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Locked on 06/02/2005 9:39:58 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
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Posted on 04/14/2005 4:02:23 PM PDT by nwctwx
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Probably just fans, but I don't know.
Much more detail about the 2 passengers, who were the reason that we asked the KLM flight to turn around and didn't allow it over our airspace.
Mystery Flight
Two passengers trigger alarms—and fresh echoes of 9/11.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7529185/site/newsweek/
Fifteen minutes after KLM Flight 685 took off from Amsterdam for Mexico City on April 8, Mexican authorities forwarded the names of all the passengers to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The reason: the flight was scheduled to pass through U.S. airspace after making a long swing over Canada. The information was then passed on to the U.S. National Targeting Center, based at a secret address in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. That's when the routine became extraordinary: by the time the Boeing 747 had finished its three-hour crossing of the Atlantic, Homeland Security screeners were on high alert. The names of two Saudi passengers aboard the KLM flight had begun producing "hits" on the screening center's lists of 70,000 suspect foreigners.
............
Other intelligence officials say if the two were indeed part of a Qaeda operation, it is no surprise their destination was Mexico City. U.S. officials fear that Latin America, and more particularly Mexico—with its porous U.S. border—may become a staging ground for Al Qaeda.
THANKS Fair Opinion, that's the first I've read this.
Thanks for posting the videos Oorang, it's weird to hear 'peaceful' music playing in the background.
Friend or Foe? The International Committee of the Red Cross should stop championing terrorists…
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1385302/posts
The Origins of al Qaeda’s Ideology: Implications for US Strategy [Long]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385306/posts
Original URL for analysis:
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/05spring/henzel.htm
Not quite sure how I feel about this... I suppose exact statistics are un-needed, but there is a lot of good information in the Patterns of Global Terrorism reports. I hope the National Counter Terrorism Center eventually replaces it with something similar, but better refined.
The new weapon against terror: ‘tramps’
MI5 and Special Branch agents pose as vagrants to gather intelligence
By Liam McDougall and Neil Mackay
BRITISH intelligence agents are disguising themselves as down-and-outs in “key terrorist target areas” as part of a nationwide surveillance operation to foil attacks by al-Qaeda
Senior intelligence and police anti-terror sources revealed that the ploy has been sanctioned for use in areas considered to be potential terror targets – such as around Westminster and the Scottish parliament – and in areas with large Muslim populations. Major tourist attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and the Tower of London are also being surveilled by officers posing as tramps.
One British intelligence source said the agents, dressed as vagrants, were being used as “spotters and intelligence gatherers”. He said: “We are using agents in the field in a variety of ways. Some adopt the guise of the homeless or vagrants in key target areas.
“A vagrant is perfect for long-term surveillance or just picking up interesting tidbits in the street. They blend in and become almost invisible to the public. They are our eyes and ears in key locations.”
The astonishing admission comes just days after Kamel Bourgass, a suspected al-Qaeda operative living in London, was jailed for 17 years at the Old Bailey for plotting attacks in Britain using the deadly poison ricin. Police and MI5 believe the 31-year-old Algerian, a failed asylum seeker, had been picked for training in one of Osama bin Laden’s camps in Afghanistan and was part of a network of terrorists that stretched across Europe.
He was convicted on Wednesday after a raid on a north London flat in 2003 found recipes for poisons, including ricin and cyanide, written out in Arabic in Bourgass’s handwriting. Bourgass stabbed Special Branch officer Stephen Oake to death after police cornered him during a later swoop at an address in Manchester.
A British intelligence source revealed that there were “20-plus key Islamic terrorist suspects in the UK”, many of whom had not been arrested before.
The Sunday Herald understands that the none of the 20-plus group relates to the Muslims detained in Belmarsh. These suspects are understood to be “sleepers” connected to al-Qaeda cells who live in the UK until called upon to carry out an attack.
The source also confirmed that undercover anti-terror teams were being sent incognito into “key areas” of the UK. Some were dressed as vagrants.
“The areas that we are targeting are obviously of interest to us, to the ongoing war on terror and Britain being a prime terror target. We’ve got these guys keeping watch in city centres for any suspicious activity or terrorist planning.”
The teams have been ordered to monitor anyone who maybe acting suspiciously around key tourist sites, “high-profile” buildings or mosques. Currently, the UK has been placed on high alert for terror attacks. Possible targets include next month’s general election and the meeting of the G8 leaders, including US President George Bush, at Gleneagles, Perthshire, in July.
http://www.sundayherald.com/49168
Report: Schools likely terror target.
SAN DIEGO - In the post-Sept. 11 world, U.S. schools need to realize they are potential targets for attacks not only from mentally unstable students, but from terrorists looking to strike at the heart of the American fabric, a leading school security expert told a meeting of school board administrators Friday.
Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, said many school districts have neglected to prepare for terrorism because of limited money, pressure to spend more time on raising test scores and, in some cases, denial of the risk.
"People are reluctant to talk about schools as terror targets because of fear," he told members of the National School Boards Association. "And yet we'll talk about protecting bridges, monuments and Capitol Hill. Where is the logic?
"If you want to strike at the heart of America, you'd strike at America's children."
The seizure of a school in Beslan, Russia, by Chechen rebels in September was one example Trump used to remind school officials of the reality of the threat. More than 330 people, most of them children, died in the raid.
Too often, U.S. schools are too loose with security, allowing easy access to vendors or anyone "who seems to belong" on campus, he said. Some continue to post campus maps on Web sites that could help potential attackers plan their assaults.
The anthrax mail attacks of 2001 should have halted the practice of having student aides open mail, but the practice is common, he said. And many school employees who could spot a threat, such as custodians or bus drivers, are not involved with emergency planning. Parents, likewise, are often left out.
Several administrators in the audience at the San Diego Convention Center agreed with Trump's assessment and said their schools are beginning to look at the variety of threats they face, including potential terrorism.
Trump credited schools with tightening security after the Columbine shootings, in which two students killed 13 people and themselves at their campus near Denver in 1999. And many re-evaluated safety plans after a student killed nine people and ended his own life last month in Red Lake, Minn. But over time, he said schools grow lax and fail to keep up their crisis team training or update emergency incident plans.
Trump said federal funding for emergency preparedness also ebbs when the shock of a mass assault wears off. Congress' proposed 2006 budget would cut $437 million in state allocations for safe and drug-free school projects.
http://www.montereyherald.com
Neato -- a timeless undercover operation that still works.
OFF TOPIC...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385294/posts
Skip to comments.
"Police Search for Pennsylvania Prosecutor Missing Since Friday"
AP ^ | AP-ES-04-16-05 2345EDT
Posted on 04/16/2005 9:26:19 PM PDT by TheOtherOne
Police Search for Pennsylvania Prosecutor Missing Since Friday
By Mark Scolforo Associated Press Writer
Published: Apr 16, 2005 BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP)
I think they just don't want to have to release such a document to the public, and probably for good reason.
Terrorists may gain a good overview of what we are doing.
Commander Predicts Collapse of Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan Apr 16, 2005 — America's senior military commander in Afghanistan warned Saturday that Taliban-linked terrorists might launch a large-scale attack in coming months in a desperate attempt to reverse their waning fortunes.
But Lt. Gen. David Barno said predicted the near-total collapse of the Taliban within a year.
"As these terrorist capabilities grow more and more limited, the hard-core fanatics will grow more and more desperate to try and do something to change the course of events in Afghanistan," Barno told a news conference. "Terrorists here in Afghanistan want to reassert themselves and I expect that they will be looking here, over the next six to nine months or so, to stage some type of high-visibility attack."
He did not give details or say whether he had specific intelligence reports.
"I think we must all remain realistic and clear-eyed with the understanding that the enemy is still dangerous. He's been reduced in his capabilities, but he remains a desperate foe who will try and create events and inflict losses," he said.
Barno noted that a number of senior insurgents have already abandoned the fight and said more would follow. However, he said a small number of hard-liners funded by al-Qaida were likely to continue the struggle indefinitely.
"The diverging organization that I see evolving over the next year or so (involves) much of the organization, probably most of it, I think collapsing and rejoining the Afghan political and economic process," Barno said at a news conference in the capital. "A small hard-core remnant of the Taliban which is essentially a wholly owned subsidiary of al-Qaida (will) continue to wage some degree of a terrorist fight."
Barno did not name any commanders who had turned themselves in, saying only: "In the last month or so we have seen very prominent figures come out in different parts of the country very unexpectedly in a couple of cases who were part of the leadership of the Taliban."
In March, Abdul Wahid, a powerful commander once suspected of helping the Taliban chief Mullah Omar escape capture, pledged his loyalty to the Afghan government and agreed to try to persuade other Taliban figures to join him.
Afghan officials say dozens of former Taliban officials and fighters have approached them about a reconciliation drive touted by U.S. military commanders as a way to undercut militants and allow a reduction in the 17,000-strong American force more than three years after the U.S.-led invasion.
However, few have come forward publicly
"My sense is that right now the leaders that are beginning to come across are testing the waters for larger groups," Barno said.
The U.S. commander said he believes there are about 2,000 Taliban fighters, the same number the military has used in the past. But he cautioned that there is no way to make an accurate estimate.
"This is not a large movement here in Afghanistan," he said.
Barno, who is expected to leave Kabul next month after 19 months in charge, also reiterated that the U.S. military would take a lead role in anti-narcotics efforts in a nation that produces the bulk of the world's heroin.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=676413&page=1
That's definately possible, I contemplated such myself after hearing the news earlier today. Then again, most of the information they are presenting to the public is widely available through open source documentation.
In the end... If it's faulted, I see no reason not to discontinue it. I am sure those who should know, will still know what is going on.
India’s major worry - Afghan Talibans crippled but not dead yet
India has warm-heartedly supported the Karzai Government of Afghanistan – the democratic coalition that is taking Afghan people towards mainstream of the world. Karzai Government is trying its best to negotiate a settlement with the Talibans and bring them to the mainstream Afghan politics. Talibans can become a major opposition party in Afghanistan if they decide to embrace democracy and discard militant jihadi traits. Karzai Government expressed hope and mentioned that many Talibani leaders are in touch with the Government for settling issues and participating in general Afghan prosperity.
But Talibanis came out and denied any such talks with the Government and also reiterated their supoort for a united Taliban under Mullah Omar.
According to reports from Afghanistan, Maulvi Abdul Kabir -- considered to be the second in command of the militant Islamist Taliban movement -- said April 16 that he was not involved in negotiations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government. In an audio message relayed to Reuters by satellite phone, a Taliban spokesm denied that there had been any talks between Kabir and Kabul or Washington and stressed that the Taliban remains united under the leadership of their founder Mullah Mohammed Omar. In the message, supposedly recorded on April 15th at an unknown location within the country, Kabir referred to himself as the head of the movement's political commission and said that his group was looking at giving up guerrilla warfare in favor of suicide operations. The statement from the deputy Taliban leader who used to be a the commander of the Taliban military forces in the east while they were in power in Kabul, comes in response to a claim by Afghan Chief Justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari that senior Taliban figures, including Kabir, had been in touch with him on ending the insurgency.
India has to worry with the Talibans. It is a ticking time bomb for India. Musharraf and its nuclear arsenals are dormant for the time being under Washington’s influence and international pressure. But Talibans eventually can come back to power in Afghanistan. That has happened again and again in Afghanistan. Fifteen years from today Taliban may be a “total tyranny “ of the world. They can influence Pakistan again and indirectly control the nuclear arsenal no matter what the status quo is today. The nukes in Pakistan with Talibani influence can become a serious threat to India, Israel, America and Russia.
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/2322.asp
Interesting.
We'll win of course, but only time will tell how long
it takes to neutralize the terrorist situation.
The thread and several very informative articles posted by Scaniaboy here:
Ricin terror gang planned to unleash terror on the Heathrow Express
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1385333/posts
All of them are worth reading.
Thanks Fair Opinion.
I will read them.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385342/posts
"Terrorists Strike Fuel Tankers in Afghanistan"
Fox News ^ | 4-17-05
Posted on 04/16/2005 11:51:11 PM PDT by rdl6989
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