I visit, on occasion, opinion sites that take the position that terrorism threats are overblown. As an amateur student of the subject I never fail to be amazed by the opinion that terror reporting has some manner of secret agenda attached to it and is promoted for political purposes such as passing surveillance laws and fear mongering. The opinion prevails that terrorism is little more than criminal gangs and of no serious threat to us. I find it remarkable but there it is. 

However, contrary opinions are important, they should motivate a renewed focus on your point of view. Contrary opinions should force a reconsideration of objectivity and interpretation. So, toward that end, this weeks (partial) terrorism review, judge for yourself.    

Ø      New documents shown at a dramatic closed-door briefing to diplomats in Vienna by the IAEA Chief Inspector Olli Heinonen provided new evidence that Iran continues to work on developing a nuclear warhead for its long-range ballistic missiles, despite a recent report to the contrary from the U.S. intelligence community.   The board room fell silent when Heinonen showed the Iranian produced PowerPoint presentation. Participants sat transfixed by the stunning new evidence of Iran’s secret nuclear weapons work, diplomats present during the briefing told Newsmax. (Ken Timmerman Article Dated March 6, 2008)

Ø      A Palestinian gunman murdered 8 and wounded 11 others in an attack on a library at a major rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem. The murders were followed by celebrations in Palestinian territories where dancing, distribution of candy and prominent displays of Hamas flags were in evidence.

Ø      MI5 identified four British police officers said to be spying for Al Qaeda and to have been acting as moles for Islamic extremist groups in Britain and abroad.

Ø      The Tehran Times reported that senior Iranian officials have advised the EU that Hizbullah has long-range missiles that can reach Israel’s Dimona nuclear center.

Ø      A Turkish news agency reported that an alleged plot to bomb US companies in the country was disrupted.  Authorities seized a remote-controlled toy car prepared to be used in a bombing. Police also seized a list of US companies that the DHKP-C group was targeting, including Coca Cola, Pepsi and Citibank.

Ø      Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Iran would discontinue all negotiations related to it’s nuclear program.

Ø      Saudi officials announced that they uncovered a terror cell intent on attacking oil installations.

Ø      Mohammed Hamid AKA Osama Bin London was jailed in London following convictions for terrorist related activities. He was advised by the Judge in the trial that he could be held longer than his 7 year sentence if he is judged to be an ongoing national security risk. Hamid has been a prominent figure in the British Islamist movement.

Ø      A top Hamas official has confirmed reports that members of the militant Palestinian political organization have received military training in Iran. The unidentified Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades official said Hamas fighters have been trained in Tehran by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for more than two years, The Times of London reported.

Ø      Islamist insurgents killed five government soldiers while seizing a strategic town in central Somalia. 

Ø      Eight would-be suicide bombers left eastern Algeria and are reportedly heading to the Gaza Strip to commit suicide attacks against Israeli soldiers.

Ø      President George W Bush ordered an investigation to determine whether Venezuela should be placed on a list of countries that support terrorism. Recent disclosures indicate connections between Colombian based FARC and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have been significant and ongoing.

Ø      Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Austrian tourists in Tunisia.

Ø      24 people have been killed and dozens others injured after at least two bombs exploded in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Tuesday. The blasts, believed to have been carried out by suicide bombers, have been connected to al Qaeda operatives in the area.

Ø      House Democrats on Tuesday maintained their refusal to shield from civil lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without a secret court's permission.

Ø      A Los Angeles court jailed an American of Iranian origin for three years and five months for trying to buy up to 100,000 submachine guns and sell them to Iran. Seyed Mostafa Maghloubi, 50, was arrested in early 2007 by police acting on a tip and pleaded guilty to the charges.

Ø      A Spanish official reported that Al-Qaeda currently maintains a "considerable" operative capacity, with its main base in the frontier area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ø      Law enforcement officials alerted Wall Street firms Wednesday March 12 of a new, non-specific terror threat centering on lower Manhattan.

Ø      Federal prosecutors said two New York residents have been indicted on charges of trying to smuggle $500,000 from the U.S. to Jordan. Both are naturalized U.S. citizens from Jordan residing in Yonkers, New York.

Ø      The United States is fighting a cyberwar and is not prepared to deal with it, top Defense Department and intelligence officials acknowledged this week. A number of these attacks have been reported to “appear" to be coming from China.

Ø      Hamas leader Ismail Haniya reported that Hamas has smuggled Iranian-made Grad rockets into the Gaza Strip via the Mediterranean Sea.

Ø      On Wednesday 37 Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Just on Wednesday. On Thursday through Saturday the count was down to 30. This after the Wednesday firings broke an Egyptian brokered moratorium on rocket attacks on Israel.

Ø      In Manila security was stepped up following the recent arrest of two men carrying explosives while purportedly on their way to an airport in Mindanao.

Ø      An Al Qaeda cell in Baghdad executed a double bombing in a market. The first detonation drew Iraqi’s to assist the wounded followed by a suicide bomber amongst those who went to assist the wounded, 68 dead over 200 injured.

Ø      A roadside bomb killed at least 16 people traveling on a bus in southern Iraq. At least 22 people were also wounded in the attack.

Ø      Heavily armed Islamist gunmen have raided Baladwayne a town north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing five government soldiers.

These reports cover 6 continents, hundreds of casualties, multiple affiliated organizations and, in most cases, state sponsorship. 

Looks dangerous to me!

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