PRI’s The World has some interesting pieces on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear program advances as well as China’s influence – or lack thereof – with Pyongyang. Check it out…
Sci-fi writers + Homeland Security = bad movie plot threat scenarios
Interesting Wired story on how, a few years back, DHS hired a bunch of science fiction writers to come in for a day and think of ways terrorists could attack America. The rationale being, “If our inability to prevent 9/11 marked a failure of imagination, as some said at the time, then who better than science fiction writers to inject a little imagination into counterterrorism planning?”
The writer surmised this was a bad idea: “More imagination leads to more movie-plot threats — which contributes to overall fear and overestimation of the risks. And that doesn’t help keep us safe at all.”
He contrasts it with the events last month at the 2009 Homeland Security Science & Technology Stakeholders Conference in Washington D.C., where “science fiction writers helped the attendees think differently about security” by what sounds like brainstorming about tactical and strategic solutions (and gadgets).
H/T: The Rhetorican for the excellent tips, as always.
Investigative NYT reporter escapes from seven-month imprisonment in Afghanistan
NYT investigative reporter “known for making investigative trips deep inside dangerous conflict zones” escaped from seven months of imprisonment by militants. Apparently he and an Afghani reporter colleague who was also imprisoned climbed over a wall and found a Pakistani army scout who took them to a military base.
He’d been captured while en route to meet and interview a Taliban commander; reportedly other militants nabbed him on the way there.
Saudi suspected of ties with Al Qaeda surrenders in Yemen
Reuters, via the The Khaleej Times, reports that Nayef Yahya al-Harbi surrendered to Yemeni security forces this week. This high-profile arrest, along with an alleged arrest of “al Qaeda’s top financier” the authorities claimed to have made, comes in the wake of killings of three international hostages in Yemen last week.
This small country on the southernmost portion of the Arabian Peninsula is experiencing a burgeoning growth in Islamic militancy among its populace. Faced with this challenge, Yemeni officials seem to be looking to their Saudi neighbor as a model for counter terrorism: implement superficial counter insurgent measures, look the other way when dealing with your jihadis and try not to piss them off, and blame other groups you want to get rid of (here, the Houthi tribal group who are members of a Shia Muslim sect) for terrorist acts that the Islamic militants in your country are probably committing.
Click here for my previous posts of Yemen as a potential safe haven for terrorists.
ICE to have authority to investigate drug crimes
The NYT reports that in the wake of such high amounts of drug related violence last year, the Obama administration is set to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement the authority to investigate drug crimes.
Confirmation and exact details of the plans will be released at a later date; presumably the administration will address the shared investagatory role that ICE and the DEA will have.
In Tehran, hundreds of thousands march in silent protest to election
We are continuing to follow the opposition protests to Ahmadinejad’s reported victory in the recent Iranian elections. The NYT reports that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called for a inquiry into opposition claims that the election was rigged in favor of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Moussavi emerges briefly to address the crowd
Now that's a protest.
It seems though not many people know much about Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh (میرحسین موسوی خامنه), the popular opposition candidate in the Iranian presidential elections. He was formerly Prime Minister of Iran, serving from 1981-89. He is a painter, architect, President of the Iranian Academy of Arts and is a notable reformist politician. His wife Zahra Rahnavard is a former chancellor of Alzahra University and a one-time political advisor to Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami.
The broad river of people — young and old, dressed in traditional Islamic gowns and the latest Western fashions — marched slowly from Revolution Square to Freedom Square for more than three hours, many of them wearing the signature bright green ribbons of Mr. Moussavi’s campaign, and holding up their hands in victory signs. When the occasional shout or chant went up, the crowd quickly hushed them, and some held up signs bearing the word “silence.”
“These people are not seeking a revolution,” said Ali Reza, a young actor in a brown T-shirt who stood for a moment watching on the rally’s sidelines. “We don’t want this regime to fall. We want our votes to be counted, because we want reforms, we want kindness, we want friendship with the world.”
Here’s to reform and respecting the will of the Iranian people.
“Elaborate” smuggling tunnel found along U.S.-Mexico border
CNN reports that an elaborate tunnel was found along the U.S.-Mexico border, with one end coming out in Nogales, AZ , straight south of Tucson. The incomplete tunnel spanning over 80 feet reportedly has ceiling construction, electrical work coming from the Mexican side, and tubing for ventilation, lighting, and additional wiring.
Border Patrol found the tunnel last week; it is the latest in a series of 16 tunnels successfully found since October. The article seems to suggest Border Patrol was confident the tunnel was commissioned and probably intended for smuggling drugs.
A resident tipped off the patrol about construction activity through the wall of a building in Nogales, Arizona. Agents arrested two people cutting a hole.
FBI encountered Little Rock shooter in Yemen a year ago…
NPR’s All Things Considered reports that Abdulhakim Muhammad, the American-born Muslim accused of the deadly shooting outside a Little Rock, AK military recruiting center, was first encountered by FBI agents a year ago in a Yemeni prison, where they interviewed him.
While details are murky as to why he was imprisoned, he was reportedly affiliated with a Yemeni school with terrorist ties. He was also in possession of a fake Somali passport even though he also had a valid U.S. passport. Agents began a preliminary investigation on Muhammad after the initial interview and even after he was deported from Yemen back to the U.S., agents visited him several times; however, they had nothing on him apart from his affiliations.
Click here for the story.
Click here for my post discussing Yemen as a haven for terrorists.
Militant jihadis seek motivated white supremacists…
…to assist in smuggling a bioweapon i.e. Anthrax through tunnels under the U.S.-Mexico border to attack the U.S. Not only would the “fighter” carrying the Anthrax be required to make it through the tunnels; he “will go to the White House lawn, and will spread this ‘confetti’ all over them, and then we’ll do these cries of joy. It will turn into a real celebration.”
This was the substance of a message broadcast earlier this year in an Al-Qaeda recruiter’s video equivalent of a Craigslist ad/birthday wish. Authorities have recently authenticated the broadcast showing “Kuwaiti dissident Abdullah al-Nafisi telling a room full of supporters in Bahrain that al Qaeda is casing the U.S. border with Mexico to assess how to send terrorists and weapons into the U.S.”
Interesting to see whether/how much Mexican drug dealers and traffickers would participate in this enterprise. If it had the potential to be too disruptive to their operations, I think they’d make sure it didn’t happen (via a discussion with The Rhetorican).
And, for what it’s worth, I believe that Mexican cartel lords are equally ruthless and much smarter than most of al Qaeda’s recruiters and top brass (especially Abdullah al-Nafisi).
Kuwaiti dissident Abdullah al-Nafisi outlines his plan
Click here for story.
Chavez’s plans for the worst present ever…
Aaaand, bigmouth strikes again.
Being the free wheeling, attention seeking, socialist loose cannon that he is, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez couldn’t resist opening up to the press on his plans for his next gift to Obama: Lenin’s “What Is to Be Done?” arguably one of the most influential texts on the pre-revolutionary Russian socialist movement. And (having had to read it as part of an undergrad history assignment) an extremely boring read.
Reportedly, he did so during a marathon anniversary edition of his broadcast television show, “Hello, President!” I assume he was on day three and feeling a little loopy. Although, perhaps he’s taking a cue from our POTUS in his style of gift giving.
Click here for interesting Times Online piece, “This is President Hugo Chavez speaking, do not adjust your sets…”
...and this is your brain on a four day marathon of "Hello, President!"
Oh, and here’s a “candid” picture of Chavez talking about his t.v. show. Enjoy.
Al Qaeda: terrorism’s equivalent of a fast food franchise!
AP (via MSNBC) reports that Al Qaeda continues to form allegiances with homegrown groups sharing similar goals e.g. the al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM or AQLIM) in Algeria. Put simply, Al Qaeda trains them and lends them their brand name, and in return the ubiquitous group gets more members at their disposal and a greater reach across areas like northern and western Africa and Europe.
Note: some of you might remember that AQLIM was the group whose training camp was decimated by the bubonic plague this past January. Click here for my post.
Ironic that their business model is based on one of the Western concepts they most despise. One could argue the joke is meant to be on us, but I thought the point was to find culturally non-Western, Islamic ways of doing things and prove they work better than Western concepts? What do I know, I’m just an infidel.
Can “tweets” on your whereabouts encourage burglaries?
This report suggests it might, particularly when people tweet about their vacation plans.
(via a reader’s tip)
“Baby got an atom bomb”: IAEA announces that Iran has enough LEU to go nuclear
Reuters/NYT just ran a story on the IAEA report that Iran is “ramping up” nuclear production of low enriched uranium (LEU) to the point where it has 5000 centrifuges operating. Note that this number of operational centrifuges isn’t really news. Back in November 2008, Iran’s nuclear chief announced that the country was running 5,000 uranium centrifuges at its central plant, up 1,000 from the 4,000 reported in August.
I’m guessing that what is news is that Iran’s stockpile of LEU is at 1339 kg , nearly triple what it had six months ago.
In any case, these operations are in direct defiance to U.N. demands that Iran cease its nuclear program. Iran claims it wants the industry for the purposes of alternative energy; however, it has stonewalled an IAEA investigation and limited its inspections.
To actually produce a bomb it would require conversion of the low enriched uranium into high enriched uranium, a process requiring the configuration of its centrifuge network and other time consuming “technical hurdles.” Inspectors would notice the process…unless they already have a secret site location where this is taking place.
BTW, has any one seen Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan lately? Pakistan released him from house arrest a few months ago. You know, the rogue nuclear scientist, dubbed the “largest nuclear proliferator in history”, who has admitted to selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya? Anyone?
Click here for more on Iran and its pursuit of weapons capability.
Arsonist given the death penalty in Riverside County
NYT reports that a Riverside County judge handed down the death penalty to convicted arsonist Raymond Lee Oyler for the deaths of five firefighters resulting from the commission of his crimes. In March 2009, a jury convicted Oyler of “5 counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of using an incendiary device and 20 counts of arson for setting fires in the mountains of the San Gorgonio Pass, 90 miles east of Los Angeles, over a six-month period in 2006.”
In their book, Profiling Violent Crimes (3rd ed.) Ronald Holmes and Stephen Holmes cite statistics where 41% of arsonists commit the crimes out of revenge, and 30% commit it for excitement.
[Common] emotional state[s]and behavior[s] just prior to firesetting: mounting tension and anxiety; restlessness – an urge for motion; conversion symptoms [e.g.] headaches, pressure in the head…;a sense that the personailty was merging into a state of unreality; and an uncontrollable urge or irresistable impulse to set fires.
<
