[iwar] [fc:Blacklisted.Groups.Visible.on.Web]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-19 08:57:46
Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Police.suspect.bin.Laden.making.'dirty'.nuclear.bombs]"
Previous message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Harvesting.passwords.from.DSL.routers]"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
Message-Id: <200110191557.f9JFvka12560@red.all.net>
To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List)
Organization: I'm not allowed to say
From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 08:57:46 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [iwar] [fc:Blacklisted.Groups.Visible.on.Web]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Blacklisted Groups Visible on Web
By Julia Scheeres 

2:00 a.m. Oct. 19, 2001 PDT

Earlier this month, the State Department updated its list of foreign
terrorist organizations, a measure that it says "stigmatizes and
isolates" such groups internationally. 

But isolating them may prove difficult: Many of the 28 blacklisted
organizations operate websites where they issue press releases, threaten
their enemies, raise funds and even recruit members.  Several of the
sites are hosted in the United States. 

To become part of the notorious list, created in 1997 and updated every
two years, a group must meet three criteria: It must be foreign, it must
engage in terrorist activity, and it must pose a threat to the security
of U.S.  nationals or interests. 

Americans are prohibited from giving money to designated terrorist
groups and American financial institutions are barred from doing
business with them, said Neal Pollard, the founding director of the
Terrorism Research Center, an independent institute. 

"It's necessary to maintain a list like this because it's what triggers
sanctions against the groups," Pollard said.  "Obviously, it's more
effective on the diplomatic front than on the information front."

Indeed, many terrorist groups publish their websites in English to reach
the international community directly, instead of relying on the media to
spread -- and perhaps distort -- their messages. 

"Palestinians, for example, have for a long time perceived that their
message is adulterated by American media, which they view as being
pro-Israel," said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study
of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino. 
"This represents an inexpensive way to get their message out to a
foreign audience."

Indeed, after the assassination of Israeli cabinet member Rehavam Zeevi
on Wednesday, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine posted a
communiqué on its website justifying the murder and listing the reasons
for its bloody campaign against Israel "which politicians in the western
world are trying to ignore or forget."

Likewise, the website of Hizballah (Party of God) includes video clips
of the group's attacks on Israeli targets, as well as political
declarations and photos of bombing victims. 

The Lebanese guerilla group has been linked to numerous anti-U.S. 
attacks, including a suicide truck bombing in Beirut that killed 241
Marines in 1982, and has established cells worldwide, including in North
America, according to the State Department report. 

The site was defaced by hackers a year ago when Hizballah captured three
Israeli soldiers at the border in south Lebanon. 

Another anti-Israel group, Hamas (The Islamic Resistance Movement)
publishes press releases through the Palestine Information Center. 

The page lists Hamas members who have died in its ongoing suicide bomb
campaign against Israel under a section called the "Glory Record."
Here's an example:

"The militant Hamdan Hussein Al-najar, a member of Hamas, killed the
Israeli settler Ya'coub Berey using a big rock as his weapon.  The
militant was shot down as a martyr after he had ambushed an Israeli
patrol using the dead settler's weapon."

Meanwhile, a Palestinian group calling itself the Islamic Resistance
Support Association -- which is not on the official list -- features
pictures of militant Muslims who have died "in the course of performing
(their) Islamic sacred duty" as well as a contribution link on its front
door. 

In Colombia, all three designated terrorist groups have websites. 
Colombia's 35-year-old civil war has killed 38,000 Colombians and
displaced between 1 and 2 million. 

On Monday, the terrorist group United Self-Defense Forces (AUC) claimed
responsibility for the assassinations of two Colombian congressman on
its website and warned that five other legislators "should change their
attitude" as well. 

AUC, which is accused of massacring 24 villagers earlier this month,
also posted a letter addressed to Secretary of State Colin Powell which
criticized its inclusion on the list even while simultaneously admitting
to certain "military excesses" and the infiltration of drug money into
its ranks. 

The country's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC), uses its website to publish an online magazine and
stream an audio program called "Radio Resistance" which features
interviews with rebel commanders as well as poetry composed by guerilla
soldiers. 

The group frequently kidnaps foreigners for ransom, according to the
State Department report.  Indeed, on Wednesday, the group disseminated a
press release to members of its Yahoo group, farc-info regarding the
release of two German men who were kidnapped by the group in July. 

Several Muslim militant groups use the Internet to raise funds, said
Jennifer Stern, a lecturer on terrorism at Harvard University. 

"It's a good way to raise anonymous donations from abroad," Stern said. 

The saber-wielding Indonesian group Laskar Jihad (Jihad Troopers) which
is threatening a holy war against Christians and has been linked to the
al-Qaida network, is one of them:

"It takes a lot of fund, equipments (sic), and facilities for the daily
needs of the Laskar and refugees.  Consequently this becomes a
responsibility of Moslem society as a whole for the glory of Islam and
its believers," the site says. 

The Web page features grotesque pictures of mass graves and mutilated
bodies under the gallery section that the group attributes to government
atrocities.  On a recent trip to Indonesia, Stern used the phone number
and address listed on the Laskar Jihad website to arrange a meeting with
its leaders, she said. 

Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous), the armed wing of the Pakistani
religious organization Markaz-ud-Dawa-walshad, also solicits
contributions online.  The group, which is one of three fighting against
India in Kashmir, is mentioned on the State Department website under
"other terrorist groups" - meaning it practices terrorism, but not
against U.S.  interests. 

Lashkar-e-Taiba enlists militant Muslims from around the world to join
its ranks, the State Department says.  According to one account, the
group's recruitment efforts reach as far as the United States itself. 

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Pinpoint the right security solution for your company- Learn how to add 128- bit encryption and to authenticate your web site with VeriSign's FREE guide!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/yQix2C/33_CAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

------------------
http://all.net/ 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Police.suspect.bin.Laden.making.'dirty'.nuclear.bombs]"
Previous message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Harvesting.passwords.from.DSL.routers]"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:56 PST