Congress Wants Fort Hood Shootings Labeled as Terrorist Attack

An ABC News report showing survivors of the 2009 shooting attack at Fort Hood have not received full benefits for being wounded as part of their military service has prompted two ranking House Republicans to write to the White House demanding that the shootings be treated as a terrorist attack.

Because the Obama administration classified the shootings, which ended with 13 people dead and 32 others wounded, as workplace violence, those who survived have not receive Purple Hearts and medical benefits normally extended to people wounded in action.

In their letter to Congress last week, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf call that "inexcusable," ABC News reported. "It is time for the administration to recognize the Fort Hood shooting for what it is—an act of terrorism. To date, the Department of Defense and the Army classify this attack [as] 'workplace violence,' despite mountains of evidence [that] clearly proves the Ft. Hood shooting was an act of terror."

Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan still faces a military trial for the shooting spree inside a Fort Hood processing center. Hassan, who shouted "Allahu Akhbar" as he opened fire, exchanged e-mails with Anwar al-Awlaki before the attack, seeking the American-born al-Qaida cleric's blessing. Investigations uncovered a long record of radical Islamic behavior by Hasan, including writing "SOA," or "Soldier of Allah" on business cards and justifying suicide bombings and other terrorist acts during presentations. One presentation was entitled, "Why the War on Terror is a War on Islam."

Awlaki, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011, called Hasan a "hero … who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people."

The original ABC report featured survivors, including former Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley who was wounded while helping stop the shooting, describing the neglect and betrayal they feel about their treatment since then.

Munley and dozens of other victims have sued the Army for damages.

"It was no different than an insurgent in Iraq or Afghanistan trying to kill us," Shawn Manning, who was shot six times during the shooting, told ABC News. Two bullets remain lodged in his spine and leg.

He initially was classified as having suffered combat-related injuries before the classification was overruled by higher-ups in the Army. The re-designation of his injuries as "workplace violence" has cost Manning $70,000 that would have been available to him had the initial classification of his injuries remained.

Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, whose district includes Fort Hood, has introduced legislation to help the victims, making them eligible for full benefits and for the Purple Heart or its civilian equivalent.

IPT Uncovers Image From Hagel's ADC Speech

An image of former Sen. Chuck Hagel addressing the 2008 Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee's (ADC) national convention is raising new questions about a White House claim that Hagel made no "formal speech" before the group.

Hagel's nomination to be President Obama's new defense secretary is on hold as Republicans try to wage a filibuster until more information is provided about September's terror attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

But the image of Hagel at an ADC podium, uncovered by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, stoked interest about disclosures he made to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hagel gave 12 speeches over the past five years for which he received honoraria, but only submitted four speeches in response to the committee's questions. During his confirmation hearing, he said that he had given many of these speeches "extemporaneously" without any prepared texts.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the Armed Services Committee's ranking Republican, issued another request Wednesday evening for Hagel to comply with disclosure requests, specifically mentioning the 2008 ADC speech. (Update: The ADC posted a video of the speech here.)

A White House official dismissed the appearance before the ADC, telling Fox News it "was with an organization that combats discrimination." But the now-defunct ADC PAC made donations to anti-Israel and pro-Islamist members of Congress including Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and President Obama's 2008 campaign.

ADC has had a long history of hostility toward Israel and pro-Hizballah apologia.

"Except for Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, no one in Congress is willing to stand up to the Israel Lobby and call for an immediate cease fire and for fairness for Lebanon," former Sen. James G. Abourezk, D-S.D., wrote in a 2006 ADC commentary that referred to Hizballah, not as a terrorist group, but as "a military group that has defended Lebanon against Israeli depredations."

The group also has received donations from foreign sources, including $2.6 million for the construction of its Washington, D.C. headquarters from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and sponsorships for its conventions over the years from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Company, Saudi Aramco (the Saudi state oil company) and the Embassy of Qatar among others.

A June 2008 press release for the event lists Hagel as the keynote speaker at the banquet, and as the recipient of the ADC's "Outstanding Service Award;" however, the convention's agenda shows that he spoke at the fundraising reception instead.

The ADC has video of the event, but it is in an "archive" and not available for release, ADC Vice President Nabil Mohamad told the Washington Free Beacon.

Judge Smacks CAIR's "Careless" Lawsuit Management

When a federal judge uses words like "careless," "lack of diligence" and "failed entirely" to describe your argument, well, that's probably not good for your case.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly smacked down a request by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to extend the discovery period in CAIR's civil lawsuit against the authors of a 2009 book based on information gathered by an informant who posed as a Muslim to secure an internship with the Washington-based Islamist group.

CAIR quickly sued author David Gaubatz and his son Chris, who went undercover in CAIR headquarters and took internal documents with him, for breach of contract and trespassing. Chris Gaubatz also secretly recorded conversations with CAIR officials. Among the book's claims, CAIR officials actively block law enforcement investigations; and grossly exaggerate the depth of their membership and their domestic financial support.

Kollar-Kotelly gave both sides until January 18 to gather all their information for the case, but CAIR attorneys filed an 11^th-hour request for more time to depose two more people.

The judge was not pleased, as her order signed Friday shows. The two witnesses haven't been deposed because they were not served with subpoenas. But CAIR knew that at least two weeks before the discovery deadline, yet "inexplicably failed to file the instant motion until the day discovery closed," the judge wrote. The request for more time "failed entirely" to justify why more time should be granted for the more than two years after CAIR filed the lawsuit.

CAIR's "lack of diligence is alone sufficient grounds to deny the requested," the judge wrote.

Attorney David Yerushalmi, who represents the authors, seized on the order to say it's a reflection of CAIR's overall case. "Judge Kollar-Kotelly's ruling demonstrates that the Court is aware of CAIR's unprofessional tactics, which in turn speaks to the failure of CAIR to meet its burden of proof and provide any probative evidence of wrongdoing by any of the defendants," Yerushalmi said in a statement.

"This litigation has been ongoing since October 2009," he added. "As such, there is nothing to be gained and much to be lost by re-opening and extending discovery. This case is ripe for summary judgment."

The two sides are scheduled for mediation next month.

Escalating Egyptian Violence Prompts U.S. Travel Warning

Escalating violence between anti-Morsi forces and the Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Egyptian government has prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel advisory urging Americans to stay away from Egypt for at least the next two months.

"The U.S. Department of State alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or living in Egypt to the continuing possibility of political and social unrest, incidents of which have led to recent violence," the State Department said in its Feb. 6 warning. "U.S. citizens are urged to remain alert to local security developments and to be vigilant regarding their personal security."

No Americans have been killed or injured so far, but Americans have been caught up in spontaneous clashes, the warning said. It underscores the severity of violence taking place throughout Egypt. Peaceful demonstrations outside the presidential palace in Cairo turned violent again Friday. The palace was the site of clashes between the Muslim Brotherhood's militia and anti-Morsi demonstrators in early December that left four dead.

Security forces used teargas and water cannons to keep protesters away from the palace, while protesters threw stones and fireworks into the palace courtyard.

Protesters chanted, "The people want to overthrow the regime," and "Down with the supreme guide's rule," according to the Egypt Independent . They demanded that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi leave office.

The head of Egypt's Republican Guard told the state-run MENA news agency that two officers and three soldiers had been injured by demonstrators.

The opposition National Salvation Front is holding what it calls the "Friday of Departure," demanding the end of Muslim Brotherhood rule and the resignation of Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's cabinet.

Clashes were also reported in the Nile Delta governorate of Gharbiya where 29 injuries were reported as of Friday evening Egyptian time, while others were reported in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city, and Kafr-El Sheikh.

Former U.S. Diplomat: French Ransom Financed Mali Terrorists

France may have indirectly helped the same Islamist militants its troops have been working to drive from Mali over the past month by providing millions in ransom money, said Vicki Huddleston, the former U.S. ambassador to Mali.

Huddleston told France's iTele TV channel that the militants have used the $17 million that it received to secure the release of five French citizens to buy weapons and get new recruits. The five were taken prisoner by Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) at a uranium mine in Niger in 2010.

"The money was handed over to the Malian government, and at least part of it was handed over to the Salafists," Huddleston said. "Everyone is pretty much aware that money has passed hands indirectly through different accounts, and it ends up in the treasury let us say of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb."

Hostage ransom is big business for AQIM, and Huddleston told iTele that the terrorist group has received $89 million in payments.

These payments helped the militants seize control of the northern part of Mali.

The French, however, deny making the payments.

Huddleston praised the French military action in Mali because the Salafists likely would have linked up with the terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria had they taken over control in Mali, potentially exporting more violence.

Iranian Supreme Leader Rejects Direct Talks

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has rejected direct talks with the United States over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

Khamenei dismissed a call from Vice President Joe Biden last weekend suggesting direct talks, saying in a speech that the United States was proposing talks while it was "pointing a gun at Iran."

"Some naive people like the idea of negotiating with America [but] negotiations will not solve the problems," Khamenei said. "If some people want American rule to be established again in Iran, the nation will rise up to face them."

His decision marks another failed attempt by the Obama administration to lure Iran away from pursuing nuclear weapons by dangling direct talks and other diplomatic gestures as a carrot – an approach championed by John Brennan, President Obama's nominee to be CIA director.

"This strategy will require patience and sensitivity to the complex political realities inside Iran. To successfully chart a new course for U.S.-Iranian relations, the next president must (1) tone down rhetoric; (2) establish a direct dialogue with Tehran, including comprehensive, private discussions and deployment of a special envoy; (3) encourage greater assimilation of Hezbollah into Lebanon's political system; and (4) offer carrots in addition to sticks, including consideration of legitimate Iranian concerns on regional security issues," Brennan wrote in a June 12, 2008 article in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

Before Iranian elections in June 2009, the administration sent a letter seeking better relations. Khamenei rejected that overture, too, accusing the United States of working behind the scenes to fan the flames of revolt in the wake of the disputed election. He claimed that the president expected the Iranian people to "take to the streets" while expressing his "respect for the Islamic Republic and for the re-establishment of ties."

At the same time, the U.S. has imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran, deeply curbing its oil exports and sending its currency plummeting. But the combination of sanctions and an extended hand have had no apparent effect on Iranian actions.

Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Bomb Federal Reserve Bank

A Bangladeshi man pleaded guilty Thursday to attempting to bomb the New York Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan. Quazi Mohammed Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis came to America in January 2012 with the sole purpose of carrying out violent jihad.

Nafis brought digitized files of bomb-making instructions and speeches by Awlaki when he came to America. Once here, Nafis sought people to form a terrorist cell to work with him in plotting jihadi attacks. One person he connected with turned out to be an FBI undercover agent. Nafis's jihadist views were shaped by videotaped sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida leader in Yemen who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in September 2011. Nafis also admired Osama bin Laden whom he referred to as "Sheikh O" in conversations with the FBI agent.

Nafis asked the agent to help him obtain explosives, bought parts to make a detonator on his own and scouted targets in Manhattan's financial district.

According to a criminal complaint, Nafis proposed several targets for prospective attack including a "high-ranking official" and the New York Stock Exchange. He wrote a formal statement expressing his desire to work on behalf of al-Qaida to "destroy America" that he hoped to publish in al-Qaida's Inspire magazine. Nafis justified attacking New York's Federal Reserve Bank saying "that targeting America's economy is most efficient way to draw the path of obliteration of America as well as the path of establishment of Khalipha [Islamic state]." Nafis echoed similar sentiments in a separate video message: "We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom."

Nafis was arrested in October while attempting to set off a car packed with 1,000 pounds of explosives outside the Federal Reserve Bank in Manhattan using a cell phone detonator. He was charged with two counts of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He pleaded guilty to one count Thursday and could face life in prison.

Nafis "came to this country not to further his studies, but to advance the goals of jihad," U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch in a Justice Department press release. "Once here, he devoted his energies to refining his plan to disrupt the U.S. economy and kill Americans, and attempting to recruit others to join him … With diligence and determination, Nafis attempted to carry out his plan in the name of al-Qaeda. We are committed to protecting the safety of all Americans, including the hundreds of thousands who work in New York's financial district. We will not wait for our enemies to attack us before using the tools at our disposal to discourage, disrupt, and ultimately, detain them with lengthy terms of incarceration."

'Ground Zero Mosque' Imam Sued for Fraud

The face of 2010's controversy over a proposed mega-mosque and community center near Ground Zero in Manhattan has been accused of defrauding donors in a lawsuit filed in New York state court this week.

Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan bought "a luxury sports car, personal real estate" and traveled on money that was donated for specific projects at Rauf's Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), the lawsuit says. It was filed by Robert Leslie Deak, whose family foundation donated $167,000 to Rauf's "Shariah Index" project from 2006-08. The money was supposed to be used for Islamic scholars to work to reduce anti-Muslim sentiment.

In addition, the lawsuit claims, Rauf failed to report $3 million in donations from the Malaysian government on his non-profits' tax forms and that Rauf also used the money on personal spending. The lawsuit seeks $5 million in punitive damages.

Rauf's attorney denied the allegations. This is not the first litigation between the two sides. Rauf and Khan sued Deak and his wife in 2010, alleging the Deaks sold them a Washington, D.C. apartment at a grossly inflated price. The apartment was to house Cordoba's national office. But, as columnist Juan Gonzalez notes, the sale price was $1.5 million, and Cordoba's tax returns indicate the initiative spent $792,000 that year.

"How do you manage to pay $1.5 million for a D.C. office the same year your organization claims it only spent half as much money in all?" Gonzalez wonders.

During the Ground Zero mosque controversy in 2010, the Investigative Project on Terrorism reported that other donations to ASMA and Cordoba were not listed in tax returns. A review of IRS forms also found that ASMA secured its non-profit status in 1998 by promising to serve as a house of worship to up to 500 people per day. But the group gave an address of New York apartment that had no communal space and Rauf's only prayer services took place at other mosques in New York.

ASMA also told the IRS in 1998 that it had a school "for the religious instruction of the young," but the group's website made no reference to its operating a school.

In addition, Cordoba's application for non-profit status claimed the group was not an outgrowth of, or connected to, other organizations. That was contradicted by a 2009 ASMA financial statement that said "ASMA is acting as a fiscal agent and is developing Cordoba's ability to function independently."

Rauf's group never had the financing to realize its grand ambition of a $100 million mosque and community center. The disputed location remains largely unchanged, although prayer services do take place inside. Rauf left the mosque group in 2011.

Jury Rejects Entrapment Defense in Portland Plot

A Somali native faces life in prison after being convicted Thursday of trying to detonate a car bomb at a crowded 2010 tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore.

Mohamed Mohamud's attorneys argued that the 21-year-old was entrapped by FBI agents and otherwise would not have pursued such a plot. Jurors paid attention to that argument, asking the judge during deliberations for a written definition of entrapment "so we can keep it in mind while we listen to the deliberations," court records show.

But evidence presented during the three-week trial showed Mohamud was determined to engage in a terrorist attack without any prodding. The law requires that prosecutors prove Mohamud was "predisposed" to plot an attack before FBI informants or undercover agents contacted him, or that the agents were not the ones who persuaded him to get involved in criminal activity.

Mohamud was arrested inside a parked car as thousands of people gathered in Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square for an annual Christmas tree lighting. He pressed buttons he thought would trigger an 1,800-pound truck bomb nearer to the crowd. But FBI agents controlled the bomb's construction and ensured it was inert.

FBI agents were drawn to him after Mohamud wrote four articles for Jihad Recollections, an online magazine, and posted on other jihadi web sites. In addition, before he tried repeatedly to go to Yemen for training in jihad, prosecutors said.

And the bombing wasn't their idea. During his first meeting with an FBI undercover agent, Mohamud rejected non-violent ideas, choosing instead to serve "the cause of radical, violent Islamic jihad," prosecutors said. Mohamud said that he wanted to "wage war." He told the undercover he wanted to be "operational," explaining he wanted to build a bomb.

Islamist activists and others have criticized sting operations like the Mohamud case, accusing the FBI of manufacturing terrorists who otherwise would pose no risk. That defense has not been persuasive in court.

In a statement released after the verdict, Greg Fowler, the FBI's Special Agent in Charge of the Portland office, said the case shows the challenges of keeping people safe from homegrown terrorists.

"Mr. Mohamud made a series of choices over a period of several years—choices that were leading him down a path that would have ended in violence," Fowlers said. "His actions showed little regard for the rights and responsibilities that come with being an American or respect for the lives that he was prepared to take."

Refreshing Candor on Islamist Violence in Congressional Report

The path from believing in radical Islamist political ideology to plotting attacks in the homeland can be triggered by a number of factors, a new Congressional Research Service report finds.

The report focuses on homegrown Islamic terrorism, which in itself is remarkable given the reluctance many in Washington have had to clearly naming a leading source of the terrorist threat. The title, "American Jihadist Terrorism: Combating a Complex Threat," uses the kind of language all-but-banned by the executive branch since 2008. Cabinet officials in the Obama administration have strained to avoid references to jihadist violence.

But the Congressional Research Service is tasked with producing "authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan" analysis, rather than catering to political semantics. The 137-page report contains more than 500 references to "jihad" or "jihadist." The term "Islam" or "Islamic" is used 117 times. It doesn't deny the existence of other forms of violent extremism, including "radical environmentalism, animal rights, or anti-abortion causes," but the report's focus is on the threat of attacks motivated by radical Islam.

That is something House Democrats have treated with shrill accusations of bigotry.

The report examines 63 homegrown jihadist plots since 9/11, noting that nearly two-thirds of those took place in just the last three years. That spike "suggests that ideologies supporting violent jihad continue to influence some Americans—even if a tiny minority," the report says.

Among those are two deadly attacks that have not even been charged as acts of terrorism. The shootings at Fort Hood and at a Little Rock, Ark. military recruiting office were "lone wolf" attacks that left 14 people dead.

"[W]hen someone moves from simply believing in jihad to illegally pursuing it via violent methods, he becomes a terrorist," the report says. "Because the move from belief to violence is so individualized, there is no single path that individuals follow to become full-fledged terrorists."

Social interaction – from online sources like terrorist forums to calls to action from al-Qaida operatives like Adam Gadahn or Anwar al-Awlaki and in Inspire magazine – has proven significant in many plots. In addition, converts to Islam were involved in 26 of the 63 cases, and many acted on a belief that "the West is harming the global community of Muslims (the Ummah), or even waging war against it."

Other reports have agreed that the perception of a "war on Islam" is among the most effective messages in stirring Islamists to seek violence. Despite that, American Islamist groups have repeatedly made the claim.

The report also discusses the FBI's use of informants and undercover agents in counter-terror investigations and concerns that the tactic might alienate some Muslim Americans. Lawmakers must decide if that tradeoff is worthwhile in facing what is a very real threat.

"A single successful attack can incur scores of casualties and cause considerable socioeconomic disruption. Regardless of their novelty, frequency, or lethality, violent attacks fostered by violent jihadists radicalized in the United States remain a security concern."

Read the full report here.

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