Italian police recover hoard of looted artifacts

Italian police have broken up a ring of looters who raided tombs for ancient artifacts and exported them illegally to countries including the United States, officials said Friday. During more than a year of investigations, authorities recovered nearly 1,700 statues, vases and other artifacts dating from pre-Roman times to the heyday of the empire. Police flagged 19 people for possible investigation by prosecutors.

The artifacts were mainly dug out from tombs in the areas around Naples and Venice and included a bronze bust of the emperor Augustus, customs police in Rome said .

Part of the loot had been smuggled to the United States to be sold to collectors, they said. The Italians said they worked with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New Haven, Connecticut, to recover 47 ceramic and bronze statutes that had been looted from a tomb in southern Italy dating between the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.

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Al-Qaeda Leader Possibly Killed in CIA Drone Attack

A Central Intelligence Agency drone is believed to have killed a top strategist and spokesman for al Qaeda, Abu Yahya al-Libi, in the tribal areas of Pakistan near the Afghan border, according to officials familiar with the strike.

Top Al Qaeda strategist Abu Yahya al-Libi is believed to have been killed by a CIA drone. Mr. al-Libi has been one of the most sought-after terrorist targets since his escape from the prison at Bagram Air Force base in 2005. A rising star in al Qaeda, he was on the CIA's list of top-20 al Qaeda targets, according to an official familiar with the list.

He was killed Tuesday near Miram Shah in North Waziristan. He was believed to be under the protection of the Haqqani network, a militant group with a tight relationship with al Qaeda. The State Department announced a $1 million award earlier this year for information leading to his capture. "Based on a Pakistani tip, the Americans got him," one official said.

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Americans thought 'jihad must be waged,' Pakistani report says

Several American men arrested in Pakistan this week amid suspicion that they were plotting terrorist attacks planned to go to Afghanistan, a Pakistani police interrogation report said. The report, dated Thursday, sheds more light on a case that led Pakistani police to arrest five Americans Wednesday at a home in Sargodha, a town about 120 miles south of Islamabad. The men will be transferred to Lahore, Pakistan, for security reasons, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told CNN on Friday.

The report carries details about the men and shows pictures of Internet sites, laptops, mobile phones, an iPod and an external hard drive seized by police. "They had deep interest in the religion, and they were of the opinion that a jihad must be waged against the infidels for the atrocities committed by them against Muslims around the world," said the report, which refers to the five as college student.

The report focused on one of the suspects identified as Ahmed Abdullah Minni, a 20-year-old American born in Virginia. It said he regularly went online to watch attacks on the U.S. military in Afghanistan and that he left comments praising the actions. That caught the attention of militants, and he was eventually contacted by a person named Saifullah, the report says.

A Yahoo! e-mail account was set up so the men and militants could communicate, the report says. E-mails were never sent from the account, but people would leave messages in the draft folder and delete them after reading, the Pakistani police report said. "This mode of communication enabled them to pass on messages without fear of interception by the FBI," it said.

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Chicago Terrorism Suspect Charged In Mumbai Attack

U.S. prosecutors have charged a Chicago man with helping to plan the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, which killed 166 people, including six Americans. American David Coleman Headley, 49, was arrested in October. At that time, he was accused of planning to attack the offices of the Danish newspaper that had published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. That attack never took place. Headley was also accused of training with a Pakistani terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Taiba. He now faces much more serious charges related to the massacre in India, which was carried out by the group.

Court documents unsealed Monday allege that Headley conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years before the attacks. According to the court papers, Headley's reconnaissance helped the gunmen decide how to come into India undetected.

Lashkar-e-Taiba's leaders allegedly asked Headley to take a number of boat trips around Mumbai's harbor to scout the best landing sites for attackers to come in by sea. The attackers did end up landing in Mumbai by water. Prosecutors also allege that he provided Lashkar-e-Taiba with videotapes and maps, and details on a number of the sites that were attacked — including the Taj Mahal hotel, the Leopold cafe and a train station.

• "Terror Case Highlights Global Reach of Lashkar Group", Wall Street Journal, 12/8/09.
• "Lashkar-e-Tayyiba",Global Security.org, 3/12/08.
  

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Fear of homegrown terror up in U.S.

The Obama administration, grappling with recent Islamic terrorism cases on U.S. soil, has concluded that the country is confronting a rising threat from homegrown extremism. The warnings point to a threat more immediate than that posed by terrorism from overseas, because U.S.-based militants are frequently American citizens who are able to travel freely and strike at home or abroad.

The growing administration concern comes at a time when anti-terrorism officials and experts have pointed to signs of accelerated radicalization among some American Muslims, a trend driven by online propaganda and the influence of foreign networks. Until recently, Europe has been the front line for Islamic terrorist activity, suffering successive attacks and major plots, while the U.S. remained relatively calm.

But the number, variety and seriousness of recent U.S. cases make 2009 seem the most dangerous year here since 2001, anti-terrorism officials and experts say. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned of the homegrown threat last week in her strongest public comments yet on the issue.

"We've seen an increased number of arrests here in the U.S. of individuals suspected of plotting terrorist attacks, or supporting terror groups abroad such as al-Qaida," Napolitano said in a speech in New York on Wednesday. "Home-based terrorism is here. And, like violent extremism abroad, it will be part of the threat picture that we must now confront."

• "Paying attention to the grassroots", Stratfor, 8/5/09.
• "On Our Turf", WorldMag.com, 12/5/09.
  

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Yemen the new training ground for terrorists

US President Barack Obama warned in his speech about Afghanistan this week that the world would face new threats as Al Qaeda established a foothold in other parts of the world. One of the countries he singled out was Yemen. It is the poorest state in the Arab world and is rapidly running out of oil and water. There are now growing fears that the impoverished nation could become an increasingly attractive Al Qaeda base.

During his speech, Mr Obama singled out Yemen and Somalia as two nations where Al Qaeda's influence was increasing "We'll have to be nimble and precise in our use of military power," he said. Where Al Qaeda and its allies attempt to establish a foothold, whether in Somalia or Yemen or elsewhere, they must be confronted by growing pressure and strong partnerships." For many years, Yemen has faced political and economic crises. With a population of 23 million people, it is the poorest Arabic nation and security is a growing concern.

Dr Sarah Phillips works at the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney. She has just written a paper on Al Qaeda in Yemen for the Lowy Institute and says the country is an increasingly attractive base for the terrorist group. "Yemen is quite a desirable operating environment in a number of ways," she said. "For one, there is a strong tribal structure there, which if approached sensitively by people affiliated with Al Qaeda can afford some opportunity, particularly with regard to refuge, being able to hide while they plan operations both within Yemen but also abroad.

• "Yemen Funds Jihaddist Trainign Camps to Target Foes", Jawa Report, 3/1/09.
  
• "Terrorist Havens: Yemen", Council on Foreign Relations, 12/1/05.
• Yemen: Coping With Terrorism and Violence in a Fragile State", International Crisis Group, 1/8/03.
  

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Mafia's No. 2 nabbed in Sicily

The Italian interior minister says police in Palermo have captured the Cosa Nostra's No. 2 in a raid in Palermo, Sicily. Authorities describe convicted Mafioso Gianni Nicchi as a "young, dangerous, ambitious, pitiless killer."

Police found Nicchi, 28, hiding Saturday in an apartment in Palermo. News reports say he tried to flee. Investigators say Nicchi quickly climbed to the top of Palermo-based crime families after the arrest a few years ago of mob boss Salvatore LoPiccolo.

Nicchi, a fugitive since 2006, was convicted last year of extortion and sentenced to 18 years in prison. The news agency ANSA says the bugged conversations of bosses convinced police Nicchi was one of the Mafia's top new bosses.

• "Mafia killer claims Italy PM Berlusconi connection to Mafia", EarthTimes, 12/4/09.
• "La Nostra Nostra in the United States", National Instutue of Justice, 2000.
  

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Six arrested for helping suspected cop killer

Police now have six people in custody for helping suspected cop-killer Maurice Clemmons elude police during a two-day manhunt. The six have been identified as Douglas Davis, Eddie Davis, Rickey Hinton — Clemmons' half brother — Letricia Nelson, Quiana Williams and Darcus Allen, the Pierce County prosecutor's office said. Allen is being held as a fugitive from Arkansas, where he is wanted on robbery and theft charges and parole violations.

Even with a gunshot wound to the torso, Clemmons, 37, managed to elude police until early Tuesday, when a Seattle police officer spotted him and told him to show his hands. Clemmons ran and appeared to reach into his pocket, and the officer shot and killed him, Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said. Authorities say relatives and friends aided Clemmons during those days that he evaded authorities.

Relatives and friends drove Clemmons from the scene of the coffeehouse shooting, bandaged his wound, drove him 40 miles to Seattle and hid him, affidavits filed by Pierce County prosecutor Mark Lindquist say.

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Incomplete 1,000-foot tunnel found on U.S.-Mexico border

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says Mexican authorities have discovered an incomplete tunnel that extends into San Diego. The tunnel is equipped with a lift system, ventilation and lighting. The DEA said Wednesday that the tunnel runs nearly 1,000 feet from its entry in Tijuana, Mexico, including 860 feet into the United States. There is no exit on the U.S. side.

The DEA says Mexican authorities arrested more than a dozen people inside the tunnel Wednesday. No arrests have been made in the United States. The tunnel reaches a depth of 90 to 100 feet and authorities think it has been under construction for about two years.

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Chechen Rebels Claim Nevsky Express Bombing

Chechen rebels have claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least 26 people traveling on a train from Moscow to St. Petersburg, rebel web site Kavkaz Center said Wednesday. The attack, which derailed the luxury Nevsky Express train Friday night, was part of a broader strategy announced earlier this year by rebel leader Doku Umarov, Kavkaz Center said in a statement attributed to the rebels’ headquarters. Umarov had called to move terrorist attacks and acts of sabotage from the North Caucasus to the rest of Russia.

Most recently, Chechen rebels also claimed responsibility for the disaster that killed 75 workers at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power plant Aug. 17, but, like in the train bombing, they have failed to produce any proof of their involvement. The rebels pledged to continue attacks on Russian soil but promised to limit civilian casualties. The Chechen rebels were not the first to claim responsibility for the bombing. A radical nationalist group called Combat 18 took credit on a nationalist Internet blog on the day after the attack. Unlike some nationalist groups that claim responsibility for high-profile attacks, Combat 18 actually exists, and its members have been interviewed by the Russian media previously.

• "Who is Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov?", Reuters, 12/2/09.
• "Russia: Bomb Attack on Train", Stratfor, 11/28/09.
  
• "North Caucasus Insurgency Attracting Mainly Young and Committed Members", Jamestown Foundation, 1/15/09.

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