ANSAR AL-ISLAM IN THE MUSLIM DESERT DECLARES JIHAD ON MOROCCO On May 1, jihadi forums were notified of the website https://sahara.6te.net, which contained a warning to the Moroccan government that "Ansar al-Islam in the Muslim Desert" has declared "jihad against this agent government headed by... MORE

The latest al-Qaeda arrests in Saudi Arabia have triggered angry responses on jihadi websites. On April 27, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced its security forces had arrested 172 al-Qaeda terrorists (Terrorism Focus, May 1; al-Jazeera, April 27). The spokesman for the ministry said that the... MORE

NEW VIDEO OF AL-QAEDA COMMANDER AL-LIBI RELEASED On April 28, al-Sahab Productions, which is the media wing of al-Qaeda, released a video of an extensive interview with al-Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, Abu al-Layth al-Libi. As part of the interview, al-Libi responds to a variety of... MORE

In March, Indonesian police raided Jemaah Islamiya (JI) safehouses in the Javanese cities of Yogyakarta, Semerang and Surabaya, leading to the arrests of seven suspects, the death of one and the capture of two large caches of explosives, materials and small arms. The cache included:... MORE

SECURITY OFFICER DECAPITATED IN SAUDI ARABIA Saudi security forces recently discovered the body of a security officer who was murdered at his home in al-Qasim region, northeast of the capital Riyadh (Asharq al-Awsat, April 15). The officer, identified as Colonel Nasser al-Othmani, is believed to... MORE

A year ago, the major concern in the Spanish Moroccan enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla was controlling illegal immigrants, as swarms of Africans attempted to flock into the two cities as an entry point to Europe. Now, however, Spanish authorities are concerned that terrorist violence... MORE

Last week, Turkey's general staff held an unprecedented press conference to announce that it was recommending direct strikes on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in Iraq's Kurdish areas and establishing a buffer zone along the border with a heavy military presence. Frustrated by the Kurdistan... MORE

JIHADI FORUM DISCUSSES USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY THE MUJAHIDEEN On March 4, a jihadi website user posted a statement arguing that Muslims should not use nuclear weapons to attack their enemies since such an action is forbidden according to Islam. The user, Abu Zubaydi,... MORE

The Global Islamic Media Front, a jihadi propaganda media outlet, published the 14th issue of the monthly magazine Sada al-Jihad (The Echo of Jihad) in March. Sada al-Jihad is one of many other publications released by the Global Islamic Media Front, such as Sada al-Rafidain... MORE

PIRACY RESUMES IN SOMALIA After a brief lull in piracy during the rein of Somalia's Islamic Courts Union, the current instability in the country is once again being exploited by pirates. On April 2, pirates took control of the Indian-flagged MV Nimatullah merchant ship and... MORE