Threat Matrix: January 2008

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[nwctwx]

Still in Control

Pervez Musharraf was calm, confident and—despite a flurry of rumors—not about to announce his resignation. Instead, the Pakistani president's "concession" to his troubled nation was an announcement that he would allow Britain's Scotland Yard to help local law enforcement agencies with their investigation into last week's assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Speaking in a nationally televised address two hours after Pakistan's election commission announced the postponement of the ballot to Feb. 18, six weeks later than had been scheduled, Musharraf was notably deferential in his remarks about Bhutto, often invoking her "martyrdom" and extolling her liberal democratic credentials. "May she go to heaven," he said. "I stand for the same things she said." Read More

	Pakistan's Frayed Politics
	Musharraf's Dangerous Liaisons
	Pakistan after Bhutto

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January 2008

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[Cindy]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3276715.ece

From Times Online
January 30, 2008
“Al-Qaeda threatens wave of British attack”
Sean O’Neill, Crime and Security Editor

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Al-Qaeda has threatened a wave of suicide bombings in Britain unless all troops are withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan and Islamist prisoners are freed from Belmarsh jail by the end of March.

The statement, which also includes specific assassination threats against Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, appeared earlier this week on al-ekhlaas.net, a recognised jihadi website.

It was posted in English under the banner of “Al Qaeda in Britain” but remained on the site for only a brief period.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962377/posts

“An Ex-President, a Mining Deal and a Big Donor (Clinton donor rec’d lucrative uranium mining deal)”
New York Times ^ | January 31, 2008 | By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr.
Posted on 01/30/2008 8:19:48 PM PST by bd476

###

Thanks to piasa for the ping to this post.

QUOTE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962377/posts?page=77#77

To: bd476; Fedora; Cindy; Alamo-Girl
And a month after Clinton’s visit to Kazakhstan this happened:

OCTOBER 22, 2005 : (TANZANIA : CUSTOMS OFFICIALS DISCOVER SHIPMENT OF URANIUM 238 WHICH HAD BEEN SMUGGLED FROM THE LUBUMBASHI MINES IN CONGO IN A SHIPMENT OF COLTAN DESTINED FOR KAZAKHSTAN VIA THE IRANIAN PORT OF BANDAR ABBAS) Tanzanian customs officials told The Sunday Times it was destined for the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and was stopped on October 22 last year during a routine check. ... A senior Tanzanian customs official said the illicit uranium shipment was found hidden in a consignment of coltan, a rare mineral used to make chips in mobile telephones. The shipment was destined for smelting in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, delivered via Bandar Abbas, Iran’s biggest port. “There were several containers due to be shipped and they were all routinely scanned with a Geiger counter,” the official said. “This one was very radioactive. When we opened the container it was full of drums of coltan. Each drum contains about 50kg of ore. When the first and second rows were removed,the ones after that were found to be drums of uranium.” In a nuclear reactor, uranium 238 can be used to breed plutonium used in nuclear weapons. The customs officer, who spoke to The Sunday Times on condition he was not named, added: “The container was put in a secure part of the port and it was later taken away, by the Americans, I think, or at least with their help. We have all been told not to talk to anyone about this.” -————— “Iran’s plot to mine uranium in Africa,” Jon Swain, David Leppard and Brian Johnson-Thomas, The Sunday Times (U.K.), 08/06/06,ke to The Sunday Times on condition he was not named, added: “The container was put in a secure part of the port and it was later taken away, by the Americans, I think, or at least with their help. We have all been told not to talk to anyone about this.” -————— “Iran’s plot to mine uranium in Africa,” Jon Swain, David Leppard and Brian Johnson-Thomas, The Sunday Times (U.K.), 08/06/06,

77 posted on 01/31/2008 4:14:09 AM PST by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

[Rushmore Rocks]

Great news! Thanks for the update.

[lawyamike]

Abu Laith al-Libbi was supposedly killed today. Another one for the good guys.

[Cindy]

More Details DEAD TERRORIST UPDATE:

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/01/senior_al_qaeda_lead_1.php

“Senior al Qaeda leader Abu Laith al Libi killed in North Waziristan”
By BILL ROGGIO
January 31, 2008 1:58 PM

#

http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/4979.htm

#

Note: The following text (minus the graphic) is a quote:

http://memriiwmp.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=349

Al-Fajr Announces the Death of a Prominent Al-Qaeda Commander, Abu Layth Al-Libi

Al-Fajr, a media company associated with Al-Qaeda, posted today, January 31, 2008, on the Islamist website al-Ikhlas a communiqué announcing the death of one of Al-Qaeda’s most prominent commanders Abu Layth Al-Libi. According to the communiqué, Abu Layth Al-Libi was killed on a Pakistani soil along with a group of his associates. The message also addresses “the nation of unbelievers and the Crusader army” saying: “[You should know that] our commanders and scholars are always at the front line providing the best examples to the Islamic nation…Victory will be materialized through their corpses and bloods.”

Posted at : 2008-01-31

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48830

“Gates: Taliban’s Terrorism Reflects NATO’s Success in Afghanistan”

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2008

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48826

Coalition Forces Detain 11 in Iraq Operations

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2008 – Coalition forces detained 11 suspected terrorists today in two operations focusing on disrupting al Qaeda networks operating in northern and central Iraq.

Near Abu Ghraib, forces captured an alleged al Qaeda member associated with procuring weapons from outside Iraq. The suspect reportedly is involved in constructing improvised explosive devices, including booby-trapped houses. Intelligence reports indicate he is associated with other al Qaeda members involved in the weapons-facilitation network, officials said. In addition to the wanted individual, coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists and found numerous bomb-making materials on site.

Information gained from the operations in Abu Ghraib led coalition forces to Baghdad, where they targeted a suspected terrorist leader responsible for transporting homemade explosives and bomb-making materials from outside Iraq and associated with the city’s al Qaeda media and propaganda networks. The ground force detained three suspected terrorists without incident.

“Each successful operation leads to another target,” said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “Operations like these, combined with the assistance of local citizens, help us find al Qaeda networks and bring their members to justice.”

In Mosul, coalition forces targeted members of an al Qaeda suicide-bombing cell. The ground force captured the alleged cell leader and his brother-in-law, who reportedly also is a member of the cell. The suspected cell leader allegedly coordinated attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces, as well as assassinations targeting local officials and rival insurgents. Another suspected terrorist was detained during the operations.

Also in Mosul, coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists while targeting associates of an al Qaeda leader in the southeastern part of the city. The leader allegedly is a foreign-terrorist facilitator with numerous connections to al Qaeda senior leadership.

“Iraqi and coalition forces will continue to pressure al Qaeda in Iraq,” Danielson said. “Operations like these will keep al Qaeda off-balance and impair their ability to conduct brutal, indiscriminate attacks on Iraqi civilians.”

On Jan. 28, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers arrested eight suspected extremists in the northwestern part of the Rashid district of the Iraqi capital. Two of the suspects had warrants with the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and five others were wanted for various criminal activities during the operation in Furat. The detainees were taken to a coalition detention facility for further questioning.

[Cindy]

Thanks to R444flyer for the ping to this thread:

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962193/posts

U.S. sells Syria dual-use tech that could be used by Iran
The World Tribune ^ | January 30, 2008

Posted on 01/30/2008 1:22:31 PM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has approved the sale of advanced dual-use computers to Syria.

“It’s a major piece of equipment and is being given to an ally that could use it for military purposes as well as share it with Iran,” an official said.

The export, disclosed by the U.S. television network Fox, was approved despite U.S. sanctions on Damascus of military and advanced dual-use systems. Syria, deemed a terrorist sponsor, has been in the same category as Iran and North Korea.

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

[Cindy]

Regarding IRAN:

http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=672.0
http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=1296.0
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/COMMENTARY/351582924

“Threats we face”
By Kenneth R. Timmerman
January 30, 2008

[Cindy]

Post 1269 was pointed to by a special freepmailer.

#

Thanks to another special freepmailer for pointing to this article:

http://www.aim.org/special-report/russian-spies-targeted-and-used-clinton-official/

“Russian Spies Targeted and Used Clinton Official”

SPECIAL REPORT | BY CLIFF KINCAID | JANUARY 31, 2008

[Cindy]

Off Topic...

Shoveling snow is fun because___ (fill in the blanks).

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=shoveling+snow&btnG=Search+Images

[Cindy]

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JoelMowbray/2008/01/31/yet_another_troubling_terror_trial

“Yet Another Troubling Terror Trial”
By Joel Mowbray
Thursday, January 31, 2008

[Cindy]

January 23, 2008

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/Pressreleases/01-JanuaryPDFArchive/08/20080123iordan_neagunr.html

Two Romanian Nationals Plead Guilty in Connection with Federal Identity Theft Investigation

(Richmond, VA)– Mihail Iordan, age 38, and Wilhelm Cristian Neagu, age 29, both of Montreal, Canada, pled guilty today to bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges following a federal investigation that began in August 2007. Both defendants face up to 30 years of federal imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for bank fraud, as well as a mandatory, consecutive term of two years of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft, when sentenced by United District Judge Richard L. Williams on April 24, 2008. The defendants are Canadian citizens originally from Romania and have agreed to be deported to Canada following their anticipated prison terms. The pleas were announced by Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The defendants were initially arrested in August 2007 when it was discovered that skimming devices had been placed on two Wachovia ATMs located in the Metro-Richmond area. As part of the plea, the defendants admitted to fraudulently obtaining customer information encoded in debit cards and recoding that information onto blank Lowe’s gift cards. The two then used the recoded cards to make over $100,000 in fraudulent ATM withdrawals from the accounts of 76 Wachovia customers. Substantial assistance from Wachovia fraud investigators allowed law enforcement officers to make the arrests within three weeks of commencement of the scheme.

The case was investigated by law enforcement officers from the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Chesterfield County Police Department as members of the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force. Other member agencies include: the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S. Department of State; Richmond Police Department; and Henrico County Police Department. Prosecutions for the Task Force are handled by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Colombell Marshall. For more information on the Task Force, including assistance for victims of identity theft, visit: www.richmondIDtheft.com.

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[Palladin]

Oh-oh...my new doctor is a cute young Romanian woman. Should I be worried?

;)

[Cindy]

http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/543.pdf
http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/23.pdf

#

http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/593

“Former IAP President Indicted For Naturalization Fraud”
by IPT
IPT News Service
January 30, 2008

Yaser Bushnaq, a former president of the Islamic Association for Palestine has been indicted in Virginia for naturalization fraud.

In applying to become a U.S. citizen in 2000, Bushnaq is accused of failing to disclose his affiliations with a series of organizations that the indictment links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. The indictment clearly defines the IAP as “an overt arm of the covert organization known as the Muslim Brotherhood.”

In addition, it alleges that when Bushnaq applied to become a citizen he failed to disclose:

He was the IAP’s president from 1989-1991.
That he worked under the pseudonym Yaser Saleh.
He was a board of trustees member for the Al Aqsa Education Fund, “an organization that sought to raise funds for Hamas.”
He was an authorized signatory for the Marzook Legal Fund, established in 1996 to support Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook after his arrest by U.S. authorities.

The indictment claims he also failed to disclose a 1996 trip to Iran, which had been subject to U.S. sanctions as a state sponsor of terrorism the year before. And, the indictment alleges, Bushnaq did not tell immigration officials he spent most of 1998 living and working in Saudi Arabia. That extended absence from the United States “would have disqualified the defendant from obtaining naturalization because he no longer would have been a valid legal permanent resident.””

[Cindy]

If she knows her business — you shouldn’t.

Smiling at you.

[444Flyer]

High Five thanks for the ping!

[444Flyer]

Shoveling snow is fun because__ if you’re creative you can form a giant snowcone, throw a gallon of blueberry syrup on it, and tell the neighborhood kids it’s summer in December!
*<:)

[Oorang]

Shoveling snow is fun because ...
it's good exercise; or so I keep telling myself. We are now up to about ten feet of snowfall so far and its only the end of January. Arggg.

[Oorang]

Interesting posts MamaD. Obama would hold Muslim summit...

I trust Obama just as much as I trust Hillary - not at all.