Khalid Habib Killed By U.S. Forces – Planner Of Next al Qaeda Terror Attack

Khalid Habib, the al Qaeda figure believed to be organizing a new terror attack against the United States is dead.

The official says the U.S. now has evidence that Khalid Habib was killed in an unmanned air strike two weeks ago in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan. Until now, there had been no official confirmation of reports of Habib’s death from local militants in the area. Read more

Arms Cache Found During Traffic Stop – Dallas, Texas

Federal law enforcement officers took two Denton County prisoners into custody Tuesday after officers found about 11,000 rounds of ammunition, more than a dozen assault rifles and several other weapons, 20 ski masks and body armor in the truck they were driving on Interstate 35W near FM407.

The cache apparently was being smuggled into Mexico, according to court records. The serial numbers had been obliterated on most of the weapons, authorities said.

Victor Manuel Villalpando, 29, of Burleson and Noberto Estrada, 24, of Fort Worth, face multiple charges.

The case began about 6:25 p.m. Thursday as Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper David Farrell was patrolling on Interstate 35W. He saw a GMC Yukon near the intersection of FM407 with no front license plate, which is required by Texas law.

According to court records, Trooper Farrell stopped the vehicle. The driver, Mr. Villalpando, did not have a valid driver’s license. The trooper received permission to look inside the Yukon, but when he began searching, Mr. Villalpando ran off. The trooper detained Mr. Estrada and called for help.

With the help of a helicopter and officers from several Denton County law enforcement agencies, Mr. Villalpando was found hiding in a muddy creek bed.

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Iranian Nuke Scientist: Weekend Quake was a Nuclear Test

A weekend 5.0 Richter earthquake in Iran was actually a nuclear bomb test, says an Iranian nuclear scientist claiming to be working on the project.

This past Saturday night, southern Iran experienced what was reported as a significant earthquake – a seismic event measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was just north of the strategic Straits of Hormuz, which separates Iran from Abu Dhabi and Oman and which is the gateway to the Persian Gulf. Read more

FBI Arrests Man In Anthrax Shock & Awe Terror Hoax – Sent 12 Packages

The FBI arrested a Sacramento man late Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of sending hoax packages containing sugar packets labeled as anthrax and CDs entitled anthrax.

Agents took Marc M. Keyser, 66, into custody without incident at his home.

The FBI says Keyser is facing three charges for allegedly mailing more than 120 packages containing a CD titled “Anthrax: Shock & Awe Terror.” Attached to the CDs were sugar packets containing a white powdery substance and a label with an orange biohazard symbol and the words “Anthrax Sample.”

One of the packages was delivered to the Modesto office of Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, Wednesday morning. The delivery prompted an evacuation and the call-out of a Hazmat squad.

Investigators say Keyser is believed to have sent the packages to over 100 media outlets across the country, including News10, and at least two restaurants in the Sacramento-area.

Testing has been completed on several of the packages and there has been no evidence of a bio-hazard substance, says the FBI. The agency warned there will propably be additional packages received in the next several days. The FBI encourages recipients to contact law enforcement so that the packages can be examined and held as possible evidence.

There is no word on a motive for the packages.

The arrest wasn’t the first time Keyser has made area headlines.

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FBI Warns of Drug Cartel Danger In South Texas

Frustrated by a crackdown on South Texas drug smuggling routes, the Mexican Gulf Cartel is stockpiling high-powered weapons and recruiting local gang members on both sides of the border to prepare for possible confrontations with U.S. law enforcement, according to an FBI intelligence report.

The regional leader of the cartel’s enforcer group, the Zetas, Jaime “El Hummer” Gonzalez Duran ordered dozens of reinforcements to Reynosa, Mexico, across the river from McAllen, the report said.

“These replacements are believed to be armed with assault rifles, bulletproof vests and grenades and are occupying safe houses throughout the McAllen area,” the report obtained by The McAllen Monitor said.

The Monitor reported in today’s editions that the local FBI office refused to comment on the report.

Erik Vasys, an FBI spokesman in San Antonio, refused to discuss the details of the report but told The Associated Press “we acknowledge the Zetas are a significant problem in Mexico and they have the potential to pose a significant problem to law enforcement on this side of the border.”

Less than two weeks ago, the Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Hidalgo County sheriff announced that they would not be intimidated by cartel violence. At the time, they would only say that they felt the smugglers had become increasingly confrontational and the agencies planned to increase their coordination.

Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said at the time that his deputies patrolling near the Rio Grande would be issued high-powered rifles and authorized to return fire.

U.S. law enforcement has had several recent successes that have likely frustrated the cartel.

In September, “Project Reckoning” nabbed more than 175 cartel members and affiliates in the U.S.

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Drug Cartel May Have Infiltrated U.S. Embassy In Mexico

The U.S. State Department is investigating an allegation that an employee of the American Embassy in Mexico City passed sensitive information to a major drug cartel.

The report stems from a scandal at the organized crime unit of the Mexican attorney general’s office, where 35 employees were accused yesterday of passing information about investigations to the Beltran-Leyva narcotics organization. The informants collected as much as $450,000 a month. Read more

Pentagon Panel: Biden Was Right, Prep for Crisis

The McCain campaign pounced the other day, when Joe Biden said that his running mate would be tested by an international crisis at the start of his White House tenure. But the chairman of a key Pentagon advisory panel is sounding a similar warning, telling the next administration to “prepare for a likely first-270-days crisis.”

Veteran Pentagon consultant Michael Bayer, chairman of the Defense Business Board, told his fellow panelists that the new president’s inner circle should “set aside time in transition to identify the planning, gravitas and interagency process necessary to respond to a likely first-270-day crisis.”

From Kennedy (Bay of Pigs) to Johnson (Gulf of Tonkin) to Bush (9/11),” too many presidents were ill prepared for this,” Bayer warns.

“For months, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the service chiefs and the Joint Staff have been preparing for the first wartime transfer of Pentagon political authority in four decades,” notes Inside Defense, which broke word of Bayer’s presentation. “In addition to identifying defense policy issues for an incoming to understand, the military is also on high operational alert.”

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Obama Assassination Attempt Thwarted By Authorities

Two men have been charged for making threats against Barack Obama after federal agents say they broke up a skinhead plot to assassinate the U.S. presidential candidate and decapitate more than 100 others.

Federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school by two skinheads in court records unsealed Monday.

Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Arkansas were charged last Friday.

“The allegations set forth are serious and will be treated as such, ” Lawrence J. Laurenzi said in a news release. “The public can rest assured that federal, state, and local law enforcement are diligently working together to investigate and prosecute the alleged activity.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Western Tennessee, Cowart and Schlesselman met online through a mutual friend and both claim to have very strong beliefs regarding “White Power” and “Skinhead” philosophy.

Their chats intensified and their scheme took shape, according to a sworn statement by ATF agent Brian A. Weeks.

Using a .308-caliber rifle and a high-powered weapon they planned to steal from a gun store, the men plotted to “drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows,” the affidavit said. “Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt.”

Cowart traveled from Tennessee to Arkansas to pick up Schlesselman at his residence Oct. 20. From there, they planned to rob a gun shop, target a predominately African-American school and ultimately attack Obama, who is leading in most national polls in his bid for the White House.

The court documents say the two men met about a month ago on the internet and found common ground in their shared “white power” and “skinhead” philosophy.

The records say Cowart and Schlesselman also bought nylon rope and ski masks to use in a robbery or home invasion to take money to finance their spree, during which they allegedly planned to go from state to state and kill people.

For the Obama plot, the legal documents show, Cowart and Schlesselman “planned to drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows”. Both men stated they would dress in white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt.

The arrests have put election officials across the country on edge amid fears that other groups may be plotting similar actions.

Eduardo Arellano Felix – Mexico Drug Cartel Leader Captured In Tijuana

The head of a major family drug-dealing cartel in Tijuana, a city bordering the United States which is plagued by rampant gang violence, has been arrested, police said Sunday.

Eduardo Arellano Felix, nicknamed “the Doctor”, was arrested in an operation Saturday night, said spokesmen of the National Defense Ministry (Sedena) and Federal Public Security (SSPF).

The police exchanged fire with the gangsters before getting into the house where he had been hiding, they said.

With Eduardo’s detention, “the generation of the (Arellano) brothers who formed that criminal structure has been dismantled,” SSPF Vice Minister Facundo Rosas told a press conference.

Eduardo Arellano was fully identified for his burnt scars in both arms and chest, Rosas said.

“The detention of Eduardo Arellano Felix means a strong blow to that criminal group,” and he will face charges of drug trafficking, use of arms exclusive to the Mexican army and kidnapping, said the official.

analysts warn that the arrest will not necessarily dismantle the trafficking organisation.

“Those people watching the drugs trade say that at any moment another member of the family, or another cartel, could swoop in and recover control,” he said.

Arellano Felix was located in a house in the border area of Tijuana, and fired on federal agents after being encircled, police said.

A three-hour gun battle with more than 100 police and soldiers ensued before his arrest.

He was found with a girl, aged 11, believed to be his daughter, police said.

His drug cartel, also known as the Tijuana cartel, is allegedly one of the four large drug mafias operating in Mexico and is blamed by the US justice department for importing and distributing hundreds of tonnes of cocaine and marijuana in the US.

It has also been blamed for the murder and torture of police officers, informants and rivals

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Lasar Beam Spy Camera – New Tool In the War On Terror

A laser that can scan a crowd and identify people who have been handling explosives is being secretly tested at British airports and railway stations.

The device no bigger than a shoe box could also be used by police and MI5 surveillance teams to identify Islamic terrorists outside mosques or community centres. Read more

Syria – US Helicopter Makes Strike Near Border

DEVELOPING: U.S. military helicopters attacked an area along Syria’s border with Iraq Sunday, causing casualties, Syrian state TV and witnesses said. Syria said on Sunday unidentified helicopters attacked a Syrian border point with Iraq, causing casualties.

The official Syrian news agency SANA did not identify the helicopters but said the attack took place in the Bou Kamal border area, in eastern Syria.

Residents said the attack targeted a house in the area in which a man and his four sons and two nearby workers were killed..

The U.S. military in Baghdad had no immediate comment.

The area is near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point for fighters, weapons and money coming into Iraq to fuel the Sunni insurgency.

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F-16 Escorts Plane In Vicinity of South Texas Project Nuclear Plant

Two unrelated incidents caused a scare at South Texas Project Thursday afternoon that had plant security and Matagorda County Sheriff’s officers working quickly to diffuse the situations.

Coincidentally, within a time span of ten minutes, an unidentified aircraft was detected flying in the vicinity of the plant and a man was seen walking in the nuclear support center area carrying a rifle case. Read more

TSA To Check Passengers Against Terrorist Watch List

Change is on the way when it comes to how the flying public is compared to a watch list for terrorists.  The Transportation Security Administration will take over the duties.

Georgia Congressman John Lewis and Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy are among the most notable people who were mistakenly identified as being on the terrorist watch list.  TSA officials said Friday that a new system will be put in place to reduce those mistakes.

Since 9/11, airlines have checked passengers against a watch list of known terrorists and potential trouble makers.

Amina Salman, whose family is from Iraq, said she is often required to go through extra security.

“You don’t know who going to cause trouble so it’s fine, no problem,” said Salman.  When asked if she thought she was on a watch list, Salman said she didn’t know.

Currently, it’s the airlines that check passengers against a watch list. Starting next year, the TSA will take over the duties of comparing the names of passengers to the names on that list.

“Airlines will provide the information, the names [and] dates of birth to [the] TSA.  We’ll run the match against the system.  They will submit that to us electronically and within four seconds they’ll get a response whether this person is on the list or not,” said Jon Allen of the TSA.

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Twitter Terrorists – Army Warns of Terror ‘Tweets’ Security Threat

Twitter Terrorists – Army Warns of Terror ‘Tweets’ Security Threat

Could Twitter become terrorists’ newest killer app? A draft Army intelligence report, making its way through spy circles, thinks the miniature messaging software could be used as an effective tool for coordinating militant attacks.

For years, American analysts have been concerned that militants would take advantage of commercial hardware and software to help plan and carry out their strikes. Everything from online games to remote-controlled toys to social network sites to garage door openers has been fingered as possible tools for mayhem.

NOTE: National Terror Alert utilizes Twitter to update our visitors on breaking news, terror alerts and other important events 24/7. You can follow us for the latest at http://www.twitter.com/ntarc

This recent presentation — put together on the Army’s 304th Military Intelligence Battalion and found on the Federation of the American Scientists website — focuses on some of the newer applications for mobile phones: digital maps, GPS locators, photo swappers, and Twitter mash-ups of it all.

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Terrorists haven’t done anything similar, the Army report concedes – although it does note that there are “multiple pro and anti Hezbollah Tweets.” Instead, the presentation lays out three possible scenarios in which Twitter could become a militant’s friend:

Scenario 1: Terrorist operative “A” uses Twitter with… a cell phone camera/video function to send back messages, and to receive messages, from the rest of his [group]… Other members of his [group] receive near real time updates (similar to the movement updates that were sent by activists at the RNC) on how, where, and the number of troops that are moving in order to conduct an ambush.

How Twitter could be a security threat – Terrorist tweets aplenty

Twitter is a micro-blogging service that has already gained a huge amount of fans amongst the tech community, and is currently trying to gain a foothold of popularity amongst a wider mainstream demographic. But that wider set of fans could include terrorists who would use Twitter to spread their message and even direct operations.

This warning comes from the U.S. army by way of an intelligence report 304th Military Intelligence Battalion. It was posted on the Federation of American Scientists website before Noah Shachtman brought it to the attention of the wider public on Wired.

The report identifies three new technologies as possible threats to national security. Alongside Twitter, Global Positioning System maps and voice-changing software are claimed to be “potential terrorist tools”.

Twitter is rapidly becoming an essential tool for many. Back in July, news of the Los Angeles earthquake rebounded around Twitter before the event was picked up by any news organisation. The Presidential candidates are also using it to keep up with their supporters. And in April, a man used Twitter to alert his friends that he’d been arrested in Egypt.

But these uses could potentially have a dark side, at least if you believe the scaremongering of the U.S. intelligence services. The report states:

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