Boker Tov Eliyahu: US authorities wake up to terror threat
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
It's been nearly 14 years since the 9/11 attacks in the United States (where I am currently visiting), and it seems that people are finally realizing that it could happen again.
Federal authorities have warned local law enforcement officials
across the country about a heightened concern involving possible terror
attacks targeting the July 4th holiday, a U.S. law enforcement official
said.
While there was no specific or credible threat of attack,
the official said the intelligence bulletin prepared by the Department
of Homeland Security and the FBI alerted local colleagues to the ongoing
threats posed by the Islamic State and other homegrown extremists. The
official was not authorized to comment publicly.
...
The warning comes as federal investigators have worked to disrupt a
number of Islamic State-inspired plots, including a planned assault
earlier this month on police officers in Boston. In that case,
authorities fatally shot Usaamah Rahim as he allegedly planned to attack
police with military-style knives.
Also this month, a New York
suspect in a Islamic State-related terror investigation was arrested
after attacking an FBI agent with a kitchen knife during a search of his
home.
Fareed Mumuni, 21, was charged with attempted murder, after
he emerged as a suspect in alleged plots to use pressure-cooker
explosives and knives to attack police.
In a statement Friday
following attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait, DHS Secretary Jeh
Johnson said local law enforcement was being encouraged to be "vigilant
and prepared'' in preparation for July 4th celebrations.
I have been writing for years that what most concerns me about security in the United States is the delusion that it could never happen here. Unfortunately, it could.
Here we go again: Claim Arab cameraman was strip-searched at US Ambassador's July 4 party
A cameraman for the US sponsored al-Hura network was allegedly strip-searched by Israeli security before being admitted to the UN Independence Day party on Thursday night. Both US Ambassador Dan Shapiro and Prime Minister Netanyahu have thus far refused to comment about the story.
The Arab satellite channel had coordinated with the Israeli prime
minister's office to cover the event on behalf of the international
media. But when cameraman Samer Jallad arrived, he said he was detained
for questioning, ordered to remove his shoes and sit in the sun for more
than half an hour, and then taken to a room where he was forced to
remove his pants for a body inspection. He said he was held for more
than 90 minutes before he was permitted to enter.
It
was the latest in a string of incidents in which Israeli security have
used heavy-handed tactics against Arab journalists, a practice Israel
has defended as necessary for security. Jallad, who said he has covered
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on many occasions, is a Palestinian from East Jerusalem who holds full Israeli residency rights and has a government-issued press card.
The
Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in
Israel, called on the U.S. Embassy to condemn the incident.
"We
find it especially shameful that a staffer of a U.S.-funded network
would be the victim of racial profiling at an official U.S. event
celebrating American Independence Day," the FPA said. "Such treatment
goes against the core values of freedom and equality that the U.S. seeks
to uphold."
Ambassador
Dan Shapiro refused to comment and only said he had no knowledge of the
incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had no immediate
comment.
I wonder whether this had something to do with the fear of an attack.
Happy July 4th America. Just reminding you what you have to get of in November. America will return to its prior glory when the current occupant of the White House goes. Yes, American exceptionalism is alive and well - it's just currently repressed.
If you'd like to attend the US Embassy's July 4 bash, and you don't have the Vitamin P required to get a ticket, don't despair. This year, five pairs of tickets are being raffled off.
The US Embassy in Tel Aviv announced Wednesday that for the second time in American history, it is giving away tickets to “the traditional Independence Day party” held annually at the residence of the US ambassador in Herzliya.
Each year around Independence Day, the ambassador hosts a crowded bash on the sea-side lawn of his home that draws a who’s-who of the country’s politicians, diplomats, IDF officers and journalists, and features such July 4 staples as fireworks, beer and bluegrass music.
The US ambassador, as well as the president and the prime minister, typically address the gathering.
This year, five pairs of tickets will be raffled off as part of a contest to identify blurred images of American sites, personalities and historical events that appear on the embassy’s Facebook page.
Those who answer correctly will enter the raffle for the party that will take place on July 3.
I haven't checked yet, but I assume that the contest prizes do not include airfare for those of you abroad.
Americans and Canadians in Israel celebrate July 4, Canada Day
We spent the last several hours with the three youngest boys at the annual July 4 - Canada Day picnic run by the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel.
Son #4 child #7 won a prize for a first-place tie for throwing a football the furthest in the 10-and-under category. It was the first time he had ever seen a football except on his father's computer.
Son #3 child #6 won a prize for wearing a Born in the USA t-shirt (he wasn't - I bought the shirt many years ago at Sea World in San Diego).
All three boys got soft ice cream cones, which they had never seen before.
Will be back soon with more (we stayed about two hours longer than planned).
This is how we used to spend the 4th of July when I was a kid - spread out on a blanket at the Esplanade's Hatch shell listening to the 1812 Overture and watching the fireworks. (Either that or a ballgame at Fenway).
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
