Shooting at Ft. Hood Texas 11/05/09 13 dead, 43 wounded-(Murder Charges)

[Heart]

Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger, of Kiel, is honored during two ceremonies Tuesday at the State Capitol in Madison. Taking part in the event are, from left, state Sen. Joe Leibham; state Rep. Steve Kestell, and Krueger's siblings, Casey and Jessica Krueger; Amy's father, David Diem; Amy's mother, Jerilyn Krueger; and Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan.

Legislature honors Kiel soldier Krueger

Herald Times Reporter • January 28, 2010

MADISON — United States Army Staff Sgt. Amy S. Krueger, of Kiel, was honored Tuesday in two ceremonies at the State Capitol in Madison, according to a news release.

The Assembly and Senate opened their session days with brief ceremonies commemorating the life and service of Krueger, 29, who lost her life on Nov. 5, 2009, because of injuries sustained during the terrorist attack at Fort Hood, Texas, military post while she was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.

"It was a privilege to recognize Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger at the State Capitol. Amy is a true public servant who willingly volunteered to serve our nation and protect our liberties," said Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan. "Hopefully her patriotic spirit and ultimate sacrifice will inspire others to serve."

More than 30 of Krueger's family and friends were in attendance for both ceremonies, as well as several military personnel.
http://www.htrnews.com/article/20100128/MAN0101/1280511/1984/Legislature-honors-Kiel-soldier-Krueger

[Heart]

Munley returns to TX after meeting President Obama in DC

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Sgt. Kim Munley, the Carolina Beach native credited with helping stop the attacks at Ft. Hood last year, was expected to be recognized as part of President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday.

However, she was never mentioned.

Munley told WECT's Jon Evans, who documented her trip to D.C., that she is not disappointed for not being recognized.  She and her father, Dennis Barbour, met the President after the address.

Munley called the experience an 'amazing night and experience.'

Munley sustained several gunshot wounds during the attacks at Ft. Hood and has been recovering ever since.  She recently underwent knee replacement surgery, a procedure that could end her career as an active police officer.

She told Evans that she is still amazed at what has been happening, and she's still very concerned about the other officers who witnessed the attack.Munley returns to TX after meeting President Obama in DC

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Sgt. Kim Munley, the Carolina Beach native credited with helping stop the attacks at Ft. Hood last year, was expected to be recognized as part of President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday.

However, she was never mentioned.

Munley told WECT's Jon Evans, who documented her trip to D.C., that she is not disappointed for not being recognized.  She and her father, Dennis Barbour, met the President after the address.

Munley called the experience an 'amazing night and experience.'

Munley sustained several gunshot wounds during the attacks at Ft. Hood and has been recovering ever since.  She recently underwent knee replacement surgery, a procedure that could end her career as an active police officer.

She told Evans that she is still amazed at what has been happening, and she's still very concerned about the other officers who witnessed the attack.

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11897262

[Heart]

Place of Honor
The First Lady appears surrounded by special guests including Officers Mark Todd (left), and Kimberly Munley, who were on the scene of last November's Fort Hood shooting rampage. Behind Mrs. Obama is Haitian Ambassador to the United States Raymond Joseph.

[Heart]

Kiel Basketball Game Dedicated to Fallen Soldier

Updated: Feb 01, 2010 10:33 PM CST
By Jason Zimmerman

Hundreds of people in Kiel honored a soldier killed during the Fort Hood shootings last November.

Sergeant Amy Krueger was a 1998 graduate of Kiel High School and a member of the basketball team.

Friday night's game was dedicated to her.

Emotions were clearly visible at Kiel High School as the girls basketball team paid tribute to Sergeant Krueger with a patriotic display as most of her family sat courtside, proud of what she stood for.

"It feels good that we can give something back to someone that served our country and has done something for us and we can play in the game in honor of her," sophomore Alexis Genke said.

When Krueger played for the basketball team in the late 1990s, she wore the number 34. Out of respect, that number this year is not being used.

"Sometimes people lose focus that's what extra-curricular events are for -- to bring the community together. Wins and losses aside, it's good to be supportive of one another," girls basketball coach Ryan Zellner said.

"Like in our locker room, we have her number 34 jersey hanging up, and we all pretty much touch it before we go out and it's a big thing for us. Our time is now. She can't be here any more. That's why our time now is for her," sophomore Mikayla Preissner said.

Krueger's family says the amount of support they received since the shooting has been almost overwhelming.

"You don't know how much someone affects your community until unfortunately they're gone, and just seeing the ripple effect of what her life was, and unfortunately it had to occur the way it did. But the community just wrapped around her whole family," uncle Dan Krueger said.

In honor of Krueger, her family was given the game ball autographed by the entire team.
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=11905418

[jjayinthemorning]

As an expert in counter-terrorism I can tell you that there is a serious problem with the WH Administration being politically correct when it comes to crimes of Islamic terrorism.
With the threats from Amadinejad for Fevruary 11th and the American public being kept from the truth about threats, it is a very bad situation.

[4getUnot]

As an expert in counter-terrorism I can tell you that there is a serious problem with the WH Administration being politically correct when it comes to crimes of Islamic terrorism.
With the threats from Amadinejad for Fevruary 11th and the American public being kept from the truth about threats, it is a very bad situation.

ITA these are very scary times!

[MuffyBee]

http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=267813

Fort Hood Memorial Garden Fund continues to grow
February 24, 2010

Organizers say they've already received thousands of dollars worth of donations for a memorial to honor the victims of November's Fort Hood shooting.

In a small ceremony, representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented a big check. It was a $10,000 donation towards a living memorial garden which will honor the 13 killed and the dozens injured.

"I think one of the victim's sisters said it very well, that she worried and prayed while they were deployed for 15 months but never did they dream that something like this could happen," Killeen Civic and Conference Center spokesperson Connie Kuehl said.
The state VFW commander said this is a way to take care of their own.

"Those young soldiers, some of them are getting trained up to go overseas to fight the war on terrorism. We treat them as much veteran as if they served and come back to join us," VFW spokesperson Mike Barber said.

The donation brings the total amount raised to about $17,000, but some estimate the project will cost $200,000.

The memorial is planned to be built next to the Killeen Civic and Conference Center.

"I had a letter go out to VFW posts across the state [about] 380. Hopefully we will make another presentation in about four months," Barber said.

It's a project that's just as much for the families as it is for the victims.
      
They hope to move forward but not forget those who lost their lives on November 5.

The first planning meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed due to weather.

Instead it will be held on Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m. at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center.

[Heart]

Fort Hood shooting suspect moving from hospital to jail

Updated at 7:58 a.m., Monday, March 1, 2010

Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas — An attorney says the Army psychiatrist charged in the worst mass shooting on a U.S. military base will soon be moved to a county jail near Fort Hood after four months in a military hospital.

Defense attorney John Galligan says Maj. Nidal Hasan could be moved this week.

Bell County Jail administrator Bob Patterson says Hasan will be housed in a cell at the medical unit.

Patterson said today the facility is prepared to handle inmates with special medical needs.

Hasan was taken to a San Antonio military hospital shortly after the Nov. 5 Fort Hood shootings. Civilian police officers shot him during the attack, leaving him paralyzed below the chest.

Hasan faces 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100301/BREAKING/100301017?source=rss_twitter

[Heart]

Posted: Feb 26, 2010 10:19 PM CST
by Henry Rosoff

BELTON - Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan's attorney said his client was denied three key legal motions Friday afternoon.

Defense Attorney John Galligan said he will not be allowed to depose Fort Hood Commanding General Robert Cone before he deploys to Iraq in a few week.

Galligan will also not be allowed to add two new lawyers to Hasan's legal defense team.

The defense also will not be allowed to use an expert witness that could say the charges against Hasan don't merit the death penalty.

Galligan told News Channel 25 he is upset with the decisions.  He said he sees the denials as a sign his client is being railroaded.  Hasan is charged with thirteen charges of capitol murder for a November 5th shooting spree on Fort Hood.

http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12054548

[Heart]

Fox News: Janet Napolitano admits Fort Hood massacre was "Violent Islamic Terrorism"

February 24, 8:45 PMFort Worth Christianity & Culture ExaminerRene Girard

Fox News has reported that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has finally admitted that the Fort Hood, TX massacre was "Violent Islamic terrorism."

"Violent Islamic terrorism ... was part and parcel of the Ft. Hood killings," Napolitano told the Senate Homeland Security Committee this morning. "There is violent Islamic terrorism, be it Al Qaeda in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen or anywhere else, [and] that is indeed a major focus of this department and its efforts."

On November 5, 2009 American solider Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 and wounded 30 in the worst mass killing on a Texas military base, or any military base, in U.S. history.  (see related story)  Even though Hasan was a Muslim whose Islamic faith was central to his identity, and witnesses heard him shouting references to Allah during the brutal attack, the current administration, including Janet Napolitano, has been reluctant to use such descriptive words regarding this event.

Perhaps there has been a change of heart or a need to finally be honest with the American people who seem to appreciate straight forward admission of the facts rather than skirting around in fear of offending those who seem to have no fear of offending, or even murdering, the American people.

Just a few days ago, on Feb. 21, 2010, the Associated Press reported: "In the last year, Napolitano said, she's witnessed a movement from international extremism to domestic extremism — cases in which Americans radicalized and decided to plot attacks against the country.

"What really is it that draws a young person being raised in the United States to want to go and be at a camp in Yemen and then come back to the United States with the idea of committing harm within the United States?" Napolitano asked without citing specific cases. "Where in that person's formulation is there an opportunity to break that cycle?"

Our founding fathers provided a land where people are free to practice their choice of religion; however, if that includes murdering those of another faith in order to further your own - it must be stopped.

http://www.examiner.com/x-25060-Fort-Worth-Christianity--Culture-Examiner~y2010m2d24-Fox-News-Janet-Napolitano-admits-Fort-Hood-massacre-was-Violent-Islamic-Terrorism

[Heart]

Six Faulted Over Fort Hood
Military to Discipline Officers for Failing to Report Views of Suspect in Texas Shootings
 
By YOCHI J. DREAZEN

The military will formally discipline at least six officers, mostly from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, for failing to take action against the officer accused of carrying out last year's deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, according to people familiar with the matter.

Senior Army officials said the decision to punish so many officers reflects the military's belief that the November assault, which killed 13 people at the Army base in central Texas, could have been prevented if Maj. Nidal Hasan's superiors had alerted authorities to his increasing Islamist radicalization.

The officials said that as many as eight officers could ultimately be censured over Maj. Hasan, mostly with letters of reprimand that effectively end their military careers. The punishments will be detailed in an "accountability review" that Army Gen. Carter Ham, who has been investigating the shootings for several months, will deliver to top Army officials as early as Friday.

An Army spokesman said that Gen. Ham's accountability review would be submitted within days, but declined to comment further on the inquiry.

People familiar with the matter said the Army had earlier notified eight officers that they were under investigation, including Col. John Bradley, who until recently ran Walter Reed's psychiatry department, and Col. Charles Engel, a psychiatrist who supervised Maj. Hasan when he was doing a fellowship at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Col. Bradley didn't reply to emails seeking comment. Gary Myers, the attorney representing Col. Engel, said the military was blaming a handful of officers for a broader institutional failing.

"The history of the Department of Defense, when dealing with broad-based problems within the department, is to isolate and vilify a few individuals," said Mr. Myers, who served as an Army lawyer during the Vietnam War. "The idea that anyone could predict future violence by a person who has never engaged in violence before is absurd."

A senior Army official said the investigation found evidence that military doctors at Walter Reed were so focused on their teaching and clinical work that they failed to adequately supervise Maj. Hasan or alert authorities when he began to express extremist religious views and harshly criticize the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"What you generally see is that some officers who were aware of his shortcomings didn't take appropriate actions in response," the senior Army official said.

"Sometimes, when you have specialists who are also officers, they can be more specialist than officer."

Maj. Hasan, the sole suspect in the shootings, arrived at Walter Reed in 2003 and spent six years there training to be an Army psychiatrist. He was transferred to Fort Hood in July 2009, less than four months before allegedly opening fire on dozens of his fellow soldiers. He has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of premeditated murder.

Walter Reed officials have acknowledged that Army investigators made repeated visits to the hospital to interview former colleagues of Maj. Hasan in the aftermath of the shootings. A senior Walter Reed official said this week that the hospital hadn't yet been notified of pending disciplinary actions against any staffers.

"Due to the nature of the investigation, there has been little communication with anyone other than those specific officers subject to the investigation," the Walter Reed official said.

For the Army, the decision to punish the officers caps a long period of institutional soul-searching set off by the rampage at Fort Hood, one of the deadliest acts of military fratricide in U.S. history.

A Pentagon review last month concluded the military was overly focused on threats from external enemies, such as foreign intelligence services, and didn't devote enough attention to the growing problem of soldiers who adopt radical religious or political views on their own.

In announcing the findings, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he had directed Army Secretary John McHugh to take "appropriate action" against Maj. Hasan's past supervisors. Mr. McHugh, in turn, appointed Gen. Ham to investigate whether specific officers should be punished for failing to raise the alarm about Maj. Hasan.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703455804575057612342107400.html

[Heart]

More than $13,000 raised for soldier hurt at Fort Hood

Staff Report

SIDNEY _ The Sidney American Legion benefit event Saturday raised more than $13,000 for a soldier hurt in a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.

Matthew Cooke, 30, formerly of the Sidney area, appeared via a Web video connection and spoke with area residents attending the dinner and auction activities at the Legion Hall at 22 Union St., said Edward ``Ed'' Hoffman, the lead organizer of the benefit.

Hoffman said 308 tickets for a roast beef dinner were sold, and businesses and individuals contributed items for silent and live auction. The preliminary tally was $13,224, he said, but some envelopes, checks and donations are still being counted. The Hulse Brothers Band provided country and classic- rock music, he said.

Hoffman, a member of the Sons of the American Legion, said the event and support for Cooke were ``heartwarming'' examples of the care the community has for its soldiers who serve in the U.S. military forces.

Cooke, of Forward Support Company, 20th Battalion, 36th Brigade, was among 30 people injured when Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire at Fort Hood on Nov. 5. Twelve soldiers and one civilian died, and Hasan faces criminal charges.

Cooke was shot several times, and he has been credited with saving the life of another soldier.

Cooke's father, Carl Cooke of Sidney, said ``it was great'' to see his son via the Web and that he seems to be doing well.

``He's still alive, and I thank the Lord for that,'' Carl Cooke said Sunday night. The community came together, as it did after the flood of 2006, to help someone in need, he said, adding that the effort as ``awesome.''

Cooke, a 1998 graduate of Afton Central School who also attended school in Sidney, joined the Army in 2005 and previously served in the Marines. He had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan this year.

http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_053040037.html



Video: http://news10now.com/watertown-north-news-1052-content/top_stories/496771/community-rallies-behind-local-man-injured-at-fort-hood

[Heart]

Pa. Woman Accused Of Recruiting Jihadists Online
Feds Say Colleen R. LaRose Called Herself JihadJane Online

MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press Writer

POSTED: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
UPDATED: 8:04 pm EST March 9, 2010

Homeland Security
PHILADELPHIA -- A suburban woman "desperate to do something" to help suffering Muslims has been accused of using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Authorities said the case shows how terror groups are looking to recruit Americans to carry out their goals.

A federal indictment charges that Colleen R. LaRose, who called herself JihadJane and Fatima LaRose online, agreed to kill the Swede on orders from the unnamed terrorists and traveled to Europe to carry out the killing. It doesn't say whether the Swede was killed, but LaRose was not charged with murder.

A U.S. Department of Justice spokesman wouldn't confirm the case is related to a group of people arrested in Ireland earlier Tuesday on suspicion of plotting against Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog.

But a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said LaRose had targeted the Swedish cartoonist and had online discussions about her plans with at least one of the suspects apprehended in Ireland. The official wasn't authorized to discuss details of the investigation.

LaRose, who has blond hair and blue eyes, indicated in her online conversations that she thought her appearance would help her move freely in Sweden to carry out the attack, the indictment said.

In a February 2009 online message to a co-conspirator in south Asia, she said her physical appearance would allow her to "blend in with many people," which "may be a way to achieve what is in my heart," the indictment said.

LaRose is a convert to Islam who actively recruited others, including at least one unidentified American, and her online messages expressed her willingness to become a martyr and her impatience to take action, according to the indictment and the U.S. official.

"I will make this (killing the artist) my goal till I achieve it or die trying," she wrote another south Asian suspect in March 2009, according to the indictment.

U.S. Attorney Michael Levy said the indictment doesn't link LaRose to any organized terror groups. He would not comment on whether other arrests were expected.

LaRose, 46, lived in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pa., before moving to Sweden in August 2009, authorities said.

She called herself JihadJane in a YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate to do something somehow to help" ease the suffering of Muslims, the indictment said. According to the 11-page document, she agreed to obtain residency in a European country and marry one of the terrorists to enable him to live there.

She traveled abroad with a U.S. passport stolen from a male friend and intended to give it to one of her "brothers," the indictment said. She hoped to "live and train with jihadists and to find and kill" the targeted artist, it said.

"Today's indictment, which alleges that a woman from suburban America agreed to carry out murder overseas and to provide material support to terrorists, underscores the evolving nature of the threat we face," said David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security.

LaRose also agreed to provide financial help to her co-conspirators in Asia and Europe, the indictment charged.

LaRose has been in federal custody since her Oct. 15 arrest in Philadelphia, authorities said. She had an initial court appearance the next day but didn't enter a plea.

Her federal public defender Mark T. Wilson declined to comment Tuesday.

Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd said the case represents "one of only a few such cases nationwide in which females have been charged with terrorism violations." He declined to comment further on it.

In recent years, the only other women charged in the U.S. with terror violations were lawyer Lynne Stewart, convicted of helping imprisoned blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman communicate with his followers, and Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist found guilty of shooting at U.S. personnel in Afghanistan while yelling, "Death to Americans!"

But neither of those cases involved the kind of plotting attributed to LaRose -- a woman charged with trying to foment a terror conspiracy to kill someone overseas.

Stewart has insisted she is "not a traitor," while Siddiqui has accused U.S. authorities of lying about her.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/22788920/detail.html

[Heart]

American al-Qaida spokesman lauds Fort Hood killer

(AP) – 2 days ago

CAIRO — Al-Qaida's American-born spokesman has called on Muslims serving in the U.S. armed forces to emulate the Army major charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood.

Adam Gadahn, who was raised in California, describes Maj. Nidal Hasan as a pioneer who should serve as a role model for other Muslims.

He urges Muslims in America to carry out attacks against U.S. and Western targets.

The video posted on a radical Islamic web site on Sunday featured Gadahn, also known as Azzam al-Amriki, dressed in white robes and wearing a white turban.

Gadahn converted to Islam and joined al-Qaida and was charged with treason in 2006. There is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g7n4JBVyGMgyFRfSlWAYLLPn3hTwD9E9O0MO0

[Heart]

Seeking direction on Fort Hood shooting memorial

Posted: Mar 05, 2010 6:57 PM CST
Confusion over Ft. Hood massacre memorial
2:36   

by Natasha Chen

KILLEEN – After debate and confusion over where to place a memorial for victims of the Fort Hood shooting, representatives of various groups in the community met Friday to discuss plans to move the project forward.

The idea for a living memorial is spearheaded by SPJST, a Czech fraternal organization. They initially brought a proposal to the council in February to plant 13 trees and one dwarf tree, representing the fallen including an unborn child. That was to go in between the Shilo Inn & Suites, and the Killeen Civic and Conference Center.

When proposed, the council liked the idea and gave consensus to move forward. But now after community groups have voiced different opinions, there's disagreement on whether an official approval was given.

These notions were quieted momentarily when Leila Hunt-Willingham, the sister of one of the victims, made a statement at Friday's meeting. She reminded all of the purpose of this memorial.

"I would love a place where I could personally come and reflect just in a more intimate setting, but you know, our cousins and great-aunts who love my brother and love us, and miss him would like to have easy access to a place like this. So rather than having it on base, having it in a public place would be a little more desirable," she said.

Her brother, J.D. Hunt, had just returned from Iraq in early 2009. She said, "I don't want anyone to forget about my brother. He was a hero – and, he wasn't a hero because he died, but he volunteers in an army to protect our country. And I don't want that to be forgotten."

The president of SPJST told News Channel 25 how it all began.

"The Killeen Civic and Conference Center was approached early on because of its accessibility and the fact that it pretty much is a gateway to the city of Killeen. You have a lot of folks – thousands of people coming through every year," said Brian Vanicek, the president of SPJST.

The mayor, Timothy Hancock, heads the special events committee that will ultimately oversee logistics of the planning process from the city standpoint.

In late February, the Tri-City Lodgers Association wrote in protest to the site proposal. Their letter was given to the mayor, Councilwoman JoAnn Purser and Beverly Zendt, in the city planning department.

Others told council members they want to see the memorial placed near the current memorial for Luby's shooting victims at the community center, or at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

Hancock said he wants to appoint a subcommittee that will do research on the best plan for the project and report back to the special events committee before taking anything to council.

He said, "I want them to be not be influenced by what they think someone else wants – individually wants. Not be influenced by me, what they think that I want. What is said about the locations. I want the committee to go out and talk to the community itself at large and make their decisions independent of any special interests."

When asked where he would personally like to see the memorial, Hancock said he doesn't have a preference right now.

Vanicek also said SPJST does not have a preference. He addressed those in attendance at the meeting, saying his group is very excited about the project, perhaps even a little "overzealous" at first. He had hoped for a groundbreaking on May 2, which is the annual "Join Hands Day."

Still, a date just two months away makes some question what needs to be set in motion before then.

Councilwoman JoAnn Purser, who is on the special events committee, said, "The only thing that's misunderstood is we did hear it at workshop, it is a very genuine project and it has been well received as far as the thought behind the project. But the location has not been discussed in detail and presented to the council to the point where we have been asked to place it on the agenda and vote on it."

But Purser says with all this discussion, "It has given focus and attention to the property between the Shilo and the convention center and that maybe now is the time for us to do something with the four-acre tract, you know an improvement to the landscaping or even considering what the best use of the property is. So I'm excited about now a dialogue about it."

A presentation at the meeting included drawings of plans made and approved in 2004 for a multi-purpose facility in that space, including an amphitheater and small gardens. A 2008 modification of this plan was also shown, with a figure eight pattern of smaller memorial gardens.

"Regardless what side of the fence you're on, there's a lot of positive response about the need for the memorial. The want for a memorial here, and that gets us excited because again, our first priority is to stand behind spearheading this project. I mean, regardless of where it's located," said Vanicek.

http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12093587

[Heart]

U.S. Muslim leaders forbid aid to troops
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127357

[Heart]

CIA director: US efforts disrupting al-Qaida

By TIM TALLEY (AP) – 1 day ago

NORMAN, Okla. — CIA Director Leon Panetta said Monday the country's counterterrorism operations have placed al-Qaida's top leaders under extreme pressure and many are "on the run" but recent thwarted terror plots in the U.S. indicate the terror network is changing its tactics.

"We are a nation at war with al-Qaida and its associates. And that war is persistent," Panetta said during a foreign policy conference at the University of Oklahoma. "They remain determined to kill as many Americans as possible."

Counterterrorism operations directed at al-Qaida in recent months have led to the deaths of more than half of the terrorist group's top 20 leaders, Panetta said. Many of the operations were conducted in tribal areas of Pakistan that were once considered an al-Qaida safe haven, he said.

"Our counterterrorism operations have put senior al-Qaida leaders under intense pressure," Panetta said. "We are effectively conducting operations that disrupt the work of al-Qaida, that disrupt their command and control.

"But this is also a war. And they will keep coming at us any way we can."

Panetta said there is growing evidence that al-Qaida is changing its tactics by deploying people to the U.S. who have no history of terrorist activity or documented connection to the organization.

Panetta said four people who the CIA did not know were arrested in the U.S. last year including admitted al-Qaida associate Najibullah Zazi, a Colorado airport van driver who pleaded guilty last month to terror charges. Zazi admitted that he tested bomb-making materials in a Denver suburb before traveling by car to New York intending to attack the subway system to avenge U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.

"My worry is there are others that have been deployed here that we don't know about," Panetta said.

Al-Qaida is also turning to individuals who are not trained terrorists and have no history of terrorism including the Nigerian man accused in the failed Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner. Panetta said individuals with no documented link to terrorist activity are "much more difficult to try to pin down."

He said another new form of terrorist threat is the "lone wolf" who becomes self-radicalized and decides on his own to take violent action without al-Qaida taking a direct role. Panetta cited the case of Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who is charged with killing 13 people in the Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood.

"We constantly have to adjust our tactics and capabilities in this fight," Panetta said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iICRO8qRJ6-3rXkN5R2y-F1PUCVwD9EAOLE80

[Heart]

Qaeda calls on US Muslims to attack America
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=19030

Al-Qaida operative: Take up arms against U.S.
http://jta.org/news/article/2010/03/08/1010970/al-qaeda-operative-take-up-arms-against-us

Transcript of Adam Gadahn's 'A Call to Arms'

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2010/03/transcript_of_adam_gadahns_a_c.php

[Heart]

Pat Zeigler spends his weekdays in a hotel room near the Texas Neurology Center where his son has been since being injured in the Nov. 5 shootings at Fort Hood. Paul A. Romer/Telegram

Dad fights alongside his son for recovery

by Paul A. Romer
Published: March 7, 2010

Pat Zeigler spends his weekdays in a hotel room near the Texas Neurology Center where his son has been since being injured in the Nov. 5 shootings at Fort Hood. Paul A. Romer/Telegram
BELTON - Four months ago Pat Zeigler, 50, owned his own business and spent his spare time serving in the Lone Oak community in Hunt County as a volunteer firefighter. Now he spends his weekdays hundreds of miles away from his wife and home, most of his time devoted to visiting and working with his son in a place he said many people go to die.

That's how the Fort Hood shooting on Nov. 5, 2009, has changed Zeigler's life.

http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2010/03/07/64670/

[Heart]

Feb. 25, 2010

1 Soldier Still Investigated On Fort Jackson Food
Army: Soldier Remains Under Investigation Following Alleged Food Threat At SC Training Base


(AP)  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - One of five soldiers connected to a military translator program remains under investigation for alleged verbal threats involving the food supply at the Army's largest training base, an official said Thursday.

The soldier, one of five detained in December, is being investigated by the service's Criminal Investigative Division, Army spokesman Patrick Jones said Thursday.

Jones said he did not know whether the soldier remains in detention. He said he did not know any of the soldiers' locations, but that four are no longer being investigated. None has been identified.

Fort Jackson, near Columbia, puts more than 50,000 soldiers annually through basic and advanced instruction, serving about 40,000 hot meals daily at 13 dining halls. Jones said no one was poisoned and he noted that "no credible information" has come to light so far to substantiate an alleged threat.

"An allegation was made," Jones said in a telephone interview. "It was investigated. At no time was anyone in danger."

The translator training program relocated to Fort Huachuca in Arizona in December and Jones said that transfer had nothing to do with the investigation.

He also said he didn't know where the soldier under investigation is located. A soldier does not have to be in military detention for such an investigation to continue, he added.

Chris Grey, a spokesman for the Criminal Investigative Service, told The Associated Press by telephone that he was unable to comment.

"Because the investigation is still ongoing, and we want to completely get to the bottom of it, I am unable to comment," Grey said.

On Dec. 2, Fort Jackson officials announced their training course for translators and interpreters was moving from South Carolina to its main program for intelligence training activities at the Army's Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca.

The program at Fort Jackson primarily involved speakers of Arabic, used in the Mideast, and Pashtu, used in Afghanistan.

At the time, the Army said the move was made to allow soldiers to receive technical training alongside others in similar occupational specialties.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/25/ap/national/main6243512.shtml