The jihadi threat to rail security
The arrest of terror suspect Najibullah Zazi has re-focused Obama’s homeland security officials on the ongoing jihadi threat to rail security.
Mass transit systems across the country are on renewed alert:
A 24-year-old Afghan man at the center of an unfolding FBI investigation into a possible U.S. terrorism cell was ordered held without bond in Colorado Monday as authorities raced to learn more about an alleged plot using hydrogen peroxide explosives and who else might have been helping to carry it out.
Meanwhile, authorities in Washington and elsewhere were stepping up safety patrols on mass transit systems in response to an advisory issued in connection with the probe.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a bulletin to transit agencies Friday repeating past warnings to be on guard for attacks on mass transit systems, and identifying hydrogen peroxide-based explosives as a specific risk…Local officials in Washington said the bulletin specifically mentioned Grand Central Station in New York City, but said they have nevertheless increased the number of random patrols…
…Counterterrorism experts said U.S. officials were taking the case “very seriously” because of the apparent similarities to recent plots in the United Kingdom linked to al-Qaeda.
The Zazi investigation has focused on a type of improvised liquid explosive involving hydrogen peroxide — HMTD — that was involved in several plots in Britain traced to operatives linked to al-Qaeda, including the London transit bombings on July 7, 2005, that killed 56 people; a failed copycat attack two weeks later; and a plot, foiled by authorities in August 2006, to blow up at least seven transatlantic airliners.
The transit bombings involved people with backpack bombs, and all plots had ringleaders or other key participants with legal residency in the United Kingdom and who had traveled to Pakistan.
“The explosives element, the training and the backpacks — all are part of the core al-Qaeda bomb-making curriculum as we’ve seen in two specific incidents in the United Kingdom, and if you take out the backpacks, the last three significant U.K. incidents,” said Bruce R. Hoffman, a counterterrorism analyst at Georgetown University.
Unlike in recent U.S. plots — which federal authorities often described as “aspirational” and whose leaders’ search for expertise or weapons often unwittingly led to them to consult FBI informants — Zazi may have been trained to work with explosives.
On September 11, I reported on the Obama administration’s dismantling of the nation’s most highly-trained post-9/11 counterterrorism rail security team:
According to multiple government sources who declined to be identified for fear of retribution, OSSSO’s East Coast and West Coast teams have not worked in a counterterrorism capacity since the summer. Their long-arms were put under lock and key after the abrupt departures of Amtrak vice president for security strategy and special operations Bill Rooney and Amtrak Inspector General Fred Weiderhold.
Weiderhold played an instrumental role in creating OSSSO’s predecessor at Amtrak, the Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU). He tapped Rooney to oversee the office. But Rooney was quietly given the “thank you for your service” heave-ho in May and Weiderhold was unexpectedly “retired” a few weeks later — just as the government-subsidized rail service faced mounting complaints about its meddling in financial audits and probes.
As I reported in June, Weiderhold had blown the whistle on intrusion of Amtrak’s Law Department into his financial audits and probes. A damning, 94-page report from an outside legal firm concluded that the “independence and effectiveness” of the Amtrak inspector general’s office were “being substantially impaired” by the Law Department – which happens to be headed by Eleanor Acheson, a close pal of Vice President Biden.
Biden, in turn, is tight with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the powerful union that represents the Amtrak Police Department. According to OSSSO sources, the APD brass have been aggrieved over the non-unionized counterterrorism unit’s existence from its inception. A West Coast OSSSO team member told me that union leaders blocked police credentialing efforts by his office for more than a year. An East Coast OSSSO team member told me that the FOP recently filed a grievance against one of its counterterrorism officers for assisting a train conductor who asked for help in ejecting a ticketless passenger.
Unlike the highly-specialized officers at OSSSO, APD officers possess minimal counterterrorism training. Past studies show alarmingly low pass rates among APD patrolmen who have attended undergone basic special operations classes, according to government sources. The Amtrak FOP continues to squabble over turf with the rival Teamsters Union; its leaders can’t even agree on minimal physical fitness standards for its members that have yet to be implemented. Nevertheless, OSSSO is now under the command and control of the APD — and federal stimulus funding specifically earmarked for the counterterrorism unit has now been absorbed by the police department.
After my column appeared, Amtrak officials confirmed that OSSSO unit members had their long-arms taken away and that West Coast OSSSO members remain uncommissioned due to union squabbling in California.
“Amtrak fully expects to have a resolution in the near future,” I was told.
Dickering while jihadis plot.
Forever stuck in 9/10 mode.
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May God help us.
CA’s unions, the bane of our existence. Do the union officials believe they are going to be exempt from terrorist attacks?
Napolitano must still be sic’ing her agents on RightWingers!
Everything Obama has done since taking office is contrary to the good of the country. He has a White House full of left wing radicals,and their only aim is the destruction of America. The “useful idiots” are the people we can thank for this. If we don’t act soon, there will be no “hope” because we are seeing the “change”.
more peaceful madrassas trained muslims in the u.s. no doubt going to school or doing jobs no american will do, like taxi driver in ny.
That’s reassuring given the sterling reputation Amtrak has for achieving resolution on other important matters.
Are the CIA and FBI talking to each other yet? Last I heard they were still having a lovers quarrel.
This Administration needs a serious “attitude adjustment”. Hope it does not cost American lives to accomplish that.
Once again: Obama the little man activist is not ready for prime time….
A dog with no teeth is no threat.
A good example why our Nation’s security should not have union involvement.
I would like to remind Amtrak that the jihadis are not as silly as they are.
I thought the war on terror was over. I guess some of the jihadists didn’t get the memo.
Note to self, load more ammo, the government is obviously not going to be much help in the coming conflict.
Everyone knows that the threat comes from those selfish 70 year old men upset about medicare.
If you live in a high threat area, you need to be armed and you need to assume you are on your own for at least three hours.
If there is a hurricane, flood or tornado, you do not sit in the middle of the disaster and wait for FEMA. HLS is not going to be riding over the hill. You will have to defend you and yours with the weapons you have available.
You need to be the “well-trained militia.”
I suspect that this plot was uncovered initially either during the last days of the Bush term or the earliest days of the Obama administration before he had a chance to re-Gorelick-ize the CIA and FBI.
I doubt now there will be any trains bombed in the next few weeks.
But plots being hatched just now, with the Obama/Holder DoJ thoroughly politicized and afraid to offend Muslims, including the FBI, and the CIA being thoroughly demoralized, might go to the end undetected.
Until Obama and this corrupt Congress are out of power, I will be staying out of public transportation and large cities. That still might not be enough to keep me safe, but at least I can try. Is that cowardice? Or just seeing the reality of what Obama has done to the homeland security? There are only two explanations for his actions and neither one is acceptable:
1. He is stupid
2. He wants to enable an attack in this country.
3. He is pandering so much to the radical far left that he has lost all perspective.
I know, I said two explanations…but I was using Biden’s counting system.
I generally respect the police, but…
what are those 4 “special agents” doing in the picture that accompanies this post?
I’ve never seen a tactic like the one shown here. It looks, frankly, terrible.
You’re right, but don’t worry. In future, they will unarmed.
CIA, NSC, Spec OPs – turn ‘em loose and we will be jihadi free within a year. No muss no fuss.
Speaking of which…. didn’t that little chippie have her fat fingers in FANNIE & FREDDIE money too? Chick is into everything. A regular Mata Hari.
Happyscrapper, it’s not cowardice. It’s using your intelligence.
I stopped flying in 2000 in part because I was concerned about our failure to secure our airliners. That kind of obvious gross negligence should not be ignored. Didn’t anyone besides me read Tom Clancy’s Debt of Honor?
BTW, the correct answer is #4: All of the above.
Between that and the Obama administration China Tires trade tariff (on behalf of the union)I think the picture is becoming clearer by the day who is really running the country.
Hey dummies, didn’t you know this the real focus of world crisis? Get with the program please. Criminy.
The American people are getting determined to act on Obama and his Communist cohort. Hey Katie: Get ready to bar that door.
I think “act” is the right word. This whole thing is one, giant kabuki.
My real fear for the USA isn’t clowns like Obama and his posse. They’re completely empty suits, and anyone with half a brain sees right through them.
My fear is that more than half of the United States clearly DON’T have half a brain.
Just look at this country.
The Empire State Building was built in 400 days, during the depression. 8 years after 9/11, we still haven’t completed the DEMOLITION for the site.
Katrina struck how many years ago? And how many hundreds of billions of dollars went into that corrupt sink hole? It’s still a disaster. Other than Bourbon St., it’s a total waste of $.
These are the same clowns that want to control our Health Care, our fuels, our “carbon emissions.”
And many “Americans” think that’s just fine.
Unbelievable…
I guess we’re in for a “Man Made Disaster” again!
Personally, I can live without all of their “rapid reaction” forces and the ever more oppressive rules on the public. I’d just as soon give all of the passenger weapons and let them fight it out.
From the Obama administration’s POV, the more deadly and destructive the terror attack, the greater the benefit to them. First, everyone in service to Obama will blame America, Bush, Republicans, Neocons and so on. Second, it will be viewed as an opportunity to expand state power in multiple directions (e.g. this shows we really need national health care or some such rubbish). Now ask yourselves: does this provide an incentive to take all necessary measures to protect the American people? I don’t think so. Or does this provide a strong incentive to either do nothing or dither — which is what we are observing? Your call.
Are you saying that Katie Couric would focus more on the fact that “12% of the wounded didn’t have health insurance,” than on the attack itself?
If you’re not, btw, I am…
Yes.
I could not disagree more. Based on everything Obama has done from Gitmo, to the CIA, to cancelling missile interceptors in Poland, to the apolgy tour, etc. if we absorb a major terrorist attack you can just stick a fork into the whole bunch of them.
Even with all of the things Bush did, I think we all expected another attack. True or not, the impression is Bush’s tactics surpressed another attack. Obama has done nothing but criticize, attack, and even criminalize those measures. Terrorists strike here on his watch, he’s done.
The day after the Desert One Raid failed in April 1980 to free the Iranian hostages, the Carter Presidency was over, toast, ended, finished. People just counted the days until the new President was elected and took office.
When Obama was placating George Soros he was also playing “You Bet Your Presidency.”
***
HI FLYOVER MAN–A lot of us look at it like you do. Just try to buy a firearm or ammo–big waits for both. But like they say–better to have it and not need it than vice versa.
***
The Islamic enemy is alive and well–and getting ready to “bring it on” again. It may be sniper attacks, train / subway bombings, attacks on the train rails and bridges. Or a Mumbay style shoot em up.
***
The big enchilada(s) are nuke attacks on our cities. Bombs will probably be backpacked over our borders by jihadis. Maybe a few more Messiah Apology Tours can save the new U.S.S.A.
***
Let’s prosecute some more CIA agents to help prevent future attacks. Our enemies love us now that the EVIL BOOOSH and CHENEY are gone.
***
John Bibb
***
And don’t forget Gorelick got to be on the inside of the 9-11 Commission to spin things in the Democrats, and her own, favor. She got to sanitize the report, sweeping her own eneabling actions under the rug. Domestic terrorist.
Ooooh, scary-looking, must take them away. Watching too much TV, they think handguns would be the answer. Does anyone work in the Administration who isn’t stupid?
I thought all these people loved everything about Europe. Ever walked through an airport in Europe and seen the police with automatic weapons? Paris – the cops with automatic weapons? Carrying them around – you know, so they would be usable in an emergency.
beenthere, I have to disagree with you on one point. They will try to blame the previous administration but Americans will not buy that line after another attack. Can we make it San Francisco this time? Preferably when Nancy is home.
While I do not specifically wish fellow Americans harmed, I really do not, some people have to learn the same lessons repeatedly until they stick. Enablers should bear the brunt of their actions.
Well, I certainly hope you are right, but I have strong doubts. For one thing, the Republicans have not been able to launch an effective counter attack against any of Obama’s initiatives. Their most likely course of action if such a major terrorist strike occurs will be to “rally around the president to unite the country” or some such. For another, the dominant culture remains left liberal (indeed, has moved further to the left since the Carter days) which means all the government and media institutions as well. They will do everything possible to spin the attack as an indictment of America and the policies of the Bush administration and they will likely succeed. Finally, the democrat party is now best described (h/t to David Horowitz) as a Popular Front with Obama as its leader for life. Obama remains in control of some extremely powerful groups who are totally committed to him. Given that, the party has no intention of relinquishing power again, ever. Where this is leading I cannot say, but I can say that a peaceful transition of power from democrats to the right, such as in 1980, is unlikely in the extreme.
I can never decide if Obama is the stupidest President since Carter, or truly evil…which is worse?
Remember, Clinton had been essentially ignoring al Qaeda for years, an indictment here, a couple of cruise missiles there, nothing else.
Bush had been in office less than 8 months, and the libtards are adamant that the 9-11 attacks were Bush’s fault.
Obama has already been in office longer than Bush was at 9-11.
But if we’re attacked, it’ll be Bush’s fault.
Read the link at my 810631 post above…
They have no stomach for a stand up fight.
BTW:
…and Ed I don’t see 810631…
I may be delusional, but I think Obama is rapidly reaching the point where he has lied so often, so publically, so demonstrably that people are just starting to ignore everything he says.
Obama always depended on charisma, adoration and a fawning press. Those things only exist during a campaign. It is over. As Chris Wallace noted last night, “He has never encountered a bigger group of thin skineed whiners, than the currevt White House staff. They are not able to adjust.
Krauthammer’s column last Friday nailed it.
1:26 pm?
What incredible timing. First Obama destroys a well-trained rail security structure and replaces them with his own stooges, then the Vice President declares Iran as a “non-threat” and the missile shield in Europe gets cancelled, then Obama’s attorney general goes after the CIA. After all of this, the administration declares a “security threat”. The “security threat” is the Obama administration.
There is a train between DC and Dover, Delaware that just might be better left unguarded. The highest IQ in government should be able to protect himself.
When the jihadist DO hit us Janet Napolitano and Obama will blame the victims and Michael Moore, Bill Maher and Janeane Garofalo can mock us and the dead–it is a win win for the left. We haven’t allowed all the pilots who want to to carry sidearms. Do we really this this government really cares for the flyover?
Krauthammer is wonderful, but Krauthammer makes his living by parsing and shading words. I don’t.
Thus, in my world, Obama is merely a liar. Because he lies so effortlessly and often, he has actually crossed the line (in my world) to “Lying POS.”
I would characterize The One as a congenital liar. He’s far worse than Clinton ever was.
First post #84.
Those who call on the G-d of Noah, and Moses; The G-d that died for you in times of good thanking him, can expect to call on G-d in times of trouble. Millions of Americans do that.
That being said, this country has turned it’s back on G-d, not the moon god allah, or any other pagan god, and has earned his wrath.
We as a nation have thrown G-d out of the class room, and have so much crime in schools because of it, we have murdered our children to Molock for selfish reasons called abortion, we have allowed homos to suck each other off in the streets, and we have tried to divide Israel.
It is written, I think in Joel, those who think to divide Israel will be divided. There will be stronger storms, earthquakes, fires, etc… unless we repent as a nation, and take morality Moses gave us to teach our children.
I believe it is to late, and you should buy more ammo.
How about the jihadi threat to world security?
In my opinion it appears that a Jihadist ururper is currently acting as leader of the
free worldIslamo-Communist world.Welcome or as they say here, Aloha, which also means good-bye….
Despite the law, officials here routinely close open meetings, and keep public records secret. It’s very annoying.
So help me, in my browser it jumps from 810630 (1:22) to 810633 (1:30) with two posts apparently missing.
On September 22nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm, AlohaGuy said:
It looks like the law is solidly in favor of “MissTickly” and Leo Donofrio. And it looks like there is quite the cover-up going on in Hawaii.
If Obama was born in Hawaii, this should be easy to prove, and there would be no reason for the Hawaiian officials to obfuscate and hide Obama’s ammended vital records.
Even if he was born in Hawaii (which has yet to be proven with certified documents directly from the State of Hawaii), there is still the significant issue that Obama admits that he was born a British subject.
In general, I believe that the “dualer” issue is the more important issue, and must be resolved to support and defend the original intent of the Constitution… that, except for those who were grandfathered in by being citizens on June 21, 1788(when New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the Constitution and it was officially adopted), only natural born citizens, with no allegiance by blood or soil to any other nation, could become commander in chief of our military.
That issue must be resolved so that all Presidents from this point forward are confirmed to have been born on U.S. soil, to two U.S. Citizen parents, and never having gained citizenship of any other country (via adoption, etc.) at any point in their life.
But to get clarity on the “dualer” issue, we must first dispense with the “birther” issue. And if the “birther” issue happens to reveal that Obama was *not* born in Hawaii, then this is a coverup that is orders of magnitude worse than Watergate.
The following evidence does not speak well for Obama on the “birther’ issue:
1) “Barack Obama’s COLB” was first presented as a digital image posted on Daily Kos, (not his campaign web site), and it was posted there within minutes of a mostly blank COLB template and the clearly forged COLB of “Haye I.B. Ahphorgerie“.
2) The hardcopy of “Barack Obama’s COLB” was produced at and by the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago, not by Dr. Fukino, Director of the Hawaiian Department of Health. This hardcopy was only shown to individuals from Annenberg Political Fact Check, an organization which has been proven a) to do an inadequate job of checking facts, and b) to be highly biased in favor of Obama and against any “birther” who questions his eligibility. Barack Obama has prior connections to Annenberg, when he, along with Bill Ayers, worked on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. We cannot trust Annenberg Political Fact Check to “certify” the hardcopy “Barack Obama COLB”, and Dr. Fukino has not vouched for it’s authenticity in either of her two News Releases:
3) Consider this fact regarding Obama’s birth certificate…
the only person who has been willing to sign an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, has been Lucas Smith, who swore the following under oath about an Obama Kenyan Birth Certificate:
4) If Obama were born in Kenya, but one of his Dunham grandparents swore that he was born in Hawaii, then Hawaii would have accepted their sworn statement as the truth.
5) If Obama were born in Kenya, but later adopted by Lolo Soetoro in Honolulu, Hawaii, then the State of Hawaii would have issued a new birth certificate for Barry Soetoro, with the birthplace listed as Honolulu. With this current lawsuit, Leo has evidence that Obama’s birth certificate was, in fact, amended.
6) Of whose soil is Obama a son?
Who said that?
Was that in the statements by Dr. Chiyome Fukino, Hawaii’s Department Of Health Director?
No!
It was in the
Let’s make sure we tie up the CIA with worthless investigations from Ehrlich Holder
No big deal, we’ll just use some enhanced interogation techniques, like water boarding, to get all the info we need. O’crap. Wait a minute…….
MAYBE THESE PEOPLE HAVE NOT HEARD THAT OBAMA IS PRESIDENT! SOMEONE NEEDS TO TELL THEM SO THEY WILL LOVE US AND LEAVE US ALONE!!!!!!!
(I mean, that is what I thought we were told?…. Obama wouldn’t lie to us would he?)
off topic “can you hear us now – Oct.17th around the country)..events to be heard at local affiliates and a national event to boot…go get em patriots….let’s make sure they hear us….
http://www.operationcanyouhearusnow.com/
Racial profiling! Maybe they were gonna use the hydrogen peroxide to, like, start a hospital for kids or something. Yeah, thats the ticket. A hospital for poor starving children!
These Jihadis will be nice if we are just nice to them. Right. Geez I’m glad I don’t use the Metro.
And it is always an appropriate housewarming gift for your fellow patriots. God Bless America except for the Blue States.