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http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/jakarta-expels-us-terrorism-expert/2005/11/25/1132703377095.html
Jakarta expels US terrorism expert
November 26, 2005
AN AMERICAN expert on terrorism and Islamic militancy in South-East Asia has been expelled from Indonesia for the second year in a row.
Sidney Jones, Indonesia director of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), said she had been barred from entering Jakarta on Thursday on her return from a short trip to Taiwan. Her residency card had been confiscated, she said.
"It's just a complete mystery. There was no reason and no warning. If there had been a warning I would have taken more than two days of clothes," Ms Jones, 53, said from Singapore.
"I was allowed back at the end of July and everything seemed fine. I was assured that we were in a new era."
Ms Jones had been expelled in June 2004 under a different administration after hard-hitting reports on terrorism in Indonesia. In July this year she was allowed back to live in Indonesia.
Yuri Thamrin, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, confirmed Ms Jones had been denied entry.
"Based on my checks, the restriction still applies for her to enter Indonesia, but there is a possibility her status will be reviewed in due course," he said without elaborating.
Ms Jones' fresh expulsion could be an embarrassment to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has been winning plaudits from the international community for his openness and efforts to cement democracy in Indonesia.
Ms Jones said her most recent reports for the ICG had been about a landmark peace deal with rebels from Aceh province and militancy in Indonesia's east.
Officials at Jakarta's airport on Thursday showed her a computer printout which said there was a letter from the Immigration Department in effect from October 7 barring her entry, Ms Jones said. It was unclear why the order had taken so long to be implemented, she said.
Ms Jones said she had tried unsuccessfully to reach Indonesia's Justice Minister and Mr Yudhoyono's aides.
"From this vantage point it looks like a throwback," she said, referring to Indonesia's authoritarian past when it was not uncommon for Jakarta to deny entry to journalists and academics.
Ms Jones speaks fluent Indonesian and is a leading analyst on Indonesian affairs, especially on the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network.
Indonesia also barred Australian academic Edward Aspinall, an expert on the civil conflict in Aceh and a frequent visitor to Indonesia, from entering the country earlier this year.
ON THE NET...
http://www.internet-haganah.us/harchives/005294.html
http://www.internet-haganah.us/hmedia/25nov05-rakan-alfirdaws-t9116/alfirdaws-t9116.html
http://www.alfirdaws.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&t=9116
http://www.alfirdaws.org/forums
===
===
ON THE NET...
Note: The following text (minus the graphic) is an exact quote:
---
http://www.internet-haganah.us/harchives/005294.html
25 November 2005
The 'Rakan ben Willyamz' threat to Berlusconi and friends
alfirdaws.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&t=9116 [archive]
The statement is an explicit threat against Berlusconi, John Howard, Koizumi, Blair and Bush.
It was published on al-Firdaws forum by 'ialam al-islami and distributed broadly by him or others associated with the GIMF.
Arguements against the credibility of the statement include the poor quality of the Arabic as compared to the first 'Rakan ben Willyamz' statement. One analyst is reminded of the discredited statements of the "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade in Europe.
Arguements in support of the statement (if not the threat) being credible include the fact that it *was* distributed by the Global Islamic Media Front. That this "Rakan" is a different and less-literate individual doesn't necessarily make the statement non-credible. Since when are terrorists great examples of human intelligence?
Certainly there is no disputing that the countries in question are all in al-Qaida's sights.
We recommend against dismissiveness. Increasingly the global jihad is waged by ignorant thugs, and their statements are likely to reflect that.
Posted on 25 November 2005 @ 13:25
Thank you Gucho and Calpernia for the ping regarding the Imam's arrest.
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/051125cleveland.htm
News Release
November 25, 2005
OHIO IMAM IN ICE CUSTODY
Charged with soliciting funds for terror activity
CLEVELAND - U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) today announced the apprehension of an Ohio Imam for his involvement in fundraising for a terrorist organization and for terrorist activity.
Fawaz Mohammed Damrah, 44, was arrested early this morning without incident. The charges against Damrah allege that he is removable from the United States on national security grounds for having solicited funds and provided material support for a terrorist organization and for terrorist activity.
In 2004, Damrah was convicted and sentenced in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, for unlawfully obtaining his United States citizenship through false statements in violation of Title 18, Section 1425(a) and (b), United States Code. According to court documents, Damrah concealed from the former INS his membership in and/or affiliation with: (1) Afghan Refugee Services, Inc., aka Al- Kifah Refugee Center; (2) Palestinian Islamic Jihad, aka the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine; and (3) Islamic Committee for Palestine (ICP). Damrah concealed from the former INS the fact that he had, prior to his application for citizenship, "incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution" of Jews and others by advocating and/or supporting violent terrorists attacks against Jews and others. Sentencing for Damrah included two months in prison, four months home confinement and revocation of his U.S. citizenship. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and the revocation of Damrah's U.S. citizenship, which allows ICE to begin the process of removing him the country.
"The open arms and welcoming nature of the United States is reserved for those who abide by and respect our laws and not those who attempt to defraud us and use our freedoms and open society to support acts of violence and terrorism," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations for Ohio and Michigan. "With today's arrest, ICE begins the process of removing from the United States a criminal alien who has unequivocally supported terrorists and terrorist organizations."
Damrah remains in ICE custody. A bond hearing before an immigration judge is likely to occur next week.
ICE appreciates the tremendous support provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Cleveland for their assistance in this case.
-- ICE --
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---
http://washingtondc.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel05/wfousa112205.htm
U.S. Department of Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRM
November 22, 2005 (202) 514-2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888
United States Attorney Paul J. McNulty announced that defendant Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was convicted today by a jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on all counts of a Superseding Indictment charging him with terrorism offenses. The jury unanimously found Abu Ali, age 24 of Falls Church, Virginia, guilty of (1) conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization (al-Qaeda); (2) providing material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization (al-Qaeda); (3) conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; (4) providing material support to terrorists; (5) contribution of services to al-Qaeda; (6) receipt of funds and services from al-Qaeda; (7) conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States; (8) conspiracy to commit air piracy; and (9) conspiracy to destroy aircraft.
The evidence at trial included evidence that Abu Ali had joined an al-Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia; that he received training from members of the cell in weapons, explosives, and document forgery from an al-Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia; plotted with senior al-Qaeda operatives to personally carry out the assassination of the President; engaged in a conspiracy to hijack and destroy civilian airliners in a scheme substantially similar to the September 11, 2001, attacks; and researched nuclear power facilities in the United States at the behest of a senior al-Qaeda operative.
United States Attorney McNulty stated: "The evidence presented in this case firmly established Abu Ali as a dangerous terrorist who posed a grave threat to our national security. This conviction is the result of extraordinary law enforcement work and international cooperation. It serves as a clear warning to all that terrorists can and will be brought to the bar of justice."
The defendant faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for February 17, 2006.
Assistant United States Attorneys David H. Laufman and Stephen M. Campbell, Department of Justice Trial Attorney Jerry R. DeMaio, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Mala Tusk prosecuted the case for the United States. The case was investigated by agents of the Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
###
November 25, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News
(UK) Ministers briefed on 'serious' terrorist threat
http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200511/d2426f61-35d6-4f21-ace6-4169de589f66.htm
(Iraq) Children and patients die in hospital suicide blast (update)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/25/wirq25.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/11/25/ixportal.html
Philippines, US to hold counter-terrorism exercises in south
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/November/theworld_November669.xml§ion=theworld&col=
Inside the mind of a suicide bomber
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47577
3 ex-terrorists to give insights at Princeton event
(Interview) Expert says Muslim extremism increasing in Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1516896.htm
U.S. Terror Expert Expelled From Indonesia
http://interestalert.com/story/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/11240002aaa05f9a.ap&Sys=siteia&Fid=WORLDNEW&Type=News&Filter=World%20News
Bali mourners were terror target
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17357263%255E601,00.html
Jemaah Islamiah mastermind Azahari bin Husin was planning a suicide bomb attack on the memorial service held in Kuta last month for the 202 people
who died in the Bali nightclub bombings three years ago.
Jordan's king urges war on Islamic militancy
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/24/jordan.government.ap/index.html
Jordan's King Abdullah II has appointed his national security adviser as the new prime minister, giving him a mandate to launch an all-out war against
Islamic militancy
Algerian convicted of terror offences in Belfast
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1889879,00.html
An Algerian, Abbas Boutra, suspected of being linked to al-Qaeda was today found guilty of terrorist charges; Boutrab was found guilty of possessing
articles for purposes connected with terrorism including bomb making instructions and how to get on board a plane to blow up the aircraft
German police search extremist group's sites
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=26&story_id=25650&name=German+police+search+extremist+group%27s+sites
German police searched 26 sites Wednesday in a crackdown on a provincial Islamic group believed to support the banned Caliphate State extremist
organization, which seeks the overthrow of democracy in Turkey.
U.S.-Russia talk anti-terror cooperation
http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20051124-012020-7687r.htm
(Australia) Attack could be in cyberspace
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17357301%255E601,00.html
(Netherlands) Final appeal against Samir's acquittal
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=25628&name=Final+appeal+against+Samir%27s+acquittal
An appeal to the second acquittal of Dutch-Moroccan terrorist suspect Samir A. last week
EU Says Iran Docs Show How to Make Nukes
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,176655,00.html
Euro deputies push through anti-terror telecoms measures
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051124/tc_afp/eusecurity_051124212501
Police allowed greater access to telephone and Internet data, but proposals fall short of tougher package sought by UK
New US links show Jakarta's key terror role
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17354862-2,00.html?from=rss
Resumption of U.S. arms sales to Indonesia underscores vital role Indonesia is now playing in global struggle against terrorism
Qaeda posts video of Baghdad hotel blasts
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2005-11-24T210539Z_01_KRA474460_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-QAEDA-VIDEO.xml
Internet video shows 3 suicide bombers, whose names appeared to be Iraqi, entering vehicles used to attack Palestine and Sheraton hotels
Deadly Thanksgiving In Iraq (updated)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/24/iraq/main541815.shtml
Two separate car bombings leave at least 41 dead and dozens injured
Al-Arian Could Face Deportation
http://www.tampatribune.com/FloridaMetro/MGBECV2KEGE.html
Even if acquitted on terrorism charges, Sami Al-Arian could face years in jail and deportation - Bill West quoted
Spain: ETA statement 'falls short'
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/11/24/spain.eta/
Spanish government dismisses new statement from ETA terrorists because it doesn't call for cease-fire or renounce violence
Terror groups receive foreign funding (Indonesia)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20051124.@01&irec=0
Indonesian intel official: local terrorist groups received $75,000 through couriers from Middle Eastern and Asian countries - one courier just arrested
Police follow money terror trail (Australia)
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/police-follow-money-terror-trail/2005/11/24/1132703316532.html
Four Melbourne properties raided by police investigating possible links with Tamil Tigers, Sri Lankan terrorist group.
U.N. blames Hezbollah for Blue Line fights
http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20051123-053734-9685r
From:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9230/council_on_foreign_relations_conference_on_the_global_threat_of_pandemic_influenza_session_1.html
To the left is Amin Soebandrio; he's the assistant deputy for Medical and Health Sciences at the Ministry of Research and Technology of Indonesia. To the far right, Steven Wolinsky, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. And sitting right next to me is Dr. Robert Webster, professor in the Division of Virology in the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude's children's hospital.
Later on, we'll include your questions and get some answers to things that may have been bugging you all along, and we'll try to get them settled today.
Dr. Webster, where do we stand? As people try to form some sort of understanding of what's moving where, what's percolating in the bloodstreams of animals large and small through the world's time zones, where do we stand?
DR. ROBERT WEBSTER: We're sitting on the knife-edge right now. The virus has spread across most -- from Asia to Central Asia to Europe. It's sitting on the knife-edge for spreading to Africa and next season probably to the U.S. And the situation in humans is growing by the day. The number of human cases keeps creeping. And the situation is extremely serious.
SUAREZ: What is the bio-break point, the threshold that gets crossed in the change in the virus itself that moves this from something that only affects a small number of humans, and a large number of birds, to something that really can be a worldwide problem?
WEBSTER: The answer to that is unknown. We are not there yet in terms of our understanding of transmissibility. The key question is sustained transmission between people. We've had small clusters of
humans infected in different countries, but there's no -- so far, thank God -- no sustained transmission from person to person. What is the basis of transmissibility, we don't know.
SUAREZ: When there is a human-to-human confirmed case, will that tell us something about the underlying health status of the humans involved, or will it tell us something that's changed fundamentally about the virus itself?
WEBSTER: One human-to-human won't tell us very much. And unfortunately, we don't get enough information from humans in Asia on what has happened to humans. The number of postmortems done is extremely small. The number of viruses we get to examine is extraordinarily small. And we will not know from one or two passages the molecular basis. We have to take this back into the laboratory to really
understand this, and we will know when we have sustained transmissibility; that's the breakpoint.
SUAREZ: Dr. Wolinsky, is there a situation that's created by human activity or a situation that's created by
bird activity, which is something sort of beyond our reach, that can make this a greater or lesser danger?
DR. STEVEN WOLINSKY: Well, certainly when, during the course of human events when we're put in greater proximity to animals that have other viruses, they do have a propensity to leap from their animal host to humans. This has gone on in many situations. HIV/AIDS is a perfect example of a virus that existed within a primate host for a long period of time until it actually was successful in its jump to humans. But that leap was preceded by many sort of tentative steps, as we're seeing now where it sort of makes a little dance forward; maybe there's a one or two person spread. It doesn't quite make it. And again, I would emphasize that we really do need to know what is going on at the molecular level. What really characterizes the virus that makes that leap? What are the underlying genetic factors that both the virus, the host and its immune response that makes this happen?
SUAREZ: Are there changes that happen in the virus that blunt any attempts to defend against it?
WOLINSKY: Well, in respect that the virus can have enhanced pathogenicity -- its ability to actually do greater damage to the host -- there may be aspects of the virus, per se. Witness the 1918 influenza virus. There's properties that we've seen in the animal models where it really has shown an enhanced ability to kill in a situation where other viruses, other influenza viruses did not -- its ability to incite an immune response that far outweighs what is needed for the host to be protected, and in fact, ravages the host, ravages the animal model. So there are some genetic variants that exist in particular and have been transmitted. What are the actual particular pathogenic factors that mediate this are still really not known.
SUAREZ: We tend to talk about mutation as if it's a discrete event which gets you from one place to a single new place. Could five or six or 10 or 100 variants be cooking right now in animal host bloodstreams and some just end up being mutational dead ends because they kill too quickly or don't kill at all or don't spread easily, and, in fact, it's only the one that's successful that catches our attention?
WOLINSKY: Well, certainly -- we can just go back to Darwin on this -- (inaudible) -- we're looking at dissent with modification.
SUAREZ: You can do that because we're in New York State. Okay? (Laughter.)
WOLINSKY: That's right. We're not in Kansas anymore. (Laughter.) And like other RNA viruses, flu is highly mutable, highly adaptable and capable of rapid evolution. And within the host, it's not a single virus that you have but actually a swarm of viruses. And they're all genetically related but yet distinctive. The virus is constantly mutating. And it's on a cycle that's akin to other RNA viruses that every time it replicates, it makes a mistake. And so basically you're left with this viral swarm. And how the swarm actually adapts to the host, how the immune system actually manages that is really up to an individual basis as well. And there are individual differences in terms of how people respond to infectious diseases, and there are differences because of their genetic makeup, because of their immune response, their underlying difficulties with immune response, how the virus is able to exploit these and the fact that certain ones become adapted, better able to grow in a certain environment.
SUAREZ: Dr. Soebandrio, what do we know about the situation, the state of Avian flu in Indonesia?
DR. AMIN SOEBANDRIO: Yes, as you are already aware that the first outbreak in Indonesia among birds was announced by the government in the middle of 2003 and the number of bird deaths increasing. But actually, we could control until the beginning of 2004; the number of bird death is decreasing very much.
But a few months after that increase, again we have a small peak. But what makes us so scared -- in end of June this year, we have the first human case. A small child was hospitalized with the symptoms fever and problem with the respiratory track, and when she was hospitalized, her sister also then developed same symptom, and also their father. They all died. That was the first cluster. But unfortunately, we couldn't find any source of contact because they don't live in area where close to poultry farm or something like this. It was the fist cluster.
A few weeks later appeared some other cases. And so far, we have nine confirmed human cases, five of them dead. And by virus isolation, helped by a Hong Kong laboratory, we then identified already now four clusters. The first cluster has three members, one family; second cluster, one young lady and then her nephew, a boy; and then third cluster, also a young lady and also one of her family; and then coming the fourth cluster. The other three -- the last three cluster only consist of two family members. But the last -- (inaudible) -- cluster we could identify the source, really. They have clear contact with birds. But still, for
the first cluster, it's unclear.
So with that situation, we realized that -- already a very serious situation happened in Indonesia especially -- (inaudible) -- Jakarta. As you know that most of the cases -- (inaudible) -- in Indonesia is in surrounding
area of Jakarta, in outskirts of Jakarta -- only one-hour drive from center of Jakarta. Why it happened in the area, one of the most important hypotheses -- dense human population and also dense chicken population. Human population is up to 12,000 per square kilometers, and chicken population up 5,000 head per square kilometers. And they are all in the same vicinity. So -- and also one more thing: yeah, we have to admit that the bio-security of most of the farm is still very low. So that's the situation -- current situation in Indonesia.
Of course, probably the nine confirmed cases just the tip of the iceberg, because we do receive reports from other parts of Indonesia. People develop similar clinical symptom, but the laboratory, unconfirmed. That is the situation with the human influenza situation. I meant human cases.
If you are talking about the situation in birds, so far we have already 10 million birds already killed or died.
As a comparison, in Indonesia we have 1.4 billion population of bird, compared to China about 4 billion birds. So quite a lot. And another interesting situation is after last year, we have the bird confirmed to be infected by Avian influenza virus, just localized in the western part of Indonesia -- Java, Sumatra, Borneo, not in the eastern part of Indonesia. But from this year, we could identify many places in eastern part of Indonesia already infected by Avian influenza.
SUAREZ: You've mentioned the number of birds killed. How do you know whether that really works? One of the most common features of the news stories concerning how governments respond to bird flu involve huge culls in Thailand, in Vietnam, in China; you mentioned Indonesia. We've been killing birds by the tens of millions, yet Dr. Webster talked about the virus now spreading to all points on the globe.
SOEBANDRIO: Actually, if we follow the procedure, the OEI procedure, we should have killed more than 10 million. But the problem is the government has not enough resources to pay the compensation to the farmer, because this time we have to kill birds or pigs or ducks. We have to give compensation to the farmer. That's the problem. Compared to other countries, if we find a case of bird -- a flock of birds infected by Avian influenza, we have to kill in the area of up to three kilometers from the farmer, from the
farm. But in fact, we didn't do that. Only we killed the bird in the same farm.
SUAREZ: Dr. Webster, do culls work? And in the case of limited culls like Dr. Soebandio just described, is sort of doing it halfway almost as good as doing nothing?
WEBSTER: Culling does work. The documentation -- the H5N2 outbreak in the United States in the early 1980s, that virus is gone. Japan got rid of H5N2. Korea got rid of it by culling. On the other hand, if you turn to other countries where the virus was widespread before culling began, as in Mexico in the early '90s, H5N2 was widespread before culling began, and then culling doesn't work. In China, in Indonesia, where the virus was widespread before it was recognized, then culling does not work. It is not possible to cull in China at this time and cull in some countries. So yes, culling does work in some countries if you act quickly but not after it has become widespread.
SUAREZ: But here's a case where we have a mixture of very biologically similar bird types -- domestic and wild fowl among ducks and geese, both large-hold farms, where you're supplying protein to market, and small-hold farms, where you're feeding a family. So you've got stratification of all kinds and, now, passage to migratory populations of non-domesticated species. I mean, can you kill everything?
WEBSTER: You raise an extremely important point. This virus is now endemic. H5N1 is now endemic in the wild birds in Asia. And if we take the case in Thailand, Thailand killed and killed and killed, and they had nearly a year almost free of bird flu, but it's back. There are human cases. The virus is spreading again. And that virus is being spread, presumably, again by wild birds. So at this point, we're beyond the point where culling will work. We really have to think in terms of culling. Tough vaccination is the only way forward at the agricultural level.
SUAREZ: Is it important to know, Dr. Wolinsky, how we got here, whether there was a change in conditions that suddenly lit a match to the tinder? People have been farming birds in very close quarters in Southeast Asia for a long time. They've been living in close quarters. If you look at, you know, temple paintings and ancient carvings, there are domesticated birds, birds tied to each other by the ankle that are held by people's houses. Was there something qualitatively different about this last decade that made it possible for this disease to do something that it either hasn't done before or only done cyclically?
WOLINSKY: Interesting question. We've basically been faced with influenza pandemics, at least three, four a century, so that there seems to be some juxtaposition of when the virus actually makes a leap into the human population and when the population has not really contained its spread. And part of that is because we have not had an immunological memory to that specific type. No one, really, has seen H5N1 before. So if the fact is -- if that virus actually takes hold and is sustained transmission, so there's person-to-person spread, what we had is a situation whereby it goes through a population bottleneck. We have not really seen this virus before. And even though these viruses are highly mutable and can change rapidly, there's no reason for it to change once it hits a population that has never been exposed to it before, and it can ravage through a population. That's really what makes this such a difficult disease and why we have to really put everything at the forefront to try and contain it.
Again, what is the particular event that leads to one particular case of transmission that leads to it? I would defer to the person on my right who studied that the most in terms of how that occurred.
WEBSTER: I would answer that in a slightly different way in what is different from what we've been -- what's happened before is globalization. And farming practices have changed. Previously, we had backyard poultry. I grew up on a farm in New Zealand. We had a few backyard chickens and ducks. The next-door neighbor was so far away it didn't matter. Now we put millions of chickens into a chicken factory next door to a pig factory, and this virus has the opportunity to get into one of these chicken factories and make billions and billions of these mutations continuously. And so what we've changed is the way we raise animals and our interaction with those animals. And so the virus is changing in those animals and now finding its way back out of those animals into the wild birds. That's what's changed."
That's interesting.
Thanks DC.
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2005/11/009154print.html
November 25, 2005
Iraq: Interior Ministry Official Among Terrorist Arrests
A Democracy On the March Update from AKI, emphasizing once again that Muslims worldwide have not separated into pro-jihad and anti-jihad camps, but that a "moderate" can turn into a "radical" at any time:
Baghdad, 25 Nov (AKI) - The Iraqi authorities say that they have arrested the leaders of three terror networks operating around Baghdad, two of which were headed by an interior ministry official. General Bassem al-Gharawy told the German newsagency DPA that the third network was headed by the manager of a private investment company.
The networks were based in the al-Ghazaliya and al-Jihad to the west of Baghdad. ''The arrests were carried out in a legal manner, the detainees confessed to have carried out robberies, murders and have set off bombs" al-Gharawy said. "The task of the interior ministry official was to provide weapons, equipment and official documents to facilitate their operations," he added.
Posted at November 25, 2005 09:32 AM
Thanks to nw_arizona_granny for pointing to this article:
---
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1889879,00.html
November 24, 2005
"Algerian convicted of terror offences in Belfast"
By Times Online and agencies
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An Algerian suspected of being linked to al-Qaeda was today found guilty of terrorist charges at Belfast Crown Court, police said tonight.
Although tried and convicted as Abbas Boutrab, 27, he has so many aliases that police admit they have no idea who is really is.
Boutrab was found guilty of possessing articles for purposes connected with terrorism. They included 25 computer disks of detailed instruction on how to make a bomb and how to get on board a plane to blow up the aircraft.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland sent the instructions to the FBI in America, who followed them and produced a bomb which, when detonated, blew apart a row of airline seats and tore through the aircraft skin beside them.
Boutrab had downloaded the information from the internet on a computer in Belfast Central Library, the trial heard."
"When the serological test (HI) was later found positive, the decision was made to repeat the tests and to send serum samples to the UK-based influenza reference laboratory for serum neutralisation tests."
So he has some sort of flu and it maybe a crossover of an older avian variety that already has made the leap to human to human transmission...if he's lucky.
It's not a good year to go feed the ducks on the local pond.
I will edit out parts of this, but it is worth going to read all of it. granny..........
This is G o o g l e's cache of http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/rp_nov6_05.htm as retrieved on Nov 21, 2005 23:02:26 GMT.
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Wq8QHwyvQyIJ:www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/rp_nov6_05.htm+Rakan+ben+Williams&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&client=googlet
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
November 6, 2005
Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center
THE PROJECT FOR THE RESEARCH OF ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS (PRISM)1
OCCASIONAL PAPERS
Volume 3 (2005), Number 8 (October 2005)
Director and Editor: Reuven Paz.
Rakan ben Williams:
The Next Generation of Jihadi Terrorists in Europe
By Reuven Paz2
Introduction
In October 31 st 2005 , the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) published in Jihadi web sites an interesting
threatening analysis of Al-Qaeda's strategy in planning its attacks and choosing the operatives that carries
them out. An imaginary person writes the analysis—Rakan ben Williams—or Wilyamz, as the name
mistakenly or deliberately is written. The threatening analysis is titled “The next Al-Qaeda soldier.” 3
We don't know who has in fact written the message, but the name chosen for the “Jihadi super
hero”—Rakan—reminds us of a legendary Islamic hero of the Middle Ages, who was born in Arabia, and fought
against the Mongols in Iraq and Persia . Recently he became a hero of a Middle Eastern comic series as
Rakan the “lone warrior.” 4
The Evolution of Al-Qaeda Warriors
The analysis is quite simple, yet sarcastic, and attempts to present a very clear and well-organized strategic
plan of the attacks against Western targets:
• The September 11 attacks were carried out by a group of mostly Saudi Arabians. The Western response
was to limit the entry of Saudis, search and follow them, until the Islamists had no choice but plan another
attack
• Following the September 11 attacks, while the United States was thinking that it was going to win the war
against terrorism, Al-Qaeda targeted Bali . The attack was carried out by Indonesians, and against
Australians. There were no Saudis and the CIA could not uncover the plot in advance. Therefore, they
started to follow Indonesians in addition to Saudis.
• The next phase was the simultaneous operations in Casablanca and Istanbul . The two locations were
chosen as the two extremes of Europe —to the east and west—and on the border with the Muslim world. The
attacks meant to declare that Al-Qaeda was directing its attacks against Europe and has reached its borders.
This was a warning sign, which the Europeans ignored.
• Then Al-Qaeda hit Madrid to tell Europe “we are here.” The attack in Madrid brought about the withdrawal
of the Spanish troops from Iraq and the Spanish support for the United States . The attackers in Madrid were
North Africans, which made Europe think that the Arab emigrants in Europe were the most dangerous threat
for it. Following the attack in Madrid , Osama bin Laden declared his offer for truce with Europe , stating that
Al-Qaeda is capable of hitting everywhere, whenever it likes to, and by which method it chooses. This offer
was ignored as well.
• The European countries tried to guess who is next in the line of attacks by Al-Qaeda, and the group did its
best to create the impression that Italy was the one. The impression was promoted by threats made by “Abu
Hafs al-Masri Brigades in Europe .”
• While Europe was expecting an attack in Italy by Arabs, Al-Qaeda attacked in an unexpected place—
London —and by British citizens of Pakistani origin. Once again the West was surprised by the Mujahidin, and
started planning the deportation of all extremist or illegal Muslims from Europe .
The response of Al-Qaeda to the steps taken by Europe against its Muslims is therefore, to use European
citizens—Christian converts to Islam who support global Jihad--in the next attacks. The model is “Rakan ben
Wilyamz”—born and raised in the West; has studied in its educational system; prayed in their churches; drank
alcoholic beverage; ate pork, and hated Muslims. But then he secretly became a devoted Muslim, adopted the
philosophy of Al-Qaeda, and now he and his alike are wandering in Europe and the United States, gathering
information and planning their next attacks. “Is the West ready for them?” asks Rakan Ben Wilyamz from
Europe , who is “thirsty for martyrdom.”
Conclusion
Between the lines of the sarcastic message of GIMF, one can feel above all a strong sense of self-confidence
by the anonymous author. The attacks against Western targets were not aimed at occupying the West or
liberating the Muslim world, but in order to highlight the Western lack of understanding of the Muslim mind;
and hence, its inability to wisely respond to the Muslim challenges; the flexibility and wisdom of Al-Qaeda in
finding solutions to every situation; and the advantages of the “new generation of Muslims” vis-a-vis the
ideological stagnation of the West and its “corrupted culture.” The message was not written just for Western
eyes, but for Muslim supporters of global Jihad as well. Rakan Ben Wilyamz is not only the “new secret
weapon” of global Jihad, but also a model of “super-hero” for Islamic youth. The fact that the name might
have been taken from a comic series, colors it with the heroism of an imaginary figure. Rakan is the Jihadi
answer to Superman, Batman, and their colleagues.
(The best part has been removed...LOL by granny)
The endocrinal nature of these messages is not less important than the threats against the West. In
Al-Qaeda's eyes it is a vital combination.
1. The Project for the Research of Islamist Movements is part of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center. Site:
www.e-prism.org . Email: reupaz@netvision.net.il . All material copyright Reuven Paz unless otherwise stated. Credit if quoting; ask permission to
reprint. GLORIA is part of the Interdisciplinary Center , Herzliya , ISRAEL
2. Director and Editor of the Project for the Research of Islamist Movements (PPISM)
3. See on-line in: http://www.al-farouq.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3769
4. See his “profile” in: http://www.akcomics.com/Profiles/RakanUniverse/profilerakan.htm
5. Al-Qaeda University for Jihad Studies.
See on-line in: http://www.al-farouq.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2682
6 See on-line in: http://www.al-farouq.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3383
I have so many reports on the wild birds, that I cannot read them all.
The disease is spreading, of that there is no doubt.
The Japanese Scientist, who said there were 300 deaths in China, has now written Promed and said that he never said that.............
This website does not understand that the link for
LauraMansfield.com should always top the page and not end it.
I was impressed with what is listed here and when Laura's link was there, felt that all of us should have this link.
Right now, I am too used up to chase the articles on this site and the info that is listed here, resisted checking out the nov issue of a new jehad magazine.
So have at it......
http://www.e-prism.org/pages/1/index.htm
http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/al_ansar_e.htm
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
October 23, 2005
Abu Mazen sponsors a funds distribution ceremony organized by the Iran-funded Al-Ansar Charity
Association, headed by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist who is directed by Hezbollah
In a ceremony held in
the Gaza Strip on
October 13, 2005, the
Al-Ansar Charity
Association distributed
a sum of one million
dollars, granted by
Iran, to families of
shahids (i.e., terrorists
killed during the
confrontation with
Israel) whose homes
had been demolished
and to families of
detainees in the Gaza
Strip.
The ceremony was
sponsored by Abu
Mazen, who was
represented by former
Minister of Prisoners'
Affairs Hisham Abd
al-Razeq , and attended
also by several
Legislative Council
members. In a speech
given on Abu Mazen's
behalf, Abd al-Razeq
stated that the
Palestinian Authority
formulated its “national
plans” to liberate the
Palestinian land and
issued a call to fight
against the (Security)
Fence, the settlements,
and the Judaization of
Jerusalem. 1
In a speech given
during the ceremony,
Nafez Uthman Abd
al-Rahman al-A'raj, a
Palestinian Islamic
Jihad activist who
heads the Al-Ansar
Charity Association,
stated that the
association had
resumed its activity
after years of hiatus
that resulted from “the
Israeli aggression”
against the
association's offices, 2
seizing its funds, and
closing its accounts in
several banks. 3
Al-Ansar Charity
Association Secretary
Nasser al-Sheikh
added that the Martyrs
Foundation, operating
in Iran , had extended
its patronage over all
the families of shahids
who had died defending
the Palestinian land.
Since the beginning of
the confrontation, said
Al-Sheikh, the
association assisted
some 3,996 shahids
(5,000 USD per family)
and 200 detainees
(1,000 USD per
detainee). He added
that the Al-Ansar
Charity Association
paid monthly salaries
to families of 1,940
shahids, ranging from
75 USD to a shahid's
son to 250 USD to a
shahid who had been
married. Furthermore,
Nasser al-Sheikh
announced that Iran 's
Martyrs Foundation
would provide funds 4
for a new project to
compensate families of
shahids whose homes
had been demolished.
Characteristics of the Al-Ansar Charity Association and its leader
The Al-Ansar
Association is an
Islamic charity
association founded in
2001 and declared an
illegal organization by
Israel in 2003. The
association operates in
the Gaza Strip, holds
close contacts with Iran
, and is a Palestinian
branch of the Iranian
Martyrs Foundation .
The association
operates under the
auspices of the
Hezbollah-owned
Martyr Institution in
Lebanon , the Lebanese
branch of the Iranian
Martyrs Foundation.
The association's
primary focus is
providing financial aid
to families of
terrorists, both shahids
and detainees, from all
the terrorist
organizations. It is
headed by Nafez
Uthman al-A'raj, a
Palestinian Islamic
Jihad activist directed
by the Hezbollah in
Lebanon . To the best
of our knowledge,
Al-A'raj has held
contacts with terrorist
operatives, assisted in
guiding terrorist
infrastructures in the
Gaza Strip, and been
involved in
coordinating arms and
ammunition smuggling
operations to terrorist
infrastructures in the
Gaza Strip.
The significance of Palestinian Authority representatives’ participation in the funds distribution ceremony
The Al-Ansar
Association, supported
by Iran (and Hezbollah),
is therefore part of the
broad civilian
infrastructure that
serves as a tool for
assisting terrorists
and their families
(families of shahids,
detainees, or families
whose homes were
demolished). The
participation of Abu
Mazen's representative
in the distribution
ceremony of one million
dollars (a substantial
figure in its own right)
originating in Iran
demonstrates that the
Palestinian Authority
continues to avoid
confronting the
terrorist-supportive
infrastructure, for the
most part operated by
Hamas and the
Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. Furthermore, the
very participation of
Palestinian Authority
representatives in the
funds distribution
ceremony provides
legitimacy for the
continued activity of the
Al-Ansar Charity
Association and other
associations run by
Hamas and the
Palestinian Islamic
Jihad.
Another recent
expression of Abu
Mazen's preference not
to confront the terrorist
organizations can be
found in a reference he
made in a speech given
to the Legislative
Council (October 26) to
Luay Saadi and Majed
al-Ashqar, two senior
Palestinian Islamic
Jihad terrorist
operatives killed in an
exchange of fire with
IDF forces in Tulkarm
(October 24, 2005). Abu
Mazen chose to refer to
those terrorists, who
had stood behind the
terrorist attacks at
Tel-Aviv's Stage
nightclub (February
2005) and a shopping
mall in Netanya (July
2005) as “excellent
fellows” (Al-Jazeera
Television, October 26).
The Iranian Martyrs Foundation
The Martyrs
Foundation was formed
in Iran in 1980, in the
wake of the Iran-Iraq
War, in order to help
the families of those
killed, missing, or
taken captive. As one of
Iran 's means of
exporting the
revolution, the
foundation has
branches worldwide.
Iran considers the
generous support it
provides to “charity
associations” in the
Palestinian Authority
administered territories
(such as Al-Ansar) a
means to support the
terrorist organizations,
mainly the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad and
Hamas, and an
instrument for acquiring
influence among the
Palestinian population.
The Al-Ansar Charity Association
(Source: www.el-ansar.org, June 23, 2004)
1 Al-Ayyam, October 13, 2005.
2 A possible reference to the IDF Air Force strikes on the association's offices (May 12, 2004 and September 29, 2004).
3 A possible reference to Operation Green Torch carried out by Israeli security forces on February 25, 2004, during which Arab Bank and Cairo Amman Bank branches in Ramallah were raided and
terrorist funds in those banks' accounts in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were confiscated.
4 Al-Ayyam, October 13, 2005.
The daily reports seem to be getting more specific about the breadth of geography showing active cases and counts of active cases. Drudge is doing a decent job of keeping the recent reports on his page.
A key omission in the excerpt was the comment about NOT giving Tamiflu to someone with a raging case of flu. Such a patient has a very high viral load and giving them Tamiflu would selectively kill the sensitive virus particles, but leave a very large remnant of particles that are insensitive to Tamiflu. The unintended consequence is selective breeding of Tamiflu resistent virus to be spread to the healthy population.
Money and terror reports.....
http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/
I suppose it's quite possible he was misquoted. However whether or not he actually said that, I suspect that those numbers make a lot more sense than the ones that China has been putting out.
AAWSAT.com: "AL-QAEDA REVEALS ITS LATEST THREAT: RAKAN BIN WILLIAMS" by Mohammed Al Shafey (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "London, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Global Islamic Media Front, the voice of al Qaeda on the internet, has revealed its latest threat which it identified as Rakan bin Williams, who would wreck havoc worldwide. The name refers to an English convert to Islam. Al Qaeda’s strategy "will depend on surprise such as when near simultaneous attacks were carried out in Morocco and Turkey. Al Qeada's aim was to target the border between Europe and the Muslim world, east and west, so let this serve as a lesson to the entire west, we have arrived at your borders and no one will be able to stop us", the group said on the internet. The British Sun newspaper indicated last week that al Qaeda was recruiting English men and pointed out six English-language websites affiliated with al Qaeda had published material encouraging Europeans to enlist and undergo military training.") (November 8, 2005)
E-PRISM.org: Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center THE PROJECT FOR THE RESEARCH OF ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS (PRISM) OCCASIONAL PAPERS Volume 3 (2005), Number 8, Director and Editor: Reuven Paz: "RAKAN BEN WILLIAMS: The Next Generation of Jihadi Terrorists in Europe" by Reuven Paz (November 2005) (pdf)
(I really like your tagline!)
I wonder if the Japanese scientist really didn't say what he supposedly said, or have some Chinese convinced him that he better retract his statement?
"...NOT giving Tamiflu to someone with a raging case of flu..... The unintended consequence is selective breeding of Tamiflu resistent virus to be spread to the healthy population."
You are right! There is a very small window at the beginning to administer tamiflu but outpatient logistics during winter months (first getting the receptionist to squeeze you in for an appointment or waiting in an ER if the receptionist makes you wait a day )will have many getting it too late during a flu season. Hopefully, we will have time to weaken this H5N1 before a species crossover really occurs:
"However, we also found that avian and equine influenza viruses preferentially bind the terminal sialic acid alpha2-3Gal (SA2-3Gal) linkage, while human influenza viruses preferentially bind the SA2-6Gal linkage. Influenza viruses also differ in their recognition of terminal Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc and 9-O-Ac-Neu5Ac. We showed for the first time that SA distribution in animal species does in fact influence influenza virus host range.
http://www.glycoforum.gr.jp/science/word/glycopathology/GD-A06E.html
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