FBI Issues Warning That Al Qaeda May Be Planning Attacks On Shopping Malls

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a bulletin to local law enforcement agencies warning of possible attacks in shopping malls by Al Qaeda during the holiday season.

NYPD Warns of Homegrown Terror Threat

New York Police Department intelligence analysts have concluded that homegrown terrorists are a mounting threat as grave as that from established terrorist groups like al-Qaida.

An NYPD report released Wednesday warns of a "radicalization" process in which young Muslim men here grow disillusioned with life in America and adopt a philosophy that puts them on the path to jihad. The typically have no previous records and are able to easily blend in, making them much harder to detect and neutralize.

Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/pdf/dcpi/NYPD_Report-Radicalization_in_the_West.pdf

Incidents at U.S. Airports May Suggest Possible Pre-Attack Probing

Airports around the nation have been warned by Federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four seizures at airports since last September.

Al-Qaeda ‘planning big British attack’

A leaked report compiled by Britain's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) indicates that Al Qaeda in Iraq is planning a mass casualty attack against Britain and other Western countries that an operative claimed would be on “a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki”. It also stated that these large-scale attacks would be carried out with support from elements in Iran. Meanwhile, Spain's security service is warning that Al Qaeda in North Africa is planning attacks against Spain and France, possibly to coincide with the runoff in the French presidential election.

Worldwide Caution

The U.S. Department of State has recently issued a Worldwide Caution Public Announcement. According to the announcement, the Department of State "remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics to include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings. "

Interpol Official Warns of Bioterror Threat

The Interpol secretary-general told a reporter that training materials recovered from Al Qaida investigations and information from captured operatives suggest that terrorist groups have had plans to launch bioterrorist attacks. Al Qaida has already launched several chemical attacks in Iraq involving chlorine. Britain's MI5 security service had warned British government officials recently that Al Qaida had apparently tried to recruit university students to gain access to labs that handled deadly biological agents.

School Bus Terror Plot?

The FBI has sent an advisory to local law enforcement this Friday which notes "recent suspicious activity" by foreigners who either drive school buses or are licensed to drive them. Apparently, some of these foreigners under recent investigation have "ties to extremist groups" and have been able to "purchase buses and acquire licenses." School children have been targeted by Islamist extremists in the past, such as in the Beslan Massacre in 2004, so we should not be surprised if they try to use similar tactics in the U.S.

Et tu, Bird flu?

Looks like the bird flu is making a comeback these days. In recent months, it has flared up in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, South Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam. A few weeks ago, it re-emerged on the European continent in Hungary. Today, the U.K. confirmed that is has found the deadly strain of the bird flu on a turkey farm there while the World Heath Organization (WHO) confirmed Nigeria's and also Africa's first human death from the strain.

Any Questions?

Yesterday, the long awaited report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released. Named "Climate Change 2007", the report was produced by over 600 scientists from 40 different countries, and reviewed by 620 experts from around the world. The report, approved by 113 countries including the U.S., states that there is clear and "unequivocal" scientific evidence that global warming is real and is very likely caused by human activity. The impact of this climate change such as severe heat waves and storms, droughts, and floods could possibly last for centuries.

This is your world. This is your world on greenhouse gas emissions. Any questions?

Tick...Tick...Tick...

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) is moving the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock to 5 minutes to midnight, another 2 minutes closer than what it had been. The move reflects global failures to solve the problems posed by nuclear weapons and the global climate crisis. Nuclear proliferation continues to be a big concern, especially with rogue nation states such as North Korea and Iran being all chummy with international terrorists.