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July 4, 2003: Feds Warn Texas May Be Next Terror Target

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by s land balla, Jun 24, 2003.

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  1. s land balla

    s land balla Member

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    HOUSTON (AP) - Federal homeland security officials have informed Texas law enforcement agencies of intelligence reportedly gathered from suspected al-Qaida operatives discussing potential terrorism in the state next month.

    Homeland security officials are reviewing the information eavesdropped earlier this month from two suspected al-Qaida operatives discussing potential terrorism in Texas timed for the July Fourth weekend, unnamed officials in Washington told the Houston Chronicle for Tuesday's editions.

    ``It's important to note at this point federal officials have not determined the threat to be a credible one,'' Gene Acuna, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday.

    ``All the sudden now we are talking about Texas as a target and that is not where the conversation started,'' FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said. ``We get reports like this on a pretty regular basis. We do the responsible thing with them. We put them out, we share it and let people know what we are hearing.''


    Doguim said the information received was very nonspecific and the FBI informed law enforcement agencies, as it does on a routine basis, of the knowledge it had. He said it is not surprising that reports of possible terrorism increase around significant dates, such as the Fourth of July.


    ``Terrorism organizations would pick a significant date on which to carry out an attack because of the impact it would make,'' he said. ``We also know that terrorist organizations would target what we term 'economic targets,' basically hitting us where it would hurt the most. We also know that the energy sector is a part of that.


    ``It's sexy to spin it into being Texas. This state is a major player in the oil and gas industry.''


    But that is not the information the FBI has, Doguim said of the intelligence which did not specify a target, an exact time or a type of terrorist attack.


    ``We have to be careful,'' he said. ``We have to take this information and we have to put it in perspective.''
     
    #1 s land balla, Jun 24, 2003
  2. ZRB

    ZRB Member

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    Maybe they could take out Bush's ranch.
     
    #2 ZRB, Jun 24, 2003
  3. X-PAC

    X-PAC Member

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    Once this administration demonstrates the ability of determining the credibility of their sources we don't need to hear about it. Credibility seems to be a BIG problem with this government.
     
    #3 X-PAC, Jun 24, 2003
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2003
  4. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"
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    ZRB,

    Have you been taken into custody yet? Have they implanted that little chip at the base of your skull? ... Not that you would remember. :p
     
    #4 B-Bob, Jun 24, 2003
  5. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Member

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    Have you not noticed? The old ZRB's posting style was completely different!! :eek: :eek:
     
    #5 AroundTheWorld, Jun 24, 2003
  6. ZRB

    ZRB Member

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    That's because I took up smoking. Once I give up, I'll be back to normal, if not worse. No worries! :D
     
    #6 ZRB, Jun 24, 2003
  7. bamaslammer

    bamaslammer Member

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    Am I the only one who is confused by all these color codes? How do they know for sure Texas is a target? Why even say that it is possible? What good does it do, since Texas is a very, very, very big state?
     
    #7 bamaslammer, Jun 25, 2003
  8. Mulder

    Mulder Member

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    [​IMG]
     
    #8 Mulder, Jun 25, 2003
  9. RocketMan Tex

    RocketMan Tex Member

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    Damn straight, Mulder. Keep 'em scared, and they'll buy into anything.
     
    #9 RocketMan Tex, Jun 25, 2003
  10. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    i'm not sure i understand the criticism...

    if they don't publish this type of information and something happens, we're going to hear the criticism that the government isn't doing its job. that they're not really looking out for us very well. we've seen that criticism in the wake of 9/11.

    so which is it?? do we want them to stop telling us of rumblings in intelligence communities regarding potential terrorist activity? or do we want them to continue?
     
    #10 MadMax, Jun 25, 2003
  11. Mulder

    Mulder Member

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    Lemme help you out with that...

    [​IMG]

    Roght now we are at YELLOW... should Texas become a legitimate target, we go to ORANGE. On the off chance that Jr. loses the election (or some other unnatural diasaster occurs), we will go to RED.

    Any questions? :p
     
    #11 Mulder, Jun 25, 2003
  12. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    Depending on the color codes, different security measures are put into place. For example, if the code goes to orange then airport searches become more stringent - your car could be searched as you pull into an airport - among other things. Knowing that a state is a potential target should increase awareness among law enforcement folks and they probably have pre-defined measures they enact. Patrols probably increase around the ship channel and other targets. Extra security folks are probably called into action.
     
    #12 bobrek, Jun 25, 2003
  13. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    my understanding is that the codes are less for the general public than they are for security personnel around the country.
     
    #13 MadMax, Jun 25, 2003
  14. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    Right, and because of that the general public may be inconvenienced (no complaint from me). It is good to know that if we are on orange alert, we should plan on longer delays at the airport or having purses/bags searched when/where you may not expect them to be.
     
    #14 bobrek, Jun 25, 2003
  15. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    exactly...that's why i'm saying i don't understand the criticism here. it doesn't seem warranted to me.
     
    #15 MadMax, Jun 25, 2003
  16. 111chase111

    111chase111 Member

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    #16 111chase111, Jun 25, 2003
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