Christian worshippers killed in Baghdad church raid

Nineteen die including police and soldiers after Iraqi forces stormed building where terrorists were holding hostages.

At least 19 people were killed and dozens wounded, when Iraqi security forces stormed a Baghdad church in which terrorists wearing explosive vests were holding worshippers hostage.

A US army spokesman, Lt Col Eric Bloom, said at least seven hostages, seven Iraqi troops and five militants were among the dead. Iraqi military officials said the death toll was at least nine, while police and medical officials put it as high as 37.

Law enforcement: First tip about terror suspect in subway bomb sting came from Muslim source

The tip that led to the FBI's subway bombing sting came from a source in the Muslim community: A Pakistani-born man from a middle-class suburb was trying to join a terrorist group, law enforcement officials said Thursday.

Farooque Ahmed, a naturalized citizen arrested Wednesday, was a married father who had a good job with a telecommunications company. Authorities say he also was eager to kill Americans in Afghanistan and committed to becoming a martyr.

Ahmed thought he had found what he wanted, a pair of al-Qaida operatives who would help him carry out an attack on the nation's second-busiest subway, according to court documents unsealed Thursday. But the operatives were really undercover investigators whose meetings at a local hotel room were all staged with the FBI's cameras rolling, law enforcement officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation continues.

Virginia man charged in fake bomb plot against DC subway

A Pakistani-born Virginia man was arrested Wednesday and charged with trying to help people posing as al-Qaida operatives plot to bomb Washington area subway stations.

The bombing plot was a ruse over the past six months, the FBI said, but 34-year-old Farooque Ahmed readily handed over video of northern Virginia subway stations, suggested using rolling suitcases rather than backpacks to kill as many people as possible and offered to donate money to al-Qaida's cause overseas.

The public never was in danger because FBI agents were aware of Ahmed's activities and monitored him throughout, the agency said. And the people that Ahmed thought were al-Qaida operatives were actually individuals who "worked on behalf of the government in this matter," according to a federal law enforcement official who requested anonymity to discuss details of the case.

American Al Qaeda May Now Pose Most Clear Threat to Homeland

American al Qaeda may now pose the most clear and present threat to the homeland, top government sources tell ABC News. Americans have risen high in al Qaeda's leadership and are now helping shape strategy for attacks on the U.S.

One source told ABC that it is clear these homegrown al Qaeda want to spill American blood.

American al Qaeda may be even more dangerous than foreign fighters, sources say, because they know the nation's psyche and its "soft" targets, and its American recruits can often move about the country freely.
In fact, during a speech to the top police chiefs in the country Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano shared a stark assessment:

Catholic Church announces release of 5 more Cuban prisoners who agreed to go into exile

The Roman Catholic Church on Thursday announced the names of five more Cuban inmates who have accepted exile in Spain in return for freedom, though none are among a group of 52 political prisoners jailed in a 2003 roundup of dissidents.

The prisoners — four men and a woman — were convicted of such crimes as hijacking and terrorism, and sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 17 years.

Four of the five are on a Cuban human rights group's list of inmates whose arrests or sentences are considered to have been politically motivated, despite the fact they were found guilty of violent crimes. The fifth is not on any list of known Cuban political prisoners.
Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations generally do not consider people found guilty of violent acts to be "prisoners of conscience," though the groups say such cases may still constitute miscarriages of justice.

Mauritania sentences 3 al-Qaida suspects to death

A court in Mauritania has condemned three alleged al-Qaida members to death, including the former leader of the African nation's local terrorist network. Chief judge Khayi Ould Mohamed issued the sentences late Wednesday in the capital, Nouakchott.

The former al-Qaida leader, El Khadim Ould Semene, was accused of helping organize an attack on the Israeli embassy here two years ago. The two others sentenced included Semene's deputies, Sidi Ould Sidna and Maarou Ould Haiba. Both had already received death sentences in May for involvement in the assassinations of four French tourists in 2007.
Mauritania, a predominantly moderate Muslim nation on Africa's western coast, has been rocked in recent years by attacks by the North African al-Qaida group.

Jordanian man gets 24 years in Dallas bomb plot

A Jordanian man caught in an FBI sting trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper was sentenced Tuesday to 24 years in prison after telling the court he was ashamed of his actions and renouncing al-Qaida.

Hosam Smadi, 20, faced up to life in prison but received a reduced sentence after pleading guilty in May to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn could have sentenced him to a maximum of 30 years under the plea agreement.

Just before being sentenced, Smadi addressed the court. "I'm so ashamed for what I did. I'm very sorry for my actions," Smadi told Lynn just before he was sentenced. "I could not live with myself if I had hurt anybody." Smadi also renounced al-Qaida and called its leader, Osama bin Laden, "a bad man." Smadi acknowledged leaving what he thought was a truck bomb in a garage beneath the 60-story Fountain Place building in September 2009. Smadi said he parked the truck, activated a timer connected to the decoy provided by undercover FBI agents, then rode away to watch the explosion.

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Osama bin Laden 'living comfortably in Pakistan'

Osama bin Laden is alive and well and living comfortably in a house in the north-west of Pakistan protected by local people and elements of the country's intelligence services, according to a senior Nato official.

According to a senior NATO official Osama bin Laden is alive and well and living comfortably in a house in the north-west of Pakistan.

The latest assessment contradicts the belief that the al-Qaeda leader is roughing it in underground bunkers as he dodged CIA drones hunting him from the air. "Nobody in al-Qaeda is living in a cave," according to an unnamed Nato official quoted by CNN.

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Under fire Pak says "no lack of resolve to fight terrorism" in North Waziristan

Following the accusations made in a leaked White House report to Congress earlier this month that Pakistani forces were avoiding "direct conflict" in North Waziristan, Pakistan has defended its military policy in the northwest of the country, considered a hotbed of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgency.

In a statement issued by the foreign ministry, Islamabad declared that there was no "lack of Pakistani resolve to fight terrorism," the Dawn reported. The comments come as a wave of US drone strikes in the area continues, having killed more than 150 people and raising tensions between Washington and Islamabad, which condemns the US operations as a violation of its sovereignty.

Last year, Pakistan had sent 30,000 troops into South Waziristan to destroy Taliban strongholds in the area, but no similar offensive has been mounted in North Waziristan so far.

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Al Qaeda Magazine Gives Advice On Killing

Al Qaeda have published an online magazine giving Muslims in western countries tips on how to carry out random terrorist attacks.

In the second edition of "Inspire", readers are told how to use a four-by-four truck as a battering ram in crowded areas.

The article, entitled "The Ultimate Mowing Machine", continues: "If you have access to firearms, carry them with you so that you may use them to finish off your work if your vehicle gets grounded during the attack." It also warned that jihadists must be prepared to die.

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Bomb in Algeria kills 5

Five people were killed Tuesday when a remote control bomb exploded on a construction site in Algeria, a security official in the North African nation said.

The bomb appeared to target public works officials who were inspecting the construction site of new homes in Tlidjen, near the country's eastern border with Tunisia, the security official said. Those killed were three local public works officials and two entrepreneurs.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Most attacks in Algeria are claimed by al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, a local Islamic insurgency movement that joined Osama bin Laden's terrorist network in 2006.

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Military-grade explosives first found more than a year ago at NYC cemetery cause bomb scare

A caretaker doing gardening work at a historic cemetery dug up a plastic garbage bag containing military-grade explosives last year and left it at the site, where it remained until a volunteer told authorities about it Monday, setting off a big police response.

The employee found the C-4 in May or June 2009 after digging down about a foot into the ground at New York City Marble Cemetery on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. It contained eight bricks of the explosive, which Kelly said couldn't have gone off because there were nothing to detonate it. The spot was near a tombstone but not in a grave.

It was unclear how long the bag had been at the cemetery, but "we believe it's been there for a significant period of time," Kelly said. He said it appeared to be military-grade explosive similar to the material used in the 2005 London transit bombings but that there were no suspicions of terrorism in connection to the discovery.

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War on terror taking massive toll on human rights, says Paris professor

Governments and law-enforcement agencies around the world are using the war against terrorism as a pretext to clamp down on legitimate protest and free themselves from constraints on their activities, an international conference on human rights heard this weekend in Montreal.

Didier Bigo, professor of international relations at Sciences Po University in Paris, said those claiming to know who terrorists are and what their next move will be are often given additional “freedom to manoeuvre” within the system, with little clear justification.

“Anti-terrorist legislation is used to block normal problems,” he said at the conference hosted by McGill University.

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9/11 link to militant in Euro terror alert

The Islamic militant whose disclosures under U.S. interrogation in Afghanistan triggered Europe's terror alert is an old friend of a man convicted in the 9/11 attacks and, as the strikes were being planned, frequented the same mosque where the Hamburg-based plotters often met, officials say.

Hamburg security officials in August shuttered the Taiba mosque, known until two years ago as al-Quds, because of fears it was becoming a magnet for homegrown extremists who, unlike foreigners, could not be expelled from the country.

Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, a 36-year-old German of Afghan descent arrested by the U.S. military in July in Afghanistan has emerged as the latest link between Germany and al-Qaida's worldwide terror campaign. Siddiqui is believed to have been part of the Hamburg militant scene that also included key 9/11 plotters.
Intelligence officials say he was a friend of Mounir el Motassadeq, who was convicted by a German court in 2006 of being an accessory to the murder of the 246 passengers and crew on the four jetliners used in the 2001 terrorist attacks, and also frequented the al-Quds mosque.

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Pakistan probes video of apparent army executions

Pakistan's army chief ordered an inquiry Friday into video clips that show men in soldiers' uniforms gunning down a group of bound and blindfolded detainees. The footage has raised concern over possible extrajudicial killings by a military that receives billions in U.S. aid.

The two clips were apparently shot by cell phones and have been circulating on the Internet. The footage is grainy and shows no time stamps, and part of the army inquiry's mission is to determine whether those shown in uniform were actually soldiers, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's statement said.

"It is not expected of a professional army to engage in excesses against the people whom it is trying to guard against the scourge of terrorism," the general said, though he cautioned that militants had in the past posed as soldiers.

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France Warns Of High Terror Risk In Britain

France's Foreign Ministry is warning French travelers of a high terrorism risk in Britain, asking them to be watchful in public transport and busy tourist areas across the English Channel. A message posted on the ministry's Web site late Tuesday said British authorities have warned that "the level of terrorist threat is very high in the United Kingdom, and the risk of an attack is very likely."

The ministry said France wanted to pass those concerns on to French citizens, many of whom live in Britain or travel there frequently. France has not issued any recent warnings for other countries in Europe, though officials have repeatedly insisted that the threat is high in France as well and have boosted security at busy tourist sites such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

France and Britain are among many European countries that have stepped up terrorism alert vigilance recently. Germany, meanwhile, says it remains watchful but that there is no reason to be "alarmist."

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Sailors injured in USS Cole attack file lawsuit

Sailors suffering from injuries incurred 10 years ago in the USS Cole attack are suing Sudan for damages.The suit was filed in Washington on Monday on behalf of eight sailors aboard the destroyer and two of their spouses.

They say they have suffered from surgeries for bodily injuries as well as burns, scars, hearing loss and post-traumatic stress.

Earlier, family members of the 17 sailors killed in the attack won $13 million in damages and interest from Sudan.

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US Terror Warning Draws Shrugs From Americans

A rare advisory for U.S. travelers to beware of potential terrorist threats in Europe has drawn American shrugs from Paris to Rome, but tourism officials are worried that it could deter would-be visitors from moving ahead with plans to cross the Atlantic.

The travel alert is a step below a formal warning not to visit Europe, but some experts said it could still hurt a fragile European economy already hit hard by the debt crisis. "I think if someone was looking for an excuse not to travel, then this is just the ticket," said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.

"However, I don't think most people will alter their plans unless the threat is very specific.The State Department alert advised the hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens living or traveling in Europe to take more precautions about their personal security. Security officials say terrorists may be plotting attacks in Europe with assault weapons on public places, similar to the deadly 2008 shooting spree in Mumbai, India.

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Wrigleyville bomb plot suspect to appear in court

A 22-year-old Lebanese refugee accused of placing a backpack he thought contained a bomb near Chicago’s Wrigley Field this month is set to appear in federal court.

It’ll be Sami Samir Hassoun’s second appearance since he was charged last week with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and of an explosive device. Prosecutors claim Hassoun took a fake bomb given to him by undercover FBI agents and dropped it in a trash bin near the home of the Chicago Cubs.

Attorney Myron Auerbach has said his client isn’t a terrorist. And he says actions assigned to Hassoun, if true, were strange and uncharacteristic.

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