Saudi Shenanigans in Boston and D.C.

By Daniel Greenfield

Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi, a Saudi student who was behaving suspiciously near the bombing site, was briefly treated as a suspect and then as a person of interest. His apartment was searched and law enforcement officers carried out large bags from it. Now there are reports that he is being deported on national security grounds.

During this period, Secretary of State Kerry’s meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister suddenly went from being open to the press to closed to the press.

Then Obama had a sudden unscheduled meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister at the White House, supposedly over Syria, but nothing appeared to have happened in Syria that would require an urgent meeting at the White House.

That’s all we know. And there’s much that we don’t know. But there are pieces that we can put together.

We have no idea whether Alharbi had anything to do with the bombings. Quite possibly he didn’t. But if his apartment was searched and his roommate was questioned, then he was a lot more than just an eyewitness, as some officials belatedly tried to claim. If he is being deported on national security grounds, then there was probably something there.

Some amount of secrecy is obviously necessary in a terrorism investigation, but this wouldn’t be the first time that the Saudi Lobby has subverted a terrorism investigation and gotten its way.

Saudi media coverage shows a bit of the influence their regime has on the United States. And it shows that high ranking Saudi officials were involved in the process, suggesting that the Saudi Foreign Minister had indeed been speaking to Obama and Kerry about the Saudi student….

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MUST READ: Steve Emerson: Saudi national questioned in Boston Marathon bombings to be deported on national security grounds next week

By Robert Spencer

Steve Emerson just said on Hannity that a senior official in the agency that is conduction the deportation that Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi, the Saudi national who was detained in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings and then was declared a “witness, not a suspect” after his home was searched, is going to be deported next Tuesday on national security grounds.

Why deported and not prosecuted? To keep our “allies” the Saudis happy. After all, Al-Harbi has numerous jihad terror connections, as well as friends in high places.

Was this the deal that was worked out between John Kerry and the Saudis at their meeting yesterday that was suddenly closed to the press?

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Saudi Arabia’s Clans of Terror

By Daniel Greenfield

…It’s not just Saudi Arabia. A closer look at the antics of the Al-Awlaki clan in Yemen (though the Saudis have a long history of using Yemen as their backyard) would have told us to watch out for Anwar Al-Awlaki. But that’s not the way we think. It is the way they think.

Take Khalid Aldawsari, a Saudi national. He is a student and an Al-Qaeda terrorist who planned to use weapons of mass destruction in the U.S., to include an attempted assassination of president Bush. Aldawsari was not a lone wolf; he was backed by an entire system. The wealthy and powerful Aldawsari clan, which includes the powerful Sheik Saud Bin Mut’ab who hosted a support group for the terrorist defending him publicly while funding his legal team.

Just translate “We are all Khalid Dawsari” into Arabic and see how much support the terrorist gets. The Aldawsari clan’s main website (alduwasser.net) keeps track of everything that goes with every comment in support for the terrorist linking to other supporting groups.

Take the Ghamdi clan (which has so many in the U.S.). It once responded to the following question that circulates the Middle East:

“Why does the Ghamdi clan produce so many terrorists?”

The Clan Ghamdi, on its official website (Ghamid.com), proudly responded to the question with a long martyrs list titled “Ghamdis the Mujahideen” priding themselves for having given two of their young men #3 Ahmed Ghamdi and #4 Hamza Saleh Ghamdi, who destroyed the South Tower in Manhattan on 9/11/01.

They are listed as “martyrs” and “heroes” with comments like “definitely, sons to be proud of”.

The parents of the Ghamdi’s who participated in 9/11 were proud of him. Countless Muslim websites describes them as “the lions of Manhattan. May Allah house them in paradise”.

Both Aldawsari clan as well as Ghamdi clan official websites openly supports terrorism. The support for Mohammad al-Wada’ani Aldawsari is in the open while firing machine guns:

All this raises an interesting question. Should we simply bar any Ghamdi from the United States? As Americans we don’t think this way, but in the tribal structure, a clan can be akin to a terrorist group. There are some American analogies, for example the Westboro Phelps family. But in the Middle East, this kind of structure is more common than not. And if clans like the Ghamdis openly support terrorism, then it may well be reasonable to bar any Ghamdi who doesn’t disavow his clan from entering the United States.

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Special Travel Benefit for Saudis a ‘Slap in the Face’

by STEVE EMERSON

Saudi Arabia, the nation which produced 15 of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attacks, is about to become one of a handful of countries whose travelers can bypass normal passport controls at major U.S. airports. Sources tell the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) that this will mark the first time that the Saudi government will have a direct role in vetting who is eligible for getting fast-tracked for entry into the United States.

An agreement to accept Saudi Arabian applicants into the Global Entry trusted traveler program drew little notice when it was announced in January. Now, some officials question why the country merits such a benefit – which is similar to a theme park “fast pass” to avoid long lines – when other allies like Germany and France are not yet included. A program for Israeli travelers was reached last May but has not been implemented.

Travelers approved for the program can skip the normal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lines starting next year and enter the country after providing their passports and fingerprints at a kiosk. Only Canada, Mexico, South Korea and the Netherlands currently enjoy the benefit, although pilot programs could expand it to a handful of others.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the agreement in January after meeting with Saudi Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. It “marks another major step forward in our partnership,” Napolitano said at the time. “By enhancing collaboration with the Government of Saudi Arabia, we reaffirm our commitment to more effectively secure our two countries against evolving threats while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.”

 

Details about how the plan will work with the Saudis have not been released….

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The photos Saudi Arabia doesn’t want seen – and proof Islam’s most holy relics are being demolished in Mecca

By JEROME TAYLOR

The authorities in Saudi Arabia have begun dismantling some of the oldest sections of Islam’s most important mosque as part of a highly controversial multi-billion expansion.

Photographs obtained by The Independent reveal how workers with drills and mechanical diggers have started demolishing some Ottoman and Abbasid sections on the eastern side of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.

The building, which is also known as the Grand Mosque, is the holiest site in Islam because it contains the Kaaba –  the point to which all Muslims face when praying. The columns are the last remaining sections of the mosque which date back more than a few hundred years and form the inner perimeter on the outskirts of the white marble floor surrounding the Kaaba.

The new photos, taken over the last few weeks, have caused alarm among archaeologists and come as Prince Charles – a long term supporter of preserving architectural heritage – flew into Saudi Arabia yesterday for a visit with the Duchess of Cornwall. The timing of his tour has been criticised by human rights campaigners after the Saudis shot seven men in public earlier this week despite major concerns about their trial and the fact that some of the men were juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes.

Many of the Ottoman and Abbasid columns in Mecca were inscribed with intricate Arabic calligraphy marking the names of the Prophet Muhammad’s companions and key moments in the founder of Islam’s life. One column which is believed to have been ripped down is supposed to mark the sport where Muslims believe Muhammad began his heavenly journey on a winged horse which took him to Jerusalem and heaven in a single night.

To accommodate the ever increasing number of pilgrims heading to the twin holy cities of Mecca and Medina each year the Saudi authorities have embarked upon a massive expansion project. Billions of pounds have been poured in to increase the capacity of the Masjid al-Haram and the Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina which marks where Muhammad is buried. King Abdullah has put the prominent Wahabi cleric and imam of the Grand Mosque, Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, in charge of the expansion while the Saudi Binladin Group – the country’s largest firms – has won the construction contract.

While there is little disagreement over the need to expand, critics have accused the Saudi regime of wantonly disregarding the archaeological, historical and cultural heritage of Islam’s two holiest cities….

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