Posted on 07/28/2008 8:37:15 AM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Is U.S. Bioterror Attack Just A Matter of Time?
The overriding question is whether the U.S. is “ready” for a bioterror attack. The answer could well rely on the “other” question of what bio-agent and what’s the source? In 1991, 40,000 Russian scientists dispersed throughout the World, with knowledge of what the U.S.S.R. was doing in chemical and biological weapons. The question is to whom did they sell their knowledge? Some believe former Soviet scientists sold technology to countries like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Lurking is the spectre of al-Qaeda, a group that the Pentagon says continues to pursue biological weapons.
Another scenario is an outbreak of a pandemic. How would the U.S. deal with an infectious disease outbreak? The picture, despite reassurances, is not pretty. Until now, the U.S. has experienced two major biological attacks.
In 1984, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers attempted to take over the town of the Dalles, Oregon by contaminating salad bars in the town. In 2001, there was the as yet unsolved mystery of the anthrax letters that killed five people.
But the question of bioterrorism extends to potential threats against our food supply and our clean water resources. It also extends to the threat of outbreaks of diseases in our animals populations. Here, the concern are diseases that attack animals but that can jump to humans. These are referred to as zoonotic diseases. The World Health Organization defines zonnotic diseases as:
Read More
Mexico federal police to escort migrant transfers
Posted on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 6:01pm
Mexican federal police will guard all government vehicles transporting detained migrants after gunmen hijacked a bus carrying 33 Cubans, the government said Wednesday. Immigration officers previously could ask police for extra security while transporting illegal migrants to detention centers or back to their home countries. Full Story
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_migrants
Thanks for the ping at #151. Very interesting.
The poker dealer has been described as being rather buoyant about the whole experience, enjoying “an easy, humorous relationship with prison officers and everyone around him.”
has been found in the water on a Mexico farm..............
Medvedev signs anti-corruption plan
RBC, 31.07.2008, Gagarin 15:48:45.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that he had signed a plan to fight corruption. The President was speaking at today’s meeting on the development of small and medium businesses that was held in Gagarin, a town in the Smolensk region. Corruption among government bodies must be stopped, and the signal for this has already been given, Medvedev said. The Russian leader noted that the business community needed to pay taxes, abide by the law, and avoid dubious tax optimization schemes. Attempts to evade taxes that result in a four- or even fivefold reduction in tax liabilities are completely unacceptable, Medvedev stressed. He also urged both government bodies and business representatives to participate in the creation of a favorable investment climate in Russia.
http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20080731154845.shtml
Russian Officials Must Stop “Terrifying” Business - Medvedev
EasyBourse.com - Paris,France
MOSCOW (AFP)—Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told officials Thursday the state must stop “terrifying” business, following controversies over UK-Russian ...
OOOoo this will get interesting...
Medvedev Adviser Criticizes Putin Over Russia Stock Market Rout
By Henry Meyer
July 31 (Bloomberg) — The head of a research institute that advises Russian President Dmitry Medvedev criticized Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for causing a near 9 percent drop in stock prices by attacking steel and coal producer OAO Mechel.
``It is not prudent to make your own stock market fall,’’ said Igor Yurgens, the head of the Institute of Contemporary Development. ``There are 150 ways of deciding such problems without resorting to such comments,’’ he said in Moscow yesterday in comments released today by the institute. Yurgens is also an executive at Renaissance Capital, a Moscow investment bank.
Putin on July 24 in a live, televised government meeting accused Mechel of price fixing, and went back on the offensive four days later, saying the company used offshore traders to minimize taxes. His broadside wiped out half of Mechel’s stock price and more than $60 billion from the Russian stock market.
Putin, who was president for eight years from 2000, handed the presidency to Medvedev in May. As prime minister, he has kept control of the main levers of power, in a departure from Russia’s tradition of a strong presidency.
Medvedev is the chairman of the institute’s trustees, who also include Elvira Nabiullina, the economy minister, and Arkady Dvorkovich, the Kremlin’s economic adviser.
To contact the reporter on this story: Henry Meyer in Moscow at hmeyer4@bloomberg.net.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aNjYB_UcPGAI&refer=home
Pooty is still in controll...
2 More Coal Firms Come Under Fire
31 July 2008
By Nadia Popova / Staff Writer
The government’s antitrust probe into rising coal prices widened Wednesday to include Evraz Group and Raspadskaya, just days after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attacked miner Mechel.
The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said in a statement Wednesday that it had launched an investigation into whether Evraz and Raspadskaya had abused their “dominant position in the market for coking coal, setting unjustifiably high domestic prices and discriminated against the domestic market.”
The service said Raspadskaya’s and Evraz’s coal prices had “roughly doubled” from September through May.
Evraz is part-owned by former Chukotka Governor Roman Abramovich, a close ally of Putin’s. Evraz owns 40 percent of Raspadskaya.
If the companies are found guilty of antitrust violations, Evraz could face a fine of up to $70 million, and Raspadskaya of up to $40 million, said Georgy Buzhenitsa, a metals analyst at UniCredit Aton.
The new probes come six days after Putin on Thursday urged an investigation into Mechel over price-fixing, criticized its billionaire owner, Igor Zyuzin, for not showing up to an industry meeting and proposed scrapping import tariffs on iron ore and coal to curb steel costs.
Putin followed up his criticism of the company Monday by accusing it of illegal transfer pricing. In response to the attacks, Mechel’s shares shed 49 percent of their value by Tuesday’s close.
But analysts and market participants on Wednesday questioned the credibility of the accusations against the three companies, which together account for more than 50 percent of the country’s coking coal market.
No one at Raspadskaya, the country’s second-largest coking coal producer, was immediately available for comment. Evraz declined to comment. In its only statement since the scandal broke, Mechel said Friday that it was ready to cooperate with the government and answer any “arising questions.”
Evraz’s London-listed shares fell as low as $85.40, or 7.2 percent, in early trading, then recovered to finish the day flat at $92, while Raspadskaya rose 1.9 percent to 161.74 rubles on the MICEX exchange. Mechel’s New York-listed American Depositary Receipts were up 11.3 percent to $20.71 at 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The ruble-denominated MICEX Index posted its first gain in seven days, led by steelmaker Severstal, and closed up 4.3 percent to 1,501.20. Norilsk Nickel, the world’s biggest producer of the metal, advanced for a second day after it moved to consider an ally of Putin as chief executive.
Olga Mitrofanova, an analyst at UniCredit Aton, said in a note to investors Wednesday that the state’s recent interventions in the metal sector were aimed at increasing control over the sector, as well as raising more taxes to fill in the gap left by recent tax cuts to the oil industry.
The Mechel case and Monday’s announcement that Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, a longtime ally of Putin’s, could become Norilsk CEO, were connected, Mitrofanova said. The markets “understood — a state person in the company’s management will decrease the risks,” she said. Mitrofanova said she expected other metal companies to soon follow Norilsk’s lead and offer top jobs to people with strong state connections.
A market source said the probes into Evraz and Raspadskaya rang a little hollow, as — unlike Mechel, which pursued aggressive sales policies — both companies were known for “their moderate client-friendly policies.”
“The charges facing Evraz and Raspadskaya seem to serve as a screen to some different processes unfolding against Mechel, an aggressive leader on the country’s coal market,” a source said on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue. “We all understand what can happen with a company that has been criticized by Vladimir Putin, and has been criticized twice.”
Gerard McCloskey, head of the London-based McCloskey Group, a leading authority on the world coal market, said the country’s coal producers were being made scapegoats for the high prices being faced by some of their rivals in the steel industry. “Why should Mechel and Evraz pay for Novolipetsk’s mistakes?” McCloskey said. “Mechel and Evraz have ... gone to the expense of investing in coking coal mines, while Novolipetsk left it late in the day.”
“The world is critically short of coking coal, just as it is of oil,” McCloskey said. “If Russia’s oil companies can charge world prices for their oil supplies, why not the coking coal companies?”
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1010/42/369321.htm
Putin’s $60Bln House Call
30 July 2008
By Yulia Latynina
On Thursday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin heaped criticism on a company for activities that he said were harmful to the country’s economy.
The company turned out to be Mechel, which Putin accused of selling raw materials to overseas customers at half the price it charges on the domestic market. Because of bad health, the company’s owner, billionaire Igor Zyuzin, did not attend the meeting with other leaders of the metals industry. “Of course, an illness is an illness,” the prime minister said, and advised Mechel’s owner that he should recover quickly “or we will have to send him a doctor to clean up all these problems.”
Putin’s threat cost the ailing oligarch nearly $6 billion — the amount Mechel’s American Depositary Receipts fell on the New York stock exchange on Friday, the day after Putin’s statement
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1029/42/369313.htm
Blue Jean Bandits hit Atlanta
By Doris Hajewski
Thursday, Jul 3 2008, 04:50 PM
Reports in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and in today’s Women’s Wear Daily tell an interesting story about street gangs who have been targeting boutiques in metro Atlanta.
The gangs have hit 50 stores in the past year, according to the reports, and have snatched more than $1 million worth of premium denim: high-end brands that sell for about $200. Popular labels include True Religion, Rock & Republic and Red Monkey. The gangs re-sell them for about $70, according to the reports.
http://blogs.jsonline.com/shoptalk/archive/2008/07/03/blue-jean-bandits-hit-atlanta.aspx
Nearly 500 arrested in ICE anti-gang raids
Submitted by WW4 Report on Mon, 07/07/2008 - 19:03.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested or helped arrest 489 people in “Operation Community Shield” raids announced between June 2 and July 2, targeting foreign-born alleged gang members in Kansas, Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia and Texas.
On July 2, ICE and the Wichita Police Department announced the arrest of 22 “transnational gang members and their associates” in Wichita, Kansas. Thirteen of the total were arrested on July 1–presumably for administrative immigration violations—and are being held in ICE custody pending removal to their countries of origin. These include three brothers, all minors with “serious juvenile criminal histories,” who were arrested with their mother and will be voluntarily returned to Mexico, according to ICE.
Nine of the gang members were arrested “during the planning phase of the operation” based on outstanding state arrest warrants and are being held in state custody on criminal charges including burglary, theft, assault, drive-by shootings, weapons violations and various misdemeanor charges. All nine are under immigration detainers so that if they’re released from state custody, they’ll be detained by ICE. All 22 people arrested are from Mexico, and allegedly are associated with the Vato Loco Boys, Sureno 13, Players for Life, and North Side Gangsters. (ICE news release, July 2)
In a three-day operation ending June 27 in the Richmond, Va., metropolitan area, ICE Gang Investigation Unit special agents arrested 20 people the agency described as “known gang members” and 21 it referred to as “identified gang associates” from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. (In past sweeps, the agency has implied that “gang associates” may include family members cohabiting with the alleged gang members—see INB, Oct. 28, 2007) According to ICE, those arrested were affiliated with the MS-13, Sur-13, Latin Kings, and Vatos Locos street gangs. ICE said five search warrants were served and “numerous cases are being presented for federal and/or state prosecution.”
The operation involved collaboration with agencies including the Virginia State Police, Virginia Office of the Attorney General, US Attorney of the Eastern District of Virginia, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Chesterfield County Police Department, Chesterfield County Probation and Parole, United States Secret Service, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the US Postal Inspection Service. (ICE news release, June 27)
In a statewide New Jersey operation carried out from June 15 through June 21, led by the ICE Office of Investigation in Newark, agents arrested 76 “gang members” and 20 “gang associates” from El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The gang members allegedly belong to the MS-13, La Mugre, LA-13, DDP, Trinitarios, Mexican Mafia, Los Pitufos, Vatos Locos, Bloods and Crips street gangs. According to ICE, only three cases are to be presented for federal prosecution, while seven people were arrested on state charges and 30 of those arrested were merely “unlawfully present” in the US. Three weapons were seized along with what ICE described as “gang paraphernalia.” Agencies collaborating in the sweep included the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, West New York Police Department, Newark Police Department, New Brunswick Police Department, Passaic Police Department, Union City Police Department, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. (ICE news release, June 23; The Record, Hackensack, NJ, June 24)
In a two-day operation announced June 12, ICE agents arrested, or in some cases assisted in arresting, 22 people in the area of Brockton, Mass. Those arrested included 11 “gang members and associates” and 11 other people accused of federal and/or state criminal violations, including administrative immigration violations, who were encountered during the operation. Of the 22 people arrested, 16 are US permanent residents whose criminal convictions may render them eligible for deportation, according to ICE, while five are living in the US without permission and one had a prior deportation order. The arrested immigrants are from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Haiti. The operation was carried out in partnership with the Brockton Police Department, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, the US Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts, ATF, the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance, and the police departments of the Massachusetts cities of Boston, Fall River, Stoughton and Taunton. (ICE news release, June 12)
In a statewide Georgia operation culminating on June 7, ICE agents arrested or helped to arrest 127 nationals of Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala who were living in Dalton, Savannah, Albany and the Atlanta metropolitan area. Those arrested included 122 people the agency identified as gang members, and five it identified as gang associates. Seven people were to be prosecuted on federal charges of illegal re-entry after deportation, and 19 were arrested for state charges or had outstanding arrest warrants. Two weapons were seized during the operation.
Cooperating agencies included the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the ATF, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI); the city police departments of Atlanta, Canton, Cartersville, Chamblee, Dalton, Forest Park, Gainesville, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Spring, Roswell, and Sandy Springs; the county police departments of Clayton County, Cobb County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett County and Henry County; and the sheriff’s offices of Atkinson County, Bartow County, Cherokee County, Coffee County, Douglas County, Forsyth County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Rockdale County, Tift County and Whitfield County. (ICE news release, June 10)
In a six-day ICE-led operation announced on June 8, 149 people were arrested in the Texas cities of Houston, Conroe, Galveston, Sugar Land, Bryan, Richmond, Beaumont and Corpus Christi. According to ICE, 67 of those arrested were “gang members and their associates,” allegedly affiliated with 22 different street gangs. Of the total 149 people arrested, 32 were US citizens arrested on outstanding warrants. The 117 non-citizens arrested in the sweep were from Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Pakistan. Seven of those arrested were females. Of the 67 people who were identified as “gang members and associates,” 20 were arrested on outstanding state arrest warrants and turned over to local authorities; one was arrested on an outstanding federal drug arrest warrant. The other 46 people arrested were present in the US without permission; 28 of them are facing federal criminal charges for illegal entry or illegal re-entry after deportation.
The Air and Marine branch of US Customs and Border Protection provided air support for the operation. Other agencies assisting the operation included the Houston Police Department’s Gang Task Force and the police forces of the cities of Beaumont, Conroe, Corpus Christi, La Porte, Orange, Port Arthur and South Houston; the sheriffs’ offices of Brazos, Fort Bend, Harris, Jefferson and Montgomery counties; and US Postal Inspectors, FBI, ATF, and the US Attorney’s Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. (ICE news release, June 8)
From June 2 to 5, agents operating out of ICE’s office in San Antonio, Texas arrested 32 “gang members and associates,” including 23 in San Antonio and a total of nine in Austin, Laredo and Harlingen. Of the 23 detained in San Antonio, 18 were arrested on state criminal charges while seven were arrested on federal charges. Agencies participating in the operation included: San Antonio Police Department, ATF, US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, US Marshals Service’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, Bexar County Sheriff’s Department and Bexar County District Attorney’s Office. (ICE news release, June 6)
http://ww4report.com/node/5746
Hey Davey! Thanks; good to ‘see’ you again.
On July 2, ICE and the Wichita Police Department announced the arrest of 22 “transnational gang members and their associates” in Wichita, Kansas. Thirteen of the total were arrested on July 1–presumably for administrative immigration violations—and are being held in ICE custody pending removal to their countries of origin. These include three brothers, all minors with “serious juvenile criminal histories,” who were arrested with their mother and will be voluntarily returned to Mexico, according to ICE.
Nine of the gang members were arrested “during the planning phase of the operation” based on outstanding state arrest warrants and are being held in state custody on criminal charges including burglary, theft, assault, drive-by shootings, weapons violations and various misdemeanor charges. All nine are under immigration detainers so that if they’re released from state custody, they’ll be detained by ICE. All 22 people arrested are from Mexico, and allegedly are associated with the Vato Loco Boys, Sureno 13, Players for Life, and North Side Gangsters. (ICE news release, July 2)<<<<<
scan Wichita.com is a pretty good police scanner, the one I have also has _____ and 8000 in the url, but I can’t keep it up long enough to copy it, I got it during one of the storms, for news and kept it for it is a good group and it is on now, sounds like they may still be arresting gangers, they have roads blocked and lots of cops on the air.
It appears they have a big fire going on and that is the reason for the closed streets.
The one thing that I catch on the scanners, is that the Police are taking no chances on ‘back packs’, they are on them in a flash, none are left unchecked, esp. if found under strange conditions.
LOL, when I was young, I was afraid of guns, now I am not, but am afraid of hammers, bats and back packs.
A minute ago it was a backpack, now they are enroute to check out “47 Children having a bake sale”, the caller was afraid they would get hurt, as they are darting into the traffic, to gain attention to their bake sale..................where else, than ‘Middle America?’
I always wonder if the gangs are really just gangs?
The new tools of the attack trade ‘American style’, are baseball bats and common hammers.
>>>>>The 117 non-citizens arrested in the sweep were from Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Pakistan. Seven of those arrested were females.<<<<
This is the reason that I question the work ‘gang’.
Because of bad health, the company’s owner, billionaire Igor Zyuzin, did not attend the meeting with other leaders of the metals industry. “Of course, an illness is an illness,” the prime minister said, and advised Mechel’s owner that he should recover quickly “or we will have to send him a doctor to clean up all these problems.”<<<
” We will send him a doctor”, that has to be the most feared statement in Russia.
Putin is taking back the private countries ‘one by one’, a whisper of wrong doing and the owner is in prison and Putin and company owns it.
The same thing the democrats here want to do with the oil companies,” they are making a profit and we want it”, is the age old communist plan.
You are welcome.
Glad you are still reading with us.
Stay safe.
Terrorists Favorite Filesharing Service is Archive.org
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/193466.php
Internet Haganah has been running a series of posts on al-Qaeda and other
terrorists using archive.org as one of the file-sharing services for their
propaganda releases. The FBI has asked archive.org for data pertaining to
users who upload such material. This would be very useful in locating the
point of origination for releases from terrorist groups.
continues with hidden links.
I found those over a year ago, should have translated them to see what they meant, but there are so many, I kept going.
Some place in our threads, there are some of the links, from my digging into them....
granny
granny
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/busting_anthrax_myth
Busting the Anthrax Myth
July 30, 2008 | 1902 GMT
Graphic for Terrorism Intelligence Report
By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
Dr. Jeffrey W. Runge, chief medical officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told a congressional subcommittee on July 22 that the risk of a large-scale biological attack on the nation is significant and that the U.S. government knows its terrorist enemies have sought to use biological agents as instruments of warfare. Runge also said that the United States believes that capability is within the terrorists’ reach.
Runge gave his testimony before a subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology that was holding a field hearing in Providence, R.I., to discuss the topic of “Emerging Biological Threats and Public Health Preparedness.”
During his testimony, Runge specifically pointed to al Qaeda as the most significant threat and testified that the United States had determined that the terrorist organization is seeking to develop and use a biological weapon to cause mass casualties in an attack. According to Runge, U.S. analysis indicates that anthrax is the most likely choice, and a successful single-city attack on an unprepared population could kill hundreds of thousands of citizens.
Later in his testimony, Runge remarked that many do not perceive the threat of bioterrorism to be as significant as that of a nuclear or conventional strike, even though such an attack could kill as many people as a nuclear detonation and have its own long-term environmental effects.
We must admit to being among those who do not perceive the threat of bioterrorism to be as significant as that posed by a nuclear strike. To be fair, it must be noted that we also do not see strikes using chemical or radiological weapons rising to the threshold of a true weapon of mass destruction either. The successful detonation of a nuclear weapon in an American city would be far more devastating than any of these other forms of attack.
In fact, based on the past history of nonstate actors conducting attacks using biological weapons, we remain skeptical that a nonstate actor could conduct a biological weapons strike capable of creating as many casualties as a large strike using conventional explosives — such as the October 2002 Bali bombings that resulted in 202 deaths or the March 2004 train bombings in Madrid that killed 191.
We do not disagree with Runge’s statements that actors such as al Qaeda have demonstrated an interest in biological weapons. There is ample evidence that al Qaeda has a rudimentary biological weapons capability. However, there is a huge chasm of capability that separates intent and a rudimentary biological weapons program from a biological weapons program that is capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people.
Misconceptions About Biological Weapons
There are many misconceptions involving biological weapons. The three most common are that they are easy to obtain, that they are easy to deploy effectively, and that, when used, they always cause massive casualties.
While it is certainly true that there are many different types of actors who can easily gain access to rudimentary biological agents, there are far fewer actors who can actually isolate virulent strains of the agents, weaponize them and then effectively employ these agents in a manner that will realistically pose a significant threat of causing mass casualties. While organisms such as anthrax are present in the environment and are not difficult to obtain, more highly virulent strains of these tend to be far more difficult to locate, isolate and replicate. Such efforts require highly skilled individuals and sophisticated laboratory equipment.
Even incredibly deadly biological substances such as ricin and botulinum toxin are difficult to use in mass attacks. This difficulty arises when one attempts to take a rudimentary biological substance and then convert it into a weaponized form — a form that is potent enough to be deadly and yet readily dispersed. Even if this weaponization hurdle can be overcome, once developed, the weaponized agent must then be integrated with a weapons system that can effectively take large quantities of the agent and evenly distribute it in lethal doses to the intended targets.
During the past several decades in the era of modern terrorism, biological weapons have been used very infrequently and with very little success. This fact alone serves to highlight the gap between the biological warfare misconceptions and reality. Militant groups desperately want to kill people and are constantly seeking new innovations that will allow them to kill larger numbers of people. Certainly if biological weapons were as easily obtained, as easily weaponized and as effective at producing mass casualties as commonly portrayed, militant groups would have used them far more frequently than they have.
Militant groups are generally adaptive and responsive to failure. If something works, they will use it. If it does not, they will seek more effective means of achieving their deadly goals. A good example of this was the rise and fall of the use of chlorine in militant attacks in Iraq.
Anthrax
As noted by Runge, the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis is readily available in nature and can be deadly if inhaled, if ingested or if it comes into contact with a person’s skin. What constitutes a deadly dose of inhalation anthrax has not been precisely quantified, but is estimated to be somewhere between 8,000 and 50,000 spores. One gram of weaponized anthrax, such as that contained in the letters mailed to U.S. Sens. Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy in October 2001, can contain up to one trillion spores — enough to cause somewhere between 20 and 100 million deaths. The letters mailed to Daschle and Leahy reportedly contained about one gram each for a total estimated quantity of two grams of anthrax spores: enough to have theoretically killed between 40 and 200 million people. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the current population of the United States is 304.7 million. In a worst-case scenario, the letters mailed to Daschle and Leahy theoretically contained enough anthrax spores to kill nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population.
Yet, in spite of their incredibly deadly potential, those letters (along with an estimated five other anthrax letters mailed in a prior wave to media outlets such as the New York Post and the major television networks) killed only five people; another 22 victims were infected by the spores but recovered after receiving medical treatment. This difference between the theoretical number of fatal victims — hundreds of millions — and the actual number of victims — five — highlights the challenges in effectively distributing even a highly virulent and weaponized strain of an organism to a large number of potential victims.
To summarize: obtaining a biological agent is fairly simple. Isolating a virulent strain and then weaponizing that strain is somewhat more difficult. But the key to biological warfare — effectively distributing a weaponized agent to the intended target — is the really difficult part of the process. Anyone planning a biological attack against a large target such as a city needs to be concerned about a host of factors such as dilution, wind velocity and direction, particle size and weight, the susceptibility of the disease to ultraviolet light, heat, dryness or even rain. Small-scale localized attacks such as the 2001 anthrax letters or the 1984 salmonella attack undertaken by the Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh cult are far easier to commit.
It is also important to remember that anthrax is not some sort of untreatable super disease. While anthrax does form hardy spores that can remain inert for a period of time, the disease is not easily transmitted from person to person, and therefore is unlikely to create an epidemic outside of the area targeted by the attack. Anthrax infections can be treated by the use of readily available antibiotics. The spores’ incubation period also permits time for early treatment if the attack is noticed.
The deadliest known anthrax incident in recent years occurred in 1979 when an accidental release of aerosolized spores from a Soviet biological weapons facility in Sverdlovsk affected some 94 people — reportedly killing 68 of them. This facility was one of dozens of laboratories that were part of the Soviet Union’s massive and well-funded biological weapons program, one that employed thousands of the country’s brightest scientists. In fact, it was the largest biological weapons program in history.
Perhaps the largest attempt by a nonstate actor to cause mass casualties using anthrax was the series of attacks conducted in 1993 by the Japanese cult group Aum Shinrikyo in Tokyo.
In the late 1980s, Aum’s team of trained scientists spent millions of dollars to develop a series of state-of-the-art biological weapons research and production laboratories. The group experimented with botulinum toxin, anthrax, cholera and Q fever and even tried to acquire the Ebola virus. The group hoped to produce enough biological agent to trigger a global Armageddon. Its first attempts at unleashing mega-death on the world involved the use of botulinum toxin. In April 1990, the group used a fleet of three trucks equipped with aerosol sprayers to release liquid botulinum toxin on targets that included the Imperial Palace, the National Diet of Japan, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, two U.S. naval bases and the airport in Narita. In spite of the massive quantities of toxin released, there were no mass casualties, and, in fact, nobody outside of the cult was even aware the attacks had taken place.
When the botulinum operations failed to produce results, Aum’s scientists went back to the drawing board and retooled their biological weapons facilities to produce anthrax. By mid-1993, they were ready to launch attacks involving anthrax; between June and August of 1993, the group sprayed thousands of gallons of aerosolized liquid anthrax in Tokyo. This time, Aum not only employed its fleet of sprayer trucks but also used aerosol sprayers mounted on the roof of their headquarters to disperse a cloud of aerosolized anthrax over the city. Again, the attacks produced no results and were not even noticed. It was only after the group’s successful 1995 subway attacks using sarin nerve agent that a Japanese government investigation discovered that the 1990 and 1993 biological attacks had occurred.
Biological Weapons Production
Aum Shinrikyo’s team of highly trained scientists worked under ideal conditions in a first-world country with a virtually unlimited budget. They were able to travel the world in search of deadly organisms and even received technical advice from former Soviet scientists. The team worked in large, modern laboratory facilities to produce substantial quantities of biological weapons. They were able to operate these facilities inside industrial parks and openly order the large quantities of laboratory equipment they required. Yet, in spite of the millions of dollars the group spent on its biological weapons program — and the lack of any meaningful interference from the Japanese government — Aum still experienced problems in creating virulent biological agents and also found it difficult to dispense those agents effectively.
Today, al Qaeda finds itself operating in a very different environment than that experienced by Aum Shinrikyo in 1993. At that time, nobody was looking for Aum or its biological and chemical weapons program. By contrast, since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States and its allies have actively pursued al Qaeda leaders and sought to dismantle and defang the organization. The United States and its allies have focused a considerable amount of resources in tracking and disassembling al Qaeda’s chemical and biological warfare efforts. The al Qaeda network has had millions of dollars of its assets seized in a number of countries, and it no longer has the safe haven of Afghanistan from which to operate. The chemical and biological facilities the group established in the 1990s in Afghanistan — such as the Deronta training camp, where cyanide and other toxins were used to kill dogs, and a crude anthrax production facility in Kandahar — have been found and destroyed by U.S. troops.
Operating in the badlands along the Pakistani-Afghan border, al Qaeda cannot easily build large modern factories capable of producing large quantities of agents or toxins. Such fixed facilities are expensive and consume a lot of resources. Even if al Qaeda had the spare capacity to invest in such facilities, the fixed nature of them means that they could be compromised and quickly destroyed by the United States.
If al Qaeda could somehow create and hide a fixed biological weapons facility in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas or North-West Frontier Province, it would still face the daunting task of transporting large quantities of biological agents from the Pakistani badlands to targets in the United States or Europe. Al Qaeda operatives certainly can create and transport small quantities of these compounds, but not enough to wreak the kind of massive damage it desires.
Al Qaeda’s lead chemical and biological weapons expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, was reportedly killed on July 28, 2008, by a U.S. missile strike on his home in Pakistan. Al-Sayid, who had a $5 million dollar bounty on his head, was initially reported to have been one of those killed in the January 2006 strike in Damadola. If he was indeed killed, his death should be another significant blow to the group’s biological warfare efforts.
Of course, we must recognize that the jihadist threat goes just beyond the al Qaeda core. As we have been writing for several years now, al Qaeda has undergone a metamorphosis from a smaller core group of professional operatives into an operational model that encourages independent grassroots jihadists to conduct attacks. The core al Qaeda group, through men like al-Sayid, has published manuals in hard copy and on the Internet that provide instructions on how to manufacture rudimentary biological weapons.
It is our belief that independent jihadist cells and lone-wolf jihadists will almost certainly attempt to brew up some of the recipes from the al Qaeda cookbook. There also exists a very real threat that a jihadist sympathizer could obtain a small quantity of deadly biological organisms by infiltrating a research facility.
This means that we likely will see some limited attempts at employing biological weapons. That does not mean, however, that such attacks will be large-scale or create mass casualties.
The Bottom Line
While there has been much consternation and alarm-raising over the potential for widespread proliferation of biological weapons and the possible use of such weapons on a massive scale, there are significant constraints on such designs. The current dearth of substantial biological weapons programs and arsenals by governments worldwide, and the even smaller number of cases in which systems were actually used, seems to belie — or at least bring into question — the intense concern about such programs.
While we would like to believe that countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia have halted their biological warfare programs for some noble ideological or humanitarian reason, we simply can’t. If biological weapons were in practice as effective as some would lead us to believe, these states would surely maintain stockpiles of them, just as they have maintained their nuclear weapons programs. Biological weapons programs were abandoned because they proved to be not as effective as advertised and because conventional munitions proved to provide more bang for the buck.
In some ways, the psychological fear of a “super weapon” — undetectable, microscopic, easily delivered and extremely deadly — shapes assessment of the threat, more so than an objective understanding of actual capability and intent (not to mention the extreme difficulties of ever creating some sort of a super bug). Conventional weapons systems, and unconventional tactics, continue to be the most cost-effective and proven methods of warfare, whether between state actors or between state and nonstate actors. Nuclear weapons have also been shown to have true weapons of mass destruction power.
To help keep the cost-benefit calculation of a biological warfare program in perspective, consider that Seung-Hui Cho, the man who committed the shooting at Virginia Tech, killed 32 people — more than six times as many as were killed by the 2001 anthrax letters. John Mohammed, the so-called “D.C. Sniper,” was able to cause a considerable amount of panic and kill twice as many people (10) by simply purchasing and using one assault rifle. Compare Mohammed’s effort and expenses to that of the Aum Shinrikyo anthrax program that took years of work by a huge team and millions of dollars to develop but infected no one.
Now, just because biological weapons are not all they are cracked up to be does not mean that efforts to undermine the biological warfare plans and efforts of militant groups such as al Qaeda should not continue or that programs to detect such agents or develop more effective treatments and vaccines should be halted. Even though an anthrax attack probably will not kill huge numbers of people, as we saw in the case of the anthrax letters, such an attack can be quite disruptive. Cleaning up after such an attack is expensive and takes considerable time and effort. Like a dirty bomb, an anthrax attack will more likely serve as a weapon of mass disruption and not a weapon of mass destruction.
Due to the disruption and the potential for some deaths as a result of an anthrax attack, the threat against the United States does remain a significant concern. However, the threat it represents is not as great as that of conventional attacks using firearms and explosives against soft targets, and it certainly does not rise anywhere near the level of a threat posed by a terrorist attack using a nuclear weapon.
Homeland security resources are very limited and have been shrinking as we move further from 9/11 and as other items begin to take precedence in the federal budget. This means that an array of different programs is being forced to scramble for an ever-shrinking piece of the funding pie. In such an environment, it is often a temptation to overstate the threat. Such overstatements are harmful because they can sometimes prevent a rational distribution of resources and prevent resources from being allocated to where they are needed most.
Tell Stratfor What You Think
This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to www.stratfor.com
Titles from the pay to read part of Stratford, look interesting:
[Should be able to read the cached copy]
The communist sites are on this one:
Very interesting:
Published today:
Cuba:
I did not search all the titles:
http://www.stratfor.com/regions/latin_america
[Top FBI cases in the history file]
http://www.fbi.gov/fbihistorybook.htm
The Russian Cossack Turned Special Agent
Emilio Kosterlitzky was one of the most colorful characters to ever serve as a special agent.
A cultured, Russian-born man of the world, he spent four decades in the Russian and Mexican militaries, rising to the rank of brigadier general in Mexico. To avoid the dangerous tribulations of the ongoing Mexican Revolution, he settled down in Los Angeles in 1914.
In 1917, the same year as the Bolshevik revolution in his native land, he joined the FBI. He was 63.
Kosterlitzky was appointed a “special employee,” like today’s investigative assistant but with more authority. And with his deep military experience and international flair (including strong connections throughout Mexico and the Southwest U.S. and the ability to speak, read, and write more than eight languages) he excelled at it. His work included not only translations but also undercover work.
On May 1, 1922, Kosterlitzky was appointed a Bureau special agent at a salary of six dollars a day. Because of his unique qualifications he was assigned to work border cases and to conduct liaison with various Mexican informants and officials. By all accounts, he showed exceptional diplomacy and skill.
In 1926, Kosterlitzky was ordered to report to the Bureau’s office in Phoenix but could not comply because of a serious heart condition. He resigned on September 4, 1926. Less than two years later this grand old gentleman died and was buried in Los Angeles.
Al-Haramain and the Jihad against Free Speech
By Patrick Poole
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/authors.aspx?GUID=23b42d9a-65c4-4014-8f95-63461119400a
FrontPageMagazine.com | Thursday, July 31, 2008
July 31, 2008 Anti-Terrorism News - UnitedStatesAction.com
(Iraq) Suicide car bomb kills three Iraqi policemen — in Mosul
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/africa/ME-Iraq.php
Iraq arrests another 14 suspects in Qaeda bastion — on Thursday - in Diyala province
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/July/middleeast_July781.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
(Iraq) Report: Iraqi photographer detained by U.S. military — Al-Mashhadani works for Reuters and BBC
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/africa/ME-Iraq-Detained-Journalist.php
Afghan and NATO troops kill 20 Taliban — in Andar district, Ghazni province
http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnISL275007.html
— 18 Taliban killed in Uruzgan province on Wednesday
(Afghanistan) Three injured in blast outside Pakistan consulate in Afghanistan - Herat province bicycle bomb
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1928447&Language=en
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2381543615
— Pakistan summons Afghan envoy over consulate blast
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/July/subcontinent_July1024.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
(Afghanistan) Iraq militant group head said to be in Afghanistan
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080731/ts_nm/iraq_afghan_militants_dc_3;_ylt=AuUMBF5k2wanOjyUGSb13vjOVooA
(Afghanistan) NATO must do more in southern Afghanistan: Canada
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080731/wl_nm/afghan_dc_2;_ylt=AiqrVZdw6dszozSz3D6OtJbOVooA
(Afghanistan) Report says Taliban using sophisticated media network to undermine government
http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=X072406AU&newsitemid=73169036&languageid=1
(Afghanistan) US sees rise in Pakistani fighters in Afghanistan
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/July/subcontinent_July1014.xml§ion=subcontinent
(Pakistan) NWFP: Thirteen civilians, ten militants killed in Swat operation
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1928436&Language=en
(Pakistan) NWFP: Taliban threatens suicide attacks - in Swat
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg1_3
— Taliban warn MPs from Swat to quit
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg1_2
— NWFP govt in legal limbo over militants’ release
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_47
(Pakistan) NWFP: Militants kidnap bank officials in Hangu while talks continue
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_16
(Pakistan) NWFP: Gunmen kill DI Khan DAO in suspected sectarian attack
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_15
(Pakistan) FATA: PM Advisor Malik blames Afghanistan, India for FATA unrest
http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/31/top2.htm
(Pakistan) FATA: Taliban Shura condemns US attacks on S Waziristan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_19
— Pentagon says attacks on militant sites will continue
http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/31/top9.htm
(Pakistan) FATA: Taliban re-occupy PTV booster in Bajaur
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_22
Pakistan using ads to appeal to Taliban - to end campaign of bombing girls’ schools
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pak_using_ads_to_appeal_to_Taliban/articleshow/3307746.cms
(Pakistan) Taliban warn ‘un-Islamic’ businesses of dire consequences — Says women to wear hijab or be ready to get burnt with acid
— Punjab province
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_18
(Pakistan) Terrorists develop ‘suicide underwear’ - to evade body searches
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg1_4
Pakistan’s deals see more militancy in Afghanistan, says NATO
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\07\31\story_31-7-2008_pg7_6
(Pakistan) US says Pakistani spies forewarn Al Qaeda allies
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/July/subcontinent_July1016.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
— Pakistan probes Taliban collusion - Prime minister sees no spy ties
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/31/pakistan-probes-taliban-collusion/
(India J&K) Bomb defused on Kashmir pilgrimage route: police — on highway used daily by hundreds of Hindus
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/July/subcontinent_July1019.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/15_kg_IED_found_on_Amarnath_Yatra_route/articleshow/3309931.cms
(India) Locals involved in terror acts: Gujarat police
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Locals_involved_in_terror_acts_Gujarat_police/articleshow/3310056.cms
— Absconding terrorists keep cops guessing
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Absconding_terrorists_keep_cops_guessing/articleshow/3308145.cms
(India) Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad arrest three in terror mail case — Ahmedabad/Mumbai
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Mumbai_ATS_arrest_three_in_terror_mail_case_/articleshow/3308467.cms
(India) Japan closes India visa office, warns over bombings
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/July/subcontinent_July1018.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
— Japanese embassy gets warnings of more bombs
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331153840&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(India) Tamil Nadu (TN) terror module has no links with SIMI, LeT: Police
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/SIMI_LeT_not_behind_TN_terror_module/articleshow/3310975.cms
— TN police bust LTTE’s supply chain
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai/TN_police_bust_LTTEs_supply_chain/articleshow/3310293.cms
(U.S.) Terrorism focus of new U.S. military strategy: report
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080731/ts_nm/usa_military_report_dc_1;_ylt=AjDvcYRgkhIthcsUaOg5s_wTv5UB
— Gates Sees Terrorism Remaining Enemy No. 1 - New Defense Strategy Shifts Focus From Conventional Warfare
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003240.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR
— multi-dimensional conflict more complex and diverse than the Cold War confrontation with communism
— military efforts to capture or kill terrorists are likely to be subordinate to measures to promote local participation in government and
economic programs to spur development, as well as efforts to understand and address the grievances that often lie at the heart of insurgencies
(U.S.) Washington Times: Interview with James K. Glassman, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, in war against “extremism”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/31/inside-the-ring-9598419/
— references “Dr. Fadl” as “credible voice... against extremism” — who continues to support global Jihad in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, etc.
— see also Jeffrey Imm July 16 posting
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/07/false_reports_on_jihad.php
(U.S.) Guantanamo Bay: Court hears Bin Laden’s driver lacked terror resume — Salim Hamden
http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKNASU7300220080730
(U.S.) Fireworks at Terrorism Hearing
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/07/isna_mpac_pr_campaign.php
— see also Jeffrey Imm July 30 posting
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/07/isna_mpac_pr_campaign.php
(U.S.) White House cuts into CIA
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24108680-23109,00.html
(U.S.) Half of Voters Still Say U.S. is Winning the War on Terror
http://news.yahoo.com/s/rasmussen/20080730/pl_rasmussen/warterror20080730
(U.S.) Michigan: Canton Man, 18, Charged With Terrorism, Assault — Threatened To Derail Train With Explosives
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/17037699/detail.html
Iran again rejects nuclear deadline
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080731/wl_afp/irannuclearpolitics_080731082904;_ylt=ApEh_G.P0d2lOdM1qWKpctdSw60A
— Nonaligned countries back Iran’s nuclear program
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear_2;_ylt=AimZ8Qr27Fb0URIOxKYQb7dSw60A
Hamas frees German TV’s cameraman
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/africa/ME-Palestinians-German-TV.php
Gaza summer camps teach kids to fire rockets
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3575660,00.html
(West Bank) IDF arrests 8 Palestinian terror suspects in West Bank operations
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331150996&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
In Wake of Tahdiah Agreement, Escalation in Hamas-Fatah Conflict and in Fatah’s Position Vis-a-vis Israel
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA45808
(Israel) ‘PM will try for peace deal with Palestinians before end of term’
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331154665&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Nigeria: Reps Accuse Niger Dock of Importing Arms for Militants
http://allafrica.com/stories/200807310507.html
(Sudan) 22 sentenced to death for rebel attack in Sudan
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/africa/AF-Sudan-Rebels.php
Sudan’s al-Bashir vows never to deal with ICC
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/africa/AF-Sudan.php
(Turkey) Report: Attack on Turkish military vehicle; 1 dead
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/europe/EU-Turkey-Attack.php
French court to try 11 Kurds over attacks in France
http://www.expatica.com/fr/articles/news/French-court-to-try-11-Kurds-over-attacks-in-France.html
(Greece) Newspaper: New group claims Greek bomb attack — “Popular Will” takes claim for 2004 bombing
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_re_eu/greece_terror_group_1;_ylt=AiVL.6pyjYhA81dexluT6ckTv5UB
(Thailand) Insurgents kill a local school teacher in Pattani
— and in Narathiwat, bomb exploded at a local outdoor market, injuring 12 people
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/31/national/national_30079472.php
(Philippines) N. Cotabato warns of bloodshed if Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) pact will be signed
— that would define new territories for Muslims in Mindanao
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080731-151834/N-Cotabato-warns-of-bloodshed-if-MILF-pact-will-be-signed
(Australia) Melboune 12 trial: Accused terrorists kept receipts for common fund
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24106715-5006785,00.html
Sri Lanka fighting kills 30 as summit nears
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/asia/AS-Sri-Lanka-Civil-War.php
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080731/wl_asia_afp/srilankaunrestsaarc_080731073152
(North Korea) U.S. envoy goes to China to push N.Korea verification
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080730/wl_nm/korea_north_usa_dc_1;_ylt=AqGHcc5B0_PoGsBybB993Q6CscEA
(Colombia) FARC Figure Vows To Fight On,Rules Out Talks With Colombia-TV
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080730\ACQDJON200807301623DOWJONESDJONLINE000910.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=FARC%20Figure%20Vows%20To%20Fight%20On,Rules%20Out%20Talks%20With%20Colombia-TV
Other News:
(U.S.) Head of Saudi school admits he didn’t report abuse — Islamic Saudi Academy in Virginia’s director Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan
failed to report abuse on 5 year old girl
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_re_us/saudi_academy_1
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/30/head-of-saudi-school-admits-he-didnt-report-abuse/
http://www.nbc4.com/news/17041223/detail.html?rss=dc&psp=news
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/30/saudi-funded-islamic-scho_n_115953.html
Afghan TV journalist freed from detention — Nasir Fayaz critical of government
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_re_as/afghan_media_3;_ylt=AuDdohZPng3CkLIyMfDg36_OVooA
Turkey ruling party insists it’s not anti-secular — tells CNN
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/europe/EU-Turkey-Ruling-Party.php
(UK) The hijab goes high-fashion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/28/fashion.women
(UK) Passport theft police ‘arrest delivery man’
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4435145.ece
— theft sparked fears they were to be used by terrorists, but the Home Office stressed that an embedded chip would make the
passports “unusable”
(China) Defiant China hits out at US, stands firm on Internet
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080731/wl_afp/oly2008_16;_ylt=AmYA_1xyd_wQWBR3wPvommxPzWQA
Facebook: ‘Anti-Semitic’ group hijacked by Jewish force
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2478773/Facebook-Anti-semitic-group-destroyed-by-Israeli-hackers.html
Against Nazi News:
German officials dig up neo-Nazi grave to remove swastika flag
http://www.expatica.com/de/articles/news/German-officials-dig-up-neo_Nazi-grave-to-remove-swastika-flag-.html
Speer Aide Made Satirical Cartoons of Hitler’s ‘Germania’
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,569118,00.html
__._,_.___
If reposting elsewhere, please credit source of this research as UnitedStatesAction.com
http://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/hp1096.htm
July 31, 2008
HP-1096
Treasury Targets FARC Financiers and Drug-Traffickers
Washington, DC—The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated six companies and 13 individuals that act on behalf of and materially assist the narcotics trafficking activities of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated narco-terrorist organization. Today’s designation, made pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), is OFAC’s fifth action against the FARC in the past eight months.
“Today’s action is the latest in a series of blows to the FARC and builds on the Colombian government’s recent successes against this corrupt narco-terrorist group,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “Our designation targets the logistical and financial support network of the FARC’s 1st Front, the arm of this terrorist group responsible for holding the hostages recently rescued by the Colombian authorities.”
One of the FARC individuals sanctioned today, Alexander Farfan Suarez (a.k.a. “Enrique Gafas”), was captured by Colombian authorities during the July 2, 2008 hostage rescue mission that freed three U.S. citizens—Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes, and Keith Stansell—who were held captive roughly five years, as well as 12 other hostages held by the FARC. Also captured was the FARC’s 1st Front commander, Gerardo Antonio Aguilar Ramirez (a.k.a. “Cesar”), who was designated by OFAC on September 28, 2006.
This OFAC sanctions investigation targets a logistical and financial support network of the FARC’s 1st Front, run by Nancy Conde Rubio (a.k.a. “Doris Adriana”). Conde Rubio, arrested by Colombian authorities in February 2008, oversaw individuals and entities that used money derived from FARC narcotics sales to procure weapons, ammunition, communications gear, medical equipment, uniforms, and airplane fuel. Conde Rubio communicated with various persons in the FARC network targeted by this action using Communicaciones Unidas de Colombia Ltda., a call center located in Villavicencio, Colombia, operated by FARC associate Ana Isabel Pena Arevalo. This FARC network laundered its drug trafficking monies through two money exchange businesses or cambistas - Cambios Euro Ltda. and La Monedita De Oro Ltda. - both located in Bogota, Colombia. Two other Bogota-based FARC front companies, Dizriver Y Cia S. En C. and Colchones Sunmoons Ltda., were also designated.
Conde Rubio and eight other individuals sanctioned by OFAC today were named in a February 2008 U.S. federal indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for materially assisting the FARC.
Also designated today is Jose Maria Corredor Ibague (a.k.a. “Boyaco”), considered one of the FARC’s most prolific arms-for-drugs traffickers of the past few years. Josue Cuesta Leon (a.k.a. “El Viejo”) and Edilma Morales Loaiza, both key arms traffickers involved in the FARC’s drug trafficking activities, were also named.
OFAC’s sanctions investigation of the FARC’s 1st Front would not have been possible without the support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
In addition, Exchange Center Ltda., a Colombian cambista linked to the FARC’s 27th Front is being designated by OFAC today. Previously, on May 7, 2008, OFAC designated Mercurio International S.A., a Colombian money exchange house (”casa de cambio”) for providing support to the FARC.
On May 29, 2003, President George W. Bush identified the FARC as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act. Previously, in 2001, OFAC designated the FARC as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, and in 1997 the FARC was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Secretary of State.
Today’s action freezes any assets the designated entities and individuals may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions involving those assets. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1,075,000 per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000,000. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10,000,000. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code.
For a complete list of the individuals and entities designated today, please visit:
http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/actions/
To view previous OFAC actions directed against the FARC, please visit:
*
Treasury Action against the FARC on May 7, 2008.
*
Treasury Action against the FARC on April 22, 2008.
*
Treasury Action against the FARC on January 15, 2008.
*
Treasury Action against the FARC on November 1, 2007.
*
Treasury Action against the FARC on September 28, 2006.
*
Treasury Action against the FARC on February 19, 2004.
July 31, 2008 PM Anti-Terrorism News - UnitedStatesAction.com
Iraq: Troops arrest 189 in security swoop - in Diyala
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2382082778
(Afghanistan) Al-Qaida commander killed in Afghanistan — Abu Abdullah al-Shami had escaped from Bagram prison 3 years ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/al_qaida_commander_killed_1;_ylt=AoG0Irvnn.LbmBiA7xo4Y3YTv5UB
(Afghanistan) ABC: Taliban - ‘We’re Too Busy in Afghanistan’ to Work with Pakistan
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5490126&page=1
(Pakistan) Roznama Ausaf: New Taliban Outfit Surfaces In Southern Punjab
http://www.thememriblog.org/urdupashtu/blog_personal/en/8868.htm
Pakistan FM says ‘minor incidents’ not to mar war on terror
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080731/wl_sthasia_afp/uspakistanattacksciaqureshi_080731183150;_ylt=Ajeh5s6ccy10v4e0YmCkJGwTv5UB
(U.S.) Prosecution finishes in first Guantanamo trial — Salim Hamdan trial
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080731/wl_nm/guantanamo_hearings_dc_4;_ylt=Aggh.fcwZKMjDMFvKVLRYSYTv5UB
— Guantanamo judge allows disputed interrogation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_bin_laden_s_driver_12;_ylt=Ao2MyhsIL4lKc_i3nQqjZyQTv5UB
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/222785,federal-agent-testifies-in-hamdan-case-over-defences-objections.html
(U.S.) TSA may fine for wrong terrorist IDs — may fine airlines up to $25,000 when they wrongly tell passengers they’re on a terrorist watch list
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/31/TSA_may_fine_for_wrong_terrorist_IDs/UPI-50381217527074/
U.S. National Defense 2008 document (PDF) at WP website
http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/national_defense_strategy_073108.pdf?sid=ST2008073100531&pos=list
(U.S.) Treasury Targets FARC Financiers and Drug-Traffickers
http://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/hp1096.htm
(Iran) US holds back from imposing strict nuclear deadline on Iran
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080731/pl_afp/irannuclearpoliticsus_080731160359;_ylt=Av_EvoGEAhl9.AqymuFosD9Sw60A
(Gaza) Hizb ut-Tahrir: Thousands of supporters of worldwide Islamic state march in Gaza
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331160956&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(West Bank) Abbas: Release 200 Hamas prisoners in West Bank
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/31/africa/ME-Palestinians-Hamas-Prisoners.php
Palestinian Authority officials: ‘Zero’ chance of peace deal by year’s end
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331163057&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Somalia: Insurgents Kill Police Officer in Sneak Attack — in Mogadishu
http://allafrica.com/stories/200807311228.html
Somali insurgents reject UN-mediated truce — Armed Islamist group insists accord signed in Djibouti is null, Sharia law must be implemented
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27172
(North Korea) US: NKorea must address “abysmal” human rights
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_go_co/us_nkorea_1;_ylt=Ar7ySFXadtodbxO789TDnfWCscEA
Commentaries:
The Jihad against Free Speech — by Patrick Poole
http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=7E42EB9C-39CD-4E55-87DA-D6A389A6D9CD
“The First Time Ever They Saw Jihad?” — Israel’s Chelmite “Leadership”
http://www.andrewbostom.org/blog/2008/07/31/%E2%80%9Cthe-first-time-ever-they-saw-jihad%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94israel%E2%80%99s-chelmite-%E2%80%9Cleadership%E2%80%9D/
Other News:
(U.S.) Obama appoints Muslim liaison — Mazen Asbahi
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/Obama_appoints_Muslim_liaison.html
http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=673
— biography of Mazen Asbahi in Chicago law firm of SchiffHardin
http://www.schiffhardin.com/MazenAsbahi.htm
— role of Mazen Asbahi in 2006 board of directors of Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (IPSU)
http://ispu.org/files/PDFs/nl.mar%202006.final.pdf
http://www.ispu.us/files/PDFs/nl.2006-12.pdf
http://ispu.org/about_ispu/board_of_directors.html
http://ispu.org/about_ispu/pagedetailpbpfv_all.html
— role of Mazen Asbahi in 2005 board of directors of Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (IPSU)
http://www.ispu.org/files/PDFs/nl.2005-04.pdf
— IPSU advisor in March 2006 newsletter urged U.S. “to not derail the democratically elected Hamas-led government”
http://ispu.org/files/PDFs/nl.mar%202006.final.pdf
— July 2006 IPSU newsletter: “publishing the cartoons of Muhammad in the United States could be made a criminal offense”
— in same issue Mazen Asbahi named as “Executive Director” of IPSU
http://www.ispu.org/files/PDFs/nl.2006-07.pdf
— while Mazen Ashbah was Executive Director of IPSU, ISPU Fellow Dr. Louay Safi spoke on “Islamophobia” conferecne in Washingt DD
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/24568
— Louay Safi has served as Executive Director and Director of Research for the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)
— headquartered in Herndon, VA with seed money from Muslim Brotherhood
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014538.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louay_M._Safi
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12823-2004Sep10_4.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_of_Islamic_Thought
— Louay Safi also serves today as ISNA Leadership Development Center (ILDC) executive director
http://www.isna.net/articles/ILDC-News/Combating-Islamophobia-in-Milwaukee.aspx
http://web.archive.org/web/20040225180221/www.isna.net/news/miniheadlines.asp?dismode=article&artid=219
— Mazen Asbahi was also director of publications for the Nawawi Foundation, which include ISNA’s Ingrid Mattson on Board of Directors
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nawawi_Foundation
— Nawawi Foundation hosted Hamza Yusef Hanson to speak
http://www.nawawi.org/courses/event_connecting_to_god.html
http://www.zaytuna.org/eventDetails.asp?id=23
-— Hamza Yusef has described Judaism as a “most racist religion”
http://ohioagainstterror.blogspot.com/2008/07/1995-isna-convention-judaism-most.html
Turkish ruling party drops bid to lift scarf ban
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_8;_ylt=ArD8MXvTxDCY94_3Qn1J0OXtfLkA
(Hamas) Son of top Hamas leader converts to Christianity
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71097
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1007097.html
Saudi Arabia: Academic gets 600 lashes for ‘phone relationship’ with female pupil
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=1.0.2379436708
— woman also got 350 lashes and 4 months in prison
Saudi Arabia bans sale of dogs, cats in capital
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_dog_and_cat_ban;_ylt=Amw_ovubQ35JltoZGaQ88bDuOrgF
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