Courtroom sketch by artist Marco Vaglieri shows Mikael Davud in an Oslo court Monday Jan. 30 2012. Davud was sentenced to seven years in prison for planning to bomb the Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, the first convictions under Norway’s anti-terror laws. The Oslo district court sentenced alleged ringleader Davud, to seven years in prison and co-defendant Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak to three and a half years.(AP Photo / Marco Vaglieri, Scanpix)
Two men were found guilty Monday of involvement in an al-Qaida plot to attack a Danish newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, the first convictions under Norway’s anti-terror laws.
A third defendant was acquitted of terror charges but convicted of helping the others acquire explosives.
Investigators say the plot was linked to the same al-Qaida planners behind thwarted attacks against the New York subway system and a shopping mall in Manchester, England, in 2009.
The Oslo district court sentenced alleged ringleader Mikael Davud, to seven years in prison and co-defendant Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak to three and a half years.
Judge Oddmund Svarteberg said the court found that Davud, a Chinese Muslim, “planned the attack together with al-Qaida.” Bujak was deeply involved in the preparations, but it couldn’t be proved that he was aware of Davud’s contacts with al-Qaida, the judge said.
The third defendant, David Jakobsen, who assisted police in the investigation, was convicted on an explosives charge and sentenced to four months in prison — time he’s already served in pretrial detention.
Defense lawyers for the three told the court they would study the verdict before deciding whether to appeal.
Here is the photo of the other terrorist:
Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak appears in the Oslo courthouse, Oslo, Norway Monday Jan. 30, 2012
Al-Qaida’s second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat, U.S. officials said Saturday.
The Libyan national had been the network’s operational leader before rising to al-Qaida’s No. 2 spot after the U.S. killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden during a raid on his Pakistan compound in May.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida’s defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks on the group’s weakened leadership.
“Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them,” Panetta said, “because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaida as a major threat.”
Since bin Laden’s death, al-Qaida’s structure has been unsettled and U.S. officials have hoped to capitalize on that. The more uncertain the leadership, the harder it is for al-Qaida to operate covertly and plan attacks.
Those troops will be home soon and cookin’ with gas at their home BBQ’s – let us hope.
Americans’ approval of President Barack Obama is up six points after the death of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid on the al Qaeda leader’s Pakistan compound. Obama averaged 46% approval in Gallup Daily tracking in the three days leading up to the military operation and has averaged 52% across the three days since.
This increase in approval rating is not unexpected and is fairly typical, if not low.
Presidents’ popular support often increases in response to major international events, commonly known as “rally events.” Thus, a jump in Obama’s approval after bin Laden’s death is not unexpected.
The six-percentage-point increase in Obama’s approval rating is fairly typical for a rally event. Gallup has compiled data on changes in presidential approval after 48 different international or domestic crises since 1950 and finds a median increase of seven percentage points.
The largest rally Gallup has ever measured was a 35-point increase for George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Other large rally effects include an 18-point increase for George H.W. Bush at the beginning of the 1991 Persian Gulf War; a 16-point jump for Richard Nixon after the Vietnam War peace accords were signed; and 14-point increases for George H.W. Bush after the U.S. sent troops to Kuwait following Iraq’s invasion of the country, and for Lyndon Johnson after he announced he was halting bombing in North Vietnam.
When the U.S. in December 2003 found and captured another “high-value target” — former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein — George W. Bush’s approval rating rose seven points.
So, will President Obama’s bounce in the polls be sustained? I, frankly, doubt it since most on the RIGHT understand he never supported the measures that brought hm success in this operation, including enhanced interrogation methods.
The U.S. military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden is a major milestone in Obama’s presidency, and now a majority of Americans approve of the job he is doing, and more than at any time since May 2010. The question is whether Obama can sustain that higher level of support, or whether it will quickly dissipate. Most often, a president’s approval rating begins to decline fairly soon after the rally event occurs, with the increases in approval often disappearing in as little as one to four weeks.
There is little doubt that President Obama was LED to the correct decision by CIA director Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But, the correct decision was made and we have to thank Obama for it.
With regards to the release of the photos, I am ambivalent about the issue. I can see both arguments and know that eventually some of the photos, plus video will leak out.
This will remain cannon fodder for the conspiracy theorists for years to come – without the official sanction of the United States though. Previous: The Day By Day Archive
Chris, I say let the LEFT crow about their “Mission Accomplished.” After all, we got rid of Osama Bin Laden and that is a big win for the United States.
But, lingering questions remain about President Obama’s competency to lead Americans forward. The economy continues to be poor, unemployment high and America is engaged now in three wars.
One successful military mission, won’t a re-elected President make. Previous:
Guess I was right about Jennifer Rubin’s comments about Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. He has an opinion, maybe his staff just didn’t wish to share them with an unfriendly journalist with the Washington Post.
I am sorry, but if you believe the newest death of OBL, you’re stupid. Just think to yourself–they paraded Saddam’s dead sons around to prove they were dead–why do you suppose they hastily buried this version of OBL at sea? This lying, murderous Empire can only exist with your brainwashed consent–just put your flags away and THINK!
I have a hard time bearing much ill will toward Sheehan, no matter how nonsensical or inane her utterances get; who knows what the depths of grief can do to a parent’s mind? The widespread politicization of the grief, and the notion of the worst event in your life suddenly turning you into a celebrity with admirers, probably spurs one to react in strange ways.
But the degree to which the “anti-war” crowd — who today applaud war kinetic military action against Libya without congressional approval, and who are today applauding unilateral military action on foreign soil without the host government’s knowledge or consent or U.N. approval — exploited Ms. Sheehan remains unforgivably appalling.
You do have to feel sorry, at some level, for Sheehan. Last night I met a military dad who felt that bin Laden’s death meant that his late son, who’d fought in Iraq, had died for something. Sheehan may never have closure or satisfaction.
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