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Archive for July, 2012

Kenya: Al-Shabaab Claims Responsibility For Church Attacks, Will Continue To Kill Those Who Do Not Worship Allah

07/06/2012 2 comments

Revelation 13:12a, 15b, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast … and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

Food for thought. Although most translations render Revelation 13:12 and other relevant portions of this chapter to say that “he” exercises all the power of the first Beast before “him”, the Greek text does not necessitate an anthropomorphic “he” or “him.”  The Greek text could also be understood as saying that “it” exercises all the power of the first Beast before “it” …

KBC News – “Somalia militia group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s twin attacks on two churches in Garissa County that left 17 people dead.

The latest development came even as muslim leaders in Kenya agreed to form self-defence groups to protect churches following the deadly attacks.

In a tweet on Wednesday morning, the insurgents said they carried out the attacks in retaliation for Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)’s incursion in Somalia.

An Al-Shabaab loyalist Sheikh Hassan Takar said that the militia killed people who did not profess allegiance to Allah.

‘The mujahedeen (holy warriors) punished with their hands those believing and worshipping other than Allah,’ he said.

‘The militants will continue until such practice is eliminated.’ He added

They urged the Kenyan government to pull its troops out of Somalia, warning that they will target major buildings in Nairobi if they continue fighting the insurgents.

At the same time, Adan Wachu, head of the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims, told the BBC the attacks were acts of terrorism.

‘There are people out there who are determined to make Kenya another Nigeria,’ Mr Wachu, who also chairs the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, told the BBC Network Africa programme.” Read more.

Revelation 13: A Commentary – “For the second Beast I see two possibilities. One, it may be referring to a reawakening as it were of all radical Islamic terrorist organizations rising up from within this new Islamic Empire with a massive upswing in their ‘membership numbers’. Since both the Shiite and Sunni branches of Islam are actively seeking the implementation of the Caliphate or, essentially, an Islamic Empire akin to a neo-Ottoman Caliphate where Sharia is the law of the land, the two horns here could be representing the extremist organizations within both the Shia and Sunni branches of radical Islam …” Read more.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 — A Rebuilt Jewish Temple, or Something Else? – “We should not discount the possibility that the ‘man of sin’ may not be pointing to one single person as it were, though the general consensus is precisely that, but could instead be pointing to one single entity.  The ekklesia of God is comprised of a great multitude of believing Jews and Gentiles created as ‘one new man’ in Christ who are marked by God (Eph. 2:15, Rev. 14:1) and described by John in Revelation 7 as the ‘multitude of the lamb‘, ie, the multitude of Christ. Conversely, the ‘man of sin’ (2 Thess 2:3) could therefore be its direct antithesis comprised of those who have the Mark of the Beast and described by John in Revelation 13 as the ‘multitude of a man’, ie, the multitude of Mohammed.” Read more.

Yet Again: UK Arrests Seven More For Terror Related Offenses, ‘Weapons Found In Car’

07/06/2012 Leave a comment

By Graham Smith, Stephen Wright and Chris Greenwood – “Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences after firearms and other weapons were found ‘hidden’ in a car.

One man from West Yorkshire and six from the West Midlands are being questioned on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism following a series of arrests this week, police said today.

News of the arrests comes a day after six people, including a white Muslim convert, were detained over an alleged plan to carry out a major terrorist attack, possibly during the Olympics.

Police insist the 13 arrests in the last two days do not involve threats to the Games, set to begin in three weeks, and that there is nothing to suggest that two sets of arrests are linked to each other.

But the counter-terror sweeps – and a false alarm yesterday that involved a bus filled with passengers – have raised anxiety in the run-up to the games.

A West Midlands police spokesman said that officers found material including firearms following a routine stop on the M1 in South Yorkshire last weekend.

He said: ‘The arrests followed a routine stop of a vehicle by police between J33 and 34 on the southbound side of the M1 motorway in South Yorkshire on Saturday. The car was impounded on suspicion of having no insurance.

‘Firearms, offensive weapons and other material were later found hidden inside, prompting police to take action to trace and arrest the driver, passenger and others suspected of being involved.

There were two firearms recovered. They are not automatic. They were not loaded and there was also a small amount of ammunition.'” Read more.

UK: Six More Muslims Arrested In London Anti-Terror Operation

07/05/2012 Leave a comment

What will it take before Europe decides to ban Islam? …

BBC – “Five men and a woman suspected of terrorism offences have been arrested in London as part of an intelligence-led investigation involving MI5.

One of the six, who are aged between 18 and 30, was Tasered by police. Eight homes in west, east and north London and one business have been searched.

It is understood the arrests relate to a possible plot involving Islamist extremists, with potential UK targets.

Three of those held are brothers – one an ex-police community support officer.

He served with the Metropolitan Police for more than two years before resigning in September 2009.

The force said he had not been ‘deployed in any specialist or sensitive roles’.

The brothers, aged 18, 24 and 26, were detained in Abbey Road, in Stratford, east London, during an operation involving armed officers.

The BBC understands they are Jahangir, Mohammed and Moybur Alom.

Richard Dart, a Muslim convert who uses the name Salahuddin al Britani, was also detained in the raids, it is understood. He features in a YouTube video which criticises the Royal Family and British military action in Muslim countries.

The Metropolitan Police said the arrests were not linked to the Olympics or Paralympic Games.

It is understood that police involved in the long-running operation decided to act on Thursday on the grounds of public safety.” Read more.

Flashback: UK: Mosque Near Olympics Site In London Investigated For Links To Terrorism – “A London mosque is under investigation over alleged links to terrorism… The Leyton mosque, which propagates the extremist Salafi strand of Islam widely practised in Saudi Arabia, has also hosted several leading al Qaeda clerics in the past, including Abu Qatada and Anwar al-Awlaki… In 1998, radical cleric Abu Qatada, described as Osama Bin Laden’s ‘right-hand man in Europe’, held a study session at the mosque. He is now in custody in the UK fighting extradition to Jordan to face terrorism charges. Anwar al-Awlaki, an al Qaeda leader killed in Yemen last year, spoke several times at Masjid-al-Tawhid in 2003.” Read more.

Flashback: UK: Two Converts To Islam Arrested In London On Suspicion Of Terror Offences – “Two Muslim converts were arrested in London on suspicion of terror offenses Thursday… The terror level is labeled substantial, a notch below severe, and what it has been for much of the past decade. A substantial threat level indicates that an attack is a strong possibility. This week European security officials told the AP that they were tracking a Norwegian Muslim convert who had gone to Yemen for training and had since become ‘operational.’” Read more.

Libya Elections: Muslim Brotherhood Now Set To Lead Government

07/05/2012 Leave a comment

The Obama Administration has already stated that they are perfectly satisfied with the Muslim “Death-In-The-Name-Of-Allah” Brotherhood taking over Egypt. But what about Libya? Or Tunisia? Or Syria? The fact that Obama is perfectly satisfied having members of the Muslim “Destroy-Western-Civilization-From-Within” Brotherhood working in the White House is all we need to know …

By Jamie Dettmer – “While the elections for a 200-member National Congress is unlikely to grant a majority to any one faction, the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies are confident they can join their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt at the helm of leadership.

Negotiations between the Muslim Brotherhood and a secular-based political movement led by former interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril have focused on forming a post-election government as soon as the result is known.

An adviser to Mr Jibril said the former prime minister was likely to take the post of figurehead president with Mustafa Abu Shagour, currently interim deputy prime minister of the Muslim Brotherhood, taking the prime minister’s slot as head of government.

The Muslim Brotherhood would dominate the ministries.

In the run-up to the elections, Libya’s interim government has struggled to maintain law and order.

A threatened electoral boycott by federalists in Benghazi, the second city, has rattled Libya’s rebels turned leaders. Leading figures fear that large numbers in the city that triggered the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi may shun the polls, undermining the legitimacy of the election.

Recent attacks on foreign diplomats in Benghazi by Jihadists, a series of ugly micro-conflicts between militias in the Nafousa mountains leaving 105 dead and 300 wounded in the last fortnight and fierce clashes between Arabs, Tebu tribesmen and Tuaregs in the south have put the country on edge.

‘We need to ensure stronger and more capable leadership soon after the elections,’ said a senior official in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party. ‘That is what Libyans want – more security and stability and progress being made to improve their day-to-day lives. They don’t want deadlock.'” Read more.

Flashback: Where are the Muslim Brotherhood and the Obama Administration Taking America? – “Disturbing reports are coming out of Washington, D.C. These reports reveal the depth of the below-the-surface coordination between the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Libya and Jordan. This bloc of regimes and organizations is now becoming the greatest Islamist radical lobby ever to penetrate and infiltrate the White House, Congress, the State Department and the main decision making centers of the US government.” Read more.

Iranian Nuclear Advisor: The Time Has Come For Israel And America To ‘Disappear’

07/05/2012 2 comments

Haaretz – “The time has come for the disappearance of Israel and the West from the face of the universe, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Thursday, saying that they were the ‘prime sources of tyranny and gloom.’

The comment, by speaker of the Iranian parliament Ali Larijani, came after earlier Thursday the head of Iran’s nuclear agency said that newly approved EU sanctions against the country’s oil industry would not halt the progress of Iran’s nuclear program.

Earlier this week, Iran test-fired several long-range ballistic missiles as part of an extensive military drill, with a top officer in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying that the launch was meant to show to ‘regional and trans-regional countries seeking adventurism that the Islamic Republic is determined to resist their bullying and will give a crushing and decisive response to any potential act of mischief.’

Speaking at a Tehran conference, Larijani was cited by Iran’s Press TV as saying that ‘the time has come for the disappearance of the West and the Zionist regime – which are two dark spots in the present era – from the face of the universe.’

‘The U.S. and the Zionist regime are the prime sources of tyranny and gloom in the current age. The Muslim world is fed up with the injustice and abuse by these governments,’ Larijani added.

The Iranian parliamentary speaker also spoke on the division of Islam into different sects, saying that this division ‘within the Muslim world have led to corruption; by sponsoring such sects in the region’s Muslim countries, the West and the Zionist regime are attempting to lead Islam toward deviation.'” Read more.

Daniel 2:41-42, “And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And [as] the toes of the feet [were] part of iron, and part of clay, [so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.”

Rumor: Saudis Planning To Buy Nuclear-Capable Missiles From China

07/04/2012 3 comments

If true, Iran will do everything in its power to see to it that this plan never comes to fruition …

Isaiah 21:1-2, “An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.”

“DEBKAfile’s military sources report that Saudi Arabia has set its feet on the path to a nuclear weapon capability and is negotiating in Beijng the purchase of Chinese nuclear-capable Dong-Fen 21 ((NATO-codenamed CSS-5) ballistic missile.

China, which has agreed to the transaction in principle, would also build a base of operations near Riyadh for the new Saudi purchases.

As we reported last year, Saudi Arabia has struck a deal with Pakistan for the availability on demand of a nuclear warhead from Islamabad’s arsenal for fitting onto a ballistic missile.

Riyadh owns a direct interest in the two most active Middle East issues: Iran and Syria.

Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been advancing for two decades regardless of countless attempts at restraint by every diplomatic tool under the sun and a rising scale of sanctions – to no avail.

Tehran marches on regardless of impediments. In Istanbul, Tuesday, July 3, the six powers and Iran failed the fourth attempt to reach an accommodation on Iran’s nuclear program.” Read more.

Flashback: Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Will Build Nuclear Weapons if Iran Gets Them, Saudi Prince Warns – “A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict in the Middle East if Iran comes close to developing a nuclear weapon. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior Nato military officials that the existence of such a device ‘would compel Saudi Arabia … to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences’.” Read more.

Florida: Lawyer For Tampa Jihadist Wants Off Case After Receiving Threats From Suspect’s Family

07/04/2012 Leave a comment

Meh, I am confident that they must have all been peaceful threats …

By ELAINE SILVESTRINI, The Tampa Tribune – “TAMPA — A lawyer for a man accused of plotting a terror attack in Tampa wants off the case, partly because he says the suspect’s family has threatened him.

Sami Osmakac, a naturalized citizen from Kosovo, could receive a sentence of up to life in prison if he is convicted on federal charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of an unregistered machine gun. He is scheduled to go on trial in August.

Osmakac was arrested in January as part of an undercover sting by the FBI after authorities said he planned to attack a populated Tampa night spot, then take hostages and demand the release of Muslim prisoners.

Last month, the defendant tried to fire his lawyers, Charles Vaughn and Paul Militello, who said they differ with their client on how to handle his defense. They said Osmakac didn’t like what they told him about the case. Evidence includes nearly 60 audio and video recordings, some of which are several hours long, lawyers have said.

U.S. District Judge Mary Scrivenon on June 15 denied motions by Militello and Vaughn to withdraw from the case. The judge said then Osmakac told her he was trying to hire another lawyer. She said if a new lawyer notified the court within two weeks, she would release Militello and Vaughn. But the deadline came and went without the appearance of a new lawyer.

On Monday, Vaughn filed another motion asking to be let out of the case. This time, Vaughn wrote that the attorneys and Osmakac ‘no longer communicate and the defendant’s family has now threatened counsel.’

Vaughn did not elaborate. But he added, ‘There is no longer an attorney/client relationship.'” Source – The Tampa Tribune.

Texas: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dead Fish Found At Lake Wichita

07/04/2012 Leave a comment

“It’s another case of dead fish in Lake Wichita. Hundreds of thousands of dead fish were reported to Texas Parks and Wildlife officials Monday morning.

Fisheries Biologist Robert Mauk investigated the incident and took samples back to his lab. What he found was golden algae. The algae release a toxin into the water that make it difficult for the fish to breathe, eventually leading to suffocation.

Carp, catfish, crappie and other species are dead, some still struggling to survive. Mauk refers to this as a ‘major’ fish kill.

‘This is probably the 4th golden algae related fish kill at this lake,’ he said.

Mauk doesn’t expect a total fish kill. The cause of how the golden algae bloomed inside the lake is unknown. The area was hit hard by golden algae at the start of the year, now it’s happening again. Only this time it’s worse. To read our January report of golden algae at Lake Wichita click here.” Source – Newschallel6Now.com.

Thousands Of Fish Found Dead In Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina – High Temperatures Blamed

07/04/2012 2 comments

Residents Concerned Over Thousands of Dead Fish in Havana, Illinois – “Dead fish carcasses, maggots by the thousands invading their eyes, and a smell that would raise anyone’s nostril hairs… It’s what the shore of Quiver Creek attached to Chautauqua Lake in Havana looks like. ‘We’ve never had fish, dead fish float up on our banks, like we see here. I buried probably at least a couple ton of them the other day,’ said concerned resident Rick Hartmeyer. According to the IDNR, summer fish kills are a result of natural conditions like hot weather and low water levels but Hartmeyer says this was intentionally done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. And that’s something officials say is not true.” Read more.

Thousands of Dead Fish Found in Dexter, Missouri- “DEXTER, MO (KFVS) – Thousands of dead fish turned up over the past couple of days at Dexter City Lake. It’s an important image for residents like Dean Smith. ‘My son fished over there when he was small,’ said Smith. He knows the importance of the community pond because he has lived in Dexter, Missouri his whole life. ‘There’s people that come there everyday and fish,’ said Smith. But right now, signs say no fishing. That’s because thousands of fish are dead and officials blame our triple digit weather. ‘Well the high temperatures, which is unusual with this many days over 100 or near 100, is heating the water temperature up which has an effect on the oxygen level in the pond,’ said Lawson Metcalf with Dexter Parks and Recreation.” Read more.

Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Ashore in Butts County, Georgia – “Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the shores of a lake in Butts County. Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials estimate around 2,300 carp, bass and catfish have died in South River in Butts County. Sean Ledford, who owns a house in a cove of Lake Jackson, says the smell of the fish is so bad that he can’t even use his dock. ‘We’re out here trying to celebrate and you just got rotten smell being blown in your face,’ Ledford said. DNR officials say low water levels and high temperatures caused the fish to suffocate.” Read more.

Hundreds of Fish Killed in Upstate Lake in South Carolina – “Hundreds of fish are floating dead in an Upstate lake, but the cause was not a mysterious chemical or some other pollutant. The Department of Health and Environmental Control says low water levels combined with heat has led to a lack of oxygen in the cove on Lake Hartwell near the Fair Play area. About 500 fish have died. Brandi Pierce and her family live just yards from the waterway. ‘It started Sunday afternoon,’ Pierce said. ‘We started seeing ten fish popping up out of the water. Then Monday, it was full.’ DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick said fish kills are very common when temperatures are extremely high.” Read more.

Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission Studying Lake Buffum Catfish Dieoff Near Fort Meade

07/04/2012 1 comment

By Tom Palmer – “I received a report over the weekend about a fish kill on Lake Buffum near Fort Meade.

Instead of being the normal fish kill that involves a drop in oxygen levels caused by an algae die-off that leaves fish floating everywhere, this one affected only catfish, I was told.

I spoke with Eric Johnson, a fisheries biologist at FWC’s Lakeland office.

He confirmed the report. He said tissue samples have been sent to a state lab in St. Petersburg to get more accurate info, but tentatively it appears to be the result of bacteria or some other microorganism.

Johnson said this occurs occasionally and there’s really nothing that can be done about it but to let it pass. Fish populations eventually recover.

This has been going on for a few weeks, Johnson said.

I’m surprised no one had contacted us–they usually do–but public access to the lake has been limited for some time because of the drought has made the boat ramp unusable.” Source – Polk Outdoors.

Japan: Highly Contaminated Fish Detected In Fukushima Rivers And Lakes, Up To 25 Times Legal Limit

07/04/2012 1 comment

Kyodo News – “The Environment Ministry said Monday it detected 61 to 2,600 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in 23 varieties of freshwater fish sampled at five rivers and lakes in Fukushima Prefecture between December and February.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant crisis, the government reduced the level of radioactive cesium deemed safe for consumption to a maximum of 100 Bq/kg for fish, meat and other food items.

A kind of goby taken from the Mano River in Minamisoma, located north of the crippled nuclear plant, showed 2,600 Bq/kg, according to the ministry.” Read more.

Flashback: ‘Truly Frightening’: Higher and higher radioactivity levels expected to continue for years – “It’s truly frightening. What happened was these fish were caught [and tested] five months after the accident…. but the research wasn’t published until June of this year… Scientists sat on this information for 8 or 9 months while they were waiting to get their report published… [The tuna] still had body burdens of both kinds of cesium — 134 and 137 — that were surprisingly high for a fish that had only been near Fukushima for a couple weeks. So my question is, ‘What’s been going on since then?’ cause we know that cesium has been continually released… It’s likely that the next catch of tuna that hasn’t made the scientific literature yet is going to be worse than the tuna that they caught. They caught 15 tuna and all 15 had high levels of cesium 134 and 137 in them… so one would expect that now as more and more tuna start to swim toward the United States we’ll see higher and higher levels of radioactivity in the tuna, and I don’t think that trend is going to stop for the next several years.” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters

Syria: Thousands Of Christians Fleeing Syria Amid Torture Allegations

07/04/2012 1 comment

BosNewsLife Middle East Service – “DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)– Thousands of Christians have fled their homes in Syria where news emerged Tuesday, July 3, that intelligence agencies run dozens of torture centers where detainees are beaten with batons and cables, burned with acid, sexually assaulted, and have fingernails torn out.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) group said it identified 27 abuse centers which have been used since President Bashar al-Assad’s government began a crackdown in March 2011 on pro-democracy protesters trying to oust him.

HRW added that it conducted over 200 interviews with people who were tortured, including a 31-year-old man who was detained in the Idlib area in June and made to undress.

‘Then they started squeezing my fingers with pliers. They put staples in my fingers, chest and ears. I was only allowed to take them out if I spoke. The staples in the ears were the most painful,’ the man was quoted as saying in the report.

‘They used two wires hooked up to a car battery to give me electric shocks. They used electric stun-guns on my genitals twice. I thought I would never see my family again. They tortured me like this three times over three days,’ he added…

Christians have also suffered abuse, including from rebels who accuse them of supporting the regime or observing a ‘Western religion’ and some believers have been killed, according to church groups.

Among those recently killed was Atallah Ibrahim Bitar, who was shot dead while reportedly taking food to people forced into hiding by a week-long bombardment, Christian aid workers said.” Read more.