Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread 6

Voice of America ^ | 01 Apr 2004 | Nick Simeone

[JustPiper]

Iran declares war on U.S.

Posted: April 5, 2004


Nobody else is saying it, so, once again, it is left to me to explain what really happened in Iraq yesterday.

Iran declared war on the U.S.

The signs have been there for a long time. I don't know if they have been intentionally ignored by U.S. forces in Iraq, or whether there is some master plan at the Defense Department to deal with this scenario.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37883


Skip the words, drop the bombs

Posted: April 5, 2004

I'm waaaiting.

Col. J.C. Coleman, chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq, said "We were going to roll in there all quiet like the fog."

But they didn't.

Col. Michael Walker, a Marine civil-affairs commander, said "Should we have sent in a tank so we could have gotten, with all due respect, four dead bodies back?"

Damn right, they should have gotten those four dead bodies back. Those four dead bodies in Fallujah were the bodies of former military men, three Navy Seals and one Army Ranger.

I guess they don't count because they were civilians.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37879

[JustPiper]

Ah, thank SP! It is recent!

[tmp02]

Al Qaeda Letter to Spanish Paper Seen as Credible
1 hour, 10 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo!



MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Spanish investigators give credence to a letter purportedly from al Qaeda and sent to the newspaper ABC threatening more bombings unless Spain withdraws troops from Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites).



"In principle, the letter is given certain credibility, although the analysis is not yet complete. We believe it could have been sent by people directly involved in recent events," an Interior Ministry spokesman said on Monday.


The letter was signed by the same name -- Abu Dujana al Afgani, also written as Abu Duham al Afgani -- as that given by a man in a videotape who claimed responsibility for the March 11 train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people.


Both the letter and the video claimed to be from al Qaeda in Europe.


The video surfaced two days after the attacks and one day before Spanish general elections, saying the train bombings were revenge for the presence of Spanish troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.


The letter, published in Monday's editions of ABC, claims responsibility for the March 11 attacks as well as the bomb planted on a high-speed rail line on Friday and says a previous truce with Spain ended as of midday Sunday.


ABC said it received the hand-written letter by fax around the same time as the Saturday night police raid in a Madrid suburb in which five suspects from the train bombings blew themselves up and killed a police special agent.


Police say the bombers were equipped to attack again with at least two unexploded bombs found in the destroyed apartment.


The ministry spokesman said investigators did not believe there was any connection between the group behind the letter and militant Shi'ites in Iraq who clashed with Spanish troops near the holy city of Najaf on Sunday, resulting in some 20 deaths.


The bomb found on the train line did not explode as its detonator was not property connected. The letter said the bomb was "only an announcement that we have the force and capacity -- with the permission of Allah the Highest -- to attack when we want and how we want."


The letter accused the Spanish state of "injustices and aggression against the Muslims" and took issue with the Spanish plan "to send more troops to Afghanistan."


Amid the fallout from the Madrid train bombings, Spanish voters threw out a strongly pro-American party that supported the war in Iraq and sent 1,300 troops there after the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


Incoming Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has stood by his campaign pledge to withdraw troops from Iraq unless the United Nations (news - web sites) takes charge there by June 30.


The Socialists have said they were considering sending more Spanish troops to Afghanistan beyond the 125 currently stationed there.




http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=2&u=/nm/20040405/ts_nm/security_spain_letter_dc


Didn't they say just a couple of days that they were no longer going to attack Spain...that their job was done? Things can change quickly with Al Qaeda.

[Coop]

Well to be fair about it, it wouldn't be half as great without the significant inputs provided by Dog, Cap Huff, Coop, swarthyguy, Angelus Errare, Ernest_at_the_Beach, Prodigal Son and other posters too numerous to mention.

You are too kind [tipping hat].

[freeperfromnj]

The authorities are saying the threat is credible. I think they plan to set fires.

[ladyjane]

Last Friday a poster - Kenton - said on another thread that the mosque on his street was very quiet that day. I asked him how unusual that was and he just replied:

"Well, after 9/11, I don't think I saw any services there until maybe during Ramadan of 2002. Then, slowly but surely, they started coming back, at least every Friday around noon. For at least the past year, they've been coming to Friday services pretty faithfully, but last Friday, there was nobody except one guy sitting in a car in the parking lot (whom I suspect may be some sort of security watch).

"Any time there's any sort of significant incident, they seem to opt for security over religion and stay home."

Kenton hasn't said where he is from.

[Velveeta]

What a changed world, Granny. I'm so sad for my children....

Thank you for all your advice, I've taken it to heart and to action.

[Velveeta]

Good advice, thanks. We don't have any firearms at our house in Illinois. My folks have several up north though. (I'm a pretty good shot, too!)

[freeperfromnj]

NYC Bids to Secure Subways But 'No Guarantees'

April 5 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said on Monday the city was working hard to prevent an attack on its trains and buses but that the largest U.S. mass transit system was still vulnerable.
New York had 2,800 transit police officers protecting transit, primarily guarding the subways, he said. In addition to their presence, they will conduct station and train sweeps, while the city has hot lines for vigilant passengers to report anything suspicious.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20040405_123.html

[Velveeta]

You mean al Qaida isn't keeping their word to Spain????

I'm so shocked. (Not)

[freeperfromnj]

Spain Arrests Bomb Suspects Amid More Threats

April 5 — By Daniel Trotta

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish authorities announced two more arrests in the Madrid train bombings Monday as a purported letter from al Qaeda threatened more attacks that would "make blood flow like rivers" in Spain.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20040405_139.html

[Velveeta]

One heck of an article! WOW.

[WestCoastGal]

"Thank you for organizing us...how about next contingency plans if we all need to meet...what state/city etc, a well mapped out area?"

JP. that's a tough question. It will probably be safer to stay where you are unless there is a direct attack. I have more supplies here than I need and with summer coming I can't stash them in the car. We have a security gate guarded community with an emergency plan.

Those that live in or near cities that are threatened should have a plan to get out. But, that plan has to be flexible enough to deal with the situation. If there is a way out besides the highway/interstate that would be the choice. I am afraid that most routes would be bedlam with all the worst that seems to come out in people in a dire emergency.

Personally if I lived in a big city and had the money I would get out now. That's a big IF though, it means uprooting everyone and leaving behind a place where you may have lived for years. I have thought of leaving here only because of the HOT summers and the influx of south of the border types. But, have not found a place I can afford and find a job and etc. etc.

I think that whatever they do, it will be very localized and would only affect those in a few square mile area. That is, unless it's biological then you can't escape anyway.

If anyone else has an idea let's discuss it.

[WestCoastGal]

Tommy Franks retired pretty soon after the major operation in Iraq concluded. He was here on a book tour about two months ago. No reason given for retiring.

On a side note, Karen Hughes will be here Thursday night and I'm hoping to get an autographed book. :-)

[freeperfromnj]

One heck of an article! WOW.

I couldn't believe some of the information that was in there. Especially the part about the 30 middle eastern stowaways! I forwarded it to my good friend who relocated to Houston a couple of years ago.

[freeperfromnj]

It's too bad he retired. He conducted a brilliant campaign. It would be great if they could bring him in as a consultant or something. He seems like a no-nonsense kind of guy.

[Labyrinthos]

Don't fly Continental or American, this is what happened with AA and UA before 911

What are you referring to, JP? I'm flying Continental later this week.

[tmp02]

BWI airport evacuated because a knife was found in a bag and no one knew whose bag it was.

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?sid=186618&nid=25

Security Breach Shuts Down BWI Pier
Updated: Monday, Apr. 5, 2004 - 10:09 AM

WTOP's Kristi King reports from BWI.
WASHINGTON - A concourse at Baltimore-Washington International Airport had to be shut down Monday morning after security officials couldn't find a passenger who had a knife in a carry-on bag.

"Due to the increased number of passengers traveling this time of the morning, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) lost track of the bag and owner," Maryland Aviation Administration spokesman Holly Ellison tells WTOP.

Transportation security authorities could not describe the passenger or the bag, which is why all passengers had to be re-screened, spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan said.

Here's what happened: At a security checkpoint outside Pier D a baggage screener spotted the knife as a bag was being X-rayed. The screener called for backup. When the back-up arrived, the owner of the bag had already collected the carry-on and moved on.

Screeners, in the mean time, thought they had the correct bag. They screened it, and then realized it was the wrong bag.

"They could not find the passenger and thus they had to empty the pier and everyone is being re-screened," Ellison said.

The shutdown occurred at 5:20 a.m. Monday. The airport was particularly busy Monday because many area schools have started spring break and families typically schedule vacations for the week.

"It's very busy, very hectic," Ellison said.

The incident created what Ellison described as "a domino effect" leading to flight delays throughout the airport. BWI suggested travelers allow 90 minutes extra to make their flight Monday morning.

[WestCoastGal]

Operation Vigilant Resolve is underway per Fox Alert, awaiting coalition HQ news conference.

[Pegita]

Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks that You are stirring the nations to clearly see that the enemy seeks total destruction. Shake off any thought that this enemy can be satisfied with appeasement ... he desires blood sacrifice to his god of annihilation. You have put before the world the tremendous struggle of good versus evil ... Your children know that You are the Victor, and Your children pray that hearts of unbelief will be changed, that others might know the eternal life that is in You.

Thank You, Merciful Father, for these United States and for her precious sons and daughters who will wage war on behalf of life and liberty. Thank You for our Commander in Chief who understands the scope and the intent of the shedding of innocent blood. Give the greatest strength and courage and success in all that they do, for their victory is the liberation of an oppressed people. Gather the nations together to halt this march of death, else we perish. In the Mighty Name of Jesus, we go forth in battle, Amen ...