Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Thirteen

WND ^ | 7-11-04 | N/A

[liberallyconservative]

As a postal employee, allow me to elaborate a little about suspicious packages. Be on the look-out for packages of an unusual shape, with an excess of tape or binding, with unusual stains, excessive postage, no return address or a "suspect" return address. Most of these tips would apply to some type of letter/package bomb, which individuals would be extremely unlikely to ever encounter. But one must consider these precautions in our workplace, especially if our work is associated with, our brings us in close proximity to, high-value targets.

Letters which contained anthrax leaked whitish powder, although some were reported to be light brown and granular. ANY suspicious substance found in a letter should be isolated immediately and calls made to proper authorities. Wash hands and any other exposed skin surfaces immediately. Again, these considerations are more for the workplace, and highly unlikely to be encountered at home.

Any mail of a suspicious nature should be handled with some trepidation or not at all. Mail of a personal nature should be easily recognizable as from an identifiable source. If you aren't expecting a package, be cautious.

[jimbo123]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,1143626,00.html

Terrorist bid to build bombs in mid-flight

Intelligence reveals dry runs of new threat to blow up airliners

Jason Burke, chief reporter
Sunday February 8, 2004
The Observer

Islamic militants have conducted dry runs of a devastating new style of bombing on aircraft flying to Europe, intelligence sources believe

-snip-

The warning, passed to Western agencies by Middle Eastern intelligence services, is based on interrogations of Islamic militants captured in the Arabian Gulf and is corroborated by intercepted communications between terrorist cells and interviews with prisoners held by the US government at Guantanamo Bay.

[British chick]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/628439/posts

Remeber this story about how the actor James Woods reported suspicious behaviour of passengers on his flight five weeks before 9/11 to the FBI? Turns out they were the 9/11 hijackers.

[Velveeta]

A stunning and chilling *must read* article.

[WestCoastGal]

Bump for that truly frightening story.

"On that Tuesday, our journey began uneventfully. Starting out that morning in Providence, Rhode Island, we went through security screening, flew to Detroit, and passed the time waiting for our connecting flight to Los Angeles by shopping at the airport stores and eating lunch at an airport diner. With no second security check required in Detroit we headed to our gate and waited for the pre-boarding announcement.

" Standing near us, also waiting to pre-board, was a group of six Middle Eastern men. They were carrying blue passports with Arabic writing. Two men wore tracksuits with Arabic writing across the back. Two carried musical instrument cases – thin, flat, 18" long. One wore a yellow T-shirt and held a McDonald's bag. And the sixth man had a bad leg -- he wore an orthopedic shoe and limped.

"When the pre-boarding announcement was made, we handed our tickets to the Northwest Airlines agent, and walked down the jetway with the group of men directly behind us."

"As we sat waiting for the plane to finish boarding, we noticed another large group of Middle Eastern men boarding. The first man wore a dark suit and sunglasses. He sat in first class in seat 1A, the seat second-closet to the cockpit door."

I would NEVER have gotten on that plane!!

"Here are excerpts from an article written by Jason Burke, Chief Reporter, and published in The Observer (a British newspaper based in London) on February 8, 2004:

Terrorist bid to build bombs in mid-flight: Intelligence reveals dry runs of new threat to blow up airliners

"Islamic militants have conducted dry runs of a devastating new style of bombing on aircraft flying to Europe, intelligence sources believe.

The tactics, which aim to evade aviation security systems by placing only components of explosive devices on passenger jets, allowing militants to assemble them in the air, have been tried out on planes flying between the Middle East, North Africa and Western Europe, security sources say.

… The … Transportation Security Administration issued an urgent memo detailing new threats to aviation and warning that terrorists in teams of five might be planning suicide missions to hijack commercial airliners, possibly using common items … such as cameras, modified as weapons.

…Components of IEDs [improvised explosive devices]can be smuggled on to an aircraft, concealed in either clothing or personal carry-on items … and assembled on board. In many cases of suspicious passenger activity, incidents have taken place in the aircraft's forward lavatory."

So here's my question: Since the FBI issued a warning to the airline industry to be wary of groups of five men on a plane who might be trying to build bombs in the bathroom, shouldn't a group of 14 Middle Eastern men be screened before boarding a flight?

"Apparently not. Due to our rules against discrimination, it can't be done. During the 9/11 hearings last April, 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman stated that …it was the policy (before 9/11) and I believe remains the policy today to fine airlines if they have more than two young Arab males in secondary questioning because that's discriminatory.

So even if Northwest Airlines searched two of the men on board my Northwest flight, they couldn't search the other 12 because they would have already filled a government-imposed quota."

Do you all want to scream now???????

Don't miss this story, go back and read the rest. Thanks Judith Anne.

[knak]

I totally agree. I just finished reading it. Hard to beleive people in this country are worried about somebodies feelings being hurt instead of worrying about thousands of people being killed.

[knak]

I totally agree. I just finished reading it. Hard to believe people in this country are worried about somebodies feelings being hurt instead of worrying about thousands of people being killed.

[knak]

sorry about the double post

here's another one though:

U.S. Scraps Airline Passenger Info Plan

The United States has scrapped a plan to collect personal data on airline passengers, after spending $100 million on planning, USA Today reported.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, is being dismantled because of concerns over privacy and effectiveness.

Under the system, each passenger would have been required to give an airline or travel agent his or her full name, date of birth, address and telephone number. The government would then verify the identity through a database of terrorist watch lists, as well as public records and mail marketing lists.

Some members of Congress called it an unwarranted intrusion into passengers' privacy, while others complained that terrorists using fake identities could easily evade the system.

Nonetheless, Ridge said a new program with a different name might be developed to take the place of CAPPS II.

[British chick]

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=29109

This is an article from October 2002 about Paul Williams book "Brotherhood of Terror" which explores the possibility of al-qaeda having 20 suitcase nukes. This information isn't new.

[flutters]

Good memory, I had forgotten about that story. I would say the recent incident is a test run. However, if what the woman says is true, I just can’t imagine that the air marshals, and the passengers, didn’t detain the 14 guys on the plane. It appears they were preparing for something and one suspicious event after another went unchecked. It’s time the Scott Beamer’s among us to wake up.

[drymans wife]

Thanks for posting that. I heard about it last week
and it is pretty scary. My parents just flew to NJ
and will fly back next week. I truely worry.

[Quix]

My layman's assumption is that it's a sophisticated sensor looking for nukes or some such.

[Velveeta]

Selene,

Does this resemble what you observed?

[WestCoastGal]

Wouldn't you all have gotten on a different flight? I mean just from what she observed prior to boarding would have been enough for me.

Someone should have said something before boarding or at least before takeoff.

Or the alternative is to board and sit there and wait to see if the plane blows up!!!!

[Velveeta]

I'm not sure whether to hope you're wrong or hope you're right. ~grin~

[Calpernia]

Sorry all. I had trouble formatting that picture file HipShot posted last night here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1169117/posts?page=2319#2319 . I had to print it in larger text to get the full translation while not blurring the words.

I only posted a particial translation last night. HERE is the full translation.

My Italitian is no wheres near fluent. I had to keep reading this out loud to hear it. There were words spelled wrong, terms used wrong and I have no idea if it is translated right.



Prior Translatin:

In name of Allah the compassionate and merciful one

Allah is to be praised

He is the ultimate to the Italian people, o separate Mr
Berlusconi the incapable.

or explicitly we will burn Italia, this is a clear equation
that you wonder

to free Cosenza, you are by now your perception

after this, the next message he what you will see on your
earth not that one

that you will read in a situated Internet

Berlusconi still promises to alone blood and Kingdom of
Slavery total to you for the United States me memory

The great Italian journalist Antonio Russo killed by the
intelligence agencies of Putin and Perche shared the
suffering of our siblings in Cecenia where it was
welcomed

NOTE: Repeats a few lines:

Berlusconi still promises to alone blood and Kingdom of
Slavery total to you for the United States me memory

The great Italian journalist Antonio Russo killed by the
intelligence agencies of Putin and Perche shared the
suffering of our siblings in Cecenia where it was
welcomed

NOTE: END REPEATS:

Berlusconi has not moved a single finger in order to open
an inquiry for homicide

CONTINUES:

objective facts, we are not thirsty beasts of blood or we fanatically stupid like we have been described.

Berlusconi's average....

we are concerned people from a great muslim culture, we are people who see the overwhelmed and tortured Muslims from all over the world because of the western world

citizens from the dictatorships and totalitarian regimes came from the West

http://www.alkhilafah.info/massacres/chechnya/index.html

http://www.alkhilafah.info/massacres/palestine/index.htm

http://www.alkhilafah.info/massacres/kosovo/index.html

http://www.alkhilafah.info/massacres/uzbekistan/index.htm

http://johnw.host.sk/photo/index.html

Berlusconi's average will also say that this threatening message and that uccira Fouad Allam or another accepted difference will try to deceive, will say that Fouad Allam and its similar represents the true Islam, is peaceful and that refuses violence

you do not play games, you get rid from the complex of superiority characteristic of the West

Come towards the muslim world, separate from a showy (?) government and moderate tooward the muslim world

(NOTE: COSI is a play popular in Italy...I'm assuming the term was misused to me extravagent/showy)

they [West or extravagent governments] are your worst enemy and that Islam who authorizes answers with violence with a violent proportion they for preserving our dignity and who proibice (?) to stretch of other stones (?)

The first rights/entitlement of this message are not threats but an attempt to go over the realty of the truth and that we are ready to hit Bersaglia (? - person, place in Italy? Expression) in a nature non conventional crews that will cause one strange and great dimension.

A man who has decided to give his life in order to serve his cause and is worth an army with September 11th being the best example

we are in Italy and by now nobody in Italy knows the emergency if offers are continued to be refused with offers of my SCEICO (recruitment?) and we are ready well (with aid of allah) transforming its promises in reality

a bath of blood similar to September 11 will be the opening for Italy

we will write with our blood and that one of migliaia [groups? crowds? millions?] of Italians a page that will restor the history records of Italy

peace chooses the path of the salvation here

/END translation

[flutters]

Perhaps if I was traveling alone I MIGHT have boarded. But with a young child -- never!

If everyone other than the ME's refused to board the plane, the airline might have done something.

[StillProud2BeFree]

If you folks have been to the page where that warning is posted, I strongly recommend you do a thorough virus scan, reboot your computer, and then do another. Once you are sure your machine is clean, then change ANY passwords you typed in today. The page downloads keystroke loggers and transmits the keystrokes. The information has been turned in to law enforcement.

My McAfee VirusScan detected the keystroke logger fortunately.

[Velveeta]

I used to fly frequently. Since 9/11 I've only flown once, verrrrrry reluctantly.

Now....you'd have to knock me unconscious to get me on a plane.

[ladyjane]

Some members of Congress called it an unwarranted intrusion into passengers' privacy,

That's a laugh. The congressmen are all flying around in corporate jets. They're not the ones at risk.