Threat Matrix: April 2007

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793738/posts ^

[Cindy]

NOTE: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811649/posts

3 Israelis accused of illegal training
AP on Yahoo ^ | 4/3/07 | AP

Posted on 04/03/2007 9:20:22 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

BOGOTA, Colombia - Interpol issued an international arrest warrant Tuesday for three Israelis accused of training private armies of Colombian drug cartels and right-wing death squads, authorities said.

Yair Klein, Melnik Ferri and Tzedaka Abraham were being sought on charges of criminal conspiracy and instruction in terrorism, said Oscar Galvis, spokesman for Colombia’s domestic intelligence agency.

The men, who face nearly 11 years in prison if convicted, are accused of helping set up training camps to teach private armies working for drug lords about explosives and high-profile killings. The armies later grew into Colombia’s right-wing death squads.

Klein, a former lieutenant colonel in the Israeli army, appeared in a 1998 video used to train far-right squads. In 1991, he was convicted and fined $13,400 by an Israeli court for selling arms to Colombia’s illegal groups.

In a recent interview with Caracol television, Klein denied working with the cocaine cartels but confirmed that he did instruct the far-right militias in how to eliminate the leftist insurgency.

He said he was originally hired — with the Colombian Ministry of Defense’s blessing — to organize security for the banana industry in the northern region of Uraba.

Klein said, however, that his students “were not trained to kill, only trained to defend themselves.”

The Medellin cartel, headed by Escobar, pioneered the use of unrestrained violence in its dealings with enemies and allies alike.

[Oorang]

Munitions Found in Restroom
Monday, April 2, 2007

A cleaning crew at Reagan National Airport found two nonlethal munitions Friday in a trash can of a men's room in the C concourse at the north end of the terminal.

Airport police contacted an explosive ordnance disposal unit, which determined that the devices, known as flash grenades, were designed to produce only noise and smoke, airport spokesman Rob Yingling said. The findings did not disrupt airport operations, Yingling said.

The men's room, near the ticketing concourse, is outside airport security. The grenades were found about 10:15 a.m. Police removed them from the airport without incident about an hour later, Yingling said. Airport police and FBI officials are investigating how the devices ended up there.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040100935_pf.html

[Cindy]

Flash grenades..

Testing?
Future use for diversion(s)?
Someone forgot he had it in his pockets?

Thanks for pointing to that article, Oorang.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia
http://www.saag.org/searchb10.asp?search=Russia&searchtype=all&B1=Submit

#

http://www.satp.org
http://www.saag.org

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811691/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811691/posts?page=1#1

http://www.militaryglobal.com/reports/644

“India-Russia Defense Deals Hit Roadblock; Russia Refuses To Sign Integrity Pact”

#

http://www.india-defence.com/reports/2997

“Defense Deals With Russia In Trouble; Russia Refuses To Sign Integrity Pact”
Dated 4/4/2007

[Cindy]

SPECIAL REQUEST:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811697/posts

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/March/07_crm_203.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV
Federal Court Revokes Citizenship of
Former Nazi Policeman Who Shot Jews

WASHINGTON – A federal judge in Detroit has revoked the U.S. citizenship of John (Ivan) Kalymon of Troy, Mich., because he shot Jews in 1942 while serving in a Nazi-sponsored police unit that helped liquidate a Nazi-created Jewish ghetto in German-occupied Poland, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher for the Criminal Division announced today.

U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani found that Kalymon served in the 5th Commissariat (later designated the 7th) of the Nazi-operated Ukrainian Auxiliary Police (UAP) during World War II, in the city of L’viv. (That city, now in western Ukraine, was part of Poland until 1939.) The judge concluded that the 5th/7th Commissariat, along with other armed L’viv UAP units and other forces, rounded up Jews, shot Jews, prevented Jews from escaping, and transferred Jews to forced labor camps or killing sites for mass execution. Judge Battani further found, largely on the basis of captured wartime reports, that Kalymon shot Jews during these roundups. More than 100,000 Jews in L’viv were killed or displaced between 1942 and 1943 in part as a result of actions by the UAP in which Kalymon participated, according to Judge Battani.

Assistant Attorney General Fisher said, “The court’s ruling confirms that individuals who participated in genocide will not be permitted to retain the privilege of American citizenship.”

Kalymon entered the United States from Germany in 1949 and became a U.S. citizen in 1955. Judge Battani found that he was not eligible for citizenship because his service to Nazi Germany made him ineligible to immigrate to the U.S. She specifically found that he was ineligible to immigrate because Kalymon “assisted in the persecution of civil populations,” “advocated or acquiesced in activities or conduct contrary to civilization and human decency,” and lied about his UAP service when he applied for a visa to the U.S.

“Irrefutable evidence, including a handwritten report prepared by Kalymon in which he accounted to his superiors for ammunition he expended in shooting Jews, proved his participation in Nazi genocide. It has taken 62 long years, but history has at last caught up with John Kalymon,” said Office of Special Investigations (OSI) Director Eli M. Rosenbaum. OSI investigated the case and prosecuted it, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The case was tried in Detroit last fall by OSI senior trial attorneys Jeffrey L. Menkin, William H. Kenety V, and Todd Schneider. The proceedings to denaturalize Kalymon were instituted in 2004 by OSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Michigan.

The Kalymon case is a result of OSI’s ongoing efforts to investigate and take legal action against former Nazi persecutors who reside in the United States. Since OSI began operations in 1979, it has won cases against 105 participants in Nazi crimes of persecution, stripping them of U.S. citizenship and/or removing them from this country. In addition, over 175 individuals implicated in wartime Axis crimes have been blocked from entering the United States in recent years as a result of OSI’s “Watch List” program, which is enforced in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security.

###

07-203

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811701/posts

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21503258-5001021,00.html

“Hicks as Democrats’ candidate”
By Nick Henderson
April 04, 2007 12:00

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “THE Australian Democrats today took the extraordinary step of saying they would welcome convicted terrorist David Hicks running for the party as a candidate.

Sandra Kanck, the Democrats’ leader in South Australia which is Hicks’ home state, said she would be happy for him to seek a political career as a Democrat.

“I certainly wouldn’t rule him out (as a candidate),” she said.

Her comments follow her ongoing criticism of the South Australian Government over the confessed supporter of terrorism.

She said Hicks should be released on home detention when he recovered from his ordeal at Guantanamo Bay.

That prompted a quick response from South Australian Premier Mike Rann.

“I mean, who knows what the Democrats will do. They will probably ask him to be a candidate,” Mr Rann said from Chile yesterday.

And Mr Rann was not wrong, with Ms Kanck responding that 31-year-old Hicks, who is due to return to Australia in the next month to serve out his jail term, could run as a candidate if he wanted.”

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:
_

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070330elpaso.htm

March 30, 2007

Fort Bliss soldier convicted on 3 counts of alien smuggling
BEST members arrested 32-year-old along with three other members of conspiracy in October

EL PASO, Texas - A U.S. Army soldier was found guilty here Tuesday of alien smuggling charges, following an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST).

El Paso’s BEST team members include ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol; the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas.

Alejandro Javier Lazos Ortiz, 32, a soldier assigned to Fort Bliss, and three other members of an alien smuggling organization, were arrested by BEST members on Oct. 12 for conspiring to smuggle 12 illegal aliens from Mexico. A federal jury March 27 convicted Lazos Ortiz of one count each of conspiracy to harbor aliens, harboring illegal aliens, and inducing/encouraging illegal aliens to reside in the United States, all for profit.

According to testimony during the two-day trial, Lazos Ortiz participated in an alien smuggling operation that was responsible for smuggling more than 100 illegal aliens from Hidalgo, Mexico, into the United States. The illegal aliens paid smuggling fees ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 to be crossed into the country illegally and taken to various U.S. cities.

The alien smuggling organization walked the undocumented aliens across the Rio Grande, and housed them in many drop houses in the El Paso area. Later, members of the smuggling ring loaded the illegal border crossers into train boxcars destined for Tucson. Once in Tucson, they were driven to Phoenix, then to Las Vegas. From there, many of the illegal aliens traveled to Atlanta.

“It was clear to our investigators, and the jury agreed, that Lazos Ortiz and his organization traded their human dignity for profit and greed,” said Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso. “ICE will continue to aggressively target unscrupulous smugglers, who have little regard for the health, well-being and dignity of their human cargo.”

Evidence presented during trial showed that Lazos Ortiz rented stash houses, provided vehicles for transporting the aliens and collected alien smuggling fees. Western Union transaction records showed that between April 2005 and November 2006, Lazos Ortiz collected more than $36,000 from 40 different individuals in Mexico and 15 states, including: New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Maryland, Georgia, Colorado and Texas.

More than 15 defendants have been convicted for their roles in this alien smuggling organization. The three men who BEST members arrested in October along with Lazos Ortiz have since pleaded.

Lazos Ortiz, who remains on bond, is scheduled to be sentenced June 11 before U.S. District Judge David Briones. He faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Watts, Brandy Gardes and Chris Blanton are prosecuting this case.

BEST is an ICE-led, U.S. Department of Homeland Security national initiative created along the southern border. The El Paso BEST team was formed in October 2006. Since its inception, the team has arrested and prosecuted 85 individuals, obtained 21 federal indictments and earned convictions against 22 people. The team has also seized 45 vehicles, two weapons and more than $91,500 in cash. BEST has also seized 459 pounds of marijuana and 70 pounds of cocaine. The team has returned 380 illegal aliens to their country of origin.

The BEST team includes officers from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who are collocated in the task force to share information. This close coordination among law enforcement agencies also helps to identify and eliminate cross-border criminal organizations, such as alien smuggling networks, and the supporting infrastructure that sustains them.

— ICE —

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070403sandiego.htm

April 3, 2007

More than 300 arrested in ICE operation targeting illegal alien fugitives and immigration violators in San Diego and Imperial Counties

SAN DIEGO - A total of 359 immigration violators from 15 different nations were arrested here during the past two weeks by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as part of Operation Return to Sender, an ongoing ICE initiative targeting criminal aliens, foreign nationals with final orders of deportation, previously deported aliens, and other immigration violators.

Of the foreign nationals taken into custody during the two-week enforcement action, 50 have criminal records, including past convictions for child sex offenses, robbery, and drug violations. Among those arrested was a 26-year-old legal permanent resident from Pakistan who was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for her role in a bank robbery. The group also included 61 immigration fugitives, aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation issued by immigration judges, and 39 previously deported aliens who illegally re-entered the United States after being removed.

Since many of these individuals have already been ordered deported through immigration proceedings, they are subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining aliens are in ICE custody and are awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge. Some of those targeted as part of the enforcement action are immigration fugitives, illegal aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation issued by immigration judges.

The two-week local effort is part of Operation Return to Sender, an ongoing ICE initiative targeting criminal aliens, foreign nationals with final orders of deportation, and other immigration violators. Since its launch in late May 2006, Operation Return to Sender has resulted in more than 18,000 arrests nationwide. More than 850 of those arrests occurred in the San Diego area. The local arrests included more than 300 criminal aliens and nearly 300 immigration fugitives.

“The hundreds of immigration violators arrested during this operation are a testament to the hard work and perseverance of the ICE officers involved,” Robin Baker, field officer director for ICE detention and removal operations in San Diego. “Our message is - if you are ordered deported you should obey the immigration court’s order. Otherwise, ICE is going to track you down and send you home.” The majority of the aliens taken into custody here this week are Mexican nationals, but the group also included immigration violators from 14 other nations - Cambodia, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Iraq, Laos, Peru, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leon, Thailand and Viet Nam.

This week’s operation was conducted by officers with the two ICE fugitive operations teams currently assigned to San Diego and Imperial Counties. The Fugitive Operations Program was established in 2003 to eliminate the nation’s backlog of immigration fugitives. Today, there are 52 fugitive operations teams nationwide and ICE expects to expand that number to 75 by year’s end.

The fugitive operations initiative is an integral part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a comprehensive multi-year plan to secure America’s borders and reduce illegal migration. Under SBI, Homeland Security seeks to gain operational control of both the northern and southern borders, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly and efficiently. The SBI also involves strong interior enforcement efforts, including enhanced worksite enforcement, and intensified efforts to track down and remove illegal aliens inside this country.

— ICE —

[Cindy]

http://familysecuritymatters.org/challenges.php?id=857444

“Exclusive: Terrorist/Spy Hiding Behind the Steering Wheel of a Freightliner”
Mark and Renee Taylor
Author: Mark and Renee Taylor
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: April 3, 2007

#

http://indianapolis.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/intelligence012506.htm

“LOCAL MAN CONVICTED OF WORKING
WITH FORMER IRAQI INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS”
(January 25, 2006)

INDIANAPOLIS

[Cindy]

ICC-CCS.ORG - REPORT - THE WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT - SNIPPET - QUOTE:

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

Weekly Piracy Report
28 March-3 April 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 28 March to 3 April 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
Recently reported incidents

01.04.2007: early hours: Nigeria.
An expatriate worker was abducted by pirates and taken ashore from a platform rig. The pirates boarded the rig via the support vessel which was secured alongside the rig at the time of the incident. The owners are in contact with the Nigerian authorities to get the worker released.

31.03.2007 0100 LT in position 06:14.4N - 003:14.4E, 12 nm off SW of Lagos, Nigeria.
Robbers armed with knives boarded a product tanker at anchor at forecastle
Using grappling hooks. They successfully cut mooring ropes and threw them
overboard into waiting boat. Watchmen informed D/O who raised alarm and
alerted crew members. Robbers jumped overboard and escaped when crew
members went forward to apprehend them. The vessel weighed anchor and
drifted 35 nm off port limit.

28.03.2007 0707 UTC in position 04:40.0N - 099:15.5E, Malacca Straits.
Four pirates in a 15 metres length grey hull wooden speed boat was observed drifting across the vessel’s courseline. The boat suddenly approached a bulk carrier underway. Master raised alarm, took evasive manoeuvres, crew mustered and activated fire hoses. Pirates attempted to board the ship with ropes and long stick with steps. After 20 mins the pirates moved away.

29.03.2007 0200 LT in position : 03:14N - 112:58E at Bintulu general cargo anchorage, Malaysia.
Five robbers armed with knives boarded a general cargo ship. 2/O spotted them
and raised alarm and crew alerted. Crew proceeded to forecastle. Robbers
threw shackles at crew but no one was injured. The robbers stole ship’s stores and escaped in their boat. Port control was informed and a patrol boat arrived 2 hrs later and conducted an investigation.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ahmadinejad
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
http://www.memri.org/iran.html

#

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=27698

“The Price of Piracy”
By Alan W. Dowd
FrontPageMagazine.com | April 4, 2007

[Cindy]

Note: The following breaking news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3384600,00.html

Security forces arrest Tanzim head in Jericho

Published: 04.04.07, 13:18 / Israel News

Shin Ben and IDF forces arrested 25-year-old Jihad Latif Said, The Tanzim leader in Jericho Wednesday morning.

It was reported that he was involved in planning and carrying out attacks. Said was transferred for Shin Bet investigation. (Hanan Greenberg)

[Cindy]

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

http://www.satp.org
http://www.saag.org

#

UPDATE:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6525127.stm

Last Updated: Wednesday, 4 April 2007, 09:59 GMT 10:59 UK

“Tamil Tigers’ sea HQ ‘destroyed’”

The Sri Lankan air force says it has destroyed the headquarters of the Tamil Tiger rebels’ sea force.

An air force spokesman said the attack took place in the north-eastern district of Mullaitivu. The Tigers say a civilian area was bombed.

“We now understand that the base was the headquarters of the Sea Tigers,” Cap Ajantha Silva told the Associated Press news agency.

On Monday the army said it had overrun four rebel bases in eastern Sri Lanka.

‘Small boats’

The headquarters of the Sea Tigers was still burning an hour after the attack, Cap Silva says.

He said fighter jets had bombed the complex several kilometres inland in the northern district of Mullaitivu. It included a fuel storage area and an ammunition dump, according to the spokesman.

He said there were no details of casualties on the ground.”

[Cindy]

The title is worth at least 3,000 words (+/-) in my book. So, take a look at this article please.

JIHAD WATCH.org (AAP): "EAST JAVA RAIDS NET 20 BOMBS, 730 KILOGRAMS OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL, 45 KILOGRAMS OF TNT, ALMOST 200 DETONATORS, MORE THAN A THOUSAND ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION AND A CACHE OF WEAPONS" (April 3, 2007)

[Cindy]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070403-2.html

For Immediate Release
April 3, 2007

“Setting The Record Straight: Sen. Reid’s Misleading Comments About Iraq Funding
Military Leaders Have Made Clear Our Troops Immediately Need Emergency Funds”

[Cindy]

http://intelligence-summit.blogspot.com/2007/03/ivory-coast-rebel-leader-becomes-pm.html

Friday, March 30, 2007
“Ivory Coast rebel leader becomes PM”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - Ivory Coast’s president signed a decree Thursday naming a rebel leader prime minister as part of a power-sharing peace plan, a government spokesman said.

With the signature of President Laurent Gbagbo, rebel chief Guillaume Soro officially stepped into his new role under the plan to unite a country split between the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south.”

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=65970

you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Zim Police Increasingly Using Excessive Force
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Sub-Saharan Africa - Zimbabwe
3 Apr 2007

Printer Friendly Email Article
Related Reports
30 Mar 2007
Waden Message: Zimbabwe “Stay Away” April 3-4
28 Mar 2007
Warden Message: Harare Street Closures
26 Mar 2007
Warden Message: Zimbabwe Civil Disturbances Possible March 27
16 Mar 2007
Warden Message: Zimbabwe Instability, Political Violence
12 Jan 2007
Zimbabwe 2007 Crime & Safety Report
U.S. Embassy Harare issued the following Warden Message on April 3:

This weekend the Zimbabwean Republic Police (ZRP) raided Glow, an upscale nightclub in Borrowdale, detaining more than 80 people and beating several. The ZRP is increasingly using excessive force including in enforcing a widespread closure of bars and beer halls in the southern high-density suburbs. Given the rising tension across Harare and the behavior of the ZRP, the Embassy reminds American Citizens to avoid any large gathering, including political rallies, and to be circumspect on the bars and nightclubs they visit, particularly in the high-density suburbs. American citizens should always carry photo identification, such as a Zimbabwean government-issued I.D. or a photocopy of their passport, and carry a mobile phone or other means of communication at all times.

In an effort to reflect better the current distribution of Americans who are resident in or frequent visitors to Zimbabwe, the US Embassy has re-drawn our consular warden zones and updated our consular warden registration system. We have also recruited several new wardens to replace volunteers who have left the country. Accordingly, many of you will be contacted in coming days by a new warden to introduce themselves and update your local contact information. We very much appreciate those who have volunteered their time to fulfill this important mission. If you have any questions about the warden system, or want to volunteer your time as a warden, I’d be happy to answer your questions.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Cautions, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. 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 can register their presence in Zimbabwe via the Internet at http://harare.usembassy.gov or in person at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, located at 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue (Tel. 263-4-250-593/4/5). In the event of an after-hours emergency, please call the above number and ask to be transferred to the duty officer.

[Cindy]

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=65971

You are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
“Warden Message: Siberia Encephalitis Risk”
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Europe - Russia
2 Apr 2007

[Cindy]

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, Wed Apr 04 2007 04:55:54 GMT-0700.

Worldwide Caution

October 11, 2006