Jon Snow
Of course, the plot sounds crazy – but then so did the plot to attack the twin towers on 9/11. Nevertheless the pattern of the terrorist threat to the UK begins to crystallise. Where it exists, it is home grown and trained in Pakistan. Converts and young men who suddenly “find” their religion after particularly…
Perhaps the most interesting line in the US homeland security secretary’s interview with me this morning concerns her fears over Somali Americans carrying out terrorist attacks inside the United States. She concedes that a small number of Somalis have travelled from the US to Somalia to train in jihad. “Right now we are talking about people going…
Memos which shed light on the “extreme interrogation” of terror suspects at detention centres like Guantanamo Bay have been released by White House officials. The four documents, sent to the CIA between 2002 and 2005 by officials in the Bush administration, approve waterboarding – making the suspect feel like they are drowning – sleep deprivation, nudity…
Jon Snow
A seminar in central London for law students from 10 countries across the world, including Britain and the United States, will discuss the issue of torture within the context of domestic law. The lecture will be jointly delivered by Professor James Forman, professor of law at Georgetown university, Washington DC, and Helena Kennedy QC (currently…
WASHINGTON DC, USA – In a couple of hours the new CIA director will be sworn in – the heavy-jowled Leon Panetta who used to be Bill Clinton’s chief of staff. His appointment was meant to send the message loud and clear that the CIA and America had radically changed since Obama himself was sworn in.…
Jon Snow
So I was out late last night here in Washington. Two parties a night for two nights have taken their toll, but not without reward. At the British embassy bash I run into Obama’s new attorney general, Eric Holder. Tall, aquiline, confident – and extremely personable. We talk Guantanamo, inevitably. He thinks they will be…