Emergency.Blog

Hamas Cleric Predicts 'Rome Will Be Conquered by Islam'

Monday, April 14, 2008

Hamas Cleric Predicts 'Rome Will Be Conquered by Islam'

A sermon last Friday by a prominent Muslim cleric and Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament openly declared that "the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital," would soon be conquered by Islam.

The fiery sermon, delivered by Yunis al-Astal and aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, predicted that Rome would become "an advanced post for the Islamic conquests, which will spread though Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, even Eastern Europe."

"Allah has chosen you for Himself and for His religion," al-Astal preached, "so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security and consolidation of power, and even to conquests through da'wa and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world.

"Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our prophet Muhammad," he added...

-- Source/continues at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351242,00.html

[ERRI counter-terrrorism analyst question: Does this sound like the kind of person/group with whom the United States should go and try to negoitate? For example -- for comparison and analytical purposes only -- what would happen if a Catholic priest was quoted in the national media as saying that they were going to "take over Mecca"? And, most of all...where's the outrage and condemnation of al-Astal's remarks by the international community or the the United Nations]

New Tape From Zawahiri Calls For Attacks on "Jews and America"

22:00CDT - 23 March 2008

New Tape From Zawahiri Calls For Attacks on "Jews and America"

A new audio tape, purportedly from al Qaeda's No. 2 figure, Ayman al-Zawahiri, today called on Jihadist to "...hit the interest of the Jews and the Americans and all those who participated in the aggression against Muslims." The alleged Zawahiri tape follows follows a similar statement last week from Usama bin Laden, who called on Muslims to rise up and "liberate" the Palestinian territory of Gaza from Israeli sanctions and raids against it's Hamas-led government.

This latest recording, posted on websites often used by al Qaeda and other Islamic militant groups, appeared to be produced by al Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab.

Reviewers said that the identity of the speaker on the tape could not be independently verified, but some experts almost immediately said that the tape contained the voice of Zawahiri. It is believed that the tape is currently being analyzed by U.S. military and intelligence agencies for both authenticity and content.

ERRI counter-terrorism analysts said that it is thought that Bin Laden and Zawahiri are coming under increasing pressure to facilitate some sort of major terror event or else they may suffer a loss of support from hard-core jihadists and the shadowy financiers who provide funding for the global Al-Qaeda insurgency.

Watch Emergency.Blog for more on this developing story....

Second Reported Bin Laden Tape in As Many Days

March 20, 2008 -- Updated 22:57 GMT

Purported bin Laden message: Iraq is 'perfect base'
Second Reported Bin Laden Tape in As Many Days

MIDDLE-EAST: Al-Jazeera broadcast on Thursday an audiotape on which a voice identified as Osama bin Laden declares "Iraq is the perfect base to set up the jihad to liberate Palestine."

Terrorist leader Osama bin Laden spoke on a video released by al Qaeda in September. The voice calls on "Muslims in neighboring countries" to "do their best in supporting their mujahedeen brothers in Iraq."

"My speech to you is about the siege of Gaza and the way to liberate it," he said. "The Gaza siege is a direct result of Annapolis," he adds, apparently referring to the site of November's summit in Annapolis, Maryland, where Israeli and Palestinian leadership agreed to work toward a two-state plan.

He accused Arabs who supported the plan of having become "partners in this horrendous crime." And he predicted, "Palestine will be restored to us, with God's permission, when we wake up from our slumber and adhere to our faith and sacrifice our souls and belongings for it."

The speaker called for armed revolt in the Middle East.

"Palestine and its people have been suffering from too much bitterness for almost a century now on the hands of the Christians and the Jews. And both parties didn't take Palestine from us by negotiations and dialogue, but with arms and fire, and this is the only way to take it back," he said. Though the voice sounds like bin Laden, CNN has not been able to confirm that it is him...

Official sources could not immediately confirm or deny whether the latest tape was Bin Laden.

-- Source/continues:http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/
meast/03/20/binladen.message/index.html

Al-Qaeda Targeting Pak Police, FBI in Pakistan

March 17, 2008 at 8:45 AM

They'll Be Back: al-Qaeda Targeting Pak Police, FBI in Pakistan

Al-Qaeda is definitely stepping up its battle in Pakistan, as Syed Saleem Shahzad reports. Last week, terrorists struck the offices of the Pakistani police's investigative offices in Lahore, killing at least 30 with a car bomb.

However, according to Asia Times Online's investigations, the real target, an undercover office of the Special Investigation Authority (SIA), was missed as the suicide attacker hit the advertising agency.

The SIA is a joint initiative of US and Pakistani planners set up to eliminate the strong roots of radicalization in Punjab province which could easily be transformed into very strong al-Qaeda connections. The SIA will remain a target in Lahore as well as other parts of Punjab, including Multan.

The undercover counterterror investigative unit is not a secret, though indications are the bomber imprecisely hit his assigned target, primarily striking a marketing company instead.

The SIA's investigative partner, America's FBI, will also remain an actively pursued target in Pakistan as well. Yesterday, the Luna Caprese restaurant in Islamabad was struck as well, a popular gathering spot for Westerners. A Turkish civilian was killed and four American FBI personnel injured, including the FBI's top counterterrorism agent in Pakistan...

-- Source/continues at: http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/2008/03/theyll-be-back-alqaeda-targeti/

Chinese police foiled terror plot targeting Beijing Olympics, official says

09 March 2008

Chinese police foiled terror plot targeting Beijing Olympics, official says

 BEIJING, CHINA: A senior Communist Party official says Chinese police captured and killed alleged Islamic terrorists who were plotting attacks targeting the Beijing Olympics.

Wang Lequan, the top official in the western region of Xinjiang, says today a Jan. 27 raid in the regional capital Urumqi had seized materials that showed the plotters' purpose was specifically to sabotage the staging of the Games.

The Global Times newspaper published by the Communist Party earlier reported the group had planned bombings and other violent terrorist incidents on Feb. 5, the last business day before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, but the paper had made no mention of the Olympics.

The paper said police confiscated guns, homemade bombs, training materials and extremist religious ideological materials during the raid, in which two members of the gang were killed and 15 arrested.

Wang says the group had acted on orders from a Uighur separatist group based in Pakistan and Afghanistan called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement - a group that has been labelled a terrorist organization by the United Nations...

-- Source/continues: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/
ALeqM5hOptsZJ6zQ7tRmBgKSWe4_CHa5jQ

Why were Mexican students at rebel camp in Ecuador?

Friday, March 7, 2008

Why were Mexican students at rebel camp in Ecuador?

By Franco Ordonez, McClatchy Newspapers

MEXICO CITY, MX: At least five Mexican nationals were present at a rebel camp where a top insurgent commander was killed last weekend in Ecuador, leaving Mexicans to speculate on why they were there.

Experts say that it's the first time Mexican nationals have been known to die alongside members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, Latin America's oldest guerrilla group.

Their presence added to questions of a possible link between FARC and a spate of pipeline bombings in Mexico last year that cut off fuel supplies to major industrial operations, including a Volkswagen factory. Mexican police officials noted then that the bombings, claimed by the Popular Revolutionary Army, or EPR, differed radically from the group's previous targets of ATM machines and other "nuisance bombings."

The police said then that the pipeline bombings ? which are a common FARC tactic in Colombia ? were so sophisticated that whoever did them may have received special training.

Also present in the Ecuador camp were an unknown number of Chileans.

Ecuador's security minister, Gustavo Larrea, said Friday that as many as four Mexicans were killed in the March 1 attack. A fifth Mexican, 26-year-old Lucia Morett, survived.

The Mexicans and Chileans apparently were planning to speak before a FARC meeting when they were killed. Journalists given a tour of the camp organized by the Ecuador government Thursday were shown a classroom area and what appeared to be an agenda for the meeting.

Mexican news outlets identified dead as Juan Gonzalez del Castillo, Natalia Velasquez, Fernando Franco Delgado, and Soren Ulises Aviles Angeles. The National Autonomous University of Mexico said Morett, Velasquez, Delgado and Gonzalez del Castillo were students there. The newspaper El Universal said Aviles Angeles was a student at National Polytechnic Institute.

Both Morett and Gonzalez del Castillo were members of a radical student group that supported the FARC, according to the group's Web site...

-- Source/continues at: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/29777.html

Additional References:

"SECURITY PROBLEMS IN LATIN," ENN Daily Report, 08/24/96 - Vol. 2, No. 237, can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/ltn-scty.htm

"LATIN AMERICAN GUERRILLA GROUPS COME AND GO," Tuesday, June 24, 1997 Vol. 3 - 175, can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/latngurl.htm

"Terrorism - Latin America, Counter-Terrorism Archive," can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/cntrterr.htm#Question-8

"Colombia Advisory Sheet - HotSpot Report," can be found at:http://www.emergency.com/colbwarn.htm

U.S. Skeptical of Colombian 'Dirty Bomb' Claims

March 5, 2008

U.S. Skeptical of Colombian 'Dirty Bomb' Claims

U.S. Authorities Seek Access to FARC Leader's Seized Computers and Documents

By RICHARD ESPOSITO and VIC WALTER

WASHINGTON, DC: Skeptical U.S. law enforcement officials are seeking access to computers and documents that authorities in Colombia say show the leftist group FARC sought "50 kilograms of uranium" for a possible dirty bomb. The material was seized by Colombian police in a raid into Ecuador that killed FARC commander Raul Reyes and has led to talk of war by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who has moved troops to the border with Colombia.

U.S. intelligence officials, while they did not comment directly on the possibility of FARC engaging in the illicit uranium trade, cautioned that reports of FARC attempting to acquire materials for a radioactive dirty bomb should be treated with extreme skepticism.

The evidence of FARC's participation in the uranium trade was first alleged this week by Colombia's national police chief, Gen. Oscar Naranjo, who also said that evidence seized proved Venezuela had interfered in Colombia's affairs by providing $300 million in support to FARC.

Source/continues: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4395397&page=1

Reports about the original allegations from Colombian V.P. Francisco Santos are linked here.

Damascus, Syria: Crossroads For Terrorism

FBI warns of possible Hezbollah revenge in U.S.

February 16, 2008

FBI warns of possible Hezbollah revenge in U.S.

State and local law enforcement receive an intelligence bulletin to watch for retaliation by the Lebanese militia group, which has vowed to avenge the death of its leader.

By Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON -- The FBI and Department of Homeland Security sent a bulletin Friday to state and local law enforcement authorities advising them to watch for potential retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah, one day after the Lebanese militia group vowed to avenge the death of a top commander by attacking Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.

"While retaliation in the U.S. homeland is unlikely, Hezbollah has demonstrated a capability to respond outside the Middle East to similar events in the past," said the intelligence bulletin sent to about 18,000 state and local law enforcement officials late Friday afternoon.

The FBI also said it was intensifying its domestic intelligence-gathering efforts to identify any potential Hezbollah threats in the United States in the aftermath of Tuesday's car-bomb assassination of Imad Mughniyah in Syria.

On Wednesday, the FBI sent a confidential internal bulletin to its 101 Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country warning of the possible domestic consequences of Mughniyah's killing. As part of that effort, FBI officials at headquarters told the bureau's field offices and multiagency task forces to increase monitoring and surveillance of suspected Hezbollah operatives and to conduct fresh interviews with sources and informants about the U.S.-designated terrorist group, according to two FBI officials.

U.S. authorities have long described Hezbollah as the "A-Team" of terrorism, with far more discipline than Al Qaeda, vast financing from the government of Iran, and a global network of sleeper operatives who could be called on to launch an attack at any time. Various federal investigations and prosecutions have uncovered dozens of Hezbollah fundraisers and supporters in the United States, but few people are believed to be actual "bomb throwers," according to a senior FBI counter-terrorism official who focuses on Hezbollah.

Though they have no evidence of specific threats in the United States, officials said that precautionary measures were warranted because of Mughniyah's stature within Hezbollah and because the organization and its Iranian supporters had publicly blamed his death on Israel and "Zionist forces..."

-- Source/continues at:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fbialert16feb16,0,2494118.story

Annual Threat Assessment of the Director of National Intelligence

5 February 2008

Annual Threat Assessment of the Director of National Intelligence
for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

J. Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence

"You will see from the testimony that many of the key topics I touch on are not traditional 'national security' topics. Globalization has broadened the number of threats and challenges facing the United States. For example, as government, private sector, and personal activities continue to move to networked operations and our digital systems add ever more capabilities, our vulnerability to penetration and other hostile cyber actions grows. The nation, as I indicated last year, requires more from our Intelligence Community than ever before and consequently we need to do our business better, both internally, through greater collaboration across disciplines and externally, by engaging more of the expertise available outside the Intelligence Community..."

Can be found at: http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20080205_testimony.pdf

[requires Adobe or other .PDF reader]

Iran: A 'duty' for Muslims to attack the West

29 Jan 2008

Iran: A 'duty' for Muslims to attack the West, says editor

Tehran, IRAN: Hossein Shariatmadari, managing editor of 'Kayhan' (Universe) one of Iran's most influential newspapers, has issued a strongly worded editorial inviting Muslims to topple moderate Islamic governments and attack US, European and Israeli interests.

In the editorial, entitled "The enemy's shield", Shariatmadari argues that in Shia or Sunni Islam "It is legal to strike those who protect the enemy" .

The real enemies, says Shariatmadari are "The barbaric Zionists, the ferocious Americans and their European allies".

"Because of this, we must remove those Islamic regimes that stop Muslims attacking their enemies; that is not only legal, but a duty..."

-- Source/continues: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.1821628560

ERRI/EmergencyNet News analyst note: For those who believe that the radical Islamist threat is "overblown," or that websites like this one are being "alarmist," we would suggest that they read the last two entries (and inherent links) posted here. The threat of Jihadist terrorist attack has not diminished and our assessment would suggest that there may be an increasing threat of attack in the future. Internet chatter about potential attacks has escalated and very specific threat messages have been dispatched from both Sunni and Shi'ite Jihadist sources in the past few days. While it is difficult to ascertain the validity of these threats without more information, our analysts say that greater awareness and precaution, but not panic, is warranted at this time...particularly in Europe. Watch EmergencyNet News for more on what may be an emerging threat trend...

Pakistani Militant Leader Threatens Washington, London and New York

Jan. 28, 2008

More Dangerous Than Osama
Militant Leader Claims He Is Fighting a 'Defensive' Jihad to Destroy the White House

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: He is more dangerous to Pakistan than Osama bin Laden, analysts say. He may be the single most important person in Pakistan's fight for its future. And for the first time, he has described the goals and the details of the network of militants responsible for the most violent time in Pakistan in 60 years.

During a 25-minute sit-down with al Jazeera, Baitullah Mehsud, the man Pakistan blames for killing former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, claims he is fighting a "defensive" jihad with the goal to destroy the White House, New York and London.

"Our main aim is to finish Britain, the United States and to crush the pride of the non-Muslims," he told Admad Zaidan, al Jazeera's bureau chief in Islamabad from an undisclosed location in northwest Pakistan. "We pray to God to give us the ability to destroy the White House, New York and London. And we have trust in God. Very soon, we will be witnessing jihad's miracles..."

-- Source/continues: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4199754&page=1

Utilities threatened by cyber attacks

22 January 2008

CIA: Utilities threatened by cyber attacks

CIA says U.S. utilities are at risk for cyber attack; security experts said the CIA's acknowledgment of the problem indicates how seriously they are taking it, as CIA policy had been not to disclose such things

The nation's utilities are at risk for cyber attack, the CIA's top cybersecurity expert, Tom Donahue, told a gathering of utility security experts, the Washington Post reported. Attackers have hacked into utility companies' computer systems overseas, in one case causing a power outage that affected multiple cities. "We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet," Donahue said at a trade conference in New Orleans. "We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of the attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge." The hackers are using the attacks to demand money from utilities.

Security experts said the CIA's acknowledgment of the problem indicates how seriously they are taking it. CIA policy had been not to disclose such things. "The CIA wouldn't have changed its policy on disclosure if it wasn't important," Alan Paller, research director at the SANS Institute, told the Post. "Donahue wouldn't have said it publicly if he didn't think the threat was very large and that companies needed to fix things right now." Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle Network Security, said that "these statements of threats and risks to the nation's infrastructure are not new. In private meetings with the CIA and FBI, information-security personnel have heard time and time again that the nation's utility systems are at risk and are a likely target by cyber attackers," he said.

-- Source/continues:http://hsdailywire.com/single.php?id=5385

Kyrgyzstan: Authorities Seize Radioactive Material Bound For Iran

Posted: 11 Jan 2008

Kyrgyzstan: Authorities Seize Radioactive Material Bound For Iran

If the world needed reminding of the ongoing threat posed by nuclear materials left unsecured and scattered across the former Soviet Union, it's got it now.

On January 9, Kyrgyz officials announced that they had taken possession of a small load of a radioactive substance discovered aboard a train bound for Iran. The material has been placed in a special area in Kyrgyzstan, but questions are being raised about the nature and quantity of the substance, who was behind its transport, and how the train carrying it crossed three border checkpoints before being detected.

While it might simply be a coincidence that the train was bound for Iran, such a destination is also likely to raise eyebrows, given Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear activities and alleged support of terrorism.

Kyrgyz officials are looking for answers, but their behavior has raised questions, too. Why, for example, did it take them nine days to announce the discovery of the material, which was found on December 31 when radiation detectors alerted Uzbek border guards? They promptly sent the train back to Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz National Security Service continues to decline comment on that and other questions, and Almabek Aitikeev, a departmental head in the Kyrgyz Emergency Situations Ministry, offered only generalities about the quantity of the material when asked by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service.

"Not quite a bucketload of radioactive waste material was there mixed in with sand, dust, and snow," Aitikeev said. "We did our work and sealed up the waste on December 31."

Kubanych Noruzbaev, an official from the Kyrgyz Ecology and Environmental Protection Ministry, said on January 10 that the material was cesium-137, a product of nuclear reactors and weapons testing that is often used in medical devices and gauges. But it could also be used in a crude radioactive explosive device -- a "dirty bomb" -- and underscores the fact that despite some progress since 1991, parts of the former Soviet Union are still littered with sites where lethal radioactive materials remain largely unsecured...

-- Article source/continues at: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2008/01/460cd9d5-93ea-424a-a68a-316142bcf3e1.html

Additional Emergency.com reference:

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

Additional CDC Reference:

Radioisotope Brief: Cesium-137 (Cs-137)

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/isotopes/cesium.asp

Pakistan bombings reach 'unprecedented' level

8:11 a.m. EST, Thu January 10, 2008

Pakistan bombings reach 'unprecedented' level

19 suicide bombings have rocked Pakistan over the last three months

...On Thursday, a suicide bomber killed at least 23 people and injured more than 58 others outside a court in Lahore, police said.

The attack brought to 20 the number of suicide attacks in Pakistan in the last three months, including a failed attack on Bhutto's life in October. The bombings have killed close to 400 people and wounded nearly 1,000 others in the last three months, according to government officials.

Pro-Taliban militants with ties to al Qaeda are carrying out the attacks, according to analysts and government officials.

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen says the number of suicide bombings in Pakistan has "reached unprecedented levels in the past year." Previously, Bergen says, such attacks were rare.

"The reason for this rise is because al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban have morphed together ideologically and tactically, and both see themselves at war with the Pakistani state," Bergen says. "Many of the suicide attacks have been aimed at Pakistani politicians, officials and soldiers."

Story continues at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/10/pakistan.bombings/index.html

Presidential Travel Plans Changed; Manpad Threat

01/9/2008 - 16:09:08 PM

Bush travel plans in Israel changed at last minute due to (manpad) missile threat

TEL AVIV -- The United States revised travel plans by President George Bush because of the threat of a Palestinian missile attack. Israeli sources said the U.S. Secret Service canceled Bush's plans to travel by helicopter from Ben-Gurion Airport to Jerusalem on Wednesday. The sources said...

This story continues at:

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2008/ss_israel_01_09.asp

Emergency.com Reference

1. World-Wide Terrorism Predictive Analysis: 01 May, 2005

On the net at: http://www.emergency.com/2005/World-Wide%20Terrorism_2005.pdf

2. Series of EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning the Threat of Usage of Shoulder-fired Anti-aircraft Missiles: 31 May 2002 to 01 June 2002

On the net at:http://www.emergency.com/2002/manpad_update02.htm

Pakistan Cites Al Qaeda Tie to Bhutto's Death

Dec. 28, 2007

Pakistan Cites Al Qaeda Tie to Bhutto's Death

Government Claims Militant with al Qaeda ties Linked to Bhutto Slaying

PAKISTAN: The Pakistani government released video of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's last moments before her assassination, and announced it has evidence linking a militant leader with links to al Qaeda as responsible for her assassination.

"We have intelligence intercepts indicating that al Qaeda leader Baitullah Mehsud is behind her assassination," Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said. The government claims Mehsud called a follower at 9:15 a.m. to congratulate him. "It was a spectacular job," Mehsud allegedly said. "They were brave boys who killed."

Mehsud is thought to be the commander of pro-Taliban forces in the tribal region of South Waziristan, where al-Qaida fighters are also active.
The announcement came hours after Bhutto was laid to rest after an emotional funeral and a night of violence that has left at least 27 dead across the country...

-- Source/continues:http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4062365&page=1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Play Video

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

Intelligence Training Center Concerned About Terror Attack

U.S. intel center wary of terrorist attack

November 25, 2007

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

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

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

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

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

Explosives Found in Philippines Assassination Investigation

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

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

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

Interpol Adds Buenos Aires Bombing Suspects to Most-Wanted List

November 7, 2007 12:57 PM

1994 bombing of the Jewish community center

Interpol Adds Buenos Aires Bombing Suspects to Most-Wanted List

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

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

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

See the following CTB posts about the matter:

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

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

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

---

ERRI/EmergerncyNet News Reference:

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

U.K./U.S. Embassies Closed After Terror Threat

Updated: 14:59, Monday October 29, 2007

U.K. Embassy Closed After Terror Threat

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN/LONDON, ENGLAND: The British embassy in Azerbaijan has been closed after security forces thwarted a "large-scale horrifying terror attack" in the capital Baku.

The claim of a plot came from the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry which said one suspect was killed and several others detained in an operation outside the city.

The security ministry said in a statement that the radical Islamic group included an army lieutenant who had stolen 20 hand grenades, a machine gun, four assault rifles and ammunition from his military unit and made them available for the planned attack.

Security forces tracked down the group and arrested several of its members in the village of Mastaga 20 miles northeast of Baku. One member of the group offered resistance to the arrest and was killed, the statement added. The ministry said that a hunt for other members of the group was still under way.

"Several people belonging to a Wahhabi group have been detained. They were planning terrorist attacks near the U.S. embassy in Baku," said a spokesman.

Visit SkyNews for the whole story: UK. Embassy Closed After Terror Threat

The U.S. Embassy sent out an announcement to American citizens saying it had closed its consular office for an indefinite period because of a security threat and said it encouraged Americans to "maintain a high level of vigilance." Police cars were parked outside.

National Security Ministry spokesman Arif Babayev told The Associated Press that the radical Islamic group had planned to launch a "terror attack against several government structures in Baku and the U.S. Embassy."

In Washington, the State Department declined to comment on the specific nature of the threat but said the embassy, in cooperation with officials in Azerbaijan, had beefed up security and the mission would likely reopen soon. -- Source, AP/Yahoo News -- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071029/ap_on_re_as/azerbaijan_embassy_threat

Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid

September 23, 2007

Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid

Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem.

The attack was launched with American approval on September 6 after Washington was shown evidence the material was nuclear related, the well-placed sources say.

They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Israeli special forces had been gathering intelligence for several months in Syria, according to Israeli sources. They located the nuclear material at a compound near Dayr az-Zwar in the north... This Article and several other references can be found at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2512380.ece

Al Qaeda declares war on Musharraf

20 Sep 2007

Al Qaeda declares war on Musharraf

CAIRO, Egypt Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden called on Pakistanis to rebel against President Pervez Musharraf in a new recording released on Thursday, saying his military's siege of a militant mosque stronghold makes him an infidel. Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second-in-command, is seen on a tape released Thursday.

The storming of the Red Mosque in Islamabad in July "demonstrated Musharraf's insistence on continuing his loyalty, submissiveness and aid to America against the Muslims ... and makes armed rebellion against him and removing him obligatory," bin Laden said in the message.

"So when the capability is there, it is obligatory to rebel against the apostate ruler, as is the case now," he said, according to a transcript released by Laura Mansfield, a U.S. terrorism expert who monitors militant message traffic.

Bin Laden's voice was heard over a video showing previously released footage of the terror leader. It was posted Thursday on Islamic militant Web sites. This article continues at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/20/alqaeda.pakistan.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world

U.S. Studies Osama Bin Laden Video, CIA warns of Al-Qaeda plots

U.S. Studies Osama Bin Laden Video, CIA warns of Al-Qaeda plots

Posted: 08 September 2007 0350 hrs

WASHINGTON, DC: The US government said on Friday it was analyzing a copy of the latest video message from Osama bin Laden as the CIA warned Al-Qaeda was plotting fresh attacks on the United States designed to inflict massive casualties.

US authorities were examining a video said to be a message from Osama marking Tuesday's anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people, a senior US official said.

"I can confirm that USG has the video and it is currently being analyzed," a senior administration official told AFP, referring to the US government.

The video, reported late Thursday by US-based monitors that follow militant websites, would be the first such appearance by the Saudi extremist since October 2004, when he threatened new attacks against the United States just days before a US election.

CIA Threat Assessment

CIA Director Michael Hayden meanwhile warned in a speech that the intelligence agency believed Al-Qaeda was planning new, large-scale attacks on US targets.

"Our analysts assess with high confidence that Al-Qaeda's central leadership is planning high impact plots against the American homeland," Hayden told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "Al-Qaeda is focusing on targets that would produce mass casualties, dramatic destruction and significant economic aftershocks," he added.

Original Discovery & Translation

The Al-Qaeda network's media arm, as-Sahab, announced the purported Osama video in a notice posted on jihadist forums at about 2115 GMT, according to SITE, a group which monitors extremist websites.

"Soon, God willing, a videotape from the lion sheikh Osama bin Laden, God preserve him," the notice in Arabic read.

A website used by Islamist militants that carried the notice showed a photo of Osama in which his black beard did not have the usual streaks of gray.

He was also not wearing a camouflage jacket as in some previous appearances. Instead, the top-half photo showed him wearing a white robe topped by a beige cloak, similar to the traditional dress of men in the Gulf region, and looking more like a Muslim cleric than a fighter.

The video of the soft-spoken Al-Qaeda leader, who has claimed credit for the 9/11 attacks, will be examined intently with every word and visual detail dissected by intelligence agencies in Washington and around the world....This Article continues at: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/298563/1/.html

  ERRI Preliminary Assessment

CHICAGO, IL: While reviewing both the 07 Sep 2007 video-tape of Usama Bin Laden, and the transcript thereof...ERRI counter-terrorism analysts said that they were immediately impressed by both things that were contained in the video, and those that were was not on the tape:

Observations

1. Bin Laden's beard was one of the first and most apparent visual changes that was seen in this most recent as-Sahab publication. It had gone from long, untrimmed and grey, to trimmed and as dark as it was in some of his earlier pictures. Was this done to depict him as a younger, more healthy, and robust person?

2. Bin laden's clothing in this lateest tape was the second thing noticed by ERRI analysts. He is seen no longer was wearing the clothes of a battlefield commander, to include a camoflage jacket that he worn in many previous tapes and pictures. In this latest tape, he was seen wearing the clothes of the contemporary Middle-East citizen or those that might be worn by a modestly successful imam.

3. What was missing? ERRI analysts said that no weapon was displayed in this 09/07 tape. Bin Laden's normal image in previous tapes was almost always accompanied by that of a highly modified AK-47 assault rifle. It was omni-present in past tapes. In this latest tape, no weapon is displayed. Is this a "kinder," "gentler" Bin Laden?

4. Is the person depicted in the tape actually Bin Laden? Some physical changes in the person on the tape deserve more scrutiny, as they appear different than those in the most recently verified image of Mr. Bin Laden.

Discusssion of the Transcript

At least two ERRI analysts said that they wondered if these were Bin Laden's original words, or had they been written for him? Writing comparisons caused one analyst to even suggest that this speech may have even been written by Adam Yahive Gadahn, a.k.a. Azzam-the American (Azz?m al-Amr?ki), and simply read by Bin Laden. The tone, tenor, and idom of this speech appear somewhat different than some previous Bin Laden speeches. There are also fewer references to classic Islamic thought, and more attention given by Bin Laden to modern-day issues.

In this dissertation, he sounds even more political and less threatening than in past diatribes...to include the fact that there is no direct threat of any terrorist act in the speech. His purpose appears to be political division and to attempt to convince the world of both the rightenous of his cause as well as the illegitimacy of the position of the United States.

Furthermore, Bin Laden undertakes comment on many issues that would be seen as "partisian-politics" within the United States, taking a position in contradiction to that of the current administration in Washington. Many of Mr. Bin Laden's comments also appear consistent with extreme leftist/socialist/communist thought. And, UBL also takes what appears to be taking an anticapitalist/anti-globalist position...with his allegations and strong condemnation of corporate America.

His most current statements would again seem to make it clear that at least one of Mr. Bin Laden's stated objectives is to try to destroy the Western democracies via economic means. And finally, and most of all...his speech seems designed to promote further acrimony and divisiveness within the United States.

Food for Thought

Is Mr. Bin Laden running for some kind of office? Does his image change indicate that he now wants to be "a politician" rather than a holy warrior? Is it becoming clearer that Bin Laden actually wants to be "Caliph" of an emerging caliphate that he and Mr. Zawahiri have been planning for a long time? Or, is his image change just designed to make his propaganda more palatable to Europe and segments of the America population? Right now, there are more questions than answers about Mr. Bin Laden's latest video production.

Additional ERRI analysis will be forthcoming and additional facts will become apparent. Watch this page for more on this developing story...