Everyday Citizens Can Defend the Homeland

[crux]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/20/weapons-arsenal-is-found-at-home-of-columbia-professor/
Weapons Arsenal Is Found at Home of Columbia Professor

January 20, 2008

Police stumbled upon a bomb-making factory Sunday in the home of a Columbia professor who specializes in the spread of infectious disease and are now investigating whether he and his roommate have any connection to terror.

One of the pipe bombs was described as being inserted into a Nerf football. Investigators with the NYPD and FBI were questioning Ivaylo Ivanov, a native of Bulgaria, to determine whether he has any terrorism or Russian Mafia connections, a source told New York’s Daily News.

An arsenal of weapons and explosive devices was found in the Brooklyn Heights apartment of a Columbia University professor yesterday morning after the professor’s roommate accidentally shot himself, police said.

Police said they removed seven homemade pipe bombs, a 9 mm shotgun, a rifle, a crossbow and arrows, a machete, ammunition, gun silencers, and several bulletproof vests from a small one-bedroom apartment at 58 Remsen St. that neighbors say is owned by Michael Clatts, an AIDS researcher at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and the National Development and Research Institutes.

The arsenal was discovered after a man who also lived in the one-bedroom attic apartment, identified by sources as Ivaylo Ivanov, 31, shot himself in the hand.

After telling police officers on patrol on Montague Terrace that someone had shot him at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, he was taken to Long Island College Hospital, where he later admitted to police that he had shot himself.

A downstairs neighbor, Penny Kaufman, said she escorted police to the fourth floor apartment at around 3:30 a.m. yesterday to help them subdue the two men’s dog. Through the door of the apartment, Ms. Kaufman, a legal secretary, said she saw a handgun and several bullets lying on a desk chair near the door. She also saw blood smeared on a wall near the light switch and towels balled up in the sinks and bathtub.

“The apartment was in total disarray,” she said.

This a strange one. This Ivanov guy sounds like a nut. His relation to the owner, the Coumbia professor is what I couldn't make out from this story and other reports. It sounds like his boyfriend or maybe he is subletting the apartment?

Seems strange all around but I bet his upstairs neighbors are happy he shot himself instead of blowing himself and the building up.

[Adlerian Thinker]

This a strange one. This Ivanov guy sounds like a nut. His relation to the owner, the Coumbia professor is what I couldn't make out from this story and other reports. It sounds like his boyfriend or maybe he is subletting the apartment?

Seems strange all around but I bet his upstairs neighbors are happy he shot himself instead of blowing himself and the building up.

Too bad it wasn't more than his hand.....

[Adlerian Thinker]

Capitol Hill police arrest armed man. Capitol Police arrested an armed man Friday afternoon. The man was walking down 1st Street NE with a tactical vest, a loaded shotgun, a tactical bow and arrow, and a samurai sword in a hidden case behind his back. His Chevy with Utah license plates came up positive for explosive traces when the dogs sniffed it. There are more weapons in the car. The area has been cordoned off during the investigation. Source: http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=67470

Wow. He was loaded for bear. A Rambo commercial?

[Adlerian Thinker]

County Administration Building evacuated due to bomb scare. A bomb scare forced the evacuation of employees at the Alameda County Administration Building Thursday afternoon for nearly two hours before authorities searched the building and determined the threat was unfounded. A spokesman for the sheriff said he did not know any details about the bomb threat, such as whether it was phoned in. Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_8004017

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bomb-making factory found in Brooklyn apartment of Columbia professor. Police stumbled upon a bomb-making factory Sunday in the home of a Columbia professor who specializes in the spread of infectious disease - and are investigating whether he and his roommate have terror ties. When investigators went to the 37-year-old’s apartment, they found the bombs, already capped on both ends and filled with powder. One of the pipe bombs was inserted into a Nerf football, cops said. A 9-mm. handgun, two ammunition magazines, a 12-gauge shotgun, silencers, a bulletproof vest, a crossbow and bomb-making equipment, including a drill and threading machine that could be used to make pipe bombs, were also recovered, cops said. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/01/21/2008-01-21_bombmaking_factory_found_in_brooklyn_apa-3.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/21/super-bowl-security-described-as-unprecedented/
Super Bowl Security Described As Unprecedented

January 21, 2008


Security for Super Bowl XLII, to be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium Feb. 3, is being described as “unprecedented,” and will include both covert and overt measures like ATF bomb-sniffing dogs trained to ferret out liquid explosives. Although there is no specific terror threat, security officials are concerned due to the high visibility of the game and the propensity of al Qaeda to strike such targets.

But the federal government’s terrorism threat assessment of the upcoming game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants outlines concerns about stolen official law enforcement credentials, uniforms, weapons, and other equipment that could be used to “infiltrate” the stadium complex to carry out an attack.

“High-profile” events like this, which the Arizona Counterterrorism Information Center said is expected to draw over half-a-million visitors, “make [them] a desirable target for domestic or international terrorists,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threat assessment says.

While the assessment makes clear that the Intelligence Community “has not identified a credible terrorist threat to Super Bowl XLII and its related events,” one of the three “key findings” of the nine-page threat assessment, a copy of which was obtained by HSToday.us, is that “the threats of greatest concern” during events like this “include individuals impersonating law enforcement and other security personnel and insiders to facilitate attacks.”

The assessment identified four incidents in which terrorists used insiders in their plotting. One of the three “scenarios of concern” outlined in the assessment is “security breaches and insider threats.”

Prepared Jan. 14 by DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis in conjunction with the FBI and Intelligence Community, the assessment described thefts of official equipment that “raised concern.”

“Numerous thefts of government and law enforcement property that could be used to facilitate unauthorized entry have been reported in Arizona,” the assessment points out. “Since October 2004 the Arizona Counterterrorism Information Center has received more than 300 reports of thefts from fire, first responder, military, and police personnel, including from those in the Phoenix area.”

Phoenix has been a hotbed of suspected terror activity. Stay tuned, folks.

[_Airborne]

In large liberal cities there is not much one can do but move:frown:

Just curious, where are large conservative cities? Is there even such a thing?

[rhet 2]

Just curious, where are large conservative cities? Is there even such a thing?

Does a building have political opinions? Neither do cities.

Now, a majority of the VOTERS who bothered to turn out and vote a bunch of honyocks into power might have chosen honyocks bent on doing what Hippies think ought to be done -- which could make the majority of a city's GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL liberals -- or another group, for example the Blacks in New Orleans, could turn up to vote their own approved brand of animal into power, yielding a Black majority in the city's personnel ......... so it is possible to have a majority of old-fashioned folks on the city's official payroll.........

[rhet 2]

Bomb-making factory found in Brooklyn apartment of Columbia professor. Police stumbled upon a bomb-making factory Sunday in the home of a Columbia professor who specializes in the spread of infectious disease - and are investigating whether he and his roommate have terror ties. When investigators went to the 37-year-old’s apartment, they found the bombs, already capped on both ends and filled with powder. One of the pipe bombs was inserted into a Nerf football, cops said. A 9-mm. handgun, two ammunition magazines, a 12-gauge shotgun, silencers, a bulletproof vest, a crossbow and bomb-making equipment, including a drill and threading machine that could be used to make pipe bombs, were also recovered, cops said. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/01/21/2008-01-21_bombmaking_factory_found_in_brooklyn_apa-3.html

How utterly cute -- adorable little anti-social animals, aren't they?

I would LOVE to know their motives -- and their justification -- for such a disgusting collection of crap with which to murder, maim, and destroy other lives.

:evil:

Is it just me, or is there a sudden surge in such bomb reports? And is the surge in bomb reports a surge in reporting or a surge in making the damned things?

AND WHERE THE HELL DO *******S LIKE THESE TWO PIECES OF HUMAN GARBAGE GET OFF MAKING THEMSELVES GOD TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES?

[Adlerian Thinker]

How utterly cute -- adorable little anti-social animals, aren't they?

I would LOVE to know their motives -- and their justification -- for such a disgusting collection of crap with which to murder, maim, and destroy other lives.

:evil:

Is it just me, or is there a sudden surge in such bomb reports? And is the surge in bomb reports a surge in reporting or a surge in making the damned things?

AND WHERE THE HELL DO *******S LIKE THESE TWO PIECES OF HUMAN GARBAGE GET OFF MAKING THEMSELVES GOD TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES?

There is a definite upsurge in such reports. There are reasons. That's why I post them here, for others to connect the dots as well.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Airports to inspect ID cards with black lights. Airport screeners are starting to use handheld black lights this month to examine driver’s licenses and other passenger ID cards presented at checkpoints to spot forgeries or tampering. Passengers with suspicious documents can be questioned by police or immigration agents. Black lights will help screeners inspect the ID cards by illuminating holograms, typically of government seals, that are found in licenses and passports. Screeners also are getting magnifying glasses that highlight tiny inscriptions found in the borders of passports and other IDs. About 2,100 of each are going to the nation’s 800 airport checkpoints. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-20-blacklights_N.htm

Sometimes low tech, and inexpensive, is good.

[Adlerian Thinker]

India risks bird flu ‘disaster’, human cases feared. India’s worst ever outbreak of bird flu could turn into a disaster, an official warned Tuesday, as five people were reportedly quarantined with symptoms of the virus. Eight districts in the eastern state of West Bengal have been hit by the virus, and dead birds are being sold and locals said to be “feasting” on cheap chicken. The state’s animal resources minister said authorities were “determined to cull all poultry in the districts in three or four days, otherwise the state will face a disaster.” More than 100,000 bird deaths have been reported, and teams are racing to cull two million chickens and ducks. The Times of India reported five people in West Bengal have been quarantined with “clinical symptoms” of avian flu -- including fever, coughing, sore throat, and muscle ache -- after handling affected poultry. If the tests are positive, this will be the first case of human infection in India, home to 1.1 billion people and hit by bird flu among poultry three times since 2006. Source: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080122/afp/080122092518int.html

Keep an eye on this one folks. The population density alone can cause problems......

[Adlerian Thinker]

Epidemic superbug strains evolved from one bacterium. The drug-resistant “superbugs” that have appeared in day care centers, schools, locker rooms, and prisons across the United States in the last five years stem from one rapidly evolving bacterium, US scientists said Monday in a study that appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists studying the genetic make-up of these bugs, which are resistant to almost all antibiotics, say they are nearly identical clones that have emerged from a single bacterial strain, which they have dubbed USA300. “The USA300 group of strains appears to have extraordinary transmissibility and fitness,” said a researcher with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Montana. “We anticipate that new USA300 derivatives will emerge within the next several years and that these strains will have a wide range of disease-causing potential.” What is particularly worrying to health authorities is that the MRSA infections, (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) have spread beyond their traditional hospital setting, seeding an epidemic in the wider community. Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/ussciencesuperbug

[Adlerian Thinker]

Stolen credentials, uniforms is a concern of Super Bowl security officials. Security for Super Bowl XLII, to be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium on February 3, is being described as “unprecedented,” and will include both covert and overt measures like bomb-sniffing dogs from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms trained to ferret out liquid explosives. But the federal government’s terrorism threat assessment of the upcoming game outlines concerns about stolen official law enforcement credentials, uniforms, weapons, and other equipment that could be used to “infiltrate” the stadium complex to carry out an attack. While the assessment makes clear that the Intelligence Community “has not identified a credible terrorist threat to Super Bowl XLII and its related events,” one of the three “key findings” of the nine-page threat assessment is that “the threats of greatest concern” during events like this “include individuals impersonating law enforcement and other security personnel and insiders to facilitate attacks.” The assessment states that “the list of stolen equipment includes access cards; ammunition; body armor; firearms; Kevlar helmets; marked and unmarked emergency services, fire, and police vehicles; official badges and credentials; radios; raid shirts and jackets; rifles; uniforms; and weapons.” While the assessment notes that “such thefts … are common in large metropolitan areas,” they nevertheless “increase the risk that unauthorized individuals may use insignia, official equipment, and uniforms to gain access to sensitive areas during Super Bowl events.” Source: http://www.hstoday.us/Kimery_Report/20080118_Super_Bowl_Threat_Assessment_Points_Out_V ulnerabilities_of_High_profile_Events.cfm

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/22/dirty-bomb-cell-phone-sensors-act-as-nuclear-radiation-tracking-network/
Dirty Bomb - Cell Phone Sensors Act As Nuclear Radiation Tracking Network

January 22, 2008


Dirty bombs and other radiological devices that could possibly be used in a terrorist attack will soon be easier to track, locate and possibly diffuse thanks to researchers at Purdue University.

The researchers at Purdue University have been working with the state of Indiana to develop a system that will use a network of cell phones to detect and track radiation to help prevent terrorist attacks with radiological “dirty bombs” and nuclear weapons.

Such a system could blanket the nation with millions of cell phones equipped with radiation sensors able to detect even light residues of radioactive material. Because cell phones already contain global positioning locators, the network of phones would serve as a tracking system, said physics professor Ephraim Fischbach. Fischbach is working with Jere Jenkins, director of Purdue’s radiation laboratories within the School of Nuclear Engineering.

“It’s the ubiquitous nature of cell phones and other portable electronic devices that give this system its power,” Fischbach said. “It’s meant to be small, cheap and eventually built into laptops, personal digital assistants and cell phones.”

The system was developed by Andrew Longman, a consulting instrumentation scientist. Longman developed the software for the system and then worked with Purdue researchers to integrate the software with radiation detectors and cell phones. Cellular data air time was provided by AT&T.

The research has been funded by the Indiana Department of Transportation through the Joint Transportation Research Program and School of Civil Engineering at Purdue.

“The likely targets of a potential terrorist attack would be big cities with concentrated populations, and a system like this would make it very difficult for someone to go undetected with a radiological dirty bomb in such an area,” said Longman, who also is Purdue alumnus. “The more people are walking around with cell phones and PDAs, the easier it would be to detect and catch the perpetrator. We are asking the public to push for this.”

Tiny solid-state radiation sensors are commercially available. The detection system would require additional circuitry and would not add significant bulk to portable electronic products, Fischbach said.

The technology is unlike any other system, particularly because the software can work with a variety of sensor types, he said.

“Cell phones today also function as Internet computers that can report their locations and data to their towers in real time,” Fischbach said. “So this system would use the same process to send an extra signal to a home station. The software can uncover information from this data and evaluate the levels of radiation.”

The researchers tested the system in November, demonstrating that it is capable of detecting a weak radiation source 15 feet from the sensors.

“We set up a test source on campus, and people randomly walked around carrying these detectors,” Jenkins said. “The test was extremely safe because we used a very weak, sealed radiation source, and we went through all of the necessary approval processes required for radiological safety. This was a source much weaker than you would see with a radiological dirty bomb.”

Officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation participated in the test.

“The threat from a radiological dirty bomb is significant, especially in metropolitan areas that have dense populations,” said Barry Partridge, director of INDOT’s Division of Research and Development.

Long before the sensors would detect significant radiation, the system would send data to a receiving center.

“The sensors don’t really perform the detection task individually,” Fischbach said. “The collective action of the sensors, combined with the software analysis, detects the source. The system would transmit signals to a data center, and the data center would transmit information to authorities without alerting the person carrying the phone. Say a car is transporting radioactive material for a bomb, and that car is driving down Meridian Street in Indianapolis or Fifth Avenue in New York. As the car passes people, their cell phones individually would send signals to a command center, allowing authorities to track the source.”

The signal grows weaker with increasing distance from the source, and the software is able to use the data from many cell phones to pinpoint the location of the radiation source.

“So the system would know that you were getting closer or farther from something hot,” Jenkins said. “If I had handled radioactive material and you were sitting near me at a restaurant, this system would be sensitive enough to detect the residue. “

The Purdue Research Foundation owns patents associated with the technology licensed through the Office of Technology Commercialization.

In addition to detecting radiological dirty bombs designed to scatter hazardous radioactive materials over an area, the system also could be used to detect nuclear weapons, which create a nuclear chain reaction that causes a powerful explosion. The system also could be used to detect spills of radioactive materials.

“It’s impossible to completely shield a weapon’s radioactive material without making the device too heavy to transport,” Jenkins said.

The system could be trained to ignore known radiation sources, such as hospitals, and radiation from certain common items, such as bananas, which contain a radioactive isotope of potassium.

“The radiological dirty bomb or a suitcase nuclear weapon is going to give off higher levels of radiation than those background sources,” Fischbach said. “The system would be sensitive enough to detect these tiny levels of radiation, but it would be smart enough to discern which sources posed potential threats and which are harmless.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/22/man-passes-through-reagan-checkpoint-with-gun/
Man Passes Through Reagan Checkpoint With Gun

January 22, 2008

A man alerted Transportation Security Administration officials early Sunday morning that he had gotten through the main security checkpoint with a handgun.

Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police were called to the checkpoint where the man, identified as Gregory Hinkle, turned over his firearm and was given a summons for a misdemeanor for violating Virgina Code 18.2-287.01 which prohibits firearms in an airport terminal with exceptions for law enforcement and checked luggage.

This latest breach at Reagan National has air travelers disappointed but not discouraged. Passenger Rob Padgett said, “Their security is tight, it’s tighter than it’s ever been, so whatever the number of incidents is, it’s not many, so, I trust it and I feel safe.”

The TSA released a statement Tuesday afternoon which read in part, “TSA is aware of the security incident which occurred over the weekend. At this time the security officer who failed to identify the firearm is on administrative leave and a full investigation is underway. Appropriate actions will be taken once the investigation is complete.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/22/bomb-scares-paralyse-swedish-city-after-daring-robbery/
Bomb Scares Paralyze Swedish City After Daring Robbery

January 22, 2008

Amazing story of a daring and apparently well planned robbery in Sweden. The robbers laid out spikes on various routes police might use, set several cars on fire in the area and planted at least 5 fake bombs in nearby.

Large parts of Sweden’s second city were thrown into chaos on Tuesday when armed robbers who raided its main post office set fire to cars, scattered spikes on roads and left dummy bombs to cover their escape.

Police said in a statement no post office staff were injured, but soon after the robbers fled the scene at least five suspected bombs were found around Gothenburg, three of them outside the main police station.

All were later established to be dummies.

The robbers also set fire to several cars and spread spikes on the roads to puncture the tires of would-be pursuers.

“We have never before experienced anything as spectacular, where they have tried to hinder the police and create public confusion,” Gothenburg Police Commissioner Krister Jacobsson was quoted as saying by Swedish news agency TT.

Police sealed off parts of the city and evacuated buildings near suspected bombs, causing chaos in morning traffic.

A well-planned robbery. Isn't this like going to college for a job at McDonald's? :think:

[crux]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/22/bomb-scares-paralyse-swedish-city-after-daring-robbery/
Bomb Scares Paralyze Swedish City After Daring Robbery

January 22, 2008

Amazing story of a daring and apparently well planned robbery in Sweden. The robbers laid out spikes on various routes police might use, set several cars on fire in the area and planted at least 5 fake bombs in nearby.

Large parts of Sweden’s second city were thrown into chaos on Tuesday when armed robbers who raided its main post office set fire to cars, scattered spikes on roads and left dummy bombs to cover their escape.

Police said in a statement no post office staff were injured, but soon after the robbers fled the scene at least five suspected bombs were found around Gothenburg, three of them outside the main police station.

All were later established to be dummies.

The robbers also set fire to several cars and spread spikes on the roads to puncture the tires of would-be pursuers.

“We have never before experienced anything as spectacular, where they have tried to hinder the police and create public confusion,” Gothenburg Police Commissioner Krister Jacobsson was quoted as saying by Swedish news agency TT.

Police sealed off parts of the city and evacuated buildings near suspected bombs, causing chaos in morning traffic.

A well-planned robbery. Isn't this like going to college for a job at McDonald's? :think:

What did they steal? It seems a lot of work to steal mail.

[Adlerian Thinker]

What did they steal? It seems a lot of work to steal mail.

Post offices contain cash. Mail contains checks.

They wouldn't dare do this in the USA. Postal employees are too well armed. :razz:

[crux]

Post offices contain cash. Mail contains checks.

They wouldn't dare do this in the USA. Postal employees are too well armed. :razz:
:)

I get it, but even still knocking over a post office in sweden doesn't have to be so elaborate. There are easier ways to steal checks than planting fake bombs and spikes all over or robbing a post office, is all I am saying.

I am just curious what they stole, it's not mentioned

[Adlerian Thinker]

:)

I get it, but even still knocking over a post office in sweden doesn't have to be so elaborate. There are easier ways to steal checks than planting fake bombs and spikes all over or robbing a post office, is all I am saying.

I am just curious what they stole, it's not mentioned

I'll keep an eye out.

It's possible that they were using this as a means of practicing skill sets needed for other ops......

[Adlerian Thinker]

China has penetrated key U.S. databases: SANS director. An aggressive, non-stop campaign by China to penetrate key government and industry databases in the United States already has succeeded and the United States urgently needs to monitor all internet traffic to critical government and private-sector networks “to find the enemy within,” the SANS Institute’s director of research told SCMagazineUS.com. He said that empirical evidence analyzed by researchers leaves little doubt that the Chinese government has mounted a non-stop, well-financed attack to breach key national security and industry databases, adding that it is likely that this effort is making use of personnel provided by China’s People’s Liberation Army. The “smoking guns” pointing to a government-directed effort are keystroke logs of the attacks, which have been devoid of errors usually found in amateur hack attacks, the use of spear phishing to gain entry into computer networks, and the massively repetitive nature of the assault, the SANS research director said. SANS earlier this week placed espionage from China and other nations near the top of its annual list of cybersecurity menaces, reporting that targeted spear phishing is the weapon of choice used in the assault on U.S. databases and those of its allies. Source: http://scmagazine.com/uk/news/article/778689/china-penetrated-key-us-databases-sans-director/

[Adlerian Thinker]

Some fodder for you IT guys and gals.......

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/01/the_jihadist_encryption_campai.php
The Jihadist Encryption Campaign
By Douglas Farah

One finds interesting articles in unexpected places these days. Recently Computerworld looked at the use of Jihadi encrytion on their websites. Shows how much the world has changed, when computer magazines start paying attention to this stuff.

This includes a new version of an already-existing encryption system offered from a website hosted in Florida that claims to be "the first Islamic computer program for secure exchange [of information] on the Internet," providing users with "the five best encryption algorithms, and with symmetrical encryption keys (256 bit), asymmetrical encryption keys (2048 bit) and data compression [tools]."

Dubbed Mujahadeen Secrets 2, the Ekhlaas website said the newer iteration is a "special edition of the software was developed and issued by ... Ekhlaas in order to support the mujahideen in general and the (al Qaeda-linked group) Islamic State in Iraq in particular."

This shows three things: that the outside world has grown increasingly better at monitoring their unencrypted communications; that the jihadists have the technological wherewithal to take their communications to the next level; and that they still apparently like to operate out of the United States.

[Adlerian Thinker]

The great MRSA epidemic: Is it time to worry? Flesh-eating bacteria, a drug-resistant menace, spreading silently through hospital hallways. But even as new research suggests that the disease may be spreading though the homosexual community -- and could even be developing into a full-blown epidemic -- health experts studying MRSA say panic over the disease may be premature. The director of clinical research in the department of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and his colleagues discovered that visits to emergency departments due to MRSA rose from 1.2 million in 1993 to 3.4 million in 2005. Community-acquired MRSA infections have become the number one cause of abscesses
in otherwise healthy emergency room patients. But the official, whose study will appear in the upcoming issue of the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine, says that despite the confirmation that a MRSA epidemic is in full swing, the disease does not pose the level of disaster that the use of the term might suggest.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Germs/story?id=4172257&page=1

[Adlerian Thinker]

Suspicious package at Robins closes two gates. A suspicious package that led to the closure of two gates at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia on Wednesday afternoon turned out to be nothing, a base spokesman said. “Whenever we find something out of place, we label it as a suspicious package, and security measures are implemented,” he said. People were evacuated from within the safety cordon established around the building where the package was found, he said. Base officials would not say what was in this package. “We don’t want to divulge anything,” the spokesman said. “It was an unsubstantial item.”
Source: http://www.macon.com/197/story/246740.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Portion of City Hall East evacuated after suspicious package found. A bomb squad determined a package found in City Hall East in Los Angeles on Wednesday was not a threat, and employees evacuated from several floors of the 18-story building were allowed to go back to work, police said. A police bomb squad was sent to the building about 12:30 p.m. to check out the package, a Los Angeles police lieutenant said. Several floors were evacuated as a precaution. It was unclear what made the package suspicious or what was in it. Police said they had not received any threats regarding City Hall East.
Source: http://www.knbc.com/news/15121508/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

This is a concern:

Equipment stolen from Charleston could jam emergency communications. The FBI has joined an investigation into the theft of electronic equipment after break-ins at several transmitting towers in Charleston, West Virginia. According to a Huntington TV station, ten break-ins at three separate sites resulted in the loss of a radio receiver/transmitter (repeater) and frequency counter. Charleston police asked the FBI to enter the investigation after they learned the stolen equipment could possibly be used to jam emergency frequencies. Thieves took only the specified equipment leaving other items untouched. Anyone with information about the break-ins should call (304) 348-6480.
Source: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/080124-rutherford-localequipmentstolen.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/25/blue-chemical-like-haze-over-charleston-west-virginia/
Blue Chemical-like Haze Over Charleston West Virginia

January 25, 2008

Metro 911 reports haze and chlorine smell over Charleston and South Charleston

Officials advise if you are in distress, stay inside and do not hesitate to call 911 for help

Metro 911 of Kanawha County is reporting a haze and strong chlorine smell in the Charleston and South Charleston area.

Metro 911 has received dozens of calls from the public, starting around 1:15 p.m. today and continuing at this hour.

Industrial sources of hazardous materials are required to notify Metro 911 when they have a leak or release of such product. At this time, Metro 911 has not received any notification. Metro 911 and emergency managers have contacted all chemical facilities in the region and none report any lost product.

As a result, emergency officials do not know the source of the smell or what the product is or its origin. Following established protocols, emergency officials have activated the Emergency Operations Center and are tracking the location of the calls.

The public is being advised that if you are in any form of distress, stay inside and do not hesitate to call 911 for help. Extra ambulances are on standby as a precaution.

The EOC will stand open to assess and monitor this situation until officials are assured there is no danger.

[Adlerian Thinker]

I thought England had taken care of this?

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/24/al-qaeda-threatens-suicide-terror-attack-on-gordon-brown-and-tony-blair/
al-Qaeda Threatens Suicide Terror Attack on Gordon Brown and Tony Blair

January 24, 2008

al-Qaeda in Britain has threatened suicide attacks on Prime Minister Gordon Brown and predecessor Tony Blair unless London withdraws its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The message was posted in English to an al-Qaeda-affiliated online forum by “Umar Rabie al-Khalaila”, US-based monitoring service the SITE Intelligence Group said.

The group, blamed for suicide bombings in London in 2005, vowed fresh attacks if Britain fails to withdraw its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of March.

“If the British government fails to respond to our demands within the last day of March 2008 … then the martyrdom seekers of the Organisation of al-Qaeda in Britain will target all the political leaders, especially Tony Blair and Gordan (sic) Brown,” the message said.

It vowed that suicide bombers would also “target all embassies, crusaders centre(s) and their interests throughout the country.”

In July 2005, four suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 other people in attacks on London’s public transport system while last June saw failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow.

The message also demanded that the British government “free all Muslim captives from Belmarsh prison” in south-east London which houses Britain’s most high-profile Islamist militants.

SITE said the author of the message, “Umar Rabie al-Khalaila”, is the same individual who posted a January 2 message claiming the establishment of al-Qaeda in Britain with the purpose of carrying out large scale attacks and killing political leadership.

It was not possible to independently verify the authenticity of the message, which was posted in an open section of the website, unlike “official messages from jihadist groups” which are usually posted in a section not open to the general members, SITE said.

In November last year, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence service MI5, Jonathan Evans, said that al-Qaeda was “grooming” children and young people to carry out attacks in the country.

The number of people with suspected links to terrorists rose from 1600 in 2006 to at least 2000 in 2007, he said.

MI5 said the terror threat level facing Britain is currently “severe”, meaning there is a high likelihood of future attacks.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/26/pakistan-raises-state-of-alert-at-nuclear-sites/

Pakistan Raises State of Alert At Nuclear Sites

January 26, 2008

Pakistan has raised the state of alert around its nuclear facilities amid concerns they could be targeted by Islamist militants.

But a senior Pakistan military official said there had been no specific threat to the sites, and insisted that safeguards in place were fool proof.

The official was speaking in a rare press briefing on the issue.

It followed Western media reports warning that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

The Pakistani authorities have been angered by Western media reports speculating that the country?s nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda militants.

The senior military official briefing foreign journalists said that the weapons were protected by an elaborate command and control system, and multiple levels of security.

‘No collusion’

He acknowledged that Islamic militants had begun to attack army personnel in recent months, and that nuclear sites may also become a target.

He said the state of alert around nuclear facilities had increased, but there had been no specific threats against them.

The official said there was no way the Taleban or al-Qaeda could take over Pakistan?s estimated 50 nuclear warheads.

And he dismissed the possibility of collusion from within the system, saying all personnel dealing with sensitive material had been carefully monitored.

Despite fears raised by US media and politicians, the official said the US administration had not shown any recent concern about the safety of Pakistan?s nuclear weapons.

He also said any foreign intervention over the issue would be disastrous for the intruder.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/26/urgent-manhunt-across-europe-for-terror-suspects/
Urgent Manhunt Across Europe for Terror Suspects

January 26, 2008

It is being reported that a manhunt that began in Spain for suspected terror cell members has now extended to France and other European Union countries.

The attorney general in Spain said today that there are three cell members they are urgently searching for and that the missing members could be suicidal terrorists with a mission to attack somewhere outside of Spain.

Investigative sources tell ABC News the cell members are Spanish residents, including both nationals and foreigners. They are believed to have recently traveled to Spain from Waziristan, Pakistan, an area known as a hotbed for al Qaeda training and Taliban resurgence.

The 14 suspected terrorists arrested last weekend in Spain were in the final stages of preparing a suicide attack using multiple bombs, according to sources close to the investigation being conducted by Spanish Central Intelligence (CNI) and the Guardia Civil Islamic Counterterrorist Unit.

The men were of Pakistani, Indian and other ethnic backgrounds. Many appear to be legal residents of Spain, but some of the suspects’ legal statuses are still unknown. One of the men arrested, Maroof Ahmaed Mirza, is described as an Imam, a legal resident of Spain and a Pakistani national.

The raids capped what was known as Operation Cantata and took place in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona after authorities established the readiness of the group based on intercepts and informant information, sources told ABCNews.com.

Seven searches were conducted, including searches of two mosques, according to police reports. Investigators seized four timers, described as “mechanical clocks without numbered spheres,” various empty pyrotechnic cartridges, multi-colored wires, latex gloves, kitchen gloves, severe batteries of varying voltages, cables used for detonators and other various materials, according to an inventory of the searches.

Find and double-tap. A third eye solves the problems of a trial.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Just so people know that all terrorism isn't Islamic in nature......

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/01/farc_chief_calls_for_a_general.php
FARC chief calls for a General Offensive in 2008
By Aaron Mannes

When OBL or his sidekick Ayman Zawahiri sneeze the world media leaps to broadcast it. Yet, a long-standing terrorist chief with a world spanning network calls for a "General Offensive" and it barely makes the wire services.

FARC chief, Manuel Marulanda Velez, in his year end message, called for a General Offensive in 2008. This seems as though it ought to be significant. FARC has formidable capabilities and international links through its criminal activities. And, it has a record of violence - having killed thousands in Colombia's ongoing civil war.

This should also raise questions about FARC's intentions in light of the sputtering hostage negotiations. Certainly, efforts should be made to free the long-suffering FARC hostages. But the FARC's insistence on a demilitarized zone is troubling. By many measures the FARC is in decline, with large numbers of defections, loss of ideological enthusiasm, and some serious command and control problems. These problems were exemplified by some of their mis-steps during the recent round of hostage releases - such as embarrassing their ally Hugo Chavez and not knowing the location of hostage Clare Rojas' child. (The full story of this tragic chapter has not come out, but while the FARC portrays itself as egalitarian organization the actual treatment of its female cadres rarely approaches their propaganda.)

The antidote to FARC's malaise is a large demilitarized zone where the officers can engage and train (this is how they used the large demilitarized zone they were granted during the peace process from 1998-2002. Colombia, is a massive country, 440,831 sq miles (more than 2.5 times as large as Iraq). Most of the population lives in the cities, affording the FARC plenty of places to hide in the rough terrain that characterizes the countryside. However this asset is also a curse - it can make bringing the cadres together for functions that must be done in person (such as training and indoctrination.)

[Adlerian Thinker]

Marulanda's statement follows:

24 December 2007

snip

In taking stock of the political and military actions in 2007 and in early 2008, I hope that the results are gratifying to the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] collective and to the masses on this historic date, when the Colombian family used to celebrate Christmas together by looking towards the future. Today that family is fractured, with some guerrillas in the jungle, others displaced, others exiled, and still others harassed by the violence of the State with the support of the Armed Forces led by the High Military Commands who are tied in to the paramilitary movement, sowing terror throughout the country and preventing opinions from being exchanged about the defense of their interests.

snip

I place special emphasis on the need to motivate the masses to fight for the Humanitarian Exchange so that guerrillas do not continue dying in jail, where there are being charged with trafficking and terrorism, and in the jungle. We must bear in mind that if President Uribe had demilitarized Florida and Pradera, the problem would have been solved years ago; nothing would have been lost, and we would have all gained.

Most of the mayors, council members, deputies, and governors who were elected on 12 October 2007 are tainted by electoral fraud, bribery, and paramilitary politics. It is thus clear how we must act in the face of the various political currents represented by the Uribe faction, the Liberal Party, Alternative Pole, and the independents, who all identify with each other, so that we do not go wrong in our political assessments and revolutionary action against the common enemy, as established in the conclusions of the Higher Organizations.

The FARC communiqué setting forth our position on the Government's offer of territory in the jungle for the Exchange ultimately became a time bomb that has succeeded in crossing borders. This has put Uribe in an uncomfortable position, because it has become impossible to prevent the FARC from playing a prominent role and even, very soon, from being recognized by a few Governments as a revolutionary movement that has taken up arms against the Uribe regime, which does not want peace for Colombia. At the same time, there are demonstrations almost all over the country, demanding that the authorities seek a political solution to the social and armed conflict with the FARC insurgency.

I think that it is essential to lay bare the lies that Uribe is telling over the print and electronic mass media, to the effect that his Government has achieved successes against the FARC, claiming that it has killed 8,000 guerrillas and dismantled 20 fronts. We have to ask where the Generals, the President, and the Commissioner have gotten such detailed statistics. The purpose of such news stories is to distract public opinion with falsified data to defend "democratic security" so that they can continue asking for economic and military support from the United States under the pretext of combating terrorism and narcotics trafficking. The purpose of the Government's touting of its military victories over the FARC in magazines, newspapers, and radio is to conceal the actual failure of the "Patriot Plan" and, in so doing, to deceive public opinion. In the same way, they have claimed that every mass rally has been in support of "democratic security" and of "no to the demilitarization" of Florida and Pradera for the Humanitarian Accord. They have not said, however, that the conflict has not had a high cost in terms of people wounded and killed, as the magazine Poder reported in its article entitled "Gerencia para la guerra" [Managing the War].

The best Christmas present for the FARC, as we take stock, would unquestionably be rapid growth in manpower and organization in the countryside and city. To accomplish this we must use various forms of action, rallies for very specific purposes, demands for peace from the State, the defense of human rights, civic work stoppages, denunciations of massacres and official abuses to the appropriate national and international organizations, etc. To this end, FARC cadres are obliged to guide the mass organizations under their leadership in the struggle for their real political, economic, and social grievances and for sovereignty, all of which are just as essential as armed FARC actions along roads and highways and in the jungle, urban centers, villages, and barracks, giving the enemy no respite, just as they have worked out their ongoing strategy against us in order to prolong the revolutionary process in Colombia, because like it or not, the political and armed triumph is part of the struggle that the people are waging in defense of their class interests.

The five years of battling the Patriot Plan have been like a school in which FARC commanders and guerrillas have learned how the enemy moves and operates day and night with its reconnaissance aircraft, bombers, helicopters, balloons, and satellites, as well as with its intelligence agents, infiltrators, collaborators, and economic blockades of the civilian population. As a result, we too are able to plan major actions for mobile troops in the jungle, along roads, or in villages without much immediate protection. We should take advantage of the general crisis through which the Government is going and the weariness that some military units have shown in order to begin laying the groundwork for organizing a general offensive.

snip

President Uribe's "nonnegotiable conditions" are just some of the many pretexts that certain generals have in their heads for preventing the Humanitarian Exchange and prosecuting the war against people who are discontent because of the appalling living conditions to which they have been subjected. We must bear in mind that all laws and constitutions in any country can be amended in accordance with the particular circumstances in which it finds itself and on the basis of political, economic, social, cultural, and sovereignty-related realities. The rulers are obliged to allow changes in favor of the ruled who have elected them. Otherwise, the people are the ones who must bring about the changes called for in the FARC platform and manifesto, along with other documents, regardless of the whims of Congress and the Administration. They are the ones who refuse to accept the present realities in Colombia, amid mass mobilizations and political currents with some degree of organization and awareness, with proposals for achieving peace, which are running up against the obstacle of the "nonnegotiable conditions" through which the Government is struggling against the tide, using the Public Force for that purpose, with no results for the public to see.

In conclusion, we cannot allow this Christmas Day to pass without remembering all of the comrades who have been killed by enemy action, Acacio, Martin Caballero, and so many others who have battled Uribe's oppressive system. In addition, I would like to send my most heartfelt condolences to their relatives and friends, as we pay homage to those who have given their lives for the revolutionary cause of the people.

snip

On behalf of the Secretariat,

Manuel Marulanda Velez

Happy New Year.

[rhet 2]

Read.

And now my stomach hurts.

Thank you for the continuing flow of data.

Even if my stomach now hurts, it's good to be aware of such developments -- and this thread is the ONLY place I know of where I can grab the info without major disruption of my other off-forum labors.

:hug:

And pass the damned Tums, would you?

[Adlerian Thinker]

Read.

And now my stomach hurts.

Thank you for the continuing flow of data.

Even if my stomach now hurts, it's good to be aware of such developments -- and this thread is the ONLY place I know of where I can grab the info without major disruption of my other off-forum labors.

:hug:

And pass the damned Tums, would you?

I prefer Brach's butterscotch disks.......

[Adlerian Thinker]

Until the libs' ACLU finds that it violates someone's right not to be heard. :rolleyes:

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/jan08/shotspotter012308.html
A WEAPON AGAINST CRIME
Tracking the Sound of Gunfire
01/23/08

Image of a city scene with a target

The situation was dire. A sniper was terrorizing the area around Columbus, Ohio, firing randomly at drivers and buildings near I-270 beginning in November 2003. One person had been killed, others had been wounded, and more casualties were expected unless they could find the culprit. But weeks into the joint investigation, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI still had no solid leads.

Finally, during a strategy session with our law enforcement partners, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Ron Chavarro offered a possible solution—a private sector technology called ShotSpotter that he’d overheard others talking about at a conference.

ShotSpotter, he explained, is a new crime-fighting tool that helps locate and track gunfire using “acoustic triangulation”—caused when sound waves are recorded at two or more locations.

Employing a network of hidden microphones linked to a central computer, the system is designed to detect a shot within seconds. It can “hear” a gunshot, provide accurate location information within several miles depending on the number of sensors deployed, and archive the audio for forensic analysis. The technology is also capable of determining information relating to the direction and speed of shooters on the move.

But would it work in this case? Although initially skeptical, the task force leadership decided to deploy the system along I-270. Within hours of becoming operational, ShotSpotter began to register the sound of gunfire. The resulting data led investigators to pinpoint the location of the shots, where shell casings were recovered. Armed with this information, we were later able to locate and arrest the shooter—Charles McCoy, Jr.—in March 2004. McCoy later pled guilty to the shootings.

Impressed by the technology and its potential value in other shooting investigations, Chavarro brought ShotSpotter to the attention of our Washington Field Office Criminal Division. Working closely with the company, our Washington office devised a plan to offer it as a pilot program in the D.C. area to help agents and local police in more violent neighborhoods.

A partnership was set up between the FBI and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department in late 2005. Since then, the system has helped locate gunshots fired in urban environments and has guided authorities there to several homicides. In addition, because it differentiates between and filters out other sounds frequently heard in noisy cities, like car backfires or fireworks, it has cut down on police having to investigate unnecessary false alarms.

Soon the word began to spread to other FBI offices. Currently, the system is deployed in a dozen cities nationwide where shooting incidents occur more frequently. Special agents working these cases hope that by integrating technologies like ShotSpotter they will be better able to locate violent criminals and produce valuable forensic data in court to help convict them.

“This technology has been an invaluable tool in helping us fight violent crime,” says Chavarro. “We’d welcome the opportunity to partner with other law enforcement agencies in deploying and utilizing this system in other jurisdictions.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

I am so heartened to see this. A case of the system working. I would imagine that this fella is heading to SuperMax. 23 hours in a cell, one out. Maybe they should only show him Rosie O'Donnell shows.....

http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/alqaeda011808.htm
CANADIAN AL QAEDA MEMBER SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR CONSPIRING TO KILL
AMERICANS BY BOMBING U.S. EMBASSIES IN SINGAPORE AND THE PHILIPPINES

NEW YORK - MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced today that MOHAMMED MANSOUR JABARAH, a/k/a "Abu Hafs al Kuwaiti," a/k/a "Sammy," was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to life in prison on multiple terrorism conspiracy charges. On July 30, 2002, JABARAH, an admitted member of al Qaeda, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his participation in a plot to bomb United States Embassies in Singapore and the Philippines. According to documents filed in the case and JABARAH's guilty plea:

In 2000 and early 2001, JABARAH trained in al Qaeda-run terrorist camps in Afghanistan. At these camps, he completed training courses in city warfare, mountain warfare, and advanced shooting, and learned how to use various weapons and identify explosives. JABARAH also spent time with Taliban forces on the front lines, and, in the spring and early summer of 2001, JABARAH met and spent time with USAMA BIN LADEN. JABARAH then joined al Qaeda, swearing al Qaeda's oath of allegiance, known as bayat, to BIN LADEN personally.

BIN LADEN assigned JABARAH to participate in a terrorist operation in Southeast Asia and, to that end,dispatched JABARAH to meet with senior al Qaeda operative KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED ("KSM") in Karachi, Pakistan. JABARAH stayed with KSM in Karachi for three weeks beginning in mid-August 2001. During that time, JABARAH received advanced terrorist training in stealth travel and surveillance techniques. JABARAH was also introduced to, and later extensively met with and took direction from, RIDUAN ISOMUDDIN, known as "Hambali" ("HAMBALI"), a leading figure in the Southeast Asia terrorist group known as Jemaah Islamiyah ("JI").

KSM then sent JABARAH to Malaysia to meet and assist JI operatives who were planning a terrorist operation against American and Israeli Embassies in the Philippines. KSM provided JABARAH with funds for the operation, giving him $20,000 and promising at least $30,000 more. KSM also told JABARAH to leave Pakistan by Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

In Malaysia, JABARAH met regularly with a group of JI operatives to plan the attack. Their discussions included target selection, funding, and procurement and transportation of explosives. Later, JABARAH traveled to the Philippines to perform operational surveillance of the United States Embassy in Manila. JABARAH also met in Manila with a JI explosives expert who was to construct the bombs that would be used in the terrorist operation.

Subsequently, JABARAH and the JI operatives performed surveillance of the United States Embassy in Singapore in connection with their decision to make that Embassy their priority for an attack. The operatives made a videotape of the United States Embassy in Singapore and other potential targets during the course of their surveillance efforts.

In December 2001, after a number of JI operatives were arrested in Singapore, JABARAH traveled from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Bangkok, Thailand, where he met with HAMBALI. HAMBALI advised JABARAH to flee Southeast Asia because the plot had been exposed in Singapore.

JABARAH then traveled to the United Arab Emirates, where he made contact with KSM. On KSM's instructions, JABARAH went to Oman to establish a safehouse for al Qaeda members who were fleeing from Afghanistan en route to Yemen.

In February 2002, JABARAH was arrested in Oman and deported to Canada. JABARAH voluntarily came to the United States from Canada in May 2002 pursuant to an agreement between JABARAH and this Office whereby JABARAH agreed to surrender to the custody of the FBI with the goal of entering into a cooperation agreement that would require him to plead guilty to criminal charges. As part of this agreement and to effect his travel to the United States, JABARAH executed a parole agreement, which described the understandings between the parties and granted him entry into the United States for the limited purpose of his cooperation. JABARAH was held in New York by the FBI until November 8, 2002, when investigation suggested that JABARAH had secretly disavowed his commitment to cooperate and was, instead, planning to attack federal officials. At that time, JABARAH was transferred into the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons.

The felony Information to which JABARAH pleaded guilty includes five counts: (1) conspiracy to kill United States nationals; (2) conspiracy to kill United States officers and employees engaged in their official duties; (3) conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against United States nationals; (4) conspiracy to destroy United States property by means of fire or explosives; and (5) making false statements to FBI agents in connection with a terrorism investigation.

JABARAH, 26, is a Canadian citizen of Iraqi descent. He formerly lived in St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada. "Armed with al Qaeda training and cash, and on the direct orders of Usama Bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mohammed Mansour Jabarah led a team of terrorists in a very real plot to kill Americans overseas," said MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

"Jabarah's sentence is more than appropriate, given that there is little doubt that an attack on one of our Embassies in Southeast Asia would have been carried out, and lives would have been lost, had our foreign law enforcement counterparts not broken up the plot."

"Jabarah was a deadly serious terrorist. He swore allegiance to bin Laden and lived with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, took orders from Hambali and planned to kill Americans in Manila and Singapore," said MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant Director-in- Charge of the New York Office of the FBI. "Fortunately he did not succeed with his plans, the consequences of which would have been devastating." Mr. GARCIA praised the work of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, principally consisting of agents of the FBI and detectives of the New York City Police Department, for their extraordinary efforts in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Assistant United States Attorneys DAVID RASKIN and JENNIFER G. RODGERS are in charge of the prosecution.

Good job, men. Ya done good.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Detained teen allegedly intended to hijack plane. A teenage passenger from California was arrested in Nashville for plotting to hijack a plane from Los Angeles to Nashville, the FBI said Friday. An FBI spokesman said that the 16-year-old boy was removed from Southwest Airlines Flight 284 Tuesday night by authorities at Nashville International Airport and found with “suspicious” items. The official said the teen had handcuffs, rope, and duct tape in his bag and was believed to be traveling alone. The FBI spokesman dismissed earlier broadcast reports that the teen was planning to crash the plane into a “Hannah Montana” concert in Lafayette, Louisiana. He said it has not been determined if the boy was trying to crash the plane. He said authorities searched the teen’s home in California and found a mock ****pit. The teen is believed to be suicidal, he said.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325426,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

U.S. says threat against airlines remains high. The United States is likely to keep a high threat designation for the airline industry because militants still see air travel as a target, said the U.S. Homeland Security secretary. He said the orange, or high, threat level assigned to the airline sector -- one level higher than the overall alert level for the United States -- was based on a general assessment rather than a specific threat. The official, who warned last week that one of the biggest threats to U.S. security could come from Europe, said European counter-terrorism authorities acknowledge their countries “are both a target and a platform” for militants.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080125/us_nm/davos_usa_security_dc

[Adlerian Thinker]

Al Qaeda’s dentist. A London dentist told the police he was just off to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid with his family in Pakistan. However, he tried to board a plane at Heathrow Airport with $18,000 in cash, a night vision scope, two metal batons, terror handbooks, extremist material, military information on CDs, and medical supplies. In an email, the man wrote “Pray that I kill many, brother. Revenge, revenge, revenge.” On an extremist Web forum, he added, “I am not going for good as far as I know, it is only a 14- to 20-day operation, if it’s in Pak, Afg or Waz.” The Islamic extremist was in fact on his way to fight for the Taliban against American and British troops. In court, he boasted he had been sent to the U.K. by Al Qaeda for terrorist fundraising. He posted a farewell letter anonymously on an Islamist website bragging about raising thousands of pounds from sympathizers in the U.K. for the cause because “bullets cost money.” Scotland Yard released e-mails revealing that “The Dentist” had trained at an Al Qaeda camp in Pakistan in 1996 and was the “emir” of another camp in 1998. During his arrest, cops found a chapter from an autobiographical book he had written called “My Father the Bombmaker,” as well as some “motivational Islamist material” stored on a CD. Arrested in October 2006, he has become the first person to be convicted under tough new U.K. anti-terror laws and was given four-and-a-half years.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325329,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Ethiopian stowaways found in airplane’s overhead compartment, arrested. Two stowaways discovered aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight after it landed in Dulles International Airport, Virginia, are being held on misdemeanor charges, according to immigration officials. The two men were discovered Wednesday morning, hiding in an overhead luggage compartment, by a security guard during an inspection of the jet, after the other passengers had disembarked. Presumably, they had been hiding in the compartment for the duration of the flight from Ethiopia, a source told Fox News. The stowaways, who are seeking asylum, were questioned by officials and placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending an immigration hearing. It was not clear if the men were part of the Ethiopian Airlines cleaning crew that swept the jet before take off. They likely face deportation if they acted alone, but there could be more serious charges if investigators learn that others were involved or if the men were found to be testing
security, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The flight originated in Ethiopia, she said, but she did not know if there were any stopovers where the men might have gotten on the plane.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325406,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Man indicted for E. Greenwich anthrax threat. A truck driver accused of mailing the East Greenwich Township municipal building a package of white powder labeled “anthrax” has been indicted by a Gloucester County grand jury on charges of threatening violence. Police say that, in an attempt to get revenge against the township, he mailed a box of white powder and a note identifying it as anthrax to the municipal building on August 7.
Source: http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/local/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1201245018130040.xml&coll=8

[Adlerian Thinker]

FBI warns of tax-rebate scam. If lawmakers pass an economic-stimulus package, it could mean people will receive a check in the mail. Some families could receive thousands of dollars. But the FBI is warning that some people are using the story to steal. Scammers, pretending to be IRS agents, are calling unsuspecting people, asking for Social Security numbers and other personal information so a refund check can be sent. An FBI special agent said they have four reports so far in the Kansas City area. He said scam artists are doing what is called phishing -- fishing for unsuspecting victims. The tax-rebate plan has not even been approved by Congress yet, and the IRS will never ask for personal information on the phone or in an e-mail.
Source: http://www.kmbc.com/news/15152423/detail.html

Don't fall for this crap.

[Adlerian Thinker]

TSA tester slips mock bomb past airport security. A covert tester for the Transportation Security Administration has been probing airport weaknesses for five years, beginning with big mock bombs before switching to ever-smaller devices as the TSA adapts to evolving terrorist threats. He went through the metal detector portal at Tampa International airport in Florida, and the detector alarm went off – as he expected it to – not because of the nonmetallic device strapped to his back, but due to his metal knee. A screener “wanded” him with a hand-held metal detector, and it beeped as it passed his metal knee, his necklace, and the rivets on his blue jeans. The screener then patted him down, running latex-gloved hands over his legs, arms, and torso. He patted down his back, including the lower part where the device was concealed. But the tester explained away the back support. He told the screener that he had a bum back in addition to having a metal knee. With the pat down over, the screener released him. He picked up his belongings and walked freely into the airport, the fake bomb still fastened to his back. TSA officials say the Tampa test demonstrates the type of systemic vulnerability that the agency is working to expose and address. Screeners have cultural sensitivities toward travelers’ handicaps, and they are sometimes hesitant to perform intrusive searches, officials said. Terrorists could exploit that reluctance, they said. After leaving the screening checkpoint, the tester returned with other members of his red team and informed the screener he has failed a test. A fake bomb has just entered their airport. Regardless of their reactions, screeners who fail to detect contraband are “pulled off the line” and retrained before being allowed back. The TSA says techniques such as the one used in Tampa are known to terrorists and openly discussed on known terror Web sites.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/28/tsa.bombtest/

[Adlerian Thinker]

White House north lawn evacuated. The north lawn of the White House has been evacuated while a suspicious package is investigated. The Secret Service evacuated the north lawn and stopped foot traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue in the area after a man was arrested for apparently making a threat against President George W. Bush, authorities said. The man was arrested along the fence line, the Secret Service reported. He had a duffle bag with him that was deemed suspicious.
Source: http://www.nbc4.com/news/15156192/detail.html?rss=dc&psp=news

[Adlerian Thinker]

Play ball!

Super Bowl deemed a target in federal threat assessment. The upcoming Super Bowl game will be a desirable target for terrorists, according to a threat assessment by federal security officials, which outlines several scenarios of possible attacks and security precautions for the February 3 event. Domestic and international terrorists have targeted major sporting events in the past, including the 1972 Munich and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, said the assessment compiled by the FBI and Homeland Security Department. The assessment, dated January 14 and obtained by the Washington Times, reminds law-enforcement officers of past incidents near stadiums, including an October 2005 incident in which a University of Oklahoma student blew himself up near the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It also warns that many thefts of government and law-enforcement property that could be used to facilitate entry have been reported in Arizona. Since October 2004, the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center has received more than 300 reports of thefts from fire, first responder, military, and police personnel including from those in the Phoenix area, where the game will be played.
Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080125/NATION/886850805/-1/RSS_FP

[Adlerian Thinker]

FBI investigates threat call involving NY-to-LA flight. An airliner that was the subject of a threatening telephone call has been moved to a remote part of Los Angeles International Airport. An FBI spokeswoman said the move Monday afternoon was strictly precautionary and that the person who made the call to a law enforcement agency is under investigation. The threat involved United Flight 23 from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Los Angeles. The plane landed safely and the 71 people aboard were taken off at the airport’s west end.
Source http://cbs2.com/local/Hijack.United.Airlines.2.639797.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Teens’ explosive device injures postal worker. A postal worker suffered minor injuries this weekend after a pair of teenagers left an explosive device in a Peachtree City, Georgia, mailbox, police said. Peachtree City police said the teens, ages 15 and 16, admitted to planting the device and were charged with manufacturing an explosive device. Police said a potentially explosive device was thrown Friday onto the porch of a residence to scare and retaliate against a 17-year-old who lives there. The postal worker found a second device inside the home’s mailbox Saturday and suffered minor chemical burns and an inhalation injury, police said. The Clayton County police bomb squad detonated the device, and no other injuries were reported.
Source: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/fayette/stories/2008/01/28/ptcboom_0129.html

Stupid kids.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/28/baitullah-mehsud-the-man-more-dangerous-than-osama-bin-laden/

He is more dangerous to Pakistan than Osama bin Laden, analysts say. He may be the single most important person in Pakistan’s fight for its future. And for the first time, he has described the goals and the details of the network of militants responsible for the most violent time in Pakistan in 60 years.

“Our main aim is to finish Britain, the United States and to crush the pride of the non-Muslims,” he told Admad Zaidan, al Jazeera’s bureau chief in Islamabad from an undisclosed location in northwest Pakistan. “We pray to God to give us the ability to destroy the White House, New York and London. And we have trust in God. Very soon, we will be witnessing jihad’s miracles.”

In his first ever television interview, Mehsud also called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a tool of President George Bush and says he isn’t interested in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Mehsud was recently chosen as the leader of a militant coalition known as the “Taliban Movement of Pakistan,” a collection of 26 groups that have come together to battle the Pakistani army and, he claimed in the interview, fight the United States and Britain on their home soil.

The interview takes place in the mountains. Mehsud’s face is obscured, but you can see his long jet-black hair and you get the sense that he is quite tall. He has been described by Pakistani authorities as a brutal and able leader.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/30/high-target-value-terror-leader-killed-in-missile-strike/
High Target Value Terror Leader Killed in Missile Strike?

January 30, 2008

Pakistani intelligence sources say they believe a “high-value” al Qaeda target was killed in a missile strike yesterday in the country’s tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

U.S. officials said there was no indication that the target was Osama bin Laden or his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, but one senior official told ABCNews.com the strike was aimed at one particular figure.

“We don’t know whether we got him yet, we are sorting through it,” the official said, indicating the intended target was a top leader of the terror group.

The official also ruled out as a target American al Qaeda Adam Gadahn, who appeared recently in a propaganda videotape.

“Gadahn may be recognizable to all of you, but he is really not that high up on the food chain in al Qaeda and not that important,” the official said.

Pakistani officials initially said that 12 suspected militants had been killed in a midnight strike against a home in a village in North Waziristan, Khushali Torikhel.

Both the Pakistani military and the CIA have used missile attacks in the past to target top al Qaeda leaders.

The CIA uses missiles attached to the unmanned Predator aircraft which fly over Pakistani airspace with tacit Pakistani government approval.

It would be cool if it were UBL, but we'll see what intel develops.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/29/a-new-generation-of-home-grown-terrorists-spring-up-in-australia/
A New Generation of Home-grown Terrorists Spring Up In Australia

January 29, 2008

A new crop of home-grown jihadis, groomed to step up and replace the leaders of Australian terror cells who have been arrested or jailed, is almost “mature” enough to launch an operation, an international terror expert has warned.

The warning came after the release of figures showing the Australian Federal Police had 76 new counter-terrorism cases to investigate in the past financial year. At June 30 last year, the AFP had 83 cases being examined by its counter-terrorism team.

The latest so-called network of militant extremists has been steadily evolving and its members are almost ready to take over from their predecessors, according to Rohan Gunaratna, international terrorism expert and the author of Inside al-Qa’ida.

Dr Gunaratna said the home-grown terror suspects had been under investigation by Australian law enforcement agencies for some time. The new networks were very similar in “character and composition” to those that had been disrupted by law enforcement agencies.

“Law enforcement has only peeled back one layer of jihadis,” he said. “The second rung is maturing and ripe for another operation, possibly in the coming months.”

Intelligence sources say they are aware of the new threats, but deny there is any evidence that the groups may be close to planning an attack in Australia.

Go get 'em, Bruce!

[Adlerian Thinker]

Air Force trains warriors to defend cyberspace from terror. The Air Force is revamping its training to prepare its 320,000 airmen to protect its frontlines in cyberspace, said an Air Force general. The battlefield includes the Internet, cell phone calls, and signals that trigger roadside bombs. Every enlisted man and officer will be taught about cyberwarfare in basic training, the Air Force Academy, or officer candidate school, he said. About 100 students per year will receive more advanced instruction at the Undergraduate Network Warfare Training course at Hurlburt Field in Florida. Graduates of the six-month program will be able to operate a computer like “a weapon system” and will be known as cyberwarriors or cyberoperators, he said. The first class graduated last month. A defense analyst questioned whether the Air Force program would overlap with responsibilities of the National Security Agency (NSA). Jamming enemy air defense radar and protecting computers from hackers have been part of traditional electronic warfare for the Air Force. “This thing sounds like they’ve set up their own operation separate from the NSA,” he said.
Source: http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3339747

[Adlerian Thinker]

White powder found in letter. A letter containing a suspicious white powder, delivered to a Rocky Mount, North Carolina, elementary school on Tuesday prompted a multi-agency investigation. Rocky Mount police responded to Baskerville Elementary School shortly after the letter was opened by the school’s principal, police said. The Rocky Mount Fire Department, Edgecombe County Health Department, and North Carolina Public Health Department also responded to the school. Police said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted regarding the incident. Testing continued Tuesday to determine if the powder is biological or toxic. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Source: http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/01/30/letter.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

New decontamination system kills anthrax rapidly without lingering effects. Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, in collaboration with Austin-based Stellar Micro Devices, Inc., have developed prototypes of a rapid, non-disruptive, and inexpensive method that could be used to decontaminate bioterrorism hazards in the future. Using flat panel modules that produce X-rays and ultraviolet-C light simultaneously, the researchers can kill anthrax spores in two to three hours without any lingering effects. The system also has the ability to kill anthrax spores hidden in places like computer keyboards without causing damage. The current decontamination standard – chlorine dioxide gas – kills microorganisms by disrupting transport of nutrients across the cell wall, but cannot reach hidden spores. Hard surfaces must be cleaned independently with harsh liquid chlorine dioxide. In addition, people cannot re-enter a room fumigated with chlorine dioxide until the gas is neutralized with sodium bisulfite vapor and vented from the building.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/95616.php

[Adlerian Thinker]

Agawam man charged with toxin threat on courthouse. An Agawam, Massachusetts, man who was being held on a federal firearms charge allegedly mailed letters to the prosecutor and a newspaper threatening to attack a federal building in Springfield with a weapon of mass destruction, according to a nine-count indictment unsealed this week. Federal authorities investigated the threats that the man made while in custody in July 2004 and found a quantity of the toxin ricin, which had been processed for use as a biological weapon, the indictment said. The indictment, which was unsealed Monday in federal court in Springfield, did not specify the amounts of the toxins, their location, or how dangerous they were, nor did it identify a motive. The man is being held at the Victorville Federal Correctional Complex, northeast of Los Angeles, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/30/agawam_man_charged_with_toxin_threat_on_courthouse/

[Adlerian Thinker]

Powder scare shuts Scientology centers in Tustin, Newport. A series of letters containing a white, powdery substance were received Wednesday by at least nine Church of Scientology-affiliated buildings across Southern California, authorities said. Initial tests done by fire and police agencies found the substances to be harmless. The powder sent in the two of the envelopes was cornstarch and wheat germ, said a lieutenant with the Tustin Police Department. At least one of the envelopes contained threats, demanding the Church of Scientology be dismantled. The FBI is investigating the synchronized threats, which were delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. No arrests have been made.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/powder-church-strain-1970259-scientology-cornstarch

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bird flu sweeps Indonesia, India, Tibet. Bird flu killed its third victim in as many days in Indonesia, raising the country’s human toll to 101, and ravaged poultry stocks in Tibet and India on Wednesday, as the virus spreads across Asia. In southwestern Tibet, a poultry farm was quarantined after an outbreak killed 1,000 birds, agriculture officials reported Wednesday. More than 13,000 other poultry were killed to prevent its spread. In India, the virus spread in three districts of West Bengal state, where culling was under way and more than 129,000 poultry birds have died, said the Animal Resource Development Minister. Health workers have killed nearly 2.5 million at-risk birds and were clearing areas within three miles of infection sites, the minister said. No human infections have been recorded. Officials in neighboring Bangladesh ordered the halt of all egg and poultry imports from India.
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hutx99h4P3zhm9sOE7F_ZO3qVGIwD8UG96N80

[Adlerian Thinker]

This is troubling:

US military not adequately prepared for homeland attack, report says. The U.S. military is not ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and National Guard forces do not have the equipment or training they need for the job, according to a report. Even fewer Army National Guard units are combat-ready today than were nearly a year ago when the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves determined that 88 percent of the units were not prepared for the fight, the panel says in a new report released Thursday. The independent commission is charged by Congress to recommend changes in law and policy concerning the Guard and Reserves. The commission’s 400-page report concludes that the nation “does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available” to respond to a chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons incident, “an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk.” “Right now we don’t have the forces we need, we don’t have them trained, we don’t have the equipment,” said the commission chairman in an interview with the Associated Press. In response, the Air Force general in charge of U.S. Northern command said the Pentagon is putting together a specialized military team that would be designed to respond to such catastrophic events. The capability for the Defense Department to respond to a chemical, biological event exists now,” he told the AP. “It, today, is not as robust as we would like because of the demand on the forces that we’ve placed across the country. ... I can do it today. It would be harder on the (military) services, but I could respond.” Over the next year, he said, specific active duty, Guard and Reserve units will be trained, equipped, and assigned to a three-tiered response force totaling about 4,000 troops. There would be a few hundred first responders, who would be followed by a second wave of about 1,200 troops that would include medical and logistics forces. The third wave, with the remainder of those initial 4,000 troops, would include aircraft units, engineers, and other support forces, depending on the type of incident. Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004156194_webmilitary31.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Scary Stuff:
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/01/31/man-charged-with-possessing-explosive-materials/
Man Charged With Possessing Explosive Materials

January 31, 2008

A man already facing charges in a 2002 pipe bomb attack in New York was arrested in Connecticut after police found homemade explosives in his car, federal authorities said.

A Wallingford police officer on a routine patrol early Tuesday morning said he spotted Yung W. Tang napping in the parking lot of a KinderCare just off of Interstate 91. Authorities said Tang indicated he was driving from Boston to New York and had pulled off the highway to sleep.

Tang, 38, is a a citizen of China who lives in Greenwood Lake, N.Y.

When questioned by police, Tang showed officers a suspended license. Police said the marker plates on the car belonged to another vehicle, and he could not produce registration or insurance information.

Officers then searched his car, finding a black duffel bag containing two improvised explosive devices and two radio-controlled detonators, according to police. Police said officers also found large bundles of cash, a fake mustache, makeup, gum remover and bomb-making materials, including a digital time, caps and wires.

Tang was charged with transporting explosive materials without a license and possession of an improvised explosive device not registered to him in national records.

Federal authorities are investigating why Tang had the materials. Police searched his Brooklyn home on Tuesday. Authorities said they did not find anything new in the search.

snip

In the 2002 case, a pipe bomb placed in Brooklyn next to the van of local businessman, Yisroel Halberstam, blew off part of his right leg. The 46-year-old Halberstam, who also goes by the first name Israel, had to have his right leg amputated below the knee.

The incident stemmed from a landlord-tenant dispute, according to detective Kevin Czartoryski, a police spokesman. It was not immediately clear which man was the landlord in the case. Phone messages were left with New York authorities.

snip

Yang was arrested after he allegedly admitted to the crime, according to the arrest records.

Yang was charged in December in the New York case with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, first-degree arson and criminal possession of a dangerous weapon. His bail was set at $50,000.

After his arrest in Connecticut, an investigation revealed that Tang allegedly possessed two improvised explosive devices, two radio-controlled initiators that could be used to remotely activate an IED, and two firearm silencers, police said.

Tang also had “multiple large bundles” of cash in his pockets, ranging from $700 to $880, and a pair of clear plastic gloves, authorities said. He also had a medicine bottle containing a black power substance that appeared to be gun powder and a knit hat that can cover an entire face, according to an affidavit.

The affidavit described other apparent bomb-making materials in the vehicle, including a cylindrical tube with threaded ends, and plastic foam coffee cups with a hard white substance inside.

An FBI agent who is the weapons of mass destruction coordinator for the New Haven division wrote in the affidavit that the devices “reflect a significant level of sophistication and experience with assembling and constructing bombs and explosive devices.”

snip

“We just think he got off the wrong exit and got picked up by the right police officer,” said Lt. Marc Mikulski, who said the suspect was questioned by officer Brad Marshall.

snip

Both charges against Tang each carry up to 10 years in prison.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/01/al-qaeda-uses-two-downs-syndrome-women-to-blow-up-73-people/
Al Qaeda Uses Two Down’s Syndrome Women To Blow Up 73 People

February 1, 2008

The death toll from the two bombings increased throughout the day to at least 73.

The chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, claimed the female bombers apparently had Down’s syndrome and the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating the women may not have been willing attackers, according to his office.

Bolstering that claim, local police said the woman in the first attack sold cream in the morning at the market and was known to locals as “the crazy lady”.

Police initially said the bomb at al-Ghazil market was hidden in a box of birds but determined it was a suicide attack after finding the woman’s head, an officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to release the information.

The attacks are sure to dent growing confidence among ordinary Iraqis that the streets of Baghdad are becoming safer following a steep reduction in violence.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/01/baltimore-police-discover-weapons-cache-and-suspicious-chemicals/
Baltimore - Police Discover Weapons Cache And Suspicious Chemicals

February 1, 2008

Police officers serving an arrest warrant on a Hampden man yesterday stumbled across several weapons and suspicious chemicals that prompted authorities to close a city block and evacuate several houses.

The incident began about 7:45 a.m. when Howard County police officers, accompanied by city police, attempted to serve an arrest warrant charging a man with felony theft. The officers entered a rowhouse in the 3400 block of Roland Ave. and discovered items in the house that concerned them, according to a county police spokeswoman.

The Baltimore Police Department’s bomb squad and the Fire Department’s hazardous materials task force were called to the scene, which was two blocks south of 36th Street, a shopping area known as “The Avenue.”

Through the morning and afternoon, police and fire officials could be seen carrying objects from the house while some firefighters donned chemical suits before they entered the dwelling.

Chief Kevin Cartwright, a city Fire Department spokesman, said police removed several firearms, including a machine gun, an inert hand grenade and material that may have been an inert explosive. Five rowhouses on either side of the house were evacuated as a safety precaution, he said.

The warrant was issued for stolen household items, Cartwright said.

Sherry Llewellyn, a Howard County police spokeswoman, said the man was detained by Howard County police and was taken to the county detention center. He was identified as Jonathan S. Hollands, 39, of the 3400 block of Roland Ave.

[rhet 2]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/01/baltimore-police-discover-weapons-cache-and-suspicious-chemicals/
Baltimore - Police Discover Weapons Cache And Suspicious Chemicals

February 1, 2008

Police officers serving an arrest warrant on a Hampden man yesterday stumbled across several weapons and suspicious chemicals that prompted authorities to close a city block and evacuate several houses.

The incident began about 7:45 a.m. when Howard County police officers, accompanied by city police, attempted to serve an arrest warrant charging a man with felony theft. The officers entered a rowhouse in the 3400 block of Roland Ave. and discovered items in the house that concerned them, according to a county police spokeswoman.

The Baltimore Police Department’s bomb squad and the Fire Department’s hazardous materials task force were called to the scene, which was two blocks south of 36th Street, a shopping area known as “The Avenue.”

Through the morning and afternoon, police and fire officials could be seen carrying objects from the house while some firefighters donned chemical suits before they entered the dwelling.

Chief Kevin Cartwright, a city Fire Department spokesman, said police removed several firearms, including a machine gun, an inert hand grenade and material that may have been an inert explosive. Five rowhouses on either side of the house were evacuated as a safety precaution, he said.

The warrant was issued for stolen household items, Cartwright said.

Sherry Llewellyn, a Howard County police spokeswoman, said the man was detained by Howard County police and was taken to the county detention center. He was identified as Jonathan S. Hollands, 39, of the 3400 block of Roland Ave.

Ain't we got fun.

Moore: there are too terrorists -- we're growing them by the scores right here in the good old USA.

The ones we're not importing, that is. LIKE YOU, you ignorant Canadian son of a bitch. Not to mention your fellow Stalinist, Soros.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Ain't we got fun.

Moore: there are too terrorists -- we're growing them by the scores right here in the good old USA.

The ones we're not importing, that is. LIKE YOU, you ignorant Canadian son of a bitch. Not to mention your fellow Stalinist, Soros.

Watch that BP, hon! :)

[rhet 2]

Watch that BP, hon! :)

Red hair flames so the BP can stay steady. It's the Scot-Irish way, laddie.

Palis headed our way, courtesy of Egypt.

Fun fun fun fun FUN!

YOU watch your six, you hear me, son? AROUND the damned berm, not over it -- and HBIEDs ain't just for Iraq anymore.

LEAs are the FIRST target of jihadis. Because without you guys, the Scum figure us old ladies and kiddies are easy pickings.

There are riots breeding -- with professional snipers waiting for riot responders.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Red hair flames so the BP can stay steady. It's the Scot-Irish way, laddie.

Palis headed our way, courtesy of Egypt.

Fun fun fun fun FUN!

YOU watch your six, you hear me, son? AROUND the damned berm, not over it -- and HBIEDs ain't just for Iraq anymore.

LEAs are the FIRST target of jihadis. Because without you guys, the Scum figure us old ladies and kiddies are easy pickings.

There are riots breeding -- with professional snipers waiting for riot responders.

They won't find it easy pickings. These sheep dogs have teeth, and we have a few wolves of our own.

[rhet 2]

They won't find it easy pickings. These sheep dogs have teeth, and we have a few wolves of our own.

Just leave one or two for the red-haired sheep with sharp hooves, would you?

We start getting VBIEDs and HBIEDs and French Intifada crap, and all holds are OFF.

You do realise that, I hope.

HARNESSING the rage of the sheep and turning them into something useful instead of part of the problem is going to be a MAJOR first response mandate.

I've got my hoard under control -- I hope -- and headed for the nearest grade school to begin rescue/holding ops -- instead of locking and loading and going out for some "payback" -- but the vast majority of the population will FREAK OUT, especially the Lunatic Left that totally lacks any semblance of self-control.

You've got a bunch of insane murdering Goons Squads and a hell of a lot of hysteria-addicted damned fool sheep to control at one and the same time.

I pray for our DOMESTIC troops -- you LEAs -- right along with the ones on the A-stan and Iraq fronts.

But I sure as hell wish I KNEW that we had a bunch of retired NCOs laying around loose who haven't completely forgotten how to turn a mob of knuckleheads into order-obeying Yes, sir! types.

[Losertarian]

In the AAW Forum, we have often spoken of our wonderful troops, and the job they are doing in defending us from terror.

Yet I have seen very little talk of what we can do. Yes, us home folk who aren't wearing cammo, or toting military issue weaponry. (If you are, please don't tell me about it! LOL)

What can regular citizens do?

I wanted to start a thread to discuss it.

Here are some ideas:
1) InfraGard - a private, not-for-profit group sponsored by the FBI that is tasked with protecting 17 sectors of critical infrastructure as indentified in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)
2) LEPC Committees - Local Emergency Planning Committees are under the aegis of the state DHS. They have to do with hazardous materials safety.
3) School Safety Commissions/Committees - Some states mandate such committees to help schools develop school safety plans

Info will be given on each. What are some things you can do in your neck of the woods?

We all have a vested interest in protecting our homeland.


nice, but until the federal goverment allows parents to go into their own childrens schools with CCW and be around them in each and every state of the union with CCW, I shall never believe that the federal goverment is there to protect us.


afterall, the fbi does do it fair share of murdering its own citizens.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/02/lane-bryant-5-shot-in-suburban-chicago-store-tinley-park/
Lane Bryant - 5 Shot In Suburban Chicago Store - Tinley Park

February 2, 2008

UPDATE 3:25 pm (PST): It has been confirmed that all five female victims have died.

UPDATE 12:25 pm (PST): Authorities launched a manhunt Saturday after discovering “multiple” victims in a clothing store in a suburban Chicago strip mall. They did not immediately confirm reports that four people had been shot to death.

Police Sgt. T.J. Grady said officers responding to a 911 call about a shooting at about 10:45 a.m. found “multiple victims” inside the Lane Bryant store. Grady refused to release other details or take questions, but said “the offender” had apparently left the area in the suburbs southwest of downtown Chicago.

Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil told the Chicago Tribune that police have reported four deaths.

————–

UPDATE 11:27am (PST): Police were seeking a 230-pound black male, 29, who was described as wearing black jeans with colored jewels on the back and a black or green jacket and black hat with one braid sticking out the side. No other suspects were being sought at the time.

Residents were being asked to stay away from the area.

Five people were shot this morning at a store in southwest suburban Tinley Park during an armed robbery.

The victims were shot at a Lane Bryant store in the 7200 block of west 191st Street. An eyewitness at the scene also told radio station WBBM that five people had been shot.

————–

UPDATE 11:05am (PST): Police are on the scene of a shooting in Tinley Park at a Lane Bryant store located in a strip mall on Harlem Avenue.

Reports from the scene say there are multiple victims.

More than a dozen ambulances were on the scene at the Harlem-Irving Plaza mall in Tinley Park and the shopping center was locked down, the station reported.

————–

Original Story

Five people were shot Saturday at a women’s clothing store south of Chicago, authorities said.

Tinley Park police reported four deaths in the shooting at a Lane Bryant store in a strip mall, Will County Coroner Patrick O’Neil told the Chicago Tribune.

Authorities at the scene declined to give details on the incident, but cordoned off the strip mall area, waving would-be shoppers by as they approached entrances Saturday afternoon.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/02/third-undersea-internet-cable-damaged-in-mideast/
Third Undersea Internet Cable Damaged in Mideast

February 2, 2008

1st Cable Cut - “What’s the back up plan?”

2nd Cable Cut - “What’s going on here?”

3rd Cable Cut - “What are the odds of this being a simple coincidence?”

A third undersea Internet cable has been damaged in the Middle East, adding to the disruption in online services after two other lines were cut earlier this week, the cable operating firm said.

The Falcon cable was cut 56 kilometres (35 miles) from Dubai, between Oman and the United Arab Emirates, according to its owner, FLAG Telecom, which is part of India’s Reliance Communications.

The repair ship had been notified and was expected to arrive at the site in the next few days, the company said on its website.

Flag Telecom owns another cable that was damaged off Egypt on Wednesday. A repair ship was expected to arrive by Tuesday to restore that cable and repairs were expected to take a week, the company said.

The outages have disrupted business across the Middle East and South Asia, including in India, where businesses said it may take up to 15 days to return to normal.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Suspected pipe bomb found at courthouse. An employee at the Erie County, New York, Courthouse noticed a pipe with a cap on either end and a fuse on the front steps of the courthouse around 7:50 a.m. on January 31 and notified the sheriff. He had discovered what the FBI later said was a suspected pipe bomb. The device, which was about eight inches long, has been sent to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives lab in Maryland for analysis. Investigators said they had leads in the case, but had made no arrests Thursday. An Erie Bomb Squad technician disabled the device by blowing off one of its end caps while the device sat on the steps of the courthouse. The FBI, ATF, and Erie police are conducting a joint investigation into who left the device.
Source: http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/NEWS02/802010368

[rhet 2]

Suspected pipe bomb found at courthouse. An employee at the Erie County, New York, Courthouse noticed a pipe with a cap on either end and a fuse on the front steps of the courthouse around 7:50 a.m. on January 31 and notified the sheriff. He had discovered what the FBI later said was a suspected pipe bomb. The device, which was about eight inches long, has been sent to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives lab in Maryland for analysis. Investigators said they had leads in the case, but had made no arrests Thursday. An Erie Bomb Squad technician disabled the device by blowing off one of its end caps while the device sat on the steps of the courthouse. The FBI, ATF, and Erie police are conducting a joint investigation into who left the device.
Source: http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/NEWS02/802010368

Good job, Mr. Gamble! :clap:

How come there weren't cameras ALSO on the front entrance? How flipping expensive and how much trouble is a flipping CAMERA, for pete's sake? And this is supposed to be "increased security"? Cute.

Real cute.

And "making a statement" with a bomb. DUH.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Good job, Mr. Gamble! :clap:

How come there weren't cameras ALSO on the front entrance? How flipping expensive and how much trouble is a flipping CAMERA, for pete's sake? And this is supposed to be "increased security"? Cute.

Real cute.

And "making a statement" with a bomb. DUH.

Sometimes, as I post, I imagine your outrage. :razz:

Seriously, another bomb story.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/04/al-qaeda-going-after-wmds/
Al Qaeda Going After WMDs

February 4, 2008

After a U.S. airstrike leveled a small compound in Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions in January 2006, President Pervez Musharraf and his intelligence officials announced that several senior Al Qaeda operatives had been killed, and that the top prize was an elusive Egyptian who was believed to be a chemical weapons expert.

But current and former U.S. intelligence officials now believe that the Egyptian, Abu Khabab Masri, is alive and well — and in charge of resurrecting Al Qaeda’s program to develop or obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Given the problems with previous U.S. intelligence assessments of weapons of mass destruction, officials are careful not to overstate Al Qaeda’s capabilities, and they emphasize that there is much they don’t know because of the difficulty in getting information out of the mountainous area of northwest Pakistan where the network has reestablished itself.

But they say Al Qaeda has regenerated at least some of the robust research and development effort that it lost when the U.S. military bombed its Afghanistan headquarters and training camps in late 2001, and they believe it is once again trying to develop or obtain chemical, biological, radiological and even nuclear weapons to use in attacks on the United States and other enemies.

For now, the intelligence officials believe, that effort is largely focused on developing and using cyanide, chlorine and other poisons that are unlikely to cause the kind of mass-casualty attack that is usually associated with weapons of mass destruction.

Intelligence officials say they base their current assessments on anecdotal evidence gleaned from electronic intercepts, information provided by informants and captured Al Qaeda members and the tracking of money flows and militant websites. One international counter-terrorism official said there were indications that some operatives had received immunizations to protect themselves against biological agents.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Railroad tampering suspected in Garland train derailment. Local authorities are warning officers to be on the lookout after a minor train derailment in Garland, Texas, was believed to have been caused by someone tampering with the track. The October incident on a Kansas City Southern line is being investigated by the federal joint terrorism task force. The Garland derailment happened about the same time as two other incidents of railroad tampering in Chicago and Los Angeles that could have caused a derailment, according to a confidential law enforcement bulletin. In the Garland incident, somebody laid railroad spikes against a switch in an apparent effort to cause a derailment, authorities said. The Chicago incident occurred in September when someone removed rail spikes from ties on one side of the track on the approach to an overpass above a highway. The following month, someone removed clips used to secure cross ties from a curved section of elevated track on a commuter rail line north of downtown Los Angeles. In the Los Angeles and Chicago incidents, the clips and spikes that had been removed were found in the area, the bulletin said. The bulletin said that authorities had not found any evidence of terrorist links to the two incidents. Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/garland/stories/DN-derailed_02met.ART.North.Edition1.4519eb0.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Over 30 districts affected by bird flu in Bangladesh. The number of bird flu-affected districts in Bangladesh has risen to 37 out of a total 64 districts until Tuesday morning, as bird flu continued to take its toll of the flourishing economic sector. In the last 24 hours until Tuesday morning, a total of 25,705 chickens, ducks, and pigeons were culled, while 6,042 others died of bird flu in three Bangladesh districts: eastern Narsingdi, western Kushtia, and western Jhenidah. With the latest culling, a total of 449,593 birds have so far been destroyed, and 68,420 died of avian flu in 58 sub-districts of 37 districts since March 2007, bird flu control room sources said Tuesday. The H5N1 bird flu virus was also found after carrying out tests on crows in some areas of the country, including the city Chittagong. But the test on crows that died in the capital city Dhaka has not been confirmed yet, according to local media reports. The situation has been getting worse since last month, as the bird flu virus is spreading quickly across the country. So far, there have been no human infections.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/05/content_7574501.htm

[Adlerian Thinker]

We need more bullets for these idiots:

FBI warns emergency 911 swatters are a growing menace. The FBI today said there has been a significant increase in the illegal activity known as “swatting,” where criminals and pranksters call in a fake 911 in hopes of drawing a response from law enforcement – usually a Special Weapons and Tactics team. The U.S. Department of Justice says swatters also make other false reports to elicit an emergency response by other first responders, such as adult protective services, to a specific physical address. In addition, swatters typically spoof phone numbers to conceal their identity. Swatters often tell tales of hostages about to be executed or bombs about to detonate. The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies. And the officers are placed in danger as unsuspecting residents may try to defend themselves, the FBI said in a statement. The FBI said it has arrested five swatters who, between 2002 and 2006, called 911 in more than 60 cities nationwide, impacting more than 100 victims, causing a disruption of services for telecommunications providers and emergency responders, and resulting in up to $250,000 in losses. Swats that the group committed included using bomb threats at sporting events, causing the events to be delayed; claiming that hotel visitors were armed and dangerous, causing an evacuation of the entire hotel; and making threats against public parks and officials, the FBI stated.
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24714

[Adlerian Thinker]

MayDay! Sneakier, more powerful botnet on the loose. A new peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet even more powerful and stealthy than the infamous Storm has begun infiltrating mostly U.S.-based large enterprises, educational institutions, and customers of major Internet service providers. The MayDay botnet can evade leading antivirus products, and so far has compromised thousands of hosts, according to Damballa, which says 96.5 percent of the infected machines are in the U.S. and about 2.5 percent in Canada. Damballa first hinted of this potential successor to Storm late last year. MayDay uses a combination of techniques to communicate with its bots, including hijacking browser proxy settings, says the vice president of engineering for Damballa. He says, “It can communicate through an enterprise’s secure Web proxy and conduct updates and attack activities” – a unique method for a botnet. The Web proxy approach also demonstrates that this is no random bot infection: “Designing bot malware to specifically use Web proxies is a clear indicator that it’s targeting [specific] enterprise systems,” he says. The botnet uses two forms of P2P communications to ensure it can talk to its bots, including the Internet Control Message Protocol. “This malware is for multiple protocols and is specifically designed to be successful despite whatever security controls might be” in place, he says. The infection comes in the form of what appears to the victim to be an Adobe Reader executable, but is actually the malware.
Source: http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=144919

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bomb threat empties Delta Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart in Delta, Colorado, was evacuated Monday after a bomb threat was called in, the second time in four days that a Wal-Mart store in the area was threatened. The Grand Junction Wal-Mart was evacuated after a bomb threat Friday. The Delta Interim Police Chief said “an irate individual” called the bomb threat in to an employee around 3:30 p.m. and stated, “I hope you find the bomb.” He said there is probably no connection to the threat to the Grand Junction store. About 75 employees and 200 customers were evacuated from the store after the threat came in and police and the Delta Fire Department searched the building. All entrances to the building were blocked off while the search was being conducted, and the store reopened around 5:30 p.m.
Source: http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/02/05/020508_3a_delta_threat.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Suspicious device found at Idaho Falls Red Lion. Idaho Falls police are investigating a suspicious package found in the stairwell of the Red Lion Hotel Saturday night. An employee of the hotel discovered the small device, described as a package wrapped in electrical tape with a fuse coming out of it. Police say it looked as if someone had lit the fuse. According to police, black gunpowder was leaking from the package. A member of the Idaho Falls Regional Bomb Squad responded. Two suspects were seen leaving the hotel about an hour before the device was discovered; they are described as having long black hair and trench coats. Source: http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=7822193&nav=menu554_2

[rhet 2]

MayDay! Sneakier, more powerful botnet on the loose. A new peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet even more powerful and stealthy than the infamous Storm has begun infiltrating mostly U.S.-based large enterprises, educational institutions, and customers of major Internet service providers. The MayDay botnet can evade leading antivirus products, and so far has compromised thousands of hosts, according to Damballa, which says 96.5 percent of the infected machines are in the U.S. and about 2.5 percent in Canada. Damballa first hinted of this potential successor to Storm late last year. MayDay uses a combination of techniques to communicate with its bots, including hijacking browser proxy settings, says the vice president of engineering for Damballa. He says, “It can communicate through an enterprise’s secure Web proxy and conduct updates and attack activities” – a unique method for a botnet. The Web proxy approach also demonstrates that this is no random bot infection: “Designing bot malware to specifically use Web proxies is a clear indicator that it’s targeting [specific] enterprise systems,” he says. The botnet uses two forms of P2P communications to ensure it can talk to its bots, including the Internet Control Message Protocol. “This malware is for multiple protocols and is specifically designed to be successful despite whatever security controls might be” in place, he says. The infection comes in the form of what appears to the victim to be an Adobe Reader executable, but is actually the malware.
Source: http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=144919

Can you see the flames coming out of the red hair? Swats and more bombs and now another 'puter killer virus.

Why are people so dad-blamed MEAN? What the hell's the POINT?

Thanks for the updates, of faithful servant of red-haired citizen types. :hug:

[Adlerian Thinker]

Can you see the flames coming out of the red hair? Swats and more bombs and now another 'puter killer virus.

Why are people so dad-blamed MEAN? What the hell's the POINT?

Thanks for the updates, of faithful servant of red-haired citizen types. :hug:

You are more than welcome.

We are working on a functional exercise for my community, to practice our reunification plans.

As usual, we hope to learn a lot.

[rhet 2]

You are more than welcome.

We are working on a functional exercise for my community, to practice our reunification plans.

As usual, we hope to learn a lot.

Tirelessness is a good trait in a defender. And you never know did you actually try it.

"reunification plans" ?????????? May one inquire without undue threat to national security?

[Adlerian Thinker]

Tirelessness is a good trait in a defender. And you never know did you actually try it.

"reunification plans" ?????????? May one inquire without undue threat to national security?

Schools, hospitals, ect. need to have plans in place to reunite the inhabitants with people on the outside. With schools, students need to be reunited with their parents.

For example, you have a boiler room explosion at a school. Students are secured in a safe location on campus, but you don't want parents rushing to the scene to get their kids, as they will impede the first responders, and may put themselves in danger.

Thus, a reunification plan. How will you get kids safely from incident site to a safe site? Once there? How do you organize the kids to maintain accountability and security? How do you verify that each child goes with an appropriate adult? All these and more need answers.

It gets even more complex with hospitals and nursing homes.

[rhet 2]

Schools, hospitals, ect. need to have plans in place to reunite the inhabitants with people on the outside. With schools, students need to be reunited with their parents.

For example, you have a boiler room explosion at a school. Students are secured in a safe location on campus, but you don't want parents rushing to the scene to get their kids, as they will impede the first responders, and may put themselves in danger.

Thus, a reunification plan. How will you get kids safely from incident site to a safe site? Once there? How do you organize the kids to maintain accountability and security? How do you verify that each child goes with an appropriate adult? All these and more need answers.

It gets even more complex with hospitals and nursing homes.

That's what I thought the term meant, but in much greater detail than I had available in my own memory files.

Thank you.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/05/three-al-qaeda-leaders-killed-in-us-strike/
Three al-Qaeda Leaders Killed In U.S. Strike

February 5, 2008

The US air raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Abu Layth al-Libi in Pakistan is reported to have also killed three other leaders from the terrorist network.

According to the Kuwaiti daily, al-Watan, two Kuwaitis and a Libyan also died in the missile attack conducted by a Predator aircraft on January 25 in Mir Ali, in North Waziristan on the border of Afghanistan.

The daily said the attack was aimed at what was believed to have been an al-Qaeda summit meeting. Abu Obeida Tawari al-Obeidi and Abu Adel al-Kuwaiti were reportedly there with al-Libi.

Abu Adel al-Kuwaiti came from Saudi Arabia but always lived in Kuwait.

Mubarak al-Badhali, a Kuwaiti supporter of Islamic fundamentalism, remembers him well.

“In 2003 he asked me how he could reach Iraq, but I did not want to help him to get to Afghanistan so first he had to go to Iran where he stayed around a month,” said Badhali.

“Then he went to Syria where he stayed two weeks and from there he tried unsuccessfully to enter Iraq,” he said. “After that he decided to go to Afghanistan.

“He was welcomed on the border by the imam of a mosque that took him to Waziristan (in northern Pakistan).”

According to well-informed sources, quoted in the Arab newpaper, al Hayat, al-Libi was the leader of an al-Qaeda delegation that reportedly met the Pakistani Taliban leader, Beitallah Mehsoud, whom intelligence services blame for the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

He was accompanied at the meeting by a senior Libyan al-Qaeda leader, Abdel Ghaffar al-Darnawi.

He was said to be responsible for establishing a link with Iran and moved to Afghanistan only eight months before the air raid to fight on the front line against the Americans.

The Pakistan government has said very little about the US attack which was widely regarded as a strategic victory against al-Qaeda.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/05/annual-threat-assessment-al-qaeda-improving-ability-to-attack-us/
Annual Threat Assessment - Al-Qaeda Improving Ability To Attack US

February 5, 2008

The US intelligence community warned Tuesday of the threat of terrorist attack against the United States as Al-Qaeda improves its ability to identify, train and position operatives for such operations.

In an annual threat assessment, US intelligence said it had detected an influx of new western recruits to Al-Qaeda safe havens in Pakistan’s federally administrative tribal areas since 2006.

“Al-Qaeda is improving the last key aspect of its ability to attack the US- the identification, training, and positioning of operatives for an attack in the Homeland,” the report said.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/06/prosecutor-in-goose-creek-terror-case-students-had-explosives/
Prosecutor In Goose Creek Terror Case: Students Had Explosives

February 6, 2008

A federal prosecutor disputes defense claims that two Egyptian college students arrested near a South Carolina Navy weapons station were carrying harmless fireworks and not dangerous explosives.

An attorney for Youssef Samir Megahed filed a motion last week asking a judge to reconsider granting bail. He cited an FBI report that characterized the items found in the trunk of the car as a pyrotechnic mixture that burned but didn’t explode when tested.

But federal prosecutor Jay Hoffer, in a motion filed Monday opposing bond for Megahed, said defense attorney Adam Allen “mischaracterized” the FBI report in describing the items in the trunk as harmless.

Hoffer said the items — including PVC pipe containing a mixture of sugar and potassium nitrate and capped with cat litter — meet the federal legal definition of explosives. FBI analysts determined that the mixture could explode if it was packed more tightly in the pipe and capped, Hoffer wrote.

“Experts from the FBI Laboratory describe these items as dangerous; the degree of their dangerousness is, according to them, dependent both upon their use and their surroundings,” the motion said.

Allen said the mixture wouldn’t have been packed in the pipes and capped off because Megahed’s co-defendant, Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, has said he was building “sugar rockets,” which are supposed to lift off the ground but not explode.

“It is indisputable that the FBI testing of replicas of these PVC mixture pipes clearly illustrated that when ignited, they either burned, smoked or did nothing at all, which I think is completely relevant to my client’s detention,” Allen said Tuesday.

Megahed, 21, and Mohamed, 26, have been in jail since sheriff’s deputies found what they called bomb-making materials in the trunk of their car during an Aug. 4 traffic stop near Charleston, S.C. They are charged with illegally transporting explosives.

Mohamed also faces a terrorism-related charge for allegedly making a video demonstrating how to convert a remote-control toy into a detonator for a bomb.

Allen said the two University of South Florida engineering students were on an innocent road trip to see beaches when they were stopped for speeding. Allen also contends that Megahed didn’t know anything about the contents of the trunk or the video that investigators found stored on a laptop computer in the car.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/05/ubc-biological-sciences-building-receives-second-threat/
UBC Biological Sciences Building Receives Second Threat

February 5, 2008

The same person who sent an e-mail threatening he would kill himself and others on the campus of the University of B.C. last week has sent another “general” threat, police announced Tuesday.

But while the last threat targeted the campus’s biological sciences building, prompting police to order staff and students to lock themselves in their rooms for hours, this one simply says that Wednesday will be the day that “harm” would be carried out.

The tone of the message was similar to last week’s message, which CTV reported was an e-mail threat from a man who threatened to kill himself and others in the building.

“This particular threat was less in nature… but the individual threatened to carry out the threat he made last week,” said Annie Linteau of the RCMP.

The RCMP are mobilizing an increased police presence on campus Wednesday, and students have been told to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.

The campus will remain open, but the biological sciences building will close, said UBC spokesman Scott Macrae.

Police are asking the person who sent the message to come forward and seek psychiatric help.

Last week, police cordoned off the biological sciences building with police tape and told students in the building to lock themselves in their class rooms and stay where they were.

The RCMP mobilized their dog teams, emergency response teams, explosive disposal units, major crime units, and sent its helicopter to hover overhead.

After several hours, students were led outside of the building.

CTV learned that the university administration received an e-mail from a man who threatened to kill himself and other people in the building.

UBC responded with an e-mail of its own, warning staff in the building that police had requested a lockdown and police were on the scene.

“Stay in your rooms,” wrote David Halcovitch, the associate director of campus security. “Do not open the door for anyone except for persons who use the word ZULU. Please keep this word confidential.”

Linteau refused to confirm or deny that the e-mail had been sent under advice from the RCMP.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/06/search-for-suspicious-person-seen-near-oyster-creek-nuclear-plant/
Search For Suspicious Person Seen Near Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant

February 6, 2008

Police failed to find a suspicious person who was spotted near the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township.

The three-hour search was launched after the person fled on foot after being confronted by members of the National Guard Tuesday afternoon.

State Police used a helicopter and K-9 units from several Ocean County law enforcement agencies combed the woods off the plant’s property.

Police say the person was last seen walking north on the Garden State Parkway at milepost 70.4.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/04/scotland-yard-braces-for-possible-wave-of-terrorism-after-suicide-bomber-arrests/
Scotland Yard Braces For Possible Wave of Terrorism After Suicide Bomber Arrests

February 4, 2008

Scotland Yard is braced for a fresh wave of possible terrorist attacks against public transport after a group of suspected Islamist suicide bombers were arrested in a secret security operation at Gatwick airport.

Six Pakistani men were held under anti-terrorism laws 10 days ago after they flew in from Barcelona. The arrests were prompted by a tip-off from the Spanish intelligence services after the discovery of a suspected Al-Qaeda terror cell in the city. The cell is alleged to have planned to detonate suicide bombs on the Barcelona Metro. The Spanish warned a similar attack was being planned here.

The six Pakistanis were taken to Paddington Green police station in west London and were questioned by detectives from the Yard’s counter-terrorism unit. After being held overnight they were driven under police escort back to the airport and escorted onto a flight back to Pakistan.

Soon after the arrests MI5’s Centre for the Protection of National Infra-structure warned of a possible terrorist attack on bridges, tunnels and the Channel tunnel.

The Gatwick arrests followed an antiterrorist operation in Barcelona in which 12 Pakistanis and two Indians were held for allegedly planning bomb attacks. It has been reported that among the cache was a quantity of triacetone triperoxide, a comparatively cheap explosive used by suicide bombers in the Middle East.

At the time of the Barcelona arrests counter-terrorism officials played down reports of any imminent threat to Britain. But it has since emerged that Spanish intelligence did receive information about an attack against Britain’s public transport system.

According to El Pais, the Spanish newspaper, a member of the Barcelona cell told the Spanish civil police that it was planning attacks not just on Barcelona’s underground system but also against public transport in Britain and other European countries.

The informant is said to have told police that pairs of suicide bombers planned to strap explosives to their bodies and blow themselves up on the rail and bus networks in Britain, France, Germany and Portugal.

Referring to the arrests of the Pakistanis at Gatwick, a senior British official said: “The intelligence from Spain was that there was to be another wave of attacks on the way to us after the attempted attacks in Barcelona. When it was followed up it led to this lot.”

Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP who last year helped to prepare a report on terror threats to crowded places, said: “This intelligence shows the breadth and span of international terrorism and anybody who thinks that the threat has either gone or is in abeyance is in cloud-cuckoo-land.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

Suspicious man prompts massive search at nuke plant. A person who fled from members of the National Guard near the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township, New Jersey, was the subject of a massive police search Tuesday afternoon. The individual initially was believed to be on the plant property, but a spokeswoman for the utility later said the sighting of the person was not on “owner-controlled property.” The incident began around 2 p.m., when the afternoon shift of the National Guard came on duty at the plant. Someone was discovered near the plant and was considered suspicious after fleeing on foot when confronted, authorities said. Lacey police responded; state police dispatched a helicopter and K-9 unit; and K-9 units from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and Waretown police were used. The individual was last seen on foot walking north on the Garden State Parkway at milepost 70.4, said a state police officer. There are 860 “owner-controlled acres” associated with the power plant property and a smaller area considered a “protected area” where there is fencing and members of the National Guard are posted, said the utility’s spokeswoman. Source: http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080206/NEWS01/80206007

[Adlerian Thinker]

Dothan airport evacuated after reported pipe bomb. Police evacuated Dothan Regional Airport in Alabama around 7 a.m. on Tuesday and reopened it around 9:30 a.m. Authorities with the FBI, the Dothan Police Department’s bomb squad, the Dothan Fire Department, and the Airport police responded to a reported pipe bomb. A spokeswoman for the Dothan Regional Airport said police found the pipe propped up against a brick column outside the terminal of the airport. A spokesman for the Dothan Police Department said police exploded the pipe twice. It was not an explosive device, according to the Dothan Regional Airport director. “It was a machine part that looked very much like a pipe bomb,” he said. “We think it’s probably a part that went to a trailer hitch.” Only one commercial flight was canceled, and only the commercial terminal closed, while the runway remained open for private and military training flights. Source: http://www.dothaneagle.com/gulfcoasteast/dea/local_news.apx.-content-articles-DEA-2008-02-06-0016.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Authorities investigate suspicious package at Sierra Vista post office, temporarily closing the facility to the public. A suspicious package at the U.S. post office in Sierra Vista, Arizona, stopped service on Tuesday morning and into the afternoon. About 8:30 a.m., post office staff found a black duffle bag to be delivered to Fort Huachuca, which they considered suspicious. The fort bomb-dog unit told the post office it would not respond to investigate a specific suspicious parcel, only to a specific area to look for a suspicious parcel, a Sierra Vista police sergeant said. The post office then called Sierra Vista police, and the canine unit declined to have their dog check out the suspicious bag, citing that the dog is trained to be a drug-sniffing dog, not a bomb-sniffing dog. The FBI office in Sierra Vista was then contacted by city police, and they responded as well as did an Arizona Department of Public Safety bomb unit out of Tucson.
Source: http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/02/05/news/doc47a8b8358b87e786982487.txt

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/07/pilot-stabbed-electronic-device-found-on-plane-new-zealand/
Pilot Stabbed Woman Claimed To Have 2 Bombs On Plane - New Zealand

February 7, 2008

UPDATE: Police have released details of a woman from Somalia who attacked two pilots on a flight from Blenheim to Christchurch this morning.

The woman, who also made bomb threats, is a 33-year-old Blenheim resident.

Both pilots suffered knife wounds, one to the hand and the other to a foot, and are now in hospital. One passenger received a minor injury that was treated at the scene.

Police and Transport Minister Annette King has called for an urgent report on the incident.

The woman made bomb threats claiming there were two bombs on board the plane.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/07/anonymous-letter-threatens-mall-raleigh-durham-airport-north-carolina/
Anonymous Letter Threatens Mall Raleigh Durham Airport - North Carolina

February 7, 2008

As shoppers at local malls watch the merchandise, high level security teams watch them.

According to the Wake County Sheriff’s Department, they received an anonymous letter in the mail Wednesday threatening a Wake County mall and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Investigators are not releasing the details of the threat. As a precaution, local shopping centers, RDU Airport and other law enforcement agencies were notified about the threat.

A spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department says his department was made aware of the situation. The State Department of Crime Control and Public Safety said it had no knowledge of a threat.

Security officials with the Crabtree Valley Mall, the Triangle Towne Center, North Hills and the Cary Town Center say they are working closely with law enforcement. All of the shopping centers have increased security.

“We take these matters very seriously and we’ve increased security in light of this,” said Sandra Geist, Marketing Director for the Crabtree Valley Mall said. “Our biggest responsibility is the safety of our shoppers and our employees.”

Merchants at North Hills received flyers warning them about the potential threat. Store managers tell Eyewitness News they have been told to watch out for suspicious activity.

Meanwhile, Wake County investigators are releasing few details at this time, saying they do not want to panic shoppers and air travelers. However, they say they are taking the threat seriously.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/07/fbi-investigates-gas-station-explosion-possible-connection-to-goose-creek-suspects/
FBI Investigates Gas Station Explosion

February 7, 2008

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Many questions are left surrounding the death of a young Palestinian man. And, the FBI wants answers.

22-year-old Farid Karaka was burned alive after a gas station explosion early Wednesday morning on Busch Boulevard.

How did it happen?

Why was Karaka at a local Citgo mechanic’s garage at almost midnight. The garage was closed. He had just left friends at a local coffee shop and was en route to meet them at another location.

The FBI is asking all of these questions. But, they are tight-lipped on telling the media anything. They even refused comment on any connection of Karaka to 2 USF students who were recently arrested.

The question again is why. Have they established a connection? Are they looking into this as a matter of precaution? It would seem odd that a federal agency is involved in a matter left up to local fire investigators.

A local Muslim advocate group, CAIR, is welcoming any questions. And, wanting answers.

“Obviously when any crime happens or any accident happens, we welcome authorities and agencies getting to the bottom of things,” Ahmed Bedier told Tampa Bay’s 10 News at the scene of the fire. “We have lost a good young man.”

In keeping with Muslim tradition, the family wants the victim buried as soon as possible, which will most likely happen in Tampa. Karaka’s close family is located in Palestine. He was working in the United States to send money back home. Relatives in Brandon now have the somber task of burying their loved one, just 2 months before he was to marry a fiancé in New York.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5692608&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Tampa Fire Rescue crews say one person was killed in a fire at a gas station early Wednesday morning.

Crews say witnesses reported hearing an explosion and then seeing flames as high as the treetops coming from the Citgo Gas Station on West Busch Boulevard just after midnight. Two men who worked across the street from the gas station saw what was happening, and ran to help. They say they found a man lying inside the garage area of Jacob’s Lube Repair Shop, which is attached to the gas station. They say they ran inside, but the flames were just too intense.

“I ran inside, and I reached down in there and slowly eased my way towards him, and the flames were so high and the smoke—it overtook me. All I could do was touch his boot a couple times, and I kept calling for him to look up it at me. He was just in so much pain, and so much trauma was going on that all I could do was just keep talking to him.”

Fire crews arrived at the scene, and they say they found smoke and flames coming from the building. They also say the doors of the service bay area have been blown off by the explosion.

When firefighters pulled the man from the burning building, they say he was already dead. He was later identified as Farid IA Karakra, a 22-year-old mechanic who worked there. Coworkers told investigators he left work around 7:30 p.m., but they’re not sure why he would have returned.

Fire crews worked quickly to put out the blaze, extinguishing the flames within about 30 minutes. They say the damage was contained to the west end of the building, which appears to be a car service area.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire. On Wednesday morning, agents from ATF, FBI and the Tampa Bomb Squad were also at the scene, possibly looking into the cause of the explosion.

[rhet 2]

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5692608&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Tampa Fire Rescue crews say one person was killed in a fire at a gas station early Wednesday morning.

Crews say witnesses reported hearing an explosion and then seeing flames as high as the treetops coming from the Citgo Gas Station on West Busch Boulevard just after midnight. Two men who worked across the street from the gas station saw what was happening, and ran to help. They say they found a man lying inside the garage area of Jacob’s Lube Repair Shop, which is attached to the gas station. They say they ran inside, but the flames were just too intense.

“I ran inside, and I reached down in there and slowly eased my way towards him, and the flames were so high and the smoke—it overtook me. All I could do was touch his boot a couple times, and I kept calling for him to look up it at me. He was just in so much pain, and so much trauma was going on that all I could do was just keep talking to him.”

Fire crews arrived at the scene, and they say they found smoke and flames coming from the building. They also say the doors of the service bay area have been blown off by the explosion.

When firefighters pulled the man from the burning building, they say he was already dead. He was later identified as Farid IA Karakra, a 22-year-old mechanic who worked there. Coworkers told investigators he left work around 7:30 p.m., but they’re not sure why he would have returned.

Fire crews worked quickly to put out the blaze, extinguishing the flames within about 30 minutes. They say the damage was contained to the west end of the building, which appears to be a car service area.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire. On Wednesday morning, agents from ATF, FBI and the Tampa Bomb Squad were also at the scene, possibly looking into the cause of the explosion.

My my my, my my! Citgo = Chavez Palestinian + Florida = Sami al Aryan --- AGAIN

What interesting dots to be connecting................

[Adlerian Thinker]

My my my, my my! Citgo = Chavez Palestinian + Florida = Sami al Aryan --- AGAIN

What interesting dots to be connecting................

Don't forget the alleged connection to the two Goose Creek turd-balls.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329289,00.html
Armed 'Drunkenstein' Planned Super Bowl Massacre, Changed Mind in Parking Lot

Friday, February 08, 2008

PHOENIX — A would-be bar owner angry at being denied a liquor license threatened to shoot people at the Super Bowl and drove to within sight of the stadium with a rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition before changing his mind, federal authorities said.

Use the link, read the story. Scary stuff, indeed.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Security heightened at Wake County malls, RDU. Wake County malls and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina heightened security Wednesday after the sheriff’s office received an anonymous threat. The threatening letter arrived in the mail Wednesday and noted possible attacks on shopping centers and RDU. Security guards were on high alert, keeping a close eye out for suspicious activity. The sheriff’s office is not releasing any additional information about the letter.
Source: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2404685/

[Adlerian Thinker]

FAA concerned about laser pointer effects on pilots. Some pilots flying over Oahu are being greeted with annoying and potentially-dangerous beams of light. The Federal Aviation Administration blames laser pointers in a string of new cases. In the past week, the FAA received three reports of incidents in which someone on the ground aimed a laser beam at aircraft approaching or departing Honolulu. “That is a relatively large number of incidents in a short period of time,” said a FAA spokesperson. “It’s not unheard of for people to shine lasers up at planes on the islands. But typically, we don’t see three of them in seven days.” “The FAA is very concerned about these irresponsible acts because even a small laser pointer can temporarily impair a pilot’s vision,” the official said. “And that could be very serious if it occurs when the pilot is in the very critical landing or taking off phase of flight.” The FAA calls it a growing problem. In 2005, there were about 290 reports of lasers being shined at aircraft across the US. In 2006, the number soared to about 400. It climbed to about 420 in the first nine-and-a-half months of 2007.
Source: http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=7828370

People, people, people. Stop shining the damn lasers at airplanes.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Powdery substance reported at state office building. Hazardous-Materials crews rushed to offices of the Texas Department of Human Resources last night after workers found suspicious powder in a letter. The Austin Fire Department and EMS received a report of an unknown substance opened in an envelope shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Haz-Mat crews say two employees were possibly exposed. At this time officials say the substance does not appear harmful.
Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/020608kvueenvelopepowder-cb.96725bcd.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Workers returning to CP’s Dawn Foods after bomb threat. Emergency workers evacuated a Crown Point, Indiana, food plant at 1:23 p.m. Wednesday following a telephoned bomb threat to the business, the city police said. After several hours, the workers were let back into the building and the business was determined to be bomb-free, he said. The official said it was not immediately known if there was any validity to the threat.
Source: http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/02/06/updates/breaking_news/doc47aa0af41db20921924753.txt

[Adlerian Thinker]

White powder at D.C. City Hall ruled harmless. Investigators have determined that white powder thrown at the Wilson Building in downtown Washington, D.C., is harmless and appears to be table salt. A D.C. fire department spokesman said workers were held in their offices at city hall for nearly two hours as a precaution while a hazardous materials team analyzed the powder. He said a man walked into the Wilson Building’s lobby about 10 a.m. and threw several ounces of the powder after getting into a confrontation with a security guard. The man then ran from the building.
Source: http://www.nbc4.com/news/15235444/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Students had explosives. A federal prosecutor disputes defense claims that two Egyptian college students arrested near a South Carolina Navy weapons station were carrying harmless fireworks and not dangerous explosives. A defense attorney filed a motion last week asking a judge to reconsider granting bail. He cited an FBI report that characterized the items found in the trunk of the car as a pyrotechnic mixture that burned but did not explode when tested. But the federal prosecutor said that the defense attorney “mischaracterized” the FBI report in describing the items in the trunk as harmless. The prosecutor said the items – including PVC pipe containing a mixture of sugar and potassium nitrate and capped with cat litter – meet the federal legal definition of explosives. FBI analysts determined that the mixture could explode if it was packed more tightly in the pipe and capped. The defendants have been in jail since sheriff’s deputies found what they called bomb-making materials in the trunk of their car during an August 4 traffic stop near Charleston, South Carolina. They are charged with illegally transporting explosives. One also faces a terrorism-related charge for allegedly making a video demonstrating how to convert a remote-control toy into a detonator for a bomb.
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iAtZCOCu6i-
MQvVj4csX_VuLyY8QD8UKBTK00

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/07/atf-midland-county-sheriffs-investigate-theft-of-200-guns-standford-michigan/
ATF Midland County Sheriff’s Investigate Theft of 200 Guns - Sanford Michigan

February 7, 2008

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) joined the Midland County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of a reported theft of more than 200 firearms, both handguns and long guns, from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Sanford.

On Feb. 6, 2008, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a breaking and entering was discovered at Joe Gun Inc., 152 E Saginaw Rd., Suite 6, Sanford, MI 48657. Thomas E. Brandon, special agent in charge of ATF in Michigan, said, “The theft of firearms from licensed gun dealers is a top priority for ATF. Our experience shows us that these guns quickly become used in violent crimes.

We also know that tips from the public have resulted in the recovery of stolen firearms.” ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous and toll-free ATF crime gun hotline at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867) or the Midland County Sheriff’s Tip Line at 989-839-4609.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/08/louisiana-technical-college-woman-shoots-2-female-students-self/
Louisiana Technical College - Woman Shoots 2 Female Students, Self

February 8, 2008

Baton Rouge police say a young woman killed two female students in a classroom at a vo-tech college, then killed herself.

Sgt. Don Kelly says police don’t know the women’s names or ages, or whether the killer was also a student at Louisiana Technical College.

He says the first two women killed apparently were in their seats in the second-floor classroom.

The incident occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. today. Kelly says Baton Rouge police got many cellphone calls saying people had been shot.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/08/fuel-trucks-stolen-in-virginia/
Fuel Trucks “Fuel Tankers” Stolen In Virginia

February 8, 2008

UPDATE 02/08/08 - One of The Two Trucks Has Been Found

Police said they have found one of two tanker trucks that were stolen from a construction company lot in northern Virginia on Friday.

Authorities said two trucks were taken between 7 p.m. on Thursday and 5 a.m. on Friday from the parking lot of S.W. Rodgers Company Inc. on Wellington Road in Gainesville.

One of the trucks was found later in Baltimore.

Authorities said the trucks were carrying thousands of gallons of diesel fuel.

Police said they do not know what motivated the crime. They are not sure if the thieves intended to sell the fuel or if the missing trucks present a national security threat.

Federal authorities have been notified, and police put out a notice to truckers telling them to watch out for the remaining tanker.

“There’s a valid concern to be anxious when tanker trucks disappear,” said Sgt. Shana Hrubes, spokeswoman for Prince William County police. “We’re working in coordination with the trucking industry, as well as Homeland Security and the FBI, the joint terrorism task force.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/08/al-qaeda-plotting-terror-attacks-on-germany/
Al-Qaeda Plotting Terror Attacks On Germany

February 8, 2008

German authorities have learnt that Al-Qaeda is preparing to carry out attacks in Germany, a senior official said in an interview with Die Welt newspaper on Friday.

The secretary of state in the interior ministry, August Hanning, said Al-Qaeda leaders based in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan have “decided to carry out attacks in Germany.”

“We are worried that we will not be able to foil every plot,” he added.

Die Welt said the federal intelligence agency and police have established that Germany’s military mission in Afghanistan prompted Al-Qaeda to move the country “much higher” on its list of targets.

In September 2007, two German converts to Islam and a Turkish man were arrested in the western Sauerland region on suspicion of planning to blow up US installations in Germany, including the southwestern US military airbase at Ramstein.

The men had stockpiled some 700 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of chemicals to use in “massive” attacks to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the security services said.

The plotters are believed to belong to the Islamic Jihad Union, a group with links to Al-Qaeda.

The deputy president of the federal police, Bernhard Falk, said there were clear indications that Al-Qaeda had ordered other attacks and that its cadres were preparing to strike.

“There is a high probability that besides the Sauerland plot, several other operations have been planned,” he said.

Hannig linked the “high risk” to the volatile situation in southern Afghanistan, saying Al-Qaeda’s “operational capacity” in the region had recovered.

Germans in Afghanistan, often young men of Turkish origin or German converts to Islam, were recruited to become “holy warriors” and sent back to Germany to carry out attacks, he said.

Germany has 3,200 soldiers stationed in Kabul and northern Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force but has rejected calls by its allies to deploy men in the south to fight a Taliban insurgency.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Tazewell County Courthouse bomb threat. In Virginia, the Tazewell County Courthouse was shut down Thursday after a bomb threat was called in. Just before one o’clock, courthouse officials received a phone call that there was a bomb in the building. After receiving the call, courthouse deputies evacuated the entire building and canceled court proceedings for the entire day. The courthouse is expected to re-open Friday morning, February 8.
Source: http://www.wvva.com/News/index.php?ID=20801

[Adlerian Thinker]

Training simulates attack with weapons of mass destruction. Military helicopters circled the Pitt County Fairgrounds, North Carolina, on Wednesday as bomb-diffusing robots and emergency personnel scurried about, working to dispose of simulated weapons of mass destruction. It was only a drill, but officials say the training is necessary to ensure that responders will be prepared if such an event should ever occur locally. Local and state emergency management officials teamed with representatives of a National Guard Civil Support Team and U.S. Marines for the exercise, which is part of continual training by the National Guard with other agencies. The drill simulated an event involving chemical and explosive weapons. “In today’s society, weapons of mass destruction are something we have to be prepared for in addition to the many other emergency responses we have to be prepared to deal with,” the deputy director and fire marshal with Pitt County Emergency Management said. “This just gives us and other agencies in Pitt County the opportunity to network, partner with, and train with a military team that specializes in a response to weapons of mass destruction.”
Source: http://www.reflector.com/local/content/news/stories/2008/02/07/Training.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Homeless man arrested after bomb threat at Target store. Police have arrested a homeless man suspected of calling in a bomb threat to a Virginia Beach Target store. A police spokesman said a man called 911 at 2:37 p.m. Wednesday from a pay phone claiming to have placed a bomb inside the Target store. Officers evacuated the building, but the bomb squad found the store to be safe. The man has been charged with threatening to bomb, as well as public intoxication.
Source: http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-now-bombthreat.f7,0,1371620.story

[Adlerian Thinker]

Phoenix airport secures ‘prohibited item’. Officials said about 600 passengers were re-screened on Sunday after a suspicious item was found at Phoenix’s main airport. The undisclosed “prohibited item” was found near the checkpoint of Terminal 2 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport around noon, according to airport officials. Six flights were delayed as a result of the re-screening. “There was not any eminent danger,” said a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman. She said the re-screening was done as a precaution.
Source: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/108694

[Adlerian Thinker]

Suspicious device sends bomb squad to port. In Florida, the Brevard County Bomb Squad was called in to Port Canaveral Saturday after a suspicious device was reported. It was near the Carnival Glory at Terminal 10. The incident happened as passengers were showing up for their cruise. Officials said the object turned out to be a piece of luggage. The sheriff’s office said port operations were interrupted until the owner was found. The luggage did not have to be destroyed. Two cruise ships were at the port at the time -- The Carnival Glory and Disney Magic.
Source: http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/2/9/suspicious_device_sends_bomb_squad_to_port.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

3 arrested after trying to climb airport fence. Three men are in custody in Lee County, Florida, after they were caught trying to climb a fence at Southwest Florida International Airport. The three men were spotted in a car near the Hertz rental car counter at the airport, according to a Lee County Port Authority spokeswoman. A Hertz representative called them in as suspicious persons, but when law enforcement arrived, they found the men had abandoned the car. The three were found attempting to climb a fence and arrested.
Source: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080209/NEWS01/80209033/1002

[Adlerian Thinker]

Powder causes alarm; suspicious substance deemed harmless. The Chatham-Kent Police Service headquarters in Ontario, Canada, was briefly quarantined Saturday afternoon after two concerned citizens brought in a suspicious substance. However, officials have since deemed the white, crumbly material harmless. A staff sergeant told the Chatham Daily News the pair opened an envelope, which was not addressed to them, and discovered the substance. He said police took standard precautions given the situation. “We contained the lobby,” he said. “The substance wasn’t something that could become airborne.” The envelope was postmarked from Chicago and featured writing in a foreign language. A joint investigation with the FBI’s Chicago office later indicated the mail originated from an elderly woman of Polish descent. Police said the investigation is complete pending a confirmation analysis of the product. The staff sergeant advised people never to open strange mail, saying it should simply be returned to the sender. However, he said if they do open it, to contact police when any suspicious material is found and leave the envelope or package where it is. “Don’t bring it into the police station,” he said.
Source: http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=897400

[Adlerian Thinker]

Suspicious powder found in bank envelope. Cincinnati firefighters were called late Saturday morning to a U.S. Bank facility that processes envelopes. As a machine was opening an envelope, a powdery substance shot out. It went into the air and also left residue on the machine. No one was hurt, but firefighters are trying to determine whether or not the powder is toxic. The building was also vented as a precaution.
Source: http://www.local12.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4048a34b-5fe9-4930-93c9-8c6fa9dc3650

[Adlerian Thinker]

Trial begins Monday in firebombing at University of Washington. A student at Evergreen State College in Washington says she is not sure where she was early on May 21, 2001, but there is one place she was not: crouching in the bushes near a research center at the University of Washington, serving as a lookout for her fellow Earth Liberation Front (ELF) activists as they set firebombs that caused millions of dollars in damage. Prosecutors say that is exactly where she was, and they are intent on proving it during a trial that begins Monday at U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Of more than a dozen environmental and animal-rights activists arrested following a nine-year investigation into ecoterrorism in the Northwest, this student was the only one who has declined to plead guilty. She is taking her chances before a jury because “she’s not going to jail or prison for something she did not do,” her lawyer said. According to prosecutors, Waters joined four other people in burning down the university’s Center for Urban Horticulture that spring night, obtaining a rental car for the group, hiding in the bushes as a lookout, and using a walkie-talkie to warn of a passing police cruiser. The UW fire caused $7 million in damage. Investigators say those fires were among at least 17 perpetrated from 1996 to 2001 by members of an ELF and Animal Liberation Front cell clustered around Eugene, Oregon, and Olympia, Washington, that called itself “the Family.”
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wst_ecoterror_trial.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Salem court area evacuated in bomb scare; Police say suspicious device was battery ‘placed purposefully’. In Massachusetts, a bomb scare at Salem District Court prompted police to evacuate nearby stores, offices, and a church yesterday morning while the state police bomb squad investigated an object that turned out to be a battery. Around 10:30 a.m., a court employee spotted a suspicious black box propped against the front door of the courthouse and called police. “As soon as we got down here we recognized this is a potential threat,” said a Salem police sergeant, “so we blocked the streets and made sure people were safe.” The courthouse is closed on Sundays, but a secretary was there doing work. The first justice of the Salem District Courthouse said it was the second scare at the courthouse in a week. He said someone recently made a threat, so court employees are not taking any chances. Source: http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_041235055.html?keyword=topstory

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bomb scare closes road. Police are not sure if a device found under a car at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Friday afternoon was a bomb, but they did not take any chances. The item, wrapped in a brown paper bag and black duct tape, caused enough alarm to result in a portion of the hospital being evacuated and Glennwood Drive being closed for more than two hours, said a Chattanooga Police spokeswoman. The device may have been part of an ongoing domestic dispute, police said. The package was found under a white Lexus. The car’s owner said she has a restraining order against her husband. Police are investigating to determine if the husband had anything to do with the situation and called for assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, she said.
Source: http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/09/bomb-scare-closes-road-part-memorial-hospitala/

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/12/two-nuclear-experts-kidnapped-in-pakistan/
Two Nuclear Experts Kidnapped In Pakistan

February 12, 2008

Two Pakistani nuclear energy officials have been abducted by masked men from a troubled northwestern area near the Afghan border, police said today.

The kidnappers bundled the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) workers and their driver into a vehicle in Sheikh Badin, a town in militancy-hit Dera Ismail Khan district, local police chief Akbar Nasir said.

“They were technicians from the PAEC, they were whisked away early Monday morning,” Mr Nasir said.

The officials were on a routine visit to conduct a geological survey for mineral exploration in the mountainous area, which adjoins Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions, the police chief said.

“We don’t know if the abductors were militants or members of some criminal gang,” he said, adding that they were believed to be from the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

“A search is underway, we are contacting local people … We are all trying but so far we have no clues.”

The abduction of the PAEC officials came on the same day as the disappearance of Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan on his way from the northwestern city of Peshawar to the Afghan capital Kabul yesterday.

The envoy, Tariq Azizuddin, was feared abducted in the tribal district of Khyber, raising concern about growing insecurity ahead of parliamentary polls set for Monday.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Explosives found in Capitol Hill gunman’s truck. Explosives have been found in the impounded pickup truck driven by the man discovered carrying a loaded shotgun on Capitol Hill last month, U.S. Capitol police said. The truck was impounded at the Government Printing Office garage on Capitol Hill, not far from where the incident unfolded. Police executed a search warrant Friday.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330375,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Wal-Mart evacuated in Eastlake. A Wal-Mart in Eastlake, Ohio, was closed for approximately one hour Monday afternoon because of a phoned-in bomb threat, according to an Eastlake police official. The store was evacuated about 3 p.m. and remained closed until 4 p.m., said a Wal-Mart spokesman. The store is working with police on the incident, and the matter is still under investigation. No other information was released.
Source: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19284859&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/12/two-russian-men-questioned-over-prepaid-cellphone-purchases-central-ohio/
Two Russian Men Questioned Over Prepaid Cellphone Purchases - Central Ohio

February 12, 2008

The sheriff’s office questioned two Russian men Sunday who told a deputy they bought more than 200 prepaid cell phones over the weekend from area stores.

Neither was charged with a crime, but the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Cleveland of the incident, according to a sheriff’s office report.

The men, who have lived in the United States for at least five years, told the deputy they bought the Tracfones from stores in the Port Clinton and Sandusky areas to resell to a businessman, according to the report. The businessman, whose name or location they did not provide, then would sell the phones on eBay, they told Deputy George Byington.

Prepaid cell phones have been linked to terrorist activity in the past, causing store officials to consider the men’s behavior suspicious. Some stores have limits on the number of prepaid cell phones customers can buy at one time.

ICE spokesman Greg Palmore of the agency’s Detroit office said he had no information regarding the incident.

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Palmore said. “If it was something we had a major interest in, I would have heard about it.”

Byington was not available for comment.

Managers at Wal-Mart on East Harbor Road called the sheriff’s office Saturday after seeing the men enter the store repeatedly to buy the phones, according to the report. Security video shows they slightly modified their appearance each time, sometimes putting on a hat or glasses or removing their jackets, the deputy reported.

An employee at Dollar General, located at the front of the Wal-Mart driveway, told deputies the men had looked at Tracfones in the store but left, the report shows.

When the men returned to the store Sunday, managers again called authorities. A sheriff’s deputy confronted them while one of the men was at the checkout with two Tracfones, the report shows.

The men produced Michigan driver’s licenses, both of which listed residents in the Detroit area — Troy and West Bloomfield, according to the report. They said they visited Ohio to buy the phones and stayed at a Sandusky hotel, the deputy reported.

They work construction, and selling Tracfones is a legitimate business that supplements their income, they told the deputy.

A Wal-Mart manager told the men not to return to the Portage Township store, according to the report.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/12/female-bombers-may-be-disguised-as-pregnant-or-expectant-moms-using-prosthetic-device/
Female Bombers May Be Disguised As Pregnant or Expectant Moms Using Prosthetic Device

February 12, 2008

The growing use by terrorist groups of women some disguised as expectant moms to deliver deadly homicide bombs has prompted the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to issue a rare warning that such attacks could take place on American soil.

The joint security assessment cited recent female homicide bomber attacks in Baghdad in which two women who appeared to have Down syndrome delivered a deadly explosion that killed 99 as well as in Sri Lanka, Chechnya, India, Pakistan and the Palestinian territories as reason for the warning.

“Female suicide bombers may have an advantage over their male counterparts in accessing targets,” the analysis cautioned. “The means to conduct a suicide attack vary widely, but a key element in maximizing the lethality of a suicide bombing is the bomber’s ability to get close to the target.”

The assessment also strongly warned that potential female homicide bombers could use “prosthetic devices that mimic the look of a pregnant woman.”

“Regardless of delivery by a man or a woman,” the warning reads, “improvised explosive devices may contain fragmentation or shrapnel, such as nails, bolts, glass fragments, marbles, ball bearings, or other small metal pieces.”

The assessment, which emphasizes that DHS and FBI have no solid evidence indicating imminent homicide bombing attacks on U.S. soil, also reminds law enforcement officials that “facilities such as public places” are the most vulnerable to homicide bombing attacks and that “the terrorist’s latitude in determining and adjusting the target and timing of an attack up to the point of detonation” make it difficult to prepare countermeasures.

“These factors indicate the importance of … alertness by security professionals to potential threats from the full range of gender and age groups,” the bulletin reads.

[Adlerian Thinker]

NYC police carry out fake chlorine deal to demonstrate terror risk. Undercover police secretly set up a fake company to demonstrate how easily and anonymously a terrorist could purchase chlorine on the Internet for a deadly chemical strike against the city. A videotape – prepared for a briefing Wednesday of private security executives – discloses for the first time the results of the operation. There has been no specific terror threat against the city involving chemicals, but New York City police recently put more emphasis on screening shipments of chlorine after learning that it has become a favored component of homemade bombs in Iraq. Chlorine typically is used as a disinfectant or purifier and as an ingredient in plastics and other products. While routinely transported in liquid form, it can turn into a deadly toxic gas when exposed to air. In remarks prepared for the briefing, a Police Commissioner said the NYPD has been lobbying the Department of Homeland Security to draft stricter regulations requiring chlorine vendors to verify the legitimacy of their customers.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/13/america/NYC-Chlorine-Threat.php

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/15/vancouver-canada-explosion-rips-through-string-of-businesses-incluidng-starbucks/
Vancouver Canada - Explosion Rips Through String of Businesses Incluidng Starbucks

February 15, 2008

The explosion that decimated a string of businesses on West Broadway early yesterday morning was the same type of blast sometimes used to blow up fortified bunkers and tanks, to clear minefields, and which brought down TWA flight 800 in 1996.

“The explosion was an air-fuel explosion,” said Constable Tim Fanning, spokesman for the Vancouver police. Police say the blast inside a Taco Del Mar restaurant at 686 West Broadway at 2:30 a.m. was arson. No one was injured.

“It was quite a blast, there was all sorts of twisted metal that exploded out onto the street and glass that covered the six lanes of Broadway,” said Constable Fanning.

The Starbucks next door to the fast food restaurant was also destroyed. Windows as far away as the London Drugs across the street and at the Scouts Canada building halfway down the block were shattered.

“Fortunately, this happened at 2:30 in the morning … it is miraculous nobody was hurt last night,” Constable Fanning said.

Vancouver police fire investigators and Vancouver fire department investigators determined yesterday afternoon that the fire that caused the explosion was intentionally set, with the use of an accelerant.

An air-fuel explosion is a small blast that disperses a flammable liquid into the air, creating a cloud that is then lit by a second charge, causing a larger explosion. Such explosions are used in war zones to destroy enemy fortifications and neutralize mines, but they can also occur by accident, as in the case of TWA Flight 800 off the U.S. east coast in 1996.

The details such as the type of accelerant used in yesterday’s blast are not yet known.

“More science needs to be done,” said Constable Fanning.

Kevin Hansen, chief operations officer of Taco Del Mar, said the franchises do not use natural gas.

The restaurant is operated by a family and the franchisee is a woman, who Mr. Hansen knows only as Mrs. Nanda.

“She was very shaken up,” he said.

Mr. Hansen said there have been no problems with the franchise.

Constable Fanning said the Taco Del Mar is not known to the police as a venue for criminal activity.

Rumours that a man was seen fleeing the area after the fire was set circulated through the news media and the crowd around the site of the explosion yesterday. While Constable Fanning acknowledged the reports, he would not confirm that such a person is a suspect.

“As soon as we find a motive, that will help lead us to a suspect,” he said.

Police estimate damage to the stores and offices at 686 Granville and nearby will likely be more than $2-million.

David Goguen, hotel manager of the Holiday Inn across the intersection from the Taco Del Mar, said that when he was called in to work at the morning, the scene looked like “a suicide bomb went off.”

One window of the Holiday Inn was shattered in the blast, but the guest sleeping in the room at the time was unharmed.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/15/suspicious-package-closes-progreso-bridge-at-mexico-us-border-crossing/
Suspicious Package Closes Progreso Bridge At Mexico US Border Crossing

February 15, 2008

The Progreso International Bridge linking Mexico and Texas is shut down while authorities investigate a suspicious package found at the border crossing.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Felix Garza said a caller to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office reported a bomb on the bridge about 7 p.m. Thursday.

Garza said the crossing was shut down and wasn’t sure when the bridge would reopen

He said officers didn’t find anything on the U.S. side of the bridge. But Mexican authorities said they found a suspicious package.

Garza told The Monitor in McAllen that the package didn’t look like it had anything to do with bombs, but they were taking a look at it.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/14/nypd-warns-of-chlorine-terror-risk/
NYPD Warns Of Chlorine Terror Risk

February 14, 2008

Undercover police secretly set up a fake company to demonstrate how easily and anonymously a terrorist could purchase chlorine on the Internet for a deadly chemical strike against the city.

A videotape presented Wednesday at a briefing of private security executives discloses for the first time the results of “Operation Green Cloud” a reference to the yellow-green color of chlorine gas.

The purpose was “to assess the ease or difficulty with which a terrorist in the United States could acquire large quantities of chlorine without being detected by law enforcement or intelligence agencies,” a narrator says on a copy of the video obtained by The Associated Press.

The conclusion: “At the present time, few if any barriers stand in his way.”

There has been no specific terror threat against the city involving chemicals, but New York City police recently put more emphasis on screening shipments of chlorine after learning that it has become a favored component of homemade bombs in Iraq.

A 2007 United Nations report found that at least 10 attacks in Iraq involved explosives attached to chlorine canisters.

Chlorine typically is used as a disinfectant or purifier, and as an ingredient in plastics and other products. While routinely transported in liquid form, it can turn into a deadly toxic gas when exposed to air.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that while there were no places to obtain chlorine in New York, there are several locations in neighboring New Jersey.

“It’s something we have to be concerned about,” he said of the potential of an attack using chlorine. “We think the whole area needs a lot of regulation.”

Kelly said the NYPD has been lobbying the Department of Homeland Security to draft stricter regulations requiring chlorine vendors to verify the legitimacy of their customers.

The department sent federal officials a copy of the videotape and “asked them to include strict ‘know-your-customer’ rules,” Kelly said.

Homeland Security has been focusing on high-risk manufacturers, distributors and retailers of chlorine in an attempt to secure the nation’s domestic supply, agency spokesman Russ Knocke said. The agency also has been briefing other law enforcement groups on the issue, he said.

Police stressed that the chlorine deal was within current regulations, which have no requirement that vendors verify identification of their customers or report transactions.

In the video, an intelligence detective describes how in June 2007 the department fabricated a water purification company, complete with a mailing address, Web site and a phony contract with the city to clean up a polluted creek in Brooklyn. Investigators, after using the Internet to identify local vendors, used a credit card to place an order with one unnamed firm for three 100-pound cylinders of chlorine.

No one ever asked for identification and the purchase required little human interaction, police said.

The video includes surveillance footage of a truck delivering the canisters on a rain-slicked Brooklyn street lined with warehouses. At the time, hazardous material teams were on standby to respond to any accidents, police said.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/14/fbi-asks-terror-squads-to-be-on-alert-for-threats-to-jewish-targets-in-us/
FBI Asks Terror Squads To Be On Alert For Threats To Jewish Targets In U.S.

February 14, 2008

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The FBI has put its domestic terror squads on the alert for any threats against synagogues and other potential Jewish targets in the United States following the killing of a Hezbollah commander.

U.S. law enforcement officials say there have been no specific threats so far against any Jewish centers.

On Thursday the FBI ordered terrorism task forces nationwide to reach out to community sources for any information about stepped-up Hezbollah activity following the death Tuesday of commander Imad Mughniyeh (ee-MAHD’ MOOG’-nee-yuh).

A law enforcement official says this kind of high-priority order is not often issued to joint terrorism task forces. The task forces are located in about 100 cities around the country.

Source

Israelis traveling abroad warned of kidnap danger; high terror alert

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a severe travel advisory yesterday to all Israeli citizens traveling abroad because of grave concerns that Hezbollah will attempt to launch terror attacks or kidnappings in retaliation for Tuesday night’s assassination of its senior military commander, Imad Mughniyah, in Damascus.

In parallel, the Israel Defense Forces have stepped up their levels of readiness in the Northern Command and the Air Force, fearing retaliatory action by Hezbollah along the northern border. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the heads of the defense establishment to maintain a high level of alert and take all necessary measures to prepare for the possibility that Hezbollah will try to avenge Mughniyah’s killing, which it accused Israel of carrying out.

The Shin Bet has been ordered to bolster security in Israeli missions abroad, and the Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a travel advisory cautioning Israeli travelers abroad to be vigilant.

Olmert held a series of meetings yesterday at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, where he was briefed on the situation in Lebanon. Among those he met were Mossad chief Meir Dagan, Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

One of the central issues discussed was the pre-recorded address by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during Mughniyah’s funeral in Beirut yesterday. [See story page 2]

Nasrallah vowed revenge and specified that Hezbollah would seek out Israeli targets abroad.

“Nasrallah’s statements were very clear. When there are such threats there is no need for intelligence,” a security source said yesterday.

Security sources said that there was high probability that Hezbollah would try to carry out an attack in the immediate future. In the medium future, the same sources believed that it was likely that Hezbollah would attempt a showcase attack that would require a great deal more planning and effort.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7248052.stm

Blast near Mexico City police HQ
Police cordon off an area after the blast in central Mexico City, 15 February, 2008
Hundreds of police in riot gear quickly sealed the area
An explosion has rocked the centre of Mexico City, killing at least one man and injuring two other people.

The device was set off near the city's police headquarters, Mexico City police chief Joel Ortega said. No group has so far said it carried out the attack.

Investigators believe the bomb was activated remotely by a mobile phone.

The dead man's hand was blown off, the police chief said. It is unclear whether he was responsible for the bomb or if he simply picked up the package.

The blast occurred at about 1430 (2030 GMT) near the tourist area known as the Zona Rosa (Pink Zone).

The scene was cordoned off by hundreds of police officers in riot gear as police helicopters hovered overhead.

Mexico's government has been locked in a violent battle with drug gangs since last month.

Police have announced the arrest of several alleged members of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel and seized substantial amounts of weapons.

[rhet 2]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/14/fbi-asks-terror-squads-to-be-on-alert-for-threats-to-jewish-targets-in-us/
FBI Asks Terror Squads To Be On Alert For Threats To Jewish Targets In U.S.

February 14, 2008

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The FBI has put its domestic terror squads on the alert for any threats against synagogues and other potential Jewish targets in the United States following the killing of a Hezbollah commander.

U.S. law enforcement officials say there have been no specific threats so far against any Jewish centers.

On Thursday the FBI ordered terrorism task forces nationwide to reach out to community sources for any information about stepped-up Hezbollah activity following the death Tuesday of commander Imad Mughniyeh (ee-MAHD’ MOOG’-nee-yuh).

A law enforcement official says this kind of high-priority order is not often issued to joint terrorism task forces. The task forces are located in about 100 cities around the country.

Source

Israelis traveling abroad warned of kidnap danger; high terror alert

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a severe travel advisory yesterday to all Israeli citizens traveling abroad because of grave concerns that Hezbollah will attempt to launch terror attacks or kidnappings in retaliation for Tuesday night’s assassination of its senior military commander, Imad Mughniyah, in Damascus.

In parallel, the Israel Defense Forces have stepped up their levels of readiness in the Northern Command and the Air Force, fearing retaliatory action by Hezbollah along the northern border. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the heads of the defense establishment to maintain a high level of alert and take all necessary measures to prepare for the possibility that Hezbollah will try to avenge Mughniyah’s killing, which it accused Israel of carrying out.

The Shin Bet has been ordered to bolster security in Israeli missions abroad, and the Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a travel advisory cautioning Israeli travelers abroad to be vigilant.

Olmert held a series of meetings yesterday at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, where he was briefed on the situation in Lebanon. Among those he met were Mossad chief Meir Dagan, Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

One of the central issues discussed was the pre-recorded address by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during Mughniyah’s funeral in Beirut yesterday. [See story page 2]

Nasrallah vowed revenge and specified that Hezbollah would seek out Israeli targets abroad.

“Nasrallah’s statements were very clear. When there are such threats there is no need for intelligence,” a security source said yesterday.

Security sources said that there was high probability that Hezbollah would try to carry out an attack in the immediate future. In the medium future, the same sources believed that it was likely that Hezbollah would attempt a showcase attack that would require a great deal more planning and effort.

Europe's on high alert, too. An academic friend who's Jewish teaching in Italy emailed me a heads up -- they're asking folks to use cell phones to take pics of anyone acting weird -- like staring at a synagogue or seen too often or taking pics themselves and then looking around to see who saw them do it.

Cute, huh.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Europe's on high alert, too. An academic friend who's Jewish teaching in Italy emailed me a heads up -- they're asking folks to use cell phones to take pics of anyone acting weird -- like staring at a synagogue or seen too often or taking pics themselves and then looking around to see who saw them do it.

Cute, huh.

Sounds like they get it.

[Adlerian Thinker]

The SERAPH Research Team, consisting of education and law enforcement experts have discovered five reasons, which create unsafe college campuses.

The SERAPH Research Team provides a bi-yearly school safety report for Congress and in 2006 provided an assessment of the “The Virginia Tech Review Panel Report”.

1. Since the Columbine massacre in 1999, police departments across the United States have been training in “active shooter” response. This has been a well-established practice for use in public [K-12] schools.

However, our survey of colleges and universities security directors and police chiefs shows that few have had this training. Two reasons were given for this, the first was the cost, administrators did not want to pay for the training and second administrators barred campus security / police administrators from seeking out the training because they did not want a “militaristic campus atmosphere”.

2. College Administrators have no training in security or police operations and as a result micromanage security operations on their campuses. This is problematic because of the obvious delay it causes in response time. In addition, when a college or university has a police department micromanagement by administrators can violate state law regarding obstruction of justice.

3. A proper security audit is vitally important to campus security. However, our survey of security directors / police chiefs indicates that most college administrators will not allow these assessments to be done. Two reasons for this refusal is the fear of liability exposure and the chance that the audit would require changes in management systems.

4. Threat assessment as a science has existed in the United States since the early 1940s. Predication and prevention of violence is a critical aspect of campus security and one that in SERAPH’s experience is seriously lacking on higher education campuses. All Resident Assistants, security / police and department administrators should be trained to identify violent behavior in students, staff and visitors.

A lack of systematic monitoring of people on campus contributes to crime.

5. An emergency plan is only as good as the data in it and the ability of key personnel to use it effectively.

Training is important for the effective management of an emergency by key personnel. You cannot ask untrained people to do what trained people do.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/15/fbi-warns-of-possible-hezbollah-revenge-in-us/
FBI Warns of Possible Hezbollah Revenge In U.S.

February 15, 2008

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security sent a bulletin Friday to state and local law enforcement authorities advising them to watch for potential retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah, one day after the Lebanese militia group vowed to avenge the death of a top commander by attacking Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.

“While retaliation in the U.S. homeland is unlikely, Hezbollah has demonstrated a capability to respond outside the Middle East to similar events in the past,” said the intelligence bulletin sent to about 18,000 state and local law enforcement officials late Friday afternoon.

The FBI also said it was intensifying its domestic intelligence-gathering efforts to identify any potential Hezbollah threats in the United States in the aftermath of Tuesday’s car-bomb assassination of Imad Mughniyah in Syria.

On Wednesday, the FBI sent a confidential internal bulletin to its 101 Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country warning of the possible domestic consequences of Mughniyah’s killing. As part of that effort, FBI officials at headquarters told the bureau’s field offices and multiagency task forces to increase monitoring and surveillance of suspected Hezbollah operatives and to conduct fresh interviews with sources and informants about the U.S.-designated terrorist group, according to two FBI officials.

U.S. authorities have long described Hezbollah as the “A-Team” of terrorism, with far more discipline than Al Qaeda, vast financing from the government of Iran, and a global network of sleeper operatives who could be called on to launch an attack at any time. Various federal investigations and prosecutions have uncovered dozens of Hezbollah fundraisers and supporters in the United States, but few people are believed to be actual “bomb throwers,” according to a senior FBI counter-terrorism official who focuses on Hezbollah.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/15/newly-formed-terrorist-group-busted-in-pakistan-had-plans-to-target-charity-groups/
Newly Formed Terrorist Group Busted In Pakistan - Had Plans To Target Charity Groups

February 15, 2008

Ten members of the newly formed Tehreek Islami Lashkar-e-Mohammadi were arrested Friday with weapons, explosives, chemicals and poison, Jihadi literature, and hit lists of high-profile people, politicians, international and national NGOs and police officials. The organization is anti-Semitic.

The group apparently wanted to target charity groups for what they say are links to the Free Masons and other groups.

The also reportedly had information about the members of a rotary club.

The police recovered: 3 submachine guns, one 0.223 rifle, two TT pistols, four hand grenades, 30 detonators, two local bombs, black explosive rope, orange detonating cord, five kilogram petroleum jelly, five kilogram glycerin, five walkie talkies, ten kilogram RDX, fifteen kilogram readymade explosives in a drum, 48 CDs, maps, hundreds of bullets, a personal telephone diary of deceased Dr Hameedullah, two snatched motorcycles, hit lists.

[Adlerian Thinker]

I cannot source this, but three New Jersey teens have been arrested for making chemical bombs, and setting them off in two mailboxes, and one door. The chemical bomb was placed between a front door and a storm door, and the explosion blew the front door off of it's hinges, and a person inside was overcome with gas.

They got the recipes for these bombs from You Tube, where several such videos can be found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odnvldnKlrA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20XSV7YuZD8&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaiJBBUQWe0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53q5lE7xYOA

They face up to 5-10 years in jail for their "fun."

[rhet 2]

I cannot source this, but three New Jersey teens have been arrested for making chemical bombs, and setting them off in two mailboxes, and one door. The chemical bomb was placed between a front door and a storm door, and the explosion blew the front door off of it's hinges, and a person inside was overcome with gas.

They got the recipes for these bombs from You Tube, where several such videos can be found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odnvldnKlrA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20XSV7YuZD8&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaiJBBUQWe0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53q5lE7xYOA

They face up to 5-10 years in jail for their "fun."

What the hell?

Youtube dare not publish criticism of mo the monster because CAIR will take their heads off with the approval of corrupt courts?

But it can publish how-to-murder-many instructions?

This is just WARPED -- too twisted for words.

Immoral, illogical, irresponsible ,,,,,,,,,,, all the NOT words in the dictionary.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BRAINS OF THE FOOLS RUNNING THAT WEBSITE?

Not to mention their missing moral gonads.

[Adlerian Thinker]

What the hell?

Youtube dare not publish criticism of mo the monster because CAIR will take their heads off with the approval of corrupt courts?

But it can publish how-to-murder-many instructions?

This is just WARPED -- too twisted for words.

Immoral, illogical, irresponsible ,,,,,,,,,,, all the NOT words in the dictionary.

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BRAINS OF THE FOOLS RUNNING THAT WEBSITE?

Not to mention their missing moral gonads.

They'll tell you it's freedom of speech. What they won't tell you is that, just because they can say something, doesn't mean that they should say something.

[rhet 2]

They'll tell you it's freedom of speech. What they won't tell you is that, just because they can say something, doesn't mean that they should say something.

Yet they let CAIR intimidate them into giving up their right to free speech.

DISGUSTING moral cowardice and total BAD CITIZEN irresponsibility. Same thing as a drunk who insists on driving through a crowded outdoor shopping mall -- too damned drunk on their own success to see or think about the damage they do to others -- or give a **** about the damage they help cause.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/15/university-of-miami-alerts-students-to-suspicious-man/
University Of Miami Alerts Students To Suspicious Man

February 15, 2008

The University of Miami issued an alert to students and faculty about a suspicious man who has been walking around campus.

The alert said: “A suspicious Caucasian male (5 feet, 10 inches, to 6 feet, 2 inches) has been coming into the offices on the third floor of the Wolfson Building and has been spotted in other buildings around campus.”

The alert said that the man is not a student and will not identify himself when asked.”He carries a large dark green bag with leather straps on his shoulder. He has a very thick accent that reportedly sounds Russian. When asked if he can be helped, he typically responds that he is looking to buy used books, but quickly leaves. He also is always on a cell phone, speaking in another language,” according to the alert.

College campuses across the country are on alert after a gunman killed five students, wounded at least 15 others, then killed himself at Northern Illinois University.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/17/lax-los-angeles-airport-terminal-evcauated-after-suspicious-comment/
LAX - Los Angeles Airport Terminal Evcauated After Suspicious Comment

February 17, 2008

Authorities say a “suspicious comment” from an airline passenger forced the evacuation of a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport for two hours.

Airport spokesman Albert Rodriguez says a man on a Southwest Airlines flight from El Paso, Texas made the comment Sunday afternoon at about 2 p.m.

Rodriguez says a police bomb squad found no weapons or explosives when they searched the man and his luggage as he got off the plane.

Authorities say the man is now in the custody of the FBI, which is continuing the investigation.

More than 1,800 passengers had flights delayed. Rodriguez says operations returned to normal at about 4 p.m.

[Adlerian Thinker]

International bridge operating normally after bomb threat. The Progreso International Bridge over the Rio Grande was operating normally after a bomb scare shut it down for nearly four hours, officials said Friday. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman said nothing was found Thursday night and everything was fully operational on the bridge. The threat came in a call around 7 p.m. Thursday, he said.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5544684.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

This was not a good mix!

Armed man arrested at Metro Airport. An armed man was arrested outside of the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Thursday afternoon. Airport officials said the man was found in his car with a loaded weapon. It is unclear what kind of weapon he was carrying at this time. Police also found an open container of alcohol. No injuries were reported.
Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/15305337/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Crews test substance found at IRS. Police and fire crews responded to a “credible threat” in the mailroom at the Internal Revenue Service office early Friday morning. Officers were called about an unknown substance that appeared in the mailroom, police said. The mailroom was evacuated and shut down while hazmat crews evaluated the substance that was found in a bin of mail in the mailroom. Hazmat officials said that initial reports came back “negative” on the yellow substance. Officials indicated they believed the substance to be harmless. The FBI will now handle the case, police said.
Source: http://www.kctv5.com/news/15309283/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

FBI joins explosion investigation. The FBI is now investigating an explosion that destroyed a Kilpatrick, Alabama, couple’s mailbox more than a week ago. The DeKalb County sheriff also said Thursday authorities were questioning suspects. He did not have a motive and would not release any of the suspects’ names. “All I can say at this time is that we are questioning everyone, and still believe that it could have possibly been a pipe bomb that destroyed the mailbox,” he said. “But if it wasn’t, we are pretty sure it was some type of homemade device.” Source: http://times-journal.com/story.lasso?ewcd=50e133ec7f943591&-session=FPTJ:42F94369053a028011IRkH155B51

Can anyone explain why the FBI is investigating a blown up mailbox? :think:

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bird flu spreads to another Bangladesh district. Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh despite massive culling by authorities to contain the outbreak, officials said on Friday, bringing the number of affected districts to 42 out of 64. Veterinary workers culled nearly 25,000 birds after tests confirmed some chickens had died from the avian influenza virus in Comilla, in the south east, livestock officials said. The H5N1 virus, first detected in Bangladesh in March last year, was quickly brought under control through aggressive measures, including culling. But it reappeared a few months ago, apparently because of lax follow-up monitoring, experts say. Officials said the government was taking measures to contain the spread of the disease, but ignorance among millions of farmers across the country remained a stumbling block. The government has raised compensation for poultry farmers to encourage them to report and kill sick birds as part of efforts to stamp out the outbreak. More than 600,000 birds have been culled across the country against the virus since March 2007, but it continues to spread and now covers nearly two-thirds of the country of more than 140 million people. So far, no human infections have been reported.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSDHA255572

[Adlerian Thinker]

Military man carry training grenades arrested at Washington Airport. A 20-year-old member of the military was arrested after trying to get through Yakima airport security with two training grenades in a carry-on bag, police said. Transportation Security Administration agents spotted the grenades using a belt scanner at Yakima Air Terminal around 11:15 a.m. Sunday, a police official said. The grenades contained live fuses but had no explosives packed around them, he told the Yakima Herald-Republic. Police locked down the small airport for a few minutes, then evacuated about 30 or 35 people while explosive experts from the Army’s Yakima Training Center dismantled the grenades. All scheduled incoming flights stayed on the ground at other airports. Police temporarily allowed the only incoming flight that was already in the air to land. Passengers were offloaded at the police precinct, a few hundred yards away from the terminal, the official said. The man was released Sunday afternoon while prosecutors and the FBI look into the incident.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331035,00.html

That soldier is a No-Go at this station......

[Adlerian Thinker]

China reports bird flu outbreak in Tibet, human death. Chinese authorities have reported a fresh bird flu outbreak among poultry in Tibet, a day after confirming a 22-year-old man in Hunan, in central China, had died of the deadly virus. He was the country’s 18th confirmed human bird flu fatality. The agriculture ministry said 132 poultry had died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in a village outside the Tibetan regional capital Lhasa and about 7,700 birds had been slaughtered to bring the outbreak under control. It was the second outbreak of bird flu in the Himalayan region this year. In January, about 1,000 birds died and 13,000 were slaughtered during an earlier outbreak in Gongga County, about 50 kilometers south of Lhasa.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/02/19/afx4668281.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

And still more Bird Flu.......

Dead poultry raises bird flu alarm in Vietnam. Dead poultry have been found in rivers and streams in northern Vietnam, a sign of a possible new bird flu outbreak during a prolonged cold spell, officials said on Tuesday. The Agriculture Ministry said in a report that callers to an animal health department hotline reported large numbers of dead birds in five provinces, but was not specific. “A bird flu outbreak is forecast to emerge in the northern region when cold days extend,” an Animal Health Department report said. The department, in a separate report, said that bird flu has killed nearly 2,500 ducks and chickens in the northern provinces of Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, and Tuyen Quang, bringing to seven the provinces on the government’s bird flu watchlist. Animal health workers have slaughtered the remaining 1,900 birds at the three infected farms. Doctors confirmed over the weekend that a 7-year-old child from the northern province of Hai Duong had the virus. The child has been under treatment in Hanoi along with several suspected cases. Bird flu has killed 50 people in Vietnam out of 106 infected cases since late 2003, the health ministry said. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSHAN65559

[Adlerian Thinker]

U of L bomb threat called in to TV station. A bomb threat against the University of Louisville was called into a local television station last night. The caller said the threat was for today, but gave no other information, according to a university spokesman. Campus police were informed of the threat by the television station. Metro Louisville Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have also been alerted and are involved in the investigation. The university sent an e-mail out to students, faculty, and staff this morning informing them of the threat, and asking that they be alert for any suspicious activity. They were also reassured that if a situation developed today the university would activate its emergency communication system, which allows the university to immediately send alerts to campus telephones and personal cell phones.
Source: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/ZONE06/80219017/1008/NEWS01

[Adlerian Thinker]

Anarchy Rules! :evil:

Bennington Battle Monument spray painted with graffiti. The Bennington Battle Monument, the tallest manmade structure in Vermont and symbol of the state’s only official holiday, has been vandalized. Written in red spray paint on one side of the base of the 306-feet-tall obelisk is the phrase, “Heroes?” while another side has the phrase, “F—- Bush” and the symbol for anarchy, a capital A inside a circle. Bennington Police said the vandalism was reported on Thursday, February 14, around 5:45 p.m. Police said official records indicated there had been some previous minor acts of vandalism: toilet paper thrown at the gift shop in 2006; a vehicle driving across the lawn in 2000; eggs thrown at the gift shop in 1999; and a paintball fired at one of the statues on the grounds in 1998, but no acts of vandalism against the monument itself.
Source: http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS02/802190370/1003/NEWS02

[rhet 2]

Anarchy Rules! :evil:

Bennington Battle Monument spray painted with graffiti. The Bennington Battle Monument, the tallest manmade structure in Vermont and symbol of the state’s only official holiday, has been vandalized. Written in red spray paint on one side of the base of the 306-feet-tall obelisk is the phrase, “Heroes?” while another side has the phrase, “F—- Bush” and the symbol for anarchy, a capital A inside a circle. Bennington Police said the vandalism was reported on Thursday, February 14, around 5:45 p.m. Police said official records indicated there had been some previous minor acts of vandalism: toilet paper thrown at the gift shop in 2006; a vehicle driving across the lawn in 2000; eggs thrown at the gift shop in 1999; and a paintball fired at one of the statues on the grounds in 1998, but no acts of vandalism against the monument itself.
Source: http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS02/802190370/1003/NEWS02

Gee, I guess the Slimes who defaced the monument don't appreciate the sacrifice of the Founding Fathers who fought -- and died -- to give them freedom of speech in the first place.

Stupidly anti-American AND anti-social brats without a clue about what they seek to destroy.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Plane searched at Fort Lauderdale airport after threat. Airline officials say a flight from Philadelphia to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was searched Tuesday night after a threat was phoned in to a call center. An AirTran Airways spokeswoman says the airline’s call center received a “non-specific threat” about Flight 758. She says all luggage was searched, but nothing was found. 88 passengers and five crew members were aboard the flight.
Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/BREAKINGNEWS/80219089/1086

[Adlerian Thinker]

Hartford office quarantined after suspicious package opened. The 15th floor of a Hartford, Connecticut, building was quarantined after a suspicious package was opened inside Tuesday afternoon. Officials said someone inside a law office opened a package that was described as a box within a box. That employee suffered irritation to the eyes and hands. Two people that were exposed to the package and 13 others were quarantined for a short time, and the building was evacuated as a precaution. Officials have determined that the package does not pose any risk and that there were no powders or residues. Officials with the Department of Environmental Protection said they were investigating.
Source: http://www.nbc30.com/news/15344350/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Pipe bomb found in Bellingham WA is defused. In Washington, a pipe bomb found at Bellingham’s Arroyo Park was defused by the city’s police department bomb squad on February 19. A police sergeant says a citizen, who was cleaning up garbage in the park the day before, found what appeared to be a 4-inch-long pipe bomb with a fuse. He put the pipe bomb in a garbage bag, placed the bag in the back of his pickup truck, and went home. He contacted police about the bomb about 9:40 a.m. on February 19. Police used a robot to pick up the bomb and destroy it, with the incident ending about 1:30 p.m. The sergeant says there was no indication where the bomb came from or how long it had been in the park.
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_pipe_bomb.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/20/passenger-at-tampa-airport-tia-found-with-hidden-box-cutter-in-book/
Passenger At Tampa Airport “TIA” Found With Hidden Box Cutter In Book

February 20, 2008

A Clearwater man trying to board a Southwest Airlines flight was arrested over the weekend after airport police found a box-cutter knife hidden inside a hollowed out book, according to airport officials.

21 year old Benjamin Baines was attempting to go through a security checkpoint inside Concourse C Sunday around 7:30 am when a TSA screener saw the knife inside his backpack, according to his arrest report. A search of the backpack found the knife inside a hollowed out book called “Fear, Itself”

After initially telling airport police that his cousin had made the hidden compartment, Baines later admitted he had made it, according to the report. Baines told police he made the compartment to hide his money and marijuana so that his roommate wouldn’t steal it, police say. Baines told airport police he forgot the box cutter was inside the book, according to the report.

Baines was charged with carrying a carrying a concealed weapon. A Bible, Koran, and other religious books were found as well as several pages of rap lyrics that Baines had wrote, according to the report.

Baines explained that the lyrics, which referenced police, narcotics, weapons and killings, were “lies” and that rap music writers have to play the part, according to Baines’s arrest report.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/20/pipe-bomb-and-unidentified-chemicals-found-in-car-during-trafic-stop-livermore/
Pipe Bomb and Unidentified Chemicals Found In Car During Traffic Stop - Livermore

February 20, 2008

A routine traffic stop Saturday led police to the discovery of several homemade explosives and bomb-making materials in Pittsburg.

The driver, Paul Michalek, 45, of Pittsburg was arrested on suspicion of possessing an explosive device. He has since made bail, according to the Livermore Police Department.

Traffic officers stopped Michalek’s car at about 5:10 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of North L and Park streets. Michalek had a suspended driver’s license, police said.

During a search of the car an explosive device and two containers of unidentified chemicals were found in the glove compartment.

Businesses and residences within a four-block radius were evacuated for several hours. The Alameda County Bomb Squad defused the pipe bomb and collected the chemicals.

The streets were opened and residents were allowed to return home at about 9 p.m.

At 11:30 p.m. that day, detectives from the Livermore and Pittsburg police departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms served a search warrant at Michalek’s home in the 900 block of New Castle Way. Another explosive device was found and defused.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Security breaches get A&M big fine. Texas A&M University will pay a $1 million fine for security breaches in its biodefense research program, the largest such penalty ever imposed by the federal government. The fine is part of a proposed settlement that could allow the university to resume its suspended research into regulated toxins or microbes, known as “select agents,” the A&M President said Wednesday. Although the settlement makes no guarantees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may consider lifting the ban after federal inspectors evaluate the university’s efforts to correct the wide-ranging problems in the research program next month, the official said. The CDC halted the research, which involves some dangerous infectious diseases, in July after A&M failed to report the exposure of researchers to two biological agents. The agency later found lax oversight, resulting in hazardous working conditions and security breaches at the federally funded labs. The key findings included at least seven cases in which A&M allowed unauthorized access to the biological agents. The federal probe also found discrepancies in the inventory of the biological agents, including three vials that were missing from one lab and still have not been accounted for.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/5557571.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

U.S. urged to stop using “dirty bomb” ingredients. Radioactive caesium chloride used in medical and research equipment can be used as a deadly ingredient in a “dirty bomb,” and U.S. leaders should try to curb its use, the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) said on Wednesday in a report commissioned by Congress. About 1300 machines at U.S. hospitals and universities used for irradiating blood for transplant patients and other purposes contain caesium-137 in the form of caesium chloride stored in stainless steel capsules. “The presence of these sizable sources in areas that are potentially attractive targets [for attack] is a major factor making radioactive caesium chloride such a concern to the committee,” according to the report. The fear is that individuals or groups eager to detonate a dirty bomb in a U.S. city could steal this caesium chloride and combine it with conventional explosives such as dynamite to produce a “dirty bomb” or radiological dispersal device. The number of caesium chloride irradiating devices appears to be rising in the U.S., says the report. And according to a member of the panel that produced the report, there is no disposal facility for them. The report proposes that the U.S. government stop licensing new caesium chloride irradiators and discontinue their import and export. It also urges the government to create incentives for owners to decommission devices that rely on radioactive caesium chloride.
Source: http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13360-us-urged-to-stop-using-dirty-bomb-ingredients.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

New manual on terrorism prevention. Interpol, Europol, the World Customs Organization, and the International Atomic Energy Agency have produced a reference manual that details how to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear terrorism. Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material has been written for law enforcement, intelligence, emergency workers, and the nuclear industry. It advises on existing national and international anti-nuclear terror laws, policies, and actions; the existing threat posed by illicit use of nuclear materials; information on radiation health risks and nuclear transports; and advice on the detection of potential nuclear terror threats. It also calls for better coordination and harmonization of procedures between agencies and government departments which deal with possible nuclear terror threats.
Source: http://www.neimagazine.com/story.asp?sectioncode=132&storyCode=2048805

[Adlerian Thinker]

Passenger at TIA found with box cutter, cops say. A Clearwater man trying to board a Southwest Airlines flight was arrested over the weekend after airport police found a box-cutter knife hidden inside a hollowed out book, according to airport officials. The man was attempting to go through a security checkpoint inside Concourse C Sunday around 7:30 am when a TSA screener saw the knife inside his backpack, according to his arrest report. A search of the backpack found the knife inside a hollowed out book called “Fear, Itself.” The suspect told police he made the compartment to hide his money and marijuana so that his roommate would not steal it, police say. He also told airport police he forgot the box cutter was inside the book, according to the report. The man was charged with carrying a carrying a concealed weapon. A Bible, Koran, and other religious books were found as well as several pages of rap lyrics that he had wrote, according to the report. The man explained that the lyrics, which referenced police, narcotics, weapons and killings, were “lies” and that rap music writers have to play the part, according to his arrest report.
Sources: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=be6a705c-24d5-4164-b7d8-41e37629dee4

[Adlerian Thinker]

Nuclear threat doesn’t stop tour. A nuclear bomb threat made against the North Carolina port facility in Wilmington was phoned into a television station Tuesday night, according to port officials, and the FBI had a lead on the caller. The port was operating with a skeleton crew, said the chief executive officer of the State Ports Authority. Ports Authority officials said the complex had been thoroughly searched and no indication of a nuclear device was found. The threat was deemed not credible. The bomb was reportedly to have gone off at 3 p.m. Wednesday, about 30 minutes after members of the state’s 21st Century Transportation Committee arrived at the complex. The 21st Century Transportation Committee was named by North Carolina House and Senate leaders to make recommendations to the upcoming General Assembly on how to solve the state’s transportation funding crisis. The full committee is to meet Thursday in Wilmington. The port tour was a prelude to that meeting.
Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/breaking_news/story/356773.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bird flu remains dangerous as it continues to mutate. As bird flu continues to spread across Asia, Africa, and Europe scientists say that it remains a serious threat to human and animal health. The lethal H5N1 version of the virus is mutating rapidly and rampaging through bird flocks throughout those parts of the world, infecting and often killing people who come in contact with these birds. The fear is that the virus will change into a form that makes human-to-human transmission quick and easy. At least seven slightly different subtypes already have been identified. Although H5N1 has not reached the Western Hemisphere, the chief veterinary officer for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, warned last month that it “could still trigger a human influenza pandemic.” In the last year, the WHO confirmed 98 new human cases, including 69 deaths, a 70 percent death rate. It was the second worst year for bird flu, topped only by 2006, when 115 cases and 79 deaths (69 percent) were reported.
Source: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/28215.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

U.S. seen better prepared for health disaster. U.S. states are better prepared than in 2001 for a pandemic or biological attack, but still lack trained staff and specialized facilities, according to a federal report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Wednesday. All the state health departments are now ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week to examine urgent health threat reports – compared to just 12 states in 1999, the study found. While there are also many more labs that can detect and process chemical and biological agents, not a single state can look at a sample from patients and quickly determine if they have been poisoned by various radiological agents. Only CDC headquarters can do this, the report found. The report found problems in certain areas. “Public health departments report difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified epidemiologists,” the report reads. Also, a national system for distributing drugs and vaccines is not up to speed. In December, the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health reported that many states still lack a stockpile of drugs, masks, gloves, and other equipment and noted that federal funding for state and local preparedness was declining.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080220/us_nm/disasters_usa_dc;_ylt=AgFHrYFLj6WKLzitcVugcO8WIr0F

[Adlerian Thinker]

Area colleges receive terrorist response training. College and community college security teams are getting a crash course in terrorist response. Teams from Jackson State, University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a host of community colleges sent security staffers to Eagle Ridge conference center. There the Department of Homeland Security set up a training seminar on initial response to something like the Northern Illinois University shooting last week. These staffers will be qualified instructors and can return to their own campuses to train community emergency response teams.
Source: http://www.wapt.com/news/15360523/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Threatening note triggers lockdown at college. St. Peter’s College locked down its campus Wednesday for several hours following the discovery of a note that referenced killing students and the massacre at Virginia Tech. Nothing dangerous was found and the lockdown was lifted just before 3 p.m., a school spokeswoman said. She said campus security became aware at 10:40 a.m. of the handwritten note, taped in the stairwell of an administration and classroom building, and had e-mail and cell-phone text message alerts sent to students within two minutes. She added it was the first time the private Roman Catholic school used its text message alert system, installed last summer in response to the April 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech in which 33 people died. After the note’s discovery, police immediately ordered the campus closed while they began searching each room of each building at the school, which has about 3,000 students.
Source: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20080221_Threatening_note_triggers_lockdown_at_col lege.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/22/iraqi-pair-held-in-mexico-on-way-to-us-with-10000-fake-ids/
Iraqi Pair Held In Mexico On Way To U.S. With $10,000 Fake IDs

February 22, 2008

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Two more Iraqis with false Bulgarian passports were detained by Mexican officials in Monterrey bringing the total to four this month.

Wisam Gorgies, a 34-year-old man, and Rana Nazar Peyoz, a 26-year-old woman, reportedly flew from Madrid and landed in Monterrey, according to reports in two Mexican newspapers today.

Following questioning, the pair admitted they intended to reach the United States. They were taken to Saltillo in the state of Coahuila, for final determination of their status.

Mexican officials said the are investigating “a network that could be made up of Mexicans operating in Greece who are selling false Bulgarian passports for $10,000 to European and Middle Eastern citizens.”

Earlier this month, El Universal, a daily in Mexico City, reported two other Iraqis, Markos Ramy, a 25-year-old man, and Sollem Pate, a 20-year-old woman, presented Bulgarian passports upon arrival at the Monterrey airport after a flight from Spain.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/24/uk-suspicious-man-sparks-police-search-at-stanlow-shell-oil-refinery/
UK - Suspicious Man Sparks Police Search At Stanlow Shell Oil Refinery

February 24, 2008

Police conducted a search of the Stanlow Shell Oil refinery in Ellesmere Port after receiving reports of a man acting suspiciously.

A member of the public contacted the police at around 12.20pm on Friday with information that a man had been seen appearing to enter the refinery on Oil Sites Road.

Working with site security police conducted a thorough search of the area as a precautionary measure.
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The A5117 bordering the site was closed during the incident between junction 10 of the M53 and junction 14 of the M56.

The search concluded at 6.20pm with nothing untoward found.

A police spokesman said: “Police would like to thank local residents and motorists for their forebearance during the incident.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

Airport evacuated after suspicious package found. A section of the Akron-Canton Regional Airport, Ohio, was evacuated Thursday afternoon after a suspicious package was discovered. The package was found around 4:50 p.m. behind the U.S. Airway ticket counter. Officials evacuated about 40 people in that part of the terminal and they were taken to baggage claim. The Summit County Bomb Squad was called in and determined the package was not a threat. The package was taken as evidence. Business has since resumed as normal.
Source: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/15371311/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

White powder found in prison mail. A suspicious white powder led to a temporary lockdown and decontamination Wednesday of two mail room employees at the La Tuna federal prison in Anthony, Texas. A La Tuna public information officer said the powder was found in incoming mail addressed to an inmate. Inmate and employee mail is processed at a separate building, about a quarter-mile outside the secure perimeter of the facility where federal prisoners are housed. The powder was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and determined not to be a biological agent. Further testing was under way to see if the powder could be an illegal or narcotic substance. The investigation was pending that determination, he said. Source: http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_8327404

[Adlerian Thinker]

UCLA seeks restraining order against ‘terrorist’ animal rights activists. The University of California went to court Thursday to try to keep animal rights activists away from University of California, Los Angeles employees who say they have been threatened because of their research. The University of California’s Board of Regents filed suit in Superior Court in Santa Monica on Thursday, seeking a temporary restraining order and permanent injunctions keeping activists away from the researchers, the university spokesman said. The suit specifically requests restraining orders and injunctions against the Animal Liberation Front, the Animal Liberation Brigade, the UCLA Primate Freedom Project, and five protesters believed to be affiliated with those groups. A spokesman for the Animal Liberation Press Office said any pickets named in the suit have a constitutional right to protest. As for the underground protesters, he said they would not be intimidated by the lawsuit. The school has been cooperating with the FBI and the Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force in investigating the threats. A combined $170,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331751,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/suspicious-activity/
Suspicious Activity

What To Do If You Spot Suspicious Terrorist Activity
If you see suspicious behavior, do not confront the individuals involved.
Take note of the details:

S - Size (Jot down the number of people, gender, ages, and physical descriptions)
A - Activity (Describe exactly what they are doing)
L - Location (Provide exact location)
U - Uniform (Describe what they are wearing, including shoes)
T - Time (Provide date, time, and duration of activity)
E - Equipment (Describe vehicle, make, color etc., license plate, camera, guns, etc)

Suspicious activity is often recalled after an event. We must train ourselves to be on the lookout for things that are out of the ordinary and arouse suspicions.
Keep in mind, those who commit terrorist acts:

• Usually live among us without appearing suspicious while planning and
preparing for their attack. They may be your neighbor, student or friend.

• Often they will need training or equipment that will arouse suspicion.

• Need to conduct surveillance on possible targets and gather information on the planned attack location.

All of these things make terrorists vulnerable to detection, by those watching for certain characteristics. Learn to recognize the difference between normal and abnormal behavior. It can be a fine line. Stay alert in your daily travels and routines and get to know:

• Who your neighbors are
• What cars are normally in your neighborhood
• Who regularly makes deliveries at work and in your neighborhood

Staying alert is NOT about becoming paranoid. Staying alert is being aware of one’s surroundings. Be alert to indications of possible trouble. They may include:

• A local activity that could indicate problems in your community.
• One of the clues that led to the recent break-up of a terrorist plot was that several of the cell members were spotted celebrating in an apartment complex on the anniversary of 911.
• Previous activity or crimes.
• Controversial issues being debated.
• Suspicious thefts.

It is impossible to identify a terrorist by

• Appearance
• Nationality
• Language

You CAN only identify a terrorist threat by observing or hearing about suspicious activity that may lead to a criminal act. Identifying suspicious activity is not a difficult science. Rely on your judgment. Your suspicion of a threat could be confirmed with only one incident or it could take a series of incidents. Your suspicions will need to be based on:

• Experience
• Judgment
• Common sense

Here is just one example:

Unusual Interest in High Risk or Symbolic Targets
Maybe you are at a high profile location or, perhaps a National Monument and you notice a person nearby taking several photos. That’s not unusual. But then you notice that the person is only taking photos of the locations surveillance cameras, entrance crash barriers and access control procedures. Is that normal for a tourist? Not.

[Adlerian Thinker]

(con't)
The following should cause a heightened sense of suspicion:

• suspicious or unusual interest
• surveillance (suspicious in nature)
• inappropriate photographs or videos
• note-taking
• drawing of diagrams
• annotating maps
• using binoculars or night vision devices

Unusual or suspicious activity does not necessarily mean that terrorist activity is happening, but be aware of the following suspicious behaviors:

• Individuals acting furtively and suspiciously
• Individuals avoiding eye contact
• Individuals departing quickly when seen or approached
• Individuals in places they don’t belong
• A strong odor coming from a building or vehicle
• An overloaded vehicle
• Fluid leaking from a vehicle, other than the engine or gas tank
• Over dressed for the type of weather

Fraudulent Identification

Many of the 9/11 terrorists were in the country illegally and using fraudulent IDs. Altering or using false government identification in any way and for any purpose is against the law.

Fraudulent ID’s include:
• drivers license
• social security card
• passport
• birth certificate
• INS identification

If you believe someone is using or has altered government identification, please notify the law enforcement authrities. Do NOT request to see another person’s ID when not appropriate. Allow law enforcements to do the investigating.

Terrorists, when not acting alone, need to meet with their conspirators and often times work within a cell. Pay attention to visitors and guests that
• arrive and leave at unusual hours
• try not to be noticed
• act in a suspicious manner
• park an unusual distance from the meeting
• have an unusual number of unrelated people living together

Not all people who maintain privacy are terrorists. But people intent on doing illegal acts want to be left alone.

Some signs that may raise your suspicions.
• they only let you into the apartment or house with plenty of prior notice
• they change the locks often
• they keep certain rooms off limits
• they cover tables and other pieces of furniture
• they never allow maid service in a hotel room
• they only take hotel room service outside the door
• they only accept deliveries at the hotel’s front desk or outside a closed door

Deliveries are a common method for terrorists to carry out their attacks. Be aware of:
• a vehicle with hazardous material parked or driving in an inappropriate area
• unusual deliveries of chemicals or fertilizer
• unattended bags or boxes in a public access place
• fire extinguishers that may have been moved or tampered with
• unusual or unexpected mail

Unusual Purchases or Thefts
Terrorists need supplies to carry out their attacks and accomplish their goals.
Pay attention to purchases, rentals or thefts of:
• police, security, public utility, mail carrier, or airline uniforms and equipment
• explosives
• weapons
• ammunition
• propane bottles
• toxic chemicals
• vehicles able to contain or haul hazardous materials

Additional suspicious activity may include:
* Someone bragging or talking about plans to harm citizens in violent attacks or who claims membership in a terrorist organization that espouses killing innocent people.
* Suspicious packages, luggage, or mail that have been abandoned in a crowded place like an office building, an airport, a school, or a shopping center.
* Suspicious letter or package that arrives in your mailbox. (Stay away from the letter or package and don’t shake, bump or sniff it; wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
* Someone suspiciously exiting a secured, non-public area near a train or bus depot, airport, tunnel, bridge, government building, or tourist attraction.
* Any type of activity or circumstance that seems frightening or unusual within the normal routines of your neighborhood, community, and workplace.
* Someone unfamiliar loitering in a parking lot, government building, or around a school or playground.
* Anyone asking a lot of questions ‹ especially concerning routes or loads or drop-off times.
* Recruiters should be alert for unusual employment applications. Don’t assume it couldn’t be an inside job.
* A trucker returning to his or her vehicle from a restaurant or truck stop should make sure no one is loitering around the truck. Watch out for walk-arounds.

WHEN IN DOUBT, CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND LET THEM DO THE ASSESSMENT

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel08/rollingstone022508.htm
Press Release

For Immediate Release
February 25, 2008


Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

FBI Response to Rolling Stone Magazine Article on Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs)

(This is the full version of a letter sent to the editor of Rolling Stone magazine in response to their article, The Fear Factory which appeared in the February 7, 2008 edition.) Rolling Stone printed an edited version to comport with their word limitations, in the February 22, 2008 issue.

There is an old saying among reporters: The worst thing you can do to a good story is check it out. Guy Lawson (“The Fear Factory” Rolling Stone, February 7th) brings hypothetical theory to new heights. After “checking it out,” Mr. Lawson simply tailored his story around any compelling facts that did not fit his original premise. Before coming to the FBI, over 25 years ago, I won most of the major awards that they give to a reporter. I feel I have standing to say that a journalist has an obligation to tell at least two sides of a story. Your readers only got one.

The premise to which Mr. Lawson’s story was married is his theory that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) have to justify their existence in the post 9/11 world by ginning up thin cases against arguably docile suspects who have neither the intent nor capability to cause real harm. Mr. Lawson deftly skips over 27 years of the work of the JTTFs capturing al Qaeda suspects from the first World Trade Center bombing, preventing the attacks on New York landmarks, the Embassy and USS Cole bombings, the Millennium Plot and more. Instead, Mr. Lawson narrowed his focus to cases involving small groups and “lone wolves” that planned to murder American citizens on U.S. soil.

Derrick Shareef, the convicted terrorist at the center of the story who Mr. Lawson frivolously described as being a “wanna-be jihadi,” possessed all of the traits necessary to harm or kill innocent citizens. Investigators were also keenly aware of Mr. Shareef’s continuous contacts with Hassan Abujihaad, another domestic terror suspect being monitored by the FBI. Mr. Abujihaad was indicted for sending classified e-mails while serving on a U.S. Navy ship to pro-Taliban forces, divulging his naval battle group’s operational vulnerabilities. It was only after the two had a falling out that Mr. Shareef accelerated his plans to act independently and swiftly to launch an attack. The JTTF took correct action to disrupt his plans and arrest him.

Mr. Shareef, like scores of suicide bombers overseas, was infused with a poisonous ideology, displayed a single-minded desire to take action, regularly declared his intent to kill, and sought to obtain weapons to commit an attack.

One needs only to reflect on the example of Timothy McVeigh, who murdered 168 U.S. citizens in the Oklahoma City bombing. Mr. McVeigh could have been described as having little money, working a dead end job as a security guard, dealing with anger issues, and devoted to an extremist ideology. Like Mr. Shareef, Mr. McVeigh discussed his plans with others, cased potential targets, took action to secure explosives for the operation, and tried to do it as cheaply as possible.

Other killers have started out with even less. Take John Allan Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the “D.C. Snipers.” Two practically homeless men, living out of a car, filled with hate and armed with a high-powered assault rifle. As in the case of Mr. Shareef, you might be tempted to call them “losers,” but their actions paralyzed greater Washington D.C. for three weeks in 2002. In the end, 10 people died in the attacks and still others were identified from earlier shootings in other states. None of these men would have met Mr. Lawson’s standard as being a legitimate threat, yet had the FBI known about them before they struck, we would have been severely criticized.

At any point during his planning process, Mr. Shareef could have stopped his actions, but he chose not to. There is no evidence that he ever wavered in his desire to murder holiday shoppers in the CherryVale Mall that day. Would he have succeeded had it not been for the diligence of the JTTF? Mr. Lawson’s story suggests we should be willing to take this gamble, but he is not responsible for the outcome. No one will knock on the doors of Rolling Stone and ask why people died that day.

Not every terrorist needs to be linked to an organized group like al Qaeda to kill the innocent. What these lessons have taught us is that if the motivation is strong enough, challenges such as getting weapons or paying for the operation can be overcome.

JTTF agents and officers abide by FBI procedures, Department of Justice legal guidance, and the United States Constitution. They must bring facts before a judge to get authorization for a warrant or electronic surveillance. Since 9/11, the JTTFs have broken a dozen plots targeting civilians on U.S. soil. None of them have been well-financed, but I cannot remember any victim of a terrorist attack lamenting that they wished they’d been killed by a more expensive plot.

Mr. Lawson’s sweeping statement, “The defendants posed little if any demonstrable threat to anyone or anything,” seems to be his uneducated guess rather than an objective summary of the legal outcomes or courtroom results. In almost every case heard by a jury, the defendants were found guilty, in spite of having some dedicated and talented defense lawyers articulate the same claims Mr. Lawson has swallowed. The Yassin Aref case in Albany, New York, and the Hamid Hayat case in Lodi, California, are two examples. In other cases such as the “Lackawanna Six,” and the Torrance cell, the defendants pled guilty with the advice of counsel.

If we have identified somebody with the intent to take lives in the name of extremism and we fail to take the appropriate action, we are ignoring our sworn mission to protect the innocent. Regardless of criticism, it is our obligation to err on the side of safety while continuing to adhere to Constitutional protections.



John J. Miller
Assistant Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation

[Adlerian Thinker]

Airport security fears after investigators blow hole in plane’s fuselage using liquid explosives. Serious questions over airport security were raised Monday by an experiment, which found bomb components could be smuggled on to a plane. An investigation made a device using colorless and odorless chemicals, which can be carried through security in the 100 ml containers permitted by current regulations. Mixed together in a 500 ml water bottle and primed with a detonator, it caused an explosion, which ripped a six-foot hole in the fuselage of a decommissioned plane - enough damage to bring down a jet in flight. The test, performed by researchers for Channel 4’s Dispatches program and the Evening Standard, exposes potentially disastrous loopholes in the security regime introduced after the alleged “liquid bomb” plot in August 2006. The revelation raises concerns over how effectively air passengers are being protected by security regulations in the wake of an alleged al Qaeda plot to blow up transatlantic jets with “liquid bombs.” The editor of the International Journal of Aviation Security said current checks were “theatre” and that X-ray machines were no deterrent to a bomber. “I cannot cite a single example of a bomb being found using an airport X-ray machine alone,” he said. Only about 400ml in total of the liquids would be needed to make the bomb, meaning two or three terrorists could carry it through security in the permitted quantities without raising suspicion. The explosion was initiated with a commercial detonator, but a scientist said a home-made one, which could also be carried through security in an electrical item such as a phone or iPod, would produce the same effect. The bomb was tested the at Lasham airfield in Hampshire, England, on a section of fuselage from a decommissioned passenger jet that was still fitted out with seats and other cabin furniture.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=518532&in_page_id=1770

[Adlerian Thinker]

4 taken to hospital in envelope scare. A Lawrence boy became ill after opening an envelope that may have contained powder Friday night, prompting emergency personnel to take him and three relatives to a hospital, officials said. No irritants appeared to be on the envelope, but investigators will take a closer look, the county health department said. Officials said the boy went to a mailbox at his home, saw an envelope addressed to him, and opened it. Powder came out of the envelope and made the boy sick, his mother told police. The mother called 911, and hazardous-materials personnel responded, setting up a tent where the mother and two other relatives were decontaminated. The boy and the other three were taken to a hospital; information on the child’s condition and details about his illness were not available. Postal inspectors were investigating the incident. Officials said the envelope had no return address.
Source: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/15385516/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

4th avian flu death suspected in Guangdong Province. Health authorities tightened surveillance measures against avian influenza in Guangong Province Monday following the fourth death in mainland China suspected to have been caused by the virus since late last year. Hospitals will be required to step up monitoring and reporting of patients with symptoms of pneumonia over a four-week period from Tuesday amid concerns of a renewed outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus. A 44-year-old woman died Monday in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong from an infection suspected to have been bird flu, Chinese and Hong Kong health officials said. A test by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in Guangdong found the woman to have been infected with the virus, but the result had yet to be confirmed by the Health Ministry in Beijing. Her death follows several confirmed cases of bird flu infection since December. Since mid-December, health and agriculture authorities in Hong Kong have been on heightened alert for cases of bird flu in humans and poultry. They have advised airlines and the travel industry to distribute information to travelers going to and from Jiangsu. In a statement announcing additional measures Monday, the health authorities said they had alerted “frontline staff of hospitals and clinics to step up all infection control measures and maintain vigilance.”
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/25/asia/flu.php

[Adlerian Thinker]

You could be one of thousands with measles exposure. A search is under way for thousands possibly exposed to measles at Northwest Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, last week. Any visitor or patient at that hospital between February 12 and 15 may have come in contact with a European tourist who had the highly contagious disease and sought care at Northwest. Though now rare in the United States due to high childhood vaccination rates, the measles virus spreads easily through the air and is considered one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases. The unidentified infected patient was an adult visiting Tucson from Switzerland who became ill on February 12 and went to Northwest’s emergency room that day to obtain medication. The patient, feeling no better, returned the next morning and was admitted to the hospital. Infection with measles was not confirmed until late February 15, when the patient was finally placed in isolation, ending exposure to others at the hospital. In addition to the thousands of patients and visitors to Northwest during this period, as many as 1,800 staff members at the hospital may have been exposed to measles and are being monitored for symptoms.
Source: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/226484

[Adlerian Thinker]

German cop thwarts possible breach of base. German and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) authorities are searching for at least two men suspected of assaulting a local policeman who caught them lurking outside the Geilenkirchen Air Base fence in Germany. Investigators later found the fence had been breached, according to U.S. and German authorities. The incident occurred at about 8:35 p.m. on February 15. The men “might have been trying to gain access to the base,” said a base spokesman. “The fence had been cut.” However, authorities are not sure if the fence was damaged before the incident. Both the base spokesman and a police spokesman for the Heinsberg District said that at this stage of the investigation, there is no clear evidence of terrorist activity. Protesters have tried to gain access to the base in the past, the base spokesman noted. The 46-year-old German police officer spent one night in a local hospital for a head injury. His service revolver, cell phone, and some personal items were stolen. Located near the Dutch border near Aachen, the NATO base is home to the alliance’s Airborne Warning and Control System fleet.
Source: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52773

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/26/miami-international-airport-man-arrested-ater-running-from-tsa-officers/
Miami International Airport - Man Arrested Ater Running From TSA Officers
February 26, 2008
A man who bolted from a security checkpoint at Miami International Airport on Monday afternoon is in custody, and officials are trying to determine what sparked his action.

The man, described as being in his mid-30s, was also found with “contradictory” IDs, bearing different names from different countries, according to one official close to the investigation.

The man aroused the suspicion of a Transportation Security Administration document checker, the official said. The document checker reported his suspicion to a behavior detection officer.

The man went through a metal detector without triggering an alarm, then went on to secondary screening. He bolted from there without apparent reason, going back through the metal detector to the unsecure side of the airport, the official said.

He was followed by TSA officers to the airport curb, where he was apprehended by Miami-Dade police officers. Officials said they are trying to determine the man’s nationality and why he acted as he did.

The TSA closed the checkpoint for a brief time but did not evacuate the terminal.

The man was evidently traveling alone, the official said

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/26/pipe-bomb-scare-results-in-arrest-on-i-75-michigan/
Pipe Bomb Scare Results In Arrest On I-75 - Michigan
February 26, 2008
After a traffic-choked freeway closure imposed at the height of Monday’s afternoon rush, the busy lanes of I-75 at I-696 in Royal Oak were reopened at 5:10 p.m. following a police chase and capture of a man thought to have thrown a pipe bomb from his car.

“We’ve got him in custody,” Royal Oak Police Chief Ted Quisenberry said at 5:15 p.m. “We recovered money, and we recovered the stuff that he threw out of the car that looked like it was explosive,” Quisenberry said.

A bomb squad from the Michigan State Police exploded the suspected pipe bomb and “now they’re examining the contents to see if it was actually explosive or just looked that way,” the chief said.

Royal Oak police earlier had said that a possible explosive had been tossed from a car driven south on I-75 by a suspect in an armed robbery that occurred around 3 p.m. at a payday-loan outlet on East 11 Mile near the Royal Oak Farmers Market. The suspect, a man who has not been identified by police, reportedly stole a car on the way out of the check-cashing branch.

Police chased the suspect south on I-75 to Davison and M-10 in Detroit, where the man’s car became disabled by a tire problem. The suspect was then arrested and taken to Sinai Grace Hospital for observation, a Royal Oak police dispatcher said.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Software can analyze, forecast terrorism. U.S. scientists have developed a software program that can analyze threats and forecast acts of terrorism. Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Advanced Computer Studies created the Stochastic Opponent Modeling Agents (SOMA) Terror Organization Portal, allowing analysts to query automatically learned rules on terrorist organization behavior, forecast potential behavior based on those rules and communicate with other analysts examining the same subjects. The scientists said SOMA is a formal, logical-statistical reasoning framework that uses data about past behavior of terror groups to generate rules about the likely behavior of each of about 30 groups. The project is funded by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Source: http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/133038

[Adlerian Thinker]

Memphis driving school raided by federal, state agencies. Federal and state agencies have raided the Swift Transportation commercial truck driving school in Memphis as part of an ongoing investigation. Authorities did not say why the raid on Monday was done. The Department of Safety said it temporarily halted the issuance of commercial drivers licenses at the school until the investigation is completed. The FBI executed search warrants at the Memphis school. Other agencies involved in the probe are the Highway Patrol’s criminal investigation division, federal Department of Transportation inspector general, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal marshals and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5569311.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Egypt reports 44th case of bird flu virus. A four-year-old girl from southern Egypt has been diagnosed as having contracted the H5N1 bird flu virus, the health ministry announced on Tuesday. The girl was admitted to hospital on Monday with a high temperature in Menya before being transferred to Cairo for further treatment, a ministry spokesman said. She became the 44th case of the virus reported in Egypt since the first outbreak was announced in February 2006. A total of 19 people have died from the virulent strain. Four people died at the start of 2008, although no fatalities have been reported over the past six months.
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=nw20080226105457967C648204

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bomb threat empties courthouse. In Michigan, the Saginaw County Governmental Center will reopen to the public at 8 a.m. Tuesday, the sheriff said. Monday, sheriff’s deputies evacuated the four-story building because someone called in a bomb threat. Investigators found no evidence of explosives when deputies and bomb-sniffing dogs did a sweep of the building.
Source: http://blog.mlive.com/saginawnews/2008/02/bomb_threat_empties_courthouse.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Virginia’s Ferrum College on lockdown after security alert. Ferrum College, Virginia, is on lockdown as police search for a suspicious person on campus. A Franklin County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman says the college president ordered a lockdown Tuesday morning after receiving reports of a suspicious male on the campus. The private school is in a rural setting 35 miles south of Roanoke. She says no shots have been fired and there have been no injuries.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,332655,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

NIU KILLER GAVE MANY SIGNS OF VIOLENCE POTENTIAL

Steven Kazmierczak, the student shooter at Northern Illinois University, gave several indications that he could be violent, but authorities failed to recognize the signs because campus administrators, police and support staff were not trained in threat assessment, SERAPH Inc. concluded.

Among the indicators:

1. A TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP

Kazmierczak's troubled, on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend was known by many professors and students. One friend described him as controlling.

2. EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE

His parents had placed him in a Chicago psychiatric treatment center because of self-mutilation and obsessive erratic behavior. He also had a history of not complying with medication orders.

“Kazmierczak spent more than a year at the Thresholds-Mary Hill House in the late 1990s," former house manager Louise Gbadamashi told The Associated Press. His parents placed him there after high school because he had become "unruly" at home, she said.

3. VIOLENT TATTOOS

“Jason Dunavan, a tattoo artist in Champaign, said he spent hours as recently as last month creating tattoos for Kazmierczak. His work included an image of the macabre doll from the horror movie "Saw" riding a tricycle through a pool of blood with images of several bleeding cuts in the background.”

4. PRE-PLANNING

“Kazmierczak paid cash for his room at the Travelodge three days before the shootings, signing his name only as "Steven" on a slip of paper, according to the hotel manager. Items later found in his room included empty cartons of cigarettes and discarded containers of energy drinks and cold medicine. The refrigerator was stocked with more energy drinks.

Authorities found a duffel bag, with the zippers glued shut, that Kazmierczak had left in the room, said Lt. Gary Spangler of the DeKalb Police Department.”

5. HE LOST A JOB AND WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY FOR MENTAL ISSUES

Kazmierczak had a short-lived stint as a prison guard that ended abruptly when he didn't show up for work. He was in the Army for about six months in 2001-02, but he told a friend he had received a psychological discharge.

6. UNTRAINED STAFF MAKING POOR JUDGMENTS

Kristen Myers, an associate professor of sociology who knew Kazmierczak, said he didn't fit the image of a loner or outcast. ”Profiling would not have worked with Steve,” she said.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-02-15-1877016939_x.htm

[Adlerian Thinker]

Police lock down station: Tests run on white powder sent to Temple officer in letter. Temple police officers were not allowed in or out of the police department for two and a half hours Tuesday night while the fire department tested white powder that was inside a letter that came to the station. The letter was addressed to an officer, who collected the letter from the front desk and took it to his office on the third floor of the building. He opened the letter and noticed the white powdery substance. He isolated his area and notified Temple Fire and Rescue. The immediate areas and staff were quarantined while the fire department conducted tests in the area. Preliminary results showed the substance to be non-hazardous, said a Temple Fire and Rescue public information officer.
Source: http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/local/2008/02/27/47500

[Adlerian Thinker]

WHO rules out human transmission in bird flu deaths. All three Chinese who died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu this year had contact with sick poultry, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, adding there was no evidence of transmission between humans. With the world’s largest poultry population, China is at the center of the fight against bird flu, which scientists fear could mutate into a form that can pass easily between people, sparking a pandemic. China has reported four outbreaks of the disease in poultry since December – the latest announced on Tuesday – as temperatures across the country have hit their lowest in decades. Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPEK3253320080227

[lewstherin]

In large liberal cities there is not much one can do but move:frown:

it seems like that's where a person could do the most damage if they put their mind to it.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Health officials bump up Oklahoma flu outbreak to epidemic status. Influenza activity has changed from “widespread” to “epidemic” in Oklahoma and conditions could get worse before they improve, health officials say. “This epidemic is placing a significant strain on our health care systems, our workplaces and our schools due to high rates of absenteeism,” the state epidemiologist said Tuesday. The Oklahoma Health Department’s surveillance network of 35 health care providers, laboratories, and ambulance services statewide has reported an increase in cases during the past four weeks, she said, adding that she is worried that the epidemic could lead to not only more flu cases, but more deaths related to the virus.
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080227_1__OKLAH15888

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/27/thousands-of-aliens-in-us-flight-schools-illegally/
Thousands of Aliens In U.S. Flight Schools Illegally

February 27, 2008

Thousands of foreign student pilots have been able to enroll and obtain pilot licenses from U.S. flight schools, despite tough laws passed in the wake of the 9/ll attacks, according to internal government documents obtained by ABC News.

“Some of the very same conditions that allowed the 9-11 tragedy to happen in the first place are still very much in existence today,” wrote one regional security official to his boss at the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration.

“Thousands of aliens, some of whom may very well pose a threat to this country, are taking flight lessons, being granted FAA certifications and are flying planes,” wrote the TSA official, Richard A. Horn, in 2005, complaining that the students did not have the proper visas.

Under the new laws, American flight schools are only supposed to provide pilot training to foreign students who have been given a background check by the TSA and have a specific type of visa.

But in thousands of cases that has not happened, according to the documents and current and former government officials involved in the program.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Way to go, guys!
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/28/norwegian-and-swedish-police-nab-6-in-terror-sweep/
Norwegian and Swedish Police Nab 6 In Terror Sweep

February 28, 2008

Norwegian and Swedish police said they arrested six people in Oslo and Stockholm suspected of financing and planning attacks in a coordinated action.

“It was a coordinated action in Norway and Sweden,” Jakob Larsson, a spokesperson for the Swedish police’s security service Saepo, told AFP.

In Stockholm, “three Swedish citizens, all men” were arrested on suspicion of financing and planning attacks, Mr Larsson said, providing no further details on their identities.

In Oslo, three people were arrested “suspected of … financing acts of terrorism abroad,” the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) said in a statement.

According to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet’s online edition, the three arrested in Oslo were all of African origin.

Security services in both Scandinavian countries have previously said that Sweden and Norway are believed to be bases for support groups for extremist groups, providing financing, logistical support or recruiting.

In a report on the threat level in Norway published last month, PST said there were support networks for Islamic terrorism present in the Scandinavian country.

“The support activities in Norway primarily involve money transfers to individuals or groups abroad who are believed to be linked to radical Islamist organisations,” PST said.

“Various forms of support for foreign terrorist organisations remain the primary type of activity (linked to terrorism) in Norway,” it added.

A spokeswoman for PST, Siv Alfen, declined to say whether the trio arrested in Oslo were linked to Islamist organisations.

She said the three would probably appear before a judge to be remanded in custody on Friday or Saturday.

NATO member Norway has troops deployed in Afghanistan, and has on several occasions been named as a target by Al-Qaeda.

Sweden, which is not a member of NATO, also has 350 soldiers stationed in northern Afghanistan.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333781,00.html
Highly Poisonous Ricin Possibly Found At Las Vegas Hotel; 4 Hospitalized

Friday, February 29, 2008

LAS VEGAS — Homeland Security officials and Las Vegas Metro Police are investigating after four people were sent to the hospital for possible ricin poisoning at the Extended-Stay America hotel in Las Vegas.

At about 3 p.m. Thursday, an employee found a substance in one of the hotel's apartments when he was cleaning it and took it to the office. The four people, three of whom were employees, who were exposed to the substance were sent to the hospital, and the area surrounding the apartment was evacuated, according to police.

As of Thursday night, the four people were in stable condition.

Preliminary reports indicate the substance may have been ricin, a substance that is 6,000 times more toxic than cyanide. There is no known antidote.

Ricin is used in cancer research. It is made from crushed castor beans with liquid added to them, and if inhaled or ingested, a fatal dose is 0.2 mg, or the size of a pinhead.

Officials say there is no indication anyone was making ricin, but they are looking for the people who last stayed in the apartment. They will not elaborate on the amount found.

Authorities say this is not considered to be a terrorist threat.

The area has been contained, and the hotel has been quarantined for an indefinite amount of time.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Security tight at college after threats made. In Massachusetts, Bridgewater State College was holding classes Thursday, although attendance was expected to be low after death threats were made at the campus. The College president was named in the latest death threats found in a women’s bathroom. There have been a series of at least seven written death threats discovered at the campus recently. One said, “Death 2/28,” and another said, “Murder, 2/28.” Other threats were found earlier in the week, all mentioning the date of February 28. Campus officials have brought in extra campus police for Thursday’s classes. But some students said they will probably stay away from classes anyway. Bridgewater State was not the only Massachusetts college beefing up security Thursday. Police presence on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus was also increased after a janitor found a threatening message, and a building at Framingham State College was evacuated Wednesday after a student found a note mentioning a bomb. There is no evidence that any of the threats were connected.
Source: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/15434573/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bullet found on plane at SJ Airport forces evacuation. A Denver-bound plane at Mineta San Jose International Airport, California, was evacuated Thursday when a United Airlines flight attendant found a bullet resting on a seat inside the aircraft, an airport spokesman said. Approximately 100 people were in the process of boarding the plane at about 8:20 a.m. when the bullet was located, according to an airport spokesman. United Airlines evacuated the plane with the assistance of San Jose police and Transportation Security Administration personnel, he said. Passengers were rescreened and there were no immediate reports of any suspicious travelers, the spokesman said. Officials do not know where the bullet came from or when it might have appeared in the plane. United Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration will investigate the incident.
Source: http://www.nbc11.com/news/15439881/detail.html?rss=bay&psp=news

[Adlerian Thinker]

Pipe bomb found in Belchertown mailbox. When a Belchertown, Massachusetts, resident opened his mailbox, he found what appeared to be a pipe bomb. The Belchertown Police chief said the device was a metal pipe wrapped with tape on both ends. He said it was suspicious enough to call in the State Police Bomb Squad. Police later confirmed it was, in fact, a pipe bomb. A sweep of the rest of the neighborhood turned up nothing else suspicious and police said they saw no need to evacuate the surrounding area while the device was being checked out. A Department of Public Works truck filled with sand was brought into the driveway at around 5:30 p.m. The bomb squad put the device in the truck and detonated it at around 7 p.m. The chief said as of right now it does not appear the homeowner was a target. Police are still investigating. At this point, they do not know where the bomb came from or who delivered it to the address. Belchertown Police said the U.S. Postal Service is also involved in the case because the bomb was found in a mailbox.
Source: http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/16096422.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Medical mystery solved in slaughterhouse. In Minnesota, a mysterious nerve disorder that hit some slaughterhouse employees with debilitating symptoms apparently was caused by inhaling a fine mist of pig brain tissue. While eating pig brains is not dangerous, inhaling fumes from particles of pig brain matter can be, scientists say. In the procedure, high blasts of compressed air were shot into the head cavity to remove the brains. Sometimes the liquid combined with brain tissue and turned into a mist. Health investigators said droplets of the mist could have entered a worker’s system through the mucous membranes in the nose or mouth. Once in the body, the foreign pig brain matter prompted the immune system to produce antibodies to attack it, in a process similar to an allergic reaction. But the foreign matter seems to have also triggered an attack on the body’s nerve tissue, killing some of the nerves and causing the mysterious numbness. A translator assisting
Spanish-speaking patients helped to expose the hidden risk, which prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to name a new disease and led to changes in how pig brains are harvested. On January 31, the CDC gave a new name to the unique constellation of ailments: progressive inflammatory neuropathy, or PIN. The CDC also is tracking two other plants that used the procedure. At one plant in Indiana, there have been three confirmed cases. There have been no cases confirmed at a Nebraska plant. While health authorities are convinced the outbreak is contained, they said it will take months, perhaps years, to understand fully what caused or triggered the illness in workers.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/02/28/medical.mystery/index.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Hospital: 5 injured in explosion at Illinois shopping plaza. On Thursday, a midday explosion at a small strip mall injured several people, collapsed roofs and left mounds of rubble in a Chicago, Illinois, suburb. Five people were taken to Vista Hospital, a spokesman there said. “We do know there was an explosion. We know there was a tuxedo store there and also a hair salon and a bar. Until the firefighters get in there and ... we can get to our equipment and take a closer look, it is premature to say exactly what has caused this,” the president of North Shore Gas Co. told CNN. The explosion may have originated inside those businesses.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/28/plaza.explosion/index.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

How much excitement will he get in prison?

Man pleads guilty in stadium dirty-bomb hoax. A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty on Thursday to creating an Internet hoax that claimed “dirty bombs” would be set off at seven U.S. football stadiums, prompting a security scare, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey said. The suspect admitted that during September and October 2006 he posted a message 40 times on the Internet that seven explosive devices would be set off in cities hosting NFL games including Miami, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Cleveland and Oakland, California. He claimed the bombs would cause nearly 100,000 deaths, authorities said. The dirty bombs would be delivered by trucks and eventually be celebrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as “America’s Hiroshima,” according to his indictment. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, to one charge of conveying false and misleading information. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced on June 5.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080228/us_nm/security_nfl_hoax_dc;_ylt=ApuDeTpTLztmV_P8tVgjIfYW Ir0F

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/03/elf-earth-liberation-front-sign-left-at-scene-of-burning-homes-washington/
ELF “Earth Liberation Front” Sign Left At Scene of Burning Homes - Washington

March 3, 2008

Four large homes are burning at a “Street of Dreams” model home development north of Woodinville, and the Snohomish County District Seven Chief Rick Eastman told KING-TV that a sign saying ELF was left at the scene.

ELF or Earth Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for other arsons, including one at the University of Washington in 2001 for which a woman is now on trial in Tacoma.

Eastman also told KOMO-TV that the fires are suspicious because they were set in multiple places in separate homes.

Eastman says police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating.

No reports of injuries in the three-alarm Monday morning fire. Eastman says some of the homes were still under construction.

Eastman says one is a total loss and two homes are substantially damaged. He says fires also were set at a total of six homes.

The Street of Dreams is an annual showcase of luxury homes in the Seattle area. The latest development is off Highway 522 at Echo Lake Drive.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/03/wendys-restaurant-west-palm-beach-florida-5-shot-by-man-in-business-suit/
Wendys Restaurant West Palm Beach Florida - 5 Shot By Man In Business Suit

March 3, 2008

A gunman dressed in a suit and tie burst into a Wendy’s restaurant in West Palm Beach, Florida, killing one person and himself and injuring five others, police said.

The gunfire sent customers racing out of the restaurant. Motorists at the drive-through window also fled, some leaving their vehicles running.

Palm Beach County Sheriff spokeswoman Teri Barbera said three of the survivors were in a critical condition. Two others had minor injuries, including one person who was hurt while running away.

Several people were carried from the restaurant on stretchers.

“I just saw a lady with a little boy in her arms come running out screaming, ‘Somebody’s shooting!’” said Sandra Jackson, who had been filling her vehicle with petrol across the street.

Mrs Jackson, 43, of Palm Springs, said her husband was still in the restaurant.

The mayhem unfolded just after noon on Monday during the lunch-hour rush at the eatery on a major suburban road lined with strip malls, car dealerships and fast food restaurants, about five miles from central West Palm Beach.

The gunman entered the restaurant and went to a restroom before coming out brandishing what appeared to be a 9mm handgun, sheriff’s spokesman Paul Miller said.

Ashley Milton, 28, said she had just arrived for lunch when she heard the “pop pop” of gunfire and saw people running.

“I really didn’t think that’s what it was. I thought this can’t be happening,” she said. “You see your life flash before your eyes.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

Clinic closed in Las Vegas in health scandal. The city of Las Vegas has shut down the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada where up to 40,000 people may have been exposed to hepatitis C and the HIV virus through the reuse of syringes and vials, officials said on Sunday. Officials are asking about 40,000 people to be tested for hepatitis B and C and HIV because of unsafe medical practices there. Health authorities launched an investigation into the clinic after six former patients were diagnosed with hepatitis. Nurses at the clinic were told “to reuse syringes when administering anesthesia” and “to reuse vials of medication,” the city said, citing a probe by public health agencies. The local prosecutors’ office said it was closely examining the case and raised the possibility of filing charges against the center. The clinic did not comment directly on the allegations, but expressed concern for patients infected and said it had undertaken new precautions.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080303/ts_alt_afp/ushealthhospitaldisease_080303002618;_ylt=AiDAto3G 5gGnb4Dz9MnjWLnYa7gF

[Adlerian Thinker]

Georgia police arrest man suspected of bringing gun on college campus. Authorities took into custody a man suspected of carrying a gun Monday onto the main campus of Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Georgia, the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office said. The man was not a student at the school. Earlier Monday morning, the college was placed under a lockdown after a student reported seeing a man with a gun. The college has resumed normal operations and the lockdown was lifted around noon, said the college’s president.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334588,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Multiple agencies respond to anthrax scare. In Oregon, an early morning anthrax scare at the Linn County Court House turned out to be a hoax. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Linn-Benton Hazmat Team all responded to the call. Around 6:15 a.m. a custodian found a note on an outside door indicating envelopes containing anthrax were inside and outside the courthouse. One person was in the building when the note was discovered. The Linn County Sheriff closed the courthouse while hazmat teams searched for anthrax. Only two envelopes connected to the note were found. One was slid under a door. The other was left with the note outside. Neither contained anthrax.
Source: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_030308_local_anthrax_linn_county.1e277278.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bomb threat forces courthouse evacuation again. A bomb threat put trials on hold again Monday morning at the Blair County, Pennsylvania, courthouse. The call came into the 911 center just before 8 a.m. County officials said although they were able to resume business as usual, it is no less troubling. Two threats forced officials to close the courthouse in Hollidaysburg for a day in January, which resulted in a loss of time and thousands of dollars for the county. When the Blair County 911 center received the call Monday morning, employees evacuated again so police could sweep the building inside and out. There have been no arrests so far in relation to the January bomb threat. However, a major drug trial was going on that day and another drug trial was on Monday’s agenda. County officials said, as they continue to work with law enforcement to track down the people responsible, they will be looking for a possible link between the drug trials and the threats.
Source: http://www.wjactv.com/news/15480949/detail.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Bomb threat evacuates large building at URI. Up to 700 people were evacuated from a building at the University of Rhode Island (URI) after a report of a bomb threat, a school spokeswoman said. Authorities began searching the building at 12:50 p.m. There have not been any reports of an actual bomb being found. University police received a call just after noon from a person who had overheard a conversation about a bomb threat at Independence Hall, said a URI spokeswoman. About 700 students were scheduled to be in the three-story academic building at the time.
Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/03/bomb_threat_eva.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Uh oh......

Muslim woman arrested for terrorist threat against University of Illinois. A 24-year-old Wheaton, Illinois, resident was arrested for making e-mail threats against the University of Illinois-Chicago campus. The suspect was charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Chicago with one count of making threats through use of interstate commerce, which is a felony offense. According to the police complaint, an individual subsequently identified as the suspect, who is a student at the university, sent an anonymous e-mail to a university administrator threatening a repeat of the shooting incident that had taken place the previous day at Northern Illinois University. The threat stated that a group of five individuals would carry out the attack sometime during the spring 2008 semester. However, the caller failed to give a reason for making the threat.
Source: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?b455d857-dc30-4fc5-acf6-bc0d51a71d53

[Adlerian Thinker]

China’s computer hacking worries Pentagon. China in the last year has developed ways to infiltrate and manipulate computer networks around the world in what U.S. defense officials conclude is a new and potentially dangerous military capability, according to a Pentagon report issued Monday. Computer network intrusions at the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, think tanks, and government contractors last year “appeared to originate” in China, according to the report. In addition, computer intrusions in Germany, apparently by Chinese hackers, occur daily, along with infiltrations in France and Britain, the Pentagon said. The Pentagon report does not directly accuse the Chinese military or government of the attacks but says the incidents are consistent with recent military thinking in that country. A U.S. deputy assistant secretary said cyber-warfare was an area of growing concern, and he called on the Chinese to clarify their intentions.
Source: http://www.1913intel.com/2008/03/04/chinas-computer-hacking-worries-pentagon/

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://jacksonville.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/childporn030408.htm

MEMBERS OF VAST CHILD EXPLOITATION ENTERPRISE INDICTED IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

A federal grand jury in Pensacola, Fla. has returned a 35-count indictment against 12 individuals who engaged in a criminal enterprise involving the advertisement, transportation, and shipment of child pornography over a two-year period, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Gregory R. Miller, and FBI Executive Assistant Director J. Stephen Tidwell announced today.

According to the indictment, the 12 men participated since August 2006 in a highly-sophisticated and well-organized scheme to proliferate child sex abuse images to the organization’s membership. Until the group was dismantled by law enforcement, members of the group utilized Internet newsgroups – or large file-sharing networks where text, software, pictures and videos can be traded and shared – to traffic in illegal images and videos depicting prepubescent children, including toddlers, engaged in various sexual and sadistic acts. The group utilized sophisticated encryption methods to avoid detection and traded over 400,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse before being dismantled. The charges were developed after law enforcement infiltrated the group.

The indictment charges the 12 defendants with numerous federal crimes, including engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiracy, advertisement of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and obstruction of justice. Charged in the indictment are:

● Michael Berger , 33, of Mechanicsville , Va. ;

● James Freeman, 47, of Santa Rosa Beach , Fla. ;

● Ruble Keys, 55, of Medford , Ore. ;

● Gary Lakey, 54, of Anderson , Ind. ;

● Marvin Lambert, 33, of Indianapolis , Ind. ;

● Neville McGarity , 40, of Medina , Texas ;

● John Mosman, 46, of Waterbury , Conn. ;

● Warren Mumpower, 63, of Spokane , Wash.;

● Raymond Roy, 54, of San Juan Capistrano , Calif. ;

● Erik Wayerski , 46, of Round Rock, Texas ;

● Warren Weber, 56, of Boise , Idaho ; and

● Ronald White, 59, of Burlington , N.C.

If convicted of these offenses, each defendant faces a prison sentence of at least 20 years, up to a maximum of life imprisonment, in addition to applicable statutory fines.

Two additional defendants associated with this case were arrested on criminal complaints on February 29, 2008 . They are Stepan Bondarenko, 38, of Philadelphia , Pa. and Daniel Castleman, 43, of Lubbock , Texas .

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Goldberg of the Northern District of Florida and Trial Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Queensland , Australia Police Service, with the assistance of the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) Child Pornography Unit in Germany , the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in the United Kingdom , and the Toronto , Canada Police Department.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/04/sports-arenas-and-entertainment-venues-warned-of-potential-terror-threat/
Sports Arenas and Entertainment Venues Warned of Potential Terror Threat

March 4, 2008

As the spring sports season moves into high gear with March Madness and Baseball’s Spring Training, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI today issued an assessment, called “Potential Threats to Popular Sports and Entertainment Venues,” that said arenas and stadiums are attractive “potential targets during events.”

The assessment repeatedly noted that the FBI and DHS have no “information on any credible or specific current terrorism plots to attack stadiums or arenas in the United States.”

The report, however, said “operational planning and surveillance against sporting facilities are often difficult to detect,” and college and professional basketball playoffs, the stock car racing season, hockey playoffs and horse racing’s Triple Crown are among the events that “regularly bring tens of thousands of fans…into large open-access facilities.”

“The FBI and DHS put out a joint bulletin for law enforcement concerning potential threats against sporting events. This is routine; we have no current threats against sports venues,” FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement. “But with the start of the spring sporting events, we provide this information to law enforcement to be aware of any suspicious activity and to remain vigilant.”

Thirty-four incidents of suspicious activities involving arenas and stadiums were reported to the FBI last year, the report noted, however these “often lacked sufficient information to investigate or determine if a terrorism nexus existed.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/05/man-held-after-threatening-to-hijack-jet/
Man Held After Threatening To Hijack Jet

March 5, 2008

A man from Portadown in Northern Ireland is in custody in the US after he allegedly told a flight attendant he had links with Osama bin Laden.

The 44-year-old appeared in court on Monday charged with assault and interfering with flight crew.

It is alleged he had been drinking on the flight from Atlanta to Dublin.

The County Armagh man is due to appear again at the District Court in Bangor, Maine, on Monday 10 March for a detention hearing.

An FBI affidavit alleged that he was smoking in the airplanes bathroom.

It also stated that when challenged, the man became verbally abusive to a flight attendant, telling her he was associated with Osama bin Laden and was going to hijack the plane.

According to the affidavit, he later told an off-duty pilot he was a terrorist.

It also alleged he then punched an off-duty flight attendant who warned him he might have to be restrained.

The airplane landed at the nearest airport.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Government warns of terror threat to trains. In a bulletin released Friday to U.S. law enforcement officials, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is warning of “continued strong terrorist interest” in targeting mass transit systems in the U.S. The 10-page threat assessment, titled the “Mass Transit System Threat Assessment.” cautions that the “U.S. mass transit and passenger rail systems are vulnerable to terrorist attacks because they are accessible to large numbers of the public and are notoriously difficult to secure.” Previous rail attacks in Madrid, London and Mumbai “could inspire terrorists to conduct similar attacks in the United States,” the report adds. However, the authors of the intelligence analysis make clear that there are no known, immediate dangers. The report comes just weeks after Amtrak announced a series of new security measures Amtrak does not routinely screen passengers or their baggage with metal detectors or other devices, as all U.S. airlines do. The report identifies Al-Qaida as one of the “most likely actors” in potential attacks. Other terror groups are a threat, too. “Lebanese Hizballah, which has supporters inside the United States, is less likely to attack U.S. domestic interests unless it perceives the United States has become a direct threat to its leadership, its armed capabilities, or to Iran,” the TSA authors write. TSA worries that rail-industry insiders might become terrorist accomplices and cites two examples: a security guard at Heathrow International Airport (LHR), who was one of 24 people arrested in connection with the plan to blow up aircraft in the 2006 UK-U.S. transatlantic plot and a Turkish citizen, reportedly a member of the Islamic Jihad Union cell targeting Germany, was arrested in September 2007. Yilmaz was employed in the security division of rail operator Deutsche Bahn from 1997 until 2002. During that time he worked in the railway station of Frankfurt
airport.
Source: http://deepbackground.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/04/729103.aspx

[Adlerian Thinker]

Man held over ‘bin Laden links’. A man from Portadown in Northern Ireland is in custody in the US after he allegedly told a flight attendant he had links with Osama bin Laden. The 44-year-old appeared in court on Monday charged with assault and interfering with flight crew. It is alleged he had been drinking on the flight from Atlanta to Dublin. An FBI affidavit alleged that he was smoking in the airplane’s toilets. It also stated that when challenged, the man became verbally abusive to a flight attendant, telling her he was associated with Osama bin Laden and was going to hijack the plane. According to the affidavit, he later told an off-duty pilot he was a terrorist. It also alleged he then punched an off-duty flight attendant who warned him he might have to be restrained. The airplane landed at the nearest airport.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7277674.stm

[Adlerian Thinker]

Student arrested after bathroom bomb threat found at North Andover High School. A 16-year-old student at North Andover High School is facing criminal charges after a bomb threat was found scrawled on a stall in the girls’ bathroom. Police sent several officers to the school and searched the building with a dog trained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, said a lieutenant from the North Andover Police Department. The principal sent out a voicemail alert to parents to warn them about the threat. The student was arrested Monday and charged with threatening to commit a crime and disruption of an academic setting.
Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/03/student_arreste_1.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

White powder closes courthouse. Employees of Milford Superior Court were stuck in the courthouse Tuesday afternoon as an investigation was launched into the discovery of a suspicious substance found in a bathroom. “A white powdery substance was found in the upstairs women’s restroom and they didn’t know what it was, so they called 911,” said the director of external affairs for the state Judicial Branch. Workers in the criminal clerk’s office at the courthouse said a lock down was imposed and they were not allowed to leave. Judicial marshals also locked the courthouse door to keep out visitors. Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the call about 4:30 p.m., as well as the state Department of Environmental Protection. As of 6:30 p.m., investigators were still on the scene, and it was not clear if employees had been permitted to leave. The powder was tested at the scene and a sample sent to the state Health Lab in Hartford, a state police spokesman said Tuesday night.
Source: http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_8455052

[Adlerian Thinker]

March madness: Homeland Security issues warning on sports arenas. As the spring sports season moves into high gear, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued an assessment, called “Potential Threats to Popular Sports and Entertainment Venues,” that said arenas and stadiums are attractive “potential targets during events.” The assessment repeatedly noted that the FBI and DHS have no “information on any credible or specific current terrorism plots to attack stadiums or arenas in the United States.” The report, however, said “operational planning and surveillance against sporting facilities are often difficult to detect,” and college and professional basketball playoffs, the stock car racing season, hockey playoffs and horse racing’s Triple Crown are among the events that “regularly bring tens of thousands of fans...into large open-access facilities.” Thirty-four incidents of suspicious activities involving arenas and stadiums were reported to the FBI last year, the report noted, however these “often lacked sufficient information to investigate or determine if a terrorism nexus existed.” Although there is no information on specific or credible current terrorist plots, the report noted that detainee statements, captured material and domestic and overseas terrorist attacks were all part of the information used to prepare the assessment of these events as potential targets.
Source: http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=4387469

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/06/gunnison-colorado-student-commits-suicide-using-cyanide-hazmat-emergency-declared/
Gunnison Colorado - Student Commits Suicide Using Cyanide - Hazmat Emergency Declared

March 6, 2008

Every law enforcement and emergency services agency in Gunnison was called into action Tuesday night, as two separate incidents had officials scrambling and residents wondering what all of the commotion was about

One of those incidents resulted in a condominium being declared a hazardous materials emergency, sending nine individuals who were feared to have been contaminated with a dangerous chemical to Gunnison Valley Hospital.

Both incidents were related to despondent individuals, one of whom was threatening to take his own life and another, a 22-year-old Western State College student, who was found deceased apparently by his own hand.

The chaos began late Tuesday afternoon, when officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of W. Denver for a possible suicide. There, they found an individual who had apparently been dead for several hours.

Gunnison County Coroner Frank Vader identified the man as Stephen Watson, who originally hailed from the Denver area and had been living in Gunnison to attend WSC though he was not presently enrolled.

According to several law enforcement and eye-witness accounts, it appears as if Watson ingested a mixture of potassium cyanide, a highly toxic inorganic compound used primarily in gold mining. There was a bottle of the substance on a table and a note, according to one source at the scene, warning others about the lethal concoction.

Officials were quickly advised to vacate the premises while a Hazardous Materials unit could respond.

The biggest concern, according to Gunnison County Emergency Services Coordinator Scott Morrill, was if the potassium cyanide had “aerosolized.”

According to him, the substance is highly reactive and can easily change to hydrogen cyanide, “which is what they used in gas chambers,” Morrill explained.

“Had it aerosolized, we would have had huge issues,” he said.

Officials didn’t believe that to be the case. Still, they agreed to err on the side of caution.

Five law enforcement officials and four individuals who had entered the home prior to police arrival were transported to GVH for a “decontamination” proceeding. None showed signs of illness and after a few hours of monitoring all were released.
Residents in the nearest condos, which were in one of four buildings in the complex, were evacuated. A school bus was brought to the scene to house people while the situation was sorted out.

The residents were allowed back into their homes around 9 p.m. The precaution did take five on-duty officers out of rotation.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/06/8-house-democrats-get-letters-with-picture-of-ny-recruiting-station-before-bombing/
House Democrats Get Letters With Picture Of Recruiting Station Before New York Bombing

March 6, 2008

Eight House Democrats were mailed the letter and photo of a Times Square recruiting station in Manhattan before it was bombed this morning, according to House insiders.

A law enforcement official said police are investigating letters sent to Capitol Hill offices showing pictures of the recruiting station. According to the official, who was briefed on the investigation, the letters included words to the effect of, “We did it.” The official did not know which offices received the letters.

The letter did not contain any specific threats against the lawmakers or the site, but the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI are now investigating the matter.

It was unclear which lawmakers received the letters or when, but House aides confirmed they were all Democrats.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of an e-mail from the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to other lawmakers Thursday that reads:

“A few offices on the House side have received a letter today addressed to ‘Members of Congress’ with a picture of a man standing in front of the Times Square recruiting station that was bombed in New York today with the statement ‘We did it.’ He is standing in front of it with his arms spread out and he’s attached his political manifesto.”

The e-mail advised recipients to leave the letters alone and call police.

UPDATES - From Politico.com

UPDATE 1 The letters and pictures went to Democrats representing New York City-based congressional districts, according to House sources. It’s unclear whether Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer received similar letters.

UPDATE 2 A senior House aide suggested many more members than the eight Democrats originally believed to have received them could have gotten copies and suggested law enforcement officials do not know the full scope of how many missives were actually sent at this time.

UPDATE 3 Aides to Schumer and Clinton said they were not aware of any such letters being received by their offices.

UPDATE 4 This message was just sent to all congressional offices by the Capitol Police:

“Attention All Members of the Congressional Community

Within the past twenty-four hours, a number of letters have begun arriving at various Congressional Offices on Capitol Hill. The letters contain a reference to the military recruiting office in New York City. At this time, none of the letters received, have contained any threat to the Congressional Community or Members of Congress.

All of the letters have properly passed through Congressional mail security screening procedures before arriving at various Congressional Offices and have been determined to be safe.

These letters can be identified in the following manner:

* All envelopes received have all been manila in color and are approximately five inches by eight inches in size.
* All envelopes have two (one dollar) stamps affixed to them and a white label with a return address.

The United States Capitol Police want to preserve any possible evidence. Therefore, in the event that any envelopes arrive at your Congressional Office, please respond in the following manner:

1. Do not attempt to open the envelope.
2. Immediately contact the USCP Command Center at 22X-XXXX

The Command Center will have an officer dispatched to your office to take possession of the letter. Because this is an ongoing criminal investigation, please do not forward this email or release information outside your immediate office.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

Naples man arrested for concealed weapon at airport. On Wednesday, the Lee County, Florida, Port Authority Police arrested a Naples man for carrying a concealed weapon through airport security. According to the police report, the suspect was causing a disturbance at a security checkpoint at Southwest Florida International Airport. The reporting officer said he smelled strongly of alcohol. When he was asked to show identification, officers realized he had a hunting knife with a four-inch blade underneath his vest. The man was booked into the Lee County Jail, but he was not listed as an inmate Wednesday night.
Source: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEWS01/80305069/1002

[Adlerian Thinker]

Makeshift bomb major concern of U.S. airport screeners, official says. A terrorist who could sneak tiny bomb parts on to a plane and assemble them in mid-air is the key worry of American airport screeners, says a senior U.S. official. The deputy administrator of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday the agency is trying to detect small components that might be turned into improvised explosive devices, or airborne IEDs. “These things are what we see as the No. 1 threat today. Getting very small, tiny, hard-to-find component pieces through the checkpoint,” he told a conference on aviation security. “The most important part of detecting the IED starts with our officers at the checkpoint and their ability to identify these items.” The official said the agency has trained more than 40,000 airport screeners to identify small bomb parts based on information from intelligence reports. It does undercover tests using mock components to keep screeners sharp. And advanced X-ray machines are being rolled out to help them spot the items. The TSA has also begun monitoring passenger behavior at airports to try to detect terrorists.
Source: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=121767&Itemid=560

[Adlerian Thinker]

Philippine authorities arrest 3 Middle Eastern men in plot to bomb embassies. Philippine authorities have arrested three Middle Eastern men suspected of involvement in a plot to bomb the American embassy and three other foreign missions in Manila, officials said Thursday. Two senior Filipino security officials told the Associated Press that investigators were verifying intelligence information that the three may have been involved in an active plot to bomb the U.S., British, Australian, and Israeli embassies in Manila. Authorities believe the three may have links with the Indonesia-based militant group Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent southern Philippine-based group blacklisted by Washington as a terror organization. Funding for the plot had been secured, indicating that a planned attack against the embassies may have already been in an advanced stage, one of the security officials said, adding that all the embassies concerned have been notified. All three suspects are Middle Eastern, but investigators were still trying to verify their identities.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335434,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

UC Davis student in custody after explosives found in dorm. A student at the University of California, Davis, is in custody after authorities say they found explosive devices in a dorm room. The university police captain tells the Sacramento Bee that investigators found what appeared to be two pipe bombs in a dorm. Police say after questioning four students they arrested a freshman from southern California. He is being held on possession of materials with the intent to make an explosive or destructive device and other charges.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335509,00.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336248,00.html
Chinese Official: Flight Crew Prevented Planned Terrorist Act Aboard Jetliner

Sunday, March 09, 2008

BEIJING — A Chinese official says a flight crew prevented an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner last week.

The incident occurred Friday morning shortly after the China Southern Airlines flight left the far western city of Urumuqi at 10:35 a.m., said Nur Bekri, the governor of the sprawling western Xinjiang region.

He talked about the incident in a discussion about terrorism in Beijing on Sunday, but provided few details. He did not specify who was suspected to be behind the attempt, saying it remains under investigation.

"From what we presently know, this was an attempt to crash the plane," Bekri said

Bekri said the crew responded and brought the plane to an emergency landing in the western city of Lanzhou at 12:40 p.m. with no damage or injuries.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/07/china.hackers/index.html
ZHOUSHAN, China (CNN) -- They operate from a bare apartment on a Chinese island. They are intelligent 20-somethings who seem harmless. But they are hard-core hackers who claim to have gained access to the world's most sensitive sites, including the Pentagon.

The leader of these Chinese hackers says there "is always a weakness" on networks that allows cyber break-ins.

In fact, they say they are sometimes paid secretly by the Chinese government -- a claim the Beijing government denies.

"No Web site is one hundred percent safe. There are Web sites with high-level security, but there is always a weakness," says Xiao Chen, the leader of this group.

"Xiao Chen" is his online name. Along with his two colleagues, he does not want to reveal his true identity. The three belong to what some Western experts say is a civilian cyber militia in China, launching attacks on government and private Web sites around the world.

SNIP

"First, you must know about the Web site you want to attack. You must know what program it is written with," says Xiao Chen. "There is a saying, 'Know about both yourself and the enemy, and you will be invincible.'"

CNN decided to withhold the address of these hackers' Web site, but Xiao Chen says it has been operating for more than three years, with 10,000 registered users. The site offers tools, articles, news and flash tutorials about hacking.

Private computer experts in the United States from iDefense Security Intelligence, which provides cybersecurity advice to governments and Fortune 500 companies, say the group's site "appears to be an important site in the broader Chinese hacking community."

SNIP

But eventually Xiao Chen claims two of his colleagues -- not the ones with him in the room -- have hacked into the Pentagon and downloaded information, although he wouldn't specify what was gleaned. CNN has no way to confirm if his claim is true.

SNIP

This week, the Pentagon said computer networks in the United States, Germany, Britain and France were hit last year by what they call "multiple intrusions," many of them originating from China.

At a congressional hearing in Washington last week, administration officials testified that the government's cyber initiative has fallen far short of what is required. Most alarming, the officials said, there has never been a full damage assessment of federal agency networks.

SNIP

But David Sedney, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, says, "The way these intrusions are conducted are certainly consistent with what you would need if you were going to actually carry out cyber warfare."

SNIP

But Xiao Chen says after the alleged Pentagon attack, his colleagues were paid by the Chinese government. Again, CNN has no way to independently confirm if that is true.

SNIP

But if Xiao Chen is telling the truth, it appears his colleagues launched a freelance attack -- not initiated by Beijing, but paid for after the fact. "These hacker groups in my opinion are not agents of the Chinese state," says James Mulvenon from the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, which works with the U.S. intelligence community.

SNIP

He adds, "These young hackers are tolerated by the regime provided that they do not conduct attacks inside of China."
advertisement

One of the biggest problems experts say is trying to prove where a cyber attack originates from, and that they say allows hackers like Xiao Chen to operate in a virtual world of deniability.

And across China, there could be thousands just like him, all trying to prove themselves against some of the most secure Web sites in the world.

We're at war, folks.

[Adlerian Thinker]

Study Finds Over the Counter Drugs in Drinking Water in 24 Major U.S. Regions
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336286,00.html

Oh my dear sweet Lord!

[Adlerian Thinker]

Man crashed into agency’s gates, made bomb threat, authorities say. A man drove a pickup with a snowplow into a gate at Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in McLean, Virginia, and threatened to detonate a bomb before being taken into custody by CIA officers, according to court documents and law enforcement officials. An affidavit said the suspect’s speeding pickup crashed into the gate, causing the metal barrier to swing open. He then left the truck and made a series of threats, including “the truck is going to blow up” and “I have a bomb,” a CIA police officer wrote. The suspect also counted down from five several times as if waiting for an explosion, the court papers said. As it turned out, there was no bomb, and the scene was declared safe after the CIA closed the ramps to the parkway.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030603032.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Explosives suspect will face 2 juries. A judge on Thursday ordered that a terrorism-related charge against an Egyptian student accused of transporting explosives will be handled in a separate trial from the explosives counts. Two Egyptian students were arrested last summer in South Carolina over material found in their trunk. Prosecutors say it was explosive material; the defense says it was homemade fireworks. One student is also charged with a terrorism-related count stemming from a video found on a laptop computer in the car. The video, which he is accused of producing, shows how to turn a remote controlled toy into a bomb detonator. The University of South Florida engineering students have been in jail since sheriff’s deputies found what they called bomb-making materials in the trunk of their car during an August 4 traffic stop near Charleston, South Carolina.
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iAtZCOCu6i-MQvVj4csX_VuLyY8QD8V864Q82

[Adlerian Thinker]

Man threatens Saginaw County Courthouse. The man who police say threatened to blow up the Saginaw County Courthouse has been charged with making a false report or threat of terrorism. It is the second time in a month in Saginaw County, Michigan, that the charge has been filed against someone. The other time, Michigan State Police troopers were threatened.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6003668

[Adlerian Thinker]

Police investigate bomb scare. Police are investigating who called Mathworks -- a Natick, Massachusetts company -- Thursday morning and threatened that a bomb would explode inside the company’s headquarters. No bomb was found after four teams of investigators searched the headquarters and nearby buildings for an explosive, said a police official. A Mathworks employee received the threatening phone call at about 8:47 a.m. and staffers contacted police, said the official. Natick police and fire crews responded, plus bomb technicians and canine units from the State Police. Emergency crews evacuated people from the buildings in the area, he said. Four teams searched the area and the buildings -- which consist of the MathWorks headquarters and other businesses -- but did not find a bomb, said the official.
Source: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/x1775725545

[Adlerian Thinker]

Airport concourse shut down. Airport officials say a concourse at Miami International Airport was temporarily closed Sunday after a bomb scare. An airport spokesman said that about 5:30 a.m., an item in a checked bag that went through an X-ray machine was deemed suspicious. He said Miami-Dade police’s bomb unit was called to the scene and found it was a water filter. Concourse D was closed for about 40 minutes and passengers were redirected to Concourse E.
Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-cfbriefs10_508mar10,0,5284480.story

[Adlerian Thinker]

Terrorist threat for JFK-bound Polish aircraft sparks up scare. A telephoned bomb threat to a Polish aircraft en route to New York set off a small scare when the plane touched down at Kennedy Airport Sunday, police said. The LOT Polish Airlines flight was surrounded by members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force after it landed about 6 p.m., officials said. “All passengers disembarked safely” and the plane was searched by bomb-sniffing dogs, said a Port Authority Police spokesperson. No explosive materials were found. Police were still investigating the threat.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/03/10/2008-03-10_terrorist_threat_for_jfkbound_polish_air-2.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

Metro investigating bomb scare at City Hall. Las Vegas Metro Police are investigating a bomb scare this weekend at Las Vegas City Hall. It happened around midnight on Saturday when police said a man found a metal briefcase outside City Hall and brought it inside. Investigators found several glass vials inside and called in the bomb squad and Hazmat teams, who determined the items were harmless. Police are investigating where the case came from.
Source: http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=7989305&nav=menu102_2

[Adlerian Thinker]

Threat halts Knotts Island ferry; nothing found. A bomb threat found on a Knotts Island ferry early Tuesday halted service temporarily while bomb experts from Virginia Beach searched and cleared both vessels. An employee found the bomb threat at 5:30 a.m. on the vessel Gov. Hunt written on what appeared to be piece of legal pad paper, said a spokesman for Currituck County. The vessel Ocracoke was also cleared. Ferries are equipped with security cameras, he said. The investigation continues. The vessels Ocracoke and Gov. Hunt cross the Currituck Sound between the mainland and Knotts Island several times daily.
Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/threat-halts-knotts-island-ferry-nothing-found

[Adlerian Thinker]

Abandoned briefcase causes a scare at federal building. A briefcase left unattended on the steps of the federal courthouse in Louisville, Kentucky, caused a scare yesterday, prompting police to close down two blocks and bring in a robot to blow it up. Papers flew into the air, then littered the front lawn of the U.S. Courthouse and Custom House as a police bomb squad remotely detonated the briefcase, which had a yellow piece of paper attached to its exterior. No one was injured and no explosives were found in the briefcase, which contained only papers, said a Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman. “We’ll try to determine whether this was a threat against an individual inside the courthouse or against the building,” said a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Louisville. Three federal agencies worked with Metro Police during the incident, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service, which provides security to the federal court.
Source: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/NEWS01/803110391

[Adlerian Thinker]

DHS conducts Cyber Storm II to examine cyber preparedness, response capabilities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is conducting the largest cyber security exercise ever organized. Cyber Storm II is being held from March 10-14 in Washington, D.C. and brings together participants from federal, state and local governments, the private sector and the international community. Cyber Storm II is the second in a series of congressionally mandated exercises that will examine the nation’s cyber security preparedness and response capabilities. The exercise will simulate a coordinated cyber attack on information technology, communications, chemical, and transportation systems and assets. “Securing cyberspace is vital to maintaining America’s strategic interests, public safety, and economic prosperity,” said DHS’s assistant secretary for Cyber Security and Communications. “Exercises like Cyber Storm II help to ensure that the public and private sectors are prepared for an effective response to attacks against our critical systems and networks,” he said. Cyber Storm II will include 18 federal departments and agencies, nine states (Calif., Colo., Del., Ill., Mich., N.C., Pa., Texas and Va.), five countries (United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom), and more than 40 private sector companies. For more information on Cyber Storm II, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/training/gc_1204738275985.shtm.
Source: http://www.secprodonline.com/articles/59657/

[Adlerian Thinker]

FBI reports possible threat to Wall Street. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued a joint bulletin Wednesday addressing an uncorroborated threat to Wall Street, a senior Homeland Security official confirmed. The intelligence was characterized as “fragmented” pieces from various undisclosed sources. The official told NBC News that the threat lacked specifics on timing, exact location or who was planning an attack. The bulletin simply referred to “a desire to attack Wall Street in the month of March” and made reference to the “international stock exchange.” Homeland Security said there was no reason to believe an attack is imminent and that it was not giving much credibility, if any, to the threat. Officials said it was routine sharing of information between law enforcement partners.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23599768/

[Adlerian Thinker]

Capitol reacts to mail scare. Six employees of the governor’s office were decontaminated Wednesday after one of them opened an envelope at the state Capitol and immediately reacted with itching of his eyes and face, police said. Two employees, including the man who opened the envelope, were taken to a hospital for evaluation. The man walked out of the Capitol at 4:38 p.m. wearing a full-length, all-white “moon suit” that covered his head and feet. He stepped into an ambulance and was driven away. The second employee, a woman, was brought to the hospital suffering from stress, police said. The entire suite of fourth-floor staff offices will remain closed for about 48 hours as the incident is investigated and the envelope is tested by the state Department of Public Health, the Capitol police chief said. This area is separate from the second-floor office where the governor works.
Source: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-letter0313.artmar13,0,3969033.story

[Adlerian Thinker]

White substance found in envelope sent to bank. A white substance was discovered in an envelope at around 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Citizens Bank building in downtown Flint, Michigan. About 800 people were inside of the bank at the time. Many of them were not allowed to leave the building, and no one was allowed inside. Authorities say a female teller opened the envelope, which was only addressed to Citizens Bank. That teller then alerted her supervisor about the substance inside. The U.S. Postal Service sent out investigators who took the envelope to the basement and in about a half hour determined the white substance inside was cornstarch.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6015868

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/13/terrorists-killed-had-targeted-bombay-stock-exchange-and-barc-nuclear-installation/
Terrorists Killed - Had Targeted Bombay Stock Exchange and BARC Nuclear Installation

March 13, 2008

The two suspected Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islamic terrorists gunned down in an encounter in Thane in Mumbai on Wednesday intended to target the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre-BARC and the National Stock Exchange-NSE, Mumbai police said on Thursday.

The Pune and Mumbai anti-terrorist units carried out the joint operation after intelligence reports emanated that two Islamic terrorists of Bangladeshi origin had crossed the border into India and entered the financial capital, Mumbai with a plan to strike at sensitive installations.

One of the dead militant gunned down on Mira Road in Thane, was identified as Mohammed Ali from the passport recovered at the site.

“It is a major success for us. We are investigating their links,” special inspector general of police and ATS chief Hemant Karkare said on Thursday, the 15th anniversary of the 1993 serial blasts that killed over 250 people in Mumbai. The Bombay Stock Exchange was among the 12 places where RDX-triggered bombs exploded on March 12, 1993. The 14-year trial wound up last July.

“We can say they were on a planned mission. Sensitive nuclear installations and the National Stock Exchange were some of their targets,” he said.

Karkare said fake Indian currency worth Rs. 10 lakh, 2kg explosives, suspected to be RDX, and two firearms, including a Smith and Wesson pistol, were seized from the militants. The seized fake currency, in thousand-rupee notes, will be sent to the Reserve Bank of India for analysis. The explosives have been sent for forensic tests.

ATS officials said the two militants were acting as couriers and the probe would try to trace the final recipients of the contraband seized. Karkare said the ATS was probing if there was a connection between two recent fake currency hauls involving Bangladeshi nationals.

The anti-terrorist squad had arrested six Bangladeshi nationals a fortnight ago and seized fake currency worth Rs. 1.78 lakh while railway police made a similar seizure a few days ago.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/13/red-line-train-searched-after-report-of-suspicious-activity-boston/
Red Line Train Searched After Report of Suspicious Activity - Boston

March 13, 2008

Red Line service was halted this morning for about 15 minutes after a woman told MBTA workers in Cambridge that she overheard two men dressed in fatigues talking about explosives.

MBTA transit police stopped the southbound Red Line train, which left Central Station at about 7:35 a.m., at Park Street and searched the train for the suspicious men, said Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

“It’s certainly the type of activity that should be reported,” Pesaturo said.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/14/top-al-qaeda-figure-mohammad-rahim-in-custody-assisted-bin-laden-in-2001-escape/
Top al Qaeda Figure Mohammad Rahim In Custody - Assisted bin Laden in 2001 Escape

March 14, 2008

Authorities have captured a high-level Al Qaeda figure who helped Usama bin Laden escape from Afghanistan in 2001, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman declined to say when or where Mohammad Rahim was captured or by whom announcing only that he was handed over by the CIA to the Pentagon earlier this week and is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In a memo, CIA Director Michael Hayden told agency employees that Rahim was detained in the summer of 2007.

“Rahim is a tough, seasoned jihadist,” Hayden said. “His combat experience, which dates back to the 1980s, includes plots against US and Afghan targets.”

Rahim is a close associate of bin Laden and has ties to Al Qaeda organizations throughout the Middle East, Whitman said.

He said Rahim helped prepare the Al Qaeda hideout at Tora Bora — a mountain area full of warrens used by bin Laden during the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. He assisted Al Qaeda’s escape from the area during the U.S. operation to try to catch the Al Qaeda leader, officials said.

“Rahim’s detention in the summer of 2007 was a blow to more than one terrorist network,” Hayden said. “He gave aid to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other anti-Coalition militants.

[Adlerian Thinker]

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/03/13/wall-street-terror-threat-from-al-qaeda-non-specific/
Wall Street Terror Threat From al Qaeda Non-specific

March 13, 2008

Law enforcement officials have alerted Wall Street firms of a new, non-specific terror threat centering on lower Manhattan.

Officials point out that the threat is based on unverified intelligence from overseas but was time-specific. The non-specific threat information suggests an al Qaeda terror would like to strike the city sometime this month, a security official said on condition of anonymity.

An NYPD spokesman said the department is aware of the threat and is taking added precautions. The spokesman stressed there is no credible information any plot is imminent, but extra measures will be in place until officials learn more about the overseas sourcing.

Officials with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task force and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also downplayed this latest threat to Wall Street. Investigators said a security bulletin was issued as a precaution.

Homeland Security states there is no reason to believe an attack is imminent and that it is not giving much credibility to the threat.

“It is quite indirect … not a continuous chain of possession, meaning not U.S. sourcing,” said the official. “Of course you exercise caution and you always pay attention when you hear this, but there is nothing specific on targets, and it’s not even clear who the source of the threat is. It is uncorroborated.”

[Adlerian Thinker]

Canadian pleads guilty in plot to blow up pipeline. A Vancouver-area man pleaded guilty in a New Mexico courtroom Thursday to plotting to blow up the Trans-Alaskan oil pipeline in 2000. The man pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting terrorism transcending national boundaries. He was arrested in August 1999. Officials said the man – and an American accomplice who later turned against him – allegedly schemed to buy oil and gas futures and profit from an energy shortage that they hoped would be triggered by the bombing. Prosecutors said the man planned to blow up the pipeline on New Year’s Eve, 1999, by placing 14 bombs at points along the nearly 1,290-kilometer pipeline which runs from the Arctic Ocean south to the Gulf of Alaska at Valdez. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police.
Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=373327

[Adlerian Thinker]

Electronic gadgets latest sources of computer viruses. Many of today’s new technologies have unwanted extras from the factory: pre-installed viruses that steal passwords, open doors for hackers, and make computers spew spam. Recent cases reviewed by the Associated Press include some of the most widely used tech devices: Apple iPods, digital picture frames sold by Target and Best Buy stores, and TomTom navigation gear. In most cases, Chinese factories – where many companies have turned to keep prices low – are the source. So far, the virus problem appears to come from lax quality control, perhaps a careless worker plugging an infected music player into a factory computer used for testing, rather than organized sabotage by hackers or the Chinese factories. It is the digital equivalent of the recent series of tainted products traced to China, including toxic toothpaste, poisonous pet food, and toy trains coated in lead paint. But sloppiness is the simplest explanation, not the only one. If a virus is introduced at an earlier stage of production, by a corrupt employee or a hacker when software is uploaded to the gadget, then the problems could be far more serious and widespread. Knowing how many devices have been sold, or tracking viruses with any precision, is impossible because of the secrecy of electronics makers and the companies they hire to make their products. But given the nature of mass manufacturing, the numbers could be huge.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/03/13/factory.installed.virus.ap/index.html

[Adlerian Thinker]

US holds largest ever simulated cyber-attack exercise. U.S. officials said Thursday that “real and growing” threats to US computer and telecommunications networks were behind the holding of Cyber Storm II, the largest-ever cyber-security exercises, this week. Computer security experts from five countries, more than 40 private sector companies, and numerous government and state agencies are spending a week fielding simulated “real-world,” on-line attacks on the computer systems of government bodies, corporations, transportation, and other key industries. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate said the Cyber Storm II exercise sought to foster personal links between key officials in business and government. Those people, he said, are not always willing to share information about security issues involving the networks they run. Cyber Storm II tested the warning systems in place for attacks and sought to identify gaps in the way information was shared and reactions coordinated across various sectors. DHS officials declined to say what kinds of threats they found were most dangerous or what specific weaknesses were identified, citing security needs, but said a report on the exercise would be released later this year.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080313/tc_afp/uscomputerinternetsecurity_080313232801;_ylt=Aq2Vb O4qhZVic5Wjm8.igiDYa7gF

[busy-bee]

Electronic gadgets latest sources of computer viruses. Many of today’s new technologies have unwanted extras from the factory: pre-installed viruses that steal passwords, open doors for hackers, and make computers spew spam. Recent cases reviewed by the Associated Press include some of the most widely used tech devices: Apple iPods, digital picture frames sold by Target and Best Buy stores, and TomTom navigation gear. In most cases, Chinese factories – where many companies have turned to keep prices low – are the source. So far, the virus problem appears to come from lax quality control, perhaps a careless worker plugging an infected music player into a factory computer used for testing, rather than organized sabotage by hackers or the Chinese factories. It is the digital equivalent of the recent series of tainted products traced to China, including toxic toothpaste, poisonous pet food, and toy trains coated in lead paint. But sloppiness is the simplest explanation, not the only one. If a virus is introduced at an earlier stage of production, by a corrupt employee or a hacker when software is uploaded to the gadget, then the problems could be far more serious and widespread. Knowing how many devices have been sold, or tracking viruses with any precision, is impossible because of the secrecy of electronics makers and the companies they hire to make their products. But given the nature of mass manufacturing, the numbers could be huge.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/03/13/factory.installed.virus.ap/index.html

chee... I am not buying "made in China" anymore - well, I made that decision a few months ago...and so far doing pretty good.

[Adlerian Thinker]

chee... I am not buying "made in China" anymore - well, I made that decision a few months ago...and so far doing pretty good.

How in God's Green Earth are you finding products not made in China?

Even our flags are made in China! ;)