7/7 Investigation

• The Times says the explosives used were TATP. The ingredients for the bombs match the recommended elements for an explosive device outlined in al-Qaeda documents found abandoned in the basements of houses in Kabul soon after the Taleban and their foreign terrorist acolytes fled the Afghan capital in November 2001.

• Shehzad Tanweer may have been recruited at a Pakistani madrassa run by Lashkar-e-Taiba, and with strong links to Jemaah Islamiyyah. One of the arrested Pakistanis is a Jaish-e-Mohammed bombmaker. One report says they think one person they've arrested is a senior A-Q terrorist linked to the bombing.

• The Daily Mail has reported there were enough explosives in the car found at Luton station for two more waves of attacks.

• Both British and Egyptian authorities believe that Magdy Elnashar, the biochemist being interrogated in Cairo, was not involved in the plot. Rather disturbingly, there was support in the press and amongst Egyptian lawmakers and judicial figures not to extradite him even if he was involved.

• The bombers used about £1000 worth of expensive perfume to create a napalm effect - a rather costly way to do it...

• Unsurpsingly, al-Qaeda front group al-Muhajiroun won't condemn the London bombings.

• Prime Minister Blair is planning a global conference on Islamism. He wants a task force, too.

IRAN

• The EU may be prepared to build nuclear reactors for Iran. Yes, really. More EU-3 talks on the way.

• A defector from Iran's nuclear establishment says the mullahs are 'close' to having the bomb.

• Are Iranian dissidents tracking and killing senior Iranian IRGC officers?

• Iran's police commander, an IRGC veteran, says police should use bullets against criminals. The next item should give some idea of what sort of person Iran considers a criminal...

• Iranian dissident Akbar Ganji's hunger strike has brought him near death, according to a report to a writer recently released from the same prison.

• Regime Change Iran's Tuesday Briefing.

THE MIDDLE EAST

• Hamas and Fatah are shooting at each other in Gaza. A fair few injuries, and two fatalaties - bystanders, of course - reported within the last week. More here, including a report that Hamas took over part of northern Gaza.

• Hamas says the Kassams have brought about the pullout.

• A Hamas financing jihadist released by the Israelis has lashed out at the U.S. and Israel.

• The detention of four Muslim Brotherhood leaders has been extended.

• Egyptian reformist Saad Eddin Ibrahim says he has not given up on human rights in Egypt.

• Egypt wants more weapons from the U.S.. They want to build a naval base at El Arish, on the demilitarised Sinai peninsula.

• Speaking of which, PM Sharon has decided the Knesset should vote on the plan to put Egyptian troops on the Israeli border.

• The UN has called on Hezbollah to merge with the Lebanese army.

• Lebanon has a new cabinet. Hezbollah are in, Aoun is out. The U.S. won't deal with the Hezbollah minister.

• Lebanon's feud with Syria is heating up.

• Fatah and the PFLP clash at Ein el-Hilweh.

IRAQ AND THE GULF

• The Iraqi Bill of Rights.

• Violent demonstrations in Yemen against oil price hikes. 15 civilians reported shot dead thus far.

• The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh is warning of possible attacks after the seizure of a large cache of explosives.

• Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is warning that the slaughter of Iraqis by terrorists is a 'genocidal war'.

• Another Carnival of the Liberated. Khalid Jarrar, blogger of Tell Me a Secret, was arrested by the Iraqi secret service. Khalid has contacted his family and says he is okay. No word yet on why he was arrested. Samir Hassan isn't convinced Islamic traditions reject democracy.

• Egypt's envoy to Iraq may still be alive.

• Three Saudis held at Gitmo have been given to the Saudi authorities.

THE AMERICAS

• The U.S. has seized the assets of the A-Q-linked Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia.

• A palestinian 'lawmaker' has testified in the al-Arian trial that PIJ engages in various benign, social activities.

• San Francisco city officials are looking at plans to build a a bioterror isolation unit in San Francisco General Hospital.

• Chavez is mouthing off again. Never mind, though - he's so popular that dead people are voting for him.

• A New York Muslim group under federal investigation is actually part of Jama'at-i-Islami.

• Leading Democrats have voted against increased funding for Border Patrol officers and facilities for processing OTMs.

• There's a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay.

• Bandar has resigned.

EUROPE

• Sarkozy says jihadi imams may lose their citizenship.

• Britain and Jordan have come to an arrangement which will allow Britain to deport Jordanian jihadis back to Jordan. That would include Abu Qatada.

• Mamoun Darkazanli, filmed with two 9/11 hijackers, has been freed due to a technicality.

• Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba are raising millions in the UK every year.

• The video shop that sold jihadist propaganda, and was frequent by the 7/7 bombers, was funded by the Lotto.

• Why do we not attack Sweden, Osama asks? A Swedish internet forum set up by an associate of Abu Hamza is full of calls for attacks on Sweden.

• Imad Yarkas, a 3/11 plotter and al-Qaeda leader, was attacked in prison. Good.

• A Basque newspaper known for its support of ETA attacks says there were no innocents killed in the London bombings.

• Islam Online says that Germany is considering putting CCTV in every single mosque.

• An Italian prosecutor wants six more Americans arrested for the kidnapping of a jihadist cleric in Milan two years ago.

• Meanwhile, Italian terror experts are taking the threats from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades seriously.

WEST ASIA & THE 'STANS

• Was the Turkey minibus bombing the PKK, or al-Qaeda? Also, the U.S. is said to have supported Turkish military operations against the PKK.

• A Chechen ambush has killed 15 people, most of whom were policemen.

• Pakistani forces have killed 17 Kazakh militants near the Afghan border. The group included women and teens.

• The Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who attacked the Ayodhya complex on July 5th have been identified. Is Delhi becoming a terrorist den?

• India's prime minister addressed Congress, and demanded tough action on terror - while warning against infringing on democracy.

• Afghan police have thwarted a rocket attack on a dam. Four Taliban were killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely. A suicide bomber has killed himself in Herat, in a failed attempt to assassinate a police chief.

• Pakistani police have arrested about 200 Islamists across the country.

• A Hizbul Mujahideen carbomb outside a school in Kashmir killed three policemen and a civilian.

AUSTRALASIA & THE ORIENT

• A report in the South Korean press says that a Northern defector says the North has produced nuclear weapons, and tried to sell ballistic missiles to Taiwan.

• The U.S. is to allow Japan to produce PAC-3s. Joe has a closer look.

• Thailand and The Jihadis' New Map.

• B. Raman points out the link between the jihadi attacks in London and Thailand.

• Angry Muslims have attacked a Humiliating Giant Teapot in Malaysia.

• MILF 'rebels' have attacked Filipino military helicopters, in spite of a truce.

AFRICA

• Slavery, then and now - where are all the black slaves taken by Arabs?

• Kenyan authorities have arrested five Pakistanis for terror links.

• Sudan's ex-rebel vice president has dissolved his guerilla movement and dismissed all government officials in 10 southern states.

• Dan has excerpts from the ICG report on Somalia.

• An al-Qaeda group based in Mogadishu has taken over parts of Somalia.

• Five policemen have been shot dead by jihadis in Algeria.

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