The British may have broken up a 911-ish attack; N. Korea intrigue continues, reaction continues to ripple across Europe in response to the van Gogh murder. Let me know if you want on or off the Ping list.
11/23/04 Current National Homeland Defense threat level is YELLOW
1. Attack threat windows
11/23/04 Primary Window: October 29 – December 28, 2004. High concern over possible attack by al-Qaeda within 60 days of 29 Oct. OBL video. This is based upon analysis of previous videos. However, nothing specific to the US and the message calls for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Another potential attack window is the Nov 24 - Jan 1 - Thanksgiving / Christmas Holiday season.
10/23/04 Secondary windows:
January 20, 2005 - Presidential inauguration
Feb. 6 Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
2. Attack Indicators
11/23/04 There have been numerous postings on various web site of threats of an impending attack against US and coalition interests. However, these threats continue to be generic, offer no specifics and appear to contain the same bravado observed over the past year. These threats may be springing up from a desire for action in the face of the successful anti-terrorist actions in Fallujah.
11/19/04 In a very ominous posting started just yesterday (11/18/04) on Al-Qaeda's most popular website, Al-Ansar, Militants are beginning to ask each other whether or not they support the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction on the United States of America.
www.trackingterrorism.com
11/23/04 Threats of a nuclear attack continue to appear on some jihadi forums. I continue to monitor the ACSA “alert” regarding the prediction of a nuclear attack within the next 3 months. The credibility of this chatter and alerts is questionable, however, AQ has repeatedly stated it desires nuclear weapons, and there are concerns being raised again about nuclear material becoming available through either N. Korea, Iran or Pakistan.
3. Current Terrorist Operations
Al-Qa'ida
11/18/04 Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday posted a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, an al Qaeda operative who ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. Also known as Abu Musab Suri, he trained terrorists in poisons and chemicals, the State Department said.
In September 2003, he was among 35 people named in an indictment handed down by Spanish magistrate Baltasar Garzon for terrorist activities connected to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization. Ten of the 35, including bin Laden, were charged with planning the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and using Spain as a base.
washingtonpost.com
Britain
11/22/04 
It is being reported that British security services have thwarted four or five September 11-style attacks on targets including Canary Wharf and Heathrow Airport. http://www.itv.com/news/index_957889.html
Iraq
11/23/04 Terror attacks continue across the country in the wake of the assault on Fallujah. Many more assassinations of religious leaders continuing as AQ tries to disrupt January 2005 elections.
Iran
11/18/04 Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday the United States has seen signs that Iran is developing technology to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile. He spoke just hours after an Iranian opposition group charged that Tehran has a secret, military-run uranium-enrichment plant and has bought the blueprints for a nuclear bomb.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20041117-094509-8506r.htm
N. Korea
Intrigue continues to surround the events in this country. – Godzilla
11/22/04 After weeks of reports from North Korea of defecting generals, antigovernment posters and the disappearance of portraits of the country's ruler, the leader of Japan's governing party warned Sunday of the prospects of "regime change" in North Korea. By breaking an unspoken taboo on talking publicly about "regime change" in North Korea, the powerful Japanese politician underlined a feeling spreading in the region that cracks are starting to show in the Kim family's control over North Korea after nearly 60 years.
In Seoul, an editor at Monthly Chosun, a magazine that closely follows North Korean affairs, said in an interview that when he was in northern China earlier this year, Chinese officials showed him North Korean wanted posters for generals who had managed to reach China with their families. The editor, who asked not to be identified, estimated that in recent years, 130 North Korean generals had defected to China, about 10 percent of the military elite. Of this group, the most significant, he said, are four who have been integrated into active duty with the Chinese military in the Shenyang district, along the Korean border.
11/19/04 US State Department officials have no comments about the significance of reports that North Korea's media had stopped calling Kim Jong-il "Dear Leader". Within hours of the news report, Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, reported that Pyongyang newspapers were replete with the usual garlands reserved for Mr Kim's glorification, including "Great General" and "Great Leader".
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11431298^2703,00.html
11/19/04 The chief of U.S. forces in South Korea said Friday he is concerned that North Korea may sell its weapons-grade plutonium to international terrorists "An additional concern the international community shares is that North Korea, in its desire for hard currency, would sell weapons-grade plutonium to some terrorist organizations," Gen. Leon J. LaPorte told a forum in Seoul. "And that would be disastrous to the world."The CIA estimates that North Korea already has developed one or two atomic bombs and has enough weapons-grade plutonium to make several more. Weapons sales are a major source of revenue for the cash-strapped North, South Korean defense officials have said."Clearly, they have an opportunity to harvest plutonium from the enrichment rods," LaPorte said. "North Korea is a known proliferator of missiles, missile technology and other military hardware."The United States reportedly has designated an overseas transfer of nuclear materials by North Korea as a "red line" that could warrant the use of force.
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20041119-082558-5631r.htm
11/18/04 Analysts are debating the significance of an apparent downsizing of the personality cult surrounding Kim Jong Il, with explanations ranging from a demotion of North Korea's "Dear Leader" to an official effort to lower the profile of the nation's absolute ruler at a time when North Korea is increasingly in the sights of Washington for its nuclear bombs program and chronic human rights abuses.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/17/news/kim.html
Israel
11/21/04 Since the beginning of September the Shin Bet and security forces have thwarted 33 terror attacks that were on the verge of penetration into Israel, a Shin Bet report released on Sunday revealed.
So far this month, seven attacks were thwarted. Fifteen attacks were frustrated in October, of which twelve were planned by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, and another ten were prevented in September. The report also cited that the existence of the security fence has forced terror groups to recruit Palestinians who work inside Israel illegally to launch suicide attacks on their behalf because of their familiarity with areas inside Israel.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1101010792486
Germany
11/18/04 Investigators said a bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown at the main entrance of the mosque in Sinsheim but it rebounded from a pane of glass above the wooden door and burst into flames on the ground. The attack comes amid fears in Germany that a wave of anti-Muslim violence that followed the murder of the filmmaker Theo van Gogh in the neighboring Netherlands could spread over the border. Germany is home to more than three million Muslims, including 1.9 million Turks.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=34055
Belgium
11/18/04 An Orthodox Jew died Thursday after being shot in the head outside his home in one of Western Europe's most visible Jewish communities, the target of several recent attacks. Investigators said it was too early to tell if the killing was the first deadly strike in the upsurge of anti-Semitic violence in Antwerp, Belgium's second city and a major seaport.
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/topstories/index.ssf?/base/international-9/1100780944177300.xml&storylist=
Afghanistan
11/22/04 US-led troops mounted overnight raids on suspected Al Qaeda compounds in eastern Afghanistan, killing four people and detaining several others, officials said yesterday.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/11/22/us_forces_kill_four_in_suspected_al_qaeda_compounds/
11/21/04 Three foreign U.N. workers held hostage in Afghanistan were freed unharmed Tuesday, almost four weeks after they were abducted at gunpoint on the streets of the capital Kabul.
Russia
11/21/04 Russian law enforcement officials have detained the leader of a terrorist cell from the internatial Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, which intelligence has linked to Al Qaeda. Alisher Usmanov, who headed a cell in central Russia's Tatarstan, was arrested Wednesday, carrying explosives and Al Qaeda training manuals and flyers, the Lenta.ru news site reported, citing police sources in the republic.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/11/19/terrorist.shtml
11/18/04 A newly declassified U.S. intelligence report that was recently obtained by Judicial Watch, an American public interest group, suggests that Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network al-Qaida plan to establish a base in Chechnya, a place they describe as "unreachable by strikes from the West".
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/11/18/binladenchechnya.shtml
Algeria
11/21/04 The Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call has again been implicated in the abduction of Western nationals. Security officials said the Salafist Brigade abducted five German nationals in the Sahara Desert last week during a visit to the tourist village of Jant. Jant is located in southern Algeria in the Alizi province about 1,800 kilometers south of Algiers.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/front_4.html
Netherlands
11/18/04 A translator at the Dutch secret service arrested in October for allegedly leaking classified information may have had links to suspected terrorists arrested in connection with filmmaker Theo van Gogh's murder, a spokesman for the National Prosecutor's office said Wednesday.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138840,00.html
China
United States
11/22/04 Two Moroccan men were taken off a flight from Paris bound for Washington after officials determined one of the men was on the U.S. no-fly list. Air France Flight 026 was diverted to Bangor on Saturday night and the two men were detained at a local jail. They were being transported to Massachusetts Sunday as officials investigated why the passenger was allowed to board the plane in Paris. Officials at the Penobscot County Jail in Bangor where the men were held Saturday night identified them as Abdeluala Ahmed Lahiti, 47, and Mohammed Oukassou, 76.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139190,00.html
11/20/04 "Several gun-related cases also sprang from the investigation. Assalaam and four other men were charged as felons possessing firearms, including several handguns, two shotguns and an AK-47 assault rifle." "In one instance, federal agents had reported "unusual activity" at a shooting range in Renton involving one of the men apparently teaching a group of individuals how to shoot. " "In a related case in King County Superior Court, prosecutors in October filed assault and extortion charges against some individuals associated with an Islamic religious school run out of a South Seattle barbershop. The school was "training children ... in Anti American rhetoric," and "how to shoot and fight the Americans," according to court documents." "The owner of a restaurant downstairs from the Crescent Cuts barbershop on Rainier Avenue South told police that he had been asked to participate in the bank-fraud scheme. When he refused, he said, he was assaulted by a group of individuals and beaten with a meat tenderizer."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002095360_raids19m.html
4. Attack method.
11/23/04 No real change in the preferred method of choice of AQ which are bombs - the bigger the better. With the exception of 9/11, car/truck bombs have been widely used. There are special concerns regarding the use by terrorists of the following types of vehicles:
1. Uhaul type cargo trucks.
2. Gasoline / Propane supply / tanker trucks.
3. Emergency vehicles (ambulances, police cars, fire trucks)
Current alerts out for two stolen fuel/tanker trucks, a stolen crop duster and about a hundred propane tanks. It is uncertain if the thefts are linked to terrorism at this time, however they could be adapted for use in a terrorist attack.
There a rumors again regarding nuclear or dirty bomb attack, however a nuclear attack is unlikely.
5. Personnel
11/23/04 Nothing new to report.
6. Significant meetings canceled:
11/23/04 No new cancellations.
7. Security has been heightened in specific cities
11/23/04 NYC is at a locally declared ORANGE where it had been since. 9/11/01.
GENERAL: Ongoing work to upgrade security at sea ports and airports.
8. Military operations.
11/23/04 Carrier Battle Groups
Deployed
CV-67 Kennedy 25 Jul 2004 - Persian Gulf
CVN-75 Truman 18 Nov 2004 - Persian Gulf
CVN-72 Lincoln 10 Nov 2004 - Pacific Ocean
Surge Ready
CVN-70 Vinson 02 Oct 2004 - Completes COMPTUEX
CVN-73 Washington Surge carrier until ~Dec04
Basic Training
CVN-68 Nimitz 29 Oct 2004 - Pacific Ocean
CVN-69 Eisenhower 16 Nov 2004 - Completed Crew Certification Phase II
11/22/04 F-117s are still reported to be deployed in S. Korea.
9. Dept of Homeland Scty. / State Department
11/22/04 Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520This information is current as of today, Tue Nov 23 07:34:50 2004.
Iran
November 22, 2004
The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran. Due to ongoing tensions, particularly along the border with Iraq, U.S. citizens may be at higher risk of harassment or kidnapping. This Warning is being reissued without change after periodic review and supersedes the Travel Warning for Iran issued May 14, 2004.
Tensions generated by the current situation in Iraq have increased the potential threat to U.S. citizens and interests abroad posed by those who oppose U.S. policy. Some elements of the Iranian government and population remain hostile to the U.S. American citizens may be subject to the possibility of harassment or kidnapping. Some areas of the country, including the Baluchistan border area near Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Kurdish northwest of the country, and areas near the Iraqi border are not considered safe.
Large-scale demonstrations have taken place in various regions throughout Iran over the past several years as a result of a sometimes volatile political climate. U.S. citizens who travel to Iran despite this Travel Warning should exercise caution.
11/18/04 Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Fri Nov 19 2004 14:15:53 GMT-0800.
Lebanon
November 18, 2004
This Travel Warning is being updated to remind U.S. citizens of ongoing safety and security concerns in Lebanon. This supersedes the Travel Warning for Lebanon issued May 20, 2004.
The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to Lebanon. U.S. citizens in Lebanon are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Beirut where they may also obtain updated information on travel and security in Lebanon. See registration details below.
Tensions in the Middle East have prompted public expressions of anti-U.S. rhetoric and public sentiment. Events in past years in Lebanon, such as bombings directed at U.S. franchises and the November 2002 murder of a U.S. citizen in Sidon, underscore the need for caution and sound personal security precautions. Anti-American demonstrations have occurred in the last 12 months in refugee camps, in the southern suburbs of Beirut and in Beirut proper to protest U.S. foreign policy. In May 2004, an anti-government demonstration in the southern suburbs of Beirut turned violent resulting in the deaths of five demonstrators.
Americans have been the targets of numerous terrorist attacks in Lebanon. The perpetrators of many of these attacks are still present and retain the ability to act. American citizens should thus keep a low profile, varying times and routes for all required travel. Americans should also pay close attention to their personal security at locations where Westerners are generally known to congregate, and should avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/lebanon_warning.html
10. Suspicious Domestic Incidents Not Currently Linked to Specific Terrorism Attempts
11/23/04 LEOs are still looking for stole tankers, propane tanks and a crop duster that could potentially be used for terrorist attacks.