Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430533/posts

"The Ugly Anti-American"
The Toronto Star ^ | June 25, 2005 | David Bruser

Posted on 06/25/2005 10:33:46 AM PDT by quidnunc

You're welcome Cindy. Shabbir denied making any speeches against the United States.... and is seeking bail AND has overstayed his VISA. Just another illegal immigrant story.....

In the decade since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world has become the target of a new global crime threat from criminal organizations and criminal activities that have poured forth over the borders of Russia and other former Soviet republics such as Ukraine.

SNIP: Today, the United States is in midst of the greatest wave of Russian immigration that the nation has ever seen. Although it is difficult to keep an accurate count, some sources suggest that Russian Americans currently represent the second-largest national group in the U.S., following only Mexican Americans. The Russian language is growing at an astonishing rate and can be heard in expanding enclaves across the country, from the street corners of Borough Park in Brooklyn to the café tables of North Hollywood. This new Russian American community is predominantly young and highly educated and still carries memories of the turmoil of the 20th century. The ways in which this generation will enrich and transform its new homeland will make for one of the most compelling stories of the 21st.

Yep.

UPDATE...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160691,00.html

"Feds Focus on DNA in Mad Cow Case"
Saturday, June 25, 2005

WASHINGTON — The government hopes DNA (search) tests to find the herd where the cow with mad cow disease came from can lead to the source of the infection, an Agriculture Department official said Saturday.

The United States (search) confirmed what may be its first homegrown case of mad cow disease on Friday, seven months after officials first suspected the animal might be infected.

Pinpointing the cow's herd will help track the animal's feed and explain how it became infected. The only known way the disease spreads is through feeding infected cattle remains to other cattle, which the U.S. banned in 1997.

"We're pretty confident that we have the herd, but we want to make sure," John Clifford, the department's chief veterinarian, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Testing is being done now on tissue from cows that may have been herdmates.""

USDA - FSIS - RECALLS:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430593/posts

"Smoking out the terrorists.. (customized bomb being developed for Afghan caves)"
India-Defence ^

Posted on 06/25/2005 12:44:14 PM PDT by Srirangan

http://medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/2005/06/big_surprise_ge.html

"America's "Image Problem": Enlightened Euros Prefer China to the US"
(By Ray D.)

I am a housewife

You're a Domestic Engineering Goddess.

And don't you forget it. ;-)

Um, hello....earth to Gabriel.

How can a wandering pilot be straightforward?

Laughing...thanks for straightening me out.
Happy weekend to you Velveeta.

Yep.
I can't wait to read the rest of the story on this one.

Thanks, happy weekend to you too.

Note: The following text is an exact quote:
===

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050624miami.htm

June 24, 2005

BRAZILIAN WOMAN TRIES TO AVOID DEPORATION BY MARRYING A USC 11 DAYS PRIOR TO HER DATE OF DEPARTURE

MIAMI- A 31-year-old Brazilian woman that tried to avoid deportation by marrying a United States citizen 11 days prior to her scheduled date of departure was arrested here on Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and removal officers.

Nicole Frigini entered the country as a B-2 visitor for pleasure on Oct. 29, 2003. She was placed into removal proceedings on Jan. 7, 2005 for overstaying her visa in violation of Section 237 (a) (1) (B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Frigini was found ineligible for any form of immigration relief and ordered removed on Jan. 13, 2005. An immigration judge granted her voluntary departure and gave her until Feb. 14, 2005 to depart from the country.

Frigini failed to depart as ordered to do so, and married a United States Citizen on Feb. 3, 2005 in order to be able to remain in the country.

“We are committed to rooting out immigration violators who commit benefit fraud,” said Michael Rozos, field office director for detention and removal in Florida. “We will continue to restore integrity into our nation’s immigration system by deporting those who violate our laws.”

Frigini is in ICE custody at the Broward Transitional Center. Her removal from the country is imminent.

The Office of Detention and Removal (DRO) focuses on promoting public safety and national security by ensuring that all aliens who are subject to deportation are removed from the United States as expeditiously as possible.

Last year, ICE removed a record setting 160,000 aliens; approximately 53 percent were criminal aliens. ICE’s Florida field office has removed 1,617 aliens since the beginning of Fiscal Year 05; 862 were criminal aliens.

# ICE #

See post no. 1971 also.

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050623chicago.htm

===
===

Note: The following text is an exact quote:
--

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050623washington.htm

News Release

June 23, 2005

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL ALIENS IN 3 STATES WHO HAD HAZMAT LICENSES, COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES OR DRIVER’S LICENSES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced the arrest of 27 illegal aliens in Illinois, Maryland and Missouri in recent days who possessed valid state licenses to transport hazardous materials, state commercial driver’s licenses to drive trucks or state driver’s licenses.

The arrests announced today follow previous ICE enforcement actions in Florida, Michigan, and Maryland in which more than 100 individuals have been arrested in connection with fraud schemes that enabled illegal aliens to obtain valid hazardous materials licenses, commercial driver’s licenses and/or driver’s licenses through respective state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs).

In Illinois, ICE agents arrested six illegal aliens during the past two weeks who had been issued valid Illinois state commercial driver’s licenses with hazardous materials endorsements. The arrests were the result of a joint investigation conducted by ICE, the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Illinois Secretary of State Police.

ICE has placed all six individuals in removal proceedings. A seventh man was also arrested during the investigation and is being criminally charged by the State of Illinois for falsely applying for and obtaining a driver’s license. This individual will also face deportation upon resolution of the state charges. The seven illegal aliens arrested are from Belize, Jordan (2), Mexico, Mongolia, and the Philippines (2).

“This cooperative law enforcement effort has closed a security vulnerability that might have resulted in dire consequences,” said Elissa Brown, Special Agent-in-Charge of the ICE Chicago Office of Investigations. “This is a national security issue. Illegal aliens should not have the freedom to transport hazardous materials throughout the United States.”

In Maryland, a federal grand jury in Baltimore returned a criminal indictment on June 21 against Mansoor Hassan, an illegal alien from Pakistan and a driver of gasoline tanker trucks for Exxon, on six counts of making false statements about his citizenship in order to gain employment with different gas companies.

In 1996, an Immigration Judge had ordered Hassan to depart the country, but allowed him to do so voluntarily. Hassan never left the country and soon obtained a commercial driver’s license from the state of Maryland to drive gas tanker trucks. ICE agents recently learned that Hassan was working as a gas tanker truck driver for Exxon in Baltimore and arrested him on May 18, 2005. Upon his arrest, Hassan’s commercial driver’s license was revoked. He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on July 1, 2005.

In Missouri, ICE agents and other law enforcement officers this week arrested 19 illegal aliens who had fraudulently applied for Missouri driver's licenses using legitimate birth certificates from U.S. citizens. Twelve men and seven women were arrested in the two-day operation that ended on June 21. Those arrested, who are ineligible to obtain drivers licenses, are citizens of El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

The Missouri Department of Revenue requested ICE assistance with this operation since the individuals requesting these driver's licenses were believed to be illegal aliens and not U.S. citizens. Law enforcement officials believe that these aliens illegally resided in other states and traveled to Missouri carrying legitimate birth certificates from people who live in Puerto Rico (10), California (4) and Texas (5). The aliens would then fraudulently present the U.S. birth certificates as their own and apply for Missouri driver's licenses. These aliens currently resided in and traveled from Kansas, Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska.

“This operation plugged a major hole in the ability to fraudulently obtain legitimate identification that would be accepted around the country," said Elissa Brown, ICE Chicago special agent-in-charge. "ICE routinely works with all varieties of law enforcement agencies to help secure identity documents, which is a national security concern."

These arrests come on the heels of previous ICE enforcement actions in Florida, Michigan, and Maryland that uncovered fraud schemes enabling illegal aliens to obtain valid hazardous materials licenses, commercial driver’s licenses and/or driver’s licenses.

To date, ICE agents in Florida have arrested more than 100 individuals, including 3 Florida Department of Motor Vehicles examiners, 5 middlemen, and a large number of illegal aliens, in a massive driver's license fraud scheme that was first announced in April 2005. The three Florida DMV employees were accused of providing valid driver's licenses, commercial licenses and HAZMAT licenses, to more than 2,000 illegal aliens for a fee. Thus far, ICE agents have identified 21 illegal aliens who obtained Florida commercial driver’s licenses and 13 illegal aliens who obtained Florida hazardous material licenses. The illegal aliens are believed to have spent between $1,500 and $3,000 to purchase commercial driver's licenses. Some of the driver's licenses went for between $100 and $200. A number of those who illegally purchased the commercial driver's licenses and HAZMAT licenses had criminal histories, including Driving While Intoxicated, reckless driving, resisting arrest, burglary, battery, weapons charges, and drug charges. None of them had the requisite training for operating commercial trucks or HAZMAT vehicles. According to preliminary info from the Florida Highway Patrol, there have been at least 11 auto accidents associated with those individuals who illegally obtained the commercial driver's licenses.

On April 22, 2005, ICE agents arrested three Marylanders today for a scheme to fraudulently obtain Maryland state identification cards. Arrested was Hyattsville resident Dodson Robey, 34, and Silver Spring residents Margentina Esther Pinilla, 41, and Valentin Roosevelt Milstein, 59. According to a criminal complaint, the three allegedly conspired to knowingly transfer fraudulent identification documents to more than 100 illegal aliens. At the time of their arrests, Robey worked a the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) located at 11760 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, Md., and Milstein operated Val's Driving School, a business located in Wheaton, Md. Pinilla, a former employee of the MVA, allegedly recruited individuals who paid her a fee for Robey to produce the fraudulent cards for them. The complaint alleges that from Aug. 31, 2004 to Feb. 16, 2005, in return for the payment of more than $1,000 per applicant, the defendants agreed to provide fraudulent MVA documents to various applicants --many of them illegal aliens-- who sought MVA identification cards or driver's licenses without showing the documentation required under Maryland law. Robey is alleged to have provided more than 100 identification documents in violation of MVA policy.

On April 20, 2005, ICE agents in Michigan, assisted by U.S. Postal Inspectors, arrested four individuals, Ali Hail, Daher Al-Mayahi, Barbara Wilke, and Mohamad Barry, and seized more than $20,000 and a variety of document-production equipment, as part of an ongoing investigation into the production and trafficking of fraudulent State of Michigan driver's licenses, U.S. Visas, foreign passports and Social Security cards. Hundreds of illegal aliens received driver's licenses through the scheme. According to court documents, the investigation began after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized a number of blank Guinea driver's licenses en route to Ali Hawil. An undercover ICE agent, posing as an Iraqi arms dealer with an Afghan passport, made contact with Hawil, who then arranged a meeting with Al-Mayahi. Al Mayahi demanded several hundred dollars for the driver's license - something Al Mayahi said he had done "a thousand times” according to court documents.
# ICE #

do you know if justpiper is OK????

worried here....

nena wiley (coyotearz@aol.com)

...tried to avoid deportation by marrying a United States citizen 11 days prior to her scheduled date of departure...

Now how about those "anchor" babies. You know the pregnant women who come here illegally and give birth HERE (subjecting hospital financial resources to the maximum) and for the sole purpose of cementing US citizenship.

Yep.

Nena, JP is okay. She'll be back with us eventually, but just not quite yet.

I'm 100% certain she'll be glad to know you care!

Terrorism Summary 06/25/05

After a month’s absence, here is a summary of recent events. My work load is stabilizing (a little), permitting me more time to track news. I’ve tried to follow, but my record and memory is spotty. Thanks for all the pings.

General observations indicate that activity has increased, as predicted, in Afghanstan. However, while the Taliban/AQ have had limited suc cesses, they have taken it in the perverbal shorts through leadership and personnel losses. US battle operations in Iraq, contrary to the nay sayers in the congress (Kennedy, et al) are progressively working outward, following the terrorist supply lines to the Syrian border. Not how Fallujah has dropped off the MSM radar screen. Al Zarqwai may have been wounded in one of these operations. Also note that Iraqi forces are increasingly leading these operations and greater support and tips are coming in.

Let me know if you want on or off the Ping list.

06/25/04 Current National Homeland Defense threat level is YELLOW

1. Attack threat windows - America
06/25/04 Primary Window: July 1-5, 2005, Independence day celebrations.

06/25/04 Secondary windows: None currently identified.

2. Attack Indicators - America
06/25/05 Zarawhai issued a video played on Al J on 6 June 05. Although his threats were towards Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, American interests across the world should be alert. Although the no discernable act of terror was committed with the last video tape he released (February 2005), there have been significant attacks that may have been linked to the release of the messages in the past. Unconfirmed that Zarawhai said in this recent video that OBL will issue a tape shortly.

06/21/05 The FBI has alerted police about vague, unverified reports of a possible plan to attack power plants and electric grids around New York City this month, according to a confidential FBI memo. The memo, written by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and read by The Advocate, warns of a written threat from a single source that New York-area power plants will be attacked this month.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.threat2jun17%2C0%2C4656739.story

3. Current Terrorist Operations

AQ / OBL
06/25/05 06/07/05 New video with Zarawhai threatening Egypt, Pakistan and S.A.

Southern ASIA Region

Indonesia - Updated State Dept. Travel Warning issued 05/10/05 06/25/05 No significant updateds

Thailand
Monitoring - AQ attack watch #2 through 12/31/05
06/23/05 ARTICLE SNIPPET: "BANGKOK, Thailand (AHN) - A suspected Islamic militant beheads a Buddhist clothing vendor in Southern Thailand Wednesday, in the eighth such incident in 18 months, which have been plagued with separatist violence.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/cgi-bin/news/newsbrief.plx?id=2238875298&fa=1

06/21/05 A suspected car bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Tanyongmas branch of Krung Thai Bank in the Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat during the morning of 21 June 2005. Three cars sustained significant damage as a result of the blast, but there were no reports of casualties. Also on 21 June, five suspected Islamic militants broke into a house in Pattani and shot dead three Muslims as they were praying. The motive for the attack is unknown. While violence -- including bombings and shootings -- occurs almost daily in southern Thailand, it is usually targeted against Buddhists, police officers or soldiers. Commercial establishments and civilian Muslims are generally not targeted for such violence.
http://www.airsecurity.com/hotspots/hotspots.asp#107781

Malaysia
06/21/05 Malaysia declared victory on Tuesday in its internal campaign against Southeast Asia's most feared Islamic militant group, but said there was room for improved U.S. cooperation in the global war on terror. "We have dismantled the JI basic structure," Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told Reuters, referring to Jemaah Islamiah, a group blamed for a series of attacks in neighbouring Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. "But we cannot be too complacent," he added.
http://www.reuters.co.in/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:42b81529:ee65fa87cecb986e?type=worldNews&localeKey=en_IN&storyID=8851007

Australia
06/24/05 Counter-terrorism agencies believe extremists who may have been planning to attack the Melbourne Stock Exchange were also looking at targets in Sydney. The Herald Sun has been told a radical Islamic network carried out reconnaissance missions on central Melbourne, Sydney Harbour Bridge and two Sydney oil refineries.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,15711594%255E661,00.html

06/23/05 Australian counter-terrorism officers raided four homes in the southern city of Melbourne after an investigation revealed Islamic extremists were planning to attack city landmarks, local media reported on Thursday. The raids on Wednesday, following a 10-month investigation by the Australian Secret Intelligence Organization, were aimed at disrupting the group and no arrests were made, local media said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SYD64341.htm

East ASIA Region

Phillipines
06/24/05 Police stepped up its campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and crime groups in Basilan and has concentrated its forces in two towns. Supt. Abdulwahab Karimuddin, Basilan police director, said that the operation has focused on what he said was a ragtag band of the Abu Sayyaf and “lost command” forces of two major Moro revolutionary groups operating in the island and other Moro-populated areas. “Although they are no longer active and aggressive like before, the Abu Sayyaf and lost command rebels are still a concern,” Karimuddin said over television station ABS-CBN on Friday.
http://www.mindanews.com/2005/06/20nws-police.html

06/24/05 A member of the al-Qaeda-linked Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel group was killed on Thursday in a clash with government troops searching for an Indonesian hostage in the southern Philippines, the military said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050623161555&irec=6

N. Korea
06/25/05 Saga continues about the potential nuclear development. Good news is the a predicted nuclear test hasn’t occurred -yet.

Middle East / SW Asia

Pakistan
06/25/05 Pressure bearing to support terrorists against the stated wishes of Musharrif.

Iran
06/25/05 Elections were held and we have a winner. I don’t have the current details, but will have analysis ready for next summary.

Saudi Arabia
06/23/05 Saudi forces yesterday killed two alleged militants suspected of murdering a counter-terrorism security agent in the holy city of Makkah on Saturday, officials said. Three policemen were wounded, one seriously, during a gunfight in which the two suspects were killed, according to an interior ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The two slain men were members of a “deviant group”, it said, using the Saudi authorities’ term to refer to the Al Qaeda terror network which is blamed of a wave of attacks in the kingdom over the past two years.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=41683&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56

Afghanistan
06/23/05 Afghan forces are closing in on a number of senior Taliban commanders after a big U.S.-backed offensive in southwestern Afghanistan that killed more than 100 militants, officials said on Thursday. The commanders included Mullah Dadullah, a member of the Taliban's 10-man leadership council headed by elusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, and Mullah Brother another commander thought close to Omar, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=764737§ion=news&src=rss/uk/worldNews

06/22/05 US and Afghan forces have killed about 60 suspected militants in clashes in southern Afghanistan, officials say. The 11-hour battle came after suspected Taleban rebels attacked a security patrol near Daychopan district in Zabul province, a US military statement said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4117944.stm>
Godzilla - this area is in southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. Taliban pop up, we play wack-a-terrorist.

06/21/05 In the last three months, fighting with Taliban raiders in the south has left 260 rebels, and 29 American troops, dead. Bands of Taliban gunmen, riding in pickup trucks and SUVs, drive around country roads, shooting at troops and police, or trying to raid government offices. Some of these groups just drive around for a few days, not really making much of an impression, and then go back to their bases in Pakistan. But those that make contact, are soon being pursued by helicopter gunships, UAVs and bombers.
http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=afghan.htm

Iraq
06/23/05 A survey on casualties of foreign insurgents active in Iraq show that more than half of them are Saudi citizens, while the next most populous group is Syrian militants, at 13 percent, and Kuwaitis following with 5.3 percent.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.179552768&par=0

06/23/05 A purported communique from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted online by the head of Al-Qaida's Media Wing in Iraq claims that Shaykh Abdullah al-Rashood--a top wanted leader of Al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia--has been killed in recent fighting near the western Iraqi city of Al-Qaim. A translation of the communique and excerpts from a video of Shaykh al-Rashood will be made available for download later today.
http://counterterror.typepad.com/

06/22/05 The Iraqi government has announced that it has arrested two senior members of Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaeda in Iraq operating in the northern city of Mosul. The government said the two men were arrested on June 19 and were candidates to replace al-Qaeda's leader in Mosul who had been captured on June 14. They two men were identified as Salim Mohammed Ahmed, also known as Abu Nabhan, and Mohammed Thaer Ibrahim, also known as Abu Sarhan.

06/22/05 Brigadier General Abid Dawood Sulaiman, the military consultant of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and his son Captain Raid were arrested. They were captured while planting roadside bombs against Iraqi forces in the Khadiya area of Falluja, west of Baghdad. An Interior Ministry official did not give details about the arrest operation.
http://www.kurdmedia.com/news.asp?id=7116

06/22/05 Meanwhile, Al Qaeda and Sunni Arab terrorists are seen battling each other in towns and villages along the Syrian border. Closer to Baghdad, the terrorists are knocking each other off on a more personal level. Some tips, about where terrorists are hiding, are believed to have come from rival terrorist groups. The Sunni Arabs are under pressure from other Sunni Arab groups because of these continued al Qaeda attacks. The Sunni Arab terrorists are being told, by other Sunni Arab groups, that if al Qaeda is not stopped, the majority of the Sunni Arab community, in addition to the 80 percent of the population representing the Kurds and Shia Arabs, will come after the Sunni Arab terrorist groups. That would be very bad for the Sunni Arab terrorists. But they are finding that al Qaeda does not care. The al Qaeda guys are on a mission from God, and are basically unreachable when it comes to discussing compromise. It's this characteristic of al Qaeda that has caused it's defeat in so many other countries. It's deja vu all over again.
http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=IRAQ.HTM

Godzilla - As has been pointed out in previous summaries, tensions between AQ (foreign lead) and local terrorists had been excalating, particularly because increased targeting of Iraqi civilians and not Allied military

Israel
06/23/05 Israeli security sources have uncovered evidence the Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad has established a network of recruits, weapons and suicide bombing facilities in the West Bank. The sources said Jihad has been financed by Iran and Hizbullah to launch a series of suicide attacks against Israeli civilian targets, Middle East Newsline reported.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453541.504166667.html

06/22/05 Israel's military has been preparing for the increasing prospect of a war with Syria in a confrontation expected to include Iran and Hizbullah.
The General Staff has discussed an assessment by the military's Northern Command of an emerging threat from Syria and Hizbullah over the next year. Northern Command said a weakened Syria, under pressure from the United States to withdraw from Lebanon, was likely to approve an Iranian-Hizbullah campaign against Israel.
Military sources said this assessment was the latest by several senior officers who envision a major war with Syria by 2007. The sources said Iran and Syria have used Hizbullah to weaken Israel strategically and erode its morale. The sources said the General Staff has not discussed an Israeli strike on Iran.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/june/06_21_4.html

06/22/05 Israel will resume its program of hunting down and killing terrorist leaders and technicians. Israel believes that the Palestinian terrorists have no intention of honoring any peace deal, and have not even suspended their terrorist attacks. Israel believes the terrorists are rebuilding their organizations and planning a larger terror campaign against Israel.
http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=ISRAEL.HTM

Africa

Algeria
06/22/05 The Algerian authorities have arrested six Yemeni students they suspect of belonging to al-Qaeda and of having formed an al-Qaeda cell in the city of Annaba, eastern Algeria, the al-Khabar daily reported. The arrests, which security forces made over the past few days, followed phone taps of calls the men made on their line to Peshawar in Pakistan, as well as to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
The Yemeni arrests follow a recent swoop in Annaba in which police arrested six Tunisians seeking to join the radical Algerian terror formation Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). In early June, Algerian police arrested five men suspected of belonging to a GSPC cell they believe masterminded a series of ambush attacks against Algerian military convoys and police road blocks in May.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.179013632&par=0

Europe

Great Britain
06/22/05 Complex trail of terror from Europe revealed as anti-terror officers seize suspect in Manchester allegedly tied to an insurgent who was killed fighting coalition forces . Police are hunting for the British support network behind a Manchester-based suicide bomber who was killed in Iraq after an attack on coalition forces.
An armed raid on the bomber’s safe house yesterday was the first confirmation that militants from Britain have been recruited for suicide missions in Iraq. Anti-terror police arrested a French-Algerian man who allegedly shared the terraced house in Moss Side with the suspected bomber, named as Idris Bazis, 41.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1664007,00.html

Amsterdam/b>
06/24/05 A 22-year-old man has been arrested in Amsterdam as part of the investigation into a suspected Muslim terror group in the Netherlands. The suspect was armed with a loaded machine pistol, Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner told Parliament on Thursday. Donner said the man of Moroccan ancestry has been of interest to the police since November 2004, the month filmmaker Theo van Gogh was assassinated in Amsterdam. He is suspected of being a member of the Hofstadgroep, described by the police as a terrorist organization. ….snip…

The arrests in Amsterdam, Donner said, were connected to the detention of a 32-year-old Dutchman by police in London on Wednesday. This older man was arrested at the request of the Dutch authorities. He is wanted for questioning in relation to the investigation into the Hofstadgroep.
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=21331&name=Terror+suspects+held+in+Amsterdam+and+London

Russia
06/24/05 The Federal Security Service (FSB) prevented more than 70 terrorist attacks in the first three months of 2005, said service official. "Fifty-eight militants were killed, 296 individuals were arrested on suspicion of engaging in terrorist activities and 149 militant bases were discovered and destroyed in FSB operations conducted during the period," said Yury Sapunov, head of the FSB's Anti-terrorism Department. The FSB is currently focusing its efforts on tracking down warlords and international terrorist organization emissaries. Ten activists of the organization known as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan have been identified and extradited to Uzbekistan in recent years.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20050623/40749961.html

Western Hemisphere

United States
(06/24/2005) ARTICLE SNIPPET: "It has been called “the most significant terrorism trial” since 9-11: the first time alleged leaders of Islamic Jihad, self-confessed killers of more than 100 Israelis and two Americans, are being tried in an American court; the first time the controversial Patriot Act has lassoed jihadists of this magnitude; and the first time that Arab professors in an American university who have claimed “academic freedom” for their pro-Palestinians views have been indicted for using their university offices to direct and finance terrorist activity.
http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=11044

06/22/05 Lodi ice cream truck driver and his son pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges they lied to FBI agents about their alleged links to an al-Qaida terrorism training camp in Pakistan. Umer Hayat, 47, and his son, Hamid Hayat, 22, both U.S. citizens, were arraigned in federal court in Sacramento on Tuesday. Sitting shackled and handcuffed, neither spoke during the hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Nowinski. Their attorneys entered pleas for them.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_2816452?rss

06/21/05 Violence by environmental and animal rights extremists against U.S. drug makers has increased so much in recent years that it's currently the FBI's top domestic terrorism issue, a top agency official says. "There has been an increase in the use of incendiary devices as well as explosive devices," said John Lewis, FBI deputy assistant director in charge of counterterrorism. "There's a very clear indication that there's no move to slow down or stop - in fact, just the opposite is true."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050621/ap_on_bi_ge/biotech_conference

06/21/05 The FBI has alerted police about vague, unverified reports of a possible plan to attack power plants and electric grids around New York City this month, according to a confidential FBI memo. The memo, written by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and read by The Advocate, warns of a written threat from a single source that New York-area power plants will be attacked this month.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.threat2jun17%2C0%2C4656739.story

Mexico
06/22/05 Mexico has arrested Amer Haykel, a British man of Arab extraction sought by US authorities in connection with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Haykel was arrested in Todo Santos, a town in the northeastern Mexican state of Baja California, the office of Mexico's Attorney-General (PGR) said today. "The PGR arrested ... Haykel, whom US authorities have linked to extremist groups presumably involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York," the office said in a statement.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15694789-401,00.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. 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)

5. Significant meetings canceled:
06/25/04 No new cancellations.

6. Security has been heightened in specific cities
06/25/04 NYC is at a locally declared ORANGE where it had been since. 9/11/01.

7. Military operations.
06/25/05 No announced operations out of normal.

8. Dept of Homeland Security. / State Department
06/25/05 PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Sat Jun 25 2005 00:41:23 GMT-0700.
Malaysia
June 24, 2005

This Public Announcement reiterates the Department of State's ongoing concern about the safety of American citizens, especially those contemplating travel along the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah and overland travel into southern Thailand. The Department of State strongly urges American citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Eastern Sabah’s coastal areas and offshore islands. This supersedes the May 17, 2005 Public Announcement and expires on December 23, 2005

There are indications of continued planning of kidnappings, including of foreigners, in eastern Sabah's coastal areas and offshore islands. Several kidnappings and piracy incidents have occurred in this area, most recently in March 2005. The terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), based in the southern Philippines, has been responsible for some of these incidents; other incidents have been attributed to unidentified criminals. Emergency assistance in the area may not always be available. For this reason, American citizens should defer all non-essential travel to eastern Sabah’s coastal areas and offshore islands.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1164.html

06/25/05 Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Sat Jun 25 2005 00:43:54 GMT-0700.
NEPAL
June 24, 2005

This Travel Warning is being issued to alert American citizens to ongoing security concerns in Nepal. The Department of State continues to urge American citizens to defer non-essential travel to Nepal. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on October 26, 2004.

The Department of State remains concerned about the security situation in Nepal, and continues to urge American citizens to defer non-essential travel to Nepal. Travel via road in some areas outside of the Kathmandu Valley continues to be dangerous and should be avoided. On June 6, 2005 Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) members detonated a landmine underneath a crowded bus in the Chitwan district, killing or injuring over a hundred people. In addition, there have been attacks in the countryside involving foreigners. Maoist extortion of tourists along some popular hiking trails continues. Trekkers and other individuals who resist Maoist extortion demands are threatened, sometimes assaulted and risk being detained.

Maoist supreme commander Prachanda issued a press statement on July 1, 2004, threatening to use "more violent means" if peace talks with the Government of Nepal are not forthcoming or are unsuccessful. The U.S. Department of State continues to regard this as an ongoing statement of intent. The Embassy has periodically received information that the Maoists might attempt to attack or take actions specifically against U.S. citizens, particularly in regions of the country where Maoists are active.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_927.html

06/20/05 Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today,Tue Jun 21 08:22:47 2005.
ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK AND GAZA
June 20, 2005

This travel warning is being issued to update information on travel restrictions for U.S. government personnel in the West Bank and to reiterate threats to American citizens and interests in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. It supersedes the Travel Warning issued April 7, 2005.

The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to carefully weigh the necessity of their travel to Israel in light of the risks noted below. The Department also urges U.S. citizens to defer unnecessary travel to the West Bank and avoid all travel to Gaza.

Terrorist attacks within Israel have declined in both frequency and associated casualties. However, the potential for further violence remains high. Resentment against efforts to promote peace, and ongoing Israeli military operations in the Occupied Territories could incite further violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Israeli security services report that they are investigating between 40 and 60 planned terrorist attacks at any given time. The February 25 suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub is a reminder of the precarious security environment, even when a cease-fire has been declared.

The anticipated evacuation of Israeli settlers from Gaza could lead to violence in Israel by settler groups. Settler organizations have already organized a series of large-scale demonstrations and are reportedly planning acts of civil disobedience and other protests that at best will be severely disruptive and at worst may result in physical confrontations leading to violence.

The U.S. Government has received information indicating that American interests within Israel could be the focus of terrorist attacks. For that reason, American citizens are cautioned that a greater danger may exist in the vicinity of restaurants, businesses, and other places associated with U.S. interests and/or located near U.S. official buildings, such as the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. http://travel.state.gov./travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_922.html

9. Suspicious Domestic Incidents Not Currently Linked to Specific Terrorism Attempts
06/25/015 Nothing to report.