Threat Matrix: January 2007

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[nwctwx]

Fighting Jihad: Strategic Thinking Needed
-Full Story-

The United States of America has some of the smartest leaders in government, military, and business in the world. Yet the American government has failed to collectively use this formidable brain-power 5+ years after the attack by Jihadists on the American homeland to develop a truly strategic plan to fight the global threat of Jihad and Islamist extremism. In one of the most complex wars in American history, rather than starting with holistic, big-picture thinking towards the challenges and prioritizing resources and actions accordingly, America has spent much of the past five years after 9/11 in reactive and bureaucratic churning.

	Zawahri Decries Moderate Arabs | Transcript: LauraMansfield.com
	There Is No Substitute For Knowing Your Enemy
	A Terror So Great We Forgot It At Once?

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[Oorang]

Bomb Found in South Lubbock
1/4/07

Police find a bomb near the home of suspected arms trafficker in South Lubbock. What was already a dangerous warrant to serve turned into an even more dangerous situation when police found a homemade bomb near a South Lubbock home.

Thursday afternoon, investigators were serving a search and arrest warrant at 8806 Tahoka highway. Officials were looking for stolen weapons and ammunition. While searching the property, officers found what they thought was a bomb outside the home. The officers then called in the Lubbock Bomb Squad who confirmed that it was an Improvised Explosive Device.

According to a bomb technician, the I.E.D. had the destructive power equivalent to a large hand grenade. "From what I’ve seen of it looks like a hang grenade or larger," says LPD Bomb Technician, James Curtis. "Anyone constructing one of these is exposing themselves to danger especially when using smokeless powder. It’s very unstable."

When investigators found the bomb, it was not triggered so they do not believe it was set as a trap for officers serving the warrant. The bomb squad was able to safely remove the I.E.D. from the property and detonated it at a different location.

http://www.klbk13.tv/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=1959

Car Explosion Kills Two People (Utah)
January 6th, 2007 @ 10:00pm

Fire investigators have their hands full trying to figure out how two people were killed when their car exploded near a Maverik gas station. Investigators still don't know the cause.

SNIP:Investigators are not releasing the names of the victims. They can't say if the car was rolling or stopped. And cars don't just explode. So exactly what happened? We don't have an answer yet.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=782802

Suicide Belived to be the Cause of SUV Explosion
January 7th, 2007 @ 5:13pm

Investigators apparently believe a spectacular car explosion that claimed two lives yesterday was either a double suicide or a murder-suicide. Investigators are being tight-lipped with information. But suicide seems to be the prevailing theory.

Excerpted

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=784670

[Cindy]

Thanks for the Utah info, Oorang.
Will be watching for updates.

===

US-CERT.GOV
http://www.us-cert.gov

---

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1763913/posts

Internet under attack by zombie computers
UPI ^ | 1/7/07 | Unattributed

Posted on 01/07/2007 6:56:27 PM PST by Huntress

NEW YORK, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Computer code writers in Europe are the chief suspects in the creation of programs that turn other computers into zombie-like slaves for Internet crimes.

Computer experts in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are likely behind the newest computer crime plaguing the Internet, which has turned innocent users into unwitting participants and left security experts stumped, The New York Times reported.

By inserting small programs into others computers, electronic criminals can harness the collective power of multiple computers to commit more elaborate online crimes.

"It's the perfect crime, both low-risk and high-profit," computer security researcher Gadi Evron said. "The war to make the Internet safe was lost long ago, and we need to figure out what to do now."

While some zombie computer crimes have been linked to computers running Linux or Macintosh operating systems, officials have warned that Windows systems are the most susceptible.

Security experts have been unable to defend against such crimes, but some products and services are available to improve online security, the newspaper said.

[Oorang]

South Australia mosques investigated for extremist links
January 8, 2007

The Federal Government has confirmed there have been investigations into possible links between mosques in South Australia and extremist Islamic groups overseas. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says federal authorities have looked into the possibility that extremist groups in Saudi Arabia are funding mosques in Adelaide.

However, he says he does not know if the investigations involved a suburban mosque where an Australian man, who has been arrested in Iraq, is said to have worshipped. "If funding for a particular type of mosque and a particular type of belief systems comes from overseas and it is the view of federal authorities that this is aiding and abetting extremism then an endeavour is made to stop that funding," Mr Downer said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1823037.htm

[FairOpinion]

FWIW:

No Charges Expected in Miami Port Alert

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/07/D8MGQCKO1.html

Three legal immigrants in a cargo truck were detained at the Port of Miami on Sunday after a routine inspection raised concerns, but police say the incident may have stemmed in part from a language barrier.
The port's cargo area was shut down Sunday as the Miami-Dade bomb squad X-rayed the truck and scanned it for radioactive materials. Nothing unusual was found, officials said.

The men in the truck _ two Iraqis and one Lebanese national _ were still detained by local police Sunday evening, but authorities said no federal charges were expected. Officials initially said the men, all permanent U.S. residents, had been caught trying to slip past a checkpoint at the port's entrance.

A port security officer became suspicious when the truck driver could not produce proper paperwork in a routine inspection to enter the port about 8 a.m., Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Nancy Goldberg said.

The driver also indicated he was alone in the truck, though security officers found two other men in the cab, she said. The two passengers, ages 28 and 29, were a friend and a relative of the 20-year-old Iraqi driver, she said.

"Due to a miscommunication between the gate security personnel and the truck driver, we believe there was a discrepancy in the number of people in the vehicle attempting to enter the Port of Miami," Goldberg said. "This, and the fact that one of the individuals did not have any form of ID, raised our level of concern."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005795.html

07 December 2006
"Muslim YouTube Club Targets Anti-Terrorist Videos and Users
Suffice it to say that two can play this game."

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http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=23904_The_Google_Video_Jihad&only
"The Google Video Jihad"
(January 6, 2007)

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/haganah/internet.html

http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/26sep06-salafy_forums.html

http://www.memri.org/iwmp.html

http://www.memri.org/jihad.html

[Cindy]

Thank you Fair Opinion for that update.

[Cindy]

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=23914_Inappropriate_Hostage_Reaction_Watch&only

Sunday, January 07, 2007
"Inappropriate Hostage Reaction Watch"

[Cindy]

http://www.therothshow.com

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http://newswithviews.com/Roth/laurie43.htm
"OATH ON WHAT AND WHO, AMERICA?"
By Dr. Laurie Roth Ph.D.
January 5, 2007
NewsWithViews.com

COLUMN SNIPPET: "The truth is……..we have just opened Pandora's box."

[Cindy]

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MikeSAdams/2007/01/08/is_the_criminal_justice_system_broken

"Is the Criminal Justice System Broken?"
By Mike S. Adams
Monday, January 8, 2007

[Cindy]

http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/newsrel/nyc010407.html

"DEA Extradites Two Corrupt Colombian Police Officers
On Cocaine Conspiracy Charges
$10 Million Dollars Worth Of Cocaine Seized"


NEWS RELEASE SNIPPET: "JAN 4 -- JOHN P. GILBRIDE, Special Agent in Charge
of the Drug Enforcement Administration and MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the extradition of two corrupt Colombian police officers charged with smuggling more than $50 million worth of cocaine for importation into the United States. The Indictment charges LEONIDAS MOLINA-TRIANA, a/k/a "Sofoco," a/k/a "Don Oscar," a former Major in the Colombian National Police ("CNP") and HUMBERTO AVILA, an active CNP patrolman, and others, with conspiracy to facilitate cocaine shipments through the El Dorado International Airport, in Bogota, Colombia, to Mexico en route to the United States."

[Cindy]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/business/20070107-101301-3301r.htm

"This checkpoint brought to you by ..."
By Sean Lengell
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 8, 2007

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=minnesota
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=minneapolis

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wn&q=fatwa+%2B+taxi+%2B+cab&scoring=d

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http://www.nysun.com/article/46220
New in America: Not Muslim, No Taxi
By YOUSSEF IBRAHIM
January 8, 2007
Page 1

http://www.nysun.com/article/46220?page_no=2
New in America: Not Muslim, No Taxi
By YOUSSEF IBRAHIM
January 8, 2007
Page 2

http://www.nysun.com/article/46220?page_no=3
New in America: Not Muslim, No Taxi
By YOUSSEF IBRAHIM
January 8, 2007
Page 3

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http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/21775.html
by Paul R. Hollrah
"America: More Than Just a Country"
January 07, 2007 01:00 PM EST


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(Recap) A few more details...

http://www.airportbusiness.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=4&id=9535

Updated: January 5th, 2007 01:03 PM PDT
Home > Airport News
"Twin Cities Airport Considers Rule that Could Sideline Some Muslim Cabbies"

The Associated Press


ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Last year, the airports commission received a fatwa, or religious edict, from the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society saying "Islamic jurisprudence" prohibits taxi drivers from carrying passengers with alcohol, "because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam."

In the Quran, Muslims are barred from consuming intoxicants - generally understood as alcohol, though the prohibition also extends to narcotics. Devout Muslims interpret the ban to include carrying, buying or selling alcohol. Additionally, dogs are considered unclean and Muslims are required to repeat their ablutions if come into contact with them before praying.

Given the religious concerns, Hassan Mohamud, an imam and director of the Islamic Law Institute at the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, said he would ask airport officials to reconsider."

[Cindy]

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26294

"The Detainees' Continuing Jihad"
By Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu
FrontPageMagazine.com | January 8, 2007

[Cindy]

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=26327

"A War of Endurance"
By Victor Davis Hanson
The Washington Times | January 8, 2007


COLUMN SNIPPET: "Military success on the ground now demands that we expand the rules of engagement to allow our troops to shoot more of the jihadists, disarm the militias, train even more Iraqis troops to take over security more quickly, and seal the Syrian and Iranian borders.

This solution, of course, is easier said than done. The military must use more force against those destroying Iraqi democracy at precisely the time the American public has become exasperated with both the length and human cost of the war.

Imagine this war as a sort of grotesque race. The jihadists and sectarians win if they can kill enough Americans to demoralize us enough that we flee before Iraqis and Afghans stabilize their newfound freedom. They lose if they can't. Prosperity, security and liberty are the death knell to radical Islam. It's that elemental."

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

===
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http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07010031.htm


Sunday, January 7, 2007

"Persecution Growing Fastest in Islamic World"

By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

[Cindy]

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07010032.htm


Sunday, January 7, 2007

"Russian Priest Brutally Murdered on the Orthodox Christmas Eve
Senior Russian clergyman says this showed that Russian society was “morally sick”"

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA

[Cindy]

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07010029.htm

Saturday, January 6, 2007

"A prisoner of hope…"

"Heather Mercer, who was held by the Taliban for three-and-a-half months along with other Christian relief workers in 2001, tells her dramatic story in interview for Front Page Radio"

By Dan Wooding

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Mon Jan 08 2007 01:55:14 GMT-0800.

Worldwide Caution

October 11, 2006

[Cindy]

This is FICTION, but it might be interesting.

http://www.fox.com/24/
http://www.fox.com/24/trailer/index.htm

[Cindy]

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/NEWS/701070410/1001/DWEK01

"Violent gangs increase presence in Shore area
Bloods connected to 3 recent killings"

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/7/07

BY JAMES A. QUIRK
AND KAREN SUDOL
STAFF WRITERS
(FIRST OF TWO PARTS)

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Riding around Asbury Park, it's easy to mistake the red and blue scrawlings on street signs, pizza shops, convenience stores and apartment row houses as everyday graffiti.

But to the roughly 500 members of gangs such as the Bloods and Crips active in Monmouth County, the graffiti is a coded system of communication.

At the corner of Fisher and Bangs avenues in Neptune, the words "B's Up" have been painted in red on the asphalt. The message, short for "Bloods up," is a warning to other gang members that the entire area is owned by the Bloods, and any non-Blood dealing drugs there does so at his own peril, according to the State Police.

The signs spring up faster than people can paint them over. A close inspection of the concrete walls of Mr. Pizza in Asbury Park, on the corner of Ridge and Springfield, reveals at least four different layers of paint. Despite the cleaning attempts, a fresh tag of "Blood rule" has been added to the wall.

The message is clear: Gangs are here, just below the surface, and superficial attempts to remove them will not solve the problem.

The Bloods, in particular, are sophisticated, organized and violent. In the past five years they have taken over most of the illegal drug market in New Jersey, according to law enforcement authorities. And gang members are now extending their influence from urban centers to the suburbs — including Monmouth and Ocean counties.

"You can call them "street gangs' all you want," said Detective Mike Smith of the New Jersey State Police Street Gang Unit. "They are all organized criminal enterprises.""