Terror suspects received coded message
LONDON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The suspects in a suicide bomb plot involving airplanes leaving Britain received a coded message before being arrested, British officials said.
British security sources said the message, which told the alleged plotters to "do your attacks now." originated in Pakistan, CNN reported Saturday.
It was also revealed Saturday at least two members of the alleged British terror cell had met with Matiur Rehman, an al-Qaida commander who allegedly trained the plotters in the use of explosives, the Daily Mail reported. Rehman was not among the seven suspects arrested by Pakistan, officials in the United States and Britain said.
Rashid Rauf, brother of terror suspect Tayib Rauf, went before a magistrate in Pakistan Saturday after being arrested and accused of involvement in the alleged plot, which concerned the bombings of seven U.S.-bound airplanes departing from Britain, CNN said.
The Bank of England Friday froze the assets of 19 of the 23 suspects, including Tayib Rauf. British anti-terror officials have said some of the men received large amounts of money from within Pakistan to buy airline tickets for use in the plot.
U.S. detains 60 at Iraq funeral
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. forces captured 60 Iraqis suspected of having connections with an al-Qaida cell at a funeral south of Baghdad, the military announced Saturday.
Friday's raid was followed by roadside bombings in the city Saturday that left 12 police and civilians wounded, the BBC reported. Meanwhile, two people were killed in a bombing at a shop in Basra that wounded four others.
The funeral raid, which took place in a Sunni-militant stronghold in the Arab Jabour area, was the first major arrest of suspected insurgents since a renewed U.S. and Iraqi offensive in Baghdad began last week, the BBC said.
"Multiple forms of credible intelligence led the assault force to the location, later determined to be a funeral gathering, where the suspects were detained," a U.S. statement said.
Intelligence suggested the detainees were associated with a senior member of an al-Qaida bomb-making cell, the statement said.
Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Israeli air strikes hit targets in Lebanon Saturday, hours after the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution aimed at ending the conflict.
Air strikes in the southern town of Rshaf reportedly killed 15 people while bombs in Tyre and Sidon hit power stations, leaving the surrounding areas without electricity, CNN reported Saturday.
Lebanon's Transport and Public Works minister said workers were repairing a road crossing between Lebanon and Syria after Israeli bombs damaged it.
Israel Friday expanded its ground presence in Lebanon, pushing towards the Litani River, about 15 miles north of the Israeli border. The troops had advanced farther than any other Israeli soldiers since the beginning of the conflict, the IDF said.
Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon, said the country is likely to approve a resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council Friday at a Sunday meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet.
Resolution 1701 calls for U.N. troops to increase from 2,000 to 15,000 in the area and join the Lebanese army in patrolling areas the Israeli army pulls out of.
Ashcroft consulting firm prospers
JEFFERSON CITY, Miss., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said in Missouri his consulting firm is successfully helping businesses connect with federal agencies.
Ashcroft Group LLC, which was founded by Ashcroft after he retired from the Bush Administration two years ago, now serves a client list of 30, including many companies that produce technology used for Homeland Security, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
"It's a continuation of the aspiration I have that our nation have access to the best possible resources to fight terror, whether domestic or international," Ashcroft said on his Missouri cattle farm.
The former attorney general and governor of Missouri said the Ashcroft Group holds equity stakes eight of the companies it consults for, and it plans to continue heading in that direction to turn the company's focus to venture capital.
Ashcroft's client list includes New Mexico-based Nanodetex Corp., which manufactures technology to detect airborne pathogens; Missouri firm Exegy Inc., which performs high-speed data mining; Innova Holdings Inc., which designs software for remotely controlling robots; and Northern Virginia company Dulles Research LLC, which creates technology to detect terrorists by analyzing behavior patterns.
