Recognizing 8 Signs of Terrorism Video Unveiled By DHS

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano joined Colorado Governor Bill Ritter yesterday to unveil “Recognizing 8 Signs of Terrorism” a video produced with DHS grant funding designed to educate Colorado citizens about the shared responsibility of recognizing signs of terrorist activity.

“The vigilance of individual citizens is critical to protecting our country from the threat of terrorism,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This video provides essential information on how to identify the warning signs and emphasizes the vital role of such assistance in state and local law enforcement’s counterterrorism efforts.”

“Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, it’s important to remember the United States is not immune from the atrocities of international terror attacks. Even in Colorado, we need to be prepared to prevent and respond to these types of horrific events,” said Governor Ritter. “Secretary Napolitano’s charge to empower the public with knowledge is a key component in creating prepared and vigilant communities across America. I encourage all Coloradans to see the video ‘Recognizing 8 Signs of Terrorism’ at the CELL because we all have the power to make a difference when we are prepared.”

Under the DHS State Homeland Security Grant Program, the Colorado Office of Homeland Security awarded ,400 for the creation of the video, which was narrated by John Elway and Kim Christiansen and produced through a partnership between the Colorado Office of Homeland Security, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC) and the Center for Empowered Living & Learning (The CELL)—a non-profit institution dedicated to addressing the global threat of terrorism.

The announcement came during Secretary Napolitano’s trip to Denver, where she joined Governor Ritter on a tour of the CELL.

While in Denver, Secretary Napolitano also joined Attorney General Eric Holder, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske to participate in the National Association of Chiefs of Police Conference.

Alleged Texas Terror Suspect Made Video For Bin Laden

No details yet, however CNN reports alleged Texas terrorism suspect Hosam Smadi recorded a seven-minute video message for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden sometime before his arrest on charges of plotting to blow up a Downtown Dallas building, according to Monday’s testimony from an FBI agent.

No details of the message were provided in court. But FBI Special Agent Thomas Petrowski said the video was recorded in a hotel room with the assistance of undercover FBI operatives and Smadi intended for it to be delivered to or seen by bin Laden, the fugitive leader of the terrorist network behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian living in the United States illegally, is charged with plotting to set off a bomb at the base of the 60-story Fountain Plaza office tower in downtown Dallas. He was arrested September 24 after federal agents said he tried to trigger an improvised bomb attached to a vehicle at the base of the building.

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Al Qaeda Releases Video With The Usual Threats

Al Qaeda released a 106-minute Arabic language video Tuesday titled “The West… and The Dark Tunnel” featuring Al Qaeda’s second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri predicting the downfall of Barack Obama.

During the documentary-style video to mark the ninth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, Al Qaeda leaders comment on events in the past year such as the U.S. presidential elections, the global financial meltdown, and the latest on jihadist movements around the world.

“America has come in a new, hypocritical face. Smiling at us, but stabbing us with the same dagger that Bush used,” said Zawahiri in the message.

“God willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation, so that the world and history will be free of your crimes and lies,” he said addressing Obama at the end of the two-part video.

In addition to Zawahiri, other Al Qaeda leaders speaking in the video include Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Attiya Allah, Abu Yahya al-Libi, and Adam Gadahn.

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FBI Again Questions Colorado Man in Terror Probe

An airport shuttle driver at the center of a federal terrorism investigation returned Thursday for further questioning by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in Denver, a day after federal agents searched his apartment and interviewed him for eight hours.

Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old immigrant from Afghanistan, provided a DNA swab, a handwriting sample and fingerprints during his eight-hour interrogation on Wednesday afternoon and evening, according to one of his attorneys, Armstrong Graham. “It sounds worse than it was,” Mr. Graham said. “It was very cordial, very productive.”

The agents pressed for information about Mr. Zazi’s family and friends and his travel history, Mr. Graham said. Mr. Zazi’s wife lives in Pakistan, and his lawyers say he visits her there regularly. Last week, Mr. Zazi rented a car and drove to New York. He said he had to deal with some problems involving a coffee-vending cart that he operated for years on Wall Street. Mr. Zazi stayed with an old friend in the borough of Queens; earlier this week, the friend’s apartment and two others were searched.

Mr. Zazi hasn’t been arrested or charged. Authorities haven’t released any information about the results of their searches in Queens or in the Denver area.

Both Mr. Zazi and his lawyers have repeatedly said he has no ties to terrorism.

via Read Full Article – WSJ.com.

On another note…CBS News Reports

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing obtained by CBS News raises more questions about the 24-year-old Afghan national now at the center of a multi-state terror investigation.
[..]
Perhaps most interesting: In the five months between April and August of 2008, Zazi opened up 15 separate revolving credit card accounts eventually racking up more than $38,000 worth of debt ($38,786) on those cards.

In the filing, Zazi also claimed he was “unmarried,” in contrast to statements that he had traveled frequently to Pakistan to visit his wife, who his attorney said he married in 2006.

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New Video Shows Signs al Qaeda Fears US Closing In

Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri has ordered his fighters to target Pakistan amid growing signs that its army and US drones are closing in on al-Qaeda. Military analysts and retired senior army chiefs said his call reflected growing disarray in the militant ranks following the death of Pakistan’s feared Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud earlier this month and the brutal leadership battle it has provoked.

Mehsud is one of several “high-value” Taliban and al-Qaeda figures killed by Predator drones in the tribal areas close to its border with Afghanistan, while their allies in Swat Valley, where the charismatic Maulana Fazlullah, known as “Maulana Radio” for his popular fundamentalist radio broadcasts, have been driven out by a Pakistan army offensive.

The Taliban was finally forced to confirm Mehsud’s death earlier this week after insisting he was merely ill. Analysts said they had wanted to confirm his successor before admitting their most effective leader to date had been killed.

Since his death a number of Pakistani Taliban commanders have surrendered or announced ceasefire amid shifting alliances in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

The intervention of al-Qaeda’s deputy leader is an attempt to shore up the new Taliban leadership, prevent further defections, and inspire a new offensive to stop Pakistani and American forces from getting closer to their “safe haven” along the border, analysts said.

In a video recording released to a militant website, Zawahiri said the battle against American and Pakistani armies in the region is the battle against “crusader” forces. “The war in the tribal areas and Swat is an inseparable part of the Crusaders’ assault on the Muslims the length and breadth of the Islamic world,” he said.

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