Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Nine

Yahoo News ^ | 5-30-04 | DONNA ABU-NASR AP

[JustPiper]

Picture credit: TheCabal

Picture Credit:Calpernia

"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat"

LINK TO THREAD EIGHT

KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia - Tens of American, European and other hostages were released Sunday and a gunman believed to be the lead Islamic militant holding them was arrested, a Saudi security official said, adding that two other gunmen were "in the process of being arrested."

We are the "Stotters" who make ourselves aware of the enemy who wishes to do us harm

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

Don't miss the last sentence

06/08/04
Gas truck crash closes US 41 in Venice


VENICE -- A truck filled with about 1,800 gallons of liquid propane gas tipped over on the U.S. 41 Bypass late Monday morning, creating a potential disaster and closing a stretch of the busy road until well into the evening.

No one was injured, but the situation caused major headaches for emergency workers, motorists and businesses.

The road was reopened by 8:30 p.m. after being closed for more than nine hours.

Ferman Richard, 48, was driving a Coastal Propane truck north on the U.S. 41 Bypass about 10:45 a.m. when a white pickup truck pulled out in front of him near the Venice Plaza.

Richard said he put on his brakes and swerved to avoid the pickup. The truck nearly came to a stop, he said, but the weight of the load caused the tanker to jack-knife and flip.

Richard said he was frightened, especially when he heard a hissing sound, which turned out to be antifreeze leaking from the radiator.

Passersby ran to the accident scene and helped him get out of the door.

"I'm glad to be here," Richard said later.

Venice Fire Department Lt. Tony Fitzgerald said among the first to respond to the accident were workers with the Ajax Paving Co. who had been paving a private parking lot nearby.

"If it were not for them setting up their cones and barricades, we easily could have had someone run into the back of the truck," Fitzgerald said.

Officials closed the highway shortly after the wreck, from the U.S. 41 Bypass to Albee Farm Road.

"It was pretty congested for a while," said Venice Police Department Spokeswoman Pam Johnson. "People just had to find a different way to get around."

Motorists traveling south were routed onto U.S. 41 on Venice Island, and those going north were routed around the site onto Albee Farm Road.

Meanwhile, crews had to pump the propane into another tanker truck before burning the tank's remaining gas particles, a standard procedure in this type of situation.

A truck was called in from Ferrell Gas Co., and at about 1 p.m. the emergency workers began pumping the gas from one truck to the other. A lightning storm rolled through the area shortly after 3 p.m. and the pumping had to be stopped.

"As fuel passes through the hose, it builds up static electricity," Fitzgerald said. "With an electric storm, this can cause a catastrophic event."

He said that if a spark had hit the gas, the entire area would have become "a lake."

At 5:15 p.m., the last of the liquid propane was out of the truck and emergency workers used a lighter to ignite the fumes. It was expected to take two hours to completely burn all the remaining vapors.

Throughout the afternoon, most of the businesses in the area stayed open, although there was no business being done. The parking lot of the usually busy Kash n' Karry was vacant.

There were no evacuations, but some residents were prevented from getting to their homes near the site, an eyewitness said.

One business that did stay busy was the Taco Bell. Workers fed the fire and rescue personnel at the scene and made sure they had plenty to drink throughout the hot, sunny afternoon. The Red Cross also showed up just after 1 p.m. and provided meals and drinks for emergency workers well past 6 p.m.

The name of the pickup driver was not available at press time.

http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/060804/tp3np3.htm?date=060804&story=tp3np3.htm

[MamaDearest]

Thank you! After compiling it, I feel more concern than ever regarding chemical laden trucks (U-Hauls, Ryders, Moving Companies and those typically not inspected at our nation's weigh stations - we are missing a huge potential for nailing terrorists on this one). Also, far too many tanker truck mishaps involving gasoline and hazardous chemicals and road closures. Makes me wonder how these accidents line up statistically with other semi-trailer accidents; ie the number of these accidents in recent months/years compared to 3-4 years ago.

[Calpernia]

What else could be built to control crowds with a similar concept?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Strange that it is a white vehicle, it always is.

White vehicle the terrorist choice of color.

Prayers of thanks, that it was not a worse accident.

[Calpernia]

Venice FL? Isn't that where Atta was? And the Flight School? Doesn't Adnan El Shukrijumah father live there too?

[Calpernia]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1150188/posts

Death Toll In Ebola Outbreak Climbs To Seven

Posted by Mother Abigail
On 06/08/2004 11:20:52 PM EDT with 4 comments

Big News Network ^ | 6-8-04

Big News Network.com Tuesday 8th June, 2004 The death toll in the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in southern Sudan has climbed to seven, with 28 cases in total since last month, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). Local authorities in Yambio County, which is in the Western Equatoria region of southern Sudan, confirmed that as of Sunday there have been seven deaths.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

Interesting read

While I didn’t know exactly with whom I was conversing with – his name meant nothing to me – I did know about the organization he belonged to.



The e-mail address Royer was using to write to me was “communications@masnet.org.” I had found myself on the site masnet.org before. It was (and is) the homepage of the Muslim American Society (MAS). It turns out Royer was then the Communications Director of MAS.



Considering the find (or rather him finding me), I couldn’t pass up the journalistic and “counter-terrorist” opportunity to ask a few questions.



E-mail Subject #1 – Muslim American Society (MAS)



I began by asking his background with radical Islam.



Kaufman: “How did you get involved in MAS?”



Royer: “I applied for the job!”



Kaufman: “Are you concerned at all with groups it affiliates with?”



Royer: “Such as...?”



Royer was either ignorant of the fact that the organization he was working for had major radical connections or he was just playing stupid. Being that he would soon be convicted of acting as the ringleader of an al-Qaeda affiliated group, one would presume that he knew precisely what the Muslim American Society represented.



The MAS holds its annual conventions in conjunction with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). As reported in the January 30, 2004, edition of the New York Daily News, the ICNA “is under FBI investigation for terror ties.” Also, according to the report, both the MAS and ICNA “have held conferences featuring speakers accused of terror ties and have published material supporting suicide bombings against Israel.”



One of these published works, a series of fatawa (religious edicts) found in the March 2002 edition of the MAS’s The American Muslim, calls suicide bombing against Israelis “justifiable.” The piece, entitled “Questions About Palestine,” states, “Martyr operations are not suicide and should not be deemed as unjustifiable means of endangering one’s life…In martyr operations, the Muslim sacrifices his own life for the Sake of performing a religious duty, which is Jihad against the enemy…martyr operations are totally different from the forbidden suicide.”



And an article in the July 4, 2003, edition of The American Muslim, entitled “Reaching the Roots of Terrorism,” justified terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings, as “a reaction to injustice.”



The MAS, which has been named as being part of the DALLAS/FORT WORTH TERRORIST NETWORK, was founded via individuals associated with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).



In a news report put out by Indianapolis’s WTHR 13, counter-terrorism expert, Steven Emerson, is quoted as saying, “ISNA has sponsored extremists, racists, people who call for Jihad against the United States.” And the report itself stated, “We found about a dozen charities, organizations or individuals under federal scrutiny for possible ties to terrorism that are linked in some way to ISNA – ties sources tell us have also placed ISNA under the federal microscope. ISNA has provided convention booth space and helped raise money for a number of Islamic charities later linked to terrorism by the federal government….”



E-mail Subject #2 – Muslim Brotherhood (MB)



The topic of conversation between Kaufman and Royer shifted to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood after Sheikh Mustafa Mashour was assassinated. Royer either was truly naive as to the nature of the Brotherhood or was a gifted manipulator of the truth.



Kaufman: “Do you condemn the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which your organization says it mourns the death of its leader?”



The press release on the MAS website read, “MAS Mourns Loss of Sheikh Mustafa Mashhour: Supreme Guide of Muslim Brotherhood pioneered balanced Islamic activism.”



Royer: “I'm not sure why I would condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. They're not on any list of terrorists, and the group is so broad and decentralized that to object to the actions or ideas of what one loosely-related individual or group does is not neccessarily [sic.] to object to what another group or individual does.”



Kaufman: “The fact that you don't condemn the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has been responsible for the murders of leaders in the Egyptian government, is a very telling sign. And of course it would account for you not being aware of groups in your organization (MAS) that you should be concerned about.”



Royer: “I think you're confusing the MB with Gamaat Al-Islamiyya.”



The Muslim Brotherhood, may have been thought of by Royer to be a kindhearted, peace-loving organization, but the reality was something totally different. And my so-called “confusion” of the Brotherhood with Gamaat Al-Islamiyya (a.k.a. Egyptian Islamic Jihad) was no confusion at all. With this in mind, I presented Ismail Royer with the following from the United States Council on Foreign Relations, TERRORISM: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:



The basic sentiment of today’s Muslim extremists has flourished in the Islamic world for decades. It can be traced at least to the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political force that began in Egypt in 1928 with the goal of restoring Islamic laws and values in the face of growing Western influence… The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Wahhabi radicals in Saudi Arabia both arose out of an Islamic religious movement called the Salafiyya, which believes that the practice of Islam has become corrupted and must be reformed to reflect the seventh-century form of Islam practiced at the time of the Prophet Muhammad. This brash interpretation of Islam would eventually influence a new generation of violent, radical Muslim groups, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Egyptian Islamic Jihad—the last of which assassinated Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981.



Kaufman: “Did you read what I sent you about Muslim Brotherhood? What do you think about that? Do you shrug that off as nothing?”



Royer: “I did read it. The fact is that there are many views on the Muslim Brotherhood. And it's misleading to present that as ‘the’ view of CFR, which comprises scholars of many different stripes and opinions…The group (Muslim Brotherhood) isn't perfect; you'll find extremist Republicans as well. The fact that they've retained their moderation under an oppressive middle eastern regime like that of Mubarak strikes me as quite impressive.”



If this were not the view of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), then why would the group include the content of the passage I quoted to Royer so prominently on its website?



In addition, saying that the Muslim Brotherhood “isn’t perfect” -- when considering all of the terrorist organizations the Brotherhood has spawned, including all the ones previously mentioned in addition to HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad -- is a reckless understatement.



And lastly, Royer’s compliment of the Muslim Brotherhood (“quite impressive”) -- in association with his denouncement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has had his life threatened on numerous occassions, including a failed assassination attempt in 1995 by those associated with the Brotherhood -- is appalling and shows a total lack of respect for human life and well-being.





E-mail Subject #3 – Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)



In the course of our contact, Ismail Royer, apparently having knowledge of my past criticisms of the organization, voluntarily brought up the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).



Royer: “Your complaints about CAIR are disenguous.” [sic.]



Kaufman: “My complaints about CAIR are genuine, because I am using fact. Do you support CAIR? Are you a member of CAIR?”



Royer: “I worked at CAIR in 1994, and then from 1997 to 2001.”



Kaufman: “While you worked there, did you know of CAIR’s affiliation with the Islamic Association for Palestine? And for that matter, Hamas? Do you support those groups?”



Royer: “IAP isn't a ‘terrorist group,’ regardless of the claims of Steven Emerson. CAIR has no affiliation with HAMAS, unless one wants to use Emerson's tenuous claims. No, I don't ‘support’ HAMAS, whatever that means. As for IAP, if they're trying to get out a Palestinian point of view, then more power to them, but I find find [sic.] them rather nationalist for my taste.”



The so-called “tenuous claims” that Royer has accused Steven Emerson of making have been confirmed by numerous other credible sources. That said, CAIR’s ties to Hamas are many.



Previously mentioned, CAIR was formed by three individuals from the Islamic Association for Palestine or IAP. As stated in Congressional testimony: “The first manifestation of Hamas’ presence in the United States was the creation of the Islamic Association for Palestine for North America in 1981. Founded by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook, IAP has served as a Hamas support organization in the United States by publishing Hamas communiqués, distributing Hamas recruitment videos and hosting conferences raising monetary and popular support for Hamas.”



At CAIR’s inception, in June of 1994, the group received $5,000 from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) to open up a headquarters in Washington, D.C., CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, who has professed his support for Hamas, called the $5,000 a “modest donation.” The HLF, whose Chairman, Ghassan Elashi, was also a founding board member of CAIR’s Texas chapter, was shut down by the United States for financing Hamas. The FBI called HLF “Hamas’ largest fundraising entity in the U.S.”



Indictment


Just short of two months following the e-mails, Royer and ten of his colleagues were indicted, charged with “conspiring with a foreign terrorist group to engage in jihadist combat in foreign nations friendly to the United States.” That foreign group was Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), a team of Kashmiri separatists that regularly commit acts of terror against Indians. And the indictment read that the conspirators had “an intent to serve in armed hostility against the United States.”



The eleven became known as the “Virginia Jihad Network,” and a number of convictions (including Royer’s) resulted.



Of course, Ismail Royer’s e-mails to me didn’t let on to anything as sinister as this. However, they did say something about the man. They painted a picture of a man who was in severe denial about the true nature of radical Islamist organizations. He was, in other words, the perfect recruit for Islamist terrorism; Royer’s resume, which included a job as a researcher for the extremist American Muslim Council (AMC), made him a ideal candidate to take the next step from radical Islam to the world of terror.



Conclusion


In a May 12, 2003, piece he had written in defense of Sami al-Arian (entitled “Al Arian case: Misplaced priorities”), Royer stated, “law enforcement should at least keep tabs on people suspected of being responsible for violence overseas.”



The irony of this statement is apparent, since at the time of its publication, Royer was in fact being watched by law enforcement for the exact same reason.



But just as in the e-mails he had sent to me, Randall Todd “Ismail” Royer was creating an illusion. On one side was his ‘perfect’ life as a well-doer in the cause of Allah, while on the other was a twisted terrorist reality. Unfortunately for him, even he can’t deny cold prison walls. Because of his work, many more credulous American Muslims may one day follow him to prison...or an early grave.

---

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13684

[Lucy Lake]

G-8 summit aims for a united front after recent rifts

The Scotsman

Wed 9 Jun 2004


http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=654192004

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

I think so I am not even sure where it is.

[Lucy Lake]

Huge alert to protect G8 summit

08/06/2004 21:04 - (South Africa)

Sea Island - A bioterrorism early-warning system has been set up around the G8 summit of industrial nations that opens on Tuesday, said media reports.

....
Avenger surface-to-air missiles are scattered among luxury estates on Sea Island with navy and coast guard boats off the coast.

Savannah's historic 18th- and 19th-century squares are jammed with heavily armed national guard Humvees and steel barriers set up to protect government buildings.


http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1539558,00.html

[Cindy]

I'm not having a funeral.
Whatever I've done in this world, let
everyone take a moment to remember.

A body is only a package for the soul.
When my body dies; my soul will go on
to heaven, thank you Jesus.

That's it.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

FYI

SA passports sold to al-Qaeda
08/06/2004 17:55 - (SA)


Cape Town - Members of al-Qaeda arrested with copies of South African passports must have bought the documents from corrupt home affairs officials, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Tuesday.

Last month police commissioner Jackie Selebi said arrests made in South Africa five days before the elections had led to the arrests of al-Qaeda suspects internationally.

"In part of this operation, in London, the British police found boxes and boxes of South African passports in the home of one of these people... ," Selebi told parliament's portfolio committee on safety and security last month.

On Tuesday, Mapisa-Nqakula told MPs: "A few weeks ago members of al-Qaeda were arrested with our passports. A member of the department must have sold them those passports. It must have been a syndicate... we are trying to break these syndicates.

"We are working with safety and security, police and the Scorpions to rid our department of them."

She confirmed there was corruption in her department.

"I am sure that the department of home affairs is the lead department in corruption. If there is an illegal immigrant scam or a marriage scam, then the department must be involved.

"You read every month about the arrests going on... we are doing something about it."

She said most arrests were a result of investigations started by the department's anti-corruption unit and then taken over by police.

Edited by Elmarie Jack

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1539562,00.html

[null and void]

Nope. I didn't show up until about 9 AM...

[null and void]

Strange that it is a white vehicle, it always is.

White vehicle the terrorist choice of color.

My thought too. White Toyota pickup, I bet...

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

GREAT!!!!!!!

'G8 Prayer Initiative' Targets World Leaders Summit in Georgia
Charisma News Service

Georgia pastors, ministry leaders and intercessors will be standing in
the gap for a gathering of leaders from eight of the world's most
powerful nations that starts today in a coastal region of the state.
About 20,000 police and federal agents have been assigned to patrol the
streets, beaches and waters off Sea Island to provide heightened
security for the Group of Eight (G8) summit, which runs through
Thursday. President Bush and the leaders of Japan, Germany, Britain,
France, Italy, Canada and Russia are expected to attend the summit.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Strategic Prayer Network and the Institute for
Global Affairs, a Christian organization based in the United Kingdom and
Canada, have organized the G8 Prayer Initiative, which consists of
unified prayer and worship groups from across the state. Organizers said
dozens of prayer networks have been organized involving tens of
thousands of intercessors mobilized to pray specifically for the
attending G8 leaders, the decisions they will make and for peace
throughout the world. "God is calling His church to take her place
within a global arena," said Jacquie Tyre, coordinator of the Georgia
Strategic Prayer Network. During the G8 summit, believers and church
leaders from around the world will attend worship and prayer summits
running simultaneously in Atlanta, Brunswick, the county seat for Sea
Island, and Savannah.

[Cindy]

Motorcycles and terrorists --- old stuff from memory:

-UBL loved to ride around on his motorycle. A lot of photos and graphics around on the 'net of him on a motorycle.

-Incidents of motorcycles and terrorist have been around for awhile -- from organized crime to jihad types using the motorcyle for their evil deeds.

[Cindy]

GOOGLE Search Term: "BLUE THUNDER"
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22BLUE+THUNDER%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&filter=0

[steve86]

pray specifically for the attending G8 leaders

I don't know, that has a certain 1984 ring to it.

It seems normal enough to pray for President Bush, being an American and a conservative, that he stays safe and does the right things, but Putin and those Europeans? Not my style. The world has others more deserving.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

Russians and Chinese are not there.

[steve86]

A social dinner Tuesday evening marked the formal opening of the summit, but Bush first had one-on-one meetings scheduled with Koizumi and the leaders of Canada, Germany and Russia.

This is from a lead article on MSNBC. I don't know for sure that Putin personally is there.