Gun / weapon control - all for it in the US , not so much overseas - putting advanced weapon in the hands of the Saudis / Qatar for transit to Syria rebels aka Al Qaeda , what could go wrong ?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-20/obama-sell-10-billion-weapons-israel-saudi-arabia-and-uae
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/20/2013 13:18 -0400
http://rt.com/news/saudi-al-qaeda-spa-141/
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-20/obama-sell-10-billion-weapons-israel-saudi-arabia-and-uae
Obama To Sell $10 Billion In Weapons To Israel, Saudi Arabia And The UAE
Having been denied the ability to control guns by the democratically-controlled Senate last Wednesday in the biggest slap to the administration's face in a long time, Obama decided promptly to put as many guns as he possibly can in the hands of US soldiers and various non-Americans. First, it was the announcement that Obama would send more troops to Jordan to prepare for "stability operations" which is a euphemism for Syrian rebel support (much of it controlled by the otherwise dreaded Al Qaeda), and now we learn that Obama is set to announce the sale of $10 billion worth of weapons to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It appears that Obama, like a true expert of Sun Tzu, is well aware that the only way forward to a Nobel prize winning global peace, is under the barrel of a gun, or on the receiving end of a hot AGM-65 Maverick missile.
Bloomberg reports that the arms sold to Israel also will include an unspecified number of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft, air defense radar and KC-135 refueling tankers; the U.A.E. will probably buy 26 F-16 jet fighters, and the Persian Gulf nation as well as Saudi Arabia will each buy precision missiles, said the official who provided details on condition of not being named before the deal is announced.
More:
The missiles being discussed include an unspecified number of the U.S. Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile, a new weapon being bought by the U.S. Navy, the official said. The missile, made by Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), is capable of attacking ground radar used by countries fielding sophisticated integrated air defenses, such as Syria and Iran.If the transaction goes through, it will be the first foreign sale of the V-22 tilt-rotor made by Boeing Co. (BA) and Textron Inc. (TXT)’s Bell Helicopter unit. The U.A.E. already ordered 80 F-16s made by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) in the late 1990s, and Saudi Arabia operates a fleet of Boeing-made F-15 jets.The move to beef up the capabilities of allies in the Middle East began with President Barack Obama asking then- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to examine ways to boost Israel’s military edge in light of potential threats in the region, three U.S. defense officials told reporters today at a briefing. The U.S. suspects Iran of developing nuclear weapons and is concerned the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad may use chemical weapons.Following Obama’s direction, Panetta held a series of meetings with then-Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on weapons the country would need, the three officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations between countries. Bilateral discussions with Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. were held over the last nine months, according to the officials.Plans for the arms package to Middle East allies comes as Hagel prepares his first trip to the region since taking his Cabinet post in February. The weapons sales will be a centerpiece of the visit, the U.S. official said.
Why the need to escalate the already heavily-armed Middle East and to paint America once more as the global supplier of precision-guided death to any corner in the world? Why the "immediate danger" that is Iran and Syria of course.
At a broader level, Hagel’s visit to Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. will probably focus on regional threats from Iran and Syria, said Aaron David Miller, a Middle East specialist at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.In Israel, Hagel “has to make clear on the psychological and emotional side that he gets it that they’re in a very dangerous and uncertain neighborhood,” Miller said in a telephone interview before details of the arms sales were known.To that end, the announcement of an additional arms deal with Israel will probably be a highlight of Hagel’s meetings with his counterpart Moshe Ya’alon, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For Israel having the most modern military in the middle East is not enough. It needs to modernize it once more, courtesy of the US.
The deal also underscores Obama’s comments last month in Israel that the Jewish state must have the capacity to defend itself against potential threats from Iran and from Syria.The Obama administration also has funded Israel’s Iron Dome system, designed to shoot down short-range rockets. In its 2014 budget request the Pentagon sought $220 million to buy additional batteries of the missile defense system for Israel. If approved by Congress, that spending will be on top of the $486 million the U.S. has added for the system in recent years.
And, as the movie The International laid out all too clearly, if Israel can't fund the billions it needs to purchase more "deterrent" armaments, then HSBC (or Goldman, or JPM, or [insert bank name here]) will be delighted to provide any and all loans the country may need.
Which is not to say that Russia will be far behind providing Syria and Iran with all the MiG and AK-47s they may need in this time of crisis.... with loans provided once more by HSBC (or Goldman, or JPM, or [insert bank name here]) of course.
Rinse. Repeat.
http://rt.com/news/saudi-al-qaeda-spa-141/
Swap jihad for lush rehab: Saudi Arabia opens relaxation center for jailed Al-Qaeda extremists
Published time: April 20, 2013 14:32
The spokesman for the Saudi minister of interior General Mansour Turki (2R) is given a tour alongside other media representatives of a new centre for the rehabilitation of suspected "terrorists" and potential al-Qaeda recruits in Riyadh.(AFP Photo / STR)
Saudi Arabia hopes to put imprisoned Al-Qaeda militants on the right path and make them drop their thoughts of jihad by offering them spa treatments, exercise and counseling at a new luxurious rehabilitation facility in the capital, Riyadh.
As part of the program de-radicalization program, inmates will be able to relax in the center in between sessions with counselor and talks about religion, reports AFP.
The Riyadh rehab center is designed to accommodate 228 prisoners: 19 inmates in each of the facility’s 12 buildings.
The facility spreads over an area equivalent to around 10 football pitches (over 10 hectares) and includes an Olympic-size swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and a television hall. The prisoners will also have access to special suites where they can spend time with visiting family members. Besides that, as a bonus for good behavior, they could get a two-day break with their wives.
The center was created by the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Center for Counseling and Care - established seven years ago to rehabilitate extremists imprisoned during a Saudi crackdown on the local branch of Al-Qaeda. The prince himself survived a suicide bomb attack in 2009, which was claimed by Al-Qaeda.
“Just under 3,000 [prisoners] will have to go through one of these centers before they can be released,” Interior Ministry spokesperson General Mansur al-Turki told the agency.
Local and international media representatives are given a tour of a new centre for the rehabilitation of suspected "terrorists" and potential al-Qaeda recruits in Riyadh.(AFP Photo / STR)
Another similar facility has already been opened in the western port city of Jeddah, while three more are planned for different parts of the kingdom.
The Riyadh center though is the first one to offer jailed Al-Qaeda members – or the “deviant group,” as they are referred to by the country’s authorities – a lap of luxury as a boost to reconsider their beliefs.
It is planned that during the day prisoners will attend seminars on religious affairs.
“In order to fight terrorism, we must give them an intellectual and psychological balance... through dialogue and persuasion,” said the director of the rehabilitation centers, Said al-Bishi.
So far, some 2,336 Al-Qaeda prisoners have been through Saudi rehabilitation schemes, he said. No more than 10 per cent of former inmates rejoin extremist groups, Bishi noted, adding that such proportion is “encouraging.”
Local media representatives visit the dining room during their tour of a new centre for the rehabilitation of suspected "terrorists" and potential al-Qaeda recruits in Riyadh on April 9, 2013.(AFP Photo / STR)
A local media representative looks at a washing machine during a tour of a new centre for the rehabilitation of suspected "terrorists" and potential al-Qaeda recruits in Riyadh on April 9, 2013.(AFP Photo / STR)
However, the program does have its opponents, especially given that some there have been some high-profile returns to the ranks of jihad. For instance, Saeed al-Shehri - a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who went through a rehabilitation program in Saudi Arabia - upon his release traveled to Yemen and became deputy leader of Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.
Liberals are particularly unhappy with the religious content of the program, saying that it draws on an ultra-conservative version of Islam – which not so different from Al-Qaeda’s own.
The spokesman for the Saudi minister of interior General Mansour Turki (2R) is given a tour alongside other media representatives of a new centre the for the rehabilitation of suspected "terrorists" and potential al-Qaeda recruits in Riyadh on April 9, 2013.(AFP Photo / STR)
http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/terrorism/294839-saudi-student-hurt-in-bombing-not-a-suspect-not-being-deported
Saudi student hurt in Boston bombing not a suspect, not being deported
- 04/18/13 03:11 PM ET
A Saudi student questioned in connection to the bombing of the Boston Marathon is not being deported, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a House panel Thursday.
“I am unaware of anyone who is being deported for national security concerns at all related to Boston. I don’t know where that rumor came from,” Napolitano said.Administration officials told The Hill on Thursday that news reports about the student injured in the bombing are confusing him with another student from Saudi Arabia who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for violating his visa.
The first Saudi student is not a suspect in the Boston bombings but was hospitalized after the attack and questioned. Authorities also searched his apartment in Revere, a suburb of Boston.
The second student, who was arrested for an administrative immigration violation, has not been charged with a crime and is not believed to have any connection with the bombing, according to an administration official.
“These rumors are wrong,” a White House official said. “This is a totally different individual who is not the individual that was questioned in connection with Boston. And this individual is in custody for reasons unrelated to Boston.”
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) asked Napolitano about whether the wounded student was being deported at a budget hearing on Thursday.
Duncan argued that the administration was committing a grave mistake by deporting someone who was a witness to the bombing.
“I want them to do their job and that’s why I say, wouldn’t you agree with me that it’s negligent for us as an American administration to deport someone who was reportedly at the scene of the bombing. And we’re going to deport him, not to be able to question him anymore. Is that not negligent?”
Napolitano said Duncan’s question was based on reports that were not true and that her office would give him the real story.
“I’m not going to answer that question. It is so full of misstatements and misapprehensions that it’s just not worthy of an answer,” she responded. “There has been so much reported on this that’s wrong, I can’t even begin to tell you congressman. We will provide you with accurate information as it becomes available.”
An administration official told The Hill that ICE officers have arrested a Saudi student in the Boston area for violating his visa by failing to sign up for school.
But this is not the same student who was injured in the attack and who has been the subject of numerous published reports since the Monday bombings that killed three people and injured more than 170.
Suggestions that a Saudi witness to the attack was being deported took on new life after reports of a meeting between President Obama, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal and Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir at the White House on Wednesday, a meeting that was not initially on the president's schedule.
Obama was joining a meeting led by National Security Adviser Tom Donilon that focused on the steps ahead in Syria, according to the White House.
The confluence of events fueled suspicion among people with misgivings about the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
A Saudi royal, Prince Sultan bin Fahd, and several members of his entourage were able to quickly leave the country after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with the help of U.S. law enforcement.
EXCLUSIVE: CONGRESSIONAL SOURCE CONTRADICTS ICE ACCOUNT, SAYS LAWMAKERS IN POSSESSION OF FILE ON SAUDI NATIONAL THAT CALLED FOR VISA REVOCATION
Alleged photo of Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi. It’s unclear who the man on the right is.
Documents have been presented to Congress confirming that plans were made to revoke the visa of Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, a Saudi national once considered a “person of interest” in the Boston bombings, a congressional source told TheBlaze on Thursday.
Other sources, including one at the FBI, previously informed TheBlaze that there have been discussions about deporting Alharbi on “security and related grounds.” He has been living in the Boston area and in the U.S. on a student visa. An FBI source said the agency is against deporting Alharbi because of his status as a material witness.
The congressional source told TheBlaze it was unclear as to why representatives from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be unaware of this information. Earlier on Thursday, an official with ICE said it was “categorically false” that Alharbi had ever been considered for deportation.
The congressional source, however, said the information sent to Congress showed that a file was created on “Abdul Rahman Ali Al Harby” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday by an official with the National Targeting Center, a counterterrorism sub-agency of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. The file stated that the individual is “linked to the Boston bombing” and was to be processed for revocation of his visa based on national security grounds, the congressional source revealed.
The source confirmed seeing the information sent to members of Congress but could not provide copies of any documents to TheBlaze.
It is unclear why federal officials allegedly believed Alharbi was “linked” to the Boston Marathon attack. Simply being present at the scene could possibly result in such a distinction.
The source could not reveal if Alharbi knew or has ever been in contact with the two suspects in the Boston bombings identified by the FBI on Thursday.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano had a fiery exchange with Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) during a House hearing Thursday morning over reports that Al Alharbi is being considered for deportation.
Napolitano refused to entertain a question regarding if it would be “negligence” to deport someone who just days ago was a person of interest. Watch her response and read her other fiery comments in our full write-up here.
Sen. Rand Paul reacted to TheBlaze’s report during a radio interview with Glenn Beck by saying he will be “looking into” the report. Read the full report here. Glenn Beck also addressed the the developing story surrounding Alharbi on his show on TheBlaze TV Thursday. Watch here.
The original report by TheBlaze about Alharbi’s possible deportation is available here.
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