A video posted on a jihadist Web site could help the FBI determine how a group of Somali-Americans was recruited to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group in Somalia.For several months the FBI has been investigating at least 20 Somali-American men from the Minneapolis area and elsewhere in the United States who traveled to war-torn Somalia to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group known as al-Shabaab, which has been warring with the moderate Somali government since 2006. At a Senate hearing on the issue last month, one top-ranking official said it's "clear" the Internet played a role in radizalizing and recruiting the young men.The 30-minute video posted this week is a highly polished production, featuring anti-American hip-hop and sporadic images of Usama bin Laden. In much of the video, a man dubbed "The American" purportedly leads a group of al-Shabaab militants in an ambush of Ethiopian forces, which oppose an Islamic state and have backed the new Somali government."The only reason we are staying here, away from our families, away from the cities, away from candy bars [and] all these other things is because we are waiting to meet with the enemy," he tells them in the video, first provided to FOX News by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). "They're supposed to be coming anytime. We're going to set up the ambush, and by the will of [God] we're going to kill all of them."FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said the FBI is "reviewing" the video.MEMRI identified "The American" as Abu Mansur al-Amriki, and a law enforcement official said he is originally from the United States, but has been in Somalia "for some time." The official said al-Amriki is in his late 20s or early 30s. The official wouldn't offer any other identifying features, including whether he had converted to Islam.MEMRI described the video as a "clear appeal to foreign youth, especially in English-speaking countries, to join the jihad in Somalia."In the video, "The American" praises a man killed in the fight, saying, "We want to inform his family that he was one of the best brothers here. ... We need more like him, so if you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors, anyone around, to send people like him to this jihad it would be a great asset for us."Another man, with an accent and a wrap covering his face, says at the end of the video, "We're calling all the brothers overseas, all the Shabaab, wherever they are, to come and live the life of a [fighter], and they will ... love it."The FBI investigation into how young American men were recruited to join al-Shabaab in Somalia is active in Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Boston; Seattle; and San Diego, according to testimony from counterterrorism officials and others at the Senate hearing last month.But reports from around the world suggest young Muslims from other Western countries, namely Canada, Australia and England, are also being recruited to join the fight in Somalia.U.S. officials declined to comment specifically on whether officials from those countries have been working with the FBI.But at a State Department briefing today, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said, "Somalia would be one of those areas that we're concerned about with regard to Al Qaeda recruitment. This requires broad cooperation, the United States with other countries — not only in the Horn of Africa but outside of that region — to try to do what we can to prevent Al Qaeda from being successful in recruiting young people to their cause."
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Friday, April 3, 2009
Baitullah Mehsud: Who is he? (Friday SPECIALS)
Obama 'very concerned' about militants on Pakistani border
LONDON US President Barack Obama said Thursday that he was ‘very concerned’ about extremists who have holed up on the border between Pakistan and India.Obama told reporters after talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the G20 economic summit that they had discussed the threat posed by the militants.‘Obviously we are very concerned about extremists and terrorists who have made camp in the border regions of Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan,’ he said. ‘But we spoke about it more broadly, in terms of how we can coordinate effectively on issues of counterterrorism.’
Russia may offer US Afghan access
Kerry-Lugar Pakistan aid bill postponed indefinitely
WASHINGTON A US Senate panel has postponed indefinitely the much-awaited hearing on a proposal to triple economic assistance to Pakistan.The bipartisan Kerry-Lugar bill seeks $1.5 billion of annual assistance to Pakistan for a period of five years. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations had scheduled a full committee hearing on Wednesday but it had to be postponed for technical reasons.Later, a congressional aide told a news conference that the bill could be reintroduced as early as Wednesday afternoon or Thursday but on Thursday other congressional aides told reporters that the hearing has been postponed indefinitely.‘It will now be held after the April recess,’ said one aide. The recess ends on April 20.This will further delay the passage of the bill which has to be approved by the committee and a full Senate before it is sent to the House of Representatives.The House will hold its own hearing and resend the bill to the Senate. The two chambers then have to reconcile their respective bills before it could be sent to President Barack Obama for signature.This probably means that by the time the bill is passed, it would be too late to include its recommendations in the budget for the next financial year.
Mexico arrests wanted drug suspect
Episcopal minister defrocked after becoming a Muslim
N. Korea Fueling Rocket in Final Preparation for Launch
Israeli child killed by Palestinian wielding axe
Philippine group frees aid worker
G20 leaders seal $1tn global deal
NEW FUNDING PLEDGES $500bn for the IMF to lend to struggling economies $250bn to boost world trade $250bn for a new IMF "overdraft facility" countries can draw on $100bn that international development banks can lend to poorest countries IMF will raise $6bn from selling gold reserves to increase lending for the poorest countries |
"By any measure the London summit was historic. It was historic because of the size and the scope of the challenges that we face and because of the timeliness and the magnitude of our response," he said.Prime Minister Gordon Brown said there was "no quick fix" for the world economy but there was a commitment to do whatever was necessary."This is the day that the world came together to fight back against the global recession, not with words, but with a plan for global recovery and for reform and with a clear timetable for its delivery," Mr Brown said.The deal was announced shortly before the European stock markets closed and gave leading indexes a significant boost.London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares ended 4.3% higher. In Paris, the Cac 40 jumped 5.4% and in Frankfurt, the Dax rose 6%.