U.S.S. Cole bombing mastermind set free

This is unbelievable:

Yemen has set free one of the al-Qaida masterminds of the USS Cole bombing in 2000 that killed 17 American sailors, a senior security official said Thursday.

Jamal al-Badawi, who is wanted by the FBI, was convicted in 2004 of plotting, preparing and helping carry out the USS Cole bombing and received a death sentence that was commuted to 15 years in prison.

He and 22 others, mostly al-Qaida fighters, escaped from prison in 2004. But al-Badawi was granted his freedom after turning himself in 15 days ago and pledging loyalty to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The official said police were told by the government to "stop all previous orders concerning measures adopted against al-Badawi."

Witnesses told The Associated Press that al-Badawi was receiving well-wishers at his home in the al-Buraika district in Aden.

Why we didn't tell Yemen that we want him, and they better hand him over or they're gonna pay big time is beyond me.

After all, didn't President Bush say that anyone who gives aid and comfort to terrorists is an enemy of ours in the War on Terror? Or perhaps that was just an empty threat.

Regardless, the fact that this murderer and Al Qaeda terrorist is free again is troubling, to say the very least.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin

This is why we're fighting

From Fox News:

An American member of Al Qaeda warned President Bush on Tuesday to end U.S. involvement in all Muslim lands or face an attack worse than the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a new videotape.

"Your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget all about the horrors of September 11th, Afghanistan and Iraq and Virginia Tech," he said in the seven-minute video.

Gadahn, who appeared in an Al Qaeda video last September in which he called on Americans to convert to Islam, demanded that Bush remove all U.S. military and spies from Islamic countries, free all Muslims from U.S. prisons and end support for Israel. He said a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq alone would not satisfy Al Qaeda.

Ben Venzke at IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor that monitors Al Qaeda messages, said the group likely did not believe any of its demands would be met.

"It essentially allows Al Qaeda to say that it has provided fair warning and is thus no longer responsible for the outcome," Venzke said in a statement.

But... but... but Islam is a religion of peace! And... and... its really the United States who are the terrorists! And Al Qaeda was never in Iraq to begin with! It's our own fault anyways, for murdering 650,000 "innocent civilians", eh, Rosie?

Every now and then something like this pops up. Let it be a reminder to all: this is why we're fighting. Al-Qaeda will never rest, and neither can we.