Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Thirty-Five

[nwctwx]

Unrest in Pakistan Setback for Terror War
(Full Story)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A week of unprecedented urban fighting in the wild tribal belt of North Waziristan has left scores dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, raising the stakes in Pakistan's war on Islamic militancy along the Afghan border.

A jumbled alliance of foreign militants, local tribesmen and Islamic students eager for jihad have stepped up resistance in a region where the army already claims to have wiped out al-Qaida as a viable fighting force.

The unrest, brewing for months, is a setback to the U.S.-led war on terror. Further hampering that effort are deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan over Afghan claims that Taliban leader Mullah Omar is hiding in Pakistan and suicide bombers are training here.

	Growing strength of Pakistani Taliban worries U.S. officials
	Are global events spiraling out of control?
	Zawahri calls for strikes against West

Thread Thirty-Five

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[JustPiper]

FBI raids Project Trojans gang; nine arrested

RICHMOND -- Scores of FBI agents and local police arrested nine alleged members of the notorious Project Trojans street gang during simultaneous raids of 14 homes throughout Contra Costa County today, part of a concerted effort to cripple the gang.

The Project Trojans have controlled much of the drug trafficking within North Richmond for decades and been the source -- directly or indirectly -- for much of the violence plaguing the community.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/14/MNG8DHNVSQ10.DTL

[Cindy]

Thank you JP for the info.

OPINION: I'm sure with all those "peace" "for all peoples" there; there will be no problems at all.

NOTE: OUR FAMILY SUPPORTS THE TROOPS AND THEIR MISSION. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[JustPiper]

Dead Al-Qaeda chief threatens US

From correspondents in Paris

March 16, 2006

THE late head of the Saudi branch of Al-Qaeda, killed in February, has warned the Americans to leave the Arab peninsula and threatened Saudi officials, in a video aired online.

"I say to Americans; leave the peninsula of Mohammed... Get out of all the Muslim territories. Stop supporting the Jews in Palestine. Otherwise you will only know death, destruction and explosions," Fahd bin Faraj al-Joweir said in a posthumous message posted today by the "Organisation of al-Qaeda in the Arab peninsula".

Joweir was among five militants killed in a shootout in Riyadh in late February.

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18487528-5001028,00.html

[JustPiper]

Suspicious documents, books found in terror suspects' home, FBI says

SACRAMENTO Testimony at a terrorism-related trial in Sacramento reveals that the F-B-I seized what it believes to be suspicious documents and records when it searched the Lodi home of a father and son.

Agents searched the home two days after Hamid Hayat and his father, Umer, were arrested.

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4636839&nav=9qrx
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LOUISIANA - Suspicious smell evacuates downtown building

"25 people that had respiratory distress and some had burning eyes"

Business at 1639 Ryan Street was anything but usual Thursday morning. A suspicious odor, first thought to be natural gas, forced several businesses inside the building to evacuate, one of which was a daycare.

http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4641520&nav=0nqx
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OHIO - Hundreds Of Explosive Devices Found In Ohio County

The raid happened at the home of Tom Crisswell in Clearview and what Ohio County Deputy Nelson Croft found can done some major damage. The Sheriff's Department founded boxes of small dynamite sticks filled with a black powder alternative and smokeless pistol powder. Croft says Criswell was allegedly selling these explosives out of his home. Croft says they took 210 completed devices, with the ingredients to make at least 300 more. The Sheriff''s Department was given a tip and they called in the state police bomb squad.Croft says Criswell is expected to be arrested later today on felony charges and there are children involved. Criswell could face between 1 to 10 years in prison if convicted of the charges.

http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=9390

[WestCoastGal]

"Investigators determined the men were Mexicans visiting Chicago and were not involved in terrorist activity"

Just doing the photography of buildings with bogus licenses that Americans won't do I guess.

[JustPiper]

ARIZONA - Truck in DM crash had gun, powder

"handgun and a small amount of a "white, powdery substance" were found in the truck that slammed into a security barrier at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base"

The driver was identified as Fidel Antonio Lopez-Sanchez, 28, who has no local address, Tucson police Sgt. Tim Robinson said. The passenger was Saul Cazares Carrillo, 24, of the 16000 block of West Greenwald Avenue on the far Southwest Side, Robinson said.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local/031606a7_gatecrashersfolo
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Virology lab evacuated after alarm

The all-clear has been given at the federal virology lab in Winnipeg after an alarm forced the evacuation of most of the building Wednesday morning.

The alarm at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health went off shortly before 10 a.m., around the same time most of the city experienced a momentary power surge.

http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/story/mb_virology-20060315.html
________________________________________________________

OHIO - FBI Now Involved With Propane Tank Investigation

"Police continue to search for suspects involved in putting propane tanks on the city's railroad tracks. This, after a sinilar incident happened just last Sunday."

Federal officials are now assisting Strom Lake, Iowa police in a two year investigation. Police continue ot search for suspects involved in putting propane tanks on the city's railroad tracks. This, after a sinilar incident happened just last Sunday.

It first happened in October 2004 and then again last March. Someone placed a propane tank on the railroad tracks in Storm Lake. Both incidents caused explosions near the Hudson Street crossing when a train struck the tank.

http://www.ktiv.com/News/NewsDetail64.cfm?Id=26,10365

[Donna Lee Nardo]

It's ludricrous!

[Palladin]

I do worry about the Sears Tower. That had been one of the targets for 9-11, but for various reasons, the terrorists failed in that part of the mission. Now, it sticks in their craw whenever they fail--like the first attempt on the Trade Towers. So they go back again.

It's been 4 1/2 years since they failed with the Sears Tower. It takes them about five years to re-do a plan.
So, the Chicago Loop is due.

I hope Homeland Security is revving up all their preventive measures in that area, including wiretapping, WITH or WITHOUT a warrant!

(The other reason I worry is that I have a son who works in The Loop area.)

[Cindy]

That's great JP.
Thanks for the ping.

[Cindy]

OPINION: Thanks JP.

It's sad to know that anyone is in Hell.
I really don't know if threats from Hell carry
any weight with Satan.

However, you never know what he set in
motion with his threats while he was alive.

[JustPiper]

I don't often recommend movies, for whoever has already seen this you'll understand why it is a movie all americans should see, to know we were and are wanted in Iraq!

Turtles Can Fly

BY ROGER EBERT / April 14, 2005

I wish everyone who has an opinion on the war in Iraq could see "Turtles Can Fly." That would mean everyone in the White House and in Congress, and the newspaper writers, and the TV pundits, and the radio talkers, and you -- especially you, because you are reading this and they are not.

You assume the movie is a liberal attack on George W. Bush's policies. Not at all. The action takes place just before the American invasion begins, and the characters in it look forward to the invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein. Nor does the movie later betray an opinion one way or the other about the war. It is about the actual lives of refugees, who lack the luxury of opinions because they are preoccupied with staying alive in a world that has no place for them.

good review!

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050414/REVIEWS/50324002/1023
_______________________________________________________

Turtles Can Fly (Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand in Persian and Kûsî jî dikarin bifirin in Kurdish) is a 2004 film written and directed by Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi. It is the first film to be made in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_Can_Fly
______________________________________________________

[JustPiper]

I'll ask the angels to guard your son Palladin, I also have a sister who works down there, I avoid downtown, always have

[Cindy]

http://www.memri.org/egypt.html

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=egypt&ID=SP111606

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1116
March 17, 2006 No.1116

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Egyptian Performer Sha'ban Abd Al-Rahim Sings Against Denmark: ‘When You All Meet in Hell, the Flames Will Burn Your Faces’
Egyptian singer 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rahim first made headlines with his pre-9/11 hit, "I Hate Israel, I Love Amr Moussa." He followed up with an album featuring the song "Hey People, It Was Only a Tower and I Swear by God that They [the U.S.] Are the Ones Who Pulled it Down." [1]

The following are excerpts from a March 1, 2006 Dream2 TV interview with Al-Rahim that featured two new songs - one against Denmark and the other on the avian flu.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1073 "

[JustPiper]

Eight Hospitalized After Powder Scare
Official says substance was cleaning agent; FBI, other agencies respond

CONNECTICUT

Federal, state and regional agencies responded Thursday to an incident that unfolded in Groton and Waterford and sent eight people to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital after they were exposed to a chemical that a hospital spokesman said turned out to be a cleaning agent.

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=a52538a4-5018-421d-8f23-710289782d69
______________________________________________________

Thief drives off with truck - and tracking device, FBI says

MISSOURI

A thief who stole a tractor-trailer truck loaded with $4.8 million worth of cell phones last month also stole a piece of high technology he did not anticipate, police said.

The trailer was fitted with an electronic tracking device that let investigators zero in on its location.

The case came to light Thursday with the indictment of Jose Perez-Garcia, 34, of Memphis, in U.S. District Court at St. Louis on a theft-related charge.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/8CDD20AF5A4058C186257134001D4380?OpenDocument

[JustPiper]

NKorea warns Seoul of 'nuclear war' over US-led WMD drill

SEOUL (AFX) - North Korea warned South Korea against sparking a 'nuclear war' by joining a US-led international drill aimed at intercepting weapons of mass destruction, state media reported.

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2006/02/12/afx2519115.html
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Afghan police arrest men with letters from Al Qaeda, Taleban leaders

JALALABAD, Afghanistan - Afghan police said they arrested Thursday two suspected Taleban insurgents carrying letters from the movement’s fugitive leader and Al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2006/March/subcontinent_March611.xml&section=subcontinent&col
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Bomb threat leads to rail delays in Zurich

Police have cordoned off a railway station in the city centre of Zurich, Switzerland, after the Swiss Federal Railways received an anonymous bomb threat, Swiss Radio International reported Wednesday.

The police said a suspicious looking man with a backpack was seen exiting the rail tunnel at the Stadelhofen station.

According to the police, the man was spotted shortly after the Federal Railways received a written message saying a bomb had been placed at the station.

"The station has been cordoned off and railway services have been suspended," said Erich Maag, spokesman for the Zurich city police.

The Railways said seven commuter lines had been affected, leading to massive delays.

Commuters have been advised to use trams and buses put into service to replace the trains.

http://english.people.com.cn/200603/16/eng20060316_250927.html

[Cindy]

http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=415&issue_id=3654&article_id=2370873

Volume 6, Issue 6 (March 15, 2006) | Download PDF Version

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

"THEATER BALLISTIC MISSILES AND CHINA’S DOCTRINE OF "ACTIVE DEFENSE""
By Martin Andrew


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The current corps restructuring envisages the A-100 multiple rocket launcher and twelve DF-15D theater ballistic missiles in two different battalions as the primary organic deep strike weapons systems. There is a range mismatch, however, between the A-100, with its maximum range of 120 kilometers, and the 600km range DF-15D [1]. This creates a significant command-and-control challenge, as the A-100 is the longest-range weapon that PLA corps commander can use without central authority. Theater ballistic missiles still come under control of the Second Artillery Force, as a recent exercise evaluating the structure of the new corps structure in Xinjiang has revealed (PLA Pictorial, April 1, 2005). Permission to use the DF-15 theater ballistic missile thus needs to be accessed from the Second Artillery Force. Time-critical targets could be missed during the process of acquiring authorization. (Contrast this with a U.S. Army corps commander, or a delegated officer, who can order the launch of an ATACMS ballistic missile which depending on the variant has a maximum range between 128km and 300 kilometers [2].)

China has recently developed the B611 Zhenmu tactical missile system, which better fits the needs of its new corps (Kanwa Defense Review, December 1, 2004). With a range of 150km and equipped with cluster or high explosive warheads, it enables a corps commander to strike deep without having to request longer range weapons from the Second Artillery Force. The launch vehicle uses a North-Benz 8x8 Type 2629 chassis and is equipped with twin canister launched missiles, which after firing can be quickly replaced. This would enable the corps commander to have command-and-control of deep strike assets that would not be available if a new short-range ballistic missile system is not procured.

Deployment

The missile forces in Fujian are seen as a key piece in China’s forces against Taiwan, both as a show of force and a first strike weapon in the event Taiwan declares independence. U.S. estimates currently state that over 700 CSS-6 (DF-15) and CSS-7 ballistic missiles face Taiwan, with 100 being added every year (Office of the Secretary of Defense, Annual Report to Congress: The Military Power of the People’s Republic of China, 2005). They are seen as leverage in thwarting Taiwan’s democratic ambitions, as well as providing a first strike capability. They are, however, causing Taiwan to arm itself with BMD sensors and systems, as well as Japan (which also is forced to guard against North Korea)."

[JustPiper]

FACTBOX-Developments in Iraq, March 17

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ANW740987.htm

[JustPiper]

Hayats' attorneys given reports about FBI informant

[Updated: 11:55 p.m. Thursday] Prosecutors on Thursday turned over to defense attorneys four FBI reports that apparently reflect agents' interviews of Naseem Khan, the government's key witness in the trials of two Lodi men on terrorist-related charges.
Khan's name does not appear in the heavily redacted reports, but Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Robert Tice-Raskin said in court Thursday they are related to Khan.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/breakingnews/story/14231367p-15053875c.html

[Cindy]

http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=415&issue_id=3654&article_id=2370872

CHINA BRIEF
Volume 6, Issue 6 (March 15, 2006) | Download PDF Version

"PRAGMATISM OVER IDEOLOGY: CHINA’S RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA"
By William Ratliff

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The incessant barrage of threats and counter-threats hurtling between Washington and Caracas is the background, sometimes the foreground, of Sino-Venezuelan relations. Simply put, if U.S. ties to Venezuela were friendly, Beijing would have little to do in this oil-rich state that exports 60 percent of its output to its northern neighbor. Yet, Washington has been suspicious of Hugo Chavez since his election as president during the Clinton administration and relations have nosedived under the current presidency of George W. Bush. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called in mid-February for an “inoculation” strategy to neutralize Chavez (Reuters, February 17). Meanwhile, Chavez insists that the U.S. plans to invade Venezuela and uses his enormous oil slush fund to press for Latin independence from Washington. Enter China, searching for oil."

[Godzilla]

Thanks, summary coming out later this afternoon/evening.