Intelwire Weblog

How Many American Jihadists?

2010-03-10T19:36:00.001-05:00

Updates now at news.intelwire.com

2010-03-10T14:02:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder that all new updates, including the latest on Jihad Jane (Colleen LaRose) are now being posted to http://news.intelwire.com/. Update your bookmarks and RSS feeds!

Pennsyvlania Woman Charged With Recruiting For Jihad

2010-03-10T00:59:00.001-05:00

This one is a doozy...

David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Michael L. Levy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, together with Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Colleen R. LaRose, aka "Fatima LaRose," aka "Jihad Jane," with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to a government official and attempted identity theft.

It's an interesting perhaps-coincidence that a Pennsylvania jihadist recruiter should be indicted immediately after a Pennsylvania jihadist was arrested in Pakistan. Pakistani news outlets reported that the jihadist was arrested based on U.S. intelligence leads.

So has Jihad Jane been talking? There's good reason to think so.

LaRose was actually rolled up with a sealed criminal complaint pertaining to her abuse of a U.S. passport back in October. An arrest warrant was executed on October 29, 2009. A series of sealed documents were then filed with the court culminating in an arrest warrant, including several requests to postpone indictment.

Additional updates will appear here.

Different American Al Qaeda Arrested?

2010-03-07T20:08:00.002-05:00

NYT identifies the man as Abu Yahya Mujahdeen al-Adam, hailing from Pennsylvania.

Initial reports seemed to have confused the American with Adam Gadahn, a California native who has been a Qaeda spokesman and often appears on videos calling for strikes against targets in the United States.

Senior administration officials said on Sunday that they did not believe the arrest was of Mr. Gadahn. For hours, information was difficult to confirm from Pakistan. President Obama was briefed on news reports of the arrest, but later learned they were most likely not correct.

Scattered reports are now surfacing that Al-Adam is an alias for Gadahn. Your guess is nearly as good as mine at this point. I will only say that reports from Pakistani officials on the arrest or killing of senior Al Qaeda and Taliban figures tend to be wildly inaccurate. Wait a week, and we might know by then.

CBS Says Gadahn Not Arrested

2010-03-07T19:49:00.000-05:00

Story

CBS News was told by sources in the Pakistan government that it was Gadahn, even after U.S. officials refused to confirm it was the California native for whom a $1 million reward has been posted.

Now, CBS News' Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad writes that earlier reports the detained individual was Gadahn proved false. According to a Pakistan security official who spoke with CBS News on condition of anonymity, the arrested individual is in fact "a Taliban militant leader who is known as Abu Yahya."

Full Text of Today's Adam Gadahn Video

2010-03-07T18:57:00.001-05:00

Adam Gadahn's latest video, released today

Please credit INTELWIRE.com if reporting from this transcript.

A Call To Arms
Brother Adam Yahiye Gadahn
Muharram 1431

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the Accursed. In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful:

"O you who believe! Fight the unbelievers who are closest in proximity to you and let them find harshness in you; and know that Allah is with those who fear Him." (9:123)

Muslim brothers everywhere, as-Salaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh [peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings]. Wa B'ad:

The year 2009, the inaugural year of a new administration in Washington, ended in a truly miserable fashion for the Crusader West and its intelligence organs, who suffered a series of moral and material blows which culminated in the bloody deaths of at least 8 CIA operatives in a masterfully-planned and executed martyrdom operation inside their clandestine base in Afghanistan. This crushing blow came just a few days after the compromising of America's supposedly airtight security in a valiant attempt by a heroic soldier of al-Qaida to bring down an American airliner over Detroit. But I would like here to take you back to an earlier event, one whose hero wasn't a member of al-Qaida or any other Islamic group, but was in fact, a ranking officer of the United States Army, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who, this past autumn, opened fire on a group of American soldiers preparing to deploy to Afghanistan deep within the army's largest domestic base, Fort Hood, Texas. According to official army figures, at least 13 Crusaders were killed and more than 30 wounded in this surprise attack. Major Nidal Malik Hasan himself was shot, wounded and captured, and has had charges filed against him in a Crusader military court of inquisition in preparation for a summary show trial whose outcome is not in question.

America may let the thugs of Blackwater off the hook, and may give the depraved guards of Abu Ghraib and the homicidal gang-rapists of al-Miqdadiyah slaps on the wrist, but it goes without saying that such concessions don't extend to defiant Muslim heroes like Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The fact is, the heroic Fort Hood operation opens up a host of new opportunities for discussion of the hypocrisy, hubris and less-than-wholesome aspects of the Western Crusader culture which bestows peace prizes on war presidents and condemns Christmas messages from captured American soldiers as cruel, even as it continues to torture and humiliate the Muslims and other prisoners in its own custody. However, in the interest of brevity, I will leave such topics for another day in favor of shining further light on the nature and motivations of the man behind this historic and trend-setting operation, our Mujahid brother Nidal Malik Hasan - Nahsabuhu Min as-Saaliheen wa La Nuzakeehi Ala Allah: We consider him to be a righteous man and we don't purify him before Allah.

The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan has shown us what one righteous Muslim with an assault rifle can do for his religion and brothers in faith, and has reminded us of how much pride and joy a single act of resistance and courage can instill in the hearts of Muslims everywhere. The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan, by the grace of Allah and with a single 30-minute battle, singlehandedly brought the morale of the American military and public to its lowest point in years. The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan, lightly armed but with a big heart, a strong will and a confident step, again brought into sharp focus the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of America, and again proved wrong those who claim America cannot be hit where it hurts. And most significantly, the Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan is a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role-model who has opened a door, lit a path and shown the way forward for every Muslim who finds himself among the unbelievers and yearns to discharge his duty to Allah and play a part in the defense of Islam and Muslims against the savage, heartless and bloody Zionist Crusader assault on our religion, sacred places and homelands.

Just as significant and just as deserving of contemplation and emulation as what the defiant Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan did is what he didn't do. Courageous Brother Nidal didn't give the orders of men priority over the orders of Allah, nor did he fear the wrath of men more than the wrath of Allah. Nahsabahu wa Allahu Haseebuh [We reckon him so and Allah is his Reckoner]. And defiant Brother Nidal didn't make the youthful mistake he made in joining the American army an excuse for making the mistake of a lifetime and taking part in the fighting and killing of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq or anywhere else. This is why I believe that defiant Brother Nidal is the ideal role-model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes who, like him, has come to the correct collusion that true Islam isn't in a name or a set of rituals but in fact is in total submission and obedience to Allah and total disobedience to and disassociation from the unbelievers. When Brother Nidal was issued orders which conflicted with Islamic doctrine and values, he resisted them until the last bullet and thereby broke the mold of the mindlessly obedient soldier, a mold preferred and cultivated by the militaries of the world but totally rejected by Islam, which says loudly and clearly: La Ta'ata Li Makhlooqin Fi Ma'siyat al-Khaaliq - Obedience to a Created Being in Disobedience to the Creator is Impermissible.

Not only did defiant Brother Nidal break free of the influence of the unbelievers he had grown up and worked with and served under, he also broke free of the evil influence of the anti-Jihad, pro-Crusade Shaykhs and Muftis who attempt to legitimize the killing of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere using the flimsiest pretexts and excuses imaginable. Defiant Brother Nidal didn't try to silence his conscience or justify obeying his commanders and remaining in the ranks of the unbelievers with those Shaykhs' scandalous Fatwas which permit the impermissible, prohibit the obligatory and condone the murder of Muslims in the name of fighting terrorism, or in the name of protecting salary and position, or in the name of preserving the good reputation of American Muslims and dispelling any doubts about their patriotism and loyalty to America. Brother Nidal didn't try to hide behind such ridiculous excuses because he knew that - however many famous signatures it might carry and whatever fancy title it might have - no Fatwa in this world can possibly justify breaking the clear, unambiguous and agreed-upon laws of the Shari'ah, like the law forbidding the killing of Muslims or the law ordering loyalty to the believers and disloyalty to the unbelievers, and he knew that on the day of Judgement, all the Ulama, Mullas, Muftis and Imams of this world put together would be incapable of saving him from divine retribution were he to have blindly followed their permissions and prohibitions in contravention of what he knew - in his heart of hearts and through honest research and careful study - to be Allah's ruling and decree.

I believe that Brother Nidal realized that the insults, accusations, imprisonment, loneliness and other difficulties that one might face during or after one's mission are insignificant when compared to the punishment Allah has threatened - in numerous places in the Quran and Hadeeth - for those who abandon compulsory Hijra and Jihad despite them having access to the necessary ways and means. But at the same time, I believe Brother Nidal realized that Islam neither calls for nor approves of hasty, reckless and poorly planned actions, and that's why he acted with caution and took the necessary steps in order to avoid repeating the mistakes others have made in operational and procedural matters. For example, Brother Nidal didn't - as far as we know - discuss his plans over government-monitored-and-controlled telephone and computer systems, nor did he confide his secrets to recent acquaintances - or even long-time acquaintances - whose professed loyalty to Islam and Muslims and apparent eagerness to defend their faith and brethren may or may not be as strong or as genuine as it appears. Brother Nidal wasn't taken in by the provocateurs who infiltrate the Masjids and Muslim communities of America with hidden microphones in order to entrap Muslims eager to perform the duty of Jihad. And Brother Nidal didn't unnecessarily raise his security profile or waste money better spent on the operation itself by traveling abroad to acquire skills and instructions which could easily be acquired at home, or indeed, deduced by using one's own powers of logic and reasoning.

For example, the first thing many people often ask is: "What weapon should I use in my operation?" But the answer to this question - and it's an important question - is not as difficult as it may seem. The Mujahid Brother Nidal Hasan used firearms in his assault on Fort Hood, but the fact is, today's Mujahid is no longer limited to bullets and bombs when it comes to his choice of a weapon. As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a minimal budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon which can take the enemy by surprise and deprive him of sleep for years on end.

Another important and often intimidating stage of preparation for any operation is the targeting phase. When the time came to pick his target, the Mujahid Brother Nidal chose carefully, looking for a target with which he was well acquainted, a target which was feasible and a target whose hitting would have a major impact on the enemy. In Brother Nidal's case, these three important qualities came together in Fort Hood, but as you start to make your plans, you shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that military bases are the only high-value targets in America and the West. On the contrary, there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage to the Crusader West and further our global agenda and long-range strategic objectives.

We must look to further undermine the West's already-struggling economies with carefully-timed-and-targeted attacks on symbols of capitalism which will again shake consumer confidence and stifle spending. We must keep in mind how even apparently unsuccessful attacks on Western mass transportation systems can bring major cities to a halt, cost the enemy billions and send his corporations into bankruptcy. We must erode our cowardly enemy's will to fight by killing and capturing leading Crusaders and Zionists in government, industry and media who talk the talk but don't walk the walk and are only interested in prosecuting their profitable wars as long as it's other people who are in the line of fire and not them. We should look for targets which epitomize Western decadence, depravity, immorality and atheism, targets which the enemy and his mouthpieces will have trouble trying to pass off to the conservative Muslim majority as illegitimate targets full of innocent people. And finally, we mustn't allow our lawless enemies to provoke us with their evil, sadistic and murderous crimes into crossing the boundaries laid down by Allah and His Prophet or doing anything which may have negative repercussions on the image of the Jihad and reputation of the Mujahideen.

We must always remember that our role models aren't our enemies: our role models are the Prophet, His Companions and the righteous and God-fearing Mujahideen. We must always remember that we are different than the Zionists and Crusaders with whom we are locked in combat: We are not outlaws. We are not gangsters. We are not hypocrites. We are not barbarians. We are not opportunists and mercenaries. We are not enemies of freedom and civilization. We are not cowards who wage wars from behind the controls of pilotless aircraft. In other words, everything our enemies are, we are not, and everything we are, they are not. We are people of courage, honor, decency, chivalry and ethics who selflessly sacrifice themselves for the noblest cause on earth, and that is why every Muslim and every Mujahid must continue to take the high road and protect the moral high ground which we have fought so long and hard to secure.

My dear brothers in Islam: with America and 25 of its NATO allies beginning to deploy a further 37,000 occupation troops to Afghanistan, and with armed American drones now violating Islamic airspace and terrorizing Muslim populaces from Miran Shah to Mogadishu, and with the American war president and his rabid British poodle plotting fresh aggression against the Yemen, and with the United States consolidating its cruel treatment of our brothers in Islam at new or newly expanded Muslim-only concentration camps in Illinois, Bagram and elsewhere, it is rapidly becoming clear that this already hot global battle is about to get even hotter.

This is a war which knows no international borders and no single battleground, and that's why I am calling on every honest and vigilant Muslim in the countries of the Zionist-Crusader alliance in general and America, Britain and Israel in particular to prepare to play his due role in responding to and repelling the aggression of the enemies of Islam. This is the golden, once in a lifetime opportunity to reap the rewards of Jihad and martyrdom we have been waiting for, so unsheathe your sharpened sword and rush to take your rightful place among defiant champions of Islam like Mir Aimal Kansi, Muhammad Bouyeri, Nidal Malik Hasan and many others like them: "Men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have been martyred and some are still waiting; but they have never changed in the least." (33:23)

My Muslim brother: Jihad is neither the personal property nor the exclusive responsibility of any single group, organization or individual. Instead, it is the personal duty of every able-bodied Muslim on the face of this earth, until the last Muslim captive is freed and the last piece of occupied Islamic land is recovered and until Muslims live in safety and security in the benevolent shadow of the Islamic state. Allah subhaanahu wa ta'ala has given you faculties of reason, judgement and choice within the guidelines of Islam, and it is for you - like your heroic Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan - to decide how, when and where you discharge this duty. But whatever you do, don't wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, and don't wait for others to do what you can do yourself:"So fight (O Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) in Allah's Cause - you are held responsible only for yourself - and rouse the believers. Allah will restrain the might of the unbelievers. And Allah is strongest in might and strongest in punishment." (4:84)

Thank you for watching, and may Allah guide your steps. Wa as-Salaam 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh.

Today's Gadahn Video -- Quality Issues

2010-03-07T15:47:00.003-05:00

As CNN discovered, the encoding of the latest Adam Gadahn video is faulty, resulting in the video juddering and getting badly out of sync with the audio. I have a cleaned-up version of the video available. For the next couple days, I will make it freely available to media outlets who agree to credit INTELWIRE.com.

Contact information here.

Still no confirmation of the arrest from U.S. officials, which raises two questions in my mind. First, do they really have him? And second, might Pakistani politicians try trading him for Aafia Siddiqui.

Public sentiment in Pakistan is wildly supportive of Siddiqui, a Pakistani with roots in Boston, who was convicted last month of trying to kill federal agents. Pakistani diplomats have been trying to secure her release for months. Gadahn is the kind of bargaining chip that could make a difference, but if they try, they're going to destroy a lot of the goodwill -- and financial incentive -- that they could otherwise reap from the arrest.

Report: Adam Gadahn Arrested in Pakistan

2010-03-07T14:10:00.003-05:00

Adam Gadahn's latest video, released today

CNN says, quoting a Pakistani official, that Adam Gadahn, the American Al Qaeda also known as Azzam the American, has been arrested in Pakistan. Given past misinformation from Pakistanis, let's wait for confirmation, but if true, this is huge.

CNN's is currently reporting Gadahn was arrested in Karachi, and U.S. officials have not yet confirmed the arrest.

Gadahn is an extremely important figure in Al Qaeda. He is largely responsible for the rejuvenation of Al Qaeda's media operations after September 11, and he worked his way up through the hierarchy through his media savvy and prowess at video editing. He is responsible for several interesting media experiments out of Al Qaeda's media arm.

Gadahn is also important because for at least several months he was in close proximity to Ayman Al Zawahiri, a conclusion I draw from their joint media releases during 2007, which showed very similar production values. In recent months, however, the production values on their media releases have diverged, suggesting that Zawahiri has relocated.

Consistent with this, CNN is reporting that Gadahn may have been on the outs with Al Qaeda's senior leadership. If that falling out is real, and based on intellectual content rather than sloppy spycraft, I would suggest that it has to do with the following sentiment from today's video release:

We should look for targets which epitomize Western decadence, depravity, immorality and atheism, targets which the enemy and his mouthpieces will have trouble trying to pass off to the conservative Muslim majority as illegitimate targets full of innocent people. And finally, we mustn’t allow our lawless enemies to provoke us with their evil, sadistic and murderous crimes into crossing the boundaries laid down by Allah and His Prophet or doing anything which may have negative repercussions on the image of the Jihad and reputation of the Mujahideen.

In this quote and in other recent speeches by Gadahn, the American has been distancing himself from the "takfiri" element of Al Qaeda which justifies killing Muslims, along with virtually any other atrocity, in the name of the cause.

However, I'm not sure the rift -- if rift there be -- is ideological. During the period that Gadahn was seen to be close to Ayman Al Zawahiri, the senior Al Qaeda leader was subjected to several close calls, Predator strikes that hit sometimes within hours of Zawahiri's departure from safehouses.

Further food for thought: U.S. and Pakistani forces have recently put extreme pressure on Al Qaeda's media distribution channels. There have been several significant developments in this respect.

After Jordanian double-agent Abu Dujana bombed a CIA facility in Afghanistan, his video will was released by Al Qaeda to Al Jazeera, but its distribution online was disrupted by coalition operations, my sources indicate.

The video was promised for distribution by Internet jihadi operatives, but it was suppressed for weeks. The video was eventually released, several days ago. Almost immediately after it hit the Web, a massive cyber assault knocked out nearly all of the top-tier jihadist forums.

It seems to me that all of this is likely not coincidental to Gadahn's arrest.

I'm available for anyone who needs a quote on this. Contact information here.

Zazi Pleads Guilty

2010-02-23T14:30:00.002-05:00

The plea is sealed but here's the DOJ press release:

Najibullah Zazi guilty plea

It's clear from the information revealed in this release that Al Qaeda Core is now focusing on smaller scale attacks.

The conventional wisdom for years has been that AQ wanted to stage an attack even more spectacular than 9/11 and was not interested in smaller operations. I personally doubt whether this was ever true (there was already strong evidence to the contrary), but at this point no one can credibly mount this claim.

This has to be seen as a negative development, since smaller attacks are easier to accomplish and pressing small attacks does not preclude the simultaneous deployment of a spectacular attack.

In fact, if the operations are properly compartmentalized, smaller attacks could distract focus away from a larger operation. U.S. counterterrorism focus is highly reactive. For instance, we might be preoccupied chasing breast impant bombs with body scanners while someone is stowing a dirty bomb on an LNG tanker from Yemen.

Another interesting point here is that Zazi traveled specifically to fight for the Taliban and only after arriving on the ground was he diverted to Al Qaeda. Since 2003, we’ve seen an increase in cases where potential foreign fighters are diverted to terrorism before they gain any battleground experience.

Prior to 2001, fighters would more often cut their teeth in a more traditional foreign fighter combat or even regular military environment, and after proving themselves under those conditions then be recruited to receive specialized training for terrorism.

For instance, Khalid Shaik Mohammed went to Bosnia in 1992 to play a support role for the mujahideen, but returned in 1995 to recruit terrorist operatives from the pool of experienced fighters.

There is a useful distinction and transition to explore between jihadist (which I am defining as a foreign fighter taking part in a localized armed conflict or insurgency) and what I would call a “networked terrorist” (attacking non-combatant civilian targets outside of a hot conflict zone). I'll get into this more in my forthcoming book.

Al Qaeda's Breast Implant Bomb Plot

2010-02-11T20:05:00.006-05:00

I appeared on Channel 7, WHDH NBC Boston, tonight during the 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts to discuss reports that Al Qaeda is planning to equip female jihadists with breast implants that have been filled with explosives. Believe it or not.

This kind of tactic would be very effective, if all the pieces were in place. However, it would be extraordinarily difficult to make it happen. You need a competent surgeon with a specialty in cosmetic surgery, you need a fundamentalist woman jihadist (rare enough) who is willing to undergo the procedure in violation of Islamic modesty taboos, and that individual also needs to be able to extract the explosives from the implant and make them into a bomb in an airplane restroom. Most Al Qaeda operatives can't even manage to set their shoes or underwear on fire, let along perform surgery on themselves, then build a bomb, then detonate it.

Video of the report is here, but for a more rounded discussion, check out the new INTELWIRE podcast:

Podcast: Al Qaeda's Breast Implant Bomb Plot

I will post video when it becomes available.

American Arrested in Raid on Bosnian Village

2010-02-09T09:37:00.001-05:00

An American citizen was arrested during a police raid on a Bosnian village populated by Wahhabis, according to Balkans media outlets.

Enis Bosnic, of Jacksonville, Florida, was among several people arrested in "Operation Light," a sting operation conducted in Gornja Maoca, in northern Bosnia. The residents of Gornja Maoca live under Shariah law.

Some members of the community are believed to have relocated there after the Bosnian government shut down a notorious village of former mujahideen known as Donja Bocinja.

According to Bosnian news outlets, Edis Bosnic is a Bosnian national who became a naturalized American citizen. A person by that name was nominated to the board of directors of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida in 2004.

According to the Bosnian TV news magazine "60 Minutes" (no relation to CBS), Bosnic was in close contact with Adis Medunjanin, the Queens man arrested in the U.S. on suspicion of taking part in a bomb plot led by Afghan national Najibullah Zazi.

Bosnian journalist Esad Hecimovic contributed to this report.

Sources:

Glas Srpske

International Relations and Security Network

Washington Post

CIA May Set Drone Sights on Anwar Awlaki

2010-01-31T10:41:00.002-05:00

Interesting -- and significant -- story in the Washington Post today. Radical imam Anwar Alwaki -- an American citizen -- may soon be added to the CIA's drone target list.

Much ado has been made about the fact that this would be the first time an American has been targeted -- although as I have noted elsewhere, it would not be the first time an American Jihadist was killed in a drone attack. In 2002, a U.S. drone strike in Yemen (as it happens) killed Kamal Derwish, a Buffalo native connected to the Lackawanna Six.

It was reported earlier that the U.S. may have missed an opportunity to kill Awlaki due to wrangling over the legalities that his citizenship may or may not complicate. The questions include:

What standard of evidence gets you on the kill list?

Who reviews that decision?

Do you (as a citizen) have any recourse to get off of the list?

These are not idle questions. In at least one case, U.S.-aligned forces killed an Al Qaeda suspect whose terrorist credentials were (at the least) questionable. That person wasn't a U.S. citizen, but it's still a troubling precedent. What if Eliot Ness has simply whacked Al Capone?

The kill list is -- currently -- about two dozen names long. Most of them are active in command and control of terrorist attacks. While there are strong reasons to suspect Awlaki falls into that category, extremely significant unanswered questions remain -- not only about his role in the Detroit Christmas bomb attempt and the Nidal Hasan massacre, but about his connection to September 11.

Realistically, the only way most of those questions are ever going to be answered in the public sphere is if Awlaki is captured and returned to the U.S. for a trial. As I have mentioned before, trials are the public's most important window into Al Qaeda and how terrorism works. And there is no case we need to understand more than 9/11.

Read more about Awlaki on American Jihadists.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Jihadis

2009-12-17T17:43:00.003-05:00

You may have heard that Mrs. Ayman Al Zawahiri has released a new communique urging Muslim mothers to raise their children with a healthy love for jihad.

The other part of that message is an appalling video released by the Ansar Al Jihad Web forum showing exactly what those children can expect. In addition to training in guns and fitness, child jihadis around the age of 11 or 12 shown in the video (titled "The Next Generation of Mujahideen") can be seen taking part in bare-fisted beatdowns that don't end until one kid is down for the count. Younger children are shown using boxing gloves, for whatever protection that provides when a child is repeatedly smashing another child in the face, before a crowd of laughing peers, with minimal adult supervision.

As-Sahab: The College Years

2009-12-14T10:46:00.003-05:00

A new "video" from Ayman Al Zawahiri came out today from Al Qaeda's As-Sahab production arm, just a day after a video release from American Al Qaeda Adam Gadahn. Aside from the message (more on this later), what's interesting here is that the video is actually an audio message with still photos and some rather basic graphics, and no subtitles.

This is similar to Osama bin Laden's messages of the last few years. However, Zawahiri has traditionally been able to provide full video -- and often video of a rather high quality. Gadahn's video from this weekend was true video, but of extremely low quality and low production values -- probably recorded from a webcam.

The Zawahiri release adds weight to previous observations around the CT community that As-Sahab (which is basically Gadahn) is on the ropes.

While this downgrade could be financially driven, it's most likely to be drone-driven. If As-Sahab (Adam and Ayman) are on the move, it makes sense they would be working with lower quality material -- it takes a lot less time to edit and upload audio and webcam video than the high-end stuff that As-Sahab used to produce.

So this could signal one of the following:

lack of electicity,

lack of Internet access,

lack of courier (i.e. drone killed the guy who was supposed to carry the video to Peshawar on a thumb drive), or

adequate Internet/courier access but great concern about security (i.e., they aren't where they are supposed to be, which is somewhere along the Af-Pak border).

Any of these considerations could be temporary or permanent. Will the new As-Sahab be like the new Scrubs -- an obvious and disappointing downgrade that should have been canceled last year?

And more importantly, are the days of fancy studios and Al Qaeda-logo coffee mugs finally finished?

U.S. Air Force Contracts With Binladin Group For Communications Security

2009-12-13T18:35:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Air Force paid more than $38 million in federal contracts to Baud Telecommunications, a subsidiary of the Saudi Binladin Group, since 2001. More than half of those contracts are dated after the attacks of September 11 -- and the contracts continued through 2007.

Air Force Contracts With Binladin Group, 2001-2007

The majority of the contracts deal with security issues. About $21 million of the contracts were to provide communications security equipment and components for the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center. Another contract provided $17 million to the same office for modifications of communication equipment, including about $500,000 for cryptology equipment.

The Army had two contracts with Baud prior to September 11, worth a bit more than $2 million, but no contracts after the attack. Prior to 2000, the Army, Air Force and Navy had contracts with Binladen Telecommunications, which changed its name to Baud in 1999 after Osama bin Laden's role in global terrorism became widely known.

Jihadi Art Show

2009-12-13T17:11:00.003-05:00

As you can see from this adorable ad, the folks at Al-Ansar are running an art show for jihadists. Well, a Photoshop show, really. The call went out for Web-friendly designs celebrating one of the following: "The Triumph of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan," "Good Times in the Islamic State of Iraq," or "The Winds of Victory in Somalia."

The first perplexing entry to be submitted shows a Godzilla-sized mujahideen in a ski mask pointing a rifle at U.S. troops.

Extra points for inserting the high-tension wires (a staple of Godzilla movies) to provide a sense of scale, but minus 100 due to the fact that the 400-foot-high protagonist appears to be standing in a 250-foot-deep hole. Also, isn't the rifle overkill? He's 400 feet high!

The prize is "to be announced."

Yahya Al Libbi: The Plot Thickens

2009-12-11T17:01:00.004-05:00

Pakistani officials speaking anonymously have claimed that the senior Al Qaeda leader killed in Pakistan this week by a drone attack was, in fact, Yahya Al-Libbi. See stories here, here and here.

As reported here first yesterday, the jihadi forums have been rife with rumors that Al-Libbi was killed in the attack. However, a source at a leading Al Qaeda forum today posted that Al-Libbi was "100 percent alive and well," and the report was validated by the forum's moderator, which suggests the poster has some claim to credibility.

Shykh Abu Yahya Al Libi Hafizaullah is alive and 100% ok with good health n eman the recent rumor spread by kuffar is just their stupidity insha'Allah they will get answer for it.

All of this falls under the label "speculation," however. The Pakistanis have been eager to name names when these drone attacks occur. They have prematurely buried Osama bin Laden, Ayman Al Zawahiri and Mustafa Al Yazid on multiple occasions. They are, to be blunt, completely unreliable in these matters.

UPDATE: According to the New York Times, Pakistani officials are insisting and U.S. officials are denying that Al-Libbi was killed in the attack. END UPDATE

If Al-Libbi is dead, it's extremely good news for the U.S. I was one of the very first analysts to start making noise about the threat Al-Libbi poses to Western interests on many levels.

On the down side, if he's alive, this false report is likely to enhance his standing. One of Al-Libbi's strengths, as I wrote before, is the fact he escaped from a U.S. run prison in Bagram air base in Afghanistan. This is a feat of military prowess which is very specific and very impressive, and the escape went a long way to establishing Al-Libbi's bonafides as a top-level jihadist -- he's a thinker and he's a tough guy, which is a compelling combination.

For Al-Libbi to "come back from the dead" after a premature announcement by the Pakistanis or (God forbid) by U.S. officials would thrust him even further into the limelight. Which is a bad thing. Al-Libbi -- young, charismatic and tough as nails -- is potentially more dangerous as a long-term leader for Al Qaeda than the fading stars of Zawahiri and Bin Laden. The last thing he needs is any help from us.

Previous stories on Al Libi:

A Leader Who Could Revitalize Al Qaeda

Infidel Bug Spoils Speech

The New Al Qaeda Central

Other news on INTELWIRE:

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: 'Pakistan Five' Struck From The Mold

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: Five American Jihadists Arrested in Pakistan

INTELFILES: Hal Turner Court Records

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: David Coleman Headley

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: American Muslims Threatened Over Nidal Hasan

INTELWIRE WEBLOG: Convicting Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: A Key Failure In Understanding Nidal Hasan

Yahya Al Libi: 'I'm Not Dead Yet!'

2009-12-10T19:34:00.006-05:00

This is far from a reliable source, but the jihadis at Ansarnet, an Al Qaeda-linked forum, are reporting on rumors that top Al Qaeda ideologue Yahya Al Libi was killed in a U.S. drone attack. The thread was locked by forum moderators for being entirely speculative. Rumors always run thick, however, so take this with more than the usual grains of salt.

UPDATE: A rather cranky and surprisingly swift rebuttal has been posted to Al Ansar:

Shykh Abu Yahya Al Libi Hafizaullah is alive and 100% ok with good health n eman the recent rumor spread by kuffar is just their stupidity insha'Allah they will get answer for it.

The posting was done by a member but endorsed by a moderator, who threatened to start banning anyone who spread "kuffar" lies on the forum.

The most important takeaway here: Who knew it was so easy to ring up Yahya Al Libi and check on his health? While there are a number of possible explanations for where and how this update originated, the fact that it came so quickly suggests that Al Libi is currently in a city in Pakistan (Peshawar?) and not out hiking in the mountains with Osama bin Laden. I don't think his iPhone gets reception out there.

SECOND UPDATE: The rumors are starting to take on more force and are now being reported by other CT experts (such as here and here). On the off chance it turns out to be true, remember you read it here first... And on the off chance it turns out to be untrue, well, you read that here first too... Never let it be said I don't cover all the bases.

Previous stories on Al Libi:

A Leader Who Could Revitalize Al Qaeda

Infidel Bug Spoils Speech

The New Al Qaeda Central

Other news on INTELWIRE:

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: 'Pakistan Five' Struck From The Mold

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: Five American Jihadists Arrested in Pakistan

INTELFILES: Hal Turner Court Records

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: David Coleman Headley

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: American Muslims Threatened Over Nidal Hasan

INTELWIRE WEBLOG: Convicting Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

AMERICAN JIHADISTS: A Key Failure In Understanding Nidal Hasan

Jihad Forum Threatens American Muslims

2009-11-26T09:11:00.003-05:00

The Al Ansar Web site, a jihadist forum in English and Arabic, has published a statement which threatens American Muslims who criticize Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

We ... issue this statement due to the unfortunate yet expected wave of apologetic statements being given around the world which smack of apostasy, especially in the land of the Lead Crusaders, the United States of America, the likes of which are only given either to safeguard their worldly gains from living there, due to their misguidance and ignorance of firm principles which they easily throw away based on their false concepts of "general interest", or due to the verdicts of misguided or evil scholars.

In the Al-Ansar worldview, apostasy is punishable by death. The threat is repeated again at the end of this message, which is largely concerned with justifying Hasan's attack on a theological basis.

We warn all Muslims, both individuals and organizations, to fear Allah in the views they hold and statements they make in regards to the validity of Nidal's actions, the character of our brother, and the correct Islamic views in relation to matters of this sort. They must be very careful that they do not knowingly or unknowingly fall into disbelief and apostasy.

Convicting Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

2009-11-13T11:47:00.001-05:00

I am out of the office, but I wanted to post a couple of quick thoughts about Attorney General Eric Holder's press conference today on the decision to prosecute Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four others for the attacks of September 11.

I am a bit ambivalent about this specific decision, due to several background issues, but I'm generally in favor of criminal trials for terrorism, especially for attacks which took place on U.S. soil. Trials are an important tool for educating the public. We the people will likely learn far more about 9/11 from this trial than we did from the 9/11 Commission (if the defendants don't plead guilty). The importance of an informed public cannot be overstated.

A couple of concerns have been raised about the trial. September 11 family members have pointed out that the suspects are likely to use this occasion to spew jihadist propaganda. This is a fair point. The sentencing statements by Ramzi Yousef and the "blind sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman and others show both the validity of this concern but also the power of a judge to cut off comments when he or she so chooses.

Rahman mixed those talking points with protestations of his innocence and was eventually cut off by the judge. Most of Rahman's co-defendants spent their time praising America in an effort to get a lighter sentence, which did not exactly make them into international icons. Yousef, on the other hand, spouted off incendiary jihadist talking points at some length. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is more likely to follow the example of his cousin Yousef than to grovel.

The other major issue raised at the press conference was the admittedly unlikely prospect that through some technicality or twist these suspects could be acquitted or released.

This concern isn't groundless, and Holder's response -- that he's super-sure it won't happen -- was not ideal. If prosecutors controlled outcomes, we wouldn't ever see an acquittal. As far as KSM specifically, in the unlikely event of an acquittal, there are numerous other crimes he could be charged with, including an outstanding 1996 sealed indictment for the Bojinka plot.

One factor in this consideration, which seems to have gone over the heads of many pundits: Holder rather specifically said there is evidence which has not yet been released to the public, and he seemed to be pretty confident that this evidence equates to a smoking gun. That should be interesting.

One last point -- the defendants named today have confessed and pleaded guilty in their earlier tribunal appearances and basically begged to be executed. Everyone seems to be assuming this case will go to trial. This is an interesting question and shouldn't be taken for granted.

On the one hand, pleading guilty will elevate their status if the U.S. eventually decides to grant their wish for martyrdom. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine that these guys wouldn't embrace the opportunity to make some noise by dragging this out into a full trial. Either way, though, the media and pundits should not assume this is going to be a full-scale production number.

Was Nidal Hasan A Rational Actor?

2009-11-10T08:42:00.010-05:00

As the hours of coverage mount, we're seeing more and more discussion of Maj. Nidal Hasan's connection to extremist imam Anwar Aulaqi, prior to his killing spree at Fort Hood last week. There's a fundamental question that comes out of that analysis, which I have not seen articulated yet.

Was Hasan acting rationally when he killed 13 people?

Culturally, we tend to view mass shootings as a manifestation of mental illness, in which someone's unfathomable disease prompts them to act in an inexplicable way.

But when you look at Anwar Aulaqi's role and his comments on the shootings, we have to question that assumption.

Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush aside and just pretend that it doesn't exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam. Its army is directly invading two Muslim countries and indirectly occupying the rest through its stooges.

One can certainly disagree with this sentiment, and one can challenge its factual underpinnings. But within the factual underpinnings, the statement is rational, which is to say it's based on recognizable reasoning.

So the key question regarding Nidal Hasan is: Were his actions based on this kind of reasoning, or the result of a collapse of reasoning due to mental illness?

Certainly his lawyers will be considering this question. It's a standard question in murder cases and bears directly on the punishment a convicted murderer receives.

In this instance, there's also a broader problem, because if he was acting rationally, it was likely the result of radicalization. In other words, did Aulaqi or like-minded thinkers bring Hasan around to a worldview in which his actions are considered rational?

If Hasan was a radicalized rational actor, his actions stem from the worldview of Anwar Aulaqi. Without such a motive, we're left only with his desire to avoid deployment, and the truly rational decision based on that motive would have been to desert the Army without killing anyone.

If Hasan was rational, the case raises enormous concerns about the success of ideologues like Aulaqi. Because -- unlike mental illness -- ideology is contagious.

To some extent, of course, the point is moot. The media depiction is increasingly focused on Hasan's ideology. If those who share his ideological inclinations believe he was acting rationally, it will inspire imitators. But understanding if and how ideology influenced the initial act helps us understand how this worldview spreads, who is susceptible to its charms, and what factors cause ideology to transform into violent intent.

A radical-leaning English-language Islamic forum discussing Aulaqi and Hasan was heavily populated by people who found the shootings quite rational:

Despite his motives, Muslims all over the world are celebrating and they would've been happy even if a kafir did this. Thirteen less kuffar [infidels] who would otherwise quite possibly have raped your Muslim sisters and/or killed them and other Muslims. [...]

Imam Anwar Awlaki has spoken the truth again and the hypocrites have been exposed. May Allah preserve him and continue to make him a beacon of truth for this Ummah and a cancer against the Kuffar no matter how much they may dislike it. Ameen. [...]

my point was that, there lies a great disconnect between muslims and their actions and reactions as dictated by the media[.] the same type of attack that happens in afghanistan and iraq daily, and there are no condemnations[.] we dont get small biographies, photos, names, etc, we get a headline and we move on[.] here, an attack was made (whether he was sane or not, or whatever his motivation) and we have people clamoring over the fact that 13 innocent people were killed[.] i fail to see that in this story[.] and i am not talking about the kuffar and their responses, i can understand their responses[.] i am more concerned about the muslims and their responses [...]

When the other party has murdered millions of Muslims...(need I continue with this?) would it not be better, since one is not bound by any oath, treaty or covenant, to do what nidal did [instead of just leaving the Army]? Why waste a golden opportunity like this? [...]

Nidals "treachery" + attack = 13 less soldiers going out to kill more members of our ummah

Whether you like it or not, whether you agree with it or not, the concept of "13 less soldiers" fighting against those perceived as "our ummah (community)" is rational. It may be based on false assumptions or wrong facts or unattractive values, but it's a logical rationale that justifies the act. The fact that this particular audience would be as likely to cheer someone who opened fire in a mall is somewhat tangential to the point.

If the worldview and reasoning of Anwar Aulaqi is gaining traction in the United States, that's a real problem for law enforcement and intelligence officials. Aulaqi is an advocate of the radical Islamic version of "leaderless resistance" in which individuals and very small groups take action against perceived enemies independently. That's a very difficult problem in counterterrorism.

Anwar Aulaqi Web Site Suspended

2009-11-10T07:55:00.001-05:00

Radical imam Anwar Aulaqi's Web site has been suspended, after he posted comments praising Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

Breaking News: Anwar Aulaqi Praises Foot Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan

2009-11-09T09:24:00.006-05:00

Anwar Aulaqi, a radical imam who served as inspiration to Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan and two 9/11 hijackers, has posted to his Web site with words of praise for the Army major:

Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.

For more details, check out our new site, AmericanJihadists.com.

Anwar Aulaqi FBI Files

2009-11-09T04:15:00.002-05:00

If you're following the latest on the Fort Hood shootings and Major Nidal Hasan, you can read the FBI's files on radical imam Anwar Aulaqi (also spelled Awlaki) at AmericanJihadists.com. I'll be updating the page later with some more general information about Aulaqi and his teachings.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan Identified As Fort Hood Shooter

2009-11-05T18:42:00.007-05:00

The person who killed 12 people at Fort Hood today appears to be Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist formerly stationed at Walter Reed Medical Center. Some details can be found here. A records search by INTELWIRE turned up no court or medical board disciplinary actions concerning Hasan. A search of INTELWIRE databases also returned negative results. A criminal records search turned up a couple of apparent minor traffic violations.

What elevates this case from a random shooting are the reports that two other suspects have been taken into custody in the case. If these arrests are legitimate, it obviously implies terrorism or at least conspiracy. If the arrests are simply people swept up in the confusion, the shootings would appear more likely the act of a deranged individual.

UPDATE: The Army has just corrected earlier reports that the shooter was dead. It turns out he isn't, and the suspect said to be in custody is Hasan himself. The Army says they believe Hasan was the only shooter. So it appears likely that there is not a broad conspiracy here, but as the Army said, the investigation continues... END UPDATE

If it does turn out to be terrorism, it certainly wouldn't be the first time the Army has been infiltrated by such operatives. INTELWIRE will continue montioring the situation. If it turns out to be terrorism, look for updates on INTELWIRE's new sister site, AmericanJihadists.com.