Tone-Deaf Terror Suspect Auditioned for Idol

If Josh Seater had been a terrorist...

(NEWSER) - Though the story initially got a laugh, no one is chuckling about the fact that Josh Seater was able to waltz up to a 7.8M gallon , open-air reservoir in Portland and pee in it while drunk last month. The incident led officials to drain the entire basin, and also raised doubts about the safety of our water supply, the AP reports. Portland lays claim to five of approximately 30 such reservoirs in 12 cities around the country; they contain treated water that is piped directly to Americans' faucets. More»

Female may have been avenging death of her husband at Russia's hands

(NEWSER) - The suicide bombers who killed 35 in Monday’s Moscow airport attack are thought to be from a “Black Widow” squad that trained in Pakistan. The female bomber was seen in the arrivals crowd before detonating the bomb, and her black clothes and veil indicate she was a “Black Widow” bomber avenging the death of her husband at the hands of Russian security forces. She was accompanied by a male who was killed, and officials are seeking three others who watched from a distance, the Telegraph reports. More»

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»

Recent bomb scares give insight into their plan

(NEWSER) - The Yemen-based mail bomb plot offers new insight into what, exactly, terrorists are planning next. Aviation expert Clive Irving runs down their apparent plan in the Daily Beast :

• The goal: Blow up a plane over a major US city.
• The location: Most likely over “the great urban sprawl along the Great Lakes”—the intended target of the “ underwear bomber ”—where the densely populated area is so large that the terrorists have “plenty of leeway for a timed explosion.”

Plus, 20 NATO oil tankers attacked

(NEWSER) - As Japan joined the list of countries issuing travel alerts for Europe, intelligence officials report that dozens of Muslim militants with European citizenship are believed to be training in Pakistan for terror missions—possibly in Europe. One senior Pakistani official puts the number of such extremists at "several dozen," and says at least one is a former F-16 pilot in the Turkish air force. Officials believe Osama bin Laden is behind the plots, the AP notes. More»