Filipino Nurse Abducted and Gang-Raped in Libya

Things have gotten so bad for non-Muslims in post-Arab Spring Libya, the Philippines has called for the evacuation of all Filipinos from the country.

Libya—A Filipino nurse has been kidnapped and gang-raped in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

The woman was seized outside her residence on Wednesday and taken to an unknown location, where she was sexually abused by up to six men, the Philippines' Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose told reporters.

She was released about two hours later and taken to hospital for treatment.

The incident took place only a few days after a Filipino construction worker was beheaded, amid allegations he was killed for not being a Muslim.

Following the latest incident, the Filipino government called for the evacuation of its 13,000 citizens in Libya, which has been rocked by violence in the last few months. (Continue Reading.)

United States and Saudi Arabia Join Together in Arming Syrian Rebels with Missiles

The U.S. still has faith in the "Arab Spring." What could go wrong?

Fox News—The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have supplied Syrian rebel groups with a small number of advanced American antitank missiles for the first time in a pilot program that could lead to larger flows of sophisticated weaponry, people briefed on the effort said.

The new willingness to arm these rebels comes after the failure of U.S.-backed peace talks in January and recent regime gains on the battlefield. It also follows a reorganization of Western-backed fighters aimed at creating a more effective military force and increasing protection for Christian and other religious minorities—something of particular importance to Washington.

This shift is seen as a test of whether the U.S. can find a trustworthy rebel partner able to keep sophisticated weapons out of the hands of extremists, Saudi and Syrian opposition figures said. The U.S. has long feared that if it does supply advanced arms, the weapons will wind up with radical groups—some tied to al Qaeda—which have set up bases in opposition-held territory.

The White House would neither confirm nor deny it had provided the TOW armor-piercing antitank systems, the first significant supply of sophisticated U.S. weapons systems to rebels. But U.S. officials did say they are working to bolster the rebels' ability to fight the regime. (Continue Reading.)

Twenty Dead, More Than 100 Wounded in Cairo Attacks

How's that "Arab Spring" working out for everyone?

Aftermath outside Cairo security directorate

CAIRO — Twenty people died and more than 100 were wounded as blasts and protests rocked Cairo on Friday, the eve of the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Shortly after sunrise, a truck bomb exploded as it tried to get into police headquarters in the Egyptian capital, killing five and wounding 76, government officials said.

"Traitors and dogs," onlookers yelled in an apparent reference to the assailants, according to Reuters.

Several police officers sat on the sidewalk, weeping as ambulances rushed in, Reuters reported. A crowd of distraught-looking residents looked on as A body lay on the ground, covered by a sheet.

State television quoted witnesses as saying that gunmen opened fire on buildings after the blast. The police headquarters building and nearby 19th-century Museum of Islamic Art, which was recently renovated in a multimillion-dollar project, were badly damaged ...

The militant group Ansar Beit al Maqdis released a statement claiming responsibility for the near-simultaneous bombings, which came a day before the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak. (Continue Reading.)

Jihadists Training Americans and Europeans in Syria to Attack Western Targets

The "Arab Spring" just keeps getting better and better. It's a good thing the Obama Administration was so dedicated to supporting the jihad.

American convert Nicole Mansfield, killed in Syria while waging jihad

WASHINGTON — Islamic extremist groups in Syria with ties to Al Qaeda are trying to identify, recruit and train Americans and other Westerners who have traveled there to get them to carry out attacks when they return home, according to senior American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.

These efforts, which the officials say are in the early stages, are the latest challenge that the conflict in Syria has created, not just for Europe but for the United States, as the civil war has become a magnet for Westerners seeking to fight with the rebels against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. At least 70 Americans have either traveled to Syria, or tried to, since the civil war started three years ago, according to the intelligence and counterterrorism officials — a figure that has not previously been disclosed.

The director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, said Thursday that tracking Americans who have returned from Syria had become one of the bureau’s highest counterterrorism priorities.

“We are focused on trying to figure out what our people are up to, who should be spoken to, who should be followed, who should be charged,” Mr. Comey said in a meeting with reporters, without referring to specific numbers. “I mean, it’s hard for me to characterize beyond that. It’s something we are intensely focused on.”

Fearing that the handful of Americans who have returned to the United States pose a threat because they may have received extensive training and jihadist indoctrination, the F.B.I. is conducting costly round-the-clock surveillance on a small number of these individuals, according to the officials.

“We know Al Qaeda is using Syria to identify individuals they can recruit, provide them additional indoctrination so they’re further radicalized, and leverage them into future soldiers, possibly in the U.S.,” said a senior counterterrorism official, who, like half a dozen other top intelligence, law enforcement and diplomatic officials interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to be identified discussing delicate national security issues.

In Europe, where larger numbers are leaving for Syria, officials share the same concern and are working closely with American authorities to coordinate measures to stem the flow and track those who return.

Analysts say at least 1,200 European Muslims have gone to fight since the start of the civil war. In a confidential memo on Nov. 26, Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union’s counterterrorism coordinator, warned that “the first returnees have come back, and there are cases where individuals continue traveling back and forth.” (Continue Reading.)