Terrorism here in the US

[American Patriot]

News is reporting this attack in Turkey on the US Embassy was Al Qaeda.

[American Patriot]

US can't rule out al Qaeda in Istanbul attack - (video at the Reuters Website)
Reuters ^ | Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:18pm EDTWASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday condemned the attack on its consulate in Istanbul and a State Department spokesman said he could neither confirm nor rule out al Qaeda involvement.

Three Turkish police officers and three gunmen were killed in the attack at the compound.

"The United States condemns the terrorist attack that took place on our consulate general in Istanbul earlier today," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

Reports in Turkey said al Qaeda involvement was suspected.

"At this point one can't rule that out, but I also can't support at this point, those suspicions," McCormack said. "We're continuing our efforts to work with the Turkish government to determine who is responsible for it."



(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...

[American Patriot]

Terrorism test run???


Patches arrested, police say her scent made men pass out
WAFB Channel 9 ^ | 7/11/08 | staff

HOUMA, LA (WAFB) - Houma police officers and Terrebonne Parish sheriff's deputies say an attractive woman named Patches has been arrested after her "calogne samples" made at least two men pass out. One of the incidents prompted a statewide alert to Louisiana law enforcement agencies.

The first complaint happened in early June. Police say an 18-year-old man says he was leaving a Houma restaurant at lunchtime when he was approached by a woman who said she was selling cologne.

Police say the woman asked the victim is he was interested in buying some cologne she was selling. "The suspect produced a sample of the cologne, waived it under the victim's nose, then produced a clear bottle of another sample, sprayed it on a sheet of paper then waived the paper in the victim's face causing him to smell it," said sheriff's spokesman Todd Duplantis.

The woman then left the area with three "large black male subjects," Duplantis said. The victim returned to work, where he passed out, investigators said. His symptoms included dizziness, shortness of breath, and numbness in his extremities.

The second incident was reported on July 9th. Houma police say a woman was trying to sell cologne at a business on Martin Luther King Boulevard. She allegedly sprayed another person with a substance and that victim was feeling ill.

The next day, detectives arrested 23-yaer-old Patches Wegmann of Harvey. "During the interview, she admitted to the crime which occurred on June 9," Duplantis said. Patches Wegmann was charged with second-degree battery and unlawful solicitation. She was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Jail.

Detectives did not disclose a possible motive in the case.

[Ryan Ruck]

WTF was the spray?!?!

[Backstop]

Holy crap.

[American Patriot]

I was asking that question... "WTF was in the spray"?

Seems like there would be some residue on the one guy, no?

[Toad]

I'd like to know the intent of what they wanted to do to someone passed out. Simple mugging? If that isn't bad enough, something more malicious?

My mind also jumps to the "what if" under the pretense of smelling a cologne, they were passing a virus? There's a bad thought.

[American Patriot]

I wouldn't think they were passing viruses, since cologne usually has a lot of alcohol in it and any viruses would probably be neutralized. On the other hand there ARE chemicals out there that are very quickly and efficiently pulled into the body by touch alone.

That stupid (Hateful) commercial for "Headon" (I'm sure you've all seen it and HATE it as much as I do) uses a chemical that is absorbed quickly into the skin and can carry things with it. So, if you were to, say aerosolize it and then put in whatever dangerous toxins you wanted... well, I've said too much now.

You get the idea though

[Jag]

Chertoff: European terrorists trying to enter US

By EILEEN SULLIVAN – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — European terrorists are trying to enter the United States with European Union passports, and there is no guarantee officials will catch them every time, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday.

Chertoff's comments on Capitol Hill comes as the country is entering a potentially vulnerable period with the presidential nominating conventions coming up next month; the presidential election in November; and the transition to a new administration in January — all of which may be attractive targets for terrorists.

In his last scheduled appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee, Chertoff said that the more time and space al-Qaida and its allies have to recruit, train, experiment and plan, the more problems the U.S. and Europe will face down the road.

"The terrorists are deliberately focusing on people who have legitimate Western European passports, who don't appear to have records as terrorists," Chertoff told lawmakers. "I have a good degree of confidence we can catch people coming in. But I have to tell you ... there's no guarantee. And they are working very hard to slip by us."

Chertoff and other intelligence officials have delivered similar warnings before, and he offered no new information about specific threats or an imminent attack.

Chertoff reiterated his concern that terrorists could sneak radiological material into the country on small boats or private aircraft. This material could be used to create an explosive device known as a "dirty bomb."
The Homeland Security Department has a strategy to protect against this small boat vulnerability and is testing radiation detection equipment in Seattle and San Diego ports.

Chertoff said that getting out a regulation to prescreen and enhance security of general aviation aircraft coming to the U.S. from overseas is one of his top priorities.

He also said he expects to approve new radiation detection technology this fall.

Responding to a question from Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Chertoff dismissed any rumor that he is on a list of potential running mates for Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Chertoff quipped that the only list he has for next year is a list of vacations.

Chertoff's term as the country's second Homeland Security Secretary ends when a new administration takes over the White House in January.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i...9HP2gD91VURDO0

Jag

[Jag]

ITRR Warns Of Possible Large Scale Terror Attack

The following information has been communicated to National Terror Alert. There has been no confirmation from U.S. Intelligence, Law Enforcement or Dept. of Homeland Security sources regarding the credibility or seriousness of this threat at this time.

An increased state of alertness is urged. Please report any and all suspicious behavior to local law enforcement or the FBI.

From: The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response

Date: 16 July 2008; 1530

Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center (TAM-C) of the Institute of Terrorism Research and Respone:

Intent: To advise of an increased likelihood of large scale terror attack based on credible intercepted communications.
Threat Classification

SEVERE (Level 2) - Available intelligence and recent events indicate that terrorists have an established capability and current intent to mount an attack on the target and there is some additional information on the nature of the threat. It is assessed that an attack on the target is a priority for the terrorists and is likely to be mounted.
Justifications:

Arab language researchers of the Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center have intercepted communications from an organization closely associated with international terrorists, to include al Qaeda.

Previously intercepted communications from this organization has been proven over time to be reliable.

The communications indicated:

• Jihadist terror cells have been dispatched to an undisclosed location to execute a large scale attack.

• The report calls on everyone to pray for the operation’s success.

• For the reason of OpSec, the terrorist organization was not releasing this location of the attack

An analysis of this threat leads the TAM-C to believe that the large attack may include the Perisan Gulf states or Turkey.

Such an analysis is based on earlier communications isolating these regions and the need to target westerners or governments that support the United States in these regions.

Conclusion: This is a clear threat on an imminent attack, and all ITRR clients should take this threat seriously.

Security management professionals are encouraged to immediately assess their preparedness to detect, deter, mitigate, and respond to an act of terror.

Clients of the Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center have received detailed information and the relevant client case workers will receive information as intelligence unfolds.

Timeline: Through 06 August 2008

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/u...tes-or-turkey/

Jag

[Ryan Ruck]

Hell On Wheels

Brooklyn Van Was Wired For Carnage

A bomb-laden van found on a Brooklyn street by a car thief was wired to detonate by remote control, and had likely been sitting there for more than five months, sources said yesterday.

Investigators believe the homemade explosives found Thursday night in the Ford Econoline belonged to Yung Tang, 39, a Chinese national. He has been behind bars since he was caught Jan. 29 in Wallingford, Conn., with nearly identical bombs in his Mazda MPV minivan.

"Based on the manner in which the materials inside the van were constructed, it's possibly linked to an individual in custody in Connecticut," said one source.

Also found in the MPV were two silencers, four hollow-point bullets and two radio-controlled detonators.

Days after that arrest, the NYPD searched his Brooklyn house and found yet anther van - a Ford Explorer - full of similar explosive devices.

In May, Brooklyn prosecutors charged Tang with attempted murder for allegedly planting a bomb near the car of a commercial tenant he was trying to evict.

The victim lost his foot in the 2002 blast.

Sources said the homemade bombs inside the Econoline - made of Styrofoam cups, 10-ounce water bottles, cans of WD-40 and five-gallon jugs filled with gasoline - were rigged to go off via a remote car-door opener.

A thief who broke into the vehicle as it was parked on 53rd Street near Second Avenue saw the explosives, then drove the van from the mostly residential block to a remote location near the waterfront.

The thief, who has an arrest record, then phoned a cop he knew from a previous run-in with the law.

The 53rd Street location is six blocks from the home of Tang's estranged wife, whom he has threatened to kill, according to federal prosecutors.

Neighbors of Tang's wife said she had sold the house last week.

"I'm scared," said one resident. "I'm scared he's going to come back."

In papers filed in the Connecticut case, prosecutors said Tang's wife has complained of physical abuse and threats - including one to hurl her out the window of a cruise ship while they were on vacation.

Tang's lawyer, George Farkas, denied that there was a connection between his client and the van.

"My guy has been in jail," said Farkas. "What that means, I don't know. It makes an interesting news story, but I think he has the alibi of alibis."

The car thief was not expected to be charged.

[American Patriot]

Just DAMN....

[Backstop]

Damn.

What I find interesting is they are calling them "homegrown terrorists." I'd really like to see the official government definition of that.

The last sentence is also spot-on.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArti...1879115541217#

Put ACLU On Watch

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, July 25, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Homeland Security: Forced to defend its growing terrorist watch list, the FBI let slip a chilling fact that should silence ACLU grumblers: America is teeming with 20,000 terrorists.

After 9/11, federal authorities estimated that as many as 5,000 terrorists were living in the U.S. The new figure is jarring not only because it's four times as large but because it's based on real persons, not estimates.

It's not something headquarters wanted to publicize. Officials had downplayed the threat so as not to spook the public. The spin had been that Britain has the homegrown problem, not us.

But that was before the ACLU launched a campaign with the Democrat Congress to demonize the watch list as a Gestapo-like tool. The FBI had no choice but to knock down their myths.

The ACLU charged that an "out-of-control" FBI is adding mostly innocent people to the list, ballooning it to "over 1 million names." "I doubt this thing would even be effective at catching a real terrorist," ACLU spokesman Barry Steinhardt harrumphed.

In fact, the list has saved countless lives, according to the head of the FBI's terrorism screening center — an assertion backed up by a recent independent review by the GAO.

And the watch list monitors only 400,000 people, not a million, says the FBI official, Leonard Boyle. The rest are aliases due to the myriad spellings and variations of Arabic surnames.

In a rare public appearance on C-Span, Boyle added that the overwhelming share of individuals on the terrorist list are foreigners, while "5% to 6%" of individuals are U.S. citizens or legal residents.

That still pencils out to at least 20,000 people living in this country right now — at large and on the streets — who have "some relationship with terrorist activity," as Boyle described it.

They pose a big enough threat for airlines to legally bounce them off planes, and for every law enforcement authority from border agents to local police to detain them for questioning.

At 20,000 strong, these suspected homegrown terrorists number a full army division. And they don't include the more than 440 active terrorists the Justice Department already has put behind bars since 9/11. Britain, by comparison, is watching just 8,000.

But never mind all that. The ACLU and its allies on the Hill want to scrap the terrorist watch list and take law enforcement's eye off these potentially dangerous suspects.

In a perfect world, the ACLU might qualify as a terrorist facilitator deserving of its own spot on the list.

[Ryan Ruck]

Gimme a list with names and addresses and immunity. I'd be more than happy to start "cleaning up".

[Backstop]

Ryan's new job:


I need to watch that again.

[Ryan Ruck]

Good call!

That is a good movie. I too need to put it on sometime soon. Been a bit since I've watched it.

[American Patriot]

U.S. Headed for 'Heightened Alert' Stage
ABC News ^ | July 28, 2008 | Pierre Thomas

Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize on the spate of extremely high-profile events in the coming months, sources tell ABC News.

Security experts point to next month's Olympics as evidence that high-profile events attract threats of terrorism, like the one issued this past weekend by a Chinese Muslim minority group that warned of its intent to attack the Games.

Anti-terror officials in the U.S. cite this summer and fall's lineup of two major political parties' conventions, November's general election and months of transition into a new presidential administration as cause for heightened awareness and action.

This is what the Department of Homeland Security is quietly declaring a Period of Heightened Alert, or POHA, a time frame when terrorists may have more incentive to attack.

According to drafts of government memos described to ABC News, the period would run roughly from this August through July 2009.

During this time, homeland security analysts will be asked to redouble efforts to study terrorism leads. And a number of agencies will be asked to review emergency response plans to a variety of attacks, from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to biological weapons.

Officials also are being asked to make sure they are prepared for all contingencies during the transition from the Bush administration to that of the next president.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...

[American Patriot]

You know...

Terrorists can kiss my American Ass. I’m planning on traveling OUT of the country during the week of 11 Sep — you know why?

BECAUSE I CAN.

Fuck the terrorists, if they try to harm me, I’ll fight and I might die, but I’ll die free and I’ll take some of them sons of bitches with me.

[busbybottom]

Kick ass Rick.

[American Patriot]

Santa Cruz firebombs look familiar
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 8/4/8 | Wyatt Buchananand Demian Bulwa

Santa Cruz -- The devices used in two firebombings targeting UC Santa Cruz biologists are similar to some used in the past by animal rights activists, investigators said Sunday.

The bombs were so powerful they were like "Molotov cocktails on steroids," said Santa Cruz police Capt. Steve Clark.

One struck the home of assistant biology Professor David Feldheim on Saturday morning, forcing him to flee with his family. The other exploded just a few minutes earlier, gutting a car parked outside the campus home of a second researcher.

Later, Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies went to the home of a third researcher who received a threatening telephone message, but officers found no explosives.

More than 50 investigators, including some from the FBI's regional terrorism task force, are looking into the attacks.

Feldheim, whose townhouse was firebombed just after 5:30 a.m., uses mice in laboratory research on brain formation.

He told The Chronicle that he and his wife, along with their 7-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, had to drop a ladder from the window of a second-floor bedroom to escape after smoke filled the home's first floor.

"Everyone is OK," Feldheim said in an e-mail. "The kids are taking it pretty well. My wife and I are very shaken up. I also injured both feet in the escape."
Act of terrorism

Feldheim was treated at a hospital and released, police said. Clark said the attack on Feldheim is being considered an act of terrorism and attempted murder.

Clark said the bomb at Feldheim's house was similar to those used by animal rights extremists in the past, adding, "There are instructions on how to make it on their Web sites."

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...