Informed Source

10/22/04
**URGENT INTEL**AB Officer Safety alert
"An important heads up - ATF Los Angeles has been made aware of credible
threat information originating from another west coast city. The threat
states that the Aryan Brotherhood has ordered hits on five law enforcement
officers and/or related personnel for every one AB member convicted here in
Los Angeles. The hits are to be carried out by AB or more likely, AB
affiliates such as Nazi Low Riders, etc. The available threat information
said that the hits would involve catching law enforcement personnel off
guard. The hits are not limited to police officers or federal agents. The
hits could also include correctional officers and prosecutors. Please pass
this information on to your law enforcement contacts as necessary. If you
receive any intel that relates to this threat, please pass it on to me so I
can get the word out. When we get something else here in LA Group V, we will
pass it on."
Thanks.
S/A Greg Estes, Intelligence Officer
ATF, Los Angeles Field Division
(213) 534-5115 (desk) (213) 534-5055 (fax)

*Re last Bulletin: Cell phone sites
Last week (Monday) I had cell phone service go down in my part of Georgia. I
called the provider and the service person looked up the area and told me
there were 20 sites down in the South GA area. Doesn't sound like a
coincidence to me. Jim

*I think we just said this....
Al-Zarqawi's Pledge May Show Weakness
http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=105&sid=305500

*Muslim Brotherhood Calls for More Terror
Oct 21, 04: Muslim Brotherhood official Muhmad Mahdi Akaf released a
statement calling for Muslims around the world to increase the struggle
against Israel and the United States. Speaking to an audience of several
hundred in Cairo, he called for supplying material and moral support for the
insurgents in Iraq who are providing "the defensive wall for all of Islam".
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=70764

*Evolving Terrorist Tactics---Some Lessons from Iraq
"A friend of mine is retired from the Special Forces and is also a
professional trainer. He currently is working as a contractor doing
executive protection in Iraq. In September, he was back in the United States
for a one month "R&R" rotation. While here, he related the following to one
of my contacts who has considerable military experience and who assists in
his training when my friend is not working as a contractor overseas. My
friend indicates that the terrorists in Iraq have continued to display their
pattern of closely observing their targets and adapting their tactics in an
attempt to defeat their defenses. Lately, they have evolved two new tactics
that are not contained on the al-Qaeda videos...."
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2004/articles/1018tactics.html Ron W

*Iraq
Oct. 20, 04: To add an immediate strike-force capability to Iraq's police
forces, the Ministry of Interior - in one of the Iraqi interim government's
first self-initiated security force moves since the June 28 sovereignty
handover - has begun forming six police commando battalions. Initially stood
up some six weeks ago, two battalions of highly vetted Iraqi officers and
rank-and-file servicemen were operational within two weeks and performed
with great distinction in anti-Iraqi force counter-operations in four recent
insurgent hotspots, officials said. The force now has a third battalion in
training, with a fourth and fifth recruited a week ago but yet to undergo
initial training. Recruiting prior-service professionals,officials said, was
designed to allow immediate employment of the battalions, putting to work
personnel from the former regime's Special Forces elements and other
specialty units. "From this regiment," said Iraqi Police Service adviser for
the interior ministry Maj. Gen. Adnon Thabit, "we have police who have
previous experience fighting terrorism and also people who received special
training under the former regime -- people who used to be in the army. They
were all chosen on the basis of loyalty to Iraq and from their support for
the democratic change taking place in Iraq and for those who have not
committed crimes against Iraqis. "They were efficiently chosen according to
information about their background." Thabit, the architect of the force,
personally interviews all officers and commanders for the unit he describes
as one focused primarily on building-raid operations and counterterrorist
missions against hijackers and kidnappers. His Multinational Force Iraq
counterpart, U.S. Army Col. James H. Coffman Jr., said the process is an
ongoing one aimed at making the unit highly effective. Coffman is a special
adviser from the Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. Coffman
said Thabit has made it clear that the officers' appointments are temporary.
"If they do well in combat," Coffman said, "and in their administrative
duties, they'll stay. If they don't, he'll replace them." Thabit spent six
years in jail for involvement in conspiracies against Saddam Hussein's
regime. The force he created -- while an Interior Ministry initiative -
resembles a paramilitary army-type force, complete with heavy weapons,
rocket- propelled grenades, AK-47 assault rifles, mortars, and 9 mm pistols.
American Forces Press Service

*Hamas job opening
An Israeli helicopter-borne missile killed the Hamas commander who devised
and developed the Qassam missiles which have plagued western Israel for
months. Adnan al Houl and his chief assistant Muhammed Abbas died Thursday
when their car was struck in northern Gaza Strip Jebalya shortly after two
Qassam missiles were fired across the border at Sderot. No harm caused the
Israeli town. (DEBKAfile adds:) Qassam launchings resumed from Gaza after
eight days thus violating the unspoken bargain to halt Palestinian missile
fire against Israel in return for suspension of targeted assassinations
against Hamas.

*The American Canal in Panama....
Former President Clinton, when asked about Chinese involvement in the Panama
Canal, responded, "I think the Chinese will, in fact, be bending over
backwards to make sure they run [the Panama Canal] in a competent and able
and fair manner... I would be very surprised if any adverse consequences
flowed from the Chinese running the canal." In effect, an admission of
Chinese involvement in the Canal. Clinton later made a "clarification" as he
had said too much, and had alarmed many Americans. The company in question,
Lampoa-Hutchinson, is run by Hong Kong billionaire Li Kashing, known to have
strong ties with the People's Liberation Army. This company now owns the
entrance and exit ports to the Canal. Bo

*Most of Asia is unprepared for disaster
Oct. 20, 04: Asia-Pacific nations are unprepared for disasters, the
Philippines Inquirer reported.
Goh Moh Heng, executive director of the Disaster Recovery Institute of Asia,
told the newspaper recent events, such as terrorist attacks, the bird flu
scare and power outages, are compelling reasons for Asian organizations to
rethink their business continuity, backup and risk management plans. "Asia
is not that prepared for disasters," said Goh. "It's not just about backup
and storage anymore. Most Asian organizations just backup their data on
tapes and then store them at an off-site location, but when it comes to
recovering their operations, they simply cannot do it."
He cited recent bombings in Indonesia and at embassies across Asia as
examples of disasters that led to network downtime due to lack of recovery
planning. He also advised that off-site backup data centers be placed in
areas that are not susceptible to attacks. Goh said disaster recovery
planning is needed, especially in the banking industry. The culprit, said
Goh, is senior management support and involvement. Usually, he said, CIOs do
not interface with CEOs, and vice versa, regarding disaster recovery
planning and risk analysis. Mayer

*Mexican agents sent to border after wave of violence
October 21,04: In a show of force, some 200 Mexican federal agents arrived
Wednesday morning at Reynosa International Airport for duty in Military Zone
No. 8 outside the city. As part of an operation that officials refused to
explain or comment on, another contingent of federal agents showed up about
the same time at the Matamoros airport. The agents reportedly belonged to
Mexico's Agencia Federal de Investigaciones (AFI), and to the Policía
Federal Preventiva (PFP), the Federal Preventive Police, both roughly
equivalent to the FBI. The coordinated early-morning operation appeared to
be a display of force and increased vigilance after the wave of shootings
and slayings linked to drug-trafficking that has erupted in the border
cities of Tamaulipas state in recent weeks. On the U.S. side, Border Patrol
spokesman Eddie Flores said Wednesday that Border Patrol agents in recent
days have noticed and received reports of an increased military presence on
the Mexican side, and they have observed troop deployments at certain
points. Last week, Mexican Gen. Clemente Vega García, the secretary-general
of defense, advised the national Defense Commission that special forces
would be dispatched to Tamaulipas state to deal with the violence there.
Vega said at that briefing that the Mexican army has some 6,000 special
forces operatives ready to confront drug cartels throughout the nation.
Mayer

*Assaults on Border Patrol agents up over last three weeks
Arizona Daily Star - Eleven Tucson Sector Border Patrol Agents have been
assaulted in the last 20 days, officials say. Most recently, a Border Patrol
Agent in Nogales was assaulted Wednesday as he tried to arrest several drug
smugglers near Amado, about 40 miles south of Tucson, said spokesman Andy
Adame. The agent saw 10 people carrying bundles of drugs on their backs near
milepost 14 on Arivaca Road using a night vision scope, he said. When he
tried to stop them, the smugglers ran away but returned and fired at least
three shots at the agent, who fired at least four rounds in return, Adame
said. No one was injured. "The Border Patrol is increasing the pressure
daily on alien and drug smugglers," Adame said in a press statement.
"Shooting at us is not going to discourage us from doing our job." More
agents and a Border Patrol helicopter went to the scene. They didn't find
smugglers, but they did find eight bundles of marijuana, weighing 337
pounds, Adame said. The estimated value of the drugs is about $270,000.

*Latin America fares badly in corruption report card
London, Oct 20, 04: Latin American nations fared badly in non-governmental
Transparency International's annual corruption report, with the region's
best-ranked, Chile, occupying 20th place worldwide, followed by Uruguay in
28th, and the rest scoring below 5 on a scale of 0 to 10. Canada is the
least corrupt nation in the Americas as a whole, ahead of the United States
and Chile, while Haiti is most plagued by it, according to the report
released here Wednesday. In his presentation, Transparency International
president Peter Eigen underscored the observation that oil-producing
countries, including Ecuador and Venezuela, rank among the most corrupt. As
governments worldwide spent a total of $4 trillion on contracts with the
private sector, at least $4 billion of those funds were lost to bribes,
Eigen said. Transparency International's index is based on the perception of
the business community as well as of analysts and experts in each country.
The list of 146 nations, ranked from least to most corrupt, is headed by
Finland, followed by New Zealand. In the Americas, Canada, which scored 8.5,
occupies first place, but 12th place overall, while the United States, with
7.5 points, ranks 17th. Chile, in 20th place, obtained 7.4 points, and
Uruguay, in 28th, obtained 6.2 points, the same as Barbados. The rest of the
nations in the Americas were among the 106 that failed to achieve a score of
at least 5 points. Two of them did not even reach a 2. With a score of 1.9,
Paraguay placed 140th among the 146, while Haiti, with 1.5 points, shares
last place with Bangladesh. With a score of only 4.9 points, Costa Rica
placed 41st, and El El Salvador, rated 4.2 like Trinidad and Tobago, placed
51st. Cuba and Panama shared 62nd place on the list, each earning 3.7
points, barely ahead of Mexico, with 3.6. Near the bottom, oil-rich Ecuador
earned 2.4 points, Honduras and Venezuela, 2.3, and Bolivia and Guatemala,
2.2, immediately before Paraguay and Haiti. Mayer

*First Islamic bank to open in UK
Banking regulators say they have given permission for the UK's first purely
Islamic bank to start operating. The Islamic Bank of Britain will have its
headquarters in Birmingham, which is home to one of Britain's biggest Muslim
communities. The bank will not pay or charge interest and will offer
financial products that comply with Islamic law. British banks have recently
started offering products tailored for Muslims, but they are all non-Islamic
banks. For example, HSBC already offers an Islamic law (Sharia) compliant
pension, home loan scheme and stockbroking service. As Islamic banks cannot
charge interest, they will commonly buy real items and lease them back to
customers. The payments from the customers will include a charge which will
enable the bank to make money. For example, if a customer wants to buy a
computer, the bank will buy the machine, then sell it on to the customer at
a fixed price - leasing it to them or charging a rental fee until the item
is fully paid for. The Islamic Bank of Britain has also said it will not
invest in companies associated with tobacco, alcohol or pornography. Gary

*Kerry's Iran scandal
"The Kerry-Edwards campaign is headed toward a campaign finance scandal
involving contributions on behalf of a foreign power, similar to allegations
that plagued Bill Clinton's re-election in 1996. Instead of Communist China,
this time the foreign power seeking to influence a U.S. presidential
candidate is the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world's premier state sponsor
of international terror. The Chinese sought U.S. military technology to
enhance their nuclear missiles. The record shows the Clinton administration
provided them key assistance in that area. . ." Ron
http://krsi.net/news/detail.asp?NewsID=794

*Greek air controllers strike, disrupting many flights
Domestic and international flights to Greece were seriously disrupted
Thursday as air traffic controllers joined a nationwide strike by civil
servants. The national carrier, Olympic Airways, canceled 23 domestic
flights and rescheduled 17 other domestic and international services after
controllers held a work stoppage. The strike Thursday - the latest
post-Olympic labor protest - closed most public services, like tax offices,
while state-run hospitals operated with emergency staff. Most schools
remained closed, but public transport was generally not affected. Roads in
central Athens were blocked for several hours as striking workers attended a
protest rally.

*Italian Labor
Buses, trams and subways are expected to be idled across Italy on Friday as
transport workers go on strike. The daylong walkout involves all major
cities. In Rome and Naples, the walkout was set to start at 8:30 a.m.,
unions said Thursday. In Milan it was set to begin 15 minutes later. The
unions said service would be provided during the morning and evening rush
hours. The workers are in contract-renewal talks.

*Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Fact Sheet
Office of Counterterrorism
Washington, DC
October 19, 2004

Foreign Terrorist Organizations are foreign organizations that are
designated by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended. FTO designations play a
critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of
curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out
of the terrorism business.

Identification
The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the State Department
(S/ CT) continually monitors the activities of terrorist groups active
around the world to identify potential targets for designation. When
reviewing potential targets, S/CT looks not only at the actual terrorist
attacks that a group has carried out, but also at whether the group has
engaged in planning and preparations for possible future acts of terrorism
or retains the capability and intent to carry out such acts.

Designation
Once a target is identified, S/CT prepares a detailed "administrative
record," which is a compilation of information, typically including both
classified and open sources information, demonstrating that the statutory
criteria for designation have been satisfied. If the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury,
decides to make the designation, Congress is notified of the Secretary's
intent to designate the organization and given seven days to review the
designation, as the INA requires. Upon the expiration of the seven-day
waiting period, notice of the designation is published in the Federal
Register, at which point the designation takes effect. An organization
designated as an FTO may seek judicial review of the designation in the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit not
later than 30 days after the designation is published in the Federal
Register.

FTO designations expire automatically after two years, but the Secretary of
State may redesignate an organization for additional two-year period(s),
upon a finding that the statutory criteria continue to be met. The
procedural requirements for designating an organization as an FTO also apply
to any redesignation of that organization. The Secretary of State may revoke
a designation or redesignation at any time upon a finding that the
circumstances that were the basis for the designation or redesignation have
changed in such a manner as to warrant revocation, or that the national
security of the United States warrants a revocation. The same procedural
requirements apply to revocations made by the Secretary of State as apply to
designations or redesignations. A designation may also be revoked by an Act
of Congress, or set aside by a Court order.

Legal Criteria for Designation
(Reflecting Amendments to Section 219 of the INA in the USA PATRIOT Act of
2001)
1. It must be a foreign organization.
2. The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section
212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(B)),* or terrorism, as
defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act,
Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. § 2656f(d) (2)),** or retain the
capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.
3. The organization's terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the
security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense,
foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.

Legal Ramifications of Designation
1. It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide "material support or
resources" to a designated FTO. (The term "material support or resources" is
defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b) as "currency or monetary instruments or
financial securities, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice
or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification,
communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances,
explosives, personnel, transportation, and other physical assets, except
medicine or religious materials.)
2. Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are
inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances, removable from the United
States (see 8 U.S.C. §§ 1182 (a)(3)(B)(i)(IV)-(V), 1227 (a)(1)(A)).
3. Any U.S. financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession
of or control over funds in which a designated FTO or its agent has an
interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the
funds to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury.

Other Effects of Designation
1. Supports our efforts to curb terrorism financing and to encourage other
nations to do the same.
2. Stigmatizes and isolates designated terrorist organizations
internationally.
3. Deters donations or contributions to and economic transactions with named
organizations.
4. Heightens public awareness and knowledge of terrorist organizations.
5. Signals to other governments our concern about named organizations.

Current List of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
1. Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)
2. Abu Sayyaf Group
3. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
4. Ansar al-Islam
5. Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
6. Asbat al-Ansar
7. Aum Shinrikyo
8. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
9. Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA)
10. Continuity Irish Republican Army
11. Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group)
12. HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)
13. Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)
14. Hizballah (Party of God)
15. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
16. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed)
17. Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'al-Jihad
18. Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI)
19. al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad)
20. Kahane Chai (Kach)
21. Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) a.k.a. Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy
Congress (KADEK)
22. Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LT) (Army of the Righteous)
23. Lashkar i Jhangvi
24. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
25. Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK)
26. National Liberation Army (ELN)
27. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
28. Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
29. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
30. PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC)
31. al-Qa'ida
32. Real IRA
33. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
34. Revolutionary Nuclei (formerly ELA)
35. Revolutionary Organization 17 November
36. Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C)
37. Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)
38. Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL)
39. United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)

* Section 212(a)(3)(B) of the INA defines "terrorist activity" to mean: "any
activity which is unlawful under the laws of the place where it is committed
(or which, if committed in the United States, would be unlawful under the
laws of the United States or any State) and which involves any of the
following:
(I) The highjacking or sabotage of any conveyance (including an aircraft,
vessel, or vehicle).
(II) The seizing or detaining, and threatening to kill, injure, or continue
to detain, another individual in order to compel a third person (including a
governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing any act as an
explicit or implicit condition for the release of the individual seized or
detained.
(III) A violent attack upon an internationally protected person (as defined
in section 1116(b)(4) of title 18, United States Code) or upon the liberty
of such a person.
(IV) An assassination.
(V) The use of any--
(a) biological agent, chemical agent, or nuclear weapon or device, or
(b) explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device (other than for
mere personal monetary gain), with intent to endanger, directly or
indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial
damage to property.
(VI) A threat, attempt, or conspiracy to do any of the foregoing."

Other pertinent portions of section 212(a)(3)(B) are set forth below:
(iv) Engage in Terrorist Activity Defined
As used in this chapter [chapter 8 of the INA], the term 'engage in
terrorist activity' means in an individual capacity or as a member of an
organization
1. to commit or to incite to commit, under circumstances indicating an
intention to cause death or serious bodily injury, a terrorist activity;
2. to prepare or plan a terrorist activity;
3. to gather information on potential targets for terrorist activity;
4. to solicit funds or other things of value for
(aa) a terrorist activity;
(bb) a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(I) or (vi)(II); or
(cc) a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(III), unless the
solicitor can demonstrate that he did not know, and should not reasonably
have known, that the solicitation would further the organization's terrorist
activity;
I. to solicit any individual
(aa) to engage in conduce otherwise described in this clause;
(bb) for membership in terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(I) or

(vi)(II); or
(cc) for membership in a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)
(III), unless the solicitor can demonstrate that he did not know, and should
not reasonably have known, that the solicitation would further the
organization's terrorist activity; or
II. to commit an act that the actor knows, or reasonably should know,
affords material support, including a safe house, transportation,
communications, funds, transfer of funds or other material financial
benefit, false documentation or identification, weapons (including chemical,
biological, or radiological weapons), explosives, or training
(aa) for the commission of a terrorist activity;
(bb) to any individual who the actor knows, or reasonably should know, has
committed or plans to commit a terrorist activity;
(cc) to a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(I) or (vi)
(II); or
(dd) to a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(III), unless the
actor can demonstrate that he did not know, and should not reasonably have
known, that the act would further the organization's terrorist activity.

This clause shall not apply to any material support the alien afforded to an
organization or individual that has committed terrorist activity, if the
Secretary of State, after consultation with the Attorney General, or the
Attorney General, after consultation with the Secretary of State, concludes
in his sole unreviewable discretion, that that this clause should not
apply."
"(v) Representative Defined
As used in this paragraph, the term 'representative' includes an officer,
official, or spokesman of an organization, and any person who directs,
counsels, commands, or induces an organization or its members to engage in
terrorist activity.
i. Terrorist Organization Defined
As used in clause (i)(VI) and clause (iv), the term 'terrorist organization'
means an organization--
I. designated under section 219 [8 U.S.C. § 1189];
II. otherwise designated, upon publication in the Federal Register, by the
Secretary of State in consultation with or upon the request of the Attorney
General, as a terrorist organization, after finding that the organization
engages in the activities described in subclause (I), (II), or (III) of
clause (iv), or that the organization provides material support to further
terrorist activity; or
III. that is a group of two or more individuals, whether organized or not,
which engages in the activities described in subclause (I), (II), or (III)
of clause (iv).

** Section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal
Years 1988 and 1989 defines "terrorism" as "premeditated, politically
motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational
groups or clandestine agents."

[End] Mayer

*Flying Blind....
Passengers on a small commuter plane are waiting for the flight to leave.
They're getting a little impatient, but the airport staff has assured them
that the pilots will be there soon, and the flight can take off immediately
after that. The entrance opens, and two men walk up the aisle, dressed in
pilots' uniforms -- both are wearing dark glasses, one is using a seeing-eye
dog, and the other is tapping his way up the aisle with a cane. Nervous
laughter spreads though the cabin; but the men enter the cockpit, the door
closes, and the engines start up.

The passengers begin glancing nervously around, searching for some sign that
this is just a little practical joke. None is forthcoming. The plane moves
faster and faster down the runway, and people at the window realize that
they're headed straight for the water at the edge of the airport territory.
As it begins to looks as though the plane will never take off, that it will
plow into the water, panicked screams fill the cabin -- but at that moment,
the plane lifts smoothly into the air. The passengers relax and laugh a
little sheepishly, and soon they have all retreated into their magazines,
secure in the knowledge that the plane is in good hands.

Up in the cockpit, the copilot turns to the pilot and says, "You know, Tony,
one of these days, they're going to scream too late, and we're all gonna
die." Gary

- end bulletin -