The Phenomenon of 'Hindu Terrorism' in India

This is an excellent article on Hindu terrorism. As mentioned, I am
keeping my comments quite brief so I can catch up a bit. I wanted to have a
lot more posts up but we have been having problems with our ISP. Late last
night we lost all Internet which was very upsetting.

Turns out the problem was defective modem and router. I will posting a lot

more over the weekend as I have a fair number of excellent posts in dry dock,

just waiting to be finished up.

Here is a snapshot of the next post:

"Internationally and in India, there is a contentious debate over whether terrorism should be identified by religious affiliation, e.g. as Islamic or Hindu terrorists. However, not all terrorists are described by religious identity, whether Hindu, Muslim or Christian. In Pakistan, Muslims fighting for independence of Baluchistan province are known as Baluchi nationalist militants – but the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters are described as Islamic terrorists because they are fighting for the enforcement of Islamic Shari'a. In Sri Lanka, fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are not called Hindu terrorists. In Northern Ireland, Protestant or Catholic groups were not considered to be Christian terrorists, because they were not fighting to establish a Christian state.

In India itself, not all militants are described as Hindu terrorists. For example, leftist rebels are described as Maoist militants, or simply leftist rebels. However, Indian Muslim militants are dubbed Islamic terrorists, as they are fighting for an elusive Islamic victory.

Be all that as it may, the use of the term "Hindu terrorism" has rattled the RSS, BJP and other Hindu organizations in India, as all of them view themselves as true nationalists."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur under arrest 

Discussing the Phenomenon of 'Hindu Terrorism' in India

By Tufail Ahmad

On November 10, 2010, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, or the National Volunteer Organization), criticized the centrist Indian government for unleashing a campaign alleging the involvement of "Hindu terrorists" in several bomb blasts in predominantly Muslim towns in recent years.[1] He said that neither Hindus nor the RSS had ever been "synonymous with terrorism."[2]

The RSS was established in the 1920s as a patriotic organization, against British rule and Muslim separatism in India. Over the past decades, it has emerged as the mother of almost all Hindu nationalist organizations, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the country's main right-wing opposition; Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council); Bajrang Dal; Shiv Sena; Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) (All India Students Council), which is the student wing of BJP; Hindu Jagran Manch; Shri Ram Sene; etc. These Hindu organizations are collectively known as Sangh Privar, i.e. the RSS family.

India's federal Minister for Women, Renuka Chowdhury, has described an attack on a pub by the Shri Ram Sene as an attempt to "Talibanize" India.[3]

The RSS chief's statement against equating terrorism with Hindus follows the arrests of several RSS-linked individuals for their role in a number of bomb blasts at the holy places of Indian Muslims. Currently, a huge controversy is raging in India over whether these individuals should be called "Hindu terrorists," while the Indian media is using the term "Hindu terrorist" to describe those arrested in connection with attacks on Muslim shrines and mosques, which were initially blamed on Indian Islamic terrorists.

Internationally and in India, there is a contentious debate over whether terrorism should be identified by religious affiliation, e.g. as Islamic or Hindu terrorists. However, not all terrorists are described by religious identity, whether Hindu, Muslim or Christian. In Pakistan, Muslims fighting for independence of Baluchistan province are known as Baluchi nationalist militants – but the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters are described as Islamic terrorists because they are fighting for the enforcement of Islamic Shari'a. In Sri Lanka, fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are not called Hindu terrorists. In Northern Ireland, Protestant or Catholic groups were not considered to be Christian terrorists, because they were not fighting to establish a Christian state.

In India itself, not all militants are described as Hindu terrorists. For example, leftist rebels are described as Maoist militants, or simply leftist rebels. However, Indian Muslim militants are dubbed Islamic terrorists, as they are fighting for an elusive Islamic victory.

Be all that as it may, the use of the term "Hindu terrorism" has rattled the RSS, BJP and other Hindu organizations in India, as all of them view themselves as true nationalists.

I. Hindu Terrorism

In recent decades, India has witnessed several types of terrorism: a) Pakistan-backed terrorism in Kashmir and mainland India, carried out by mainly Pakistani and Kashmiri terrorists; b) armed Communist movements led by Naxalites, or the leftist guerrillas fighting against state institutions in several Indian states to enforce socialism; c) Indian Islamic militants, who are connected mainly to the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) – a purely indigenous Indian group which broke away from the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and has developed links internationally and, in recent decades, to Pakistan; d) Pakistani-Indian terrorist groups, a new breed of Indian-sounding groups such as Indian Mujahideen and Deccan Mujahideen, which were created in a bid by Pakistani intelligence and jihadist groups to deflect international criticism against Pakistan for supporting terrorism in India.

A decision by the Indian government to extend a ban on SIMI for an additional two years was confirmed by a Delhi court in August this year.[4] Detailed information about the Indian Mujahideen and Deccan Mujahideen are yet to fully come to light. Some militants arrested in India in recent years have been described as belonging to the Indian Mujahideen and Deccan Mujahideen, with their connections trailing to Pakistan. It seems that Pakistani groups have succeeded in roping in some Indian Muslim youth, who were disaffected by the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat, where the right-wing BJP is in power.

The term Deccan, meaning "south," refers to the "southern" Indian city of Hyderabad, which is described by people in Pakistan as Hyderabad Deccan, as there is another Hyderabad town in Pakistan. An Indian will not call Hyderabad as Hyderabad Deccan, and therefore there is a strong likelihood that the name Deccan Mujahideen was coined by a Pakistani national.

However, recent terrorist attacks that have turned the focus of public debate on "Hindu terrorism" include the February 18, 2007 blast on the Samjhauta Express (a train service between India and Pakistan); the May 18, 2007 blast in the Mecca mosque in the town of Hyderabad in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh; the October 11, 2007 blast at the shrine of 12th century Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in the town of Ajmer in the northern Rajasthan state; and the September 29, 2008 blast in the town of Malegaon in Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital. These are the key attacks in which Hindu terrorists are believed to be involved, though a number of militant attacks in India have taken place in recent decades whose trails lead to Pakistan.

 

II. The Role of the Hindu "Abhinav Bharat" Group

The first time Hindu terrorists came under the eyes of Indian counterterrorism investigators was the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast. A day after the blast, the Indian police, which had prior intelligence information about this attack, ruled out the possibility of the involvement of Indian Mujahideen while noting that they suspected "Hindu radical groups."[5] Additional Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal told the media that the blast did not have the signature of Indian Mujahideen, adding: "Hindu radical groups are on our radar."[6]

A month later, three individuals – Shyam Lal, Dilip Nahar and Dharmendra Bairagi (none of them Muslims) – were arrested from the town of Indore in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.[7] Their arrests came because of their role in the theft of a motorbike that was used in the attack. On October 23, the police arrested several people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a 38-year-old Hindu woman mystic or ascetic, who is the accused and an ABVP member.[8]

Shortly thereafter, police arrested Ramesh Shivji Upadhyay – a 57-year-old retired Indian Army major, and Sameer Sharad Kulkarni, another ABVP member.[9] Major Upadhyay is reported to have imparted military training to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. Some text messages sent to retired Major Ramesh Shivji Upadhyay from the mobile phone of serving Indian Army officer Lt.-Col. Shrikant Purohit led to the latter's arrest.[10] The arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and of retired and serving Indian Army officers stunned the people of India, where a vibrant electronic media has trained its eyes on the role of Islamic terrorists worldwide. The arrest of a serving officer has raised questions about extremist elements in the Indian Army.

An Indian media report noted that "the involvement of Hindu groups in terror activities was suspected" following a number of unexplained bombings in mosques in the towns of Parbhani (2003), Jalna (2004) and Purna (2004).[11] Currently, 11 individuals are in police custody in connection with the Malegaon blast case. On July 19, 2010, the Bombay High Court upheld charges against them; among them were Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Indian Army officer Lt.-Col. Shrikant Purohit.[12] According to one report, Purohit is a founding member of Abhinav Bharat or Young India, a radical Hindu organization that has been at the center of attacks on Indian Muslim religious places.[13] Ramesh Shivji Upadhyay, the retired major, was the working president of Abhinav Bharat at the time of his arrest, based in the town of Pune, near Mumbai.[14]

Abhinav Bharat was founded a century ago by Hindu nationalist revolutionary V. D. Savarkar to fight against the British rule, but dissolved in 1952, five years after Indian independence. Following the arrests over the Malegaon blast case, it was revealed that like-minded Hindu groups had revived Abhinav Bharat formally in 2006.[15] Lt.-Col. Shrikant Purohit told a court that Pravin Togadia, secretary-general of VHP or World Hindu Council, was involved in financing and reviving Abhinav Bharat.[16] Himani Savarkar, the current president of Abhinav Bharat and niece of Nathuram Godse (who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi), told the media: "We do not support any kind of terrorism. But at the same time we want to make it clear that Hindus will not tolerate atrocities committed on them."[17]
 

III. Countrywide Attacks

Lt.-Col. Shrikant Purohit was also questioned by the Central Bureau of India (CBI or India's federal investigating agency) in connection with the May 18, 2007 blast at the Mecca mosque in Hyderabad. An Indian newspaper cited CBI documents as noting: "[During interrogation] Purohit claimed to have met Pragya [Singh ThakurOrissa, burnt down two churches in Karnataka, and also carried out the Malegaon blast."[18] The reference is to a series of attacks on Christians in the Kandhamal district of the eastern Indian state of Orissa and on churches in southern state of Karnataka.

There is a pattern to this violence: these attacks on Christian minority in Orissa and Karnataka states and on Muslims in the Gujarat state came at a time when the BJP, the right-wing Hindu opposition, has been in power or has shared power in these states. In other words, these attacks could not have been carried out without some involvement of law-enforcement agencies – or without their turning a blind eye to the attackers.

Lt.-Col. Purohit is also reported to have held a planning meeting at the Bhonsala Military School in the town of Nashik in Maharashtra state.[19] The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra also detained Colonel (retired) S. S. Raikar, an official of the military school, for questioning.

A number of Hindu militants have been arrested in connection with the Mecca mosque blast and the Ajmer shrine blast. All these cases are being tried by various courts in India. In June this year, the CBI added one Sunil Joshi, a member of the RSS, to the list of the accused in the 2007 Mecca mosque blast.[20] The accused already include four RSS members in the Mecca mosque blast case: Ramchandra Kalsangra aka Ramji, Sandeep Dange, Devender Gupta and Lokesh Sharma.

In the state of Rajasthan, where the October 11, 2007 Ajmer shrine blast case is under trial, the police have named but not indicted senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar as one of the key conspirators.[21] An 806-page indictment filed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan state also includes five Hindu militants of a radical Hindu group. According to the indictment, Indresh Kumar "took part in a secret meeting of right-wing fundamentalists in October 2005 in [the town of] Jaipur at which plans to carry out bomb blasts" at the Ajmer shrine, Mecca mosque and Malegaon were finalized.[22]

Of all these attacks, the February 18, 2007 Samjhauta Express blast is international in nature, as the train passengers were Pakistani nationals travelling from India to Pakistan. At least 68 people were killed in the blast near Panipat, about 80 kilometers from New Delhi. According to one report, Lt.-Col. Purohit supplied explosives that were used in the Samjhauta Express blast.[23] Although the role of the Hindu militants is suspected in the blast, the Indian investigators have yet to find conclusive evidence. In July 2010, the investigation of the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a multi-agency investigator that was established after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.[24]

Conclusion

The trail of most of these attacks leads to a single nucleus of terror planning, with the key accused being Lt.-Col. Shrikant Purohit, retired major Ramesh Shivji Upadhyay, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. Almost all investigations and arrests have led to some connections to the RSS, the mother of Hindu nationalist groups and of the country's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Even after the cell involving the Hindu terrorists was uncovered by the Indian investigators, some militant attacks have taken place in which the role of Hindu groups is suspected. For example, in October 2009, police arrested four persons with links to extremist Hindu organizations following a bomb blast in the town of Margao, Goa.[25]

P. Chidambaram, the Indian Interior Minister of the ruling Congress party, used the words "saffron terrorism" to describe Hindu terrorism in India, blaming Hindu groups for recent bomb blasts in several Indian cities.[26] Saffron is the color of flags used by Hindu nationalist groups. Urging Indian citizens to be vigilant against extremist Hindu groups, Chidambaram said: "Saffron terrorism is a new phenomenon that has been implicated in many bomb blasts in recent past."[27] In turn, the RSS, BJP and other Hindu groups have accused the ruling party of launching a political campaign against them. Addressing a public meeting in October 2010, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat took strong exception to the use of the terms "saffron terrorism" and "Hindu terrorism," stating: "Terrorism and Hindus are [an] oxymoron and can never be related to each other."[28]

However, Digvijay Singh, secretary-general of the Congress party, recently reminded the RSS of its earlier statement that "all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims" and added: "All Hindus arrested for terror activities are linked to the RSS."[29]

Following the arrest of serving army officer Lt.-Col. Purohit in the Malegaon bombing case, a small group of the Indian Army officers came under surveillance. A report noted: "The officers who have been put under surveillance appear to have a lot in common with Purohit. The foremost similarity... was the seething anger among them about nothing being done to protect the 'Hindu Rashtra' [Hindu nation] against jihadi terrorists and other threats, and a strong desire to avenge the serial blasts allegedly carried out by [Pakistan-supported] jehadi bombers."[30]

The phenomenon of Hindu terrorism can be described, to some extent, as a reaction against Islamic militancy in India. On June 18, 2008, over three months before the Malegaon blast, an editorial in Saamna, a paper published by extremist Hindu party Shiv Sena of Maharashtra state in which Malegaon is situated, had warned: "Islamic terrorism is increasing in Hindustan [India] and to confront this Islamic terrorism, Hindu terrorism of equal strength has to be evolved. Like the Islamic extremists, unless there are Hindu suicide bombers to protect the nation..."[31]

© 1998-2010, The Middle East Media Research Institute All Rights Reserved.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media (both print and television), websites, religious sermons and school books. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Pashtu, Dari, Hindi, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.

*Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project.

Original article from Rightside News is here.

Endnotes:

[1] www.timesofindia.com (India), November 11, 2010.

[2] www.timesofindia.com (India), November 11, 2010.

[3] www.expressindia.com (India), February 7, 2009.

[4] The Hindu (India), August 5, 2010.

[5] www.dnaindia.com (India), October 1, 2008.

[6] www.dnaindia.com (India), October 1, 2008.

[7] www.rediff.com (India), October 23, 2008.

[8] www.indianexpress.com (India), November 25, 2008.

[9] www.indianexpress.com (India), October 30, 2008.

[10] www.timesofindia.com (India), November 5, 2008.

[11] Frontline (India), July 31 – August 13, 2010.

[12] Frontline (India), July 31 – August 13, 2010.

[13] www.timesofindia.com (India), November 5, 2008.

[14] www.zeenews.com (India), October 28, 2010.

[15] www.zeenews.com (India), October 30, 2008.

[16] www.indianexpress.com (India), November 24, 2008.

[17] www.zeenews.com (India), October 30, 2008.

[18] www.indianexpress.com (India), November 24, 2008.

[19] The Hindu (India), November 13, 2008.

[20] www.rediff.com (India), June 22, 2010.

[21] www.timesofindia.com (India), October 24, 2010.

[22] www.hindustantimes.com (India), October 23, 2010.

[23] www.expressindia.com (India), November 15, 2008.

[24] www.timesofindia.com (India), July 29, 2010.

[25] www.zeenews.com (India), October 18, 2009.

[26] www.dainikbhaskar.com (India), August 25, 2010.

[27] www.dainikbhaskar.com (India), August 25, 2010.

[28] www.timesofindia.com (India), October 17, 2010.

[29] www.deccanherald.com (India), November 13, 2010.

[30] www.timesofindia.com (India), November 27, 2008.

[31] www.saamna.com (India), June 18, 2008.

 

Attempted Terrorist Attack on Northwest Flight 253

After quite a bit of reading of this
incident, the attempted Terrorist
attack, read what is from American
Power. This is a good post as it goes
on to explain how one can get certain
items on to an airliner and the foolish
policies and rules of TSA. This attempted
attack just goes to show us how far we
have not come since 9/11, the Reid shoe
bomber attempt, how truly vulnerable
this country still is. We cannot discount
who is in the White House right now.
How will the democrats, leftista liberals
re-label this so we do not insult any Muslims
or Islam? How come it is always Muslims that
want to blow people up in the name of Islam
and allah? Why don't we ever hear anything
from those moderates in Islam instead of Taqiya
filled lies and deception like we get from CAIR
and other vile Islamic organizations? There
would be crickets chirping except it is
15 degrees outside with freezing fog.
The silence is still deafening.

As to the comment about conservatives
"who will wet their pants in an ecstasy of
screeching"; I do not know about pants wetting
butI think libtard reporter Chris Mattews is the
national expert on that. 'Tingles down his legs'
was most likely due to that he pissed in his pants
and was to stupid to realize it because of Obama
fever.Liberals have it pretty much to themselves
when it comes to screeching. Just look at our
leftarded politicians. Need I say more?




Attempted Terrorist Attack on Northwest Flight 253

From American Power


Friday, December 25, 2009


Attempted Terrorist Attack on Northwest Flight 253

Early this afternoon, I saw something online about how someone tried to set off a firecracker on an airliner. Thinking this was a prank, I went upstairs to read and then fell asleep. Now it turns out the story is a major Christmas day terrorist threat, and is likely to cause a new round of leftist denialism and handwringing. Thers, at Whiskey Fire, dismissing the episode as mere "tiny bombs," suggests this is great news for conservatives, who'll "wet their pants in an ecstasy of hysterical screeching." But late news reports indicate a threat of potentially catastrophic proportions. From the New York Times, "Terror Attempt Seen as Man Tries to Ignite Device on Jet."

A Nigerian man tried to ignite an explosive device aboard a trans-Atlantic Northwest Airlines flight as the plane prepared to land in Detroit on Friday, in an incident the United States believes was “an attempted act of terrorism,” according to a White House official who declined to be identified.

The device, described by officials as a mixture of powder and liquid, failed to fully detonate. Passengers on the plane described a series of pops that sounded like firecrackers.

Federal officials said the man wanted to bring the plane down.“This was the real deal,” said Representative Peter T. King of New York, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, who was briefed on the incident and said something had gone wrong with the explosive device, which he described as somewhat sophisticated. “This could have been devastating,” Mr. King said.

It turns out that the suspect is alleged to have ties to al Qaeda, and was previously listed on U.S. government databases. See, The Hill, "King: Airline bombing suspect had 'significant terrorist connections'." Also, at USA Today, "Al-Qaeda Linked to Failed Detroit Plane Attack."

The Los Angeles Times reports how the suspect attempted to detonate the device:

The suspect smuggled a powder aboard the plane in a container taped to his leg, the official said. Covering himself with a blanket to hide his actions, he used a syringe to inject a liquid into the powder, and a fire resulted from the combustible mix, according to the official, who did not identify the materials.

One key takeaway from the event is that the "threat of attack on an aircraft remains viable" (although I had discounted threats to airliners in my previous analysis of "Global Challenges in 2010"). And Larry Johnson looks at the vulnerability of current airport security screening procedures:

Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air commented on the incident noting, “He may just be a nut who smuggled fireworks on the plane, but still, that leaves the question of how he managed to do that.”

Well Ed, here’s how:

Let’s start with the fact that there is no screening system or requirement in place at international airports that will detect explosives. If the preliminary reports that the Nigerian brought firecrackers on the plane that’s not surprising at all. Fireworks normally do not contain any metal and will pass undetected through any of the walk thru metal detectors used throughout the world. Here we are 8 years after the 9-11 attacks and we still employ security detection systems incapable of detecting explosives.

Then there is the laughable TSA restrictions on liquids you can bring on board a plane. Here’s the TSA policy:


Make Your Trip Better Using 3-1-1

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3.4 ounce (100ml) bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3.4 ounce (100ml) container size is a security measure.

Consolidate bottles into one bag and X-ray separately to speed screening.

Be prepared. Each time TSA searches a carry-on it slows down the line. Practicing 3-1-1 will ensure a faster and easier checkpoint experience.

3-1-1 is for short trips. If in doubt, put your liquids in checked luggage.

Declare larger liquids ....

Truth is you can get at least one pound and two ounces worth of liquids into a quart bag. So try this scenario on for size. Two terrorists traveling together pack their clear plastic quart bags with six 3 ounce bottles. That is 18 ounces each. Let’s also assume they put a binary liquid explosive in the bottles, such as PLX. And they have a small amount of TATP to use as a booster charge.

Under this scenario two terrorists working together can bring more than 1 kilo worth of high explosives onto a plane undetected. There is no required system in place that will detect the explosives in their TSA approved “clear plastic quart bags.” So Ed, you should not be surprised with the firecrackers. We still do not have a security technology in place at all airports that can prevent such a threat.

Eight years ago Richard Reid, an Al Qaeda operative, boarded a plane in London wearing shoes packed with TATP. He’s lucky he did not blow himself up just walking to the plane because the explosive is so volatile. He tried to light his shoes but, because he had pissed on his laces, they were too damp to light. His fellow passengers beat the crap out of him and prevented a terrorist incident.

So here we are 8 years later and we still have done nothing to prevent the threat from an explosive. I fully acknowledge that it is a threat we rarely see. But that excuse will not fly if a terrorist group decides to run the risk of blowing airplanes out of the air. Let’s face it, we never learn.

al Qaeda Man from Nigeria (on No Fly List) Tries to Blow Up Northwest Airlines Flight

I was not going to post anything today
but felt this was one that needs to be
out here. I have posted two articles
as I do not trust PMSNBC as other
sources have them backtracking.
Others have this guy as just a wacko
who set off some fireworks or powdery
substance on the plane. So here are the
stories and I will be back on the 26th,
maybe not until the 27th as we are just
taking some really nice quiet time.

al Qaeda Man from Nigeria (on No Fly List) Tries to Blow Up Northwest Airlines Flight
From Yid with Lid

A guy who was not supposed to be on an airplane tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight today on its way to Detroit. A 23-year-old Nigerian man tried to light a powdery substance aboard a Northwest Airlines flight before landing in Detroit on Friday. According to ABC News sources, the man claimed he was directed by al Qaeda to set off an explosion on the plane. Two people noticed the attempt ignite the device and a third person jumped on the man and subdued him. The man is being treated at the burn unit of the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, officials said.


The TSA issued a statement reading, in part: “All passengers have deplaned and out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened. A passenger is in custody, and passengers are being interviewed.”


http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2009/12/al-qaeda-man-from-nigeria-on-no-fly.html


Here is another report from ABC News:

Man Attempts to Set Off Explosives on Detroit-Bound Airplane


Suspect Claims al Qaeda Terrorism Link, but FBI, Investigators Are Suspicious

By RICHARD ESPOSITO and SCOTT MAYEROWITZ

Dec. 25, 2009—

Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to "explode" a powdery substance aboard a Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, injuring himself and two other passengers, law enforcement officials said.

The man said he was directed by al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight, over U.S. soil, ABC News has learned. Authorities have no corroboration of that information, and the credibility of the suspect's statements are being questioned, officials said.

The suspect was identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who according to federal documents is an engineering student at University College of London.

He was flying from Nigeria to the United States for a religious ceremony, according to his entry visa, which was issued June 16, 2008 and was good until June 12, 2010.

The government had no immediate plans after the incident to raise the threat level, a federal government source said.

The suspect had been in a law enforcement-intelligence database but was not on the government's no-fly list, according to a law enforcement official.

"The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," a federal situational awareness bulletin stated.

Delta spokeswoman Susan Chana Elliott said that "as the plane was getting ready to land" in Detroit "a passenger caused a disturbance" by trying to ignite what was initially reported to be firecrackers.

The man was "subdued immediately," Elliott said. Northwest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta.

The suspect told authorities that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion. This is of concert because it is a method of mixing that is consistent with terror techniques.

Northwest Airlines flight 253 landed safely in Detroit at 11:53 a.m. The man, who flew from Nigeria to Amsterdam and then Detroit, was taken into custody at the Detroit airport and was interviewed by authorities there. He was then taken to an area hospital to be treated for burns.

An in-flight emergency was declared when a fire indicator light when on in the cockpit, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot asked for airport rescue and firefighting services, and for law enforcement to meet the flight at gate, the TSA said.

It is unclear how powerful the explosive could have been and what the man's intentions were. Initial reports were that fireworks or firecrackers had gone off on the plane.

The man suffered second-degree burns, which is consistent with a small fireworks device, police sources said.

One of the passengers is being treated at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, according to hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice, who was not sure if it was the suspect or one of the other passengers.

Man Tried to Ignite Explosives on Plane, Law Enforcement Says

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Sandra R. Berchtold from the Detroit office confirmed that the FBI was at the airport, but she would not comment further.

"All passengers have deplaned and out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened," the Transportation Security Administration, which handles aircraft and airplane safety, said in a statement. "A passenger is in custody and passengers are being interviewed."

The aircraft was an Airbus A330-200, twin-engine jet carrying 278 passengers.

President Obama was notified of the incident by his military aide between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Detroit time or 9 a.m. in Hawaii, where the Obamas are vacationing, according to White House spokesman Bill Burton.

The president subsequently convened a secure conference call with John Brennan, his Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism adviser, and Denis McDonough, acting chief of staff for the National Security Council.

Obama then instructed that "all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel."

"The President is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates. There is currently no change to his schedule," Burton said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security said Secretary Janet Napolitano has been briefed on the incident and is closely monitoring the situation.

The agency, which includes the TSA, said passengers may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights.

"As always we encourage the traveling public to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior or activity to law enforcement officials," the agency said in a statement.

Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Richard Reid, a British citizen and al Qaeda operative, tried to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoe.

Passengers on the flight complained of smelling smoke shortly after the meal service, and Reid was found trying to light a match. He was subdued by other passengers on the plane and the flight was diverted to Boston's Logan International Airport.

Reid, the so-called shoe bomber, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in January 2003 and is serving a life sentence at a federal prison in Florence, Colo. His actions, in part, are why we must all now take off our shoes as part of the airport security screening process.


http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9423871

This seems to be the latest from Hot Air
Update II: ABC has reworked the lead to their story to include the skepticism of the authorities of the suspect’s claim to affiliation with an extremist group. He may just be a nut who smuggled fireworks on the plane, but still, that leaves the question of how he managed to do that.

Training video of Jihad in America

I really wish this was not the reality
that we here, in the United States
are faced with. That said, this video
is more proof that radical Islamists
are alive, well and active inside the
United States. Nothing new there.
What is different and frightening is
that these are women in training.
Like Robert Spencer states below:

"It is clear that this is not play-acting, not comic
opera soldiery, but very real training -- and for
what? What do authorities think these women
are doing this for? To stay in shape? They're
training for battle. For combat."

I really hope this hits the MSM on Monday.

From Jihad Watch






Watch this brief video. It is clear that this is not play-acting, not comic opera soldiery, but very real training -- and for what? What do authorities think these women are doing this for? To stay in shape?


They're training for battle. For combat.

The Christian Action Network sent me the full video of which this is a part. It shows veiled women marching and engaging in hand-to-hand combat training, firearms training, and more -- in a Muslim compound in the U.S. The implications are clear. Americans, for the most part, have no clue that this sort of this is going on in the United States. They need to see this video. Watch for it to break in the mainstream media on Monday.

Here is the Christian Action Network press release:

TERRORISTS TRAINING ON U.S. SOIL NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED FOOTAGE OF WOMEN IN NEW YORK TERRORIST TRAINING COMPOUND WIELDING AK-47s AND LEARNING HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT

What we are witnessing here is kind of a brand-new form of terrorism. These home-grown terrorists can prove to be as dangerous as any known group, if not more so. --Special Agent Jody Weis, FBI

Lynchburg, VA--Terrorist training camps are located thousands of miles from American soil and instruct men on how to kill American Infidels...right? The answer is terrifyingly wrong according to the never-before-seen video of Muslims of America (the Jamaat ul-Fuqra front in the U.S.) women armed with AK-47s training at the Muslims of America headquarters in Hancock, NY. This just-released video shows women on the compound engaging in paramilitary training.

Christian Action Network (CAN) received this video, along with recordings of gunfire coming from a Muslims of America compound in York, South Carolina. This shocking 20-minute video reveals female members marching in military cadence, scaling fabricated walls, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, firing upon mock enemy locations, and other forms of training involving firearms and swords. The video was given to Christian Action Network by a confidential source.

Martin Mawyer's Christian Action Network (CAN) is credited with exposing 35 terrorist training compounds located in America earlier this year. CAN meticulously researched Muslims of America for over two years and met with key government officials to show their exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of terrorist camps operating within the U.S. They hoped to have Muslims of America put on the State Department's Terrorist Watch List. The government's response was to do nothing.

The first video created by CAN, Homegrown Jihad: The Terrorist Camps Around the U.S., reveals terrorist training camps located throughout the U.S. that were preparing Soldiers of Allah to kill Americans. The documentary reveals that camps are fully operational and their behavior reinforces an utter disregard for American lives. The video has a chilling scene of Sheik Mubarak Guilani (the head of Muslims of America) telling his followers to "Act like you're his friend. Then kill him."

The number of homegrown jihad plots has actually grown, which was proven by the increasing number of terrorist plots foiled within the past year in cities such as New York and Chicago. The terrorists are not going away-- they are training men and women in backyards across America.

The footage from Soldiers of Allah was confiscated by the FBI and locked away. The public would never have become aware of the tape. Even a 2006 Justice Department document exposing 35 terrorist compounds in the U.S. was marked "Dissemination Restricted to Law Enforcement." One copy was hidden by a government official and given to CAN so they could warn the public. CAN released the footage in a DVD entitled Homegrown Jihad: The Terrorist Camps Around the U.S.

CAN' mission in exposing the terrorist training camps was two-fold. The first was to make Americans aware of the threat posed by Jamaat ul-Fuqra, and the second was to have Jamaat ul-Fuqra's training camps in the U.S. shut down by ensuring that they were placed on the State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organization Watch List. Although CAN met with the State Dept, FBI and Homeland Security, no action was taken.

On January 31, 2002, The State Department issued a statement that explained why the group was no longer recognized as a terrorist organization. The State Department issued the following statement: "Jamaat ul-Fuqra has never been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. It was included in several recent annual terrorism reports under 'other terrorist groups,' i.e., groups that had carried out acts of terrorism but that were not formally designated by the Secretary of State. However, because of the group's inactivity during 2000, it was not included in the most recent terrorism report covering that calendar year."

Jamaat ul-Fuqra has already been implicated in a laundry list of acts of terrorism including gun and drug smuggling, fire-bombings, murders and fraud. Even the death of reporter Daniel Pearl was attributed to Sheikh Mubarak Guilani. According to a law enforcement report by the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, "Today, Muslims of America has more than 35 suspected communes and more than 3,000 members spread across the United States, all in support of one goal: the purification of Islam through violence."

In 2005, an internal Department of Homeland Security report warned that Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a Pakistan-based group, was linked to Muslims of America and had the capacity to attack the U.S.

***

We must also work to protect our country against the next attack--terrorism spawned right here among us.

--Senator Joseph Lieberman

These home-grown terrorists may prove to be as dangerous as groups like al Qaeda, if not more so.

--FBI Director Robert Mueller

For more information, or to schedule an interview with Martin Mawyer,

please contact Kristen Schremp at Kristen@kaspublicity.com;

703.928.5527 or visit www.christianaction.org



Jihad watch
Christian Action Network

DEBKAfile - Second bomb explodes at Russian train crash site after 39 killed by first

DEBKAfile - Second bomb explodes at Russian train crash site after 39 killed by first

Posting this with a note of caution.
This is the first I have read or heard
about a second bomb at the site of
this terrorist attack.


The second bomb which exploded Saturday, Nov. 28, at the site of the Nevsky Express which was derailed Friday between Moscow and St. Petersburg crash site injured no one. It was less powerful than the first, which left 39 dead and 90 injured Friday near the town of Bologove. The Russian authorities confirmed a bomb of app. 7 kilos of TNT threw the train off the tracks when it was travelling at 200 mph. Elements of an explosive device were found at the scene where rescue teams are still digging for missing passengers.Elements of an explosive device were found at the scene.


The 661-seat luxury Nevsky Express is used by high officials, tycoons and tourists to commute between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russian authorities say a list of victims will be released as soon as they are identified. North Caucasian Islamist terrorists are suspected of responsibility.

DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources note that the same train was targeted by terrorists in 2007. Sixty passengers were injured then, but no one was killed. Two Chechen suspects were charged

Our counter-terror sources report that attacks by North Caucasian terrorist groups linked to al Qaeda are on the rise in Russia inside and outside their home ground - and not only in Chechnya but also in Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. This Friday too, the commander of the Dagestan interior ministry's anti-terror task force SOBR was shot dead and a large bomb exploded near the southern train tracks to Makhachkala. A second bomb was discovered near a central pipeline. In Kabardino-Balkaria, police arresting suspects in a car came under gunfire.

President Dmitry Medvedev has declared a day of national mourning.

In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "We are deeply saddened by the terrible loss of life and injuries resulting from the reported derailment of a train between Moscow and Saint Petersburg."

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6393

Suicide bomber kills four in Peshawar; 16 militants killed - dnaindia.com

Suicide bomber kills four in Peshawar; 16 militants killed - dnaindia.com

The wave of homicide bombings continues
unabatted in Pakistan.


Islamabad/ Peshawar: Violence continued to grip Pakistan's lawless northwest as heavy clashes between Taliban fighters and Army took a toll of 16 militants, as a suicide bomber blew up his explosive laden truck at a police station in Peshawar killing another four people.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carrying out the seventh suicide attack in ten days, a militant bomber targeted a police station at Badabher on the outskirts of Peshawar in the restive NWFP just after dawn killing four persons and wounding 31 others, police said.

Hospital sources said two women, nine children and two paramilitary personnel were among the injured which took the toll of those killed in the provincial capital to 302 civilians and security personnel in the last 30 days.

Stepping up their hunt for Taliban and foreign militants, intelligence agencies claimed to have nabbed a top Tehrik-i-Taliban militant from the Punjab province and also seized a explosive laden truck on its way to Peshawar from Lahore, media reports said.

Pakistani troops killed four militants in fresh clashes in the northwestern Swat valley even as they consolidated their positions around key Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan tribal region, the military said. Twelve militants were killed in the valley located 160 km from Islamabad over the past two days.

A top foreign Taliban leader was captured from a city in Punjab was while he was preparing to carry out terror attacks in the province. The arrested Taliban leader, identified only by his initials "NAZ", was nabbed after being tailed byintelligence agencies for a week.

Even as these reports commented that the Pakistani forces in their almost six-month long military campaign had failed to nab any top ranking Taliban or al-Qaeda commander.

Security forces killed four militants during a gun battle that erupted while they were conducting a search operation near Gulibagh, a former militant stronghold.

Four suspects were captured during search operations at two other areas in Swat. The city has witnessed an upsurge in clashes between soldiers and militants after a relative lull during the past few weeks.

A leader of the Awami National Party and his bodyguard were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in northwest Pakistan today, police said.

In South Waziristan, troops strengthened their positions in areas around the former Taliban strongholds of Sararogha, Kaniguram and Makeen.

Soldiers occupied important heights around Sararogha and sanitised several villages. Militants targeted troops with rockets and small arms at two places near Kaniguram.

The soldiers "effectively responded" to the attack, said a statement issued by the military. There were no reports of casualties. Security forces cleared a vital road near Ladha, a former Taliban stronghold, and found and destroyed amilitant training centre, a hideout and a tunnel in areas around Kaniguram.

Troops also conducted search operations and occupied strategic heights near Makeen. The Pakistani military says over 545 militants and more than 60 soldiers have died so far in fighting in South Waziristan though these figures cannot be independently verified as reporters have no access to the conflict zone.

The army has mobilised over 30,000 troops for Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation), which was launched nearly a month ago to flush out an estimated 10,000 Taliban and foreign fighters from South Waziristan.




http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_four-killed-31-injured-in-peshawar-suicide-bombing_1312228

The Muslim Brotherhood and Obama.. Once upon a time...Please read on.

From China Confidential.

Accurate, honest reporting is what
one will find's at China Confidential.

Hitler admired the Muslim Brotherhood
and Islam for the way they had persecuted
the Jews since the 7th century. What does
that tell you?


Obama Quietly Backing Muslim Brotherhood


China Confidential has learned that the Obama administration is quietly backing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, in an attempt to curry favor with the banned Islamist opposition group.

What are Obama's motives here. The MB is one of the most vile Islamic
organizations in existence. Wonder how Israel feels about this move?
Of course when one has friends like Hugo Chavez, Zelaya, The Castro's,
maybe this is just a natural fit for Obama. After all he has appointed
so many anti-semitic, racist, self hating JINO'S into his administration
maybe it would be like how things are back in the 'hood' in Chicago.

In response to the Brotherhood's emergence from elections in 2005 as Egypt's main opposition group, the government of President Hosni Mubarak has wisely banned religion-based political parties. The government has introduced legislation preventing Muslim Brothers from standing in elections as independent candidates.

The government has also sought to cripple the movement by arresting hundreds of its members.

Obama's engagement of the Brotherhood recalls the Eisenhower administration's covert support for the group in a failed attempt to topple the secular nationalist Nasser regime and the catastrophic Carter administration's covert backing of the Ayatollah Khomeini and craven betrayal of Iran's pro-American, modernizing monarch, the Shah, in a disastrous attempt to hop aboard the Islamist bandwagon in that country.

The world's oldest and largest Islamic political group, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded by the Egyptian schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. It spawned Al Qaeda, among other groups, and serves as the center of the global Islamist movement.

On October 6, 1981, the Brotherhood made history by assassinating Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. He was gunned down during an annual military parade in Cairo. A fatwa approving his assassination--for the "crime" of making peace with israel--had been obtained from Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind cleric later convicted in the United States for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He is currently serving a life sentence at a U.S. prison in North Carolina.
 
 
http://chinaconfidential.blogspot.com/

Obama: The traitor and thief wants to give our tax money to who....

Obama Likes Tyrants and Dislikes America . . . and Here's More Proof - Andy McCarthy - The Corner on National Review Online

Maybe Joe Biden will follow Obama's example and give
US taxpayers money DIRECTLY to the Taliban.

Another terrorist caught in the United States? So what don't you get about Islam and the West being at war?

Man arrested in alleged attempt to bomb Dallas skyscraper Latest News WFAA.com

How many more times will be we be fortunate enough
to catch these murdering scum Before they carry out
their horrific attacks?

Israel: On its own with Appeaser Obama.

From China Confidential



Israel Should Have No Illusions About Obama

Gold Meir was famous for saying she could not tolerate fooling herself--wishful, delusional thinking. The Israeli premier knew something about that: she and her aides and cabinet members had fooled themselves into thinking that Egypt and Syria would not attack Israel, only weeks before the nearly catastrophic Yom Kippur War of October 1973. The third Arab-Israeli conflict, which began with a coordinated, Egyptian-Syrian sneak attack on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, almost cost Israel its existence.

Today's Israeli leaders should learn from this experience, for the situation is much worse in many respects than it was in 1973. Then, the United States, under President Richard Nixon, came to Israel's defense--with an 11th hour airlift of arms and a stern warning to the Soviet Union not to intervene on Egypt's side in the Sinai fighting. In contrast with the Nixon administration, however, the Obama administration is not likely to be of any use to Israel in the coming conflict with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas (and Syria, too, possibly). On the contrary; the Obama administration has allowed Iran time to develop nuclear weapons and add to its offensive and defensive missile forces. The administration has also threatened to punish Israel if it preemptively strikes Iran's nuclear sites.

President Obama is not Israel's friend. An appeaser of Islamism and anti-American, Third World dictatorships, he is bent on aligning with "the Muslim world" at Israel's expense. His administration is riddled with critics--and outright enemies--of Israel, people who regard its miraculous rebirth after World War II and the Holocaust as a mistake. Their goal is to demonize and isolate Israel ahead of its step-by-step (peace-by-piece-by-piece) dismantlement or physical destruction.

Israel is on its own. It must do whatever it must do to protect its citizens and fulfill its promise to the Jewish people: Never again!

Evolution of US Global Confrontation with the Jihadists since 9/11

Evolution of US Global Confrontation with the Jihadists since 9/11
Walid Phares. From The Counter Terrorism Blog.

Ignoring Unpleasant Realities Facilitates our Destruction

Ignoring Unpleasant Realities Facilitates our Destruction
From D.L. Adams at SIOA. Islam has killed far more than
those that perished in the holocaust. The Jihad waged by Islam
has not ended. It will not end until Islam is victorious. That is why
the west must not fail. I will NEVER bow to Mecca.

Obama suppressed documents about Lockerbie bombers release.

Did Team Obama Give Scottish Officials Their Blessing to Release the Lockerbie Bomber?

Will the state-run media investigate this?

The Lockerbie bomber who killed 169 Americans was released last month from prison in Scotland. Tonight he will be celebrated at Muammar Gaddafi's 40th Anniversary Extravaganza.

Now we know that the Obama Administration knew about the release of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi months before he was freed. The Boston Globe reported that there were discussions between Attorney General Eric Holder and his Scottish counterpart back in June.

Hat Tip NDT

Scottish officials announced today that they will release all documents which they say justifies the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds
 
It ought to be an interesting read.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for sanctions against the UK for releasing Lockerbie bomber, via the Spectator Blog. Chuck may want to discuss this issue over with the White House before he goes ahead with this.

UPDATE: The White House blocked the release of Lockerbie documents this week.

FOX News reported:

The Scottish government told FOX News Tuesday that the U.S. government refuses to allow them to release details of any communication between Scotland and the U.S. over al-Megrahi's release.

A source with the Scottish government, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the demand was made in a letter sent Tuesday from U.S. Embassy Chief of Mission Richard LeBaron.