Ahmadinejad Wins Election, Rival Warns of Fraud

Iran’s interior ministry said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took 61 percent of all votes were tallied, but his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and warned of possible fraud in the election.

The dispute rose up even before polls closed early Saturday, heightening tensions across the capital where emotions have been running at a fever pitch. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the reformist candidate, suggested he might challenge the results.

The messy and tense outcome capped a long day of voting — extended for six hours to accommodate a huge turnout. It raised worries that Iran’s Islamic establishment could use its vast powers to pressure backers of Mousavi.

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Hat tip Covertress

Police Prepare For Possible Unrest Due To Election Results

Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.

Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation’s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence.
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Al-Qaeda-linked Website Chatter Talks Of Pre-election Terror Attack

An Al-Qaeda linked website suggested in a message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a John McCain presidency.

The message, posted yesterday on the password-protected al-Hesbah Web site, said if al-Qaeda wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, “impetuous” Republican presidential candidate McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier,” the message said. “Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush.”

SITE Intelligence Group, monitors the Web site and translated the message.

“If al-Qaida carries out a big operation against American interests,” the message said, “this act will be support of McCain because it will push the Americans deliberately to vote for McCain so that he takes revenge for them against al-Qaida. Al-Qaida then will succeed in exhausting America till its last year in it.”

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al Qaeda and The Election – Out-thinking A Canny Enemy

Americans are not the only ones caught up in this year’s presidential election. The nature of the race, having an African American and a woman on the major parties’ tickets, alongside two wars and an economic crisis of historic proportions, has proven captivating to people throughout the world.

But while our friends across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are watching the race closely, America’s enemies are also watching from the mountain villages where Osama Bin Laden’s followers are hiding out.

Al Qaida is following the race intensely because fear and destruction are the principal aims of terrorist groups. It is fear and the resulting chaos on which terrorist groups feed.

The fog following a terrorist attack is thick, and it often leads many to support decisions that may not advance America’s security interests. Worse, these decisions often play into the hands of the terrorists who attacked the US by increasing their popularity.

Examples of this abound, but the US invasion of Iraq in the wake of 9/11 is perhaps the most pronounced example. The war, the administration’s use of torture on captured prisoners, and its disregard for international treaties was fodder for Al Qaida. As world opinion of the United States sank, recruiting people became easier.

No coincidence

It is this climate that Al Qaida looks to create – a climate that is borne of fear and results in American actions that serve Al Qaida’s own interests. To strike the greatest amount of fear in civilians, terrorist groups wait to act until an event or time period that will amplify their attack. The tail end of a presidential campaign is one such opportunity.

While this campaign has been the longest in American history, a significant number of Americans are only now deciding on their choice. It is these final weeks of the political campaign that find Americans closely attuned to news and the statements of the candidates.

For this reason, what happens between now until Election Day can have a greater impact on public opinion than during any other period in the campaign.

It was no coincidence that on October 29, 2004 – the final days of the John Kerry and George W. Bush presidential campaign – Bin Laden released a video message saying Al Qaida was intent on attacking the United States. This period was when large numbers of Americans were watching the news.

The same tactic, with deadlier results, was used earlier that year in Spain, when terrorists attacked Madrid trains only days before that country’s elections.

Al Qaida may likely look to exploit this year’s election by releasing a video message from Bin Laden or his deputy Ayman Al Zawahiri, or worse, staging an attack – something some have called an “October surprise”.

Source – Full Article Gulfnews