Pakistan: American Ally and Terrorist Enabler

A new ProPublica investigation into the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist massacre raises troubling questions about Pakistan's dual roles as an American ally and a supporter of jihadist terror. The three-day siege ended with 166 people and 308 wounded. Six Americans were among the 26 foreigners killed.

Veteran journalist Sebastian Rotella documents in detail the close relationship between the perpetrators of the massacre- the Kashmiri separatist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba – and the Pakistani government.

"The question, simply put, is whether the larger interests of the United States in maintaining good relations with Pakistan will permit [jihadist] suspects to get away with one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in recent history," he writes.

Rotella explains the problem by examining the actions of Sajid Mir, the terrorist operative who directed the Mumbai slaughter by telephone from a safe house in Karachi. Mir spent two years conducting reconnaissance of terrorist targets using a Pakistani-American businessman named David Coleman Headley.

Through interviews with law enforcement and intelligence officials in the United States, India, Pakistan and elsewhere, ProPublica provides what may be the most detailed account yet of Mir's activities and his connections with Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence Directorate (ISI).

The "ISI has been accused for years of playing a 'double game': acting as a front-line U.S. ally in the fight against terror while supporting selected terrorist groups," Rotella writes.

U.S. officials emphasize that they are constantly pressuring Pakistan to act against Lashkar. But they say they are limited in their ability to press Islamabad to go after Mir – a terrorist with American blood on his hands. "Sajid Mir is too powerful for them to go after. Too well-connected," a high-ranking U.S. counterterrorism official tells Rotella. "We need the Pakistanis to go after the Taliban and al-Qaida."

Read the full ProPublica report here.

Updates on the Moscow Bombing

Russian leaders are blaming this week's Moscow airport bombing on Islamist groups from its restive southern republics, including one which calls for a Sharia-based state in the Russia's Caucasus mountains. Groups suspected in the attack include Chechen rebels from the terrorist organization Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus and Nogaisky Jamaat, an obscure militant group from the Russian republic of Dagestan.

Russian security forces have identified a suspect, Vitaly Razdobudko, from the Stavropol region just north of the Caucasus mountains. Razdobudko is believed to belong to Nogaisky Jamaat (Dzhamaat), a Dagestani terrorist organization that Russian forces supposedly broke up in October. "The idea that the Nogaisky Dzhamaat and Razdobudko are linked to the crime is being examined," a security source told the Interfax news agency. "Although the group (Nogaisky Jamaat) was almost totally broken, there are still fragments left and their aggression is now even greater."

On the other hand, the president of a Russian republic bordering Chechnya blamed the head of the local Islamist group, the Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, a group that wants an independent, Sharia-based state in the Russia's Caucasus mountains. "These leaders of the North Caucasus underground are responsible, like Doku Umarov," Ingush President Yevkurov told reporters in reference to the terrorist group's leader. "The Caucasus Emirate did it, I am sure they did it… International airports, trains, crowds... It doesn't matter what you protect: It is like putting on a gel against mosquitoes. You will always miss a spot and they will find it." The Islamic Emirate's media site, Kavkaz Center, has not issued a claim of responsibility.

Russian politicians have also called for the adopting of new security measures. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered ministers "to examine the acting [transport security] legislation...and to prepare the proposals on...toughening responsibility," according to a Kremlin Press Agency statement. Other Russian politicians have called for the country to adopt "Israeli-style" security checks at airports and methods of fighting terror.

"I often use airports in different countries and continents, but I have not seen anything more monitored and safer than Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. Why not adopt at least a part of this Israeli experience?" committee head Mikhail Margelov asked. "The unprecedented security measures towards passengers in Israel are immediately visible when you arrive in the country, and everybody takes for granted the thorough screening," Russian Senator Vladimir Kulakov said.

Would-Be West Bank Arms Dealer Convicted

Jurors in Miami needed less than an hour to convict a man of conspiring to buy hundreds of stolen M-16 rifles and various explosives for a friend who wanted to send them to the West Bank.

Yanny Aguila Urbay, a 24-year-old Cuban immigrant, faces up to five years in prison. Negotiations to buy the weapons by Urbay and his friend Abdalaziz Aziz Hemayel were recorded by law enforcement officials as part of a sting operation, the Miami Herald reports.

The investigation started in early 2009 when Urbay reached out to an informant for help in buying the weapons. An undercover North Miami Beach police officer posed as a weapons supplier in meetings with the men at the Miami Jai Alai fronton, a Burger King and other locations. Hemayel pled guilty to the conspiracy charge last month.

In one meeting, Hemayel talked about buying 300 guns including M-16 assault rifles, handguns, silencers, 200 improvised explosive devices and another 200 grenades. The undercover officer testified that he made it clear the weapons were stolen from New York.

According to the criminal complaint, Hemayel claimed he had a "family friend" from his West Bank village who now lives in South Florida and would pay for the weapons.

Imam Caught Sneaking Into U .S. in Car Trunk

A radical imam deported from Canada in 2007 was arrested by U.S. border authorities who found him hiding in trunk of a BMW near the U.S.-Mexican border earlier this month. Authorities say Said Jaziri paid $5,000 to members of a Tijuana-based smuggling ring to get him across the border so he could reach a "safe place anywhere in the United States." He is being held as a material witness in the criminal case against the driver of the BMW.

During his tenure as imam of a Montreal mosque, Jaziri stirred controversy with calls for implementation of sharia law, his push for taxpayer subsidies to build a large mosque for the city's growing Muslim population, and his leadership role in local protests against a Danish newspaper's publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

Jaziri's refugee status was revoked and he was deported after Canadian authorities learned that he had failed to disclose a 1994 criminal conviction in France. The conviction was related to his role in an assault on someone whose actions led to the closing of a prayer room.

Jaziri unsuccessfully fought to stop his deportation to Tunisia, claiming he was likely to be tortured. The Los Angeles Times reported that it is unclear how Jaziri was treated while in Tunisia or whether his departure from the country is related to the recent unrest there.

Court documents in the case said that a guide led Jaziri and a Mexican illegal into the United States. Passing firefighters said they saw Jaziri and the Mexican get into the BMW's trunk, and the vehicle was stopped by Border Patrol agents approximately 50 miles east of San Diego.

Jaziri said he flew from Africa to Europe, and then to Central America and a town on the Mexico-Belize border. From there he took a bus to Tijuana before entering the United States earlier this month.

British Bank Freezes Iranian TV Account

Britain's National Westminster Bank has frozen the account of a principal Iranian propaganda arm, PressTV.

No explanation has been given publicly or, apparently, to PressTV. "They're not giving any reason why they've done it," said attorney Matthew Richardson. Britain and the U.S. have worked to cut off access to bank accounts and other financial outlets for Iranian government enterprises as part of a program aimed at getting the country to give up its nuclear weapons program.

Last summer, Barclay's Bank agreed to pay nearly $300 million in fines for allowing Iran and other terror-sponsoring states to move hundreds of millions of dollars.

Writer Shiraz Maher calls the move "a welcome development," noting that PressTV "has a long track record in producing agitprop for the Iranian state, including the lie that Neda Soltan's murder by the regime was a hoax."

He notes that National Westminster still provides services to Viva Palestina, the brainchild of former MP George Galloway that organizes aid caravans to Gaza which benefit Hamas. Galloway has two programs on PressTV, one called "The Real Deal," and another called "Comment."

Press TV's website carried a report today that Iran threatening to cut off relations with Great Britain for its "meddlesome and undiplomatic approach toward Tehran. "

West Bank Palestinians Indicted for American Missionary's Murder

Israeli officials announced Wednesday that four West Bank Palestinians have been indicted in the murder of American missionary Kristine Luken, who was stabbed to death last month while hiking in a forest west of Jerusalem. Eight men have been arrested in connection with the Dec. 18 attack that killed Luken and seriously wounded her friend Kay Wilson, a tour guide who moved to Israel from Great Britain in 1991.

In addition to the four indicted men, four other Palestinians are face charges of providing logistical support to the alleged killers. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the suspects were initially focused on criminal activity. But after the January 2010 killing of senior Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai - for which Hamas holds Israel responsible - the suspects decided to kill Israelis in revenge.

According to the indictment, two of the suspects encountered Luken and Wilson hiking in the forest. Wilson attempted to convince them that she and Luken were not Jewish. But one of suspects, grasping at a Star of David around Wilson's neck, demanded to know, "What's this?" Then the pair, Kifah Ghneimat and Iyad Fatafa, stabbed the women repeatedly, killing Luken. Wilson, seriously wounded, played dead. Eventually she managed to crawl to another group of hikers before collapsing.

Security officials said that, within 48 hours of the attacks, they arrested two men who confessed to the crimes. But they decided to withhold this information because they did not want to tip off other members of the group. The suspects are is accused in a series of murders, rapes, robberies and shooting attacks against the Israeli military and Jewish civilians dating back to 2009.

Arab Journalist Hits Colleagues' Focus on Blasting U.S.

Dr. Ahmad Abd Al-Malik, a columnist for the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al-Ittihad, takes Arab writers to task for attacking the United States while ignoring more serious problems in their own countries.

"We read articles by some of our 'renowned' writers criticizing the U.S. and its leaders and protesting its mistakes and its positions on the Arab world," according to a translation of Malik's article by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). But "when it comes to an Arab regime, they dare not criticize it at all, even if it is corrupt."

"Why don't they write about the injustice likely to befall citizens who write against the Arab regimes?...Why don't [Arab]leaders assume responsibility for the backwardness of our economy, education and society, even though they remain in power for long periods?" Malik continues. "Why don't they write about the collapse of the institutions or the stagnation of government during an age of technological development, or about the anti-constitutional legislation that perpetuates class division?" Have "you [ever] heard of a European or American oppositionist going to prison?"

"Don't our 'renowned' writers have anything to say about all this, instead of flooding us with criticism of America and its leaders? …Addressing the situation in the Arab world is much more honorable than leveling criticism at the U.S. and its leaders. America is not afraid of any opinion or criticism, however bold."

According to Malik, that is the critical difference between the Arab world and the West: "We can say whatever we wish about [the West], but if we utter a single word of truth about our own [countries and leaders], it is considered a crime that merits punishment."

Three Reported Dead in Anti-Mubarak Demonstrations

Three people were reported dead as demonstrations against the Mubarak government spread through Egypt Tuesday. In Cairo, Suez and other Egyptian cities, demonstrators took to the streets to challenge police "to employ the same heavy-handed tactics that were the ultimate undoing of the autocratic regime in neighboring Tunisia," the Wall Street Journal reported. Two protesters were killed in a rally in Suez, while a policeman in Cairo died after being hit in the head by a rock.

Police used rubber bullets, dogs, batons and water cannons against demonstrators taking part in a protest called "Day of anger." The group "We are all Khaled Said," named after a businessman beaten to death by police last year, played a critical role in mobilizing the demonstrations.

Demonstrators chanted "Down with Mubarak," "Tunisia, Tunisia" and "Hey Hosni! Hey Gamal! Saudi Arabia is waiting for you." President Hosni Mubarak has ruled the country with an iron fist since the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat, and his son Gamal is considered a likely successor. (Unconfirmed reports said that Gamal and other members of the Mubarak family had fled to the United Kingdom.)

Former Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled the country Jan. 14, after more than 23 years in power, is believed to be in Saudi Arabia.

"We have our demands and we're not leaving here until our demands are satisfied," said Shadi Taha of the al-Ghad Party, one of the groups behind the demonstrations. "We've been ruled by Mubarak for 30 years. It's time for him to leave to allow us to push for the real reforms we've been fighting for years."

Calls for demonstrations spread on Facebook and Twitter. By mid-afternoon, there were reports that Twitter had been blocked.

The Muslim Brotherhood allowed its members to participate but said it did not mobilize them to take to the streets.

US Anger Over UN Official's 9/11 Comments

The United States and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned remarks by UN human rights expert Richard Falk about "awkward gaps and contradictions in the official explanations" of the 9/11 terror attacks. The US ambassador to the United Nations also demanded that Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, be sacked over the comments on his blog.

"What fuels suspicions of conspiracy is the reluctance to address the sort of awkward gaps and contradictions in the official explanations," given by conspiracy theorists like David Ray Griffin, Falk said in a recent blog post. "What may be more distressing than the apparent cover up is the eerie silence of the mainstream media, unwilling to acknowledge the well-evidenced doubts about the official version of the events: an al Qaeda operation with no foreknowledge by government officials."

US Ambassador to United Nations, Susan Rice, condemned Falk's accusations as "noxious."

"Mr. Falk endorses the slurs of conspiracy theorists who allege that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were perpetrated and then covered up by the US government and media," she said in a statement. "Mr. Falk's comments are despicable and deeply offensive, and I condemn them in the strongest terms. I have registered a strong protest with the UN on behalf of the United States."

The U.S. has made past criticisms about Falk's "one-sided and politicized approach to his work for the UN," Rice added, "including his failure to condemn deliberate human rights abuses by Hamas, but these blog comments are in another category altogether."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also rejected Falk's comments. "I want to tell you clearly and directly. I condemn this sort of inflammatory rhetoric. It is preposterous -- an affront to the memory of the more than 3,000 people who died in that tragic attack," he said. Despite his official condemnation, Ban is unable to remove Falk from his position because he was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council.

Hizballah Ally Takes Over in Beirut

Protestors took to the streets Tuesday and top American officials expressed concern as a billionaire businessman closely allied with the terrorist group Hizballah emerged as Lebanon's new prime minister.

Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah welcomed Najib Miqati's selection with a warning to the terror group's domestic political foes, warning Lebanese not to "plot against us or backstab us."

Nasrallah seemed to be referring to ousted Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri, who called the change in power a coup d'etat. "Today, you are an angry people," Hariri said in a televised appeal for calm, "but you are a people responsible about the safety of Lebanon and the common life among Lebanese people. Anger cannot be expressed by cutting off roads, burning tires or infringing the freedom of others, regardless of the motives."

Hizballah triggered the government collapse last week as Hariri met with President Obama. Pro-Hizballah cabinet members resigned to protest Beirut's support for a United Nations special tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. The tribunal issued a sealed indictment that is expected to name Hizballah officials in connection with the Hariri murder.

In his remarks, Nasrallah made it clear that Sa'ad Hariri's failure to disavow the tribunal led to his ouster. "You went to Washington, made commitments, and plotted against the Resistance and its arms. Even the national dialogue table's aim was to disarm the resistance, but you failed," Nasrallah said. "You asked for the July War on the resistance and you failed. Today, there is the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and it's being employed to get rid of the Resistance, but you will also fail."

Hizballah control could prompt the U.S. to designate Lebanon as a terrorist state, cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in annual economic and military aid. "A Hizballah-controlled government would clearly have an impact on our bilateral relationship with Lebanon," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "Our bottom lines remain as they always have been. First, we believe that justice must be pursued and impunity for murder ended. We believe in Lebanon's sovereignty and an end to outside interference. So as we see what this new government does, we will judge it accordingly."

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., wrote to President Obama Tuesday urging the administration to be more proactive.

Israel also is warily viewing Hizballah's political ascendancy. Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom called it a "dangerous development," stating: "This is not just about a terror organization which operates with Iran's support and inspiration anymore, but rather a real sovereign government." Shalom warned it was possible that an "Iranian government" will be established in Lebanon.

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