Iraqi Voters
IRAQ NEWS
Iraq Voters Defy Threats, Boycott Calls
Iraqis embraced democracy in large numbers Sunday, standing in long lines to vote in defiance of mortar attacks, suicide bombers and boycott calls. Pushed in wheelchairs or carts if they couldn't walk, the elderly, the young and women in veils cast ballots in Iraq's first free election in a half-century. (AP)
Unmasking the Insurgents
Shadow war: The elections won't stop the bombers, but quality intel — and luck — might help. (Newsweek)
Attacks Kill 35; Turnout Heavy Among Shiites and Kurds
At the day's end, election officials in Baghdad estimated that the nationwide turnout could exceed 60 percent. (NY Times)
Iraq Election Declared 'Success'
Iraq's first open election in decades is hailed by Iraqi officials and other leaders, despite a spate of attacks. (BBC)
Zarqawi Group Claims 13 Election Attacks
Militants loyal to Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed to have carried out more than a dozen suicide attacks against polling stations during Sunday's election, in a statement posted on the internet. (AFP)
Militant Group 'Shot Down RAF Plane'
Iraqi militant organisation claims it shot down an RAF Hercules transport plane, killing 15 Britons. (The Guardian)
2 Inquiries on Iraq Aid Are at Odds
Separate corruption inquiries into the Iraq oil-for-food aid program have clashed, leading to difficult negotiations over information-sharing and access to a crucial witness, according to officials on each side of the confidential talks between Justice Department officials and a United Nations-appointed commission. (NY Times)
Kurds Seek Presidency In Power Deal
Iraq could soon have its first Kurdish president, following behind the scenes talks. (The Guardian)
Kurdish TV Airs Militant Groups' Confessions
The Kudistan Democratic Party television aired confessions of 12 alleged members of the militant groups Ansar al Islam and Ansar al Sunna. The television station claimed that the alleged militants carried out many of the attacks in north of Iraq. (Asharq Al Awsat)
INVESTIGATIONS
Germany
Bin Laden Sent Iraqi Arrested in Germany — Report
An Iraqi arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting an al Qaeda suicide attack in Iraq said he was sent on his mission by Osama bin Laden himself, a German magazine reported Saturday. (Reuters)
Kuwait
Five Terrorists Kills in Kuwait Police Offensive
Several people were killed when Kuwaiti police stormed a house of suspected terrorists today, the second straight day of clashes with Islamic militants. (PA)
Switzerland
Swiss Agree To Extradite Terror Suspect To Spain
Switzerland has agreed to extradite to Spain the suspected leader of a radical cell that planned a bomb attack in central Madrid, the Justice Ministry said on Friday. (Reuters)
Guantanamo
Account: Sexual Tactics Employed At Guantanamo
Female interrogators tried to break Muslim detainees at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay by sexual touching, wearing a miniskirt and thong underwear and in one case smearing a Saudi man's face with fake menstrual blood, according to an insider's written account. (AP)
My Nightmare of Torture And Assault, By Briton Held In Guantanamo
One of the four Britons freed from Guantanamo Bay last week has alleged being tortured, nearly suffocated and repeatedly assaulted in American detention, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. (The Independent)
Briton's Meeting With Bin Laden
One of the Guantanamo Bay detainees freed in London came face to face with Osama Bin Laden at a terrorist training camp, according to court documents revealed today. (This is London)
Europe
Homeland Insecurity
How European officials are trying to thwart domestic threats and stop the flow of radical recruits to Iraq. (Time Magazine)
Sweden
Diplomat Expelled From Sweden For Spying
The Swedish foreign ministry on Friday said it had asked a foreign diplomat to leave the country amid media speculation that the envoy was a Libyan diplomat expelled for spying. (AFP)
U.S.
National Intelligence Director Proves to Be Difficult Post to Fill
Uncertainties Over Role, Authority Are Blamed for Delays. (Washington Post)
Sudan
Air Force Didn't Bomb Villagers, Official Says
The governor of Sudan's North Darfur state said reports that a government plane had bombed villagers last week were fabricated by foreigners, the nation's news agency reported. (LA Times)
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
U.S.
Yemeni Sheikh's Terror Funding Trial Begins
A Yemeni sheikh and his aide planned to provide millions of dollars to al Qaeda and Hamas in an FBI sting operation set up in Frankfurt, the federal US prosecutor said in opening statements at their trial today. (The Age)
Egypt
Egyptian Charged With Spying For Iran
Egypt's security court on Saturday put on trial an Egyptian charged with spying for Iran and preparing the assassination of an unnamed Egyptian personality in return for $50,000. (Iranmania)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
First Step
Iraq is now busy counting ballots. Election day was nowhere near as bloody as Al-Zarqawi had said it would be. No doubt there were many who stayed at home out of fear but fortunately, there were many more who wanted their voices heard and so they voted. (Arab News)
Message From Iraq
The multiple political failures that marked the run-up to the voting were eclipsed by a remarkably successful election day in Iraq. (NY Times)
Bullets and Ballots
The most obvious message to draw from yesterday's elections in Iraq is that it will be a long time before it becomes clear who the real winners are. (The Guardian)
Braving The Odds In Iraq To Make History — A Process That Must Be Taken Further
Iraqis braved a wave of savage terrorism on Sunday to cast ballots in their country's historic democratic elections, and dozens of them paid with their life for the opportunity to vote. (The Daily Star)
Voices From Iraq: 'Democracy Requires Sacrifice'
Following are reports on Sunday's election in Iraq from Washington Post reporters and special correspondents across the country. (Washington Post)
'Momentum of Democracy'
Borders were sealed, checkpoints set up and the international airport closed. A nighttime curfew was imposed and American fighter jets and helicopters buzzed over the skies of Iraq as the country prepared to vote in its first free elections in nearly half a century. (Philstar)
Arab Media Focus on Voting, Not Violence
Sometime after the first insurgent attack in Iraq on Sunday morning, news directors at Arab satellite channels and newspaper editors found themselves facing an altogether new decision. Should they report on the violence, or continue to cover the elections themselves? (NY Times)
Courage Under Fire
It takes courage to vote with the sound of mortars and gunfire still ringing and memories of terrorist beheadings still fresh. (LA Times)
Beyond The Bullets, A New Constitution Is The Crucial Issue For This Democracy
The issue for all moderates is whether religious or secular values will be enshrined. (The Guardian)
Saudi Arabia's Democratic Baby Step
The terrorist attacks on the US in September 2001 brought a sea change in the thinking, if not yet the practice, of at least part of the Saudi regime. The fact that most of the perpetrators of the attacks were identified as Saudis highlighted the country's backward realities and provoked mounting international pressure for change. (Daily Times)
Misdefining Terrorism
If you live outside the DC metropolitan area, you likely heard little about a man who parked his van in front of the White House on Jan. 18, threatening to blow it up if his political demands were not met. (Jordan Times)
Tariq Ramadan
Some call him a Muslim Martin Luther. Last April, Time magazine included him among its list of the world's 100 most influential people of the 21st century. Others say he's an anti-Semitic Islamist radical, a fundamentalist, a supporter of terrorist acts against innocent civilians. Banned from the US on grounds he has endorsed terrorism, grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al Banna speaks out on reform, moderation and faith. (Egypt Today)
The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Brinda Adhikari of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.