Terrorism

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Five weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden publicly commanded his foot-soldiers to ramp up the violence against American civilians. But five weeks before his death, he privately instructed his lieutenants to refrain from killing any civilians. Did the world's most notorious terrorist have a moral awakening and grow soft? Hardly. His unheralded tactical shift was purely strategic. This month, the Combating Terrorism Center at the West Point Military Academy released 17 declassified documents that were seized from bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound in the targeted killing last year.

With a full math and science scholarship to the Johns Hopkins University and accolades for his writing, Howard County's Mohammad Hassan Khalid seemed ready to continue the American dream his father embarked on years ago when he brought the family from Pakistan. But instead, on Friday the 18-year-old Khalid became one of the youngest people ever convicted in federal court of conspiracy to aid terrorists. He could receive up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at his sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

McDaniel heads into Friday's semifinal against Washington in the Centennial Conference tournament on a five-game winning streak. And for the last four games, senior Brad Motley has been the primary goalkeeper. The Fallston native and graduate replaced sophomore Christian Dallmus as the starter after the Green Terror's 6-5 overtime decision against Franklin & Marshall on March 31. According to coach Matt Hatton, an injury Dallmus - who had started the first 11 contests - suffered during the week of practice after that win opened the door for Motley.

One semifinal of the Centennial Conference tournament pits a pair of familiar faces as No. 1 seed Washington meets No. 4 seed McDaniel in Chestertown, Md., on Friday. That familiarity, unfortunately, hasn't bred much success for the visiting Green Terror, which has dropped the last 12 contests in the series. “They've had our number for a long time now,” McDaniel coach Matt Hatton said. “I think if you look closely at the rivalry - although it's tough to call it a rivalry when you've lost 12 games in a row - there are a lot of one- and two-goal losses that we've suffered, and this year was no exception to that.

Members of the public may watch the arraignment of self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terror suspects Saturday at Fort Meade, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. Mohammed and his co-defendants are to be arraigned at Guantanamo Bay on charges of terrorism and murder in the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 193. Fort Meade is one of four military bases scheduled to receive a secure, closed-circuit television feed of the proceedings, Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale said.

I was shocked by the brazen disregard shown toward the public byRobert L. Ehrlich Jr.in his recent column on the war against terror ("Do we have what it takes to beatal-Qaida?" April 27). Mr. Ehrlich characterizes peace groups as placating and ignoring "those whose primary goal it is to terrorize and destroy the world. " This claim is baseless. These groups simply want a more just and fair world where America is respected instead of hated. Yet Mr. Ehrlich goes on to declare that Americans are "lazy" and "withdrawn" in "the absence of organized, direct threats.

Members of the public may watch the arraignment of self-proclaimed 9/11mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terror suspects from Fort Meade on Saturday, but seating for the video feed will be limited, a spokesman for the Army base said Tuesday. Mohammed and his co-defendants are to be arraigned at Guantanamo Bay on charges of terrorism and murder in the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001. The proceedings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

McDaniel's 12-10 victory over then-No. 13 Gettysburg Saturday produced two positive results. It snapped a 17-game losing skid to the Bullets and put the Green Terror in position to make the Centennial Conference Tournament for the third time in four years. If McDaniel (8-6 overall and 4-3 in the league) can beat Swarthmore (6-8, 2-5) this Saturday, it will finish the season in fourth place and clinch the final spot in the tournament. The Green Terror can qualify for the tournament if Haverford (5-8, 3-4)

McDaniel ended years of frustration and heartbreak with Saturday's 12-10 decision against Centennial Conference foe Gettysburg. The win was the Green Terror's first against the Bullets since 1997. “When you play in this conference, you get to play against teams like Gettysburg every year, and Gettysburg has been one that we've been chasing since I've been here, which is going on nine years now,” coach Matt Hatton said Tuesday morning. “They're a class act, they're well-coached and very talented.