Latest Articles about Latin America
Behind the Indoctrination and Training of American Jihadis
On July 26, a former Washington, DC cab driver and resident of Gwynn Oak, Maryland was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for providing material support to a terrorist group. Ohio-born Mahmud Faruq Brent, 32, admitted to attending training camps run by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT,... MORE
Is Zawahiri Striving for Islamist Unity in Preparation for New Attack?
When Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he had a "gut feeling" that the United States faces an increased chance of a domestic terrorist attack in the months ahead, he brought into sharp relief the fact that al-Qaeda has been working since 2001 to prepare... MORE
Spotlight on Trinidad and Tobago’s Jamaat al-Muslimeen
The recent allegations of a foiled plot to attack New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport by suspected Islamist extremists with ties to the Caribbean have raised concerns about the spread of radical Islam among the region's sizeable Muslim community. Early reports link the... MORE
Are Outside Actors Funding Sunni Islamist Groups in Lebanon’s Camps?
When fighting broke out between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Sunni Islamist militant group Fatah al-Islam on May 20, the main concern was that the fighting would somehow spread from the Nahr al-Barid refugee camp north of Tripoli to other Palestinian camps across... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s American Recruit Releases Something Entirely New
As the 19th anniversary of al-Qaeda's founding nears later in 2007, Western analysts have accumulated an enormous body of primary-source material upon which to base judgments, assessments and predictions. While it is a truism to say that al-Qaeda is a "learning organization"—in the sense that... MORE
Jihadis Post Scenario for the Defeat of the United States
On May 14, jihadi forum users Abu Kandahar and Roslan al-Shami posted a five-point scenario for the collapse of the United States and the rise of the Islamic ummah, entitled, "The Next Strikes in the Heart of America, When and How." It appeared on the... MORE
Latest al-Zawahiri Tape Targets American Society
In an hour-plus videotaped interview broadcast on May 5, al-Qaeda deputy chief Ayman al-Zawahiri answered questions from an unnamed interviewer from al-Qaeda's video arm, al-Sahab Productions. The topics addressed covered the range of issues usually focused on by al-Qaeda leaders in videos, including Iraq, Afghanistan,... MORE
Al-Qaeda and Algeria’s GSPC: Part of a Much Bigger Picture
The decision of the leaders of Algeria's Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) to pledge allegiance to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda has been well-covered. The GSPC's proven combat capabilities, willingness to send fighters to Afghanistan, Iraq and other Islamist insurgencies, widespread presence in... MORE
Three Explanations for al-Qaeda’s Lack of a CBRN Attack
The evidence of al-Qaeda's interest in conducting a terrorist attack with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons appears compelling. As early as 1998, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden declared the acquisition of CBRN weapons a "religious duty" for Muslims [1]. He followed up in... MORE
Mujahideen Consider American Elections a Sign of U.S. Defeat in Iraq
The results of the U.S. interim elections last Tuesday resonated with the mujahideen and their supporters online. Discussion centered around a theme of victory for the Iraqi mujahideen and an inevitable U.S. military defeat in Iraq, demonstrated by the Republicans' resounding loss. The election results... MORE