More Terror Threats Directed At The Sochi Olympics

Terror 'Surprise' for Sochi Olympics? Purported Suicide Bombers' New Threat -- ABC News

Citing a new "surprise package" for Russia and Olympic spectators, Islamist militants in the North Caucasus on Sunday launched a new threat to the Sochi Olympics with a purported "martyrdom" video by two suicide bombers who attacked a transit hub 400 miles away.

The video posted on a Chechen extremist site considered a credible platform for militant statements featured two unidentified men before the black flag of jihad and cradling AKMS rifles.

The duo -- dressed in street clothes and without the usual trappings of jihadis -- casually explained that Russians and those attending the Winter Games next month will not be safe as long as forces sent by President Vladimir Putin occupy the North Caucasus region near Sochi, Russia.

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My Comment: The official line from the Russian government has not changed .... basically do not worry.

Terror Warnings Are Now Being Issued For Sochi

Russian traffic police officers stand guard during patrol on a road near venues at the Olympic Park near Sochi January 7, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Kazbek Basayev

U.S. Warns Of Possible Terrorism At Sochi, But No Specific Threat -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The U.S. State Department warned Americans on Friday of the potential for terrorism at the Sochi Olympics but said it was not aware of any specific threat to U.S. citizens.

In a "travel warning," the department urged Americans to be vigilant about personal security at the February 7 to March 14 Olympic Games, and flagged the possibility of petty crime, inadequate medical care and hotel shortages.

It also highlighted a Russian law, much criticized by rights groups, that would make it a crime to publicly promote the equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

"Large-scale public events such as the Olympics present an attractive target for terrorists," the State Department wrote in the travel warning, saying that Russian authorities have said they are taking appropriate security measures.

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My Comment:  I know thhave a 

Russian Forces Are Now On Combat Alert In Sochi One Month Before The Winter Olympics

Russia Imposes Security Clampdown In Sochi Before Olympics -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Russian forces went on combat alert in Sochi and tightened restrictions on access to the Black Sea resort on Tuesday, exactly one month before the start of the Winter Olympic Games.

Aware that the success or failure of the Sochi Games will help shape his legacy, President Vladimir Putin has increased security across Russia following two suicide bomb attacks in the southern city of Volgograd which killed 34 people.

Moscow's most wanted man, the Chechen insurgent leader Doku Umarov, has urged militants who want to carve an Islamic state in Russia's North Caucasus region to use "maximum force" to prevent the Games going ahead.

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More News On Russia Imposing A Security Alert On Sochi

‘Sochi 2014 to be safest, most secure Olympics ever’ – organizers -- RT
Sochi Launches Massive Security Offensive Ahead of Olympics -- Moscow Times
One month before Olympics, Russia puts Sochi under high security -- CNN
Winter Olympics: Russia launches Sochi security clampdown -- BBC
Wary Russia places security measures on Sochi ahead of 2014 Winter Olympics -- Deutsche Welle
Sochi Olympics security measures: No strange cars -- CBS/AP
Security at all costs in Sochi -- Deutsche Welle
Fortress Sochi: Russia’s Security Plan Risks Killing the Olympic Spirit -- Simon Shuster, Time
Will Russia's 'ring of steel' keep Sochi safe? -- Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor
Sochi: Security and Counterterrorism at the 2014 Winter Olympics -- Cassandra Lucaccioni and Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., Heritage Foundation

20,000 UK Military Personnel Will Be Necessary To Provide Security For The London Olympic Games

MoD Fury As Soldiers Forced To Carry Out Menial Security Tasks For Olympic Games -- The Telegraph

Thousands more Armed Forces personnel will be forced to carry out “menial” security work for the Olympic Games, leaving defence chiefs furious.

The British Army has been ordered to provide more troops for the Games to make up for a shortfall in staff provided by private security contractors.

The Daily Telegraph understands that defence chiefs have angrily complained to Olympic organisers, accusing them of mismanaging their security contract and leaving the Armed Forces to bear the burden.

The Ministry of Defence last year said that 13,500 military personnel would be assigned to Olympic duties, with 7,500 of them in security roles at Olympic venues.

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Update: Olympic security contractor G4S only told ministers yesterday it could not fulfil brief -- The Telegraph

My Comment: One more example of government's inability to do government right.

Beefing Up Security For The London olympics

The military is considering putting a missile system atop Fred Wigg Tower, right, in London. Andrew Testa for The New York Times

A New Amenity May Show Up On Some London Roofs For The Olympics: Missiles -- New York Times

LONDON — “It looked like one of those things where you get free pizzas through the post,” Hilal Bozkurt said, describing the innocuous-looking leaflet that came through her mail slot recently. “But this was like, free missiles.”

The leaflet was from the Ministry of Defense, and it briskly informed Ms. Bozkurt that her building, Fred Wigg Tower, part of a sad-looking public housing project in a depressed neighborhood in an unloved corner of this city, had been selected as a possible front line against terrorist attacks during the Olympics. Because of the 17-story tower’s strategic location and “excellent all-around view,” the leaflet said, the military was considering installing a “high-velocity missile system” on the roof.

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My Comment: One has to wonder if this is (maybe) overkill.

Sonic Weapon To Be Deployed During The London Olympics

The company deny it is a weapon and say it can be used to "peacefully resolve uncertain situations"

Sonic Device Deployed In London During Olympics -- BBC

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed a sonic device will be deployed in London during the Olympics.

The American-made Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) can be used to send verbal warnings over a long distance or emit a beam of pain-inducing tones.

The equipment was spotted fixed to a landing craft on the Thames at Westminster this week.

The manufacturer denies it is a weapon and the MoD said it would be used "primarily in the loud hailer mode".

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My Comment: I guess they are expecting trouble.

Britain's Defense Missiles Do Not Work In Bad Weather

Olympic Defence Missiles 'Don't Work In Bad Weather' -- The Telegraph

A ring of ground-to-air missile launchers could be deployed around London to protect Olympic venues, the Ministry of Defence confirmed yesterday.

Six sites, including two residential complexes, are being tested as launch pads for missile systems capable of thwarting any airborne terror attack.

Starstreak and Rapier missile systems - which have a range of around 4 miles - would be deployed as a “last resort” to shoot down any low flying aircraft intending a 9/11 style suicide mission at one of the Olympic venues.

Defence sources claim radar would identify rogue aircraft and the missiles would be deployed long before they reached built up areas.

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My Comment: No problem .... we all know that it never rains in England.

London Is Getting Ready For The Olympics

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The Chilling (And Balaclava-Clad) Face Of Modern British Policing: London Siege Reveals Armed-To-The-Teeth Team Preparing For The Olympic Games -- The Daily Mail

Bristling with guns, his face masked, a police officer moves in on a suspected suicide bomber.

Just 91 days away from the start of the Olympics, the dramatic scene gave a foretaste of what can be expected this summer after a man threatened to blow himself up in a busy office block.

Thousands were evacuated, Tube stations were closed and streets locked down over a wide area of London's West End.

Snipers, bomb disposal squads, nuclear biological and chemical warfare specialists and dozens of armed police were scrambled to the building on Tottenham scrambled to an office block on Tottenham Court Road, one of the city's busiest shopping streets.

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My Comment: They are preparing for the worst.

U.S. Worried About Security At London 2012 Olympics

US officials Worried About Security At London 2012 Olympics -- The Guardian

US plans to send 500 FBI agents to protect its athletes as organisers admit underestimating number of security guards needed

The US has raised repeated concerns about security at the London Olympics and is preparing to send up to 1,000 of its agents, including 500 from the FBI, to provide protection for America's contestants and diplomats, the Guardian has learned.

American officials have expressed deep unease that the UK has had to restrict the scope of anti-terrorism "stop and search" powers, and have sought a breakdown of the number of British police and other security personnel that will be available next summer.

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My Comment: Memo to the London organizers .... you can never have enough security ... especially when it comes to the Olympics.

You Are Being Watched

OPENING CEREMONY: The Olympic flame is ignited in the center of BC Place as the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics begin. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

During The Olympics, The Feds Will Be Reading Your Tweets – And the Blotter -- ABC News

DHS Is Monitoring Social Media and Web Sites for Terror and Disaster Info

As the winter Olympics begin, the Department of Homeland Security has disclosed that it will be monitoring the comments and posts on websites and social media like Twitter for information on possible terror threats. Among the sites listed in a privacy impact statement filed Friday afternoon by DHS are the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post, Twitter, Google and this web site, the Blotter.

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My Comment: So much for privacy rights .... but this is an understandable policy from the DHS. Citizens on the ground are always the first ones to know if something is wrong .... DHS, emergency responders, law enforcement .... they are always the last ones.

Beijing Cites Numerous Olympic Threats -- 2nd Update

In this July 23, 2008 file photo, Chinese paramilitary police march during their oath taking ceremony to ensure safety during the Beijing Olympics in front of the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest at the Olympic Green in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

From Yahoo News/AP:

BEIJING - Just over a week before the Beijing Olympics, a militant Islamic group's claims of responsibility for bombings in China have fueled unease about security.

The government has assured its people and the Olympic community that heavy security will ensure a secure games. But its clampdown has smothered a broad array of groups, many with grievances against the government but without a history of violence.

Among the potential troublemakers Chinese security specialists have identified are Tibetan separatists, who staged occasionally violent protests last spring; members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement and unemployed workers.

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My Comment: As I had mentioned earlier today .... there are a lot of nervous people out there.

Islamist Bombers Target Olympics

Turkestan or in Chinese .... Xinjiang

From Times Online:

A MILITANT Islamic group has threatened to attack the Beijing Olympics with suicide bombers and biological weapons and has claimed responsibility for a string of fatal bombings and explosions in China over recent weeks.

In a video released by IntelCenter, a terrorism monitoring group, a bearded man identified as “Commander Seyfullah” is seen reading a declaration of jihad against the Olympics and warns athletes and spectators, “especially Muslims”, to stay away.

It was issued by a group calling itself the Turkestan Islamic party. The group may be allied with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement – designated a terrorist organisation by the US, China and several other countries – which seeks independence for the Muslim Uighur people of China’s far west province of Xinjiang, which Uighur separatists call East Turkestan.

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Some Background On Turkestan from Global Security.org

My Comment: I can now understand why the Chinese Government will be putting 100,000 police and soldiers on the grounds at all Olympic events. This is one very dangerous terrorist group. The Olympics are now a target for this group, and none of their members have been arrested recently.