Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

I was checking that thread out at GLP the other day. There is not even anyone left at GLP who believes in Aussie Bloke anymore...LOL

Mon, Oct. 03, 2005

Arab world jittery on eve of Ramadan

NADIA ABOU El-MAGD

Associated Press

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/breaking_news/12807626/12807626.htm

CAIRO, Egypt - The Middle East is jittery as it heads into Ramadan, the
Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual introspection that has
become a time of increased attacks by suicide bombers who believe they
receive extra blessings.

From Iraq to Lebanon to the Sinai, the month of prayer and after-dark
feasting is now a month of heightened security.

Egyptian police planned increased watchfulness throughout the month,
while insisting no specific threats had been received. But Israel warned
its citizens to stay away from Egypt's beach resorts in the Sinai
peninsula, calling the threat of attacks substantial.

Militants have not issued specific Ramadan-related threats, but the
spike in violence in recent years - especially suicide attacks in Iraq -
has been notable.

One possible reason is the belief by some Islamic extremists that those
who die in combat for a holy cause during Ramadan are especially
blessed.

"This is a month that has a spiritual feel to it, which condones the
issue of jihad (holy war)," said Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on
Islamic groups. Tradition holds the Prophet Muhammad led his forces in
winning battles against nonbelievers during Ramadan, the ninth and holiest
month on the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the
moon.

Observance this year starts Tuesday across much of the Middle East,
following the announcement by religious officials that the new crescent
moon had been sighted Monday night.

Saturday's blasts in Bali came as Indonesia - the world's most-populous
Muslim nation - was preparing to celebrate Ramadan, which begins there
on Wednesday.

Muslims believe God began to reveal the Quran, the Islamic holy book,
to Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago during Ramadan. Muslims are
expected to abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk in
order to focus on the spiritual.

Muslims spend long periods in mosques and attempt to read the entire
Quran during the month. It is believed that during Ramadan, good deeds
are rewarded 10 times.

But, in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Ramadan is also a month
of festivities, large after-dark meals and endless TV specials. Cafes
and special Ramadan tents stay packed until dawn and traffic jams snarl
streets late into the night.

In Lebanon, Ramadan comes at a time of high tension as a U.N.-mandated
probe into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination nears its
end. The Lebanese fear the continuation of a series of bombings that
have rattled the country since Hariri was killed.

Nevertheless, the bustling sidewalk cafes, restaurants and shops in
downtown Beirut are jammed these days with local residents and tourists
from other Mideast countries who come to dine, smoke water pipes or just
stroll through the district.

In Egypt, an Islamic group that previously claimed responsibility for
this summer's attacks at Sharm el-Sheik vowed Sunday to launch an
all-out war against Israelis, Americans and Egyptian police. An Egyptian
security official said security was high across the country. He spoke on
condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the press.

Israel urged its citizens not to travel to Egypt's Sinai peninsula
during the upcoming Jewish holidays, which coincide with Ramadan's start,
because Arab militants were planning to kidnap Israeli tourists there.

Only about 1,000 Israelis were in the Sinai on Monday, the start of the
New Year holiday, Yitzhak Hai, manager of the Taba terminal, told the
Yediot Ahronot daily.

"This time I can say that we have very substantial information,"
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told Israel TV.

Kfir Pavzaner, an Israeli who had just returned from Sinai's Ananda
Beach, described the scene: "As soon as the warning was announced it
became like a huge storm that washed the Israelis out of Sinai. Suddenly
there were rumors that Israelis will be kidnapped and they kept circling."

Debates about Islamic extremism have also become a routine part of
Ramadan.

"Political and economic reform can't take place without religious
reform," Ahmed al-Rubei, a liberal Kuwaiti columnist, wrote Monday in the
pan Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. "Religious reform requires courage from
preachers and religion scholars. There is a majority that is afraid of
expressing its ideas."

The countries that announced Tuesday as the beginning of the fast were:
Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian
territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates
and Yemen. Oman was an exception. Its Islamic clerics told Omanis to
start fasting Wednesday after they failed to see the moon on Monday
night.

I pick option #2.

Isn't it though?
not

Sharia Goes Global

France arrests more Islamist suspects

Saudi fighter caught heading to Iraq

Five detained over threat to national security (U.K.)

Al Qaeda in Sinai Has Advanced to Striking Range of the Suez Canal, Israel and Jordan

Good information in that article, thank you Granny.

Chemical Emergency Over in Northumberland County

More from Newswatch 16 . . .

Chemical Release in Northumberland County

Fire at Schott Glass Plant

Luzerne County Coroner Dies

Crash Closes Route 6 in Wyoming County

Friends and Strangers Reach Out to Help Families of Fallen Soldiers

New Plans for County Annex Building

Flu Shot Season Begins

Monday, October 3, UPDATED: 5:37 p.m.
By Norm Jones

Officials in Northumberland County thought they had a chemical leak on their hands Monday morning. They locked down schools and told homeowners to stay inside their homes with the windows closed.

After hours of investigating, the problem just seemed to drift away.

County emergency officials got complaints of a strong chemical odor in several communities including Sunbury and Upper Augusta Township. Just before noon, fire trucks from the Sunbury area prepared for the worst, and rolled into place to try to find the source of a chemical odor in the area.

"When we first arrived we saw some haze in the area," said Upper Augusta Township Fire Chief Chris Herb. He said the odor smelled like chlorine, a dangerous chemical.

"We called local power plants, local nuke plants, water treatment plants, sewage plants, anything we could think of that would emit something like that," Herb added.

The call prompted emergency responders to shut down streets near the odor. The nearby Chief Shikellamy Elementary School was locked down as a precaution. Residents were told to stay indoors with the windows closed and air conditioners off.

Rebecca DePinto of Sunbury saw the warning on WNEP-TV. She's glad responders treated it seriously. "Better to be safe inside than not know what it is," she said.

"I think we were doing it to cover our bases, make sure if there was a release everyone was protected. We'd rather be safe than sorry anymore," CHief Herb agreed.

After more than two hours of investigating, responders couldn't pin point it's source. They gathered afterwards to talk about the emergency response, calling the effort a success.

After getting so many complaints about the smell. Crews were really stumped when then couldn't find the cause.

One fire chief suggested it could have been mother nature shifting some strange odors around the Sunbury area.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.

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Nuclear tunes blast on to Iran's airwaves
Oct 03 8:26 AM US/Eastern

Nuclear science may not be considered ideal subject matter for a popular song, but the musical boffins in Iran's state media apparatus think differently.

In recent days, Iran's airwaves have been buzzing with two new tunes apparently designed to rally public support for the clerical regime's increasingly tense stand-off with the West over its nuclear ambitions.

The first song is entitled "Oriental Sun, Nuclear Science", and sung to a backdrop of military-style marching music by Ali Tafreshi. The second similarly catchy tune is "Nuclear Know-How" by Reza Shirazi.

Both extol the wonders of a "great and powerful Iran" which has destroyed "the arrogance of the oppressors" and "defends its independence by using science".

Despite the heavyweight nationalist lyricism, Iran insists its nuclear programme it strictly peaceful. But the West in unconvinced, and the European Union and United States want Iran to abandon its works on the potentially dual use nuclear fuel cycle and are threatening UN Security Council action.

The songs, produced by Iran's state television and radio apparatus, have therefore been getting good airplay -- and are also accompanying TV clips of atomic facilities used to praise the "young engineers who have succeeded, without the help of foreigners, to develop the Iranian nuclear programme".

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/03/051003122604.k0b0004p.html

OMG, that's funny now...
But I can imagine exactly the expression on your face.
I would've freaked momentarily too.

Adding 1 link to post no. 473:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1495058/posts?page=3750#3750

Well, it's here.

Indeed it is.

Be vigilant, folks.

Isn't this the third case of odd smells reported recently? One in LA, one in Seattle I think??

Thanks for keeping pertinent details of the bombing together. They sure are trying to sweep this under the rug.

Very bizzare, how can a smell come and go and nobody can figure out what it is?

Newsok.com ( I had to register) says there was a "cache" of explosive material removed from his apartment.

"Investigators would not say whether they believe Hinrichs intended to go inside the stadium before the detonation happened".

The above statement is sandwiched between the "serious personal problem" spin of OU President David Boren.

"Boren said the explosives were strapped to his body"

>>>In my opinion, he was checking his 'work' when the bomb accidently went off. I think he had every intention of going into the stadium or waiting for the large crowd to exit.

His name does not fit his looks.

Neither did Richard Reid. ;-)

This caught my eye, as we had a speeding train accident, only a week or so ago.

This India train, is coming from a "Holy City".
granny
~~~~~~

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16806416-1702,00.html

18 killed, 100 hurt in train
crash

From: Reuters
By Sanjay Sharma in Bhopal, India

October 03, 2005

A CROWDED train sped through a railway station in central India,
jumped the tracks and crashed into a signal cabin overnight, killing 18
passengers and injuring about 100, authorities said.

The death toll was likely to rise as many passengers remained trapped
inside the carriages and 40 of the injured were in a critical condition,
they said.

Six coaches of the Bundelkhand Express derailed near Datia town in
Madhya Pradesh, about 400km north of the state capital, Bhopal, a
police officer said.

He said the train derailed near the Datia station and rescue teams,
including soldiers, had reached the site and were removing
passengers from the cars.

The officer said the train had been due to stop at the station but sped
through and jumped the tracks in an area where coaches are serviced
and cleaned.

"We suspect the brakes of the train failed," he said.

Advertisement:

Railway officials said it crashed into the signal cabin beside the tracks
and the impact left coaches piled one on top of the other.

"We have people trapped in the bogies (carriages). They (rescue
teams) are cutting into the bogies and we will see how many people
are trapped inside," Datia district administrator Caroline Khongwar
said.

AK Soni, a senior state police officer, said 18 bodies had been found
and rescue work continued. Many of the injured had been taken to
hospitals in nearby Jhansi town as Datia did not have adequate
medical facilities.

TV images showed the blue carriages of the train twisted in a mass of
metal and some cars had telescoped into the carriage ahead while
others rose skywards. The driver of the train was among the dead.

"The train's speed limit was supposed to be 15km/h but as far as I
have been able to find out, it was going at 90 at the station," said
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The train was going from the Hindu holy town of Varanasi in
neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to Gwalior City in Madhya Pradesh.

India has one of the world's biggest railway networks, running almost
12,000 trains daily carrying more than 13 million people. It registers
about 300 accidents each year.

The media non-interest is very surprising to me.

Arab world jittery on eve of Ramadan

10/3/2005, 4:31 p.m. ET
By NADIA ABOU El-MAGD
The Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — The Middle East is jittery as it heads into Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual introspection that has become a time of increased attacks by suicide bombers who believe they receive extra blessings.

From Iraq to Lebanon to the Sinai, the month of prayer and after-dark feasting is now a month of heightened security.

Egyptian police planned increased watchfulness throughout the month, while insisting no specific threats had been received. But Israel warned its citizens to stay away from Egypt's beach resorts in the Sinai peninsula, calling the threat of attacks substantial.

Militants have not issued specific Ramadan-related threats, but the spike in violence in recent years — especially suicide attacks in Iraq — has been notable.

One possible reason is the belief by some Islamic extremists that those who die in combat for a holy cause during Ramadan are especially blessed.

"This is a month that has a spiritual feel to it, which condones the issue of jihad (holy war)," said Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Islamic groups. Tradition holds the Prophet Muhammad led his forces in winning battles against nonbelievers during Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month on the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-26/112836744273221.xml&storylist=israel

A middle eastern roomate?
WoW.