Several Yemeni men belonging to al-Qaeda took part in the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi last September, according to several sources who have spoken with CNN. One senior U.S. law enforcement official told CNN that “three or four members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” or AQAP, took part in the attack.
New York Congressman Peter King says it’s premature to rule out possible Al-Qaeda involvement in the Boston Marathon bombings. In an interview on The Steve Malberg Show, King also says that despite contradictory reports, he still harbors suspicions about the Saudi national observed running from the scene of the bombings. King is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Two men have been arrested and charged with plotting a terror attack against a Canadian passenger train with support from al-Qaeda elements inside Iran. Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, who live in Montreal and Toronto, were planning to derail a passenger train in Toronto.
Our first line of defense, counter-terrorist infiltration operatives, has been cut in half by the Obama Administration. The cutbacks come as Al-Qaeda is growing more brazen and sophisticated in its efforts to infiltrate the United States. Pundit Dick Morris discusses the consequences.
France’s top defense official claims the terrorist group al-Qaeda stockpiled tons of weapons in Mali and planned to use the Central African country’s north as a base for international attacks.
In their haste to flee the French intervention, the Islamist militants who had taken over northern Mali left behind a crucial piece of evidence: A document written by their leader that outlines their plans for conquering the region.
As Syria collapses, its society destroyed by the nation’s prolonged civil war, what will emerge from the rubble and the ashes? Will the country become stable again, but under a different government, or will chaos ensue for many years to come? An Israeli military commander outlines the heightened dangers if Syria becomes a lawless refuge for jihadis. H/T Blazing Cat Fur
French and Malian troops have liberated Timbuktu and driven out Islamists who had imposed strict Sharia laws. But the al-Qaeda-linked extremists left their mark as they retreated in defeat — torching a library that contained irreplaceable manuscripts and relics hundreds of years old. It’s not yet known have many volumes were lost. It’s also unclear where these Arab Spring insurgents will head next to share their enlightened views.
Inside video footage shot by a security firm paints a disturbing portrait of the terror faced by hostages in the Algerian gas plant overrun by al-Qaeda-linked militants. The video aired on Channel 4 in Great Britain, prompting the Foreign Minister to announce that counter-terrorism work in Algeria and other North African countries would intensify in the coming weeks.
Tawfik Hamid, an ex-jihadist and author from Egypt, says the United States has empowered radical Islamists by adopting a naive diplomatic approach in the Middle East. Hamid faults the Obama Administration for embracing “sudden democracy syndrome,” encouraging the downfall of longstanding regimes and siding with revolutionary forces throughout the region. The problem with that policy, asserts Hamid: Once the militants are in the driving seat, they won’t hesitate to violently turn against their Washington patrons, as evidenced by the brutal murder of the US ambassador in Libya.
Hamid is interviewed here by Russia Today, the Russian global TV network. The Russians have their own motives, of course, for wanting to apply the brakes to Islamic extremism. Not only is Russia flanked on its southern border by several predominantly Muslim nations, but Russia also has propped up Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in his civil war against a rebel alliance that includes militia connected to al-Qaeda.
