Most Wanted Terrorist Dead

Bin Laden Killed in U.S. 'Targeted Operation'

The mastermind of the attacks on September 11, 2001 that killed thousands of innocent men, women, and children has been killed.

President Barack Obama made the announcement late Sunday evening, May 1, in a televised address to the world. He said he had been briefed by the intelligence community last August that bin Laden was in hiding “within a compound deep inside of Pakistan.” Over the intervening months, intelligence agencies worked to confirm the intelligence. Then last week, President Obama determined there was enough intelligence to take action.

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan,” the President said from the East Room of the White House. “A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.”

Well before the events of 9/11, bin Laden had openly declared war on the U.S. and was committed to killing innocents. His al-Qaeda group was responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The attacks killed over 200 people. Bin Laden was indicted for his role in planning the attacks and added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Intelligence agencies quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by bin Laden’s terrorist organization, and in October 2001, his name was added to the U.S. Department of State’s Most Wanted Terrorists List.

"Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome,” President Obama said. “The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.”

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The September 11th Attacks Leave Lingering Fears Around the World

/PRNewswire/ -- Even though nine years have passed since the September 11 attacks, people around the world still feel its effects, according to new research with Survey Sampling International's (SSI) global online panels. SSI findings show that in all countries studied, the perception of being safe from terrorism is well below pre-9/11 levels. Though Australians and New Zealanders feel more secure than citizens of other countries, they still feel less safe today than before the events of 9/11.

The Japanese feel the least safe from terrorism, with the French and Germans also showing high levels of anxiety. In the US, the site of the attacks, feelings of security have bounced back significantly, with more than 40% of participants perceiving some level of safety, compared to about 20% in the month following 9/11. However, this is still far below the more than 70% who say they felt safe prior to the attacks. The UK shows a similar pattern to the US, with just over 40% of respondents feeling safe from terrorism today compared to about 70% before 9/11.

"The horrific events of 9/11 continue to haunt people around the world," says Mark Hardy, Managing Director, Americas and Chief Strategy Officer for SSI. "Although our research shows that some of the fear and anxiety people felt right after the attacks has dissipated, the impact of 9/11 on people's sense of security remains significant. In no country are we seeing a return to the same level of safety people felt before 9/11."

SSI's findings are based on a study of 5,000+ adults drawn from its online panels. Countries covered include the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. SSI offers extensive worldwide reach to support survey research through SSI Dynamix(TM), its dynamic sampling platform that links to its own online panels, as well as social media, reward programs, ad networks, partner panels and online communities.

In All Countries except Japan, People Believe Anti-Terrorism Policies Have Been Effective, though They Still Want Increased Security Measures

In spite of their concerns, people around the world believe their countries' anti-terrorism policies have been effective. Singaporeans are most positive about their government's policies, with almost 80% of respondents indicating their country's anti-terrorism activities are effective. The majority of British-- more than 60%--also believe their country's anti-terrorism approaches are effective. In addition, about half of American and Australian respondents give high marks to their governments' anti-terrorism policies.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Japanese are the most negative about their country's anti-terrorism policies. Japan is the only country studied where the majority of respondents--62%--believe their country's anti-terrorism policies are ineffective.

Despite the fact that most participants have faith in their country's current approach to fighting terrorism, they still want to see increased security put into effect. In every country studied, at least 60% of respondents would like stronger anti-terrorism measures in place. Support for increased security is highest in Singapore and Japan, with 85% of respondents saying they want increased security. The US places third in terms of its desire for greater security, with 76% seeking stronger measures.

Countries Differ Greatly in Their Willingness to Trade Personal Freedom for Security

Although respondents want more security, many are not willing to sacrifice their personal freedom to get it. Reactions to trading freedom for safety vary greatly by country. Singapore has the highest percentage (61%) of respondents willing to give up personal freedoms in return for higher safety. In fact, it is the only country with a majority of citizens agreeing on this issue. There is significant divisiveness in most countries on whether personal freedom or safety is more important.

Germany shows the greatest divide. Of all countries studied, it has the lowest proportion of participants ready to exchange their freedom for security (25%). On the other hand, 44% of German respondents are against sacrificing freedom for safety, and 31% are unsure. The US also shows a significant split, with 27% of respondents willing to let go of personal freedoms to increase safety, 39% unwilling and 34% unsure.

"Clearly, the topic of decreasing personal freedom to increase security is among the most divisive around the world," says Hardy. "It is telling that in many countries--including New Zealand, the US, the UK, Australia and Germany--a third or more of respondents are unsure of where to stand on this controversial issue."

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Islamic Terminology Banned From Times Square Bomber Investigation?

/PRNewswire/ -- PJTV's CEO Roger L. Simon today called for federal agents investigating the Times Square bomber to be unshackled from the ties of censorship in an exclusive PJTV video. During recent months, PJTV has conducted in-depth investigations into document sanitization, finding evidence of censorship in the Fort Hood report and the FBI's Counter Terrorism Analytical Lexicon, among others.

"The public needs to know if our national security professionals are constrained in their use of Islamic terminology in their written and verbal communications," commented Simon. "This is a matter of national security for all Americans, but given the history of 9/11 and this recent incident, New Yorkers, in particular, deserve uncensored documents and unrestricted analysis in this investigation."

Although the bipartisan 9/11 Commission report contained 600 occurrences of Islam, Muslim, Sharia, Jihad, Hamas, and Hezbollah, subsequent documents (such as the FBI's Counter Terrorism Analytical Lexicon) eliminated the terms from the documents completely, as further explained in an April 2010 PJTV investigative report.

In response to these recent events, Simon formally requested a congressional hearing on the censorship of Islamic terminology in the U.S. government. More specifically, he requested the investigative hearing focus on four key topics:

1. To what degree are government documents and reports (perhaps both
public and classified documents) being sanitized regarding Islamic
terminology?
2. To what degree is there a program or practice of verbal censorship?
What are government employees allowed to say in their internal
meetings? And are there internal policies or what the media might call
"style guides" that prevent department secretaries, their staff and
even the White House press spokesperson from using specific Islamic
terminology?
3. Who are the people or organizations inside the government that are
pushing for this censorship?
4. What people or groups outside the U.S. government may have been
advocating this censorship?


"America has never been the land of censorship," added Simon. "Certainly, Vice President Biden and Rahm Emanuel have refused to censor their language in the public sphere. Yet, it is quite possible that public liaisons such as Robert Gibbs, Eric Holder, Robert Mueller, and Janet Napolitano have established policies that constrain the use of certain descriptive terms in national security documents and speeches. If this is so, we need to know. As such, I sincerely request a congressional hearing investigating this important subject."

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Two Charged With Terror Violations in Connection With New York Subway Plot

/PRNewswire/ -- The Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York has returned a superseding indictment charging Zarein Ahmedzay and Adis Medunjanin with terrorism violations stemming from, among other activities, their alleged roles in the plot involving Najibullah Zazi to attack the New York subway system in mid-September 2009. Ahmedzay and Medunjanin are scheduled to appear in federal court today in Brooklyn at 11:00 a.m.

Ahmedzay, 25, a U.S. citizen and resident of Queens, N.Y., was previously indicted on Jan. 8, 2010 in the Eastern District of New York on charges of making material false statements to the FBI about his travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan and about his conversations with a fellow traveler. Medunjanin, 25, a U.S. citizen and resident of Queens, N.Y., was previously indicted on Jan. 8, 2010 in the Eastern District of New York on charges of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization, namely al-Qaeda.

The five-count superseding indictment unsealed this morning charges both Ahmedzay and Medunjanin with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction (explosive bombs) against persons or property in the United States. Specifically, they are charged with conspiring with Zazi to conduct an attack on Manhattan subway lines that would take place on Sept. 14, Sept. 15, or Sept. 16, 2009. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is life in prison.

"The facts alleged in this indictment shed further light on the scope of this attempted attack and underscore the importance of using every tool we have available to both disrupt plots against our nation and hold suspected terrorists accountable for their actions," said Attorney General Holder. "This attack would have been deadly, and the many agents, prosecutors and intelligence professionals who worked together seamlessly to thwart it deserve our thanks."

Both defendants are also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country. Specifically, the superseding indictment alleges that on or about Aug. 28, 2008, both Ahmedzay and Medunjanin accompanied Zazi on a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., to Peshawar, Pakistan, in furtherance of the conspiracy. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is life in prison.

The superseding indictment also charges both defendants with providing material support, including currency, training, communications equipment and personnel, to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al-Qaeda. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is 15 years in prison.

In addition, Ahmedzay and Medunjanin are charged with receiving military-type training from al-Qaeda. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is ten years in prison.

Finally, Ahmedzay is further charged with making false statements to the FBI in a terrorism investigation. According to the indictment, Ahmedzay falsely told the FBI he had disclosed all the locations he visited during his trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan, when he had failed to disclose all these locations. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is eight years in prison.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division. The investigation is being conducted by the New York and Denver FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, which combined have investigators from more than fifty federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The public is reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation of a crime, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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Members of the European Parliament Highlight Their View About Obama's Increase of Troops in Afghanistan

/PRNewswire/ -- Members of the European Parliament attentively followed the unfolding of the latest surge strategy for Afghanistan by President Barack Obama and issued a letter stating their apprehension about increasing the number of American Troops and sought additional forces from NATO allies. They question how an operation ending in 2011 can achieve to eradicate Al Qaeda, when the current operation, which has so far lasted over eight years, has till date seized to reach this aim.

The most prudent strategy that the US and its allies need to follow is not to set deadlines to withdraw but rather to make it very clear to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups that have enjoyed operating from the region, that no withdrawal will take place until these groups and their activities have been completely militarily neutralized. This is the message that must be sent not only to the extremist groups directly but also to those within Pakistan's establishment, who continue to support and sympathize with such radical, islamic organizations. Should NATO leave in 2011, these groups would feel victorious and in their newfound euphoria would once again escalate violent activities. Especially neighbouring India would again be singled out as the primary target.

The urge of those in Europe, who are committed to democracy and human rights and have campaigned against international terrorism are extremely concerned and worried that hasty decisions defined by domestic policies, electoral calculations and set timelines would undo whatever has been achieved so far and at great price in terms of financial cost and, more importantly, loss of life, in the war against terror. They urged the US Government and the Heads of Government of the other involved NATO countries and other world leaders of democratic nations, to re-evaluate the enormous dangers that a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan would pose for the security and stability of the region surrounding Afghanistan and the rest of the world. They must live up to their commitment to rid the world of international terrorism, irrespective of how long it might take and however unpopular the conflict might be at home.

Signed and Supported by
Dr. Charles Tannock
Member of the European Parliament

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AJC: Ship Seizure Proves Iran is Fanning Flames of War

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee warned that yesterday's seizure by the Israeli Navy of a ship ferrying 500 tons of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization, is an unmistakable sign that the Tehran regime is fanning the flames of war and conflict in the Middle East.

"We applaud the Israeli Navy for taking this decisive action," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "The deadly cargo the ship was carrying would have enabled Hezbollah to broaden its murderous assault against Israel - a country which these terrorists, just like their Iranian paymasters, seek to wipe off the map."

The haul of weapons was ten times larger than that intercepted on the "Karine 'A'" ship in January 2002, when Iran sent weapons and ordnance to the Palestinian Authority under Yasser Arafat.

"In shipping these weapons, Iran has engaged in a major violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1701 and 1747, which expressly forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons," Harris said. "Such flagrant violations have become routine for Iran's leaders, whether they are providing support to terrorist organizations or covertly developing their nuclear program."

Harris urged the international community to impose a new round of tough, robust sanctions against Iran. "Thirty years to the day that Ayatollah Khomeini's enforcers seized the US Embassy in Iran, little has changed: the regime continues to repress its own people and threaten its neighbors," Harris said.

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Iraqi, U.S. Forces Arrest Terrorist Suspects in Iraq

Iraqi forces, working with U.S. advisors, have arrested six suspects in connection with terrorist attacks throughout the country, military officials reported.

The latest arrests came yesterday, when Iraqi special operations forces, along with U.S. advisors, arrested two suspects with court-issued warrants in Baghdad. The two are believed to be part of al-Qaida in Iraq and responsible for terrorist attacks against Iraqi government officials and security forces in the Iraqi capital.

On Aug. 16, Iraqi special operations forces arrested a suspected terrorist cell leader and two other cell members in the western city of Asad in Anbar province. The suspects, arrested on court-issued warrants, are believed to be responsible for terrorist attacks on Iraqi security forces and civilians in the area.

On Aug. 15, an Iraqi commando battalion, with U.S. forces advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist in Tikrit, about 90 miles north of Baghdad in Ninevah province. The commandos arrested the suspect on a court-issued warrant for suspicion of recruiting potential insurgents, and for planning and executing numerous attacks against Iraqi security forces. The commandos arrested the suspect at his home without incident.

Officials said the U.S. unit was conducting a combined operation with Iraqi special operations forces in accordance with the U.S.-Iraq security agreement, and that the arrests will disrupt terrorist groups.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Division South news releases, 8/18/09.)
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Statement for the Family of John P. O'Neill in Response to U.S. Supreme Court's Refusal to Hear 9/11 Victims' Case Against Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Statement by Counsel for the Family of John P. O'Neill in Response to U.S. Supreme Court's Refusal to Hear 9/11 Victims' Case Against Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Others


/PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Jerry S. Goldman of Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C., counsel to the family of John P. O'Neill, Sr.:

We are disappointed by today's decision by the United States Supreme Court to refuse to hear the case brought by the family of the late American hero, John P. O'Neill, on behalf of the victims of 9/11 against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and others. Federal Insurance Company, et al., v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, et al., No. 08-640 (6/29/09).

We are saddened to see that the Court declined to apply its traditional standards for accepting a case for review. We assume that it relied upon the arguments propounded by the Executive branch and the defendants to deny the 9/11 victims their day in Court against certain sovereign nations, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that we allege materially support terrorists.

We note, however, that there are still cases pending in the lower courts against other sovereign nations unaffected by the Supreme Court's ruling.

We note, too, that there are still cases pending against other defendants seeking to hold them accountable for their actions in assisting Al Qaeda.

At the Supreme Court, the Justice Department argued that the decision of the Second Circuit was only of limited impact on the other defendants in the case. We can only assume that the Justice Department will be consistent with the arguments that they propounded before the Supreme Court. Similarly, we are looking forward to their filings as to the scope of sovereign immunity.

We are optimistic that the lower courts will allow the rest of the lawsuit to proceed, as we believe that it is obvious that a United States court is the appropriate forum for hearing claims brought for harms suffered by individuals and businesses on American soil, whether against the terrorists who hijacked planes to wreak death and mass destruction, or against those, who provided the material support enabling terrorists to wreak death and destruction.

We look forward to finally proceeding with discovery and allowing justice to prevail.

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Warlord Targeted in Afghan Strike May Have Survived, Officials Say

An Afghan warlord and Taliban commander believed to have been killed in a June 9 air strike may have survived the attack, military officials reported yesterday.

Initial Afghan and coalition reports said Mullah Mustafa died in the strike, but credible reports surfaced today that Mustafa survived, U.S. Forces Afghanistan officials said.

Coalition forces had seen Mustafa moving by vehicle from his compound. When he stopped in a remote, unpopulated area in Afghanistan's Ghowr province, he was joined by a number of associates. After ensuring there were no civilians present, coalition forces used precision aerial munitions to strike the group.

Today, unsubstantiated reports of civilian casualties emerged, officials said, adding that they are working with Afghan partners to examine those reports. The officials emphasized that coalition forces took extensive measures to protect noncombatants and that a thorough review of intelligence and surveillance supports initial reports that all killed in the strikes were legitimate enemy targets.

"Mustafa is an enemy of Afghanistan, and we're working with Afghan officials to pursue him until he is captured or confirmed killed," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a spokeswoman for U.S. Forces Afghanistan. "In addition, we are working closely with Afghan partners to investigate unconfirmed reports of civilians among Mustafa's party."

(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
American Forces Press Service

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Obama Administration Enables Saudi Princes to Escape Accountability for Material Support for 9/11 Terror Attacks, Families Charge

/PRNewswire / -- On the day that President Obama holds his first summit with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah in Riyadh, the 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism charged that recent actions by his administration would enable five of the king's closest relatives to escape accountability for their role in financing and materially supporting the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In response to the administration's action, the 9/11 families released allegations made in 2002 of the Saudi royal family's sponsorship and support of al Qaeda that the families believe have been ignored by the Obama Administration.

On May 29, the president's top lawyer before the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, filed a brief arguing that it would be "unwarranted" for the Supreme Court to even hear cases brought by the 9/11 families charging that five Saudi princes knowingly and intentionally provided financial support to al Qaeda waging war on America. By urging the high court to not review lower court decisions dismissing these cases, the Obama Administration took the side of the Saudi princes over thousands of family members and survivors of the 9/11 attacks seeking justice and accountability in U.S. courts.

"This is a betrayal of our fundamentally American right to have our day in court," said Mike Low of Batesville, Ark., father of Sara Low, an American Airlines flight attendant who died on board Flight 11. "It sacrifices the principles of justice, transparency, accountability and security, which our case embodies, in order to accommodate the political pleadings of a foreign government on behalf of a handful of members of its monarchy."

"With this filing, the Obama Administration has constructed a convoluted legal rationale to justify a political decision to curry favor with the Saudi royal family," said Ron Motley, counsel for the 9/11 families. "However, the legal straw house they built collapses with the faintest breeze of logic, legal analysis, or common sense."

"We trust that the Supreme Court, after it has reviewed the law, the facts and the evidence, will reject the Obama Administration's wrongheaded opinion and agree to give the 9/11 family members the day in court they deserve," Motley said.

To illustrate both the injustice of the Obama Administration's Supreme Court filing and the many holes in its legal reasoning, the family members released the specific allegations they originally made on what the princes did to provide financial and material support to Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda and the Taliban in the years and months leading up to September 11, 2001.

Specifically, the families' lawsuit alleges that:

-- Prince Turki al Faisal al Saud, past head of Saudi intelligence,
coordinated Saudi financial and logistical support for al Qaeda, Osama
bin Laden and the Taliban. In July 1998, Prince Turki brokered an
agreement between these parties in which the Saudis provided al Qaeda
and the Taliban with generous financial assistance in exchange for a
pledge by bin Laden and the Taliban that al Qaeda would not attack the
Saudi royal family.(1)
-- Prince Mohamed al Faisal al Saud headed the Islamic bank Dar al Maal
al Islami, which provided global financial services and financing to
al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.(2)
-- Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz al Saud, whose responsibilities included
overseeing Islamic charitable funding in Saudi Arabia, funded al Qaeda
through personal contributions to Islamic charities known to support
bin Laden and his terrorist organization.(3)
-- Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who has long supported Palestinian
suicide bombers, provided pay-off money to al Qaeda. His oversight of
al Qaeda front charity al Haramain allowed it to support bin Laden and
al Qaeda unabated.(4)

-- Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud has a long history of funding
Islamic extremists through his work as chairman of the General
Donation Committee for Afghanistan. In this capacity, Prince Salman
made substantial personal contributions to al Qaeda front charities
with the full knowledge the charities were misappropriating funds and
involved in terrorist activities.(5)

(More detailed allegations are contained in the attached chart.)


In the face of these allegations, Motley charged that the legal flaws in the Obama Administration's filing are all the more egregious.

For example, the solicitor general concedes that the Saudi princes as individual officials are not entitled to immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). But even though the government has never previously expressed any notion of offering the Saudi princes any immunity for their alleged terrorist involvement, the administration urges that the Supreme Court should nonetheless treat the Princes as though they are immune anyway because of vague "non-statutory principles articulated by the Executive." This makes clear the Obama Administration is more concerned with the foreign relations consequences of making the Saudi princes answer for their donations to al Qaeda than with allowing the 9/11 families their fair day in court to address the princes' accountability for their conduct.

Moreover, even if the Saudi princes knowingly and intentionally gave money to al Qaeda waging war on America, the solicitor general argued that does not qualify for the "domestic tort exception" to sovereign immunity because the Saudi Princes did not give their money "within the United States." The solicitor general says it is not enough if the Saudis gave money to al Qaeda only from abroad. According to the solicitor general's argument, in order to strip immunity from the Saudi princes, "the foreign state's act or omission -- not that of any third party -- must occur in the United States."

The solicitor general further argues that U.S. courts cannot exercise personal jurisdiction over the Saudi Princes who gave money to al Qaeda because they were not "primary wrongdoer[s]" -- according to the solicitor general -- as they engaged in only "indirect funding of al Qaeda." But excusing the princes as not "primary wrongdoers" is in direct conflict with a recent Seventh Circuit ruling in the terror litigation context.(6) In this case, known as Boim v. Holy Land Foundation, the Seventh Circuit held that all those who donate money to known terrorist groups are themselves engaging in terrorism -- and thus "primary violators" subject to "primary liability" under the Anti-Terrorism Act section 2333. Boim further cautioned: "Nor should donors to terrorism be able to escape liability because terrorists and their supporters launder donations through a chain of intermediate organizations. Donor A gives to innocent-appearing organization B which gives to innocent-appearing organization C which gives to Hamas. As long as A either knows or is reckless in failing to discover that donations to B end up with Hamas, A is liable."(7)

The administration filing's bottom line, according to Motley, is that an official of any foreign country not "designated as a state sponsor of terrorism" is immune from suit as long as that official gave money "outside the United States" to terrorists -- even where those terrorists are waging a declared war causing massive death and destruction inside the United States. "This is an absurd misinterpretation of the law that, if carried to its logical extreme, could let all of al Qaeda's bankrollers off the hook," Motley charged. "If allowed to stand as the Obama administration's brief urges, the lower court's decision would allow terrorist financiers to stand at the borders of our nation providing all means of terrorist support, while snubbing their noses at our time honored judicial system of accountability."

The plaintiffs further allege that "Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda have publicly and proudly proclaimed direct responsibility for [prior] multiple atrocities in furtherance of international terrorism. Direct attacks on Americans intensified in 1998 after Osama bin Laden issued this 'fatwa,' stating: 'We -- with God's help -- call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it.'"(8)

Motley said he was especially shocked that the solicitor general justified not holding foreign officials who give money to the 9/11 terrorists to account in an American court by repeating the same error made by the late District Judge Richard Conway Casey and the Second Circuit when they ruled plaintiffs' well-pleaded allegations were "inadequa[te]" and "conclusory" to show the Princes knew that they were funneling money to al Qaeda. "This is utter nonsense," Motley said, noting the specific detail of the allegations made, all of which allegedly show that the princes gave money to al Qaeda waging declared jihad on America, knowing that al Qaeda was targeting death and destruction on America.(9)

"What the solicitor general and the lower courts ignore is that the plaintiffs brought this suit to hold the defendants -- a handful of royals, other financiers, bin Laden, al Qaeda, and certain charities, banks and other organizations they own and control -- responsible for this insidious form of terrorism which cloaks itself behind the face of royal state titles and legitimacy," Motley said.

Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network do not exist in a vacuum, he explained. They could not plan, train and act on such a massive scale without significant financial power, coordination and backing.(10)

Select sources reporting Saudi Arabia is an important funding source for Islamic Extremism:

-- United States Congress Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and
United States Congress House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities
before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001: Report
of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and U.S. House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Together with Additional
Views.
-- Terrorist Financing. Report of an Independent Task Force Sponsored by
the Council on Foreign Relations, October 2002. Available at
www.cfr.org/pdf/Terrorist_Financing_TF.pdf and Update on the Global
Campaign Against Terrorist Financing. Second Report of an Independent
Task Force on Terrorist Financing Sponsored by the Council on Foreign
Relations, June 15, 2004. See
www.cfr.org/pdf/Revised_Terrorist_Financing.pdf.
-- Hearing Before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia of
the Committee on International Relations House of Representatives One
Hundred Eighth Congress Second Session March 24, 2004 Serial No.
108-109.
-- International Affairs: Information on U.S. Agencies' Efforts to
Address Islamic Extremism, GAO-05-852 (Washington: D.C.: United States
Government Accountability Office, Sept. 2005).
-- Iraq Study Group (U.S.), et al. The Iraq Study Group Report. 1st
authorized ed. New York: Vintage Books, 2006.
-- Testimony of Lee S. Wolosky Partner, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs September
18, 2007.
-- U.S. State Department 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy
Report.
-- Testimony of U.S. Department of the Treasury Undersecretary for
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart A. Levey before the Senate
Finance Committee, April 1, 2008.

-- H. R. 1288 Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2009 111th Congress 1st
Session.





Allegations that the Saudi Princes Named as Defendants
Provided Financial and Material Support to al Qaeda

Source: Third Amended Complaint, Thomas E. Burnett, Sr., et al. vs. Al
Baraka Investment & Development Corporation, et al., Case No. 03-CV-9849
(GBD) as consolidated in In Re: Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001,
Case No. 03-MDL-1570 (GBD), paragraphs 340, 344-346, 348-350.
This can be viewed at www.motleyrice.com/terrorism/relevant_documents.asp.

TAC Paragraph, Specific Allegation
Page
97-99, pp. Prince Mohamed al Faisal al Saud was the CEO of the
244-245; 342, Islamic bank Dar al Maal al Islami ("DMI") which
p. 309; 364, provided financing and financial services to al Qaeda
p. 315

340, p. 309 Prince Turki al Faisal al Saud had an ongoing
relationship with Osama bin Laden from the time that
they first met in Islamabad, Pakistan at the Saudi
embassy, during the Soviet Union's occupation of
Afghanistan.

342, p. 309-310 Prince Abdullah al Faisal bin Abdulaziz al Saud,
Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz al Saud and Prince Salman
bin Abdul Aziz al Saud

have provided material support to Osama bin Laden and
al Qaeda. They also aided, abetted and materially
sponsored OBL and al Qaeda

344, p. 310 Prince Turki, who headed the Royal Families
intelligence service for 25 years and met personally
with Osama bin Laden at least 5 times, guided the
Saudi intelligence service to provide substantial
financial and material support to the Taliban in or
about 1995.

345, p. 310 Al Qaeda financier Mohammed Zouaydi had close
financial ties to Prince Turki and Prince Mohammed al
Faisal.

346, pp. 310-311 According to a senior Taliban official, Prince Turki
was the facilitator of money transfers to the Taliban
and al Qaeda.

347. p. 311 In 1996, a group of Saudi princes met with prominent
Saudi businessmen in Paris and agreed to continue
financially contributing and otherwise supporting
Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

348, p. 311 In July of 1998, a meeting occurred in Kandahar,
Afghanistan that led to an agreement between certain
Saudis and the Taliban. The participants were Prince
Turki, the Taliban leaders, and senior Pakistani
intelligence officers of the ISI and representatives
of Osama bin Laden. The agreement reached stipulated
that Osama bin Laden and his followers would not use
the infrastructure in Afghanistan to subvert the
royal families' control of Saudi government. In
return, the Saudis would make sure that no demands
for the extradition of terrorist individuals, such as
Osama bin Laden, and/or for the closure of terrorist
facilities and camps. Prince Turki also promised to
provide oil and generous financial assistance to both
the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. After the
meeting, 400 new pick-up trucks arrived in Kandahar
for the Taliban, still bearing Dubai license plates.

349, p. 311 Prince Turki was instrumental in arranging a meeting
in Kandahar between Iraqi senior intelligence
operative, the Ambassador to Turkey Faruq al-Hijazi,
and Osama bin Laden, in December of 1998.

350, p. 311 Saudi Intelligence, directed by Prince Turki until
August 2001, served as a facilitator of Osama bin
Laden's network of charities, foundations, and other
funding sources.

354, p. 312 Prince Sultan has been involved in the sponsorship of
international terrorism through the IIRO and other
Saudi-funded charities.

357-358. p. 313 King Fahd set up a Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs,
headed by his brother Prince Sultan to centralize,
supervise and review aid requests from Islamic
groups. This council was established to control the
charity financing and look into ways of distributing
donations to eligible Muslim groups. Consequently, as
Chairman of the Supreme Council, Prince Sultan could
not have ignored the ultimate destinations of
charitable funding, and could not have overlooked the
role of the Saudi charitable entities identified
herein in financing the al Qaeda terrorist
organization.

359, pp. 313-314 Despite that responsibility and knowledge, Prince
Sultan personally funded several Islamic charities
over the years that sponsor, aid, abet or materially
support Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda: the
International Islamic Relief Organization (and its
financial fund Sanabel el-Khair), al-Haramain, Muslim
World League, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
Despite that responsibility and knowledge, Prince
Sultan personally funded several Islamic charities
over the years that sponsor, aid, abet or materially
support Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda: the
International Islamic Relief Organization (and its
financial fund Sanabel el-Khair), al-Haramain, Muslim
World League, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

360, p. 314 Prince Sultan's role in the IIRO's financing is of
significance. Since the IIRO's creation in 1978,
Prince Sultan participated by donations and various
gifts to the charity. In 1994 alone, he donated
$266,652 to the Islamic International Relief
Organization. Since 1994, the amount funneled by
Prince Sultan into IIRO is reported to be $2,399,868.
Prince Sultan's role in directly contributing to and
in the oversight of IIRO evidences his material
sponsorship, aiding and abetting of international
terrorism. Prince Sultan maintains close relations
with the IIRO organization headquarters and knew or
should have known these assets were being diverted to
al Qaeda.

361-362, p. 314 Prince Sultan is also a regular donator to the World
Assembly of Muslim Youth ( "WAMY"). WAMY was founded
in 1972 in a Saudi effort to prevent the "corrupting"
ideas of the western world influencing young Muslims.
With official backing it grew to embrace 450 youth
and student organizations with 34 offices worldwide.
WAMY has been officially identified as a "suspected
terrorist organization" by the FBI since 1996 and has
been the subject of numerous governmental
investigations for terrorist activities.

370-371, p. 317; Prince Abdullah al Faisal is the majority owner of
372-373, p. 317 Alfaisaliah Group, also known as al Faisal Group
Holding Co. According to FBI records 9/11 hijacker
Hani Saleh H. Hanjour, his brother Abdulrahman Saleh
Hanjour, living in Tucson, Arizona, and 9/11 suspect
Abdal Monem Zelitny had registered addresses in Taif,
Saudi Arabia that correspond with an Alfaisaliah
Group branch office.

374-375, p. 317 Prince Abdullah al Faisal's accountant in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia was Defendant Muhammed Galeb Kalaje
Zouaydi, convicted in Spain for financing al Qaeda
operations in Europe. Zouaydi set up Spanish
companies established during the time he was staying
in Saudi Arabia and working for Prince Abdullah al
Faisal, between 1996 and 2000. Zouaydi laundered
Saudi money through Spain to an al Qaeda cell in
Germany. Eye witnesses place Zouaydi in Prince
Abdullah al Faisal's office in Jeddah.

381, p. 319 Prince Naif, who has a long history of supported for
Palestinian suicide martyrs and Palestinian terrorist
organizations, has provided material support to al
Qaeda, including providing monetary payoffs to al
Qaeda.

382, p. 319 Prince Naif, who is the Saudi Minister of Interior and
heads the Saudi Committee for Relief to Afghans,
supervised the activities of Defendant charity Al
Haramain Foundation, which materially supported al
Qaeda and the Taliban.

392-399, pp. In 1993, Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud founded
321-323 Saudi High Commission charity. The charity's Bosnian
offices were found to have sponsored al Qaeda members
and materially supported al Qaeda.

400, pp. 323-324 Prince Salman has a history of funding Islamic
extremism. In 1980, Prince Salman was named Chairman
of the General Donation Committee for Afghanistan.

401, p. 324 In 1999, Prince Salman made a donation of $400,000
during a fund-raising event organized for Bosnia
Herzegovina and Chechnya by Defendants International
Islamic Relief Organization, World Assembly of Muslim
Youths, and Al-Haramain Foundation.

404-407, Despite evidence of misappropriation of charitable
pp.324-325 funds by directors of the Saudi High Commissions
Bosnian chapter, Prince Salman knowingly failed to
take appropriate action regarding the management and
distribution of funds.


(1)Third Amended Complaint, Thomas E. Burnett, Sr., et al. vs. Al Baraka Investment & Development Corporation, et al., Case No. 03-CV-9849 (GBD) as consolidated in In Re: Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, Case No. 03-MDL-1570 (GBD), paragraphs 340, 344-346, 348-350. This can be viewed at www.motleyrice.com/terrorism/relevant_documents.asp.

(2)TAC paragraphs 97-99, 242, 244-245, 364.
(3)TAC paragraphs 354, 357-362.
(4)TAC paragraphs 342, 381-382.
(5)TAC paragraphs 392-401, 404-407.
(6)See Boim v. Holy Land Found., 549 F.3d 685 (7th Cir. 2008) (en banc).
(7)Id. at 701-702.
(8)TAC, p. 12.
(9)TAC.
(10)TAC.

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U.S. Approves of Pakistan Fight Against Taliban, Pentagon Spokesman Says

The United States fully supports Pakistani operations against the Taliban and other terror groups, a senior Defense Department spokesman said yesterday.

At a news conference today, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell also discussed U.S. efforts to avoid inflicting civilian casualties in Afghanistan while fighting an enemy that intentionally places civilians in peril.

The United States has been pressing Pakistan for months to act as Taliban fighters increased their control over portions of the federally administered tribal areas and in the Swat Valley, Buner and Dir areas of Pakistan.

Morrell called the operations in the area the largest counterinsurgency fight in Pakistan's history. "They have shown a persistence in waging it, and we want to be nothing but encouraging of them continuing to do so," he said during a Pentagon news conference.

Pakistani officials estimate that between 800,000 and 900,000 people in the region have become refugees. "The end is to protect innocent civilians caught in the crossfire," Morrell said. "So people are encouraged to leave war zones, so that they do not become unwitting victims of the Pakistani military's efforts to go after terrorists who have shown complete and utter disregard for the safety and well-being of their neighbors and other innocent civilians in their midst."

Pakistan is setting up refugee camps to handle those fleeing the fighting, and the United States and other nations are prepared to send aid.

In Afghanistan, civilian casualties in Farah remain in the news. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry visited an area where close-air support was used against Taliban terrorists when U.S. aircraft dropped ordnance in support of an Afghan security forces operation.

"The initial indication from things looks as though the close-air support was very measured, and that there was a great deal of care to ensure that ... it was proportional to the threat faced by the forces on the ground," Morrell said.

Morrell called the attacks – and possible civilian casualties – the sad reality of war against the Taliban.

"We face an opponent that shows complete and utter disregard for human life; that's willing to behead innocent civilians; that's willing to put other innocents in harm's way so that they can advance a propaganda campaign and paint us as ... the aggressor, as the one who does not care for the well-being of the Afghan people," he said. "That couldn't be further from the truth."

The United States regrets the loss of any innocent lives in Farah or other battles, Morrell said. No other military takes the measures to minimize civilian losses that the U.S. military does, he said.

"And our opponent, perhaps more than almost any enemy that we've faced in modern times, shows complete and utter disregard" for civilian lives.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

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U.S. Praises Morocco's 'Comprehensive Counterterrorism Approach' and 'International Cooperation' to Combat Rising al-Qaeda Threat in Sahara

/PRNewswire / -- The following is being released by the Moroccan American Center for Policy:

Yesterday, the U.S. State Department praised the Kingdom of Morocco's "comprehensive counterterrorism approach" as it works with the U.S. and its regional and international partners to combat the growing transnational threat from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other terrorist groups.

"The Government of Morocco, and frequently the King himself, regularly and strongly condemned terrorist acts, wherever they occurred," said the annual report to Congress submitted by the State Dept.'s Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. "The Moroccan government pursued a comprehensive counterterrorism approach that, building on popular rejection of terrorism, emphasizes neutralizing existing terrorist cells through traditional law enforcement and preemptive security measures, and prevented terrorist recruitment through comprehensive counter-radicalization policies."

The report detailed the success Morocco has seen from its multi-faceted strategy and social reforms to combat terrorism, which goes far beyond "traditional security measures." Specifically, the report highlighted Morocco's $1.2 billion National Human Development Initiative "aimed at ameliorating the socio-economic factors that terrorists exploit" as well as the official sanction of mourchidates, or female spiritual guides, whose role is to promote moderation and religious tolerance in mosques across the Kingdom and in Moroccan immigrant communities abroad.

The report also stressed that a key to Morocco's counterterrorism efforts has been "its emphasis on international cooperation" which has helped Moroccan authorities "disrupt plots to attack Moroccan, U.S. and other Western-affiliated targets, and aggressively investigat[e] numerous individuals associated with international terrorist groups."

"For more than 220 years, Morocco and the United States have continuously worked together to combat security threats to both countries - from piracy on the high seas in the late 1700's to today's increasing terrorist challenge in the Sahara and elsewhere," said Robert M. Holley, executive director of the Moroccan American Center for Policy. "The U.S. and Morocco must work even more closely with its international partners on these critical issues to protect and advance the lives of millions in North Africa, as well as the broader international community."

Yesterday's State Department report underscores many of the same concerns raised in recent weeks by 233 Members of Congress in a letter to President Barack Obama, which states that "[v]ital U.S. interests in North Africa are increasingly challenged by growing regional instability." The Members - representing a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives as well as the highest ranking members of the Democratic and Republican leadership - called on President Obama to strengthen U.S. support for Morocco's compromise autonomy proposal to peacefully resolve the Western Sahara conflict, which they consider to be the "single greatest obstacle impeding the security cooperation necessary to combat this transnational threat."

In March, a special report, "Why the Maghreb Matters," released by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the Conflict Management Program at Johns Hopkins University, presented the recommendations of a distinguished panel including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Ret. General Wesley Clark and former Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat. The panel noted the 400% spike in terrorist attacks in the region since 9/11 and advocated increased U.S. engagement with Morocco and other North Africa nations to protect American security interests and to thwart a growing peril from al-Qaeda terrorists in the Sahara.

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Iraqi-Born Dutch Citizen Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Terrorism Conspiracy Against Americans in Iraq

/PRNewswire / -- An Iraqi-born Dutch citizen was sentenced to 25 years in prison today for conspiring to murder Americans overseas, including by planting roadside bombs targeting U.S. soldiers in Fallujah, Iraq, and by demonstrating on video how these explosives would be detonated to destroy American vehicles and their occupants.

The sentencing of Wesam al-Delaema, age 36, was announced today by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Jeffrey A. Taylor, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office.

At a hearing today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Paul Friedman imposed the 25-year sentence against al-Delaema for conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals outside the United States. Al-Delaema pleaded guilty to this charge on Feb. 25, 2009. The Court made a finding that this offense was a federal crime of terrorism. In addition, video materials referenced in al-Delaema's factual proffer were played in court for the first time.

On Tuesday, in a separate case, al-Delaema was sentenced in Superior Court for the District of Columbia to 18 months imprisonment for aggravated assault. Al-Delaema pleaded guilty to this charge on March 3, 2009, admitting that he kicked a D.C. prison guard to the point of unconsciousness while the guard was prone on the ground during an incident at the D.C. jail in 2007. The prison guard sustained significant injuries, including a subdural hemorrhage, during the incident.

The sentences for these separate offenses are to be served concurrently and were agreed upon as part of the global plea agreement. According to an agreement between the United States and the Netherlands, al-Delaema will serve out his sentence in the Netherlands.

According to the plea agreement and factual proffers filed in court, between October 2003 and May 2, 2005, al-Delaema entered into an agreement with several co-conspirators to murder U.S. nationals in Iraq. As part of the conspiracy, al-Delaema traveled to Fallujah in October 2003. There, al-Delaema and his co-conspirators -- calling themselves the "Mujahideen from Fallujah" -- declared their intentions to kill Americans in Iraq using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

As part of the conspiracy, al-Delaema and his co-conspirators discussed and demonstrated, on video, the way in which the IEDs they had buried in a road near Fallujah would be detonated and would destroy American vehicles driving on the road and kill the American occupants of those vehicles.

According to the factual proffer that he agreed to, al-Delaema not only created "how-to" and recruitment videos, but also filmed the effects of roadside attacks in Iraq. Furthermore, after his return to the Netherlands, al-Delaema continued to attempt to obtain propaganda videos for those seeking to kill Americans in Iraq, frequently attempting to obtain raw footage of attacks on Americans in Iraq.

Al-Delaema was arrested by Dutch law enforcement authorities on May 2, 2005, and he initially faced similar charges in that country. Following his arrest, Dutch law enforcement and prosecution authorities worked cooperatively with the FBI in its investigation of al-Delaema's terrorist activities.

In September 2005, the United States filed a formal request with the Netherlands seeking al-Delaema's extradition. The extradition request was subsequently granted by a Dutch court and then by the Dutch Ministry of Justice. In December 2006, the extradition request was sustained on appeal in the Netherlands. In January 2007, al-Delaema was flown to the United States, arrested and taken into custody by the FBI.

"This case represents the first use of U.S. criminal courts to prosecute an individual for terrorism offenses against Americans in Iraq," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "The sentence imposed today should serve notice that the United States will use all available tools to pursue those who would plot attacks against our men and women serving in Iraq."

"The actions of this defendant were repugnant and contributed to the considerable violence against Americans in Iraq," stated U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor. "This case, which represents the first use of the United States criminal courts to prosecute an individual for terrorism offenses against Americans in Iraq, demonstrates our resolve to use every tool at our disposal to defend Americans, both at home and abroad."

"The FBI is prepared at a moments notice to vigorously investigate injuries and threats to citizens, whether they occur in or outside the United States," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Joseph Persichini, Jr. "We would particularly like to thank our Dutch law enforcement partners who worked with us for the past four years to bring this case to fruition."

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI's Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Dutch National Police Agency and the National Office of the Public Prosecutor in the Netherlands. The Office of International Affairs in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice coordinated the extradition efforts on behalf of the United States.

The prosecutors handling the case are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregg Maisel and Rachel Lieber of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David I. Miller of the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division.

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Bauer Calls Plans to Release Terrorist in the U.S. 'An Outrage...Confirming Our Worst Fears'

/PRNewswire/ -- Former presidential candidate Gary L. Bauer on Thursday expressed shock and outrage over the Obama Administration's admission that it is considering releasing terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay into the United States.

Responding to comments by Attorney General Eric Holder, Bauer, President of American Values said, "The first obligation of the government is to keep Americans safe. How can releasing enemy combatants, picked up on foreign battlefields, into American neighborhoods possibly safeguard our security?

"In recent days, there have been reports of missing American Somalis leading to active FBI investigations about jihad recruitment in several major American cities. It is unconscionable that this administration would even entertain the idea of adding to that problem by importing terrorist suspects from GITMO.

"For a president who likes to emulate Franklin Roosevelt on economic policy, I wish he would model Roosevelt on national security policy too. Nazi spies captured in this country and accused of plotting acts of terrorism were tried in military tribunals and executed in a matter of weeks. Our goal in World War II was victory. Our demand was unconditional surrender, not more negotiations and diplomacy with our enemies."

"Americans were concerned when President Obama ordered GITMO closed without any plan for the thugs currently detained there. We were rightly outraged when the Obama Administration followed that up by dropping the charges against the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, which killed 17 American sailors. Sadly, Attorney General Holder has just confirmed our worst fears."

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Muslim Publics Oppose Al Qaeda's Terrorism, But Agree With Its Goal of Driving U.S. Forces Out

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A study of public opinion in predominantly Muslim countries reveals that very large majorities continue to renounce the use of attacks on civilians as a means of pursuing political goals. People in majority-Muslim countries express mixed feelings about al Qaeda and other Islamist groups that use violence, however, perhaps due to a combination of support for al Qaeda's goals and disapproval of its terrorist methods.

Large majorities support allowing Islamist groups to organize parties and participate in democratic elections. In some majority-Muslim countries, Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, are forbidden from participating in elections.

Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, comments, "The U.S. faces a conundrum. U.S. efforts to fight terrorism with an expanded military presence in Muslim countries appear to have elicited a backlash and to have bred some sympathy for al Qaeda, even as most reject its methods."

The survey is part of an ongoing study of Egypt, Pakistan, and Indonesia, with additional polling in Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria. It was conducted July through September, 2008 by WorldPublicOpinion.org with support from the START Consortium at the University of Maryland. Margins of error range from +/- 3 to 4 percent.

In nearly all nations polled more than seven in 10 say they disapprove of attacks on American civilians. "Bombings and assassinations that are carried out to achieve political or religious goals" are rejected as "not justified at all" by large majorities ranging from 67 to 89 percent. There is a growing belief that attacks on civilians are ineffective, with approximately half now saying that such attacks are hardly ever effective.

Asked specifically about the U.S. naval forces based in the Persian Gulf, there is widespread opposition across the Muslim world. Opposition is largest in Egypt (91%) and among the Palestinians (90%), but opposition is also large in America's NATO ally Turkey (77%).

Views of al Qaeda are complex. Majorities agree with nearly all of al Qaeda's goals to change U.S. behavior in the Muslim world, to promote Islamist governance, and to preserve and affirm Islamic identity. However only minorities say they approve of al Qaeda's attacks on Americans.

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Terrorist Training Camps in America

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Former FBI Director, General, Diplomat, Clergy Call for Presidential Commission on Detention, Treatment and Transfer of Detainees

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leading experts, including a former FBI director, an Army general who investigated detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib, and a former Under Secretary of State, today called upon President Obama to appoint a non-partisan commission to fully investigate and examine the detention, treatment, and transfer of detainees following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

The commission's proposed mandate would allow it to identify detainee policy failures and their causes in order to formulate recommendations to address problems identified in the report.

The group issued the following statement detailing their call to action:

"We urge President Obama to appoint a non-partisan commission of distinguished Americans to examine, and provide a comprehensive report on, policies and actions related to the detention, treatment, and transfer of detainees after 9/11 and the consequences of those actions, and to make recommendations for future policy in this area."

The statement was signed by: Juan E. Mendez, President of the International Center for Transitional Justice; Thomas Pickering, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; Judge William Sessions, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Major General Antonio M. Taguba, USA (Ret.); and Rev. Dr. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. In addition, 18 leading human rights organizations have endorsed the statement.

"The president has a responsibility to protect and defend Americans and unfortunately, many questions remain unanswered as to whether the detention, transfer, and treatment of detainees following the September 11th attacks were in the country's best interest," said Sessions, the former FBI director. "We need to understand what happened and how to prevent any illegal actions from taking place in the future."

Pickering, the former Under Secretary of State said, "the new administration cannot be effective in looking forward without a full accounting and understanding of how American policy got to where we are today." He added, "a non-partisan commission, removed from the burdensome barriers of politics, is a well proven method of accomplishing these goals."

The organizations endorsing this effort are: Amnesty International USA; the Brennan Center for Justice; the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, New York University, School of Law; the Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas, University of California, Davis; the Center for Victims of Torture; the Constitution Project; the Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley; Human Rights First; Human Rights Watch; the International Center for Transitional Justice; the International Justice Network; the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights; the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; the National Institute of Military Justice; the National Religious Campaign Against Torture; the Open Society Institute; Physicians for Human Rights; and the Rutherford Institute.

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Georgia Man Arrested for Threats to FBI Buildings

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, announces the arrest of 23-year old MICHAEL ROBERT DEJONG of Buford, Georgia. DeJong was arrested at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, by Agents of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) for allegedly making false threats to destroy, via explosives, FBI buildings across the country. He has been charged via Criminal Complaint in the Northern District of Georgia with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(e).

On February 4, 2009, the FBI received a bomb threat through its website, FBI.gov. The threat was anonymous, but was eventually traced by Agents to a publicly available internet computer in the Auburn, Georgia public library. A search warrant was obtained to examine the contents of the computer, and further investigation led Agents to identify DeJong as the suspect. It was during that investigation the Agents discovered DeJong had been arrested by the United States Secret Service and convicted of making threats against President Bush in 2007.

DeJong was arrested without incident at the Auburn home of a friend. He had an initial appearance before a United States Magistrate the same day of his arrest, and remains in custody pending a probable cause and bond hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

The public is reminded that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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al Qaeda & the Internet

By Douglas J. Hagmann, Director
Northeast Intelligence Network

According to the most recent reliable statistics, there are over two billion web sites and approximately 28 billion images spread across the Internet. Thousands more sites and are created and tens of thousands more images are posted every day. Of the two billion web sites, several thousand involve some form of terrorist activity pertaining to terrorism, either directly or indirectly. According to federal sources recently interviewed by the Northeast Intelligence Network, about five thousand sites, mostly Arabic language Islamic terrorist sites, are under constant surveillance of some form. Additional Internet locations, not typical web sites but file sharing sites, host various other files, from images to audio and video files......
http://homelandsecurityus.com/?p=1199

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Human Genome Sciences Begins Delivery of First-in-Class Anthrax Treatment to U.S. Strategic National Stockpile

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:HGSI) today announced that it has begun delivery of 20,000 doses of its human monoclonal antibody drug ABthrax(TM) (raxibacumab) to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile for use in the treatment of inhalation anthrax.

ABthrax is a first-in-class treatment for anthrax, and the first procurement under Project BioShield of a product discovered and developed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It specifically targets the deadly toxins released within the human body by Bacillus anthracis that are the real culprits in most anthrax-related deaths. ABthrax is being developed under a contract entered into in 2006 with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"We believe ABthrax offers a significant step forward in the treatment of inhalation anthrax and could play an important role in strengthening America's arsenal against bioterrorism," said H. Thomas Watkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, HGS. "From a business perspective, this announcement is strategically important for HGS, because it marks our Company's first product sales. We expect to receive $150 million in revenue soon after completion of our delivery to the Strategic National Stockpile. We are pleased with the progress of our partnership with the U.S. Government, which has resulted in this important milestone, and we are hopeful that fulfillment of this initial order will result in a long-term relationship involving additional deliveries of ABthrax to the Stockpile."

ABthrax represents a new way to address the anthrax threat. While antibiotics can kill the anthrax bacteria, they are not effective against the deadly toxins that the bacteria produce. ABthrax targets anthrax toxins after they are released by the bacteria into the blood and tissues. In an inhalation anthrax attack, people may not know they are infected with anthrax until the toxins already are circulating in their blood, and it may be too late for antibiotics alone to be effective.

"We are delighted to have fulfilled this important milestone under our contract with the U.S. Government and we hope we are making a significant contribution to our nation's security," said James H. Davis, Ph.D., J.D., Executive Vice President and General Counsel, HGS, and leader of the Company's ABthrax program with the U.S. Government. "We are particularly pleased with the relationship we have had with BARDA in the development of ABthrax, and we look forward to continuing to work together."

About Research Findings to Date

In December 2007, HGS announced that the results of two animal studies demonstrated the life-saving potential of ABthrax (raxibacumab). The results showed that a single dose of raxibacumab, administered without concomitant antibiotics, improved survival rates by up to 64 percent when administered after animals were symptomatic for anthrax disease as a result of inhalation exposure to massively lethal doses of anthrax spores. These dramatic and statistically significant findings demonstrated a survival benefit in two animal species, which is the requirement for establishing the efficacy of new drugs used to counter bioterrorism. These data are consistent with the results of previous studies in multiple animal models, which demonstrated that a single dose of raxibacumab given prophylactically provided up to 100% protection against death.

HGS has also completed safety studies of raxibacumab in more than 400 human volunteers. The clinical results to date suggest that raxibacumab was generally safe and well tolerated. In addition, clinical data have demonstrated that co-administration of raxibacumab with the antibiotic Cipro (ciprofloxacin) did not affect the pharmacokinetics of either Cipro or raxibacumab, and suggested that raxibacumab can be administered in combination with antibiotics. This is a key finding given the important role that antibiotics are expected to continue to play in the treatment of anthrax disease.

The Need for New Means to Fight Anthrax Infections

Two options have been available for the prevention or treatment of anthrax infections - a vaccine and antibiotics. Both are essential to dealing with anthrax, but both have limitations. The anthrax vaccine takes several weeks following the initial doses before immunity is detectable, and requires multiple injections over a period of eighteen months, in addition to annual booster vaccination, to maintain protective immunity. Antibiotics are effective in killing anthrax bacteria, but are not effective against the anthrax toxins once those toxins have been released into the blood. Antibiotics also may not be effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of anthrax.

ABthrax is a human monoclonal antibody to Bacillus anthracis protective antigen that was discovered and developed by HGS, using technology that HGS has integrated into the Company as part of its collaboration with Cambridge Antibody Technology. Research has shown that protective antigen is the key facilitator in the progression of anthrax infection at the cellular level. After protective antigen and the anthrax toxins are produced by the bacteria, protective antigen binds to the anthrax toxin receptor on cell surfaces and forms a protein-receptor complex that makes it possible for the anthrax toxins to enter the cells. ABthrax blocks the binding of protective antigen to cell surfaces and prevents the anthrax toxins from entering and killing the cells.

In contrast to the anthrax vaccine, the protection afforded by a single dose of ABthrax would be immediate following the rapid achievement of appropriate blood levels of ABthrax. In contrast to antibiotics, ABthrax acts against the deadly toxins produced by anthrax bacteria. It may also prevent and treat infections by antibiotic-resistant strains of anthrax. ABthrax was the first investigational agent against anthrax infection to be evaluated in a clinical study following the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. In 2003, ABthrax received a Fast Track Product designation from the FDA, as well as an Orphan Drug Designation for its use in the treatment of inhalation anthrax disease.

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