Results tagged “terror”

The furor over holding the trials of alleged 9/11 terror plotters in a Manhattan federal court continues to simmer. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, "I’m not scared of what [terror mastermind] Khalid Sheik Mohammed has to say at trial — and no one else needs to be either."

Yesterday, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani came out swinging against the Obama administration's decision to try five of the alleged 9/11 plotters, including mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, at a NYC federal court, accusing the White House of thinking the "War on Terror is over." But senior White House adviser David Axelrod pointed out that Giuliani previously supported the decision to try 20th hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui in federal criminal court.

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani made the talk show rounds this morning to denounce the Obama administration's decision to try five accused 9/11 plotters—including mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed—in New York City's federal court. On Fox News Sunday, Giuliani said the White House was "repeating the mistake of history" and had reverted to a "pre-9/11 approach... What the Obama administration is telling us loud and clear is that both in substance and reality, the War on Terror from their point of view is over. [Mohammad] should be tried in a military tribunal. He is a war criminal. This is an act of war."

The United States will try September 11 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, as well as four other 9/11 terror plotters, in New York City. Federal sources say that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will make the announcement today; President Obama didn't confirm the details, but did say from Japan, "I am absolutely convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be subjected to the most exacting demands of justice."

With the federal authorities continuing their investigation of an alleged terror plot with roots in Denver and Queens, some New York City Muslims have accused the feds and NYPD of racial profiling. Queens Islamic activist Monami Maulik said over the weekend, "An entire community and people and religion should not be profiled and characterized as terrorists because of certain investigations."

You may know John Elway from such a hits as Super Bowl XXXII and Home Improvement episode "The Eve of Construction." But the retired Denver Broncos' quarterback has now found a new drive in fighting terrorism, as you'll see in this gonzo instructional video "Recognizing the 8 Signs of Terrorism," which was produced in partnership with the Colorado governor's Office of Homeland Security, and the FBI, thanks to a federal Homeland Security grant.

With terror suspect Najibullah Zazi in custody, accused to plotting to bomb NYC mass transit, experts are now weighing on how Zazi's purchases from a beauty supply store were very dangerous. They say that Zazi "had the means to kill scores of people — not hundreds or thousands," with retired FBI explosives expert Denny Kline saying, "These explosives are meant to be concealed easily and deployed easily and kill and maim and cause havoc in small areas."

Najibullah Zazi pleaded not guilty to a single terrorism conspiracy charge in a Brooklyn federal courthouse yesterday. The 24-year-old former Queens/current Denver resident is accused of plotting to bomb NYC, after an investigation revealed he bought large quantities of beauty supplies that can be used in bombs and backpacks (meant to carry bombs) were seized in a Queens apartment.

Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens (current Denver) resident accused of plotting to bomb New York, will be in Brooklyn's Eastern District Court today. The 24-year-old will face arraignment on the charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. It's believed he and other associates were plotting to bomb NYC mass transit, possibly on September 11.

With recent unraveling of a suspected terrorist plot in NYC, Mayor Bloomberg and other officials took to the opportunity to demand more federal money to deter nuclear attacks. Bloomberg said, "These events are a disturbing reminder that we can't - and I can tell you we won't - be complacent when it comes to protecting our city against terrorism," adding, "Despite the incredible job the NYPD is doing, our city does remain a prime target for terrorists."

Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens (current Denver) resident accused of plotting to bomb New York, was flown from Denver to face charges at Eastern District Court in Brooklyn. Yesterday, assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff said there was a "chilling, disturbing sequence of events that suggest the defendant was intent on making a bomb and being in New York on 9/11 for the purposes of using such an item...The defendant was in the throes of making a bomb and attempting to perfect his formulation." The U.S. Marshals' plane landed in Teterboro, NJ, where the NYPD picked Zazi and flew him by helicopter to Brooklyn, where he was placed in Sunset Park's Metropolitan Detention Center.

Federal prosecutors are now suggesting that the beauty-supply bomb plot in which Najibullah Zazi has been implicated was supposed to take place on September 11, 2009. Federal attorney Tim Neff said in court today there was "a chilling, disturbing sequence of events that suggest the defendant was intent on making a bomb and being in New York on 9/11 for the purposes of using such an item.” Zazi rented a car in Denver and drove to New York September 9-10.

If the terror charges filed yesterday against Najibullah Zazi are true, a fairly large number of his co-conspirators must still be at large. The impressive evidence presented yesterday against the 24-year-old Afghan immigrant indicates the cooperation of a number of other men: the man he consulted in cooking up the bombs in a Colorado hotel, the men who trained him and gave him notes on bomb design in Pakistan, and the men who housed him in NYC and planned to wear the backpacks that were seized in a Queens apartment.

A few hours ago, police locked down East 14th Street and Union Square East, due to some "suspicious packages." (Not surprising, especially given the alleged recent terror plot.) Before the packages were eventually "cleared" by the cops, some folks Twittered about the incident:

The NYPD inspector who showed photos of "persons of interest" to a Flushing imam has been transferred to another department, the Times reports today. The imam allegedly later informed the suspects that they were being watched.

As the authorities continue to investigate the alleged terror attack plans on "places of amusement, immorality, and sin" as well as "vital economic centers," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has been trying to assure New Yorkers that the NYPD is on top of things as always, saying, "There is no specific threat. In a post-9/11 world, we're concerned. We do more than any other city in the world," and "Our operating premise is that the city is the top of the terrorist target list. That there are always those people that want to come here and hurt us." We guess that's why more raids were conducted yesterday.

While a Queens imam, a former Queen resident and his father have been been arrested because of fears over a terrorist plot in NYC, now it's suggested that many more people were involved. WCBS 2 reports that the FBI and NYPD "are still tracking a core group of nine to 12 people with knowledge of the alleged terror plot"—and who planned "to use homemade explosives to bomb one or more terror targets in New York City."

[UPDATE]: Now Fox News says Zazi admits ties to Al Qaeda. More below. Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens resident whose return to the borough prompted FBI-NYPD raids of three homes in Queens, was questioned for over 8 hours by the feds in Colorado yesterday. Apparently CNN said that bomb-making diagrams were found on his laptop computer, but his lawyer Arthur Folsom said, "There's no diagram of a bomb. Do you really think the FBI would have allowed us to walk out of here?" and denied Zazi knows anyone from Al Qaeda,"He's simply somebody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

During a visit to New York City, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the public needs to be more involved in the fight against terrorism. In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Napolitano said, "The challenge is not just using federal power to protect the country but also enlisting a much broader societal response to the threats that terrorism poses...[These days] the tools for creating violence and chaos are as easy to find as the tools for buying music online or restocking an inventory...If 9/11 happened in a Web 1.0 world, terrorists are certainly in a Web 2.0 world now. The terror threat to the homeland is persistent and evolving."

Note to the NYPD: Don't let the budget cuts affect your manilla folder inventory! BBC News reports that Metropolitan police terror chief Bob Quick resigned after being photographed—as he was going to 10 Downing Street—"displaying a secret document," which was labeled "secret" and outlined "an ongoing counter-terror operation." Concerns that the operation could be compromised forced the police to conduct raids earlier than planned; 12 men were arrested. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who thanked Quick for his service, said the suspected plot was "very big... We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan," and noted that the police operation was "successful." (Remember, the London subway bombings in 2005 prompted the NYPD to institute subway bag checks.) The Independent looks at other embarrassing notes caught on camera, leading with President George Bush's 2005 note, during the World Summit, to Secretary of State Rice: "I think I may need a bathroom break? Is this possible?"

Hey, the muppets are here to help you prepare for the next big terrorist attack, and other terrors—like nature's wrath! Of course, not even Super Grover can help clean up George Bush's war, but he can lend a brightly colored smiling face to fearmongering. Wired reports that Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and his wife Meryl have worked with the Sesame Workshop and the Ad Council to come up with a campaign focusing on preparedness. They've declared that "it's a fact of life that not every day is a sunny day," and "recent events have exposed families to a range of disasters; the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 have particularly emphasized the need to ensure children's physical and psychological protection." Grover and others will be the face of the campaign, which includes DVDs, magazines and more! But what they really ought to do is update The Monster at the End of the Book by writing Dick Cheney into the denouement.

A woman educated at Brandeis and MIT will be arraigned today on charges of "trying to kill American soldiers and FBI agents" in Afghanistan. Investigators claim Aafia Siddiqui had taken hold of a soldier's rifle during interrogation and pointed it at an FBI agent and fired two rounds while an interpreter tackled her. Authorities also claim she had per WNBC, "directions on how to build explosive and maps of New York landmarks and other U.S. locations" with her. However, human rights groups, who have been wondering about Siddiqui's whereabouts since 2003, think she's been in U.S. custody for the past five years and her lawyer said, "We’re not willing to believe that the discovery of Aafia in Afghanistan is coincidence.” Feds also believe Siddiqui has ties with high-ranking al-Qaeda members.

A member of the House Committee on Homeland Security will be releasing a report that alleges cigarettes sold on Indian reservations ultimately help fund Hamas and Hezbollah.

Starting today, teams of six NYPD officers will be patrolling the subway system in 12 hour shifts to thwart would-be terrorists. You’ll be able to easily identify the squads – called “Torch Teams” – by their rifles, MP5 submachine guns, handguns, body armor and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Scaremongering just hit a whole new level underground, with Subivor -- the subway survival kit. The website (after a short video montage of all the ways the subway will ultimately become your tomb) warns straphangers:

Dear Subway Commuters,

Continue reading "Surviving the Subway with Subivor "

"Sleight of hand," "litany of needless fights," "ugly racial polarization" - just some of the phrases in this week's New York magazine's cover story about Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor turned presidential candidate. Chris Smith's article serves as both refresher to New Yorkers about Giuliani's reign as mayor with some fun tidbits (did you realize that then-Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik commissioned 30 miniature busts of himself?) as well as a cautionary tale to non-New Yorkers....

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Lincoln Center Tree Lighting 2007 (Monday, 5:30 p.m, WABC 7) Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and WABC’s Sade Baderinwa host the first televised tree lighting of the season. There will be some performances by Lincoln Center’s resident companies and some guest’s from channel 7’s owner Disney on hand for entertainment for the 8th annual Lincoln Center Holiday Tree lighting. America at a Crossroads (Monday, 9:00 p.m &...

Last night at City College, it was Gotham Girls Roller Derby fever. The two-time defending champions the Queens of Pain faced off against the Bronx Gridlock to decide who would reign supreme for the 2007 season and take home a pretty sweet trophy. Raymond Haddad was on the scene for the championship match and took some amazing pictures. He reports, "The Queens of Pain made a ferocious comeback [apparently 31 unanswered points', led by...

First, some fire fighters' unions spoke out against presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Now a police officers' union is totally anti-Rudy. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch issued a statement blaming the former mayor for not giving cops raises ("zeroes for heroes" contract) and essentially creating the recruiting/retainment problems the NYPD has. And then there's what the PBA thinks about Giuliani's 9/11 record: Giuliani has wrapped himself firmly in the cloak of 9/11 for his...

Mark Messier will forever be remembered for delivering the Stanley Cup to the Rangers in 1994, his famous guarantee before Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals that year and a tendency to cry in public. The captain had his number retired by both Edmonton and New York and is the only player ever to captain two teams to a Stanley Cup victory and he was second all-time in points scored in NHL history. Scott...