Chair of the Center for the Study of Terrorism, University of St. Andrews
Professor of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Chairman of its Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence
PROFILE
Paul Wilkinson
Guest
FROM Paul Wilkinson
Which Way, L.A.?
FBI Makes an Arrest in a Case of Domestic Terrorism The Department of Justice says this was a case of domestic terrorism, that the plan would simulate the kind of bombings that took place in Europe. Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan was arrested last week . He entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction . Investigators later described this as an advanced stage of a plot to detonate explosives made from beauty supply chemicals. The arrests come amid a flurry of other terrorist cases, including that of Michael Finton , a California-born convert who used the name Talib Islam, and Maher Husein Smadi , a 19-year-old Jordanian. But those cases apparently pale in comparison to what Zazi had planned, according to prosecutors.
To the Point
FBI Makes an Arrest in a Case of Domestic Terrorism The Department of Justice says this was a case of domestic terrorism, that the plan would simulate the kind of bombings that took place in Europe. Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan was arrested last week . He entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction . Investigators later described this as an advanced stage of a plot to detonate explosives made from beauty supply chemicals. The arrests come amid a flurry of other terrorist cases, including that of Michael Finton , a California-born convert who used the name Talib Islam, and Maher Husein Smadi , a 19-year-old Jordanian. But those cases apparently pale in comparison to what Zazi had planned, according to prosecutors.
To the Point
White House to Designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as Terrorists Iran's Revolutionary Guard goes back to the Islamic revolution of 1979. A base of support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , it's involved in commercial operations as well as various military institutions. The Bush Administration has leaked word that it's preparing to declare the Revolutionary Guard a "terrorist organization." Some 42 organizations are on the State Department's list of " terrorist organizations ," including al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Never before have the armed forces of any sovereign government been put on the list, but that will change if the IRG is included. Paul Wilkinson is director of the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
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