U.S. Warns of `Specific' Terrorist Threat in Bahrain, AFP Says

Bloomberg ^ | 12/23/03

[freeperfromnj]

Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. today said it received a ``specific'' threat of a terrorist attack in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain, Agence France-Presse reported.

The warning was issued by the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Manama, and covers the period through Jan. 2, AFP said.

[ConservativeMan55]

Is it just me...or do a lot of these threats get repeated whenever the "chatter" levels get higher. I hear these same things every time. I'm not complaining...but its just an observation.

"Bahrain always gets threatened."

"Chatter levels are what they were just before 911."

etc...

[appalachian_dweller]

((( ping )))

[freeperfromnj]

I haven't heard of any direct threats to Bahrain in particular recently. I do know that there are a lot of Americans there.

[ConservativeMan55]

Hasn't there been a terrorist attack there before?

[xzins]

Hey, I've been there!

They have a nice Hilton.

I had a helicopter full of Pizza Hut Pizza delivered to our guys at Christmas 87.

Good memories. We stuck the top of one Pizza Hut box in the window of a blackhawk. The ultimate delivery.

PIZZA HUT PIZZA TO GO!

(They would've eaten their hearts out for that picture in their ad campaign!)

Xzins
Chaplain (Retired) US Army

[section9]

Call me clueless, but it would be to Al Qaeda's advantage to attack when no one expects them to, and when the threatcon is at Yellow. You know, "nobody expects the Spanish Inquistion".

I am willing to bet that a lot of internet chatter is put out deliberately, as are a lot of the warnings about impending attack, to key us up over and over again. It's the old "boy who cried wolf" syndrome.

I am willing to bet that there will be no attack over the Holidays. Al Qaeda uses the element of surprise to its advantage. That was the key to their success on 9-11. They do not have strategic surprise at this time, and their level of tactical surprise is open to question. Therefore I do not believe that they will attack before the second week in January, at the earliest. Now the period around the SOTU or the Super Bowl week, that is another thing altogether.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[gunnrmike]

The Navy maintains a large Support Facility in Bahrain (ASU). I have several friends that are there (including wives and kids) and pray for their safety.

Gunnrmike

[lelio]

Please note the original source: AFP, the John Kerry looking news agency.

[Dog]

No.

[Howlin]

Ping for the cubilce bound and the Christmas shoppers! Don't miss this!

[Howlin]

Er.......cubicle.

[Dog]

Spell checker is our friend!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Classic Sun Tzu tactics.

When near, feign distance. When far, feign nearness. When weak, feign strength. When strong, feign weakness.

Co-opt all of the elements, even those that flow against you, into something FOR you.

You are probably right. Its the same mentality being bred as with the "White Truck" in D.C. a year and a half ago. Everyone was out looking only for a White Truck with snipers inside; the FBI and local police had M-16s on I-95 facing people down in such trucks...and meanwhile the real criminals gingerly sped away away, here and there, through numerous roadblocks because they were not in White Truck.

They could well have LA, DC and NYC on alert, and then due a radiation bomb in Underground Atlanta or in St Louis or in Denver or in Minneapolis right after the first of the year. I think it's diversionary, too. They are playing with us.

[cyncooper]

I, for one, would never call you "clueless", Chris. I hope and pray you are correct about the next two weeks. I confess that reading articles about the raised terror alert are pretty nervewracking.

[cyncooper]

are pretty nervewracking = is pretty nervewracking

See?!

[john316]

Bunches of westerners in Bahrain most of them contractors to ARAMCO and the like.

[diamondjoe]

I can see it both ways--you are right that they are more likely to succeed when we are not prepared, but think of what they would gain if they pulled of a massive attack when we WERE prepared. They would be sending the message "your government is powerless to protect you." I mean, we've spent billions on security, are at Code Orange, and they can still pull off a big attack? That would be a big morale boost for them. So from a tactical perspective, they gain more by attacking when we're at Yellow (incidentally, anyone think we'll see Green or Blue in our lifetimes??), but in terms of morale and whatnot, they get more if they hit us when we're trying to prevent it.

[Pippin]

You got me thinking, I bet you're right.

[Pippin]

Thanks for the ping!