AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff
TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - September 11, 2005
SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, September 11, 2005
TEXT:
From the end of Israel's 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip to shocking riots taking place in Northern Ireland, News Highlights summarizes key events from around the globe in the past week. Today, the 4th anniversary of the 2001 attacks against the United States, the Feature Article points to the "Voices of 9/11" as captured in radio logs and interviews with the emergency staff who responded to the disaster.
1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published
FEATURE ARTICLE:
Feature Article
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
The UN Development Program's "2005 Human Development Report" shows countries falling behind on the Human Development Index, and explains the human costs of missing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Key findings include: \
"* Fifty countries with a combined population of almost 900 million are falling backwards on at least one of the Goals. Twenty-four of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
* Another 65 countries with a combined population of 1.2 billion risk failing to meet at least one MDG until after 2040. In other words, they may miss the target by an entire generation.
* In 2015, on current trends, there would be 827 million people living in extreme poverty, 380 million more than if the internationally agreed target were reached. Another 1.7 billion people would be living on $2 a day.
* On current trends, the goal to reduce the deaths of children under five years of age would be met in 2045, not 2015 - 30 years late. Over the next decade, the cumulative human cost of missing the target would translate into 41 million more child deaths.
* In 2015, 47 million children would still be out of school, 19 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
* Instead of halving the ranks of the 1 billion people who lack access to fresh drinking water, on current trends the world in 2015 would still be 210 million people short of this goal. More than 2 billion would still lack proper sanitation in 2015, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
* The poorest 40 per cent of the world?s population, 2.5 billion people, live on less than $2 a day, accounting for just five percent of all global income.
* Donor countries spend $1 billion a year aiding agriculture in developing countries and $1 billion a day on domestic subsidies that undermine the world?s poorest farmers."
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=15700&Cr=human&Cr1=development
http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/
The Shell Foundation published a related report, " Aid Reform and the Role of Enterprise" that suggests "reforming the aid industry by applying fundamental business principles to enhance its performance and accountability. It calls on the aid community to give poor people real choice when delivering development, which in turn can be measured against tangible targets such as the number of pro-poor enterprises supported and jobs created".
http://www.shellfoundation.org/main/estp1.html
Loss estimates for Hurricane Katrina vary widely but at the high end, Risk Management Solutions increased there estimates to as much as $60 billion in insured losses, and more than $125 billion in economic losses. Massive amounts of domestic and international aid have been offered, including oil from Iran and Venezuela; medical personnel from Cuba, Indonesia, and Thailand; and financial assistance even from poor and developing nations like Afghanistan and India. For the first time since 1846, a Mexican military unit entered the US -- this time to bring aid to Hurricane victims.
Algeria's Prime Minister Ahmad Ouyahia, speaking at a press conference in advance of a peace referendum, estimated the number of armed terrorists had fallen to about 1,000, and that an amnesty offer should further reduce this number.
In Angola there have been reports of clashes between the government party, MPLA, and former rebel and leading opposition party UNITA. Observers have warned that the rising tensions need to be addressed before presidential and legislation elections anticipated in the middle of next year, more than three years after the end of the civil war.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has taken custody of a number of fighters loyal to renegade rebel leader General Nkunda, following their extradition from Rwanda. General Nkunda and his ally, Colonel Jules Mutebutsi, had been granted refugee status in Rwanda following their declaration of abandoning armed struggle, but they are wanted in DRC.
Ivory Coast will not be able to hold presidential elections on 30 October. Lack of cooperation or support from rebels and opposition parties in the still divided country as well as technical difficulties, makes the election impossible.
Kenyans will vote to accept or reject the draft Constitution. This first ever national referendum will take place on 21 November.
Liberia risks a return to war if corruption continues. This is among the findings of the International Crisis Group's report, "Liberia's Elections: Necessary but Not Sufficient".
http://www.crisisgroup.org
The UN also warns of problems with reintegration of former combatants.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmil/index.html
In Mozambique, clashes between the ruling FRELIMO and the opposition RENAMO parties over disputed municipal elections have killed 12 people and injured 47.
Nigeria's banned separatist Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) held regional demonstrations that led to 45 arrests. One policeman was shot dead and three were injured.
In Somalia, hundreds of militiamen loyal to transitional President Adullahi Yusuf Ahmed arrived in the temporary capital Jowhar. Rival warlords and the Union of Islamic Courts call Yusuf just another warlord, suggest he is planning a military assault, and warn that his deployment of trained fighters could spark renewed fighting.
Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebels operating in Darfur have refused to end assaults, banditry, and kidnappings. At the end of August, they attacked a group of nomads, killing several, kidnapping seven, and stealing more than 3,000 camels. Last week there were two attacks against humanitarian convoys and repeated fighting between the SLA and Janjaweed militias. The African Union plans to increase security in support of humanitarian work. Women and girls continue to experience high levels of gender-based violence, and arbitrary arrests and detentions remain widespread.
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2005/09/07/sudan11693.htm
http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=15740&Cr=sudan&Cr1=
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=88&Body=Sudan&Body1=
http://www.africa-union.org/DARFUR/homedar.htm
Canada's Law Society of British Columbia found reckless disregard and willful blindness in David Martin's legal representation of Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person convicted in connection with the 1985 Air India bombing.
http://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126265138751_34/?hub=Canada
Caribbean leaders have joined Venezuela's Petrocaribe initiative that offers oil at preferential prices and flexible payment options. Cuba and Jamaica has already signed up, and have been joined by Antigua, the Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Surinam, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Kitts and the Grenadines. Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago have not joined.
http://www.petrocaribe.com/ (in Spanish)
Colombia has made a new offer to hold talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the south, not undertaking military operations there during the talks. FARC had demanded two regions be demilitarized before starting talks. In he southwest, suspected FARC bombs against electrical towers have caused blackouts affecting three provinces and nearly three million people. The National Liberation Army (ELN) senior rebel leader will be allowed to leave prison for three months to jumpstart peace talks, but his date of release is unknown. An ELN hostage, former state governor Ancizar Lopez, died and the ELN turned his body over to the Red Cross.
Ecuador's President Palacio has promised to review all foreign oil contracts and ensure that the country's share is increased from 20 percent to at least 50 percent.
Peru's President Toledo will disburse monthly subsidies of $30 to the female heads of poor families in 70 rural districts.
The US marked the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, while recovery efforts from an even costlier disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina are still underway. Many use the poor response effort to a known threat to question counterterrorism response capabilities, given that such attacks are not likely to offer advance warning. Much discussion also asks whether funds necessary for public health, emergency response and other critical needs have been diverted to the more remote threat of terrorism. Among these, consider this analysis in the British Medical Journal
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7516/526?ehom
Also note new 9/11 documents posted at the National Security Archive.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB165/index.htm
Huntingdon Life Sciences has demanded an explanation from the New York Stock Exchange. The public offering of the animal testing group was delayed, reported due to threats from animal rights activists.
Australian Prime Minister Howard announced proposals for new counterterrorism laws including control orders; preventative detention; notice to produce; access to passenger information; stop, question and search orders and their extension to public areas; new powers for ASIO; stronger terrorism offences; citizenship; and terrorist financing.
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/media_Release1551.html
Australia and Indonesia marked one year since the September 9 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, which is seen as the first terrorist attack directly targeting Australians. The suicide car bomber and ten other Indonesians were killed, but no Australians. More than 200 people were injured.
In Japan, a general election is underway. Exit polls suggest a strong win for Prime Minister Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party. Security has been high in connection with the election. There was a series of bomb threats sent to 11 hospitals in Tokyo, but the letters made no demands and no explosives have been found.
North Korea's nuclear program will be open for six-party talks that China, the host country, says will resume on 13 September.
The Philippines Congress has rejected efforts to impeach President Arroyo. In Sulu province, suspected Abu Sayyaf ambushed and killed three unarmed soldiers on their way to the mosque.
European Union interior ministers met to review counterterrorism efforts and, in particular, to debate a British proposal to store telephone and email records for some length of time.
http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1107293561746&a=KArticle&aid=1125560449884&date=2005-09-07
Bosnia's police reform poses obstacles to European integration as described in the International Crisis Group's report " Bosnia's Stalled Police Reform: No Progress, No EU".
http://www.crisisgroup.org
The German election campaign is underway. Television viewers and politicians criticized a political broadcast by the German Anarchist Pogo Party (APPD). The APPD slogan is "Arbeit ist Scheisse". Its broadcast featured a raucous party and vandalism.
http://www.appd.de/index.php http://www.appd-berlin.de/ (in German)
Russian prosecutors from six states have been sent to Beslan to investigate last year's school siege, including the widespread belief that Russian forces were responsible for most of the deaths. Although billed as an objective investigation, this inquiry is also being managed through the prosecutor general's office.
Ukraine President Yushchenko has dismissed his entire government. The move follows allegations of corruption and in-fighting
Britain's Home Secretary confirms that embassies have developed a list of about a hundred radicals unwelcome in the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4225218.stm
British foreign intelligence officers planned to infiltrate Islamic extremist groups using anti-Western propaganda on the internet to gain their trust, then dissuade them from violence.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1562428,00.html
The Independent Monitoring Commission has given a special report on the loyalist feud to the Irish and British governments. As the report is being reviewed, rioting in Northern Ireland that began last week has intensified, and is now the worst seen in years. Loyalist supporters associated with the Orange Order are attacking the police, army, and civilians with guns, arson, and bombs. There have been many injuries, and a man injured by a blast bomb is in critical condition. The violence followed a Parades Commission decision to reroute a march.
Egypt held its first ever multi-candidate presidential elections. President Mubarak was re-elected to a fifth 6-year term, with 88.6 percent of the votes. Turnout was only 23 percent. Accusations of election irregularities were dismissed, and no independent monitors had been permitted. Opposition protests took place on Saturday.
Egyptian authorities using DNA and witness testimony have identified Mahmud Mohammad Hamad, Mohammad Oda Said and Mussa Ghneim as Bedouin members of an Islamist cell who carried out the Sharm el Sheikh attacks on July 23. The leader of the cell has been arrested, and authorities say there were no links with foreign organizations.
Egyptian troops have begun deployment along the Gaza border.
Gaza's 38-year occupation by Israel has come to an end following action by the Israeli cabinet. In addition to having all troops out by Monday, they decided not to demolish more than 20 synagogues left in evacuated settlements, asking Palestinians not to desecrate them. Gaza remains on the verge of anarchy, with repeated acts of violence. The most serious incident was the kidnap and murder of former security chief Moussa Arafat at the hands of the Popular Resistance Committees. Gunmen with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades kidnapped an Italian journalist.
Iraqi and US forces have launched a major operation in the northern town of Talafar, reportedly killing 140 insurgents in the first two days. The town, near the Syrian border, is believed used by foreign fighters entering Iraq. US forces handed over the southern city of Najaf to Iraqi forces. Zarqawi's Al Qaeda in Iraq has reportedly taken control of the western town of Qaim. Across the country serious incidents of sectarian violence, including revenge killings, are rising and growing more violent.
The Independent Inquiry into Iraq's Oil for Food Program found that the "wholesale corruption" within the program took place among private companies manipulated by Saddam Hussein's government. The UN must undergo sweeping reforms to prevent such corruption in the future. Secretary General Annan was cleared of crime but accepted full responsibility for the findings of weak administration and inadequate control and auditing.
http://www.iic-offp.org/story06sept05.htm
A US Government Accountability Office review, "Rebuilding Iraq: U.S. Water and Sanitation Efforts Need Improved Measures for Assessing Impact and Sustained Resources for Maintaining Facilities" finds that poor security and management have led to project delays and increased costs. It is unclear whether the over a billion dollars already invested in water and sanitation projects will be sustainable, by Iraqis, in the long-term. Also note additional needs for upcoming elections described in " Rebuilding Iraq: U.S. Assistance for the January 2005 Elections".
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-872
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-932R
Jordan's Prime Minister Adnan Badran visited Baghdad. This was the first visit by an Arab head of state since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled in 2003.
Lebanon continues to question the senior security officials detailed in connection with the death of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. UN investigators will travel to Syria to interview senior security officials there.
Syrian security forces again clashed with Islamist militants in the northeast. One was killed and two arrested. The suspected members of Jund al-Sham are accused of planning bombings in Damascus.
The cause of Yasser Arafat's death is not entirely clear. The New York Times obtained medical records that indicate his proximate cause of death was a stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder. The underlying infection that caused the bleeding was not determined.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/international/middleeast/08arafat.html
Other details are in a new book by Amos Harel and Avi Isacharoff, "The Seventh War", Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew) The chapter of the book dealing with Arafat's death was published in Haaretz magazine.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/622612.html
As Afghanistan's election day approaches, high levels of attacks continue. In Kandahar, aerial bombing raids against suspected militants killed 13 suspects and led to 44 arrests. In Zaul province, 12 militants were killed and nine arrested. Helmand was the scene of a car bomb that killed the two drivers and injured four passers-by. A Taliban attack in Muqur killed six police, and two militants also died. Electoral candidates have been targeted with violence and intimidation that has already led to five deaths and at least one disappearance.
Bangladesh police investigating last month's nationwide bomb attacks raided locations in Dhaka, seizing 200 small bombs and related equipment. Seven people were arrested, but prime suspect Ataur Rahman of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh remains at large.
In India, separatist rebels with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) said they were ready to hold peace talks with the government. A day later, ULFA called a strike to protest the death in prison of their founder.
Chhattisgarh state banned all Maoist groups following the landmine explosion on 4 September that killed 24 policemen.
In Tamil Nadu, five armed hijacked a bus, forced the passengers and crew off, then set it alight. They demanded the release of Abdul Nasser Madani, an Islamic militant held in connection with the 1998 Coimbatore bombings that killed 58 people.
Nepal's Maoist rebels say that if the government reciprocates their truce, a dialog can begin.
Three Pakistan security officials trying to enforce an arms ban in Waziristan were fired upon and killed. Three other people were injured.
In Karachi, bombs at a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a McDonald's in Karachi caused property damage and minor injuries.
Sri Lankan government troops attacked a rebel sentry, killing three Tamil Tigers and injuring five. The defense department denies the charge and suggests a breakaway rebel faction was responsible. The Tigers have rejected a proposal by Norwegian mediators to hold talks at the Colombo airport.
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
Cisco warns that some versions of its IOS Firewall Authentication Proxy for FTP and/or Telnet Sessions feature are vulnerable to a remotely-exploitable buffer overflow condition that could cause a reload or allow arbitrary code execution.
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20050907-auth_proxy.shtml
The US Department of Justice has outlined a number of priorities to counter fraud in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/SpecialReport-HurricaneKatrina.htm
Britain's Home Office has published "Shredding the Risk of ID Fraud", a new leaflet with identity protection advice.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?item_id=1364
Research by Dr. Emily Finch of the University of East Anglia describes strategies that criminals use to get around anti-crime technologies, including chip and pin technology used to deter financial fraud. Criminals have adopted behaviors such as looking over people's shoulders or stealing identities. Belief in technology is so strong that even when she and a male colleague switched cards, they were able to use them without being challenged.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4213848.stm
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology has requested comments on proposed changes to the February Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) for identification credentials.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/index.html
http://csrc.nist.gov/piv-program/index.html
The German Interior Ministry banned children's relief organization Yatim, which has been linked to the banned al Aqsa association and to financing Hamas. The E. Zani publishing company, linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was also banned.
http://www.bmi.bund.de/cln_028/nn_122688/sid_0F70426E4E3C5DE059D5CEA53E26B894/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Pressemitteilungen/2005/09/Verbot__extremistische__Vereine2.html (in German)
Press reports claim that Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines and their Indonesian allies have collaborated to solicit financing from the Middle East to purchase weapons and carry out more attacks.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050909141636&irec=6
The former mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Paulo Maluf, has surrendered to police following accusations that he laundered $161 million to the US and tried to intimidate a witness. He denies the charges. Prosecutors believe he has some $500 million hidden in offshore tax havens, skimmed from public works contracts.
The Wall Street Journal has named China's second largest bank, Bank of China, as well as the Seng Heng Bank and Banco Delta based in Macau, as the subject of a US inquiry into a criminal syndicate financing North Korea's nuclear program. See Glenn Simpson et al, "U.S. Probes Bank's North Korea Ties", Wall Street Journal, 8 September 2005.
Switzerland, Nigeria, and the World Bank have reached agreement to monitor money stolen by the late Nigerian dictator, General Abacha. Swiss banks have returned $290 million found in Abacha-linked accounts, and another $170 million will be provided once the assets are converted into cash. This will complete payment of all funds in Switzerland, but other monies have been identified in Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and the UK.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050909141636&irec=6
Technical cooperation assistance from the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was highlighted in a new report from UN Secretary General Annan. Since 2003 the program has supported more than 00 States in their response to the challenges of transnational crime, human trafficking, corruption and terrorism, crime prevention, criminal justice standards, maintenance of the rule of law, and other areas.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/60/131
Amnesty International's report, "Myanmar: Leaving Home" finds that tens of thousands of civilians belonging to ethnic minorities are subject to ongoing human rights violations. Main findings include:
"* Widespread use of men, women and children as forced labour for portering, construction work and farming in contravention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention (No 29) to which the Myanmar Government acceded in 1955;
* Mass forced evictions, land confiscations and house destruction without compensation;
* Beating and killing of civilians forced to carry rice or other supplies for the military, if they are unable to keep up with the work rate;
* Regular harassment, abuse and arbitrary detention of civilians by the military;
* Stealing by the military of villagers' crops, livestock, household possessions, and money leaving thousands without adequate shelter and food;
* Government restrictions on the ability of UN and other agencies to assist the population by denying access to rural areas and particularly the ethnic minority border regions."
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engasa160242005
Another Amnesty Report, "Contracting out of human rights: The Chad-Cameroon pipeline project" finds that the Host Government Agreements governing construction create financial disincentives for protecting human rights, have harmed transparency, and have led to human rights abuses against the poor living along the pipeline route.
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGPOL300282005
Israeli Defense Forces have continued to use Palestinians as human shields despite a High Court ruling against the practice.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/620507.html
Reporters Without Borders claims that Yahoo! Supplied information to China that led to the imprisonment of a journalist for allegedly divulging state secrets when he emailed to foreign websites a Communist Party message regarding Tiananmen anniversary unrest.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=14884
The head of Britain's domestic security service, MI5, suggested that civil liberties may have to be eroded to protect the country from terrorism. Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller called for a debate on this matter in a speech made in the Netherlands.
http://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/Page387.html
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees latest report shows the sharp downward trend in immigration that began in 2002 has continued, with the number of people seeking asylum in industrialized countries at its lowest level in 16 years. These findings should undermine claims of anti-immigrant campaigners.
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=431db6ee4
A US federal judge ruled that the FBI must lift a gag order regarding library records that can be demanded without judicial review under a provision of the Patriot Act.
http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=19064&c=262
OpenTheGovernment.Org's 2005 Secrecy Report Card finds that "secrecy in 2004 extended to more classified activity, more federal advisory meetings, more new patents deemed 'secret', more domestic surveillance, and more new state laws restricting public access to information." Spending on secrecy jumped to $7.2 billion. This represents $148 to create a new secret for each $1 spent on revealing them, a jump of $28 from the 2003 ration of 120 to 1, or the 1990s average of $15-17 to 1.
http://www.openthegovernment.org/
The UN Environment Program (UNEP) has launched a new guidebook, "Communicating Sustainability" that describes low-cost innovative public campaigns for environmental protection.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=450&ArticleID=4915&l=en
International Literacy Day was marked on 8 September.
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/literacy/
Usama Bashiti was arrested in Israel for allegedly using his position as a money changer to channel funds to Hamas' military wing in the Gaza Strip.
Wouter Basson, the head of biological weapons development in apartheid-era South Africa, had been acquitted of murder and other charges in 2002. Now the Constitutional Court has ruled the criminal case can be reopened and that Basson should face trial for crimes against humanity.
Bouriqi Bouchta, a Moroccan-born Muslim cleric resident in Italy for more than a decade, has been expelled under new anti-terrorism laws enacted in Italy in July. Days later, Ben Said Faycal was also expelled under the same laws. He is a Tunisian suspected of belonging to cells operating in northern Italy.
William James Fulton has gone on trial in Northern Ireland on 64 charges related to Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) terrorist activities over the course of eight years, including three murders.
Robert Hendy-Freegard has been sentenced in British court to life in prison for posing as a spy to trick his victims out of nearly GBP 1 million. The former barman and car salesman told victims that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was targeting them.
Husam Khader, a Palestinian member of parliament, reached a plea agreement in an Israel Defense Forces court. He admitted to working for an illegal organization (Fatah), providing the means to carry out crimes (transferring funds from Iran and Hezbollah to Fatah members) and failing to prevent criminal acts (failing to stop a suicide bomber). Sentencing will be in late October.
Jamal Mahajna was sentenced in Israeli court to ten years in prison for causing death by negligence and illegal transportation in connection with driving suicide bomber Mahajna to the Maxim restaurant in Haifa in October 2003, where she killed herself and 21 other people, and injured dozens more.
Major-General Laurent Munyakazi has become the first person arrested on the order of a Rwandan local gacaca court. Based on evidence collected by the gacaca he has been charged with war crimes related to the death of people taking refuge in a church during the genocide. His case will be sent for court martial. He denies the charges.
Jose Padilla, a US citizen detained on US soil as an enemy combatant since 2002, faces a new court ruling that overturns an earlier court's judgement that he must be either charged or freed. A 3-judge federal appeals panel ruled that President Bush was able to order his detention under the congressional measure authorizing military force. Further appeals are likely.
Andrew Rowe ("Yusuf Abdullah") has gone on trial in the UK where he faces three charges of making articles for terrorism (including a pair of socks allegedly modified for cleaning a mortar bomb) and one count of recording information for use in terrorism.
Mufti Mohammad Sabir has been arrested in Pakistan in connection with a 2002 car bombing outside the Karachi Sheraton Hotel, in which 14 people were killed.
Daniel Snedden, formerly Dragan Vasiljkovic is under investigation in Australia for possible war crimes in connection with the dual Serbian and Australian citizen's command of a paramilitary unit during the 1990s Balkans war.
Guy Theunis, a Belgian Catholic priest, has been arrested in Rwanda for allegedly inciting genocide by republishing extremist articles in his magazine. The Belgian Foreign Ministry has requested an explanation.
Mahmoud Waridat has been charged in the Judea Military Court with training at an al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. The West Bank Palestinian allegedly declined an offer to join al Qaeda.
At Colombo Airport in Sri Lanka, a Saudi airliner was taxiing when a bomb warning was received. The plane stopped and the terrified passengers stampeded. One person was killed and dozens were injured. The bomb was a hoax, but the airport has been targeted in the past.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released two reports related to aviation safety and security. In " Aviation Security: Flight and Cabin Crew Member Security Training Strengthened, but Better Planning and Internal Controls Needed" GAO reports that since 9/11 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has enhanced guidance and standards for flight and cabin crew member security training. However, the programs lack recurrent training, a realistic training environment, and performance measures. "Aviation Safety: Oversight of Foreign Code-Share Safety Program Should Be Strengthened" reports that US airlines increasingly rely on code-sharing arrangements with foreign carriers, but in 68 percent of cases reviewed, documentation was insufficient to verify that a safety audit was completed or resolved. Airlines are beginning to adopt programs that include documenting the findings and any corrective action taken.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-781
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-930
Indonesia's Minister of Transportation plans to issue a decree requiring air crew to check passenger tickets with identity cards before boarding. The measure is being undertaken because three passengers, who had purchased tickets from scalpers, were not listed on the manifest of the Mandala Airlines plane that crashed last week, killing 149 people.
The US Department of Justice's Inspector General released a redacted "Review of the Terrorist Screening Center's Efforts to Support the Secure Flight Program". It is the latest of several audits to find significant problems, including the inability of the program to tell the Department of Homeland Security the number of records being screened or how many would be sent to the national Terrorist Screening Center. In addition to lack of such basic information, there are other undefined parameters, and changes are needed.
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/FBI/a0534/final.pdf
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore will begin combined maritime air patrols in a program called "Eyes in the Sky" beginning on September 13. The three countries also signed a statement regarding the safety and security of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, including proceeding with development of the Marine Electronic Highway, a safety plan developed with the International Maritime Organization. Indonesia plans to enhance monitoring systems and navigational aids in a new marine data center to manage information for ships passing through the straits.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=154485
http://www.indonesian-embassy.or.jp/menue/information/state/jo-statmnt-menlu-selat-malaka.htm
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20050908.@04&irec=3
Somali pirates lowered their ransom demand and will free the 47 crewmembers of three Taiwan fishing boats once the ransom is paid.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/09/07/2003270686
Despite this apparently successful outcome, the area remains under alert from the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center:
Somalia ? East and NE coast
Twenty incidents have been reported since 15.03.05. Heavily armed pirates are now attacking ships further away from the coast. The most recent incident took place 120 nm off the eastern coast. Ships are advised to keep as far away as possible from the Somali coast. http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php
Groundbreaking for a new transportation hub at the World Trade Center took place on 6 September. It replaces the station destroyed on 11 September 2001.
http://www.panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority/PressCenter/PressReleases/PressRelease/index.php?id=729
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
An international team of scientists has published "Chernobyl's Legacy: Health, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts". The analysis found that up to 4,000 people could eventually die from radiation exposure, much less than was feared at the time of the accident nearly 20 years ago. ,Many more will suffer from the lingering effects of poverty, and lack of information on how to live in the contaminated areas and on how to regain their livelihoods
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/Chernobyl/index.shtml
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that the Department of Defense was unable to secure and collect radiological sources when Iraq was invaded for six months thereafter. " Radiological Sources in Iraq: DOD Should Evaluate Its Source Recovery Effort, and Apply Lessons Learned to Future Recovery Missions." Recommends developing the capability of securing radiological resources in addition to a 2004 recommendation to quickly eliminate WMD in hostile environments. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-672
UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) analysts report that nine more Iraqi WMD sites have been cleaned.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/2005/545
The Institute for Science and International Security reports that nuclear stockpiles contain enough stores of plutonium and other nuclear materials to create 300,000 bombs.
http://www.isis-online.org/global_stocks/end2003/tableofcontents.html
The Carnegie Endowment has provided details of Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan's nuclear black market in the "Khan Nuclear Chronology".
http://www.CarnegieEndowment.org/static/npp/Khan_Chronology.pdf
The Cook Islands has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council have agreed to a series of measures to safeguard sensitive medical research and prevent its misuse in development of biological weapons.
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index/public-interest/public-news_centre/public-press_office/public-press_releases_2005/public-press_08_sept_2005.htm
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_WTX026607.html
The American Public Health Association reports on a lack of resources in the national quarantine system and recommends new powers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor infections and set up and enforce quarantines. They cite a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in their discussion of " Leadership and Comprehensive Plan Needed to Protect Against Importation Of Infectious Diseases and Bioterrorism Agents at U.S. Ports of Entry".
http://www.apha.org/news/press/2005/quarantine.htm
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/030909951X?OpenDocument
Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states adopted a statement calling for a WMD-free Middle East.
Honduras has ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Richard Francis, "Judge Sewall's Apology: The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of an American Conscience", Fourth Estate
Sadakat Kadri, "The Trial", Random House
Joseph Nevins, "A Not So Distant Horror: Mass Violence in East Timor", Cornell University Press
Salman Rushdie, "Shalimar the Clown", Random House (novel about terrorism and Kashmir)
Anthony Shadid, "Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War", Henry Holt
Stephen M. Walt, "Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy" W.W. Norton
FEATURE ARTICLE: Voices of 9/11
On 11 September 2001 firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency staff responded to an emerging disaster at the World Trade Center in New York City. Radio logs and interviews following the attack were archived and many of those records were released, following the demands of victims' families and a court order, in August. These recollections, of more than 500 first responders, add a level of personal detail that is almost unbearable to contemplate, and vividly recalls the fear, horror, and devastation of the event.
File No. 9110145
WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW
EMS CHIEF ZACHARY GOLDFARB
Interview Date: October 23, 2001:
It was an absolute beautiful day. The sky was just a perfect blue and not a cloud in the sky.
We got to the command post. Chief Ganci was there.... He was being very frustrated about his radio. I remember this. He was like what's that? What channel is this? Am I on the right channel? Goddamn it, the radios aren't working.
There was like a shower of stuff coming off this building. I have to tell you that standing below this building where we were standing looking up at a fire that was -- I don't even know what floor the fire was on, 80 or 50 or 70 or something like that. We didn't appreciate the extent of damage to the building that you would have appreciated if you were standing in Brooklyn or Jersey City looking at it, and in retrospect -- and I think about this day and night, but in retrospect, I think it's possible that the command, personnel in command, if they could have seen what you would see from Brooklyn, might have had a different assessment of the hazards of the building than what you could see from the street because you're basically looking straight up a vertical cliff, two vertical cliffs, and you're seeing the bottom of some smoke and fire and you see debris or whatever, but I don't think you had a full appreciation of the extent of damage, how many floors, the size of damage.
As I thought about it later, it was the first time in my life that I ever felt that an incident beat us. You know, we go into an incident to control it. That's what we do. If you're a control freak, that works for you even better. You go into a scene, you take command, you assess whatever the problem is and you manage the incident. That's what we train, that's what we do, and here we are going into an incident that is beating the shit out of us and has actually pushed us back and chased us away and we're leaving behind our wounded, we were leaving behind who knows what, we're leaving equipment, we're abandoning equipment. We took all the people that were with us, but we were abandoning the equipment, some of the equipment, and we were just trudging out through the dust like just a defeated army. That's how I felt. It just felt terrible. It just felt terrible.
File No. 9110144
WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW
EMT MARY MERCED
Interview Date: October 23, 2001:
I look up at the north tower, and I see colors all the way up there. I'm thinking to myself, geez, I said, is that clothes? I thought since the airplane crashed there, I'm thinking about maybe it's the clothes from the luggage or something. Then I see something else drop. Then I look. I see debris drop. And I look, and it was people. I could tell you almost every color clothing all the people that I saw fall had on, how they fell, if they tumbled, if they swan-dived. There was this one woman. She was dressed in white. by this time, he was in shock, almost catatonic. He [colleague Kevin Darnowski] said, "Mary, do you see that woman falling in white? He said, my wife had the same clothes when she left this morning."
[As the tower collapsed] Everything is like in slow motion, like time stood still and it was slow motion. But I knew I couldn't turn back and go to the bus, so I had to keep on running. So I'm running, and I'm worried about the chief, that he's there. Nobody expected those buildings to implode. They were thinking, it's going to topple. When it's falling, you think it's going to topple. Where is it going to go? So I'm running, and people are running in front of me. They stop. They turn around. I think everything's over with. So I stop, all of a sudden the thing is coming at us. It was like in dark hell, like a nuclear blizzard. I couldn't explain it. You couldn't see in front of you. You couldn't breathe. You're inhaling. You're coughing. You're running. You can't see anything. Once the building fell -- because you could hear it -- you couldn't hear anymore. Everything was silent. It was like if I was in a desert.
File No. 9110077
WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW
CHIEF ULYSSES GRANT
Interview Date: October 12, 2001:
I don't remember looking directly at the buildings coming down. I know that when we first got there that day. I saw what I thought was a rag or something falling off one of the buildings. The person standing next to me said Chief, that's a person. But you could see it was burning. But I remember distinctly people just running, running, wondering what's going on. Then it wasn't long after that there was debris and stuff coming down from the World Trade Center had descended upon us. The only choice was to run. I don't think it was a question of saying what do I do next. The only option was to run at that point and take cover. That's what I believe most people did. I guess some had more advantage being either closer to a building or a place where they could get into, and some of us were just left wide out in the open. There was a Hazollah [emergency] truck, and I remember diving in there and some other people dove in with me, still not knowing what was going on around us.
File No. 9110141
WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW
FIRE MARSHAL STEVEN MOSIELLO
Interview Date: October 23, 2001:
Outside number One World Trade, there were jumpers. There was a tremendous amount of bodies on the ground. They were hitting at a rate of probably one every 30 or 40 seconds onto the glass atrium that was there, which is a distinct explosion-type sound when they hit, as was -- I think you can close your eyes and you knew when a jumper hit the ground over there. It was very distinct. After you saw enough of them, you just stopped looking. You knew what it was. I think this is a quote from somebody else: If it stayed the jumpers and the fire in number one, then there would have been a real bad day, not worse.
We saw the second plane hit -- if you want me to go back to when the second plane hit. I was told by Chief Ingram, who was a terrorist and hazmat-type guy, that we've got to be careful of secondary explosions or secondary devices. Who knew that the secondary device would be another plane. People actually saw the plane. You heard it, the closer it got. It just got louder and louder. I say that he throttled up as fast as he could. That's what it sounded like, but I think he became more in earshot of us. And he just came in and put the plane into the building. As I'm looking up at this stuff that's going on up there now, I just like -- I'm saying to myself I've seen this in a movie. My whole recollection is going back to a movie or something I saw. I just saw this before. It's like before my eyes. I don't know if I ever did or didn't, you know, in a dream.
File No. 9110076
WORLD TRADE CENTER TASK FORCE INTERVIEW
EMS CAPTAIN MARK STONE
Interview Date: October 12, 2001:
[When the first tower collapsed] We just got thrown, and everything went black and it was almost silent. Right at that moment I saw my two kids. I saw my father who passed away. I was actually in the air flying along and it was only, I guess, maybe a second, and I said to myself my god, that's it, it's over, because it was black and it was silent. Then I hit the ground. Then stuff was just piling on top of me. As soon as I hit, I fell on my shoulder. I got an excruciating pain. So I said to myself -- this is all within a second this is going on through my mind. I said to myself, I said, you are not dead because there is no pain in heaven. I feel this excruciating pain running down my arm. Now I'm getting hit in the back of my head and everything and thank god I had my helmet on.
I heard that rumble again, that roar, that thunder, and I said dear god, I almost died once. God can't be letting this happen to me again. I looked up. This is how I know 2 fell first. I looked up and it was happening again. 1 World Trade Center was falling on my head now. I said holy cow, this really can't be happening. Again you have that decision, do I run north on West Street or do I run to the water. I said screw this, I'm just -- I'm going for a swim in the Hudson. That's where I'm going to run. It hit this time, but the difference was when it hit was because we were outside, it was just a deep dark gray rather than pitch black. Things were hitting us, but it was more dust, just more of the construction dust at this point.
I was at the first one, the first incident in '9 3. I think we were all lulled into really a false sense of security that they couldn't take it down with a bomb, that this would never happen.
Additional Resources:
The New York Times offers background information and analysis in addition to the audio dispatches and transcripts at
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/nyregion/nyregionspecial3/National Geographic has a video archive, "Inside 9/11" at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/inside911/CNN has developed a special program for students in grades 7-12, "America Remembers", that will be aired on September 12:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/09/06/cnnpce.america.remembers/index.htmlFor a list of commemoration activities and memorials refer to
http://www.familiesofseptember11.org/actionalert.aspx?alert_id=262
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