PESHAWAR - Police continued its crackdown on suspected trouble-makers for the third day on Friday and arrested more than 1,000 people, most of them Afghan nationals. SSP operations Mohammad Tahir Khan told Dawn that the crackdown would continue till elections, being part of a plan to maintain peace in the city.
He said hotels and some other places were being searched for suspects. Security, he said, had been beefed up and people were being checked at all entry and exits points of the city. Officials have been asked to check suspected people.
http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/16/top4.htm
Suicide bombers planning attacks, provinces warned (Pakistan)
Feb 15 2008
RAWALPINDI - The federal government is reported to have warned the police chiefs of the provinces and Islamabad to step up security around the diplomatic missions of some Arab countries in Pakistan and also for PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif following intelligence report that suicide bombers may strike ‘within next 72 hours’ to sabotage the Feb 18 elections.
Sources said that high-level talks were being held to review plans for the protection of sensitive installations and important political figures. A letter to the provincial police chiefs and the IGP Islamabad says that terrorists are planning suicide attacks on public rallies in various cities. The sources said that another letter sent to the Punjab and the NWFP governments by the federal government informed them that four suicide bombers were planning simultaneous attacks somewhere in the country.
The federal government has also indicated threats of attacks on some Arab diplomatic missions and directed the security agencies to take extra security measures. The Arab missions have been identified as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/16/top5.htm
More than 50 Hizbullah terror cells believed to be spread across the globe could be activated and used to strike at Israeli or Jewish targets in retaliation for Tuesday's assassination of Hizbullah arch-terrorist and operations officer Imad Mughniyeh in Syria, a senior defense official said Thursday.
As Hassan Nasrallah vowed "open war" to avenge Mughniyeh's death, the Israeli Counterterrorism Bureau issued a travel advisory on Thursday that made plain the seriousness with which it is taking the Hizbullah leader's threats. But Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said "Israel is a strong country" and that there was no need to panic. FBI anti-terror units raised their alerts for fear of attacks on synagogues and other Jewish targets.
Sources in the US administration reiterated that there were no specific warnings of a terrorist attack; nonetheless, an FBI source said that the raised alertness of the Anti-Terrorism Unit, which operates in about 100 cities around the US, is not a routine step.
The counterterrorism bureau recommended that citizens abroad avoid staying in areas where there is a large concentration of Israelis. It advised Israelis overseas to strictly avoid visiting Arab and Muslim states where existing travel warnings are in force; to reject any tempting suggestions, unexpected gifts and offers of free travel from suspicious people or unknown elements; to reject proposals for unscheduled meetings, and to travel to meetings accompanied by someone known and trusted.
The bureau also reiterated previous warnings about the risk of Israelis abroad being kidnapped, including businessmen - particularly those involved in deals with Arabs or Muslims. El Al has also beefed up security, and additional safety measures are being employed at Israeli embassies and institutions abroad.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203019387469&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull