India News: Threat from Pakistan.

Infiltration bid foiled, Pak guide arrested

Press Trust Of India
Updated Jan 01, 2011 at 01:09pm IST

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Jammu: India Army foiled an infiltration bid by a group of terrorists along the Line of Control in Poonch district and arrested a Pakistani guide, officials said on Saturday.

During patrolling of the LoC in Kangra gali area in Balakote sector of the district, troops observed movement of terrorists around 2130 hours on Friday night.

Troops guarding the borderline challenged them and later fired at them, they said, adding there was also firing from across the border which continued for over an hour.

Later, troops caught hold of a Pakistan guide identified as 50-year-old Mohmmad Sagir of Keralay Majan village of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The terrorists fled towards PoK. A major search operation has been launched in the area on Saturday morning and the Pakistani guide was being questioned.

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Israel News:

Former Israeli president convicted of rape

Associated Press
Updated Dec 30, 2010 at 04:46pm IST

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Jerusalem: Former Israel President Moshe Katsav was convicted on Thursday of raping an employee when he was a Cabinet minister, the most serious criminal charges ever brought against a high-ranking official and a case that stunned the nation.

Katsav, 65, faces a minimum of four years in prison on two counts of raping one of his employees in 1998 when he was Israel's tourism minister. The Tel Aviv District Court also convicted him on lesser counts of indecent acts and sexual harassment involving two other women who worked for him after he became president in 2000.

Katsav has denied the charges. He claimed to be a victim of a political witchhunt, suggesting he was targeted because he comes from Israel's Sephardic community. Sephardic Jews, of Middle Eastern origin, were for decades an underclass in Israeli society. Katsav was born in Iran and immigrated to Israel as a child.

The verdict caps a four-and-a-half year saga that shocked Israelis, both with its lurid details and bizarre twists and turns.

Katsav resigned in 2007, two weeks before his seven-year term expired, under a plea bargain that would have required him to admit to lesser charges of sexual misconduct.

He was replaced by elder statesman and Nobel peace laureate Shimon Peres. Although the post in Israel is largely ceremonial, the president is head of state, representing the country at ceremonies around the world.

But in a dramatic reversal in April 2009, Katsav rejected the deal and said he wanted to clear his name in court. Around that time, he held a news conference in which he lashed out at prosecutors and denied any wrongdoing. His behavior, in which he shook in anger and screamed at reporters in the room, was widely criticized.

Katsav served as a minister in several right-wing Likud governments before being elected president in 2000.

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Global Terror:Denmark

Mumbai-style terror attack foiled in Denmark

CNN
Posted on Dec 30, 2010 at 10:42am IST

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Copenhagen: The Danish police believe the five suspects were planning a massacre at the Copenhagen offices of Jyllands-Posten - the Danish newspaper that had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad back in 2005.

Four men were arrested in Denmark, the fifth was arrested in Sweden in connection with the same plot.

The police believe the attack was being planned within the next few days. They found a machine gun with a silencer and ammunition on them.

Jakob Scharf, the director general of the Danish intelligence agency said that links to David Headley cannot be ruled out.

"We can't rule out the link with Headley. It is our assessment that the plans were to try to get access to the location where the Danish newspaper, which is partially situated in Copenhagen and try to carry out a Mumbai style attack on that location said Scharf.

Danish intelligence said the four men arrested in Denmark, in the Herlev and Greve suburbs of Copenhagen, were a 44-year-old Tunisian, a 29-year-old Swede born in Lebanon, a 30-year-old Swede and a 26-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker.

They were planning an attack "within the next few days", the agency said in a statement.

In an email to Danish news agency Ritzau, Danish Justice Minister Lars Barfoed said the arrests prevented what could have been the most serious attack to ever occur in Denmark.

Police said that the suspects had planned to enter a the office block. Three of those detained are Swedish citizens. Four were arrested in Denmark and one in Sweden.

Police in Denmark thwarted a terrorist attack on a building in Copenhagen which houses the newsroom of daily Jyllands-Posten that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Jyllands-Posten was the newspaper that first published the cartoons, provoking protests against Danish and European interests in the Middle East, Africa and Asia in which at least 50 people died.

The Nordic region, and especially Denmark, attracted the ire of militant Islamists across the world after the 2005 cartoons. Sketches of the Prophet by Swedish artist Lars Vilks in 2007 sparked similar outrage, but did not prompt immediate violence.

Vilks has faced numerous death threats as well as an attempted arson attack on his home.

Police uncovered a plot last year to attack Jyllands-Posten, and in January the creator of the most controversial cartoon escaped an axe attack by a man with al Qaeda links. Last September, a man who was later found to have a map with the address of Jyllands-Posten's headquarters in the city of Aarhus set off a small explosion in a Copenhagen hotel.

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India News: Threat within --- the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) terrorists

Two HuJI terrorists arrested in Bhopal

CNN-IBN
Updated Jan 01, 2011 at 05:14pm IST

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Bhopal: Two alleged Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) terrorists have been arrested in Bhopal. The duo was arrested by a team of Bhopal police on Friday night in the city's Talaiya locality.

The two terrorists have been identified as Shoukat Ahmed Hakim and Mehrajuddin. Police claim that both the terrorist are wanted in Kashmir.

""Yesterday night MP Police arrested two suspected people. One is Shaukat Ahmed Hakim. He is a resident of Bandipora in Jammu and Kashmir and second is Mehrajuddin, resident of Bandipora in Jammu in Kashmir. Both of them are involved in terror activities and wanted in Bandipora. We are in touch with J&K Police. A team from J&K is coming to Bhopal," said Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police SK Rout.

Both the arrested terrorists are residents of Bandipora.

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda Friday claimed that in 2010 the state had witnessed least terror-related incidents in the last 20 years, bringing down the number of civilian causalities.

"The militancy parameters -- like number of incidents, civilians killed due to militancy, security force/police personnel who laid down their lives and militants killed overall -- is lowest this year since the inception of militancy in 1990," the DGP said in his new year message to the the state police personnel.

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Afghanistan News: Top Taliban leader killed

Top Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan

IANS
Posted on Jan 01, 2011 at 04:10pm IST

Washington: A top-ranking Taliban leader, who was trained in Pakistan and involved in making improvised explosive devices, suicide vests and anti-aircraft weapons, has been killed by the NATO troops in Afghanistan's restive Kinduz province.

Afghan police and the provincial governor said the coalition forces killed Mullah Bahador, the Taliban's 'shadow governor' in the province, in an overnight raid on Thursday, the 'New York Times' reported.

Abdul Rahman Saidkhaili, the provincial police chief, said the target of the raid was a house in the Chardara district.

In a statement, coalition forces confirmed that they had killed an insurgent leader who "makes improvised explosive devices and suicide vests, leads a group of Taliban fighters and employs anti-aircraft weapons against Afghan and coalition forces."

Several insurgents were also arrested in the operation, the statement said.

Kunduz province, which borders the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, has become increasingly violent in the past two years, as Taliban fighters have relocated their bases after coalition operations against them in southern Afghanistan.

Kunduz city is now nearly cut off by violence, with all roads leading out controlled by the Taliban and other armed groups.

The governor of Kunduz was killed in October in a bomb blast as he prayed in a mosque, and four Taliban suicide bombers killed five policemen two weeks ago.

Mullah Bahador was responsible for coordinating attacks against coalition forces in the Kunduz area, said Abdul Wahid Omar Khail, the governor of the Chardara district.

"He has been doing terrorist activities for the past three years; he was trained in one of the madrasas in Pakistan," he was quoted as saying.

Mullah Bahador was the fourth Taliban governor in Kunduz, officials said; three previous ones were killed or fled to Pakistan.

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India News: Threat within---the ULFA

ULFA Chief Rajkhowa released from jail

Sumon K Chakrabarti , CNN-IBN
Updated Jan 01, 2011 at 05:03pm IST

Guwahati: United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa walked free from jail, his release will pave the way for talks between the Government and top ULFA cadres.

Rajkhowa, immediately after walking out of jail, has given a clear indication of entering politics while addressing a rally at Sipajhar.

"There is no question of banning ULFA. We hope there will be some positive response," said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Rajkhowa was on Thursday granted bail by a TADA court in Guwahati to facilitate peace talks in Assam.

But before the peace talks the ULFA chief wants his fellow cadres to be released first.

"Anup Chetiya, who is in a Dhaka jail, is yet to be released. I will appeal for the release of Chitrabhan Hazarika and Sasha Choudury, who are in a Guwahati jail. We will form a central committee and then carry the peace process forward," said Rajkhowa.

The TADA court released Arabinda Rajkhowa after the Assam government did not oppose his bail application.

ULFA's general secretary Chitraban Hazarika and foreign secretary Sasha Chaudhury are also expected to get bail soon. Rajkhowa has been granted bail just ahead of proposed peace talks with ULFA.

Former Intelligence Bureau chief PC Haldar and peace interlocutor PC Haldar told CNN-IBN that peace talks are likely to begin soon.

"Talks should begin in two-three weeks time. All hurdles have been eliminated and it's time for dialogue," said Haldar.

The former IB chief met Rajkhowa for nearly an hour December 17 at the Guwahati Central Jail and worked out the modalities for the talks

Rajkhowa along with ULFA deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah was captured in Bangladesh and handed over to India earlier this year. He is the sixth top ULFA leaders to be released on bail.

ULFA's vice-chairman Pradeep Gogoi, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, Raju Baruah, political adviser Bhimakanta Burahgohain, cultural secretary Pranati Deka and Ramu Mech has already been released on bail.

However, ULFA's commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah remains absconding and is opposed to any peace talks. Intelligence reports claims that Baruah has left Bangaldesh.

In 1991, a four-member ULFA delegation led by its general secretary Anup Chetia and Arabinda Rajkhowa had met then prime minister late PV Narashima Rao and held informal talks.

During the talks, Rajkhowa promised to bring top leaders of the outfit, including Paresh Baruah, for negotiation with the government and got a safe passage. But they never returned for talks.

The arrested ULFA leader now wants to come to the political mainstream. Even the Congress in Assam is open for a role reversal for ULFA leadership.

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ULFA Chief Rajkhowa released from jail

Sumon K Chakrabarti , CNN-IBN
Updated Jan 01, 2011 at 05:03pm IST

Guwahati: United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa walked free from jail, his release will pave the way for talks between the Government and top ULFA cadres.

Rajkhowa, immediately after walking out of jail, has given a clear indication of entering politics while addressing a rally at Sipajhar.

"There is no question of banning ULFA. We hope there will be some positive response," said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Rajkhowa was on Thursday granted bail by a TADA court in Guwahati to facilitate peace talks in Assam.

But before the peace talks the ULFA chief wants his fellow cadres to be released first.

"Anup Chetiya, who is in a Dhaka jail, is yet to be released. I will appeal for the release of Chitrabhan Hazarika and Sasha Choudury, who are in a Guwahati jail. We will form a central committee and then carry the peace process forward," said Rajkhowa.

The TADA court released Arabinda Rajkhowa after the Assam government did not oppose his bail application.

ULFA's general secretary Chitraban Hazarika and foreign secretary Sasha Chaudhury are also expected to get bail soon. Rajkhowa has been granted bail just ahead of proposed peace talks with ULFA.

Former Intelligence Bureau chief PC Haldar and peace interlocutor PC Haldar told CNN-IBN that peace talks are likely to begin soon.

"Talks should begin in two-three weeks time. All hurdles have been eliminated and it's time for dialogue," said Haldar.

The former IB chief met Rajkhowa for nearly an hour December 17 at the Guwahati Central Jail and worked out the modalities for the talks

Rajkhowa along with ULFA deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah was captured in Bangladesh and handed over to India earlier this year. He is the sixth top ULFA leaders to be released on bail.

ULFA's vice-chairman Pradeep Gogoi, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, Raju Baruah, political adviser Bhimakanta Burahgohain, cultural secretary Pranati Deka and Ramu Mech has already been released on bail.

However, ULFA's commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah remains absconding and is opposed to any peace talks. Intelligence reports claims that Baruah has left Bangaldesh.

In 1991, a four-member ULFA delegation led by its general secretary Anup Chetia and Arabinda Rajkhowa had met then prime minister late PV Narashima Rao and held informal talks.

During the talks, Rajkhowa promised to bring top leaders of the outfit, including Paresh Baruah, for negotiation with the government and got a safe passage. But they never returned for talks.

The arrested ULFA leader now wants to come to the political mainstream. Even the Congress in Assam is open for a role reversal for ULFA leadership.

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