Leaked document outlines US spending on intelligence
The most detailed public disclosure of U.S. intelligence spending in history shows a surprisingly dominant role for the Central Intelligence Agency, a growing emphasis on both defensive and offensive cyberoperations and significant gaps in knowledge about targeted countries despite the sharp increase in spending after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Confident Syria used chemicals, US mulls action
WASHINGTON — Moving a step closer to possible U.S. military action in Syria, a senior Obama administration official said Sunday that there was “very little doubt” that President Bashar Assad’s military forces had used chemical weapons against civilians last week and that a Syrian promise to allow U.N. inspectors access to the site was “too late to be credible”.
Bombing suspect reveals original plot
WASHINGTON — The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings told FBI interrogators that he and his brother had considered suicide attacks and striking on the Fourth of July as they plotted their deadly assault, according to two law enforcement officials.
FBI agents pore over bombing suspect’s trip to Russia in 2012
FBI agents are working closely with Russian security officials to reconstruct Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s activities and connections in Dagestan during his six-month visit last year, tracking meetings he may have had with specific militants, his visits to a radical mosque and any indoctrination or training he may have received, law enforcement officials said on Sunday.
In Petraeus case, FBI inquiry into emails raises questions
WASHINGTON — Are a string of angry emails really enough, in an age of boisterous online exchanges, to persuade the FBI to open a cyberstalking investigation?
Drone strike in Pakistan kills Haqqani commander
WASHINGTON — A CIA drone strike Thursday killed a high-level commander in the Haqqani network, the militant group that has been the largest killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.
Investigators assess threat of bombing tied to 9/11 anniversary
WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism officials on Thursday were assessing a new report of a threat of an attack in New York City or Washington using a car or truck bomb, timed to the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to several officials briefed on the matter.
Wikileaks leaves names of diplomatic sources in cables
WASHINGTON — In a shift of tactics that has alarmed U.S. officials, the antisecrecy organization WikiLeaks has published on the Web nearly 134,000 leaked diplomatic cables in recent days, more than six times the total disclosed publicly since the posting of the leaked State Department documents began in November.
Muslim Brotherhood’s stance in Egypt is strong but unclear
WASHINGTON — After maintaining a low profile in protests led largely by secular young Egyptians, the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest opposition force, appeared to be taking a more assertive role Thursday, issuing a statement asking for President Hosni Mubarak to step aside for a transitional government.
A nation’s response to an illegal smoke and a quip
WASHINGTON — When an illicit pipe and a foolish joke aboard an airliner touches off a national megascare, scrambling fighter jets and FBI agents, alerting all 4,900 flights in progress and unleashing a media flood, does that mean the security system works?
Arrest of number two in Taliban was largely a result of luck
WASHINGTON — When Pakistani security officers raided a house outside Karachi in late January, they had no idea that they had just made their most important capture in years.
Counseling Calm Over Latest Terrorism Plots
As terrorist plots against the United States have piled up in recent months, politicians and the news media have sounded the alarm with a riveting message for Americans: Be afraid. Al-Qaida is on the march again, targeting the country from within and without, and your hapless government cannot protect you.
Militants Face More Attacks By U.S. Drones
Two weeks ago in Pakistan, Central Intelligence Agency sharpshooters killed eight people suspected of being militants of the Taliban and al-Qaida, and wounded two others in a compound that was said to be used for terrorist training.
Radical Cleric Tied to Shooting at Base in Texas
Intelligence agencies intercepted communications last year and earlier this year between the military psychiatrist accused of shooting to death 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, and a radical cleric in Yemen known for his incendiary anti-American teachings.
CIA to Close Its Overseas ‘Black Site’ Prisons
The CIA said Thursday that it would decommission the secret overseas prisons where it subjected al-Qaida prisoners to brutal interrogation methods, bringing to a symbolic close the most controversial counterterrorism program of the Bush administration.
CIA Had Its Lawyers’ Approval To Destroy Interrogation Tapes
Lawyers within the clandestine branch of the Central Intelligence Agency gave written approval in advance to the destruction in 2005 of hundreds of hours of videotapes documenting interrogations of two Qaida lieutenants, according to a former senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the episode.
Senator Received Donations From Phone Company Execs
Executives at the two biggest phone companies contributed more than $42,000 in political donations to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., this year while seeking his support for legal immunity for businesses participating in National Security Agency eavesdropping.
Congressional Debate Erupts Over Interrogation Techniques of CIA
The disclosure of secret Justice Department legal opinions on interrogation on Thursday set off a bitter round of debate over the treatment of suspected terrorists in American custody and whether Congress has been adequately informed of administration legal policies.