Somali Terror Groups Merge

The Somali terrorist group Hizbul Islam [HI] has folded to its rival, designated terrorist organization al-Shabaab, after losing ground in Somalia for the past two years. The realignment brings together two former branches of another State Department designated terror group Al Ittihad Al Islami, which splintered and was crushed in the late 1990s.

"We, the Islamic party, have decided to join Al Shabaab both militarily and principally and the reason is, we want to combine our force and fight against the forces of the transitional government and those of the African union," announced Hizbul Islam spokesman Mohamed Osman Arus.

Members of al-Shabaab have taken up Hizbul Islam's former positions in and around Mogadishu, while the leadership positions of HI will disappear into the infrastructure of al-Shabaab. For HI's former leader, specially designated terrorist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has joined al-Shabaab.

The move puts additional pressure on Somalia's weak but internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government [TFG], which is now surrounded by the unified group in the nation's capital, Mogadishu. The TFG is supported by troops from the African Union, whose constituent nations have been struck by al-Shabaab revenge attacks.

Al-Shabaab has also focused intensely on recruitment from the Somali Diaspora around the world, with a leading member of the organization coming from America. In the U.S., al-Shabaab has recruited more than 20 Somali youth from the city of Minneapolis alone. Law enforcement has also focused intensely on breaking the group's fundraising and support system in America.

Al-Shabaab recruitment is a worldwide problem, with youth joining the fight from places as distant as Sweden and Kenya.

Mail Bomb Plot's Sophisticated Explosive

The device used in October's cargo bomb plot was so sophisticated that police nearly put it on a van before they realized it was a live explosive, according to a recent revelation by Britain's The Telegraph. The bomb disposal officers unwittingly disarmed the device by disassembling it before they were aware it was anything more than a standard printer ink cartridge.

The device, composed of a powerful type of plastic explosive called PETN coupled with a disassembled cell phone, was hidden in a desktop printer sent from Yemen. Intelligence officials speculate that the device was built by Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, a top bomb maker for Yemen's al-Qaida for Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

"This was the most sophisticated device we have seen for a decade," a British police source told the Telegraph. "It demonstrates that AQAP has now emerged as a major terrorist threat to the UK. We had a very lucky escape at East Midlands but next time we might not be so lucky."

Al-Qaida announced the attack in a special issue of the English-language Jihadi magazine. "$4,200," the name of the issue, was a boast about the new and cheap method of attack with which al-Qaida was experimenting. The issue also gave theological justification for the attack and declared that al-Qaida was training a new generation of bomb makers using al-Asiri's methods.

The revelations about the October 29^th attack come at the same time al-Qaida is warning of new attacks over the Christmas season. The sophistication of these attacks and AQAP's growing role have also led America's leading counterterrorism official, John Brennan, to declare AQAP a greater threat than the older Pakistani al-Qaida branch.

Treasury Targets Additional Iranian Accounts

The U.S. Treasury Department has targeted a series of Iranian charitable trusts connected to the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps and its national shipping lines in the latest round of designations aimed at thwarting Iran's nuclear weapons program.

The trusts, called bonyads, receive government support but disclose little about their operations. The actions came under a presidential order targeting the assets of people involved with weapons of mass destruction.

The newly designated groups are "major institutional participants in Iran's illicit conduct and in its attempts to evade sanctions," Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey said in a statement issued Tuesday. Among the Iranian entities targeted is the Moallem Insurance Company for providing insurance to the shipping lines. The Liner Transport Kish also was designated for helping send weapons to Hizballah for the Revolutionary Guard, or IRGC.​

"The IRGC continues to be a primary focus of U.S. and international sanctions against Iran because of the central role it plays in Iran's missile and nuclear programs, its support for terrorism, as well as its involvement in serious human rights abuses," the Treasury statement said.

Officials insist the U.S.'s widening sanctions program is being felt within Iran, but has yet to bring about the desired effect of persuading the government to back away from developing nuclear weapons.

DHS Uncovers Plot to Poison Food in U.S. Hotels and Restaurants

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has discovered a plot to poison food in U.S. hotels and restaurants, CBS News reports.

The plot, uncovered earlier this year, involved the simultaneous poisoning of food served in hotels and restaurants across the U.S. over a single weekend. Two different poisons, ricin and cyanide, would be slipped into salad bars and buffets.

According to CBS, a "key intelligence source" confirmed that the threat was "credible." So credible, in fact, that the DHS, Department of Agriculture and the FDA briefed key security officers in the hotel and restaurant industries about the attack.

Officials believe that those behind the plot may be tied to the Yemeni-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). In October, AQAP attempted a cargo bombing scheme, in which explosives were placed in two packages shipped to Chicago addresses.

On Monday, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Sean Smith refused to respond specifically to the CBS report. "However," Smith said, "counterterrorism and security communities have engaged in extensive efforts for many years to guard against all types of terrorist attacks, including unconventional attacks." He noted that al-Qaida has stated it hopes to carry out unconventional attacks for more than a decade and that AQAP has voiced similar intentions over the past year.

Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder told ABC News that he is trying to "make people aware of the fact that the threat is real, the threat is different, the threat is constant."

In the poisoning case, it appears officials stopped it from coming to fruition. Yet, Holder's warning Tuesday rings clear - "The terrorists only have to be successful once."

King Explains Call for Homegrown Radicalism Hearings

Leaders of the Muslim-American community are not doing enough to combat al-Qaida's increasingly successful attempts to recruit homegrown terrorists, said incoming House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King.

King, R-NY, drew criticism – including allegations of bigotry – in response to his intention to have his committee focus on homegrown Islamist radicalism. In a column published Tuesday by Newsday, King explained that he sees "a disconnect between outstanding Muslims who contribute so much to the future of our country and those leaders who - for whatever reason - acquiesce in terror or ignore the threat." That creates a security threat.

"I will do all I can to break down the wall of political correctness and drive the public debate on Islamic radicalization" King wrote.

It's a position that triggers immediate and harsh blowback. "To some in the strata of political correctness, I'm a pretty bad guy," he wrote. "To be blunt, this crowd sees me as an anti-Muslim bigot. A spokesman for the Committee on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced me last year for making "'bigoted remarks . . . about Muslims and mosques (that) have no place in national security discussions.'"

Media outlets have echoed some of those criticisms. But King notes just a few recent examples of homegrown terror plots, including one targeting New York subways and the 2009 Fort Hood massacre as context for why hearings are relevant and appropriate. "As chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I will do all I can to break down the wall of political correctness and drive the public debate on Islamic radicalization," he wrote. "These hearings will be a step in that direction. It's what democracy is all about."

Ontario Appeals Court Boosts Terror Plotters' Sentences

Three Canadian terrorists have had their sentences substantially increased by the Ontario Court of Appeals. Mohammad Khawaja of Ottawa, who was convicted of financing a terrorist group based in Great Britain, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison last year. The Ontario court announced Friday that it would increase his sentence to life plus 24 years.

Khawaja was convicted of facilitating terrorism and developing an explosive device in connection with a jihadist plot to bomb London nightclubs and other locations in 2004. He claimed that he had been duped into designing and building electronic triggers for a British terror cell.

"He was obsessed with the cause, fanatic in his determination to establish Islamic dominance seemingly at any cost, and eager to assist in bringing about the destruction of Western culture and civilization," the appeals court said in rejecting Khawaja's appeal.

The court also dramatically increased the prison sentences for two members of the "Toronto 18" – a terrorist group that plotted to bomb Canada's intelligence service and stock exchange, as well as a military base. Saad Khalid's 14-year sentence was increased to 20 years and Saad Gaya's sentenced would go from 12 to 18 years.

The court also rejected an appeal from Toronto 18 ringleader Zakaria Amara, who sought a reduction in his sentence of life in prison. In dismissing Amara's appeal, the court noted that he had masterminded a plot that would likely result in "indiscriminate killing of innocent people."

Read more about the cases here and here.

Rocket From Gaza Lands Near Kindergarten

A rocket fired from Gaza exploded near an Ashkelon-area kindergarten Tuesday morning as children were arriving at school, injuring a teenage girl and sending two other Israelis into shock.

The rocket landed shortly before 8:00 a.m. at Kibbutz Zikim, located less than a mile from the border separating Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza. A group calling itself the Army of Islam, which shares the ideology of al Qaida, claimed responsibility for the rocket strike.

None of the kindergartners was reported injured in the attack.

Eyelet Shapira, 14, who lives near the kindergarten, said she was showering when she heard a Code Red rocket alert. She was attempting to get to a fortified room when she heard the blast, which sent shards of glass flying towards her. She was treated at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon and released on Tuesday after treatment for bruising in her leg.

Ayelet's aunt said it was a "miracle" that her injuries weren't more severe, noting that the rocket narrowly missed a nearby gas truck. Had the vehicle exploded, the damage would have been much worse, she said.

Israel Defense Forces sources say the attacks are part of an increase in Hamas military activity in recent weeks, much of it directed against Israeli troops and civilians living near the security fence separating the Jewish State from Gaza. Ten Qassam rockets and 30 mortar shells have been fired into Israel by terror groups during this period.

In testimony before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi reported that terrorist organizations in Gaza are targeting Israel with increasingly sophisticated weaponry. As an example, he said that on December 6, a Kornet missile fired from Gaza managed to penetrate the exterior of an Israeli tank but failed to detonate inside it. Ashkenazi added that the Iron Dome (an Israeli anti-rocket system that is partially funded by the United States) is not a foolproof solution to the rocket threat from Gaza.

Willful Blinders at the State Department

Last week, the Miller-McCune blog posted a report concerning the trend among secular European governments to provide public funds to build and support mosques within their countries. The operative theory behind this public financing of Islam is to replace the mostly radical clerics who espouse Islamic extremism throughout much of Western Europe with more moderate, government-approved and funded versions.

"A glamorous French-funded mosque, goes the logic, is better than a back-alley prayer room with literature and funding from Riyadh, Damascus or Tehran," the report states.

While there is little to identify the effectiveness of these policies, the underlying basis is clearly rooted in countering the radical theology of Islamism. Genuinely secular and moderate Muslim scholars in the U.S., such as M. Juhdi Jasser, have clearly defined the radical religious nature of Islamists, how that dangerous Muslim theology interfaces with radical political Islamic interests, and have also identified their organizational supporters here in the U.S.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is among the staunchest of those Islamist support organizations. CAIR has historically downplayed religious association with Islamic terrorism.

The Miller-McCune report identified U.S. State Department cables made public in the recent Wiki-leaks release that specifically had U.S. diplomats commenting on their perceptions of the 2005 riots in France that primarily involved North African descent Muslim immigrants. "The French riots were about racism and exclusion, rather than religion," the cables argued.

"Despite claims that its commitment to secularism nullifies prejudice against any religion, it is an open secret that historically Catholic France has heretofore failed to muster sufficient will and understanding to truly accept Muslims as French citizens," the cables said. "Although Islamic extremism may never completely disappear from France, acceptance of Muslims as full, participating members of French society will go a long way to minimizing its reach."

The State Department cables clearly indicate a posture denying recognition of the radical religious nature of the Islamist threat in 2005, but rather explaining it as an issue in need of social re-engineering. Essentially, the U.S. State Department took the same posture on radical Islam at the time as did CAIR. Unfortunately, this misguided posture by the State Department has not changed.

British Police Arrest 12 on Suspicion of Terrorism

British police have detained 12 terror suspects over suspicions that they were planning a "large-scale, pre-planned, intelligence-led" operation. The BBC reports that unarmed police raids nabbed seven suspects from Stoke-on-Trent and London in England, as well as five from Cardiff in Wales. The incident also highlighted fears of more attacks in Britain, following revelations that Sweden's first suicide bomber was radicalized in the English town of Luton, as well as other recent terror events which promoted the UK to increase its terror rating to "severe."

All of the suspects, between the ages of 17 and 28, "were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect from Stoke who was at a domestic property in Birmingham," according to a statement by West Midlands Police. "Searches are now being conducted at the home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London."

Although police sources noted that no firearms or explosives have yet been recovered from the search sites, the British police said that "today's arrests were absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe." Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Jon Yates, the British national lead for counter-terrorism policing, also warned the public that it was "absolutely vital" that remain vigilant and contact police if they saw anything suspicious.

"The suspects are believed to have been involved in a plot against targets in the UK," BBC's Danny Shaw said." This is not believed to have been a potential plot of a Mumbai-style attack, but a plot involving explosives or bombs." The Guardian noted that potential targets including Whitehall, a London road lined with government departments and ministries, as well as Christmas shoppers and "revelers" in the West Midlands.

The plot comes on the heels of several terror attempts and plots in Britain over the last few years. The last terror arrests occurred in April of 2009. However, on December 11^th, Swedish suicide bomber Taimour Abdulwahab Al-Abdaly, blew up himself among Christmas shoppers after being radicalized while living in Luton. In 2008, Muslim convert Nicky Reilly, aka Mohamed Abdulaziz Rashid Saeed-Alim, attempted a failed suicide bombing at a British restaurant in Exeter. And in 2007, Bilal Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed tried to ram a Jeep Cherokee full of propane canisters into the entrance of an airport terminal in Glasgow, Scotland.

It also followed warnings of increased al-Qaida activity, especially in Britain. In November, Germany reported "concrete indications" of al-Qaida attacks in Europe and America during the holiday season. In October, the French foreign ministry warned of a "very likely" terror attack occurring in Britain, while the State Department issued its own warning against European travel in the same month. Jihadist websites have also been abuzz with talk of striking Christians in the Middle East and sending the West "Christmas presents" of explosives.

More about the Christmas plots can be read here. Information about the Swedish suicide bomber and steps of his radicalization can be read here.

Brennan Calls Yemeni Al-Qaida Greater Threat

Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen poses a greater risk to Americans than the founding branch in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan told a forum at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Dec. 17.

"Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is now the most operationally active node of the al-Qaida network," Brennan said. Although the terrorism potential of al-Qaida in Yemen has risen through international attacks, Brennan explained the strong pressure that the United States had been exerting through its relationship with the Yemeni government.

"We are helping Yemen build its counterterrorism capacity for a very specific purpose – so that Yemen, with our assistance, can go on the offensive against al-Qaida. Going on the offensive means exactly that – using all the tools available to identify, locate, capture, and, when necessary, kill those who are dedicated to murdering innocent men women and children," explained Brennan. "And in my many discussions with Yemeni President Saleh, whether in person or on the phone, I have conveyed President Obama's personal commitment that the United States will do whatever it can to help the people of Yemen rid their country of the terrible cancer of al-Qaida."

Despite the "true friendship" between the United States and Yemeni government, Saleh had registered complaints with the Americans. "The Yemenis complain that our security and development assistance flows are too slow and encumbered by bureaucratic requirements and complications, that we expect economic and political reforms virtually overnight without understanding the implications of such reforms on Yemeni society and stability, and that we are more interested in fighting al-Qaida than in helping the Yemeni people," Brennan noted.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani branch of al-Qaida had been damaged by American forces on the ground in Afghanistan and in the air in Pakistan. "In the tribal regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the core of al-Qaida is under more pressure than at any point since it fled Afghanistan nine years ago," Brennan stated. "Senior leaders have been killed. It's harder for them to recruit, to travel and train, to plot and launch attacks. In short, al-Qaida [in the tribal region] is hunkered down."

In addition, Brennan acknowledged the role of American fighters in the movement. "The ranks of al-Qaida have been bolstered by members with ties to the West, or with American citizenship, such as Anwar al-Awlaki," he said. "Indeed, al-Qaida is seeking to attract not just Westerners or Americans overseas, but Americans inside the United States."

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