The US government says the intelligence doesn’t support the website’s assertion, but I can’t help thinking about al Qaeda’s warning of a nuke going off in the US during Ramadan, which isn’t over until October 23 – Monday – and the threat is for Sunday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Department of Homeland Security warned officials on Wednesday in seven U.S. cities about a dirty-bomb threat to National Football League stadiums but does not believe the threat is credible, officials said.
The threat, posted on Monday on an Internet site, said bombs containing radioactive material known as “dirty” bombs had been smuggled into the United States and would be used to attack professional football stadiums this Sunday, the department said.
“We are looking at this with strong skepticism. We have judged that there is not a credible threat here. There is no evidence or intelligence that there is a credible threat of such attacks,” said Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen.
“But out of an abundance of caution, we thought it necessary to notify federal, state, local and private sector partners,” he added.
The seven cities were identified as Miami, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland, California, and Cleveland in a Homeland Security notice sent to federal, state, local and private security officials in those areas.
“They have not been asked to take any security measures,” Agen said. “This is to inform them that the information is out there but we don’t see it as a credible threat.”
The Homeland Security notice said the threat was posted to an English-language Web site at www.thefriendsociety.com and said dirty bombs in trucks would be detonated outside the stadiums during Sunday’s NFL games.
The National Football League issued a statement saying its stadiums were “very well protected” by measures that include perimeter security, bag searches and personal searches of people entering the facilities.
Jay at Stop the ACLU writes that the stadiums’ ability to protect their patrons is being undermined because of the efforts by the ACLU:
Thanks to a lawsuit from the ACLU, Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium was forced to stop all their searches. The ACLU also filed suit against the 49′rs to halt their searches as well. I’m not sure if that case is settled or not. Surprising that they are not on the list being how easy the ACLU made it for them in Tampa. Hopefully the FBI’s scepticism is right and there is nothing to worry about. Still, threats like this highlight why security proceedures at these kind of events are so important, and why groups like the ACLU fighting against them is so dangerous.
Indeed.
Update: Dr. Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report has the original text of the threat:
On Sunday, October 22nd, 2006, there will be seven “dirty” explosive devices detonated in seven different U.S. cities; Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland and Cleveland. The death toll will approach 100,000 from the initial blasts and countless other fatalities will later occur as result from radioactive fallout.
The bombs themselves will be delivered via trucks. These trucks will pull up to stadiums hosting NFL games in each respective city. All stadiums to be targeted are open air arenas, excluding Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, the only enclosed stadium to be hit. Due to the open air, the radiological fallout will destroy those not killed in the initial explosion. The explosions will be near simultaneous, with the cities specifically chosen in different time zones to allow for multiple attacks at the same time.
The 22nd of October will mark the final day of Ramadan as it would fall in Mecca. Al-Qaida will automatically be blamed for the attacks. Later, through Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden will issue a video message claiming responsibility for what he dubs “America’s Hiroshima”.
In the aftermath civil wars will erupt across the world, both in the Middle East and within the United States. Global economies will screech to a halt. General chaos will rule.
If this is false threat, the person(s) who posted it were aware of Adnan G. El Shukrijumah and the Ramadan dirty bomb threat issued by al Qaeda.
Dr. Shackleford’s view:
So, am I still dismissive of the various dirty bomb and nuclear threats? I think I’ve moved from dismissive to skeptical, and now to still skeptical with a hint of worry. Not necessarily by the NFL threat, but by the confluence of all the threats at once. Howie agrees that the dirty bomb threat is not too credible. After all, those making the NFL threats could have been inspired by those earlier threats–which may have had no basis in reality whatsoever. And if we have found the original threat, it seems much more fantasy than anything else. The poster ‘javness’ describes himself as….well, you really don’t want to know, but think the bad gay in a very jeuvenile way.
But, again, I was a Boy Scout and our motto was “be prepared”.
Update II: Hot Air has a screenshot of the site that issued the threat.
Update III: More from Rusty Shackleford on the threat.
EMBEDDED UPDATE: The Feds are saying it came on an English language website. The now defunct site where this was found? “The F*cked Society”.
Also, it is in the middle of a “truther” thread which explains why the poster alludes to al Qaeda “claiming” they were behind the bombing. But we really know who did it, wink wink.
Change me back from the ‘skeptical but worried’ column to the ‘dismissive and pissed that this was national news’ column.
Actually, I’m relieved it was a hoax. There are some pretty sick, twisted people who get off on this kind of stuff. What’s also frightening is that at some point we might become desensitized to the hoaxes and then not believe a real threat.
Ok, so is this one Clinton’s fault or Carter’s fault?
I question the timing by the terrorists. I guess they really are saying a win by the democ’rat party in Nov is a win for terrorism. Is there
any other reason to release the info on a web site at this time. Since it was so open a threat i’ll still attend a game this Sunday. It’s a con as Homeland security indicated.
Since the conviction of Ken Lay has been overturned, has anyone heard from Slick Willie’s (non dead) sleep over buddy?
So the ultra liberal ACLU (the L stands for you know who ) Are continuing to help the enemys of this country to walk right into a stadium and kaboom! How nice.
How could anyone at homeland security be skeptical about this? Seems rather easy as a target to Me, And the Dems already have an alibi printed up and ready to go..It reads something like ITS BUSHS FAULT
They better profile old ladies and skinheads if they want to prevent this.
No Lee you idiot, it is the fault of the terrorists, and you. Them because they are the ones doing it, and you for siding with them.
On another thread Rory said the following regardin the “dirty bomb” scare:
“Also when did Al-Qaeda bomb the trains in Spain?
“They did it to effect the election of Jose Maria Aznar.”
Hmm – So, you think this bomb threat is possibly election-related too?
If that’s the case ask yourself…
(1) Exactly which party would benefit from heightened concerns about terrorism?, and…
(2) why would terrorists favor that particular party?
Actually Lee, since the Madrid train bombings scared the Spanish into electing a new government that was opposed to the war in Iraq, the terrorists are reasoning that the same might happen here.
I wonder where they got that idea from?
If the terrorists succeed, I lay the blame at those who have done everything they could to give aid and comfort to the enemy. This includes but is not restricted to: the New York Times, Cindy Sheehan, whiny ass liberals who fight for the rights of terrorists in gitmo, those who oppose a secure border from Mexico (the likely place they were smuggled), Keith Olberrman, Jack Murtha, Bill Moyers, etc.
Remember Joel Hinrichs went boom just outside of an ongoing University of Oklahoma football game on October 1, 2005. American football appears to be a recurring target.
Umm … people? Hello? Come on. It’s a joke. A hoax. A dumbass kid typing shit on a forum. Listen to Allah
Oy vey …
Dr. Rusty at The Jawa Report may have debunked this story going around the net.
RBT
Read More Here
Let’s at least present real arguments. A dirty bomb requires something the size of a suitcase. The ACLU lawsuits are specifically about pat down searches, not the ability for stadium folks to look into bags, confiscate backpacks, etc. Anyone here who has actually BEEN to a game lately would know this. Dirty bombs have nothing to do with the ACLU suits, wrong as they are for other reasons.
No “pucker puss” (lee lee) it is your fault. You and your commie friends from the ACLU. Dumbass cowards.
At the MNF game this week,(yeah, I saw it live in person), the “pat down” was non-existant. It was offensive to have to get into the “boy or girl line” for the non-existant pat down.
Just plain silly.
Thanks for Your complicitness lee and all your ill gotten ilk!
Website says NFL stadiums to be attacked with dirty bombs..
You mean Harry Reid is going to show up at each stadium?
Ok, so is this one Clinton’s fault or Carter’s fault?
Why can’t it be the bad guy’s fault? Why can’t we blame the people who want to kill us instead of own people?
The terrorists remind me of magicians. Magicians use misdirection. They want you to look here, while they do something there. While we are bickering with ourselves, we are not paying attention to the real threat. We need to unite as Americans and crush the threat against us, not place blame.
Sounds like someone has read a Tom Clancy novel.
Have you seen the movie BLACK SUNDAY its where a group of terrorists planned to bomb the SUPER BOWL using the GOODYEAR BLIMP and frankly if any terrorist attack happen becuase of the ACLUs lawsuits then maybe the ACLU should be held liable itself
This story is probably an internet myth, but if it is a real plot…
imagine if we had people in custody who were planning this. Would you use ‘torture’ to get the info from them? This would be the proverbial ‘ticking time bomb’.
Or would you let hundreds of thousands die instead?
If its a libs decision, then there as good as dead..