Equal-opportunity jihad, and more evidence of the magnitude of the ongoing threat from Yemen. "Alert: Female Suicide Bombers May Be Heading Here from Yemen," by Richard Esposito, Rhonda Schwartz, and Brian Ross for ABC News, January 22:
American law enforcement officials have been told to be on the lookout for female suicide bombers who may attempt to enter the United States, law enforcement authorities tell ABC News.
One official said at least two of them are believed to be connected to al Qaeda in Yemen, and may have a non-Arab appearance and be traveling on Western passports.
The threat was described as "current" but not imminent, said the official.
"They have trained women," said former White House counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant.
Separately, Britain raised its terrorism threat level to "severe," its second-highest level, days before London hosts major international meetings on how to deal with militancy in Afghanistan and Yemen. Britain's threat level had been labeled "severe" for several years before being lowered last summer to "substantial."
American officials say a U.S. air strike on Christmas Eve against suspected al Qaeda training camps is believed to have killed many, but not all, of a group of suicide bombers being trained in Yemen.
The man accused of attempting to explode a bomb on Northwest flight 253, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, told FBI agents there were a number of other people who trained with him in Yemen.
"There are others who are still out there who have been trained and who are clean skins -- that means people who we do not have a record of, people who may not look like al Qaeda terrorists, who may not be Arabs, and may not be men," said Clarke.
The alert comes during a week in which American law enforcement officials described an "unusually high" number of people on the no-fly list attempting to board flights to or in the United States.
Six on No-Fly List Stopped in 48 Hours
At least six people on the no-fly list were denied boarding in a 48-hour period between Saturday and Monday this week, according to the officials. [...]
"What we don't know is whether this is because everyone is doing a better job of enforcing the no-fly list, or because the list has been expanded, or because the terrorists are attempting to probe our security," said ABC News consultant Clarke....
Some tips:
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2007/11/bomb-dynamics-t.html
Aaaaand a few more:
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2007/08/when-its-not-ju.html
Your site undaunted should be required reading for all travelers.
Great job - glad you're on our side.
Profile Muslims or Die Politically Correct While Flying Article
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/le-terroriste-du-vol-253-est-le-%e2%80%9cquatrieme-president-d%e2%80%99une-societe-etudiante-islamique-a-etre-accuse-de-terrorisme-en-trois-ans-%c2%bb/
C’est drôle comme çà arrive souvent, « Al-Qaeda » prépara Abdulm utallab à Londres », par Sean O’neill et Giles Whitell pour le Times Online, 30 Décembre.
Le suspect du complot de bombardement d’avion du jour de Noël avait organisé une conférence sous le titre de « War on terror week » (Semaine de la guerre à la terreur) alors qu’il s’immergeait dans la politique radicale quand il était un étudiant à Londres.
Cette histoire n’incluse pas le fait que Abdulmutallab ait pu prendre connaissance de l’ « extrémisme » au Nigéria, ou que quiconque en dehors d’Al-Qaida ait pu être la source de son intérêt pour les actes violents du Jihad.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab ; 23 ans, un ancien président de la Société Islamique à l’University College de Londres, fit la publicité d’orateurs parmi lesquels figuraient des hommes politiques, des avocats des droits de l’homme et des anciens détenus de Guantanamo Bay.
Un séminaire, Jihad vs Terrorisme, fut intitulé « un enseignement sur la position Islamique par rapport au Jihad ».
Il est important de souligner qu’avant d’organiser de tels événements il s’était renseigné (sought advice) sur son droit à induire en erreur les non-musulmans...
Probably every concerned person should read Undaunted's tips...Thanx...
I wonder what will be Mahoundian reaction to all passengers going through curve and bulge revealing body scans...These scans will detect many more curves and bulges than it will bombs...But if it only catches one bomb it is worth it...I don't expect many Mahoundians to agree with that...
Thank you, sirs.
I doubt we (our TSA and homeland insecurity), at $7.00 an hour started doing a great job catching or flagging down terrorists, neither is our terrorist list anything to be satisfied with when eighty year old grandmas are on no-fly list. It seems like the Islamic terrorists are trying everything under the sun to get in at least a single significant shot. Its time to be super vigilant and report anything suspicious.
A terrorist event/attack will happen at some point and these tactics should be expected. It will be Bush's fault and Obama Been Rotten will get a pass from the main stream media, leftist commentators, the black congressional caucus and most of CNN and MSNBC. I don't know what it will take to wake them up. I am worried about my country and my fellow Americans. I could have never imagined a situation where our government is more worried about offending than defending.
This one has a bit more detail than the others:
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2009/05/herefemale-bomber-who-had-5you-wher.html
avraidire,
Thank you for posting in French. I understand more of the language when I read, than when I hear it, which is certainly better than when I try to speak it.
I took two years of Conversational French in high school, and I loved it, but I've forgotten so much! Your posts bring some of it back.
Not long ago, someone here posted links to two articles about the Israeli method of passenger profiling, etc.
I found them very interesting, and copied and saved both articles in their entirety, with links. Just now I re-posted them in the thread about the threats to Air India and India generally.
I will re-post them here as well.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/15/60II/main324476.shtml
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744426--what-israel-can-teach-us-about-security
Perhaps it's time we sent copies of those articles to such airlines as we have flown, or fly, with; and to our transport safety authorities, and to whoever it is in our government (I am Australian, so for me, it is the Federal Transport Minister), with a covering letter suggesting strongly that if our airlines and airports are NOT doing security the Israeli way, they had better hurry up and learn.
Shoutout to QANTAS and Virgin Blue - get a clue, do it (security) the Israel way.
TSA, PC, and HSA make flying a lengthy and dangerous ordeal.
Unless one is flying overseas, why not just drive a car? See the beautiful USA countryside in peace and privacy.
Is your own car a POS? Then rent one for the trip that you always wanted. Tally Ho!
NVUH
If Dear Leader Hussein had allowed Mr Abdulmutallab to 'keep singing' rather than reading him his rights, authorities may have been closer to knowing the identities of the two Muslimas.
But alas, for Hussein it's important to give the 'right image' to the 'International community' and Nobel Comittee, even if one or two 'radicals' or 'extremists' (anything but the M-word) get to go on a martyrdom operation as a result.
If Dear Leader Hussein had allowed Mr Abdulmutallab to 'keep singing' rather than reading him his rights, authorities may have been closer to knowing the identities of the two Muslimas.
But alas, for Hussein it's more important to give the 'right image' to the 'International community' and Nobel Comittee, even if one or two 'radicals' or 'extremists' (anything but the M-word) get to go on a martyrdom operation as a result.
"The threat was described as "current" but not imminent, said the official." BANG !!!!!!
I certainly feel reassured by the MSM and of course terrorism has nothing at all to do with Muslims. Its just our horrible prejudice against this wonderful, peaceful religion that has given so much to the world and to civilisation. I just saw that they have opened an exhibition in London to celebrate all the wonderful and insightful contributions made by Muslim civilisation. I must visit this so I can become horribly grateful for the existence of this "religion of peace". Of course there is not a hint of the true nature of Islam and its adherents and lots of schoolchildren are being thoroughly brainwashed by thier Dhimmi teachers who take them to these exhibitions. Perhaps we could have an addition to this exhibition maybe, a 24 hour rolling broadcast of Palestinian or Arab TV that celebrates Jews and Kuffars as Pigs and Monkeys. What about the video of Daniel Pearl and others who have had thier heads hacked off (may they rest in peace) by adherents of the peaceful religion, perhaps a video of the attacks of 7/7 or 9/11 or the aftermath of numerous suicide attacks. Never mind, we must all be grateful for the fact that there has not been another atrocity carried out on British soil - yet.
Marisol:
So what do we need to do?
I see 2 mutually reinforcing strategies:
1) ban all travel to and from Yemen. Anyone who goes or comes from there is an enemy combatant and subject to arrest and interrogation
2) Less likely but a D Day type invasion of Yemen. Or even better, train the Ethiopians to near NATO standards and then take over the southern part of Somalia. The Ethiopians could then keep the pirate at bay and provide an excellent base for operations in Yemen
xavier