Extra Extra : Terrorism

FBI to agents: “Mainstream” Muslims are “terrorists in waiting”

Spencer Ackerman, of WIRED.com Danger Room, has acquired dozens of FBI training materials on counter terrorism and Islam. The training material argues that it does not matter whether or not American Muslims are law abiding citizens, “the Islamic “insurgency” is all-encompassing and insidious. In addition to outright combat, its “techniques” include “immigration” and “law suits.” So if a Muslim wishes to become an American or sues the FBI for harassment, it’s all just part of the jihad.” The documents claim (using DocumentCloud) that “Islam ‘transforms [a] country’s culture into 7th-century Arabian ways.’”’

When Ackerman pressed the FBI ...

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Food anti-terror plan costing billions, but is it working?

After the attacks on September 11, 2001 President George Bush told the nation that he would make certain that the food we eat would be safe from chemical terrorist threats from the ‘farm to the fork’. However, with no single agency in charge of policing our farms, factories, warehouses, or grocery stores, this multi-headed bureaucracy appears to be a huge money drain. In the past ten years, it has managed to spend nearly 3.5 billion dollars with little to show.

Nevertheless, “top U.S. food defense authorities insist that the initiatives have made the food supply safer and say ...

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Post-9/11 laws blurring the line of terrorism

“The Sept. 11 attacks prompted almost every nation to adopt or toughen anti-terror laws. Until now, no one followed up to see who was impacted. In an unprecedented 9-month investigation, journalists in more than 100 countries found that at least 35,000 people have been convicted on terror charges since 2001, from bombers to bloggers.AP National Writer Martha Mendoza, aided by colleagues on six continents, reported the story beyond the numbers, how the war against terror is shifting to courts, and how some countries misuse their laws to curb dissent.

The foggy 13-year hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Identity revealed in fatality at CIA secret prison

The name of the only known fatality from a secret prison network that the CIA operated overseas after the 9/11 attacks is finally known, due to an Associated Press investigation of his imprisonment and death. Gul Rahman, a suspected militant imprisoned in a CIA compound code-named the Salt Pit near Kabul, was found dead in his cell in 2002. AP writers Adam Goldman, Kathy Gannon, Robert H. Reid and investigative researcher Randy Herschaft teamed up in the investigation.

Tobacco and terrorism

In its latest series of articles, The Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists looks at illegal cigarette trade in China, Paraguay and Ukraine. The articles show how China has emerged as the epicenter for the global cigarette counterfeiting business, while Paraguay and Ukraine have fostered billion-dollar black markets. The series also looks at how terrorist cells are turning to the illegal tobacco trade for funding.

Al-Queda's propaganda campaign flourishes online

Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post continues his coverage of the propaganda campaigns at the heart of the war on terrorism. Al-Queda has turned to the internet to spread its message. "Taking advantage of new technology and mistakes by its adversaries, al-Qaeda's core leadership has built an increasingly prolific propaganda operation, enabling it to communicate constantly, securely and in numerous languages with loyalists and potential recruits worldwide," reports Whitlock.

Taxpayer-funded network mismanaged, fails to avoid propaganda

A joint ProPublica-CBS 60 Minutes investigation finds that the U.S.taxpayer-funded news network Al-Hurra is "woefully mismanaged and poorly supervised despite complaints from Congress." The network was launched in 2004 to, as President Bush put it, "cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda" in the Arab world. As it turns out, it has a very small audience and at times has included anti-Israeli propaganda. The story will air Sunday, June 22 on 60 Minutes with an accompanying series on the ProPublica website.

Many U.S. detainees wrongly imprisoned

A report by Tom Lasseter of McClatchy Newspapers reveals that the U.S has wrongly imprisoned dozens of men "in Afghanistan, Cuba and elsewhere on the basis of flimsy or fabricated evidence, old personal scores or bounty payments." The report comes after an 8-month investigation spanning 11 countries on three continents. "Of the 66 detainees whom McClatchy interviewed, the evidence indicates that 34 of them, about 52 percent, had connections with militant groups or activities. At least 23 of those 34, however, were Taliban foot soldiers, conscripts, low-level volunteers or adventure-seekers who knew nothing about global terrorism. Only seven of ... Read more ...