It's Time to Shoot Some Pirates

Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, tried to sabotage tree-lighting ceremony

(USER SUBMITTED) - An Oregon man was arrested last night and charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction after trying to detonate a car bomb at a tree-lighting ceremony. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, a US citizen born in Somalia, drove a van to Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland and attempted to detonate a dummy explosive charge that had been rigged by the FBI, reports the Oregonian . "This defendant's chilling determination is a stark reminder that there are people—even here in Oregon—who are determined to kill Americans," said a state US attorney. More»

(AP) - A suicide bombing outside a hotel in western Somalia killed at least 20 people today including the national security minister. The Somali president accused al-Qaeda of being behind the attack. A witness said a small car headed toward the gate of the Medina Hotel in Belet Weyne, then drove into vehicles leaving the hotel and exploded. More»

Counterterrorism agencies fear emergence of homegrown terror cells

(NEWSER) - US counter-terrorism agencies are warning of a mounting terror threat as Somali extremists linked to al-Qaeda recruit Americans, the Washington Post reports. Agencies are probing the disappearance of a number of young Somali-Americans now believed to be in Somalia, and cite the case of Shirwa Ahmed, who lived in Minneapolis before becoming a suicide bomber in Somalia last October, as cause for concern. More»

Three children were among those held hostage

(NEWSER) - The Danish family held hostage by Somali pirates since February has been released and is safe. Jan Quist Johansen, his wife, their three children between the ages of 12 and 16, and two adult crew members are in “relatively good condition,” according to Denmark’s foreign ministry and the BBC , and will return home soon. Soldiers from the Puntland State of Somalia were killed in March in a failed rescue attempt, and a $3 million ransom was ultimately paid for the family’s release. More»

Suspect in Arlington National Cemetery reportedly had al-Qaeda literature

(NEWSER) - Roads around the Pentagon were closed today after police detained a man in Arlington National Cemetery and found his car in bushes near the Pentagon. Park police stopped the man overnight because the cemetery was closed, and found that he was carrying what was believed at the time to be ammonium nitrate and spent automatic weapon ammunition, according to ABC News . An FBI agent now says "the products found are determined right now to be inert." He was also reportedly carrying a notebook with phrases like “Taliban rules” and “defeated coalition forces” written in it. More»