TRC

Today in History:
September 16, 1975 - Papua New Guinea
Independence Day
Achieved independence from the International Trusteeship system.

September 16, 1963 - Malaysia
Formation of Malaysia
Malaysia, comprising Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah (North Borneo)
was formally established.

September 16, 1963 - Singapore
Formation of Malaysia
Malaysia, comprised of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah (North Borneo),
was formally established.

September 16, 1810 - Mexico
Independence Day
Independence from Spain was declared by Father Miguel Hidalgo. The War for
Independence continued until 1822, when the Mexican Republic was
established.

Upcoming Significant Events:
September 17, (year unknown) - Angola
Day of the National Hero
Honors former president Agostinho Neto.

September 17, 1963 - Indonesia
Era of "Konfrontasi" Begins
The era of "Konfrontasi" began, a period of quasi-war between Indonesia and
Malaysia.

September 17, 1963 - Malaysia
Era of "Konfrontasi" Begins
The era of "Konfrontasi" began, a period of quasi-war between Indonesia and
Malaysia.

September 17, 1978 - Egypt
Camp David Accords Signed
No information provided.

September 17, 1978 - Israel
Camp David Accords Signed
No information provided.

September 17, 1980 - Nicaragua
Somoza Assassinated
Former president Somoza was assassinated at his place of exile in Paraguay.

September 17, 1981 - Indonesia
President of FRETILIN Killed
The Indonesian army ambushed and killed Jose Gusmao, president of FRETILIN.

September 18, (year unknown) - Burundi
Uprona Victory Day
No information provided.

September 18, 1810 - Chile
Independence Day
No information provided.

September 18, 1988 - Burma
Saw Maung Seizes Power
General Saw Maung seized power in a military coup, sparking widespread
unrest.

September 19, (year unknown) - Chile
Army Day
No information provided.

September 19, 1980 - Iran
Iran-Iraq War Begins
No information provided.

September 19, 1980 - Iraq
Iran-Iraq War Begins
No information provided.

September 19, 1983 - Saint Kitts and Nevis
Independence Day
No information provided.

September 19, 1989 - Chad
UTA Flight 772 Bombed
UTA Flight 772 was bombed, killing all on board. The flight originated in
Chad and crashed in Niger.

September 19, 1989 - France
Bombing of UTA Flight 772
Flight 772 of UTA Airlines was bombed and destroyed over Niger. All on board
were killed, including a number of French citizens.

September 19, 1989 - Niger
Bombing of UTA Flight 772
UTA Flight 772 from Chad was blown up by bomb over Niger, killing all on
board.

September 20, 1949 - Germany
FRG Government Established
The government of the federal government was established, led by Konrad
Adenauer. The following day, September 21, the Occupation Statute came into
force, granting full powers of self-government to the new state.

September 20, 1979 - Central African Republic
Bokassa Overthrown In Coup
Former president Dacko led a successful and bloodless coup while Bokassa was
out of the country, declaring the Imperial State apparatus null and void.

September 20, 1984 - Lebanon
Bombing of U.S. Embassy Annex
Fourteen people were killed and seventy were wounded when a van loaded with
four hundred pounds of explosives drove past the checkpoint in front of the
U.S. embassy annex in Awkar and exploded. The driver of the van was shot and
killed by British security guards. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for
the bombing in a call to the media.

State Dept. Official Arrested in Inquiry on Taiwan Contact
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:25pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
A longtime Foreign Service officer at the State Department, who until
recently was a ranking official on East Asian affairs, was arrested on
Wednesday and charged with concealing a trip to Taiwan, and is suspected of
improperly passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents, law
enforcement and intelligence officials said. The diplomat, Donald W. Keyser,
appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Va., and was charged with making a
false statement to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a government
background check. A career foreign service officer, Mr. Keyser was a top
advisor on China to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell before resigning
abruptly several weeks ago in the face of accusations that he had passed
information to the Taiwanese, officials said.Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/politics/16spy.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1095 346879-9k2UhGSRi25ffVdabkNNqQ> Story

Votes Set on 9/11 Recommendations
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:31pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Congressional leaders said yesterday the House and Senate will vote in a few
weeks on recommendations from the Sept. 11 commission, but the two chambers
appear at odds on some key issues, and several recommendations appear in
jeopardy. The Pentagon would lose much of its control over satellite-based
intelligence gathering systems, and a new national intelligence director
would have broad powers to coordinate various agencies under plans gaining
momentum in Congress.Full
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24544-2004Sep15.html> Story

Briton, two Americans kidnapped as Iraq hostage crisis escalates
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:49am by kirkhope
<mailto:kirkhope@terrorism.com>
Two Americans and a Briton were kidnapped from their smart Baghdad home, as
the two main powers behind last year's invasion became the latest victims of
a five-month-old hostage crisis. The new abductions came against the
backdrop of fresh UN criticism of the US-led intervention, with Secretary
General Kofi Annan for the first time describing the invasion as "illegal".
Interior ministry spokesman Colonel Adnan Abdul Rahman said the three
hostages worked for a Gulf-based private equipment firm. Armed men drove up
in a minibus shortly after 6:00 am (0200 GMT) and burst into the trio's home
in the upmarket Mansur neighbourhood of the capital. Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1504&ncid=1504&e=1&u=/afp/20040916/ts_afp/iraq_040916104257> Story

Algerian al Qaeda ally says appoints new leader
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:48pm by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
Algeria's largest Islamic rebel group with ties to al Qaeda said it has
appointed a new chief, known as an explosives expert, as it tries to regroup
following the loss of key leaders in recent gun battles with authorities.
"Thanks to God for the appointment of Abou Mossab Abdelouadoud as the emir
of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) to replace martyr
Nabil Sahraoui," the GSPC said in an undated statement obtained by Reuters
on Monday. Security sources said the information was credible. Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040906/wl_nm/security_algeria _gspc_dc_1> Story

Georgia, Russia spat over anti-terrorism at summit
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:52pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
A summit of ex-Soviet republics billed as forging a common front against
terrorism after the Beslan school siege descended into acrimony as Georgia
accused Russia of double standards. Georgia's new pro-Western President
Mikhail Saakashvili lashed out at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for
Moscow's ties with two breakaway Georgian republics. "These questions cannot
be solved by double-standards," Saakashvili said at the closing press
conference of the Astana summit, in the capital of Kazakhstan. "They
represent a threat to all, they represent a threat to Georgia, a threat to
Russia, and a threat to all humanity. "Russia can and should and should play
a positive role. All contacts should be at a state level," he said.Full
<https://www.terrorism.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Submit_News&file=index> Story

Negotiations Seek End to IRA Threat
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:53pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
The British and Irish governments summoned rival Northern Ireland parties
Thursday to a moat-encircled castle in hopes of crafting a new peace package
for the British territory. But progress in the expected three-day diplomatic
push at medieval Leeds Castle east of London could depend, crucially, on the
actions of an organization not officially at the table: the outlawed Irish
Republican Army. A Catholic-Protestant administration for Northern Ireland
the central achievement of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord of
1998 fell apart two years ago after suffering a string of crises linked to
the IRA's activities and refusal to disarm.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=10&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_eu/northern_ireland> Story

Putin Won't Negotiations With Chechens
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:55pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated his refusal to
negotiate with Chechen separatists, warning critics against applying what he
called a double standard in the definition of terrorism. Speaking two weeks
after armed militants seized more than 1,200 children and adults at a school
in southern Russia, Putin rejected calls that the Kremlin should negotiate
with renegade Chechen leaders, such as Aslan Maskhadov, in order to bring
peace to the war-ravaged region. At least 338 people were killed by the time
the standoff ended. "We believe that there should be not only the same
definition of terrorism for everybody but we should also mean the same thing
when we talk about it," Putin said at a meeting of presidents from former
Soviet republics held in Kazakhstan.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=10&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_eu/kazakhstan_russia_terrorism> Story

Report: Bribes Got Bomb Suspects on Planes
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:56pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Russian authorities believe that two Chechen women suspected of blowing up
Russian passenger jets last month got on the planes by paying bribes, media
reports said. Both were detained and handed over to a police officer, who
let them go, the Interfax news agency quoted Russia's Prosecutor General
Vladimir Ustinov as saying. The women had arrived at the airport the evening
of Aug. 24, accompanied by two other Chechens, Ustinov told Interfax.
"Police officers spotted them, confiscated their passports and handed them
over to a police captain responsible for anti-terrorism operations to
examine their belongings," he was quoted as saying in the Wednesday report.
"The captain let them go without any check, and they started to try to
obtain tickets in the same buildings."Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=10&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_eu/russia_terrorism> Story

Some Weapons at Russia School Were Stolen
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:57pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Russia's chief prosecutor said some of the weapons used by the militants
behind the hostage-taking at a southern Russian school were obtained in a
series of attacks on police posts in June. Prosecutor General Vladimir
Ustinov's comments, made in an interview published Thursday in the
Kremlin-backed newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, offered further evidence that
the hostage-taking at School No. 1 in Beslan may have been organized by
notorious Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev. Hundreds of fighters mounted a
series of brazen, coordinated raids on police posts in Ingushetia in June,
killing 88. The province borders both war-ravaged Chechnya and North
Ossetia, where Beslan is located.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=10&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_eu/russia_school_seizure> Story

Yeltsin warns against rolling back democracy in wake of Beslan
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 5:57pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Russia's first post-Soviet president Boris Yeltsin issued a veiled warning
that President Vladimir Putin's decision to hand sweeping new powers to the
Kremlin in the wake of the Beslan hostage crisis could roll back democratic
freedoms.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=732&e=1&u=/afp/20040916/wl_afp/russia_attacks_yeltsin> Story

Rocket lands near Afghan school as President Karzai due to visit
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:01pm by MSantos
<mailto:bishopspg@hotmail.com>
A rocket landed near a school in southeast Afghanistan minutes before
President Hamid Karzai was due to visit, forcing him to abandon his trip,
presidential spokesman Jawad Ludin told AFP. The US-backed president was on
an official visit to Gardez, 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kabul in
Paktia province, to inaugurate a road and to make a speech in Khwaja
Hassanian high school. "According to preliminary information the rocket was
fired from (neighbouring) Ghazni province," he said. Karzai's helicopter was
about to land when the rocket explosion was heard so it did not land and
instead flew him back to Kabul. "The helicopter was landing but as it
happened (the rocket attack) they decided to go back to Kabul and now the
president is in Kabul," Ludin said. Following the rocket attack the event in
Gardez was cancelled. "Now we do believe that there probably was an over
reaction by security. But the security has the final word in these cases,"
he added.An investigation wa! s underway to find out if Karzai was the
target of the attack. The last time there was a direct assassination attempt
on the Afghan president was September 2002, which Karzai narrowly escaped.
Militants loyal to the ousted Taliban regime have threatened to disrupt the
historic 9 October polls, when Karzai will stand as one of 18 presidential
candidates. Full
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/106989/1/.html>
Story

Ex-Cop Accused of Planning Russia Siege
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:02pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Russian police investigating the deadly Beslan school siege are looking
inside their own squad house: One of the attack organizers was allegedly a
former cop who disappeared six years ago. He wouldn't be the first to turn
traitor. Turncoats have appeared in the highest ranks of law enforcement in
the Caucasus. Police have been implicated in kidnappings for ransom and
accused of allowing Chechen rebels free passage through checkpoints
motivated by either money, sympathy for the fighters' cause or family ties,
or a combination of all three.Full Story

'Moment of decision' has come for Northern Ireland peace: Blair
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:03pm by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Prime Minister Tony Blair said the "moment of decision" had come for
Northern Ireland's Catholic and Protestant leaders to break two years of
deadlock and secure a lasting peace. "We've been through these issues many
times. They haven't changed. But now it's time we got to decide it," Blair
said after greeting Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern at Leeds Castle, the
venue for the all-party talks near Maidstone in Kent.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040916/wl_uk_afp/britain_nireland_talks_040916153913> Story

U.S. Intelligence Shows Pessimism on Iraq's Future
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:15pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
A classified National Intelligence Estimate prepared for President Bush in
late July spells out a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq, government
officials said Wednesday. The estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq
through the end of 2005, with the worst case being developments that could
lead to civil war, the officials said. The most favorable outcome described
is an Iraq whose stability would remain tenuous in political, economic and
security terms. "There's a significant amount of pessimism," said one
government official who has read the document, which runs about 50 pages.
The officials declined to discuss the key judgments - concise, carefully
written statements of intelligence analysts' conclusions - included in the
document.Full Story
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/politics/16intel.html>

Three Britons kidnapped in Baghdad
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:19pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Three Britons were kidnapped from their house in the plush Mansur district
of Baghdad, an interior ministry spokesman said."Three British civilians
were kidnapped from their house in the Mansur district in Baghdad this
morning around 6:00 (0200 GMT)," Colonel Adnan Abdul Rahman told AFP. The
spokesman did not elaborate further on the trio's identity. The British
embassy was checking the report, a spokeswoman said.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&e=13&u=/afp/20040916/ts_afp/iraq_hostages_britain_040916074051> Story

2 Americans, 1 Briton Kidnapped in Iraq
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:23pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Gunmen abducted two Americans and a Briton in a brazen attack Thursday on a
residence in an upscale Baghdad neighborhood housing many embassies and
foreign companies.The three, all employees of Gulf Services Company, a
Middle East-based construction firm, were seized from a two-story house
surrounded by a wall in the al-Mansour neighborhood, said Col. Adnan
Abdul-Rahman, an Interior Ministry official. U.S. troops fanned out across
the neighborhood to investigate the latest in a wave of kidnappings in Iraq.
Hundreds of foreigners have been abducted and many of them executed by
insurgents seeking to drive out U.S.-allied troops and deter foreign
companies from working in Iraq's reconstruction.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_040916153947> Story

U.S. Hunts Insurgents in Fallujah, Ramadi
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:25pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
U.S. forces launched attacks Thursday in the western towns of Fallujah and
Ramadi, hunting insurgents belonging to the network of terror mastermind
Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, a military statement said.The military launched what
it called a "precision strike" against a house in Fallujah. But residents
reported the city was calm and it was not immediately clear what sort of
strikes had taken place. "Sources reported the presence of terrorists,
foreign fighters, and weapons systems that were intended for use" against
Iraqi and U.S.-led forces, the military said in a statement.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=9&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_zarqawi_1> Story

Reporters, Officials Are Targets in Iraq
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:27pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
A 15-mile stretch of road south of Baghdad has become the most dreaded in
Iraq after a series of high-profile kidnappings and deadly ambushes
targeting foreign journalists and prominent politicians.Heat and boredom
aren't the worst aspect of being trapped in the gridlock that unfolds every
day in the street running through Mahmoudiyah's main food market. My
traveling companion on a recent trip was an Iraqi with a farm in the area.
Not that it'll help much, he warned; his local connections were scant
protection against those known here as mujahedeen, or holy fighters.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_treacherous_road_1> Story

Gaza Gunmen Kidnap, Then Free Palestinian Official
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:50pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Palestinian gunmen kidnapped a top security official they accused of
corruption and held him for several hours in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in a
fresh challenge to President Yasser Arafat amid a wave of
unrest.Brigadier-General Mohammad Al-Batrawi, an Arafat appointee and chief
of financial surveillance for his security apparatus, was released unharmed
after being abducted by armed men from the Palestinian leader's own Fatah
movement. The kidnappers were led by a disgruntled security man who
moonlights as a militant, Palestinian sources said. It was the latest sign
of unprecedented turmoil, including a spate of abductions and protests in
recent months, linked to demands at home and abroad for sweeping security
reforms.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=574&e=1&u=/nm/20040916/wl_nm/mideast_dc_76> Story

Alleged Tel Aviv Bomb Planners Surrender
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:51pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Two female Palestinian university students, under investigation for
allegedly planning to carry out a twin suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, have
surrendered to the Israeli army, military officials said Thursday. The
women, Adilah and Lina Jawabre, both 21, turned themselves in to Israeli
authorities after relatives informed them the army was looking for them.
Family members said both women denied involvement in planning an attack and
said they surrendered because they have nothing to hide. However, military
officials said the women confessed they planned to carry out an attack.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=1312&e=8&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_mi_ea/palestinians_suspected_bombers_1> Story

Peace Talks for Sudan's Darfur Collapse
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:53pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Sudan's rebels and government broke off internationally brokered peace talks
for the bloodied Darfur region Wednesday after three weeks with little
progress and no deal. The government blamed the United States for the
failure.Both sides said the talks had collapsed, although they left open the
possibility of trying again after a halt of at least three weeks. Sudan's
government under threat of international sanctions over 19 months of
violence in Darfur insisted U.S. criticism had heartened rebels past the
point of compromise.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040915/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nigeria_darfur_talks_8> Story

Amnesty claims up to 500 killed in past month in Nigerian oil city
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:55pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Amnesty International claimed that up to 500 people were killed in clashes
between rival armed gangs in the Nigerian oil city of Port Harcourt in the
past month."Up to 500 civilians are thought to have been killed and an
unconfirmed number of persons were injured in fighting between rival armed
groups, as reported to Amnesty International by reliable sources," the
international rights body said in a letter to Rivers State governor, Peter
Odili, a copy of which was made available to AFP here. Port Harcourt is the
hub of Nigeria's oil industry. Several international oil giants and oilfield
service companies have offices and workshops there. In recent weeks, two
gangs have been fighting in the city and in several villages in the
surrounding Niger Delta swamps.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=1512&e=14&u=/afp/20040916/wl_afp/nigeria_oil_unrest_040916142450> Story

Afghan President Escapes Assassination on Poll Trip
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 6:59pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Afghan President Hamid Karzai escaped an assassination bid on Thursday when
a rocket was fired at his U.S. military helicopter as it was landing in the
southeastern town of Gardez.The president's campaign trip for Oct. 9
presidential elections, his first outside Kabul, was immediately aborted and
he was flown back to capital Kabul, the U.S. military and Afghan officials
said. Witnesses said the rocket flew over Karzai's helicopter and a crowd of
about 400 supporters gathered to meet him at a school as he was about to
touch down, but caused no injuries.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=1898&e=4&u=/nm/20040916/wl_nm/afghan_karzai_dc_5> Story

Taliban threaten Afghan presidential candidates, pledge more attacks
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:01pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
A Taliban spokesman said all 18 candidates in Afghanistan's presidential
elections were "top targets" for attack, and claimed responsibility after a
rocket landed near a school President Hamid Karzai was about to visit."All
presidential candidates are our top targets now because they are running for
the polls of a US-made election -- an election which will create a
government in the interest of the Americans," Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif
Hakimi told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. "We claim the
responsibility for the rocket attack today in Paktia aimed at President
Karzai but he was lucky, the rocket missed him."Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=1898&e=1&u=/afp/20040916/wl_afp/afghanistan_vote_attacks_040916154736> Story

Indonesia Blast Suspects Elude Capture
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:04pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
's dubbed "the demolition man," a low and high explosives expert. The
other's known for his skills in recruiting suicide bombers for the deadliest
al-Qaida-linked terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia that have killed
westerners and Muslims alike.The two Malaysians at the center of a massive
manhunt in the wake of last week's Australian Embassy bombing have eluded
capture for several years by renting cheap houses in densely populated areas
with back alleys close by for quick getaways, police say. "They're very
slippery and highly alert for police movements," Indonesia's chief detective
Suyitno Landung told The Associated Press. "They are always on the
move."Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=15&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_most_wanted_4> Story

US presses democratic reforms in Pakistan
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:07pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The United States said it expected continued democratic reforms in Pakistan
following a clarification by Islamabad over the military role of President
Pervez Musharraf.Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999,
had promised to relinquish as military chief by this December under a deal
with the six-party Islamic alliance of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).
Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid had announced on Wednesday that
Musharraf would not stand down as army chief but he clarified a day later
that he meant to say he hoped the president would retain command of the
armed forces.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040916/pl_afp/us_pakistan_politics_040916192738> Story

Russians Cite Porous Security in Terror Bombings of 2 Planes
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:10pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The fresh details that came to light on Wednesday about the worst terrorist
acts to strike Russia's aviation industry provide a chilling view of the
nation's weaknesses as it tries to defend itself from escalating terror
strikes. In an interview with the Russian news media, Prosecutor General
Vladimir V. Ustinov said that the two women had been detained in the airport
shortly before boarding, but both were released by a police supervisor and
one swiftly bribed her way onto the aircraft she would later destroy. She
paid a paltry sum: the price to board Sibir Airlines Flight 1047, a
Tupolev-154 with 45 other people on board, with a ticket for the next day's
flight was equivalent to $34, Mr. Ustinov said.Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/international/europe/16moscow.html>
Story

France and Spain to set up joint police corps to combat terrorism
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:12pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
France and Spain are to set up a joint police corps to combat terrorism by
Islamic extremists, Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar
said following a meeting with his French counterpart here."Today we are
going to take a very important step in the anti-terrorist fight within the
European Union in signing the first accord for a joint Spanish-French
inquiry corps," Aguilar announced after conferring with French Justice
Minister Dominique Perben. The body will consist of police and magistrates
and will seek to crack down on the armed Basque separatist group ETA -- an
area where Paris and Madrid are already cooperating closely -- "but also,
and of course right away, on Islamic terrorism, notably (its) financing,"
Aguilar said.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=1512&e=3&u=/afp/20040916/wl_afp/spain_france_attacks_040916175050> Story

'Moment of decision' has come for Northern Ireland peace: Blair
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:14pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Prime Minister Tony Blair said the "moment of decision" had come for
Northern Ireland's Catholic and Protestant leaders to break two years of
deadlock and secure a lasting peace."We've been through these issues many
times. They haven't changed. But now it's time we got to decide it," Blair
said after greeting Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern at Leeds Castle, the
venue for the all-party talks near Maidstone in Kent. "We can't go out of
this and have another set of elongated negotiations," said Blair, renewing
his warning that after three major pushes in two years the leaders may not
repeat the effort should they fail here.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040916/wl_uk_afp/britain_nireland_talks_040916153913> Story

Attacks Against the Hungarian Minority in Serbia Are Increasing
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:16pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
When the Setets family set off this morning to take their 13-year-old
daughter to school, they got a shock. As they left their small, two-room
house on the outskirts of Subotica, in northern Serbia, they found a 15-inch
kitchen knife imbedded in their front door. Alongside it, someone had
sprayed the Serbian word for "death" in red. Further to the right was "Drop
dead, Hungarians." Such ethnically motivated attacks by Serbs against people
like the Setets (pronounced sheh-tets), members of this country's
300,000-strong Hungarian minority, have become rife, souring relations
between Serbia and neighboring Hungary. The Hungarian government has urged
Serbia to do more to protect the Hungarians, most of whom live in Vojvodina
Province.Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/international/europe/16serb.html> Story

U.S. Says New Images Show Iran Plans Nuclear Bomb
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:18pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
A senior U.S. official said on Thursday that satellite photographs of a
suspected nuclear industrial site in Iran demonstrated its intention to
develop atomic weapons, an allegation Tehran dismissed as "a new lie."A
prominent international expert said on Wednesday that new satellite images
showed the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran may be a site for
research, testing and production of nuclear weapons. Iran denies having an
atomic bomb program. "This clearly shows the intention to develop weapons,"
a senior U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. He also
accused the U.N. nuclear watchdog of suppressing information on Parchin in
its latest report on Iran -- a charge denied by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA).Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=574&e=2&u=/nm/20040916/wl_nm/nuclear_iran_dc_36> Story

U.S. Says Saudis Repress Religion
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:21pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The United States for the first time named Saudi Arabia yesterday as a
country that severely violates religious freedom, potentially subjecting the
close U.S. ally to sanctions. "Freedom of religion does not exist" in Saudi
Arabia, the State Department said in its annual report on international
religious freedom. "Freedom of religion is not recognized or protected under
the country's laws and basic religious freedoms are denied to all but those
who adhere to the state-sanctioned version of Sunni Islam," the report said,
adding that "non-Muslim worshippers risk arrest, imprisonment, lashing,
deportation and sometimes torture."Full
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24533-2004Sep15.html> Story

Saudis Take a Small Dose of Democracy
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:22pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Khalid Agami, a jocular Saudi man with a wispy beard and wire-rimmed
spectacles, has variously been professor, prisoner, father and grandfather
during his 57 years. Now he has become something entirely new -- a
candidate. Agami is running for office in November as part of a cautious
experiment by the Saudi royal family. For the first time in 41 years, it is
allowing elections, local ones, that will fill half the seats on 178
municipal councils.Full
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24533-2004Sep15.html> Story

Two Men Face Terror Charges in U.S.
Posted Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:29pm by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Two men were charged Thursday with providing financial support to terrorists
and recruiting terror group members, including one person identified by U.S.
authorities as alleged "dirty bomber" Jose Padilla. A 10-count grand jury
indictment handed up in federal district court in Miami charges Adgan Amin
Hassoun and Mohamed Hesham Youssef with providing material support to
terrorists and conspiracy to provide support. Hassoun has been in custody on
other charges in Florida since June 2003 and Youssef is jailed in Egypt.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terror_charges_5> Story

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