Threat Matrix: January 2008

Still in Control

Pervez Musharraf was calm, confident and—despite a flurry of rumors—not about to announce his resignation. Instead, the Pakistani president's "concession" to his troubled nation was an announcement that he would allow Britain's Scotland Yard to help local law enforcement agencies with their investigation into last week's assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Speaking in a nationally televised address two hours after Pakistan's election commission announced the postponement of the ballot to Feb. 18, six weeks later than had been scheduled, Musharraf was notably deferential in his remarks about Bhutto, often invoking her "martyrdom" and extolling her liberal democratic credentials. "May she go to heaven," he said. "I stand for the same things she said." Read More

	Pakistan's Frayed Politics
	Musharraf's Dangerous Liaisons
	Pakistan after Bhutto

Threat Matrix:
January 2008

December 2007

Threat Matrix Index

Theat Matrix Handbook

Theat Matrix 'BOLO'

Invaluable Tips

Preparedness

Government to pay 80% of Israel's airline security costs

Israel's government has agreed to pay 80 percent of the security costs of the country's airlines, up from 50 percent until now, El Al Israel Airlines ELA.TA said on Sunday.

Airplane skids off runnway

The runway system was temporarily closed at Spokane International Airport Sunday after an inbound flight lost traction and began sliding after a landing.

Around half a dozen flights are impacted by the closure which is expected to last until 4 p.m.

118 passenger were aboard the Southwest Airlines Flight 485, which originated in Albuquerque then traveled through Portland before landing in Spokane.

Passengers aboard the 737 say the landing felt normal when they suddenly felt the tires slipping, and plane seemed to spin 90 degrees.

No damage was reported to the aircraft, and no injuries were reported.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=mexico

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960198/posts

“Key Mexican drug hitman arrested near U.S. border”
San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | 1/26/08 | Reuters
Posted on 01/26/2008 8:59:28 PM PST by NormsRevenge

SNIPPET: “TIJUANA, Mexico – A key hitman for Mexico’s Arellano Felix drug cartel was arrested on Saturday in this crime-ridden border city, in another coup for President Felipe Calderón’s clampdown on traffickers.

After an anonymous tip-off, soldiers stormed a house and arrested Alfredo Araujo Avila, also known as Popeye, Tijuana’s military chief Gen. German Redondo told reporters.

“He is considered one of the most dangerous hitmen of the Arellano Felix cartel,” Gen. Redondo said.

Araujo Avila had dodged arrest for a decade in Tijuana, which is just over the U.S. border from San Diego. He is wanted in the United States for drug trafficking and arms possession.”

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16700&Itemid=21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080127-04
January 27, 2008

Iraqi civilians lead troops to explosives cache
Multi National Force – West PAO

RAMADI, Iraq – Iraqi civilians helped Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces discover numerous caches 60 kilometers northeast of Ramadi Jan. 24.

Acting on information provided by locals, the Iraqi Army alongside Company B, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment discovered four caches, including the largest cache found in the Thar Thar region in 2008.

The combined four caches included 2,550 pounds of homemade explosives; 10 pounds of plastic explosives; three mines; 1,500 feet of detonation cord; two mortar tubes; more than 300 rocket propelled grenade warheads; six 120mm mortar rounds; four 107mm rockets; and one heavy machine gun.

One cache of RPG rounds and mortars was found buried in a large water container in an abandoned sheep pen. Based on its location, the cache could have been used to supply insurgents in three provinces with munitions.

“The cache provided bomb-making materials and RPGs for the Saladin, Baghdad and Anbar provinces,” said Lt. Col. Michael Silverman, commanding officer, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment. “It was big, new and the best attempt to hide them since I’ve been here.”

A military explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions on-site with a controlled detonation.

-30-

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16705&Itemid=21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080127-08
January 27, 2008

Sixteen IEDs, cache turned in by CLCs
2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO
Multi-National Division – Center PAO

BAGHDAD – Concerned Local Citizens turned in numerous improvised explosive device components and a munitions cache to Multi-National Division-Center Soldiers in Arab Jabour Jan. 25.

The CLCs approached Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga., with 16 pressure plate switches and numerous blasting caps. The CLCs then pointed out where the IEDs were found, allowing Coalition Forces to safely eliminate the threat.

The CLCs also turned in a cache of weapons to the Soldiers. The cache consisted of 340 57 mm projectile fuses, three 57 mm projectiles and 500 DSHKA heavy machine gun rounds.

An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions in a controlled detonation.

-30-

Pakistan nuclear sites on alert
Saturday, 26 January 2008

Pakistan has raised the state of alert around its nuclear facilities amid concerns they could be targeted by Islamist militants. But a senior Pakistan military official said there had been no specific threat to the sites, and insisted that safeguards in place were fool proof. The official was speaking in a rare press briefing on the issue.

It followed Western media reports warning that Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands. The Pakistani authorities have been angered by Western media reports speculating that the country's nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda militants. The senior military official briefing foreign journalists said that the weapons were protected by an elaborate command and control system, and multiple levels of security.

'No collusion'
He acknowledged that Islamic militants had begun to attack army personnel in recent months, and that nuclear sites may also become a target. He said the state of alert around nuclear facilities had increased, but there had been no specific threats against them.

The official said there was no way the Taleban or al-Qaeda could take over Pakistan's estimated 50 nuclear warheads. And he dismissed the possibility of collusion from within the system, saying all personnel dealing with sensitive material had been carefully monitored. Despite fears raised by US media and politicians, the official said the US administration had not shown any recent concern about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. He also said any foreign intervention over the issue would be disastrous for the intruder.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7210946.stm

Bosnian Muslim officials investigated for issuing Jihad passports
January 24, 2008

SARAJEVO--Bosnia prosecutors said Thursday they were investigating local officials suspected of having granted citizenships to hundreds of Islamic fighters during the 1992-95 war. "It had already been established that some citizenships were granted illegally, but we are looking for elements of criminal responsibility" among officials, said Boris Grubesic, a spokesman for the state prosecutors' office. "We are looking into officials who worked in relevant institutions at the time when these citizenships were being granted," Grubesic told AFP.

Due to the irregularities, a specially established state commission revoked the citizenship last year of hundreds of foreigners including a number of Muslim former fighters in Bosnia's war. One of them, Algerian Atau Mimun had already been deported from Bosnia last December. Officials said at the time that Mimun was suspected of links to militant groups.

Bosnia came under the spotlight after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. due to the presence of former fighters from Islamic countries. Although they were ordered to leave under the terms of the Dayton peace accords, some stayed on after obtaining citizenship. In 2007, Bosnia jailed three Muslims found guilty of intending to carry out an attack in Bosnia or another European country with the aim of forcing the withdrawal of Western troops from Iraq or Afghanistan.

http://www.serbianna.com/news/2008/01131.shtml

Muslim employees get more time for prayers (PA)
Saturday, January 26, 2008

Somali immigrants who quit work at Arnold Logistics in Hampden Twp. because of a "misunderstanding" are back on the job, with accommodation for their daily prayers, a Muslim advocacy group says. The warehouse and distribution services company has agreed to provide a 15-minute break for Muslim prayer, according to the Pennsylvania office of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

CAIR said 16 machine operators walked off their jobs on Jan. 9 "after a misunderstanding over a new policy which limited personal breaks for all employees to five minutes." Madina Hasson of Mechanicsburg, a nurse who volunteers as a community organizer among midstate Somali immigrants, contacted Justin Peyton, director of civil rights for CAIR in Philadelphia. They met Jan. 11 with Amy Rafferty, human resources director for Arnold Logistics, to explain that five minutes was too short for the daily prayers required of Muslims.

The workers had been unable to make their case because of a "language barrier," Peyton said Friday. He said Rafferty "graciously listened" and relayed the workers' concerns to senior managers, who offered this week to rehire all 16 and provide them time each day for prayer. About half the employees returned to Arnold. The rest had found other work, Peyton said.

http://www.pennlive.com/business/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/business/1201314300138540.xml&coll=1

Row over Islamist cleric's visa (U.K.)
Sunday January 27, 2008

An Islamist cleric who has defended suicide bombings and the execution of homosexuals is to be allowed to enter the UK, sparking a major row between government departments. The Observer understands that senior civil servants in the Home Office and Foreign Office have recommended that ministers approve an application by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is banned from entering the United States, to come to London for medical treatment.

The news has prompted unease in the Department for Communities and Local Government, which fears that allowing Qaradawi in might offend other faith groups as well as many Muslims. Several senior civil servants are also understood to have reservations because Qaradawi, 80, has previously received treatment in France, suggesting that he can receive medical attention for his undisclosed illness elsewhere.

There were calls last night for ministers to reject Qaradawi's application. 'Qaradawi has been banned from the US since 1999,' said Dr Irfan al-Alawi, international director of the Centre for Islamic Pluralism. 'Why should the British government allow him to come here?'

This is not the first time Qaradawi's close relationship with Britain has attracted controversy. Two years ago the government paid for him and his wife to fly from his home in Qatar to Istanbul for a conference. In 2004 the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, invited Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, to the capital. The move provoked widespread protests from Jewish groups and gay rights organisations. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said that it could not comment on individual visa applications.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2247631,00.html

Afghanistan claims 'proof' of Iran-Taliban weapons flow
Sun Jan 27, 2008

Officials in Afghanistan say they have proof that Iran is supplying weapons to Taliban insurgents. For more than a year NATO and the US have been arguing that Tehran is supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan.

A cache of arms seized in a raid in western Afghanistan on Thursday included 60 Iranian-made mines, according to the local Governor. The official went on to accuse the Iranian regime, saying it alone controlled the border. The Afghan Government has not responded to the comments, ut in the past it has dismissed the claim, saying there was no proof of complicity by Tehran.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/27/2147406.htm?section=justin

Thanks to Oorang’s post no. 1092 regarding “Pakistan Nuclear Sites on Alert.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947527/posts?page=1092#1092

Thanks to Ali Veritas for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960518/posts

“Musharraf Rejects CIA Bid ToHunt Taliban”
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 1-27-2008 | Isambard Wilkinson
Posted on 01/27/2008 4:59:55 PM PST by blam
Musharraf rejects CIA bid to hunt Taliban

By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad
Last Updated: 3:46pm GMT 27/01/2008

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “President Pervez Musharraf has rejected an offer of greater American involvement in hunting down al-Qa’eda and Taliban militants in Pakistan, it has been reported.

Amid growing concern in Washington over militants’ entrenchment in Pakistan’s border tribal areas, America’s two most senior intelligence officials made the proposal during a secret visit to Islamabad earlier this month.”

Bomb Squad Investigation Evacuates Northwest Jacksonville Neighborhood

JACKSONVILLE, FL — A bomb squad with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of an explosive device in Northwest Jacksonville.

The bomb squad was called out to the home in the 900 block of Devonshire Boulevard around 4 p.m.

A woman called police after she found a suspicious package in a cooler in her son’s bedroom. When police arrived and looked at the package, they decided to call out the bomb squad.

The woman and her son were questioned by police. We’re told her 24-year-old son was recently released from prison. A federal agent has also been called in to help with the investigation.

Police evacuated as many as 25 homes.

The bomb squad says the suspicious device is too big to detonate on the scene. A bomb disposal robot picked up the package and sealed it in a canister. It will be detonated at the bomb squad’s headquarters.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/breaking/news-article.aspx?storyid=100902

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