Threat Matrix: September 2008

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[nwctwx]

How The West Was Won

The rapid and unexpected decline of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq was officially recognized this week, when Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding the Marine Expeditionary Force, turned operational control of Anbar Province over to the Iraqi army and police.

Anbar, a vast expanse of desert the size of North Carolina, had been the stronghold of the Sunni insurgency. For years, foreign fighters loyal to al-Qaida had sneaked across Iraq's northwestern border with Syria, into Anbar and down a "rat line" of safe houses in Haditha, Ramadi and Hit.

From Fallujah, the arch terrorist Zarqawi dispatched suicide bombers to murder hundreds of Shiites in Baghdad. So fearsome were the al-Qaida leaders in Iraq that by 2005 they had taken control or intimidated Sunni resistance cells 10 times their size. Read More

	Pakistan Official: We Just Missed Al Qaeda Number Two
	U.S. Conducts First Raid on Terrorists in Pakistan
	Video: 1st Column Erected at World Trade Ctr. Memorial

Threat Matrix:
September 2008

August 2008

Threat Matrix Index

Theat Matrix Handbook

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[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082773/posts

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http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTgxMTQxZDFlNTFhNDVjM2Q1YjMwOWRkZmZlNDFmMDA=

September 12, 2008 12:20 PM

“Crossing the Line
Top NASA climatologist James Hansen endorses eco-vandalism.”

By Henry Payne

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082988/posts?page=29#29
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082988/posts?page=20#20

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IN THE U.S.A.:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082988/posts

“Is There a Role for Sharia in Modern States?”
The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center (email) ^ | 15 September 08 | Unknown
Posted on September 15, 2008 2:06:36 PM PDT by LSUfan

[Cindy]

Well now, this is NOT nice:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022701.php

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BLOG:

http://blueweeds.typepad.com/blue_weeds/2008/09/note-left-at-fa.html

September 14, 2008

“Note Left At Falls Church 9/11 Memorial Calls For Removal Of Public Art”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “An anonymous note has been left at the base of The Dust Cries Out, a statue done by artist Karen Swenholt commemorating the victims of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, which calls for the removal of the recently erected public art.”

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BLOG:

http://www.snappedshot.com/archives/2829-Diversity-Mystery-Note-Left-at-Falls-Church-911-Memorial.html

BLOG ENTRY SNIPPET - QUOTE:

The note reads, in full:

HELLO,

WE BELIEVE THAT THIS MUST BE TAKEN DOWN. TO AWAKE
EVERY MORNING TO SEE THIS REMINDER OF WHAT USA
SEES AS PAIN SUFFERED ON, SEPTEMBER 11. IS JUST A
REMEMBERENCE OF THE DAILY INJUSTICE INFLICTED TO
EVERY FOLLOWER OVER THE SEES MURDERED BY THE
UNITED STATES EVERY DAY. IF WE WAS TO PUT A STATUE
OF ALLAH WITH HIS TEARS BECAUSE OF YOUR WARS IN OUR
FRONT YARD. YOU WOULD BURN IT TO THE GROUND. YOU
WILL TAKE THIS DOWN TODAY. YOU WILL TAKE THIS AWAY
NOW OR WE WILL DO THIS .

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/jihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globaljihad

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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022706.php

September 15, 2008
“Reaction to Obsession DVD distribution shows many Americans clueless about jihad”

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

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http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/9822.htm
http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/380.htm

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Note: Photo included.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2486461603

“Iran: Secret memo reveals Khamenei plan for nuclear arms, says report”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Tehran, 15 Sept. (AKI) - Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly has a secret plan to accelerate nuclear arms production by simulating a breakdown at the nuclear reactor of Bushehr.

That is according to a memorandum circulated among several western intelligence services cited in the Italian daily, La Stampa.

The Khamenei initiative dates back to the day after 6 September 2007 when Israeli warplanes struck an alleged nuclear reactor that was allegedly being developed in northern Syria.”

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http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/9852.htm
(”Source: IRNA, Iran, September 15, 2008”)

“Iran: No Uranium Has Disappeared From Our Nuclear Facilities”
Posted at: 2008-09-15

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http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/9851.htm
(”Source: Rooz, Iran, September 15, 2008”)

“Ahmadinejad Gov’t Purges Iranian Media”

Posted at: 2008-09-15

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=51180

Iraqi-led Operation Nets 63 al-Qaida in Iraq Suspects

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2008 – Sixty-three suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members were detained during an operation led by Iraqi security forces in Iraq’s Ninevah province yesterday.

The operation was conducted in response to the kidnapping of an Iraqi journalist and the murders of four other Iraqi journalists Sept. 13, officials said.

In other operations yesterday:

— Iraqi soldiers found rockets and improvised explosive devices inside a vehicle used to carry out attacks in the Rusafa district of eastern Baghdad. After receiving a report of a rocket being fired from a vehicle in the Muthana-Zayuna area of Rusafa, Iraqi soldiers tracked down the vehicle and uncovered rockets, IEDs and equipment used to handle them inside the vehicle. They seized three 57 mm rockets with timing devices, two IEDs and the attack vehicle.

— A tip from a local citizen led 25th Infantry Division soldiers serving with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, to a cache northwest of Baghdad. The soldiers seized various grenades, rockets, mortars and a mortar tube.

— A concerned citizen led soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, to a cache west of Baghdad. The cache included a 60 mm mortar, 19 82 mm mortars, 100 40 mm grenades, an SA-14 missile, a GPS system and various bomb-making materials. Soldiers from the same company found a 60 mm mortar during an operation to capture a suspected Iranian-backed illegal militia member in the same area.

— Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, detained a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq associate in the Hadar community. Iraqi National Police detained two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members in the Masafee community.

In operations Sept. 13:

— Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, found an 82 mm mortar round in the Jihad community. An explosives ordnance disposal unit took the mortar round to a forward operating base for analysis and destruction.

— Also in the Jihad community, soldiers from the same unit detained an alleged Iranian-backed illegal militia member believed to be responsible for recent sectarian attacks in the Jihad and Furat communities.

— Based on information provided by a concerned citizen, Iraqi soldiers seized a substantial munitions cache believed to be used to build bombs, including devices designed specifically to pierce armor-hulled vehicles, in Sadr City. The munitions seized included 32 copper plates, 20 pounds of M-112 Iranian-manufactured C-4 plastic explosives, 200 pounds of ball bearings, 31 retaining rings, eight PVC casings used for manufacturing armor-piercing bombs, five hand grenades, 100 meters of firing wire, and a large array of bomb-triggering devices.

— Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division’s Company B, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found a cache northwest of Baghdad that consisted of three rocket-propelled grenade rounds, four grenade fuses, 10 sticks of TNT and 30 Dishka rounds.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=51182

Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill, Detain Militants

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2008 – Afghan and coalition forces killed one militant and detained eight during separate operations in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported.

During an engagement in Helmand province’s Nar Surkh district, militants fired on Afghan and coalition forces with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Afghan and coalition forces returned the small-arms fire, killing at least one militant.

In Khowst province, coalition forces detained eight suspected militants during multiple operations to disrupt and dismantle the Haqqani terrorist network.

In Qalandar district, coalition forces detained three suspected militants during an operation targeting a Haqqani subcommander suspected of financing and directing attacks, as well as facilitating the movement of foreign fighters into the region.

In a second operation in Sabari district, coalition forces targeted a suspected militant, who is suspected of coordinating with the Haqqani terrorist network to emplace roadside bombs. Five suspected militants were detained as a result of the operation.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=51183

“Defense Department Announces New Forces for Afghanistan Mission”

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2008

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/somalia
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/internet

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www.kataaib.net/
www.kataaib.net/images/Digniin-1.gif
www.kataaib.net/1024%20bayaan%20xiridda%20garoonka.html

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BLOG:

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/09/shabaab_vows_to_clos_1.php

“Shabaab vows to close Mogadishu’s airport”
By NICK GRACE
September 15, 2008 1:44 PM

[Cindy]

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/index.html

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http://www.fbi.gov/page2/sept08/crimestats_091508.html

“OUR ANNUAL DIGEST OF CRIME
Let the Analysis Begin”
09/15/08

[Cindy]

http://albany.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/deaththreats091208.htm

September 12, 2008

“N E W S R E L E A S E”

SNIPPET: “Andrew T. Baxter, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York announced today that Xiang Li, 42 years old, a citizen of Canada, was sentenced today by the Hon. David N. Hurd, U.S. District Court Judge, in Utica, to a term of 114 months in federal prison, ordered to pay $38,095.22 restitution to Morrisville State College and a $1,100 in special assessments.

On May 14, 2008, following a four day trial, a U.S. District Court jury in Utica convicted Li of eleven felony charges of transmitting interstate death threats in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c).

Li had been hired to teach at S.U.N.Y. Morrisville for the 2005-06 academic year in the Computer Information Technology Department. As a result of poor teaching and inappropriate conduct, his employment was terminated in May 2006. Following his departure Li transmitted a series of interstate death threats to former colleagues and members of their families over a 9 month period. The evidence at trial showed the e-mails were sent from China, Ohio and Indiana through use of disguised e-mail addresses. He was able to send the threats by connecting his computer to unsecured wireless internet routers of neighboring computers.

This case was investigated by S.U.N.Y. Morrisville Police and Special Agents of the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Executive Assistant United States Attorney John G. Duncan.”

[Cindy]

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET from post no. 371:

"He was able to send the threats by connecting his computer to unsecured wireless internet routers of neighboring computers."

[Cindy]

NOTE: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0809/080912atlanta.htm

September 12, 2008

Head of identity theft ring pleads guilty to manufacture and sale of fraudulent identification documents

ATLANTA - A 36-year-old Atlanta, Georgia man pleaded guilty today in federal district court to conspiracy to manufacture and sell fraudulent government identification documents, including social security cards, permanent resident cards, and driver’s licenses, and to identification document fraud and aggravated identity theft following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led investigation. Seven other defendants previously pleaded guilty to related charges.

Francisco Santillan Arellano, also known as “El Padrino” (”The Godfather”), was the head of a fraudulent document manufacturing and sales ring that distributed social security cards, permanent resident or so-called “green” cards, and driver’s licenses to illegal alien customers. Arellano admitted to law enforcement authorities that he employed at least 17 people in this business in the Atlanta area. He stated he had operated the fraudulent document business for at least two or three years prior to his arrest on March 25, 2008. The ring operated at least two document labs at apartments in the Forest Park and Lindbergh-Buford Highway areas. Arellano admitted that the ring sold about 90 sets of fraudulent documents per week.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “These defendants solicited and sold Government identification documents to illegal alien customers. In many cases, the fraudulent documents contained the Social Security numbers and Alien Registration numbers of real U.S. citizens and legal immigrants to whom they had been lawfully issued. In using these numbers, these defendants acted with callous disregard for the rights of law abiding citizens and residents of this country. Identity theft is destructive and damages the credit, lives, and peace of mind of its victims. We will continue to pursue and prosecute those responsible for it.”

Kenneth Smith, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Investigations in Atlanta said, “Document and benefit fraud poses a significant vulnerability that must not go unchallenged. Today’s guilty plea should send the clear message that ICE and its law enforcement partners will identify and dismantle those criminal organizations that threaten national security and public safety and hold those individuals accountable for their actions.”

Arellano and the other defendants were arrested following undercover fraudulent document purchases by confidential informants and an undercover law enforcement officer. Searches conducted simultaneously with and subsequent to the arrests of the eight defendants resulted in the collection by law enforcement agents of over 70 sets of fraudulent identification documents, many of which bore social security numbers or alien registration numbers that had been issued to real persons.

Arellano was indicted in April 2008. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of identification document fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. He could receive a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000, and is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of at least two years in federal prison. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States sentencing guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Seven other defendants in this case have already pleaded guilty to related charges:

Luis Aguilar Romero, 29, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2008, to conspiracy, social security fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Francisco Hernandez Lopez, 24, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2008, to conspiracy.
Giovanny Trejo Gomez, 23, pleaded guilty on July 21, 2008, to conspiracy, identification document fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Jose Rodriguez Rodriguez, 44, pleaded guilty on July 31, 2008, to conspiracy.
Cesar Vazquez Ventura, 39, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2008, to conspiracy, identification document fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Jose Luis Plata Silva, 55, pleaded guilty on September 8, 2008, to conspiracy.
Gabriel Garcia Sanchez, 25, pleaded guilty on September 9, 2008, to conspiracy, social security fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Sentencing for Romero is set for September 22, 2008; Lopez is September 29, 2008; Rodriguez and Gomez will be sentenced on October 30, 2008; and Arellano, Sanchez, Plata Silva, Ventura are scheduled for sentencing on November 21, 2008, all before United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Detectives of the DeKalb County Police Department, Investigators with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the participants in a Federal and State Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney Teresa D. Hoyt is prosecuting the case.

— ICE —

[Cindy]

September 15, 2008

Note: The following text is a qutoe:

http://washingtondc.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/wfo091508.htm

EIGHT MEMBERS OF LOCAL BLOODS GANG SECT INDICTED ON FEDERAL RACKETEERING CHARGES

Blood Members are Charged with Kidnapping and Assaulting Young Female Gang Member who was Trying to Leave the Gang

WASHINGTON – Eight members of the 662 Boss Piru gang, which purports to be a sect of the notorious, nationwide Bloods gang, have been charged by a federal grand jury in a 19-count indictment with conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity, kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity and numerous local offenses, including kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon, six counts of sexual abuse and obstructing justice, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Cathy L. Lanier, and Joseph Persichini Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Washington Field Office, announced today.

The eight defendants are: Albert M. Price, 31, also known as “Original Gangster” and “Hellmary,” the believed leader of the gang; Marisa R. Gibson, 31, also known as “Angel of Death” and “Lady 151,” the believed leader of the female members of the gang; Deandre R. Tolson, 22, also known as “Bloody Sniper” and “Hellmary Jr.”; Marlowe St. Claire, 20, also known as “Bloody Lo”; Ceasar M. Hall, 19, also known as “Bloody Banger”; Latoye S. Morrison, 19, also known as “Lady Wax”; Lewis E. Fields, 21, also known as “Little Psycho”; and Dimitri Hightower, 29, also known as “Miciyh Jenkins” and “Bloody Micky.”

The indictment was returned under seal on September 9, 2008, and unsealed on Friday, September 12, 2008, following the arrest of several of the defendants. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned starting today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If convicted of the charges, the defendants face the possibility of life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

“The horrific and violent kidnapping and assault of a young female gang member in this case by her alleged fellow gang members is a prime example of why we must be vigilant in not allowing gangs to get a foothold in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Taylor. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will use every tool in our arsenal to bring to justice those who engage in violent criminal conduct. This indictment sends a clear message to gang members who engage in such criminal activity that there are grave consequences for their actions.”

“The arrests of these individuals are a part of our continued law enforcement efforts to rid our streets of violent crime,” said MPD Chief Lanier. “The District of Columbia is not and will not be a place where individuals can engage in violent activity.”

“Today’s announcement regarding the indictment and arrest of several members of the Bloods serves as a strong reminder that the FBI will continue to investigate reports of any violent or gang-related activity to ensure the safety of our community and its citizens,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Perschini.

The indictment alleges that the defendants are members of a criminal organization known as 662 Boss Piru, a “set” of, that is, a sub-group of, or gang affiliated with, the Bloods gang, a violent, nationwide gang. The indictment alleges that the 662 Boss Piru gang is a criminal enterprise that has operated since at least 2004, and which engages in a variety of criminal activities including prostitution, narcotics dealing, assault, threats, witness intimidation, kidnapping and robbery in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere. According to the indictment, members of the 662 Boss Piru gang use intimidation, violence and threats of violence, including assault and kidnapping, to discipline and punish enterprise members and associates who violate enterprise rules or were disloyal.

The indictment further alleges that on June 8-9, 2008, the eight defendants kidnapped and assaulted a fellow young female gang member who was attempting to leave the gang. The alleged assault occurred in the 4900 block of Astor Place, SE, Washington, D.C. Thereafter, in a secluded area in 4500 block of Grant Street, NE, Washington, D.C., five of the defendants, Gibson, Tolson, St. Claire, Hall, Morrison, and Fields, are alleged to have forced the fellow gang member to perform sexual acts with four men that she did not know.

In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Taylor, MPD Chief Lanier, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Persichini praised the efforts of the FBI Special Agents who are investigating this matter, and the work of MPD Detectives Ali Roberts, Thurman Stallings, Neil Jones and Derrick Bolding; MPD Sergeant Kevin Rice; MPD Officers Corey Perkins, Charles Monk, Sherrie Forester, Jeffrey Nassar and John Salamone; MPD Evidence Technicians Natasha Pettus, Tony Nwani, Carmen Pagan, Valerie Campbell, John Holder and James Holder; and Metro Transit Officer Lenny Smith. Also commended were U.S. Attorney’s Office support personnel Eugena Johnson, Nicole Lee, James Mazzitelli, Kim Hall and Teesha Tobias, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark O’Brien and Greg Marshall, who are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

bttt

[Cindy]

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2008/detroit091208a.html

“Black Mafia Family Members Sentenced to 30 Years”
SEPT 12 — (Detroit, MI

[Cindy]

Thank you Unrepentant VN Vet.

[Cindy]

2 unrelated resource links to check:

US CERT.GOV
http://www.uscert.gov

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RECALLS.GOV
http://www.recalls.gov

[Cindy]

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/09/hezbollah_and_sudans_salafi_re.php

“Hezbollah and Sudan’s Salafi Regime Converge”
By Walid Phares

SNIPPET: “The convergence between Jihadi Khomeinists and Jihadi Salafists seems to be developing as strategists and terrorism analysts are debating the near future of the global jihadi movement.”

(September 15, 2008, 5:15 pm)

[Cindy]

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/09/promoting_charity_while_reduci.php

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http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC06.php?CID=1178

“Brief Review: Islamic Charities”

By Matthew Levitt
Middle East Quarterly, Fall 2008