Threat Matrix: May 2007

U.S. Seeks Closing of Visa Loophole for Britons
-Full Story-

Omar Khyam, the ringleader of the thwarted London bomb plot who was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday, showed the potential for disaffected young men to be lured as terrorists, a threat that British officials said they would have to contend with for a generation.

But the 25-year-old Mr. Khyam, a Briton of Pakistani descent, also personifies a larger and more immediate concern: as a British citizen, he could have entered the United States without a visa, like many of an estimated 800,000 other Britons of Pakistani origin.

American officials, citing the number of terror plots in Britain involving Britons with ties to Pakistan, expressed concern over the visa loophole. In recent months, the homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, has opened talks with the government here on how to curb the access of British citizens of Pakistani origin to the United States.

	How the Plot Came Together
	Briefing on Release of 2006 Country Reports on Terrorism
	Iran to Tell Coalition Forces to Leave Iraq at Summit in Egypt

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=venezuela
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=chavez
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hugochavez

###

More Details UPDATE...

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1838696/posts

Hugo Chavez to Finance Danny Glover Movies (Glover touring Venezuela supporting Socialist)
Fox News ^ | Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Posted on 05/23/2007 3:24:15 PM PDT by DBCJR

Venezuela’s Congress says it has approved financing for two films by actor Danny Glover, a close supporter of President Hugo Chavez.

The lawmaking body, which is closely allied with Chavez, said in a statement on its Web site Thursday that it approved $20 million for two Glover productions.

They include “The General in His Labyrinth,” which deals with the life of South American liberator Simon Bolivar. It is based on a novel by Colombian Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez and will be directed by Venezuela-born director Alberto Arvelo.

The other is “Toussaint,” which the statement said Glover plans to direct documenting the life of Haitian revolution leader Toussaint Louverture.

... Glover is among a number of high-profile U.S. supporters of Chavez. The group also includes singer Harry Belafonte and Princeton University scholar Cornel West, who have defended the Venezuelan president against accusations of democratic abuses.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...

Thanks to Diogensis for this thread and photo essay.

SNIPPET - QUOTE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1838756/posts

GOTTA SEE THIS-War4Endur.Freedom 5/24/07-Gulf of Oman,Gharah Ghayah,Tehran,New London
NASA, Yahoo, AP, AFP, Reuters, EPA, and the usual suspects, and many brave photographers | May 24, 2007 | The Armies of Good against the Axis of Evil

Posted on 05/23/2007 5:40:11 PM PDT by Diogenesis

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 5/24/07 - Gulf of Oman, Gharah Ghayah, Tehran,Natanz, Isfahan, New London

BREAKING: Gulf of Oman - USS Nimitz, USS Bonhomme Richard, USS John C. Stennis
BREAKING: Gharah Ghayah - Iranian equestrian women
BREAKING: Isfahan - Insane uranium conversion facilities and centrifuges
BREAKING: Natanz - Notorious Nightmare looming
BREAKING: Tehran - Vulnerable refinery

QFN ==== YE OLDE QUAGMIRE-FREE NEWS

Exclusive to FReerepublic
PICTURES YOU MAY NEVER SEE IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46141

Troops Shut Down Terrorist Network

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2007 – Coalition forces killed eight terrorists, detained scores of others and confiscated money, weapons and bomb-making materials in various recent operations, military officials reported.
A raid today in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood targeted an individual suspected of funneling weapons and money from Iran to a clandestine terrorist network that operated in Baghdad, Basrah and Maysan provinces, officials said.

Four armed terrorists fired on coalition troops during the raid. Coalition troops returned fire, killing two of the terrorists.

Coalition troops searched 11 buildings during the operation, which yielded bomb-making materials, large amounts of Iranian money, and more than $6,000 in U.S. currency.

“Rogue militia elements and terrorists are seeking to destroy the future of Iraq,” Multinational Force Iraq spokesman Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said. “We will continue to capture or kill them and dismantle their organizations.”

Six more terrorists, including a suspected regional leader of al Qaeda, were killed and 39 suspects were detained today during three other coalition raids conducted in southern Baghdad in an area northwest of Taji and in an area near Yusufiyah, officials said.

The alleged al Qaeda leader and an accomplice were killed during the south-Baghdad operation, officials said. The fallen terrorist chieftain was suspected of coordinating regional foreign fighter and suicide attacks.

Northwest of Taji, coalition forces targeted an individual suspected of supplying foreign fighters for suicide attacks. During the raid, four terrorists engaged coalition forces with small-arms fire. Coalition forces returned fire, killing the four terrorists.

During a building search conducted afterward, coalition troops found weapons and detained an individual suspected of aiding the al Qaeda cell.

Also today, coalition forces seized five suspected terrorists during an operation conducted in Mosul. One of the individuals detained in the raid is an alleged terror cell leader suspected of masterminding assassinations and attacks against coalition and Iraqi security forces.

Coalition forces today also captured 13 suspected terrorists, including an alleged al Qaeda cell leader, during three coordinated raids conducted near Karmah. Also today, during an operation in Fallujah, coalition troops detained four more alleged terrorists suspected of operating a car-bomb network.

Near Yusufiyah, today, U.S. soldiers with 10th Mountain Division’s Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, detained 17 individuals and seized an array of weaponry after searching several local houses. Confiscated material included two AK-47 assault rifles, two 9 mm pistols, 10 ammunition magazines, two gas masks, seven bandoliers, a modified cell phone, a bayonet, three ammunition vests, and five other weapons, three of which were hidden inside tennis-racket cases.

“We continue to disrupt the leadership of the al Qaeda in Iraq organization and its affiliates,” Garver said. “Step by step, we work to keep these terrorists from launching brutal attacks on the Iraqi people.”

In other news, 10th Mountain Division soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, found weapons and numerous materials suitable for building roadside bombs yesterday during search operations for three U.S. soldiers missing since May 12, officials said.

Items confiscated include five 57 mm rocket rounds, a 120 mm rocket round, two six-volt batteries, two spools of copper wire, two 58 mm rocket rounds, two heavy machine guns, two AK-47s with five magazines, two ammunition vests, a hand grenade, four grenade fuses, four blasting caps, a stick of plastic explosive, a roadside bomb detonator, 100 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, a motorcycle, and more than 150 homemade compact discs labeled in Arabic. The explosives were destroyed in a controlled detonation.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11986&Itemid=128

May 23, 2007
Release A070523b

FOUR TERRORISTS KILLED; TIED TO IED PRODUCTION

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed six terrorists in related raids targeting senior leaders of an al-Qaeda suicide attack cell and detained 23 others in operations around Iraq Wednesday morning.

Based on intelligence gathered from a successful raid Apr. 11, Coalition Forces targeted a suspected terrorist leader southeast of Baghdad. As the ground force approached the objective, they encountered two armed men, one of whom was wearing a suicide vest. Coalition Forces took appropriate self-defense measures in response to the hostile threat and engaged the two armed terrorists, killing them.

One of the terrorists is believed to be an al-Qaeda regional leader, responsible for al-Qaeda personnel and operations in the Arab Jabour area, as well as coordinating foreign fighters and suicide attacks.

In a related operation northwest of Taji, Coalition Forces targeted an individual suspected of supplying foreign fighters for suicide attacks. Ground forces on the scene received small arms fire from four terrorists who took cover behind a bus. Coalition Forces returned fire in self-defense and killed the four terrorists.

When they searched the building, Coalition Forces found weapons and detained one suspected terrorist for his involvement with the al-Qaeda cell.

In Mosul, Coalition Forces raided six buildings in an operation targeting foreign fighter facilitators and the al-Qaeda network. The ground force detained five suspected terrorists, including an alleged cell leader with subordinate groups that conduct assassinations and attacks against Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces.

In three coordinated raids near Karmah targeting al-Qaeda cells, Coalition Forces detained 13 suspected terrorists, including an alleged cell leader in the area.

Coalition Forces detained four suspected terrorists in Fallujah for their alleged direct ties to a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device cell there.

“We continue to disrupt the leadership of the al-Qaeda in Iraq organization and its affiliates,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. “Step by step, we work to keep these terrorists from launching brutal attacks on the Iraqi people.”

-30-

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016584.php

May 23, 2007

Jihadists blow up music shop in village of Pakistani interior minister

The jihad proceeds apace in Pakistan, here targeting again the sale of sinful music. “Music shop blown up in Pak minister’s village,” from AFP, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:

PESHAWAR: Suspected Islamic militants blew up a music shop in a grenade attack on the interior minister’s village in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday.
The shop, which sold local and foreign music, was destroyed in the attack on Monday night in Sherpao village, senior police officer Feroz Shah said.

The village is named after the clan of Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, who frequently returns to his ancestral home.

Shah said two militants on a bicycle lobbed a hand grenade into the Wahab Music Centre and fled. A police squad on motorcycles chased and arrested one man, while the other escaped.

Posted by Robert at May 23, 2007 01:19 PM

Blog:

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003749.html
May 23, 2007

“Thailand: Six Villagers Killed Today In Muslim South”

###

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003746.html

May 22, 2007

“Thailand: Islamist Insurgency With No End? Part 2 (of 2)”

“This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.”

###

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003744.html

May 18, 2007

“Thailand: Islamist Insurgency With No End? Part 1 (of 2)”

“This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.”

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

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1838904/posts

Lebanon - Lebanese Troops Kill Well-known Militant during House Raid
an-Nahar (Beirut) ^ | May 24, 2007

Posted on 05/24/2007 1:36:01 AM PDT by HAL9000

Lebanese troops killed a militant from the extremist Fatah al-Islam during a house raid in the northern port city of Tripoli, police said.
They said Bilal Drakish, also known as Abu Jandal, was shot dead on Wednesday as he prepared to throw a grenade at a unit of security forces raiding an apartment in Tripoli’s northern neighborhood of Tibanneh.

Police said the security forces had been pursuing Drakish who tried to throw a hand grenade at them but was fatally shot before he could trigger it.

State-run National News Agency said two passers-by were wounded in the exchange and were taken to hospital for treatment.

The incident came a day after another Fatah al-Islam militant — wearing a suicide belt — blew himself up in an apartment in Tripoli as security forces closed in on him. No one else was killed in the event Tuesday, which was the first case of a suicide bomber directly confronting security forces in Lebanon.

On Sunday, a residential compound on the city’s Mitein Street was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting between troops and Fatah al-Islam.

Lebanese troops have been fighting members of the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared on the outskirts of Tripoli. More than 50 people have been killed in the battles.(AP-Naharnet)

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

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1838909/posts

Lebanon - 13 Fatah Islam Militants Fleeing by Boat Killed, Group’s No. 2 Wounded
an-Nahar (Beirut) ^ | May 23, 2007

Posted on 05/24/2007 1:51:32 AM PDT by HAL9000

Fatah al-Islam’s No. 2 man and son-in-law of the extremist group’s leader Shaker Absi has been reportedly wounded during clashes with Lebanese troops in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
The daily An Nahar did not identify Absi’s relative, but said his foot was blown off in the fighting.

It said 13 other Fatah al-Islam militants were shot and killed by Lebanese army fire as they tried to flee Nahr al-Bared by boat to the southern refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh.

An Nahar said other Fatah al-Islam fighters were arrested and handed over to the intelligence bureau.

The report could not be independently verified.

An Nahar also said Lebanese troops dragged the bodies of 40 Fatah al-Islam fighters, many of them from different African nationalities.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016590.php

May 24, 2007

Alleged Taliban leader promises jihad on West

New Taliban leader promises suicide attacks and jihad — meet the new boss, same as the old boss. By Noor Khan for The Associated Press:

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A man identified on tape as the Taliban’s new top field commander warned Wednesday that new recruits were volunteering as suicide bombers and that fighters would continue their holy war until Western powers leave Afghanistan.
Violence struck throughout the country with two bomb blasts that killed four people, including a Finnish soldier in the usually quiet north. NATO said it attacked a meeting of Taliban leaders in the south, killing an unspecified number of militants.

Shuhabuddin Athul, a Taliban spokesman, played an audio tape over the telephone to an Associated Press reporter that Athul said was a recording of Dadullah Mansoor, brother and replacement of Mullah Dadullah, the top Taliban commander shot to death in a U.S. operation this month in southern Afghanistan.

The man on the tape said Taliban fighters were ready to avenge his brother’s death and would “pursue holy war until the occupying countries leave.”

“They will pursue their attacks against occupying countries and the (Afghan) government,” he said in a first public statement. “The number of suicide attackers is increasing. ... All of the Taliban, we are ready to carry out suicide attacks, roadside bombs and ambushes against the Americans and the government.”

Posted by Robert at May 24, 2007 05:32 AM

UPDATE:

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=68680

You are here: Home > Reports > Safety and Security Reports > Report
Ankara Attack Causes Fatalities, Injuries
Safety & Security
Europe - Turkey
22 May 2007

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Ankara Attack Causes Fatalities, Injuries
Ankara Attack Causes Fatalities, Injuries.pdf
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Related Reports
11 May 2007
Turkey’s Parliament Favors Direct Elections
1 May 2007
Turkey Political Demonstrations Turn Violent
19 Apr 2007
Warden Message: Turkey Insecurity Uptick
13 Apr 2007
Turkish Airliner Hijacked
12 Apr 2007
Turkey Explosives Detected, Defused
The following report is a compilation of open source and constituent reporting:

Summary

On May 22 at 6:45 p.m., a suicide bombing took place at a shopping mall across from the first Parliament building in Ankara’s Ulus district, reportedly killing at least six people and injuring more than 100. The blast is the second explosion in Turkey in ten days. On May 12, a bomb exploded in an open bazaar in the Izmir’s Bornova district, killing at least one person and injuring nearly 14 others.

Significant Events

The May 22 Ankara explosion occurred during rush hour near the entrance of the Anafartalar shopping center in the Ulus district. The area is the busiest commercial neighborhood in Ankara, known for its tourist sites and bazaars. The device, an A-4 plastic explosive, was detonated by a suicide bomber at a bus stop near the shopping center.

Initial investigations by the authorities revealed the attack was carried out by a single suicide bomber. Human remains found at the scene, as well as the absence of a deep-crater impact, a general indication of a planted bomb, have led authorities to the conclusion that the attack was conducted by a single suicide bomber. Furthermore, Turkish officials announced on May 23 the identity of the attacker as 28-year-old Guven Akkus. Akkus spent two years in Turkish prison for hanging illegal posters and resisting police. It is not clear whether the man was affiliated with the separatist Kurdish rebel group Kongra Gel (KGK, formerly PKK). According to press reports, eyewitnesses said they had seen five suspicious-looking people in the area prior to the explosion. Two people have been taken into custody for questioning.

In a separate incident, media reported that on Wednesday, May 23, two possible suicide bombers were detained by authorities in southern Turkey. A female was detained in Adana with A-4 explosives. Another male was detained in Mardin with an explosive belt consisting of the same type of explosives. Both suspects detained on Wednesday are suspected KGK/PKK militants.

Historically, A-4 type bombs have been used by suspected KGK/PKK militants. In March and April 2007 several A-4 type explosives were found and defused by authorities throughout Turkey. Click here for further information on the explosives found in March and April. Turkish officials publicly stated on Wednesday concern that similar attacks may be carried out in metropolitan and tourist locations.

Private Sector Impact

The International Defense Fair (IDEF) 2007 is currently being held in Ankara. The IDEF is attended by government officials and members of the defense sector from 52 countries. Around the time of the Ankara attack, IDEF attendees were planning to leave for a reception held at the Museum of Anatolian Civilization. The route to the reception included the road where the attack took place. The reception attendees, which included Turkish force commanders, 10 foreign defense ministers and four foreign chiefs of staff, were to travel passed the road where the attack took place.

OSAC has not received any reports of American citizen injuries or deaths relating to this attack. Additionally, there have been no reports of direct impact on U.S. private sector presence in Turkey. However, constituents have expressed to OSAC’s Eastern Europe Regional Coordinator their security concerns in Turkey as a result of the May 22 attack. Please see the Warden Message issued by U.S. Embassy Ankara on April 19 regarding security concerns during the spring and summer months. OSAC will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they come in.

To complete a brief survey that will be used to produce a report for OSAC constituents on the private sector’s response to the May 22 attack in Ankara, please click here.

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1838937/posts

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IE24Ae02.html

Southeast Asia
May 24, 2007

“Myanmar drops a nuclear ‘bombshell’”
By Larry Jagan

BANGKOK -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Over the past six years, more than 1,000 Myanmar scientists, technicians and military personnel have received nuclear training in Russia, according to Myanmar government officials. Under a 2002 agreement, Russia was set to build a nuclear reactor in Myanmar but later scrapped the plan over the junta’s lack of funds. Nonetheless, Moscow informed the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in mid-2003 that it planned to provide training in nuclear science to some 300 Myanmar citizens each year.

According to Russian officials, the construction and supervision of the planned research center will come under the control of the IAEA. Myanmar is currently a member of the IAEA and already reportedly has a so-called “safeguards agreement” in place. Under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), states in compliance with their safeguards’ obligations and other provisions are allowed to pursue nuclear energy or technology solely for peaceful purposes.

In practice, however, verifying the fulfillment of those obligations has proved difficult, most recently witnessed in the case of Iran’s secretive nuclear-energy program, which it insists is for peaceful purposes and within its NPT rights, while others, such as US, suspect it is geared for a weapons program. Russia is also involved in developing a nuclear facility for Iran.”

Note: The following text is a quote:

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, Thu May 24 2007 04:11:59 GMT-0700.

Worldwide Caution

April 10, 2007

This Public Announcement updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests overseas. This supersedes the Worldwide Caution dated October 11, 2006 and expires on October 9, 2007.

The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics to include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings.

Ongoing events in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East have resulted in demonstrations and associated violence in several countries. Americans are reminded that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning.

In August 2006, British authorities arrested a significant number of extremists engaged in a plot to destroy multiple passenger aircraft flying from the United Kingdom to the United States. The September 2006 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Syria and the March 2006 bombing near the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan illustrate the continuing desire of extremists to strike American targets.

Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. The bomb attacks targeting buses carrying foreign workers in March 2007 and December 2006 in Algeria, a series of bombings in Thailand in May and September 2006 that targeted commercial and tourist destinations in the far south, and the bombings in the the Egyptian resort town of Dahab in April 2006 all illustrate how terrorists exploit vulnerabilities associated with soft targets. Additional examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays. Financial or economic targets of value may also be considered as possible venues; the vehicle-based suicide attack on an oil facility near Mukalla and Marib in Yemen in September 2006 and the failed attack on the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia in late February 2006 are such examples.

In the wake of the August 2006 plot against aircraft in London, numerous terrorist attacks on trains in India in 2006, the July 2005 London Underground bombings, and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. In addition, extremists may also select aviation and maritime services as possible targets.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at http://travel.state.gov .

U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert. These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services to assess their security posture. In those instances, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Americans abroad are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov . In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

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