Latest Articles about Latin America
Al-Qaeda and the Threat to Mass Surface Transportation
The March 2004 attack on commuter trains in Madrid and the three simultaneous bombings on the London underground in July 2005, which collectively killed 243 people, dramatically underscored the acute terrorist threat to mass surface transportation (MST) in the contemporary era. According to the Mineta... MORE
Jamaat al-Muslimeen on Trial in Trinidad and Tobago
The ongoing legal case against Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, the founder and leader of Trinidad's and Tobago's Jamaat al-Muslimeen (Muslim Group), continues to shed light on the group's radical and criminal activities. The 64 year-old Abu Bakr is a former police officer and Afro-Trinidadian Muslim... MORE
The 2005 Los Angeles Plot: The New Face of Jihad in the U.S.
A recent U.S. District Court indictment accused members of a shadowy Islamist gang, Jam'iyyat Ul-Islam As-Saheeh ("Assembly of Authentic Islam," JIS), of conspiring to strike U.S. military facilities, Israeli national interests and synagogues around Los Angeles sometime during the autumn 2005 Jewish holidays. Most of... MORE
Radical Islam in Latin America
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the possibility of al-Qaeda infiltrating Latin America became a priority for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials. However, the most publicized incidents of radical Islamist activity in Latin America have not been linked to al-Qaeda but instead... MORE
Terrorism and Human Smuggling Rings in South and Central America
The road to the “American Dream” for many illegal immigrants usually leads from home countries through Mexico and then into the U.S. Although almost all of these illegal immigrants are merely looking for a better life for themselves and their families, world-wide human trafficking routes... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Inroads into the Caribbean
Security threats emanating from the Caribbean Basin typically revolve around its position as a key trans-shipment point for South American narcotics to the United States and Europe, as well as illegal immigration, money laundering, and other forms of banking and document fraud. Indeed, organized criminal... MORE
Deporting Radical Imams: A Viable Strategy to Combat Attacks Against the West?
After three attacks by Islamist fighters in June 2005—two in London, one in Egypt—Western officials and the media have become focused on identifying specific mosques and madrasas, and the "Preachers of Hate" who run them, as the means of stopping additional attacks. The assumption is... MORE
UK Pressures Leading Jihadi Forum and Prominent Saudi Dissident
Fallout on the jihadi Internet forums from the London bombings continues. After the closure of the al-Qal'a forum (see Focus, Volume II, Issue 15) attention has moved to the prominent al-Tajdeed forum [www.tajdeed.org.uk] run by Saudi dissident Dr. Muhammad al-Massari. Participants to the forum noted... MORE
Securing the Northern Front: Canada and the War on Terror, Part II
This is the second in a two part series on Canada and the war on terror. The information provided by Ahmed Ressam since his arrest in December 1999, sentenced yesterday to 22 years in federal prison for plotting to bomb the baggage area of the... MORE
Securing the Northern Front: Canada and the War on Terror
This is the first in a two part series on Canada and the war on terror. Since September 11th, al-Qaeda terrorists have been consistently thwarted in their attempts to “take the battle inside America”. Despite some incidents involving mostly non-U.S. citizens, America’s security perimeter has... MORE