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Dec. 14, 2002 (Speech given earlier) - In this fascinating message, Retired Admiral Woolsey, who has also been director of the CIA, describes the current world situation as World War IV (World War III having been the Cold War). This war is against Islamic radical movements from the Middle East.
First of all, who are they? Well, there are at least three. I would say they're principally three movements that all come out of the Middle East. And the interesting thing is that they've actually been at war with us for years.
The first element is the Islamist Shia, the ruling Mullahs of Iran, who sponsor Hezbollah, have been at war with us for nearly a quarter of a century.
The second group is The Baathist parties of Iraq, which are modeled after the totalitarian, anti-Semitic parties of the '30's.
The third group is the Islamist Sunni movement, including The Wahhabis from which Osama bin Laden came. This is the one "that caused us finally to notice we are at war."
Dec. 4, 2002 - Hezbollah's suicide tactics may spread from Israel to the rest of the world according to its Lebanon-based leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.
"By Allah, if they touch Al Aqsa we will act everywhere around the world," Sheik Nasrallah told an estimated 10,000 gun-toting, bearded fighters in southern Lebanon on Friday.
Nov. 30, 2002 - The Lausanne-based Dalle Molle Institute for Perceptual Artificial Intelligence has analyzed the latest tape, which was supposedly from Osama bin Laden, against 20 other tapes of the terror mastermind. Their conclusion is that it is 95-per-cent certain the tape was not really recorded by bin Laden.
Nov. 29, ,2002 - Yesterday's attacks against Israelis in Kenya, and an apparently coordinated attack against voters in Israel itself, are thought by most analysts to be the work of al-Qaida. However, the groups claiming credit for the carnage are Yasser Arafat's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Hezbollah's Army of Palestine. The obvious implication is that there is a link between al-Qaida and Yasser Arafat's terrorist groups in Israel.
Nov. 28, 2002 - A suicide car-bombing destroyed a hotel frequented by Jewish people in Mombasa, Kenya. At the same time a missile launched in the same city almost struck an Israeli holiday jet. Eleven people were killed in the hotel bombing, including three suicide bombers.
Nov. 22, 2002 - Men from 13 countries, who entered the country on or before Sept. 30, will be treated as a higher risk for terrorism. This means they will need to return to an INS office, be fingerprinted and photographed. They will also need to give more information about their backgrounds and the purpose of their visits to the U.S.
The new rules affect only males born on or before Dec. 2, 1986, who are from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Males from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Syria, at least 16 years old, have already been considered high risk visitors.
Nov. 19, 2002 - The United States has told the Syrian government that it needs to take a position in the War on Terrorism by shutting down the Damascus office of Islamic Jihad. Colin Powell had made the demand after the massacre of 12 Israelis in Hebron on Friday. The Syrian response was a blunt refusal, saying that Islamic Jihad had a right to express their viewpoint.
It went on to blame America for the recent upsurge of violence in the region, asserting that "the United States is responsible for the current bloodletting because it supports the Israeli occupation."
Last June, President George W. Bush said, "Syria must choose the right side in the war on terror by closing terrorist camps and expelling terrorist organizations."
Nov. 15, 2002 - The FBI has released a warning to police agencies nationwide that Al Qaeda activity is at a high level, and without knowing what targets may be in view, it is likely that they will do something significant soon.
"Sources suggest Al Qaeda may favor spectacular attacks that meet several criteria: high symbolic value, mass casualties, severe damage to the U.S. economy and maximum psychological trauma," says the alert, which was posted on the FBI's Web site early Friday...
Nov. 13, 2002 - A senior U.S. intelligence official said that the CIA analysis is not finished, but the voice on an audio tape aired by Al Jazeera television is bin Laden's. The speaker praises recent terrorist attacks, such as the one in Bali, and threatens new attacks.
Oct. 31, 2002 - Since Jihad martyrs believe their suicide mission entitles them to ascend immediately to heaven, Russian security forces have decided to use their beliefs against them. They also believe that wrapping their corpses in 'unclean' pigskin prevents them from entering heaven for eternity.
According to the Moskovski Komsomol newspaper, Russian security forces have decided to bury the terrorists from last's week's hostage siege wrapped in pig's skin. The aim is to deter potential Islamic terrorists from future attacks.
Oct. 29, 2002 - The CIA and other intelligence sources have credible evidence that Osama bin Laden is still alive, reportedly having bought his way out of Afghanistan for $15 million. He and a top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, are supposedly living in a camp in Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. There is growing concern that another big attack by al-Qaida is being planned.
Oct. 28, 2002 - The toll in the Moscow theater has risen, with 117 hostages now dead, 650 in hospitals, and 150 of them in intensive care. Nearly all of the casualties were caused by a secret gas used by the Russian military.
Oct. 26, 2002 - Just before dawn on Saturday, Russian troops pumped sleeping gas into the theater where Chechen rebels held hundreds of hostages. They then stormed the theater, killing most of the captors. There were some casualties among the hostages, but the details are not yet known.
Sixty-seven hostages died during an operation to free hundreds of captives held by Chechen rebels in a Moscow theater, Russian officials said today. Thirty-four hostage-takers also were killed after Russian special forces moved in to end the three-day siege.
Oct. 25, 2002 - More than 600 hostages have been held in a Moscow theater since Wednesday by Chechen rebels. Sanitary conditions are worsening for the hostages, and they have no food. The rebels are demanding a Russian withdrawal from the breakaway republic of Chechnya. They threaten to start executing hostages on Saturday if their demands are not met. The terrorists have explosives strapped on, and claim to be willing to kill themselves and others if they are stormed by russian soldiers.
Oct. 24, 2002 - Two suspects in the D.C. area shooting spree have been arrested. After a day of developing events from Washington State to Washington D.C., two men have been arrested at a rest stop in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Sources identified the two as John Allen Muhammad, 42 -- a Gulf War veteran named in a federal arrest warrant for firearms violations who was being sought as a material witness in the sniper case -- and his 17-year-old stepson John Lee Malvo, a Jamaican citizen.
The sniper reportedly called the Baltimore Sun recently to say that he should be taken seriously, and that they should check with the people in Montgomery, Alabama. Police discovered that a double shooting outside a liquor store there involved the same kind of ammunition that has been used in the D.C. deaths. Malvo's fingerprint was found at the scene.
Yesterday, FBI and ATF authorities searched a duplex in Tacoma, Washington for possible evidence. They removed a tree trunk, apparently used for target practice. The duplex is not far from Fort Lewis where Muhammed once served.
On the basis of these developments, authorities were looking for a blue or burgundy Chervrolet Caprice with New Jersey license plates.
A motorist and an attendant recognized the car and notified the police.
Oct. 19, 2002 - Jamie Smith, a security consultant with CIA special-ops background, says the accuracy and ability of the sniper(s) to escape indicate "some level" of military or paramilitary training. The shootings started about the time of the 9-11 anniversary, and have all been in the Washington D.C. area. Also, the fact that the Defense Department has entered the search shows that they suspect that the killings are terrorist acts.
Smith is a former director of the Navy's Antiterrorism Warfare Development Program.
Oct. 15, 2002 - A woman killed in a sniper shooting in a Virginia shopping center is the ninth victim of the spree of killings covering the past 12 days in the Washington D.C. area. The woman and her husband were loading supplies into their vehicle when the shooting occurred. A white Chevy astro van was sighted near the scene. Ballistics evidence indicates that the shooting is the work of the same person who committed the other murders.
Oct. 14, 2002 - According to Indonesia's Defense Minister, local terrorists assisted al-Qaida to bomb a night club in the resort area of Bali. More than 180 people were killed, and over 300 injured in the attack. Victims included many Indonesians and tourists from Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Ecuador. Two Americans were killed and three injured.
No one claimed responsibility for the bombing on Kuta Beach. Suspicion, however, immediately turned to al-Qaida and an affiliated group, Jemaah Islamiyah, which is said to want a pan-Islamic state across Malaysia, Indonesia and the southern Philippines.
Oct. 10, 2002 - A man was killed in a Maryland gas station by a sniper, but it is not yet known whether the shooting is related to several others in recent days.
Six people have been killed, and two injured, in the wave of sniper shootings that began last week in Montgomery County and spread to Virginia and Washington itself. Sightings of a white van or truck have been linked to several of the crimes.
The original six have been linked by distinctive markings on fragments of the bullets. After a 13-year-old boy was wounded Monday, a shell casing was found, and with it, a tarot card was recovered with the words, "Dear policeman, I am God."
Oct. 2, 2002 -Paul L. Williams, an FBI consultant on international terrorism has a new book, "Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror," in which he says that al-Qaida terrorists purchased 20 suitcase nuclear weapons from former KGB agents in 1998. He says that they paid $30 million for the devices. Bin Laden also hired five nuclear scientists in 1988 who had been employees at Iraq's nuclear reactor project before it was destroyed by Israel.
Sept. 29, 2002 - The San Onofre Nuclear Plant in Southern California is in the flight path of low-flying aircraft, making it especially vulnerable to a 911 type attack. In addition, a successful strike on San Onofre would not only affect millions of Southern Californians, but it would also put the adjacent Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base out of commission. Camp Pendleton covers 200 square miles and is the busiest base in the country. Experts claim that a hijacked jet from San Diego or a large chartered craft from Carlsbad's Palomar Airport could crash into the plant before air traffic controllers could determine the danger and alert military aircraft.
Updated: Sept. 14, 2002 - Three men of Middle Eastern descent were overheard in a Georgia restaurant talking about a terrorist plot, possibly involving Miami. A 911 call to police started a search for the two cars of the suspects. They were stopped on Interstate Highway 75 in Florida, and bomb-sniffing dogs reacted to the scent of something suspicious. After several hours, no explosives were found, and it was determined that the conversation in the restaurant was a hoax. The men were released.
Sept. 4, 2002 - In one Al-Qaida training tape, found among 64 tapes in a cave in Afghanistan, disturbing new twists on terror are revealed.
Osama bin Laden's terrorists ... are preparing to kill Americans with drive-by shootings and home break-ins, through ambushes of law-enforcement officers and targeted assassinations on golf courses.
The tape also reveals tactics for raids on schools or office buildings with many occupants.
Aug. 30, ,2002 - A U.N. report says that the the global campaign against terror has not disabled the Al Qaeda network. It says that it has been pushed underground, but that it has established cells in at least 40 countries and is well entrenched in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and many parts of Asia. It also enjoys the flow of millions of dollars, and has fresh recruits.
"Al Qaeda, despite the successful inroads made against it over recent months is, by all accounts 'alive and well' and poised to strike again how, when and where it chooses," the report said.
July 5 - Egyptian national Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, has been identified as the gunman at yesterday's LAX attack. He was killed by El Al security guards. The victims were ticket agent Victoria Chen, and Yaakov Aminov, who was dropping off a friend. Yaakov had eight children. It is still not clear whether the attack was a hate crime or an act of terrorism. No connection is known between Hadayet and other terrorists at this time.
July 4, 2002 - Details are coming in about a shooting at an El Al ticket counter at the Los Angeles International Airport. After killing one person, the shooter fired at several others before being killed himself by a security officer. The motive for the shooting is not yet known.
July 2, 2002 - While the F.B.I. will be protecting large 4th of July events in the country, the State Department warns Americans traveling abroad to avoid clubs, restaurants, schools or outdoor sporting events where fellow Americans gather because of credible information that attacks have been planned against Americans.
June 19, 2002 - Commentator Ralph Peters shows that since 9-11 terrorism has taken on an apocalyptic form never seen before in human history. There have always been extremists and terrorists who have sought to change the world, for better or worse.
But there always were limits to their brutality. They wanted to win the people for their cause, not merely to kill them. From czarist Russia to 20th century America, they set bombs and assassinated leaders to enforce their visions of a better world.
But now, Peters says, they want to destroy the world. "We face enemies who are trying to jump-start Armageddon."
May 7, 2002 - John Bolton, under-secretary of state for arms control, told the Heritage Foundation that Lybia, Syria and Cuba are under increased U.S. scrutiny because they are persuing weapons of mass destruction.
Apr. 22, 2002 - A group of 113 prominent Saudi writers issued a statement claiming that the United States and our current administration nurture terrorism, and are therefore, along with Israel, the axis of terrorism. They said that
...the American role in the Israeli military operation against the Palestinians was "shameful" and ... the "Israeli massacres do not differ in shape or form from what the Nazis did."
Mar. 22, 2002 - Vice President Dick Cheney and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah had a tense meeting in Saudi Arabia
Their conversation ... was neither polite nor particularly friendly – but it was of cardinal importance for the Bush administration's next moves in its global war against terrorism.
Cheney produced evidience of Saudi ties with Osama bin Laden and talked about the nation's support of anti-American issues in the Middle East. He warned that Saudi opposition would have dire consequences for the House of Saud, which is currently protected by American power.
Other leaders in the area were also stunned by the plain talk, and realized that President Bush's warning was true that those who are not with us are against us.
Mar. 19, 2002 - The grenade attack against a protestant church in Pakistan is apparently an attack against Americans. There were many other churches in the area, and they were more vulnerable, but they did not have Americans in attendance. It is likely that Islamic extremists hope to provoke American action, which would then turn Pakistanis against their own government for cooperating with America on the War on Terror.
Mar. 18, 2002 - Radical Islamics, fleeing from Afghanistan, threw a grenade into a protestant church service in Islamabad, Pakistan, this week-end. The blast killed five and injured about 45. Two of the dead were U.S. citizens.
Mar. 14, 2002 - Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit against Iraq for planning the Oklahoma City attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. Two American men were convicted in the case, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. McVeigh was executed on July 11, 2001, and Nichols is serving a life sentence. From the beginning there were reports of two accomplices. The suit points to connections between Nichols and Ramzi Youssef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Their contact with each other was established during Nichols' travel to the Philippines between 1990 and 1994. In all, they believe they has sufficient evidence to prove that "agents of the Republic of Iraq" had influence on McVeigh and Nichols.
Feb. 21, 2002 - Intelligence sources indicate that five to eight al-Qaida terror squads are making their ways to targets for a big attack, possibly in Europe or Israel, or both. The terror squads are following limited instructions, and are ignorant of their objectives.
Some sources say they are heading for a spectacular strike in a West European city or else a simultaneous multi-pronged assault in several urban centers in Europe and the Middle East. Possible targets are London, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Rome and Madrid.
The target date, Feb. 23 is the anniversary of Osama bin Laden's 1998 fatwa prescribing the duty of all Muslim believers to martyr themselves in the war against America, and it is the date that Iraq's Saddam Hussein proclaimed an anti-American holiday called "FreedomDay."
Feb. 21, 2002 - Radical Islamic terrorists in Pakistan have killed Wall Street Journal bureau chief, Daniel Pearl. They had kidnapped him as he sought information about the shoe-bomber story. A videotape was given to FBI agents in Pakistan to validate the story.
The videotape showed Pearl speaking with someone, almost as if he were conducting an interview, when suddenly an unseen assailant grabbed him and slit his throat, the source said.
Feb. 12, 2002 - The FBI has issued an imminent attack warning, based on credible information gained from Afghan detainees. They have actually named a terrorist leader and twelve associates. The leader is Fawaz Yahya al-Rabeei, also known as Furqan. He is believed to be a Yemeni national born in Saudi Arabia. They say the attack could happen on or about Feb. 12, but do not specify where it might occur. The purpose of the alert is to inform law enforcement and the public to be on the lookout for the suspects wherever they might be. Security is especially tight in Utah, where the Winter Olympics are in progress.
Jan. 28, 2002 - (Feb. 4 Issue) Newsweek reports on possible battles to come in the War on Terror. They highlight Somalia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Malaysia is now known to have assisted Al Qaeda and some of the 9-11 hijackers. Zacarias Moussaoui, accused as the “missing” 20th hijacker in the September 11 attacks, is now on trial, and evidence obtained from his apartment link him to Yazid Sufaat, a Malaysian businessman.
...the former Malaysian Army captain was a member of Jemaah Islamiah, an Islamic extremist group that befriended bin Laden and helped him develop a support network in Malaysia and throughout Southeast Asia.
The FBI now says that Malaysia was a “primary operational launchpad for the Sept. 11 attacks.”
Jan. 15, 2002 - Indonesia's intelligence chief, A.M. Hendropriyono, said that their country, the most populous of all Muslim countries, could become a hide-out for terrorist organizations, and that they should therefore work with the U.S. in that area, but he warned that, even if terrorists do set up camp there, that does not give the U.S. the right to make Indonesia part of their war.
Dec. 27, 2001 - Russia's official broadcasting service, the Voice of Russia World Service, warned that further U.S. action in the war against terror could be "aimed at subjugating" other nations to "America's will." The broadcast was particularly concerned that America might turn its attention to Somalia and Yemen.
Oct. 2, 2001 - The anti-terrorism bill passed by Congress this week grants expanded powers to wiretap phones, monitor Internet traffic and apprehend suspects. Attorney General Ashcroft says he will order immediate implementation of the new law enforcement privileges.
Ashcroft defended the aggressive arrest and detention tactics used since September 11. Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested or detained as part of the investigation, he said.
Nov. 14, 2001 - Investigative reporter Steve Emerson predicted the kind of attack we have experienced.
Copies of his hour-long 1994 documentary, "Jihad in America," were given to all 535 members of Congress and "played a real role" in winning House passage of the recent anti-terrorism bill, says Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)
Oct. 24, 2001 - This article shows the liklihood that Osama bin Laden has been able to obtain nuclear weapons. It is based on insider information that he has actively sought to obtain them for some time. It also considers the poor security of Russian nuclear stockpiles and the poverty of their nuclear scientists and soldiers which would lead to the selling of weapons to terrorist organizations.
Oct. 22, 2001 - Intelligence officials in six countries in the Middle East and Europe say that they expect two or three new attacks from bin Laden's group. They based their belief on their own sources, and say that they could not tell whether the attacks would be with explosives or with chemical or biological weapons.
Since Sept. 11, foreign intelligence services have arrested and interrogated hundreds of suspects, and they claim to have disrupted at least four separate plans to attack American and allied institutions in France, Belgium, Jordan and Turkey.
Oct. 4, 2001 - A Russian airliner with at least 66 passengers and 11 crew has crashed into the Black Sea. The plane was en route from Tel Aviv to the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. An unconfirmed report by a nearby plane said that the aircraft exploded in the air. The details are not yet known.
Sept. 17, 2001 - There are reports that, during the summer, Russian media and officials encouraged citizens to cash out of U.S. dollars before some kind of "financial attack" against the U.S. It is also significant that Russia has close ties with most of the nations known for terrorism. These nations include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
Sept. 13, 2001 - President Bush and his diplomats prepare for military reprisals by lining up support from NATO and other European and Middle East nations.
Powell cautioned that a U.S. strike would not come within the next few days since it would require time to find the proper targets and put U.S. forces in place. Nor did he indicate the scale or type of forces that any military action would entail. But he said the United States should act as soon as it determines who was responsible for the terrorist attacks. He added that it should not wait until the specific perpetrators are found if U.S. forces can in the meantime take other action, such as attacking militant training camps and havens.
Sept. 12, 2001 - It's too early to be sure, but the attack on our World Trade Center and Pentagon seem to have the signature of Saudi millionaire terrorist Osama bin Laden, who is hiding in Afghanistan. The Palestinians share blame for the climate.
June 11, 2001 - After a one-month delay, Timothy McVeigh was executed this morning by lethal injection, bringing some closure to the country's worst terrorist activity, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City six years ago. The execution took place in Terre Haute, Ind.
McVeigh did not speak before he died, but gave
Lappin a handwritten copy of the 1875 poem “Invictus,” by
British author William Ernest Henley to pass on to media
witnesses, including the lines: “I am the master of my fate; I
am the captain of my soul.”
An agnostic, he said he will "improvise, adapt and overcome" if it turns out that
there is an afterlife, and he winds up in heaven or hell.
"If I am going to hell," he said, "I'm gonna have a lot of company."
Report: Extent of fugitive leader's arsenal 'no longer a doubt'
In the current issue of Geostrategy-Direct.com , Osama bin Laden is said to have up to 20 nuclear bombs at his disposal. According to Russian and Arab sources, the question is no longer whether or not he has the bomb, but how many does he have?
Bin Laden "received [it] from Chechen
insurgents who raided [Russian] nuclear
installations for fuel and components around
the former Soviet Union," the report said.
Oct. 13, 2000 - The death toll has risen to at least 11 in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, and President Clinton has vowed retribution against the backers of the suicide mission. The chief suspect at this time is Osama bin Laden, mastermind of earlier attacks against U.S. targets.
Source: Electronic Telegraph
6 die, 11 missing in Navy ship blast
Oct. 12, 2000 - In an apparent terrorist attack, a small ship helping to moor a U.S. destroyer in Yemen, exploded causing serious damage and casualties to the USS Cole. At least six sailors were killed and 11are missing. Thirty-five others were injured.
The Cole was on duty enforcing U.N. sanctions against Iraq.
The State Department issued a worldwide alert, saying
it was extremely concerned about the possibility of violence
against U.S. citizens and interests. Americans were urged to
maintain “a high level of vigilance.”
Source: MSNBC (Story no longer on line.)
U.S. planes land in Pakistan for possible Bin Laden strike
Aug. 11, 1999 - Two airplaines with military commandos from the United States reportedly landed in Pakistan last Monday in what appeared to be an attempt to attack Osama Bin Laden in neighboring Afghanistan.
Al-Jazeerah television, monitored by the BBC in Jordan, said the two planes
landed at two airports around Islamabad. It said dozens of U.S. military
commandos took up combat positions near the planes and barred anyone
from approaching the area.
Al-Jazeerah reported that the operation was in apparent preparation for a
military strike against Bin Laden. Bin Laden has been accused by the United
States of having responsibility for the bombing of the U.S. embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania a year ago that killed at least 226 people, including 12
Americans.
Source: World Tribune - Story posted on day of publication only.