"Jihad Jane" Pleads Guilty

The woman known as "Jihad Jane" quietly stood before a federal judge in Philadelphia Tuesay and admitted plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist and to recruiting people to wage terrorist attacks.

Colleen LaRose pled guilty to conspiracy to support terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, lying to investigators and attempted identity theft. She faces a potential life sentence.

According to a memorandum outlining the plea change, prosecutors said that their evidence proved LaRose "worked obsessively on her computer to communicate with, recruit and incite other jihadists." She then agreed to try to kill Swedish cartoonists Lars Vilks, who drew a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad's head on the body of a dog.

"LaRose and her co-conspirators expressed their desires to become martyrs for Allah," the memorandum said. Her indictment cites an email in which she says she will make killing Vilks "my goal till i achieve it or die trying." She traveled in preparation for an attack and even tried to contact the cartoonist, the plea memorandum said.

Jamie Paulin-Ramirez remains charged in the case and has entered a not guilty plea. The women hoped to use their Western appearances and passports to avoid detection as they plotted terrorism and recruited jihadists.

End Game in Cairo?

Hundreds of thousands of people crammed into Tahrir Square in Cairo Tuesday demanding the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Estimates of the crowd ranged from 200,000 to the organizers' goal of 1 million people – news reports described the mood as jubilant, with protesters sensing that Mubarak would not remain in power much longer.

A flurry of reports Tuesday afternoon indicated Mubarak may announce that he will relinquish power after Egyptian elections scheduled for the fall. That may not be enough for his opponents, who want him gone immediately.

In a statement Monday night, the Egyptian Army said "freedom of expression" was guaranteed to all citizens who demonstrate peacefully. "To the great people of Egypt your armed forces, acknowledging the legitimate rights of the people," emphasize that "they have not and will not use force against the Egyptian people," the statement said.

The Cairo demonstration was peaceful, with the focus on driving Mubarak from office. "O Mubarak, wake up, today is your last day," protesters said. Mubarak was hung in effigy from a traffic signal in Tahrir Square as demonstrators called for his ouster.

Despite the focus on democracy and driving Mubarak out of office, concerns remain about the Muslim Brotherhood using pro-democracy demonstrations to advance its own agenda. An Egyptian blogger called "Sandmonkey" (he describes himself as "an extremely cynical, snarky, pro-U.S., secular, libertarian, disgruntled sandmonkey") sent this Twitter posting from the scene: "at protest. Huge number, over 100,000 ppl. Only concern is that islamists tryin to hijack it. They're in big groups praying everywhere."

These concerns will hardly be assuaged by statements like this one in which a Muslim Brotherhood leader dismisses secular opposition figure Mohammed El-Baradei as nothing more than a "temporary leader."

While the Brotherhood did not take a major public role in Tuesday's demonstration, there continues to be concern about its role in Egypt's future. On Tuesday, London Telegraph Diplomatic Editor Praveen Swami wrote that "if Egypt does hold democratic elections, few doubt the Brotherhood will be one of the key beneficiaries –perhaps the beneficiary" because it commands resources that other opposition groups lack. These include "a network of schools, clinics and charities" and "propaganda networks which reach deep into rural Egypt."

"There is at least some evidence that suggests that the Brotherhood's faith in electoral politics is skin deep," he continued. "Farag Foda, a journalist, was murdered by Islamists for his critical writings about the Brotherhood. In 1994, Nagib Mahfouz, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist, survived an assassination attempt for having written the Children of Gabalawi –a novel that featured an allegedly heretical conception of the Prophet Muhammad." Moreover, "rabid, anti-Semitic invective" also appears on the Brotherhood's social networking site. (He links to several examples, since taken down)

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen cites the writings of Muslim Brotherhood luminary Sayyid Qutb to urge that American policymakers proceed with caution in dealings of the Brotherhood:

"The Islamists of the Brotherhood do not despise America for what it does but for what it is." The Islamic state he envisioned "would be racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Christian as well. It would treat women as the Taliban does."

"Majority rule is a worthwhile idea. But so too are respect for minorities, freedom of religion, the equality of women and adherence to treaties, such as the one with Israel, the only democracy in the region," Cohen writes. "The dream of a democratic Egypt is sure to produce a nightmare."

Indictment, Designation Hit Alleged Iranian Metals Supplier

A federal indictment sealed since last July and a Treasury Department freeze issued Tuesday targets a multi-million dollar procurement network that supports Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), which oversees all of Iran's missile industries.

Milad Jafari, an Iranian national, faces 11 counts, including conspiring to export material illegally to Iran and five counts of illegal exports and smuggling. According to a Justice Department release, Jafari routed "specialized metals from the United States through companies in Turkey to several entities in Iran, including some entities that have been sanctioned for involvement in ballistic missile activities."

The group moved metal products, including steel and aluminum alloys for the Iranian aerospace organization. "The allegations in the indictment unsealed today shed light on the reach of Iran's illegal procurement networks and the importance of keeping U.S. materials from being exploited for Iran's weapons development," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

In its announcement, the Treasury Department designated Jafari and five others, along with five businesses as proliferators of weapons of mass destruction.

"The Jafari network has established itself as a lifeline for Iran's missile program by providing essential materials and support for AIO," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey. "The Treasury Department will continue to identify and expose channels Iran is using to defy international sanctions, wherever those channels may be located."

The network handled more than $7 million in transactions for companies subordinate to AIO between 2007 and late 2008.

Jafari, an Iranian national, runs the procurement network along with his father, Mohammad Javad Jafari, and brother, Mani Jafari. Jafari's mother, Mahin Falsafi, operates the network's bank accounts at the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI), which was designated by Treasury in October 2008. Milad Jafari, his father, brother and mother were all designated today.

That action freezes any U.S. assets of those named and prohibits others from engaging in business with them.

Wall Street Warned of al-Qaida Threat

Executives of major Wall Street banks and the institutions themselves may be targets of new terror plots tied to al-Qaida's Yemen branch, NBC New York reports.

Officials at Goldman Sachs, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, Barclays and other institutions received briefings last month from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the report said. There don't seem to be specific threats, but officials have noted references to Wall Street in the al-Qaida affiliate's magazine, Inspire.

In a separate online posting, an al-Qaida blogger named Abu Suleiman Al-Nasser urged Muslims to rush "to targeting financial sites and the program sites of financial institutions, stock markets and money markets."

The banks may be enhancing mailroom security and scrutinizing packages more carefully as a result.

An FBI spokesman indicated the briefings were not based on any urgent information. Rather, "[t]his was in the course of a periodic update in the evolving threat stream," spokesman Jim Margolin said.

Published threats from al-Qaida and its affiliates should be taken seriously, said U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-New York. "Whenever a name is included ... it's always a cause for more concern because again the fear is that that's sending a specific signal to specific operatives in this country to take action," King said.

Arab World Reacts to Turmoil in Egypt

Arab governments are taking preventative steps against unrest as protests inspired by Tunisia and Egypt are breaking out all over the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Cairo's main square, calling for the immediate and unconditional resignation of Egypt's President.

Jordan's King Abdullah II preemptively sacked his government Tuesday in the face of light protests in Jordanian cities, and reappointed a former prime minister to conduct an "immediate revision" of laws governing political freedoms. King Abdullah instructed the new Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit to "undertake quick and tangible steps for real political reforms, which reflect our vision for comprehensive modernization and development in Jordan." The moves were part of a "comprehensive assessment ... to correct the mistakes of the past."

Syria is also experiencing the beginning of its own revolt, where food subsidies have been slashed and political activists are routinely imprisoned. But without the mass protests organized on social networking sites like Facebook, which are banned in the Arab republic, Syrian opposition efforts are relatively weak. Regardless, the democratic Islamic movement in Syria is trying to organize a 'massive gathering' outside parliament in Damascus, with a matching protest in the strongly Islamist city of Homs. The government has taken steps to cripple the move, with Religious Endowments Minister Abd Al-Satar Al-Sayyed ordering clerics to reject Muslim Brotherhood attempts to recruit members.

Other Arab governments are also taking heed. Sudan recently killed a student protestor demonstrating as part of a small movement in the twin cities of Omdurman and Khartoum. Mauritanian Islamists have expressed support for "the revolt of Egyptian youths committed to freedom in a bid to end the repression and hegemony of the Mubarak regime." The same is true for Algerian youth, who "dream of democracy but live in dystopia" but last Saturday organized the country's largest rally yet against authorities in Algeria's northeastern city of Bejaia. While the numbers were small at roughly 10,000 protestors, young protestors were pushing back against secret police and government corruption.

Even Morocco, whose monarch is perceived as a part of the national cultural fabric, is likely to experience some disorder. "Morocco has not yet been reached, but make no mistake: nearly all the authoritarian systems will be affected by the protest wave," Moulay Hicham, a cousin of the king told the Spanish daily El Pais.

Jihadists Escape Egyptian Prisons

Some of the thousands of prisoners who have escaped from Egyptian jails during the current unrest are radical Islamists, including members of the terrorist organization Hamas. Al-Jazeera aired this report about one of the escapees, a Palestinian radical captured by Egyptian forces in the Sinai while planning an attack on Israel. The man, who escaped from prison on Saturday and returned to Gaza, vowed to continue his "armed resistance" against the Jewish State.

At least eight Hamas prisoners from Gaza were reported to have broken out of a Cairo-area jail during the recent wave of unrest centered on calls for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster. By Monday, three of them had re-entered Gaza through underground tunnels used to smuggle people and weapons.

"I was able to escape from…prison with eight of my comrades, Palestinian political detainees, when it was torched during the events there," said Mohammed Abdel-Hadi, arrested two years ago in Egypt for belonging to Izzedin al-Qassam, Hamas' military wing.

Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood officials said 34 members of the organization (including seven members of its leadership) walked out of Egyptian prisons Sunday after prisoners' relatives stormed a prison 75 miles northwest of Cairo and overpowered guards.

Islamist Leader Returns to Tunisia

Rashid Ghannoushi, the exiled leader of the Tunisian Al-Nahda Movement, has returned home despite a 1991 sentence of banishment. The return of Tunisia's leading Islamist thinker and politician has caused concerns for the growth of liberal democracy in the country, following the overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidin Ben Ali.

Ghannoushi was greeted by thousands of supporters. Near his supporters was a small group of secular opponents carrying banners with signs reading: "No Islam, no theocracy, no Sharia and no stupidity."

In an interview with Iran's PressTV, Ghannoushi said he had "not sought to play any role" in any transitional Tunisian government. "We have not been consulted about the government or its members or its committees. There are worrying indicators that the security services are still very much active."

While Ghannoushi's short term aim is a coalition government, his long term goal is to play a strong part in Tunisia's government. He advocated an "Islamic democracy."

"Islam - at least in the public sphere - is synonymous with justice and the quest for justice," he said in a recent interview. Though Ghannoushi's political vision was "pluralistic" and "inclusive," he claimed he envisioned "social justice" along the lines of Turkey's AKP political party, which has been steadily tearing down the secularism that characterized the Turkish regime.

Ghannoushi also agreed that he was a religious intellectual like foreign Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khatamei, but stated that Tunisia needed democracy and not "Valiyat-e-Faqih" [rule of the clerics].

Although some analysts envision Ghannoushi's thought as a "new model for Progressive Islamism," some secularists and religious minorities are concerned with political Islam.

Questions also remain about the radicalism of the Ghannoushi-inspired, Turkish party AKP, his anti-Semitism, and his signing of a declaration in support of Hamas and terrorism.

"Jihad Jane" Expected to Plead Guilty

A Pennsylvania woman accused in a plot to recruit men on the Internet to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe is expected to change her plea to guilty in federal court Tuesday. According to an indictment, Colleen LaRose, also known as "Jihad Jane," also recruited women online who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad. She pleaded not guilty in March.

The indictment further alleged LaRose was ordered by jihadists to kill a Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks who portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a dog. The act was to be carried out in a way that would terrify "the whole Kufar [non believer] world." Since his 2007 caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, Vilks has been targeted by violent jihadists worldwide, including al Qaida.

In an e-mail to a fellow conspirator, LaRose expressed her determination to kill the cartoonist: "i will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying." She also added in a subsequent e-mail that "i agree it is good to blend in."

LaRose's appearance, a 47-year-old blonde American living in Montgomery County, Pa., was considered to be an asset because it allowed her to blend in while carrying out an attack.

LaRose has also been linked to American-born radical Yemeni cleric Anwar Awlaki. She is alleged to have used a YouTube account for jihad recruiting under the name "mzwiidkat," and is listed as a 'friend' through that account on YouTube's Anwar Awlaki Lectures Channel. Awlaki has been known to have influenced several American jihadists in perpetrating acts of terror.

The case demonstrates the changing face of terror and the use of new technologies in terrorist recruiting. According to U.S. Attorney Michael Levy, it demonstrates the danger of using the Internet to recruit violent jihadists and shatters the notion that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance.

Grand Jury Probing Oren Speech Disruptions

A California grand jury reportedly is investigating possible criminal violations by members of the University of California, Irvine's Muslim Student Union (MSU) in connection with a plot to disrupt Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech on campus last February.

Eleven students were arrested in a series of orchestrated disruptions. The university disciplined the students and suspended the MSU chapter for the fall term following an internal investigation.

Six members of MSU were subpoenaed to testify before the Orange County Grand Jury, Carol Sobel, the lawyer of the six students said on Southern California Public radio yesterday. The six were not among those arrested at the Oren speech, she said. By law, the Orange County DA's office has a year to issue indictments in the case. The speech took place Feb. 8.

Sobel and the UCI's founding law school dean speculated that the grand jury was pursuing a federal conspiracy charge, though the students were charged with misdemeanors when they were arrested.

"As far as the university is concerned, the MSU has completed the discipline that was meted out by our on-campus process and any further grand jury or charges from the DA's office is all handled out of there," said university spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon.

The grand jury will determine what, if any, criminal charges will be brought against the students.

Update on Egypt

Al-Jazeera English is showing live broadcasts from the Egyptian capital, where law and order appear to be breaking down.

Protestors have been ordered home under a 6 PM curfew. Al-Jazeera English is reporting that many people are trying to force themselves onto public transport to get home, while others are continuing the protests which are the most forceful in 30 years.

The headquarters of the NDP, President Hosni Mubarak's party, is on fire. The building is located near critical government facilities like the Interior Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, according to what Al-Jazeera English is reporting.

Protestors on the video appear to be trying to shove armored police vehicles into the Nile River, while video footage shows at least one police vehicle on fire. Explosions and gunfire can be heard in Cairo as the army has been called in to reinforce the curfew. An unconfirmed report from Al-Arabiya says that at least some police are taking off their uniforms and joining the protests, and there are early reports that a police station in Alexandria is on fire.

The Muslim Brotherhood announced yesterday that it would join the protests, but at this time it is difficult to see who is participating or directing the rioting. Egypt has arrested many leaders of the MB, the nation's largest opposition group.

PJ Crowley, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, has posted a Twitter message stating "Reform is vital to #Egypt's long-term well-being. The Egyptian government should view its people as a partner and not as a threat."

The White House has also taken to the micro-blogging site to comment on the developing situation. "Very concerned about violence in Egypt - government must respect the rights of the Egyptian people & turn on social networking and internet," said White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs.

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