Al Qaeda Chief in Gitmo: Use of Female Guard Denies me Justice, Violates my Muslim Rights.

Al Qaeda Chief in Gitmo: Use of Female Guard Denies me Justice, Violates my Muslim Rights. HT: JudicialWatch.

An Al Qaeda leader and close associate of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) accused the U.S. government of denying him justice because a female guard escorted him to a recent court hearing in violation of his Islamic religious beliefs.

His name is Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, one of 17 high-value prisoners at the U.S. military compound in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and he’s being tried for running Al Qaeda’s army in Afghanistan, ordering attacks against American and coalition forces and civilians.

During a recent arraignment in Gitmo, Hadi refused to be transferred to the courtroom by a group of guards that included a female because being touched by a strange woman violates his religious beliefs. His attorneys asked the military judge to replace the female guard with a man, but the judge refused. No criminal justice system in the world allows the defendant to decide the rules of the court. Furthermore, sidelining a woman at the request of the defendant goes against any moves the military has made to treat men and women equally. Hmmm.....I thought Islam treats women and men equally? Read the full story here.

The ‘Wannabe’ Lone Wolf attackers: A medal of 'Islamic' honor is offered via martyrdom.

The ‘Wannabe’ Lone Wolf attackers: A medal of 'Islamic' honor is offered via martyrdom. (Jasmine Opperman). (TRAC).

The Nice attack – by the driver of a truck who ploughed through a festive crowd – introduced another face to the world of terrorism: The “wannabe” that seeks instantaneous recognition and credentials.

Bouhlel’s behaviour ranged from nervous breakdowns to domestic violence, with little interest or adherence to a religious lifestyle. Exposure to extremist ideology did not need an intense religious schooling or attending a training programme, the call to action was sufficient in enabling a quick radicalisation. An added concern: Bouhel did not need arms and weapons: a truck was enough to kill more people than recent attacks in France.

The Nice attack by so doing has introduced another face to the world of terrorism: the “wannabe” that seeks instantaneous recognition and credentials. The “wannabe” might have missed out on a life in the Caliphate or a training camp in Yemen or Somalia, but that does make them more dangerous, more immediate and more unpredictable.

The Islamic State claim to credit for the attack referred to Bouhlel as an Islamic Fighter, and thereby introduced a generation of fighters that do not need in-depth religious radicalisation process, a fighter that seeks redemption or executes attacks driven by individual frustrations. A fighter that is caught up in a mixture of personal problems, criminality, grievances and offered a quick solution to 'redemption'. A person that will gain recognition as a fighter simply by executing an attack: a medal of honour is offered via martyrdom.

The Islamic State inspires these attacks with little leverage and control, and this serves the group’s purpose. They need blood on their hands, they need to re-enforce their leadership position within the extremist Jihadist world no matter what it takes. Media attention following an attack for the Islamic State is never seen as negative – it supports its continuous search for attention that will support its own inflated propaganda message of a global reach and ability to kill.

In May 2015, the Islamic State’s spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, released a statement in which the “wannabe” fighter has been called to action:

What's the chances of Lone wolf attacks in South Africa? Read the full story here.

Al Qaida Chief al-Zawahiri's Brother Released from Egypt Jail.

Al Qaida Chief al-Zawahiri's Brother Released from Egypt Jail. (Naharnet).

The brother of Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, under investigation for allegedly calling for the creation of a "terrorist group", was released Thursday from an Egyptian prison, his son and security officials said.

On February 23, a court had ordered the release of Mohamed al-Zawahiri, 64, while the investigation was still underway.

Security officials said Zawahiri walked out on Thursday from a Cairo prison after having spent more than two-and-a-half years behind bars.

"My father has been released. He reached home early this morning," his son, Abdelrahman Zawahiri, told AFP. Read the full story here.

Apostolic vicar to Southern Arabia: "Sisters of Mother Teresa were killed for religious reasons".

Apostolic vicar to Southern Arabia: "Sisters of Mother Teresa were killed for religious reasons". (AN).

In a dramatic statement, Mgr Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar to Southern Arabia, spoke to AsiaNews about this morning’s “religiously-motivated” attack against the convent of the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, in southern Yemen.

At 8:30 am, the prelate said, "People in uniform stormed the compound where the Missionaries of Charity live. After they killed the security guard and all the employees that stood in their way, they came for the nuns and opened fire, killing four [sisters]. One managed to hide and survive. Now she is in a safe place.”

The victims are Sister Anselm from India, Sister Marguerite from Rwanda, Sister Judit from Kenya and Sister Reginette also from Rwanda. The superior was able to find a hiding place.

The attackers seized Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, a Salesian priest who lived at the facility. At the time of the attack, he "was in the chapel praying."

Overall, 14 people lost their life: four religious and ten lay people, employees of the community that also housed senior citizens and disabled people.

"We knew that the situation was difficult and that the sisters were running a certain risk,” Mgr Hinder said. In fact, the nuns had been attacked in the past. However, "they decided to stay no matter what because this was part of their spirituality.”


At the same time, “It was clear that the area was not safe, even if there had been no special signs [of trouble]. Getting information was hard." For the prelate though, the "signal is clear: it has something to do with religion". Read the full story here.

'Real Change' - Canadian PM Trudeau’s brother lobbies Liberals to not deport al-Qaida terror suspect Mohamed Harkat.

'Real Change' - Canadian PM Trudeau’s brother lobbies Liberals to not deport al-Qaida terror suspect Mohamed Harkat.(TS).

The prime minister’s brother is lobbying the government to allow Ottawa terror suspect Mohamed Harkat to stay in Canada.

Alexandre Trudeau, 42, wrote a letter to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale on Feb. 27, asking him to stop the security certificate process and end the government’s attempt to deport Harkat.

“I urge you to use your unique position as minister, and the discretion afforded to you under the law, to exempt Mohamed Harkat from deportation and let him stay and live a productive life in Canada,” Trudeau wrote, adding: “Make this decision of yours another shining example of your government’s commitment to sunny ways.”

In his letter to Goodale, Alexandre Trudeau said security certificates remain a “fundamentally unfair measure” since they preclude the ability of suspects like Harkat to challenge the evidence against them. 

“I am absolutely convinced that at this moment, he (Harkat) poses no danger whatsoever to the public or to public safety in Canada,” Trudeau wrote, “but rather offers a positive commitment to the life he has created here.

“Just as importantly, Canadian and international law prohibit complicity in torture, and there is good reason to believe that Mohamed’s deportation to Algeria could lead to his torture.”

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act gives the minister the power to stop a deportation as long as it’s “not contrary to the national interest.”

In May 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the government’s revised security certificate regime and affirmed a decision that found Harkat to be an active member of the al-Qaida terrorist network. The case against Harkat was built on 13 wiretapped phone conversations and at least two unnamed informants, one of whom failed a lie-detector test. Read the full story here. More on this 'story' here.

Related: Bad advice: Think Justin Trudeau’s instincts are scary? Take a look at what two of his advisers have to say

Egypt - Jihadist Mohamed El-Zawahri not released after prosecution challenges release.

Egypt - Egypt’s prosecution challenges release on parole for jihadist Mohamed El-Zawahri. (AlAhram).

Egypt’s prosecution challenged a Cairo criminal court’s Tuesday decision to release on parole jihadist Mohamed El-Zawahri.

The long-time jihadist has not yet been released and his fate remains uncertain as the prosecution challenges his parole.

Another criminal court division will confirm the decision.

El-Zawahri’s release comes pending trial on a number of terror-related charges. A judicial source told Ahram Arabic website that the decision to release him on parole was due to his poor health.

According to Judge Hussein Farid, the head of the Cairo Criminal court that released El-Zawahri, the defendant must show up to court every 45 days and remain under police surveillance.

El-Zawahri, who is the brother of Al-Qaeda’s current leader Ayman El-Zawahri, is officially accused of joining a terrorist organisation – Al-Qaeda – as well as other charges including attempting to overthrow the regime and promoting radicalism.

He was arrested in August 2013 on charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation.

In October 2015, El-Zawahri was acquitted of operating a terrorist cell in what was dubbed the "El-Zawahri cell" trial, which included 17 other defendants, 10 of whom were sentenced to death for running a terrorist organisation connected to Al-Qaeda.

In 1999, Mohamed El-Zawahri was sentenced to death in absentia for a handful of terrorist attacks in Egypt.

In June 2011, a military court accepted El-Zawahri's appeal against the death sentence. The case was closed and the 63-year-old jihadist was released.

Omar Khadr's sister Zaynab Khadr detained in Turkey.

Omar Khadr's sister Zaynab Khadr detained in Turkey. (TheStar).

Zaynab Khadr, the outspoken sister of former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr, is in custody in Turkey, the Star has learned.

It isn’t known whether she has been charged or is just being held.

Khadr had moved to Turkey around the time her younger brother Omar was transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Canada in September 2012. She reportedly remarried and had two young children.

In 2005, Zaynab Khadr was under investigation for terrorism offences by the RCMP, but never charged.
 
It is not known if the Canadian-born Khadr is being held in Turkey for a criminal or immigration matter. Read the full story here.


Related: The Khadrs, Canada's First Family of Terrorism, in the News. by Daniel Pipes.

Daughter Zaynab, 23, was engaged to one terrorist and married, with Osama bin Laden himself present at the nuptials, a Qaeda member in 1999. Zaynab endorses the 9/11 atrocities and hopes her infant daughter will die fighting Americans.

Saudi King Salman Al-Saud to Abdicate in favor of Son Mohamed bin Salman?

Saudi King Salman Al-Saud to Abdicate to Son? (GulfInstitute).

Washington DC – Saudi King Salman Al-Saud plans to abdicate his throne and install his son Mohammed as king, multiple highly-placed sources told the Institute for Gulf Affairs.

Mohamed bin Salman is the current deputy crown prince, second in-line to the throne, and defense minister.

King Salman, 80, has been making the rounds visiting his brothers seeking support for the move that will also remove the current crown prince and American favorite, the hardline Mohammed bin Naif from his positions as the crown prince and the minister of interior.


According to sources familiar with the proceedings, Salman told his brothers that the stability of the Saudi monarchy requires a change of the succession from lateral or diagonal lines to a vertical order under which the king hands power to his most eligible son.

Salman plans to abdicate and install his son as king while he is still alive to guarantee his offspring would not be marginalized and driven out of power like all the sons of former Saudi kings who lost power and influence after the death of their fathers.

The sources did not give a specific time line for the abdication but believed the matter will be concluded within a matter of weeks. Read the full story here.

Yemen - Al Qaeda Stones Woman To Death For Adultery: Witnesses

Source picture.

Al Qaeda In Yemen Stones Woman To Death For Adultery: Witnesses. (NDtv).

Al-Qaeda militants have stoned a woman to death in a southeastern Yemeni city they control after accusing her of adultery and prostitution, several witnesses said today.

The jihadists on Sunday "placed the woman in a hole in the middle of the courtyard of a military building and stoned her to death in the presence of dozens of residents" of Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, one witness said.

A copy of the purported verdict issued by the so-called Hadramawt court of Al-Qaeda’s Ansar al-Sharia in December said the married woman had “confessed in front of the judges to committing adultery.”

The verdict said the woman also admitted “without any coercion that she practiced prostitution, as a pimp ... and that she worked with a group of women in brothels.”

She also confessed to smoking hashish, it added.

The verdict said that the woman was sentenced to be stoned to death for “committing adultery as a married woman ... and eighty lashes for consuming hashish.”

A local journalist at the scene confirmed the rare stoning, saying that the gunmen prevented photography of the execution.

"This was the first time we have seen such a thing," another witness said.

A copy of the purported verdict issued by the so-called Hadramawt court of Al-Qaeda's Ansar al-Sharia in December said the married woman "confessed in front of the judges to committing adultery".

Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most dangerous affiliate of the global network.

It has taken advantage of the state's weakness to expand its control in various areas, including the vast Hadramawt region.

Somali Charged in ISIS Terrorism Ring Worked at Major U.S. Airport as baggage handler.

Somali Charged in ISIS Terrorism Ring Worked at Major U.S. Airport as baggage handler.HT: JudicialWatch.

In the latest disturbing example of the government’s failure to root out foreign Islamic terrorists a young Somali man, who bragged about building rockets that could strike landing planes, worked at a major U.S. airport as a baggage handler.

This month the Somali, 20-year-old Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, was charged with conspiracy to help the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS).

He became the 10th Somali man to be charged with terrorism in Minnesota in a very short period of time.

Now a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent involved in the case reveals that Warsame once worked at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as a baggage handler. 

Local media outlets published a national newswire report on the FBI special agent’s testimony during a recent court hearing. The federal agent’s testimony featured breathtaking information that’s not included in the criminal complaint, including the fact that Warsame worked as a baggage handler at the airport “with access to the airplanes.”

The FBI agent also testified about secret recordings made by a bureau informant in which Warsame says he could build “homemade rockets” that could reach 2,000 feet, enough to strike a descending plane. Hmmmm.....As i said for years the airport staff IS THE WEAKEST LINK! Read the full story here.

Related:

The Inspector General’s statement and testimony both noted that while the TSA is required to conduct manual reviews of aviation worker records, “due to the workload at larger airports, this inspection process may look at as few as one percent of all aviation workers’ applications.”

Pakistan police uncover Al-qaeda and women-led ISIS fundraising network.

Pakistan police uncover women-led ISIS fundraising network. (ST).

Police in Pakistan's port city of Karachi said Monday (Dec 21) they were hunting a network of women from well-off families acting as fundraisers for the Islamic State group, highlighting the outfit's growing appeal among the country's middle-classes.

Raja Umar Khattab, chief of the Counter Terrorism Department of Sindh province said the hunt was launched after police arrested the suspected financier of a gun attack on a bus that left 44 people dead in May.

Four well-educated people, including one who had studied at two American universities and was running his own educational institution, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the Safoora carnage and other terrorist attacks, according to a senior police officer.

Adil Butt had studied in the US and had set up his own College of Accountancy and Management Sciences, which had three branches where around 2,000 students were enrolled.

Mr Khattab said a special team arrested Khalid Bari, an engineer who used to work for the Pakistan International Airlines, on the basis of findings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Safoora carnage case.

Bari’s ties with Al Qaeda member Dr Akmal Waheed were established in 1996, he said. Previously, he was associated with Tanzeem-i-Islami led by late Dr Israr Ahmed but later left it.

Bari had also developed ties with the Karachi chief of Al Qaeda, Umar alias Jalal Chandio, the mastermind of the Safoora attack, Abdullah Yusuf, and Saad Aziz, Mufti Tausif, Saleem Ahmed, Suleman Saad and Adil Butt.

“They all were associated with a network of terrorists and provided financial and other support to the militants,” said the CTD chief.

Khalid Bari was an electronics engineer who studied at the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (now a university). During initial investigations, he made several important disclosures, said Mr Khattab.

For instance, he told the interrogators that his wife had established Al-Zikra Academy where at least 20 educated and rich women were allegedly involved in brainwashing women besides generating funds for terrorist groups.

On the basis of his disclosures, another three suspects — Saleem Ahmed, Mohammed Suleman Saeed and Adil Butt — were arrested, said the CTD chief.

Saleem Ahmed used to collect donations for a militant group in 1992-93. During this period he also gave sermons which were attended among others by Abdullah Yusuf, the mastermind of the Safoora bus attack.

“Abdullah Yusuf and his brother Farhan Yusuf were associated with Al Qaeda,” said Mr Khattab.

Saleem also had close ties with Moid Islam, a member of Al Qaeda who was killed in an encounter with Rangers in Gulistan-i-Johar.

Mohammad Suleman Saeed is brother-in-law of Abdullah Yusuf and used to collect donations outside mosques and was also involved in delivering sermons in mosques and homes. He was also associated with Dar-ul-Fanoon Trust and used to provide funds to it.

“Adil Masood Butt is a highly qualified and rich man who studied at St Patrick’s and St Paul’s schools in Karachi and proceeded to the US where he did BBA from Indiana University in 1987 and MBA from New York Fordham University in 1992,” Mr Khattab said.

Adil Butt along with his partners established the College of Accountancy and Management Sciences (CAMS).

“The arrest of the four suspects revealed that a strong network of women was being led by Mrs Khalid Yusuf Bari who also distributed USBs containing videos about IS,” Mr Khattab said.

The arrests showed clearly that militant and terrorist organisations had established strong networks in educational institutions, he said.

The CTD chief said police were closely monitoring all universities in Sindh, including in Karachi. He urged the people to exercise extreme caution while giving donations which might be used for carrying out terrorist attacks. Hmmm......So much for the 'Poor uneducated terrorist' theory.......And they all had jobs. Read the full story here.

Indonesia: Plot foiled to kill officials, 240 returned ex Syria fighters are monitored.

Indonesia: Plot foiled to kill officials, 240 returned ex Syria fighters are monitored. (CNSNews).

Indonesian police said Monday they have foiled a plot to kill government officials, law enforcement officers and others by suspected Muslim militants arrested over the weekend.

Information from the U.S., Australia and Singapore helped Indonesian police discover that the attacks were planned for the year-end holiday season, national police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said.

"This is the result of sharing intelligence to combat international evil," Haiti said. "There is a possibility of other groups, and we will continue to pursue them."

Anti-terror police arrested nine men over the weekend in five cities on Indonesia's main island of Java.

They have expertise in shooting and bomb-making because of their membership in Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian group blamed for the deadly 2002 nightclub bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, Charlian said.

"This group has collaborated with those who returned from war in Syria," he said. "They want to perform a 'concert' to attract international news coverage of their existence here."

He cited a document seized from the group that described the planned attacks as a "concert."

Charlian said police have identified about 240 people who have returned home out of at least 800 Indonesians who have traveled to the Middle East to join IS. "They are under our close observation. ... If any of them attempt terrorist activities, we can immediately arrest them," Charlian said. Read the full story here. More here.

70 Airport Workers their Secure-Zone Badges in Paris Airports cancelled.

70 Airport Workers in Paris Lose Secure-Zone Badges After Terrorist Attacks.(EX).

Secure-zone clearance has been withdrawn for nearly 70 people working at two Paris airports following the November 13 terror attacks on the French capital, the boss of the airports company said Sunday.

So-called red badges are issued to people employed in the secure zone of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, working for instance as baggage handlers, aircraft cleaners and suppliers.

Augustin de Romanet, chief executive officer of Aeroports de Paris (ADP), said the prefecture -- the representative of the state -- which issues the badges had carried out a screening after the attacks on Paris, in which 130 people were killed and 350 injured.

"Nearly 70 red badges were withdrawn after the attacks, mainly for cases of radicalisation," he said in an interview with French media.

He said around 85,000 people had secure-zone clearance in the two airports, most of them working for airlines or for "several hundred" sub-contractors.

"To be issued with a red badge, you have to be cleared by police, and if you work for a company that carries out security checks of in-flight luggage, you need three police checks," De Romanet said.

He added that deployment of military personnel at the two airports had been boosted by half following the attacks, and passport officers were checking the IDs of all people leaving the country, "including flights in the Schengen zone," the European Union's border-free area.

Air traffic was down five percent compared with a year earlier, de Romanet said.

"I hope we will return to a more normal level of traffic. It has been a heavy blow," he added. Hmmm.....As i always said the airport staff is the weakest link.More here in French.

Update: Two security badges urgently cancelled from Brussels Airport as well.

Attentats de Paris: deux "badges d'accès" retirés d'urgence à l'aéroport de Zaventem https://t.co/BeJQPG1mT4

— RTBF info (@RTBFinfo) December 13, 2015

Turkey arrests 3 ISIL terrorist, one Belgian among them, in connection with Paris attacks.

Turkey arrests 3 ISIL terrorist, one Belgian among them, in connection with Paris attacks. (TZ).

According to the private Doğan news agency, 26-year-old Ahmet Dahmani, a Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin who is suspected of having explored Paris sites attacked by ISIL, was captured in the Manavgat district on Friday where he was staying at a hotel. 

Police raided the five-star hotel and detained Dahmani. Police also detained two other ISIL militants, Ahmet Tahir and Muhammad Verd, who were reportedly set to meet with Dahmani, along the Antalya-Alanya Highway.

The two reportedly entered Turkey with fake passports to meet with Dahmani and secure his return to Syria.

The three men were later arrested by an Antalya court.

Earlier this week, Turkey said it began deporting a group of Moroccans detained at Istanbul's main airport over suspected links to ISIL on Thursday. Hmmm......When will Turkish papers learn the difference between a 'militant' and a recognized 'terrorist' group?

Video - Al-Qaeda leader in Syria thanks "moderate" rebels for supplying Jihadists with US-made TOW missiles

Source:

Al-Qaeda leader in #Syria thanks "moderate" rebels for supplying Jihadists with US-made TOW missiles https://t.co/FLNztUi97W via @YouTube

— Murad Gazdiev (@MuradoRT) November 21, 2015

R moderate separate n #Syria, "a magnet 2terrorism"? #AQ Moheisni: No #FSA r #Ahraralsham r #JN, all r 1 https://t.co/hiisI1VquN v @ornekali

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) November 21, 2015

The TSA Isn’t Keeping Us Safe, Says Inspector General Report.

The TSA Isn’t Keeping Us Safe, Says Inspector General Report.(Popsci).

 Congressman: “Just thinking about the breaches there, it’s horrific”

In a couple weeks, the Transportation Security Administration, best known as the TSA, will finally be old enough to sign up for an account online. Born in the months immediately after the September 11th attacks, the TSA is meant to serve as a shield against future hijackings, it’s blue-gloved agents and security gates are supposed to be barriers through which no threat can pass. But frankly, it is terrible at its job. Yesterday, Inspector General John Roth testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and his verdict on the TSA was brutal.

From his statement to the committee:

Our testing was designed to test checkpoint operations in real world conditions. It was not designed to test specific, discrete segments of checkpoint operations, but rather the system as a whole. The failures included failures in the technology, failures in TSA procedures, and human error. We found layers of security simply missing. It would be misleading to minimize the rigor of our testing, or to imply that our testing was not an accurate reflection of the effectiveness of the totality of aviation security.

The majority of the Inspector General’s recommendations aren’t disclosed because the “recommendation includes Sensitive Security Information,” some changes are obvious.

The Inspector General’s statement and testimony both noted that while the TSA is required to conduct manual reviews of aviation worker records, “due to the workload at larger airports, this inspection process may look at as few as one percent of all aviation workers’ applications.” Hmmmm......As i always stated for years: "the weakest link is the staff working at airports!" Read the full story here.

Related: What have i been saying for years? 'The weakest link is Airport staff'

Al-Nusra Front offers to free Lebanon troops for an ex-wife of Al Baghdadi and four other female prisoners.

Al-Nusra Front offers to free Lebanon troops for an ex-wife of Al - Baghdadi and four other female prisoners. (DunYaNews).

Al Qaeda s Syrian affiliate has offered to release three Lebanese soldiers in exchange for an ex-wife of the leader of the militant Islamic State group and four other female prisoners.

Al-Nusra Front, which along with IS has held 25 Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage for almost a year, issued the offer in a statement aired on Lebanon s MTV television on Saturday night.

“If five of our sisters leave prison... we will hand over three soldiers in exchange,” said Abu Malek al-Shami, Al-Nusra s “emir” in the Syrian region of Qalamun bordering Lebanon.

Among the five hostages he named was Saja al-Dulaimi, who was arrested in Lebanon in December and is a former wife of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as well as a wife of an Al-Nusra leader.

Dulaimi s background is complicated as she reportedly belongs to a tribe that straddles Syria and Iraq and she was said to have been closer to Al-Nusra than her ex-husband s rival militants at the time of her arrest.

Shami s face was not shown in the interview, which MTV conducted as part of an arranged visit by family members to loved ones held by Al-Nusra in what it called “a cave in the Qalamun mountains”.

The channel showed footage of the three-hour reunion between parents, spouses and even children of the hostages, many of them unable to hold back their tears.

The hostages, all with long beards, appeared in healthy condition inside a tent.

Sixteen of the 25 Lebanese soldiers and policemen who were taken hostage near the border with Syria in August 2014 are in the hands of Al Nusra.

The rest are held by Baghdadi s Islamic State group.

Since their capture, Al-Nusra and IS have repeatedly made demands for the soldiers release, seeking the release of Islamist prisoners or the withdrawal of Lebanon s Hezbollah movement from the Syrian conflict.

The powerful Shia militia, which is backed by Iran, is fighting alongside forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that has claimed more than 230,000 lives since it erupted in 2011.

Exclusive #nusra headquarters with kidnapped #Lebanese soldiers and their families pic.twitter.com/MK01GDCVhF

— Carol Malouf (@carolmalouf) July 18, 2015

When .@carolmalouf is under ''rebel'' or Al-Nusra liberated territory vs everywhere else. pic.twitter.com/iFgs9coPt2

— IraqiSuryani (@IraqiSuryani) July 19, 2015

US protests the inclusion of alleged AQAP financier in Yemen's delegation to Geneva.

Wherein Ban Ki-Moon shakes hands w/ an alleged AQAP financier: (1) http://t.co/ac8jkhWY2O (2) http://t.co/9yDay58z0a pic.twitter.com/QIqKrBBLq3

— David A. Weinberg (@DavidAWeinberg) June 19, 2015

US protests the inclusion of alleged AQAP financier in #Yemen's delegation to Geneva.(AP).

Republican Senator Sasse Asks Obama to Release Inspector gen. report on TSA Failures.

Republican Senator Sasse Asks Obama to Release Inspector gen. report on TSA Failures. (SP).

Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released findings of mock tests at numerous airport checkpoints across the United States. TSA agents failed to uncover 67 out of 70 threats that were presented.

“President Obama has an obligation to declassify the inspector general's investigation and to publicly release everything else the administration knows about TSA's failures,” the Republican senator from Nebraska said in an op-ed in USA TODAY.

Sasse, who is a member of the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, added that although the publicly available facts were disturbing, the classified details were even worse.

“If moms knew what members of Congress have learned behind closed doors, they would march on Washington demanding an urgent, top-to-bottom reevaluation of airport security,” he stressed.

Mock tests of the TSA, also known as Red Team testing, have been conducted for 13 years, according to the DHS. After the failed screening tests, TSA Administrator Melvin Carraway has been reassigned to the DHS’s Office of State and Local Law Enforcement.

TSA was created to strengthen the security of the US transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce, according to its website.

What have i been saying for years? 'The weakest link is Airport staff'

Another way to look at this story: The TSA has hired a group of terrorism experts -- https://t.co/oW1qqEMX5D

— Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) June 9, 2015

What have i been saying for years? 'The weakest link is Airport staff' (IBt).

The American Transportation Security Administration was apparently so focused on nabbing would-be terrorists trying to board planes that it failed to identify at least 73 people hired at US airports with suspected links to terrorists or terrorist activity.

The active aviation workers, employed as airport vendors and hired by major airlines, should have been disqualified and flagged under terrorism-related activity codes by the TSA, reveals a new report by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general.

They weren't identified in part because the TSA is not authorised to receive all terrorism-related information under current inter-agency policies, the report said.

Besides missing workers with terrorism links, the TSA lacked "effective controls" to keep prospective employees with criminal histories and illegal status from getting jobs at airports.

Records used to vet the employees was sometimes based on documents and job applications missing information involving things like partial Social Security numbers or initials instead of full names.

The TSA also "relied on airport operators to perform criminal history and work authorisation checks, but had limited oversight over these commercial entities," the report notes. "TSA lacked assurance that it properly vetted all credential applicants.

"Without complete and accurate information, TSA risks [giving credentials to] and providing unescorted access to secure airport areas for workers with potential to harm the nation's air transportation system," the report found.

Despite the slip-up, which could have had catastrophic results, the agency's "multi-layered process to vet aviation workers for potential links to terrorism was generally effective. In addition to initially vetting every application for new credentials, TSA recurrently vetted aviation workers with access to secured areas of commercial airports every time the Consolidated Terrorist Watchlist was updated," the report found.  Hmmmm.....For years i have been warning that airport staff is the 'Weakest link' in the security chain.Read the full story here.