Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Thread Thirty-Two (Index)

Yahoo News : Yahoo Images : News Hotlinks

The Threat Matrix

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

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

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

YOU be the judge and get informed!

What's become of bin Laden since he gave us all the slip?
Full Story

Some think he is dead, others that he is hiding because he is scared of being killed.

Whatever the reason for the strange disappearance of Osama bin Laden, not seen alive since his last mocking video statement a year ago, he is no longer the face of the global "jihad" against the West.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi { TM 25,TM 27 }, the Jordanian responsible for some of the worst atrocities in Iraq, has become the hero of the hour on militant Islamist websites.

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

TM Terrorism Handbook

Link to Thread Thirty-One

"Code Red Implications:
Code Red - Stay Home and Await Word."
From Tm'er and Freeper ~MamaDearest~

Tracking the Chatter with TM

TM 'Be on the Lookout'

Survival Preparedness Info.

Threat Matrix Book List

ExSoldier's Invaluable Tips

Arabic Links and Resources

Godzilla's Summaries

Threat Matrix HTML designed by: Ian Livingston

http://www.iran-press-service.com/articles_2001/dec_2001/rafsanjani_nuke_thr
eats_141201.htm

RAFSANJANI SAYS MUSLIMS SHOULD USE NUCLEAR WEAPON AGAINST ISRAEL

TEHRAN 14 Dec. (IPS) One of Iran's most influential ruling cleric
called
Friday on the Muslim states to use nuclear weapon against Israel,
assuring
them that while such an attack would annihilate Israel, it would cost
them
"damages only".

"If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms
Israel has in possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a
stalemate
because application of an atomic bomb would not leave any thing in
Israel
but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world",
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani told the crowd at the
traditional
Friday prayers in Tehran.

Analysts said not only Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani's speech was the
strongest
against Israel, but also this is the first time that a prominent leader
of
the Islamic Republic openly suggests the use of nuclear weapon against
the
Jewish State.

"It seems that Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani is forgetting that due to the
present
intertwinement of Israel and Palestine, the destruction of the Jewish
State
would also means the mass killing of Palestinian population as well",
observed one Iranian commentator.

While Israel is believed to possess between 100 to 200 nuclear war
heads,
the Islamic Republic and Iraq are known to be working hard to produce
their
own atomic weapons with help from Russia and North Korea, Pakistan,
also a
Muslim state, has already a certain number of nuclear bomb.

In a lengthy speech to mark the so-called "International Qods
(Jerusalem)
Day" celebrated in Iran only, Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who, as the
Chairman
of the Assembly to Discern the Interests of the State, is the Islamic
Republic's number two man after Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, said since
Israel
was an emanation of Western colonialism therefore "in future it will be
the
interests of colonialism that will determine existence or non-existence
of
Israel".

Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani made the unprecedented threat as, following new
suicide operations inside Israel and against Israeli settlements by
Palestinian extremists in PA-controlled zones, responded by Israel's
heaviest bombarding of Palestinian cities, police, communication and
radio-television installations, killing and wounding more than 200
people on
both sides, resulted in the halting of all contacts between Israel and
the
PA of Mr. Yaser Arafat.

He said since Israel is the product of Western colonialism, "the
continued
existence of Israel depends on interests of arrogance and colonialism
and as
long as the base is helpful for colonialism, it is going to keep it.

Hashemi-Rafsanjani advised Western states not to pin their hopes on
Israel's
violence because it will be "very dangerous".

"We are not willing to see security in the world is harmed", he said,
warning against the "eruption of the Third World War.

"War of the pious and martyrdom seeking forces against peaks of
colonialism
will be highly dangerous and might fan flames of the World War III",
the
former Iranian president said, backing firmly suicide operations
against
Israel.

Quoted by the official news agency IRNA, Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani said
weakening of Palestinian Jihad is "unlikely", as the Palestinians have
come
to the conclusion that talks would be effective only "in light of
struggle
and self-sacrifice- the two key elements that gave way to beginning of
the
second Intifada". Iranian analysts and commentators outside Iran
immediately
reacted to Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani's statement, expressing fear that it
might
trigger an international backlash against Iran itself, giving Israel,
the
United States and other Western and even Arab nations to further
isolate
Iran as a source of threat to regional security. "Jews shall expect to
be
once again scattered and wandering around the globe the day when this
appendix is extracted from the region and the Muslim world", Mr.
Hashemi-Rafsanjani warned, blaming on the United States and Britain the
"creation of the fabricated entity" in the heart of Arab and Muslim
world.

"The man who considers himself as the most able politician in the
Islamic
Republic utters such nonsense and empty threats at a very time that the
hard
line and extremist government of Israel under Mr. Ariel Sharon is
looking
for justification of its repressive policy against Palestinians", said
Mr.
Ahmad Salamatian, a veteran political analyst based in Paris.

"At a time that the right wing Israeli government is claiming that the
very
existence of Israel and the Jews are threatened and uses this pretext
as an
instrument to advance its policy of repression in Palestine, such
statements
and ushering such dangerous menaces by one of Iran's top officials is
nothing but bringing water to Israel's propaganda mill, providing it
with
more justifications explaining its present maximalist policy", he told
the
Persian service of Radio France Internationale.

Though Mr. Salamatian is of the opinion that Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani's
words
are part of both his own show and the ongoing internal tensions between
conservatives and reformers, however, he also agrees with other Iranian
analysts that his "untimely" menace could backfire, becoming a
justification
for threats against Iran, at a time that the United States and its
allies
are determined to continue the fight against international terrorism.

"One of Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani's main characteristics in Iranian
politics
during the past twenty years is that in order to preserve his own
position,
he is ready to set fire to all the Caesareas for one handkerchief,
including, in the present case, providing Israel with enough pretext to
attack Iran", he noted, adding: "for the time being and what is
important
for Mr. Sharon is that this kind of statements are open invitation for
more
violence, an encouragement to extremists on either side of the
Israel-Palestine conflict".

Observing that despite the fact that Israel is believed to have more
than
one hundred atomic warheads and the necessary technology to transport
them
to the very heart of Iran and elsewhere, but no Israeli official nor
any
newspaper have ever raised the slightest possibility of an atomic
threat,
"even in defence of their very existence", Mr. Salamatian wondered the
reasons behind Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani's declaration, which he said
should be
taken seriously "considering the rank of the man who pronounced it".
ENDS
RAFSANJANI NUKE THREATS 141201

United States Unseals Complaint Against Terrorism Suspect Arrested in Czech Republic

12/13/2005 5:21:00 PM _____

To: National Desk

Contact: Herbert Hadad, Megan Gaffney, Heather Tasker and Bridget Kelly, 212-637-2600, all of the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York,

Christine Monaco, James Margolin, 212-384-2715, 2720 both of the of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Paul Browne of the New York Police Dept., 646-610-8800

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ --

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,

ALICE S. FISHER, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice Criminal Division,

MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, announced the unsealing today of a criminal complaint against OUSSAMA KASSIR, aka "Abu Abdullah," aka "Abu Khadija," which charges KASSIR with one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

KASSIR was arrested in Prague, Czech Republic, on December 11, 2005, based on the sealed criminal complaint, and the corresponding arrest warrant that were on file with Interpol. He is currently detained in Prague, and the United States is pursuing his extradition.

According to the allegations in the Complaint, KASSIR and others conspired to establish a jihad training camp on a parcel of property located in Bly, Oregon.

It is alleged that the conspirators in this case used the term "jihad" to mean defending Islam against its enemies through violence and armed aggression, including killing the enemies of Islam, if necessary, in order to expel non-believers from holy Muslim lands.

The Complaint further alleges that the purpose for which the conspirators established the Bly, Oregon jihad training camp was to provide a place where Muslims could receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in preparation for a community of Muslims to move to Afghanistan.

According to the Complaint, the training would provide the men in the community with enough familiarity with weapons so that when they arrived in Afghanistan they could opt either to fight jihad in Afghanistan, or continue with additional jihad training in Afghanistan.

The Complaint refers to a letter that was faxed from one of the coconspirators to another, which states that the property in Bly, Oregon, was located in a "pro-militia and fire- arms state" that "looks just like Afghanistan," and that the group was "stock-piling weapons and ammunition."

According to the Complaint, on November 26, 1999, after this faxed letter was sent, KASSIR and another co-conspirator traveled from London, England, to J.F.K. International Airport in New York City, and then on to Seattle, Washington, and Bly, Oregon, to assist with the jihad training camp.

It is alleged that while at Bly, KASSIR complained to a witness that there were only a few men available to train at the jihad training camp, and that he was not going to waste his time with such a small number of men, and that the facilities and supplies were inadequate.

KASSIR also told witnesses that he had previously undertaken jihad training in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Lebanon.

An additional witness also saw KASSIR in possession of a compact disc which contained information about improvising poisons, it is alleged.

The allegations against KASSIR relate to an indictment pending in the Southern District of New York, United States v. Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, a/k/a "Abu Hamza" and Haroon Aswat, S1 04 Cr. 356

(JFK). Mustafa Kamel Mustafa was arrested in May 2004, by the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard in London.

Haroon Aswat was arrested in Zambia in July 2005, and then deported to England.

Both men are presently detained in England, awaiting extradition to the United States.

GARCIA praised the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department.

He also expressed appreciation to the FBI's Legal Attache Offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Prague for their assistance in this investigation.

GARCIA also stated: "The arrest of OUSSAMA KASSIR in Prague demonstrates, once again, the firm resolve of the Department of Justice and this Office to identify, arrest, and prosecute those who engage in global terrorist activities. We will use every tool at our disposal to bring to justice those who would do harm to the United States."

"The arrest of OUSSAMA KASSIR demonstrates our commitment to holding terrorists and their supporters responsible for their alleged crimes," said Assistant Attorney General ALICE S. FISHER of the Criminal Division. "Supporters of terrorism must know that they should not feel safe in trying to hide overseas. We will work to bring these individuals to justice, however long it takes."

Assistant United States Attorney ERIC B. BRUCE and Trial Attorney GEORGE Z. TOSCAS from the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the complaint and indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-

Missing background for my last post, severly edited. granny..

Tuesday, August 9, 2005 - 12:00 AM

U.S. complaint details failed plan for terrorist training in Oregon By Mike Carter and Hal Bernton Seattle Times staff reporters

The complaint, filed June 20, charges British citizen Haroon Rashid Aswat, with offering material support to terrorists, knowing his efforts would be used to "kill, kidnap and maim persons and damage property in a foreign country."

The camp was initially promoted by James Ujaama, a former Seattle resident who was sentenced to two years in federal prison in return for his cooperation with federal investigators.

The complaint unsealed yesterday alleges that the camp was to seek fighters from the United States and London to wage jihad - or a holy war - in Afghanistan. The camp was to offer training in archery, combat, martial arts, rifle and handgun handling, all in a secure environment in a "pro-militia and fire-arms state," according to a fax cited in the unsealed complaint. Sources have said that Ujaama wrote the fax.

Aswat was taken into custody in Zambia last month in connection with the London transit bombings. British officials want to question him about 20 phone calls reportedly made on his South African cellphone to some of the four bombers who killed 52 people in the London attack, Zambian officials say. But it is unclear what - if any - involvement Aswat is alleged to have had in those attacks.

At that hearing, British prosecutor Hugo Keith, representing the U.S. government, said a witness once heard Aswat say he had been trained in Afghanistan and had met Osama bin Laden.

Aswat's lawyer, Hossein Zahir, indicated his client would challenge the extradition. "He wishes to stress that he has nothing to hide," Zahir told the court. "He denies any suggestion that he's a terrorist or engaged in any terrorist activity."

The complaint closely parallels the 2002 indictment of Ujaama, who the government said first spotted the Bly property. Ujaama played a central role in promoting the idea of turning a remote ranch in rural Oregon into an international training camp for jihad fighters.

Ujaama, a graduate of Ingraham High School, was a Seattle entrepreneur who converted to Islam. He became an associate of Abu Hamza al-Masri, a militant London cleric.

Abu Hamza would later praise the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; he is charged in Britain with attempted murder and fomenting terrorism.

Abu Hamza also faces a U.S. indictment for his role in trying to set up the Bly camp.

Back in 1999, Ujaama sought to persuade Abu Hamza to take up residence at the Bly ranch. A fax sent by Ujaama, cited in the complaint yesterday, noted the new Oregon training camp would be a place where the religious leader could not be removed "without a serious armed fight."

To scout the camp, Abu Hamza allegedly sent Aswat and another man, identified by federal sources as Oussama Kassir. They flew to New York, traveled by bus to Seattle and then drove down to the desolate ranch near Bly.

By then, the ranch had become a kind of retreat for a small group of Muslims who worshipped at a now-defunct Seattle mosque.

But Aswat was disillusioned with what he found at the ranch, according to sources who were there at the time and spoke to The Seattle Times in 2002.

On the night of their arrival, Ujaama lacked even a key to unlock the gate to the entry road. And Aswat and Kassir were escorted to two cramped, shabby trailers, which lacked running water. Food was scarce, and they supplemented their table fare by hunting rabbits and quail.

Aswat stayed at the ranch for about a month, according to the complaint unsealed yesterday.

While at the ranch, Aswat and Kassir met potential candidates for jihad training, established security passwords, and participated in firearms training, according to the complaint.

During the fall of 1999, the ranch drew scrutiny from Southern Oregon law-enforcement officials. "There were reports of gunfire and of a large group of suspicious, or unusual, people there," Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger said in a 2002 interview.

Gunfire is common in rural Southern Oregon, where many residents carry arms and engage in target practice or hunting. But this information concerned the sheriff enough that he turned it over to the FBI. He heard nothing again until after the Sept. 11 attacks, Evinger said.

2005 The Seattle Times Company

http://www.nysun.com/article/24407 >

Jihad on Campus

New York Sun Staff Editorial December 14, 2005 URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/24407

At Columbia, the course catalog indicates that this spring the anthropology professor, Nicholas DeGenova, who called for "a million Mogadishus" and said "the only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military," will be teaching a graduate class on "The Metaphisics of Antiterrorism." At least he isn't teaching spelling.

At the University of South Florida, our Josh Gerstein reports elsewhere on this page, there's talk of rehiring Sami Al-Arian, whose lawyers conceded during a recent trial that he had "an affiliation" with the people in Palestinian Islamic Jihad. That is a deadly terrorist group.

Meanwhile, Harvard and Georgetown universities announced this week that they had received $10 million each from a Saudi Arabian prince, Alwaleed bin Talal, to fund Islamic studies.

Alwaleed, the so-called Saudi Warren Buffett, has also amassed sizable stakes in Citigroup and in Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, owner of Fox News Channel and of the New York Post.

The prince became notorious when Mayor Giuliani turned down a $10 million gift from him after September 11, 2001, because the gift came with a statement saying that America should tilt its foreign policy more in favor of the Palestinian Arabs.

Not all anti-Israel or anti-American professors receive funding from overseas, and not all professors who receive funding from overseas are anti-American or anti-Israel. That said, it will be illuminating to watch to see whom Harvard selects to fill the new chair that will be known as the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Professor in Contemporary Islamic Thought and Life.

Somehow we doubt it'll be a scholar who reckons that Mecca and Medina should be redistributed to the Hashemites and the oil rich Saudi eastern provinces to the Shiites or who criticizes the Saudis for funding the Hamas terrorist group and for distributing audiotapes in the West Bank describing the Jews as "the sons of monkeys and pigs."

Somehow we doubt it will be a scholar who criticizes the Saudi kingdom for obstructing the American investigation into the 1996 Dhahran barracks bombing.

It will be interesting to see how the scholar stands on the petition calling on Harvard to divest from Israel and from American companies that sell arms to Israel.

(continued at link)

December 14, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News

Iran leader: Holocaust a 'myth'
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/14/iran.israel.ap/index.html
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday the Holocaust is a
"myth" that Europeans have used to create a Jewish state in the heart
of the Islamic world.

Security Forces Claim Top Al Qaeda Agent Killed in Russia
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/12/13/alqaedarussia.shtml
Russian special services have killed the chief representative of al
Qaeda in Russia, a mercenary called Dzhaber, head of the regional
headquarters of the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus

Swede charged in Manhattan with Oregon terror camp plot
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--terrorcampplot1213dec13,0,184166.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
A Lebanese-born Swede has been charged in a plot to set up a terrorist
training camp in Oregon

(TSA) Marshals To Patrol Land, Sea Transport
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10456738/
TSA Test Includes Surveillance Teams On DC's Metro System; Teams of
undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers will fan
out to bus and train stations, ferries, and mass transit facilities
across the country this week in a new test program to conduct surveillance
and "counter potential criminal terrorist activity in all modes of
transportation," according to internal federal documents.

(Al-Arian) Ex-Professor Won Court Case but Not His Freedom
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/13/AR2005121301697.html
Al-Arian is still jailed as federal prosecutors decide whether to retry
him on the counts on which the jury deadlocked.

Spain Arrests Chechens Linked to Murder of Director Van Gogh
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/12/13/vangogh.shtml

(Spain) 3 men with suspected al-Qaida ties charged
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/13400608.htm
A Spanish judge filed charges against three men suspected of financing
and providing logistical support for an Algerian Islamic extremist
group with suspected links to al-Qaida

(India) Soldiers 'kill Kashmir militants'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4527278.stm
Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir say troops have killed six
suspected militants near the summer capital, Srinagar

Algerian Security Forces arrest two terrorists
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=797087

(Update) Swede detained in Prague over terrorism charged in USA
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=162689

Terrorist suspects bound for Norway
http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=20313
Two of three Algerians arrested a month ago in Italy, and charged with
terrorism, were on their way back to Norway when they were arrested. We
believe that the three Algerians regard Norway as a safe and quiet
place to stay, says Chief Investigator Michele del Prete at a Naples court
to Aftenposten.

(Israel) Kassam Rockets Launched From Gush Katif
http://www.arutzsheva.com/news.php3?id=94785

Britain May Publish July 7 Bombing Findings
http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/B/BRITAIN_BOMBINGS?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-12-13-19-39-00

Palestinians: Jews come from pigs, monkeys
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47891
Anti-Israel radio, audiocassettes abound in Gaza, Judea, Samaria

Woman Suspected in Several Ecoterror Cases
http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/E/ECOTERRORISM_ARRESTS?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME
Chelsea Gerlach was charged with damaging a transmission tower also is
suspected in half a dozen other ecoterror crimes, including a
firebombing at a Colorado ski resort

Colombia ready for hostage talks
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4526898.stm

US claims international 'boycott' of Saddam trial
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1531006.htm

Updike new novel about US terrorist (my title)
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2005-12-14T072221Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-227844-1.xml&archived=False
John Updike indicates terrorist is "given a sympathetic treatment"

190,000 and Other Terrorism Numbers
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/12/war_on_terroris.html#more
According to classified NCTC briefing, the database of all U.S.
government information on international terrorists contains over 190,000
unique individuals

Israel: Iran 3 months to nuclear point of no return
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3183779,00.html
Iran will reach the point of no return and possess the capacity to
build nuclear weapons within three months, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of
Staff Dan Halutz warned today.

Turkey Seeking CIA Help To Fight PKK
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/12/056497A3-C56A-4465-B9D6-8CA16189E05A.html

Iranian leader meets with Hamas chief and calls for further resistance
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Iran/192586
Hamas leader Khalid Mashal met with Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, who
said "Intifada proved that the Palestinian nation is mightier than the
Zionist regime and America"

Pakistan police arrest al-Qaida-linked militant
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=70939498&p=7x9398xx
Dozens of police raided home in eastern Pakistan and arrested
al-Qaida-linked militant accused of killing minority Shiite Muslims

Suicide Killers
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20505
FrontPage interview with Pierre Rehov, French filmmaker of 6 films on
intifada

The Secret Court of Terror Investigations
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5049679
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court authorizes surveillance of
suspected spies and terrorists - viewed with great suspicion by civil
liberties groups - FBI agents now complaining of undue concern

The New Dream Team: White Power and Radical Islam
http://www.freezerbox.com/archive/article.php?id=397
"Freezerbox" blog post on "unholy alliance" between white supremacists
and radical Islamists - Investigative Project's Lorenzo Vidino quoted

Frist sees terrorism insurance this year
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-12-13T171627Z_01_DIT359152_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-TERRORISM-INSURANCE.xml&archived=False
"I intend to finish TRIA (the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act) before we
leave" for the holidays, said Frist

Massive drug lab destroyed
http://www.thedailyjournalonline.com/article.asp?CategoryId=12393&ArticleId=206247
Huge cocaine lab operated by FARC and AUC terrorists destroyed

Four U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Bombing
http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME

(France) Bomb threat forces plane into emergency landing
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=26129&name=Bomb+threat+forces+plane+into+emergency+landing
A plane en route from Malaga to Holland was forced to make an emergency
landing at Bordeaux airport in France after the airline received a bomb
threat

Radical Islam in Latin America
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?search=1&articleid=2369844
Diverse array of criminal organizations active in Latin America
demonstrates that "weak institutions, political instability, corruption, and
poverty provide ample opportunities for groups such as al-Qaida and
others to share the spoils"

Colombian Fighters Surrender Arms, Disband
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051213/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_paramilitaries_3
2,000 from United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), including one
considered major drug trafficker by U.S., turn in weapons and
helicopters for amnesty and monthly stipend

Security Forces Claim Top Al Qaeda Agent Killed in Russia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4524256.stm
Russian special services claim killing chief representative al Qaeda in
Russia, named Dzhaber

Terror suspect becomes UK citizen
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4524256.stm
David Hicks, often referred to as the "Australian Taleban" and held as
terror suspect at Guantanamo Bay has won legal battle in UK High Court
to be registered as British citizen

Three terror plots 'thwarted since July blasts' (UK)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=371502&in_page_id=1770

Parsing tapes, some see a shift at Al Qaeda helm
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/12/13/parsing_tapes_some_see_a_shift_at_al_qaeda_helm/
Evan Kohlmann: Bin Laden ''never would have been what he is today if it
had not been for Zawahri"

INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS: Earthquake Jackpot
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20051213.aspx
James Dunnigan: Islamic terrorists in northern Pakistan provided
intelligence bonanza to Western counter-terrorism organizations, because of
their earthquake relief efforts

Senate bill seeks time to tighten Patriot Act
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20051212-110459-1413r.htm
Bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators introduced bill to extend
controversial provisions of Patriot Act by 3 months instead of voting on
conference report this week

Six Wanted Islamic Jihad Terrorists Arrested in Samaria Overnight
http://www.arutzsheva.com/news.php3?id=94704

U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan developing new measures against suicide
attacks: official
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20051212-1833-afghan-violence.html

Japanese police warn of Islamic extremist attacks
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-12-13T070114Z_01_FOR325138_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-JAPAN-MUSLIMS.xml&archived=False

Military accuses MILF of training rebels for suicide missions
(Philippines)
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2005/12/13/news/military.accuses.milf.of.training.rebels.for.suicide.missions.html
Filippino military accuses Moro Islamic Liberation Front of secretly
training fresh recruits in Mindanao and indoctrinating them to carry out
suicide attacks

U.S. deports Saudi director of Virginia Muslim charity
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20051212-110500-7469r.htm
Saudi national who was director of Virginia office of Muslim World
League deported by ICE agents on immigration charges

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20051209/index.htm

NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE RELEASES PRE-9/11 WARNING TO SAUDIS

THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN MIGHT TARGET CIVILIAN AIRLINERS

GEORGE TENET's "We're At War" MEMO

ALSO DECLASSIFIED

RELEASES PUNCTUATE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARCHIVE'S WORK

For more information contact Peter Kornbluh - 202/994-7000

December 9, 2005

Washington, D.C., December 9, 2005 - More than three years before the 9/11 attack on the United States, U.S. officials warned Saudi Arabia

that Osama bin Laden "might take the course of least resistance and turn to a civilian [aircraft] target," according to a

declassified cable [see below] released by the National Security Archive today. The warning was made by the U.S. regional security officer and a civil aviation official in Riyadh based on a public threat bin Laden made against "military passenger aircraft" and his statement that "we do not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians."

The State Department cable was not mentioned in the report of the 9/11 Commission, which investigated how U.S. intelligence failed to detect planning for the terrorist attacks, using civilian airliners, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Archive analyst Barbara Elias.

The National Security Archive released the cable, and a CIA memorandum, "We're at War,"

written by then director George Tenet, as it prepared to commemorate its 20th anniversary on Friday.

Obtaining the declassification of these documents on the war on terrorism epitomized two decades of work to bring transparency and accountability to relevant issues in U.S. foreign policy, said Archive Executive Director Thomas Blanton. "American citizens not only have a right to know, they have a need to know."

In his urgent "We're at War" memo

written five days after the 9/11 attacks to his top deputies, CIA Director George Tenet demanded an urgent and "unrelenting focus" on "bringing all of our operational, analytical, and technical capabilities to bear-not only to protect the US both here and abroad from additional terrorist attacks-but also, and more importantly, to neutralize and destroy al-Qa'ida and its partners."

The confidential memo called for "absolute and total dedication as a leadership team" and stated that he and his deputies would "translate the urgency of the difficult tasks ahead to the men and women we lead by our behavior and actions." In waging the war on terrorism, Tenet wrote, "we must lead.. Never has our professionalism and discipline been at a greater premium."

The memo was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by National Security Archive senior fellow, Jeffrey Richelson. It was first identified in Bob Woodward's bestselling book, Bush At War.

From New Nation Online Edition

http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_23809.shtml

Front Page
More JMB suspects held, bombs found
By Staff Reporter
Tue, 13 Dec 2005, 10:27:00

Police and other law enforcing agencies yesterday recovered bombs, bomb
like
objects and explosives in many districts. During police drives, they
also
arrested some suspected cadres of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen,
Bangladesh
(JMB) from different parts of the country.

Joint forces of police comprising of intelligence branch and RAB raided
a
dormitory of Dhaka College to nab one Sumon and Ramna police arrested
one
suspected JMB cadre from the premises of the High Court. The JMB
activists
have threatened to blow up Munshiganj Primary Teachers' Training
Institute
(PTI).

Police recovered bombs and bomb like objects from Gazipur, Barisal,
Mymensingh, Bagerhat and Tangail districts.

Our Gazipur Correspondent reports: police recovered a bomb from village
Nalbagh under Turag Police Station in Gazipur. Police and eyewitnesses
said
the owner of a tea stall found a bomb wrapped with red tape hanging on
the
door of the shop. Being informed, police rushed to the spot and
recovered
the bomb.

Our Bagerhat Correspondent adds, police recovered a bomb near Circuit
House
in the district.

Vehicles movement remained suspended for about an hour. Later, fire
fighters
of Bangladesh Fire Service and Bagerhat police in a joint drive
recovered
the bomb.

Our Barisal Correspondent says: Joint forces of police and RAB
recovered a
bomb-like object from the city's Amirunnissa Little Flower Kindergarten
near
Nathullahbad bus-stand.

A student of the Kindergarten found the bomb-like object in a classroom
and
being panicked the student informed the teachers.

Having being informed, the RAB and police rushed to the spot and
recovered
the bomb-like object wrapped with red tape and two red wires.

Our Mymensingh Correspondent adds: a bomb-like object was recovered
from a
BRAC office under Phoolbari Police Station in Mymensingh.

Police said BRAC office chief found the bomb inside the premises of the
office and informed the police. Police rushed to the spot, recovered
the
bomb-like object and put it in a water pot to defuse it.

Our Tangail Correspondent writes: Tangail Sadar police recovered a bomb
like
object wrapped with red scotch tape near Pardighulia Bridge.

In the capital, a suspected JMB militant was arrested from the Supreme
Court
premises and he was identified as Golam Rasul, 30. Police recovered
jehadi
books from his possession.

Golam Rasul, son of Tamijuddin of village Parchauka hails from Shibganj
Upazila in Chapainawabganj. The grilled JMB member Golam Rasul claimed,
he
is the general secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh of Parchauka
unit and
he is also the super of AB Dakhil Madrasa. Police earlier arrested his
nephew Oliullah for his alleged connection with JMB.

According to security men of the Supreme Court, they caught him for his
suspicious movement inside the court premises. He was being
interrogated in
police custody.

Despite heavy preparation, joint forces of police of about 500 have
failed
to nab one Sumon, a suspected suicide squad member of banned JMB.

About 500 police personnel raided Dhaka College at midnight to nab
Sumon,
but failed.

Police, however, raided the Latif Hall of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute
and
arrested one youth from the campus. They also recovered Tk 40,000 from
the
possession of the arrested youth.

Traffic movement on Bagerhat-Khulna road was suspended for an hour on
Monday
night following recovery of a bomb like object from near local Circuit
House.

Patrol police of Bagerhat recovered the bomb like object.

They nabbed a suspected militant, Al Mamun, 21, from the scene. Mamun
is a
student of a madrasha in Jessore.

The extremists of banned JMB threatened to blow up Munshiganj Primary
Teachers' Training Institute (PTI). Munshiganj Sadar Police said a
person
identifying himself as a JMB cadre issued a letter and posted it from
the
Munshiganj General Post Office on Sunday.

The letter also revealed that six cadres including two women of suicide
squad were staying in PTI hostel to perform the JMB tasks.

Meanwhile, a general diary (GD) was filed with Sadar Police station in
this
connection and police and Detective agencies have been kept on alert.

C Copyright 2003 by ittefaq.com

From New Nation Online Edition

http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_23811.shtml

Front Page
Nobody will escape action if found linked with terrorism: Khaleda:
Ershad
proposes formation of national body (Turkey)
By Staff Reporter
Tue, 13 Dec 2005, 12:17:00

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday said nobody, whether inside
the
government or not, would be able to escape action, if his or her
involvement
with the militants was proved.

She said this while talking to a 16-member Jatiya Party (JP) delegation
led
by former President HM Ershad at her office.

HM Ershad, who is the Chairman of the JP, at one and half an hours
meeting
with the Prime Minister on the second day of her dialogue with
political
parties, submitted nine-point recommendations to suppress the militants
united.

Emerging out of the meeting at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO),
Ershad
told journalists that his proposals includes formation of National
Advisory
Council to Resist Terrorism with the Prime Minister as its Chairman and
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament or top leader of any opposition
party
as its Chief Coordinator. Members of the Advisory Committee should
include
representatives from all political parties, professional bodies and
civil
society. He suggested to form a high-powered Judicial Enquiry
Commission
headed by the Chief Justice to investigate whether there is any
international conspiracy behind the militants' attacks. The Judicial
Commission should be empowered to ascertain whether any component
political
parties of the ruling four-party alliance is involved with the
militants or
not, he added. Ershad recommended assigning experts committee
comprising
noted Islamic scholars to provide correct interpretation of Islam
against
misinterpretation to create psychological pressure on the militants.

He also suggested to forme a propaganda committee with the Information
Minister as its head and representatives of all media, both the print
and
electronic, as the committee members.

He said gathering of Imams should be organised at all divisional
headquarters. The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in
Parliament
and members of the National Advisory Council should address these
gatherings. Imams of all mosques across the country should deliver
Khutba
against militancy every Friday during the Juma prayers, he added.

Besides, the JP Chief suggested the government to seek cooperation from
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, UK, USA, Russia and Indonesia who have
experience in combating recent terrorism.

Replying to a question after the meeting, Ershad told reporters that
terrorism assumed a new dimension with the emergence of suicide
bombers.
This is a national problem and it has to be faced nationally.

He said, "The character of militant attacks suggested that there must
be
some direct or indirect external provocation or contact behind the
misdeeds."

He parried a question if he mentioned the alleged involvement of
Jamaat-e-Islami with the militants during his talks with the Prime
Minister.

He, however, hastened to add saying, "The militants' connection with
any
political party inside or outside the ruling four-party alliance may be
ascertained by the Judicial Enquiry Commission headed by the Chief
Justice,
which we have suggested."

Asked about the Prime Minister's response to his nine-point proposal,
Ershad
said she welcomed their suggestions saying that tough action would be
taken
against those found involved in bomb terrorism.

The JP chairman said the dialogue would be more meaningful and
everybody
would have been able to tell that the countrymen are united if the main
opposition Awami League joined the talks.

He told a questioner that the government is sincere to combat bomb
terrorism.

The former Military ruler sharply reacted when pointed out that some of
his
party leaders, particularly his younger brother GM Quader MP, are
against
joining the dialogue.

"Who is GM Kader? GM Kader is not the party; I am ..everything of the
Jatiya
Party," he said.

BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan
Bhuiyan, who assisted Prime Minister Begum Zia during the dialogue,
termed
the discussion "fruitful".

He said they (JP) have assured extending "all- out" support to the
government on this issue.

Replying to a question Mannan Bhuiyan said the government would examine
the
recommendations put forward by the JP before accepting the suggestions.

He thanked the JP for joining the dialogue and said, "This national
problem
will be faced politically, socially and administratively through
building
public unity with the cooperation of all."

The JP delegation members included its parliamentary group leader
Rauhsan
Ershad, MP, Presidium members Kazi Zafar Ahmed, MA Sattar, Tajul Islam
Chowdhury MP, Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Majibur Rahman
MP.

C Copyright 2003 by ittefaq.com

http://newsbusters.org/node/3206

"CBS Evening News" Leads With "Inspirational" Al Qaeda Video

Posted by Noel Sheppard on December 13, 2005 - 21:51.

Election Day approaches in Iraq, the "CBS Evening News" tonight chose to lead with an al Qaeda video (video link to follow) that showed masked gunmen executing Iraqi police recruits in the middle of the day, as well as two Iraqi women pleading for their lives before being shot.

Correspondent Lara Logan interviewed Michael Ware, a western journalist who is so well connected in this part of the world that he is regularly given such videos.

During the interview, Ware suggested that this particular tape was "an inspirational video" that aids "recruitment" and acts as a "fund-raising device."

Ware then interviewed a Ba'athist "insurgent" who used to be a top-ranking military official under Saddam. At the conclusion of this interview, Logan chided the Bush administration for not using this man's services: "Ironically, this insurgent commander is exactly the type of military leader that the U.S. once turned away, but is now reaching out to, hoping to lure them back into the Iraqi army that's desperately short of experienced leaders."

Logan concluded her segment: "And, you know, these are the kind of people that have a vision for Iraq, which is very much in line with the U.S. vision as secular democratic country. And they're exactly the kind of people that the U.S. needs if they're going to hold Iraq together."

It appears in Logan's view that America needs more terrorists working for it to be successful in this war.

What follows is a full transcript of this segment, along with a video link.

Bob Schieffer: Most Iraqis will vote Thursday, but the absentees-- Iraqis who live in the United States and 14 other countries-- cast their ballots today without incident. If all goes as expected on Thursday, millions more who live in Iraq will vote there. That's the good news. But in Iraq, no day passes without bad news. Four more American soldiers were killed by a bomb near Baghdad. And as our Lara Logan reports, in this complicated place nothing, especially an election, comes easy.

Lara Logan: The election has dominated Iraqi TV, glossy campaign ads offering a better future. But today, this shocking Internet video released by al Qaeda showed a very different image of Iraq-- masked gunmen executing police recruits in broad daylight, Mafia style. One man tries to escape, but is pursued and brutally shot before the gunman returns to make sure the others are dead.

Michael Ware: This has all the hallmarks of, on its face, a legitimate Zarqawi insurgent video.

Logan: What's their intent, do you think, when they release a video like that?

Ware: Firstly, it's to strike terror. But it also serves many other purposes, among them are recruitment aims. This is an inspirational video. It's also a fund-raising device.

Logan: Michael Ware is the only western journalist in regular contact with insurgents and in three years, they've given him hundreds of videos. That's how he can tell this video showing two Iraqi women hostages is more likely the work of groups seeking to exploit the current chaos in Iraq, than members of an organized terrorist group. The women are seen here pleading for their lives moments before being executed.

Ware: This is essentially a snuff video on one level, but by the same token, this also works to intimidate or to establish a sense of power amongst those who have perpetrated this for whatever reason.

(continued at link)

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1179062.ece

Militants will try to hit Scandinavia

A top Norwegian authority says that Islamist militants are operating in
the
Nordic countries, exploiting their open, liberal societies and will
sooner
or later launch an attack in Scandinavia.

"It's only a matter of time before we have a terrorist attack in
Scandinavia; in Norway or Denmark or Sweden," Jørn Holme, head of the
Police
Security Service (PST), Norway's domestic intelligence service, told
Reuters.

Al Qaeda named Norway as a potential target, alongside the United
States,
Britain, Australia and other countries, in 2003.

Norway, the world's third largest oil exporter, is a member of NATO and
has
troops and fighter jets in Afghanistan but did not back the US-led
invasion
of Iraq. In 1993 Norway brokered a peace deal between the Palestinians
and
Israel.

Extremists have previously planted members in Norway to help plan bomb
attacks in Europe, Holme said during an interview at the PST's
headquarters
in Oslo.

"If our integration policy is not good enough, we will have home-made
networks. It is very important that our politicians are aware of this,"
Holme said.

Scandinavia's reputation for liberalism and equality also attracts
Muslim
radicals who may view the Nordics as a safe, soft option, he said,
adding
that this reputation must change.

He described as incredible Norway's inability to expel an Iraqi Kurdish
mullah who has links with extremist groups and whom the government has
called a security risk.

An expulsion order against Mullah Krekar, former head of the radical
Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, was originally issued in 2003 but he is
still
in Norway, taking advantage of a law forbidding the expulsion of anyone
to a
country where they might risk the death penalty.

"We need a more active system for handling these immigrant issues when
the
government has declared this person is a threat against our country,"
Holme
said. "We should be able to say 'goodbye' without this long process."

But he stressed that police powers had to strike a balance with
Norway's
tradition of human rights.

"Its very important that our methods and needs are based around the
human
rights standards," he said.

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