Threat Matrix: May 2007

Previous Thread ^

[Cindy]

NOTE: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46047

Troops Detain Three Suspects in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2007 – Afghan and coalition forces captured three suspected insurgents during raids in Afghanistan in the past two days.
In an operation this morning against Taliban fighters in the Kajaki district of Helmand province, Afghan and coalition forces detained two militants.

Credible intelligence had led the Afghan and coalition forces to the compound where the Taliban militants allegedly resided. Militants fired on the combined forces as they approached a building. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire and followed up with an air strike that destroyed the militants’ firing position.

The suspects are being held for questioning.

“A precision strike was conducted when it was obvious the militants were well-armed and had no intentions of surrendering,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman.

Afghan and coalition forces detained another suspected militant during a raid in the Mandozai district of Khowst province yesterday. No shots were fired, and no one was injured in the operation.

Village elders provided information that led coalition forces directly to the man who is suspected of helping and training suicide bombers for extremist Siraj Haqqani, military officials said.

“This is the sort of cooperative effort that will eventually purge these extremists from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” Belcher said.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

[Velveeta]

*all clear

LAX terminal briefly evacuated

LOS ANGELES- A terminal at Los Angeles International Airport was partially evacuated Thursday when an item found in luggage triggered a security alert. The object turned out to be a sprinkler.
A pipe-like item in a checked bag prompted the closure of a departure area, ticket counter and stores in the upper level of Terminal One shortly after 11:30 a.m., airport authorities said.

Two arriving Southwest Airlines flights were held at the west end of the airport rather than being allowed to roll up to the terminal. Eventually, the owner of the luggage was located and turned out to be a managing partner in a sprinkler company, airport spokesman Marshall Lowe said. (snip)
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_5919843

[Cindy]

Thank you Velveeta for that update.

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46062

“Craddock: Security Cooperation Critical to Promoting Stability, Countering”Terror

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2007

[Velveeta]

Former CIA Detainee Arrested For German Arson Attack

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Khaled el-Masri made headlines when details of his kidnapping and torture emerged

A German citizen of Lebanese descent who claims he was kidnapped by the CIA and tortured in an Afghanistan prison was arrested Thursday in Germany on suspicion of arson, police said.

Khaled el-Masri, 43, was taken into custody after a fire caused major damage to a wholesale market in the southern German town of Neu-Ulm during the night, a police spokesman said.

A statement by the police said el-Masri was “under urgent suspicions of setting fire” at the entrance of a wholesale market after having destroyed the glass door.

A judge ordered that el-Masri be held in the psychiatric ward of a local hospital pending investigations into the blaze, which caused damage worth 500,000 euros ($675,000).

(snip)
more at link
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2541838,00.html

[Cindy]

Well now...another case of discrimination, of course.

Thank you Velveeta for the post.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1835385/posts?page=2#2

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1835385/posts

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/May/subcontinent_May668.xml&section=subcontinent

Khaleej Times Online >> News >> SUBCONTINENT
Pakistani woman paraded naked in revenge
(DPA)

17 May 2007

ISLAMABAD - A woman was forced to parade naked in public in a central Pakistani village by armed men in revenge for having allegedly helped one of their female relatives to elope with her lover, a press report said on Thursday.

Seven men with weapons forced their way into the home of the mother of four in a village near the city of Multan, 600 kilometres south-west of Islamabad, and dragged her outside.

She was later stripped and made to march through the village, The News daily reported. Police later arrested three men in connection with the act of revenge.

Romantic relations between unmarried couples are generally viewed as an offence in Pakistan, often resulting in humiliation or physical retribution by parents and relatives.

[Velveeta]

You’re welcome.
I remember him now....the ACLU’s poster boy:

Khaled el-Masri
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/extraordinaryrendition/22201res20051206.html

[Cindy]

Thanks for that memory jogger.

[Godzilla]

Wouldn’t an explosion affect all species equally or are there more John Jacks in that area than any other species? Just a thought.

I have no idea. I suspect that they were the primary schooling fish, possibly edible, and bombing a quick, dirty way of harvesting without nets or other gear. The ones found were probably those mortally injured, but not immediately killed.

[Domestic Church]

Perhaps there was a school of “John Jacks” near the epicenter of the blast.

[Cindy]

Thanks DC and Godzilla.
Both worthy points.

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46064

“Al Qaeda Chief Foe of Anbar Residents, Officials Say”

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2007

[Oorang]

Explosive Device Found At Pittsburgh International
May 17, 2007

Investigators are trying to determine how a small – possibly homemade - device made it past security inside Pittsburgh International Airport. The device was set off inside an airside magazine store. Sources say the device, which was about the size of a shotgun shell, was wrapped tightly in paper. When it went off, it sounded like a firecracker. No one was hurt.

According to a county police report obtained from sources, the device may have been set off by a woman upset about not getting a receipt for items purchased at the store. Allegheny County’s EOD Team was immediately on site. The Explosion and Demolition team is right now taking a look at the device to determine what it is made of.

Meantime, an airport operations employee has been fired after another security breach at the airport. Last month, airport security saw a man scale a fence and drop into the cargo area. The TSA was called immediately but County Police weren’t called for 14 minutes. The delay allowed the intruder to disappear into the darkness, never to be found. The airport fired the worker who delayed calling police.

http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_137164938.html

Report of bomb materials in Collier causes evacuations (Florida)
May 17, 2007

Homes this afternoon have been evacuated and school buses are being rerouted because of a report of suspected bomb making materials seen in an apartment east of Naples. Members of the Collier sheriff's SWAT Team and bomb squad have been called to the apartment complex in the area of Robin Hood Circle off Radio Road, authorities said. Some apartments have been evacuated as a precaution.

At least one school bus, number 640, which is assigned to Calusa Park Elementary School, has been rerouted. The precautions were taken after a bondsman going to an apartment in the complex reported seeing what he believed could be bomb making materials inside.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/NEWS0119/70517061/1002/NEWS01

Police investigate suspicious device at Shell refinery (California)
05/17/2007

MARTINEZ -- Authorities are investigating a suspicious device found in a portable restroom this afternoon at the Shell Refinery. The incident began when a contractor found the device at 3:40 p.m., said refinery spokesman Steve Lesher.

Refinery security personnel investigated. The Contra Costa Sheriff's Office and Martinez police responded, and the Coast Guard established a 500-yard safety zone in the waters near the refinery, Lesher said. Employees were instructed to avoid that area, and refinery operations not been affected, Lesher said.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_5922217

[Oorang]

Bangladeshi Islamists readying for car bomb attacks
Friday, May 18, 2007

DHAKA: Islamist militants in Bangladesh are preparing to launch car bomb attacks and carry out other deadly missions, one self-described militant commander said in a rare interview with a private television channel.

“After going somewhat slow following the execution of our top six leaders, we have regrouped, received funding from Saudi Arabia, acquired training and (are) now recruiting drivers to operate suicide vehicles,” he told Ekushey television (ETV). ETV aired the interview late on Wednesday night, showing the militant hooded in a black robe from head to toe, and only revealing one eye.

“I cannot give my name for security reasons,” he said, describing himself as the commander of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, an outlawed group seeking to introduce tough Islamic sharia law in Bangladesh.

Excerpted

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\05\18\story_18-5-2007_pg7_31

More than 700 bombs captured in central Thailand
2007-05-17

BANGKOK -- Thai police on Thursday afternoon captured more than 700 sets of powerful bombs at a residence in central province of Saraburi which is only 100 kilometers from the capital Bangkok. A squad of policemen raided the house in Muang district of Saraburi on Thursday afternoon after got clues from informants. A total of 700 sets of Power Gel explosive were found in the house, a police officer told Xinhua.

The owner of the explosive was also detained by the police and was rushed to Bangkok for investigation. The officer said the power of all the explosive could blow down a whole mountain.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-05/17/content_6114628.htm

[Cindy]

Getting the bombs before going off...good deal.

THANKS for all the links/snippet, Oorang.

[Cindy]

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?um=1&tab=wb&hl=en&q=%22Festival+of+Resistance%22&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d

#

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=28322

“Marxists and Islamo-fascists of the World Unite!”
By Stephen Brown
FrontPageMagazine.com | May 17, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Forget the proletariat! Now it is Marxists and radical Muslims of the world unite!

If any doubt still existed regarding bonds being formed between the hardcore left and elements within Islam, one needed to look no further than the leftist “Festival of Resistence” conference held at the University of Toronto last weekend for confirmation.”

[Cindy]

Details are important UPDATE:

WASHINGTON TIMES.com (UPI): Washington - "STUDY: SARIN MAY HAVE HURT GULF WAR TROOPS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: ""It's important to note that its authors describe the study as inconclusive," Budahn said. "It was based upon a small number of participants, who were not randomly chosen."") (May 17, 12:33 pm)

[Cindy]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21752528-1702,00.html

“Three Thais caught with 1700 bombs”
From correspondents in Bangkok
May 17, 2007 11:17pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Three Thai workers were arrested today for illegally possessing 1700 small bombs and a large quantity of fertiliser, police said.”

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20070517-110904-3765r.htm

“U.S., Iran set talks seeking security”
By Stephen Graham
ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 18, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Senior U.S. and Iranian officials will meet in Baghdad on May 28 to discuss escalating violence in Iraq, both governments confirmed yesterday.

Iraqi leaders have been pressing the two countries with the most influence on the crisis to help end the turmoil. After reluctant agreement from the Bush administration, the meeting is expected to be the start of the first sustained process of negotiations with Iran since the war began in 2003.

These will be the first high-level talks between Americans and Iranians since a one-day conference in Baghdad in March.”