Heightened Alert (e-ails cited: NY, DC and "beaches" targets)

ABC News ^ | May 20, 2003 | ABC News

[FairOpinion]

"It's Fleet Week starting today. Events planned for all over the country. Did a google search. This is only one of the articles I found. Fleet Week, elevated alert, coincidence? "
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Very interesting. This may explain the reference to coastline and beeches.

[FairOpinion]

Thanks, I am in LA, not NYC, but looks like that we are at high risk as well.

[FairOpinion]

As you and Donna and possibly others regularly monitor the Arab boards, maybe you could start a thread and post anything new and interesting you read there and have sort of a permanent "Terrorist boards Thread"?

[JustPiper]

Very scarey Mom! I just wrote an another thread I have not been able to sleep all night reading that place!

[Eala]

attacks against New York and the nation's beaches.

Life's a beach, and then you die.

[kevkrom]

Never mind what they say, watch what they do

If they had raised the alert level to red, I'd be more concerned. A one-stage upgrade, considering the recent overseas attacks, is a reasonable precaution, but a two-stage upgrade would have caught my attention.

[verity]

and urged all Muslims to leave all cities

and never return?

[verity]

and urged all Muslims to leave all cities

and never return?

[FairOpinion]

I think a one stage upgrade IS significant, considering that we have already been at "ELEVATED", which is the third from the bottom. Now we are at "HIGH" which means what it says. If we ever go to RED, "sever risk", that means the terrorists are already lighting the fuse of a dirty bomb and we don't know where it is.

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The Five Levels of Terror Alerts


The five levels of terrorism alerts, as well as recommended government and private-sector responses:

Green: Low risk of terrorist attacks.

Refine and exercise planned protective measures.

Ensure emergency personnel receive training.

Assess facilities for vulnerabilities and take measures to reduce them.

Blue: Guarded condition. General risk of terrorist attack.

Check communications with designated emergency response or command locations.

Review and update emergency response procedures.

Provide the public with necessary information.

Yellow: Elevated condition. Significant risk of terrorist attacks.

Increase surveillance of critical locations.

Coordinate emergency plans with nearby jurisdictions.

Assess further refinement of protective measures within the context of the current threat information.

Implement, as appropriate, contingency and emergency response plans.

Orange: High risk of terrorist attacks.

Coordinate necessary security efforts with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies or any National Guard or other appropriate armed forces.

Take additional precaution at public events and possibly consider alternative venues or cancellations.

Prepare to work at an alternate site or with a dispersed work force.

Restrict access to threatened facilities to essential personnel only.

Red: Severe risk of terrorist attacks.

Assign emergency response personnel and preposition specially trained teams.

Monitor, redirect or constrain transportation systems.

Close public and government facilities.

Increase or redirect personnel to address critical emergency needs.

[FairOpinion]

"and urged all Muslims to leave all cities
and never return? "
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Sounds good to me.

[CyberAnt]

ROTFLOL

[Brad’s Gramma]

Holding my place.

[Shermy]

"An FBI bulletin obtained by ABCNEWS points to two recent e-mails intercepted by U.S. intelligence. One message, according to the bulletin, warns of "a possible devastating attack in the next 48 hours and urged all Muslims to leave all cities, especially Boston, New York and the commercial coastline."

Hmm.... I wonder where that Egyptian cargo ship is these days...you know, the one with the sailor who died of anthrax - or not.

[FairOpinion]

"I wonder where that Egyptian cargo ship is these days...you know, the one with the sailor who died of anthrax - or not."

... and his suitcase, the one that had the anthrax in it, or not...

I wonder if the ship will be involved in a third suspicious incident. If it shows up at the California Coast in the next few days, we will know they are up to no good.

[FairOpinion]

As I read it, there were two different e-mails, one referred to "commercial coastline" which could be ports, I think I read that there are even some chemical plants near the coast in some places, which could affect thousands of people, if some nasty chemical gets loose; the other e-mail referred to "beaches" -- which could mean a plane with anthrax or something nastier, like Ebola fly over California beaches.

[El Gato]

Makes better sense, otherwise what 'is' a commercial beach?

Something like the old Atlantic City Board Walk, Coney Island, etc? Similar stuff in California. Another possibility, although I like "ports" better. Translation is such an inexact art. Very difficult to do by machine for instantance (check out Babelfish translations of AFP articles for example). Even harder if the context is unknown or ambiguous. Or if the speakers/writers are trying to "talk around" something.

[El Gato]

Very difficult to do by machine for instantance

Even harder when the "writer" can't spell/type for Shiite. :) Arabic is a language of such long standing, I would imagine it's spelling is more regular than English, which is an evolving hybrid language, although it's pronounciation might vary considerably. That is there might be a "Casablanca" accent or dialet that would sound strange to "Baghdad" ears.