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January 10, 2010
Group: Internet posts indicate threat to Navy in Persian Gulf
Islamist Web sites soliciting info on ships
A group that monitors Islamist Web sites has noted a disturbing trend - Internet posts from prominent contributors discussing attacks on U.S. warships.
Online threats against U.S. interests are not uncommon, and Internet propaganda is nothing new, said Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute, which translated the posts. But he said the recent posts are more significant because they come in response to an official communique from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group linked to the attempted bombing of a commercial American jetliner on Christmas. It urged followers to kill "Crusaders" on land, in the air and at sea.
The Navy also is reminding sailors of the importance of keeping secrets.
"Anyone who thinks our enemies don't monitor what our sailors, families and commands are doing via the Internet and social media had better open their eyes," Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West said in an article posted Wednesday on the Navy's Web site.
"But we're not talking about 'loose lips sinking ships' anymore; it's more than that. Our enemies are advanced and as technologically savvy as they've ever been. They're looking for personal information about our sailors, our families and our day-to-day activities as well as ways to turn that information into maritime threats."
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Group: Internet posts indicate threat to Navy in Persian Gulf
Messages posted recently by prominent contributors to Islamist Web sites are seeking specific information on U.S. military targets in hopes of carrying out an attack on Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, according to a U.S.-based group that tracks such sites.
One post on the jihadi forum Al-Falluja calls for information such as the “name of the particular naval unit to be targeted, its exact location, the number of troops on board the warship and their ranks, familial status, where their families live, the type of weapons the warship carries … and the number of nuclear bombs onboard,” reads a report compiled by the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute.
Extremists reportedly are “on the verge of attacking U.S. ships in the gulf,” according to Steven Stalinsky, the group’s executive director.
Al-Qaida has been preparing for months to carry out attacks and has obtained weapons from the Somali mujahedeen that “Western countries sent to the Somali government but which instead fell into the hands of the muahideen,” according to information the group released Friday, translating an article from Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas that cited Kuwaiti security sources.
While there are occasional threats, Stalinsky said, the ones that appeared around the New Year are more significant because of who is putting them out.
“The postings that have come out recently are from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which has been in the news recently, and it is from some of their leaders and some of the main people and ... head moderators,” he said. “[The message] definitely carries more weight.”
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the failed bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day.
Agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service warned U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet of the threats on Dec. 31, said Cmdr. Chris Sims, Navy spokesman.
“We take all threats, real or perceived, very seriously and therefore maintain a constant high level of vigilance to ensure the safety of our personnel both ashore and afloat,” Sims said.
Citing security reasons, he declined to say whether the Navy changed any force-protection measures or policies or tactics as a result of the threats.
NCIS agents “continually evaluate threats based on credibility, imminence and specificity, and disseminate information about those threats” throughout the Navy, said NCIS spokesman Ed Buice.
“Regarding recent jihadist calls for intelligence-gathering on U.S. naval activities, the same practices apply. We have evaluated these communications and incorporated our assessment of them into several classified daily threat summaries that have been distributed to naval commanders worldwide.”
Observers and investigators come across countless bits of information, not all of which generate alerts. However, it was the specificity and the call for personal familial information that led NCIS to caution 5th Fleet, a Navy official said.
The recent posts generated a lot of blog traffic, and contributors answered the call for photos of U.S. naval assets by posting photographs to the sites, Stalinsky said.
A Dec. 30 Al-Falluja post called for a gathering of intelligence on U.S. Navy targets. The post was “in response to the call by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to Muslims to kill the Crusaders in the Arabian Peninsula on land, in the air, and at sea,” a portion of a Middle East Media Research Institute report says.
Included on the post were diagrams and a dated picture of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. The photos, however, are from open-source Web sites, Stalinsky said, and easily attainable.
“While you can never know for sure who is putting something on a Web site, we know most of the important people by their names since we have been monitoring this for so long, and we can tell by the response,” he said.
One message posted Monday on Al-Falluja by a prominent contributor called “Abu Raghd” warns that al-Qaida has adopted a policy of “a blow for a blow and a raid for a raid” against America, the Middle East Media Research Institute stated.
“The writer states that, just as the Nigerian bomber surprised America with a new type of a bomb, future attacks will likewise involve ‘advanced bombs which your [security] apparatuses will fail to detect, or operations on an extravagant scale,’” reads the group’s translation.
The threats illustrate the precarious balance of keeping members informed and operational security, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West said in a message posted Wednesday on the Navy’s Web site.
“Anyone who thinks our enemies don’t monitor what our sailors, families and commands are doing via the Internet and social media had better open their eyes,” West wrote. “These sites are great for networking, getting the word out and talking about some of our most important family readiness issues, but our sailors and their loved ones have to be careful with what they say and what they reveal about themselves, their families or their commands.”
Wild Thing's comment........
The terrorists are really cocky to threaten the US Navy. Maybe the indecisiveness of Obama has contributed to this.
.... Thank you Jim for sending this to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at January 10, 2010 04:49 AM
Comments
EMAIL this to our HOMELAND SECURITY lady so she is up to date! Send an email to Helen Thomas too!!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at January 10, 2010 08:07 AM
Everything and everyone American is a target of islamic groups. After all we are a war even if our own leadership doesn't want to state that.
Posted by: TomR at January 10, 2010 12:01 PM
Darth, GREAT idea.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 10, 2010 12:37 PM
Tom, we sure are, and I sure don't like how we have such a powerful enemy within.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 10, 2010 12:39 PM
we got what? 5,000 miles of unguarded coastline water frontage and the borders between Mexico and Canada are also virtually unguarded. If they want in it would be a real stroke of luck if they were even seen before its too late. The borders should have been secured after 9-11.
If they want in bad enough they can get in.
Posted by: Mark at January 10, 2010 04:02 PM
Mark, good one.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 10, 2010 05:57 PM
"Maybe the indecisiveness of Obama has contributed to this." You're darn tooten the indecisiveness of that BBFN o has directly contributed to the United States Navy being a target by his BBFN friends across the ponds.
Posted by: Heltau at January 10, 2010 10:56 PM
Heltau, yes it sure has.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 10, 2010 11:55 PM
