date:20050809

[osint] ROME: Failed bomb suspect will talk

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
Since he's lying through his teeth, nothing short of some good old fashioned
Egyptian or Jordanian interrogation is going to get through to him.

Bruce



Failed bomb suspect will talk 

from ANSA's News in English page 8/8/05

Rome detainee ready to answer UK investigators' questions
(ANSA) - Rome, August 8 - An Ethiopian arrested in Rome in connection with
the failed bomb attacks in London last month has said he will answer any
questions British investigators put to him on Tuesday .

Hamdi Issac, who has admitted his role in the July 21 attacks, will be
questioned by British magistrate Sally Cullan and a Scotland Yard official
at Rome's Regina Coeli jail, where he has been held since his arrest last
month .

I will answer Scotland Yard and I will reiterate what I've already told
Italian magistrates, Issac said on Monday through his court-appointed
lawyer, Antonietta Sonnessa. I did not want to kill anyone because my
gesture was merely meant to prove a point. The questioning is being carried
out under an international legal procedure known as a letter rogatory or a
letter of request .

This is a formal request from a court in one country to the judicial
authorities in another, asking them to take testimony from an individual
within their jurisdiction .

The British letter rogatory, which was cleared by the Justice Ministry on
Friday, contains a suggested series of written questions .

The actual questions will be put to Issac by Italian magistrate Domenico
Miceli via a translator .

The international rogatory procedure has been set in motion pending
clearance of a request from London that Issac be extradited to the UK under
the new European arrest warrant system .

If Issac is not extradited, the information gathered during the rogatory
will be used by British police and prosecutors in their investigation and
eventual judicial proceedings .

The date for the extradition hearing has been set for August 17. A
three-judge panel, headed by Miceli, is expected to issue its ruling on the
same day .

Issac has let it be known he will oppose extradition and should Italy decide
to hand him over to Britain, he will have the right to appeal to Italy's
supreme court .

The European warrant allows for fast-track extradition procedures for a
series of crimes .

Extradition procedures, which previously took years, must now be carried out
within 90 days .

But British officials are concerned that the extradition may be delayed
because Italian antiterrorism prosecutors have opened their own probe to
establish whether Issac's contacts in Italy amounted to a logistics
operation supporting terrorists .

Issac, who is also known as Osman Hussein, was arrested on July 29 in Rome,
at the home of his brother, Ramzi, who runs an Ethiopian clothing shop in
the capital .

Ramzi is also being held at Regina Coeli prison while a third brother,
Fethi, is being detained in Brescia .

Chief prosecutor Franco Ionta has stressed that Italian prosecutors were
obliged by law to pursue their probe from the moment they became aware that
the bomber may have committed terrorist crimes in Italy too. This meant that
the chief suspect had to remain in their custody .

But Pietro Saviotti, the prosecutor in charge of Rome's antiterrorism team,
made it clear last week that the Italian judiciary would in no way hamper
British justice. Italian prosecutors may also be ready to wrap up their own
investigations in time for the extradition hearing, Saviotti added .

If they decide not to prosecute him, this would remove any obstacle in the
way for Hamdi's extradition, the prosecutor said .

Meanwhile, three other men were on Tuesday remanded in custody by a London
court in connection with the July 21 failed attacks .

Ibrahim Muktar Said, Yassin Hassan Omar and Ramzi Mohamed, are charged with
attempted murder and possessing explosives .

Another man has been charged in relation to an unexploded device found on
July 23 .

All four will appear in court on November 14 .



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[osint] Profile CAIR- US based Terrorist front

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=storyu=/ibd/20050805/bs_ibd_ibd/200585issue
s

Profile CAIR
Ibd Fri Aug 5, 7:00 PM ET

War On Terror: An American Muslim pressure group has come out strongly
against police profiling of young Muslim men behaving suspiciously at train
stations. But the group doesn't have our best interests at heart.
The terror-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says two
New York officials' push for such targeted profiling on city subways is
offensive and ignorant.

Terror comes in all shapes and sizes, insists Wissam Nasr, director of
CAIR's New York branch.

Never mind that eight young Muslim men bombed London's tube. Or that 19
young Muslim men attacked New York in 2001. Or that every suspect on the
FBI's list of most wanted terrorists is a Muslim man, with nearly half going
by the name Mohammed.

CAIR's national spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, says police should ignore such
obvious terror traits and search riders at random, while paying close
attention only to people sweating. Never mind that during New York's balmy
summer months, that would include folks who don't remotely fit the terrorist
profile.

CAIR should know better than anyone who does fit the terrorist profile.
Three of its own officials were recently convicted of terror-related crimes.
One even worked for Hooper. He's now in prison for conspiring to kill
Americans.

A lawsuit filed against CAIR by the family of former FBI official John P.
O'Neill, who was killed on 9-11, charges that the group, which evolved from
a known Hamas front, is a key player in international terrorism.

Congress is investigating CAIR and has repeatedly invited its executive
director to deny the mounting terror charges under oath. But Nihad Awad, a
Palestinian American, refuses. If CAIR is not tied to terrorism, why not
clear the air at a televised hearing?

Tellingly, CAIR after 9-11 refused to single out al-Qaida or Osama bin Laden
for condemnation. After the London bombings, it endorsed an anti-terror
edict so broad it was meaningless -- and one that was loaded with
qualifiers.

Instead of condemning attacks against British or American or Israeli
non-Muslims, it hedged by denouncing all acts of terrorism targeting
civilians and innocent lives -- leaving non-Muslims to wonder if they
fall into those categories, knowing that jihadists don't necessarily
consider them innocent or civilian.

(The vaguely worded edict was written by Hooper pal Taha Jaber al-Alwani,
who happens to be an unindicted co-conspirator in the ongoing terror case
against Sami al-Arian, the alleged U.S. leader of Palestinian Islamic
Jihad.)

We wonder who and what CAIR, which calls itself a civil-rights defender, is
really protecting when it fights targeted profiling at train stations and
airports.

CAIR may talk a good patriotic and moderate game. But it has a secret agenda
to Islamize America.

Before 9-11, its founder and chairman, Omar Ahmad, also a Palestinian
American, told a Muslim audience: Islam isn't in America to be equal to any
other faith, but to become dominant. The Quran should be the highest
authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.

Before coming to Washington, Hooper himself is on record stating: I
wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government
of the United States to be Islamic.

Hooper is also on record claiming CAIR receives no support from any
overseas group or government. But land records revealed in the book
Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington
put the lie to that claim.

It turns out that an anti-Israeli foundation run by the crown prince of
Dubai owns the very deed to CAIR's headquarters located almost in the shadow
of the U.S. Capitol. The foundation has held telethons to support families
of Palestinian suicide bombers.

Against these facts, it's hard to trust anything CAIR says regarding the
fight against terror.
It's plain the group has ulterior motives.
Politicians from Washington to New York should ignore its aggressive
lobbying against targeted profiling, a move that could save thousands of
constituents' lives.
If anyone should be profiled, it's CAIR.

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[osint] Bakri Escapes to Lebanon

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
Major UK police/intelligence slip-up...why would this terrorist ever be
permitted to be free again?
 
Bruce
 
 


Treason threat cleric leaves UK 


 Omar Bakri Mohammed
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40664000/jpg/_40664084_mohammed203-pa
.jpg 
Omar Bakri Mohammed was one of three expected to face scrutiny
A controversial Islamic cleric has left the UK for the Middle East, his
spokesman has said, amid speculation he would be investigated for treason. 

Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed - former head of radical group Al Muhajiroun -
left on Saturday for Lebanon, his colleague Anjem Choudary told the BBC. 


Tony Blair had warned Mr Mohammed's organisation faced a potential ban under
new anti-terrorism measures. 


Mr Choudary said the cleric believed Britain had declared war on Muslims. 


The news came as it was revealed police and lawyers were to consider whether
some outspoken Islamist radicals could face treason charges. 


The Crown Prosecution Service's head of anti-terrorism will meet Scotland
Yard officers in the next few days. 


Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair, along with Omar Bakri Mohammed, are expected to
come under scrutiny. 


The crime of betraying one's country has long been regarded as one of the
most serious of offences. The death penalty for the offence was abolished
only in 1998 and it now carries a penalty of life imprisonment. 



  http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif   
TRIO FACING SCRUTINY 
Omar Bakri Mohammed, cleric for al-Muhajiroun. Its successor group the
Saviour Sect being banned. Said he would not tell police if knew of UK bomb
attack plans; supported Muslims who attacked British troops.
Abu Izzadeen, British-born, spokesman for al-Ghurabaa [the Strangers]. Would
not condemn 7 July London bombings. Told BBC they would make people wake up
and smell the coffee.
Abu Uzair, former al-Muhajiroun member, told BBC the 11 September attacks
were magnificent. Said Muslims did not live in peace with the UK any
more.

But the government's reviewer of anti-terror laws, Lord Carlile QC, said he
did not think it would be appropriate to bring treason charges. 




Last week Mr Blair said Mr Mohammed's Al Muhajiroun or its successor
organisations would be banned. 


The cleric last year announced he was disbanding the organisation - although
its former members have been linked to two new radical bodies. 


Mainstream Muslim organisations have denounced the cleric's views, saying
that he does not represent the true voice of Islam. 


Speaking to the BBC News Website, Mr Choudary - the former right hand man of
Bakri Mohammed - said the cleric no longer believed Britain was a safe
country for Muslims. 




 
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40666000/jpg/_40666370_uzair_izzadeen
203.jpg 
Abu Uzair and Abu Izzadeen were also expected to be investigated

He flew out on Saturday and used a Lebanese passport that he recently got
from the embassy. he said. 


What he has done is made the 'hirja' to another place because he has felt
that he has been unable to practice his religion. 


He believes that war has been declared against Muslims in the country. He
has decided to go elsewhere. 


The Arabic word 'hirja' commonly means to seek religious sanctuary and
refers to an event in the early years of Islam's history. 


Mr Choudary said that Bakri Mohammed's final destination was at present
unclear. He had no intention of going to his home country of Syria but may
end up in one of the Emirate countries, he said. 


Family remain 


The cleric had said his followers would soon be able to access him with a
planned new presence on the internet and that the British people would hear
from him soon. 


Asked if Bakri Mohammed had gone because he feared being either deported or
prosecuted for his militant views, Mr Choudary said: He was not afraid to
stay behind [in the UK] for any reason at all. It's a case of him being able
to practice his religion. 


But he has always said that if the British people did not want him to stay,
then he would go. 


Mr Choudary said that Mr Mohammed's family had remained behind in Britain
and that he had not disposed of his assets in the country - but he was
sure that the radical preacher would not be returning because he did not
hold a British passport. 

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[osint] FW: An apology from a Three Star Marine Corps General

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Original Message -

FromSubject: An apology from a Three Star Marine Corps General

image00268.jpg

This Letter of Apology was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US

Marine Corps, Retired:

For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On
the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the
actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and
fashion this
minor event into some modern day massacre.

I humbly offer my opinion here:

I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and
sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims
(Bosnia, Kosovo, ! Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).

I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after
9/11.

I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.

I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage

dictatorships.

I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious
schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.

I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and
high-jacked the Palestinian cause.

I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a
token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial
supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame
the USA for all their problems.

I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed
masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of
our
society like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the
food for oil money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers
upon their death.

I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will
Breceive 72 virgins in paradise.

I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies,
children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate
targets.

I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms
and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.

I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other
group.

I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of
Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.

I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient Holy Site.

I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trad! e
Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Church - one of our Holy Sites.

I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the
embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl,
etcetc!

I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village
in Africa.

America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those
responsible because that is what we do.

We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on.
That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff
like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we
were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners.
Sure, it
was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we
were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our
hands
because a few were humiliated?

Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people
killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating
Fallujahans.

If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long
wait!

You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.

Chuck Pitman Lieutenant General, USMC (Ret)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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[osint] Google can't handle sauce for gander

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45661
Google goes ballistic
after getting Googled
Miffed after personal info disclosed, including CEO's support for Al Gore
Posted: August 9, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

C 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

Anyone who has used the popular search engine
Google knows how easy it is to collect
information on virtually any subject, but the
company is apparently not happy about being
Googled by a reporter getting information about
a company executive.

The search engine is now giving the silent
treatment to CNET News, after an article featured
facts about company CEO Eric Schmidt, facts that
were gleaned from using Google.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt

It started last month when CNET News reporter
Elinor Mills used the search engine to find out
data about Schmidt, bits of which included:

# Schmidt's shares in Google were worth $1.5 billion;

# he's a resident of Atherton, Calif.;

# he hosted a $10,000-a-plate fund-raiser for Al Gore's presidential
campaign;

# and that he was a pilot.

According to the New York Times, David Krane,
Google's director of public relations, called
CNET editors to complain once it published the
facts.

They were unhappy about the fact we used
Schmidt's private information in our story, Jai
Singh, editor in chief of CNETNews.com, told the
Times. Our view is what we published was all
public information, and we actually used their
own product to find it.

Singh said Krane called back to say Google would
not speak to any reporter from CNET for an entire
year.

You can put us down for a 'no comment,' he
stated in an instant-message interview.

Sometimes a company is ticked off and won't talk
to a reporter for a bit, Singh said, but I've
never seen a company not talk to a whole news
organization.

The incident is echoing throughout the tech world on the Internet.

Jason Stamper, editor of Computer Business
Review, notes, Blackballing journalists is not
big and is not clever. I hope I don't have to
explain why a free technology press is important
to such a forward-looking company as Google. But
perhaps given the fact that it was Playboy that
Google granted its exclusive pre-IPO interview
to, they do seem to have a slightly odd view of
the people they will, and will not talk to.
--
Jeffrey Quick
www.en.com/users/jaquick

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[osint] Ripples Beyond Ukraine

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=16506
 
Ripples Beyond Ukraine
By Stephen  http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/authors.asp?ID=321
Schwartz
Tech Central Station | January 3, 2005


TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Two and a half millennia have passed since the Greek
armies of Alexander the Great penetrated Central Asia, and the wave of
democratic reforms visible in the post-Soviet and Muslim countries is now
reaching Uzbekistan. On December 26, the same day Ukraine held the second
round of its highly-contested vote, citizens of this Muslim-majority former
Soviet republic went to the polls to elect a bicameral parliament. 

As I write, on December 29, the results of the Uzbek vote are both
incomplete and controversial. The allocation of seats to the various
parties, including the ruling National Democratic Party of President Islom
Karimov, has yet to be announced, and functionaries of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), have declared the balloting
insufficiently democratic. But the OSCE inspires little confidence in such
matters. For myself, I have witnessed several years of OSCE meddling and
mismanagement of the promised transitions to democracy in Bosnia-Hercegovina
and Kosovo, and do not perceive the OSCE as possessing moral standing to
issue such criticisms.

At the same time, while observing the Uzbek elections, I was reminded of
earlier chapters in the history of post-Communist democratization. Whether
the OSCE was satisfied or not, ordinary Uzbeks lined up enthusiastically to
cast their votes on a multipage paper ballot. Meanwhile, the Uzbek
authorities made extensive preparations to accommodate foreign journalists,
who did not show up in substantial numbers. I had seen the same phenomena in
Croatia in 1990, when that former Yugoslav republic held its first election.
The Croatian vote, boycotted by the country's Serb minority, was followed by
an atrocious war. However, Croatia will hold a normal presidential election
on January 2, demonstrating that even the worst misfortunes may be overcome
in the new democracies.

Uzbekistan's Muslim population overwhelmingly follows the peaceful
traditions of Sufi spirituality, and the terrorist Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan (IMU), allied to al-Qaida, was almost completely destroyed with
the fall of the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. Although Uzbekistan has
seen local bombings and other terror incidents, the IMU recruited Uzbeks to
fight outside the country and, significantly, never succeeded in launching a
jihad within its borders. Thus, there is no shadow of armed conflict over
Uzbekistan; yet the news from Ukraine continues to stir deep concern here.
With pro-Russian presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych refusing to
concede failure to Viktor Yushchenko, many fear that Ukraine could, like the
former Yugoslavia, collapse in violent disorder. 

There are more than a few parallels between Ukraine and the former
Yugoslavia. The entrenched pro-Russian elements in eastern Ukraine,
Christian Orthodox in religion and nostalgic about the Stalinist past, have
agitated against local nationalists in western Ukraine, who include many
Catholics and Uniates (Byzantine-rite Catholics), and who seek entry into
the European Union. The Yanukovych forces have labeled Yushchenko supporters
fascists, Jew-baiters, and agents of the U.S. Much of this rhetoric is
identical to that employed by Milosevic and his cohort in Belgrade against
Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina, almost 15 years ago.

Civil war in Ukraine would be an unmitigated disaster for the people of that
country, but also for the other post-Soviet transitional republics. Two
issues come into play in the Ukrainian controversy: democracy itself and
Muscovite interference. Uzbek president Karimov, although accused of
authoritarianism, has walked a tightrope between condemnation of Leonid
Kuchma, the former Ukrainian leader and patron of Yanukovych, and criticism
of the involvement of international democratic activists backed by the U.S.,
in the Ukrainian orange revolution. Karimov, who has become increasingly
wedded to his regime's military alliance with the U.S. in the war on terror,
wants to keep Russia, and its president, Vladimir Putin, at a distance. But
he is also fearful of a domino effect swiftly overtaking the rest of the
so-called Commonwealth of Independent States.

Nevertheless, Karimov has a point in his denigration of the foreign-backed
activist groups that have assisted Yushchenko, and it also echoes the
history of former Yugoslavia. Western media and political circles are fond
of citing the U.S.-assisted 2000 revolution against Milosevic as a
positive example of change, and veterans of that campaign have flocked to
Kyiv. But the removal of Milosevic was mainly cosmetic, and Serbia has sunk
further into the abyss of mafia domination. 

Putin, for his part, seems intent on dragging Russia into a similar black
hole, and in liquidating the process of democratization

[osint] US based Wahabbist Ali Mazrui visits SAfrica

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Note: The Centre for Islamic Studies and Democracy in Washington, DC was
founded by Sheikh Taha Jabir al-Alwani...al-Alwani supervised the program
for training U.S. Army Muslim chaplains when he was founder and President of
the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS) in Leesburg,
Virginia, a bin Laden front organization frequently under investigation by
FBI.

In 1973 al-Alwani received his Ph.D. in Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of
Jurisprudence). Between 1976-1984, he was a professor of Usul al-Fiqh at
Imam Muhammad Ibn Sa'ud University in Riyadh, a well-known Wahhabi
stronghold. Wahhabis support bin Laden.

-Bruce

http://www.ipci.co.za/news5.asp

IPCI NEWS

US based Mazrui visits South Africa

International (IPCI) recently hosted the world renowned academic Ali Mazrui,
Professor Ali Mazrui, widely known for his nine part documentary series
featured on the BBC was in South Africa recently for the 14th Biennial
Congress of the African Association of the Political Science (AAPS).

Despite his busy schedule Prof. Mazrui managed to present two lectures under
the auspices of the IPCI at Mohammedeya Musjid in Sparks Road and at the
IPCI Lecture Room. Prof. Mazrui spoke on the Role of Muslim Organizations
in Africa and South Africa. In his talks he emphasized the urgent need for
the Muslim community to play a prominent role in the social and political
transformation of the country.

These talks, although organized at short notice, were well attended and well
received.

Professor Ali Mazrui is a Professor of Humanities and Director of the
Institute of Global and Cultural studies at Binghampton State University,
New York and a special advisor to the World Bank. Professor Mazrui is the
Chairman of the Islamic Centre Centre for Islamic Studies and Democracy in
Washington D.C. He has also written over 20 books and is the Chairman of the
Centre for the Muslim / Christian Understanding.

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[osint] Bin Laden front: IPCI ACITIVITIES FOR MARCH TO MAY 2005

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 

Iran visitors, local school visits, research, journalism, jumah, dawah,
life is good, .
teaches learners on how combat the negative media focus that is placed on
ISLAM.
These students are trained on how to counteract the threat of Christian
Missionaries

http://www.ahmed-deedat.co.za/frameset.asp

IPCI ACITIVITIES FOR MARCH TO MAY 2005

MOSQUE TOURS / SCHOOL EXCURSIONS
During the Period of March to May 2005., A total of 364 visitors were taken
on a guided tour to the Jummah Mosque (Grey Street) A tour group comprising
of 10 Christian Missionaries, from all over Africa were also taken, this
group also had a dialogue at the Centre. They were presented with Free
copies of the English only Qurans. Also another large group were 18 students
from Brazil. The IPCI also received tourist from Spain, New Zealand, Poland,
Egypt, Brazil, Australia. Five Schools were taken on an excursion to the
Mosque, there were: Durban Girls High, Nizamia High School, Tholulaza
Secondary and YMCA Christian Missionary school. Kindly contact the IPCI to
arrange a tour for the school in your area.

REVERT CLASSES
Alhamdulillah 23 Learners completed the 1st Term course for 2005 which
commenced on the 1st of February 2005  ended on the 01 April 2005. These 23
Learners were presented with their certificates on the completion of the 1st
Module at a graduation ceremony held at the Abdul Aziz Auditorium on the 9
April 2005. These Learners are encouraged to do the advanced Module, which
the IPCI Learning Academy already conducts on Tuesdays  Thursdays. 8
Learners from the 1st term have already registered for the Advanced Module.
20 New Muslims have registered for the second Term, which commenced on the
11 April 2005 and will be graduating on the 18 June 2005 at the Abdul Aziz
Auditorium. This is an open invitation to you to attend the graduation
ceremony. Bus fares are given to deserving students. At the end of the
course the Reverts are assessed in the form of written and practical
examinations.

COMPARATIVE RELIGION
The C.R. course has been upgraded into modules thereby making easier
learning. The CR Course is being well received by the learners.

COMPARATIVE STUDENTS - Full Time
6 Students completed the 1st term and graduated on the 9th of April 2005. 5
students currently completing the second term. These students are from all
parts of Africa namely, Louis Trichardt, Uitenhage,Botswana, Kwangase,
Lamontville. These students are trained on how to counteract the threat of
Christian Missionaries. They are also trained to deliver lectures on a
public platform. Once the course is completed at the IPCI, they depart to
their respective area and continue the work of propagation.
Accomodation,Transport  Meals are provided by the IPCI. We seek your
assistance sponsor our present and future leaders.

COMPARATIVE STUDENTS - Saturday Classes
Due to the huge success of our vacation course which was conducted in
December 2004, The IPCI introduced the Saturday Classes on Comparative
Religion, which is in huge demand. 7 students are currently doing the second
term and 6 graduated from the 1st term.
The next advanced vacation course in comparative religion will be
conducted from 11th to 16th of July 2005. Kindly contact our offices for
further details. This is an ideal opportunity during this period to keep the
school learners occupied.

INTRO TO JOURNALISM
Twenty students have successfully completed the 1st Term Journalism course
which was conducted by former journalist Mr. Ismail Suder. 10 Leaners are
currently doing the second term.
This course is a must for all as it teaches learners on how combat the
negative media focus that is placed on ISLAM.

ADULT LITERACY CLASSES
10 students are attending the Adult Literacy Classes which are conducted on
Thursdays. On completion of the course the students will write an ABET and
IEC examinations. At the recent African Renaissance Summit, Primer Sbu
Ndebele mentioned Adult Literacy as being one of the key areas NGO's need to
focus on given the high rate of illiteracy in SA especially KZN.

REVERSIONS
Alhamdulillah, 23 persons accepted Islam from March to April 2005, of these
2 were coloureds, 3 of European descent, 10 of Asian descent, 8 of African
descent.A Revert Muslim Forum 'get together' was held on Saturday 9th April
2005 which co-incided with the graduation of the 1st term Learners.

JUMMAH TALKS
Speakers were sent to 8 different Mosques on Friday to deliver talks. The
highlight was a talk by Brother Abdullah Deedat at Riverside Mosque.

DAWAH OUTREACH
GUATENG  TRANSKEI
The IPCI in conjunction with DCF held two successful Dawah outreach
programmes in the above provinces. Feedback from the Director, Rafeek Hassen
was that there is a great demand for these outreach programmes . The session
wit Dr quick and Rafeek Hassen at Transkei University went one hour over the
prescribed time due to the many questions arising from youth of different
religious groups and an interest and clarity that is required

[osint] Ali Mazrui: Extremists on US Campus

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.danielpipes.org/article/424
 
  

Extremists on Campus
by Daniel Pipes and Jonathan Schanzer
New York Post
June 25, 2002


For three decades, left-wing extremists have dominated American academics,
spouting odd but seemingly harmless theories about deconstruction,
post-modernism, race, gender and class, while venting against the United
States, its government and its allies.

Only these ideas are not so harmless. The radical notions espoused in the
classrooms and in campus demonstrations have recently had dangerous
consequences. These are especially visible with regard to the Arab-Israeli
conflict.

Consider some of the steps American professors took during 2002:

* Columbia University: Hamid Dabashi, a specialist on Iran, compared
Israel's military maneuvers in Jenin (to prevent future suicide bombings)
with the Nazi Holocaust. When one student protested his canceling class to
attend a rabidly anti-Israel sit-in, he sneeringly replied, I apologize if
canceling our class in solidarity with [Palestinian] victims of a genocide .
. . inconvenienced you.

Joseph Massad, a Jordan specialist at Columbia, spoke at that same
anti-Israel rally, calling Israel a Jewish supremacist and racist state
that, he proclaimed, should be threatened. This is in addition to a talk
with the inflammatory title On Zionism and Jewish Supremacy and a course
that (students report) served as a soapbox for anti-Israeli polemics.

* SUNY-Binghamton: Robert Ostergard of the political-science department
converted his course into an anti-Zionist platform. One guest speaker, Ali
Mazrui, presented a lecture that a student called a 45-minute diatribe
against Israel equating Zionism with fascism, Israel with apartheid South
Africa and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with Hitler.

* Kent State University, Ohio: Julio César Pino of the history department
published an ode to a Palestinian suicide bomber, lauding her courage and
calling on Allah to elevate your place in paradise.

* University of Oregon: In a course entitled Social Inequality, the
sociology department's Douglas Card
http://www.campus-watch.org/statement_card.php  reportedly called Israel
a terrorist state and Israelis baby-killers and insisted that students
agree with his view that Israel stole land on the final exam. One student
said Card bashed Israel and Jews at every opportunity.

* UC-Berkeley: The English department's Snehal Shingavi, a leader of
Students for Justice in Palestine, announced a course on The Politics and
Poetics of Palestinian Resistance with the now-infamous warning to
conservatives to seek other sections.

In brief, instructors routinely tout wild-eyed politics and openly wield
their authority to indoctrinate students. At times, they even admit this, as
in the case of Andrew Ross, the then-Princeton English professor who boasted
in 1990 that he was using his position to radicalize the children of the
ruling class.

Not surprisingly, some interpret all this as implicit permission to harass
Jewish and pro-Israel students. The result: a wave of verbal and physical
attacks.

* At San Francisco State University, anti-Israel students physically
threatened students marching for Israel while shouting phrases like, Die,
you racist pigs, and Hitler should have finished the job, prompting the
school's president to admit that he was never as deeply distressed and
angered by something that happened on this campus in his 14 years there.

Even after this incident, pro-Palestinian students continued to use an
SFSU-owned Web page to engage in Holocaust denial and accuse Jews of ritual
murder.

* At Berkeley, anti-Israel students occupied a classroom building, leading
to the arrest of 79 of them, including one charged with a felony for biting
a police officer.

* At the University of Colorado at Boulder, students desecrated an Israeli
flag and chalked anti-Semitic slogans on the main campus walkway.

* At the University of Illinois, they assaulted with rocks a home flying an
Israeli flag, shattering the front window.

Although professors teaching Middle East-related courses are the most
responsible for this degeneration on campus, others, too, are complicit. By
indulging the Middle East specialists' radicalism and efforts at
indoctrination, alumni, administrators, parents, other faculty, Education
Department officials and state legislators effectively condone those
activities.

The time has come for all these stakeholders to take back the universities
as institutions of civilized discourse. This can be done only by ending the
now-regnant atmosphere of extremism and intimidation. The place to start is
by condemning and curbing the leftist activism that too often passes for
Middle East scholarship.



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[osint] Ali Mazrui - lecturer at Bin Laden funded ICPI in South Africa

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/365

Ali Mazrui - lecturer at Bin Laden funded ICPI in South Africa -should be
disinvited to speak at Rochester Institute of Technology

January 3, 2005

MIM: It is a travesty of the war on terror that calls for halting of the
lecture of Dr. Daniel Pipes, the distinquished Middle East expert , and
board member of the United States Institute of Peace,are being heard while
no one is demanding that the RIT administration scrutinize the scheduled
lecturer Ali Mazrui's associations with Ahmed Deedat and the Bin Laden
funded ICPI, as well as his leading roles in other radical Islamist
organisations and withdraw his invitation to speak.

Ali Mazrui is a radical Islamist who lectured last year at the Bin Laden
funded ICPI - International Center for the Propagation of Islam, whose
founder and director , Ahmed Deedat is directly funded by the Bin Laden
family and has boasted about meeting Bin Laden personally several times.
Mazrui is also on the board of the Association of Muslim Social Services,
the sister organisation of the IIIT - The International Institute of Islamic
Thought, which is a Wahabist Saudi funded Islamic propagation front which
was raided by the FBI and the JTTF in 2003.. The executive secretary of the
AMSS is Kamran Bokhari ,the North American spokesman for the Al Qaeda
offshoot group, Al Muhajiroun, which Dr. Pipes cites as one of the most
extremist groups operating in the west today For more information on the
AMSS and the CSID http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/214

A left wing paper written by students who are opposing Dr. Pipes right to
free speech have even started a media campaign of hysterical disinformation
which states that students at RIT will be forced to listen to Dr. Pipes
lecture or not be able to graduate (!).

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[osint] Prof Ali Mazrui - Ties to Terrorist Organizations

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=16719
 
  
War Blog
By FrontPage  http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/authors.asp?ID=1492
Magazine
FrontPageMagazine.com
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=16719  | January 21,
2005



STUDENTS SLAM PRO-ISRAEL SPEAKER BUT WELCOME PROFESSOR WITH 'TERROR TIES'

By Aaron Klein

Students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have been protesting
an upcoming lecture, mandatory for some seniors, by pro-Israel Middle East
expert Daniel Pipes, while public concerns have not be voiced over another
speech, part of the same series, by Ali Mazrui, a professor accused of ties
to organizations supporting terrorism. 

RIT is featuring the Caroline Gerner Gannett Lecture Series, a seminar for
seniors open to all students on Globalization, Human Rights and
Citizenship, that brings to the campus over a dozen guest speakers as well
as in-house professors to discuss topics ranging from regional conflict to
the conservation of water.

Even though his speech is three months away, students have already written
letters to lecture coordinators and the university president demanding
Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, a think tank that defines and
promotes American interests in the Middle East, be disinvited or appear with
a counterpoising speaker, although other Gannett lecturers appear without
opposing speakers. An antiwar group has plastered the RIT undergraduate
campus with posters protesting Pipes' speech. 

Pipes has in the past drawn some fire from Islamic groups for his support of
Israel and for exposing several Islamic extremist organizations operating in
the U.S. 

In one letter to RIT president Dr. Albert Simone, a student writes Pipes is
an individual who makes broad stereotypical generalizations about people of
the Muslim faith, such as '15% of Muslims are terrorists,' as well as
supporting the concept that the only road to Middle East peace is 'Total
Israeli victory' ... How can the Gannett Lecture Series purport to be
promoting the academic principles of debate and discussion when it allows
his ideas to go without criticism by his peers? If Daniel Pipes does not
want to appear with another speaker, then as I see it he doesn't have to
come and get paid. 

Pipes, who once estimated 15% of Muslims are Islamists not terrorists,
has said he would not be interested in speaking with an opposing professor. 

My major purpose in going to universities like RIT is to offer a different
point of view from what students usually hear. I dislike the idea of balance
because it cuts into my time and it implies that my views need to be wrapped
and controlled, said Pipes. 

Dr. Paul Grebinger, professor of Anthropology and coordinator of the Gannett
series, agreed. 

It is often valuable to hear from individuals whose ideas we may oppose and
whom we may not even like. I expect that Pipes will draw representatives
from the Islamic community here on campus and from Rochester. They will no
doubt be asking very pointed questions. So, I don't expect any lack of
debate. 

Last week, a poster distributed throughout the campus sponsored by the RIT
Antiwar Group headlined Islam is not the problem called Pipes a racist
and declared, The real problem is the occupation of Iraq and the U.S.
support of oppressive regimes in the Middle East. Stop the scapegoating of
Arabs and Muslims! 

The group justified their racist label by quoting an article in which
Pipes wrote, The outside world should focus not on showering money or other
benefits on the Palestinian Arabs, but on pushing them relentlessly to
accept Israel's existence. 

One RIT professor who asked that his name be withheld for fear that he may
lose his job called the posters idiotic. There is nothing remotely close
to being racist about that statement. Pipes is the only thing approaching a
non-leftist perspective on this campus, it wouldn't kill these students to
hear an opposing view. None of the liberal speakers need balancing
counterparts. 

Dr. A.J. Cashetta, a professor of language at RIT told WorldNetDaily I have
never heard anyone here complain before that a speaker needed a
counterbalanced idea, and now suddenly we have Pipes and people are
complaining? 

Meanwhile, another Gannett lecturer, Dr. Ali Mazrui, who has repeatedly made
anti-Israel comments, spoke at an Islamic extremist institution and is
accused of ties to groups supporting terrorism, has escaped student
criticism. 

Mazrui, director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton
University, is on the board of the Association of Muslim Social Services,
whose sister organization, the International Institute of Islamic Thought, a
Saudi-funded Islamic group, was raided by the FBI in 2003. The executive
secretary for the AMSS, Kamran Bokhari, was the North American spokesman for
Al-Muhajiroun, a UK-based fundamentalist organization that disbanded in
October under intense pressure by the authorities because of the group's
suspected ties to

[osint] Attackers 'linked to al-Qaeda' a year before 9/11

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Attackers 'linked to al-Qaeda' a year before 9/11

August 9, 2005 - 7:42PM

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/attackers-linked-to-alqaeda-a-year-before-9
11/2005/08/09/1123353312893.html

A year before the September 11 attacks, Mohammed Atta and three other
bombers had been identified as likely members of a cell of the al-Qaeda
network operating in the US by a military intelligence team that recommended
sharing the information with the FBI, The New York Times said today.

The recommendation from the intelligence unit, known as Able Danger, was
rejected in part because the four suspects had valid entry visas, a former
defence intelligence official and a Republican lawmaker Curt Weldon told the
paper.

Under US law, US citizens and residents may not be singled out in
intelligence-collection operations, Weldon and the intelligence official
said.

But while the measure did not include visa holders, Atta and his three
colleagues were extended that protection because of pre 9/11 discomfort at
sharing intelligence information with a law enforcement agency.

The account, which Weldon said he based on assertions by three former
intelligence officers with knowledge of Able Danger, is the first time Atta
was identified by any US agency as a potential threat before the September
11 attacks, the daily said.The former intelligence defence officer, who
asked not to be identified, told the daily that Able Danger was formed in
1999 to assemble information about al-Qaeda networks around the world.

Ultimately, Able Danger was going to give decision-makers options for
taking out al-Qaeda targets, the former official said.

Meanwhile, by a record 57-34 per cent margin, most Americans believe the
Iraq war has made their country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks,
according to a poll published on Tuesday.

And by a 56-41 per cent margin, Americans believe some or all US troops
should be withdrawn from Iraq - a record 33 per cent said all troops should
be pulled out, according to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll.

By a 54-44 per cent margin, the 1004 adults polled by telephone August 5-7
said the Iraq War was a mistake and by a 56-43 per cent margin, they felt
the war was going badly.

The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage
points, found that President George Bush's approval rating was 45 per cent -
one point higher than his lowest score - and his disapproval rating 51 per
cent.

AFP

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[osint] French intelligence said to have predicted London bombings

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/08/08/news/france.php
French intelligence said to have predicted London bombings Reuters, Agence
France-Presse TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2005

PARIS A French intelligence service issued a report shortly before the
London bombings saying that Al Qaeda planned to attack Britain and would use
Britain's large Pakistani community to strike, the newspaper Le Figaro
reported on Monday.

A report by the Direction Centrale des Renseignements Généraux, the
equivalent of the Special Branch of the British police, also said that
monitoring France's Pakistani community was vital if the country was to
avoid violence, the newspaper said.

Written in late June, the 20-page report on the Pakistani community in
France said the United Kingdom remains threatened by plans decided at the
highest level of Al Qaeda.

They will be carried out by agents who will take advantage of the pro-jihad
sympathies within the large Pakistani community in the United Kingdom.
Three of the four bombers who carried out the July 7 attacks were Britons of
Pakistani origin.

British intelligence chiefs had reduced the threat level from Al Qaeda to
substantial from severe - general in June after the May general
election.

The London blasts killed 56 people, including the four bombers.

A French Interior Ministry official confirmed the existence of the report,
but cautioned that it was a very technical study on the Pakistani community
in France.

He said it was not aimed at lecturing Britain on what might happen on its
own soil.

The report said France, which has a Pakistani community numbering between
35,000 and 40,000 that is based mainly in the Paris area, is not shielded
from these sort of violent groupings when you realize the close links, in
terms of family, trade or via associations, between the Pakistani community
in Britain and many of their compatriots living in France.

It adds that following the Pakistani community is vital in terms of
preventing any violent act in France.

The report cited statements in March by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, or Army of
Mohammad, a banned Qaeda-linked Kashmiri militant group that branded France
hostile to Islam. The group could trigger attacks on French interests in
Pakistan, the report said.

The Pakistani community in France was increasing through illegal immigration
and networks that specialized in forged identity papers, it added.

But, it continued, most Pakistanis in France wanted to integrate and
disapproved of the activities of a minority bent on religious extremism.

Louis Caprioli, a former antiterrorism officer with France's
counterespionage agency, the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire, or
DST, who is now a consultant with a private security firm, GEOS, said that
the Pakistani community in France insofar as it has elements practicing
Islamic fundamentalism, has always attracted the attention of intelligence
services.

That started in the 1990s, when it emerged that Pakistan was a transit
point for jihad training in Afghanistan, he said.

Richard Reid, a Briton who was sentenced to life in prison for trying to
blow up a Paris-to-Miami flight in 2002 by igniting a bomb in his shoe,
notably had connections with Pakistanis in France, he said.

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[osint] Australia: Intelligence business hard to crack by private enterprise

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,16191754%5e15306%5e%5enbv%5e
15306,00.html
Intelligence hard to crack
Karen Dearne
AUGUST 09, 2005

BUSINESSES are finding the $500 million local intelligence market difficult
to crack, according to a report by the Australian Homeland Security Research
Centre.

The federal Government has allocated an extra $870 million to the nation's
security and intelligence agencies since 2001, but private companies have
struggled to win contracts because of traditional caution towards new faces
in the sector.

The centre's executive director, Athol Yates, says there will be more
opportunities for companies to contribute services and expertise over the
next few years, because of growing demand for intelligence and a shortage of
resources.

It would, however, be a slow and difficult task, he said.

Agencies would not be quick or consistent in switching to private providers
because of ingrained attitudes of secrecy and caution, Mr Yates said.

One factor is the isolated pockets of resistance in dealing with the
private sector.

Their concern, once common in Defence, is that private companies only care
about profit and meeting contractual requirements, rather than the
capability of what is being delivered.

Others are cautious about engaging consultants and contractors,
particularly for IT work, because they worry that it will highlight the pay
rates and employment options in the private sector.

The agencies were being forced into more information sharing and
collaboration because of a recognition of interdependencies between
information collection and assessment tasks, particularly concerning
technology and data quality, he said.

The considerable differences between agencies meant that companies should
treat each as unique clients, and tailor the approach accordingly.

The benefit of winning work was generally restricted to the profitability
of each project, he said. Completing a project allows you to get your foot
in the door, but does not make it much easier to win work from other areas
or a different agency.

It was essential to develop personal relationships with agency staff.

As officers seek out people who they feel most comfortable with, their
preference is to deal with former agency personnel, he said.

Ironically, though, in some cases a track record of working with an agency
is detrimental.

This is because of the remnants of an old culture of contrariness: a
refusal to deal with certain companies or people.

Information security firm Electronic Warfare Associates Australia provides
services to a wide range of federal and state government agencies, but
managing director Paul McMahon said it had found the local intelligence
sector hard to get into.

There has been a slow evolution across government of getting used to the
idea of not doing everything in-house, Mr McMahon said.

The intelligence community would be the last bastion of doing everything
in-house.

There is no history of trusting external people, and quite an active
history of not trusting anybody else.

As a result, agencies had a limited perspective on a lot of issues. Mr
McMahon said.

Getting some external opinions can broaden your horizons and bring
different perspectives to situations, he said.

There's very little opportunity for that because they don't have a culture
of outsourcing or using consultants for many of their activities.

We've got guys here with the highest level of security clearance, there's
just no opportunities to use them.

EWA Australia's parent company in the US does a lot of work in the
three-letter acronym environment, reflecting a more open marketplace.

The Americans have always had a culture of engaging with industry, Mr
McMahon said.

They have industry people in the most sacred halls, because that's where
the expertise lies.

They hire people in, and work as a government-industry team in a lot of
areas.

Brian Vernon, defence and intelligence general manager for geographic
information systems provider ESRI Australia, said the company's spatial data
software had great potential for use in homeland security.

To us, GIS is an enabling technology for protecting life, property and
critical infrastructure, whether that's a tank or an airport, a utilities
company or a water treatment plant, he said.

ESRI had noted a cultural commitment to change in the intelligence
community, Mr Vernon said, but companies needed to share responsibility in
making decisions.

Everyone wants to get on the homeland security bandwagon, but some of the
kneejerk reactions we've seen have actually slowed down the process, he
said.

The Australian




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[osint] Saudi terrorists moving home from Iraq worries Western embassies

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-08-08-militants-threats_x.htm
Posted 8/8/2005 10:23 PM
Movement of militants feeds fears
By John Diamond, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence has been tracking suspected Saudi militants
moving from Iraq back to Saudi Arabia amid new warnings Monday that
terrorists could strike against Western embassies in the oil-rich kingdom.

As yet, intelligence has not linked the flow of militants to a specific
target or attack, U.S. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Steven Boylan said in an
e-mail from Baghdad.

But the movement of militants coincides with a flurry of terrorism alerts in
Saudi Arabia:

. The British Embassy in Saudi Arabia warned Monday of credible reports
that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks, according to a
notice posted on the embassy's Web site.

. The State Department closed all U.S. diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia
on Monday because of ongoing security concerns, according to its Web site.

. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs issued a warning to travelers to
avoid Saudi Arabia because of intelligence pointing to attacks in Saudi
Arabia in the near future.

The price of oil closed at a record-high $63.94 a barrel Monday. Saudi
Arabia is the world's largest exporter of oil.

U.S. intelligence has monitored an increase in threat indications in the
week since the Aug. 1 death of Saudi King Fahd, according to a senior U.S.
intelligence official with access to daily intelligence reports. The threat
indications have come from the intelligence services of allies in the
region, information collected by U.S. forces in Iraq and intercepted
communications.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the reports are
classified.

So far, Boylan said, the return of militants to their native country is a
standard flow based on their internal dynamics including the amount of
time a fighter has spent in Iraq, getting him home to family, etc. Boylan
said it was too early to see whether recent movements can be tied to the
death of King Fahd or to plans for a new round of attacks against targets in
Saudi Arabia.

The terrorists are likely trying to determine what, if anything will change
as a result of the change in Saudi leadership, Boylan said.

That's one interpretation. But the senior intelligence official said he sees
the flow back to Saudi Arabia - coinciding with the information from
interrogations and uptick in chatter - as an indication that allies of the
terrorist group al-Qaeda are preparing violent attacks.

An influx of foreign fighters into Iraq has been a major concern as the
insurgency goes on.

A key issue in the Iraq war has been securing Iraq's long and unpatrolled
borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, all predominantly Sunni
countries where concern about the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government runs
high.

The senior intelligence official said U.S. authorities have learned about
the movement of some Saudi militants from Iraq back to Saudi Arabia through
interrogations of captured insurgents.

Contributing: Wire reports

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[osint] Group Officially Denounces Fatwa Against Islamic Terrorism

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

All Press Releases for August 9, 2005
Group Officially Denounces Fatwa Against Islamic Terrorism
Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.

The United American Committee board of directors today officially denounce
the fatwa against terrorism issued on July 28th by several American
Islamic organizations. www.UnitedAmericanCommittee.org

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 9, 2005 -- Best known for its actions to
counter Islamic extremism in America, the United American Committee
continues its strife by denouncing what it deemed to be a bogus 'Fatwa,' or
Islamic verdict against terrorism, which was issued by several established
American Islamic organizations in the past week.

These groups are only deceiving America, they fail to mention any
terrorists or terror groups by name, they merely state that they do not
condone the unjust killing of the innocent, or civilians. remarks U.A.C.
chairman Jesse Petrilla, non-believers are not innocent according to
Islamic law, and we are not civilians according to Islamic jihad, we are the
enemy, and according to Islamic extremists, our killing is not unjustified.

One of the groups tied to the fatwa against terror was the Muslim Public
Affairs Council (MPAC). The United American Committee adamantly objects to a
statement made by one of MPACs founding members, Dr. Maher Hathout of Egypt,
a U.S. citizen. In that statement he essentially issued a fatwa of death
against a Los Angeles homeless activist by the name of Ted Hayes.

As long as they're talking about fatwas, what about the fatwa on my life?
says Hayes, whose outspoken opinions against Islamic extremism have gained
him friends and foes alike. How can these groups issue a fatwa against
terrorism and extremism, yet their members issue other fatwas which seem to
support terrorism and extremism?

With several thousand citizens behind the organization, and growing at a
profound rate, the United American Committee is not more than a year old. A
group which strives to promote awareness of Islamic extremist threats which
face America from within, the United American Committee is a growing
political movement dedicated to awaking Washington and America on the issue
of Islamic extremism. More information on the U.A.C. can be found at
www.UnitedAmericanCommittee.org

# # #

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[osint] Entertainers urged to apologize for Nazi comparisons

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200508\NAT2005080
9b.html

Entertainers Urged to Apologize for Nazi Comparisons By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor August 09, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - A leading Holocaust Studies institute wants entertainers
Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, and Woody Allen to retract their recent
statements comparing the Bush administration, Israelis, and black
conservatives to Nazis.

As Cybercast News Service reported, Belafonte over the weekend used a Hitler
analogy when asked what impact prominent blacks such as former Secretary of
State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had on
the Bush administration's relations with minorities.

Hitler had a lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich. Color
does not necessarily denote quality, content or value, Belafonte said in an
exclusive interview with Cybercast News Service.

That's incorrect, said Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of the David S. Wyman
Institute for Holocaust Studies, which describes itself as a research and
education institute focusing on America's response to the Holocaust.

Some entertainers simply don't know much about history, said Medoff. The
fact is that there were no Jews in Hitler's hierarchy; the policies of
America and Israel are not similar to those of Hitler; and African-American
conservatives are not comparable to Nazis.

The Wyman Institute (located at Gratz College in suburban Philadelphia) is
urging the three entertainers to publicly retract their inaccurate and
hurtful remarks about Hitler and the Holocaust.

Such analogies pollute public discourse by trivializing the brutal horrors
committed by the Nazis, Medoff said.

Hitler was a maniacal dictator whose regime systematically annihilated six
million Jews, and launched a world war that caused the deaths of more than
forty million people. How can any reasonable person put Hitler and the Nazis
in the same sentence as American or Israeli leaders, or black
conservatives?

Comedian Dick Gregory, also interviewed by Cybercast News Service, said that
African-American conservatives have a right to exist, but why would I want
to walk around with a swastika on my shirt after the way Hitler done messed
it up?

Earlier this summer, comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen told the German
magazine Der Spiegel: The history of the world is like, he kills me, I kill
him -- only with different cosmetics and different castings: so in 2001 some
fanatics killed some Americans, and now some Americans are killing some
Iraqis. And in my childhood, some Nazis killed Jews. And now, some Jewish
people and some Palestinians are killing each other. (Der Spiegel, June 20,
2005)

See Related Stories:
Bush, GOP Called 'Thieves' Who 'Need to be Locked Up' (8 Aug. 2005) Labor
Leader Concedes Unions Have Become 'Stale' (8 Aug. 2005) Belafonte's Racial
Remarks Prompt Criticism, Anxiety

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[osint] RE: Attackers 'linked to al-Qaeda' a year before 9/11

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

  _  

From: 
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 11:14 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: re: Attackers 'linked to al-Qaeda' a year before 9/11

MUST READ straight from the Congressional Record: June 27, 2005 (House)
Page H5243-H5250

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2005_cr/s062705.html

Mr. Speaker, I rise because information has come to my attention over 
the past several months that is very disturbing. I have learned that, 
in fact, one of our Federal agencies had, in fact, identified the major 
New York cell of Mohamed Atta prior to 9/11; and I have learned, Mr. 
Speaker, that in September of 2000, that Federal agency actually was 
prepared to bring the FBI in and prepared to work with the FBI to take 
down the cell that Mohamed Atta was involved in in New York City, along 
with two of the other terrorists.
  I have also learned, Mr. Speaker, that when that recommendation was 
discussed within that Federal agency, the lawyers in the administration 
at that time said, you cannot pursue contact with the FBI against that 
cell. Mohamed Atta is in the U.S. on a green card, and we are fearful 
of the fallout from the Waco incident. So we did not allow that Federal 
agency to proceed.
  Mr. Speaker, what this now means is that prior to September 11, we 
had employees of the Federal Government in one of our agencies who 
actually identified the Mohamed Atta cell and made a specific 
recommendation to act on that cell, but were denied the ability to go 
forward. Obviously, if we had taken out that cell, 9/11 would not have 
occurred and, certainly, taking out those three principal players in 
that cell would have severely crippled, if not totally stopped, the 
operation that killed 3,000 people in America.

Now, Mr. Speaker, what is interesting in this chart of al Qaeda, and 
you cannot see this from a distance, but right here in the center is 
the name of the leader of the New York cell. And that name is very 
familiar to the people of America. That name is Mohammed Atta, the 
leader of the 9/11 attack against us. So prior to 9/11, this military 
system that the CIA said we did not need and could not do actually gave 
us the information that identified Mohammed Atta's cell in New York. 
And with Mohammed Atta they identified two of the other terrorists with 
them.
  But I learned something new, Mr. Speaker, over the past several weeks 
and months. I have talked to some of the military intelligence officers 
who produced this document, who worked on this effort. And I found 
something out very startling, Mr. Speaker. Not only did our military 
identify the Mohammed Atta cell; our military made a recommendation in 
September of 2000 to bring the FBI in to take out that cell, the cell 
of Mohammed Atta. So now, Mr. Speaker, for the first time I can tell 
our colleagues that one of our agencies not only identified the New 
York cell of Mohammed Atta and two of the terrorists, but actually made 
a recommendation to bring the FBI in to take out that cell. And they 
made that recommendation because Madeleine Albright had declared that 
al Qaeda, an international terrorist organization, and the military 
units involved here felt they had jurisdiction to go to the FBI.
  Why, then, did they not proceed? That is a question that needs to be 
answered, Mr. Speaker. I have to ask, Mr. Speaker, with all the good 
work that the 9/11 Commission did, why is there nothing in their report 
about able danger? Why is there no mention of the work that able danger 
did against al Qaeda? Why is there no mention, Mr. Speaker, of a 
recommendation in September of 2000 to take out Mohammed Atta's cell 
which would have detained three of the terrorists who struck us?

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[osint] Seven ways to stop the global spread of terror

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Half-baked and ignorant of Islam, points 1, 2, 3, and 5 would work and are
necessary...point 4 is ridiculous and ignores the fact that Islam has been
at war with non-Muslims for 1500 years and 25 years ago launched its Third
Global Jihad.  Point 6 about involving women as allies against Islam (their
greatest enemy) is valid but not in the sense the author means.  There are
no Muslim allies against Islam.  This is a contradiction in terms.  All
non true-believers must be rallied against Islam, though.
 
Point 7 is useful in that propaganda by the West against Islam must be
better developed...but if the Arab/Farsi/Urdu speakers are Muslims, then one
is inviting traitors and Fifth Columnists into the heart of our governments.
 
-Bruce
 
 

Published on TaipeiTimes http://www.taipeitimes.com   
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2005/08/09/2003267049

Seven ways to stop the global spread of terror

Islamic militancy is not inevitable and solutions are possible. Merely
saying that the bombers are mad does not help

By Jason Burke
THE OBSERVER , LONDON 
Tuesday, Aug 09, 2005,Page 9 

It would be nice if there were a silver bullet. There isn't, of course, but
current Islamic militancy has its origins not in the Middle Ages or in
violence inherent in a major faith, but in real problems in the real world
-- so real solutions are possible.

One, we need to recognize that al-Qaeda is an ideology, not an
organization. There is no point in talking about masterminds or hunting for
a global headquarters. There are none.

Two, we need to stop confusing justification with explanation. Learning what
motivates enemies does not mean sympathizing with them.

Merely saying that the bombers are mad, when there is no evidence that
militants are mentally ill or backward, and when contemporary radical Islam
clearly has its roots in the conditions of the modern world, does not help.

Three, we should ditch the rhetoric. There is no point in saying, We will
never surrender to terrorism, when history tells us that, in order to
manage a terrorist threat, successive governments in the UK and abroad
always mixed hard coercive measures, such as those announced by British
Prime Minister Tony Blair last week, with a soft political strategy that
undercuts the legitimacy of the militants' claims.

Representatives of the IRA are in the UK parliament. The Egyptians and
Algerians ended their mass Islamic insurgencies of the early 1990s with
judicious concessions as well as repression. The Americans blithely admitted
recently to talks with Iraqi insurgents.

Four, we need to recognize that doing things that enrage millions, even if
we feel that anger is wrong-headed and misdirected, will make us more of a
target. 

Before the invasion of Iraq the UK was fairly low down the target list for
the militants. Now, the UK has joined Israel and the US at its top. It is
impossible to speak with any credibility to young British Muslims -- or any
young Muslims -- without admitting this.

Five, the July 7 bombers were not brainwashed by anyone. Radical Islam
provided them with an explanation of what was happening in the world and
suggested actions that made sense to them. 

So we need a broad range of measures to ensure that such ideologies are less
likely to convince in the future. If we cannot negotiate with existing
militants, we can at least stop the next wave of recruits.

Some causes of terrorism do exist within the UK. They include identity
issues and the poor economic performance of many British Muslim communities
as much as the activities of radical rabble-rousers from overseas. We need
to accept that a harsher security environment will temporarily be necessary.
Another major bombing in the UK could damage community relations beyond
repair. We now know quite what a powerful weapon surveillance cameras are,
whatever their civil liberties implications. 

Legal loopholes that mean men such as Abu Qatada, a key radical ideologue,
cannot be expelled or detained should be closed. 

Most Islamic countries have a system of government-run colleges for Muslim
clerics and licensing for such scholars and the UK needs one too to make
sure that the lessons taught in mosques, religious schools and prisons are
moderate.

But the real causes are international -- and can be dealt with through real
policies. Militants often cite Chechnya, Kashmir and Palestine as examples
of Western oppression of Muslims. In each case, complex historical,
political and economic factors have combined to sustain conflict. But with
sufficient will and attention, and a balanced, tough-minded approach,
solutions are possible. Merely making an obvious effort to solve problems in
a fair-minded way would be extremely helpful in restoring the goodwill many
in the Islamic world once felt towards Britain.

Six, we need to look for new allies in the Islamic world. We should be
developing major programs to develop civic society, with a particular
emphasis on involving women,

[osint] Few obstacles deter cyber-terrorists

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft


 

Few obstacles deter cyber-terrorists


Al Qaeda moves operations to Web


By Steve Coll and Susan B. Glasser, Washington Post  |  August 9, 2005

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/08/09/few_obstacles_deter_cyb
er_terrorists/

WASHINGTON -- In the snow-draped mountains near Jalalabad in November 2001,
as the Taliban collapsed and Al Qaeda lost its Afghan sanctuary, Osama bin
Laden biographer Hamid Mir watched ''every second Al Qaeda member carrying a
laptop computer along with a Kalashnikov as they prepared to scatter into
hiding and exile. On the computer screens were photographs of Sept. 11
hijacker Mohamed Atta.

Nearly four years later, Al Qaeda has become the first guerrilla movement to
migrate from physical space to cyberspace. With laptops and DVDs, in secret
hideouts and at neighborhood Internet cafes, young code-writing jihadists
have sought to replicate the training, communication, planning, and
preaching facilities they lost in Afghanistan with countless new locations
on the Internet.

Al Qaeda suicide bombers and ambush units in Iraq routinely depend on the
Web for training and tactical support, relying on the Internet's anonymity
and flexibility to operate with near impunity in cyberspace. In Qatar,
Egypt, and Europe, cells affiliated with Al Qaeda that have recently carried
out or planned bombings have relied heavily on the Internet.

Such cases have led Western intelligence agencies and outside terrorism
specialists to conclude that the ''global jihad movement, sometimes led by
Al Qaeda fugitives but increasingly made up of diverse ''groups and ad hoc
cells, has become a ''Web-directed phenomenon, as a presentation for US
government terrorism analysts by longtime State Department expert Dennis
Pluchinsky put it. Hampered by the nature of the Internet itself, the
government has proven ineffective at blocking or even hindering
significantly this vast online presence.

Among other things, Al Qaeda and its offshoots are building a massive and
dynamic online library of training materials -- some supported by
specialists who answer questions on message boards or in chat rooms --
covering such varied subjects as how to mix ricin poison, how to make a bomb
from commercial chemicals, how to pose as a fisherman and sneak through
Syria into Iraq, how to shoot at a US soldier, and how to navigate by the
stars while running through a night-shrouded desert. These materials are
cascading across the Web in Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, and other first languages
of jihadist volunteers.

The Saudi Arabian branch of Al Qaeda launched an online magazine in 2004
that exhorted potential recruits to use the Internet: ''Oh Mujahid brother,
in order to join the great training camps you don't have to travel to other
lands, declared the inaugural issue of Muaskar al-Battar, or Camp of the
Sword. ''Alone, in your home or with a group of your brothers, you too can
begin to execute the training program.

''Biological Weapons was the stark title of a 15-page Arabic language
document posted two months ago on the website of Al Qaeda fugitive leader
Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, one of the jihadist movement's most important
propagandists, often referred to by the nom de guerre Abu Musab Suri. His
document described ''how the pneumonic plague could be made into a
biological weapon, if a small supply of the virus could be acquired,
according to a translation by Rebecca Givner-Forbes, an analyst at the
Terrorism Research Center, an Arlington, Va., firm with US government
clients.

Jihadists seek to overcome in cyberspace specific obstacles they face from
armies and police forces in the physical world. In planning attacks, radical
operatives are often at risk when they congregate at a mosque or cross a
border with false documents. They are safer working on the Web. Al Qaeda and
its offshoots ''have understood that both time and space have in many ways
been conquered by the Internet, said John Arquilla, a professor at the
Naval Postgraduate School who coined the term ''netwar more than a decade
ago.

Al Qaeda's innovation on the Web ''erodes the ability of our security
services to hit them when they're most vulnerable, when they're moving,
said Michael Scheuer, former chief of the CIA unit that tracked bin Laden.
''It used to be they had to go to Sudan, they had to go to Yemen, they had
to go to Afghanistan to train, he added. Now, even when such travel is
necessary, an Al Qaeda operative ''no longer has to carry anything that's
incriminating. He doesn't need his schematics, he doesn't need his
blueprints, he doesn't need formulas. Everything is posted on the Web or
''can be sent ahead by encrypted Internet, and it gets lost in the billions
of messages that are out there.

The number of active jihadist-related websites has metastasized since Sept.
11, 2001 . When Gabriel Weimann, a professor at the University of Haifa in
Israel, began tracking terrorist-related websites eight years ago, he found
12; today, he tracks more than

[osint] America Has Surrendered Its Highways to Al-Qaeda

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/8/emw270297.htm

America Has Surrendered Its Highways to Al-Qaeda, Consultant Says

The nation's highways are wide open for terrorist attack, according to Terry
M. Evans, CEO of Fleet Defender Consulting Services, LLC

(PRWEB) August 9, 2005 -- America's highways are wide open for terrorist
attack.
Given that most terrorist attacks worldwide involve trucks, America is
poorly prepared to deal with this likely and impending threat, states CEO
Terry M. Evans of Fleet Defender Consulting Services, LLC.

According to CEO Evans, the country has literally surrendered it's highways
to terrorists. European allies have long since completed the basics, such
has fingerprinting all CDL truck drivers. The Untied States, on the other
hand, has done little to protect the country from such an obvious threat.

The government has justly provided millions to fund the Highway Watch
Program, an excellent awareness training program, yet we have no idea who we
are actually providing the training to. reports CEO Evans. We essentially
have placed the cart before the horse.

Today, given our lack of even the simplest security screening, it would be
incredibly easy for terrorists to gain legal access to tractor trailers and
cripple the nation's highways along with our economy. What measures do we
have in place today that would stop a terrorist from obtaining a CDL
license? asks Mr. Evans.

The reality is that we have little in place to protect ourselves from the
inevitable threat of terrorism using trucks, claims CEO Evans. For more
information or to lend assistance with this serious threat, visit
www.fleetdefender.com http://www.fleetdefender.com/ .

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[osint] PAKISTAN: ARRESTED AL-QAEDA OPERATIVE HAD EUROPEAN MAPS IN LAPTOP

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorismloid=8.0.195608710par=
0 loid=8.0.195608710par=0

PAKISTAN: ARRESTED AL-QAEDA OPERATIVE HAD EUROPEAN MAPS IN LAPTOP

javascript:aumenta();
javascript:diminuisci();

Lahore, 9 August (AKI) - The alleged al-Qaeda operative who was arrested in
Pakistan on Sunday had in his laptop, maps of cities in Italy and Germany.
According to Pakistani intelligence sources, Osama bin Yousaf, 33, confessed
on Tuesday to his participation within the al-Qaeda terrorist network and
maps of Italy, Germany, Pakistan and Britain were also found in his home.
According to the Pakistani newspaper, The Daily Times, bin Yousaf is also
said to have been in contact with al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan and
Europe.

Bin Yousaf confessed to being part of the al-Qaeda network and to have
provided logistic support to militants, according to officials quoted in
the Daily Times. The intelligence officials also said that his cell phone
numbers were found in the telephone index of Abu Faraj al-Libbi's - a senior
al-Qaeda leader who was arrested in Pakistan in May - after which American
and Pakistani intelligence agencies put him on their watch list.

Bin Yousaf was arrested after the authorities in Pakistan tracked phone
calls made by him from several locations around Pakistan to Italy, Germany
and Britain.

He called someone in the UK on Thursday, called someone else in Italy on
Friday and made two long phone calls to somebody in Germany on Saturday,
said the officials quoted in the daily. Through the calls the police managed
to track his location and eventually arrested bin Yousaf in Faisalabad, a
city 350 kilometres from the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

During his interrogation, bin Yousaf described how he had travelled to
Afghanistan in 1992 where he received guerrilla training and was injured in
fighting a year later after which he returned to Pakistan. He travelled back
to Afghanistan in 1995 where he was introduced to al-Qaeda leaders.
Intelligence officials in Pakistan have described bin Yousaf as being a
close aide of al-Libbi and Amjad Hussain Farooqi, the, who was killed by
pakistani security forces in September 2004.

In addition to the maps, officials also found, three credit cards, a
computer, dozens of CDs, three grenades, two AK-47s and hundreds of bullets
in bin Yousaf's possession.

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[osint] Canada to develop a no-fly list

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
4 years after 9/11?  That is truly blinding speed for a bureacracy!
 
Bruce
 

  _  

From: Daniel Sullivan [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 11:40 AM
To: 'Bruce Tefft'
Subject: Canada to develop a no-fly list 



Canada to develop a no-fly list 


Tuesday, August 9, 2005; Posted: 4:47 a.m. EDT (08:47 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/08/09/canada.flier.list.ap/index.html

 

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) -- Canada is developing a no-fly list in an effort
to prevent terrorist attacks and make air travel safer, the federal
transport minister has announced.

The program, called Passenger Protect, will identify people who pose an
immediate threat to aviation security and will work with airlines to stop
suspects from flying, Transport Minister Jean Lapierre told reporters in
Halifax, the provincial capital of Nova Scotia.

This list is going to be revised regularly, and it's not going to be
published all over the place, said Lapierre, adding that the list would be
ready by 2006 and shared with all airlines, sea ports and border crossings.

Obviously, there are people out there who are full of bad intentions,
Lapierre said. If anybody tries to buy a ticket under those names, well
then, they will never get on an airplane.

The U.S. has operated a no-fly list for a few years, following the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. area. The list could
help satisfy U.S. demands that Canadian airlines provide passenger lists for
all flights that go through U.S. airspace.

Washington has been pressuring Ottawa to take a greater role in increasing
North American security, particularly along the 4,000-mile border with the
U.S.

Lapierre also said he plans to meet with key players in the ground
transportation system to discuss security in light of the recent subway
attacks in London.

Opposition Leader Stephen Harper said he saw little new in the
transportation minister's announcements.

We've had lots of security announcements from this government and very
little action, said Harper, leader of the Conservative Party. This is part
of a pattern of phony announcements. I'll believe it when I see it.

Copyright 2005 The Associated
http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP Press. All rights
reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.

 



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[osint] America Is Winning the War on Terror

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Misguided.  Well-meaning, but still misguided.
 
5,000 al-Qaeda killed or captured?  Ok, but this ignores the other 117,000
trainees who went through the Afghan training camps prior to our invasion
and does not count the untold new trainees in camps across North Africa,
Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Thailand, Indonesia,
the Philippines and etc.
 
Fact that al-Qaeda has or has not made attacks, or attacks beyond a certain
scale does not mean that they do not have the capability to or that they
will not.
 
He is correct about the need to restrict Muslims, Mosques, and Saudi
funding.
 
-Bruce
 
 
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article4519.html
 
 

America Is Winning the War on Terror
by Paul Belien
09 August 2005

An interview with Richard Miniter on the War on Terror, the media's role in
promoting terrorism, and the role of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.




According to  http://www.richardminiter.com/ Richard Miniter, an American
investigative journalist who is an expert on Islamic terrorism, the West is
capable of winning the war on terror. In fact, he thinks it is winning.
Miniter, who is a weekly guest on Fox News, has traveled extensively all
over the globe and was in Brussels last month on his way to Afghanistan.
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/ The Brussels Journal interviewed him.

Paul Belien: Rich, you have written two bestselling books about terrorism so
far. The first one, Losing Bin Laden, is a chronicle of what happened under
Bill Clinton's presidency and the second one, Shadow War, is about the war
on terror during the first term of George W. Bush. In this last book you
argue that America is winning the war on terror. Europeans find this hard to
believe. Given the London bombing early this month, do you still think that
we are winning the war on terror?

Rich Miniter: Yes, I think that on balance we are winning, I think this for
several reasons. Since 9/11 more than 5,000 al Qaeda members have been
killed or captured in 102 countries. The war on terror is a lot larger than
the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It occurs on a global stage. A tremendous
number of terrorist plots by al Qaeda and its organizations against Western
targets have been foiled. A plan to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris was
prevented, as well as an attempt to sink U.S. and British war ships in the
Strait of Gibraltar by ramming zodiac inflated rafts loaded with bombs into
the hulk of these ships. In fact, the intelligence that led to the
unraveling of these plots came from prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
That alone, I think, justifies holding those prisoners.

PB: Some people, however, say that we have called terrorism upon ourselves
by the invasion of Iraq. It seems that the threat of terrorism is worse now
than ever before.

RM: I don't think that is true. I have a minority contrarian view, but here
it is: The death toll on September 11, 2001 of the attacks on New York, the
Pentagon and Pennsylvania was more than 3,000 people. The Bali bombing on
October 12, 2002 killed 202 people. In the Madrid bombing of March 11, 2004,
191 people perished. That is one order of magnitude less than on 9/11. In
London earlier this month 53 people died. That is a second order of
magnitude less than on 9/11. If anything, the lethality of al Qaeda is
decreasing over time. The terrorists are losing their ability to carry out
large, complicated operations, where they need perfect surprise in order to
succeed and perfect coordination in order to have mass casualties. With the
exception of the bombings in 2003 in Turkey, no al Qaeda cell has been able
to strike twice in quick succession in the same country. American, European
and Allied governments have been very successful in breaking up these cells.

As for this idea that Iraq has brought terrorism onto Europe and onto
America, do not forget that 9/11 occurred before the Iraq war. Let us also
remember what happened in the 1990s when we had a series of al Qaeda attacks
on American, British and French interests from 1992 onwards. In one of these
attacks, on August 7, 1988, two U.S. embassies were hit, one in Kenya, the
other in Tanzania, killing hundreds of people, mostly Muslim Africans. That
certainly was not brought on by the Iraq war. The November 13, 1995 attack
in Riyadh which killed five Americans, two Indian nationals and an unknown
number of Saudis, that was not brought on by Iraq either. Nor was the attack
on U.S. forces in Somalia on October 3, 1993, which we now know was
organized by elements of al Qaeda, the 1993 WTC bombing, which killed seven
people (I say seven because I also count the unborn son of Monica Smith),
the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, the attempt to destroy the
Eiffel Tower by driving a plane into it in 1994, and the attempt to kill the
Pope in the Philippines in 1994.

PB: Some people say we have exacerbated the hostile feelings among Muslims
by invading Iraq.

RM: How do we measure public opinion in Muslim lands

[osint] Punch and Judy ban on Bin Laden

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Interesting the BBC does not address the nature of the complaints...Muslims
finding it politically incorrect?

Bruce

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/4134090.stm

Punch and Judy ban on Bin Laden
A Punch and Judy man has been banned from using Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin
Laden puppets in his Kent seaside show.

Thanet council told Brent Witts to take the characters out of his routine at
Viking Bay, Broadstairs, after complaints from members of the public.

It was topical - it was a bit of fun, but someone did not care for that,
said Mr Witts who cast Saddam and Bin Laden as the show's bogeymen.

Council officials said they received complaints from concerned parents.

They used to have Mussolini in the show - they used to have Hitler -
that is the secret of Punch and Judy
Brent Witts

We responded to those complaints by asking the puppeteer to remove the
puppets, the council said in a statement.

A spokeswoman said she was unable to say how many complaints were received.

Mr Witts said he put Saddam in the show as the villain who stole Mr Punch's
sausages.

Osama Bin Laden was cast as the devil.

The devil would come up and say, 'Am I the devil, or do I look a little
like Osama Bin Laden?, he said.

Mr Punch dispatched the baddies in time-honoured fashion by bashing them
with his stick and Mr Witts said most of the audience enjoyed the joke.

Punch and Judy has traditionally poked fun at contemporary figures.

They used to have Mussolini in the show - they had Hitler in the show -
that is the secret of Punch and Judy, it is topical, said Mr Witts.

The first thing the old Punch and Judy men did when they went to a new town
was go to the pub and listen to the local gossip.

Say the mayor was being accused of having a rendezvous with a lady, Judy
would kiss Punch and say, 'You are as passionate as mayor so-and-so'.

But Mr Witts said he was keen to get along with the council, which owns his
pitch, and got rid of the characters when asked.

They asked me very nicely and I obliged them.

They work very hard to keep Broadstairs alive - they want the tourists to
come and we want the tourists to come.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/4134090.stm

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[osint] Philippines: Lawmaker raises specter of new terrorist attacks

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Of course, only the ignorant or naive would think the Islamic terrorists
would stop now.

Bruce

http://www.manilastandardonline.com/?page=news05_aug10_2005

Lawmaker raises specter of new terrorist attacks

A lawmaker from Cebu yesterday urged Malacañang to step up vigilance against
possible terrorist attacks in the country.

The warning came in the wake of intelligence reports shared by other Asian
countries that the Philippines could be the next target of Jemaah Islamiyah,
an Al Qaida-affiliated terrorist network operating in the country.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco said the countrys security forces in all the major
cities of the archipelago should be placed on high alert to thwart attacks
similar to the London bombings.

So-called soft targets, such as populous areas like bus, sea and train
terminals, airports, markets, churches, schools and other commercial
establishments should all be secured by police personnel, Cuenco said,
adding that those places are often hard to secure.

The Cebu solon said security forces should closely monitor the suspected
entry of suicide attackers from Indonesia and the reports that they are
acquiring explosives and personnel to carry out such attacks on the local
populace.

The series of bomb attacks that hit London last July 7 can not hide the
fact that the most recent terror incidents occurred in Asia. The trend and
indicators unmistakably lead to Southeast Asia, he said.

No diversionary tactic

Cuenco warned Filipinos against becoming complacent.

The public should not conveniently dismiss the intelligence reports on Al
Qaida as a mere diversionary tactic to divert pubic attention from serious
accusations against the Presidency of the land. Remember that such kind of
apathy may just become an added incentive to these dread attacks, he said.

The horrific accounts of the July 7 carnage at London, with many bits of
bodies, heads and arms and legs scattered in the underground trains
including that of the bus blown literally and hurled 40 meters away from
where it stood should be more than enough to prod us in the coming days to
observe and maintain all the vigilance and care we could muster, he added.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration was placed on alert status in the wake
of intelligence reports that Indonesian terrorists who are members of the
Jemaah Islamiyah might seek refuge among their compatriots who have been
living in Mindanao.

Thousands of Indonesians have been living in the south for almost five
decades and have virtually assimilated themselves into Philippine society.
Many of them speak the local dialect and have sired children with Filipino
spouses.

To prevent the entry of suspected Indonesian terrorists, immigration
officials have intensified the campaign to register thousands of
undocumented Indonesians.

Sanctuary

According to Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, the registration
drive will make it difficult for terrorists to seek sanctuary among their
kin.

Marine soldiers are deployed in Zamboanga City and Brooks Point, Palawan to
assist immigration officers and beef up security in the southern ports.

A total of 2,641 Indonesians based in several Mindanao provinces were
already issued their alien certificates of registrations (ACRs), according
to BI Bay Service Section chief Jose Carandang.

The bureau expects to register at least 3,000 of the more than 7,000
Indonesians being targeted under the program by the end of the year.

Majority of the Indonesians hail from the province of Sarangani, South
Cotabato and Davao del Sur and also in the towns of Glan, Jose Abad Santos
and General Santos City.

Those who do not register will be considered illegally staying aliens and
subject to arrest and deportation, Fernandez said.

Fernandez said he has yet to confirm reports attributed to National Security
Adviser Norberto Gonzales that 10 members of the Indonesia-based JI have
crossed the border to carry out terror attacks in the country but he said
immigration authorities in the South have already been on high alert since
the 9/11 terror attacks in the US. Romie A. Evanglista and Vito Barcelo

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[osint] IAEA board meets after Iran restarts nuclear work

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNewsstoryID=200
5-08-09T112842Z_01_KWA814198_RTRUKOC_0_NUCLEAR-IRAN.xml
storyID=2005-08-09T112842Z_01_KWA814198_RTRUKOC_0_NUCLEAR-IRAN.xml
 
 IAEA board meets after Iran restarts nuclear work
Tue Aug 9, 2005 12:28 PM BST



By Louis Charbonneau and Francois Murphy

VIENNA (Reuters) - The governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog will hold an
emergency meeting on Tuesday after Iran resumed work at a uranium conversion
plant, fanning Western fears it may be seeking nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Iran had restarted some
nuclear activities mothballed under a deal with the European Union's three
biggest powers.

Tehran defied EU warnings it could now be referred to the U.N. Security
Council for possible sanctions for having kept its work secret for years,
breaching the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that aims to thwart the
spread of nuclear arms.

The West could call for sanctions on the grounds that Iran illegally hid its
uranium enrichment programme, including a massive underground enrichment
plant at Natanz, the existence of which was revealed by exiled dissidents in
2002.

If Iran doesn't resume the full suspension of all nuclear fuel activities,
it will face the U.N. Security Council, an EU diplomat told Reuters.

This meeting probably won't call for a referral to the council. Iran will
be warned, and if it doesn't comply, then we will meet again and decide on
the Security Council, he said.

The IAEA board meeting was originally scheduled for 0830 GMT (0930 BST) but
was pushed back to 1300 to allow time for EU diplomats to try to persuade
key members of the agency's 35-nation board to unanimously issue a stern
warning to Iran.

IRAN CRISIS WEIGHS ON OIL MARKET

Oil hovered near a record $64 a barrel as traders worried the nuclear
stand-off with Iran and possible militant strikes in Saudi Arabia could
disrupt crucial Middle East exports.

France, Britain and Germany, the EU3, hope to persuade all the developing
countries on the IAEA's 35-member board meeting to back an IAEA resolution
urging Iran to resume the suspension of all its uranium conversion
activities.

For two years, the EU3 has been trying to persuade Iran to abandon nuclear
technology that could be used to make bombs in exchange for political and
economic incentives, but Iran formally rejected the package.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for the peaceful generation of
electricity.

While the Western countries on the IAEA board generally agree that the
agency's governors should demand that Tehran immediately renounce its plans
to restart its uranium processing and enrichment programme, developing
countries dislike the idea.

They (developing states) see no legal grounds for referring Iran to the
Security Council because they say Iran is only ending a voluntary
suspension, an EU diplomat said.

Non-aligned developing states make up around a third of the board. While
they would be unable to block an EU-sponsored IAEA resolution, the board
prefers to make decisions by consensus and the non-aligned states could
block a consensus decision.

Some of the developing countries, including South Africa and Argentina, fear
the attempt to force Iran to give up sensitive nuclear activities could one
day be used against their own nuclear programmes and could therefore object
to it.

IRAN WARNS U.S. AND ISRAEL

In comments clearly aimed at the United States and Israel, Tehran said that
it would it drop all international nuclear commitments if its atomic
facilities were attacked.

The day our facilities are attacked, we will put aside all our nuclear
commitments, outgoing Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani said in Tehran.

In 1981, Israel destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osiraq. Like
Washington, the Jewish state has hinted that military force was an option in
dealing with the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Iran froze nuclear fuel work in November while it explored a long-term
arrangement with the EU.

Iran says the EU proposal, which included offers of help to develop civilian
nuclear energy and in becoming a major transit route for Central Asian oil,
is unacceptable as it denies Iran the right to produce its own nuclear fuel.

Around 70 Iranian exiles from the National Council of Resistance of Iran
(NCRI), listed by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organisation,
demonstrated against the Islamic government outside the IAEA headquarters in
Vienna.

No nukes to the Mullahs, they chanted.

On Monday, the NCRI, which first revealed Natanz and several other hidden
sites in Iran, accused Iran of secretly assembling thousands of enrichment
centrifuges which it plans to deploy at covert sites around the country to
develop atom bomb fuel.

Iran's conservative media praised Tehran's decision to resume uranium
conversion, with many looking forward to the day when Tehran resumes all
nuclear

[osint] Iran says it increased range, accuracy of its Shihab-3 missile

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Nothing to do with pursuing nuclear warheads too?

Bruce

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/610492.html

Last update - 17:57 09/08/2005
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif
Iran says it increased range, accuracy of its Shihab-3 missile
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif
By The Associated Press
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif

Iran said Tuesday it has improved the range and accuracy of its Shihab-3
missile, saying the weapon can strike targets as far away as 2,000
kilometers with an accuracy of within one meter.

Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Iran's outgoing defense minister, also said Iran
would halt its international cooperation on its nuclear development if the
United States or Israel attacks its nuclear facilities.

If some day they attack, we will drop all our nuclear commitments,
Shamkhani told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday. We are capable of
meeting our defense needs and improving (the Shihab-3's) specifications at
any time. He did not mention retaliating to an attack by military means.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/images/0.gif Advertisement

Iran on Monday resumed activity at one of its nuclear facilities that
carries out an early stage in the nuclear fuel process, defying European
demands that it maintain an eight-month suspension of its program. But Iran
continues to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International
Atomic Energy Agency, allowing it access to its sites.

Meanwhile, Gen. Ahmad Vahid, the father of Iran's missile industry, told the
Associated Press that Iran has boosted the missile's range from about 1,300
kilometers to 2,000 kilometers.

We have been working on the missile's range since we started manufacturing
it, said Vahid, a member of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

In July, Iran said it carried out a successful test of a solid fuel motor
for the Shihab-3. Vahid did not specify whether the new fuel was behind the
missile's improved performance.

Iran has been careful to disperse its nuclear facilities and protect parts
of it underground, wary of airstrikes to take out the program such as the
1981 Israeli air raid that destroyed neighboring Iraq's main nuclear reactor
at Osirak.

Our nuclear capabilities are not annihilable, Vahid said. We have
mastered nuclear science by ourselves. In case of any damage, we could
construct it somewhere else.

Last year, Iran threatened to destroy Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor should
the Jewish state attack Iran. Dimona is believed to be home to Israel's
nuclear weapons development program.

Israel maintains a nuclear monopoly in the Middle East and is thought to
harbor about 200 warheads deployed on ballistic missiles, aircraft and
submarines, according to the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace. Israeli officials do not comment on the country's
nuclear weapons potential.

Iran launched its arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq
to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its
own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane.

Shamkhani said Iran's missiles were not targeting any particular country.

We have reached a level of regional deterrence, he said.

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[osint] State of Wobbliness

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft



  
  http://www.nysun.com/images/blank.gifhttp://www.nysun.com
https://www.nysun.com/subscribe.php   

August 9, 2005 Edition  Section:  http://www.nysun.com/section/31 Opinion



State of Wobbliness


BY NIBRAS KAZIMI
August 9, 2005


Ladies and gentlemen, Project New Iraq is about to fail. Too bad, since an
Iraqi success story would avert many future disasters in the West.

And yes, it was a noble goal to overthrow Saddam and liberate the Iraqi
people, and no, it did not make the bad guys hate you even more, since that
is not emotionally possible: Their hatred is so great that they intend, over
the next decade of turmoil, to burn the oil under their feet just to spite
you - the oil that would feed and clothe their children.

On Sunday, demonstrators in the southern town of Samawa clashed with Iraqi
police forces, leading to at least one fatality. Only a year and a half ago,
they welcomed Allied forces deployed there with Welcome Mr. Japan signs
written in mangled English. Those demonstrators were not out to support
Muqtada al-Sadr. They were not out to denounce the concept of federalism.
They were not clamoring for more sovereignty. They demanded water, a couple
of more hours of electricity, and no more iron shavings in their rationed
flour.

Two days earlier, a similar demonstration of several thousand souls with
similar demands in Karbala demanded that their native son, Prime Minister
Ja'afari, resign his post. Farther south, Basra's natives are seething with
resentment as their easygoing town turns further and further into an Islamic
city-state where heavily accented Iranian intelligence officers get to
decide whether out-of-town visitors can check into hotels.

Maybe it is unrealistic to ask for much across all of Iraq given the
ferocious intensity of the murderous insurgency, but at least for the line
south of the towns of Musayyeb on the Euphrates and Suweira on the Tigris,
where things have been relatively calm, one would have expected to see some
changes for the better two and a half years after liberation. Sure, no one
is piling poor Shias into mass graves any more, but how would one explain
the anger in Samawa?

Here is a prediction that pains me: Expect riots in Baghdad. The anger and
resentment in the capital is immense. Once people fall into the habit of
thinking that tomorrow will be even worse than today, then that defines
failure in a grand experiment like Iraq.

The reasons for all this are very complex, but it is immoral at this point
to engage in sterile academic arguments as to who is to blame. Right now, a
dehydrated nation demands water, electricity, gasoline, and all the other
basic things.

The fundamental paradox now is that the Americans are not leading the
process in Iraq while at the same time not allowing the elected government
to lead. There are two crucial elements to this conundrum: security and
corruption.

The people in the streets are angry because there is no accountability for
the miserable failure of governmental performance on both security and
corruption. A week ago in the Friday sermon, one of Ayotallah Sistani's most
influential spokesmen posed this pertinent question: Where does the Iraqi
Intelligence Service get its budget from, and who does its chief, General
Mohammed Shahwani, answer to? The answer to both questions is the Central
Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia, but no one in the Iraqi government
is supposed to know or challenge the legality of this open secret.

America's security policy in Iraq, which came into shape while Ayad Allawi
was prime minister, is still in place. Its main theme was to woo the
Ba'athists back into power. The result was that the insurgents somehow came
up with better planned attacks by acting on leaked sensitive information.
This policy, one of whose hallmarks is Shahwani's outfit, has clearly
failed. But did anyone learn anything?

The current elected government ran on a platform of de-Ba'athification Plus
but is being stymied at every turn. Here is a bizarre Mexican standoff: The
rules for the Special Criminal Court that is supposed to put Saddam on trial
specifically state that no Ba'athist, of whatever rank, is allowed to hold a
job in the tribunal. The de-Ba'athification Commission proceeded to fire the
Ba'athists, but a rearguard action by the American embassy, as well as
editorial melodrama in the New York Times, halted the process. It's the law,
stupid! Those who gave testimony against Saddam and went into a witness
protection program got phone calls from the insurgents telling them that
their act is up.

And just who is being held accountable for the corruption under Allawi's
government? Hundreds of millions of dollars went missing, and it was all
widely reported. But did anyone go to jail? What lesson are current state
bureaucrats supposed to infer from that failure to act? At least now, the
government has put in place some regulations that make it a little harder to
carry tens of millions of dollars

[osint] Sea Fighter could play crucial role

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/12321022.htm
Posted on Sat, Aug. 06, 2005
Sea Fighter could play crucial role
SETH HETTENA
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO - Like a slender runner in a roomful of weightlifters, the Sea
Fighter stands out among ever-bigger warships the Navy is building.

The aluminum catamaran - the fastest ship in the arsenal - could play a
critical role in the war on terror, skimming shallow water in the fight
against a smaller enemy attacking in swarms of motorboats.

Critics aren't convinced, believing that seapower is the domain of big ships
in the middle of the ocean.

There's a philosophical discussion going on whether the Navy needs more
smaller ships or fewer bigger ships, said Paul Francis of the Government
Accountability Office.

After the deadly terrorist attack on the destroyer USS Cole five years ago,
the Navy accelerated efforts to strengthen its fighting ability in shallow
water. The experimental Sea Fighter arrived earlier this month in San Diego,
where it will spend the next two years as a convertible test vessel for the
new breed of fast, agile and relatively affordable ships.

The Sea Fighter, formerly known as the X-Craft, carries a Navy and Coast
Guard crew of 26 and went from paper design to christening in less than two
years. It carries a price tag of $79 million, compared with $4.5 billion
spent on the new USS Reagan nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Resembling a commercial car ferry, the Sea Fighter stretches the length of a
football field and can hold two helicopters on its deck. Its stern can
launch and retrieve manned or unmanned mini-submarines and small boats, and
it can be armed with hundreds of low-cost, cruise-like missiles capable of
supporting U.S. troops hundreds of miles away.

In calm seas, it can exceed 50 knots, or 57 mph, and is capable of entering
water as shallow as 12 feet.

Much of the design is new for the Navy. While a conventional warship
bristles with sensors and weapons, the Sea Fighter is mostly empty space and
weighs about 1,000 tons - one-tenth as much as the newest destroyer. The
empty space allows it to be rapidly reconfigured after cranes hoist aboard
20-foot containers holding gear needed for each job - anti-submarine, mine
detection, humanitarian missions.

Sea Fighter is the key to the future, said Vice Adm. Terrance T. Etnyre,
commander of Naval Surface Forces.

Whether Sea Fighter itself eventually joins the fleet will depend on how
well it fares during testing, said Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen, head of the
Office of Naval Research, which oversaw the ship's development.

The challenge is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a concept like this,
he said.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., has
championed the ship since the late 1990s and his wife christened the ship in
February at a Washington state shipyard. Both the Sea Fighter and the
missiles, called Affordable Weapons, are made by Titan Corp., a San
Diego-based defense contractor. But Hunter is frustrated that many in the
Navy don't like the idea of building more small ships like the Sea Fighter.

They'll say 'OK, you got it built. It's not going to the fleet. It's going
to be a nice experimental craft. Keep it out of the way. We'll keep building
big ships,' Hunter said.

Plans are that by 2035, the Navy will have as many as 82 smaller, agile
ships - a quarter of the future fleet - at a potential cost of $32.7
billion, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued in May.

However, several U.S. government studies have criticized the effort. With
many shipbuilding projects competing for the same pool of money, the studies
question whether the smaller vessels are as urgently needed as the Navy
claims, and just how vulnerable those ships would be to missiles or
medium-caliber weapons.

Others have problems envisioning exactly where on the globe the smaller
combat ships would be used.

It's a Jim Dandy concept, said John Pike, who directs the defense and
space Web site Globalsecurity.org. I have just had some difficulty sitting
down and pointing to it on the map.

He said a fleet of small ships is marked change from the Navy's core belief.

It goes against everything they have believed for more than a century,
Pike said.

ON THE NET

http://www.titan.com

http://www.onr.navy.mil

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[osint] Media Attack Whistleblower Weldon

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 

http://www.aim.org/aim_report/3913_0_4_0_C/
AIM Report: Media Attack Whistleblower Weldon - August B August 4, 2005

When New York Times reporter Judith Miller went to jail, rather than reveal
her sources, we were told that the confidentiality of sources is a
sacrosanct principle. But this is a principle that the media only claim for
themselves. When Rep. Curt Weldon recently came forward with a new book that
includes top-secret information about the terrorist threat to America, the
New York Times and the Washington Post viciously attacked him and tried to
reveal the identity of and discredit one of his key sources.

The attacks reflect apparent discomfort over the fact that Weldon, the vice
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has done the kind of
research that the media should be doing. The attacks also reflect media
dependence on official sources in the intelligence community who have a
record of failing to protect America from terrorist attack.

But one journalist broke ranks. Richard Miniter, who has reported for the
Wall Street Journal and the Sunday Times of London, recognizes the value of
the book and highly recommends it.

A Powerful Book

 Decision-makers, journalists and anyone interested in the single greatest
threat to America, Iran, should read this fast-paced book, he says. Even
experts will learn from it. Iran is already at war with the United States,
directly financing terror strikes against American soldiers and diplomats
across the Middle East. As Weldon's book and a wealth of other documentation
reveal, Iran is harboring bin Laden's son and some 500 other al Qaeda
figures today. It has already tested missiles that have the range to hit
U.S. bases in the Middle East as well as our friends in Israel. It is
developing nuclear warheads to put on those Shihab-3 missiles. If you want
to understand the threat from Iran, you can either read this book or read
the headlines six months from now.

Weldon was interviewed by AIM editor Cliff Kincaid and WTNT-AM 570 radio
host Julian Tepper on The Tepper Show in Washington, D.C. Letting the
congressman speak for himself, this AIM Report is publishing much of this
interview verbatim.

Weldon said, The book is about information that has been found to be very
credible, consistent information over the past 2 and one-half years that I
have provided to the CIA after having met with George Tenet (then-CIA
director) and John McLaughlin (then- deputy director). They assigned their
top operations person to work with me. I was under the impression that they
would take a look at this information. Unfortunately, within the first two
weeks I was lied to by the CIA. The information was manipulated. And in the
end, even though this information consistently was proven correct, the
agency continued to ignore and not deal with this information seriously.

Weldon said the information includes

The location of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (in a town in Iran).

Iran's creation of a Council of Nine to coordinate worldwide terrorist
activities against America and the West.

The planning of a major terrorist attack against America.

Weldon said that, for two years, he fed raw intelligence to the CIA,
including material from a source Weldon called Ali.

I continued to feed this information, some of it very provocative, as
outlined in my book, he explains. To make sure I wasn't going overboard
with it, a friend of mine, Dr. Peter Pry, who worked for the CIA for 10
years, joined me in this process.

Where Is The CIA?

Weldon said, He actually went with me twice to Paris to meet with Ali and
others. He knew what to ask and how to approach it. He knew how to judge the
sources. He said, 'I don't understand why the agency is not aggressively
working with him.' Many of the things he told us months in advance of when
they occurred actually did occur.

As one example, Weldon said that Ali told him in May 2003 in writing that
Iran was going to attack the U.S. using a cell of 19 Pakistanis that would
fly a commercial plane into a U.S. nuclear reactor.

Planned Attack On Reactor

He said the reactor began with the letters S-E-A, which could have been
Seattle or Seabrook [New Hampshire], Weldon said. In July 2003 he came
back and said it was Seabrook. All of that was fed to the CIA. On August 22,
2003, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada broke up a 19-member
Pakistani cell that had ties to al Qaeda. They had no identifiable means of
income, yet one had $40,000 in a bank account.

Two of them were arrested at 4 o'clock in the morning for trespassing at a
nuclear power station in Canada. They said they were simply walking on the
beach. Another of the 19 we found out had been taking flying lessons and had
been practicing flying over a reactor in Canada. They had all kinds of
paraphernalia confiscated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It was
exactly as Ali had told me it would be. The difference was that he told me
the attack was going to be on November 24, 2003,

[osint] Smoking Gun: Iran Already Nuclear Armed

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Good article.

Bruce

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/article.asp?id=125

3/19/2005 - Smoking Gun: Iran Already Nuclear Armed

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/iran.asp

19 March 2005: A recent article featured on the Internet news site Debka
stated Iran currently has at least 12 Kh-55 strategic cruise missiles with
3,000km range capable of carrying 200 kiloton nuclear warheads. The article
further stated: Ukrainian prosecutor-General Piskun admitted in Kiev that
this missile technology from former Soviet nuclear arsenal had leaked to
Iran in 2001 - albeit without nuclear warheads. He could not explain how
sales occurred. Six missiles also reached China.

Based on my research, this is only partially correct. The real story is that
Iran purchased a total of six-(6) Kh-55 Granat nuclear-armed cruise missiles
from an ethnic Iranian-Afghan arms merchant identified as Sarfraz Haider.

Conveniently, Sarfraz Haider was murdered in Cyprus last year, allegedly by
Iranian-paid agents because he knew the truth about the full capability of
the stolen Kh-55 cruise missiles. An autopsy revealed that his neck had been
broken and his aorta split.

Details of the demise of arms dealer Sarfraz Haider are documented in story
written by Lincoln Wright of the Australian Herald-Sun dated 20 February
2005. Sarfraz Haider lived Australia for some time.

Excerpted from the article:

[quote] Based on documents he had seen in Cyprus, Dr Haider said he had
little doubt the missiles were tipped with warheads. What's the use of
the missiles without them, Dr Haider said.

The missiles were sold through several companies, including one Cyprus-based
company owned by Mr Haider, S.H. Heritage Holding Ltd, and another Iranian
firm, Satak Co Ltd. [End quote]

The proverbial cat was let out of the bag by Hryhoriy Omelchenko, a member
of the Ukrainian Parliament and who also just happens to be a reserve
colonel in the Ukrainian State Secret Services bureau (SBU). He wrote an
official letter to newly elected Ukrainian President Yushchenko asking him
to pursue a full investigation of the illegal sale of six Kh-55 missiles to
Iran, and six Kh-55 missiles to China.

Relevant facts on this matter are contained in an on the internet web site
MISSILETHREAT.com, a project of the Claremont Institute, citing an article
written by Roman Kupchinsky, an organized crime and terrorism analyst for
RFE/RL Online and the editor of RFE/RL Organized Crime and Terrorism
Watch:.

Ukrainian lawmaker Hryhoriy Omelchenko recently wrote a letter to newly
elected President Viktor Yushchenko claiming that the government of
Yushchenko's predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, in collaboration with members of
the military and the state arms company UkrSpetzExport sold some 20
air-launched Kh-55 and Kh-55M cruise missiles, which had the capability to
carry nuclear weapons. Of these, six were sent to Iran and six to China, all
between 1999 and 2001. The transfers, if true, would violate various
non-proliferation agreements. Kuchma's government is also believed to have
sold advanced radar systems to Iraq in 2002, despite UN sanctions to the
contrary. An American embassy spokesman in Kiev was quoted by the Associated
Press as saying that the United States was aware of the reports of such
sales and took them very seriously.

The Kh-55 cruise missile has a range of 3,000 kilometers, is capable of
carrying a 200-kiloton nuclear warhead, and was developed for use on Russian
Tupolev long-range bombers. In June 2004, Russia tested an air-launched
Kh-55 which may well have been the Kh-55.

Based on my extensive research into this matter, it would appear that the
Iranians could strike any target within a radius approximately equal to the
distance between Tehran and Athens, Greece. This clearly puts all US CENTCOM
and Israeli fixed-position, strategic military targets within the range of
these weapons. Today.

Addendum - excerpted from Jane's Intelligence Digest: There is no doubt
that the sale of the missiles to Iran and China could only have taken place
with the knowledge and cooperation of senior Ukrainian officials... there is
... mounting evidence to suggest that the sale of missiles to Iran was
undertaken with the assistance of the Russian security services.

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[osint] Saudis warned UK of London attacks

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft


 
http://www.mg.co.za:80/articlePage.aspx?articleid=247420
http://www.mg.co.za:80/articlePage.aspx?articleid=247420area=/london_terro
r/london_news/ area=/london_terror/london_news/
 
 
Saudis warned UK of London attacks  
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London, United Kingdom http://banner.coza.com/transpix.gif
  http://banner.coza.com/transpix.gif 
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07 August 2005 08:14
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http://a.coza.com/click.ng/site=mgHPaffiliate=dmgtarget=mgHP.HPposition=
10adsize=220x240number=7DDS1123485491048-0.836783179661079 
 
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%2CmgHP.HPRedirect=http:%2F%2Fwww.sareunited.com%2Fhome_mg.php%3Fmg 
Saudi Arabia officially warned Britain of an imminent terrorist attack on
London just weeks ahead of the 7 July bombings after calls from one of
al-Qaeda's most wanted operatives were traced to an active cell in the
United Kingdom.

Senior Saudi security sources have confirmed they are investigating whether
calls from Kareem al-Majati, last year named as one of al-Qaeda's chiefs in
the Gulf kingdom, were made directly to the British ringleader of the 7 July
bomb plotters.

One senior Saudi security official said that calls to Britain intercepted
from a cellphone belonging to Majati earlier this year revealed that an
active terror group was at work in the UK and planning an attack.

He also said that calls from Majati's lieutenant and al-Qaeda's logistics
expert, Younes al-Hayari, who was killed in a separate shoot-out just four
days before the 7 July bombings, have also been traced to Britain.

The Saudi official said: It was clear to us that there was a terror group
planning an attack in the UK. We passed all this information on to both MI5
and MI6 at the time. We are now investigating whether these calls were
directly to the London bombers. It is our conclusion that either these were
linked or that a completely different terror network is still at large in
Britain.

Majati, a Moroccan based in Saudi Arabia, was killed in a shoot-out with
Saudi police in April. He is believed to have masterminded the May 2003
attacks on Casablanca and has also been named in connection with the March
2004 Madrid bombings.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UK, Prince Turki al-Faisal, on Saturday
night issued a statement confirming that discussions had taken place between
British and Saudi officials earlier this year.

A statement from his office said: There was certainly close liaison between
the Saudi Arabian intelligence authorities and the British intelligence
authorities some months ago when information was passed to Britain about a
heightened terrorist threat to London.

It is not believed that any specific information was given, but that details
were passed on of calls, e-mails and text messages between an al-Qaeda cell
operating in Saudi Arabia and a group in the UK.

Italian investigators into the failed bomb attack in London on 21 July
revealed last week that they had traced a call from Hussain Osman, a suspect
being held in Rome, to Saudi Arabia. It is believed these calls were to a
female member of Osman's family but the significance of this is now being
played down.

The statements from the Saudi regime are likely to shift the focus of the
investigation into the London bombings from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, the
birthplace of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.

If it emerges that a top international Islamic terrorist was in direct
contact with 30-year-old Mohammed Siddiqui Khan, the leader of the Leeds
cell which killed 56 people, it will also suggest that the bombings were
more closely connected to the international terror organisation than
previously thought.

However, if information passed to Britain from Saudi Arabia turns out to
lead directly to the ringleader of the Leeds suicide bombers, then the
British security services will have to explain why they failed to act.

British security sources on Saturday night categorically denied they
received any warnings of a specific attack on London that could have averted
the July tragedy in the capital. The source said they did not recognise
the details of the Saudi claims. - Guardian Unlimited C Guardian Newspapers
Limited 2005


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[osint] RE: Upgraded Terror Bombs

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

  _  

From: 
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 12:49 PM
To: Bruce Tefft
Subject: Re: FW: Upgraded Terror Bombs

They didn't need to go that far.  As soon as I saw the photos of the wreck,
I identified it as a shaped charge, perhaps more than one, buried along the
edge of the road and going up into the vehicle at a near vertical angle from
the right side.  The vehicle was split in half, lengthwise.

People who criticize the AAAV-7 as being too lightly armored are
misinformed.  This device would have killed an M-1 tank easily.  No vehicle
is armored heavily on the bottom and, even if it was, this would still do
the trick.

People misunderstand the role of the armor on APCs.  It is NOT designed to
stop tank rounds, anti-tank rounds or heavy artillery impact direct hits.
It is designed to protect against shell splinters and small arms fire.  This
is yet another example of a clueless media blowing something far out of
proportion.

I've also seen letters from people decrying the fact that there were so many
men in one vehicle and that they should be spread out more.  This vehicle
had 16 people, one survivor.  It has a crew of three and can carry 25
combat-equipped troops, so it had about half of a standard load.  People
should do their homework before offering their expert opinions so freely.

Following is some info on the armor from GlobalSecurity.org

The AAV-P7A1 Amtrack provides protected transport of up to 25 combat-loaded
Marines through all types of terrain. The engine compartment can be
completely water-sealed, making it seaworthy. It has an enhanced applique,
armor kit, or sandwich-plated steel armor, with a layer of Kevlar
underneath, to protect the troops from high-caliber weapons fire. It's
firepower consists of an M2 .50-cal. machine gun, an MK-19 40mm grenade
launcher, and a line charge with C4 explosives for use in clearing mines. It
can move at speeds of up to 45 mph on land and five knots at sea.

R

Washington Times
August 8, 2005 

Upgraded Terror Bombs

By Jack Kelly

Wednesday, 14 Marine reservists from Ohio were killed when a powerful
roadside bomb was detonated near the amtrac in which they were riding,
hurling the 23-ton vehicle into the air as if it were a toy.

The incident spurred a spate of journalistic commentary about the
suitability of the amtrac - designed to ferry Marines from ship to shore-as
an armored personnel carrier.

The real problem, said retired Marine Col. Mackubin Owens, a professor at
the Naval War College, is the increasing sophistication of terrorist bombs.

Insurgents are using bigger explosives, and have learned how to shape the
charge so the explosive force goes directly toward the attacked vehicle,
instead of dissipating in all directions.

They'll go right through a heavily armored vehicle like an Ml tank from one
side right out the other side, said retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey.

From whence might the insurgents have acquired such weapons and expertise?

NBC's Jim Miklaszewski provided a hint in a broadcast Thursday:

U.S. military and intelligence officials tell NBC News that American
soldiers intercepted a large shipment of high explosives, smuggled into
northeastern Iraq from Iran only last week. The officials say the shipment
contained dozens of shaped charges manufactured recently.

This was old news to Iran expert Michael Ledeen, who learned about the
seizure a week before Mr. Miklaszewski's broadcast. A reporter was baffled
by Mr. Ledeen's ho-hum response.

So what? Mr. Ledeen said. It happens almost every day.

The reporter was amazed the Shi'ite Muslims who run Iran would supply deadly
weapons to Sunni extremists in Iraq who use them, often, to kill Shi'ite
Muslims.

The reporter's amazement was a product of the same blindness that declared
Saddam Hussem and al Qaeda could not cooperate, because the latter were
religious fanatics who disliked Saddam because he was secular. They forgot
the oldest adage in diplomacy is the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The Koran, whatever the particular exegesis employed, is no obstacle to
tactical alliances, any more than 'Mein Kampf' prevented .. . Hitler,
Mussolini and Stalin from making alliances with their presumed mortal
enemies when circumstances warranted, Mr. Ledeen wrote.

The journalist's blindness regrettably is shared by many in the CIA, whose
dismal record of Middle Eastern forecasts suggest more weight should be
given to the facts on the ground and less to glib ideological assumptions.

It is within this context one must assess the leak to The Washington Post
Tuesday of portions of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran. The
portions leaked said analysts didn't think Iran could develop a nuclear bomb
for another 10 years.

The analysis is preposterous on its face, because we developed an atom bomb
from scratch in less than four years, and knowledge about how to build one
has since spread widely. The estimate by Israel's Mossad that Iran will have
the bomb in two to four

[osint] Turkey Crossing the Road

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
Turkey Crossing the Road 
BY NIBRAS KAZIMI 
June 2, 2005 
URL:  http://www.nysun.com/article/14759
http://www.nysun.com/article/14759 

Early last month, Turkey hosted the eighth get-together of states bordering
Iraq. In addition to Turkey and Iraq, the foreign ministers of Jordan, Iran,
Syria, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Egypt - as a leading Arab player
- were in attendance. For some bizarre reason, the tiny island state of
Bahrain, which three years ago opted for the grand title of kingdom, was
also invited, even though it doesn't share any borders with Iraq. 
The venue was Istanbul, the ancient capital of the Ottoman Empire, which
lorded over most of the ancestors of the attendees and was in perennial
conflict for domination of the Middle East with the Iranians. 
These meetings started as a regional response to the liberation of Iraq,
which effectively made President Bush's vision for the Middle East an
unwelcome neighbor to the governments of all these countries. Iraq's
neighbors sought to formulate a regional strategy for ignoring the fact that
things are going to change - and change forever - in the neighborhood. But
lately, it has degenerated into a poker game, where each player looks around
the table for tics and bluffs and who will be the first to embrace the new
American experiment in Iraq. Everyone is expecting Turkey to be the first to
fold, and they are asking themselves, why is it taking so long? 
About two and half years ago, the arcane Turkish electoral system swept the
Justice and Development Party, a conservative and pro-Islamic party, to
power in this country whose official religion is supposed to be secularism.
Since then, Turkish foreign policy has drifted away from its long-standing
alliance with America and found common ground with Europe's and the Middle
East's negative stance toward democracy in Iraq. 
If any country stands to benefit from an Iraqi success story, then it would
be Turkey. So how come Turkish politicians are finding themselves meandering
in the middle of the road? 
The Turks have not gotten over once being the center of the world, the
impoverished inheritors of a grand imperial legacy. Modern Turkish
nationalism is combative and a tad bit insecure, and the recurring theme is
they are all out to get us. Turkish identity, as opposed to Ottoman
identity, was born in what is called the War of Independence during the
early 1920s, which was a response to the carving up of the defeated Ottoman
Empire at the end of World War I. It was a grueling fight to defend what
remained of imperial territory as set by the boundaries of the terms of
armistice, and yet its driving force was the eradication of imperial legacy
and the invention of a new Turkish identity. 
Such grandiose and ambitious plans can lead to some confusion: The British
subjects throwing off the taxes of George III and fighting their own war of
independence to become Americans must have gone through a similar
experience. The Turkish experiment seems to have a long way to get settled.
It is being further jolted by new shake-ups, as prospects of joining the
European Union as well as the reintroduction of conservative Islamist
politics strain the formation of a coherent answer to the question of what
constitutes a Turk. 
All we know at this point is happy is the man who can call himself a Turk.
This slogan was conjured up by the hero of the war of liberation and the
visionary of Turkishness, Mustafa Kemal, later known as Ataturk, or Father
of the Turks. You'll find this slogan everywhere, but there is no little
asterisk at the end to refer you to what it means to be a Turk. Does it mean
being a Muslim? If so, then Islam is not an identity card one carries in
one's wallet, but rather a whole 10-piece set of matching luggage - and does
that luggage contain tolerance for sizable non-Sunni Muslim minorities in
Turkey? Does being a Turk mean being a European? If conforming to several
hundred pages of European Union regulations for managing a snack shack makes
you a European, then Turkish street vendors are certainly a far way off. 
What one often hears is that Turkey is in the middle. On Iraq, Turks seem to
think that it is fashionably European to be against America's war in Iraq,
and definitely Middle Eastern to fear a democratic Iraq. The bookstalls at
Istanbul airport feature glistening paperbacks of Mein Kampf translations
as well as Metal Storm, an action-thriller novel about a fictional
American invasion of Turkey. This time around, being a Turk seems to find
itself in hostility to America, even though America seems to have been a
true and tested friend for several decades. 
Turkish policy seems to be in direct conflict with Turkish strategic
interests, and the fault lies in an existential confusion of Turkish self.
They don't know who they are, and thus they don't know what's good for them.
Hence, Turkey is just lingering there in the middle of the road, completely
clueless as to which side it should

[osint] Zeeshan Siddique's Diary found in Pakistan

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft


 
Here is the original NYT article from which the British article quotes:
 
 
 
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/08/08/news/diary.php# 
 
 



Jihadist's self-portrait: Alone and seething 

 outbind://211/cgi-bin/search.cgi?query=By David Rohde and Mohammed
Khansort=swishrank By David Rohde and Mohammed Khan The New York Times
  http://www.iht.com/images/article/spacer.gif 
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2005


  http://www.iht.com/images/icon/null.gif 
  http://www.iht.com/images/icon/null.gif 
  http://www.iht.com/images/icon/null.gif 

 http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?query=ISLAMABAD,
Pakistansort=swishrank ISLAMABAD, Pakistan In a small house outside the
city of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan, a 25-year-old man from the
suburbs of London chronicled his personal holy war in the pages of a diary. 
 
March 10, 2005. All alone in a strange land, he writes. I can trust
no-one except Allah. 
 
March 26. Questions how fellow Muslims can live peacefully in London when
the kufr, or unbelievers, have turned every corner of the globe into a
battlefield for the Muslims. Calls London the vital organ of the minions
of the devil. 
 
April 5. Vows to make an all out immense effort to rejoin my contingent.

 
What specific operation the man, Zeeshan Siddique, was preparing for is
unclear. One month later, Pakistan security forces arrested him at the house
after receiving reports that he was acting suspiciously. 
 
Inside, according to a Pakistani security official, investigators found an
electrical circuit that could be used as a bomb detonator; a desktop
computer that contained aeronautical mapping and other programs; and the
cryptic 35-page diary, typed in English, with nearly daily entries from
March 2 to April 6, 2005. 
 
The Pakistani official said he believed that Siddique was waiting to be
dispatched as a suicide bomber. Phone numbers found with Siddique have been
traced to known members of Al Qaeda, as well as British extremists involved
in a failed plot to detonate bombs in London in 2004, the investigator said.

 
The British police are also investigating whether Siddique, who was raised
in Britain, had ties to the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, officials
said. In particular, they are trying to determine whether a diary entry on
March 13, in which Siddique says he has learned that wagon is now called
off, refers to the July 7 bombing plot. 
 
Siddique denies having played any role in the failed 2004 plot or the recent
London attacks, according to the Pakistani security official. Still, his
diary offers a chilling, if fragmented, self-portrait of a young Muslim man
not only disaffected with Western society, but with other Muslims unwilling
to join in jihad. 
 
Printed on sheets of paper from Siddique's computer printer, and mostly in
capital letters, its 35 pages are sprinkled with British slang, profanities
and verses from the Koran. Entries from the diary were shared with The New
York Times by a Pakistani security official who insisted on anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the investigation. 
 
Across the top of its first page is a quote from the Koran: The greatest
tests are truly to be soon alleviated. 
 
Based on the diary entries, he quickly grew uncomfortable, even
contemptuous, of those around him after arriving at the house near Peshawar
in early March. 
 
I can't live in filth unlike u animals he writes on March 8, calling a
group of Pakistani neighbors dirty geezers and a Pakistani store owner a
monkey con artist. He suffers bouts of diarrhea and is unhappy with his
hideaway, which has no running water. 
 
In the same entry he also notes that a person he contacted over the Internet
seemed 2 be chickening out. He fears he is being conned, and is running
out of money. 
 
On March 10 he complains of isolation and not speaking the local language.
Im constantly laughed at  ridiculed, he writes. 
 
Siddique has told investigators that he is from the London suburb of
Hounslow and is a Muslim of Indian descent. Efforts to locate his family in
Hounslow were unsuccessful. The only traces of his former life are school
records and a single clipping from a Hounslow area newspaper. The article,
from November 1997, quotes the police as saying that Siddique, 17 years old
at the time, ran off to join the mujahedeen in Lebanon. He returned to his
frantic parents one month later, the article says. It says he suffered
from a depressive illness. 
 
After the British press reported his possible link to the London bombings
last month, officials in Hounslow issued a statement saying he was an
ordinary, average student at Cranford Community College there from
September 1992 to July 1997. But officials also say they believe that he
befriended another student at Cranford, Asid Muhammad Hanif, who blew
himself up in the suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub in 2003. 
 
We think they were friends, said Philip Sutcliffe, a Hounslow government
spokesman. 
 
Siddique has told interrogators that he first

[osint] The Myth of Islam Busted

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft


 
The Myth of Islam Busted
Review of The Myth of Islamic Tolerance. How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims,
ed. Robert Spencer.
by Bruce Thornton
Private Papers 

One of the greatest impediments in our war against jihadist terrorism is the
misinformation, half-truths, and outright lies about Islam entertained by
many of our public intellectuals. Examples are easy to find; here's one from
the otherwise intelligent Gregg Easterbrook, Atlantic Monthly contributor
and senior editor at The New Republic, from his recent book The Progress
Paradox: Most Muslims are good-hearted, peace-loving people, just as are
most Christians and Jews. A small minority of Muslims are vicious fanatics.
But then the Christian ethos has spawned its share of hideous killers, among
them the terrorist Timothy McVeigh, and this tells us nothing about the
typical Christian. The obviously false analogy in the last sentence -
McVeigh didn't kill with the sanction of Christian theology or belief, which
has no doctrine remotely close to jihad, and millions of Christians didn't
dance in the streets after the bombing in Oklahoma City - could stand as a
textbook example of this logical fallacy.

Such ignorance - on display everywhere in the media, especially among those
eager to rationalize away the Islamic roots of the latest terrorist murder -
makes a book like The Myth of Islamic Tolerance particularly important.
Robert Spencer, in earlier books like Islam Unveiled, Onward Muslim
Soldiers, and the recent The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the
Crusades, as well as on his invaluable website Jihad Watch
http://www.jihadwatch.org/  (jihadwatch.org http://www.jihadwatch.org/
), has already done yeoman's work in documenting Islam's fundamental
intolerance, martial aggressiveness, and sanctioning of violence against
non-Muslim infidels. The 58 essays in the current book attack root and
branch the widespread Orwellian myth, recently given cinematic sanction in
Kingdom of Heaven, that Islamic societies have been historically more
tolerant and friendly to minorities than has been Western culture.

Spencer sets the stage with an overview of the myth, its political uses, and
its refutation by the simple facts of history and Islamic jurisprudence and
theology. Politically, the myth provides psychic comfort for jaded
Westerners, especially Europeans, who have made the devil's bargain to
accept large numbers of Islamic immigrants as a source of cheap labor:
European states eyeing the rapid growth of their Muslim populations console
themselves with tales of old al-Andalus, reassuring one another that Islamic
hegemony not only wasn't all that bad - it was a veritable golden age. Thus
European and American politicians cater to Islamic immigrants, whom they
believe will assimilate into Western society, their tolerant and
peace-loving religion merely enriching the multi-ethnic tapestry.

But as Spencer points out, and as history and Islamic doctrine show
repeatedly, Islam doesn't accept a position as just one among a community
of disparate religions but must struggle to make itself supreme. Unable to
prosecute militarily the divine mandate to expand the House of Islam until
it encompasses the whole world, modern jihadists have been adept at
manipulating the various cultural pathologies of the West. As Ibn Warraq
points out in his Foreword, the old myth of the noble savage, the habit of
idealizing more primitive or alien non-Western cultures in order to
castigate one's own, has from the beginning of Western contact with Islam
distorted the understanding of it. Later, Great Power geopolitical contests
reinforced these European idealizations of Islamic societies, particularly
the Ottoman Turks. The result has been centuries of mythic idealizations
that continue to obscure the true nature of Islam, leading to the strange
phenomenon we see nearly every day: non-Muslim Westerners hastening, as
Spencer puts it, to assure the public that the Islam of the terrorists is
not the 'true Islam,' which is, they maintain, a benign and tolerant thing.

Eager to display their sensitivity to and tolerance of the cultural other,
apologists like those Spencer liberally quotes end up arrogantly asserting
that millions of practicing Muslims don't understand their own religion. But
of course the jihadists know what their religion teaches about non-Muslims:
they are categorically inferior infidels, particularly the People of the
Book, Jews and Christians, renegades who have rejected this final
revelation [of Muhammad] out of corruption and malice and who have exchanged
truth for falsehood. They are accursed, and as such, it is the duty of
every Muslim to fight them, in the words of the Qur'an, until persecution
is no more, and religion is all for Allah. In a later verse this injunction
is specifically directed against Jews and Christians: Fight those who
believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath
been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor

[osint] Massive ID Theft Ring Uncovered; Keeping Yourself from Getting Hacked and Spammed;

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Massive ID Theft Ring Uncovered

We knew organized crime was using spyware to steal identities, we just
didn't have a lot of proof. Well, now we do. The researchers at Sunbelt
Software have stumbled on a huge organization built around one of the more
common -- albeit nasty -- types of spyware. For details on which spyware
application feeds the beast, and who found it, check out our story. But
beware -- this is scary, scary stuff.

ID Theft Ring Uncovered:
http://ct.eletters.whatsnewnow.com/rd/cts?d=181-504-1-278-960933-24449-0-0-0
-1

Spyware researchers picking apart one of the more notorious spyware programs
have stumbled upon what appears to be a massive identity theft ring
hijacking confidential data from millions of infected computers.

Sunbelt Software Inc., makers of the enterprise-grade CounterSpy spyware
protection product, made the discovery during an audit of CoolWebSearch, a
program that routinely hijacks Web searchers, browser home pages and other
Internet Explorer settings.

During the research, Sunbelt researcher Patrick Jordan deliberately
installed the CoolWebSearch application on a machine and immediately
noticed that the infected system became a spam zombie that was placing
callbacks to a remote server.

When Jordan visited the remote server, he was shocked to find that it was
being used to distribute sensitive personal information from millions of PC
users infected by the spyware application.

We found the keylogger transcript files that are being uploaded to the
servers. We're talking real spyware stuff.chat sessions, usernames,
passwords, bank account information, full names, addresses, said Sunbelt
president Alex Eckelberry.

Read more here about the many faces of spyware.

In an interview with Ziff Davis Internet News, Eckelberry said the
sophistication of the operation suggests it's the work of a massive
identity theft ring that used keystroke loggers to grab confidential
information that could be used to create fake online identities.

I'm not being dramatic. This is the most repulsive thing I've ever seen.
It's very painful to see what's in these log files that are being uploaded
in real time. We're seeing a lot of bank information and usernames and
passwords to get in, Eckelberry said.

He said the log files included logins to one business bank account with more
than $350,000 and another small company in California with over $11,000,
readily accessible.

There are lots of eBay account information and names and addresses of the
people owning those accounts. Names, passwords, all matched up,
Eckelberry added.

Read more here about Sunbelt's acquisition of a Google-like spyware sniffer.

He said the server, which is hosted out of a data center in Texas, was
effectively a massive repository of stolen data that was being replenished
in real time.

As the [log] file gets to a certain size, it gets taken down and a new file
starts generating. This goes on nonstop. We've been watching it for a few
days while trying to get to the FBI, and it just keeps growing and growing.

While the site is being hosted in the United States, Eckelberry said the
domain name is registered to an offshore company.

Eckelberry said the huge size of the log files is a clear indication that
thousands of machines are pinging back daily.

In some cases, where users appeared to be at immediate risk of losing a
considerable amount of money, Sunbelt has contacted the affected
individuals.

Eckelberry said the CoolWebSearch payload included a typical adware
download that immediately scanned the infected machine for e-mails to use
for spam runs. It then sets up a very intelligent keylogger that looks for
very specific information.

This won't get caught by a typical anti-spyware application, he said,
noting that the keystroke logger was able to pick up identity-related data
for delivery to the remote server.

Anti-virus vendor Trend Micro Inc. provides a free online scanning tool that
detects and deletes the CoolWebSearch application.

The tool is available for the Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows
Millenium Edition and Windows 98 operating systems.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to include information on Trend
Micro's scanning tool.

Check out eWEEK.com's Security Center for the latest security news, reviews
and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a
look at eWEEK.com Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer's Weblog.

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[osint] Freed Egypt biochemist knew two London bombers

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Then he is an accomplice.

Bruce

javascript:window.close()
Freed Egypt biochemist knew two London bombers
Tue Aug 9, 2005 5:51 PM GMT

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian biochemist released on Tuesday after being
questioned over July bombings in London said he knew two of the bombers and
allowed one to stay at his British flat, but said he was wrongly suspected
of involvement.

An Egyptian security source earlier on Tuesday said Magdy Elnashar had been
released after investigations proved he was not linked to the July 7
bombings.

Elnashar said he had returned to Egypt for a six-week holiday when he was
detained last month in connection with the attacks that killed 52 people and
the four bombers. He told reporters at his south Cairo home that he intended
to return to England.

I knew two of the accused in the London bombings, Elnashar said.

Three of the four bombers were British Muslims of Pakistani descent and one
was a Jamaican-born Briton.

Elnashar said he knew Hasib Hussain, 18, and the Jamaican-born man named as
Lindsey Germail or Lindsey Germaine in British and U.S. reports. Elnasher
referred to him as Jamal, his Muslim name.

Jamal was very quiet and entered into Islam two months before the
bombings, Elnashar said.

I met Jamal and he asked me for the key to my flat. He said he wanted to
stay there for a short time and I agreed, he said.

British police had searched Elnashar's rented flat in the northern town of
Leeds in connection with the bombings. Three of the four bombers were from
the same area.

The reason for suspecting me was because I specialise in chemistry. I am
completely innocent, he said, adding that he planned legal action against
British media that he said had defamed him. He did not identify the media.

Elnashar, who said he was well treated by Egyptian security during the
investigation, said he wanted to return to Britain, where he obtained a
doctorate earlier this year.

I hope to return to London to continue my career but I don't know if this
will happen soon, he said.

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[osint] We can cope with attack on train: fire chief

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Stupid comment, Muslims will take this as a challenge...he can count on an
attack now. And, furthermore, coping with an attack is not the same as
PREVENTING one. I am sure the passengers would prefer the latter.

Bruce

We can cope with attack on train: fire chief

By Andrew Clark
August 9, 2005 - 12:08PM

Sydney Morning Herald

The head of NSW's fire service has sought to reassure the public that his
force could cope with a terrorist attack on an underground train, following
expressions of doubt from one of his right-hand men.

Sydney's emergency services are as well prepared for an attack, if not
better, than those in London, said the fire commissioner, Greg Mullins.

He said $80 million had been spent on walkways, lighting, improved public
address systems and evacuation plans.

It's extremely important that we get on with our lives and we don't raise a
white flag to terrorism because this city is as prepared as it can be at any
one point in time, he said.

One of his senior colleagues, fire superintendent Michael Guymer, told a
newspaper yesterday that the City Circle - between Circular Quay and Central
- was a concern because of a lack of access to tunnels.

Sydney has few service tunnels or entry points to the network other than at
stations.

However, Mr Mullins insisted that trains were never further than 500 metres
from a station platform. Thermal imaging cameras, long-duration breathing
apparatus, long-distance hoses and a special underground fire vehicle were
available to tackle any emergency, he said.

RailCorp's chief executive, Vince Graham, defended automatic doors, which
are thought likely to lock passengers inside trains in the event of a fire.

Mr Graham pointed out that two people caught in London's terrorist attacks
were electrocuted because they tried to walk unaided down a live line.

That underscores the fact that it's important to try and keep passengers in
the safest possible place, Mr Graham said.

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[osint] Islamic Leaders won't condemn bin Laden

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Islamic leaders CAN'T condemn bin Laden...he is a good Muslim and has not
violated any Islamic or Koranic tenets.

Condemning another Muslim under those circumstances, is forbidden.
Although, one can say anything one wishes to a non-Muslim and it doesn't
count.

Bruce

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,16209261%255E2862,
00.html

Islamic leaders won't condemn bin Laden
Liam Houlihan, religious affairs reporter
10aug05

EIGHT Islamic spiritual leaders who preach to hundreds of Muslims in
Victoria each day refuse to accept that Osama bin Laden was responsible for
the September 11 attacks.

Responding to a survey, the imams from suburban and regional mosques ignored
bin Laden's own confession.
Asked if bin Laden were responsible for the attacks that killed almost 3000
people, Carlton mosque imam Rexhep Idrizi said: We don't know.
Acting Werribee mosque imam Riyad Ahmad said: I have it only from one side.
I'm not sure really.
Fitzroy mosque acting imam Bilgim Alpay said: I don't know. It's very hard
to answer. There are a lot of political games.
Only two of the 10 imams said bin Laden was to blame.
The Herald Sun asked the imams four questions relating to terrorism and
publishes their answers inside.
Some were reluctant to accept radical Muslim terrorists were behind the
London bombings.
All 10 condemned suicide bombings and most offered unconditional loyalty to
Australia.
But the number who refused to blame bin Laden surprised some Islam experts.
Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman Waleed Aly said a furious mistrust of
mainstream media was likely to be at the heart of the imams' views.
Perhaps a feeling of being under siege creates a defensive response.
Perhaps what they're waiting for is some kind of clear trial in a court, Mr
Aly said.
In a video released just months after the September 11 attacks, bin Laden
gloated over details of the atrocity in what amounted to a full confession.
The imams views did not reflect the broader Muslim community, Mr Aly said.
He said they had an administrative role and were not where the Muslim
community generally went for political analysis.
Some Muslim leaders said imams may avoid condemning bin Laden publicly out
of fear of retribution from local radicals who support the al-Qaida leader.
They feel pressure from the media one way and also from some groups (of
radicals) in their own community, said Deer Park imam Suad Ibisevic, who
also refused to link bin Laden with September 11.
I think they are afraid to condemn.
The glimpse into their minds came as the Board of Imams nominated secretary
Fehmi Naji El-Imam as the only imam authorised to comment publicly.
He said the board wanted to curb vocal clerics who were not representing
the real picture of Islam and not representing the common understanding of
imams here.
An imam is the male prayer leader in a mosque.
Ruzdija Dencic, who is involved with the Albanian Australian Islamic
Society, and believes bin Laden was behind September 11, said Albanian
Muslims were more moderate and assimilated into Australian society more
easily.
The Herald Sun contacted more than 12 Victorian imams for the survey. Two
declined to be involved because of language difficulties. Two others
delegated the questions to representatives.

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[osint] Interview on Saudi Government TV: Muslims Had Nothing to Do with 9/11

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

Special Dispatch - Saudi Arabia/Jihad Terrorism
August 9, 2005
No.954

Interview on Saudi Government TV With Prominent Egyptian Professor: Muslims
Had Nothing to Do with 9/11; Dirty Zionist Hands Behind It

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD95405

The following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian professor Abd
Al-Sabour Shahin, which aired on Saudi Channel 1 on August 8, 2005. Dr.
Shahin is head of the Shari'a faculty at Al-Ahzar University,(1) the most
prestigious seat of learning in Sunni Islam, and is also a lecturer at Cairo
University.(2) (To view this clip, visit
http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9
http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9P1=800 P1=800 .)

Our enemies weave many lies about us, which we are not necessarily aware
of. For example: One day, we awoke to the crime of 9/11, which hit the
tallest buildings in New York, the Empire State Building [sic]. There is no
doubt that not a single Arab or Muslim had anything to do with these events.
The incident was fabricated as a pretext to attack Islam and Muslims. The
plan was to take over the world's energy sources, and to achieve this
control by force and not by agreement or negotiations, by interests, free
trade, or anything like that. This is what they wanted.

So this incident was fabricated - and Allah knows that the Arabs and
Muslims are innocent of it - in order to serve as a pretext to attack Islam
and the Muslims.

All of a sudden, after we had been accustomed to considering America a
rational and balanced country... All of a sudden, it violates international
conventions, cancels treaties, ignores the U.N., acts on its own accord,
attacks nations, kills innocent people, and claims it has the right to do so
- and all this is based on lies.

These were lies from beginning to end, and we were not used to lying - not
in policy, not in our discourse, and not in the media. Imagine what crisis
the Arab and Islam nation finds itself in, in the midst of these peculiar
events, which we cannot explain or believe.

All of a sudden, we were framed for an international crime, on the basis of
lies.

I believe a dirty Zionist hand carried out this act. Zionism has taken the
opportunity to escalate the war in Palestine, killing hundreds of thousands
so far, while we watch from the sidelines in astonishment and ask: What's
going on?

Endnotes:
(1) Daily Star (Lebanon), September 15, 2004.
(2) For more on Egyptian professor Abd Al-Sabour, see Special Dispatch No.
794, Reactions to Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi's Fatwa Calling for the Abduction and
Killing of American Civilians in Iraq, October 6, 2005
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archivesArea=sdID=SP79404
Area=sdID=SP79404 .

*
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
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[osint] Iran Strikes a Combative Stance on Resuming Nuclear Activity

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 


 

Iran Strikes a Combative Stance on Resuming Nuclear Activity


By THOMAS FULLER, 
International Herald Tribune

New York Times

August 09, 2005

By THOMAS FULLER

International Herald Tribune

VIENNA, Aug. 9 - Iran today rejected calls by European governments to cease
its uranium conversion process, striking a combative tone at an emergency
meeting here called to address the resumption of its nuclear program.

The operation in Isfahan will continue, Sirus Naser, Iran's chief delegate
to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters after an
extraordinary sitting of the agency's governing board. 

There is no reason to suspend this activity, he said.

Diplomats from the 35 countries represented on the governing board sought
consensus on a resolution condemning Iran's move to restart its process of
converting uranium into nuclear fuel. But the board, which includes
countries as diverse as Malaysia, Britain, India, Yemen, Slovakia and the
United States, was divided, diplomats said.

An early draft of a resolution obtained by The Associated Press expressed
serious concern about the resumption of conversion in Isfahan and urged
Iran to cooperate by re-establishing full suspension of all
enrichment-related activities.

The specific process that Iran restarted on Monday is the first step in a
lengthy process to convert uranium into nuclear fuel and is used both for
civilian and military purposes.

Iran says it will use the materials for its program to generate electricity
through nuclear power.

Despite threats from European leaders to refer the case to the United
Nations Security Council, negotiators here said such a move was not on the
table today but could be considered in the coming weeks.

Non-aligned countries, represented by Malaysia, made a joint statement at
the talks, affirming the basic and inalienable right of all member states
to develop atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

By contrast, the leader of the American delegation, Greg Schulte, said the
United States shared its European allies' deep concern about the course
Iran is taking.

Iran must not be allowed to violate its international commitments and must
not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, Mr. Schulte said.

Asked for his reaction, Mr. Naser, the head of the Iranian delegation,
issued a biting retort.

Today is the commemoration of the bombing of Nagasaki, he told reporters.
The United States is the sole nuclear weapons state which had the guts to
drop a bomb to kill and maim and turn into ashes millions in a split second.
The United States is no position whatsoever to tell anyone and to preach
anyone as to what they should or should not do in their nuclear program.

In Tehran, Iran's president, Mahmoudi Ahmadinejad, made similarly strong
comments, calling treatment of uranium our right, according to the ISNA
news agency.

Speaking to United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan by telephone, Mr.
Ahmadinejad said he would continue negotiations with Britain, France and
Germany, the three countries leading a European Union effort to circumscribe
Iran's nuclear program.

But Mr. Ahmadinejad repeated rejections of a European package of economic,
trade and security incentives for Iran to curtail their nuclear activities.

What the Europeans sent us is not a proposal but an insult to our people,
Mr. Ahmadinejad said. Their tone is as though Iranian people are a backward
nation.

President Bush, speaking from his ranch in Texas, said if Iran did not
cooperate, United Nations sanctions were a potential consequence.

We'll work with our friends on steps forward, on ways to deal with the
Iranians if they so choose to ignore the demands of the world, Mr. Bush
said.

He added that Mr. Ahmadinejad's statement that he was willing to continue
negotiations were a positive sign.

If he did say that, I think that's a positive sign that the Iranians are
getting a message, that it's not just the United States that's worried about
their nuclear programs, but the Europeans are serious in calling the
Iranians to account and negotiating, Mr. Bush said.

In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a toughly worked statement
that called on Iran to stop work that has begun on uranium conversion
without delay, news services reported.

In France, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said it was still
possible to negotiate with Iran. We are still holding out our hand, he
said, according to Agence France-Presse. 

In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder urged Iran to look again at its
position.

The overarching goal must be that we can solve this very difficult,
worrying conflict peacefully, Mr. Schroeder said. I don't see any option
other than reaching the goals via negotiations.

Separately, an Iranian dissident living in the United States claimed that
Iran had manufactured about 4,000 centrifuges capable of enriching uranium
for use in weapons.

Alireza Jafarzadeh said in a telephone interview from Washington that the
centrifuges were ready to

[osint] Ethnic groups shun minister's rebranding plan

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
Why don't they try something really new and call UK citizens, British?
 
Teddy Roosevelt's commentary on hyphenated-Americans seems equally
apropriate here.
 
Bruce
 
  

In an October 12, 1915 speech to the Knights of Columbus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus , Roosevelt said,

There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer
to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of
the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans,
Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all.
... The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of
preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be
to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate
knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans,
French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each
preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy
with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the
American Republic. ... There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who
is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an
American and nothing else.

President Woodrow Wilson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson  also
regarded those whom he termed hyphenated Americans (German-Americans,
Irish-Americans, etc.) with suspicion, saying, Any man who carries a hyphen
about with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals
of this Republic whenever he gets ready.



Ethnic groups shun minister's rebranding plan 


By Arifa Akbar 


Published: 09 August 2005 


The Independent


Britain's ethnic communities have been dismayed by a suggestion from a
government minister that they should rebrand their identities in an
attempt to inspire greater patriotism. 

The Home Office minister, Hazel Blears, said that Muslim and minority groups
should be asked if they wanted to be referred to by terms such as
Asian-British, Pakistani-British or Indian-British, rather than simply as
Asians. She would be floating the idea at a series of meetings with Muslim
leaders this summer, she said.

But a Downing Street spokeswoman emphasised yesterday that this was not
something the Government was actively promoting, after the idea received a
cool response from Muslim leaders.

This is something that has been put to Hazel Blears in meetings. It is not
something she suggested. It is not something that the Government is
proposing or suggesting, the spokeswoman said.

In an interview with The Times, Ms Blears, who was appointed head of a
government commission on integrating minorities, said that it might be
useful to adhere to an American US-style identity system. In America, they
do seem to have the idea that you're an Italian-American or you're an
Irish-American, and that's quite interesting, she said.

I am going to talk to people and ask how does that feel? It is about your
identity and I think it's really important.

I think it's really important, if you want a society that is really welded
together, there are certain things that unite us because you are British,
but you can be a bit different too. Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the general
secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, was irritated by Ms Blears'
suggestion. What of the second generations? Why should they be defined as
other than British? he asked.

These forms of identity based on ethnic background have been tried in the
past and have failed, Sir Iqbal said yesterday.

Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, of the Muslim Parliament, said: Nobody cares for
labels. We have to create a stakeholding society and an inclusive society.

Manzoor Moghal, chairman of the Muslim Forum, said that the idea would be
deeply divisive. It would create a lower strata of British.

It gives people labels and dilutes their citizenship compared to original,
white British people. It is not helpful in creating the togetherness that
they have been talking about, Mr Moghal said.

Inayat Bunglawala, senior spokesman from the Muslim Council of Britain said
it makes no sense to re-categorise British citizens in this way and that
it could only be reductive. Mr Bunglawala said he would be more inclined to
support a faith-based label, such as British Muslim.

How we want to be described 

SARAH JOSEPH, editor of the Muslim magazine EMEL

I think we should decide ourselves what to call ourselves. Are we trying to
create grades of being British? I'm sure Hazel Blears has good intentions
but the Government has been faced with a problem and it's grasping at
straws. The issues we are facing are complicated and we can't spin ourselves
out of the present dilemma or rebrand ourselves. We are not a margarine.
Instead of rebranding ethnic minorities, the Government should be fostering
a sense of belonging.

AYESHA HAZARIKA, award-winning comedian at the Edinburgh Festival

I don't think anyone including Hazel is

[osint] Cleared Bomb Suspect Freed in Egypt, and Urges Tolerance

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

And there is ocean front property for sale in Arizona, too.  The press
(and its readers) are certainly guillible if they buy this deception.
 
Bruce
 




Cleared Bomb Suspect Freed in Egypt, and Urges Tolerance


By
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylLv1=MICHAEL%20SLACKMANfdq=1
9960101td=sysdatesort=newestac=MICHAEL%20SLACKMANinline=nyt-per MICHAEL
SLACKMAN

New York Times

August 09, 2005

CAIRO, Aug. 9 - With the attention that comes from having been labeled a
suspect in the terror bombing of London's underground, Magdy el-Nashar asked
his fellow Muslims to learn more about their religion, so that they cannot
be manipulated to kill civilians. And he asked non-Muslims to understand
that it was extremists who set the London blasts, not proper Muslims.

Wearing a new suit, a tie with a broad Windsor knot, and his hair slicked
down like a schoolboy, Mr. Nashar greeted a crowd of television cameras in
the dusty road outside his parent's apartment here a few hours after the
Egyptian authorities released him.

I urge Muslims to learn about Islam, he said, in both Arabic and then
again in English, while standing a few feet from where Egyptian police
officers first arrested him nearly a month ago. This will prevent people
from being misled about Islam.

Not long after the bombs went off, Mr. Nashar's name came up. His picture
appeared in newspapers and on television stations around the world.
Headlines talked about a young Egyptian chemist who had been arrested and
was being questioned. He knew two of the bombers. He lived in Leeds,
England. He was a biochemist. And he left England not long before the
attacks took place. 

And apparently it was all a sorry coincidence, a case of a 33-year-old
Egyptian, Mr. Nashar, who had happened to befriend the wrong people at the
wrong time, according to the Egyptian authorities. But Mr. Nashar said he
was not angry and not at all bitter. He said he understood exactly why he
was a suspect. He is just a bit afraid, fearful of returning to Leeds, which
he considers his second home, to complete a university fellowship, because
he is worried that people will not have heard he had been cleared.

When they label you a suspect, it is on the front page, he said. But when
it turns out you are innocent, they forget about you.

Mr. Nashar is a biochemist who graduated from Cairo University with a
master's degree before leaving for the United States to study for his
doctorate. But that program, he said, required six years of study and he had
only a five-year scholarship, so he switched to the university in Leeds.
Five years later, in 2005, he said he received his degree and was invited
back for a fellowship. But he first needed to return to Egypt to complete
some paperwork - and so he was here when the bombs went off in London.

On June 14, Mr. Nashar was leaving the new mosque right next to his parent's
apartment building, a rundown walk-up of poured concrete, when Egyptian
police officers approached him. They asked him to come for some questions
and he readily agreed. When they told him he was a suspect in the bombings,
he said he did not believe it - until they put him in front of a television
and turned on CNN, where he said he was astonished to see his picture.

It is a long detailed story he tells, one that took him from academia to
world notoriety, but it boils down to this: He met a young man through his
mosque who needed a place to live. He likes to help people, so he arranged
for the man to have an apartment. The man turned out to be Germaine Lindsay,
19, whom the British authorities suspect of blowing up a subway train at
Russell Square. Mr. Nashar said that investigators had found his phone
number on at least one of the bombers' cellphones and, perhaps, in papers
connected to the apartment that he had helped find.

Honestly, God would not leave an innocent person, Mr. Nashar said.
Egyptian police are good people. Scotland Yard are good people. I know they
would not try to stick something on me. If you are innocent, and against
what happened, it gives you strength. You have nothing to hide. I said:
'Send me to London. I have nothing to hide.' 

The Egyptian police have been accused of torture and holding prisoners in
inhumane conditions - but not by Mr. Nashar. He said they treated him with
respect, kept him in a hotel, in a private room, with air-conditioning, a
private bathroom and very good food. He said that he was informed after a
few days that he had been cleared, but then there was the second bomb
attempt in London, and then the bombing attacks in Sharm el Sheik, and the
authorities thought the timing wrong to release him. Then today, just at the
break of dawn, he walked up the stairs to his parent's house and knocked on
the door.

I was so happy and I cried so much of course and I hugged him, his mother
said, recalling the moment when her husband opened the door and called out
the good news.

When the details of his story were complete Mr. Nashar wanted to

[osint] Britain May Create Special Courts for Terror Suspects

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

And special sentences too, like the death penalty.
 
Bruce
 


Britain May Create Special Courts for Terror Suspects


By
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylLv1=ALAN%20COWELLfdq=199601
01td=sysdatesort=newestac=ALAN%20COWELLinline=nyt-per ALAN COWELL

New York Times

August 09, 2005

 

LONDON, Aug. 9 - As Britain promises more restrictive counterterrorism laws
in the aftermath of the July bombings, a senior official raised the
possibility today of special courts able to approve longer periods of
detention without charge for terrorism suspects. 

The suggestion by Lord Falconer, who, as lord chancellor, heads the
judiciary, was part of a more stringent counterterrorism approach promised
by Prime Minister Tony Blair and denounced by critics as a major departure
from Britain's traditional sense of tolerance.

But some critics took the latest announcement as a sign of confusion in
government ranks about how the promised new policies were being unveiled and
implemented. Simon Hughes, a spokesman for the Liberal Democrat opposition,
called it government by press release.

And, for some, the planned measures deepened a sense of unease that civil
liberties were being sacrificed to the dictates of national security.

The thought of secret hearings where once again the accused will never hear
the case against them fills me with dread, said Shami Chakrabarti, director
of the Liberty civil rights group. 

The uncertainty about the government's intentions deepened with news that,
one day after Mr. Blair promised to move against militant Muslim clerics,
Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, one of the most contentious Islamic figures, had
left the country on Saturday for what he termed a vacation in Lebanon.

Mr. Blair had promised to restrain militant clerics. British newspapers have
portrayed Mr. Mohammed as an incarnation of malice, suggesting he fled the
country in haste as the new restrictions closed in on him. 

But the Syrian-born Mr. Mohammed said he left Britain through Heathrow
Airport on Saturday without incident and planned to return after a visit
with his mother in Lebanon for up to six weeks.

I am going to return back unless the government say we are not welcome,
because my family is in the U.K., Mr. Bakri told the BBC in a radio
interview from Lebanon. He repeated earlier statements that he would not
inform the police if he became aware of a Muslim planning an attack because
Islam forbids me.

Mr. Blair said he planned legislation to ensure that foreign clerics
fomenting violence or hatred would be barred from Britain or deported. But
the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, said: At the moment he has the
right to come in and out. That is the circumstance at present and we have to
change the situation in this country by law.

Referring to Mr. Mohammed's vacation plans, he said: I say enjoy your
holiday. I hope it's a long one.

David Davies, the opposition spokesman on home affairs, said: We all agree
that the government should take the necessary action to protect us all but I
am concerned that instead of a clear strategy, there is too much confusion.

Earlier, the Home Office confirmed a newspaper report that the authorities
were considering a new court procedure which might allow for a pre-trial
process. But Lord Falconer denied that the authorities planned secret
trials.

There is no question of secret trials; there is no question of jury-less
trials; there is no question of any kind of internment, he said.

Rather, he said, the government was considering introducing pre-trial
hearing at which judges with special security clearance would consider
evidence - including phone-tap evidence currently inadmissible in normal
courts - to determine, in part, whether suspects could be held without
charge for longer than the 14 days permitted under anti-terrorism laws.

Up until last December, British anti-terrorism laws permitted the indefinite
detention of foreign nationals without trial or charge. But the country's
highest court ended the practice, saying it violated European human rights
conventions. 

Police officers are now seeking ways of holding suspects for up to three
months for interrogation.

We need to debate the three months and we need to try to build a consensus
around what the right period of time is. But what is being suggested is not
any form of internment, just a sensible period to detain suspects while
sensible investigation is going on, Lord Falconer said in a radio
interview.

Britain used its existing counterterrorism laws to detain the main suspects
accused of carrying out the failed July 21 attacks on three subway trains
and a bus, which copied the July 7 bombing that claimed 56 lives including
those of four bombers.

Three suspects have been charged in court here with attempted murder and one
more with conspiracy to murder. 

A fifth suspect, Hussain Osman, who is also known as Hamdi Issac, was
detained in Rome on July 29. British detectives flew to Rome and questioned
him for the

[osint] Eureaucrats respond to London terror attacks

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 


Report: Special Meeting of the European Commission Following London Attacks

http://www.contingencyplanning.com/archives/2005/aug/1.aspx?ebid=469

An extraordinary meeting of the European Commission's Justice and Home
Affairs Council occurred on July 13, 2005 to discuss European security
following the terrorist attacks in London on 7th July. Among the actions
agreed were a Europe-wide critical infrastructure protection program and
plans for EU Member States to undertake regular joint counter-terrorism
exercises to test resilience. Following are highlights of the meeting. 

The Council of the European Union:

   Condemns the terrorist attacks on London. It sends its profound
condolences to the victims and their families. It stands united in
solidarity as it did after the attacks on Madrid last year, and is
absolutely determined that the terrorists will not succeed. 
   Considers that the attacks are an affront to universal values on which
the European Union is based. Central to those values is a commitment to
democratic and open institutions and societies governed by the rule of law
within which people of all faiths and backgrounds can live, work and prosper
together. 
   Strengthens its commitment to combating terrorism and upholding the
fundamental principles of freedom, security and justice. Working with the EU
Counterterrorism Coordinator, the European Commission and the European
Parliament, the Council will accelerate implementation of the EU Action Plan
on Combating Terrorism and other existing commitments. 
   Declares that its immediate priority is to build on the existing strong
EU framework for pursuing and investigating terrorists across borders, in
order to impede terrorists' planning, disrupt supporting networks, cut off
any funding and bring terrorists to justice. 
   Agrees by December 2005 to establish an EU Strategy for preventing people
from turning to terrorism by addressing the factors that contribute to
creation and recruitment to terrorist groups. 
   Stresses the need to reduce vulnerability to attack by protecting
citizens and infrastructure. 
   Highlights the importance of improving our ability to manage and minimize
the consequences of terrorist attacks. 
   Restates the importance of solidarity and support to the victims of
terrorism, including by making funds available to victims and their
families. 
   Emphasizes that this is a worldwide agenda in which the EU and Member
States will continue to support the key role of the United Nations to reach
agreement on the Comprehensive Convention against Terrorism at the UN Summit
in September 2005 
   Will continue to assess, in the light of the brutal and tragic incidents
in London, whether further measures are necessary at the European level. 

The Council will:

   Support the Framework Decisions on the Retention of Telecommunications
Data (October 2005), and the exchange of information between law enforcement
authorities (December 2005); and adopt the Decision on the exchange of
information concerning terrorist offences (September 2005); 
   Combat terrorist financing by: agreeing by December 2005 a Regulation on
Wire Transfers; adopting the Third Money Laundering Directive and the
Regulation on Cash Control by September 2005; and agreeing on a Code of
Conduct to prevent the misuse of charities by terrorists (December 2005). 

In addition, the Council urges Member States to:

   Intensify the exchange of police and judicial information through Europol
(and its Counterterrorist Task Force) and Eurojust, and improve support from
Member States' security and intelligence services to the EU Situation
Centre; 
   Improve information sharing on lost and stolen explosives, including by
drawing on the Commission's forthcoming communication on explosives. 
   Implement recommendations from the peer evaluation process to improve
national counterterrorism arrangements and capabilities. 

The Council calls on the Commission to:

   Present proposals on data protection principles in the field of law
enforcement and bring forward communications on enhanced interaction among
the VIS, SIS II and EURODAC 
   Encourage Member States to agree on common standards for security
features and secure issuing procedures for ID cards (December 2005) 
   Protect external borders and internal security by sharing visa
information via the Visa Information System (VIS) and law-enforcement
information via the second generation of the Schengen Information System
(SIS) 
   Prioritize the rollout of biometric authentication technology 
   Revise and reinforce common standards on aviation security (end 2005) 
   Urge Member States to implement agreed EU standards on maritime security
and security at ports 
   Agree on a European Program to protect critical infrastructures,
including road and rail transport, by the end of 2005 
   Bring forward the proposal on air line passenger name records by October
2005 

The Council invites:

   Member States to undertake

[osint] Chemical Weapons Incineration Progressing in Alabama

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

 
I wonder how much of this the terrorists were aware of before?
 
Bruce
 

  









Chemical Weapons Incineration Progressing in Alabama

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service


ANNISTON, Ala. , Aug. 9, 2005 - Local angst over the Anniston Chemical Agent
Disposal Facility here has eased somewhat as the burning of some 2,254 tons
of chemical agent proceeds safely. 




 
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug2005/screen_20050809134752_gb_105mm.jpg
Click photo for screen-resolution image
Sarin nerve agent-filled 105 mm artillery shells are safely stored in
earth-covered igloos at Anniston Army Depot, Ala. Courtesy photo  
Since the first sarin nerve agent-filled M55 rocket was safely destroyed two
years ago, the facility has processed about 80 percent of the munitions
containing sarin housed at the facility, said Mike Abrams, public affairs
officer for the Anniston Chemical Activity and Anniston Chemical Agent
Disposal Facility. 

Sarin nerve agent, or GB, makes up about 19 percent of the total agent
Anniston is charged with processing. The M55 rockets that were first
destroyed measured 78 inches, weighed 57 pounds and contained nearly one and
a half gallons of nerve agent each. 


Of the other agents stored in earth-covered igloos at the facility, VX
nerve agent made up 37 percent, and mustard agent made up 44 percent. 


To date, the facility, operated by Westinghouse Anniston, a subsidiary of
Washington Demilitarization Company, has destroyed nearly all of the
GB-filled munitions. 


Only 105 mm artillery shells are still to be destroyed. On July 23, the
facility began processing those shells, which measure 15 inches long, weigh
32 pounds and contain roughly a fifth of a gallon of GB nerve agent. 


Abrams explained that the agency doesn't release numbers of specific
munitions for security reasons. However, he said, destruction of the 105 mm
shells is expected to continue through the end of 2005. 


The 105 mm shells are in stark contrast to the 8-inch projectiles the
facility finished processing on July 17. The 8-inch-diameter projectiles
were 35 inches long, weighed 198 pounds and contained nearly two gallons of
GB each. 


The smaller size of the 105 mm shells will speed the process, Abrams said.
However, he added, if the agent in the weapon has gelled, it cannot simply
be drained out -- and that slows the process. 


When all of the GB weapons have been processed, there will be a planned
interruption in the operation schedule to reconfigure the incinerator for VX
weapons. The final phase of operations here will demilitarize the weapons
containing mustard agent. 


When the entire stockpile has been processed, the plant will be dismantled
and decontaminated, Abrams said. 


Even though we've only destroyed 15. 5 percent of the agent stockpile here,
. . . we are well on our way to seeing the completion of the disposal
program in Anniston in the year 2010, Abrams said. That is dependent on
continuing success, and that means a daily focus on safety, not just
periodic. (And) it means that we need the Defense Department and Congress to
continue to fund us.  


Storage of chemical weapons on the Anniston Army Depot began in 1961. As the
weapons began to age, they became less stable. 


During the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention in Paris, 130 countries agreed
to terms regarding the treatment of chemical weapons. The resulting treaty
stated that each party would control its stockpile of existing weapons and
never use or prepare to use such weapons for military purposes, according to
the U. S. Chemical Weapons Convention Web site. 


Additionally, each party agreeing to the terms of the treaty would take
measures to destroy stockpiles of chemical weapons at home and abroad, as
well as any facilities used to manufacture such weapons. 


The convention set a deadline of 2007 for complete compliance. Abrams said
that both Russia and the U. S. will have difficulty meeting that deadline.
Neither, however, wants to invoke the extension that would give countries
until 2012 to complete the task. 


How the U. S. will finish on time without invoking the extension is not
clear, as there are other chemical weapons demilitarization locations in the
country that have not yet been brought on line, Abrams said. 


ANAD and the ANCDF will not rush things, because safety is the bottom line,
Abrams said. The facility has collected a safe work hour total of more
than 7. 2 million hours. That means that there were no incidents that caused
a lost day of work or a hospital visit in that amount of time. 


My boss refuses to impose a hard, fast goal . . . on the systems
contractor, Abrams said. He insists that if the operators inside this
plant working with these very dangerous weapons have a requirement to meet
that that could lead to a . . . careless mistake. 


Instead, he insists that we focus on safety. Everything we do is done
'safety first. ' 


As an example of that philosophy, a July 28

[osint] Trust politicians to do nothing useful

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft


 

Trust politicians to do nothing useful
By Mark Steyn
(Filed: 09/08/2005)

Daily Telegraph

Responding to Islamist terrorism in Britain and elsewhere, Germany is
considering introducing a Muslim public holiday. As Mathias Dopfner, chief
executive of Axel Springer, put it: A substantial fraction of Germany's
government - and, if polls are to be believed, the German people - believe
that creating an official state Muslim holiday will somehow spare us from
the wrath of fanatical Islamists.

Great. At least the 1930s' appeasers did it on their own time. But, in
recasting appeasement as yet another paid day off, the new proposal
cunningly manages to combine the worst instincts of the old Europe and the
new.

By contrast, consider the dramatic Air France crash at Toronto's Pearson
International Airport last week, when an incoming Airbus A-340 skidded off
the runway and into a gully. On television, it was all billowing black smoke
and occasional explosions, and the gloomy CNN expert saying it was a low
survivability catastrophe. Yet all 309 people got out alive.

Eyewitness accounts vary: some people are said to have panicked, others to
have stayed calm. The co-pilot was reported by police to have abandoned the
plane and scrambled away to Highway 401, whereas passing motorists pulled
off the road and hurried toward the burning jet to help any survivors. Of
the eight emergency exits, two were deemed unsafe to use, and on a third and
a fourth the slides didn't work. None the less, in a chaotic situation,
hundreds of strangers 

co-ordinated sufficiently to evacuate a small space through four exits in
less than a couple of minutes before the Airbus was consumed by flames.
Those who didn't entrust themselves to the freelance evacuation systems of
local passers-by were picked up by airport buses, in which they were then
detained for several hours for their own safety.

I'm always impressed by such stories. Think of the last time you boarded a
plane, the queue in the aisles, the guy fumbling for something in a bag in
the overhead bin, the woman who for some reason wants to squeeze by in the
opposite direction. But set the jet alight and all that disappears. In
extreme situations, almost everyone wants to survive, and most of us are
capable of a high degree of improvised co-ordination with whoever's at hand
- what Baruch Fischhoff of the Society for Risk Analysis calls social
co-ordination.

On September 11, the passengers on Flight 93 acted against the terrorists
more swiftly and efficiently than all the fancypants federal acronyms - CIA,
FBI, FAA et al. On July 7, London commuters figured out for themselves that
the third rail was no longer live and they could escape down the tunnel.
When the plane crashes, when the bomb goes off, when the guy in the next
seat seems to be trying to light his shoe with a match, ad hoc formations of
ordinary citizens are able to act decisively and effectively - be they
French, British, American, Canadian.

It's getting them to that point that's difficult - as the German Islamist
Appeasement Bank Holiday Weekend suggests. Until the bomb goes off, citizens
of advanced democracies are generally content to leave it to the
professional ruling class - i.e., politicians, academics, lobby groups -
whose sloth, incompetence, self-delusion and worse they have a remarkably
high tolerance for.

A British MP can go on Syrian television and cry in a crowded theatre of the
easily inflamed - Two of your beautiful daughters are in the hands of
foreigners - Jerusalem and Baghdad. The foreigners are doing to your
daughters as they will. The rape of these two beautiful Arab daughters, etc
- but it seems unlikely that his constituents will hold it against him come
election day.

If, following the London bombings, the Home Office is determined enough to
foist ID cards on the general populace, the stoic British will most probably
grin and bear the introduction of yet another sclerotic bureaucracy that
even the dumbest Islamist can run rings around.

The BBC shamelessly stacked the studio audience for its discussion on
terrorism with a disproportionate number of aggrieved Muslims, but most
viewers will still go on stumping up the licence fee, willingly feeding the
hand that bites them out of residual nostalgia for Dad's Army or Muffin the
Mule or Two-Way Family Favourites. The studio audience was made up of a
variety of people, explained Beeb honcho Sue Inglish, particularly those
most affected by the questions we were discussing in the wake of the
bombings. 

To the BBC's way of looking at things, those most affected are apparently
not the targets of the bombings - the British people - but only selected
sub-sections thereof. Alas, as a non-approved identity group, the British
people have no Sir Iqbal Sacranie to intervene on their behalf with the
corporation.

A conscientious objector might reasonably withhold from his taxes the money
required to fund terrorists on the dole, MPs who urge on Britain's

[osint] No Bail for Calif. Terror Suspects

2005-08-09 Thread Bruce Tefft

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165239,00.html

No Bail for Calif. Terror Suspects

Tuesday, August 09, 2005
http://www.foxnews.com/images/service_ap_36.gif

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge refused to offer bail to a Pakistani cleric facing
deportation Tuesday after he was accused of planning to set up a terrorism
training camp in Lodi (search javascript:siteSearch('Lodi'); ) to train
followers to kill Americans.

The accusation from an FBI agent came during an immigration hearing for
Shabbir Ahmed (search javascript:siteSearch('Shabbir Ahmed'); ), 39, who
is seeking bail on a charge of overstaying his visa while he was heading a
mosque in the Central Valley.

Do I believe he is planning a terror attack? agent Gary Schaaf (search
javascript:siteSearch('Gary Schaaf'); ) said. That's some of the
information that has been provided to us.

Ahmed, one of five men connected to a Lodi mosque who were arrested in June,
has only been accused of immigration violations, not terror-related charges.
His lawyer said Ahmed would be facing criminal charges if he was connected
with terrorism.

But Schaaf testified that Ahmed and others were in the fledgling stages of
opening a camp in Lodi to train followers how to kill Americans.

Immigration judge Anthony Murry declined to offer Ahmed bail as he fights
charges that he stayed here after his visa expired.

I am compelled to find you are both a flight risk and a danger to the
community, Murry said.

Schaaf did not say what type of terrorist attacks were planned, but said
Ahmed was acting as an intermediary for Usama bin Laden (search
javascript:siteSearch('Osama bin Laden'); ) and other terrorists.

The judge set an Oct. 24 date in which Ahmed can challenge his detention and
immigration charges.

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[osint] Of the Many Deaths in Iraq, One Mother's Loss Becomes a Problem for the Presiden

2005-08-09 Thread David Bier

...Ms. Sheehan said she broke in and told Mr. Bush that Casey was her
son, and that she thought he could imagine what it would be like since
he has two daughters and that he should think about what it would be
like sending them off to war.

I said, 'Trust me, you don't want to go there', Ms. Sheehan said,
recounting her exchange with the president. He said, 'You're right, I
don't.' I said, 'Well, thanks for putting me there.' 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/politics/08crawford.html?oref=login

August 8, 2005

Of the Many Deaths in Iraq, One Mother's Loss Becomes a Problem for
the President

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 7 - President Bush draws antiwar protesters just
about wherever he goes, but few generate the kind of attention that
Cindy Sheehan has since she drove down the winding road toward his
ranch here this weekend and sought to tell him face to face that he
must pull all Americans troops out of Iraq now.

Ms. Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed last year in Iraq, after which
she became an antiwar activist. She says she and her family met with
the president two months later at Fort Lewis in Washington State.

But when she was blocked by the police a few miles from Mr. Bush's
1,600-acre spread on Saturday, the 48-year-old Ms. Sheehan of
Vacaville, Calif., was transformed into a news media phenomenon, the
new face of opposition to the Iraq conflict at a moment when public
opinion is in flux and the politics of the war have grown more
complicated for the president and the Republican Party.

Ms. Sheehan has vowed to camp out on the spot until Mr. Bush agrees to
meet with her, even if it means spending all of August under a
broiling sun by the dusty road. Early on Sunday afternoon, 25 hours
after she was turned back as she approached Mr. Bush's ranch, Prairie
Chapel, Ms. Sheehan stood red-faced from the heat at the makeshift
campsite that she says will be her home until the president relents or
leaves to go back to Washington. A reporter from The Associated Press
had just finished interviewing her. CBS was taping a segment on her.
She had already appeared on CNN, and was scheduled to appear live on
ABC on Monday morning. Reporters from across the country were calling
her cellphone.

It's just snowballed, Ms. Sheehan said beside a small stand of trees
and a patch of shade that contained a sleeping bag, some candles, a
jar of nuts and a few other supplies. We have opened up a debate in
the country.

Seeking to head off exactly the situation that now seems to be
unfolding, the administration sent two senior officials out from the
ranch on Saturday afternoon to meet with her. But Ms. Sheehan said
after talking to the officials - Stephen J. Hadley, the national
security adviser, and Joe Hagin, a deputy White House chief of staff -
that she would not back down in her demand to see the president.

Her success in drawing so much attention to her message - and leaving
the White House in a face-off with an opponent who had to be treated
very gently even as she aggressively attacked the president and his
policies - seemed to stem from the confluence of several forces.

The deaths last week of 20 Marines from a single battalion has focused
public attention on the unremitting pace of casualties in Iraq,
providing her an opening to deliver her message that no more lives
should be given to the war. At the same time, polls that show falling
approval for Mr. Bush's handling of the war have left him open to
challenge in a way that he was not when the nation appeared to be more
strongly behind him.

It did not hurt her cause that she staged her protest, which she said
was more or less spontaneous, at the doorstep of the White House press
corps, which spends each August in Crawford with little to do, minimal
access to Mr. Bush and his aides, and an eagerness for any new story.

As the mother of an Army specialist who was killed at age 24 in the
Sadr City section of Baghdad on April 4, 2004, Ms. Sheehan's story is
certainly compelling. She is also articulate, aggressive in delivering
her message and has information that most White House reporters have
not heard before: how Mr. Bush handles himself when he meets behind
closed doors with the families of soldiers killed in Iraq.

The White House has released few details of such sessions, which Mr.
Bush holds regularly as he travels the country, but generally portrays
them as emotional and an opportunity for the president to share the
grief of the families. In Ms. Sheehan's telling, though, Mr. Bush did
not know her son's name when she and her family met with him in June
2004 at Fort Lewis. Mr. Bush, she said, acted as if he were at a party
and behaved disrespectfully toward her by referring to her as Mom
throughout the meeting.

By Ms. Sheehan's account, Mr. Bush said to her that he could not
imagine losing a loved one like an aunt or uncle or cousin. Ms.
Sheehan said she broke in and told Mr. Bush that Casey was her son,
and that she thought he could

[osint] War Plans Drafted To Counter Terror Attacks in U.S.

2005-08-09 Thread David Bier

In my estimation, [in the event of] a biological, a chemical or
nuclear attack in any of the 50 states, the Department of Defense is
best positioned -- of the various eight federal agencies that would be
involved -- to take the lead, said Adm. Timothy J. Keating, the head
of Northcom, which coordinates military involvement in homeland
security operations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080700843_pf.html

washingtonpost.com

War Plans Drafted To Counter Terror Attacks in U.S.
Domestic Effort Is Big Shift for Military

By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 8, 2005; A01

COLORADO SPRINGS -- The U.S. military has devised its first-ever war
plans for guarding against and responding to terrorist attacks in the
United States, envisioning 15 potential crisis scenarios and
anticipating several simultaneous strikes around the country,
according to officers who drafted the plans.

The classified plans, developed here at Northern Command headquarters,
outline a variety of possible roles for quick-reaction forces
estimated at as many as 3,000 ground troops per attack, a number that
could easily grow depending on the extent of the damage and the
abilities of civilian response teams.

The possible scenarios range from low end, relatively modest
crowd-control missions to high-end, full-scale disaster management
after catastrophic attacks such as the release of a deadly biological
agent or the explosion of a radiological device, several officers said.

Some of the worst-case scenarios involve three attacks at the same
time, in keeping with a Pentagon directive earlier this year ordering
Northcom, as the command is called, to plan for multiple simultaneous
attacks.

The war plans represent a historic shift for the Pentagon, which has
been reluctant to become involved in domestic operations and is
legally constrained from engaging in law enforcement. Indeed, defense
officials continue to stress that they intend for the troops to play
largely a supporting role in homeland emergencies, bolstering police,
firefighters and other civilian response groups.

But the new plans provide for what several senior officers
acknowledged is the likelihood that the military will have to take
charge in some situations, especially when dealing with mass-casualty
attacks that could quickly overwhelm civilian resources.

In my estimation, [in the event of] a biological, a chemical or
nuclear attack in any of the 50 states, the Department of Defense is
best positioned -- of the various eight federal agencies that would be
involved -- to take the lead, said Adm. Timothy J. Keating, the head
of Northcom, which coordinates military involvement in homeland
security operations.

The plans present the Pentagon with a clearer idea of the kinds and
numbers of troops and the training that may be required to build a
more credible homeland defense force. They come at a time when senior
Pentagon officials are engaged in an internal, year-long review of
force levels and weapons systems, attempting to balance the heightened
requirements of homeland defense against the heavy demands of overseas
deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Keating expressed confidence that existing military assets are
sufficient to meet homeland security needs. Maj. Gen. Richard J. Rowe,
Northcom's chief operations officer, agreed, but he added that stress
points in some military capabilities probably would result if troops
were called on to deal with multiple homeland attacks.
Debate and Analysis

Several people on the staff here and at the Pentagon said in
interviews that the debate and analysis within the U.S. government
regarding the extent of the homeland threat and the resources
necessary to guard against it remain far from resolved.

The command's plans consist of two main documents. One, designated
CONPLAN 2002 and consisting of more than 1,000 pages, is said to be a
sort of umbrella document that draws together previously issued orders
for homeland missions and covers air, sea and land operations. It
addresses not only post-attack responses but also prevention and
deterrence actions aimed at intercepting threats before they reach the
United States.

The other, identified as CONPLAN 0500, deals specifically with
managing the consequences of attacks represented by the 15 scenarios.

CONPLAN 2002 has passed a review by the Pentagon's Joint Staff and is
due to go soon to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and top aides
for further study and approval, the officers said. CONPLAN 0500 is
still undergoing final drafting here. (CONPLAN stands for concept
plan and tends to be an abbreviated version of an OPLAN, or
operations plan, which specifies forces and timelines for movement
into a combat zone.)

The plans, like much else about Northcom, mark a new venture by a U.S.
military establishment still trying to find its comfort level with the
idea of a greater homeland defense role after the Sept. 11, 2001,

[no subject]

2005-08-09 Thread sentto-412809-59133-1123643286-archive=jab . org

Electronic passports set to thwart forgers
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The e-passport initiative has its roots in legislation passed by
Congress in May 2002 to improve border security. It called for 27
countries whose citizens don't need visas for entry into the USA to
convert to electronic passports by October 2004. Congress has since
delayed the deadline until October 2006.


http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-08-08-electronic-passports_x.htm

Electronic passports set to thwart forgers
By Roger Yu, USA TODAY
The U.S. passport is joining the digital age. After three years of
research and discussion, the State Department has finalized most of
the technical and logistical details of new, supposedly tamper-proof
passports embedded with a smart-card chip.
A contactless smart chip and antenna is flexible enough to 
embed
in the cover of a standard passport booklet.

If current plans hold, they'll become standard issue for U.S.
travelers as soon as February.

Proponents say the chip, which will contain the holder's personal data
and digital photo, should allow speedier entry at borders for most
travelers.

Because the chip's data can't be altered, proponents say, forging
passports will be virtually impossible. That, they say, gives
authorities a potent new anti-terrorism weapon.

When swiped across an electronic reader, the chip in the passport
wirelessly transmits data to a customs officer's computer screen. The
e-passport relies on radio frequency identification technology (RFID).
  E-passport development
May 2002: The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act
requires the USA and other countries whose citizens don't need visas
for entering the USA to develop electronic passports.
The act sets a deadline of October 2004.

March 2004: The Bush administration asks Congress to delay the
deadline to October 2006 to allow participating countries more time to
address technical issues. Congress agrees.

April 2005: The State Department closes comment period, begins to firm
up plans for the new e-passport.

December 2005: State Department plans to test the new passport with
diplomats and select government officials.

February 2006: State Department expects to make e-passports available
to U.S. travelers.

Source: The State Department

The new passport looks much like the traditional type. But the
smart-card chip, embedded in the back page, makes it slightly thicker.
If the chip is broken or malfunctions, the holder can continue to use
the passport as a non-electronic passport, or buy a new one.

Once the new version is available, it would take up to a year for all
new passports to be issued in the new format. Americans with valid
traditional passports won't have to replace them until they expire.

The new passport will cost $97, or $12 more than the traditional version.

Initially, U.S. diplomats will use the e-passport as a test, probably
starting in December, says Frank Moss, deputy assistant secretary of
State. If successful, the new passport will be available to the public
next year, possibly as early as February, Moss says.

Calls for better border security

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted calls for improved border
security. The new e-passport is perhaps the most visible aspect of the
government's foray into digital technology for border control.

The e-passport has raised concerns among critics who say it lacks
adequate privacy safeguards. Wireless transmission of data compromises
security, and important personal data could fall into the wrong hands,
they say. With proper equipment, someone could remotely intercept
personal data, they say.

Wireless transmission could lead to what's called skimming or
eavesdropping, says Cedric Laurant of the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

In skimming, an intruder secretly uses a device to read the chip's
data from as far away as several feet.
  ELECTRONIC PASSPORTS  
The new U.S. electronic passport will look like its predecessor in
size and shape, although it will be slightly thicker. Photos of owners
will still be included. How the new electronic features will be used:

What happens at passport control

(1) The officer swipes the data page through a special reader to read
the two lines of printed characters on the

[no subject]

2005-08-09 Thread sentto-412809-59134-1123643404-archive=jab . org

Electronic passports set to thwart forgers
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The e-passport initiative has its roots in legislation passed by
Congress in May 2002 to improve border security. It called for 27
countries whose citizens don't need visas for entry into the USA to
convert to electronic passports by October 2004. Congress has since
delayed the deadline until October 2006.


http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-08-08-electronic-passports_x.htm

Electronic passports set to thwart forgers
By Roger Yu, USA TODAY
The U.S. passport is joining the digital age. After three years of
research and discussion, the State Department has finalized most of
the technical and logistical details of new, supposedly tamper-proof
passports embedded with a smart-card chip.
A contactless smart chip and antenna is flexible enough to embed
in the cover of a standard passport booklet.

If current plans hold, they'll become standard issue for U.S.
travelers as soon as February.

Proponents say the chip, which will contain the holder's personal data
and digital photo, should allow speedier entry at borders for most
travelers.

Because the chip's data can't be altered, proponents say, forging
passports will be virtually impossible. That, they say, gives
authorities a potent new anti-terrorism weapon.

When swiped across an electronic reader, the chip in the passport
wirelessly transmits data to a customs officer's computer screen. The
e-passport relies on radio frequency identification technology (RFID).
E-passport development
May 2002: The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act
requires the USA and other countries whose citizens don't need visas
for entering the USA to develop electronic passports.
The act sets a deadline of October 2004.

March 2004: The Bush administration asks Congress to delay the
deadline to October 2006 to allow participating countries more time to
address technical issues. Congress agrees.

April 2005: The State Department closes comment period, begins to firm
up plans for the new e-passport.

December 2005: State Department plans to test the new passport with
diplomats and select government officials.

February 2006: State Department expects to make e-passports available
to U.S. travelers.

Source: The State Department

The new passport looks much like the traditional type. But the
smart-card chip, embedded in the back page, makes it slightly thicker.
If the chip is broken or malfunctions, the holder can continue to use
the passport as a non-electronic passport, or buy a new one.

Once the new version is available, it would take up to a year for all
new passports to be issued in the new format. Americans with valid
traditional passports won't have to replace them until they expire.

The new passport will cost $97, or $12 more than the traditional version.

Initially, U.S. diplomats will use the e-passport as a test, probably
starting in December, says Frank Moss, deputy assistant secretary of
State. If successful, the new passport will be available to the public
next year, possibly as early as February, Moss says.

Calls for better border security

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted calls for improved border
security. The new e-passport is perhaps the most visible aspect of the
government's foray into digital technology for border control.

The e-passport has raised concerns among critics who say it lacks
adequate privacy safeguards. Wireless transmission of data compromises
security, and important personal data could fall into the wrong hands,
they say. With proper equipment, someone could remotely intercept
personal data, they say.

Wireless transmission could lead to what's called skimming or
eavesdropping, says Cedric Laurant of the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

In skimming, an intruder secretly uses a device to read the chip's
data from as far away as several feet.
ELECTRONIC PASSPORTS
The new U.S. electronic passport will look like its predecessor in
size and shape, although it will be slightly thicker. Photos of owners
will still be included. How the new electronic features will be used:

What happens at passport control

(1) The officer swipes the data page through a special reader to read
the two lines of printed characters on the bottom of the data page.
This provides a key that';s unique to the

[osint] Electronic passports set to thwart forgers

2005-08-09 Thread David Bier

The e-passport initiative has its roots in legislation passed by
Congress in May 2002 to improve border security. It called for 27
countries whose citizens don't need visas for entry into the USA to
convert to electronic passports by October 2004. Congress has since
delayed the deadline until October 2006.


http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-08-08-ele
ctronic-passports_x.htm

Electronic passports set to thwart forgers
By Roger Yu, USA TODAY
The U.S. passport is joining the digital age. After three years of
research and discussion, the State Department has finalized most of
the technical and logistical details of new, supposedly tamper-proof
passports embedded with a smart-card chip.
A contactless smart chip and antenna is flexible enough to embed
in the cover of a standard passport booklet.

If current plans hold, they'll become standard issue for U.S.
travelers as soon as February.

Proponents say the chip, which will contain the holder's personal data
and digital photo, should allow speedier entry at borders for most
travelers.

Because the chip's data can't be altered, proponents say, forging
passports will be virtually impossible. That, they say, gives
authorities a potent new anti-terrorism weapon.

When swiped across an electronic reader, the chip in the passport
wirelessly transmits data to a customs officer's computer screen. The
e-passport relies on radio frequency identification technology (RFID).
E-passport development
May 2002: The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act
requires the USA and other countries whose citizens don't need visas
for entering the USA to develop electronic passports.
The act sets a deadline of October 2004.

March 2004: The Bush administration asks Congress to delay the
deadline to October 2006 to allow participating countries more time to
address technical issues. Congress agrees.

April 2005: The State Department closes comment period, begins to firm
up plans for the new e-passport.

December 2005: State Department plans to test the new passport with
diplomats and select government officials.

February 2006: State Department expects to make e-passports available
to U.S. travelers.

Source: The State Department

The new passport looks much like the traditional type. But the
smart-card chip, embedded in the back page, makes it slightly thicker.
If the chip is broken or malfunctions, the holder can continue to use
the passport as a non-electronic passport, or buy a new one.

Once the new version is available, it would take up to a year for all
new passports to be issued in the new format. Americans with valid
traditional passports won't have to replace them until they expire.

The new passport will cost $97, or $12 more than the traditional
version.

Initially, U.S. diplomats will use the e-passport as a test, probably
starting in December, says Frank Moss, deputy assistant secretary of
State. If successful, the new passport will be available to the public
next year, possibly as early as February, Moss says.

Calls for better border security

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted calls for improved border
security. The new e-passport is perhaps the most visible aspect of the
government's foray into digital technology for border control.

The e-passport has raised concerns among critics who say it lacks
adequate privacy safeguards. Wireless transmission of data compromises
security, and important personal data could fall into the wrong hands,
they say. With proper equipment, someone could remotely intercept
personal data, they say.

Wireless transmission could lead to what's called skimming or
eavesdropping, says Cedric Laurant of the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

In skimming, an intruder secretly uses a device to read the chip's
data from as far away as several feet.
ELECTRONIC PASSPORTS
The new U.S. electronic passport will look like its predecessor in
size and shape, although it will be slightly thicker. Photos of owners
will still be included. How the new electronic features will be used:

What happens at passport control

(1) The officer swipes the data page through a special reader to read
the two lines of printed characters on the bottom of the data page.
This provides a key that';s unique to the passport and lets the
process proceed.

(2) When the passport is held over the reader (no contact is
necessary), a radio field from the reader wakes up the chip, and the
encrypted data are transferred to the reader, allowing the officer to
conduct a visual check.

(3) The officer holds your open passport over another reader, then
checks a view of you, with the photo in your passport, and all the
data from your passport (including your photo) on the monitor. The
data on the monitor also verify that your passport was issued by a
legitimate authority, and that it has not been altered.

Security details

A chip is embedded into the back cover. It contains data that cannot
be read without the security key

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