Terrorism charges were brought in New York state court against Jose Pimentel, a naturalized citizen and Muslim convert. At the time of his arrest he had nearly completed preparations for bombings in New York and New Jersey. He had been under surveillance for over two years.
Jose Pimentel Is Charged in NYC Bomb Plot
Jose Pimentel sympathized with al Qaeda and plotted to use pipe bombs to attack police stations, post offices, and soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Security forces killed seven Taliban fighters in Arakzai. Police captured four “terrorists” involved in a grenade attack on the Saudi consulate in Karachi. The Taliban torched trucks in Dasht carrying supplies for NATO forces.
Security forces killed and captured several Taliban commanders and fighters in Helmand, Zabul, Paktia, and Nangarhar, and detained a suicide bomber in Herat. Afghan special forces killed two Taliban leaders and 14 fighters while attempting to retake Kamdesh district in Nuristan.
A suspected bombing took place on a rail line in southern Uzbekistan. The railway is used to transport supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan. No group has claimed credit for the blast.
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Insurgents killed five policemen during an attack on a police checkpoint in Ramadi; three insurgents were also killed. An Iraqi security official claimed US troops killed two civilians after opening fire following an IED attack in Yusifiyah.
Syrian army defectors launched their first attack in Damascus. Violence continued as the Arab League deadline passed. President Assad said the crackdown would continue despite Arab League pressure.
Protesters clashed with government security forces for a second day in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Five people have been reported killed and 1000 injured over two days.
The African Union said it repelled Shabaab attacks in several districts in Mogadishu. Ethiopia denied its military crossed the Somali frontier to battle Shabaab.
Police in Hagadera arrested three Muslim clerics who are accused of preaching jihad and recruiting for Shabaab at the Dadaab Refugee Camp. Police also arrested two men thought to be involved in the kidnapping of two aid workers in Dadaab.
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Security forces killed an al Qaeda facilitator in Wardak and captured several Taliban leaders and fighters in Kandahar and Khost. US troops killed two Afghan policemen during a standoff at a checkpoint in Ghazni.
Syrian troops continued attacks despite Arab League’s demand to end the “bloody repression”. France and Turkey called for more pressure on Syria while Russia and China feared a slide towards civil war and called for more talks.
“Gunmen” killed a police officer in Mukallah. A refinery in Aden shut down after tribesmen bombed an oil pipeline in Marib. Reuters fired a reporter who worked for President Saleh.
The US plans to adopt new sanctions targeting Iran’s petrochemical industry. The UN General Assembly passed a resolution condemning an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US.
The Kenyan military said 28 Shabaab fighters and eight Kenyan soldiers have been killed during fighting in the south over the past several days; one soldier is listed as missing. Hundreds of Ethiopian troops were spotted crossing into Somalia.
Protesters, mostly Islamist, gathered in Tahir Square to demonstrate against continued military rule. Security forces opened fire with tear gas and rubber bullets, injuring more than 200 protesters.
Abdul Moeedul Islam was a mid-level leader in al Qaeda’s network in Karachi.
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The al Qaeda facilitator “trained insurgents and worked as a courier.” He was killed in the same district in Wardak where 31 US troops, including 17 Navy SEALs, and seven Afghan troops were killed when their helicopter was shot down in August.