THREAT ISSUE 8

Issue 8, Winter 2011

U.S. Foils Iranian Plot to Attack US and Israeli Embassies and Kill Saudi Ambassador
The United States announced that it disrupted an Iranian plot to attack both the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, and to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made a point of stating at a news conference that, "This conspiracy was conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran. It constitutes a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law. The United States is committed to holding Iran accountable for its actions."

Iran denied all.

A Whitehouse spokesman said that President Obama had been advised of the plot in June. The White House called the arrest of two men and the disruption of the plot "a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies."

Source: Knowlton, Brian (October 12, 2011). U.S. says it foiled plot by Iran to kill Saudi envoy. International Herald Tribune.

Turkish Activist for Recognition of Armenian Genocide Receives Death Threats
One of the Turkish initiators of the "Forgive Us, Armenians," campaign, activist Baskin Oran, has received death threats from an Istanbul police officer. According to Firat agency, Oran informed police that he received a letter with threats sent by the Turkish Revenge Brigade. It was revealed that the letter was sent by a policeman serving at the Istanbul police department. The letter tells Baskin Oran will be killed along with "other traitors": Istanbul Armenian Etyen Mahcupyan, Mayor of Deyarbakir Oman Baydemir, Kurdish MP Sebahat Tuncel and Akin Birdal.

Source: California Courier (June 23, 2011). Activist receives death threats from Turkish policeman.

Kuwaiti Political Activist Calls for Law Permitting the Purchase of POW's as Slave Girls

Salwa Al-Mteiri: "I asked [a Saudi mufti]: What is the law with regard to slave girls? The mufti told me that the law requires there to be a Muslim country raiding a Christian country – sorry, a non-Muslim country – and taking POWs. I asked him whether it was forbidden [to turn them into slaves], and he said that Islam does not prohibit keeping slave girls – on the contrary.

"The law pertaining to slave girls is not the same as for free women. Free women must cover their bodies, except for their hands and faces. The slave girl must cover up from the belly button down. There is a big difference between slave girls and free women. With a free woman, the man must make a marriage contract, but with a slave girl – all he has to do is buy her. It's as if he married her. So there is a difference between slave girls and free women. Here in Kuwait too, I asked religious scholars and experts about this, and they said that for the average, good religious man, the only way to avoid forbidden relations with women is to purchase slave girls.

[…]

"I very much hope that such a law is legislated. Just like they allow servants, they should allow slave girls and legislate a proper law in this regard. We don't want our children to fall into the abyss of fornication and similar filth, God forbid. Allah willing, things will work out.

"There are countries like Chechnya, which are at war with another country. In such a case, there must be POWs, so why not go and buy those prisoners? Is it better for them to be slaughtered over there? Go and buy them, and sell them to traders here in Kuwait."

Source: MEMRI (June 19, 2011). Kuwaiti political activist Salwa Al-Mteiri calls for a law permitting the purchase of POW's in order to turn them into slave girls. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 3924. http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5382.htm

Jerusalem Imam Threatens Obama will Hang for Killing Osama Bin Laden
An imam from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem vowed to take revenge over "the western dogs" for killing Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. In a Youtube video uploaded by the imam he said: "The western dogs are rejoicing after killing one of our Islamic lions. From Al-Aqsa Mosque, where the future caliphate will originate with the help of God, we say to them – the dogs will not rejoice too much for killing the lions. The dogs will remain dogs and the lion, even if he is dead, will remain a lion." The imam then verbally attacked US President Barack Obama saying: "You personally instructed to kill Muslims. You should know that soon you'll hang together with Bush Junior." "We are a nation of billions, a good nation. We'll teach you about politics and military ways very soon, with god's help," he vowed.

Source: Levy, Elior (May 3, 2011). Jerusalem Imam: Obama will soon hang. Yediot Aharonot (Hebrew).

See story in this issue of GPN, "US Killing of Bin Laden Draws Admiration, Praise, Critique and Hate"

IT REALLY HAPPENED
Stories of Threats Come to Real Life

Kandahar, Afghanistan: Afghanistan suicide bomber hits funeral service for President's relative
A suicide bomber entered the Red Mosque with explosives hidden in his turban as people flowed into the mosque to pay their respect to President Karzai's half brother who was assassinated earlier in the week. It appeared that the bomber may have entered the mosque with the clergy, taking advantage of the cover they provide because imams are not searched.

Earlier there was a report from Afghan that three men dressed in army uniforms stormed a police station, opened fire, with one of the attackers detonating a suicide bomb while the others rushed in and began shooting. The death toll was three police officers, one intelligence agent and 5 civilians.

Sources :
Shah, Taimoor, Rubin, Alissa J. and Healy, Jack (July 15, 2011). Suicide bomber attacks service for Karzai relative. International Herald Tribune.

Associated Press as reported in Haaretz (English Edition) (June 19, 2011). Insurgents hit central Kabul police station in suicide attack, nine killed.

Kabul, Afghanistan: Suicide bombers kill at Afghan sites
A team of Taliban suicide bombers orchestrated surprise attacks on a government compound and two other sites in the capital of southern, Afghanistan's Oruzgan Province. At least 19 people were killed and 23 injured including several women and children in a hospital maternity ward. The government compound includes the governor's house, which is next door to the provincial hospital in Tirin Kot. A suicide bomber drove through the gates and slammed into the wall between the two buildings. A wall collapsed on top of women and children.

Source: Rubin, Alissa J., Shah, Taimoor (July 29, 2011). Suicide bombers kill at least 19 at 2 Afghan sites. International Herald Tribune.

Kabul, Afghanistan: An 8 year old girl is tricked into being a suicide bomber
Terrorists tricked an 8-year old girl in a remote area of Central Afghanistan into carrying a bomb wrapped in a cloth and then detonated the bomb remotely when she was close to a police vehicle, the Afghan authorities reported. Only the girl was killed in the blast.

In Logar Province, in southeastern Afghanistan, the death toll in a bombing that occurred at a hospital in a small town rose to at least 37 as people who were severely wounded by the blast died. Another 53 people were wounded.

Source: Rubin, Alissa (June 27, 2011). Afghan girl tricked by insurgents dies in blast. International Herald Tribune.

Kabul, Afghanistan: At least 63 Shi'ites were murdered by three separate suicide bombers on their holy day of Ashura.
The New York Times commented, "It did not take long for people to begin pointing fingers at Pakistan, a place where Shi'ites and Sunnis have been energetically killing each other for decades over their religious differences." A Sunni extremist group in Pakistan Alshkar-e-Jjhangvi claimed responsibility.

Source: Nordland, Rod (December 7, 2011). Dozens of Afghan worshipers are killed by blasts in three cities. New York Times.

Baghdad, Iraq: Bomb attack outside bank in Iraq kills at least 12
A car bomb exploded in a parking area adjacent to a bank in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, just as soldiers were lining up to cash their paychecks. 12 people were killed and 28 wounded. As people rushed to the scene, a second blast came when a man in military uniform detonated his suicide bomb vest. The attacks appeared to be in the style of previous attacks by Al Queda in Iraq. Tikrit, a Sunii dominated city north of Baghdad is a favored locale for terrorism. Some of the highest profile attacks in Iraq have occurred there, including an assault on the provincial council building this year which left nearly 60 people dead and more than 90 wounded. An attack on police recruits in January killed close to 50 people. In June, an attack on a mosque in a fortified section of the city where many government officials live killed 19 people and wounded at least 49. A second explosion struck later that day at the hospital, where many of the wounded were being treated.

Source: Arango, Time (July 29, 2011). Bomb attack outside bank in Iraq kills at least 12. International Herald Tribune.

Abuja, Nigeria: Bombing strikes U.N. in Nigeria
A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into the headquarters of the United Nations in the Nigerian capital, blasting an enormous hole in the building with a thunderous detonation that left at least 18 dead, witnesses and officials said.

Zimbabwe, Africa: An 82 year old headman is beaten to death
Rwisai Nyakauru, an 82 year old headman who was arrested and tortured by ZANU PF youth militia and war vents, died from his injuries on April 16, 2011. The headman for Nyamaropa in Nyanga had been incarcerated for 25 days, alongside Nyanga North MP Douglas Mwonzora and 23 other villagers. Mwonzora confirmed the death, saying headman Nvakauru was arrested on the 14th of February by ZANU PF militants at the Taziwa Hotel and brutally assaulted in one of the rooms. The war vets and ZANU PF militia "kicked him all over the body especially the chest area," Mwonzora said. "When we got to prison he was very sick and at one time collapsed vomiting blood."

Source : Guma, Lance (April 19, 2011). 82 year-old headman dies after ZANU PF torture. Canada Free Press. http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/print-friendly/35646

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