Scottish government officials turn down invitation to US Lockerbie hearing

It's understandable why they would decline but still, it's disappointing. Staying at home only makes their decision look even more suspicious though speaking to the Senate has the potential to make matters even worse. What will be interesting is to hear BP's Tony Hayward discuss this issue. BP already confirmed that it did speak with government officials about the Libyan oil fields even though British PM Cameron said that was not the case while in Washington. BBC:

Scottish ministers and officials have turned down a request to attend a US Senate hearing next week over the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and the Scottish Prison Service's medical chief Dr Andrew Fraser were invited.

Senators also invited Westminster former justice secretary Jack Straw.

BP chief executive Tony Hayward was asked to attend after allegations that Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi's release was linked to an oil deal.

Megrahi was jailed for life for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 which killed 270 people, most of them Americans.

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Arrested: Jihadi jerk who threatened "South Park" over Mohammed episode

Boing boing:

Zachary Chesser, an unemployed 20-year-old man in Virginia who this year threatened South Park's creators over an episode featuring the Prophet Muhammad dressed in a bear suit, has been arrested on federal charges "after speaking openly to the FBI about his connection to a terror organization and his plans to travel overseas to fight with the group."

The organization, Al-Shabaab ("Movement of Warrior Youth"), is identified by the US as a terror group affiliated with al-Qaeda. Mr. Chesser was Jewish, but converted to a wacked-out, militant crazystrain of Islam that involves uploading jihadi videos to YouTube and invoking assassination unto the creators of Cartman and Butters.

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British PM slams 'completely wrong' decision to release terrorist

It's hard to argue that point. Where we may differ is how this relates to BP. Outside of the normal apologist crowd few believe the release of the Lockerbie bomber was not directly linked to BP drilling off the coast of Libya. BBC:

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted BP should not be blamed for the "completely wrong" decision to release the Lockerbie bomber.

Claims have been made that BP lobbied for the release, but Mr Cameron said the Scottish government was responsible for freeing Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.

Mr Cameron has asked the UK's top civil servant to review government papers but ruled out US demands for an inquiry.

The Scottish government has denied any BP influence in the release last year.

Standing alongside US President Barack Obama, Mr Cameron said he had seen no evidence the Scottish government - which made the decision to free terminally ill cancer patient Megrahi on compassionate grounds - had been "swayed" by lobbying from BP.

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BP confirms they lobbied UK government to trade a terrorist for oil rights

BP is a class act all around. When they're not destroying the global environment, they're strong-arming governments to release terrorists found guilty of murdering innocent civilians. And to think these executives are supposed to be part of respectable society. Even worse, our governments let them call the shots so often including in the Gulf of Mexico. Senator Schumer deserves credit for asking BP to immediately back away from their $900 million Libyan investment.

The oil giant BP faced a new furor on Thursday as it confirmed that it had lobbied the British government to conclude a prisoner-transfer agreement that the Libyan government wanted to secure the release of the only person ever convicted for the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing over Scotland, which killed 270 people, most of them Americans.

The admission came after American legislators, grappling with the controversy over the company’s disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill, called for an investigation into BP’s actions in the case of the freed man, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi.

The former Libyan intelligence agent was released and allowed to return to Libya last August after doctors advised the Scottish government that he was likely to die within three months of advanced prostate cancer. But nearly a year later, he remains alive, and free, in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

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Connection between BP and release of terrorist convicted of bombing Pan Am flight 103?

Just when you honestly thought things couldn't get any worse for BP. This is disgusting, if true. From Mother Jones:

Is there a connection between BP and the terrorist convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103? Four senators want to know what sway the oil giant may have had in securing the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in exchange for a $900 million offshore oil drilling deal with Libya.

Megrahi, the only person convicted of bombing that killed 270 people in 1988, was released from prison in Scotland last August. A Scottish court granted the release after doctors claimed that Megrahi was terminally ill from prostate cancer and had only three months to live. The release, of course, prompted plenty of outrage. The bomber is still alive, and just this week one of the doctors that gave that dire prognosis last year came forward to assert that the Libyan government paid him to make that claim. Now four senators–Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)—are calling on the State Department to investigate whether the oil giant was involved in the deal-making, and whether "BP might use blood money" to pay for damages in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Bombings kill dozens in Uganda

There are few details now but authorities believe there is an al-Qaeda link.

Police Chief Kale Kaihura originally said at least 30 people had been killed, though the toll could be higher.

Later, a senior police official at the scene said that 64 people had been killed 49 from the rugby club and 15 at the Ethiopian restaurant. The official said he could not be identified.

Kaihura said he suspected al-Shabab, that country's most hardline militant group. Its fighters, including two recruited from the Somali communities in the United States, have carried out multiple suicide bombings in Somalia. If al-Shabab was responsible, it would be the first time the group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.

Simultaneous attacks are also one of al-Qaida's hallmarks. In Mogadishu, Somalia, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, told The Associated Press that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda. Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible for the bombings.

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Released Lockerbie terrorist not dying after all

I'm not at all convinced that he should have been released even if he were dying. Why show compassion to a man who blew up hundreds of people seven miles up in the sky. I get that that's the nature of compassion - to show it even when it's not deserved. But in some cases, does the golden rule not apply? Read More......

Airline passenger detained in Pakistan with circuits in shoes

The early reports out certainly sound suspicious though it's a positive sign that this was detected.

A passenger was detained by airport authorities in Pakistan after electrical circuits and batteries were found in the soles of his tennis shoes, an airport security official said today.

Officials were investigating what the components could be used for and why they were concealed. Similar materials can be used in the construction of bombs.

The man, Faiz Mohammad, was arrested at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport las night, said Munir Ahmed, a spokesman for the airport security force. The materials were detected by a scanner.

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My appearance on CNN to talk about the politicization of the attempted Times Square attack

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How the media almost screwed up the Times Square bomber arrest

It's a shocking story, and brings to the fore all sorts of issues regarding freedom of the press, but also journalistic ethics. As a reporter, when do you not report something you know, something that's newsworthy, because by reporting it you'll actually be endangering people (or in this case, helping a terrorist slip away)? This is one of the topics I'll be discussing on Howie Kurtz's CNN show, Reliable Sources, Sunday morning at 11am Eastern.

From NPR:

TEMPLE-RASTON: Well, I was aware that they were surveilling the suspect. And I knew if I reported it, it could cause problems for the investigation. For example, on Monday afternoon, basically a day and a half after the attack, a news organization reported that law enforcement officials were looking for an American Pakistani of Pakistani descent from Shelton, Connecticut. And I saw that report and I was shocked when it came out. I mean I knew the information but I had decided not to report it since he hadn't been arrested.

MONTAGNE: Is it possible that Shahzad himself saw that report?

TEMPLE-RASTON: It's a great question. Yes, in fact, after he was in custody he told the arresting officers that was the moment, when he saw that report, that he knew it was only going to be a matter of time before they would all close in on him. He assumed after seeing that report that he was under surveillance. And thats a big deal because surveillance really is only effective if people don't know they're being watched.

Several law enforcement officials talked to me about this. And one in particular told me it was like watching an episode of "24' in real time. And the only problem was that Shahzad was able to see it too.

And then it even got worse. You know, reporters actually started showing up at Shahzad's house in Shelton, Connecticut, waiting for the arrest to happen. And in fact he was actually in Bridgeport, Connecticut, up the road where he'd rented a small apartment. But apparently at that location reporters started showing up because that was leaked too.

MONTAGNE: So what you're saying is if Shahzad is seeing a reporter, then the police can't be far behind and he must have known that.

TEMPLE-RASTON: Exactly. Exactly.

As an activist journalist, I've been in similar, albeit less life threatening, situations. Joe and I know a lot of people in Washington, DC, and we hear things that Democrats are doing, things that are definitely newsworthy, but if we reported on what was happening, the thing we reported on might get totally screwed up. Why is that a problem? Take gay rights for example. Joe and I know a lot of things happening on that front, in the Congress, with the administration, and with the groups, and the activists. If we were to report on an upcoming protest before it happened, the White House, for example, might find a way to stop the protesters before they arrive. Or we reported on a White House or congressional effort to get ENDA passed, or DADT repealed, before it was ready for the story to be public, our reporting could actually endanger that effort.

In this case, since we are not just journalists, but also activists, we have a stake in the outcome of the story, and therefore we sometimes choose not to report on things so that we don't screw them up. For a traditional reporter, it's not really there job to worry about legislative outcomes being influenced by their story, but when they know a story could let a terrorist get away, that's a rather big deal. So the question remains, where should the media draw the line between keeping a secret and reporting it as news? Read More......

GOP pollster appears to suggest that Times Square terror attack may be 'opportunity' for Republicans

Washington Post via Greg Sargent:

Two days after the dramatic arrest of Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, Republicans were engaged in a full-bore effort to rewrite the good-news narrative.

Yes, we have been lucky," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) said Thursday, "but luck is not an effective strategy for fighting terrorism."

Whatever the merits of their argument -- and, where terrorism is concerned, it is prudent to keep cockiness at bay -- there is a political imperative at work as well.

"Democrats are always suspect on national security, and anything that makes them look weak on national security creates an opportunity for Republicans," said Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster.

As Greg notes:

Ayres is the GOP equivalent of prominent Dem pollster Stan Greenberg of Democracy Corps or John Podesta of the liberal Center for American Progress. If Greenberg or Podesta had explicitly said after the capture of the Shoe Bomber under Bush that it presented Dems with a political opportunity, you can bet that some folks would have made a lot of noise about it.

This is part of the larger issue of the politicization of foreign policy, including the war on terror. The Republicans have decided to make hay with any and all issues, in the hopes of destroying the President and winning back the Congress, and then the presidency. It doesn't matter to them if they ruin the economy (opposing the stimulus), our health (opposing health care reform), or our national security (constantly trying to undercut the President on foreign policy). What's interesting, and troubling, is that the media keeps reporting the he-said-she-said, rather than calling the GOP on their bull. Greg Sargent called them on it. Others should do the same.

(I'll be on CNN Sunday morning, on Howie Kurtz's 'Reliable Sources,' talking about this very topic, among others, starting at 11am Eastern.) Read More......

White House not thrilled with Lieberman's citizenship-stripping proposal

Well that's good news. I just feel like these are "feel good" vengeance proposals that do nothing to make us safer. I mean, really, how many lives is it going to save because a potential terrorist says, "hey, if they catch me, I'm fine with being executed, but I really don't want them to take away my citizenship too, so maybe I shouldn't go through with this." It's a dumb idea that won't accomplish anything other than making people FEEL like they've done something to make us safer, when they haven't.

From Jake Tapper:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs today indicated no one in the White House supports the legislation introduced today by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., that would give the State Department the power to revoke the citizenship of American terrorism suspects.

“I have not heard anybody inside the administration that's been supportive of that idea,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs said he had “not heard large enumerations on why, except that I don't think anybody would find that to be such an effective way.”

Lieberman offered the legislation today along with Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Reps. Jason Altmire, D-Penn., and Charlie Dent, R-Penn, which would add to the existing federal statute, 8 U.S.C. § 1481, which identifies seven categories of actions for which U.S. citizens lose their citizenship. The legislation, called the Terrorist Expatriation Act, would authorize the State Department to revoke the citizenship of any U.S. national who provides material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization or who engages in or supports hostilities against the United States or its allies.

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Taliban role in NYC Times Square car bomb attempt?

As always, it might have been nice had we finished these guys off before going into Iraq. NYT:

American officials said Wednesday that it was very likely that a radical group once thought unable to attack the United States had played a role in the bombing attempt in Times Square, elevating concerns about whether other militant groups could deliver at least a glancing blow on American soil.

Officials said that after two days of intense questioning of the bombing suspect, Faisal Shahzad, evidence was mounting that the group, the Pakistani Taliban, had helped inspire and train Mr. Shahzad in the months before he is alleged to have parked an explosives-filled sport utility vehicle in a busy Manhattan intersection on Saturday night. Officials said Mr. Shahzad had discussed his contacts with the group, and investigators had accumulated other evidence that they would not disclose.

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Preventing Terrorism: UK Sacrifices Freedoms for Safety's Sake?

ABC News:

"Because the UK has experienced more terror, they've adopted more Draconian laws," said Richard Clarke, a terrorism expert and consultant for ABC News. "They've made some tough decisions."

The most visible of those decisions is a network of more than 4 million closed circuit television cameras blanketing the country -- a virtual eye covering train stations, airports, streets, and other landmarks.

Control rooms are located in every British city and major town, pulling in the video feeds to gather intelligence and track terror suspects.

In London, a person walking the streets is filmed or photographed an estimated 300 times a day, and new technology promises to analyze all those images to give the government an even more powerful tool.

The new technology is designed to monitor suspicious activity, such as someone leaving a suitcase unattended in public. It would identify the abandoned suitcase, and then follow the suspects as they walk away.

Scary, and awfully amazing at the same time. Read More......

Bloomberg: Times Square terror suspect continuing to be helpful after he was mirandized

I'm still amazed at the degree to which Republicans don't believe in the basic tenets of our democracy. From Greg Sargent:

I disagree with the congressman. I've always thought democracy is strong enough. There is an exemption, a public safety exemption which was used here. The police officers in the court don't have to read you your rights if they think there's information they get right away. Then they do it afterwards.

In this case, that's what they did. They got some information. The guy was either read or offered to have read to him his Miranda rights and he's continued to be helpful and giving us information.

Sen. Lindsey Graham actually called on Bloomberg and the New York police department to join him in coming up with a way to avoid having to Mirandize terror suspects in the future.

What are they so afraid of? We mirandize criminal suspects every day. Somehow we're not all dead as a result. Why are acts of terrorism different? Is the Times Square car bomb, that didn't go off, and didn't hurt anyone, really a bigger crime than an American born mass murderer who kills 30 kids? We mirandize the serial killer, and not a peep from the GOP. But when we do it to a Muslim terrorists, somehow our world will come to an end.

I just don't get it. I get the emotional and political appeal of being against mirandizing terror suspects. I don't get the intellectual and practical arguments against it. I'm at greater risk of the scary people around the corner shooting me than I am of getting hurt in a terror attack. Then again, maybe to the Republicans it really is all about politics, and not about making us safe. Read More......

It was a Muslim immigrant who saved the day in Times Square

From Alternet:

Yet one fact being ignored in the American media’s sensationalist narrative about the failed bombing is that the man who was responsible for police finding the bomb was Muslim. The UK’s Times Online reports that Aliou Niasse, a Senagalese Muslim immigrant who works as a photograph vendor on Times Square, was the first to bring the smoking car to the police’s attention:

Aliou Niasse, a street vendor selling framed photographs of New York, said that he was the first to spot the car containing the bomb, which pulled up right in front of his cart on the corner of 45th street and Broadway next to the Marriott hotel.

“I didn’t see the car pull up or notice the driver because I was busy with customers. But when I looked up I saw that smoke appeared to be coming from the car. This would have been around 6.30pm.”

“I thought I should call 911, but my English is not very good and I had no credit left on my phone, so I walked over to Lance, who has the T-shirt stall next to mine, and told him. He said we shouldn’t call 911. Immediately he alerted a police officer near by,” said Mr Niasse, who is originally from Senegal and who has been a vendor in Times Square for about eight years.

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GOP Rep. already trying to politicize capture of Times Square bombing suspect

Rep. Peter King is a typical GOP buffoon. The alleged Times Square bomber was arrested last night. Within hours, King was politicizing the issue -- and undermining the constitution while he was at it:

Rep. Peter King (N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, wants to know whether the Pakistani-born American arrested in connection with a car bomb in New York City’s Times Square was read his Miranda rights.

“I hope that [Attorney General Eric] Holder did discuss this with the intelligence community. If they believe they got enough from him, how much more should they get? Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still,” King said.

But still?

Yesterday, there were widespread media reports that the Joint Terrorist Task Force (JTTF) had taken over the investigation. This morning, the NY Times noted that the JTTF had identified the suspect.

Peter King serves on the Homeland Security Committee in the House. In fact, he's the ranking Republican on that committee. So King should know what the JTTF is:

Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) are small cells of highly trained, locally based, passionately committed investigators, analysts, linguists, SWAT experts, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It is a multi-agency effort led by the Justice Department and FBI designed to combine the resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement.

So, the entity leading the investigation is comprised of "law enforcement and intelligence agencies," but Rep. Peter King wants to know if the intelligence community was involved?

Republicans never miss an opportunity to play politics with national security -- even when it makes them look like fools.

UPDATE: So, this is the right-wing talking point of the day. Former Maverick John McCain is piling on, too. Read More......

Arrest made in Times Square bombing case

An arrest overnight at JFK airport.

The attempted car bombing now appears to be an act of international terrorism:

Federal agents and police detectives arrested a Connecticut man, a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan, shortly before midnight Monday for driving a car bomb into Times Square on Saturday evening in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attack, Justice Department officials announced.

The man, Faisal Shahzad, 30, was taken into custody at Kennedy Airport on board an Emirates flight to Dubai, according to the airline and an early-morning statement Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. delivered at the Justice Department in Washington.

Two other passengers were removed from the plane, Emirates said, but it was unclear whether they were connected with the bombing attempt.

Mr. Shahzad was believed to have recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer in the heart of Times Square, a person briefed on the investigation said.

No doubt we'll be hearing a lot more about this case over the next couple days. Read More......

Times Square bomber had international ties

The story is looking increasingly creepy. Then again, it doesn't seem to have been a very professional operation. From ABC News:

Federal authorities are closing in on the man they say is a person of interest in the Times Square car bomb attempt this weekend, who is described as a naturalized American citizen who hails from Pakistan and just returned after spending five months there.

There is growing evidence the bomber did not act alone and had ties to radical elements overseas, with one senior official telling ABC News there are several individuals believed to be connected with the bombing and that at least one of them is a Pakistani-American.

Authorities said another clue in the investigation is a video posted online early Sunday morning by persons in Connecticut, who may have been involved in the bomb attempt and are being sought by law enforcement. The video, posted on a site registered one day before the attack, has the Taliban in Pakistan claiming responsibility for the attempted bombing.

The Washington Post, quoting Obama Administration sources, said the attempted bombing "increasingly appears to have been coordinated by several people in a plot with international links."

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Times Square bomb 'would have caused casualties, a significant fireball'

We're getting more information on the Times Square car bomb and possible video of the potential bomber:

Law enforcement officials offered a more detailed description of the makeup of the failed car bomb found in Times Square on Saturday night, and said they were reviewing surveillance footage that showed a white man who appeared to be in his 40s walking away from the area as he looked over his shoulder and removed a layer of clothing.

Raymond W. Kelly, the New York City police commissioner, said on Sunday that the materials found in the Nissan Pathfinder — gasoline, propane, firecrackers and simple alarm clocks — also included eight bags of a granular substance, later determined to be nonexplosive grade of fertilizer, inside a 55-inch-tall metal gun locker.

The bomb, Mr. Kelly said, “would have caused casualties, a significant fireball.”

Had it exploded, said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, “It would have been, in all likelihood, a good possibility of people being killed, windows shattered, but not resulting in a building collapse.”

NYPD released the video of "a white man who appeared to be in his 40s." The New York Times website posted the video, but without an embed code. (Weak, nytimes.com). The Washington Post did the video make it embeddable:
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