Al-Manar: Lebanese man arrested for aiding Mossad admitted he helped kill Ghaleb Alawi.
A man suspected of collaborating with Israeli intelligence admitted under interrogation to having been involved in the assassination of Hezbollah commander Ghaleb Awali in 2004, legal and security sources in Lebanon said Monday.
The organization's al-Manar news agency reported that Michel Abdo, who was arrested in Lebanon recently on suspicion that he aided the Mossad, admitted to involvement in the July 2004 murder, which took place in Beirut's southern suburb of Harat Hreik.
The London-based al-Hayat added that Abdo was responsible for securing the passage of a Mossad cell to a location in the area, from which agents entered the Hezbollah-controlled neighborhood and planted a bomb in Awali's car.
Puppet Masters
The federal government has demanded Israel explain its role in the alleged theft of three Australian citizens' identities by its spy agency, Mossad, to carry out a political assassination.
Mr Rudd is unhappy with Israel's response so far. "Australia is not satisfied with the answer that we received from the Israeli government ... in relation to the use and abuse of Australian passports," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
At the UN General Assembly, Australia abstained from a resolution demanding Israel and Palestine investigate possible war crimes during the 2008-09 Gaza assault.
© Aliosha Marquez/AP
Soldiers guard the streets of Talcahuano, in southern Chile, after the earthquake.
Soldiers guard the streets of Talcahuano, in southern Chile, after the earthquake.
The Chilean military has taken control of towns and cities affected by the earthquake, it was reported today, imposing curfews and guarding shops from looters as the death toll from the disaster rose to more than 700.
The Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, signed a decree putting the military in charge of security in the province of Concepción, where looters have targeted markets and supermarkets, hitting food and water supplies.
"We are facing a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort [for Chile to recover]," Bachelet said after meeting ministers and generals at the quake-damaged La Moneda Palace.
© Dubai Police
Some of the agents suspected of involvement in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai
Some of the agents suspected of involvement in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai
Israel has a long, bloody history of murder, sabotage and outright terrorism all over Europe, in Beirut, Tunis, Amman, Damascus and now Dubai. And that is just what we know about. All of this is allegedly in "self-defense" against "terrorism" even though the Zionist movement in Palestine invented the sort of modern terrorism for which the Middle East became known. It started with countless Zionist bomb attacks on Palestinian civilians from the 1930s, often in markets and cafes, the bombing of the King David and Semiramis hotels in Jerusalem in the 1940s claiming dozens of innocent lives, and the murder of UN mediator Count Folke Bernadotte. These crimes, on top of the long history of massacres of Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arabs over the past six decades, were all worn as badges of honor by Zionist leaders including Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir who later became prime ministers.
Dubai police officials claimed on Saturday they expected to soon announce they have firm evidence that the Mossad was involved in the killing last month of Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
Records of credit card payments and cellphone calls made by members of the 11-person hit squad that entered Dubai on European passports would provide the details needed to tie the assassination of Mabhouh to the Mossad, the police said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon denied on Saturday that Israel was behind the killing in Dubai or that it would damage Israeli-European relations.
Records of credit card payments and cellphone calls made by members of the 11-person hit squad that entered Dubai on European passports would provide the details needed to tie the assassination of Mabhouh to the Mossad, the police said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon denied on Saturday that Israel was behind the killing in Dubai or that it would damage Israeli-European relations.
Dahi Khalfan Tamim calls on Dagan to 'own up to his crime or deny Mossad's involvement in Mabhouh hit'; urges Arab states to thoroughly check Jews carrying non-Israeli passports.
After announcing that he was in possession of the DNA of at least one of the assassins of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim called on Mossad Chief Meir Dagan to "own up to his crime or unequivocally deny his organization's involvement (in the assassination)".
According to Emarat Al Youm, a newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates, Tamim urged Arab countries to thoroughly check any Jewish person who carries a non-Israeli passport in order to "prevent Mossad's infiltrations".
The Dubai police chief also called on European countries to take more stringent measures in order to make certain "Mossad does not make use" of the passports they issue, Emarat Al Youm reported Saturday.
After announcing that he was in possession of the DNA of at least one of the assassins of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim called on Mossad Chief Meir Dagan to "own up to his crime or unequivocally deny his organization's involvement (in the assassination)".
According to Emarat Al Youm, a newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates, Tamim urged Arab countries to thoroughly check any Jewish person who carries a non-Israeli passport in order to "prevent Mossad's infiltrations".
The Dubai police chief also called on European countries to take more stringent measures in order to make certain "Mossad does not make use" of the passports they issue, Emarat Al Youm reported Saturday.
© Unknown
The following is the detailed transcript of Rigi's confession, stated in Farsi, as broadcasted on Press TV.
"After Obama was elected, the Americans contacted us and they met me in Pakistan.They met us after clashes with my group around March 17 in (the southeastern city of) Zahedan, and he (the US operative) said that Americans had requested a meeting."
"I said we didn't have any time for a meeting and if we do help them they should promise to give us aid. They said they would cooperate with us and will give me military equipment, arms and machine guns. They also promised to give us a base along the border with Afghanistan next to Iran."
© Mossad
Dubai police release photographs of new suspects in the assassination of al-Mabhouh.
Dubai police release photographs of new suspects in the assassination of al-Mabhouh.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Thursday that Australia "will not be silent on the matter" after three Australian passport-holders were named among 15 new suspects linked to the assassination of Mahmud al-Mabhouh in his hotel room in Dubai, AFP reported.
"If Australian passports are being used or forged by any state, let alone for the purpose of assassination, this is of the deepest concern and we are getting to the bottom of this now," said the premier.
"We will not leave a single stone unturned," he added.
The remarks were made amid the suspicion that the countries whose passports were held by the members of the terror team had been informed by Israel about the operation.
© Unknown
Smile for the camera! Jundallah terrorists, led by Abdulmalek Rigi, have staged a wave of bombings and other terrorist attacks in Iran.
Smile for the camera! Jundallah terrorists, led by Abdulmalek Rigi, have staged a wave of bombings and other terrorist attacks in Iran.
The leader of the Jundallah terrorist group was on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan when he was tracked down by Iranian security forces on Tuesday.
An informed source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Press TV that Rigi and one of his deputies were captured after Iranian security forces forced their plane to land at an airport in the Persian Gulf city of Bandar Abbas.
Iranian security forces said he was at a US base in Afghanistan 24 hours before his capture and had a forged Afghan passport issued by the US in his possession when he was detained.
Contrary to much speculation China may not buy the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) remaining 191.3 tons of gold which is up for sale as it does not want to upset the market, a top industry official told China Daily yesterday.
"It is not feasible for China to buy the IMF bullion, as any purchase or even intent to do so would trigger market speculation and volatility," said the official from the China Gold Association, on condition of anonymity.
He said China would continue to shore up its gold reserves by acquiring gold mines abroad rather than purchases on the international market.
Some analysts had earlier said China would purchase the IMF gold in an effort to diversify its dollar asset-dominated foreign exchange reserves. According to estimates, over 70 percent of China's $2.4 trillion foreign exchange reserves are in dollar assets.
"It is not feasible for China to buy the IMF bullion, as any purchase or even intent to do so would trigger market speculation and volatility," said the official from the China Gold Association, on condition of anonymity.
He said China would continue to shore up its gold reserves by acquiring gold mines abroad rather than purchases on the international market.
Some analysts had earlier said China would purchase the IMF gold in an effort to diversify its dollar asset-dominated foreign exchange reserves. According to estimates, over 70 percent of China's $2.4 trillion foreign exchange reserves are in dollar assets.
Comment: Ex-CIA agent confirms US ties with Jundullah
Pakistani-based US branch of Terrorism Inc. "Jundullah" claim responsibility for Iran blast
Western intelligence agencies finance and train Jundullah terrorist group
Terrorist group inside Iran has been secretly advised by U.S. officials since 2005