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Tag: Fbi


Photo illustration from an image by Colin Grey

The FBI’s Terrorism Factory

This week on Truthdig Radio in collaboration with KPFK: How the FBI uses its 15,000 informants to sucker and seduce angry Muslims, and the effort to amend the Constitution to dehumanize corporations.

Posted on Aug 25, 2011 READ MORE


The FBI’s Terrorism Factory

This week on Truthdig Radio in collaboration with KPFK: How the FBI uses its 15,000 informants to sucker and seduce angry Muslims, and the effort to amend the Constitution to dehumanize corporations.

Posted on Aug 25, 2011 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS



Facebook.com/fbi

Is the FBI Catching Terrorists, or Coaching Them?

A new investigation by Mother Jones reveals that the FBI has cultivated a huge network of informants and spies, many of whom are directed to seek out disgruntled Muslims. “And then, in case after case, the government provides the plot, the means, and the opportunity” to commit terrorist attacks, Trevor Aaronson writes. (more)

Posted on Aug 22, 2011 READ MORE  |  27 COMMENTS



Flickr / The U.S. Army (CC-BY)

U.S. Soldier Admits to Planning Attack on Fort Hood

A U.S. soldier who has been absent without leave since early July was arrested Wednesday in a motel room hear Fort Hood in Texas where FBI officials announced Thursday that he had been found with guns and bomb-making materials. The AWOL soldier admitted to planning an attack on the base, an Army alert said Thursday.

Posted on Jul 28, 2011 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS



Flickr / Robert Burdock

Hotchner Remembers Ernest Hemingway ... and the Feds That Pursued Him

Earlier this month, on the 50th anniversary of his friend’s death, A.E. Hotchner penned a tender letter in remembrance of Ernest Hemingway, pictured above. (more)

Posted on Jul 25, 2011 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS



Wikimedia Commons / World Economic Forum (CC-BY-SA)

Murdochs Agree to Testify in U.K., FBI Launches Probe

The News Corp. scandal that has already claimed one major entity in the Murdochian media empire—that would be News of the World—isn’t showing signs of dropping from the headlines anytime soon. On Thursday, mogul Rupert Murdoch and scion James agreed to face members of Britain’s Parliament ...

Posted on Jul 14, 2011 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS



Carlos Montes

Carlos Montes and the Security State: A Cautionary Tale

Poor urban neighborhoods have already learned what is only dimly being understood by the rest of us—in the eyes of the state we are increasingly no longer citizens with constitutional rights but enemy combatants.

Posted on Jul 10, 2011 READ MORE  |  140 COMMENTS



Flickr / nobleblood

FBI Steps Up Raids on Activists’ Homes

In May, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department SWAT officers broke into the home of 63-year-old Carlos Montes, a prominent anti-war activist and organizer for working class causes, and arrested him on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm. The occurrence of similar arrests suggests the FBI is staging a low-profile witch hunt. (more)

Posted on Jul 10, 2011 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS



Flickr / Defence Images

Pakistani Lawyer Blocked From U.S. After Suing CIA on Drone Strikes

Pakistani lawyer and human rights champion Mirza Shahzad Akbar, who has aided the U.S. government in legal counterterrorism efforts, was banned from traveling to the States to speak at Columbia Law School after suing the CIA about drone strikes that have killed civilians in his country. (more)

Posted on Jul 3, 2011 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS



‘Tiger Trap’: 21st Century Espionage

For decades during the Cold War, the most captivating spy-vs.-spy battle was the one waged between Moscow and Washington. With the rise of China, a new player has entered the game.

Posted on Jun 30, 2011 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS



Jeff Schuler (CC-BY)

FBI Makes It Easier to Pry

The FBI is making it easier for agents to snoop on their fellow Americans without leaving a paper trail, raising disturbing questions outlined by The American Prospect’s Adam Serwer. A former agent quoted by Serwer says it may return the agency to the COINTELPRO era.

Posted on Jun 13, 2011 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



Flickr / Stian Eikeland

Estimated 1 in 4 U.S. Hackers Working for the Man

One year after suspected WikiLeaker Pfc. Bradley Manning was outed to the FBI by his confidant, Adrian Lamo, the hacking community is steeped in tension and mistrust, with the publisher of a popular trade journal estimating that a quarter of all U.S. hackers are recruited informers for the federal government.

Posted on Jun 7, 2011 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS


FBI seal
fbi.gov

Obama Wants FBI Chief to Stick Around

He’s been in charge since just before the 9/11 attacks, and if President Obama gets his way, FBI Director Robert Mueller will stay at his post for another two years—an unusual move aimed at keeping some aspects of Obama’s intelligence and security strategy consistent.

Posted on May 12, 2011 READ MORE


Left, Right & Center

‘Left, Right & Center’: Birthers and Bernanke; Petraeus and Panetta

The American political climate took on a certain circus-like quality this week, with GOP showman Donald Trump stirring up the birther controversy yet another—and, given the result, hopefully the last—time. Thankfully, we have “Left, Right & Center” regulars Robert Scheer, Matt Miller, Tony Blankley and special guest Mary Matalin to cut through the noise on that issue.

Posted on May 1, 2011 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



apn / Namco Bandai

Starship Amerika

President Barack Obama is actually siding with police who want to use GPS devices to track you without a warrant. It always disturbed me when on “Star Trek” the captain asked the ship’s computer where a crew member was and was told the person’s exact location.

Posted on Apr 19, 2011 READ MORE  |  49 COMMENTS



abcnews.go.com

Report Says Army Could Have Prevented Anthrax Attacks

The man accused of carrying out the anthrax attacks that killed five people and made 17 others sick, the late Dr. Bruce Ivins, on the basis of his psychological profile should not have been allowed to have access to the toxic spores, according to a new report.

Posted on Mar 23, 2011 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS



Graph by m86security.com

Death of a Spam Network

Rustock, the world’s largest spam e-mail network, has been disabled by a coordinated action between Microsoft and the FBI, effectively reducing worldwide spam by up to a whopping 39 percent.

Posted on Mar 18, 2011 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS



FBI Is Breaking the Law

The FBI breaks the law a thousand times a year, the Glenn Beck Conspiracy Theory Generator, and potential jail time for calling someone an “ass.” These discoveries and more after the jump.

Posted on Feb 6, 2011 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS


The FBI’s Big Mob Bust

What do “Meatball,” “Marbles,” “Lumpy” and “Jello” have in common? They’re all nicknames for alleged members of the Mafia who were busted by the FBI in a mass crackdown this week that led to the arrest of more than 120 purported Mob operatives.

Posted on Jan 21, 2011 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS



YouTube / Christine4Senate

O’Donnell Accused of Dipping Into the Campaign Till

Christine O’Donnell raised a record $7.3 million in her 2010 bid to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate, but allegations about how she spent that money and funds from previous campaigns have led to a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors and the FBI. ... (more)

Posted on Dec 29, 2010 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS



Flickr / nolifebeforecoffee (CC-BY)

Are You in the FBI’s Suspicious Activities Database?

The Washington Post’s Dana Priest has another phone book’s worth of terrifying revelations about our national security/police/prison state. One that really chills given the FBI’s track record is the “vast repository” the Bureau is building that ... (more)

Posted on Dec 22, 2010 READ MORE  |  17 COMMENTS


FBI Raids and the Criminalization of Dissent

Early in the morning on Friday, Sept. 24, FBI agents in Chicago and Minnesota’s Twin Cities kicked in the doors of anti-war activists, brandishing guns, spending hours rifling through their homes.

Posted on Sep 28, 2010 READ MORE  |  52 COMMENTS


Ahmadinejad at U.N.

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Posted on Sep 27, 2010 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT


FBI seal
fbi.gov

FBI Agents Busted for Cheating

One would think that if a bunch of FBI operatives were to devise a plan to cheat on a key intelligence exam, they might be a little more creative and a lot less obvious about it than the group of agents who recently drew attention to themselves ... (continued)

Posted on Sep 27, 2010 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT



AP / Jim Mone

FBI Raids Homes of Anti-War Protesters

The FBI has executed several search warrants (aka breaking down people’s doors) in Minneapolis and Chicago as part of an investigation into a handful of anti-war protest organizers on allegations of, we kid you not, “activities connected to the material support of terrorism.”

Posted on Sep 25, 2010 READ MORE  |  36 COMMENTS



Flickr / GuenterHH (CC-BY-ND)

Justice Dept. Hand-Slaps FBI for Spying on Greenpeace and Friends

The supervising bureaucrats at the Justice Department acknowledged that the FBI should not have been spying on activists, although they decided that the bureau was not targeting anti-war and environmental groups for political reasons.

Posted on Sep 20, 2010 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



AP / Dima Gavrysh

Why the Feds Fear Thinkers Like Howard Zinn

By the end of Howard Zinn’s 423-page FBI file one walks away with a profound respect for the historian and a deep distaste for the buffoonish goons in the FBI who followed and monitored him.

Posted on Aug 1, 2010 READ MORE  |  115 COMMENTS


South Park
southparkstudios.com

Man Who Made ‘South Park’ Threat Arrested

Looks like he just gave “South Park” some new material: Zachary Chesser, the man who posted a warning online suggesting that the cheeky cartoon’s creators might be in danger after they attempted to depict the Prophet Muhammad ...

Posted on Jul 22, 2010 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



Flickr / Anonymous9000 (CC-BY)

Accused Russian Spies Rekindle Cold War Passions

Russian authorities are up in arms over the arrest of 11 Russians accused of spying on the U.S. The FBI announced the arrests Monday, “in the spirit of the spy novel intrigues of the Cold War era,” as the Russian Foreign Ministry put it.

Posted on Jun 29, 2010 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS


There Are Crazies on One Side

It is disingenuous for mainstream purveyors of incendiary far-right rhetoric to dismiss groups such as the Hutaree militia by saying that there are “crazies on both sides.” This simply is not true.

Posted on Mar 29, 2010 READ MORE  |  59 COMMENTS


Weiner
Wikimedia Commons / Thomas Good

Democratic Congressman Gets Threatening Letter, White Powder

The health care reform debate has brought a fair share of nutty individuals out of the woodwork, and unfortunately, members of Congress who voted in favor of the recently instated bill might be seen by some who’ve taken leave of their reason as moving targets. Take New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, for example. Updated.

Posted on Mar 25, 2010 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT



Flickr / Don Hankins

Internet Fraud Losses Doubled in 2009

From Nigerian “millionaire” plans to “FBI agent” schemes, millions of dollars have been lost to scams on the Internet. Last year saw reported losses from Internet fraud more than double, rising from $264.6 million in 2008 to $559.7 million in 2009.

Posted on Mar 13, 2010 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS


IRS logo
Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of the Treasury

Hazmat Teams Called to IRS Building in Utah

A “suspicious substance” caused a ruckus at an Internal Revenue Service outpost in Ogden, Utah, on Monday, and hazardous materials crews and the FBI were called in. Later, an official said the substance was found to pose no danger ... (continued) Updated

Posted on Mar 1, 2010 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS


Zazi Case Vindicates Traditional Methods

Before Najibullah Zazi is finally dispatched to a secure cellblock for good, it is important to remember how the taxi-driver-turned-terrorist was brought to justice—and why the critics who jeered his civilian prosecution were dead wrong.

Posted on Feb 24, 2010 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


Obama
washingtonpost.com

Obama Slams Intel Agencies for Christmas Day Attack Attempt

Barack Obama gave U.S. intelligence agencies the presidential equivalent of a knuckle-rapping Tuesday for their failure to connect the dots and nab Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before a fellow passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was forced to foil his underwear bomb plot the old-fashioned way.

Posted on Jan 5, 2010 READ MORE  |  64 COMMENTS



Flickr / alancleaver_2000

Crime, Murder Rate Drop

Despite staggering unemployment and a poor economic climate, the nation’s crime rate fell 4.4 percent in the first six months of 2009. The national murder rate also fell 10 percent—a decline that is being called one of the more significant in decades.

Posted on Dec 21, 2009 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS


Freedom's Fight
Gary Phillips / Parker Publishing

Freedom’s Fight: Part II

Truthdig is pleased to present the second excerpt from Gary Phillips’ novel “Freedom’s Fight,” which interweaves real historical figures and situations in a fictive narrative about World War II, focusing not just on the black soldier’s struggle, but also on the debates various civil rights groups had about the war stateside.

Posted on Nov 20, 2009 READ MORE


Jyllands-Posten
sitemaker.umich.edu

Two Arrested for Alleged Plot on Danish Paper

Two men from Chicago were arrested recently for allegedly plotting to attack overseas targets, including the Danish newspaper that sparked a huge controversy in 2006 by running the now-infamous cartoon of the prophet Mohammed sporting an explosive turban.

Posted on Oct 27, 2009 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


Innocence Lost arrest
fbi.gov

52 Children Rescued in Countrywide Prostitution Crackdown

Federal authorities nabbed nearly 700 people—60 pimps among them—during a three-day nationwide sting operation targeting child prostitution. The sting, dubbed Operation Cross Country, saved 52 children from further sexual exploitation at the hands of adults.

Posted on Oct 26, 2009 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS



nydailynews.com

Billionaire Arrested for Alleged Insider Trading

Billionaire hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam was arrested Friday and charged  with running the largest hedge fund insider-trading scheme in history. Charged with Rajaratnam, founder of Galleon Group, were executives of several prestigious U.S. companies.

Posted on Oct 17, 2009 READ MORE  |  7 COMMENTS


Obama Torture
rebelreports.com

What Torture Never Told Us

Many intelligence professionals have categorically disapproved of torture, claiming it both ineffective and counterproductive. Former FBI agent Ali H. Soufan writes of the mountains of good information uncovered with traditional interrogation procedures in contrast to the erroneous and unproductive intelligence gleaned from torture.

Posted on Sep 6, 2009 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS


waterboarding cartoon
Wikimedia Commons / tales-of-iraq-war.blogspot.com

Obama Aims to Improve America’s Interrogation Record

Monday saw more than one move on the part of Team Obama to deal with U.S. intelligence agencies’ treatment of terror suspects: In addition to Attorney General Eric Holder’s bid to take a second look into certain CIA-related cases from years past, President Obama has approved the formation of an integrated interrogation central command called the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group.

Posted on Aug 24, 2009 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



Original: Flickr / kiwanja

Bush’s Wiretaps Now Even More Warrantless

It turns out George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretap program wasn’t just illegal, it was pretty useless. A new report by the inspectors general of the agencies charged with catching the evildoers determined that many agents were flummoxed by the vague information coming out of the overly secretive program, and those who weren’t couldn’t demonstrate how it was helpful.

Posted on Jul 13, 2009 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS


Dr. George Tiller Didn’t Have to Die

He was assassinated while in church in Wichita, Kan., on Sunday, targeted for legally performing abortions. His death might have been prevented simply through enforcement of existing laws.

Posted on Jun 2, 2009 READ MORE  |  64 COMMENTS


Richard Nixon
White House / Archives

The New York Times’ Watergate Blunder

Back in 1972 the FBI’s acting director gave a New York Times reporter the impression that the president was personally involved in Watergate, but the tip died a quick and historic death in the Times’ Washington Bureau, according to the reporter and editor involved. One went on to law school, the other took a long vacation and no one bothered to follow up.

Posted on May 25, 2009 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS


Cheney and Bush
AP photo / Ron Edmonds

Cheney and the Iraq-Torture Link

Defending their record in office these past eight years, figures from the last administration seem especially touchy on the subject of torture. Led by the former vice president, Dick Cheney, they have argued that there was no torture, preferring more vague and delicate terms such as “enhanced interrogation” or simply “the program.”

Posted on May 21, 2009 READ MORE  |  26 COMMENTS


SCOTUS
Flickr / NCinDC

High Court Lets Ashcroft, Mueller Off the Hook

The nation’s top court decided on Monday that former Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI honcho Robert Mueller aren’t directly accountable for the abuses that Pakistani detainee Javaid Iqbal, a Muslim, says he endured as a result of his race and religion in a New York prison in 2002.

Posted on May 18, 2009 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



Jacob Heilbrunn on Alger Hiss

Susan Jacoby’s lucid new book reminds us that the Hiss case offered a vengeful postwar right a golden opportunity to tar the New Deal as a crypto-communist conspiracy—and why it still matters.

Posted on Mar 20, 2009 READ MORE  |  20 COMMENTS


Maybe the Only Crime Was by Blago’s Barber

Is Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about to be impeached on grounds of loopiness, obnoxiousness and a bad haircut? It is unclear to me what else Blagojevich has done that a duly constituted jury would find illegal.

Posted on Jan 27, 2009 READ MORE  |  13 COMMENTS


Bush farewell address

President Bush Signs Off

George W. Bush gave his last presidential speech to the American public in a farewell address Thursday night that offered him a platform to have the (first) last word on his time in office. True to form, Bush stayed the course, giving little if any ground when it came to defending even the most contested aspects of his legacy.

Posted on Jan 15, 2009 READ MORE  |  50 COMMENTS


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