EmergencyNet News Service (ENN)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 07/21/96-13:00CDT
ERRI Issued Warnings of Travel Danger
By Paul Anderson, Correspondent & Assoc. Editor
Chicago, IL, July 21, 1996 (ENN) -- In a by-lined article, entitled "Terrorism Against the USA; The Next Target?," dated July 10, 1996, Clark Staten of the Emergency Response & Research Institute issued the following warning:
"Threat levels directed against Americans, in general, continue at a high level throughout the world,
according to an ERRI computer- generated summary that was produced on July 6th, 1996. Extra caution is
urged while engaging in foreign travel, particularly in Eastern Europe, the Mid-East, and Far-East."
(Click here to see the whole ENN article: Terrorism Against the USA; the Next Target)
This warning and other detailed observations about terrorism in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan, and Bosnia were prepared on or around July 6th, 1996, based on a analytical reports and an ERRI threat assessment made by a proprietary "expert" computer program that continually analyzes on-going threat information and draws inferences from a special database of over twelve (12) years of terrorism data.
Regrettably, hardly anyone paid any attention to the article, even though it was widely disseminated to the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), Reuters News Service, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, to more than thirty (30) other media outlets, and several government agencies. Airport security levels were not increased and Americans were not advised of any additional need for caution. In fact, the only news producer of note that gave this announcement credence or visible coverage was on the Internet. The story ran verbatim in "The American Reporter", published by NewsShare and Executive Editor Joe Shea.
ERRI Executive Director, Clark Staten, said that a combination of the computer program and ERRI human analysis have proven to be extremely accurate in their terrorism estimates, and that ERRI had issued warnings or alerts within days or few weeks of the Dhahran military base bombing, the Oklahoma City explosion, and the World Trade Center bombing.
To further illustrate the authenticity of the ERRI assessments, Staten points to ERRI issued assessments that were given to the press on 04/22/96:
"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 expect to be targeted," Staten said in an Monday morning teleconference briefing for a
group of emergency managers."
(Click here to see the whole ENN article: Multi-Dimentional Terrorist Threats Face Israel and USA)
Steve Macko, a criminologist and managing editor of the EmergencyNet News Service, the reporting arm of ERRI, said he is afraid that many Americans and some reporters are still "in a state of denial" or disbelief regarding terrorism. "They continue to believe that it can't happen here...or that threat warnings issued by agencies like ERRI are just alarmist theories...without justification or authority," Macko said. "Time and time again, however, ERRI has been correct in its assessments...if we could only convince the mainstream press that they need to help us make the American public aware of these threats and prompt lawmakers to take the necessary corrective actions to prepare America for further occurrences...we might be able to save some lives or even prevent a future atrocity," Macko concluded.
(c) Emergencynet NEWS Service, 1996
Permission to redistribute is granted.
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