Sunday, October 03, 2010

Europe Under Alert




World scoured for terror plotters
Europeans raise alert levels; U.S. advises travelers

Associated Press)By Eli Lake, Joseph Weber and Benjamin Birnbaum-The Washington Times

8:49 p.m., Sunday, October 3, 2010

TOWERING THREAT: French soldiers patrol the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday. The State Department is cautioning Americans traveling in Europe to be vigilant because of heightened concerns about a terrorist attack, but the U.S. has not told citizens to forgo travel to Europe.

U.S. and allied intelligence agencies are on a near-global manhunt — from South Asia and the Middle East to North Africa and Europe — for teams of al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists thought to be preparing multiple attacks on major European cities.

U.S. counterterrorism officials told The Washington Times that U.S. and allied services were examining multiple plots as well as multiple modes of attacks ranging from paramilitary-style raids similar to the 2008 attacks on downtown Mumbai to the vehicle bombs that to this day ravage Baghdad.

The al Qaeda affiliates plotting the attacks on Europe include Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistani Taliban that are said to be training dozens of European passport holders for attacks in Europe.

Also planning attacks are operatives from al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, the group's affiliate based in Algeria and North Africa.

"No one should think in terms of a single Europe threat," a U.S. counterterrorism official told The Times. "We could be looking at plots — plural — that are probably at various stages of development.

"As you would expect, American and European counterterrorism officials are working closely together to gather information on, and thwart, anything that terrorists may be planning," the official said. "And since some of the concerns emanate from South Asia and North Africa, governments in those parts of the world are involved, too."

Over the weekend, the State Department issued a travel alert for Americans in Europe to beware of "potential for terrorist attacks in Europe."

The alert is not as strong as a warning, said Patrick F. Kennedy, undersecretary of state for management, stressing that the State Department was not asking Americans to forgo travel to Europe.

Mr. Kennedy said multiple streams of intelligence and threat reporting led to the conclusion. "As facts came to our attention, a picture began to emerge," he said.

The official alert warned Americans of "potential strikes on public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime service."

On Friday, Sweden announced that it was elevating its terrorism threat alert. On Sept. 16, France raised its alert to "reinforced red" — one below the top level.

On Tuesday, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated for two hours after an anonymous caller said a bomb was about to detonate. The Eiffel Tower experienced a similar scare two weeks earlier.

The United Kingdom issued a travel warning for France over the weekend and increased its terrorism warning as well, an indication that more invasive electronic eavesdropping was authorized for the duration of the threat.

Concern about an attack in the West this fall first emerged over the summer after U.S. authorities captured a German citizen of Afghan origin named Ahmad Siddiqui. Mr. Siddiqui was in contact with at least four of the original plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to press sources including the German newspaper Der Spiegel.

"One reason Siddiqui is important is because he was recruited at the Taiba Mosque in Hamburg, Germany, which was a core part of Osama bin Laden's network at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. The mosque was closed down just weeks after Siddiqui was detained in Afghanistan," said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "This says to me the plot is being planned at the highest levels of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden."

Security specialists have been concerned about the prospect of an attack similar to the 2008 military-style raids on sections of downtown Mumbai in which 166 people were killed during a three-day assault.

Intelligence sources said the mastermind of the Mumbai attack was Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior al Qaeda commander who the CIA at first thought had killed in a drone attack a year ago but is now thought to be in control of a sleeper network in Western Europe. That network was first disclosed to the public in the case of David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American convicted of terrorism charges in March.

The indictment against Headley stated that Mr. Kashmiri sent him to scope out Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

44 comments:

  1. yep....

    it aint the swedes, the pole or the jews...

    it's the moslems...

    dont worry about those italians, those japanese or those australians...

    worry about those that SUBMIT to ALLAH...

    Not all moslems are terrorists....

    Not all terrorists are moslems....

    But life aint fair...

    So if you submit to Allah?

    You'd better grow a pair and start protesting your own kind NOW and do it loudly or you will not be welcome outside of your own society.

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  2. Once again, the papers and media have stories everywhere that a group of so-called Germans, Muslims all, immigrants or sons of immigrants from all the usual places, radicalized in German mosques are causing disruption and threatening violence in Europe against civilian targets.

    We still have the Obama's and Bloomberg's and Bush's regurgitating the same multi-cultural inclusive nonsense trying to ignore the obvious.

    Religion needs be tolerated if it is not a threat to public safety, but it need not be embraced and sanctioned if is incapable of meeting the acceptable standards of western culture.

    Islam is a unique problem and has no more business in the West than naziism.

    Islam is not a religion in the western sense. It is an aberrant cultural malignancy. Can it be cured? Not by the West it can't.Only Islam can reform itself. It cannot be done externally.

    The West needs to redefine what is a religion that is both acceptable and to be tolerated. First on the list is that any so-called religion must conform with the laws and cultural norms of society.

    It is no more complicated than being a good neighbor and not disturbing the tranquility and safety of a community.

    Islam does not do that. It treats half the human population as less than equal. it discriminates, harms and sanctions violence against woman. That is grounds for divorce.

    The West needs to divorce Islam. Let them sort out their own disastrous mess, but force them to follow our culture or return to their own.

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  3. Mr. Siddiqui was in contact with at least four of the original plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks, ...

    After a trillion USD spent, that line tells the tale of abject failure by the United States.

    We should have left Iraq alone, and invaded Germany. That is where the attack upon US emanated and where the major threat persists, even today.

    There and in Pakistan.
    Funded by the Sauds.

    As it was, so it remains.

    How do we divorce ourselves from the million barrels of crude we import from the Persian Gulf, each day?

    The problem is not Islam, it is in the mirror. A failure to see the problem for what it is.

    A "Western" life style that is beyond the present means of sustaining it. Coupled with a lack of resolve to solve that challenge, internally.

    Blaming others for our excess.

    Demanding that they change, to accommodate us. That the Muslims take up the modern Western style of industrialized death, exemplified by the infanticide we've practiced for almost 40 years.

    Body parts are us.

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  4. Please Note:

    The "name" of Dr Hiss is an anti-semitic label worn by a known Israel and Jew hater.

    Notice his comments always defend Islam.

    He uses the names Rat and Panama Ed.

    He will do anything, including lie and distort to twist words.

    DO NOT RESPOND TO HIS POINTS IT IS USELESS.

    This message was posted as a public service to educate anyone reading this blog as to who and what is an "islamic troll"

    Thank you for your cooperation......

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  5. We spent a trillion because we were naive enough to think that we can change societies we do not understand.

    Attacking Iraq has accomplished little long term benefit.

    Afghanistan is worse. Pakistan worse still.

    It is inexplicable to me that nine years after 911; the two towers are still down, we are still in Afghanistan, still importing oil and have blown trillions of dollars.

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  6. Gee, what happened to elephants and colorful background?

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  7. It is a work in process. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work in process all over the place.

    In fact my life is a work in process, and thank God for that.

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  8. .
    Good morning Trish.

    I think Deuce is going through some kind of existential awakening.

    What the bar will look like at the end of this metamorphosis? Who knows? All we can do is sit back and observe the process.

    Kind of like a 'Genesis Project'.

    Kinda scary.


    .

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  9. Here.

    This is the view from my window.

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  10. .
    Deuce.

    Passing along an add I noticed on Comcast this morning.

    When looking at this, look at the animation in the center for a while. The elephants will eventually appear.

    Perhaps the bar needs an 'animated' header if that's possible. If you could figure it out, you could be the first.

    What a breakthough.

    Just saying.


    Walking Elephants

    .

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  11. I saw that, however, it is not compatible with Mac's and the blogger architecture is very limited.

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  12. time for a post on the Iranians and worms


    Stuxnet Computer Virus May Be Targeted at Iran Nuclear Plant, FT Reports
    By Alan Purkiss - Sep 24, 2010
    A computer worm called Stuxnet, which targets Siemens AG software used to control industrial equipment, may be aimed at destroying a specific plant, possibly Iran’s controversial nuclear facility, according to Ralph Langner, a German industrial controls safety expert, the Financial Times reported.

    Langner was speaking at a closed conference in Maryland this week, the newspaper said.

    The virus, which spreads through holes in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system, is the first aimed at destroying physical installations; it’s the work of a well financed, highly organized team, probably associated with a national government, the FT said, citing security experts.

    According to Symantec Corp., which has been investigating Stuxnet and plans to publish details on Sept. 29, Iran has had more infections than any other country, the newspaper said.

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  13. intelligence sources report from Iran that dozens of Russian nuclear engineers, technicians and contractors are hurriedly departing Iran for home since local intelligence authorities began rounding up their compatriots as suspects of planting the Stuxnet malworm into their nuclear program.
    Among them are the Russian personnel who built Iran's first nuclear reactor at Bushehr which Tehran admits has been damaged by the virus.

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  14. EEslam is not a religion, it is a government.

    Rat, once again, I see, has perfect 20-20 hindsight, from his arm chair.

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  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. "It is a work in process."

    Shouldn't it it be 'a work in progress'?

    I used to think this a careless mistake.

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  17. MOSCOW – More than 400 police officers and other law enforcement agents have been killed by militants over the past five years in just one of Russia's restive southern provinces, its leader says.
    Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the president of the province of Ingushetia west of Chechnya, said at a rally Saturday that more than 3,000 civilians have been wounded in attacks by militants in the region over the same period, a statement on his administration's official website said Sunday.
    Yevkurov himself was badly wounded by a suicide bombing of his convoy in June 2009.
    Ingushetia and other provinces in Russia's restive North Caucasus region have been plagued by Islamic militant attacks, which spread across the region after two separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya. Rights groups say that police abuses against civilians have fueled violence.

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  18. Kids Find Classmate's Brain

    "A couple of the kids noticed it immediately, and the kids who knew him became really distraught," Andre and Korisha Shipley's lawyer, Marvin Ben-Aron, told The New York Post.

    Some of the students even took cell phone photos of the brain floating in a jar, before they were confiscated by their teacher, he said.

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  19. "We still have the Obama's and Bloomberg's and Bush's regurgitating the same multi-cultural inclusive nonsense trying to ignore the obvious."

    ROP

    How ignorant, misguided, and stupid does a population have to be to contenance mosques of hate that were well documented in 1994 by Steve Emerson's Video?

    ...or if EVERY American were asked in private, would a majority indicate they believe the nonsense propagated by our masters in the ruling class?

    What percent of the Officer Corps of US Armed Services propagate the party line?
    Perhaps Trish could provide her estimate.

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  20. No, a "work in process" is a project being conducted as it is being observed. The process includes systematic steps needed in order to complete.

    The "progress" occurs as the interim goals are met and finally when the project progresses to the end.

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  21. There is always the shock of the new.

    Consistency is good. It has helped us survive. We instinctively reject change and dislike it. No one likes to find unfamiliar tracks on a familiar trail.

    I apologize for the disruption and would have preferred to present a finished project. I simply do not have enough time to do it, and botched my first attempts and could not restore what I changed.

    I have been paying attention to comments and hope to complete it soon. I am open to suggestions on the features and hope to make something that feels like home.

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  22. I would like the ROP suicidal MeMe to change.

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  23. Want a scary thought?

    How many times have you heard the statement that most Muslims are good people?

    Often, and perhaps they are, but then how do you answer the question as to their being silent in the face of horrible terroristic and murderous acts?

    Now for the scary part; suppose most Muslims are fearful about what will happen to them if they speak out, fearful of the fanatics deeply embedded in all things Islamic.

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  24. We could only determine the fear factor after systematically eliminating Jihadis and eliminating tho institutions that promote Jihad across the country.

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  25. Is this delusional paranoia, Trish?

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  26. .

    I believe Deuce's comment was more or less rhetorical Dougo.

    With regard to 'delusional paranoia', in your case that is always a safe bet.

    Were Trish to answer, I suspect it would be along the lines of "The Magic 8-Ball says Yes".

    .

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  27. So your answer is "yes" Quirk?

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  28. Rhetorical statements make valid talking points.

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  29. .
    You make an assumption on a post with many parts.

    First, that Deuce's statement was rhetorical is merely my opinion of it.

    With regard to 'delusional paronoia' and the safe bet when applied to you, that was simple. Occam's Razor.

    With regard to the Magic 8-Ball, the Magic 8-Ball is never wrong. That's why it's called the Magic 8-Ball.

    With regard to your statement

    We could only determine the fear factor after systematically eliminating Jihadis and eliminating tho institutions that promote Jihad across the country.

    While in my opinion it would be a good thing if it could be accomplished, I don't think it would prove the case one way or another as an answer to Deuce's rhetorical question.

    Regarding

    Rhetorical statements make valid talking points.

    I would say they promote discussion. I'll leave the talking points to you.

    .

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  30. My point was that if Jihadis and stealth Jihadis were removed from the country, we could get a more accurate reading on the willingness of assimilated muslims to speak out.

    Even in this environment of political correctness sheltering radical Islamists, some brave souls risk telling the truth.

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  31. "With regard to 'delusional paronoia' and the safe bet when applied to you, that was simple. Occam's Razor."

    Explaining what?
    Examples of same would be appreciated.

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  32. "Rhetorical statements make valid talking points.

    I would say they promote discussion. I'll leave the talking points to you."

    I'd give that a 9.2 on the Trish Riddle Scale. 2011®

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  33. Dougo,

    You do know I was just kidding around in the previous post right?


    .

    (On your last post my point would be that even if you did eliminate all the jihadist and the jihadist organization, it would still not tell you what was in the hearts of the majority of Muslims. Would they still be silent. Or if they did speak out, would it be because they were no longer afraid of the jihadist or because they saw what you did to the jihadist.

    They are either with us or against us or in between. Who knows?

    Who knows what evil lurks within the hearts of men? Only the Shadow and the Quirkster._

    .

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  34. Hey, don't go messing around with my lady.

    .

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  35. "...or because they saw what you did to the jihadist."

    Good point, I hadn't looked at it that way.

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  36. Yeah, I shouldn't have disclosed she got advance registration from the regieme in service of the Opaque Front.

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  37. .

    :)

    You're my favorite pineapple eater Doug.

    I'm trying to stay on your good side in case I ever miss that last plane off off Maui and need a place to crash.

    .

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  38. How could you crash if you missed the plane?

    If, as a result, you choose to commit suicide while driving, why would you need my good offices in order to drive into my concrete blast barrier?

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  39. .

    That's cold Doug. Real cold.

    .

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  40. Beyond any doubt blog with useful informations.

    ReplyDelete