Latest Briefs
Qat Ban in Somalia Exposes Cracks in ICU Leadership
On November 17, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) declared a ban on Qat (or Khat), a mild narcotic plant chewed for relaxation. The ban threw off balance a multi-million dollar regional trading industry between Somali and Kenyan businessmen. Since then, observers have pointed out that... MORE
Assassination of Sunni Cleric Inflames Sectarian Tensions in Iraq
On November 15, Sheikh Khadir al-Anbari, a Sunni imam and preacher at al-Sajjad Mosque, was assassinated in Iraq. The mosque is one of the few Sunni mosques in the predominantly Shiite inhabited Sadr City section of Baghdad. Al-Anbari was allegedly killed by members of Shiite... MORE
BRIEFS
SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCES SPECIAL SHARIA TRIBUNAL TO TRY EXTREMISTS Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz has recently declared the creation of a special court to try extremists. According to Asharq al-Awsat, the court will apply Sharia to judge imprisoned extremists. He did not... MORE
New al-Qaeda Threats Issued Against Indian Infrastructure
Reports of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists infiltrating southern India to perpetrate major attacks on airports in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in early November propelled India's security and intelligence establishments into a state of high alert. Security was further stepped up at airports across India following a... MORE
Female Shiite Assassination Groups Dispatched to Baghdad
Recent chatter on jihadi forums points to a new organized death squad in Iraq. The new group is allegedly composed of Shiite female assassination units that will target Sunnis. Sunni jihadi websites have warned their followers about this new threat, saying that these female units,... MORE
Saudi Arabia Interdicts Large Quantities of Weapons at its Borders
According to a November 6 report in al-Sharq al-Awsat, Saudi authorities have recently made sizable seizures of large quantities of weapons and explosives at the kingdom's borders, including its border with Iraq. The report by the Interior Ministry's Border Guard Directorate-General details seizures made only... MORE
British Terrorist Dhiren Barot’s Research on Radiological Weapons
After returning from his militant adventures in Kashmir, recently sentenced British terrorist Dhiren Barot recounted his experiences in the book The Army of Madinah in Kashmir. Writing under his alias 'Esa al-Hindi, he lashed out against Western powers' interventions in Muslim lands, advising that "in... MORE
Japan Vulnerable to Attacks from Jemaah Islamiya
Japan's immediate security concern is the threat posed by North Korea, which conducted a nuclear test on October 9. Yet, the country has been singled out by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as an enemy, has had diplomats and aid workers killed by Iraqi insurgents... MORE