Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles

Algerian Salafists and the New Face of Terrorism in Spain

The involvement of Moroccan Islamists in the Madrid terrorist attacks on March 11 has overshadowed the significantly larger role that Algerian Salafists — with ties to al-Qaeda — have had in recent terrorist activities in Spain. In mid-October, Spanish authorities dismantled an Algerian Salafist terrorist... MORE

The Trial of Abu Bakar Ba’asyir: A Test for Indonesia

On October 27, the re-trial of the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Abu Bakar Ba'asyir began. While significant in its own right, the trial is in many ways a litmus test of the new Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration's commitment to combating terrorism. Head... MORE

Will Zimbabwe Become Al-Qaeda’s Newest Hub?

The role played by failed states in harboring militant Islamist groups is a feature of the war on terror that is likely to receive a great deal of attention in the coming years. Africa has been singled out as particularly vulnerable in this regard, not... MORE

Ain al-Hilweh: al-Qaeda’s Foothold in Lebanon

On the evening of September 27th, residents from Majdel Anjar, a Lebanese village 35 miles East of Beirut close to the Lebanese-Syrian border, stormed the local office of the Lebanese General Security Service (al-Amn al-Aam) and for couple of hours blocked the Beirut-Damascus highway demanding... MORE

Financing Terror: An Overview

Terrorism financing is widely acknowledged to be an essential component of terrorist activity. Accordingly, and especially after 9/11, combating the financing of terrorism was deemed to merit its own specialization and was subsequently elevated to the level previously reserved for the combating of money laundering.... MORE

Drugs and the Financing of Terrorism

The financing of terrorism through illicit drug trafficking has been touted as a major problem since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Indeed, during the last decade, Afghanistan has been the most important opium producing country in the world. It was under Taliban rule... MORE

Wahhabism and al-Qaeda in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Nine years have passed since the imposition of the Dayton Agreement on war torn Bosnia-Herzegovina. While Dayton facilitated the end of fighting between Serb, Croat, and Bosnian republican forces - the latter typically referred to in global media as "Muslim militia" - it also left... MORE

Viktor Bout: From International Outlaw to Valued Partner

Viktor Vasilevich Bout, one of the world's most notorious arms merchants with proven links to the Taliban, has become a valued partner of the U.S. as it grapples with the insurgency in Iraq. Bout's airline, British Gulf, flies material into Baghdad International airport for the... MORE

Iran’s Changing Relationship with Hezbollah

Iran's alleged links with al-Qaeda has eclipsed the fact that the Islamic Republic remains blacklisted by the U.S. State Department as the most prolific state sponsor of terrorism, essentially because of its support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian groups like HAMAS and Islamic Jihad.... MORE