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Archive for category Threat Watch
27 people killed in Nuevo León, several miles from the Texas border.
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 3/Sep/2010 18:06
“At least 27 people were killed Thursday in a clash between members of the Mexican Army and an armed group that occurred in the state of Nuevo León, several miles from the Texas border
According to preliminary reports, no bodies have been identified, and it is alledged that the dead gunmen belonged to the Los Zetas criminal organization.
Three soldiers were reported injured in the clash and an undertermined number of kidnap victims were freed. More than 25 weapons and multiple grenades and 23 vehicles were reported seized.”
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/
Witch Hunt in Arizona?
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 2/Sep/2010 19:10
AP – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks to the media after learning the U.S. Justice Department is …
PHOENIX – The Justice Department sued the nation’s self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff” on Thursday, calling Joe Arpaio’s defiance of an investigation into his office’s alleged discrimination against Hispanics “unprecedented.”
It’s the first time in decades a lawman has refused to cooperate in one of the agency’s probes, the department said.
“I think they know we have not been racial profiling, so what’s the next step — camouflage the situation, go the courts, and make it look like I’m not cooperating,” Arpaio said Thursday.
Arpaio said he provided “hundreds of thousands” of reports but hasn’t turned over others because the department’s request was too broad.
Arizona Republican Sen. Russell Pearce, author of the new Arizona law, called the Justice Department’s actions against Arpaio a “witch hunt.”
“This is the game that’s played,” he said. “They couldn’t find any violations … that’s why they’re very vague about what they want. It doesn’t take a very high IQ to figure out what’s going on with these folks.”
Rethinking American Options on Iran
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 2/Sep/2010 15:31
Rethinking American Options on Iran is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By George Friedman
Public discussion of potential attacks on Iran’s nuclear development sites is surging again. This has happened before. On several occasions, leaks about potential airstrikes have created an atmosphere of impending war. These leaks normally coincided with diplomatic initiatives and were designed to intimidate the Iranians and facilitate a settlement favorable to the United States and Israel. These initiatives have failed in the past. It is therefore reasonable to associate the current avalanche of reports with the imposition of sanctions and view it as an attempt to increase the pressure on Iran and either force a policy shift or take advantage of divisions within the regime.
My first instinct is to dismiss the war talk as simply another round of psychological warfare against Iran, this time originating with Israel. Most of the reports indicate that Israel is on the verge of attacking Iran. From a psychological-warfare standpoint, this sets up the good-cop/bad-cop routine. The Israelis play the mad dog barely restrained by the more sober Americans, who urge the Iranians through intermediaries to make concessions and head off a war. As I said, we have been here before several times, and this hasn’t worked.
The worst sin of intelligence is complacency, the belief that simply because something has happened (or has not happened) several times before it is not going to happen this time. But each episode must be considered carefully in its own light and preconceptions from previous episodes must be banished. Indeed, the previous episodes might well have been intended to lull the Iranians into complacency themselves. Paradoxically, the very existence of another round of war talk could be intended to convince the Iranians that war is distant while covert war preparations take place. An attack may be in the offing, but the public displays neither confirm nor deny that possibility. Read the rest of this entry »
Arrizona Poll: 81% approved of requiring people to produce documents to prove they’re legally in US.
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion, Threat Watch on 1/Sep/2010 23:18
“PHOENIX — A poll released Wednesday found that an overwhelming majority of Arizona voters support the types of provisions that are at the heart of a national debate involving the state’s immigration law.
The survey conducted on behalf of Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy found 81 percent of registered voters approved of requiring people to produce documents that show they’re in the country legally.
It found that 74 percent believe police should be allowed to detain anyone who’s unable to verify their legal immigration status, and 68 percent say police should be allowed to question anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.”
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/09/01/5028155-poll-ariz-voters-favor-immigration-enforcement
Environmentalist Takes Hostages And Is Killed By Police
Posted by Brian in News, Opinion, Threat Watch on 1/Sep/2010 18:19
Some crazy guy took hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters in California, spouting nonsense about saving the earth.
From Fox News:
“All programs on Discovery Health-TLC must stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false heroics behind those actions,” the list of demands read.
“In those programs’ places, programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility must be pushed. All former pro-birth programs must now push in the direction of stopping human birth, not encouraging it.”
He did end up ridding the world of one person, himself. I guess he achieved his goal, if only in a small way.
The news report states that at a previous trial in which he was charged with disturbing the peace he said:
(I) began working to save the planet after being laid off from his job in San Diego. He said he was inspired by “Ishmael,” a novel by environmentalist Daniel Quinn and by former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Now, if I were looking for any excuse to blame anyone but the perpetrator, like many liberals, I might say that Daniel Quinn and Al Gore are responsible for the crime that was committed. I might say that those two men obviously created their works of art to incite people to violence in the name of Mother Earth. I could also say the NBC/Universal is partly to blame because of their “green week” which they sponsor every year and require the writers of the shows to incorporate environmental plots.
I could say all of those things, but I won’t. What I will say is that this man who took those hostages and said these insane things was himself insane. He and he alone is to blame for his actions. I believe this because I have this weird value called individual responsibility.
If anyone out there believes that humans should start sterilizing ourselves I have a suggestion; take your argument to its logical conclusion and do away with yourself.
Good news! Michigan Muslim “probably not a terrorist”
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 31/Aug/2010 23:50
The New York Times reports:
WASHINGTON — American law enforcement officials said Tuesday that they believed that two Yemeni men detained in Amsterdam after unusual items were found in their luggage had no connection to terrorism…
Though no explosives were found, investigators considered the possibility that the men might be conducting a test run for a terrorist attack, officials said.
By Tuesday, that possibility was all but ruled out. Neither man was on any terror watch list or had any known history of militancy.
A search of Mr. Soofi by airport security screeners in Birmingham, Ala., as he waited to board a flight to Chicago on Sunday found that he was carrying $7,000 in cash and that his luggage contained a cellphone taped to a bottle of Pepto-Bismol, three cellphones taped together and several watches taped together, officials said. The bag also contained pill bottles, a box cutter and three large knives, according to an internal Transportation Security Administration report.
None of the items violated the restrictions for checked luggage, and Mr. Soofi was allowed to fly to Chicago.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/world/europe/01plane.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
My favorite part was, “Neither man … had any known history of militancy.” They are followers of a militant ideology that teaches its followers to kill infidels. How stupid are we?
Michigan Muslim and pal charged by Dutch police with “preparation of a terrorist attackâ€
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 31/Aug/2010 23:40
“Two men taken off a Chicago-to-Amsterdam United Airlines flight in the Netherlands have been charged by Dutch police with “preparation of a terrorist attack,” U.S. law enforcement officials tell ABC News.
U.S. officials said the two appeared to be travelling with what were termed “mock bombs” in their luggage. “This was almost certainly a dry run, a test,” said one senior law enforcement official.
The men were identified as Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi, of Detroit, MI, and Hezem al Murisi, the officials said. A neighbor of al Soofi told ABC News he is from Yemen.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/united-flight-arrested-terror-charges-amsterdam/story?id=11517664
Detroit, Michigan, folks. What else is in Detroit, Michigan?
Oh, yeah, this:
More and more “homegrown” terrorists are going to be in the news, mark my words.
And remember: it’s not a phobia if the threat is real.
Mexico Violence Reaches Cancun – 8 Dead
Posted by Gary in News, Threat Watch on 31/Aug/2010 22:58
From: Fox
At least eight people were killed Tuesday when a group of men tossed Molotov cocktails into a bar in the tourist friendly Mexican town of Cancun, officials said.
Authorities said six to eight men entered the Castillo de Mar bar and threw homemade bombs, killing six women and two men who were inside.
Investigators said they do not know of a motive for the attack, but the bar was reportedly the victim of two extortion attempts, allegedly by the Zetas drug cartel.
“The death of eight people is confirmed. Six on site — including four women — and two others in hospital, also women,” prosecutor Francisco Alor Quezada, from the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, told AFP.
Mexican President Calderon’s proposed plan to battle cash smuggling and money laundering.
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 31/Aug/2010 19:47
“MEXICO CITY – President Felipe Calderon proposed sweeping new measures Thursday to crack down on the cash smuggling and money laundering that allow Mexican cartels to use billions in U.S. drug profits to enrich their criminal organizations.
Legislation introduced by the Calderon administration would make it illegal to buy real estate in cash.
The new laws would also limit the purchase of vehicles, boats, airplanes and luxury goods to 100,000 pesos in cash, or about $7,700. Violators could be sentenced to five to 15 years in prison.”
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/08/mexico-targets-money-laundering-with.html
The Roots of Organized Crime in Mexico
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 31/Aug/2010 19:42
Daniel Arizmendi, alias "El Mochaorejas" (ear cutter)
“Organized crime in Mexico today did not form itself in a vacuum, its structure originates from the police and security forces of the Mexican State. That is why this drug war is so bloody and extends to all levels of government and society.
Over the past 30 years, corruption, impunity and the political and discretionary application of justice converted every police officer and every public safety agency into a criminal entity. Whether willing or otherwise, every Mexican police officer, every ministerial (investigative) official, to survive as such, had to break the law and abide by the codes of special privileges granted by the ruling political power, the PRI.
Police were segregated from society and their use in an ideology of political and social repression led to corruption. The political class for decades, and clearly after 1968 and 1971, found in this corruption a vein of gold and overindulged itself on it. The use of laws, rules and regulations for the purpose of extortion was institutionalized.”
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/08/roots-of-organized-crime.html
State Department Issues Travel Warning For Mexico
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 31/Aug/2010 12:39
Finally the government has recognized there is a problem:
Mexico
August 27, 2010
The Department of State has issued this Travel Warning to inform U.S. citizens traveling to and living in Mexico about the security situation in Mexico. The authorized departure of family members of U.S. government personnel from U.S. Consulates in the northern Mexico border cities of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros remains in place. However, based upon a security review in Monterrey following the August 20, 2010 shooting in front of the American Foundation School in Monterrey and the high incidence of kidnappings in the Monterrey area, U.S. government personnel from the Consulate General in Monterrey have been advised that the immediate, practical and reliable way to reduce the security risks for children of U.S. Government personnel is to remove them from the city. Beginning September 10, 2010, the Consulate General in Monterrey will become a partially unaccompanied post with no minor dependents of U.S. government employees. This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning for Mexico dated July 16, 2010 to note the changing security situation in Monterrey.
Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year. This includes tens of thousands who cross the border every day for study, tourism or business and at least one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations.  Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major drug trafficking routes. Nevertheless, crime and violence are serious problems. While most victims of violence are Mexican citizens associated with criminal activity, the security situation poses serious risks for U.S. citizens as well.
It is imperative that U.S. citizens understand the risks involved in travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and who to contact if one becomes a victim of crime or violence.  Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where criminal activity might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable. U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are urged to contact the consular section of the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy for advice and assistance. Contact information is provided at the end of this message. Read the rest of this entry »
A Botched Hostage Rescue in the Philippines
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 30/Aug/2010 12:30
A Botched Hostage Rescue in the Philippines is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By Scott Stewart
On Aug. 23, Rolando Mendoza, a former senior police inspector with the Manila police department, boarded a tourist bus in downtown Manila and took control of the vehicle, holding the 25 occupants (tourists from Hong Kong and their Philippine guides) hostage. Mendoza, who was dressed in his police inspector’s uniform, was armed with an M16-type rifle and at least one handgun.
According to the police, Mendoza had been discharged from the department after being charged with extortion. Mendoza claimed the charges were fabricated and had fought a protracted administrative and legal battle in his effort to be reinstated. Apparently, Mendoza’s frustration over this process led to his plan to take the hostages. The fact that Mendoza entertained hope of regaining his police job by breaking the law and taking hostages speaks volumes about his mental state at the time of the incident.
After several hours of negotiation failed to convince Mendoza to surrender, communications broke down, Mendoza began to shoot hostages and police launched a clumsy and prolonged tactical operation to storm the bus. The operation lasted for more than an hour and left Mendoza and eight of the tourists dead at the end of a very public and protracted case of violence stemming from a workplace grievance.
Hostage-rescue operations are some of the most difficult and demanding tactical operations for police and military. To be successful, they require a great deal of training and planning and must be carefully executed. Because of this, hostage-rescue teams are among the most elite police and military units in the world. Since these teams are always training and learning, they pay close attention to operations like the one in Manila and study these operations carefully. They seek to adopt and incorporate tactics and techniques that work and learn from any mistakes that were made so they can avoid repeating them. Even in highly successful operations, there are always areas that can be improved upon and lessons that can be learned.
Indeed, in the Manila case, the events that unfolded provided a litany of lessons for hostage-rescue teams. The case will almost certainly be used in law enforcement and military classrooms across the globe for years as a textbook example of what not to do. Read the rest of this entry »
20 wounded: Bombing in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 28/Aug/2010 23:53
Rescue workers help a man who was injured after a fragmentation grenade exploded next to an open air bar in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, early Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010.
At least 20 people were wounded, four of them seriously, when unidentified individuals tossed a bomb into a bar in Puerto Vallarta, a resort city on Mexico’s Pacific coast, police said Thursday.
The attack occurred around midnight Wednesday at the Pink Cheladas bar, where about 150 young people were partying, Puerto Vallarta police department spokesmen told Efe.
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/08/bomb-wounds-20-in-mexican-resort-city.html
Eyewitness: the Survivor of a massacre of 72 people – on a ranch 85 miles south of Brownsville
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 28/Aug/2010 23:47
The survivor of a massacre on a ranch 85 miles south of Brownsville trudged into a navy checkpoint — a bullet wound in his neck — with a tale almost too gruesome even for a country locked in the throes of a vicious and bloody drug war.
The 72 illegal immigrants killed in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, were on a bus bound for the United States when, between Saturday and Sunday, were intercepted by a convoy of Zetas. According to the testimony of the only survivor of what it is until now, the worst massacre in the wave of violence by organized crime in Mexico, several SUV’s blocked the path of the bus carrying the victims and forced them out at gun point. They warned them that they were Los Zetas.
One by one the 58 men and 14 women, including minors, were placed against the wall in a cellar of the ranch. Then they were forced to keep their heads down and were shot with bursts of high-powered weapons. After the barraged of gunfire directed at the victims subsided, the murderers then shot each individual person on the head at point blank, the coup de grace.
Among those that were executed, there was Luis Freddy, originally from Ecuador, who pretended to be dead. The final shot aimed at his head entered at one end of his neck and exited through the jaw. He waited there, spread out, until the perpetrators left and he managed to escape. “I only remember hearing the laments and the pleas of some of the people who were there. Then I heard shots, and when everything was over I stood up to get help,” he said.
Mexico: what was the point of slaughtering 72 migrants?
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion, Threat Watch on 28/Aug/2010 23:41
Borderland Beat Reporter Valentina Isabella
As reported by the Mexican press, 72 migrants (from Central and South America) were found dead in a ranch in Tamaulipas, courtesy of Los Zetas (El Universal and Proceso). In addition to the massacre in Tamaulipas, Los Zetas have also been implicated in the kidnapping and murder of Mayor Edelmiro Cavasos Leal (Noticieros Televisa).
What could Los Zetas possibly gain from both tragedies?