Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles
Uncertainty Surrounds the Arrest of al-Qaeda Financier in Yemen
Yemeni authorities announced in mid-June that they had arrested a Saudi citizen named Hassan bin Hussein Alwan in the province of Marib, saying that he is the biggest financier of al-Qaeda in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as well as one of the most dangerous al-Qaeda... MORE
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Financial Network Targets India from the Gulf States
An impending threat from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group has prompted security establishments to raise an alert along India’s western sea-coast. According to intelligence sources, the LeT’s marine wing is planning a Mumbai-type incursion to target vital installations in the three coastal states of... MORE
A Profile of the Late Qari Zainuddin Mahsud –Waziristan Militant and Opponent of Baitullah Mahsud
Pakistan’s military is facing tough resistance in its battle against the Taliban in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal agency along the border with Afghanistan. The military has been pounding Taliban leader Baitullah Mahsud’s strongholds with jet fighters and artillery (Daily Times [Lahore], June 28). The government... MORE
Jihadis Debate Attacks on Western Interests and U.N. Peacekeepers
Jihadi internet forums recently discussed the religious permissibility of attacking Western interests in the Islamic world. Many jihadi forum members gave their opinions on a posting entitled “Do you endorse attacking Western interests in the Islamic world,” contributed by a forum member nicknamed Abi Mogheera... MORE
Mystery Surrounds Alleged Hezbollah Links to Drug Arrests in Curacao
Mystery continues to surround Hezbollah’s alleged links to the seventeen suspects arrested on drug trafficking charges on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao on April 28. According to Curacaon authorities, approximately 250 law enforcement officials took down a major drug trafficking and money laundering ring... MORE
Sleeper Cells and Shi’a Secessionists in Saudi Arabia: A Salafist Perspective
Salafi-Jihadi internet forums continue to warn of Shi’a plots to control the Sunni Arab regions of the Middle East, most recently in a posting entitled “The Sleeper Cells of the Rejectionists - The Danger Within - Iran’s Upcoming War of Bubbles" (muslm.net, June 1). The... MORE
Suicide Bombing Kills Somali Security Minister as Islamists Mount Assault on Mogadishu
A June 18 suicide bombing at the entrance of a hotel in the Somali town of Beled Weyne (the provincial capital of Hiraan province) killed Somalia’s Minister of Security, Colonel Umar Hashi Adan, the former Somali ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdikarim Farah Laqanyo, and at least... MORE
The Islamic Shi’a Resistance in Iraq and Iran’s Confrontation with the U.K.
More than two years after their abduction, two of the five British hostages held in Iraq have been confirmed dead. On June 19, the remains of Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst were handed over to the British embassy in Baghdad. The condition of the remains... MORE
Pakistani Government Offensive in Swat Heading for the Taliban of Waziristan
After the Swat military offensive, Pakistan’s military has completed preparations for marching into Waziristan to fight a tough but decisive battle against the hardcore Taliban militia in the rugged mountains. The military offensive on this new front, dubbed “Operation Rah-e-Nijat” (Path of Salvation), is the... MORE
Weapons for Warlords: Arms Trafficking in the Gulf of Aden
In the Hobbesian anarchy that has been the norm in Somalia since the late 1980s, the proliferation of weapons has been associated not only with the pursuit of political power but also with international terrorism and the protection and furtherance of economic objectives in the... MORE