Terrorism here in the US

[American Patriot]

Bomb Threat Forces New Jersey Schools to Close
1010WINS ^ | September 18, 2007 | AP




EMERSON, N.J. (NorthJersey.com/AP) -- Schools in about a dozen northern New Jersey towns will be closed Thursday because of a bomb threat addressed to the mayor of Emerson.


Emerson schools were evacuated Wednesday and had early dismissal as a precaution, but the district says its three schools will reopen Friday.


Other districts closing Thursday are Oradell, River Edge, Closter, Demarest, Haworth, Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan, along with Northern Valley and River Dell regional high schools.


Northern Valley Schools Superintendent Jan Furman said the letter claimed the Emerson schools and two unnamed schools in nearby towns would be "blown out'' at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.


Bomb squads were searching schools in Emerson and other districts.


In Oradell, Police Chief Rhynie Emanuel said administrators of the five schools, including a nursery school, met at Borough Hall about half an hour after police were notified of the threat. They agreed to shut down schools Wednesday and throughout Thursday, including all school-sponsored extracurricular activities.


Bergen County Police Capt. Kevin Hartnett said that bomb threats at schools have become a yearly occurrence, and officials take quick action.
“We take school safety very seriously,” Emanuel said.

[Jag]

Explosion Shatters Windows At Mexican Consulate

Police: Two Replica Grenades Thrown Overnight

Oct 26, 2007 1:47 pm US/Eastern

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Police and bomb squad units were called to the Mexican Consulate in Manhattan early Friday morning after two explosive devices were thrown at the building, causing a small explosion, WCBSTV.com first reported.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the two devices were replica grenades packed with explosive powder, eerily similar to an incident at the British Consulate two years ago.

Kelly said the devices may have been thrown by someone on a bicycle. The detonation blew out several windows and sent debris flying into the building, located in the Murray Hill section at 27 E. 39th Street between Madison and Park avenues.

There are no reports of any injuries, but consulate employees were tense as the news spread. "Everybody got nervous when they heard something about this, but we can stay calm," said Alejandro Aquino.

A woman who works near the building tells CBS 2's Sean Hennessey that her boss heard an explosion around 3:30 a.m. "He said he heard something that sounded like a bomb, and he never heard anything that loud in his life and it scared him," she said.

When consulate employees arrived at the building Friday morning, they said they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary other than broken windows, which is when they notified authorities.

The NYPD's Arson Explosive Unit and the Bomb Squad are investigating the incident, as is the FBI and the area has been cordoned off.

In May 2005, two hand grenades exploded outside the British Consulate also around 3:30 in the morning, just as Britons went to the polls in a national election. That blast also caused minor damage and no injuries. The devices used in that attack were described as replica grenades, normally sold as novelty items, that were stuffed with gunpowder and lit with a fuse.

http://wcbstv.com/local/mexican.cons....2.413390.html

Jag

[American Patriot]

Authorities Raid Urbandale Man's Apartment

POSTED: 5:32 pm CDT November 1, 2007
UPDATED: 11:12 am CDT November 2, 2007
An Urbandale man is being investigated after witnesses reported hearing him talk about making a dirty bomb.

Two witnesses told law enforcement that Justin Sheridan has done things and said things that they consider a threat to the public. That was enough for law enforcement to open an investigation that they classify as a terrorism threat case.

State and local agents moved in to search Sheridan’s apartment and vehicle last week.

A written statement to law enforcement from an informant states that "(Sheridan) told me he's found out how to make...a fertilizer bomb, and that he doesn't expect to live long...so he said he's going to go out with a bang...he's an anarchist."

The statement also said, "I notified the FBI because he's started to collect smoke detectors for material in making a bomb... using the radioactive material in the detectors."

A second informant told law enforcement, "Justin Sheridan wanted (me) to provide smoke detectors from the job sites...so that he could remove the 'Alpha emitter to make a bomb.'"

A task force of agents searched Sheridan's apartment and found "a cardboard box with smoke detector parts wrapped in tin foil. The parts are Americium - 241 Alpha Emitters."

"This individual was attempting to collect very small, minute traces of radioactive material that's in a smoke detector. But as I understand it, it's such a minute amount of radiation that it really doesn't pose a problem to anybody unless they actually ingest it," said James Saunders with Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Agents also seized computer equipment, guns, gun magazines, ammunition, a "tactical" black vest and ski mask, and a vibrating lock pick.

Agents told KCCI that, while searching the apartment, they found evidence of an illegal psychedelic mushroom growing operation. They called in drug agents, who sought a second search warrant to focus on the drugs.

The informant who went to the FBI told law enforcement, "After Virginia Tech, Columbine and other incidents, I didn't want any potential loss of life having not done anything to stop it."

"He did pose a risk. And so we're fortunate that the public stepped up and reported the suspicious activity, and law enforcement took immediate action," Saunders said.

Saunders said the public was not at risk from the radioactive material because it was so small an amount. Agents are testing the weapons found, and they're searching Sheridan's computer before deciding whether to file any charges.

Sheridan was booked at the Polk County Jail and has since been released.

[American Patriot]

Exclusive: FBI: Al Qaeda May Strike U.S. Shopping Malls in LA, Chicago
ABC News ^ | November 8, 2007 | Richard Esposito and Vic Walter

The FBI is warning that al Qaeda may be preparing a series of holiday attacks on U.S. shopping malls in Los Angeles and Chicago, according to an intelligence bulletin distributed to law enforcement authorities across the country this morning.

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

[American Patriot]

FBI warns of possible shopping mall attacks
Reuters ^ | November 8, 2007

An FBI report warned al Qaeda may be planning to strike shopping malls in Chicago and Los Angeles during the Christmas season, but a bureau official said on Thursday there was no information it was a credible threat.

ABC News first disclosed portions of the report that was based on intelligence received by the FBI in late September. The report said al Qaeda hoped to disrupt the U.S. economy and had been planning the attack for the past two years.

The document, called an intelligence information report, was intended for law enforcement and the intelligence community, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said.

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

[American Patriot]

FBI warns of uncorroborated threat to malls
cnn.com ^ | Nov 8, 2007 | Kelli Arena and Carol Cratty

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In what one FBI spokesman described as "almost an annual ritual," the bureau has obtained uncorroborated intelligence indicating al Qaeda would like to strike shopping malls during the holiday shopping season, two law enforcement sources said Thursday.

Those sources confirmed there is intelligence dating back to August that al Qaeda would like to attack malls in Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois.

The FBI's information is contained in an intelligence report and is intended for law enforcement and intelligence partners.

"There is no information to state this is a credible threat," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement.

The information is being shared "for situational awareness," he said, and the FBI is reminding people to "remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities."

A spokesman for the FBI's Chicago field office, Ross Rice, stressed the intelligence came "from an uncorroborated source and it's non-specific."

Rice said there was no mention of particular malls in Chicago and Los Angeles that might be the focus of a threat. And he added that "it's almost an annual ritual" for information to come to light about mall threats at holiday shopping time.

-snip-

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

[MagnetMan]

In what one FBI spokesman described as "almost an annual ritual," the bureau has obtained uncorroborated intelligence indicating al Qaeda would like to strike shopping malls during the holiday shopping season, two law enforcement sources said Thursday.

This quote makes me think that we are becoming to accustomed to an "annual ritual" of threats that don't end up occurring. That's not to say that each warning should be taken seriously, but I have a feeling that people might start to automatically dismiss these type of warnings flat out.

[American Patriot]

People have been dismissing these threads. There's a whole lot of folks on the left side of the aisle making statements about "Why are you trying to scare us", calling the government "scaremongers" and so on.

The ONLY reason we've not had another major attack was due to the diligence of the various LE agencies and normal, everyday citizens keeping their eyes open.

[Jag]

Tucson TV Station Broadcasts Arizona Fort Huachuca Terror Threat Report

November 18, 2007

KOLD News 13 Tucson is currently running a special report focused on a urgent FBI report outlining a possible terrorist threat in southern Arizona. It speaks specifically to Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista.
The document gives no timetable or explanation of how the threat will be carried out.
But it does say, “a group of Iraqis may have entered the United States through tunnels from Mexico into Arizona,” and those same “Iraqis are believed to be the ones who will perpetrate the attack on Fort Huachuca.

Special Report Part 1

Special Report Part 2

In posting this story, I don’t want to imply that we are in favor of KOLD releasing the report. However, as it is now in the public domain and being broadcast on TV we feel it’s an important story to cover.
It may surprise you, but Tucson has had more than it’s share of attention from al Qaeda.

American al Qaeda
American al Qaeda, Adam Gadahn grew up in Riverside County, California. But a search on the Internet reveals he also worked in Tucson as a student reporter for a TV news magazine called “EcoNews.”
Gadahn helped cover a story on a garbage project at the University of Arizona, but he never attended college.
Read More

Terrorist Alley

In 2004, The Investigators on Eyewitness News 4 reported the possible threat of terrorists using the Arizona/Mexico border to cross into the U.S.
While local government officials and immigration advocates questioned the validity of such a threat, the report, “Terrorist Alley,” gained national attention.
Read More

Arizona: Long Range Nexus for Islamic Extremists
With the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. government took notice of the radical leanings held by some Arizona Muslims.

A joint FBI-CIA analysis titled, “Arizona: Long Range Nexus for Islamic Extremists,” likely explores the history of Tucson’s rise to prominence among Muslim radicals but remains classified. Its existence was revealed in the bipartisan 9/11 commission’s final report released Thursday.

That leaves others to explore the reasons why Tucson and Arizona became a destination for Islamic fundamentalists.
FBI spokeswoman Susan Herskovits would not talk specifically about the analysis but said Arizona offers numerous attractions that make it a destination for many Arabs, including legitimate scholars and law-abiding residents.

The University of Arizona recruited Middle Easterners for its science programs, and Arizona’s weather makes flight training schools popular.

The desert climate reminds Middle Easterners of home. And Tucson’s popularity spread through word of mouth, she said.
“Once people from another culture end up in a place like Tucson, other people hear about it and want to be there,” Herskovits said.

In addition to el-Hage, Tucson and the Phoenix area have been home to numerous al-Qaida operatives, including:
Åú Hani Hanjour, who attended the UA and a flight school in the Phoenix area before piloting American Airlines 77 into the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

Åú Mubarak al Duri, who lived in Tucson and, according to the 9/11 commission’s report, served as bin Laden’s principal procurement agent for weapons of mass destruction.

Åú Wa’el Jelaidan, who was president of the Tucson Islamic Center in 1984-’85 and helped found al-Qaida later that decade.

Most known or suspected terrorists seem to have been drawn to Tucson and Arizona by two lures - the availability of flight schools and student visas, said David D. Van Fleet, a professor and terrorism expert in the School of Management at Arizona State

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/u...threat-report/

Jag

[American Patriot]

I have a friend there. I made sure she got this information. She also reads here from time to time.

Any comments from Ft. H?

[American Patriot]

Breaking news is that a hostage taker, alleged to have a bomb strapped to his chest, and with weapons has taken several people hostage in the Hillary Clinton campaign offices in Rochester, New Hampshire.

[American Patriot]

WCVB-TV: Breaking--Man Holding People Hostage atClinton HQ in Rochester NH
http://www.thebostonchannel.com ^ | 11/30/07 | WCVB-TV 5



"A man is holding hostages in the Hillary Clinton for President Headquarters in Rochester NH"--just reported by Susan Wornick on WCVB TV in Boston

[American Patriot]

I don't know about anyone else, but I view this as TERRORIST THREAT. Gosh, I WONDER if the Dummies will see it for what it is? Or will they just let the guy go?

[Jag]

Stolen Fuel Truck From Pennsylvania Prompts National Alert

January 9, 2008


A stolen fuel truck from Leffler Oil Company in Lancaster County, PA is the focus of a nationwide alert. The 1992 truck has Leffler markings on the doors but not on the tank.

The truck was last seen parked at a fuel station on North Sixth Street in Denver, Lancaster County.

The alert went out on Monday when a driver noticed the truck was missing. The truck was carrying about $3,500 worth of a low-sulphur fuel.

Featured Homeland Security Story




Jag

[American Patriot]

CAIR backs off support for terror suspects
WND ^ | January 17, 2008 | Chuck Hustmyre

TAMPA, Fla. – The Council on American-Islamic Relations has backed off on its defense of two Muslim college students caught driving near a sensitive U.S. Navy base with explosives and a how-to video on bomb making. Last August, when police in South Carolina arrested University of South Florida students Ahmed Mohamed and Youssef Megahed for possession of four pipe bombs and a homemade video on how to make detonators for improvised explosive devices, CAIR sprang to the students' defense.

Now, the Washington, D.C.-based Muslim civil rights group is not so sure the boys are innocent.

Ahmed Bedier, executive director of CAIR's Tampa, Fla., office, told WND it's possible the two Egyptian engineering students were up to no good and they possibly were not just carrying fireworks to the beach, as they claimed.

"I've never said that these people were innocent, or that we were providing any kind of support for them," Bedier told WND. "If they did anything wrong they should be punished."

But when FBI agents searched Megahed's home in August, Bedier claimed the case was nothing more than an example of racial profiling.

"Definitely, this is not related to terrorism," Bedier told the Associated Press. "Had these been two good ol' boys from South Carolina driving through and speeding – and even if they did have some fireworks – nobody would have been arrested."

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

[Jag]

Update to stolen fuel truck.....

Fuel Truck Stolen From Penn. Located In D.C.

January 16, 2008


For the second time in less than a week a fuel truck has been stolen in Pennsylvania. This time it made officials a little nervous as they tracked it, using thew truck heading towards Washington D.C.

Washington officials were worried about terrorism on Tuesday night when someone stole a tanker truck and drove it toward D.C.

The truck was stolen from Pennsylvania and ended up in Northeast Washington. However, police said it appeared that the crook wasn’t interested in terrorism.

The fuel truck that was the subject of a nationwide terrorism alert was found on a residential street in Northeast Washington a few miles from the White House on Tuesday night.

The truck was reported stolen early Tuesday morning at a commercial fueling station in Lancaster, Penn.

The lettering on the door reads “Heating Oil Partners, East Hartford, Conn.,” the name of the company that owns the truck.

Investigators called for officers from the bomb squad to make sure that the vehicle was not rigged with any explosives or booby traps.

They said they think whoever stole the truck did so not for terrorism, but for profit.

“We don’t see any nexus to terrorism,” said D.C. police Sgt. James Manning. “We believe it was probably stolen for financial gain of some sort.”

By the time the truck was tracked down via a GPS system, some 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel had been pumped out and presumably stolen.

Heating Oil Partners sent a mechanic and a driver to recover the truck.

“It wasn’t here today, this morning when I left,” said Vince Tompkins, who lives nearby. “On my return it was there. (I left at) 6:30 a.m. this morning.”

D.C. police said they have learned this was the second fuel truck stolen in a few days from the same area of Pennsylvania.

“We’ve heard that there’s been other thefts of Heating Oil trucks in Lancaster,” Manning said. “We’re working with the Lancaster Police Department. I don’t believe any of those other trucks have been found around this area, though.”

Police said there has been an increase in thefts like this as fuel prices continue to rise.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/15058621/detail.html

Jag

[American Patriot]

Chertoff Worries About 'Earth-Shattering' Events

(Dirty bomb, Nuclear or Biological Attack)

wtopnews ^ | 021108 | J.J. Green,

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff's eyes narrow and his voice develops a stern, urgent tone as he reveals America's biggest vulnerability to terrorism.

"The great weapon they have is persistence and patience, and the one weakness that we have is the tendency to lose patience and become complacent," Chertoff tells WTOP.

"It strikes me as hard to accept that anybody would believe the threat is over. There is nothing these terrorists are doing or saying that could lead a reasonable person to believe that they have somehow lost interest. Our biggest challenge is making sure we do not drop our guard because time passes."

Chertoff recognizes it has been more than six years since al Qaida launched the Sept. 11 attacks, but some experts say that's how long it took to plan them, suggesting the U.S. may close in on another spectacular attempt by Osama bin Laden to topple the U.S. economy.

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

[American Patriot]

DHS, FBI Warn of Possibility of Female Homicide Bombers

Tuesday, February 12, 2008


The growing use by terrorist groups of women — some disguised as expectant moms — to deliver deadly homicide bombs has prompted the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to issue a rare warning that such attacks could take place on American soil.

The joint security assessment cited recent female homicide bomber attacks in Baghdad — in which two women who appeared to have Down syndrome delivered a deadly explosion that killed 99 — as well as in Sri Lanka, Chechnya, India, Pakistan and the Palestinian territories as reason for the warning.

"Female suicide bombers may have an advantage over their male counterparts in accessing targets," the analysis cautioned. "The means to conduct a suicide attack vary widely, but a key element in maximizing the lethality of a suicide bombing is the bomber's ability to get close to the target."

The assessment also strongly warned that potential female homicide bombers could use "prosthetic devices that mimic the look of a pregnant woman."

"Regardless of delivery by a man or a woman," the warning reads, "improvised explosive devices may contain fragmentation or shrapnel, such as nails, bolts, glass fragments, marbles, ball bearings, or other small metal pieces."

The assessment, which emphasizes that DHS and FBI have no solid evidence indicating imminent homicide bombing attacks on U.S. soil, also reminds law enforcement officials that "facilities such as public places" are the most vulnerable to homicide bombing attacks and that "the terrorist's latitude in determining and adjusting the target and timing of an attack up to the point of detonation" make it difficult to prepare countermeasures.

"These factors indicate the importance of ... alertness by security professionals to potential threats from the full range of gender and age groups," the bulletin reads.

While homicide bombings within the U.S. have yet to occur, law enforcement agencies have increased their vigilance. In one near-attack in 1997, a Palestinian immigrant came within hours of detonating himself in a crowded Brooklyn, N.Y., subway station used by many Orthodox Jews. His roommate discovered the plot and tipped off police, who were able to prevent the bombing.

Last June, Al Qaeda and Taliban-trained homicide bombers reportedly were dispatched to the U.S., Great Britain, Canada and Germany following a videotaped graduation ceremony that included congratulations from Taliban commander Monsoor Dadullah.

Pakistani security forces reported Monday that they had captured Dadullah in a gunfight at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

[American Patriot]

Ooppss.. Missed this one somehow...

FBI now involved in gas station explosion.





Originally Posted 2/6/2008 11:33:44 PM
Last Updated on2/6/2008 11:37:49 PM
Correction/Comment? Contact Us

FBI now involved in gas station

Tampa, Florida – Many questions are left surrounding the death of a young Palestinian man. And, the FBI wants answers.


22-year-old Farid Karaka was burned alive after a gas station explosion early Wednesday morning on Busch Boulevard.


How did it happen?


Why was Karaka at a local Citgo mechanic’s garage at almost midnight. The garage was closed. He had just left friends at a local coffee shop and was en route to meet them at another location.


The FBI is asking all of these questions. But, they are tight-lipped on telling the media anything. They even refused comment on any connection of Karaka to 2 USF students who were recently arrested.


The question again is why. Have they established a connection? Are they looking into this as a matter of precaution? It would seem odd that a federal agency is involved in a matter left up to local fire investigators.


A local Muslim advocate group, CAIR, is welcoming any questions. And, wanting answers.


“Obviously when any crime happens or any accident happens, we welcome authorities and agencies getting to the bottom of things,” Ahmed Bedier told Tampa Bay’s 10 News at the scene of the fire. “We have lost a good young man.”


In keeping with Muslim tradition, the family wants the victim buried as soon as possible, which will most likely happen in Tampa. Karaka’s close family is located in Palestine. He was working in the United States to send money back home. Relatives in Brandon now have the somber task of burying their loved one, just 2 months before he was to marry a fiancé in New York.



Melanie Brooks, Tampa Bay's 10 News

[American Patriot]

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/loca...?storyid=73395