[iwar] [fc:ERRI.SPECIAL.TERRORISM.REPORTS.FOR.SATURDAY.-.#11]

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Subject: [iwar] [fc:ERRI.SPECIAL.TERRORISM.REPORTS.FOR.SATURDAY.-.#11]
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22 Sep 2001 - 09:30CDT

ERRI SPECIAL TERRORISM REPORTS FOR SATURDAY - #11

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION/FBI/CIA/DOS ACTIVITIES

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION:

Global Terrorism Investigation Continues

It was said on Friday that U.S.  officials are working on a report that
would spell out in as much detail as possible their evidence that links
last week's attacks to master terrorist Usama bin Laden.  The report
would be unclassified and presumably would be released sometime before
the U.S.  begins actual military operations against the terrorist
leader.  The problem is, officials admitted Friday, they still have no
hard evidence making that connection. 

The evidence expected to be cited in the report is bin Laden's own words
in which he threatened terrorist acts and bragged about past deeds. 
Several communications intercepts are also expected to be described as
are telephone records and bank records as well as a trail of
relationships - some of them three times removed - between the dead
hijackers and bin Laden operatives.  Officials confirm that some of the
hijackers appear to have made several practice runs on the flights they
eventually hijacked.  Agents are checking other flight manifests for
similar patterns.  Because it's been reported so widely that more
attacks are expected on Saturday, it bears repeating that the FBI has no
firm evidence of that.  Besides, one official observed, terrorists never
hit us when we're on high alert, only when we're not. 

Meanwhile, many of the 80 people detained for immigration problems
during the terrorism investigation entered the country on visitor or
business visas from Middle Eastern countries.  U.S.  Justice Department
documents showed Friday that the countries included Egypt, Pakistan,
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.  Justice officials have said they believe
some of those being detained may have information about the plot
surrounding the attacks, but the documents did not detail connections to
the terrorism investigation. 

The government released the documents, with many parts blacked out, as
the terrorism investigation expanded globally.  Some of the highlights
form the global investigation include:

-- British investigators said they have arrested three men and one woman
in connection with the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. 
A 27-year-old man and a woman, 25, were arrested at a residence in west
London on Friday, and another man, 29, was arrested at a separate
location in west London.  The third man, whose age was not disclosed,
was arrested by anti-terrorist officers at an address in Birmingham, 100
miles north of London. 

-- French authorities arrested seven people in connection with an
alleged plot to harm U.S.  sites in that country.  And German
authorities announced they were seeking two fugitives believed to have
helped plot the four deadly hijackings in the United States. 

-- In the United States, government officials confirmed a Saudi man was
arrested the day of the attacks a few miles from Dulles International
Airport in suburban Washington, where one of the doomed planes took off
and later crashed into the Pentagon. 


INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY:

Source Says Israel Attack Was Coming

A senior intelligence official said on Friday that Israeli intelligence
services knew months ago that Usama bin Laden was planning a large-scale
terror attack.  But no one knew what his targets would be.  The Israeli
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "Everybody knew
about a heightened alert, and knew that bin Laden was preparing a big
attack."

The official said Israeli intelligence shares information with its U.S. 
counterparts on a regular basis, but denied Mossad passed on concrete
warnings.  The official said that there was no specific information
about the intention to carry out such an attack."

On Thursday night, POTUS announced during his speech that he has created
a new cabinet-level position to lead the fight against terrorism inside
the United States.  The new Office of Homeland Security will be headed
by Tom Ridge, the Governor of Pennsylvania, and will coordinate
government-wide domestic security efforts and protect the US from
attack.  The President said of Ridge in his speech to a joint session of
Congress: "He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national
strategy to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond to any
attacks that may come."

The new office is aimed at drawing together the counterterrorism
functions currently spread across several agencies, including the FBI,
CIA, military, police, EMS, and firefighting forces.  It will also
develop plans to bolster protection for potential targets such as the
nation's transportation, power and food systems.  Ridge will work with a
committee of security officials, members of the Justice Department, the
military and agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). 

U.S.  STATE DEPARTMENT:

U.S.  Department Of State Issues Travel

Warning For Indonesia

On 20 September, the U.S.  State Department issued the following Travel
Warning for Indonesia: "The Department of State urges American citizens
to defer nonessential travel to Indonesia and all travel to Aceh,
Maluku, Papua, West Timor, Central and West Kalimantan (Borneo) and
Central Sulawesi.  Those who must travel to Indonesia, or who are
resident there, should exercise extreme caution. 

The September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States heighten the
need for vigilance on the part of American citizens resident in or
traveling through Indonesia.  While the Government of Indonesia has
condemned these terrorist attacks, some radical Indonesian groups have
threatened to attack U.S.  facilities and expel American citizens from
Indonesia if the U.S.  strikes any Muslim country in response to the
September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.  All American
citizens in Indonesia are urged to exercise maximum caution and take
prudent measures.  This includes maintaining a strong security posture
by being aware of their surroundings, avoiding crowds and
demonstrations, keeping a low profile, varying times and routes for all
required travel and notifying the nearest U.S.  Embassy or Consulate in
case of any change in the local security situation.  American citizens
are also urged to treat mail and packages from unfamiliar sources with
suspicion. 

The U.S.  Embassy in Jakarta has received information that indicates
extremist elements may be planning to target U.S.  interests in
Indonesia, particularly U.S.  Government facilities, and could also
extend to U.S.  tourists and tour groups.  In addition, social unrest
and violence can erupt with little forewarning anywhere in the country. 
Bombings of religious, political and business targets have occurred
throughout the country. 

Due to the continuing threat of serious violence, all travel should be
avoided to the regions of Aceh, Maluku, West Timor, Central and West
Kalimantan and Central Sulawesi.  Further, all travel by U.S.  and other
foreign government officials to Aceh, Papua and the Moluccas (provinces
of North Maluku and Maluku) has been restricted by the Indonesian
government because of security concerns.  Private Americans should
adhere to these same restrictions.  On occasion, the U.S.  mission in
Indonesia may have to suspend services to the public or close because of
security concerns.  In those situations, the Embassy will continue to be
available by telephone to offer emergency services to American citizens. 

A massive bombing campaign struck churches throughout Indonesia on
Christmas Eve 2000, leaving at least 16 dead and over 100 injured. 
Bombings occurred in the cities of Medan, Pekanbaru, Batam, Bandung,
Sukabumi, Bekasi, Jakarta, Mojokerto, Surabaya and Mataram.  Bombings
have also occurred over the past year at Indonesian government
buildings, foreign diplomatic facilities and business and financial
centers, including the Jakarta Stock Exchange.  More explosive devices
have been discovered in Jakarta since Christmas and there are
indications that the bombings may continue. 

Some foreign travelers in troubled areas of Indonesia have been subject
to arbitrary arrest, detention and deportation and, on at least one
occasion, false accusations of espionage.  In November 2000 in the
central Java city of Solo, groups opposed to U.S.  policy undertook or
threatened "sweeps," trying to identify American citizens and order them
to depart the country.  There also have been a number of acts of
intimidation and violence directed at American companies and U.S. 
diplomatic facilities.  Indonesian security officials have sometimes
been unwilling or unable to respond. 

The Abu Sayyaf terrorist group has been active throughout the islands in
the extreme southwest Philippines, near Indonesia, and have kidnapped
American citizens in the Philippines.  American citizens traveling to
the border regions in Northern Kalimantan and North Sulawesi, in
particular the smaller islands closer to the Philippines, are urged to
review their security procedures."

In other DoS cables in regards to Indonesia:

US Embassy Jakarta has reported that ten radical Islamic groups have
held a press conference during which they threatened to unleash a holy
war if America launched retaliatory strikes against Afghanistan for the
WTC and Pentagon terrorist attacks. 

The press conference was held at the al-Furqan Mosque in Jakarta, and
was convened by the Indonesian Islamic Council (DDII).  The ten radical
Islamic organizations belonging to the DDII include:

-- Front Pembela Islam (FPI - Islamic Defenders' Front)

-- Laskar Jihad (LJ - Jihad Columns/Soldiers or Fighters)

-- Anti-Zionist Movement
-- Indonesian Mujahidin Front
-- Ababil Brigade Jakarta
-- Movement for Female Muslims
-- HAMMAS (local Indonesian, not Palestinian, version)
-- National Student Association
-- Committee for Indonesian Islamic Solidarity

Among the speakers at the press conference, the following remarks were made:

-- LJ chief Ja'far Umar Thalib warned that his group would keep score on
the United States and would "strike back at US 'assets' in Indonesia and
throughout the world" if America attacked Afghanistan. 

-- LJ official Ayip Syafrudin declared that LJ would "declare a jihad
against the United States if it attacked Muslim countries."

-- Laskar Jumdullah Solo Brigade leader Muhammad Kalono threatened that
"If America drops even one bullet in Afghanistan, God willing, we will
wipe out all US facilities and interests here."

-- FPI Chairman Al Habib Muhammad Riziq Syihab threatened to attack the
US Embassy in Jakarta, find Americans, and expel them from Indonesia. 


ERRI ANALYSIS-INDONESIA

ERRI Reports for Friday 21 September 2001

Radical Islamic Groups Threaten U.S.  Facilities

By Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Analyst

Radical Islamic groups in the world's largest Islamic state are
threatening to attack U.S.  targets in the country, if the United States
launches a military strike on Afghanistan.  Muhammad Kalono, a spokesman
for the Islamic paramilitary groups said in a statement on Wednesday,
"If America drops even one bullet in Afghanistan, God willing, we will
wipe out all U.S.  facilities and interests here." The threats were made
less than a week after Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri met
with U.S.  President George W.  Bush to pledge her support for the war
on terrorism. 

Analyst Viewpoint:

Extra-Caution for U.S.  Citizens in Indonesia after Threats

By Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Analyst in Australia

These threats should be taken very seriously because radical Islamic
elements within the country have previously threatened U.S.  interests
and held demonstrations outside U.S.  facilities.  Media reports prior
to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States said that
Usama bin Laden was seeking out Indonesia as a "launch pad" for
operations, which concurs with past ERRI predictions that terrorism will
increase in the Asian region. 

ERRI has already been monitoring the al-Qaeda-connected Abu Sayyaf Group
(ASG) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines.  In
the past 18-months these groups have launched a number of brief
incursions into both Malaysian and Indonesian waters for the purposes of
kidnapping foreigncitizens.  Both these groups are suspected of having
Indonesian contacts.  When a U.S.  retaliation begins, the radical
Indonesian Islamic groups, who mainly operate independent of one
another, are expected to stage a series of violent demonstrations in the
capital Jakarta.  Within a short period of time, factions within these
groups are likely to use small IED's to cause damage to U.S.  facilities
at random.  To date, they have not proved capable of using more
sophisticated explosive devices. 

However, the latest indicated to analysts that the Islamic groups may
have a quasi-spokesperson, which could mean they have formed a stronger
alliance with each other.  If this is true, they now hold the potential
to stage more lengthy terrorist operation similar to campaigns in the
Philippines.  It should also be noted also that for the past two years,
violent attacks have occurred on people of Christian background and
Churches destroyed by bomb attacks.  ERRI is monitoring the situation in
Indonesia closely... 


U.S.  Embassy Niamey, Niger, Issues Warden Message

On 20 September, the U.S.  Embassy in Niger issued the following Warden
Message to Americans in the African country: "In light of the continued
uncertainty of the security situation worldwide, American Embassy Niamey
is extending the restriction on travel by Embassy Personnel outside of
Niamey to "essential business only." American citizens are reminded the
Worldwide caution issued September 12 by the State Department remains in
effect and are urged to maintain heightened security awareness and be
vigilant to any unusual activity in their daily surroundings."

U.S.  DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE:

Military Buildup Continues

As the United States prepared to strike back at terrorism, the Pentagon
on Friday ordered more Air Force planes to support a buildup of U.S. 
firepower in the Persian Gulf area.  With B-1 bombers taking off from
Ellsworth, South Dakota, the U.S.  is making preparations to bomb the
camps if the Taliban refuses to turn over every person associated with
al-Qaeda and open the camps to inspection. 

The strikes will be much larger than the ones launched against bin
Laden's bases after the bombing of the U.S.  embassies in Africa, but
they are not likely to get all the terrorists -- since many of them had
left the camps before the airliner attacks.  The Air Force has bombs
designed to penetrate deep into the caves where bin Laden is believed to
be working on chemical and biological weapons and perhaps even be hiding
nuclear material.  But the only way to be sure is to go in with ground
troops -- army commandos flown in from a nearby country, possibly
Uzbekistan. 

An official on Friday confirmed a New York Times report that Air Force
Lt.  General Charles Wald, commander of U.S.  Central Command's air
component, has moved from his usual base at Shaw Air Force Base, South
Carolina, to an air operations center at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi
Arabia.  From there, he could plan and direct air attacks against
Afghanistan and other possible targets in the region.  With B-2 bombers
put on alert for non-stop missions from the U.S., B-1 bombers ordered to
bases in the Persian Gulf and B-52 bombers being sent to the island of
Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Usama bin Laden's infrastructure of
caves and training camps is likely to take a pounding. 

U.S.  Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the American campaign
will not mean the end of terrorism.  He said: "I think what you can try
to do is to go after this worldwide problem in a way that we can
continue our way of life.  It strikes at our way of life, and while we
may not eliminate it completely from the face of the Earth, which we
surely will not, but it can be better controlled."

Early Friday in Japan, the USS Kitty Hawk, the only U.S.  aircraft
carrier stationed in the western Pacific, left its port in Yokosuka for
an undisclosed location.  The carrier has a crew of 5,500 sailors, naval
aviators and Marines and typically carries 70 aircraft. 

According to London's The Guardian newspaper on Friday, the US
government is pressing its European allies to agree to a military
campaign to topple the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and replace it with
an interim administration under United Nations auspices.  Diplomatic
cables from the Washington embassy of a key NATO ally, reportedly seen
by the newspaper, say that the US is anxious to hear allied views on
"post-Taliban Afghanistan after the liberation of the country." That
report has not been confirmed by U.S.  officials. 

The embassy cable reveals that the US is bent on force to evict the
Taliban from power because of the shelter it has offered Usama bin
Laden.  The Guardian also reported that two large US Hercules transport
aircraft landed in Tashkent, capital of the former Soviet republic of
Uzbekistan, on Tuesday loaded with surveillance equipment to be
installed along the northern Afghan border. 

The US strategy to depose the Taliban regime is based on more than
military thinking.  A further plank appears to entail supporting the
campaign of the exiled 86-year-old monarch of Afghanistan, King Zahir
Shah, to return to power by encouraging the guerrilla army of the
Northern Alliance opposition to fall in behind him. 

AFGHANISTAN:

Taliban Troops Reportedly Deployed on Pakistani Border

Pakistani border officials said on Friday that Taliban troops have taken
up positions in the jagged mountain peaks overlooking Afghanistan's
border with Pakistan.  A Pakistan Frontier Corps official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, confirmed the Taliban buildup and said Pakistan
has countered with a fresh deployment of border troops on its side of
the line.  He didn't say how many new soldiers were deployed. 

INTERNATIONAL:

Algerian Terrorist Threatens US And European Interests

US Embassy Algiers reports that El Youm, an Arabic language independent
newspaper, has front-page coverage on Hassan Hattab -- the leader of the
Groupe Islamique pour la Predilection et le Combat (GSPC), a branch of
the GIA, regarding recent terrorist attacks that took place in the U.S. 

The paper said: "Hassan Hattab declared that what happened is a lesson
the U.S.  should take advantage of; and it [the U.S.] should not be so
quick in retaliating against innocent individuals.  Hassan Hattab also
threatened to violently counter-attack American interests in Algeria if
the U.S.  kept on harassing Arab-Moslems on the basis of a Jewish plot. 
He added that no obstacle and no security could prevent them [GIA] from
hitting U.S.  interests abroad.  He did not deny Bin Laden's
responsibility in the attacks but pointed out that civilians were not
their principal targets. 

Hassan Hattab, nevertheless, declared that he would not implement his
threats if the U.S.  stopped harassing Islamists.  He also alluded to
the fact that some circles in and out of Algeria would try to hit U.S. 
interests

In other overseas developments on Friday related to the investigation of
last week's terrorist attacks:

-- In London, anti-terrorist police arrested three men and one woman in
connection with the terrorist attacks. 

- In Poland, officials were investigating evidence that people suspected
of terrorist activities passed through Poland, but would not speculate
about any links to last week's attacks. 

- In Mexico, authorities were combing through hotel registration
documents and tracing the activities of an "unusually high" number of
Arab guests who stayed at Pacific coast resorts between July and five
days before the terrorist attacks. 

-- In Germany, investigators named a Yemeni man as their second
suspected link to the terrorists who attacked New York and Washington,
revealing that they now believe the plot reached back at least to 1999. 

-- In France, police detained seven people in connection with an
investigation into alleged plans to attack U.S.  interests in France. 

Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov said his country was ready to
cooperate with the United States and the international community in
fighting terrorism.  Rakhmonov said on Saturday during a meeting of the
Tajik People's Democratic party in Dushanbe: "Being in solidarity with
the United States people, we at the same time express our willingness to
cooperate with the international community, including the U.S. 
government, in the fight against international terrorism and extremism."

He did not say, however, what form the cooperation would take, and made
no mention of allowing Western forces to set up bases in his country or
to use air corridors over Tajikistan to attack Afghanistan.  The prime
minister's office said on Saturday that Turkey has agreed to allow U.S. 
Air Force transport aircraft to use its airspace and airports for a
possible response to recent terrorist attacks.  Turkey is also willing
to share intelligence on Afghanistan with the United States.  A
statement from Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's office said the United
States requested the use of airports and air space for transport
aircraft.  It did not ask for permission to use fighter jets. 

The Turkish government had already indicated that Incirlik air base, in
southern Turkey, could be used for possible attacks.  Some 50 U.S.  and
British jets, based at Incirlik, are currently flying patrols over
northern Iraq to protect Iraqi Kurds from the forces of Saddam Hussein. 

New Zealand on Friday offered a military support in the fight against
terrorism and is in it for the "long haul." Prime Minister Helen Clark
said New Zealand would support the U.S.  determination to root out the
followers of terrorist leader Usama bin Laden and other terrorist
groups.  Clark didn't elaborate but analysts said the options could
include New Zealand special force commandos assisting with lightning
strikes against terrorist cells in the Asia-Pacific region, and possibly
joining a bigger strike force in the Afghanistan region.  Air force
transport planes, medical services, naval patrol vessels and other
supports were also options which New Zealand provided during the Gulf
War. 

(c) Copyright, EmergencyNet News Service, 2001.  All rights reserved. 

Emergency Response &amp; Research Institute 6348 N.  Milwaukee Ave. 
#312 Chicago, IL 60646, USA 773-631-3774 - Voice/Messages 773-631-4703 -
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-09-29 21:08:48 PDT