Western Intel

CIA didn’t always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show

"About one of every four of those killed by drones in Pakistan between Sept. 3, 2010, and Oct. 30, 2011, were classified as 'other militants,' the documents detail. The 'other militants' label was used when the CIA could not determine the affiliation of those killed, prompting questions about how the agency could conclude they were a threat to U.S. national security. The uncertainty appears to arise from the use of so-called 'signature' strikes to eliminate suspected terrorists -- picking targets based in part on their behavior and associates. A former White House official said the U.S. sometimes executes people based on 'circumstantial evidence.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA didn’t always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show

Imprisoned CIA Torture Whistleblower John Kiriakou Pens “Letter from Loretto”

"Greetings from the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, Pennsylvania. I arrived here on February 28, 2013 to serve a 30-month sentence for violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982. At least that’s what the government wants people to believe. In truth, this is my punishment for blowing the whistle on the CIA’s illegal torture program and for telling the public that torture was official U.S. government policy. But that’s a different story. The purpose of this letter is to tell you about prison life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingImprisoned CIA Torture Whistleblower John Kiriakou Pens “Letter from Loretto”

Woolwich murder suspect ‘was offered job with MI5 six months ago’

"Abu Nusaybah told the BBC's Newsnight programme that his friend, who has arrested after the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, rejected the request after he was approached. He also claimed that Adebolajo had been detained by security forces during a trip to Kenya last year. He alleged that Adebolajo had been tortured and sexually assaulted by troops at the time. None of the claims he made could be verified. But as soon as the interview was finished, three members of Special Branch arrived at the BBC's London studios and arrested him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoolwich murder suspect ‘was offered job with MI5 six months ago’

DOJ acknowledges Holder was on board with warrant for Fox reporter’s emails

"The Justice Department acknowledged late Friday that Attorney General Eric Holder was on board with a search warrant to obtain the personal emails of a Fox News reporter, as media and civil liberties groups continued to raise concerns about the case. Following prior reports indicating that Holder had likely signed off on the search warrant, the Justice Department acknowledged Holder's involvement and defended the decision. It insisted the call to seek these files -- in the course of an investigation into a leak allegedly made by State Department contractor Stephen Jin-Woo Kim -- was legal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDOJ acknowledges Holder was on board with warrant for Fox reporter’s emails

U.S. Acknowledges Killing 4 Americans in Drone Strikes

"The Obama administration on Wednesday formally acknowledged that the U.S. had killed four American citizens in drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan. In a letter to Congressional leaders, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. disclosed that the administration had deliberately killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric who was killed in a drone strike in September 2011 in Yemen. The letter also said that the United States had killed three other Americans: Samir Khan, who was killed in the same strike; Mr. Awlaki’s son Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, who was also killed in Yemen; and Jude Mohammed, who was killed in a strike in Pakistan." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Acknowledges Killing 4 Americans in Drone Strikes

Federal appeals court rules bin Laden death photos can remain classified

"A US appeals court ruled Tuesday that the federal government is not required to release photos that were taken of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden after he was killed by special forces. The Al-Qaeda leader was slain at his Pakistani compound in May 2011 by US Navy SEAL commandos, who took pictures of their target’s corpse in order to confirm the success of their mission. In a 14 page opinion, the judges wrote that The Central Intelligence Agency had refused to release the photos 'on the ground that the images were classified Top Secret. We affirm because the images were properly classified and hence are exempt from disclosure,' they ruled." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal appeals court rules bin Laden death photos can remain classified

AP chief to Obama: Spying on reporters is ‘an unconstitutional act’

"The Obama administration‘s decision to seize phone records from the Associated Press was 'unconstitutional' and sends a message that 'if you talk to the press, we are going to go after you', the news agency’s boss Gary Pruitt said Sunday. AP revealed last week that the Justice Department had obtained two months’ worth of phone records of calls made by reporters and editors without informing the organisation in advance. The move was an apparent effort by US officials to identify the source of a story about the CIA foiling an alleged terrorist plot by an al Qaida terrorist affiliate in Yemen." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAP chief to Obama: Spying on reporters is ‘an unconstitutional act’

Eric Holder defends seizure of AP phone logs to track down ‘the most serious’ CIA leak

"The US administration pushed back Tuesday after being accused of undermining press freedom by seizing reporters’ phone records, claiming officials took the drastic steps to protect American lives. Amid a barrage of criticism, Attorney General Eric Holder said telephone logs were secretly taken from US news agency the Associated Press as part of a probe into a security breach which had put the American people at risk. The comments came as President Barack Obama’s administration faced heavy criticism over the Justice Department’s decision to seize two months of phone records from the news operations of the Associated Press." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Holder defends seizure of AP phone logs to track down ‘the most serious’ CIA leak

Phone Records of AP Journalists Seized by U.S. Government

"Federal investigators secretly seized two months of phone records for reporters and editors of The Associated Press in what the news organization said Monday was a 'serious interference with A.P.’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news.' The A.P. said that the Justice Department informed it on Friday that law enforcement officials had obtained the records for more than 20 telephone lines of its offices and journalists, including their home phones and cellphones. It said the records were seized without notice sometime this year. The organization was not told the reason for the seizure." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhone Records of AP Journalists Seized by U.S. Government