last August, the Jama'at issued statements condemning the nationalist group Hamas; called for the murder a Shia cleric in September; released a tape in November about freeing Palestinian prisoners; and published the first part of a book outlining their ideology of Jihadi Da'wa, calling people to al-Qaida's transnational war on the Jews and the Americans.

Groups based on al-Qaida's transnational jihad have been making slow and uneven gains on traditional terrorist groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Jihad, according to "Views from the Occident." Membership remains fluid and al-Qaida-style organizations are a small part of Palestinian terror. Hamas also crushed Jund Ansar Allah, a group that took up weapons against Hamas last August.

Treasury Designates Libyan Leadership

The U.S. Treasury Department designated five senior Libyan government officials Friday along with two entities owned or controlled by Dictator Muammar Gaddafi's children.

Those targeted include Gaddafi's chief of staff Tohami Khaled, Prime Minister Ali al-Mahmoudi Al Baghdadi, a Gaddafi confidant: oil minister Shukri Ghanem; and Bashir Saleh, head of Libya's Internal Security Service.

"We will continue to expose and impose sanctions on senior Libyan government officials who choose to remain at Qadhafi's side," Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said in a statement. "They have a choice to make, and we will make that choice as stark as possible."

Last month, Treasury designated Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa and 16 major entities owned or controlled by the Libyan government. When Koussa defected, he was removed from the list in hopes it might serve as an incentive for others to follow.

Designations freeze the assets of those targeted and make it illegal for people in the United States to engage in any transactions with them.

The two entities designated Friday – the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation and the Waatasemu Charity Association – are controlled by Gaddafi's son Saif and daughter Aisha, respectively.

The moves fall under an executive order President Obama signed in February freezing assets belonging to Gaddafi and his regime after the violent repression of a popular uprising. "To date, more than $34 billion in Government of Libya assets have been frozen," the Treasury statement said.

New Somali Autonomous Region Fights al-Shabaab

Somalia's fragmented state is breaking further, as the United Nations-backed Transitional Federal Government [TFG] agrees to the creation of a new autonomous region on lands taken from the terrorist organization al-Shabaab. While the forming of Jubaland/Azania will isolate and pressure al-Shabaab, it also threatens to spark regional conflict over who is in charge of southern Somalia.

"The idea to create an autonomous region near the Kenyan border is hinged on the reason that it will prevent the movement of al Shabaab extremists within the region," Kenya's Daily Nation reports. Although the borders of the new region are still a question (see this map versus this one), its leaders have vowed to "liberate Jubaland from extremists."

Infiltration by the terrorist organization has been a major concern in neighboring countries and Somalia. For example, leaders of the autonomous Somali region of Puntland have blamed al-Shabaab for political murders and terrorist acts in the town of Galka'yo, north of the territory controlled by the group. The relatively moderate Sufi group Ahlu Sunna Waljama promised to take the fight to al-Shabaab, which has been besieging the civilian population of Gedo, recently liberated by the Sufis.

Kenya, whose towns have felt the effects of al-Shabaab and Somalia's refugee crisis, supports the new region to solve both problems. But Ethiopia and Djibouti, neighbors with sizeable ethnic-Somali populations, are both against "creating autonomies in the war-torn country [which] could inspire further insurgency by other regions or degrade the gains made by the TFG."

Fighting al-Shabaab remains just one of Somalia's issues. President Obama recently issued an order extending U.S. actions against Somali pirates. America's military commander for Africa, General Carter Ham, predicted that the pirates will one day be linked to al-Qaida. Poverty, refugees, and civil war remain endemic, with the borders of al-Shabaab and others entities shifting nearly daily.

My Brother, the Islamist

A new BBC program documents one man's attempt to understand his brother's conversion to radical Islam, changing from Richard to Salahuddin. "My Brother the Islamist" shows how hate breaks apart two siblings, despite filmmaker Robb Leech's effort to find common ground.

Leech discovered the conversion of his stepbrother Richard/Salahuddin through an article in a major British newspaper, finding out that his brother had also become a disciple of British extremist Anjem Choudary. His family was devastated with the suddenness of the decision and the intensity of his beliefs, including Richard/Salahuddin refusing to shake hands with his "dirty kaffir" brother, except with his left hand, which he uses to wipe himself.

"To begin with, when Rich had been a Muslim for just a few months, everything was new to him, as it was to me," Robb Leech said in an article about the documentary. "He was living in a world of perpetual fear, not fully knowing what he was permitted to do and say and what was forbidden in accordance with strict Islamist rulings."

Yet, Richard never fully emerges from the perspective of fiery convert, a reality that Leech is forced to accept. Richard identifies with al-Qaida, the imposition of strict Sharia law on the world, and the 9/11 attacks, all part and parcel of Choudary's take on Islam. He also pulls another young man named Ben, or Ahsan after his conversion, down the same path towards extremism.

Ben starts off with strong but uneasy views, living with his mother who embarrasses him by waving him off at the train station when he is on his way to visit his Islamist "brothers." He tries to fit in with the extremists, but in the end admits that he is not totally convinced that Choudary and his followers have a monopoly on heaven. He may not reject radicalism, but he doesn't discard his relationship with his mom either.

"The one thing that hasn't changed with Rich is his sense of humor, but I'm soon reminded of the Islamist he has become," Leech concludes the documentary.

"I'm still no nearer to understanding why Rich was drawn to fundamental Islam. There seems to be no single moment, no great epiphany, just the gradual accumulation of years living in a world that he doesn't feel a part of. He was looking for answers to the big questions in life. Now he's found them, along with a set of rules that he believes will save his soul. But his salvation has come at a high price for me and my family."

Arrests Thwart Jerusalem Terror Plot

Israeli authorities say they have arrested five East Jerusalem men who were plotting a shooting attack similar to one in 2008 that killed eight yeshiva students.

The plot was financed by Hamas, which helped supply weapons, the Shin Bet said. That includes money transfers to buy an M-16 rifle, handguns and explosives. All five suspects reportedly have relatives in Hamas.

One of the conspirators built a pipe bomb that he intended to plant at a bus stop. But when one of his accomplices was arrested, he ditched the bomb in a trash bag let on a roadside. It detonated when a city worker went to pick it up, maiming him.

In March 2008, a gunman opened fire inside the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, killing eight students and wounding nine more.

The arrests began in February, but details about the case were kept sealed until Thursday when the suspects appeared in court.

Also Thursday, two people were injured – including a 16-year-old in critical condition – when an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza hit an Israeli school bus. Israel retaliated by bombing Hamas targets in Gaza

State Department Announces Reward for Top al-Qaida Commander

The U.S. State Department has announced a $5 million reward for information on the whereabouts of top al-Qaida commander Ilyas Kashmiri.

Kashmiri heads al-Qaida's military operations wing and is also the leader of the terrorist group Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami or HuJI ("Movement of Islamic Holy War"). In August 2010, he was designated a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" and his outfit HuJI was labeled a "Foreign Terrorist Organization."

HuJI was behind the suicide attack against the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan in March 2006. The attack killed four people including U.S. diplomat David Foy, and injured several others. In addition, Kashmiri is alleged to be behind the suicide bomb attack on a top CIA base in the eastern Afghan province of Khost in December 2009 that killed at least eight Americans.

Kashmiri figures prominently in two terrorism indictments issued in Chicago. In January 2010, Kashmiri was indicted for his role in a plot to attack the offices of the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten and its employees. The charges were part of a broader indictment against American Lashkar-e-Tayyiba operative David Headley for his role in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people. A separate complaint in March 2010 charged Chicago cab driver and Pakistan native Raja Lahrasib Khan with attempting to funnel money to al-Qaida in Pakistan. The complaint alleged Khan had known Kashmiri for about 15 years and sent money to Kashmiri through an associate in Pakistan.

Israelis Try to Avoid New Flotilla Confrontation

Israeli security officials and the country's foreign ministry have been pressuring the United Nations and some heads of states to stop a planned flotilla from trying to break an Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, Haaretz reports.

The Freedom Flotilla II hopes to reach the Hamas-controlled territory next month, but Israeli military units are likely to intercept it to stop banned goods from reaching Palestinian militants.

A navy commando unit is training for various scenarios, including the possibility of having to again raid a ship that tries to enter Israel's waters by force. Military sources warned that the circumstances of Freedom Flotilla II may be similar to those that of the Mavi Marmara episode of last May.

In that case, approximately 40 extremists tied to the Turkish group IHH were prepared and organized to carry out a violent confrontation with Israel. Commandos were attacked as they tried to board the ship, with some stabbed as passengers tried to take hostages. Nine passengers were killed when the commandos responded with gunfire.

The Islamist IHH group has extensive ties to Hamas, and is under investigation by the U.S. government. IHH is among the leading organizers of Freedom Flotilla II.

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, requesting that he try to stop the planned flotilla. The flotilla is being organized by "extremist Islamic elements whose aim is to create a provocation and bring about a conflagration," Netanyahu told Ban. A UN statement said that Ban "stressed as well as that Israel should take meaningful steps to end the closure of Gaza," and that he "hoped the prime minster would act with wisdom and restraint."

Some Israeli officials are considering relaxing the embargo on Gaza, hoping it would render many arguments by flotilla activists moot, Haaretz reports.

Flotilla organizers are seeking protection from the European Union. On Monday, a French leader of the flotilla said that the group will send letters to top EU officials urging them to threaten Israel with economic sanctions if violence occurs.

Organizers said delegates are expected from Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Philippines, Turkey, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the UK, Italy, France, Ireland and more countries, sailing on approximately 15 boats from a number of ports.

Counterterrorism Suffers, al-Qaida Benefits from Yemen Turmoil

Counterterrorism operations in Yemen "have ground to a halt," and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is the big beneficiary, the New York Times reports. Diplomats and counterterrorism officials say that AQAP (the organization linked to the Fort Hood massacre and the Underwear Bomber's attempted suicide attack on a plane near Detroit) is now able "to operate more freely inside the country and to increase plotting for possible attacks against Europe and the United States," according to the Times.

Even worse, the news comes as American intelligence officials have learned that AQAP officials have increased their planning discussions about another attack. The latest issue of AQAP's Inspire Magazine also reinforces the organization's consistent emphasis on carrying out attacks in the West. "…Killing 10 soldiers in America for example, is much more effective than killing 100 apostates in the Yemeni military," the letters section tells an aspiring jihadist.

In the political tumult surrounding Yemen's embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, many Yemeni troops have abandoned their posts. Others have been withdrawn from outlying provinces and moved to the Sanaa the capital to defend the Saleh regime. AQAP fighters have stepped in to fill the vacuum, and they are being joined by jihadists migrating from Pakistan to join the fight against Saleh.

AQAP and a smaller Islamist group have taken control of Jaar, a town in Yemen's Abyan province that has been a major focus of U.S. and Yemeni counterterrorism efforts. AQAP surrounded a Yemeni military company, forcing it to withdraw because no reinforcements were present. The jihadist organization has declared the province an "Islamic Emirate" and banned women there from going outside.

Saleh's son and three of his nephews are in charge of top security and counterterrorism agencies, several of whom are equipped and trained by Washington. American officials told the Times that if Saleh's relatives were driven out of the government along with the president (who has ruled Yemen since 1978), Yemen's counterterrorism efforts would left to untested officials.

"We have had a lot of counterterrorism cooperation from President Saleh and Yemeni security services," Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said March 27. If "that government collapses or is replaced by one that is dramatically more weak, then I think we'll face some additional challenges out of Yemen. There's no question about it. It's a real problem," he added.

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