-Caveat Lector- From: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Potential U.S. targets identified Intelligence points to Y2K bashes in New York, Seattle and D.C. <Picture: Photo: Airport police and sniffer dog>Sgt. Larry Lowery, left, and Lt. William Parker, both of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C, Airport Authority Police, inspect luggage Wednesday with their dog, Roy, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 — Government officials, from President Bill Clinton on down, said Wednesday they were taking all possible precautions to prevent terrorist attacks and insisted they do not know of any specific, credible threats against targets in the United States. But, privately, authorities told NBC News they are taking seriously new but unconfirmed intelligence reports that international terrorists may be plotting to attack millennium celebrations in at least three U.S. cities: New York, Washington and Seattle. <Picture>A new warning issued by the State Depatment covers not just for the New Year’s period but the next month, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports. AUTHORITIES, SPEAKING on condition of anonymity, told NBC News that informants and intelligence reports indicate that Ahmed Ressam, who was indicted Wednesday in Seattle on explosives and other charges, is linked to other suspected terrorists operating out of Montreal who may be plotting to attack as many as six or more sites in the United States. Among the possible targets specifically mentioned by the sources: The New Year’s Eve celebration at Times Square in New York City; The planned celebration at the Washington Mall in the nation’s capitol; A fireworks show and street party at the Space Needle in Seattle. The sources cautioned that the information on possible targets is sketchy and may not be reliable. ‘EXTRAORDINARY EFFORTS’ Word of the possible targets came hours after Clinton assured Americans that the U.S. government is “taking extraordinary efforts” to prevent terrorist attacks, from tightening security at airports to investigating whether recent threats are connected to Osama bin Laden, the fugitive Saudi financier accused of funding and training terrorism groups around the globe. “We’re taking extraordinary efforts in the government to act based on the incident out in the Pacific Northwest,” Clinton said, referring to the arrest last week of Ressam. Deputy Attorney Eric Holder said the government doesn’t have any specific information of particular sites being targeted in the United States, but asked Americans to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, such as unguarded packages, especially at millennium and holiday celebrations. “We’re doing everything in our power to prevent any attacks from occurring and to bring to justice those people responsible for planning any such attacks,” Holder said. CALLS TO ACTION BY BIN LADEN FBI counter-terrorism chief Dale Watson said U.S. authorities are aware that bin Laden had issued Islamic calls to action, known as fatwas, against the United States. Millennial fears •Latest on alleged bomb plot •Latest on security fears •Canada's porous border •Parties go on in Jordan •Algerians blast stereotyping •Threat From Within: MSNBC on domestic terror •Y2K primer: Is world ready? “We are aware of the fact that Osama bin Laden has issued fatwas. We are working very hard with our intelligence partners to investigate any threat ... that targets Americans,” Watson said. Tighter security remained in effect at U.S. and Canadian border crossings and airports, but many travelers said the measures did not cause undue delays. At some border crossing between British Columbia and Washington state, it was business at usual, with average waits of 20 minutes to cross, which inspectors said was typical for a weekday. SOME CROSSINGS UNAFFECTED “I was really sort of surprised,” said Fred Driver of Vancouver, who crosses into the United States once a week to buy groceries and run errands. “They asked me a couple more questions than usual, but that was it. I thought they’d have dogs sniffing my trunk or do some kind of inspection on my car, but after a couple questions they just waved me through.” But Canadian television network CBC reported that truck drivers in some spots already were feeling the impact of the new measures. It showed footage of long delays at the Lacolle border crossing in Quebec, where it said trucks were lined up for four miles early in the day. Terrorism suspects arrested in Jordan have been linked to bin Laden’s network, but U.S. authorities have not yet made such a connection to Ressam, a senior Clinton administration official said told the Associated Press on Wednesday. <Picture> Wanted: Osama bin Laden<Picture>MSNBC Interactive•Click here for a look at some of Osama bin Laden's activities around the world The bin Laden group is very loose-knit, and the ongoing investigation of Ressam has not yet found a definitive connection, said the official, who spoke to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity. Even so, U.S. intelligence officials believe Ressam has ties to people who are involved with bin Laden, an intelligence official said. This official, who also spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity, would not further describe this indirect link. A manhunt is still under way for up to three people suspected of ties to Ressam, who was arrested Dec. 14 after arriving on a boat from Canada at Port Angeles, Wash. U.S. CITIZEN SOUGHT On Tuesday, U.S. officials told NBC News that U.S., Jordanian and Pakistani investigators are searching for a 31-year-old U.S. citizen suspected of links to a terror plot in Jordan and to the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. The officials did not identify the suspect, but said the individual is a California resident who lived near Boston in 1997. <Picture> Terrorist hunters A look at the elite groups around the world called upon to counter terrorism: Source: The Terrorism Research Center “All of our intelligence agencies are cooperating worldwide with their counterparts, and so there is a sharing of intelligence to make sure that we have the latest possible information to make sure that we can deter and detect and discourage any attempts on American lives anywhere in the world,” Defense Secretary William Cohen said Wednesday. U.S. officials were trying to keep Americans informed of threats without causing panic. “I would ask them to just be aware of their circumstances and if they see anything suspicious to report it immediately,” Clinton said, while visiting a soup kitchen on Wednesday. AMERICANS HEED PLEAS Americans were heeding pleas to be on the lookout. In the Bahamas, a U.S. citizen who was acting suspiciously and found to be carrying wires, magnet coils and other items, was detained by U.S. Customs in Freeport while attempting to board a plane for Miami, deputy State Department spokesman James B. Foley said. The suspect was taken to Nassau for questioning by local and FBI officials, Foley said. A thorough search turned up nothing suspicious, he said. And in Washington, D.C., police and federal authorities searched for a blue van with Texas license plates that a citizen reported was acting suspiciously, Watson said. The U.S. government sent a new warning Tuesday night to Americans across the world that it believes terrorists may target them from now through mid-January, especially at holiday gatherings and millennial celebrations. The Commerce Department on Wednesday posted signs on its door stating there was heightened security at its buildings in downtown Washington. A metal detector was set up at one if its doors where reporters and staff normally enter. The stepped-up warning Tuesday night from the State Department, the second in 11 days, said the arrest of 13 suspects in Jordan may have forestalled attacks on hotels, tour buses and tourist sites in the Arab kingdom. ‘ATTACKS STILL MAY BE PLANNED’ “We cannot rule out the possibility that attacks still may be planned for this and other parts of the world,” the department said.<Picture: ENCARTA: Behind the news: Visit Encarta for more background> A U.S. official told NBC News that Tuesday’s “refinement” of a Dec. 11warning was to reflect the fact that tourist sites in particular were being targeted and was based on information from those arrested in Jordan. In a sign of increased domestic security, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it would expand the use of devices that check airline passengers for trace amounts of explosives. More bomb-sniffing dogs and uniformed police will be patrolling airports, both inside and out, the agency said. Canada followed suit at its airports, also vowing to increase checks of passengers and baggage. Also, the U.S. Customs Service is putting 300 extra inspectors at high-priority entry points, including 150 along the U.S.-Canadian border. To increase security, incoming vehicles and individuals are being subjected to extra scrutiny and increased random searches, creating long lines at many crossings. MSNBC’s Barry Kliff, NBC’s David Bloom and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Y2K: What might happen, what you can do Communications: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Food: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp International: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Transportation: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Finances: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Government: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Security: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp Utilities: http://www.msnbc.com/news/349437.asp ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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