Posted on 04/17/2005 10:41:21 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter
COPS FOIL AL-QAEDA DIRTY BOMB OUTRAGE
Exclusive By Barry Wigmore And Euan Stretch
POLICE have foiled an al-Qaeda plot to bring chaos to the General Election with a radioactive "dirty bomb".
They believe targets included Westminster Abbey, the Heathrow Express, the London Underground, pubs, railway stations and sports stadiums. An un-named synagogue was mentioned - and so was the idea of hijacking a petrol tanker to smash it into a building.
A dirty bomb is radioactive material wrapped around a core of high explosive. It would not lead to a nuclear explosion, but could turn a large area of a town into a radioactive wasteland for decades.
The plot was discovered as a result of close co-operation between British, American, and Pakistani security services and a year-long surveillance operation.
American reports say British police found a cache of household smoke detectors which it is believed terrorists wanted to cannibalise for the radioactive chemical americium-241 that they contain.
Terrorism experts say that exploding even a small amount of radioactive material in a crowded underground station or sports stadium would trigger sensitive radiation sensors, causing panic and probably many deaths in the crowds and long-lasting contamination.
The bomb plan was just one of several plots uncovered by the investigation.
Former US Attorney General John Ashcroft referred to it in a recent interview with Newsweek magazine.
-METROPOLITAN Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair today called for new laws and technology like ID cards to help track terror suspects.
SV-So only terror suspects would be tracked with these ID cards Mr Blair?
Iraqi forces capture two men linked with Izzat Al-Douri
BAGHDAD, April 17 (KUNA) -- Iraqi security forces arrested two leaders of outlawed armed groups who received funding from Saddam Hussein's former deputy, Izzat Al-Douri, a government statement said Sunday.
It said Hashem Hussein Radhwan Al-Jabbouri was arrested in Tikrit after one of the locals provided information about his hideout.
Jabbouri, a relative of Al-Douri, was an officer in the former intelligence agency and is currently responsible for backing and guiding "terrorists" in Nahrazzab area, said the statement.
Jabbouri received large sums of money from Al-Douri to form terrorist groups and fund military operations against the Iraqi government and Iraqi forces nationwide, said the statement.
Jabbouri also helped foreign terrorists to enter Iraq, it added.
Another man called Sabah Hamal was also captured by the Iraqi forces in Diyali province in northeast of Baghdad.
The government statement said Hamal was a police chief in Saeediya in Diyali and abused his post to launch "terrorist attacks" against the Iraqi forces.
Intelligence showed that Hamal cooperated with terrorist groups linked with Al-Douri.
Al-Douri's whereabouts is unknown. He was the vice-president of the former so-called Iraqi revolutionary council that was spearheaded by Saddam Hussein.
Two arrested on suspected Al Qaeda links (Cyprus)
POLICE and CID officers in Nicosia officers arrested two Asian men in the early hours of Wednesday morning on suspicion of being part of a terrorist organisation.
According to reports from Phileleftheros newspaper, the two men, believed to be from Pakistan, are said by police officials to be affiliated to terrorist organisations connected to Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaeda network.
Police officers as well as members of the CID and the Immigration Services made the joint arrest after receiving an anonymous tip off.
Following the arrest a further 14 people were arrested but were only charged with residing on the island illegally and are set to be deported.
The two men, who were neither working on the island or students, were taken in for questioning by police officials as well as officials of the CID at the main police headquarters in Nicosia, while other officers examined the apartment the two men were staying at.
Almost a year ago, police made a similar arrest in Larnaca taking into custody a group of Asian men also suspected of being linked to terrorist organisations. However, the men later returned back to their countries after no evidence was found against them.
According to the CIA, both the north and south of Cyprus has become a center for offshore money laundering by Arab banks fronting al Qaeda funds into the Balkans.
Police spokesman Demetris Demetriou said that he had no comment on the arrests.
Hizb loses South Kashmir arm 2 top commanders killed in Bijbehara; 6 militants, soldier killed in JK
MALIK ABDUS SALAM/ARSHAD HAMID
Bijbehara/Badroo, Apr 16: Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest Kashmiri militant group, that has come under unprecedented onslaught in the PDP-led coalition government, lost two more top commanders and a militant in a ‘gun battle’ in Marhama, Bijbehara area of Islamabad district early Saturday morning. According to sources, the Special Operations Group of Kashmir police aided by troops of 1 Rashtriya Rifles, on a tip off that Hizb commanders were staying in a house, cordoned off Ikhrajpora Mohalla in Marhama area of Bijbehara early this morning.
The combatant party zeroed in on the house of a civilian Muhammad Ashraf Mareed. After the house inmates were brought out of the house, the joint party of police and troops send in some civilians inside the house with an offer of surrender to the militants, who declined. After a brief exchange of fire with the holed up militants, the troops blasted the house with explosives that resulted in the death of Hizb divisional commander for South Kashmir Bashir Ahmad Sheikh alias Shabir Badoori son of Ghulam Ahmad Sheikh of Badroo, Akingam in Islamabad district and district commander Ghulam Mohiuddin Daras son of Habib Ullah of Waghama, Bijbehara.
Police claimed that it recovered 2 AK rifles, a wireless set, a mobile phone and 10 grenades from the house. The SOG has termed the killings as a big success for according to them, the duo was active in the area for the past several years. Sources the deceased divisional commander evaded the net of troops and police on more than a dozen occasions. <snip>
In another gunfight, police claimed, Hizbul Mujahideen militant named Bilal Ahmad Khatana son of Abdul Majid of Kachwan, Kokernag in Islamabad was killed by a joint party of police and troops. Police claimed that 1 AK rifle, 3 magazines, 60 rounds, 1 wireless set and a hand grenade were recovered from the dead militant’s possession.
Also, the daily police bulletin on militant activities reported, a Hizb militant (whose name was not revealed) was apprehended by troops in Aloosa, Banidpora in Varmul district on Friday.
GK adds from Srinagar: Meanwhile, five militants and a solider were killed and a civilian wounded in different incidents across the state since Friday evening.
A soldier and a militant were killed in a fierce gunfight in Saji Bagh, Thanamandi area of Rajouri district on Friday, police officials said today. The dead local militant has been named by police as Muhammad Arif Khan alias Shoth, son of Muhammad Iqbal Khan of Manyal, Thanamandi. The solider who was killed in the gunfight is Bavendra Singh.
Police reported that two militants of Al-Badr militant outfit were killed in a gunfight on Friday night at Mandloo, Gool in Udhampur district. Police named the deceased militant as Abu Hamza and Imaran. Two AK rifles, 4 magazines, 63 rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades were recovered from the dead militants, police said.
In another gunfight between militants and troops in Lamad, Qazigund area of Islamabad district, one more Kashmiri militant, Mushtaq Ahmad of Banihal was gunned down by the troops of 49 Rashtriya Rifles, a local news agency, CNS said.
An unidentified militant was killed during a gunfight with troops in Kund, Shopian in Pulwama district, CNS said.
Unidentified armed men shot at, and wounded Abdul Rahman Lone, 65, of Kachwa, Magam in Chandoosa area of Varmul on Friday evening. He has been admitted to hospital.
5 rebels killed in clash between Philippine govt, MILF
MANILA, April 16 (Xinhuanet) - Philippine military and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel forces engaged in a day-long gunbattle Friday in Talayan, Maguindanao in southern Philippines, reported the Philippines News Agency on Saturday. At least five rebels were killed while four civilians fleeing the area were reported hurt in the incident, said the report.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the skirmishes started after government troops encroached their so-called perimeter defense line in Barangay Upper Talayan that forms part of their acknowledged Camp Omar in the area. "We believe that they were running after Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah elements in the area but the soldiers instead encroachedinto MILF territory that triggered the firefight," he said. Kabalu maintained that the military operation was not coordinated with them. He said they would file a protest before the joint military-MILF Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities over the incident.
For his part, Col. Franklin del Prado of Philippine army's 6thInfantary Division (61D) spokesman, said the particular operation was initiated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Southern Command (Southcom) that was carried out in utmost secrecy. "I cannot give you exact details of the operation because it was an 'upper level'operation. It is through though that our soldiers were running after ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) elements in the area under Khadaffy Janjalani," Del Prado told newsmen.
He said the soldiers who participated in the operation came from the Southcom and not from the 61D unit. "So you see, I cannot give you full details as of this time. If I do, it would be detrimental to 61D unit ," he further explained to the media here. Enditem
MILITANT FROM ABU AL VALID'S BAND DETAINED IN CHECHNYA
GROZNY, April 16 (RIA Novosti) - An active member of Abu Al Valid's band has been detained in Chechnya, a spokesman for the Regional Operative Headquarters (ROH) in charge of the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
"In the course of a search operation in the village of Novoterskoye in the Naursky District, the federal forces detained a local resident who proved to be an active member of the criminal gang led by the Arab terrorist Abu Al Valid eliminated in 2003," the spokesman pointed out.
According to him, investigators have established that the detainee took part in planting a self-made explosive device at the 112 kilometer of the Gudermes-Prokhladnoye railroad in November 2003 and detonated the bomb when a locomotive was passing across the target site. "Fortunately, the explosion did not entail any casualties," the ROH spokesman said.
Investigators are proceeding with the inquiry and insist on withholding the detainee's name to prevent interference in the probe, he added.
The ROH spokesman also said that the federal forces have eliminated a militant from the band led by Ali Karnakayev, with another member of the band detained by the law enforcers. The two bandits were spotted in the course of a search operation conducted by the federal forces in one of the buildings of Grozny, Chechnya's capital city."They put up armed resistance during arrest, and, after a short fight, one of the militants was killed and the other detained by the federal forces," the ROH spokesman told RIA Novosti.
According to him, in another incident, a police unit was fired on during a search operation in Grozny. "The militants opened gunfire from the territory of the canning factory. The police returned fire and killed two militants who happened to possess two PM pistols, two magazines and eight TNT blocks with detonators," the ROH spokesman said. The federal forces suffered no casualties inthe operation, he stressed.
The new weapon against terror: ‘tramps’ MI5 and Special Branch agents pose as vagrants to gather intelligence
By Liam McDougall and Neil Mackay
BRITISH intelligence agents are disguising themselves as down-and-outs in “key terrorist target areas” as part of a nationwide surveillance operation to foil attacks by al-Qaeda.
Senior intelligence and police anti-terror sources revealed that the ploy has been sanctioned for use in areas considered to be potential terror targets – such as around Westminster and the Scottish parliament – and in areas with large Muslim populations. Major tourist attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and the Tower of London are also being surveilled by officers posing as tramps.
One British intelligence source said the agents, dressed as vagrants, were being used as “spotters and intelligence gatherers”. He said: “We are using agents in the field in a variety of ways. Some adopt the guise of the homeless or vagrants in key target areas.
“A vagrant is perfect for long-term surveillance or just picking up interesting tidbits in the street. They blend in and become almost invisible to the public. They are our eyes and ears in key locations.”
The astonishing admission comes just days after Kamel Bourgass, a suspected al-Qaeda operative living in London, was jailed for 17 years at the Old Bailey for plotting attacks in Britain using the deadly poison ricin. Police and MI5 believe the 31-year-old Algerian, a failed asylum seeker, had been picked for training in one of Osama bin Laden’s camps in Afghanistan and was part of a network of terrorists that stretched across Europe.
He was convicted on Wednesday after a raid on a north London flat in 2003 found recipes for poisons, including ricin and cyanide, written out in Arabic in Bourgass’s handwriting. Bourgass stabbed Special Branch officer Stephen Oake to death after police cornered him during a later swoop at an address in Manchester.
A British intelligence source revealed that there were “20-plus key Islamic terrorist suspects in the UK”, many of whom had not been arrested before.
The Sunday Herald understands that the none of the 20-plus group relates to the Muslims detained in Belmarsh. These suspects are understood to be “sleepers” connected to al-Qaeda cells who live in the UK until called upon to carry out an attack.
The source also confirmed that undercover anti-terror teams were being sent incognito into “key areas” of the UK. Some were dressed as vagrants.
“The areas that we are targeting are obviously of interest to us, to the ongoing war on terror and Britain being a prime terror target. We’ve got these guys keeping watch in city centres for any suspicious activity or terrorist planning.”
The teams have been ordered to monitor anyone who maybe acting suspiciously around key tourist sites, “high-profile” buildings or mosques. Currently, the UK has been placed on high alert for terror attacks. Possible targets include next month’s general election and the meeting of the G8 leaders, including US President George Bush, at Gleneagles, Perthshire, in July.
3 East Jerusalem men held in plot to kill Shas' Yosef
The Shin Bet security service has arrested three residents of East Jerusalem in connection with a suspected plot to assassinate Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, according to information released Sunday. One of the three has already been charged and the other two are still undergoing questioning by Shin Bet agents.
The three - French citizen Salah Hamuri, Mutsan Mohammed Yavsha and Moussa Mohammed Darweesh - are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The cell belongs to the same East Jerusalem faction of the PFLP as those behind the murder of cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi in a Jerusalem hotel in October 2001.
Ze'evi's killers, jailed in Jericho, had apparently given their blessing to the attack on the rabbi.
The group had carried out surveillance of Yosef's Jerusalem residence in the Har Nof area of the capital and decided that it would be easier to carry out their attack as he was setting out from his house.
The Shin Bet investigation revealed that after his release from jail last year, Hamuri made contract with members of the PFLP military wing and together they established their activities in East Jerusalem.
The cell also maintained contact with senior PFLP members in Jerusalem and in the Jericho jail. In recent months, they began to gather weapons and ammunition and planned to carry out attacks in the streets of Jerusalem.
Shin Bet agents also learned that Darweesh was the one who suggested to Hamuri that they target Rabbi Yosef. Darweesh apparently knew the location of the Shas spiritual leader's home from his time as a delivery boy for a grocery store in the Givat Shaul neighborhood of the capital.
Security sources told Israel Radio that PFLP militants are looking for every opportunity to harm Israeli public figures. The dominant presence of the organization in East Jerusalem and the fact that East Jerusalem residents can easily access targets in the western part of the city imporve dramatically the organization's capabilities and increase its motivation to carry out such attacks, the sources said.
| Terrorist Scorecard |
| The Iraqi "Deck of Cards" Scoreboard |
| Centcom's New Iraq Scorecard |
| Saudi Arabia's Most Wanted Scorecard |
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I remember someone saying that Zarqawi was made the wild card on the new Iraqi deck of cards, do you know if they did that or not?
There is no actual deck this time around, just the list of names.
ping me, please...
Thanks
Ricin terror gang 'planned to unleash terror on the Heathrow Express
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385333/posts
Several detailed articles at above thread.
I think you should also post a link of your Daily Terror Round up thread to the Threat Matrix. I am sure a lot of people who read that ongoing thread are very interested.
Threat Matrix
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1383919/posts
"the idea of hijacking a petrol tanker to smash it into a building "
Hmmmm, never thought of that....
please add me to the ping list.
It's only a matter of time before the Brits or us are hit again......in a major way.
Thanks for news .
Sad, but probably true.
Yeah, but we've been expecting that for 3.5 years, and nothing yet. And it's pretty darned easy to blow up innocent people. That's why it's so incredibly amazing what our troops and their international allies have done to Al Qaeda and those other evil cowards wanting to kill and main innocents.
American reports say British police found a cache of household smoke detectors which it is believed terrorists wanted to cannibalise for the radioactive chemical americium-241 that they contain.
Fantastic news here. If AQ is scrounging through smoke detectors for radioactive material, they could not have been particularly successful on the black market. Granted, this is only one AQ cell, but that's pretty risky just to obtain such a large number of detectors. I imagine that's one of the items that tipped off authorities (pure speculation on my part).
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