Prosecutors: Chesser's Threats will Outlast his 25-Year Sentence

A Virginia man who converted to Islam will serve 25 years in prison for trying to provide material support to the al-Shabaab terrorist group. He also admits issuing threats against the producers of "South Park," and anyone who participated in "Everyone Draw Muhammad Day" online.

Zachary Chesser, 21, faced up to 30 years in prison. He expressed remorse for his crimes during a sentencing hearing Thursday morning.

Writing under the name Talhah al-Amrikee, he tried to solicit people to kill the Danish cartoonist who drew caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

In an especially forceful sentencing memorandum, prosecutors argued that the damage from Chesser's terrorist support activity will haunt his victims for the rest of their lives and cannot be undone by any change of heart.

"Chesser marked them for death for engaging in free expression that he found insulting as well," prosecutors wrote."These victims included a teenager in Mississippi and a young man from Texas depicted in a photo with his parents and a brother, along with the address of his 'possible church/school.' As Chesser pointed out for the killers in his audience on the Ansar Al Jihad Network, 'Just a place to start.'"

He also encouraged people to leave suspicious packages in public places in hopes law enforcement became desensitized to their presence. Then, real bombs could be planted without being detected.
His actions were "part of a consistent and longstanding course of conduct that included exhorting others to raise children to support al-Qaeda, help the mujahideen and fight against 'disbelievers,'" the prosecution memo said, in addition to distributing speeches of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in which he cited religious justification for killing people who insult Muhammad.

Chesser's threats, like those which came before him, cannot be erased. Nor can the chilling effect his actions have on public debate about radical Islam and terrorism. "As a result," the memo said, "the people whose murders Chesser solicited will always be marked as enemies of Islam and targets for those who seek to gain entrance to heaven by killing one - - and this is true regardless of whether Chesser is sincerely remorseful now or becomes sincerely remorseful in the future. His victims will continue to be at risk of kidnapping and beheading for years (if not the rest of their lives) because of his actions."

The entire memo bears reading. See it here.

Student Charged in Terrorist Plot May Have Targeted Bush

A 20-year-old Saudi studying at a Lubbock, Texas college has been arrested and charged with trying to build weapons of mass destruction. Agents found lists of possible targets inside Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari's home, including the address of former President George W. Bush.

Bush's address was included in an email Aldawsari sent himself with the subject line "Tyrant's House."

Other "NICE TARGETS" he wrote down included the homes of three former soldiers who once were stationed at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and utilities. Just before his arrest Wednesday, Aldawsari searched whether Dallas-area nightclubs allowed people to bring in backpacks.

Aldawsari came to the United States to study English and to pursue a chemical engineering degree at Texas Tech University, according to an FBI affidavit. However, poor grades and his extracurricular explosives activities led him to transfer to South Plains College's Reese Technology Center in Lubbock. Aldawsari's university classes and living expenses were funded by a Saudi-based industrial corporation.

Aldawsari tried to buy concentrated phenol, a toxic chemical used to construct the explosive T.N.P., the affidavit said. He tried to have chemical shipped to a freight company, which returned the package and alerted police on Feb. 1. Aldawsari claimed the chemical was for "off-campus, personal research," and managed to acquire concentrated acids for the same purposes in December.

Electronic surveillance of Aldawsari indicated that as part of his plot, he used multiple email accounts to email himself information about explosives and targets. One Feb. 11 email described preparation of a necessary acid as part of a "military explosive," while others discussed how to convert a cellular phone into a remote detonator and how to prepare a booby-trapped vehicle using items available in every home.

In searches of his home, FBI agents found a journal indicating Aldawsari's desire to carry out an attack. He wrote that he sought a particular scholarship because it allowed him to come directly to the United State and helped him financially, which he said "will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad." The entry continues: "And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad."

Aldawsari also wrote on extremist sites, expressing his dissatisfaction with the conditions of Muslims and vowing to die in a terrorist attack. "You who created mankind….grant me martyrdom for Your sake and make jihad easy for me only in Your path," he wrote.

"We are confident that we have eliminated the alleged threat by Aldawsari," said U.S. Attorney James Jacks. "Yesterday's arrest demonstrates the need for and the importance of vigilance and the willingness of private individuals and companies to ask questions and contact the authorities when confronted with suspicious activities. Based upon reports from the public, Aldawsari's plot was uncovered and thwarted."

MB Wants Satellite Channel; Cleric Wants Nation

Egyptian cleric Muhammad Zoghbi called for the resignation of government-appointed sheikhs and the subordination of the government to the nation's largest religious institute, al-Azhar, in clip aired on Egypt's Azhari TV on Feb. 15. The Muslim Brotherhood also recently announced that it is studying the possibility of launching its own satellite station, in addition to greatly expanding its written media.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, cleric Muhammad Zoghbi called for Al-Azhar's leader and the government's religious minister to resign, so that "with the Quran in our hand, we may storm all the land."

"The liberation of Al-Azhar is even better than the liberation of Egypt, because while Egypt is the mother of the Arab region, Al-Azhar is the mother of all the Muslims on planet Earth," Zoghbi said of the influential Sunni institute. "If Al-Azhar gets back on its feet, the entire nation will be back on its feet, and if Al-Azhar is back on track, the entire nation will be back on track. The president of Egypt must be subordinate to Al-Azhar and respect it."

Leading MB member Essam al-Arian told Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm that "the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is currently studying the possibility of establishing a satellite television station and a number of newspapers and magazines."

"Freedom of access to information is key to keeping up with the evolution of international media," al-Arian told Al-Masry Al-Youm, adding that Egyptians "are fed up with biased media."

"Soon we will begin publishing a monthly magazine called 'Al-Daawa,' in addition to a weekly newspaper," he added.

The head of the MB's media committee, Assem Shalabi, spoke of establishing daily, weekly, and monthly publications. "We're expecting amendments to Egypt's press laws that will facilitate the publication of new newspapers," said Shalabi. "This is why we are seeking to issue different publications."

Libyan Opposition Gains as Casualties Rise

Protesters consolidated control over Libya's east Wednesday and battled with Muammar Gaddafi's forces and mercenaries in Tripoli and the west. The pace of refugees and defections has steadily grown, with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini warning of an immigrant exodus to Europe on a "biblical scale." Meanwhile, media and government assessments are speculating that Gaddafi's regime will fall, even as President Obama and the UN discuss sanctions or other measures shy of military action.

Obama called the killing of civilian protesters "outrageous" and "unacceptable," in his latest news conference. Libya's "actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency," he said.

A Libyan naval vessel defected to Malta while two pilots ejected from their bomber, rather than carry out orders to strike civilians on Libya's restive eastern cities. Interior Minister Abdul Fattah Younis, the second highest-ranked Libyan official and a key figure whom Gaddafi praised in a 75-minute speech on Libyan state television, has already quit his position and joined the protesters. He also predicted the fall of the regime in "hours or days" in his brief statement Tuesday.

Casualty estimates at present vary between several hundred to several thousand, but more evidence is leaking out of the restricted country about military and mercenary assaults on civilians. Unconfirmed reports indicate that eastern citizens have arrested hired fighters from African countries, said to be from Sudan, Mali, Chad, and elsewhere. The regime has also reportedly given pro-Gaddafi supporters weapons to attack protesters.

The US government and international community have taken a cautious approach to the fall of the regime. "This is the moment for the international community to act together… in sending a clear message to the Libyan government that violence is not acceptable and that the Libyan government will be held accountable for the steps it is taking," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters, without specifying any measures to be taken to protect protesters or evacuate American civilians.

State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley did mention the possibility of sanctions and a "wide range of tools" that may include asset freezing and visa restrictions on Libyan officials. He gave no timetable for action.

Protests in Yemen and Bahrain Continue

Yemeni protests continue as pro-government forces violently clashed with their anti-regime counterparts, while Bahrain has seen large portions of the nation's population take to the streets, with some calling for reform and others demanding the ousting of the monarchy.

Seven members of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party resigned from parliament in protest of violence used against demonstrators. However, estimates still suggest that he has the support of 80% of the parliament.

"The people must have the right to demonstrate peacefully," Abdulaziz Jubari, one of the members of parliament who resigned, told Reuters. Student protesters reported live gunfire that killed one person in Yemen's capital. "Everyone must be included in a national dialogue, including the Houthis," Jubairi also said, in reference to Shiite separatists in Yemen's north.

Bahrain released 308 political prisoners and pardoned 2 other exiled opposition members, a day after over 100,000 protesters took to the streets. The government move was one of few that the divided opposition could agree on, as many of the street protesters want an end to the monarchy while the opposition parties are continuing negotiations with the crowned prince. "Do you want the royal family out of this country or not?" said Ali Abduleman, a Shiite blogger who was just released. "If we manage these different opinions in our opposition we will get what we want."

The seven main opposition parties, including major Shiite opposition bloc Al-Wefaq, demanded the government release the remaining political prisoners, form a new constitutional monarchy with power in civilian hands, and undertake an independent investigation into violence against protesters.

Regardless, Bahrain's monarchy has broken the unwritten "social contract" with its Gulf nation, where political participation is surrendered for luxury. Moody's Investors Service will also review the nation's credit rating, while Standard & Poor's has already cut its rating due to Bahrain's high exposure to Libya.

The Saudi government has also expressed concern that the unrest may spill over into their kingdom. "There is no way that the royal family here will allow the Al Khalifas [Bahrain's rulers] to fall. They can't afford to," BBC's Bill Law reported cleric Mohsen al-Awaji, a close friend of the regime, as saying.

New U.S. Designations Target Iranian Abuse of Protesters

The departments of State and Treasury designated two senior Iranian officials as human rights abusers Wednesday, saying they are "responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Iran since the June 2009 disputed presidential election."

The designations, falling under an executive order signed by President Obama in September, targets Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi and Mohammed Reza Naqdi, who leads the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Basij Forces.

Any U.S. assets tied to the men are frozen by the designation, and people in the United States are prohibited from doing any business with them.

"Dolatabadi and Naqdi have no place in the international financial system," said Adam J. Szubin, director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Naqdi led the Basij intelligence unit before becoming its overall commander. At least three people died in his unit's custody at the Kahizarak detention center in a crackdown against protesters after Iran's disputed 2009 elections, the Treasury statement said. "Naqdi extracted forced confessions from high-ranking reformist leaders that were broadcast on Iranian state-run television," the statement said.

Naqdi was in command of the Basij during a December 2009 protest on Ashura Day, in which 15 people were killed and hundreds more were arrested.

Dolatabadi's office then indicted many of those arrested on Ashura Day on a charge of "enmity against God, which carries a death sentence, and denied due process to those facing the death sentence," the statement said.

The executive order was a direct response to Iran's crackdown on protesters. Eight Iranian officials were designated when the order was signed Sept. 29.

Arizona Jury Convicts Iraqi Father in Honor Killing

An Iraqi immigrant who ran over and killed his 20-year-old daughter faces a minimum of 17 years in prison after an Arizona jury convicted him of second-degree murder in what is considered an honor killing.

Faleh Hassan Al-Maleki told police he thought his daughter Noor had become "too Westernized," having rejected an arranged marriage, and moving out of the family home.

"He felt she was becoming too Westernized, and he didn't like that," Peoria, Ariz. Police spokesman Mike Tellef said.

But his attorneys argued Al-Maleki meant only to frighten his daughter when he saw her with her boyfriend's mother. Hitting the women and killing his daughter was a tragic accident, they argued. The boyfriend's mother survived her injuries, and jurors convicted Al-Maleki of aggravated assault for hitting her.

Jurors reconvene Wednesday to start the penalty phase of the trial. Al-Maleki, 50, could be sentenced to as much as 46 years in prison.

Honor killings, murders done after a relative allegedly shames a family's reputation, are more prevalent in Europe and in the Muslim world. In recent years, however, examples like the Al-Maleki case have increased in the U.S. and Canada.

The verdict disappointed an Arizona-based Muslim group which works to combat extremism. M. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, issued a statement saying it was a travesty Al-Maleki was not convicted of first-degree murder. "This decision sends the wrong message not only locally but across the world to those that believe it is all right for men to subjugate and control Muslim women. This jury missed an opportunity to send a very clear message that this behavior is not acceptable within the United States and a women's individual rights are sacred and cannot be stripped by a father, husband or anyone else because they do not approve of her behavior," the statement said.

"Almalkei deserved the full force of the law for first degree murder and instead will only get the punishment of a second degree murder conviction. American Muslims need to step up for the memory of Noor Almaleki and protest this conviction as weak and declare that these behaviors can never be countenance in any way within our communities and within the Muslim conscience."

Tulsa Cop Disciplined for Refusal to Abide by Mandatory Mosque Event

The Tulsa Police Department is investigating a captain's decision to disregard an order to send officers to an event at a local mosque, the local CBS affiliate in Tulsa reports.

Capt. Paul Fields and other commanders were directed by Deputy Chief Daryl Webster to send nine department representatives to a law enforcement appreciation day event at the Islamic Society of Tulsa mosque.

The original instruct sought volunteers to attend, but that was changed to a mandate when not enough volunteers came forward. The order that followed, Fields claims, is illegal because attendance at prior similar events sponsored by religious and non-religious organizations had been voluntary.

The mosque event was a form of community outreach by the Tulsa police, so officer attendance should be mandatory, Webster wrote in a memo responding to Fields' concerns.

Fields still refused the directive, prompting an internal affairs investigation to determine if Fields violated department policy. On Monday, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan reassigned Fields pending the investigation's outcome.

"We want to make it very clear, it's not related just because it's a mosque, hasn't anything to do with his ultimate decision," Fields' attorney Scott Wood told KOTV in Tulsa. "It has to do with the intersection of religious rights of an individual to not associate with other people if they choose not to."

The Islamic Society of Tulsa has been incorporated in Oklahoma since 1997. Tulsa County records reveal that property is owned by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), a subsidiary organization of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Both NAIT and ISNA were unindicted co-conspirators in the Hamas-support case in Dallas against the now-defunct Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). The foundation and five of its officials were convicted of illegally routing millions of dollars to the terrorist organization Hamas. NAIT and ISNA were shown to be U.S. members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Islamic Society of Tulsa's constitution, posted on its website, identifies it as a close affiliate of ISNA. Further, under "Article XII: Affiliation," page 13, the constitution states, "The Muslim Student Association of the Tulsa University (also known as MSA) is recognized herein as a Founding Affiliate of The IST." The MSA is rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood and through conferences and events, publications, websites and other activities; MSA disseminates and promotes militant Islamic ideologies.

Report: Hizballah Provides Mercenaries for Iran

Iranian authorities brought approximately 1,500 Hizballah fighters from Lebanon to Iran to suppress opposition movements, according to a report originally published in the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Monday.

Members of the Iranian-proxy terrorist organization have been stationed in the streets of Tehran, dressed in civilian clothing.

Iranian authorities warned on Saturday that any illegal gatherings by opposition movements would be confronted.

On Monday, Iranian security forces arrested the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, according to a Tuesday report on Karroubi's website Sahamnews.org. "Security forces entered Ali Karroubi's house last night and arrested him. So far there are no reports on Ali Karroubi's fate," the website says.

At least two people were killed, dozens were wounded and over a hundred protesters were arrested last week in clashes between security forces and opposition activists during a rally in Tehran. The rallies in downtown Tehran on February 14^th included several thousand demonstrators and were one of the largest in more than a year.

Gaddafi Digs in as Libyan Violence Grows

Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi pledged to "die as a martyr" Tuesday and said he "will fight until the last drop of blood with the people behind me" against the "rats." Gaddafi remained defiant as his country plunged toward civil war. Defecting troops have clashed with pro-government units or fled the country, and the government has lost control of the major eastern cities al-Bayda and Benghazi.

Libya's government is also embattled on the diplomatic front, as dozens of senior Libyan diplomats resigned in response to "massacres" carried out against protesters.

Gaddafi called on the people to take to the streets to stop protesters trying to end his 40-year reign. He also promised to revamp the Libyan government, from the courts to the representative system.

Libya's air force and troops in Tripoli, Libya's capital, have used live fire and shells on civilian protesters, killing hundreds of the tens of thousands of citizens taking to the streets. The order prompted some pilots to fly to neighboring Malta and defect, rather than bomb civilians. Protesters have sacked several state-run media sources, and burned buildings holding the national congress and other people's assemblies.

The move also led to the defection of several Libyan diplomats, including senior figures in the US, EU, India, and the UN. "We are sure that what is going on now in Libya is crimes against humanity and crimes of war," the Libyan deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ibrahim Dabbashi, told reporters. He also called for the imposition of a no-fly zone to stop the violent use of the air force.

The violence became particularly intense following a speech by Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of Muammar Qaddafi, who also threatened the regime would "fight to the last bullet."

"Prepare yourselves for colonialism, on top of everything else. Colonialism is coming back. It will return. The Europeans and Americans will return and will enter Libya by force," he said. "There is no alternative other than to adopt a firm stand. I tell you that the army will play a central role in this, and the Libyan army is not like the army of Tunisia or of Egypt… Our army will support Libya and Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi to the last moment and it will be victorious, Allah willing. Matters will be set straight. We will destroy all the dens of strife."

While European countries and the United States are cautiously condemning the actions of the Libyan government, the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual guide has called for the killing of the nation's leader. 'Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr. Gaddafi should do so,' Yusuf al-Qaradawi told Al-Jazeera television.

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