December 2008

India Plans Homeland Security Buys Worth $10B (Includes ERRI comment)

Published: 31 Dec 11:52 EST (16:52 GMT)

India Plans Homeland Security Buys Worth $10B

By vivek raghuvanshi, DefenseNews

NEW DELHI, INDIA: India will purchase more than $10 billion in homeland security weapons and equipment on an emergency basis in the next two to three years, Defense Ministry sources here said. The decision comes in the aftermath of the Nov. 26 Mumbai terror attacks.

The Defense Ministry has asked the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Army to draw up a wish list of homeland security equipment.

The list could include a variety of UAVs, including combat UAVs; transport aircraft and helicopters; secure communication systems; high-speed boats and interceptor boats for the Coast Guard; specialized weaponry like the Trevor gun; multi-utility vehicles and other equipment to fight terrorist attacks in urban areas.

The Home Affairs Ministry has also asked paramilitary forces and police forces to give a list of equipment they need for homeland security missions.

A diplomat based here said the move to purchase such systems will eventually lead to multiple joint ventures and memoranda of understanding between Indian and overseas defense companies.

A senior Home Affairs Ministry official said a paradigm shift is needed to provide internal security, which will require India to establish an apex body responsible for homeland security.

The Defense Ministry has floated requests for proposals worth more than $9 billion during 2008 to buy weapons. In 2009, fresh bids will be floated for purchasing weaponry for homeland land security, a senior Defense Ministry official said.

-- Source: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3882647&c=SEA&s=ALL

ERRI counter-terrorism/military analyst comment, by C. L. Staten: With all due respect to our Indian colleagues, this was predictable...sad, but predictable. In literally hundreds of cases of which we are aware, the jurisdiction having authority has a major disaster/attack and THEN decides to hire the personnel/buy the weapons/do the training/etc. that they needed all along.

Leaders in emergency services all over the world know that, all too often, a major disaster must occur -- and their system must fail -- BEFORE they can get the politicians to give them the resources (money) that they needed in the first place.

Unfortunately, innocent people die or are badly injured in this process and consequential property damage far exceeds the cost of the equipment, personnel, or training which would have been required to prevent or minimize the disaster.

This sort of thing happens all the time. And, we're afraid that this process has been repeated in India.

As 2009 breaks, we must wonder...what will it take for emergency responders and managers to be able to convince our elected/appointed leaders to spend the appropriate amount of money BEFORE the disaster or attack?

Managing Gaza - Analysis

30 Dec 2008

Managing Gaza

From the Counter-Terrorism Blog

By Aaron Mannes

Israel's operation in Gaza is reaching a critical point. While talking heads will debate grand strategy, the options are limited. Behind the headlines is the crucial issue of how Israel?s national security process works (or doesn't - in light of the weaknesses revealed in the 2006 Lebanon war). The next moves will demonstrate whether or not Israel has successfully incorporated the lessons from the failures of the 2006 Lebanon War. This is crucial to re-establishing Israeli deterrence.

Strategic Limitations

A true peace agreement with Hamas is not realistic. A quick scan of clips from Hamas' al-Aqsa network or of statements by Hamas leaders from the Middle East Media Research Institute - particularly horrible are these scenes from Hamas produced children’s television - should disabuse all but the most useful idiots of any notions of a moderate Hamas.

Fatah is theoretically an alternative to Hamas, but has been eliminated from Gaza and has little credibility or capability.

Military options also do not offer definite solutions. Re-occupying Gaza would require tens of thousands of Israeli troops and likely lead to hundreds of Israeli and thousands of Palestinian casualties. The Israelis do not want to pay this price. It also might not work. Hamas might be able to maintain an ongoing, costly insurgency against the Israelis, which would be perceived as a victory. (Hamas has taken lessons from Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel and has prepared and is hoping for an IDF ground campaign.)

Hamas' supply lines are the tunnels into Egypt. The tunnels themselves are only the endpoint of a vast smuggling network that extends throughout the Sinai and into the heart of Egypt. Egypt is a poor country, the smuggling opportunities are lucrative, and law enforcement is weak. In Kashmir, criminal networks in an impoverished environment have fostered a self-sustaining insurgency. The same situation could occur Gaza.

Ultimately, there are no solutions in Gaza on the immediate horizon. This is a problem Israel will have to manage.

Read the complete post here.

Trackback link: http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008
/12/managing_gaza.php#trackbacks

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Emergency.Blog Editor's note: The views expressed above are those of the author, publisher, or person quoted and do not necessarily represent those of ERRI or EmergencyNet News. They are presented to give our readers alternative viewpoints from around the world and to encourage discussion and further study of important topics.

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Reference:

Hamas and the Gaza Strip (Graphic from Times of London)

Map of Hamas Facilities in Gaza

-- Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/
archive/00455/GAZAMAP_455232a.pdf

Israel continues attacks on Gaza

December 28, 2008 - 16:30CST

Israel continues attacks on Gaza
Attacks Following Repeated Rocket Attacks on Israel

By Taghreed El-Khodary and Isabel Kershner, the International Herald Tribune

GAZA: Israeli warplanes struck Hamas facilities in Gaza on Sunday for a second day and medical officials said more than 280 Palestinians had been killed so far as Israel retaliated for rocket fire from the area with its most severe campaign against Palestinian militants in decades. Palestinian officials said at least 600 people had been wounded in the onslaught.

Israeli military officials said the airstrikes were the start of what could be days or even months of an effort to force Hamas to end the rocket barrages into southern Israel.

After the shock of the massive assault that took Hamas by surprise Saturday, Israel appeared to be setting in for a longer haul. The government on Sunday approved the emergency call-up of thousands of army reservists in preparation for a possible ground operation as Israeli troops, tanks, armored personnel carriers and D-9 armored bulldozers massed along the border with Gaza.

Speaking before the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the army would "deepen and broaden its actions as needed" and would "continue to act."

A number of governments and international officials, including leaders of Russia, Egypt, the European Union and the United Nations, condemned Israel's use of force and also called on Hamas to end its rocket fire. But the Bush administration blamed Hamas for the violence and demanded that it stop firing rockets.

A military operation had been forecast and demanded by Israeli officials for weeks, even before a rocky cease-fire with Hamas fully collapsed a week ago, leading again to rocket attacks in large numbers against Israel and isolated Israeli operations here.

But the ferocity of the Israeli assault Saturday was striking: It began in broad daylight as police cadets were graduating, women were shopping at the outdoor market and children were emerging from school.

The center of Gaza City was a scene of chaotic horror, with rubble everywhere, sirens wailing, and women shrieking as dozens of mutilated bodies were laid out on the pavement and in the lobby of Shifa Hospital so that family members could identify the dead. They included several construction workers and at least two children in school uniforms.

By Saturday afternoon, shops were shuttered, funerals began and mourning tents were visible on nearly every major street of this densely populated city.

At dusk Sunday, Israeli fighter jets bombed what the military said were more than 40 tunnels along Gaza's border with Egypt. The military said the tunnels that were attacked, on the Gaza side of the border, were used for smuggling weapons, explosives and fugitives. Palestinians and Israeli officials said there are hundreds of tunnels running beneath the border. Gazans use many of them to import consumer goods and fuel to get around the Israeli economic blockade.

Hamas has been harshly critical of Egypt, accusing it of collusion with Israel for refusing to open the Rafah crossing on its border with Gaza.

Witnesses in Rafah described chaotic scenes along the border with young Palestinian men trying to dash across and sporadic exchanges of fire between Egyptian forces and Hamas.

The bloody images of Gaza's streets have already set off angry demonstrations across the Arab world, and hundreds of protesters turned out in London, Paris and Madrid.

Israel said that among 30 or more targets destroyed Saturday and Sunday were the main security compound and prison in Gaza City known as the Saraya, metal workshops and Hamas military posts. The Hamas-owned television station Al Aqsa was also struck, as was a mosque that the Israelis said was being used as a terrorist base.

Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, which runs Gaza, said that Israel had started a "war" but would not be able to choose how it would end. He called for revenge in the form of strikes reaching "deep into the Zionist entity using all means," including suicide attacks...

-- Source/continues:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/28/mideast/gaza.php

U.S. Urges Calm as Tensions Rise Between India and Pakistan

27 December 2008

U.S. Urges Calm as Tensions Rise Between India and Pakistan

By VOA News

INDIA/PAKISTAN: U.S. officials are urging India and Pakistan to avoid escalating tensions, as Pakistan began moving thousands of troops toward its border with India on Friday.

A White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, said the United States was in touch with both countries and urging greater cooperation in investigating last month's Mumbai attacks, which India blames on Pakistan-based militants.

Witnesses say they saw Pakistani troops moving eastward from Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, where soldiers have been fighting al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

The military also canceled leave for members of the armed forces, and put both the army and air force on high alert...

-- Source/continues:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-12-27-voa1.cfm

Assessment: Homeland Security forecasts 5-year terror threats

25 Dec 2008

Homeland Security forecasts 5-year terror threats
"Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-2013"

By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON, DC (AP via Google) ? The terrorism threat to the United States over the next five years will be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa, persistent challenges to border security and increasing Internet savvy, says a new intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press.

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks are considered the most dangerous threats that could be carried out against the U.S. But those threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for al-Qaida and similar groups to acquire the materials needed to carry out such plots, according to the internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-2013.

The al-Qaida terrorist network continues to focus on U.S. attack targets vulnerable to massive economic losses, casualties and political "turmoil," the assessment said.

Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction remains "the highest priority at the federal level." Speaking to reporters on Dec. 3, Chertoff explained that more people, such as terrorists, will learn how to make dirty bombs, biological and chemical weapons. "The other side is going to continue to learn more about doing things," he said.

Marked "for official use only," the report does not specify its audience, but the assessments typically go to law enforcement, intelligence officials and the private sector. When determining threats, intelligence officials consider loss of life, economic and psychological consequences.

Intelligence officials also predict that in the next five years, terrorists will try to conduct a destructive biological attack. Officials are concerned about the possibility of infections to thousands of U.S. citizens, overwhelming regional health care systems.

There could also be dire economic impacts caused by workers' illnesses and deaths. Officials are most concerned about biological agents stolen from labs or other storage facilities, such as anthrax.

"The threat of terrorism and the threat of extremist ideologies has not abated," Chertoff said in his year-end address on Dec. 18. "This threat has not evaporated, and we can't turn the page on it..."

-- Source/continues: http://tinyurl.com/erri1074

Season's Greetings to All of our Readers!

24 Dec 2008

Season's Greetings to All of our Readers!

Our Holiday Card for you:
http://www.emergency.com/2008/xmas_2008.htm

5 convicted of plotting to kill Fort Dix soldiers

5 convicted of plotting to kill Fort Dix soldiers

By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press

From: CBS 3 Philadelphia/via Yahoo news

CAMDEN, N.J. -- A federal jury in New Jersey has found five Muslim immigrants guilty of conspiring to kill U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix in a case the government said demonstrated its post-Sept. 11 determination to stop terrorist attacks in the planning stages.

The defendants were acquitted of attempted murder charges but face life in prison for conspiring to kill military personnel.

The federal jury spent about 38 hours deliberating over the past six days.

After the men's arrest in 2007, prosecutors said an attack had been imminent, underscoring the dangers of terrorist plots hatched on U.S. soil.

Defense lawyers maintain the alleged plot was all talk. They said the men weren't seriously planning anything and that they were goaded by two paid FBI informants...

-- Source/continues: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/
ap_on_re_us/fort_dix_plot_17

UPDATE: WOODBURN EXPLOSIVES INVESTIGATION

News Release from: Oregon State Police

UPDATE: WOODBURN EXPLOSIVES INVESTIGATION - INFO FROM SUNDAY MEDIA BRIEFING AND PHOTOS

Posted: December 14th, 2008 6:31 PM

Photo/sound file: http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Sus1.jpg

Photo/sound file: http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Sus2.jpg

Photo/sound file: http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Sus3.jpg

Photo/sound file: http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Sus4.jpg

The Marion County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the interagency investigation into the killings of two Oregon police officers and critical injury to a police chief is releasing photographs of a person (left) believed associated with key events.

Marion County Sheriff Russ Isham announced that the interagency investigation continues to ask the public to help us identify the person or persons responsible for the events surrounding the December 12th deaths of Oregon State Police Senior Trooper William Hakim and Woodburn Police Captain Tom Tennant, critical injury to Woodburn Police Chief Scott Russell, and an injury to an employee of West Coast Bank.

The interagency task force is releasing some investigative details, photographs, and general information about offenders involved in the incident. "We believe this will jog people's memories about suspicious persons or activities they may have witnessed in the preceding weeks in this area," said Isham.

Investigators believe that at least one subject was in the Bend, Oregon area in late November where cell phones and other items were purchased believed to be used in the manufacture of the device. This individual is also believed to have taken actions in furtherance of his plan this past Thursday and Friday, December 11th and 12th, in Salem and Woodburn. These activities suggest this person may have been out and unaccounted for at these times.

Photographs of a person of interest are being released to assist with this investigation.

The person of interest is described as a white male adult, average build, approximately 30 ? 40 years of age, dark hair, with a dark colored beard.

The task force investigation noted that the individual responsible for making the bomb possesses several skills that may help the public solve this crime, including welding and electronics.

The interagency investigative team is working around the clock. "We remind the public of the danger he poses to our communities, not only to potential intended victims, but also to others who may know him or are exposed to his explosives. He may be careful, but others around him ? children, relatives, or coworkers ? may be in grave danger." said Isham.

A reward of $35,000 is offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime.

"We would ask that after seeing or hearing this information, if anyone has information pertaining to this incident to please contact the new tip line at 1-888-780-5678. Please don't ?screen' your information. If the information we shared doesn't match the person you are concerned about, that is all right. Let our investigators examine and evaluate your information," said Isham.

The new tip line will be staffed with six call takers and the release of this new information and photographs may generate high call activity. If you get a busy signal, be patient and call again until you talk to one of the call takers who will receive your information. Callers may remain anonymous.

-- Source: www.oregon.gov/OSP

Haz-Mat (Caustic Liquid) Incident in Hong Kong

11:08 GMT, Sunday, 14 December 2008

'Acid' bottles hurt dozens in Hong Kong

From BBC News

HONG KONG: Forty-six people were injured when two bottles of what's thought to be acid fell onto a busy street in Hong Kong. Police suspect the bottles were dropped deliberately from a high-rise building, an official told a local newpaper.

Victims cried out as the liquid damaged skin and burned holes in clothing, witnesses said. Those taken to hospital were released the same day.

Police searched the building, but no arrests were made following the incident late on Saturday...

-- Source/continues: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7782263.stm

Related Reference/Original Source:

Dozens of Christmas shoppers hurt as bottles of acid rain down

By Fox Yi Hu, South China Morning Post

Dec 14, 2008

Christmas shoppers on a packed Mong Kok street gasped in pain and screamed for help yesterday as two bottles of acid, apparently thrown from above, crashed to the ground and exploded....(subscription required)

-- Source: http://tinyurl.com/erri1026

Senior Trooper Hakim died from duty-related explosion injuries

Posted: December 13th, 2008 11:35 AM

News Release from: Oregon State Police

UPDATE #5: PHOTOGRAPHS OF SENIOR TROOPER HAKIM AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Photograph and Information Source: Oregon State Police

Oregon State Police Senior Trooper William ("Bill") Hakim, died from duty-related explosion injuries received while performing his duties as a Hazardous Devices Technician with the Oregon State Police on December 12, 2008 at age 51.

Senior Trooper Hakim was assisting Woodburn Police Department at an area bank inspecting a suspicious device when it detonated, killing Senior Trooper Hakim and Woodburn Police Captain Tom Tennant. Woodburn Police Chief Scott Russell was critically injured in the explosion.

Senior Trooper Hakim was hired with the Oregon State Police on July 1, 1997 and stationed at the Klamath Falls Area Command office in the Patrol Services Division. On March 1, 1999 he transferred to the Salem Area Command office as a detective in the Arson and Explosives Section. He has also been involved with the Oregon State Police SWAT team and has taught other law enforcement officers about arson and bomb investigations.

Senior Trooper Hakim is married and has a 16-year old son and 18-year old daughter.

* The last on duty death occurred September 4, 2001.

* Senior Trooper Hakim is the second Oregon State Police Arson & Explosives Section detective to die in the line of duty. The first was Sergeant Richard Schuening on October 2, 1997.

* Information regarding all Oregon State Police troopers lost in the line of duty is available on the Department website at http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/Memorial.shtml

Information regarding the Oregon State Police Arson & Explosives Section is available on the Oregon State Police website at http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/AES/index.shtml

Photo/sound file: http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Hakim.1.jpg

Photo/sound file:http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Hakim.bombunit.2.jpg

Two police dead, chief critical in bomb explosion at Woodburn bank

08:31 AM PST on Saturday, December 13, 2008

Two police dead, chief critical in bomb explosion at Woodburn bank

By FRANK MUNGEAM and ERIC ADAMS, Kgw.com Staff

WOODBURN, Ore. -- A Woodburn police officer and state police bomb squad technician were killed, while the city's police chief remained in critical condition after a bomb exploded late Friday at a Woodburn bank.

The FBI and ATF offered a $35,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the explosion and deaths, Oregon State Police said.

The explosion happened at the West Coast Bank on the Newberg 214 Highway just before 5:30 p.m., Marion County deputies said. Officers were on the scene investigating a report of a suspicious device when the device detonated.

Woodburn Police Department Capt. Tom Kennant and Oregon State Police bomb technician Bill Hakim were killed in the blast. Woodburn Chief of Police Scott Russell was in critical condition and a bank employee received minor injuries...Investigation continues at the time of this report.

An ATF hotline has been set up at 1-800-800-3855

-- Source/continues: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/
kgw_121208_news_woodburn_bank_bomb.58bf59dd.html

Bomb explodes at Woodburn bank, kills at least one

Friday December 12, 2008, 8:31 PM

Bomb explodes at Woodburn bank, kills at least one

by Helen Jung, The Oregonian

WOODBURN, OR: A bomb exploded at a West Coast Bank branch in Woodburn Friday, killing at least one person, and injuring at least two others.

The bomb detonated late afternoon around 5:45 p.m. at the bank in the 2500 block of Newberg Highway.

A Marion County deputy medical examiner said he was en route to the scene, saying that he was told of at least one fatality. He added that police were concerned about a secondary device in the area.

The bank had been evacuated before the bomb detonated, according to West Coast Bank chief executive Robert Sznewajs. The branch has been there for at least 10 years, he said.

He said two employees sustained some injuries, but not life-threatening. But the blast caused serious injuries to an unspecified number of officers, according to an Oregon State Police release. The ATF said it knew of one bomb technician who had been injured.

Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings declined to provide much detail. But earlier in the day, an Oregon State Police bomb technician, the FBI and Woodburn Police were investigating a suspicious device at West Coast Bank.

The Woodburn Independent is reporting that that all houses to the south Oregon Way and Evergreen Avenue are being evacuated and U.S. Bank is also being evacuated.

FBI spokesman Jane Brillhart has been confirmed there are injuries, however, the extent of those injuries is not known at this time, the newspaper said.

This bank is close to the Wells Fargo Bank, where earlier in the day the FBI, Oregon State Police and the Woodburn Police Department were investigating a suspicious package, the newspaper said.

However, Brillhart said there was no explosive device at the Wells Fargo Bank, which is located at 2600 Newberg Hwy. Brillhart could not comment further on the West Coast Bank blast as FBI investigators are en route. A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives said the agency had also dispatched a team to the scene...

-- Source/continues: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf
/2008/12/bomb_explodes_outside_bank_in.html

ERRI Preliminary Briefing Concerning Somalia Piracy (Gulf of Aden)

ERRI Preliminary Briefing Concerning Somalia Piracy (Gulf of Aden)

Published: November, 2008

Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/
2008/Somalia_Piracy_Brief2008.htm

Greek Inspired Riots Spread to Other Parts of Europe

10:37 CST - 11 Dec 2008

Greek-inspired demonstrations spread

By PAUL HAVEN, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, SPAIN (AP/YAHOO): Unrest that has gripped Greece for the past six days showed troubling signs of spreading across Europe, as violence erupted in several cities.

Angry youths smashed shop windows, attacked banks and hurled bottles at police in small but violent protests Thursday in Spain and Denmark, while cars were set alight outside a consulate in France. Protesters gathered in front of the Greek Embassy in Rome on Wednesday and some turned violent, damaging police vehicles, overturning a car and setting a trash can on fire.

Authorities say the incidents have been isolated so far, but acknowledge concern that the Greek riots ? which started over the police killing of a 15-year-old on Saturday ? could be a trigger for anti-globalization groups and others outraged by economic turmoil and a lack of job opportunities.

"What's happening in Greece tends to prove that the extreme left exists, contrary to doubts of some over these past few weeks," French Interior Ministry spokesman Gerard Gachet told The Associated Press. "For the moment, we can't go farther with our conclusions and say that there's a danger of contagion of the Greek situation into France. All of that is being watched."

As Europe plunges into recession, unemployment is rising, particularly among the young. Even before the crisis, European youths complained about difficulty finding well paid jobs ? even with a college degree ? and many said they felt left out as the continent grew in prosperity.

At least some of the protests appear to have been organized over the Internet, showing how quickly a message can be spread, particularly among tech-savvy youth. One Web site that Greek protesters have been using to update each other claims there have been sympathy protests in nearly 20 countries.

"We're encouraging nonviolent action here and abroad," said Konstantinos Sakkas, a 23-year-old protester at the Athens Polytechnic, where many of the demonstrators are based. "What these are abroad are spontaneous expressions of solidarity with what's going on here."

In Denmark, protesters pelted riot police with bottles and paint in downtown Copenhagen at a rally late Wednesday. Some 63 people were detained and later released.

And in Spain, angry youths attacked banks, shops and a police station in separate demonstrations in Madrid and Barcelona late Wednesday that each drew about 200 people.

Some of the protesters chanted "police killers" and other slogans. Eleven people ? including a Greek girl ? were arrested at the two rallies, and two police officers were lightly injured.

The Barcelona daily La Vanguardia said the protests had been convened over the Internet...

-- Source/continues: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/
20081211/ap_on_re_eu/eu_europe_unrest

IL Governor, chief of staff arrested in 'political corruption crime spree'

13:00 CST- 09 Dec 2008

IL Governor, chief of staff arrested in 'political corruption crime spree'
Prosecutor: Crimes would 'make Lincoln roll over'

Federal prosecutors allege he ...

* Put 'for sale' sign on appointment of Obama's replacement

* Tried to get Tribune editorial board members fired as part of a Cubs deal

* Has brought Illinois to 'a truly new low'

Major series of articles continues at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/

** CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (UNDER SEAL) V. ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, and JOHN HARRIS
Can be found at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789434.pdf

Rioting Continues: Greek PM Calls Crisis Meeting

December 8 2008 20:30

Greek PM calls crisis cabinet meeting

By Kerin Hope in Athens, FT.com

GREECE: Costas Karamanlis, Greek prime minister, called an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday night amid escalating violence in central Athens with rioters setting fire to dozens of buildings around the parliament square. Mr. Karamanlis was expected to declare a state of emergency as police struggled to control a third day of riots in half a dozen cities around Greece.

Thousands of Greek youths on Monday took part in a third day of violent protests following the killing of a 15-year-old boy by a police officer in a students? district of Athens.

Earlier as police fired teargas at the rock-throwing demonstrators in central Athens, shoppers fled into a nearby metro station. The central square overlooking the parliament building emptied after police buses blocked access to traffic.

Undeterred by the violence, two leftwing political parties staged separate protest meetings followed by a march to parliament.

Alecos Alavanos, leader of Syriza, which is supported by many young Greeks, called for the resignation of the centre-right government. ?There was no justification for what happened. The conservatives cannot stay in power after this,? he said.

Greek authorities appeared ill-prepared to handle the sustained protests, with many government buildings left unguarded in Athens and other cities.

Several government offices had to be evacuated after fire-bomb attacks. Police said more than 60 shops, banks and dealerships were damaged over the weekend...Fire officials said that more than 200 fires had been set over the weekend...

-- Source/continues: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e41a0fd0
-c45a-11dd-8124-000077b07658.html

Biological terror attack likely by 2013, panel says

02 December 2008

Biological terror attack likely by 2013, panel says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Terrorists are likely to use a weapon of mass destruction somewhere in the world in the next five years, a blue-ribbon panel assembled by Congress has concluded.

They are more likely to use a biological weapon than a nuclear one -- and the results could be devastating, the chairman of the commission told CNN.

"The consequences of a biological attack are almost beyond comprehension. It would be 9/11 times 10 or a hundred in terms of the number of people who would be killed," former Sen. Bob Graham said.

He cited the flu virus that killed millions of people in 1918 as an example.

"Today it is still in the laboratory, but if it should get out and into the hands of scientists who knew how to use it for a violent purpose, we could have multiple times the 40 million people who were killed 100 years ago," he said. Watch how officials worry about a biological terror attack »

The U.S. government "needs to move more aggressively to limit" the spread of biological weapons, the commission said in its report.

Graham warned that such measures would be costly, but were necessary. "The leadership of this country and the world will have to decide how much of a priority ... they place on avoiding the worst weapons in the world getting in the hands of the worst people in the world," he said.

"It is not going to be cheap. It is not going to be accomplished without some sacrifices. It won't be accomplished without putting this issue ahead of some other competing national and international goals. But I think our safety and security depend upon doing so," he added.

Graham said a biological attack was more likely than a nuclear one because it would be easier to carry out. Biological weapons "are more available," he said. "Anthrax is a natural product of dead animals. Other serious pathogens are available in equally accessible forms."

"There are so many scientists who have the skills to convert a pathogen from benign, helpful purposes into an illicit, very harmful weapon," he added.

But the commission warned that there is also a threat of nuclear terrorism, both because more countries are developing nuclear weapons and because some existing nuclear powers are expanding their arsenals.

"Terrorist organizations are intent on acquiring nuclear weapons," said the report, which has not been made public, although CNN has obtained a copy of it...

-- Source/continues: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/02/terror.report/index.html

Emergency.com Reference:

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

ERRI/Emergency.com Infectious Disease Archive Page
http://www.emergency.com/infctous.htm

Terrorist CBRN: Materials and Effects (CIA Report)
http://www.emergency.com/pdf/CBRN_threat.pdf

Could you recognize the symptoms of heart attack or stroke?

Could you recognize the symptoms of heart attack or stroke?

Click on the ambulance to learn more...

U.S. Warned India in October of Potential Terror Attack

December 1, 2008

U.S. Warned India in October of Potential Terror Attack
NSA Now Tracking Captured Phones, U.S. Connections

By RICHARD ESPOSITO, BRIAN ROSS and PIERRE THOMAS

U.S. intelligence agencies warned their Indian counterparts in mid-October of a potential attack "from the sea against hotels and business centers in Mumbai," a U.S. intelligence official tells ABCNews.com.

U.S. intelligence agencies warned their Indian counterparts in mid-October of a potential attack "from the sea against hotels and business centers in Mumbai," a U.S. intelligence official tells ABCNews.com. A second government source said specific locations, including the Taj hotel, were listed. A second government source say specific locations, including the Taj hotel, were listed in the U.S. warning.

One month later, Nov. 18, Indian intelligence also intercepted a satellite phone call to a number in Pakistan known to be used by a leader of the terror group, Lashkar e Taiba, believed responsible for the weekend attack, Indian intelligence officials say.

The Indian intercept also revealed a possible sea-borne attack, the officials say...

-- Source/continues: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6368013&page=1