Chicago Train Crash: Video Reports

Five Critical, Nine in Serious Condition Following Train Crash

UPDATE: 15:47 PM 11/30/2007

Five Critical, Nine in Serious Condition Following Train Crash

CHICAGO, IL: Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco this afternoon told the Chicago Tribune that of the dozens taken to hospitals from the scene of the train crash, five were reported to be in critical condition and nine were in serious condition. He said another 30 were taken in good condition, meaning they had only "bumps and bruises," and were able to walk off the train on their own.

Orozco said he expects the number of injured to increase to about 50 by day's end. Amtrak officials said that the train's engineer and assistant engineer were among the five employees who were injured. Officials had to use hydraulic cutting tools to get at people trapped inside the locomotive, which had run up on top of the back car of the freight train.

At least 187 passengers and six crew members were on train No. 371, also known as the Pere Marquette, which was due to arrive at Union Station at 10:30 a.m. after leaving Grand Rapids, Mich., at 7:35 a.m. Instead, The slow-moving double-decker passenger train struck the back of a Norfolk Southern freight train that was sitting in a rail yard near 52nd Street and Shields Avenue around 11:30 a.m..

The exact cause of the crash has not been determined and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to send a "go-team" to begin the process of investigating the incident.

Reference: "5 critically injured in Amtrak crash," Chicago Tribune, can be found on the internet at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-amtrak_webnov30,0,1164839.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

Update: Hostages Released in N.H. Incident

UPDATE: 14:55 PM - 11/30/2007

At least One Hostage Released in Campaign Office Hostage Incident

ROCHESTER, NH: Local police have surrounded the storefront office and snipers were seen on the roofs surrounding the Hillary Clinton campaign office on N. Maine Street in Rochester. Sources told reporters that federal agents, a SWAT team and hostage negotiators were all working at the incident.

One or more hostages, exact number presently unknown, have been released/rescued and removed from danger. It is not known if additional hostages are still at risk. Few officials details concerning the hostages have been released as the incident is still ongoing.

Numerous police and special units have responded to this incident and more were seen arriving in the past 30 minutes. Numerous officers, many dressed in tactical clothing and armed with automatic weapons, were in evidence near the office where the incident is taking place.

A police news conference with Rochester police is expected to take place in a short time, at a building near the scene. More information can be expected at that time. Watch EmergencyNet News for more on this still emerging story...

Additional Reference

Hostage Situation at Clinton Office

November 30, 2007 2:09 PM

From ABCNews: http://blogs.abcnews.com/rapidreport/2007/11/hostage-situati.html

Hostage/Barricade Incident Being Reported At Clinton Campaign Office

11/30/2007 - 12:54:19 PM

EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report

Hostage/Barricade Incident Being Reported At Clinton Campaign Office

ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: A man has reportedly taken one or more hostages at the Hillary Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire.

Reportedly, a man claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest walked into the Clinton office, and may now have taken one or more hostages. No identity of the suspect or motive for the incident is known at the time of this report.

Police have evacuated the area and special units are being dispatched to the scene. Few other official details are currently available as the situation is currently dynamic and on-going.

Watch EmergencyNet News for more details, as circumstances warrant...

Train vrs. Train Crash on Chicago's Southside

12:30 CST - 30 Nov 2007

Train vrs. Train Crash on Chicago's Southside

CHICAGO, IL: An AMTRAK passenger train has reportedly collided with a freight train on Chicago's Southside. Few official details are currently available as rescue operations are still underway. There are believed to be some injuries, but the exact number and severity is unknown at the time of this report.

Footage from the accident site showed the front of an Amtrak engine atop the rear of a freight train near the 5200 block of South Shields Avenue.

Amtrak's No. 371 train, known as the Pere Marquette, was scheduled to leave Grand Rapids, Mich., at 7:35 a.m. and arrive at Union Station at 10:30 a.m., according to railroad sources.

At noon, a Fire Department spokesman said emergency officials were attempting to gain access to the crash site. Multiple ambulances have been dispatched to the scene, fire officials said. Watch EmergencyNet News for more details as circumstances warrant...

Additional information can also be found at the Chicago Tribune website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-amtrak_webnov30,0,1164839.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

Family Notifications: People seeking information about family members or friends who were on the Amtrak train can call Amtrak at 800-523-9101

PARIS, FRANCE: "Confronted with Scenes of real Urban Guerilla Warfare"

VILLIERS-LE-BEL, FRANCE: Rampaging youths rioted for a second night in Paris' suburbs, firing at officers and ramming burning cars into buildings. At least 80 officers were injured, a senior police union official said Tuesday.

The overnight violence was more intense than during the three weeks of rioting in 2005, said the official, Patrice Ribeiro. He said "genuine urban guerrillas with conventional weapons and hunting weapons" were among the rioters.

On Monday night, youths were seen firing buckshot at police and reporters. About 30 of 82 injured officers were hit by buckshot, Ribeiro told The Associated Press. Rioters also hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at police, authorities said. Police made at least six arrests, authorities said.

Youths, many of them Arab and black children of immigrants, again appeared to be lashing out at police and other targets seen to represent a French establishment they feel has left them behind.

"Police officers were targeted with hunting weapons; a certain number of them were wounded by lead shot," said Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie. "This is totally unacceptable," she said, adding there were six serious injuries, "people who notably were struck in the face and close to the eyes."

The use of firearms added a dangerous new dimension to the rioting. Firearms are widespread in France, and police generally carry guns. Such weapons, though, were rarely used in the 2005 riots that spread to poor housing projects nationwide.

The current riots were triggered by the deaths of two teens killed in a crash with a police patrol car on Sunday in Villiers-le-Bel, a blue-collar town in Paris' northern suburbs.

Residents claimed that officers left the crash scene without helping the teens, whose motorbike collided with the car. Officials cast doubt on the claim, but the internal police oversight agency was investigating... -- Source: ANGELA CHARLTON, Associated Press/MyFox, N.E. Wisconsin, click here for the full story...

Play Video

Youth Riots Hit France Again Associated Press - (APTN) Nov. 27, 2007. 06:53 AM EST Violence broke out in French suburbs after two teens were killed in a crash involving a police patrol car. The rioting left at least 77 officers injured and comes a little more than two years after similar protests ravaged the country. (Nov. 27)

FBI dismisses Fort Huachuca terror plot story

27 Nov 2007 - 09:00 CST

FBI dismisses Fort Huachuca terror plot story

ARIZONA: The plot was like something from a Hollywood blockbuster: dozens of foreign terrorists working with a Mexican drug cartel to attack a Southern Arizona Army post with anti-tank missiles and grenade launchers.

Paying one of Mexico's most ruthless drug cartels $20,000 apiece, 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists would be smuggled into Texas and hole up at a safe house.

Their weapons, Soviet-made and easily acquired on the black market, were funneled through Arizona and New Mexico in hand-dug tunnels that cut across the border.

Their target: 13,500 military personnel and civilians working at Fort Huachuca, roughly 75 miles southeast of Tucson.

But the plot, widely reported by local stations and national TV networks and The Washington Times, turned out to be nothing more than fiction, an FBI spokesman said Monday.

"A thorough investigation was conducted, and there is no evidence showing that the threat was credible," said Manuel Johnson, an FBI spokesman based in Phoenix.

Read all about it at: Arizona Daily Star, by Aaron Mackey, 11.27.2007, which can be found on the internet at: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/213503

Intelligence Training Center Concerned About Terror Attack

U.S. intel center wary of terrorist attack

November 25, 2007

FT. HUACHUCA, AZ/WASHINGTON, DC: The nation's largest intelligence training center changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists with the aid of Mexican drug cartels were planning an attack on the facility.

Fort Huachuca changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high powered weapons to attack the post, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times.

The FBI report is based on Drug Enforcement Agency sources, including Mexican nationals with access to "sub-sources" in the drug cartels. The report's assessment is that the DEA's Mexican contacts have proven reliable in the past but the "sub-source" is of uncertain reliability.

The connections between criminal enterprises, such as powerful drug cartels, and terrorist organizations have become a serious concern for intelligence agencies (and including Emergency Response & Research Institute analysts) monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border.

The story continues at: http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/NATION/71125002/1001

Bolivia: Protestors Clash With Police, Storm a Jail

Bolivian protesters clash with police, storm jail

SUCRE, BOLIVIA: Demonstrators opposed to efforts by Bolivian President Evo Morales to overhaul the constitution on Sunday torched police stations and stormed a jail, freeing 100 inmates, while on the streets protesters clashed with police and one officer was killed.

The protests in the southern city of Sucre came hours after pro-government allies in a constitutional assembly approved a preliminary draft late on Saturday of the new constitution, a key Morales political project.

Morales, a leftist and Bolivia's first Indian president, says the new constitution will give the country's indigenous majority more political power. But the vote was boycotted by the rightist opposition, which has heavily criticized the assembly.. (continues)

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2546520071126?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Happy Thanksgiving

Drudge Gives Rare TV Interview to Sky News

21 Nov 2007 -

Drudge Gives Rare TV Interview to Sky News

The man behind one of the world's most influential news websites says there's everything to play for in the battle to win the trust of TV viewers, newspaper readers and web users - and, he says, it won't all go the way of the big corporations.

-- Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30400-1293633,00.html?f=rss

Watch the video interview: http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1293628,00.html

Visit the Matt Drudge webpage: Click here

Emergency.com Reference

02/01/98--The Presidential Controversy and A Paradigm Shift; Should You Get Your News From the Internet??

(This file above requires RealAudio Player - It can be downploaded at: http://www.real.com/)

Explosives Found in Philippines Assassination Investigation

Military and police agents found bomb components in a central Manila house late Tuesday, said Philippine Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto Torres. The discovery came hours after the arrest of Hajaron Jamiri, a Muslim politician based in the southern island of Basilan, he said.

A second man was also detained Tuesday but later freed without charge, the military said in an earlier report. Torres said that following Jamiri's arrest, investigators searched the house of a Manila lawyer and confiscated the bomb components.

The raid on the house, and another on a hotel, were linked to a wide-ranging investigation into a bomb attack at the House of Representatives on November 13 that killed Wahab Akbar, the congressman for Basilan, and three congressional staff...

Experts fault U.S. preparation for anthrax attack

Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:22pm EST

Experts fault U.S. preparation for anthrax attack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has done too little to prepare for another potential domestic anthrax attack six years after spore-laden mail killed five people, a former CIA director and other experts said on Wednesday...

I think we're very poorly prepared," James Woolsey, who headed the CIA from 1993 to 1995, said at a news conference to unveil a report by a security consulting firm warning of U.S. vulnerability to another anthrax attack. Click on the highlighted title to review the article...

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1419886420071114?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Biohazard/Infectious Disease Page

All emergency service/military/medical personnel are potentially subjected to biohazards/infectious diseases during the course of their duty. In light of these hazards, ERRI is proud to present additional information regarding these concerns.

http://www.emergency.com/infctous.htm

Hazardous Materials/WMD Related Articles and Research

http://www.emergency.com/hzmtpage.htm

"Series of EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning Both Real and Hoax Chemical/Biological Incidents in the Wake of the 11 Sep 2001 Terrorist Attacks in NYC and DC: 22 Sep to 20 Oct 2001," can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/2001/bio-scare2001b.htm

Veteran's Day 2007

Veterans' Day (formerly Armistice Day) 2007

"Freedom Isn't Free--Thank a Veteran for His/Her Service"

All veterans gave some...some gave all

November 11, is the anniversary of the Armistice which was signed in the Forest of Compiegne by the Allies and the Germans in 1918, ending World War I, after four years of conflict.

At 5 A.M. on Monday, November 11, 1918 the Germans signed the Armistice, an order was issued for all firing to cease; so the hostilities of the First World War ended. This day began with the laying down of arms, blowing of whistles, impromptu parades, closing of places of business. All over the globe there were many demonstrations; no doubt the world has never before witnessed such rejoicing.

In 1927 Congress issued a resolution requesting President Calvin Coolidge to issue a proclamation calling upon officials to display the Flag of the United States on all government buildings on November 11, and inviting the people to observe the day in schools and churches...But it was not until 1938 that Congress passed a bill that each November 11 "shall be dedicated to the cause of world peace and ...hereafter celebrated and known as Armistice Day."

That same year President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill making the day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia. For sixteen years the United States formally observed Armistice Day, with impressive ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the Chief Executive or his representative placed a wreath. In many other communities, the American Legion was in charge of the observance, which included parades and religious services. At 11 A.M. all traffic stopped, in tribute to the dead, then volleys were fired and taps sounded.

After World War II, there were many new veterans who had little or no association with World War I. The word, "armistice," means simply a truce; therefore as years passed, the significance of the name of this holiday changed. Leaders of Veterans' groups decided to try to correct this and make November 11 the time to honor all who had fought in various American wars, not just in World War I.

In Emporia, Kansas, on November 11, 1953, instead of an Armistice Day program, there was a Veterans' Day observance. Ed Rees, of Emporia, was so impressed that he introduced a bill into the House to change the name to Veterans' Day. After this passed, Mr. Rees wrote to all state governors and asked for their approval and cooperation in observing the changed holiday. The name was changed to Veterans' Day by Act of Congress on May 24, 1954. In October of that year, President Eisenhower called on all citizens to observe the day by remembering the sacrifices of all those who fought so gallantly, and through rededication to the task of promoting an enduring peace. The President referred to the change of name to Veterans' Day in honor of the servicemen of all America's wars.

Excerpts from All About American Holidays by Mayme R. Krythe

http://www.patriotism.org/veterans_day/

New Shopping Mall Terror Threats?

11/8/2007 11:49:14 AM CT

EmergencyNet News BREAKING NOW

New Shopping Mall Terror Threats?

CHICAGO, IL: Early/unconfirmed reports of terror threats to CONUS shopping malls...during upcoming holiday season...supposedly in planning for two years. Possible Targets: L.A. and Chicago... Details to follow as confirmed by official sources. Watch EmergencyNet News for more on this emerging story...

RESOURCES ON TERRORISM FROM THE FBI

On terrorism....

- National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Homeland, July 2007 (pdf) http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20070717_release.pdf

- The FBI's Counterterrorism Program Since September 2001 (pdf) http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/publications/commission/9-11commissionrep.pdf

- Terrorism 2002-2005 (pdf) (html) http://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terrorism2002_2005.pdf

(.pdf - indicates that the file requires Adobe Acrobat reader in order to review the file)

Media Refernce on this story:

Exclusive: FBI: Al Qaeda May Strike U.S. Shopping Malls in LA, Chicago
November 08, 2007 11:48 AM
Richard Esposito and Vic Walter Report

Can be found at: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/exclusive-fbi-a.html

Gunmen Open fire on Venezuela protest Against Chavez

Thursday, 8 November 2007, 01:26 GMT

Gunmen Open fire on Venezuela protest Against Chavez

CARACAS, VENEZUELA: Unidentified gunmen have opened fire on students returning from a protest in Caracas against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's planned reforms. Several people have been reported injured during the clashes, including at least two by gunfire. The students were protesting against plans to remove presidential term limits, the subject of a referendum.

Thousands had marched peacefully to the Supreme Court and filed a demand for the vote to be suspended. Unidentified gunmen opened fire on the students as they returned from the march, prompting scenes of chaos as students fled...(Continues)

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7084262.stm

Additional Reference:

"Officials in Venezuela say at least eight people have been injured, including one by gunfire, in protests against President Hugo Chavez...Officials had said earlier that one person was killed," though that has not been confirmed by ERRI sources or methods.

"Photographers for The Associated Press saw at least four gunmen, their faces covered by ski masks or T-shirts, firing handguns at the anti-Chavez crowd. Terrified students ran through the campus of the Central University of Venezuela as ambulances arrived..."

Gunfire erupts at Venezuela university after students protest against Chavez, Associated Press/WTOL-TV - November 7, 2007 11:03 PM ET, can be found on the internet at: http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=7328713

Interpol Adds Buenos Aires Bombing Suspects to Most-Wanted List

November 7, 2007 12:57 PM

1994 bombing of the Jewish community center

Interpol Adds Buenos Aires Bombing Suspects to Most-Wanted List

Interpol today added five Iranians and a Lebanese man to its most-wanted list Wednesday over their suspected role in the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The bombing killed 85 and injured 250. In adding the suspects, Interpol members soundly rejected Iranian objections, with members voting overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed additions, 78-14, with 26 abstentions.

Quoting from the AP story: "The six wanted notices are for former Iranian intelligence chief Ali Fallahian; Mohsen Rabbani, former cultural attache at the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires; former diplomat Ahmad Reza Asghari; Mohsen Rezaei, former leader of the elite Revolutionary Guards; Ahmad Vahidi, a general in the Revolutionary Guards; and Hezbollah militant Imad Moughnieh, one of the world's most sought-after terror suspects. Moughnieh, whose whereabouts are unknown, is wanted for his alleged role in the kidnapping of Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s, and suicide attacks on the U.S. Embassy and a Marine base in Lebanon that killed more than 260 Americans."

We've followed this process closely over the past year, including withholding sensitive information from release at the request of Interpol officials. Several of our Contributing Experts have covered and analyzed it continuously since the 1994 bombing. This clear victory vindicates the years of dogged pursuit by Interpol and Argentine prosecutors and demonstrates the eventual fruits of persistent international cooperation between law enforcement agencies. It also adds an important international imprimatur to efforts to sanction Iran for sponsoring international terrorism for years.

See the following CTB posts about the matter:

Douglas Farah, "Small Progress in Argentina," October 26, 2006

Aaron Mannes, "AMIA Background," October 27, 2006 - and Aaron also wrote, "Terror in Buenos Aires: A lesson in Hezbollah terror" in 2005 on National Review Online

Douglas Farah, "Small But Important Steps on Iran, Hezbollah and Argentina," March 5, 2007

---

ERRI/EmergerncyNet News Reference:

Original "real time" report: "Moslem Extremists Suspected in Buenos Aires Blast, July 19, 1994," can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/buenobom.htm

Eight killed at Finland school after YouTube post

Wed Nov 7, 2007 12:04pm EST

Eight killed at Finland school after YouTube post

TUUSULA, FINLAND: Seven children were killed when a fellow student opened fire at a school in southern Finland on Wednesday, hours after a video was posted on YouTube predicting a massacre there.

The school principal has also died.

The gunman, who had walked through Jokela High School firing into classroom after classroom with a .22-caliber handgun, is in hospital after wounding himself in the head.

"Five boys, two girls and one adult woman were killed," police chief Matti Tohkanen told a news conference.

Eight killed at Finland school after YouTube post

President Bush Criticizes Emergency Rule in Pakistan

05 November 2007

President Bush Criticizes Emergency Rule in Pakistan

By Voice Of America News

The U.S. government is criticizing the imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan, and has urged President Pervez Musharraf to quit his military post.

The White House says Preident Bush will make his first public remarks regarding the situation after meeting with the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, later Monday.

A White House spokeswoman says U.S. officials urged General Musharraf last week not to impose a state of emergency. She said the Bush administration is now calling for a quick return to democracy in Pakistan, with the release of detainees, a restoration of press freedom, and elections held as planned in January.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said the U.S. was reviewing its financial aid to Pakistan. The United States has given Pakistan more than $10 billion in foreign aid since 2001. The U.S. Monday also postponed a defense cooperation meeting with Pakistan planned for this week....

Continues at: http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-11-05-voa27.cfm

WARDEN MESSAGE: PAKISTAN STATE OF EMERGENCY

A new item has been posted to http://www.osac.gov

WARDEN MESSAGE: PAKISTAN STATE OF EMERGENCY

November 03, 2007

U.S. Embassy Islamabad issued the following Warden Message on November 3, 2007:

The Government of Pakistan has announced a State of Emergency effective immediately. The President of Pakistan is scheduled to make a public announcement later this evening. Although the Government of Pakistan has not imposed a curfew, the U.S. Embassy recommends all American citizens in Islamabad remain in their residences and defer all nonessential travel. Constitution Avenue in Islamabad is closed.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department?s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html and the Pakistan Consular Information Sheet at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_992.html

State of emergency declared in Pakistan

09:00 AM CDT, November 3, 2007

State of emergency declared in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win and amid rising Islamic militant violence.

The government blocked transmissions of private news channels in several cities and telephone services in the capital, Islamabad, were cut. Dozens of police blocked the road in front of the Supreme Court building where judges were believed to be inside.

"The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order," a newscaster on Pakistan TV said, adding that he would address the nation later Saturday.

Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, is also chief of the army.

The U.S. and other Western allies urged him this week not to jeopardize the country's transition to democracy. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said Thursday the U.S. would not support any move by Musharaff to declare martial law. -- Source: Associated Press/Chicago Tribune, Matthew Pennington, can be found on the net at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-110307-pakistan,1,7708156.story?track=rss