Smooth Stone

From Inside Source at FBI Believed to Have Fed Secret Info to Hizbullah:

An illegal immigrant from Lebanon who became an agent for the FBI and CIA allegedly used her access to sensitive U.S. government secrets to help her brother-in-law, a suspected major fundraiser for the terrorist group Hizbullah, according to new details concerning a national security breach that emerged Wednesday. In court documents and interviews, federal authorities said Nada Nadim Prouty, 37, illegally accessed top-secret FBI investigative files on five occasions and most likely shared the information with the suspected Hizbullah operative. On Wednesday, prosecutors said Prouty illegally accessed the FBI’s Hizbullah investigative files in 2002 and 2003, at a time when she was a Washington, D.C.-based FBI field agent who was not working on Hizbullah cases. At the time, her sister’s husband, Talal Khalil Chahine, 51, was under investigation by the FBI in Detroit for suspected ties to Hizbullah.

Authorities now believe Prouty was illegally accessing the FBI files to determine for Chahine and perhaps others what the FBI knew about the group’s presence here, and that she accessed an investigative file on Chahine. At the time, Chahine was suspected of raising large sums of money for Hizbullah and of meeting with top Hizbullah leaders in Lebanon. The FBI began investigating Prouty after agents began hearing that Chahine, an influential power broker in Dearborn, had an inside source at the FBI who was feeding him information about its investigations into his activities and into Hizbullah.

For more on Nada Nadim Prouty, click here.

The seven Jew-phobic nations that attacked Israel, before there was any “occupation”, were Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen.

How social engineering skills plus a Koran get Jews and Americans killed. Via Jihad Watch:

Whew. This story has everything: an illegal immigration angle, a Keystone Kops angle, an espionage angle, a moderate-Muslims-condemn-terror-or-do-they angle, and more. It would make a great movie. If this kind of thing doesn’t kill us first.

The illegal immigration angle is of course that illegal immigration is a national security issue, and that illegal immigrants have no business working for the FBI and the CIA. That in turn leads to the Keystone Kops angle: what on earth was the FBI and the CIA thinking, giving this woman key jobs? Of course, no one would dream of asking Nada Nadim Prouty or anyone like her sensitive questions about where they stand on the jihad ideology and Islamic supremacism. Why, you’re automatically a bigot just for thinking that such questions should be asked. But when you don’t ask, of course, and make no effort to investigate in any other way, you don’t get answers.

The espionage angle: why did the FBI and CIA, clueless again, give her access to sensitive information? And of course finally there is the moderate-Muslims-condemn-terror-or-do-they angle: the FBI and CIA people who hired her were probably avid to get Muslims on staff so that they wouldn’t appear anti-Muslim, and she no doubt had pluperfect bona fides as a moderate. If she was then funnelling information to Hizballah, it only underscores the fact that there is no reliable way to distinguish a peaceful Muslim who rejects today’s jihad from one who subscribes to that jihad.

There is also the Arab American Institute link: last week I wrote about La Shish, the restaurant chain owned by Prouty’s brother, who has fled the country to escape indictment for evading taxes and sending the restaurant money to Hizballah (to the tune of $20 million). La Shish was one of the sponsors, despite this indictment, of the AAI’s recent conference, where Democratic presidential candidates and Ron Paul were falling all over themselves to condemn “racial profiling” — anti-terror efforts be damned — and grovel for the Arab vote. And now here comes yet more evidence of just whom they were groveling before.

“U.S. prosecutors: Illegal immigrant worked for FBI, CIA, stole info: Woman was sister-in-law of fugitive La Shish restaurant owner, stole info on investigation,” by David Ashenfelter for the Detroit Free Press (thanks to Jeffrey Imm):

The sister-in-law of the indicted fugitive owner of the La Shish restaurant chain got sensitive jobs at the FBI and CIA, despite being an illegal immigrant, federal prosecutors said in court documents unsealed today in Detroit.

The woman, Nada Nadim Prouty, 37, of Vienna, Va., also tapped into a sensitive FBI computer to find out what federal investigators knew about her, La Shish restaurant owner Talal Chahine, and her sister, who is married to Chahine.

Prosecutors said she took an unknown quantity of classified information home with her. It’s unclear what happened, or what she did with the information, prosecutors said.

The information pertained to a federal investigation of Chahine and his possible involvement with Hizballah, which has been declared a terrorist organization by the U.S State Department….

It may be unclear what she did with the classified information that she took home, but here’s a clue, from “Former FBI Agent Accused Of Leaking Info,” from CBS News (thanks again to Jeffrey Imm):

A woman who previously worked as an FBI agent and a CIA analyst is expected to plead guilty to charges she disclosed unauthorized information to people outside the government, CBS News has learned.

Sources say the woman, from Lebanon, entered the United States on a student visa and earned citizenship through a sham marriage.

While officials say there is no evidence of actual espionage and no evidence that she was working as a spy, she is accused of passing information to sympathizers of Hezbollah, a group the US has labeled a terrorist organization.

Some useful information comes also from “Prosecutors: LaShish owner’s sister-in-law infiltrated CIA, FBI,” by Paul Egan for The Detroit News (thanks yet again to Jeffrey Imm):

DETROIT — An illegal alien with links to Hezbollah penetrated the Central Intelligence Agency and the FBI, federal prosecutors in Detroit said today.

Nada Nadim Prouty, 37, of Vienna, Va., a sister-in-law of fugitive LaShish Restaurants owner Talal Chahine, pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy to defraud the United States, unauthorized computer access, and naturalization fraud.

According to an information unsealed today, Lebanese-born Prouty gained U.S. citizenship in 1994 through a fraudulent marriage, joined the FBI’s Washington Field Office as special agent in 1999 and joined the CIA in June, 2003.

She resigned her CIA post, described as “mid-level,” last week, officials said.

Feel safer?

Here is the USDOJ document on this Muslim menace.

According to a couple of little pukes, she must apologize to the Arab nations who attacked her in 1948. From WND:

Pressured for nearly two decades to swap land for peace that never came, Israel will next be asked to apologize to its Arab and Muslim enemies for coming into existence in the first place.

“According to my sources, a new form of pressure will be placed on Israel – pressure to apologize for what Arabs call ‘al-Nabka,’ the catastrophe of the 1948 war that ended with the displacement of hundreds of thousands of them as refugees,” writes Farah in his G2 Bulletin report, available in full to subscribers only.

Farah writes that the basis of the argument for an Israeli apology is found in the Aug. 24 issue of Science magazine. In an article written by two researchers from John Jay College’s Center on Terrorism and a professor of “human understanding” at the University of Michigan, a new plan for conflict resolution in the Middle East is unveiled.

The researchers, who adamantly describe their work as “science,” say they went to the Middle East in February to conduct interviews in Syria, the Palestinian Authority and Israel and gauge emotional responses over suggestions for resolution of the conflict.

Dozens of Syrian military officers and Iranian engineers were killed about two months ago in an a chemical weapons accident, Jane’s Magazine reported Monday, revealing new details on the incident which took place in a secret weapons facility. According to the report by the British magazine, the explosion occurred early in the morning on July 26, in a factory in the city of Halab, as the officers were attempting to mount a chemical warhead with mustard gas on a Scud-C missile.

A fire which started in the missile’s engine led to an explosion near a storage location of chemical substances. The blast spread lethal chemical agents, including mustard gas, VX gas and sarin nerve gas, which are considered extremely toxic and are banned for use according to international treaties. Jane’s Magazine reports that the explosion killed 15 Syrian officers and dozens of Iranian engineers who were in the facility. Dozens of people were injured. The incident was reported at the time by Syria’s official news agency, but the report only included information on the Syrian casualties and did not mention the Iranian representatives.

The Syrian report also claimed that the explosion was caused by a “heat wave” in the country, although the blast took place at around 4:30 am, and that the Syrian government rejected the possibility of sabotage.

According to the British magazine, the facility where the accident took place was built as part of a cooperation agreement signed between Syria and Iran in 2005. The joint activity included technological supply and assistance from Syria to Iran.

From Middle East Volcano:

On Sept. 6, something important happened in northern Syria. We do know that Israel carried out an airstrike. How do we know it was important? Because in Israel, where leaking is an art form, even the best-informed don’t have a clue. They tell me they have never seen a better-kept secret. Only two countries registered strong protests to the Israeli strike: Turkey and North Korea. What business is this of North Korea’s? Unless it was a North Korean facility being hit.

The al-Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is training and equipping Shiite extremist militias in the use of the deadliest IEDs and rocketry against American and Iraqi troops. Iran is similarly helping the Taliban to attack NATO forces in Afghanistan. Why is Iran doing this? Because it has its eye on a single prize: the bomb. It needs a bit more time, knowing that once it goes nuclear, it becomes the regional superpower and Persian Gulf hegemon.

Iran’s assets in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are poised and ready. Ahmadinejad’s message is this: If anyone dares attack our nuclear facilities, we will fully activate our proxies, unleashing unrestrained destruction on Israel, moderate Arabs, Iraq and U.S. interests – in addition mining the Strait of Hormuz and causing an acute oil crisis and worldwide recession. This is an extremely high-stakes game. The time window is narrow. In probably less than two years, Ahmadinejad will have the bomb. Which makes it all the more urgent that powerful sanctions be slapped on the Iranian regime.

Muslim identity politics – and Jew-hatred – are once again the motivation in the stabbing of a rabbi by a German of Afghan origin. From Ha’aretz:

Police arrested a German of Afghan origin in the stabbing of a rabbi in Frankfurt last week, prosecutors said Friday.

The 22-year-old man was arrested Thursday night and admitted to stabbing the rabbi, Zalman Gurevitch, Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement. The man is being investigated on suspicion of attempted manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm.

Police have said an anti-Semitic insult preceded the stabbing September 7. Gurevitch has been recovering in a hospital.

The attack prompted concern and condemnation from local politicians and Jewish groups. According to the rabbi, the assailant said, “I’ll kill you, you (expletive) Jew,” prosecutors say.

However, prosecutors said the suspect – whose name they did not release – denies having either any intention of killing the rabbi and any anti-Semitic motive.

The Frankfurt-born German citizen, whose parents come from Afghanistan, maintains that he greeted the rabbi with the words “salaam aleikum,” or peace upon you. In their statement, they said that there was then an exchange of words which ended in a physical confrontation.

The suspect said that he felt physically inferior to the rabbi and so reached for his knife, they added. The weapon had a 7.6-centimeter (3-inch) blade.

Prosecutors said they tracked down the suspect after being tipped off to an Internet forum that contained details of the incident.

Spokeswoman Doris Moeller-Scheu said prosecutors and police had no information to suggest that he had a radical Islamic background. She said the attack appeared to have been spontaneous rather than planned.

Excerpted from Melanie Phillips:

Tomorrow, [Update: legal argument took place on September 12 while the full hearing is now scheduled to start on September 19, 2007. ] an appeal starts in Paris in a case which encapsulates all that is most rotten and murderous about the media war against Israel and its truly monstrous consequences. At the beginning of the second intifada, an event occurred which more than any other was to incite mass hysteria against Israel, lead directly to the terrorist murder of Jews and whip up demonstrations and incitement against Israel and the west throughout the Arab and Muslim world. On September 30, 2000 viewers around the world watched a short news clip screened by the TV station France 2 which appeared to show the killing by the Israel Defence Force of a Palestinian boy, Muhammad al-Dura, at Netzarim junction in Gaza. The boy was shown crouching with his father behind a barrel next to a concrete wall in an apparently vain attempt to shelter from the gun-battle between Israel and the Palestinians that was raging around them. In his commentary on the incident France 2’s Israel correspondent, Charles Enderlin, declared that the IDF had killed the boy.

This footage become the iconic image of the intifada and the Palestinian ’struggle’ against Israel. It served to incite terrorist violence and atrocities as well as inflaming hatred of Israel around the world. It was used in Palestinian educational materials to incite other children to turn themselves into human bombs. It was used repeatedly in al Qaeda’s videotape of the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002. Itwas used to whip Iraqi Republican Guards into a frenzy before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. And most stomach-churning of all, it was invoked by the Palestinian mob in Ramallah that lynched IDF reservists YosefAvrahami and Vadim Novesche, who had taken a wrong turning, two weeks after the alleged al Durah killing.

The consequences of their fatal error are well known: they were tortured and beaten to death in the Palestinian Authority police station, and their lifeless bodies thrown out of the station’s second story window to a throngof men howling, Allahu Akbar -God is great! They commenced to dismember and disembowel the soldiers’ corpses, and then passed the entrails on a platter to a hysterical mob numbering in the thousands who rejoiced as they literally chewed and swallowed the remains of their hated Jews. What is lesser known is that while eating the flesh and blood of their victims, in satisfaction and triumph, the good citizens of Ramallah chanted, not only, Allahu-Akbar- but the name of Mohamed al Durah!But it quickly became apparent that the IDF could not have killed al Durah. Initially, the Israeli government had taken responsibility for his death, but it later concluded that the whole thing was a fraud because it wasphysically impossible for the IDF to have shot at the al Duras from their position that day at the Netzarim junction. Several other independent commentators came to the same conclusion, including extensive investigations by the French-language Israeli news agency MENA, a German television documentary film by Esther Schapira called Three Bullets and a Dead Child: Who Shot Muhammad al-Dura? and the Atlantic Monthly; while Richard Landes, a Boston University historian, who has claimed on his blog, Augean Stables, his website, The Second Draft, and in three films-Pallywood, The Birth of an Icon, and Icon of Hatred-that the al Dura ‘killing’ was staged.

On November 24, 2004, Philippe Karsenty, founder of the French online media watchdog, Media Ratings, sent out an email to his subscribers in which he accused the France 2 television network of staging the al Durah ‘killing’. He called for the resignation of both Charles Enderlin and France 2’s News Director, Arlette Chabot, for their role in promulgating the alleged hoax. France 2 and Enderlin sued Karsenty for defamation, and won. Tomorrow sees the opening of Karsenty’s appeal. The behaviour to date of both the French judges and France 2 has been simply outrageous.

The footage in question was filmed by a Palestinian cameraman, Talal abu Rahma. France 2 is holding 27 minutes of raw footage of his film which it refuses to release. Independent investigators have repeatedly asked it to do so. It refuses point blank. Why? Since transmitted parts of this footage, why does it refuse to release the rest of it? The most likely reason is that the unscreened footage proves that the ‘killing’ was indeed nothing of the kind.

Click here to read the full article.

Read more of CNN’s defense of Christiane Amanpour’s pimping on behalf of pan-Arabia. Received by email:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hebron and CNN

Following the screening of the CNN production “Warriors of G-d”, including a 2 hour segment dealing with Judaism and Israel, I think it appropriate to post the following two letters, between myself and Mr. Jonathan Klein, President of CNN/USA. The two letters are, I think, self-explanatory.

I must note, that following my ‘revelation, ‘ I notified a number of people who had, like myself, agreed to participate one way or another, with CNN. Some of them immediately ceased all contact with CNN and refused to take part in the program. Others decided to continue.

Each person can draw their own conclusions.

David Wilder
Hebron

From: Hebron [deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:44 PM
To: ‘public.information@cnn.com’
Subject: Cnn production of Religion and politics – produced by Andy Segal
Importance: High

Dear Mr. Klein,

A couple of months ago I was approached by one of your Israeli correspondents about participating in a program produced by CNN, dealing with politics and religion in Judaism. He introduced me to Mr. Andy Segal, who is producing the program, and we had several lengthy conversations, first by phone, and later in person, here in Hebron, in Israel. Our conversations were quite open and frank – I saw no reason to hide my suspicions about cooperating with CNN – the network’s reputation concerning Israel is less than positive. We discussed this at great length, and at one point Andy requested to center the program around Hebron and the Hebron Jewish community.

Following much thought and conversations with colleagues of mine, I decided to refuse Andy’s request, but did agree to participate in a more minor role in the program, basing our response to each request on its own merits.

A couple of weeks ago Andy again made contact and we spoke of several possibilities. He was interested in speaking to a family which had experienced terror first-hand, and had chosen to remain in Hebron, despite their loss and the dangers involved. I decided to try to assist and introduced him to Mrs. Tzippy Shlissel, whose father, Rabbi Shlomo Ra’anan, was killed by terrorists in Hebron some eight and a half years ago. He met with her three times: first an introductory meeting, followed by an in-depth interview, and followed, earlier today, by a filmed interview and filming of the family, home, etc.

So far so good.

However.

When we first discussed this project I asked Andy who was responsible for writing the script. He told me that he would be working on it, but there would be others involved. To the best of my recollection, my impression was that he was ‘in charge’ and for the most part, would determine the outlook of the script and would be ‘on top’ of the entire project.

This afternoon, that illusion shattered when he mentioned to me that in a few months, the chief international CNN correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, would be coming to Israel and would probably also want to speak with Mrs. Shlissel. Almost in shock, I asked him what her role is in this project. He told me that she is the narrator. I asked if she would have anything to do with writing the script and was told that “I will write the first draft.”

“Will she have anything to do with writing the final draft?” “Yes.”

I then told Andy that had I known she was involved with this project I would not have had anything at all to do with it.

I am personally familiar with Christiane Amanpour. A number of years ago (about 10 years ago) she interviewed me. I had the dubious pleasure to have her yell and scream at me on camera. She obviously wanted me to scream back, so as to show her viewers ‘an extremist from Hebron’ exploding on camera. I refused to play into her hands and answered all her questions with a relaxed, calm smile on my face. However, I never forgot the interview. I haven’t been yelled at, on camera, by too many journalists.

How can CNN produce an ‘objective program’ about Israel and religious settlers, when one of the prime elements of the program is known to be vehemently ‘anti-Israel’ and certainly ‘anti-settlers, ‘ so to speak? Her reputation is so blatantly prejudiced. For example:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/03/from-terrorism-to-trash-collection_28.html

QUOTE: So when people ask: “Why did the Palestinian people elect a terrorist group?” The answer is because they see them as a lifeline.

Each time I go to the Palestinian territory of Gaza, I am shocked by the reality on the ground. On a recent visit, I passed through a short tunnel from the First World in Israel and emerged into the Third World that is Gaza. The poverty there is among the worst in the world.

Hamas officials told me they did not expect to win the election as overwhelmingly as they did. They say their main priority now is to meet the demands of the people for a better life.

But that may be impossible, because Israel and the United States refuse to deal with Hamas and have already cut funding to the new Palestinian government.

Posted By Christiane Amanpour, CNN Correspondent: 11:03 AM ET

END QUOTE

A woman who justifies and backs Hamas is going to deal ‘fairly’ with Jews in Hebron, or anywhere else in Judea and Samaria? She is going to present us as ‘religious nuts and fanatics’ who are endangering world peace. She is certainly not going to present anything that could be considered positive concerning us, our lifestyles or our beliefs. She is certainly not going to present a balanced, objective program dealing with religious Jews and Eretz Yisrael.

I basically told Andy that I was out – and wouldn’t have anything more to do with the project. I put a rather large degree of trust in Andy – I believed that he had the possibility to present an object, balanced program. However, I cannot have any trust whatsoever in Christiane Amanpour, whose reputation stands before her.

Andy Segal told me that you are responsible for this project, that you initiated it. Without being presumptuous, I think it fair to demand that Christiane Amanpour be removed from this project. I cannot imagine that such a biased person could have anything to do with a project dealing with religion and politics in Israel. The results are a foregone conclusion, even before the cameras start rolling. The question is whether the program you are producing is to be an interesting objective account of religion and politics in Israel, or another CNN-produced Israel (settler)-bashing?

I await your reply and hope, very much, to learn that Ms. Amanpour will no longer have anything to do with this project.

Sincerely,
David Wilder
Spokesman
The Jewish Community of Hebron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Klein, Jon [Jon.Klein@turner.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 6:41 PM
To: [deleted]
Subject: Response to your email dated January 30, 2007
February 13, 2007

Mr. David Wilder
Spokesman
The Jewish Community of Hebron
February 12, 2007

Dear Mr. Wilder,

Let me begin by thanking you for your comments. I am sorry that the Jewish Community of Hebron has chosen not to be represented in our documentary. Our mission is to produce a program that goes far beyond what is normally seen in daily news broadcasts so that our viewers can better understand the people who risk their lives — and their children’s – to live on land they believe is their birthright: Jerusalem and the West Bank. Our goal is not to find fault or fix blame — but to simply understand. To that end, I believe that you are missing a prime opportunity to be heard, not only in the United States, but in 180 countries around the world, and I would ask you to reconsider.

Regardless of your decision, I stand by CNN’s reputation as a fair and impartial source of information. On conflicts as heated and long-standing as that between Israel and the Palestinians it is not surprising that “both sides” are at times unhappy with our reporting. We often hear that we are biased towards the other side, and that may be the surest indication of our impartiality.

Christiane Amanpour is one of our most talented and prominent international correspondents, and she is supported by a team of our strongest producers. In fact Andy Segal, our senior producer, is one of the best. As you probably have discovered, Andy comes to the table prepared. He is fair,honorable and ethical – a journalist who takes his work very seriously. He has produced a number of award-winning documentaries. Andy and his team are researching, producing and writing this documentary, and you can be assured that his reporting will shape the final program. As a spokesman for a prominent organization, I am sure you appreciate the need for others input before you represent the positions and views of Hebron’s Jewish community. The same is true at CNN – not only will Ms. Amanpour have input, but so will editors and executives, to insure journalist standards and practices are met. In the end a program like this will be fully vetted and sourced.

I can honestly say that if you decide not to contribute to this program – perhaps the fullest exploration of this issue ever seen on western television – you may regret missing the opportunity to let millions of viewers understand your story. I hope you will reconsider your decision, but if not, you can be assured the program will meet the highest standards of journalism.

Sincerely,
Jon Klein

Jon Klein
President, CNN U.S.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019

Hamas has admitted that it has fired on Fatah demonstrators in Gaza because they threw stones at them. Seems like some Hamas members asked Reginald Denny if throwing stones could be painful. Thanks to Colin for sending in this excellent mirror of the hypocrisy embedded in the palestinian Muslim culture. The moral of the story? Jews can’t defend themselves when Muslims throw stones at them, but Muslims *can* defend themselves when other Muslims throw stones at them. From Reuters:

Hamas security men opened fire after protesters hurled rocks at them in the Gaza Strip on Friday [Aug 24, 2007] in the biggest demonstration against the Islamist group since it seized control of the territory in June.

No injuries were reported, but the confrontation between supporters of President Mahmoud Abbas’s secular Fatah faction and Hamas’s Executive Force policing the Gaza Strip underscored the volatility of the bitter rivalry between the two movements.

“Jihad, jihad! (Holy war),” demonstrators chanted as they marched down the streets of Gaza City, applauding as others smashed an unmanned Hamas security post on the roadside.