Homeland Security News

A Tucson man accused of plotting a terrorist attack on a motor vehicle office in metro Phoenix has agreed to a plea deal and is facing at least seven years in an Arizona prison, authorities said Monday.  Mahin Khan pleaded guilty to terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism and conspiracy to commit misconduct involving weapons, Maricopa County Superior Court officials said.  Khan, 18, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 4.

Under a plea deal with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Khan reportedly will serve a prison term of no less than five years and no more than 10 years and three months on the conspiracy to commit terrorism charge.

Read more: Fox News

Police in Thailand increased security at major landmarks in Bangkok, at airports and in surrounding provinces following reports of bomb plots just weeks after deadly attacks rocked the country’s south.  An armed group was plotting car bomb attacks in a province near Bangkok, Thailand’s national security head said on Tuesday.

Thailand, a popular tourist destination, has seen a series of bomb attacks in the country’s south over the past few weeks, including a wave of bombs in tourist towns on 11-12 August that killed four Thai people and injured dozens including foreigners.  Police have linked the attacks to Muslim separatists operating in Thailand’s far south.

Read more: The Guardian

The Iraqi army on Tuesday recaptured Hit Island in the western Anbar province from the ISIL extremist group, according to military sources.  In mid-2014, ISIL captured Mosul -- Iraq’s second largest city -- along with vast swathes of territory in the country’s northern and western regions, including much of Anbar.

Recent months have seen the army -- backed by a 60-nation coalition led by the U.S. and local allies on the ground -- retake much territory. Nevertheless, the extremist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.

Read more: World Bulletin

Libyan pro-government forces are advancing into the last area controlled by Islamic State in the coastal city of Sirte, surrounding the militants after a five-month campaign backed by U.S. air strikes, military officials say.

At least eight pro-government fighters were killed over the weekend as their forces pushed into the 600 block, an area in central Sirte, with snipers and boobytraps posing the main obstacles to their advance, the officials said.

A Reuters reporter on the ground said forces advanced across two streets on Sunday, but were facing resistance and discovering explosive devices in many buildings.

Islamic State took over Sirte a year ago, exploiting the chaos and violence that have dogged Libya since the overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in order to carve out a new base, far from its main territory in Iraq and Syria.

Losing the city would be a major blow to the group, but officials believe some of its fighters and commanders escaped before Sirte was surrounded, and may continue to wage guerrilla-style attacks even after it falls.

The advance is being led by the Bonyan Marsous forces, mainly fighters from the city of Misrata, who are supporting a United Nations-backed unity government in Tripoli that is trying to bring together rival factions.

Read more:  Reuters

Turkey's state-run news agency says a local official from the ruling party has been killed in an attack in a mainly Kurdish town in southeast Turkey.

Anadolu Agency said Tuesday authorities believe the attack against Deryan Aktert, the ruling party's top official in the town of Dicle, was the work of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. There was no immediate responsibility claim.

It says assailants opened fire at a gas station owned by Aktert, killing him instantly. It was unclear whether anyone else was hurt in the attack.  Fighting between the PKK and the state security forces resumed last year after the collapse of a fragile 2 ?-year cease-fire. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu.

News source: ABC News