WTOP.com (AP): "POLICE INVESTIGATE FOUR MORE ARSON FIRES" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Etter says investigators do not believe these fires are related to the serial arsonist case. Thirty-three fires in D.C. and Prince George's County are on a list of suspicious fires considered similar in nature in that case. Investigators ask anyone with information to call 1-866-91-ARSON.") (October 11, 2003) (Read More...)
NY POST.com: "BOARDWALK BLAZE" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Fire Department confirmed the blaze began under the boardwalk and went up into the restaurant but said the cause remains under investigation by fire marshals. The fire's origin is considered suspicious because of the volume of fire at the time firefighters arrived on the scene.") (September 19, 2003) (Read More...)
TUCSON CITIZEN.com: "EVENTS TURN UP THE HEAT Detainee: Al-Qaeda Looked Into Forest Fires" by Judd Slivka, The Arizona Republic (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "National forests in the West were considered for al-Qaeda attacks, according to an FBI memo to law agencies dated June 25. A senior al-Qaeda detainee told federal investigators he had developed a plan to set midsummer forest fires in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming, according to the document, obtained by The Arizona Republic. "The detainee believed that significant damage to the U.S. economy would result, and once it was realized that the fires were terrorist acts, U.S. citizens would put pressure on the U.S. government to change its policies," the memo said. The unidentified detainee said he hoped to create several large, catastrophic wildfires at once, mimicking the destructive fires that swept across Australia in 2002, according to the memo.") (July 11, 2003) (Read More...)
FREEP.com - DETROIT FREE PRESS: "GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FIRES" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Graffiti left at the sites read "ELF -- Stop Sprawl," and the group on Thursday acknowledged its role in the blazes. "The Earth Liberation Front is taking credit for the June 4, 2003 decimation of two under construction homes in the so-called Willow Ridge Development in Macomb County," according to an e-mailed press release from ELF.") (July 4, 2003) (Read More...)
WTOP.com (AP): "POLICE HOPE REWARD WILL HELP CATCH SERIAL ARSONIST" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Anyone who sees suspicious activity or has information on the D.C. fires to call 202-673-ARSON. To report information on the Prince George's County fires, call the Arson Hotline at 301-77-ARSON.") (June 30, 2003) (Read More...)
Government in PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY: "A MESSAGE FROM FIRE CHIEF RONALD BLACKWELL" (MESSAGE SNIPPET: "Locally, fires have occurred in Capitol Heights, Chapel Oaks, District Heights, Boulevard Heights, and Silver Hill neighborhoods. The fires occur in the early morning or overnight hours, involve occupied dwellings, and are purposely set using an accelerant.") (June 27, 2003) (Read More...)
FOX NEWS.com (AP): "FEDS INVESTIGATING THEFT OF LARGE AMOUNT OF EXPLOSIVE CHEMICAL" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "DENVER -- Federal agents said Friday they are investigating the theft of 1,100 pounds of an explosive chemical from construction companies in Colorado and California in the past week. Both thefts involve ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in the bomb that destroyed the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995.") (July 18, 2003) (Read More...)
FRONT PAGE MAGAZINE.com: "ECO-TERRORISM TORCH" by Lowell Ponte (ARTICLE SNIPPETS: "E.L.F. has been linked since 1997 to an estimated $50 million in arson and other sabotage damage. This includes the 1998 torching of ski lodge facilities under construction in Vail, Colorado; the burning of luxury homes worth $2 million being built three years ago on Long Island; the 1999 firebombing of Michigan State University's Agricultural Hall; and the destruction of SUVs at car dealer lots last January in Pennsylvania and last April in Santa Cruz, California." ... "Parallels between the Earth Liberation Front and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist do not end with structure or their self-righteous willingness to use deadly violence. Both, for example, have now operated through San Diego, the Pacific command center of the United States Navy, home both to one of our military's most important centers and to a classified number of nuclear-armed warships and submarines. A week before ELF in San Diego unleashed its largest-ever terrorist blaze, the Joint Congressional Committee on Intelligence issued a report about the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon giving details of how two of the skyjackers had lived and trained in San Diego.") (August 4, 2003) (Read More...)
ALERT...ISLAM ONLINE.net: "BIN LADEN AIDE URGES ATTACKS AGAINST WESTERNERS: TAPE" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "DUBAI, May 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Al-Jazeera satellite channel aired an audiotape allegedly from Osama Bin Laden's deputy in the al-Qaeda network in which he called on Muslims to launch war against western targets. A voice said to be that of Ayman Al-Zawahiri said Muslims should force Westerners out of the "land of Islam" by attacking them and "emulating" the September 11 hijackings in the United States. "O Muslims, muster your resolve and hit the embassies of America, England, Australia and Norway, their interests, their companies and their employees ... Set the ground ablaze under their feet... Kick these criminals out of your homelands. The tape appeared to have been recorded during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, as Zawahiri made no mention of the recent bomb attacks against western targets in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, bin Laden's birthplace. The voice in the tape said enemies will not be forced out by protests and conferences, but rather they only know the "language of bloodshed". "The crusaders and the Jews only understand the language of murder, bloodshed. They can only be persuaded through returning coffins, devastated interests, burning towers and collapsed economies," the voice intoned, referring to New York's World Trade Center towers which were razed by plane hijackers in September 11 attacks. Zawahiri lashed out at Arab countries he said were helping the U.S. invasion of Iraq, naming Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.") (May 21, 2003) (Read More...)
STATESMAN JOURNAL.com (AP): Portland, Oregon. "NEW GROUP SPLITS FROM ELF" (ARTICLE NOTE: The "new group" is identified as ARISSA.) (May 13, 2003) (Read More...)
ALERT...WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "TERRORISTS SAID TO SEEK ENTRY TO U.S. VIA MEXICO" by Bill Gertz (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A group of al Qaeda terrorists is attempting to infiltrate the United States from Mexico to conduct attacks in the country, The Washington Times has learned. At least 14 al Qaeda members are said to be in Mexico, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The al Qaeda members are working with Mexican organized crime groups, such as drug-trafficking organizations, in an attempt to enter the United States covertly, the officials said.") (April 7, 2003) (Read More...)
CNS NEWS.com: "BOOK RECOUNTS MISSIONARY ORDEAL IN PHILIPPINES" by Patrick Goodenough (ARTICLE NOTE: The book is entitled "IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES" by Gracia Burnham with Dean Merrill.) (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "'Jihad' Burnham's book paints a picture of an armed gang of devout Muslims, whose members faithfully read the Koran, prayed and carried out cleansing rituals even when water supplies were limited. They also proudly associated themselves with Osama bin Laden and the Taliban militia that ruled most of Afghanistan and sheltered the al-Qaeda leader until the U.S. overthrew the regime in late 2001. When the ASG first seized their captives they introduced themselves as "the Osama bin Laden group" and said the aim of their "jihad" against Manila was to establish a pure Islamic state like the Taliban's. Burnham also recalls Sept. 12, 2001, when the terrorists heard the news on the Voice of America radio about the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. "Of course the word spread rapidly through the camp. Guys huddled in little groups, talking and laughing and congratulating one another," she recalled. "That night as we [Martin and she] lay down on the ground to sleep, we quietly sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner' together and prayed for the victims so far away.") (June 9, 2003) (Read More...)
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