Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Thread Thirty-One (Index)

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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!

Home grown Islamists may hit US: FBI chief
Full Story

WASHINGTON -- The United States could be attacked by "home grown" Islamist terror groups, the FBI's chief has warned.

FBI Director Robert Mueller told the London Financial Times newspaper in an interview published Thursday that the United States could face attacks from "home-grown terrorism" very similar to the July 7 bombings in London that killed 52 people and wounded another 700, Mueller said.

When asked if the United States could face such attacks from "home-grown groups", Mueller answered emphatically: "Absolutely, it could," the Financial Times said.

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

TM Terrorism Handbook

Link to Thread Thirty

"Code Red Implications:
Code Red - Stay Home and Await Word."
From Tm'er and Freeper ~MamaDearest~

Tracking the Chatter with TM

TM 'Be on the Lookout'

Survival Preparedness Info.

Threat Matrix Book List

ExSoldier's Invaluable Tips

Arabic Links and Resources

Godzilla's Summaries

Threat Matrix HTML designed by: Ian Livingston

http://www.caribvoice.org/Features/t%26tkidnappings.html

Island's
Abduction
Rate is
second in the
world
By Carol Williams

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, March 13, 2005: For as long
as pastel rum drinks and hedonistic pre-Lenten celebrations have been
in fashion, fun-seekers have flocked to this tropical duet of lush islands
to sunbathe, sway to calypso and savor the exotic flavors of its
multicultural cuisine. But an ugly social ill threatens the perpetual party
atmosphere: kidnapping, a crime so epidemic that Trinidad ranks second
in the world behind Colombia for its rate of abductions.

Victims and police point to a home-grown radical Muslim gang that
sought to topple the government in 1990 and has since built a lucrative
criminal empire. U.S. intelligence operatives are believed to be watching
the militants of Jamaat al Muslimeen for signs that they are linked to
global terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda.
Abductions targeting the prosperous and politically influential have
evoked comparison to the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, whose kidnappings in
the Philippines and Malaysia have chilled business at island resorts in
those Pacific countries. They have also instilled fear in this country, the
Caribbean's most dynamic economy, that visitors and foreign investors
could begin looking elsewhere.

The relatively small and obscure Jamaat al Muslimeen sparked the
kidnapping wave that flared up about two years ago, but authorities see
an even more troubling copycat phenomenon. Amateur crooks and street
kids are getting into the act, inspired by the ransom paid by relatives
who may fear the police as much as the abductors.
Kidnapping has been on the rise throughout the Caribbean and Latin
America, but it has soared in Trinidad. In 2001, this country of 1.2
million had fewer than 10 kidnappings. In 2002, the number was 29. In
the last couple of years, the figure has been about 150.
Police say most kidnappings are instances of gangland score-settling or
drug dealings gone wrong, an explanation that serves to defuse public
anger and convince honest citizens that they run little risk of becoming
targets.

The victims are primarily Indians, who make up 40% of the population
and tend to be more affluent than blacks, who compose a similar
proportion. They contend that the kidnappings are being fueled by police
corruption, government complicity, racism and an attitude that most
victims had it coming.

Still missing six months after his June 21 abduction, 11-year-old Vijay
Persad has become a symbol for the plight of ordinary Trinis caught up
in the violence. "People say they're after us. The black community
doesn't give us support. They are scared of these people," Ragkumar
Persad, 38, says of his neighbors' indifference to his family tragedy and
Jamaat al Muslimeen.

Saran Kissoondan, whose family paid $167,000 to free him last year,
accuses the police of being in league with organized crime.
"The criminals were getting information from the police. I could hear
their conversations," Kissoondan recalled of the 18 days he spent
handcuffed and blindfolded in a dirt-floor shack, listening to his captors
talking on their cellphones. "The police officer handling my matter was
advising the criminals not to let me go [for a lesser ransom]. The police
were telling them my family could pay more."
Kissoondan, owner of a car dealership and brother of one of the country's
most successful restaurateurs, identified two of his captors, who were
arrested shortly after his release. One of the men, a member of Jamaat
al Muslimeen, agreed to testify against the crime masterminds of the
group and was put under police protection. Before he could testify,
however, the witness' body was found in a lake, shot, wrapped in plastic
and weighted with rocks. All charges were dropped against the rest of
the suspects.

"Since the PNM came to power, kidnapping of Indian people has come
alive," Kissoondan said, referring to the ruling People's National
Movement and Prime Minister Patrick Manning. "There's nothing and
nobody to stop it. The police know who the main kidnappers in Trinidad
are, but they are their associates so they will do nothing."
_____________________________________________________________
From:

http://www.caribvoice.org/features.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=Muslimeen+Leaders+Million-Dollar+Properties&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&client=googlet&start=10&sa=N

Note: The following post is an exact quote:
---

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s05100116.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 2126, Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com

Friday, October 21, 2005

THREE KILLED IN EGYPTIAN CHURCH RIOT FOLLOWING SCREENING OF RELIGIOUS PLAY

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

EGYPT (ANS) -- Three people have died during a riot outside a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, after a protest against a play accused of offending Islam.

(Pictured: Protesters threw stones at the Coptic church and police officers during riot of play deemed offensive to Muslims. Credit: BBC website).
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reports Police used sticks and tear gas to hold back a crowd of some 5,000 protesters who marched on St George's church.

Dozens of people were injured in the crush. One man who died was trampled and had inhaled tear gas, police said.

On Wednesday, a Muslim man stabbed a nun in protest at the sale of a DVD of the play, staged at the church in 2003.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of incidents at the church related to the performance of the play.

Entitled "I Once Was Blind But Now I See," the drama tells the story of a poor young Copt who is drawn to Islamist militants who then try to kill him.

Coptic Christian leaders have said the play depicts the dangers of extremism, not of Islam.

"Copts would never tolerate anyone insulting Islam," Coptic Bishop Armia is quoted by Egypt's official Mena news agency as saying.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry described the protesters as "fanatic elements" who "escalated a negative reaction to a play," according to the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

A nun was stabbed at the church by a young Muslim on Wednesday

The Interior Ministry said the demonstrators gathered near the church in the Mediterranean port city after Friday noon prayers at local mosques.

Stones were thrown at the church and police officers, injuring 20, and cars were set alight before police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Dozens of people were arrested.

Relations between Muslims and the Coptic minority -- which makes up 5 –10 percent of Egypt's population -- are generally calm, although tensions sometimes flare.

Copts remained the majority in Egypt for centuries after the 7th Century conquest of the country by Muslim armies.

Nowadays, they complain of discrimination in the workplace, restrictions on church construction and periodic fears that Christians are being forced to convert by Islamic extremists.

CNN, in a news story by The Associated Press (AP), reports that thousands of
Muslims clashed with police as they rioted outside a Coptic Christian church Friday to denounce a play deemed offensive to Islam. Police responded by beating protesters and firing tear gas into the crowd, officials said.

Police said 53 protesters were arrested as people hurled stones, smashed windows and tried to storm St. George Church. Protesters also set a police car on fire and wrecked eight other cars, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

A photographer for The Associated Press saw police fire rubber bullets into the crowd, causing injuries. Police claimed officers fired rubber bullets only into the air while trying to disperse the crowd.

One protester, Mohammed Zakaraya Hassan, 48, died after being trampled and inhaling tear gas, according to a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The Interior Ministry described the protesters as "fanatic elements" who "escalated a negative reaction to a play." The ministry said about 5,000 Muslims marched to the church after Friday noon prayers at mosques.

"The police tried to prevent (the demonstrators) from approaching the church and attacking it, but the protesters did not heed the warnings and started to hurl stones at the church, security forces and pedestrians," the ministry said.

The riot was sparked by the distribution of a DVD of a play that was performed at the church two years ago. The play, "I Was Blind But Now I Can See," tells the story of a young Christian who converts to Islam and becomes disillusioned.

The church's director, the Rev. Augustinous, said it was difficult to explain the reaction to a one-time performance that took place two years ago.

"There are so many questions on what is behind all of that," he told the AP in a telephone interview.

He denied the play was offensive to Islam because its Christian hero is ultimately saved by a Muslim friend.

Egyptian security officials accused Islamic militants of distributing the DVDs to stoke sectarian tensions ahead of legislative elections Nov. 9.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest Islamic group, denied any involvement in Friday's demonstration.

Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 70 million people, who are overwhelmingly Muslim. Accusations of forced conversion are common in the country.

Reuters news agency quoted security sources who said the three demonstrators were killed when thousands of people protested on Friday near a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria over the staging of a play they said was offensive to Islam, security sources said.

The demonstrators were killed during clashes between police and the more than 5,000-strong crowd, which had gathered near St. George's Coptic church in the Mediterranean port city after Muslim prayers, the sources said.

Police used teargas to try to disperse the crowd, which had pelted police with stones and which regrouped on several occasions after prayer times through the day and evening, the sources said. They said protests continued late into the night.

Police formed a cordon to prevent the crowd approaching St. George's church, prompting some of the demonstrators to try to storm another church nearby, the sources said, adding that dozens of police and protesters were injured in the clashes.

Coptic Bishop Armia denied accusations the play insulted Islam, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported, as monitored by the BBC.

"Copts would never tolerate anyone insulting Islam," Bishop Armia was quoted as saying.

He did not give details about the play or what it was about. Coptic officials could not be independently reached for comment.

Copts make up about 5 percent to 10 percent of Egypt's mainly Muslim population of 72 million people.

The Interior Ministry had earlier said in a statement that one demonstrator had died in the crush and 20 police and 25 demonstrators had been injured. The statement said 35 people had been detained.

The statement also said protesters also torched a police vehicle and a private vehicle and several shops in the area.

It was the second mass protest over the play in the past week and came two days after a young man stabbed a nun and a man. Their injuries were not serious and the attacker was arrested, the security sources said.

Relations between the two communities are generally peaceful but tensions sometimes flare. In 1999, 22 people were killed in sectarian strife in the southern village of Kosheh but such incidents are rare and are usually sparked by local disputes.

Al Jazeera.Net, in a story headlined:"Violence erupts in Egypt over play.
Protesters came out on the streets after Friday prayers," said Egyptian riot police battled to prevent thousands of angry Muslims from storming a church in Alexandria, beating protesters with sticks and firing tear gas in a riot that ended with three people dead and 53 others arrested.

Police said about 90 people, including 20 police officers, were wounded on Friday outside St George Church in the Mediterranean city in what began as a demonstration against a theatrical play deemed offensive to Islam.

The rioters hurled stones that injured police officers, smashed church windows and damaged the white facade of the three-story church, a police official said. They also set a police car on fire and wrecked eight other cars, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

One of the victims, Mohammad Zakariya, died late on Friday of his injuries in hospital, the ministry said. Two others died shortly after midnight after the police opened fire on the protesters.

The Interior Ministry described the protesters as "fanatic elements" who "escalated a negative reaction to a play." The ministry said about 5,000 Muslims had marched to the church after Friday noon prayers at the local mosques.

The riot was the latest in a series of incidents at the church in which Muslims have condemned the distribution of a DVD of a play, performed at the church in 2003, that tells the story of a young Christian who converts to Islam and becomes disillusioned.

On Wednesday, a Muslim man stabbed and seriously wounded a novitiate nun inside the church. He was arrested.

The church's director, Father Augustinous, said it was difficult to explain the reaction to a one-time performance that took place two years ago.

"There are so many questions on what is behind all of that," Augustinous said.

Muslims who have seen the DVD say the play is insulting.

The Interior Ministry, which is responsible for security in Egypt, has dispatched thousands of police to Alexandria in anticipation of sectarian trouble.

**This news article was compiled from news media reports previously posted to the World Wide Web.
** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Garden Grove, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

October 22, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News

(UK) Three Terror Arrests
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1199932,00.html
Three men have been arrested in connection with investigations into
international terrorism, Scotland Yard said. The trio, aged in their early
twenties, were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or
instigation of acts of terrorism.

8 Police, 4 Taliban Killed in Afghanistan
http://interestalert.com/story/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/10220000aaa02d6e.ap&Sys=siteia&Fid=WORLDNEW&Type=News&Filter=World%20News

(DC) Police free men held in car bomb threat
http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20051021-104816-7445r.htm

(NYC) FDNY chief: We're training for nukes
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/358074p-305104c.html
Terrorists attacking New York City with a crude nuclear weapon or a
dirty bomb are among the main threats the FDNY is preparing for, the
department's top disaster planner said yesterday.

(Japan) Iraq Cleric warns GSDF of suicide bombers
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=352894
A Shiite cleric affiliated with anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr warned
Japanese troops stationed in Samawah, southern Iraq, of a suicide
bombing in a sermon during Friday prayers.

(UK) Judges grant bail to Algerian terrorist suspects
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1835822,00.html

(Egypt) Christian DVD sparks Muslim riot
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/10/21/egypt.church.riot.ap/index.html

Canadians join insurgency (Iraq)
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2005/10/21/pf-1271960.html

(Spain) Islamic videos found in false ceiling in Navarra restaurant
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_243.shtml

(DC) Package Detonated in Car After Two Men Make Threats Outside
Capitol
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173019,00.html

Baghdad Raids Helped Preempt Referendum-Day Attacks
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005/20051021_3118.html
DOD press release

Terrorist Safe House Destroyed; Police Station Attack Thwarted
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005/20051021_3123.html

Indonesia seizes explosives haul
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4364538.stm
Indonesian police say they have seized a large quantity of explosives
and bomb making material being smuggled from Malaysia.

Ohio Terrorism Suspect Facing Possible Deportation (to Yemen)
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/5145491/detail.html
Ashraf al-Jailani Jailed For 3 Years For Suspected Al-Qaida Links

5 Iraqis, 5 American soldiers killed, secretary of journalists' Union
killed
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/051021/2005102106.html

Shopkeeper denies involvement in plot
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/bal-md.koko21oct21,0,6765419.story?coll=sfla-newsnation-front
Owner of Baltimore convenience store said yesterday he knows of no
plots to blow up Baltimore tunnel and criticized federal authorities

Homeland Security sending liaison to New York
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/21/terror.agencies.ap/index.html

OFF-TOPIC:

Chuck tells us about "Barney the Bandit..."

As a former 911 operator, my duty was to send rapid response to
any situation that might arise. Whether the response required
Police, Fire, or Rescue assistance, it was my duty to calm the caller
and be sure they were safe until help arrived.

One fairly quiet fall evening, I received a call from a woman who
was terrified. She was screaming hysterically into the phone. Try as
I might, I found it was very difficult to get her to calm down and tell
me what the problem was. She was crying and screaming “He’s
trying to get in!” Try as I might, I was only able to get that
information from her and could not calm her down. Time is always
against us in matters such as these. Seconds are crucial. Under the
belief that she was the victim of a home invasion, I advised two
patrol units in the area. Within thirty seconds, both officers were in
the same block as the residence and responded on foot to the
residence in the hopes of apprehending the suspect. They
approached the residence and began a methodical search of the
surrounding yard. At the same time, the woman on the phone with
me screamed “He’s in! He’s in!” and the phone line went dead. I
radioed the officers who then made a forcible entry to the home
through the front door. The next few minutes were very tense in
our dispatch center. No one spoke and all the radio traffic was
quiet as every officer, paramedic and fireman listened to hear what
was happening next. After a few moments, I called out to my
officers to see if they were ok. There was no response. A couple of
seconds later, their supervisor called that he was on the scene and
approaching the residence. More tense moments went by. Suddenly,
the supervisor called stating they had the suspect in custody and
were coming back to the station. We all wanted to see who this big
terrible person was so when the officers arrived we were rather
surprised to see that instead of a person, they had a box. Inside the
box was a very small frightened hamster. He had chewed through
the floor board of her home in search of food and warmth. Of
course, being the dispatcher who handled the call, the hamster was
remanded to my custody to be rehabilitated from his criminal ways.
We named him Barney and he stayed with us in the dispatch center
for several years. Although many years have passed since then, I’ll
never forget the night that Barney the Bandit Hamster terrorized
our county with his crime spree.

That's just hilarious - thanks Chuck!

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