White Supremacist 'Plot' To Kill Obama

Daniel Cowart pleaded guilty yesterday to plotting to kill then-candidate Barak Obama in October of 2008.

Cowart, a white supremacist, met a like-minded individual, Paul Schlesselman, on the Internet, according to Cowart's guilty plea. They discussed going on a killing spree during which they would kill 88 people. The number 88 is used by white supremacists as code for "Heil Hitler" (H being the eight letter of the alphabet, so HH=88). They also discussed beheading 14 African-Americans (14 is another indirect reference to white supremacist ideology, link).

According to a criminal complaint, they also discussed killing black schoolchildren and eventually decided that the coda to their spree of violence would be to assassinate Obama while wearing white tuxedos and top hats.

After discussing plans for armed robberies to financing weapons purchases, the two men and a female friend cased the home of an elderly they had picked out for a home invasion, but backed out at the last minute, opting instead to go on a vandalism spree.

Instead, they loaded up their car with weapons and decorated it with white supremacist and neo-Nazi symbols including a large swastika and the words "Honk if you love Hitler" written on the bumper. The brilliant idea here was to drive around until they provoked a confrontation with a random person, whom they would then shoot. This plan brought them to the attention of the local sheriff, resulting in their arrest.

Criminal complaint, Daniel Cowart

Indictment, Daniel Cowart

Guilty plea, Daniel Cowart

Labels: Daniel-Cowart, INTELFILES, Paul-Schlesselman, white-supremacists

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

INTELWIRE Records 1 Million Page Views

INTELWIRE today recorded its one millionth page view. It's been quite a progression over the last couple of years. INTELWIRE began as a very small operation focused mainly on posting and reporting from government documents. It has evolved into a valued source for authors, journalists and analysts, with the majority of readers coming from the media and government, including policy-makers, law enforcement, the intelligence community and the military.

Today INTELWIRE is part of the Multifaceted Media Group (MMG), bringing its exclusive primary sources to a wide range of projects, including international documentaries such as "Sarajevo Ricochet," a look at Al Qaeda's involvement in the War in Bosnia which will debut within the next couple of months. In addition to INTELWIRE reports, MMG provides comprehensive services to media professionals in document and knowledge managemen and professional research services, as well as maintaining a massive archive of stock footage -- license-ready video and audio focused on terrorism and extremism.

There are big things ahead in the coming year. In early 2011, I will publish my first book, taking an investigative and analytical look at the phenomenon of American jihadists. We'll be releasing the title and ordering information within a couple of months. A second book -- a work of investigative journalism covering an important aspect of the war on terrorism -- is scheduled for late 2011 or early 2012. Two major MMG-produced documentaries are also in development.

Thanks to everyone who has been here since the start, and look for more announcements soon. Here's to the next million...

Labels: Site-News, Weblog

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Full Text of Indictment, Connecticut White Supremacists

Five members of a white supremacist group were indicted by a grand jury for planning an armed assault on a firearms company stockpile, illegally gun sales and attempting to manufacture grenades.

The group was known as the Connecticut White Wolves and later as Battalion 14. Members of the group named in the indictment include: Kenneth Zrallack, Alexander Defelice, Edwin T. Westmoreland, William R. Bolton and David Sutton.

Full text of indictment

Labels: Alexander-Defelice, Battalion-14, Connecticut-White-Wolves, David-Sutton, Edwin-Westmoreland, INTELFILES, Kenneth-Zrallack, white-supremacists, William-Bolton

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Awlaki's Path

Anwar Awlaki is talking again, in an audio message attributed to SITE but being pushed on Al Qaeda-linked forums by the American jihad-supporters at Revolution Muslim. In fact, RM has branded the short snippet currently available with its own logo.

Whether truthfully or not, Awlaki addresses a question that has been posed to me by both Muslims and journalists: "When did Awlaki become a radical?"

Some background is in order. Aside from his employment as imam at mosques in San Diego and Washington, D.C., Awlaki was the author/artist of a series of quite popular and passionate audio lectures on subjects such as the lives of the prophets, the hereafter and the companions of Mohammed. For this work, he attracted a fairly large following among mainstream Muslims, many of whom were floored to hear his name surface in connection to Nidal Hasan and Christmas-bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

So when we talk about Awlaki, a key question is when did he become a radical. There are three possible answers to this question:

• He was always a radical, but didn't always show it.
  
• He became a radical some time before leaving the U.S.
  
• He became a radical after leaving the U.S. (possibly after being arrested and interrogated in Yemen).

Awlaki claims, in this new video, that he became radicalized after the invasion of Iraq, which would place the change after he left the U.S. but before he went to Yemen. He was in the U.K. at the time of the invasion. According to Awlaki's new audio:

"However, with the American invasion of Iraq and continued U.S. aggression against Muslims, I could not reconcile between living in the U.S. and being a Muslim. And I eventually came to the conclusion that jihad against America is binding on myself, just as it binding on every other able Muslim. [...]

"To the Muslims in America, I have this to say: How can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful coexistence with a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against your own brothers and sisters? How can you hand your loyalty to the government that is leading the war against Islam and Muslims?"

While it makes a convenient talking point for Awlaki to have become suddenly radicalized by Iraq, the evidence suggests it happened much earlier. For one thing, there is Awlaki's well-publicized association with 9/11 hijackers in San Diego and Washington, D.C. I'll have more to say about that in my book, but it sure looks to me like this association was not entirely innocent (although there is currently no evidence that Awlaki knew specifics about the 9/11 plot).

More to the point, here's an excerpt from a 2002 sermon that Awlaki gave at the Dar El Hijra mosque -- before the invasion of Iraq and before he left the U.S. for good. He's railing in hysterical tones against the government after a series of raids on Islamic charities suspected of financing terrorism:

So this is not now a war on terrorism. We need to all be clear about this. This is a war against Muslims. It is a war against Muslim and Islam. Not only is it happening worldwide but it’s happening right here in America, that is claiming to be fighting this war for the sake of freedom, while it’s infringing on the freedom of its own citizens just because they’re Muslims. For no other reason.

And as Muslims, if we allow this to continue, if we do not stop it it ain’t gonna stop! It’s not gonna stop. If you don’t stand up in this struggle and make your voices heard and unite and make it clear to the authorities that you’re not going to allow your necks to be stepped over and your rights to be infringed upon. If you do not do that, then only Allah knows where it’s going to stop. Maybe the next day the Congress will pass a bill that Islam is illegal in America.

So while we have to acknowledge Awlaki's version of these events, we don't have to accept his version blindly. Whatever the details of Anwar Awlaki's path to the jihad, it started long before Iraq.

Here's the new audio. Please credit INTELWIRE.com if you broadcast or link the clip. The 2002 audio is also available. Broadcast journalists can contact me for a copy.

Labels: American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Anwar-Aulaqi, Anwar-Awlaki, Nidal-Malik-Hasan, Umar-Farouk-Abdulmutallab

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Whatever Happened to Abu Yahya Al-Adam?

It's been stony silence from the Pakistanis ever since they admitted that they had totally failed to arrest Adam Gadahn, Al Qaeda's preeminent English-language spokesman. We're all been eagerly waiting for news on the man the Pakistanis supposedly actually arrested, Abu Yahya Mujahideen Al-Adam. Now days have passed and skepticism is growing about even that arrest, since no one -- and I mean no one -- has ever heard of the guy. It's bad enough we can trust first reports out of Pakistan, now we can't even trust their sheepish corrections?

Labels: Abu-Yahya-Mujahdeen-al-Adam, Adam-Gadahn, Azzam-the-American

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Jihad Jane II: Jamie Paulin-Ramirez

Jihad Jane has a sister in arms. Her name is Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, and she appears to have been arrested as part of the investigation of the same plot to assassinate Muslim-offending cartoonist Lars Vilke.

After dressing in traditional headscarves, praying at a mosque in Denver and meeting with associates she had likely befriended online, Ms. Paulin-Ramirez — accompanied by her then 5-year-old son, Christian Carreon — had gone to live in Ireland in October, her mother, Christine Mott, said in an interview at her home here on Saturday. [...]

Both were recent converts to Islam and had become very active in online communities where they discussed their faith. Both Ms. LaRose with her blond hair and green eyes, and Ms. Paulin-Ramirez, blond and blue-eyed, had adopted traditional head covers.

Source: New York Times

UPDATE: CBS News says Paulin-Ramirez has been released. It will be interesting to see how THAT plays out...

Labels: Colleen-LaRose, Jamie-Paulin-Ramirez, Jihad-Jane

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Mobley Linked To Awlaki

Well, I called it...

A New Jersey nuclear plant laborer arrested in Yemen with 10 other suspected al Qaeda members was in contact with the same radical Yemeni-American cleric tied to Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, federal law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Source: ABC News

Labels: Anwar-Aulaqi, Anwar-Awlaki, Nidal-Malik-Hasan, Sharif-Mobley

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

They Keep On Coming...

Sharif Mobley of New Jersey is the latest American jihadist, picked in Yemen, so can Anwar Awlaki be far behind? Even better news -- he used to work at a nuclear power plant.

Labels: American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, Anwar-Aulaqi, Anwar-Awlaki, Sharif-Mobley

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Jihad Jane Is Talking

Wall Street Journal today confirms the hunch I posted Tuesday:

A person familiar with the matter said Ms. LaRose has been cooperating with authorities since her arrest. She helped prosecutors in their case against seven Muslims in Ireland accused of plotting to kill cartoonist Lars Vilks, this person said. Mr. Vilks's depictions of the Prophet Muhammad incited protests by Muslims. Law-enforcement officials said Ms. LaRose left the U.S. for Europe in August 2009, intending to train with jihadists and try to kill Mr. Vilks.

Labels: American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Colleen-LaRose, Jihad-Jane

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

How Many American Jihadists?

UPDATED 1/14/2011: This post has been updated with new material derived from my forthcoming book, "Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go To War In The Name Of Islam," the first comprehensive look at the phenomenon of American jihadists from the 1970s to the present. The book is scheduled to be released in April/May 2011. Pre-orders are available now. For information about review copies or for media interviews on American jihadists, contact me here.

The question "How many American jihadists are out there?" has been posed to me by reporters and other interested people from time to time. In 2009 and 2010, a series of stories were published by journalists around the country who are just "discovering" that Americans have signed up for jihad. So I wanted to give a little bit of perspective on the history of American jihadists, which will be greatly expanded on in the book.

How long has this been going on? And how many are there?

It seems as if most people writing on this issue believe that American jihadists sprang into existence after 9/11. The linked article is particularly disappointing in its shallow pool approach, given the source.

Not only is this untrue, but it's desperately important. What U.S. policymakers need to understand is that Americans have been involved in these activities since the dawn of the modern age of terrorism -- to be more specific, at least two American citizens took part in the Siege of Mecca in 1979.

There were a few incidents before this which qualify as "jihadist," but they aren't networked jihad, more like individual expressions of political frustration. I discuss one of the most memorable of these incidents in the book.

Since 1979, Americans have taken part in every single major jihadist conflict around the globe, to a greater or lesser extent. Americans fought with the mujahideen against the Soviets in Afghanistan, they fought the Serbs in Bosnia. Every major Islamic terrorist attack against the U.S. homeland has included American collaborators, and many attacks overseas have as well.

For the book and thereafter, I have examined the following numbers of cases:

160 U.S.-born citizens have taken part in significant jihadist activity.

113 jihadists have been naturalized U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

353 people residing in the U.S., legally or illegally, for a substantial period of time (i.e., years) who have taken part in jihadist activity.

A few important things to remember about this list:

These are documented cases, which means cases that have resulted in prosecutions, associates of people who were prosecuted, and a number of people who I have personally become aware of, but who were not part of a prosecution. The call as to who is serious enough to merit inclusion is subjective on my part.

There are huge gaps in the data. This list is the tip of an iceberg. For instance, no one in the U.S. government tracked of how many Americans fought in Afghanistan or Bosnia. There are no figures except what can be mined from court transcripts and jihadist histories. I estimate at least 150 Americans fought the Soviets in Afghanistan and at least 30 Americans fought in Bosnia, but these are only educated guesses. These are guesses. The real numbers -- especially Afghanistan -- could be much higher.

With a few exceptions I deemed significant enough to transcend local politics, I did not document Hamas and Hezbollah cases for this list, focusing instead on the global jihad movement most dangerously represented by Al Qaeda.

The people on this list generally have a clear connection to an established jihadist movement or explicitly espoused jihadist ideology. Only one or two cases on my list are judgment calls where you could easily argue for other motives.

Keep in mind that the list covers the last 30 years.

Also important to keep in mind is that these are people whose involvement in jihadism amounted to more than just idle talk. So if you're counting the Internet "jihobbyists" (as Jarret Brachman calls them), there are still more people to think about.

How many? It depends on where you draw the line for the definition of jihobbyist. Someone who is a daily consumer of jihadist material and only an occasional contributor? Or should they be daily contributors? Do you count only those who participate on the top 10 forums (a relatively small number)? Do you count people who take part only in jihadist forums, or those who sign up for strict Salafist forums? Do they have to take part in those forums' jihadist section, or should we count those who merely enable and legitimize forums which have jihadist sections?

For every case we know about, there are X cases we don't know about. Depending on what value you assign to X and what you consider "significant" jihadist activity, the total number of Americans likely to have taken part in jihadist activity is at least in the thousands, and possibly tens of thousands.

More data will likely surface in coming months (of 2011) which will help create a more precise estimate of current activity, which I expect to on the high end. But most data is likely to focus on the post-September 11 era.

Hopefully all of this illuminates the fact that American jihadists are not necessarily a wacky new trend.

At this point, I do believe that the number of current American jihadists is higher than it was prior to September 11, but the increase is likely not as dramatic as some in the media would like to portray it.

Rather, I think the trend is that the Americans who do sign up are much more visible now, in part because we care more than we did in the 1980s and 1990s,and in part because the Internet encourages them to identify themselves, as opposed to the pre-9/11 era, when most individual consumers of jihadist propaganda talked about their interests in person and (mostly) behind closed doors.

Beyond the "significant" jihadists, lie the jihobbyists. I think the number of people casually interested in jihad is growing thanks to the Internet. Until fairly recently, we haven't seen a lot of indicators that jihobbyists were becoming active jihadists. But in 2010 and 2011, there has been a notable uptick in such cases. The conversion rate of jihobbyists to jihadists is a massive concern going forward.

Labels: American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Analysis, Jihad-Joe

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Jihad Jane: Colleen LaRose Indictment

Here are the court documents for female American jihadist Colleen Renee LaRose, aka Jihad Jane, aka Fatima LaRose. Click here to read some of LaRose's attitudes about the United States in her own words.

10/10/2009: Criminal complaint, Colleen LaRose

Indictment, Colleen LaRose

Highlights of the indictment:

Defendant COLLEEN R. LAROSE, a/k/a “Fatima LaRose,” a/k/a “JihadJane,” and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, recruited men online to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe. [...]

On or about December 8, 2008, Unindicted Co-Conspirator (“CC”) #1, a resident of a South Asian country (whose full e-mail address is known to the Grand Jury), sent an electronic communication to defendant COLLEEN R. LAROSE, a/k/a “Fatima LaRose,” a/k/a “JihadJane,” stating CC #1’s desire to wage jihad and become a “shahed” (martyr). On or about December 9, 2008, defendant COLLEEN R. LAROSE, a/k/a “Fatima LaRose,” a/k/a “JihadJane,” sent an electronic communication to CC #1, replying that she also desires to become a martyr.[...]

On or about February 20, 2009, defendant COLLEEN R. LAROSE, a/k/a “Fatima LaRose,” a/k/a “JihadJane,” sent an electronic communication to CC #1, advising CC #1 that her physical appearance would allow her to “blend in with many people,” which “may be a way to achieve what is in my heart.”[...]

The problem here should be self-evident. Jihad Jane doesn't look to be the sharpest tack in the bag, but she doesn't have to be. Although we don't have an official national policy of racial profiling, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that a tiny blonde woman is going to attract a lower level of screening in an airport than a burly Pakistani male, nine times out of ten.

On the bright side (such as it is), given her background, profile and apparent capability, she is not someone who could easily execute a sophisticated attack on her own initiative, or even necessarily with extensive training. If you look at the major successful terrorist attacks in the United States, you will find that most of them involve at least one operative who is extremely intelligent and who has often received some kind of formal training in military or terrorist tactics.

Is Jihad Jane a threat of magnitude under her own power? Probably not. But she would have been a potent tool in the hands of someone like Ramzi Yousef or Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and it's a very good thing she has been taken off the playing field.

Labels: American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Colleen-LaRose, INTELFILES, Jihad-Jane

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Jihad Jane's Manifesto

This passage was taken from an online posting by Jihad Jane, aka Colleen LaRose, the Pennsylvania woman indicted this week:

Some ask us why we dont condemn the Mujaahideen. We say to them:

We will never condemn them in order to please your hearts. We speak what is good and leave that which is evil. The honor belongs to Allah, His Messenger, and the Believers and not the disbelievers.If what the Mujaahideen are doing is something not permissible under Islaamic Law, then we will stay quiet and pray to Allah for guidance (for them).

Never will we condemn them to make you happy because they are still better than the disbelievers due to their belief in Allah and His Messenger.And all the praises and thanks belong to Allah. We never have to find ourselves making supplication to Allah to guide them from their errors because they do things in accordance to the Shariah.

It is only the media that distorts their image, throws accusations upon them, and purposely lies to the public about their affairs labeling them as terrorists, fundamentalists, radicals and so on.

It is hypocritical of the media, generally speaking, to apply such labels to the Mujaahideen but fail to apply an iota of it to the American Government; she bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki and killed countless of civilians, yet people are too cowardly to call her a terrorist state. People should be remembering this extreme terrorist action for centuries upon centuries!!!

Later, she cites the work of Aburrahman Al Faqir, a jihadist thinker best known for his work online hanging around the Al Hesbah forum, an Al Qaeda-linked message board known for its relatively high proportion of jihad talkers who become jihad doers.

Labels: American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Colleen-LaRose, Jihad-Jane

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Pennsyvlania Woman Charged With Recruiting For Jihad

This one is a doozy...

David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Michael L. Levy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, together with Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI in Philadelphia, today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Colleen R. LaRose, aka "Fatima LaRose," aka "Jihad Jane," with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to a government official and attempted identity theft.

It's an interesting perhaps-coincidence that a Pennsylvania jihadist recruiter should be indicted immediately after a Pennsylvania jihadist was arrested in Pakistan. Pakistani news outlets reported that the jihadist was arrested based on U.S. intelligence leads.

So has Jihad Jane been talking? There's good reason to think so.

LaRose was actually rolled up with a sealed criminal complaint pertaining to her abuse of a U.S. passport back in October. An arrest warrant was executed on October 29, 2009. A series of sealed documents were then filed with the court culminating in an arrest warrant, including several requests to postpone indictment.

Labels: Abu-Yahya-Mujahdeen-al-Adam, American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Colleen-LaRose, Jihad-Jane

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Who's Abu Yahya Mujahideen Al-Adam?

Now that early reports of the arrest of American Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn have, somewhat predictably, turned out to be wrong (I hope you all noted my big fat disclaimer yesterday), we're left with the question of exactly whom did the Pakistanis arrest?

Most reports are now naming the man in custody as Abu Yahya Mujahideen Al-Adam, aka Abu Yahya Majadin Adam or some variation therein. Everyone seems to agree that he's from Pennyslvania.

Beyond that, the most detailed information comes from Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper of uneven reliability.

According to Dawn, Al-Adam is a "close friend" of Osama bin Laden, which seems rather doubtful to me, but not impossible. It depends on the age of the man in question. Here's a little idle speculation to fill your time as we await more specific and verifiable information.

There was a jihadist during the late 1990s named Adam Mohammed Noor, who was an associate of Wadih El-Hage, an American who was actually a close associate of Bin Laden. There was also an American "Adam" who was a close friend of Ali Mohamed, another American who kept close company with Bin Laden. It's not clear if these two Adams were the same person. (Mohamed himself used the alias "Ahmed Bahaa Adam" occasionally.)

As more information comes out, I will post updates.

Labels: Abu-Yahya-Mujahdeen-al-Adam, Adam-Gadahn, Ali-Mohamed, American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Different American Al Qaeda Arrested

NYT identifies the man as Abu Yahya Mujahdeen al-Adam, hailing from Pennsylvania.

Initial reports seemed to have confused the American with Adam Gadahn, a California native who has been a Qaeda spokesman and often appears on videos calling for strikes against targets in the United States.

Senior administration officials said on Sunday that they did not believe the arrest was of Mr. Gadahn. For hours, information was difficult to confirm from Pakistan. President Obama was briefed on news reports of the arrest, but later learned they were most likely not correct.

Scattered reports are now surfacing that Al-Adam is an alias for Gadahn. Your guess is nearly as good as mine at this point. I will only say that reports from Pakistani officials on the arrest or killing of senior Al Qaeda and Taliban figures tend to be wildly inaccurate. Wait a week, and we might know by then.

Labels: Abu-Yahya-Mujahdeen-al-Adam, Adam-Gadahn, American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, Azzam-the-American

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Full Text of Today's Adam Gadahn Video

Adam Gadahn's latest video, released today

Please credit INTELWIRE.com if reporting from this transcript.

A Call To Arms
Brother Adam Yahiye Gadahn
Muharram 1431

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the Accursed. In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful:

"O you who believe! Fight the unbelievers who are closest in proximity to you and let them find harshness in you; and know that Allah is with those who fear Him." (9:123)

Muslim brothers everywhere, as-Salaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh [peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings]. Wa B'ad:

The year 2009, the inaugural year of a new administration in Washington, ended in a truly miserable fashion for the Crusader West and its intelligence organs, who suffered a series of moral and material blows which culminated in the bloody deaths of at least 8 CIA operatives in a masterfully-planned and executed martyrdom operation inside their clandestine base in Afghanistan. This crushing blow came just a few days after the compromising of America's supposedly airtight security in a valiant attempt by a heroic soldier of al-Qaida to bring down an American airliner over Detroit. But I would like here to take you back to an earlier event, one whose hero wasn't a member of al-Qaida or any other Islamic group, but was in fact, a ranking officer of the United States Army, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who, this past autumn, opened fire on a group of American soldiers preparing to deploy to Afghanistan deep within the army's largest domestic base, Fort Hood, Texas. According to official army figures, at least 13 Crusaders were killed and more than 30 wounded in this surprise attack. Major Nidal Malik Hasan himself was shot, wounded and captured, and has had charges filed against him in a Crusader military court of inquisition in preparation for a summary show trial whose outcome is not in question.

America may let the thugs of Blackwater off the hook, and may give the depraved guards of Abu Ghraib and the homicidal gang-rapists of al-Miqdadiyah slaps on the wrist, but it goes without saying that such concessions don't extend to defiant Muslim heroes like Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The fact is, the heroic Fort Hood operation opens up a host of new opportunities for discussion of the hypocrisy, hubris and less-than-wholesome aspects of the Western Crusader culture which bestows peace prizes on war presidents and condemns Christmas messages from captured American soldiers as cruel, even as it continues to torture and humiliate the Muslims and other prisoners in its own custody. However, in the interest of brevity, I will leave such topics for another day in favor of shining further light on the nature and motivations of the man behind this historic and trend-setting operation, our Mujahid brother Nidal Malik Hasan - Nahsabuhu Min as-Saaliheen wa La Nuzakeehi Ala Allah: We consider him to be a righteous man and we don't purify him before Allah.

The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan has shown us what one righteous Muslim with an assault rifle can do for his religion and brothers in faith, and has reminded us of how much pride and joy a single act of resistance and courage can instill in the hearts of Muslims everywhere. The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan, by the grace of Allah and with a single 30-minute battle, singlehandedly brought the morale of the American military and public to its lowest point in years. The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan, lightly armed but with a big heart, a strong will and a confident step, again brought into sharp focus the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of America, and again proved wrong those who claim America cannot be hit where it hurts. And most significantly, the Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan is a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role-model who has opened a door, lit a path and shown the way forward for every Muslim who finds himself among the unbelievers and yearns to discharge his duty to Allah and play a part in the defense of Islam and Muslims against the savage, heartless and bloody Zionist Crusader assault on our religion, sacred places and homelands.

Just as significant and just as deserving of contemplation and emulation as what the defiant Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan did is what he didn't do. Courageous Brother Nidal didn't give the orders of men priority over the orders of Allah, nor did he fear the wrath of men more than the wrath of Allah. Nahsabahu wa Allahu Haseebuh [We reckon him so and Allah is his Reckoner]. And defiant Brother Nidal didn't make the youthful mistake he made in joining the American army an excuse for making the mistake of a lifetime and taking part in the fighting and killing of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq or anywhere else. This is why I believe that defiant Brother Nidal is the ideal role-model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes who, like him, has come to the correct collusion that true Islam isn't in a name or a set of rituals but in fact is in total submission and obedience to Allah and total disobedience to and disassociation from the unbelievers. When Brother Nidal was issued orders which conflicted with Islamic doctrine and values, he resisted them until the last bullet and thereby broke the mold of the mindlessly obedient soldier, a mold preferred and cultivated by the militaries of the world but totally rejected by Islam, which says loudly and clearly: La Ta'ata Li Makhlooqin Fi Ma'siyat al-Khaaliq - Obedience to a Created Being in Disobedience to the Creator is Impermissible.

Not only did defiant Brother Nidal break free of the influence of the unbelievers he had grown up and worked with and served under, he also broke free of the evil influence of the anti-Jihad, pro-Crusade Shaykhs and Muftis who attempt to legitimize the killing of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere using the flimsiest pretexts and excuses imaginable. Defiant Brother Nidal didn't try to silence his conscience or justify obeying his commanders and remaining in the ranks of the unbelievers with those Shaykhs' scandalous Fatwas which permit the impermissible, prohibit the obligatory and condone the murder of Muslims in the name of fighting terrorism, or in the name of protecting salary and position, or in the name of preserving the good reputation of American Muslims and dispelling any doubts about their patriotism and loyalty to America. Brother Nidal didn't try to hide behind such ridiculous excuses because he knew that - however many famous signatures it might carry and whatever fancy title it might have - no Fatwa in this world can possibly justify breaking the clear, unambiguous and agreed-upon laws of the Shari'ah, like the law forbidding the killing of Muslims or the law ordering loyalty to the believers and disloyalty to the unbelievers, and he knew that on the day of Judgement, all the Ulama, Mullas, Muftis and Imams of this world put together would be incapable of saving him from divine retribution were he to have blindly followed their permissions and prohibitions in contravention of what he knew - in his heart of hearts and through honest research and careful study - to be Allah's ruling and decree.

I believe that Brother Nidal realized that the insults, accusations, imprisonment, loneliness and other difficulties that one might face during or after one's mission are insignificant when compared to the punishment Allah has threatened - in numerous places in the Quran and Hadeeth - for those who abandon compulsory Hijra and Jihad despite them having access to the necessary ways and means. But at the same time, I believe Brother Nidal realized that Islam neither calls for nor approves of hasty, reckless and poorly planned actions, and that's why he acted with caution and took the necessary steps in order to avoid repeating the mistakes others have made in operational and procedural matters. For example, Brother Nidal didn't - as far as we know - discuss his plans over government-monitored-and-controlled telephone and computer systems, nor did he confide his secrets to recent acquaintances - or even long-time acquaintances - whose professed loyalty to Islam and Muslims and apparent eagerness to defend their faith and brethren may or may not be as strong or as genuine as it appears. Brother Nidal wasn't taken in by the provocateurs who infiltrate the Masjids and Muslim communities of America with hidden microphones in order to entrap Muslims eager to perform the duty of Jihad. And Brother Nidal didn't unnecessarily raise his security profile or waste money better spent on the operation itself by traveling abroad to acquire skills and instructions which could easily be acquired at home, or indeed, deduced by using one's own powers of logic and reasoning.

For example, the first thing many people often ask is: "What weapon should I use in my operation?" But the answer to this question - and it's an important question - is not as difficult as it may seem. The Mujahid Brother Nidal Hasan used firearms in his assault on Fort Hood, but the fact is, today's Mujahid is no longer limited to bullets and bombs when it comes to his choice of a weapon. As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a minimal budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon which can take the enemy by surprise and deprive him of sleep for years on end.

Another important and often intimidating stage of preparation for any operation is the targeting phase. When the time came to pick his target, the Mujahid Brother Nidal chose carefully, looking for a target with which he was well acquainted, a target which was feasible and a target whose hitting would have a major impact on the enemy. In Brother Nidal's case, these three important qualities came together in Fort Hood, but as you start to make your plans, you shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that military bases are the only high-value targets in America and the West. On the contrary, there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage to the Crusader West and further our global agenda and long-range strategic objectives.

We must look to further undermine the West's already-struggling economies with carefully-timed-and-targeted attacks on symbols of capitalism which will again shake consumer confidence and stifle spending. We must keep in mind how even apparently unsuccessful attacks on Western mass transportation systems can bring major cities to a halt, cost the enemy billions and send his corporations into bankruptcy. We must erode our cowardly enemy's will to fight by killing and capturing leading Crusaders and Zionists in government, industry and media who talk the talk but don't walk the walk and are only interested in prosecuting their profitable wars as long as it's other people who are in the line of fire and not them. We should look for targets which epitomize Western decadence, depravity, immorality and atheism, targets which the enemy and his mouthpieces will have trouble trying to pass off to the conservative Muslim majority as illegitimate targets full of innocent people. And finally, we mustn't allow our lawless enemies to provoke us with their evil, sadistic and murderous crimes into crossing the boundaries laid down by Allah and His Prophet or doing anything which may have negative repercussions on the image of the Jihad and reputation of the Mujahideen.

We must always remember that our role models aren't our enemies: our role models are the Prophet, His Companions and the righteous and God-fearing Mujahideen. We must always remember that we are different than the Zionists and Crusaders with whom we are locked in combat: We are not outlaws. We are not gangsters. We are not hypocrites. We are not barbarians. We are not opportunists and mercenaries. We are not enemies of freedom and civilization. We are not cowards who wage wars from behind the controls of pilotless aircraft. In other words, everything our enemies are, we are not, and everything we are, they are not. We are people of courage, honor, decency, chivalry and ethics who selflessly sacrifice themselves for the noblest cause on earth, and that is why every Muslim and every Mujahid must continue to take the high road and protect the moral high ground which we have fought so long and hard to secure.

My dear brothers in Islam: with America and 25 of its NATO allies beginning to deploy a further 37,000 occupation troops to Afghanistan, and with armed American drones now violating Islamic airspace and terrorizing Muslim populaces from Miran Shah to Mogadishu, and with the American war president and his rabid British poodle plotting fresh aggression against the Yemen, and with the United States consolidating its cruel treatment of our brothers in Islam at new or newly expanded Muslim-only concentration camps in Illinois, Bagram and elsewhere, it is rapidly becoming clear that this already hot global battle is about to get even hotter.

This is a war which knows no international borders and no single battleground, and that's why I am calling on every honest and vigilant Muslim in the countries of the Zionist-Crusader alliance in general and America, Britain and Israel in particular to prepare to play his due role in responding to and repelling the aggression of the enemies of Islam. This is the golden, once in a lifetime opportunity to reap the rewards of Jihad and martyrdom we have been waiting for, so unsheathe your sharpened sword and rush to take your rightful place among defiant champions of Islam like Mir Aimal Kansi, Muhammad Bouyeri, Nidal Malik Hasan and many others like them: "Men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have been martyred and some are still waiting; but they have never changed in the least." (33:23)

My Muslim brother: Jihad is neither the personal property nor the exclusive responsibility of any single group, organization or individual. Instead, it is the personal duty of every able-bodied Muslim on the face of this earth, until the last Muslim captive is freed and the last piece of occupied Islamic land is recovered and until Muslims live in safety and security in the benevolent shadow of the Islamic state. Allah subhaanahu wa ta'ala has given you faculties of reason, judgement and choice within the guidelines of Islam, and it is for you - like your heroic Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan - to decide how, when and where you discharge this duty. But whatever you do, don't wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, and don't wait for others to do what you can do yourself:"So fight (O Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) in Allah's Cause - you are held responsible only for yourself - and rouse the believers. Allah will restrain the might of the unbelievers. And Allah is strongest in might and strongest in punishment." (4:84)

Thank you for watching, and may Allah guide your steps. Wa as-Salaam 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh.

Labels: Adam-Gadahn, American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Azzam-the-American, Nidal-Malik-Hasan

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Clean Version Of Today's Gadahn Video

As CNN discovered, the encoding of the latest Adam Gadahn video is faulty, resulting in the video juddering and getting badly out of sync with the audio. I have a cleaned-up version of the video available. For the next couple days, I will make it freely available to media outlets who agree to credit INTELWIRE.com.

Contact information here.

Still no confirmation of the arrest from U.S. officials, which raises two questions in my mind. First, do they really have him? And second, might Pakistani politicians try trading him for Aafia Siddiqui.

Public sentiment in Pakistan is wildly supportive of Siddiqui, a Pakistani with roots in Boston, who was convicted last month of trying to kill federal agents. Pakistani diplomats have been trying to secure her release for months. Gadahn is the kind of bargaining chip that could make a difference, but if they try, they're going to destroy a lot of the goodwill -- and financial incentive -- that they could otherwise reap from the arrest.

Labels: Adam-Gadahn, American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, Azzam-the-American

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Report: Adam Gadahn Arrested in Pakistan

Adam Gadahn's latest video, released today

CNN says, quoting a Pakistani official, that Adam Gadahn, the American Al Qaeda also known as Azzam the American, has been arrested in Pakistan. Given past misinformation from Pakistanis, let's wait for confirmation, but if true, this is huge.

CNN's is currently reporting Gadahn was arrested in Karachi, and U.S. officials have not yet confirmed the arrest.

Gadahn is an extremely important figure in Al Qaeda. He is largely responsible for the rejuvenation of Al Qaeda's media operations after September 11, and he worked his way up through the hierarchy through his media savvy and prowess at video editing. He is responsible for several interesting media experiments out of Al Qaeda's media arm.

Gadahn is also important because for at least several months he was in close proximity to Ayman Al Zawahiri, a conclusion I draw from their joint media releases during 2007, which showed very similar production values. In recent months, however, the production values on their media releases have diverged, suggesting that Zawahiri has relocated.

Consistent with this, CNN is reporting that Gadahn may have been on the outs with Al Qaeda's senior leadership. If that falling out is real, and based on intellectual content rather than sloppy spycraft, I would suggest that it has to do with the following sentiment from today's video release:

We should look for targets which epitomize Western decadence, depravity, immorality and atheism, targets which the enemy and his mouthpieces will have trouble trying to pass off to the conservative Muslim majority as illegitimate targets full of innocent people. And finally, we mustn’t allow our lawless enemies to provoke us with their evil, sadistic and murderous crimes into crossing the boundaries laid down by Allah and His Prophet or doing anything which may have negative repercussions on the image of the Jihad and reputation of the Mujahideen.

In this quote and in other recent speeches by Gadahn, the American has been distancing himself from the "takfiri" element of Al Qaeda which justifies killing Muslims, along with virtually any other atrocity, in the name of the cause.

However, I'm not sure the rift -- if rift there be -- is ideological. During the period that Gadahn was seen to be close to Ayman Al Zawahiri, the senior Al Qaeda leader was subjected to several close calls, Predator strikes that hit sometimes within hours of Zawahiri's departure from safehouses.

Further food for thought: U.S. and Pakistani forces have recently put extreme pressure on Al Qaeda's media distribution channels. There have been several significant developments in this respect.

After Jordanian double-agent Abu Dujana bombed a CIA facility in Afghanistan, his video will was released by Al Qaeda to Al Jazeera, but its distribution online was disrupted by coalition operations, my sources indicate.

The video was promised for distribution by Internet jihadi operatives, but it was suppressed for weeks. The video was eventually released, several days ago. Almost immediately after it hit the Web, a massive cyber assault knocked out nearly all of the top-tier jihadist forums.

It seems to me that all of this is likely not coincidental to Gadahn's arrest.

I'm available for anyone who needs a quote on this. Contact information here.

Labels: Adam-Gadahn, American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, Azzam-the-American, Weblog

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

Gadahn's Oscar Ambitions Thwarted

Back in the day, when Adam Gadahn was just an aspiring terrorist help desk worker rather than part of Al Qaeda's official operations, he released a couple of fairly slick videos designed to appeal to Western audiences by mimicking Western documentaries -- up to and including the presence of a musical soundtrack.

It is therefore interesting to note that the latest release from As-Sahab (which Gadahn basically runs at this point) opens with a short disclaimer. "ATTENTION: We do not permit musical accompaniment with our productions." One second later, a nasheed (religious song) fired up, but I guess that doesn't count.

I'm guessing this is due to input from one of Gadahn's Al Qaeda overseers. It's interesting that these guys can rationalize away visits to strip clubs but they can't handle a light orchestral score.

On the one hand, from a Western perspective, we should applaud such inconsistencies, which tend to shine a light on the hypocrisy of AQ's theological underpinnings. On the other hand, Gadahn's message indicated that AQ is increasingly sensitive to criticism of its Islamic credentials, so this may be the first stage in a rehabilitation campaign.

On the other hand, maybe they're just annoyed about badly executed music.

Labels: Adam-Gadahn, American-Al-Qaeda, American-Jihadists, American-Terrorists, Analysis, Azzam-the-American

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

American Terrorist Gadahn Praises American Terrorist Hasan

Adam Gadahn, also known as Azzam the American, hits the Web-waves today with a new statement praises Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, whom he wishfully (but perhaps realistically) described as "trend-setting."

According to Gadahn, Hasan was a "hero" but "wasn’t a member of al-Qaida or any other Islamic group."

The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan has shown us what one righteous Muslim with an assault rifle can do for his religion and brothers in faith, and has reminded us of how much pride and joy a single act of resistance and courage can instill in the hearts of Muslims everywhere.

In the continuation of a worrisome trend, Gadahn stated Al Qaeda's support for micro-operations, lone wolves and soft-target attacks. The myth that Al Qaeda was only ever interested in U.S. attacks that would surpass 9/11 is officially exploded at this point.

The Mujahid Brother Nidal Hasan used firearms in his assault on Fort Hood, but the fact is, today’s Mujahid is no longer limited to bullets and bombs when it comes to his choice of a weapon. As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a minimal budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon which can take the enemy by surprise and deprive him of sleep for years on end.

Interestingly, Gadahn showed some sensitivity to recent excesses by Al Qaeda and its affiliates, praising Hasan's choice of target in particular and showing a rare flash of concern about what the wider Muslim population thinks.

We should look for targets which epitomize Western decadence, depravity, immorality and atheism, targets which the enemy and his mouthpieces will have trouble trying to pass off to the conservative Muslim majority as illegitimate targets full of innocent people. And finally, we mustn’t allow our lawless enemies to provoke us with their evil, sadistic and murderous crimes into crossing the boundaries laid down by Allah and His Prophet or doing anything which may have negative repercussions on the image of the Jihad and reputation of the Mujahideen.

Labels: Adam-Gadahn, American-Jihadists, Azzam-the-American, Nidal-Malik-Hasan

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink