Threat Matrix: February 2007

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[nwctwx]

How al-Qaida Fared in 2006
-Full Story-

In 2006, agents of al-Qaida, as well as those inspired by its ideology, continued their attacks. Violence in Iraq intensified, and Afghanistan saw its bloodiest year since 2001.

Despite worsening chaos on those fronts, counterterrorist forces arrested and killed high-profile terrorists and kept the West free from attack. But these actions don't appear to have weakened the appeal of al-Qaida's agenda. "Home-grown" militants around the world joined its jihad, as regional fighting heightened perceptions of a global war on Islam.

Here's an assessment of some of the most significant gains and losses for al-Qaida last year: Read more..

	Azzam the American: The Making of an al Qaida Homegrown
	Islamic Cells of Revenge Joins the al Qaida Movement
	Most Dangerous Destinations 2007

Thread Forty-Five

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[Godzilla]

They will leave the oilfields alone, too many targets to take out before any impact felt. They may target major supply lines, but that would only gain a limited success. They'd get the most bang for their buck by targeting refinery complexes and port facilities. A major explosion/fire there would constapate the whole system for months - consider the impacts the hurricanes had on Gulf facilities. Heck, even a short shut down here in Kalifornia causes a major distribution blip.

[cgk]

I'm telling you. I'm either hyper-vigilant from being a TM lurker for so long, or I'm hyper-paranoid. I see stories like this one below, and all I can think is "Beslan II" rehearsal?

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Batman Sighting Puts Schools on Lockdown

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- To an Arizona middle school, Batman! Three schools in the north Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek were on lockdown for about 45 minutes Wednesday morning after a student at Desert Arroyo Middle School reported seeing a person dressed as Batman run across campus, jump a fence and disappear into the desert, Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said.

The student described the person as 6 feet 3 inches tall and possibly male.

"We're assuming it was male, although they did have a mask on," Clark said.

Officers combed the desert around the middle school. A nearby elementary school and high school also were on lockdown as officers sought the caped crusader.

The result - no Batman.

"It's just one of those interesting little stories that we looked into but we couldn't find anyone," Clark said.

Nedda Shafir, a spokeswoman for the Cave Creek Unified School District, said putting all the schools on lockdown was a precautionary measure.

"We didn't want to take any chances," Shafir said. "We just don't want to put anyone at risk."

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Batman costume? Or just all black with a hood + trenchcoat which resembles a cape? An illegal?

[Cindy]

(Note: This is mostly recap here on TM.)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1785074/posts?page=15#15

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=GLOBALJIHAD
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=INTERNET
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihadpropaganda
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihadmedia

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INTERNET-HAGANAH.COM: "INTERNET"
http://www.internet-haganah.com/haganah/internet.html

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http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP146107

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1461
February 14, 2007 No.1461

"Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 63
Islamic State in Iraq Accuses Satellite Channels of Distorting the Truth by Disregarding Its Existence"

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005911.html

13 February 2007
"Jihadi chit chat overheard in recent days"

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http://memri.org/jihad.html

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http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP146107

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1462
February 14, 2007 No.1462

"Islamist Forum Participants Discuss Threat to Islamist Sites and Ways to Avoid Exposure On-Line"

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005858.html

14 January 2007
"Testing PHP proxy software"

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005847.html

09 January 2007
"'Secure communications' for jihadis, care of the GIMF"

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005846.html

09 January 2007
"A guide to mobile phone security..."

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005845.html


09 January 2007
"'Operators are standing by...'"


15 posted on 02/14/2007 9:25:27 PM PST by Cindy

[Cindy]

THANKS YOU Oorang.
I appreciate it.

[Cindy]

Thank you cgk.

You are very astute to post these school incidents here.
I do appreciate it.

[Cindy]

Plural as we do monitor various school/bus incidents.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3052


Pace: Iran Complicit in IED Attacks on Coalition

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam, Feb. 14, 2007 – The Iranian government is complicit in improvised-explosive-device attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said today in Jakarta, Indonesia.
However, he said, officials are unsure what level of Iranian government is part of this complicity.

Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting U.S. Pacific Command areas.

As Pace spoke to leaders at the National Institute of Resilience, the Indonesian senior military college, leaders at the institute asked him about proof that Iran is sponsoring IED attacks in Iraq and supporting Shiite terrorist groups.

Officials in Baghdad this week said coalition and Iraqi forces have discovered bomb-making materials that have come from Tehran. These include “explosively formed projectiles” that can be used against heavily armored vehicles, such as Bradley fighting vehicles and Abrams tanks.

Coalition forces also have captured Iranians during attacks against two bomb-making cells in Iraq.

"The Iranian government must know that we have discovered their weapons," Pace said. "And they certainly do know -- because they asked for them back -- that we have found Iranian citizens involved in this. What I do not know is if the number one, number two, number three leaders of their government, whether or not they are directing or not directing these actions."

The general said he wanted to be as precise as possible about Iranian involvement. "What I said was that I do not know the level inside the Iranian government that knows about or is complicit in it," he said.

But officials at some level in Iran do know about this. "That activity against our soldiers and Marines in Iraq is unacceptable," he said. "We will keep being aggressive inside Iraq going after these networks."

Pace said earlier in his trip to Australia and Indonesia that there is "zero chance" of the United States going to war with Iran. He said many times to audiences in both Australia and Indonesia that the United States will use diplomatic pressure to get Iran to stop its actions in Iraq and to get Iran to stop research on developing nuclear weapons.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3058

15 Terrorists Killed in Iraq, Dozens Detained

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 – Coalition forces killed 15 terrorists and detained 44 others in operations around Iraq over the past two days.
During operations targeting al Qaeda terrorists and an associated improvised explosive device network in Arab Jabour today, coalition forces killed an estimated 15 terrorists and prevented two IEDs from being emplaced.

Coalition forces received enemy fire on the ground and from a fortified building in the area during the operation. Determining the targets too hostile for ground troops, coalition forces called for close-air support. Fixed wing aircraft used precision-guided munitions to destroy the building.

The air strike killed five terrorists and wounded four suspected terrorists, military officials said. The wounded men, and one child who suffered a leg wound in the strike, were transported to a nearby military hospital for treatment.

Also during the operation, coalition forces disrupted two separate terrorist groups in the process of emplacing IEDs along a nearby road. The groups are part of a network that is responsible for many devastating car bomb attacks in the Baghdad area, military officials said.

Due to the high level of danger, fixed wing aircraft were used to destroy the IEDs. Ten terrorists were killed as a result of this strike, military officials said.

Elsewhere in Iraq today, coalition forces detained 27 suspected terrorists in a series of coordinated raids targeting the al Qaeda in Iraq network.

During raids in Ramadi, coalition forces detained 20 suspected terrorists who are allegedly tied to the network. Additionally, ground forces seized computers and electronic equipment.

Coalition forces detained four suspects in Baghdad, and three more in Karmah. Military officials said the detainees have ties to the al Qaeda in Iraq network.

During operations in northern Baghdad yesterday, special Iraqi army forces, with coalition advisors, captured an alleged member of a rogue Jaysh Al-Mahdi militia, and detained 10 others.

Military officials believe the suspects are responsible for kidnapping, torturing and murdering Iraqi citizens and security forces in the area.

Also in the Iraqi capital yesterday, special Iraqi army forces captured a suspected weapons supplier and financier of rogue Jaysh Al-Mahdi cells. Iraqi forces detained an additional person for questioning.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3059


Taliban Leader Killed in Afghanistan, Six Suspects Detained

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 – In operations around Afghanistan over the past two days, coalition forces killed two suspected terrorists and detained six others.
Coalition forces fired precision-guided munitions at a compound in Helmand province today that was housing a high-ranking Taliban commander.

Military officials believe the individual, who is a top military leader in southern Afghanistan, was in the compound at the time of the strike. A battle damage assessment is in progress.

During an operation today at a compound near Orgun-E in Paktika province, coalition and Afghan forces arrested four suspected terrorists after they refused requests for peaceful surrender.

Combined forces shot and killed one suspect who displayed a hostile intent toward troops, military officials said.

In Afghanistan yesterday, national police officers raided a home in the Logar province and detained the homeowner.

The individual had a suicide vest in his possession at the time of the operation. He also had small-arms ammunition and a kilogram of poppy, the plant used to produce illicit drugs.

Officers also detained another individual who is suspected of being an accomplice.

(Compiled from Headquarters International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=3062

"Precision Important to Intelligence Analysis, Pace Says"

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii, Feb. 14, 2007 –

ARTICLE SNIPPET: ""What we do know for sure is Iranian made weapons are killing our guys," the chairman said. "What we do know for sure is that in raids to disrupt those (bomb-making) networks inside of Iraq, we have found Iranians. And we know for sure that the Iranian government knows for sure that we found Iranians."

These are facts, Pace said. These are things the military can prove."

[Cindy]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070214-5.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 14, 2007

"Executive Order Trial of Alien Unlawful Enemy Combatants by Military Commission"

[Cindy]

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

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Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070214.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 14, 2007

President's Statement on Second Anniversary of Assassination of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri



On the second anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the United States reaffirms its support for a free and democratic Lebanon that is able to chart its own course. The United States joins the Lebanese people in demanding the truth behind Prime Minister Hariri's murder and calling for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon to bring to justice those who murdered Rafik Hairi and others who stood for Lebanese sovereignty and independence.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of yesterday's bus bombings outside Beirut. The evil perpetrators of these attacks will not silence the Lebanese people's demands for justice and democracy in an independent Lebanon.

The Lebanese people's greatest tribute to Rafik Hariri, Minister Basil Fuleihan, and others who gave their lives for a free Lebanon, would be to come together across sectarian divides to build the free, stable, and prosperous Lebanon that Prime Minister Rafik Hariri dedicated his life to create.

# # #

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070208Detroit.htm

February 8, 2007

Nigerian woman pleads guilty to making false statements
Federal officers seized more than $112,000 in U.S. currency following her overseas flight

DETROIT — A Nigerian woman, who was arrested following her inbound flight to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, pleaded guilty here yesterday to making false statements following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Iyobosa Odiase, 44, a Nigerian citizen, pleaded guilty Wednesday to making false statements and agreeing to forfeit $92,943 before U.S. District Court Judge George C. Steeh.

Odiase arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Nigeria via Amsterdam. As part of the required process for foreign travelers debarking from international flights, she presented herself to CBP officers for an initial inspection on Aug. 2, 2006 and she declared $20,000 in U.S. currency. However, upon inspecting Odiase’s purse, CBP officers found $29,843. Another $83,000 concealed in a cosmetic carrying case was discovered during a secondary inspection of her carry-on bags. Ultimately, cash totaling $112,843 was discovered and seized.

As the primary investigative agency within the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents were called to interview Odiase regarding the undeclared U.S. currency. ICE agents conducted indices checks to verify the information Odiase provided. She was arrested and ultimately indicted for making false statements to federal officers, and for bulk cash smuggling.

“ICE immediately began investigating the cash seizure to determine the origin, destination and circumstances surrounding the currency,” said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. “ICE will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to secure any vulnerability that threatens our nation’s financial infrastructure.”

"This action is the culmination of the combined efforts of ICE and CBP," said Gurdit Dhillon, Director of Field Operations for Detroit’s CBP office. "Our officers used their knowledge and experience to identify a violation and the investigation by ICE agents resulted in the indictment and arrest."

As part of the plea agreement entered before Judge Steeh, Odiase will forfeit $92,943 to the U.S. Treasury Forfeiture Account. The originally declared $20,000 will be returned to Odiase within 90 days of her sentencing, which is scheduled for May 14.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lenny Fuller, Eastern District of Michigan, prosecuted the case.

[Cindy]

UPDATING Post no. 758:

JIHAD WATCH.org (BISMARCK TRIBUNE): Salt Lake City - "FBI: NO REASON TO BELIEVE SALT LAKE MALL SHOOTER WAS MOTIVATED BY RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM OR TERRORISM" (February 14, 2007)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=stuckonstupid
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=wot

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1785188/posts


"U.S. Senate 9/11 bill seeks more security aid, drops cargo inspection requirements"
AP via IHT ^ | Feb. 13, 2007 | Staff

Posted on 02/15/2007 12:32:17 AM PST by Schnucki

WASHINGTON

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1785166/posts

"Cultural Marxism"
American Thinker ^ | February 15, 2007 | Linda Kimball

Posted on 02/14/2007 11:16:47 PM PST by neverdem

[Cindy]

A few more detials UPDATE:


http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/015249.php
(PROVIDENCE JOURNAL)

February 14, 2007
"Judge orders deportation of suspicious driving student"

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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014766.php
(PROVIDENCE JOURNAL)

January 09, 2007
"Suspicious behavior from Muslim who wanted to learn to drive a HAZMAT truck but not to back up"

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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014404.php
(FOX NEWS)

December 13, 2006
"Authorities Probe Foreign Student Seeking Commercial Truck-Driving HAZMAT License"

[Cindy]

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE: "SALT LAKE JIHAD?" by Robert Spencer (February 15, 2007)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1777773/posts?page=775#775

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http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26959

"Terror in the Maghreb"
By Olivier Guitta
The Weekly Standard | February 15, 2007

[Cindy]

Thanks to Calpernia for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1785134/posts


"FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter"
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ^ | February 14, 2007 | Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Posted on 02/14/2007 9:35:51 PM PST by Buddy B