Al Qaeda again threatens America (Thread 3) Daily Terror Threat

World Tribune ^ | Thursday, February 5, 2004

[Mossad1967]

SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A purported statement by al-Qaida in Yemen warned Saturday of a "major strike" soon in the United States.

The statement, distributed by the Yemeni Tagamoo Party for Reforms, said: "A major strike, a big event will take place in America soon," reminiscent of the Sept. 11 attacks.

---

Previous threads

[StillProud2BeFree]

In terms of being converted to Islam, not a chance in the world. I am a Christian and intend to remain one.

Did the tapes get to me? I don't like violence and the jihadi violence is a really evil species - so does it bother me? Yes. It is a pain to watch and analyze these videos. The bottom line is there aren't that many people who can understand Arabic who also love America and what this country stands for.

[Revel]

"The bottom line is there aren't that many people who can understand Arabic who also love America and what this country stands for."


Well I am very glad that you are one of them :)

[TexKat]

Hackers' delight as Microsoft code is leaked

By Chris Nuttall

Published: February 13 2004 22:59 | Last Updated: February 13 2004 22:59

A small leak of source code from Microsoft's Windows operating system on Friday turned into a wave of illegal copies on the internet.

Once the data - enough to fill a CD-Rom disk - appeared on a file-sharing service on the net, copies were downloaded and passed on to other "peer-to-peer" (p2p) sites for the online world to scrutinise and pass judgment on.

On Slashdot.org, the "news for nerds" bulletin board, more than 2,500 comments were soon posted, many of them mocking Microsoft for yet another security lapse.

Those examining the code were amused by the plain-text profanities included by its programmers in the computer-language files they had created. There was also evidence of some sloppy habits in comments such as: "potentially off-by-1, but who cares".

But there were also clues to the possible source of the leak. A number of the 31,000 files, compressed into one larger file, contained references to Mainwin.

Mainwin is a software product belonging to a West Coast company called Mainsoft that specialises in converting Windows applications for use on other operating systems, such as Unix.

The code could have been stolen from a networked Mainsoft computer by a hacker breaking in, or may have been sitting on an insecure FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server - a computer that can make a company's files available for download over the internet.

Mainsoft had not commented on its possible involvement by last night and there were numerous other potential sources.

Microsoft has denied the leak was an internal one, but it has entered into agreements with a number of companies, academic institutions and governments to share parts of its source code.

Mainsoft was a partner in the Windows Interface Source Environment (WISE) programme, designed to help outside developers convert programs such as the Internet Explorer web browser to different operating systems.

Microsoft has been licensing its source code in specific circumstances since 1991 and in 2001 announced the Shared Source Initiative, which made 2,000 organisations and 59 governments eligible to view the source code of 20 Microsoft products. The move was aimed at helping others to adapt their own software to fit better with Microsoft's.

The leaked source code constitutes part of the Windows 2000 operating system, but although it consists of 13.5m lines of code, this is not considered to be a significant chunk of the program.

"In general, the leakage of source code of any application is not a catastrophe," says Steve Hunt, Forrester Research analyst.

"But Microsoft so rigorously limits the use and availability of its source code that any leakage is big news, and it's very exciting for hackers who love to examine source code and look for new opportunities to exploit an application."

Microsoft is therefore unlikely to suffer from the loss of any intellectual property or revenues due to its source code being exposed to the world. This portion could not be compiled into a working operating system and could not be extended to create a meaningful rival to Windows.

But the inside knowledge gained by hackers does represent a longer-term threat and could be used to develop programs delivered by e-mail that would have the potential to crash computers worldwide or turn them into "zombies" that can be controlled to attack websites such as Microsoft's.

The economic damage caused this month by the MyDoom virus is now estimated to stand at between $61.8bn and $75.6bn, according to mi2g, the London-based digital risk analysts. The virus slowed computer systems worldwide as it spread to account for more than one in 10 e-mails. It dwarfed the effect of last year's Sobig virus which inflicted between $33.6bn and $41.1bn of economic damage worldwide.

"The greatest damage here is not to Microsoft from a PR point of view," says Mr Hunt.

"It could yet come in the potential threat from hackers, and computer security firms around the world will be watching this carefully."

[FairOpinion]

Al-Qaida's Blueprint for Terror (A terrorist survival kit)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1077816/posts

Quetta, Pakistan – A terrorist survival kit, obtained by United Press International, reveals how the Taliban, al-Qaida and their sympathizers are preparing to survive the U.S.-led war against terrorism.

The point the survival kit emphasizes repeatedly is the need for the Taliban and al-Qaida workers to "merge with the masses" and thus "become indistinguishable" from the rest of the people.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

"...AQ and other jihadi types have been interested in bringing in "white" people especially "professionals" whom can be useful to the cause."

And that also is what the libs are for!

[FairOpinion]

From
Al-Qaida's Blueprint for Terror (A terrorist survival kit)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1077816/posts


How al-Qaida must use the Internet:

"For using the Internet, you must go to an internet café ... never visit a site that can reveal your identity, such as those belonging to FBI, al-Qaida or the mujahedin ... when opening an e-mail account, go to an internet café, never do it at home ... never use the same internet café again and again ... before leaving the café, remove all evidence, never leave any trace ... while sending an e-mail, never use the language that could reveal your ideological commitment."

"Write your message in a word processor, compose, cut, paste and send. And then disconnect. Never let your e-mail open to write a message."

[Revel]

Secret Report Warns
Of Iraq 'Balkanisation'
By Nicolas Pelham
The Financial Times - UK
2-13-4


BAGHDAD -- A confidential report prepared by the US-led administration in Iraq says that the attacks by insurgents in the country have escalated sharply, prompting fears of what it terms Iraq's "Balkanisation". The findings emerged after a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the top US general in Iraq, John Abizaid, on Thursday.

"January has the highest rate of violence since September 2003," the report said. "The violence continues despite the expansion of the Iraqi security services and increased arrests by coalition forces in December and January."

The report, which is based on military data and circulated to foreign organisations by the US aid agency USAid, diverges with public statements by US officials who claim that security in the country is improving.

"The security risks are not as bad as they appear on TV," Tom Foley, the coalition official overseeing Iraq's private-sector development, said at the US Commerce Department headquarters in Washington on Wednesday. "Western civilians are not the targets themselves. These are acceptable risks."

According to the report, "January national review of Iraq", strikes against international and non-governmental organisations increased from 19 to 26 in January. It said that high-intensity attacks involving mortars and explosives grew by 103 per cent from 316 in December to 642 in January; non-life threatening attacks, including drive-by shootings and rock-throwing, soared by 186 per cent from 182 in December. It also recorded an average of eight attacks a day in Baghdad alone, up from four a day in September, and a total of 11 attacks on coalition aircraft.

The report emerged as Iraq faced one of its worst weeks of violence in the 10-month occupation of Iraq. According US military officials, General Abizaid escaped unharmed but cancelled a walkabout, after attackers hiding in a mosque fired on his convoy as it entered a military base in the town of Falluja, west of Baghdad. It was not clear if the insurgents knew they were targeting Gen Abizaid and officials said a six-minute gun-battle ensued.

In other attacks, eight mortars were fired at a US base in Iraq, US officials said, and the Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera reported that Japanese forces faced their first attack, when a mortar was fired at their base near the southern town of al-Samawah without causing casualties. (The BBC also reported that a truck bomb exploded after penetrating the perimeter fence of Baghdad's international airport, where thousands of American troops are based.)

The attacks followed the killing of two US soldiers in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad and a pair of car-bombings on Tuesday and Wednesday which killed 100 Iraqis, most of whom had been volunteering for the Iraqi security forces.

The report makes clear how dependent Iraq's stability is on investment in the country's economy. "A fear of some is the 'Balkanisation' of Iraq if security, economic and infrastructure situations do not improve," it says.

It attributed much of the civilian violence to rising ethnic tensions between Kurds, Shias and Sunnis, noting that several bodies were found in the south "with hands bound and bullet wounds to the head".

But attacks on military targets, which had seen two months of decline, rose even faster than those on civilians, it said, particularly in the "Sunni triangle", north and west of Baghdad. It described the "profuse availability" of roadside bombs, the favoured weapon of the insurgents, as "alarming", saying attacks had surged almost 200 per cent.

The report shed little insight into who was behind the attacks, but said "multiple reports confirm the presence of al-Qaeda in the country".

Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2004.

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/
FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1075982503425&p=1012571727088

[Donna Lee Nardo]

That is weird. Especially because I see posts espousing the killing of usama and all other terrorists daily. Must have been a lone, freak moderator! Not that I support violence in and of itself, but the mods should know that our enemies do and will respect and understand our reciprocal violence -- if nothing else. FR is not a hate board, but we do not love our enemies; maybe that particular mod was being sensitive to the former.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Please disregard my prior post. I see that that banned or suspended poster went on to post general "kill" comments against muslims. To be frank, I can't blame him. But I guess I see why the mod suspended him. At least I hope he was only suspended temporarily with a warning...

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I am very sad and angered to hear that. I heard that this was also going on out west somewhere, in Colorado I believe? This was covered in the media and on FR back a few months ago. It is sickening and I want all the thugs caught and subjected to the rage of animal lovers like myself.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

"...agents said they found Elsaai's name in FBI files...when according to the indictment...Elsaai held views that were hostile to the United States.'"

Yikes. That part made me shudder. That means that most Freepers probably have FBI files for holding views hostile to the clintoons and most dems. Our views are warranted, warranted I tell you! Warranted [she screams for the last time as she is taken away by the FBI...]

[TexKat]

Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, speaks during a news conference on Friday, Feb. 13, 2004. University of Texas law students and civil rights activists accused the U.S. Army of spying on a conference on Islam and denounced an investigation of conference participants as a 'campaign of fear.' (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Students Protest Islamic Conference Probe

By MATT JOYCE, Associated Press Writer

AUSTIN, Texas - University of Texas law students and civil rights activists accused the Army of spying on a conference on Islam and denounced an investigation of conference participants as a "campaign of fear."

Sahar Aziz, a UT law student, said Friday that organizers of the conference would not willingly turn over to Army investigators a partial list of participants or a video of the conference, titled "Islam and the Law: The Question of Sexism."

"It is inappropriate for us to invite the public and the student body to come and freely exchange ideas and then to turn around and relay their personal information to the intelligence community," Aziz said.

Deborah Parker, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, Va., declined to comment, saying the students' allegations are under review.

Conference organizers said two Army agents visited the UT Law School on Monday and knocked on various doors in pursuit of a list of participants and a video of the conference, which took place last week.

The agents said they were following up on reports from Army lawyers who attended the conference and said they were approached by "suspicious" Middle Eastern men, according to Aziz.

Jim Harrington, of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the tactics at the law school were meant to "intimidate and scare people from using the First Amendment." __

_

Conference Web site:

www.utexas.edu/law/news/2004/010704_islam.html

[MamaDearest]

We very well may be infiltrated with traitors. It would be reassuring to know the people we trust with the nation's secrets have been subjected to close scrutiny, background checks and intelligence gathered on them. Especially if they are foreign born or here via work permits. Additionally, length of employment is not necessarily a gauge for honesty or integrity anywhere, including government jobs.

[Calpernia]

>>>Suppose, as Sean indicated, there are numbers of "internal enemies" in positions of authority who are knowingly undermining our security and hoping for something catastrophic in order to seize power and install a totalitarian type government?

Not Suppose. BUMP!!!!!!!!!!

[Indie]

Personally, I wouldn't trust many feds [at least the ones hired via quota] with my dog, much less my freedom [evidence Waco and Ruby Ridge to name only two of many abuses]. Locals are usually much better scrutinized, IMO only of course, nor can feds be fired it seems once they are "in." Not so with city employees.
~Ex Dallas PD

Not to slam all feds. Most I'm sure are patriots by virtue of ex-military, ex-LEO, etc. But the potential for abuse is much higher at the federal level. Heck just look at the supreme kangaroo court and other judicial morons. I guess if an FBI agent was first a practicing CPA or attorney, rather than LEO or military, I'd be very very very wary.

[Calpernia]

>>>>"For using the Internet, you must go to an internet café ... never visit a site that can reveal your identity, such as those belonging to FBI, al-Qaida or the mujahedin ... when opening an e-mail account, go to an internet café, never do it at home ... never use the same internet café again and again ..

Great post FairOpinion! To add onto this...the username and passwords are kept at the computers for others to access as with Yahoo, Hotmail, AIM and more.

So if you have someone in your messenger, you are never speaking to the same person. Whoever comes in that day to that computer...whether it is a cafe, university or whereever the public computer is....a list is left with the 'general' user name and password for all applications, meaning Hotmail, Yahoo, AIM, ICU, et al.

[Calpernia]

BUMP!!! I AGREE!

[Calpernia]

I honestly don't know if the ban was temporary. But I do know more about the poster himself. Which would answer some of the question that came into your head about the 'general kill' thing. There is background here. If you are interested....let me know and I will freep mail you.

[Calpernia]

You apparently missed my Ping on this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/04/nyregion/04security.html?ex=1076475600& en=6f04116db636ac43&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Well, that is the URL. Unfortunately it is not accessable without a login.

The story is about our port authority security in NJ. None have a criminal background check. AND upon the afterthought...all guards and the head of the outsourcing company have criminal backgrounds.

Yet, they are all still on the job due to that contract.

Nice times we live in.

[nwctwx]

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