August 2004 - cypherpunks-legacy

Prosecutors See Potential Break In Terrorism-Financing Probe
by R. A. Hettinga 02 Aug '04

02 Aug '04

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109139743763779889,00.html> The Wall Street Journal August 2, 2004 WORLD NEWS Prosecutors See Potential Break In Terrorism-Financing Probe By GLENN R. SIMPSON Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL August 2, 2004; Page A4 WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors investigating terrorism financing said they hope to unravel the murky finances of some major fundamentalist groups, after winning cooperation from a key fund-raiser for Islamic causes in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. Lawyers for the fund-raiser -- prominent Muslim activist Abdurahman Alamoudi -- said the Justice Department's belief that he has information on Islamist terror networks is a fantasy. Mr. Alamoudi on Friday pleaded guilty to tax and immigration fraud and violating terrorism sanctions on Libya, in a bargain with prosecutors. (See related article1.) "There is not a shred of evidence" linking Mr. Alamoudi to Islamist terror groups, his lawyer Stanley Cohen told reporters outside the courthouse in Alexandria, Va., where Mr. Alamoudi confessed. While Mr. Alamoudi admits to involvement in a plot to kill the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, "none of that involves Hamas, Al Qaeda or jihad," Mr. Cohen said. The government takes a very different view. "Alamoudi was a major player in the financial support of terrorism," said Paul McNulty, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "Mr. Alamoudi's decision to cooperate with the government will help us gain additional insight into terrorist activities," added Gary Bald, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's counterterrorism division. The contradictory statements suggest the government's "cooperation agreement" with Mr. Alamoudi is likely to be severely tested in coming weeks and months. While Mr. Alamoudi and his lawyer Mr. Cohen have seemed almost eager to give up his Libyan financial backers including Col. Muammar Gadhafi, the Libyan leader, it appears the Libyans aren't who the government really wants. The charges to which Mr. Alamoudi confessed do little to help build a case against Libya, which is in a diplomatic rapprochement with the U.S. after agreeing several months ago to give up its weapons of mass destruction. On the other hand, prosecutors do see Mr. Alamoudi as a central figure in their sprawling, multipronged investigation into fundamentalist fund-raising in Northern Virginia. Mr. Alamoudi, who was born in Eritrea, has little ideological loyalty to the Libyan regime, whose origins are secular, socialist and nationalist. His background is deeply Islamist and rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, a militant fundamentalist society founded in Egypt that seeks world government under the Quran whose leaders often provide ideological justification for terrorism. Mr. Cohen is well known to federal prosecutors for his pro-Palestinian rhetoric and a client list that includes many Hamas and Al Qaeda figures. Still, Mr. Cohen doesn't deny the plain language of Mr. Alamoudi's deal. "He will provide honest and complete and candid cooperation," he promised. In several court filings, prosecutors have disclosed numerous links between Mr. Alamoudi and alleged terrorists and their supporters, including top Hamas leaders and some alleged supporters of al Qaeda. In addition, Mr. Alamoudi admitted in court that two prominent Saudi dissidents in London were key figures in the plot to kill Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah that was broken up last fall. The government has a good deal of leverage to get what it wants. Mr. Alamoudi won't be sentenced until Oct. 15, and while he faces as many as 23 years in prison, a good word from prosecutors could net him far less. Moreover, since he pleaded guilty to an immigration charge, his wife's status as a U.S. citizen is at the mercy of the government. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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[IP] Bulk of 2004's virus infections pinned on one man (fwd from dave@farber.net)
by Eugen Leitl 02 Aug '04

02 Aug '04

----- Forwarded message from David Farber <dave(a)farber.net> -----

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On how the NSA can be generations ahead
by Major Variola (ret) 02 Aug '04

02 Aug '04

Tyler D asked about how the NSA could be so far ahead. Besides their ability to make 2" sq. chips at 10% yield (not something a commercial entity could get away with) they can also *thin and glue* those chips into say stacks of 5 thinned die. 2" sq = 4 x performance 5 thinned die with GHz vias = 20 x performance. Both are uneconomical but feasible. Get it? Any questions? ----- all your burst-mode wall-chair-molding-bugs in the state dept are belong to us...

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Al-Q targeting NY corporations...ah well.
by Tyler Durden 01 Aug '04

01 Aug '04

Oh yeah... For those Cypherpunks that actually have sex with something other than their fist, the following statements are officially* fairly cypherpunkinsh: "Hey...if I have to take out that garbage then the terrrorists have won." "Ah well. We had a pretty good run. Let's face the fact that the party's over." "If you don't give me that blowjob tonight, then the terrorist have won." "Hey...bin Laden's MUCH safer than Washington Heights." "Why can't they blow up the goddam Hollywood sign...all those LA-LA-ers are just dying to have candlelight vigils and sing CoomByeYa." * Fuck you Variola...I just had a couple of dark Spatens ON TAP. I therefore declare that any Cypherpunk is officially authorized to make an official Cypherpunk statement, particularly if it a) Gets them some poontang, b) Gets them a few extra $$$, c) deflects any kind of bullzhit, real or perceived, or 4) Ya' just feel like making an official statement. Such official statements can completely contradict any other official statement, and that are by no means binding on any other subscriber to the Cypherpunks list (and of course they couldn't be). >From: "Tyler Durden" <camera_lumina(a)hotmail.com> >To: sunder(a)sunder.net, measl(a)mfn.org >CC: cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net >Subject: Re: Al-Q targeting NY corporations? >Date: Sun, 01 Aug 2004 17:31:20 -0400 > >"Nah, if you're an Al Qaeda member, it's >your duty to open up more donut shops and in fact, have a policy of free >donuts to every cop. Infact, you should send crates of donuts to every >police precinct several times a day. I'd suggest a 10:1 donut to officer >ratio." > >I'm pretty sure I saw bin Laden working in "Kabab King" in Jackson Heights. > I know it's him 'cause when I ordered I saw him spit on my Kababs. I >said, "yo Osama...what the fuck're you doin' to my Kebabs". His reply: >"Fuck you infidel. You want Pakistani food go to a buffet down the street." > >As for targeting Financial Institutions, I went and painted a giant "JP >Morgan" symbol on the roof of Madison Square Garden last week. Think it'll >work? If it doesn't, like I said I'll try to sniff a hotspot from under the >rubble for one last Cypherpunks post. > >-TD > > > >>From: Sunder <sunder(a)sunder.net> >>To: "J.A. Terranson" <measl(a)mfn.org> >>CC: "cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net" <cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net> >>Subject: Re: Al-Q targeting NY corporations? >>Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 12:58:46 -0400 (edt) >> >> >><FUD Mode=True> >> >>I've a better idea for the terrorists who may be paying attention, why not >>just leave NYC alone and target something more useful to take out - like >>Microsoft, for example. >> >>IMHO, the planes that were targeted at the WTC would have been better >>directed at various Redmond, WA buildings. They're after all a very big >>company with a lot of billions - that would have been far more spectacular >>an attack than a couple of profitless eyesores blocking everyone's view of >>the Statue of Liberty. <BURP> >> >>And what's with attacking the pentagon? They're the biggest sink of Evil >>American Taxpayer funds after all. Don't you want your enemies wasting >>billions of dollars on shitty airplanes and helicopters that crash >>themselves? >> >>Besides, if you want to piss off the NY Cops, don't attack One Police >>Plaza, take out Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme joints... well, wait, I >>kinda like Krispy Kreme once in a while, ok, just Dunkin Donuts... Or >>better yet, don't! The artery clogging fat and the diabetes inducing >>sugar+starch already do plenty. Nah, if you're an Al Qaeda member, it's >>your duty to open up more donut shops and in fact, have a policy of free >>donuts to every cop. Infact, you should send crates of donuts to every >>police precinct several times a day. I'd suggest a 10:1 donut to officer >>ratio. >> >>Ditto for McDonalds foods. Add extra grease. The hydrogenated soybean >>kind! >> >>And why bother taking out the bridge to NJ - after all, NJ is where all >>the stench is (remember that old joke: Girlfriend "Kiss me where it >>smells," Boyfriend: "Ok, let's drive to NJ!" You're better off leaving >>that bridge alone, so commuters can be terrorized by the industrial stench >>as they drive through, and by all the delays. Infact, if you're an Al >>Qaeda engineer, you'll want to BUILD more bridges to NJ, so more Satan >>Loving American Infidels will get sickened by it. >> >>Oh yeah, and be sure to vote for Bush. He'll be sure to fuck the economy >>even worse and put more draconian laws into effect. You Al-Qaeda types >>hate us for having freedom, right? So Dubbya's your perfect boy for that. >> >> >>That's the real way to be a terrorist, not by wasting your time on some >>dumb ass fireworks by airplane. Pshaw, only amateur terrorists do it that >>way. >> >></FUD> >> >>----------------------Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos--------------------------- >> + ^ + :"I find it ironic that, on an amendment designed to protect /|\ >> \|/ :American democracy and our constitutional rights, the /\|/\ >><--*-->:Republican leadership in the House had to rig the vote and \/|\/ >> /|\ :subvert the democratic process in order to prevail" \|/ >> + v + : -- Rep. Sanders re vote to ammend the US PATRIOT ACT. >>-------------------------------------- http://www.sunder.net ------------ >> >>On Sun, 1 Aug 2004, J.A. Terranson wrote: >> >> > Article below. >> > >> > Just in case AQ is listening, I'd like to remind them that there are >>some >> > other states that also have some *really* good targets ;-) But, if >>you're >> > just "stuck" on New York, let me make my recommendations: >> > >_________________________________________________________________ >Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. >Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 > _________________________________________________________________ Dont just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

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Could U.S. Bid to Curb Gambling on the Web Go Way of Prohibition?
by R. A. Hettinga 01 Aug '04

01 Aug '04

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109139863475079918,00.html> The Wall Street Journal August 2, 2004 PORTALS Could U.S. Bid to Curb Gambling on the Web Go Way of Prohibition? By JULIA ANGWIN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL August 2, 2004 David Carruthers, a 46-year-old executive with thinning gray hair, is an unlikely outlaw. Recently, a wild moment for him was drinking a champagne toast in his banker's office after his company went public on the Alternative Investment Market, a London stock exchange. Nonetheless, many U.S. lawmakers and regulators would like to shut down Mr. Carruthers's London-based BetonSports, along with other operations that run Web gambling sites catering to Americans. Under the 1961 Federal Wire Act, betting on sports via telephone or the Internet is illegal in the U.S. But online gambling is legal in many other countries, and the U.S. can't do much to prevent companies operating abroad from accepting wagers from U.S. citizens. As a result, a gigantic online gambling market has sprung up overseas. Last year, world-wide revenue from online gambling totaled $5.7 billion, and a majority of the gamblers were American, according to Christiansen Capital Advisors, a market-research firm. BetonSports, which says 98% of its customers are U.S. based, had a profit of $26.8 million for the year ended Jan. 31. Mr. Carruthers and many other Internet gambling executives are betting that the U.S. will eventually have to drop its online-gambling prohibition. "What happened with alcohol was a disaster," he says. "Nobody wants this business, which is flourishing offshore, being pushed back onto the streets and the back alleys of the U.S." He also argues that "there's a huge missed opportunity here" to collect revenue. So far, the U.S. government isn't convinced. But that could change as the result of talks that will start this month between the tiny twin-island Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the U.S. U.S. opposition to Web gambling has hurt Antigua and Barbuda. Until 1999, the island nation was a favorite spot for online companies catering to U.S. gamblers. The industry employed 3,000 people and was responsible for 8% to 10% of the nation's GDP. But then the U.S. cracked down. In 2000, the Justice Department successfully prosecuted Jay Cohen, a U.S. citizen who was running a betting operation called the World Sports Exchange from Antigua. In 2002, after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer went after Citibank and PayPal for processing credit-card payments for online gambling, both agreed to stop. Now, most U.S. credit-card issuers won't process online gambling payments. Last year, the Justice Department notified the National Association of Broadcasters that accepting money from Web gambling advertisers could be considered "aiding and abetting" an illegal activity, and it issued subpoenas to such media companies as radio giant Clear Channel Communications. Then, in April, U.S. marshals seized $3.2 million that Discovery Communications had accepted for ads from Tropical Paradise, a Web casino operation based in Costa Rica. The result: Online gambling ads vanished from Google, Yahoo and Howard Stern's radio show, among other venues. In part because of U.S. actions, Antigua and Barbuda says, its gambling industry has shrunk to only 31 licensed companies from a peak of 112, and it now employs fewer than 500 people. In response, Antigua and Barbuda took the highly unusual step last year of challenging the U.S. at the World Trade Organization. The island nation claimed that by permitting U.S. operators to offer gambling services in the U.S. but prohibiting offshore operations from doing so, the U.S. was violating the General Agreement on Trade in Services. In March, a WTO court sided with Antigua and Barbuda; the two sides have said they hope to negotiate a settlement by Aug. 23. Many in the online-gambling industry worry that the islands will cave in to U.S. pressure. But Mr. Carruthers, whose BetonSports has an Antigua subsidiary, says the island government has assured his company that it is sticking by the industry. If Antigua wins, other countries could bring similar charges against the U.S. Already, the U.K. has been working on a set of laws -- which could pass by the end of this year -- that will regulate and license online gambling operations. And the Australian government last month announced it had completed a review of online gambling and had decided not to ban the practice. In the face of such pressure, U.S. law-enforcement efforts are "like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon," says Joseph Kelly, a law professor who studies Internet gambling at the State University of New York College at Buffalo. Even if Antigua loses, the reality of the Internet is that no one government can control it. Despite world-wide crackdowns, spammers and pornographers continue to find dark corners of the world where they can operate. And fly-by-night online casinos occasionally shut down without paying out their winnings. In such a world, the best hand the U.S. can play may well be regulation. By legalizing and regulating online gambling, the U.S. government would make it safer for the 5.3 million Americans who are already gambling in offshore online casinos. After all, says Mr. Carruthers, "the voice of the people has spoken." -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Re: Al-Q targeting NY corporations?
by Tyler Durden 01 Aug '04

01 Aug '04

"Nah, if you're an Al Qaeda member, it's your duty to open up more donut shops and in fact, have a policy of free donuts to every cop. Infact, you should send crates of donuts to every police precinct several times a day. I'd suggest a 10:1 donut to officer ratio." I'm pretty sure I saw bin Laden working in "Kabab King" in Jackson Heights. I know it's him 'cause when I ordered I saw him spit on my Kababs. I said, "yo Osama...what the fuck're you doin' to my Kebabs". His reply: "Fuck you infidel. You want Pakistani food go to a buffet down the street." As for targeting Financial Institutions, I went and painted a giant "JP Morgan" symbol on the roof of Madison Square Garden last week. Think it'll work? If it doesn't, like I said I'll try to sniff a hotspot from under the rubble for one last Cypherpunks post. -TD >From: Sunder <sunder(a)sunder.net> >To: "J.A. Terranson" <measl(a)mfn.org> >CC: "cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net" <cypherpunks(a)al-qaeda.net> >Subject: Re: Al-Q targeting NY corporations? >Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 12:58:46 -0400 (edt) > > ><FUD Mode=True> > >I've a better idea for the terrorists who may be paying attention, why not >just leave NYC alone and target something more useful to take out - like >Microsoft, for example. > >IMHO, the planes that were targeted at the WTC would have been better >directed at various Redmond, WA buildings. They're after all a very big >company with a lot of billions - that would have been far more spectacular >an attack than a couple of profitless eyesores blocking everyone's view of >the Statue of Liberty. <BURP> > >And what's with attacking the pentagon? They're the biggest sink of Evil >American Taxpayer funds after all. Don't you want your enemies wasting >billions of dollars on shitty airplanes and helicopters that crash >themselves? > >Besides, if you want to piss off the NY Cops, don't attack One Police >Plaza, take out Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme joints... well, wait, I >kinda like Krispy Kreme once in a while, ok, just Dunkin Donuts... Or >better yet, don't! The artery clogging fat and the diabetes inducing >sugar+starch already do plenty. Nah, if you're an Al Qaeda member, it's >your duty to open up more donut shops and in fact, have a policy of free >donuts to every cop. Infact, you should send crates of donuts to every >police precinct several times a day. I'd suggest a 10:1 donut to officer >ratio. > >Ditto for McDonalds foods. Add extra grease. The hydrogenated soybean >kind! > >And why bother taking out the bridge to NJ - after all, NJ is where all >the stench is (remember that old joke: Girlfriend "Kiss me where it >smells," Boyfriend: "Ok, let's drive to NJ!" You're better off leaving >that bridge alone, so commuters can be terrorized by the industrial stench >as they drive through, and by all the delays. Infact, if you're an Al >Qaeda engineer, you'll want to BUILD more bridges to NJ, so more Satan >Loving American Infidels will get sickened by it. > >Oh yeah, and be sure to vote for Bush. He'll be sure to fuck the economy >even worse and put more draconian laws into effect. You Al-Qaeda types >hate us for having freedom, right? So Dubbya's your perfect boy for that. > > >That's the real way to be a terrorist, not by wasting your time on some >dumb ass fireworks by airplane. Pshaw, only amateur terrorists do it that >way. > ></FUD> > >----------------------Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos--------------------------- > + ^ + :"I find it ironic that, on an amendment designed to protect /|\ > \|/ :American democracy and our constitutional rights, the /\|/\ ><--*-->:Republican leadership in the House had to rig the vote and \/|\/ > /|\ :subvert the democratic process in order to prevail" \|/ > + v + : -- Rep. Sanders re vote to ammend the US PATRIOT ACT. >-------------------------------------- http://www.sunder.net ------------ > >On Sun, 1 Aug 2004, J.A. Terranson wrote: > > > Article below. > > > > Just in case AQ is listening, I'd like to remind them that there are >some > > other states that also have some *really* good targets ;-) But, if >you're > > just "stuck" on New York, let me make my recommendations: > _________________________________________________________________ Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

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Terrorists wear neckties.
by Thomas Shaddack 01 Aug '04

01 Aug '04

I don't worry about car bombs nor hijacked airplanes. I have better chance of being killed in a standardized ISO-compliant CE-marked car crash than getting into mere visual contact with a bomb blast. On the other side, the streams of bureaucrap the Hellhole also known as Brussels spews every day are filling my heart with genuine fear. Forget about turbans. Real terrorists wear neckties.

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Terror Threat Level Is Raised For Key U.S. Financial Buildings
by R. A. Hettinga 01 Aug '04

01 Aug '04

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109136672993879685,00.html> The Wall Street Journal August 1, 2004 2:46 p.m. EDT WORLD NEWS Terror Threat Level Is Raised For Key U.S. Financial Buildings Associated Press August 1, 2004 2:46 p.m. NEW YORK -- The federal government warned today of possible terrorist attacks against "iconic" financial institutions in New York City, Washington and Newark, N.J., saying a confluence of intelligence over the weekend pointed to a car or truck bomb. Specifically, the government named these buildings as potential targets: The Citicorp building and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City; The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank buildings in Washington; and the Prudential Financial building in Newark. The government said the new intelligence indicated the meticulous planning of al Qaeda. He identified explosives as the likely mode of attack, as opposed to a chemical or biological attack or a radiological "dirty" bomb. Mr. Ridge said the government's threat level for financial institutions in just these three cities would be raised to orange, or high alert, but would remain at yellow, or elevated, elsewhere. The government provided a wealth of detail that it had picked up in the past 36 hours, but a senior intelligence official described it only on condition of anonymity. The official described "excruciating detail" and meticulous planning "indicative of al Qaeda." The official said the intelligence included security in and around these buildings; the flow of pedestrians; the best places for reconnaissance; how to make contact with employees who work in the buildings; the construction of the buildings; traffic patterns; locations of hospitals and police departments; and which days of the week present less security at these buildings. To illustrate the level of detail obtained, the official cited these examples: midweek pedestrian traffic of 14 people per minute on each side of the street for a total of 28 people; that some explosives might not be hot enough to melt steel; and that the construction of some buildings might prevent them from falling down. The official said he had not seen such extraordinary detail in his 24 years in intelligence work. Mr. Ridge said it would be up to New York City officials to decide whether to move to the highest level, red. The city has remained on orange since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The threat potential remains through the Nov. 2 elections, he said. The secretary said the government took the unprecedented step of naming specific buildings because of the level of specificity of the intelligence. "This is not the usual chatter. This is multiple sources that involve extraordinary detail," Mr. Ridge said. He said the government decided to notify the public because of the specificity of detail it had obtained. Mr. Ridge acknowledged that protecting these buildings, located in heavily populated areas, would require additional security measures, especially because thousands of cars and trucks travel through these cities daily. "Car and truck bombs are one of the most difficult tasks we have in the war on terror," Mr. Ridge said. Local and state officials were notified earlier in the day and Mr. Ridge said new security procedures were already being put in place. A White House spokeswoman, Erin Healy, said the intelligence on the threat was "very new, coming in during the last 72 hours." "The president made the final decision today agreeing with the recommendation of Secretary Ridge to go ahead and raise the threat level in these select areas," Ms. Healy said. This was the first time the color-coded warning system had been used in such a narrow, targeted way, Mr. Ridge said at a news conference at department headquarters. "With this kind of information comes action," he said. "This is sobering news." Referring to terrorists who are hostile to the U.S., Mr. Ridge said, "Iconic economic targets are at the heart of their interest." He said workers at the five specific buildings should get guidance from security officers at each site and remain alert as they go to work. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Al-Q targeting NY corporations?
by J.A. Terranson 01 Aug '04

01 Aug '04

Article below. Just in case AQ is listening, I'd like to remind them that there are some other states that also have some *really* good targets ;-) But, if you're just "stuck" on New York, let me make my recommendations: (1) Citicorp Center. Thousands of people work in this one gargantuan and profoundly ugly building. As a bonus, it belongs to one of Israel's biggest finance sources ;-) (2) One Police Plaza. Not just for donuts anymore! This huge, purpose-built, multibuilding plaza houses a significant percentage of New York's police department. As a bonus, it is also a centralized facility which serves a large number of federal and state agencies as well. One Stop Shopping!!! (3) The George & Martha Washington Bridges. These two bridges share a single two level span which connects New York and New Jersey (the Martha bridge was an add-on to the George, when George turned out to be too small to carry all the traffic). Destruction of these two incredibly ugly and poorly designed bridges would be a boon for the esthetic flavor of the area (which is otherwise surrounded by some of the most beautiful areas in New York City proper), not to mention the air quality. And, for AQ, the resulting economic damages would amount ot a Gift That Keeps On Giving ;-) Happy Hunting! -- Yours, J.A. Terranson sysadmin(a)mfn.org 0xBD4A95BF "...justice is a duty towards those whom you love and those whom you do not. And people's rights will not be harmed if the opponent speaks out about them." Osama Bin Laden - - - "There aught to be limits to freedom!" George Bush - - - Which one scares you more? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=EVMVMWLEROJ22CRBAE0CFFA… NYPD Source: Al Qaeda May Target New York Firms Sun Aug 1, 2004 09:31 AM ET By Mark Egan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top federal and local law enforcement officials met in New York during the weekend to discuss new intelligence about a possible al Qaeda attack against major corporations or high-profile buildings in Manhattan, a police source said on Sunday. The New York Police Department source told Reuters that increased intelligence "chatter" from overseas of a possible fresh attack of the city prompted meetings late Friday and early Saturday between NYPD chief Raymond Kelly and Pasquale Damuro, head of the FBI's office here. "The intelligence is not specific but we are taking it very seriously," the source said, noting that the intelligence was deemed "credible." New York was the city most affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with almost 2,800 people killed when hijacked planes destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The city has remained on a heightened alert since then and federal officials have said that the Republican National Convention at the end of August would make an attractive terrorist target. The threat was first reported by ABC News, which said the authorities were particularly disturbed that the information indicated attacks may be carried out by one or more suicide truck bombings. Following the meetings, the NYPD issued a statement that said, "Intelligence reporting indicates that al Qaeda continues to target for attack commercial and financial institutions, as well as international organizations, inside the United States." The police department said it "recommends that corporate and institutional security directors review their protection of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, parking installations, and security in general." However, the department said the alert level for New York is unchanged and remains at the second-highest level of "orange" or "high." At the Republican convention from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, President Bush will be officially nominated to run for a second term in office. Thousands of delegates, a large contingent of media and as many as 200,000 protesters are expected in town for the event. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is scheduled to be in New York on Sunday and The New York Times quoted a law enforcement official saying he was expected to comment on the new information.

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