Terrorism

Chinese Muslims Detained at Gitmo Turned Away from High Court

The U.S. Supreme Court today turned away a plea from five Chinese Muslims being held at Guantanamo Bay. The five, who have previously declined an offer to be resettled in Palau, have been held at the U.S. naval base for nearly nine years. Six other Chinese Muslims, or Uighurs, have…

Apr 18, 2011 3:46 PM CDT

Pentagon GC Regrets Seminole / Al-Qaida Analogy in Guantanamo Sentence

The Seminole Tribe of Florida recently received a letter from Pentagon general counsel Jeh Johnson, stating that he regretted his staff likening 1800s history involving the Native American group to al-Qaida in a recent Guantanamo war court filing. The brief in question defended the life sentence of Yemeni Ali Hamza…

Apr 11, 2011 7:48 PM CDT

In Setback for Gitmo Detainees, Supreme Court Turns Down Three Appeals

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear three appeals by detainees at Guantanamo Bay who are challenging their detention. The cert denial is a setback for detainees and a victory for the Obama administration, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The detainees were appealing decisions by the U.S. Court…

Apr 5, 2011 3:18 PM CDT

Alleged 9/11 Mastermind to Be Tried by Military Commission

In an about face, the U.S. Justice Department has announced that accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried by a military tribunal rather than civilian courts. Mohammed will be tried at Guantanamo along with four alleged co-conspirators, according to the New York Times and ABC News. The…

Apr 4, 2011 4:35 PM CDT

Law Firm Pulls 9/11 Ad Portraying ‘I Was There’ Firefighter Who Wasn’t There

An ad touting a law firm’s Sept. 11 compensation expertise has been pulled after protests by a firefighter who was embarrassed by its assertion that he was one of the responders. Robert Keiley, who moonlights as a model, didn’t become a fireman until 2004, but the ad suggests he was…

Mar 30, 2011 1:11 PM CDT

2 Informants Helped FBI Make Case in Alleged Plot to Kill Top Alaska Federal Judge, Court Docs Say

Two confidential informants helped the FBI bring a criminal case against defendants accused of plotting together to kill the top federal judge in Alaska. Both informants were paid for their help in pursuing the criminal case against those who allegedly planned to harm Chief U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline and…

Mar 29, 2011 5:59 PM CDT

Some Federal Courts Ban Smartphones Because They Could Be Bombs

Some federal courthouses ban smartphones because of fears that could be used as weapons by terrorists. A memo issued last week by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts outlines the dangers, Wired’s Threat Level blog reports. “These common devices present security issues because some can be and have been…

Mar 29, 2011 11:27 AM CDT

Bomb Detonated, Man Arrested After Abandoned Tool Bag Sat for Weeks at Detroit Federal Building

When an FBI agent found an abandoned tool bag containing a metal cash box outside the McNamara Federal building in Detroit on Feb. 26, he turned it over to a security guard. It wasn’t X-rayed or scanned until March 18, after which the Detroit Bomb Squad was called in to…

Mar 24, 2011 10:27 PM CDT

No Quick Miranda Warning Needed for Domestic Terror Suspects Under New FBI Rules

Domestic terrorism suspects may be questioned without an immediate Miranda warning under FBI rules adopted in December. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) obtained a copy of the FBI memorandum outlining the policy. It allows the delayed warning in “exceptional cases” when interrogation is needed “to collect valuable and timely…

Mar 24, 2011 11:31 AM CDT

US Alleges Plot to Kidnap, Murder, Burn Homes re Top Alaska Federal Judge, His Wife, Multiple Others

Developing: New charges in a case against five defendants accused of crimes related to an alleged conspiracy to kill the top federal judge in Alaska and his wife describe an expanded claimed plan to kidnap, kill and burn the homes of multiple judges, state troopers and an Internal Revenue Service…

Mar 18, 2011 5:58 PM CDT

Feds Arrest 5 in Alleged Conspiracy to Kill Alaska’s Chief US District Court Judge and Family Member

Authorities have arrested an Alaska couple and claimed members of a group called the Sovereign Citizens Movement over an alleged plot to kill a federal judge and his family. Lonnie Vernon of Salcha is the only suspect facing federal charges. He is accused of threatening to kill Chief U.S. District…

Mar 11, 2011 10:20 PM CST

President Obama Lifts Ban on Gitmo Trials, Says New Safeguards Are In Place

President Barack Obama still intends to close the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. But in the meantime, he has eliminated a ban he imposed nearly two years ago on conducting military trials of detainees held at the facility. His executive order today apparently anticipates that military tribunals…

Mar 7, 2011 9:59 PM CST

Kagan’s Majority Opinion Boosts Puget Sound Resident’s Quest for Explosives Maps

A Washington State resident’s quest for maps of explosives locations at a Puget Sound naval base got a boost from the U.S. Supreme Court today. The requested maps and other explosives information can’t be withheld under an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act for documents about personnel rules and…

Mar 7, 2011 5:02 PM CST

Justices Give Solicitor General Some Leeway in Detained Citizen’s Suit Against John Ashcroft

Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal’s defense of former Attorney General John Ashcroft went so smoothly before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that he ended his main oral argument 10 minutes early. The New York Times sees the lack of interruptions as an indication that Katyal will succeed in his…

Mar 3, 2011 1:44 PM CST

‘Lone Wolf’ Saudi, Studying in Texas, Is Charged in Alleged Explosives Plot

When a Saudi man studying chemical engineering in Texas allegedly ordered certain items that can be used to make explosives, workers at two different suppliers became suspicious. Both notified authorities on Feb. 1. Today the U.S. Department of Justice announced a criminal case against the college student, Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari,…

Feb 25, 2011 2:12 AM CST