No real surprise here -- according to a report from a terrorism research institute at the University of Maryland, the District came in fifth on a list of terrorism "hot spots" across the country, having been targeted 79 times from 1970 to 2008. more ›

This afternoon, a man arrested in connection with a plot that planned bombings against two Washington embassies and targeted the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States pleaded not guilty to various charges. more ›

This afternoon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency announced that they had disrupted a "major terrorist plot" which included plans to attack targets in Washington. more ›

When the ground started shaking on August 23, many people in and around the District assumed that their biggest fears had been realized -- a terrorist had struck again. Beyond surprising many, the 5.9 magnitude earthquake also exposed the longstanding post-9/11 nervousness that comes with living in one of the places that the terrorist struck on that day. Call it the 9/11 psyche -- it's not if we're going to be attacked again, but rather when. more ›

Despite the resplendent weather, today may be one of those days to hole up indoors, shut the windows and wait until Monday morning rolls around. On top of the many events taking place around town this weekend, closing many roadways around the city -- not forgetting Metro closures as well -- a 60 percent spike in suspicious activity reports this weekend could cause more problems. In an announcement made today, police chief Cathy Lanier noted an increase of 60 percent in incoming reports related to the recent elevated terror threat. more ›

Although you can expect to experience a heightened security presence inside Metrorail stations this weekend, the system is not a target of the "specific, credible" threat which federal officials briefed local leaders about last night. more ›

UPDATE: (10:50 p.m.): Mayor Gray held a press conference around 10:30 p.m. this evening, stating that he had been briefed on "credible but unconfirmed threats" by Department of Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano. more ›

If George Orwell and Steve Jobs joined forces, they likely would have come up iWatch, the new anti-terrorism initiative rolled out this week by the Metropolitan Police Department. more ›

"Sacrificing civil liberties OK to fight terrorism say some Americans," reads the headline of this Associated Press report on a recent poll conducted nationwide by the news organization and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Some -- but not most. more ›

Was the traffic chaos that developed during January's big snowstorm a sign that the Washington region is ill-prepared to keep its citizens informed in the event of a terrorist attack? Maybe! At least, that was the conclusion reached by several local leaders yesterday during a Department of Homeland Security briefing. more ›

Does the WMATA board of directors agree with Metro General Manager/CEO Richard Sarles' assertion that bag searches inside Metrorail stations "make it unpredictable" for terrorists interested in attacking the system? Maybe we'll find out tomorrow. The Customer Service and Operations Committee of the WMATA board of directors will discuss the controversial searches tomorrow, the first such official board dialogue on the procedure. more ›

Awais Younis, a 26-year-old from Arlington, is currently sitting in custody after being indicted in December for allegedly plotting to blow up Metro trains. If you'll recall, Younis was taken into custody after a Facebook friend he had told about the plans tipped off the FBI. But according to Younis' lawyer, he's just a kid who was venting a little bit on the social networking site. more ›

Gulet Mohamed, a 19-year-old from Alexandria who was placed on a no-fly list and detained in Kuwait for nearly a month, returned to United States soil at Dulles International Airport this morning. Mohamed, who had been traveling through Yemen and Somalia, was locked up after attempting to renew his visa at an airport in Kuwait. He then claims he was beaten during questioning by federal authorities. more ›

The Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition uncovered a interesting admission from the meeting Metro Transit Police had on January 5 with Metro's Riders' Advisory Council about WMATA's random bag searches -- that those who refuse such search will "be observed...be watched." more ›

Since the day Metro announced that it would start randomly searching bags throughout the 86-station and 12,000-bus stop system late last year, the transit agency has received plenty of criticism -- including from the Metro Riders' Advisory Council this week -- that the measure would amount to little more than security theater. more ›

Yesterday, news broke that Metro would start conducting random bag searches in hopes of sniffing out and preventing any terrorist attacks against the transit system. Then Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn showed us precisely how agents would be going through your stuff. This morning, the Washington Post flushed out more logistics regarding the searches in a front-page article. The Post reports that police at select stations will aim to search every third passenger, using explosives-screening equipment and bomb-sniffing dogs to detect any potential threats. more ›

Here's Sundullah Ghilzai's Facebook profile. Now, I'm not friends with Mr. Ghilzai, so I wasn't privy to checking out some of the stuff he expressed an interest in on the social networking service until this afternoon. Like hiking. Or that Sundullah Ghilzai was only one of his names, that he had an affinity for AK-47s and that he (allegedly) planned to blow up Metro trains. more ›

Carlos

The life of Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal is just too big to fit into one film. That was the conclusion reached by director Olivier Assayas upon researching what would become a five-and-a-half hour epic about the man, which was first shown as a miniseries in Europe before showing as one massive film at Cannes earlier this spring. For the convenience of those with more modest attention spans, there is a more streamlined two-and-a-half-hour version of the film. But for the truly ambitious, the mammoth full cut is on a roadshow tour that hits the AFI this week. more ›

Farooque Ahmed, the man who was arrested on terrorism charges as part of a federal sting operation in October, has pled not guilty, CNN reports. Ahmed was arraigned in an Alexandria district court this morning on charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility and attempting to provide material support "to help carry out multiple bombings to cause mass casualties" on Metro. Ahmed reportedly said nothing other than "yes, sir" when asked to confirm his signature on a document. Ahmed's jury trial has been scheduled to begin on April 11, 2011. more ›

Oh, goody. WTOP's Adam Tuss got the chance to chat with Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn today. Taborn told Tuss that, in light of the arrest of Farooque Ahmed on terrorism-related charges yesterday, MTP "will definitely look at" conducting random bag checks inside Metrorail stations. more ›

Some breaking news from the Washington Post this afternoon: federal authorities have arrested a Ashburn, Virginia man on charges that he independently conceived and carried out a video surveillance operation on the Metro under the belief that he would be handing over the footage to al-Qaeda operatives. In fact, the feds had commissioned Farooque Ahmed to provide the information as part of an undercover sting operation. more ›

If there's one thing 'Law and Order' has taught everyone is that when the fuzz have you: clam up and don't say a word. We're pretty sure police departments, and PR folks alike, follow the same rule when confronted with the probing questions of a reporter. But for some, a 'no comment' answer from D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier is more than enough suspicion to raise the alarm. more ›

Terrorists are in our midst. Eco-terrorists. (Cue the scary music.) more ›

The AP reports that a Continental Express flight heading from Houston to Dulles earlier today was diverted to North Carolina after "a threatening message was written on a bathroom mirror." The plane ended up landing at Piedmont Triad International Airport near Greensboro without incident, and all passengers safely exited the plane. No word on what the message said, but a local CBS news affiliate reported that authorities described it as "a bomb threat." more ›

Metro Transit Police say they will conduct random station and rail yard sweeps throughout the day Monday as part of heightened security protocols established after this morning's terrorist attacks in Moscow. more ›

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban threatened today to carry out a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. At the same time, Baitullah Mehsud claimed credit for an attack on a police academy in Pakistan. more ›

A memorial service for the victims of last week's terror attacks in Mumbai will be held this afternoon on the American University campus. The event, hosted by three Washington based Jewish organizations along with AU's South Asian Student Association and School of International Service, invites the public to "join the Indian and Jewish communities in expressing solidarity with the people of India." The memorial service is scheduled to run from 4:45-5:45 at the school's Mary Graydon Center. more ›

As if travel and transit weren't already bad enough this Thanksgiving weekend, federal authorities are warning of a potential terrorist plot on the New York City subway system during this holiday season. And while the FBI may be calling the threat "plausible but unsubstantiated," WTOP is reporting that D.C.'s Metro system is responding by placing itself on alert as well. A Metro spokesperson told WTOP that they have "no reason to believe that the D.C. system is a target," but Metro Transit Police officers are now being put on a state of "increased vigilance and visibility," meaning you may notice more transit police in Metro stations and at bus stops. more ›