December 2006

USN&WR: Best Blogs of '06

December 28, 2006
Posted at 06:15 PM

Best Blogs of '06

The best investigative reporting, jihadist videos, corruption in sports–these are some of the Bad Guys blog's favorite links in '06. Here's a rundown from David E. Kaplan, chief investigative correspondent at U.S. News & World Report:

• The MEMRI Blog
• IRE's Extra Extra and Jon Marshall's News Gems
• SpyTalk
• Counterterrorism Blog
• etc.

Review the entire list at: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/badguys/061228/best_blogs_of_06.htm#more

Impending Execution of Saddam Hussein

12/29/2006 19:35:54 PM CST

Impending Execution of Saddam Hussein

From the ERRI/EmergencyNet News Global Watchdesk

BAGHDAD, IRAQ: According to several sources, both media and military, the Iraqi government has completed an appeals process and issued execution orders for Saddam Hussein.... More info. and a news video can be found on: http://www.emergency.com/ennday.htm

So Where Are All The Dirty Bombs?

« Rapid Fire 12/27/06 | Main | Noah's 50 Favorite Posts of 2006 »

So Where Are All The Dirty Bombs?

I've never been one to fully understand the great fear that many state and federal emergency response managers seem to have over dirty bombs, given the many training exercises that seem to include the threat as the main hazard. This USA Today article talks about the issue of loose and stolen radioactive material.

Annual incidents of trafficking and mishandling of nuclear and other radioactive material reported to U.S. intelligence officials have more than doubled since the early 1990s, says the director of domestic nuclear detection at the Department of Homeland Security.

Also up: scams in which fake or non-existent nuclear or radioactive material is offered for sale, often online, says Vayl Oxford, nuclear detection director at the department.

"We sense that people have recognized the value of nuclear material as a useful way of making money," Oxford said. "Nuclear material is becoming a marketable commodity."

The incidents tracked by the department, based on its reporting and information from foreign diplomatic and intelligence sources, average about twice the number made public each year by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Oxford said reports of nuclear and radioactive materials trafficking have ranged from 200 to 250 a year since 2000, up from about 100 a year in the 1990s....

Blog entries on this topic continue at: http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003103.html

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ERRI WMD analyst note: "Dirty bombs" are primarily "psychological multipliers" that can also be used as an "area denial weapon." They can be extremely messy and difficult to clean up...maybe necessitating the closure of several blocks for months, as remediation is carried out. The greater problem, as is pointed out in the article and replies referenced above, is that the public will panic and cause additional injuries or deaths as they react to the detonation of a dirty bomb (Radiation Dispersal Device), or to their own fears of radiation poisoning or longer term diseases like cancer.

It doesn't matter that "dirty bombs" will be of low radioactive yield and that more people will probably die from the initial explosion than eventual exposure to radiation. Panicky people will make bad decisions and "heaven forbid" that more than one incident were to take place simultaneously. The public would be screaming for action by all parts of the government to resolve the problem and stop the terrorists. This panic could also be reinforced or amplified by the media, who also have little knowledge about the differences between a 'dirty bomb' and an actual 'nuclear device.'

It is likely that in the early hours of such an incident, were it to take place in a heavily populated area, that much unconfirmed and unreliable information would be given to an already frightened public...increasing fear and maybe even causing an unplanned evacuation of a large part of major city. All-in-all, whether a "radioactive explosion" in a city center contains uranium or plutonium, or a small amount of some other far less toxic substance...it can be expected to result in a nightmare for emergency responders and government officials. Finally, we would caution people to not to take for granted that because it hasn't happened yet...that a dirty bomb attack can't occur. One thing is fairly certain...a 'dirty bomb' can cause the kind of fear, confusion, and intimidation that terrorists want...

Additional references:

On this blog: http://www.emergency.com/archive/2006/12/entry_45.htm

On Emergency.com:

04 Dec 2001: "Concerns Again Raised About Improvised Nuclear Device" -- http://www.emergency.com/2001/binladen_nuke.htm

Haz-Mat Archive Page -- http://www.emergency.com/hzmtpage.htm

Other sources:

"What We Learn About Radiation Threats from Movies?Fact or Fiction," From CDC - Q &A on "Dirty Bombs" and Radiation Hazards, w/numerous references and links to accurate data on the issue.

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2006: "The Year of Computing Dangerously"

Cybercrooks Deliver Trouble
With Spam Filters Working Overtime, Security Experts See No Letup in '07

By Brian Krebs
washingtonpost.com staff writer

Wednesday, December 27, 2006; Page D01

It was the year of computing dangerously, and next year could be worse. That is the assessment of computer security experts, who said 2006 was marked by an unprecedented spike in junk e-mail and more sophisticated Internet attacks by cybercrooks.

Few believe 2007 will be any brighter for consumers, who already are struggling to avoid the clever scams they encounter while banking, shopping or just surfing online. Experts say online criminals are growing smarter about hiding personal data they have stolen on the Internet and are using new methods for attacking computers that are harder to detect.

"Criminals have gone from trying to hit as many machines as possible to focusing on techniques that allow them to remain undetected on infected machines longer," said Vincent Weafer, director of security response at Symantec, an Internet security firm in Cuptertino, Calif.

One of the best measures of the rise in cybercrime is junk e-mail, or spam, because much of it is relayed by computers controlled by Internet criminals, experts said. More than 90 percent of all e-mail sent online in October was unsolicited junk mail, according to Postini, an e-mail security firm in San Carlos, Calif. Spam volumes monitored by Postini rose 73 percent in the past two months as spammers began embedding their messages in images to evade junk e-mail filters that search for particular words and phrases. In November, Postini's spam filters, used by many large companies, blocked 22 billion junk-mail messages, up from about 12 billion in September.

The result is putting pressure on network administrators and corporate technology departments, because junk mail laden with images typically requires three times as much storage space and Internet bandwidth as a text message, said Daniel Druker, Postini's vice president for marketing.

"We're getting an unprecedented amount of calls from people whose e-mail systems are melting down under this onslaught," Druker said. Read all about it at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/26/AR2006122600922.html

Previous reference from this author: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200367.html

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Analysis and Commentary

The View From One Small Company in Chicago
By Paul Anderson

CHICAGO, IL: ERRI computer security analysts say that despite adding a Barracuda? Spam/Anti-Virus firewall box, and using updated firewall protection on each workstation in the Emergency.com network, the battle goes on with the spammers, crackers, and other cybercriminals. One ERRI network consultant said that the firewall appliance is being overwhelmed with an unprecedented number of spoof e-mails, "409" schemes, misdirections, and links to fake webpages that pretend to be those of banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. He said, "We recently found over 2,000,000 fraudulent e-mails of one kind or another in the "quarantine archive" of our firewall...among them were 59 files containing various viruses."

ERRI CEO and senior analyst, Clark Staten, said today that the plague of spam and fradulent internet schemes has the greatest likelihood of "bring down the net," by diminishing confidence in it and clogging various chokepoints by the use of "bots" of various kinds. "It will not be a lack of ideas, a lack of innovation, or a lack of technology that could 'kill the net' as we know it...the net has proven itself terribly resilient in the face of various kinds of assaults," Staten said. "It will likely be the scourge of malicious intent and illegal commerce that will damage or even kill the internet," Staten added. "Much like the rest of society, if the internet is not globally governed in a fair and appropriate manner, and on-line users don't continually make their displeasure known about emerging (or long-time) nuisances on the net ...the cybercriminals will win," the long-time net enthusiast said.

Staten, who has been using the e-mail and the internet since the mid/late 80's, said that it continues to increasingly appear that many of the "nightmares" of early internet pioneers have materialized and that "the commercialization of the net" may be damaging it, both in intent and function. "However, please don't misunderstand my comments," Staten added. "Many, if not most, of the companies on the internet are using the net in a responsible and community-spirited manner...in fact, many have contributed both content and technical capability to the operation of the net and added a great deal to end-user satisfaction."

"But, there are 1-2% of internet businesses, who are engaging in fraudulent practices of some kind...there is also a segment of adolescents who seem to want to engage in graffiti and distribution of various kinds of malware...and finally, there are small groups or individuals stealing personal data and selling it to the highest bidder," Staten added. "At the risk of stating the obvious, the net community MUST make it clear to malcontents that the 'Wild-West days' of the internet are over and that real action will be taken to stop those who are exploiting (and ruining) this valuable resource," he continued. "Unless and until internet users, as a whole, condemn and actively combat fraudulent use of the internet...it will continue and even increase," Staten added.

"There can no longer be 'a wink and a nod' of understanding and acquiescence by regular internet users when it comes to spam, fraud schemes, and cybercrime...if end-users don't contribute to the solution...then, they are part of the problem," the veteran 'sysop' (system operator) concluded.

Blizzard bears down on Colorado/Snow Advisory

From CNN.com

Colorado readies for next blizzard

POSTED: 1:53 p.m. EST, December 28, 2006

Read full story for latest details. Blizzard bears down on Colorado

Excerpt: DENVER, CO (CNN/AP): Plows patrolled Denver's streets Thursday as another major storm blew toward the city, where 2 feet of snow still lingered from the blizzard that paralyzed the region a week earlier. If the wind remains as strong as forecast, it could easily whip the snow into blinding whiteouts by Friday, the National Weather Service warned.

That could shut down area highways all over again and possibly delay flights at Denver International Airport, where thousands of holiday travelers were stranded for about two days during the last storm.

Eighteen inches of snow was forecast for the Denver area starting Thursday, with as much as 2 1/2 feet of snow in the foothills and several inches as the storm moves in the plains.

Many Colorado cities were still trying to recover from last week's storm, chipping away at the thick ice and packed snow that layered some streets while repairing broken plows and stockpiling materials for the next wave....

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/12/28/severe.weather.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Cyber Crime Hits the Big Time in 2006; 2007 May Be Even Worse

24 Dec 2006

Cyber Crime Hits the Big Time in 2006
Experts Say 2007 Will Be Even More Treacherous...

By Brian Krebs, washingtonpost.com

Call it the "year of computing dangerously." Computer security experts say 2006 saw an unprecedented spike in junk e-mail and sophisticated online attacks from increasingly organized cyber crooks. These attacks were made possible, in part, by a huge increase in the number of security holes identified in widely used software products.

Internet users witnessed yet another wave of spam, worms, viruses and other online attacks in 2005, and experts predict the online world will grow even more dangerous this year.

Thieves are no longer only after your wallet, jewels or other precious belongings. Instead, they want you. Learn how to protect yourself and what to do if you're a victim.

Few Internet security watchers believe 2007 will be any brighter for the millions of fraud-weary consumers already struggling to stay abreast of new computer security threats and avoiding clever scams when banking, shopping or just surfing online.

One of the best measures of the rise in cyber crime this year is spam. More than 90 percent of all e-mail sent online in October was unsolicited junk mail messages, according to Postini, a San Carlos, Calif.-based e-mail security firm. The volume of spam shot up 60 percent in the past two months alone as spammers began embedding their messages in images to evade junk e-mail filters that search for particular words and phrases. Get the whole story on anticipated cybercrime, visit the Washington Post website at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200367.html

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The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

IC3's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, local and international level, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet related crimes. read more >>

File a Complaint >> Go to: http://www.ic3.gov/

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Protect Your Workplace; Report Suspicious Cyber-Activity Poster

We encourage you to report any activities that you feel meet these criteria for an incident. Note that our policy is to keep any information specific to your site and system confidential unless we receive your permission to release that information. US-CERT has partnered with law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate cyber incidents and prosecute cyber criminals. Download the .PDF poster at: http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/poster_2.pdf

Report an incident to the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team

Incident Hotline: 1-888-282-08700

www.US-CERT.gov

Al Qaeda Sends a Message to Democrats/Claims Victory in Mid-Term U.S. Elections

Al Qaeda Sends a Message to Democrats

December 22, 2006 2:28 PM

Brian Ross and Hoda Osman Report:

NEW YORK, NY: Al Qaeda has sent a message to leaders of the Democratic party that credit for the defeat of congressional Republicans belongs to the terrorists.

In a portion of the tape from al Qaeda No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri, made available only today, Zawahri says he has two messages for American Democrats.

"The first is that you aren't the ones who won the midterm elections, nor are the Republicans the ones who lost. Rather, the Mujahideen -- the Muslim Ummah's vanguard in Afghanistan and Iraq -- are the ones who won, and the American forces and their Crusader allies are the ones who lost," Zawahri said, according to a full transcript obtained by ABC News. More on this story? Visit: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/12/al_qaeda_sends_.html

PATH Tunnels Seen as Fragile in Bomb Attack

22 Dec 2006

NYT: PATH Tunnels Seen as Fragile in Bomb Attack

By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and WILLIAM NEUMAN

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY: An analysis done for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says that the PATH train tunnels under the Hudson River are more vulnerable to a bomb attack than previously thought, and that a relatively small amount of high explosives could cause significant flooding of the rail system within hours.

The four PATH tubes lie in the Hudson riverbed, not in bedrock.

The analysis, based on work by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, revises some critical aspects of an assessment of the system’s vulnerability that was presented to the agency last spring. It makes clear that the tunnels — four tubes of varying design and sturdiness that stretch across the Hudson riverbed — are structurally more fragile than first thought.

A draft summary of the most recent analysis was given to The New York Times by a government official who was troubled by what the official felt was a lack of action in response to the analysis, which the official said the Port Authority got about three weeks ago. The official said the latest analysis indicates that it would take only six minutes for one of the PATH tubes to flood if a significant but not necessarily very large bomb were detonated.

Get the whole story: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/nyregion/22security.html (may require registration)

WP Blog: "New Caliphate" Nonsense

WP Blog: "New Caliphate" Nonsense

Counter-Point -- Guaranteed to Stir Controversy in Counter-Terrorism Community...

New Delhi, India - "Muslims want to revive the Caliphate," I hear pundits say. The idea is just preposterous. The Caliphate is a pre-nation state concept, relevant only to the Age of Empire. The Caliphate was defeated by the British in 1918. It was buried by the Turks in 1924.

Upon first glance, it seems the Caliphate had a fabulous run from 632 to 1918. However, look again: Only for a very short while during these 1300 years was there a single Caliph to which all Muslim political formations gave allegiance. Usually, there were multiple Muslim communities. The Ummayads in Spain never recognized the Abbasids in Baghdad; and the Mughals in India certainly did not pay obeisance to the Sublime Porte of their Turkish kinsmen in Istanbul. Then Mustafa Kemal Ghazi packed off the last Ottoman Caliph with 2000 British pounds and a one-way ticket to Europe. He sealed the institution that had long outlived its utility.

The British drew most of the arbitrary lines around which nations were created out of the fallen Ottoman Empire. Those lines survived colonial mischief, local tyranny, despotism, socialism, popular upsurge against unrepresentative governments, war, and upheaval. Through nearly decades of turmoil, the power of the nation has been the one steady reality. The Arabs are united by a common language, culture and faith, and yet prefer to live in some 22 nations. They do not want to report to an Arab Caliph....

*By M.J. Akbar | December 11, 2006; 7:50 AM ET

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/mt/mtb.cgi/13930

* About the author: Mubashar Jawed Akbar is a leading Indian journalist and author. He's the founder and editor-in-chief of The Asian Age, a daily multi-edition Indian newspaper with a global perspective and editor-in-chief of The Deccan Chronice, a news daily based in Hyderabad. He has written books including Blood Brothers, Nehru: The Making of India, Kashmir: Behind the Vale, Riot After Riot, The Shade of Swords, and India: The Siege Within.

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For the Record/Hypothesis:

It is the previously stated belief of ERRI counter-terrorrism analysts that there is a "jihad" underway in an efort to achieve a new "caliphate." We believe that there is at least a substantial segment of radical Islam who are pursuing this goal.

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As reference, we might point to: “The Neglected Duty,” a pamphlet produced by Egyptian Islamic Jihad (or EIJ, the group that assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981 and that was previously led by Ayman al-Zawahiri). This pamphlet, the group’s announced “testament,” is also a clear expression of the Sunni Islamist perspective on political violence as jihad. It argues that jihad as armed action is the heart of Islam, and that the neglect of this type of action by Muslims has caused the current depressed condition of Islam in the world. EIJ attempts to communicate a sense of urgency to Muslims, who are being victimized and whose territory is being divided and controlled by non-Muslim powers. The document also seeks to justify jihad against other Muslims who, because they are ignorant of this situation, actively cooperate with the unbelievers in the name of “modernization,” and are worse than rebels—they are Muslim traitors and apostates.

Furthermore, fighting such unbelievers without the limits imposed if they were rebellious Muslims is justified, since they are worse than other unbelievers. “The Neglected Duty” defines the current rulers of the Muslim world (as Sadat was defined) as the primary enemies of Islam and apostates, despite their profession of Islam and obedience to some of its laws, and advocates their execution. This document is explicitly messianic, asserting that Muslims must “exert every conceivable effort” to bring about the establishment of truly Islamic government, a restoration of the caliphate, and the expansion of the Dar al-Islam, and that the success of these endeavors is inevitable.

Reference: "The Concept and Practice of Jihad in Islam," by MICHAEL G. KNAPP, Parameters, Spring, 2003

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“Islamist terrorism is an immediate derivative of Islamism.This term distinguishes itself from Islamic by the fact that the latter refers to a religion and culture in existence over a millennium, whereas the first is a political/religious phenomenon linked to the great events of the 20th century. Furthermore Islamists define themselves as ‘Islamiyyoun/Islamists’ precisely to differentiate themselves from ‘Muslimun/Muslims.’ . . . Islamism is defined as ‘an Islamic militant, anti-democratic movement, bearing a holistic vision of Islam whose final aim is the restoration of the caliphate.’” Mehdi Mozaffari,“Bin Laden and Islamist Terrorism,” Militaert Tidsskrift, vol. 131 (Mar. 2002), p. 1 (online at www.mirkflem.pup.blueyonder.co.uk/pdf/islamistterrorism.pdf).

-- Source: "THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT," Index of sources, "Chapter 12. What to Do? A Global Strategy," Page 579

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The Caliphate: One nation, under Allah, with 1.5 billion Muslims

By James Brandon | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

AMMAN, JORDAN – The three middle-aged men sitting in an Indian restaurant in Jordan's capital scarcely look like Islamic revolutionaries. They are smartly dressed in Western-style suits and sip thoughtfully from cans of Pepsi as they share their plan to reshape the Muslim world. "[President] Bush says that we want to enslave people and oppress their freedom of speech," says Abu Abdullah, a senior member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Party of Liberation. "But we want to free all people from being slaves of men and make them slaves of Allah."

Hizb ut-Tahrir says that Muslims should abolish national boundaries within the Islamic world and return to a single Islamic state, known as "the Caliphate," that would stretch from Indonesia to Morocco and contain more than 1.5 billion people. It's a simple and seductive idea that analysts believe may someday allow the group to rival existing Islamic movements, topple the rulers of Middle Eastern nations, and undermine those seeking to reconcile democracy and Islam and build bridges between East and West. "A few years ago people laughed at them," says Zeyno Baran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the leading expert on Hizb ut-Tahrir. "But now that [Osama] bin Laden, [Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi, and other Islamic groups are saying they want to recreate the Caliphate, people are taking them seriously."

-- Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0510/p01s04-wome.html

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Zawahiri and the Caliphate

ERRI Comment: Ayman Zawahiri speaks extensively about the establishment of a caliphate in the Middle East, some examples come from a reportedly confiscated letter from Zawahiri to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2005. Several quotes from that letter speak directly to the Al-Qaeda desire to establish a caliphate that would encompass a large swathe of Europe, the Middle East, and even into Asia.

Zawahiri Quote: “It has always been my belief that the victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established in the manner of the Prophet in the heart of the Islamic world, specifically, in the Levant, Egypt, and the neighboring states of the Peninsula and Iraq; however, the center would be in the Levant and Egypt.”

"If we are in agreement that the victory of Islam and the establishment of a caliphate in the manner of the Prophet will not be achieved except through jihad against the apostate rulers and their removal..."

-- Source: Suspected Ayman al-Zawahiri’s July 9, 2005, in letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (now deceased)
Can be found at: http://www.rjchq.org/media/pdf/zawahiriletter.pdf

Additional translation of Zawahiri letter: http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/zawahiri_letter.pdf

In regard to the same letter, the Washington Post writes: "But Zawahiri urged Zarqawi in the letter to change that formula and refocus on politics. When the United States leaves, al Qaeda must be ready to claim as much territory politically in the inevitable void that will arise, he writes. Zawahiri called that stage the setting up of an "emirate," in as much of Sunni-dominated Iraq as possible, to be followed by the longer-term goal of a "caliphate," reuniting the historical Islamic empire centered in modern-day Egypt, Lebanon and Israel." -- Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR2005101101353_pf.html

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Excerpt of "10-04-04, Osama bin Laden's Scary Vision of a Grand Muslim Super State, By Juan Cole

" For al-Qaeda to succeed, it must overthrow the individual nation-states in the Middle East, most of them colonial creations, and unite them into a single, pan-Islamic state. But Ayman al-Zawahiri's organization, al-Jihad al-Islami, had tried very hard to overthrow the Egyptian state, and was always checked. Al-Zawahiri thought it was because of U.S. backing for Egypt. They believed that the U.S. also keeps Israel dominant in the Levant, and backs Saudi Arabia's royal family. Al-Zawahiri then hit upon the idea of attacking the "far enemy" first. That is, since the United States was propping up the governments of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, etc., all of which al-Qaeda wanted to overthrow so as to meld them into a single, Islamic super-state, then it would hit the United States first."

"Likewise, al-Qaeda was attempting to push the United States out of the Middle East so that Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia would become more vulnerable to overthrow, lacking a superpower patron. Secondarily, the attack was conceived as revenge on the United States and American Jews for supporting Israel and the severe oppression of the Palestinians. Bin Laden wanted to move the timing of the operation up to spring of 2001 so as to "punish" the Israelis for their actions against the Palestinians in the second Intifadah. Khalid Shaikh Muhammad was mainly driven in planning the attack by his rage at Israel over the Palestinian issue. Another goal is to destroy the U.S. economy, so weakening it that it cannot prevent the emergence of the Islamic superpower."

"Al-Qaeda wanted to build enthusiasm for the Islamic superstate among the Muslim populace, to convince ordinary Muslims that the U.S. could be defeated and they did not have to accept the small, largely secular, and powerless Middle Eastern states erected in the wake of colonialism. Jordan's population, e.g. is 5.6 million. Tunisia, a former French colony, is 10 million, less than Michigan. Most Muslims have been convinced of the naturalness of the nation-state model and are proud of their new nations, however small and weak. Bin Laden had to do a big demonstration project to convince them that another model is possible."

"Bin Laden hoped the U.S. would timidly withdraw from the Middle East. But he appears to have been aware that an aggressive U.S. response to 9/11 was entirely possible. In that case, he had a Plan B: al-Qaeda hoped to draw the U.S. into a debilitating guerrilla war in Afghanistan and do to the U.S. military what they had earlier done to the Soviets. Al-Zawahiri's recent message shows that he still has faith in that strategy. The U.S. cleverly outfoxed al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, using air power and local Afghan allies (the Northern Alliance) to destroy the Taliban without many American boots on the ground. Ironically, however, the Bush administration then went on to invade Iraq..."

" It remains to be seen whether the U.S. will be forced out of Iraq the way it was forced out of Iran in 1979. If so, as al-Zawahiri says, that will be a huge victory. A recent opinion poll did find that over 80 percent of Iraqis want an Islamic state. If Iraq goes Islamist, that will be the biggest victory the movement has had since the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. An Islamist Iraq might well be able ultimately to form a joint state with Syria, starting the process of the formation of the Islamic superstate of which Bin Laden dreams."

"If the Muslim world can find a way to combine the sophisticated intellectuals and engineers of Damascus and Cairo with the oil wealth of the Persian Gulf, it could well emerge as a 21st century superpower. Bin Laden's dream of a united Muslim state under a revived caliphate may well be impossible to accomplish. But with the secular Baath gone, it could be one step closer to reality...."

-- Source: History News Network, http://hnn.us/articles/7378.html

Mr. Cole is Professor of Modern Middle Eastern and South Asian History at the University of Michigan. Professor Cole could hardly be described as a "Bush apologist" or a supporter of the current foreign policy, yet he cautiously watches as Bin Laden/Zawahiri, et al attempt to carry out their plans for the establishment of a calliphate. His website is http://www.juancole.com/.

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ERRI Conclusion:

After an examination of much available evidence, it remains the considered opinion of ERRI counter-terrorism analysts that there is presently an attempt underway to attain a "large scale Caliphate in the Middle East." Our review would suggest that there are numerous adherents and supporters of this effort, including Usama Bin Laden, Ayman Zawahiri, and the Al-Qaeda and related organizations. Furthermore, our assessment would suggest that radical "Islamists/Jihadists" will wage "jihad" for many years in order to accomplish this goal, and that their perceived dimensions of time and space are not those of the modern, Western World. In other words, even if this effort extends into future decades, the true believers of this religion/philosopy/ideology will continue this struggle to unite the Ummah and reestablish the glory days of a "pure Islam"....

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Secretary Gates' Swearing-In Remarks - 18 Dec 2006

Secretary Gates' Swearing-In Remarks

As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Pentagon Auditorium, The Pentagon, Monday, December 18, 2006

"All of us want to find a way to bring America's sons and daughters home again, but as the president has made clear, we simply cannot afford to fail in the Middle East," the new secretary said. "Failure in Iraq at this juncture would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our credibility and endanger Americans for decades to come.

"In the days since the Senate confirmed me, I have participated in most of the National Security Council meetings on Iraq, I've received a number of briefings here at the Department of Defense, and I've discussed the situation and way forward in Iraq in depth with the president," he said.

"I intend to travel quite soon to Iraq and meet with our military leaders and other personnel there," Gates added. "I look forward to hearing their honest assessments of the situation on the ground and having the benefit of their advice, unvarnished and straight from the shoulder, on how to proceed in the weeks and months ahead."

Read the entire speech: http://www.defenselink.mil/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1077

Jailed cleric's illness triggers al Qaeda attack fears

Jailed cleric's illness triggers al Qaeda attack fears
Sick Sheik Could Portend Future Terror Events

MISSOURI: The imprisoned blind cleric who inspired the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has been hospitalized, raising fears of new attacks if he dies in U.S. custody, the FBI said in a bulletin. Radical Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, 68, spat up blood on December 6 and was rushed to a hospital, the FBI notice said.

He had a small tear in his esophagus and was treated with a "needed transfusion to replace lost blood," said the FBI bulletin to staffers.

Medical personnel then discovered the cleric had a tumor on his liver, the FBI said.

Al Quintero, a public information officer for the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, said Abdel-Rahman remained at the hospital for five days.

"His condition improved, and he was returned back to prison on December 11, where he remains in stable condition," Quintero said.

Abdel-Rahman, who is serving life in a U.S. prison, has called for attacks if he dies in jail. But, law enforcement sources said there is no intelligence to suggest there are any attacks being planned.

The FBI bulletin includes what it said was Abdel-Rahman's last will and testament distributed at an al Qaeda news conference in 1998: "My brothers, if they kill me -- which they will certainly do -- hold my funeral and send my corpse to my family but do not let my blood be shed in vain. Rather extract the most violent revenge."

Read the entire article from CNN/Time.Com, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/14/rahman.health/index.html

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FLASHBACK

Excerpt from: EmergencyNet NEWS Service, Tuesday, April 23, 1996, Vol. 2 - 114

Threats Against U.S. Continue to Increase

By: Paul Anderson, ENN Metro Correspondent

CHICAGO (ENN)--Calls for violence against the United States continue to come from members of several international Islamic extremist movements. The latest threat involves a message sent over the weekend to several news agencies in Cairo, Egypt by a group calling themselves "The Vanguards of Conquest". The message calls for "Muslims everywhere to sacrifice lives and all that is valuable to strike at American and Israeli targets."

This latest threat follows calls, late last week, by another Egyptian based group called Al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, to "kidnap Americans to exchange for Sheik Abdel-Rahmann." Rahmann, the convicted mastermind and spiritual advisor to a group that intended to carry out bombings at a variety of vital locations in New York City, is currently confined for an extended term in a federal prison hospital in Springfield, MO. On Saturday (04/20), al Gamaa al-Islamiya clamed responsibility for last Thursday's (04/18) bombing and assault that killed eighteen (18) Greek tourists at hotel popular with Israeli visitors to Cairo.

On 04/16/96, Israeli embassies and commercial concerns tightened security measures following published threats by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah organization to "strike at vulnerable Jewish targets outside of Israel's borders." Unspecified "upgraded" security measures were reported to have been undertaken at that time in Britain, France, Hungary, Argentina and several other countries. Hezbollah has maintained and even escalated its rhetoric since the 16th statement and as the shelling and rocket attacks continue on the Israeli/Lebanese border.

Not to be left out in the battle of words, on 04/02/96, the Islamic militant group Hamas also issued warnings of more "wonderful martyrdom operations" against Israel. Hamas, along with her smaller sister organization Islamic Jihad, has continually promised additional suicide bombings. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are thought to be responsible for a recent spate of bombings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that have left at least 59 dead and hundreds injured.

At least two times in the past three weeks, the Emergency Response & Research Institute and it's computer-generated threat analysis program have warned of the increased likelihood of an attack on America, U.S. citizens, her embassies, military bases, or commercial concerns overseas. According to Clark Staten--Executive Director of the Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI), American citizens traveling overseas should exercise extreme caution while in-transit or avoid traveling, unless it is a necessity.

"As the strife continues on the Israeli/Lebanese border, additional Islamic extremist violence can be expected almost anywhere in the world...Isreali synagogues, embassies, and commercial concerns along with American businesses, diplomatic missions, military sites, airports, and other places where Israelis/Americans congregate can expected to be potential targets," Staten said in an Monday morning teleconference briefing for a group of emergency managers.

Staten, who spent this past weekend in Atlanta, GA conferring with emergency service officials on counter-terrorism measures and conducting a disaster drill involving the bombing of a domestic airliner, has been assisting in special operations training of fire/police/EMS and disaster officials and responders for more than ten years.

"Bin Laden Will Be Back"; Interview with Michael Scheuer

WAR AGAINST TERROR

Blog Posted: 14 Dec 2006

"Bin Laden Will Be Back"

Former CIA agent Michael Scheuer is interviewed on the prospects of finding bin Laden, the outlook for al Qaeda and the risk of new terror attacks in the United States...

Read the entire interview (Q & A) at SPIEGEL Magazine: http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,452684,00.html

A terror So Great We Forgot It at Once

Posted Dec. 13, 2006

A terror So Great We Forgot It at Once

Spectator, 8 December 2006

Dhiren who? Mention Dhiren Barot (left) to anyone and the chances are that you’ll be met with blank looks. At best, some might say, ‘Oh, wasn’t he that guy who, er, that trial recently, yeah, bit worrying…’ Thus the British have somehow failed to register the significance of the conviction last month of a man who was one of al Qaeda’s biggest fishes, guilty of the most devastating terrorist plot ever known in this country and one which would made 9/11 look like a minor warm-up act.

This former airline ticket clerk plotted to kill hundreds of thousands of people in a series of synchronised atrocities in Britain and the US. He planned to blow up public buildings using gas cylinders in limousines, to mount a gas attack on the Heathrow Express rail shuttle, and to blow up the Tube under the Thames to rupture the walls keeping out the river. Police found in his notebooks details of how to construct a chemicals laboratory, along with recipes for poisons and plans to use radiation to spread sickness, panic, chaos and death on a vast scale. Terrifying and astounding as all this was, the real significance of the case lay in the way it punctured the myths fuelling Britain’s state of denial over Islamist terrorism.

• Myth one is that Britain is only threatened by such terror because the war in Iraq has radicalised British Muslims.
• Myth two is that British Muslims turn to terror because they live segregated lives or are poor and alienated.
• Myth three is that President Bush and the world Zionist conspiracy are to blame for fuelling Islamist terror.
• Myth four is that British Islamist terrorists are merely disaffected local youths going in for a bit of copycat aggro (aggression)

Learn about the four myths regarding radical Islam and terrorism that Melanie Phillips has identified. Visit: http://www.melaniephillips.com/articles-new/?p=470

(About the author: Melanie Phillips is a British journalist and author. She is best known for her controversial column about political and social issues which currently appears in the Daily Mail.)

Military Matters: The boomerang effect

12/12/2006 08:45:00 AM -0500

Military Matters: The boomerang effect

By WILLIAM S. LIND

WASHINGTON, DC: Recently, one of my students, a Marine captain, asked whether I had heard a news report about an "IED-like device" supposedly found near Cincinnati, and if I thought we would soon start seeing improvised explosive devisces here in the United States. I replied that I had not heard the news story, but as to whether we would see improvised explosive devices in the American homeland, the answer is yes.

One of the things U.S. troops are learning in Iraq is how people with little training and few resources can fight a state. Most American troops will see this within the framework of counterinsurgency. But a minority will apply their new-found knowledge in a very different way.

After they return to the United States and leave the military, they will take what they learned in Iraq back to the inner cities, to the ethnic groups, gangs, and other alternate loyalties they left when they joined the service. There, they will put their new knowledge to work, in wars with each other and wars against the American state...

Read all about it from Mr. Lind and UPI, visit: http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20061212-084514-8993r

(William S. Lind, expressing his own personal opinion, is director for the Center for Cultural Conservatism for the Free Congress Foundation. The views expressed are those of Mr. Lind and the United Press International, and they do not reflect the opinions or position of the Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI), Emergency.Blog, or the EmergencyNet News Service. Mr. Lind's views are intended to provoke discussion and encourage thought.)

Police to get ?dirty bomb hoods? in terror alert/.PDF Reference

10 Dec 2006

Police to get ‘dirty bomb hoods’ in terror alert

LONDON, ENGLAND: Police forces have been told to buy anti-radiation masks for their 100,000 frontline officers to protect them in the event of a “dirty bomb” terrorist attack.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has told all forces they should look to purchase specially designed chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) hoods as soon as possible.

Senior officers are concerned that, with only 1,000 thought to have been distributed, their ability to deal with any radiation threat will be severely hampered.

The transparent “escape hoods” are able to protect the wearer from harm for about 20 minutes, allowing him or her to leave an affected area without breathing in any toxic particles.

The urgency that is being placed on the purchase of the hoods reflects the level of concern over the likelihood of a “dirty bomb” attack, where radioactive material, packed around a conventional explosive, is detonated and spreads radiation over a wide area....

Continues at: Times of London, December 10, 2006 -- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2496487,00.html

---

Additional ERRI reference:

12 June 2002

Radiological Survey Equipment Needed By Emergency Forces?

By Steve Macko, EmergencyNet News Managing Editor

CHICAGO, IL: ERRI's senior national security analyst and retired emergency service chief, Clark Staten said that given recent warnings about attempts by terrorist forces to attack American targets with a Radiation Dispersal Device (RDD), it would be prudent for U.S. Fire. Police, and EMS units to obtain and use radiological survey equipment during any response to a known or suspected explosion. "Our recommendations would include, at this time, that someone (as determined by the jurisdiction having authority) among initial response forces to an explosion, be trained and equipped with appropriate radiological survey equipment to include a geiger-counter type device and dosimeters," Staten said.

"This equipment could then be used to conduct a preliminary assessment of the scene and determine what appropriate protective clothing and equipment might be needed, or if other special units are required," the veteran analyst added. "As times and tactical situations change, so must the capabilities of our emergency service agencies...we think it only prudent to make such a suggestion at this time," Staten concluded. Additional reference: 1981 -"Handling of Radiation Accident Victims; A Prehospital Care Point of View," by Staten, C. L. , Fire Command Magazine, January 1981, Pg. 14-15, 19 (Note: requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in) -- Source: http://www.emergency.com/emspage.htm

Gunman dead, 4 wounded in downtown shooting

Published December 8, 2006, 6:06 PM CST
Gunman dead, 4 wounded in downtown shooting

A Chicago Tribune staff report can be found here

The gunman in a shooting at a skyscraper west of Chicago's Loop is dead, and four other people have been taken to area hospitals, police said tonight.

More details can also be found on the EmergencyNet News page

"Wannabe" Terrorist Threatened to Attack Mall With Grenades; Now Indicted

Breaking News: 12:30CST -

"Wannabe" Terrorist Threatened to Attack Mall With Grenades; Now Indicted

CHICAGO/ROCKFORD, IL: A 22-year-old Rockford man with an ambition to become a terrorist has been arrested by federal authorities on allegations that he planned to set off grenades in garbage cans in a mall in Rockford.

Derrick Shareef, of Rockford, was arrested on Wednesday by FBI agents from the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

He was apprehended after meeting with an undercover agent in a Rockford store parking lot to trade a set of stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Shareef was charged with one count of count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, authorities said.

Breaking News continues at: http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_342121223.html

---

Shopping Mall Terror Plot Foiled

FBI: Man planned "to disrupt Christmas" with "acts of jihad"

An affidavit in the case, from an FBI agent, can be found at: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1208061shareef1.html

---

E. coli outbreak now in 7 states

From CNN:

10:22 a.m. EST, December 8, 2006

E. coli outbreak now in 7 states; agencies zero in on Taco Bell

As many as 84 people in seven states have been confirmed as having the strain of E. coli bacteria involved in an outbreak that may be linked to Taco Bell restaurants, officials said Friday.

E. coli outbreak now in 7 states

Relationship between Iraq War and War on Terror

From Amy Zalman, Ph.D.,Your Guide to Terrorism Issues [ http://terrorism.about.com/ ]

Iraq Study Group Reshapes Relationship between Iraq War and War on Terror

The just-released recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, whether they are taken or not, add momentum to the trend toward considering the Iraq War separately from the "war on terror." Although President Bush continues to identify the main issue vexing Iraq as terrorism, and the war there as one front in a global effort, he appears to be increasingly isolated in his views. The Iraq Study Group's framing of the situation in Iraq won't help him either. The executive summary to the report suggests that terrorism, and Al Qaeda, are a few among the many challenges now facing the country, including militias, crime and insurgency:

If they [the recommendations] are effectively implemented, and if the Iraqi government moves forward with national reconciliation, Iraqis will have an opportunity for a better future, terrorism will be dealt a blow, stability will be enhanced in an important part of the world, and America's credibility, interests, and values will be protected. The challenges in Iraq are complex. Violence is increasing in scope and lethality. It is fed by a Sunni Arab insurgency, Shiite militias and death squads, al Qaeda, and widespread criminality. Sectarian conflict is the principal challenge to stability.For more information about the ISG group, and the implications of the report, see:

Iraq Study Group Issues Report (U.S. Gov Info): http://www.usip.org/isg/iraq_study_group_report/report/1206/index.html

Terrorists rejoicing over new Iraq 'plan'

07 Dec 2006

Terrorists rejoicing over new Iraq 'plan'

Reaction to Study Group: 'Allah and his angels' responsible, 'era of Islam and of jihad' declared

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL: A high level U.S. commission's recommendations for an eventual withdrawal from Iraq and for dialogue with Iran and Syria proves "Islamic resistance" works and America will ultimately be defeated, according to senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND.

The militants, from the largest Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, welcomed the policies outlined by the Iraq Study Group, which they claim recognizes Islam is the "new giant of the world." The group is led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker.

"The report proves that this is the era of Islam and of jihad," said Abu Ayman, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.

The Islamic Jihad terror group is responsible for every suicide bombing in Israel during the past two years.

"[With the Iraq Study Group report], the Americans came to the conclusion that Islam is the new giant of the world and it would be clever to reduce hostilities with this giant. In the Quran the principle of the rotation is clear and according to this principle the end of the Americans and of all non-believers is getting closer," Abu Ayman said.

According to Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called military wing, Baker's report is a victory for Islam brought about by "Allah and his angels."

"It is not just a simple victory. It is a great one. The big superpower of the world is defeated by a small group of mujahedeen (fighters). Did you see the mujahedeens' clothes and weapons in comparison with the huge individual military arsenal and supply that was carrying every American soldier?" exclaimed Abu Abdullah, who is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.

"It is no doubt that Allah and his angels were fighting with them (insurgents) against the Americans. It is a sign to all those who keep saying that America, Israel and the West in general cannot be defeated on the ground so let us negotiate with them," Abu Abdullah said.

Abu Abdullah said following a withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. will be defeated on its own soil.

"America must understand that with anti-American governments in Latin America and with Islam growing and reinforcing, including in the U.S. itself, the next step would be a total defeat on their (American) land, not a relative one like they are facing in Iraq," he said.

-- Source: WorldNetDaily.com, Aaron Klein, Dec. 6, 2006, 7:40 p.m. Eastern
- Article continues at: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53269

Iraq Study Group Report (.PDF)

06 Dec 2006

Addendum to EmergencyNet News - INT12-339

The complete Iraq Study Group Report can be found at:

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/images/12/06/iraq.report.pdf

(Requires Adobe Acrobat reader/plug-in to review)

New State.Gov Terrorist Wanted Poster

Media Note (Revised)
Office of the Spokesman
U.S. State Department
Washington, DC
December 4, 2006

Rewards For Justice Program Dispatches “Faces of Global Terrorism” Posters To Airport Hubs to Heighten Travelers’ Awareness

Hundreds of wanted terrorist posters are being distributed during the holiday season to U.S. airports by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The poster, "The Faces of Global Terrorism," identifies 26 known terrorists with reward offers of up to $25 million as part of the Rewards For Justice (RFJ) program. Well-known images of Usama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are joined on the poster by the most recent addition to the RFJ program, American-born terrorist Adam Gadahn. More than 500 posters are on their way to major airports in in thbe United States.

Increasing an airline traveler's awareness of wanted terrorists is part of the U.S. Government's mission in fighting the war on terror. These posters will increase this awareness for both travelers and airport workers.

Downlad the poster and get more information at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/77311.htm

Escherichia coli O157 - E-Coli Outlbreak Reported in NY and NJ

Dec 5, 2006 00:43 am US/Eastern

Number Of Confirmed Cases In N.Y., N.J. Reach 39
Source Of Bacteria Undetermined, Food Sent To Labs

NEW YORK: Eight Taco Bell restaurants on Long Island have temporarily shut down as part of the investigation -- four from each county. The restaurants closed voluntarily after their respective counties asked them to do so.

Officials are still investigating the food distribution to see if that is the common thread, and Dr. David Graham, acting commisioner of the Suffolk Co. Health Services, says nine of the cases from that county have eaten at a Taco Bell restaurant recently. Health officials are now looking to determine exactly whether a vegetable or beef product could be the source of the bacteria.

"This is what we call an epidemiologic link, that is we have sick patients, confirmed laboratory tests in the patients, and then by doing detailed food histories, we connect specific restaurants," Graham said. "We do not have any documentation of any food that has the organism presently, but those foods have been embargoed and have been submitted to the laboratory for further analysis."

Of the Long Island cases, nine patients are between the ages 11-27, and two are in their 60s. Eight of the victims have already been released from the hospital, while three remain seriously ill.

The outbreak, which that has sickened at least 22 people -- two of them seriously -- was linked by health investigators Monday to three Taco Bell restaurants in New Jersey. It was not immediately clear if the New Jersey outbreak was linked to the one in Long Island.

All but two of the people who fell ill in New Jersey had eaten at one of the fast-food restaurants between Nov. 17 and Nov. 28, authorities said. But exactly what food contained the bacteria was still unclear. "We have to find the food they all had in common," said David Papi, director of health for Middlesex County.

-- Source: WCBS-TV, http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_338093100.html

Reference: E. Coli: What You Need To Know -- From CDC

Policing in an Age of Terror: Prevention is Better Than Cure

Policing in an Age of Terror: Prevention is Better Than Cure

Author: Amanda C. Bowman
Source: Ambassador magazine
Date: December 1, 2006

Recently, the Center for Security Policy and the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Policing Terrorism joined the London-based think tank, Politeia, in holding high-level meetings with political, law enforcement and community leaders, aimed at understanding and defeating the global reach of terrorism. Read this fascinating account of these meetings by FSM Board Member Amanda Bowman who organized the groundbreaking event.

The conference addressed the timely topic, Conquering Crime and Tackling Terrorism: Is There a Special Relationship? facilitating a fascinating conversation among high-level law enforcement officials from both the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). UK participants included Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police; important elected officials such as: Dr. John Reid, MP, the British Home Secretary; Dr. Liam Fox MP and Nick Herbert MP, Shadow Ministers, respectively, for Defense and Police Reform; and John Denham MP, Chairman of the All-Party Group on Police were also present.

The US delegation included William Bratton, Chief of the Los Angeles Police; and John Timoney, Chief of the Miami Police, as well as the Center for Security Policy’s President Frank Gaffney, Jr. and Vice President for Research, Alex Alexiev, and this author, together with The Manhattan Institute’s President, Lawrence Mone, Senior Fellow George Kelling, and Tim Connors and R.P. Eddy from the Institute’s Center for Policing Terrorism. Sam Brinkley, Vice President of Homeland Security for Wackenhut Services and formerly Professional Staff Member on the September 11 Commission, also joined us. Politeia’s President, Sheila Lawlor, was the conference Program Director. The conference was skillfully chaired by Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury—whose ancestor Robert Cecil, the first Queen Elizabeth’s “spymaster,” is credited with playing a vital counterintelligence role in defeating the invasion by the Spanish Armada in 1588, an historic reminder that our British hosts have been in the “humint” game for a long time!

Read all about it: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?id=455483

Fireworks Explosion at Factory in E.Sussex, England

03 Dec 2006 - 12:50CST
EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report

Casualties after Explosion at Fireworks factory?

E. SUSSEX, ENGLAND: Firefighters are tackling a major blaze at a fireworks factory on an industrial estate between Ringmer and Golden Cross.

Sussex Police have declared a major incident following the outbreak of the fire at The Broyle, Ringmer, on Sunday. Witnesses said smoke could be seen from several miles away. Several explosions have been reported.

Several people are believed to have been seriously injured. Emergency service sources told EmergencyNet News that at least twelve ambulances, 10 fire engines, and an air ambulance were all sent to the scene. The cause of the incident is not presently known.

This is very preliminary information on this situation, and we are attempting to obtain additional official data at the time of this report. Watch EmergencyNet News for crisis news...as it happens.

Bookmarking and Adding News Feed

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Global Incident Map

Resource: USA / GLOBAL - View Terrorism And Suspicious Incidents On the Interactive Global Incident Map

"Custom Versions Of The Map are Available for law enforcement, military, government, and private organizations"

http://www.GlobalIncidentMap.com

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01 Dec 2006

Subject: Emergency.Blog 2.0 (New Look...Greater Interactivity)

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Critics Get Tough on Emergency Preparedness Drills

29 Nov 2006

From: ESR10-332a - Supplemental Report on Disaster Management

Reference/Resource On-Line NOW

-- Critics Get Tough on Emergency Preparedness Drills
-- ERRI General Analysis of Disaster Drills

Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/2006/critique_disaster_drills.htm