Terrorism here in the US

[Sean Osborne]

I have only one thing to say about this report...

OUTFREAKINGSTANDING!!!

http://www.theaviationnation.com/200...st-flight-720/

What Happened on Northwest Flight 720?

By Annie Jacobsen in category Dry Runs and Probes


Tuesday
5 Jun 2007

I just got off the phone with Robert Hayden, the heroic subject of today's Boston Globe article, Graying Duo Keep Passenger in Check. Hayden — a former police chief and former Undersecretary of Public Safety in Massachusetts — was the passenger who handcuffed one man and subdued another man on Northwest Airlines Flight 720, last Saturday.

The two, security-threatening passengers — men allegedly from the Philippines — had been acting strangely during the flight. On both the ascent out of Minneapolis and the descent into Boston, both men simultaneously stood up. One laid down in the aisle, screaming, while the other man stood over the prostrated man.



As the plane was landing, Hayden took being a John Doe to a new level. In a crisis situation, Hayden didn't just see something and say something, he saw something and did something. From The Globe:

Shortly before landing, Bob Hayden and a flight attendant had agreed on a signal: When she waved the plastic handcuffs, he would discreetly leave his seat and restrain an unruly passenger who had frightened some of the 150 people on board a Minneapolis-to-Boston flight Saturday night with erratic behavior.

Hayden, a 65-year-old former police commander, had enlisted a gray-haired gentleman sitting next to him to assist. The man turned out to be a former US Marine.

"I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes. When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, 'Retired captain. USMC.' I said, 'You'll do,' " Hayden recalled. "So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation."

According to my interview with Hayden, the two, South East Asian men — acting in consort — were suspicious from the get go. "Before the flight took off, the flight attendants had to repeatedly tell the men to get in their seats." The plane took off. Immediately after the Captain made the first announcement, Hayden told me that, "like clockwork, the first [SE Asian] guy got out of his seat and laid on the floor and started yelling. The other guy [traveling with him] stood over him, mumbling and gesturing. To me, it looked strange. It looked staged. So I got up and walked the aisle to see if there was anyone else on board who might be part of it."

Hayden didn't sense that there was anyone else in the duo's group. "For the next two hours, they made people pretty upset," Hayden said. "One of the guys was wild-eyed and strange looking," Hayden said. "He kept walking the aisles. The other guy pulled his luggage out from the overhead and started sifting through it. People were scared." Hayden offered to help the flight attendant if she needed assistance, identifying himself as "an ex-cop."

As the plane started its descent, the Captain made another announcement. Hayden explained what happened next: "Like clockwork, these two guys pop up out of their seats like something from The Manchurian Candidate. One lays down on the floor and starts yelling and the other guy is over him."

That's when the flight attendant gave Hayden the signal. Hayden and the former US Marine subdued the two Asian men using a set of plastic handcuffs given to them by the flight attendant. They also used a seat belt.

I asked Hayden what he thought happened on Northwest Flight 720. "There seem to be two possibilities of what happened on that flight," Hayden told me. "One, they were insane. But it's unlikely that two insane people would be traveling together. Two, it was a diversion or a probe to see how people react. It was bizarre and it was prompted. As soon as the Captain said something, on ascent and on descent, they were up out of their seats like Siamese twins."

According to The Globe, State police troopers escorted the men off the flight. No word on whether or not Homeland Security officials are involved.


At the end of our interview, Hayden directed me to his favorite part of The Globe article — the part about his wife:

Hayden's wife of 42 years, Katie, who was also on the flight, was less impressed. Even as her husband struggled with the agitated passenger, she barely looked up from "The Richest Man in Babylon," the book she was reading.

"The woman sitting in front of us was very upset and asked me how I could just sit there reading," Katie Hayden said. "Bob's been shot at. He's been stabbed. He's taken knives away. He knows how to handle those situations. I figured he would go up there and step on somebody's neck, and that would be the end of it. I knew how that situation would end. I didn't know how the book would end."

Hayden gave me a few more details. "We left the airport, drove home, stopped at the grocery store, bought some groceries — the whole time my wife didn't say a thing about the flight. As we were getting ready to go to bed, she comes over, stands up and gives me a kiss. 'By the way' she says to me, 'Good job on the airplane.'"

(Thanks to Roger Baumgarten and Colonel Dave Gavigan)

[Ryan Ruck]

"I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes.

This disgusts me thoroughly.

A big kudos to Robert Hayden and the Marine!

[Backstop]

When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, 'Retired captain. USMC.' I said, 'You'll do,' " Hayden recalled. "So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation."

HAHA!

[Jag]

Jun 8, 5:36 PM EDT



Official Says JFK Terror Probe Widening
By PAT MILTON

NEW YORK (AP) -- The investigation into the thwarted plot to bomb John F. Kennedy International Airport is widening beyond the four men in custody, with more suspects sought outside the U.S. for their suspected roles, a law enforcement official said Friday.

The defendants identified last weekend were "just a piece of it," the official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to speak publicly. "We are definitely seeking more players. We are targeting others overseas."

The official declined to provide details about the possible suspects, or in what countries they are being sought.

Law enforcement officials, through the use of an informant, were able to undermine the airport plot in its early stages.

The four suspects made trips to the airport, took video and photographs, drew diagrams and collected information. They then hoped to shop their information to individuals with the capacity to pull off their stated plan of causing "greater destruction than the Sept. 11 attacks," the official said.

According to court documents, the men sought the help of Jamaat al Muslimeen, or JAM, a Muslim organization based in Trinidad - a known violent group involved in killings, kidnappings and weapons trafficking over the past two decades. The group staged a coup attempt in 1990, storming the Trinidad Parliament building and taking the prime minister hostage.

Some experts have called the plot far-fetched, saying it would have been virtually impossible to achieve the kind of destruction the suspects envisioned. But the official said that if the men had lined up with people who had the right resources, the plans could have been carried out in a short period of time.

Alleged mastermind Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen from Guyana, hatched the plan when he worked as a cargo employee at JFK 10 years ago, authorities said.

He is being held in New York on conspiracy charges. His alleged co-conspirators, two citizens of Guyana and one from Trinidad, are in jail in Trinidad and were expected to fight extradition to New York.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...06-08-17-36-11

Jag

[Jag]

and this from Newsday.com
Iran link in JFK plot?

BY LETTA TAYLER AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA
GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Investigators are probing a possible Iran connection to the JFK bomb plot because one Guyanese suspect planned to visit that country, a New York City police source said Wednesday.


The suspect, former lawmaker Abdul Kadir, 55, was arrested Friday in Trinidad and Tobago on a plane to Venezuela, from where he planned to fly to Iran.


In Trinidad, police reportedly are investigating whether another alleged bomb plotter, imam Kareem Ibrahim, 56, had ties to Iraq and Iran.


Any link to Iran would heighten tension between Washington and Tehran, already at loggerheads over Iran's nuclear aspirations. U.S. officials also fear the possibility of an Iranian militant presence in the Caribbean because of Iran's ties with leftist presidents in Venezuela and Nicaragua.


In Guyana, Police Commissioner Henry Greene said he was not aware of any Islamic radical elements. Muslims comprise up to 15 percent of the population of nearly 800,000 here. Most are East Indian Sunnis but about 100 are Shia, Iran's predominant sect. Iran has few ties with Guyana, not even an embassy.

Kadir, 55, a Christian who converted to Islam while a college student in Trinidad in the 1970s, had connections to Iran and was a devout Shia, friends and relatives said. But they said he was not an imam, as U.S. court papers claim, and that he was far from radical.

"He was a progressive, not a fanatic," said Marjorie McCaskey, a longtime friend.

Kadir's wife, Isha Kadir, told Newsday she thought her husband was being framed by the United States as part of a campaign to demonize Iran.

His wife said he was flying to Iran to attend a conference commemorating the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who launched the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Kadir was invited by a Khomeini foundation that would have paid his fare, said Syed Mohammed Tasdeeq, 37, an Indian Shia scholar and friend.

Relatives said Kadir had visited Iran at least once in 1998 while two children, one who is an imam, were studying in the holy city of Qom.

Kadir's other Iranian connection was his friendship with Mohammad Hassen Ebrahimi, an Iranian merchant and Shia scholar who ran an Islamic college here in the late 1990s until he was kidnapped and killed in 2002. The murder remains unsolved. Ebrahimi had helped Kadir obtain scholarships from Iran for his children, Tasdeeq said.

Greene said Kadir's wife told police her husband had a business relationship with Yasin Abu Bakr, who heads Trinidad's Muslim group Jamaat al Muslimeen. The group staged a coup attempt in 1990 but has since devolved into a crime gang. Another Kennedy suspect allegedly met the group's leader in an unsuccessful quest to obtain backing for the attack. However, the group is Sunni, not Shia.

Greene said Guyanese police found maps of what appeared to be underground pipelines in Kadir's Linden home over the weekend, but would not say if they were of JFK. U.S. court papers say Kadir used his experience as a civil engineer to facilitate the plot to blow up JFK's pipelines.

Police also searched a Georgetown home of Guyana-born suspect Russell DeFreitas, of Brooklyn. A visitor found the house empty, save for a poster of Khomeini.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...vote30260916=1

Jag

[Jag]

Material to make bombs is stolen

By Robert Patrick
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Wednesday, Jun. 13 2007

Explosives capable of causing "extensive damage" have been stolen from a St.
Charles County firing range used by the sheriff's office and the FBI, federal
officials said Tuesday.

Officials are still trying to determine how much dynamite, C-4 and other
explosives were taken and exactly who was responsible.

Mike Schmitz of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
said investigators believe more than one person was involved in the theft, but
it is too early to know the intent of the thieves, including whether terrorism
could be involved.

The theft, discovered by the FBI on Tuesday, happened sometime in the past 10
days.

The explosives, including C-4, dynamite and safety fuse, were being stored at
the St. Charles County training center and firearms range at 1835 South Highway
94, Schmitz said. The range is located in a rural area.

They were stored properly in the federally approved storage magazine, which
resembles a large construction Dumpster, Schmitz said.

The metal explosives magazine where the materials were stored is used by the
FBI and the sheriff's office for training and for rendering other explosives or
suspected explosives safe, Schmitz said.

"These items are all extremely dangerous," Schmitz said.

Dynamite is a nitroglycerin-based high explosive. C-4 is a military-grade
plastic explosive, more powerful than TNT, that has been used by al-Qaida and
other terrorist groups.

C-4 was the explosive used in the destroyer Cole attack in 2000, a suicide
bombing that killed 17 sailors and wounded dozens of others while the ship was
in a Yemeni port. Terrorists used it in 1996 to blow up an American military
housing complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 Air Force servicemen. Hundreds were
injured.

It was also the substance in the shoe of attempted shoe bomber Richard Reid,
convicted of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight a few months after the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Investigators said they are taking the theft seriously.

"Anytime any explosives are in the hands of the wrong people, we're concerned
about it, and were working closely with all area law enforcement to try and
locate the stuff," said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tom Noble.
"Obviously, we take this very seriously."

Investigators were still at the site Tuesday evening.

Noble said that the thief or thieves somehow got past the locks. Another
storage building was not touched, Schmitz said. The sheriff's office referred
calls to the ATF.

Noble said that the FBI was offering a "substantial" award for information
about the theft. Anyone with information is asked to call 314-231-4324.

Jag

[American Patriot]

55 years old? JFK connection? Hmmm he would have been like... 11?

[Sean Osborne]

55 years old? JFK connection? Hmmm he would have been like... 11?

Wrong JFK.

Not This...
John F. Kennedy, 35th POTUS





This...
John F. Kennedy International Airport

[Backstop]

Oh crap.

Culled from CounterTerrorismBlog

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...ive_suici.html

Exclusive: Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to U.S., Europe
June 18, 2007 4:45 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

Large teams of newly trained suicide bombers are being sent to the United States and Europe, according to evidence contained on a new videotape obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

Teams assigned to carry out attacks in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany were introduced at an al Qaeda/Taliban training camp graduation ceremony held June 9.

A Pakistani journalist was invited to attend and take pictures as some 300 recruits, including boys as young as 12, were supposedly sent off on their suicide missions.

Photos: Inside an al Qaida/Taliban ‘Graduation’

The tape shows Taliban military commander Mansoor Dadullah, whose brother was killed by the U.S. last month, introducing and congratulating each team as they stood.

"These Americans, Canadians, British and Germans come here to Afghanistan from faraway places," Dadullah says on the tape. "Why shouldn't we go after them?"

The leader of the team assigned to attack Great Britain spoke in English.

"So let me say something about why we are going, along with my team, for a suicide attack in Britain," he said. "Whether my colleagues, companions and Muslim brothers die today or tonight, every drop of our blood will invigorate the Muslim (unintelligible)."

Video: Watch the Taliban’s ‘Graduation’ Ceremony

U.S. intelligence officials described the event as another example of "an aggressive and sophisticated propaganda campaign."

Others take it very seriously.

"It doesn't take too many who are willing to actually do it and be able to slip through the net and get into the United States or England and cause a lot of damage," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism official.

Watch Brian Ross' full report on "World News With Charles Gibson."

The photo and video link don't work, but I'll leave them in - I will bring the pics here if possible.

[Backstop]

Pics from the above article:


Mansoor Dadullah, the brother of the late ruthless Taliban commander, Mullah Dadullah, arrives at the Taliban's "graduation" ceremony in a white station wagon with a blue light on top.

--


Since his brother's death, Mansoor Dadullah has taken over as commander for Taliban operations.

--


The "graduation" took place on June 9 somewhere in the tribal areas along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

--


The "graduates" are seated and conceal their faces with black scarves.

--


Mansoor Dadullah commends the "graduates," the recruits, for preparing to launch suicide attacks in the U.S., Britain, Canada and Germany -- all countries that have soldiers fighting in Afghanistan.

--


Praise be to God that the enthusiasm of these people is so strong that the people are going by crowds to martyrdom and to sacrifice themselves," Mansoor Dadullah said. "It is not just for fighting but to sacrifice themselves."

--


The "graduates" sit in brigades, according to the region in which they plan to launch attacks. During the ceremony, a brigade leader speaks on behalf of his comrades.

--


The leader of the British brigade explains why "his team" stands ready to carry out suicide attacks in Great Britain. "Unfortunately, the U.S.A., Britain, the alliance, our government...are driven...by the obsession to eliminate the Muslims from the surface of the earth," he said. "Whether my colleagues, companions and Muslim brothers die today or tonight, every drop of blood will invigorate the Muslim movement."

--


This is the American group, whose members are ready to launch suicide attacks in the United States.

--


These recruits stand ready to target Canada.

--


This group is prepared to attack Germans. Germany has been a target of the Taliban and al Qaeda since its troops joined the NATO forces in Afghanistan.

--


Instead of applause, the "graduates" wave white flags during the ceremony.

--


All in all, some 300 recruits, including some very young boys, were supposedly sent off on suicide missions.

--


Throughout the videotape, two to three cameras are seen. A U.S. intelligence official says the tape is another example of an "aggressive and sophisticated propaganda effort."

--


After all of the speeches, there was a reception line, during which many of the recruits' faces are shown, including this of a boy who appears to be as young as 10 or 12 years-old.

--


On the headbands worn by the "graduates" is written "Mohammad is the Prophet of God," on one side and "There is no God but Allah," on the other.

--


Mansoor Dadullah congratulates a "graduate," a newly dubbed Taliban militant.

[Jag]

U.S. Issues 'Intelligence Bulletin' on ABC News Taliban Video

June 21, 2007 12:19 PM
Christopher Isham Reports:
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued an "intelligence bulletin" regarding the Taliban video broadcast by ABC News on Monday, the Blotter has learned.

The Bulletin, which was issued to law enforcement officials nationwide on Tuesday, states, "ABC News has obtained a video depicting Taliban military commander Mansoor Dadullah introducing suicide teams assigned to carry out attacks in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Great Britain."

The Bulletin goes on to state that while the DHS and FBI have no evidence to suggest a "specific and imminent threat to the Homeland at this time," the agencies will continue to "monitor intelligence for signs of such plotting or any related activity" and urges recipients "to maintain their high level of vigilance because extremists in these groups remain determined to strike in the West, especially the United States."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/

Jag

[American Patriot]

Wrong JFK.

No, I was talking about the age of the individual that they were connecting to the JFK PLOT. He is 55 NOW, he would have been 11 when JFK was assassinated.

Pay attention.

(It was a joke) - hahaha

[Sean Osborne]

No, I was talking about the age of the individual that they were connecting to the JFK PLOT. He is 55 NOW, he would have been 11 when JFK was assassinated.

Pay attention.

(It was a joke) - hahaha

Rick,

Pay attention?

My point was and remains that the 55-year old age of Abdul Kadir is totally irrelevant to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Abdul Kadir's age is just irrelevant as is the age of Kareem Ibrahim who is 56 years old.

Trinidadian Kareem Ibrahim, 56, left, and Guyanan Abdul Kadir arrive... (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

Also, and from my perspective... there is no humor and no joke in a plot with direct ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran and a father/son having the last name el-Shukrijumah, and the relationship that name brings to another plot which is nuclear in nature. That is what my attention is focused upon.

What is also very relevant and very germane to this issue is the following investigative report which illustrates the links to Iran, cold-blooded murder and the relationship of the individuals involved to the plot to bomb John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.


http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/JFK061407

[Jag]

Fake bomb eludes airport test Albany facility's security measures fail in 5 of 7 trials, mostly at the passenger checkpoint

By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Senior writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Wednesday, July 4, 2007

COLONIE -- Federal inspectors were able to slip a fake bomb through a checkpoint at Albany International Airport during a test of the facility's Transportation Security Administration screeners, according to individuals familiar with the incident.

The unannounced inspection by TSA officials took place early last week. The airport's security measures failed in five of seven tests, most of the problems occurring at the passenger checkpoint, the sources said.

In one test, TSA inspectors hid the components of a fake bomb in carry-on luggage that also contained a bottle of water. Passengers are prohibited from carrying containers holding more than three ounces of liquids, gels or aerosols through airport checkpoints.

The screeners at Albany International confiscated the water bottle but missed the bomb. In all, the inspectors slipped four banned items through the main checkpoint during the test, sources said.

The TSA, which took over security at the nation's commercial airports after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, conducts random tests of its workforce on a regular basis and failures are common, officials said.

Paul Varville, the TSA's security director at Albany International, could not be reached for comment.

Ann Davis, a TSA spokeswoman, declined to discuss the circumstances of the covert test at Albany International.
"We don't discuss the results because they tend to paint an inaccurate picture of the competency of our work force," she said. "The tests are designed to be incredibly difficult and TSA does anticipate a fair level of failure."

Screeners who flunk the test routinely receive immediate training on the mistakes to improve their detection skills, according to officials familiar with the spot checks.

Last October, the Star-Ledger newspaper of Newark, citing unnamed federal security officials, reported screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport flunked 20 of 22 tests, including failing to detect bombs and guns in luggage at checkpoints.

The TSA responded to the report by launching an internal investigation in which federal employees were interrogated about whether they had leaked the results, the newspaper said.

Not all of the TSA's checks are done at passenger checkpoints. In some instances, TSA inspectors try to gain access to restricted airport areas and see how many employees they can get by before someone asks to see or verify their credentials.

At two airports in Houston last month, TSA officials swarmed the facilities as security and "behavior detection" officers conducted random screening of approximately 5,200 employees and passengers at boarding gates, according to the TSA.

Five employees with expired airport security badges were found as were two who did not have credentials. The expired badges were confiscated and the employees in violation were escorted off airport property, according to a TSA news release.

Davis said security screeners who fail tests must undergo extra training in addition to annual recertification exams.
"These covert tests conducted by security personnel simply augment their training regimen," Davis said.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...sdate=7/5/2007

Just don't think extra training is going to work.....
Jag

[Jag]

Women arrested after police standoff


Arlington: 2 were investigated after earlier airport incidents


12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 17, 2007


By STEVE THOMPSON / The Dallas Morning News
stevethompson@dallasnews.com


It started with a routine domestic disturbance, except that the pair involved has recently been under investigation by federal terrorism officials.

Before the day ended, Arlington police had negotiated a six-hour standoff, their robot had been shot at with a paintball gun, and they had called in a bomb squad over four potentially explosive devices.

Kimberly Al-Homsi called 911 about 12:40 a.m. Monday. She said her friend, Aisha Hamad, had threatened her with a knife. The two are noteworthy because a few months ago, they were seen at Dallas Love Field, both dressed in camouflage pants under traditional Muslim robes, conducting what appeared to be surveillance, officials said.

Police say that Monday morning, when an officer came to the door, Ms. Hamad threatened to shoot him. She told him the only way she would leave was in a body bag.

So began the standoff, during which she fired a paintball gun at a tactical robot and missed, police say, and at the end of which a negotiator persuaded her to come out peacefully. Once outside, Ms. Hamad, 50, fought with them while they tried to handcuff her, police say, so they used a Taser on her.

Police took Ms. Hamad to a hospital, where she was to undergo a mental evaluation. She is likely to face assault charges, Arlington police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said.

Meanwhile, police searched the home on Wembley Road and found four explosive devices, one of which was sitting on a bedroom table.

Citing an ongoing investigation, Arlington Assistant Fire Marshal Stephen Lea would not say what the devices were.

"We do not know whether they would function as [explosive] devices until we have time to study them and look at them and test the materials," Mr. Lea said. "I can tell you this; there wasn't anything in there that would have blown her house to pieces."

Ms. Hamad's friend and alleged victim, Ms. Al-Homsi, was jailed on a charge of possessing a prohibited weapon. She was being held, with bail set at $3,000.

The terrorism angle stems from Feb. 25, when the two women were spotted at Love Field acting in a way authorities found suspicious. Surveillance video showed one of them walking back and forth, apparently pacing off distances.

When confronted, the women told officials they were looking for the Frontiers of Flight museum.

Two days later, the pair was spotted at the airport again. This time Ms. Al-Homsi, 42, was sitting on the hood of a car looking through binoculars at airplanes. Dallas officers stopped the car nearby, but the women refused to let police search it, authorities say.

The women also came under scrutiny after they were reported driving near the runways at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on July 4.

Dallas police and federal terrorism officials have acknowledged investigating the pair, but police officials have said they had no direct evidence the women have ties to terrorism. The women have accused authorities of violating their rights and of religious and racial profiling.
In 2005, Ms. Al-Homsi was accused of waving a fake grenade at a motorist on Central Expressway during a spasm of road rage. Officials charged her with a bomb hoax, and she was placed on probation. She is said to have long-range assault rifle and explosives training, according to a Dallas police intelligence bulletin issued March 5.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...n1.76e4a1.html

Jag

[Aplomb]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/...terror_warning

Airports warned about terror dry runs



By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September.

The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20 by the Transportation Security Administration to federal air marshals, its own transportation security officers and other law enforcement agencies.

The seizures at airports in San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore included "wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components and dense clay-like substances," including block cheese, the bulletin said. "The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items raise concern."

Security officers were urged to keep an eye out for "ordinary items that look like improvised explosive device components."

The 13-paragraph bulletin was posted on the Internet by NBC Nightly News, which first reported the story.

A federal official familiar with the document confirmed the authenticity of the NBC posting but declined to be identified by name because it has not been officially released.

"There is no credible, specific threat here," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said Tuesday. "Don't panic. We do these things all the time."

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke described the notice as the latest copy of a routine informational bulletin for TSA workers, airport employees and law enforcement officials.

A statement posted late Tuesday by the TSA on its Web site confirmed that "a routine TSA intelligence bulletin relating to suspicious incidents at U.S. airports" had leaked to news organizations. The statement added, "During the past six months TSA has produced more than 90 unclassified bulletins of this nature on a wide variety of security-related subjects."

The bulletin said the a joint FBI-Homeland Security Department assessment found that terrorists have conducted probes, dry runs and dress rehearsals in advance of previous attacks.

It cited various types of rehearsals conducted by terrorists before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; the July 7, 2005, London subway bombings; the Aug. 2, 2006, London-based plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights using liquid explosives and the 1994 Bojinka plot in the Philippines to blow up multiple airliners over the Pacific Ocean.

The bulletin said the passengers carrying the suspicious items seized since September included men and women and that initial investigation had not linked them with criminal or terrorist organizations. But it added that most of their explanations for carrying the items were suspicious and some were still under investigation.

The four seizures were described this way:

• San Diego, July 7. A U.S. person — either a citizen or a foreigner legally here — checked baggage containing two ice packs covered in duct tape. The ice packs had clay inside them rather than the normal blue gel.

• Milwaukee, June 4. A U.S. person's carryon baggage contained wire coil wrapped around a possible initiator, an electrical switch, batteries, three tubes and two blocks of cheese. The bulletin said block cheese has a consistency similar to some explosives.

• Houston, Nov. 8, 2006. A U.S. person's checked baggage contained a plastic bag with a 9-volt battery, wires, a block of brown clay-like minerals and pipes.

• Baltimore, Sept. 16, 2006. A couple's checked baggage contained a plastic bag with a block of processed cheese taped to another plastic bag holding a cellular phone charger.

___

On the Net:

Link to view TSA advisory: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/se...%20warning.pdf

TSA statement: http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/..._bulletin.shtm

[RavenLyke]

I am wondering if these dry run attempts at airports etc. are to take our mind of where the real attack is going to come from. Such as cells already in place or cells migrating across the borders. It seems like it would be much easier for them to bypass the airlines and hit us in an even softer place. Just my opinion, but I think that the Airports are my least worry at this point.

[BigTex]

Houston Hobby Airport Closed due to Security Reasons

I have a co worker that just called to say that Houston Hobby airport is closed at this time due to security reasons. I haven't seen anything on local or national news. I will update when I hear more.

Big Tex

[BigTex]

Hobby airport reopened a short time later but still havent heard any reason why it was shutdown except for a security reason.

BigTex

[Phil Fiord]

Yesterday Long Beach Airport was evacuated when a screened bag showed possible makings for an explosive. LA Sheriff Bomb Squad was called in as the terminal was emptied.

While that drama was unfolding reports came that ABC in DC has a suspicious letter. It was quickly cleared as Long Beach dragged on.

The Long Beach incident was cleared as the suspicious item was a game board. The traveler was being questioned by the FBI.

The terminal opened again.

Now, is it that more suspicious incidents are happening? Or is it just the awareness level of the media reporting it.