Nine Charged in British Pre-Christmas Plot

British authorities are charging nine men arrested on December 20^th with preparing to carry out a "Mumbai-style" terror attack against targets in London. The BBC reports that potential targets included the London Stock Exchange, the U.S. Embassy, and "religious and political figures."

"I have today advised the police that nine men should be charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism with the intention of either committing acts of terrorism, or assisting another to commit such acts," said Sue Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division.

The men are being charged under Britain's Terrorism Act 2006 for engaging in preparations for attacks between October 1 and December 20. They are alleged to have scouted potential targets, downloaded and researched terrorism-related materials and tested explosives. Five of the defendants face a third charge of possessing documents and records containing information likely to be of use to terrorists.

The plotters, mainly of Pakistani origin but also including some Bangladeshis, lived throughout the United Kingdom. Gurukanth Desai, Omar Sharif Latif, and Abdul Malik Miah were arrested in the Welsh capital of Cardif, while Nazam Hussain, Usman Khan, Mohibur Rahman, and Abul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan came from the English town Stoke-on-Trent. Two other suspects, Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, were from London.

"Last week's raids are said to have come after several months of surveillance and monitoring by police and MI5 officers," the Guardian reported. The operation was the most high-profile anti-terror raid in Britain since April 2009, when 12 men were detained across northern England, but were later released without charge. It also follows allegations that Sweden's first suicide bomber, Taimour Abdulwahab Abdaly, was radicalized while living and studying in the British town of Luton.

UCLA Law Professor Smears Shariah Critics

The flyer posted on the UCLA campus advertised that Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl would lead "an informal discussion about Shariah and its role and impact in the West." Instead, students were treated to "a meandering, repetitive lecture that had little or nothing to do with the stated premise," wrote Cinnamon Stilwell and Eric Golub of Campus Watch.

Much of Abou El Fadl's November 3 talk consisted of outlandish falsehoods about writers who have criticized radical Islam, including Daniel Pipes, Steven Emerson and Robert Spencer.

To illustrate how lucrative "Islam bashing" and "Shariah bashing" have supposedly become, Abou El Fadl claimed that Spencer made $4 million last year and received $10,000 per speech. To make $4 million at $10,000 per speech would require that Spencer give more than 400 speeches per year – more than one a day.

"I have never made $4 million a year, or anything close to it," Spencer said in response. "I have never charged $10,000 for a talk, or anything close to it. Khaled Abou El Fadl is lying outright."

Abou El Fadl, who teaches Islamic jurisprudence at the UCLA School of Law, also quoted Spencer as stating that Islam lacks "an interpretative tradition." Spencer responded: "I never said that. I said they don't have an interpretative tradition that mitigates the literal force of the Qu'ranic verses inciting to violence. Obviously, they have an interpretative tradition; I discuss it at length in several books."

Abou El Fadl also claimed that Steven Emerson, executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, is regularly invited to "the very influential Ethics and Public Policy Institute," a think tank based in Qatar. "Emerson is a regular" at these events, sponsored by the Qatari royal family, Abou El Fadl claimed. "He brags about it constantly –he rubs elbows with the ambassadors, with the royals. The irony is…he gets to tell these people 'you're terrorists, you're animals, you're disgusting' and he'll be invited again and welcomed again and celebrated again."

Emerson countered that 1) he is not a member of the Ethics and Public Policy Institute; 2) he had never been to Qatar; and 3) he has never conferred with Qatari royalty.

In a separate column, Pipes also said Abou El Fadl distorted his views, including a claim that he wants to see a violent clash between moderate and extremist Muslims. "For the record," Pipes responds, "We hope that moderate Muslims will challenge Islamists in the realm of ideas, not by starting a religious war or engaging in violence."

"Abou El Fadl simply made up a story to suit his narrative," Stilwell and Golub wrote. "One wonders if El Fadl teaches his law students that lying about one's political opponents is acceptable professional behavior."

TSA Alert on Thermoses

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA will be taking a closer look at thermoses during holiday travel. While the alert suggested a general threat, the TSA is taking the measure in light of concerns that insulated beverage containers could contain explosives for use in terror attacks.

The TSA has already banned liquids, according to the 3-1-1 rule, so the ban is intended to target empty thermoses. "Passengers traveling with insulated beverage containers can expect to see additional screening of these items using procedures currently in place, including X-ray screening, physical inspection and the use of explosives trace detection technology," the alert said. "This measure is designed to be sustainable. TSA will continuously review this measure to ensure the highest levels of security."

"As always, the safety and security of the American people is our highest priority and we ask the public to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to their local authorities," the alert stated.

Jordan Bans Teaching about Holocaust

Jordan authorities banned a text book on the Holocaust from a Jordanian private school, while Jordanian deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr. Khalid Karaki ordered the establishment of a commission of inquiry that will "examine and write a report about the implications of the incident." Ynetnews, the English language site of Israeli paper Yediot Ahronot, reported that the "sensational affair" had been uncovered by local newspaper Al-Dustour and had stirred anger in the largely Palestinian kingdom.

Jordan's Education Ministry issued an official statement stating that it "prohibits the inclusion of additional study materials, unless they have received an official approval. The ministry will look into other schools that have used similar materials, and has instructed the school to stop using the textbook." The statement also warned that it will take additional measures against schools that do not comply with the ban on teaching the Holocaust.

Terror Alert in Mumbai

India police are scouring Mumbai for four Lashkar-e Tayyiba [LeT] terrorists, suspected of infiltrating the country to carry out attacks during the holidays, as India's financial capital remains on high alert. The alert is the second in four months and follows a devastating LeT attack on Mumbai in November 2008.

"We are getting information in bits and pieces," Deven Bharti, who heads the Mumbai police's crime branch, said in a telephone interview with the New York Times on Friday. "We are trying to work on it." They also released a picture of a suspect named Walid Jinnah, and set up checkpoints and an increased police presence throughout the city.

Roads were closed on Friday in and around the luxury Taj Mahal Palace hotel, one of the primary targets of the 2008 attacks, and armed police were patrolling at high-profile sites, including consulates.

"The four men are planning violent attacks that are going to cause destruction," said Joint police commissioner Himanshu Roy in a news conference in Mumbai on Thursday evening. "The four have recently arrived in Mumbai. We believe the threat is serious."

Iran and Nuclear Scientists

Tehran is recruiting nuclear scientists from all over the world to participate in its nuclear weapons program, a former Iranian diplomat says. A former Iranian consul in Norway, Mohamed Reza Heydari said in an interview published Thursday that he helped numerous North Koreans to enter the country while working for the foreign ministry at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran.

"Our mission was to coordinate with a team from the Ministry of Intelligence in checking the visas of the foreign diplomatic and trade delegates who visited Iran, with special attention to VIPs," Heydari told the London Telegraph. "We had instructions to forgo any visa and passport inspections for Palestinians belonging to Hamas and North Korean military and engineering staff who visit Iran on a regular basis."

The North Koreans entering Iran "were all technicians and military experts involved in two aspects of Iran's nuclear program. One was to enable Iran to achieve nuclear bomb capability, and the other to help increase the range of Iran's ballistic missiles," Heydari said.

He added that in all Iranian embassies abroad, foreign ministry officials "were always looking for local scientists and technicians who were experts in nuclear technology and offered them lucrative contracts to lure them into Iran."

Heydari, who spent close to 20 years in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, defected in January after the regime used violence to suppress protests on the Shi'ite Muslim holy day of Ashura in December 2009. Last February, Norway granted him asylum.

Little Rock Shooter's Trial to Stay in State Court

When a defense attorney stands up in court and calls his own client a terrorist, something else is going on beneath the surface. In a hearing in Little Rock on Tuesday, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad's defense attorney said his client was "turned into a weapon" during his time in Yemen.

Claiborne Ferguson wants his client's trial for killing an Army private and wounding a second outside a Little Rock recruiting center last year switched to federal court. There, he might be able to argue his client is protected by war and humanitarian laws and gain access to FBI files on Muhammad's radical connections.

But state prosecutors seem intent on presenting a nuts and bolts murder case. No federal witnesses will be called, they promised.

Wright rejected the defense arguments. The trial is scheduled to begin in late February. If convicted, Muhammad could face the death penalty. To avoid that sentence, Ferguson argued, information in the FBI's hands is needed.

"What turned my client into what he is today happened somewhere between Nashville and Yemen," Ferguson argued. "Everyone is dancing around the issue that my client is a terrorist."

Muhammad has repeatedly acknowledged being the shooter, including in a letter he wrote from jail to Circuit Judge Herb Wright in January. In it, he said he was affiliated with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and wanted to plead guilty. "This was a jihadi attack on infidel forces," the handwritten note said.

Two Bombs Explode at Rome Embassies

Amid mounting concern that al-Qaida may attempt to carry out attacks in Europe or the United States during the Christmas season, two package bombs that exploded Thursday at embassies in Rome are suspected of being the work of anarchists.

Police have ordered checks at all embassies in Rome after the explosions at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in the Italian capital. One person was injured in each attack.

The first explosion occurred at the Swiss embassy. A staff member who opened a package suffered serious injuries to both hands, according to Swiss Ambassador Bernardo Regazzoni. The 53-year-old victim, an embassy mailroom worker, may lose one of his hands, police said.

Approximately three hours later, a person opening a package at the Chilean Embassy was wounded in an explosion.

"It's a wave of terrorism against the embassies," Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said. Italian authorities are investigating the possibility that anarchist groups were behind Thursday's attacks. (Reports of a third bombing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Rome were apparently erroneous.)

Italian police are reportedly consulting with counterparts in Greece, where 14 small parcel bombs were sent last month to European leaders and foreign embassies in Athens. One of the devices reached the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. A Greek radical group claimed responsibility for those parcel bombings.

Jihadis Journey to Europe

Another report has surfaced indicating the threat of radical Islamic terror has infiltrated Europe from the Middle East, the Islam in Europe blog reported on Tuesday, citing a Le Figaro article from the same date. Both report as many as two dozen Palestinian jihadist members of Fatah al-Islam, based in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, have managed to elude security forces there and slipped into Europe.

"Some, like Ahmad al-Doukhi, planned attacks against United Nations Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Le Figaro reports.
"Others are responsible for attacks against the Lebanese army. The majority of them are Palestinian refugees, the other Syrian activists, Saudi, Yemeni, and some North Africans had come to enjoy the impunity of Palestinian camps in Lebanon where the army does not venture."

Le Figaro quotes a colonel responsible for security in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp saying the missing men "represent a threat to your safety." Some may go to Iraq or Afghanistan, but others may have been sent "to go fight the battle in Europe."

The men are believed to be associated with Fatah al-Islam (FAI), 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. Those clashes caused many FAI members to flee Lebanon. While most FAI members are Palestinian, some are from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and North Africa.

Reports of FAI operatives making their way into Europe follow a report in November of the escape and attempted escape of other FAI terrorists from Beirut's central prison.

With the latest jihadist threats against the West during the holiday season, this revelation of FAI infiltration into Europe serves to add credibility to that potential threat.

Jihadist American Sailor's Conviction Upheld

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the conviction of Hassan Abu-Jihaad for providing material support to terrorists and leaking information about the deployment of the USS Constellation battle group to jihadists. Abu-Jihaad, a former signalman on the USS Benfold, was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison for leaking classified information about the movement of navy ships to Azzam Publications, a Britain-based publishing house that supported the Taliban and other radical groups.

In its opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit noted that British authorities searched various Azzam-affiliated e-mail accounts and discovered that Abu-Jihaad had corresponded repeatedly with Azzam between August 21, 2000 and September 3, 2001. During the course of those emails, Abu-Jihaad "revealed his identity and status as an active duty member of the Navy and his personal support for jihad, even when directed against the United States," the court noted.

In a July 2001 e-mail, Abu-Jihaad praised what he called the "martyrdom operation against the uss cole [sic]" and the damage that attack did to the United States. Seventeen American sailors were killed in the October 12, 2000 suicide attack on USS Cole as it was refueling in Aden, Yemen. Abu-Jihaad wrote that the attack had prompted new security briefings and had increased anxiety among American sailors.

The court observed that in other communications with Azzam, Abu-Jihaad warned his correspondents that U.S. submarines might carry out strikes against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban; provided detailed information about the activities of U.S. Naval forces and identified the "vulnerabilities" of ships inside a U.S. battle group. The opinion also explains that in 2006, Abu-Jihaad, speaking in code, admitted his crimes in a wiretapped telephone conversation with a federal informant.

Much of the ruling focused on the government's use of wiretaps obtained through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The law's primary purpose is intelligence gathering, but information obtained through FISA warrants increasingly has been used in terror-related prosecutions since 2002. The court dismissed defense arguments that the Act is unconstitutional or that use of information gathered through the intercepts violated Abu-Jihaad's rights. FISA has been challenged repeatedly throughout the past decade. The only district court ruling that such use is unconstitutional has been vacated, the 2^nd Circuit decision noted. "Meanwhile, all other courts that have considered the issue, both before and after enactment of the PATRIOT Act, have rejected constitutional challenges to FISA."

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