Myanmar Government Recruits Thousands of Children to Military

October 31, 2007 3:56 PM

Anna Schecter Reports:

The Myanmar military government is forcibly recruiting thousands of children, some as young as age 10, into its armed forces to make up for high desertion rates, according to a Human Rights Watch report released today.

"Children have become commodities," said Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch. "The government of Burma is one of the world's worst perpetrators when it comes to recruitment of children into the military."

Human rights advocates have been calling for an end to recruitment of child soldiers in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, for years.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

P.W. Singer, author of "Children at War" and a Brookings Institute fellow, said Myanmar has one of the highest number of child soldiers in the world, more than 75,000 in 2005. About 45 percent of the government's recruits in 2005 were under the age of 18, Singer said.

The military's continued expansion has put strong pressure on recruiters, who human rights groups say target young boys to fulfill recruitment quotas and replace deserters.

Financial incentives for military recruiters have exacerbated the problem. Every time a recruiter brings in recruits, he receives cash and bags of rice, according to Becker. She says some civilians have volunteered to recruit young boys for payment as well. 

Human Rights Watch interviewed 20 current and former soldiers who were recruited as children.  Nineteen of them said 30 percent of the trainees were under the age of 18.

In the state-run press, the Myanmar military government, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has repeatedly denied that they have recruited children into the military.

In 2004, SPDC formed a high-level committee to address the problem of child recruitment, which according to Human Rights Watch, turned out to be a publicity stunt.

"This was strictly for public relations," said Becker, who noted that fewer children have been released from the army since 2004 than before the committee was formed.

The Myanmar Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

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October 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

In Report, State Says Contract Guards Can't Be Prosecuted

October 31, 2007 2:07 PM

Justin Rood Reports:

News that the State Department granted immunity to Blackwater security personnel in Iraq who may know about or have been involved in the killing of Iraqi civilians is kicking up a lot of dust in Washington. But it's not clear those contract guards could have faced prosecution in U.S. courts.

A State panel studying the issue of private military contractors, or PMCs, twice urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to work with the White House and Congress to take actions that would ensure contract guards from Blackwater and other PMCs could be prosecuted in U.S. courts.

The three-member State Department panel concluded in its Oct. 23 report that it was "unaware of any basis for holding non-Department of Defense contractors accountable under U.S. law."  (A hat tip to ABC News' Jonathan Karl for noting this yesterday.)

The panel, which interviewed U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and his legal advisers, thought the legal black hole was a serious problem. It prodded Rice to work with the White House's Office of Management and Budget, the Justice Department and Congress to "establish a firm legal basis for holding contractors accountable under U.S. law." (In the panel's interim report, issued Oct. 4, it was recommendation No. 10; in its final report, it moved up eight spots to No. 2.)

A State Department spokesman yesterday blamed lower-ranking officials for the waivers, which were said to complicate, and possibly doom, an ongoing FBI criminal investigation into the fatal September shooting of several Iraqi civilians by Blackwater guards. The Associated Press reported today that these immunity waivers have been routinely granted for years.

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October 31, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

New Orleans DA to Resign

October 30, 2007 5:08 PM

From The Blotter:

New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan told his staff today he would resign Wednesday in light of a $3.7 million discrimination verdict against his office and an increasing murder rate since Hurricane Katrina, the AP reports.

Back in August of 2006, Jordan bristled at criticism and walked out of an ABC News Nightline interview when told that law enforcement officials were critical of his handling of his office.

Video: Watch the Webcast of His Walkout

ABC News' Brian Ross was interviewing Jordan as part of a report examining the state of the New Orleans justice system one year after Katrina, to be broadcast on Nightline.

Since Hurricane Katrina, there has been growing criticism of Jordan's office by senior people in law enforcement who say, even with the acknowledged problems caused by Katrina, the District Attorney has not efficiently dealt with a huge backlog of cases, estimated at more than 3,000 in August of 2006.

Jordan told Ross his questions were "stupid," when Ross asked Jordan to respond to a comment made by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in an ABC News interview earlier this week. 

"You need to have an effective police department, you need to have the courts operating effectively, you need to have a local prosecutor who is doing his job," he said.

Brian Ross: Do you think he's talking about you?

Eddie Jordan: No, because we're doing our job and I have the evidence to support it.

Brian Ross: You don't take this then as a criticism from Washington?

Eddie Jordan: I don't take this as a criticism from Washington because, as I've said before, we are taking care of our responsibility. This is ignorance and stupidity on the part of people who don't know how our system works.

At that point, Jordan's aide stepped in front of the cameras and announced she was ending the interview.

At that point, Jordon protested that Ross' questions were "stupid."

Brian Ross: They are honest questions, sir.

Eddie Jordan: They're stupid; they're not honest questions.

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October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (7)

WSJ Crowns New King of Congressional Pork

October 30, 2007 3:33 PM

Justin Rood Reports:

Wall Street Journal readers awoke to an unusual coronation this morning: an exhaustive report that effectively crowned Rep. John Murtha, D-Penn., the king of pork-barrel spending.

This year alone, Murtha directed nearly $193 million to projects in his district, more than any other member, through the use of a legislative tool known as an "earmark," the paper's John Wilke reports.

As the chair and a longtime member of the House panel overseeing Pentagon spending, Murtha has his hands on the strings of an estimated $460 billion purse.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Children, cover your ears for this part: Murtha directed a hefty portion of that money -- indeed, a hefty portion of the estimated $2 billion he's channeled to his district over the years -- to projects the Pentagon never requested, Wilke says.

Murtha told the paper that his earmarks this year were down by half from the year before. Wilke notes the congressman did not provide details to support the claim, which could not be independently verified because Congress did not release statistics on earmarking until this year.

Of note to Murtha-watchers: every private entity receiving money from a Murtha earmark made contributions to Murtha's campaign coffers, Roll Call newspaper reported in September.  Those contributions helped Murtha's groups raise $1.05 million in the first nine months of this year, the WSJ found.

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October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (10)

U.S. Navy Patrols the High Seas, Takes on Pirates

October 30, 2007 2:28 PM

Luis Martinez and Krista Kjellman Report:

A U.S. Navy destroyer provided medical assistance today to a North Korean cargo ship that had been overrun by pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to the Navy.

While the pirates remain on board, the crew of the Dai Hong Dan say they were able to secure "the steering and engineering spaces of the ship" once the Navy arrived.

Two pirates are dead and five captured, according to initial reports. Three crew mates are seriously injured and have been transferred onto the USS James W. Williams for medical attention.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

The Dai Hong Dan is only one of several vessels that have been targeted by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Piracy, once a common threat during the colonial era, has returned as "an ongoing maritime security and safety issue," according to the Navy.

Currently, five ships are under pirates' control off the Somali coast, including Japan's Golden Nori,  which the Navy is closely monitoring after being granted permission to enter Somali waters by the Mogadishu government.

Once in sight of that vessel, the Navy fired on the dinghies (pictured), or small skiffs, used by the pirates to board the Japanese ship.

The U.S. Navy patrols the seas as part of the Combined Maritime Forces, based in Manama, Bahrain.

Along with naval forces from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan and the U.K., the U.S. Navy patrols "more than 2.5 million square miles of international waters to conduct both integrated and coordinated operations...to preserve the free and secure the world’s oceans by legitimate mariners," according to the Navy.

This post has been updated.

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October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

New Wave of Video Beheadings Aimed at 'American Slaves'

October 30, 2007 12:59 PM

Brian Ross and Asa Eslocker Report:

New propaganda videos show al Qaeda-connected terrorists carrying out the beheadings of captured Pakistani soldiers, labeled "slaves to America."

One edited video, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, shows several teenage boys carrying out the decapitation of a Pakistani soldier with crude knives and then holding the severed, bleeding head with its military beret still in place.

In a brief speech to the camera before the execution, the speaker says the soldier must die because he is a "slave to America."

"These videos are put out by these terrorists off and on to create a feeling of fear and insecurity among civilians," Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said of the video. "Whenever it's a beheading of a civilian or the military, it's of great concern to all people in the country."

Several hundred Pakistani soldiers are being held in the country's lawless tribal areas after being surrounded by militants.

Military sources in Islamabad report another beheading this week of paramilitary troops from Pakistan's Frontier Corps.   

This post has been updated.

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October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (72)

Washington Post on Giuliani's Consultant Firm

October 30, 2007 10:46 AM

Brian Ross Reports:

There's more today in the Washington Post on Rudolph Giuliani's consulting firm, which, John Solomon writes, the presidential candidate had promised to quit but has not done so.

This is the same firm, we reported last week, that employs a Catholic priest and longtime friend of Giuliani's who has been accused of molesting teenage boys.

In both stories, it's been left to Giuliani's loyal spokesperson, Sunny Mindel, to offer explanations.

Read the full article.

October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

Did Congress Mistakenly 'Out' Secret Whistle-Blowers?

October 30, 2007 9:58 AM

Justin Rood Reports:

A clerical error by a congressional staffer may have revealed the e-mail addresses of government whistle-blowers.

The addresses were from a list of respondents to a congressional "anonymous" tip line set up to ferret out malfeasance within the Department of Justice.

This summer, after a series of explosive allegations of wrongdoing by Justice Department officials, the Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee set up the online tip system to encourage Justice employees to come forward if they had any more information.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Last week, a nonpartisan clerk involved in administering the project sent an e-mail to the people who had written in -- inadvertently including all of the roughly 150 e-mail addresses in the "To" line of the message.

The clerk compounded the error, which was first reported by the Web site TPMmuckraker.com, by sending a second "recall" message after the first. That note, too, included all of the addresses.

A statement released yesterday by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., explained the clerk's error and apologized for it.

"The Committee. . . is making every effort to protect the confidentiality of those who chose to provide information," the statement said, noting that the whistle-blowers "are entitled to full
legal protection," and that the panel was "determined to ensure they receive that protection[.]"

A copy of the e-mail provided to ABC News showed a number of e-mails that used individuals' full names. The public e-mail address of Vice President Dick Cheney was also on the list, as well as Conyers' own address. Several other addresses "contained profanity," as Conyers' statement described them, and appeared to be "fictitious."

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October 30, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (7)

U.K. Soft on Terrorism? Saudi King Says So in BBC Interview

October 29, 2007 11:27 AM

Krista Kjellman Reports:

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia accused Britain of not taking international terrorism seriously in an interview with the BBC.

The Saudi monarch said Britain failed to act on intelligence provided by Saudi Arabia that could have prevented the 2005 bombings on London's transit system.

But a May 2006 report by the British Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee on the attacks found that Saudi Arabia's intelligence was "materially different from what actually occurred on 7 July and clearly not relevant to these attacks."

King Abdullah spoke with the BBC ahead of his state visit to the United Kingdom -- the first by a Saudi monarch in 20 years.

Watch an excerpt of the BBC's interview with the Saudi monarch.

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October 29, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4)

The Secretive Jihadist Taking Over Pakistan

October 29, 2007 9:50 AM

From Our Sources:

A secretive Pakistani cleric is using an illegal radio station there to urge his followers to wage jihad in the restive Northwest Frontier Province where the Taliban is rapidly increasing its influence.

The followers of Maulana Fazlullah, who refer to him as "the FM Maulana," have bombed girls' schools (aftermath of one bombing pictured above), attacked shops selling music and defaced a 7th Century Buddha sculpture that archaeologists describe as the second most important relic for the region's Gandhara period after the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

Last week Fazlullah warned of more violence, telling thousands of supporters at a rally in the village of Imam Dheri that "if a single bullet is fired on my people, we'll wage jihad," according to locals who heard his speech.

Fazlullah was angrily responding to the government of Pakistan's announcement that 2,500 paramilitary troops are being deployed to Swat Valley, the scenic region where he operates. At least 47 people have died so far in attacks in the valley, an area once so famous for its snow-capped mountains and restful atmosphere that it was known as "Pakistan's Switzerland."

Once stationed in Swat Valley, the troops are expected to assist overwhelmed local authorities and to keep watch on Fazlullah and his gang of followers, according to Maj. Gen. Wahid Arshad, the military spokesman. The troops will remove the militants by force if they do not leave peacefully, he said.

"The troops have been sent to restore law and order and to provide security to the locals,"  Gen. Arshad told ABC News. Gen. Arshad said troops from the Frontier Corps were establishing checkpoints on the major roads in and out of Swat and establishing positions on the mountains that ring the valley.

Taliban influence has spread rapidly across northwest Pakistan over the past two years. The international community has been pressing Pakistan to act against the widening reach of homegrown Islamic radicals, and Western officials say they are concerned President Pervez Musharraf has been too preoccupied with a widening political crisis to focus on the deteriorating security situation.

The unrest in Swat has decimated the area's tourism industry. Swat Valley used to attract about a quarter million visitors every year, most of them Pakistanis, but now business is down 95 percent, says Zahid Khan, president of the Swat Hotel Association.

"The hotel industry is completely destroyed. We don't even have money to pay our bills," he said. "The people of Swat are fed up. They want an end to this situation."

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October 29, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (10)

Feds Demand Lawmaker's Emails

October 26, 2007 3:44 PM

Justin Rood Reports:

Are federal investigators closing in on another lawmaker?

In the last several weeks, prosecutors working the Jack Abramoff lobbying investigation have turned up the heat on Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., and his aides, letting loose a sortie of subpoenas requiring them to produce testimony and records.

Today, the Politico newspaper reports prosecutors have fired another shot across Doolittle's bow: a subpoena demanding copies of Doolittle’s old congressional e-mails.

Click here for Politico's posting.

Doolittle has steadfastly maintained he has broken no law, and that the Justice Department's tactics amount to "strongarm" attempts to get Doolittle "to admit to crimes I didn't commit."

Doolittle made those comments in May, shortly after the FBI raided his Virginia home. He was forced to give up his seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, and resigned his leadership post as Secretary of the House Republican Conference.

Among other details apparently of concern to investigators: Doolittle received over $140,000 from Abramoff and his lobbying clients, records show, and he took several official actions which benefited the disgraced superlobbyist and his clients.  Investigators have reportedly already interviewed at least a half-dozen former Doolittle aides in connection with the probe.

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October 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

Hand Grenades Explode at Mexican Consulate in New York

October 26, 2007 1:06 PM

Richard Esposito Reports:

Two homemade hand grenades exploded at the Mexican Consulate in New York this morning, police sources said, in an incident that bore striking similarities to a pre-dawn attack on the British Consulate in New York on May 5, 2005.

Officials and ABC sources gave this account:

At about 3:50 this morning, two homemade explosive devices were thrown at the Mexican Consulate on East 39th Street in Manhattan. Residents later reported to police that they heard "loud explosions" at that time.

However, the incident was not immediately reported to police.

When police did arrive -- apparently before 7:00 a.m. -- they found fragments of the devices, and some minor damage to the consulate's exterior.

"An Initial investigation of the scene determined that at approximately 03:50 hrs on Friday 10-26-07 two training grenades that were hollowed out and filled with gun powder were thrown over the fence of the location and detonated cauing three windows to break" according to a police statment.

The devices were described as "identical" or "very similar" to the two thrown at the British Consulate. In that incident the devices were also thrown shortly before 4:00 in the morning.

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No one was ever caught in that incident, despite an extensive international police search that included tracking down internet purchases of a novelty hand grenade which fit with other elements of the case. A video was released after the incident in an effort to help identify the suspect. It showed a man bicycling away from the consulate after the grenades exploded. It also showed the suspect apparently "casing" the block outside the embassy before lighting the "hobby fuses" and throwing his grenades.

In that case, the grenades were improvised from inert novelty devices. The suspect removed the top of the grenades, filled them with explosive powder, inserted fuses of the kind found in large, M-80-like fireworks and sealed them.

The devices in this case appear to be similar, based on a preliminary analysis.

While it is too early to say if the same person committed both attacks, it is one path of the police investigation.

Police are examining video from a number of surveillance cameras at and near the embassy.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

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

Mexico issued the following statement:

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs forcefully condemns the attack that the Mexican General Consulate in New York was subjected to today.

The consulate headquarters had to be evacuated early in morning after three windows at the front of the building were broken.

Consulate staff reported the events to the New York Police Department Police, who sealed off the area and started investigations to determine the reasons behind the incident, such as the nature of the device that caused the damages.

The Mexican representatives did not suffer any damage due to the incident that occurred at 04:20 (09:20 GMT) this morning, and await news regarding the investigation from local police authorities.

The consulate headquarters will remain closed until investigative authorities determine it safe to return to work.

October 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (10)

LA Times: How State Department Stonewalled Us

October 26, 2007 11:38 AM

Brian Ross Reports:

The Los Angeles Times'  T. Christian Miller expands on the Blotter story yesterday about how he was stonewalled by State Department officials as he sought to investigate a wrongful death case involving Blackwater private security guards near the ABC News offices in Baghdad.

Click here for LA Times article

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

October 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

Sneaky Sandals Could Be Next Terror Tool

October 26, 2007 10:44 AM

Richard Esposito Reports:

Even as federal authorities issued an alert warning U.S. law enforcement officers that terrorists are continuing to conceal explosive devices in thick soled shoes, a regional law enforcement agency followed up Thursday with a warning that one manufacturer's beach sandal can hold liquid explosives and a sharp implement in its heel, ABCNews.com has learned exclusively.

According to a bulletin issued originally last spring and reissued yesterday the "Dram Sandal" by Reef, is capable of holding approximately 2-3 ounces of liquid in a hidden compartment, located in the heel of each sandal. The Dram Sandal became available March 1, 2007, and can be purchased online and at most shoe stores, the bulletin stated.

Photos: Explosive Footwear

"The Reef Company, which is a designer and distributor of casual apparel and footwear, has developed several sandals with bottle openers concealed in the heel of the sandal" the bulletin reads. "The most recent line of Reef Sandals is the Dram Sandal. The Dram Sandal contains a flask embedded into the sole of the sandal and is marketed as a 'Polyurethane encapsulated canteen in heel with screw cap.' In addition to the hidden plastic canteen, the sandal comes complete with a mini funnel, church key/bottle opener and a visual gauge embedded in the sole to show how much liquid is remaining in the hidden compartment. The hidden compartment in the Dram Sandal, which was primarily made for storing beverages, could intentionally or unwittingly be used to store and transport liquid explosives."

The bulletin was reissued in the northeast United States and circulated throughout the law enforcement community just one day after an October 24 bulletin by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. That bulletin noted that European authorities in September 2007 discovered a pair of shoes that were used to smuggle electric blasting caps across international borders for use in a terrorist attack.

"A recent terrorist incident involving the international smuggling of electric blasting caps highlights the continuing use of modified footwear as a concealment method for explosive devices," stated the DHS - FBI Bulletin "Terrorist Use of Modified Footwear to Conceal Explosive Devices."
In 2001 convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid devised a shoe improvised explosive device (IED), which consisted of 10 ounces of homemade high explosive concealed in his high topped shoes. He successfully passed through airport security and attempted to blow up an American Airlines plane flying from Paris, France, to Miami, Florida. He was subdued by passengers.

This attempt led to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) policy of X Raying the shoes of all passengers boarding US flights.

The Dram Sandal holds about 2 ounces less than what Reid's shoe IED contained. The amount the sandals could contain is nonetheless sufficient to cause considerable damage. 

In a 2006 extremist plot thwarted by United Kingdom officials, terror suspects allegedly intended to use liquid explosives to simultaneously attack multiple aircraft while in flight from London's Heathrow airport to the US.

The regional bulletin noted that neither local law enforcement nor the FBI possessed any information "to indicate the Dram Sandal will be exploited by extremists." However, it said, "all sectors are reminded of the potential threat that exists from this sandal and advised to be vigilant of its contents if encountered.

"It would only require small quantities of various liquid explosives or fuels to generate the force necessary to produce an explosion, capable of causing a hole in an aircraft or seriously disabling it. With the continued focus on air transportation by al Qaeda and other likeminded groups, TSA officials should be aware and become familiar with this specific sandal."

A similar advisory to be alert was included in the DHS-FBI bulletin based on the shoes seized in Europe.

"The shoes were modified in a manner that would make it difficult for security personnel to distinguish them from normal shoes visually." They were not worn, the bulletin said, but transported by bus concealed in luggage.

"The shoes—made of leather with thick rubber soles—were modified so that the insole of each shoe could be removed for access to the  hollow interior of the rubber sole," according to the bulletin.

"Electric blasting caps were placed inside the hollow rubber sole, and the insole was glued to the rubber sole to appear as if  the shoe was never modified," it continued. "The blasting caps—each measuring about two inches in length—were individually wrapped in paper, possibly to protect them from the glue used when the shoes were reassembled."

The FBI told the Blotter on ABCNews.com that the bulletin was sent out as part of the routine information sharing between various members of the law enforcement and intelligence communities.
"The FBI and DHS routinely send out these bulletins to our law enforcement and intelligence community partners to share information," said Senior Special Agent Richard J. Kolko, Chief of the National Press Office. "It is not related to a threat, but is provided in order to allow officers on the streets to be alert to items that appear routine but may not be, as they go about their daily duties."

The bulletin itself noted there was no "specific, credible" current threat information indicating "that terrorists plan to use this concealment method in the homeland.' But also noted that the incident "highlights the continuing use of modified footwear as a concealment method for explosive devices."

As such, the attempt to smuggle blasting caps is but the latest in a series of attempts by terrorists, whether autonomous or Al Qaeda, to either smuggle explosive components in shoes, socks, gel bras and other items of clothing, or conceal complete improvised explosive devices in their clothing.

The most infamous in recent years occurred on December 22, 2001. On that day Richard Reid boarded a Paris to Miami flight wearing a pair of dark colored, high topped shoes. Into the waffle-style soles he had woven a high explosive and a length of detonator cord. He  linked his device to a paper wrapped homemade high explosive  initiator . Alert passengers and crew members spotted him bending over in an attempt to ignite  a fuse and subdued him. On December 4th 2003 Reid was convicted in Boston federal court of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against US citizens, and other charges.

Reid, a 29-year-old British citizen, was sentenced in January 2003 to life in prison on three counts: one of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals outside the United States and two of interference with flight crew and attendants using a dangerous weapon. He was also ordered to pay a $2 million fine and sentenced to consecutive 20 year terms on four other counts and a 30 year term on an eighth count.

Since Reid's attempt airports in the United States have implemented a 100 percent X-ray inspection policy for footwear. The bulletin noted that some foreign airports do not, however, check all passengers' shoes. In addition, terrorists have continued to refine their attempts to use footwear.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

But by the close of 2003, US authorities issued another alert, one that was broadcast by ABC TV and radio and published on ABCNews.com. That alert warned of terrorists using socks soaked in explosives and hung from a cord around a terrorist's neck as a way to avoid bomb sniffing dogs, and conceal the explosive from airport authorities. The bulletin featured a pair of blue socks it said were found by British anti-terror police  in November.  They were discovered during  a series of raids.  Forensic tests on the socks allegedly found they had been laced with several explosives, including TNT, PETN (similar to Semtex) and RDX. 

While it is not clear exactly in what capacity the individual may have been using the socks, it is possible the suspect may have been suspending the socks from around his/her neck or under outer garments in an effort to conceal explosives carried in them," said the bulletin. "It also cannot be discounted that these tethered socks were components of an improvised explosive device in the making. "

At the same time the alert on the explosive soaked socks was issued, the FBI weekly circular to law enforcement warned that recent intelligence "indicates that terrorists continue to develop plans to hijack aircraft and use them as weapons" despite improved security and vigilance since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In August 2006, a cell of al Qaeda inspired and linked alleged British terrorists were stopped in the final stages of a plot to board a series of US airliners bound from Heathrow to the US and ignite their bombs in flight. Elements of the devices they planned to use were concealed in the bottoms of sports drink containers they intended to smuggle aboard.

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October 26, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (15)

New U.S. Alert for Shoe Bombers

October 25, 2007 7:51 PM

Richard Esposito Reports:

Following the seizure in Europe of hollowed-out shoes containing blasting caps, U.S. authorities have been told to be on the lookout for thick-soled shoes that could be used to conceal explosives, as infamously was the case with convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

According to a Department of Homeland Security-FBI bulletin issued Wednesday, Oct. 24, European authorities in September 2007 discovered a pair of shoes that were used to smuggle electric blasting caps across international borders for use in a terrorist attack.

"A recent terrorist incident involving the international smuggling of electric blasting caps highlights the continuing use of modified footwear as a concealment method for explosive devices," stated the DHS-FBI Bulletin "Terrorist Use of Modified Footwear to Conceal Explosive Devices."

Photos: Explosive Footwear

"The shoes were modified in a manner that would make it difficult for security personnel to distinguish them from normal shoes visually." They were not worn, the bulletin said, but transported by bus concealed in luggage.

"The shoes -- made of leather with thick rubber soles -- were modified so that the insole of each shoe could be removed for access to the hollow interior of the rubber sole," according to the bulletin.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

"Electric blasting caps were placed inside the hollow rubber sole, and the insole was glued to the rubber sole to appear as if  the shoe was never modified," it continued. "The blasting caps -- each measuring about two inches in length -- were individually wrapped in paper, possibly to protect them from the glue used when the shoes were reassembled."

The FBI told the Blotter on ABCNews.com that the bulletin was sent out as part of the routine information sharing between various members of the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

"The FBI and DHS routinely send out these bulletins to our law enforcement and intelligence community partners to share information," said Senior Special Agent Richard J. Kolko, chief of the National Press Office. "It is not related to a threat, but is provided in order to allow officers on the streets to be alert to items that appear routine but may not be, as they go about their daily duties."

The bulletin itself noted there was no "specific, credible" current threat information indicating "that terrorists plan to use this concealment method in the homeland." But it also noted the incident "highlights the continuing use of modified footwear as a concealment method for explosive devices."

As such, the attempt to smuggle blasting caps is but the latest in a series of attempts by terrorists, whether autonomous or al Qaeda, to either smuggle explosive components in shoes, socks, gel bras and other items of clothing, or conceal complete improvised explosive devices in their clothing.

The most infamous in recent years occurred on Dec. 22, 2001. On that day, Richard Reid boarded a Paris-to-Miami flight wearing a pair of dark-colored, high-topped shoes. Into the waffle-style soles, he had woven a high explosive and a length of detonator cord. He linked his device to a paper-wrapped, homemade, high explosive initiator. Alert passengers and crew members spotted him bending over in an attempt to ignite a fuse and subdued him.

On Dec. 4, 2003, Reid was convicted in Boston federal court of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. citizens as well as on other charges.

Reid, a 29-year-old British citizen, was sentenced in January 2003 to life in prison on three counts: one of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals outside the United States and two of interference with flight crew and attendants using a dangerous weapon. He was also ordered to pay a $2 million fine and sentenced to consecutive 20-year terms on four other counts and a 30-year term on an eighth count.

Since Reid's attempt, airports in the United States have implemented a 100 percent X-ray inspection policy for footwear. The bulletin noted that some foreign airports do not, however, check all passengers' shoes. In addition, terrorists have continued to refine their attempts to use footwear.

But by the close of 2003, U.S. authorities issued another alert, one that was broadcast by ABC News TV and radio and published on ABCNews.com. That alert warned of terrorists using socks soaked in explosives and hung from a cord around a terrorist's neck as a way to avoid bomb sniffing dogs and conceal the explosive from airport authorities.

The bulletin featured a pair of blue socks it said were found by British anti-terror police in November of that year. They were discovered during a series of raids. Forensic tests on the socks allegedly found they had been laced with several explosives, including TNT, PETN (similar to Semtex) and RDX. 

"While it is not clear exactly in what capacity the individual may have been using the socks, it is possible the suspect may have been suspending the socks from around his/her neck or under outer garments in an effort to conceal explosives carried in them," said the bulletin. "It also cannot be discounted that these tethered socks were components of an improvised explosive device in the making. "

At the same time the alert on the explosive soaked socks was issued, the FBI weekly circular to law enforcement warned that recent intelligence "indicates that terrorists continue to develop plans to hijack aircraft and use them as weapons" despite improved security and vigilance since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In August 2006, a cell of al Qaeda-inspired and linked alleged British terrorists were stopped in the final stages of a plot to board a series of U.S. airliners bound from Heathrow to the U.S. and ignite their bombs in flight. Elements of the devices they planned to use were concealed in the bottoms of sports drink containers they intended to smuggle aboard.

This post has been updated.

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October 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (18)

Kids 'R' Us; Candidates, Especially Clinton, Getting Cash From Children

October 25, 2007 4:53 PM

Jake Tapper Reports:

Earlier this week the Washington Post -- using data from the Center for Responsive Politics -- looked at money "donated" by children to presidential candidates.

It's a loophole being exploited because the Federal Election Commission has not set any age limit on donations and doesn't ask donors' ages, thus permitting parents who want to donate more than the $2,300 limit per person per election to give more than one person can give.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Often these kids are identified as "students" in FEC listings..."Students" gave $2.8 million to candidates in the entire 2004 cycle...they have passed that already in the first nine months of 2007.

And most of that cash -- 69 percent -- is going to Democrats. The biggest recipient of tot cash -- Hillary Clinton.

More onCapital Eye.

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October 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

Congress Moves to End Chevron's Myanmar Operations

October 25, 2007 3:13 PM

Justin Rood Reports:

Lawmakers are advancing efforts to curtail energy giant Chevron's activities in Myanmar, which are said to provide significant financial support for the ruling military junta. The regime is responsible for recent violence against democracy activists.

Chevron is part of a multi-billion-dollar consortium that extracts and transports natural gas from the country, which has suffered weeks of violence by government troops against Buddhist monks, students and other pro-democracy activists, according to experts and human rights groups. 

Much of the ruling junta's financial support comes from the royalties and other revenue paid by Chevron and the other members of the gas operation. The group paid more than $2 billion to the Myanmar government last year, according to the group Human Rights Watch.

U.S. sanctions largely prohibit investment in Myanmar by U.S. companies. Chevron's investment pre-dated the U.S. sanctions, and was grandfathered in by the ban. It is the only major U.S. company remaining in Myanmar.

On Tuesday, the House Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved a bill by its chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., that would bar the firm from paying taxes to the government of Myanmar, or write off expenses relating to the project from its U.S. tax bill.

The legislation now moves to two other committees for approval, before it is voted on by the full House.

A similar Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is awaiting action in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That bill would make the earlier ban apply to Chevron's operation, and force the company to divest.

On Monday, President Bush announced a host of new sanctions against Myanmar's rulers. Bush's measures did not affect Chevron's participation in the country.

Asked about Chevron's position on the bills, its Washington, D.C. lobbying office referred questions to Chevron's public affairs department.  There, a spokeswoman told ABC News that its responses to questions regarding Myanmar, both current and future, were in a statement published on the Chevron Web site.

In that statement, dated Oct. 2, Chevron calls its Myanmar project "a long term commitment that will help meet the critical energy needs of millions of people in the region." Additionally, the statement states, the project's partners have invested in health care and education programs for locals in the region of the gas project.

Chevron spends heavily on Capitol Hill. In the first six months of 2007, the company paid more than $4.3 million for representation by over a dozen lobbyists from its own offices and four outside firms, and spread another $143,160 in contributions to candidates through its political action committee.

October 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (6)

Exclusive: State Dept. E-Mails Say Blackwater Hurting U.S. in Iraq

October 25, 2007 12:37 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

Internal State Department e-mails, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, show top officials were extensively briefed about repeated incidents of Blackwater security guards killing innocent civilians more than two years ago.

It was only in the last month that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took action to review the activities of Blackwater and other private security companies in Iraq.

The assistant secretary of state who oversaw Blackwater and other contractors, Richard Griffin, resigned yesterday in the wake of a critical internal review.

Yet, the e-mails show that State Department officials had extensive knowledge of a growing problem in the summer of 2005, and complained about a lack of a compensation program for civilian victims.

"Obviously it is not pleasant meeting with these individuals with nothing more to offer than apologies, condolences and vague promises," wrote a State Department security officer based in al Hillah, Michael Bishop, to his superiors at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Read the full text of the e-mail.

Other e-mails reveal how State Department officials in Washington maneuvered to stonewall inquiries by a reporter for the Los Angeles Times about a Blackwater incident in 2005 near the ABC News headquarters in Baghdad.

Some Diplomatic Security officials in Baghdad wanted the case of Blackwater guards outside the ABC News offices referred for criminal prosecution, officials tell ABCNews.com.

But the officials say State Department legal advisers told them "it was not feasible."

According to another internal e-mail, the legal jurisdiction was "hazy." The only recourse in cases of wrongful deaths is "dismissal."

Read the full text of the e-mail.

In testimony today before a House investigating committee, Secretary Rice called for legislation so that "appropriate action" could be taken against armed contractors involved in killings.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

October 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (69)

Feds Arrest Body Armor Exec Over Splurges

October 25, 2007 12:05 PM

Richard Esposito and Mark Crudele Report:

The founder and former head of a company that manufactures body armor for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan was arrested this morning by federal agents on Long Island, N.Y and charged with using company money to supplement his lavish lifestyle and netting $186,000,000 while riding his company's stock down.

David Brooks, founder of DHB Industries Inc., made headlines in November 2005 when he splurged almost $10 million on a bat mitzvah for his daughter, which included a bi-floor party at the exclusive Rainbow Room and performances by Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Tom Petty and DJ-AM.

Other splurges included $200,000 on a Bentley Flying Spur, $190,000 on an armored Ford Expedition, $227,000 for private jet service and $307,000 to a company that owned Brooks' Florida home, according to an SEC filing.

Federal prosecutors charged Brooks in an indictment with securities fraud, insider trading, obstruction of justice and tax evasion for allegedly supplementing his income illegally in two ways: by having the company both secretly underwrite his expenses and by artificially inflating the value of his DHB stock. The company is now headquartered in Florida.

The indictment said Brooks got the company to conceal payments to him for millions of dollars in expenses. In addition, in a variant on a pump-and-dump scheme, Brooks allegedly made $186 million by selling shares in the company shortly after he said he had no intention of selling the stock and shortly before the stock plunged because of reports about the quality of its body armor, the indictment said.

DHB is a major supplier of body armor to police forces as well as to U.S. soldiers.

The company is cooperating with a Justice Department probe into whether a relatively new chemical, Zylon, used in some armor is not up to standards.

According to an SEC filing, David Brooks or his family received cash or perks from the company including:

-DHB paid $40,000 to a Tennessee company owned by Brooks' wife, Terry, called Tactical Armor Products. The company "also owned and raced horses, although the extent of the equestrian operation is unknown."
-DHB paid for two cars for Brooks: a Bentley Flying Spur, valued at $200,000, and an armored Ford Expedition valued at $190,000.
-DHB paid $307,000 to a company that owned Brooks' Florida residence (Brooks owned the company).
-DHB paid $227,000 for private jet service for Brooks (the company's silent owner).
-DHB paid $62,000 to a Boca Raton, Fla., condo association where Brooks' brother, Jeffrey, lived. The brother was not an employee of DHB.
-DHB paid $20,000 for gift certificates from a restaurant that Jeffrey Brooks owned.
-DHB paid $11,000 for automobile lease payments for David Brooks' son.

Brooks' attorney, Paul Shechtman, was not immediately available for comment. ABC News left messages and e-mails with his law partners seeking comment.

"Mr. Brooks was placed on administrative leave by the Board of Directors in July 2006 and shortly thereafter, removed from all positions. Since that time, he has held no posts with DHB (now Point Blank Solutions Inc.) or any of its subsidiaries," Glenn Wiener, a company spokesperson, said. "Additionally, we'd like to add that since Mr. Brooks' removal, the Company has revamped its board of directors, which now consists of 6 outside and independent directors, (and) there is a new management team in place, led by Larry Ellis, President and CEO. As Mr. Brooks is no longer employed by the Company, we cannot provide additional commentary."

This post has been updated.

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October 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (8)

Despite Blackwater, State Officials Get Promotions

October 25, 2007 9:23 AM

Rhonda Schwartz and Justin Rood Report:

Even as she accepted the resignation of State's security chief Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice quietly promoted two senior staffers who directly oversaw controversial Blackwater security operations, sources tell ABC News.

Justine Sincavage has been serving as director of the Overseas Protection Operation (OPO), which has direct responsibility for all State Department security contracts for Iraq and Afghanistan. That includes overseeing Blackwater, which has won more than $1 billion in security work from the State Department.

According to internal State Department documents, Sincavage was promoted Tuesday. Sincavage's predecessor as OPO director, Kevin Barry, was also promoted, the documents show. 

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Tuesday, their boss, Ambassador Richard Griffin, stepped down from his post as assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. A State Department review released Monday found serious problems with the operations of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), which Griffin oversaw, including lax oversight of private security contractors, including Blackwater USA. A replacement for Griffin has not yet been named.

Current and former officials were outraged. 

"It is ironic; on the day the assistant secretary for DSS resigns, the two people with oversight responsibility for the program get promoted," said one current State Department official who asked not to be named.

Another State official who would not be named went further, calling the promotions of Sincavage and Barry a symptom of "a perverted system of government."

"They both got promoted in the face of all this mismanagement and controversy -- talk about government B.S.," said another. "What does it say when State promotes the two people into DS' most senior positions, when if they had properly managed the programs under the responsibility, we wouldn't be in this mess?"

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October 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (25)

FBI Raids Offices of Huge Medicare Provider

October 24, 2007 4:05 PM

Joseph Rhee Reports:

Federal and state agents executed a search warrant today at the corporate offices of WellCare Health Plans in Tampa, Fla. 

The health care giant provides managed care services for more than two million people nationwide through Medicare and Medicaid.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, which is leading the investigation, refused to comment on why the raid was conducted, saying only that "the ongoing investigation does not concern...the delivery of any health care service to any person." Agents from the Medicaid Fraud Unit of the Florida Attorney General's Office also took part in the raid.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Business has boomed for WellCare in recent years through its administration of Medicare's prescription drug program. The company has more than two million members nationwide and has projected revenues of almost $5 billion for 2007. Trading in the company's shares was halted today in the wake of the search warrant.

WellCare did not return the Blotter's request for a comment on the raid. 

The company, however, did issue a statement, reading, "Today federal and state officials executed a search warrant at our Tampa headquarters. We are cooperating with the authorities.  Our number one priority is making sure that our members have access to needed care and services. Our essential services are operational and will remain uninterrupted."

Photo courtesy of WFTS ABC Action News.

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October 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (3)

State Department Official Resigns in Wake of Blackwater Criticism

October 24, 2007 1:03 PM

Rhonda Schwartz Reports:

The assistant secretary of state, who oversaw diplomatic security, submitted his resignation in the wake of a report critical of his handling of Blackwater security contractors, according to the State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

McCormack confirmed Ambassador Richard Griffin had told his staff earlier today he would be submitting his resignation to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as the Blotter previously reported.

"Secretary Rice is grateful to Ambassador Griffin for his record of long exemplary service to the nation," McCormack said. "He has distinguished himself during a 36-year career with the U.S. government, serving in some of the most sensitive and demanding posts."

Griffin's resignation follows the release yesterday of a State Department review that found serious problems with the operations of the Diplomatic Security Service, which Griffin oversaw, including lax oversight of private security contractors, including Blackwater USA.

The review panel found the Diplomatic Security Service did not have enough agents and needed better Arabic language skills and cultural awareness.

The panel was appointed by Secretary Rice to review "the State Department's handling of security practices in Iraq," following a Sept. 16, 2007 incident involving Blackwater security guards in which 17 Iraqi civilians died.

The panel's key finding states "prompt measures should be taken to strengthen the coordination, oversight and accountability aspects of the State Department's security practices in Iraq in order to reduce the likelihood that future incidents will occur that adversely affect the overall U.S. mission in Iraq," the panel of outside experts concluded. 

Earlier this month, Griffin faced tough questions from House Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., about State Department failures to investigate shootings of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater security guards.

Read Ambassador Griffin's letter of resignation.

This post has been updated.

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October 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (37)

Sordid Details of Shooting at U.S. Navy Base in Bahrain

October 24, 2007 12:12 PM

Lara Setrakian Reports:

The U.S. naval base in Bahrain confirms that the sailor involved in Monday's shooting shot himself in the head and that the base was on lockdown for an hour after the incident.

A lot of rich reporting on this case can be found in today Bahrain's Gulf Daily News, citing local sources. The Gulf Daily has been the only paper who has reported a name for  the killer,  though the base spokeswoman would not confirm that identification to ABC News.

October 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

House Democrats Beat Back Farm Lobbyists on Security Bill

October 23, 2007 2:53 PM

Asa Eslocker Reports:

Overcoming years of opposition by farm industry lobbyists, the House of Representatives today  passed legislation that would require background checks and registration for buyers and sellers of ammonium nitrate, a popular fertilizer that terrorists have used as a powerful explosive.

(Photo: World Trade Center '93 bombing)

"The legislation not only better secures our communities from threats posed by inappropriate use of these materials, it also secures and enforces the legitimate uses of ammonium nitrate," said House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D- Miss., who pushed hard to pass this legislation.

The legislation had been introduced, without success, every year since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 where 168 people died from a massive ammonium nitrate bomb.

A very popular, inexpensive and legal fertilizer, ammonium nitrate was used in terrorist bombings in Bali, Indonesia; Istanbul, Turkey; and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

An ABC News "20/20" undercover investigation in 2006 revealed how easy it was for large quantities of ammonium nitrate to be purchased by strangers, with cash, at rural farm stores in Virginia and North Carolina, no questions asked.

The Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act, which still requires Senate passage, would give the Department of Homeland Security the power to regulate the sale of the fertilizer and requires background checks and registration for anyone who wants to buy it.

Before today, efforts in Congress to require background checks have been blocked by lobbyists for the American Farm Bureau as an unnecessary burden on farmers.

"Background checks would definitely be something that would cause many of the folks I work for a hard time," Rebeckah Adcock, director of congressional relations at the American Farm Bureau, told ABC News last year.

The Farm Bureau today said it did not oppose the legislation that passed the House.

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October 23, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (7)

Polar Bear Brawl: Dem Blasts Exxon Over Research

October 23, 2007 11:05 AM

Justin Rood Reports:

The debate over the future of Alaskan polar bears is heating up, as a crucial government deadline passes.

A key Democratic congressman accused ExxonMobil last week of pushing junk science intended to fool the public into believing Alaskan polar bears are not in danger.

The U.S. Geological Survey recently concluded that climate change and other factors would reduce the global polar bear population by two thirds by 2050, and wipe out the Alaskan polar bear population entirely. Newer research has indicated that could happen even more quickly.

But a new scientific paper, funded in part by ExxonMobil, called some of that research into question, and has been used in efforts to keep polar bears off the government's endangered species list.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Environmentalists have for years pushed the federal government to categorize the animal as "threatened," which would afford it increased environmental protections. That could complicate petroleum companies' efforts to develop oil and gas operations in Alaska if they were found to impact the bears' habitat. It could also put increased regulatory pressure on industries which emit greenhouse gases.

Opponents of the effort, including the State of Alaska, have cited a recent article in a research journal for support, whose authors thank ExxonMobil and others for funding their work.

While recognizing the possible impact of climate change on the polar bear, the authors concluded "it is simply not prudent to overstate the certainty" that climate change, or any other single factor, is responsible for "observed patterns in polar bear population ecology." The article, which was labeled a "Viewpoint" essay because it contained no new research, was published in the September issue of the Journal of Ecological Complexity.

In their conclusion, the article's authors thanked ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute for their financial backing. They noted that the paper's views were "independent of sources providing support."

Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., chairman of the oversight and investigations panel for the Science and Technology Committee, blasted the piece as "a facade of scientific respectability for those who say the polar bear is just fine." In his letter to ExxonMobil, Miller asked the company to provide all of its records from the past five years relating to its support of scientists studying polar bears and other arctic animals.

ExxonMobil spokesman Gantt Walton responded to Miller's letter, saying it was "ridiculous" to conclude that the company has control over the researchers' work. ExxonMobil "does not request nor direct specific studies," he said. Nevertheless, "we have provided a lot of information to the congressman in the past and we will work with him on this issue."

The fate of the polar bear has sparked the public's concern. On Monday, several activists in polar bear costumes joined protesters outside the U.S. Capitol, carrying signs identifying them as "Polar bears for solutions to war and global warming."

Americans have reportedly submitted more than 600,000 comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on whether to grant the polar bear protected status. The deadline for comments passed Monday, and a final ruling is expected in January.

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October 23, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (15)

Giuliani Defends, Employs Priest Accused of Molesting Teens

October 23, 2007 7:00 AM

Brian Ross and Avni Patel Report:

Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani hired a Catholic priest to work in his consulting firm months after the priest was accused of sexually molesting two former students and an altar boy and told by the church to stop performing his priestly duties.

The priest, Monsignor Alan Placa, a longtime friend of Giuliani and the priest who officiated at his second wedding to Donna Hanover, continues to work at Giuliani Partners in New York, to the outrage of some of his accusers and victims' groups, which have begun to protest at Giuliani campaign events.

"This man did unjust things, and he's being protected and employed and taken care of. It's not a good thing," said one of the accusers, Richard Tollner, who says Placa molested him repeatedly when he was a student at a Long Island, N.Y. Catholic boys high school in 1975. 

Photos: Giuliani and the Priest

At a campaign appearance in Milwaukee last week, Giuliani continued to defend Placa, who he described to reporters as a close friend for 39 years.

"I know the man; I know who he is, so I support him," Giuliani said. "We give some of the worst people in our society the presumption of innocence and benefit of the doubt," he said. "And, of course, I'm going to give that to one of my closest friends." 

The accusations against Placa were made in testimony before a Suffolk County grand jury in 2002. 

Tollner, now a mortgage broker in Albany, N.Y., says he was one of three people to testify about Placa.

"This man harmed children. He still could do it. He deserves to be shown for what he was, or is," says Tollner.

Appearing publicly for the first time today on ABC News' "Good Morning America," Tollner says the abuse started when he and Placa were in the high school making posters for a Right to Life march.

"As he started to explain how these posters should be done, I realized that something was rubbing my body," Tollner said. "After a minute or two, I realized that he's feeling me, feeling me in my genital area."

The grand jury report concluded that a Priest F, who Tollner says is Placa, abused the boys sexually "again and again and again."

"Priest F was cautious, but relentless in his pursuit of victims. He fondled boys over their clothes, usually in his office," the report said.

The report concluded that Priest F, and several other priests under investigation from the same Long Island, N.Y. diocese, could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired.

Several former students from the same high school say they were asked by the "Giuliani organization" to contact ABC News and vouch for Placa.

"There was absolutely not a hint of rumor of a speculation or a whisper, in four years, or in decades after of any sexual predatoriness on the part of Rev. Placa," wrote Matthew Hogan in an e-mail to ABCNews.com.

Hogan says he recalls that Placa did give "special attention" to his former schoolmate Richard Tollner and remembers seeing Tollner in Placa's office "laughing, on opposite sides of a desk with Mr. Tollner happily animated sitting up on the couch talking."

But Hogan says the school area where Tollner says he was molested "was CONSTANTLY trafficked even on off days and hours."

"I will gladly help take apart in public anything that seriously overlooks the above. I'll be watching The Blotter like a hawk," Hogan wrote.

In addition to the allegations that Priest F was personally involved in the sexual abuse, the grand jury also said that Priest F became instrumental in a church policy that used "deception and intimidation" to keep the church scandal quiet.

Placa served as a lawyer for the diocese in dealing with allegations of abuse against other priests and, according to the grand jury report, claimed he had saved the church hundreds of thousands of dollars in his handling of possible litigation.

Lawyers for alleged victims say Placa would often conduct interviews, in his priest garb, without making it clear he was the church lawyer.

"He was a wolf in sheep's clothing," said Melanie Little, a lawyer for several alleged victims of sexual abuse by other priests in the diocese.

"He was more concerned with protecting the priests, protecting the reputation of the diocese and protecting the church coffers than he was protecting the children," said Little.

Since going to work for Giuliani Partners, the former mayor and the priest have continued to be close.

Placa accompanied Giuliani and his wife Judith on a trip to Rome earlier this year.

Through a spokeswoman at Giuliani Partners, Sunny Mindel, Placa declined requests to comment on the allegations to ABCNews.com.

Mindel also declined to specify what Placa does for the firm or how much he is paid.

"Mr. Giuliani can do what he wants with his money, but he has to pay the price for people like myself who disagree with employing known child molesters," Tollner said.

While no longer allowed to perform priestly duties or appear in public as a priest, Placa continues to maintain a residence at a church rectory in Great Neck on New York's Long Island.

According to New York property records, Placa also co-owns, with another priest, a waterfront apartment in lower Manhattan in Battery Park City, valued at more than $500,000.

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October 23, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (17)

Worried Bin Laden Urges Iraq Insurgents to 'Unite'

October 22, 2007 2:29 PM

Brian Ross and Rehab El-Buri Report:

Showing apparent signs of concern over events in Iraq, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged insurgents to "unite your lines into one" in an audiotape played on al Jazeera Monday.

"Don't be arrogant," bin Laden warned. "Your enemies are trying to break up the jihadi groups. I urge you all to work in one united group."

People familiar with bin Laden's voice say the tape appeared to be authentic, although there was no reference to any event that would indicate when it was recorded.

Bin Laden's message comes at a time when U.S. strategy to split Iraqi insurgent groups from al Qaeda units appears to be working.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

"It's always good news when they are divided," said Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism adviser, now an ABC News consultant. "It's reflective that U.S. tactics are having some success."

Saying he was speaking to "everyone in the Muslim community," bin Laden urged "scholars and leaders of the jihad" to take on the role of uniting the groups "right now."

U.S. intelligence officials said they were studying the tape, the third this year from the terror fugitive who is believed to be hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.   

This post has been updated.

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October 22, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (81)

Dem: Blackwater Dodged Millions in Taxes

October 22, 2007 1:29 PM

Justin Rood Reports:

A controversial U.S. private security company under intense scrutiny for its aggressive use of force has a new problem: an allegation it illegally avoided paying millions of dollars in taxes.

In a letter to Blackwater security firm president Erik Prince, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., charged that the company illegally dodged "millions" in payroll taxes by misclassifying its security guards as "independent contractors" rather than employees.

That way, Blackwater guards were responsible for paying their own Medicare, Social Security and unemployment taxes -- an "illegal scheme," according to Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. If the firm had classified its armed guards as employees, which Waxman says it was required to do, it would have been responsible for covering those taxes.