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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: William B. Kohn who wrote (281)	12/2/2002 8:36:37 AM
From: epsteinbd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

You can bet that Air Force I has and had ground security on its take of/landing routes, and custom tailored non Standard Instrument Departures rules.

To: William B. Kohn who wrote (281)	12/2/2002 2:00:15 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 15987

Prague link to Kenya missiles By Inigo Gilmore in Jerusalem (Filed: 02/12/2002) The missiles fired at an Israeli airliner in Mombasa last week have been linked to an attempt in Prague last year to bring down an aircraft carrying the then Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, according to an Israeli intelligence official. The discovery is the latest in a series of clues found by Israeli security experts investigating the double attack on Israeli tourists in Kenya and may help identify the perpetrators. In the attack attributed to al-Qa'eda, suicide bombers rammed a car crammed with explosives into the entrance of the Paradise Mombasa Hotel and blew themselves up, killing three Israeli tourists and 13 Kenyans. At the same time, a separate squad fired two shoulder-held Strela missiles at an Arkia airliner that was taking off from Mombasa airport. They narrowly missed. The Israeli investigation, led by the Mossad intelligence agency, has turned up a gas canister used in the bombing as well as witnesses who claim to have seen the bombers. The discarded missile launchers may yield vital information. Israeli intelligence agents told the Hebrew daily, Yediot Ahronot, that the serial numbers linked them to two similar missile launchers found near a runway at Prague airport in November last year. Czech officials were convinced the missiles were part of an abortive plot to shoot down an El Al airliner carrying Mr Peres. According to Yediot Ahronot, the missiles in the two attacks were from the same manufacturing series of missiles manufactured in May 1974 by the Zid factory, just outside Moscow. Kenyan police said the missile launchers had been painted blue, apparently in an attempt to hide the serial number. "Cross-referencing this new information with the intelligence services in Europe can give us a clear indication as to the identity of the organisation that committed the terror attack in Mombasa," an intelligence official told the newspaper. At the time of the abortive plot in Prague, there were suspicions in Israel that the attack had been masterminded by Hizbollah, the pro-Iranian group in Lebanon. But at yesterday's cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli defence minister, was quoted as telling colleagues: "The suspicion that al-Qa'eda was involved is growing stronger, although there is no concrete evidence." Investigations appear to show that the missiles fired in Mombasa were in proper working order and that the attack failed only because of the terrorists' lack of expertise. But several Israeli security experts suggested that the Arkia plane might have been secretly fitted with anti-missile technology, such as flares to foil the heat-seeking missiles. "I can't guarantee the Arkia plane was equipped with that technology but I don't believe in miracles," said Hirsch Goodman, a researcher at Tel Aviv's Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies. He said that Israel had for 10 years considered fitting its civilian airliners with such equipment. news.telegraph.co.uk

To: William B. Kohn who wrote (281)	12/2/2002 3:30:22 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

I also believe that GWB can sleep a little safer knowing that countermeasures work well even immediately after take off. Not a chance Bill.. Were I Bush, I would be sweating bullets right now over this issue... As a buddy of mine aptly stated, these missiles cost around $1,000 per copy... Bringing down a $100-200 Million aircraft, let alone the fear of flying that would return, would wreak economic devastation around the world. However, if you're in the video-conferencing industry, it will likely prove a boon to business. Hawk