FBI foils terror bid to attack India and Denmark

The FBI arrested David Coleman Headley, a Chicago resident earlier this month for plotting terror-attacks overseas, including India. He was arrested along with a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin by the FBI’s joint terrorism task force. Headley, a U.S. citizen who resides primarily in Chicago, was arrested on Oct. 3, 2009, by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) at O’Hare International Airport before boarding a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan.

Reports also indicated that they planned to attack the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, which published some cartoons of the prophet, including one with a bomb as a turban, in 2005.

Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, was planning to use an American national to carry out another major attack in India, the FBI said Tuesday.

26/11 Attack on India

Indian sleuths would now join their FBI counterparts on Monday to ineterrogate David Coleman Headley, for his role and association in a attack plot on India, as fresh inputs indicated that he was planning to visit Pakistan this month. Indian investigators from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) are also expected to probe the terror-drug nexus as it has come to light that Headley was charged by a federal court in New York in 1997 with smuggling heroin to the US.

In 1997 he was still operating under his name Daood Saleem Gilani; under which name the case is still in the court records which also shows he was living in New York. Gilani was sentenced to a 15-month prison term in that case. He was travelling to Pakistan and bringing heroin back.

One of Headley’s cousins, Farid Gilani of Philadelphia, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he spoke to Headley over the phone about a month ago. “He was supposed to come (and) visit me, but he never came,” Farid Gilani was quoted as saying. “He said ‘I am going back home to Pakistan.”

Source: deccanherald.com

A Department of Justice press release sourced from it website lists the details of arrest as well as charges on the two accused:

Headley, a U.S. citizen who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 and resides primarily in Chicago, was arrested on Oct. 3, 2009, by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) at O’Hare International Airport before boarding a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving murder and maiming outside the United States and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to that overseas terrorism conspiracy.

Rana, a native of Pakistan and citizen of Canada who also primarily resides in Chicago, was arrested on Oct. 18, 2009, at his home by federal agents. Rana is the owner of several businesses, including First World Immigration Services, which has offices on Devon Avenue in Chicago, as well as in New York and Toronto. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorism conspiracy that involved Headley and at least three other specific individuals in Pakistan.

Source: justice.gov

In a related development, a senior Pakistan diplomat has come under the FBI scanner for his links with the two accused arrested individuals. Aman Rashid, who is currently Pakistan’s consul general in Chicago, was trying to help Headley acquire a Pakistan visa, the FBI said in its chargesheet while suggesting that he may not have been aware of the true identity of Headley and the purpose of his visit to the country.

A revised FBI chargesheet said that Rashid and the two accused went to the same military high school in a town called Hasan Abdal, 40 km northwest of Rawalpindi in northern Punjab. FBI also found that Rashid, Headley and Rana were all Abdalians, as former students of the Cadet College Hasan Abdal school describe themselves. The FBI told the court that postings to a Yahoo group of graduates of the military school suggested that both Headley and Rana were members of the group.

The FBI said that Rana was in touch with Rashid for arranging Pakistan visa for Headley to facilitate his visit to NWFP where he was scheduled to meet LeT leaders. “On or about September 25, 2009, Rana spoke by telephone with the consul general at the Pakistani consulate in Chicago in an effort to obtain a five-year visa for Headley to travel to Pakistan. It is clear from the email traffic unrelated to terrorist plotting that the consul general knows Rana and Headley personally as all three attended the same high school,” the FBI stated in its chargesheet filed in a Chicago court.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The transcripts of phone conversations and emails in FBI’s possession indicate that LeT was planning to use Headley for attack on an Indian actor named “Rahul”. Headley is reported to have divulged to the FBI his intention to travel to Pakistan in early October where he was supposed to meet with an unidentified LeT individual and another man named (Ilyas) Kashmiri, an LeT terrorist who was earlier with Pakistan’s Special Services Group.

While the Indian Home Minister, P Chidambaram clarified that it is not Congress leaders “Rahul” Gandhi it may be a code name for some other leader or individual.

“It is not the Rahul that you think it is. It could be a pseudonym, it could be a code name but please be assured that it is not the Rahul that you think is,” he (Chidamabaram) said.

Source: deccanherald.com

The DoJ release indicated that there was no “imminent threat” in the Chicago area.

There was no imminent danger in the Chicago area, officials said, adding that the charges are unrelated to recent terror plot arrests in Boston, New York, Colorado, Texas and central Illinois.

Source: justice.gov

At the same time, the October 18 raids on the goat farm house of Rana have become the talk of the Kinsman town on the outskirts of Chicago, when nearly 100 sleuths with helicopters and latest equipment landed up. Incidentally, there are three nuclear power plants near Kinsman. A Kinsman resident told a local daily that the raid was upsetting as no one was aware of what was going on until the FBI announcement made public the arrest of the two early this week.

The US state department has meanwhile issued a short term “travel alert” advising Americans “to monitor local news reports and consider the level of security present when visiting public places, including religious sites, or choosing hotels, restaurants, entertainment and recreation venues.’’ The “travel alert’’ is different from the “travel warning,’’ as describes short-term conditions. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal in the region are on a “travel warning”, alongwith other nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Philippines among others.

NowPublic

From Udaipur, with love

Twas the morning of Diwali when I left the Salvation Army dorm and hopped in a taxi to the airport. Most of the streets of the city were empty which gave Mumbai a completely different look and it was bizarre to see the place devoid of chaos! The airport experience is like any other I suppose apart from the fact that Indian people don’t queue very well; a moments lapse in concentration sees you elbowed aside and overtaken. I’ve been here long enough though and my elbows bare the battle scars of many a fallen Indian queue skipper!

The only things wrong with my flight were all my own doing. I was at the airport way too early which I blame solely on Yvonne’s insistence over the past few years to give yourself way too much time hanging around airports. The second thing I did wrong was fall asleep during the flight and miss breakfast! When I finally woke up I noticed all the trays of food being collected. One of the air hostesses noticed my sad face and asked if I wanted my food now that I was awake. I nodded, delighted at my second chance, but as she was coming back we hit some crazy turbulence and she had more pressing things to attend to – such as all the guys who suddenly decided to go to the toilet when it was impossible to do so. They were thrown around the cabin like rag dolls until the air hostesses rescued them. Idiots.

After landing at Udaipur airport I was picked up by an arranged taxi driver and, surprisingly, the owner of the guesthouse I’d booked. I thought it a bit odd that the hotel owner had come all the way to collect me and even odder that he’d waited around despite my flight being an hour late (not sure how that happened). I’d given him the flight number the day before but he was frustrated I hadn’t told him where I was flying from… I started to explain flight numbers but then gave up. The guesthouse was nice and comfortable but the real star of the place was the view; Udaipur is stunning! Imagine a little bit of Venice airlifted and plopped into India and you get a picture of the cities old town area. From my guesthouse I could see all the main sites in the surrounding area and after the dorm experience of the previous few nights I was delighted to have an en-suite room and a bed-bug free bed!

In many ways the star of the city isn’t any of its fancy palaces or temples but instead the man-made lake which the city straddles. Lake Pichola was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II once the city was founded by flooding the local village of Pichola but even with this enlargement it’s quite shallow and can apparently dry out occasionally. The lake has two islands (I’ll discuss one later) and the east side is home to the City Palace which swoops right down to the waters edge and towers into the sky above it. It’s a real fairytale palace and despite being made up of many building built by different rulers at different times it all seems to come together and work. The most interesting of the two islands on the lake is Jagniwas Island but it’s better known as The Lake Palace Hotel. This square 1.5 hectare island is completely covered by a palace that is now a luxury hotel and plays host to Indias Bollywood stars and elite. If you’re not staying at the hotel the only way to get across is by booking lunch or dinner both of which were out of my price range. However my ever eager guesthouse owner promised to arrange a special visit for me with his friend that would cost me nothing. Alas, just before departure he regretfully informed me that a very rich businessman was having his wedding there and plebs like me would be shot on sight.

When I arrived at the guesthouse I got talking to a group of English volunteers working for NGO’s over here and taking a few days to relax in Udaipur. They invited me out to dinner and drinks and seeing as I didn’t want to be alone for Diwali I tagged along. I haven’t explained Diwali yet and I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it a few times. Diwali is India’s most popular Hindu event and is also known as the Festival of Lights. In this respect it doesn’t disappoint as every street, every shop, every house and vehicle is lit up in some way and on the night itself the whole place seems to sparkle. Even the rivers are alight as candles are set afloat along the water to guide Lord Rama home.

This theme of lights also means fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks! I cannot describe how many explosions light up the night sky and how deafening the constant explosions become. Myself and the English volunteers sat on a rooftop bar overlooking the city and we were soon joined by more of their friends. We had a great vantage point for the festivities and thought we were safe from the thousands of bangers being thrown around the streets (I dislike bangers) but what we didn’t count on was how close we’d be to fireworks exploding. Once or twice it actually felt like we were inside the explosions of colour and as we took photos one particular firework blew up at the level of our table, about 3metres away. I don’t know how someone didn’t lose an eye, or a face for that matter, but with that we took our cue to move inside!

The next morning I’d agreed to go with some of the group for a horse ride. It was nice and relaxing and a good chance to see some of the (pretty sparse) Rajasthan countryside. Later on we went for dinner and once again I met with someone who I’d seen earlier in the trip. It’s amazing how it happens when you consider there’s no ‘tourist route’ through India and that it’s a country with a billion people but by the side of the lake I met up with Matt, who I’d met in Goa. We went for a drink and agreed to rent bicycles the next day and go exploring. The horse ride had left me a little sore so getting onto a bicycle wasn’t ideal, especially with the giant and wide Indian bike seats they have here. Yeesh!

The bike ride took us out of the city and around by Fateh Sagar (another lake, this time housing a garden island called Nehru Park) and up and down back-roads to Badi Ka Talab (Tiger Lake). It was quite a cycle considering the heat and the mostly uphill route! Along the way we met an English couple working in a nearby animal shelter and they invited us in for a look around. It was a pretty grim experience. Most of the animals on the streets over here look on their last limbs as it is so you can imagine the cases that are seen as severe enough to take into care. Dogs that had survived car accidents but had been horribly disfigured, dogs that had been paralysed, or had rabies, or mange. There was also donkeys and cows and birds and all in all it wasn’t really the most pleasant place, despite the good work the people running it were doing.

Anyway, Tiger Lake was nice but we didn’t go for a swim as it’s got a bit of a crocodile problem. What we decided to do was cycle to Monsoon Palace for sunset which is a lovely spot… if you’re driving up! It’s a 4km climb up along winding mountain roads and when you’re trying to cycle it’s an absolute nightmare. We had to push our bikes about 3km and as cars sped past they’d beep, or people would look at us and say that we were mad. We were mad. It nearly killed us. On reaching the palace we were met with the stunned faces of those who’d driven past. I don’t think they expected us to make it but some of them had words of congratulations! After a quick Coca-Cola we sat within the crowds and watched as the sun disappeared.

The moment it did set we sprang into action, jumped on our bikes and freewheeled all the way down. Only the fastest cars could overtake us and the whole ordeal was made worthwhile just for that downhill sprint. Exhilarating! On returning to Udaipur we went to a recommended thali restaurant and stuffed our faces. This particular restaurant only served thali so there’s no menu. It’s also all you can eat so a small army of men is constantly scouring the room for an emptying plate. Once they see some space for more food on your plate they slop it down and you start from scratch. What a place!

One last thing about Udaipur; it’s the city where large parts of the Bond movie Octopussy was shot. The locals have been living off this for a long time! Every single restaurant, hotel or bar advertises the fact that they screen the movie every night at 7pm. We found one such place, which turned out to be some guys sitting room, and watched it. How ridiculous is Roger Moore?

Naughty Dog shows the way in action

IF Steven Spielberg plans to produce any more Indiana Jones movies, he would benefit from a play-through of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

The veteran director’s attempt to revive the once-proud action-adventure franchise was panned by critics globally because of a lack of substance and cohesive story.

Everything the movie missed — action, adventure and attractive visuals, tied together by a good story — is present in the cinematic game Among Thieves published by Naughty Dog. It enhances the successful combination of action and adventure games elements that made its predecessor, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, a hit.

The action begins in the game’s very first moments, when the main character Drake has to climb out of a train suspended over a cliff, and sequences become increasingly complex — such as the use of stealth attacking techniques — as the game progresses. The action is broken up by complex puzzles and interspersed with dramatic movie scenes to lift the Uncharted franchise above the sea of mindless shoot-em-ups.

Stunning graphics complement the stimulating gameplay and are some of the finest ever on the PlayStation 3.

Womans World - Indian Brides in Demand

One of the cousin brothers is getting engaged today and while I am happy, here is another wicket down and I shudder to go to the function because the pressure it would pile up on me. Everyone who happens to know me or my parents would now ask me and them, “When are you getting hitched?” or “We have some girls who are right for you?” to which I just respond with a smile because frankly my dears, I dont give a damn. I dont think I would make a good life partner and it would be unfair on my part to subject another human to the torture. The secret to happiness is to surround yourself with people (not things) you enjoy spending time with. Marriage is a shortcut (not always successfully trodden) because it gives an opportunity for people to create other people (read, children) and force them to spend time with you. That sounds a lot like human rights violations if put it this way, neh?
Heavy stuff, eh? But just listening to process of how the match was arranged – the home visits, the matrimonial sites, the photos and profiles et al. I could not but help but realize that when it comes to marriage (of the urban middle class atleast), it seems that brides are the ones in demand. It is a womans world out there. All that female infaniticide and ladies quotas in professional education is reaping some benefits to the fairer sex. Prospective brides these days have plenty of choices and liberal parents which is coming down to grooms chasing them not very unlike…

harish engagement, hitch pressure, secret to happiness, create own people, force childen, arranged match, brides demand, female infanticide, ladies quota, urban middle class, grooms chase girls, money garlands, DC subhani

Guerrilleros maoístas asaltan el 'Rajdhani Expres'

Cientos de guerrilleros maoístas irrumpieron este martes en un tren de alta velocidad en el este de India y desde sus vagones se enfrentaron a las fuerzas de seguridad, según ha informado la Policía local. El ‘Rajdhani Exprés’, uno de los trenes de pasajeros más prestigiosos del país, fue detenido por los maoístas cuando cruzaba el estado de Bengala Occidental, en el este del país. “Unos 300 maoístas han detenido el tren y han expulsado al conductor”, indicó un oficial de policía, Dilip Mitra.

Los maoístas, que han aumentado sus actos violentos en el este y centro de India, pidieron a los pasajeros que salieran del tren, según informan canales locales de televisión. “Uno de los policías ha sido herido, y seguimos enfrentándonos con los rebeldes”, informó Mitra.

Los rebeldes maoístas suelen atacar los trenes de mercancías en este país y anteriormente han secuestrado trenes de pasajeros en diferentes distritos de India antes de darse a la fuga. La rebelión de los maoístas comenzó hace cuatro décadas para defender la causa de los pobres del este, pero se ha extendido a unos 20 de los 29 estados del país, mientras los rebeldes hacen de la Policía y las propiedades gubernamentales su objetivo.

(Fuente El País)

Prof. Matuk Nath Chaudhary and Julie in JNU campus: A multimedia report

The uninitiated may read about “love guru” Professor Matuk Nath and Julie, arguably India’s most controversial couple, here and here. Yesterday evening [10 pm to midnight], the duo [both one-time JNU students] addressed the JNU students at Sutlej hostel of the JNU campus and concluded it with a Q and A session. This is a brief multimedia report of the public meeting on the issue Love and Society Today.

Prof. Matuk Nath was a JNU student in the 1970s and also narrated some of his humorous experiences of the campus. The duo spoke in Hindi [Julie had a throat issue and spoke little only interjecting at times to buttress some points put forward by the professor]. I’ll make my prejudices clear in the beginning: I do not like them but that is neither here nor there. The programme was anchored by Prakash K Ray and Zahid.

His admission in JNU was a unique incident [1976]

After a brief introduction [including a sharp reproof to those who had whistled] by Prakash K Ray and Zahid, Prof. Matuknath started his speech in chaste Hindi recounting his first interaction with the JNU Campus way back in 1976. Clueless about the admission procedure, he ["भुचंगड़ देहाती"] had come to Sutlej Hostel with “bedding and trunk” and the application form. A Sutlej resident Madhukar Anand, a total stranger to him, was very hospitable to him and he was overwhelmed by that ‘first love.’

He had gone to the JNU officials and was told that the last date for applying to JNU was over and that that day was the day of the entrance examination! Matuk Nath produced a letter of recommendation from some VIP and the dean yielded (“special case”) and he was allowed to write the JNU entrance examination! He was selected and later allotted Room No. 107 of the Sutlej Hostel! This was indeed a surprising account on JNU and the audience suitably clapped as they lapped it up.

He called himself a ‘manu’ [progenitor; 'Sutlej hostel was deserted but after he came here it was teeming with people and flourished']. Prof. Matuk Nath was visibly overwhelmed and said it was a great moment of his life (“dream come true”) that he was here in his alma mater speaking to the JNU community.

Prof. Matuk Nath on Love and Society

 

Speaking on Love and Society Today, Prof. Matuk Nath said the society wants us to love everything except loving a woman (“Stri se prem mat karo”) and that we were living like donkeys and bulls! It is the responsibility of the youth to raise questions on this and argue for the ‘freedom of thoughts.’ While elaborately justifying his love for Julie, he touched upon various issues relating to love including physical love, male-female natural attraction, self-control in love among other things. He also drew an analogy between sex and snakes (’snakes are beautiful creatures but we have been tutored to hate and fear them’).

He invited questions form the audience and answered all of them without being shy of any question or feeling any embarrassment. One of his students was also present who claimed to have campaigned for him during the elections. Mr. Zahid regretted that he did not had the opportunity to be taught by Prof. Matuk Nath unlike that student who was given a warm welcome. When asked what he would have done if he were in the Parliament, he said this meeting itself was like the parliament to him and regretted that good people like those in the audience were not reaching the parliament.

I asked him if there was any ‘guarantee’ that he will not fall in love again and quit Julie as well to which he said that he was least concerned about that and it is Julie who has chosen her and not the vice versa:

The beauty of love is in the fact that there is no guarantee in it! छूट जाए तो छूट जाए!

मेरा वश नहीं है. अगर मेरे कारण होता तो में किसको छोड़ता!

Julie interjected to add that the whole world was suddenly eager about her condition. Prof. Matuk Nath explained that that any male would fall for Julie and it was this suppressed sexual desire ["अतृप्त काम भावना"] that was to be blamed for the male concern towards Julie’s future and life ["कौन युवक इससे प्रेम नहीं करेगा"] and the public outcry against their relationship.

Prof. Matuk Nath was said he was very happy with life having discovered the true essence of life. A major theme of his speech was that there was no freedom and respite from sexual desire ["वासना से मुक्ति का कोई प्रश्न नहीं है!"] and that physical love and mental love cannot be seen as divorced from each other.

Both Prof. Matuk Nath and Julie were quite phlegmatic during the complete meeting unlike some members of the audience. The people may have clapped more than once but the general mood was not necessarily of an approval to their union and people had gathered to see him more than anything else. Most of the questions from the students in fact questioned him on their relationship. Matuk Nath also said he can only speak on ‘Matuknathi love’ and not Freudian love [question by Samar]. A student in the crowd said this after the event: “It feels like I heard the Shahrukh Khan in Mohabattein!”

Download/listen to full audio

I suggest you download the full audio or listen it [Hindi] online if you are interested in his full speech. It may be a good document for anybody interested in doing research on love, sex, conjugal and other social issues.

Want More Photos

Click here for more photos of the event.

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I made these rose petal cookies to welcome diego back from his resent trip to Madrid. They are made with rose essential oil which we brought back from India. When we were there one evening after sunset we found a hidden back alley shop filled with the most amazing essential oils. After sniffing several dozen bottles and feeling my nose numbing with impressions I chose a few select and had the thick honey liquids poured into little crystal flacons.