posted 01-05-2004 07:34 PM            

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Orange Code Terror Alert based on Fabricated Intelligence
by Michel Chossudovsky
www.globalresearch.ca 3 January 2004

The URL of this article is: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO401A.html

On December 21st, the country was put on High Terror Alert by the Department of Homeland Security.

Based on "credible" intelligence sources, presumed Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists were planning to hijack an Air France plane and "crash it on US soil in a suicide terror strike similar to those carried out on September 11, 2001."

Air France Christmas flights out of Paris were grounded. F-16 fighters were patrolling the skies.

Following the investigation by the French authorities, the Al Qaeda terrorists turned out to be a five year old boy, an elderly Chinese lady and a Welsh insurance salesman.

A routine case of "mistaken identity" had contributed to breaking the Spirit of Christmas, across the Land.

Based on erroneous intelligence, an entire Nation had been brought under Orange Code terror alert.

Was it incompetence or was it deliberate? Either way, a public inquiry into the workings of the Homeland Security Department is long overdue.

It is now official: the stand down orders on Air France's Christmas flights from Paris to Los Angeles were based on fabricated information. The latter was used to justify Code Orange Alert during the Christmas holiday.

Prime Minister Raffarin had ordered the cancellation of the Christmas flights following pressures from Washington .

In fact Colin Powell had called up his French counterpart Minister Dominique de Villepin, who then communicated with Prime Minster Jean Pierre Raffarin.

But the whole thing turned out to be a hoax.

According to the official version of events, Washington had identified six members of Al Qaeda and the Taliban on the Air France passenger list:

"U.S. counter-terrorism officials said their investigation was focusing on the "informed belief" that about six men on Air France Flight 68, which arrives in Los Angeles daily at 4:05 p.m., may have been planning to hijack the jet and crash it near Los Angeles, or along the way.

That belief, according to one senior U.S. counter-terrorism official, was based on reliable and corroborated information from several sources. Some of the men had the same names as identified members of al-Qaida and the Taliban, a senior U.S. official said.

One of the men is a trained pilot with a commercial license, according to a senior U.S. official.

U.S. law-enforcement officials said the flights were canceled in response to the same intelligence that prompted the federal Department of Homeland Security last week to ratchet up the nation's terror-alert level to orange, the second-highest level.

Other U.S. law-enforcement officials said authorities at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris detained some of the 200 passengers and crew from Flight 68 for questioning. There were conflicting reports about whether any were arrested.

High-ranking U.S. government officials have held near round-the-clock meetings in recent days to sift through intelligence reports that suggest the possibility of terrorist activity in the United States this holiday week. U.S. officials, saying California is the location of highest concern, expressed fears over the use of a range of devices that included biological or chemical weapons, and a radiological or "dirty bomb."

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators became interested in Flight 68 after intercepted "chatter" among suspected terrorists led U.S. intelligence to believe an attack might be imminent. The chatter included a specific reference to the flight, according to one federal law-enforcement source.

(...)

With that information, U.S. authorities contacted French intelligence about the possibility that suspected terrorists might be on the flight. They prevailed upon Air France to cancel Flight 68, as well as others bound for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), because the original intelligence information warned of more than one flight being commandeered. (Seattle Post Intelligence, 25 December 2003)

Meanwhile, orange code terror alert stories had been fed into the news chain.

The Washington Post reported on Christmas day that there "may have been a plot to hijack an Air France plane and crash land it in Vegas."

Other media confirmed that "the reports gathered by American agencies were 'very, very precise'" Meanwhile Fox News pointed to the possibility that al Qaeda was "trying to plant disinformation, among other things to cost us money, to throw people into panic and perhaps to probe our defenses to see how we respond?" (Fox News, 28 December 2003). The fact that Al Qaeda remains a CIA "intelligence asset", involved in US sponsored covert operations, is not deemed relevant. (For further details, see How to Unseat the War Criminals and Reverse the Tide of War? Expose the Links between Al Qaeda and the Bush Administration, by Michel Chossudovsky, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO303D.html
"Mistaken Identity"

Needless to say these fabricated media reports served to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation during the Christmas holiday. Los Angeles International airport was on "maximum deployment" with counter-terrorism and FBI officials working around the clock.

Yet following the French investigation, it turned out that the terror alert was a hoax. The information was not "very very precise" as claimed by Us intelligence.

The six Al Qaeda men turned out to be a five year old boy, whose name had been mistaken for an alleged Tunisian terrorist, an elderly Chinese lady who used to run a restaurant in Paris, a Welsh insurance salesman and three French nationals. (Le Monde and RTBF TV, 2 January 2004)

On January 2nd, the French government confirmed that the intelligence communicated by Washington was erroneous. The French authorities declared there "was not a trace of Al Qaeda among the passengers."

But in fact these "inconsistencies" regarding US intelligence had already been uncovered on the 23d of December by France's antiterrorist services, which had politely refuted the so-called "credible sources" emanating out of the US intelligence apparatus.

France's counter-terrorism experts were extremely "sceptical" of their US counterparts:

"we [French police investigators] showed [on 23 December] that their arguments simply did not make sense, but despite this the flights were cancelled... The main suspect [a Tunisian hijacker] turned out to be a child". (quoted in the Le Monde, 3 January 2003).

We really had the feeling of unfriendly treatment [by US officials] (ils nous appliquent un traitement d'infamie). The information was not transmitted through normal channels. It wasn't the FBI or the CIA which contacted us, everything went through diplomatic channels..." (Ibid)

In the words of another French investigator:

"how is possible that in such sensitive areas of intelligence, the Americans were mistaken in relation to the identity of a relatively large number of names [of passengers] (quoted in Liberation, 3 January 2003)

In subsequent developments, British Airways cancelled one of its January 2 flights from London to Washington, based on "credible"
US and British intelligence information. This followed the escorting of British Airways Flight BA 223, on New Year's day into Dulles airport by USAF F16 fighter jets. Flight 223 was seized by the FBI when it landed in Dulles airport.

Meanwhile, the office of the Mexican president, issued a communiqué to the effect that "US intelligence that led to the aborting of two of their [AeroMexico] services was 'unconvincing'."

Was it Incompetence?

The decision to cancel the six Air France flights was taken after 2 days of negotiations between French and American officials.

Had the information been "credible", Air France would have immediately taken the initiative to cancel its flights, without further ado. But that is not what happened.

The flights were cancelled on the orders of the French Prime minister following consultations with Sec. Colin Powell. This decision was taken following the completion of theFrench investigation, which demonstrated unequivocally that the US information regarding the terror suspects on the passenger lists was inconsistent.

Despite the fact that the information had been refuted, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge insisted on maintaining the stand-down order. If Air France had not complied, it would have been prevented from using US air space, namely banned from flying to the US.

Needless to say, had the flights not been cancelled, the Administration's justification for Orange Code Alert would no longer hold.

In other words, Homeland Security needed to sustain the lie over the entire Christmas holiday, despite the fact that "its very very precise information" had been refuted by French investigators.

It was only on January 2nd, that the US authorities admitted that they were in error, claiming that it was a unavoidable case of "mistaken identity." While tacitly acknowledging their error, Homeland Security insisted that "the cancellations were based on solid information."

Meanwhile, a routine case of "mistaken identity" had contributed to breaking the Spirit of Christmas, across the Land.

Based on erroneous intelligence, an entire Nation had been brought under Orange Code terror alert.

Was it incompetence or was it deliberate? Either way, a public inquiry into the workings of the Homeland Security Department is long overdue.

Manufacturing disinformation to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation is not only a criminal act, it is an act of treason because it emanates from the highest levels of the State.
Related articles:

Manufacturing Hysteria: Bogus Terror Threats and Bush's Police State, by Kurt Nimmo, 31 December 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/NIM312A.html

Bush's Christmas Terror Alert, by Michel Chossudovsky, 24 December 2003, http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO312D.html

posted 01-05-2004 10:24 PM            

I was going to post a couple articles re: Las Vegas. Since this thread mentioned Las Vegas and security issues – I think this will fit in. Apparently, airlines and hotels (in Las Vegas) were ordered to give the FBI lists of all guests and passengers recently – even on New Year’s Eve. Do they think that terrorists have the time and money to fool around in Las Vegas? Wouldn’t they stay in a place with less visibility than the casino hotels – like the sleeze bucket up the road? Ha, ha. Sounds like what they really want is a list of people that visit this money making capital.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Dec-31-Wed-2003/news/22903017.html

Airlines, hotels ordered to give FBI information
By ROD SMITH
GAMING WIRE

Las Vegas hotel operators and airlines serving McCarran International Airport are being required by the FBI to turn over all guest and passenger names and personal information, at least during the holiday period, several sources said Tuesday.

FBI spokesman Todd Palmer confirmed the federal action and said the requirement that the companies surrender customer information is a "normal investigative procedure."

However, Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the Nevada Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the program "clearly is not part of a normal investigation.

"What we seem to be witnessing at this point is a move on the part of the government to keep tabs on what everyone is doing all the time, which has serious civil liberties implications," Lichtenstein said.

"It's one thing to have some specific security concerns and a targeted investigation with some basis in fact, but to ... try to follow everyone goes beyond what is called for."

Hotel operators who asked not to be identified said the information being provided to federal officials includes guest and passenger names, addresses and personal identification information, but not casino records or guest gambling information.

But Palmer said "at this point" all the bureau is getting is guest and passenger names. He also said the program was started about a week ago but the timing varied for different companies.

(article continues)

http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/331898|top|01-04-2004::15:45|reuters.html

FBI Checked Las Vegas Hotel Lists in Terror Alert
Jan 4, 3:30 PM (ET)
By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI demanded Las Vegas hotels turn over their guest lists leading up to New Year's Eve to check against a U.S. master list of suspected terrorists, a law enforcement official said on Sunday.

The demand for "patron information" went to all major hotels in the Nevada casino and entertainment city, said the official who declined to be named.

Las Vegas was one of six or seven cities mentioned in intelligence reports as potential targets for a terrorist attack during the holiday period, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn said on New Year's Eve.

A second U.S. government official said to his knowledge only one hotel had balked at providing its bookings list. Newsweek, the first to report the FBI demand, said one big hotel had refused and was "slapped with a subpoena."

The unspecified hotel apparently wanted some "cover" against any privacy-related guest complaints, the official told Reuters. The FBI sent a letter linking the demand to a national security investigation or hinting at a "friendly" subpoena to meet the hotel's concerns, he added.

posted 04-03-2004 01:17 PM            

By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A warning that terrorists might strike trains and buses in major U.S. cities using bombs concealed in bags or luggage has the nation's transit systems ratcheting up security measures.

Greg Hull, security chief for the American Public Transportation Association, said Friday the transit systems are at "code yellow-plus" following the bulletin about a possible terror plot from the FBI and the Homeland Security Department.

U.S. officials said they had received uncorroborated intelligence reports about a plot by terrorists to target commercial transportation systems but had no information about specific cities or dates.

A senior federal law enforcement official, speaking Friday on condition of anonymity, said the intelligence, coupled with the deadly March 11 commuter train attacks in Madrid in which bombs went off inside backpacks, has increased the level of wariness about a similar attack in the United States.

"It should not be considered unusual that the FBI should issue this kind of a bulletin in the wake of what occurred in Madrid last month," the Amtrak passenger railroad said in a statement.

Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said information in the bulletin was being shared via the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to ensure proper security measures are implemented nationwide.

Officials said the message was sent mainly out of an abundance of caution, and the threat — deemed "somewhat credible" by one official — was not causing undue alarm throughout the government.

The nation's terror alert level remains at yellow, or elevated, the midpoint of the five-color scale. It was last raised to orange, or high, on Dec. 21 amid suspicions about terror attacks using commercial aircraft. The level returned to yellow on Jan. 10.

Passengers could see changes because of the bulletin. Federal officials are encouraging local transit authorities to conduct random passenger inspections and security sweeps of stations and to increase public announcements encouraging people to report unattended baggage or suspicious behavior.

Intelligence indicates a plot might involve bombs made of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and diesel fuel, similar to the explosive concealed in a rental truck that blew up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. Both items are readily available.

The improvised bombs would be concealed in luggage and carry-on bags, such as backpacks or duffel bags, and detonated either aboard buses or trains or in transportation stations, the government warning says.

Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups have "demonstrated the intent and capability" of attacking public transportation systems using a variety of bombs, the bulletin says. Attacks in Israel, Greece, Turkey, Spain and elsewhere have used suicide bombers or triggered bombs with timers and cell phones.

Between 1997 and 2000, more than 195 terror attacks occurred on transit systems worldwide, congressional investigators say.

On Friday, Spanish authorities found and disarmed a bomb connected to a detonator with a 450-foot cable under tracks of a high-speed railway between Madrid and Seville.

More than 9 billion trips are taken each year on the U.S. public transportation system, with 32 million trips every weekday — about 16 times the number of trips taken on airlines, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

The association estimates that $6 billion is needed to upgrade and modernize U.S. transit systems to meet security needs. The Transportation Security Administration dedicated only $10 million for passenger rail and public transit security in the current year's budget, according to the House Homeland Security Committee.

"Failure to invest in the security of passenger rail and public transit could leave these critical systems vulnerable to terrorist attack," the committee's Democrats said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. "Making these systems as safe as they can be from terrorist attack must be a high priority."

After the Madrid bombings, the Homeland Security Department announced a series of security initiatives, but with no major new funding plans.

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Associated Press writer Katherine Pfleger Shrader contributed to this story.

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On the Net:

FBI: http://www.fbi.gov

Homeland Security Department: http://www.dhs.gov

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HMMMMMMM!!!!!!

Fertlizer bo*bs huh?

I wonder if this next "terror attack" is going to be blamed on patriots like OK city was?

You know how "Bad" those patriots are.

posted 04-08-2004 05:36 PM            

Let us note where the Bush administration likely got their ideas for these scare tactics:

A famous right-winger of the last century:

quote:

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Gilbert recorded Goering's observations that the common people can always be manipulated into supporting and fighting wars by their political leaders:

"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

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and, as ever:
On use of constant threat of terror attacks as a control mechanism. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/search/etc/weaver.html
> we superimposed Al Qaeda upon the entire world of militant Islam,...
...the Muslim Brotherhood -- the oldest... of Egypt's various Islamist groups<
The handbook of the Bush Administration: http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984
> the fabled Brotherhood, a supposed group of underground rebels intent on overthrowing the government.<