[Jpost] Three Lebanese men in Nigeria confess to military training from Hezbollah, accumulation of military hardware to wage war.
With the admission on Monday by three Lebanese men in Nigeria that they had been trained by Hezbollah and accumulated enough military hardware to wage a war, the entrenchment of the Shi'ite terrorist organization in Africa has fueled renewed interest in counter-terrorism strategies.
According to Nigeria's PM News, public prosecutor Simon Egede said the dual Lebanese-Nigerian nationals had amassed enough weapons, ranging from land mines and AK 47 rifles to anti-tank rocket launchers, "to sustain a civil war." After the three suspected operatives Mustapha Fawaz, 49, Abdullahi Thahini, 48, and Tahal Roda, 51 were tossed in the clink Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in May, the country's security forces said the men had planned to attack local Israeli and American institutions.
The scramble to counter the Hezbollah threat prompted charges of terrorism.
Even more tellingly, Nigerian authorities have publicly labeled Hezbollah's military wing a terrorist organization - an unprecedented move.
It is worth recalling that not one African country lists Hezbollah as a terrorist entity.
The stakes are clearly high for Nigeria. The reach of Hezbollah into the continent has prompted US and African counter-terrorism authorities to sharpen their focus and impose penalties. In June, the US Treasury Department sanctioned four Hezbollah operatives for drug smuggling in Sierra Leone, Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... , the Ivory Coast and Gambia ... The Gambia is actually surrounded by Senegal on all sides but its west coast. It has a population of about 1.7 million. The difference between the two is that in colonial days Senegal was ruled by La Belle France and The Gambia (so-called because there's only one of it, unlike Guinea, of which there are the Republic of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, New Guinea, the English coin in circulation between 1663 and 1813, and Guyana, which sounds like it should be another one) was ruled by Britain... The Shi'ite group's use of West Africa as a launching pad for its narcotics trade into Europe might have consequences for the EU process to clamp down on Hezbollah fundraising. EU foreign ministers are slated in late July to issue a decision on whether its military wing should be listed as a terrorist entity. It is unclear if the role of Hezbollah's narcotics trade, which aids its terrorism, will factor into the EU's decision-making process.
Dawit Giorgis, a visiting fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on activities by Hezbollah and Iran in Africa, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that African governments are aware that "dealing with Iran and Hezbollah is trouble. Iran's exports to sub-Saharan Africa peaked at $3.9 billion in 2011 only to slump last year to $1.8 b." Iran spawned Hezbollah and remains it chief financial and ideological sponsor across the globe. In short, its regime is inseparable from Hezbollah.
Giorgis added that in some parts of Africa the Islamic Theocratic Republic is perceived as a security threat because of its "support and connections to forces of Evil and illegal drug and firearms trafficking. Those countries that continue to welcome Hezbollah or Iran are those who either have been corrupted or owe [them] their survival because of military support." West Africa's shipping controls and law enforcement polices are riddled with laxity. All of this helps to explain Hezbollah¹s entrance into countries where regulation and oversight are feeble.
In May, two Iranians Ahmed Mohammed and Sayed Mansour were found guilty of plotting to attack Israeli, British and US targets. The men were arrested while having in their possession 15 kg. of explosives in Nairobi. The BBC quoted Sgt. Erick Opagal of Kenya's Anti-Terrorism Police Unit as saying, "The police have information that the [suspects] have a vast network in the country meant to execute explosive attacks against government installations, public gatherings and foreign establishments."
According to Giorgis, most African nations "have voted for all the four UN Iran sanction resolutions. There is a general feeling that Iran's efforts to mobilize political support and secure markets for its products have not been as fruitful." Iran's lame duck President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad has invested time in Africa, including visits to Niger, Benin and Ghana in April. His visit to Niger raised eyebrows, largely because the country is the world¹s fourth-biggest producer of uranium, which Iran seeks in order to advance its illicit nuclear enrichment program.
However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... the visit did not strike a chord with all African countries. After Nigeria confiscated Iranian arms in the port city of Lagos in 2010, Gambia pulled the plug on diplomatic relations with Iran. The ostensible reason was that it had been the destination for the weapons shipment.
Nigeria will continue to be a hub of pro-Hezbollah and pro-Iranian activity, mainly because the country is home to Sheikh Zakzaky, an advocate of the revolutionary Iranian Shi¹ite ideology who serves as a key Moslem leader in Nigeria. His office contains a photo of the founder of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini.
The open question is, will African nations follow the growing list of countries that have either banned Hezbollah or cracked down on the organization¹s financial transactions? Nigeria might very well be the litmus test for a modernized counter-terrorism posture toward the Shi'ite group.
#1
Florida law works differently than in other States (for example only 6 people on jury). Also, the judge, while generally favorable to the prosecution, is not totally so. For example she denied the prosecution's motion to add child abuse just so they could get a felony murder conviction (of course that motion was pretty close to over the top insanity, but whatever).
Posted by: lord garth ||
07/12/2013 9:25 Comments ||
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#2
...If he's acquitted, I have no doubt in my mind that US Marshals will be standing outside the courthouse to arrest him on charges of violating Martin's civil rights. (If you don't think so, google Stacy Koon) George Zimmerman will serve time, if it's the last thing the Federal Government ever does.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/12/2013 10:17 Comments ||
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#3
How many people will die and how much property will be destroyed in the inevitable riots if he is acquitted?
I agree with Mike K: Obama and Holder will ensure that Zimmerman serves time. After all, he killed a kid who could have been Obama's son.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/12/2013 12:08 Comments ||
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#4
The DOJ is paying for protests. If anyone hets hurt or killed after verdict, blame lays squarely on that corrupt Holder and ultimately the scumbag President.
#5
If the riots were met with massed rifle fire from actual citizens, it might put a stop to this kind of nonsense. Yeah, the police will do nothing, but if enough citizens fight back, it might put a stop to these moronic riots.
#6
Federal civil rights charges are definitely Plan B.
My bet: the jury comes back with a compromise verdict of manslaughter. The prosecution doesn't have a case, but women are emotional creatures and manslaughter is a 'nice' compromise. Something for everyone. Zimmerman goes to jail, the verdict is overturned on appeal.
#8
SteveS, even if the jury convicts Zimmerman of 2nd degree murder, it will be thrown out on appeal.
In any case, Zimmerman is a marked man. If he goes to prison, someone will kill him there. If he is acquitted, he will probably be killed eventually. Any company that hires him will be picketed. His house will be torched.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/12/2013 14:59 Comments ||
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#9
Goes to show what a little bit of publicity will do for you. Thanks, MSM. Thanks a bunch.
#12
Perhaps judge Nelson would like to place Attorney General Holder under oath and ask if he would like to testify, or possibly the President or members of congress. If this becomes a conviction, and the conviction stands, it will have [already has had] a chilling effect on everyone's right to self defense. The termination of employment of the policeman was telling. This will not end well for freedom or the 2nd Amendment, which may be the purpose of a potential conviction anyway.
#13
Actually, if they convict him and it stands, you will see alot more dead criminals winding up hanging from trees or appearing in out of the way places.
Alot of Americans are tired of it. If the police refuse to protect people as believe they should ( I know there's no legal right to police protection, we're talking about perception) you will see an increase of people settling their 'debts' the old fashioned way.
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