Fearful Jews Fleeing France

(CBS/AP) Just 10 days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon enraged French leaders by urging France's Jews to leave for Israel, a group of 200 French Jews arrived to start a new life in the Jewish state, with Sharon at the airport to greet them.

As one émigré told CBS News Correspondent Mark Philips: You wear something to say you are Jewish and you have difficulty. We are afraid. It's simply that we are afraid."

At a welcoming ceremony, Sharon appeared to try to correct the damage from his earlier statements, saying anti-Semitism threatens the Western world, without singling out France.

"We therefore very much appreciate the determined actions of the French government, as well as the French president's stand against anti-Semitism. We hope that his determination will serve as an example to other countries as well."

Softening his earlier appeal, Sharon said, "Jews must come to Israel not because of hatred or fear. Jews must immigrate because it is their homeland."

Emerging from the plane, the immigrants sang "Heveinu Shalom Aleichem," or "we bring peace to you," a traditional Hebrew song of greeting. A heavyset man with a beard, wearing a white shirt and skullcap, danced, his arms above his head.

Iraqi arrested at Twin Cities airport indicted; allegedly had lied to authorities

An Iraqi man arrested this month at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for immigration law violations was charged Wednesday with lying to authorities about his travels outside the United States and about anti-American material he was carrying.

When Ali Mohammed Abboud Almosaleh, 40, arrived at the airport on a flight from Amsterdam July 7, he told customs officers he had been out of the country for one month and had traveled to Syria, court documents said. But he actually had been gone for five months and had visited Iraq.

He told officers that his digital video discs with images of militant Iraqi Iman Muqtada Al-Sadr and his militia, accompanied by calls for resistance against the United States, were "just music," the documents said. Almosaleh also had video images of Saddam Hussein and the invasion of Iraq.

A law enforcement official has said Almosaleh was carrying a note that hinted at public suicide. Authorities are trying to determine whether Almosaleh's activities might be terrorism-related.

Extremists Group Warns of a "new Type" of Battle in Europe

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - A third threat in a week against America's European allies appeared Friday on an Internet site known for extremist Muslim postings.
The statement claimed to have come from militants in Italy and, like a similar one Wednesday and another on Monday, was signed Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades. Friday's statement, however, dismissed the previous threats as fakes, even though all sounded the same anti-U.S. themes.

U.S. officials and some terrorism experts believe Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which claimed responsibility for the Madrid train bombings that killed about 191 people on March 11, lacks credibility and has only tenuous ties to al-Qaida. It has issued claims for events in which it almost certainly had no involvement, including blackouts in North America and Britain.

"From here in Italy, and from Britain and Bulgaria, and all European countries, we call on all our people to mobilize and prepare to engage in the battle, a new type and style of battle. Prepare to shed blood, let us make it an endless bloody war," Friday's statement said.

Iran says it is building a stealth missile

Iran is producing its first stealth missile, a rocket that can evade electronic detection, the Iranian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The missile, named Kowsar after a river in paradise, will be capable of hitting ships and aircraft, Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Reza Imani told The Associated Press.

He refused to give the missile's range or provide other details. Features of the Kowsar, such as its guidance and positioning systems, are currently on show at an exhibition in Tehran that is open only to select government officials.

US Arabs 'fear for their family'

Almost 60% of Arab Muslims living in the US fear for the future of their families, according to a new report.

Almost a quarter of those asked said a family member had been insulted because of their race or religion.

Researchers questioned more than 1,500 people in the Detroit area over a six-month period, examining attitudes to Arab Americans since 11 September 2001.

They found 49% of the general population would support the increased surveillance of Arab Americans.

The conclusions bear out what several Arab and Muslim groups have been saying since the 9/11 attacks.

Kerry in Favor of U.S. Bin Laden Trial

NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) - John Kerry said Friday he would put Osama bin Laden on trial in U.S. courts rather than an international tribunal to ensure the "fastest, surest route" to a murder conviction if the terrorist mastermind is captured while he is president.

"I want him tried for murder in New York City, and in Virginia and in Pennsylvania," where planes hijacked by al-Qaida operatives crashed Sept. 11, 2001, Kerry said in his first interview as the Democratic presidential nominee.

The Saudi-bred terrorist is suspected of plotting attacks that have shed blood across the globe, not just in the United States. Kerry suggested he would place the highest priority on avenging American deaths.

He called the Bush administration's attempt to create a Muslim security force in Iraq an overdue act of desperation. "Great idea," he said. "Should have been done from the very beginning.".