Friday, October 29, 2010

Quick Summary live updating

No links here, updating as I can as I hear it on the news. Needless to say this is all very fluid right now.

1:35 est -- DHS increases security measures on ALL flights, passenger and cargo. Expect longer wait times at airports.

Getting to be a really interesting day rather quickly. So far no explosives found.

1:22 -- U.S. authorities now consider Al-Qaida in the Arabian Pennisula as top suspect.

U.S. authorities are now investigating this as a dry run plot for a mail bombing plot. There is also a report that officials had received a tip of packages headed for synagogues. All packages originating from Yemen are apparently being investigated.

East Midlands Airport in Great Britain -- apparently it started here early this morning. 1 or 2 suspicious packages found. Toner cartridges had been altered. They contained a white powder and some wires. Flight originated in Yemen. This according to Fox TV. SKY news reporting Sctoland Yard calling it not explosive but a sinister device. Also reporting there may have been a second device that got onto a UPS plane and is headed here/already here, but cannot yet confirm that.

Philly -- 2 UPS planes isolated and being held because of suspicious packages. Fed Officials told Fox "Unofficially" that one of the packages had a radiological component to it. 1:00 est no radiological material involved

Newark -- plane being held on the tarmac although fire dept. has been released. 12:54 est this package has been cleared

New York City -- A UPS truck was being investigated. Also in Brooklyn a suspicious package was found at the Metro Tech and is being investigated by NYPD, who now reports the truck has been surrounded by the bomb squad. 12:54 est the two trucks have now been cleared.

Portland Maine -- a suspicious package was found outside the Federal bulding there although FOX news had talked to some people there and have conflicting information on this. Update -- it was hidden at in some bushes at the Federal Courthouse in Portland and the Courthouse has been evacuated although Fox is reporting that the U.S. Marshalls are not leaving the building.

Chicago -- Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago has been told to be on a security alert. The package found in Britain had been bound for Chicago. Chicago Authorities said they are not concerned with UPS planes coming to them but did ask the Jewish Federation to be on security alert. FBI 1:40 est -- 2 suspicious packages that were intercepted were addressed to Chicago area religious institutions. All synagogues, churches and msoques have been asked to be extra vigilant.

Baltimore -- 1:25 est "Dealing with a situation involving a suspicious package', bomb sqaud on the scene. no other info right now

San Francisco -- Market street shut down for several blocks, suspicious package, bomb squad on scene (en route?)

Dubai -- a suspicious package being examined. It, too, originated in Yemen. This was at the FedEx facility there and FedEx has now stopped all shipments from Yemen. 3:50 est -- AP is now reporting this device did contain explosives and was destined for the U.S..

Miami
-- plane returned to Miami after rapid depressurization and 1 -2 foot hole found in fuselage. This may not be related to all this other stuff.

It seems most of the packages found originated in Yemen. No info on what is really in the packages. No info on whether all are related (right, helluva coincindence). No info on whether these were to go off in flight, once delivered or if intended for a 3rd party for use later.

This could be a real threat or a dry run or nothing at all. But smart money wouldn't bet that way.

Fox makes a good point. If this is a dry run or real, targeting cargo carriers right before the Christmas season could be devasting to an economy already in trouble, if suddenly all packages shipped needed to be inspected first.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

CNN: Device on cargo flight intended for Chicago synagogues


A suspicious package containing a toner cartridge with wires and powder was found during routine screening of cargo in the United Kingdom, prompting authorities to scour vehicles in the United States on Friday. Planes in Philadelphia and Newark, N.J., were being swept, as was a truck in New York City.

CNN reported the toner cartridge was on a Yemen-to-Chicago cargo flight. CNN analyst Frances Fragos Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser in the Bush administration, said American intelligence had been informed within the last 24 hours about devices on flights from the Middle East intended for synagogues in Chicago.


During a basic security screening process in the United Kingdom, officials found a suspicious item on the cargo plane, according to a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, the Associated Press reported.


U.K. officials discovered that a toner cartridge on the plane had been manipulated and found wires attached to it and white powder. Tests on the device came back negative for explosives,
according to a law enforcement official who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation.

Concerns about the possibility of similar and potentially dangerous devices shipped elsewhere prompted officials to check other cargo planes headed to the U.S.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Kristin Lee says the planes in Philadelphia and Newark were being swept. The planes were moved to remote locations so law enforcement officials could investigate.

The Philadelphia jet belonged to UPS. A source with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak said officials New York were examining a UPS package.

In New York City, police responded to reports of a possible explosive in a UPS at the Queensboro Bridge, top NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. Browne said the package was removed and was being examined in Brooklyn.

Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. said it was working closely with authorities.

Police evacuated a freight distribution building at East Midlands Airport in central England after a suspicious package was reported at 3:30 a.m. Police and emergency workers examined the
package and lifted the security cordon by mid-morning, but Leicestershire Constabulary later said officers were re-examining it "as a precaution."

Sarah Furbank, a passenger who was about to board a plane out of East Midlands Airport, said that she had noticed an increased security presence.

There were "quite a few police cars round the edge" of the airport, Furbank told The Associated Press. "Apparently there was an incident earlier according to staff but they didn't go into
detail."

--Associated Press

revereridesagain said...

Now there's a passenger jet from Dubai is being escorted into JFK by fighters.

Any thoughts on what's going on here? Dry run? Disruption? Throwing a variety of explosive devises on a wide selection of planes and seeing which ones get caught and what the kuffar do next? Whatever makes it to where it's going either goes off and is the actual attack, or will become the type used in the "real thing"?

Epaminondas said...

Dry run and hysteria around non specific info and intelligence.

I keep hearing 'no known threat'... I also think it sounds like everything that was shipped at or around the same time out of yemen has been tracked down.

A WIN.. IF it's not a diversion

Claudia said...

The timing of these events is terrible. Aren't elections on Nov 2nd?

Carl said...

Love how they apparently warned churches, synagogues and mosques equally. Problem is, that a church or synagogue would be a TARGET, whereas a mosque would more likely be receiving deadly material to give to terrorists who just happen to also be congregants.

Ray Boyd said...

With your midterm elections just 4 days away the timing is convenient for Obama to go on the MSM and look as if he's dealing with it . . .

Why send something that doesn't actually do anything but cause chaos, confusion and presedential statements

False Flag?

midnight rider said...

Ray -- apparently explosives were found in the devices in UK and Dubai (good work to both countries!). The planes and trucks stopped here were apparently done so because of the devices found overseas, all originating from Yemen. Done out of caution, not because they knew the package was trouble,but merely because it came from Yemen.

But yeah, I can still see Obama trying to spin this to his "Hey,we done good" advantage.

revereridesagain said...

Ray, at this point Obummer couldn't look like he was dealing with a soggy deck of cards. Tales of his total ineptitude and incompetence are dribbling out of the White House via former and soon-to-be-former staffers.

Only hopeless idiots and true believers still think Obama is wide awake, in charge, and has the best interests of the country at heart. The bad news is, we have an awful lot of idiots over here. Fortunately, it looks like enough of the brighter ones will vote this Tuesday to at least start to outnumber them.

Ray Boyd said...

midnight rider . .

no, the British Police said there were no explosives and that was at 2pm GMT.

my theory is that the "item" found at East Midlands Airport was not "meant" to be found and should have been trans shipped straight to the states.

it was discovered by normal security screening and NOT due to a tip off and that was about 2am. GMT. Obama said he was informed during the night.

Suddenly Obama says there were explosives and the MSM have swallowed that, forgetting what was said earlier. As I said he could not have wished for better . . . to maybe boost his results at the polls.

I just heard BBC Newsnight reiterate that the british police said there were no explosives earlier and that Obama had said there were, they then threw in the midterms and sort of were suggesting something subtly.

Ray Boyd said...

One other point I missed. If the device found in the UK had not been found and just sent on to the US then there would be no contradiction to Obama's statement of explosives. The US authorities were not confirming anything until obama got his "piece" out to the MSM

revereridesagain . . . maybe ineptitude but they have organised to fix the election machines for electoral fraud. Nah, I don't buy it.

Anonymous said...

I just heard on BBC international that it, in fact, was explosive material that they found.

Conflicitng reports, true that. But security alert about things coming out of Yemen, hey, I won't take that lightly. Yemen isn't exactly the cultural capital of the middle east (or maybe it is, the culture of death).

So, what I am trying to say is, it looks and smells more than just political. Obama could be trying to look like he's capable of something but that doesn't mean the whole situation is crap!

Not everything has to be political. This is a religious war, don't forget that.

midnight rider said...

Ray -- you're correct about the UK device and I agree I don't think it, or any, were meant to be found. I think it was Obama I first heard say the Brit one was explosive.

The Dubai one,however, was confirmed at least an hour before O spoke.

You misunderstood my tip off remark. US authorites were tipped something was coming to synagogues from Yemen but not when or where. SO all kudos goes directly to the normal security screening and again good work and kudos to them for stopping them.

Christine said...

UK was in denial mode until Obummer read from his teleprompter?

Just a thought.