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DISASTER TEAMS SAID READY FOR TERRORISM (Pres. Bush receiving updates at Camp David)
AP Wire ^ | Dec. 25, 2003 | AP Wire

Posted on 12/25/2003 3:42:34 PM PST by varina davis

Disaster Teams Said Ready for Terrorism

December 25, 2003 05:16 PM EST

WASHINGTON - Disaster teams are ready to respond to any strike by the al-Qaida terrorist network and special equipment is monitoring the air for biological agents in some 30 cities, the Bush administration said Thursday.

Four days after the nation went to a high Code Orange status and turned up its vigilance against terrorism, the threat had not diminished. "Credible reporting suggests al-Qaida continues to desire to attack American interests," said Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.

"People have their antennas up," he said.

President Bush was spending Christmas at his mountaintop retreat at Camp David, Md., where he received updates from senior advisers and military aides, said White House spokesman Jim Morrell.

The increased threat level triggered activation of the disaster teams, composed of government experts from different agencies.

The teams would:

-Provide expert advice and support to the on-scene commander if there's a threat, or an incident involving weapons of mass destruction.

-Respond to any release of radiation with advice and air monitoring equipment.

-Provide medical personnel to assist state and local medical authorities.

Besides the contingency teams, Homeland Security officials have stepped up their vigilance in searching for evidence of a biological attack.

The agency previously modified air pollution monitoring equipment in 30 cities to pick up any biological agents and provide test results in 12-to-24 hours.

With the latest threat, officials took several dozen units from the government's inventory and installed them in some of the same cities. The cities were not identified for security reasons.

U.S. officials were conferring with other governments in an effort to prevent suspected terrorists from boarding airplanes heading to the United States.

"We're concerned about flights originating from international countries including Mexico and others," said a national security official, insisting on anonymity.

U.S. officials were closely monitoring the situation in France, where six Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles were canceled Wednesday and Thursday.

French investigators questioned seven men pointed out by U.S. intelligence but found no evidence they planned to use a Los Angeles-bound jet to launch terror attacks against the United States, French authorities said Thursday.

U.S. intelligence officials told their French counterparts that members of al-Qaida would try to board the planes over Christmas, said a French judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush43; campdavid; disaster; disasterteam; orangealert4; teams; terrorism
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Comment #101 Removed by Moderator

To: seamole
LOL

It's been raining for a while in central CA and predicted to continue for the next few days. Maybe God is protecting us.
102 posted on 12/25/2003 5:37:26 PM PST by Canticle_of_Deborah
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To: genefromjersey
Feds Believe Some on Canceled Flight Intended to Attack Las Vegas
103 posted on 12/25/2003 5:37:40 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: irish_lad
America will live through it, become stronger over time, and defeat the evil.

with the help of God and NO help from the evildoers in our midst!! That's where we come in...as I've said before a thousand times. Lock and load.

104 posted on 12/25/2003 5:40:26 PM PST by Indie
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To: Sabertooth
Maybe the camel humpers havent attacked because they came down with our flu??
105 posted on 12/25/2003 5:41:16 PM PST by dubyajam
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To: varina davis
French investigators questioned seven men pointed out by U.S. intelligence but found no evidence they planned to use a Los Angeles-bound jet to launch terror attacks against the United States, French authorities said Thursday.

please allow these scumbags to board planes for New York. There are many there who would like to give them the proper welcome.

106 posted on 12/25/2003 5:42:02 PM PST by AmericaUnited
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To: Dog
My friend, a Dallas firefighter and EMS paramedic has been assigned a full NBC suit and is required to have it w him and maintain it at ALL times. Unprecedented. The quality of the suit is much higher than the ones they got after 9/11.
107 posted on 12/25/2003 5:42:30 PM PST by Indie
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To: Indie
Why would terrorists pick Vegas. No insult intended but it has no economic, military, symbolic value.
108 posted on 12/25/2003 5:43:47 PM PST by cajungirl (I adore the Brits!! Tony Blair is my hero!!)
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To: deport
U.S. officials said intelligence gleaned from overseas electronic intercepts and other means points to California as the location of highest concern. U.S. officials expressed fears over the possible use of a range of devices that included biological or chemical weapons and a radiological, or "dirty," bomb, officials said.

Department of Homeland Security officials decided the threat was credible enough to order the immediate placement in California of additional outdoor air-sampling sensors that are designed to warn of any release of deadly microbes into the atmosphere. Hundreds of such Biowatch sensors have been in use in a number of California cities and in dozens of others, including Washington and New York, since March.


109 posted on 12/25/2003 5:44:49 PM PST by deport
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To: cajungirl
Why would terrorists pick Vegas. No insult intended but it has no economic, military, symbolic value.

The epitome of American decadance full of infidels of the Great Satan.
110 posted on 12/25/2003 5:48:11 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: deport
BREAKING NEWS!!!!

AQ ATTACKS FOILED DUE TO CATCHING STRENUOUS U.S. FLU VIRUS. :)

(who said the flu was so bad?)
111 posted on 12/25/2003 5:50:26 PM PST by dubyajam
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To: varina davis
They are probably mulling over a decision to go Red. Let's hope to hell not.
112 posted on 12/25/2003 5:53:17 PM PST by Archangelsk (CPL AMEL ASEL I)
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To: dubyajam
Those interrogated were selected because they were on a list of names supplyed by the U.S.

Another man, a Tunisian national with a pilot's licence, was on the U.S.'s list of suspects.

French intelligence officials determined the man was in Tunisia, had no plans to leave, no criminal record, and no known history of associations with Islamic militant groups.

Rumors and rumors of rumors will a bound for the next couple of weeks......

113 posted on 12/25/2003 5:55:56 PM PST by deport
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To: All
I have been reading the responses to this thread and thinking about them.

I don't think people here are panicking, but rather trying to be pro-active. It is important to be prepared, both concretely and mentally.

It is up to all of us to remain steadfast during time like this. We should assess risk but not panic. We should remain firmly in support of our government's actions, and encourage our neighbors to remain calm.

We do not know how hard the next months will be...but we should be prepared to endure, as the British did during WWII. We should set examples for our less-informed citizens.

114 posted on 12/25/2003 5:57:06 PM PST by Miss Marple
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To: hoosiermama; mathluv
Camp David for Christmas then to the ranch for New Years(just down the road "a piece" as we say here.
115 posted on 12/25/2003 5:58:38 PM PST by ChefKeith (NASCAR...everything else is just a game!)
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To: ChefKeith
Here's another piece of data:

NJ Chemical Plants May Be Target.

116 posted on 12/25/2003 6:04:10 PM PST by bcoffey
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To: varina davis
I have a copy of Alas, Babylon and reread it several months ago...some good survivor tactics in it...as well as some characters willing to kill others in order to survive. A very good read IMO.
117 posted on 12/25/2003 6:04:51 PM PST by Carolinamom
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To: varina davis
It's hard to know what to think about terrorist threats, going to level orange, etc. I have a cousin who has been with the Phoenix PD for many years, works on many projects with the FBI (mainly wiretapping) and he told me that he and his family have done nothing to prepare for the possibility of a terrorist attack. He said it was virtually impossible to taint our water supply and was so nonchalant about the whole topic that it made me wonder if I should pour out all my bottles of water! :O)
118 posted on 12/25/2003 6:16:16 PM PST by ChocChipCookie (Beware: the Chip is pissed.)
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To: Indie
there is a disconnect between a group that on one hand claims to have nukes and WMD pre-positioned in the US, while at the same time trying to hijack foreign airliners to use as weapons. it just doesn't make sense, both things can't be true.
119 posted on 12/25/2003 6:31:12 PM PST by oceanview
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To: Miss Marple
Ditto your post,,I do believe we can endure over anything. Life could get hard, all plans could go kaput, things could change overnite, but we would triumph.
120 posted on 12/25/2003 7:14:03 PM PST by cajungirl (I adore the Brits!! Tony Blair is my hero!!)
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