Small Scale Terrorism Plots Pose New Threat
October 31, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
For some time now intelligence experts have warned of a disturbing trend towards homegrown terrorism. Coupled with an additional trend towards smaller scale plots and terror cells comprised of only 1 or more people, authorities are concerned.
After disrupting two recent terrorism plots, American intelligence officials are increasingly concerned that extremist groups in Pakistan linked to Al Qaeda are planning smaller operations in the United States that are harder to detect but more likely to succeed than the spectacular attacks they once emphasized, senior counterterrorism officials say.
The two cases — one involving two Chicago men accused this week of planning an attack on a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the prophet Mohammad, the other a 24-year-old Denver shuttle bus driver indicted in a plot to use improvised explosives — are among the most serious in years, the officials said.
In both, the officials said, the main defendants are long-term residents of the United States with substantial community ties who traveled to Pakistan’s tribal areas, where they apparently trained with extremist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda. The officials, from American military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, spoke on the condition that they not be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the cases.
2 Chicago Men Charged in Terror Plot Over Muhammad Cartoons
October 27, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
Two Chicago men have been charged in a terrorist conspiracy targeting the facilities and employees of a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Read Federal Criminal Complaint
Details From The Chicago Breaking News Center
Terrorism-related charges were filed against two Chicago men today, accusing them of plotting against targets in Western Europe, including “facilities and employees” of a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked riots in the Muslim world.
Charged are David Coleman Headley, 49, and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48.
Headley was described as an American citizen who changed his name from Daood Gilani. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving murder and maiming outside the U.S. and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the conspiracy, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office.
Rana, a native of Canada, was charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign conspiracy involving Headley and three other individuals.
Both men remain in federal custody, officials said.
Since at least late 2008 until he was arrested on Oct. 3, 2009, Headley identified and conducted surveillance of potential targets for a terrorist attack during two trips to Denmark in January and July 2009, according to federal complaints against the two men.
Rana allegedly helped arrange Headley’s travels overseas and conceal their purpose, and discussed potential targets for attack with Headley.
Headley allegedly reported and attempted to report n his overseas surveillance to other conspirators, according to the affidavits, including:
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2nd Chicago Man Tied To Terror Plot
October 27, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
The Chicago Tribune reports that the FBI has arrested a second Chicago man allegedly involved in an international terrorist plot with Western European targets.
The man was taken into custody Oct. 3 before he boarded a flight at O’Hare International Airport to Philadelphia, the first stop on a trip to Pakistan, where he planned to meet people with known ties to terrorist organizations that have carried out fatal attacks that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens, a source said. He has not been charged.
After that arrest, dozens of FBI agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Oct. 18 raided a Grundy County meat-processing plant that specializes in Islamic foods.
The owner of the plant, Tahawar Hussain Rana, also of Chicago, was arrested at his North Side home the same day as the raid on First World Management Services in Kinsman, northwest of Dwight. Agents seized records from the plant, as well as a related North Side business also raided the same day, said the source, who is familiar with the investigation.
via Read Full Article.
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Brother Defends Alleged Terror Suspect On Facebook
October 23, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Featured
The family of alleged terror suspect Tarek Mehanna is proclaiming his innocence and turning to Facebook to get the family’s message out.
From WCVB TV 5 Boston
Tamer Mehanna said his brother, Tarek, was set-up by federal agents with false and ludicrous accusations because of his constant refusal to tell lies about the Muslim community as an FBI informant.
“Free Tarek Mehanna” is the official and public Facebook site for people who believe in his innocence.
His brother says Mehanna refused a year’s worth of FBI attempts to make the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy graduate a confidential informant.
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The Case Against Alleged Terror Suspect Tarek Mehanna
October 22, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Homeland Security News
Alleged terror suspect Tarek Mehanna, arrested earlier this week, plotted to attack Americans at a shopping mall according to the FBI. Failing at that,it is alleged he turned to cyber attacks.
Frustrated at failing in his travels overseas to locate a terrorist training camp, a Massachusetts man returned home in 2003 to begin plotting a domestic terror attack. Thrilled by the 9/11 attacks and impressed by the success of the Washington, D.C., snipers in terrorizing the public in late 2002, Tarek Mehanna and several friends began planning an attack on a shopping mall, a Federal Bureau of Investigation complaint alleges.
In “multiple conversations, discussions, and preparation,” Tarek Mehanna, a student living at home with his parents in Sudbury, Mass., discussed with three other men how to “obtain automatic weapons, go to a shopping mall, and randomly shoot people,” according to the federal criminal complaint filed in a US district court Wednesday.
The trio – Mehanna, Ahmad Abousamra, and an unnamed informant – debated logistics, types of weapons needed, the number of attackers needed, how to coordinate the attack, and how to attack emergency responders, the FBI says.
via Read Full Article.
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Shopping Mall Terror Plot Alleged In Boston Area Arrest
October 21, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
An alleged shopping mall terror plot on U.S. shopping malls has resulted in the arrest of A 27-year-old Massachusetts man according to early reports this morning. The man has been charged with conspiring with others to support and plan terror attacks in and outside the United States according to the reports.
From the Boston Herald
A 27-year-old man from Sudbury has been arrested on charges he planned terrorism attacks inside and outside the United States, including a plot to use automatic weapons to open fire at shoppers and emergency responders in shopping mall attacks, federal prosecutors said today.
Tarek Mehanna, is accused of conspiring with Ahmad Abousamra and others to obtain the automatic weapons needed to carry out a mall ambush in which they planned to open fire at random, said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael K. Loucks.
The plot included plans to fire at emergency responders, but was abandoned because the men could not obtain the weapons, authorities said.
If this story and the names involved sound familiar …. This may be why.
From The Boston Globe 2008
Statements that Tarek Mehanna allegedly made to the FBI two years ago in the midst of a terrorism investigation came back to haunt him last weekend, when the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy graduate was arrested as he was about to board a Boston flight to start a new job overseas.
Additional details are available at My Pet Jawa, who also covered the story here.
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Turkey Detains 32 al Qaeda Terror Suspects Plotting Attacks
October 15, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under World Report
Reuters reports Turkish security forces have detained 32 suspected al Qaeda terrorists believed to have been plotting attacks on NATO, U.S. and Israeli targets.
The suspects were detained in simultaneous raids across eight provinces, it said, quoting security officials as saying some were believed to have been trained in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
Security officials found documents linking the suspects to the outlawed group during the raids.
“Teams from the Istanbul Anti-Terror Squad have launched an operation against al Qaeda members found to be planning operations against U.S. and Israeli representative offices and NATO installations,” Anatolian reported.
Report – Terrorist Plot To Attack World Cup Thwarted
October 15, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under World Report
The UK’s Daily Star is reporting that a plot by al-Qaada to attack next year’s World Cup has been thwarted by police. Officers in South Africa smashed a cell planning to hit Western targets according to the report.
The plan was being hatched in Khayelitsha, a shanty town near Cape Town, by militants linked to extremists in Somalia and Mozambique, off the east coast of Africa.
The network had links with Osama bin Laden’s henchmen in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a source said. Police seized mobile phones and SIM cards after intercepting a call to the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab group in Somalia discussing setting off bombs.
The source said: “The interception revealed that these people planned to move en masse from Mozambique to here in 2010.”
The operation was jointly run by American agents, SA’s National Intelligence Agency and senior police forces.
But yesterday analyst Hussein Solomon, head of the International Institute of Islamic Studies in Pretoria, blasted security preparations as “woefully inadequate”.
He said: “We must not think we are protected because we are not.”
Both England and the US have qualified for the World Cup, which will be the first to be held in Africa.
Milan Terrorist Had Accomplices, More Explosives
October 13, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under World Report
It’s surprising that yesterdays terror attack on the Milan army barracks is not receiving more attention. The New York Post reports that two additional suspects have been taken into custody, and if the 100kg of fertilizer that was confiscated is any indication of what the group had planned, the attack could have been much worse.
The Libyan man who tried to bomb a Milan army barracks had suspected accomplices and the group had more explosives ready, police said on Tuesday.
There was no official word on the motive for the attack but newspapers said the 35-year-old failed suicide bomber, Mohammed Game, was an unsuccessful businessman who turned to militant Islam and wanted to force Italy to pull out of Afghanistan.
Police said they had arrested two of Game’s suspected accomplices — an Egyptian and a Libyan — and found 100 kg of “fertilizers and other materials” used to make explosives at one of their homes.
Game got inside the perimeter of the Santa Barbara barracks early on Monday and detonated his bomb while shouting in Arabic. But an army corporal managed to stop him getting close to the main building and a defect meant the bomb only detonated partly.
“It could have been much worse,” said Milan anti-terrorism magistrate Armando Spataro, who was heading the investigation.
2 More Questioned in Alleged New York Terror Plot
October 9, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Incident Reports
Fox news reports Federal investigators questioned two men whose photographs were shown to a Muslim religious leader along with a picture of an Afghan immigrant accused of plotting a bomb attack in New York City.
According to the report, Adis Medunjanin, a Bosnian immigrant, met voluntarily with investigators for 14 hours, said Robert Gottlieb, a New York lawyer representing him. Zarein Ahmedzay, a 24-year-old New York City cab driver, also was interviewed by the FBI, said his brother, Nazir Ahmedzay.
From Fox News
Both men’s photos were among four shown to Ahmad Wais Afzali, an imam at a Queens mosque accused of tipping off Najibullah Zazi that New York Police Department detectives were searching for him.
via Source.
NYC Terror Plot: FBI Investigation Knocks On Reporter’s Door
October 7, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Featured
An ABC New reporter was surprised to return home from a recent news assignment and find an FBI agent’s card at her door. She quickly discovered that an alert public and thorough FBI investigation is casting a wide net to protect the nation from future terror attacks and locate anyone who may have been involved in the recent New York terror case.
From ABC News
My taxi driver waited for an hour in nearly deserted parking lots while I questioned store employees to make sure I was getting exactly what was on my list, down to the color, shape of the bottle and volume of each item. With the help of a very attentive employee at Sally Beauty Supply I was able to purchase everything we needed. I paid with an ABC News corporate credit card.
The next evening, after a long week at work, I trudged up to the top floor of my Brooklyn brownstone ready to relax. As I fumbled for my keys I noticed a business card tucked between my door and the frame with a hand written note that read, “Please give me a call. You may have witnessed a crime. We need 10 minutes of your time. Thank you. (over) –>”. When I flipped the card over, I was shocked by the information: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Bomb Technician.
via Read Full Article.
Alleged US Terror Plot Among The Most Serious – Holder
October 6, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Featured
Attorney General Eric Holder made it clear, the recently disrupted New York terror / bombing plot represented one of the most serious security threats to the United States since the Sept. 11 attacks, said on Tuesday. When asked about whether there would be more arrests and others charged, Holder replied, “It is our intention to bring all those involved in the plot to justice” and “the investigation is ongoing.”
From Reuters
“I can say the investigation is pretty far along. We have a pretty good handle who was involved and what was intended,” Holder told a news briefing.“This alleged plot was one of the most serious terrorist threats to our country since September 11, 2001.”
An Afghan immigrant, Najibullah Zazi, was indicted last month by a federal grand jury in New York on charges of plotting to explode bombs in the United States. Zazi, who is being held without bail, has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said Zazi took a bomb-making course at an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, had notes on how to make explosives his laptop computer and acquired materials similar to those used in bomb attacks in London in 2005, buying acetone and hydrogen peroxide at beauty supply stores.
Holder said the plot, if it had been successful, could have killed “scores” of Americans, based on the chemicals involved, the history of similar plots and the number of people suspected of being involved.
The FBI has had under surveillance other suspects it believes may have helped Zazi acquire the chemicals and consulted with him on how to make explosives.
via Read Full Article.
Sources: Several Who Traveled With Alleged Terror Suspect, Back In US
October 4, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
There’s not a lot of detail yet however CNN is reporting that several associates who traveled from New York to Pakistan last year with alleged terror suspect Najibullah Zazi, have since returned to the United States.
A grand jury is said to be hearing evidence in the case but there is nothing to indicate whether additional charges will be filed against Zazi or any others.
From CNN
Prosecutors allege that on August 28, 2008, Zazi and others flew to Peshawar, Pakistan, a city with a strong Taliban and al Qaeda presence.
Those currently under surveillance in the United States include members of Zazi’s travel group, according to one source familiar with the investigation. Another source said at least some of the travel group are back in the United States. Officials will not discuss the identity, number or location of those under surveillance.
One of those under round-the-clock surveillance is Queens, New York, resident Naiz Khan. He and Zazi were friends as teenagers and Zazi stayed at Khan’s rented apartment on September 10 after driving to New York from Denver.
Khan said he has been caught up in the investigation by a series of coincidences. One was that he happened to meet Zazi at a local mosque hours after Zazi arrived in New York last month and offered him a place to stay. He said another coincidence was that he had flown back to the United States from Pakistan on the same day as Zazi: January 15.
via Sources: Several who went to Pakistan with Zazi back in U.S. – CNN.com.
al Qaeda Terror Threat Warns Germany Of October Plans
October 4, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
MEMRI reports that a message released on the Al-Falluja jihadist forum warns of an al Qaeda terror attack against Germany, to be carried out on an apparently ‘random’ Sunday during the month of October. The message entitled “To the Infidel German Nation: We Bestow on You the Kindness, for the Third Time, of Specifying the Appointed Day,” is apparently receiving a lot of attention on the Al-Falluja site, however there is no way to ascertain if in fact the threat is real.
MEMRI has the details…
This message had a strange rollout. Early on October 3, 2009, a forum member called Abu Hamza 2005 wrote a post titled “Welcome to the new member Mou10ra11bitt18oun25!” He wrote that when browsing the Al-Falluja forum he had come across this newly-registered user, and that the username reminded him of “p2l0a0g8u9e,” a member on the now-defunct Al-Ekhlaas forum who, in May 2008, posted a video threatening the destruction of the U.S. in a nuclear strike.
The Al-Falluja moderators made Abu Hamza 2005’s article a featured post. [3] About 12 hours later Mou10ra11bitt18oun25 posted his threat; [4] it was a featured post, and was later given a banner on the top of the Al-Falluja home page.
A jihadist media workgroup that had been formed ahead of time to distribute threats to German forums and emails [5] took the post by Mou10ra11bitt18oun25 as their go signal and began to distribute it. [6]
As with the other threats on Al-Falluja, it is difficult to know whether Mou10ra11bitt18oun25 is really privy to Al-Qaeda attack plans (if these exist), or whether the post is just meant to spread panic and/or disinformation. The circumstances of the release of his message do seem to indicate that the Al-Falluja moderators had advance knowledge of it. Al-Falluja has a direct link to Al-Fajr, the media group Al-Qaeda uses to distribute its propaganda.
Forum members have speculated that the numerals in Mou10ra11bitt18oun25’s username refer to the month of October (”10″) and the dates October 11, 18, and 25, all of which are Sundays. [7] One forum member voiced the opinion that the numerals in the username mean that the attack will be on October 11 at 18:25 (6:25 PM). [8]
