Topic: Terrorism

New York Busts Up a Massive Ring of Terror-Linked Cigarette Smugglers

AP

The link between drug smuggling and terror usually spurs images of Afghan poppy fields under the wary eye of men in fatigues. Sometimes, though, it's garbage bags filled with money from selling illegal cigarettes in Brooklyn.

By J.K. Trotter

May 16, 2013

How Did U.S. Marshalls Lose Suspected Terrorists in Witness Protection?

A public memorandum issued on Thursday by the Justice Department's Inspector General indicates that the U.S. Marshal Service was unable to locate two "known or suspected terrorists" participating in the Witness Security Program. Not the good news Attorney General Eric Holder was likely hoping for.

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By Dashiell Bennett

May 13, 2013

Pressure Cooker Freak-Out Leads to Arrest at Detroit Airport

There are a couple of red flags, but at the moment it looks like it may be nothing more than an overabundance of caution (or panic) driven by the fear of another Boston-style attack.

Comments | 408 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

May 10, 2013

D.C. Restaurants Are Against the D.C. Food Truck Invasion Because Terrorism

Ahead of a public hearing Friday pitting upstart mobile food vendors against sedentary street vendors and old-school sidewalk restaurants, George Farrell — a Washington Times "community" member — settled on a reason to take sides: "propane tanks inside food trucks could easily become explosive devices" and "may pose a terrorism threat."

Comments | 1,425 Views

By Philip Bump

May 2, 2013

FBI Adds an African-American Woman from Queens to Most Wanted Terrorists List

For the first time, the FBI has added a woman to its "Most Wanted Terrorists" list. There are a number of caveats that temper that benchmark, including that Joanne Chesimard's crime is probably not the sort of terrorism that you might assume.

Comments | 2,385 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 1, 2013

Dagestan Hit by New Terror Attacks

While violence in the Russian republic of Dagestan is nothing new, the region's connection to the Boston Marathon bombings has shined a new global spotlight on the long-running conflict.

Comments | 986 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 30, 2013

Lindsey Graham Is a Terrible Expert on Everything

Of the Senator's latest expert suggestions — that the Boston bombings and Benghazi showed a national security weakness — President Obama said, "No, Mr. Graham is not right on this issue, although I'm sure it generated some headlines." Wrong. What it generated was cable news hits for Graham. And the No. 1 thing Lindsey Graham is an expert on... is getting on TV.

Comments | 3,548 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 29, 2013

Russia Is Cracking Down on Its Own Militants in the Wake of Boston

Russian forces killed two suspected terrorists Monday in the region of Dagestan, in what looks to be part of a post-Boston crackdown on their own homegrown militants.

Comments | 589 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 24, 2013

CIA Added Tamerlan Tsarnaev to a Terrorist Watchlist 18 Months Ago

It's not like it's a suprise, but the U.S. intelligence committee is already contradicting itself as the investigation into the Boston bombing unfolds. Turns out the CIA knew about one of the Tsarnaev brothers after all.

Comments | 3,706 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 24, 2013

Why the FBI Didn't Catch Tamerlan Tsarnaev

Reports that Tsarnaev was added to the government's terror watch list seems to bolster the argument that the marathon bombing is the result of FBI error. But that revisionism fails to take into account the scale and complexity of terror investigations.

Comments | 10,135 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 24, 2013

The Ricin Story Is Somehow Getting Even Weirder

The investigation into the mailing of poisonous letters has turned from an Elvis impersonator to his taekwondo-teaching "bluesman" rival, and turning the case in a tangled mess or ridiculousness. 

Comments | 24,946 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 23, 2013

Civilian Courts Are Way Better Than Military Courts at Convicting Terrorists

Putting aside the argument of whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should even qualify as an enemy combatant, an analysis of previous terrorism prosecutions shows a remarkable track record for civilian courts, which have prosecuted both large and small crimes with great efficiency and success.

Comments | 778 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 23, 2013

French Embassy Is Attacked In Libya

In the biggest terrorist attack in Libya since the assault on the U.S. compound in Benghazi last September, a car bomb exploded outside the French embassy in Tripoli, wounding two French guards.

Comments | 1,360 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 22, 2013

Everything You Need to Know About the Al Qaeda Linked Canadian Terrorist Plot

Another Monday, another terror plot: Who woulda thunk this Monday would yield a thwarted attack in Canada to bomb a Niagra Falls railway passage from Toronto to New York, links to Al Qaeda and all?

Comments | 3,106 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 22, 2013

How the Tsarnaev Brothers Slipped by the Feds and Then Lucked Out

From an apparent misspelling by the FBI to alarm in the Muslim community and the obtaining of illegal firearms, the alleged bombers' may have been lucky in escaping their mistakes — and that may be the early if uneasy answer in a case that became official as the U.S. charged Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in his hospital bed Monday. 

Comments | 4,464 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 22, 2013

Did This Dagestani Terrorist Inspire the Boston Bombers?

As investigators try to understand what led Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev to attack their adopted home city, they are looking carefully at one of the brother's connection to the far off region of Dagestan.

Comments | 10,864 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 16, 2013

Refusing to Be Terrorized by Terror

We know how we feel about terrorism, deeds that are to be hated, doers of which are evil. And we know the messages that come inevitably following such acts: Don't give them what they want. Those messages have come. 

Comments | 2,110 Views

Terror Group Recruits From Pakistan's 'Best and Brightest'

A new report helps explain why Pakistan has resisted international pressure to crack down on Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of the world's most dangerous militant organizations, after it killed 166 people in Mumbai — six U.S. citizens included — and came close to sparking conflict between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.

Comments | 1,428 Views

By Philip Bump

Mar 28, 2013

Three Guys in Scuba Suits Can Do More Damage to the Web Than You Think

Slowdowns in Internet traffic in the Middle East and South Asia earlier this week were likely the work of hackers. Hackers in the traditional sense: The Egyptian Navy caught three men hacking into an undersea cable. And it's a bigger problem than it seems.

Comments | 4,205 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Mar 21, 2013

Suicide Bomber Kills Top Syrian Cleric at Mosque in Potential Turning Point

A leading Sunni imam with close ties to Bashar al-Assad was killed today, when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside his mosque — a potential turning point that risks pushing the conflict from a war to unseat Assad into a Sunni vs. Shia grudge match.

Comments | 1,038 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Mar 13, 2013

The Dutch Are Worried the Syrian War Is Headed Their Way

The government of the Netherlands raised its terror threat level to "substantial" today, amid fears that terrorists trained in Syria will try to disrupt the coronation of their new king.

Comments | 690 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Mar 8, 2013

Yes, the Trial of Bin Laden's Son-in-Law Is in NYC, and He's Pleading Not Guilty

As the most high-profile al-Qaeda trial in New York City since 9/11 began with high tension, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith made his first appearance in a Manhattan courtroom Friday to face charges of conspiracy to kill Americans.

Comments | 1,494 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Mar 7, 2013

Iran Stashed Bin Laden's Son-in-Law in Jail, Possibly to Use as a Bargaining Chip

On Thursday morning, we learned that that the United States had successfully captured Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who's also al Qaeda's spokesman. You'll never guess where he's been hiding the past ten years.

Comments | 4,956 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Mar 7, 2013

U.S. Captures Bin Laden's Son-In-Law and Will Put Him on Trial

U.S. officials have announced that a former spokesperson for al Qaeda — who also happens to be a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden &mdash has been captured overseas and is being brought to America to stand trial.

Comments | 2,242 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Mar 1, 2013

Look Who's on Al Qaeda's Most-Wanted List

Al Qaeda has published the latest issue of its jihadist recruitment magazine Inspire, which includes a handy, up-to-date list of all the people they hate the most, including Terry Jones and Salman Rushdie.

Comments | 13,262 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 22, 2013

The Indian Twin Bomb Was No Surprise

The day after 16 people were killed by a pair of bombs in the city of Hyderabad, Indian officials admitted they had received a warning about terrorist activity from British intelligence just two days earlier, but weren't able stop the attack, which may have a connection to the Mumbai massacres.

Comments | 819 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 21, 2013

Bombs Across Hyderabad in Apparent Terrorist Attack

Reports say that as many as 15 people have been killed, though the number of dead and injured could rise considerably as rescuers and first responders sort through the chaotic scene.

Comments | 2,242 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Feb 7, 2013

Trimming the Times

Unmasking the Horror of Guns, a Healthy Restaurant Boom, and NYFW's Front Row

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 1, 2013

Bomb Explodes Outside the U.S. Embassy in Turkey

A bomb exploded outside the entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday in an apparent suicide attack that killed two people.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 25, 2013

White House Now Connecting Al Qaeda to Algeria Attack via 'Mr. Marlboro'

The Obama administration says it believes that the militants responsible for the recent terror attack were working with "elements of Al Qaeda," as they attempt to solidify the bigger link between Algeria, Mali, and the worldwide fight against extremists.

Comments | 172 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 24, 2013

Britain Says There's an 'Imminent Threat' to Westerns in Benghazi

The British Foreign Office has issued a travel warning to Westerners who might be in Benghazi, urging all its citizens to leave the city immediately.

Comments | 622 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 22, 2013

The Families of Algerian Hostages Want Answers to a Terrorist Mystery

Many questions still remain about the disastrous Algerian hostage situation, including the biggest question of all: How did all those people die? 

Comments | 791 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 16, 2013

Al-Qaeda Group Holding American Hostages at BP Facility in Algeria

A group of al-Qaeda militants snuck over the border from Mali into Algeria on Wednesday morning and claims to have taken 41 hostages from a gas production facility, including seven Americans. The situation appears to have become larger and more serious than previously imagined.

Comments | 1,497 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 7, 2013

What Happens to John Brennan's Drone War Now?

As President Obama nominates John Brennan to lead the CIA, the future of the controversial program they've worked so closely on swings into uncertainty: What happens now, and what details might we learn about America's secret war?

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2013

New York's Most Spoiled Bomb Suspect Is Now a Mother — and a Junkie?

While Morgan Gliedman was resting, the tabloids were busy uncovering her and her boyfriend's drug-riddled past and starting to explain away a terror plot as the concoctions of "well-to-do junkies."

Comments | 5,753 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 31, 2012

Meet the Most Spoiled Bombing Suspect in New York City

Morgan Gliedman is the stuff of New York Times wedding announcements. Except that today she's the subject of New York Post pulp for her alleged bomb-making skills.

Comments | 32,934 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 31, 2012

Al-Qaeda Puts a Bounty on a U.S. Ambassador's Head

Al-Qaeda in Yemen has begun to offer bounties for anyone who kills U.S. soldiers and officials in their country, including the U.S. ambassador. 

Comments | 1,805 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 23, 2012

The FBI Treated Occupy Like a Terrorist Group

Now that it's been over a year since the Occupy movement swept across the country, FOIA requests are being fulfilled, revealing uncomfortable details about how authorities viewed the protestors.

Comments | 45,282 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 19, 2012

More Anti-Polio Workers Killed In Pakistan

Attacks on United Nations health workers in Pakistan continued for a third straight day, even though their polio vaccination program had been suspended due to the violence. 

Comments | 862 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 16, 2012

What Happens If the Syrian Rebels Steal Assad's Chemical Weapons?

It's scary enough to think of what the Assad regime could do with the several hundred tons of chemical weapons that are scattered across Syria. It's simply horrifying to think of what terrorists would do. 

Comments | 814 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 13, 2012

There's a New Super-Database of Your Information to Hunt Underwear Bombs

Well, this is pretty terrifying: A little known agency called the National Counterterrorism Center has a big ole database of civilian information that it can use to monitor innocent people for suspicious behavior, without probable cause.

Comments | 1,466 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 11, 2012

Syrian Rebels Don't Really Want Any Help from America Anymore

British military leaders are reportedly building a coalition to provide military help to the Syrian opposition, but the rebels are instead turning to an Islamist group that the U.S. says are terrorists — and maybe rejecting American help outright.

Comments | 1,446 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 10, 2012

HSBC Should've Thought Twice Before Laundering Money for Terrorists

HSBC, Europe's largest bank, is expected to get hit with a fine of at least $1.9 billion, the biggest bank fine ever, to settle money laundering investigations in the United States.

Comments | 4,206 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 21, 2012

India Executes Only Surviving Terrorist from Mumbai Attacks

India has hanged Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only survivor among the group of ten terrorists who attacked the city of Mumbai in 2008, killing 166 people. 

Comments | 690 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 21, 2012

Bomb Explodes on a Bus in Tel Aviv

A bomb has exploded on a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, injuring more than a dozen, but also threatening to permanently derail any hopes of a cease fire in Gaza.

Comments | 1,288 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 20, 2012

California Homegrown Terror Cell: Could They Have Done Real Harm?

Four men in California have been arrested for "plotting" to join the Taliban and kill Americans overseas, but like many of the conspiracies foiled by federal officials, these terrorists were far from completing any missions. 

Comments | 9,075 Views

By John Hudson

Oct 24, 2012

How the White House 'Kill List' Became the White House 'Disposition Matrix'

It sounds like the ultimate Washington euphemism but it's the name White House officials are moving toward: The secret list the president uses to order drone strikes on unsuspecting militants is being re-vamped under the name "disposition matrix."

Comments | 2,166 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Oct 23, 2012

What Happens When Suspected Terrorists Refuse to Go to Their Trials?

Lawyers at Guantanamo aren't exactly sure what to do after a number of suspected terrorists have decided not to show up for their own trials.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Oct 23, 2012

NYPD Informant Says He Was Paid to 'Bait' Muslims

A teenage spy for the New York Police Department says he was under orders to "create and capture" terrorist suspects by befriending fellow Muslims and "baiting" them with talk about jihad.

Comments | 862 Views

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