Somali Islamists Cut Off Hands and Feet of 4 Thieves
Posted: 26 Jun 2009 01:36 AM PDT
An Islamic court in Somalia on Thursday cut off a hand and foot
from each of four men convicted of stealing phones and guns, drawing
hundreds of onlookers as the weeping men were punished at a military
camp.
The Shariah court that carried out the sentences is run by the
powerful insurgent group al-Shabab, which is trying to topple Somalia’s
U.N.-backed government and install a strict form of Islam.
“The men were bleeding and crying when the man cut their hands
and feet off with a long knife,” said one witness, Liban Ali. Journalists
were not allowed to cover the sentencing. The four were convicted earlier
this week in the capital, Mogadishu.
The U.S. considers al-Shabab a terrorist group with links to
al-Qaida, which al-Shabab denies. The group, which controls much of
Somalia, is joined by hundreds of foreign fighters.
Somalis traditionally observe Sufi Islam, a relatively moderate
form of worship. But in recent years, insurgents have begun to follow
austere Wahabi Islam — rooted in Saudi Arabia and practiced by Osama bin
Laden and the Taliban.
Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 when the
overthrow of a dictatorship plunged the country into chaos. A surge in
violence in recent weeks, which diplomats said is a major push by the
insurgents to force the government out of its Mogadishu strongholds, has
killed about 225 people.
Source
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Alleged ETA Terror Members Arrested Gathering Intel – Paris
Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:41 PM PDT
Two alleged senior members of the armed Basque separatist
organisation ETA accused of gathering intelligence on future targets were
arrested near Paris on Thursday, officials said.
Javier Arruabarrena Carlos, 37, and Ohiane Garmendia Marin, 32,
were arrested at Charenton-le-pont, a southeastern suburb of Paris, and
officers were carrying out a search of their home, a police source
said.
The suspects — a man and a woman — were described as “two main
members of ETA’s intelligence wing,” by Spanish Secretary of State for the
Interior Antonio Camacho who praised the “effective collaboration” between
the French and Spanish authorities which led to the arrests.
Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told parliament the
pair were responsible for gathering intelligence on future targets.
He said, however, that it was “unlikely” that they were
involved in a car bomb which killed a police inspector last Friday in
Spain’s Basque region.
French investigators had seized computers during their search
of the suspects’ home, said Rubalcaba, adding that it had been a “good
week” for security forces battling the organisation.
Source
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al-Qaeda Kills US Missionary For Spreading Christianity
Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:36 PM PDT
A friend of the Cleveland, Tenn., missionary shot to death
Tuesday in Africa said he will withhold judgment about the claim that
terrorist group al-Quaida was responsible for the killing until it can be
validated.
“Maybe it is true, maybe it isn’t,” said the Rev. Jim Gibson,
co-pastor of First Baptist Church of Cleveland, where Christopher Ervin
Leggett was a member. “I don’t think it would be very wise to address that
until either it can be confirmed as true or false.”
A branch of terrorist group al-Qaida on Thursday claimed
responsibility for the death of Mr. Leggett, who was shot several times by
unidentified gunmen.
Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera said it received an audio
statement from al-Qaida’s North Africa branch in which the group said it
killed the 39-year-old for trying to convert Muslims to Christianity in
Nouakchott, Mauritania, according to The Associated Press.
“Two knights of the Islamic Maghreb succeeded Tuesday morning
at 8 a.m. to kill the infidel American Christopher Leggett for his
Christianizing activities,” the group said in the statement.
The authenticity of the statement could not be independently
verified.
Mauritania’s Interior Ministry said Thursday it was
investigating the death, and security forces were doing “all they can to
catch the criminals.”
Mr. Gibson said the family is coping as best it can under the
circumstances and appreciates the love and support of friends.
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Getting Executive Buy-in For Disaster Preparedness
Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:19 PM PDT
The biggest obstacle to putting a good disaster recovery plan
in place is inadequate funding. My current survey (see the bottom of this
entry) asks how the recession has affected your disaster recovery plans,
but it may not just be the recession that’s causing the problem.
Even before the economy tanked, there has always been a
disconnect between executive decision-makers and the IT department in
areas that don’t immediately deliver ROI or contribute to an ongoing
process. “Just in case” technology like disaster recovery just sits in the
background. You need it, you know that you need it, but it’s sort of like
a spare tire in the trunk of your car. You hope you never have to use it,
and you probably forget to check the air pressure every few months just to
make sure it’s still good, and when you eventually take it out it’s gone
flat. And here’s a speculation that we all know is true: IT guys are the
ones that are more likely to check the air pressure–the C-level guys are
the ones with the flat spare.
How do you talk the people upstairs into putting money into
disaster recovery? Here’s some ideas.
Hold a disaster preparedness exercise. They will love it,
because it sounds productive and cheap. But this is where you get ‘em. As
part of the exercise, you make an assumption of a major disaster. They’re
expecting a high school fire drill, but you’re going to give ‘em the
bottom line. You’ll test out all your procedures, make a nice little
manual–but crunch some numbers for your final report. Show them exactly
how much money the company would have lost as a result of the major
disaster, even though everything seemed to go smoothly. Then show them
what you need to avoid that loss.
Read Full Article
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Al-Qaeda Planning Cyber Terror War Against Britain
Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:13 PM PDT
Al-Qaeda is intent on using the internet to launch a
cyber-warfare campaign against Britain, Lord West, the Security Minister,
has warned.
Terrorist groups, which already use the internet for
recruitment, propaganda and communication purposes, want to turn it into a
dangerous weapon, he said.
Lord West issued the warning as he published the Government’s
new Cyber Security Strategy aimed at heading off online threats.
As well as potential cyber-attacks from terrorists, Britain
faces a real and growing threat from foreign governments such as China and
Russia, and from organised criminal gangs, he said.
Targets include key businesses, the national power grid,
financial markets and Whitehall departments.
As part of attempts to beef up defences, a new Office for Cyber
Security will be set up to co-ordinate Government policy.
Another new development will see the creation of a
“cyber-forensics” team based at GCHQ, the Government’s eavesdropping
centre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
The Cyber Security Operations Centre will constantly monitor,
analyse and counter cyber attacks as they happen.
Source
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After Minneapolis, FBI Eyes Atlanta’s Somalis
Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:05 PM PDT
In this small town on the edge of Atlanta, the FBI and local
law enforcement are looking out for an alarming kind of crime: radical
Islamist terrorists potentially trying to recruit the town’s young
Somali-Americans to fight a war in Africa.
There is terrorist recruitment taking place already in
Minnesota, said Clarkston police chief Tony J. Scipio. That’s why his
department and the FBI are looking for anything similar in the
Somali-American community here in Clarkston.
In Minneapolis, as many as 20 young men have been reported
missing from their homes since last fall. They are thought to have been
lured into the ranks of al-Shabaab in Somalia. That group got a terrorist
designation from the U.S. State Department, which ties it to al-Qaeda,
bombings, assassinations and attacks on peacekeepers. A powerful faction
fighting Somalia’s transitional government, al-Shabaab’s agenda is
extremely strict Sharia law.
To fight potential recruiters, the Atlanta FBI has spent the
last several months in what the agent-in-charge called an “outreach”
program to Clarkston Somali-Americans, including mosque visits and
community meetings.
Source
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Teen Hackers To Battle al-Qaeda
Posted: 25 Jun 2009 10:59 PM PDT
Security chiefs are hiring teenage computer hackers to
spearhead a war on cyber terrorists.
A crack team of web whizz-kids is being set up to foil al-Qaeda
internet-based attacks on the UK.
British spymasters fear terror groups, who already use the web
to spread hate, aim to take it on as a “new weapon”.
A successful strike at the stroke of a computer key could hit
energy supplies and paralyse Government or financial centres.
Security Minister Lord West issued the warning as he launched
the Government’s new cyber security strategy.
Britain also faces a growing threat from hostile foreign
governments and international crime gangs.
States such as China or Russia could target key businesses, the
national power grid, finance markets and Whitehall departments.
In a major move to beef up our defences, a new Office for Cyber
Security will be formed.
Source
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