Threat Matrix: July 2007

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Threat Matrix:
July 2007

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US Steps Up Security Following Attack in Britain

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff made appearances on several television talk shows.

He told ABC's This Week program there is no indication of a linkage between the events in Britain and any specific attacks on the United States. "We do not have, at this point, specific, credible intelligence that there is an attack, a particular attack, focused on this country," he said.

But at the same time, speaking on CNN's Late Edition program, Chertoff said U.S. authorities are concerned about the threat of terrorism, especially in the coming months. "We have had a number of al-Qaida leaders quite publicly talking about how they want to carry out their threats against the West. So, given that and given the history that we have had over past summers, with attacks in Britain, I think we were clearly focused on this as a possibility," he said. Full story...

	More United Kingdom Attacks Possible
	More US Air Marshals on Flights to Europe
	Officials: Car Bomb Plot Bears al Qaida's Trademark

[Cindy]

WELL NOW, THANK YOU TROOPERS!

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46630

“Nearly 600 U.S. Troops Re-enlist in Baghdad on Independence Day”

By Marine Sgt. Jess Kent
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 4, 2007 –

SNIPPET: “Petraeus said the troops who reenlisted on Independence Day, most while serving on a second or third deployment to a combat zone, have made a decision based on far more than any bonus they may receive.”

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump.

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1861957/posts

“Dengue Alert”
Prensa Latina ^ | July 05, 2007

Posted on 07/06/2007 4:30:14 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch

[Cindy]

Yes indeed, BIG BUMP.

[Mossad1967]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9cc4d5f4-2be3-11dc-b498-000b5df10621.html

************************************************************
Al-Qaeda linked to operations from Iran
By Stephen Fidler in London

Published: July 6 2007 22:04 | Last updated: July 6 2007 22:04

Evidence that Iranian territory is being used as a base by al-Qaeda to help in terrorist operations in Iraq and elsewhere is growing, say western officials.

It is not clear how much the al-Qaeda operation, described by one official as a money and communications hub, is being tolerated or encouraged by the Iranian government, they said.

The group’s operatives, who link the al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan with their disciples in Iraq, the Levant and North Africa, move with relative freedom in the country, they said.

The officials said the creation of some kind of al-Qaeda hub in Iran appears to be separate from the group of seven senior al-Qaeda figures, including Saad bin Laden, son of the group’s figurehead, that Iran is said to have detained since 2002.

A senior US official said the information had produced different assessments. “The most conservative, cautious intelligence assessment is that [the Iranian authorities] are turning a blind eye. But there are a lot of doubts about that,” he said.

“They are benefiting from the mayhem that AQ is carrying out. They don’t have to deal with al-Qaeda to benefit.”

Yet while Tehran might be content with the pressure al-Qaeda is placing on the US occupation in Iraq, Iran, as a state based on Shia Islam surrounded by mainly Sunni countries, has long been wary of al-Qaeda’s fierce brand of Sunni Islam.

A former Iranian official said Iran feared al-Qaeda and did not want to distract it from Iraq, dismissing any idea that Iran was supplying it with weapons. “Our relationship with al-Qaeda, at an intelligence level, can be said to be successful as long as they are at a distance,” he said.

Analysts say several Sunni extremist groups, some presumed linked to al-Qaeda and from various ethnic groups including Kurds, are in Iran. US-led military action in Iraq has led some to seek refuge over the border.

In the past, Tehran has also been a target of al-Qaeda attacks. A militant Sunni group based in Pakistan and possibly linked to al-Qaeda was suspected of the 1994 bombing of the shrine of the seventh Shia Imam, Reza, in Mashhad, killing 26 people.

Iran has also shown growing concern over Jundullah, a radical Sunni group from the restive south-east area of Balucestan that has carried out violent attacks in recent years.

Three years ago, Pakistani officials said members of al-Qaeda had begun leaving Pakistan’s border region close to Afghanistan and heading for Iraq. Of the routes used, going overland via Iran was the easiest. That traffic might have increased as links between al-Qaeda and its Iraq offshoot intensify.

Additional reporting by Gareth Smyth in Tehran and Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

[Cindy]

Thank you Mossad1967 for this post.

#

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

[callmejoe]

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL06334128.html

Morocco raises security alert to maximum
Fri 6 Jul 2007, 22:02 GMT
(Adds analyst and diplomat comments, byline)
By Lamine Ghanmi (excerpt)

RABAT, July 6 (Reuters) - Morocco has raised its terrorism threat level to “maximum”, the highest category indicating a radical Islamist attack is expected imminently, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The decision was announced after a meeting of chiefs of police, intelligence and paramilitary forces in the capital Rabat.

Analysts and diplomats said recent visits to Morocco by top European and U.S security officials underscored the imminence of the threat as well as the role the North African kingdom was playing in the U.S.-declared global fight against terrorism.

They pointed to repeated al Qaeda threats to hit Morocco and other North African states, citing the appearance on video early this week of Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda’s number two, to urge the overthrow of what he called “corrupt” Muslim governments.

“This alert level indicates a serious threat of terrorist action and requires the extreme mobilisation of the security organs,” the ministry said, describing the threat in terms Moroccan officials routinely apply to radical Islamists.

It cited “reliable intelligence information” but gave no details about any specific attack threat.

One security analyst said: “I suspect the authorities made an arrest and obtained precise information. That information could have been corroborated by intelligence coming from Western allies of Morocco”.

A senior European diplomat said the most widespread speculation among his colleagues was Moroccan authorities feared the possibility of a suicide bomb attack at the peak of the summer tourist season.

“We have no precise information on that but it is the scenario the most talked about by foreign diplomats here,” he said. . .

[callmejoe]

“red banner” . . . “red ink”

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=nation_world&id=5450363

” . . . An Internet site deemed close to al-Qaida’s leadership announced earlier Wednesday that “good news” would be coming soon. The flashing red banner was interpreted by several other Islamist web sites as a sign that Osama bin Laden would issue a new message soon. It was not immediately clear whether it was in fact referring to his deputy’s new tape.”

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3351832&page=1

“. . . The letters were postmarked late June from New York and were handwritten in red ink on loose-leaf paper.”

[Cindy]

Thank you callmejoe.

[Cindy]

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

http://www.memri.org/lebanon.html
http://www.memri.org/syria.html

###

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=lebanon&ID=SP164807

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1648
July 6, 2007 No.1648

“Possible Eruption of Violent Crisis in Lebanon After July 15”

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1861559/posts

“Did Syria invade Lebanon?”
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/07/did_syria_invad.php ^

Posted on 07/05/2007 8:40:25 PM PDT by jhpigott

Did Syria invade Lebanon ? Thursday, 5 July, 2007 @ 4:56 PM

[callmejoe]

surely

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3421839,00.html

Ross: Risk of war

Former senior US diplomat warns of risk of war with Syria this summer in exclusive Ynetnews interview; criticizes US for being soft on Damascus; says Fatah will lose West Bank to Hamas if it does not change

Jeff Barak (excerpt)

Dennis Ross, the former senior American Middle East peace negotiator, says he thinks “there is a risk of war” between Israel and Syria this summer.

In an exclusive telephone interview with Ynetnews before next week’s Conference on the Future of the Jewish People in Jerusalem, Ross said that “nobody has made any decision (about going to war), but the Syrians are positioning themselves for war.”

The ex-State Department official criticized the Bush administration for being “tough rhetorically and soft practically” on Damascus, saying that “we have reached the worst of all worlds. The Syrians don’t see what they have to lose by not changing their behavior and they don’t see what they would gain by changing their behavior.

“Syria has rearmed Hizbullah to the teeth – there should be a price to pay for that,” Ross insisted, pointing out that the Bush administration had failed to implement its own Syria Accountability Act. He said the US and Europe should aim to “squeeze the Syrian economy” and use a policy of “sticks before carrots” in their dealings with Damascus.

As far as Israel’s relations with Syria were concerned, Ross said that Jerusalem had “its own ways of communications” with Damascus, and that not talking with Syria only increased the chance of war while “if you talk, then that reduces the chance of war.” . . .

[Cindy]

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

#

english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9F88AC08-F381-40A9-A30C-A8315AB052F0.htm

UPDATED ON:
FRIDAY, JULY 06, 2007
14:32 MECCA TIME, 11:32 GMT

NEWS MIDDLE EAST
“Clashes follow raids in Yemen”

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1861433/posts

“Program sets al-Qaeda convicts free on their honor”
SignOnSanDiego.com ^ | July 5, 2007 | Kathy Gannon

Posted on 07/05/2007 4:04:55 PM PDT by DogByte6RER

Program sets al-Qaeda convicts free on their honor

By Kathy Gannon

ASSOCIATED PRESS

July 5, 2007

SAN’A, Yemen

[Cindy]

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

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1861980/posts

“US concerns over China weapons in Iraq”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/82ce0740-2c03-11dc-b498-000b5df10621.html ^

Posted on 07/06/2007 5:00:09 PM PDT by traumer

[Velveeta]

Interesting, but I don’t really understand it all.

If Russia introduced the treaty - it's probably wise to be skeptical of their motives.

Why else wouldn't the US, UK etal have signed as well?

[Cindy]

RECALLS.GOV
http://www.recalls.gov

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html

#

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

###

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=toothpaste&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

###

http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/06/news/toothpaste/

“Massachusetts issues tainted toothpaste warning
Same day Massachusetts warns that tubes labeled ‘Made in China’ or counterfeit Colgate-labeled tubes made in South Africa potentially harmful.”
By CNN’s Dan Lothian
July 6 2007: 3:00 PM EDT

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “BOSTON (CNN) — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued an advisory Friday, the same day Panama announced that hundreds of poisoning cases were linked to diethylene glycol.

Massachusetts warned consumers to not use the following potentially harmful toothpastes:

Video More video

CNN’s John Vause reports on why some Chinese products keep getting recalled.
Play video

- Any toothpaste labeled “Made in China”

- Any toothpaste labeled “Colgate” that is manufactured in South Africa

- And any toothpaste without English-language labeling.

The warning came on the same day that officials in Panama said they had recorded 540 cases of poisoning linked to toothpaste and other health products in that country.”

###

http://ww2.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=6755495

“Suspect toothpaste removed from discount store”
Associated Press - July 6, 2007 4:15 PM ET

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - State health officials remove suspect toothpaste from a discount store in Rhode Island.

Health inspectors took Dentakleen off the shelves this morning from Building 19 locations.

The moves comes a day after public health officials in Massachusetts indicated that possibly tainted toothpaste had been found in several discount stores in that state.

Rhode Island officials are advising consumers to avoid toothpastes labeled “Made in China;” any counterfeit toothpaste labeled Colgate and any toothpaste without English-language labeling.”

###

Thanks to fanfan for the freepmail - ping to this article and these links:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_81_e.html

Warning

2007-81
July 5, 2007
For immediate release

“Health Canada updates list of toothpastes from China found to contain diethylene glycol”
OTTAWA

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_80_e.html

Warning

2007-80
June 29, 2007
For immediate release

“Chinese toothpaste in Canada found to contain diethylene glycol”
OTTAWA

#

[Oorang]

And they still don’t know his true identity. Quite chilling. Thanks Velveeta.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1862016/posts

“London Calling”
American Thinker ^ | July 06, 2007 | J.R. Dunn

Posted on 07/06/2007 6:32:55 PM PDT by neverdem

[callmejoe]

Another story said 115 had signed and 23 had ratified. All 5 permanent UNSC members backed and signed the treaty (US, Russia, China, UK, France), but only Russia has ratified of these 5. President can sign but Senate has to ratify any treaty. The Senate tends to have a mind of its own as far as when they get around to things.

Timing is just interesting.

[callmejoe]

from the article . . .

http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1524702.0.terror_links_man_jailed_for_nine_years.php

” . . . The court heard how Altimimi was linked to terrorists in Holland and to Junade Ferouze, 31, from Blackburn, who was jailed last month for 22 years for his part in bomb plots led by Dhinen Barot, named as al Qaida’s “general” in the UK.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7913-2004Aug17.html

Britain Charges 8 In Alleged Terror Plot
Plan Targeted U.S. Financial Buildings

By John Mintz and Kamran Khan
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 18, 2004; Page A01 (excerpt)

” . . . One of those charged was Dhiren Barot — known publicly until yesterday as Eisa Hindi — who is suspected of conducting surveillance of U.S. financial buildings that was detailed in computer files seized recently in Pakistan. The discovery of the computer documents led the U.S. government on Aug. 1 to raise the terrorism alert to orange, or “high risk,” for the financial sectors in Washington, New York and Newark.

Besides Barot, the names of most of the seven other men charged had not been disclosed publicly until yesterday. He and Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, 24; Abdul Aziz Jalil, 31; Omar Abdul Rehman, 20; Junade Feroze, 28; Zia Ul Haq, 25; Qaisar Shaffi, 25; and Nadeem Tarmohammed, 26, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit a public nuisance by using “radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals and/or explosives to cause disruption.” The charges said those crimes were committed between January 2000 and this month.”

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595081268,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Monday, August 02, 2004

Targeted companies labor to assure workers on security

By Justin Bachman
AP business (excerpt)

” . . .The 13 institutions are: Morgan Stanley Inc., the Nasdaq Stock Market, the American Stock Exchange, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Bear Stearns Cos. Inc., Wachovia Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup, MetLife Inc., JP Morgan Chase and Co., and the New York Stock Exchange.”

[Letitring]

Do you think this is sincere?