Threat Matrix: November 2007

U.S. to Offer Turkey Help on PKK

The U.S. is to offer Turkey a package of measures to dissuade Ankara from mounting a large-scale military incursion into Iraq to attack PKK Kurdish guerrillas, who have killed scores of Turkish soldiers in recent weeks.

Ahead of a meeting in Washington on Monday between President George W. Bush and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, U.S. officials said Ankara would have to get concrete American help to combat the PKK, which has bases in northern Iraq from where it frequently launches attacks into Turkey.

“Erdogan has to go back with the belief that for whatever reason, the U.S. is serious” about tackling Turkey’s concerns regarding the PKK, said Matthew Bryza, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. state department responsible for Turkey policy. Full story...

	Turkey Imposes Sanctions on Iraqi Kurdistan in Bid to Halt PKK
	Ambassador Ryan Crocker to Turkey: Stay Out of Iraq
	Deaths in Baghdad Hit Yearly Low

Threat Matrix:
November 2007

October 2007

Threat Matrix Index

Theat Matrix Handbook

Theat Matrix 'BOLO'

Invaluable Tips

Preparedness

Corrected Post.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071105/terror_suspect_freed_071105/20071105?hub=Canada

“Alleged ring leader in Ont. terror case gets bail”
Updated Mon. Nov. 5 2007 6:31 PM ET

toronto.ctv.ca

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The eldest suspect and alleged ringleader in the Toronto-area terrorism case was granted bail on Monday after the most serious charge against him was dropped.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 44, breathed a loud sigh of relief and smiled at his wife when the judge made the order inside a Brampton courtroom.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Jamal is still charged with participating in a terrorist group and receiving/providing terrorist training.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Jamal was released on $100,000 bond, nearly three quarters of which was donated by members of the Muslim community, the Toronto Star reports.”

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4844

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018694.php

November 5, 2007

Iranians celebrate US embassy siege

Happy anniversary! The charming festivities featured chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” as young Iranians whom Western analysts fondly assume will soon overthrow the mullahocracy celebrated the criminal act that was one of the earliest salvos in this latest round of the ongoing jihad. From AFP (thanks to JE):

Thousands of young Iranians proclaimed “Death to America” yesterday as they celebrated the 28th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in Tehran by student radicals.

A massive crowd, composed mainly of schoolchildren bussed in to central Tehran, gathered outside the site of the former US embassy, known locally as the “Den of Spies”.

“Death to America, death to Israel,” the young people shouted, wearing bibs that depicted the burning of the US and Israeli flags.

Posted by Robert at November 5, 2007 10:55 PM

November 5, 2007

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/November/07_crm_886.html

Former Leader of Arellano-Felix Drug Trafficking Organization
Sentenced to Life in Prison

WASHINGTON – Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix, the former leader of the deadly drug trafficking Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was sentenced to serve life in prison, the Department of Justice announced today.

At the sentencing hearing at federal court in San Diego today, U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns also ordered Arellano-Felix, 37, to forfeit $50 million and his interest in a yacht, the Dock Holiday.

Arellano-Felix’s sentence follows his September 2007 guilty plea to operating a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiring to launder monetary instruments. According to court documents, since the 1980s, the AFO has controlled narcotics trafficking through the Tijuana and Mexicali corridors adjacent to the southern United States border with Mexico. As part of his guilty plea, Arellano-Felix admitted that, until his arrest, he was a principal administrator of the AFO. During that time, the AFO distributed indeterminable amounts of cocaine and marijuana, exceeding hundreds of tons.

Arellano-Felix admitted murdering and participating in and directing the murders of numerous persons in furtherance of the AFO’s activities. He also admitted that he and other AFO members repeatedly and willfully obstructed and impeded the investigation and prosecution of AFO activities by paying millions of dollars in bribes to law enforcement and military personnel, murdering informants and potential witnesses, and murdering law enforcement personnel. AFO members also routinely wiretapped rival drug traffickers and Mexican law enforcement officials; impersonated Mexican military and law enforcement officials; trained assassination squads; “taxed” individuals seeking to conduct criminal activities in Tijuana and Mexicali; and kidnapped individuals for ransom.

Arellano-Felix was apprehended by the U.S. Coast Guard in August 2006 in international waters off the coast of Mexico, aboard the Dock Holiday.

“Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix will spend the rest of his life in prison for leading a violent Mexican drug cartel that was responsible for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine and marijuana, and committing countless acts of violence and corruption,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Craig S. Morford. “His arrest and prison sentence are a testament to the strong and increasingly effective cooperation between our government and Mexico’s and our commitment to prosecuting the most powerful drug kingpins from around the world for trafficking narcotics into the United States.”

According to U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt of the Southern District of California, “The life sentence imposed upon Javier Arellano-Felix today ensures that his reign of violent crime and international drug trafficking, which harmed countless individuals in both the United States and Mexico, is forever over.”

“Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix was once a symbol of the power and dominance of his family’s violent drug cartel. Today, as he is sentenced in a U.S. court, he is a symbol of the strength of collaboration between the DEA and Mexican law enforcement, and of the supremacy of excellent investigative work,” said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. “The world’s major drug kingpins, like Arellano-Felix, try to isolate themselves and let their foot soldiers take the risks and do the prison time. Today’s sentencing shows that though top brass traffickers may feel untouchable, they are not beyond the reach of aggressive, cooperative law enforcement.”

“Today’s sentencing closes the door on two decades of drug trafficking and crime that involved one of the most sophisticated money laundering schemes in the world,” said Eileen Mayer, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to be a part of the law enforcement team that brought this organization and its leaders to justice.”

Arellano-Felix’s co-defendant, Manuel Arturo Villarreal-Heredia, a senior lieutenant apprehended with Arellano-Felix aboard the Dock Holiday, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2008. Villarreal-Heredia pleaded guilty in September 2007 to operating an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and conspiring to invest illicit drug profits.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura E. Duffy, Peter Ko, and Stephen M. Tokarz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. The investigation and arrest of the defendants was the result of the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigative Division, the United States Coast Guard, and the California Department of Justice.

###

07-886

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15076&Itemid=128

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071106-05
November 6, 2007

Concerned Local Citizens, children turn in caches
Multi-National Division – Center PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Three separate weapons caches were found in areas south of Baghdad Nov. 3. Two of the caches were found by Concerned Local Citizens.

In Hawr Rajab, CLCs found a cache consisting of four 57 mm projectiles taped together. The citizens brought the ordnance to Paratroopers of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), out of Fort Richardson, Alaska, at Entry Control Point 20 for safe disposal.

Local children in Hawr Rajab also contributed by pointing out the location of a cache to Paratroopers of Troop C, 1-40th Cav. Regt. The cache consisted of six 82 mm mortars.

In Arab Jabour, Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division discovered a weapons cache that consisted of a 155 mm mortar round, an OG-7V grenade and one rocket-propelled grenade propellant charge.

“The CLCs have added a dynamic to our offensive capabilities that have shaped the battlefield in ways that Coalition Forces alone could never have achieved,” said Capt. Chad Klascius, Troop A commander.

“Working with local nationals to create positive results and a safer environment is one of the most rewarding missions we’ve endeavored,” Klascius said. “Not only are we defeating al Qaeda, but the work of the local nationals gives us hope for the future of Iraq.”

An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed all caches with controlled detonations.

-30-

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_uae.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Tue Nov 06 2007 03:22:47 GMT-0800.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

November 5, 2007

This Public Announcement is to remind all American citizens resident in the UAE, and those intending to visit there, that thousands of foreign visitors will be attending the Dubai Air Show between November 11-15, 2007. Although the U.S. Government has no specific or credible information about security concerns related to the Dubai Air Show, terrorist groups seek to continue attacks against U.S. interests in the Middle East and North Africa. Terrorist actions may include bombings, hijackings, hostage taking, kidnappings, and assassinations. During the event, U.S. citizens are advised to maintain a high level of vigilance, to be aware of local events and traffic delays, and to take appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. This Public Announcement expires November 16, 2007.

As is typical at large international conferences and exhibitions, residents and visitors can expect this event to attract senior foreign government officials and high-level business delegations from many countries, resulting in significant traffic delays. Also, there will be increased police and security presence in and around various event venues in the city, near the Dubai airport, around hotels, shopping centers and other locales.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate General recommend that Americans consult the Department of State’s Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement, and other travel information available on the Department of State’s Consular Affairs internet website at http://travel.state.gov .

The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi is located in the Embassies District, Plot 38, Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, P.O. Box 4009. The telephone number is (971)(2) 414-2200, and the Consular Section fax number is (971)(2) 414-2241. The email address for American Citizens Services inquiries, including passport questions, is abudhabiacs@state.gov.

The Embassy Internet web site is http://uae.usembassy.gov . The after-hours telephone number is (971)(2) 414-2500.

The U.S. Consulate General in Dubai is located on the 21st floor of the Dubai World Trade Center, P.O. Box 9343. The telephone number is (971)(4) 311-6000. The Consular Section fax number is (971)(4) 311-6213. The email address for American Citizens Services inquiries, including passport questions, is dubaiwarden@state.gov. The web site for the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai is http://dubai.usconsulate.gov . For after-hours emergencies, contact the Embassy at (971)(2) 414-2500 for the Dubai Duty Officer.

Department of State travel information and publications are available at Internet address: http://travel.state.gov .

U.S. travelers may hear recorded information by calling the Department of State in Washington, D.C. at 202-647-5225 from their touch-tone telephone, or receive information by automated telefax by dialing 202-647-3000 from their fax machine

Opponent of 'mega-mosque' receives chilling death threat on YouTube

A leading opponent of plans to build Europe's largest mosque in east London has seen a chilling "obituary" for him posted on the internet.

The film on video-sharing website YouTube is entitled In memory of Councillor Alan Craig and contains pictures of him with his wife and two young daughters.

~snip~

The video was posted by abdullah1425 whose page on YouTube claims he is 23-year-old Muhammad from Stevenage. It has links to material relating to Tablighi Jamaat.

In one comment to another user posted on the site he said: "Jihad starts from the moment your mother gave birth to you."

There is a link directly to the page from the mosque's official website but a spokesman promised to take it down if anything "inappropriate" was found. ~snip~

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=491977&in_page_id=1770

IF????

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.