Italy Sends Freed Achille Lauro Hijacker to Syria

Youssef Magied al-Molqui, ringleader of the Achille Lauro hijacking and the murderer of U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer, has been removed from Italy to Syria:

(IsraelNN.com) The ringleader of the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro ship will be expelled from Italy to Syria, the Associated Press reports. Youssef Magied al-Molqui has served only 23 years of his 30-year jail sentence for his role in the hijacking and murder of wheelchair-bound Jewish passenger Leon Klinghoffer.

Italy’s Attorney General Gianfranco Pagano said that Molqui was to be flown on Saturday from his holding cell in Sicily to Rome and then onto Damascus.

Molqui's claim that he should not be expelled due to his marriage to an Italian citizen was rejected by an Italian court. Nor did his claim to being stateless - he is a descendant of Arabs who fled pre-state Israel - prevent his expulsion order.

He escaped in 1996 while on leave from prison, but was recaptured and returned to jail.

Molqui and three other members of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) terrorist group hijacked the Achille Lauro cruise ship off the coast of Egypt in 1985. The hijackers demanded the release of 50 terrorist prisoners in Israeli jails.

During the incident, the hijackers also murdered wheelchair-bound American citizen Leon Klinghoffer and threw his body overboard. Klinghoffer, 69, was singled out because he was Jewish.

A second hijacker, Ibrahim Abdel-Atif, was released from prison last year and is also fighting a deportation order. Abdel-Atif also has no citizenship, as his country of birth, Lebanon, refuses to grant citizenship to descendants of Arabs who fled pre-state Israel.

The United States has never yet punished anyone for the murder of Klinghoffer, nor for the other acts of terrorism committed by the Achille Lauro hijackers against U.S. citizens. Al-Molqui ought to be the first, his prison sentence in Italy notwithstanding.

The United States does not have an extradiction treaty with Syria, and it is extremely doubtful the Syrians would cooperate with us on this matter, in any case. But do we need Syria's cooperation? Isn't this - now declasssified - 1995 Presidential Decision Directive regarding terrorist rendition still in effect?

Return of Indicted Terrorists to the U.S. for Prosecution:

We shall vigorously apply extraterritorial statutes to counter acts of terrorism and apprehend terrorists outside of the United States. When terrorists wanted for violation of U.S. law are at large overseas, their return for prosecution shall be a matter of the highest priority and shall be a continuing central issue in bilateral relations with any state that harbors or assists them. Where we do not have adequate arrangements, the Departments of State and Justice shall work to resolve the problem, where possible and appropriate, through negotiation and conclusion of new extradition treaties. (U)

If we do not receive adequate cooperation from a state that harbors a terrorist whose extradition we are seeking, we shall take appropriate measures to induce cooperation. Return of suspects by force may be effected without the cooperation of the host government, consistent with the procedures outlined in NSD-77, which shall remain in effect. (S)

President Obama's Executive Order of January 22, 2009 does not revoke PDD-39, so what is there to stop him from ordering the forcible rendition of Al-Molqui? His crimes were committed against citizens of the United States, and simple justice demands that he be punished for them by the United States. Twenty-three years of enduring bad pasta frajule in an Italian prison does not settle his bill with us. He still has an ass-kicking coming to him from Leon Klinghoffer's homeland.

Rendition - whether it's ordinary or extraordinary, regular or extra crispy - is what this case calls for.

See No Problem, Hear No Problem, Speak No Problem

"Former people," and now business partners.







The revolving door between government and government consulting-contracting-lobbying took another spin or two this week as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright merged her consulting company with that of Sandy "Scissorhand" Berger.

Two international consulting firms founded in 2001 by the Clinton administration's top foreign-policy officials, Madeleine K. Albright and Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger, have decided to merge.

Mrs. Albright, who was secretary of state, currently heads the Albright Group, and Mr. Berger, former national security adviser, leads Stonebridge International. The new company will be called the Albright Stonebridge Group, and will be "the premier global-strategy firm helping clients navigate the intersection between business, finance, government and civil society in markets around the world," the firms said in a statement.

The two companies, as well as The Cohen Group, founded by the Clinton administration's other senior national-security official, former Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, have been in great demand during the past eight years. Mrs. Albright and Mr. Cohen, a former Republican senator from Maine, have been among the most visible and media-savvy "former people," as Mrs. Albright likes to call them jokingly.

-- snip --

Mrs. Albright, Mr. Berger and former Sen. Warren Rudman, New Hampshire Republican, will lead the new firm. Ms. Sherman [TSB note: Wendy Sherman, a principal in the Albright Group, headed Mrs. Clinton's transition team at the State Department] and H.P. Goldfield, a former assistant secretary of commerce, will be vice chairs, and former ambassador to Brazil Anthony S. Harrington will serve as CEO. Suzanne A. George, James C. O'Brien and Michael J. Warren will be principals.

Reading news like this, I think back to a conversion I had several years ago with a Turkish government official. He furiously resented a World Bank effort that was going on at that time to combat public corruption, which the Bank saw as an impediment to economic development. The Turk maintained that in the Third World public corruption is more or less benign, since it consists of small amounts of graft broadly distributed throughout society all the way down to the level of traffic cops, whereas the U.S. style of corruption consists of huge amounts of money passed out to a very few people at the top of the government-business nexus. I had no good answer to him then, and I haven't thought of one since.

Irresistible Tax Reformers

The Washington Times pointed to the best example of political spin in years, with its item yesterday on the Quotable Norquist:

The admission by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, of lying to his family and staff about his whereabouts to meet with his mistress in Argentina is a crippling blow for fiscal conservatives who admired his stance against President Obama's stimulus bill.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist admitted to the Washington Independent, a Web-based publication, Mr. Sanford's affair was not helpful to his crusade to reduce government spending, but nonetheless tried to put some happy spin on the sordid situation.

"It does indicate that men who oppose federal spending at the local level are irresistible to women," Mr. Norquist said.

Al-Qadhafi: The Sheik of Tripoli?

I'm the sheik of Araby, your love belongs to me.
At night where you're asleep, into your tent I'll creep.
The stars that shine above will light our way to love.
You'll rule this world with me, I'm the sheik of Araby.

- "The Sheik of Araby," Tin Pan Alley hit song of 1921




I knew that Muammar al-Qadhafi was smitten by former SecState Condoleezza Rice. He made that abundantly clear in an interview with Al-Jazeera television last year:

"I support my darling black African woman," he said. "I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders. ... Leezza, Leezza, Leezza. ... I love her very much. I admire her, and I'm proud of her, because she's a black woman of African origin."

But I didn't know that he tried to close the deal with Leezza by giving her a ring and a locket. The Washington Post has an item today on gifts given to U.S. officials by foreign dignitaries last year which notes the following items from Qadhafi were accepted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

(1) Diamond ring in wood box. (2) DVD with musical instrument. (3) Locket with Qadhafi's photo. Received 9/5/08. Estimated value: $212,225. Location: Pending transfer to the General Services Administration

I'd like to know which DVD the desert romantic picked out for Leezza. Back in my day, A Man and a Woman was the ultimate make-out movie, but that's so old it's probably not even available on DVD. Chick Flicks definitely don't seem like Qadhafi's style. My guess is the 1921 Rudolph Valentino silent film The Sheik, which is racy but still dignified. The musical instrument? That was most likely an Oud, something on which he could strum traditional Libyan music while wooing Leezza in his tent.

Condoleezza would be well advised to take out a restraining order. She no longer has a security detail, and Qadhafi seems like the type who might stalk her.

Hot Dogs on Ice, For Now

Regarding the State Department's intention to engage in hot dog diplomacy with Iran, Department spokesman Ian Kelly told the press "there's no thought to rescinding the invitations to Iranian diplomats."

That was on Monday, June 22. But today, June 24, CNN's Political Ticker blog is reporting that the administration is, in fact, having second thoughts:

"I wouldn't say engagement is off the table, but it is certainly on ice," a senior administration official told CNN this week.

-----------------------------------

Update: Associated Press is now reporting that the July Fourth invitations have been rescinded.

An offer for Iranian envoys to attend U.S. embassy Fourth of July parties has been rescinded as the violent crackdown in Tehran continues, the White House said Wednesday.

"Given the events of the past many days, those invitations will no longer be extended," presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

-- snip --

[State Department spokesman Ian] Kelly said no Iranians have accepted, and he indicated that the U.S. saw little reason for them to, given the political crisis over their disputed presidential election.

Sorry Iran, but The Great Satan no longer requests the pleasure of your company at his Independence Day celebrations.

Interesting that this announcement came from the White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, vice the State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly. And, is it just me, or does Kelly sound kind of glum over this party-pooping development?

A Poet Finds His True Voice

A Washington Times editorial today notes the extensive conflicts of interest that exist at the top levels of the U.S. Justice Department on the matter of Guantanamo detainees. The Attorney General himself and five of his top ten officials, among others, all have to recuse themselves from some detainee matters due to their previous work at a law firm that represented the detainees:

Executive Order 13493 on Jan. 22 appointed Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. co-chairman of the Special Task Force on Detainee Disposition, the interagency group charged with determining the status of persons captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations. But according to Justice Department regulations, Mr. Holder is required to recuse himself from certain detainee matters because his law firm represented the detainees.

The Legal Times reported in March that there are more than a dozen such conflicted lawyers at the department. This includes five of the top 10 officials in the department, including the attorney general; Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden; Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli; Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West; and Lanny A. Breuer, chief of the Criminal Division, who, like Mr. Holder, hails from the firm Covington & Burling LLP.

And there was this nugget about one of Covington's former clients, now deceased:

Former Covington attorney Marc D. Falkoff represented Kuwait-born Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi and included poetry written by the inmate in an anthology he co-edited in 2007: "Poems From Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak."

Mr. Falkoff described the poets as "gentle, thoughtful young men" whose verse was free of hatred. As Debra Burlingame reported in the Wall Street Journal, Abdullah was released in 2005 and next heard from in a martyrdom video posted on an al-Qaeda Web site celebrating his suicide truck bombing of an Iraqi Army compound in Mosul. This gentle poet killed 13 soldiers and wounded 42 others in the attack.

I hadn't seen the news about Al-Ajmi's extraliterary accomplishment before now. I thought the Gitmo detainee poems were sappy doggerel that sucked big time, but I have to say I'm impressed by Al-Ajmi's martyrdom statement. As reported by CNN:

A video posted on various jihadist Web sites shows a number of images of al-Ajmi, followed by text reading, "May God have mercy on you Abdullah al-Ajmi. I send you a warm greeting O you martyr, O you hero, O you, a man in a time where only few men are left."

He really found his poetic muse in mass murder. Probably because he was finally being honest, whereas the "Poems From Guantanamo" stuff was just a matter of telling sob stories to scam the gullible.

Fortress Embassies: Not Just for Americans Anymore

The flag flying at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta after a suicide car-bombing, September 9, 2004







The Australian news media is reporting on plans for the construction of a secure new embassy complex in Jakarta, Indonesia, to replace the chancery office building that was attacked by a terrorist bomber in 2004.

Work on a $415 million high-security Australian embassy in Jakarta will begin late next year, six years after a Jemaah Islamiah terrorist bombing that killed five people and injured more than 150 others.

The new chancery will be “bomb-proofed” and house 14 federal government agencies, 123 Australian and 273 local staff, Defence Secretary Mike Kelly said today.
Mr Kelly today submitted budget plans for the new embassy with a start date for construction next year and completion scheduled for 2014.

The current mission is “overcrowded and dysfunctional”, Mr Kelly told Parliament.

In 2004, a suicide bomber detonated a minivan loaded with more than one tonne of explosives outside the embassy.

"The government approved the relocation of the Jakarta mission on security grounds. The new site will enable appropriate setbacks to buildings for blast mitigation while the buildings themselves will be designed to resist blast,” Mr Kelly said.

"While the new development is driven by the imperative to provide more secure accommodation, a rapid increase of staff in the Jakarta mission over recent years has resulted in the chancery being seriously overcrowded and dysfunctional.”

Construction is expected to start late next year, subject to parliamentary approval.

The project will involve construction of a secure compound, including a chancery of about 20,000 square metres, a head of mission residence, residential accommodation for 32 diplomats and their families, recreational facilities and a medical clinic.

Good for the Aussies. Jakarta is to the Australian Foreign Service what Baghdad is to its U.S. counterpart: the No. #1 critical threat diplomatic post in the world. When a responsible government puts 400 employees in such a car-bomb prone hotspot, it spends the money to provide them with a reasonably secure place to work and live.