Threat Matrix: October 2006

THANKS Burbankkarl.

Let's see if there is an update yet.

Note really a lot of info.
UPDATEDS APPRECIATED.

I used to go to Salinas quite a bit in my life.
Relatives (now deceased) in that area.

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ON THE NET...

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/15676445.htm

Posted on Wed, Oct. 04, 2006

"FBI searches spinach companies in Calif."
LISA LEFF
Associated Press

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "SAN FRANCISCO - The FBI searched two spinach packaging companies Wednesday for evidence in the nationwide E. coli outbreak that sickened 192 people.

Agents from the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration used warrants to search the San Juan Bautista plant of Natural Selection Foods LLC and a Growers Express plant in Salinas to determine whether they followed food safety procedures."

261 posted on 10/04/2006 12:50:39 PM PDT by Cindy

262 posted on 10/04/2006 12:59:25 PM PDT by Cindy

To: JohnathanRGalt; backhoe; All

263 posted on 10/04/2006 1:10:35 PM PDT by Cindy

The FBI arrested Reynolds in December after authorities said he tried to meet a purported al-Qaida contact in a sting operation about 25 miles from a motel in Pocatello, Idaho, where he had been staying.

Pocatello has a very large FBI office. The local law enforcement in the area is also top notch. To borrow a favorite Bushism...Reynolds misunderestimated the capability of law enforcement in a small town.

264 posted on 10/04/2006 1:17:52 PM PDT by Myrddin

To: All; Cindy; callmejoe; Godzilla; Velveeta; MamaDearest; StillProud2BeFree

Al-Qaeda's Top Ideologues Release New Statements on the Global Jihad
By: Michael Scheuer

The past week produced messages from the new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, who uses the name Abu Hamza al-Muhajir and may be an Egyptian by the name of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, and al-Qaeda deputy chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. While there is nothing startlingly new in either message, both provide occasions for examining al-Qaeda's ability to stay on message, to learn from and try to redress serious errors and to deploy Islamic history and tradition in support of its case for a "defensive jihad" against the United States and its allies. Al-Muhajir was first out of the box on September 28 with a statement that again focused on al-Qaeda's efforts to mend its virulently anti-Shiite reputation in Iraq, as well as to solidify what apparently had become a shaky relationship between the group and Sunni tribal leaders in Iraq. Al-Muhajir's message appears to be a continuation of the effort he has made—and to which Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri have publicly contributed—to clearly distinguish among Shiites, between those who are supporting the coalition-backed Iraqi government and those who are neutral toward it or actively resisting it. He used the opening of the holy month of Ramadan to reassure the latter of al-Qaeda's willingness to live and let live, while offering the former a chance to repent, join the resistance and save their lives, but only if they do so before the end of Ramadan. (NB: This offer presumably also applies to Sunnis working for the regime.)

"I say to those traitors in this blessed month, the month of pardon and forgiveness," al-Muhajir wrote, "that we are declaring a general pardon for all of them, forgiving them for our blood that was spilled by your hands and your treachery. We welcome you once again. Return to your religion and homeland before we defeat you, and you will have peace and security. We will not touch you but with kindness. You must first declare your sincere repentance in front of your tribes and families and inform us by whatever means, lest we make a mistake [and kill you]. You should put your hands in the hands of your brothers and sons, the mujahideen, for peace and security to return to our homes and expel the invader and to expel the occupier from our midst in this blessed month" [1].

Al-Muhajir also took another step toward undoing some of the anti-al-Qaeda alienation Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had created in Iraq's Sunni community. Knowledge of those al-Zarqawi-created difficulties was boosted last week when West Point's Combating Terrorism Center released a December 2005 letter from al-Qaeda's headquarters in South Asia in which al-Zarqawi was warned that his approach to the war contained "negatives…things that are perilous and ruinous." The letter was signed by a senior al-Qaeda leader—believed to be a Libyan named Atiyah Abd al-Rahman—and included a judgment that al-Zarqawi might have to step down as chief in Iraq "if you find at some point someone who is better and more suitable than you" [2].

In his statement, al-Muhajir seemed to be trying to redress al-Zarqawi's failure to abide by an order contained in al-Rahman's letter; al-Rahman had written that al-Zarqawi was not to "to kill any religious scholar or tribal leader who is obeyed, and of good repute in Iraq from among the Sunnis, no matter what" [3]. (NB: There have been a number of such killings in Sunni-dominated al-Anbar Province since al-Rahman's letter was written.) Al-Muhajir confronted this issue directly on September 28, and strongly implied that the success of al-Qaeda in Iraq and, indeed, that of all the Iraqi resistance depended on the leadership of tribal elders. "My second message is to those who sacrificed greatly, and endured pressures of which only God knows," al-Muhajir said [4]. "To the tribal leaders who supported and stood by us in secret and in public, provided us with men and money, I say: May God reward you well. You are the people of chivalry, generosity, bravery and fearlessness. If one with knowledge and status swore that the most generous people among the people of the earth are the Iraqi people, I do not think he would be lying. The day will come upon you, o most noble sheikhs, when we will place you on our shoulders, nay on our heads, and say to the masses: These are our fathers, we challenge you to find their likes…"

On the heels of al-Muhajir's message, Ayman al-Zawahiri released a statement on September 29 entitled "Bush, Pope of the Vatican, Darfur and the Crusader Wars." Also taking advantage of the holy month of Ramadan, al-Zawahiri adroitly used his message to speak to the long historical memory of Muslims. Interestingly, al-Zawahiri directed his discussion of Pope Benedict's recent remarks about Islam—quoting the negative views of a Byzantine emperor—directly to his Muslim audience; the video ceased providing English subtitles when the subject turned to the Pope's words.

Al-Zawahiri took two traditional avenues in attacking the Pope's comments. He first dismissed any claims that Islam was in any way lacking in reason because it included the duty of jihad. Al-Zawahiri claimed that the reverse was true. Catholicism's claims to being a reason-based, monotheistic religion "cannot be accepted by a sound mind because it includes superstitions like the trinity, the crucifixion, redemption, the original sin, the infallibility of the Pope and the church's forgiveness of sins" [5]. This is the traditional Islamic scholar's condemnation of Catholicism and Christianity, and al-Zawahiri completed it by citing the revelatory nature of the Quran, and reminding the Pope that "the book he deems holy [the Bible] does not have an authentic source and did not descend upon Jesus [as did the Quran upon Muhammad], peace be upon him. Rather it is about what was written about Jesus, peace be upon him..."

Having pointed out the sharp differences between Catholicism and Islam—and having offered the Pope and all Christians a chance to convert—al-Zawahiri launched an attack on the "charlatan Pope," indicting him as one "who blasphemed God and insulted the reverend Prophet [Muhammad], peace and prayers be upon him..." Seeking to place the Pope's remarks in the context of perpetual assaults by Christendom on Islam, al-Zawahiri explained that the Pope's "insolence" follows in the wake of imprisoned and mistreated Muslim prisoners, the caricatures of the Prophet, Salman Rushdie's book and France's ban on the headscarf for Muslim women. The Pope's words, al-Zawahiri concluded, are clearly part of the medieval Catholic crusades that have been renewed in the form of the "crusader U.S. campaign against Islam and Muslims."

"The [talk of the] charlatan Benedict XVI reminds us of the speech delivered by his predecessor Pope Urban II in Claremont in France, in which he instigated the people of Europe to fight Muslims and wage crusade wars because the pagan Muslims, the enemies of Christians, as he claimed, desecrate the grave of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him," al-Zawahiri said. "He [Urban II] deliberately lied to the mob of the West and ignored crystal-clear facts; namely, that Muslims are not pagan and eradicated paganism wherever they go…He also ignored the fact that Muslims cannot be the enemies of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, because they believe in his prophecy and consider him an apostle messenger of inflexible purpose…"

He continues, arguing that "the result of this charlatanism [by Urban II] was crusade wars that lasted for about two centuries and ended with the utter defeat of the crusader West. Benedict XVI fabricated lies against us, but we respond to this insult by benevolence, inviting him and all Christians to Islam...However, if they insist on their failed crusade war, let them have the same fate of Urban II and those who obeyed him and believed his lies" [6].

This review of the statements by al-Muhajir and al-Zawahiri are not exhaustive; topics such as Darfur, the role of clerics in jihad, the West's imprisonment of Muslim scholars and the Afghan and Iraq wars were also discussed. The issues covered above, however, are all central parts of the doctrine al-Qaeda has developed for trying to enroll the Muslim masses in the war against the United States and its allies: publicly admit and study your mistakes, and try to rectify them using Islamic themes; never forget the centrality of religion to the war and its unique ability to push your agenda forward and to help repair errors; and, in public statements, never forget the resonance and mobilizing power of Islam and Islamic history among Muslims. In their remarks, al-Muhajir and al-Zawahiri validated a point recently made by Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of al-Quds al-Arabi. "People in the West do not often fully understand the deep connection many Muslims feel with their past," Atwan said [7]. "After centuries of decline, they view bin Laden as having brought hope and dignity back to a people under a shadow of humiliation and exploitation, and having squared up to the bullies of the West."

Michael Scheuer served as the Chief of the bin Laden Unit at the CIA's Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999. He is now a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation.

Notes

1. Statement by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, September 28, 2006.
2. Washington Post, October 2, 2006.
3. Ibid.
4. Statement by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, September 28, 2006.
5. Ayman al-Zawahiri, "Bush, Pope of the Vatican, Darfur and the Crusader Wars," September 29, 2006.
6. Ibid.
7. Abdel Bari Atwan, "The Secret History of al-Qaeda," Los Angeles: University of Californian Press: 2006, pp. 40 and 66.

265 posted on 10/04/2006 1:19:43 PM PDT by nwctwx (Everything I need to know, I learned on the Threat Matrix)

"misunderestimated"

Smiling...

YEP.

266 posted on 10/04/2006 1:30:31 PM PDT by Cindy

267 posted on 10/04/2006 1:40:03 PM PDT by Cindy

To: Jet Jaguar; Old Sarge; backhoe; piasa; Godzilla; nwctwx; All

http://billroggio.com/archives/2006/10/afghan_suicide_bombe.php

"Afghan Suicide Bombers Directly Linked to Pakistani Camps"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Pakistan's tribal agencies churn out suicide bombers for the Afghan insurgency and beyond, and western Pakistan continues to devolve into a terror safe haven"

268 posted on 10/04/2006 1:43:19 PM PDT by Cindy

To: All; Cindy; callmejoe; Godzilla; ExSoldier; JellyJam; Donna Lee Nardo; freeperfromnj; ...

Baghdad bomb kills 14 as blasts reach peak

The attack came as the U.S. military reported that roadside bombings in Baghdad were "at an all-time high" and that more car bombs had been defused or detonated in the capital in the past week than at any other time this year. They gave no firm figures.

From TM #40 [Sept 28, 06 (Last Thursday)]

Al-Qaida in Iraq Leader Urges 'Holy War'

The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq urged Muslims to make the holy month of Ramadan a "month of holy war," in an audiotape posted on Islamic Web site Thursday. He also purportedly said that more than 4,000 foreign fighters have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion.

The man on the tape identified himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir _ also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri _ the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, though the voice could not be independently identified. He is believed to have succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who died in a U.S. airstrike north of Baghdad in June.

"I congratulate the Muslim nation on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, the month of jihad (holy war). I ask God to make it a month for honor and victory for Muslims," the voice said.

269 posted on 10/04/2006 3:51:12 PM PDT by nwctwx (Everything I need to know, I learned on the Threat Matrix)

Thank you nw.

Hopefully Ramadan will end soon, pbuh.

270 posted on 10/04/2006 5:21:09 PM PDT by Cindy

To: Jay777; fanfan; backhoe; piasa; All

Thanks to Jay777 for the ping to this thread.
Note: The following post is a quote:
---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1713721/posts

Court Temporarily OKs Domestic Spying
AP ^ | 10/4/6 | DAN SEWELL

Posted on 10/04/2006 12:53:11 PM PDT by SmithL

The Bush administration can continue its warrantless surveillance program while it appeals a judge's ruling that the program is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...

271 posted on 10/04/2006 5:23:04 PM PDT by Cindy

To: nw_arizona_granny; backhoe; piasa; nwctwx; JohnathanRGalt; All

Thanks to nw_arizona_granny for the ping to this article:

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,45334.html

"Kidnappers demand $3M"
RHONDOR DOWLAT Wednesday, October 4 2006

click on pic to zoom in

Kidnap victim Riaz Khan....
« prev photo next photo »

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A $3 million ransom has been demanded for the safe release of the 19-year-old son of a Central businessman who was kidnapped on Monday night, just mere metres from his father’s transport company in Carapichaima.

Riaz Khan, of Arena Road, Freeport was across the road from his father’s business — Khanson Transport Company Limited, Jerry Junction, Waterloo Road, Carapichaima—when he was kidnapped by two gunmen.

Khan is the second of three children for Nazam Khan and his wife Vindra. Khan’s kidnapping was recorded as the eighth for the year.

Head of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS), Supt David Nedd said the case was being treated very seriously."

272 posted on 10/04/2006 5:26:21 PM PDT by Cindy

To: hegemony; backhoe; piasa; All

THANKS to Hegemony for the ping to these articles:

10/04 Middle East Live Daily Thread
Posted by hegemony to casino66; Cindy
On News/Activism 10/04/2006 4:03:05 PM PDT · 152 of 170

Apologies- forgot the link on the 2nd hijacker story. doh.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/04/world/main2059984.shtml

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QUOTE:

10/04 Middle East Live Daily Thread
Posted by hegemony to All; Cindy
On News/Activism 10/04/2006 3:51:37 PM PDT · 148 of 170

Turkey Says There Was 2nd Hijacker
Man Who Hijacked Turkish Plane Over Greece Allegedly Had Accomplice

(AP) Turkey's Justice Minister said Wednesday a second Turkish national helped hijack a Turkish Airline plane to Italy.

“It has been understood that the plane was hijacked by Turkish citizens, Hakan Ekinci of Izmir and Mehmet Ertas of Antakya,” the Justice Ministry said in a written statement.

Initially, the authorities had said Ekinci was acting alone during Tuesday's hijacking and that he had no accomplices. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

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QUOTE:

10/04 Middle East Live Daily Thread
Posted by hegemony to All; Cindy
On News/Activism 10/04/2006 3:42:55 PM PDT · 145 of 170

Hugo Chavez and ETA

Caracas 03.10.06 |

Interestingly the international press picked up the comment made yesterday by opposition candidate Manuel Rosales regarding a member of Basque terrorist group ETA who works for the Chavez regime. Rosales' statement came after a question posed by the journalist of Radio Nacional de España. ETA terrorist Jose Arturo Cubillas Fontan arrived in Venezuela in May 1989 according to Spain's Interior Ministry. Associated Press reported from Madrid on 28 September:

Spain is to investigate reports that a fugitive member of the Basque separatist group ETA is working for the Venezuelan government, the justice minister said Thursday. Newspapers ABC and El Mundo identified the man as Arturo Cubillas and said he has been working at the Venezuelan Agriculture Ministry since October 2005. His wife, Goizeder Odriozola, was hired last month as a senior staffer in President Hugo Chavez's office, the papers said.

Full:
http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200610030648

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QUOTE:

10/04 Middle East Live Daily Thread
Posted by hegemony to All; Cindy
On News/Activism 10/04/2006 3:32:24 PM PDT · 141 of 170

Blast near Pakistani president's residence
Oct 4, 2006

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A blast was heard in a park near Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's army residence in the city of Rawalpindi on Wednesday, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said.

"Police will give a statement, but nothing is related to the president or Army House," said military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan.

More:
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=910669

273 posted on 10/04/2006 5:32:54 PM PDT by Cindy

October 4, 2006

Note: The following text is a quote:
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Jeremy Reynalds
P O Box 27693
Alb., NM 87125-7693
Tel: (505) 400-7145
www.joyjunction.org

Vietnamese Christian Dies in Prison Following Alleged Torture

A Montagnard man has reportedly died in a Vietnamese prison following severe torture.

The Montagnards are the indigenous people of Vietnam's Central Highlands.

According to a news release from the Montagnard Foundation, Thup died in Trai Ba Sao prison in Ha Nam.

Thup was arrested on March 24 2004, the Montagnard Foundation stated, and sentenced to10 years imprisonment on Feb. 24 2005 for what Vietnamese authorities reportedly called “public order offences.” Unnamed Vietnamese officials, the Montagnard Foundation stated, told Thup’s family he died from abuse on Aug. 30 2006.

According to the Montagnard Foundation, “It was well known (Thup) was severely tortured in prison. His wife and relatives asked officials if they collect his body for burial but were refused this request. On Sept. 1 2006 his village however, buried his clothes instead and mourned for him according to our customs.”

The Montagnard Foundation’s Kok Ksor said in the news release, “We as the Degar Montatgnard people would like to appeal to all governments especially the United States who are now dealing with Vietnam in trade and business to please do what they can to prevent our people from dying in prison.”

Unexpected Amnesty for Prisoners

In a related story, the BBC reported (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/5378108.stm ) that an unexpected amnesty for prisoners has been announced by Vietnam's government.

The amnesty will take place just days before crucial votes on trade are held in the US Congress, and ahead of a visit by President Bush to Hanoi.

The communist authorities have been under pressure from human rights activists to release all political prisoners before the United States US normalizes trade relations.

But being released from prison does not necessarily mean freedom for critics of the government, the BBC reported.

Vietnam usually grants amnesties to what its authorities consider well-behaved and repentant prisoners twice yearly - for national day in September and the Tet holiday in January. This year it will hold another, at the end of October.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong said it was simply to clear up any outstanding cases. The BBC commented that the timing seems “fortuitous.”

The U.S. Congress is being asked to vote on what are called permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) two weeks later. Just after that, President Bush will make his first visit to Vietnam to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit.

In previous amnesties, the BBC reported, a few of what the government calls “sensitive cases” have been included among several thousand released prisoners. However, they have usually then been subjected to house arrest and extensive surveillance and barred from contacting journalists.

The BBC said there are no accurate figures for the total number of these so-called “sensitive cases,” but human rights activists say there could be about 400 currently in jail. Many of these are members of evangelical Christian groups among hill tribes in the central highlands who oppose the government.

A minority are campaigners for multi-party democracy, the BBC stated, and other critics of the communist authorities.

For more information about the Montagnards go to www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/06/14/vietna13542.htm or www.montagnard-foundation.org/homepage.html

274 posted on 10/04/2006 5:35:19 PM PDT by Cindy

To: copguy; Miami Vice; JohnathanRGalt; abu afak; SlowBoat407; backhoe; piasa; Godzilla; nwctwx; All

ON THE NET...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/013371.php

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/013382.php

===
===

(NOTE: E-mail address blocked out per FR policy. - Cindy)

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/013407.php

October 04, 2006

"Man who wants to kill me says Islam is a religion of peace"

SNIPPET - QUOTE:

Anyway, here is an email sent from [email address blocked out] to a Jihad Watch reader:

I am coming to America to hunt down spencer. Very soon he will be delivered!

I will be violent against anyone who hurts muslim feelings about Prophet.

It is a religion of peace for everyone until some duckhead sprews out his damn saliva on a senstive topic as this. Spencer will be delivered.

If he has the guts to prove what he says. Ask him to come and consult Dr. Zakir Naik.

He will be killed for sure. Tell you FBI and CIA. You dont know muslims. They will rip apart US you know why? because America has insulted their religion.

Posted by Robert at October 4, 2006 05:35 PM

275 posted on 10/04/2006 6:23:22 PM PDT by Cindy

To: backhoe; nwctwx; abu afak; All

ON THE NET...

http://www.zombietime.com/fraud/ambulance/
Updated September 11, 2006

"The Red Cross Ambulance Incident
How the Media Legitimized an Anti-Israel Hoax and Changed the Course of a War"

SNIPPET - QUOTE:

+ Introduction

+ What Supposedly Happened: The Media Accuses Israel of War Crimes

+ The Ambulance With a Hole in Its Roof: Dismantling the Evidence

+ Possible Rebuttals and Explanations of the Apparent Fraud

+ The Media Responds: Attempted Refutations of This Essay by Journalists

+ Conclusion: How a Hoax Became News"

===
===

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6330911779266164182&sourceid=docidfeed&hl=en

"Rocket Ride (Hezbollywood Remix)"
3 min 33 sec - Sep 5, 2006

===
===

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/184875.php

October 04, 2006

"YouTube Suspending Anti-Jihad Accounts"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The YouTube Jihad continues. Michelle's video account has been suspended. We just received notice from YouTube that the account for Sout al Kuffar is in also in jeopardy of being suspended"

276 posted on 10/04/2006 6:54:31 PM PDT by Cindy

To: backhoe; All

http://hotair.com/archives/2006/10/04/youtube-goes-dhimmi/
"YouTube goes dhimmi"
(October 4, 2006)

277 posted on 10/04/2006 7:20:15 PM PDT by Cindy

To: JohnathanRGalt; abu afak; British chick; Brit_Guy; UK Guy; MadIvan; backhoe; piasa; Godzilla; ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1713953/posts

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=408638&in_page_id=1770

"Muslim PC wins right not to protect Israeli Embassy"
By STEPHEN WRIGHTLast updated at 00:06am on 5th October 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A Muslim police officer has been excused from guarding London's Israeli Embassy after he objected to the duty on 'moral grounds'.

PC Alexander Omar Basha - a member of the Metropolitan Police's Diplomatic Protection Group - refused to be posted there because he objected to Israeli bombings in Lebanon and the resulting civilian casualties of fellow Muslims.

In a move which has caused widespread astonishment at Scotland Yard, senior officers in the DPG agreed that that PC Basha should be given an alternative posting.

The officer, who carries a gun, is now thought to be guarding another embassy.

Critics accused Met chiefs of bowing to political correctness, saying the decision set a dangerous precedent."

278 posted on 10/04/2006 8:41:01 PM PDT by Cindy

To: JohnathanRGalt; abu afak; British chick; Brit_Guy; UK Guy; copguy; backhoe; piasa; nwctwx; All

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5404494.stm

Last Updated: Tuesday, 3 October 2006, 20:03 GMT 21:03 UK

"Woman charged over 'bombs plan'"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An 18-year-old woman has been charged in connection with last summer's alleged attempted bombings in London.

She is accused of helping Yassin Omar, one of six men facing trial over the 21 July alleged incident, evade arrest."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The other five are: Adel Yahya, 23, Hussain Osman, 27, Manfo Asiedu, 32, Ramzi Mohammed, 23 and Muktar Said Ibrahim, 27."

279 posted on 10/04/2006 9:00:00 PM PDT by Cindy

280 posted on 10/04/2006 9:19:31 PM PDT by Cindy

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