HOMELAND SECURITY NEWSWIRE: Secretary Clinton Demands Libya Return Lockerbie Bomber to Prison

Published 27 October 2011

courtesy of americanglob.com

Now that the fighting in Libya has drawn to a close with the death of Muammar Qaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is pressing the new Libyan government to return the only individual convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103; Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al Megrahi, was convicted and jailed in Scotland for the Lockerbie bombing which killed 259 people, mostly Americans; in 2009 Scotland released him on the grounds that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and only had three months to live; al Megrahi returned to Libya where he has been living since; over the weekend Clinton said, "We want to see him returned to prison, preferably in Scotland, where he was serving the sentence"

TERRORISM: Updates on the Oslo Bombing, Al-Qaida Takes Responsibility

UPDATED JULY 22, 5:16 P.M.
WASHINGTON -- At least seven people are dead Friday after an explosion rocked a government building in Oslo, Norway and a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at a youth camp outside the capital.

Al-Qaida-linked terrorists have taken responsibility for Friday's attacks, a respected blog about counter-terrorism reported.

An officer stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo said all American personnel assigned to the mission were safe and accounted for, though personnel were still checking to see if any American tourists had been at the scene.

Abu Suleiman al Nasser issued a statement saying the bombing was connected to a Dec. 2010 attack in Stockholm, Sweden, according to  The Long War Journal, a blog on counter-terrorism, which  received a translation of the statement from the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist groups online.  For more

TERRORISM: What the Oslo, Norway Attack Could Mean for Europe

July 22, 2011

Firefighters at the site of an explosion near government buildings in Oslo on July 22

At least 17 people have died and more have been injured in an explosion in downtown Oslo and a shooting at a Labor Party youth camp outside the Norwegian capital. Norwegian police arrested the shooter at the camp and believe he is connected with the explosion, though others could be involved.
The significance of the events in Norway for the rest of Europe will depend largely on who is responsible, and the identity of the culprits is still unclear. However, STRATFOR can extrapolate the possible consequences of the attacks based on several scenarios.  Read more

TERRORISM > Blasts Expose Mumbai's Vulnerability to Terrorism

photo/image courtesy of gulte.com

Officials: Blasts Expose Mumbai's Vulnerability to Terrorism

Kurt Achin Kerala, India July 5, 2011
Investigators are examining forensic evidence and surveillance video, as they hunt for clues into the bomb blasts that hit Mumbai on Wednesday. The attack killed 17 people and wounded more than 130 others. As the criminal probe continues, Indian leaders are facing public anger and calls to make the country's financial capital more secure against the threat of terrorism.Kurt Achin | Kerala, India July 15, 2011

Police pressed ahead with their investigation of the deadly string of bombings, but announced no new leads Friday. There have been no claims of responsibility since the series of blasts hit Mumbai two days ago.

After comforting hospitalized victims in person at area hospitals, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed a comprehensive response to the attack.

"We have to make collectively every effort," said Singh. "There has been remarkable coordination of effort between the centre and the state government. Now our task is to find out who the culprits are, and how we can work together to bring them to book."

State and national leaders are facing public anger at what many describe as another failure to protect crowded Mumbai areas from terrorism. In addition to deadly siege on the city in November 2008, terrorists have repeatedly targeted the city over the last two decades in bombings similar to those seen this week.

The chief minister of India's Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, says the government is looking seriously at communication failures that were exposed following this week's blasts.

Prithviraj Chavan told reporters on Friday that he could not get in touch with subordinates for 15 minutes after the explosions, while mobile networks were overwhelmed with other traffic. The chief minister says the state is now considering a separate official network, possibly including reserved satellite phone lines.

Indian Cabinet Minister Praful Patel says authorities must find ways to better protect Mumbai's dense population, particularly because the country's economic hub is an attractive target for those who want to impede India's growth.

"We cannot look at it as a permanent disability," said Patel. "We will have to find ways and means to stop these terror attacks."

Pakistan, which India blames for Mumbai's last terror attack in 2008 has denied any involvement in Wednesday's bombings. Indian authorities are currently pursuing all leads including the possibility that home-grown terrorist groups or the city's criminal gangs were involved.  

Mumbai Attacks > Quick Take Video Analysis

[A quick 2:40 video on Mumbai attacks (click here to view video) by Analyst Reva Bhalla of STRATFOR. She explains how the July 13th bombings differ from the 2008 Mumbai attacks and how they could complicate U.S. negotiating efforts in South Asia.]