TRC

NEW DATE! - TRC TRAINING PRESENTS
MIRROR IMAGE: Training to Combat Terrorism

Dec. 5-10, 2004: Mirror Image is an intensive, one-week classroom and field
training program, designed to realistically simulate terrorist recruiting,
training techniques and operational tactics. More information and
registration procedures are available on the Mirror Image Training page.

_____

Today in History:
October 28, 1987 - Philippines
NPA Kills Three Americans
New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas killed three Americans near Clark Air
Base.

October 28, 1974 - Cyprus
Greek Cypriot National Holiday
No information provided.

October 28, 1941 - Greece
Okhi Day
The third most important holiday (after Independence Day and Easter Sunday)
in the Greek calendar; commemorates the Greek rejection of Mussolini's
ultimatum to the Athens government, which led subsequently to Italy's
invasion of Greece from Albania. The Greeks held the Italian army at bay in
the mountains of Epirus until military intervention by the Nazis in March
1941.

October 28, 1492 - Cuba
Discovery by Columbus
No information provided.

Upcoming Significant Events:
October 29, 1923 - Turkey
Turkish National Day
The date commemorates the declaration of Turkey as a republic by Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk and his inauguration as its first president.

October 29, 1956 - Egypt
Invasion of the Sinai
Israeli, French, and British forces invaded the Sinai and seized control of
the Suez Canal following its nationalization by Egypt.

October 29, 1973 - Cyprus
Turkish Cypriot Republic Day
No information provided.

October 31, 1984 - India
Assassination of Indira Gandhi
Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sick bodyguards.
Anti-Sikh rioting following the assassination resulted in thousands of Sikh
deaths throughout India.

November 1, (year unknown) - Argentina
Veterans Day
No information provided.

November 1, (year unknown) - Bolivia
All Saints Day
No information provided.

November 1, (year unknown) - Chile
All Saints Day
No information provided.

November 1, (year unknown) - Guadeloupe (French Antilles)
All Saints Day
No information provided.

November 1, (year unknown) - Guinea
Armed Forces Day
No information provided.

November 1, (year unknown) - Haiti
All Saints Day
Schools, stores, and businesses are closed.

November 1, (year unknown) - Martinique (French Antilles)
All Saints Day
No information provided.

November 1, 1954 - Algeria
Revolution Day
Commemorates the revolt by indigenous Algerians in an attempt to gain rights
denied to them under French colonial rule.

November 1, 1981 - Antigua and Barbuda
Independence Day
No information provided.

Truck with airport security passes stolen
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:51am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
A flatbed truck stolen from a Lansing business over the weekend contained
security passes that allow entry to the Chicago region's two major airports,
but security officials believe the thieves were only after the equipment in
the vehicle. The 2000 GMC truck contained passes for O'Hare International
and Midway Airports as well as a Chicago water filtration plant, authorities
said. The vehicle was discovered stolen Sunday along with other equipment
including a backhoe and a utility trailer, said Lansing Police Department
Sgt. Dennis Murrin. Thieves during the night took the $100,000 worth of gear
from Meccon Industries Inc. in the 2700 block of Bernice Road after cutting
through a heavy-duty lock on a back gate, Murrin said. Full
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-041026truck,1,2007401.story>
Story

Small Minority Says Draft Could Happen
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:56am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
Many military experts believe that reviving some sort of military draft is
extremely unlikely, even impossible -- but not all of them. The issue has
taken on urgency because of the dynamics of the presidential campaign, with
Democratic operatives using the prospect of a draft to drive the youth vote,
and the Democratic nominee himself raising the possibility on the campaign
trail. Neither presidential candidate supports resuming conscription.
President Bush, responding to John F. Kerry's assertion that there is a
"great potential" that a reelected Bush could restart a draft, insists that
it will not happen. And Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last week:
"The truth is, we do not need a draft. We're not going to have a draft."
Full <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A440-2004Oct26.html>
Story

ABC News Gave Videotape of Attack Threat to FBI, CIA
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:06am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
ABC News has asked U.S. security officials to examine a videotape it
obtained in Pakistan of an English-speaking man threatening a massive attack
on the United States, the network said on Wednesday. Sources familiar with
the tape -- the authenticity of which U.S. intelligence officials have not
been unable to verify -- said the man, who claims to be a U.S. native and al
Qaeda supporter, warns that the "streets will run with blood." The video
appears to have been made as recently as late summer because the speaker
discusses the Darfur conflict in Sudan, makes a reference to the
Massachusetts same-sex marriage legislation and mentions the Sept. 11
Commission, one U.S. intelligence official told Reuters.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041028/media_nm/security_abcn
ews_dc_3> Story

Hope Fades for Intelligence Bill Compromise Soon
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:36am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Lawmakers yesterday abandoned efforts to pass legislation restructuring the
U.S. intelligence system before Tuesday's election, with some warning that
it may be impossible to reach an agreement even in time for a lame-duck
session in mid-November, according to lawmakers and staff members. The four
chief House and Senate negotiators failed once again to reach agreement on
the extent of budget powers to grant to a new national intelligence
director, as part of a major reorganization of the intelligence community.
Although both sides vowed to keep talks going, there no longer was a sense
of urgency to complete their work before the election, as the White House
and congressional leaders had vowed to do after the commission that studied
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks released its report and
recommendations this summer.Full
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3595-2004Oct27.html> Story

Alleged Terror Tape Gives ABC Pause
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:42am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
It has all the makings of an incendiary story: a chilling pre-election
videotape featuring a supposed member of al Qaeda, declaring in English that
"blood will run red in the streets of America." The problem, say ABC News
executives, is that they can't determine whether the tape, obtained by a
producer, involves a real threat -- or even the identity of the figure on
it, a man wearing an ammunition belt and a headdress that obscures his face.
The network enlisted the aid of the FBI and CIA but still can't authenticate
the 75-minute videotape.Full
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3742-2004Oct27.html> Story

Analysts: Thai Riot Tragedy Will Further Radicalize Southern Muslims
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:52am by MSantos
<mailto:bishopspg@hotmail.com>
The death of 84 protestors will fuel a separatist insurgency and increase
tensions between Thailand's Muslim south and a deeply mistrusted government,
analysts and religious leaders say. Anger in Muslim communities, seething
from troops' mistreatment of 1,300 detainees, after a riot Monday threatens
further violence in a region where a resurgent separatist movement has left
more than 410 people dead this year, they said. Most of the victims
suffocated and several broke their necks when they were crammed into trucks
after authorities broke up a riot prompted by the arrest of six Muslims who
were accused of handing guns to anti-government rebels. "The future impact
is unpredictable but the sentiment of the local people will certainly be
inflamed," said Gothom Arya, secretary general of regional rights monitor
Forum Asia. "If this is not dealt with in a sensitive manner, then of course
it will be a kind of raw material for more radicalism. We are concerned that
there will be mo! re violence and retaliation and the cycle of division
between 'them and us'" will continue, he said.Muslims make up five percent
of the national population and mostly live in the three provinces of
Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. They have long complained of discrimination by
the government in Buddhist-dominated Thailand. Five of Thailand's
southernmost provinces were originally part of an ancient Hindu-Malay empire
that adopted Islam in the mid-13th century but was annexed by Thailand in
1902. A separatist insurgency has rumbled on for decades but sparked into
life in January. Since then attacks have continued almost daily, culminating
in the huge death toll in the riot at Tak Bai in Narathiwat and its
aftermath.Full
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/113763/1/.html>
Story

No Check of Bunker, Unit Commander Says
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:54am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
White House officials reasserted yesterday that 380 tons of powerful
explosives may have disappeared from a vast Iraqi military complex while
Saddam Hussein controlled Iraq, saying a brigade of American soldiers did
not find the explosives when they visited the complex on April 10, 2003, the
day after Baghdad fell.But the unit's commander said in an interview
yesterday that his troops had not searched the site and had merely stopped
there overnight. The commander, Col. Joseph Anderson, of the Second Brigade
of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, said he did not learn until this week
that the site, Al Qaqaa, was considered sensitive, or that international
inspectors had visited it before the war began in 2003 to inspect explosives
that they had tagged during a decade of monitoring. Full Story
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/27/politics/27bomb.html>

Police charged over Beslan siege
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:55am by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Russia has charged three police officials with criminal negligence over the
Beslan school siege in which more than 350 hostages died. Deputy police
chiefs were charged in the North Ossetia region, where Beslan is located,
and adjacent Ingushetia, where some hostage-takers came from. A prosecutor
said an inquiry into officials' poor performance is ongoing. A BBC
correspondent says the charges are the first to be brought in what is likely
to be a lengthy investigation. Two police chiefs who are the direct bosses
of the three men will be charged when they come out of hospital, where they
are apparently being treated for complaints not linked to the siege.Full
Story <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3958249.stm>

Ex-CIA Official Defends Detention Policies
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:57am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
The recently retired director of CIA operations worldwide yesterday defended
the legality of the CIA's interrogation and detention policies in Iraq and
elsewhere, saying they were carefully vetted and approved by the National
Security Council and disclosed to the appropriate congressional oversight
committees. "There's a perception that the CIA does things on its own, sort
of makes things up out of whole cloth," said James L. Pavitt, who retired in
August. "There are hard, fast, unambiguous rules about how things are done
and not done. . . . The view that this is some sort of rogue activity . . .
it's just not true." Full
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A556-2004Oct26.html> Story

Firm spared Tunisia bomb damages
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:58am by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
A German court has ruled that tourists injured in a bomb attack in Tunisia
in 2002 cannot claim damages from the tour operator they travelled with. The
Hanover court said the TUI group could not be blamed for failing to warn
people that travel to Tunisia was dangerous at the time of the attack. The
case was brought by parents of a six-year-old boy, Adrian Esper, who
suffered severe burns. More than 20 people died in the attack, in a
synagogue on the island of Djerba. A senior figure in al-Qaeda, Sulaiman Abu
Ghaith, said months after the attack that the terror network had been
responsible for it.Full Story
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3958847.stm>

Hassan makes appeal in new video
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:58am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
The Arabic television station Al-Jazeera has broadcast a second video of
kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan. The station showed footage of Mrs
Hassan asking for British troops to be pulled out of Iraq. She also urged
Care International, the aid agency she works for, to close its office in
Baghdad, and appealed for Iraqi women prisoners to be freed. Mrs Hassan, who
is being held by an unknown group, was seized last week while at her Baghdad
office. Mrs Hassan, 59, was born in Britain but has lived and worked in Iraq
for 30 years and is married to an Iraqi. Full Story
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3960031.stm>

Pentagon mulls Iraq troop boost
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:59am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
Pentagon officials have confirmed that they are looking at possibly boosting
US troop numbers in Iraq. The extra forces would provide extra security in
the run up to the Iraqi election, scheduled for January. Currently, there
are around 138,000 US troops in Iraq - some divisions might stay longer and
the deployment of others be speeded up. Officials insist no decisions have
been made, and may not be - until well after next week's US election. Full
Story <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3957195.stm>

Sharon stakes job on pullout
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:59am by tpinnock
<mailto:tpinnock@hotmail.com>
Despite scoring a major victory in a historic parliamentary battle, Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is now in danger of losing the political war -
perhaps even his government - over his Gaza Strip withdrawal plan. Tuesday's
vote for the pullout was "historic," says Hebrew University political
scientist Menachem Hofnung. It marks the first time since Israel's founding
in 1948 that the nation has agreed to withdraw from land it considers part
of its Jewish heritage. Full Story
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1028/p01s04-wome.html>

Iran Threatens to End Nuclear Talks
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 9:59am by EcheleA
<mailto:EcheleA@yahoo.com>
Iran's supreme leader threatened to pull out of negotiations if European
countries press their demand for total suspension of uranium enrichment, as
a new round of talks ended Wednesday without an agreement to avert the
possible threat of U.N. sanctions. Britain, France and Germany are trying to
work out a deal that would avoid a standoff with Iran over its nuclear
program, which the United States says aims to develop nuclear weapons. The
Europeans are offering Iran incentives -- a trade deal and peaceful nuclear
technology, including a light-water research reactor -- in return for a halt
in enrichment, which can produce fuel for both nuclear energy and atomic
weapons. They have warned that most European states will back Washington's
call to refer Iran's nuclear file to the U.N. Security Council for possible
economic sanctions if Tehran doesn't give up all uranium enrichment
activities before the Nov. 25 meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog.Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/ap!online/international/AP-Nuclear-Agency-Iran.html>
Story

Former Iraqi Diplomat to UAE Slain
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:27am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
A senior Iraqi Foreign Ministry official who once served as ambassador to
the United Arab Emirates was slain Wednesday in what may have been a botched
kidnap attempt, an Iraqi official said.Qusai Mahdi Saleh was driving to his
home in northern Baghdad when four men stopped his car and tried to force
him from the vehicle, Deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abbawi said.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=22&u=/ap/20041027/ap_
on_re_mi_ea/iraq_diplomat_killed_1> Story

Paris-Based Aid Agency Pulling Out of Iraq
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:28am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Action Against Hunger, a Paris-based humanitarian organization, announced
Wednesday that it has suspended operations in Iraq because of the
deteriorating security situation.The organization has operated in Iraq for
18 months, delivering drinking water mainly to the suburbs of Baghdad, the
southern province of Missan and the Diyala province, north of the capital.
"Like many organizations, Action Against Hunger is obligated today to leave
a country that is dying, principally because of permanent insecurity," the
group said in a statement released Wednesday.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=40&u=/ap/20041027/ap_
on_re_mi_ea/iraq_aid_agency_1> Story

Arafat Seriously Ailing, Aides Say
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:30am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was suffering from a serious illness early
Thursday and undergoing treatment by a team of international doctors at the
battered headquarters compound where he has been confined for more than two
years, according to Palestinian officials. Arafat, 75, has been sick for
about a week and has been examined and treated by doctors from Tunisia,
Egypt and Jordan. Doctors and aides have described his illness variously as
a severe flu, an intestinal infection and gallstones. Earlier this week,
doctors said he underwent an endoscopy to examine his digestive tract.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&ncid=1312&e=6&u=/washp
ost/20041028/ts_washpost/a2564_2004oct27> Story

Election Workers Kidnapped in Afghanistan
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:41am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Armed men kidnapped three foreign election workers as they drove in a white
sports utility vehicle in the Afghan capital on Thursday, the United Nations
and Afghan officials said.One election official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said that the victims were all women and believed to include one
Irish citizen and one Croatian. U.N. spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva
confirmed the abductions but declined to identify the victims or give their
nationalities. The motive for the attack was not clear, but Taliban rebels
have in the past kidnapped Westerners, and the U.S. Embassy had issued a
warning earlier this month that abductions might be attempted surrounding
the Oct. 9 presidential vote.Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041028/ap_on_re_as/afghan_for
eigners_kidnapped_7> Story

Cleric's Terror Trial Begins in Indonesia
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:54am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Abu Bakar Bashir, the militant Islamic cleric accused by the United States
of being a key terror leader in Southeast Asia, went on trial Thursday
accused of heading the al-Qaida-link group behind the 2002 Bali
bombings.Around 70 supporters shouted "God is great" when the 66-year-old
cleric arrived at court wearing white Islamic robes and a prayer cap. The
trial is the second time in two years the frail cleric has faced terror
charges. The United States and other foreign governments accuse Bashir of
heading the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, and his trial
is seen as a key test of the willingness of secular Indonesia to crack down
on high-profile militants in the world's most populous Muslim nation.Full
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20041028/ap_o
n_re_as/indonesia_militant_cleric_5> Story

Thailand Acknowledges Prisoner Deaths During Transit
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:56am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
At least 78 people died from suffocation while being transported in
overcrowded military trucks after a violent demonstration in Thailand's
largely Muslim south, government officials said today. Six others were shot
to death and about 20 were wounded during the demonstration on Monday, when
the police fired live rounds as well as water cannons and tear gas into
wild, rock-throwing crowds, witnesses and officials said. It was the latest
surge in violence in the increasingly restive region, where the government
has opted for strong-arm measures to quell what seems a rising tide of anger
and militancy. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appeared to have little
sympathy for the victims. Referring to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan,
which is now under way, he said: "This is typical. It's about bodies made
weak from fasting. Nobody hurt them."Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/27/international/asia/27thailandcnd.html>
Story

US warns citizens in Russia of risk of terrorist attack
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 10:59am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The United States warned its citizens living or traveling in Russia to be on
guard against the persistent threat of terrorist attack. "Recent incidents
of terrorism within Russia have highlighted the continued risk of terrorist
activity," the State Department said in a statement. "There remains a
heightened potential for terrorist actions, including attacks against
civilians," it said. "This situation is likely to continue for some
time."Full
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041028/pl_afp/us_russia_secu
rity_041028005339> Story

Provincial Capital Near Falluja Is Rapidly Slipping Into Chao
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:20am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The American military and the interim Iraqi government are quickly losing
control of this provincial capital, which is larger and strategically more
important than its sister city of Falluja, say local officials, clerics,
tribal sheiks and officers with the United States Marines. "The city is
chaotic," said Sheik Ali al-Dulaimi, a leader of the region's largest tribe.
"There's no presence of the Allawi government," he added, speaking of Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi.Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/international/middleeast/28ramadi.html?hp
&ex=1099022400&en=2de652b511e67fdf&ei=5094&partner=homepage> Story

Arafat's Health Reported to Improve
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:22am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
Additional doctors were arriving from Arab countries to treat the ailing
Yasir Arafat at his West Bank compound today, though associates said his
condition was stable and he was well enough to attend Muslim prayers. Mr.
Arafat, who has been confined to the compound for close to three years, has
been ill for the past two weeks, and his condition took a turn for the worse
on Wednesday night amid reports that he briefly collapsed.Full
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/international/middleeast/28cnd-mideast.ht
ml?oref=login> Story

Intelligence Report to Assess Threat Posed by Terrorists
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:25am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
American intelligence agencies are drafting a report that could address
whether the Iraq war has increased or decreased the foreign terrorist threat
to the United States, but it will not be completed before Election Day,
according to senior government officials.In an internal memorandum sent to
the White House in August, the C.I.A. declined to take a position on whether
overthrowing Saddam Hussein had made America "safer," the officials said.
Spokesmen for the C.I.A. and the White House said that stance reflected the
agency's unwillingness to become involved in policy judgments. But in that
memorandum, administration officials acknowledged, the agency proposed
"factual corrections" to assertions included in a draft fact sheet prepared
by the White House titled "America Is Safer Without Saddam Hussein."Full
Story <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/politics/28intel.html>

UK police develop national emergency alert system
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:53am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The UK police are developing a national emergency messaging system that will
be used to issue vital alerts to the public on a range of incidents from
child abductions to emergency situations. The technology behind the system
is being developed by police IT body the Police Information Technology
Organisation (PITO) along with the Association of Chief Police Officers
(ACPO). The Metropolitan Police is the lead force developing the
processes.Full
<http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39125324,00.htm> Story

Homeland Security puts pieces in place for infrastructure consolidation
Posted Thursday, October 28, 2004 - 11:54am by Andre
<mailto:demarce@terrorism.com>
The Homeland Security Department will set up a working capital fund to pay
for its IT infrastructure consolidation work. CIO Steve Cooper said
yesterday the Homeland Security Department Financial Accountability Act, HR
4259, gives the department the ability to use funding from each directorate
to pay for intra-agency projects. .We are working with the Chief Financial
Officer.s Office on the formula for how much each directorate will pay and
what they will pay for,. Cooper said at the 14th annual Executive Leadership
Conference sponsored by the Industry Advisory Council and the American
Council for Technology. .Other departments have done this, and we hope to
learn from their lessons and apply them.. Full Story
<http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/27741-1.html>