The Gulf Times reports a chemical device was used in a suicide bombing in a Pakistani mosque this past Friday. This is the same suicide bombing which Pakistani authorities have said there is an Al Qaida link.

The chemical used in the blast was similar to that used in the Marriot Hotel explosion on October 28 last year, the sources said.

Army experts and a joint investigation team had collected some samples of blood clots and skin pieces from the scene of the attack.

But since they were unable to trace any bomb particle from the site, the experts concluded that a chemical device had been used, the sources said.

Truly alarming, though hardly anything new. A chemical bomb is much more sophisticated and harder to detect than the majority of bombs that tear through Iraq everytime Abu Musab al-Zarqawi feels an itch to kill innocent Muslims. Hopefully this is not a precurser of what is to happen in Iraq, but with the group being linked to Al Qaida, it very well may be.

The Badr Brigades, a radical Islamic group, claims they are holding a CIA agent hostage in Europe. There’s more to this story though, but the excerpt should suffice.

The group’s communique is stamped with the its emblem and signed by its chief, Abu Musab al-Ghamidi, a militant previously unknown to terrorism experts. The most interesting feature of the message is the information that its alleged kidnapping of the “spy” occurred in Europe.

To back up the Badr Brigades’ claims, a video has also been posted to the various Islamic websites, showing a man with European features holding a passport with a banner carrying Islamic slogans on it behind him. One man is pointing a gun to his head. However, many people who have watched the video believe it is a fake.

According to several anti-terrorism experts, the American hostage is actually a doll.

There we go again. Terrorists are resorting to holding dolls as hostages. As long as GI Joe isn’t taken hostage, I’m fine with the massacre of Ken and Barbie.

The Jawa Report linked with 'CIA Agent' Taken Hostage in Malta (images/video)
The Jawa Report linked with Religion of Peace Update: Death Star Edition

Today has been full of attack threats by Al Qaida and Al Qaida linked groups. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Al Qaida has made yet another threat; this time against Libya.

Tripoli, 31 May (AKI) - An al-Qaeda cell in Libya has announced in a statement published on the Internet that it is planning an attack on the coastal city of Darna, in the north-east of the country. The message, picked up by the Arab newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi, goes on to say that to avoid this attack Libya must immediately release one of the cell’s leaders from prison.

As well as attacking the town, which is located between Bengazi and the capital, Tripoli, the group also talks of a list of al-Qaeda targets, which it says includes the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The newspaper reports that the statement was signed by the head of the local terror group, Abu al-Bara al-Libi.

I’m very weary of believing attacks posted on the internet will happen. After all, the success of an attack is that it is as covert as possible. Nevertheless, this is something to keep an eye out for and hopefully Libya will not cave in and release the cell’s leader from prison. I would not expect Gaddafi to do so.

With all of these threats made over the weekend, is this evidence Al Qaida is wrenching up its terror networks for a big attack? One massive attack on one target does not have to be the case; rather it may be more effective if several attacks were launched simultaneously accross the globe. Whether or not Al Qaida has the means to cooridinate such attacks on a large scale is not known.

A Sheikh who is a leader of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group responsible for numerous attacks against Israeli citizens, has declared England as a primary target and calls for suicide bomber operations to be held inside of England.

Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiras, a popular Palestinian Islamic leader, said in a live sermon broadcast May 13: “We take this opportunity to hold Britain accountable and say there is revenge we can never forget. We cannot forgo the revenge we want to exact from Britain. We hold Britain responsible for what happened in Palestine. Britain is the cause, ’til this very minute, of every drop of blood dripping into this land.”

Mudeiras, who was lamenting Israeli Independence Day celebrations, continued: “I say to you: You must look at our situation with an outlook of confidence in Allah’s victory! If you help Allah (spread Islam), Allah will bring you victory. We once ruled the world and the day will come when, by God, we will rule the entire world. The day will come when we will rule the United States, the day will come when we will rule Britain, we will rule the whole world (and all will live in peace and comfort under our rule) except the Jews.”

Israeli intelligence believes there are several Hamas sleeper cells in England, some of which are out in the open. I must take issue with one of Mudeiras’ statements concerning “we once ruled the world . . . ” Islam has never ruled the world and in fact, up until more recent times it was a very regional religion. This isn’t the first time someone of Mudeiras’ ilk has said something so asinine and I doubt it will be the last.

This sermon though is very revealing in the fact that many in the United States fail to realize what radical Islam’s true intention is. It is not to drive non-Muslims out of the Middle East, it is to destroy anyone and anything non-Muslim throughout the world. This is why jihadists are engaged in jihad because to them, converting non-Muslims is a religious war, but we as a nation sit back and cry out that we need to be more politically correct. There is no such thing as politcal correctness in war.

Threatening suicide attacks in England versus actually carrying out such attacks are two entirely different ideas, though even the threat of such an action should be taken seriously by Brits. This threat comes at a time when Hamas is gaining traction as a political party and asking that other countries talk to them. This is not a very good move by Hamas, though I doubt this type of sermon will gain traction around the world to change any minds.

Terrorist group Abu Hafs Brigade, who claimed credit for the 3/11 Madrid train bombings, has called out to its sleeper cells to become active and “carry out the planned attack.”

This time, part of the message is addressed directly to the European cells. The first part of the ‘Message to the mujahideen in Europe’, however, is directed at the Iraqi groups and reads: “We of the Abu Hafs al-Misri Brigades call on all our cells in Iraq to close ranks and start the bloody war against the enemies of Islam. We send out a message to America and its allies, wherever they are, to state that we will not let the sacrilege of the Koran pass unnoticed and there all be a reply in the future.”

The second part of the message refers to the supposed attack that sleeping cells should carry out in Europe. “The truth about the infidel crusade has become obvious,” the document says, calling on the cells to carry out the planned attack “after the infidels declared war on Islam, desecrating the noble Book that is the Holy Koran. But we also send a message to all those locked up in the prisons of the tyrants,” it continues, “from Fes to Guantanamo: the dawn is near and so too is victory.”

The message clearly states that it is the alleged desecration of the Koran by guards in the US-run Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba that should spur the dorment European cells to action.

Again with the Koran desecration. As I’ve stated numerous times on this site, I’ll only make one brief mention of what the Koran desecration story means as far as terrorism is concerned. Terrorist groups are using the Koran desecration story only as a recruiting tool and it is not the real reason why any of these groups wish to attack the United States or Europe.

To the best of my knowledge, Fes pertains to a prison camp in Morocco where Amnesty International (yes, the same group who says Guantanomo is “the gulag of our time” therefore in my eyes it is discredited) declares human rights abuses occur due to imprisoning Moroccans. Presumably with the mention of Fes by a radical Islamic group, Fes is holding several terrorists captive.

Is this threat by Abu Hafs Brigade real? The threat is real, but whether or not they have the operational ability to carry out an attack is not known. Abu Hafs Brigade is widely regarded as the European wing of Al Qaida and they have threatened the United States before.

It is interesting to note that Osama Bin Laden offered a “truce” to Europe if the countries of the continent met his demands. Europe did not and six months after the truce offering expired, Bin Laden finally came out of his cave and said the truce offer is nonexistent. This was about two months ago therefore this latest statement by Abu Hafs Brigade might carry some truth to it.

In a forum in Pakistan, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf indicated Abu Faraj al-Libbi has been deported to the United States, an action that was debated in length immediately following the terrorist’s arrest.

“I assume that he has been deported”, said President General Pervez Musharraf while responding to a question ay a forum being organized by the CNN that was televised live. “We had decided that having gathered all the information, interrogated him, we don’t want him in Pakistan,” he said.

[snip]

To a question why Pakistan agreed to deport him when he had twice tried to kill him, the President said that “Yes, indeed, he did attack me twice. But then there are other more important issues of his role in al Qaeda and his information and intelligence that needs to be corroborated with all the other intelligence gathered through interrogation of other al Qaeda personalities who we have apprehended.” Therefore, he said, these are bigger issues involved and finally we will come to his trial later.

This reasoning to deport al-Libbi is quite odd considering CIA and MI6 were at interrogations of al-Libbi in Pakistan, although there is likely much more information which al-Libbi is not disclosing and hopefully the CIA could get it out of him. I would imagine more of it has to do with the climate in Pakistan that would grow against Musharraf if he continued to detain al-Libbi.

Al-Libbi is of course the Al Qaida number three in charge of operations who was captured in Pakistan while wearing a burqa to elude Pakistani forces. I’ve written several posts concerning who al-Libbi is and the details of his arrest. Access the archive here.

Critics of Alexandri Islamic School are demanding an investigation of its curriculum. This is the school where Abu Ali, the 1999 validictorian, went before he was arrested for plotting to assassinate President Bush.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has asked the Justice Department to investigate the school, saying that Abu Ali is not the only former academy student to engage in questionable activities.

A federal indictment in Chicago last year named a former treasurer of the school, Ismael Selim Elbarasse, as a high-ranking official within the militant group Hamas, though Mr. Elbarasse is not charged with a crime. Mohamed Osman Idris, an academy graduate, pleaded guilty in 2002 to lying on a passport application, following an investigation into whether he was supporting Hamas. The Justice Department told Mr. Schumer it could not comment on whether the academy itself was under investigation.

While these may be isolated incidences, a federal investigation of a Saudi funded school would help ease tensions in the area and accross the country. There is a belief that many Americans share, including myself, that Saudi Arabia is exporting Wahabism through state-funded schools. We’ve seen this in countries throughout the Middle East and perhaps in the United States.

Wahabism is of course the basis behind radical Islam and the ideology in which the United States is fighting against today.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is ready to start Saddam Hussein’s trial, as are many Iraqis and a good portion of the world sans George Galloway. Talabani expects the trial to start within two months in what will most likely be a widely publicized trial.

Talabani said the proceedings would start “within two months, I think.”

“Saddam Hussein is a war criminal,” Talabani said, noting that he had committed “crimes against Iraqi people” in Kurdistan as well as Shiite areas of southern Iraq and in Baghdad.

Noting that he was a lawyer, Talabani said in English that he would have to await the outcome of the trial process “but the Iraqi people from now are starting to ask for executing Saddam Hussein and for sentencing him for death.”

Whether or not Saddam Hussein recieves the death penalty is the only question in the trial, not whether he will be found guilty of several war crimes and attrocities. The larget question though is what effect the outcome of the trial will have in Iraq today. Will it stop the insurgency or will it at least derail it?

A group linked to Al Qaida is being blamed for a suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan.

Police said intelligence agents suspect Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni Muslim militant group with ties to
Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, had planned the mosque attack.

“The pattern of this attack has many similarities with attacks they have carried out in the recent past,” said the district’s police chief, Asif Ajaz Sheikh. “We are working on several other leads too.”

Not very shocking, eh? The Zarqawi doctrine of targeting fellow Muslims seems to have reached other terror groups in other countries.

What is strange about this bombing is that in an act of protest, Pakistanis started a riot and burned a Kentucky Fried Chicken down while yelling “Down with America.” Ah, yes. The United States had something to do with the suicide bombing, not the radical Islamic ideology radiating from Pakistan.

Since the start of the GWOT, hundreds of allegations of torture and abuse have come to the attention of the internatinal media. Amnesty International reports Guantanomo Bay is “the gulag of our time.” Detainees sent back to their countries of origin claim they were tortured in a wide array of ways including by getting a lap dance. Protests have been sparked by allegations of Koran desecration where people have died. The first thing a lawyer for any of the detainees says during an interview is that their client maintains they were tortured in an American prison.

What would all these people and groups say if they found out these allegations are just another way for Al Qaida to fight in its global jihad? It’s time to start answering that question as the Washington Times reports such allegations of abuse are detailed in an Al Qaida handbook for any captured jihadist.

In a raid on an al Qaeda cell in Manchester, British authorities seized al Qaeda’s most extensive manual for how to wage war.

A directive lists one mission as “spreading rumors and writing statements that instigate people against the enemy.”

If captured, the manual states, “At the beginning of the trial … the brothers must insist on proving that torture was inflicted on them by state security before the judge. Complain of mistreatment while in prison.”

The handbook instructs commanders to make sure operatives, or “brothers,” understand what to say if captured.

“Prior to executing an operation, the commander should instruct his soldiers on what to say if they are captured,” the document says. “He should explain that more than once in order to ensure that they have assimilated it. They should, in turn, explain it back to the commander.”

Perhaps the most interesting piece of information to come out of this is whether or not the world media will understand that they are in fact aiding and abetting the enemy by reproducing allegations of torture and not fully explaining they are in fact allegations and not the truth. While there have been some instances of abuse, they are few and far between, but that is not how the media has wanted to portray it.

Alleging torture is an Al Qaida tactic to win the hearts and minds of people accross the globe. The coverage recieved and the subsequent backlash against the United States has afforded the terror group new recruits, new funding and new sympathy. This is a very clever piece of information that needs to be brought to the forefront, discussed in depth at all media outlets and publicized greatly by the United States military.

If this handbook is widely publicized will it effect coverage? Probably not as the media as a whole runs a double standard when it comes to detainees in the GWOT alleging abuse and allegations for a criminal trial. In a criminal trial, alleged criminals are awarded the same mantra of “innocent until proven guilty,” a just courtesy and right of our nation. In these trials our media goes out of their way at times to make sure the reader knows these are simply allegations against a defendent and not necessarily what has actually occured. In the case of detainees versus U.S. military abuse, our media is so happy to print/televise alleged instances of abuse without assuming the U.S. military personnel is innocent until proven guilty. They’ve lost their rights in the eyes of the media and the media instead give the detainees backing for their allegations.

Over the past two years, I’ve sat back and seen several allegations of torture ranging from the ridiculous to the incredible and I have not posted on one allegation without disclosing how silly the claim is. It is not because I do not believe such abuses occur, it is that I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt to the U.S. soldiers who are just like you and me. Some of my friends are fighting in the GWOT and I know they are decent and honest men and women. Why can’t the media give the same benefit of doubt?

The Big Picture linked with Quantanamo Inmates Were Trained To Fabricate Allegations of Abuse
Diggers Realm linked with Increase In Torture Claims Due To Al-Qaeda Handbook
The Jawa Report linked with Al Qaeda Handbook: "Claim the Americans are torturing you."