CNN.com: Washington - "FBI SPY CHIEF ASKS PRIVATE SECTOR FOR HELP" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence David Szady, cited Russia, Iran, Cuba and North Korea among countries he said engage in espionage against the United States, but he focused heavily on activities by Chinese. "There are 150,000 students from China. Some of those are sent here to work their way up into the corporations," Szady said. There are about 300,000 Chinese visitors annually, and 15,000 Chinese delegations touring the United States every year, 3,500 of them in the New York area alone, he said.") (February 10, 2005) (Read More...)
NZHERALD.co.nz (REUTERS): Beijing - "CHINA GOES UNDERCOVER TO SWAY OPINION ON INTERNET" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "China has formed a special force of undercover online commentators to try to sway public opinion on controversial issues on the Internet, a newspaper said yesterday. China has struggled to gain control over the Internet as more and more people gain access to obtain information beyond official sources. The country has nearly 100 million Internet users, according to official figures, and the figure is rising. A special force of online commentators had already been operating in Suqian city in the eastern coastal province of Jiangsu since April, the Southern Weekend said.") (May 20, 2005) (Read More...) (Note: This url may expire.)
RewardsForJustice.net - "WANTED": "MUSTAFA SETMARIAM NASAR (Mustafa Sitmaryan Nassar") (Note: "Aliases: Abu Musab al-Suri, Umar Abd al-Hakim") (View Photos; Read More...)
FBI.gov - Seeking Information: "ADNAN G. EL SHUKRIJUMAH" (ALIASES: "Adnan G. El Shukri Jumah; Abu Arif; Ja'far Al-Tayar; Jaffar Al-Tayyar; Jafar Tayar; Jaafar Al-Tayyar") (VIEW POSTER. Click Here.)
A Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a May 15, 2005 LOS ANGELES TIMES article: "L.A. VIOLENCE CROSSES THE LINE" (Note: "trans-border Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) street gang") (Read More...)
NOTE: The following text is an exact quote:
===
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2005/06/006722print.html
June 20, 2005
FBI warns of possible threat to power plants
More empty threats? Probably. The problem is that years can go by that are utterly filled with empty threats, and then the jihadists can strike again. Remember the interval between the 1993 WTC attack and the one in 2001. From the Stamford Advocate, with thanks to A Friend:
The FBI has alerted police about vague, unverified reports of a possible plan to attack power plants and electric grids around New York City this month, according to a confidential FBI memo.
The memo, written by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and read by The Advocate, warns of a written threat from a single source that New York-area power plants will be attacked this month.
The memo stresses that federal authorities have not corroborated the threat. The memo includes a composite sketch of a Middle Eastern man who may be trying to enter the United States this month to participate in the attack....
The police officers said the department receives regular warnings from federal authorities. But this memo is unusual because it names a person and includes a sketch, they said.
Bull said sketches are becoming more common in FBI memos to police.
The memo does not say how a power plant would be attacked. The written threat mentions the possibility of "great news in June," according to the memo.
Police and power company officials have paid more attention to electric power plants since August 2003, when a malfunction at Midwestern power grids caused a blackout across eight states, including Connecticut, and much of Canada.
Al-Qaeda, if my memory serves me well, claimed credit for that, too.
Posted at June 20, 2005 11:17 AM
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1426819/posts
"Protecting America's Borders Impossible?"
PR Web ^ | June 20, 2005 | John Buchman
Posted on 06/20/2005 12:12:00 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Not If A Computer Science Research Group and A MAGLEV Rail Transportation Company Have Their Way and Build "The Borderline Flyer"
The American Computer Scientists Association (http://www.acsa.net , ITC Reference: http://www.acsa.net/hshrt ) and the Interstate Traveler Company (http://interstatetraveler.us ) issue a vital notice to America regarding Homeland Security. It is possible to facilitate low-cost, joint protection of our borders: we could save a lot of money and achieve far, far more if the ITC Interstate Traveler, a high speed solar/hydrogen hybrid powered MAGLEV Rail System, were run along both our northern and southern borders. The border patrol version of the Interstate Traveler would be equipped with surveillance devices, protective cars and personnel its entire length. Patrolling the border and monitoring activity would be a cinch, using only a handful of special border observation stations. Best of all, it could all be done without buying any fuel and without polluting the environment. The entire nationwide proposed Interstate Traveler System is designed to run on clean, efficient hydrogen produced by the Traveler's vast network of built-in Solar Energy panels and hydrogen producing hydrolyzers.
(PRWEB) June 20, 2005 -- In today´s announcement, ACSA indicated that the Interstate Traveler System, a proposed MAGLEV system some 50-250,000 miles long, could also assume a vital border-securing role in America's Homeland Security Future.
"We can easily optimize costs and reduce manpower, while creating a perfect deterrent against terrorism," say scientists working in the ACSA VISTA Incubator, a project to mentor extremely advanced science and technology which is working with the project.
The Interstate Traveler is a 250 mile per hour, 250,000 mile long MAGLEV system powered by Solar/Hydrogen technology. Described as both a nationwide, fuel efficient, non-polluting transportation system, it has also been described as a way to generate up to 100 Quadrillion BTU/hours (the United State's entire annual demand for energy) of electricity and low cost, clean burning hydrogen for US consumption, the Interstate Traveler might free America of its fossil fuel dependency.
The system would be self maintaining, autonomously controlled and would provide low cost transportation of people, freight and autos. The Intestate Traveler Company is collaborating with the American Computer Science Association to get it built."
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
===
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_922.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Mon Jun 20 2005 23:19:01 GMT-0700.
ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK AND GAZA
June 20, 2005
This travel warning is being issued to update information on travel restrictions for U.S. government personnel in the West Bank and to reiterate threats to American citizens and interests in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. It supersedes the Travel Warning issued April 7, 2005.
The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to carefully weigh the necessity of their travel to Israel in light of the risks noted below. The Department also urges U.S. citizens to defer unnecessary travel to the West Bank and avoid all travel to Gaza.
Terrorist attacks within Israel have declined in both frequency and associated casualties. However, the potential for further violence remains high. Resentment against efforts to promote peace, and ongoing Israeli military operations in the Occupied Territories could incite further violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Israeli security services report that they are investigating between 40 and 60 planned terrorist attacks at any given time. The February 25 suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub is a reminder of the precarious security environment, even when a cease-fire has been declared.
The anticipated evacuation of Israeli settlers from Gaza could lead to violence in Israel by settler groups. Settler organizations have already organized a series of large-scale demonstrations and are reportedly planning acts of civil disobedience and other protests that at best will be severely disruptive and at worst may result in physical confrontations leading to violence.
The U.S. Government has received information indicating that American interests within Israel could be the focus of terrorist attacks. For that reason, American citizens are cautioned that a greater danger may exist in the vicinity of restaurants, businesses, and other places associated with U.S. interests and/or located near U.S. official buildings, such as the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem.
Throughout Jerusalem, the State Department urges American citizens to remain vigilant while traveling, especially within the commercial and downtown areas of West Jerusalem. Israeli security services report that they continue to receive information of planned terrorist attacks around Jerusalem. In addition, American citizens should stay away from demonstrations and generally avoid crowded public places, such as restaurants and cafes, shopping and market areas and malls, pedestrian zones, public transportation of all kinds, including buses and trains and their respective stations/terminals, and the areas around them. Spontaneous or planned protests within the Old City are possible, especially after Friday prayers. Some of these protests have led to violent clashes.
American employees of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem are prohibited from using all public transportation. The Old City of Jerusalem is off-limits to them after dark all week and between the hours of 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. on Fridays. U.S. government employees are also forbidden from patronizing discos and nightclubs.
American citizens in Gaza should depart immediately, a recommendation the State Department has maintained since the deadly roadside bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza on October 15, 2003. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from all travel in Gaza. Overall conditions of lawlessness prevail, Israeli military operations continue, and areas of violent conflict shift rapidly and unpredictably. Militants have abducted Western citizens and held them for short periods, and the Hamas terrorist organization has threatened attacks against U.S. interests.
In September and October 2004 and February 2005, citizens of Western nations, including Americans, involved in pro-Palestinian volunteer efforts were assaulted and injured in the Occupied Territories by Israeli settlers and harassed by the Israeli Defense Forces. Those taking part in demonstrations, non-violent resistance, and “direct action”, are advised to cease such activity for their own safety.
For official operational needs only, U.S. Government personnel are permitted to travel to and stop in cities and towns in the West Bank, depending on prevailing security conditions. For limited, personal travel, U.S. government personnel and family members are permitted to transit the West Bank on primary roads to reach the Allenby/King Hussein bridge and the Dead Sea coast, north of Ein Gedi and Masada, in the south. For safety and security reasons all cities, towns and settlements in the West Bank, including Jericho and Bethlehem, remain strictly off-limits for personal travel by U.S. government personnel and family members. U.S. government personnel and family members are expressly prohibited from using Route 443 between Modi'in and Jerusalem for personal travel.
All travelers who enter or travel in Gaza or the West Bank should exercise particular care when approaching and traveling through checkpoints and should expect delays and difficulties. Travelers should also be aware they might not be allowed passage through checkpoints.
Any American Citizen who intends to travel to Israel, the West Bank or Gaza in spite of this and prior warnings should carefully review the Consular Information Sheet for Israel, The West Bank and Gaza. That reference describes other potential dangers and difficulties and offers detailed security recommendations. Palestinian-Americans face many additional obstacles and regulations that are described in that document.
Americans who remain in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza are strongly encouraged to register with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv or the Consulate General in Jerusalem through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. U.S. citizens who require emergency services may telephone the Consulate General in Jerusalem at (972) (2) 622-7250 or the Embassy in Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7355.
However, periodically the Embassy and Consulate General may temporarily suspend public services to review their security posture. As a consequence of the current limitations on official travel to the West Bank, and the prohibition on travel by U.S. government employees to Gaza, the ability of consular staff to offer timely assistance to U.S. citizens in these areas is considerably reduced.
Current information on travel and security in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444. U.S. citizens should consult the Consular Information Sheet for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza; the Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement; and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement at the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov. Up-to-date information on security conditions can also be accessed at http://usembassy-israel.org.il or http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44899
"Mexican drug commandos expand ops in 6 U.S. states
Feds say violent, elite paramilitary units establish narcotics routes north of border"
Posted: June 21, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON – The ultra-violent, U.S.-trained elite, Mexican paramilitary commandos known as the "Zetas," responsible for hundreds of murders along the border this year, have expanded their enforcement efforts on behalf of a drug cartel by setting up trafficking routes in six U.S. states.
A U.S. Justice Department memo says the U.S.-trained units have recently moved operations into Houston, San Antonio and the states of California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. They have been operating in Dallas for at least two years, according to the feds."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1427171/posts
"'Cologne Caliph' jailed for life"
BBC online ^ | 20 june 2005 | BBC
Posted on 06/21/2005 2:01:17 AM PDT by csvset
'Cologne Caliph' jailed for life
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "His group, the Caliphate State, which wants to overthrow Turkey's secular government, was banned in Germany in 2001 as anti-democratic and unconstitutional.
The Turkish authorities said Kaplan planned to fly an airplane laden with explosives into the Ataturk mausoleum amid celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the republic in 1998, when the country's military, bureaucratic and political elite would have gathered at the site."
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
===
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2005/06/006753print.html
June 22, 2005
WMD Jitters
From CNN, "'High risk' of WMD attack in decade," with thanks to Jeffrey Imm.
WASHINGTON -- The chance of an attack with a weapon of mass destruction somewhere in the world in the next 10 years runs as high as 70 percent, arms experts have predicted in a U.S. survey.
Most of the more than 80 experts surveyed in the report released on Tuesday believed one or two new countries will acquire nuclear weapons in the next five years, with two to five countries joining the nuclear club during the next decade.
The survey, commissioned by U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, also showed that four out of five people said their country was not spending enough on non-proliferation efforts.
The most likely scenario for a nuclear attack would be for terrorists to use a weapon they made themselves with material acquired on the black market, the survey said.
"The results underscore the need to improve security around tactical nuclear weapons and nuclear material in Russia and expand our ability to detect transfer of weapons or materials from rogue states to terrorist organizations," said a summary of a report outlining the survey results...
And from the New Duranty Times, "U.S. Borders Vulnerable, Witnesses Say," with thanks to EPG.
WASHINGTON - The federal government's efforts to prevent terrorists from smuggling a nuclear weapon into the United States are so poorly managed and reliant on ineffective equipment that the nation remains extremely vulnerable to a catastrophic attack, scientists and a government auditor warned a House committee on Tuesday.
The assessment, coming nearly four years after the September 2001 attacks and after the investment of about $800 million by the United States government, prompted expressions of frustration and disappointment from lawmakers...
Four federal departments - Homeland Security, Defense, Energy and State - are involved in a global campaign to try to prevent the illicit acquisition, movement and use of radioactive materials, which includes efforts to prevent theft of nuclear materials from former Soviet stockpiles and inspecting cargo containers on arrival from around the world.
Dirty bombs, crude devices that widely spread low levels of radiation, are relatively easy to detect. But highly enriched uranium, a crucial ingredient in a nuclear bomb, could easily be shielded with less than a quarter-inch of lead, making it "very likely to escape detection by passive radiation monitors" now installed at ports and border stations, Benn Tannenbaum, a physicist and senior program associate at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, testified at Tuesday's hearing.
The monitors are unable to distinguish between naturally occurring radiation from everyday items like ceramic tile and dangerous material like enriched uranium...
Posted at June 22, 2005 11:15 AM
Thanks to nw_arizona_granny for the ping to this thread:
===
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1425824/posts
"Russia, China join against US 'star wars'"
MENAFN ^ | June 17, 2005
Posted on 06/18/2005 3:26:49 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON, June 17 (UPI) -- Russia and China have joined forces in a major U.N. forum to oppose U.S. plans to develop new space weapons. And the move could herald a far more wide-ranging strategic cooperation between the two nations.
Russia and China have joined forces to urge the U.N. Conference on Disarmament to launch a new round of international negotiations to prevent the increased militarization of space. On June 9, the two countries issued a joint working paper calling for the reactivation of the moribund Committee on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space that was discontinued in 1994. The appeal was delivered to the Disarmament Conference in Geneva."
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.180134978&par=0
"IRAQ: KIDNAP AND DECAPITATION MANUAL FOUND IN HIDEOUT"
Baghdad, 23 June (AKI) - US Marines have found manuals on taking hostages and decapitation during a raid on a guerrilla hideout in the Iraqi village of Karabla, near the town of Qaim, close to the Syrian border. The Arab newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that in the hideaway the troops also found several hostages who were being held there by Islamic militants. The hiding place was being used as a centre for the interrogation and torture of hostages, and contained electrodes and other instruments of torture.
The manuals found were used as Jihad (Holy War) handbooks. The first was titled: "How to choose the best hostage", the second covered decapitation and was called: "Rules for cutting off the heads of infidels", and the third manual, "principles of the philosophy of the Jihad", was more theoretical.
The three documents, the last of which is 574 pages long, carry the name Abdel Rahman al-Aliya, which the newspaper says is probably a cover name to hide the identity of the real author. The hideout - in the volatile western Anbar province which has been the scene of fierce fighting between insurgents and the US-led forces - is believed to have been used by the group led by the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He is credited with introducing the practice of decapitation to the activities of the Jihadist movement.
(Ham/Aki)
23-Jun-05 16:04
UPDATE...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1430338/posts
"Italy issues warrants for 13 CIA officers (for "kidnapping" terrorist)(UPDATE: NONE are in custody)"
Houston Chronicle ^ | June 24, 2005 | VICTOR L. SIMPSON
Posted on 06/24/2005 11:23:52 PM PDT by FairOpinion
UPDATE (The detainee is a pilot.):
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2005/06/23/whayk23.xml
"British pilot held in Mexico over link with September 11"
By Ronald Buchanan in Mexico City
(Filed: 23/06/2005)
ARTICLE SNIPPET: A Briton who described himself as a wandering pilot has been detained by Mexican authorities and could be linked to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, officials have said.
Amer Haykel, 45, identified as a British citizen of Lebanese descent, was arrested on Monday at the volunteer fire station of Todos Santos, on the Pacific coast about 35 miles north-west of Cabo San Lucas.
Mexico's federal attorney general's office said US authorities linked Haykel "to extremist groups believed to be involved with September 11 attacks in New York". It did not say if he faced any charges or if he was believed to be involved in any terrorist actions. Haykel told acquaintances that he was a pilot wandering the world. He seemed like "a straightforward person", said Gabriel Garcia, of the Cabo San Lucas fire station."
http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/kouri/2005/06/bilateral-drug-interdiction-with.html
Saturday, June 25, 2005
"Bilateral Drug Interdiction with Mexico Won't Work"
by Jim Kouri, CPP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1430952/posts
"How the Left gets loonier, Editor decries calling terrorists mean names."
Herald Sun ^ | 06/24/05 | ANDREW BOLT
Posted on 06/26/2005 7:17:57 AM PDT by Pikamax
"How the Left gets loonier"
24jun05
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "FIRST they backed Saddam against his victims. Now our cultural elite backs terrorists against Douglas Wood, the Australian they kidnapped.
You say I exaggerate? I reply: Andrew Jaspan.
Jaspan is editor-in-chief of The Age, Australia's most Left-wing daily newspaper, and on ABC radio on Wednesday said how "boorish" and "coarse" Wood was at his press conference this week when he called his captors "a---holes".
You might wonder whether Jaspan, the Englishman whose paper on that same day published a big picture on page one of naked girls from Big Brother, has the right to call anyone else "coarse".
But far more shocking was his apparent demand that Wood be more grateful to the men who'd snatched him, kicked him in the head, kept him blindfolded and bound for 47 days, shaved him bald, killed two of his colleagues, made him beg for his life, and -- says a fellow hostage from Sweden -- shot several other prisoners in front of him."
http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/kouri/2005/06/radiation-detection-at-major-seaports.html
Jim Kouri is Vice President of the
National Association of Chiefs of Police
Monday, June 27, 2005
"Radiation Detection at Major Seaports by Year's End"
by Jim Kouri, CPP
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The FY 2005 Port Security Grant Program uses a risk-based formula to allocate funds to protect our ports from acts of terrorism. The program fortifies security at our nation’s ports by providing funding to increase protection against potential threats from small craft, underwater attacks and vehicle borne improvised explosives, and to enhance explosive detection capabilities aboard vehicle ferries and associated facilities.
The new risk-based formula considers three elements: threat, vulnerability, and consequence. As part of this risk-management approach, the port security grant program will ensure federally regulated ports, terminals, and US inspected passenger vessels receiving the funds represent assets of the highest national strategic importance. Sixty-six port areas have been identified as eligible applicants for inclusion in the FY 2005 program. Successful applicants will be awarded through a competitive process.
Sources: Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection, American Federation of Police"
http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20050629-121335-2805r
"Sunnis will nab Zarqawi when 'ready'"
By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published June 29, 2005
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1432757/posts
"'It requires a bomb on American soil to awaken our citizens'"
renewamerica.us ^ | June 18, 2005 | Mary Mostert
Posted on 06/28/2005 7:52:25 PM PDT by Destro
"'It requires a bomb on American soil to awaken our citizens'"
Mary Mostert
June 18, 2005
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The title of this article, which was a comment in an e-mail from a reader I'm afraid,is true. We Americans are incredibly fortunate and unbelievably gullible. We have lived remarkably sheltered lives and most Americans alive today have never experienced or witnessed any real cruelty, much less actual torture. We have people, some of them in politics and the media, who actually believe that embarrassing men who have been arrested for terrorist acts is a form of "torture!"
Then, we have those such as Rep. John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, trying to convince the American people and the world in general that the only really big problem and war criminal we have in the world that we need to get rid of is in none other than our own president - George W. Bush. They want to impeach him for liberating Iraq from a murderous butcher named Saddam Hussein. Of course, Conyers and his friends don't exactly phrase it that way. Their latest ploy is what they call the "Downing Street Memo" which is touted as a "secret" memo of a meeting of British government officials (no Americans) that Conyers claims "proves" President Bush "planned" to attack Iraq without cause. Only - there is not one single solitary quote in the memo of ANY comment by even the British that were supposed to be at the meeting and it doesn't even PRETEND to quote anything said by President Bush.
And, Conyers, of course, has a long history of using his position in Congress to defend people the FBI believed were tied to terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda. His effort for the past two years to whip up support to impeach President Bush is based largely on the President's determination to put an end to the al-Qaeda network.
What this all seems to me to indicate is that we are watching the same kind of well planned disinformation campaign in the USA today that took place in the break-up of Yugoslavia when the media and President Clinton either through ignorance or deliberate action simply did not tell the American people the truth about what was going on. Clinton unilaterally raised the UN arms boycott in order allow Bosnian Muslims to receive weapons from Iran and Osama bin Laden."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45020
"Symposium covers radical Islamic threat to U.S.
Event featuring panel of experts meant to serve as wake-up call to nation"
Posted: June 28, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/wanted_captured/index.cfm?page=Nasar
"WANTED
Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
(Mustafa Sitmaryan Nassar)
Up to $5 Million Reward"
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/images/Mustafa_Sitmaryan_Nassar01.jpg
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/images/Nassar02.jpg
