In a statement today, FBI Director Robert Mueller reported that the Bureau is launching an investigation into who leaked information about an undercover operation that infiltrated an al Qaida plot to place an explosive device aboard an American-bound flight (Fox News 2012).
Mueller appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and stated that leaks such as this ”puts at risk the lives of sources, makes it much more difficult to recruit sources and damages relationships with law enforcement partners from other countries” (CBS News 2012).
The Associated Press and other news agencies revealed the Al Qaida plan earlier this month. The al Qaida’s Yemen branch gave a would-be suicide bomber a new advanced underwear bomb with the intent to take down an American plane; however, the bomber was a double agent and the explosive was turned over to the United States government. The spy was also able to give information to the CIA that helped them to kill al Qa...
Ibrahim al-Asiri is a name that Americans are coming to know and fear as details of his proficiency at creating hard-to-detect bombs is coming to light. With an intense hatred for all things American, the 30-year old al-Asiri, a Saudi citizen who studied chemistry in college, has time and again created bombs that have been able to go undetected by security screening. He is responsible for the underwear bomb aboard a jet bound for Detroit, a printer cartridge bomb set to detonate over Chicago, and a bomb hidden in the body of his younger brother who died on a suicide mission trying to kill a Saudi official. Both attempts to blow up the planes were thwarted and the Saudi official survived the blast that took al-Asiri’s brother’s life.
"It makes him dangerous," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R. Alabama, chair of House Homeland Security Committee, "and it's clear that we want to make sure that he doesn't have the opportunity to continue to build any device whatsoever, or im...
Tuesday May 2nd marks the one-year anniversary of the
successful raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, and President Obama is
defending his actions in leading the procedure (Associated Press 2012).
In the wake of the 2012 presidential elections,
Republican candidate Mitt Romney is invoking that Obama is merely using the
event as a means for political gain. "It's unfortunate that President
Obama would prefer to use what was a good day for all Americans as a cheap
political ploy and an opportunity to distort Gov. Romney's strong policies on
the war on terror," said Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul on Monday
(Associated Press 2012).
"I hardly think you've seen any excessive
celebration taking place here," Obama said at the news conference with
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. "I think that people, the American
people, rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to
justice somebody who ki...
In Copenhagen, Denmark, three men were arrested on
suspicion of terror after police found them with automatic weapons and
ammunition (Associated Press 2012).
The three men were described by the Danish Security and
Intelligence Service (PET) as a 22-year old citizen of Jordan, a 23-year old
Turkish man living in Denmark, and a 21-year old Danish national living in
Egypt (Associated Press 2012).
The PET has repeatedly warned that Denmark remains in the
cross-hairs of Islamic terrorists since the 2005 publication of 12 caricatures
of the Prophet Mohammad in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper (Associated Press
2012).
Islamic law prohibits depiction of Mohammad in any form
for fear of it causing idoltry (Associated Press 2012).
The three men face a custody hearing on Saturday, and
have been preliminarily charged with possessing illegal firearms and are
“suspected of having been in the process of preparing a terrorist act”
(Associated Press 20...
In Baku, Azerbaijan, 17 suspected terrorists were arrested this month for allegedly planning a series of terror attacks intended to “disrupt stability and sow panic among the population.” In a new statement issued late Wednesday, the National Security Ministry states Vugar Padarov, a 37-year old Azerbaijani citizen, led the group (Associated Press 2012).
Also in the statement it was revealed that some members of the group had received religious training in Syria, weapon-handling training with the Jihad Islamist group in Pakistan, and took part in fighting NATO-led troops in Afghanistan (Associated Press 2012).
Azerbaijan is situated between Iran and Russia, and is a former Soviet nation. The country has nurtured close relations with the United States and played an active role in Western-led counter-terrorist programs, straining relations with neighboring Iran. Azerbaijan authorities have however, instigated a policy that no nation can use the country in any ...
