 These events have been reported to World Threats. It is always a pleasure to report on Iranians who see the light and decide the theocracy isn’t worth supporting. Members of regime’s reactionary parliament and elements of regime’s intelligence are seeking asylum in west after regime’s diplomatic body has done so.
The aftermaths of accelerating downfall of the clerical regime has reached its diplomatic body. High ranking elements of the system do not want to participate in suppression, execution and assassination of people especially after Ashura Uprising.
Al Siasa news paper has written that the government of Turkey has refused to accept the asylum of 4 elements of regime’s intelligence who work in Kurdish regions of Iraq because its relations with regime is improving; Syria having a role in it.
These men wanted to go to Ankara with the help of a Kurd leader and reach Europe from there.
They were able to run away and go to Italy last week.
Jan. 17 - Let’s Get Physical (with apologies to Donna Summer.) Hossein Nagavi, a member of the Majlis from a faction close to Khamenei, beat the Governor of a district from Varamin. Jan. 17 - Five SSF vans and 100 officers did their best to prevent the group Mothers of the Uprising from gathering in Laleh Park. Thirty of these ladies were arrested and taken to Evin Prison where they were held fro 72 hours. Jan. 17 - Eighty-five Christians were arrested on Christmas Eve in various parts of Iran. Jan. 18 - The assassination of Dr. Mohammadi may be the result of disputes withing the regime and not action by external forces. Jan. 18 - There has been a 93% reduction in foreign investment in Iran. The OECD rates Iran as risk level 6 of 7 levels. Only $822 million was invested in Iran during 2009. (Still too much.) Jan. 18 - Dr. Abbas Shakeri a member of the Scientific Board of Kashan University who was amongst a group of students and political activists said: “in these days it is the duty of all sectors of the society to keep united against oppression. The duty of master minds of the country is to lead the march of Feb.11th. This march is an opportunity for disclosing the murderers of the nation”.
In another part of his speech Dr. Shekari pointed to the rumors about Khamenei’s sickness and added: “RCG and Intelligence are parted. Disunity is obvious amongst supporters of Ahmadinejad.
I have connection with some informed sources in the state and I know that the heads of the state even Khamenei himself admits that Feb.11th of this year is the test of death and life for the state”.
At the end of the session some students talked about ways to conduct the flood of protesting people on Feb.11th.
Dr. Shekari emphasized on the initiatives by youths and students for forming leading groups to conduct the marchers.
Jan. 18 - Escalation of laborers’ strikes these days in governmental or semi-governmental factories and enterprises are worrying regime’s administration.
Tehran and other cities of Iran are facing labor crisis due to Ahmadinejad’s economical policies. As a result of these policies a great number of factories are broke and a great number of workers are fired rising the ratio of unemployment. The largest strikes have occurred so far in Ahwaz, Shiraz, Bandar Abbass and Abadan repeatedly. Iran’s greatest oil refinery is located in Abadan. Jan. 17 - In a raid of the agents of regime’s notorious Intelligence Ministry at a house in Shiraz 6 of our Christian compatriots were arrested accused of the mullah-made crime of becoming Christians.
They were transferred on Jan.8th to Fars’ Intelligence Bureau’s detention centers and there is no news of them since. Six others were summoned to the bureau and arrested there. There is no news of them too.
Two other Christians have been arrested in Rasht and one in Shiraz before this event. Compulsory arrests of our Christian compatriots by fascist Khamenei is increasing these days. World Threats 
 From CAN: The five Americans arrested in Pakistan on their way to try to get training from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda wanted to bomb the Chashma nuclear power plant and other sites in Pakistan, The Daily Times of Pakistan reports.
The aspiring terrorists came from the northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas. TIME Magazine reported in December when the arrests occurred that the group was arrested by Pakistani police in Sargodha owned by one of the suspects’ uncle. This uncle belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group, which according to ABC News, originally rejected the five men as did Jamaat ud-Dawa, a group that’s connected to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that carried out the Mumbai bombings. The Americans were not rejected because the two terrorist groups disagreed with their objectives, but because they could not provide references from other members.
However, terrorism experts caution that Pakistani and Kashmiri terrorist groups often collaborate with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and could also be a source of “homegrown” terrorism. For example, in 2004, a man in Colorado was deported after it was learned that he had received training at a camp operated by Jaish-e-Mohammed. “The U.S. and British governments have both acquired overwhelming evidence that ‘homegrown’ terror cells seeking instruction at ‘real’ terror training camps frequently end up at either facilities run by LET [Lashkar-e-Taiba] or JEM,” the Investigative Project on Terrorism quoted terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann as saying. The two aforementioned groups openly operate in Pakistan and own religious schools called madrasses.
The Pakistani government has launched military offensives against elements aligned to the Taliban but is accused of turning a blind eye to other terrorist organizations that have sympathizers in the military and intelligence service. World Threats
 THREE people have been arrested at London's Heathrow airport after a security scare on a Dubai-bound Emirates flight, police say, amid reports officers stormed the plane and took the suspects off. "Three people have been arrested at Heathrow this evening. They are currently in police custody. The airport remains open,'' a statement from London's Metropolitan Police Service said. Friday evening's alert came amid heightened security at airports around the world following an alleged attempt by a young Nigerian to bomb a plane landing in Detroit on Christmas Day by concealing explosives in his underwear. Sky News television said police intervened after verbal threats were made and that the men arrested were English and appeared to be drunk. The broadcaster showed a photograph purportedly of officers in black overalls inside the aircraft, taken by a passenger on the flight. "Some special police just came on the plane and arrested these two guys a few rows in front of me,'' Mr McLean said. "The police just swarmed the guy and then rushed him out. I think he was a white male. There was another one as well, I didn't see him,'' he said. One of the men was taken off in handcuffs, Mr McLean said. The passenger added there were about five armed officers who were wearing helmets, body armour and carrying what appeared to be automatic weapons. A spokesman for airport operator BAA confirmed a "security incident'' on the plane but said it only affected the Dubai-bound Emirates plane. The alert came after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, allegedly tried to detonate a device stitched into his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam as it landed in Detroit on Christmas Day. In a court in Detroit on Friday, he pleaded not guilty to six charges related to the incident, which has led to security being stepped at airports worldwide. Full-body scanners are to be introduced at Britain's airports and Heathrow - one of the world's busiest air hubs - will be the first to receive the devices before the end of the month, Home Secretary Alan Johnson has said. The Australian
 Iran's regime has struck back at the resurgent opposition, arresting more than 1500 people and confiscating the corpse of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's nephew after violent protests rocked cities across the Islamic republic. The government moved to shore up its position a day after its security forces killed at least 15 protesters and wounded scores more in the worst clashes since the disputed presidential election in June.
The opposition said 1500 people had been arrested nationwide since the violence flared, including 1110 in Tehran and 400 in the central city of Isfahan. The brutality on the Shia holiday of Ashura was condemned around the world. The US administration cast aside its reticence and denounced the crackdown. US President Barack Obama condemned the Tehran regime's "iron fist of brutality" and the "violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens". During the turmoil after Iran's controversial presidential elections in June, Mr Obama - then in the midst of a diplomatic outreach to Iran - was criticised for his relative silence on the protests. France deplored the "arbitrary arrests and violence carried out against ordinary protester". Germany, Italy, Austria, Britain, Canada and Norway issued similar statements. Even Russia, one of Iran's main trading partners, called for restraint. Those killed included the opposition leader's nephew, Seyed Ali Mousavi, who was shot in the chest. Tehran was rife with speculation that he had been assassinated to send a message to his uncle, and the government moved rapidly to prevent his death becoming another rallying point for the opposition. Security forces ringed the hospital where his body was taken and used teargas to disperse protesters outside. It later emerged they had removed his body and taken it to an undisclosed location. "My brother's body was taken away from the hospital and we cannot find it," Seyed Reza Mousavi, his brother, told the reformist website Parlemannews. "Nobody accepts responsibility for taking away the body . . . We cannot have a funeral before we find the body." Iranian authorities said they were holding the bodies of five slain anti-government protesters, including the nephew of the opposition leader, in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent activists from using their funerals as a platform for more demonstrations. The violence came just days before a year-end deadline imposed by the Obama administration for Tehran to show good faith in its negotiations with the West over its nuclear program, or face new sanctions. Senior US officials said the Obama administration recogniseds that it was now at a "pivot point" in its strategy on Iran. Tehran's crackdown on protests may be fanning fresh anger at the regime in Iran. But a significant weakening of public support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could be a mixed blessing for US and Western officials now trying to determine how the domestic unrest could affect negotiations with Iran. A weakened regime could be less inclined to make concessions over its nuclear program, a source of pride for many Iranians, they say.
Sanctions, meanwhile, could help shore up Mr Ahmadinejad's support by whipping up nationalistic anger at foreign meddling. The Australian
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Nov 17. - Students at the University of Science and Industry went on a hunger strike to protest the arrest of Poya Sharifnia. Ali Praviz, a student at Khaje Nasir University is in ward 204 of Evin Prison. Today students at that university protested the continued arrest of students by chanting slogans. The Basiji held a meeting at Azad University in Broojerd to warn students that those writing anti-regime slogans on the walls would be punished. Students at Sahan Tabriz University in Tabriz gathered to protest the death of Javad Alizadeh from heat stroke and a lack of medication. After the visit of Safar Harandi, the former Guidance Minister of the clerical regime to Gilan University, the RGC has given the names of 20 students present at the demonstrations to the university administration for dismissal. Some professors have resigned in protest. On Saturday November 15, 500 students gathered in Isfehan-Najafabad to protest against the installation of surveillance systems on campus and the plan to separate male and female students in classes and other areas. Nov. 16 - Ahmad Jabbari, a student at Elmi Karbordi University in Arak, was shot and severely wounded by agents of the regime. He was taken to a hospital and is being held incommunicado. Nov. 17 - On Tuesday Nov. 17 in Saqez hundreds of people took to the streets to protest the planned execution of Shirkoo Moarefi. Police monitored the activities from rooftops and took pictures and videos of the people.
Numerous youths were arrested and their parents were forced to sign written promises that their children would not participate in demonstrations in order to free their children. Azad and Payame Universities are almost half closed. Unions have been threatened by the governor’s office that any shop going on strike will have its electricity, phone water and gas cut for six months. This will apply to the residence of the owner as well. They will also lose their business license. Nov. 18 - In recent clashes between regime elements and the people 200 were arrested and imprisoned. They have all received a prison term of two years. The city is still uneasy. Nov. 18. - Shops and food complexes in Sanandaj, Marivan and Saqez in Iranian Kurdistan closed to protest the execution of Ehsan Fatahi on the seventh day after the execution. Nov. 18. - Ali Khamenei announced that the Vienna Plan to deal with Iran’s current stock of enriched uranium is void. Iran will only participate in such a plan if the transfer of Iran’s uranium for fuel rods is conducted in Iran. Nov. 17 - The number of participants at demonstrations is being manipulated to discourage future participation in demonstrations. The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has announced that 89 suspects have been tried and sentenced for participation in demonstrations. Five of these people have received a death sentence and the rest sentences from six months to 15 years. World Threats
 Five men, including four from Greater Manchester, have been arrested in a series of counter-terrorism raids. The operations took place in Longsight, Fallowfield, Levenshulme, Deane in Bolton, Stalybridge and a hotel near Heathrow Airport. Those arrested are aged between 21 and 62 and the arrests relate to the incitement of terrorism overseas. Police said armed officers were not used in the raids, which took place at about 0400 GMT. No arrest was made at Stockport Road in Levenshulme, but an address was searched. Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thompson, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "This is a complex and ongoing investigation, which has now reached the point where it was necessary to make arrests and speak to a number of people. "There was no direct threat against Greater Manchester and the arrests are the latest stage of a thorough investigation. "We have been liaising with local people to provide reassurance about what has happened and will continue to keep a high profile presence in affected areas." Those living in nearby communities would see a "high-profile police presence", with police distributing letters around the areas concerned and speaking to residents to let people know what has happened, the force said. BBC
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Nov. 13 - In Sanandaj in the evening of November 12 more than 800 people and families of political prisoners gathered in Azadi Square and marched down Ferdosi Ave.
They were protesting against the execution of Ehsan Fatahian and demanding the revocation of execution warrants on eleven other prisoners in Sanandaj Prison. The march was held under conditions equivalent to a curfew.
Seven people were arrested when the SSF raided the crowd and they were taken to an unknown place. Eyewitness reports reported that the SSF even beat old people and women walking on the sidewalks and in the alleys. Some of the agents took photographs of people in the crowds for later identification. Nov. 13 - In Kermanshah at 2:30 PM more than 1200 residents gathered in Shahrak Karmadan Mosque to commemorate the death of Ehsan Fatahian.
Those present had pictures of Ehsan and placards reading “Eshan Fatahian - fallen for freedom”. Young people had hi picture in their hands and on them was written “each of us is an Ehsan”. Nov. 14 - Reports say that some female prisoners in Evin Prison are in critical condition.
Several are reported to have influenza and are in bad shape. The prison authorities have cut off all calls and visits to prevent this news from being reported. Further update here,,, Source: World Threats
 The arrests "[seem] to confirm what many people have suspected - that the security forces are susceptible to infiltration by insurgents or are just not up to the job." "Police arrested over Iraq bombing," from BBC News, October 29: Iraq has arrested more than 60 security force members, including 11 senior officers over Sunday's twin suicide bombing in the capital Baghdad. Those arrested include the commanders of 15 checkpoints near to where the attacks took place. The attack in which more than 150 people were killed and 500 injured was the deadliest in Baghdad for two years. Correspondents say the scale of the bombings raised new questions over the competence of Iraqi security forces. The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Baghdad says it is not clear whether those arrested are accused of negligence or collusion. However, he added, it seems to confirm what many people have suspected - that the security forces are susceptible to infiltration by insurgents or are just not up to the job. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in a BBC interview that he wanted the UN to investigate external interference, accusing Syria of providing a safe haven for the bombers, which Damascus has denied. A militant group linked to al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq, said on Tuesday that it had carried out the attacks in a claim that could not be independently verified....
 "The case involves the Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecutors from the national security unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office." Nonetheless, stand by for outrage and cries of victimhood from Islamic groups, regardless of what the evidence against this imam contains. "Leader of Detroit mosque killed, 11 charged in FBI raids," by Paul Egan for the Detroit News, October 28: Detroit -- The leader of a Detroit mosque was shot and killed Wednesday during a series of FBI raids that resulted in charges against 11 and the death of an FBI dog. At least six of those charged were in federal custody late Wednesday afternoon. The case involves the Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecutors from the national security unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office. A complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit names Luqman Ameen Abullah, imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit, as "a highly placed leader of a nationwide radical fundamentalist Sunni group." He was killed in the raid, according to a joint statement by federal officials. More than three people were arrested on charges including conspiracy to commit federal crimes, receipt of stolen goods, providing firearms to felons and changing vehicle identification numbers, said Special Agent Sandra Berchtold, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Detroit. Berchtold also confirmed that an FBI dog was shot and killed in one of the raids. The operation involved locations in Detroit and Dearborn. Yellow police tape was put up outside a trucking and warehouse firm on Miller Road just north of Michigan Avenue, and a Dearborn police car was parked outside. Another site involved in the raids was on Tireman near Interstate 96 on the city's west side.
 QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistan arrested 11 Iranians Monday near the countries' border amid tensions over a deadly suicide attack in Iran that Tehran alleges has links to Pakistani intelligence officials. Authorities first said the 11 were members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, but then reversed course and identified them only as security officers. They were arrested after shooting out the tires of a car carrying smugglers, Pakistan authorities said. The arrests could add to the strain between the two volatile nations triggered by the Oct. 18 attack on the Iranian side of the border. They came a day after the Pakistani president met Iran's interior minister and vowed to track down the perpetrators of the blast. Pakistan has been accused of supporting militant activities in two other neighboring countries, Afghanistan and India, greatly complicating relations with both of them. Strains in its relationship with another regional power would only add to Pakistan's problems as it battles al-Qaida and the Taliban within its borders. One Pakistani official later said three senior officers among the detainees probably belonged to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. Iran's Press TV carried what it described as a statement from the guard condemning the arrests, but saying that the 11 were not its members. The report cited "informed" sources as saying the arrested men were "border guards hunting fuel smugglers (who) accidentally entered Pakistan." In an attempt to boost security in the region, Iran put the Revolutionary Guard directly in control of Sistan-Baluchistan province in April. Its officers typically take the lead in any operations on Iran's border. The 11 officers were taken into custody in Mashkel district, about seven kilometers (four miles) from the countries' border in the southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan, paramilitary official Mohammad Naseer Baluch said. He said they were arrested soon after they shot out the tires of a car driven by "two petty smugglers." The Oct. 18 suicide attack killed 15 members of the Revolutionary Guard, including five senior commanders, and at least 27 others in the town of Pishin. Read more here,,,, Source: Foxnews
 Efrat Weiss Nine police officers were lightly injured Sunday stones and Molotov cocktails hurled at forces stationed at the Temple Mount as part of the high state of alert in the area. A female Australian reporter was lightly injured by stones in the Old City. Forces patrolling the area also noticed oil poured on the floor, apparently in order to cause the officers to slip and make their activity in the area more difficult. A police force entered the Temple Mount compound in order to catch the stone throwers, using shock grenades.
More than 18 people were arrested on the Mount and in its surroundings, including senior Fatah member Khatem Abdel Kader, who is charge of the Jerusalem portfolio in the Palestinian organization. Palestinians and members of the Waqf reported that at least eight worshippers were injured, but the police said they were unaware of any injuries.
Abdel Kader was arrested at the Temple Mount plaza after allegedly rioting, assaulting policemen and calling on worshippers to launch a parade. He was taken in for questioning by the Jerusalem Police's minority unit.
Three masked Arab men were arrested in the afternoon hours after hurling stones at the security forces in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. Police also detained Ali Abu Sheikha, No. 3 in the Islamic Movement's northern branch.
Abu Sheikha was arrested on suspicion of rioting and calling on residents to go out and demonstrate. In mid October he was detained on suspicion of inciting Arabs near the Temple Mount during the riots which began on Yom Kippur Eve.
Another incident was recorded when Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) tried to enter the Temple Mount but was stopped by the police. "This is extremely severe," Tibi said in response. "The police are violating the law. It's not in their authority. The al-Aqsa Mosque is not a closed military zone."
Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen told reporters while visiting the Mount, "I identify many large groups of east Jerusalem Arabs and Israeli Arabs who have arrived here following calls made by the Islamic Movement, whose leaders are here. I call on them to practice restraint and calm and not to incite.
"The Jerusalem Police will act firmly against any rioters on the Temple Mount. The inciters are the same people you know. It's impossible that the Israel Police will have to deal with the Islamic Movement every Sunday, and so we will handle this on the investigative level."
He clarified that the police did not enter the al-Aqsa Mosque and had no plans to do so.
The Jerusalem Police accused elements in the Islamic Movement and Hamas of inflaming the situation after calling on youngsters to riot on the Temple Mount on Saturday.
Read more here,,,,
Source: YNet
 Three Iranians have been arrested in connection to Sunday's suicide bombing attack in the country's southeast that killed at least 42 people, authorities say. A leading prosecutor on Tuesday said police detained the three on suspicion of involvement in the blast that struck the heart of the country's security forces in Sistan-Baluchestan. "Due to security reasons, I am not giving the details of their names, but these terrorists are Iranians," Mohammad Marziah, the prosecutor in Zahedan, the provincial capital, told Iran's Fars news agency. Authorities are also seeking a man who accompanied the suicide bomber, Marziah said. Fifteen members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were among those killed in the attack, which struck ahead of a meeting between Revolutionary Guards commanders and tribal chiefs. Throngs of uniformed mourners paid their respects for the dead at a funeral on Tuesday in Tehran, Iran's capital. A Sunni rebel group, Jundollah, has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian authorities have accused Pakistan of having links to the bombers, a charge Pakistan denies. Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, said members of the group accused of mounting the attack regularly criss-cross the frontier with Pakistan. "Members of this terrorist group regularly violate the border and launch attacks inside Iran," he said, without naming the group. "They cross into Iran illegally. They are based in Pakistan." Major-General Muhammad Ali Jafari, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, has named the prime suspect behind the bombing as Abd ul-Malik Rigi - who is believed to be based in Pakistan. Jafari said Tehran would send a delegation to Islamabad to deliver "proof to them so they know that the Islamic Republic is aware of Pakistan's support". He also expressed his belief that US and British intelligence services were involved and that there would "have to be retaliatory measures to punish them". But a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman has rejected the claim. "Pakistan is not involved in terrorist activities ... we are striving to eradicate this menace," he said. Washington has also denied involvement with the group, which it has labelled as a "terrorist" organisation, and has condemned the attack. Source: Al Jazeera (English)
 These events have been reported to World Threats. These people have been reported as arrested during the Qods Day demonstrations. Saeed Feraidoni, 24.
Amir Abdollahi, 28.
Majid Mahmoodianfar, 27.
Sajad Ghanbari Farsani, 21.
Karim Samadi, 30.
Mohaamad Hosseini, 18. On Monday and Tuesday, hundreds of families of detainees gathered in front of Evin Prison, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Revolutionary Courts. They were seeking information on their family members. In an interview of Kazem Jalali, head of the Parliament’s Security Commission, by the Fars news agency, about the fact that the National Council of Resistance of Iran had revealed the existence of the new nuclear site near Qom, Jalali said, “I don’t know what the Monafegin (PMOI) did but we do not have to announce a site before we finish it by law. Monafegin are trying to disrupt the negotiations.” The existence of this site was revealed by the NCRI in Paris on December 20, 2005. The Iranian judiciary has approved the death penalty for Hossein Alipour, 16, of Rasht. His offense was not reported. Two members of the Intelligence Bureau were killed during clashes last night. They had surrounded a house and warned the residents to come out and surrender themselves. The occupants of the house fired back and the two agents were killed. Three other agents were injured. the condition of the occupants of the residence is not reported. Mini-bus drivers protested on Monday, Sept. 28 that they had not received the promised new mini-buses. At 1730 last night, clashes began between demonstrators and security fores under Karimkhan Zand Bridge.
The security forces began to beat people as they organized to march to Haft-e-Tir Square.
Plainclothes officers on motorcycles were carrying baseball bats. these forces had been stationed in the area since 1550. Every 15 minutes the motorcycle officers would maneuver in the streets to intimidate the protesters. One lady sprayed with tear gas and one youth was arrested. A large number of students at Razi University in Kermanshah have been summoned to the Disciplinary Committee of the university. The students are being charged with “arousing disorder and breaking public belongings of the university”. the students defense is that the actions were political. Additional videos from Iran will be posted on the world Threats page on YouTube shortly. Source: World Threats
 Egyptian authorities have detained 16 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, the movement's number two told AFP on Sunday, bringing to 250 the number of members in jail. Security officials carried out the arrests late on Saturday in the Nile Delta province of Beheira, detaining former MP Gamal Heshmat as part of the group, Mohammed Habib said. While members of his Islamist group are periodically detained, Habib believes the latest wave could be linked to next year's parliamentary elections in which the Brotherhood is planning to run. "This is another attempt by the authorities to distance the Muslim Brotherhood from Egyptian political life," Habib said. "Right now we have no less than 250 members in jails. Some are being held while on trial, some are in preventative detention, some are in jail," he said. In 2005, the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest and most organised opposition group in the country, won 88 seats out of 454 in parliamentary elections marred by violence. The group is officially banned but fielded candidates as "independents." Muslim Brotherhood members are left to operate openly by the authorities and even have a working office in central Cairo, but the group is subject to regular crackdowns. Source: Asharq Alawsat
 The Pakistan Taliban's spokesman Muslim Khan is among five Taliban leaders arrested in the country's northwestern Swat Valley by Pakistani security forces. Army officials on Friday said their forces had detained the five, including Mahmood Khan, a senior Taliban commander, in a "successful operation" in the valley. "Muslim Khan and Mahmood Khan with head money of 10 million rupees ($120,500) have been arrested by security forces," Athar Abbas, the chief military spokesman, said in a statement. "Along with them, three other terrorist leaders - Fazle Ghaffar, Abdul Rehman and Sartaj - have been also been apprehended," he said. Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, said the Taliban said some of the men had been negotiating with the military when they were arrested. "The Taliban Swat spokesman Salman, who is officiating in the absence of Muslim Khan, said that the Taliban had started peace talks with the Pakistani military eight days ago," Hyder said.
 By Daily Mail ReporterOfficers were trying today to identify more people involved in violent scenes at a right-wing protest which resulted in dozens of arrests.
More than 30 people were arrested in Birmingham city centre yesterday when anti-fascist campaigners fought with supporters of a rally against Islamic fundamentalism by The English Defence League (EDL). As shoppers looked on, gangs of men and youths hurled bottles at one another and pelted riot police with bricks in the New Street area of the city, close to the main train station.
The disorder - which followed similar violent scenes at an EDL protest last month - involved around 200 people and spilled on to the adjoining Bennetts Hill, a street lined with a number of pubs popular with shoppers.West Midlands Police said a group of more than 20 men were arrested on a bus in Digbeth High Street.Later a 'significant' number of people were also detained from buses that left the Bennetts Hill area. They were taken into custody at stations across the city.Detective Chief Inspector Sue Southern said: 'Officers acted quickly and robustly to quell pockets of disorder caused by several groups of 20 to 30 men.
'Shoppers in and around the Bullring shopping centre were unaffected by the disorder, with retailers reporting no effect on trade.'She added: 'Officers will continue to work to identify any persons involved in the disorder.'If criminal acts or racially aggravated incidents are reported, then police will arrest and prosecute anyone found to be responsible.'
Police said they were well prepared after last month's trouble.
Earlier this week the force, along with Birmingham City Council, obtained an order from the Home Secretary banning protesters from the Bullring area of the city, under section 14a of the Public Order Act. Under the same legislation, Chief Constable Chris Sims passed an order restricting the protests to two locations - Lancaster Circus and Old Square. But after meeting on Broad Street in the city's entertainment district, demonstrators proceeded to New Street, around half a mile away, and trouble ensued.Publishing details of the protest plans on its website, the English Defence League had urged supporters to avoid being drawn into violent clashes. It said: 'We would like to state that anyone who wishes to cause trouble, or use this demonstration to voice any other issues other than Islamic fundamentalists, radical Islam and Sharia will be turned away. 'We are not a fascist organisation and urge anyone who knows of anybody who is intent on causing trouble on the day to contact us.'The group predicted the demonstrations would be a 'great day out', adding: 'We are confident that, due to the support and communications with West Midlands Police, this looks set to be a great day out for all concerned.' Ms Southern said: 'The chair of the city centre partnership has commented on how successful today's operation has been in enabling the busy retail area of Birmingham to carry on trading unaffected by events elsewhere.' Source: Mail Online
 Pakistan security officials show seized weapons
and ammunition in Karachi on Sunday after
the arrest of seven alleged militantsPakistani authorities have launched a massive crackdown on terror groups that they say were planning numerous suicide attacks, including in the country's largest city of Karachi. At least 24 suspects were arrested Sunday and Monday, including three people carrying suicide jackets and explosives inside a bus station, a police official said. The three were seized early Monday after police raided a bus station in Sargodha, a city located about 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Islamabad in Pakistan's Punjab province.The suspects were plotting to attack two Shiite mosques, police stations, and a Norwegian telecommunications company in Punjab, according to district police officer Usman Anwar. Three other suspects linked to the plot were arrested hours later in Sargodha, he said. The arrests come a day after the Pakistani Taliban's chief in Punjab was arrested, along with five others, according to Anwar. The Taliban in Punjab have direct ties to Baitullah Mehsud, the former head of the Pakistan Taliban, and have been accused of sectarian murders in Punjab. Pakistan and U.S. officials contend Mehsud was killed in an August 5 drone attack in Waziristan at his father-in-law's house. The Taliban claim Mehsud is alive but ill. Hakeemullah Mehsud has been selected as the new head of the Pakistani Taliban, a Taliban commander said Saturday. Pakistani authorities also said they thwarted planned attacks in the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and the capital of Sindh province. Five suspected members of the Pakistani Taliban were seized Sunday in Karachi, along with suicide vests and a large quantity of ammunition, according to the city's police superintendent Mohammed Fayyaz Khan. Read more here ... Source: CNN
 IRAN says it has freed five of the local British embassy staff it arrested on accusations of stoking post-election unrest, a move that further threatened tense ties with London. "Eight people were arrested. Five were freed and three are still being interrogated,'' ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said at a press conference in Tehran today. Earlier, English-language state television Press TV had spoken of a total of nine arrests. Mr Ghashghavi also said that Iran, which has accused Western nations, particularly Britain and the US of "meddling,'' has no current plans to close embassies or downgrade diplomatic ties with foreign nations. "There is no plan at the moment to close any embassy or downgrade ties with them,'' Mr Ghashghavi said when asked if Tehran planned to close the British embassy. The Fars news agency, announcing the arrests yesterday, said the British embassy staffers were accused of playing a "considerable role'' in the unrest that swept Iran after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie accused the British embassy of sending local staff "undercover among rioters in order to push its own agenda,'' the official IRNA news agency reported. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said yesterday that London had protested strongly over the arrests, which he described as "harassment and intimidation'' and dismissed claims the embassy was behind the demonstrations. EU nations also vowed to respond to any harassment of diplomats in Iran with a "strong and collective response'', Mr Miliband said at an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Corfu. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki - who has previously said Tehran was considering downgrading its ties with London - urged Britain and the EU not to take rash action over the arrests. "Don't continue with this losing game because this is neither in the interests of the British people nor the two countries' relations that have (already) been damaged because of the British Government's behaviour,'' he said. He also called for European countries and officials to "revise their stand'' towards Iran, after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused European and American officials of making "idiotic comments'' about the country. Britain and Iran have already expelled diplomats in tit-for-tat moves last week. Source: The Australian
Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh, a member of the Islamist group's politburo, Fathi Lashin, a former judge, Gamal Abdel Salam of the Arab doctors union, and teacher Abdel Rahman al-Gamal, were detained, the group said on Sunday. "The arrests are part of the regime's attempt to cut the Brotherhood off from Egyptian political life," the group's number two Mohammed Habib said on the website. He said more than 140 members had been arrested in recent weeks. The Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition movement, is officially banned but members operate openly in the name of the group despite frequent government crackdowns. It fielded candidates running as "independents" in the 2005 election, clinching one fifth of the seats in parliament, which is controlled by President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party. Egypt's next legislative election is scheduled for 2010. Source:The Australian
 AFP CAIRO — International human rights organizations said Wednesday that many prominent activists and politicians have been arrested in response to protests over the Iran's disputed election. Hadi Ghaemi, director of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights, said he had spoken with family members and colleagues of people who have been arrested or disappeared and was told that there were at least 200 across the country. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the rights groups' reports due to government restrictions on reporting inside the country. The Iranian government has said that it has arrested a relatively small number of people responsible for violence and other crimes. Ghaemi said one of the latest to be arrested was Ebrahim Yazdi, who was foreign minister after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1979 revolution and is now leader of the banned but tolerated Freedom Movement of Iran. Ghaemi said Yazdi was arrested in the intensive care unit of Pars Hospital in Tehran. Analyst Saeed Leilaz was arrested Wednesday by plainclothes security officers at his home, said his wife, Sepehrnaz Panahi. Ghaemi also said that Mohammad-Reza Jalaipour, another noted Iranian analyst, was detained. The BBC's Farsi-language news site said Jalaipour is a student at Oxford and was arrested at the airport upon trying to leave Iran with his wife, Fatemeh Shams. A plainclothes officer did not give a reason for the arrest, Shams told the BBC. Amnesty International said that 17 political activists were detained and taken to "unspecified locations" Monday night after they staged a peaceful protest in a square in Tabriz, north-western Iran. Amnesty said Ghaffari Farzadi, a leading member of the Iran Freedom Movement and a lecturer at Tabriz University, was also arrested, according to witnesses they spoke to at the university. Amnesty said a crackdown on about 3,000 protesters in the north-western city of Oroumiye led to the deaths of two people and the detention of hundreds. In the southern city of Shiraz, tear gas was used in a university library where security forces beat students and detained about 100 people, the group said. And in the northern town of Babol, armed paramilitaries and plain-clothed officials surrounded Babol University and targeted students in dormitories, witnesses told Amnesty. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said other people who have disappeared or been arrested include: — Prominent reformer Saeed Hajjarian, an advisor to former president Mohammad Khatami, paralyzed in an assassination attempt in 2000. — Mohammad Tavasoli, the director of the political office of the Freedom Movement of Iran, arrested June 16. — Human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani, arrested in his office by security forces posing as clients. — Human rights activist Shiva Nazarahari. — Journalist Mahsa Amrabadi. — Former spokesperson for Khatami Abdolah Ramezanzadeh. — Politician Mostafa Tajzadeh. — Political activists Mohsen Aminzadeh, Mohammad Atrianfar, and Mohammad Tavasoli. — Freedom Movement members Ahmad Afjeiee, Emad Bahavar, Mojtaba Khandan, Saieed Zeraatkar, Rouholah Shafiee, Ali Mehrdad, and Mohammad-Reza Ahmadinia. — Members of the reformist Islamic Participation Front: Ali PourKhayeri, Shahin Nourbakhsh, Ali Taghipour Mohammad Shokuhi, Ashkan Mojaleli, Maysam Varahchehre, Mahdieh Minavi, and Farhad Nasrollahpour. — Members of the Central Council of the University Alumni group ADVAR: general secretary Ahmad Zaydabadi, Hadi Kahal and Hamed Iranshahi. — Activists Payam Haydar Ghazvini, Nasim Riahi, Mojtaba Rajabi, and Atar Rashidi in Ghazvin province. Source: FoxNews
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