LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 28/09
Bible Reading of the day
Matthew: 23/29-36: “Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and
decorate the tombs of the righteous, 23:30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days
of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the
prophets.’ 23:31 Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of
those who killed the prophets. 23:32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
23:33 You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of
Gehenna? 23:34 Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes.
Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in
your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; 23:35 that on you may come all
the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the
blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and
the altar. 23:36 Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this
generation.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Syria’s friend or its
prosecutor?/By:
Michael Young/Now Lebanon/December
27/09
Children Bleed for the
Imam/Huffington Post/December
27/09
We Wanted Syria…But Along Came Iran!/Asharq
Alawsat/December
27/09
Comment / It is easy for Netanyahu to circumvent Obama/Ha'aretz/December
27/09
More Commentary Stories/Washington
Times/December
27/09
Resistance as vigilantism/Ya
Libnan/December 27/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 27/09
Lebanese minister accuses Hezbollah of blocking
bomb site access/Monsters
and Critics.com
Hezbollah chief asks Egypt to stop building Gaza
border wall/Ha'aretz
Lieberman: No Turkish mediation as long as I'm in
office/Ynetnews
Hamas announces names of its two
victims in Haret Hreik incident/Now Lebanon
Mousavi's nephew killed in Tehran
protests/Now
Lebanon
Nasrallah: We Won't be Dragged into
Internal Conflict over Resistance Arms/Naharnet
Suleiman: Haret Hreik's Explosion Aimed at Undermining Stability/Naharnet
Geagea:
LF Working on Preventing Another Civil War in Lebanon/Naharnet
Mysterious Explosion in Beirut's Southern Suburbs Kills 3/Naharnet
12 TNT-Laden Boxes Found
in South Lebanon/Naharnet
Franjieh: Maarab-Launched Christian Initiative to be Activated Early in 2010/Naharnet
Nasrallah Calls for 1 Year Truce, Says Phalange's Request to Change Policy
Statement 'Won't Change a Thing'/Naharnet
Army Arrests 5
Palestinians Over Arms Possession in Baalbeck/Naharnet
Al-Sayegh Rejects Duality
of Arms, Appeal of 6th Clause is Not Final Yet/Naharnet
Sfeir Urges 'Harmony' Despite Differences of Opinion/Naharnet
Passengers relive terror of Flight 253 as new threat emerges from/The
Guardian
The Lebanese test lab/Ha'aretz
Report: Hamas man killed in
Lebanon blast/Ynetnews
Wahab links Hezbollah arms to Palestinian
naturalization/Ya
Libnan
Yes, but not now. Maybe/Ha'aretz
Army and UN forces uncover boxes of explosives in south Lebanon/Earthtimes
Mysterious Explosion in Beirut's Southern Suburbs Kills 3
Naharnet/At least three people were killed and six wounded in a mysterious
overnight explosion that shook Beirut's southern suburbs amid reports it has
targeted Hamas headquarters.
An-Nahar daily on Sunday said Hizbullah members immediately cordoned off the
area, preventing journalists and Lebanese security forces from approaching the
scene.
It said preliminary reports indicated that the explosion occurred while Hamas
members were trying to defuse an explosive device planted in a car that was
parked opposite the old building that housed Hizbullah's al-Manar TV on the main
road between Haret Hreik and Bir Abed. The newspaper quoted Hizbullah sources as
saying the blast targeted Hamas headquarters and not Hizbullah. The cause of the
explosion which took place before midnight Saturday has not yet been determined.
The blast came as Hizbullah was organizing a mourning ceremony to mark Ashoura.
State-run National News Agency said the blast could have been aimed at a member
of the Palestinian Hamas movement in Lebanon.
The blast was "the result of three bombs placed under a car whose owner is said
to be a member of Hamas," the agency said.
But in a terse report, quoting unnamed security officials, Manar television said
the "blast took place in an office of the Hamas movement causing casualties." It
did not give further details.
Hamas spokesman Raafat Murra told AFP that the Palestinian Islamic movement has
an office in the area where the blast occurred but could not immediately say if
there were casualties among members of the group. Asharq radio station said the
blast occurred in Haret Hreik, not far away from a community center where
Hizbullah was organizing a ceremony to commemorate Ashoura. While rumors had it
that Hamas chief in Lebanon Ousama Hamdan and second-in-command Ali Barake were
hurt in the explosion, Hamas sources denied the report. An-Nahar said Barake was
reportedly in southern Lebanon at the time of the blast. The blast came on the
eve of the first anniversary of Israel's 22-day offensive on the Hamas-ruled
Gaza Strip during which some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
Shiites in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon wrap up on Sunday the annual 10-day Ashoura
rituals which commemorate the killing of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet
Mohammed, by armies of the Sunni caliph Yazid in 680. Hizbullah leader Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah has called on Lebanon's Shiites to take part massively in
Sunday's ceremony which will include a huge march across the southern
suburbs.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 27 Dec 09, 07:32
Lebanese
minister accuses Hezbollah of blocking bomb site access
Dec 27, 2009, 16:36 GMT
Beirut - Lebanon's information minister accused the Hezbollah militia Sunday of
blocking access to the site of the weekend's bombing attack, which killed two
Hamas members. Tarek Mitri insisted that attacks in the country should only be
investigated by the Lebanese state authorities and not others on the ground.
Mitri's comments referred to the blast late Saturday in Beirut's southern
suburbs, a hotbed of Hezbollah, which killed two Hamas members. According to
reports Hezbollah militants blocked all roads leading to Haret Hriek
neighborhood shortly after the explosion, and prevented the Lebanese Internal
Security Forces from approaching the scene to carry out their investigation.
Mitri in an interview with the Voice of Lebanon radio station said 'internal
security forces failed to carry out their mission in investigating the blast.'
'Security cannot be divided, and no security mission can be isolated from
another,' Mitri said. He called on Hezbollah to give the government access to
all Lebanese regions without exception. 'No one can investigate except for
legitimate Lebanese authority,' he said, adding 'Any explosion that occurs in
the country, regardless of its target, threatens security as a whole,' Mitri
added. Hezbollah has total control over Beirut's southern suburbs, which is
heavily populated by their Shiite followers, and security there is in the hands
of the movement's security apparatus.
12 TNT-Laden Boxes Found in South Lebanon
Naharnet/Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers have found 12 boxes loaded with
TNT explosive compound in southern Lebanon. An-Nahar newspaper on Sunday said
the boxes were discovered late Saturday in the Hamames neighborhood, south of
the town of Khiam. It said the TNT, which was believed to be old, was not set to
explode. Beirut, 27 Dec 09, 08:10
Suleiman: Reform Begins after New Year
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman said reforms will be launched at state
institutions after the New Year. An-Nahar daily on Sunday quoted Suleiman
visitors as saying the President has stressed the importance of "choosing the
most qualified people" to fill administrative positions. Suleiman said reform
work will begin after the New Year based on an adequate efficiency criteria.
Beirut, 27 Dec 09, 08:43
Franjieh: Maarab-Launched Christian Initiative to be Activated Early in 2010
Naharnet/March 14 General Secretariat member Samir Franjieh revealed that the
Christian initiative which was launched by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea
two months ago will be reactivated early next year. In remarks published Sunday
by al-Mustaqbal newspaper, Franjieh said the initiative, which is intended for
the Cedar Revolution audience, will kick off under the headline: Protecting
Lebanon from External Threat and Preventing Internal Strife. Commenting on an
accidental handshake between Geagea and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel
Aoun in Bkirki following the Christmas morning mass, Franjieh said there are "no
personal disputes" among the various political leaders. Beirut, 27 Dec 09, 09:36
Army Arrests 5 Palestinians Over Arms Possession in Baalbeck
Naharnet/The Lebanese army arrested five Palestinians carrying weapons and
ammunition into a home in the eastern city of Baalbeck, the army command said in
a communiqué.
It said the army raided the home and seized arms, ammunition, electronic
devices, money and two vehicles from the five men. The military opened an
investigation into the incident pending the handing over of the Palestinians and
their possessions to relevant authorities. Beirut, 26 Dec 09, 15:24
Al-Sayegh Rejects Duality of Arms, Appeal of 6th Clause is Not Final Yet
Naharnet/Social Affairs Minister Salim al-Sayegh snapped back at Hizbullah
leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday saying his Phalange party will not
accept the presence of Hizbullah arms along with the weapons of the state. The
Phalange will keep making efforts to achieve a sovereign Lebanon, al-Sayegh told
Free Lebanon radio. He also said that the Phalange had the intention to request
changes to the 6th clause of the cabinet policy statement "but we didn't make
the request" yet. "Ten lawmakers should sign the request" but the party wasn't
able to collect all the signatures yet, al-Sayegh added. Beirut, 26 Dec 09,
10:30
Nasrallah: We Won't be Dragged into Internal Conflict over Resistance Arms
Naharnet/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged Christians in Lebanon to
engage in "calm dialogue" to discuss various options, stressing that Hizbullah
will not be dragged into internal conflict over the issue of arms. "We have
entered a new phase in Lebanon: Reframing relations with Syria based on solid
ground and cooperation," Nasrallah told tens of thousands of supporters who
gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs to commemorate Ashoura. "Today we
have a national unity government represented by various forces which gives an
opportunity for progress. We want to cooperate and join hands," Nasrallah added
via video link on a giant screen. "The only thing left to talk about is
resistance arms. But we will not be dragged into any provocation," he warned.
Nasrallah urged Christians in Lebanon to engage in "calm dialogue among
themselves to discuss present and future options and to benefit from the
experiences of the past." "Christians should not tolerate those who want to push
them to commit suicide," Nasrallah cautioned. Ashoura ceremony came after a
mysterious explosion rocked Dahiyeh overnight, targeting Hizbullah's ally in
Lebanon, Hamas. It caps a 10-day period of self-flagellation and mourning for
the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, killed in 680 A.D. during a
battle that sealed the split between Shiites and Sunnis. During the 10 days,
throngs of Shiite pilgrims march to the holy Iraqi city of Karbala, 80
kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad. The lunar Islamic calendar varies
against the West's, and this year Ashoura happens to climax on Dec. 27. Beirut,
27 Dec 09, 12:36
Suleiman: Haret Hreik's Explosion Aimed at Undermining Stability
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Sunday condemned the bombing that targeted
Saturday night a Hamas headquarters in Beirut Southern Suburbs, saying it was an
act of sabotage aimed at undermining stability. "The will of the Lebanese and
their determination won't let such destabilizing acts expand," added a statement
issued by the press office of the Lebanese presidency. Suleiman called on the
concerned security services and judicial authorities to intensify their
investigations in order to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
"The death toll from Saturday night's explosion has risen to three, after one of
the wounded died of his injuries," a Lebanese security official said.
Earlier on Sunday, a Hamas spokesman told Al-Arabiya television that the Beirut
explosion had killed two members of his movement and wounded three people.
"The explosion in the southern suburbs resulted in the martyrdom of two members
of Hamas and wounded three other people," the spokesman, Ayman Taha, said on the
Saudi-owned, Dubai-based station. He added that "the circumstances of the
explosion are unclear and it is too early to name the party"
responsible.(Naharnet-AFP)
Beirut, 27 Dec 09, 16:32
Geagea: LF Working on Preventing Another Civil War in Lebanon
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed that his top priority is
working on preventing the return to civil war in Lebanon, and that history will
remember what LF is doing today. In a speech at the annual Christmas dinner held
by LF-Bcharri, Geagea said: "I assure you today that I'm striving with all my
effort, energy, and concentration so that war doesn't return to Lebanon. If you
ask me about the things I'm longing to, I will answer: 'No-return' to war as the
most important." "Generations after generations will be proud of what we
are achieving today of valor," added Geagea. Geagea urged the youth not to get
lost in small details by saying: "Today, we are making history, and God has
given us this bless and ability to participate in making the history of Lebanon,
and at some stages the history of the entire Middle East." Beirut, 27 Dec 09,
16:08
Mystery Surrounds Explosion in Lebanon
December 27, 2009 According to a BBC Arabic-language report, a Hamas terrorist
was killed and two others injured in a car bomb blast south of Beirut on
Saturday. Other news agencies report a higher number of dead.
A bomb blew up in a vehicle occupied by a number of Hamas terrorists at about
9:00pm. Hamas leaders deny the accuracy of the BBC report.
Al-Arabia reports the intended target was Hamas official Ali Barakeh, who
escaped unharmed, while others were killed. The two dead men were reported
affiliated with Hizbullah, the report adds.
According to the daily Yisrael HaYom, quoting “a number of Lebanese news sites”,
senior Hizbullah commanders visited the site of the blast. The newspaper adds
that al-Arabia states two Hizbullah bomb-demolition experts responded, and the
device detonated while they were working to neutralizing it, killing them both,
adding that without a doubt, the bomb was intended to strike Hamas terrorists.
Some reports state the car was carrying Hamas terrorists heading to a conference
in Baalbek marking 22 years since the founding of the terror organization.
There is a cloud of mystery surrounding the blast, which appears to be played
down by Lebanese officials, while there is of course some talk pointing a finger
of blame at Israel. Jerusalem officials are monitoring the situation but not
releasing any statements.(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Army, UN forces uncover boxes of explosives in south Lebanon
By DPA /update - 27/12/2009
Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers found 12 boxes of the explosive TNT in a
village in southern Lebanon, a security source said Sunday.
The source said the discovery was made in the village of Khiam in Hamames
overnight by the Spanish battalion of the United Nations Interim Forces in South
Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The army and UNIFIL have cordoned off the area to investigation.
The source said the TNT was not rigged to explode. The boxes were found shortly
after a bomb blast killed two members of the Palestinian group Hamas in Haret
Hriek, in Beirut's southern suburbs, a hotbed of the militant Hezbollah group.
Children Bleed for the Imam
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-galey/children-bleed-for-the-im_b_404216.html
Huffington Post
NABATIYEH, Lebanon: Bakea Yasine calmly lifts his sweeping fringe to reveal his
forehead as the first drops of blood begin to fall.
The razor blow didn't break the skin, but the blade has done its job. As blood
flows heavier down Bakea's face, he turns to join the growing procession behind
him.
"I have been doing this since I was very small," he says. "It is how I show my
love for Hussein."
Bakea is one of hundreds of Shiite Muslims performing the ritual of bloodletting
to mark Ashura, in remembrance of the death of Imam Hussein, the prophet
Muhammad's grandson, at the battle of Karbala in 680 AD - one of the defining
events of Shia Islam.
For members of Shiite sects, Ashura represents the culmination of grief felt for
Hussein. Bloodletting is a traditional custom, a form of self-punishment to show
solidarity with Hussein and his family.
The ritual has been banned by Lebanon's most senior Shiite cleric Ayatollah
Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, but the southern town of Nabatiyeh is one of
the few places where blood is still spilled each year.
Hundreds of males, including scores of young boys, march through the town's
sparse main square wielding sabers which glint menacingly in the morning sun.
The men hit their foreheads with open palms or the flat edges of swords and
blood pours onto the street below.
That the practice is forbidden does not deter participants, young and old, who
clap their hands in unison, chanting as their blood dyes the ground.
"[Bloodletting] is an obligation, though nobody forces us. You should find it in
your heart to do this," says Hassan, 18, who first participated in the Ashura
custom five years ago. "I'm excited that we have the chance to show Hussein how
much he means to us."
The town's female contingent watch on from balconies and sidewalks flanking the
procession route. Many are holding babies, their faces smeared with dried blood.
"At Ashura, the woman supports the man. Without a woman, a man is nothing," says
Zeinab, a mother of five. As she speaks, her children scamper between the legs
of men brandishing machetes. Her youngest son is about to experience his first
Ashura bloodletting, aged five.
"I am not concerned about my children getting hurt," says Zeinab. "They are
doing this out of love for Hussein and he will protect them.
"Some families believe that blood should not be shed [for Ashura], but I believe
that the revolution started with blood and if blood isn't shed the revolution
will die."
Outside Nabatiyeh's Abdel Nasser Mosque, a mother cradles a baby wrapped in
woolen blankets. A man approaches softly and taps the baby's head with the blade
of a cutthroat razor. The child begins to cry as blood gently trickles down his
face.
Towards midday parades form every couple of minutes, with rows of bleeding men
swaying through the town, chanting and waving swords as they go.
Banks of orange-clad paramedics attend to participants who require medical
attention.
Nahbi Abdullah, of the Lebanese Red Cross, explains that although injuries
sustained in Ashura look serious, deaths caused by the custom can be measured in
single digits per century.
"We expect to treat over 1000 people, most of them will be treated on site and
we are here to clean their wounds," he says.
Behind him a nine year-old boy chokes back the tears as paramedics disinfect the
gaping wound bisecting his forehead.
"The maximum that will happen is some people might faint because of emotion,"
says Nahbi. "There are no problems with blood loss."
Hassan returns from the procession. His white robe is spattered with dark red
stains and he holds a surgical dressing to his forehead as blood continues to
flow.
He is in no doubt that children should experience the bloodletting ritual.
"It is a glorious thing for a three year-old to be willing to sacrifice for
[Hussein]," he says, dabbing crusted blood from his thick eyebrows. "There are
kids who are only two months old whose parents hit them [to draw blood]."
The march ends with a re-enactment of the battle of Karbala. Several men move to
the front of the parade and work nimbly through the sequence, hemorrhaging blood
as they self-inflict one knife blow after another. When the march has ran its
course, the bloodiest are bundled off into first aid tents.
"I will be back next Ashura, and I will bleed," says Bakea. "There are some
people against [bloodletting] but everyone who loves Hussein should do it. It is
an honor."
Australian Prime Minister does it again!!
This man should be appointed King of the World. Truer words have never been
spoken.
It took a lot of courage for this man to speak what he had to say for the world
to hear. The retribution could be phenomenal, but at least he was willing to
take a stand on his and Austrilia's beliefs.
Whole world Needs A Leader Like This!
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - Australia
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get
out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off
potential terror attacks..
Separately, Rudd angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he
supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote:
'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of
this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their
culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in
patriotism by the majority of Australians. '
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and
victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese,
Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our
society . Learn the language!' 'Most Australians believe in God. This is not
some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men
and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly
documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our
schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the
world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.' 'We will accept
your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and
live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every
opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and
griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I
highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE
RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You
asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
(AMEN!!!)Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, WE will find the courage
to start speaking and voicing the same truths. If you agree please SEND THIS ON
and ON to as many people as you know
Passengers relive terror of Flight 253 as new threat
emerges from al-QaidaNigerian Umar Abdul Mutallab's attempt to bring down a
transatlantic jet highlights the ongoing recruitment of young Muslims and the
need for western institutions to be more vigilant
Jamie Doward
The Observer,
Sunday 27 December 2009
Terrified passengers yesterday told of the moment when Umar Abdul Mutallab tried
to set off a bomb as their plane commenced its descent on Christmas Day.
Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit was carrying 290 passengers and crew who
heard what was described as a "balloon being popped". "What we heard in the
beginning was a bang... then a minute later there was a lady shouting things
like, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?' " said passenger Elias Fawaz.
"We looked back and there was a struggle – and we saw fumes and fire coming
out."
Witnesses said Mutallab emerged from a toilet with a pillow over his stomach and
a syringe in his hand. He injected the syringe into something held on his
stomach, triggering smoke and flames.
"It was terrifying," said Richelle Keepman, another passenger. "We all thought
we weren't going to land, we weren't going to make it. We were in the back of
the plane and all of a sudden heard some screams and some flight attendants ran
up and down the aisles. We saw the fear in their eyes and they grabbed the fire
extinguishers."
Another passenger, Syed Jafri, said: "Everybody was rushing towards that area
and tried to get water, a blanket and fire extinguisher." The suspected
terrorist was said to have been yelling and swearing and "screaming about
Afghanistan".
"When [it] went off, everybody panicked," said Jasper Schuringa, a Dutch film
director travelling to the US to visit friends. "Then someone screamed, 'Fire!
Fire!' I saw smoke rising from a seat... I didn't hesitate. I just jumped."
Schuringa said he heard a sound similar to a firework going off and looked
across the aisle at the suspect who had a blanket on his lap attempting to
ignite an object he was holding. "It was smoking and there were flames coming
from beneath his legs," he said. "I searched on his body parts and he had his
pants open. He had something strapped to his legs."
Schuringa and the cabin crew then dragged Mutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, to
the front of the plane, where he was restrained until landing. Mutallab
reportedly told intelligence agents who began interrogating him after he was
taken to hospital strapped to a stretcher that he had an explosive powder
strapped to his leg. He was trying to set off the device with a syringe filled
with liquid.
Mutallab, who had boarded a flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Amsterdam's Schipol
airport before transferring to the Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit, had
burns on his leg. "The only thing I can tell for sure is that he was severely
burned," said Melinda Dennis. "They required a fire extinguisher as well as
water to put it out. You could smell the smoke when we landed."
Yesterday details about Mutallab's background and lifestyle started to emerge.
University College London issued a statement saying that a student named Umar
Farouk Abdul Mutallab studied mechanical engineering there between September
2005 and June 2008.His father is Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a prominent Nigerian
businessman who retired as chairman of the country's First Bank a fortnight ago.
Yesterday he was talking to security officials in Nigeria who were liaising with
US and British police.
It has been suggested that, in the recent past, the father became so concerned
about his son's activities he reported him to the American authorities and
Nigerian security agencies .
Family friends say Mutallab apparently became radicalised during his time at the
British International School in Lome, Togo. At the school, he was known for
preaching about Islam. He later grew estranged from his family and relocated to
Dubai, before moving to London.
Terrorism experts have been quick to draw parallels with the attempt by the
British-born "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, a radicalised loner who tried to
destroy a transatlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes. Reid
was restrained by other passengers and is serving a life sentence in the US.
US authorities are unclear as to whether the Christmas Day device failed to
detonate or if the suspect was subdued before he had a chance to activate it. It
appears that it was put together on the aircraft, using a variation of the
explosive pentaerythritol (Petn) used by Reid.
When Mutallab changed at Amsterdam for Detroit, he was apparently given
additional screening, but not to a level that would have established he was
carrying suspicious substances.
Terrorism expert Dr Sally Leivesley said the incident suggested that terrorists
were changing tack. "This looks as though it is a first attempt of a new way to
use the body to conceal explosives," she said. "In the past it was a can of
liquid explosive. Now they may be concealing the explosives on the human body."
Kieran Daly, an aviation expert, said: "The latest incident shows that would-be
terrorists are having to resort to trying to get very small devices on board
planes. Thanks to increased security, the sort of devices are now not big enough
to actually bring down a plane."
A security briefing obtained by ABC News in the US said that, following his
arrest, Mutallab, who is under guard at a Michigan hospital, claimed to have
been ordered by al-Qaida to blow up a plane over US soil. The briefing note
stated: "The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the
device was acquired in Yemen, along with instructions as to when it should be
used."
Mutallab had a two-year visa allowing him to stay in the US until next June.
According to his entry visa, he was flying from Nigeria to the US for a
religious seminar.
"I would say we dropped the ball," said Peter King, the senior Republican on the
House of Representatives homeland security committee, who claimed that although
Mutallab was not on a "no-fly" list of suspected terrorists he was known to
authorities. "My understanding is… he does have al-Qaida connections, certainly
extremist terrorist connections, and his name popped up pretty quickly."
US investigators are focusing on whether the incident was part of a larger plot
and are exploring Mutallab's links to known al-Qaida operatives in Yemen. The
latest incident comes after a spate of domestic terrorism cases in the US
sparked fears that terrorists linked to al-Qaida were stepping up their campaign
on American soil. "The urgency of striking the US homeland has been growing
because of the escalation in Afghanistan and now in many other spots, such as
Yemen, the Sahel and the predator strikes inside Pakistan," said a terrorism
expert, Professor Walid Phares.
"They feel that by striking they will prompt a popular movement to put pressure
on the [US] administration to cease the escalation. Some believe that the
perception that the current administration is weaker may have also contributed
to an al-Qaida higher push. But, regardless, striking America at home is a
standing al-Qaida and jihadist strategic goal."
Peter Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House intelligence committee, said
it was examining Mutallab's links with the radical Yemeni imam, Anwar al-Awlaki,
who has inspired a number of terrorists.
Awlaki had contacts with Major Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is accused
of carrying out the massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, in November in which 13 people
were murdered. According to government officials, Awlaki was also the spiritual
adviser to two of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi,
while he was an imam at a mosque in northern Virginia. The FBI investigated him
in 1999 and 2000, believing him to be a possible procurement agent for Osama bin
Laden.
In Toronto, a terror cell watched videos of Awlaki at a makeshift training camp
where an attack was planned on the Canadian parliament and prime minister. "He's
a star attraction as a recruiter to young Americans and Canadians," one former
American intelligence official told the US media.
This month, in an interview with Al Jazeera, Awlaki expressed surprise that the
US military had failed to uncover Hasan's plan, to which he gave his backing.
"My support to the operation was because the operation brother Nidal carried out
was a courageous one, and I endeavoured to explain my position regarding what
happened because many Islamic organisations and preachers in the west condemned
the operation," he said.
Awlaki left the US and moved to Yemen in 2002 where he established an
English-language website that has thousands of followers around the world. In
January 2009, he published an online essay, 44 Ways to Support Jihad, in which
he asserts that all Muslims must participate in jihad, whether in person, by
funding mujahideen or by fighting the west.
Concerns about his influence in the UK have been expressed by experts on
community cohesion. In August, the Observer reported anger that Awlaki was due
to speak via a video link at Kensington town hall. The broadcast was dropped
after the local council stepped in. He has also been invited to give talks via
video link at several London universities. "Mutallab is the latest in a long
list of terrorists [Awlaki] has inspired and encouraged," said Alexander
Meleagrou-Hitchens of the Centre for Social Cohesion.
"The preacher has long been a highly respected figure within a number of British
university Islamic societies because, unlike most other radical preachers,
Awlaki speaks English as a first language, and being born and raised in America
has given him a good understanding of western culture. This makes him very
appealing to young western Muslims."
Meleagrou-Hitchens called for British universities to increase their vigilance.
"This incident should act as a wake-up call to university authorities," he said.
"It is crucial that they now accept the central role they must play in resisting
extremists and preventing student groups from promoting hate preachers."
The US has become increasingly concerned that Yemen is now a major al-Qaida
training ground. Bordering Saudi Arabia and near the oil-rich nations of the
Gulf, it was the scene of one of al-Qaida's biggest pre-9/11 attacks, the 2000
suicide bombing of the US destroyer Cole, which killed 17 US sailors.
The country's government has little control outside the capital and has been
involved in a fierce war against Shia rebels in the north. Fighters sympathetic
to al-Qaida have fled war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and used Yemen as a safe
haven from where they carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia.
Concerns that the country will become another Afghanistan has prompted the
Pentagon to spend nearly $70m (£44m) on military aid to Yemen this year,
compared with none in 2008. Yemeni forces are being trained in counter-terrorism
and the US is providing the country's military with intelligence.
The fruits of this policy were on display this month when Yemeni jets carried
out a dawn bombing in the province of Shabwa, in which scores of Yemeni and
foreign al-Qaida operatives were said to have been killed, including Nasser al-Wuhayshi,
the regional al-Qaida leader, and his deputy, Saeed al-Shihri, a former
Guantánamo detainee. Initially it was thought Awlaki had been killed, but this
has been denied by his family.
Phares said: "Al-Qaida has been operating for years in Yemen, without being
confronted seriously by the government. It was only this year that President Ali
Abdallah Saleh engaged the organisation in an all-out campaign. Al-Qaida has had
many years to organise. That is what happens when governments wait too long
before acting."
Syria’s
friend or its prosecutor?
Michael Young, Now Lebanon
December 23, 2009
Saad Hariri’s trip to Damascus this past weekend sent up a cloud of ambiguous
feelings, very few of them particularly reassuring. Syria has substantially
recouped its losses in Lebanon in the past four years, and if Hariri’s handshake
with Bashar al-Assad did not underline that fact, then nothing will. However,
one aspect of Syria’s political return has been little discussed, namely what
“reconciliation” with the Assad regime means for the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon investigating Rafik Hariri’s murder.
The most commonly heard answer is that the tribunal is going ahead with its work
and will remain impartial and resistant to political pressures. But how true is
that? We tend to forget that the tribunal is a mixed international-Lebanese
body, and even if we assume that the international judges will preserve their
independence, can we say the same thing of the Lebanese judges now that their
president, prime minister, speaker of parliament, and most other politicians,
are staunchly defending improved Lebanese-Syrian ties? Judges don’t function in
a vacuum. They have to think of their safety as well as of their career as much
as anybody else.
According to the statutes of the Lebanon tribunal there are three judges in the
trial chamber, one of whom is Lebanese. Of the five judges in the appeals
chamber, two are Lebanese. There is also a Lebanese alternate judge who is
entitled to sit in on each stage of the trial process, and who can replace the
trial judge if that becomes necessary.
While the decisions of the three judges in the trial chamber are taken by a
majority vote, because the process will involve a crime that occurred in
Lebanon, the relative authority of the Lebanese judge will undoubtedly be
enhanced. On top of that, the Lebanese judge in question, Ralph Riachi, is the
deputy president of the chamber; in other words it will be important for the
international judges to ensure there is a consensus with Riachi so that
decisions don’t appear to be imposed by them, and specifically by the
international community through them as its representatives.
This is not to cast doubt on the credibility of Riachi, or that of the Lebanese
deputy prosecutor, Joyce Tabet. Both are highly regarded, and Riachi played a
key role in negotiating the tribunal’s statutes, along with Judge Shukri Sader.
However, judges are not supermen, and Riachi and Tabet know well what it was
like during the years of the Syrian presence to maneuver through a judiciary
infected with corruption and political favoritism. Integrity notwithstanding, it
will not be easy for the Lebanese to ignore that, back home, their careers and
the security of their families and friends may effectively be in the hands of
Syria and Hezbollah, who have been systematically hostile to the Lebanon
tribunal.
Once Daniel Bellemare, the man who will prosecute Hariri’s killers, issues an
indictment, the Lebanese state will be caught in an impossible judicial and
political dilemma. Beirut will find itself officially on the side of a
prosecution that may well point the finger at Damascus, the only serious culprit
in the killing of the former prime minister, even as the state and its
institutions substantially fall back into Syria’s tightening grip.
And if Bellemare finds that Hezbollah played a role in the crime, that dilemma
would only be compounded tenfold, so that it would almost certainly affect the
ultimate outcome of the trial process. We can expect Riachi and Tabet to feel
considerable heat from Beirut to shape the outcome of the indictment, and given
its repercussions for Lebanon’s stability they may be more inclined to go along
than their colleagues.
Might they resist? They might, and it would be to their credit. But it would
also take a great deal of nerve, assuming Bellemare puts together a strong case.
International tribunals (and even more so a mixed tribunal) are just as
sensitive to political realities as national tribunals, often more so.
Then we have national interests. There is a mistaken belief that the Lebanon
tribunal will operate with Chapter VII authority. In reality, as Shukri Sader
explained in a paper read at the Yale Law School in October 2008, the tribunal
was only set up under that authority, but may require United Nations Security
Council resolutions to force states to comply with its requests if necessary.
The Security Council is far more divided today than it was in 2005, when the
investigation mechanism was set up. It is very difficult to imagine that there
would be easy agreement between the five permanent members, particularly with a
reluctant Lebanon now sitting on the council, to force Syrian compliance with
the prosecution’s demands.
Politics as well as personal concerns will greatly determine what happens when
Bellemare finally issues an accusation. To assume that the Lebanon tribunal will
avoid the ensuing minefield is naïve in the extreme.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut.
Amin
Gemayel
December 23, 2009
On December 22, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) carried the following
report:
Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel held a press conference on Tuesday at the
Kataeb Party headquarters in Saifi and in the presence of the deputies of the
Kataeb bloc to announce his appeal over Article 6 of the Ministerial Statement,
which pertains to Hezbollah and its arms, to the Constitutional Council.
“Today’s meeting is to announce the initiative of the deputies of the Kataeb
bloc to file a plea to contest Article 6 of the Ministerial Statement related to
the Resistance, i.e. the arms of Hezbollah. This step aims at securing the
recognition of the unconstitutionality of this article, since based on Article
18 of the Constitutional Council's founding law, the council’s task is to
monitor the constitutionality of the laws and the texts enjoying the value of
laws. We know that the government earned the vote of confidence on the basis of
the Cabinet statement which enjoys the same moral character and value as the
introduction of the constitution, and just like all the other similar texts, is
binding on the government.
It is our duty in light of the position we adopted in the committee to draft the
Cabinet statement and the clear position of our minister who opposed this
article along with several among our allies who opposed it in Parliament, [and
therefore] we must adopt a stand. Our opposition is not futile and is not a cry
in the wilderness. It is a political position carrying a legal impact and a
constitutional effect. This initiative aims at encouraging the political
committees and all those concerned to resort to the constitutional institutions
to resolve any conflict between the Lebanese. This initiative also enhances the
roles of the constitutional, administrative and judicial institutions that
should partake in the building of the state which is our project. The Cabinet
statement corroborated the necessity to build institutions capable of protecting
the citizens, and this is the best way to enhance the institutions and build the
state which we hope will tend to our needs. We thus hope that these institutions
will assume their responsibilities and play their designated role to respond to
the calls and resolve the disputes in a way that would spare us from the sterile
arguing which usually characterizes political conflicts in the country and
prevent this conflict from moving to the street.”
On Kataeb-Hezbollah relations, Gemayel said that there is a necessity “to launch
dialogue with all the Lebanese sides. The good thing about this initiative is
that it transferred the conflict to the constitutional institutions, which in no
way obstructs dialogue, rapprochement and reconciliation, but rather encourages
them and places them in their sound political framework.
We do not want conflict either with Hezbollah or with any other side. However,
we are in favor of the resolution of such disputes in a way that would serve the
national interest. We support national concord provided it is established on
clear and transparent bases and enjoys credibility. That way, we would be
announcing to the Arab and international public opinion that we have upheld the
democratic and legitimate frameworks in resolving the problems, regardless of
their nature, and that we rejected any sort of settlement imposed on the
Lebanese reality by force. We support dialogue and openness and all that could
serve the interests of the country and secure rapprochement between all the
factions, but we do not consider that unconstitutional and illegal compromises
will save the country.
We want to reconstruct the state and the institutions. How can we rebuild this
state if we do not resort to it and to its institutions - especially the
constitutional and legal ones - to resolve the disputes? We have rushed to
present the plea due to the lack of time, and are consulting with political
forces represented in parliament to collect the necessary signatures, i.e. 10
signatures, to allow the challenge to take its legal and constitutional course.”
Why did you give the government a vote of confidence if you have such primordial
objections to the work and course of this government?
Our position was clear in regard to the retreat of the parliament in favor of
the Cabinet where all the political debates started taking place. Exiting the
Cabinet would have prevented us from presenting our viewpoint and this is the
factor we took into consideration when we decided to partake in the government
despite the reservations, flaws and objections. However, this does not prevent
the necessity to stress the unconstitutionality of Article 6 which completely
goes against [the principle of] national sovereignty.
Could this initiative affect the decisions adopted around the dialogue table?
Not necessarily. The dialogue table is much wider than Article 6 and we will
efficiently partake in all the forums and occasions. This is not our position
solely and was conveyed by many other deputies who opposed the obstruction of
the deployment of the state’s sovereignty over the entirety of the Lebanese
soil.
How did you perceive Prime Minister Hariri’s visit to Syria?
Will you be visiting it soon?
What interests us are the results and we know that the Lebanese wound is still
too deep and has not yet healed. Syria should do all that is possible to heal
that wound and we have not seen anything palpable yet. When the actual
negotiations between us and Syria are launched, we will test the intentions.
Therefore, all we can do now is wait. Sheikh Saad Hariri wanted to give this
visit a personal character and we do not consider it to be an official visit.
Although we appreciate the circumstances which made him adopt that course, once
we engage in official talks we will assess the situation. And I say it clearly:
Until now, my visit to Syria is not even on the table.
It is said that each time you are bothered by the positions of Prime Minister
Saad Hariri, you attack the arms of the Resistance.
We are not bothered by anyone. We are a national resistance fighting for
national sovereignty. In 1936, we stood in the face of French tutelage and
confronted all sorts of occupation, tutelage and hegemony. So let no one try to
outbid us over this issue. We will continue to confront all the things that
affect the dignity of the people and the sovereignty of the country and we are
proud of everything we are doing.