Terror alert - another distraction from " other events " ?
Navy Sea Command Center shootings
CONGRESSMAN: SWAT TOLD 'STAND DOWN' AT NAVY YARD
Rescue team could have responded immediately to mass shooting
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A congressman has confirmed a “stand down” order was given to a rescue team that could have responded almost immediately to the shooter running amok at the Washington Navy Yard more than a week ago.
In an interview with Jake Tapper of CNN, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said his information came from a member of the rescue team.
Ultimately, authorities said, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis was shot and killed by police after he allegedly shot two dozen people at his place of work, killing 12.
The Atlantic Wire and other outlets reported several days after the attack that there was a “tactical unit of heavily armed Capitol police” near the scene “as it happened, ready and capable of stepping in.”
But multiple sources, according to the report, said the unit was ordered to stand down.
The Wire report said the officers were part of a four-person Containment and Emergency Response Team with routine responsibilities of guarding the Capitol. But they were wearing full tactical gear and armed with assault weapons, the report said.
They arrived on the scene of an active shooting but were told, according to initial reports by BBC News, “to leave the scene.”
Capitol police officials said they were investigating.
McCaul, in his interview with Tapper, said that agencies, reportedly, were having problems communicating with each other.
“The idea that we’re not interoperable is really inexcusable, so we will be investigating that,” he said. “I plan to hold a hearing on the House Homeland Security Committee on this issue.”
He then referenced the “stand down” order.
“I just happened to bump into one of these SWAT team members outside the classified briefing room at the Capitol and he told me about how the … and I heard this firsthand, that his commanding SWAT team officer told them to stand down.”
McCaul said team members were eating breakfast when the commanding officer told them to stand down.
“That’s obviously of great concern when you have a SWAT team that close by that could respond to the situation,” the congressman said.
“I need to verify the veracity of that statement. I’ve no reason to believe he was simply making this up, and so that’s something obviously we’re going to be looking into.”
Earlier, Terry Gainer, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, described it as a very “serious allegation” to suggest the police were on the scene and could have helped but were sent away.
A police department official in Washington told the BBC it might have been a misunderstanding.
It’s the second time recently in which an alleged “stand down” order has made headlines. Critics of the U.S. government’s handling of the terror attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya, a year ago charge a team was preparing to assist but was told to stand down.
Four Americans died there.
and...
The FBI on Wednesday released some preliminary findings in its investigation of the Washington Navy Yard shootings that left 13 people dead including the shooter.
Perhaps the most chilling piece of evidence released is security video that shows Aaron Alexis, 34, methodically moving through Building #197 armed with a sawed-off shotgun. During a press conference, Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said he was shooting at random people. We'll embed the video; it doesn't show Alexis shooting, but be warned some may still find it very disturbing:
YouTube
and...
http://www.blacklistednews.com/FBI%3A_Aaron_Alexis_held_a_belief_that_he_was_being_controlled_or_influenced_by_US_government_ELF_electro-magnetic_waves./29138/0/38/38/Y/M.html
FBI: Aaron Alexis held a belief that he was being controlled or influenced by US government ELF electro-magnetic waves.
September 25, 2013
Source: Fox Baltimore
The FBI on Wednesday said that a document retrieved from electronic media recovered from Navy Yard Shooter Aaron Alexis' belongings stated, "Ultra low frequency attack is what I've been subject to for the last three months, and to be perfectly honest that is what has driven me to this." According to the agency analysis of the electronic media, which included a phone, laptop and thumb drives, "revealed several relevant communications," and there were indicators that Alexis was prepared to die during the attack. Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, on Wednesday said the FBI "can confirm there are multiple indicators that Alexis held a belief that he was being controlled or influenced by ELF electro-magnetic waves." He "accepted death as the inventible consequence of his actions," Parlave said.
Sandy Hook - why is there such a hue and cry not to release 911 tapes yet the FBI had no problem releasing video of the Navy shooter ? Both crimes were by solo killers who were killed at the scene , no collaborators for either situation , right ?
Conn. panel orders release of Sandy Hook shooting 911 tapes
The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission ordered Wednesday the release of 911 tapes from last December’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School following an appeal by the Associated Press for access to the records. The prosecutor leading the investigation of the shooting, Danbury State Attorney Stephen Sedensky III, said the commission’s decision will be appealed in state courts. Sedensky argued against revealing the recordings, saying it could subject witnesses and victims to further trauma and harassment, as well as impede the investigation. On Dec. 14, gunman Adam Lanza shot 26 people in the school before killing himself as police arrived on the scene.
Syria chemical weapon attack of 8/21....
VIDEO: Rockets Used in Damacus CW Attack Fired from Makeshift Flatbeds, Not Military Vehicles
September 25, 2013
Video emerges of unmarked truck-mounted launcher surrounded by militants, firing same ordnance used in August 21 Damascus (and other) chemical attacks.
In September 17, 2013's article, "5 Lies Invented to Spin UN Report on Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack," one fabrication used by the West was exposed in particular [emphasis added]:
This tenuous argument is being spearheaded by the "Brown Moses Blog" run by UK sofa-based, self-taught "weapons expert" Eliot Higgins, which claims:
The alleged footage Higgins posted on his blog comes from YouTube account, "Darya Revolution" - clearly belonging to militant supporters.
The video descriptions claims:
At face value, nothing about this points to the Syrian government - as Higgins claims. Higgins even has to remind readers that the chemical weapons attack allegedly took place at night, directly contradicting the description of the video he is citing as a "smoking gun."
Image: After firing a single rocket, the truck is promptly covered and prepared for transit. The purpose of a national chemical arsenal is to provide a deterrence against foreign aggressors and for deployment in pitched, full-scale warfare. This modified truck was clearly designed for launching a single rocket, at a painfully slow rate of fire - not for tactical purposes. It is however, literally, the perfect vehicle for a false-flag attack, particularly the chemical attack carried out in Damascus in late August.
The video shows two trucks surrounded by a motley crew of both uniformed and non-uniformed individuals carrying a variety of weapons - typical of "Free Syrian Army" formations, atypical of the Syrian Arab Army's operations which include columns of tanks, clearly marked aircraft, camouflaged trucks, and soldiers in full battledress.
There appears to be one truck for carrying and loading the rockets, and another for launching them - the launcher can be seen at the end of the video being concealed under a tarp. Aside from this, there are no other military vehicles seen in the vicinity, and the trucks themselves are unmarked, converted civilian vehicles typical of the "technicals" (improvised fighting vehicles) used by terrorists both in Libya and now Syria. For trucks allegedly carrying "government" chemical weapons, or even large high-explosive rockets, there is surprisingly lax security around them and a suspicious desire to conceal the improvised weapon system after use.
Image: Terrorists in Syria, and previously in Libya, with the exception of stolen military vehicles, rely on improvised fighting vehicles of varying sophistication called "technicals" like the one pictured above. The larger flatbed featured in a recent video, launching a rocket similar to those found at the scene of an alleged August chemical weapons attack in Damascus, is also clearly an improvised fighting vehicle.
The painstakingly slow process of loading and firing a single rocket would also negate any practical tactical advantage on the battlefield were this footage of another attack, on another day, using a conventional rocket for an artillery strike - as Higgins seems to suggest. The Syrian military possesses an extensive arsenal of artillery pieces and multiple rocket launchers that could easily bombard targets with better accuracy, increased frequency and effectiveness.
Additional "evidence" cited by Higgins of "regime use" of these rocket systems consists solely of militant footage of rocket impacts - not of Syrian troops actually firing the weapons. Higgins operates under the false assumption that previous chemical attacks showing up in militant videos depicting similar rockets could only be the work of the Syrian government, and not false flag operations carried out by an increasingly desperate West and their proxy forces inside Syria. Aside from this assumption, he provides no evidence to back up his claims.
Higgins was handed a "smoking gun" by the people most likely to have benefited from the crime, who claim they "found it" at the feet of the very government they are fighting. Without critical examination, and apparently based on the color hats several individuals were wearing, Higgins concludes that the footage portrays the Syrian government launching a single massive rocket from a modified flatbed.
In reality, we are most likely looking at the EXACT method the US-backed terrorists in Syria used to carry out the chemical weapons attack in Damascus in late August. Whether or not the rockets contained chemical weapons could be a matter of debate - as the rockets and other evidence were all clearly tampered with in the days before the UN investigated the site - this according to the UN itself. On page 18 of the UN's report (22 of the .pdf), the UN states [emphasis added]:
That the same rocket used in Damascus has now been seen launched from makeshift flatbeds and not olive green military rocket launchers, along with answering the basic question of "to whose benefit?" and considering that militants are confirmed to have US training in handling of chemical weapons - all at the very least tear down the narrative that "only the Syrian regime" could have carried out the attacks.
Moderate syrian rebel myth falling apart....
But their claims of leadership over the rebellion are also being outright rejected by many of the fighting forces on the ground, with 13 powerful factions issuing a joint statement today saying the SNC doesn’t represent them in any way.
In September 17, 2013's article, "5 Lies Invented to Spin UN Report on Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack," one fabrication used by the West was exposed in particular [emphasis added]:
Lie 1. Chemical weapons were delivered with munitions not used by rebels: This claim includes referencing "Syria watcher" Eliot Higgins also known as "Brown Moses," a UK-based armchair observer of the Syrian crisis who has been documenting weapons used throughout the conflict on his blog.Video has now emerged showing just the sort of unmarked improvised trucks predicted US-backed terrorists would use to carry out the attacks, surrounded by a combination of civilian-dressed and semi-uniformed individuals firing ordnance identical to those used during the Damascus chemical weapons attack. Western media sources are scrambling to explain how this is instead, the "smoking gun" proving the Syrian government was behind the attacks, and not the so-called "rebels."
While Higgins explains these particularly larger diameter rockets (140mm and 330mm) have not been seen (by him) in the hands of terrorists operating within and along Syria's borders, older posts of his show rockets similar in construction and operation, but smaller, most certainly in the hands of the militants.
The Washington Post contends that somehow these larger rockets require "technology" the militants have no access to. This is categorically false. A rocket is launched from a simple tube, and the only additional technology terrorists may have required for the larger rockets would have been a truck to mount them on. For an armed front fielding stolen tanks, finding trucks to mount large metal tubes upon would seem a rather elementary task - especially to carry out a staged attack that would justify foreign intervention and salvage their faltering offensive.
This tenuous argument is being spearheaded by the "Brown Moses Blog" run by UK sofa-based, self-taught "weapons expert" Eliot Higgins, which claims:
The following video was just sent to me by @Paradoxy13, showing the type of munition linked to alleged chemical attacks being loaded and fired by what appears to be Assad's forces .Unfortunately for Higgins' credibility and objectiveness, the conclusion he jumps to (based apparently on the color hats everyone is wearing in the video) is based on "evidence" sent to him by Twitter user @Paradoxy13, an overt supporter of the armed militants operating in Syria. His Twitter timeline is proudly topped with the French-colonial flag now being used by the so-called "Free Syrian Army" and flooded with overtly biased propaganda backing both the terrorists in Syria, and their Western sponsors abroad.
The alleged footage Higgins posted on his blog comes from YouTube account, "Darya Revolution" - clearly belonging to militant supporters.
The video descriptions claims:
The moment of launching surface- to --surface missile from Mazzeh military airport -- it could carry a chemical head- on the day of the "chemical massacre" in Eastern Ghouta. Darayya Media Centre shot the missile at the exact second it was launched from Mazzeh Military Airport towards Eastern Ghout at around 6 AM. Many soldiers were seen around the point of launching the missile with red caps, which indicates that they were presidential guards.What serendipity to have both a massive chemical attack in Damascus just as UN monitors arrived in the Syrian capital, and now video shot by militants who claim they just so happened to have a camera ready to film the rockets as they were launched toward Eastern Ghouta in Damascus.
At face value, nothing about this points to the Syrian government - as Higgins claims. Higgins even has to remind readers that the chemical weapons attack allegedly took place at night, directly contradicting the description of the video he is citing as a "smoking gun."
....
The video shows two trucks surrounded by a motley crew of both uniformed and non-uniformed individuals carrying a variety of weapons - typical of "Free Syrian Army" formations, atypical of the Syrian Arab Army's operations which include columns of tanks, clearly marked aircraft, camouflaged trucks, and soldiers in full battledress.
There appears to be one truck for carrying and loading the rockets, and another for launching them - the launcher can be seen at the end of the video being concealed under a tarp. Aside from this, there are no other military vehicles seen in the vicinity, and the trucks themselves are unmarked, converted civilian vehicles typical of the "technicals" (improvised fighting vehicles) used by terrorists both in Libya and now Syria. For trucks allegedly carrying "government" chemical weapons, or even large high-explosive rockets, there is surprisingly lax security around them and a suspicious desire to conceal the improvised weapon system after use.
....
The painstakingly slow process of loading and firing a single rocket would also negate any practical tactical advantage on the battlefield were this footage of another attack, on another day, using a conventional rocket for an artillery strike - as Higgins seems to suggest. The Syrian military possesses an extensive arsenal of artillery pieces and multiple rocket launchers that could easily bombard targets with better accuracy, increased frequency and effectiveness.
Additional "evidence" cited by Higgins of "regime use" of these rocket systems consists solely of militant footage of rocket impacts - not of Syrian troops actually firing the weapons. Higgins operates under the false assumption that previous chemical attacks showing up in militant videos depicting similar rockets could only be the work of the Syrian government, and not false flag operations carried out by an increasingly desperate West and their proxy forces inside Syria. Aside from this assumption, he provides no evidence to back up his claims.
Higgins was handed a "smoking gun" by the people most likely to have benefited from the crime, who claim they "found it" at the feet of the very government they are fighting. Without critical examination, and apparently based on the color hats several individuals were wearing, Higgins concludes that the footage portrays the Syrian government launching a single massive rocket from a modified flatbed.
In reality, we are most likely looking at the EXACT method the US-backed terrorists in Syria used to carry out the chemical weapons attack in Damascus in late August. Whether or not the rockets contained chemical weapons could be a matter of debate - as the rockets and other evidence were all clearly tampered with in the days before the UN investigated the site - this according to the UN itself. On page 18 of the UN's report (22 of the .pdf), the UN states [emphasis added]:
The time necessary to conduct a detailed survey of both locations as well as take samples was very limited. The sites have been well travelled by other individuals both before and during the investigation. Fragments and other possible evidence have clearly been handled/moved prior to the arrival of the investigation team.It is confirmed that the US has been training militants and providing "contractors" to accompany them into Syria where they have been operating specifically to handle chemical weapons. CNN reported in their 2012 article, "Sources: U.S. helping underwrite Syrian rebel training on securing chemical weapons," that:
The United States and some European allies are using defense contractors to train Syrian rebels on how to secure chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria, a senior U.S. official and several senior diplomats told CNN Sunday.
The training, which is taking place in Jordan and Turkey, involves how to monitor and secure stockpiles and handle weapons sites and materials, according to the sources. Some of the contractors are on the ground in Syria working with the rebels to monitor some of the sites, according to one of the officials.While the video above is claimed to be a "smoking gun," it instead, under critical examination, illustrates the means with which the false-flag operation was carried out in late August - for the sole purpose of justifying direct Western military intervention to save a faltering proxy war.
That the same rocket used in Damascus has now been seen launched from makeshift flatbeds and not olive green military rocket launchers, along with answering the basic question of "to whose benefit?" and considering that militants are confirmed to have US training in handling of chemical weapons - all at the very least tear down the narrative that "only the Syrian regime" could have carried out the attacks.
Moderate syrian rebel myth falling apart....
Syrian Rebels Spurn Coalition, Call for Islamist Leadership
Groups Want Rebels Organized Under Sharia Law
by Jason Ditz, September 25, 2013
The Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the Western-backed “leadership” of the rebellion, has faced an ever growing crisis of confidence, with its own membership mostly fighting over who gets to be “prime minister in exile” at any given time, and unable to organize much of anything.
But their claims of leadership over the rebellion are also being outright rejected by many of the fighting forces on the ground, with 13 powerful factions issuing a joint statement today saying the SNC doesn’t represent them in any way.
The SNC commands at least a little support from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), though at times it is unclear which organization is running which. There’s no pretense that the SNC can command much of anyone else, however, and that means the overwhelming majority of rebels remain outside their control.
Today’s statement included a number of al-Qaeda dominated factions and other major players in the civil war, and called for a new leadership, with the rebellion reorganized under an Islamic framework, and run according to al-Qaeda’s particularly harsh interpretation of Sharia Law.
The SNC had tried to court Islamists repeatedly by stocking its leadership council with moderate Islamist factions like the Muslim Brotherhood, but it’s more apparent than ever that this tactic has failed, and that the rebellion is flying apart at the seams.
This is a problem not just for coordinating attacks or keeping the rebels from fighting one another, but also for the Geneva 2 conference, which after months of delay is still waiting on the rebels to come to the table. The SNC gave some lip-service to participating, but only if the Syrian government capitulated to all of their demands before the conference began. Since the SNC can’t credibly claim to speak for most of the rebel fighters, however, even getting them to the table doesn’t mean they can hammer out a deal to really end the war.
NSA....
NSA surveillance goes beyond Orwell’s imagination – Alan Rusbridger
September 24, 2013
Source: London Guardian
The potential of the surveillance state goes way beyond anything in George Orwell’s 1984, Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, told an audience in New York on Monday.
The potential of the surveillance state goes way beyond anything in George Orwell’s 1984, Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, told an audience in New York on Monday.
Speaking in the wake of a series of revelations in the Guardian about the extent of the National Security Agency’s surveillance operations, Rusbridger said: “Orwell could never have imagined anything as complete as this, this concept of scooping up everything all the time.
“This is something potentially astonishing about how life could be lived and the limitations on human freedom,” he said.
Rusbridger said the NSA stories were “clearly” not a story about totalitarianism, but that an infrastructure had been created that could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-25/lew-warns-debt-ceiling-day-oct-17
Lew Warns D(ebt-Ceiling)-Day Is Oct 17 (Full Letter)
In a new letter to Congress, the political rhetoric is on the rise as Treasury Secretary Lew warns:
- *LEW SAYS EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES EXHAUSTED NO LATER THAN OCT. 17
Adding that results could be catastrophic if the US government is unable to pay its bills, he warned that any attempt to priotize payments would "Default by another name."
Scamming by Japan - like US , China , et al......
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-24/60-senators-sign-letter-protesting-japanese-currency-manipulation
60 Senators Sign Letter Protesting Japanese Currency Manipulation
Despite the 'support' of the G-20 and the self-deceiving belief that Japan is 'not' manipulating its currency; 60 US Senators appear confused. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Trans-Pacific-Partnership Trade Rep Michael Froman, the Senators demand they "address one of the 21st century's most serious trade problems: foreign currency manipulation." In order to ensure any agreements meet the "high standards" that America's workers deserve, Lew and Froman are directed to include "strong and enforceable disciplines," for any currency manipulations. Cue Abe protestations at US policy...
As Richard Koo noted in the past:
Japan has been the only country to observe the agreement reached at the November 2008 G20 emergency meeting in an attempt to prevent a currency war. In contrast, western nations have freely pursued weaker currencies: the UK and the US via massive quantitative easing and Switzerland via direct intervention on the forex market.
Full text below:
TPP secret scamming....
'Flush the TPP!': Protesters Scale Trade Building in Protest of Secretive Deal
September 24, 2013
Source: Common Dreams
Protesters scaled the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Monday and dropped banners calling for greater transparency and an end to "corporatocracy" over the ongoing and secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement currently in the works between the United States and several Pacific nations.
Protesters scaled the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Monday and dropped banners calling for greater transparency and an end to "corporatocracy" over the ongoing and secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement currently in the works between the United States and several Pacific nations.
Those negotiations, which have been brokered entirely behind closed doors, are certain to put corporate profits ahead of both human rights and environmental concerns, opponents of the pact have argued.
Today's banner drop comes as part of a series of actions that started with a rally on Fridayoutside of the trade office and will continue throughout the next several days.
Groups involved in the ongoing protests include FlushTheTPP.org, CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace, Earth First!, Communications Workers of America, Friends of the Earth, Food and Water Watch and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch.
“Regulating Wall Street is what we need. It’s time to flush the TPP," Melinda St. Louis, international campaigns director for Public Citizen, said to the crowd on Friday as she stood in front of a large cardboard-constructed roll of toilet paper labeled the TPP Death Star.
"Protecting workers is what we need,” she said.
"Americans cannot afford another back-room deal that offshores manufacturing and service jobs, reduces tax revenues and pushes down wages and benefits in the jobs that remain," Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of Citizens Trade Campaign said Friday. "Unless exposed to the light of day and real public participation, the TPP is poised to enrich corporate interests at the expense of the economy, the environment and public health at home and abroad."
While the U.S. public and the press have been locked out of TPP meetings, corporate "trade advisers" have participated and been given copies of the agreement.
President Barack Obama announced Thursday he will push fast-track legislation, otherwise known as Trade Promotion Authority, which will allow him to push through trade agreements while taking away congressional powers to amend.
"This is the grand-daddy of trade deals, a very destructive project, and it is happening completely under the radar," Chris Townsend, political director for United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), told Common Dreams on Friday.
Watch below for an interview with Public Citizen's Melinda St. Louis at the protest on Friday.
(Photo provided by protest organizers)
Today's banner drop comes as part of a series of actions that started with a rally on Fridayoutside of the trade office and will continue throughout the next several days.
Groups involved in the ongoing protests include FlushTheTPP.org, CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace, Earth First!, Communications Workers of America, Friends of the Earth, Food and Water Watch and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch.
“Regulating Wall Street is what we need. It’s time to flush the TPP," Melinda St. Louis, international campaigns director for Public Citizen, said to the crowd on Friday as she stood in front of a large cardboard-constructed roll of toilet paper labeled the TPP Death Star.
"Protecting workers is what we need,” she said.
"Americans cannot afford another back-room deal that offshores manufacturing and service jobs, reduces tax revenues and pushes down wages and benefits in the jobs that remain," Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of Citizens Trade Campaign said Friday. "Unless exposed to the light of day and real public participation, the TPP is poised to enrich corporate interests at the expense of the economy, the environment and public health at home and abroad."
While the U.S. public and the press have been locked out of TPP meetings, corporate "trade advisers" have participated and been given copies of the agreement.
President Barack Obama announced Thursday he will push fast-track legislation, otherwise known as Trade Promotion Authority, which will allow him to push through trade agreements while taking away congressional powers to amend.
"This is the grand-daddy of trade deals, a very destructive project, and it is happening completely under the radar," Chris Townsend, political director for United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), told Common Dreams on Friday.
Watch below for an interview with Public Citizen's Melinda St. Louis at the protest on Friday.
(Photo provided by protest organizers)And the " NEWS " of the day ......
Here We Go Again: State Department Issues New Worldwide Terrorist Threat Alert
- Afghanistan
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Middle East
- Natural Gas
- New York City
- None
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Turkey
- Uzbekistan
The last time the State Department issued a comparable worldwide terror alert, the majority of US embassies in the Muslim world were promptly evacuated and a few weeks later the Syrian false flag affair was unleashed upon the world. One wonders just what provocation John Kerry has in mind this time.
- STATE DEPT ISSUES NEW WORLWIDE CAUTION ON TERRORIST THREATS
- STATE DEPT SAYS AMERICANS MUST BE VIGILANT WHILE TRAVELING
- STATE DEPT DETAILS POSSIBLE THREATS IN EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA
At least the evil terrorizers have not infiltrated the Arctic circle yet. As for the always convenient scapegoat:
- STATE DEPT SAYS AL-QAEDA PLOTTING IN MULTIPLE REGIONS
They sure are: mostly in Syria, but luckily they are now armed with US weapons.
In the meantime, be afraid. Be very afraid.
* * *
Full Statement:
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
Washington, DC 20520
Worldwide Caution
September 25, 2013
The Department of State has issued this Worldwide Caution to update information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world. U.S. citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. This replaces the Worldwide Caution dated February 19, 2013, to provide updated information on security threats and terrorist activities worldwide.
The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations, and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Current information suggests that al-Qa'ida, its affiliated organizations, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, and bombings.
Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. Examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas, shopping malls, and other tourist destinations both in the United States and abroad where U.S. citizens gather in large numbers, including during holidays.
In early August 2013, the Department of State instructed certain U.S. embassies and consulates to remain closed or to suspend operations August 4 through August 10 because of security information received. The U.S. government took these precautionary steps out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may have planned to visit our installations.
U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Extremists have targeted and attempted attacks on subway and rail systems, aviation, and maritime services. In the past, these types of attacks have occurred in cities such as Moscow, London, Madrid, Glasgow, and New York City.
EUROPE: Current information suggests that al-Qa'ida, its affiliated organizations, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. and Western interests in Europe. Additionally, there is a continuing threat in Europe from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis. On February 1, 2013, an individual detonated a bomb at a side entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, killing one Embassy guard and injuring others. The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi/Cephesi or DHKP/C) claimed responsibility on its website for the attack. The DHKP/C has stated its intention to commit further attacks against the United States, NATO, and Turkey. In May 2013, in London, two Islamic extremits, unaffiliated with any group, killed a British soldier. The reported reason for the attack was to avenge the deaths of Muslims killed by British soldiers. European governments have taken action to guard against terrorist attacks, and some have made official declarations regarding heightened threat conditions. In the past several years, organized extremist attacks have been planned or carried out in various European countries. On February 5, the Bulgarian government announced its judgment that Hezbollah was responsible for a July 2012 terrorist attack in Burgas which resulted in the deaths of five tourists and a bus driver.
MIDDLE EAST and NORTH AFRICA: Credible information indicates terrorist groups also seek to continue attacks against U.S. interests in the Middle East and North Africa. The U.S. government remains highly concerned about possible attacks against U.S. citizens, facilities, businesses, and perceived U.S. and Western interests. Terrorist organizations continue to be active in Yemen, including al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Security threat levels remain high in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest. In September 2012, a mob of Yemeni protestors attacked the U.S. Embassy compound.
U.S. citizens have also been the targets of numerous terrorist attacks in Lebanon in the past (though none recently) and the threat of anti-Western terrorist activity continues to exist there. There are a number of extremist groups operating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, a group designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. Iraq is experiencing levels of violence not seen since 2007, and al-Qa'ida in Iraq is increasingly resurgent. Although U.S. interests have not been targeted directly, the threat of attacks against U.S. citizens, including kidnapping and terrorist violence, continues, even in Baghdad's International Zone. Bahrain continues to see bouts of sectarian violence, with Shi'a insurgents conducting IED attacks against Bahraini government and security facilities. Al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its affiliates are active throughout North Africa.
In Algeria, terrorists sporadically attack Westerners and Algerian government targets, particularly in the Kabylie region, and near Algeria's borders with Libya and Mali. In January 2013, terrorists attacked a natural gas facility at In Amenas resulting in the deaths of dozens, including three U.S. citizens. Terrorists have also targeted oil processing plants in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The In Amenas attack was staged from southern Libya, which has become a haven for regional terrorist organizations that present a threat to U.S. interests in Tripoli. Libyan security is largely provided by militias that occasionally fight one another, and that have been unable to protect U.S. persons from past attacks, such as the September 2012 attack against the U.S. Temporary Mission Facility in Benghazi that led to the deaths of four U.S. citizens, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Some elements in Iran remain hostile to the United States. U.S. citizens should remain cautious and be aware that there may be a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against U.S citizens. Continuing political and social unrest in Egypt has led to large demonstrations that have turned violent. Westerners and U.S. citizens have occasionally been caught in the middle of clashes and demonstrations. On June 28, a U.S. citizen was killed during a demonstration in Alexandria. On May 9, a private U.S. citizen was attacked with a knife outside the U.S. Embassy after being asked whether he was an American. Political and social unrest in Tunisia has also led to large demonstrations that occasionally turn violent. In September 2012, a large group of demonstrators breached the U.S. Embassy compound in Tunis, causing significant damage.
No part of Syria should be considered immune from violence, and throughout the country the potential exists for unpredictable and hostile acts, including kidnappings, sniper assaults, large and small-scale bombings, and chemical attacks, as well as arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture. [ZH: courtesy of the CIA?] The conflict in Syria has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths with many thousands wounded and over one million displaced persons.
AFRICA: A number of al-Qa'ida operatives and other extremists are believed to be operating in and around Africa. In February 2012, the emir of U.S-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization al-Shabaab and al-Qa'ida's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, announced the alliance of the two organizations. Al-Shabaab has taken credit for the attack on the shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya on September 21, 2013, which claimed the lives of over 60 people and injured over a hundred more, including U.S. citizens. Al-Shabaab assassinations, suicide bombings, hostage taking, and indiscriminate attacks in civilian-populated areas are also frequent in Somalia. Terrorist operatives and armed groups in Somalia have demonstrated their intent to attack Somali authorities, the African Union Mission in Somalia, and non-military targets such as international donor offices and humanitarian assistance providers.
Additionally, the terrorist group al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has declared its intention to attack Western targets throughout the Sahel (an area that stretches across the African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea to include Senegal, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea). It has claimed responsibility for kidnappings, attempted kidnappings, and the murder of several Westerners throughout the region, including southern Algeria. AQIM-related threats against Westerners in Mali and elsewhere increased following the initiation of the U.S.-supported, French-led intervention in northern and central Mali, where the security environment remains fluid. In neighboring Niger, terrorists formerly associated with AQIM conducted suicide attacks targeting a French mining facility and a Nigerien military compound in Agadez in late May. The loosely organized group of factions known as Boko Haram continues to carry out significant improvised explosive device and suicide bombings in northern Nigeria, mainly targeting government forces and innocent civilians; attacks have continued at a high rate since their attack on the UN building in the capital of Abuja in 2011. Boko Haram and splinter group Ansaru have also claimed responsibility for the kidnappings of several Western workers and tourists, both in northern Nigeria and northern Cameroon; Ansaru has murdered virtually all of its hostages in the face of real or perceived rescue attempts, while Boko Haram allegedly received a large ransom payment for the release of a French family abducted near a tourist park in northern Cameroon. In 2013, extremists have also targeted both Nigerians and foreign nationals involved in polio eradication efforts in northern Nigeria. Extremists attacked a school in northeast Nigeria, killing over 40 students, and have called for further attacks on educational institutions. Several agencies that have partnered with the U.S. government in the field of public health development in northern Nigeria have curtailed their activities in response to these threats. The president of Nigeria declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states in response to activities of extremist groups.
U.S. citizens considering travel by sea near the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea, or in the southern Red Sea should exercise extreme caution, as there have been armed attacks, robberies, and kidnappings for ransom by pirates. The threat of hijacking to merchant vessels continues to exist in Somali territorial waters and as far as 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, Yemen, and Kenya in international waters. There has also been a recent rise in piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea, including hijackings.
U.S. government maritime authorities advise mariners to avoid the port of Mogadishu and to remain at least 200 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. In addition, when transiting around the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea, or in the Red Sea, it is strongly recommended that vessels travel in convoys and maintain good communications at all times. U.S. citizens traveling on commercial passenger vessels should consult with the shipping or cruise ship company regarding precautions that will be taken to avoid hijacking incidents. Commercial vessels should review the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration's Horn of Africa Piracy page for information on maritime advisories, self-protection measures, and naval forces in the region. Review our International Maritime Piracy Fact Sheet<http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/2013/207651.htm>for information on piracy in the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean.
SOUTH ASIA: The U.S. government continues to receive information that terrorist groups in South Asia may also be planning attacks in the region, possibly against U.S. government facilities, U.S. citizens, or U.S. interests. The presence of al-Qa'ida, Taliban elements, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, indigenous sectarian groups, and other terror organizations, many of which are on the U.S. government's list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, poses a potential danger to U.S. citizens in the region. Terrorists and their sympathizers have demonstrated their willingness and ability to attack locations where U.S. citizens or Westerners are known to congregate or visit. Their actions may include, but are not limited to, vehicle-borne explosive attacks, improvised explosive device attacks, assassinations, carjackings, rocket attacks, assaults, or kidnappings.
Such attacks have occurred in a number of South Asian states, including Pakistan, where a number of extremist groups continue to target U.S. and other Western citizens and interests, and Pakistani government and military/law enforcement personnel. Suicide bombing attacks continue to occur throughout the country on a regular basis, often targeting government authorities such as police checkpoints and military installations, as well as public areas such as mosques, and shopping areas. U.S. citizens are increasingly targeted for kidnapping. No part of Afghanistan should be considered immune from violence, and throughout the country the potential exists for hostile acts, either targeted or random, against U.S. and other Western nationals at any time. Elements of the Taliban and the al-Qa'ida terrorist network, as well as other insurgent groups hostile to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, remain active. Insurgents continue to target various U.S. and Afghan government facilities in Kabul City, including the June 25, 2013 attack against a U.S. government facility adjacent to the Afghan Presidential Palace and U.S. Embassy. There is an ongoing threat of kidnapping and assassination of U.. citizens and non-governmental organization (NGO) workers throughout the country. India has experienced terrorist and insurgent activities that may affect U.S. citizens directly or indirectly. Anti-Western terrorist groups, some of which are on the U.S. government's list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, have been active in India, including Islamist extremist groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami, Harakat ul-Mujahidin, Indian Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Tayyiba. Terrorists have targeted public places in India frequented by Westerners, including luxury and other hotels, trains, train stations, markets, cinemas, mosques, and restaurants in large urban areas.
Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and other countries experienced civil unrest, large scale protests and demonstrations following the release of anti-Islamic videos and cartoons in September 2012.
CENTRAL ASIA: Supporters of terrorist groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, al-Qa'ida, the Islamic Jihad Union, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement remain active in Central Asia. These groups have expressed anti-U.S. sentiments and may attempt to target U.S. government interests.
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