FBI Warns of Hezbollah Attacks in US, Dems Go on Vacation, Again

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-fbialert16feb16,1,4390125.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

FBI warns of possible Hezbollah revenge in U.S.

State and local law enforcement receive an intelligence bulletin to watch

for retaliation by the Lebanese militia group, which has vowed to avenge the

death of its leader.

February 16, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The FBI and Department of Homeland Security sent a bulletin

Friday to state and local law enforcement authorities advising them to watch

for potential retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah, one day after the Lebanese

militia group vowed to avenge the death of a top commander by attacking

Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.

"While retaliation in the U.S. homeland is unlikely, Hezbollah has

demonstrated a capability to respond outside the Middle East to similar

events in the past," said the intelligence bulletin sent to about 18,000

state and local law enforcement officials late Friday afternoon.

The FBI also said it was intensifying its domestic intelligence-gathering

efforts to identify any potential Hezbollah threats in the United States in

the aftermath of Tuesday's car-bomb assassination of Imad Mughniyah in

Syria.

On Wednesday, the FBI sent a confidential internal bulletin to its 101 Joint

Terrorism Task Forces across the country warning of the possible domestic

consequences of Mughniyah's killing. As part of that effort, FBI officials

at headquarters told the bureau's field offices and multiagency task forces

to increase monitoring and surveillance of suspected Hezbollah operatives

and to conduct fresh interviews with sources and informants about the

U.S.-designated terrorist group, according to two FBI officials.

U.S. authorities have long described Hezbollah as the "A-Team" of terrorism,

with far more discipline than Al Qaeda, vast financing from the government

of Iran, and a global network of sleeper operatives who could be called on

to launch an attack at any time. Various federal investigations and

prosecutions have uncovered dozens of Hezbollah fundraisers and supporters

in the United States, but few people are believed to be actual "bomb

throwers," according to a senior FBI counter-terrorism official who focuses

on Hezbollah.

Though they have no evidence of specific threats in the United States,

officials said that precautionary measures were warranted because of

Mughniyah's stature within Hezbollah and because the organization and its

Iranian supporters had publicly blamed his death on Israel and "Zionist

forces."

Mughniyah, the former Hezbollah security chief and military commander, was

one of the world's most wanted fugitives, accused by the United States and

other nations of masterminding attacks that killed hundreds of Americans in

Lebanon in the 1980s. Mughniyah also was in charge of international

operations for Hezbollah, and in that capacity was believed to have inspired

tremendous loyalty from a large number of operatives, fundraisers and

supporters in Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia, West Africa and

South America.

On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of

fist-waving mourners in a videotaped eulogy in Beirut that the killing of

Mughniyah merited a violent response because it occurred outside the

"natural battlefield" of Israel and Lebanon. "You have crossed the borders,"

he said, in a reference to Israel and supporters of the Jewish state. "With

this murder, its timing, location and method -- Zionists, if you want this

kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open."

The FBI and Homeland Security did not give local and state law enforcement

agencies specific instructions in the bulletin.

FBI officials said that was because each local jurisdiction should step up

security in ways that it considered appropriate in and around government

buildings, Jewish institutions and other potential targets.

The senior FBI counter- terrorism official, who spoke on the condition of

anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the bureau's efforts

against Hezbollah, said the bureau was focusing its intelligence-gathering

efforts on the Detroit-Dearborn area of Michigan, New York, California and

several other U.S. locations with large populations of Lebanese and Muslims.

One prominent Lebanese American cautioned against an overreaction. Osama

Siblani, president of the Arab American Political Action Committee in

Dearborn, said Nasrallah's threats were directed at Israel, not the United

States.

Siblani also said that though many Lebanese in the United States supported

Hezbollah's political and social welfare efforts, "they would not tolerate

or support any activities of Hezbollah inside the United States. This is our

home."

Siblani said: "I think the FBI is expected to do whatever they can to make

our country safer. They are trying to do their job.

"But if they start rounding up people because they are Lebanese, that is

collective punishment, and we will not tolerate it."

In the past, Hezbollah has not launched any attacks in the United States.

The two FBI officials and other experts said Friday that they believed that

was because the organization had raised so much money here from supporters

of its political and social services efforts in Lebanon that it did not want

to risk stepped-up enforcement actions.

But the calls for retribution by Nasrallah and other prominent supporters of

Hezbollah have been unusually strident, if not unprecedented, according to

current and former FBI officials who have followed the organization over the

years. They are equally concerned, they said, about retaliation from others

who merely sympathize with Hezbollah.

"My understanding has always been that Hezbollah would never strike in the

United States unless they believed that we participated in an operation

against them," said Bob Pertuso, a former FBI special agent assigned to the

Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force from 2000 to 2004 who specialized in

Hezbollah investigations. "So if they believed we assisted in the operation

against Mughniyah, I would say they would strike in the United States."

I believe the entire Congress went on vacation, you idiot.

"Patriot Games" <Patriot@America.com> wrote in message

news:47b8340e$0$1095$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...

>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-fbialert16feb16,1,4390125.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

>

> FBI warns of possible Hezbollah revenge in U.S.

>

> State and local law enforcement receive an intelligence bulletin to watch

> for retaliation by the Lebanese militia group, which has vowed to avenge

the

> death of its leader.

> February 16, 2008

>

> WASHINGTON -- The FBI and Department of Homeland Security sent a bulletin

> Friday to state and local law enforcement authorities advising them to

watch

> for potential retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah, one day after the Lebanese

> militia group vowed to avenge the death of a top commander by attacking

> Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.

>

> "While retaliation in the U.S. homeland is unlikely, Hezbollah has

> demonstrated a capability to respond outside the Middle East to similar

> events in the past," said the intelligence bulletin sent to about 18,000

> state and local law enforcement officials late Friday afternoon.

>

> The FBI also said it was intensifying its domestic intelligence-gathering

> efforts to identify any potential Hezbollah threats in the United States

in

> the aftermath of Tuesday's car-bomb assassination of Imad Mughniyah in

> Syria.

>

> On Wednesday, the FBI sent a confidential internal bulletin to its 101

Joint

> Terrorism Task Forces across the country warning of the possible domestic

> consequences of Mughniyah's killing. As part of that effort, FBI officials

> at headquarters told the bureau's field offices and multiagency task

forces

> to increase monitoring and surveillance of suspected Hezbollah operatives

> and to conduct fresh interviews with sources and informants about the

> U.S.-designated terrorist group, according to two FBI officials.

>

> U.S. authorities have long described Hezbollah as the "A-Team" of

terrorism,

> with far more discipline than Al Qaeda, vast financing from the government

> of Iran, and a global network of sleeper operatives who could be called on

> to launch an attack at any time. Various federal investigations and

> prosecutions have uncovered dozens of Hezbollah fundraisers and supporters

> in the United States, but few people are believed to be actual "bomb

> throwers," according to a senior FBI counter-terrorism official who

focuses

> on Hezbollah.

>

> Though they have no evidence of specific threats in the United States,

> officials said that precautionary measures were warranted because of

> Mughniyah's stature within Hezbollah and because the organization and its

> Iranian supporters had publicly blamed his death on Israel and "Zionist

> forces."

>

> Mughniyah, the former Hezbollah security chief and military commander, was

> one of the world's most wanted fugitives, accused by the United States and

> other nations of masterminding attacks that killed hundreds of Americans

in

> Lebanon in the 1980s. Mughniyah also was in charge of international

> operations for Hezbollah, and in that capacity was believed to have

inspired

> tremendous loyalty from a large number of operatives, fundraisers and

> supporters in Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia, West Africa and

> South America.

>

> On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of

> fist-waving mourners in a videotaped eulogy in Beirut that the killing of

> Mughniyah merited a violent response because it occurred outside the

> "natural battlefield" of Israel and Lebanon. "You have crossed the

borders,"

> he said, in a reference to Israel and supporters of the Jewish state.

"With

> this murder, its timing, location and method -- Zionists, if you want this

> kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open."

>

> The FBI and Homeland Security did not give local and state law enforcement

> agencies specific instructions in the bulletin.

>

> FBI officials said that was because each local jurisdiction should step up

> security in ways that it considered appropriate in and around government

> buildings, Jewish institutions and other potential targets.

>

> The senior FBI counter- terrorism official, who spoke on the condition of

> anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the bureau's efforts

> against Hezbollah, said the bureau was focusing its intelligence-gathering

> efforts on the Detroit-Dearborn area of Michigan, New York, California and

> several other U.S. locations with large populations of Lebanese and

Muslims.

>

> One prominent Lebanese American cautioned against an overreaction. Osama

> Siblani, president of the Arab American Political Action Committee in

> Dearborn, said Nasrallah's threats were directed at Israel, not the United

> States.

>

> Siblani also said that though many Lebanese in the United States supported

> Hezbollah's political and social welfare efforts, "they would not tolerate

> or support any activities of Hezbollah inside the United States. This is

our

> home."

>

> Siblani said: "I think the FBI is expected to do whatever they can to make

> our country safer. They are trying to do their job.

>

> "But if they start rounding up people because they are Lebanese, that is

> collective punishment, and we will not tolerate it."

>

> In the past, Hezbollah has not launched any attacks in the United States.

> The two FBI officials and other experts said Friday that they believed

that

> was because the organization had raised so much money here from supporters

> of its political and social services efforts in Lebanon that it did not

want

> to risk stepped-up enforcement actions.

>

> But the calls for retribution by Nasrallah and other prominent supporters

of

> Hezbollah have been unusually strident, if not unprecedented, according to

> current and former FBI officials who have followed the organization over

the

> years. They are equally concerned, they said, about retaliation from

others

> who merely sympathize with Hezbollah.

>

> "My understanding has always been that Hezbollah would never strike in the

> United States unless they believed that we participated in an operation

> against them," said Bob Pertuso, a former FBI special agent assigned to

the

> Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force from 2000 to 2004 who specialized in

> Hezbollah investigations. "So if they believed we assisted in the

operation

> against Mughniyah, I would say they would strike in the United States."

>

Thank God we've got the border all sealed up tight so we'll be safe!

-Are you willing to be your life everyone pouring over the border is

just here to wash your underwear and mow your lawn?

"SarcasticInk.com" <brilliant@sarcasticink.com> wrote in message

news:d8238208-c120-4d53-aecb-93b1756d71c4@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

> Thank God we've got the border all sealed up tight so we'll be safe!

I'm feeling safer already!

> -Are you willing to be your life everyone pouring over the border is

> just here to wash your underwear and mow your lawn?

Nope. But I'll bet my life on ballistic tips at 3,450 feet per second.

I thought you said you lived in a gated community?

"Patriot Games" <Patriot@America.com> wrote in message

news:47b99ede$0$22840$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...

> "SarcasticInk.com" <brilliant@sarcasticink.com> wrote in message

> news:d8238208-c120-4d53-aecb-93b1756d71c4@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

> > Thank God we've got the border all sealed up tight so we'll be safe!

>

> I'm feeling safer already!

>

> > -Are you willing to be your life everyone pouring over the border is

> > just here to wash your underwear and mow your lawn?

>

> Nope. But I'll bet my life on ballistic tips at 3,450 feet per second.

>

On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:06:07 -0500, "Patriot Games"

<Patriot@America.com> wrote:

|>"SarcasticInk.com" <brilliant@sarcasticink.com> wrote in message

|>news:d8238208-c120-4d53-aecb-93b1756d71c4@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

|>> Thank God we've got the border all sealed up tight so we'll be safe!

|>

|>I'm feeling safer already!

|>

|>> -Are you willing to be your life everyone pouring over the border is

|>> just here to wash your underwear and mow your lawn?

|>

|>Nope. But I'll bet my life on ballistic tips at 3,450 feet per second.

Wow! Ever think of a handle like "don't tread on me" <g>

--

Thanks,

Satchel

"Satchel" <Satchel@nospam.net> wrote in message

news:nmvtr35iebg8vjjb79b6js2t67j0117ru8@4ax.com...

> On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:06:07 -0500, "Patriot Games"

> <Patriot@America.com> wrote:

> |>"SarcasticInk.com" <brilliant@sarcasticink.com> wrote in message

> |>news:d8238208-c120-4d53-aecb-93b1756d71c4@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

> |>> Thank God we've got the border all sealed up tight so we'll be safe!

> |>I'm feeling safer already!

> |>> -Are you willing to be your life everyone pouring over the border is

> |>> just here to wash your underwear and mow your lawn?

> |>Nope. But I'll bet my life on ballistic tips at 3,450 feet per second.

> Wow! Ever think of a handle like "don't tread on me" <g>

> --

Somebody already used that one....