Al Qaeda again threatens New York, Washington and Los Angeles (thread 2) Daily Terror Threat

DEBKA ^ | 11/03/03

[Mossad1967]

Al Qaeda again threatens New York, Washington and Los Angeles

Link to Thread #1

[JustPiper]

Is Ansar al-Islam aiding the anti-U.S. insurgency in Iraq?

American Red Cross Homeland Security Advisory System Recommendations for Individuals, Families, Neighborhoods, Schools, and Businesses

- DOJ: Response to Terrorist Attacks - news releases, initiative details, and more from Attorney General Ashcroft and the Justice Department

[Labyrinthos]

I must agree. I don't mind going to Thread II, but to put us on the same page as the Hobbit Gang is a bit insulting to all the hard work that has made this thread so great. I never thought we would last as long as we did. I'm trying to think of a newsworthy event short of what we are trying to prevent (I'm a poet and I didn't know it), that would get us back on the front page.

[JustPiper]

StillProud2BeFree has asked me to let you all know the following:

I'm having serious computer problems and am having to post from the library. Can you please let everyone know on the monster thread on FR that I haven't abandonned you guys; I'll be back translating once I can find my Windows disks and get my computer set back up.

[MamaDearest]

Mercy deserves no mercy. This is not a chat room that promotes vulgar language or tawdry behavior.

[WestCoastGal]

What happens when there IS a terrorist attack and we provided information that no one saw because we're chatting??

[JustPiper]

-FBI: War on Terrorism - site includes a list of 'most wanted' suspected terrorists. Also: a form to report suspected terrorist activity.

- White House: National Security - includes text and audio of speeches and statements by the President and cabinet officials

[MamaDearest]

You betcha. Today I cleaned my food pantry and assessed the canned items needed to survive an event that closes stores or prevents us from going anywhere. Made a list of must have items and will purchase them this week. Worst case is that our pantry is very well stocked come summertime. My biggest worry is that my family is scattered across this big country in many cities. I made it a point this week to e-mail those with computers and told them I love them for the same reasons you cited.

[WestCoastGal]

I wonder if she ran into the same problem that others did visiting some of the jihad threads.

[JustPiper]

- Terrorism Indictments and Complaints - full text of indictments and criminal complaints, with links to corresponding law(s) allegedly broken by defendants. From FindLaw

TERRORISM LAW & POLICY - - Terrorism Law and Policy - includes news, policy papers, anti-terrorism laws, academic commentary, and more. From JURIST, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law

America--Still Unprepared, Still in Danger - report of an independent task force, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. Released October 24, 2002

Appendix A: Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 2001 - and - Patterns of Global Terrorism 2001

[Mossad1967]

They can move us!!!

They can ridicule us!!!

They can hate us!!!

but,

THEY CANNOT STOP US!!!

BE SAFE AND VIGILANT!!!

[JustPiper]

No, not Mr. Robinson, but rather the unknown (to me) names, who kept complaining.

Question is Mama, who were they to prevail?

[Cindy]

NOTE: This is an exact quote:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/January/04_crm_033.htm

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2004
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

CRM
(202) 514-2008
TDD (202) 514-1888



MINNEAPOLIS MAN CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO PROVIDE
MATERIAL SUPPORT TO AL QAEDA




WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray of the Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger of the District of Minnesota announced today that Mohammed Abdullah Warsame has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization.


Warsame, 30, of Minneapolis, was charged in a criminal indictment returned Jan. 20, 2004 by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis. The indictment was unsealed today following Warsame’s arrest and initial appearance in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. Warsame was ordered held without bond, pending his return to Minneapolis.


“The indictment of Warsame demonstrates this nation’s iron resolve to detect, disrupt and dismantle the networks of terror,” said Attorney General John Ashcroft. “The charge against Warsame is a grim reminder that al Qaeda, aided by agents and cells in this country, continues its shadowy efforts to destroy the lives and freedoms of the people of the United States.”


“This case is a stark reminder that the threat from terrorists and those who help them exists across the country, not just in New York City and Washington, D.C., but also in places like Buffalo, Tampa, Portland, San Diego, and now, Minnesota,” added Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray. “Our efforts to cut off the rings of terrorist support will continue with vigor, here in the United States and abroad.”


U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger stated, “This indictment shows that the war on terrorism is not over and that everywhere in the United States, even Minnesota and the rest of the nation’s great Heartland, are subject to the threat of terrorist activity.” Heffelfinger also praised the investigative work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Minneapolis. “The Minneapolis JTTF has been in operation since early 2000. The State of Minnesota and the nation are safer due to the hard work and experience of these dedicated investigators. Our best defense against terrorism is law enforcement cooperation, coordination and communication such as that demonstrated in this case by the JTTF members,” he stated.


The indictment alleges that from March 2000 and continuing through Dec. 8, 2003, Warsame conspired to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Al Qaeda was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State on Oct. 8, 1999 and redesignated on Oct. 5, 2001.


If convicted, Warsame faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Any sentence would be determined by a judge based on the federal sentencing guidelines.


The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) is a multi-agency effort combining the resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement. In addition to the FBI, the investigation was conducted with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In addition to those agencies, the JTTF in Minneapolis includes representatives of the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office; the U.S. Secret Service; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Police; the Transportation Safety Administration; the Federal Air Marshals; the Bloomington Police Department; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.


The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Ward, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.


Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.


###


04-033

[JustPiper]

I nominate Cal and SP2! What would we have done withour Cal's research and SP2's translations?! She had the toughest job, alot of man hours for free!

[Zipporah]

Oh surprise.. geesh.. Homeland Security.

[FairOpinion]

"the 5% he's right makes him a real winner and worth paying attention to."

==

The same is true of Debka, or probably even the intel services. By its nature intel is fuzzy and inexact, and there is an inverse correlation between false alarm rate and correct detection. If you raise your threshold too high, you may not get as many false alarms, but you may miss a major event -- that's what happened before 9-11.

Now everyone has it "adjusted" in a way, so that it's better to have a thousand false alarms, than miss a major real event. Obviously when the result of an event is catastrophic, this is a much better approach.

Many people don't understand that correlation -- they want 100% accuracy and no false alarms, which is just plain impossible.

[Mrs. Xtrmst]

Aha! February 1...Nuke2004...very interesting.

[WestCoastGal]

My own personal opinion is that some of the posts on the front page news section are of no interest to anyone. People just post to see how many responses they may get.

[JustPiper]

Semantics and who knows why?

[FairOpinion]

If the FBI has been reading this thread, I am sure they will still be able to find it. ;)

[Nemo1USA]

Captain Cook once said:

I had the ambition to not only go farther than man had gone before, but to go as far as it was possible to go.

His ship was the Endeavor.

________________________________________________________
To all my children, all in different branches of the USA Military, I think of your adventures, and achievements always, and that of all Our Military, and their families.

Your efforts pay off in big ways, and in great examples.

(America and its Forces and that of its' Allied Countries and Forces are Winning)

Please see noted paragraphs #1 & 2#

Afghanistan: 'Osama' Wins Golden Globe For Best Foreign Film
By Andrea Boyle




Afghanistan is not known for its movie industry, having produced just 40 films ever. But one Afghan film director, Siddiq Barmak, hopes to change that. Barmak's most recent film, "Osama," the first out of Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, won a Golden Globe award last night for best foreign film. RFE/RL recently spoke with Barmak about his film and his country's hopes for the future.


Prague, 26 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- It was the talk of Montreal, London, and Cannes -- a name that usually induces feelings of fear and hatred, Osama.

Yet, at those cities' annual film festivals, "Osama," the title of a film by Afghan director Siddiq Barmak, was greeted with praise. And last night it won a prestigious Golden Globe award for best foreign film at a ceremony in California. The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are considered a good omen for the upcoming Academy Awards.

"I would like to dedicate this prize to the people who lost their trust in too much promises, to the people who lost the meaning of 'luck' and to the people who gave me a wonderful film, 'Osama'," Barmak said in receiving the prize. "This message is not only for Afghan audiences. This, the message, was to the world."


"Osama" is the story of an Afghan family of nearly all females who are left to fend for themselves during the Taliban era after the death of the father and an uncle. The mother and grandmother of the clan force the main character, a 12-year-old girl, to dress as a boy in order to get a job and make money for the family.

#1
The title comes from the name the girl uses in her double life as a boy. The child is the only person addressed in the film by name. Barmak says this loss of identity is symbolic of Afghans losing their personal identities as well as their cultural and national ones under the repressive rule of the Taliban. "My film was about horror. The whole atmosphere of the film is [about being scared], so who is behind all of this? Who is behind [all this] loss -- Osama," Barmak said.

"Osama" is Barmak's first feature-length film. He gained experience directing short films and from 1992-96 headed the government agency in charge of cinema. With the arrival of the Taliban, Barmak lost his job and fled the country in 1998, seeking asylum in Pakistan. He returned home in 2002, assuming his old job and beginning work on "Osama."

For the film, Barmak cast non-professional actors from orphanages and refugee camps. Such people, he says, are better able to portray the feelings of the average Afghan. "They were very natural," he says. "They left me with a lot of impressions during the shooting and they made a lot of improvisation because they were real people that could feel this situation. Especially the little girl who played the main character -- she saw a lot of suffering, and she was a witness to a lot of tragedies."

The little girl he speaks of is Marina Golbahari, who Barmak found begging in the streets of Kabul. The Taliban arrested Golbahari's father numerous times, her sister was killed in a rocket attack and her remaining 11 brothers and sisters were left destitute. At the time she was cast in "Osama," Golbahari had never seen a film before. Barmak says he believes she was able to play the role so well because her own experiences were so close to the movie's storyline. Golbahari is now attending school and has told Barmak she hopes to continue acting.

When Barmak screened the film in Afghanistan, audience members approached him to say how closely the bleak film mirrored their own experiences. "They told me a lot of things, that they saw their own [faces], that they saw their own history and now they're feeling very deeply their own pain, because they never thought about it before."

The original ending to the film was a happy one. After the Taliban exposes Osama's true gender, her only way to avoid death by stoning is to become the fourth wife of an elderly mullah. Originally, Barmak showed the girl escaping. But then, he says, he decided the "happily ever after" ending was too naive. Out of respect for the audience, for whom such an escape was not an option, he drew the film to a bleaker end.

Barmak says he did not expect such a warm reception from an Afghan audience, considering the painfully familiar story. Afghan audiences, he says, tend to favor "Bollywood" musicals and more upbeat productions. But he says the enthusiastic response to "Osama" is one of many signs that Afghans may be growing more optimistic about their future.

The response from the West has been similarly rewarding. In addition to last night's Golden Globe, "Osama" won special mention at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2003, as well as the main prize at Montreal's New Movie and New Media Festival in October 2003. In November 2003, Barmak picked up the London Film Festival's Sutherland Trophy for the most original and imaginative movie at the event.

Nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced on 27 January. The ceremony itself will be held in Los Angeles on 29 February. The American film company United Artists has picked up the film for distribution and it has begun to be screened across Europe and the U.S.

#2
The message of the film, Barmak says, is universal: "This message is not only for Afghan audiences. This, the message, was to the world, because I thought that this was not only an Afghan tragedy. It was not a story that belongs to Afghans. It can happen anywhere, by extremism, by fundamentalism."

Barmak says he will not tackle such a weighty topic for his next project. This time around, he is working on a comedy because he wants to see laughter on the faces of his countrymen.

http://www.rferl.org/features/features_article.aspx?id=e1e8c8ef-6932-4be5-8d52-63a7e7e60099&y=2004&m=01