Yemen: Barack Obama warned that al-Qaeda planning ricin attack

Carunculate seed of Ricinus Communis. Image via Wikipedia

Well, I am anxious to know what Obamamessiah has said about this:

The New York Times, citing classified intelligence documents and unnamed officials, reports that terrorist operatives have been making efforts to buy large quantities of castor beans – which contain the toxic ricin protein – and shift them to a remote tribal area controlled by insurgents for processing.

Ricin is so poisonous that inhalation of a few minute grains is enough to kill an adult. It was used in deadly incidents including the 1978 assassination in London of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov and, in 2002, was the subject of a bioterrorism scare in the UK capital following a police raid on a facility said to be plotting its manufacture.

US officials are reported to have told Mr Obama that an attack is not imminent and that the terrorist arm has yet to formulate a means for dispersing it as a weapon.

They believe that the ultimate goal is to find an effective means of packing the white powder around explosives and detonating the devices in packed public areas such as shopping malls and airports, the New York Times revealed.

via Yemen: Barack Obama warned that al-Qaeda planning ricin attack – Telegraph.

Pakistan: American kidnapped by suspected Taliban in Lahore (UPD)

The Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort. Image via Wikipedia

Twelve heavily armed suspected Taliban militants barged into the residence of an American national and kidnapped him in the wee hours today after overpowering his guards in Pakistan”s Punjab provincial capital.

About a dozen armed men entered the house of Warren Weinstein in Block J of Model Town neighbourhood at 3:30 am and took him away after overpowering his four guards, police spokesman Niyab Haider Naqvi told PTI.

The kidnappers bundled Weinstein into a vehicle and took him to an unknown location, Naqvi said.

Other officials, who did not want to be identified, said they suspected the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan was behind the abduction.

US Embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez confirmed that an American citizen had been kidnapped but declined to identify him.

“He was working for a private company. We are working with Pakistani authorities on the issue,” Rodriguez said.

Security guards at the American”s residence were preparing for ”sehri”, the pre-dawn meal in the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, when the kidnappers struck.

via American kidnapped by suspected Taliban in Lahore –  .

UPD: The kidnapped man is an American Jewish.

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• Warren Weinstein, American Man, Abducted In Eastern Pakistan (huffingtonpost.com)
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Afghanistan: Copter Downed by Taliban Fire – Elite U.S. Unit Among Dead

Image via Wikipedia

A great loss:

In the deadliest day for American forces in the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan, insurgents shot down a Chinook transport helicopter on Saturday, killing 30 Americans, including some Navy Seal commandos from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, as well as 8 Afghans, American and Afghan officials said.

via Copter Downed by Taliban Fire – Elite U.S. Unit Among Dead – NYTimes.com.

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• Copter downed in Afghanistan – 22 Navy SEALs die (sfgate.com)

US: Judge considers that a Muslim can abuse his wife, because “his actions were consistent with his religious practices”

Image via Wikipedia

This is worrying: this is no Islamist lunatic who says Sharia Law should be implemented in the US and that every woman should wear a burqa. No, this is a judge that considers that, above US law, there is another one: Sharia Law. At least, the ruling was overturned on appeal.

In S.D. v. M.J.R., the plaintiff, a Moroccan Muslim woman, lived with her Moroccan Muslim husband in New Jersey. She was repeatedly beaten and raped by her husband over the course of several weeks. While the plaintiff was being treated for her injuries at a hospital, a police detective interviewed her and took photographs of her injuries. Those photographs depicted injuries to plaintiff’s breasts, thighs and arm, bruised lips, eyes and right check. Further investigation established there were blood stains on the pillow and sheets of plaintiff’s bed.

The wife sought a permanent restraining order, and a New Jersey trial judge held a hearing in order to decide whether to issue the order. Evidence at trial established, among other things, that the husband told his wife, “You must do whatever I tell you to do. I want to hurt your flesh” and “this is according to our religion. You are my wife, I c[an] do anything to you.” The police detective testified about her findings, and some of the photographs were entered into evidence.

The defendant’s Imam testified that a wife must comply with her husband’s sexual demands and he refused to answer whether, under Islamic law, a husband must stop his sexual advances on his wife if she says “no.”

The trial judge found that most of the criminal acts were indeed proved, but nonetheless denied the permanent retraining order. This judge held that the defendant could not be held responsible for the violent sexual assaults of his wife because he did not have the specific intent to sexually assault his wife, and because his actions were “consistent with his [religious] practices.” In other words, the judge refused to issue the permanent restraining order because under Sharia law, this Muslim husband had a “right” to rape his wife.

via The Real Impact of Sharia Law in America.

Libya: Islamists blamed for killing General Abdel Fattah Younes as Libya’s rebels face up to enemy within

Image via Wikipedia

Their admission that the shadowy Abu Obeida al-Jarrah Brigade was behind the assassination of Gen Abdel Fattah Younes has raised concern that religious elements within the rebellion have now acquired considerably greater influence than previously thought.

Thursday’s killing of Gen Younes, who earlier this year defected from the Tripoli government to join the opposition fight against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi‘s regime, came as a damaging blow to the rebels’ military efforts. He was widely seen as one of the few military figures on the rebel side capable of organising their forces against the better trained Libyan government army.

Abdel Fattah Younes (Telegraph)

But the admission that the militia whose members are responsible for his death has Islamist leanings, and had been allowed to operate in the east of the country with apparent impunity, will reignite fears that the West\’s support of the Libyan rebels may ultimately open the way to an Islamic state when Col Gaddafi is eventually forced out.

By a coincidence that is embarrassing for the Foreign Office, the assassination came just one day after Britain swallowed its reservations and followed France and the US in formally recognising the rebels\’ Transitional National Council, based in Benghazi, as the legitimate government of Libya.

via Islamists blamed for killing General Abdel Fattah Younes as Libya\’s rebels face up to enemy within – Telegraph.

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• Libyan rebels say Islamist militia shot dead military chief General Abdel Fattah Younes (telegraph.co.uk)
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US: Muslim Man Charged With Threatening Obama, Obtaining Weapons

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An Uzbek man, who was living illegally in the U.S., was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury for allegedly making multiple threats to assassinate President Obama, then gaining possession of explosive material and a machine gun.

Ulugbek Kodoriov is accused of making four threats against Obama from July 9 to 13, the indictment says. Kodoriov, who lived in Jefferson County, Ala., eventually gained possession of a Sendra Corporation Model M15-A1 rifle, which was illegal because of his immigration status, according to the indictment. He also allegedly obtained an explosive intended for use as a grenade.

He was residing at the Oak Mountain Lodge in Birmingham, according to a search warrant obtained by FoxNews.com. Authorities sought any information in his room regarding Obama, as well as sniper rifles, documents relating to assassinations and Jihadist manuals.

On July 9, Kodoriov contacted an FBI source and asked about ways to kill the president by a long-range shot, according to the warrant. Kodoriov allegedly inquired about sniper rifles and said he didn’t care if he lost his life in an assassination attempt.

Kodoriov, 21, is a strict Muslim from Uzbekistan who previously supported Islamic extremists, an FBI source said, according to the warrant.

via Muslim Man Charged With Threatening Obama, Obtaining Weapons.

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Ramadan: Travelers Warned To Beware Of Rapists And Not To Chew Gum

Ramadan lanterns, Souq el Maadi, Cairo, Egypt by B. Simpson Cairocamels. Image via Wikipedia

Of course, this is only due to Western influence…

Britain and the United States have issued special travel warnings for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next Monday, and even chewing gum may be a problem for tourists.
The U.S. State Department said there is a high potential for revenge of the death of al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden in May. It advised to take “extreme caution” when traveling by sea near the Horn of Africa or in the southern Red Sea “as there has been a notable increase in armed attacks, robberies and kidnappings for ransom by pirates.”

It also warned women to “take care when walking or traveling alone and use a reputable taxi company, particularly at night…. Drink spiking, known to be used in date rape, can also happen. Consular staff have noted an increase of drink spiking in night clubs in Dubai, resulting in sexual assaults on both men and women. Do not accept drinks from strangers or leave drinks unattended, including non-alcoholic drinks. When in pubs and clubs, stay with your friends and avoid getting separated in the crowd.”

via Travelers Warned To Beware Of Rapists And Not To Chew Gum During Ramadan « The Citizen\’s Report.

Pakistan: Islamists and Senate condemn US gay rights meeting

Jamaat-e-Islami's flag. Image via Wikipedia

A group of conservative Islamic political and religious officials has condemned a meeting by the U.S. Embassy supporting gay rights in Pakistan as “cultural terrorism” against the country.
The group, which included the head of Pakistan’s largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, claimed the meeting — the first of its kind held by the embassy — was the second most dangerous attack by the U.S. against Pakistan, following missiles fired from unmanned drones.
The meeting on June 26 was hosted by the U.S. deputy ambassador, Richard Hoagland, and was meant to support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Pakistan, said the embassy.
“Such people are the curse of society and social garbage,” said the statement issued by the Islamic officials on Sunday. “They don’t deserve to be Muslim or Pakistani, and the support and protection announced by the U.S. administration for them is the worst social and cultural terrorism against Pakistan.”

via The Associated Press: Pakistani Muslims condemn US gay rights meeting.

Pakistani Senate has condemned this event too:

The lawmakers condemned the statement of the embassy that announced support for such persons in Pakistan, saying that GLBT activities were against the basic principles of Islam and the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and hence could not be allowed.

Related articles

• -Should the USA Support Homosexual Rights in Pakistan? (answersforthefaith.com)

US: Trucking funds end up in Taliban hands

US HH-60 over Afghanistan. Image via Wikipedia

Cash from part of a $2.16 billion U.S. transportation contract in Afghanistan has ended up in the hands of Taliban insurgents, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The disclosure is another example of the persistent difficulty the U.S. military has in keeping its massive war funding from reaching the insurgents it is fighting in the unpopular, decade-old Afghan war.

The United States is spending more than $6 billion a month in the conflict.

Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned of the need to tighten controls on U.S. contracts and last year announced the creation of a task force to crack down on misuse of funds by contractors, some of whom pay Taliban protection money.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said the discovery of the siphoning of funds from the trucking contract was part of that previously announced effort. He said the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees the Afghan war, aimed to sign a new trucking contract in September.

“Central Command’s contracting command is working on a new Afghan trucking contract to ensure greater transparency into subcontractors,” Lapan told reporters.

AINA.org.

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Norway: Oslo terrorist copied (almost word for word) “Unabomber” manifesto

Booking photo of "Unabomber". Image via Wikipedia

Yes, because he wasn’t intelligent enought to sum up his own ideas about why he wanted to go on a murder spree:

Parts of the manifesto written by the suspect in Norway’s terrorist attack were taken almost word for word from the writings of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

The passages copied by Anders Behring Breivik appear in the first few pages of Kaczynski’s manifesto. Breivik changed a Kaczynski screed on leftism and what he considered to be leftists’ “feelings of inferiority” – mainly by substituting the words “multiculturalism” or “cultural Marxism” for “leftism.”

For instance, Kaczynski wrote: “One of the most widespread manifestations of the craziness of our world is leftism, so a discussion of the psychology of leftism can serve as an introduction to the discussion of the problems of modern society in general.”

Breivik’s manifesto reads: “One of the most widespread manifestations of the craziness of our world is multiculturalism, so a discussion of the psychology of multiculturalists can serve as an introduction to the discussion of the problems of Western Europe in general.”

Breivik did not cite Kaczynski, though he did for many other people whose writings he used in his 1,500-page manifesto.

He used at least one portion verbatim: “Feminists are desperately anxious to prove that women are as strong and capable as men. Clearly they are nagged by a fear that women may NOT be as strong and as capable as men.”

Related articles

• Norway suspect borrowed from Unabomber’s manifesto (sfgate.com)
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Norway: twin blasts rock Oslo, 2 dead (BREAKING) [UPD]

From BBC:

Arab world: Poll show USA’s less popular under Obama

The attitude of the Arab world to the United States is much worse now with Obama than was with Bush at the end of his term. A survey by Zogby International for the Arab American Institute Foundation shows that there has been a great decline from the favorable attitude toward the United States between 2008 and 2011. In particular, the attitude towards the US has plummetted from 26 to 12 percent in Morocco, from 9 to 5 percent in Egypt, from 16 to 10 percent in Jordan and from 22 to 12 percent in UAE.

Nihil Obstat.

Translation by T&P.

Al-Qaeda: Bin Laden Plotted 9/11 Anniversary Attack

A still of 2004 Osama Bin Laden video. Image via Wikipedia

Osama bin Laden was working to assemble a team of militants to attack the U.S. on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, according to communications Navy SEALs seized from his Pakistani hideout when they killed the al Qaeda leader this spring.

Bin Laden and his operations chief, Attiyah Abd al-Rahman, swapped views about the composition of the attack team, with bin Laden repeatedly rejecting names that Mr. Rahman suggested, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence taken from the bin Laden compound.

…Plans for an anniversary attack were one of the few specific potential threats to emerge from the trove of documents and other materials taken from bin Laden’s residence in Abottabad, Pakistan, in the May 2 raid. An initial analysis of the evidence said al Qaeda hoped to attack trains in the U.S., possibly on the anniversary of Sept. 11.

via Bin Laden Plotted 9/11 Anniversary Attack – WSJ.com.

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Al-Qaeda: Terrorists could have explosives inserted into body cavities

Image via Wikipedia

It’s the new idea to overcome the scanners and security measures at airports around the country that has occurred to terrorists. Experts also believe that these explosives could be inserted into body cavities as drug smugglers do on a regular basis.

Currently, there is no indication of an imminent attack, but the Obama administration has notified other countries and has warned airlines that they must take extra security measures at airports. So, passengers will suffer longer queues before boarding.

This time international flights would be further endangered, although people moving within the United States will see more bomb-sniffing dogs in the waiting rooms of airports.

Spokesman for the Security Administration, Nicholas Kimball said that “new security measures include interacting with passengers [in reference to possible questioning], searches and use of new tools and technology.”

The threat of “people-bomb” was released last year by MI5 in a research operation in the UK on new techniques of Al Qaida. However, the US Department of Homeland Security has new intelligence about this form of attack.

via Nueva táctica terrorista de Al Qaida: implantes explosivos.

Related:

• Al-Qaeda: Possible terrorist targets (teaandpolitics.wordpress.com)

“The U.S. May Be Handing Egypt Over to the Muslim Brotherhood Just Like It Handed Post-Saddam Iraq over to Iran”

Arabic Logo of the Muslim Brotherhood. Image via Wikipedia

Other things he actually says in the interview

“When the Egyptians cried: ‘The people want to change the regime,’ they did not mean the specific regime, but the system as a whole – to change the system of values ruling Egyptian society, transforming it into a society that rewards capabilities, from a traditional to a modern society, from what happened on February 2 – the so-called ‘Battle of the Camel,’ when [Mubarak supporters] stormed Tahrir Square on camels and donkeys, and a battle ensued between the camel and Facebook…
“The Egyptian must choose which path they want to take – whether to take the path of the camel, and return to the world of the camels, or whether to embark on the train of global modernism, and to become part of the world of Facebook. This is not a symbolic thing. It was the reality in Tahrir Square – a confrontation between the Facebook youth, and people who ride camels and try to establish a bullying state once again.

Al-Qaeda: Possible terrorist targets

Image via Wikipedia

The elimination of Osama Bin Laden as the responsible for Al-Qaeda -last May 2nd- was a hard blow to the jihadist organization to the extent that all terrorist activities of enormous impact would be suspended, even if scheduled, pending the approval of the new leader. Bin Laden continued to exercise leadership in the organization, providing instructions for the development of far-reaching terrorist attacks, mainly directed against the Crusaders and Jews, and other allies.

The unconvincing Al Qaeda Command Control in Pakistan, given the lack of power, hastened to appoint as leader of Al Qaeda -mid-May-, a former Egyptian jihadist named Abu Saif, without the support of jihadist leaders. A month later, Ayman al-Zawahiri proclaimed himself as leader in an statement, again without the support of other leaders of the regional ramifications, some of which publicly stated: ‘we are all Osama bin Laden”. A warning for anyone who would try to proclaim himself supreme leader of the organization in the future.

US: Govt’s Order To Shutdown Millions Of Christian Websites Shocks World

Remember the weapons to be sold by US to Egypt even if the Muslim Brotherhood comes into power? Remember Clinton has said the US would welcome dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood (more on the MB here) and that there have been “informal contacts” with them? Well, if this is true (I would like to know how many actual non-threatening websites have been shut down and how many Christian ones in particular), we are into another stage on the infiltration by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naghdi spoke some days ago: “We have infiltrated America and the UK“.

Patriarch Kirill I. Image via Wikipedia

A shocking report authored by the office of Russia’s top religious leader Patriarch Kirill I states that this past week the United States ordered over 10 million Christian websites destroyed that they claimed were a “threat” to their National Security and that the American Internet giant Google quickly responded by making them all disappear.

Pakistan: Seized phone offers clues to Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani links

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Double-side game from Pakistan revealed… something which was cleared for a long time…

The cellphone of Osama bin Laden\’s trusted courier, which was recovered in the raid that killed both men in Pakistan last month, contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, senior American officials who have been briefed on the findings say.

The discovery indicates that Bin Laden used the group, Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen, as part of his support network inside the country, the officials and others said. But it also raised tantalizing questions about whether the group and others like it helped shelter and support Bin Laden on behalf of Pakistan’s spy agency, given that it had mentored Harakat and allowed it to operate in Pakistan for at least 20 years, the officials and analysts said.

In tracing the calls on the cellphone, American analysts have determined that Harakat commanders had called Pakistani intelligence officials, the senior American officials said. One said they had met.

via Seized phone offers clues to Osama bin Laden\’s Pakistani links.

More in Long War Journal:

Iran: U.S. hikers to be tried on July 31, says their lawyer

Evin Prison

Iran will hear the case against three Americans detained for nearly two years on spying charges on July 31, their lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday, and he said he hoped a final decision on their case will be made then. Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were arrested by Iranian forces on July 31, 2009, on suspicion of spying after crossing into Iran from neighboring Iraq.

via Iran says U.S. hikers to be tried on July 31: lawyer – Yahoo! News.

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US: “Expert” wants to substitute prison for flogging

Image via CrunchBase

Of course, “it would be chosen by the punished guy”… over at Salon:

Many people will find the brutality of flogging horrifying, and some may even think it’s torture, but you argue that prison is a worse, dishonest punishment.

Flogging should horrify people. But taking away a significant chunk of someone’s life is far worse than any punishment that is virtually instantaneous. We should be honest about prison and recognize that we’re sentencing people to years of confinement and torture. But we don’t do that. We still have this hogwash about prison being good for the soul. Deep down I think we all understand that no one leaves prison in a better position than they went in.

Also, prison has physical and sexual abuse. It’s so bizarre that we’ve gotten to a point where we consider prison normal and think it’s OK to imprison 2.3 million people. The U.S. has more prisoners than China, and they have a billion more people than we do. America is running an experiment in incarceration that has never happened in the world before, and to our own detriment.

A big part of my argument rests on the idea that flogging would be a choice, not imposed, because consenting to the flog takes away much of the protest that it’s cruel and barbaric. If flogging were such a bad choice, nobody would choose it.

He is speaking about the results,the consequences of staying in prison. Of course, as anybody knows, flogging doesn’t have any physical nor psychological consequences… It was given up precisely because it was thought to be worse than imprisoning someone. Why not proposing amputating a hand or giving up a kidney, hein? We are going backwards… 🙄

Related articles

• Why We Must Bring Back Flogging (newser.com)
• Flogging Prisoners–Better Than the Lousy System We’ve Got? (reason.com)