Using sugar, scraps to make bombs

With help from his kids, Sheik Omar makes bombs in his kitchen for Syrian opposition He grew up in Syria and was, from a young age, fascinated with weapon construction He insists that he's a man of peace, and his bombs are killing the right people Aleppo, Syria (CNN) -- With the precision of a master chef, Sheik Omar adjusts the intensity of the flame under his pan. He mixes table sugar with a noxious chemical, letting it hiss and crackle. "It's almost ready," he says, as the syrupy liquid darkens. Sheik Omar keeps his face hidden. Bomb makers always work in secret. Men warm themselves by a fire on a street corner in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, December 9. Click through to view images of the fighting from December, or see photos of the conflict from November. A rebel soldier watches Al-Jazeera news in a shop near the front lines in Aleppo on December 9. A rebel soldier prays in a shop in Aleppo on December 9. Syrians mourn a fallen fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on Saturday, December 8. A Syria rebel commander sits behind a desk in his bombed-out position in Aleppo on December 8. A Syrian rebel fighter emerges from a hole in a wall in Aleppo on December 8. Rebel fighters take part in a demonstration against the Syrian regime after Friday prayers in Aleppo on December 7. A wounded rebel fighter is transported to a hospital in the back of a truck in Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday, December 6. At least 23 people died in Syria on Thursday, most of them in Damascus and Aleppo, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. Rebel soldiers stand guard inside a building in Aleppo on December 6. Angelina Jolie, special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, meets with Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp outside Mafraq, Jordan, on December 6. In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters stand guard against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Al-khalidiya neighborhood of Homs on Tuesday, December 4. In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters take cover in destroyed buildings during clashes with regime forces on December 4. Syrians cross the border from Ras al-Ain, Syria, to the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar on Tuesday, December 4. Boys walk through a damaged area In Aleppo, Syria, seen through a destroyed car on December 4. A man inspects rubble in a neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday, December 2. The bodies of three children reportedly killed in a mortar shell attack are laid out for relatives to identify at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on December 2. Smoke rises from fighting in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts of Aleppo on Saturday, December 1. Syrian-Kurdish women and members of the Popular Protection Units, an armed opposition group to the Syrian government, stand guard during a comrade's funeral in a northern Syrian border village on December 1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Photos: Showdown in Syria Securing Syria's chemical weapons Syrian rebels or terrorists? U.S. calls Syrian rebel group terrorists He looks at us and his eyes are friendly and calm. Our crew is unafraid. He's clearly been at this for many years. He has all his fingers. A Syrian, he grew up existing with death and violence and a government that made people live in fear. So wouldn't a young man naturally fascinated with putting things together end up constructing weapons for a living? While he works in the kitchen of his family home in Aleppo Province, Sheik Omar tells us that he's a man of peace. Read more: What will 'recognizing' the opposition accomplish? He believes he doesn't have a choice but to make bombs. Foreign countries aren't helping the rebels enough to overtake the heavily armed forces that President Bashar al-Assad commands. The rebels need all the help they can get. Those men across the country, he says, have abandoned their regular lives teaching or selling clothes or being lawyers to come together and fight to get rid of that man. It's been nearly two years. They've lost their lives and families. At least 40,000 Syrians have died. Someone with his skills should do what he can. Sheik Omar shouts out the window to his kids playing in the yard. Bring your father more sugar, please! The kids bounce into the house, helping him, handing him ingredients. There are half-made bombs and rockets around the house. His wife is in another room. She isn't talking to us, which isn't strange. This is his interview, and she's showing deference. Sheik Omar tells us as he cooks that he used to work with an assistant. That was years ago when he was less experienced. There was an explosion, and the assistant died. Better to work alone, he says. Besides, he doesn't make much money at all doing this. He does this because he believes he has a purpose, and he's good at it. Sheik Omar tells us he trained in Libya in weapons making and fought alongside the Palestinians against the Israelis in the 1980s. He's always believed that Israel is the oppressor, and no matter what, the Palestinians have a right to their land. In his time as a soldier for the Palestinian cause, the Israelis caught him twice and detained him. What do you imagine happens to a man in that circumstance? But that was nothing, compared to what al-Assad is doing, he huffs. The Israelis, they had more mercy, Sheik Omar insists. Read more: U.S. branding of al-Nusra as terrorists may backfire Human rights workers, journalists and Syrians fighting to oust the longtime president claim al-Assad has established torture centers around the country, chaining prisoners by their wrists for days, beating them and inflicting unspeakable pain. There have been reports of children being shot by regime snipers, stories of al-Assad's forces going door to door and murdering whole families. Al-Assad has claimed for these many months of violence that "terrorists" are attacking Syria, and the country has a right to defend itself. Sheik Omar shows us one of his latest creations. It's a sleek rocket that stands about three feet off the ground. The thing looks sophisticated. It's hard to tell he's cobbled it together from bits and pieces of unexploded ordinances fired by al-Assad's forces. Sheik Omar gingerly holds the rocket. "From here to here, for example," he says, tracing his fingers along its body, "It's our adjustment, as are the fins." It's a crude device, like many of the ones he makes. Sometimes he would construct something and it would, mid-flight, turn around and shoot back at him. But these are the hazards he's willing to deal with. Sheik Omar uses the word democracy. Syria could be democratic, he believes. First the al-Assad regime must go. But that won't be the end. There will be a revolution after this one. There will be more bloodshed. Revolution begets revolution, he insists. It will take several cycles of violence before Syria can hope for peace. What other choice do people like him have? he asks. How else to get rid of the extremists? U.N. envoy: Political solution to Syria crisis 'still possible' CNN's Arwa Damon reported from Syria. CNN's Ashley Fantz wrote this story in Atlanta.

Disputed quote on King memorial to be removed

Charles Dharapak / AP A disputed "drum major" inscription on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington will be removed, government officials say. By NBC News staff and news services A controversial "drum major" inscription will be removed from the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington but won't be replaced with King's full quotation as some had hoped, the Interior Department announced Tuesday. Workers will scratch off the wording on the east side of the memorial and match the west side with new striations in order to make the look consistent. The makeover will cost between $700,000 and $900,000. The plan to remove, instead of replace, the quote was recommended by the original sculptor, Lei Yixin, as the safest way to ensure the structural integrity of the memorial was not compromised, the Interior Department said. The King family, the group that built the memorial and the National Park Service also were consulted about the change, the department added. "The memorial stands as a testament to Dr. King's struggle for civil rights, and a dream of dignity, respect and justice for all," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement. "I am proud that all parties have come together on a resolution that will help ensure the structural integrity of this timeless and powerful monument to Dr. King's life and legacy." "We are grateful that Secretary Salazar's office and the National Park Service has taken such care to maintain the spirit and appearance of such an important monument to our country's history and my father's memory," Bernice A. King, King's youngest daughter and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, was quoted as saying by the Interior Department. Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com Critics, including poet Maya Angelou, complained after the memorial opened in 2011 that the paraphrased quotation took King's words out of context, making him sound arrogant. The paraphrase reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." The full quotation was taken from a 1968 sermon about two months before King was assassinated. It reads: "Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter." The alteration plan will be submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission in January for their review. Work is scheduled to begin in February or March and be completed in the spring, according to federal officials. Lei, the original sculptor, will do perform the stone work to remove the inscription, and the memorial will remain open to visitors. The Associated Press contributed to this story. More content from NBCNews.com:  Amid protests, Michigan passes anti-union 'right to work' measures Gay student asks Justice Scalia to defend his 'bestiality' comments Marijuana sales? Lots of obstacles still to weed out in Washington, Colorado California exodus as thousands quit state for Texas, Ariz., elsewhere Video: Massive gas line blaze caught on camera Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Two victims, gunman dead after shooting at Oregon mall

A gunman is firing at the Clackamas Town Center outside Portland "Multiple victims" have been shot, authorities say The mall is 11 milles southeast of downtown Portland (CNN) -- A gunman is actively firing at the Clackamas Town Center mall in Clackamas, Oregon, authorities said Tuesday. "Multiple victims" have been shot, says Public Safety Director Steve Campbell of the city of Happy Valley. The two-story mall is about 11 miles southeast of downtown Portland and is anchored with such stores as Sears, JC Penney and Macy's, according to its website.

Obama recognizes Syrian opposition

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama recognized Tuesday the Syrian opposition as the legitimate representative of the country's people. "We've made a decision that the Syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people," he told ABC's Barbara Walters. The move will be a major psychological boost for the rebels, but it doesn't mean that Washington will be arming them anytime soon.