WATCHING FOR HEZBOLLAH IN MICHIGAN AND AT MEXICAN BORDER

Hizballah Threat at U.S. Border? - Shaun Waterman (UPI)
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House subcommittee on terrorism and non-proliferation, told UPI he is concerned that Hizballah might be positioning itself for an attack against the U.S. "We're seeing a pattern of activities on the border and elsewhere" indicating "a renewed operational focus by Hizballah on getting their people in over the border, between the ports of entry." Royce said there was a rise in the number of ethnic Lebanese with Brazilian nationality apprehended at the border. "We're seeing a pattern of (Hizballah) operatives" from Latin American countries "attempting to come into the United States." "We know that there are Hizballah people here," he said, adding that as many as 300 "individuals doing work for Hizballah" had been apprehended - arrested or convicted - "over the years." "The question is, could these types of cells be given the green light" to commit terrorist attacks within the U.S.? Federal law enforcement officials told UPI that the scenario of a "self-generated" jihadi plot undertaken without command or control from Hizballah was as worrying a scenario as an actual plot from the terror group.

Federal Agents Focus on Hizballah Presence in Detroit - Niraj Warikoo (Detroit Free Press)
Federal agents said this week they're keeping close tabs on Hizballah's presence in metro Detroit, where support for the militant group runs high among some Muslims and Arab Americans and there are concerns terrorist cells could be activated. Eric Straus, chief of the counterterrorism unit in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit, said Wednesday that FBI agents and other law enforcement authorities are monitoring Hizballah activity in southeastern Michigan.