Media Appearances

The Independent: Times Square Bomb Suspect Met Taliban Leader

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Written by Administrator Sunday, 25 July 2010 15:59

A video has emerged of the would-be Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, meeting the leader of the Pakistan Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud. Shahzad's claims after his arrest that he had met Mehsud were greeted with scepticism by US investigators, but the video, released yesterday by security consultancy Flashpoint Global Partners, shows the men hugging and shaking hands.

Washington Post: New Video Shows Meeting between Faisal Shahzad and Leader of Pakistani Taliban

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Written by Administrator Sunday, 25 July 2010 15:48

Shortly after he was arrested, Faisal Shahzad, the would-be Times Square bomber, told investigators he had met with the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud. At the time, at least some U.S. analysts expressed skepticism. Surely, Mehsud would not have risked meeting face-to-face with an unproved American recruit, analysts told The Post's Greg Miller. Surely, Shahzad was just boasting. Turns out, he wasn't. Flashpoint Global Partners, a global security and terrorism consultancy, has released a previously unpublished video excerpt of a meeting between Shahzad and Mehsud. In the video, the two are shown shaking hands and hugging.

Washington Post: From al-Qaeda, an English-Language 'Magazine'

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Last Updated (Sunday, 25 July 2010 15:55) Written by Administrator Sunday, 25 July 2010 15:32

With glossy photo spreads, pseudo-celebrity interviews and how-two articles, "Inspire" has the feel of a modern magazine. But the first issue of al-Qaeda's new online publication is unlike anything you'll find on a supermarket aisle. The centerpiece article was submitted by a radical cleric tied to a string of recent terrorist plots, and the instructional content consists of a piece written by "the AQ chef" about how to "make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom." Inspire is an ambitious bit of propaganda by al-Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate. The magazine is the terrorist network's first English-language online publication, designed to reach a wide audience in Europe and the United States. The first issue was posted Monday by Flashpoint Partners, an organization that monitors jihadist Web sites.

Testimony Before Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs

Flashpoint's Evan Kohlmann testifed before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugstestimony, delivering testimony titled "The Role of Saudi Arabian State-Sponsored Charitable Fronts in Providing Material Support to Foreign Paramilitary and Terrorist Organizations" during a hearing on "Evaluating The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, S. 2930”. Kohlmann testified that "Despite its more recent public commitment to counter-terrorism and deradicalization efforts, there is overwhelming evidence that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has previously provided substantial material support to paramilitary and terrorist organizations based in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and beyond. Though some of that aid perhaps was couriered by independent non-governmental organizations, a large portion of it was provided directly by leading members of the Saudi royal family, who were also responsible for personally overseeing the distribution of funds."