(AK) terrorists urge attacks on our pipeline

spacemanspiff · January 19, 2006, 09:16 PM

Web post urges jihadists to attack Alaska pipeline
BULLETS OR EXPLOSIVES: Nameless author claims to be acting on al-Qaida directives.
By WESLEY LOY
Anchorage Daily News
Published: January 19, 2006
Last Modified: January 19, 2006 at 02:24 AM

A recent posting on a Web site purportedly affiliated with al-Qaida urges attacks against the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and Valdez tanker dock, calling on jihadists to either shower the pipe with bullets or hide and detonate explosives along its length.

The unknown author encourages small cells of four or five mujahedeen, or Muslim guerrillas, living in the United States or in Canada or Mexico to mount the attacks.

The 10-page posting includes numerous links to Web sites providing maps and other basic information about the pipeline.

Attacking oil and gas targets in the United States and other countries is key to bringing down the economy of the "American devils," the author writes, saying the message was posted in response to calls from Osama bin Laden and his top al-Qaida deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The Arabic posting was discovered and translated in late December by the SITE Institute, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization that tracks international terrorists.

The "presentation of targets" essentially was a posting to a password-restricted Web forum known to be affiliated with al-Qaida, and there's no way to identify the author or know whether it could inspire an actual attack, said SITE director Rita Katz.

However, she said the posting was unusual and alarming in its length and detail.

Spokesmen for the FBI and other law enforcement and security agencies said Tuesday they were aware of the posting, but none would say whether it had prompted any extra security measures in Alaska.

Curtis Thomas, a spokesman for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the Anchorage-based oil company consortium that runs the 800-mile pipeline, said his company also was aware of the posting, but that "we're not aware at this time of any imminent threat" to the system. He said company policy is to not discuss security procedures, staffing levels or other issues.

"We're in communications with state, federal and local law enforcement and private entities that would be affected by this," said Eric Gonzalez, the FBI's Alaska spokesman.

He added that the posting did not seem to contain information beyond what is readily available to anyone with a little digging.

"I don't think it's a secret to anyone that the trans-Alaska pipeline, the terminal at Valdez, is a critical asset not only to the state but the country," Gonzalez said. "It's stating the obvious -- that this pipeline plays a critical role in this nation's economy."

The Alaska pipeline carries more than 800,000 barrels of crude a day from the North Slope oil fields to the Valdez tanker port. That's about one-eighth of U.S. production.

The posting suggests mujahedeen hit pipelines and other oil and gas assets in the United States, as well as in Iraq and the Caspian Sea region, as a way to hurt the U.S. economy and to gain payback for the war in Iraq.

"The bloody trash tore our children and dishonored us," it says. "This is our time to teach them a lesson in how to deal with Muslims."

It singles out the Alaska pipeline as a particularly valuable, and vulnerable, target for terror.

The author notes that 300,000 gallons of crude oil spewed out of a bullet hole in 2001, and that the pipeline is largely above ground, exposed and close to a highway.

A Livengood man was sentenced to 16 years in state prison after his conviction for oil pollution, criminal mischief, handling a firearm while drunk and other charges. Authorities say he shot the pipeline with a .338-caliber hunting rifle.

Pipeline operators have found numerous other bullet strikes over the years that did not puncture the pipeline's steel wall.

Security for the pipeline and Valdez tanker dock was heightened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. One of the biggest changes was creation of a security zone the U.S. Coast Guard enforces around the dock. The zone is still in effect, though recently it was slightly downsized.

The author of the Web posting suggests attackers hit the pipeline with "piercing bullets," or better yet, place explosives alongside it, especially in rural and wooded places to slow response and create fires.

Mujahedeen should detonate the hidden explosives "from time to time until they can receive news of the American devils' defeat," the posting says.

It also suggests attacks on the pipeline's pump stations, the oil tankers that carry the oil to the West Coast, and the storage tanks at the Valdez tanker dock, which are "considered an ideal target."

The posting includes links to an eclectic collection of Web sites, including Alyeska and U.S. Department of Energy sites and that of fringe presidential candidate and political radical Lyndon LaRouche.

It also includes numerous errors, including a sentence saying the pipeline starts at the North Pole and ends at Valdez "on the Atlantic Ocean."

Katz, the SITE director, said her organization has analyzed and translated many terrorism-related Web postings for its clients, including oil companies, and this one stood out.

"When I saw this message, I was shocked," Katz said. It was much longer, more thoughtful and more fully researched than the normal posting, she said.

The posting might have come from anyone, she said, an individual or even from within the bin Laden camp. What's more important than the source is the influence it might have as it likely spreads through the Internet from forum to forum.

"Once there's an idea there, then you don't know who saw that idea and might take the initiative and go forward," she said.

"We take all of these matters quite seriously," said John Madden, state Homeland Security director. However, the posting was "not any great, analytical document," but rather a collection of information available from open sources.

Last month, federal pipeline regulators ordered Alyeska to develop new spill cleanup drills with "terrorist attack scenarios" in mind.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story...-7283808c.html
***link above has popups and may require registration**

spacemanspiff · January 19, 2006, 09:24 PM

so, like, this weekend or the next, we'll probably be taking a drive north to do some predator calls or just blast at some bunnies. what should we do if we encounter a terrorist cell thats trying to make their way to the pipeline?

think i'll have the AR and at least ten loaded magazines, bare minimum. who knows? maybe even slap that leu vx-ii 3-9x on my new .308 to engage terrorists at greater distances?

in all seriousness though, pipeline security is pretty darn good. those oil companies spare no expense buying cool gear. there is routine patrols via helicopter, they gotta have infrared heatseeking gear to locate anything around the pipeline.

not to mention that theres no way out. state troopers would block off the sole highway that gets near the pipeline, so any fool attacking it would need to be on a suicide mission or know they are going to get caught.

Wildalaska · January 19, 2006, 09:33 PM

aR 15S? 9mms? Can you imagine the poor schmuck whose fiddling with the pipeline and gets popped by a local with a 375 H&H...

New thread...Is a 375 H&H enough gun for terrorists?

WildmeanspiffyareonalertAlaska

BigFunWMU · January 19, 2006, 10:14 PM

375?

Only when they are lined up properly for a 2-fer.

Happy hunting.

Dave R · January 19, 2006, 10:26 PM

Hmmmm. That's an interesting scenario. You're out varmit hunting and come across terrorists trying to sabatoge the pipeline. What to do? Do ya think they'd cooperate with a citizen's arrest?

Capt. Charlie · January 19, 2006, 10:47 PM

Quote:

not to mention that theres no way out. state troopers would block off the sole highway that gets near the pipeline, so any fool attacking it would need to be on a suicide mission or know they are going to get caught.

Somehow, Spiff, I don't think they care

.

Quote:

Hmmmm. That's an interesting scenario. You're out varmit hunting and come across terrorists trying to sabatoge the pipeline. What to do? Do ya think they'd cooperate with a citizen's arrest?

Personal decision with possible consequences, but I honestly think I'd have to engage them, and show them what a couple of good 'ol boys can do with a deer rifle at 200+ yds.

. If they're proved to be the real deal, I think (read: hope) that there's not a court in the land that would convict you.

VUPDblue · January 19, 2006, 11:26 PM

Give 'em a real taste of frontier America....45-70's and .44 Russian...

stevelyn · January 20, 2006, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Can you imagine the poor shmuck fiddling with the pipeline and gets popped by a local with a .375 H&H.....

Not to mention that the pipeline corridor north of the Yukon River is "bowhunting only".
The same poor shmuck could wind up looking like a 7th Cav trooper at the Little Bighorn.

Mikeyboy · January 20, 2006, 09:07 AM

If I see a news cast of an attempted terrorist attack in Alaska stopped by big tactical ninja with an AR...I'll know who to thank.

Actually if there is going to be some Big attack on US oil production we all got to keep our eyes open. There were reports of al Qaeda scoping out refineries in other parts of the US too.

While I think Spiff may save us all. I would keep my gas tank close to full, for a few weeks, to be on the safe side.

Invicta · January 20, 2006, 05:00 PM

good, maybe the terrorists will all get lost in the woods and eaten by grizzlies. then they can declare jihad on the bears.

mjolnir · January 20, 2006, 08:23 PM

Sounds like there's a market niche in Alaska for a new .375 PP (Pig Point), guaranteed minute-of-mujahadeen.

Maybe marketed by Sierra as "Muj King."

model 25 · January 20, 2006, 08:26 PM

Sounds like bear food is on the way

25

Phxdog · January 21, 2006, 06:24 PM

The mujahadeen better be careful messing around with those no nonsense Alaskan types; the just might be opening a whole can of whomp @$$.

epr105 · January 21, 2006, 09:17 PM

ROFL LOL LOL

pig bullets
If I ever get the chance to send one to ALAH I will not hesitate. I think that the terrorists are too fragile to handle the Alaskan outdoors. **SSIES THAT THEY ARE

Wildalaska · January 22, 2006, 03:20 AM

Quote:

If I ever get the chance to send one to ALAH I will not hesitate. I think that the terrorists are too fragile to handle the Alaskan outdoors. **SSIES THAT THEY ARE

Join up...volunteer for afghanistan and see what "[color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color]" they are...

WildsuchsillinessAlaska

January 19, 2006, 09:16 PM	#1
spacemanspiff Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2002 Location: alaska Posts: 3,498	(AK) terrorists urge attacks on our pipeline Web post urges jihadists to attack Alaska pipeline BULLETS OR EXPLOSIVES: Nameless author claims to be acting on al-Qaida directives. By WESLEY LOY Anchorage Daily News Published: January 19, 2006 Last Modified: January 19, 2006 at 02:24 AM A recent posting on a Web site purportedly affiliated with al-Qaida urges attacks against the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and Valdez tanker dock, calling on jihadists to either shower the pipe with bullets or hide and detonate explosives along its length. The unknown author encourages small cells of four or five mujahedeen, or Muslim guerrillas, living in the United States or in Canada or Mexico to mount the attacks. The 10-page posting includes numerous links to Web sites providing maps and other basic information about the pipeline. Attacking oil and gas targets in the United States and other countries is key to bringing down the economy of the "American devils," the author writes, saying the message was posted in response to calls from Osama bin Laden and his top al-Qaida deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. The Arabic posting was discovered and translated in late December by the SITE Institute, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization that tracks international terrorists. The "presentation of targets" essentially was a posting to a password-restricted Web forum known to be affiliated with al-Qaida, and there's no way to identify the author or know whether it could inspire an actual attack, said SITE director Rita Katz. However, she said the posting was unusual and alarming in its length and detail. Spokesmen for the FBI and other law enforcement and security agencies said Tuesday they were aware of the posting, but none would say whether it had prompted any extra security measures in Alaska. Curtis Thomas, a spokesman for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the Anchorage-based oil company consortium that runs the 800-mile pipeline, said his company also was aware of the posting, but that "we're not aware at this time of any imminent threat" to the system. He said company policy is to not discuss security procedures, staffing levels or other issues. "We're in communications with state, federal and local law enforcement and private entities that would be affected by this," said Eric Gonzalez, the FBI's Alaska spokesman. He added that the posting did not seem to contain information beyond what is readily available to anyone with a little digging. "I don't think it's a secret to anyone that the trans-Alaska pipeline, the terminal at Valdez, is a critical asset not only to the state but the country," Gonzalez said. "It's stating the obvious -- that this pipeline plays a critical role in this nation's economy." The Alaska pipeline carries more than 800,000 barrels of crude a day from the North Slope oil fields to the Valdez tanker port. That's about one-eighth of U.S. production. The posting suggests mujahedeen hit pipelines and other oil and gas assets in the United States, as well as in Iraq and the Caspian Sea region, as a way to hurt the U.S. economy and to gain payback for the war in Iraq. "The bloody trash tore our children and dishonored us," it says. "This is our time to teach them a lesson in how to deal with Muslims." It singles out the Alaska pipeline as a particularly valuable, and vulnerable, target for terror. The author notes that 300,000 gallons of crude oil spewed out of a bullet hole in 2001, and that the pipeline is largely above ground, exposed and close to a highway. A Livengood man was sentenced to 16 years in state prison after his conviction for oil pollution, criminal mischief, handling a firearm while drunk and other charges. Authorities say he shot the pipeline with a .338-caliber hunting rifle. Pipeline operators have found numerous other bullet strikes over the years that did not puncture the pipeline's steel wall. Security for the pipeline and Valdez tanker dock was heightened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. One of the biggest changes was creation of a security zone the U.S. Coast Guard enforces around the dock. The zone is still in effect, though recently it was slightly downsized. The author of the Web posting suggests attackers hit the pipeline with "piercing bullets," or better yet, place explosives alongside it, especially in rural and wooded places to slow response and create fires. Mujahedeen should detonate the hidden explosives "from time to time until they can receive news of the American devils' defeat," the posting says. It also suggests attacks on the pipeline's pump stations, the oil tankers that carry the oil to the West Coast, and the storage tanks at the Valdez tanker dock, which are "considered an ideal target." The posting includes links to an eclectic collection of Web sites, including Alyeska and U.S. Department of Energy sites and that of fringe presidential candidate and political radical Lyndon LaRouche. It also includes numerous errors, including a sentence saying the pipeline starts at the North Pole and ends at Valdez "on the Atlantic Ocean." Katz, the SITE director, said her organization has analyzed and translated many terrorism-related Web postings for its clients, including oil companies, and this one stood out. "When I saw this message, I was shocked," Katz said. It was much longer, more thoughtful and more fully researched than the normal posting, she said. The posting might have come from anyone, she said, an individual or even from within the bin Laden camp. What's more important than the source is the influence it might have as it likely spreads through the Internet from forum to forum. "Once there's an idea there, then you don't know who saw that idea and might take the initiative and go forward," she said. "We take all of these matters quite seriously," said John Madden, state Homeland Security director. However, the posting was "not any great, analytical document," but rather a collection of information available from open sources. Last month, federal pipeline regulators ordered Alyeska to develop new spill cleanup drills with "terrorist attack scenarios" in mind. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story...-7283808c.html *link above has popups and may require registration __________________ "Every man alone is sincere; at the entrance of a second person hypocrisy begins." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." - Soren Kierkegaard

January 19, 2006, 09:24 PM	#2
spacemanspiff Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2002 Location: alaska Posts: 3,498	so, like, this weekend or the next, we'll probably be taking a drive north to do some predator calls or just blast at some bunnies. what should we do if we encounter a terrorist cell thats trying to make their way to the pipeline? think i'll have the AR and at least ten loaded magazines, bare minimum. who knows? maybe even slap that leu vx-ii 3-9x on my new .308 to engage terrorists at greater distances? in all seriousness though, pipeline security is pretty darn good. those oil companies spare no expense buying cool gear. there is routine patrols via helicopter, they gotta have infrared heatseeking gear to locate anything around the pipeline. not to mention that theres no way out. state troopers would block off the sole highway that gets near the pipeline, so any fool attacking it would need to be on a suicide mission or know they are going to get caught. __________________ "Every man alone is sincere; at the entrance of a second person hypocrisy begins." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." - Soren Kierkegaard

January 19, 2006, 10:14 PM	#4
BigFunWMU Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2005 Posts: 304	375? Only when they are lined up properly for a 2-fer. Happy hunting. __________________ "Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others." - Edward Abbey

January 19, 2006, 10:26 PM	#5
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2000 Location: Idaho Posts: 6,073	Hmmmm. That's an interesting scenario. You're out varmit hunting and come across terrorists trying to sabatoge the pipeline. What to do? Do ya think they'd cooperate with a citizen's arrest? __________________ I am Pro-Rights (on gun issues).

January 19, 2006, 11:26 PM	#7
VUPDblue Senior Member Join Date: December 18, 2005 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 1,981	Give 'em a real taste of frontier America....45-70's and .44 Russian... __________________ Silencers have NEVER been illegal !

January 19, 2006, 09:33 PM	#3
Wildalaska Junior member Join Date: November 25, 2002 Location: In my own little weird world in Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 14,172	aR 15S? 9mms? Can you imagine the poor schmuck whose fiddling with the pipeline and gets popped by a local with a 375 H&H... New thread...Is a 375 H&H enough gun for terrorists? WildmeanspiffyareonalertAlaska

January 20, 2006, 09:07 AM	#9
Mikeyboy Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Posts: 1,231	If I see a news cast of an attempted terrorist attack in Alaska stopped by big tactical ninja with an AR...I'll know who to thank. Actually if there is going to be some Big attack on US oil production we all got to keep our eyes open. There were reports of al Qaeda scoping out refineries in other parts of the US too. While I think Spiff may save us all. I would keep my gas tank close to full, for a few weeks, to be on the safe side.

January 20, 2006, 05:00 PM	#10
Invicta Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2004 Posts: 207	good, maybe the terrorists will all get lost in the woods and eaten by grizzlies. then they can declare jihad on the bears.

January 20, 2006, 08:23 PM	#11
mjolnir Member Join Date: February 13, 2005 Location: Valhalla Posts: 79	Sounds like there's a market niche in Alaska for a new .375 PP (Pig Point), guaranteed minute-of-mujahadeen. Maybe marketed by Sierra as "Muj King."

January 20, 2006, 08:26 PM	#12
model 25 Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: out west Posts: 892	Sounds like bear food is on the way 25

January 21, 2006, 06:24 PM	#13
Phxdog Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2006 Location: Phoenix Posts: 236	The mujahadeen better be careful messing around with those no nonsense Alaskan types; the just might be opening a whole can of whomp @$$.

January 21, 2006, 09:17 PM	#14
epr105 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2005 Location: Sullivan County, New York Posts: 241	ROFL LOL LOL pig bullets If I ever get the chance to send one to ALAH I will not hesitate. I think that the terrorists are too fragile to handle the Alaskan outdoors. **SSIES THAT THEY ARE