Threat Matrix: December 2007

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=waronterror
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=wot

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1946655/posts

Britain Drops ‘War on Terror’ Label
Military.com ^ | December 28, 2007 | Staff
Posted on 01/01/2008 12:15:19 AM PST by america4vr
The words “war on terror” will no longer be used by the British government to describe attacks on the public, the country’s chief prosecutor said Dec. 27.

Sir Ken Macdonald said terrorist fanatics were not soldiers fighting a war but simply members of an aimless “death cult.”

The Director of Public Prosecutions said: ‘We resist the language of warfare, and I think the government has moved on this. It no longer uses this sort of language.”

London is not a battlefield, he said.

“The people who were murdered on July 7 were not the victims of war. The men who killed them were not soldiers,” Macdonald said. “They were fantasists, narcissists, murderers and criminals and need to be responded to in that way.”

His remarks signal a change in emphasis across Whitehall, where the “war on terror” language has officially been ditched.

Officials were concerned it could act as a recruiting tool for Al Qaeda, which is determined to manufacture a battle between Islam and the West.

The term “Islamic terrorist” will also no longer be used. Officials believe it is unhelpful because it appears to directly link the religion to terrorist atrocities.

In an interview with BBC Radio’s World at One, Macdonald made a fresh attack on plans to extend beyond 28 days the length of time a terror suspect can be held without trial.

He said that the evidence had shown that the existing limit was working well and he accused ministers of legislating on the basis of ‘hypotheticals’.

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

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_kenya.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Tue Jan 01 2008 01:39:50 GMT-0800 (PST).

Kenya

December 31, 2007

1. This Public Announcement is being issued to alert American citizens to the security situation following disputed elections in Kenya. U.S. citizens should strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time. The situation in Kenya is volatile and subject to change. U.S. citizens should monitor U.S. Embassy Nairobi’s website at http://kenya.usembassy.gov for the latest information. This Public Announcement expires January 31, 2008.

2. There have been reports of widespread violence, demonstrations, and looting in Nairobi and throughout Kenya. Although the security situation is changing, Americans in Kenya can expect airport closures; a large police and military presence; food shortages; cash shortages at banks and ATMs; sporadic telephone, cell phone and Internet service; and possible news blackouts. American citizens are strongly reminded that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can become violent. Americans should therefore avoid all demonstrations, protests and gatherings.

3. American citizens who travel to Kenya despite this Public Announcement and the Travel Warning for Kenya should register with the U.S. Embassy at https://travelregistration.state.gov, as well as monitor the U.S. Embassy website at http://kenya.usembassy.gov for updates on this volatile situation.

4. As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. Travelers may also obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16158&Itemid=21

Press Release A071231c
December 31, 2007

Coalition forces target foreign terrorist facilitators, 21 suspects detained (Kirkuk, Sammara, Mosul)

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained 21 suspects today during operations targeting al-Qaeda in central and northern Iraq.

In Kirkuk, Coalition forces captured two wanted individuals believed to be involved in improvised explosive device attacks against Coalition forces. Reports indicate the wanted individuals are Ansar al Sunna members and are highly experienced in manufacturing IEDs for attacks. The two individuals are believed to be brothers and involved in the Ansar al Sunna network operating in Kirkuk.

Nearby, Coalition forces captured another wanted individual believed to be an al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader of the network operating in the Kirkuk province. The wanted individual is reportedly associated with numerous senior terrorists and foreign terrorist facilitators operating throughout the region, many of them who were recently killed or captured through successful Coalition forces operations. One of the wanted individual’s associates, Abu Harith, was an al-Qaeda in Iraq member operating as the leader of a terrorist network in Kirkuk, and was killed during an operation Nov. 21 (see MNF-I press release 071128a, “UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorists killed in recent raids,” dated Nov. 28, 2007). In addition to the wanted individual, the ground force detained one suspected terrorist during the operation.

During a series of operations south of Samarra, Coalition forces detained five suspected terrorists while targeting associates of the al-Qaeda network operating in the Raga village area. The targeted individuals are believed to be associated with al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders, to include foreign terrorist facilitators, and have allegedly facilitated their movement into the area.

Coalition forces also detained 12 suspected terrorists during operations in Mosul targeting associates of the al-Qaeda in Iraq leadership in the city.

“Iraqis are making it clear they don’t want terrorists in their communities,” said Maj. Brad Leighton, MNF-I spokesman. “We will continue to dismantle al-Qaeda networks and bring to justice the foreign terrorists they support.”

- 30 -

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16159&Itemid=21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071231-06
December 31, 2007

Explosives found, hostage rescued during joint Saydiyah operation

4th IBCT Public Affairs

Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers destroyed an abandoned house, and rescued a kidnapping victim during clearing operations in West Rashid Dec. 26.

Iraqi Army and Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, Task Force Dragon found homemade and plastic explosives during the joint operation aimed at quelling unrest in the Saydiyah area.

Explosive ordnance disposal personnel remotely detonated the cache, destroying the unoccupied house. There was no collateral damage.

IA Soldiers entered a house in search of a crane operator who had been kidnapped days before.

The man was taken to a Coalition Forces’ facility for medical screening.

Soldiers from Company B, 4th – 64th Armored Regiment also found a cache of eight 120mm rockets, a 107mm rocket, a 105mm projectile, roughly eight pounds of homemade explosives, four canisters of an unknown liquid and a car battery with wires.

EOD personnel command detonated the cache.

There were no casualties.

-30-

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16160&Itemid=21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080101-01
January 1, 2008

Coalition capture 3 extremists
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division - Baghdad troops arrested three suspected extremists after receiving a tip from a local citizen on their whereabouts in the Doura neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad Dec. 28.

Company C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment “Warriors,” attached to Task Force Dragon, arrested the three suspects after informants identified them as having transported al-Qaeda snipers in and out of Doura, and allegedly being part of an improvised explosive device cell.

The suspected extremists were taken to a Coalition Forces’ detention facility for further questioning.

-30-

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=1318684
(AP)

“Woman Who Tried to Shoot Ford Released”
January 1, 2008 - 2:33am

By PAUL ELIAS
Associated Press Writer

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Sara Jane Moore, who took a shot at President Ford in a bizarre assassination attempt just 17 days after a disciple of Charles Manson tried to kill Ford, was paroled Monday after 32 years behind bars.

Moore, 77, was released from the federal prison in Dublin, east of San Francisco, where she had been serving a life sentence, the Bureau of Prisons said.

Bureau spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said she had no details on why Moore was let out. But she said that with good behavior, inmates sentenced to life can apply for parole after 10 years.”

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/kenyan-church-fire-kills-dozens/20080101130009990001

“Kenyan Church Fire Kills Dozens”
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, AP
Posted: 2008-01-01 13:55:49
Filed Under: World News

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “NAIROBI, Kenya (Jan. 1) - A mob torched a church sheltering hundreds of Kenyans fleeing election violence Tuesday, killing up to 50 people as four days of rioting and ethnic clashes marked some of the darkest times in this country’s history.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The violence - which has erupted from the shantytowns of Nairobi to resort towns on the sweltering coast - has exposed tribal resentments that have long festered in Kenya. Kibaki’s Kikuyu people, Kenya’s largest ethnic group, are accused of turning their dominance of politics and business to the detriment of others.

Odinga is from the Luo tribe, a smaller but still major tribe. In the slums, which are often divided along tribal lines, rival groups have been going at each other with machetes and sticks as police fire tear gas and live rounds to keep them from pouring out into the city center.

The church fire in Eldoret, some 185 miles from the capital, killed at least 50 people, said a Red Cross volunteer who counted the bodies and helped the wounded. But she asked that her name - which would identify her tribe - not be published, saying gangs were even checking on the tribal affiliations of aid workers.
“

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jerusalem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1946876/posts

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124766

“The Poster That Awaits US President Bush in Jerusalem”
by Baruch Gordon

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “(IsraelNN.com) In the upcoming days, billboards all over Jerusalem will be plastered with a new poster on the eve of U.S. President Bush’s visit to Israel. Pictured in the poster is a gigantic Bible, towering over the walls of the Old City.

The caption says: “Bush, read your Bible. God gave Israel to the Jews.””

ARTICLE SNIPPET: ““It isn’t enough that this poster fills the streets of Jerusalem,” Fishman asserts. “It has to be circulated all over the Internet, on every Christian, Baptist, Evangelist, Catholic, and Jewish site. A vast part of the world still believes in the Bible, and if these hundreds of millions say no to the ‘Road Map’ and email the poster to the White House, they can help us save our Holy City and prevent the Holy Land from turning into a haven for Islamic terror.””

Note: To read the entire text; please click on the link below.

TRAVEL.STATE.GOV - TRAVEL WARNING - SNIPPET - QUOTE:
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_922.html

Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520

This information is current as of today, Tue Jan 01 2008 13:58:52 GMT-0800 (PST).

ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK AND GAZA

July 13, 2007

This Travel Warning is being issued to update information on the general security environment in Israel, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, and to reiterate threats to American citizens and U.S. interests in those locations. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to remain mindful of security factors when considering travel to Israel and Jerusalem at this time. In addition, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to the West Bank and to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip. This warning supersedes the Travel Warning issued January 17, 2007.

ADDING to post no. 1356:

Note: Photos included.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7166932.stm

Last Updated: Tuesday, 1 January 2008, 21:52 GMT

“Kenyans burned to death in church”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A pastor from the church, Jackson Nyanga, told the BBC that many of the people were beaten before the building was set on fire.

“After torching the church, children died - around 25 in number - four elderly people. And our men and our people who tried to confront them were injured,” he said.

Eldoret, in the Rift Valley, has witnessed some of the worst violence since last Sunday’s controversial poll and has a history of inter-ethnic tension.

Correspondents say that over the past few days hundreds of Kikuyus in the Eldoret area have been taking shelter in churches and around the town’s police station.

Eldoret resident Bernard Magamu told the BBC News website that many houses and businesses have been torched, and that roads in and around the town are closed.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Mwai Kibaki (pictured): 4,584,721 votes
Raila Odinga: 4,352,993
Kalonzo Musyoka: 879,903

Send your comments
“People are still fearful. It’s hard. People are really scared,” said Mr Magamu, adding that local hospitals were struggling to cope with the high number of casualties.

The Kenyan Red Cross said that at least 70,000 people have been displaced in the Rift Valley area as a result of the unrest, describing it as “a national disaster”.

Alfred Mutua, spokesman for the Kenyan government, accused Mr Odinga’s supporters of a systematic campaign of ethnic violence.

“Raila Odinga’s supporters... are engaging in ethnic cleansing and they are not doing it in a haphazard manner, they’re doing it in a very well organised, calculated manner... attacking in military precision,” he told the BBC World Service.”

UPDATING post no. 1333:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124768

24 Tevet 5768, January 2, ‘08
“A Team-Evil defacement of an Israeli website”

Published: 01/01/08, 10:09 AM
“Arab Israeli Arrested for Cyber-Sabotage of Israeli Websites”
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com)

ARTICLE SNIPPTE: “The group, calling itself “Team-Evil”, apparently includes hackers in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Turkey, and other Muslim countries. Three main networks from which the virtual terrorism originated were found to have been located in Saudi Arabia, and police suspect that other Arabs with Israeli citizenship are involved, as well.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “In June of 2006, around 750 Israeli websites were hacked in one day in a coordinated campaign. The sites were taken down and replaced with a screen displaying the message: “Hacked by Team-Evil Arab hackers u KILL palestin people we KILL Israeli servers.” Among the targeted sites were those of Bank Hapoalim, a Haifa-area hospital, the Israeli representatives of international car manufacturers BMW, Subaru and Citroen, and of the Kadima party. Most of the vandalized sites were back to normal operation within a day.

A more recent attack with the same signature occurred in August 2007, when the Likud party’s official website was defaced. The content on the main page of the site was replace by anti-Israel slogans and party logos were replaced with anti-Semitic symbols, including swastikas.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The Associated Press reported in 2006 that Team-Evil had begun hacking and vandalizing US government websites as early as 2004. In 2002, an Israeli hacker named Ehud Tannenbaum, known as “The Analyzer”, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for breaking into the NASA, Pentagon, and Defense Ministry computer systems, among other virtual locations.”

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