FBI issues border alert for al-Qaida suspect
Associated Press

EL PASO - The FBI has issued an alert for a suspected al-Qaida member who may try to cross the U.S. border through Arizona or Texas.

Adnan Gulshair El Shukrijumah, 29, is suspected of being an al-Qaida cell leader and has been wanted by the United States since 2003, authorities said Tuesday.

The latest information places him in Honduras with the intent of crossing the U.S.-Mexican border, said Art Werge, a spokesman for the FBI's office in El Paso.

"We certainly don't want him crossing into the United States because his plan is to conduct terror operations," said Werge. "He is believed to be one of the most dangerous cell leaders below the leadership of al-Qaida."

El Shukrijumah, a Saudi Arabia native, has not been charged in the United States with any crimes.

Hurricane center's projection on Charley not far off, data show
KansasCity.Com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - (KRT) - Despite criticism that it should have better anticipated Hurricane Charley's rapid intensification and quick turn, the National Hurricane Center's forecast wasn't that far off, a preliminary post-mortem shows.

When the storm was 24 hours away, the center's projected track was 45 miles from where it landed, on the barrier islands between Cape Coral and Punta Gorda, according to figures released on Wednesday.

That almost cut in half the center's 10-year average error of 87 miles when a storm is a day away, hurricane center Director Max Mayfield said.

"That's pretty doggone good," he said. "It's a little odd to me that we had a good forecast here, but there was some question why it wasn't better."

After Category 4 Charley slammed into the Port Charlotte area on Friday, Charlotte County Emergency Manager Wayne Sallade complained the hurricane center should have better forewarned of rapid intensification. Other Gulf Coast officials and radio talk shows soon questioned why the center didn't see the so-called last minute turn.

The hurricane center, in Miami-Dade County, had Charley aiming near Tampa at 11 a.m. on Thursday, about 110 miles to the north of Punta Gorda. But by 2 p.m. that day, the track was adjusted to the south, only 45 miles from ground zero, Mayfield said.

Father of Al-Qaeda computer expert challenges son's detention
Hindustan Times

The father of an alleged Al-Qaeda computer expert has filed a lawsuit in a Pakistani court challenging what he called the illegal detention of his son, who was captured last month, a defence lawyer said.

Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan was captured by Pakistani intelligence agents July 13 during a raid in the eastern city of Lahore, and a search of his computers uncovered surveillance documents of five financial institutions in the United States, prompting a terror alert in three US cities this month.

Later, Khan led police to an hide-out of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian Al-Qaeda wanted for the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in east Africa.

Pakistan puts out ads for 'most-wanted terrorists'
Straits Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan published pictures of six 'most-wanted terrorists' yesterday and offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of two Al-Qaeda-linked militants wanted over assassination attempts on President Pervez Musharraf.

In an advertisement printed on the front page of two leading newspapers, the government said the identity of informants would be kept secret and published two toll-free telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Five of the suspects were Pakistani and one a Libyan, and the list appeared to feature militants wanted for attacks and crimes inside Pakistan as opposed to terrorism overseas.

The advertisement gave no details about the nature of charges against the men, and only said they are 'most-wanted terrorists' who are 'wanted for acts of terrorism'.

Muslim sues, says he was called 'bin Laden' while working
Chicago Sun Times

A Muslim who worked at a subsidiary of Sears said he was repeatedly called "bin Laden," "Taliban" and "terrorist," then was fired after he complained.

Belal Degedeh, who is of Jordanian and Palestinian origin, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday charging he was discriminated against for his ancestry and religion.

Degedeh worked for Sears Logistics Services Inc. as a merchandise distributor. He claims as he unloaded trucks at a receiving dock, co-workers asked him if he was going to blow up the building and whether he had a bomb. When he told another co-worker he was from Palestine, Degedeh said he was asked: "Is that where the crazy Muslims are blowing themselves up?

Minneapolis : Unattended taxis towed near airport fence
KSTP.Com

MINNEAPOLIS - Dozens of unattended taxi cabs, some with the keys left in them, were found at a convenience store just yards from the runway at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Airport officals got tips from some cab drivers concerned that cars were being left unattended Sunday night. In all, 38 vehiciles were towed from the parking lot of SuperAmerica, a store near the airport fence and right next to tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel.

Authorities said no driver was in sight for more than 30 minutes, which airprot staff said was a potential for disaster.

Federal and local security officals remain concerned that terrorist might use cars and trucks to try to run airport fence lines all across the country and blow up planes at the gates. Cars sitting ready for the taking obvioulsy could be used as such a tool according to airport police.

"We don't want any situation where someone could go under over or around the perimeter fences," said Arlie Johnson of the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

Iran warns of preemptive strike on US forces
AFP Via ABC News Online

Iranian Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani has warned that Iran might launch a preemptive strike against US forces in the region to prevent an attack on its nuclear facilities.

"We will not sit [with arms folded] to wait for what others will do to us," Mr Shamkhani told Al Jazeera television when asked if Iran would respond to an American attack on its nuclear facilities.

"Some military commanders in Iran are convinced that preventive operations which the Americans talk about are not their monopoly.

"America is not the only one present in the region. We are also present, from Khost to Kandahar in Afghanistan; we are present in the Gulf and we can be present in Iraq.

"The US military presence [in Iraq] will not become an element of strength [for Washington] at our expense. The opposite is true, because their forces would turn into a hostage" in Iranian hands in the event of an attack, he said.

Mr Shamkhani, who was asked about the possibility of an American or Israeli strike against Iran's atomic power plant in Bushehr, said: "We will consider any strike against our nuclear installations as an attack on Iran as a whole, and we will retaliate with all our strength.

'A lot' of Canadians in al-Qaeda track between words
Canada.Com

"A lot" of Canadians trained at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and some still live freely in Canada, Abdurahman Khadr testified at a court hearing at which he revealed chilling new details about Canadian terror suspects and his father's ties to Osama bin Laden's training camps.

Mr. Khadr, a 21-year-old Toronto man who underwent weapons and explosives training at four camps in Afghanistan, said in testimony made public yesterday that he had given CIA agents the names of several Canadians who trained at camps such as Khalden.

"I know a lot of people that are living in the West and are living in Canada, and that live their everyday life now and are not under arrest or anything, that have been to Khalden," Mr. Khadr testified at a July 13 hearing in Montreal.

"I had a lot of friends that were Canadians that came to Afghanistan and went to training," Mr. Khadr said. "Some of them are dead now and some of them are back in Canada and some of them are under arrest."

His contention that graduates of the Afghan camps are living normal lives in Canada comes as U.S. officials are concerned that al-Qaeda might try to use Canada as a staging ground for a terrorist strike some time before November's presidential election.

Mr. Khadr testified the training camps did not instruct recruits to "go after America," but provided basic weapons training for Muslims, whom he said are obliged to prepare to defend Islamic countries from attack. But it is now widely known the camps were run by al-Qaeda and taught recruits how to attack Western targets.