DELTA, B.C. - Thousands of summer travellers were stuck for hours Saturday when B.C. Ferries was forced to cancel sailings after receiving a bomb threat that police considered credible. David Hahn, chief operating officer of B.C. Ferries, said the threat came in a 911 call to police at about 3:30 in the afternoon from a mall in suburban Coquitlam from a man with a Middle Eastern accent.
"Whether it was a Middle Eastern caller is a different issue, but that was the accent they were using," Hahn said. Twenty-one sailings were cancelled and travellers were forced to wait in terminals near Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo.
Police and three sniffer dogs searched the ships, cars, campers and buses and no one was allowed to leave the terminal until their vehicle had been inspected, said Hahn. Passengers were confined to the terminal cafeteria before police gave them the go-ahead to leave.
One ferry had already left the terminal and had to be turned back. Another ferry that was ready to depart for Schwartz Bay in Victoria was halted. All the passengers on both ships were evacuated and their vehicles searched. As well, all the vehicles clogging the parking lot at the Tsawwassen terminal south of Vancouver had to be searched. Once inspected, the owners were asked to leave.
Excerpted
http://www.securenet.bc.ca/NewsCentral/News%20Library/News%20Releases/nl072807.htm
Terrorists Hunker Down and Issue Threats
July 29, 2007
The United States has publicly pointed out the location of nine terrorist training camps in the North Waziristan area of the Pakistani tribal areas.
It's in this area that senior al Qaeda leaders are believed to be hiding, and the U.S. is trying to persuade Pakistan to make a major move into the area to shut down the camps and round up al Qaeda and Taliban members. The United States also refuted reports that they would bomb targets in Pakistan without permission from the Pakistani government.
The Pakistani government is now at war with al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Islamic terrorists from both organizations threaten to launch a major suicide bombing campaign, but, so far, this is off to a slow start. Over the past six years of terrorist activity in the area, the terrorists have made themselves very unpopular. So the Islamic radicals have to be careful, as most Pakistanis are inclined to turn them in.
The government is also installing a network of video cameras in the capital, apparently inspired by British security advisors, who have been working with Pakistani counter-security forces to trade information and experiences.
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/india/articles/20070729.aspx
Bosnia: High Representative demands expulsion of Islamic radicals
Sarajevo, 27 July 2007
Miroslav Lajcak, the high representative of the international community in Bosnia, has called for the extradition of foreigners with suspected links to Islamic terrorist organizations, including Syrian-born Imad al-Husseini, known as Abu Hamza.
Bosnian daily Nezavisne novine said on Friday that Lajcak, who took office of high representative (OHR) on July 1 warned Bosnian security chief Tarik Sadovic he would be fired if his ministry was too slow in extraditing foreigners, including Abu Hamza, whose citizenships have been revoked.
Thousands of mujahadeen from Islamic countries flocked to Bosnia to fight for local Muslims in 1992-1995 civil war, and many remained in the country after the war even taking Bosnian citizenship. After intelligence reports suggested they were indoctrinating local youths to radical Islam and operating terrorist training camps, the authorities revoked the citizenship of close to 400 individuals, but failed to extradite them to their home countries as prescribed by law.
Excerpted
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1150259371
The one thing AQ does not do is phone threats, they just do it.
MOHMAND AGENCY: Pro-Taliban militants have occupied a mosque in a Pakistani tribal area and named it after the radical Red Mosque where more than 100 people died in clashes between militants and security forces, residents said Sunday.
Around 150 armed masked men have taken control of Turangzai Sahib Mosque in Lakaro village in the lawless Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan, some 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Peshawar, and renamed it the Red Mosque, they said. The move came after a suicide bombing which killed 14 people during protests Friday at Islamabad's Red Mosque. It was the 13th suicide blast to hit the country since the bloody army raid on the mosque on July 10.
A militant who identified himself as Khalid told local journalists that the group had renamed the mosque Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) and a female madrassa like Islamabad's Jamia Hafsa would be set up shortly. Residents said militants had taken positions on the roof of the mosque and in the surrounding area.
A local administration official confirmed the occupation of the mosque, but gave no further details.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/07/30/top14.htm#mma
Ummah.com: Is It OK to Kill Children and Rape Women?
July 28, 2007
At the UK-based Islamic discussion forum Ummah.com, they’re discussing whether it’s all right to kill children while waging jihad: Impermissible to kill women and children in All circumstances?
The verdict, according to a spiritual leader? No problem killing them. But you can only rape the women if you capture them first and make them slaves. Then it’s OK, because it’s no longer rape at that point.
Excerpted
OPINION: If the authorities thought the threat was “credible” and yet they found nothing; I wonder if this was a probe — testing 1-2-3.
http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=1§ion_id=559&story_id=13226
“Suspicious device in Orofino taken away by Spokane bomb squad”
Ray Marcham / Internet Content Editor, KXLY.com
Last updated: Sunday, July 29th, 2007 03:50:01 PM
OROFINO, IDAHO —
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The situation started on Saturday afternoon, according to Clearwater County Sheriff Alan Hengen. Clearwater County deputies and Orofino police officers responded to reports of shots being fired. When authorities arrived, they arrested a 30-year-old man for aggravated assault and burglary, but were also informed that the suspect with the gun had fled the scene.
A second person was arrested later in the day, and a search warrant was issued for the house on Highway 12 where officers believed the gun involved in the initial crime was located. When they went inside the house on Sunday morning, they found what they believed was a suspicious device. At than point, they called in the Spokane Bomb Squad.
The squad arrived in Orofino around 12:30 p.m., and went to work on the device. Around 2:30, they took the device away from the scene and hoped to detonate it. Crews are searching the house for any further suspicious devices.”
http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/nanaimo/story.html?id=13bdb084-e6e3-4422-b1d8-11a5f3374613
“Ferries vulnerable to threat
Expert warns of terror risk on B.C. Ferries after bomb threat throws service into chaos”
Kent Spencer, CanWest News Service; with Daily News Files
Published: Monday, July 30, 2007
VANCOUVER
Thanks very much for the ping. Great links/research. BTTT!