Threat Matrix: June 2007

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[nwctwx]

British Intelligence: Al-Qaida Expanding
-Full Story-

British intelligence officials said they believe that al-Qaida has a secure base in Pakistan's Waziristan region and is planning terrorist operations.

The group is reaching out to Muslims in North Africa, The Telegraph reported. Last year, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, an Algerian terrorist group, merged itself into al-Qaida, a move announced by Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a tape promising action against the "apostates" in the Algerian government and "the treacherous sons of France."

Al-Qaida is also believed to be planning expansion into Lebanon and Syria, the newspaper report said.

	U.S. Battles al-Qaida in Baghdad
	U.S. Terror Expert Says Nuclear Risk Low
	Is North African Militant New Face of al-Qaida?

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[nwctwx]

ping to 848

Exclusive: Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to U.S., Europe
June 18, 2007 4:45 PM
Brian Ross Reports:

Large teams of newly trained suicide bombers are being sent to the United States and Europe, according to evidence contained on a new videotape obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

Teams assigned to carry out attacks in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany were introduced at an al Qaeda/Taliban training camp graduation ceremony held June 9.

A Pakistani journalist was invited to attend and take pictures as some 300 recruits, including boys as young as 12, were supposedly sent off on their suicide missions.

[SlowBoat407]

Just great. I’m flying to Italy tomorrow for a week.

[null and void]

I, for one, am very grateful that we are controlling our borders...

[null and void]

Just great. I’m flying to Italy tomorrow for a week.

My darling Daughter is over the Pacific right now.

[nwctwx]

As Godzilla noted, likely some sort of propaganda. Still, worth noting.

[nwctwx]

Taliban bombing claim alarms Canadian officials
Updated Mon. Jun. 18 2007 10:23 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

The Taliban claims it has teams of suicide bombers ready to take the fight to NATO countries, including Canada.

In a story broadcast Monday, ABC News obtained footage of an al Qaeda-Taliban training camp graduation ceremony, reportedly held on June 9.

The teams are reportedly being dispatched to Canada, Britain, the United States and Germany.

On the tape, Taliban commander Dadullah Mansoor said: "These Americans, Canadians, British and Germans come here to Afghanistan from faraway places. Why shouldn't we go after them?"

"We should perform suicide attacks and, God willing, destroy their establishments in their own countries."

Dadullah replaced his brother Mullah Dadullah, who was shot to death this month in a U.S.-led operation.

The leader of the British attack team spoke in halting English.

A Pakistani journalist had been invited to attend and record the ceremony. Al Qaeda cameramen also recorded the event.

U.S. intelligence officials told ABC News the video was an example of "an aggressive and sophisticated propaganda campaign."

However, ABC News' Brian Ross said that Pakistan reported picking up three foreign militants last week -- two of whom held German passports.

A Canadian official told CTV News on Monday they take the Taliban threat "very seriously."

Canadian and western intelligence have known for some months that the Taliban leadership had directed its commanders to "take the fight out of the country, to take it to us," the source said.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service does not believe that any Taliban operatives are in Canada at this time but they are regarded as a serious threat.

In late December, Newsweek magazine reported that al Qaeda had trained a 12-member group of Westerners at a camp in North Waziristan, Pakistan to carry out attacks in their home countries.

The Pakistani government has very little presence in North Waziristan. Some media reports have called the territory a Taliban mini-state.

An official in Britain's Foreign Office told Newsweek that it was common knowledge that some would-be jihadists have been travelling from Britain to Pakistan for training.

However, the story also claimed al Qaeda had developed an "underground railroad" for jihadists that could get them from Europe to Pakistan without any official record.

[Quix]

God have mercy on us.

May all the evil doers fall in the pit they have dug and drag other cohorts with them.

May the bombs destroy much of their training camps during training.

Amen.

[Cindy]

Ditto.

[nwctwx]

Watching the moon tonight I remembered that Venus and it had just crossed paths today.. a rare celestial event. It got me thinking about how Islamists often reference such things.

I never buy into dates beforehand and probably never fully will, but for some reason I thought about tomorrow, the 19th of June... a Tuesday. That number still throws me a little... 19 men on 9/11, I still believe that was for a reason. I recently read somewhere that this summer is al Qaida's 19th anniversary. I am not sure on exact date though.

June 19 also Rushdie's b-day (Muslim youths rising up in protest to knighthood in Britain), and of course it's the Pakistanis making the most noise--they are likely a source of the next big attack. I guess it was slightly unnerving to check out some sites and find the story on bombing teams.

Sometimes this stuff makes you feel a little crazy. ;)

[callmejoe]

“al Qaeda/Taliban training camp graduation ceremony held June 9”

This ceremony was only 9 days ago, yet in part of the tape (with a very fast turnaround time for a propaganda release) they do not bother covering their faces . . . as if it does not matter at this point.

Dadullah’s late brother issued a similar threat last month 36 hours before he was killed. . .

““We will be executing attacks in Britain and the U.S. to demonstrate our sincerity,” he told an Afghan interviewer, “to destroy their cities as they have destroyed our cities. . . .

This is our religious and moral duty to train suicide bombers against the nuclear power of the infidels, and they will be used when they are needed, whether they are one, 10 or 20.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/dead_taliban_le.html

This is not an idle threat.

[Rushmore Rocks]

I’ll be in Riga, Latvia next week. Hopefully it’s a “sanctuary city”.

Just no guarantees, wherever we are.

Wishing you a safe trip.

[Rushmore Rocks]

“Shirley” you jest.

[Cindy]

stepping back in time...

UPI.com: Washington - "REPORTS SAY PAK BORDER IS TERROR SANCTUARY" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Reports from the Afghan-Pakistan border say al-Qaida and other groups are using a sanctuary there to plot suicide attacks against targets worldwide.") (December 19, 2006)

SAHARASAMAY.com: "'QAEDA TRAINING JEHADIS FROM WEST'" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The team includes nine British citizens, two Norwegian Muslims and an Australian. The report was published quoting Taliban's Chief Qaeda liaison for Ghazni province in Afghanistan, Omar Farooqi. The report claimed that some Taliban commanders told it of seeing the "English brothers" in person during the training. Farooqi said he spent roughly five weeks last year helping indoctrinate and train A-class foreign recruits near Afghanistan border in tribal Waziristan.") (December 18, 2006, 17:12 IST)

BBC NEWS: "AFGHANISTAN 'HOLDS PAKISTANI SPY'" (Last updated December 19, 2006, 16:49 GMT)

SAAG.org - Paper no. 2066: "TERRORISM INDICATORS FROM PAKISTAN - INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR--PAPER NO. 165" by B. Raman (December 18, 2006)

JIHAD WATCH.org (AP): "AFGHANISTAN BLAMES PAKISTAN FOR TALEBAN ATTACKS" (December 13, 2006)

[nwctwx]

This is not an idle threat.

We've seen them come and go a lot over the years, but things seem different the past few weeks/months. There have been a few stories (all deemed credible by various intel services) about something big down the line. Most noise seems to point towards Great Britain, but we thought 9/11 was going to be an overseas problem before it happened.

[Rushmore Rocks]

Color me crazy, but I have been watching the dates/numbers/moon, too. I feel like it’s a game. Just hope we get the high cards.

[Rushmore Rocks]

Every time you post, I sit up and take notice.

[callmejoe]

http://islam.about.com/od/history/a/crescent_moon.htm

” . . . The crescent moon and star is an internationally-recognized symbol of the faith of Islam. The symbol is featured on the flags of several Muslim countries, and is even part of the official emblem for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_and_crescent

” . . . The star possibly symbolizes Venus. Venus indeed may often appear prominently close to the Moon at the first sighting of the new crescent (the hilal) after New Moon, usually shortly after sunset, which marks the start of the first day of a new month in the lunar Islamic calendar.”

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=156062&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

” . . .Venus reappeared later from behind the Moon. It was seen at the outer edge of the crescent moon. Both the bright objects were seemingly close to each other and the Moon was seen approaching Venus as the evening progressed. Around 7pm Qatar time, the moon moved in front of Venus hiding it behind its shadow. The spectacle was also visible in Oman, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan and northwestern parts of India.”

(see last link for picture of the occultation with actual Islamic symbol in the foreground)

[GOPJ]

“We will be executing attacks in Britain and the U.S. to demonstrate our sincerity,” he told an Afghan interviewer, “to destroy their cities as they have destroyed our cities. . . .

I don't like the sound of this...

[nwctwx]

Keep in mind that the Blotter ‘broke’ the airline plot last summer one day prior to it hitting the media.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Howdy my FRiend,,,Long Time No See’Um,,,34 day war,,,
Be Safe...