UK's Anti-Terror Chief Quits Over Photo Faux Pas

Police swooped over alleged plot after city visit

(NEWSER) - A Colorado man believed to be a central figure in a New York City terror investigation denies he has links to al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group, the New York Times reports. Police raided three apartments in Queens after Najibullah Zazi visited the city last week. Materials were removed for examination but no arrests have been made, sparking accusations from federal officials that New York authorities moved in too soon, before the nature of the terror plot—if there was one—could be known. More»

Government seeks to deport men busted in touted sweep

(NEWSER) - Nine of the 11 suspects arrested in Britain's terror raids earlier this month have been released without charge due to lack of evidence, the Telegraph reports. The release of the remaining two is expected soon. The government is seeking to deport the men—suspected of being involved in what Prime Minister Gordon Brown labeled "a very big terrorist plot"—on grounds of national security. More»

Investigators probing Pakistani extremists' links to al-Qaeda

(NEWSER) - Britain's arrest of a dozen terror suspects this week—nearly overshadowed by the public blunder and subsequent resignation of a top terror official—is believed to have foiled a major plot to bomb Easter shoppers, sources tell the Daily Telegraph. The suspects, mostly Pakistani nationals in the UK on student visas, received orders from al-Qaeda and had smuggled bomb-making equipment into the country, said investigators. More»

'New York Times' dives into president's counterterrorism approach

(NEWSER) - The New York Times is running what is undoubtedly today's biggest talker—in terms of both length and heft. The paper interviewed three dozen current and past Obama advisers in an attempt to define the president's counterterrorism approach—a topic it describes using words such as baffling, confounding, paradoxical, and inscrutable. Among the most notable talking points:

• Some 100 national security officials meet via video teleconference near weekly as part of a Pentagon-led "secret nominations process" (described as "an invention of the Obama administration") in which they review potential additions to the "kill list" of suspected terrorists.
• Nominations are communicated to Obama, who himself approves every single name added to the "kill list," after reviewing potential targets' bios. He OKs "lethal action without hand-wringing."

PM defends intelligence service's handling of Mohamed Merah

(NEWSER) - France is wondering whether more could have been done to prevent Mohamed Merah's deadly series of attacks. The al-Qaeda-inspired killer—who was shot dead yesterday after a 32-hour standoff —had a violent criminal record, had been put under surveillance after trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and was on the US no-fly list, but managed to amass an arsenal of at least eight guns and carry out three attacks in 10 days before being identified, reports Reuters . More»