[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \u003Cp\u003EArab media conducted little original reporting of the attempted Times Square bombing, which was carried out by Faisal Shahzad in May 2010. Many reports attributed their information to U.S. media outlets like The \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times \u003C\/em\u003Eand The \u003Cem\u003EWashington Post\u003C\/em\u003E, occasionally reprinting entire articles. \u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJames Baron and Sabrina Tavernise, \u201cFaisal Shahzad Taghayara khilal a\u2019m.. wa Sara Akthar Intiwa\u2019 wa Ashad Tadinan,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, May 7, 2010, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/classic.aawsat.com\/details.asp?section=4\u0026amp;article=568520\u0026amp;issueno=11483#.U6oFOLFCyqk\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/classic.aawsat.com\/details.asp?section=4\u0026amp;article=568520\u0026amp;issueno=11483#.U6oFOLFCyqk\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003EThe initial focus was also on Shahzad\u2019s connections to the Pakistani Taliban, which first claimed responsibility for the attack and then retracted its claim. Articles from the Arab press only began mentioning Shahzad\u2019s connection to Anwar al-Awlaki after several days of reporting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe day after \u003Cem\u003EAsharq al-Awsat\u003C\/em\u003E reported on the bomber\u2019s link to Awlaki, Yemen\u2019s \u003Cem\u003EMareb Press\u003C\/em\u003E carried reporting entirely from \u003Cem\u003EThe New York Times\u003C\/em\u003E that also discussed how Awlaki may have impacted Shahzad. The article noted that it was \u201cunknown whether Shahzad had met al-Awlaki in Yemen, or was one of [Awlaki\u2019s] followers who communicate with him\u201d through his website. The article then cited that the U.S. military believed it was \u201cnot surprising\u201d that Shahzad was influenced by Awlaki because of the cleric\u2019s ability to communicate to jihadists in English. \u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cAl-Mushtabih fi Qadiya Maidan Times Shahzad Istalhama Afkara mi Al-Awlaki,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EMareb Press\u003C\/em\u003E, May 9, 2010, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/marebpress.net\/news_details.php?lng=arabic\u0026amp;sid=24701\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/marebpress.net\/news_details.php?lng=arabic\u0026amp;sid=24701\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMainstream Arab media outlets also provided far less detail than their Western counterparts concerning the intercepted communications between Ayman al-Zawahri, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, and other al-Qaeda leaders. The incident, which led the U.S. to temporarily close 19 embassies and consulates in August 2013, was heavily reported by U.S. outlets. However, most reports in the Arab media were taken straight from Agence France-Presse (AFP) or Reuters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, one of the first stories that \u003Cem\u003EAl Arabiya \u003C\/em\u003Eran with any substance on the subject was copied from AFP, briefly mentioning that \u201cintercepts involved some kind of group communication between al-Qaeda supremo Ayman al-Zawahri, and AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi.\u201d The rest of the article focused on claims that al-Qaeda\u2019s \u201ccenter of gravity is shifting away from its historic base in Pakistan.\u201d The article quoted Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who highlighted al-Wahishi\u2019s promotion to al-Qaeda\u2019s second in command as an indication that the organization\u2019s \u201ccore is expanding.\u201d According to Gartenstein-Ross, \u201cWhen we talk about al-Qaeda core there\u2019s no reason it can only exist in Afghanistan-Pakistan\u2014[al-Wahishi] being made the general manager, that very clearly makes him part of the core.\u201d \u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cAl-Qaeda\u2019s Center of Gravity \u2018Shifting\u2019 from Pakistan to Yemen,\u201d Agence France-Presse, August 14, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/perspective\/analysis\/2013\/08\/14\/Al-Qaeda-s-center-of-gravity-shifting-from-Pakistan-to-Yemen.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/perspective\/analysis\/2013\/08\/14\/Al-Qaeda-s-center-of-gravity-shifting-from-Pakistan-to-Yemen.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen details about the nature of the intercepted communications actually emerged in late August, Al Jazeera sourced its story from Reuters, AFP, and the Associated Press. That story claimed Yemen\u2019s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi \u201crevealed\u201d that the U.S. embassies closed because of a conversation in which al-Wahishi told al-Zawahri, \u201c[Y]ou will hear something [that will] change the face of history,\u201d an apparent reference to forthcoming attacks. According to Al Jazeera\u003Cem\u003E,\u003C\/em\u003E al-Wahishi made those comments while holding a meeting with 20 al-Qaeda leaders in Mareb province on July 29. \u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cHadi: Al-Qaeda Kanat Tukhatit \u2018li Taghyir Wajh Al-Tarikh,\u201d Al Jazeera, August 24, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aljazeera.net\/news\/pages\/b68dfd0f-609d-4fba-b8b1-ffe9ae0ca752\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aljazeera.net\/news\/pages\/b68dfd0f-609d-4fba-b8b1-ffe9ae0ca752\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Arab Media Lacks Original Reporting on Times Square Bomber Plot, Intercepted Al-Qaeda Communication"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]