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It's time for the Bush Administration to put Turks in their place

American Chronicle – "It’s time for the Bush Administration to put Turks in
their place":
30 June 2007 / by Rauf Naqishbendi*

A friendship between America and Turkey has been a liability for America
since the beginning, due to Turkey’s notoriously dirty human rights record.
During the Cold War Turkey’s strategic location propelled America to seek a
close relationship with Turkey. Thankfully, all that changed when the Iron
Curtain fell pronouncing Turkey a triviality. Moreover, the Iraq War has
proved Turkey’s uselessness to America. While the Turks continue their human
rights abuses and threaten to cause trouble in Iraq, the Bush administration
has not put the Turks in their place, as justice demands.

Since the Iraqi Liberation mission, Turkey has been opposing the notion of
an independent Kurdistan, fearing that once the Kurds in Iraq are free and
democratic, their counterparts on the other side of the border will demand
the same. Clearly they are of the opinion that, in order for the Turks to
justify their violation of Kurdish human rights in their country, Kurds
ought to be abused everywhere in the world.

It is bewildering why America would want to support and befriend a regime
such as Turkey’s with all their atrocities against humanity, not only
against Kurds but also Serbs, Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians. The United
States’ apathy is overwhelming; for decades they have generously provided
assistance to Turkey without considering the country’s human rights record.
Common sense and common justice has been rare with American leaders
regarding their relationship with Turkey. Think of the Armenian genocide
committed by Turks, yet America ignored the plight of Armenians demanding
Turks to acknowledge their atrocities.

And reaching the height of absurdity, American leaders and politicians have
been calling Turkey a great democracy in the Middle East, in order to
justify the United States’ immense support of Turkey, citing the Turkish
elections and constitution as proofs. While it’s true that election is a
vital pillar of democratic establishment which reflects fair representation,
and fair representation requires a sound and moral constitution; these
pillars of democracy need to be genuine, otherwise their casual application
will weaken the foundation of the institution. A constitution is vital to
democracy, but it needs to be moral and apply consistently to every citizen.
But Turkey’s constitution excludes all non-Turks who live in Turkey by a
simple declaration that all citizens of Turkey are Turks. This is a moral
predicament since one third of Turkey’s population is Kurds, and there are
also Arabs, Assyrians and Armenians. Where is justice and morality in a
constitution that is privileging one portion of the population and
demonizing the rest?

Turkey has been a violent country for decades as the Kurdish rebel P.K.K has
been fighting for an equitable system of justice and equality for all.
During this period Turkey’s rulers usually have been civilians on the
surface, but military at heart. Thus the rule of army and violence has made
democracy in Turkey scarce, for under the rule of army and bloody violence
there is no democracy. Additionally, Turkey is not a pristine democracy;
rather, it is a corrupted country with bribery, favoritism and cronyism
ubiquitous. These attributes encumber the glory of democracy, and go against
its true essence. As one can see, these arguments contradict any
proclamation that Turkey is a democracy. If anyone claims that it is, that
person either does not have a true knowledge of Turkey or does not
understand the true meaning of democracy.

President Bush would display a new degree of enlightenment if he were to
address the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his next visit
to Washington as follows:

"Mr. Erdogan, we have heard enough of your exploitation of the Kurds, and
your opposition to the inspiration of the world’s biggest nation without
statehood to obtain their independence. I feel compassion for the Kurds
because of what they have suffered in your country; we let your leaders be
as intolerant as they desired for a long time. We lavished you with
monetary, political and military assistance, and you utilized it as fodder
for your prejudice and pride. These are unfounded in today’s world and are
just relics of your past. We have gone as far as arguing the case for your
membership in the EU, even though we knew your nation doesn’t resemble
Europeans.

You know it has been an established tradition of our presidency for the US
president not to apologize, and I shall not violate this tradition, but were
I permitted to break that tradition, I would proffer the Kurds in your
country an earnest apology for our support to your government and that of
your predecessors that they have turned to abuse against the Kurds.

The Kurds have been our faithful ally in our war against Saddam and
terrorism, and America is looked upon as respectable and popular among the
Kurdish; on the other hand, the degree of anti-American sentiment amongst
your people is shamefully high. Therefore, we are not going to forsake our
faithful friends, the Kurds, to please an old friend who has proven
perfidious.

A free and independent Kurdistan is imminent for it is the will and
determination of the Kurdish nation. The will of a nation is impassable and
neither you nor anyone else can hinder it. That leaves you with no choice
but to accept and put aside your bigotry towards the Kurds. A free and
independent Kurdistan will be beneficial to you and your people, therefore I
ask you not to merely tolerate it but rather to welcome it wholeheartedly. I
will join you and your people in celebrating the birth of a free and
independent country, Kurdistan, with its waving flag visible from your
border. We should let this new nation prosper and bloom; we should all help
these great people who are good friends of ours. I assure you, they too will
be your.

* Rauf Naqishbendi is a contributing columnist for Kurdishmedia.com and
American Chronicle and has written Op/Ed pages for LA times. He has just
completed his first novel The Garden Of The Poets and through his literary
agent seeking publication

http://www.flash-bulletin.de/index.html

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Terror Threat "Critical" as Brits Pump Up Incident to a

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Terror Threat "Critical" as Brits Pump Up Incident to a

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn’t Fit

The Observer – Jul 1, 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2115693,00.html

Terror threat ‘critical’ as Glasgow attacked

 Airport strike linked to London car bombs
 UK-wide hunt for al-Qaeda cell

by Mark Townsend, Jo Revill and Paul Kelbie

Britain was braced last night for a fresh wave of terrorist attacks as
the national threat level was raised to ‘critical’ following an
attempted car bombing of Glasgow airport.

Just four days into his premiership, Gordon Brown was dealing with the
most dangerous situation facing Britain since the attacks on London in
July 2005. Police and intelligence officers confirmed that there was a
direct link between the Scottish attack and the attempted car bombing
of London on Friday – confirming the reality of a renewed UK offensive
by Islamist extremists.

Last night the Prime Minister summoned intelligence chiefs and
ministers before the Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall to discuss
the deteriorating security situation. It was agreed to raise the threat
level to the highest degree possible, a decision that confirmed another
attack is expected imminently.

In a televised address from Downing Street, a sombre-faced Brown urged
people to be ‘vigilant’ and support the police and security services.
He said: ‘I know that the British people will stand together, united,
resolute and strong.’

As night fell, armed police began stopping vehicles entering airports
throughout the UK after warnings were circulated that a nationwide
terror cell is preparing more attacks. Liverpool John Lennon airport
was closed at 8.30pm while police investigated a suspect vehicle.
Glasgow airport too remained closed.

At 3.11pm, a Jeep Cherokee wreathed in flames was crashed into the
doors of the main terminal building at Glasgow. Driven by two
‘Asian-looking’ men, it came to a halt as they threw petrol over it and
appeared to try to detonate the vehicle. With the help of bystanders,
the two men were overpowered and arrested. One was fighting for his
life last night, after throwing petrol over himself and setting it
alight.

There was a further twist last night as the Royal Alexandra Hospital in
Paisley, where the man was being treated, was evacuated. Strathclyde
Police later said that the man had possibly been wearing a suicide vest.

William Rae, chief constable of Strathclyde Police, last night
confirmed that the attack on Glasgow airport was linked to the London
attempt. ‘There are similarities between this incident and those in
London. We are treating this as a terrorist incident.’ The Jeep attack,
bearing the hallmarks, police said, of an al-Qaeda plot, came 36 hours
after extremists attempted a double car bomb attack in the heart of
London’s West End.

Two people were arrested in Cheshire late last night in connection with
the London and Glasgow failed terrorist attacks, which appear to have
slipped completely under the radar of the security services. The pair
were arrested by anti-terrorism officers from the Metropolitian and
West Midlands Police.

Intelligence sources confirmed the attack on Glasgow airport appeared
to be aimed at killing passengers.

As with the failed London attack, the explosives and gas canisters
which appeared to be in the Jeep did not detonate, a stroke of fortune
that may again have saved the lives of hundreds.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as the Jeep sped towards the
terminal entrance. Robin Patterson, 42, of Rochester, Kent, saw the car
burst into flames. ‘There was an enormous explosion,’ he said. ‘The guy
next to the car, his skin and clothes just fell off him.’ Another
described one of the men throwing punches at police while screaming:
‘Allah, Allah’.

The Prime Minister’s new terrorism adviser, Lord Stevens, said last
night: ‘Make no mistake, this weekend’s bomb attacks signal a major
escalation by Islamic terrorists.’ Meanwhile in London, a massive
investigation into what could have been Britain’s most deadly terror
attack widened last night. Police and intelligence sources told The
Observer that they were now investigating the existence of an Islamic
terror cell in the capital. One major branch of the inquiry is tracking
down a number of terror suspects who have slipped their control orders,
a development that raises fresh questions over their effectiveness.

One man being sought is Lamine Adam, 26, who, in evidence at the recent
Crevice terror trial that saw five jailed for plotting fertiliser bomb
attacks in the UK, allegedly boasted of targeting nightclubs. One of
the Mercedes cars involved in the attack was left outside the busy
Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket, in the centre of the West End. The
other Mercedes was found in a nearby street.

Other men urgently wanted by police are his brother Ibrahim, 20, and
Cerie Bullivant, 24, who have also evaded control orders. The
government’s independent reviewer of anti-terror legislation, Lord
Carlile, has said that there is ‘solid evidence’ that the trio had
wanted to join insurgents abroad and attack British troops serving in
Iraq. Security sources said it remains ‘possible’ that the men were
involved in the attempt to bring carnage to London.

After being briefed on the progress of the police investigation, the
new Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, released a statement urging greater
vigilance. It read: ‘The police are clear that the most important
contribution that the public can make is to carry on reporting anything
suspicious and to remain vigilant. I must stress we must not let the
threat of terror stop us getting on with our lives.’

The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, reiterated that the capital faced
‘a very real threat’ and called on Londoners to be ‘vigilant’. Hundreds
of extra police were drafted on to the streets to step up security and
to reassure the public.

The Gay Pride Festival, which saw hundreds of thousands of people
making their way from Baker Street to Trafalgar Square, was accompanied
by 350 officers, while extra police were drafted in for the Wimbledon
tennis championships and the Diana, Princess of Wales, concert at
Wembley.

Among other terror suspects police want to track down are former tube
worker and 26-year-old Londoner Zeeshan Siddiqui. A court has heard how
he trained with a London suicide bomber in Pakistan.

Another individual police want to track down, even if only to eliminate
him from their investigation, is Bestun Salim, who disappeared from his
Manchester home last year, and is alleged to have links to Ansar
al-Islam, a group linked to the terrorist network of the late Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, Iraq’s notorious insurgent leader who was killed last year.

                           ***

Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Red Level Terrorist Alert in UK

London, Jul 1 (Prensa Latina) Great Britain is under severe risk of
terrorist attacks Sunday morning and a maximum security alert was
activated in airports and public places, said Prime Minister Gordon
Brown.

With security measures strengthened in this country, Brown made his own
debut after assuming his post last Wednesday 27, by warning there is a
long term threat ahead, which will not disappear in the following
months.

In statements made to London BBC, World Service, he urged the population
not to let themselves be intimidated by those terror acts, carried out
by what he called a little group of people willing to harm this country
and other parts of the world.

With that response, he tried to rule out the possibility that the
attacks are caused by UK troops presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The alert was declared after the police found, only 24 hours after
Brown took on [his duties], two vehicles full of explosives at London’s
downtown, raising the threat level to "red" when two men drove a
four-wheel-drive vehicle on fire into Glasgow’s Airport main
entrance.

ef gdb bts

PL-25

                            ***

BBC News – Jul 1, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6259354.stm

Police confident in bombers hunt

The links between the three attempted car bombings in Glasgow and
London are becoming "ever clearer", the UK’s top counter-terrorism
officer has said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke said he was "absolutely
confident" of uncovering details of the attackers’ methods and network.

A Jeep containing gas cylinders was driven into Glasgow Airport a day
after two car bombs were found in London.

Five people are being held, but police are thought to be hunting a
suspect.

BBC correspondent Daniel Sandford said that might explain why the
country remained on its highest state of security alert – critical,
which means an attack is expected "imminently".

Police questioning

Two of those held by police are a 26-year-old man and 27-year-old woman
who were arrested on the M6 near Sandbach, Cheshire, on Saturday night.

The man has been identified by the BBC as Dr Mohammed Asha.

Both have been taken to Paddington Green police station in London for
questioning.

Another 26-year-old man arrested in Liverpool on Sunday remains in
custody at a Merseyside police station.

One of the two suspects held at Glasgow Airport on Saturday suffered
severe burns and remains in a critical condition, and under armed
police guard, at Royal Alexandra Hospital, in Paisley.

The BBC has learned those arrested are believed to be of varying Middle
Eastern nationalities.

Mr Clarke earlier described the investigation into the failed bombings
as "extremely fast-moving".

"It is no exaggeration at all to say that new information is coming to
light hour by hour," he said.

"I’m confident – absolutely confident – that in the coming days and
weeks we will be able to gain a thorough understanding of the methods
used by the terrorists, of the way in which they planned their attacks,
and of the network to which they belong."

He said forensic searches of vehicles were proving "extremely valuable"
and thousands of hours of CCTV were being sifted through.

Elsewhere, Merseyside Police have been searching two addresses in the
Liverpool area.

And Staffordshire Police said its officers had been searching an
address in Newcastle-under-Lyme with the West Midlands Counter
Terrorism Unit and Met personnel.

The UK moved to its highest level of terror alert after the Jeep
Cherokee crashed into the main doors of Glasgow Airport’s main terminal
and burst into flames on Saturday afternoon.

‘Al-Qaeda links’

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Andrew Marr on BBC One’s Sunday AM it
was "clear that we are dealing, in general terms, with people who are
associated with al-Qaeda".

"It’s obvious that we have a group of people – not just in this
country, but round the world – who’re prepared at any time to inflict
what they want to be maximum damage on civilians, irrespective of the
religion of these people who are killed or maimed," Mr Brown said.

Strathclyde Police issued the registration number of the Jeep used in
the attempted attack on Glasgow Airport – L808 RDT – and appealed for
information about sightings of the vehicle in recent weeks.

A controlled explosion was carried out on a car at the hospital where a
suspect is being treated. It is thought to have been connected to the
failed airport bombing, police said.

Searches have also taken place at addresses in Houston, Renfrewshire,
close to the airport.

Glasgow Airport was fully opened on Sunday afternoon, almost 24 hours
after the incident.

Assistant Chief Constable John Malcolm, of Strathclyde police, said the
force was receiving about 100 calls an hour from the public.

"This reflects the outrage felt in our communities at this act, and the
calls we are receiving are supportive of the police actions," he said.

Heightened security

The attempted airport attack came a day after two Mercedes containing
petrol, gas cylinders and nails were found outside the Tiger Tiger club
in London’s Haymarket and a nearby street on Friday.

Their devices did not detonate.

Security has been stepped up across the country.

A number of airports have taken extra measures, including Heathrow,
Edinburgh, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester and Blackpool.

Heathrow’s terminal was closed for a period on Sunday after a suspect
package was declared safe.

There was heightened security and a heavy police presence at Wembley
Stadium, in London, where up to 63,000 people attended the memorial
concert for Diana, Princess of Wales.

Security is also to be stepped up at the Wimbledon Championships, in
south-west London, when the tennis tournament resumes on Monday.

Road blocks have been set up in front of the gates to the All England
Club.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter said British Transport Police would
"do everything we possibly can to make people safe in their journeys to
work tomorrow across the country".

"We’ll be out in force. We’ll be doing a lot of things they can see and
an awful lot of things they can’t see in the background to make their
arrival back at work on Monday morning as safe as possible," he said.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will make a statement on the situation in
the Commons on Monday.

Police have urged anyone with information to phone the confidential
Anti-Terrorism hotline number on 0800789321.

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Terror….terror……United Kingdom……

Hello to all,
  Guess what? govt announce the attack of british places due to
terrorism by Singgov’s communist maintenance……..for your
info………

roijgstgjrtjgrt

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Terror….terror……Al Qaeda….Osama Bin Laden………..

Hello to all,
  Straits times newspaper report govt announce the terror attack done
by Al Qaeda Osama bin laden is done by Singgov communist command
centre……..have a nice day reading………..

sjfigvhrsfghvrstghrst

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Terror………..Terror…………..Bal i attack……

Hello to all,
  Today’s newspaper report……..govt announce bali terror attack by
singgov communist command centre….have a nice day reading…….

fojresojgrege

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EU mashes GM potato plan; German GM Maize Field Attacked

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EU mashes GM potato plan; German GM Maize Field Attacked

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn’t Fit

sent by Marcus (activ-l) – Jul 3, 2007

The Register (UK) – Jul 2, 2007
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/02/gm_spud_mashed/

EU mashes GM potato plan

BASF’s Amflora off the menu

By Lester Haines

The European Union’s Council of Ministers last week delivered a serious
blow to biotech companies’ ambitions to roll out GM crops across the
region by postponing a decision on the "commercial optimisation" of
BASF’s Amflora "genetically optimised potato".

According to the Telegraph, the German EU presidency canned a European
Commission proposal to release the Amflora – developed by BASF for "use
in industrial starch" – when it became clear that "a bloc of countries
led by Austria, Greece, and Luxembourg would vote against it".

The decision was made ahead of last week’s Europe’s environment
ministers’ shindig. Although the EU lifted a moratorium on the
commercial exploitation of GM crops 2004, none have been cleared for
cultivation since 1998.

An official said: "It became clear that there was no way to get a
majority for the first approval of a GM crop since 1998, so it has been
taken off the agenda." A Brussels mandarin added: "Nine years after the
moratorium we do not look any closer to authorising new GM crops for
harvesting."

Greenpeace said of the announcement: "Consumers, most of whom have no
desire to eat GM produce, expect politicians to put their health, food,
safety, and the environment before the vested interests of a few
agro-chemical companies."

BASF has stood by the safety of the Amflora spud, citing the European
Food Standards Authority which has "repeatedly stated that Amflora is
for humans, animals and the environment as safe as any conventional
potato".

                                   ***

GMO-Safety
http://www.gmo-safety.eu/en/news/575.docu.html

Germany: Trial Field of GM Maise Attacked

In a repeat of last year’s events, parts of a trial field with GM maize
in Forchheim (Baden-Wurttemberg) have once again been destroyed. The
field is part of the coexistence research programme funded by the
Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV),
which is investigating practical questions of coexistence between
genetically modified and conventional maize farming.

During the night of Friday 22 June 2007, anti-biotechnology activists forced
their way onto the field and trampled on some of the maize plants. As a
spokesman for the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry of Agriculture said, a
"considerable area" was destroyed.

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More Arrests in Brit "Terror" Blitz

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More Arrests in Brit "Terror" Blitz

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn’t Fit

Channel 4 News – Snowmail (UK) – Jul 3, 2007
http://www.channel4.com

MORE TERROR ARRESTS

The investigation into the failed bombings in London and Glasgow
continues to move at breakneck pace. News is coming through that two
men have been arrested in Blackburn under the terrorism act, although
it’s not clear if this is related to the incidents on Friday and
Saturday. The challenge at this stage is to piece together the
connections – now stretching as far as Australia – that link the
detained suspects.

At the time of writing the total number of arrests is eight – not
including those held in Blackburn. And given that all the detainees are
thought to have worked for the NHS, the majority as doctors, we’ll be
looking into the vetting procedures that overseas doctors are subjected
to before they can practice in this country. We’re chasing developments
in Scotland, the north west, London, and abroad.

Use our interactive map to see where events occurred, from the failed
attacks in London and Glasgow to the arrests in England and Scotland.
Go to –

http://linkger.com/480062

ALSO: BROWN PROMISES CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

A lot seems to have happened since Gordon Brown became prime minister
last week. Today he made his first address to the Commons as PM, where
he promised constitutional changes that include giving up the royal
preorgative to declare war without parliamentary approval. We hope to
speak to Jack Straw, the new justice secretary, whose responsibility it
will be to steer through the necessary legislation.

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France to honor WWII veteran in local ceremony

France to honor WWII veteran in local ceremony
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070703-9999-1m3b2briefs.html

{EXCERPT} San Diego Union Tribune, United States Brooks has received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 10 oak-leaf clusters, the Prisoner of War Medal, a European battle ribbon with three…

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070703-9999-1m3b2briefs.html

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-wars

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White Blood Cells for the Planet: Brits Round Up Doctors,

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White Blood Cells for the Planet: Brits Round Up Doctors,

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn’t Fit

[Well, it's one way to implement the Hippocratic Oath! White blood
cells for the planet.]

AP via Yahoo – Jul 3, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070703/ap_on_re_eu/britain_terrorism

Diverse group allegedly in British plot

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press Writer

They had diverse backgrounds, coming from countries around the globe,
but all shared youth and worked in medicine. They also had a common
goal, authorities suspect: to bring havoc and death to the heart of
Britain.

The eight people held Tuesday in the failed car bombing plot include
one doctor from Iraq and two from India. There is a physician from
Lebanon and a Jordanian doctor and his medical assistant wife. Another
doctor and a medical student are thought to be from the Middle East.

All employees of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, some
worked together as colleagues at hospitals in England and Scotland, and
experts and officials say the evidence points to the plot being hatched
after they met in Britain, rather than overseas.

"To think that these guys were a sleeper cell and somehow were able to
plan this operation from the different places they were, and then
orchestrate being hired by the NHS so they could get to the UK, then
get jobs in the same area " I think that’s a planning impossibility,"
said Bob Ayres, a former U.S. intelligence officer now at London’s
Chatham House think tank.

"A much more likely scenario is they were here together, they
discovered that they shared some common ideology, and then they decided
to act on this while here in the UK," he said.

No one has been charged in the plot in which two car bombs failed to
explode in central London early Friday and two men rammed a Jeep
Cherokee loaded with gas cylinders into the entrance of Glasgow
International Airport and set it on fire the following day.

Investigators believe the main plotters have been rounded up, including
one in custody in Australia, though others involved on the periphery,
including at least one British-born suspect, were still being hunted, a
British government security official said, speaking on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the details.

British-born Muslims behind the bloody 2005 London transit bombings and
others in thwarted plots here have been linked to terror training camps
and foreign radicals in Pakistan, and the official said Pakistan, India
and several other nations were asked to check possible links with the
suspects in the latest attacks.

The educational achievements of the suspects in the car bomb attempts
is in sharp contrast to the men that carried out the deadly July 7
transit bombings two years ago. The ringleader of that attack, Mohammed
Siddique Khan, had a degree in business studies, but with low marks,
and his three fellow suicide bombers had little or no higher education.

In the current case, Muhammad Haneef, a 27-year-old doctor from India
arrested late Monday in Brisbane, Australia, worked in 2005 at Halton
Hospital near Liverpool in northern England, hospital spokesman Mark
Shone said.

Another Indian doctor, 26, arrested late Saturday in Liverpool, worked
at the same hospital, Shone confirmed, but refused to divulge his name.

A third suspect, Mohammed Jamil Asha, a 26-year-old doctor from Jordan
of Palestinian heritage, was arrested Saturday with his wife, Marwa
Asha, 27, who was identified in British media reports as a medical
assistant. He worked at North Staffordshire Hospital, near the Midlands
town of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

A doctor at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Glasgow, who refused to give
his name, said he recognized Asha as a doctor who kept an office there
" the same hospital where another suspect, Bilal Talal Abdul Samad
Abdulla, worked.

According to friends of Abdulla’s family in Iraq, the 27-year-old
doctor came to Britain after graduating from medical school in Baghdad.
He was a passenger in the Jeep Cherokee that rammed into the Glasgow
airport.

The Jeep’s driver " identified by staff at Royal Alexandra Hospital as
a Lebanese doctor named Khalid Ahmed " was in critical condition at
that hospital from burns suffered in the attack. Police would not
confirm his identity.

Investigators believe the same men who parked the explosives-laden cars
in London may have also driven the blazing SUV in Glasgow, the British
security official said.

The final two suspects, ages 25 and 28, were arrested by police Sunday
at Royal Alexandra Hospital. Staff said one was a medical student and
the other a junior doctor, without giving their names. British media
said they were from Saudi Arabia, but police refused to comment.

Dr. Shiv Panbe, former chairman of the British International Doctors
Association, said the two Indian nationals in custody were Muslims.

"It is very upsetting news," Panbe said of their alleged involvement.
"It is an abuse of trust and respect " everyone should be able to love
their doctor."

Azmi Mahafzah, a teacher at the University of Jordan’s medical school,
said he knew the suspect Asha during his studies and training there in
1998-2004. He said he didn’t think Asha was religious. "He is not a
fanatic type of person," Mahafzah said.

Asha’s family also denied he was a militant or had links to terrorism,
as did the family of Asha’s wife, Marwa.

"Marwa is a very educated person and she read many British novels to
know England better, a country she liked so much," her father, Yunis
Da’na, told The Associated Press in Jordan.

British authorities have refused to release many details on the
suspects, including whether they were on any watch lists, but have
indicated they believe the plot may have links to al-Qaida.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Tuesday that
none of the eight suspects was on any American lists that identify
potential terror suspects.

One news report suggested the group could have been recruited by the
head of al-Qaida in Iraq, but the British security official said that
was "unlikely." He said the investigation was not focusing on Iraqi
links, other than the fact that one suspect was from Iraq.

Patrick Mercer, a legislator in the opposition Conservative Party who
is a former British army intelligence officer, said he doubted the
plotters came to Britain already planning the attack.

"I think these people came into the country, possibly already
radicalized or certainly sympathetic … and the process of
radicalization has been completed while they’re here. My inclination is
to say that these are intelligent and highly motivated people, so the
probability of self-radicalization is higher," he told the AP.

Ayres, the American security expert, said he doubted the group had
"direct contact" with an outside group like al-Qaida, saying they would
not have needed any serious training for the plot that was carried out.
"The attack vector that they used wasn’t very sophisticated," he said.

But Mercer said from what he had heard from his sources, the plotters
did attempt a complex assault. He said the first car bomb outside the
Tiger Tiger nightclub was intended to draw people out from other pubs
and nightspots, when the second bomb was to be exploded.

"It’s not the most sophisticated attack on earth, but I would suggest
it’s not something by a bunch of medical students " there’s military
thinking behind this " so there will have been, I’m pretty sure, a
guiding hand," Mercer said.

That is exactly what investigators are still trying to piece together,
the security official said.

"When did they first meet? Did they meet in Britain or overseas? Were
they sent here? Is there an actual al-Qaida link? They are questions
we’re looking for answers to," the official said.

[Associated Press writers Rob Harris in Runcorn, England; David Stringer
in London; Ben McConville, in Glasgow, Scotland; Lara Jakes Jordan in
Washington; and Shafika Mattar and Dale Gavlak in Amman, Jordan,
contributed to this report.]

Copyright (c) 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

                       ***

Reuters  via Yahoo – Jul 3, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070703/ts_nm/britain_bomb_dc_68

Police hold foreign doctors over British bomb plot

By Michael Holden and Mark Trevelyan

Police were holding eight people on Tuesday, at least four of them
foreign doctors, over a suspected al Qaeda plot against Britain that
triggered a manhunt reaching as far as Australia.

One British security source said two of the suspects were Indian, the
rest were Middle Eastern and "quite a few" were doctors — a contrast
with recent British conspiracies led by "homegrown" militants, often
with modest academic backgrounds.

Two of those arrested worked at hospitals in England, one was a doctor
in Scotland and Australian police also detained an Indian doctor,
Mohamed Haneef, under counter-terrorism laws. Police sources said the
other suspects also had medical links.

The discovery of two car bombs primed to explode in London’s bustling
theatre and nightclub district last Friday put a city already attacked
by four suicide bombers in 2005 on edge.

When a fuel-laden jeep rammed into a Scottish airport the next day,
Britain’s threat level was raised to its highest level, "Critical,"
meaning more attacks might be imminent.

Police declined comment on a Sky News report that the same people were
responsible for the attempted London and Scottish bombings. Channel 4
news said some of those arrested were already on the British security
service’s database.

However, a counter-terrorism official in Washington said none of the
suspects arrested was named on U.S. terror alert watch lists.

A scare over a suspicious bag caused chaos at London’s Heathrow
airport. More than 100 flights were cancelled from Terminal 4, at least
seven of them to the United States, stranding passengers before
Independence Day celebrations.

With Britain on alert, police closed a street in the Scottish town of
Paisley, near Glasgow airport, on Tuesday evening after reports of
"suspicious activity," a police spokeswoman said.

INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS

Police were examining a car in Paisley — where several of the suspects
were arrested — but there was nothing to suggest any link with the
attempted bombings, the spokeswoman said.

News reports said police were called after a man threw a suspicious
package into the back of a taxi.

A security source said the bomb probe was focusing on international
aspects.

He said it was too early to identify the ringleader of the alleged
plot, adding: "We don’t know enough to say whether they were
radicalized here or overseas, or how they met."

Two more men were arrested on Tuesday in northern England but a
counter-terrorism source said he understood they were not connected to
the attempted attacks.

A local newspaper said they were held after 10 gas canisters, similar
to those found in the cars, were delivered to a housing block.

The attacks pose a stern test for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scot
who replaced Tony Blair last week and has come under some pressure to
withdraw British troops from Iraq.

Britain has seen a marked increase in terrorism-related plots since the
September 11 strikes on the United States and its decision to join U.S.
forces in invading Iraq in 2003.

Muslim leaders praised the government for its "calm and reassuring
tone" in handling the crisis. But fears of a backlash against Muslims
in Scotland rose after attackers rammed a car into an Asian-owned shop
in Glasgow and set it ablaze.

In Scotland, police have carried out four controlled explosions at a
hospital linked to at least one of those arrested and at a mosque in
the biggest city, Glasgow.

Police said they were still looking for other suspects.

Previous attacks, including one on London’s transport system in 2005
that killed 52 people, have mainly involved disaffected British-born
Muslims, not educated professionals from overseas.

Of the other doctors held over the plot, British police sources named
one as Bilal Abdulla, who qualified in Iraq in 2004, and another as
Mohammed Asha, a Jordanian who qualified in the same year. Asha’s wife
was also arrested.

(Additional reporting by Luke Baker, Tim Castle, David Clarke, Kate
Kelland, Jeremy Lovell and Peter Griffiths in London, Peter Graff in
Glasgow and Rob Taylor in Australia)

Copyright (c) 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

                                 ***

AFP via Yahoo – Jul 3, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070703/wl_uk_afp/britainattacks_18

Doctors rounded up over bombs plot

by Michael Thurston

Police detained a sixth doctor on Tuesday over the failed bombings in
London and Glasgow, as a jittery Britain remained on maximum alert for
another Al-Qaeda style attack.

A Jordanian neurosurgeon and an Iraqi doctor were also among eight
suspects being questioned as the probe spread around the world with the
detention of an Indian physician in Australia.

At London’s Heathrow airport meanwhile, thousands of passengers were
left stranded after police evacuated Terminal Four. The airport
reopened after five hours but not before more than 100 British Airways
flights had been cancelled.

In Glasgow, Scottish police carried out a controlled explosion on a car
near a mosque, while in London two underground stations were briefly
closed while officers dealt with a suspect package.

Security has been tightened across the country after the failed attacks
and since Saturday the country has been at its highest alert level,
critical, indicating that an attack is expected imminently.

The massive police investigation into who was behind the attacks has
led to a series of arrests in Britain and abroad.

The Australian authorities said Tuesday that an Indian doctor had been
detained at Brisbane airport as he tried to leave the country.

The media there named him as Mohamed Haneef, 27. He had been working
since September in the Gold Coast Hospital in eastern Queensland state.
A second doctor was also questioned in Australia, officials said.

Britain’s Channel 4 News, citing unnamed security sources, said the man
would be brought back to Britain to be questioned by counter-terrorism
officers, but neither the police nor the interior ministry would
comment.

Growing indications that those allegedly behind the attacks were
foreign-trained doctors has triggered consternation among British
medical professionals.

"It shocked me to hear that a doctor could remotely be connected to the
people who are trying to kill and maim people for no reason," Prasad
Rao, head of the British International Doctors Association, told the
Guardian newspaper.

A potential link between Haneef and one of the suspects arrested in
Britain also surfaced Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for North Cheshire Hospitals told AFP that Haneef and a
doctor arrested in Liverpool had both worked at the Halton Hospital
near Liverpool.

The first arrests were made Saturday when police detained two men who
drove a blazing Jeep Cherokee loaded with gas canisters into the doors
of Glasgow airport’s main terminal. One of them remains in critical
condition in hospital.

He was identified by British television on Tuesday as Khalid Ahmed, and
is also believed to be a doctor. British media identified the other
Glasgow suspect as Iraqi doctor, Bilal Abdulla.

The Glasgow attack came just a day after two Mercedes cars laden with
gas canisters and nails were found abandoned in London’s entertainment
district.

Just hours after the Glasgow attack, anti-terrorist officers arrested a
26-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, believed to be a Jordanian
surgeon named by officials in Amman as Mohammed Jamil Abdelkader Asha,
and his wife. They are now being questioned in London.

A fifth suspect, a 26-year-old man, was arrested in Liverpool on
Saturday night. On Sunday, two other men, aged 25 and 28, were detained
outside Glasgow.

And police arrested another two men on Tuesday in Blackburn, northern
England, under the anti-terror laws, although officers could not
immediately say if they were linked to the London and Glasgow probe.

On Tuesday prosecutors said that three suspects held in Scotland over
the Glasgow attack had been moved to England, to allow a "single
prosecution" with those behind the London attacks if charges are
brought.

Police can detain five of the suspects arrested so far until Saturday
under Britain’s anti-terrorism laws.

Meanwhile Muslim leaders voiced concern over "rising hostility" to
their community triggered by the national alert.

Police are investigating possible racist motives for a couple of
incidents this week in Scotland, including an attack on an Asian
newsagents’ in Glasgow.

"In some ways it was expected as there was a backlash after September
11 and 7/7," said Osama Saeed, the Muslim Association of Britain’s
Scottish spokesman, referring to the July 7, 2005 suicide bombings
which killed 52 in London.

Britain’s main umbrella group of Muslim organisations strongly
condemned the London and Glasgow attacks.

"Those who seek to deliberately kill or maim innocent people are the
enemies of us all," said Doctor Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general
of the moderate Muslim Council of Britain.

Copyright (c) 2007 Agence France Presse.

                               ***

The Scotsman – Jul 3, 2007
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1034282007

Doctors are quizzed in nationwide hunt for
al-Qaeda link to airport bomb plot

by STEPHEN MCGINTY

THE terrorist plot to bring car bombs to the streets of Glasgow and
London stretched from the Middle East, brought together doctors from
Jordan and Iraq and used gas canisters believed to have been bought
from a branch of B&Q.

Counter-terrorism officers were last night interrogating two doctors,
one in Glasgow and one in London, in an attempt to discover the full
extent of a terrorist cell with potential links to the al-Qaeda network.

In Glasgow’s Govan police station, Bilal Talal Abdul Samad Abdulla, a
doctor who qualified in Baghdad, and who was arrested at Glasgow
Airport on Saturday afternoon, was being questioned. He is understood
to have worked as a locum doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in
Paisley, where a second man involved in Saturday’s attempted bombing
remains in a critical condition.

At Paddington Green Police Station in London, Mohammed Jamil Adbelkader
Asha, a Palestinian who carries a Jordanian passport, was being
questioned after he and his wife, Dana, were arrested on Saturday night
on the M6 in Cheshire, as they drove south with their two-year-old son.
Dr Asha, a neurologist at the North Staffordshire Hospital in
Stoke-on-Trent, qualified in Jordan in 2004.

A third doctor, who has not been named or arrested, is also being
questioned by police in North Staffordshire. The man, who is not a
British national, is a neighbour of Dr Asha.

Last night, the links between the two car bombs discovered in London on
Friday night and the attempted car bombing of Glasgow Airport became
clearer to the authorities as they analysed the mobile phone triggers
found in the two Mercedes cars which were packed with nails, petrol and
gas cannisters.

The bombers called one phone twice in an attempt to trigger the
detonation and called the second phone four times without success.

The numbers stored in the mobile phones helped lead them to make five
arrests: Dr Asha; his wife, Dana; a third man, who was arrested at
Liverpool’s Lime Street Station on Sunday; and two men, aged 25 and 27,
arrested in the early hours of Monday morning in Paisley.

The man seized in Liverpool is a 26-year-old postgraduate trainee
doctor from Bangalore, India. However, one colleague insisted yesterday
that he had been confused with another doctor whose mobile phone chip
he had used.

The mobile phone also yielded the number of the Let-It rental agency in
Paisley. The owner of the firm was contacted by police on Saturday at
1pm, but, as he was out, they left a message. He did not receive the
message until 3pm, and called back just 15 minutes before the attack on
Glasgow Airport.

The Scotsman understands that the cannisters of propane may have been
purchased at the Paisley branch of B&Q for  29.95 each. A spokeswoman
for the company would not say whether police had asked the firm to
assist with investigations. The store requires the name of the person
hiring a cylinder before they can take it away.

The Jeep, meanwhile, was bought on the 16 June 2007, just two weeks
before the attack, for  1,720. Yesterday, police questioned staff at
Heathhall industrial estate after reports of sightings of the vehicle.

The investigation is reportedly centring round Dr Asha, who came top of
his class at the University of Jordan in 2004 with an "excellent score"
and has been practising in Britain since 2005. He lived in a detached
home in a cul-de-sac in Sunningdale Grove, Newcastle-under-Lyme, in
Staffordshire.

The General Medical Council said Dr Asha held a provisional
registration which enabled him to work in the NHS under supervision. Dr
Asha attended the Jubilee School for gifted children in Amman.

He and his wife are understood to have married in Jordan in 2004,
shortly before moving to Britain.

Yesterday his father, Jamil Abdelkader Asha, said he had learned of his
son’s arrest only through the media and had tried his mobile without
success. He insisted his son was innocent. The former teacher said: "My
son is incapable of such acts. Mohammed is pious, like the rest of us,
but certainly not an Islamist extremist."

Last night, Mr Asha said he called on Jordan’s King Abdullah II to
intervene with the British authorities, saying: "Not all Arabs are
terrorists." He went on to say: "I cannot imagine he had any other goal
than to realise his ambition by studying in Britain."

The fact that none of the suspects appears to be British indicates a
new style of terrorist cell. In previous terrorist operations,
including the London bombings of 7/7, the perpetrators were radicalised
British Muslims with connections to Pakistan.

It is understood that British intelligence is searching for links with
Ansar al-Islam, a militant group based in northern Iraq and loosely
linked to al-Qaeda, who have previously operated in Britain.

Last night, officers from both MI5 and MI6 were still urgently trying
to establish the backgrounds of those now under arrest, looking for
signs of when they may have fallen under the sway of militant Islam.

The most disturbing scenario being explored by intelligence officers is
that those behind the London and Glasgow plot had been sent to Britain
by a terrorist network, with the specific intention of carrying out
terrorism here.

"If they have come here with the specific plan of carrying out
bombings, that is extremely serious," said Alex Carlile, the
government’s independent reviewer of terrorism.

There may be a precedent for such an alarming situation. In the autumn
of 2005, following an MI5-led surveillance operation, police arrested
several Iraqi men in raids in London and the West Midlands. None of
those arrested were ever charged, but MI5 believed they were in the
final stages of preparing terrorist attacks in Britain.

Six of the men had control orders imposed on them. Court papers at the
time showed that British intelligence agencies believed they were
members of Ansar al-Islam. Two group members have since absconded, and
at least one is believed to remain at large in the UK. Air of relief in
Glasgow terminal as search for clues goes on

THE smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air inside Glasgow Airport’s
main terminal yesterday on its first full day back in operation after
Saturday’s attack.

The thousands of holidaymakers and other passengers who poured into the
building were largely screened from the damage caused by the blazing
Jeep by 7ft-high tarpaulins.

However, while the ground-floor entry doors – including the one the
vehicle rammed – were blocked off and painted over, blackened cladding
on the surrounding ceiling was visible where the fire had spread.

Some passengers said the worst thing was getting to the airport – and
once safely inside they felt more reassured.

Masseuses at the "Relaxation Station" did brisk business soothing
jitters – both among jumpy passengers unnerved by their journey to the
terminal and exhausted airport staff who had worked all weekend.

However, in contrast to the hubbub inside the terminal, filled with
queues and luggage trollies, there was an eerie quiet on the
blocked-off forecourt outside as two squads of police officers wearing
blue gloves conducted fingertip searches.

The officers worked round abandoned trollies and fire hoses snaking
across the roadway. In a corner, wheelbarrows, brooms, camera tripods
and piles of fluorescent jackets numbered among the paraphernalia of
the search teams.

Moving at less than a snail’s pace, and often on hands and knees, they
continually paused to pick up tiny fragments from between the grooves
of the brickwork of the pavements.

Shreds of blackened material, thought to be the remains of clothing
which burnt off one of the terrorists, lay beside a lamppost, taped off
and marked by a blue "Police Accident" sign.

Tarnished metal cladding hung off the building where the fire caused by
the attack had eaten into the structure, while exposed fire-resistant
underlay flapped in the wind.

At the edge of the cordon, police congregated beside a revolving
advertising hoarding. Its greeting, now weighed with irony, is:
"Welcome to the best small country in the world."

ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT
Who knew what, and when, about terrorist attacks?

When did the alleged Glasgow airport bombers arrive in Scotland?

John Neilson, Assistant Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, has
confirmed the two suspects arrested at the scene had "come to Scotland
a short while ago to seek work". The owner of a house in Houston,
Renfrewshire which is being searched as part of the investigation, also
told The Scotsman that her letting agent reported a "young Asian
doctor" moved into the property in April.

Were authorities on the trail of the Glasgow bombers before Saturday’s
attack?

It would appear that investigators established a potential link to the
failed London bombings hours before the terminal was targeted.

Daniel Gardiner, whose company was responsible for letting the house in
Houston, said Strathclyde Police attempted to contact him just hours
before the attack. He revealed officers had traced the firm after
tracking phone records connected to the foiled London attacks. It is
not yet clear whether MI5 was monitoring the suspects.

Can the attacks be connected to any other successful or failed terror
plots?

So far the police have not speculated.

But on Friday, Peter Clarke, Scotland Yard’s anti terrorism chief, did
say elements, like th gas cylinders, did "resonate" with previous
attacks. In 2006 Dhiren Barot, of London, was jailed for life for
planning an attack using a limo packed with explosives. Seven
accomplices were jailed this year. Police in Pakistan uncovered plans
he had sent to al-Qaeda figures detailing how he could blow up UK
targets ith propane gas canisters.

But Scotland Yard have dismissed reports the plans were linked to this
weeks attacks.

How did the bombers know how to construct an improvised explosive
device?

Some members convicted in previous bomb plots on British soil had spent
time in terror training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, an
Arabic-language manual on how to build car bombs is available on at
least one jihadi website. Detailed instructional videos are also
available online. The so-called "Nemo document" – which was posted on
the internet last year and contains clips from the children’s film
Finding Nemo alongside images of Osama bin Laden – shows how to create
a bomb from a gas cylinder. It also shows how to use a mobile phone as
a detonator.

What were the apparent differences between the London and Glasgow bombs?

While both devices involved gas canisters and petrol, the car bomb
found outside London’s Tiger Tiger nightclub also contained nails and
was intended to be detonated from a distance.

The Glasgow airport bombing appeared to be an attempted suicide attack.
There are reports no nails were found in the vehicle in the Glasgow
attack.

For how much longer will the alert level be able to stay "critical"?

The situation is unlikely to change until MI5 is satisfied that
everyone involved in the plot has been detained.

Is al-Qaeda becoming more effective?

IntelCenter, a US-based firm specialising in terror analysis, examined
60 of the most significant attacks since 1998 – including the Glasgow
airport bombing.

It found that in 2004, an average of 67 people were killed per attack.
Last year, the death figure dropped to six. The average for 2007 is
seven, but experts point out that if you remove the 11 April bombing on
Algiers which killed 33 people, the average is just one.

However, the report also warns that al-Qaeda’s "flair for constant
innovation" means that never before seen events such as the 11
September attacks remain a strong possibility.

How much of a target is Britain for al-Qaeda?

An analysis released yesterday by IntelCenter showed 13 per cent of 60
jihadi attacks carried out by terrorists linked to the network since
1998 were aimed at British interests.

That puts the UK second behind the US (31 per cent).

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Terrorist PKK Murders Again

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=76834

Two soldiers killed in the east

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

DIYARBAKIR – Reuters

  Two Turkish soldiers from the gendarmerie have been killed in
separate mine attacks blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK), security officials said on Tuesday.

  One member of the gendarme police force — which fights the PKK in
eastern Turkey alongside the army — was killed when he stepped on a
mine in the southeastern province of Şırnak late on Monday.

  Another was killed in a similar blast in the eastern province of
Ağrı early on Tuesday, the officials said.

  Dozens of soldiers and paramilitaries have been killed this year in
an escalation of violence between the PKK, which has been fighting for
an ethnic homeland since 1984, and Turkish forces.

  That has led to calls from the army for an operation into northern
Iraq to deal with the PKK based there but while the government has
said it agrees with the army and an operation could be launched, it
has not reconvened Parliament to approve such a move. At the weekend,
a PKK member hijacked an oil tanker truck and blew it up at a gendarme
post, killing himself and the truck’s driver, but troops had fled in
time and escaped unscathed, security officials said.

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