Frank Freeman's Diary, August 2005

'Thousands of police marksmen [are there really that many in the UK?] will be on London's streets and rooftops again today [as they were last Thursday, 28 July 05; see the Times entry in July 2005 diary, under 31 July] after warnings that another team of suicide bombers is plotting a third attack on the capital.

'The new group is believed to be made up of British Muslims who were understood to be close to staging that's the word] an attack on the Underground network last week. According to security sources the men are thought to be of Pakistani origin but born and brought up in this country [a contradiction in terms giving away an effort to play up the alleged plotters' ancestry]. They have links with the Leeds-based terrorist cell that staged the July 7 attacks, in which 52 innocent people died. ...'

'US President George W Bush has formally appointed John Bolton as US ambassador to the united Nations, without waiting for approval from the Senate. [The Senate is on its summer break, which enables Bush to do it.]

'Mr Bush said {"a handful of"] Democrats had forced him to bypass Congress by using "shameful" delaying tactics" to prevent a vote.

'"This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about UN reform," Mr Bush said.

'Chinese oil producer CNOOC has withdrawn its $18.5bn (Ł10.4bn) bid for US firm Unocal, leaving the way clear for chevron to acquire the business.

'CNOOC cited "unprecedented political opposition" in the US as a reason for ditching its offer.

'Some US lawmakers have claimed that the new deal posed a potential threat to US national security.

'Unocal's board recommended Chevron's $17.3bn offer, even though it was substantially lower than CNOOC's bid.'

Unocal is a smallish company specializing in oil interests in South Asia. In the 1990s it pursued a never-fulfilled project to build a "Caspian oil pipeline" through Afghanistan.

After 9/11, this became the basis of a conspiracy theory about 9/11 and the US invasion of Afghanistan as a technique to gain access to the supposedly-huge reserves of Caspian oil. (Based on extreme projections of the reserves. See "The US Cabal's Projected Oil Empire".)

This theory may have been encouraged by the powers-that-be to distract attention from the main goal of traditional Persian-Gulf oil.

An alternative pipeline for Caspian oil has since opened, running from Azerbaijan to the Turkish Mediterranean coast.

Fourteen US marines have been killed in an attack in an attack in Haditha, in Iraq's "Sunni Triangle". Seven were killed there on 1 August.

'Two Yemeni men claim they were held in secret, underground US jails for more than 18 months[, after being tortured in Jordan,] without being charged, amnesty International has said.

'The human rights group has called on the US to reveal details of the alleged secret detention of suspects abroad.

'Amnesty fears the case is part of a "much broader picture" in which the US holds prisoners at secret locations.

'The US has not responded to the claims, but the head of the CIA [Porter Goss] recently said the agency does not use torture. [They just farm it out abroad.]'

'The four suicide bombers [sic] who caused carnage on the London underground on July 7 made their explosives from everyday items such as hair bleach. [Wot no strawberry blancmange?]

'New York police officials said the bombs were made in Leeds, stored in an industrial strength fridge and were probably set off using mobile phones. [So the suicide bombers weren't suicide bombers, they were suicides. ... A mobile phone on the deep Piccadilly Line? No chance. Their use would be dodgy even on the dug-out Circle/Metropolitan Line.]

'NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the department had clearance from British authorities to reveal the details. [... And a nerve for blatant bullshit that even the British can't yet match.]'

'New York's police chief has admitted information [sic] revealed about the July 7 bombings in London had not been cleared for release by Scotland Yard.

'Commissioner Ray Kelly told business leaders the four suicide attackers had devised their bombs using household items such as bleach and citric acid.

'A police spokesman accepted those details had not been cleared but denied "compromising the investigation".'

Au contraire, Scotland Yard allowed the NYPD to spew out garbage that it would be (as yet) ashamed to itself.

'The NYPD officials said investigators believe the bombers used a peroxide-base explosive called HMDT, or hexamethylene triperoxide diamine. HMDT can be made using ordinary ingredients like hydrogen peroxide (hair bleach), citric acid (a common food preservative) and heat tablets (sometimes used by the military for cooking). ...'

'The government has admitted "overselling" the advantages of national identity cards.

'Tony McNulty, the Home Office minister responsible for the project, told a left wing think tank ID cards would not be a panacea for terrorism or fraud.

His comments have prompted the Conservatives and Liberal democrats to renew demands for the ID card project to be abandoned.'

British Channel 4 News has "discovered" that London police learned two years ago that one of the London "failed bombers", Hussain Osman [aka Hamdi Isaac], was associated with Islamic extremists.

London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair was interviewed on BBC Newsnight tonight. He denied Osman Hussain's claim that the "main explosive" in the July 21 "failed bombings" was flour. But he declined to say what it was.

Robin Cook, the former British government minister who — conditionally — opposed the Iraq invasion, has died. He died while walking in the Scottish Highlands, despite the efforts of his wife and a passer-by to revive him.

'... Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians. Inexplicably, and with disastrous consequences, it never appears to have occurred to Washington that once Russia was out of the way, Bin Laden's organisation would turn its attention to the west. ...'

'INDEPENDENT[:] Intelligence chiefs are warning Tony Blair that Britain faces a full-blown Islamist insurgency.'

'Even though the vast majority had come to Britain to escape the lawlessness of their homelands, the source added, [the source now generously adds], there remained an alarmingly large pool of trained men who could be lured into violent action. ...'

'SAUDI LINKS TO [London] ATTACKS "PROBED"

'UK and Saudi Arabian security services are investigating links between two al-Qaeda suspects and the London bomb attacks, the Saudi ambassador has said.

'But Prince Turki al-Faisal said it was too early to confirm whether cash was wired to the UK or text messages were sent from al-Qaeda suspects in Saudi.

'"It is under investigation by both your security forces and our security forces," he said.

'The Sunday Telegraph reported a link to two Moroccan men killed in shoot-outs. [How convenient!]'

(BBC Ceefax, 7 August 05, p.115)

'Both the Observer and the Sunday Telegraph hone [sic] in on links between Saudi Arabia and the 7 July attacks.

'The Observer reports that the kingdom warned British officials of an imminent attacks [sic] weeks beforehand.

'Calls to the UK were intercepted from a mobile phone belonging to one of al-Qaeda's most operatives, a Saudi security source tells the paper.

'The Sunday Telegraph says the same man transferred cash and sent text messages to suspected terrorists in Britain.'

(BBC Ceefax, 7 July 05, p.148, reviews of British papers)

'... The statements from the Saudi regime are likely to shift the focus of the investigation into the London bombings from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda. ...

'British security sources last night categorically denied they had received any warnings of a specific attack on London that could have averted the July tragedy in the capital. The source [sic] said they 'did not recognise' the details of the Saudi claims.'

(Martin Bright, Antony Bennett and Mohammed Alkhereiji, "Saudis warned UK of London attacks", The Observer [UK], 7 August 05)

'RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Two senior al Qaeda operatives in Saudi Arabia made money transfers and used coded text messages to communicate with suspected terrorists in Britain in the months before the July attacks in London, according to security officials in the kingdom,

'Younis Mohammed Ibraham al-Hayari, al Qaeda's purported leader in Saudi Arabia, was [conveniently] killed in Riyadh three weeks ago, and Abdel Karim al-Mejati [conveniently] died in a shootout in the central Al-Qassim region in April.

'Saudi officials in Saudi Arabia suspect [!only] both men of involvement in the attacks on London on July 7 and [!] 21 and say they have established that al Qaeda is operating in Britain. ...'

(Toby Harnden, "Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia linked to London hits", Sunday Telegraph [UK], 7 August 05, reproduced in Washington Times [US])

'Islamist radicals who express support for terrorism may face treason charges, the Attorney General's office has said.

'Lord Goldsmith and the Director of Public Prosecutions Ken MacDonald have discussed action against three individuals, a spokeswoman said.

'The Crown Prosecution Service's head of anti-terrorism will meet Scotland yard officers in the next few days.

'Omar Bakri Mohammed, Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair are all expected to come under scrutiny.'

Just recently they were talking of expelling Bakri et al from Britain. Either they are non-nationals, and can be expelled, or British nationals, against whom treason laws can be applied.

'The investigation into the July 21 terrorist incidents has reportedly been hampered by the fact that fewer than 30 Tube trains had working CCTV.

'The July 21 would-be bombers were spotted but a newspaper claims lack of cameras meant detectives were not able to trace all their movements that day.

'A Transport for London spokesman said: "We cannot comment on how many trains were equipped with cameras".'

'Britain has warned that militants are in the last stages of preparing attacks in Saudi Arabia, as Washington closed its missions in the oil-rich country.

'"There are credible reports that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks," said an updated foreign Office advisory.

'Non-essential staff and dependents have been advised to leave the country, the website notice adds.'

All this waiting-about and interminable plotting to invade major oil producers gets tedious. Wouldn't it save time and trouble if they were to invade Iran and Saudi Arabia simultaneously?

'Officials in New York City have begun conducting a large-scale anti-terror test aimed at simulating the effects of a major biochemical attack.

'Scientists released a harmless gas [my emphasis] in the city's underground railway system.

'Hundreds of devices across New York are now tracking the way the gas is being carried by the airflows between Manhattan's skyscrapers [my emphasis].

'Officials hope the exercise will help in planning how and where people should be evacuated in case of a real attack.'

In 1938 a now-famous radio adaptation of H G Wells's War Of the Worlds caused often-comic mass panic in America. Some apparently feared it was a Nazi gas attack.

'[Financial Times:] Warnings of a possible attack in Saudi Arabia and worries over Iran's nuclear programme helped push crude [oil] prices to nominal [i.e. money-terms] records.'

'GUARDIAN[:] Special anti-terror courts sitting in secret to determine how long suspects should be detained without charge are under active consideration.'

'The Home Office is considering the appointment of security-cleared judges to decide how long terror suspects may be held without trial, reports say.

'Under the French-style system, the judge would have access to intelligence material like phone taps in drawing up a pre-trial case, the Guardian claimed.

'Tony Blair has said the new court procedure which would allow a pre-trial process is being examined.'

I finally came upon this story, which emerged shortly after the London Tube bombings of 7 July 05 ...

'A fictional "scenario" of multiple bomb attacks on London's underground took place at exactly the same time [not exactly, but pretty damn close] as the bomb attack[s] on July 7, 2005.

'Peter Power, Managing Director of Visor consultants, a private firm n contract to the London Metropolitan Police, described in a BBC interview how he had organized and conducted the anti-terror drill, on behalf of an unnamed business client. ...

Further down the article, Chossudovsky mentions former NYC major Rudolph Giuliani's "coincidental" presence, and remarks, "It is worth noting that Visor Consultants and Giuliani Security and Safety LLC specialized in similar "mock terror drills" and "emergency preparedness" procedures. ..."

'HIJACKERS "IDENTIFIED PRE-9/11"

'A year before the 9/11 attacks a secret US intelligence unit had identified four of the hijackers as likely linked to al-Qaeda, a US congressman says.

'But the unit's request for the FBI to be informed was turned down, according to Representative Curt Weldon.

'One of the men identified was said to be 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta.

'Mr Weldon has a reputation for bold statements, but his comments are being taken seriously after claims from an unnamed former intelligence official.'

(BBC Ceefax, 9 August 05, p.113)

Congressman: Defense Knew 9/11 Hijackers
Kimberley Hefling, AP, The Guardian online (UK), 9 August 05, 11:46pm

'WASHINGTON (AP) — The Sept. 11 commission will investigate a claim that U.S. defense intelligence officials identified ringleader Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers as a likely part of an al-Qaida cell more than a year before the hijackings but didn't forward the information to law enforcement.

'[Representative] Curt Weldon, [Republican]-[Pennsylvania] and vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, said Tuesday [today] the men were identified in 1999 by a classified military intelligence unit known as "Able Danger". If true, that's an earlier link to al-Qaida than any previously disclosed intelligence about Atta.

'Sept. 11 commission co-chairman Lee Hamilton said Tuesday that Weldon's information, which the congressman said came from multiple intelligence sources, warrants a review. ...

'According to Weldon, Able Danger identified Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Khalid al-Mihdar and Nawaf al-Hamzi as members of a cell the unit code-named "Brooklyn" because of some loose connections to New York City.

'Weldon said that in September 2000 Able Danger recommended that its information on the hijackers be given to the FBI "so they could bring that cell in and take out the terrorists." However, Weldon said Pentagon lawyers rejected the recommendation because they said Atta and the others were in the country legally so information on them could not be shared with law enforcement.

'Weldon did not provide details on how the intelligence officials identified the future hijackers and determined they might be part of a cell.

'Defense Department documents shown to an Associated Press reporter Tuesday said the Able Danger team was set up in 1999 to identify potential al-Qaida operatives for U.S. Special Operations Command [SOCOM]. At some point, information provided to the team by the Army's Information Dominance Center pointed to a possible al-Qaida cell in Brooklyn, the documents said.

'However, because of concerns about pursuing information on "U.S. persons" — a legal term that includes U.S. citizens as well as foreigners admitted to the country for permanent residence — Special Operations Command did not provide the Army information to the FBI. It is unclear whether the Army provided the information to anyone else.

'The command instead turned its focus to overseas threats.

'The documents provided no information on whether the team identified anyone connected to the Sept. 11 attack.

'If the team did identify Atta and the others, it's unclear why the information wasn't forwarded. The prohibition against sharing intelligence on "U.S. persons" should not have applied since they were in the country on visas — they did not have permanent resident status. ...

'The [story appeared] Monday [8 August 05 in] the bimonthly Government Security News [see below], which covers [US] national security matters. ...'

The US consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (dominated by CIA and other intelligence personnel) was generous with US visas, according to the ex-head of the visa section there. And fifteen of the 19 9/11 hijackers got their visas there. (See "The Hijackers".)

9/11 panel members call for new probe
Philip Shenon, Douglas Jehl, New York Times, in San Francisco Chronicle, 10 August 05)

'Weldon went public with his information after having talked with members of the [Able Danger] unit in his research for a new book on terrorism. ...

'The official ["an intelligence official"?] said in an interview on Monday that the Able Danger Team had been created in 1999 under a directive signed by Gen. Hugh Shelton, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to assemble information about al Qaeda networks around the world.

'He said that by the middle of 2000 the operation had identified Atta and three of the other future hijackers as members of an American-based cell and that the information had been presented that summer in a chart to the Pentagon's Special Operations Command [SOCOM] headquarters in Tampa, [Florida].'

The story was first published here ... Did DoD lawyers blow the chance to nab Atta?
Jacob Goodwin, Government Security News, 8 August 05

'In September 2000, one year before the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11, a U.S. Army military intelligence program, known as "Able Danger", identified a terrorist cell in Brooklyn, NY, one of whose members was 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta, and recommended to their military superiors that the FBI be called in to "take out the cell," according to Rep. Curt Weldon ...

'The recommendation ... was not pursued during the weeks leading up to the 2000 presidential election, said Weldon. That's because Mohammed Atta possessed a "green card" at the time and the Defense Department lawyers did not want to recommend that the FBI go after someone holding a green card, Weldon told his House colleagues last June 27 during a little-noticed speech, known as a "special order," which he delivered to the House floor.

[Government Security News telephone-interviewed a former defense intelligence officer (who has since identified himself as Lt Col Anthony Shaffer, see below under 19 Aug. 05) at Weldon's Capitol-Hill office.] ... The officer recalled carrying carrying documents to the offices of Able Danger, which was being run by the Special Operations Command [SOCOM], headquartered in Tampa, [Florida]. ... The officer was very disappointed when lawyers working for Special Ops decided that anyone holding a green card had to be granted essentially the same legal protections as any U.S. citizen. Thus, the information Able Danger had amassed about the only terrorist cell they had located inside the United States could not be shared witht he FBI, the lawyers concluded. ...'

'US President George Bush has said he is deeply suspicious about Iran's nuclear ambitions, but that its new [president] has indicated a willingness to negotiate. ...'

'US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said weapons from Iran have been found in Iraq.

'Mr Rumsfeld said it was "unhelpful" of Tehran not to have prevented them from crossing the border.

'He said the arms were "clearly" Iranian but refused to describe them or say how many had been identified.

'The flow of weapons to Iraq's insurgents has been a concern to the Americans for some time.

'"It is true that weapons clearly, uambiguously from Iran have been found in Iraq," Mr Rumsfeld told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. ...'

'Baghdad, Iraq — Iraq is investigating U.S. allegations that weapons were smuggled into the country from Iran, a government spokesman said Thursday.

'Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said earlier this week that some insurgent weapons are entering Iraq from Iran although it's unclear whether they were coming from elements of the Iranian government or from other parties. ...'

'The diplomatic storm surrounding Iran's nuclear programme intensified yesterday as the United Nations' nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting to discuss sanctions against Teheran.

'There were also credible but unconfirmed reports that Iran had resumed the manufacture of centrifuges, used in producing weapons-grade uranium, despite an earlier promise to stop.

'With no decision by the International Atomic Energy Agency on sanctions likely before today, Iran maintained its defiant posture with president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissing Europe's diplomatic overtures as "an insult". ...

'An exiled Iranian dissident, who has given accurate information in the past about Iran's covert nuclear capability, said he had evidence that Teheran recently produced 4,000 centrifuges. This was in spite of an undertaking by Teheran to the IAEA that it would not add to its stock of 164 centrifuges.

'The IAEA said it was "taking seriously" the allegation about the new devices and had started its own investigation. ...'

The IAEA's Egyptian head, Mohammed elBaradei, sold out to US petro-imperialism some time ago. The use of "information" from dissidents is, of course, a repeat performance of the use of Iraqi dissident lies as a pretext to invade their country.

Iran warned against referring it to the UN Security Council to consider sanctions.

Abu Qatada and nine others have been arrested in the UK, pending their deportation.

These men were detained for three years without trial before the House of Lords last year ruled it illegal. Since then they have been subject to "control orders" (curfews and suchlike.)

'Ministers are considering legislation instructing judges how to interpret the Human Rights Act if they try to block the Government's deportation policy.

'The Lord Chancellor [Lord Falconer] said he is looking at the possibility of introducing a Bill to clarify the legal position.

'This move would force judges to give equal weight in the assessment of such cases to the interests of the state and the rights of those facing deportation.'

'A Chief Constable is asking his 4,000 officers to wear green ribbons, the traditional colour of Islam, to show solidarity with Muslims after the London bomb attacks.

'Steve Green, of Nottinghamshire police, also wants the public to adopt the ribbon to support Muslims "being held hostage by fear".

The force has seen a 50 per cent rise in racial and religiously motivated crime since [the] July 7 [London bombings] and Mr Green said non-Muslims had asked him how they could show their support. The force has ordered 20,000 ribbons at a cost of Ł2,000.

'The idea was welcomed by Dr Musharraf Hussain, imam of Nottingham's largest mosque and a senior member of the Muslim Council of Britain, as "a wonderful gesture".'

'US President George W Bush says he still has not ruled out the option of using force against Iran, after it resumed work on its nuclear programme.

'He said he was working on a diplomatic solution, but was sceptical that one could be found.

'The UN's atomic watchdog has called on Iran to halt nuclear fuel development. ...'

"Bush", by which is meant the Bush-fronted oil junta, never had, nor ever will consider any "option" other than invasion.

The violence in Iraq is a means, rather than an obstacle, for keeping US forces in Iraq and becoming one more excuse to invade Iran.

This too is what the upcoming Anglo-Saxon police states are for, and what the developing defences around strategic points (Parliament, Scotland Yard, etc) are for. Not to keep out any bullshit "Islamist terrorists" — which are ultimately the key American black op — but to defend against the sections of the population who oppose these blatant, murderous plans.

And after Iran, the grand oil prize of Saudi Arabia itself — when the "9/11 hijackers'" card will, no doubt, finally be played to the hilt.

'Iran has accused the US and Britain of stoking the unrest that has broken out among its Kurdish and Arab minorities.

'Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi suggested Washington and London were encouraging rioters in western and north-western Iran.

'"According to some information, the Americans intervened in north-western Iran. This is not acceptable at all," Mr Asefi told a news conference.'

In April Iran banned al-Jazeera, accusing it of fomenting riots in its oil-rich south-western Arab province of Khuzestan. Jazeera had publicized a letter, which Iran said was a forgery, claiming that the Iranian government was considering "diluting" Khuzestan's Arab minority. Jazeera may well be a tool of CIAgitprop (see-eye-AYE-jit-prop). (See April 2005 diary, under 19 April.)

Anglo-Saxon black ops, from its established Iraq bases, is probably making a more direct intervention now against the next oil-target.

'... Asefi also said a spate of previous riots in Iran's western Khuzestan province was encouraged by the British presence in Iraq.

'In April, minority Arabs rioted against the government, leaving at least one protester dead and several injured.

'More than 200 people were arrested. Khuzestan abuts southern Iraq, where security is under the control of British soldiers in the US-led force.

'"Some provocateurs were trained in a part of Iraq which is under control of Britain," Asefi said. "We have made objections and warned Britain about the repercussions of such behaviour. We hope it won't be repeated in the future." ...'

Documents leaked to British Independent Television (ITV) from an enquiry into the erroneous police shooting of the Brazilian Menezes, show that he was not acting in a suspicious manner, running, or wearing a heavy coat, as earlier statements had claimed.

The suspected leader of al-qaeda in Saudi Arabia, Awfi, has reportedly been killed in a shootout in Medina.

Mounir al-Motassadek has been found guilty in Germany of belonging to a terrorist organization, in a retrial. But it was ruled there was no proof he knew of the September 11 plot.

'A longtime [US] Army intelligence officer went public with his allegations about a cover-up in the 9/11 investigation, giving an on-the-record interview Monday [15 Aug. 05] night to the New York Times and Fox News, and then further interviews Tuesday to other news outlets.

'Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, 42, confirmed that he had been a source for previous reports in the Times and the Norristown Times-Herald, a Philadelphia-area newspaper, about a secret data-mining operation known as Able Danger, which he said had identified Mohammed Atta and three other 9/11 suicide hijackers in 2000 [my emphasis], more than a year before the terrorist attacks.

'Shaffer said that his unit had contacted the FBI repeatedly during 2000 to warn that a US-based terrorist cell was at work, but three times was forced to cancel meetings to brief the FBI at the instruction of the Strategic [sic for Special] Operations Command (SOCOM), the Pentagon unit in charge of all counter-terrorism work.

'He charged that the information withheld might have made it possible to arrest Atta and other terrorists before they could carry out their plans. "I was at the point of near insubordination over the fact that this was something important, that this was something that should have been pursued," he told the Times. He said the Pentagon officials did not want the information circulated because it would reveal the existence of the secret military intelligence project [my emphasis] and lead to criticism that the military was collecting information on the American people.

'By his account, Shaffer was not directly involved in data collection or analysis, but served as liaison between Able Danger and the Defense Intelligence Agency [DIA], the largest unit of the vast US intelligence apparatus. Defense Department officials did not dispute his version of events, but declined further comment.

'Shaffer said he had decided to allow his name to be made public, in violation of normal security procedures, in response to the statement issued last week by Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, the chairman and vice-chairman of the 9/11 commission. ...

'"There was a feeling ... if we give this information to the FBI and something goes wrong, we're going to get blamed for whatever goes wrong," Shaffer said....

'Several defense officials on Wednesday identified the Navy officer as Capt. Scott Philpott. They discussed matters related to Able Danger only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the program and the investigation into it. ...'

If there's any doubt that Britain is fast sliding into a grubby little police state ...

'Tapes [/disks] from CCTV cameras which should have filmed the last moments of Jean Charles de Menezes [shot by police "in mistake" for a suicide bomber] were completely blank, police have told Tube security staff.

'But the transport workers, who fear they could be blamed for the lack of footage showing how the 27-year-old died, insist that their surveillance equipment was working at the time.

'But although there are pictures of Mr de Menezes entering Stockwell station and going through ticket barriers, there has so far been a lack of film from the scene where the shooting took place.

'This is despite the presence of Pan, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) cameras on the lower level of the station and static CCTV cameras on each platform.

'It is the station's evening supervisor's job to replace the tapes every 24 hours from the control room.

'A senior transport union official said yesterday: "There is a lot of confusion and my members are concerned that a misleading impression has been given.

'"There was nothing wrong with the cameras. The tapes are replaced every night as a matter of course.

'"After the incident the police took the tapes away. When they them back three or four days later, they said 'These are no good to us. They're blank'."

'The allegation will further undermine the version of events given by officers involved in the killing and add to speculation of a cover-up. [Of which de Menezes's family have already accused the Metropolitan Police.]

'It was initially reported that Mr de Menezes's behaviour after being challenged by cops led them to think he was a terrorist threat — but that has been disputed by leaked documents from the Independent Police Complaints Commission [IPCC] inquiry. [Various documents have been leaked to Independent Television (ITV). The first were reported on 16 August 05 (see above under that date, and various others since then.]

'A spokesman for Tube Lines, the private firm which carries out maintenance at the underground stop, confirmed that the cameras had been working. He said: "We are not aware of any faults on the CCTV cameras at that station on that day. Nothing of that nature has been reported to us."

'A spokesman for Scotland Yard last night refused to comment on the allegations.'

Some of the methods alleged here are reminiscent of those used ("soft" rubber bullets) to disperse drunken revellers in Denver, Colorado, in 2002 or 2003. The Winter Olympics were being held in the city at the time, and a massive security operation was in place.

New reports say that the London Underground bombs were set off by personal buttons by the suicide bombers, not by mobile phones. (See above under 4 August 05 for the latter theory).

'The US has criticised an independent investigation which found no evidence that Iran was working on a secret nuclear weapons programme.

'The report said traces of bomb-grade uranium in Iran's nuclear facilities came from contaminated Pakistani equipment, not Iranian activities.

'Iran has always maintained the traces of enriched uranium found two years ago came from contaminated equipment.'

Israel has completed its evacuation of Jewish settlers — all 8,000-odd of them — from the Gaza Strip (where 1.4 million Palestinians live), and of four — just four! — settlements in the West Bank (which has 440,000 Jewish colonists, versus 3.3 million Palestinians). It says it has finished the evacuations.

'Israel has issued instructions to seize Palestinian land close to the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank, the Justice [!] Ministry said.

'The government plans to use the land to continue building the controversial West Bank barrier around the settlement of Maale Adumim.

'Palestinian leaders condemned the building of the barrier and urged the international community to intervene.

'Israel argues the barrier is necessary to prevent Palestinian suicide attacks. ...

'"This will cut the West Bank in half and you won't be able to have a viable Palestinian state," ...

'About 30,000 people live in Maaleh Adumim, which is located on the outskirts of Jerusalem.'

The aim is to make two giant Theresienstadts of the (residual) West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

In reaction to the Holocaust, some Jews became like Nazis — counter-Nazis — themselves. And this tendency is now fully in the saddle ...

'... The Israeli Defense Ministry also wants to build a second fence on the eastern side of the West Bank, in order to sever Palestinian areas from the Jordan River Valley. During a tour in March 2003 to inspect the construction of the fence, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke of the importance of an eastern security barrier, although it still has not been fully planned or funded. ...'

And I'm sure they won't plug the northern and southern gaps between the two once they're built! :-^)

The London bus bomber phoned his co-conspirators at 9am (on 7 July 05), "the BBC has learned". But they had already blown themselves up. (He set off his bomb on a bus at 9:45.) (BBC Ceefax, 24 August 05)

UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke has formally proposed measures to expel non-citizens on grounds of advocating or glorifying terrorism, etc. Agreement to be had with target states not abuse deportees.

'A senior UN representative last night threatened to cite the British government for violation of human rights over its planned deportations of alleged terrorist sympathisers.

'Manfred Novak, the UN human rights commission's special investigator on torture, told the Guardian he is seeking permission through the Foreign Office to visit Britain to discuss the issue with the home secretary, Charles Clarke.

'In a statement on Tuesday [23 Aug. 05] night, Prof Novak said that the government's intention to return radical preachers to their countries of origin, even though some of those countries have a track record of human rights abuses, "reflects a tendency in Europe to circumvent the international obligation not to deport anybody if there is a serious risk that he or she might be subjected to torture". ...

'... Mr Clarke rejected the UN criticism. He said "The human rights of those people who were blown up on the tube in London on July 7 are, to be quite frank, more important than the human rights of the people who committed those acts."

'He added: "I wish the UN would look at human rights in the round, rather than simply focusing all the time on the terrorist." ...

'Mr Clarke's announcement yesterday clarifies his existing powers under the 1971 Immigration Act and requires no new legislation. It comes into effect immediately and sets out the sort of behaviour likely to lead him to exclude foreign citizens. ...

'Although the moves mark a toning down of the government's original anti-terror intentions, they have cause unease among international observers. A second UN body last night also condemned the deportation proposals, saying Britain would be in breach of the 1951 Geneva convention on refugees if they were enacted.

'The UN high commissioner for refugees said the government had failed to reply to a letter expressing its concerns. ...'

'Reacting to reports that 10 people have been detained pending deportation, Amnesty International warned that "diplomatic assurances" provide no guarantee that the UK is not sending people to face torture.

'The UK Government must do its utmost to prevent any repeat of the recent London bombings, and to bring those responsible to justice. But going soft on torture is not the answer to terrorism. We must remain steadfast in our opposition to this vile practice. ...'

'The controversial new US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, has been in the job just three weeks, but he is already disappointing parts of the press.

'The Independent accuses him of trying to tear up a draft blueprint for the future of the UN due to be presented at a 60th anniversary summit next month.

'It says he has demanded 750 amendments to the documents [my emphasis], describing it as a "show of contempt" [attempt at destruction, more like].

'But the Financial Times notes other countries have made objections too. [Though they, no doubt, cannot anywhere near match Bolton's sweeping grandeur.]'

(BBC Ceefax, p.148, reviews of British papers)

The US vs The UN: American ambassador seeks to scupper UN's global strategy with 750 amendments after just three weeks in the job
David Usborne, The Independent online (UK), 26 August 05

'America's controversial new ambassador to the United Nations is seeking to shred an agreement on strengthening the world body and fighting poverty intended t be the highlight of a 60th anniversary summit next month. In the extraordinary intervention, John Bolton has sought to roll back proposed UN commitments on aid to developing countries, combating global warming and nuclear disarmament.

'Mr Bolton has demanded no fewer than 750 amendments to the blueprint restating the ideals of the international body, which was originally drafted by the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan.

'The amendments are spelt out in a 32-page US version, first reported by the Washington Post and acquired yesterday by The Independent. The document is littered with deletions and exclusions. Most strikingly, the changes eliminate all specific reference to the so-called Millenium Development Goals, accepted by all countries at the last major UN summit in 2000, including the United States.

'The Americans are also seeking virtually to remove all references to the Kyoto treaty and the battle against global warming. They are striking out mention of the disputed International Criminal Court and drawing a red line through any suggestion that the nuclear powers should dismantle their nuclear arsenals. Instead, the US is seeking to add emphasis to passages on fighting terrorism and spreading democracy [— its ticket to world empire].

'Very quickly, Mr Bolton has given the answer to anyone still wondering whether his long and difficult journey to New York — President George Bush confirmed him to the post after the US Senate was unable to — would render him coy or cautious. far from that, he seems intent on taking the UN by the collar and plainly saying to its face what America expects — and does not expect — from it.

'To the dismay of many other delegations, the US has even scored out pledges that would have asked nations to "achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for official development assistance by no later than 2015". All references to the date or the percentage level are gone in the Bolton version.

'Passages that look forward to a larger role for the General Assembly are gone. Rejected also is a promise to create a standing military capacity for UN peacekeeping.

This show of contempt from Washington and its new envoy comes at a time when Mr Annan has been severely weakened by allegations of widespread corruption, fraud and nepotism [also, no doubt, heavily promoted behind the scenes by the American Right]. The White House is aware, for example, that Mr Annan himself could be further undermined when investigators into corruption in the oil-for-food programme in Iraq issue their final report, probably just days before the summit itself, due to be held from 14 to 16 September.

'The move by Mr Bolton has thrown preparations for the summit into turmoil, prompting some to question whether there will be anything for the leaders to put their pens to in New York. "We can't be sure there will be an agreement," one senior United Nations aide admitted last night. Failure to reach an agreement could embarrass Tony Blair, who is believed to have given broad backing to Mr Annan's original draft. ...'

Here's a rather more goodthinking report of the affair: Julian Borger, Bolton throws UN summit into chaos, The Guardian (UK), 26 August 05. The article points out that Bush's extra-Senatorial appointment of Bolton is a temporary one.

'"The document was taking up good shape," said one European diplomat. "Of course, we wanted to build up some parts without watering down others, but there is a lot of posturing going on at the moment."

'The diplomat did not attribute the last-minute nature of the US objections to the arrival of the hawkish Mr Bolton, but suggested: "It's a question of the Americans just getting their act together. Instructions from Washington keep changing." [It's the show that's bringing the house down.]

'... Mr Bolton has said the US would be ready to scrap the deal altogether if no consensus was achieved, leaving only a short statement for the summit to agree on, or to break the agreement into sections to give member states a choice of which parts to support.

'But a UN official said yesterday he remained confident [by now, a decidedly overworn phrase, among all politicians] that a final agreement could be achieved in time for the summit. "As you get closer to the crunch time, the more likely it is that this nation or that nation [and more particularly, the nation] stakes out a harder position. ...'

Kurdish and Shia negotiators have sent Iraq's draft constitution to the parliament, without agreement from Sunni negotiators.

The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, has ordered the evacuation of the city's population, in a move he called "unprecedented". Hurricane Katrina has "strengthened" to category 5, the highest. It will hit land somewhere on the north-western coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

The era of Western force-politics, when power politicians play whole populations like yo-yos. And when the weather itself dances to their tune.

Eighty per cent of New Orleans is under water after the dykes (levees) protecting the city were breached. (Most of New Orleans is below sea level.) Hurricane Katrina only brushed the city, causing great damage to settlements further east.

'At least 600 people have been killed in a stampede of Shia pilgrims in northern Baghdad, Iraqi officials say.

'The incident happened on a bridge over the Tigris river as about one million Shias marched to a shrine for an annual religious festival.

'Witnesses said panic spread because of rumours that suicide bombers were in the crowd. Many victims were crushed to death or fell in the river and drowned.

'Earlier mortar rounds had been fired into the crowd, killing 16 people. [American helicopter gunships fired on those responsible.] ...

'[The mortar attacks were] clearly intended to foment sectarian tensions, the BBC's John Brain in Baghdad says.

'Iraqis are currently preparing to vote on a proposed constitution for their country, with Shia and Sunnis sharply divided on its contents. ...'