Posted on 06/29/2004 4:59:13 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Airport Security Alert Issued Bulletin Covers JFK, Newark, Dulles, Detroit, O'Hare And Los Angeles LAX Airports
Jun 29, 2004 7:45 pm US/Eastern WASHINGTON (CBS) CBS News Correspondent Bob Orr reports the Department of Homeland Security has issued an alert that warns customs officers at six of America's busiest airports to watch for travelers of Pakistani descent who show physical signs of preparing for terror attacks against the U.S.
The bulletin says, "Officers should look for rope burns, unusual bruises, wounds/scars or other evidence that they engaged in paramilitary training..."
The unusually specific internal warning, obtained by CBS News, covers customs checkpoints at three East Coast airports -- New York's Kennedy, Newark, and Washington's Dulles, as well as international airports in Detroit, Chicago (O'Hare), and Los Angeles (LAX).
Recent Pakistani military raids near the Afghan border, the warning says, "...documents the terrorist related threat posed by individuals traveling to train at terrorist camps in Pakistan."
Intelligence officials describe them as general "Jihadist camps" -- less sophisticated than these training operations once run by al Qaeda in neighboring Afghanistan.
Sources say there is no hard intelligence connecting the Pakistani camps to any imminent threat against the U.S. But the Customs bulletin concludes, "...it is reasonable to expect that many of the individuals trained...(there)... are destined to commit illegal activities in the United States."
At the same time, U.S. officials have moved to ban foreign pilots with possible ties to terror groups. Sources say at least eleven pilots -- most of them Saudis -- have now had their licenses revoked by the FAA.
The 11 were identified when more than 450,000 pilot names were crosschecked against terrorist watch lists.
All of this comes as security officials prepare for the July fourth holiday -- a period they've identified as high-risk. Still there are no plans -- at the moment -- to raise the nation's terror threat level.
lets see, one hijack attempt in Germany, and another threat in India.
In a way this is good news. They are down to the junior varsity.
I can't find the alert on Homeland Security's website. Are they behind on posting this?
Ping!
A small but important step.
DHS won't even let you subscribe to their press release email list unless you're an "accredited member of a media organization."
"Officers should look for rope burns, unusual bruises, wounds/scars or other evidence that they engaged in paramilitary training..."
That description could fit alot of people for example homos with an active sex life.
Just doing my duty by pinging this to your attention...
Was at an AFB today. Security checks everywhere. Even at the barber shop and golf courses.
or straight men who adore particularly feisty women! ;-)
The fact that Philly isn't on this list is worrying me. It's only one of our largest cities, and it's almost like the Feds are setting us out as bait (no, I don't actually live in the city limits, but close enough to not be at Minimum Safe Distance(tm) -- or as my high school Physics teacher put it, "don't worry too much about the Russians, boys, if the balloon goes up we're six miles from a primary target--not the Navy Yard, but all the *refineries*").
I have found that frequently the DHS doesn't post these warnings to their site, they issue it to law enforcement agencies, then some reporter gets ahold of it from there.
"alert that warns customs officers"
This ones seems to have been issued to customs officers and presumable airport security, not to the general public.
And in Pakistan:
Airport shut after hijack alert
June 27, 2004
KARACHI, Pakistan - (AP) -- Authorities stepped up security Saturday at Pakistan's largest airport after receiving a tip that terrorists might try to hijack a plane, the third time security has been increased in recent months, airport officials said.
''Due to the hijacking threat, a red alert has been imposed on Karachi airport. All anti-hijacking measures are being taken,'' said Maj. Riaz Ahmed, a spokesman for the Airport Security Force.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/9022408.htm
Transatlantic flight diverted to Shannon
29/06/2004 - 19:33:27
A Delta Airlines Flight en route from Istanbul to Philadelphia has been diverted to Shannon Airport, following a security alert.
It follows an explosion inside a Turkish plane at Istanbul airport earlier today, in which three people were injured, just hours before US President George Bush was due to fly out of the same location.
The Delta airliner is expected to be able to continue its journey this evening, after a full security check of the plane and its passengers.
http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=109277504&p=yx9z78zyx&n=109278264
Looks like they are planning hijackings world-wide.
Either that -- or they want us so busy looking for them on airplanes and at airports, that we don't notice them planning and perpetrating some other type of attack.
If wounds,scars,burns and bruises are a problem,I'm not getting near an airport.....they'd never turn me loose. :(
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.