Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Sixteen

Yahoo ^ | 8-02-04 | AP

[Velveeta]

I agree that Pakistan has lied to us before, but the power's that be are saying that this information is corroborated with other internet chatter, e-mails and the like.

I bet these guys in Pakistan have known about this guy's whereabouts for a long time and just decided to give him up because the Pakistani government know they are a target as well.

[OXENinFLA]

Dropping like Dominoes

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=E4CC68EB-3B61-4AA1-BB105E26FD782673

Manila Arrests Men Suspected in Deadly Bombing in 2000

The Philippines government has captured two suspected Islamic militants accused of executing a deadly bomb attack in Manila four years ago. The men are thought to be linked to the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. Philippine army officers says the two men were key operatives in a series of bomb attacks on Manila's rail system during a national holiday on December 30, 2000. The blasts killed 22 people and injured nearly one hundred more.

Army spokesman Colonel Buenaventura Pascual says the suspects, Abdul Pata and Mamasao Naga were arrested Monday in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

"Last night they were transport here to Manila, they are under interrogation by our army intelligence," said Colonel Pascual.

The arrests highlight the complex network of ties that connect the Philippines' Muslim separatists with regional terrorist groups and even al-Qaida.

[Velveeta]

Amen.

And thank you.

[OXENinFLA]

That driver should lose his job and any ability to haul Military equipment in the future.

[HipShot]

I don't play the game.

[Velveeta]

This is a good reminder for those who want to dismiss the current threat because the information is years old.

Bump!

[freeperfromnj]

You are both right on. Especially if they attack during summer when many people take off Mondays and Fridays. I think end of August is the go time.

[freeperfromnj]

PREPARING FOR THE TERROR ALERT

By Andrea Peterson and Jesse Drucker
The Associated Press
8/3/04 9:01 AM

The Wall Street Journal

Rod Thomas and his wife Giselle have been talking for nearly three years about what to do in the case of another terrorist attack. But the new alerts on Sunday prompted the 34-year-old financial adviser to finally cement those plans.

"It took me a long time to convince her to let me go to work today," said Mr. Thomas, whose office is barely a block from the New York Stock Exchange, a potential terrorist target cited in the alert. The couple, who both worked on high floors of the World Trade Center on the day of the Sept. 11 attacks, has now agreed to meet at their Staten Island home as soon as possible if there's another attack. If either one is not there, they will head toward her mother's house. "If anything happens I run straight home," he says.

Many Americans have been preparing anew for terrorism during recent weeks, as fears have mounted of another attack pegged to the political conventions and the presidential election. Now, the weekend announcement from the Department of Homeland Security that terrorists may be planning attacks specifically in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., has given those concerns more immediacy. Local governments have stepped up security efforts, such as barring commercial traffic on certain routes into Manhattan. And individuals who live and work in and around the named targets -- including the Citigroup building in New York and the World Bank building in Washington -- are growing overtly more cautious.

Business is up 20 percent to 30 percent at the Earthquake Supply Center in San Rafael, Calif., during the past couple of weeks, owner Michael Skyler says. People are snapping up 55-gallon water-storage drums and water-purification tablets. Some are buying potassium-iodide tablets that help protect the thyroid in the case of a nuclear attack. The alerts have "definitely raised consciousness across the board," he says.

Safety experts say the latest terror alerts targeting specific financial institutions highlight the need for people to not only have a safety plan for their home, but for their workplace as well. They are renewing calls for people to create disaster-preparedness strategies that encompass their work and commute. The focus on work might surprise people who have spent the past three years worried about creating safe rooms in their houses, but security experts say that in reality, you're not likely to be at home in an emergency.

"You might be at work, your kids might be at soccer practice," says Lara Shane, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. A number of studies show that even after numerous warnings, most Americans still haven't created an evacuation plan or compiled a disaster kit. The government urges all families to have a communications plan that includes an out-of-state contact.

The American Red Cross recommends that individuals prepare a special disaster-supply kit for their workplace. The organization offers an exhaustive list of items that could make the average cubicle feel pretty crowded, including a flashlight, battery-powered radio, one gallon of water, food for one day, a change of clothing and shoes and a first-aid kit. (The full list is available at www.redcross.org/services/disaster. Click on "Be Prepared," then "Personal Workplace Disaster Supplies Kit.") Stocking up on medications like potassium iodide or the antibiotic Cipro isn't recommended. Incorrect use of antibiotics could leave someone even more vulnerable to illness. And potassium iodide works only on certain types of radiation.

The Red Cross also sells a pared-down kit designed for one person, called a "Safety Tube." The tube can be attached to the underside of a desk (with Velcro) or fit in a briefcase, and includes a lightstick, a dust mask, a whistle and a water-filled pouch. The kit is available through local Red Cross chapters for around $5 and will be sold online at www.redcross.org beginning next month.

Aside from preparing a disaster kit, there's the challenge of staying in touch with loved ones during an emergency. On the day of the Sept. 11 attacks, millions of people in New York and Washington, D.C., found that their cellphone calls wouldn't go through. The networks' capacity was hurt by the destruction of lines leading into a Verizon Communications Inc. central office, which affected all carriers. Networks were also overloaded by all the extra telephoning.

Since then, carriers say they have added capacity. Recent agreements with law-enforcement agencies are designed to give priority on the wireless network to calls from police and other emergency personnel. In reality, however, even the extra capacity is unlikely to keep up with a dramatic spike in calling prompted by another attack.

There are a few tips for staying in touch in an emergency. For people on the street with only a cellphone, a text message could have a better chance of getting through than a regular call. If the network is overloaded, a phone call just gets dropped, but a text message essentially waits in a queue until there is room for it go through. It could be delayed for hours, but at least it's more likely to get there.

If your cellphone provider is Nextel Communications Inc., that carrier's walkie-talkie-like "push-to-talk" feature could be more likely to make it through, since it doesn't rely on the public telephone network, and such calls take up less capacity. And the BlackBerry portable e-mail devices sold by most major cellular carriers can also potentially get a message through when the telephone network is clogged. BlackBerry users can also send messages even when the connection to their employer's e-mail server is lost, by using a function that allows them to bypass the server altogether.

Some people have a simpler strategy to avoid problems: Stay home. The Republican convention in New York City that begins late this month has prompted James A. Pardo, a Manhattan attorney, to spend that week working from his house in Darien, Conn. -- where he has 60 gallons of emergency bottled water stored in his basement -- instead of traveling to his Midtown office. "If I can work from home, why do I want to be here?" he says.

For those who cannot stay home, there was little escaping the heightened concerns in New York and Washington Monday. On the Washington Metro, special response teams armed with machine guns performed spot checks of the stations and trains, occasionally stopping rail service to check beneath the cars. More than 200,000 people rode the Metro Monday morning, according to a spokesman, who said ridership was down slightly from the same day last week, but up from the same day a year ago.

The latest terrorism warnings say that plots could target the ventilation systems of businesses. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been working with security managers in the private sector to encourage them to place physical barriers in front of entrances to ventilation and air-conditioning systems. But terrorism experts say that there is little that can be done if terrorists are successful in releasing a biological agent into a ventilation system. That is because it likely won't be detected until people start becoming ill.

If there is news of a contagious agent -- such as smallpox or plague -- being released in a building, safety experts do say that those outside the immediate area can protect themselves from becoming infected by "sheltering in place." This means sealing windows and doors with plastic sheeting and -- yes -- duct tape. Avoiding hospitals and large groups of people will also help, as will wearing a protective mask. "If you don't come into contact with those who have been exposed, you won't get sick," says Greg Evans, director of the Institute for Biosecurity at St. Louis University.

------

Marlon A. Walker and Kara Scannell contributed to this article.

------

Home and Office Preparedness

Safety experts advise people to have disaster preparedness plans and kits for both home and work. Here are some guidelines:

What you need at home:

-- FOOD AND WATER: Three gallons of water per person and a three-day supply of nonperishable food per person

-- FIRST-AID: Any needed prescription drugs, extra pair of glasses or contact lenses, aspirin, sunscreen, sterile bandages, soap

-- OTHER SUPPLIES: Battery-operated radio, flashlight, extra batteries (change them every six months), cash, nonelectric can opener, plastic sheeting, one change of clothes per person

What you need at work:

-- FOOD AND WATER: One gallon of water, three meals of nonperishable food

-- FIRST-AID: Three-day supply of prescription medications, aspirin, sterile bandages, waterless hand sanitizer, extra pair of glasses/contacts

-- OTHER SUPPLIES: Flashlight with extra batteries, battery-powered radio, toothbrush,toothpaste, one complete change of clothing, comfortable shoes, emergency mylar "space" blanket

[Bethshaya]

I wonder how old the information on the WTC was? I would imagine some of it was from back to 1993. Was it any less informational?

It takes AQ years to plan their attacks. Why would 4 yr old info make it any less so?

[freeperfromnj]

I think it's disgusting that the timing and the time line are even being discussed by the media and the rats. Is Ted Koppel and ABC studios willing to give up their security? Unlike with the WTC, we have names and places. God forbid one of these buildings were hit in the near future and nothing was said? If we don't put out these warnings what was the purpose of the 9/11 commission?

[LayoutGuru2]

Osama in the U.S. - "In the belly of the beast" ??? Come on now, stop yankin' my chain. Aljernaan apparently ran into some trouble and didn't post a complete update today. :(

GLOBAL ISLAMIC MEDIA
More strange emails - Dare we drink Pepsi?								Tuesday August 3, 2004
									Submit articles and comments to aljernaan@yahoo.co.uk
									Al Qaeda Casing Wall Street for Attack wakes up the Intelligence Community
									Something about the FBI
									Comment : An FBI agent once told me "We just have a job to do like everyone else. We are just normal people." No, I am afraid the term normal and Intel do not go together. You are trying to do the job that thousands of anti-nuclear missiles used to do, and you are understaffed, underpaid, and much misunderstood. He told me I had been watching too many movies. Well, you must remember, I put up a super patriotic page for the Americans fighting to free the Iraqis from the Saddam regime. I posted heart-rendering articles of horrible torture that Saddam's henchmen did to people dipping them in chemicals, burning them, torturing them. So, let me tell you a few words about the FBI. The other side. First, unfortunately they do look identical to the MIB. They are immaculately groomed, short hair, on occassion they can be seen without sunglasses. It is highly unusual to be dragged into a room with a glowing lamp and have two pacing smoking agents firing questions at you as in some cheap detective story.     Agents are highly trained, especially in psychology, the art of interrogation, and the use of firearms. More often than not, you will find yourself being questioned in a very non-threatening  manner. They usually suggest rather than order you to do something, and they will usually try to give you logical reasons to follow their suggestions. Lying is not a good idea. Being open and truthful and sticking to the truth is probably a good way to make sure a conversation doesn't turn into an interrogation. But there are a few things to remember. They are usually not as bad as they are depicted in the movies. Yet, given the right situation country and a  need for information, and depending upon if you are Muslim and a terrorist - forget everything you just read.
Aljernaan Commentary - Thanks to an editor at Newsmax who wrote me a nice letter- I am now informed our suited nuke bomb protagonist was part of a fictional work lifted from them and sent by our dear Noman. Yet, a few problems. I received another communication today saying that "he who would be EOM I guess" Osama bin Ladin is in the U.S. and the words "clean shaven seemed to be a veiled hint here."  More in my comment Belly of the Beast
< Terror-Alert.com >
		Emergency came up - Page up Tomorrow
									In the Belly of the Beast

[Domestic Church]

"What about carrier pigions?"

Interesting. The amish use white carrier pigeons around here. How do we stop the jihadi from doing so? Or have we already stopped it at some point? Remember the news stories about huge flocks of pelicans etc. leaving traditional summer breeding areas over night? I would imagine there are *ways* to disrupt but first one would have to identify a carrier pigeon. Anyone in the cities notice less pigeons around?

[ßuddaßudd]

Thanks for the ping JP.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Sounds to me like you have some crucial and timely investigative work to do with your supervisors. Pull out all the stops to get info from them and then please get back to us here with it.

There are ways to get that info from them...Several ways depending on their personality types. For example, do they like to always be right and "correct" people? Then approach with some made up things that will compel them to correct you!

[brucecw]

Intelligence, especially surveillance or methods intelligence, doesn't necessarily become dated that quickly. So the fact that much of the surveillance was years old is interesting but not surprising.

The really interesting question is why the immediate raising of the threat level? Unless you're planning to keep it at that level forever, old surveillance doesn't put any particular time frame on planned attacks or even if an attack is planned. It also doesn't do anything about any other places that might have been checked out that you don't necessarily know about.

That's where the "multiple sources of information" may come in - information from other sources about plans for attacks over the next 3 months or so. In that case, any place that was the subject of extensive surveillance even years ago would be an obvious possibility for a new and imminent attack and worth extra protection.

My guess is that something like that is what happened.

[Velveeta]

‘Acid bomb’ found in Kittery (Maine)
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/08032004/maine/30043.htm

[Donna Lee Nardo]

We also have to pay attention to cell phones -- phones that will activate explosives and phones that take pics. Technology helps us and it also helps the bad guys. E.g., Is that swarthy type innocently talking to a friend on his cell, is he about to explode a remote bomb or is he casing a building and taking pictures of the area? It only gets more complicated these days.

[Rutles4Ever]

NSC Source: Terror Attack to Be in Early September
NY Newsday ^ | 8/3/04 | Knute Royce


Posted on 08/03/2004 7:36:03 AM PDT by gopwinsin04


More financial institutions than previously disclosed may be at risk of attack and an Al Qaeda operative has told British intelligence that the groups target date is early September, intelligence sources said yesterday.

The operative, described as credible by British intelligence, told his debriefers that the attack would take place '60 days before the US presidential election' on November 2, according to a former National Security Council official.

On September 2 President Bush is expected to address the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden.

Counter terrorism officials are analyzing data from a computer siezed in Pakistan last month to see if financial instutions in addition to the five disclosed last Sunday are at risk of attack, US officials said yesterday.

A US official familiar with the ongoing analysis of the computer said, 'There are reference to other buildings in the Al Qaeda computer data including a picture of the Bank of America building in San Francisco. 'There is mention of other places.'


Excerpted - click for full article ^
Source: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usterr033916365aug03,0,7205652.story?coll=ny-homepage-big-pix

[thecabal]

Good luck with your move. Where are you headed?

About 2 miles away. ;)