Pakistani Resident Of New York Pleads Guilty To Arms Exports To Malaysia

A Pakistani man pleaded guilty on Thursday to illegally exporting parts for F-5 and F-14 military fighter jets to Malaysia which prosecutors said may have eventually ended up in Iran.

Jilani Humayun, 60, a Pakistani citizen and resident of Long Island, New York, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to conspiracy to illegally export arms and to commit money laundering.

The charges carry a maximum prison term of 30 years and a $1 million fine. But the deal offers Humayun the possibility of a reduced sentence in exchange for full cooperation in future prosecutions related to the scheme.

Humayun is due back in court on Dec. 12. "I knew what I was doing was illegal," Humayun told U.S. District Judge Laura Swain as he leaned heavily against the defense table. His lawyer said Humayun, who has been free on bail, is "in very poor health."

Prosecutors said that in 2003 Humayun unsuccessfully sought a license to export military equipment to a Malaysian company.

But he then set up a company called Vash International and between January 2004 and May 2006 exported to Malaysia F-5 and F-14 fighter-jet parts, as well as Chinook helicopter parts, in 11 unauthorized shipments, prosecutors said.

Humayun told investigators he never knew who the "end users" of the items were, prosecutors said.

Known as the Tomcat, the supersonic F-14 was used by the U.S. Navy as a fighter plane but retired from service in 2006. The United States exported F-14s to Iran in 1976 when Washington still had good relations with Tehran.

Iran is now the only country using the F-14 and is one of many countries which use the F-5.

"As is well-documented in public reports, the sole customer of F-14 parts is the Iranian Air Force," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in a statement at the time of his arrest. (Reuters India)

***** Why do these guys have a penchant for routing through Malaysia, illegal arms purchases destined for the Middle East? Is our security that lax or are we willing participants in terror and fraud? Whatever may be the case, our country's image takes another hit.
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Osama Bin Laden Manhunt Gathers Pace Amid New Hideout Reports

Seven years after invading Afghanistan, the American intelligence sleuths stationed in Pakistan have launched a massive hunt to capture Osama bin Laden following intelligence reports that he has been spotted in the Karakoram section of the Himalayan range along Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and China.

According to well placed intelligence sources in Islamabad, the US intelligence sleuths stationed in Pakistan have stepped up increased surveillance operations through newly built bases in the region and additional daily flights of Predator drones scour the area for any suspicious characters who might lead them to the world’s most sought after fugitive.

The passionate search operation is learnt to have been prompted by some latest CIA reports that Osama has been located in the rooftop of the world — the area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan to the west, in particular the chain of mountains in the province of Nurestan, and China to the north.

Frequent claims as to the location of the fugitive al-Qaeda chief have been made by the Americans since December 2001, although none have been definitively proven and some have placed Osama in different locations during overlapping time periods. The US intelligence sleuths in Pakistan concede that finding one person in a big populated urban city is much more difficult as compared with tracking down someone in Northern Areas or the border areas of Pakistan.

However, there are many other factors pointed out by the Americans that have combined in the five years since the 9/11 to make the hunt for the Most Wanted more difficult — Pervez Musharraf’s unwillingness to cooperate as he fears being abandoned by the Americans once Osama is captured; the re-emergence of the Taliban militia in both Afghanistan and Pakistan; the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq that has exhausted the US military and intelligence resources etc.

Karpal Receives Live Bullet And Warning Note

DAP chairman Karpal Singh received an envelope containing a live bullet and a warning note at his law firm in Jalan Pudu Lama here Tuesday.

The envelope was delivered by a motorcyclist who wore a full-face helmet.

Karpal, who is MP for Bukit Gelugor, has lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters on the incident.

Accompanying him were Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang.

Karpal told reporters that the man had entered his firm about 12.30pm and handed over a yellow envelope containing the bullet and the note. "I was at home when my clerk informed me that I had received the bullet and the note.

"According to her, the man kept silent and left immediately," he said, adding that he was worried for his safety.

He declined comment on whether the incident was related to his controversial remarks pertaining to the power of the Malay rulers.

Karpal said this was the second time he had received a live bullet. In 1981, he received an M-16 bullet which was delivered to his house in Penang. (Bernama)

***** Now WHO has grudges and grievances against Mr Karpal Singh which are serious enough to result in such a threat? Hmm. Shades of C4?

Kastari Escaped From Singapore Detention Centre Without His Trousers!

Singapore says a suspected Islamic militant managed to escape from a detention centre two months ago mainly due to an unlocked window in the toilet - and fled without his trousers.

Wong Kan Seng, Singapore's deputy prime minister, told parliament today that Mas Selamat bin Kastari flipped his trousers above the cubicle door before escaping through a window.

"The guard had assumed that the urinal cubicle was a secure facility and that Mas Selamat could not escape from it. This assumption was wrong,'' he said.

Wong said Kastari had planned his escape "over time'' and that the two guards who escorted him to the toilet had "failed in their duties''.

"In my view, the security weakness of this window is the single most crucial factor which enabled Mas Selamat to escape,'' he said.

Wong said he was not sure how Kastari managed to get over the double perimeter fence at the centre, but said he could have "exploited a weakness'' in a section of the fencing.

Kastari, the suspected leader of the Singapore cell of al-Qaeda-linked militant network Jemaah Islamiah (JI), escaped in February from a detention centre where he was being held for allegedly plotting to crash a plane into Singapore's airport.

His escape sparked a massive manhunt on the tiny city-state that saw Nepali Gurkhas combing forests and a global security alert from Interpol.

JI has been blamed for the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Wong said that the investigation into Kastari's escape concluded that he received no help from the centre's guards or staff and was not assisted by someone from the outside.

The escape was seen by some experts as highly embarrassing for Singapore, which prides itself on tight security.

Wong said the authorities were considering building a new detention centre inside a prison.

Singapore, a strong US ally and a major base for Western businesses, sees itself as a prime target in the region after it said it foiled JI plots in 2001 to attack its airport and other sites, including the US embassy, the American Club and the Singapore American School.

***** There are several questions which come to mind after reading the explanation given at Singapore's parliament. If Kastari did not get help from anyone within the centre or from someone on the outside as the minister contends, how did the militant walk out into the streets without his trousers and without anybody noticing him? How does a 'trouserless' man hail a cab or melt into a crowd and make good his escape? Also how can the minister be so sure that he did not have any outside help?
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Meanwhile in Indonesia: Jakarta Court Sentences Key Militant To 15 Years In Prison

Singaporeans Question Escape Of Alleged Militant Leader

Singapore's government has come under stinging public criticism after the escape of an alleged militant leader from custody dented the country's reputation for airtight security.

Letters to the editor and Internet blogs by Singaporeans took officials to task for the escape on Wednesday of Mas Selamat bin Kastari, alleged leader of the Singapore wing of the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Open criticism of the government is rare in tightly ruled Singapore, but the apparent ease with which Kastari managed to slip out of a detention centre raised questions about the authorities' anti-terrorist measures.

Since his escape, security forces including paramilitary Nepalese Gurkhas employed by the police have been combing the island and keeping a tight watch on its borders with Malaysia and Indonesia.

Kastari was accused of plotting to hijack a plane in order to crash it into Singapore's busy Changi Airport in 2001, but never charged in court. He was being held under an internal security law which allows for detention without trial.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said Kastari escaped after he was permitted to use the toilet during a visit by family members.

"I am sure Singaporeans would like to know the details of the escape -- what happened from the time the terrorist left for the restroom while his family members were waiting for him," said a letter from reader Rosemary Chwee published Saturday by Singapore's leading daily, The Straits Times.

"Such a slip is professionally unforgivable... As a citizen, I am deeply concerned, especially if Mas Selamat continues to be on the loose," she wrote.

Police flyers seeking public help in recapturing the 47-year-old Kastari say he is "not known to be armed" and walks with a limp.

"What puzzles me is how a middle-aged man who has difficulty walking can leave the detention center with such ease," wrote another reader, Siow Jia Rui.

Another letter writer, Lee Beng Hai, suspected Kastari could have been helped by "sleepers and sympathizers."

Internet blog sites -- the usual refuge of Singapore government critics who are denied space in the mainstream media -- were full of chatter and conspiracy theories on the escape.

Even the Straits Times, which is closely identified with the government, said in an editorial that the authorities had to confront the question of whether Kastari had help. "It stretches credulity to imagine this was an opportunistic solo effort... The escape was too easy, too neat," it said.

If he had help, it would mean "terror cells are still morphing and sympathisers are being drawn into the network," the newspaper said. If he acted alone, "the system breakdown was egregious," it added.

"Security incidents like this one... will shake confidence in the anti-terror system." The editorial said complacency may have set in because Singapore has been spared from terrorist violence so far.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Singapore has implemented tough security measures and rounded up suspected militants and sympathisers of the Jemaah Islamiyah.

The group has been blamed for a series of attacks including the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali which killed 202 people, mostly tourists.

Kastari, a Singaporean citizen of Indonesian ancestry, was handed over by Indonesian officials after his second arrest there in 2006.

Singapore is a predominantly ethnic Chinese city-state which has a Malay Muslim minority and hosts hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, many of them Malaysians and Indonesians.
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Top Abu Sayyaf Militant Killed By Philippine Troops

Philippine troops killed a senior Islamic militant wanted by the United States after they raided his safe house in the restive south of the archipelago, officials said on Sunday.

Mobin Abdurajak, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, was wanted for kidnapping 21 people from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan in 2000. The victims were freed after a ransom was paid.

"The neutralization of Abdurajak is part of our campaign to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf terrorists," regional navy chief Rear Admiral Emilio Marayag said.

Navy officers and marines swooped on Abdurajak's hideout in Tawi-Tawi, the southernmost tip of the Philippines, on Saturday night. He was killed in the firefight.

The United States had offered $20,000 for the arrest of the militant, a brother-in-law of Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani who was killed in a clash with the military last year.

The smallest of several Muslim rebel groups active in the south of the largely Catholic Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf is also the most notorious.

Last week, 14 of its members were sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping of 20 people from a luxury beach resort in the western Philippines in 2001 and the decapitation of three of them, including an American.

The Philippines is also fighting communist insurgents and on Sunday, members of the Maoist New People's Army killed three marines in an early morning ambush in the west of the archipelago, the military said.

Sunday was meant to be the first day of a three-week ceasefire with the NPA over the Christmas period.
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'War On Terror' A 'Disaster' Says British Think Tank

The US-led "war on terror" has been a "disaster" and Washington and its allies must change their policy in Iraq and Afghanistan to defeat Al-Qaeda, an independent global security think tank said Monday.

The Oxford Research Group (ORG) said in a report that Western strategy since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States had failed to extinguish the threat from Islamist extremism and even fuelled it. "Every aspect of the war on terror has been counterproductive in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the loss of civilian life through mass detentions without trial. In short, it has been a disaster," report author Paul Rogers said.

"Western countries simply have to face up to the dangerous mistakes of the past six years and recognise the need for new policies."

Rogers, professor of peace studies at the University of Bradford, northern England, also warned that any military action against Iran over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear programme would further aggravate the situation. "Going to war with Iran will make matters far worse, playing directly into the hands of extreme elements and adding greatly to the violence across the region," he added. "Whatever the problems with Iran, war should be avoided at all costs -- the mistakes already made will be completely overshadowed by the consequences of a war with Iran."

Chief among the report's criticisms is that the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was a "grievous mistake", which had created a combat training zone for extremist elements linked to or inspired by Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda.

The report, "Towards Sustainable Security: Alternative Approaches to the War on Terror", said the situation was comparable to the rise of the mujahedin that rose against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

On Afghanistan, the ORG said ousting the hardline Taliban from power in late 2001 had been of "direct value" to Al-Qaeda and militia sympathetic to its violent Islamist ideology were now re-invigorated, it added.

In addition, mass detentions of suspected extremists, torture, prisoner abuse and the "extraordinary rendition" of suspects for questioning in third countries outside US legal jurisdiction was a useful propaganda weapon.

Rogers said the United States and its allies needed to better understand the roots of the Al-Qaeda movement and its support base and systematically undercut it through policy changes at every level. But he said even if that were successful, it would still take at least a decade to make up for mistakes so far.

Among the ORG's recommendations are the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq and an increase in diplomacy, including with Syria and Iran; greater civil aid to Afghanistan, a scaling down of military action and talks with militia.

"Extraordinary rendition", detention without trial and prisoner abuse should stop immediately; countries should commit to advancing the stalled Middle East peace process, because of its central role in anti-Western sentiment, it said. (Channel Newsasia)
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Foreign Occupation Is Worst Form Of Terrorism

Libya's foreign minister called on Monday for efforts to put an end to foreign occupation, which he said is "the worst form of terrorism."

"Ending terrorism will require practical measures to eliminate its root causes," Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham said at the general debate of the UN General Assembly.

These measures include "effective action to promote human rights for all peoples, putting a stop to acts of aggression and the occupation of the lands of others, fighting poverty and encouraging democracy," he said.

"Foreign occupation is the worst form of terrorism, since occupation forces subject entire peoples to measures which violate the most basic principles of human rights and commit crimes on a daily basis against those peoples in order to maintain their occupation," he said.

"In our campaign to fight terrorism, it is imperative that we coordinate our efforts to finally put an end to foreign occupation, enable peoples to exercise their right to self-determination and prevent interference in their internal affairs," he said.

Citing Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights and the Lebanese Shebaa Farms, the foreign minister urged the international community to "take the necessary measures to oblige the occupation forces to withdraw from all occupied Arab land, return it to its owners and compensate Syria and Lebanon for the damage inflicted upon them by the occupation."

On Iraq, he said that "the tragedy of the occupation ... requires an urgent initiative from the United Nations to solve the crisis which will ensure the withdrawal of the occupation forces .. ." (People's Daily Online)
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Osama Bin Laden - Good Example Of 'A Miss Is As Good As A Mile'

United States troops in Afghanistan came so close to discovering Osama bin Laden in the winter of 2004-2005 that his supporters were on the verge of killing him to prevent his capture, Newsweek reported on Sunday.

Bin Laden's entourage, ordered to kill the al-Qaeda chief and themselves to avoid capture, were about to take the drastic action using a special code word when nearby US troops moved off in a different direction, the magazine said in its latest issue on sale on Monday.

"If there's a 99 percent risk of the sheikh (Bin Laden) being captured, he told his men that they should all die and martyr him as well," Newsweek quoted Egyptian al-Qaeda operative Sheikh Said as telling Taliban official Omar Farooqi.

The near-miss by US forces occurred on the lawless border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the magazine reported.

In its cover story on the six-year-old search for Bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, Newsweek also said the intense US search for him has made little progress in several years.

"There hasn't been a serious lead on Osama bin Laden since early 2002," Bruce Reidel, a retired CIA South Asia expert, told the magazine. "What we're doing now is shooting in the dark in outer space. The chances of hitting anything are zero," said an unidentified intelligence official.

The publication also reported that US security officials believe al-Qaeda is still planning dramatic attacks on the West comparable to 9/11. (Independent Online)
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What Caused Failure Of London Bomb Plot?

The London bomb plot allegedly planned by a cell of doctors failed because a medical syringe used as part of the firing mechanism caused a malfunction, a media report said today.

Quoting non-classified documents reviewed by it and confirmed by multiple sources, ABC News reported that both cell phone-initiated firing mechanisms, rigged inside a Mercedes E 300 parked several yards from the front door of Tiger Tiger nightclub, had failed.

Fuel-air bombs, whether professionally made or rigged by novices, are notoriously difficult to get to perform as intended, ABC said, adding that is why they are so rarely used. Despite some surface similarities to vehicle born improvised explosives used in Iraq, these incendiaries were essentially different.

The Iraqi bombs, the report said, are explosives linked to gases either with the idea of increasing their effectiveness or spreading a chemical cloud. The London and Glasgow devices were not explosives at all, but firebombs.

Had the fuel-air bombs successfully ignited into a super-hot fireball filled with roofing nails, casualties would have been almost a certainty among the 500 or so patrons who partied late at the 1,700-person occupancy nightclub that perhaps best symbolises London's vital nightlife scene.

When a bomb technician in a 90 pound Kevlar suit walked down to the vehicle to examine it, he also found a firing system rigged inside the car and another inside its trunk along with four jugs of gasoline. The technician successfully disarmed the devices. (Rediff News)
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UK Terror Threat - Asian Doctors In A Bind

Asian doctors, especially Muslims, are likely to face greater scrutiny when applying for jobs in Britain’s National Health Service, under an immediate review of recruitment procedures ordered today by Gordon Brown. The Prime Minister’s response follows the disclosure that the eight people being questioned by police in connection with the failed car bombs in London and Glasgow were either doctors or technical staff working for the NHS.

“As a result of what has happened in the NHS, I’ve asked Lord West, the new terrorism minister, to conduct an immediate review as to what arrangements we must make in relation to recruitment to the NHS because of what we know has happened over the last few days,” announced Brown.

As the Prime Minister made his statement in the Commons, an Indian doctor in Liverpool — the city that is figuring large in the police investigation — expressed concern at the possible consequences for non-white doctors. Dr Sabyasachi Sarker, 62, a member of the British International Doctors’ Association and who practises at the Knotty Ash Surgery in East Prescot Road in Liverpool, said: “For any of us with an Asian or Middle Eastern appearance, there is a feeling of apprehension, of being under suspicion.”

Sarker, who came to the UK 35 years ago and moved to Liverpool in 1973, told a local paper: “As a medical professional with brown skin there is a feeling, possibly just paranoia, that people could be wondering if you are a potential terrorist. I am a Hindu and my religion is not particularly associated by the public with terrorism — but people don't know my religion by looking at me.” He added: “It has been distressing to learn that those involved are from the medical profession and that they have worked or trained in the Merseyside area.

I have spoken with other members of the British International Doctors’ Association and they are similarly shocked and outraged. We have looked into whether those arrested and being questioned were members of the association and it seems they were not.” Sarker later today told The Telegraph: “There has been no trouble before in Liverpool. I trained at Calcutta Medical College and, after six months in Wolverhampton, I moved to Liverpool.”

He said that five years ago, the Overseas Doctors’ Association changed its name to the British International Doctors’ Association. “We get on very well — we have doctors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and some from the Middle East. I don't think there will be a backlash — the British are too mature for that. But we have to be prepared for difficult times ahead. We are quite shocked at what's happened,” he emphasised.

It is not only doctors who will be subject to closer checks. Brown told the Commons today that background checks on skilled migrant workers would be expanded. His government would also expand the worldwide “watch list” of potential terrorists to help warn other countries. He said that new agreements would be signed with countries around the world to ensure a co-ordinated response to the terrorist threat.

It does seem, though, that when Muslim doctors apply for NHS jobs in a city like Liverpool, the onus will be on them to prove they have no hidden agendas. Among the Liverpool MPs, Louise Ellman, member for Riverside, said: “We should increase the number of checks at hospitals. It is shocking to have this so close to home.”

The Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen 'Brien, MP for Eddisbury in Cheshire, said he believed the Department of Health’s Code of Practice needed to be explained by the government and possibly reassessed for security. He said: “It is shocking that people who have taken the Hippocratic Oath could be involved.” (Source - The Telegraph, Calcutta)

***** It looks like the terror attempt by these doctors in the UK would now in turn have adverse implications for a whole range of professions among non-white residents and migrants from a wide spectrum of countries. Surely to be also affected are our own citizens working in the UK, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Just because of the actions of a misguided few, so many will have to bear the consequences for a long time to come. Sad isn't it?
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Maritime Terrorism A Real Threat In Straits Of Malacca, Warns IGP

In this International Herald Tribune article, the IGP serves a grim warning about the ever-present danger of maritime terrorism.

The Malacca Strait remains vulnerable to a terrorist strike that would send political and economic shock waves worldwide, Malaysia's police chief said Tuesday.

Militants could hijack a ship carrying hazardous material or use a vessel as a weapon to hit port and land facilities, Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan told law and shipping officials from more than 30 countries at an ocean security conference.

Maritime terrorism is a "threat which is real and possible that is lurking in the straits," Musa said. "The straits must be kept open and safe, and the prime responsibility is with the three littoral states of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore."

The 900-kilometer (550-mile) -long strait between peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia's Sumatra island has been notorious in the past for robberies by sea pirates, who can hide amid narrow channels, shallow reefs and thousands of tiny islands.

Read the entire report HERE.

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Earlier post: Number Of Pirate Attacks In 2006: International Maritime Bureau Claims At Least Ten, Malaysia Says Only Two!