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CBN News Terrorism Analyst Erick Stakelbeck
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Stakelbeck on Terror
Join with CBN News Terrorism Analyst Erick Stakelbeck
as he brings you the latest inside information on the war on terror here in the U.S. as well as around the world.
january 31, 2006
During his eight years in office, former President Bill Clinton did next to nothing to protect America from the gathering threat posed by radical Islam. Need proof? 1) From 1992-2000, Clinton enacted massive cuts in America’s defense budget which the U.S. military has yet to recover from. 2) In 1993, Clinton chose to cut and run rather than stay and finish the job after 18 U.S. serviceman were killed in Somalia by Al-Qaeda linked rebels during the Battle of Mogadishu (as seen in the film Black Hawk Down).
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january 30, 2006
Al-Qaeda’s number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has released a videotape containing new threats against America and ridiculing President Bush for the January 13 U.S. airstrike in Pakistan, which apparently killed four of al-Zawahiri’s top deputies. Here’s some of the tape’s content, courtesy of foxnews.com...
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january 26, 2006
In what can only be seen as a catastrophic development for the so-called Middle East peace process, the terrorist group Hamas has won the Palestinian parliamentary elections by an overwhelming margin. President Bush said today that America's stance on Hamas hasn't changed--as long as the group continues to seek the destruction of Israel, the U.S. will not deal with it. That's obviously sound policy: Hamas is an inherently evil organization that has the blood of countless innocent Israelis (and some Americans) on its hands. As I show here, its hatred for Americais well-documented. Why, then, did the Bush administration push to have the elections now. rather than postpone them? Indeed, all indications pointed to Hamas possibly winning the elections, yet the U.S. insisted on them going on as planned.
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january 24, 2006
Over the weekend, the radical young Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr left his base in Najaf to visit with Iranian government officials in Tehran. You may remember Al-Sadr from the April 2004 Shiite uprising against Coalition forces in southern Iraq, which he led via his Al-Madhi army. That rebellion was decisively crushed by U.S. troops. Yet Al-Sadr, who, despite being charged with the April 2003 murder of Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah Abd al-Majid al-Khoi at a mosque in Najaf--a crime for which he has yet to be arrested--began rearing his head once again last summer, vowing to participate in Iraq’s political process.
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january 20, 2006
It looks like the rumors of Osama bin Laden’s death were premature. Just last week, National Review Online columnist Michael Ledeen-whose work on Iran and the War on Terror is simply outstanding- reported the following: “according to Iranians I trust, Osama bin Laden finally departed this world in mid-December. The al Qaeda leader died of kidney failure and was buried in Iran, where he had spent most of his time since the destruction of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Iranians who reported this note that this year's message in conjunction with the Muslim Haj came from his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, for the first time.”
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january 16, 2006
Over the past year, I've often wrote about America's porous border with Mexico and the possibility of Islamist terrorists using it to their advantage. Although a number of outstanding terrorism analysts believe that the weakly-guarded, expansive Canadian border is actually at greater risk, the steady barrage of disturbing reports emanating from America's southern boundary cannot be ignored. The latest comes out of Brownsville, TX, where, according to the Brownsville Herald, "Officials are pointing to records in a South Texas drug case with alleged terrorist ties that they say underscores the lack of preparedness [along the souther border]."
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january 13, 2006
Disposable cell phones--which don't require purchasers to sign a contract or have a credit card--have grown in popularity lately. They're particularly popular with people who have bad credit, and are convenient to have on hand in case of an emergency. Even the CIA has used them, because they are nearly impossible to track. Unfortunately, there's a downside: just as they have with the Internet, camera phones, and countless other technological advances, terrorists have utilized these disposable phones as well.
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january 12, 2006
My story describing my December trip to Dearborn, Michigan--a heavily Arab and Muslim suburb of Detroit--aired yesterday on the 700 Club. My apologies for not promoting it on the blog--I was so wrapped it up in putting it all together (the story run over nine minutes) that I simply forgot. But judging from the feedback I've gotten thus far in counterterrorism circles, my description of the radicalism and anti-Semitism I found among prominent Dearborn Muslims is making some waves.
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january 11, 2006
The annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca took place this week. Here is a taste of what to expect, from the Times of India :
West scaring away people from Islam: Saudi cleric
MECCA (Saudi Arabia): A top Saudi cleric told Muslim pilgrims marking the climax of Haj on Tuesday that the West was using the global phenomenon of terrorism to scare people away from Islam and discredit legitimate Muslim causes.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudeis, the state-appointed preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, also called for stability in Iraq and said Islam was innocent of the charge of "terrorism".
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january 9, 2006
Throughout its bloody history, al-Qaeda has often employed a kind of evil genius. 9/11 for example, took five years to plan, and would have been carried out without a wrinkle if not for the brave passengers aboard Flight 93 (which crashed in a remote field in Pennsylvania rather than the hijackers' intended destination: either the White House or the U. S Capitol). But a new report from London's Sunday Mirror describes what may be the ultimate depraved terrorist scheme: the HIV bomber.
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january 5, 2006
Sadly, not according to this piece from the UK Sun:
Englanders need our prayers now more than at any time since the Battle of Britain. If only Britain's current political class had the backbone of Winston Churchill. Alas, the slow, painful march towards Britainistan continues virtually unabated...
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january 3, 2006
Perhaps this bold move by Germany will start a trend in the West. We can only hope. Essential reading here from Daniel Pipes at Frontpage:
Because survey research finds that 21 percent of Muslims living in Germany believe the German constitution irreconcilable with the Koran, the written yes-no questions of yesteryear are history for Muslim applicants for citizenship. As of January 1, 2006, immigration officers who suspect Islamist leanings are instructed to probe further. Personal interviews will now last an hour or two and will be given to an estimated half of naturalization applicants.
The questions amount to a summary of Western values. What do you think of democracy, political parties, religious freedom? What would you do if you learned about a terrorist operation underway? Views of 9/11 are a “key issue,” says Dieter Biller, director of the alien registration office in Stuttgart: Were Jews responsible for it? Were the 19 hijackers terrorists or freedom fighters? Finally, nearly two-thirds of the questions concern gender issues such as women’s rights, husbands beating wives, “honor killings,” female attire, arranged marriages, polygamy, and homosexuality.
Read it all. You won't be disappointed.
december 29, 2005
Sadly, pathetically, this one wasn't hard to predict: U.S. officials are vehemently denying that they secretly monitored Muslims because of their faith. America's "Wahhabi Lobby" is up in arms over the program, which monitored radiation levels at over 100 Muslim sites in the Washington, DC area alone from 2001 to 2003. Here's more, from the Washington Post:
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december 28, 2005
While I was out of town this past week for Christmas vacation, controversy continued to rage in Washington, D.C. over the Bush administration's surveillance of individuals residing within the United States. The latest "bombshell" came over the weekend, when it was revealed that ...
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december 22, 2005
From the "I can't believe they actually said that out loud" department comes two revealing statements from a pair of prominent Western Muslims. First, in Turkey, a lawyer defending 14 suspected al-Qaeda terrorists accused of helping carry out deadly suicide bombings in Istanbul in 2003 (which killed 58 people) told a court that jihad, or holy war, was an obligation for all Muslims. Considering this fact, he said, his clients should not be prosecuted.
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december 20, 2005
With Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in August and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' continued inability (unwillingness?) to enforce some semblance of law and order, the terrorist group Hamas has unquestionably become the most popular faction operating in the Palestinian territories. So much so that Hamas is expected to win--in the very least--a large number of seats in the upcoming Palestinian Parliamentary elections. That's why the craven, pro-Palestinian European Union is threatening to withhold aid to Abbas, and the vehemently anti-Israel government of Egypt wants to see the elections postponed. Yes, even governments that loathe Israel and cowtow to Palestinian jihadis don't want to see an actual jihadist group in charge in Gaza and the West Bank. In particular, Egypt is none too thrilled with the prospect of Hamas running an Islamic terrorist state just across its border.
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December 19, 2005
Apologies for the lack of blogging on my part this week. I was actually in Dearborn, Michigan, a small working-class city just outside Detroit. The city is thought to have the nation's largest Arab/Muslim community, and is home to America's largest mosque. In fact, there are an estimated 450,000 Arabs now living in southeastern Michigan, with 95,000 in Dearborn alone. Dearborn itself is mostly made up of Lebanese and Iraqi Shia Muslims. And from what I witnessed, radicalism--particularly of the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish variety-- is a serious problem among some segments of the community there.
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December 9, 2005
The release of Al-Qaeda video and audiotapes has become somewhat routine since 9/11 (thanks in large part to the group's media echo chamber, Al-Jazeera). So it's no surprise that a video featuring al-Qaeda's number two man--Ayman al-Zawahiri--didn't register much of a reaction when it was released this week. But one part of the tape warrants particular attention. Al-Zawahiri called for attacks on oil installations in Muslim nations, saying most of the oil revenues go to "the enemies of Islam." It's a threat al-Qaeda has made several times. And one that, if carried out properly, could have a devastating effect on the global economy due to skyrocketing gas prices. With a bitter winter already upon us, this would be a particularly horrific blow.
december 8, 2005
Over the past few months, I've written so much about Britain's shameful submission to radical Islam that it's almost become redundant. It's clear by now that Britain's elites refuse to take the tough steps necesarry to defeat the radical Islamic threat festering in their own backyard--even after last July's horriffic London bombings. In fact, Britian's powers-that-be have actually gone to great lengths to encourage a radical, separatist creed amongst Britian's 2 million strong Muslim population. In doing so they are committing national suicide--and paving the way for Britianistan. But this article by columnist Carol Gould gives a firsthand account of the most hideous piece of Islamist groveling yet on the part of the Brits. Please read it all on a full stomach--because if you're like me, you're bound to lose your appetite.
december 7, 2005
A federal jury on Tuesday found former University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian not guilty. Palestinian Islamic JIhad is the terrorist group whose North American branch Al-Arian was accused of heading. The verdict is an absolute travesty of justice and a devastating blow to the U.S. government in its attempts to prosecute terror suspects. See more on Al-Arian's nefarious background here. And for some much-needed sanity, please check out this piece by Robert Spencer about the incomparable Oriana Fallacci.
december 5, 2005
Just a few weeks ago, Australian authorities foiled a major terrorist plot, arresting 17 Islamists in Sydney and Melbourne and preventing what could have been a real catastrophe (chemicals were seized in the raids). Considering this, you'd think that Australia's Islamists might want to keep a low profile these days. But alas, that's not to be--in fact, some of them have put forth a proposal to rename Christmas. So happy "Festive!"
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December 2, 2005
The following item speaks for itself, and underscores the very real threat of terrorists in the United States getting their hands on shoulder-fired missile launchers. From Philadelphia's KYW:
Pilot Reports 'Missile' Fired at Jetliner Near LAX (11/28/05)
FBI agents and Homeland Security officials spent the weekend investigating the report of a possible missile fired at an American Airlines plane taking off from Los Angeles International Airport.
Sources tell ABC News the pilot of American Airlines Flight 621, en route to Chicago, radioed air traffic controllers after takeoff from LAX. He told them a missile had been fired at the aircraft and missed.
The plane was over water when the pilot said he saw a smoke trail pass by the cockpit.
FBI agents believe it was a flare or a bottle rocket, but say they may never know if that's what it actually was.
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december 1, 2005
What to make of Europe? Just when I'm ready to write the Old Continent off as Eurabia-in-the-making, two prominent European officials show some backbone against the gathering Islamist threat. One of them, Germany's new Chancellor, Andrea Merkel, used her first major speech before Parliament Wednesday to take aim at terrorists in Iraq.
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november 30, 2005
Back in July, after Islamic suicide bombers killed 52 Brits and wounded over 700 more, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that "the rules of the game" would be changing in Britain in regards to radical Islam. According to Blair, no longer would radical Islamists be able to spew hatred and incite terror on English soil. But after a few arrests and the deportations of a handful of extremist clerics, things seem to have returned to normal in the U.K. In other words, Islam is well on its way to becoming the dominant religion in Britain by the year 2050--if not sooner. Don't believe me?
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November 22, 2005
Next Tuesday, November 29, my story about the new Saudi scholarship program will air on the 700 Club. The program could ensure that thousands of young Saudis will be coming to American universities to study in the next few years. Three reasons right off the bat why this proposition gives me cause for concern: 1) It goes without saying that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi natives. 2) One of those Saudi hijackers--Hani Hanjour--used a student visa to enter the United States. 3) Saudi students are raised with Saudi Arabia's official state religion--the ultra-radical strain of Islam known as Wahhabism.
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November 21, 2005
For some unexplained reason, two significant victories in the war on terror over this past week have received scant media attention. First, in Italy, three Algerians were detained on November 15 and charged with planning a major seaborne attack that could have killed as many as 10,000 people.
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November 17, 2005
I know the following statement is probably difficult for many to accept, particularly in our ultra-political correct modern society. And I wish I didn't have to write it. But it's an indisputable fact that the overwhelming majority of terrorist acts over the past 25 years have been committed by Muslims acting in the name of Islam. Whether the terrorists' violent interpretation of the Koran is the correct one has been debated endlessly since 9/11; although, in my humble opinion, Koran verses like "Slay the infidels wherever ye find them" and "do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends" are pretty self-explanatory.
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November 16, 2005
Time is of the essence today, but I thought I would leave you all with yet another round of troubling news out of Iran. To fully understand the imminent threat posed by the current Iranian regime, read the following in its entirety, from Iran Focus...
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November 14, 2005
It's common knowledge here in Washington, D.C. that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are little more than allies of convenience for the United States in the war on terror. The Saudis will remain as such until we can find a viable energy alternative that would eliminate our reliance on the Royal Kingdom's vast oil deposits. Likewise, relations with Pakistan will remain warm and fuzzy because the alternative to current President Pervez Musharraf is too frightening to even fathom: a nuclear-armed, Taliban-like Islamist theocracy with a burning hostility towards the West. And, like the U.S., both the Saudi and Pakistani regimes have a vested interest in battling al-Qaeda. Ironically enough, although the current Saudi and Pakistani regimes have done a bang-up job at exporting radical Islam throughout the globe, they're looked on as infidels by their own radical Muslim populations. Apparently, they just aren't extreme enough. Go figure.
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November 11, 2005
While the despicable terrorist attacks in Jordan are garnering major headlines these past few days--and rightfully so--the global jihad continues to march on in other countries around the world as well. One nation that would appear to be an unlikely target--at least compared to its Western European neighbors with large radical Muslim populations--is Ireland. Yet the jihadists apparently have a major problem with the Emerald Isle.
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November 9, 2005
Breaking news out of Jordan, where multiple suicide attacks struck three hotels in the capital city of Amman. Early reports are that there are anywhere between 18 and 23 people dead and over 100 wounded. This number is likely to increase as more information comes in. As it stands, here's the latest from AP at 4 pm Wednesday...
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November 8, 2005
The riots in France are now entering their 13th night. Early indications show they may finally be losing some steam--at least temporarily. The Chirac government has finally declared a state of emergency after nearly two weeks of mayhem, which has engulfed every corner of France. Chirac's impotence in the face of the attacks (he didn't make his first public statements on the violence until Sunday--eleven days after the rioting began) should be held up as an example of how not to deal with a national crisis.
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November 4, 2005
In some of my recent blogs, I've discussed the Bush administration's apparent ignorance to the often unsavory teachings and history of Islam. Today, Diana West of The Washington Times weighs in on the topic with one of the best op-eds I've read in some time. Here's a brief sampling...
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november 3, 2005
I wrote last week about President Bush's apparent indifference to the teachings and history of Islam. This week, it brings me great disappointment to report that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice--who is, it must be said, abolutely brillant in most areas--may be even more ignorant to the true teachings of the Koran (which Rice has been known to refer to as, "the Holy Koran").
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November 2, 2005
Since 9/11, several terrorist "dry runs" have been carried out by Islamists in the U.S. and Europe. Perhaps the most famous of these occurred last year aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Los Angeles, when the threatening behavior of 14 Syrian men created a panic among fellow passengers. This disturbing incident and its aftermath (including the maddening bureaucratic brain freeze of the government officials who investigated the Syrians) is recounted in author Annie Jacobsen's new book, Terror in the Skies: Why 9/11 Could Happen Again. Jacobsen was actually on the aforementioned Northwest Airlines flight, and her story is a truly chilling reminder of how vulnerable we still are to the scourge of Islamic terrorism, thanks partly to our own government's politically correct ineptness.
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November 1, 2005
Although it's captured scant media headlines, a mini civil war has been raging these past few days in the French suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, just northeast of Paris. The town is heavily populated by Muslim immigrants. And it appears that's exactly who's behind the ongoing violence.
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october 31, 2005
With yet another round of horrific acts being committed in the name of Islam this past week, I thought now would be the perfect time to pose a few direct questions to "mainstream" American Muslim leaders. You know, the folks from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the rest of their Wahhabi cronies. These organizations--CAIR in particular--claim to represent the views of American Muslims. Given CAIR's nefarious track record, we can only hope that isn't the case. But alas, with all too few moderate Muslims making their voices heard, I have no choice but to address my concerns to American Islam's influential extremist wing. So to CAIR, MPAC, ISNA, and all the rest, please direct your responses to erick.stakelbeck@cbn.org. I, and the American people, would sure love to hear from you.
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October 28, 2005
If things continue the way they have since Iran's terrorist-in-chief, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took office in August, I'm going to have to rename this blog "Iran Watch." At the moment, Ahmadinejad is arguably the most dangerous, unpredictable tyrant in the world (with the possible exception of North Korea's depraved Kim Jong-Il). In yesterday's blog, I recounted Ahmadinejad's recent calls for Israel "to be wiped off the map." His venomous diatribe has been greeted with universal condemnation, with everyone from Tony Blair to Kofi Annan to Palestinian Authority spokesman Saeb Erekat expressing shock and revulsion.
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October 27, 2005
At a conference yesterday in Tehran titled, tellingly, "A World Without Zionism," Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called for Israel to be "wiped off the face of the earth." Gee, tell us how you really feel, Mahmoud. Now, it's tough to top that statement in terms of sheer spine-tingling menace. But a piece of news out of Saudi Arabia this week may do just that. According to the London-based Arabic newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat, thousands of young Saudi Muslim males will be landing on America's shores over the next few years. And they're coming to a university near you...
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October 26, 2005
I've been following the strange case of Joel Hinrichs ever since October 1, when the 21-year-old engineering major blew himself up outside a packed college football game at the University of Oklahoma. In fact, we here at CBN News think the mysterious nature of Hinrichs' death is so significant (Did he have links to radical Islamists? Did he intend to harm fans at the game?), I took a trip down to the Univserity of Oklahoma's campus in Norman, OK last week to investigate. You can see what I found on today's edition of the 700 Club. The story is called "Terror in America's Heartland?" and it raises several questions about Hinrichs' true intentions, not to mention the FBI's murky investigation into his death.
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October 25, 2005
President Bush has, for the most part, done a solid job of conducting the war on terror since 9/11. Yes, much work still needs to be done (capturing or killing bin Laden, Zawahiri and Zarqawi and defeating the insurgency in Iraq are at the top of the list), but the defeat of the Taliban regime, the ouster of Saddam Hussein, and--thanks largely to the Patriot Act--the bust-up of numerous domestic terrorist plots, have been victories. Unfortunately, the President is still disturbingly lacking in one crucial area: his knowledge and understanding of Islam and its teachings.
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October 21, 2005
I've blogged previously about the disturbing phenomenon of terrorist plots against Western targets being planned from the distant confines of Iraq. For more on this topic, check out this informative and sobering piece from the October 19 Washington Post...
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october 19, 2005
I'm in Oklahoma this week following up on the Joel Hinrichs suicide, so my entries may be a bit brief. Some troubling news out of Baltimore yesterday , where authorities shut down portions of I-95, including the Harbor and Ft. McHenry tunnels due to a reported threat that terrorists would drive a truck full of explosives into one of the tunnels and detonate it. Much like the reported threat to New York's subway system two weeks ago, federal authorities downplayed the danger and questioned the source (a captured jihadist in the Netherlands tipped authorities off to the supposed plot; he allegedly failed a polygraph test).
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October 14, 2005
It's official: the situation in Russia's North Caucasus region has spun completely out of control. The Islamic jihad in Chechnya has now spread to neighboring countries, consuming the entire region. Before I go any further, you may want to check out this map for a better understanding of the area's geography. For the past two days, Islamic terrorists have staged attacks on police and government buildings in Nalchik, capital of the predominantly Muslim republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. So far, at least 108 people--including 65 terrorists--have been killed in the fighting. One can't help but be reminded of September 2004, when terrorists seized a school in the North Caucasus town of Beslan, about 60 miles southeast of Nalchik. In the end, at least 300 people, many of them schoolchildren, were killed in one of the bloodiest and most despicable acts of pure terrorist evil ever conceived.
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October 12, 2005
Zawahiri scolds Zarqawi for the taped beheadings, countless civilian deaths, and overall gruesome violence that continues to be perpetrated by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Zawahiri questions whether carrying out these barbaric acts is a "wise decision," by Zarqawi and says the "majority of Muslims don't comprehend this." Interestingly enough, Zawahiri also asks, "why were there attacks on ordinary Shia?" He also tells Zarqawi that fellow Muslims "will never find palatable" the televised scenes of hostage beheadings coming out of Iraq. According to Zawahiri, this will only cause Al-Qaeda to lose the all-important media battle "for the hearts and minds" of the Muslim world.
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october 11, 2005
Unlike 99 percent of the mainstream media, we here at CBN News have closely monitored the case of Joel Hinrichs. As I've reported in previous blogs, Hinrichs was a 21-year-old Oklahoma University student who blew himself up with high-powered explosives on October 1. In addition to the unorthodox method he used to kill himself, the venue Hinrichs chose was equally troubling. When the explosives he was carrying detonated, Hinrichs was seated just 100 yards from OU's football stadium--which, at the time, was packed with 84,000 fans watching the Sooners take on Kansas State. Although the FBI and Oklahoma University president David Boren have stated that this was simply the work of one troubled individual, a number of reports that have circulated in the blogosphere and on local Oklahoma City news outlets over this past week have led me to believe that Hinrich had far more sinister motives in mind. I believe that Hinrichs may very well have been attempting to carry out the first suicide bombing on American soil since the 9/11 attacks.
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october 10, 2005
It's becoming increasingly clear that terrorist plots against Western targets are emanating from Iraq. First, there were the events of last week in New York City, where police and citizens alike were on high alert after an insurgent captured in Iraq revealed a plan to detonate bombs on the NYC subway system. The plan was hatched in Iraq, and was reportedly to be carried out on October 9 by up to 20 terrorists. Three of the suspected plotters have already been arrested in Iraq, and a fourth may be on the loose in the U.S.
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october 7, 2005
I'm busy digging up everything I can on the Oklahoma suicide bomber and also the NYC subway threat (I'll be posting on both those topics next week), so I'm a bit strapped for time today. In the meantime, I'll leave you all with this article to ponder over the weekend. Gee, it looks like that Gaza withdrawl really worked, huh? And ah, the beauty of Islamic law, where doing the Curly Shuffle can get you stoned to death.
October 6,
2005
Reports are circulating all over the Web, particularly
among bloggers, about the Oklahoma University suicide
bomber, Joel Hinrichs. For those who haven't yet heard
about Hinrichs' case, my blogs from Tuesday and Wednesday
will bring you reasonably up to speed. And for a great
insider's persepctive, visit the Counterterrorism Blog,
where the always insightful Daveed Gartenstein-Ross has
done an excellent job of following this fluid story.
More...
october 5, 2005
We know from several botched attempts in Iraq that suicide bombs are known to sometimes detonate prematurely, killing the bomber before he or she has a chance to wade into a crowd and inflict the intended carnage. We also know that investigators reportedly found bomb making materials and jihadist literature during a search of Hinrichs' apartment on campus. Now, more troubling details are emerging that lead me to believe Hinrichs may indeed have had much larger--and bloodier--plans.
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october 4, 2005
On the same day Islamic suicide bombers killed at least 26 people in the Indonesian resort town of Bali, an American blew himself up in similar fashion. You read that right--this past Saturday night, a 21-year-old University of Oklahoma student named Joel Henry Hinrichs III blew himself up outside the school's football stadium during a sold-out game between OU and Kansas State (with 84,000 fans in attendance). Hinrichs, an engineering major who reportedly battled depression, killed himself in the fashion of Islamic terrorists, by detonating a bomb strapped to his body. Other than Hinrichs, no one was hurt by the powerful explosion--he was reportedly seated on a bench about 100 yards from the stadium when the bomb detonated.
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september
30, 2005
The New York Fire Department just dodged a major bullet.
In the ultimate irony, The FDNY--whose incredible courage
during 9/11 was an inspiration to Americans everywhere--came
perilously close to having a 9/11 denier on its payroll.
You read that right. Imam Intikab Habib, 30, a native
of Guyana who studied Islam in Saudi Arabia, was slated
to be sworn in today as just the second Muslim chaplain
in FDNY history. There was just one problem--during an
interview with Newsday earlier this week, Habib said the
following about the 9/11 attacks, which, he seemed to
forget, affected his would-be employer, the FDNY, perhaps
more than anyone: "I as an individual don't know
who did the attacks. There are so many conflicting reports
about it. I don't believe it was 19 ... hijackers who
did those attacks."
More...
setpember
29, 2005
Just in case you've grown complacent in the 4-plus years
since 9/11(sadly, I fear many Americans have), I feel
compelled to remind readers of this important fact: there
are still a number of Muslims extremists in the United
States who pine for a a future where America has more
mosques than churches or synagogues, where women are veiled,
where the Koran is taught in the classroom, where Ramadan
replaces Christmas, and where brutal Islamic sharia law
is king. While most American Islamists will never say
that aloud, some have slipped in the past, particularly
before the 9/11 attacks, which increased awareness in
the U.S. about the Islamist enemy within.
More...
september
27, 2005
It's widely acknowledged that radical Islam's official
declaration of war on the United States came during the
Iranian revolution of 1979. That's when a gang of wild-eyed
Iranian "students"-- including Iran's newly
elected terrorist-in-chief, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--stormed
the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 54 Americans hostage
and making "Death to America" the most popular
catchphrase in the Muslim world this side of "Allahu
Akhbar." ("Death to Israel" comes in a
close third).
More...
september
26, 2005
Some interesting news out of Europe: currently the most
crucial front in the worldwide war on terror after Iraq.
Imad Yarkas, an al-Qaeda cell leader in Spain, was convicted
today in a Madrid court and sentenced to 27 years in prison
for conspiracy and being "a leader of a terrorist
organization." The Yarkas conviction closed out Europe's
largest trial of al-Qaeda members thus far. But while
I'm thrilled to see the Syrian-born Yarkas behind bars,
his conviction is a huge disappointment in that it could
have--and should have--been much more harsh.
More...
september
23, 2005
In yesterday's blog, I criticized a U.S. Magistrate Judge's
decision to set a suspected Muslim-American terrorist,
Ali Asad Chandia, free on bond as he awaits trial. Today,
I've got to deal out similar criticism--this time to British
authorities--for allowing a white Muslim convert named
Zayead Hajaig out on bail as he awaits sentencing. Hajaig
had been arrested by Scotland Yard anti-terror detectives
in Britain last week. He's wanted for questioning by American
authorities.
More...
September 22, 2005
From the "jihad in your backyard" department comes this: a 28-year-old Muslim man named Ali Asad Chandia--who's charged with aiding not one, but two terrorist groups--was released on bond yesterday by a U.S. district court in Alexandria, Virginia. Magistrate Judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan set the following conditions for Chandia's release, which prosecutors rightly opposed: A) He'll stay with his wife at his home in College Park. Maryland, and will be electronically tracked by a GPS bracelet. B) His mother will put up her home in Gaithersburg, Maryland as collateral. How touching.
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september
21, 2005
I just received
the following reaction to yesterday's blog from a reader
describing himself as "Muslim-American." Pay particular
attention to the last paragraph, which I've boldfaced:
Mr Stakelbeck,
I am a Muslim-American who converted to Islam, and I must
say that in part I agree with your comments. There are
two dimensions to Islam. A Christian once asked me: "Is
Islam a religion of peace or terror?" I said: "That
depends on you." -He seemed confused. I continued...
If people can at us (Muslims) with love, respect,
and peace, then you will find Islam as being a religion
of peace.
However, when invaders come into our countries,
bulldoze our houses, rape our economies and resources,
as well as our women and children. THEN, my friend, you
will find Islam as being a religion of terror.
I think this statement pretty much sums up the difference
between Islam--where violent jihad is encouraged against
non-believers--and Christianity, where Jesus encourages
us to turn the other cheek and love our enemies.
More...
september 20, 2005
Islam is a peaceful, tolerant religion. Jihad simply means "inner struggle." Mohammed was a man of peace and compassion. These and other politically correct pearls of wisdom have been force-fed to the American public ad nauseum by government elites and the mainstream media ever since 9/11 (when, ironically enough, 19 members of the "religion of peace" murdered over 3,000 Americans in cold blood). But the facts, as they say, do not lie. We need look no further then the ongoing Muslim-driven religious strife in Iraq, Kashmir, Bosnia, Chechnya, Sudan, Nigeria, Indonesia, Phillipines, Pakistan, Europe and elsewhere to see that oftentimes those "peaceful" Muslims just don't play nice.
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september 19, 2005
Shortly after arriving back in Washington, D.C. from the Katrina disaster zone Friday evening, I learned that Massachusetts' Republican governor Mitt Romney had come under fire from American Muslim and civil rights groups. His crime? Suggesting that the U.S. should closely monitor radical mosques as well as young Muslim men from terror-sponsoring states like Syria and Saudi Arabia who have taken up residence in America. How dare he! To Romney's immense credit, he has refused to apologize for his comments, which, to the overwhelming majority of Americans, are just plain common sense.
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September 9, 2005
With the fourth anniversary of 9/11 upon us, now is a good time to reflect on what the U.S. has accomplished in the War on Terror, and what it still needs to do. Joseph Farah has written an excellent article on this topic at Worldnetdaily.com titled "Don't forget bin Laden." His basic thesis: how can we call our efforts against Al-Qaeda a success when the groups' leader, the man--lest we forget--behind 9/11 and the growing worldwide jihadist movement, is still breathing? If Bin Laden is still holed up in a cave in 2008, recording threatening videotapes rather than pushing up daisies, I don't see how the Bush presidency could be considered a success, despite all the strides it has made in battling Islamic terror around the globe. This will be my last blog for a week or so--I'm heading down to Louisiana to cover Katrina's aftermath. In the meantime, stay vigilant.
september 7, 2005
Is there any area of the world left, besides Antarctica, where Islamic jihadists haven't set up shop? Since 9/11, experts have repeatedly cautioned that Al-Qaeda operates in over 60 countries--from Australia to Malaysia, from Brazil to Belgium, from Ontario to Ohio. And of course, throughout the Middle East, Central and South Asia and North Africa. Given this disturbing fact, it should come as no surprise that for the last 14 years, a top Al-Qaeda operative has been living as a political refugee with his family in frigid, remote Norway.
More...
september
6, 2005
It appears that the upcoming United Nations General Assembly,
which begins September 12, will include a rogue's gallery
of despots, strongmen, and even a bona fide terrorist--Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, the newly elected president of Iran. As I
discussed in my September 1 blog, Ahmadinejad has a long
history of murder, mayhem, and anti-American activities
to his credit. He's currently under investigation in the
U.S. for his role in the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-81,
which saw the U.S. Embassy in Tehran seized and 52 Americans
taken hostage for 444 days.
More...
september 1, 2005
Leave it to Iran's terrorist government to use a horrific tragedy as an occasion to bash America. Yesterday in northern Baghdad, nearly 1,000 Shiites died in a stampede after panic broke out during a religious procession across a Tigris River bridge. Apparently, mayhem ensued after rumor spread that Sunni suicide bombers were among the marchers. So what did Iraq's eastern neighbor, Iran, have to say about this human disaster?
More...
august 31, 2005
One of the few bright spots for me this week amid the heart-wrenching footage of Hurricane Katrina's path of devastation has been the opportunity to meet and interview two courageous Americans who have taken the fight to the jihadists head-on. On Monday, CBN News had the pleasure of chatting with talk radio host Michael Graham on the set of his new Rightalk.com program, "Michael Graham Unleashed." As I explained in my August 24 blog, Graham was fired from ABC's WMAL radio last week for daring to label Islam a "terrorist organization" on air. Granted, that statement is undoubtedly provocative--when taken out of context. And that's exactly what ABC and the real driving force behind Graham's firing, the notorious Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), did. Here is Graham's full statement:
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august 30, 2005
Although the horrific devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina demands America's full attention, and rightly so, Islamic jihad never ceases, even for natural disasters. Just witness how Islamofascists in Indonesia threatened to carry out attacks against foreign aid workers in the country's tsunami-ravaged Aceh region a few months back. Given such depravity, an article in this week's edition of Time magazine is particularly noteworthy. Titled "The New Bin Laden," the piece explains how Jordanian jihadi Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the driving force behind the ongoing terrorist insurgency in Iraq, is gradually eclipsing Bin Laden as the number one inspiration for aspiring mujahideen worldwide. And his Al-Qaeda franchise is expanding as well, according to Time:
More...
August 29, 2005
We know that over the next several months, our radical Islamist enemies would love nothing more than to hit a leading Western hub like (in no particular order) Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Berlin, Rome or Amsterdam with a devastating terrorist attack. But if they can't hit one or all of these cities--due in large part to heightened security and awareness in the wake of July's London bombings--the jihadis undoubtedly have a Plan B. And judging from some recent reports, it could be somewhat of a curveball.
More...
august 26, 2005
I thought the below e-mail exchange with a reader of the blog was informative. In it, I state my position on why I believe taking race and ethnicity into account is one technique we need to use in identifying potential terrorists. For more on this topic, check out my story on terrorist profiling on today's edition of The 700 Club. Here is the reader's original unedited e-mail:
More...
august 25, 2005
Do jihadists in Europe have a new target? The Italian daily newspaper Il Giornale, which is owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has released two troubling reports this week that have gone virtually unnoticed by the Western press. On August 22nd, Il Giornale reported that a well-known Iraqi terrorist, Abu Abdelrahman al-Jazaeri, is planning to carry out a major attack on Italian soil. He's reportedly taking orders from the Iraq-based terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and is en route to Italy after having passed through Saudi Arabia. How real are these claims? We can't know for certain. And that's exactly why we should take notice. Here is an excerpt from the article, translated into English by FBIS:
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august 24, 2005
In the past, I've written frequently about the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a radical Islamist group masquerading as a Muslim "civil rights" organization. Despite CAIR's lengthy ties to Islamic extremists and even to convicted terrorists (see here: http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=15698 and here: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=17315), the group continues to receive media and even government legitimacy. For example, it's members meet frequently with the FBI to provide the Bureau with "sensitivity training" in its dealings with American Muslims. They've also been guests at the White House under both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.
More...
august 22,
2005
Israel's withdrawal from Gaza is now complete. The West
Bank settlements are next. The Israelis' hope here is
for some sort of peace with the Palestinians. But if early
statements from the Palestinian side are any indication,
peace is the furthest thing from their minds. Mahmoud
Abbas, the supposedly "moderate" chairman of
the Palestinian Authority, said on Sunday that "the
blood of martyrs" led to Israel's retreat from Gaza.
What a message to send to Palestinian young people: hey
kids, suicide bombing works!” Abbas also said the
Gaza withdrawal was only a first step: “Tomorrow
they will leave Jenin," he said, "and after
that the West Bank and Jerusalem." Abbas didn't mention
whether this would require more "martyrs," but
the implication was clear.
More...
august 17, 2005
It appears that California is quickly turning into ground zero for jihadist actvity in the United States. In June, federal authorities busted up an apparent Al-Qaeda sleeper cell of Pakistani men in Lodi, CA, just outside Sacramento. Just last week, local police said that a group of Middle Eastern men was acting "suspiciously" while videotaping the Santa Monica Pier. And now it has emerged that two African-American converts to Islam, Gregory Patterson, 21, and Levar Washington, 25, have been arrested and charged with holding up at least 10 gas stations and convenience stores in the Torrance, California area. What does that have to do with terrorism, you might ask?
More...
August 16,
2005
I'm heading to New York City tomorrow to cover the controversy
over using racial profiling to identify potential terrorists.
Why there is a controversy over this, I'm not quite sure,
given that practically every major terrorist attack over
the past decade-plus (at least) has been committed by
men of Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian descent.
This much is indisputable. Of course, there's also one
other undeniable quality about the recent London bombings,
last year's Madrid bombings, the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings,
the 9-11 attacks, etc.They were all committed by devout
Muslims who carried them out in the name of Islam. So
why, then, do America's government and media elites have
such a hard time saying the words "Islamic"
and "terrorism" in the same sentence?
More...
august 15,
2005
Chances are, unless you're an air traffic control groupie
(a very exclusive group indeed), you've never heard of
Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley. But Hawley, who was
just appointed by President Bush to head the Transportation
Security Administration, may soon become a household name,
thanks to some truly outrageous proposals put forth by
his staff recently, per his request. Seems the folks at
TSA have some recommendations on how to improve upon the
airline security measures put in place following the 9-11
attacks. They include-and I'm not making this up-lifting
the ban on carry-on items such as scissors, razor blades,
and knives less than five inches long. Apparently, the
fact that the 9-11 hijackers used box cutters to commandeer
the planes used in that day's attacks has slipped the
TSA's memory banks.
More...
august 11,
2005
Some refreshing news out of Beirut today: Lebanese authorities
have detained the radical sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed for
questioning. Details have yet to emerge about why the
Lebanese are holding him. But whenever someone as despicable
as Bakri--who openly advocates suicide bombings and calls
the 9/11 hijackers, "the Magnificent 19"--is
a given a hard time, I'm happy. The Syrian-born Bakri,
who has lived in Britain for the past 20 years, was supposedly
"vacationing" in Lebanon (he holds Lebanese
citizenship, and his mother lives in Beirut).
More...
august 11,
2005
From the border watch file we find a truly disturbing
recent arrest. A U.S. Border Patrol agent in San Diego
named Oscar Antonio Ortiz stands accused of smuggling
illegal aliens into the United States over the U.S./Mexico
border. As if that weren't bad enough, there's more: Ortiz
himself is also allegedly an illegal alien! So how did
Ortiz get a job with the U.S. Border Patrol, where his
main duty consists of, well, stopping illegal immigrants
from entering the U.S.? Apparently, the 28-year-old Ortiz,
a Mexican citizen born in Tijuana, was hired by the agency
in 2001 after using a fraudulent birth certificate saying
he was born in Chicago.
More...
august 10,
2005
CBN News has learned that an important al-Qaeda operative
was detained during a raid in the northeastern Pakistani
city of Faisalabad on August 7. His name is Osama bin
Yousaf, and his arrest may reveal some new clues about
al-Qaeda's intentions for Europe. Pakistani authorities
seized bin-Yousaf's computer hard drive, which they say
included maps and details of German and Italian cities.
So far, the Pakistanis aren’t saying which cities.
Perhaps even more disturbing, Bin Yousaf's cell phone
records reportedly show that he made a call to Britain
on August 4, one to Italy on August 5, and two long calls
to Germany on August 6. Authorities began tracking bin
Yousaf after they learned that he had been in contact
with top al-Qaeda leader Abu Farai al-Libi, who was also
arrested in Pakistan, back in May.
More...
August 9,
2005
It's a nightmare scenario, and I'm surprised, above all
relieved, that it hasn't materialized like many thought
it would following 9/11. A Middle Eastern man dressed
in baggy Western attire straps explosives underneath his
Gap jacket and strolls into a large indoor shopping mall
in Iowa. It's mid-November, just before the Christmas
shopping season officially kicks off, and the stores are
already packed. By the time mall security notices the
24-year-old man's strange behavior and nervous gestures,
it's too late. Dozens of casualties later, and it's clear
that America has entered into a new and frightening stage
in the war on terror.
More...
august 8, 2005
The backlash against Tony Blair's announcement that Britain will be enacting tough new anti-terrorism laws has already begun. And one of the loudest objectors so far is the radical Islamist group Hizb-ut Tahrir. Many in the United States haven't heard of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which, in my mind, makes them all the more dangerous. Hizb ut-Tahrir--or HT--promotes the re-establishment of a worldwide Islamic state, or calpihate, through means of armed jihad. The Washington Post has described HT as “exhort[ing] Muslims to suicide bombings, martyrdom against American ‘infidels’ and the killing of Jews.”
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august 5, 2005
Tony Blair's announcement today that Britain is enacting tough new anti-terrorism measures was inspiring to watch. I've never seen Blair--who is normally smooth as silk even under the most intense questioning from Britain's liberal media hordes--look so forceful in public. You could almost see smoke streaming from his ears as he spoke. Blair's anger is justified and long overdue, and if he sticks to his guns, London will no longer be a playground for radical Islamists.
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