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Possible plastic explosives used in oil facility attacks found in Mexico
2007-08-14

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico City police on Monday found 13 cylinders containing possible hydrogel plastic explosives used in attacks on oil facilities last month, a local radio station reported.

The cylinders, each labeled dangerous, were found in a cardboard box in the John F. Kennedy Housing complex in the east of the city, Radio Formula said. The cylinders, which are five cm in diameter and 20 cm long, were taken to a field in the south of the City for study by the Civil Protection Ministry and the Mexico City Public Security Authority, it said. Police are performing forensic tests for further confirmation.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/14/content_6529313.htm

Anniston Depot Reported Stolen Radioactive Devices (Alabama)
Monday August 13, 2007

The Anniston Army Depot reported the theft of two telescopes containing radioactive material days before reporting a small warehouse fire involving the same material. The article appeared in today's Anniston Star.

The paper reports that Nuclear Regulatory Commission records show the two unconnected events were the first involving the Army Depot since 2000. An NRC spokesman said depot officials followed the correct procedures. According to the EPA, tritium is one of the least dangerous radioactive materials.

The Depot reported the theft of the two telescopes used on Howitzers, an artillery weapon, on August 2nd. The NRC report says the telescopes went missing after the howitzers were painted. They were found to be missing the week of July 23rd.

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http://beta.abc3340.com/news/stories/0807/447123.html

Terror Alert: Western Journalists Targeted by Al Qaeda
August 14, 2007

Terrorists in Afghanistan are planning to kidnap Western journalists using offers of exclusive interviews as bait, according to a travel advisory from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

"Credible reports indicate that terrorists are planning to lure Western journalists to Afghanistan with offers of interviews in order to take them hostage," an updated Australian travel advisory said today. The alleged plot is eerily similar to the method used to kidnap Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was killed by his kidnappers in 2002 after being led to a secret location in Pakistan with the promise of an exclusive interview.

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http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/08/terror-alert-we.html

Another article on a subject that has been a topic of discussion lately:

Al Qaeda Videos May Be Doctored
August 13, 2007

Media and terrorism experts alike have remarked on the increasing sophistication of al Qaeda propaganda videos that continue to be released by the group's media wing, as Sahab. One computer expert, however, has conducted extensive image analysis on many of the videos and concluded that in many cases the tapes were likely doctored to give a false impression of the speaker's location.

Neal Krawetz, founder of Hacker Factor, a computer security and consulting firm, created a computer program which he uses to analyze screen frames from various al Qaeda videos, including those of al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al Zawahri and American al Qaeda commander Adam Gadahn. His software suggests that in many cases the sophisticated backgrounds were likely added after the video of the speaker was recorded.

Photos: See What's Behind al Qaeda's Propaganda Tapes
By looking at the error levels of the different elements in the still frames, or JPEGs, he can tell which elements are older and which are newer. In other words, he can tell which areas of the video were modified more recently. For example, in one video of Zawahri released in July of last year, he appears to be seated in a news studio complete with a backdrop of images of the World Trade Center attacks and hijacker Mohammed Atta.

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http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/08/al-qaeda-videos.html