Ah, then came the dawn. Yemen seizes 'Israel-linked' cell 07 Oct 2008 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said the security forces have arrested a group of alleged Islamist militants linked to Israeli intelligence. Mr Saleh did not say what evidence had been found to show the group's links with Israel, a regional enemy of Yemen. The arrests were connected with an attack on the US embassy in Sanaa last month which killed at least 18 people, official sources were quoted saying. [Hmm. Guess they didn't get the whole cell.]
Barack Obama summons security chiefs over Detroit bomb plot 04 Jan 2010 President Barack Obama returned to Washington after his Hawaii trip as he ordered increased security for United States-bound flights across the world and prepared for an emergency meeting of security chiefs. Passengers travelling from or via 14 designated countries are to be subjected to extra security screening, including full body pat-downs after a directive from the US Transportation Security Administration in response to the failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day.
US tightens security for air passengers from 'terror sponsor' countries 03 Jan 2010 US authorities on Sunday tightened security measures for all US-bound airline passengers, including enhanced mandatory screening of travellers from 14 countries believed to have links to terrorism. Travellers from countries the US classifies as "state sponsors of terrorism" - Syria, Iran, Sudan, and Cuba [Oops! They forgot the US and Israel] - plus passengers from other "countries of interest" - Nigeria, Pakistan, Yemen - will be subjected to pat-down body searches and have carry-on baggage searched. Afghanistan, Libya and Somalia are also covered by the new directive, but a complete list of countries was not released.
U.S. Intensifies Air Screening for Fliers From 14 Nations 04 Jan 2010 Citizens of 14 nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed after the Christmas Day bombing plot, Obama administration officials announced Sunday.
Pakistan airport security increased 04 Jan 2010 Pakistan's national airline said Monday it is increasing security checks for passengers heading to the United States, following U.S. requests for enhanced screening after a Nigerian man allegedly tried to ignite explosives on a flight to Detroit.
Newark Airport lockdown as man strolls through checkpoint the wrong way 03 Jan 2010 Frustrated travelers were delayed for hours Sunday night when officials shut down a terminal at Newark Airport after a man walked into a secure area without authorization. Dozens of flights were grounded, and thousands of passengers waited late into the night to be rescreened at Terminal C . Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Sari Koshetz said a man was seen walking down a security checkpoint exit lane into the secure area about 5:30 p.m.
Checkpoint intruder shuts down Newark Airport terminal 04 Jan 2010 A man who walked into a secure area triggered a terminal-wide lockdown at Newark Liberty International Airport last night, grounding outgoing planes and forcing hundreds of passengers to await rescreening, transportation authorities said. The incident occurred nine days after a failed terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound plane heightened tensions at the nation's airports and increased security restrictions.
Power out for 1 hour at Reagan National Airport 04 Jan 2010 The power is back on at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., after an hour-long outage that brought flights and security screening to a standstill. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokeswoman Courtney Mickalonis says the power went out at about 12:30 p.m and came back on at 1:30 p.m.
U.S. Customs: Second person handcuffed on Christmas Day was on Flight 253, after all 02 Jan 2010 A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection now says that a man who was handcuffed and questioned by authorities on Christmas Day was a passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 -- just days after saying that person arrived to Detroit aboard a different flight. In an email to The Detroit News Thursday night, Customs spokesman Ron Smith acknowledged that a person from Flight 253 was handcuffed after search dogs found something in his carry-on bag. The passenger was not arrested or detained, and was allowed to leave Detroit Metro Airport with the rest of the Flight 253 passengers, according to WWJ.
Official confirms 2nd man interviewed from Flight 253 --Couple on 253 did see 2nd man in cuffs, customs officer says 02 Jan 2010 A U.S. Customs official reversed himself Friday, admitting a passenger from Northwest Flight 253 was placed in handcuffs, searched and released after a security dog alerted officers to the passenger's carry-on luggage. Ronald G. Smith, chief U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in the Detroit area, sent an e-mail to The Detroit News late Thursday apologizing that the information on the passenger -- which was made public by a pair of Taylor attorneys, Kurt and Lori Haskell, who were passengers on the flight -- was not officially announced earlier. FBI officials had said only one man from the flight was arrested.
White House Adviser Briefed in October on Underwear Bomb Technique 03 Jan 2010 White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan was briefed in October on an assassination attempt by Al Qaeda that investigators now believe used the same underwear bombing technique as the Nigerian suspect who tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day, U.S. intelligence and administration officials tell NEWSWEEK. The briefing to Brennan was delivered at the White House by Muhammad bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia’s chief counterterrorism official. In late August, Nayef had survived an assassination attempt by an operative dispatched by the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda who was pretending to turn himself in.
Italy aims to introduce body scanners: minister 02 Jan 2010 Italy aims to install full-body scanners at the main airports of Rome and Milan for flights considered at high risk of terrorist attacks, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said in an interview published on Saturday. Maroni, speaking after last week's failed plot to bomb a U.S. passenger jet, told Corriere della Sera newspaper that he favored the swift introduction of the scanners, which can see through clothing to spot hidden explosives or weapons. [See: Are planned airport scanners just a scam? 03 Jan 2010.]
Yemen likely to be new front in global fight against terror 04 Jan 2010 It seems Yemen has become a new front in the fight against extremism as the U.S. and British embassies in the country closed on Sunday in response to threats of possible attacks by al-Qaida affiliates. The British embassy asked its staff to stay at home on Sunday, well-placed sources told local News Yemen, citing security reasons behind the closure. Earlier in the day, the U.S. embassy in Sanaa was closed over what it said threats by Yemen's al-Qaida affiliate to attack U.S. interests in the country.
UK to follow US intervention in Yemen 03 Jan 2010 The British premier's office says that Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US President Barack Obama have agreed to fight what they call terrorism in Yemen and Somalia. The UK and the US have agreed to fund a counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen to tackle the rising threat from the country.
U.S. and U.K. Shut Embassies in Yemen Over Qaeda Threats 04 Jan 2010 The United States and Britain shut their embassies in the Yemen capital on Sunday, with the Americans citing unspecified but "ongoing threats by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula," the regional branch responsible for the failed Christmas Day effort to blow up a U.S. airliner headed to Detroit. The closures came a day after a quiet visit to Yemen’s president by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the American regional commander, who delivered a message from President Obama of support for Yemen’s unity and counter-terrorism efforts.
US citizens due in Pakistan court on terror charges 04 Jan 2010 Five US nationals suspected of plotting attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan are due to appear in a Pakistani court. Police have said they would seek life sentences on terror charges against the five young Muslim men, who are from the Washington DC area. The men were arrested during a raid on a house in the eastern Pakistan city of Sargodha in early December. US officials said they were wanted by the FBI and had gone missing in the US state of Virginia in November.
Prince Charles tried to stop war --Prince thought Tony Blair was wrong on Iraq and mocked him as 'our glorious leader' 03 Jan 2010 Prince Charles was so convinced Tony Blair was WRONG to take Britain to war in Iraq he broke Royal tradition and actively campaigned against the invasion, the News of the World can reveal. Behind closed doors, the heir to the throne voiced his fears to senior politicians and mounted a staunch anti-war crusade in which he: ATTACKED the then prime minister's stance, mockingly calling him "our glorious leader". BLAMED American president George W Bush for action he believed to be misguided after reviewing secret intelligence. WARNED the war would only stir up more serious trouble in the region. ACCUSED western leaders of failing to deal with what he feels is the real cause of Islamic unrest - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Iraq will help Blackwater victims sue 03 Jan 2010 Iraq will help victims of the 2007 shooting of civilians in Baghdad to file a lawsuit in the US against employees of security firm Blackwater, an incident that turned a spotlight on the United States' use of private contractors mercenaries in war zones. Last week, a US judge threw out charges against five guards accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, saying the defendants' constitutional rights had been violated.
Blasts kill 4 US, one UK soldiers in Afghanistan 04 Jan 2010 Four American soldiers and one British soldier have been killed in two separate explosions in southern Afghanistan. The dead soldiers, who were serving under NATO's International Security Assistance Force, were killed on Sunday, NATO said in a statement Monday.
Taliban deny abducting French reporters 03 Jan 2010 The Taliban militia Sunday denied kidnapping two French television journalists and three Afghan assistants who were snatched at gunpoint five days ago in Afghanistan. "We are not involved," self-styled Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. [Right, it was likely Blackwater mercenaries.]
General: SEALs on Trial for Cover-up 02 Jan 2010 The Army general who ordered three local Navy SEALs to trial for their involvement in an alleged case of detainee prisoner abuse says he is more upset by the men's apparent attempt to cover up the incident than by the "relatively minor" injuries inflicted on a high-value detainee. Maj. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, head of Special Operations Command Central, wrote to lawmakers who had questioned the prosecutions that their perceptions of the case appear to be based upon "incomplete and factually inaccurate press coverage."
Top Israeli diplomat scolds ambassadors 03 Jan 2010 Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman chastised the regime's foreign envoys for their tendency to appease their host states. "I have seen that some ambassadors identify themselves with the other side to such an extent that they are all the time trying to justify and explain [the position of the other side]," Lieberman said at a conference last week with Israeli ambassadors.
Obama effigy found hanging in Georgia: report 03 Jan 2010 An effigy of President Barack Obama was found hanging in the rural hometown of former President Jimmy Carter, local media reported on Sunday, and the Secret Service said it was investigating the case. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, citing footage seen on WALB-TV, said the large black doll was found hanging from a building by a noose in front of a red, white and blue sign that said: "Plains, Georgia. Home of Jimmy Carter, our 39th President."
Third state dinner crasher involved 04 Jan 2010 Michaele and Tareq Salahi weren’t the only uninvited guests at the White House state dinner in November. According to the Secret Service, a third interloper at the dinner honoring the Indian head of state has been identified. In a press release Monday afternoon, the Secret Service said that the person traveled from a local hotel, where the official Indian delegation was staying, and arrived at the dinner with the group, which was under the responsibility of the Department of State.
Court officer killed, federal marshal wounded in shooting inside lobby of Las Vegas courthouse 04 Jan 2010 A federal court security officer was killed and a U.S. Marshal wounded Monday when a gunman sprayed bullets inside the lobby of a courthouse in downtown Las Vegas. The man fled across the street in a hail of return gunfire. He was shot in the head and killed. The large modern building, which also houses the offices of Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, was evacuated amid confused witness accounts of up to three other gunmen.
NZ's cyber spies win new powers 03 Jan 2010 New cyber-monitoring measures have been quietly introduced giving police and Security Intelligence Service (SIS) officers the power to monitor all aspects of someone's online life. The measures are the largest expansion of police and SIS surveillance capabilities for decades, and mean that all mobile calls and texts, email, internet surfing and online shopping, chatting and social networking can be monitored anywhere in New Zealand.
Telecom firms' fury at plan for 'Stasi' checks on every phone call and email 27 Dec 2009 Telecoms firms have accused the Government of acting like the East German Stasi over plans to force them to store the details of every phone call for at least a year. Under the proposals, the details of every email sent and website visited will also be recorded to help the police and security services fight crime and terrorism. But mobile phone companies have attacked the plans as a massive assault on privacy and warned it could be the first step towards a centralised 'Big Brother' database.
Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law 04 Jan 2010 Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States, nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision. The policy was designed 33 years ago to protect trade secrets. But critics -- including the Obama administration -- say the secrecy has grown out of control, making it impossible for regulators to control potential dangers or for consumers to know which toxic substances they might be exposed to.
Scientists say dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons' 03 Jan 2010 Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as "non-human persons". Studies into dolphin behaviour have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans... These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence. The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing.
Previous lead stories: MI5 knew of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's UK extremist links 03 Jan 2010 The security services knew three years ago that the Detroit bomber had "multiple communications" with Islamic extremists in Britain, it emerged this weekend. Counterterrorism officials said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was "reaching out" to extremists whom MI5 had under surveillance while he was studying at University College London. None of the information was passed to American officials, which will prompt questions about intelligence failures prior to the attack. British officials have now passed a file to their US counterparts on Abdulmutallab’s activities in Britain while he was a student from 2005 to 2008. It shows his repeated contacts with MI5 targets who were subject to phone taps, email intercepts and other forms of surveillance.
UK and US agree to fund anti-terrorism unit to tackle Yemen extremists 03 Jan 2010 Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama have agreed to fund a counterterrorism police unit in Yemen to tackle the rising terrorist threat from the country, it was announced in London early today. The UK and the US have also agreed to increase support for Yemen's coast guard operation. Downing Street said that, in addition, Brown and Obama will push the UN Security Council to create a larger peacekeeping [sic] force for Somalia. Downing Street said the government of Yemen had been consulted over the decision to boost the country's coast guard and police operations.
Christmas false flag gets big payoff: Obama Says Al Qaeda in Yemen Planned Bombing Plot, and He Vows Retribution --US to 'more than double' $70 million in military aid sent to Yemen in 2009 to 'fight' Al Qaeda 03 Jan 2010 President Obama declared for the first time on Saturday that a branch of Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] based in Yemen sponsored the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an American passenger jet, and he vowed that those behind the failed attack "will be held to account." Mr. Obama’s comments indicated that he and the government largely accepted the accounts offered by Mr. Abdulmutallab since he was taken into custody and by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in a statement on the Web. The National Security Agency had intercepted communications among Qaeda leaders months ago talking about an unnamed Nigerian preparing to attack, but the government never correlated that with information about Mr. Abdulmutallab’s radicalization collected by embassy officials in Nigeria from the suspect’s father.
