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.

[JustPiper]

Disaster Drill in Montana Scheduled for March 21

March 6, 2004
By ED KEMMICK
Of The Gazette Staff

Hundreds of emergency responders, law enforcement officers and medical workers will take part this month in what is likely to be the largest disaster drill ever staged in Yellowstone County.

There is no estimate of what the day-and-a-half drill will cost, but Jim Kraft, director of emergency and general services for Yellowstone County, said the expenses will be covered by grants from the federal Department of Homeland Security.

The drill will start on Sunday, March 21, when there will be a simulated gas release at Rimrock Mall. The next day, there will be simulated incidents at three different sites, including a truck-bomb explosion at the Conoco Refinery.

Under the disaster scenario, two other "terrorists" will be driving truck bombs with plans to attack the two other refineries in the valley. Instead, they will panic and drive to high schools - West High and Laurel High - park outside and enter the schools.

Kraft said there will be a simulated evacuation at the refinery, and many "injured" workers will be taken to the two city hospitals. At the high schools, officials will have to deal with the truck bombs in the parking lots while sending SWAT teams into the schools to apprehend the terrorists.

The drill will involve, besides Kraft's department, police and fire departments from Billings and Laurel, the Lockwood Volunteer Fire Department, all three refineries, American Medical Response, the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, Montana Highway Patrol, both hospitals, the Red Cross, the City-County Health Department, the FBI, the dispatch center, West and Laurel high schools and Rimrock Mall.

Kraft said planning for such a drill was begun a year and a half ago, and officials found out only recently that as a condition of receiving grants from the Department of Homeland Security, the county was required to stage such a drill. In addition to Yellowstone County, Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead, Cascade and Lewis and Clark counties will be required to stage a major drill before April 30, 2005, Kraft said.

Those counties, or at least the Local Emergency Planning Committees representing those counties, are also the jurisdictions in Montana that will be receiving the kind of largesse that is being showered on Yellowstone County by the Department of Homeland Security.

Billings Fire Chief Marv Jochems said all those counties will be getting the same kind of fully equipped hazardous-materials trailers that Billings is scheduled to receive this spring. All jurisdictions with such equipment will be required to respond to disasters in their regions.

The trouble is, Western Montana will be served by five counties, while all of Eastern Montana - everything east of Billings from Canada to Wyoming - will be in the Yellowstone County region. Jochems said Havre and Miles City are hoping to become eligible to serve as regional disaster responders, but for now there is only Yellowstone County.

But at least the money appears to be trickling down to where it's needed in Montana, Jochems said. In some states, government officials have complained that funds are bottle-necked at the state level or are being diverted away from the cities and counties that actually provide emergency services.

"In a lot of places, the money's not going where the rubber meets the road," Jochems said. "In Montana, I think we're doing pretty well."

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2004/03/06/build/state/60-disasterdrill.inc

[JustPiper]

From Quayle:

Mar. 11 ongoing Tokyo, London, Moscow, Paris

High explosives, identical to the al-Qaeda attack in Spain Trains, subways, landmark buildings Interpol, Internet, tapes claiming to be from bin Laden and statements from Zawahiri. Imminent

Extremely High

COMMENT: Information concerning this Spanish train attack was picked up late last night US time, prior to the attack. Chechen rebels are in the process of implementing a large-scale attack on Moscow. French authorities are aware that they are targeted next. Intelligence indicates that an attack on France will most likely precede events in London or, it/they may be concurrent with an attack in London. Terrorist actions planned for Tokyo using ships are popping up on the radar screen. Based on statements coming from "vanishing" terrorist sites, concurrent with an announcement of bin Laden's capture or death, Western leaders have been targeted for assassination. Finally, the White House and UN buildings in New York have been identified as the targets in America.

[Revel]

You make very good points. I thought Saturday was a strange time as well. They have been saying "at a time we least expect". That is all I can add.

[rickylc]

Rickylc- Regarding Iran's urgent consultations with Putin "Particularly concerning a mystery event that is supposed to happen." What is your take on this?

A couple of hours ago I would have answered differently, but now with AQ taking responsibility for the attack in Spain.

Perhaps he wanted the attack postponed, because things were so close in the UN?

An attack of this magnitude is not going to do good things for Iran's standing with European nations.

I'm saying this under the assumption that both Iran and Russia have their hands in AQ.

[Indie]

Well, at least they saved us the trouble of deciphering which bioweapon they'll use. They state it quite clearly. Plague.

Yep. Don't count out nukes. I think those are a certainty. And Plague could/would actually be a naturally occurring side effect of the unsanitary aftermath of a nuke detonation. [2 in one again]

[rickylc]

I think you are right on the money.

[TexKat]

Thank you for your input.

[rickylc]

I keep on thinking about this statement: "The first preemptive hit will be outside of the US"

I'm with you there Mossad.

As soon as I heard about this I said to myself "and so, it has begun"

[jerseygirl]

Yes, that's true. I'm thinking back to when they urged their followers NOT to go to Mosques after the attacks were initiated. Remember, the said the "rabd Americans" would come after innocent Muslims?

[Barnacle]

You don't have to get nasty about it.

All I suggest is that if posting something from a highly discredited source, it would be considerate to mention that the source is worthless nonsense so that people seeing that source for the first time are not subjected to its intended effect.

[rickylc]

There's something not being reported here.

The 90% uranium the IAEA found came from the WALLS of the facility and from new, previously unused equipment.

Iran is flat out lying and trying to buy time to test their bomb.

[JustPiper]

FNC:

PURPORTED AL QAEDA LETTER CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR TERROR BLASTS IN SPAIN

Breaking News Alert
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) A London-based Arabic newspaper says it has received claim of responsibility for the Madrid train bombings issued in the name of al-Qaida.

Breaking News Alert
MADRID, Spain (AP) Interior minister says police find van with detonators and Arabic-language tape of Koranic verses; says new lines of investigation open in train bombings.

Breaking News Alert
MADRID, Spain (AP) Death toll in Madrid railway bombings climbs to 190, Interior Ministry says. More than 1,240 injured.
_______________________________________________________
CNN:

Terror blast lifts bond prices
Deadly attack in Spain moves investors into safe-haven securities; dollar dips.
03/11/04
U.S. Treasurys extended overnight gains Thursday as investors looked to safe-haven securities after a deadly terrorist attack in Spain and soft underlying figures on retail sales.


Stocks slide at open
Major indexes open lower for fourth session in a row. Madrid attacks, weak retail sales hurt.
03/11/04
U.S. stocks continued to sell off early Thursday, building on three sessions of declines, this time on the heels of an assumed terrorist attack in Madrid, and following the release of a weak retail sales report.

[jerseygirl]

Yes, it's confusing. From the little I've read, Russia seems clearly involved. Yet at the same time, Moscow just received aa AQ threat. Deception?

[JustPiper]

Thursday, March 11, 2004

Nuclear missile allegedly damaged
Web site says Navy called 'broken arrow' aboard Bangor sub

By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Was it a "broken arrow" at the Trident submarine base in Bangor in November that led to the firing a month later of the Navy leadership overseeing nuclear weapons there?

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/164280_nuke11.html

[jerseygirl]

Oh my, am I stupid today! The answer may be right here in what you wrote. "Perhaps he wanted the attack postponed, because things were so close in the UN" According to their threats, there won't be any UN.

[Indie]

I'm thinking back to when they urged their followers NOT to go to Mosques after the attacks were initiated. Remember, they said the "rabid Americans" would come after innocent silent and supporting Muslims?

Looks like these idiots have a small brain somewhere in their rear ends. They got this one right.

[rickylc]

I hate to say it, but I agree.

We should be at RED!

[jerseygirl]

Should we email Drudge?