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]

Central Asia: Is Hizb ut-Tahrir a Threat to Stability?
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/8/F270F4FE-F8B2-4B5A-ACF8-087E22CBEA2E.html

Established in the 1950s in the Middle East, Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (The Party of Islamic Liberation) began operating in Central Asia around 10 years ago. The group advocates replacing the governments of the Muslim world with an Islamic state in the form of a Caliphate. Although the group professes only peaceful means to achieve its aims, Central Asian governments have mostly taken a harsh stance against it.

PRAGUE, Aug 23 (NCA/Antoine Blua) - During the past decade, the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir has become increasingly active - and controversial -- in Central Asia.

Although the group officially espouses peaceful means to achieving its goal of establishing a Caliphate, it's been blamed by Central Asian governments for a recent upsurge in Islamist violence. Uzbek authorities suspect it may be behind a series of recent attacks that killed several people there.

David Lewis, who runs the Central Asia project for the International Crisis Group (ICG) in the Kyrgyz city of Osh, says the group is feeding on discontent. He says many - especially the young - are attracted to it as an alternative form of political opposition or expression.

But he says Hizb ut-Tahrir's influence should not be exaggerated as it has little public support in Central Asia:

(INSERT AUDIO - Lewis in English - NC082303)
"It has been spreading but not as much as [Central Asian] governments suggest. There have been arrests in southern Tajikistan and there are occasional reports of arrests in northern Kyrgyzstan. [But] its core constituency is the Uzbek territory. In Kazakhstan they have gained increasing support. [However] for most young people of the region, it's not an attractive option."

Although Hizb ut-Tahrir is not known for committing terrorist acts, it's opposed by Central Asian governments at odds with the group's political objectives. Kenzhebulat Beknazarov, a spokesman for the Kazakh National Security Committee, told RFE/RL in the capital Astana:

(INSERT AUDIO -- Beknazarov in Kazakh -- NC080233)
"In general, Hizb ut-Tahrir and other similar organizations are serving against our constitution. Of course it is the goal of our state authorities and the National Security Committee to fight them, it is our obligation."

Uzbekistan is leading the way by arresting and sentencing thousands of members to prison terms. According to independent Uzbek estimates, there may be as many as 5,000 alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir members in Uzbek prisons.

Twice this year, Uzbekistan was targeted by waves of violence, including bombings, for which authorities were quick to blame Hizb ut-Tahrir.

But the group claims to reject violence. Hizb ut-Tahrir member Sultan Badalov told RFE/RL in the Kyrgyz city of Jalalabad:

(INSERT AUDIO - Badalov in Kyrgyz - NC082025)
"In Islam, to kill someone and to shed his blood is a sin. It is forbidden to kill an innocent person, even if he is from another confession. Hizb ut-Tahrir is conducting political and ideological work only. And it is against armed fighting. Hizb ut-Tahrir does not have relations with terrorist actions."

In some instances, the governments have joined forces with mainstream religious figures to oppose Hizb ut-Tahrir. Imam Saidbek Boyzoda told RFE/RL recently in Dushanbe:

(INSERT AUDIO - Boyzoda in Tajik - NC082304)
"Of course, Hizb ut-Tahrir is a threat to our society. It's a religious threat [because] it does not serve Islam. It only brings tension. Hizb ut-Tahrir is opposed by the police because they don't know the group's financial sources. The danger is [an] explosion because they [have fragmented] society. They use Islam as a mask but their words and actions don't have any link to Islam."

The utopia of a Caliphate may not be achievable. But analysts warn that repression of Hizb ut-Tahrir members has radicalized the movement and threatened to sow the seeds of greater Islamist extremism.

Regional security expert Ahmed Rashid, the author of "Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia," recently told RFE/RL:

(INSERT AUDIO -- Rashid in English -- NC082323)
"The enormous repression of the regimes and the lack of any kind of political expression naturally forces politically oriented people to go underground and to become radicalized, and then join these Islamist groups."

[Oorang]

Oh lovely. You are correct when you say that Abdul needs to be arrested. Thanks for posting that Selene.

[nwctwx]

Thanks Velveeta

[JustPiper]

First you took offense when you ran rampant with weapon hobbies, and you were given alot of slack, then it seems you act arrogantly again with your knowledge, other people do know things HS

[JustPiper]

You are doing a great job BTW, hang in there!

[Oorang]

Thanks for posting the article JP. You are right, the "broken arrow" connection is weird. Weird as in coincidence and weird for a method of voting.

I don't know why my laptop could not get to that website but will go to (some) others just fine. Two month old laptop and scheduled to go back to the factory already. Argggggg.

[nwctwx]

Canada : Border security in B.C. forces smuggler shift
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2004/08/23/597690.html

CALGARY -- Frustrated by intense security along the British Columbia-Washington border, smugglers of both drugs and people are heading to Alberta in search of an easier route into the United States, say law enforcement officials. "They will continue to move wherever they can get through," said Monique Hirko of immigration customs enforcement in Helena, Mont. "It's just a game for them. Wherever it's easiest to go across, that's where they're going to move."

Hirko said there have been definite signs that smuggling is picking up inland.

"I'd say for the last year and a half they're slowly working their way east because of the heat they were getting from our counterparts over in the Blaine, Wash., area."

Last month, 14 South Koreans were arrested trying to sneak into the U.S. near the Chief Mountain border crossing between Alberta and Montana. It was the second attempted smuggling operation on the Alberta-Montana border this year.

In February, 10 people from South Korea were arrested after a failed attempt to smuggle them into the U.S. All were deported.

"The offenders are looking for a more porous part of the border to get through so they're starting to come further east to look for a route south," said RCMP Const. Dale Duschesne, a member of the Integrated Border Enforcement Team in Raymond, Alta.

Smuggling attempts aren't confined to human cargo, he added.

"We've definitely had confirmed activity of drug smuggling geared to getting marijuana from British Columbia into the United States through the Alberta-Montana corridor," said Duschesne.

[Oorang]

Well that's just plain weird LC; especially the neighbor's accounts. Thanks for posting. Sounds like it was more than your "average" suicide.

[nwctwx]

Protests in New York: 'What is the plan?'
http://www.iht.com/articles/535303.html

Uncertainty raises the risk of clashes

NEW YORK With less than a week left before the largest planned demonstration of the Republican National Convention, organizers and the city have yet to reach an agreement on how to handle the masses of protesters, setting up the potential for confrontations with the police just as the Republican delegates arrive.

At a moment when city officials and the protest's organizers, United for Peace and Justice, should be polishing the final details of the event next Sunday, they are instead locked in a court battle over the route of the march, which organizers say could draw 250,000 people. The group itself is fractured over how to proceed, and many protesters are vowing to use Central Park despite the vehement opposition of the city, which wants the rally to take place on the West Side Highway.

Adding to the uncertainty are the boiling tensions between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and officials and members of the police and firefighter unions, many of whom have been trailing him at his public events for weeks, threatening illegal strikes or other job actions just as the city struggles to deal with the protests and the convention. The Bloomberg administration and convention officials have dismissed their conflicts with both groups as irrelevant to the success of the convention. Both the city and organizers of the protest next Sunday say they hope to come to terms before the demonstration. "New York City has a way of pulling things off," said Edward Skyler, Bloomberg's press secretary. "But if UPJ feels that marching past Madison Square Garden and having a rally off the Hudson River is such a tragic abuse of the First Amendment, then they have the option of not taking the city up on its offer."

Nevertheless, the potential for embarrassing or even explosive confrontations is increasing as the start of the convention looms ever closer without the final arrangements being set. Some officials and protest organizers fear a repeat of the rally against the Iraq war in February 2003, when demonstrators and the police clashed, leading to hundreds of arrests, in large part because plans for the event were not completed until the last minute.

The situation has created a headache for the mayor, who is counting on a convention that will be good for the city's image and will show the world how it has recovered from the Sept. 11 attack. Further, he has to find a careful political balance between the tough labor stance he has taken with the uniformed officers and his desire to not inflame this group of city workers, who were lauded for their role after the terror attack. But in recent days, many police officers have been pushing the legal boundaries as they hector Bloomberg, infuriating many of his closest aides.

Adding to the confusion is that many protesters getting ready to descend on the city do not know where their march is headed, leaving open the possibility that many small groups of demonstrators will wander about the city or toward Central Park. "I'm doing a lot of organizing and I have no idea as to what's going on," Jose Martin, a protest organizer from Chicago, told a crowd of hundreds gathered last week for a United for Peace and Justice planning meeting. If the park is off in the end, he said, "what the hell is the plan?" Leslie Cagan, the group's national coordinator, conceded that essentially there wasn't one. "I'm sorry I don't have a more thorough answer about this," she said, "but that's where we are."

[JustPiper]

GASTROENTERITIS, MULTIPLE CAUSES - USA (OHIO) (02)

---

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer [edited]
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/23/loc_loc1ohill.html

100 more reports of illness confirmed - no source ID's on S. Bass Island

---

Health officials said, on Sun 22 Aug 2004, that more than 100 additional cases of a gastrointestinal illness have been confirmed among visitors to this resort area.

Researchers have identified 630 cases, up from 510 on Sat 21 Aug 2004, said Jay Carey, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health. Interviews still need to be done with 192 people who have reported symptoms, he said. Most
people have said that they suffered from cramps, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and chills within 2 or 3 days of visiting Lake Erie's South Bass Island.

Carey said tests have confirmed cases of salmonella, norovirus, and campylobacter among the victims, who've reported symptoms lasting from a day up to a week. Most of the people became ill within the past 3 weeks, as
recently as Fri 20 Aug 2004, but some cases date to June 2004, Carey said.

No cause has been found, and nothing has been ruled out, he said. "What we're looking for now are other commonalities their visits may have had," he said.

Despite the illness, there are no visitor restrictions in the area, Carey said.

[JustPiper]

ping

[JustPiper]

Breaking News Alert
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) President Bush says veterans' group should stop television ads criticizing John Kerry's war record.

[JustPiper]

Glad you found your way here!

Any new news on what you alarmingly went through?

[JustPiper]

ping

[Right_Handed_Writer]

Found this on another post reference southern Florida. Really strange...

To: OldFriend

I am picking up military conversations on short wave radio that indicate there was a microwave burst in the area, shortly afterward three strange objects were seen in the sky, more later ....

7 posted on 08/23/2004 12:04:22 PM CDT by Scythian [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

It supposedly knocked a radio station off the air.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1197510/posts

[Frank_Discussion]

Nope, no news. But I'll lurk this thread today.

[jerseygirl]

Just got on- almost 2PM EST- any horrific updates?

[JustPiper]

Do you have contact in your daily life with the geography of the Convention?

[Chani]

bttt

[Velveeta]

Ping to 3735.