WASHINGTON, July 25, 2007
U.S. Warns Airports To Watch For Dry Runs
"Routine" Advisory Tells Of Bomb-Like Ingredients Seized At Four Airports Since Sept. 2006
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Airport Security Threat
Following an alert from the Transportation Security Administration, airport security officials are on the lookout for terrorist activity. Claire Leka reports.
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The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20 by the Transportation Security Administration to federal air marshals, its own transportation security officers and other law enforcement agencies.
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr says U.S. officials stress that this is a routine advisory – one of about 90 similar "bulletins" the TSA has circulated to its workers since January, as a reminder to baggage screeners, air marshals and other security officials to take a very broad "eyes open" approach to their jobs.
The bulletin, which does not constitute a heightened state of alert, tells TSA workers that items seized in separate incidents at the airports in San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore airports have included "wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components and dense clay-like substances," including block cheese. "The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items," the TSA says in its advisory, "raise concern."
Security officers are urged to keep an eye out for "ordinary items that look like improvised explosive device components" – that is, things that could be used to build a homemade bomb.
Word of the advisory surfaced on the same day as two other reports which could put American nerves on edge: comments by a U.S. military commander on the potential for al Qaeda terror cells within the fifty states, and a non-terror related warning from air traffic controllers who say poor maintenance of airport facilities could endanger the flying public.
The TSA circulated its 13-paragraph security advisory internally and not to reporters – who started questioning Bush administration officials after the document leaked out to the media late Tuesday and was posted on the web.
"There is no credible, specific threat here," said TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe. "Don't panic. We do these things all the time."
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI both say that while aviation remains a prime terrorist target, they see no credible evidence of any imminent attack in the U.S.
The alert level for the nation's airports remains Orange, which means "High," while the alert level for the rest of the country is unchanged at Yellow, which means "Elevated."
Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke described the TSA advisory as the latest copy of a routine informational bulletin.
A statement posted late Tuesday by the TSA on its Web site confirms that "a routine TSA intelligence bulletin relating to suspicious incidents at U.S. airports" had leaked out to news organizations.
The bulletin says a joint FBI-Homeland Security Department assessment found that terrorists have conducted probes, dry runs and dress rehearsals in advance of previous attacks.
It cites various types of rehearsals conducted by terrorists before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; the July 7, 2005, London subway bombings; the Aug. 2, 2006, London-based plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights using liquid explosives and the 1994 Bojinka plot in the Philippines to blow up multiple airliners over the Pacific Ocean.
The bulletin says initial investigation has not linked the men and women carrying the suspicious items to any terrorist or criminal organizations. The TSA adds that most of the explanations given by passengers caught with subsequently seized items have been suspicious in themselves and some are still under investigation.
The four seizures are described as follows:
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-dimmbulb
If they profiled the correct people, we would be more on the right track. But no, we have to make sure we pat down every old white & black man and woman. If we get hit again, pray we don't, send a thank you card to the ACLU.
1. I was served diet coke instead of regular coke and was quickly alerted therby avoiding an emergency.
2. Another time someone in the plane cut the cheeze with a consistency of methane. Thank God no one had a lighter.
Be afraid - be very afraid.
There is however a proven credible threat from whoever carried out the anthrax terror attacks which killed people all over America a few years ago.
About as credible as possible.
Seems to me it would make sense to look into that terror cell - maybe even catch them - before they kill again.
That's something to really be afraid of.
Let's see some stories on that and some congressional investigation into why the FBI has not arrested the terrorists and has changed the story of the investigation and prevenmted the congress from carry out oversight responsibilities.
Perhaps even afraid of them.
God knows, they have demonstrated they will kill for power.
Because we know it is BS is all the more reason for Bush to make another one happen for real. We see he is not above murder to achieve his personal agenda, his hands already overflowing with the blood of the innocent, the basement of hell is the lowest floor, he already has a booking there.
He is literally fighting for his life, he knows if he is voted down, impeachment, arrest and trial for treason is next. Because he knows he is guilty of probably all charges that might be brought against him, he will sacrifice the lives of whomever and however many it takes to "avoid" his fate.
It probably will happen shortly after the Sept. 25 report reveals him as a failure, and before the vote to bring the soldiers home.
God Bless America.
I am 50 years old, from Detroit, and I remember much literature from neo nazi groups like Aryan Nations, and the KKK, which contained plans to disseminate anthrax through the postal system. These pamphlets and flyers were dropped at high schools in "white" and "predominately white" neighborhoods. This was as far back as the early 70s.
There is a reason why the anthrax terror groups are not investigated, they will find many of their own are members of such groups.
"Sunday, July 22, 2007
In the final poll of a series measuring perceptions of media bias, the Associated Press, local television stations, MSNBC, and CNBC are all perceived as tilting to the left when reporting the news.
Earlier releases showed that Americans tend to believe the major broadcast networks (CBS,NBC,ABC) CNN, and NPR have a liberal bias. Fox News is seen as having a bias in the other direction. In print, the New York Times, Washington Post, and local newspapers were also seen as having a liberal bias."
.....SO......when? is our liberal MSM wolfpack going to implement "affirmative action" programs that include NOT EXCLUDE "moderates" and "conservative".
And we wonder why our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press hasn't had "big stories" reporting these opinions from the American public.
Gee.........I wonder why.
I'm not defending the President's actions but promoting the ideals of terrorists is much more disturbing than anything our leader has done. If I'm not mistaken, We went to Iraq with the blessing of key senior Democrats who "voted for the war before they voted against it". I'm more worried about Americans who's ideas have already been shaped by the words of the real murderers and terrorists than anything our Presidents (including Bill Clinton) have done when dealing with Iraq.
Posted by perception5
So perception5, I can only conclude that you support bringing back the fairness doctrine.
Posted by gunshack1
Blame? Therein is the problem. BLAME. Why the need to blame? As an American our spirit should not be to BLAME. I have noticed the trend in the past years that blame is become automatic. Rather than blame, let us challenge ourselves to do better.
Skrew the talk of repub, demo, conserv, lib.
We should be better than that.
We should rise above fear. Indeed we have and we can.
I do not wish the next generation of Americans to live in fear or blame.
I for one have had enough of the blame game and the fear tactic.
I say we pull TOGETHER as AMERICANS and stop the stupidity.
We can do it.
Don't worry people. We're fighting them over there so they would never come here right?
A Tyrant's only weapon, is FEAR.
In essence, this would be a human IED. The terrorists already know the technology and our screening procedures will not catch it. So the bottom line is that looking for cheese in baggies is great, but it isn't stopping terrorist bombings. All it would take is for Al Queda to pull their heads out and stick a bomb in instead.
Where is the security check point before boarding? There is none and you or anyone else can bring on the plane knives and broken glass and cigarette lighters which you can purchase at the stores after you go through the check point.
I have also experienced twice, not once a plane that still had my carry on luggage. The plane was delayed on the runway and we were told to get off plane and return to the gate in 1 hr. I went to a near by restaurant at PIT airport and while in there the gate was changed and time to board plane --- I never heard the announcement because I was inside a restaurant. Even though the women that was seated beside me told the attendant that I was not on the plane and my carry on was still under my seat her complaint was dismissed. This very same thing just happen to my son on his connecting flight in NY from PBI going to PIT.
I e-mailed the White House after my experience with the knives and glass, but nothing became of it so I never reported the carry on bag incident and I doubt if the Pilot or flight attendant reported this to USAir Officials.
Let's face it, you can only beat a dead horse for so long.....or can you go one indefinitely????
demonic-rats won't fight the fascist nazi terrorislamic war...
Incredible! George S Patton's New Speech-Iraq & modern world
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUX6wV1lBQ
Troops Home Now! Free Korey!
If these were "dry runs" and the passengers were not held by the authorities.....very odd.
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by dimmbulb
July 26, 2007 8:36 PM PDT
- Don't take it lightly, ya'll. Cheese and crackers in your carryon bag is a snack. Cheese, wires, and a detonator is a simulated-bomb dry run.
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Reply to this comment
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See all 38 CommentsI'd still like to hear that these people are in jail despite the fact that TSA "has not linked the men and women carrying the suspicious items to any terrorist or criminal organization."
I'd say "this little cheese-and-wires or clay-and-wires-and-duct-tape trick makes us about 60% sure you're a terrorist -- and that's enough for us. Hit the lockup. Oops, sorry about that accident in prison"
We've got to find the middle road between protecting civil liberties and neutralizing the right people. If we can't find the talent to identify the bad actors and the will to put an ice pick in their temples, this country will deserve what it gets.