Tag Archives: terrorism

Now let’s do a fly-by of the White House!

Former director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge admits in his new book that he was pressured into faking terror alerts in order to help George W. Bush win reelection. Dave Weigel, writing for the Washington Independent, notes that in the past, Ridge has denied manipulating security information for political reasons. In 2004, for example, he said, “We don’t do politics …

In a humanitarian move, the UK has released the terminally ill man believed to have placed the bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 270. The White House, which has urged Britain to keep al Megrahi behind bars, said it “deeply regrets” the decision. Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill told a news conference …

Dr. Jeff sends us this photo of passengers forced out of LaGuardia’s main terminal this morning due to an “emotionally disturbed” man who brought in a fake bomb. The terminal was closed for 3 1/2 hours and the connections ripple effect could last all day around the country.

Which any 8th grader with Photoshop could have created. And probably made brighter. Today the White House’s sacrificial lamb fell on his sword. The director of the White House Military Office has resigned, an administration official said Friday, two weeks after he authorized an Air Force One flyover of the Statue of Liberty that terrified thousands of people in New …

Former Army Special Forces commander Diana Shroer has won a $500K judgement from the federal government because she was denied a Library of Congress job while transitioning her gender. Diane Schroer of Alexandria, Va., applied for the terrorism analyst job while she was still a man named David Schroer. He was offered the job, but the offer was pulled after …

Everybody is falling over themselves apologizing, half of NYC wants somebody fired, and now we hear the feds predicted panic during the fly-over, yet had it anyway. Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and Air Force One to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the …

I clipped the above front pages of NYC papers from the reliable Jen Chung at Gothamist. Embiggen the images to see how each paper reacted.

Several buildings in lower Manhattan were evacuated this morning after a jumbo airliner tailed by fighter jets flew frighteningly close to the skyline. Turns out, it was a photo op for Air Force One. Via the Staten Island Advance: A plane, that appears to be a commercial jet tailed by fighter jets, is a “pre-planned” military flight taking photos of …

A tea party protester in Oklahoma has been arrested for making terrorist threats via Twitter. An Oklahoma City man who announced on Twitter that he would turn an April 15 tax protest into a bloodbath was hit with a federal charge of making interstate threats last week, in what appears to be first criminal prosecution to stem from posts on …

Turn it up and sing along. (Unless you’re at work; there be dirty words here.)

British tabloid The People claims to have “infiltrated” a radical Islamist website and learned of threats to have Madonna beheaded for her devotion to Kabbalah. According to the publication, Madonna has responded to the threat by increasing her security. Madonna has urgently beefed up her family’s security after being targeted by Muslim fanatics seeking revenge for Israel’s attacks on Gaza. …

The NYPD is asking for federal permission to disrupt cell phone service in NYC in the event of another terrorist attack, citing the use of mobile devices to coordinate last year’s bombings in Mumbai. A draft copy of [NYPD Chief] Kelly’s statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security says the NYPD believes the Mumbai attacks could be a model …

Seattle gay bars were jumping this weekend as a nightlife fans organized a pub crawl to support the businesses who received last week’s terrorist threat of ricin poisoning. Dan Savage is convinced the threat was sent by a self-loathing gay person because the letters didn’t contain the usual language our opponents use. (Via – Towleroad)

Via Dan Savage: Eleven gay bars in Seattle received letters today addressed to the “Owner/Manager” from someone claiming to be in the possession of ricin, a deadly poison. “Your establishment has been targeted,” the letter begins. “I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients.” “I felt …

In July 2007, I told you about Raed Jaffar, who was thrown off a JetBlue flight at JKF because his t-shirt said “We Will Not Be Silent” in both Arabic and English, which made the passengers and crew uneasy. One TSA official likened Jaffar’s wearing the shirt to a bank robber who walked into a bank wearing a “I Am …