NOTE: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32554
Eight Suspects Captured in Afghanistan; Weapons Cache Found
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 22, 2007 – Coalition forces in Afghanistan captured eight suspected terrorists and discovered a weapons cache today.
Afghan forces, with coalition advisors, captured five suspected extremists during an operation this morning at a compound near Asadabad in Konar province.
The operation targeted extremist facilitators suspected of helping militant fighters enter Konar province from Bajaur Agency in neighboring Pakistan, military officials said.
Nearby Afghan National Police members also arrived on scene shortly after the operation began. To prevent possible misunderstanding between police and military forces mixing in the compound, and due to the military nature of the targets, Afghan military personnel retained control of the operation. No shots were fired, and there were no injuries reported as a result of the operation.
During an operation this morning near Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghan and coalition forces detained two suspected extremists.
These arrests were the latest in a string of successful operations by Afghan and coalition forces targeting known militant groups in the area, primarily members of the ousted Taliban regime.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan today, Afghan and coalition forces arrested one person at a compound in Khost province after uncovering a small weapons cache and other contraband items.
The combined force detained one adult Afghan male after discovering several AK-47 assault rifles, various other firearms, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades and materials used for detonating explosives.
The inhabitants of the target compound, who complied with a request for peaceful surrender, were not harmed.
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Police defused Thursday a small bomb at the American University of Beirut, in what appeared to be the latest of a series of attempts to cause explosions in Lebanon. An explosives expert defused a bomb of 200 grams of TNT that was found in a bag near an elevator in the Issam Fares Hall, a building off the main campus, said a Lebanese security official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The bomb was wired to a detonator and ready to explode, the official added. It was taken to a police barracks for investigation. Police are also looking into how the bomb got into the university, whose entrances are guarded by policemen and the university's own security guards.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/22/africa/ME-GEN-Lebanon-Explosives.php
Stolen Radioactive Gauge Recovered
Mar 22, 2007
PHILADELPHIA Police recovered a radioactive gauge after an extensive search that shut down roads and suspended SEPTA trolley service in the Nicetown section of the city Thursday. Hazmat crews were called to the Nicetown section of the city after the discovery of a box that housed a radioactive tool which was stolen from a South Philadelphia worksite earlier in the week.
Chopper 3 was over the scene at Germantown and Hunting Park Avenues where authorities discovered the bright yellow box just before 10 a.m. Investigators opened the protective container only to find the device was still missing. After an intensive search of the area, authorities reportedly found the potentially hazardous tool in a nearby scrap metal business. Officials said it appeared the device had been placed in a crusher by employees. Several individuals at the business were taken in for questioning.
"The box was clearly marked, why someone would open it and take the contents out and put it in a crusher is mind-boggling," Chief Insp. Joseph O'Connor said. Police said a small amount of radiation was released but they said it was not enough to cause any bodily harm. "We got here in time to ensure the contamination, it is a minimal contamination but it is exposure to it; whether through inhalation or through ingestion and it's an exposure thing … right now, we have it all contained within that building," Insp. O'Connor said. SEPTA trolley service was temporarily disrupted in the area as crews worked to clear the scene.
The Department of Homeland Security was called after the gauge was stolen from a construction truck at the Audenreid High School Project on the 3300 block of Tasker Street Monday afternoon. Officials said the tool, used to measure soil density, contained small amounts of radioactive material. When the gauge is in its yellow plastic case, it does not pose any threat or harm. Police said any attempt to tamper with the device or handle the source would subject the person doing so to potentially dangerous radioactive exposure. "Should you come in contact with that, you would be exposed to radiation … so half a block away is really not an issue but if you're handling it, it would be a problem," Insp. Robert Tucker said. No injuries have been reported. The incident remains under investigation.
http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_080221948.html