Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Friday, February 2, 2007
Police raid hardware stores and Radio Shacks across the US looking for terrorist wire
LA Times faces legal action over news-stand 'bomb' alert
Feb 1 2007
The Los Angeles Times and movie studio Paramount could face a federal lawsuit after a publicity stunt to promote "Mission: Impossible III" sparked a bomb scare, the paper reported.
Around 4,500 sidewalk newspaper boxes across California were rigged with devices last April that played the "Mission: Impossible" theme when customers opened them in the build-up to the release of the Tom Cruise blockbuster.
But several customers thought the music players were bombs and reported them to law enforcement officials. An arson squad blew up one of the newspaper boxes in Santa Clarita, just north of Los Angeles, as a precaution.
In West Los Angeles, federal police at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center called the bomb squad after a newspaper buyer spotted wires rigged to the music player within the box. Hospital officials evacuated the building.
The Times quoted assistant US attorney in Los Angeles Linda Kontos as saying that the hospital had suffered around 93,000 dollars in losses because of the evacuation.
In letters sent to The Times and Paramount, Kontos said her office would recommend that the government sue the newspaper and studio, The Times reported.
Kontos however said her department would provide both parties "with the opportunity to resolve the allegations" without litigation.
Feb 1 2007
The Los Angeles Times and movie studio Paramount could face a federal lawsuit after a publicity stunt to promote "Mission: Impossible III" sparked a bomb scare, the paper reported.
Around 4,500 sidewalk newspaper boxes across California were rigged with devices last April that played the "Mission: Impossible" theme when customers opened them in the build-up to the release of the Tom Cruise blockbuster.
But several customers thought the music players were bombs and reported them to law enforcement officials. An arson squad blew up one of the newspaper boxes in Santa Clarita, just north of Los Angeles, as a precaution.
In West Los Angeles, federal police at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center called the bomb squad after a newspaper buyer spotted wires rigged to the music player within the box. Hospital officials evacuated the building.
The Times quoted assistant US attorney in Los Angeles Linda Kontos as saying that the hospital had suffered around 93,000 dollars in losses because of the evacuation.
In letters sent to The Times and Paramount, Kontos said her office would recommend that the government sue the newspaper and studio, The Times reported.
Kontos however said her department would provide both parties "with the opportunity to resolve the allegations" without litigation.
When people live in terror the terrorists have won
Wausau Daily Herald
WITTENBERG -- What Rachel Rasmussen thought was an explosive situation ended without a bang once the Army rolled into town. Rasmussen, who recently purchased a new home in Wittenberg, thought she had found a land mine in her backyard but discovered Wednesday that it actually was an old base for a large umbrella.
"It looked very suspicious," Rasmussen said, adding that it was half-buried behind trees and a large rock. "Everyone else I showed the picture to thought it was a land mine." Photographs of the object apparently were convincing enough that Fort McCoy dispatched a bomb squad to investigate. But early Wednesday afternoon, the bomb squad determined it was not a land mine or anything else dangerous. The Fort McCoy team refused to comment, and the two responding Shawano County Sheriff's Department officers were unavailable for comment.
The false alarm wasn't a new experience for the bomb specialists, said Linda Fournier, Fort McCoy's public affairs officer. The specialists respond to calls in a seven-state area, but Fournier said she did not know how many of those are false alarms.
It was a first for the Shawano County Sheriff's Department, however. Lt. George Lenzner said the department sometimes receives calls regarding old artillery shells, but never for land mines.
"It's kind of a relief (that it wasn't a land mine)," he said. "Otherwise, we would have had to find a place to detonate it."
Rasmussen's adventure began when she and her boyfriend were working in the yard Monday at her new home at W17236 Witt-Birn Townline Road. They found what they thought might be a land mine, and they called police the next day.
Lt. Staber Cook snapped some pictures and sent them to the Brown County bomb squad. Fort McCoy officials received the pictures that night and told Shawano County authorities Wednesday morning that it was a land mine and they were sending a team to handle the situation.
Rasmussen said the "freaky" experience will be a funny story she won't soon forget.
"I'm sure I'll be laughing about this thing for years," she said.
Jim Schultz
redding.com
Bomb squad and other public safety personnel were breathing a sigh of relief Thursday night after determining that a suspicious, old-fashioned, medicine-type bottle containing a clear liquid that was left outside a Redding business was not an explosive device.
Suspicious liquid found downtown is not explosive. Still, the contents had not been identified as of Thursday evening and a hazardous materials team collected the bottle to test the liquid today to determine whether it was dangerous.
A passerby reported a suspicious object on South Street between California and Market streets around 2:10 p.m. Thursday. The parking lot was roped off, and a Shasta County sheriff's bomb squad member checked the bottle and recommended that the squad be called to investigate.
Police later cordoned off a portion of South Street, and it was determined around 6:45 p.m. that the object was not explosive.
Lt. Jerry Shearman of the Shasta County Sheriff's Department said the bomb squad, using a portable X-ray device, ruled out a possible bomb after it did not discover wires, metal or a triggering device in the bottle. Still, its contents were a mystery.
The large public safety and media presence at the scene startled those doing business in the area, catching the attention of hair stylist Robin Young and her customers inside the Colours Hair Salon.
"I've been down here for four or five bank robberies and that's what I thought it was at first," said Young, 42, of Shasta Lake.
"Our responsibility is to make sure the public is safe," Lauderdale said. "That's what we're here for."
AFX News Limited
LONDON (AFX) - A federal press centre near the White House housing several of President George W Bush's press aides was evacuated for about a half an hour this morning because of a bomb scare, according to US media reports.
The alarm was raised after a car was checked by sniffer dogs, but Secret Service spokeswoman Kim Bruce said nothing amiss was found in the vehicle, which was driven by a State Department contractor and had been stopped at the entrance to the White House complex, on further inspection, Fox TV reported.
The White House Conference Center on Jackson Place, which was emptied, is serving as the temporary offices of several of Bush's press aides as well as reporters covering the president, the US TV news channel said.
South Bend, Indiana
A bomb scare startled a number of St. Joseph County workers as police checked out suspicious packages. South Bend Police received a call early Friday morning that someone left two packages at the St. Joseph County Jail.
The bomb squad closed down Sample street for safety while they inspected the area.
Police say it was a false alarm. County workers tell us it was just a space heater and phone.
In any event, officers had the situation under control in a couple hours.
South Bend Police Captain Phil Trent says, "We protect lives first, we protect property secondarily and if we can leave a scene with no one hurt and no property damaged or destroyed then that's a success."
Police say it's best to call emergency and leave the area immediately, if you find anything suspicious.
WITTENBERG -- What Rachel Rasmussen thought was an explosive situation ended without a bang once the Army rolled into town. Rasmussen, who recently purchased a new home in Wittenberg, thought she had found a land mine in her backyard but discovered Wednesday that it actually was an old base for a large umbrella.
"It looked very suspicious," Rasmussen said, adding that it was half-buried behind trees and a large rock. "Everyone else I showed the picture to thought it was a land mine." Photographs of the object apparently were convincing enough that Fort McCoy dispatched a bomb squad to investigate. But early Wednesday afternoon, the bomb squad determined it was not a land mine or anything else dangerous. The Fort McCoy team refused to comment, and the two responding Shawano County Sheriff's Department officers were unavailable for comment.
The false alarm wasn't a new experience for the bomb specialists, said Linda Fournier, Fort McCoy's public affairs officer. The specialists respond to calls in a seven-state area, but Fournier said she did not know how many of those are false alarms.
It was a first for the Shawano County Sheriff's Department, however. Lt. George Lenzner said the department sometimes receives calls regarding old artillery shells, but never for land mines.
"It's kind of a relief (that it wasn't a land mine)," he said. "Otherwise, we would have had to find a place to detonate it."
Rasmussen's adventure began when she and her boyfriend were working in the yard Monday at her new home at W17236 Witt-Birn Townline Road. They found what they thought might be a land mine, and they called police the next day.
Lt. Staber Cook snapped some pictures and sent them to the Brown County bomb squad. Fort McCoy officials received the pictures that night and told Shawano County authorities Wednesday morning that it was a land mine and they were sending a team to handle the situation.
Rasmussen said the "freaky" experience will be a funny story she won't soon forget.
"I'm sure I'll be laughing about this thing for years," she said.
Jim Schultz
redding.com
Bomb squad and other public safety personnel were breathing a sigh of relief Thursday night after determining that a suspicious, old-fashioned, medicine-type bottle containing a clear liquid that was left outside a Redding business was not an explosive device.
Suspicious liquid found downtown is not explosive. Still, the contents had not been identified as of Thursday evening and a hazardous materials team collected the bottle to test the liquid today to determine whether it was dangerous.
A passerby reported a suspicious object on South Street between California and Market streets around 2:10 p.m. Thursday. The parking lot was roped off, and a Shasta County sheriff's bomb squad member checked the bottle and recommended that the squad be called to investigate.
Police later cordoned off a portion of South Street, and it was determined around 6:45 p.m. that the object was not explosive.
Lt. Jerry Shearman of the Shasta County Sheriff's Department said the bomb squad, using a portable X-ray device, ruled out a possible bomb after it did not discover wires, metal or a triggering device in the bottle. Still, its contents were a mystery.
The large public safety and media presence at the scene startled those doing business in the area, catching the attention of hair stylist Robin Young and her customers inside the Colours Hair Salon.
"I've been down here for four or five bank robberies and that's what I thought it was at first," said Young, 42, of Shasta Lake.
"Our responsibility is to make sure the public is safe," Lauderdale said. "That's what we're here for."
AFX News Limited
LONDON (AFX) - A federal press centre near the White House housing several of President George W Bush's press aides was evacuated for about a half an hour this morning because of a bomb scare, according to US media reports.
The alarm was raised after a car was checked by sniffer dogs, but Secret Service spokeswoman Kim Bruce said nothing amiss was found in the vehicle, which was driven by a State Department contractor and had been stopped at the entrance to the White House complex, on further inspection, Fox TV reported.
The White House Conference Center on Jackson Place, which was emptied, is serving as the temporary offices of several of Bush's press aides as well as reporters covering the president, the US TV news channel said.
South Bend, Indiana
A bomb scare startled a number of St. Joseph County workers as police checked out suspicious packages. South Bend Police received a call early Friday morning that someone left two packages at the St. Joseph County Jail.
The bomb squad closed down Sample street for safety while they inspected the area.
Police say it was a false alarm. County workers tell us it was just a space heater and phone.
In any event, officers had the situation under control in a couple hours.
South Bend Police Captain Phil Trent says, "We protect lives first, we protect property secondarily and if we can leave a scene with no one hurt and no property damaged or destroyed then that's a success."
Police say it's best to call emergency and leave the area immediately, if you find anything suspicious.
Non-Terrorist Embarrassment in Boston
from
The story is almost too funny to write about seriously. To advertise the Cartoon Network show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," the network put up 38 blinking signs (kind of like Lite Brites) around the Boston area. The Boston police decided -- with absolutely no supporting evidence -- that these were bombs and shut down parts of the city.
Now the police look stupid, but they're trying really not hard not to act humiliated:
Governor Deval Patrick told the Associated Press: "It's a hoax -- and it's not funny."
Unfortunately, it is funny. What isn't funny is now the Boston government is trying to prosecute the artist and the network instead of owning up to their own stupidity. The police now claim that they were "hoax" explosive devices. I don't think you can claim they are hoax explosive devices unless they were intended to look like explosive devices, which merely a cursory look at any of them shows that they weren't.
But it's much easier to blame others than to admit that you were wrong:
"It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme," Mayor Thomas Menino said. "I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred."
And:
Rep. Ed Markey, a Boston-area congressman, said, "Whoever thought this up needs to find another job.""Scaring an entire region, tying up the T and major roadways, and forcing first responders to spend 12 hours chasing down trinkets instead of terrorists is marketing run amok," Markey, a Democrat, said in a written statement. "It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt."
And:
"It had a very sinister appearance," [Massachusetts Attorney General Martha] Coakley told reporters. "It had a battery behind it, and wires."
For heavens sake, don't let her inside a Radio Shack.
I like this comment:
They consisted of magnetic signs with blinking lights in the shape of a cartoon character.And everyone knows that bombs have blinking lights on ‘em. Every single movie bomb you’ve ever seen has a blinking light.
Triumph for Homeland Security, guys.
And this one:
"It's almost too easy to be a terrorist these days," said Jennifer Mason, 26. "You stick a box on a corner and you can shut down a city."
And this one, by one of the artists who installed the signs:
"I find it kind of ridiculous that they're making these statements on TV that we must not be safe from terrorism, because they were up there for three weeks and no one noticed. It's pretty commonsensical to look at them and say this is a piece of art and installation," he said.
Right. If this wasn't a ridiculous overreaction to a non-existent threat, then how come the devices were in place for weeks without anyone noticing them? What does that say about the Boston police?
Maybe if the Boston police stopped wasting time and money searching bags on subways....
Of the 2,449 inspections between Oct. 10 and Dec. 31, the bags of 27 riders tested positive in the initial screening for explosives, prompting further searches, the Globe found in an analysis of daily inspection reports obtained under the state's Freedom of Information Act.In the additional screening, 11 passengers had their bags checked by explosive-sniffing dogs, and 16 underwent a physical search. Nothing was found.
These blinking signs have been up for weeks in ten cities -- Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia -- and no one else has managed to panic so completely. Refuse to be terrorized, people!
Too much secrecy helps terrorists, Overreacting to risk means we're 'giving in to fear'
Ian MacLeod
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Canada's spy master, of all people, is warning that excessive government secrecy and draconian counterterrorism measures will only play into the hands of terrorists.
"The response to the terrorist threat, whether now or in the future, should follow the long-standing principle of 'in all things moderation,' " Jim Judd, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said in a recent Toronto speech.
"The response must be calibrated carefully so as to optimally protect Canadians and Canadian interests while containing an often natural disposition of giving in to fear and panic."
Even so, he offered a candid -- and bleak -- assessment of the threat posed by terrorism.
"I regret to say that, at this juncture, there appears to be little prospect in the near term for the threat to dissipate. Successfully countering the current terrorist threat is going to be a very difficult and longer-term challenge."
Authorities, he said, are faced with an imaginative adversary and "it could be argued that traditional responses -- military, security, intelligence and law enforcement -- will go only so far in countering this threat.
"We are dealing with an adaptive adversary that learns from its mistakes, our mistakes and vulnerabilities, and our operational methods. It is an adversary that is not going to favour us with mindless repetitiveness in its actions."
He admitted officials do not yet fully understand a crucial element in combating terrorism -- the process of radicalization that can lead individuals, especially young Muslims raised in Canada and other democracies, to embrace terrorism.
That remark at the recent Raoul Wallenberg International Human Rights Symposium was followed yesterday by details from a CSIS study that found a "very rapid process" is transforming some youths from angry activists into jihadist terrorists intent on killing for their religion.
The study, obtained by the National Post under the Access to Information Act, says a few have embraced terrorism with frightening speed after becoming enraged over what they perceive as a western "war on Islam" and being coaxed on by extremist preachers.
"The most important factor for radicalization is the perception that Islam is under attack from the West. Jihadists also feel they must pre-emptively and violently defend Islam from these perceived enemies," it concludes.
The study is the government's latest attempt to understand why a handful of Canadian Muslims are alleged to have become involved in terrorist plots. It comes as a preliminary hearing is under way in Brampton for four of 18 suspects charged for their alleged role in a Canadian terrorist group accused of plotting attacks in southern Ontario.
Mr. Judd's comments are similar to those made in November by Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the normally very private head of Britain's MI5 security service.
In a major public speech, she predicted the fight against terrorism will last a generation and warned that radicalization, especially of young people, was one of the biggest problems facing anti-terror investigators. Three of the four men who attacked three London subways and a red double-decker bus on July 7, 2005, were British-born.
In his speech, Mr. Judd said governments and societies must measure their response to terrorism by keeping in mind that it is driven by the aspirations and actions of a select group of individuals and groups.
"We therefore have to avoid falling prey to the terrorist propaganda which would have people believe that this is a clash of civilizations or cultures or religions," he said. "Our own response therefore has to be carefully modulated and very focused.... And we have to be very careful in our use of language on these issues.
"Over-reaction to terrorism, it should be remembered, is a fundamental objective of most terrorists in history. We should not accommodate their goals in this regard."
Though organizations such as CSIS, he said, are often seriously constrained in what can and cannot be said publicly "we do have to play our part in this dialogue, something we have been doing much more of in the last several years.
"Broader public education and engagement is critically important to ensure a dialogue that is well-informed, robust and balanced. This is particularly the case with those diverse communities in our societies who may feel most threatened by the efforts to contain this terrorist threat."
Canadians cannot afford to see these communities withdraw or close in on themselves for fear of being unfairly associated with the actions of what amounts to a relatively few individuals, he said.
"More broadly, there is a risk that, absent adequate public dialogue and a surfeit of secrecy, the justification for action by governments against terrorism will be undermined or misunderstood. This in turn can put in jeopardy the legitimacy of the government response."
A careful, broadly based and multi-faceted national and international response to the issue is going to be required to prevail, he said.
"Democracies have taken a long period to develop and their values, laws and institutions continue to provide inspiration to those without the luxury of living in one. It is thus essential that in responding to threats such as terrorism we do so in a fashion that best reflects what democracies stand for."
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Canada's spy master, of all people, is warning that excessive government secrecy and draconian counterterrorism measures will only play into the hands of terrorists.
"The response to the terrorist threat, whether now or in the future, should follow the long-standing principle of 'in all things moderation,' " Jim Judd, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said in a recent Toronto speech.
"The response must be calibrated carefully so as to optimally protect Canadians and Canadian interests while containing an often natural disposition of giving in to fear and panic."
Even so, he offered a candid -- and bleak -- assessment of the threat posed by terrorism.
"I regret to say that, at this juncture, there appears to be little prospect in the near term for the threat to dissipate. Successfully countering the current terrorist threat is going to be a very difficult and longer-term challenge."
Authorities, he said, are faced with an imaginative adversary and "it could be argued that traditional responses -- military, security, intelligence and law enforcement -- will go only so far in countering this threat.
"We are dealing with an adaptive adversary that learns from its mistakes, our mistakes and vulnerabilities, and our operational methods. It is an adversary that is not going to favour us with mindless repetitiveness in its actions."
He admitted officials do not yet fully understand a crucial element in combating terrorism -- the process of radicalization that can lead individuals, especially young Muslims raised in Canada and other democracies, to embrace terrorism.
That remark at the recent Raoul Wallenberg International Human Rights Symposium was followed yesterday by details from a CSIS study that found a "very rapid process" is transforming some youths from angry activists into jihadist terrorists intent on killing for their religion.
The study, obtained by the National Post under the Access to Information Act, says a few have embraced terrorism with frightening speed after becoming enraged over what they perceive as a western "war on Islam" and being coaxed on by extremist preachers.
"The most important factor for radicalization is the perception that Islam is under attack from the West. Jihadists also feel they must pre-emptively and violently defend Islam from these perceived enemies," it concludes.
The study is the government's latest attempt to understand why a handful of Canadian Muslims are alleged to have become involved in terrorist plots. It comes as a preliminary hearing is under way in Brampton for four of 18 suspects charged for their alleged role in a Canadian terrorist group accused of plotting attacks in southern Ontario.
Mr. Judd's comments are similar to those made in November by Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the normally very private head of Britain's MI5 security service.
In a major public speech, she predicted the fight against terrorism will last a generation and warned that radicalization, especially of young people, was one of the biggest problems facing anti-terror investigators. Three of the four men who attacked three London subways and a red double-decker bus on July 7, 2005, were British-born.
In his speech, Mr. Judd said governments and societies must measure their response to terrorism by keeping in mind that it is driven by the aspirations and actions of a select group of individuals and groups.
"We therefore have to avoid falling prey to the terrorist propaganda which would have people believe that this is a clash of civilizations or cultures or religions," he said. "Our own response therefore has to be carefully modulated and very focused.... And we have to be very careful in our use of language on these issues.
"Over-reaction to terrorism, it should be remembered, is a fundamental objective of most terrorists in history. We should not accommodate their goals in this regard."
Though organizations such as CSIS, he said, are often seriously constrained in what can and cannot be said publicly "we do have to play our part in this dialogue, something we have been doing much more of in the last several years.
"Broader public education and engagement is critically important to ensure a dialogue that is well-informed, robust and balanced. This is particularly the case with those diverse communities in our societies who may feel most threatened by the efforts to contain this terrorist threat."
Canadians cannot afford to see these communities withdraw or close in on themselves for fear of being unfairly associated with the actions of what amounts to a relatively few individuals, he said.
"More broadly, there is a risk that, absent adequate public dialogue and a surfeit of secrecy, the justification for action by governments against terrorism will be undermined or misunderstood. This in turn can put in jeopardy the legitimacy of the government response."
A careful, broadly based and multi-faceted national and international response to the issue is going to be required to prevail, he said.
"Democracies have taken a long period to develop and their values, laws and institutions continue to provide inspiration to those without the luxury of living in one. It is thus essential that in responding to threats such as terrorism we do so in a fashion that best reflects what democracies stand for."
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