The head of Saudi Arabia’s religious police has warned citizens against using Twitter, which is rising in popularity among Saudis. Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said anyone using social media sites, and especially Twitter, “has lost this world and his afterlife”.
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/07281823105/saudi-religious-police-anyone-using-twitter-has-lost-this-world-his-afterl #religion #censorship #twitter
I’m on the Hiiiighway to Hell !
Saudi-Qatar Honeymoon In Lebanon is Over
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/qatar-saudi-arabia-stuggle-influence-middle-east.html
In its internal discussions, Hezbollah affirms that Qatari funding stands behind the rise of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, who came to prominence in the last two years by challenging and criticizing Hezbollah from his Bilal bin Rabah mosque in Sidon. Hezbollah’s information also indicates that Saudi Arabia is funding Salafist factions in Lebanon that profess animosity towards the party.
(En dehors de ce paragraphe, c’est le genre d’article que je trouve totalement spéculatif.)
Moxie Marlinspike >> Blog >> A Saudi Arabia Telecom’s Surveillance Pitch
http://www.thoughtcrime.org/blog/saudi-surveillance
Ce rasta est une « tronche » dans le domaine de la sécurité informatique (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie_Marlinspike). Il livre un témoignage hallucinant de ses discussions avec des contacts saoudiens recherchant ses services pour les aider à surveiller les applications mobiles telles que Twitter Mobile, Whatsapp, Viber, Line.
Ci-dessous, sa conclusion :
Really, it’s no shock that Saudi Arabia is working on this, but it is interesting to get fairly direct evidence that it’s happening. More to the point, if you’re in Saudi Arabia (or really anywhere), it might be prudent to think about avoiding insecure communication tools like WhatsApp and Viber (TextSecure and RedPhone could serve as appropriate secure replacements), because now we know for sure that they’re watching.
Le cas est évoqué dans l’article ci-dessous, la compagnie Mobility prétend ’ne pas communiquer avec les "hackers"
Saudi’s Mobily Denies Asking For Help To Spy On Customers » Gulf Business
http://gulfbusiness.com/2013/05/saudis-mobily-denies-asking-for-help-to-spy-on-customers
Saudi’s Mobily Denies Asking For Help To Spy On Customers
A software engineer claimed that the company had asked him to build surveillance tools to intercept customers’ messages on Twitter.
Saudi Arabia’s No. 2 telecom operator Mobily denied claims by a software engineer that the company had asked him to build surveillance tools to intercept customers’ messages on Twitter and other services.
Matthew Rosenfield, who uses the pseudonym Moxie Marlinspike, published emails on his blog purporting to be from Mobily which included a request for help in intercepting traffic over applications such as Twitter, Whatsapp, Viber and Line.
Marlinspike said the company wanted to be able to monitor or block mobile data on these applications and that Mobily had provided him with design documents to produce computer code – known as SSL certificates – that the company could use for interception.
Marlinspike said on the blog he declined to help.
Mobily, formally known as Etihad Etisalat and an affiliate of the United Arab Emirates company Etisalat, said the contents of the blog post, which have whipped up a storm of comments on social media, were false.
“Mobily or its employees never communicated with the author of this blog,” the company said. “Mobily communicates with information security companies only based on legal and lawful requirements. We never communicate with hackers. Moreover, it is not our job to spy on customers.”
The Saudi telecom regulator issued a vaguely worded directive in March warning that many web-based communication tools such as Whatsapp, an instant messaging service and Viber, a phone and messaging service, broke local laws.
It ordered the Kingdom’s three operators Mobily, Saudi Telecom Co and Zain Saudi, to ensure they comply. The regulator, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), did not say which laws it was referring to.
CITC has not said how long operators would be given to adhere to the rules or what action would be taken if they failed to do so.
However, local media have reported that telecom companies had been asked to tell CITC whether they were able to monitor such applications.
CITC was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.
Marlinspike is the co-founder of Whisper Systems, a company that makes software to improve security and privacy for smartphones and other mobile devices and which was acquired by Twitter in 2011.
In an email to Reuters, Marlinspike said he thought Mobily contacted him because of his expertise in SSL certificates.
He declined to provide copies of the emails purported to be from Mobily. His blog states he received emails from Yasser D. Alruhaily, executive manager of the Network & Information Security Department at Mobily.
A Yasser Alruhaily is listed on social networking website Yatedo with a similar job title.
Best analysis of the situation in the Middle East so far: “Theocratic regimes back secularists; tyrannies promote democracy; the US forms partnerships with Islamists; Islamists support Western military intervention. Arab nationalists side with regimes they have long combated; liberals side with Islamists with whom they then come to blows. Saudi Arabia backs secularists against the Muslim Brothers and Salafis against secularists. The US is allied with Iraq, which is allied with Iran, which supports the Syrian regime, which the US hopes to help topple. The US is also allied with Qatar, which subsidizes Hamas, and with Saudi Arabia, which funds the Salafis who inspire jihadists who kill Americans wherever they can”
Source : http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/nov/08/not-revolution/?pagination=false
#Iran #Iraq #Syria #Qatar #USA #Hamas #Egypt #democracy
Tomgram : David Vine, Baseworld Profiteering | TomDispatch
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175699/tomgram:_david_vine,_baseworld_profiteering
...after an extensive examination of government spending data and contracts, I estimate that the Pentagon has dispersed around $385 billion to private companies for work done outside the U.S. since late 2001, mainly in that baseworld. That’s nearly double the entire State Department budget over the same period, and because Pentagon and government accounting practices are so poor, the true total may be significantly higher.
...
... an analysis of Pentagon spending reveals a troubling pattern: the majority of benefits have gone to a relatively small group of private contractors. In total, almost a third of the $385 billion has flowed into the coffers of just 10 top contractors, including scandal-prone companies like KBR, the former subsidiary of Halliburton, and oil giant BP.
...
The use of contractors accelerated following the Cold War’s end, part of a larger trend toward the privatization of formerly public services.
...
Contractors are hardly alone in raking in the dollars from the Pentagon’s baseworld. Pentagon officials, military personnel, members of Congress, and lobbyists, among others, have all benefited — financially, politically, and professionally — from the giant overseas presence. In particular, contractors have spread the love by making millions in campaign contributions to members of Congress. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, military contractors and their employees gave more than $27 million in election donations in 2012 alone, and have donated almost $200 million since 1990.
Most of these have gone to members of the armed services and appropriations committees in the Senate and House of Representatives. These, of course, have primary authority over awarding military dollars. For the 2012 elections, for example, DynCorp International’s political action committee donated $10,000 to both the chair and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and made additional donations to 33 other members of the House and Senate armed services committees and 16 members of the two appropriations committees.
...
Saudis overtaking Qatar in sponsoring Syrian rebels- http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/saudis-overtaking-qatar-in-sponsoring-syrian-rebels
Par Hassan Hassan, qui présente comme d’habitude les Saoud comme des paragons de vertu.
.:Middle East Online ::Soccer emerges as focal point of dissent in Saudi Arabia :.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=58713
Soccer emerges as focal point of dissent in Saudi Arabia
Le terrain de foot plus dangereux encore pour l’avenir politique des autorités saoudiennes que la mosquée selon cet article...
Syrian refugees ’sold for marriage’ in Jordan
Before the war began, Kazal was in love with her neighbour in Homs. “He was 20 years old and I dreamed of marrying him one day,” she says. “I never thought I would marry someone I didn’t love, but my family and I have been through some hard times since coming to Amman.”
Timelapse : Landsat Satellite Images of Climate Change, via Google Earth Engine
http://world.time.com/timelapse
That changed when NASA created the Landsat program, a series of satellites that would perpetually orbit our planet, looking not out but down. Surveillance spacecraft had done that before, of course, but they paid attention only to military or tactical sites. Landsat was a notable exception, built not for spycraft but for public monitoring of how the human species was altering the surface of the planet. Two generations, eight satellites and millions of pictures later, the space agency, along with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has accumulated a stunning catalog of images that, when riffled through and stitched together, create a high-definition slide show of our rapidly changing Earth. TIME is proud to host the public unveiling of these images from orbit, which for the first time date all the way back to 1984.
Entretien du Roi du Bahrein avec une étudiante en journalisme d’Harvard.
Nieman Reports | « Terrorism Has No Religion »
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102880/Terrorism-Has-No-Religion.aspx
“Terrorism Has No Religion”
Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, talks to 2013 Nieman Fellow Souad Mekhennet about terrorism, Twitter, freedom of the press, and democratic reform
Interview by Souad Mekhennet
Et cette déclaration du Wifaq, datée du 10 mai
A noter le site du Wifaq qui a fait peau neuve (effaçant notamment le nom complet qui mentionnait jama’iyya al wifaq al watani al islamiyya )
No solution without democracy and power-sharing | alwefaq
http://alwefaq.net/cms/2013/05/10/19641
10th May 2013
The national democratic opposition parties said Bahrain is undergoing a bitter conflict between the political majority demanding democratic transition and the rigid dictatorship that is blocking change and refusing to respond to the people’s will. The conflict that has entered its third year will only end with real democracy that responds to the people’s aspirations to build a state of freedom and democracy.
The opposition parties issued a statement following a mass protest march titled, “Back down is fantasy” on Friday 10th May, west of the capital Manama. The statement stressed that the expropriated powers must be given to the people who must be the source of all powers and sovereignty.
The opposition parties stressed that the mentioned principles make the base of the conflict between the dictatorship that insists on its control of the nation’s powers and wealth and the people who look to build a modern civil state through an elected government and a full power parliament made out of fair electoral districts with an impartial and independent judiciary and diversified security services.
The opposition parties also mentioned in their statement that the security services in Bahrain practise torture according to a deep rooted methodology and a deviant security mentality.
The opposition parties stressed that the suppressive crackdown cannot end the people’s movement, adding, all attempts to circumvent the inclusive political solution will fail and the people are well aware of the regime’s attempts.
10th May 2013
Bahrain national democratic opposition parties:
AlWefaq National Islamic Society (AlWefaq)
National Democratic Action Society (Waad)
National Democratic Gathering Society (AlQawmi)
Unitary National Democratic Assemblage (Wahdawy)
Ekhaa National Society (Ekhaa)
Des suites de la repression saoudienne contre les travailleurs immigrés en situation illégale.
Disons pour le moins que la politique saoudienne est un peu brutale dans son application.
Over 18,000 Indians want to leave Saudi Arabia, seek emergency certificate - The Times of India, 9 May 2013
HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: India could witness large-scale reverse migration in the coming months as the three-month grace period given by the Saudi Arabian government for implementation of the Nitaqat law comes to an end soon.
Over 18,000 Indians have already approached the Indian Embassy in Riyadh seeking an Emergency Certificate (EC) to leave Saudi Arabia amid concerns about possible job losses. The Indian workers have applied for issuance of EC to leave the country as they had given their passports to the sponsors, overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi told Parliament on Wednesday.
How Many Wars Is the US Fighting Today?
http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/peps.2013.19.issue-1/peps-2013-0011/peps-2013-0011.xml
Most people in the US and around the world, when asked the question in mid to late 2011, “How many wars is the US fighting today?” would answer “one” or “two”: Iraq and Afghanistan. The first has now ended and the second is in the process of winding down. The US still has some 70,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan, with withdrawal scheduled by end-2014. And, while the US has officially withdrawn its forces from Iraq, it maintains thousands of private contractors and State Department personnel in the country and, in addition, has expanded its troop presence just across the border in Kuwait.
In addition to these two large-scale conflicts the US is also fighting a number of unannounced and undeclared “wars”. These unannounced wars are fought mainly with air power and increasingly with drones rather than ground troops. If we define war to include conflicts where the US is launching extensive military incursions, including drone attacks, but that are not officially “declared,” then the US is directly involved in at least three wars – in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia – in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan. These unannounced wars follow in the tradition of many previous covert US military incursions, such as in Chile, Cuba, and Nicaragua. The difference is that advanced military technology now enables the US to fight such wars in a different way, which is far less transparent, and to sustain operations over several years.
In this paper, we first briefly outline the global scale of US military involvement today, outside of Iraq and Afghanistan. Second, we examine how the emergence of robotic warfare is enabling the US to become involved in more conflicts worldwide. Third, we look at some of the implications of this relatively new technology, and its effect on US power. Finally, we offer some preliminary conclusions.
Today US military operations are involved in scores of countries across all the five continents. The US military is the world’s largest landlord, with significant military facilities in nations around the world, and with a significant presence in Bahrain, Djibouti,Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to long-established bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.1 Some of these are vast, such as the Al Udeid Air Force Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters of the United States Central Command, which has recently been expanded to accommodate up to 10,000 troops and 120 aircraft.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) is active in 20 countries across the Middle Eastern region, and is actively ramping-up military training, counterterrorism programs, logistical support, and funding to the military in various nations. At this point, the US has some kind of military presence in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, U.A.E., Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
Via Kevin Gosztola http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/05/06/the-united-states-is-fighting-how-many-wars
Le manque de transparence des autorités saoudiennes lors du déclenchement de cas du nouveau virus de grippe aviaire à Hufuf pose potentiellement problème.
Virus’s Toll in Saudi Arabia Raises Fears of Faster Spread - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323372504578466170461787346.html
nternational public-health officials say they are as concerned about the coronavirus as they are about the new H7N9 avian flu virus that recently began sickening people in eastern China. The flu has hit more people—128 are known to have been infected as of May 2, including 26 who died—than the coronavirus.
But the coronavirus so far appears deadlier, with 30 cases including 18 deaths. And it may now be spreading from one person to another, international health officials say—unlike H7N9, which isn’t spreading widely between people. [...]
“They may have much more information but it surely hasn’t been forthcoming,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, of the Saudi government. “The Saudis need to lay this out as completely as possible. We’ve all been concerned about the lack of transparency with regard to the Saudi investigation. It’s not just about an endemic problem within the country. It represents a global threat.”
British imperialism’s return to “East of Suez” - World Socialist Web Site
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/05/08/uaem-m08.html
British imperialism’s return to “East of Suez”
By Jean Shaoul
8 May 2013
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, got the full treatment on his state visit to Britain last week.
He was afforded a ride in a gilded horse-drawn coach to Windsor, complete with guards in bearskins and red tunics, a state banquet at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth, and talks with Prime Minister David Cameron.
Arabie Saoudite : des centres pour réinsérer les anciens islamistes - France Info
►http://www.franceinfo.fr/monde/arabie-saoudite-prison-5-etoiles-978073-2013-05-06
L’Arabie Saoudite tente de réinsérer les anciens islamistes proches d’Al-Qaïda. Une réinsertion qui passe par des centres de réhabilitation. Des établissements très confortables que France Info a pu visiter en exclusivité. Notre correspondante Clarence Rodriguez a pu recueillir les confessions d’un ancien terroriste d’Al-Qaïda passé par ce centre. Exceptionnellement, il a accepté de se confier à une journaliste femme.
166 ‘reformed’ militants freed | ArabNews
http://www.arabnews.com/news/450607
L’objectif des wahabo/saoud est l’adoption d’une « voie modérée de l’islam. » #Hallucinant
http://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleryformatter_slide/homecoming.jpg
Tiens, Angry Arab change d’avis :
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/angry-corner/israel-bombs-syria-again
This was never a “revolution”. I among other leftists in Lebanon signed a petition early on after the events in Deraa in which we denounced the regime and mocked and dismissed its narrative of armed groups roaming the country and shooting at people. I now figure that I was dead wrong: I do believe that armed groups were pre-prepared and armed to strike when orders (from Israel and GCC countries) arrive. They had a mission and it had nothing to do with the cause of liberation of Syria from a tyrannical regime.
Évidemment, cela fait penser à l’analyse référencée par @gonzo :
http://seenthis.net/messages/136089
With these attacks, claim Syrian commentators, Israel revealed that it is actually pulling all the strings. This certainly has an impact on the public opinion in the Arab world. I follow the public opinion in Syria very closely, and I can tell you that it is changing very quickly, without much push back. Until recently, people regarded the Syrian regime as the worst of all possible worlds. Now that’s beginning to change.”
On peut très bien imaginer que dans un premier temps, Assad restait le choix des Américains et des Israéliens, puisque finalement il s’était toujours montré assez accommodant en particulier sur l’occupation du Golan. Puis, les choses évoluant comme on sait, une implication plus nette se dessine.
La traduction du billet d’Angry Arab ►http://www.info-palestine.net/spip.php?article13502
Israel Bombs Syria, Again | Al Akhbar English
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/angry-corner/israel-bombs-syria-again
Israel Bombs Syria, Again
. Un commentaire assez percutant de Assad Abu Khalil après les derniers bombardements. Pour lui, les choses sont désormais claires : There is no mystery anymore. Israel has been a major player in the Syrian conflict.
Tout le monde n’aime pas le personnage, mais on lui reconnaîtra au moins le mérite de faire son auto-critique dans ce paragraphe qui me paraît important :
This was never a “revolution”. I among other leftists in Lebanon signed a petition early on after the events in Deraa in which we denounced the regime and mocked and dismissed its narrative of armed groups roaming the country and shooting at people. I now figure that I was dead wrong: I do believe that armed groups were pre-prepared and armed to strike when orders (from Israel and GCC countries) arrive. They had a mission and it had nothing to do with the cause of liberation of Syria from a tyrannical regime.
Israel may join defense pact with Saudi Arabia, UAE- http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-reportedly-may-join-defense-pact-with-saudi-arabia-uae
Israel is working on joining an anti-Iran defense alliance with a number of moderate Arab states that would involve sharing Jerusalem’s newly developed anti-missile technologies, a British newspaper reported Sunday.
The plan would see Israel join with Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to create a Middle Eastern “moderate crescent,” according to the Sunday Times, which cited an unnamed Israeli official. Israel does not currently maintain formal ties with Riyadh or Abu Dhabi, and relations with Ankara have been strained since 2009.
According to the report, Israel would gain access to radar stations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and in exchange share its own early warning radar information and anti-ballistic missile defense systems, though it’s not clear in what form. The report details that Jordan would be protected by Israel’s Arrow long-range anti-missile batteries.
The so-called 4+1 plan is being brokered by Washington, and would mark a sharp shift in stated policy for the White House, which has insisted the US is not interested in containing Iran but rather stopping it before it reaches nuclear weapon capability.
The Sunni states of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan are all opposed to Tehran shifting the regional power balance. Though Turkey maintains strong trade ties with Iran, it has found itself opposed to Tehran over the issue of Syria.
Il faut prendre ces informations avec prudence. Je pense peu probable que l’Arabie saoudite entre dans une alliance ouverte avec Israël. Le vieux rêve américain d’une alliance formelle entre les pays arabes et Israël, du pacte de Bagdad à l’alliance antisoviétique ne s’est jamais réalisé. Mais cela ne veut pas dire qu’il n’y ait pas des alliances de facto
En tout cas, question timing, c’est vraiment le moment !
Man Too Handsome for Saudi Arabia Who Wasn’t
http://www.islawmix.org/the-man-too-handsome-for-saudi-arabia-who-wasnt
As it turns out, three men were not, in fact, deported from Saudi Arabia. Actually, no one was deported from Saudi Arabia and certainly not for being too handsome. And, actually, no one was even kicked out of the heritage and cultural festival except for a member of the religious police for protesting against the presence of a Gulf female singer.
#hoax
Évidemment, Al-Monitor ne publiera (heureusement) jamais un texte expliquant qu’« il n’existe pas de telle créature qu’un juif qui penserait ci ou ça… », ou utilisant le terme « bombe juive » :
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/insights-into-the-middle-east.html
There is no such creature as an Arab who will tolerate an Iran with a nuclear bomb. And there is also no such creature on this planet as a Sunni who will agree with being faced with a Shiite bomb with no countermeasure in place.
Mais bon, l’essentialisme orientaliste israélien est proverbiale. Outre les aspects racistes habituels (l’Arabe, cet être transparent et prévisible), noter qu’il est clair ici qu’un arabe ne saurait être chiite.
يوم حرية الصحافة الـعالمي : أين العرب؟ | الأخبار
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182407
(Merci George ;-)
Al-Akhbar publie un gros dossier à l’occasion de la journée mondiale pour la liberté de la presse : où sont les Arabes http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182407
– Les médias libanais et la polarisation http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182408
– Un syndicat en ruines, qui craint pour sa situation (Liban) http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182409
– Le calvaire syrien : des journaux imprégnés de sang http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182410
– Salut au journaliste inconnu (Syrie) http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182411
– L’épée de Morsi brandie au-dessus des cous http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182412
– Tunisie : le dictateur est tombé, à quand le tour de la peur ? http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182413
– Le Maroc a tu les fauteurs de troubles et jouit de la tranquilité http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182414
– Algérie : les tribunes sont nombreuse, la voix unique http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182415
– Le Golfe, cette grande prison http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182422
– Journalistes en Palestine, face à l’occupation et entre deux feux http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182424
_ La révolution n’est pas permanente (Yémen) http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182425
– Journalistes d’Irak : une seule voix contre la répression http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/182423
Version anglaise de l’article sur la Palestine (http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/palestinian-journalists-triple-jeopardy), et sur le Golfe (http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gulf%E2%80%99s-refined-media-prison)
grippe #chiroptère, #NCoV , ça faisait longtemps qu’on n’en avait pas entendu parler.
Saudi Arabia reports 7 cases of SARS-like virus
http://www.newsday.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-reports-7-cases-of-sars-like-virus-1.5186071
Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry said Thursday that five people have died and two other patients were in critical condition with confirmed cases of a new respiratory virus related to SARS.
The ministry said in a statement that it had informed the World Health Organization of the seven new cases of novel coronavirus.
(…)
Since September 2012, WHO has been informed of 24 confirmed cases. Sixteen of the patients died.
Australian on trial for terrorism in Saudi Arabia - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-01/australian-on-trial-for-terrorism-in-saudi-arabia/4663718
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) has confirmed an Australian man is on trial for alleged terrorism-related offences in Saudi Arabia.
DFAT says the 25-year-old, named in the media as Shayden Thorne from Perth, was arrested 18 months ago and is being detained in a prison outside Riyadh.
His brother, Junaid Muhammed Thorne, 23, is also in the country but is in hiding after being released from prison after two months of detention without being charged.
Junaid’s cousin, Stephanie Riley, says Shayden was arrested after police found terrorism-related material on a laptop that he had borrowed.
Obama preparing to send lethal arms to Syrian opposition, officials say - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-preparing-to-send-lethal-arms-to-syrian-opposition-officials-say/2013/04/30/3084d0d4-b1a6-11e2-bbf2-a6f9e9d79e19_print.html
Disputes among those countries, particularly between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, over which rebel military faction to back has led to rising U.S. concern that sophisticated weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, are being sent directly to Islamist extremist groups. The administration is not prepared to send missiles itself, but believes it can gain more control over others’ supplies if it puts what an official called “more skin in the game” by sending its own lethal equipment.
...
U.S. hopes have waned that the political opposition would coalesce around a political program and substantive actions on the ground that could persuade the population that it is capable of governing and weaning fence-sitters away from supporting Assad.
At the same time, rebel fighters with the U.S.-backed Syrian Free Army led by Gen. Salim Idriss are seen as increasingly cohesive. Idriss, one of the few leaders who is acceptable to both the opposition and its range of international backers, impressed Kerry and other foreign ministers who attended a meeting with the opposition in Istanbul last weekend and pledged he would keep weapons out of the hands of extremists.