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This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event July 24, 2000: French Detail Bin Laden Network, Including His Ties to Bin Laden Family and Saudi Government Charity. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Mohammed Jamal Khalifa. Apparently this photo was taken in the Philippines. [Source: Asharq al-Awsat]Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law, moves to the Philippines and sets up numerous financial fronts to benefit al-Qaeda. Khalifa is not only one of bin Laden's brothers-in-law, but he also says that during the 1980s, "Osama was my best friend. More than a brother…." [Australian, 1/16/2003; CNN, 11/25/2004] In the mid-1980s, Khalifa was already a very senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon and ran the Peshawar, Pakistan, office of the Muslim World League, where he was active in sending recruits to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan (see Late 1980s). Sent to the Philippines by bin Laden in 1987 or 1988, he soon marries two Filipino women. He sets up more than a dozen businesses and charities, all of which appear to be fronts to fund the Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) militant groups: The Islamic Wisdom Worldwide Mission (IWWM), which will later be blamed for funneling bin Laden money to militants (see February 15, 1999 and October 8-November 8, 2002). The International Relations and Information Center (IRIC), which is later seen as the main funding vehicle for the Bojinka plot (see Spring 1995). The Philippine branch of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), founded in September 1991. The IIRO does some charity work, but a Philippine cabinet official will later note that it "built up the good will of the community through charity and then turned segments of the population into agents." The IIRO is a charity suspected of funding militant activities in numerous places around the world, but the US has been reluctant to prosecute it due to its direct links to the Saudi government (see January 1996 and October 12, 2001). Khalifa is not only the first head of the IIRO's Philippine branch, but also the IIRO's regional director for all of Southeast Asia. The IIRO's offices are often staffed by members of the Abu Sayyaf and MILF. For instance, one IIRO branch office director is also the Abu Sayyaf's intelligence chief until he is killed in June 1994. [Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/9/2000; CNN, 1/27/2002; Contemporary Southeast Asia, 8/1/2003; Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, 9/1/2005 ] It is estimated that as much as 70 percent of the money from these fronts are spent on militant groups. In one case, a charity that Khalifa claimed had built 30 orphanages had only built one. [Newsweek International, 10/22/2001] The Philippines will investigate Khalifa and expel him from the country by late 1994 (see December 15, 1994 and December 1, 1994). He apparently never returns. He will no longer be directly connected to these charities, but they will all continue operating despite widely reported terrorist ties (see 1995 and After, February 15, 1999, August 9, 2000), and they will usually continue to be run by Khalifa's close associates (see October 8-November 8, 2002 and September 25, 2003). The US will finally officially declare the Philippine branch of the IIRO a terrorism financier in 2006 (see August 3, 2006).
Entity Tags: International Relations and Information Center, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Muslim World League, Islamic Wisdom Worldwide Mission, International Islamic Relief Organization, Muslim Brotherhood
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline
In 1991, there is a surge in the number of US soldiers adhering to Islam, due to a conversion program sponsored by the Saudi government (see March-September 1991). Islamic activist Abdurahman Alamoudi approaches the US military and suggests they create a program for Muslim chaplains, similar to a longstanding program for Christian chaplains. His proposal is accepted and in 1991 he creates the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council (AMAFVAC) with the stated purpose to "certify Muslim chaplains hired by the military." In 1993, the Defense Department certifies it as one of two organizations to select and endorse Muslim chaplains. The other is the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS). [US Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, 10/14/2003; Wall Street Journal, 12/3/2003] That group is run by prominent Islamic scholar Taha Jabir Al-Alwani. Most of the roughly one dozen Muslim chaplains in the US military are educated there. In 2002, the US government searches the school and Al-Alwani's home as part of a raid on the SAAR network (see March 20, 2002). He appears to also be named as an unindicted coconspirator in the Sami al-Arian trial. Counterterrorism expert Rita Katz says Al-Alwani is a "person who supports and funnels money to terrorist organizations," but Al-Alwani denies all terrorism ties and has not been charged with any crime. [St. Petersburg Times, 3/27/2003] Most Muslim chaplains trained at GSISS then receive an official endorsement from Alamoudi's AMAFVAC organization. US intelligence will learn in early 1994 that Alamoudi has ties to bin Laden (see Shortly After March 1994). [US Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, 10/14/2003] In 1996, counterterrorism expert Steven Emerson will warn in a Wall Street Journal editorial that Alamoudi openly supports Hamas, even after the US government officially designated it a terrorist organization (see March 13, 1996). [Wall Street Journal, 3/13/1996] But Alamoudi will work for the Defense Department until 1998 on an unpaid basis to nominate and to vet Muslim chaplain candidates. After that, he will give the task to others in his AMAFVAC organization. [US Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, 10/14/2003] Furthermore, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) will later allege the US the military allowed Muslim chaplains to travel to the Middle East on funds provided by the Muslim World League, which has been linked to al-Qaeda (see October 12, 2001). Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) will later comment, "It is remarkable that people who have known connections to terrorism are the only people to approve these chaplains." [US News and World Report, 10/27/2003] In late 2003, Alamoudi will be arrested and later sentenced to 23 years in prison for terrorism-related crimes. The US military will announce around the same time that it is reviewing and overhauling its Muslim chaplain program. [US News and World Report, 10/27/2003]
Entity Tags: Taha Jabir Al-Alwani, Steven Emerson, US Department of Defense, Muslim World League, Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences, American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, Abdurahman Alamoudi, Rita Katz, Charles Schumer, Jon Kyl
Clement Rodney Hampton-El, one of the 1993 "Landmarks" bombers (see June 24, 1993), is summoned to the Saudi Embassy in Washington and told that wealthy Saudis are sponsoring fighters in Bosnia. Hampton-El has longstanding links to the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), which is closely tied to the Saudi government (see October 12, 2001). He is given $150,000 to recruit and train people in the US to fight in Bosnia. [Schindler, 2007, pp. 121-122] He starts a militant training camp in Pennsylvania that same month (see December 1992-Early February 1993) and gets $150,000 overseas from a bin Laden linked charity front (it is not known if this is the same $150,000 or additional money) (see Late 1992-Early 1993). The Saudi embassy also introduces him to a radical imam named Bilal Philips. Philips, a Canadian citizen and author on Islamic topics, has been employed by the Saudi government since early 1991 to proselytize among US soldiers stationed in Saudi Arabia (see March-September 1991). Philips gives Hampton-El a list of likely candidates who are ex-US soldiers that Philips recently helped convert to Islam. [Schindler, 2007, pp. 121-122] That same month, 14 ex-US soldiers go to Bosnia to fight and train there (see December 1992-June 1993). They are led by double agent Ali Mohamed, who, like Hampton-El, is closely tied to the Al-Kifah Refugee Center in New York.
Entity Tags: Bilal Philips, Clement Rodney Hampton-El, Saudi Embassy (US)
Qatar Charitable Society logo. [Source: Qatar Charitable Society]Osama bin Laden privately identifies the three most important charity fronts used to finance al-Qaeda. He names: The Muslim World League (MWL), a Saudi charity closely tied to the Saudi government. Benevolence International Foundation (BIF), a charity based in Chicago, Illinois. The Qatar Charitable Society (QCS). Al-Qaeda apparently will stop using this organization after it is publicly linked to an assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1995 (see Shortly After June 26, 1995). Bin Laden tells this to Jamal al-Fadl, who is helping to run bin Laden's businesses in Sudan. A Justice Department brief will later explain, "[Al-Fadl] understood from conversations with bin Laden and others in al-Qaeda that the charities would receive funds that could be withdrawn in cash and a portion of the money used for legitimate relief purposes and another portion diverted for al-Qaeda operations. The money for al-Qaeda operations would nevertheless be listed in the charities' books as expenses for building mosques or schools or feeding the poor or the needy." [USA v. Enaam M. Arnaout, 10/6/2003 ] In 1996, al-Fadl will quit al-Qaeda and tell US investigators all he knows about the organization and its finances (see June 1996-April 1997). Yet the US has yet to list the MWL or QCS as terrorism financiers, and will wait until 2002 before listing BIF. The US knew about the MWL's support for radical militants even before al-Fadl defected (see January 1996), but its ties to the Saudi government has repeatedly protected it (see October 12, 2001).
Entity Tags: Qatar Charitable Society, Benevolence International Foundation, Muslim World League, Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, Jamal al-Fadl
A secret report about al-Qaeda's support for Islamic militant groups in the Philippines is released to Philippine President Fidel Ramos and other top national leaders. Contents of the report are leaked to the media in April 1995. [Japan Economic Newswire, 4/16/1995; Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/12/2000; Ressa, 2003] Starting sometime in 1994, Philippine investigator Colonel Rodolfo Mendoza began looking into foreign support for Islamic militant groups in the Philippines. Mendoza combines "hundreds of wiretaps and countless man-hours of surveillance into a 175-page report…" which is titled "Radical Islamic Fundamentalism in the Philippines and its Links to International Terrorism." It includes a watch list of more than 100 names of Arab nationals. Mendoza is the handler for Edwin Angeles, second in command of the militant group Abu Sayyaf and secretly an undercover government operative (see 1991-Early February 1995). The report is said to be based on information from many sources and corroborated by Angeles. [Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/12/2000; Ressa, 2003] The investigation has a special focus on Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law, who has been under surveillance for months. The report states Khalifa has founded at least eight organizations to fund terrorism: "Although most of them are seemingly legitimate charitable institutions or NGOs, it has been uncovered that Khalifa has been using them as cover for his terroristic activities in the Philippines as well as abroad." In the Philippines, this money mainly goes to the Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). [Japan Economic Newswire, 4/24/1995; Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/12/2000; CNN, 11/24/2004] The report also says Khalifa's activities in the Philippines strongly link with Muslim extremist movements in Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Russia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Albania, the Netherlands and Morocco. [Japan Economic Newswire, 4/16/1995] The Philippine branch of the Saudi charity the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) was founded by Khalifa in 1991. The report states, "The IIRO which claims to be a relief institution is being utilized by foreign extremists as a pipeline through which funding for the local extremists is being coursed." [Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/9/2000] It is not clear when US intelligence gets a copy of this report. However, Khalifa is arrested in the US one day after the report is released, then eventually let go (see December 16, 1994-May 1995). Remarkably, he will never be officially designated a terrorism funder before his death in 2007 (see January 30, 2007) and the Philippines branch of IIRO will only be so designated in 2006 (see August 3, 2006).
Entity Tags: Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, International Islamic Relief Organization, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Fidel Ramos, Rodolfo Mendoza, Osama bin Laden, Abu Sayyaf
In early 1995, the Bojinka plot, an early version of the 9/11 plot that would have killed thousands, is foiled in the Philippines (see January 6, 1995). It is quickly learned that Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law, helped fund the plot while living in the Philippines as regional director of the Saudi-based charity, the Islamic International Relief Organization (IIRO). Wali Khan Amin Shah, a known bin Laden associate and Bojinka plotter, also was an employee of the IIRO in the Philippines. Yet the Philippine branch of the IIRO will remain open until 2000, apparently because of political pressure from Saudi Arabia. Even then, the IIRO is allowed to continue funding projects in the Philippines through a branch office in a neighboring country. One Philippine senior intelligence official will later complain, "We could not touch the IIRO." [Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, 3/7/2003 ] Counterterrorism expert Zachary Abuza will note that the IIRO is a "very well connected charity, whose supporters include the Saudi royal family and the top echelon of Filipino society." One board member of "the IIRO Philippine office was, not coincidentally, the Saudi Ambassador." [Contemporary Southeast Asia, 8/1/2003] In 1996, a secret CIA report will conclude that the IIRO is funding radical militant groups in many countries, including the Philippines, but the US will not move against it either (see January 1996). Another Philippines-based Islamic charity, the International Relations and Information Center (IRIC), is also connected to the Bojinka plot. The IRIC's director is Ahmad al-Hamwi (better known by his alias Omar Abu Omar), who is the brother of Khalifa's Philippine wife. Investigators determine that most of the funding for the Bojinka plot went through a bank account controlled by al-Hamwi. As a result, the IRIC is shut down in 1995 and al-Hamwi leaves the country. However, its operations and staff is taken over by another Islamic charity headed by Mohammed Amin al-Ghafari. Al-Ghafari is also a close associate of Khalifa and is believed to have been involved in the Bojinka plot as well (see June 1994). Al-Ghafari will finally be deported in 2002 after years of police protection (see October 8-November 8, 2002). [Washington Post, 12/30/2001; Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, 3/7/2003 ; Australian, 4/8/2006] Al-Hamwi will be granted asylum in Australia in 1996 and will continue to live there even after media reports expose his presence there and his ties to Islamic militancy (see July 6, 1995-June 26, 1996). [Australian, 4/8/2006] US will finally officially declare the IIRO's Philippine branch a terrorism funder in late 2006 (see August 3, 2006).
Entity Tags: Zachary Abuza, Operation Bojinka, Mohammed Amin al-Ghafari, International Relations and Information Center, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Ahmad al-Hamwi, International Islamic Relief Organization, Wali Khan Amin Shah
A 1996 CIA report shows that US intelligence believes that the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), a Saudi charity with strong ties to the Saudi government, is funding a variety of radical militant groups (see January 1996). However, no action is taken against it. Also in 1996, Valerie Donahue, a Chicago FBI agent who is presumably part of Robert Wright's Vulgar Betrayal investigation, begins looking into Global Chemical Corp., a chemical company that appears to be an investment fraud scheme. The company is jointly owned by the IIRO and Abrar Investments Inc. Suspected terrorism financier Yassin al-Qadi has investments in Abrar Investments and he is also director of its Malaysian corporate parent. Donahue finds that Abrar Investments gave Global Chemical more than half a million dollars, and the IIRO gave it over $1 million. Further, the Saudi embassy has recently sent $400,000 to the IIRO. The president of Global Chemical is Mohammed Mabrook, a Libyan immigrant and suspected Hamas operative. Mabrook had previously worked for a pro-Palestinian group led by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk. (Marzouk is in US detention from 1995 to May 1997, but he is apparently merely held for deportation and not questioned about matters like Global Chemical (see July 5, 1995-May 1997).) Donahue discovers that Global Chemical is keeping a warehouse full of highly toxic chemicals, but they do not seem to be selling them. In late 1996, a chemical weapons expert examines the chemicals and opines that they appear to be meant for a laboratory performing biochemistry or manufacturing explosives. While no direct evidence of bomb making is found, investigators know that a Hamas associate of Marzouk, Mohammad Salah, had previously trained US recruits to work with "basic chemical materials for the preparation of bombs and explosives."(see 1989-January 1993) In January 1997, the FBI raids Global Chemical and confiscates the chemicals stockpiled in the warehouse. Mabrook is questioned, then let go. He moves to Saudi Arabia. Abrar Investments vacate their offices and cease operations. In June 1999, Mabrook will return to the US and will be prosecuted. He will be tried on fraud charges for illegal dealings with the IIRO and given a four year sentence. Meanwhile, the IIRO ignores an FBI demand for accounting records to explain how it spent several million dollars that seem to have gone to the IIRO and disappeared. In January 1997, Donahue requests a search warrant to find and confiscate the records, saying that she suspect IIRO officials are engaged in "possible mail and wire fraud… and money laundering." Apparently, the probe stalls and the financial records are never maintained. Some investigators believe the probe is dropped for diplomatic reasons. [Wall Street Journal, 11/26/2002; Wall Street Journal, 12/16/2002; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 10/29/2003] Investigators will later be prohibited from investigating a possible link between al-Qadi and the 1998 US embassy bombings (see October 1998). After 9/11, the US will apparently have ample evidence to officially label the IIRO a funder of terrorism, but will refrain from doing so for fear of embarrassing the Saudi government (see October 12, 2001).
Entity Tags: Valerie Donahue, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mohammed Mabrook, Global Chemical Corp., International Islamic Relief Organization, Yassin al-Qadi, Vulgar Betrayal, Abrar Investments
Al Haramain Islamic Foundation's main office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [Source: Bilal Qabalan / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images]Wadih El-Hage has been bin Laden's personal secretary since the early 1990s. When US agents raid his house in Nairobi, Kenya, they seize his address book (see August 21, 1997), which contains the names and phone numbers for many other al-Qaeda operatives. [CNN, 5/25/2001] The names discovered in the book include: Ali Mohamed, the al-Qaeda double agent living in California. US investigators are already tapping his California phone and have been tapping calls between him and El-Hage since at least 1996 (see April 1996). Mamoun Darkazanli. He is a Syrian-born businessman living in Hamburg, Germany, who has contacts with Mohamed Atta's al-Qaeda cell in the same city. Darkazanli's name and phone number are listed, and El-Hage even has a business card listing El-Hage's address in Texas and Darkazanli's address in Hamburg (see Late 1998). Ghassan Dahduli. He works at two US non-profit organizations, the Islamic Association for Palestine and InfoCom. Both organizations will be shut down for supporting terrorist networks (see September 16, 1998-September 5, 2001). Salah al-Rajhi (see Shortly After August 21, 1997). He and his brother of Sulaiman Abdul Aziz al-Rajhi, are billionaires and jointly own the Al-Rajhi Banking & Investment Corp. Sulaiman started a network of organizations in Herndon, Virginia known as the SAAR network (named for the four initials in his name). This network will be raided by US officials in 2002 for suspected terrorist funding ties (see March 20, 2002). [Newsweek, 12/9/2002] Ihab Ali Nawawi, an al-Qaeda operative living in Florida. He is referred to as "Ihab Ali" and his location in Tampa, Florida, is mentioned. He will not be arrested until May 1999 (see May 18, 1999). [United States of America v. Usama Bin Laden, et al., Day 39, 5/3/2001] Essam Marzouk. He is linked to both al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad and is living in Vancouver, Canada at the time. He will later train the 1998 embassy bombers. It is unclear if the link to Marzouk is shared with Canadian intelligence (see Shortly After August 21, 1997). [National Post, 3/19/2002] Essam al Ridi. He is a US citizen and a pilot who helped bin Laden buy an airplane in the US in the early 1990s (see Early 1993). He appears to have no militant ties after that. In late 1999, US prosecutors will contact al Ridi where he is living in Bahrain and convince him to testify against El-Hage and others involved in the 1998 embassy bombings (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). [CNN, 7/2/2002] Farid Adlouni. He is a civil engineer living in Lake Oswego, Oregon. In 1996 and 1997, El-Hage calls Adlouni in Oregon 72 times, sometimes just before or after meeting with bin Laden. Adlouni's home phone and fax numbers are be found in two personal phone directories and one notebook kept by El-Hage (see Shortly After August 21, 1997). Earlier in 1997, El-Hage also sent him a fax written by al-Qaeda leader Mohammed Atef (see Febuary 25, 1997). Records show that El-Hage has extensive dealings with Adlouni, mostly by selling gems El-Hage bought in Africa for a better price in the US. The FBI interviews Adlouni twice in late 1997, but he is not arrested. As of 2002, it will be reported that he continues to live in Oregon and remains a "person of interest" and subject of investigation by the FBI. [Oregonian, 9/13/2002] Khalid al-Fawwaz. He is al-Qaeda's de facto press secretary in London. El-Hage gives al-Fawwaz's correct name, London phone number, and street address, but lists him as living in Texas. Presumably this is a slight attempt at subterfuge. [United States of America v. Usama Bin Laden, et al., Day 38, 5/2/2001] A business card in the name Mamdouh M. Salim is found. This is a reference to Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, a known al-Qaeda leader. [United States of America v. Usama Bin Laden, et al., Day 37, 5/1/2001] A business card belonging to Mansour al-Kadi is found. [New Yorker, 4/21/2008] Al-Kadi is the Deputy General of the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, a suspect Saudi charity closely linked to the Saudi government. Al-Kadi will be fired in early 2004 and the entire foundation will be shut down several months later (see March 2002-September 2004). The Treasury Department will later say that Al Haramain has a role in the 1998 African embassy bombings (see Autumn 1997). [US Treasury Department, 9/9/2004] Several business cards relating to the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). A 1996 CIA report connected the IIRO to terrorist funding, but the IIRO will not be prosecuted due to its close ties to the Saudi government (see January 1996 and October 12, 2001). [Newsweek, 12/9/2002] According to author Douglas Farah, the address book is "full of the names of diamond dealers and jewelers, often including the purchaser's home phone number." This suggests al-Qaeda could be profiting from the diamond trade in Africa. [Farah, 2004, pp. 64-65] But Farah also will note in 2004 that many of the leads from El-Hage's address book and other documents discovered around the same time are not fully explored. In fact, he says that "Most of El-Hage's notebooks, written in Arabic, have still not been translated into English." [Farah, 2004, pp. 64-65]
Entity Tags: Ihab Ali Nawawi, International Islamic Relief Organization, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, Khalid al-Fawwaz, Mamoun Darkazanli, Ghassan Dahduli, Farid Adlouni, Ali Mohamed, Essam Marzouk, Essam al Ridi, Wadih El-Hage, Salah al-Rajhi, Mansour al-Kadi, Al Haramain Islamic Foundation
Bombings of the Nairobi, Kenya, US embassy (left), and the Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, US embassy (right). [Source: Associated Press]Two US embassies in Africa are bombed within minutes of each other. At 10:35 a.m., local time, a suicide car bomb attack in Nairobi, Kenya, kills 213 people, including 12 US nationals, and injures more than 4,500. Mohamed al-Owhali and someone known only as Azzam are the suicide bombers, but al-Owhali runs away at the last minute and survives. Four minutes later, a suicide car bomb attack in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, kills 11 and injures 85. Hamden Khalif Allah Awad is the suicide bomber there. The attacks will be blamed on al-Qaeda. [PBS Frontline, 2001; United States of America v. Usama Bin Laden, et al., Day 38, 5/2/2001] The Tanzania death toll is low because, remarkably, the attack takes place on a national holiday so the US embassy there is closed. [Miller, Stone, and Mitchell, 2002, pp. 195] The attack shows al-Qaeda has a capability for simultaneous attacks. The Tanzania bombing appears to have been a late addition, as one of the arrested bombers will allegedly tell US agents that it was added to the plot only about 10 days in advance. [United State of America v. Usama bin Laden, et al., Day 14, 3/7/2001] A third attack against the US embassy in Uganda does not take place due to a last-minute delay (see August 7, 1998). [Associated Press, 9/25/1998] August 7, 1998, is the eighth anniversary of the arrival of US troops in Saudi Arabia and some people will speculate that this is the reason for the date of the bombings. [Gunaratna, 2003, pp. 46] In the 2002 book The Cell, reporters John Miller, Michael Stone, and Chris Mitchell will write: "What has become clear with time is that facets of the East Africa plot had been known beforehand to the FBI, the CIA, the State Department, and to Israeli and Kenyan intelligence services.… [N]o one can seriously argue that the horrors of August 7, 1998, couldn't have been prevented." They will also comment, "Inexplicable as the intelligence failure was, more baffling still was that al-Qaeda correctly presumed that a major attack could be carried out by a cell that US agents had already uncovered." [Miller, Stone, and Mitchell, 2002, pp. 195, 206] After 9/11, it will come to light that three of the alleged hijackers, Khalid Almihdhar, Nawaf Alhazmi, and Salem Alhazmi, had some involvement in the bombings (see October 4, 2001, Late 1999, and 1993-1999) and that the US intelligence community was aware of this involvement by late 1999 (see December 15-31, 1999), if not before.
Entity Tags: Salem Alhazmi, Nawaf Alhazmi, Mohamed al-Owhali, Hamden Khalif Allah Awad, Khalid Almihdhar, Al-Qaeda, Azzam
Now living in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden's brother-in-law Mohammed Jamal Khalifa keeps in contact with charity fronts and militant groups he helped to organize. According to a Philippines police report, he maintains contact with: Leaders of the Philippine militant groups Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Abdul Salam Zubair, who was a key employee in the IRIC (International Relations and Information Center), a charity front used in the Bojinka plot (see Spring 1995). By this time, Zubair is working with Khalifa Trading Industries in Manila with other Khalifa associates. The staff of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) in the Philippines. Many of its staffers, including its Philippines coordinator, are also believed to be Hamas operatives. The US will designate the chapter a terrorist financier in 2006 (see August 3, 2006). Ibrahim Mata, the head of Islamic Studies, Call and Guidance (ISCAG), in the Philippines. - - The Philippine chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood. [Gunaratna, 2003, pp. 194] The Benevolence International Foundation (BIF). In a post-9/11 trial in the US, US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald will allege that the Illinois office of BIF calls Khalifa in Saudi Arabia as recently as November 19, 1998. [USA v. Benevolence International Foundation and Enaam M. Arnaout, 4/29/2002, pp. 14, 21-22 ] The US will officially designate BIF a terrorism financier in 2002. Khalifa also still visits the Philippines periodically (see Late 1995-September 11, 2001).
Entity Tags: International Relations and Information Center, Benevolence International Foundation, Abu Sayyaf, Abdul Salam Zubair, Hamas, International Islamic Relief Organization, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Muslim Brotherhood, Khalifa Trading Industries, Islamic Studies, Call and Guidance, Ibrahim Mata
A classified Philippine military report claims bin Laden is funding Muslim militants in the Philippines through known charity fronts. Some of the charities include World Alliance of Muslim Youth (WAMY), the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), and the Islamic Wisdom Worldwide Mission (IWWM). WAMY has been under investigation for ties militant groups in a number of countries, including the US (see February-September 11, 1996). The other two organizations are said to be connected to Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law. All the charities are accused of passing money on to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a militant group in the southern Philippines. [New Straits Times, 2/15/1999] Between this time and 9/11, the leader of the Abu Sayyaf militant group will say in an interview that "the primary purpose of the IIRO is to help groups like us." [Newsweek International, 10/22/2001] Also in February 1999, the head of the MILF admits to getting funds from bin Laden, but says they are for humanitarian purposes only (see February 1999). The charities remain open after the report. In 2002, Mohammed Amin al-Ghafari, the head of the IWWM, will be arrested and deported. It will come out that he was arrested and then let go in 1995 after being strongly suspected of involvement in the Bojinka plot (see June 1994). He also had protectors in the police and military who are IWWM directors. In 2002, one of them will admit to having helped prevent his deportation (see October 8-November 8, 2002). The US will not officially accuse the IIRO's Philippine branch of funding al-Qaeda until 2006 (see August 3, 2006).
Entity Tags: World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Osama bin Laden, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Abu Sayyaf, International Islamic Relief Organization, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Mohammed Amin al-Ghafari, Islamic Wisdom Worldwide Mission
In a court case in Canada, Arafat El-Asahi, the Canadian director of both the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) and the Muslim World League, says in sworn testimony: "The Muslim World League, which is the mother of IIRO, is a fully government funded organization. In other words, I work for the Government of Saudi Arabia. I am an employee of that government. Second, the IIRO is the relief branch of that organization which means that we are controlled in all our activities and plans by the Government of Saudi Arabia. Keep that in mind, please… I am paid by my organization which is funded by the [Saudi] government.… The [IIRO] office, like any other office in the world, here or in the Muslim World League, has to abide by the policy of the Government of Saudi Arabia. If anybody deviates from that, he would be fired." [US Congress, Senate, Committee on Governmental Affairs, 7/31/2003; US News and World Report, 12/15/2003] There is considerable evidence that both the IIRO and the Muslim World League have repeatedly helped fund al-Qaeda. For instance, in 1993 Osama bin Laden told an associate that the Muslim World League was one of his three most important charity fronts (see 1993), and it will later be reported that just after 9/11 the US decides not to list both the Muslim World League as terrorist charity fronts in order not to embarrass the Saudi government (see October 12, 2001).
Entity Tags: International Islamic Relief Organization, Arafat El-Asahi, Muslim World League
The French intelligence agency, the DGSE, publishes a 13-page classified report entitled "The Networks of Osama bin Laden." According to a 2007 article, the report describes the "context, the anecdotal details, and all the strategic aspects relative to al-Qaeda" in "black and white" terms. It mentions a payment of $4.5 million from the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) to in Laden. The US will not go after the IIRO even years after 9/11 because of the organization's close ties to the Saudi government (see October 12, 2001 and August 3, 2006). The report also doubts Osama bin Laden's purported estrangement from the bin Laden family: "It seems more and more likely that bin Laden has maintained contacts with certain members of his family, although the family, which directs one of the largest groups of public works in the world, has officially renounced him. One of his brothers apparently plays a role as intermediary in its professional contacts or the monitoring of its business." French officials will later claim they regularly passed on their intelligence on al-Qaeda to the CIA. [Le Monde (Paris), 4/15/2007]
Entity Tags: Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, Osama bin Laden, International Islamic Relief Organization
A former member of the militant group Abu Sayyaf claims that the group is still being funded by a Saudi charity tied to bin Laden's brother-in-law Mohammed Jamal Khalifa. The Philippine branch of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) was founded in 1991 by Khalifa. This former member, who uses the alias "Abu Anzar," says the IIRO continues to fund the Abu Sayyaf after Khalifa's arrest in the US in late 1994 (see December 16, 1994-May 1995). Anzar says, "Only 10 to 30 percent of the foreign funding goes to the legitimate relief and livelihood projects and the rest go to terrorist operations." Anzar is said to be recruited by Edwin Angeles and his right hand man; since Angeles has been revealed as a deep undercover operative (see 1991-Early February 1995), it is speculated Anzar may have been working undercover too. [Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/9/2000] A 1994 Philippine intelligence report listed a Gemma Cruz as the treasurer and board member of the IIRO. In 1998, Gemma Cruz-Araneta became the tourism secretary in the cabinet of new president Joseph Estrada. Anzar claims that in 1993 and 1994 he toured IIRO projects with Khalifa and Cruz-Araneta and identifies her as the same person who is now tourism secretary. Cruz-Araneta denies all the charges as a case of mistaken identity and retains her position in the cabinet. [Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/11/2000; Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8/12/2000] In 2006, the US government will officially list the Philippine IIRO branch as a terrorism financier and state that it is still being run by one of Khalifa's associates (see August 3, 2006).
Entity Tags: Gemma Cruz-Araneta, Abu Sayyaf, Abu Anzar, Edwin Angeles, Joseph Estrada, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
Midhat Mursi. [Source: Washington Post]Agents of the DGSE, the French intelligence agency, examine an aerial photo and spot al-Qaeda leader Midhat Mursi (a.k.a. Abu Khabab al-Masri) standing close to Osama bin Laden. Mursi is considered al-Qaeda's chief bomb maker and chemical weapons expert (he will apparently be killed in 2006 (see January 13, 2006). French intelligence reports from before 9/11 show that Mursi is being closely watched by intelligence agencies, with the French exchanging information about him with the Mossad, CIA, and Egyptian intelligence. [Le Monde (Paris), 4/15/2007] The quality of the aerial photo must have been extremely high in order for Mursi and bin Laden to be recognized, but it has not been explained how such a photo was obtained or what other photos of bin Laden or other al-Qaeda leaders may have been taken before 9/11. Less than two weeks later, the US begins flying Predator drones over Afghanistan to track bin Laden (see September 7-October 2000).
Entity Tags: Osama bin Laden, Midhat Mursi, Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure
The French intelligence agency, DGSE, publishes nine intelligence reports between these dates on the subject of al-Qaeda threats against the US. Over three hundred pages of classified DGSE reports on al-Qaeda from July 2000 to October 2001 will be leaked to a French reporter in 2007. One of the nine reports on attacks against the US, dated January 5, 2001, will be detailed in a 2007 French newspaper article (see January 5, 2001), but the contents of the other eight remain unknown. DGSE officials will later claim that such reports would have certainly been passed on to the CIA. None of the contents of any of these French reports will be mentioned in the 2004 9/11 Commission report. [Le Monde (Paris), 4/15/2007]
Entity Tags: Al-Qaeda, Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure
Muslim World League logo.
[Source: Muslim World League]The International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) and the Muslim World League (MWL) are Saudi charities directly financed by the Saudi government. In 1996, the CIA gave the State Department a report detailing evidence that the IIIRO supported terrorism. It claimed the IIRO has funded Hamas and six militant training camps in Afghanistan, and one funder of the Bojinka plot to blow up airplanes over the Pacific was the head of the IIRO office in the Philippines (see January 1996). US intelligence officials also believe that MWL employees were involved in the 1998 US embassy bombings (see 10:35-10:39 a.m., August 7, 1998). Harper's magazine claims that it has long been known that both groups helped fund al-Qaeda. However, in October 2001, it is reported that the Bush administration has left the two organizations off an October 12, 2001 list of designated terrorist groups to spare the Saudi government from embarrassment (see October 12, 2001). In March 2002, the Virginia offices of the IIRO and MWL will be raided by US Customs agents (see March 20, 2002). [Harper's, 3/2004] In September 2003, it will be reported that US officials recently gave Saudi officials a detailed documenting the IIRO's terrorism links and asked the Saudis to close all of the organization's overseas offices. [New York Times, 9/26/2003] However, as of January 2006, it will be reported that it appears the overseas offices of the IIRO and MWL are still open and the US has not officially declared either group to be terrorist sponsors. The US will still be complaining to the Saudis about these two organizations and others, and the Saudis will still not do anything about them (see January 15, 2006).
Entity Tags: International Islamic Relief Organization, Bush administration (43), Saudi Arabia, Muslim World League
US Customs Agents carry out boxes of evidence from SAAR network businesses on March 20, 2002. [Source: Mike Theiler/ Getty Images]Scores of federal agents raid 14 entities in a cluster of more than 100 homes, charities, think tanks, and businesses in Herndon, Virginia, a town just outside of Washington with a large Muslim population. No arrests are made and no organizations are shut down, but over 500 boxes of files and computer files are confiscated, filling seven trucks. This group of interlocking entities is widely known as the SAAR network (it is also sometimes called the Safa Group). SAAR stands for Sulaiman Abdul Aziz al-Rajhi, a Saudi banker and billionaire who largely funded the group beginning in the early 1980s (see July 29, 1983). He is said to be close to the Saudi ruling family and is on the Golden Chain, a list of early al-Qaeda supporters (see 1988-1989). [New York Times, 3/21/2002; Farah, 2004, pp. 152; Wall Street Journal, 6/21/2004] The name and address of Salah al-Rajhi, Suleiman's brother, was discovered in 1998 in the telephone book of Wadih El-Hage (see September 15, 1998). El-Hage was bin Laden's personal secretary and was convicted of a role in the 1998 US embassy bombings. [New York Times, 3/25/2002] The raids are said to be primarily led by David Kane, a Customs agent working with a Customs investigation started just after 9/11 code-named Operation Greenquest. Many of the organizations are located at an office building at 555 Grove Street in Herndon. Kane writes in an affidavit for the raid that many organizations based there are "paper organizations" which "dissolve and are replaced by other organizations under the control of the same group of individuals." [New York Times, 3/21/2002; Wall Street Journal, 6/21/2004] Investigators appear to be primarily interested in the connections between the SAAR network and the Al Taqwa Bank, a Swiss bank closed after 9/11 on suspicions of funding al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups (see November 7, 2001). They are also interested in connections between both SAAR and Al Taqwa and the Muslim Brotherhood (see December 1982). According to author Douglas Farah, "US officials [later say] they had tracked about $20 million from [SAAR] entities flowing through Nada's Bank al Taqwa, but said the total could be much higher. The ties between Nada and [SAAR] leaders were many and long-standing, as were their ties to other [Muslim] Brotherhood leaders.… For a time, Suleiman Abdel Aziz al-Rajhi, the SAAR Foundation founder, worked for Nada" at Al Taqwa's Liechtenstein branch. [New York Times, 3/25/2002; Farah, 2004, pp. 154-155] Organizations and individuals targeted by the raid include: Yaqub Mirza. He is the director of virtually all of the organizations targeted in the raid. The Wall Street Journal claims, "US officials privately say Mr. Mirza and his associates also have connections to al-Qaeda and to other entities officially listed by the US as sponsors of terrorism." [Wall Street Journal, 4/18/2002; Wall Street Journal, 12/6/2002] The SAAR Foundation or the Safa Trust, an umbrella group for the SAAR network. The SAAR Foundation had recently disbanded and reformed as the Safa Trust. [New York Times, 3/21/2002; Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2002; Washington Post, 10/7/2002] Hisham Al-Talib, who served as an officer of the SAAR Foundation and Safa Trust, had previously been an officer of firms run by Youssef Nada. Nada is one of the main owners of the Al Taqwa Bank. [Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2002] Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., an Islamic chicken processor with operations in rural Georgia. [Wall Street Journal, 6/21/2004] Jamal Barzinji. An officer of Mar-Jac and other organizations targeted in the raid, he had previously been involved with Nada's companies. [Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2002] The International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). [New York Times, 3/21/2002] The Muslim World League. It is considered to be a parent organization for the IIRO. [New York Times, 3/21/2002] International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIRT). The IIRT had been under investigation since at least 1998. [New York Times, 3/21/2002] Tarik Hamdi, an employee at IIRT. His home is also raided. He carried a battery for a satellite phone to Afghanistan in early 1998, and the battery was used for Osama bin Laden's phone (see May 28, 1998). [New York Times, 3/21/2002] Abdurahman Alamoudi, a top Muslim lobbyist who formerly worked for one of the SAAR organizations. His nearby home is raided. The search yields a memo on large transactions involving Hamas, operations against the Israelis, and the notation "Met Mousa Abu Marzouk in Jordan." Marzouk is a Hamas leader believed to be involved in fundraising for Hamas in the US for many years (see July 5, 1995-May 1997). Alamoudi is alleged to be a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. [Wall Street Journal, 6/21/2004] Samir Salah, an Egyptian-born president of the Piedmont Trading Corporation, which is part of the SAAR network. He is also a former director and treasurer of the Al Taqwa Bank's important Bahamas branch. Additionally, he was a founder of a Bosnian charity reportedly connected to a plot to blow up the US embassy in Bosnia. [New York Times, 3/25/2002] Ibrahim Hassabella. He is a shareholder of the SAAR Foundation and also a former secretary of the Al Taqwa Bank. [New York Times, 3/25/2002] Investigators will later find that much of SAAR's money seemed to disappear into offshore bank accounts. For instance, in 1998, SAAR claimed to have moved $9 million to a charity based in the tax haven of the Isle of Man, but investigators will find no evidence the charity existed. One US official involved in the probe will say of SAAR, "Looking at their finances is like looking into a black hole." [Washington Post, 10/7/2002] In 2003, it will be reported that US investigators are looking into reports that the director of the SAAR foundation for most of the 1990s stayed in the same hotel as three of the 9/11 hijackers the night before the 9/11 attacks (see September 10, 2001). Some US investigators had looked into the SAAR network in the mid-1990s, but the FBI blocked the investigation's progress (see 1995-1998).
Entity Tags: Operation Greenquest, Muslim World League, Muslim Brotherhood, SAAR Foundation, Samir Salah, Sulaiman Abdul Aziz al-Rajhi, Mousa Abu Marzouk, US Customs Service, Tarik Hamdi, Jamal Barzinji, International Institute for Islamic Thought, International Islamic Relief Organization, Abdurahman Alamoudi, Al Taqwa Bank, Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., David Kane, Hisham Al-Talib, Hamas, Yacub Mirza, Ibrahim Hassabella
9/11 victims' relatives add nearly 50 defendants to their $1 trillion lawsuit against mostly Saudi citizens and organizations (see August 15, 2002). The suit alleges the defendants knowingly provided money and other aid to terrorists, which enabled the 9/11 attacks and other attacks to occur. There are now a total of 186 defendants named in the suit. [Wall Street Journal, 11/22/2002; Los Angeles Times, 11/23/2002] Newly-named defendants include: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef. The suit claims he was engaged in payoffs to al-Qaeda. Additionally, as interior minister he controls the activities of numerous Islamic charities said to help finance al-Qaeda. (His name will later be dismissed from the suit because of diplomatic immunity (see November 14, 2003-September 28, 2005).) [Wall Street Journal, 11/22/2002; Los Angeles Times, 11/23/2002] Minister of Defense and Aviation Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The suit claims he also was engaged in payoffs to al-Qaeda. (His name will later be dismissed from the suit because of diplomatic immunity (see November 14, 2003-September 28, 2005).) [Wall Street Journal, 11/22/2002] The Saudi American Bank, that nation's second largest financial institution. The suit alleges that this bank, partly owned and managed by Citibank, financed development projects in Sudan benefiting bin Laden in the early 1990s when he was living there. (This bank will later be dismissed from the suit (see November 14, 2003-September 28, 2005).) [Wall Street Journal, 11/22/2002] Bank Al Taqwa, for raising, managing, investing, and distributing funds for al-Qaeda. [Los Angeles Times, 11/23/2002] Mohamed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law. [Third Amended Complaint. Thomas E. Burnett, Sr., et al. v. Al Baraka Investment and Development Corporation, et al., 11/22/2002 ] Yassin al-Qadi. [Third Amended Complaint. Thomas E. Burnett, Sr., et al. v. Al Baraka Investment and Development Corporation, et al., 11/22/2002 ] Saleh Kamel and the Dallah al-Baraka Group. [Third Amended Complaint. Thomas E. Burnett, Sr., et al. v. Al Baraka Investment and Development Corporation, et al., 11/22/2002 ] Individual members of the bin Laden family, including Bakr bin Laden, Tarek bin Laden, Omar bin Laden, Abdullah Awad bin Laden, and Yeslam Binladin. The suit claims that in the early 1990s, Tarek bin Laden was the general supervisor of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), a Saudi charity suspected of terrorist ties (see October 12, 2001). [Third Amended Complaint. Thomas E. Burnett, Sr., et al. v. Al Baraka Investment and Development Corporation, et al., 11/22/2002 ]
Entity Tags: Saleh Abdullah Kamel, Saudi American Bank, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Yeslam Binladin, Yassin al-Qadi, Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Abdullah Awad bin Laden, Al Taqwa Bank, Al-Qaeda, Bakr Mohammed bin Laden, Dallah Al-Baraka, Omar bin Laden, Tarek bin Laden
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline
It had been widely reported that the Saudi government began to crack down seriously on al-Qaeda and other radical militants after a 2003 al-Qaeda attack in Saudi Arabia (see May 12, 2003). However, the Los Angeles Times reports that US officials now claim that is not true. While Saudis have been very aggressive and cooperative in cracking down on militants within Saudi Arabia since that attack, they have done little outside the country. Millions of dollars continue to flow from wealthy Saudis through charity fronts to al-Qaeda and other suspected groups, and the Saudi government is doing next to nothing about it. In 2004, the Saudis promised to set up a government commission to police such groups, but they have yet to do so. The Saudi government has also done little to rein in influential radical religious leaders who openly encourage their followers to attack US interests in Iraq and elsewhere in the world. US officials claim that at least five organizations, including the Muslim World League (MWL), the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WML), "are headquartered in Saudi Arabia but continue to engage in highly suspect activity overseas." A senior US counterterrorism official says that some known terrorist financiers continue to "operate and live comfortably in Saudi Arabia" despite US objections. [Los Angeles Times, 1/15/2006]
Entity Tags: Saudi Arabia, International Islamic Relief Organization, Muslim World League, World Assembly of Muslim Youth
The US and UN finally officially designates the Philippines and Indonesian branches of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) as a financier of terrorism. Abdul Al-Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil, executive director of the IRRO's far east division, is similarly designated as well. The IIRO is a major charity connected to the Saudi government that has long been suspected of financing Islamic militant groups (see January 1996). It was reported shortly after 9/11 that the US left the IIRO off a list of designated terrorism financiers so as to not embarrass the Saudi government (see October 12, 2001). The Philippine IIRO branch in particular has been publicly accused of funding al-Qaeda since the mid-1990s, due to the activities of Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law who headed that branch when he funded the Bojinka plot in the early 1990s (see 1987-1991). [Associated Press, 8/3/2006; Manila Times, 12/12/2006] A US Treasury Department press release says Al-Mujil has been nicknamed the "million dollar man" for his "long history of providing support to terrorist organizations." He is accused of funding the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines and Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia. He is said to have had relationships with bin Laden and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The press release also calls "a senior al-Qaeda member" and accuses the current director of the IIRO's Philippine branch, Abd al-Hadi Daguit, "a trusted associate of Khalifa." But curiously, Khalifa himself is still not officially listed, nor is Daguit. He will die in mysterious circumstances several months later. [Treasury Department, 8/3/2006]
Entity Tags: Abu Sayyaf, US Department of the Treasury, Osama bin Laden, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Al-Qaeda, International Islamic Relief Organization, Abd al-Hadi Daguit, Abdul Al-Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil, Jemaah Islamiyah
French investigative journalist Guillaume Dasquie writes an article for Le Monde detailing the extensive knowledge obtained by the French intelligence service Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE) about al-Qaeda between July 2000 and October 2001. The article is based on a series of DGSE reports leaked to Dasquie about al-Qaeda's funding (see July 24, 2000), aerial photographs of Osama bin Laden (see August 28, 2000), and al-Qaeda threats against the US (see Between September 2000 and August 2001), including aircraft piracy. [Le Monde (Paris), 4/15/2007; Le Monde (Paris), 7/4/2007]
Entity Tags: Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Guillaume Dasquie
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Contrary to what Attorney General Greg Abbott will tell you, Texans can't just drive around and ask private facilities what chemicals they have stored on site.
Last year, Greg Abbott received massive campaign contributions from the chemical industry shortly after the West, Texas explosion. The Koch Brothers and their associates have given Abbott $75,000, including $25,000 from their fertilizer division. Abbott has also taken $50,000 from Chevron, Dow Chemical, Lyondell and DuPont PACs and more from chemical company executives.
In May of this year, Greg Abbott issued a ruling blocking the release of chemical storage lists to the public. When asked about the ruling, Abbott said that Texans could "just drive around" and ask chemical storage facilities what they have on site.
Now, it turns out Abbott didn't even know he ruled to block public information until afterwards, telling the AP, "This is not a law or conclusion that I created."
Texans can't drive around and ask chemical plants what they have on site, just as terrorists can't. In fact, when a reporter tried to do exactly what Abbott suggested, he was turned away. One site even threatened to call Homeland Security!
Watch the video below the jump of a WFAA reporter asking chemical plants to disclose what they have on site.The so-called "Tier II reports" that list on-site chemicals are mandated by federal law and should be available to the public. Abbott blocked disclosure of such a list after a recent fire in a fertilizer storage facility in Athens, Texas. Abbott cited a state law prohibiting the release of chemical inventories for Homeland Security reasons.
From the video:
"You, as a community member of this state, can go to any chemical facility in the entire state of Texas and say, 'Identify for me all chemical you have on your facility,'" [Abbott] said. "And you are entitled to get that information."
And while state officials can't release Tier II lists, Abbott says the public can still go knock on chemical company doors and ask.
"Every single facility along the way, whether they are storing any kind of chemical whatsoever," he said.
Turns out that doesn't work. Watch as three companies reject the reporter's request. One even threatens to call Homeland Security!
"The AG says the public should just ask each business… is it that easy?"
Someone tell Greg Abbott: the answer is no.

subset: commoncrawl


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$("#navigation").navobile({ cta: "#show-navobile", changeDOM: true })-
Green Knights Win Double-Overtime Thriller Over Illinois College
From Sports Information Director, January 22, 2011 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, firstname.lastname@example.com, (920) 403-4077
DE PERE - St. Norbert College scored on all nine of its possessions in the second overtime as the Green Knights claimed a 91-82 double-overtime affair over Illinois College on Connie Tilley Court at Schuldes Sports Center. It was St. Norbert's seventh consecutive overtime win dating back over four seasons.
The result moved St. Norbert alone into first place in the Midwest Conference at 9-2. The Green Knights, ranked 15th in the D3hoops.com Top 25, moved to 13-3 overall. Illinois College fell to 10-5, 6-4.
St. Norbert almost didn't get a chance to grind out the win, as Illinois College had the last possession in regulation and the first overtime. Brandon Berry's 3-pointer missed at the end of regulation and Nathan Kohler's jumper at the end of the first overtime was short.
John Taylor's 3-pointer 37 seconds into the second overtime put the Green Knights ahead 76-73. The Green Knights got separation early, getting a jumper from Taylor in the lane and a hoop from Paul Mallers for an 80-73 lead with 3:30 left. Kohler made a pair of free throws but Andy Fox's jumper with 3:00 left put the Green Knights ahead 82-75 and they would never lead by less than that the rest of the game.
St. Norbert seemingly had the game in hand when it busted out to a 51-36 lead with 12:58 remaining in the second half following a Paul Appleton 3-pointer. Illinois College would charge back, going on a 15-1 run to cut it to 52-51 with 7:03 left on a Craig Bals 3-pointer. Taylor hit a 3-pointer for the Green Knights, but Illinois College would score the next five points for a 59-55 edge with 4:23 to go.
The Green Knights wouldn't get back to even until David Wipperfurth canned a 3-pointer with 1:57 left to tie it at 63-63. Neither team would score the rest of regulation.
Kohler put Illinois College ahead 73-71 on a 3-pointer with 1:37 left in the first overtime, but Chris Peterson calmly sank two free throws with 44 seconds left to tie the score. Berry's 3-pointer with 16 seconds left rebounded long and the Blueboys secured the rebound leading to Kohler's miss.
Taylor led St. Norbert with 21 points. Garrett Thorn added 13 points off the bench, with Wipperfurth adding 11 points and Peterson 10. The Green Knights, who shot 28-for-59 (47.5 percent) from the floor, held a 42-30 rebounding edge and were 25-for-30 (80 percent) at the charity stripe.
Isaac Grapperhaus led Illinois College with 21 points. Bals added 18, Tucker 13 and Dillon Binkley 11. The Blueboys shot 42.9 percent (27-for-63) from the floor and were 16-for-26 (61.5 percent) at the free-throw line.


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Daintree Wilderness Lodge Flora and Fauna
The lodge was created to ensure a harmony exists between us and the wildlife that naturally occur in the rainforest. By building the lodge on walkways and stilts, we can feel secure in being above the wildlife, while the wildlife feels secure that we are not going to encroach on their territory either.
The Daintree is home to some of the most unique and delightfully diverse wildlife, such as ornamental lizards, vulnerable frogs, massive pythons and brightly coloured butterflies. They are unique to the area and many will not be seen in any other parts of Australia or the world.
The rainforest is unique in that it doesn't require any assistance from humans to survive. Every leaf that falls from the trees offers nutrients to ground, which in turn brings new life forms. The rain and decomposing trees act as compost. Due to this, the roots of a variety of ferns and epiphytes can often be seen, exposed above the ground. The nutrition they are seeking is not in the soil but rather in the air, in the surface above the ground. Trees therefore form buttresses and roots above the ground.
The fruit found in the rainforest is unique to the area. Most of it is inedible for humans but it offers some great variety for the endemic wildlife found here. The cassowary acts as a great disperser of the fruit and is vital for ensuring the rainforest keeps germinating and growing.
The white tailed rat has a remarkable ability to bite through the often hard shells of fruit, including the coconut. They will often bury their food to save it for later and then forget where they had buried it – allowing for more germination.
The musky rat kangaroo is also fantastic at dispersing seeds and fruit in the same manner.
Birds work the ground and will often unknowingly disperse seeds, either through obvious consumption or, like the brush turkey, simply by shovelling items from one area to the next, aerating and dispersing them in the process.
The seemingly insignificant animals are often the most fascinating. The Mueller's stag beetle, will break down dead wood matter with its unique incisors, sharp as bayonets.
Fungi feed on the dead matter and offer an amazing array of colours and designs. Their enzymes can dissolve through even tough wood.
Mushrooms, moss and cup fungi can be spotted in the rainforest in the most unusual places.
Every insect, every flower, seed and form of life is here to be discovered.


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Campaign Includes a Real-Time Second Screen Experience Allowing Fans to Interact with the Roast Live Through Shareable Memes and GIFs Updated During the On-Air Premiere
Roseanne Barr and Roast Master Jane Lynch Along with Dais Talent Including Jeffrey Ross, Amy Schumer, Seth Green and Carrie Fisher to Live Tweet throughout the Event
"COMEDY CENTRAL Roast Of Roseanne" Airs on Sunday, August 12 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT
In an effort to interact with fans and generate excitement for the premiere of the "COMEDY CENTRAL Roast Of Roseanne," which airs on Sunday, August 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, COMEDY CENTRAL has launched an extensive digital and social media campaign which enables fans to interact with the Roast live through the network's Roast Dashboard, an exclusive second-screen optimized experience. The Roast Dashboard, available online and on mobile and tablet devices, will allow viewers to "Share The Burn" with their friends through interactive digital features synched with the telecast, including continuously updated memes, shareable GIFs and videos of show highlights, and make it easy to join or follow the Roast conversation on Twitter while the night unfolds on television.
As viewers watch the talent step up to roast Roseanne, fans will find some of the hottest jokes and funniest moments from the night pop up immediately into the Dashboard's "Share The Burn" section – a collection of shareable memes, exclusive videos and GIFS from the Roast – as they happen on-air. Other elements of the Roast Dashboard include a "Reaction Cam," which gives fans a view of Roseanne's reactions to the Roast burns in real time, and a Twitter Tracker where fans can follow the conversations throughout the premiere, see which Roasters are trending, as well as view top trending jokes and quotes from the night.
For all comedy news pick up a copy of COMIC BIBLE MAGAZINE
stand UP and read THIS™ the update blog for The Print Comic Bible™ Magazine - "everything comedy - everywhere"™ Pick up the magazine at a store near you or get the mobile edition. Check out www.thecomicbible.com. READ this blog for updates...


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With but one small change , to permit easier manufacture, it has continued to be the standard harpoon of the fishery. ... It is safe to say that the Temple toggle was the most important single invention in the whole history of whaling, since it resulted in the capture of a far greater proportion of the whales that were struck than had before been possible.Temple's design was never patented. Upon his death, the statue's plaque informs us, "after business debts were cleared, there was no legacy left for his family."
New Bedford Historical Society:
This monument is dedicated to Frederick Douglass and his wife Anna who escaped slavery by the underground railroad and made New Bedford their home for five years 1838-1843. Two of their children were born here, Rosetta (1839) and Lewis (1840). Dedicated on October 17, 1996, this monument commemorates the 100th anniversary of his death in 1895. Sponsored by the City of New Bedford and the New Bedford Chapter of the NAACP.
|Friends Meeting House
Each reader was assigned a specific passage. Dr. Robertson-Lorant distributed the texts — five or six pages printed in a comfortably large font, stapled together. All attendees were given a Dover edition of Douglass's work, to follow along. A generous spread of food and drink was available in the adjoining hall.
|Marlena Johnson
|Rep. Barney Frank
|Mayor Jon Mitchell
|Rep. Wm. Keating
Ms. Johnson opened the event with a superb rendition of "Lift Every Voice." There followed a presentation to U.S. Representative Barney Frank, and a few introductions and announcements. Dr. Mary Louise Francis, Superintendent of Schools, was warmly applauded for her declaration that the Douglass autobiography will be "mandatory reading for New Bedford public schools."
Then we were off. Mr. Frank read first, followed by New Bedford mayor Jonathan Mitchell, and U.S. Representative William Keating.
A few familiar faces from MDM16 were among the readers -- Jen Nersesian (in her Nat'l Historical Park uniform), Scott Lang, Jim Lopes, and Michael Dyer.
Most impressive were the youngest readers, from local grammar and middle schools. I'd say that the future is in good hands.
Scanning the audience, I was reminded of the ethnically diverse New Bedford of Chapter 6 in M-D. We were a mix of cultures, of backgrounds, of ages; husbands and wives, parents and children. While the text described extreme cruelties, we pondered it together, and together marveled at one man's strength and intelligence. Was I the only one who felt a tacit, mutual pledge to look for the best in each other?


text:
by Laura
(Edinburgh, Scotland)
Hi Amelia,
My cycles range from 23 to 25 days and bbt and opk's show me to usually ovulate on CD 14, therefore leaving a short luteal phase. Although I was told that all my results were normal and that I am ovulating, I notice that my estradiol results are higher than the top value of the range on the results sheet. Could this explain my short LP?
I am taking Vitex and Vit B complex as well as reflexology but nothing seems to help. I sometimes have 2/3 days spotting too. Do you have any advice? I have booked to see a TCM practitioner next week.
Comments for Estrogen Dominance and Short Luteal Phase
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Torah for Today: What does the torah say about …Global Peace Day
By Rabbi Jonny Roodyn
The notion that there should be one day every year where countries across each continent, individual groups, even terrorist organisations put down their weapons, step back from their troubles and adopt a day of global ceasefire and non-violence sounds like a fantasy.
Yet the day exists and it is growing in reputation and popularity. Since 21 September 2001, the UN unanimously adopted the first ever international day of Peace.
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Since its inception, millions of people have been active on Peace Day in every country of the world, and hundreds of organisations have carried out life-saving activities in areas of conflict.
In Afghanistan alone, Peace Day agreements have resulted in the immunisation against polio of 4.5 million children in areas hitherto unreachable or hard to reach owing to conflict since 2007.
On Peace Day 2010, more than 50,000 children and women of child-bearing age, across 23 high-risk locations of greater Kabul, were vaccinated against deadly diseases, including polio, meningitis, diphtheria and tetanus.
Throughout the world, Peace One Day instigated 88 life-saving and humanitarian activities by 28 organisations in 31 countries.
No one can argue that Peace One Day is anything but a fantastic idea, and peace as an idea is an age-old value and one which the Jews have long strived toward.
We conclude our prayers and our benching with oseh shalom bimromav – God should make peace speedily. The six orders of the Mishna conclude with the statement that God could find no greater vessel for blessing other than peace. We hope, dream and pray for peace for all of humanity.
However, as recent weekly Torah portions make clear, while 'her ways are ways of pleasantness and all of her paths are peace', Judaism is not a religion of pacifism.
The Torah understands that sometimes we have to fight for peace, but only as a last resort.
Time and time again, we are told that the hands of war are the legacy of Esau whereas the voice of prayer belongs to Jacob. As King David says in Psalms: 'I am peace, but as I speak, they are for war.'
War is a necessary evil to be conducted only when all other options have failed.
World Peace Day is a wonderful initiative to convince warring parties to lay down their arms even if only for a short while, so that assistance can be given to those who need it most.
The visionaries behind this idea are true heroes. We hope and pray for the day when there will be no need for a Peace Day because, in the words of the prophet Isaiah: 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore'.
May we merit this speedily in our days.
• Rabbi Roodyn is an educator with Aish UK
By Brigit Grant
By Jewish News
By Judy Elkus
By Judy Elkus


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For those currently using or considering using organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, as described by Stoppini, et. al. (1991): http://www-hbp.usc.edu:8376/~gellerma/cultures.html Constructive criticism and comments are welcomed. It is basically a brief overview of uses, materials, and methods our lab has found to work well. -- Neurobiology Program University of Southern California (213) 740-9189 gellerma at hbpmb.usc.edu


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Performance One Golf
At Performance One, we tie the physical strengths and weaknesses of each golfer to the Kinematics (movement patterns) and requirements of golf. In the past, most instructors believed that there were three components to address for building the ultimate golfer: Instruction in skill; mental to deal with how to handle all the mental stressors that are placed on all great players; and equipment, making sure the golfer is fit properly and has the appropriate set made up. Since Tiger Woods hit the scene in the late 1990′s, that old triangle was replaced by the new hexagon of performance.
Instruction was broken down into three distinct categories: Basic instruction; shot making skills; and course management. The mental and equipment sections are still the same. The big addition was the physical conditioning category. This includes all aspects that can affect performance. Our approach, which emphasizes the identification of physical limitations and the interventions used to correct them, is the key to improving each client's golf game and continued participation at the highest level. Today's comprehensive golf fitness evaluation includes: History taking; basic technique evaluation, equipment evaluation; physical conditioning evaluation; interpretation of gathered data; prioritization of the data; development of a treatment plan; report of the findings; prescription of exercise/fitness program. The evaluations we perform and the exercise programs we develop are those utilized by PGA Tour Players through the Titleist Performance Institute.
The Perfect Analysis Of A Golf Swing
The 3-D motion analysis software allows an in depth analysis of a golf swing. It records, measures and analyzes all bio-mechanical aspects of the golf swing in real-time with six-degrees-of-freedom. It also yields a description of the human energy transfer from the body to the club and ultimately to the ball. It's built in expertise discloses the slightest negative variance and gives immediate feedback as the swing is executed. The real-time feedback enables rapid behavior change, quickly advancing the student's performance and learning.
The AMM-3D Golf analysis is used as a rehabilitation and training tool enhancing performance. The AMM-3D software identifies the physical limitations associated with golf or other injuries while optimizing the swing. The instructor or practitioner can then devise the best training protocol to continue the optimization process. All relevant bio-mechanical parameters are displayed in dynamic three-dimensional images that can be viewed as a virtual image from any position in space. The data is also presented in tabular and graphical formats.
The kinematic sequence refers to the specific order of muscle activation during the golf swing. Performance One utilizes an advanced 3 dimensional motion analysis system and software developed by the Titelist Performance Institute to assess your swing. Knowledge of the kinematic sequence and improvements in your fitness can lead to improved performance and reduction of injury. Performance One incorporates the study of Kinematics with a thorough 29 point functional movement screen. The screening identifies underlying physical limitations that can prevent the golfer from maximizing his or her golf performance potential. In order to complete our approach to golf improvement, Performance One will work with your teaching professional.
Performance One is the only facility in the Nashville area that utilizes the 3-D motion analysis technology. Using the latest state-of-the-art technology Performance One can help improve your game.
With 6 degrees of freedom the K-VEST allows for 3 dimensional swing analysis in the same fashion that the 3D-AMM does, as well as options for training both on and off the range.
K-TRAINER from the makers of K-Vest is the most intuitive and innovative motion-training system available. With K-TRAINER, a 2-sensor visual and auditory biofeedback system, golf, fitness and medical professionals can quickly and easily re-educate motor patterns to improve performance. Customizable exercises, real-time biofeedback, and automated rep counters guide each client through a personalized training program that make K-TRAINER the preeminent system for movement re-education. This system dramatically improves trainer/client communication ensuring quality of motion while promoting total body awareness.
TrackMan Pro measures the full trajectory of any shot, from 6-foot pitches to 400-yard drives, pinpointing the landing position with an accuracy of 1 foot at 100 yards. Delivering state-of-the-art data without using any modeling, TrackMan Pro displays the shot's actual 3D trajectory together with 26 impact and ball flight data in real time. Trackman analysis can be performed both indoors and on the range.
OptiShot Golf designers and engineers are leaders in the world of golf analytics. Through continuous research and development, the award-winning OptiShot2 Golf Simulator has a swing and ball-shot accuracy that is just like playing real golf. OptiShot2 has sixteen precisely-tuned, high-speed 48MHz infrared sensors. Each is calibrated to track your favorite clubs, before, during and after contact, giving you precise and instantaneous feedback on every shot. Over and over, it's cutting-edge software and breakthrough design records, tracks and improves your swing until you throw darts. Incorporating the Optishot simulator with any golf evaluation or training session allows for a more realistic environment to assess and improve your golf game.
The putter… the most used club in the bag but the most overlooked part of the average golfer's practice. Golfers around the world are using the technology available in today's market to help analyze and improve their golf swing. Technology has transformed golf tuition and club fitting, offering golfers three dimensional frame by frame swing analysis, high-speed video and precise spin rates and launch angles that apply to the golf ball after impact. However, when it comes to putting, rather than analyzing what our putting stroke and the ball are doing in detail, we simply opt to buy another putter with little more than hope (as well as what it looks like, brand name, etc.) as to whether it will truly improve our putting performance. How the putter and golf ball interact is crucial for success on the greens.
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Swingguru Pro utilizes the latest technology to provide a wireless and markerless 3D analysis of the golf swing. Combining real time video and 3D analysis with intuitive biofeedback allows each client to quickly understand and address every aspect of their swing in an instant.


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MORE than 1,000 supporters of Jakarta's outgoing governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama rallied outside the prison in which he was being kept on Tuesday night, after he was convicted of two years' imprisonment for blasphemy against Islam.
His supporters – known as "Ahokkers" – turned out in force at the Cipinang detention centre in East Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon and stayed into the night to demand his release.
Activist Tunggal Pawestri declared that, "Tonight we're in front of the Cipinang prison. We lit candles in the hope that our friends from minority groups don't feel alone. We are here and speaking out."
The symbolism is potent: iconic Indonesian novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer was held in Cipinang during the 1960s for criticising President Sukarno's anti-Chinese policies.
SEE ALSO: Group demands repeal of Indonesia's blasphemy laws after Ahok verdict
Thousands of flower boards had previously been sent to city hall in support of Ahok when he lost the April 19 gubernatorial runoff election after a sectarian campaign in which hardline Islamic groups staged mass demonstrations against the Christian governor.
Governor-elect Anies Baswedan, the Muslim who defeated Ahok and attracted criticism for courting the vote of religious ultraconservatives, stated that "we should respect the court's decision, that's all," reported Tempo.
"I will focus on serving the citizens of Jakarta and to empower them," he added.
Mood of many in Jakarta #bebaskanlahahok. No justice, no peace. pic.twitter.com/u7A1gYEISs
— StephanieTangkilisan (@stephtangk) May 9, 2017
Cipinang malam ini. #FreeAhok pic.twitter.com/EYZ0AN9IW2
— Joko Anwar (@jokoanwar) May 9, 2017
SEE ALSO: Watchdog warns of 'frightening' future for Indonesia after Ahok case
Police have reportedly moved Ahok to a detention centre outside of Jakarta usually used to house terrorism suspects, stating that "other detainees [at Cipinang] were bothered by the noise."
On Wednesday morning, however, the Ahokkers turned up again. This time, a large crowd converged on the city hall where Ahok's deputy and now-governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat led them in singing the national anthem.
Massa pendukung @basuki_btp berkumpul di Balai Kota pagi ini. #CNNIDGoodMorning pic.twitter.com/M5Fp6RvKCe
— CNN Indonesia Daily (@CNNIDdaily) May 10, 2017
It was not only Ahok's supporters shocked by Tuesday's verdict, with Jakarta Stock Exchange dropping by 0.19 percent in response to the news.
Financial analyst Reza Priyambada told The Jakarta Globe that, "Ahok is already perceived as a clean and reformist politician. Markets see this court sentence as a setback in Indonesia's legal system, which could affect foreign investors' perception about the continuation of reform in the country."
The United Nations human rights agency in Bangkok said it was "concerned" by the court's ruling, calling on Indonesia to review its 1965 blasphemy law.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo – who is a political ally of Ahok and his former boss – said Indonesia's government would not try to exert influence over the case.
"In a democratic country … the government cannot intervene in the legal process we have," said Jokowi.
The UK Ambassador in Jakarta Moazzam Malik tweeted on Wednesday that he knows and admires Ahok, is praying for the governor's wife and children, and that "leaders must step up to protect tolerance and harmony."
I know Ahok. Admire his wk for Jkt. Believe he isn't antiMuslim. Praying for BuVero&kids. Leaders must step up to protect tolerance&harmony. https://t.co/JcxsteEfB4
— Moazzam Malik (@MoazzamTMalik) May 10, 2017
Ahok's legal team will appeal the court's decision. Djarot, who was reluctantly sworn in as governor on Tuesday after the conviction, has said he will file a motion with Jakarta's High Court to release Ahok until his appeal is heard.
Djarot Asks High Court to Release Ahok Until Appeal Is Heard
Full story: https://t.co/5t4TEObojw pic.twitter.com/tA0fxIOc37
— The Jakarta Globe (@thejakartaglobe) May 9, 2017
SEE ALSO: Disbelief, anger and grief in response to Ahok conviction
Meanwhile, the hashtag #RIPHukum or "RIP to the law" went viral online and thousands of netizens have changed their profile pictures to a black square. Some even drew parallels with South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.
This is called the justice of Indonesia? When can't do anything in front of some "radical group". #RIPHukum
— ZLFY (@zulfiyatunnisya) May 9, 2017
"In my country we go to prison first and then become President'#Ahok #riphukum #RipJustice #RIPJUSTICEINDONESIA pic.twitter.com/tjWH82XuhY
— Jamulia Dahrin Anone (@Jamulia_Anone) May 9, 2017
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/2851gfIugI
— Andy Budiman (@andy_bud) May 9, 2017
"The funeral for Indonesia," tweeted prominent filmmaker Joko Anwar.
Duka untuk Indonesia pic.twitter.com/JBvQeKgrmv
— Joko Anwar (@jokoanwar) May 9, 2017
Islamic legal scholar at Monash University Nadirsyah Hosen encouraged people to change their profile picture to an image of Ahok in a show of support.
Ganti ava selama 3 hari ke depan 🌹 #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/Orl59maybx
— Nadirsyah Hosen (@na_dirs) May 10, 2017
"Someday, when I have kids, I'll never be able to tell them "study hard so you can become president." Do you understand why?" wrote one netizen from a minority ethnic background.


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How to plant for Spring Flowering
Plant Spring Flower Bulbs between mid September and December. Plant your bulbs in time and according to the weather (your local area). Flower Bulbs must have roots before the frost freezes the ground. The rooting takes up about 3 - 4 weeks depending on soil temperature. In frost prone zones give always mulch on top of the planting area after planting to help protect. For example you can use old leaves, fix the leaves with some earth on top or use peat moss.
Plant Flower bulbs (rule of Thumb) 3 x the bulb height deep use this guide line is a minimal planting depth.
In warmer areas where the temperature in winter does not go below 10 degrees Celsius store your bulbs in the fridge's vegetable compartment for up to 9 weeks.
Flower Bulbs need a cold spell in order to build the flower and activate the growing cycle. So in warmer climates (USA) you need to fool nature a bit. Applying a moist mulch on top is fine, as it will keep the planting location moist and cool.
How to plant for Summer Flowering
Summer flower bulbs are best planted between late April and end of May, when the Soil has warmed up after winter. Individual Varieties flower at different times so you can enjoy color in your garden all season long. First of all make a plan of what you would like and where, take into account the different bloom times of each variety to make sure that you will have many different flowers blooming in your garden at the same time all summer long.
Most summer bulbs like to be planted in a location where they will receive at least 4 hours of sunlight, see details on packaging for the correct information per variety. Plant them in well drained Soil, if your Soil has poor drainage you can improve drainage by mixing in some builders sand or grit, by planting the bulbs on a slope or by making a raised bed. Adding well rotted organic matter will also help improve drainage.
Plant them at three times the bulbs height deep and two or three times their width apart, cover the planting area with some compost. Plant tall bulbs at the back of the border and smaller ones at the front.
Summer bulbs are not winter hardy so they must be lifted after the first autumn/winter frosts and stored in a cool, dry, dark frost free place until the following spring.
Planters and containers
Plant Narcissi - Daffodils - Hyacinths - Tulips in planters with a minimum of 7 " wide, plant them halfway down the planter in normal potting compost mixed with 1/3 of sand for drainage, fill up with the mixture and press down firmly and water the planter. Place the planter outside in a box, lay a thick layer of old newspapers at the bottom, place the planters on top and fill the box with peat, take care that a thick layer of peat rest on top of the planters and check moisture regularly.
For indoor flowering take the planters indoor when the bud of the flower (a thick section in the new sprout is visible) and well above the neck of the bulb. Bring the planters into full daylight and force them into flowering at room temperature, spray regularly with luke warm water.
Use peat to fill the box with the planters, it' makes it so much easier to check on the growth of the bulbs.