WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, on the 5th floor of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, in the shadow the nation’s Capitol, John G. Perren, special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Branch, talked to ticklethewire.com editor Allan Lengel about lessons learned since Sept. 11, about the challenges the Internet has posed for terrorism investigations and…
By Zack Cohen ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — It’s being satirically dubbed the“war on toner,” a phrase that reflects experts’ skepticism about the U.S. response to al Qaeda’s failed bid to blow up U.S. bound planes with explosive-packed ink cartridges. In other words, the response is hardly sufficient, some experts insist. “In typical TSA fashion [the measures]…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Yes, even Al-Qaeda is looking for a bang for its buck. The Washington Post reports that al Qaeda “is threatening to launch a wave of small-scale attacks similar to the recent failed parcel bomb plot, which the terrorist group describes as a low-budget operation that caused fear and costly…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Big Apple. Big trial. Big headache. The latest big headache in the federal trial in New York of a Gitmo detainee surfaced Monday when a juror on the third day of deliberations, asked the judge to remove her, saying she felt threatened by fellow jurors because she was at odds with…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com From our nation’s heartland comes the latest allegation of people supporting al Qaeda with cash. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging three men including a cab driver from St. Louis with conspiring to fund al Shabaab, a terrorist group in Somalia linked to al Qaeda,…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The explosives used in the packages from Yemen were four times more powerful than those used by the underwear bomber, the Associated Press reports. Citing German authorities, AP reported that the two bombs contained 300 and 400 grams of the industrial explosive PETN, compared to about 80 grams used in the…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda and its associates may not be known as benevolent organizations, but they do give gifts. The failed “Underwear Bomber”. The failed “Times Square Bomber”. The failed “Shoe Bomber”. And now the failed attempt to deliver explosives on planes. All gifts. The U.S. should be grateful for these…
By Allan Lengel For AOL News WASHINGTON — The FBI decided to end its sting and arrest a Northern Virginia man now charged with plotting to blow up D.C. -area subway stations because it was concerned he was about to leave the country to go on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, according to a court document…
