Seven terrorists have been arrested in the Netherlands today as Dutch police mounted a series of raids nationwide. Among the seven terror suspects was a woman. The Dutch Parliament and the Prime Minister's office were also sealed off as gun shots were heard from a nearby street.

One of those arrested was a repeat offender. Dutch news agency ANP reports that among those arrested was Samir Azzouz, 19, acquitted in April of charges of planning attacks on government buildings--including Parliament. Police report that they found maps of potential targets in his home which included parliament and the Borselle nuclear power plant. (AKI)

Azzouz is suspected of belonging to the Hofstad Network, a group of suspected radical muslims which allegedly included Mohammed Bouyeri, the Dutch-Morroccan man jailed for life in July for the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh, nearly a year ago in Amsterdam. (FT)

On Thursday, media reported renewed threats against members of parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali (image right) and Geert Wilders, both outspoken critics of Islamic extremism. The two went into hiding for several months after Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh's brutal murder. (Haaretz)

Local media also report that gunshots were heard in a largely Muslim immigrant neighborhood in the Hague this morning. The police have yet to confirm this.

Today, The Jawa Report received this comment from a Muslim reader in The Netherlands:

JIHAD AGAINST THE KUFFAR AND THE MUNAFIQEEN, MURTADEEN IS FARD (required)

SO OH MUSLIMS MARCH OUT TOWARDS THE BATTLEFIELD OF AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, JAZERATUL ARAB, KASHMIR, SHESHAAN, PALESTINE

Journalist Hans Andringa told CNN there had been rumors that on November 2, the anniversary of Van Gogh's death, fundamentalists were planning "a macabre birthday party."

Following the arrests, Holland's National Coordinator for Counterterrorism announced a stepping up of security around the Binnenhof (parliamentary and governmental complex in The Hague), the headquarters of the General Intelligence and Security Service in Leidschendam, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

Personal security was also being stepped up for leading figures, the statement said, adding that there was no need to raise the general threat level associated with the national terrorist threat assessment.

"As reported earlier, the current threat level for the Netherlands is substantial, and that level remains unchanged," the statement said.

Personal note: I'm off the rest of the day doing you know what with you know who at you know where.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:57 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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In the time it took to write this post, Richard Perle and other prominent Neo-smurf Zionist smurfs at the Defense Policy Smurf, planned to smurf Smurf children with thousand pound smurfs. Meanwhile, smurfs at Haliburton grow richer off the smurfs of dead smurfs. All we are saying, is give smurf a chance!

Brought to you by UNICEF.

Hat tip to Shawn at Bare Knuckle Politics who has the UNICEF produced video of bombs falling on Smurfs here for France Junior TV. Seriously.

More commentary from Kevin Aylward at Wizbang and Jeff at Caerdroia. (PS-Come on, this post took like 2 minutes.....)

UPDATE: Dave at Garfield Ridge is just funny.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:17 AM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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I have a great idea! Let's negotiate with mass-murderering terrorists who want to stone to death women who get pregnant out of wedlock! Maybe they will meet us in the middle and and only kill half the Jews in the world and only give adulteresses fifty lashes instead of the death sentence?

Peaktalk has more from the Zeropean royalty.

Posted by: Rusty at 01:15 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Mohamed ElBaradei and the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency have been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Of course, neither ElBaradei or the IAEA have done a single thing to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation, but at least they tried.

Who awards the Nobel Peace Price, and all other Nobel Prizes? From the Nobel Prize website:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), is entrusted both with the preparatory work related to prize adjudication and with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Chariman Dr. Ole Danbolt MJØS. Held various positions in The Christian People's Party (Kristelig Folkeparti). This party is center-right in Norwegian politics. But center-right in Norwegian politics would be considerably to the left in the U.S., especially on social-welfare issues. On family-values issues they are more to the right.

Dr. Berge Ragnar FURRE is the former parliamentary leader of the Socialist Left Party. The Socialist Left Party is left by European standards--it was formerly a Communist party. Today though, like most formerly communist parties, the Socialist Left Party is part of the Red-Green coalitions so common in Europe.

Sissel Marie RØNBECK is former director of the Social Democratic Youth (Labour's youth group) and a former cabinet minister in the Labour led government. The Labour Party has long been a main political party in Norway and was founded as a Marxist party, but are now merely socialists and advocates of an extensive welfare state. They now govern Norway as part of a center-left-green alliance.

Inger-Marie YTTERHORN is a former parliament member and currently advises the Progress Party. The Progress Party in Norway is both anti-immigration party and would be considered more libertarian than the Conservative Party on economic issues.

Kaci Kullmann FIVE is a member of the Conservative Party and former member of parliament. The name kind of says it all. But a Norwegian Conservative is a far-cry from an American conservative--for instance they support gay adoption and EU integration.

So, five people get together and decide who should get the prize. All five are former politicians. So, why should any one care what they think? I don't.

More at LGF, OTB, and elsewhere. Hat tip: Macker.

UPDATED, now with accurate information after getting my ass fact-checked.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:01 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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1 Ummm.... Am I missing something? Norwegians aren't Swedes.

Posted by: Brian B at October 07, 2005 12:55 PM (rGfpg)

2 For someone who doesn't care, you've spent an excessive amount of time detailing who's on the committee. Admit it, you care. And file this under "BFD."

Posted by: Venom at October 07, 2005 02:15 PM (dbxVM)

3 When the Nobel prices were instituted Sweden and Norway had just had a peaceful breakup of a union, and therefore Alfred Nobel thought the Peace price should be awarded by the Norwegian parliament.

Posted by: Ursus Maritimus at October 07, 2005 02:16 PM (OAFyx)

4 Rusty's just jealous because he didn't get nominated.

Posted by: Vinnie at October 07, 2005 02:19 PM (Kr6/f)

5 Blogson Brian-- D'OH!!

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at October 07, 2005 02:47 PM (JQjhA)

6 Congratulations to the IAEA. They're on an important crusade/jihad against a thing most dangerous in the wrong hands, hope the few million N. kronor help... Unfortunately, their victory cost me 300 €, since I bet on Ahtisaari...

Posted by: Haccapelite at October 07, 2005 02:56 PM (lGolT)

7 I care.

Posted by: Oyster at October 07, 2005 03:24 PM (fl6E1)

8 Shit! Is there nothing else to believe in?

Posted by: greyrooster at October 07, 2005 09:51 PM (M7kiy)

9 Yes, rooster, there is one thing you can believe in: your rifle. You will need it sooner rather than later the way things are going, so keep it ready.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at October 08, 2005 01:07 AM (0yYS2)

10 IM: You know, the hubby and I were just laughing the other day that we're probably the only household in the neighborhood who has 9mm and .45 bullets rolling around in the kitchen junk drawer. We're always ready;-)

Posted by: Oyster at October 08, 2005 10:03 AM (YudAC)

11 Maximus, I just purchased a rifle recently and I witnessed something that I am curious about. Perhaps you or greyrooster, or anyone else out there might be familiar with the law. As I was waiting for my purchase to be approved through BATF, I noticed that a Mexican(that is where he said he was born), who said that he was not a US citizen, attempted to buy a fireman. It was denied, but the denial was based on the fact that the Mexican guy could not prove he lived at his present address for over 90 days. Is this true? Can a foreighner legally buy a firearm? If so, this has conatations in relation to the jihadists. Does anybody know?

Posted by: jesusland joe at October 08, 2005 04:17 PM (0raMr)

12 jj: If they have a permanent residency permit it is possible at least in some states (IANAL).

Posted by: Ursus Maritimus at October 09, 2005 06:48 AM (OAFyx)

13 OK, thanks, Ursus, I was ignorant of these facts. I need to get up to speed.

Posted by: jesusland joe at October 09, 2005 08:48 AM (0raMr)

14 They give awards to all the wrong persons these days i mean why do we even bother with awards anymore its becoming a waste of time

Posted by: sandpiper at October 09, 2005 09:50 PM (FpZEl)

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An appeals court in Sweden has cut the sentence of two Ansar al-Islam terrorists. Apparently Seven years is too harsh in Sweden for financing murder in Iraq. Meanwhile, an offshoot of Ansar al-Islam is practicing for jihad in Sweden where it claims to have found 'safe-haven'.

Swedish Radio International:

The two have been found guilty of collecting and transferring more than 148,000 US dollars to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who leads al-QaidaÂ’s operations in Iraq, the Ansar al-Islam group, and other suspected terrorists in Iraq. They were linked to the December 2003 suicide bombing in Arbil, which took 4 lives.

They were sentenced by a lower court to 6 and 7 years imprisonment respectively, but the Stockholm Appeals Court changed the sentences to 4 and a half and 5 years, with permanent bans from entering Sweden after they are released.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:30 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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