Faisal Shahzad: Accused Times Square Bomber 'Gave Up American Dream for Jihad'
THE TELEGRAPH: Faisal Shahzad seemed like a perfect embodiment of the American Dream but, US prosecutors allege, gave it up for jihad.

The quiet, privately-educated son of an retired air force officer had enjoyed almost textbook success since moving to America in 1998 on a student visa.

He earned a degree in computer applications and, after working at Elizabeth Arden, the cosmetics maker, he found a well-paid job for a financial services company.

Having secured his future in the US by finding an American wife, Huma Mian, the couple and their two young children appeared destined for a life of stable, suburban life in Connecticut. >>> Tom Leonard in New York and Ashfaq Yusufzai in Muhib Banda | Wednesday, May 05, 2010

LE TEMPS: La crainte d’un «nouveau modèle» terroriste : Si on ignore encore si l’auteur de l’attentat manqué à Times Square a agi seul ou en lien avec les talibans pakistanais, les actions de ce type sont de plus en plus difficiles à repérer >>> Luis Lema | Jeudi 06 Mai 2010

Muslim, a Jihadi, Arrested Over Terror Plots in US


THE TELEGRAPH: Boston man arrested over terror plots in US and Iraq >>> | Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Hate Cleric, Abu Qatada, Issues Rallying Cry from Prison
Abu Qatada is considered to be the most dangerous jihadi and ideologue to have operated from Britain. He has smuggled a letter out of prison which has inflamed radicals around the world. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: The extremist cleric Abu Qatada has issued a 6,000-word rallying cry to his followers from inside one of Britain’s most secure prison units.

The Palestinian preacher hails the “victory” of the Mujahidin and claims that his treatment has helped to radicalise a new generation of young British Muslims.

Despite demanding his freedom, he says that “the gift of prison” has helped him to lose more than 50lb (22kg) in weight. He even suggests that a vigorous exercise programme appears to have cured his diabetes and back trouble.

The cleric boasts of being told by Bilal Abdullah, the NHS doctor jailed for the car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow in 2007, that he was heavily influenced by the cleric’s taped sermons. He describes the bomber, who narrowly failed in his attempts to blow up a nightclub and airport terminal, as “truthfully a man from the men of Islam, in knowledge, action, steadfastness and manhood”.

His communiqué was smuggled out of Long Lartin high-security jail, Worcestershire, and is circulating on jihadi websites and forums, where it is attracting widespread comment. The ease with which it has been distributed is an embarrassment for Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, who is in charge of prisons, and Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, who leads the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. >>> Sean O’Neill, Crime and Security Editor and Richard Ford, Home Correspondent | Saturday, April 4, 2009