Tag Archives: Al Qaeda

Top Cleric of Yemen’s Al-Qaeda Branch Killed

A terrorist leader with a $5 million bounty on his head has been killed in Yemen.

Yemen’s Al-Qaeda branch posted a statement saying that Ibrahim al-Rubaish was killed along with other terrorists in a Sunday night drone strike.  The statement did not say where the strike that killed the terrorist leader took place.

Al-Rubaish once was imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay but had been released in 2006.  He joined Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni branch and was considered the main theological advisor to the group.  His writings and sermons were among the most viewed in terrorist publications.

If the drone attack is verified, it will be the first drone strike since the country devolved into war when Islamic terrorists backed by Iran advanced into the nation.  Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of airstrikes against the terrorist’s advances.

Al-Qaeda is a rival of the advancing terrorist group and has launched their own assaults to stop the advanced of the Iranian-backed group.  U.S. intelligence sources say that as Al-Qaeda is forced to focus on stopping the terrorist advance, they have less resources and time to plot against Western interests in the region.

Tunisia Arrests 23-Member Terror Cell

Tunisian officials announced that a 23-member terror cell has been arrested in connection with the attack on the Bardo Museum that left 20 tourists and police dead.

All of the members of the jihadist network were Tunisian.  Officials say they are looking for another Tunisian, two Moroccans and an Algerian who have connections to the terrorist networks.

The Tunisian man was identified as Maher Ben Mouldi Kaidi, also known as the “third attacker”, that provided the weapons for the terror attack.

The investigators say they have confirmation that the group was connected with Al-Qaeda, not ISIS as originally believed by some investigators.  The group was working with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

AQIM had been the segment of the terrorist group that had been in control of much of Mali until French forces drove them out of the major cities and into the mountains.

 

Pakistani Man Found Guilty Of Terrorism In New York

A Pakistani man who was brought to the U.S. from Great Britain on terrorism charges has been found guilty.

Abid Naseer was found guilty in a jury trial of providing material support to al-Qaeda and conspiracy to use a destructive device.  He faces life in prison at his sentencing as part of the condition for him to be extradited for trial is that the death penalty would not be considered.

The jury’s decision took a day after closing arguments on Monday.

“If the defendant hadn’t been stopped, hundreds of innocent men, women and children wouldn’t be alive today,” prosecutor Zainab Ahmed said during closing arguments. “He was trying to cover up his motive for revenge against the United States and its NATO allies. Revenge was the defendant’s motive.”

Naseer defended himself in court and said that the government did nothing to prove connection to al-Qaeda and all the email communications they pointed out where just him trying to find a wife.

Islamists Call For Attacks On American Malls

A video released by an Al-Qaeda affiliate is calling for attacks on malls in the United States and other parts of the western world.

Al-Shabaab release the video Saturday citing three malls:  The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada; Oxford Street shopping area in London, England.

The terror group, which was behind the deadly Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya in 2013, showed images of that assault at the start of the clip before issuing a call.

“If just a handful of mujahedeen fighters could bring Kenya to a complete standstill for nearly a week then imagine what a dedicated mujahedeen in the West could do to the American or Jewish-owned shopping centers across the world?” he asks. “What if such an attack were to occur in the Mall of America in Minnesota? Or the West Edmonton Mall in Canada? Or in London’s Oxford Street?”

“What would be the implications of such an attack? One could only imagine. And all it takes is a man with firm determination,” he continues. “So hurry up, hasten towards Heaven and do not hesitate.”

The Mall of America announced they have increased security in response to the video.  The Department of Homeland Security said they are aware of the video and they’re taking steps to analyze the footage.

Jeh Johnson, head of Homeland Security, said people shopping need to be careful.

“If anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they’ve got to be particularly careful,” he said. “There will be enhanced security there, but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important, and it’s the environment we’re in, frankly.”

Yemen’s Fall Took U.S. Intelligence By Surprise

The top counterterrorism official for the White House admitted Thursday that the overthrow of the Yemeni government by Islamic extremists had taken U.S. intelligence services by surprise.

National Counterterrorism Center Director Nick Rasmussen told the Senate Intelligence Committee the Yemeni army’s response to the advancing rebels was similar to Iraqi forces who simply laid down arms before ISIS last summer.

“As the Houthi advances toward Sanaa [Yemen’s capital] took place,” Rasmussen said, “they weren’t opposed in many places. … The situation deteriorated far more rapidly than we expected.”

The terrorists overran the government last September, deposing the U.S. backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The terrorists are providing a safe haven in Yemen for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who carried out the terrorist attacks in Paris on magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Kosher market.

The U.S., Britain and France have closed their embassies in the country and Britain & France have told their citizens to immediately leave Yemen.

Former Al Qaeda Operative Claims Saudis Donated To Terror Group

Zacharias Moussaoui, the former Al Qaeda terrorist incarcerated in the Federal SuperMax Prison, has claimed that members of the Saudi royal family contributed money to Al-Qaeda.

Among the claims of Moussaoui was that he discussed the shooting down of Air Force One using a Stinger missile with a member of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C.  He also said that he created a digital database of donors at the instruction of al-Qaeda leaders which included Prince Turki al-Faisal, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan and Prince al-Waleed bin Talal.

The Saudi government quickly denounced the report.

“Moussaoui is a deranged criminal whose own lawyers presented evidence that he was mentally incompetent,” a statement from the Saudi embassy read. “His words have no credibility.”

While Moussaoui did receive a mental illness diagnosis by a psychologist on his defense team, he was found competent to stand trial for terrorism charges and sentenced to life in prison.

The statements were released as part of a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia by relatives of the 9/11 attack victims.

ISIS Chemical Weapons Expert Killed In Airstrike

A report from a former vice chief of staff for the Army regarding ISIS that was mostly negative had one bright spot from a military standpoint: the top chemical weapons expert for the terror group was killed in an airstrike.

Retired General Jack Keane told new members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that Abu Malik was killed last Saturday in an airstrike near Mosul.  Malik was a chemical weapons engineer for Saddam Hussein who joined al-Qaeda and then ISIS after the fall of Saddam.

“His death is expected to temporarily degrade and disrupt the terrorist network and diminish ISIL’s ability to potentially produce and use chemical weapons against innocent people,” US Central Command said in a statement.

But the news was tempered by Gen. Keane’s view that ISIS has begun to “dominate” in multiple countries.

“After U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq in 2011, ISIS emerged as a terrorist organization in Iraq, moved into Syria in 2012. Is it possible to look at that map in front of you and claim that the United States policy and strategy is working? Or that al-Qaeda is on the run? It is unmistakable that our policies have failed,” Gen. Keane said.

“In my view, we became paralyzed by the fear of adverse consequences in the Middle East after fighting two wars,” he added. “Moreover, as we sit here this morning, in the face of radical Islam, U.S. policymakers refuse to accurately name the movement as radical Islam. We further choose not to define it, nor explain its ideology, and most critical, we have no comprehensive strategy to stop it or defeat it.”

Administration Releases Five Terrorists From Guantanamo

Five Islamic terrorists from Yemen have been released from Guantanamo Bay by the Obama administration and four were sent to Oman.

Oman is right next door to Yemen and it would be likely the terrorists could then simply cross the border into Yemen and return to their terror cells.  The fifth terrorist was sent to Estonia.

“The United States coordinated with the Government of Oman to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures,” the DOD said.

Yemen has been in the spotlight since the terrorist attacks in Paris because the Al Qaeda affiliates located in Yemen planned the operations.  Republican Senators are calling on the administration to stop the release of terrorists from Guantanamo and returning them to Middle East.

“It’s clear that we need a time out,” Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) said.  “Now is not the time to be emptying Guantanamo.”

Al Qaeda Bomb Recipe Causes Airport Security Change

If you will be flying anywhere in the United States over the next few months, prepare for a few extra minutes in the security line.

Al Qaeda published a new “online recipe” for creating bombs that cannot be detected by the current security measures in place at airports.  The result is that the TSA will be conducting random spot checks of carry on baggage at all airports.

Jeh Johnson, head of Homeland Security, met with airline officials to provide them the details of the terrorist thread.  The guidelines from Al Qaeda not only included the bomb mixture but also told bombers where to sit on the planes for maximum damage.

“We have no specific, credible intelligence of an attack of the kind in Paris last week being planned by terrorist organizations in this country,” Johnson said in a statement. “But, the reasons for these measures should be self-evident to the public: the recent attacks in Paris, Ottawa, Sydney, and elsewhere, along with the recent public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on Western objectives, including aircraft, military personnel, and government installations and civilian personnel.”

“The chief Al-Qaeda bombmaker Ibrahim Al-Asiri is innovative in his designs and isn’t to be underestimated,” security expert Ryan Mauro told FoxNews.com. “For Al Qaeda, it is still somewhat of a victory if they can get an explosive on an airliner or even just inside an airport, regardless of whether the device ignites properly.

Al Qaeda Formally Claims Paris Terror Attack

Al Qaeda in Yemen formally claimed responsibility for last week’s terrorist attack on French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The spokesman for the group, Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi, claimed the attack was ordered by the leadership of AQAP because the newspaper had insulted the prophet Mohammad.  The group posted a video with the claim on YouTube.

“As for the blessed Battle of Paris, we…claim responsibility for this operation as vengeance for the Messenger of God,” said Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi.

The attack led by Cherif and Said Kouachi had been called an Islamic terrorist attack from the beginning after the brothers told witnesses at the site of the shooting they were connected to Al Qaeda.  Western leaders downplayed the Al Qaeda connection claiming that they had no direct evidence of Al Qaeda’s guidance.

The terrorists also mocked the peace rally that took place on Sunday.

“Look at how they gathered, rallied and supported each other; strengthening their weakness and dressing their wounds,” it said of Western leaders who attended the event.

“Look carefully at their gathering. They are the same who fought us in Afghanistan and Caucasus, in Gaza, the Levant, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen.”