Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread SEVENTEEN

World Net Daily ^ | 8-10-04 | Paul Sperry

[JustPiper]

Credit: The Cabal

The title refers to a daily report given to the president of the United States detailing the most serious terrorist threats against the country. To tackle those threats, the government has formed a top-notch task force to infiltrate the terror cells and cut off the danger.

"Every morning, the president receives a list of the top ten terrorist threats - this list is known as the threat matrix."

We here at FR are trying to be in conjunction with the daily reports around the world that involve threats. We try to provide a storehouse of information that takes hours of research.

YOU be the Judge and get informed.


"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat."

Link to Thread Sixteen

With the nation on high alert for al-Qaida terrorists, the Department of Homeland Security is putting its border officers through "etiquette" classes to soften their image and make them less threatening to arriving foreign immigrants, WorldNetDaily has learned.

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."
-- Jewish proverb

We are the "Stotters" who make ourselves aware of the
enemy who wishes to do us harm.




"What good are the color codes at all if we are suddenly hit with a bio or chem attack? There would be no warning and the danger would be instant."

"Code Red Implications
Code Red - Stay Home and Await Word."
by MamaDearest

Meet It!
Greet It!
Defeat It!

[nwctwx]

Interview with Osama Bin Laden's Former Bodyguard

[Excerpt]

The pro-Saddam London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi conducted an interview with
Nasser Ahmad Nasser Al-Bahri, also known as Abu Jandal, an Al-Qa'ida member
who was formerly Osama bin Laden's bodyguard. Al-Bahri, who was born in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was arrested in 2001 in Yemen on suspicion of
involvement in the attack on the American destroyer USS Cole, and was
released after receiving amnesty from the president of Yemen, Ali Abdallah
Saleh. The following are excerpts from the interview:(1)

Al-Bahri's Activities in Al-Qa'ida

"I joined the Al-Qa'ida organization at the end of 1996 after returning from
a trip in Tajikistan... My first visit to Afghanistan took place in late
summer in 1996, and from then on I left Afghanistan three times. The first
time I left was in order to get married. The second time I went to Yemen to
arrange and finalize the wedding arrangements of Sheikh Osama bin Laden
[with a Yemenite woman]. My third and final trip was approximately two and a
half months before the action against the Cole. I was in charge of guarding
Sheikh Osama Bin Laden and I served for a while as his personal bodyguard."

The Attack Against the Cole and the French Supertanker Limburg

"A watch was established on the [Cole] destroyer for a while during which
time information was gathered by the 'Committees for
Intelligence-Gathering.' Only two people worked on this, no more and no
less. The allegations that the Mossad was responsible [for the attack on the
Cole] are nonsense and are an attempt to cast doubt on the ability of the
Muslims to do something of this sort. Those who carried out the operation
were well-known young men from among the ranks of our brothers the
Mujahideen - may Allah have mercy on them ... Hassan Al-Khamri from the
Shuba district, originally from Al-Ta'if in Saudi Arabia, and Ibrahim
Al-Thur, from San'aa, also originally from Al-Ta'if."

Al-Bahri, in response to the question of why the destroyer was chosen as a
target, answered: "There were many reasons: [we wanted to] damage the USA's
reputation in the naval arena, to raise the morale of the Muslims, and to
prove to the Islamic nation that its sons are capable of striking the
nation's enemies wherever they may be, by sea, by air, and by land... Nearly
71 Islamic countries are incapable of saying 'no' to the USA but as
individuals we can say 'no' to it... The choice of the best destroyer in the
American navy and the best product of the American military was a difficult
blow for the USA, [which proves that] we are capable of striking them
whenever we see fit and in any manner that we see fit."

About the strike against the French supertanker Limburg off the shores of
Al-Mukalla: "That was the result of a mistake of both sides. [It was] in
retaliation for the killing of Yahya Majly(2) who was killed in the city of
San'aa by [Yemenite] government forces. The response was a hasty and
irrational one with harsh consequences both for the Yemenite government and
for the Yemenite people."

[drymans wife]

I am not a member either. I just go to the link and
watch the late breaking scroll. Maybe if you are a
subscriber you can access the info. I thought sice
it was in Sarasota that you might have heard about.
All it said was man with massive injuries from explosive
device requesting airflite. It gave the address but I
don't remember.
http://www.incidentpage.net/

[HipShot]

I'd be willing to wager that they've already got what they need from Ivan. I'm starting to believe that the weapons sales to OBL were legitimate, but that they were actually sanctioned by Ivan and not committed by a profiteer.

The whole "soldiers eating dog food" thing was part of the same scam. All the stories at the time of weapons and weapon grade materials disappearing was no more than a KBG operation, IMHO. When you look at whose running things over there now, it fits like a custom glove.

These guys are NOT our friends, nor are they our allies. The fact that Putin nationalized the media en toto before the election speaks volumes. The fact that he named one of our biggest haters, (Sergei Ivanov), to take total control of their military does likewise.

Plausible deniability. Watch them volunteer to send troops over here to help out after a devastating attack.

[jerseygirl]

Just saw this posted by JRNyquist today over on final phase...


"Bush and his advisors harbor doubts and suspicions about Russia.
A recent Russian defector (not Lunev) has identified at least one al Qaeda leader as trained by Moscow, as an agent of Moscow."

(snip)

[jerseygirl]

Yup. Or stage a false attack on themselves via "Chechen rebels"....

Putin has been saying some strange things recently about how there really never was any problem with security of nuclear material....

hmmmmmm

He HAS to know that we know Russia gave/sold AQ the nukes and other....and if/when one goes off, the source can be confirmed...

No wonder he is talking about their wonderful defense systems!

[jerseygirl]

From Mutter's RE North Korea:

---

Downer's North Korea mission fails


By Catherine Armitage
August 19, 2004


THE international effort to end the North Korean nuclear crisis appears at risk of unravelling, despite Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's high-profile mission to the secretive Stalinist state.

North Korea declined to commit to even attending the next round of scheduled six-nation talks on nuclear disarmament, and gave Mr Downer only negative messages to convey to the US.

Mr Downer emerged from four hours of talks with North Korean counterpart Paek Nam-Sun and National Assembly president Kim Yong Nam declaring his much-hyped mission to Pyongyang to be "highly productive" and the North Koreans "interested and reflective".

But there appeared to be no positive outcomes.

Mr Downer said it "remains to be seen" whether the North will attend the next round of six-nation talks in Beijing, which had been scheduled for September or October.

He said it was disappointing that the North Koreans still had not committed to attending a working-level technical meeting that was meant to take place before the formal talks. "But they have not said they will not attend," he said.

And the North Koreans remained "pretty negative" about a June deal offered by the US, asking him to "relay messages about areas of disagreement".

The crisis erupted two years ago when the US said Pyongyang had admitted to conducting a secret nuclear program in contravention of international agreements.

It has since denied the admission, thrown out United Nations nuclear weapons inspectors, withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and threatened to launch a nuclear attack.

After a year of glacial progress in talks involving South Korea, Japan, Russia and China, as well as North Korea and the US, Washington at the most recent session in June proposed that Pyongyang commit to dismantling its nuclear facilities and freeze their development within three months, after which it would receive US aid.

But the North is thought to be stalling in the hope of a better offer if US President George W. Bush loses November's presidential election. Democratic candidate John Kerry has criticised Mr Bush's insistence on multi-nation talks, raising the prospect that he would negotiate with North Korea one-on-one.

Mr Downer urged North Korea to focus on its "common elements" with the US position: a nuclear freeze and eventual dismantling of nuclear programs, economic assistance, lifting of sanctions and a security guarantee.

The Australian



news.com.au/common/story_...01,00.html

[JellyJam]

from heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA -- A man on 21st Street suffered severe injuries to his arm and chest with some type of explosive device Thursday morning, Sarasota County Sheriff Office Sgt. Chuck Lesaltato said.

The man was taken away by medical helicopter to an area trauma center.

Authorities roped off the 2500 block of 21st Street around and evacuated neighbors.

A sheriff's office bomb squad was being joined by another from the city of Sarasota Police Department in entering the home to see what other explosives may be present.

A neighbor, Molly Claxton, said she saw a man being taken from the home on a stretcher with his head, hand and leg bandaged just before noon. She did not hear the explosion.

[HipShot]

From the "holiest of holys, now holier than ever" department:

Smoke Billowing from Imam Ali Mosque!

CNN producer says area around Mosque has been decimated.

Moqtada Al Sadr may not be inside mosque after all, damage for now has been restricted to the two minarets. (long pole like thingys on the outside)

US Marines now 'ringing' the mosque.. (dont know if that means a telephone call or bullet wise)

Could be a final warning telephone call

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1194722/posts

[jerseygirl]

Incident near Harrisburg PA:


Train Carrying Hazardous Material Derails

POSTED: 11:37 am EDT August 19, 2004

ENOLA, Pa. -- A Norfolk-Southern freight train derailed early Thursday morning at the Enola rail yards in Cumberland County.

A Norfolk-Southern spokesman said four cars jumped the tracks.

Two of the cars were carrying the hazardous materials chlorine and potassium hydroxyl, but no leaks were found, officials said.

Norfolk-Southern said the cars should be back on the tracks Thursday afternoon.

Copyright 2004 by TheWGALChannel.com.

[HipShot]

From the "computers DO know what they're doing" Department:

Clerical error puts Kennedy on "no fly" list

CAPITOL HILL The Senate Judiciary Committee has heard this morning from one of its own about some of the problems with airline "no fly" watch lists.

Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy says he had a close encounter with the lists when trying to take the U-S Airways shuttle out of Washington to Boston.

The ticket agent wouldnt let him on the plane. His name was on the list -- in error. After a flurry of phone calls, Kennedy was able to fly home, but then the same thing happened coming back to Washington.

Kennedy says it took three calls to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to get his name stricken from the list. The process took several weeks, in all.

And Kennedy asks -- what about the little guy?

http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=2195545

[HipShot]

Hang in there, jerseygirl. We'll get you to tomorrow.

[Oorang]

Airport Screener Training Laptops Stolen In SeaTac
POSTED: 5:48 am PDT August 19, 2004

SEATTLE -- Six laptop computers containing sensitive information used in training for airport screeners have been stolen, but the degree to which security was compromised remains unclear, The Seattle Times reported.

A trainer who reported the theft called it a "breach of national security." A spokesman for the training contractor, Lockheed Martin, denied the loss posed a security risk. An FBI spokeswoman said the agency initially decided not to investigate but might reconsider.

The Times did not identify the trainer and said she could not be contacted.

The theft is being investigated by the internal affairs section of the Transportation Security Administration, spokeswoman Jennifer Marty, declining to give more details.

The case involves laptops similar to one that was reported stolen last fall from a hotel meeting room in Philadelphia during a break in a training session, The Times reported Thursday.

According to an investigation report by a King County sheriff's deputy, a Lockheed Martin trainer reported six laptops were taken July 28, a day after a training session at the Doubletree Hotel near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The trainer told deputies she asked that the laptops and other equipment be placed in a storage area after the session, only to find that the aluminum shipping crate containing the six computers was gone the next day.

She said she was "astounded" to learn that the storage area was easily accessible, 10 feet from the hotel's back door and open to employees.

According to the investigation report, the trainer said "the computers contained training information concerning airport security and training methods for airport screeners."

The Transportation Security Administration requires that such laptops be kept in secure places, such as a locked hotel room, locked car trunk or locked training room, and that they be password-protected with additional password security for training documents.

Trainers are told to report thefts of the devices as a risk to national security to assure FBI attention, Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Wendy Owen told The Times.

"When we talk 'sensitive,' we're talking about information we prefer not to have out there but obviously not detrimental to the safety and security of the nation in any way, shape or form," Owen said.

TSA employees said the laptops contained "sensitive security information," a term defined by the Department of Homeland Security as material that could be "detrimental to the safety of passengers in transportation."

Owen said the information consisted of TSA screener training programs that typically include instruction in how to read X-ray machines and how to use a metal detection wand -- details which agency employees said could help a terrorist evade security measures.

"You're basically looking at a blueprint of the training process for TSA," said Carlos Yeager, a former Sea-Tac screener. "That's shocking. That's not supposed to be out there for everybody to have."

FBI Agent Roberta Burroughs said that after being assured by Lockheed Martin and TSA the laptops contained "nothing sensitive, the agency decided last week not to get involved in the case.

With Lockheed Martin acknowledging that sensitive material was involved, that decision could change, Burroughs said.

"It is certainly interesting," she said.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/3665551/detail.html

[jerseygirl]

Downer retreats
on Taiwan
By John Kerin
20aug04

THE US has slapped down Foreign Minister Alexander Downer over his diplomatically explosive comments that Australia would not automatically back Washington in a war with China over Taiwan.

The US State Department yesterday reiterated Australia's "pretty clear" obligations under the ANZUS treaty, after Mr Downer's comments following a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing on Tuesday.
While Mr Downer tried to backtrack from the remarks yesterday, the diplomatic stumble is embarrassing on the eve of the election when the Howard Government is determined to establish its credentials with neighbours.

The blunder -- and Mr Downer's failure to win any concessions from Pyongyang during his trip to North Korea to help ease nuclear tensions -- will undermine the Government's bid to demonstrate that it can back the US alliance in Iraq while still maintaining a major security role in the region.

Mr Downer yesterday retreated from his Beijing remarks, describing the prospect of a flare-up over Taiwan as "hypothetical". He stressed that Australia always maintained a position of not commenting on the position it would take.

"I have no idea in a hypothetical situation -- which would be a terrible crisis for the Asia-Pacific -- what action any country would take, including ours," Mr Downer told CNN in Hong Kong. "We've always maintained the position, in the 8 1/2 years I've been the Foreign Minister, that we make no comment about what would happen in a hypothetical circumstance."

Two days earlier, Mr Downer told his Beijing audience that the ANZUS alliance was invoked only in the event of an attack on either country and that it was the US that was obliged by a separate agreement to defend Taiwan.

A spokesman for the State Department yesterday said: "Our position on cross-strait tensions is clear. We want to see a peaceful resolution of the issue (and) we are opposed to the use of force."

There has been a long-held assumption that, under the ANZUS alliance, Australia would provide military support to the US, should China invade Taiwan.

But Mr Downer's suggestion that Australia would not necessarily come to Taiwan's aid is a stunning shift in the power balance in the Pacific, which some defence analysts suggest is permanent and recognises China's growing economic importance.

Paul Dibb of the ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre said last night that Mr Downers' comments had "threatened the very fabric of Australia's alliance with the US".

"I'm not at all surprised if the Americans have reacted, because, if there is armed conflict over Taiwan, the Americans will expect us to support them," Professor Dibb said.

Leading Australian security analyst Allan Behm said last night the US comments represented a "ticking off" of Mr Downer by the US.

"It just adds to the perception that not only did Mr Downer's Beijing comments show a lack of strategic thinking, but he and the Government are not in command of a sensitive foreign policy issue."

Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd seized on the comments last night, suggesting Mr Downer had performed a "backflip" and his trip to North Asia had turned into a disaster.

"The magnitude of Mr Downer's diplomatic blunder on Taiwan has been reinforced by the US State Department," Mr Rudd said.

"Mr Downer's statement was unproductive and unhelpful in the extreme, and it is not appropriate for any foreign minister to speculate publicly on national responses in relation to a military crisis in the Taiwan Straits."

But defence and foreign affairs analysts said that while they were surprised Mr Downer had publicly expressed the view Australia might not automatically support the US over Taiwan, government people had been expressing similar views in Canberra for months.

Mr Downer's comments represented not only a shift in Australian foreign policy but also a recognition of China's increasing economic importance to Australia.

"For Mr Downer to make the point publicly in Beijing suggests a significant shift in our relations with the US and a growing recognition of China's power in the Pacific," Lowy Institute senior fellow Alan Dupont said last night. "And this has come from an Australian government far closer to Washington than most."

Former Australian ambassador to China and ANU professor of economics Ross Garnaut said last night Mr Downer's first comments represented "wise foreign policy in terms of the Australia-China relationship".

"If the ANZUS alliance is to survive long-term, then both countries have to be free to make decisions which are in their long-term policy interest," Professor Garnaut said.

[all4one]

So let me see if I get this straight....illegals (which is really what non-citizens are) getting CDL's!!!!

So they won't only be getting in un-insured accidents in cars, but with big load carrying trucks as well. I swear this just gives me fits!

[judicial meanz]

They have portable explosives monitors, but they are max expensive. The ones I priced at work were in the 30-32 thousand dollar range.

If you can make one cheap and accurate, the world is yours. Oh, and it needs to detect everything..LOL

[all4one]

Don't forget Putin's recent meetings (Spring '04) with Fox from Mexico....that made me very wary of both of their intentions.

[jerseygirl]

I know. My son and the others in his class were not happy. Felt they got into the training to earn a decent wage- and now will be undermined by illegals who will work for much less money, no doubt.

[ßuddaßudd]

How much does it cost to train dogs to sniff out the materials?

[HipShot]

Chemistry has never been my strong suit, but I think it could be done. I'm using optics as the catalyst monitor in the pot sensor. That's simple, because there's only one component being looked for, and one specific reaction.

I wonder if I could use this same approach. I'd need a spectrum analyzer in each unit, probably. Bluetooth, too. Constant streaming to a server that returns an alarm signal to the unit and forwards an alarm to TPTB. If the sensor goes offline, an alarm could be sent as well.

I don't know. Hafta think about it. It's probably WAY over my head.

[judicial meanz]

Dog training for explosives usually costs about 7-10 thousand dollars, if you want to train and certify them to public safety standards.

The public safety standards basically reduce liability from dogbites, etc. If you skip that part, its pretty cheap, but the dog may be a psycho loose cannon.