 Here's the full text of the letter from Abdul Hakim Muhammad, the man who murdered an Army recruiter in Little Rock and tried to kill a second, to the judge presiding over his trial. I've transcribed it as written, hence all the mispelling, capital letters, and lack of paragraphs. Emphasis, though, is mine: To Judge Wright Jr.
From Abdul Hakim Muhammad I'm writing this because I wish to plead guilty. To all charges I'm facing. Without deals without respite. I wrote the prosecutor and Federal Buerau of Investigations and TBI (Tenn. Buerau of Investigation. Informing them of all of the acts I was involved in around or about May 29 - June 1 2009. I do not wish to recieve funds for my defense. I don't wish to have a trial. I'm affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Member of the Abu Basir's Army. This was a Jihadi Attack on infidel forces. That didn't go as plan. Flat out Truth. I plead to capital Murder, Attempt capital Murder and The other 19 counts without compulsion without Deals. My lawyer and prosecutors have fail to comply. I wrote John Johnson informing him of this. He responded I couldn't plead guilty to capital Murder Case. Which I think is a lie. That's why I'm writing you my lawyer has no defense. I wasn't insane or post traumatic nor was I forced to do this Act. Which I believe and it is justified according to Islamic Laws and the Islamic Religious Jihad To fight Those who wage war on Islam and Muslims. At the next hearing I look forward to pleading guilty and Await sentencing. Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad
11 pm 1/12/2010 I really have nothing to add. This was an act of individual jihad. The Abu Basir mentioned in the letter who's army Mr. Muhammad claims to be a member of is Abu Basir al-Wahishi, the Yemeni head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Even if he never received training from AQAP, just knowing who leads the group seems to me an indication that he traveled in jihadi circles (probably online0. I would direct you to read Ace's thoughts on the matter and I'll just echo his sentiment.
As Nidial Hassan taught us: one does not need to formally belong to a terrorist organization to inflict a lot of death and suffering in their name. Thanks to John in Little Rock for the copy of the letter. With thanks to the Jawa Report
 Osama bin Laden's terror network has perfected the art of masking its unpopular agenda with a recruitment pitch that can hook just about anyone. Last week, five young men from northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., were arrested in Pakistan, alleged to have been eager volunteers for a terrorist-linked militant group in a region rife with insurgency.
The facts remain sparse so far, but this would not be the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that Americans have left their country to heed al Qaeda's call to arms. These men, however, look different -- at least from the outside. The FBI explained that the five don't fit the typical profile of a militant supporter of al Qaeda, the Christian Science Monitor reported. They were from the middle class, educated, and not visibly marginalized from American society. Their grievances were not readily apparent. In fact, these men fit exactly the profile that the FBI and the world should now come to expect: no profile at all. A militant's profile lies not in his age, race, culture, or education; anyone can join or be adopted by the al Qaeda network, the only prerequisite being a willingness to accept the group's radical, cult like ideology.
So if there is a lesson to be learned from these recent arrests, it is that profiling won't work. We need something better. According to family members and those who knew them, the five were hooked in by radical messages of precisely the sort that al Qaeda is known for. They are thought to have watched the militant rhetoric on YouTube, enough to encourage them to take the trip abroad. Across the world, al Qaeda encourages could-be recruits to do exactly the same -- to become muhajiroun or "émigrés" who move away from non militant communities, families, and friends to join the brotherhood of armed jihadists. Indeed, one of the young men abandoned his career in dental school; another left his family only a farewell video promising to defend Islam. Such a desertion seems at first unfathomable. But al Qaeda succeeds because, for more than two decades, the network has waged a successful information campaign that pushes its message out to the world as effectively asymmetrical as its use of suicide bombers on the battlefield. Al Qaeda has dominated the battlefield of the soul among the disaffected, disenfranchised, and dissatisfied.
It promises action instead of discussion. It avows to defend Islam through suicide bombings and mass murder. (Recovered jihadists are often horrified to learn, with the help of mainstream clerics, that they have been duped by a fantastical corruption of Islam, best called bin Ladenism.) More at Foreign Policy 
 Because, you see, the massacre made Muslims afraid -- not of jihadist supremacism within their own ranks, but of discrimination in the military! But never fear, the Army is still doggedly trying to recruit them, and of course not dreaming of asking potential recruits a single question about what they think of jihad and Islamic supremacism. That would be "Islamophobic"! "Fort Hood ups challenge to recruit Muslim, Arab troops," by Kathleen Gray and Donna Leinwand for USA TODAY, December 10 DEARBORN, Mich. -- Army recruiter Sgt. Chris McGarity is on the front lines of the military's effort to add troops who speak Arabic and understand Middle Eastern culture -- a battle that grew more challenging after the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. McGarity says he recently signed up an Arab-American high school student who lacked only her parents' approval to enlist. Then came the Nov. 5 rampage at Fort Hood. The Army has charged Maj. Nidal Hasan, 39, a Muslim and Arab American, with killing 13 people and wounding 32. The high school student's mother "made her withdraw her application," McGarity says. Such experiences illustrate heightened fears of discrimination and harassment aimed at Arab-American and Muslim troops since the Fort Hood shooting, says Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force lawyer who founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which advocates for separation between church and state in the military. Muslims in the military experience "horrible" discrimination, he says. Before the shooting at Fort Hood, the foundation had 80 Muslim clients who had reported instances of discrimination and harassment, Weinstein says. Complaints jumped 20% to 103 in the weeks after the shooting. "We had people almost immediately ... being told 'you people' should not be in the military," he says. Weinstein says he regularly gets complaints from troops who report name-calling, extra duty on holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, anti-Muslim graffiti scrawled on prayer centers, and officers who encourage their troops to kill Muslims or demand Christian prayer.... "If you don't have a valid green card, you're out. If you can't pass the aptitude test or can't physically qualify, you're out," says McGarity, 31, who served in Iraq early in the war and has recruited in Dearborn for four years. "Then there are the guys who are willing, but their families aren't." The recruiters recognize that Arab-American enlistees may worry about fitting in with fellow troops or having to fight in Arab or Muslim countries. They work with Arab organizations in the community and attend job fairs to meet potential recruits. They hire Arabic linguists to work in their office, learning about the Middle Eastern cultures themselves. Sgt. Ian Parker, 27, starts conversations with potential soldiers by asking how they feel about going to Iraq or Afghanistan. "Once you hit an objection to that, you're just wasting your time," Parker says. Arab Americans and Muslims in the military remain a tiny minority. Of nearly 1.5 million active-duty military, about 3,500 are Arab Americans. The military does not keep full data on the number of Muslim troops. Jamal Baadani, 45, a Marine reservist living in Virginia, is one of them. He founded the Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military and often walked around Arab-American communities in uniform. People would ask why he wanted to serve a government "that's going to kill your own kind," he says. "The U.S. military did not go over there to 'kill your kind.' They went over there to attack a threat that came to this country to attack us," Baadani would respond. "The U.S. Army really respects our community and goes above and beyond to understand our community." With thanks to JihadWatch
 As the United States turns its attention to security threats abroad, the disturbing trend of extremism in America’s Somali communities is a reminder that there are also real and present dangers at home. A growing body of evidence suggests that Somali communities in the Unites States have become fertile ground for terrorist groups to recruit and implant operatives. On November 23, the federal government announced eight more indictments of Somali-Americans in Minnesota on charges of recruiting members of their community to join the al-Shabaab terrorist organization in Somalia. This brings to 14 the number of Somalis from Minnesota who have been indicted for helping the Al-Qaeda-linked group. Of the eight indicted, only one has been arrested; the rest are currently outside of the United States.
Four of those previously arrested have pled guilty and two have been released while they wait to be tried. The government believes that about 20 Somali-Americans have left the state to join al-Shabaab’s jihad in Somalia, at least three of whom have died since departing. One, Shirwa Ahmed, died when he became the first American suicide bomber. Several of those indicted attended the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center in St. Paul, as did many of those who were recruited.
The mosque released a statement in March saying that “Abubakar Center didn’t recruit, finance, or otherwise facilitate in any way, shape, or form the travel of those youth.” Somali gangs are also becoming an issue in Minnesota. Shukri Adan, a former Somali community organizer, said in 2007 that there 400-500 members of his community were involved in gangs. More at FPM
 Because the warrant was rescinded, authorities say they missed a golden opportunity to detain Awlaki. The morning after the warrant was cancelled, October 10, 2002, Awlaki stepped off a Saudi Airlines flight from Riyadh to New York. Because Awlaki was on the early version of the federal terrorism watch list, authorities were allowed to detain him for questioning.
According to immigration documents, Awlaki was intercepted by immigration agents before 6:15 in the morning. "Sujbect was escorted to INS primary and secondary by U.S. Customs. He is a match." Agents believed they had an individual who was both on the terror list and had an outstanding warrant. After his release from JFK, Awlaki returned briefly to Northern Virginia. According to the Washington Post, while there he visited a radical cleric named Ali al-Timimi and asked about recruiting young Muslims for jihad. In 2003, federal agents raided al-Timimi's home and seized documents and cassettes. He is now serving a life sentence after being convicted of inciting 11 young Muslim men, most of them American citizens, to fight with the Taliban against the U.S. in Afghanistan after 9/11. Awlaki left the U.S. before the end of 2002 and moved to the U.K. He returned to Yemen permanently in 2004. He was arrested by Yemeni officials in 2006, allegedly at the request of the United States, and held until late 2007. He has now established himself in Yemen as one of the leading international voices calling for violent jihad against the West. Awlaki's lectures and messages have been found on the computer hard drives of terror suspects in Toronto and New Jersey. One of the men convicted of plotting to attack Fort Dix can be seen on a videotape expressing admiration for the cleric and recommending an Awlaki lecture. Awlaki also exchanged emails with Nidal Hasan starting in 2008. In one message revealed by ABC News, Hasan wrote, "I can't wait to join you" in the afterlife. After the Fort Hood attacks, Awlaki called Hasan a hero on his Web site. "The only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army," he wrote, "is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal." "Investigators are mad as hell," said Paul Sperry, "and they have a valid point in asking whether a dozen soldiers would be alive today if they'd been allowed to put the screw to Awlaki when they had the chance." ABC
 Federal counterterrorism officials investigating the recruitment of ethnic Somalis in the U.S. for jihad in Somalia say the case echoes the type of homegrown radicalization that threatens parts of Europe. The U.S. announced charges against eight men this week, and agents allege three of them helped persuade men to join an extremist group. The recruiting network enlisted about 20 young men, many of them born in the U.S. and having little knowledge of Somalia, to join the al-Shabaab insurgent group in Somalia. The network's apparent success is influencing the way government counterterrorism officials view the threat of radicalization in the U.S. Ralph Boelter, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Minneapolis office, said the notion of domestic radicalization "is a moving target. It's evolving. These young men traveled without consulting their families. Now it's happened; now we should all be on guard." Patrick Rowan, who was chief of the Justice Department's national-security division when the Somali probe began, said: "If there was ever a subconscious belief in the counterterrorism community that our society is different from Europe and therefore we don't have to worry about problems like they've had, the activities in Minneapolis demonstrate we can't think that way." The cases come amid a flurry of terror investigations in which radicalization may have played a role. In September, federal prosecutors charged an Afghan national in what authorities believe was the most advanced al Qaeda plot to bomb targets in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Authorities are also investigating whether radicalization was involved in the case of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. The Somali cases are different because the motivation of the Somalis was to fight for their homeland. Still, investigators fear that once indoctrinated abroad, such youths could turn their attention to the U.S. More at WSJ
 DEARBORN, Mich. -- There's a swirl of activity in a spacious, modern kitchen as final meal preparations are made. An older man tries to swipe a felafel off an appetizer plate but instead gets a loving hand slap from a woman. The happy, well-dressed guests move to a table full of food in a dining room adorned with Middle Eastern wall-hangings. It's an inviting, if idealized, dinner party scene from any Arab-American home _ at least that's what the CIA seeks to convey in the first television commercial of its kind. The agency, in turn, hopes it's an inviting message to U.S. Arabs. "Your nation, your world," a male voice says with a Middle Eastern accent, as the frame moves outside and pans out to show the party through a window of a gleaming, high-rise building. In seconds, the shot zooms out to an image of the U.S. from space. "They're worth protecting. "Careers in the CIA." The commercial, which the agency plans to debut on mainstream and ethnic TV stations and Web sites nationwide within the next few months, represents artistic and technological leaps for the agency. Until now, its print, broadcast and Web advertising has focused on the variety of career options and the diversity among its ranks, but the agency hasn't used a storytelling approach to sell its message. It's part of an ambitious outreach effort to communities the CIA deems critical to reducing the threat of terrorism in the U.S. The agency has a five-year plan to boost fluency in Arabic and other languages. But resistance could come from U.S. Arabs who have felt the sting of suspicion since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Many Arabs and Muslims have been dubious of the government's intelligence gathering and believe spying is going on in mosques and other places. The CIA on Wednesday held a private screening of the commercial and another 30-second spot aimed at recruiting Iranian-Americans. Each drew applause from the group of about 40 people gathered for the viewing in Dearborn, in the heart of Michigan's large Middle Eastern community. Daw Alwerfalli, a mechanical engineering professor at Lawrence Technological University in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, said he liked the casual approach. An added benefit and point of pride for Alwerfalli: His son, Tamer, was among the actors. "It's talking to anybody _ it shows that the CIA cares about the integrity of the family in general," Alwerfalli said. Suehaila Amen, 30, thought the commercial was visually appealing and positive, but it "didn't resonate" with her because it didn't fully deliver on its message. "I just saw family together sharing a meal, doing what we do best _ the hugs and kisses over great food and great company _ but I didn't see why it's important to the CIA," said Amen, a community activist in Dearborn. The ad's soft-selling, storytelling approach emerged from focus groups and conversations with CIA employees of Middle Eastern heritage. The research revealed that Arab-Americans want to retain their ties to their homelands but embrace a sense of duty to the U.S. They stressed a desire to work in places where they can use their experiences and enjoy an exciting career. "It's important for them to know we understand how important their culture is to them. They're not going to lose that once they walk through the front doors of the CIA to work," said Christina Petrosian, chief of advertising and marketing for agency's recruitment and retention center. Petrosian and her team filmed the commercial in the same Hollywood studio that once was home to Desilu Productions and the pioneering 1950s sitcom "I Love Lucy," which itself broke ethnic barriers by costarring Cuban-American actor Desi Arnaz in the role of Ricky Ricardo. Petrosian believes the commercial portrays a broad yet authentic slice of life that will resonate with its audience. "We hear over and over again, 'The CIA is not even on my radar to come and apply,'" she said. "Showing the commercial in this way _ with a Middle Eastern focus _ hopefully that will generate that interest." NewsMax
 RIYADH,Saudi Arabia — Increasing numbers of English-language Web sites are spreading Al Qaeda's message to Muslims in the West. They translate writings and sermons once largely out of reach of English readers and often feature charismatic clerics like Anwar al-Awlaki, who exchanged dozens of e-mails with the Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood shootings. The U.S.-born al-Awlaki has been an inspiration to several militants arrested in the United States and Canada in recent years, with his Web-based sermons often turning up on their computers. "The point is you don't have to be an official part of Al Qaeda to spread hatred and sectarian views," said Evan Kohlmann, a senior investigator for the New York-based NEFA Foundation, which researches Islamic militants. "If you look at the most influential documents in terms of homegrown terrorism cases, it's not training manuals on building bombs," Kohlmann said. "The most influential documents are the ones that are written by theological advisers, some of whom are not even official Al Qaeda members." Most of the radical Islamic sites are not run or directed by Al Qaeda, but they provide a powerful tool for recruiting sympathizers to its cause of jihad, or holy war, against the United States, experts who track the activity said. The number of English-language sites sympathetic to Al Qaeda has risen from about 30 seven years ago to more than 200 recently, said Abdulmanam Almushawah, head of a Saudi government program called Assakeena, which works to combat militant Islamic Web sites. In contrast, Arabic-language radical sites have dropped to around 50, down from 1,000 seven years ago, because of efforts by governments around the world to shut them down, he said. Al Qaeda has long tried to reach a Western audience. Videotaped messages from its leader, Usama bin Laden, and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri usually have English subtitles.
But translations of writings and sermons that form the theological grounding for Al Qaeda's ideology, along with preachers like al-Awlaki, mostly eliminate the language barrier. More at Foxnews
 A RISING number of Western recruits are travelling to Afghanistan and Pakistan to attend paramilitary training camps for militant Islamists.
Citing unnamed US and European counterterrorism officials, The Washington Post said the flow of recruits has continued unabated in spite of an intensified campaign over the past year by the CIA to eliminate Al-Qa'ida and Taliban commanders in drone missile attacks.
Since January, at least 30 recruits from Germany have travelled to Pakistan for training, said the report, which cited German security sources.
About 10 people have returned to Germany this year, fuelling concerns that fresh plots are in the works against European targets, the paper said.
“We think this is sufficient to show how serious the threat is,” The Post quotes a senior German counterterrorism official as saying.
German security services have been on high alert since last month, when groups affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qa'ida issued several videos warning that an attack on German targets was imminent if the government did not bring home its forces from Afghanistan, the paper noted.
There are about 3800 German troops in the country, the third-largest NATO contingent after those of the United States and Britain.
German officials say Taliban and Al-Qa'ida leaders are trying to exploit domestic opposition in Germany to the war, The Post noted.
 Those outside the Bay Area may not know the backstory: Early on January 1, a young adult African-American named Oscar Grant was fatally shot at a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stop by a BART police officer. The incident was captured on a few cellphones as it happened. The officer has been arrested for murder and there have been several riots in downtown Oakland. How is this connected to the recent action in Gaza, or to the Israel-Palestinian conflict in general? Nothing published about Grant suggested that he was politically involved in this issue. However, this incident has been cynically manipulated by the local anti-Israel groups to recruit support in the African-American community for their own jihadist agenda. So, to nobody's surprise, recent anti-Israel rallies in San Francisco featured posters attempting to link Grant's death to the Gaza situation, to recruit those angry over the shooting to the side of those for whom Grad and Qassam rockets are "legitimate resistance". Read more ...H/T: Weasel Zippers
By Patrick Poole Notwithstanding the embarrassing denial of entry of Dutch parliamentarian and anti-jihad activist Geert Wilders to the country earlier this month, a new report by the director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King’s College London and a new British government policy tackling the growing problem of Islamic extremism in the UK give evidence of major changes in understanding and addressing the roots of terrorist recruitment. These positive developments, along with new UK government policies to combat extremism — again, apart from the hypocritical banning of Wilders after admitting a long string of Islamic radicals - are important for U.S. researchers to understand terrorist network trends and what measures could be taken here. Read more ...Source: Pajamas Media
By Erick Stakelbeck The deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai are raising many questions about the safety of Americans here and abroad. It is clear that al Qaeda and its allies are still plotting against the U.S. and other democratic nations. And they're turning to some fresh recruits to help make it happen. The overwhelming majority of Islamic terrorist attacks over the past 30 years have been carried out by young men of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent, leading Western authorities to pay closer attention to these particular groups while assessing possible terrorists. Al Qaeda and other terror groups are well aware of this profile and are looking to adapt. Read more ...Source: Family Security Matters
 Fifteen-year-old Rania Ibrahim speaks during an
interview with AFP while under police custody in
Baquba in late August 2008. Rania claimed she was
drugged and tricked by her husband and two
women into wearing an explosives belt. Iraqi
forces have arrested a woman suspected of
heading up the recruitment of female suicide
bombers in Iraq, including that of Rania.BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) Iraqi forces arrested on Tuesday a woman suspected of heading up the recruitment of female suicide bombers in Iraq, including that of a teenager caught at a market recently with explosives strapped to her waist.
"Ibitisma Odwan was arrested by our forces," defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said.
He said police had caught the 38-year-old woman dubbed "Mother Fatima" in Hommadi village in Baquba's east side after a tip-off.
"The Al-Qaeda woman was responsible for training girl suicide bombers," Askari said, adding that she had been directly involved in the training of 15-year-old Rania Ibrahim.
Rania, who claimed she was drugged and tricked by her husband and two women into wearing an explosives belt, was arrested in late August at the crowded central Baquba market carrying 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of explosives.
Her shocking case threw the spotlight on Al-Qaeda's methods in the recruitment of young women to their cause.
Baquba, the capital of Diyala province, is one of the most dangerous areas of Iraq. Insurgent groups and Al-Qaeda have continued launching attacks there despite a massive military crackdown by US and Iraqi forces.
A number of attacks there, especially suicide bombings, have been carried out by women. Source: www.metimes.com
PARIS, Sept 11 (Reuters) - France has arrested 55 militant Islamists this year and the country's prisons have become a favourite recruiting ground for such groups, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said in an interview published on Thursday. While some Islamists are still travelling to Iraq, Pakistani and Afghan networks have strengthened, and "training and indoctrination sites" are now concentrated in that area, Alliot-Marie said in an interview with French daily Le Figaro. "I can reveal that 89 Islamist activists were arrested in France in 2007, and that 55 others have been arrested on our soil since the start of the year," she said. Prisons and some poor suburban neighbourhoods, many of which house large numbers of families of African and North African origin, were among recruiting networks' favoured targets. Read more ...Source: Reuters
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Here's the full text of the letter from Abdul Hakim Muhammad, the man who murdered an Army recruiter in Little Rock and tried to kill a second, to the judge presiding over his trial. 
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