NOT THE CARS OF DEATH!
Posted on 11/21/2003 6:08:45 PM PST by TexKat
The heightened threat of suicide bombings was last night forcing UK embassies around the world to re-evaluate their defences against what an al-Qaida statement described as its "cars of death".
The explicit warning of fresh "martyrdom operations" was published as police in Istanbul detained seven suspects in connection with the devastating blasts at the British consulate and the HSBC bank.
All are understood to be Turkish passport holders.
Two of them, tentatively identified by the Turkish media as Azad Ekinci and Feridun Ugurlu, were close friends of Mesut Cabuk and Gokhan Elaltuntas, the men who carried out the suicide bombings of two synagogues in Istanbul last Saturday.
Ekinci, who fought in Chechnya and Bosnia, and Ugurlu, who trained in camps in Pakistan, reportedly hired the cars used in the synagogue attacks.
All four came from Bingol, in south-eastern Turkey and had connections to an Islamist paramilitary group renowned for killing liberal opponents.
The size of the car bombs assembled by the men could force an extensive rethink about the perimeter security of embassies and consulates.
The device which levelled two buildings in the Istanbul consulate is understood to have contained at least 225kg (500lb) of explosives.
Because of constricted road space near the consulate, a protective concrete block had been placed inside the main gates. Lessons about where barriers should be placed in future will now be studied by the security officers in every mission around the world.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We have instructed all departments, particularly those in the region, to review security practices".
It would be impossible for Britain to carry out its diplomatic, consular and visas responsibilities if security was the only consideration, she added. "Balancing the operational requirements against risks is very difficult."
In Jakarta, for example, the British ambassador, Richard Gozney, said that his mission was "trying to guard most of all against car bomb or parcel bomb attacks". The security at the consulate general was being "further tightened".
A Whitehall source warned that because al-Qaida had struck British interests abroad rather than at home did not imply that Britain was safe from attack.
The intelligence services and Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch have consistently advised that an al-Qaida atrocity in the UK is a matter of when, not if. "We share that sentiment", said the source. "We can do our very best, but it is difficult. We must be prepared for it."
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, who inspected the ruined HSBC building yesterday and met the widow and elder daughter of Roger Short, the murdered British consul general, said the bombings were evidence of a "global threat" to the civilised world. "We who represent the civilised world are facing a global threat, and we have to deal with it in a global way."
One leading Turkish commentator last night said he believed al-Qaida had targeted Istanbul because it was the ultimate "symbolic city" that bridged the east and west, Islam and Christendom.
"The attacks send a message to the Islamic world that those countries which reform and acquire democratic values, like Turkey, will be a target of Islamic radicalism," Hussein Bagdi, a security expert at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, said.
A group close to the heart of al-Qaida yesterday claimed to have deliberately assassinated Mr Short. The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades posted a statement on its website saying it had targeted him because he was the "mastermind of the British policy in Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran because of his extensive experience in... combating Islam".
In what amounted to a highly unusual apology to Muslim victims, the statement - outlining Operation Islamic Iron Hammer, a sarcastic reference to the US military clampdown on guerrillas in Iraq - said: "We admit that the cars of death that targeted the British bank were put in an inappropriate place, which caused some casualties among innocents." But it promised further "cars of death".
The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack on the UN offices in Iraq in August.
Reuters
Saturday November 22, 2003
The Guardian
The following are excerpts from a statement purportedly by a unit of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network which appeared yesterday on an Islamist website, Al Mujahidoun. It was translated by Reuters from Arabic.
Statement from the Jihad al-Qaida Operation Islamic Iron Hammer
We mentioned and we promised in our earlier statement: "As for the tails of America - especially Britain, Italy, Australia and Japan - who did not understand what was said by mojahedin leader Sheikh Osama bin Laden before Ramadan when he threatened that martyrdom operations would not stop inside and outside America... And if they do not understand words, then the cars of death will make them understand".
And we said: "The cars of death will not stop... until Washington concedes to the conditions of the mojahedin Islamist fighters)... " and here now are the cars of death reaping the (souls of the) allies of the tyrant of the era (America) every day... and by the will of God, America will soon look for someone to protect it from the mojahedin on its soil.
In Turkey today, the vanguards of the Abu Hafz al-Masri Brigades targeted the British consul, Roger Short, because of his extensive experience in combating Islam and because he is considered the mastermind of British policy in the region comprising Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Our cars of death struck the consulate building... and by the grace of God, he was killed.
As for the British bank headquarters, this is a bastion of the British economy, and let Britain and its people know that its alliance with America will not bring it prosperity or security...
We admit that the car of death that targeted the British bank was put in an inappropriate place, which caused some casualties among innocents, and this pains us tremendously, but the media must share our blame because we have repeatedly warned Muslims not to go anywhere near the diplomatic, economic or military headquarters of America and its allies; for our real war, which will begin soon, will have no boundaries and will show no mercy towards the tyrant of the era and his allies.
As for you, Turkey, isn't it time you left the Crusader army and returned to the Islamic nation? Isn't it time you withdrew your army from Afghanistan; stopped all ties with the Zionist entity; stopped providing America with soldiers for Iraq; left the Crusader Atlantic alliance? We consider the government of Turkey as a first-class agent for America and therefore it must choose - peace or America.
O Bush, what have you done to America and its allies... where is the security you promised them, where is the developed Afghanistan, where is the free, secure Iraq?...
... By God, Bush, you've fallen into a trap (Iraq and Afghanistan) as we planned for you. You're engaged in a war with people who love death as much as you love life. So prepare yourself for what is coming.
Listen to us, you criminal, the cars of death will not stop until you concede to our demands and they include:
1 That they free our prisoners in American prisons, especially the prisoners of Guantanamo and the mujahid Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman and those in the jails of the Arab, western, Persian and Jewish tails of America.
2 That they stop their war against Islam and Muslims around the world in the name of fighting terrorism.
3 To purify all Islamic land from the filth of the Jews and Americans, including Jerusalem and Kashmir.
4 For America to stop interfering between us and the tyrannical governments which rule Muslims and for us to set up an Islamic caliphate (state).
O Islamic nation, you must support the mojahedin to victory... God is greatest, Islam is on the way.
Abu Hafz al-Masri Brigades (al-Qaida)
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 21, 2003
In the wake of the recent terrorist bombings overseas, the Department of Homeland Security has been aggressively monitoring and assessing information with other Federal agencies and state and local partners on potential terrorist threats to the United States.
The U.S. Intelligence Community continues to receive and evaluate a high volume of reporting indicating possible threats against U.S. interests during the Muslim holiday, Ramadan, and the upcoming holiday season. This reporting, combined with recent terrorist attacks, has created an atmosphere of concern in which increased vigilance here at home is prudent and may be key to deterring or disrupting terrorist attacks. While the ability to conduct multiple, near simultaneous attacks against several targets is not new for such terrorist groups as Al-Qaeda, the manner in which these attacks are being conducted indicates refined capabilities and sophisticated tactics.
The Department of Homeland Security remains concerned about Al-Qaeda's continued interest in aviation including using cargo jets to carry out attacks on critical infrastructure as well as targeting liquid natural gas, chemical and other hazardous materials facilities.
In response to this information, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Terrorist Threat Integration Center have issued an advisory to security personnel intended to increase the awareness of appropriate state and local authorities and the private sector responsible for security of critical infrastructure and other potential target sets. In addition, federal officials have contacted state and local homeland security and law enforcement officials, reminding them to maintain a heightened level of awareness, especially during the busy holiday travel season. The national Homeland Security Advisory System will remain at Yellow, or an Elevated level of threat.
The Department of Homeland Security will continue to work with Federal partners in monitoring and assessing all intelligence reporting relative to Al-Qaeda operations. We recommend that all Americans continue with plans for work or leisure. Visible security as well as the vigilance of homeland security professionals at all levels of government, the private sector and the general public can make a difference and prevent potential terrorist attacks.
You have pre-empted my humor. I was thinking along those lines, particularly since I used to own a Pinto.
Damn.... too fast!
www.HomelandSecurityUS.com
UPDATED INTEL FINDS & ANALYSIS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 November 2003-- Advisory from the Northeast Intelligence Network: Based on newly obtained data and information collected from a variety of sources (Internet and human intelligence) within the last 72 hours, the terror threat to the United States has increased. Although the exact timing with regard to the execution of planned terror operations cannot be pinned down with any reasonable or responsible degree of precision, we have been seeing references to planned operations extending through the Christmas and New year holidays, with specific references to a time period from 21-28 November 2003. How valid are these threats? We can only speculate based on a careful analysis of the data found, but consider the weight of the evidence to be substantial enough to offer this advisory. We have identified various threats from the air and against seaports, nuclear facilities and harbors, with continued interest in financial and symbolic targets. Cities of interest continue to include New York, Washington, DC, and all coastal cities. A full report containing sources and reference citations is being compiled at this time.
Naw, Corvairs.
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