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al-qaeda

FBI uses Facebook to nab NY terrorist suspect

The FBI nabbed a suspected terrorist in part by using Facebook, interacting with him on the site as he allegedly plotted to set off a bomb in New York.

According to a court document found by Mashable, an FBI source used Facebook to communicate with Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, a 21-year-old Bangladeshi citizen in the U.S. on a student visa. Those interactions helped lead to his arrest Wednesday as Nafis tried to detonate a fake car bomb near the New York Federal Reserve. Nafis is believed to have connections with Al-Qaeda.

After making initial contact with Nafis, the … Read more

France criminalizes citizens who visit terrorist and hate Web sites

A 32-hour standoff between a French SWAT team and 23-year-old Mohamed Merah -- who was wanted for killing three French paratroopers, three Jewish schoolchildren, and a rabbi -- ended today with a dramatic firefight and the death of Merah who claimed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda, according to the Associated Press.

Shortly after the confrontation, Reuters reports, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he was making it illegal for citizens to visit Web sites that encourage terrorism or hate crimes.

"From now on, any person who habitually consults Web sites that advocate terrorism or that call for hatred and violence … Read more

Hackers shut down Al Qaeda Net communications

Hackers have temporarily shut down Al Qaeda's online distribution of videos and statements, NBC News reported today.

"Al-Qaeda's online communications have been temporarily crippled, and it does not have a single trusted distribution channel available on the Internet," Evan Kohlmann, of Flashpoint Global Partners, told NBC. Flashpoint monitors the extremist organization's communications.

The attack happened within the past few days and was "well coordinated and involved the use of an unusual cocktail of relatively sophisticated techniques," he said, adding that it could be several days before the network is up and running again. … Read more

WikiLeaks docs: Nuclear reprisals if bin Laden killed

Recently-released WikiLeaks documents show that detained al Qaeda members have predicted nuclear reprisals if Osama bin Laden were captured or killed.

The classified Defense Department files, obtained from detainee interviews at the Guantanamo Bay prison, were released by the document-sharing Web site a week before the raid in Pakistan that resulted in bin Laden's demise. (See list of related CNET stories.)

Abu al-Libi, al Qaeda's third in command and "operational chief" before he was captured in 2005, reportedly said the nuclear device was "located in Europe" and would be used in retaliation over bin … Read more

Web host to return Blogetery's blogs

Blogetery.com's bloggers will get their information back.

That's the word from Joe Marr, chief technology officer of Burst.net, a Scranton, Pa.-based Web hosting service. Burst.net abruptly pulled Blogetery.com offline on July after FBI agents alleged the blogging platform was used by al-Qaeda operatives to distribute recruiting materials and to offer bomb-making tips.

Marr said in a phone interview Friday that his company intends to transfer a "zipped up" copy of Blogetery's records to another server that the service's owner has with Burst.net. Marr said the al-Qaeda materials and … Read more

The 70,000 Blogetery users could get blogs back

The U.S. war on terror may have inadvertently stripped as many as 70,000 people of their blogs, but those bloggers may get their work returned to them.

Blogetery.com, a small blogging platform based in Toronto, was abruptly shut down on July 9 by Burst.net, its Web host, after FBI agents alleged Blogetery was home to links that led to bomb-making tips and the names of Americans targeted for assassination by al-Qaeda. Joe Marr, Burst.net's chief technology officer, said Wednesday that the company is considering its options and there's a chance executives there could … Read more

Web host criticized for closing blog service

Did a Web hosting company go too far when it terminated service to Blogetery, a free blogging platform that authorities allege was being used by al-Qaeda to recruit and pass information, including names of Americans targeted for assassination?

That's the opinion of some Internet watchdog groups and the service's proprietor. On Tuesday, The New York Times interviewed Alexander Yusupov, who told the paper he is Blogetery's owner and sole employee.

Over the weekend, news outlets had begun reporting that the blogging platform had closed. Blogetery had claimed to service more than 70,000 blogs, although that number … Read more

Bomb-making tips, hit list behind Blogetery closure

More details are surfacing about why Blogetery.com, a blogging platform that claimed to service more than 70,000 blogs, was mysteriously booted from the Internet by its Web-hosting company.

The site was shut down after FBI agents informed executives of Burst.net, Blogetery's Web host, late on July 9 that links to al-Qaeda materials were found on Blogetery's servers, Joe Marr, chief technology officer for Burst.net, told CNET. Sources close to the investigation say that included in those materials were the names of American citizens targeted for assassination by al-Qaeda. Messages from Osama bin Laden and … Read more

Senator targets YouTube, but law not on his side

Sen. Joe Lieberman wants YouTube and its rivals to delete any videos produced by al-Qaida, other Islamic terrorist groups, and any suspected sympathizers. But because there's no U.S. law requiring deletion--at least not yet--there's not much the onetime veep candidate can do except complain.

On Monday, the chairman of the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee suggested in a letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt that the company wasn't doing enough to remove videos that are violent or could be used by terrorist groups to enlist followers. "By taking action to … Read more