Iran’s newest nuclear facility struck by ‘saboteurs’

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Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, disclosed the incident during a speech in Vienna to the 155 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Saboteurs have struck Iran’s newest and most sensitive nuclear facility by blowing up its power supply cables, the head of the country’s atomic energy programme disclosed.

This announcement offered a rare glimpse of a long-running campaign to sabotage Iran’s critical nuclear installations, believed to be a key priority of Western and Israeli intelligence agencies.

The Fordow plant, located inside a bunker dug into a mountainside, became the latest target on Aug 17 when an explosion severed its electricity cables, running from the nearby city of Qom.

Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, disclosed the incident during a speech in Vienna to the 155 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He noted that IAEA inspectors visited Fordow the day after the explosion and insinuated that they might have been responsible.

“During the early hours of next morning, an Agency inspector requested to conduct an unannounced inspection. Does this visit have any connection to that detonation?” asked Mr Abbasi. “Who, other than the IAEA inspectors, can have access to the complex in such a short term to report and record failures?”

Mr Abbasi added: “Terrorists and saboteurs might have intruded the Agency and might be making decisions covertly.”

Five Iranian nuclear scientists are known to have been assassinated since 2007. Mr Abbasi was himself wounded when a motorcyclist attached a bomb to his car in Tehran in November 2010, on the same day as another scientist was killed by this method.

The Fordow enrichment plant, buried beneath about 260ft of rock and earth, was built in secret from 2006 onwards. But Western intelligence discovered its construction, allowing President Barack Obama to reveal the installation’s existence in 2009. Fordow is Iran’s most valuable plant because its location in a hollowed out mountainside could render it immune to air attack.

The IAEA says that 696 centrifuges are being used to enrich uranium inside Fordow, with another 1,444 installed but not yet operational. If these machines lost their power supply, they would be severely damaged, said Mark Fitzpatrick, the head of non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“If there was no power source to keep them spinning, and if they stopped, as they slowed down they would crash,” he said.

But IAEA inspectors visited Fordow the day after the incident, on Aug 18. Their report on Iran’s nuclear programme, released on Aug 30, does not mention any damage to the centrifuges.

This suggests that Fordow must have a backup electricity system. It would, in any case, be an extraordinary oversight for an installation of this sensitivity to lack an independent power supply and rely on a normal grid connection.

The development of Fordow may not be progressing as rapidly as Iran might have hoped. While the total number of centrifuges installed in the plant has tripled since February, the number of operational machines has remained constant for the last seven months at 696.

Mr Fitzpatrick noted that the electricity supply for Iran’s other enrichment plant at Natanz had been singled out for sabotage, with one power surge destroying 50 centrifuges. It was “entirely conceivable” that Fordow could be encountering the same attention, he said.

The CIA is understood to have begun a sabotage campaign, code-named “Olympic Games”, under the Bush administration. The most successful intervention was the Stuxnet computer virus, which makes centrifuges spin out of control and tear themselves to pieces. This was infiltrated into Natanz in 2009 and briefly forced all enrichment to be halted for emergency repairs. This virus alone probably delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions by up to a year.

Chinese Loan: Nigeria Plunging Into Another Debt Trap, Neo-Colonialism – CNPP

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The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) says the recent $1.1billion Chinese loan facility granted to Nigeria; will further plunge the country into foreign debt trap and what it describes as Chinese neo-colonialism.

 

In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Osita Okechukwu, CNPP said it is a paradox that the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who less than ten years ago was hailed for doling out $12.4 billion to exit Nigeria from the Paris and London Debt Trap and Western Imperialism is today heading the unconscionable Debt Squad and Chinese Imperialism.

 

The group further lamented that had it not been for the patriotism of the members of the National Assembly, Nigeria’s foreign debt profile could have sky-rocketed over the roof; as earlier in the year the Minister, Dr Okonjo-Iweala had written to the National Assembly requesting for$7.9 billion foreign loan for sundry purposes.

 

“Whereas, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties{CNPP} agrees that some of the projects for the loans and in particular, the$1.1billion Chinese Credit Facility are of high priority and of high impact, which as the Ministry of Finance canvassed are designed to have practical economic effect and make life better, more convenient for all Nigerians of all socio-economic groups.

 

“However with Excess Crude Account of over $8billionand billions fleeced off corruptly, there is no justification for subjecting sovereign Nigeria to Chinese imperialism or any for that matter,” CNPP said.

 

The group queried why the Federal Government of Nigeria is borrowing $100m for Galaxy Backbone, when the private telecommunications companies like GLO, MTN, Microsoft, Huawei, Ericsson, Etisalat, ZTE and co are busy doing same across the federation in partnership with Nigerians?

 

“With unprecedented oil revenue, Nigeria has no genuine cause to return to foreign debt trap; as a careful study of Chinese neo-colonialism in Africa shows that like all known imperialism in history; it is exploitative, anti-people, anti-democratic and ruthless,” CNPP lamented.

684 Shops New Anambra Multi-Purpose Market Construction Commences

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*skills acquisition training and fish-farming training for 500 youths also

Foundation stone for the construction of the new six hundred and eighty-four (684) shops Nkwelle-Ogidi multi-purpose market in Idemili North council area of Anambra state has been laid yesterday.

Also plans have been concluded for the training of about five hundred (500) registered youths from the community in different skills, aqua-culture and agriculture to boost self-help, empowerment and the President Goodluck Jonathan’s rural communities’ transformation agenda.

The new ultra modern market, according to Chief Morris Ebo who is the chairman of Nkwelle-Ogidi community, was being developed in conjunction with a consortium of developers led by Davis Nig Ltd as part of the first phase programmes in engaging, resettling and rehabilitating interested and eager citizens into worthwhile ventures. It would be ready for occupation and full business activities in four months time and would cost about Four hundred million naira (N400m). And that it was on a Build and Transfer terms.

Overlooking the Enugu-Onitsha dual carriage way at about Km11 besides the Building Materials market, the market when completed would have all modern appurtenances including parking lot for 1000 vehicles, open spaces, toilets, water and independent 24-hour central electricity supply. Others include sanitation, fire service, banks, business centres, security, road network/drainage as well as other logistics.

At the groundbreaking ceremony and handing-over of the site, the leader of the consortium of five developers, Chief Chiedu Okeke assured that they were moving to site at once and would do a quality job, on schedule. He said it would be a historical master piece for posterity.

Ebo had noted that with the steady rising profile of the state as an oil producing state, his community wants to develop the new market as a necessary addition to the state’s commercial requirements now.

He recounted that they have also been training and re-training the local vigilante, which has seen to a drastic decline in criminal activities and other vices in the area. That it was reason why the community is subsidizing the training of the 500 youths on aqua culture and would assist them register and benefit from the Federal Government’s agriculture development fund.

He said that as more foreign and local investors are expected into the state soon, the Nkwelle-Ogidi community plans to liaise with the state’s National Assembly caucus to help get the Federal Government to beef up security and to develop some important roads in the area.

Enthusiastic traders, business executives and officials of the community leadership including Chief Edwin Okeke, chairman of Market development committee; Emma Nwabufoh, Financial Secretary; Joe Anyadufu, Treasurer and Chris Aghalu, the community’s Works Committee chairman witnessed the event.

 

Nigeria’s Interior Minister bribes journalists to cover arms running scandal

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Honourable Minister of Interior Comrade Abba Moro

Elombah.com has got “reasonable information” that embattled interior Minister, whose story we reported last week, is out bribing editors in Abuja to help with a total black out of the report. We reported on 10 September that a copy of the internal security report with the National Security Adviser with subject titled, “Error in

Ministerial Clearance by D. S. S,” shows that the Department of State Security Service has mistakenly cleared Comrade Patrick Abba Moro prior to his nomination as Minister designate by Mr. President despite his ongoing prosecution for illegal possession of firearms.

The Interior Minister in Jonathan’s cabinet, Comrade Patrick Abba Moro [pictured above] was also said to have engaged himself in another arms scandal.

The revelationwhich took the prying eyes of the National Anti-Terrorism and Peace Network to unravel is connected with a large cache of arms and ammunitions imported into the country by the Federal Government to empower the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDS) tactically in protecting Nigerians from subsequent attacks by Boko Haram and other elements in the country, but thereafter the imported ammunition went missing.

A source told elombah.com the Minister has employed an aide to the Senate president, David Mark to distribute financial largesse to the Abuja Bureau chiefs of some Newspaper houses in the sum of N100,000 each in order for them to stop running the story.

Prominent journalists that have been compromised included those of Thisday, Guardian and Punch, elombah.com was told.

“He is David Mark’s person. So, he got David mark’s SA Media, Paul Mumeh, to invite some Abuja Bureau Chiefs for an early morning parley in his office at old federal secretariat in Area 1. There, he pleaded for cover and paid them N100, 000 each.”

“ThisDay, The Guardian, Punch were there”, the source said adding that “some of the editors are angry that the money was too small”.

In another development, the Petroleum Minister, Deziani Allison Madueke is trying hard to play down the story about her convoy accident that claimed the life of a staff of the Pilot newspaper. Sources say she is working at using the Publisher of The Nigerian Pilot, Denis Sami, also from Bayelsa state and a one-time SA Media to Jonathan when he was deputy governor, to cover up the incident.

“They are currently negotiating settlement for Pilot Newspapers and the guy’s family”, elombah.com was told.

It was widely reported last week that Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison Madueke’s convoycrushed an office asistant with Abuja based, The Nigerian Pilot to death in Abuja. Elombah.com thereafter learnt the Management of the Newspaper Company Pilot is covering it up because the Minister picks the bill of Dennis Sami, Pilot publisher.

The victim, James Momoh is an Office Assistant to the Editor, Jonny Nwokocha.

In a telephone chat with elombah.com two days after the incident, Editor in chief of the media house say he said he called NNPC on the issue and they said it was NNPC vehicle and not the Ministers convoy that was involved the accident. Sami also said he is still waiting for them to fully brief him.

But available information indicates that the editor is in the Ministers pocket and “whenever he is broke, Deziani Madueke [pictured] steps in.

“I have even heard it said that when he lacks money to pay salaries, Jonathan tips Deziani and it will be settled. But he will always deny Dez picks some bills”, elombah.com was told.

The editor though denies his collaboration with Deziani to cover the accident saying that never happened. He also said he has never received anything from Deziani since she became a minister, but those closest to him say otherwise.

On the accaident that claimed a member of his staff, Sami also said NNPC officials were at his office to see him on Friday, adding that both the Nigerian Union of Journalists and other commentators are talking rubbish because they were not there when it happened.

Sounding furious at the suggestion of impropriety Sami said “the only person who could say what happened was the dead guy. The NNPC is saying it was their shuttle Bus but everyone and journalists are simply talking rubbish”, he told elombah.com.

The Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Mr. Fidel Pepple has since described as untrue reports that the convoy of the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the NNPC Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke was involved in a deadly car crash which claimed the life of a staff of the Nigerian Pilot Newspaper in Abuja.

Mr. Pepple however confirmed that a shuttle vehicle belonging to the Corporation was involved in an accident which eventually led to the death of the Pilot Newspaper staff.

Source: www.elombah.com

Delta leaders warn agents of distraction

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·      Hold town hall meeting in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt

The People’s Movement, a group of Deltans concerned with the rapid development  of the state, Monday expressed confidence in  the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration. It also described Uduaghan as the most responsible and accountable governor in the history of the state.

In a statement issued at the end of its Executive Committee meeting in Lagos by its Director of Communications, Mrs. Ibifuro Tatua, the group commended the governor for repositioning the state, particularly in the areas of rural and urban infrastructural development, economic resurgence, human resource development, administrative reforms, social integration and public order.

The governor, the group argued, not only provided governance with a human face in the last five years, but through a deliberate policy of re-engineering, re-focusing and re-invigorating  of the act of governance and promise delivery; re- established and rekindled the interest of right thinking Deltans at home and abroad in government and governance.

 

Uduaghan, the group emphasized , believes that government money should be spent on projects that benefit the people.

“In his first term, markets and bridges were built. Roads were tarred. Boreholes were sunk. Schools and hospitals were rehabilitated. Electricity was extended to the rural areas. Today, he is encouraging small and large scale industries, constructing bridges in the rural areas, ensuring effective air, land and water transportation, providing free maternal health services and scholarship to Deltans,  cooperating with the churches, mosques and governmental organizations and multi-lateral agencies, rehabilitating  primary and post primary institutions as well as public hospitals and other health institutions, paying teachers as and when due, reducing poverty through micro-credit programme , allocating fifty percent of the 13 percent derivation to the oil bearing communities through Delta State Oil Minerals Development Commission (DESOPADEC), developing many towns and cities, contributing greatly to sports development, beautifying the towns, creating jobs and eliminating poverty .”

Recalling the confidence in Governor Uduaghan by  the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour  Congress, President Goodluck Jonathan and the World Bank , the group appealed to mischievous Deltans to be diplomatic and ingenious in their approach and tactics. It also   advised those using their funds for media war to deploy their resources in more positive directions.

 

“This is time to embrace peace and fraternity. This is the time to work for the progress of the state. Those with abiding interest in the welfare and future of the state should support the governor to reduce the various types of burden of the people through poverty alleviation schemes and shifting of resources to the rural areas.

 

It also advised Deltans at home to be vigilant and not be swayed by incorrigible opportunists, unprincipled exploiters, swindlers, social parasites, looters, political jobbers and fraudulent human rights activists whose stock in trade is to fan the embers of sentiment, discord and hooliganism.

 

Equally, the group urged Deltans, particularly, workers ,students, artisans, socio-cultural organizations, chiefs, bureaucrats, politicians, youths, market men and women to ignore stories and statements that smear the integrity of the governor and his good works.

 

“We need to work for the success of this administration irrespective of our tribal, religious, or political idiosyncrasies. We should not forget that a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

The group also announced the hosting of town hall meetings in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Owerri, all the local government areas in Delta State, Ghana, South Africa, Britain, France and America.

 

“Those attending will have the opportunity to offer their personal perspectives on the way forward for our dear state” the statement added.

 

CONTACT :

IBIFURO TATUA

Are These Abuja Ministerial ‘Thugs’? – By Emmanuel Onwubiko

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Bala Mohammed from Bauchi State was elected by his people to represent them at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for a term of four years from 2007. Mid-way into his tenure as a Senator, he crossed the political Rubicon and emerged the minister of Abuja by an appointment that was offered to him by the then Acting President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan who emerged to replace his then boss Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua whose precise whereabouts was unknown to the Nigerian people following his hospitalization in an unknown foreign hospital.

The then President Yar’adua later passed on and was succeeded by his then Vice President-Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan became acting President following the passage by the National Assembly (specifically, the Senate) of what was known as Doctrine of necessity. This unusual piece of legislation came about because the then President was flown out of the Country without any official letter of transfer of power in line with the constitution to his then Vice President.

Ever since he became the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the nation’s capital has deteriorated in aesthetics, sanitation and good urban planning even as all manners of taxations have been unleashed on the residents of the nation’s capital.

The most notorious of this tax regime is the obscene fees paid by car owners for parking along the side ways of major roads clearly demarcated which were hitherto free of charge and these fees are collected by fierce looking young persons from different companies registered by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

Some of these companies that have employed fierce looking, energetic young persons include one that is known as integrated parking services limited which charges as much as N5000 for alleged parking violation even for five seconds.

I understand that the Abuja authority also works with other private firms to generate huge revenue from car owners who make use of these road-side parking spaces in Maitama, Wuse II, Asokoro and the Central Business District and that Abuja residents who fail to pay the N600 (Six hundred naira) daily parking fees are thereby compelled to pay fines ranging from N5000 (Five thousand naira) toN20, 000(Twenty thousand naira).

In the last six months, our group has received series of complaints from members of the public on alleged harassment, intimidation and physical assaults they suffer on daily basis in the hands of these ‘macho-men’ who are ever so determined to make the alleged violators to part with these huge sums as fines imposed for violating their so-called offences. Some of the offences tabulated in the receipts of the parking violation notice include but not limited to non-display of valid ticket; standing improperly from parked position and parking on slow track of multi-carriage way.

Another mysterious fact about these companies is that their operatives also work in the late hours of the day even after official close of work such as 5pm. Woe betide you as a car owner if you are caught in the webs of these ministerial ‘thugs ‘if you argue with them on the obnoxious fees and fines they impose.

Is this how Abuja should be administered? Why would a political appointee allegedly unleash fierce looking young persons with one purpose in mind-extort as much money as you can from unsuspecting members of the general public? I stand to be corrected.

Why has the authority of the Federal Capital Territory Administration failed to clean up the nation’s capital but is always in a mad rush to extort the impoverished members of the public?

Importantly, why are there no avenues for seeking redress by the members of the public who genuinely want to lay complaints on alleged harassment by these dangerous looking young men who force motorists to part with huge amount of money as fines for alleged parking violations?

The Consumer protection Council and the Public Complaints Commission are yet to introduce workable and effective measures on how members of the general public could file and obtain efficacious redress for alleged violations of their rights by these “energetic traffic tax collectors” in Abuja.

From www.fct.gov.ngthe brief history of the ‘new’ Federal Capital Territory Administration was published. The establishment of the Federal Capital Territory Administration is one of the key elements of the Administrative reforms of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to reposition the FCT towards enhanced service delivery.

The reforms, according to the official website, brought about significant changes in the administrative structure of the FCT. In line with this, Seven (7) new Mandate Secretariats were created.

“The establishment of the Secretariats heralded the appointment of non-career civil servants into mainstream administration of the FCT. The idea was aimed at bringing governance closer to the people by limiting the administrative bottlenecks that hitherto slowed down developmental process of the FCT”, so stated the website.

Even the so-called reforms and the aggressive taxation drive of the Federal Capital Territory administration have not stopped the Federal Government from borrowing all manner of loans from certain foreign authorities.

Recently, the Nigerian Government went cap –in- hand to borrow from the Chinese government the sum of $1.1billion[USD] for the development of the Abuja light rail project and the intra-city rail network.

Where are all these heavy fines imposed and extorted from the Abuja residents then since Government has continued the despicable venture of borrowing to fix the infrastructure.

Abuja minister is advised to reflect on the meaning of the wise word on the practical implication of human rights as formulated by Roselyn Higgins.

Roselyn Higgins wrote thus; “Individuals everywhere want the same essential things: to have sufficient food and shelter; to be able to speak freely; to practice their own religion or abstain from religious belief, to feel that their person is not threatened by the state, to know that they will not be tortured or detained without charge, and that if charged they will have a fair trial….”

–

*   Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, HUMAN Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria; blogs@www.huriwa.blogspot.com

Re: Rape In Opi Town

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PRESS RELEASE

 

The Opi Town union through this release hereby informs the

general public especially.

(i)Enugu State Government

(ii)Nsukka Local Government Authority

(iii)Umuada Ndi-Igbo: and

(iv)Umunwanyi Opi as follows:,

1. That we thank and appreciate you all for the different parts played in condemning in very strong terms the heinous crimes of rape, robbery etc. committed by some very bad boys in Opi Town in this recent past.

2. That the Opi Town Union has taken some proactive measures to finally stem the tides of these crimes and criminality in Opi Town.

3. That the criminals have no place in Opi town today and henceforth.

4. That Opi Town is today very peaceful and calm. All businesses, social and religious activities go on without fears of molestation and attack

5. That the Federated Opi Town Union (FOTU) has institutionalized a security outfit whose terms of reference include among other things:

(i) arrest and prosecute secondary school students that loiter the town during school hours.

(ii) make instant arrest of suspects for questioning

(iii) monitor the under-aged boys and girls who drink in hotels and beer-palours.

(iv) arrest managers of hotels and beer palours who allow under-aged in their business premises

6. That Opi people thanks and appreciates those who sponsored

series of newspaper publication on these crimes and criminality. May God bless you all abundantly.

7. That Opi people demands the cessation of such publication to allow

us concentrate on our collective resolve to stamp out these ugly

acts. Further publication might as well polarize our resolution which

is why we make this appeal.

 

Thank you.

 

Compiled and sponsored by: OPI TOWN UNION ABUJA BRANCH

 

Signed

Mr. Charles Ugwu Mr. Boniface Ugwu

(Chairman) (Secretary)

Former Abia Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, Convenes Igbo Unity Platform

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In furtherance of the goal of serving as a non-partisan bridge for the unification of the Igbo race of Nigeria which he emphasized in a press interview last week, former Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, convened a meeting of intellectuals at his Aso Villa mansion in Abuja till the late hours of Sunday night.

The aims of the group called NJIKO IGBO include harmonization of different interests in the South East Zone of Nigeria, facilitation of a common South East position on national issues, rekindling the spirit of political participation among the citizens at the grass roots across the zone as well as channeling such enthusiasm to positive national goals, building bridges across political tendencies in the zone and extending such bridges to other geo-political zones for the full re-integration of the zone among others.

The meeting was attended by high profile businessmen, professionals and politicians including national chairmen of some political parties.

APGA UK

Al-Qaeda calls for more attacks

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In this image from video provided by CBS2-KCAL9, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man behind the anti-Muslim movie that has inflamed the Middle East, is escorted by police from his home. (CBS2-KCAL9/ AP)

Washington ordered all non-essential staff to leave Tunisia and Sudan after its embassies were stormed by Muslims protesting an anti-Islam movie and as al-Qaeda called for more attacks on US targets.

US officials have already deployed counter-terrorism Marine units to Libya and Yemen and stationed two destroyers off the North African coast.

But Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, on Saturday flatly rejected a US request to send special forces to protect the Khartoum embassy, the official SUNA news agency said, quoting his office.

Hours later, US officials announced Washington would evacuate all non-essential staff and family members from Sudan and Tunisia and warned US citizens against travel to the two countries.

Despite Tehran’s hostility to Washington and its own condemnation of the movie, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the killing of the US ambassador to Libya last Tuesday was unjustified.

“Definitely this did not warrant killing,” Jafari told a news conference in Tehran. He said that “due to their anger (of protesters), this incident (the killings) happened.”

In the worst violence sparked by the film, the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans died when suspected Islamic militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi.

In cities across the Muslim world protesters have since vented their fury at the Innocence of Muslims – an amateur film produced in the United States – by targeting symbols of US influence ranging from embassies and schools to fast food chains.

With Muslim anger boiling, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on Saturday issued a call for more violence against US diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa, and urged attacks on US interests in the West, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

AQAP, al-Qaeda’s Yemeni offshoot, did not claim direct responsibility for the deadly attack in Benghazi.

But it said the killing of al-Qaeda deputy leader Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi in a June drone strike in Pakistan “increased the enthusiasm and determination of the sons of (Libyan independence hero) Omar al-Mukhtar to take revenge upon those who attack our Prophet,” according to SITE.

Lieutenant Colonel Hagen Messer conceded that the scale of damage, carried out by more than a dozen attackers dressed in US Army uniforms and armed with guns, rockets and suicide vests who managed to storm the airfield, was unprecedented.

Friday’s attack came after at least 11 protesters died as police battled to defend US missions from mobs in Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Washington was configuring its forces to cope with the widespread violence.

“We have to be prepared in the event that these demonstrations get out of control,” Panetta told Foreign Policy magazine.

On Friday, guards on the roof of the US embassy in Khartoum fired warning shots at protesters who breached the compound walls waving Islamic banners. The same group had earlier ransacked parts of the British and German missions.

A similar assault mostly by hardline Islamists on the American embassy in the Tunisian capital on Friday ended with four people dead and 49 injured.

In the past week, US embassy compounds have also been breached in Egypt and Yemen, whose parliament rejected the presence of US Marines although the government has already accepted them.

A planned demonstration against the deployment of the Marines in Sanaa was called off on Sunday after people failed to show up, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported.

The head of Libya’s national assembly, Mohammed al-Megaryef, said foreign elements may have been involved in the “meticulously executed” attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.

It came on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton undertook a round of telephone diplomacy Saturday, calling her counterparts in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Britain and France, as well as the prime minister of Libya and the Somali president, in a bid to rally support, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Boko Haram Writes Kano Radio Station [WAZOBIA & Cool Fm]

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Below is the transcript of the hardcopy letter obtained by 247ureports.com which was delivered to the Kano State office of the Wazobia/Cool offices on Sunday September 16, 2012 at 3:17pm.

The letter was reportedly written by a faction of Boko Haram threatened the non-Muslims at the Station over their disregard for Islam and her people. The letter added that a target list has been compiled to include non-Muslim workers at the radio State. It also warned the Muslims employed at the Station to be careful of their activities near the entrance of the radio station.

The group claims to be acting based on the film on Muhammad [SAW].

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LETTER TO MY OFFICE IN KANO FROM BOKO HARAM

JAMA’ATUL QATLUL KAFIR FI SABILILLAHI

(An affiliate of jama’atu ahlis sunna lida’awati wal jihad).

The management Wazobia and Cool (steam and Globe broadcasting and Communications), Aim Group of companies

 

The Letter reads;

As we embark on fresh attacks to commemorate the insult done to our beloved MUHAMMAD (SALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM), this is hereby warning you/alerting your station that you might be affected due to some disregard attitudes towards Islam and our people.

Reports came to us that your stations are Christians inclined and we made our investigations to ascertaining that. There are some people among you that fall in our target list as we noted their CAN membership and they shall expect our wrath in a short-while, but for now, WE WARN!

We also forewarn our Muslim brothers in the station not to be involved in any act of offence to Islam and that they should limit their movements into the stations to avoid being affected.

We once again commend the jihad of our brothers in Libya that killed an American envoy and some non-Muslims; It is indeed an act worthy of commendation and adoption!

Received at exactly 3:17pm, Sunday-16- September, 2012

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