Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Twenty-Three

[nwctwx]

Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Thread Twenty-Three (Index)

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Google News : Google Images : News Hotlinks

The Threat Matrix

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!

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LNG ship attack a potential disaster
Full Story

WASHINGTON - A terrorist attack on a tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas could cause massive damage a third of a mile away and could send a vapor cloud billowing more than 1.5 miles, government scientists say.

With the the nation clamoring for more natural gas, policy-makers are trying to figure out how to safely import large quantities of liquefied natural gas or LNG.

Related:
Terror attack the top danger of LNG transport, study finds
Google Search: "LNG"

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

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Threat Matrix "TM'er" Tips	Link to Thread Twenty-Two "Code Red Implications: Code Red - Stay Home and Await Word." From Tm'er and Freeper ~MamaDearest~	Cindy's Links of Interest
TM Code of Conduct		ExSoldier's Invaluable Tips
TM's 'Be on the Lookout'		Godzilla's Summaries
Threat Matrix Book List		Arabic Image Links

[penguino]

They provided a lot of comic relief today at FR.

[Hegemony Cricket]

"The "I'm glad TM's Mom is my Sis" Piper"

So, does that make you "Aunt Piper"? :-)

[JustPiper]

Railroad switch at center of crash probe
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-09-train-crash_x.htm?csp=34

10 injured in helicopter aid flight
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- A U.S. Seahawk helicopter on a relief operation crashed in a rice paddy near Banda Aceh's airport, injuring all 10 aboard and causing the military to briefly suspend flights today.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-tsunami10.html

[JustPiper]

Via email:
http://www.intelcenter.com/

URGENT KUWAIT THREAT

Due to the sensitive nature of the threat warning, IntelCenter is including the complete text of the Warden Message just released by the US Embassy in Kuwait below.

WARDEN MESSAGE FOR KUWAIT FROM US EMBASSY
January 10, 2005

The Embassy is issuing this urgent message because it has received credible information that an individual or individuals moving about Kuwait in a black colored small sedan intend to randomly attack Westerners. Americans who encounter suspicious vehicles matching this description should quickly but safely move away and contact the
Kuwaiti Police emergency number at 777. When calling the Police,Americans should provide the time and location of the sighting, direction of the vehicle's travel, the license plate if possible, and a description of the vehicle (make, model, year) and its occupants. The Embassy reminds all U.S. citizens to exercise caution, maintain a low profile, and avoid areas where Westerners are known to
congregate.

U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for further terrorist actions against U.S. citizens abroad, including in the Persian Gulf region. U.S. citizens who travel to, or remain in, Kuwait should register at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait and enroll in the warden system (emergency alert network) to obtain
updated information on travel and security in Kuwait. Warden messages can be found on the U.S. Embassy Kuwait website:

http://www.kuwait.usembassy.gov.

- From time to time, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait may restrict the travel of official Americans or suspend public services for security reasons. In those instances, the Embassy will keep the local American citizen community apprised through the Warden System and make every
effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens.

American citizens with any questions or concerns may telephone the Embassy at 539-5307/5308, extension 2240. In case of an emergency outside business hours, American citizens may reach the Embassy duty officer by calling 538-2097/2098, or, 539-5307, ext. 5008.

[JustPiper]

(AP) NEW YORK - CBS has fired four executives after the release of an independent investigation into its debunked National Guard story.

[JustPiper]

CBS Fires Four 'Rathergate' Employees

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/1/10/102452.shtml?j=698781&e=justpiper@core.com">http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/1/10/102452.shtml?j=698781&e=justpiper@core.com&l=143149_HTML&u=13126656

[freeperfromnj]

Bookmark

[Oorang]

Hello everyone

Qatari paper: US warns Lebanon over Hizbullah
09-01-2005 , 05:31

Qatar's Al Watan on Sunday reported that Washington has recently sent a stern warning to Beirut over the issue of Hizbullah.

According to the report, US ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey Feltman, during a meeting with Lebanese officials, said the United States would include Lebanon in the list of states sponsoring terrorism, if the stands towards Hizbullah would not change.

The US warning came soon after Lebanese Prime Minister, Omar Karami, held a meeting with Hizbullah chief, Hassan Nasrallah.

The newspaper was also told by sources in Damascus that the US and France were offering Iran to abandon Hizbullah in exchange for easing the international pressure on Tehran over its alleged nuclear development plans.

http://www.albawaba.com/en/news/178861

[Oorang]

Honduras (Country threat level - ):

On 7 January 2005, Honduran authorities arrested a Nicaraguan man suspected of being contracted by drug traffickers and other criminal groups, possibly including street gangs, to assassinate Honduran President Ricardo Maduro.

The suspect was traveling in a taxi on a highway near the town of Pavana, located approximately 60 mi/100 km south of Tegucigalpa, the capital, when he was detained. According to a Honduran government spokesperson, the suspect may have also been planning to target Honduras’ security minister as well as the president of Congress, Porfirio Lobo Sosa. During the arrest, police officers confiscated a grenade launcher with 40 projectiles as well as an assault rifle equipped with a tripod and ammunition.

http://www.airsecurity.com/hotspots/hotspots.asp#102718

[Oorang]

Saudi Arabia (Country threat level - ):

The German Consulate in Jeddah -- which is currently located at the Crowne Plaza Hotel -- will close indefinitely from 13 January 2005 for security reasons. The consulate does not appear to have received a specific threat, but a review of security measures following the attack against the U.S. consulate in Jeddah on 6 December 2004 revealed that security at the current location is insufficient. The consulate will remain closed until a more secure location is found.

http://www.airsecurity.com/hotspots/hotspots.asp#102718

[Oorang]

Interesting development (IMO):

Fresh troops for S. Waziristan
By Dilawar Khan Wazir

WANA, Jan 9: Military authorities have sent fresh troops to the Sara Rogha area to the South Waziristan Agency where wanted militant Abdullah Mehsud is believed to be hiding.

According to witnesses, some 30 vehicles, backed by armoured personnel carriers and artillery, were seen leaving Wana Scout camps at around mid-day.

Sources said that fresh contingents has been sent to Sara Rogha in the remote Laddah sub-division, about 80 kilometres east of Wana

http://www.dawn.com/2005/01/10/top3.htm

Info on Abdullah Mehsud:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-12-2004_pg3_5

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3745962.stm

[Oorang]

Suspect in plot to kill Musharraf escapes: report

NEW YORK, Jan 9: An alleged conspirator in a plot to kill President Pervez Musharraf has escaped, Time Magazine reported on its website on Sunday. The suspect escaped sometime around New Year's Day from state security in Karachi, the US magazine reported.

A nation wide manhunt has failed to yield any leads in the whereabouts of the suspect, who has been identified as Mushtaq Ahmad, one of the ringleaders in the Dec 14 plot on Musharraf's life.

Authorities reportedly have sent security alerts to air and seaports and have beefed up security at Pakistan's land borders to prevent Ahmad from fleeing the country.

A military court last month sentenced a Pakistani soldier to death for his involvement in the plot on the president's life. -AFP

http://www.dawn.com/2005/01/10/nat7.htm

[Rambler7]

The cover article of the current Atlantic Monthly explicitly plays out the possibility (probability) of future terror attacks. It's a tough read, but very informative and enlightening.

I mention it here because that magazine can often go "missed" by us because of its leftist bent, but this piece is worth the read.

[JustPiper]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) The Interior Ministry says the deputy police chief of Baghdad has been assassinated.

After Threats, Iraqi Electoral Board Resigns
http://www.sierratimes.com/rss/newswire.php?article=/washpost/20050110/ts_washpost/a60832_2005jan9&time=1105333200&feed=iraq

King Fahd to Host 1,000 Pilgrims
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=57346&d=10&m=1&y=2005&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

Group led by accused terrorist Bashir says Aceh mission just to help victims

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Their leader is on trial for terrorism in Jakarta but in Aceh the Indonesia Mujahedin Council says it has come not to cause trouble but to distribute aid and recover bodies after last month’s tsunami disaster.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/January/theworld_January221.xml&section=theworld&col=

[Oorang]

Tax defaulters, not terrorists!
India’s security is in the hands of a loony crowd

Sriprakash Jaiswal, India’s minister of state for home affairs, has announced that contrary to popular belief, it was not jihadi terrorists, but tax-defaulters that were behind the attack on the income tax building in Srinagar yesterday.
Excerpted - article at link below

More cross-border terrorism on the cards?

Syed Saleem Shehzad’s narrative goes something like this: Musharraf did a ‘u-turn’ on sponsoring jihadi infiltration into Kashmir out of expectation that India would countenance a ‘land-for-peace’ deal of some kind; that Pakistan has kept its leading jihadis in check; that the United States needs Pakistan’s help in preventing a resurgent Taliban; and due to India’s failure to play along the general’s scheme of things, all this is about to come crashing down on Musharraf’s head. Being the tactician that he is, Musharraf has therefore decided to up the ante and conduct ‘limited operations’ in Kashmir.
Excerpted

Where security is subservient to seat-sharing
Is the Indian government serious about national security at all?

Back to the Bhindranwale era of terror: the govt’s silence when Naxals kill is deafening Consider this: last week, six policemen — including K.C. Surendra Babu, the SP of Munger district — were killed in a landmine blast triggered by the CPI (Maoist). A statement from the underground emerged thereafter: Babu deserved his death. When is the last time you heard terrorists brag like that? Cannot be since A.S. Atwal, then a DIG, was killed outside the Golden Temple at the height of Bhindranwale’s terror campaign.

Pakistani Kashmir boils again
Despite their obvious mischief-making, Musharraf’s government takes no action against the jihadi terrorists.

The Harkatul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba have long been sending jihadi terrorists into Indian Kashmir. But the very same outfits are also responsible for acts of violence and provocation in the Shia-majority Pakistani Kashmir.
Excerpted

http://opinion.paifamily.com/

[Oorang]

Thanks for the post Rambler7. The article is by Richard (ack!) Clarke.

Here's the link for the online version:

http://www.theatlantic.com/

[JustPiper]

Cops hunt 320 terror suspects
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?section=Metro&OID=66437

Audit finds anti-terror funds used to facilitate lawn-mower races in Texas
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050108/w010832.html

No point capturing bin Laden, terrorism will continue anyhow say experts
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/todaysfeatures/2005/January/todaysfeatures_January18.xml&section=todaysfeatures

[Rambler7]

Thanks! I can get the whole article online? What the heck am I doing paying for this magazine then??

You're right it's Clarke. I probably should have mentioned that. The concept seemed so bold that I found it interesting even if some of the info and opinions were questionable. Thanks again. r

[Oorang]

Afghan judge arrested
STEPHEN GRAHAM IN KABUL

AFGHAN authorities have arrested a judge for allegedly harbouring the organisers of two bombings last year that killed about 12 people, four of them Americans, and believe the ringleaders took their orders from an Iraqi member of al-Qaeda.

The link to Osama bin Laden’s network follows warnings from the US military that foreign militants - mostly believed to have found refuge in neighbouring Pakistan - are still operating in Afghanistan, three years after the start of America’s war on terror.

Excerpted

http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1&id=25292005

[Oorang]

Sorry, I don't know if it has the entire article online or not. I saw the author's name and hit the "back" button :-)