At least eight people were killed when Molotov cocktails were thrown into a bar in the Mexican town of Cancun, a resort area popular with U.S. tourists, officials said Tuesday.
"The death of eight people is confirmed. Six on site including four women and two others in hospital, also women," prosecutor Francisco Alor Quezada, from the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, told AFP.
According to witnesses, six unidentified
men threw the Molotov cocktails at the establishment which had reported two attempts at extortion, apparently by the Zetas drug cartel.
Local media reports said the attack happened at around 1am local time Tuesday. It set off a fire which destroyed the bar, which is in a residential area not frequented by tourists, officials said. I've been told it is nearly impossible for locals to get to the tourist areas.
The brutal Zetas, unlike the kinder gentler Gulf Cartel
first set up by former paramilitaries Los Zetas are not paramilitary; they are former Mexican and Guatemalen military. That's a big, big difference.
in the 1990s, have grown in force since splitting off from the powerful Gulf gang, whom they are now fighting for control of drug trafficking routes. Los Zetas are also fighting the Sinaloa Cartel, and they work for Beltran-Leyva drug cartel.
They are suspected in last week's massacre of 72 illegal, under Mexican law
migrants in northeast Mexico and many kidnapping, killing and extortion cases.
Cancun has seen sporadic attacks and gruesome discoveries of bodies in wells and graves as violence has escalated since President Felipe Calderon deployed tens of thousands of soldiers to take on organized crime gangs in 2006.
More than 28,000 have died in drug-related violence nationwide since then, according to official figures.
#7
Zetas are special, because they are prior service military men. Now granted, Mexican military, but still. Imagine if there was a gang of US veterans, duking it out with the Crips, Bloods, and some of the larger prison gangs.
Mexican authorities announced the capture Monday of US-born drug capo Edgar Valdez Villarreal, also known as "the Barbie" (for his fair complexion).
Based on his photos and videos, I'd almost say there's some German or Eastern European blood there.
Lots of that going around since the 1930s. First European Jews, Communists, and those with principles who saw which way the wind was blowing, then Nazis escaping the natural justice of losing the war. They didn't all end up in Argentina... Not to mention the European engineers and business managers chasing opportunity since the 1920s.
and Born in Laredo, TX, the bilingual drug trafficker was reportedly responsible for dozens of deaths in both central Mexico and around Acapulco.
Valdez-Villareal is charged in indictments in both Texas and Louisiana.
The US State Department offered up to $2 million for information leading to Valdez-Villarreal's "arrest and/or conviction". Mexican authorities had also offered $2.2 million.
#1
Mexican authorities announced the capture Monday of US-born drug capo Edgar Valdez Villarreal, also known as "the Barbie" (for his fair complexion incredibly large breasts and Betty Rubble-size waist).
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/31/2010 8:28 Comments ||
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Google Translate from a variety of Mexican web sources. A hat tip to Nota Roja for additional details.
For a map, click here.
A 12 hour armed confrontation in he Mexican state of Veracruz between elements of the Mexican Army and suspected drug cartel members ended Monday with a total of six suspected gang members, one civilian and one soldier dead, say Mexican press reports.
A detachment of the Mexican 19th Military Zone manning a checkpoint was fired on by ten armed suspects using rifles and hand grenades. The suspects attempted to run the checkpoint riding aboard an SUV at about 2150 hrs Sunday near the municipality of Panuco. Soldiers returned fire and then began pursuit exchanging the suspects for about 20 minutes.
The armed group was apparently part of a larger convoy of suspects riding in about six vehicles.
The chase ended at a residence in Alto de Viñas where the suspects took refuge. The Mexican Army searched then located the hideout, then cordoned off the area. Apparently gunfire damaged a number of power transformers placing the area in darkness. The gun battle lasted several hours until Monday morning.
Five Mexican soldiers total were wounded in the firefight.
A total of 13 individuals were murdered in ongoing drug and gang related violence in northern Mexican states including five individuals shot to death in Juarez and the mayor of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas murdered at his home. For a map, click here. A hat tip to Nota Roja for additional details on the Tijuana illegal gambling murders.
An unidentified man was shot to death and five others were wounded in an attack in Chihuahua, Chihuahua Sunday, say Mexican press accounts. The attack took place near the intersection of Calle Sacramento and Avenida Montealban in the Quintas Carolinas district. There an armed suspect shot into a Dodge Neon with six people aboard.
Four unidentified young men and a woman were shot to death at a residence in Juarez early Sunday morning, say Mexican press accounts. The attack took place where an armed suspect burst into a residence near the intersection of calles Primera and B in the Torres del PRI district. The four male victims were shot in the house while the female victim was shot as she attempted to flee the assault.
A man was shot to death on a highway near Juarez, say Meican press accounts. On Km. Marker 23 on the Juarez-Porvenir in the Ruta Valle de Juarez district was where an armed suspect exited a truck, approached a family and shot Pedro Garcia Briones at least ten times, as his young family watched. Neither Brione's spouse nor his daughter were hurt in the assault.
An man was shot to death and another wounded in at attack in Chihuahua, Chihuahua early Monday morning, say Mexican press accounts. Jesus José Posadas Espinoza, 21, and another man were shot near the intersection of calles Kennedy and 13th in the Villa Juarez district. Espinoza died at the scene while his unidentified companion was seriously wounded.
Two unidentified men in their 40s were shot to death on a highway in Chihuahua, say Mexican press accounts. The attack took place on Km. Marker 33 ion the Casa Grandes highway at the intersection with calle Teto Murguía at a junk iron shop.
An unidentified man was shot to death in Nogales, Sonora Sunday evening, according to Mexican press reports. The shooting took place on calle Arroyo Celaya on the CTS-Cros district where police found the victim. Several spent 9mm cartridge casings were found at the scene.
Two unidentified individuals were shot to death in Tijuana, Baja California, according to Mexican news reports. The shooting took place in the Salvatierra district Sunday evening at an illegal horse race at a ranch where a brawl broke out. Reports say 26 individuals were detained in connection with the murder. A Mexican Army detachment assisted local police.
The mayor of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas was shot to death Sunday, according to Mexican press accounts. Marco Antonio Leal García was shot at his home by armd suspects riding aboard an SUV . Leal Garcia is the second mayor killed by criminal gangs in as many weeks. The former mayor of Hidalgo, Cesareo Rocha Villanueva, was shot to death a week ago.
#4
nine Paks - they all knew each other yet sat in separate areas of the cabin, then one makes a disturbing comment to the flight stewardess. They should be beaten on the tarmac for GP
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/31/2010 17:55 Comments ||
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#7
Yes, but they were removed, and on a stewardess's say-so. And we haven't heard any fussing about it -- not at all like those imams in Minnesota, a few years ago.
President Barack Obama will address the American people on Tuesday about the new advisory and training role for the U.S. military in Iraq. Mr. Obama's speech from the Oval Office comes after a visit with U.S. troops at Ft. Bliss, Texas and private visits at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington with soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The president is expected to explain to Americans what the U.S. has accomplished in Iraq since 2003, underscore a continuing commitment to Iraq's stability, and pay tribute to the sacrifices by American military personnel.
And to take credit for something that he tried to shut down when he was Senator. Let's all remember that if Obama, Reid and Pelosi had had their way in early 2007, Iraq would be nothing but blood and carnage today. Let's see if Bambi will dare to thank George Bush as well as the troops.
On Monday, Mr. Obama visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Out of view of television cameras, he sat down with some of the wounded from the conflict in Iraq and the ongoing combat operations in Afghanistan.
Good that he met them. Good that he kept the cameras away. Let's hope he was humbled by being in the presence of real heroes.
On Tuesday, the president is expected to visit the huge U.S. Army base at Ft. Bliss, Texas. It will be another chance for him to thank soldiers who served in the long Iraq conflict, before heading back to Washington.
If he wanted to be classy, he'd invite George Bush to share the stage with him.
President Obama has stressed that regardless of whether one opposed or supported former President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003, Americans must honor the sacrifices of the U.S. military in helping to bring the United States to the point of formally ending combat operations.
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08/31/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The president is expected to explain to Americans what the U.S. has accomplished in Iraq since 2003,
Ag, save your 'Lucky Strike' breath oh exalted Impi King. Been there, done that, seen it first hand a few times. How about looking after the economy? Oh what the hell, just take another couple of weeks of vacation. It's "use or lose" you know... by Jan 2013.
Two Men on United Flight from Chicago Arrested on 'Preparation of a Terrorist Attack' in Amsterdam
Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi, of Detroit, MI, and Hezem al Murisi were taken off a United Airlines flight in the Netherlands and have been charged by Dutch police with "preparation of a terrorist attack," according to a U.S. law enforcement official.
U.S. officials said the two appeared to be travelling with what were termed "mock bombs" in their luggage. "This was almost certainly a dry run, a test," said one senior law enforcement official.
A test which they failed.
A spokesman for the Dutch public prosecutor, Ernst Koelman, confirmed the two men were arrested this morning and said "the investigation is ongoing." He said the arrests were made "at the request of American authorities."
In addition, officials said, al Soofi was found to be carrying $7,000 in cash and a check of his luggage found a cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives. Officials said there was no indication of explosives and he and his luggage were cleared for the flight from Birmingham to Chicago O'Hare.
A neighbor of al Soofi told ABC News he is from Yemen.
#1
Remotely Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) roadside bomb technology appears to have now migrated, or at long last been discovered, in the airline industry. I never did fully accept the TWA Flt-800 Long Island 747 exploding fuel tank assessment.
Cell phone wired to a detonator, taped to the main charge all in the baggage compartment, initiated by a call from the traveler on board or on more likely on the ground.
Law Enforcement will likely be checking the call history of those phones to include specific times of potential "test" calls and call numbers received. My money would be a calls as the jet reached altitude and passed over or near Atlanta, Chicago, Dearborn, NYC, or Amsterdam, but that is just a guess. Detected "test calls" could have been the alert that led to the arrest in the NL.
Knives, watches, and box cutters were most likely additional airport security screening tippers.... which, like the cellies and Pepto bottle, went undetected in Birmingham, possibly Atlanta, thence Chicago. These buggers were to probably be met by a reception team in Amsterdam if that was their final destination. If so, I hope those fellows were aprehended as well.
With the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, this is not good. I'm glad they were apprehended. Now how do we stop cellies and Blackberries from coming aboard airliners?
#2
Perhaps all electronics should be placed in a RF shielded bag. Of course the "crackberrie addicts" would be fit for a straight jacket by the end of the flight. ;-D
#4
Besoeker makes a good point: sure, they didn't have 'explosives' in their luggage. But if someone else had smuggled the explosives on board, the plane would have gone kaboom.
Get rid of the TSA as it is. Hire the Israelis to provide airplane security. They at least know what they're doing.
If we must have an American-run TSA, I want it run by retired master gunnery sergeants and chief petty officers.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2010 7:57 Comments ||
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#5
I know a pilot who flew this specific plane and route. He retired before the crash. He did not believe the fuel tank theory either.
#10
Yeah, its troubling they got on the plane with this stuff. But thank goodness, it doesnt appear there was any racial profiling or anything intolerant during the screening process.
#11
One hopes TSA inspectors realized that it was a dry run, and let it go on to see where it led. They are allowed to open any suspicious checked luggage, to see what's actually inside, after all. The box cutters and knives were a curious touch -- Messers. al Soofi and al Murisi wouldn't be able to access checked baggage during the flight, after all.
WASHINGTON A U.S. government official says the FBI's investigation of two men detained in Amsterdam is finding that it's unlikely they were on a test run for a future terror attack, even as Dutch authorities continued to hold the pair on suspicion of conspiring to commit a terrorist act.
The U.S. official says the two men arrested in Amsterdam did not know each other and were not traveling together.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, says both men missed flights to Dulles International Airport from Chicago, and United Airlines then booked them on the same flight to Amsterdam. The men were sitting near each other on the flight.
Another U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, says that when Customs officials discovered one passenger was not on the flight from Dulles to Dubai, they called the plane back to the gate and removed his luggage. It was then they discovered suspicious items in his bag.
I know that when I travel, I always tape my cellphone to a Pepto bottle, bring 3 extra ones and tape them together so they don't get lost, along with extra watches, box cutters, large knives...y'know, the usual stuff.
#13
Besoeker, my old man was an engineer for Boeing before he retired. He said the engineers that worked on that class were worried that something like that explosion might happen sooner or later.
I accept that it was a design flaw.
#15
In support of your comment Mizou, many years ago there was a KC-130 catastrophoic explosion at altitude on the O'Hare approach near Elgin, IL. The AFRES crew and some 20+ Space-A straphangers perished. The largest piece of the wreckage could have easily been hauled away in a Ford Ranger. The disaster was determined to be an internal antenna spark which touch off leaking fuel, which had collected in the belly of the fuselage. So, while I remain skeptical due to the sheer number of hours flown in this platform, your father's theory about a 747 design flaw could very well be accurate.
As Dr. Steve very correct notes, El Al security is, for obvious reasons, the very best in the business. Our own TSA at the larger hubs is sadly, little more than a government, uniformed welfare program. Surly customer treatment aside, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson is particularly disgusting and appalling.
The fact that the suspects allegedly "did not know one another" might only indicate that it was a professionally executed, compartmented effort. One dry-runner fails in his airborne mission, the mission backup dry-runner continues undetected and unawares. This could represent a logical Tactics, Technics and Procedures (TTP) methodology for a future 'live-fire' mission.
I pray the authorities are making the correct assessments and taking appropriate actions. Considering the agencies involved however, my confidence level is not high.
#17
Annie Jacobsen has a nice summary over at Pajamas Media, in which she raises some very good questions. One update so far, no doubt more to come.
Separately, people are getting jumpy, heading toward September 11th. Nine apparently Pakistani men were removed from a Tampa-bound United Airlines flight after one of them said something that made a flight attendant very uncomfortable. The were later rebooked on another flight.
#18
15: Pre runs will also include more than one attempt on a target to determine what levels of redundancy will be nedded to meet mission. I only wonder how many got through on this dry run.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/31/2010 13:12 Comments ||
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#19
And they wonder why we don't want that mosque there.
ISLAMABAD An anti-terrorism court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of Mumbai terrorist attacks.
ATC-I Judge Malik Akram Awan said the defence had failed to produce adequate reasons for releasing Lakhvi on bail who is facing a serious charge.
Lakhvis counsel, Khwaja Sultan Ahmed, had sought post-arrest bail for his client and said an inordinate delay was being caused by the prosecution.
The prosecutor, Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ahmed, submitted that the delay was not being caused by the investigators and that there was ample evidence and witnesses to prove that Lakhvi had provided training and sent terrorists to India.
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08/31/2010 00:00 ||
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QUETTA: Unidentified men set two NATO oil tankers on fire in Mastung and Khuzdar on Monday.
Say, who were those masked men?
According to levies force sources, an oil tanker carrying fuel for NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan, was heading to Kandahar from Karachi, when unidentified men intercepted it near Gunjadori area of Mastung at gunpoint and set it on fire.
However, the driver and the cleaner remained unhurt
... as if it were planned that way from the start ...
and the attackers managed to flee from the scene. The tanker was completely destroyed.
Separately, in Khuzdar, some unidentified armed men torched a NATO oil tanker in the Chamroke area. Both the cases have been registered and being investigated by the police.
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JAMRUD: Security forces killed five Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) terrorists in a clash at Kalakhel near Darra Adamkhel on Monday, while three security personnel were injured.
Separately, security forces demolished houses of two terrorists in Nala Kui Sher Haider.
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KARACHI: An alleged activist of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Fazlullah group was arrested by the Anti-Extremism Cell (AEC) of Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Monday. The police also claimed to have recovered one kg high explosives, 20 meters explosive wire, a detonator, a TT pistol with loaded magazine and bullets.
The suspect identified as Fawad Ali, an expert in bomb making, was arrested in a pre-dawn raid at Shahzad Cinema near Pirabad Chowki in the Qasba Colony, CID officials said. They said he worked for the Taliban militants under the supervision of Commander Khalil and prepared explosive-laden vehicles that were used in attacks on civilian and military installations in the area.
Ali was from Swat and had moved to Karachi following the peace accord in 2009, they added. CID (AEC) SP Omer Shahid said that Ali had been involved in many other crimes and he was being interrogated.
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SRINAGAR: A nine-year-old Kashmiri boy was killed and several protesters were wounded by police fire in Indian-held Kashmir, while troops killed nine suspected militants trying to cross the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday.
A nine-year-old boy was killed when police opened fire to disperse stone-throwing protesters during an anti-India demonstration in Anantnag district on Monday evening, police said. Security forces fired tear gas and gunshots as hundreds of residents held protests and clashed with police, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. The boy was killed and 15 people were injured in the shooting, the officer said. Thousands of people came out to protest the killing, the officer said.
Hundreds of people defied a curfew in Srinagar to demonstrate against Mondays shooting, chanting Go India! Go back and We want freedom. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Six people were injured by police fire. Police said the incident occurred when a group of protesters hurled stones at its personnel and shouted slogans. Residents denied there were protests when the shots were fired. Doctors said one of the injured was in serious condition. Two of the wounded were relatives of senior pro-freedom leader Yasin Malik.
Meanwhile, the army claimed it had killed nine militants who were trying to cross the LoC. The army has foiled a major infiltration attempt by killing nine militants who were trying to infiltrate into (Indian-held) Kashmir from across the LoC, said army spokesman JS Brar.
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QUETTA: Three people were killed and one injured in separate incidents on Monday.
Flood or no flood ...
In the first incident, a man was killed and two others were injured when armed men opened fire on their car in Ferozabad area on Monday. A police contingent rushed to the spot soon after the incident and took the dead body and the injured to the Balon Medical Complex Teaching Hospital where one of the injured, Suffer Khan, also succumbed to his injuries.
According to official sources, the dead were identified as Khan Wali and Saffar Khan, while the injured as Muhabur Rehman.
According a police spokesman Wahid Bakhsh, there was an exchange of fire between the victims and attackers, and that it was a case of domestic dispute. However, he said the injured did not nominate anyone in the case.
The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their relatives later in the evening and police registered a case.
Separately, Abdul Rehman was shot in Mastung Bazaar when unidentified armed men barged into his shop and opened fire on him. The victim received multiple bullet injuries and was rushed to the district headquarters hospital for treatment. However, he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The attackers were ridding a motorcycle and fled from the scene after committing the crime.
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KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces arrested on Monday five persons, including a leader of Islamic State of Iraq armed group, a senior police officer said.
"A force from the Kirkuk Districts Police Department (KDPD) raided Akiedan village in al-Huweija district, southwest of Kirkuk, where they arrested three suspects and a leader of what is called the Islamic State of Iraq armed group," Brigadier Sarhad Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
"A wanted man was arrested in Tiek Dattba village in al-Multafa district, southwest of Kirkuk," he added, without giving further details.
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NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: Army forces killed on Monday a suicide bomber in eastern Talafar, a security source said.
Acting on a tip-off on the presence of a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt in al-Mazraa village in eastern Talafar, a force from the 3rd division of the Iraqi army rushed to the area and killed him, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Talafar is 60 km northwest of Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, which lies 405 km north of Baghdad.
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BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces arrested on Monday 15 wanted men and defused an explosive charge in separate areas in Basra, a police source said.
Policemen waged 13 security raids in separate areas of Basra, where they arrested 15 wanted persons, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
They defused a bomb planted near the Syrian restaurant in central Basra, he added.
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An injured Thai forest ranger has died a day after his two-year-old son was gunned down by suspected terrorists militants in southern Thailand. Mahadee Sama-ae, 30, a ranger at the Budo-Sungai Padi National Park, was heading home from work in his car with his wife, and son on Sunday night when a number of attackers opened fire. The toddler was shot in the head and died instantly. Spent cartridges and bullets at the scene identified the assailants' weapons as an M16 and an 11mm pistol.
The wife survived unharmed but grieved over the loss of her loved ones. "It's such a brutal thing. Now they're all gone and who will I be with?" she asked.
Elsewhere,a grenade was thrown at five soldiers eating lunch yesterday but it did not explode. The soldiers ran after the pickup believed to be carrying terrorists insurgents but they were unable to open fire as the jihadis drove into a crowded market before escaping.
The chief of the Southern Border Province Police Bureau told police to beef up security in the three southern provinces for the anniversary of the Bersatu separatist movement. Bersatu members have carried out armed attacks on the anniversary in the past. They were also warned that terrorists militants would probably stage more attacks during the final days of Ramadan.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
ISLAMABAD An anti-terrorism court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of 
JAMRUD: Security forces killed five Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) terrorists in a clash at Kalakhel near Darra Adamkhel on Monday, while three security personnel were injured. 
KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces arrested on Monday five persons, including a leader of Islamic State of Iraq armed group, a senior police officer said.
NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: Army forces killed on Monday a suicide bomber in eastern Talafar, a security source said.
BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces arrested on Monday 15 wanted men and defused an explosive charge in separate areas in Basra, a police source said.
