los servicios secretos europeos en alerta ante la posibilidad de ataques terroristas en navidad
los servicios secretos europeos temen que haya un ataque terrorista estas navidades en europa,esto debido a que este año ha habido muchos "agravios" contra el islam (segun ellos): lo de las caricaturas de mahoma,lo que el Papa comento sobre el islam,la guerra del Libano (no importa que la haya empezado hezbollah) y muchas cosas mas:
Europe worries about holiday attacks
PAUL HAVEN
Associated Press
MADRID, Spain - Western intelligence and security officials say the threat of a terror attack by Islamic militants over the Christmas and New Year's holiday travel season is extremely high, with the greatest concern focusing on a possible plot targeting Europe.
While the year-end period is always a time of concern because of the vast number of travelers, authorities' anxiety is palpable this year.
European fears that terrorists might be planning something come in the waning days of a convulsive year of foiled plots and inflammatory moments. Terror schemes were thwarted in Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy.
Islamic anger over the publication of cartoons depicting images of the Prophet Muhammad caused riots throughout the world in January and February, with some Muslim protesters in London holding up banners urging "Behead those that insult Islam." Pope Benedict XVI's Sept. 12 comments that seemed to equate Islam with violence also caused outrage and mass protests.
And of course, there were the daily images of carnage in Iraq, Israel's bloody war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, and continued controversy over the U.S. holding facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A senior French counterterrorism official told The Associated Press that intelligence agencies throughout the continent are on "tenterhooks" and that "all of the warning lights are red," though they have yet to uncover any specific plan for attack.
"The threat is at its highest level," said the French official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secretive nature of his job. "All (security) services are on tenterhooks. And it's not just us (in France). Work is under way everywhere but nothing concrete is emerging. Ends of the year are often bad. This year we haven't managed to distinguish a precise plot."
Those fears were echoed in Britain, already on edge after the failed August plot to bring down commercial jetliners over the Atlantic.
John Reid, Britain's top law enforcement official, said Sunday that it was "highly likely" that terrorists would attempt to mount an attack over the holiday period, when the number of travelers swells. He gave no other details.
The head of Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5, has said her agents are tracking almost 30 terrorist plots involving 1,600 suspects, and that at least five major terror plots had been thwarted since the July 2005 transit bomb attacks in London.
In Washington, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitivity, said there is no specific, credible information pointing to a holiday threat.
The FBI recently sent a bulletin to state and local law enforcement officials, urging them to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity around the holiday season, the law enforcement official said.
According to the intelligence officials, authorities are more concerned about an attack in Europe than the United States right now. But one of the officials noted that worries at the holidays are common since Sept. 11, 2001.
This year, concerns have been heightened because of the deteriorating health of terrorist cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the blind sheik, who is serving a life sentence in the United States for his advisory role in a plot to blow up New York City landmarks, including the United Nations.
Abdel-Rahman has called for retaliation by terror sympathizers if he dies in prison.
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced this month that he has called in reinforcements for beefed-up military patrols of public transportation, train stations and airports. Some 250 troops are reinforcing the 780 that usually operate in these areas.
Villepin promised that a 1,000-man reserve force would also be available in case of emergency. France's terror alert level remains at red, the second-highest rank out of four.
It was not immediately clear what measures, if any, other European nations were planning. In Spain, police said they would beef up security at airports only if they get word of a specific threat. In Italy, officials said security is always put on high alert during the holiday season, especially around the Vatican and other sites that attract pilgrims and tourists. But they said no extra precautions were being taken this year, and no word of any specific threat.
Iraq in particular has left the West open to danger, Gijs de Vries, the European Union's counter-terror coordinator, said Thursday. He said European security services were taking "very seriously" the risk that foreign extremists, recruited in European countries to fight in Iraq, are returning to plot attacks back in Europe.
Although 2006 has not seen any major terrorist outrage in Europe, de Vries said there was no cause for complacency.
"The threat of terrorism in Europe remains serious and high and I expect it will remain at that level for a number of years," he said. "This is not a short-term phenomenon."
If terrorists are plotting some sort of year-end mayhem, it would not be the first time. U.S. authorities foiled a massive plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport and other sites on the eve of the millennium nearly seven years ago.
si pasara algo (espero que no) demostrarian una vez mas que el islam no es una religion de paz
Europe worries about holiday attacks
PAUL HAVEN
Associated Press
MADRID, Spain - Western intelligence and security officials say the threat of a terror attack by Islamic militants over the Christmas and New Year's holiday travel season is extremely high, with the greatest concern focusing on a possible plot targeting Europe.
While the year-end period is always a time of concern because of the vast number of travelers, authorities' anxiety is palpable this year.
European fears that terrorists might be planning something come in the waning days of a convulsive year of foiled plots and inflammatory moments. Terror schemes were thwarted in Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy.
Islamic anger over the publication of cartoons depicting images of the Prophet Muhammad caused riots throughout the world in January and February, with some Muslim protesters in London holding up banners urging "Behead those that insult Islam." Pope Benedict XVI's Sept. 12 comments that seemed to equate Islam with violence also caused outrage and mass protests.
And of course, there were the daily images of carnage in Iraq, Israel's bloody war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, and continued controversy over the U.S. holding facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A senior French counterterrorism official told The Associated Press that intelligence agencies throughout the continent are on "tenterhooks" and that "all of the warning lights are red," though they have yet to uncover any specific plan for attack.
"The threat is at its highest level," said the French official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secretive nature of his job. "All (security) services are on tenterhooks. And it's not just us (in France). Work is under way everywhere but nothing concrete is emerging. Ends of the year are often bad. This year we haven't managed to distinguish a precise plot."
Those fears were echoed in Britain, already on edge after the failed August plot to bring down commercial jetliners over the Atlantic.
John Reid, Britain's top law enforcement official, said Sunday that it was "highly likely" that terrorists would attempt to mount an attack over the holiday period, when the number of travelers swells. He gave no other details.
The head of Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5, has said her agents are tracking almost 30 terrorist plots involving 1,600 suspects, and that at least five major terror plots had been thwarted since the July 2005 transit bomb attacks in London.
In Washington, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitivity, said there is no specific, credible information pointing to a holiday threat.
The FBI recently sent a bulletin to state and local law enforcement officials, urging them to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity around the holiday season, the law enforcement official said.
According to the intelligence officials, authorities are more concerned about an attack in Europe than the United States right now. But one of the officials noted that worries at the holidays are common since Sept. 11, 2001.
This year, concerns have been heightened because of the deteriorating health of terrorist cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the blind sheik, who is serving a life sentence in the United States for his advisory role in a plot to blow up New York City landmarks, including the United Nations.
Abdel-Rahman has called for retaliation by terror sympathizers if he dies in prison.
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced this month that he has called in reinforcements for beefed-up military patrols of public transportation, train stations and airports. Some 250 troops are reinforcing the 780 that usually operate in these areas.
Villepin promised that a 1,000-man reserve force would also be available in case of emergency. France's terror alert level remains at red, the second-highest rank out of four.
It was not immediately clear what measures, if any, other European nations were planning. In Spain, police said they would beef up security at airports only if they get word of a specific threat. In Italy, officials said security is always put on high alert during the holiday season, especially around the Vatican and other sites that attract pilgrims and tourists. But they said no extra precautions were being taken this year, and no word of any specific threat.
Iraq in particular has left the West open to danger, Gijs de Vries, the European Union's counter-terror coordinator, said Thursday. He said European security services were taking "very seriously" the risk that foreign extremists, recruited in European countries to fight in Iraq, are returning to plot attacks back in Europe.
Although 2006 has not seen any major terrorist outrage in Europe, de Vries said there was no cause for complacency.
"The threat of terrorism in Europe remains serious and high and I expect it will remain at that level for a number of years," he said. "This is not a short-term phenomenon."
If terrorists are plotting some sort of year-end mayhem, it would not be the first time. U.S. authorities foiled a massive plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport and other sites on the eve of the millennium nearly seven years ago.
si pasara algo (espero que no) demostrarian una vez mas que el islam no es una religion de paz
posted by godofredo de bouillon at 11:38 AM
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