Report: Iran's President Survived Assassination Attempt

December 20, 2005 --

Sources Confirm President Escaped Assassination Attempt
Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad survived an assassination attempt last week, informed sources in Tehran told al Hayat. Two people accompanying him were killed in the clashes with a group of armed men, including a member of the Iranian revolutionary guard. Sources said there were ten attackers and some of them were killed or injured. (Al Hayat)

Iran Denies Media Reports of Attack On President
Iran denied on Monday media reports that a firefight last week in the country's lawless southeastern borderlands was an assassination attempt on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (The Daily Times)

Iran: Assassination, Confusion or Disinformation?
Iran denied Dec. 19 that an ambush against the presidential motorcade Dec. 14 in the southeastern province of Sistan and Balochistan was an assassination attempt on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The contradictory reports on the incident raise more questions than answers, and are likely part of a disinformation campaign launched by Tehran to downplay any potential threats against the Iranian president. (Stratfor)

FBI Papers Show Terror Inquiries into PETA; Other Groups Tracked
Counterterrorism investigators are monitoring domestic U.S. advocacy groups engaged in antiwar, environmental, civil rights and other causes, the ACLU charged Monday as it released new FBI records. (Washington Post)

Explosives Heist One of the Biggest in Recent History
According to federal officials, the theft of 400 pounds of high-powered plastic explosives in New Mexico is one of the largest high explosives heists in recent history. (ABC News)

U.S. Plans Downsizing in Iraq, Afghanistan
The Defense Department plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by about 2,500 over the next few months, a 13 percent drop that will reflect an increasing NATO presence there, officials said yesterday. (Washington Post)

Man Arrested Over 21 July Attacks
A London man is arrested at Gatwick Airport while getting off a flight, over the 21 July failed attacks in London. (BBC)

Watchdog Demands Release of Journalist
Reporters Without Borders say photojournalist Jennifer Latheef is being held in 'appalling' conditions in a Maldives prison. (AP)

Serbs Tried Over Srebrenica Video
Five former members of a Serbian police unit called the Scorpions have gone on trial in Belgrade for their alleged part in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. (BBC)

Lawmakers Don't Rule Out Patriot Act Deal
Scolded by President Bush for failing to renew the Patriot Act, lawmakers explored possibilities Monday for a compromise to temporarily extend portions of the anti-terrorism law due to expire Dec. 31. (AP)

Anti-Terror Squad Created Prosecution Plan
Prosecutors across the country now have a large arsenal of laws to pursue people suspected of ties to terrorism, but that wasn't the case when Ramzi Yousef decided to try to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993. (AP)