State Dept to Stop Terror Report

ByABC News
April 18, 2005, 2:12 PM

April 18, 2005 --

Elimination of Terror Report Coincides With Substantial Increase

The State Department stopped publishing a terrorism report after the terrorism center concluded there were more attacks in 2004 than in any year since the report began in 1985, Knight Ridder Newspapers report. Former U.S. counterterrorism official Larry Johnson writes: "It is tough to argue we are winning the war on terrorism when the numbers in the official Government report will show the largest number of incidents ever recorded since the State Department started reporting on terrorist incidents."

Reports: Airport Security Hasn't Improved
Security at U.S. airports is no better under federal control than it was before the Sept. 11 attacks, a key House member says two government reports will conclude. The Government Accountability Office the investigative arm of Congress and the Homeland Security Department's inspector general are expected to soon release their findings on the performance of Transportation Security Administration screeners. (AP)

Police Identify 4 Plotters in Cairo Bombing

Egypt's Interior Ministry yesterday identified four men it accused of training a bomber who killed himself and three tourists here on April 7. A ministry statement said the teenage bomber, Hassan Rafaat Ahmed Bashandi, "was affiliated with an extremist group that included four members" who trained and recruited him. (AP)

Oil-For-Food: How Much Did Boutros-Ghali Hear?
Federal prosecutors investigating the Oil-for-Food scandal are focusing on a growing number of current and former U.N. officials, court documents show. Among those under scrutiny: ex-U.N. secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali and his aides. (Newsweek)

Ricin Terror Gang 'Planned to Unleash Terror On the Heathrow Express'
A poison attack planned by al-Qaeda-trained operatives was aimed at the busy Heathrow Express rail link and would have been "our September 11", the Metropolitan Police has revealed. (The Sunday Telegraph)

Steps at Reactor in North Korea Worry the U.S.

The suspected shutdown of a reactor at a nuclear weapons complex raised concerns that North Korea could be preparing to harvest a new load of nuclear fuel. (NY Times)

Madrid Bomb Suspect Sent to Italy

Spain is returning to Italy a suspect believed to have played a key role in last year's Madrid train bombings. (BBC)

Military Report on Guantanamo Highlights Danger of Al Qaeda

As Camp Delta's legality is challenged, a chilling portrait of its Guantanamo detainees is offered. (LA Times)

Saudis May Be Released Soon
A number of Saudi suspects being held by the U.S. in Guantanamo Bay may be released soon, al Hayat reports. Sources told the paper the Saudis' changed into the white suits and were transferred from the solitary confinement, indicating they are likely to be released soon. (Al Hayat)

Taliban Leader Denies Reports of Talks With Govt

A leader of Afghanistan's ousted Taleban movement has rejected as baseless reports that he held reconciliation talks with President Hamid Karzai's government. Maulavi Abdul Kabir, thought now to be No. 2 in the Taleban hierarchy after its fugitive leader Mulla Mohamad Omar, also dismissed reports of rifts among remnants of the hard-line Islamic movement overthrown by U.S.-led forces in late 2001. (Reuters)

UK Cops Seek High-Tech Anti-Terror Measures
Britain's top policeman has called for high-tech eye recognition technology to be pressed into use to track Al Qaeda affiliates he claimed were targeting the country. (Sydney Morning Herald)

"Al Zawahri's Man" Loses Asylum

A man who is believed to be Ayman al Zawahri's man in Europe will lose his asylum status in Germany, a court has ruled saying he represented a threat to national security. Sayed Agami Mahlel is likely facing extradition to Egypt, his country of origin. Mahlel and a number of Islamists interviewed by Asharq al Awsat in London says he will be tortured if sent to Egypt. (Asharq Al Awsat)

'No Hostages Found' in Iraqi Town
Iraqi forces say they can find no hostages in the town where Sunnis had reportedly taken scores of Shia captive. (BBC)

Iraq Militias 'Could Beat Rebels'
Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias. (BBC)

Iraqi Security Forces Search Farming Town
Iraqi security forces searched this small farming town on Monday after reports that Sunni militants had kidnapped as many as 100 Shiite residents and were threatening to kill them unless the entire Shiite population left town a display of sectarian violence brazen even by Iraqi standards. (AP)

Iraq Kidnap Reports May Be Exaggerated
Security forces seal Iraq town after hostage-taking report; residents see no sign of kidnappings. (AP)

Iraqis Take Up Gauntlet
Iraq's top two leaders called for jump-starting the nation's court system and revamping security forces to end the bloody insurgency and open the way for U.S. troops to come home. (Washington Times)

Iraqi Alliance Seeks to Oust Top Officials of Hussein Era
The U.S. fears the move by Shiite leaders could oust thousands of the most capable Iraqis from military and intelligence forces it has spent more than $5 billion rebuilding. (Washington Post)

Iraq Car Bomb Kills American Activist
Iraq, where she had been on and off since the March 2003 invasion began, conducting door-to-door surveys to determine the number of civilian casualties, friends and family said. (AP)

Britain Estimates on Pullout
Britain's foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said Sunday that he expected British troops to leave Iraq within the next two years. (LA Times)

Terrorism Tempers Shift to Openness
Governments respond with draconian security even as they consider more political openness. (Washington Post)

America Can Achieve Its Goal By Focusing On Five Pillars of Middle East Stability
The American administration has set for itself an enormous challenge: according to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the top priority of the Bush administration is stabilizing the Middle East. Undoubtedly, this challenge will require a firm commitment on the part of the U.S. administration. We want to see them succeed in this endeavor and therefore, we suggest that they focus on the following five pillars of Middle East stability. (The Daily Star)

With Poison In Their Souls
The demonisation of the ricin suspects by politicians and the media smacks of Salem. (The Observer)

In Iraq, Security in Name Only
The new police force is largely untrained, frequently unreliable, and all too ready to abuse civilians. How can U.S. troops hand over control? (Business Week)

Lack of Enthusiasm For Jihad
Since the Jihad against Communism in Afghanistan and since the 9/11 terrorist acts, I have developed immunity against the appearance of my name in newspapers in the context of criticisms and accusations. (Al Hayat)

Rewarding Intelligence
Government agencies need to put a premium on fresh thinking, not rule-following. (CS Monitor)

The Costs of Secrecy
"The presumption ought to be that citizens ought to know as much as possible about decision making," President Bush told the convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors last week when asked about his administration's tight controls on information. "I know there is a feeling that we are too security-conscious. I think we are becoming balanced." (Washington Post)