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Locked on 11/01/2005 7:06:52 PM PST by Sidebar Moderator, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1513784/posts |
Posted on 10/01/2005 8:27:27 AM PDT by nwctwx
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~sigh~ The price of honesty.<<<<
Yeah, I found a big diamond engagement ring and wedding band one time; it took two weeks to find the owner.
Note: The following post is an exact quote:
---
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507149/posts
Hot coffee thwarts carjacking
CNN.com / Associated Press ^ | October 21, 2005 | The Associated Press
Posted on 10/22/2005 12:48:03 AM PDT by buickmackane
BLUFFTON, South Carolina (AP) -- A would-be carjacker got a different kind of jolt from his intended victim's morning cup of coffee, authorities said.
The suspect tapped the car window Wednesday morning with a gun and motioned the driver to get out, Chief Deputy Roy Hughes said.
But the driver -- who had just bought a cup of hot coffee -- slammed the car door into the carjacker's legs, threw the coffee at his neck and face and wrestled him to the ground, Hughes said.
A shot was fired during the scuffle but no one was hurt, Hughes said. He said the driver managed to get the gun from the suspect and point it at him.
The suspect ran into nearby woods, Hughes said. Deputies are searching for him and two people thought to be with him who drove off during the scuffle.
(This was the entire story -- cnn.com auto-excerpts.)
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1507151/posts
"Al-Arian trial spotlights computer entries"
SPTIMES.COM ^ | Published October 12, 2005 | By MEG LAUGHLIN
Posted on 10/22/2005 1:00:06 AM PDT by F15Eagle
"Prosecutors say that a co-defendant in the case wrote two messages praising martyrs on a PIJ Web site in 2001."
TAMPA
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2005/10/008646print.html
October 21, 2005
Islamic videos found in false ceiling in Navarra restaurant
"Yes, sir, the speciality of the house is Death-to-the-Zionists-and-Crusaders Paella." From TypicallySpanish.com, with thanks to Twostellas:
Members of the Civil Guard in Tudela, Navarra, are investigating the appearance of videos of Islamic terrorist attacks which have appeared hidden in the false ceiling of a closed restaurant. The premises had been rented in the past by some Muslims. As well as the videos, photocopies of passports and tapes and manuscripts in Arabic have been recovered. One of the terrorists to blow himself up in the Leganés flat explosion as investigators closed in on the Madrid March 11th bombers, is known to have lived for a time in the same town of Tudela.
Posted at October 21, 2005 04:42 PM
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507159/posts
"Ji Philippines threat 'serious'"
The Australian ^ | 22 Oct 2005
Posted on 10/22/2005 1:51:08 AM PDT by Fair Go
JI Philippines threat 'serious' From correspondents in Manila, Philippines 22oct05
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "THE Jemaah Islamiah (JI) extremist group in the southern Philippines poses a serious threat to the entire region, a special US envoy said.
US State Department coordinator for counterterrorism Henry Crumpton also encouraged the Philippine government to pass long delayed counter-terrorism legislation. "The threat is very serious if you look at recent events, the intention of enemy forces, their collaborating with affiliates all around the region ... their technical skills especially in bomb making, their tradecraft skills."
His warning came after the Philippine military said JI was still conducting training in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao where various armed Muslim groups are already operating.
"There is an enormous challenge there, just in the geography. Its not just Mindanao but extends to the Sulawesi Sea ... over to Sabah, Malaysia," Mr Crumpton said.
Jemaah Islamiah has been blamed for a string of attacks in the region including the 2002 and 2005 bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali. It is considered the regional partner of the al-Qaeda Muslim extremist network.
Mr Crumpton also warned that countries in the region had to guard against the possible use of biological and chemical weapons by terrorists.
He also said the United States was very supportive of Manila's efforts to forge a peace accord with the main Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), despite frequent reports that MILF commanders were sheltering JI members in their camps in the south."
Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_2122.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Sat Oct 22 2005 02:07:22 GMT-0700.
BURUNDI
October 19, 2005
This Travel Warning updates the current situation in Burundi and reminds American citizens of ongoing safety and security concerns. This supersedes the Travel Warning of December 7, 2004.
The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens against travel to Burundi. A series of elections was held in Burundi between June and September 2005. Despite some isolated security incidents during the municipal elections in June, the polls generally passed peacefully. Although the security situation has stabilized in much of the country, the risk of sudden outbreaks of armed violence, acts of banditry or cross-border incursion by rebel groups remains. The Department urges private American citizens in Burundi to exercise caution and maintain security awareness at all times.
Burundi has been plagued by civil war since 1993. Though six rebel groups have signed cease-fire agreements with the government, one rebel faction continues combat operations, particularly in the province surrounding the capital, Bujumbura Rural. Fighting between rebel forces and government troops can be intense, and often involves non-government, non-combatant targets.
Rebels have launched rocket and mortar attacks on Bujumbura. Gunfire in and around the capital has resulted in numerous injuries and deaths. Vehicles on the nation's major roads have been attacked regularly. The Embassy assesses that further attacks are possible.
Crime, often committed by groups of armed bandits, also poses a high risk for foreign visitors in Bujumbura and Burundi in general. Common crimes include muggings, burglaries, and carjackings. Armed criminals often ambush vehicles, particularly on the roads leading out of Bujumbura.
The U.S. Embassy in Burundi operates with a limited staff and restricts the travel of U.S. Government personnel within the capital, while travel outside the capital is limited to travel by air only. Family members are prohibited from accompanying U.S. Government employees assigned to Burundi, and personnel assigned to Burundi on a temporary basis may have their visits cancelled or curtailed. U.S. Government personnel are prohibited from flying to, from, or within Burundi during the hours of darkness.
The Government of Burundi maintains a curfew for Bujumbura, as does the U.S. Embassy. Curfew hours may be adjusted from time to time due to changing security conditions. Please contact the U.S. Embassy for the most up-to-date curfew information and for information on areas off-limits to U.S. government personnel for security reasons.
U.S. citizens who travel to or remain in Burundi despite this Travel Warning are encouraged to register through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy in Bujumbura at Avenue des Etats-Unis, telephone (257) 22-34-54, fax (257) 22-29-26.
Updated information on travel and security in Burundi may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For further information, please consult the Consular Information sheet for Burundi and the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, all of which are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16991606%255E28737,00.html
Damascus stands condemned
Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent
22oct05
THE road to Damascus is flanked by the presidential palace
on one hill and a foreboding prison on another. For 40 years,
Syrians needed no other reminder of where power in their
nation resided. Neither did neighbouring Lebanon. The two
citadels of state control, run by a father-and-son tag team in
one of Arabia's remaining authoritarian regimes, ruled with
impunity over both countries until early this year.
Then, according to the UN, Syria virtually served itself on a
plate. The Beirut car bomb that killed former Lebanese prime
minister Rafik Hariri on February 15 could easily have been a
metaphor for a suicide attack on the palace in Damascus.
Lebanon lost a leader and 20 other people that day. Now
Syria stands to lose the lot.
Excerpts circulating in Beirut yesterday from the widely
anticipated UN report into Hariri's murder point the finger of
blame for the bombing at the Syrian chieftains and the
Lebanese military men they sponsor.
The excerpts were leaked hours before the official release of
the report, late last night eastern Australian time, by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They paint a picture of an
assassination planned months in advance and carried out by
an institution, not an individual. Lebanese MPs who claim to
have seen part of the report say UN chief investigator Detlev
Mehlis names conspirators and has found financial links
between regime strongmen and Lebanese officials.
Four Lebanese generals with staunch links to the Syrian
regime are being held in a Lebanese prison. Among them is a
former security adviser to Lebanese President Emile Lahoud,
who yesterday declined to speak before the report's official
release.
Syrian spook Zuheir Mohammed al-Siddiq has been detained
in France and Lebanese media reported this week that he has
been co-operating with investigators.
The knowledge that Syria was responsible for Hariri's
assassination would be enough to condemn Syria and
President Bashar al-Assad in the eyes of its chief antagonist,
the US. But weighed against the Bush administration's other
gripes, it is only a beginning. The US had already engaged
Assad in a sustained verbal war, claiming he continued to
back Hezbollah in its terror campaign against Israel and
wasn't interested in stopping the flow of Sunni Arab militants
across Syria's borders that has reinforced the Iraqi
insurgency.
The report appears to give the US enormous leverage over a
regime it considers not far removed from its axis of evil. The
US and Israel now have Damascus where they want it:
weakened, sidelined and with no option but to change its
ways.
Even the Arab world, which often adopts the "my enemy's
enemy is my friend" world view when one of its components
is in the crosshairs of the West, isn't falling in behind
Damascus this time. Officials from three Arab countries
contacted by Inquirer say they are baffled by the lack of the
bombers' strategic assessment of any political fallout from
the blast. Hariri's death unleashed a torrent of Lebanese
nationalism and world condemnation. Within weeks, Assad
had called home all Syrian soldiers and most of its spies. The
empire was starting to crumble even before the bomb. Now it
is not far from ruin.
"What were they hoping to achieve with a crude, thuggish
act like that?" asks one Western diplomat. "They do not have
a sophisticated understanding of the world outside their own
country or Lebanon."
For the past fortnight, Assad has insisted to the world that
no Syrian was linked to the bombing. He said he would
surely have known if any member of his regime was
involved.
More pertinent, in the light of the report, is what can be said
about Assad's grip on authority. There is a view in the Middle
East that Syria is still shackled by the old guard put in place
by Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, who died five years ago.
Even in a region where conspiracy theories abound, the
apparent suicide last week of Syrian interior minister and
Syria's former Beirut overlord Ghazi Kanaan, days after he
was interviewed by UN investigators, has been received
sceptically. It was widely believed in Lebanon, where Kanaan
reined as spy chief for 20 years, that if Syria was involved,
he would surely have known. Kanaan was found dead in his
office hours after giving a radio interview in which he claimed
to be innocent and rejected suggestions he had business
dealings with Hariri.
Since assuming the chief job in the family fiefdom, the
Western-educated Bashar al-Assad has attempted to
introduce a reformist agenda into his one-party state.
Sounding like an opposition leader in a robust democracy
rather than a man with totalitarian control, he has pledged to
raise incomes, lower trade barriers, boost services and create
jobs.
"Is he in a position to enforce a reformist agenda? Manifestly
not," according to a Beirut-based Western diplomat.
Says an Arab counterpart: "And nor can he root out the old
guard who still run the apparatus of power. Their raison
d'etre is not Syrian interests but self-preservation."
That being so, why pick a fight with the US, which since 9/11
has made no secret of its pre-emptive counter-terrorist
strategy?
"Even though playing with Iraqi extremists is a very
dangerous game. the temptation to keep America weighed
down [in Iraq] has been too great for them," the Western
diplomat says. "But, that said, there should have been no
national interest in upsetting America, let alone Europe."
Neither should there have been an interest in upsetting the
Sunni Arab world, which has not taken kindly to the slaying
of one of its own and has long held suspicions about Syria.
The Mehlis findings point to an alleged motive for the
bombing that is given wide credence in Lebanon.
"It was easy to see why Syria wanted him dead," says
student Bilal Derbas, 25. "Hariri was talking like a man who
could lead Lebanon on his own. He didn't need them."
Syrian fears of dwindling control had been widely seen as a
spark for the attack. For several decades before that,
Damascus had backed the Christian-led government in
sectarian power struggles with Muslim militias. It also had
provided weapons to the south Lebanon based militia group
Hezbollah, which took the fight to the Israelis from within the
Palestinian refugee camps near Lebanon's southern border.
When Beirut was, at various times, under siege from Israeli
bombs or sectarian wars, the Syrian military had provided
steel to the struggling Lebanese. Damascus saw itself as
intrinsic to the future of Lebanon and the regime eventually
got its hands on all the levers of Lebanese authority.
What now for Assad, Damascus and Lebanon? The US has
raised the possibility of referring Syria to the UN Security
Council, where sanctions are probable.
To avoid a Saddam-like stigma, Assad has no option but to
fall into line with the hawks in the Bush administration.
"This is a perfect storm situation," says a US State
Department official.
The Syrian leadership is clearly fighting for its life. But no
one is quite sure whether it will implode. The same is true of
Lebanon, where Lahoud's future will be decided within days.
With the overlords out of the way, Lebanon's stand-alone
democracy faces a crucial test: a return to sectarian violence
or a turning point in its Cedar Revolution.
© The Australian
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507160/posts
"Pakistani military accused of storing quake relief supplies"
PTI ^ | Saturday, October 22, 2005 | PTI
Posted on 10/22/2005 1:59:41 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "New York, October 22: Claiming that lack of coordination between Army and civilian authorities was hampering relief efforts in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a US-based human rights watchdog has accused Pakistani military officials of putting scarce tents and other relief supplies in storage, rather than handing them out to the needy.
Human Rights Watch, whose representatives are monitoring relief efforts in Pakistan, claimed that officials in-charge of dispersing relief supplies, which had been designated for government workers in Muzaffarabad, had told that tents and other emergency supplies were being stored instead of being distributed.
Officials at the site were quoted, as saying that this was being done so that they would be able to avoid problems, when senior military and civilian officials demand supplies that otherwise would not be available. One official said that he would be fired if he handed out the tents.
Relief efforts have been hampered by a lack of coordination between the Army and civilian authorities and a scarcity of resources, the HRW said."
-Jemaah Islamiah- Islamic Community, or Islamic Threat?--
...and for God's Sake, don't Google up "MILF," unless you have a tolerance for rude images...
Thanks backhoe.
I appreciate the link.
This is the Jihad Unspun statement, to go with the article that was written by Laura Mansfield about the planned or stated plan for a Ramadan attack, by jihadii's.
It almost sounds as tho, they are reminding the terrorists that an attack was planned.
granny
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre_internal.php?article=104961&list=/home.php
ANONYMOUS: Planning The Great Ramadan Offensive 2005
Oct 22, 2005
By "Ossama1", Firdaws
As far back as May 2005, there were rumblings from intelligence apparatus, media “leaks” and of course
the White House that the "Great Ramadan Offensive 2005" was in the works, a battle to end all battles
between the forces of good and evil. Or, at least that was how it was billed at the time.
In early August, 2005, a post was made to the Arabic Mujahideen forum Firdaws by a person using the
name "Ossama1". Written in perfect English, "Ossama1" details the planning of the battle that was to
restore Muslim honor. But with ten days left until Ramadan ends, has the plan been abandoned or was
there actually a plan to begin with? Here is the original post as published by lauramansfeld.com. You
decide.
We remind our viewers that the opinions and points of view expressed in this article are those of the
author and shall not be deemed to mean that they are necessarily those of Jihad Unspun, the publisher,
editor, writers, contributors or staff.
Planning The Great Ramadan Offensive
“Planning the "Great Ramadan Offensive" by late August 2005, the Islamist-jihadist movement was
increasingly consumed by great anticipation for a dramatic breakout: a "Great Ramadan Offensive" led by
both Osama bin Laden and Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, in person and from Iraq. This offensive, several
Islamist-jihadist leaders and commanders were convinced, would overshadow the dramatic impact of the
September 11, 2001, spectacular strikes.
Jihad leaders were convinced that the Great Ramadan Offensive would include a "fateful confrontation"
with the US and Israeli forces in the Middle East, as well as a series of unprecedented spectacular strikes
in Western Europe, Russia, and, perhaps, even the United States. Throughout the Muslim world,
widespread anticipation for the Great Ramadan Offensive has been reinforced by a series of virtually
simultaneous communiques starting around August 24, 2005. This was the first time so many significant
doctrinal-theological statements had been issued at the same time, reinforcing the belief in a forthcoming
well-coordinated global onslaught.
First came the report of a new recorded message by Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi. Apparently made on August
21, 2005, the existence of the message was announced around August 24, 2005. The report that
emerged included the key passage from Zarqawi's message about the next phase of the jihad. "What
happened in Andalusia [Spain], London, the Jordanian Al-Aqabah, and other places and what is going to
happen, with the consent of God Almighty, is accomplished by our devoted mujahedin," Zarqawi
explained. "The mujahedin in Iraq have, praise be to God, moved the battle from the ground [in Iraq] to
the land of the cross." Zarqawi stressed that "jihadist units had been founded in all of Western Europe,
to defend the powerless within the nation. "For the crimes the Crusaders have committed against the
Muslims, they will reap in their own homes [countries], God willing."
The entire post would not fit therefore, it is continued at the link.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.221749664&par=0
Alert for: jihadi threats
EGYPT: WEB VIDEO INCITES ATTACKS AGAINST CHRISTIANS
AKI - Rome,Italy
... this religious flash-point did not escape the notice of the jihadi groups linked ...
However the group goes on to make further threats, adding: "Any Christian from ...
Upcoming Significant Events:
October 22, (year unknown) - New Zealand
Labor Day
No information provided.
October 23, 1983 - Lebanon
U.S. Marines Killed In Beirut
Islamic Jihad bombings in Beirut killed 254 U.S. marines and 58 French paratroopers.
October 24, 1956 - Egypt
Popular Resistance Day
No information provided.
October 24, 1964 - Zambia
Independence Day
No information provided.
October 24, 1975 - France
Turkish Ambassador Killed
The Turkish ambassador and his driver were shot and killed in Paris by members of the
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA).
October 24, 1975 - Turkey
Ambassador To France Killed
The Turkish ambassador to France and his driver were shot and killed in Paris by
members of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA).
October 24, 1984 - Syria
Relations with the U.K. Broken
No information provided.
October 25, 1955 - Austria
Revolution Day
Celebrates the return of Soviet-administered properties under the Austrian State Treaty.
All occupation forces were withdrawn and Austria became free and independent.
October 25, 1983 - Grenada
U.S. Invasion of Grenada
With the breakdown of law and order following the arrest and subsequent murder of
prime minister Maurice Bishop, Grenada's governor general and the Organization of
Eastern Caribbean States asked the U.S. for assistance. The U.S. sent a military force to
the island to restore order and evacuate endangered American citizens.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051020/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_chavez_us;_ylt=AoLy6yrvl.Ly9LGyiGCS2y1vaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
Chavez Warns if U.S. Invades, Oil Goes Up
Posted on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 6:15am
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that his government
is preparing for a possible U.S. invasion and he warned that such
"aggression" would send gasoline in the United States prices soaring
higher. The U.S. government repeated that it is not planning any such
thing. Chavez, a vocal critic of "imperialism" and the Bush
administration, said he was not against the American people — just
the current government. "We are sure that it will be very difficult for
the United States to attack Venezuela," Chavez said. He said his
country has eight oil refineries and 14,000 gasoline stations in the
United States.
Full Story at link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4360106.stm
Russian army cleared over Beslan
Posted on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 6:19am
Russian forces who used flame-throwers during the Beslan school
siege last year will not face charges, a top Russian prosecutor has
said. Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov was sent to the
southern region by President Vladimir Putin last month to investigate
the tragedy. Some of the victims' relatives say most died because of
the firepower used in the Russian assault on the school.
Full Story at link.
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