"WASHINGTON – Counterterrorism officials have issued security bulletins to police around the nation about terrorists' desire to attack stadiums, entertainment complexes and hotels — the latest in a flurry of such internal warnings as investigators chase a possible bomb plot in Denver and New York.
In the two bulletins — sent to police departments Monday and obtained by The Associated Press — officials said they know of no specific plots against such sites, but urged law enforcement and private companies to be vigilant. These two bulletins followed on the heels of a similar warning about the vulnerabilities of mass transit systems.
The bulletin on stadiums notes that an al-Qaida training manual specifically lists "blasting and destroying the places of amusement, immorality, and sin... and attacking vital economic centers" as desired targets of the global terror network." - Associated Press - To read more, please see Yahoo News.
Showing posts with label terrorism in the U.S.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism in the U.S.. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
U.S. Nuclear Locations and Activity Revealed.
Associated Press Writer Eileen Sullivan And H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press
Writer – 18 mins ago
WASHINGTON – The government accidentally posted on the Internet a list of government and civilian nuclear facilities and their activities in the United States, but U.S. officials said Wednesday the posting included no information that compromised national security.
However, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, questioned about the disclosure at a House hearing, expressed concern with respect to a uranium storage facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Y-12 facility in Tennessee. The facility holds large quantities of highly enriched uranium, which if obtained can be used to fashion a nuclear weapon.
"That's of great concern," said Chu, referring to the Y-12 site. "We will be looking hard and making sure physical security of those sites (at Y12) is sufficient to prevent eco-terrorists and others getting hold of that material."
The 266-page document was published on May 6 as a transmission from President Barack Obama to Congress. According to the document, the list was required by law and will be provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Some of the pages are marked "highly confidential safeguards sensitive."
Chu said he had no details as to how the document was released, beyond that it involved the government printing office. "Someone made a mistake," said Chu, appearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee .
Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the document had been reviewed by a number of U.S. agencies and that disclosure of the information did not jeopardize national security. He said the document is part of an agreement on nuclear material inspection under the IAEA's nuclear nonproliferation effort.
"While we would have preferred it not be released, the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce and the NRC all thoroughly reviewed it to ensure that no information of direct national security significance would be compromised," LaVera said in a statement.
An Energy Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly, said none of the sites on the list are directly part of the government's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Included in the report, however, are details on a storage facility for highly enriched uranium at the Y-12 complex at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and some sites at the Energy Department's Hanford nuclear site in Washington state, this official acknowledged.
Beth Hayden, a spokeswoman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the agency reviewed the document as it relates to civilian facilities with NRC licenses and "we are confident that information of direct national security significance was not compromised."
The NRC has jurisdiction over commercial nuclear power plants and civilian uranium processing and storage facilities.
The publication of the list was first reported in an online secrecy newsletter Monday. The document had been posted on the Government Printing Office Web site, but has since been removed from that site.
In a statement, the Government Printing Office said Wednesday: "Upon being informed about potential sensitive nature of the attachment in this document, the Public Printer of the United States removed it from GPO's Web site pending further review. After consulting with the White House and Congress, it was determined that the document, including sensitive attachment, should be permanently removed from the Web site."
The GPO said it processes and produces approximately 160 House documents during the two-year congressional cycle, and the list was received by the agency in the normal process and produced under routine operating procedures.
The document includes both government and civilian nuclear facilities, all of which have various levels of security, including details and location of nation's 103 commercial nuclear power reactors, information readily available from various sources.
The document details the location of the nuclear sites and what is being done there.
For instance, there are nuclear reactors at the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pa. This facility is currently working on research into what happens when there are accidents with the nuclear reactors. The project started in 2006 and is expected to end in 2012, according to the document.
There are "zero" national security implications to the publication of this document, said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy. Aftergood found the document on the GPO Web site and highlighted it in his online bulletin.
"I regret that some people are painting it as a roadmap for terrorists because that's not what it is," Aftergood said.
"This is not a disclosure of sensitive nuclear technologies or of facility security procedures. It is simply a listing of the numerous nuclear research sites and the programs that are under way," Aftergood said. "And so it poses no security threat whatsoever."
__
Associated Press reporter Pamela Hess contributed to this report from Washington.
Click HERE to view source
Writer – 18 mins ago
WASHINGTON – The government accidentally posted on the Internet a list of government and civilian nuclear facilities and their activities in the United States, but U.S. officials said Wednesday the posting included no information that compromised national security.
However, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, questioned about the disclosure at a House hearing, expressed concern with respect to a uranium storage facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Y-12 facility in Tennessee. The facility holds large quantities of highly enriched uranium, which if obtained can be used to fashion a nuclear weapon.
"That's of great concern," said Chu, referring to the Y-12 site. "We will be looking hard and making sure physical security of those sites (at Y12) is sufficient to prevent eco-terrorists and others getting hold of that material."
The 266-page document was published on May 6 as a transmission from President Barack Obama to Congress. According to the document, the list was required by law and will be provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Some of the pages are marked "highly confidential safeguards sensitive."
Chu said he had no details as to how the document was released, beyond that it involved the government printing office. "Someone made a mistake," said Chu, appearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee .
Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the document had been reviewed by a number of U.S. agencies and that disclosure of the information did not jeopardize national security. He said the document is part of an agreement on nuclear material inspection under the IAEA's nuclear nonproliferation effort.
"While we would have preferred it not be released, the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce and the NRC all thoroughly reviewed it to ensure that no information of direct national security significance would be compromised," LaVera said in a statement.
An Energy Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly, said none of the sites on the list are directly part of the government's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Included in the report, however, are details on a storage facility for highly enriched uranium at the Y-12 complex at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and some sites at the Energy Department's Hanford nuclear site in Washington state, this official acknowledged.
Beth Hayden, a spokeswoman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the agency reviewed the document as it relates to civilian facilities with NRC licenses and "we are confident that information of direct national security significance was not compromised."
The NRC has jurisdiction over commercial nuclear power plants and civilian uranium processing and storage facilities.
The publication of the list was first reported in an online secrecy newsletter Monday. The document had been posted on the Government Printing Office Web site, but has since been removed from that site.
In a statement, the Government Printing Office said Wednesday: "Upon being informed about potential sensitive nature of the attachment in this document, the Public Printer of the United States removed it from GPO's Web site pending further review. After consulting with the White House and Congress, it was determined that the document, including sensitive attachment, should be permanently removed from the Web site."
The GPO said it processes and produces approximately 160 House documents during the two-year congressional cycle, and the list was received by the agency in the normal process and produced under routine operating procedures.
The document includes both government and civilian nuclear facilities, all of which have various levels of security, including details and location of nation's 103 commercial nuclear power reactors, information readily available from various sources.
The document details the location of the nuclear sites and what is being done there.
For instance, there are nuclear reactors at the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pa. This facility is currently working on research into what happens when there are accidents with the nuclear reactors. The project started in 2006 and is expected to end in 2012, according to the document.
There are "zero" national security implications to the publication of this document, said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy. Aftergood found the document on the GPO Web site and highlighted it in his online bulletin.
"I regret that some people are painting it as a roadmap for terrorists because that's not what it is," Aftergood said.
"This is not a disclosure of sensitive nuclear technologies or of facility security procedures. It is simply a listing of the numerous nuclear research sites and the programs that are under way," Aftergood said. "And so it poses no security threat whatsoever."
__
Associated Press reporter Pamela Hess contributed to this report from Washington.
Click HERE to view source
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Incident Watch. North Korea Test-Launching Long-Range Missles.
According to the Global Incident Map, the newest threats include all of the following...
Feb. 4, 2009 - IDAHO - Ada County Assessors Office Hazmat Scare A Hoax
Feb. 4, 2009 - COLORADO - 2 Apparent Pipe Bombs Found Behind Medical Clinic
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Laredo Police Respond To Several False Bomb Threats
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Austin Police Bomb Squad Investigates Suspicious Item
Feb. 4 2009 - TEXAS - I-45 Reopened After Bomb Disposal - 2 Pipe Bombs Found In Culvert
Feb. 4, 2009 - FLORIDA - Miami - Bomb Squad Called To Government Center package
Feb. 5, 2009 - MAINE - School In Poland Evacuated After More Than A Dozen Fall Ill
Feb. 5, 2009 - OHIO - Christian School Evacuated After Bomb Threat
Feb. 6, 2009 - UTAH - Man Arrested For Airport Bomb Joke
Feb. 8, 2009 - WASHINGTON State - Bomb Threat At Hospital In Burien
Feb. 8, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Possible Bomb Reported In Tuolumne County
Feb. 8, 2009 - MASSACHUSETTS - Police Find Cache Of Weapons And Bomb Materials
Feb. 9, 2009 - WEST VIRGINIA - Bomb Found In Raleigh County Bank
Feb. 9, 2009 - KENTUCKY - Police Detonate Suspicious Package In Shively
Feb. 10, 2009 - OHIO - White Powder Mailed To Local Govt Office
Feb. 10, 2009 - NORTH DAKOTA - Bomb Threat Prompts GF County Office Building Evacuation
Feb. 10, 2009 - GEORGIA - Bomb Threat at Government Building
Feb. 10, 2009 - COLORADO - Suspicious White Powder Found At Federal Building In Fort Collins
Feb. 10, 2009 - NEW MEXICO - Powdery Substance Found At City Hall Mailroom - Ruled Harmless
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Ecoterrorists Allegedly Targeted UCLA Van
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Bomb Squad Explodes Device In Redwood City
Feb. 11, 2009 - OREGON - Police Evacuate Macys - Bomb Squad Called - 2 Packages
*************************************************************************
Reuters
Feb. 10, 2009
By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have made further preparations to test its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile as well as short-range missiles.
Here are questions and answers as to why North Korea might test launch one of its missiles:
WHAT DOES THE NORTH STAND TO GAIN THROUGH TESTING ITS
LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE?
If the launch is successful, North Korea will have a missile with a maximum estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, although not the continental 48 states. This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat by the North to the United States.
The North, which already has hundreds of rudimentary missiles, would be able to test its multi-stage rocket systems and increase its ability to produce long-range missiles.
HOW BIG A THREAT IS THE TAEPODONG-2?
The only time North Korea has fired the missile was in 2006 when it managed just a few seconds of controlled flight and broke apart in less than a minute.
It has a crude multi-stage design and poor guidance system and takes weeks to prepare for launch. U.S. spy satellites can easily monitor the preparations and it should be relatively easy to destroy long before launch.
Experts have said North Korea does not yet have the technology to miniaturise a nuclear device to use as a warhead. But the North has been working on placing biological and chemical weapons on missiles.
WHY WOULD IT TEST A SHORT-RANGE MISSILE?
North Korean short-range missiles, thought to number in the hundreds and with ranges of about 100-150 km (60-95 miles), can hit all of the Seoul area and many U.S. military bases in South Korea. They have been successfully tested.
North Korea times its short-range missile launches for periods of increased tension to send political messages. A launch would be intended to grab the attention of new U.S. President Barack Obama and could dominate the agenda of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is making a trip to Asia next week.
The North is also trying to put pressure on South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office a year ago and has angered his destitute neighbour by cutting off what once had been a free flow of unconditional aid.
WHAT ABOUT ITS MID-RANGE MISSILES?
North Korea has several hundred Rodong missiles, with ranges that can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan. A launch of one of these ballistic missiles would violate international provisions and be much more provocative than a short-range test.
WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA RISK BY TEST-FIRING THE MISSILES?
Another failed Taepodong-2 launch would be a major embarrassment for Pyongyang which has little beyond its military threat to win concessions from the outside world. That, and the high cost for the impoverished state, may make it reluctant to risk a second launch.
Its leaders may be happy to simply imply a threat by moving around missile-related equipment, knowing it will be seen by U.S. intelligence and raise alarm within the new U.S. government.
On the other hand, the international community has few options left to punish the North for a launch of any of its ballistic missiles. North Korea is already subject to U.N. sanctions stemming from its July 2006 ballistic missile test that included Rodong missiles and the Taepodong-2 and a nuclear test a few months after that.
The United States has already called for a suspension of aid promised under a six-way nuclear deal while Japan and South Korea have blocked channels that sent cash and food.
WHEN MIGHT A LAUNCH TAKE PLACE?
A short-range missile launch could happen at any time.
The North may time a Taepodong-2 or Rodong launch to coincide with a meeting on March 8 of its Supreme People's Assembly. Its state media has been heralding the event and the role leader Kim Jong-il will play. Kim suffered a suspected stroke in August that raised questions about his grip on power.
It would be difficult for the North to launch a Taepodong-2 by the time of Kim's 67th birthday on February 16. Another possible date is April 25, the anniversary of its Korea People's Army.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
Feb. 4, 2009 - IDAHO - Ada County Assessors Office Hazmat Scare A Hoax
Feb. 4, 2009 - COLORADO - 2 Apparent Pipe Bombs Found Behind Medical Clinic
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Laredo Police Respond To Several False Bomb Threats
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Austin Police Bomb Squad Investigates Suspicious Item
Feb. 4 2009 - TEXAS - I-45 Reopened After Bomb Disposal - 2 Pipe Bombs Found In Culvert
Feb. 4, 2009 - FLORIDA - Miami - Bomb Squad Called To Government Center package
Feb. 5, 2009 - MAINE - School In Poland Evacuated After More Than A Dozen Fall Ill
Feb. 5, 2009 - OHIO - Christian School Evacuated After Bomb Threat
Feb. 6, 2009 - UTAH - Man Arrested For Airport Bomb Joke
Feb. 8, 2009 - WASHINGTON State - Bomb Threat At Hospital In Burien
Feb. 8, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Possible Bomb Reported In Tuolumne County
Feb. 8, 2009 - MASSACHUSETTS - Police Find Cache Of Weapons And Bomb Materials
Feb. 9, 2009 - WEST VIRGINIA - Bomb Found In Raleigh County Bank
Feb. 9, 2009 - KENTUCKY - Police Detonate Suspicious Package In Shively
Feb. 10, 2009 - OHIO - White Powder Mailed To Local Govt Office
Feb. 10, 2009 - NORTH DAKOTA - Bomb Threat Prompts GF County Office Building Evacuation
Feb. 10, 2009 - GEORGIA - Bomb Threat at Government Building
Feb. 10, 2009 - COLORADO - Suspicious White Powder Found At Federal Building In Fort Collins
Feb. 10, 2009 - NEW MEXICO - Powdery Substance Found At City Hall Mailroom - Ruled Harmless
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Ecoterrorists Allegedly Targeted UCLA Van
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Bomb Squad Explodes Device In Redwood City
Feb. 11, 2009 - OREGON - Police Evacuate Macys - Bomb Squad Called - 2 Packages
*************************************************************************
Reuters
Feb. 10, 2009
By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have made further preparations to test its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile as well as short-range missiles.
Here are questions and answers as to why North Korea might test launch one of its missiles:
WHAT DOES THE NORTH STAND TO GAIN THROUGH TESTING ITS
LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE?
If the launch is successful, North Korea will have a missile with a maximum estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, although not the continental 48 states. This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat by the North to the United States.
The North, which already has hundreds of rudimentary missiles, would be able to test its multi-stage rocket systems and increase its ability to produce long-range missiles.
HOW BIG A THREAT IS THE TAEPODONG-2?
The only time North Korea has fired the missile was in 2006 when it managed just a few seconds of controlled flight and broke apart in less than a minute.
It has a crude multi-stage design and poor guidance system and takes weeks to prepare for launch. U.S. spy satellites can easily monitor the preparations and it should be relatively easy to destroy long before launch.
Experts have said North Korea does not yet have the technology to miniaturise a nuclear device to use as a warhead. But the North has been working on placing biological and chemical weapons on missiles.
WHY WOULD IT TEST A SHORT-RANGE MISSILE?
North Korean short-range missiles, thought to number in the hundreds and with ranges of about 100-150 km (60-95 miles), can hit all of the Seoul area and many U.S. military bases in South Korea. They have been successfully tested.
North Korea times its short-range missile launches for periods of increased tension to send political messages. A launch would be intended to grab the attention of new U.S. President Barack Obama and could dominate the agenda of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is making a trip to Asia next week.
The North is also trying to put pressure on South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office a year ago and has angered his destitute neighbour by cutting off what once had been a free flow of unconditional aid.
WHAT ABOUT ITS MID-RANGE MISSILES?
North Korea has several hundred Rodong missiles, with ranges that can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan. A launch of one of these ballistic missiles would violate international provisions and be much more provocative than a short-range test.
WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA RISK BY TEST-FIRING THE MISSILES?
Another failed Taepodong-2 launch would be a major embarrassment for Pyongyang which has little beyond its military threat to win concessions from the outside world. That, and the high cost for the impoverished state, may make it reluctant to risk a second launch.
Its leaders may be happy to simply imply a threat by moving around missile-related equipment, knowing it will be seen by U.S. intelligence and raise alarm within the new U.S. government.
On the other hand, the international community has few options left to punish the North for a launch of any of its ballistic missiles. North Korea is already subject to U.N. sanctions stemming from its July 2006 ballistic missile test that included Rodong missiles and the Taepodong-2 and a nuclear test a few months after that.
The United States has already called for a suspension of aid promised under a six-way nuclear deal while Japan and South Korea have blocked channels that sent cash and food.
WHEN MIGHT A LAUNCH TAKE PLACE?
A short-range missile launch could happen at any time.
The North may time a Taepodong-2 or Rodong launch to coincide with a meeting on March 8 of its Supreme People's Assembly. Its state media has been heralding the event and the role leader Kim Jong-il will play. Kim suffered a suspected stroke in August that raised questions about his grip on power.
It would be difficult for the North to launch a Taepodong-2 by the time of Kim's 67th birthday on February 16. Another possible date is April 25, the anniversary of its Korea People's Army.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
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