Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Eighteen

BBC ^ | 8/25/04

[nwctwx]

Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Thread Eighteen

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Google News : Google Images : News Hotlinks

The Threat Matrix

The title refers to a daily report given to the president of the United States detailing the most serious terrorist threats against the country. To tackle those threats, the government has formed a top-notch task force to infiltrate the terror cells and cut off the danger.

"Every morning, the president receives a list of the top ten terrorist threats - this list is known as the threat matrix."

We here at FR are trying to be in conjunction with the daily reports around the world that involve threats. We try to provide a storehouse of information that takes hours of research.

YOU be the Judge and get informed.

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

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Link to Thread Seventeen	Terror-Alert.com "Code Red Implications: Code Red - Stay Home and Await Word." From Tm'er and Freeper ~MamaDearest~	Cindy's Links of Interest
Threat Matrix "TM'er" Tips		ExSoldier's Invaluable Tips
TM Code of Conduct		Godzilla's Summaries
"TM's 'Be on the Lookout"		nwctwx's Highlighted Links

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High alert after Russia jet crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the state security services, the FSB, to probe a plane crash, and another missing plane.

One plane with 42 people on board went down in the Tula region south of the capital, Moscow.

Meanwhile, air controllers say they lost contact with a second plane with 44 passengers on board, near the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

That's a face only his Mom could love!

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I am with you. I join you in not fathoming their mindsets (Read: their pathologies) because like Nully said: we are sane.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Yes, al qaeda has been chatting much about assassinations and they appear to be all excited by recent plans for high-profile hits. It could very well be that they helped the Chechens or even another group in targeting Putin. Or, perhaps it was al qaeda itself undiluted in the failed attempt. I hope we will find out. It is difficult to get info from our country sometimes; I fear Russia will hush things up more tightly. I hope I am wrong.

Today, more so than yesterday, I am seeing many more headlines dismissing the 2 Russian plane crashes as any form of terrorism whatsoever. It is incredulous.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

"I still feel that an attack outside NY is the most probable."

That would be terribly sneaky... Outside of NY but within the U.S. That would totally detract from GWB's appearance and make him appear weak and al qaeda would like that (the lamestream media and the kerry camp would, too).

[Donna Lee Nardo]

What a pic! Thanks for posting this article; I just got a chance to get on the web for only a few minutes and I have no idea of today's news. I am glad to know that the process for actually charging Hamza and hopefully extraditing the thug asap has finally begun. Soimetimes it seems like they are custody too long with no event.

[oceanview]

Kerry would be all over that - he would immediately fly to the location of the attack within hours of it occurring, while the convention was still going on.

The Dems are desperate for something to get out from under this swiftvet thing - to be honest, if some non-spectacular event occurred on 9/2 ("simple" bombing, etc), I would wonder whether it was AQ or the DNC that was responsible.

[all4one]

Taliban Vow 'Flood of Jihad' in US (8/26/04)

Thursday, 26 August , 2004, 16:10

Dubai: Afghanistan's Taliban fighters threatened on Thursday to kill US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and vowed 'a flood of jihad' against the Americans, in a statement posted on their website.

"We tell Rumsfeld: you may have escaped unharmed from our swords, but you will not escape again," the information office of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan said, in the statement accompanied by footage of Taliban victories in Afghanistan. Discuss: US will not be able to escape Al Qaeda or Taliban's wrath

The statement also promised 'a flood of jihad against the Americans and their allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan'.

Two rockets landed in the north of Kabul and in a neighbouring village just hours after a brief visit by Rumsfeld during which he met Afghan President Hamid Karzai on August 11. No one was injured in the attack and one of the rockets failed to explode.

The statement, posted on (http://www.uploadyourimage.com/1/bannerFaroq.gif), was accompanied by three video films purporting to show 'the Pakistani forces' losses' from Taliban attacks.

"We give the Islamic nation the glad tidings: jihad in Afghanistan is constantly escalating... America claims that the mujahedeen (Islamic fighters) are divided... (But) thanks be to God, the mujahedeen are standing fast and fighting under the banner of (Taliban spiritual leader) Mullah Mohammad Omar," the statement said.

The Taliban, a fundamentalist militia, were ousted from power in US-led military operations in late 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States, which Washington blamed on the Al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, who was sheltered by Mullah Omar.

Link to Article

[Donna Lee Nardo]

all4one, this article also does not reveal the name of the arrested person. It doesn't even mention someone was arrested, but it mentions someone running away from the police. It is interesting because it talks about the materials seized and what they can be used for.

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Brazil Police Seize Black Market Uranium Ore

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SAO PAULO, Brazil - Police have seized a load of uranium and thorium ore taken from a secret mine in the jungle in northern Brazil and destined for sale in the black market, an official said.

Based on a lead from an informant, federal police seized 1,320 pounds of ore containing the radioactive metals in a pickup truck about 75 miles from Macapa, capital of Amapa state, near the mouth of the Amazon River.

Police said they believed it was Brazil's first such case.

The Brazilian Nuclear Industries (INB) group, which produces nuclear fuel for atomic power plants, said in a written reply to Reuters the natural ore could not be used to make a nuclear bomb and the confiscated quantity did not inspire fear.

"Judging by the quantity mentioned in reports and because it is ore, the material hardly has any commercial value," INB said. Police said they believed the shipment's owner had told the prospective buyer it had been refined to metal.

"We got a fax from the laboratory in Rio de Janeiro yesterday saying the cargo had significant levels of uranium and thorium," officer Luiz Carlos told Reuters, adding that the truck was seized last month.

Samples were sent to another lab in Minas Gerais, which is expected to report on the concentration of the radioactive material, Carlos said.

Police said that based on confessions from some of those involved, they estimated that the owner of the cargo was expecting to get over 1 million reais ($330,000) for the ore.

"Neither 600 kg nor 6,000 kg of uranium and/or thorium ore is hazardous for human health," the INB said. Uranium has to be extracted from ore and highly enriched to make a bomb.

Pure uranium would have various applications in guidance devices and shielding material. Thorium is expected to be used as a nuclear reactor fuel in the future, but is not widely used today. It is used in portable lamps and various metal alloys.

The investigation was continuing. A man fled from the truck carrying the illegal material when police stopped it.

"The location of the mine is still unknown. We believe it is in the jungle in the Serra de Navio region," Carlos said. "This is the first case that we've run across in the state, and I believe in Brazil," he said.

Brazil has the world's sixth-biggest reserve of uranium. It is considered government property and strictly regulated.

Natural uranium is sufficiently radioactive to expose a photographic plate in an hour or so. Much of the Earth's internal heat is considered attributable to the presence of uranium and thorium.

Uranium on the Earth's surface, not as rare as once thought, is now considered more plentiful than mercury or silver.

(Additional reporting by Andrei Khalip)

Story by Reese Ewing

Story Date: 26/8/2004


http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/26784/story.htm

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I agree with you. The dems have never acted more desperate and evil than they have in this election.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I am so peeved at this. Now I have to take an anger management break. Those #$@&*^% asphole dems...

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Huge clock showing cost of Iraq war unveiled in New York's theater district
WBZ TV (Boston) ^ | Aug 26, 2004 | Associated Press

Posted on 08/26/2004 12:22:10 PM EDT by Living Free in NH

NEW YORK (AP) Two groups put up a giant digital clock to tick off the cost of the Iraq war, days before the Republican National Convention gets going less than a mile away.

The clock was unveiled Wednesday by the advocacy group Project Billboard and the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank headed by John Podesta, former President Clinton's chief of staff.

Continued at link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1200081/posts

[all4one]

Russia: Terrorism Likely in Jet Crashes (Moscow - 8/26/04)

MOSCOW (AP) _ August 26, 2004 — A top Russian official acknowledged on Thursday what many citizens already suspected - that terrorism was the most likely cause of two jetliners crashing minutes apart, a feeling reflected in a newspaper headline warning that "Russia now has a Sept. 11."

Just a day after officials stressed there were many possibilities besides terrorism, presidential envoy Vladimir Yakovlev told Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency that the main theory "all the same remains terrorism."

He said the planes' flight recorders had not provided any clues to the disaster.

Additionally, Transport Minister Igor Levitin confirmed Sibir airlines' report that its crew activated an emergency signal shortly before the plane disappeared from radar screens. Visiting the site of the crash, he said, however, that details were slim because "no verbal confirmation from the crew was received" saying what the problem was........

Link to Full Article

[British chick]

I totally agree with your assessment that if al-qaeda has nuclear weapons they will use them in NY during the RNC. I think next Thursday is the day to look out for, when Bush gives his speech.

If nothing goes off next week, I will have serious doubts about al-qaeda'a capabilities. Don't get me wrong, they could still do some damage on any given day, but if they don't go for the kill shot during a perfect opportunity, I think it says something about the condition of the network.

[4thygipper]

'Killer' bees possibly as far north as Oklahoma
http://cnn.usnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=CNN.com+-+%27Killer%27+bees+possibly+as+far+north+as+Oklahoma+-+Aug+26%2C+2004&expire=09%2F25%2F2004&urlID=11448629&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2004%2FUS%2FSouthwest%2F08%2F26%2Fkiller.bees.ap%2F&partnerID=2004

[PrivateIdaho]

Yakovlev, the president's envoy for southern Russia, where one of the planes crashed, said both boxes "turned off immediately" _ an indication "that something happened very fast."

Had to be a bomb.

I'm sure aviation folks can find mechanical reasons why a box would immediately turn off. But the same failure on two separate flights within 3 minutes?

[Cindy]

Thank you all4one.

[Honestly]

Russia Denies Iran's Nuclear Plant Facing Delays
Thu Aug 26, 2004 06:34 AM ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's top nuclear body rebuffed on Thursday Iran's announcement that an atomic reactor Moscow is building for the Islamic state, long an irritant in Russia-U.S. relations, faced further delays.

Russia has been building the Bushehr plant in southern Iran since the early 1990s despite strong criticism from Washington which says Tehran can use it to make a nuclear bomb.

According to the latest start-up schedule seen by Reuters, Bushehr is due to come on stream next year and reach full capacity in 2006. But on Sunday, Asadollah Sabouri, Iran's senior nuclear official, said the plant would not start working until October 2006.

"I don't know what that is all about. We have not been officially notified of any delays. In fact, there are no delays," said Nikolai Shingaryov, a spokesman for the Russian Atomic Energy Agency.

"We intend to start it up in 2005. And we will do so." (snipped)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6076798

[Honestly]

Kidnapped Italian Journalist Said Killed

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Arab television station said Friday it received a video showing the killing of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, who was kidnapped by militants who threatened to execute him if Italy did not withdraw troops from Iraq.

The video received by Al-Jazeera appeared to show Baldoni's killing, but the station declined to broadcast the footage out of sensitivity to its viewers, said station spokesman Jihad Ballout.

"To the best of our knowledge, it indicates that the hostage-takers carried out their threat," Ballout said. He declined to say how the journalist was killed.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi condemned the reported killing, but said Italian troops would remain in Iraq.

"There are no words to describe this inhuman act that with one blow wipes out centuries of civilization to bring us back to the dark ages of barbarity," the premier said in a statement. "We will be faithful to the commitments taken with the Iraqi provisional government."

The Italian Foreign Ministry said it was checking into the report. (snipped)

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/world/9505778.htm

[relee]

...But the same failure on two separate flights within 3 minutes?..

John Loftus was on the the John Batchelor Show last night with Monica Crowley as the guest host. Loftus said the planes went down within 15 seconds of each other. He mentioned digital timers and explosives.

[liberallyconservative]

Pipeline Blasts Halve Iraq Oil Exports
Thursday, August 26, 2004

BASRA, Iraq — A sabotage attack on a cluster of about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq has cut exports from the key oil producing region by half, a top oil official said Thursday.

It was the latest insurgent attack to set back Iraq's oil sector, a key source of funding for reconstruction.

The pipelines were attacked late Wednesday in Berjasiya, 20 miles southwest of the southern city of Basra... (snip)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,130142,00.html

[liberallyconservative]

Iraqi Gov't Accepts Najaf Peace Deal
Thursday, August 26, 2004

NAJAF, Iraq — An aide to Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani said Thursday that a peace deal was reached with rebel leader Muqtada al-Sadr. The deal ends three weeks of fighting in the holy city of Najaf.

The Iraqi government accepted the agreement brokered by Iraq's top Shiite cleric, according to State Minister Qassim Dawoud early Friday. The Iraqi government will not try to arrest al-Sadr, who was being sought for an alleged role in the slaying of a rival cleric last year, Dawoud said.

"Brothers, we have entered the door to peace," he said. He added that U.S. and coalition forces will pull out of Najaf as soon as interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi orders them to leave.

The five-point plan called for Najaf and Kufa to be declared weapons-free cities, for all foreign forces to withdraw from Najaf, for police to be in charge of security, for the government to compensate those harmed by the fighting and for a census to be taken to prepare for elections expected in the country by January.

There was no immediate word if the U.S. military would accept the provisions on the agreement calling on its forces to leave Najaf. (snip)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,130122,00.html