Threat Matrix: May 2008

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[nwctwx]

U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism

As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways.

According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success."

While the United States has so far been spared this type of strike in its own waters, terrorists have used small boats to attack in other countries. Read More

	U.S. Confirms Somali Missile Strike
	Fight Al Qaeda's Plan, Not its Ideas
	FACTBOX: Major al Qaeda Leaders Killed or Captured

Threat Matrix:
May 2008

April 2007

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Preparedness

[Cindy]

See photos - graphic here:

http://www.longwarjournal.org/images/AQI-killed-captured-May2008.JPG

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/05/targeting_al_qaeda_i_2.php

“Targeting al Qaeda in Iraq’s network, April-May 2008
By BILL ROGGIOMay 7, 2008 2:15 PM

[Cindy]

Early Evening Propaganda ON THE INTERNET:

www.youtube.com/profile?user=Hamsawiy3

[Cindy]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/07/africa/ME-GEN-Yemen-Japanese-Kidnapped.php
(AP)

“Two Japanese women kidnapped in Yemen freed after tribal mediation”

The Associated PressPublished: May 7, 2008

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “SAN’A, Yemen: Two female Japanese tourists kidnapped in Yemen’s Marib province Wednesday were freed after tribal mediation, said a Yemeni security official and the country’s Tourism Ministry.

The two women were kidnapped by members of the Aziza tribe, who demanded that Yemeni officials release one of their tribesman who was in government custody, said the security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.”

[Cindy]

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3540728,00.html

m rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon landed in an open area within the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel.

There were no reports of injuries or damage. (Yonat Atlas)

#

The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3540708,00.html

6 mortar shells fired from Gaza, no injuries
Published: 05.07.08, 15:12 / Israel News

Palestinian terror groups fired six mortar shells from Gaza towards Israel on Wednesday afternoon. The shells landed in open areas near the border fence.

No injuries were reported and no damage was caused. (Shmulik Hadad)

[Cindy]

FIXING the top link in post no. 264:

QUOTE:

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3540728,00.html

Qassam lands in open area in southern community; no injuries reported
Published: 05.07.08, 16:36 / Israel News

A Qassam rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon landed in an open area within the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel.

There were no reports of injuries or damage. (Yonat Atlas)

[Cindy]

Thanks to a special email for the info.
FYI only.

Photo and video included.

http://www.kidk.com/news/18711134.html

“Bonneville County Selected to House 2 Billion Dollar Uranium Plant”

Story Published: May 6, 2008 at 7:11 PM MDT
Story Updated: May 6, 2008 at 7:11 PM MDT
By Anthony Congi

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A new business coming to eastern Idaho is promising to bring with it close to one thousand new jobs.Senator Larry Craig announced today that Bonneville County was selected to house a two billion dollar uranium enrichment plant.
A french company, Areva, is going to open the 2-billion dollar uranium facility, which is the first in the U.S.

Today was a very exciting day for the science world and Bonneville County. And in 2014, the future of Idaho and quite possibly the world, in terms of nuclear energy, will start right here in our own backyard.”

#

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/06/business/NA-FIN-US-Areva-Enrichment-Plant.php

“Areva plans to build $2 billion uranium plant in Idaho”

The Associated PressPublished: May 6, 2008
BOISE, Idaho:

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Areva plans to build the plant by 2014. A program in which Russia has been converting weapons-grade uranium to uranium suitable for use in electricity-producing reactors and selling it to an Areva rival expires in 2013.”

[Oorang]

Woman Arrested for Accessing Websites With Terrorist Information
May 7, 2008

Rochester, N.Y. - A 911 dispatcher, Nadire Zelenaj, has been arrested for using computers at work to access secure government websites containing information about suspected terrorists. Now the FBI wants to know what she did with that sensitive information.

The employee was hired in 2002 after the September 11 terrorist attacks. 911 computers allow employees to access a secured police data site with criminal information. However, Zelenaj was using that access for personal reasons. Police say she accessed information from a terrorist watch list. They tracked her movements in a two-year period between January ‘06 and December ‘07 and say she visited that site at least 232 times.

Richard Vega of the Office of Public Integrity said that at the present, they can only suspect what she’s been up to. What we do know is -- now the FBI is involved. Agents would not comment other than to say it's part of a larger investigation.

Zelenaj has been charged with 232 felony counts of computer trespass and one count of official misconduct. She was fired in December. A co-worker saw her on the site and became suspicious. From there, it was easy to track her computer movements.

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ee08b3c5-5835-4049-a7a6-861a34a16d43

[Cindy]

Well now, this is/will be interesting.

Thank you Oorang.

[MamaDearest]

....has been charged with 232 felony counts of computer trespass and one count of official misconduct.

Excellent find Oorang - and she did this from her job before she was fired.....

Israeli agent trains police in terrorism questioning

A woman clutches her purse and hunches her shoulders as an airport security guard questions her. Another man claims to be an executive waiting for a meeting, though he's wearing a track suit.

Incorrect answers and defensive behavior can be signs of a terrorist waiting to unleash an attack, a former agent with Israel's security service warned Arkansas police officers on Wednesday. But David Harel, who once worked as a sky marshal for El Al Airlines, acknowledges that safety comes at a cost.

"People forget sometimes the most important freedom of all is the freedom to life, the right to life," Harel told reporters during a break at a conference. "You have to constantly judge the balance of the right to life and the other rights which you expect in a democratic society. Sometimes, the right to life can be more important than some of the other rights and they have to be infringed on to guarantee the safety of its citizens."

Terrorism suspect tries to quit his own trial

An Islamic convert facing terrorism charges was re-arrested after trying to walk out of his own trial Tuesday – saying simply that “I'm outta here” – after telling the court he wouldn't recognize Canadian law.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp966.htm

May 7, 2008
HP-966

Treasury Targets FARC Money Exchange House

Washington - The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated a Colombian money exchange house for acting on behalf of and materially assisting the narcotics trafficking activities of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a narco-terrorist group also known as the FARC. This is OFAC’s fourth action against the FARC in the past six months.

“Today’s action targets the FARC’s drug trafficking and terror activities by undermining its financial network,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “This deals another blow to the FARC’s ability to fund its operations by laundering criminal proceeds through the international financial system.”

Today’s designation targets Mercurio Internacional S.A., a Colombian money exchange house headquartered in Bogota, Colombia, with several branches throughout Colombia. The FARC used this Colombian money exchange house—or “casa de cambio” as they are commonly known in Colombia—to launder narcotics proceeds from its Eastern Bloc and, more specifically, the 27th Front. The FARC sells its illicit foreign currency to domestic money exchange businesses or profesionales del cambio. These profesionales del cambio then sell the foreign currency to casas de cambio that, like a bank, can export the foreign currency from Colombia.

Mercurio Internacional accepted foreign currency from the FARC via a number of profesionales del cambio. The FARC derived this foreign currency from drug sales. Mercurio Internacional would then convert the foreign currency back into pesos for the FARC to use in Colombia to fund its activities. For example, Cambios El Trebol, a professional del cambio that was designated by OFAC on April 22, 2008, is one customer of Mercurio Internacional that would sell the FARC’s illicit foreign currency to Mercurio Internacional in return for Colombian pesos.

The Eastern Bloc is the strongest military faction of the FARC and uses murder, extortion, kidnapping, and drug trafficking to further the financial and political goals of the FARC. Luis Eduardo Lopez Mendez (alias “Efren Arboleda”) leads the 27th Front and ultimately reports to FARC Secretariat Member Victor Julio Suarez Rojas (alias “Mono Jojoy”). Suarez Rojas is the FARC’s Chief of Military Operations and formerly served as the commander of the Eastern Bloc. Victor Julio Suarez Rojas and Luis Eduardo Lopez Mendez were designated by OFAC in February 2004 and November 2007, respectively.

On May 29, 2003, President George W. Bush identified the FARC as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Previously, in 2001, OFAC designated the FARC as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, and in 1997 the FARC was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Secretary of State.

Today’s action continues ongoing efforts under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act to apply financial measures against significant foreign narcotics traffickers worldwide. In addition to the 68 drug kingpins that have been designated by the President, 393 businesses and individuals have been designated pursuant to the Kingpin Act since June 2000. Today’s designation would not have been possible without support from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Today’s action freezes any assets Mercurio Internacional may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with this entity. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1,075,000 per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000,000. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10,000,000. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code.

REPORTS

For a complete list of the individuals and entities designated today, please visit:
http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/actions/index.shtml

To view previous OFAC actions directed against the FARC, please visit:

Treasury Action against the FARC on April 22, 2008.
Treasury Action against the FARC on January 15, 2008.
Treasury Action against the FARC on November 1, 2007.
Treasury Action against the FARC on September 28, 2006.
Treasury Action against the FARC on February 19, 2004.

[Cindy]

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=103454

“Wilderness bill would limit Border Patrol”
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 5/7/2008 11:00:00 AM

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Zack Taylor, who is a former Border Patrol agent, says a bill being proposed by a member of the Congressional Hispanic caucus would make it very difficult for law enforcement agents to operate in areas along the U.S.-Mexico border where illegal immigration and drug smuggling is rampant.

H.R. 2593 is called the Borderlands Conservation and Security Act of 2007. Sponsored by Representative Democrat Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), it would create new public lands wilderness areas along the southern border, especially in Arizona — which is the largest point of entry for illegal immigration and drug-smuggling traffic in the United States.”

[Cindy]

http://www.infolive.tv

#

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/apr29_060508e.htm

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC)

“News of the Israeli-Palestinian Confrontation
April 29-May 6, 2008”
(May 7, 2008)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pakistan/index?tab=articles

#

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3540850,00.html

Pakistan tests nuclear-capable cruise missile
Published: 05.08.08, 08:00 / Israel News

Pakistan successfully tested a nuclear-capable, air-launched cruise missile with a range of 350 km (220 miles) on Thursday, the military said, a day after India tested a long-range missile.

The Hatf-VIII (Ra’ad) missile had been developed exclusively for launch from aircraft, a military statement said. (Reuters)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=84232

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Azerbaijan Terrorist Threat Advisory
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Europe - Azerbaijan
7 May 2008

Printer Friendly Email Article
U.S. Embassy Baku released the following Warden Message on May 7:

The U.S. Embassy in Baku advises Americans residing in or traveling through Azerbaijan of public threats by the terrorist organization Hezbollah against U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide, linked with the recent assassination of Hezbollah terrorist Imad Mugniyah. The U.S. Embassy encourages Americans to increase their vigilance and take steps to bolster their own personal security, including avoiding large public gatherings and places where foreigners congregate.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings at the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website: http://travel.state.gov. Security information also can be obtained by calling 1- 888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada. A toll line is available at 1-202-501-4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada. These numbers are accessible from 8:00 a.m. To 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

[Cindy]

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=84287

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Downtown Beirut Protests
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Middle East / N. Africa - Lebanon
7 May 2008

[Cindy]

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4228.html

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

This information is current as of today, Thu May 08 2008 03:52:52 GMT-0700 (PDT).

BURMA (MYANMAR)

May 05, 2008

[Cindy]

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_927.html

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

This information is current as of today, Thu May 08 2008 03:53:32 GMT-0700 (PDT).

NEPAL

May 07, 2008

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

“Worldwide Caution”
January 17, 2008

SNIPPET: “This Worldwide Caution updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests throughout the world. American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.”

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

[Cindy]

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "VIRTUAL WORLDS REQUIRE VIRTUAL-HUMINT (VHUMINT)" by Roderick Jones (May 7, 2008, 4:14 pm)

Link (pdf)

THREATS WATCH.org: "TERROR IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD" by Jay Fraser (May 7, 2008, 3:58 am)

Link (pdf)