Taliban Threatens To Poison Waziristan Water Supply

Pakistani Taliban have threatened to contaminate water sources and reservoirs with poisonous materials to pressure the army to stop.

The cantonment boards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala received the threat from the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. A letter, faxed to the Directorate of Military Lands and Cantonments in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, said the Taliban had procured 200 litres of poisonous materials that would be used to contaminate water.

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From The Deccan Herald

Confirming reports of the threat from the Taliban, Rafiq Adil Siddique, the CEO of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, said the Directorate of Military Lands and Cantonments has taken “effective security measures”.

All six wards in the area have been divided into four zones headed by engineers, supervisors, directors, tube-well operators and valve men to ensure the security of water sources.

Tube-well operators and valve men have been issued special instructions to keep the doors of their offices closed and boundary walls of tube-well sections are being raised, the daily reported.

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12 Santa Clarita Students Sickened By Tainted Water

Los Angeles County authorities Friday were investigating the contamination of bottled water which sickened 12 students at a junior high school on Thursday.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency’s Los Angeles office was dispatched to La Mesa Junior High School in Santa Clarita on Thursday.

Los Angeles County fire inspector Steve Zermeno said that at 12:45 p.m., school officials reported that 12 students were complaining of headaches, nausea and dizziness after consuming Aquafina water from a vending machine that appeared to contain a “bleach-like substance.”

The students were taken to a hospital and released.

Jeff Dahncke, spokesman for The Pepsi Bottling Group, which manufactures Aquafina, said there was no evidence that the contamination was caused by the company’s manufacturing process and the company believes it was an isolated incident.

“We have examined and tasted numerous bottles that were produced at the same time as those in this case and have found them to be free of any problems whatsoever,” a Pepsi statement said.

“The only products in question have been those that were previously opened, and we are working closely with local authorities to determine exactly what happened.”

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Suspicious Bottles Found at News Offices

A day after two plastic bottles of blue liquid with homemade labels with the words “Winter of Frozen Dreams” were found at the Times Union, Schenectady police said someone left five bottles outside the Daily Gazette this morning with the same words. In both cases, the liquid they contained was found to be harmless. Schenectady Fire Department Capt. Mike Denny said the bottles found around 11:30 a.m. in a plastic bin were marked “Winter of Frozen Dreams.”

A hazardous materials crew took samples and determined the liquid was a “nontoxic dye in water.” It was turned over to city police for further examination.

There were no injuries reported and the building at 2345 Maxon Road Extension was not evacuated, according to Sgt. Eric Clifford, a police spokesman.

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