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Threat Matrix: 2010
Freerepublic.com ^ | 12/31/2009 | Freeper TMers

Posted on 12/31/2009 10:06:46 AM PST by Velveeta

:::FreeRepublic's Threat Matrix:::
Critical Threats: Blank When None
Al Qaeda’s Yemen Connection, America and the Global Islamic Jihad

December 30, 2009 — The attempt to destroy Northwest Airlines flight 253 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day underscores the growing ambition of al Qaeda's Yemen franchise, which has grown from a largely Yemeni agenda to become a player in the global Islamic jihad in the last year. Since merging with the al Qaeda franchise in Saudi Arabia last January and renaming itself Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), it has stepped up operations in Yemen itself, struck into Saudi Arabia, and now operates on the global stage. The weak Yemeni government of President Ali Abdallah Salih, which has never fully controlled the country and now faces a host of growing problems, will need significant American support to defeat AQAP.

Al Qaeda has long been active in Yemen, the original homeland of Osama bin Laden's family, and one of its first major terror attacks was conducted in Aden in 2000, when an al Qaeda cell nearly sank the USS Cole. A year ago, the al Qaeda franchises in Saudi Arabia and Yemen merged after the Saudi branch had been effectively repressed by the Saudi authorities under the leadership of Deputy Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Nayif. The new AQAP showed its claws last August, when it almost assassinated the prince with a suicide bomber who had passed through at least two airports on the way to his attempt on Nayif.

(snip)

The attack on the Amsterdam-Detroit flight also shows that al Qaeda remains obsessed with striking the American airline industry, a target it has gone after repeatedly since 1999. If AQAP has now been told by the al Qaeda core leadership to take on the job, we can probably assume that other al Qaeda franchises in North Africa, Iraq, Southeast Asia and elsewhere have also been pressed to attack.

The Brookings Institution



Threat Matrix:
2010
Click for Color Code Information

Threat Matrix: Since November 3, 2003
"No matter where you live in the world, this is a message that bears repeating:
Your assistance is needed to prevent terrorist acts."
From TM'er and Freeper ~appalachian_dweller~
Submit Information Online: FBI Tips & Public Leads
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Click here to send a message to the troops!

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From TM'er and Freeper ~Cindy~
Intelligence is the best weapon against terrorism.
National Commission on Terrorism: 1999



TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cranswick; lacklancranswick; terror; terrorism; threatmatrix; tm; wot
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To: JesusBmyGod

- Nigeria: MEND on 30 Jan. ends 25 Oct. truce, threatens new wave of attacks against oil facilities

- Somalia: British hostages Paul and Rachel Chandler seen in new video filmed on 28 Jan. by AFP in which they say they are not being treated well and beg British government to secure their release

- Kenya: US Embassy on 15 Jan.: has been threat to kidnap Westerners in Dadaab refugee camp... Reports state al-Shabaab agents plan to enter Dadaab refugee camp feigning to visit relatives/friends and then kidnap any Westerner in vicinity. US citizens should exercise extreme caution when traveling in northeastern Kenya in light of this current threat and recent kidnappings of Westerners (including US citizens) near Somali border.


2,041 posted on 02/03/2010 8:01:48 PM PST by JustPiper (Where IS the "Progress in PROGRESSIVE" ?!?)
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To: JustPiper
Bad moon rising...

(RFE/RL) -- The deputy head of Iran's judiciary says nine more protesters are to be executed soon over the unrest that erupted following the controversial June presidential elections.
Iran's Fars news agency quoted Ebrahim Raisi as saying that the nine were linked to counterrevolutionary groups and planned to topple the Islamic regime.
The death sentences were issued on January 28, but the defendants' lawyers appealed the initial verdict. The same day, Iran hanged two opposition protesters, reportedly linked to monarchist groups.
Paris-based political analyst Ali Keshtgar tells RFE/RL's Radio Farda that those executions were aimed at testing the opposition ahead of protests planned to coincide with the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on February 11.
Keshtgar says that the government will see then "to what extent the executions have been effective in weakening the national will for protesting."

Warning To Opposition

The two who were executed, 37-year-old Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and 19-year-old Arash Rahmanipour, were among a group of 11 people sentenced to death on charges including "waging war against God" and being members of armed groups.
It was unclear, however, whether the nine protesters now facing execution were part of this same group of 11.
Ebrahim Raisi said the nine were linked to counterrevolutionary groups.More than 100 detainees were put on trial following street protests that erupted in Iran following last year's reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, which the opposition says was rigged in favor of the incumbent.
The protests triggered Iran's worst civil unrest since the 1979 revolution that saw the overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah and the establishment of the Islamic republic.
Some hard-liners have urged the judiciary to execute more opposition supporters to end the demonstrations.
But on February 1, Iran's top judge, Sadeq Larijani, said such demands were "political in nature and are against the law and Shari'a."
Quoted on the judiciary's official website, "Dadsara," Larijani said, however, that he did not rule out further executions against those who violate the law.

'Roots Of Tyranny And Dictatorship'

Meanwhile, opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi said such repression showed that the 1979 Islamic Revolution had failed to achieve its goals.
In an interview posted on his website, Musavi said that "the roots of tyranny and dictatorship" that marked the shah's era still existed in Iran.
He also said he would continue his fight for people's rights despite pressure by hard-liners to end antigovernment protests.
In his interview, Musavi condemned the violent methods used against protesters and said that "peaceful protests are Iranians' right."
Musavi's comments came as Iran marks the 31st anniversary of the 1979 revolution.
The 10 days of ceremonies and events are to culminate with pro-government rallies on February 11 -- the day marking the collapse of the regime of Iran's U.S.-backed shah.
Members of Iran's political opposition have also called for antigovernment demonstrations on that day.

2,042 posted on 02/03/2010 8:10:15 PM PST by MestaMachine (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2426869/posts SUPPORT RINO FREE AMERICA)
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Video: Stunning clandestine tape from Iran on coming 2/11 demonstrations. This will give you chills!!!

Anniversary of Islamic Revolution May Bring New Clashes in Iran

On Heels of Failed Intercept Test, Missile Defense Leader Excoriates Contractors

How to Save the Obama Presidency: Bomb Iran- by Daniel Pipes

"Kill Jews" papers distributed in Brooklyn

He's been targeted for death by Islamic extremist groups, the Romanian and Mexican mafias and white supremacist groups. One fugitive now wants his head, he claims.
Man who says he spied on mosques for FBI files lawsuit against the feds--Craig Monteilh says he lives in danger.

2,043 posted on 02/03/2010 8:15:12 PM PST by JustPiper (Where IS the "Progress in PROGRESSIVE" ?!?)
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To: JustPiper

Oh my gosh Piper! I need to get a life! ;)


2,044 posted on 02/03/2010 8:17:27 PM PST by caww
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To: JustPiper; caww

Basiji paramilitary forces in Tehran. According to Eslami, there is now dissent even among the regime's security forces.

Abolfazl Eslami served in Iran’s Foreign Ministry for 25 years. That came to an end four years ago, when he learned that the authorities had become “sensitive" about him.
The 50-year-old Eslami says it was his criticism of Tehran’s handling of the death of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian journalist, that first got him into trouble.
Kazemi was arrested while taking pictures outside of Iran's notorious Evin Prison in 2003. She later died in a Tehran hospital amid allegations that she was severely beaten and tortured in prison. Prison officials, however, said Kazemi had a stroke.
Eslami, who was the Canada desk officer from 2004 to 2006 at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, says he had on several occasions stood up for Kazemi and publicly said that the case had hurt Iran and its ties with Canada.
The trouble began for Eslami following the 2005 election of hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who replaced the reformist Mohammad Khatami. That's when the atmosphere in the Foreign Ministry changed, the former diplomat says.
Under Khatami, “we could voice our opinions at the Foreign Ministry, the [suppression] was not so bad,” Eslami says. “As an expert, I used to express my views, but after Khatami’s term ended and Mahmud Ahmadinejad came to power and Manuchehr Mottaki became foreign minister, my friends in the security [department] told me: ‘They have become sensitive about you and you could get into trouble.’”
Diplomat Abolfazl Eslami Eslami decided he had to leave Iran, and within just a few days, he flew to Japan, where he had served from 2001 to 2004 as a consul at the Iranian Embassy.
He says a delegation traveled to Tokyo to try to get him to return to Tehran. He refused. He was then threatened and warned that his family and friends could end up in jail because of him, he says.
Eslami told RFE/RL in a telephone interview that he decided to remain silent and not to go public about his case. But he says he tried to encourage his former colleagues to follow his example and break ranks with the Iranian establishment.

Back In The Public Eye

One of his letters was recently posted on opposition websites that claimed Eslami resigned over the postelection crackdown.
He says he was surprised to read about his letter, which he says was incomplete and misquoted. Yet the publicizing of the letter and the postelection crackdown in Iran that has left some 70 dead made him break his silence.
“I have many things to say to the people on the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. I want to explain to the people how this [establishment] has become paralyzed from the inside; even their own security forces are not with them,” he says.
He added that people should know that the crackdown has been carried out by a minority – which, according to Eslami, will be defeated through more popular resistance.
Eslami believes many of those employed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry disapprove of the domestic and international policies of the clerical establishment.
He says that some remain silent, despite their disapproval, because of the fear of reprisal, while others decide to stay in government because they believe they can reform the system.
He says in the past four years he has received many e-mails and messages from his friends and former colleagues who have praised him and said that they’d like to follow his example, but they’re afraid that the Iranian regime could hurt them and their families.
“I used to work in the non-proliferation department of the Foreign Ministry,” Eslami says. “All my colleagues there were upset and angry about the nuclear issue and the dealings between Iran and Russia. But there’s nothing they can do.”

Loss Of Trust

The former Iranian diplomat says that because of pressure from security elements, Foreign Ministry employees have to somehow conform and adapt to the existing conditions.
He claims that even many of Iran’s senior diplomats have lost their trust in the Iranian regime and are waiting to see whether it is to their benefit to resign from their posts.
“None of our ambassadors bring back the salaries which they receive in dollars to Tehran,” he says. “They keep it in their bank accounts outside the country. “
Asked whether he’s concerned about Tehran’s reprisal over his interview with RFE/RL, he replies: “I don’t care anymore."
“I see they have spilled so much blood that in order to create fear among people,” Eslami says, citing the execution last week of 19-year-old Arash Rahmanipour on charges of attempting to overthrow the Islamic establishment. “My son is 23, what does he know about political issues?”
“I am one of the Iranian people,” Eslami continued. “They can come here and do anything to me. It would discredit them even more.”
The more blood the Islamic Republic spills, Eslami says, the closer it comes to collapse.

2,045 posted on 02/03/2010 8:25:27 PM PST by MestaMachine (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2426869/posts SUPPORT RINO FREE AMERICA)
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To: MestaMachine

Hi!! Missed being here...

JD does have a site up now. http://www.jd2010.com/

McCain has a lot of name recognition in AZ and to the uninformed that’s all it takes. JD will have his work cut out for him BUT there are lots of us that will help get the word out.

He’ll keep his eye on the ball and while he’s at it he’ll knock it out of McCain’s hands!!


2,046 posted on 02/03/2010 8:29:32 PM PST by azishot (J.D. Hayworth...U.S. Senator FOR Arizona)
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To: caww; All
Iranian Parliament Speaker: Hey, all Islamic states should have nuclear technology!

Thug-In-Chief: "Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11"

VOA promotes Sharia Finance with your taxpayer dollars

Informative Site--Gates of Vienna News Feed

36 US citizens in Yemen may pose threat: report
Some U.S. citizens suspected of training in al-Qaeda camps in Yemen, including dozens who converted to Islam in prison, may pose a serious threat to the United States, a report by a U.S. Senate committee said as the Security Council added the Yemen-based al-Qaeda wing to a U.N. blacklist.
Radicalization

2,047 posted on 02/03/2010 8:32:02 PM PST by JustPiper (Where IS the "Progress in PROGRESSIVE" ?!?)
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To: GlennBeck08; caww; blackie; All

Pssst ‘07, we discussed Joel last nite here. Me thinks you’ll like my first passion thread here at TM, want me to ping you? You could not believe what we find out here :)
Read from this ping on, you likey I promise ‘07!!!

TM’ers must read this:

I wonder if Glenn’s going to touch on the 12th imam thing tomorrow?

http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/guest/05/vonheyking/twelfthimam.html

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/ahmadinejad-says-u-s-trying-to-prevent-arrival-of-12th-imam/

337 posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 5:22:13 PM by GlennBeck08

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2437390/posts?page=337#337

BTW Commies are my 2nd passion, Blackie is my 3rd & you are now my 4th -g-


2,048 posted on 02/03/2010 8:41:10 PM PST by JustPiper (Where IS the "Progress in PROGRESSIVE" ?!?)
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To: JustPiper
Senior intelligence official: US believes Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is dead.

Good news, indeed!!

2,049 posted on 02/03/2010 8:41:48 PM PST by azishot (J.D. Hayworth...U.S. Senator FOR Arizona)
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To: freedumb2003

Well, I truly question if these current events evidences we are now moving toward the “Apocalypse”....there are too many things not in place yet...However just like both gulf wars and now what’s happening, these likely are similiar to what it will look like when nations begin to position themselves on the world stage.

Interesting not much coming out of Britain or Europe at this time....pretty quiet as far as any statements.


2,050 posted on 02/03/2010 9:15:19 PM PST by caww
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To: MestaMachine; All

Obama’s on Drudge...he’s totaly disassociated from the crowd!!! There but not there and it’s obvious. What a glare over his admirers, wonder how much longer this man is going to handle what he’s not handling, and he knows it.


2,051 posted on 02/03/2010 9:27:22 PM PST by caww
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To: rdl6989; JustPiper
Follow-up to the Aussie Woolworths bombing.

Look at all the allusions to Muslim terrorism without actually saying 'Muslim terrorism'. And why did the cops raid a property?

Seven of 19 people injured in the deliberate petrol explosion in a Darwin shopping centre remain in hospital with one doctor describing it as a mini-Bali bombing on "our doorstep".

He said that while this was an explosion on a smaller scale to the 2002 Bali bombings, the fact it had happened in Darwin had "brought the horror to our doorstep".

"We are very familiar with these situations internationally," he said.

"But this is one of those situations where it is on our doorstep and were people from a small community who we are closely associated with.

"It's an event that reminds us of how vigilant we must be in normal circumstances, no matter where we are."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/property-raided-after-darwin-attack/story-e6frf7jx-1225826759699

2,052 posted on 02/03/2010 10:39:19 PM PST by Moe Tzadik
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To: Moe Tzadik; All

Must See Video:

“Rarely in the history of rock ‘n’ roll does a cover version come along that actually dares to exist at the right reactionary time.

Another Brick In The Wall (Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIP38eq-ywc&feature=player_embedded#


2,053 posted on 02/03/2010 10:43:12 PM PST by JustPiper (Where IS the "Progress in PROGRESSIVE" ?!?)
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To: caww

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2443242/posts


2,054 posted on 02/03/2010 11:02:50 PM PST by bitt (One if by land, Two if by sea. Three if by CRIMINALS from Washington, D.C)
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To: MestaMachine

What a site this photo is!

Well, I’m not surprised the leadership is failing...it’s been along time coming. How long Homobendi hangs on with his groupies remains to be seen. I do understand if they get taken out there is a new leadership, outside the country, ready to step in.

It would be great if their own military would turn on them,...won’t be the first time as you know.

Even though Eslami is speaking out.. I honestly don’t trust any of them.


2,055 posted on 02/04/2010 1:29:55 AM PST by caww
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To: All

I came in to Penn Station this morning and the security is extreme like it was after 9/11. There were soldiers, robo cops and DHS agents with big guns everywhere. Dogs everywhere. They are expecting something because they appeared to be on ultra high alert. Cops were boarding and departing with Amtrak trains. Stay safe everyone and put yourself on high alert.


2,056 posted on 02/04/2010 5:43:17 AM PST by jersey117
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To: JustPiper

You’re all heart, Soulmate!! :):)


2,057 posted on 02/04/2010 9:27:38 AM PST by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
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To: jersey117

Ahmadinejad’s 2/11 “telling blow?”


2,058 posted on 02/04/2010 9:56:25 AM PST by Moe Tzadik
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To: jersey117
There were soldiers, robo cops and DHS agents with big guns everywhere. Dogs everywhere.

Did a nearby mosque jihadi report a suspicious straight, American-born White male?

Were three disabled WW II vets (likely terrorists per DHS, Manet Napolitano, and eric holder) seen together?

Did a jihadi leave his dirty bomb at the station and DHS is guarding it for him so no infidels walk off with it - a clear case of RACISM & ISLAMOPHOBIA and the heavy weaponry might be needed to 'apprehend' any ISLAMOPHOBES?

2,059 posted on 02/04/2010 1:00:40 PM PST by Moe Tzadik
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To: JustPiper

Yes, I would like these pings too. Holy crap. Top 4 in the passions? I’ll take it :)


2,060 posted on 02/04/2010 1:20:09 PM PST by GlennBeck08
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