Cables Show U.S. Concern About Hizballah in Chile

U.S. diplomatic cables released Tuesday by Wikileaks and picked up by the news investigative organization CIPERChile outline American diplomats' suspicions that Hizballah has raised funds in Chile and established contacts with Islamic fundamentalists there.

News reports cite a February 27, 2006 cable written by then-U.S. Ambassador to Chile Craig Kelly outlining U.S. concerns. According to Kelly, a "radical fundamentalist presence" has been established in the northern city of Iquique "and to a lesser degree in Santiago. These fundamentalists who are known to be associated with Hezbollah are increasing their presence and activity in Chile."

"There is substantial information that indicates that significant fund-raising for Hezbollah is taking place in Chile within the Muslim community," Kelly wrote.

The ambassador explained the level of cooperation between the U.S. Embassy and Chilean intelligence and police. U.S. law-enforcement forces have trained Chilean police and "Chilean [intelligence] services have been supportive in multiple bi-national intelligence operations," he wrote.

Kelly expressed concern about the existence of terrorist fundraising in Santiago. "The Santiago Islamic Center certainly provides financial support to unknown terrorists. Sporadic reporting suggests that these groups have capability to plan operations should they choose to do so," Kelly wrote. The cables also include a conversation between Kelly and an Israeli diplomat who claimed his government was monitoring the movements of Iranian diplomats with the knowledge of the Chilean government.

An October 2006 cable sent by the U.S. Embassy in Santiago reported that Guillermo Villalobos, director of Chile's National Intelligence Agency, identified Islamic terrorism as the principle terrorist threat in the world. Villalobos identified the link between Iquique and the Tri-Border area (where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet) as the Chilean government's main concern in regard to terrorist finance.

Much of the concern stems from Tehran's alliance with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez and the fact that Tehran's terrorist proxy Hizballah has carried out two of the most horrific terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere in modern times: the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center there. More than 120 people were killed and more than 500 were injured in the attacks.

Bangladesh's Cautionary Tale for Egypt

The brutal potential of Sharia law in Egypt can be seen in oppressive measures adopted by Bangladeshi Islamist courts, writes Andrew McCarthy. He criticizes Director of National Intelligence James Clapper for his recent comments calling the Muslim Brotherhood a "largely secular organization," and the Obama administration for failing to recognize the threat presented by radical Islam.

"What might an Islamist ascendency look like? Consider this: Shortly before Clapper's faux pas, a ghastly report out of Bangladesh began making the rounds," McCarthy writes. "A 14-year-old girl named Hena had been killed by fewer than 80 lashes of the 100-lash whipping local sharia authorities had ordered her to suffer. It's difficult to contain one's anger at the details."

McCarthy's article notes that the MB and its supposedly-moderate leading scholar, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, have supported similar legal measures. The woman still can be found at fault, Qaradawi has said, if she cannot produce independent witnesses or if it is determined her behavior prior to the attack was somehow inappropriate.

It also notes that Islamist academic Tariq Ramadan, who is perceived by many to be a moderate, has helped the Brotherhood to have an image as a more moderate organization.

Although some in the Brotherhood have criticized Ramadan for proposing a moratorium on Sharia punishments, they also support his portrayals of their organization. And while some in Washington may think the organization is not a threat, McCarthy concludes, in the eyes of the MB, we are all like Hena.

Terrorist Groups Claim Egyptian Revolution as Their Victory

Though protesters emulated Gandhi and King more than Azzam or bin Laden, terrorist organizations are claiming Egypt's unarmed revolution as a victory for their violent causes. While the revolution was nonviolent and its result still tentative, that hasn't stopped these organizations from using it to promote their cause.

"The developments in Egypt have a clear message for the invading Americans and their surrogates in Afghanistan, unveiling that the use of advanced weapons, destruction of orchards and houses and filling prisons with free people does not contribute to their continuation of authority," said a Taliban statement posted to the jihadi media site, the Kavkaz Center. "The atrocities that they commit against the Afghan people today will soon usher in a revolution and the vessel of their arrogance will drown surely following inception of a popular uprising, Inshallah [God willing]."

Hizballah lauded Egypt's revolution as a victory for its own cause. Amr Nassef, an Egyptian anchor on the group's Al Manar TV, was ecstatic over the Feb. 11 fall of President Hosni Mubarak and attributed it to Hizballah's leader Sayyid Nasrallah. "Now, oh leader of the resistance, more than 80 million Egyptians acknowledge you, your resistance, your grace, and your greatness," said Nassef. "Sayyed Nasrallah, you are worthy of the greatest congratulations for this victory and this great revolution. This revolution had your blessing. Thousands and thousands of congratulations to you and to the entire Islamic nation."

These comments contradicted earlier remarks by Nasrallah, in which he claimed Hizballah was not involved in the "patriotic revolution" and that the movement should not be seen as "serving a foreign agenda."

Hamas congratulated the Egyptian people and called for the immediate repeal of anti-Hamas regulations. Hamas "expressed hope that Egypt could restore its pioneering role in supporting the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations, especially the Palestinian cause against the Zio-American schemes in the region."

Ironically, Hamas' political rival Fatah celebrated the Egyptian success from the opposite point of view, lauding the success for all Arabs and especially its nonviolence. "What's happening in Egypt represents strength to us and to all Arabs. This is a peaceful revolution that did not vandalise anything," said Nabil Shaat, a senior member of Abbas' Fatah faction.

Middle East, North African Protesters Confront Authorities

Protests continued in Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria, and Iran Tuesday, with violent clashes between government and opposition forces.

Iran's regime again cracked down on protesters for a second straight day, while lawmakers in the national parliament called for the execution of opposition leaders Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The protests are the largest since demonstrations were crushed after the 2009 Iranian presidential elections, where opposition rallied over allegations of massive voter fraud. Tens of thousands of marchers were beaten by Iranian police using tear gas, batons, and pepper spray.

President Obama condemned the violence in Iran during a news conference. "My hope and expectation is that we are going to continue to see the people of Iran have the courage to be able to express their yearning for greater freedoms and a more representative government," he said.

A fifth day of demonstrations in Yemen continued the call for President Ali Abdallah Saleh's ouster. Crowds marched on despite tear gas and beatings from security forces,

Bahrain, home to key oil facilities and the U.S. Navy's 5th fleet, saw extensive unrest from Shiite protesters calling for democracy and an end to the Sunni monarchy. One demonstrator was shot and killed during a funeral procession for an opposition leader, exacerbating tensions.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Shiite towns around the small island and in the capital of Manama, shouting slogans against three decades of the King's rule and four decades of the same prime minister. A $2,700 payment to the heads of each family in the kingdom failed to stave off the disturbances. Recent Wikileaks cables also show that the monarchy took measures to appease Iran, the Shiite giant on the tiny island nation's doorstep, even while opposing its influence.

Algeria is facing rioting as more than 10,000 Tunisians have streamed over its border, escaping political uncertainty at home. Pro-democracy and Islamist parties jointly participated in rallies, which were crushed by Algeria police who outnumbered the protesters 3 to 1. "We're going to continue to demonstrate and to defy the authorities until they fall," opposition leader Said Sadi said. Algeria's foreign minister said the nation's 20-year-old state of emergency would be lifted in the coming days, but also claimed the demonstrators were a minority in the country.

Egyptian Brotherhood to Form Political Party

Egypt's long banned Muslim Brotherhood will form a political party for upcoming elections, as the nation's new military leaders convened a panel of experts to amend the nation's constitution. The panel, which will include former Brotherhood lawmaker Sobhi Saleh, is paving the way towards democracy even as skepticism reigns over the Brotherhood's politics.

"The Muslim Brotherhood group believes in the freedom of the formation of political parties. They are eager to have a political party," spokesman Mohammed Mursi said in a statement on the Brotherhood website. Egypt's constitution still bans religious groups from forming political parties.

The group's history of violent rhetoric and desire for an Islamic state in Egypt have been a cause for concern. Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) recently released a translation of Jihad is the way, a book by the previous Egyptian Brotherhood leader, Mustafa Mashhur. In it, Mashhur calls for "realizing the great task of establishing an Islamic state and strengthening the religion and spreading it around the world."

However, the threat posed by the Brotherhood hasn't always been realized, even by key figures in the America's intelligence leaders. Similar warnings about the threat posed by Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran were missed a generation ago.

This confusion may, in large part, be caused by the cagey, and often times contradictory, statements offered up by Brotherhood leaders. But by piecing together the policy stances issued by the group's leadership over time, a clear image emerges of what the Brotherhood truly is about. This picture would likely include policies aimed at "preserving honor"—explained at length by Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Ali Abdel Fattah in an interview published Monday in USA Today. "The Brotherhood would seek 'the preservation of honor' by stoning adulterers," the newspaper reported, "punishing gays, requiring Muslim women to cover their heads and shoulders in public and killing Muslims who leave their faith, said Abdel Fattah..."

As in the case with Hizballah, European politicians appear to be following a policy of cooperating with all parties. "I will speak with all representatives of the opposition," said European Union Vice President Catherine Ashton in an interview with Der Spiegel. "The success of the elections depends on their being supported by the entire society. Everyone, including the Muslim Brothers, must be involved in this process, whether or not we agree with them."

Fatah al-Islam Invades Europe

As we reported in December, the Lebanon-based Palestinian terror organization Fatah al-Islam (FAI) was believed to have infiltrated Europe after as many as two dozen of its jihadist members eluded Lebanese security forces and made their way to the European continent. Fatah al-Islam (FAI) is a radical Sunni extremist organization with ties to al-Qaida. FAI was formed in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and battled the Lebanese Army in 2007.

AFP and the Lebanese news site Naharnet have reported that Greek police arrested a Palestinian member of FAI in Athens. The suspect was identified as Ghaleb Taleb, who allegedly "secretly" arrived in Greece several months ago and was planning attacks in Europe.

The report also identified another alleged FAI suspect, Mohammed Musa, who has been in Greek police custody for several months. Both Taleb and Musa are expected to be deported from Greece, though it is not clear if they will be sent to Lebanon or the Palestinian territories.

This latest report adds confirmation to the intelligence threat indicating the Palestinian terrorist threat to Europe is ongoing and real. Earlier reports indicated these FAI jihadists had access to money and false documents, allowing them access into Europe. If such terrorists obtain useable bogus European travel documents, they could become a more direct threat to the United States.

Protests Continue in Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain

Inspired by the events in Egypt, protestors are taking to the streets in Iran, Yemen, Algeria and Bahrain.

On Saturday, hundreds of anti-government protestors in Yemen celebrating the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak were met by Yemeni police with clubs. The number of protestors grew to approximately 2,000 on Sunday and 3,000 on Monday. The demonstrators are calling on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power since 1978, to resign. On Sunday, protestors attempted to march to the presidential palace, chanting, "A Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution." Police with batons clashed with stone throwing protesters. Several people were injured and at least ten were arrested. Protestors chanting "After Mubarak, Ali," clashed with riot police in Yemen's main square in the country's capital Sanaa on Monday. President Saleh is preparing to hold talks with opposition groups to discuss potential political reforms and has stated that he will step down in 2013.

On Saturday, more than 2,000 people demonstrated in Algiers, leading to hundreds of arrests. Protestors, calling for the resignation of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, were met by approximately 30,000 riot police. On Monday, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said the country's 19-year-old emergency law will be lifted soon, and that the protests are supported by only a minority of Algerians. That didn't impress the opposition.

"We will continue to march until the regime steps down. Each Saturday we will maintain the pressure," said Mohsen Belabes, a spokesman for the RCD opposition party which helped organized the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, riot police in Bahrain clashed with protesters on Monday, resulting in one death and at least 14 injuries. Protestors said they were demanding the release of those detained during earlier protests, in what was coined "A Day of Rage." Protestors threw rocks and barricades of wood and cement blocks, and riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Bahrain's Shiites say they will return for a second day of demonstrations and demand more political freedom and jobs. But Bahraini leaders dismissed the activists: "This is something we aren't seeing as a domino effect. Maybe some people will look at it because it happened in Tunisia, because it happened in Egypt, let us have one day in Bahrain. To have the same effect, no, it will not," Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa said before the protest began.

An article published on Monday in the UK-based MailOnline says that Libyan bloggers, inspired by the people of Egypt, are planning to hold rallies on Thursday against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Port Official's WMD Comment Stirs Concerns

An interview San Diego's assistant port director gave to a local television affiliate is stirring up a fair amount of hype and unanswered questions. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security aren't saying what Al Hallor meant when he told KGTV that a "weapon of mass effect" had been found by the port's "partner agencies" in the U.S.

Hallor was cut short by a public relations official before he could provide details. "You ever found one (a weapon of mass effect)?" asked reporter Mitch Blacher. "Not at this location… [but] yes… I would say at the port of San Diego we have not," responded Hallor, before he was interrupted.

"Our overall arching mission is to protect the American homeland against terrorists and from weapons of mass effect from entering the country. We are the guardians of America's borders," Hallor said earlier in the interview. "Potentially every city in America is a target. Given the waterways and the access to the Navy fleet here, I'd say, absolutely, San Diego is a target."

In a follow-up story, Blacher reported his attempts to learn more about what Hallor was referring to – what was found and where – were not getting far. Officials said Hallor misspoke. In a statement, Customs and Border Patrol said "CBP has not specifically had any incidents with nuclear devices or nuclear materials at our ports of entry. CBP is an all-threats agency. The purpose of many security measures is to prevent threats from ever materializing by being prepared for them."

Seven Charged in Taliban Heroin Conspiracy

Seven defendants have been charged by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan with conspiring to aid the Taliban by helping with heroin trafficking, a Department of Justice press release said.

Five of the defendants—Maroun Saade, Walid Nasr, Francis Sourou Ahissou, Cornielle Dato, and Martin Raouf Bouraima—were arrested in Monrovia, Liberia, last week and are in the custody of the United States. The remaining two defendants—Alwar Pouryan and Oded Orbach—were arrested in Bucharest, Romania, and are awaiting extradition to the United States. All of the defendants were charged in an indictment except Orbach, who was charged in a complaint.

The indictment charges the defendants were part of a narco-terrorism conspiracy that involved moving significant quantities of Taliban-owned heroin through West Africa. Ultimately, it would be sold for profit to customers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In addition, Saade and Pouryan, who are Americans citizens, are charged with attempting to sell surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and other lethal weapons to the Taliban. Those weapons were to be used to defend Taliban-run heroin laboratories against a U.S. attack in Afghanistan.

During meetings with Drug Enforcement Agency informants last summer in the West African countries of Benin and Ghana, defendants Saade, Nasr, Dato, and Bouraima agreed to receive and store several tons of Taliban-owned heroin in Benin, then they arranged to transport it to Ghana for shipment to America. In meetings with DEA confidential sources posing as Taliban members last October in Ghana, Ukraine, and Romania, Saade, Pouryan, and Orbach agreed to sell weapons, including SAMs, anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers, AK-47s, and M-16s, to the Taliban for use against the United States. Pouryan was described in one of the meetings by Saade as weapons trafficker with ties to the Lebanese terrorist group Hizballah.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara showcased the arrests as an example of the growing nexus between international terrorist groups and criminal networks. "This alleged effort to arm and enrich the Taliban is the latest example of the dangers of an inter-connected world in which terrorists and drug runners can link up across continents to harm Americans," Bharara said.

Investigation Finds Beatings, Hate Speech in UK Muslim Schools

Children as young as six and seven years old are beaten by religious instructors in madrassas within the UK, an undercover investigation by Britain's "Dispatches" news show and the Daily Mail newspaper revealed. In at least one Islamic high school, students were taught religious hatred against non-Muslims.

"Muslim children are being taught religious apartheid and social segregation," the Daily Mail reported. An undercover Muslim reporter was sent into the Darul Uloom Islamic High School in Birmingham for the investigation. Darul Uloom schools are considered to be renowned Islamic educational institutions and in England have been described as the "Etons of Islam." The investigation at the Birmingham school revealed speakers "giving deeply disturbing talks about Jews, Christians and atheists." Pupils were told that Hindus have no intellect and drink cow urine and that Muslims who adopt Western ways would be tortured in the afterlife.

The media inquiry then focused on a mosque religious school, or madrassa, in West Yorkshire that offers part-time religious instruction. Over several months, the investigation revealed young students repeatedly beaten by their instructors by being slapped, kicked, struck on the back and head with hands, and hit with sticks and rulers. In at least one instance, an older student acting as an instructor threatened to strike a young pupil with a chair.

British government inspectors have previously given the schools passing marks for operations and curriculum, seemingly unaware of the problems identified by this media investigation. When confronted by the newspaper with its findings, the administrators of the Darul Uloom school and the investigated mosque downplayed the incidents and claimed they were isolated and promised to look into the matters further. The evidence presented by the Daily Mail speaks for itself, and hopefully British government authorities pursue further investigations into these clear instances of institutionalized hatred and abuse.

Read the full story here and see the "Dispatches" report here.

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