Category Archives: DOJ, DC and inside the Beltway

Lindh, a US Taliban Fighter Prisoner 001 to be Released

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Lots to know about this U.S. citizen turned terrorist, that fought with the Taliban.

In 2001, directly after the United States went into Afghanistan, there was a nasty ground fight where the first US casualty happened. Killed was Mike Spann, a CIA agent and former Marine Captain.

In an area known as Mazar i Sharif, several hundred Taliban prisoners were rounded up and sequestered in Qali i Jangi. Unknown the the US forces, a pink house held a stash of weapons and Mike Spann, along with others were interrogating the prisoners. Suddenly, an ambush took place, killing Spann but one person did not look at all like the other prisoners and that was John Walker Lindh.

As a side note, these early forces arrived on horseback.

Anyway, Lindh was born in California and after capture was convicted to 20 years in prison. During his prison stay, with the help of his father and especially his grandmother, he gained citizenship from Ireland in 2013.  The plan is upon his release, he will live in Ireland, that is IF the country does accept him. That is still unknown at the point. Ireland may not provide Lindh with a passport on the grounds of being a threat to national security.

All prison records and interviews of Lindh prove he has remained an advocate for global jihad and dedicated to the fight. In 2002, the government under President GW Bush did not know exactly what to do with those caught on the battlefield and how to prosecute terrorists. It was a very new condition 18 years ago.

BBC News | AMERICAS | Profile: John Walker Lindh

How did Lindh even consider Islam and this jihad adventure? Well it began when he watched the movie Malcolm X. He was so inspired, he converted to Islam at age 17, dropped out of school and headed to Yemen to learn Arabic, all with his parents blessings.

The Real Story of John Philip Walker Lindh–“The American ...

He later traveled to Pakistan and joined a paramilitary group fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India. Prior to the attacks on 9/11, Lindh found his way to Afghanistan and joined the Taliban. He spent almost 2 months in a training camp near Kandahar. This camp was preparing Taliban militants and al Qaeda for terror attacks. It was here that Lindh actually met Usama bin Ladin.

In a rare interview, Nick Ryan meets the family of the ...

After Lindh’s capture, he was eventually charged with providing material support for terrorism. He soon pleaded guilty to violating an Executive Order that prohibited aid to the Taliban and transporting weapons from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

File:John Walker Lindh Custody.jpg On December 2, 2001 Lindh was transfered to American custody he was given basic first aid and then questioned for a week at Mazari Sharif, before taking him to Camp Rhino on December 7, 2001[1][2] When Lindh arrived at Camp Rhino his clothes were taken off and he was restrained to a stretcher, blindfolded and placed in a metal shipping container. While bound to the stretcher his picture was taken by American military personnel.[3] While at Camp Rhino he was heavily medicated and in severe pain from a bullet in his leg. On at least one occasion he was interrogated while naked. On December 8 and 9th he was interviewed by the FBI[2]. He was held at Camp Rhino until he was transfered to USS Peleliu on December 14, 2001[4]

In prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, Lindh was detained under special administrative measures, which has more restrictions that other inmates. It also in 2013 that Lindh filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons for the right to practice Islam prayer in a communal setting. This is part of the Islamic doctrine, and Lindh won his case.

Lindh has refused to denounce his beliefs of Islam and too refuses to condemn militancy. He has even gone so far as to advocate for Islamic State. Lindh’s father continues to maintain his pride in his son saying that he wants to continue to help the oppressed and that if he remains in the United States after his release in May, he will be the constant victim of threats and hostilities.

GPS attack on NATO Exercise Came From Russia

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Norway has stunned the international community by presenting “proof” Russia was behind a sophisticated GPS attack during war games.

War games are supposed to test a military’s ability to deal with the unexpected. But NATO got more than it anticipated last year when its warships’ navigation systems started acting up.

There was no way they could be where their computers were telling them they were.

This was no small issue: warships from 31 different nations were manoeuvring together in what was one of NATO’s largest exercises in decades.

But the implications went far beyond safety.

It means weapon systems without alternate means of finding out where they were could end up hundreds of kilometres off course.

It wasn’t the first time this GPS ‘glitch’ had been observed in Nordic nations such as Finland, Norway and Sweden. Civilian air traffic has reported several instances of their navigation systems going haywire.

EXPLORE MORE: Huge NATO exercise ‘jammed’ by Russia

DELVE DEEPER: Russia, China test GPS jamming systems’

In all, GPS signals have been reportedly disrupted five times in the northeastern region of Norway, Finland and Sweden since autumn 2017. But Trident Juncture exercise in October and November last year experienced the most intense attack.

A member of staff of the NATO naval and marine works with a navigation display on the bridge of USS Mount Whitney of the US Navy during the NATO-led military exercise Trident Juncture. Picture: AFP A member of staff of the NATO naval and marine works with a navigation display on the bridge of USS Mount Whitney of the US Navy during the NATO-led military exercise Trident Juncture. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Suspicion immediately fell upon Russia.

Moscow dismissed the claims.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Larov went so far as to call the allegations “fantasy”.

But, now, Norway says it has proof.

“Russia asked to give proof. We gave them the proof,” Norwegian Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen told reporters after a bilateral meeting with Russia in Oslo.

Norwegian civilian science outposts had recorded the type, strength and origins of the signals used to distort signals emitted by GPS satellites, he said.

This data has now been handed over to Moscow.

“Russia said ‘thank you, we will come back when our experts review that’. To have such an answer from Russia is a positive thing,” he said.

Minister Bakke-Jensen said Russia would have had to be well aware of the impact of its jamming systems.

A map provided by Norway's intelligence service showing the source and intensity of GPS jamming signals. Picture: Norway Defence Ministry A map provided by Norway’s intelligence service showing the source and intensity of GPS jamming signals. Picture: Norway Defence MinistrySource:Supplied

“They were exercising very close to the border and they knew this will affect areas on the other side,” he said. “We recognise Russia’s right to exercise and train its capacities [but] it is not acceptable that this kind of activity affects security in Norwegian air space.”

And international conventions dictate notice be given of any kind of major military test.

The dates and locations of NATO’s Trident Juncture exercise was known to Russia for years.

But Moscow called a snap ‘live-fire’ exercise of its own warships on the boundaries of the NATO games. It also appears to have engaged in an undeclared test of its electronic jamming systems, encompassing Trident Juncture’s designated exclusion area.

Russia shows little regard for the ‘fallout’ of its electronic warfare testing.

Norways’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to contact Moscow in October 2017 to request jamming exercises along its border as part of Russia’s annual Zapad war-games be halted due to public safety concerns.

“It was a large military exercise by a big neighbour and it disrupted civilian activities including air traffic, shipping, and fishing,” defence minister Bakke-Jensen said at the time.

US Media Compares to Joseph Goebbels’ Operations

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Ah yes….Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda for Nazi, Germany from 1933 to 1945. His job was to only present favorable stories for a positive image of the regime and to spread hate of the Jews. He used radio, literature, music, textbooks, printed posters/newspapers and theater to display the propaganda. He too was responsible for burning books….beginning to sound familiar?

Media and Marxist activist groups in the United States are all pounding the same drumbeat, pro-socialism, parts of stories and holding others that don’t fit the agenda.

Can you count the ways, the methods and the media outlets like the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and those pesky websites like Media Matters…..

Well, when Reuters reports on Reuters…..take notice. Senator Cruz took notice.

So, the Reuters backstory goes like this…even their summary is lacking but try it anyway…

(When Reuters held the story, obviously people still have not read it when they did publish it as Beto was able to raise $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of campaign announcement. He beat Bernie and all the other 2020 contenders…..sigh)

Maybe it is just cool to campaign on a restaurant counter.

Jay Ambrose: How Beto O'Rourke could become president ...

Or the he skateboards onto a stage.

Presidential?

(Reuters) – Reuters reporter Joseph Menn exclusively revealed on Friday that Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke belonged to one of the best-known groups of computer hackers as a teenager.

Within minutes, his special report was the most popular story on Reuters.com here and was picked up by other news outlets. But the origin of the story goes back more than two years.

Members of the group, which calls itself Cult of the Dead Cow, protected O’Rourke’s secret for decades, reluctant to compromise the former Texas Congressman’s political career.

After more than a year of reporting, Menn persuaded O’Rourke to talk on the record. In an interview in late 2017, O’Rourke acknowledged that he was a member of the group, on the understanding that the information would not be made public until after his Senate race against Ted Cruz in November 2018.

Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, 46, speaks with supporters during a three day road trip across Iowa, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S., March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Ben Brewer

In an interview with Reuters senior producer Jane Lee, Menn explains how he broke the story and got O’Rourke to open up about his hacking days.

“I decided to write a book about the Cult of the Dead Cow because they were the most interesting and influential hacking group in history. They illustrated a lot of the things that I think are fascinating about hacking and security work.

Focus on Trump’s speech after attack on Muslims

“While I was looking into the Cult of the Dead Cow, I found out that they had a member who was sitting in Congress. I didn’t know which one. But I knew that they had a member of Congress.

“And then I figured out which one it was. And the members of the group wouldn’t talk to me about who it was. They wouldn’t confirm that it was this person unless I promised that I wouldn’t write about it until after the November election. That’s because the member of Congress had decided to run for Senate. Beto O’Rourke is who it was.

“I met Beto O’Rourke. I said ‘I’m writing a book about Cult of the Dead Cow, I think it’s really interesting. I know you were in this group. This book is going to publish after November and your Senate race is over. And he said, ‘OK.’

“And he told me about his time in the Cult of the Dead Cow.”

Menn explains more about the story on Twitter @josephmenn twitter.com/josephmenn

Where did Some of Venezuela’s Gold Show up?

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Uganda?

Remember that Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro is a virtual puppet of Cuba. Going back years, during the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution, Chavez hosted President Yoweri Museveni, then president of Uganda. Cuba was known over the years to give scholarships to Ugandans. The relationship is long and deep.

Then as recently as February of 2019, the Kampala is allegedly investigating that top Venezuelan politicians are using Ugandan passports to smuggle key people out of Venezuela into China and possibly other countries that stand with the Maduro regime.

Further, Venezuela attempted to removed some of their gold reserves parked in Britain, worth an estimated $1.2 billion, were denied at the behest of the United States. The 8 tons gold residing in Venezuela was in fact removed this past February to an unknown location. However, in 2018, at least 23 tonnes of mined gold was transported from Venezuela to Turkey by plane.

Maduro is attempting to sell gold on the international market to pay for basic needs for his country’s elite. Last February, an Abu Dhabi company known as Noor Capital bought 3 tons of Venezuelan gold. Since oil production in Venezuela has dropped significantly and sales on the global market have dropped, gold is the next avenue to generate immediate funds.

Venezuela Gold Reserves

Venezuela Gold Reserves

China and Russia are looking for exclusive oil deals from Venezuela due to the US sanctions. In fact, PDVSA, the Venezuelan oil operation is opening an office in Russia.

Ugandan authorities are investigating unexplained imports of 7.4 tonnes of gold worth US$300 million that is suspected of originating with President Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.

goldAnalysts claim Uganda is a gold smuggling hub (Photo: Agnico-Eagle, CC-Zero)The investigation is centred on African Gold Refinery (AGR), the country’s largest refinery, Reuters reported on Wednesday. AGR confirmed that the gold arrived from South America but rejected claims of smuggling.

“All our transactions are legal and well documented,” the company said in a statement to OCCRP, dismissing the allegations as “fake news.”

Fred Enanga, a spokesman for Uganda’s police, told Reuters that AGR received two shipments of 3.8 and 3.6 tonnes at the beginning of March however neither passed through official customs entry points.

Police raided AGR premises on March 7 but found the lighter batch had disappeared.

Flights this month from Caracas to Entebbe have raised suspicions that Nicolas Maduro’s government is smuggling gold out of the country and selling it to traders in Africa and the Middle East in an attempt to prop up its sanctions-hit economy.

An airline source told The Times that a European charter company was contracted to fly four tonnes of gold from Caracas to Entebbe early this year.

The Venezuelan opposition previously claimed a jet owned by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza transported gold to Greece. Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s prime minister, is one of the few European leaders still supporting Maduro.

Venezuela’s ambassador to Greece, Freddy Fernández, denied the reports.

“It is foolish to believe that the Venezuelan foreign minister himself was taking the gold out of the country. The story is part of a concerted attack against our country,” he told the Greek news outlet Efimerida ton Syntakton.

Investigators are looking to establish where the gold came from, who owns it and how it was shipped into the country, he said.

Uganda has become a regional smuggling hub for gold with corruption and widespread mismanagement proving profitable for officials and international investors, a report from Global Witness claims.

AGR was accused of facilitating gold smuggling from conflict regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo in an investigation by The Sentry, an African financial investigations organization co-founded by actor George Clooney.

AGR Chief Executive Officer, Alain Goetz denied the accusations, calling it “yet another pathetic attempt to destroy the much-needed reforms and changes needed in the African gold industry.”

Introducing the Cheollima Civil Defense

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Do you wonder if anyone in North Korea wants to overthrow the Premier Leader, Kim Jong Un? The answer is yes.

What does Madrid, Spain have to do with North Korea? The constant communications channels betwee the United States and North Korea are centered in Madrid, where Kim Hyok Chol, a former ambassador is based. What is not reported is the North Korean embassy in Madrid was raided last month. Eight people inside were beaten and interrogated by a group of alleged thugs just before the Trump Un summit. Embassy employees were gagged and computers along with cell phones were stolen and the attackers apparently sped away from the embassy in diplomatic vehicles. Police did investigate after calls were made to law enforcement.

photo

Oh yeah, there are many that are aware of this event that are blaming the CIA.

But hold on, let’s go deeper.

The Cheollima Civil Defense operation was launched in 2017. This group is committed to overthrowing lil Kim. They on occasion go by another name, that being Free Joseon. In March of 2017, there was a video uploaded. Allegedly, Kim Han-sol was behind the video due in part to his father being killed in Malaysia in 2017 when 2 women attacked him at the airport, rubbing his face with the VX nerve agent.

Cheollima Civil Defense assists people attempting to defect from North Korea. By the way, the word/term Joseon is the very old historical name for Korea. There has been chatter for more than a year that the South Korea spy agency is behind Cheollima. Furthermore, the group has from time to time coordinated with the Netherlands, China and the United States for helping with security and protection.

It is thought that the leader of Cheollima, Kim Han-sol fled to the Netherlands and continues to operate from there under the local government’s protection. Other family members likely fled North Korea via Taiwan and may also be under Dutch protection.

The intrigue of diplomacy, dissidents and spying.