Seattle Washington – FBI Searching For Suspicious Ferry Passengers

The FBI is asking for the public’s help to identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently.

According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed.

FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said the men have been reported by by passengers on several ferry runs and, while the behavior may have been innocuous, investigators would like to talk to the men.

Burroughs said the men appeared to be taking an unusual interest in the workings of the boat, but she would not elaborate.

Passengers and crew members on different runs on separate dates reported the men to authorities.

Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.

Additional

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Earlier this month, Washington state ferry employees were told to watch for suspicious passengers after an incident in which someone took some out-of-the-ordinary photos.

Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins in Olympia said the incident took place last month and he can’t disclose details because it’s still under investigation. He says it led to an internal memo to ferry employees asking them to be more alert.

Calkins says the photo-takers drew attention because they were behaving a little differently than commuters or tourists. He says no officer was available at the time to check them out, so the memo was sent. He says it’s not a warning.

Calkins says the patrol and Coast Guard already provide security for state ferries because they could be a target for terrorism.

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The Seattle PI decided not to publish pictures of the two men the FBI is looking for. Here is an excerpt from the editor exlaining why.

“What’s an editor to do?

Ferry security is hugely important.

So are civil liberties and privacy.

The P-I last year reported that according to a Justice Department inspector general’s assessment, Puget Sound’s ferries were the nation’s No. 1 target for maritime terrorism.

This may well be a case of alert citizens spotting a very real threat.

But running a photograph of two men who may as easily be tourists from Texas as terrorists from the Mideast with a story that makes them out to be persons of interest in a terrorism investigation seems problematic, to say the least.

The P-I ran a story about the FBI’s alert, but did not run the photographs, because we didn’t have enough information to warrant it. I hope that today we are able to get more information on this story, if it exists, from the FBI that would give us a clearer idea of the background behind their request.

Based on what we have, it seemed newsworthy that the FBI was trying to find these guys but it did not seem appropriate to run their photographs.

The Seattle Times ran neither the photographs nor a story”.

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Rocket-propelled Grenade Discovered In Stolen Van

A military-style rocket-propelled grenade found in a customized van was disarmed and hauled off to the Orange County Sheriff’s headquarters in Santa Ana.

The sheriff’s bomb squad called the Marines’ Explosive Ordnance Detail from Camp Pendleton to disarm the weapon.

Marines detonated the device found in a recently stolen and recovered 2005 Ford E350 van with three explosives before the van was declared safe, and the device was taken from the scene.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 24000 block of Via Portola at about 12:45 p.m. Friday when Ernie Adkins, the van’s owner, found the grenade stashed in the overhead rack.

Adkins’ reported his van stolen a few weeks ago. Upland police recovered the van and returned it to him.

Source – OCRegister.com

Hamza May Go Free As Witness Backs Down

One of Britain’s most notorious Islamic extremists may be freed from prison as early as next year after an Al-Qaeda “supergrass” said he was no longer prepared to testify against him.

Abu Hamza al-Masri, the hook-handed firebrand who used to preach at Finsbury Park mosque in north London, was expected to be extradited to America for trial on charges including trying to establish a terrorist camp in Oregon.

But in a New York courtroom last week James Ujaama, 41, the key witness against Hamza, appeared to have reneged on a deal to testify against him. The change of heart could lead to the collapse of the American request for Hamza’s extradition now going through British courts.

Eight of the 11 counts on which the case rests depend on Ujaama’s evidence. Hamza faces a possible total of 100 years in prison in America.

The Egyptian-born cleric, 49, is serving a seven-year sentence in Belmarsh prison, southeast London, for soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred. But because he has already spent more than three years in prison and on remand, he will qualify for parole early next year and will go free if the extradition case collapses.

Read Article- Times Online

Security Increased For Holy Land Foundation Trial

Police are on high alert as the Holy Land Foundation trial continues in downtown Dallas.

The trial is centered around terrorism and The Holy Land Foundation, who is accused of funneling money to terrorist organizations. The department has a command post near the federal courthouse to watch for suspicious people.

“We evaluate continually everyday, and will be during the trial,” said Deputy Chief Vince Golbeck, Dallas Police Department.

Several recent incidents prompted the Dallas Police Department and federal authorities to beef up security in some areas. Last week, police received information about a suspicious man who appeared to be Middle Eastern and was said to have been spotted checking out a TXU plant near downtown two days in a row.

“We are staying alert on those particular properties,” Golbeck said.

Also, police said the lead U.S. attorney in the case, Jim Jacks, had his car vandalized at his home in North Dallas. However, there were also other cars in the neighborhood vandalized as well. But as a precaution, the U.S. Marshall’s Office has stepped up security at Jacks’ home.

Police said many of the tips are not terror related, but are checking everything, leaving nothing to chance.

“The majority of these things we are going to be very conservative, very thorough to track down any kind of intel that comes to us like that,” Golbeck said.

Source – WFAA.com

U.S. Studying Clusters of Possible Homegrown Terrorists

U.S. law enforcement officials say they have identified more than two dozen “clusters” of young Muslim men in the northeast United States who are on a path that could lead to homegrown terror, ABC News has learned.

“Any one of those clusters may be capable of carrying out a terrorist action that will result in fatalities,” Rand Corporation terrorism expert Brian Jenkins tells ABC News.

In a report to be made public today, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly concludes the 9/ll attacks were an “anomaly” and the most serious terror threat to the country comes from clusters of “unremarkable” individuals who are on a path that could lead to homegrown terror.

The report by the NYPD intelligence division, “Radicalization in the West and the Homegrown Threat,” plots “the trajectory of radicalization” and tracks the path of a non-radicalized individual to an individual with the willingness to commit an act of terror, multiple sources say.

“The threat is real; this is not some bogey man we are creating here. There are individuals who are proselytizing, inciting angry young men to go down this path,” said Jenkins, who reviewed and contributed to the NYPD report.

Read Article : The Blotter

Iran Revolutionary Guard to Be Labeled Terrorist

The United States has decided to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a “specially designated global terrorist,” according to U.S. officials, a move that allows Washington to target the group’s business operations and finances.

The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran’s nuclear program, officials said.

The designation of the Revolutionary Guard will be made under Executive Order 13224, which President Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to obstruct terrorist funding. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorist activities. The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said — a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization.

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Morocco Terror Attack Fails

An attempted suicide bomb attack in Morocco missed its intended target, a bus-load of foreign tourists, but seriously wounded the suspected bomber, a Moroccan security chief told AFP.

The explosion, which occurred in the former imperial town of Meknes in a central square popular with foreign visitors, ripped off the arm of the 30-year-old Moroccan man who was carrying the gas cylinder.

None of the tourists in the bus, who included French, Italians and Americans, was hurt. The blast happened at 11:30 am (GMT).

“He tried to get in the bus where tourists of several nationalities were staying, but the driver had the presence of mind to close the door in his face,” said the security expert.

The bomber, Hicham Dokkali, was an engineer who worked in the tax office in Meknes, he added.

Witnesses had seen the bomber talking to two other people shortly before the attack, he added.

Police said they were searching for the two other men seen with him.

The state-run MAP news agency reported earlier that the alleged attacker “headed towards the bus but was unable to reach it because of the driver’s vigilance.”

The state agency described the incident as “an isolated and desperate attempt.”

The suspect was in the town’s military hospital in a critical condition.

Morocco has been on high alert for attacks since last month, following a threat from a north African group that has affiliated itself with Al-Qaeda.

The country was hit by outrages earlier this year. In March and April, several suicide bombers carried out attacks in Casablanca.

In May 2003, that city — the economic capital of the country — was struck by coordinated bomb attacks that killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers.

FBI Searches Home Linked To Goose Creek Pipe Bomb Arrests

The FBI searched a Temple Terrace home Saturday morning in connection with the two University of South Florida students jailed in South Carolina on charges of possessing a pipe bomb.

Authorities had a search warrant for 12402 Pampas Place, FBI special agent Dave Couvertier said. He would not say what authorities were looking for, what was removed or how the house is connected to the two students.

The house is owned by Noor and Ana Salhab, according to the Hillsborough County property appraiser’s Web site.

Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said late Saturday he and the family of one of the students, Youssef Megahed, were unaware of the search warrant.

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Michelle Malkin provides additional details and links about the ongoing investigation including the following:

• 12402 Pampas Place just happens to be the address of a home that had been rented previously to WISE (World and Islam Studies Enterprise), one of two groups founded by convicted jihad supporter Sami Al-Arian, who was a professor at University of South Florida–the same university that Megahed and Mohamed attend.
• One of the names tied to the address is FBI Most Wanted terrorist Ramadan Shallah.
• Records show the owner of that house is Sameeh Hammoudeh, a co-defendant in the trial of Sami Al-Arian. Al-Arian is the former USF professor who was acquitted on most charges of funding terror-related organizations. He pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• Investigators searched a car Saturday that records showed is registered to Noor Salhab’s son, Ghassan Salhab. Neighbors say he and two other men are the current residents of the house that was raided.

Dirty Bomb – What To Do If An Attack Takes Place

In light of recent reports on the possibility of a dirty bomb attack, it’s important to review basic precautions and know what steps to take in the event of an actual attack.

First, assume that ANY explosion may include radiological or chemical agents.

Do not approach the area of a blast. Even if radiological or chemical agents are not present, terrorists often use a secondary device to kill and injure emergency personnel arriving on scene.

You can expect contamination from the explosion and dispersed radioactive materials in the immediate area and downwind from the blast. Radiation cannot be seen, smelled, felt, or tasted by humans. Therefore, if people are present at the scene of an explosion from a suspected dirty bomb, they will not know whether radioactive materials were involved at the time of the explosion. If people are not too severely injured by the initial blast,they should:

Leave the immediate area on foot immediately. Do not panic. Do not take public or private transportation such as buses, subways, or cars because if radioactive materials were involved, they may contaminate cars or the public transportation system.

If the wind is blowing toward you from the direction of the blast, travel in a direction that is crosswise or perpendicular to the wind as you move away from the blast area. If possible cover your face with a dust mask, cloth or piece of clothing to avoid inhaling potentially radioactive dust.

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New York – NYPD Search For Possible Dirty Bomb

Police are on alert tonight after receiving an “unverified” threat of a possible dirty bomb in Manhattan.

According to the NYPD, units have been deployed with radiological sensors, and checkpoints have been established at specific entry points into Manhattan, including the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, as well as the Manhattan Bridge.

The center of this threat is reportedly the 34th Street area.

The report was based upon postings on the Israeli website www.debka.com, which states an Al-Qaeda video suggested a truck with radioactive material may be detonated within the city, as well as other locations such as Los Angeles and Miami. (See Story Below)

“The threat remains unverified,” said the NYPD. “Our counterterrorism posture, which is reconfigured daily based on intelligence from around the world, has been modified.”

In a statement, Mayor Bloomberg said, “These actions are like those that the NYPD takes every day — precautions against potential but unconfirmed threats that may never materialize.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation,” said Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke. “There continues to be no credible information telling us that there’s a threat to the homeland at this time.”

The radiological sensors have been equipped on vehicles, boats and helicopters. “These deployments are strictly precautionary and not the result of any verified threat,” the NYPD noted. The city’s alert status of “orange” remains unchanged

Source- New York Daily News

Border Terror Alert – Fake Visas and Underground Tunnels Cause Concern

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Border Services Agency have each recently issued security notices alerting law enforcement officials to border-crossing issues, including illicit tunnels and fake visas.

On the U.S. side, DHS has issued an assessment of the “threat to the homeland” posed by illicit tunnels — almost exclusively across the Mexican border.

Among the report’s key findings, “Tunnels under U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico serve primarily as conduits for transporting illicit drugs into the United States. In addition, reliable reporting indicates that some tunnels also are used for alien smuggling, including special interest aliens.”

Canadian officials meanwhile have issued a warning that “several…counterfeit visas…have been intercepted at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.”

According to the warning, which was shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of the routine border-crossing cooperative security, “The counterfeits were detected in the possession of nationals of Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and most recently, nationals of India. The counterfeits, purportedly issued in Kiev and Chandigarh, bear serial numbers starting with ‘A043283.’”

Link to Article and Photos

Debka Files – New al Qaeda Chatter Threatens U.S. Cities

This story is making the rounds on several blogs and forums. The information contained in the story has not been confirmed by U.S. Intelligence, law enforcement or reliable mainstream news sources. We cannot confirm the accuracy of this report and post it only for informational purposes.

 

The threat was picked up by DEBKAfile’s monitors from a rush of electronic chatter on al Qaeda sites Thursday, Aug. 8.

The al Qaeda communications accuse the Americans of the grave error of failing to take seriously the videotape released by the American al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gaddahn last week. “They will soon realize their mistake when American cities are hit by quality operations,” said one message.

Another said the attacks would be carried out “by means of trucks loaded with radio-active material against America’s biggest city and financial nerve center.”

A third message mentioned New York, Los Angeles and Miami as targets. It drew the answer: “The attack, with Allah’s help, will cause an economic meltdown, many dead, and a financial crisis on a scale that compels the United States to pull its military forces out of many parts of the world, including Iraq, for lack of any other way of cutting down costs.”

There is also a message which speaks obliquely of the approaching attacks easing the heavy pressure America exerts on countries like Japan, Cuba and Venezuela.

DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources and monitors say there is no way of gauging for sure how serious these threats are, how real, or whether they are part of a war of nerves to give the Gaddahn tape extra mileage. But it is important to note that the exchange of messages took place over al Qaeda’s internal Internet sites and that they contained the threat of radioactive terror and specific American cities for the first time after a long silence on these subjects.

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FBI Seizes Computers, Store Video In Goose Creek Bomb Case

Video News Clip Tampa Bay News 10
Updated:
A third roomate, Ghassan Salhab, 27, from Mauritania moved here from Canada recently and returned there Monday. (as in left the country)

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Investigators have removed computers from the family home of a University of South Florida student accused of having pipe bombs in his car.

It’s reported that the FBI contacted the parents of Yousseff Samir Megahed of Tampa, who were on vacation, and got permission to search their home. When they returned, their computers were gone.

Megahed is one of two USF students arrested near a naval base in South Carolina over the weekend.

Ahmed Abda Mohamed’s family questioned why the men are being held on such a high bail amount.

“They know their son is innocent,” said M. Nachabe, faculty adviser for student Mohamed, after speaking by telephone with the man’s parents in Egypt.

Mohamed’s age is listed variously as 24 and 26 in law enforcement records.

The men were arrested Saturday afternoon in Goose Creek, S.C., on charges of possession of an explosive device. After a prosecutor argued the men were flight risks, a judge set bail at $500,000 for Mohamed and $300,000 for Megahed. (See related stories below)

The FBI declined to discuss the case. An arrest affidavit from the Berkeley County, S.C., Sheriff’s Office says that Mohamed told deputies he made the devices from components he bought at Wal-Mart.

The men told deputies that the explosives were fireworks, according to Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber said the FBI had gone to a store for surveillance footage but declined to say which store or what is on the tape.

“The FBI has been to a store and picked up videotape,” she said. “It’s an open investigation. I don’t think it would be appropriate to respond to specific questions.”

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Goose Creek Arrests Result In Felony Charges

From The Charleston Post and Courier -Two Florida students accused of having pipe bombs in the trunk of their car when they were pulled over in Goose Creek are “confused and scared,” their attorney said Monday.

Yousseff Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 26, both Egyptian citizens, were calm and polite in Berkeley County bond court. They were charged Monday with carrying explosive devices, which is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The weekend arrest drew national attention, because the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants are held, and the Naval Weapons Station are nearby. An FBI spokesman said the two are not suspected of being part of a terrorist plot.

The leader of a Muslim advocacy group who has been talking with Megahed’s family said the two were heading to North Carolina to celebrate Mohamed’s birthday, which was Sunday.

“Family members are very concerned, shocked about what has developed,” said Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The contents of the trunk might have been part of the celebration, he said.

Mohamed asked for a chance to speak at Monday’s bond hearing and said he was carrying fireworks in the trunk. Magistrate Ava Bryant Ayers reminded him that the bond hearing was to determine whether they were flight risks and not to talk about details of the charges.

Ayers set a $300,000 bond for Megahed and $500,000 for Mohamed. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson argued that the two were flight risks. A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Oct. 5.

An affidavit from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office said officers from the bomb squad determined that pipe bombs were in the trunk. Pipe bombs are homemade explosives, and making or having them is a felony.

Mohamed told the arresting officer he used materials he bought at a Wal-Mart, according to the affidavit.

Read Article – Source – The Post And Courier

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