Al-Qaeda Hacker Caught

anaesthetica writes "The Washington Post is carrying a story on a young man suspected to be the al-Qaeda hacker 'Irhabi 007'. From the article: 'Celebrated for his computer expertise, Irhabi 007 had propelled the jihadists into a 21st-century offensive through his ability to covertly and securely disseminate manuals of weaponry, videos of insurgent feats such as beheadings and other inflammatory material... The Internet has presented investigators with an extraordinary challenge. But our future security is going to depend increasingly on identifying and catching the shadowy figures who exist primarily in the elusive online world.'"

Comments

Wonderful.

[ImaNihilist]

Now we have to worry about people driving car bombs into ISPs. It's like DDoS attacks, evolved.

Irhabi 007

[Anonymous Coward]

Goat's milk. Shaken, not stirred.

your rights online

[pintomp3]

this should be filed under your rights online, since that is what will be disappearing soon. the terrorists are on the interwebs now. start up the survillence at the ISP level. if we happen to catch a people downloading music and movies, doubleplus good. osama is laughing his ass off watching us burn up our own constitution.

The Net is SO scary!

[STDOUBT]

"But our future security is going to depend increasingly on identifying and catching the shadowy figures who exist primarily in the elusive online world.'" Bullshit. If my future security depends on the governments ability to destroy online anonymity, I want a different government. Make the borders secure. Packets of data don't scare me.

Re:The Net is SO scary!

[Milton Waddams]

Packets of data don't scare me.

You've obviously never seen tubgirl before.

Re:hold on hold on hold on

[tealover]

Goebbels never killed anyone directly, but he was still a Nazi.

You can play semantics if you want, the rest of us will live in the real world.

just copyright one of the recordings

[bxbaser]

and let the riaa go after him.

The ACTUAL charges.

[Bob Cat - NYMPHS]

Before anymore of you spout off about how this guy's use of his free speech rights is what got him into trouble, RTFA!

"Tsouli has been charged with eight offenses including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to cause an explosion, conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, conspiracy to obtain money by deception and offences relating to the possession of articles for terrorist purposes and fundraising. So far there are no charges directly related to his alleged activities as Irhabi on the Internet, ..."

LOOK! No Internet-publishing charges! They found out who he (allegedly) was by accident!

My only question is where are the Internet spooks who should be hunting these guys? They break into servers in the US and put beheading videos on them, and no one bothers to check the logs? Where are the honeypot jihadi forums? Is anybody looking into wtf http://www.whois.sc/irhabi007.com is all about? Is the owner a fan or an identity theft victim?

Re:hold on hold on hold on

[SetupWeasel]

You create terrorists by wrongly imprisoning people. Preventing crime is not about putting people behind bars. It is about improving people's environment and standing so that they are less compelled to commit crimes. You have to be pretty damned pissed off about something to blow yourself up and kill innocent people. Maybe we ought to work on what is pissing said people off.

It is funny that the city actually involved in the 9/11 attack is one of the most liberal cities in the country.

Re:Hacker? How about script kiddie?

[SetupWeasel]

Good. Too bad you haven't caught that Osama guy or that #2 guy we almost catch every time Bush's polls are down.

Re:hold on hold on hold on

[flossie]

He was arrested in the UK. IIRC it is now illegal to even say anything that could even be construed as "glorifying" terrorism, we are already slipping down that slope.

The UK on a slippery slope? Ridiculous! We tumbled and reached the bottom long ago. Now the government are just standing over us, pissing for enjoyment.

A peace campaigner has been convicted under a new law banning unauthorised protests from taking place within half a mile of Westminster. She was arrested in October after reading out names of soldiers killed in Iraq at central London's Cenotaph.

(Activist convicted under demo law)

A new Enabling Act will allow government ministers to alter any legislation at will, as long as the do not create any new offences which carry a penalty greater than 2 years imprisonment.

(1) A Minister of the Crown may by order make provision for either or both of the following purposes-- (a) reforming legislation; (b) implementing recommendations of any one or more of the United Kingdom Law Commissions, with or without changes.

(Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill)

And just in case we haven't got the message yet, the government are going to create a vast database (like the Stasi one, but more frightening and much more expensive) and force everyone in the country to be photographed, fingerprinted, iris scanned and required to notify the authorities of their whereabouts. (Identity Cards Bill)

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame, All their attempts to bend thee down;
Will but arouse thy generous flame, But work their woe, and thy renown.

How wrong we were.

BS

[subtropolis]

"They" don't "hate us for our freedom", but for the fact that we encourage their governments to keep boots on their necks. "They" hate us because, in propping up governments they despise, our militaries are invited to their lands. "They" hate us because we are seen as keeping them down.

"They" being, of course, the "terrorists". The vast majority of muslims, i imagine, just wish we'd stop fscking around with their lives so they can get on with them (which might include participating in some of that freedom we all enjoy).