Posts

Showing posts from April 14, 2013

Why Should I Care That No One’s Reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev His Miranda Rights?

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will not hear his Miranda rights before the FBI questions him Friday night. He will have to remember on his own that he has a right to a lawyer, and that anything he says can be used against him in court, because the government won’t tell him. This is an extension of a rule the Justice Department wrote for the FBI—without the oversight of any court—called the “public safety exception.” There is one specific circumstance in which it makes sense to hold off on Miranda. It’s exactly what the name of the exception suggests. The police can interrogate a suspect without offering him the benefit of Miranda if he could have information that’s of urgent concern for public safety. That may or may not be the case with Tsarnaev. The problem is that Attorney General Eric Holder has stretched the law beyond that scenario. And that should trouble anyone who worries about the police railroading suspects, which can end in false confessions. No matter how unsympathetic accused terror

New investigation denied into deaths of RAF members

BERLIN: German prosecutors on Friday said they have rejected a request for a new investigation into the 1977 prison deaths of three members of extreme-left militant group the Red Army Faction (RAF), citing a lack of fresh evidence. The RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, mounted a bloody campaign of shootings, bomb attacks and kidnappings against what it saw as the oppressive capitalist state of West Germany from 1977 to 1982. The group officially disbanded in 1998. Three of the RAF’s early members — Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe — died in a high-security prison in Stuttgart on the night of Oct.18, 1977. Authorities ruled the deaths suicides, but Ensslin’s brother Gottfried and an author have challenged this. However, prosecutors in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where the prison is located, said in a statement that “investigations will not resume into the RAF case” because “no new evidence was submitted that would raise questions about

Serbia, Kosovo reach deal to end ethnic partition

gulftoday.ae | BRUSSELS: Serbia and its former province of Kosovo struck an historic deal on Friday to settle their fraught relations, opening the door to European Union (EC) membership talks for Belgrade in a milestone for the region’s recovery from the collapse of Yugoslavia. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the prime ministers of both sides had initialled an agreement during talks in Brussels, capping six months of delicate negotiations after over a decade of deep animosity since Kosovo broke away in war. “It’s very important that now what we are seeing is a step away from the past and for both of them a step closer to Europe,” Ashton told reporters. Nato, whose troops help maintain security in Kosovo, hailed an EU-brokered normalisation accord between Belgrade and Pristina and said it stood ready to help implement it. “I am very happy for Nato to contribute to the conclusion of an historic agreement,” the head of the military alliance Anders Fogh Rasmussen sai

French hostages in Cameroon freed

gulftoday.ae | YAOUNDE: A French family of seven, including four children, have been released in Cameroon following secret talks, France said on Friday, ending two months of captivity in the hands of Nigerian militants. Tanguy and Albane Moulin-Fournier, their four children and Tanguy’s brother, Cyril, were kidnapped in Cameroon on Feb.19 and taken to neighbouring Nigeria. They were handed back to Cameroonian authorities on Thursday night in circumstances that remained unclear after an experience that left them exhausted but otherwise in good health. “We are all very tired but normal life will now resume,” Tanguy said in Yaounde. “The conditions in which we were held were very difficult, It was extremely hot. But we did not have any serious problems. “We are alive and we are infinitely happy to be free. “It has been very long and difficult, it was hard psychologically and we had some very low moments. But we stuck together and that was crucial. As a family, we kept each oth

Bomb blast outside hospital kills four in Pakistan

gulftoday.ae | KHAR: A bomb blast at the main gate of a hospital in a tribal area of northwest Pakistan on Saturday killed at least four people and wounded four others, officials said. The explosion took place in Khar, the main town of Bajaur tribal district bordering Afghanistan. “At least four people were killed and four others were wounded in the blast outside the main gate of the hospital,” Mohammad Riaz, chief doctor at the government hospital, told a media. Local administration official Abdul Haseeb confirmed the bombing and casualties and said it was not immediately clear if the bomb was detonated remotely or was a suicide attack. “It appears to be a suicide attack but I cannot confirm right now,” he said. Bajaur is one of seven districts that make up Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The semi-autonomous region of mountains, valleys and caves is deprived and ill-educated in the country. It has been a stronghold for militant groups, and a bat

'We got him!' But now authorities want answers in Boston Marathon bombing

Now that police have secured the second of two suspects in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing, the long and meticulous process of examining motives, methods and possible links begins. A Justice Department official said Friday the government is invoking a seldom-used public safety exception permitting officials to engage in a limited and focused unwarned interrogation of a suspect - in this case Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - without first reading him his typically assured Miranda rights. That official, as well as a second, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, says Tsarnaev will be questioned by a special interrogation team for high-value suspects. The public safety exception not only permits the unwarned questioning of a suspect, but also allows the government to introduce any statement yielded by such interrogation as evidence in court. The exception is triggered when authorities have an objectively reasonable need to protect themselves or the public from a clear and present

At least 82 hurt as Egypt Islamists, rivals clash in Cairo

CAIRO: At least 82 people were hurt on Friday in clashes after opposition activists marched on thousands of Islamists rallying outside a central Cairo court demanding judicial reform, an official said. The fighting erupted near the iconic Tahrir Square, roughly 0.5 kilometres from where the Islamists had staged their rally, with both sides trading stones. A few activists on the opposition side fired homemade guns loaded with birdshot at the Islamists, who had taken over a main bridge that crosses the Nile River. Riot police on foot and in armoured vehicles succeeded by nightfall in creating a cordon between the two sides, but ended up clashing with the opposition activists. A riot police vehicle on a side street came under fire from birdshot rifles as Islamists ducked for cover behind the armoured vehicle. A police officer fired back what appeared to be birdshot from a rifle as Islamist protesters cheered, but an interior ministry official later insisted to AFP that police

Muslim groups: Resist ‘scapegoating’

While the brothers are Muslim and of Chechen decent — it remains unclear their motives. | Reuters Organizations representing Muslim Americans and those of South Asian and Arab descent urged the public and the media not to scapegoat any racial or ethnic groups in wake of the ongoing investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings. Farhana Khera, Muslim Advocates executive director, said in a public statement that Americans should “reject scapegoating groups” based on their “racial, ethnic or religious identity.” Continue Reading “Today our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack. Our nation’s strength is rooted in our resilience and our ability to come together as Americans to address our greatest challenges. That has never been more important than it is today,” Khera said in a statement. (Also on POLITICO: Portrait of suspects takes shape) Khera continued: “We strongly urge all Americans to reject scapegoating groups or targeting innocent Americans based on the

Why Chechens Think The Tsarnaev Brothers Were Framed?!

Even paranoids have real enemies. Especially in Russia. April 19, 2013 The Tsarnaev brothers' forceful and charismatic aunt, Maret Tsarnaeva, had barely begun her lecture to the press that had gathered outside her Toronto house this morning when she crossed the line: "I'm suspicious that this was staged. The picture was staged," she said. And she suggested dark motives behind framing her nephews. "When you are blowing up people and you want to bring attention to something for some person — you do that math," she said. The men's father said more or less the same thing: "Someone framed them. I don't know who exactly did it, but someone did. And being cowards, they shot the boy dead. There are cops like this." The Tsarnaevs may sound like the craziest figures of the American fringe. But they come by their paranoia honestly: Russia's cynical and brutal governments have, for centuries, murdered their citizens in general, and the

Boston bombing suspects: What the Kyrgyzstan connection means

The Tsarnaev family history, now that young brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar are suspects in the Boston marathon bombing, is getting an awful lot of scrutiny. One of the details, as reported by The Washington Post, is that the family lived for a time in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan, where Dzhokhar may have been born. The Tsarnaevs are reportedly of Chechen origin, and while the details of how they got to that far-away Central Asian state is not known, the story of Chechens in Kyrgyzstan is a revealing one, a microcosm of the much bigger and more complicated story of Chechnya under two centuries of Russian rule. In the early 1940s, long before either of the Tsarnaev brothers was born, as German troops pushed into the Soviet Union, separatist Chechen rebels saw their opportunity to win long-sought independence from Moscow, according to Tony Wood’s definitive history, “Chechnya: The Case for Independence.” But the insurgency was brutally suppressed and, toward the end of the

Report: 3 arrested in New Bedford in connection to bombing suspect

Neighbors say three have been arrested in New Bedford in connection with the Boston Bombing suspect. Police apprehended suspects from the Hidden Brook Apartments on Carriage Drive in New Bedford. Neighbors say they think that the girlfriend of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev may have lived in the complex and they have seen him in the area as recently as yesterday. Dzhokhar is a student at the nearby University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Earlier on Friday his brother, also a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, was killed in a gun fight with police. Source http://www.abc6.com/story/22028344/report-3-arrested-in-new-bedford-in-connection-to-bombing-suspect

Feiz Mohammad: Radical Muslim Preacher Who Inspired Boston Marathon Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev

Feiz Mohammad, the radical preacher cited by dead Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, is a former boxer who blames women for being raped and called for a prominent Dutch politician to be beheaded. Widely known as ‘Sheikh Feiz’, the preacher was born in Australia circa 1970-1 but fled to Lebanon, the homeland of his parents, eight years ago after becoming one of the world's most controversial Islamic lecturers. He has been investigated by Australian police for inciting violence and terrorism, and was even captured on a British TV documentary encouraging children to become martyrs for Islam six years ago. Feiz has been described by some as Australia’s most dangerous sheikh, because of the number of connections he holds to known terrorists. Although it is not known whether the hardline sheikh has any direct links to Al-Qaeda, he has regularly broadcast sermons from the group’s spiritual leader, Anwar al-Awlaki, on his website. Boxing, bodybuilding and hard drugs Feiz

Russia's Chechnya has long terrorist connections

THE CHECHEN PEOPLE: A FIERCE RESISTANCE Resistance is a consistent thread running through Chechnya's complicated history: against Mongol hordes, against Turkic fighters, against Russian troops. Chechens are variously seen as valorous defenders of their beleaguered homeland and as vile terrorists. The Chechen roots of the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects has drawn new attention to Chechen identity. Chechnya, the Russian republic whose struggle against Russia inspired the two brothers suspected of the Boston Marathon bombings, has been the center of violent separatist uprising and bloody bomb-related killings for decades. But "mainstream Chechnyan mujahedin have not traditionally been a direct threat to the United States," said Evan Kohlmann, senior partner of Flashpoint Global Partners, a New York-based international security consulting firm. Several other organizations do recruit Chechen fighters, however, he said. He said the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan an

Chechen insurgents deny any link to marathon bombing

By Robert Windrem and Evan Kohlmann, NBC News security analysts The militant group responsible for the Chechen insurgency cast doubt Friday on allegations that the two known suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing – who are of Chechen origin – carried out the attacks. The official media arm of the Chechen mujahedeen, the Kavkaz Center, published a blog post that suggested the investigation into Monday’s deadly attack is part of an anti-Chechnya “PR campaign.” The Kavkaz Center mocked the "lightning speed" at which the two known suspects in the attack on the Boston Marathon – Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who was at large on Friday, and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed in a firefight with law enforcement – were identified. The group called the investigation "completely muddled.” Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, Chechen fighters have waged a violent struggle against the Kremlin, leading to two bloody wars and the loss of hundre

Tensions Grow as Gitmo Hunger Strike Continues

Less than a week after a violent crackdown on detainees, Guantanamo Bay has a new problem, as hunger strikes are taking their toll and more and more prisoners are in failing health. “Code yellow,” an emergency where a prisoner has lost consciousness, is now a regular event in the cellblocks, forcing medics to rush in and see if the detainee is still alive, or just passed out from hunger. So far, it has been the later, but as the strike continues it will eventually lead to deaths. Over 100 prisoners are now believed to be involved in the hunger strike, which began in February to protest the confiscation of detainees’ Qurans during a security sweep. The Pentagon initially claimed only nine strikers, but now admit to over 50. They claim the rest aren’t “official” hunger strikers, and accused them of “cheating” and sneaking snacks. Lawyers and human rights groups have urged reforms at the prison to end the strike, as well as releasing people already exonerated instead of just keepin

Iraqis vote in elections despite violence

(CNN) - Iraqis headed to the polls Saturday to vote in provincial elections nationwide, the first poll in which the country's forces will provide security without the assistance of U.S. troops. Elections are being held in most of Iraq's 18 governorates to replace local councils elected in 2009. Some provinces will not hold elections because of insecurity. A number of bombs were detonated in the days preceding the election, sometimes targeting candidates. "These attacks have killed more than a dozen candidates and injured many others," the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said this week in a statement condemning the violence. "Such terrorist acts are a cowardly and unacceptable attempt to undermine Iraq's democracy and a desperate effort to intimidate Iraqis and deter them from participating in the democratic process." Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki was shown casting his ballot on state-run TV channel Iraqiya. There is concern that the security situat

Afghan and Coalition Forces killed 4 insurgents, detained five suspected insurgents

War in Afghanistan News - 20 April 2013 BAGRAM, Afghanistan (April 20, 2013) - Afghan National Security and Coalition Forces killed four insurgents, detained five suspected insurgents and found and safely cleared four improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, April 19. Ghazni Province Afghan National Security Forces killed one insurgent during operations in the Gelan District. Afghan National Security Forces killed two insurgents during operations in the Muqer District. Afghan National Security and Coalition Forces found and safely cleared two IEDs during operations in the Qarah Bagh District. Khowst Province Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Terezayi District. Nangarhar Province Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Khugyani District. Wardak Province Afghan National Security Forces killed one insurgent

View: Why Obama scores over us in dealing with terror

Image
Like drought is a good opportunity for officers and netas to make money, a bomb blast in India [ Images ] is a political opportunity to score over rivals, says Tarun Vijay B arack Obama inspires confidence. Not only among those he represents, but to all of us who feel that the American spirit of freedom and justice so powerfully represented by Jefferson, Martin Luther King [ Images ], Lincoln and Kennedy will not go in vain. And this Earth will soon see the elimination of the terror streams. We may be dithering and fumbling in expressing our resolve to end terror. But the dark night is soon to be ended here too, see the seething anger in the eyes of the common man. It can’t go waste here too. But as India has always been, the good and the noble resolve, wherever spoken and by whoever, must be applauded and the leader thanked for it. See how these words pump power into your heart. ‘Boston, you're my home," Obama said. "For millions of us what hap

Counter-terrorism unit to hit Mogadishu streets

Image
Somali National Army soldiers march during a military parade April 12th in Mogadishu. The federal government is preparing a 1,000-strong unit specially trained for anti-terrorism operations to deploy in the capital. [Stuart Price/AU-UN IST PHOTO/AFP] The Somali federal government has formed and trained a special unit of troops to conduct anti-terrorism operations in Mogadishu and thwart al-Shabaab's plans to carry out future suicide bombings. The government plans to deploy the 1,000-strong unit by the end of April, comprising troops from various branches of the armed forces and security services, according to Mohamud Ahmed Hirsi, a manager in the military supply and logistics department of Somalia's Ministry of Defence. The unit will dismantle and disarm terrorist cells and hideouts, root out their operatives and defuse bombs, in an effort to restore peace and order in the capital. "These units are charged with hunting down terrorists and those accused of be

Pressure cooker bombs: How Boston blasts are similar to Mumbai 7/11 train bombings

Image
This picture released by the FBI shows the mangled remains of a pressure cooker Mumbai :  The twin blasts at the Boston Marathon this week, that left three people dead and over 170 injured, show how devastatingly effective pressure cooker bombs can be.   The two hand-made bombs were packed with explosives and stuffed with shards of metal, ball bearings and nails and then placed in duffel bags on the ground. Investigators in the US said the explosives were planted inside pressure cookers which were then stuffed with shrapnel to cause maximum injury.     The blasts turned the festive race into a hellish scene of chaos, fear and confusion in Boston.  In India, terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) used pressure cookers to kill 200 people in the Mumbai train blasts on July 7, 2007. They placed seven pressure cookers in local train compartments to target peak hour traffic.    The Indian Mujahideen used the pressure cooker bomb in the Varanasi blast in 2006 that killed seven people. 

Boston bombing suspect shot dead, suspect # 2 on the run

Image
One of the suspects in the deadly Boston Marathon bombings was killed during a shoot-out while a hunt for a white-hatted "terrorist" is on at Watertown town near Boston, city police said on Friday. Police are hunting in Watertown, 10-km from Boston, for someone they believe is the white-hatted "suspect number two" in the Marathon bombings, after a police officer was shot dead last night on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus. One suspect was killed in a shootout with police in Watertown, while the second fled on foot, State Police Colonel Timonty Alben said in an early morning press conference.  Police are seeking is "consistent with the description of suspect No 2 who was involved in Monday's bombing at the Boston Marathon," Alben said in a reference to the man in the white hat seen in images released by the FBI on Friday. Earlier the FBI released pictures and videos of two suspects and sought the public's hel

All you wanted to know about the Boston bombers

Image
17:27    Boston bomber who died is a boxer :   Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the brother, who died of gunshot injuries in Watertown today is a boxer and on the numerous pictures he's posted of himself, are some revealing captions. Tamerlan says he loves the movie "Borat," even though some of the jokes are a bit too much. In another picture with a woman boxer, Tamerlan says he doesn't usually take his shirt off so girls don't get bad ideas: "I'm very religious."    He doesn't drink or smoke anymore: "God said no alcohol." A muslim, he says: "There are no values anymore," and worries that people can't control themselves.   17:12    All that you wanted to know about the Boston bombers:   The Boston marathon bomber still at large and sought by police has been identified by AP sources as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, resident in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The man is said to be from the south of Russia, not far from th

Turkish Minister denies protocol with General Staff concerning PKK withdrawal

Image
Interior Minister Muammer Guler on Thursday denied media reports claiming that his ministry will sign a protocol with the General Staff according to which the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will not carry out any operations against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) without permission from the governor of a province while the terrorist group leaves the country. Media reports talked about such a protocol on Thursday which they said aims to prevent any confrontation between the TSK and the PKK during the withdrawal process. Guler said it is out of the question for his ministry to send orders to governors concerning the PKK's withdrawal. PKK terrorists are expected to leave Turkey as part of ongoing talks between state officials and PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan which aim to resolve the country's long-standing Kurdish and terrorism problems. According to the reports, operatives of the PKK in the Kandil Mountains have requested measures that will ensure the with

Dawood aide Tiger Hanif loses extradition appeal in UK

London: Tiger Hanif, a close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and wanted in India in connection with two bomb attacks in Gujarat in 1993, has lost his appeal in a UK High Court against extradition to India. Reports on Friday said that Hanif alias Mohammed Hanif Umerji Patel, 51, was traced to a grocery store in Bolton, Greater Manchester in March 2010.  He is believed to be a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.  Metropolitan Police arrested Hanif in February 2010 on an extradition warrant that alleged conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.  Hanif is wanted in India for his alleged role in a grenade attack on a packed market place which killed an 8-year-old schoolgirl in Surat in 1993.  He is also accused of plotting to carry out a second grenade attack at a crowded railway station which seriously wounded 12 commuters.  Hanif has since been contesting extradition on the ground that he would be tortured by Indian officials, and that con

Gunmen kill six in eastern Kenya town of Garissa

Image
Nairobi: Gunmen in the volatile eastern Kenya town of Garissa today shot and killed six people, police said.  "Six people have been killed after people armed with guns stormed a hotel," a police officer said. He added that a security operation was underway to track the attackers.  The officer said that nine other people had been injured in the attack. Regional police chief Charlton Mureithi confirmed the incident but could not give more details. Guns are common in the impoverished northeastern region, which hosts more than 5,00,000 Somali refugees.  Kenya has been hit by a wave of grenade and gun attacks ? often blamed on sympathisers of Somalia's Shebab Islamist fighters ? since its army went into Somalia last year to flush out the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.  In January, four people were reported killed and six seriously wounded when gunmen attacked another hotel restaurant in Garissa.  The Shebab has never claimed responsibility for these attacks.  Sour