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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1533254/posts

Triangle of death: Philanthropist island crash fourth this year
Boston Herald ^ | December 3, 2005 | Casey Ross

Posted on 12/03/2005 5:00:37 AM PST by billorites

A prominent New York philanthropist whose family built the Harvard School of Business is presumed dead in frigid waters off Nantucket after his private plane disappeared from radar and was not found during a frantic 19-hour search, authorities said.

George Baker III, 66, was flying to meet his wife at their Nantucket home Thursday evening when air traffic controllers lost contact with his plane about 2 1/2 miles from the island’s landing strip.

Baker is the latest victim of several mysterious crashes in and around Cape Cod and the Islands in recent years. Three other small planes have crashed in the region this year alone.

U.S. Coast Guard officials called off their search for Baker about 1:10 p.m. yesterday after finding no sign of him or his plane.

Baker “was a remarkable man and this is a great tragedy,” said Donella Rapier, vice president of alumni affairs and development for Harvard University. “He was very generous with his time and his advice. This is very sad news.”

Nantucket police found a First Aid kit, a bottle of aviation lubricant and a couple pieces of plastic near Nobadeer Beach, but no other debris was immediately discovered. Police planned to resume their search today.

Baker, whose great-grandfather donated $5 million to help build the Harvard School of Business in 1924, was retired from a New York investment firm he co-founded and was working as senior trustee for the George F. Baker Trust.

Baker’s family was gathered at their Nantucket home yesterday while Coast Guard officials continued a fruitless search off the island’s southern coast. A man who identified himself as Baker’s son said the family did not wish to comment.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Baker, who had nearly 40 years experience as a pilot, was flying at 200 feet about 2miles from the airport when contact with his airplane was lost. There were no severe weather problems reported in the area and Baker never indicated he was in distress.

News of Baker’s apparent death yesterday devastated friends and academic associates at Harvard University, where a library and the the graduate school of business administration are named after his great-grandfather, who founded the First National Bank of New York that would become a cornerstone of Citibank.

“He was a very generous donor and a good friend of the business school and of the last three deans,” Harvard spokesman Jim Aisner said.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1533304/posts

Win contest, fire missiles at U.S. base
Intelligence Summit 2006 ^

Posted on 12/03/2005 7:08:56 AM PST by Alex Marko

Information bureau of Sunni terrorist organization operating in Iraq announces website designers contest. First prize: Opportunity to fire three long-range missiles from any location in the world at U.S. army base in Iraq

Announcements posted on the Islamist Internet forums are usually connected to ongoing terrorist activities, such as claims of responsibility for attacks, recorded speeches by leaders, etc. Occasionally, there are also announcements of a propagandist nature that are difficult to attribute with any certainty to specific terrorist organizations, and whose authenticity is hard to establish, such as the "oath of loyalty to bin Laden" initiative.

However, a new announcement published in one of the Islamic websites was particularly creative.

A special document published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) presents an announcement published by the information bureau of Jaish Al-Taifa Al-Mansura ("The Army of the Victorious Group"), a Sunni terrorist organization operating in Iraq.

Online Terror

Pledging allegiance to Bin Laden online / Roee Nahmias Islamic Internet forums publish declaration on opening month-long signing of oath of loyalty to Bin Laden, al-Qaeda elite on Internet

The organization announced a contest for designing its website, and stated that the prize would be, in addition to reward from Allah, an opportunity to fire missiles via computer at a U.S. army base in Iraq.

The following are excerpts from the announcement:

"To the brothers who seek reward (from Allah) and to the honorable people (who visit) the forums of the blessed Al-Hesbah network and of the Global Islamic Media Front:

"The information bureau of the Army of the Victorious Group has announced a contest for designing and constructing a special website for the Army.

"The site must include the motto of the Army of the Victorious Group, the Army's ideology, as posted on the Al-Hesbah network, and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad about the victorious group, communiqués issued by the Army that have been posted on the Al-Hesbah network, and videos of the Army's operations that have been posted on the Al-Hesbah network.

"In addition, the site must include all materials connected to the Army that have appeared on Al-Hesbah, in newspapers or elsewhere. (The site) must match the good reputation of the Army, of jihad and of the jihad fighters, and (it must) defeat the Crusader information (channels)."

'Winner will fire three long-range missiles'

Surprisingly, this is not a normal bid. According to the announcement, "the contest will continue for a month, and there will be two prizes for the best design."

The first prize is "a reward from Allah for blessed work in the service of jihad and the jihad fighters." As a second reward, "the winner will fire three long-range missiles from any location in the world at an American army base in Iraq, by pressing a button (on his computer) with his own blessed hand, using technology developed by the jihad fighters, Allah willing."

According to the announcement, the geographical distance should not prevent anyone from taking part in the contest.

"This is also an opportunity for our brothers outside Iraq to join their brothers on the front line in Iraq, the land of the frontier and of jihad, and to (participate in) destroying the strongholds of polytheism and heresy," the announcement said.

December 3, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News

(Pakistan) Top al-Qaida officer reportedly killed
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10303175/
Hamza Rabia, the operational commander of al-Qaida and a top-five
official in the terrorist organization was killed early Thursday by a CIA
missile attack on a safehouse in Pakistan

Bomb Kills Afghan Politician, Two Police Officers
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177581,00.html

US, Iraqi Forces Capture 18 Suspected Terrorists
http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-12-03-voa11.cfm

97 held over Bangladesh bombings
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/12/03/bangladesh.arrests/index.html

Canada: Police stop truck carrying anti-aircraft missiles
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3178421,00.html
Police pulled over a tractor-trailer loaded with anti-aircraft missiles
on an Ontario highway Friday driving in the direction of Toronto
international airport.

Italians reiterate Olympics could be terrorist target
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051202.wturin/BNStory/International/

(Spain) Terrorist sleeper cells 'waiting for order to attack'
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=25865&name=Terrorist+sleeper+cells+%27waiting+for+order+to+attack%27+

Security forces believe that there are two Islamic cells in Spain
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_1149.shtml

Iraqi soldiers killed in ambush
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4494886.stm

Reports: Russia Agrees to Sell Missiles to Iran
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177539,00.html

Fla. Investigators: KKK Behind 1951 Blast
http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/C/CIVIL_RIGHTS_BOMBING?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME

(NYC) Court upholds bag searches on subways
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/371188p-315776c.html

A Statement about the Arrest of Sheikh Abu Musab al-Suri and a Message
from al-Suri Calling Upon Sleeper Cells to Awaken and Attack Britain,
Italy, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Australia, Japan, and
Especially France
http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications125505&Category=publications&Subcategory=0

Intelligence chief: U.S. safer since 9/11
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/02/negroponte/index.html
Negroponte rejects criticism that reform is moving too slowly

(Connecticut) Deadline passes for courthouse bombs
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/02/courthouse.evacuation.ap/index.html
Search for explosives continue; 2 p.m. passes with no blasts

(Iraq) 10 Marines killed near Falluja
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/02/iraq.main/index.html

(Belgium) Justice Palace evacuated in bomb scare
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=24&story_id=25864&name=Justice+Palace+evacuated+in+bomb+scare+

(Australia) Muslim leaders 'alienate' youth
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17447292%255E1702,00.html

US clergymen met with Hizbullah
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132475672176&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Also:

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-12\
-02T222508Z_01_KNE280679_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-HEZBOLLAH.xml

http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nl/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=312458&content_id={FA5B52D5-BF25-4CCE-BBB1-28F1F2A8742F&notoc=1

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/opinion/archive/s_397997.html

Egypt Islamists fail to win seats
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4493684.stm

Belgium says France endangered terror raid
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/02/news/belgium.php
Belgian officials accuse France of endangering anti-terror operation by
disclosing that suicide bomber in Iraq was Belgian woman

Indonesian militants building base for attacks in Philippines
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/dec/02/yehey/top_stories/20051202top6.html
Two JI leaders cut ties with group and established base in southern
Philippines to attack both countries, according to captured Indonesian
militant

9/11 Panel: U.S. Failing on Security Reform
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051202/ap_on_re_us/sept11_commission_1
Not enough to stop nuclear proliferation, give emergency first
responders adequate communications systems, and ensure that homeland security
grants going to most high-risk communities

EU Ministers Want Terrorism Data Retained
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1367361&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
European justice and interior ministers agree to require telecom
companies to retain records of phone call and e-mails for at least 6 months

French Supreme Court ruling against Abdullah Taha Bakhsh
http://jcb.blogs.com/jcb_blog/2005/12/french_supreme_.html
Jean Charles Brisard blog entry on French court decision dismissing
defamation suit

Kidnappers Threaten to Kill Iraq Activists
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_hostages;_ylt=Au.6nsarFLDJUkSUBkQlEE2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

No major al-Qaida ability seen in U.S.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/13313536.htm
U.S. counterterrorism agencies have not detected significant al-Qaida
operational capability in U.S. since 2003 arrest of truck driver
plotting to destroy Brooklyn Bridge

Ex-CIA allies leading Afghan fight vs. G.I.s
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/370919p-315525c.html
Two former CIA allies in Afghanistan now warlords responsible for
killing U.S. troops

Ramadi Operation Launched to Disrupt Terror Group
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051202_3516.html
DOD press release: 200 Iraqi soldiers and 300 U.S. Marines launch
Operation Shank in Ramadi - details of other operations included in release

Sept. 11 Families, Others Oppose Sharp Objects on Planes
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177410,00.html

Senate mulls chemical plant regulations
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Chemical_Security_Threat.html
Under draft Senate plan, chemical plants that fail to create, update
and submit security plans could be shut down by Homeland Security
Department

UN imposes asset (freeze) on arms dealers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051201/wl_nm/arms_un_liberia_dc_3
U.N. Security Council committee called for freeze on assets and travel
of 2 individuals linked to Victor Bout - see Douglas Farah's numerous
posts on this issue

Defining terrorism (column)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20051201-081529-9101r.htm
"More than a language barrier separates the Western and Islamic
definitions of terrorism, and no amount of happy talk about 'inclusion' or
conferences about 'cooperation' changes that."

New US-Iraqi operation launched in Ramadi
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/December/focusoniraq_December7.xml§ion=focusoniraq