Threat Matrix: December 2007

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[nwctwx]

Calculating the Risks in Pakistan

A small group of U.S. military experts and intelligence officials convened in Washington for a classified war game last year, exploring strategies for securing Pakistan's nuclear arsenal if the country's political institutions and military safeguards began to fall apart.

The secret exercise — conducted without official sponsorship from any government agency, apparently due to the sensitivity of its subject — was one of several such games the U.S. government has conducted in recent years examining various options and scenarios for Pakistan's nuclear weapons: How many troops might be required for a military intervention in Pakistan? Could Pakistani nuclear bunkers be isolated by saturating the surrounding areas with tens of thousands of high-powered mines, dropped from the air and packed with anti-tank and anti-personnel munitions? Or might such a move only worsen the security of Pakistan's arsenal?
Full story...

	Musharraf: U.S. Shares Blame for Pakistan and Afghanistan
	Bin Laden's Message to the Europeans
	Messages from bin Laden Since 9-11

Threat Matrix:
December 2007

November 2007

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Theat Matrix Handbook

Theat Matrix 'BOLO'

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Preparedness

[Right_Handed_Writer]

ILL| Chicago| Traffic Advisory| 460.150| 190 N State St|U/D: Car drove into Channel 7 studio. No inj. 1 in custody. Sig damage to studio. Live on ABC7| ILL086| 22:14

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=5852858

Right now on the police scanner they are not saying whether this was intentional or not. The driver is in custody and has not yet been identified. Nobody hurt, studio lost its windows.

[Cindy]

Small detail UPDATE:

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=596&sid=1313089
(WTOP,AP)

“Fire May Have Started in Electrical Closet”
December 20, 2007 - 12:30pm

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “WHITE HOUSE - The White House says a fire at the Old Executive Office Building appears to have started in an electrical closet or a telephone bank.

“It appears to be an electrical room or closet or a telephone bank,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.”

[Cindy]

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&q=%22Flight+1018%22&btnG=Search+News

#

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318073,00.html
(AP)

“Bomb Threat Forces Southwest Flight to Make Emergency Landing”
Sunday, December 23, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “OMAHA, Neb. — A Southwest Airlines flight headed to Connecticut made an emergency landing here after a person who missed the flight allegedly made a bomb threat, an airline spokeswoman said Sunday.

No explosives were found, and the 137 passengers on Flight 1018 continued on to Hartford, Conn., after the unexpected layover of just over three hours, spokeswoman Christi Day said.

Day said the passenger who missed the flight made a statement about a bag and then made a bomb threat specific to Flight 1018. Day said she didn’t know whether the threat was made to a gate agent in Las Vegas or by telephone.”

[Cindy]

Thank you Oorang.

UPDATE:

http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5300736&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

“Metro Back to Normal After Suspicious Package Scare”
Last Edited: Sunday, 23 Dec 2007, 7:52 PM EST
Created: Sunday, 23 Dec 2007, 6:16 PM EST

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A suspicious package that disrupted Metro service Sunday in Montgomery County has turned out to be nothing more than trash.

[Cindy]

Thanks for the heads up Right Handed Writer.

http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/122307crash.jpg_20071223_23_22_22_33-282-400.imageContent

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/710956,crash122307.article

“Car crashes into Ch. 7’s downtown news studio”
December 23, 2007
FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS

[Cindy]

Thanks to Nick Grace for pointing to another lively edition of Global Crisis Watch.

#

http://threatswatch.org/site-resources/podcast/gcw_071224.mp3

http://threatswatch.org/gcw/2007/12/24/

QUOTE:

December 24, 2007 [Listen Here]
40:00 (Mins) | 26.6 (MB)
Robert Spencer, Director of JihadWatch, and Marvin Hutchens, cofounder of ThreatsWatch, debate on approaches to Muslim reform within the counterterrorism community. Moderated by guest host Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Vice President of Research, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

[Cindy]

UPDATE:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019298.php
(AFP)

December 24, 2007
“Philippines: ‘Christmas Day’ jihadist an envoy from Egypt’s Al-Azhar University”

CAIRO

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019228.php
(AFP)

December 19, 2007
“Philippines: Jihadist arrested with ‘Christmas Day’ bomb”

#

Previously...

http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=8EAF007F-8FD8-4CD2-B77E-4D16B70A11DC

“Symposium: Holiday Jihad?”
By Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, December 14, 2007

[Cindy]

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3485935,00.html

2 people lightly hurt by stones thrown at them in Jerusalem
Published: 12.23.07, 22:51 / Israel News

Two people were lightly wounded Sunday evening after stones were thrown at them near Herod’s Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The injured were evacuated to the hospital. (Ynet)

[Cindy]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847413688&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Dec 23, 2007 23:41 | Updated Dec 24, 2007 2:08
“Army prepares public for missile attack”
By YAAKOV KATZ

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “While the IDF does not foresee a war in the immediate future, the Home Front Command launched an unprecedented media campaign on Sunday, and in the coming days will begin mailing brochures to homes across the country explaining to civilians how to prepare for missile onslaughts against Israel.

The campaign is led by Col. Hilik Sofer, head of the Population Division at the IDF Home Front Command, and Lt.-Col. Ariella Ben-Avraham, head of the unit’s public relations department.

Part of the campaign, which cost the IDF NIS 5.2 million, includes brochures that will be sent to homes in various languages as well as a number of commercials - including one intended for children - on radio and television.”

[Cindy]

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_922.html

Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520

This information is current as of today, Sun Dec 23 2007 23:59:18 GMT-0800 (PST).

ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK AND GAZA

July 13, 2007

[Cindy]

Fyi only.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200712/INT20071221c.html

“Bush Invited to Visit Israel Twice in 2008”
By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief
December 21, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - George W. Bush has never visited Israel as president. That will change in January, and some in Israel already are talking about a second Bush visit five months later.

President Bush plans to travel to Israel the second week in January. His nine-day Middle East tour, from January 8-16, also will take him to the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the White House said this week.

But the President reportedly has been invited to return to Israel in May to celebrate Israel’s 60th Independence Day anniversary.

“We do hope he comes again in May,” former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon told Cybercast News Service. “That would be the highest form of showing friendship to Israel.”

Ayalon said it would be “quite historic” for Bush to visit two times within five months.

The president told reporters on Thursday he’s “looking forward” to his January trip.”

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16013&Itemid=21

Press Release A071224a
December 24, 2007

Coalition forces disrupt criminal element network; two armed men killed, two suspects detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained two suspected criminals and killed two armed men during operations to disrupt criminal element networks early today in the Al Kut area, southeast of Baghdad.

The targeted individual was reportedly a Special Groups leader responsible for attacks against Coalition forces and its supporters. He allegedly received training on urban combat tactics and explosives, including Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFP) and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). The wanted individual is believed to have conducted surveillance against Coalition forces in order to plan attacks against them. He was also reportedly an associate of several other senior-level criminal element leaders who were involved in attacks on Coalition forces.

When Coalition forces approached the target area, two armed men maneuvered against them displaying hostile intent. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged and killed them both. During the operation Coalition forces detained two suspected criminals without further incident. The identities of the two suspects, and whether or not one of them is the targeted individual is still being determined.

“Coalition Forces continue to target the criminal elements who are responsible for directing attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces and Iraqi citizens,” said Cmdr. Scott Rye, MNF-I spokesperson. “Iraqi and Coalition forces will take the necessary actions against those who are not honoring al-Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr’s cease fire pledge.”

- 30 -

[Cindy]

Regarding Iran:

http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=672.0
http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=1296.0
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1943745/posts

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071224/ts_nm/iran_nuclear_plants_dc_1
(REUTERS)

“Iran to seek bids for 19 atomic power plants: MP”
2 hours, 17 minutes ago

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will soon announce an international tender for building 19 nuclear power plants, an MP was quoted as saying, a week after Russia said it had begun fuel deliveries to the Islamic state’s first such facility.

Kazem Jalali, a spokesman for parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said each power plant would have a capacity of 1,000 megawatt of electricity, the Iran News daily reported on Monday, without giving further details.”

[Cindy]

Fyi Only.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7159073.stm

Last Updated: Monday, 24 December 2007, 11:14 GMT

“Block of flats collapses in Egypt”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The block which had three extra floors added illegally collapsed onto the wall of a neighbouring school where mothers were waiting to pick up their children.”

[Godzilla]

placemark

[Right_Handed_Writer]

Car drove into Channel 7 studio. No inj. 1 in custody. Sig damage to studio. Live on ABC7

According to witnesses and a previous report of a reckless driving call just priot to the incident, this may have been intentional. Witnesses who were watching the live newscast said that Richardson told them to move out of the way just moments before he ran up onto the sidewalk and into the studio.

Driver has been identified as Gerald Richardson of Evanston IL.

WBBM 780

VIDEO

[Cindy]

Thank you for that update, Right_Handed

[Cindy]

This is not a real conversation:

Maxwell Smart: Yep, it’s the old bomg-under-the-burqa-trick, Agent 99.
Gomer Pyle: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

#

This is a real bomb under a real burqa.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019310.php

December 24, 2007

Woman caught with bomb under burqa
As the West continues to acquiesce to Islamic mores, we will see this kind of thing closer to home.

“Woman caught with bomb under burqa: official,” from AFP (thanks to Sr. Soph):

ASADABAD, Afghanistan - Afghan intelligence agents said Monday they had detained a woman hiding a bomb-filled waistcoat of the type used in Taleban suicide attacks under her all-covering burqa.

The 55-year-old woman was followed from the eastern province of Kunar after a tip-off and arrested in the town of Jalalabad, an official in Kunar’s intelligence department told AFP.

“She was carrying the suicide waistcoat for the Taleban. We had intelligence reports that she was working for the Taleban,” said the official, who asked not to be identified by name.

The woman was being questioned “to find out more about her network,” he said.

Most Afghan women still wear the burqa, which was mandatory under the 1996-2001 Taleban government, and cannot be searched by men at security checkposts.

Posted by Robert at December 24, 2007 4:09 PM

[Cindy]

Oops Max, spell it right — that’s b-o-m-b, not bomg.

[Cindy]

http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=810.0

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019307.php
(REDIFF)

December 24, 2007
“Jihadists firing from inside mosque injure two”