Threat Matrix- Daily Terror Thread (4):

New York Post ^ | February 24, 2004 | By NILES LATHEM

[Revel]

February 24, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has dispatched the elite commando force that hunted down Saddam Hussein to Afghanistan for a new operation aimed at getting Osama bin Laden, officials said yesterday. Military sources confirmed that members of the shadowy Task Force 121, the unit that conducted the high-tech search for Saddam and his henchmen, have recently begun operating in the remote mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where bin Laden and key al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives are believed to be hiding. The Task Force is made up of highly trained Delta and SEAL commandos, as well as CIA paramilitary operators. It operates outside normal military channels.

[thecabal]

Currently the Technician license doesn't require a Morse Code test. It gives you access to all amateur frequencies and privileges from 50 MHz and up.

In order to be able to use the shortwave (HF) frequencies, you do need to pass a Morse Code test at 5 WPM (pretty slow). Once you have passed the Technician and General written tests and the 5 WPM Morse Code test, you would be a General class licensee, and have access to most portions of the amateur HF spectrum.

The advantage of being able to use the HF frequencies is the ability to have long distance communications. Not that you can't have long distance communications on VHF and up, but it's a lot more difficult and costly.

Hope this clears it up for you, let me know if you have more questions.

[tmp02]

still transmit without on CB without a license = still transmit on CB without a license

[MamaDearest]

Having the son of Al-Zawahiri in custody would be a great boost for us. Certainly we must be monitoring those inter-mountain crossings by satellite or paid informers. IMHO there must be some weakness to bring him out in the open and capture him. Whatever happened to Shock and Awe? If ever we need it, it is now, before these nutcases order something we don't want to receive.

[Velveeta]

Great tidbit, thanks. That wouldn't be covered on the perp's insurance plan either, I bet. Heh,heh.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Oh my God, you're kidding? I do not think we should be able to overhear any AF1 communications!!! They should surely be blocked, no?

[Myrddin]

License requirements and privileges have changed quite a bit since you last looked. A current copy of the license study manuals will show the updated rules/regs/privileges. Morse code is now limited to 5 WPM. I mastered that level in 20 minutes. I worked for weeks to get to 18 WPM so I could comfortably pass the 13 WPM in 1976. The standard at that time was 1 minute of perfect copy. The new tests are multiple choice after listening to a 5 minute message at 5 WPM. Dirt simple. The emphasis shifted to better technical knowledge.

The FCC Amateur Radio Service page has everything you need to know about licensing and privs.

[Indie]

I believe AF1 uses the military frequencies which are the higher sisters of VHF. Not many scanners I know of can cover those. You'd hear the controller (IF you were within a mile or two of the ARTCC antenna) but not the pilot.

[Velveeta]

3 Hurt in Ariz. City Building Explosion

By SANDY YANG
Associated Press Writer

February 26, 2004, 9:48 PM EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Three workers were injured Thursday when a bomb concealed in a notebook-sized package exploded in a city building, officials said.

The bomb was powerful enough to shatter windows and propel shrapnel in the walls of Scottsdale's human resources building, said Tom Mangan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Don Logan, director of the city's diversity and dialogue office, accepted the package on delivery, said police Sgt. Doug Dirren. The blast injured his hands and forearms and he required surgery.

Dirren said police were unaware of any threats against the 48-year-old Logan.

Secretary Renita Linyard, 52, was walking nearby when the package exploded. She suffered an eye injury that also required surgery.

Another secretary, Jackie Bell, received minor injuries and was treated at the scene, Dirren said.

An official at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn declined to comment on the patients' conditions.

It was unclear whether the package was sent through the mail or had been delivered.

ATF agents were trying to determine whether the package contained just the explosive device or included other metal objects to maximize potential injuries, Mangan said.

The 25 people who work in the building, which is about a block from City Hall, were evacuated.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sns-ap-scottsdale-explosion,0,7302725.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines

[oceanview]

based on the description of the diver and the tatoos, my guess is that they had a drug stash hidden in the river, anchored to the bottom somehow, and he died trying to retrieve it.

[thecabal]

It's true. Search on Google if you like. I'm sure that it's only the most mundane information they transmit.

[knak]

Osama-watch at Glacier N.P.

[rickylc]

Interesting take, that hadn't even crossed my mind. Pretty risky way to move drugs. Seems plausible.

[TexKat]

Bin Laden's man warns Bush of more attacks on US

[judicial meanz]

"A little tidbit of news out of Kentucky tonight:
Knox County reported that a routine bust of a rural meth lab revealed the presence of an IED in the perp's garage shop."


Sarge, back in my law enforcement days, it was nothing unusual for the meth lab types to rig up booby traps just in case they were busted.

In one case, they rigged up a can of ether to a light switch, so when you turned the lights on it would explode.

Nasty business, those drug labs.

[Mossad1967]

Bush Backs New Terrorism TV Series
Thu Feb 26, 7:40 PM ET

By Jeffrey Jolson-Colburn

In what would be a highly unusual action for a president, George W. Bush is apparently giving the White House seal of approval to a television series, D.H.S.--The Series, a drama about the Department of Home Security being introduced Thursday night to prospective networks at an Industry gathering.

President Bush (news - web sites) and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge both "endorse and contribute sound bites to the introductions of the series," according to the show's producers.


Though the series' theme relates to the President's agenda on national security and international terrorism, it is virtually unprecedented for the White House to endorse such a fictional representation. It is unclear what input or relation if any the President or the real DHS would have with the show in the future.


HBO's recent series K-Street featured star turns from real-life politicos and the old F.B.I. show with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was said to have direct involvement from then FBI (news - web sites) director J. Edgar Hoover, but sitting presidents generally distance themselves from dramatic interpretations like West Wing.


DHS, a multimillion-dollar episodic series, will explore the inner workings of the Department of Homeland Security, teaming the FBI, CIA (news - web sites), Secret Service, and National Security Administration (NSA) together with "first responders" such as local police, fire and safety administrators.


Producers at Steeple Productions claim "no other television series has ever had such access and clearance at the highest levels of real-life counter-terrorism agencies: The White House, Dept. of Homeland Security, FBI, EPA, California State Counter-Terrorism Units, LAPD (news - web sites), LAFD and the Los Angeles and Orange County Sheriff's Departments. These government agencies have rallied their resources and support behind the vision of DHS--The Series, including President G. W. Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who both endorse and contribute sound bites to the introductions of the series."


When asked to elaborate on Bush and Ridge's involvement, show representatives told E! Online, "They love it. They think it is fantastic," and drew comparisons to the government's role on The F.B.I. No spokesperson for the White House who could comment on the show was available at press time; a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said he was aware of TV shows related to the department, but said nothing about this particular show.


The show is billed as a realistic action series following the exploits of Special DHS Agents Andrea Bacall and Jack Callahan, portrayed by actors Alison Heruth Waterbury and Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh. The characters venture from the halls of Washington, D.C., to war-torn locales as they fight fanatical terrorism. Producers claim "the series will educate, inform, and inspire the average citizens around the world about America's front-line defense/offense against those who have declared war on the U.S. and our democratic allies."


The APEX-Distribution/Steeple Productions reception for the show, to be held Thursday during the American Film Market in Santa Monica, teamed real-life government officials and the actors who portray them. Attendance was slated to include stars of the series Heruth-Waterbury and Cavenaugh, as well as Sean Astin (news), Kate Bosworth (news), Burt Reynolds (news), Eric Roberts (news), Kristy Swanson (news), Stephen Baldwin (news) and Gary Busey (news). Homeland Security figures on the guest list included Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and Orange County Sheriff Juan Corona plus counter-terrorism heads from LAPD, FBI, NSA, EPA and LAFD.

[crabbie]

Thanks for all your prayers that helped my aunt safely through surgery. I just received the call that she is resting well in ICU for the night.

[knak]

has this been posted yet? I didn't see it.

Bomb Found in VA Hospital

[Old Sarge]

Thankfully, the perp didn't know jack about pyro.

[all4one]

Another story of a bomb that was found on Wednesday, Feb. 25th in Utah.

Hospital Evacuated, Bomb Deactivated

Salt Lake City, Utah
Thursday, February 26, 2004

Approximately 97 people were evacuated from a VA Medical Center building Wednesday afternoon while a bomb squad deactivated two explosives.

About 3:20 p.m. hospital staff found a bag that had been left unattended on the second floor of Building 3. They called VA police, who called the Salt Lake police bomb squad.

The building is an inpatient and outpatient facility, but patients are not confined to beds, so both staff and patients were able to leave the building while officers X-rayed the bag, said Susan Huff, public affairs officer for the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. The bomb squad "rendered the contents of the bag safe" about 6:30 p.m. without causing an explosion, and patients and staff were allowed to return to the building.

The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office will investigate the origins of the bag.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,590045933,00.html".Desert News

[judicial meanz]

Thats a good thing.

I did tactical team raids on meth labs for about 10 years. Some were fortified with railroad ties, some had dogs for an early alert system and hasty fighting positions arranged with loaded weapons, and some even went so far as to have secret tunnels to escape from the residence.

One meth lab blew up, launching the dope cooker through a brick wall and into the front yard, where he promptly died.

I could go on for hours. Those places are always nasty, disgusting, and make you want to take 10 showers after you finish.