Threat Matrix: January 2007

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[nwctwx]

Fighting Jihad: Strategic Thinking Needed
-Full Story-

The United States of America has some of the smartest leaders in government, military, and business in the world. Yet the American government has failed to collectively use this formidable brain-power 5+ years after the attack by Jihadists on the American homeland to develop a truly strategic plan to fight the global threat of Jihad and Islamist extremism. In one of the most complex wars in American history, rather than starting with holistic, big-picture thinking towards the challenges and prioritizing resources and actions accordingly, America has spent much of the past five years after 9/11 in reactive and bureaucratic churning.

	Zawahri Decries Moderate Arabs | Transcript: LauraMansfield.com
	There Is No Substitute For Knowing Your Enemy
	A Terror So Great We Forgot It At Once?

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[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=62337

you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Caracas Protest January 23
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Americas - Venezuela
22 Jan 2007

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Related Reports
11 Jan 2007
Warden Message: Venezuela Park Attacks
24 Nov 2006
Warden Message: Caracas Rallies November 25-26
13 Nov 2006
Warden Message: Venezuelan Elections
3 Nov 2006
Warden Message: Caracas Demonstration November 4
11 Oct 2006
Worldwide Caution Public Announcement
U.S. Embassy Caracas issued the following Warden Message on January 22:

This warden message is being issued to alert American citizens traveling to and residing in Venezuela of potential disruptions to traffic throughout Caracas on Tuesday, 23 January. Media reports indicate that the opposition party Primero Justicia has called for supporters to gather at 10:00 a.m. at the Plaza Morelos in downtown Caracas and proceed to the National Assembly.

We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations. Since the timing and routes of marches and demonstrations are always subject to change, American citizens should monitor local media sources for new developments.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found. Up to date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov.

[Cindy]

http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=951739

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
"Rebel bombs kill six in Colombian port city"
24 Hours,24 minutes Ago

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "BOGOTA - Six people were killed on Sunday when Colombian rebels set off explosives near a police patrol in the Pacific port city of Buenaventura in the third serious guerrilla attack in a week, authorities said.


Two police officers and four civilians died and at least 18 more people were wounded when the two explosives were detonated, a police spokesman said.

“The police were drawn in by a fight between two men. As they were approaching, one bomb went off and then a second that ended with this tragic result,” Buenaventura Mayor Saulo Quinones told local television.

Officials believe the attack could have been retaliation for police counter-narcotics operations. Authorities say Buenaventura is an important channel for the Andean country’s drug trade involving guerrillas and rival militias.

With the help of millions in US aid, President Alvaro Uribe has reduced violence from the 40-year conflict by sending troops to retake areas under rebel control and demobilize illegal, right-wing militias who once fought guerrillas.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the country’s largest left-wing rebel group, is still strong in rural areas. US and Colombian officials say the FARC is a drug-trafficking terrorist organization."

[Cindy]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/22/asia/AS-GEN-Philippines-Nigeria.php

"Philippines bars workers from Nigeria after 6 seamen kidnapped"

The Associated Press
Published: January 21, 2007
MANILA, Philippines

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=adhdqQ9FXpDE&refer=uk

"British Police Arrest Five Suspects on Terror Charges (Update3) "
By Brian Lysaght

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg

[Cindy]

NOTE: The following text (minus the photos) is a quote:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07010121.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com


Monday, January 22, 2007

Egypt’s Justice minister asked to intercede on behalf of blogger ‘Kareem Amer’

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

Blogger "Kareem Amer"

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT (ANS) -- Reporters Without Borders and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information wrote to justice minister Mamdouh Marei today (Monday, January 22, 2007) asking him to intercede on behalf of Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman (better known by his blogger pseudonym of Kareem Amer), whose trial is due to start on January 25 in Alexandria, Egypt.

A report on the Reporters Without Borders web site (www.rsf.org) said that he has been held since November 6th, 2006, and he faces up to nine years in prison for posting articles critical of Islam on his blog (www.karam903.blogspot.com).

“We hope you will follow this case closely and ensure that this young blogger is released soon,” the press freedom organization said in its letter. “The freedom with which Suleiman expresses himself may cause displeasure, but he must assume responsibility for what he writes, which poses no danger to national security. A prison sentence would therefore bring disgrace on the Egyptian judicial system and sully your country’s image. Particularly because Article 151 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that any agreement signed and ratified by Egypt becomes part of domestic law and applied like any other legislation. Egypt signed the International Covenant for Civil and Political Right, in which articles 18 and 19 clearly stipulate everyone’s right to freedom of expression, opinion, thought, conscience and religion. Subsequently, no one should ever be imprisoned for a press offence or for the views they express.”

The letter added: “We would also like to draw your attention to the harsh conditions in which this young blogger is being held and the worrying state of his health. He has been in solitary confinement for more than two months. This has left him very weak and has affected him psychologically.”

Suleiman is charged with inciting hatred of Islam, defaming the Egyptian president, spreading rumors likely to disturb the peace, and damaging Egypt’s reputation. His blogs regularly criticized the religious and authoritarian excesses of President Hosni Mubarak’s government. He also criticized Egypt’s highest religious institutions including the Sunni university of Al-Azhar, where he studied law.

Egypt is on the list of the 13 Internet enemies which Reporters Without Borders, which is based in Paris, France, compiled in 2006.

Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_fiji.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Tue Jan 23 2007 03:18:42 GMT-0800.

FIJI

January 22, 2007

This Public Announcement is updated to reflect the current situation in Fiji following the December 5, 2006 military coup. The declared state of emergency remains in effect. The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to the Republic of Fiji at this time and to defer all non-essential travel to Suva until the security situation is clarified. This Public Announcement supersedes the Public Announcement issued on December 6, 2006, and expires on February 28, 2007.

On December 5, the Commander of Fiji’s military force deposed the lawfully elected government of Fiji and declared a state of emergency. The unelected interim government established by the military reiterated January 15 that a state of emergency remains in effect. Many basic rights have been curtailed, including the rights of assembly and freedom of expression. Individuals who speak out against the military are routinely questioned, detained and intimidated. While the situation in Fiji currently is calm, political and economic uncertainties continue and military checkpoints remain in place in and around major population centers, including Suva, Nadi and Lautoka. The Department recommends that private American citizens in Fiji evaluate their personal security. The security situation, especially in Suva, is uncertain and could deteriorate rapidly. Risks could include indiscriminate attacks on government or civilian targets particularly in the greater Suva area.

American citizens in Fiji should remain vigilant, particularly in public and military places in the greater Suva area, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds. Americans considering travel to Fiji despite this Public Announcement, as well as those residing or traveling in Fiji, are urged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The Embassy is located at 31 Loftus Street in Suva. The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by phone at (679) 331-4466 and by e-mail at consularsuva@state.gov.

Updated information on travel and security in Fiji may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For further information please consult the Consular Information Sheet, the Public Announcement for Fiji, and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, which are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.

[Cindy]

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24102_No_Honor_Among_Jihadis&only

Monday, January 22, 2007

"No Honor Among Jihadis"

[Cindy]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3355879,00.html
(REUTERS)
"Armed men seize 17 Palestinians in Baghdad"
Published: 01.23.07, 12:57

[Cindy]

http://www.jpost.com

[Cindy]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467794953&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Jan. 23, 2007 11:38 | Updated Jan. 23, 2007 11:41
"Russia: Kids trapped after apparent gas explosion"
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An explosion rocked an apartment building in Russia's Ural Mountains Monday, emergency officials said. The Interfax news agency reported that the blast was caused by gas and that several people were hospitalized.

A police official said people remained under the rubble and children could be heard after the explosion in a three-story building in the Sverdlovsk region city of Kushva, Interfax reported. A regional emergency department official said an explosion occurred but had no information about the cause or casualties."

[Cindy]

Note: Click on the link to read the whole report.

THE WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT - SNIPPET - QUOTE:

http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php

Weekly Piracy Report
17-23 January 2007

The following is a summary of the daily reports broadcast by the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre to ships in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions on the SafetyNET service of Inmarsat-C from 17 to 23 January 2007.

ALERT

Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh
Forty seven incidents have been reported since 28.01.2006. Pirates are targeting ships preparing to anchor. Ships are advised to take extra precautions.

The 2006 Annual IMB Report on Piracy and Armed Attacks against Ships is now published. Please see the end of this page to order.

Suspicious crafts

None reported during the week.
Recently reported incidents

19.01.2007 between 0001-0400 LT in position 03:13.6S - 116:25.0E, Pulau Laut (NPLCT) Anchorage, indonesia.
Robbers boarded a bulk carrier via anchor chain. They broke forward store and stole ship's stores. Port control informed.

18.01.2007 1815 UTC in position 06:15.07S - 108:26.78E, Balongan Anchorage, Indonesia.
Two robbers armed with steel bars boarded a tanker and entered into engine room. They stole generator spares and escaped through engine room door leading to poop deck. Master raised alarm and crew mustered. Local police informed.

16.01.2007 0430 LT about 18 nm off Dar es Salaam Roads, Tanzania.
While the container ship was drifting, duty AB noticed some suspicious movements on forecastle deck. Raised alarm and crew alerted. Pirates jumped overboard
and escaped. Three containers were found open with seals broken.

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.airportbusiness.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=5&id=9807

Updated: January 22nd, 2007 01:05 PM EDT
Home > Airline and Airport Security News
"Quarterback's Water Bottle Comes Back Clean"Steve Wyche
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[Cindy]

http://www.airportbusiness.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=5&id=9805

Updated: January 22nd, 2007 01:02 PM EDT
Home > Airline and Airport Security News
"Air India Suspends Screener for Not Finding Firearms in Baggage"Associated Press WorldStream
via NewsEdge Corp.

MUMBAI,

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_3072.html

Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520

This information is current as of today, Tue Jan 23 2007 03:37:37 GMT-0800.

LEBANON

December 22, 2006

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_922.html

Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520

This information is current as of today, Tue Jan 23 2007 03:38:29 GMT-0800.

ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK AND GAZA

January 17, 2007

[Cindy]

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP143407

"Special Dispatch Series - No. 1434"
January 23, 2007 No.1434

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 52

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Tue Jan 23 2007 03:42:31 GMT-0800.

Worldwide Caution

October 11, 2006


This Public Announcement updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests overseas. This supersedes the Worldwide Caution dated June 6, 2006 and expires on April 9, 2007.

The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Current information suggests that al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics to include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings.

Ongoing events in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East have resulted in demonstrations and associated violence in several countries. Americans are reminded that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning.

In August 2006, British authorities arrested a significant number of extremists engaged in a plot to destroy multiple passenger aircraft flying from the United Kingdom to the United States. The September 2006 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Syria and the March 2006 bombing near the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, illustrate the continuing desire of extremists to strike American targets.

Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. A series of bombings in Thailand in May and September 2006 which targeted tourist destinations, the bombings in the Egyptian resort town of Dahab in April 2006, the bombings at a market in Palu, Indonesia in December 2005, the hotel bombings in Jordan in early November 2005 and the bombing of a crowded marketplace in New Delhi in October 2005 illustrate how terrorists exploit vulnerabilities associated with soft targets. Additional examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays. Financial or economic targets of value may also be considered as possible venues; the failed attack on the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia in late February 2006 is one such example.

In the wake of the August 2006 plot against aircraft in London, numerous terrorist attacks on trains in India in 2006, the July 2005 London Underground bombings, and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. In addition, extremists may also select aviation and maritime services as possible targets.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at http://travel.state.gov.

U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert. These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services to assess their security posture. In those instances, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Americans abroad are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=148

http://www.newsmax.com/hottopics/Iran_Nuclear_Push.shtml

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

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ahmadinejad

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761584/posts?page=1339#1339

---

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1772097/posts
(AP)

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/1/22/120409.shtml?s=lh

"USS John C. Stennis Sent to Warn Iran"
NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, Jan. 22, 2007
TEHRAN, Iran