A piece of construction equipment containing radioactive material was stolen from a toolbox located in the back of a pickup truck over the weekend. The moisture-density gauge was last seen at a Meridian job site when locked in a toolbox Friday afternoon. It was discovered missing Sunday afternoon by an employee of Aquaterra Engineering LLC, the Jackson-based company that owns the gauge.
The moisture-density gauge is a common device used by construction firms to determine the moisture and density of soil and construction materials. The gauge is yellow and is 9.5 inches wide, 15 inches long with a 17-inch tall chrome handle. It is labeled “Troxler 3411B” and has the serial number, 9533. The gauge contains radioactive materials. The radioactive materials within the gauge are safe when intact and shielded, but the material can pose a potential health threat if the device is damaged or the material exposed.
If found, stay away from the gauge, immediately notify local authorities and contact Aquaterra officials Gomer Wallace, (601) 573-3230; and David Coleman (601) 956-4467, or the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency at (800) 222-6362. A reward is being offered for the return of the gauge or for information that leads to its recovery.
http://www.cdispatch.com/articles/2007/01/31/local_news/area_news/area05.txt
Iranians arrested in raid on Gaza's Islamic university
02/02/2007
Palestinian security arrested seven Iranian citizens during a raid at the Islamic University, a Hamas stronghold in Gaza City, a security official said, and another committed suicide during the raid.
The raid came during a large-scale assault by Fatah-affiliated gunmen on the university. A Hamas official denied the claim and said there were no Iranian citizens at the university.
The raid came at the end of a day of clashes that collapsed a three-day truce between the warring factions. Iran has supplied Hamas with funds, but there have been no previous claims of Iranians working with Hamas in Gaza.
http://www.eecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=209070604&p=zx9x7y3yx&n=209071364
Karachi, 1 Feb. 2007 - Authorities in Pakistan are concerned that the series of terrorist plots unearthed this week by security forces indicate that al-Qaeda is planning major attacks across the country, a top Pakistani security official has told Adnkronos International (AKI). Al-Qaeda's ire and its desire to sow destruction stems from a military strike in Pakistan's South Waziristan region last month, the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.
The security official who spoke to AKI is linked to the Pakistani National Crisis Management Cell - a body which coordinates the counter-terrorism activities of several law enforcing agencies and the interior ministry.
The strike, an aerial raid on a militant camp in which many people were killed prompted the chief of the Pakistan based Taliban in South Waziristan, Baitullah Mehsud, to announce a declaration of war against Islamabad.
The escalation of terrorist activities has been evident over the two days as security forces foiled planned attacks in several cities, including Dera Ismail Khan, Multan, and Peshawar. Dozens of terror suspects, including Afghan nationals were rounded up. “Many Uzbek members of al-Qaeda live in South Waziristan including the chief of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Tahir Jan (Tahir Yaldeshiv). They are real hardliners and the main source of many terror activities in Pakistan in the past," the official told AKI.
"When Pakistan signed an accord with the Taliban in South Waziristan, it was agreed that all foreign militants would be confined to the country's remote tribal areas and that they would not go to the tribal headquarter towns or Pakistan's cities. This measure proved to be a great help containing terrorism, to the extent that it almost came to a halt in Pakistan. It also helped to thwart al-Qaeda from pursuing its global agendas especially in European countries,” the official added.
“However, there is evidence that Baitullah Mehsud has allowed foreign militants to launch attacks against Pakistan. Initial inquiries show that the person who carried out the suicide bomb attack against the Hotel Marriort in Islamabad (last Friday which killed the bomber and a security guard) also come from Uzbek ethnic stock. We are now of the opinion that this destructive trend could spread all over the world and especially Europe,” the official maintained.
Sources said that the latest escalation in terrorist activities occur at a time when the Taliban are on the verge of launching a spring offensive in Afghanistan, the preparations for which have been noted in Pakistan, especially all along the borderlands of south western province of Baluchistan and in the north-western tribal region.
As part of the campaign, thousands of youths are being recruited every week and are being sent to fortified hideouts between Pakistan and Afghanistan, prompting the concern that a major terror offensive could also target Pakistan.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.382309364&par=