LA TIMES: Shadow War in Azerbaijan?

Azerbaijan Seen as New Front
in Middle East Conflict

Officials say they foiled a plot by Hezbollah and Iran to bomb the Israeli Embassy in revenge for the 2008 slaying of Imad Mughniyah. Anti-terrorism officials fear a new militant hub.

By Sebastian Rotella
May 30, 2009

Reporting from Paris -- It happened in Baku, transforming the capital of Azerbaijan into a battleground in a global shadow war.

Police intercepted a fleeing car and captured two suspected Hezbollah militants from Lebanon. The car contained explosives, binoculars, cameras, pistols with silencers and reconnaissance photos. Raiding alleged safe houses, police foiled what authorities say was a plot to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic that borders Iran.

Western anti-terrorism officials say the arrests a year ago thwarted swift retaliation by Hezbollah and Iran for the slaying of Imad Mughniyah, the legendary warlord of the Shiite Muslim militia based in Lebanon whose death was widely blamed on Israel.

The prosecution remained largely a secret until this week, when closed court proceedings began for two Lebanese and four Azeris charged with terrorism, espionage and other crimes.

The case offers an inside look at one of the stealthy duels being fought by Israel on one side and Hezbollah and Iran on the other in remote locales, from Latin America to Central Asia.

"They had reached the stage where they had a network in place to do an operation," said an Israeli security official, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. "We are seeing it all over the world. They are working very hard at it."

Hezbollah steadfastly denies that it conducts armed activity outside Lebanon, the base for its military, political and social service wings. Iran rejects allegations that it sponsors terrorism. Both, however, have sworn to avenge the death in February 2008 of Mughniyah, one of the world's most-wanted terrorist suspects and the longtime nexus between Tehran and Beirut.

His assassination by car bomb in Damascus, Syria, which Hezbollah blamed on Israel, spurred into action a secret apparatus teaming Iranian intelligence with Hezbollah's external operations unit, say European, Israeli and U.S. officials.

That alleged alliance is accused in the bombings in Argentina of the Israeli Embassy in 1992 and a Jewish community center in 1994, attacks that left 114 people dead. Both were allegedly the work of Hezbollah suicide bombers directed by Iranian spies in response to Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leaders.

"In Buenos Aires in 1992, the attack came a month after an assassination in Lebanon," said Magnus Ranstorp, a top expert on Hezbollah at the Swedish National Defense College. "They strike where they have infrastructure, a network, a target in place."

The choice of Baku last year reflects Iran's influence, said Matthew Levitt, a former intelligence chief at the U.S. Treasury Department. He described the alleged plot as "in the advanced stages."

"The Iranians have a history of a presence there," said Levitt, who is now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "And they wouldn't mind undermining the country, given Azerbaijan's Western leanings." ... (more)

Sorting Out The Narratives in the Middle East

A Flipcam interview with students brought together in Jordan by the British Council to discuss issues in the Middle East and attend the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea.

Video: Hannity report on "Securing the City"

Fox News Video, Hannity: "Lives on the Line," 22 May 2009
A straight report on NYPD counterterror operations that draws heavily on "Securing the City" and a long interview with Dickey at the site of the failed 1997 suicide bomb plot in Brooklyn. The report was finished before the recent arrest of "Bronx bombers," but there are some relevant sidelights on that case, especially about the Intelligence Division's efforts to penetrate "groups of guys." http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/22352138/lives-on-the-line.htm#q=christopher+dickey

NYT on the Newburgh Informer

We already know the plotters were basically morons -- a common affliction among wannabe terrorists. What is striking here is the clumsiness of the "cooperating witness," and the evident willingness of the Feds to burn this guy in order to make their case. There is a notable contrast with what we know so far about the undercover officers and informants who work for the Intelligence Division of the NYPD. The Herald Square plotters in 2004 simply could not believe their eyes when the cop to whom they'd confided all their anger and ambitions was produced in court, still undercover, as the last prosecution witness in their trial. - CD


May 23, 2009

Informer’s Role in Bombing Plot

By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and KAREEM FAHIM

Everyone called the stranger with all the money “Maqsood.” He would sit in his Mercedes, waiting in the parking lot of the mosque in Newburgh, N.Y., until the Friday prayer was over. Then, according to members of the mosque, the Masjid al-Ikhlas, he approached the young men.

He asked Shakir Rashada, 34, if he wanted to come over for lunch. He offered Shafeeq Abdulwali, 39, a job, perhaps at his construction company. Jamil Muhammed, 38, said he was offered cellphones and computers.

The man, a Pakistani, occasionally approached the assistant imam of the mosque, proposing meetings, or overpaying for a sandwich he would buy at a mosque fund-raiser. In time, many of the mosque’s older members had made the man for a government informant, according to mosque leaders. They said that he seemed to focus most of his attention on younger black members and visitors.

“It’s easy to influence someone with the dollar,” said Mr. Muhammed, a longtime member of the mosque. “Especially these guys coming out of prison.”

The members of the mosque now believe that Maqsood was the government informant at the center of the case involving four men from Newburgh arrested and charged this week with having plotted to explode bombs at Jewish centers in New York City. The government has said that the four men, several of whom visited the mosque in Newburgh and all of whom spent time in prison, were eager to kill Jews, and prosecutors charged that they had actually gone so far as to plant what they believed to be bombs on the streets of New York, an act the F.B.I. captured on videotape....(more)

Putting the Bronx Bombers in Context

18-Wheel Surprise

Why the NYPD heavily publicizes foiled terror plots.

When the 18-wheel police truck pulled across the street in front of them and cops from the New York City Police Department's Emergency Service Unit wearing full battle gear started smashing in the smoked-glass windows of their SUV on Wednesday night, the four men who allegedly conspired to bomb Bronx, N.Y., synagogues must have known they'd been had. Perhaps the most intriguing question in this latest homegrown terrorist plot to be busted up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation is how these characters could have been so stupid to begin with. The record of Al Qaeda is fearsome, of course. But the record of Al Qaeda wannabes in the United States has followed the same pattern repeatedly, whether they plotted to blow up New York City's Herald Square subway station in 2004, or shoot troops at New Jersey's Fort Dix or incinerate John F. Kennedy Airport, both in 2007.

These clumsy conspirators have seen their plots penetrated early on by undercover police or government informants. As the plotters fulminate against the United States and dream of reaching Paradise through martyrdom, the informants are there, it would seem, to help them on their way.... (more)

This is from Newsweek Online, written a couple of hours after the news about the Newburgh conspirators broke. They fit into a pattern covered in considerable detail in Securing the City. A reader may find pages 224 to 240 especially relevant.

Zbig Talks to Iran about Iran Talking to America

An interesting interview on Iran's English-language satellite station, PressTV:


By Susan Modaress, Press TV

The following is a Press TV interview with Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American statesman and former national security advisor under President Jimmy Carter.

Press TV: Dr. Zbigniew, thank you for joining us today on this special edition of Face to Face.

Brzezinski: It's nice to be with you. It is nice to have the opportunity to talk to Iranian viewers.

Press TV: And our international viewers abroad as well?

Brzezinski: Of course, but the former are more important.

...

Press TV: What do make of President Obama's comments acknowledging Iran as the Islamic Republic after thirty years?

Brzezinski: I totally endorsed him. You know, I met with [head of Iran's interim government Mehdi] Bazargan and [leader of the Iran Freedom Movement Ebrahim] Yazdi after the [1979 Islamic] revolution.

And without going into enormous amount of historical detail, I am positive, without pointing accusatory fingers, there was even then a chance for some normalization. I am glad it may be now beginning to become reality. But normalization takes two, it can not be undertaken by one side alone.

I think President Obama made a historic effort. I think it was intellectually brave, politically courageous, and potentially and historically constructive. I think it is therefore very important to go forward. But it can only go forward if there is reciprocity.

Press TV: Iranian officials have asked for action, saying that actions speak louder than words. Do you think that these comments are basically enough on the part of the United States in reaching out to Iran?

Brzezinski: A relationship has to be built on mutual accommodation. A relationship between serious powers is not built on begging or pleading. If there is a genuine interest in mutual accommodation, actions as well as words, have to be reciprocal. Words are usually the beginning of a diplomatic dialogue. I think President Obama made a really historically significant gesture, and it can leads to things.

But, we sit down and start pointing fingers at each other, but and if we start to say: you have to take the first action ... No, you have to take the first action, it is not going to be very productive.

Press TV: I do not think that either side is at that point right now. I think that acknowledging that Iran is the Islamic Republic was a positive gesture definitely. But, then there are analysts who say what America needs to do, is stop setting pre-conditions for negotiations with Iran. You cannot set preconditions for pre-negotiations and negotiations.

Do you think that on that front perhaps the United States stop its "carrot and stick" policy, as some analysts like to put it?

Brzezinski: Well, you confused the two. Preconditions is one aspect of the American policy, and the "carrot and stick" is a generalized description of some aspects of it. It so happens that in my testimony before Congress, in my writings, I have said that if there are to be negotiations, they can not be based on unilateral preconditions. The United States should not insist on unilateral preconditions. Or alternatively there can be reciprocal preconditions; one side does this, the other side does that-more or less simultaneously.

But that kind of process can only get on the way if there is a willingness, seriously to sit down, to in effect signal a willingness to discuss seriously, and not start by making demands that one side only has to undertake actions and the other side can simply sit back and wait on whether it approves of these actions.

That is a formula for a stalemate. So I am hopeful that mature leadership in both countries, sense of responsibility for the region in the future, and awareness of the fact that both countries play important roles in the world, will accumulate to create condition under which we sit down in the wake of the intuitive undertaken and talk with each other as people are prepared seriously to negotiate.

Press TV: And for the United States at this point in time, what is that concrete action? What is the bottom line for the United States to see for negotiations to resume?

Brzezinski: Willingness to negotiate. That is all.

Press TV: Will the United States change its policies, change its actions and not just its words?

Brzezinski: Well you know, I could ask you the same question, except that you are interviewing me and I am not interviewing you.

Press TV: I could give the answer that Iranian officials are saying ...

Brzezinski:"If you were someone who was involved with Iranian government I could ask you: what actions are you prepared to take?

I am not authorized to negotiate. I am not negotiating. I speak for myself. But as someone who knows something about international affairs, I can say that you are not going to get negotiations going if one side insists that the other side undertake actions, that the side insisting then approves and then after that there are negotiations. Negotiations begin by serious discussions.

I think, what Mr. Obama did is to initiate the process in a constructive way, from the American side. It is a decision for Iran to make on its own, from the standpoint of its own sense of history and interests, whether it wants relations with the United States or whether it does not.

I hope that it does, because I think that it would be good for the world. I think it would be good for the United States. I think it would be good for Iran. But that is a judgment that each side has to make on its own.

Press TV: And on the part of Iranian officials, what I have been hearing - of course I do not have a government post - but what they say is that they are open to dialogue, if and when they see a change of policy and if and when the situation is right, hopefully the situation is right and to the benefit of both sides.

Brzezinski: I do not think that you are getting the point that I am making. If the Iranian position is that negotiations will only take place when they see evident changes in American policy, then I think they are failing to see something important that has already taken place; namely an overture that is constructive in spirit and in historic significance.

And the proper response to that is not to say that we are going to wait and see that you prove by some actions, that we either desire or specify or will then judge. That is not the way to begin serious negotiations.

Press TV: So what you are saying is that the United States' change of tone has been a step forward.

Brzezinski: Well, in diplomacy and in international affairs, tones are very important. Abusing, accusing, insulting, are sometimes also negotiating methods. The intent then if it is conducted by intelligent people, who know what they are saying, is obviously to prevent negotiations.

You can operate that way either if you are very stupid, or if very, very Machiavellian. But if you do not want negotiations to succeed, you can start them by insulting, abusing, accusing.

Press TV: Let us talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You were an extremely influential figure during the Camp David negotiations. Do you think that a two-state solution is possible at this point in time?

Brzezinski: I think it is not only possible, but it is necessary. It seems to me that if there is not such a solution in the not too distant future, the opportunity for that solution may pass.

There is settlement activity, which makes a real accommodation difficult. There are incidents, events, tragic situations, like what happened in Gaza, which poisoned the atmosphere.

There is a tendency, in different degrees perhaps and not yet irrevocable, but there is a tendency on both sides towards more extremist views.

So I think, time is of the essence. But I do think that still, it is possible to have a settlement in part because, according to public opinion polls, both within Israel itself and within Palestine, the majorities are still for settlement. And very interestingly, public opinion polls show that the majority of American Jews, who are as Americans interested in American policy and try to influence it, the majority, 60%, favor a two-state solution.

Press TV: What about the coming to power of a figure like Benjamin Netanyahu. Do you think that this will affect negotiations between the two sides? ... (more)

Reading in Paris

Lower Manhattan: The Eyes Have It

A CHANCE FOR INPUT ON 3,000 NEW POLICE CAMERAS Curious about the 'Ring of Steel' in lower Manhattan? The NYPD has made its privacy guidelines public. > By Ali Winston

When the New York Police Department first announced plans for a new network of 3,000 surveillance cameras and sensors throughout lower Manhattan three years ago, skeptics voiced concern over wholesale, unregulated monitoring of innocent citizens.

Modeled on London’s 10,000 camera system, called the "Ring of Steel," the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative (LMSI) – which has attained the same nickname – will consist of 3,000 networked cameras monitoring 1.7 miles of area south of Canal Street. One-third of the cameras will be city-owned, with the other two-thirds belonging to private businesses, termed “stakeholders” in the guidelines. Automated license plate readers and environmental sensors will also provide data to the police. The cameras will be monitored by officers at a coordination center on Broadway, which opened last November. The system is expected to cost $89 in local and federal funds.

To allay concerns about the intrusiveness of this network, the NYPD last month made public a preliminary version of the Public Security Privacy Guidelines for the Domain Awareness System, the program that will handle all data gathered by Lower Manhattan Security Initiative cameras. Comments on the draft will be accepted through next Wed., March 26 (and may be e-mailed to oct@nypd.org or mailed to New York City Police Department, Attention: Counterterrorism Bureau, 1 Police Plaza, New York, NY 10038).

According to the draft guidelines, the data management program is a counterterrorism measure intended to deter future attacks, detect “pre-operational” terrorist activity, increase “domain awareness” for non-police entities involved in the program and provide an infrastructure for the “integration of new security technology.”

The system will gather and store information from cameras, automatic license plate readers, environmental sensors and other unspecified technology. Video data will be erased after a 30 day “pre-archival period,” unless footage is being used in law enforcement investigations. License plate data and “metadata,” a broadly-defined category of information that will “increase the usefulness” of footage or sensory data gathered, will be retained for five years. Environmental data may be retained indefinitely.

(For more on surveillance in New York City, see Near and Present Danger: Freedom In Today's City, City Limits Weekly #646, June 30, 2008.)

Despite the NYPD’s assurance that data from the Domain Awareness System will be strictly regulated and the cameras will not be used to target innocent citizens, surveillance skeptics including the New York Civil Liberties Union remain unconvinced about the department’s commitment to privacy.

“They purport to be nothing more than internal NYPD policy. There are no actual restrictions here,” NYCLU associate legal director Christopher Dunn said of the privacy guidelines issued by the police department. Dunn, who is lead counsel on the NYCLU’s 2008 lawsuit to obtain information about the Ring of Steel, says the police department broadly defines the data it will retain: “Ninety-nine point nine percent of what they collect will be lawful activity.”

Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Paul Browne did not respond to requests for further comment on the LMSI project and its privacy guidelines.

City Councilman Alan Gerson, whose lower Manhattan district includes the designated area, says he views the NYPD's guidelines as a first step toward ensuring that video surveillance is done properly. "It's important that this not be allowed to evolve into a general surveillance system, but rather be used to identify and prevent real threats," Gerson said.

He plans to introduce legislation in the next few months that would codify regulations and restrictions for video surveillance in the five boroughs. Asserting council oversight over the practices of the police department – rather than leaving surveillance policy solely in the hands of the Bloomberg administration – is another reason Gerson is pursuing this issue. "We need to maintain these checks and balances," he said.... (more)

"SECURING THE CITY": EVENTS, APPEARANCES, REVIEWS

In Paris, at the American Library at 7:30 PM on March 25, I'll be talking about the book, answering questions and signing.
http://www.facebook.com/editevent.php?success=1&picture=&eid=59799621690&new=&m=1#/event.php?eid=59799621690&ref=mf

The talk at the Smithsonian early last month was shown on C-Span on Saturday, March 7, but I don't yet have a link to it on the Web. If you come across one, please let me know.

Video: The Paula Gordon Show, "Confronting Terror," on YouTube and Podcast, taped in February: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqsEakV8ph0

Video: KHOU Houston report on terrorism in Texas, including an interview with Christopher Dickey: http://www.khou.com/video/index.html?nvid=337668&shu=1

In Spanish, a major piece in the Sunday supplement of the Barcelona daily "ABC":
Christopher Dickey: Peliculas Como Godzilla Inspiran a Al Qaida. http://www.abc.es/20090308/cultura-literatura/christopher-dickey-peliculas-como-200903080923.html


Satellite Radio:
A segment on The Bob Edwards Show. The first broadcast is at 8 AM EST today, Monday, March 9, on XM 133 and Sirius 196, and it's repeated at:
9-10 AM, 10-11 AM, 4-5 PM, 8-9 PM, 10-11 PM
Those with an XM account can log in at Listen.xmradio.com

What It Takes to Defeat Terrorists ... Really.

"Know Your Terrorist"/Christopher Dickey on "The Paula Gordon Show: Conversations with

Atlanta, GA/March 5, 2009 -- What's the secret of security and fighting terrorism in New York City, and in fact in most of the big cities in the United States? "The American Dream," reports Christopher Dickey.

“What interested me is how do you make people in a city, in any urban environment -- but New York may be being the most challenging urban environment in the world -- how do you make them not only feel confident but how do you actually make them safer, so it’s not just a question of illusion and delusion but a reality of a world that's safer for them?”

And the answer is?

“Effective intelligence work, maybe some covert action, a lot of diplomacy and by holding on to the American Dream. What’s needed is the combination of law enforcement and intelligence gathering. That's how you fight terrorism. To have couched the actions of a handful of testosterone driven malcontents in a framework of a clash of civilizations is plainly nuts.

“You don't want to sound kind of airy-fairy talking about this, because you’ve got bad guys with guns and bombs and doing all kinds of crazy stuff out there. But the truth is, the best thing you’ve got going for you is the community that rejects those kinds of actions.

“If you look at the list of the top ten safest cities, eight of them are where there are high proportions of first generation immigrants. When people come to the United States, they come to build their futures. They come because they buy into the Dream.

“It’s really an immigrant and ethnic dream. You can be Hindu, you can be Muslim, you can be Jewish, you can be Catholic, you can be an Atheist. (These immigrants) want to keep things quiet. When you look at that, you start to understand that safety is about the way people feel in the society, about the possibilities it gives them.

“If there's a problem with immigration, and there is, it’s when you have second and third generation children of immigrants who didn't come of their own free will, (who) feel cut off from the possibilities of the society.

“What happened in March of 2003 is that basically we had won the war against the people who carried out 9/11. As of 2003, the Bush Administration might have said, ‘We've won and we're going to keep after Bin Laden and then we're going to get on to the business with living our lives.’

“But they didn't, of course. It was just a stunning mistake. It did nothing except create more hatred of America. It broadened the pool from which terrorists draw their recruits, made it harder to get intelligence, and ultimately bogged the United States down in a war that costs about 2 and a half billion dollars a week, the sole purpose of (which) is essentially to keep Americans in a country where they're not wanted.”

The same realities apply to homegrown criminals like the Unabomber, he says.

“Why do we think that (terrorist acts are) something unique to Muslims? It’s commonplace. There are a lot of nuts running around and some of them have apocalyptic visions of themselves.”

[This Program was recorded February 9, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.]

©2009 Paula J. Gordon

Christopher Dickey, reporter and author. An award-winning Newsweek reporter, Mr. Dickey is their Paris Bureau Chief and Middle East Regional Editor. Previously, he was Cairo Bureau Chief and Central America Bureau Chief for the Washington Post. Mr. Dickey, author of Securing the City: Inside America’s Best Counterterror Force -- the NYPD, also writes the weekly “Shadowland” column on counterterrorism, espionage and the Middle East for Newsweek online. His five other books include Summer of Deliverance. He lives in Paris and New York City.

Related Links:

Securing the City: Inside the World’s Best Counterterror Force, the NYPD is published by Simon and Schuster.


A decade ago, former deputy director of the FBI Danny Coulson first pointed out to us the important distinction between the role of police and that of the military. He also argued that treating terrorists as criminals rather than members of some amorphous army greatly reduces the public relations efficacy of their crimes.

Mia Bloom (Dying to Kill) says that it is precisely the PR effect of suicide bombings which sustains their use.

In How Israel Lost, Richard Ben Cramer agrees with Mr. Dickey's point that military occupation of a land along with accompanying humiliation of its people is guaranteed to stoke the flames of terrorism.

In The Terror Dream, Susan Faludi says that, rather than dealing with the reality of terrorism as Mr. Dickey suggests, American media and much of the political and chattering classes chose to respond to 9/11 by engaging in magical thinking based or ersatz American myths

Former Ambassador Peter Galbraith supports Mr. Dickey's view that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has served as an excellent tool for recruiting new terrorists.

Tim Weiner has documented the ongoing intelligence failures of the CIA in Legacy of Ashes.

Tuesday's Schedule in San Francisco... so far.

On Tuesday, February 17, 2009:

11:00 to 12:00 - Talking live with Ronn Owens, KGO-AM

1:00 to 1:30 - Taping Forum / KUSF-AM

7:00 to 8:00 - Talking, answering questions and signing at Books Inc., 601 Van Ness, San Francisco.

The Reviews Are In

From The Economist, 12 February 2009
http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13097608

“Securing the City” is a gritty, down-to-earth work; a very American book about a very American city. Mr Dickey accompanies cops on the beat, rides in their helicopters and describes in detail their gizmos and their crime labs. He delights in a tough-guy language that owes as much to Mickey Spillane as to Raymond Chandler. So the general reader can enjoy a book that has the pace and drama of a thriller, and for the specialist interested in questions such as how to defend a city of nearly 8.5m people, or what turns young Muslims into suicide-bombers, there is much to ponder.

As the Middle East editor of Newsweek, Mr Dickey is not only one of America’s most knowledgeable commentators on the area, he was writing about Osama bin Laden for almost a decade before the attacks on the twin towers. He adds fascinating new detail and asks some troubling questions.


From The New York Times, 4 February 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/books/04garn.html?_r=1

In his revealing and nerve-rattling new book, “Securing the City,” a look inside the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism division, Christopher Dickey recounts the details of dozens of terrorist plots against New York City and elsewhere. Some were planned by smart and determined people, others by misfits and crazies and DVD addicts who couldn’t pull off the heist of two AAA batteries at a Radio Shack. The problem, Mr. Dickey writes, is that, given luck and the right assistance, “even the dumb ones could be dangerous as hell.”

“Securing the City” recounts the story of how, within a few years after Sept. 11, the Police Department transformed itself from a large but not untypical urban police force into one that possessed one of the world’s elite intelligence-gathering operations. The department had no choice. Terrorists are obsessed with New York City, focusing on it, Mr. Dickey writes, “like a compass needle quivering toward magnetic north.”....

From The Washington Post, 1 February 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903568.html

Securing the City deftly, colorfully and persuasively highlights how large national bureaucracies can learn from nimble and fleet-footed local start-ups. After all, a speedboat can always run circles around a supertanker.

From The Rocky Mountain News, 30 January 2009
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/29/securing-the-city-inside-americas-best-force-the/

Readers will be scared by the near misses and anxious about the future, but can't help but also be inspired by this well-researched story of just why and how plot after plot against the city has been foiled.

The Economist: NYPD's fighting force, Feb 12th 2009
The NYPD offers an alternative to the highly militarised war on terror
http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13097608


Upcoming tour events:

Costa Mesa, CA - Thursday, February 12, 6:00 PM: Drinks, dinner, talk and signing
World Affairs Council of Orange County, The Center Club, 650 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, 92626

Los Angeles - Friday, February 13, 7:00 PM: Talk and signing
Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood, CA 90069

San Francisco - Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 PM: Talk and signing
Books Inc., 601 Van Ness, 94102

Briarcliff Manor, NY - Wednesday, February 18: Talk and signing
St. Theresa, 1394 Pleasantville Rd.

New York City, Thursday, February 19 - Private event

Houston, TX - Monday, February 23, 6:00 PM - Talk and signing
Houston Forum, Omni Houston Hotel, 4 Riverway

Dallas, TX - Tuesday, February 24, 6:00 PM - Talk and signing
World Affairs Council, Rosewood Crescent, 400 Crescent Court 75219

Plano, TX - Wednesday, February 25, 7:30 PM - Talk and signing
Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Plano TX

Austin, TX - Thursday, February 26 - details to be announced.

"Fresh Air": 40 Minutes on "Securing the City"

Books

Christopher Dickey: Intelligence The NYPD Way

Christopher Dickey is a journalist and the author of The Sleeper, a novel about a former terrorist living in the U.S. Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Fresh Air from WHYY, February 11, 2009 · According to journalist Christopher Dickey, one of the world's best intelligence-gathering operations is based not in Langley, or in London, but in Manhattan: the New York City Police Department.

Dickey's new book Securing the City explores New York City's creation of an elite counter-terrorism force. Dickey describes the practices and people that are leading the NYPD's fight against terrorism.

David Cohen, a former top CIA official, has been hired to lead the intelligence operation; the force uses state-of-the-art equipment, from high-tech helicopters to radiation-sensing devices, and sends officers overseas to gather information on terrorists.

Dickey is Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor for Newsweek magazine.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100559912&ft=1&f=1003#commentBlock

A Cappella Books : Christopher Dickey at the Carter Library

c dickey has sent you a link to a blog:



Blog: A Cappella Books
Post: Christopher Dickey at the Carter Library
Link: http://acappellabooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/christopher-dickey-at-carter-library.html

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"Securing the City" on The Daily Beast

Thank you, Tina:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-02-04/cops-vs-al-qaeda/

Securing the City - Upcoming Events

Atlanta - Monday, February 9, 7:00 PM: Talk and signing
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, 441 Freedom Parkway

Chicago - Wednesday, February 11, 11:30 AM: Luncheon address and signing
The Union League Club, 65 West Jackson Blvd.

Costa Mesa, CA - Thursday, February 12, 6:00 PM: Drinks, dinner, talk and signing
World Affairs Council of Orange County, The Center Club, 650 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, 92626

Los Angeles - Friday, February 13, 7:00 PM: Talk and signing
Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood, CA 90069

San Francisco - Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 PM: Talk and signing
Books Inc., 601 Van Ness, 94102

Briarcliff Manor, NY - Wednesday, February 18: Talk and signing
St. Theresa, 1394 Pleasantville Rd.

New York City, Thursday, February 19 - Private event

Houston, TX - Monday, February 23, 6:00 PM - Talk and signing
Houston Forum, Omni Houston Hotel, 4 Riverway

Dallas, TX - Tuesday, February 24, 6:00 PM - Talk and signing
World Affairs Council, Rosewood Crescent, 400 Crescent Court 75219

Plano, TX - Wednesday, February 25, 7:30 PM - Talk and signing
Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Plano TX

NYT Daily Review: How to Beat Terrrorists

Books of The Times

How to Beat Terrorists: Use Big Stick and Brains

By Dwight Garner

...

In his revealing and nerve-rattling new book, “Securing the City,” a look inside the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism division, Christopher Dickey recounts the details of dozens of terrorist plots against New York City and elsewhere. Some were planned by smart and determined people, others by misfits and crazies and DVD addicts who couldn’t pull off the heist of two AAA batteries at a Radio Shack. The problem, Mr. Dickey writes, is that, given luck and the right assistance, “even the dumb ones could be dangerous as hell.”

“Securing the City” recounts the story of how, within a few years after Sept. 11, the Police Department transformed itself from a large but not untypical urban police force into one that possessed one of the world’s elite intelligence-gathering operations. The department had no choice. Terrorists are obsessed with New York City, focusing on it, Mr. Dickey writes, “like a compass needle quivering toward magnetic north.”....

The Washington Post: Langley on the Hudson

An excellent review in The Washington Post:

New York City's Police Department is among the largest and most recognizable police forces on earth. Thanks to the global reach of syndicated television programs, audiences in cities as diverse as Paris, Tel Aviv, Amman, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Santo Domingo share a cursory familiarity with the comings and goings at One Police Plaza in Manhattan. But what viewers in those exotic locales don't realize is that the NYPD has now come to them for real, posting officers in potential hot spots around the world.

The role of these agents, part of an elite and controversial counter-intelligence unit within the NYPD, is the subject of Christopher Dickey's illuminating Securing the City. Dickey is an old hand on the terrorist beat, having spent decades covering the Middle East and Europe for Newsweek and The Washington Post, and he's eminently well positioned to examine New York City's effort to start its own mini CIA....(more)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903568.html

NYT Book Review: Cops and Bombers

A mixed review, but with a solid conclusion:

“Securing the City” remains an undeniably timely book. In the coming weeks, the new administration will begin the daunting task of setting a fresh course for the war on terror. As it does, it would do well to spend at least a little time examining the success of the New York City Police Department.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/books/review/Mahler-t.html?_r=1&ref=books

From Rocky Mountain News: Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force: the NYPD

Christopher Dickey sent you this:

Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force: the NYPD

http://rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/29/securing-the-city-inside-americas-best-force-the/

--------
Christopher Dickey attached this additional message:

A good, utilitarian review with a very good "final word":

"Readers will be scared by the near misses and anxious about the future, but can't help but also be inspired by this well-researched story of just why and how plot after plot against the city has been foiled."
--------

Rocky Mountain News

Peace Talks: The Importance of Apologies

There's an important op-ed that appeared in the NYT over the weekend, coauthored by Scott Atran. It's a well-reasoned and well-researched call to Western leaders to go beyond the utilitarian approach to peace negotiations.

To some extent they buried the lede: interviews with Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy chief of Hamas, and Bibi Netanyahu, who may well make a comeback as Israel's prime minister. Both responded positively to talk of apologies and what could be interpreted as moral concessions from the other side. But the key to the story is in these paragraphs:

"There is a moral logic to seemingly intractable religious and cultural disputes. These conflicts cannot be reduced to secular calculations of interest but must be dealt with on their own terms, a logic very different from the marketplace or realpolitik.

"Across the world, people believe that devotion to sacred or core values that incorporate moral beliefs — like the welfare of family and country, or commitment to religion and honor — are, or ought to be, absolute and inviolable. ... People will reject material compensation for dropping their commitment to sacred values and will defend those values regardless of the costs."

"Waltz With Bashir," Golden Globe Winner, Oscar Nominee?

This Israeli animated film about the 1982 Lebanon war and the Sabra and Shatila massacre looks fascinating. It won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and is shortlisted for an Oscar nomination. But I have not seen it yet. I'd be interested from hearing from people who have.

Unbuggable Skype?

James Bamford's recent book, "The Shadow Factory" (which I've reviewed for this Sunday's NYT) makes a convincing, if often disjointed case that just about everything we say or do online is monitored by the government. As an expatriate who communicates with a lot of characters who are not popular with their own government, or ours, I take it for granted that any or all of my conversations, whether spoken or written, are liable to be tapped. So I was interested to read in Bamford's book (pp 255-56) that Skype calls are "virtually unbuggable" because the security "is achieved by end-to-end encryption for all calls to other members. Such technology makes it possible to fight back against the proliferating eavesdropping factories."
Whew. Let's hope.

NYT Book Review: Dickey on the NSA and Mumbai

BOOK REVIEW

'The Shadow Factory' How eavesdropping became big business

By Christopher Dickey

Published: January 9, 2009

The Shadow Factory The Ultra-Secret NSA From 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America By James Bamford 395 pages. Doubleday. $27.95.

'Probably the best place within the entire region to install a listening post is the Indian city of Mumbai," James Bamford writes in "The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America," his latest book about the all-seeing, all-hearing National Security Agency. Without question, he says, Mumbai "represents the kind of location where the N.S.A. would seek to establish a secret presence." And such a place, he notes elsewhere in his book, "presents an extremely tempting target for terrorists."

As it happened, I read those lines at precisely the same time that Mumbai became the scene of a bloody three-day siege that killed more than 170 people and wounded many hundreds. Telecoms were not attacked, and whether there was some symbolic connection between the NSA's ambitions and the terrorists' targeting is not a question that can be answered definitively here and now or, perhaps, ever. But it's a fair bet that Bamford will find a way to work the bloodbath at the Taj Mahal hotel into the long NSA narrative that he began with "The Puzzle Palace" in 1982, followed up with "Body of Secrets" in 2001, and may well continue after the present book. These are the kinds of details, or coincidences, that Bamford loves. .... (more)

Hollywood Torture Hype

NYPD New Year's Eve 2007

Blair on Gaza: Looking Old, Looking Useless

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Rami Khouri: Why Hamas and Hezbollah Will Be Hard to Defeat

BEIRUT -- Many analogies are being made between the ongoing Israeli attack against Hamas in Gaza and the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Here are the most important ones, in my view.

The first is about provenance: Hamas and Hezbollah did not exist before around 1982. Their birth and strength must be understood largely as a response to Israel's occupation and colonization policies in Palestine and Lebanon, alongside other secondary reasons.... (more)

Haaretz: The Big Picture

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052336.html

Useful background on strategy.

NY Daily News: Mayor Bloomberg whisked into bomb shelter in Israel as rocket fire errupts during solidarity trip

News | 01/04/2009 Mayor Bloomberg whisked into bomb shelter in Israel as rocket fire errupts during solidarity trip By KATHLEEN LUCADAMO Mayor Bloomberg braved embattled Israeli neighborhoods today during a solidarity visit -- and found himself hustled into a bomb shelter as rockets landed less than a mile from where he was standing....

Iran's security chief meets Hamas, Jihad leaders in Damascus over Gaza

DAMASCUS, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Saeed Jalily, Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, met here Saturday with exiled Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Meshaal and Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad Ramadan Abdullah Shallah over the situation in the Gaza Strip.

They discussed "the serious situations in Gaza Strip due to the continuing Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, and the Arab and Islamic movements needed to stop this aggression and liftthe siege," said Syria's official SANA news agency.

According to SANA, Jalily told reporters after the meeting that his visit to Syria is for discussing the serious situations in Gaza and ways to reach an effective Arab and Islamic stance to support the Palestinian people.... (more)

US blocks UN Security Council action on Gaza

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xgsFgJm2

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Securing The City - Talks and Signings (Update)

New York City

Feb. 2, 2009 -- 6:00 pm -- The Overseas Press Club

Feb. 3 -- 6:00 pm -- NYU Center on Law & Security


Washington, D.C.

Feb. 4 -- 6:45 -- Smithsonian Institute


Atlanta

Feb. 9 -- 7:00 pm -- Jimmy Carter Library


Chicago

Feb. 11 -- 11:30 am -- Union League Club luncheon


Los Angeles Area

Feb. 12 -- 6 pm -- Orange County World Affairs Council, Costa Mesa

Feb. 13 -- 7 pm -- Book Soup, Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles


San Francisco

Feb. 17 -- 7 pm -- Books, Inc.


New York City

Feb. 18 - St. Theresa Lecture, Briarcliff Manor


New York City

Feb. 19 -- 6:15 pm -- private function


Houston

Feb. 23 -- 6 pm -- Houston Forum


Dallas

Feb. 24 -- 6 pm -- World Affairs Council

Reuters.com - Muslim family booted off U.S. airline gets apology

Muslim family booted off U.S. airline gets apology Fri Jan 02 21:55:08 UTC 2009 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Muslim family that was ordered off an AirTran Airways flight on New Year's Day received an apology and refund on Friday from the airline, which said its decision to bar the passengers was necessary. Atif Irfan said in an interview with CNN that federal authorities removed him, seven family members and a friend from the flight after passengers overheard members of the group talking about the safest place to sit on the plane. He said they were being careful to avoid any "buzzwords" like "bomb" that would trigger a security alert. The group was flying out of Reagan Washington National Airport and was headed for a religious retreat in Florida when other passengers apparently overheard the conversation and reported it to authorities. AirTran, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc., issued a statement apologizing to the nine and the other passengers who were inconvenienced by the incident. It said the airfare of the nine was refunded and other passengers would be reimbursed for expenses incurred by taking other flights. "We apologize to all of the passengers -- to the nine who had to undergo extensive interviews from the authorities, and to the 95 who ultimately made the flight," the discount airline said in a statement. "While ultimately this issue proved to be a misunderstanding, the steps taken were necessary," it said. An earlier AirTran statement said the airline complied with all Transportation Security Administration and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the case. All 104 passengers aboard the flight were taken off and rescreened and their baggage was checked again, AirTran said. Of the nine passengers in the group, six asked to be rebooked to Florida, AirTran said. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said it filed a complaint on Friday with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Islamic civil rights group said in a statement it was working with the Muslim passengers and the airline to address the civil liberties issues related to the incident. "We believe this disturbing incident would never have occurred had the Muslim passengers removed from the plane not been perceived by other travelers and airline personnel as members of the Islamic faith," the group said in its complaint. Kashif Irfan, Atif's brother, told The Washington Post he thought the group, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens, were profiled because of their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the group are of South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves. Kashif Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist, and his brother Atif, 29, is a lawyer, the Post reported. Both live in Alexandria, Virginia. Atif Irfan told CNN U.S. law enforcement officials treated the group with kindness but the family is upset that the airline did not allow the group to reboard the plane or rebook a flight after they had been cleared of any wrongdoing. The Post reported the group booked a flight on US Airways after the incident. (Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Eric Beech) This service is not intended to encourage spam. The details provided by your colleague have been used for the sole purpose of facilitating this email communication and have not been retained by Thomson Reuters. Your personal details have not been added to any database or mailing list. If you would like to receive news articles delivered to your email address, please subscribe at www.reuters.com/newsmails © Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world. Quotes and other data are provided for your personal information only, and are not intended for trading purposes. Thomson Reuters and its data providers shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the quotes or other data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Gaza: Brian Lehrer interviews Chris Dickey

Gaza: A Return to Deterrence?

Newsweek

A Return to Deterrence

Hollywood and the Feds

In case you missed it earlier in the month, this appeared in The New York Post:

STAR'S G-MAN BEAU BUSTED
FBI AGENT SPIED AS 'FAVOR' FOR FIORENTINO

Naturally, they met at Elaine's, a venue almost as important to a certain class of New York law enforcement officer as One Police Plaza or the FBI field office. Rossini -- handsome, polished and very well connected -- was probably the biggest counterterror celebrity in the Bureau.

Gaza Gets Worse

Israeli troops mobilize as Gaza assault widens

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=NG3R0KdK

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Fewer Cops Killed

Police officer deaths drop in 2008

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=k1qBvNpL

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NYTimes.com: Unspooked

MAGAZINE | December 28, 2008 Philip Agee | b. 1935: Unspooked By RICK PERLSTEIN The spy who turned his back on the C.I.A. Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy

Gaza Bombing: Watching for Regional Escalaton

The scale of these Israeli strikes has to be viewed as more than
retaliation. It is in effect a test, seeing who will react, and how
dramatically. The pro forma Arab condemnations, Abu Mazen's feeble
call for restraint, and protests by "dozens" of Palestinians in Syrian
and Lebanese camps signify little. The question mark is Hezbollah and,
in the background, Iran. Will they respond as they did in the summer
of 2006, when Gaza was under siege in the south and they opened up on
Israel's northern front? Is Israel ready to respond if they do? And is
Lebanon ready for that response? All delicate and dangerous
calculations. After Hezbollah's leading terrorist, Imad Mugniyeh, was
blown up in Damascus last spring, Nasrallah vowed to take revenge
outside the normal theaters of confrontation. That could mean
anywhere, literally, as with the example of the Argentine attacks in
the 1990s. Has Hezbollah held back waiting for the right political
moment? This could be it.

And we can also expect Al Qaeda to try to get in on the action, most
likely with another video from Ayman Zawahiri.

Israel strikes demolish Hamas compounds, kill 192

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=fjQcsns0

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Somalia: Pirates and Rising Powers

China targets pirates in groundbreaking mission

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=CUevTxZX

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Can Homemade GMO WMDs Be Far Behind?

Hobbyists are trying genetic engineering at home

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=HFDPmrpk

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Terror: The Shape of Things to Come?

Homeland Security forecasts 5-year terror threats

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=9ZGVNOgD

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BBC News - Bombs Found In Bangladesh

Of possible interest if JMB has active support networks in the UK
other EU states or USA.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/i/bbc_news/top_stories/779/77999/story7799910.shtml?

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NYTimes.com: Young Muslims Build a Subculture on an Underground Book

US | December 23, 2008 Young Muslims Build a Subculture on an Underground Book By CHRISTOPHER MAAG A five-year-old novel about punk rock Muslims in Buffalo has inspired many who reconcile religious observance with being an "angry American youth."

Fort Dix Verdix

5 convicted of plotting to kill Fort Dix soldiers

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Yaz75Km6

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My office e-mail remains: chris.dickey@newsweek.com

BBC News: Cheney's Endless War

http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/i/bbc_news/top_stories/778/77890/story7789005.shtml?

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NYTimes.com: Tumult in Iraqi Parliament Over Shoe Hurling

This page was sent to you by:  csdickey@yahoo.com Message from sender: The shoe saga continues... INTERNATIONAL / MIDDLE EAST   | December 18, 2008 Tumult in Iraqi Parliament Over Shoe Hurling By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and ATHEER KAKAN A session of the Iraqi Parliament erupted in an uproar on Wednesday as the continuing detention of an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at President Bush was hotly debated. 1. Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing 2. Op-Ed Columnist: The Great Unraveling 3. In Successful Paris Restaurant, Jewish Roots 4. Obama Pledge Stirs Hope in Early Education 5. Colonoscopies Miss Many Cancers, Study Finds »  Go to Complete List Advertisement Slumdog Millionaire From visionary Director Danny Boyle, nominated for 4 Golden Globe Awards, including Best Picture-Drama. Now Playing in select theatres. Click here to view trailer Copyright 2008  The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy

Ga. judge jails Muslim woman over head scarf

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=jNvPGA9G

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Homegrown Terrorism: Dumb and Dumber

CAMDEN, New Jersey (Reuters) - Five Muslim men accused of planning an attack on a U.S. army base had no intention of following through even though they shared Muslim anger toward America after September 11, defense attorneys said on Tuesday.

The men, all born outside the United States, plotted but did not execute an attack on Fort Dix in New Jersey and discussed attacks on other installations including Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and the U.S. Coast Guard in Philadelphia, prosecutors say.

They were arrested in May 2007 and face life in prison if convicted....

This group is typical of the "homegrown terrorist" threat which I examine at length in Securing the City. One of the great common traits among such plotters is their stunning stupidity, which is then exploited by undercover officers or confidential informants who may act as facilitators, organizers, even "spiritual sanctioners," in the jargon of the NYPD's extensive report on "Radicalization in the West." (pdf)

When the members of such cells come to trial, they typically claim not only that they were entrapped but, inevitably and not without cause, they plead ignorance. Unfortunately, stupid people kill people, too. Several of the World Trade Center bombers in 1993 were pretty dim bulbs, and one, Mohammed Salameh who tried to get back the deposit on the rental truck he blew up, was moronic. But six people died, many more might have been killed, and the event set off a chain of events and created a web of connections that culminated in the disastrous second attack of 9/11.

In fact, the greatest danger is that a "homegrown" collection of homicidal dimwits will be missed by the cops, or not taken seriously, then hook up with someone much brighter who knows how to organize them and exploit them. In the 1993 plot, that role was played for a while by an FBI informant, but when the feds got bored with his stories and dropped him from the payroll, the cell managed to reach out to ... Ramzi Yousef, a true terrorist mastermind, and the nephew of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, the brains behind 9/11.

The Fort Dix case, fortunately, was broken by a clerk at Circuit City. This is from the original complaint, the full text of which can be found as a pdf at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/DukaDritanComplaint.pdf :

1. On or about January 31, 2006, a representative of a retail store informed officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) that an individual had brought a video to their store to be duplicated into a digital video disk (“DVD”). That DVD depicted conduct – recorded as having occurred on January 3, 2006 – that the store representative described as disturbing. FBI agents reviewed the DVD in question. The DVD depicted 10 young men who appeared to be in their early twenties
shooting assault weapons at a firing range in a militia-like
style while calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic “Allah Akbar” (“God is Great”). The FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force (“JTTF”) immediately commenced an investigation into the activities of the men depicted in the DVD.
2. The FBI identified the 10 men depicted in the DVD, six of whom are: MOHAMAD SHNEWER, DRITAN DUKA, a/k/a “Distan Duka,” a/k/a “Anthony Duka,” a/k/a “Tony Duka,” ELJVIR DUKA, a/k/a “Elvis Duka,” a/k/a “Sulayman,” SHAIN DUKA, SERDAR TATAR, and AGRON ABDULLAHU. Immigration and Customs Enforcement checks show that DRITAN DUKA, ELJVIR DUKA, and SHAIN DUKA are illegally residing in the United States.
3. In or about March 2006, a cooperating witness (“CW-1") successfully
infiltrated this group ...

Sock and Awe

Is it time to start feeling sorry for President Bush? Probably not as sorry as we should feel for the Iraqis or, for that matter, the environment, the economy, the state of the nation and the world. But, still... For the surprisingly spry Bush to face the slings and arrows, or at least the shoes, of an outraged Iraqi while on his farewell, things-are-finally-getting-better visit to Baghdad is a bit much. As an American, I don't want to see my president treated this way, even this president.

For a British Web developer to cobble together, in a matter of hours, a video game called "Sock and Awe" that allows you to hurl a virtual Topsider at Bush's face with the click of a mouse, well, that is adding silly insult to non-injury. (Maybe a Dana Perino pop-up for extra points will be added to version 2.0.)

And then there is the matter of the "Intelligence Squared U.S." debate on NPR, which asked if Bush is the worst president of the last 50 years. The proposition was so shockingly disrespectful that I thought, truly, the pack-hunting press had begun to go too far. But then I looked at the defense of Bush put up by William Kristol and Carl Rove, and, you know, it's hard to contemplate the continued, unreprentant sophistry without wanting to throw a shoe or two yourself.

December Dynamite; Bomb Threats in Paris

Police find dynamite at Paris department store

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=7Jm8hGNI

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Mafias: A Sicilian comeback?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/i/bbc_news/top_stories/778/77851/story7785133.shtml?

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Oregon bank bombing suspect charged with murder

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=TKYUjnP8

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FRANCE

President On the Precipice

Sarkozy is a loose cannon with no real opposition. So far, he's fared well. But that could change.

Olivier Laban-Mattei / AFP-Getty Images

An Obama-inspired poster of President Sarkozy inside a Paris subway station

By Christopher Dickey and Tracy McNicoll | NEWSWEEK

Published Dec 13, 2008

Mumbai gunman's confession sheds light on massacre

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=d5OWkflS

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Not all terrorism is Islamic.

Bomb explodes at Oregon bank; at least 1 injured

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_8537/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=uqyTFiqS

In fact most incidents in the United States are related to the far
right or to radical animal rights groups. And explosives are becoming a relatively common method to settle personal scores. So this kind of incident bears
watching, even though it is likely to fade from the headlines very
quickly.

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The usual suspects, or something more?

6 alleged Islamic extremists charged in Belgium

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=NCsqfpv4

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Torture: If this is true, what consequences?

Panel blames White House, not soldiers, for abuse

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=GTGdb8Hq

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Save the Dates to Secure Your City

The current dates for the Securing the City tour include:


New York City

Feb. 2, 2009 -- 6:00 pm -- The Overseas Press Club

Feb. 3 -- 6:00 pm -- NYU Center on Law & Security


Washington, D.C.

Feb. 4 -- 6:45 -- Smithsonian Institute


Atlanta

Feb. 9 -- 7:00 pm -- Jimmy Carter Library


Chicago

Feb. 11 -- 11:30 am -- Union League Club luncheon


Los Angeles Area

Feb. 12 -- 6 pm -- Orange County World Affairs Council, Costa Mesa

Feb. 13 -- 7 pm -- Book Soup, Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles


San Francisco

Feb. 17 -- 7 pm -- Books, Inc.


New York City

Feb. 19 -- 6:15 pm -- Colony Club dinner


Houston

Feb. 23 -- 6 pm -- Houston Forum


Dallas

Feb. 24 -- 6 pm -- World Affairs Council

Bravo, Obama.

Rumsfeld nemesis Shinseki to be named VA secretary

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=eTC4qylf

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