Armies of Liberation

Extremists hack Yemeni website to serve their tapes

By Abdullah al-Qubati in Sana’a

Sana’a, 20 Nov., Pirates hacked Mostakela network website on last Friday, taking its domain and smashing al-mostakela paper site through plagiarism identity of the website owner and contacting with the hosting company.

Unknown hackers defined themselves as “Gaza Hackers” claimed responsibility on piracy via a release covered the Mostakela homepage. It was enclosed with an audio-tape previously attributed to Osama Bin Laden. The so-called hackers also posted a statement on a website titled by the same name Gaza Hacker Team that included a confession with hacking Mostakela, which was described as “atheistic” and “enemy of Islam”. The statement also threatened to convert the website domain to “Islamist Forum for defeating its owner and enemies of Islam”. A video-tape links documented the Mostakela before and after the attack was posted on the Gaza Hacker website.

The content of these posts and tapes manifested that those alleged hackers belonged to extremist Islamist groups.

Ahmed S. Hashed, who is the owner of Mostakela website regarded the incident as a “robbery crime of ownership and an assault on rights and freedoms of speech and publishing”.

Mostakela network launched in 2006. It is a social network includes online site of al-mostakela newspaper issues, classified forums for intellectual, political, ideological and religious dialogues and discussions and electronic library of about 34,000 title of books and video-audio files.

According to mostakela editors, the archive of its forums included 134,000 topics and hundreds thousands posts. More than 33,000 member around the world registered in the website since 2006.

“Mostakela website is a free intellectual website opened to inter-faith, cultures and ideologies dialogue,” Hashed said. “Since 2006, it was hacked several times by extremists, who usually defined their identities as Islamists and the recent piracy attack was at the beginning of last Ramadan,” he added.

Hashed pointed out “this hacking came, as my other news website Yemenat has been banned by Yemeni government for more than 2 years ago.”

Another communication supposedly from the Houthi rebels exposes an al Qaeda in Yemen training manual sent to terrorists in Gaza about how to build a small plane for a terror attack. This story line is among the most bizarre coming out of Yemen, and that’s saying a lot, but there are specifics and it does highlight a new tactic that may be deployed. Several of the AQIY Sada al Malahim magazine issues spoke about defending Gaza. But while Wahishi and al Reimi and al Qaeda in Yemen do pose a threat, there are several other al Qaeda groupings and individuals operating in Yemen, associated with external cells, that are not media hounds like AQIY and operate under the radar. Its also true that the Houthi rebels ideology is diametrically opposed to al Qaeda, and Jewish people lived in Sa’ada alongside the Zaidis for centuries without incident. Wahabbi extremists were responsible for the recent targeting of Yemen’s Jews and the murder of the Rabbi.

Haaretz: Yemen Al-Qaida training Gaza groups to attack Israel

Documents sent to Haaretz by Shi’ite separatists in Yemen that opposes Al-Qaida points to regular, direct contact between Al-Qaida and Gaza Strip supporters.

The Yemen-based arm of Al-Qaida recently sent members of the organization in the Gaza Strip a training manual with instructions for building a light aircraft and using it against Israeli targets near the border with the Strip. The plane is powered by a car engine and can be used to launch explosives into Israel.

Documents sent to Haaretz by a group of Shi’ite separatists in Yemen that opposes Al-Qaida points to regular, direct contact between the Al-Qaida organization in that country and supporters in the Gaza Strip. Some of the latter are active in Al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad, which has carried out terror attacks against resorts in Sinai.

The Shi’ite rebels who passed the latest communication, and several previous ones, to Haaretz, are demanding Yemeni government recognition of their civil rights. They are keen to distinguish themselves from Al-Qaida. (Read on …)

This is such a bizarre story, not readily believable. The Houthi rebels intercepted communications from al Qaeda in Yemen to an anti-Hamas Salafi group in Gaza and they sent it to Haaretz. Al Qaeda in Yemen is planning to send Somalis from Yemen to Gaza for attacks and also to attack Jews in Yemen and launch a rocket from Saudi Arabia on a nuclear reactor in Israel. The Houthis, in sending the letters, are trying to demonstrate the difference between their ideology and al Qaeda’s in a bid to elicit US support for their cause, which they say is an end to discrimination by the Yemeni government.

Haaretz

The Yemen-based arm of Al-Qaida is examining the possibility of infiltrating terrorists into Israel disguised as Somali refugees crossing the border from Egypt or even as new immigrants from Ethiopia.

Shi’ite rebels yesterday sent another letter to Haaretz, the latest of several, in which they quote from a letter sent by Al-Qaida to members of a Salafist group in the Gaza Strip that is opposed to Hamas. (Read on …)

Money, weapons? Why is he there? A major source of weapons in Gaza is of course Yemen. The 2006 (2007?) al Quds conference in Sana’a was like a meet and greet of a variety of “resistance movements” from around the globe and raised several million for Hamas. Check the Palestinians category for more.

Hamas praises Yemen supportive stances for Palestine issue
SANA’A, Dec. 08 (Saba) – Head of the Political Office of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Khalid Misha’al affirmed on Tuesday concern of Hamas to continuously consult the Yemeni leadership, represented by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, with regards to a number of Palestinian and Arab issues. (Read on …)

Yemen is a strong suporter of Hamas and the resistance. Yahya Saleh is the head of the charitable organization that collects funds.

SANA’A, June 20 (Saba) – Deputy Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau Moussa Abu Marzouk arrived in Sana’a on Saturday in a few-day visit to Yemen.

Upon his arrival, Abu Marzouk said that he would brief President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the last developments in the Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue and in the Palestinian cause.

“We are keen on acquainting President Saleh with all developments in the Palestinian arena, as we know his certain interest in the Palestinian cause”, Abu Marzouk said.

Meetings scheduled

al Sahwa: Up Wednesday evening to the capital Sanaa Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas. ومن المقرر أن يلتقي خلال زيارته بصنعاء عدد من مسئولي الدولة وقيادات الأحزاب السياسية اليمنية، حيث سيطلعهم على طبيعة الأوضاع في الداخل الفلسطيني والكثير من القضايا العالقة. It is scheduled to meet during his visit to Sanaa number of state officials and leaders of political parties of Yemen, which is telling on the nature of the situation in the Palestinian territories and a lot of outstanding issues. يأتي هذا في حين كشفت حركة حماس عن تضمين خطاب رئيس المكتب السياسي للحركة خالد مشعل الذي سيلقيه مساء اليوم استراتيجية الحركة، وموقفها من كافة القضايا السياسية في ضوء المتغيرات الدولية والإقليمية والمحلية. نص الخبر This is revealed when the Hamas movement to include a letter from the chairman of the Political Bureau of the movement, Khaled Meshaal, who delivered this evening, the strategy of movement and position of all political issues in the light of international developments, regional and local levels

Convicted in the US last November and sentenced this week:

A U.S. judge on Wednesday handed down 65-year prison sentences to two founders of a U.S. Islamic charity convicted of illegally supporting Palestinian group Hamas, in a major U.S.-based terrorism financing case…Abu Baker, whose brother Jamal Issa is the head of Hamas operations in Yemen, was Holy Land’s chief executive officer and the first to be sentenced

After accusing Hezbollah of supporting the Houthis, Saleh makes nice. Also the Wafa Idris “library of maryterdom” opened in Ibb.

SABA
SANA’A, April 21 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh received here on Tuesday a letter from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

The letter handed over by Dean of Arab prisoners in Israeli jails Samir Qintar dealt with a number of issues and current developments in the region as well as topics of Arab nation’s concern. (Read on …)

No surprise there but this is an odd little story.

Ynet Report: Hizbullah deceived its activists in Egypt:

Sources involved in investigation against members of Shiite group arrested in Egypt tell Arab newspaper terror cell’s leaders misled activists into believing they would be working for Fatah’s military wing

The leaders of the Hizbullah cell seized in Egypt recruited activists by misleading them into believing that they would be working for the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – Fatah’s military wing, the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Monday, quoting sources involved in the Cairo investigation.

The sources told the paper that the leaders of the Hizbullah organization in Egypt told the activists they were being recruited by the Palestinian group in order to ease their mobilization.

According to the sources, the organization members also used a worker at the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s embassy in Yemen. (Read on …)

A finger in every pot. The Israelis have been saying for years that weapons from Yemen, smuggled with the awareness of authorities, are a source of weapons for Hamas. Yemen is also the major supplier of weapons to Somalia including Shabab and other jihaddi groups in the region.

JP: The latest reports of an alleged IAF strike on a Hamas arms convoy in Sudan draw attention to an arms network running from Iran, via the Persian Gulf and Yemen to Sudan, Egypt, and Hamas-ruled Gaza. The existence of this network has been noted by analysts in the past. It forms part of a larger, overt, close relationship maintained by both Iran and Hamas with the regime of Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum.

Sahwa Net – Israeli security sources have said that Mossad could have intelligences that the arms recently destroyed in Sudan were transferred from Iran to Yemen and from Yemen to Sudan later , according to al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper .

A convoy of trucks in Sudan which were believed to be carrying arms were bombed by Israeli warplanes in January

Yahya to the rescue. The poor Palestinians- 85% of all medicine in Yemen is expired or counterfeit. Yemeni children suffer malnutrition at three times the rate of Palestinian children.

YemenOnline. Feb 16, 2009 – The Palestinian Red Crescent Association received today the relief aid provided by Kana’an Association through Awja Exit, Egypt.

The relief aid consists of about 30 tons of drugs and medical supplies and clothing.

a traitor to the resistance, they say

Sahwa Net – Nearly 60 Yemeni lawmakers demanded on Saturday the Yemeni government to not receive what they called the outgoing Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Yemen, pointing out that he betrayed the Palestinian issue and conspire against the national resistance.

The deputies also asked the government to not receive any Yemeni assistance to all those Palestinian officials who stood against the resistance.

Kuwaiti lawmakers had urged their government to bar the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from an Arab economic summit taking place in the Gulf state in protest at his stance over Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

al Motamar

President proposes a Yemeni project for Arab States Union to Kuwait summit
Tuesday, 20-January-2009
Almotamar.net – President Ali Abdullah Saleh presented Monday to the leaders of the Arab countries attending the Arab Summit ‘ summit of solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza’ presently held in Kuwait a project prepared by Yemen for the establishment of Arab States Union. (Read on …)

near? funded by Iran and Qatar was the discordant note.

YO: The Office Director of Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, Rector of al-Eman University denied allegations made by some Yemeni websites that there is an open camp to train Jihadi fighters at the University. (Read on …)

Al Iman U students are training to go fight in Gaza in new camps, or old camps that are operating openly now, financially supported by Iran. The al Iman students were instrumental in Somalia. The article seems to say they will be training at the University itself, which is an existing training facility with Ali Mohsen’s military camp right next door. The camps will accept volunteers from outside Yemen as a global hub for training fighters in support of Hamas.

Naba news : Well-informed sources of the “Naba” newspaper report Yemen opened a camp to receive the first volunteers in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip…. According to the source, Yemen was prepared to receive the volunteers at the University of faith, which is headed by Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani, and will both Iran and Qatar to support the camp, and the processing of volunteers.

Saleh ordered all state employees to donate one day’s salary to the resistance in Gaza, and other funds have been collected around the country. President Saleh’s nephew Yahya Saleh, Commander of Central Security, is also coordinating support for Gaza. He’s very active in social causes. Almotamar.net reports The Tent for Arab Resistance, chaired by Yahya Saleh, Chairman of Kenam Society for Palestine, will be holding a variety of events. (Yahya Saleh also set up a mourning tent when Saddam was executed and hosted a variety of symposiums in support of the Iraq resistance.)

Sahwa Net notes Yemen bowed out of the Doha summit on Gaza, “Yemeni analysts said that Yemen’s retraction came as a response to Saudi-Egyptian pressure on president Saleh who had responded to such pressure during the Damascus summit held last year.” Yemen is instigating for Fatah and Hamas to join forces, and for a unified military response from Arab states, not a position popular with some other participants at the conference. Meeting with a visiting Iranian official today, Saleh renewed his call today for an Arab summit, for states to open their borders for fighters to reach Gaza and for Arab states to join in unified action against Israel. So he’s not going to Doha but still is using a summit as a talking point.

(Read on …)

JPost: The Grad-model Katyusha rockets that were fired into Beersheba on Wednesday were manufactured in China and smuggled into Gaza after the Sinai border wall was blown up by Hamas in January, defense officials said…

The four rockets that hit Beersheba this week were filled with metal balls that can scatter up to 100 meters from the impact site, officials said. These rockets have also been fired into Ashkelon and Ashdod.

The three countries that manufacture Grad-model Katyushas are China, Russia and Bulgaria. Defense officials told The Jerusalem Post the rockets were smuggled into Gaza in the 12 days after Hamas blew a hole in the border wall between Gaza and Egypt on January 23.

“Huge quantities of weaponry were smuggled into Gaza then from above ground, including the Grad rockets,” an official said, adding that even after the border wall was sealed, Hamas continued to smuggle the long-range rockets into Gaza via tunnels under the Philadelphi Corridor.

From China, the rockets make several stops before reaching Gaza. In many cases, officials said, they are bought by Iran or Hizbullah and then transferred to Sinai.

In some instances, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has learned of weapons that came from Yemen and Eritrea, were moved to Sudan, then north to Egypt, and finally smuggled into Gaza.

A replay of Yemen’s position and statements during the war betwen Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel. Collecting a day’s pay, sending supplies, urging unified Arab effort against Israel and opening the borders to fighters. Earth Times:

Sana’a, Yemen – A prominent Yemeni cleric on Monday called on Arab leaders to open camps for training volunteers to fight Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. “Allow your people to volunteer. Allow your people to carry out their duty. Open camps for volunteers,” Abdul-Majeed al-Zendani said in an address to a pro-Palestinian rally in Sana’a. He said if training camps are opened in Arab countries, “millions of youths would join.”

“Where are Arab defence ministers? Where are Arab and Muslim Armies?” al-Zendani questioned. He warned that “the nations would not accept falling behind during the serious crisis.”

Meanwhile, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called on the Palestinian factions to join forces in the face of the Israeli “savage aggression” on the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s state news agency Saba reported. Saleh made the call during a phone conversation with the head of Hamas politburo Khaled Meshaal, the agency said.

The Yemeni leader also “praised the Palestinian people’s heroic perseverance in the face of the Israeli barbaric attacks and arrogance.” (Read on …)

Egypt reports itself displeased

SANAA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of angry protesters stormed the Egyptian consulate in southern Yemeni city Aden to protest against Cairo’s role in the ongoing Israeli military offensive on Gaza. (Read on …)

March 09, WI

Beyond small arms, Israeli intelligence estimates that some 250 tons of explosives, 80 tons of fertilizer, 4000 rocket-propelled grenades, and 1800 rockets were transported from Egypt to Gaza from September 2005 to December 2008…According to Israeli assessments, the arms-smuggling network is directed by Hamas offices in Damascus and aided by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which provides the majority of the weaponry. The arms travel overland to Egypt, through a variety of routes that cross Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Africa and eventually meet in Sudan, where they are moved to Egypt’s Sinai desert. After the materiel enters the Sinai, it is transferred into Gaza via tunnels underneath the “Philadelphia Corridor,” the Gaza-Egypt border that runs through the city of Rafah. Less frequently, arms are moved to Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea: the weapons are deposited in waterproof barrels submerged below the surface and tied to buoys eventually retrieved by fishermen.

AB: The leaders of what was once the largest Muslim charity in the United States were found guilty of acting as a front for Palestinian militants in the largest terrorism financing prosecution in American history….

“Today’s verdicts are important milestones in America’s efforts against financiers of terrorism,” Patrick Rowan, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement. “This prosecution demonstrates our resolve to ensure that humanitarian relief efforts are not used as a mechanism to disguise and enable support for terrorist groups.”

Over the past two months, the government has presented largely the same evidence hoping to prove that Holy Land was created in the late 1980s to gather donations from deep-pocketed American Muslims to support the then-newly formed Hamas movement resisting the Israeli occupation.

Hamas – a multi-faceted Islamist political, social and armed movement which now controls the Gaza Strip – was designated a terrorist organisation by the United States in 1995 and the trial centred over whether Holy Land continued to support the group after this point.

Prosecutors did not accuse the charity of directly financing or being involved in terrorist activity. Instead, they said humanitarian aid was used to promote Hamas and allow it to divert existing funds to militant activities.

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’ political leader in Syria, is the brother of defendant Mufid Abdulqader, a top Holy Land fundraiser whose Palestinian band played at the charity’s events and now faces up to 55 years in jail.

The brother of defendant Shukri Abu Baker, Holy Land’s former chief executive, is Jamal Issa, former Hamas leader in Sudan and its current head in Yemen. Baker, the former chief executive of Holy Land, faces up to life in prison.