Feds Warn of Anarchist Plots To Disrupt Conventions
By Josh Voorhees
Posted Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, at 9:15 AM ET
Maybe the possibility of a hurricane crashing the RNC is the least of
convention planners' worries.
Law enforcement officials are concerned about violent anarchists disrupting
both parties upcoming national conventions, according to an intelligence
bulletin prepared by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and
obtained by CNN. Among the fears: that the extremists groups will use
improvised explosive devices and/or cause general chaos with the local
transportation infrastructure.
It's unclear exactly how concerned federal authorities are about such a
possibility, partly because the FBI routinely issues intelligence bulletins
ahead of major events to warn local authorities of potential security
concerns. The report mentions one specific threat-from a group of
individuals from New York who had been planning to go to Tampa Bay and
attempt to close all area bridges during the Republican National
Convention-but leaves it unclear if that plot relied on explosives or other
less-violent tactics.
from CNN:
Agencies warn of possible anarchist activity at conventions
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/22/politics/conventions-anarchists/index.html
By Carol Cratty, CNN Senior Producer
updated 9:54 PM EDT, Wed August 22, 2012
Intelligence bulletin prepared ahead of national political conventions
It warns of possible activity by anarchist groups
Bulletin cites concerns over bridges, infrastructure
Washington (CNN) -- Law enforcement officials are concerned about possible
violence by anarchist extremists at the upcoming Republican and Democratic
national conventions, according to an intelligence bulletin prepared by the
FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
The bulletin, which was obtained by CNN, says that anarchists could try to
use improvised explosive devices.
It also says that, as of March, the FBI had intelligence indicating
individuals from New York "planned to travel to Tampa and attempt to close"
all of the Tampa Bay-area bridges during the Republican National Convention
next week.
According to the document, the FBI's information as of March showed that
anarchist extremists proposed "engaging in potentially destructive criminal
activities against critical infrastructure outside the security perimeter
throughout the Tampa Bay region because they expected access to the main RNC
venue to be tightly controlled."
The FBI routinely issues intelligence bulletins in advance of many major
events to warn local law enforcement of possible security concerns.
The document notes anarchists have a history of trying to disrupt major
events.
"During past national and international political and economic events,
anarchist extremists have blocked streets, intersections, and bridges to
disrupt or impede local business operations and public transportation access
and, in some instances have initiated violent confrontations with police,"
the document states.
The agencies said that before the 2008 Republican National Convention in
Minneapolis, anarchists discussed blocking bridges and sky walks, taking
over a radio station, targeting corporations and identifying hotels where
delegates were staying.
The anarchists also talked about identifying the location of police stations
and emergency routes, according to law enforcement officials. The document,
however, doesn't provide details of what anarchists allegedly wanted to do
with that information.
"FBI and DHS assess with high confidence anarchist extremists will target
similar infrastructure in Tampa and Charlotte, with potentially significant
impacts on public safety and transportation," according to the law
enforcement alert. The Democratic National Convention is being held in
Charlotte, North Carolina, in early September.
Politics, parties keep some away from conventions
The bulletin says that law enforcement agencies believe most protesters at
the conventions will obey laws and not commit violent acts, but that
anarchists are the most likely exceptions.
The notice warns of certain things state and local law enforcement should be
on the watch for. Those include anarchists acquiring materials that could be
used to make improvised explosive devices, obtaining firearms training and
preparing for violence with groups they oppose -- such as white
supremacists.
Anarchists often research potential targets, according to the bulletin.
Law enforcement officials cite the arrest in late April of five Ohio men for
allegedly plotting to blow up a bridge over the Cuyahoga River near
Cleveland. Authorities said at least three of the men are self-proclaimed
anarchists who had considered "a series of evolving plots over several
months."
The bulletin says the suspected anarchists conducted surveillance and did
research on the Internet. The five pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A few memorable convention moments
==========================================
(F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this
message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to
these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed
within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with
"Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.
The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The
Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair Use" legally eliminates the need to obtain
permission or pay royalties for the use of previously copyrighted materials
if the purposes of display include "criticism, comment, news reporting,
teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 establishes four criteria
for determining whether the use of a work in any particular case qualifies
as a "fair use". A work used does not necessarily have to satisfy all four
criteria to qualify as an instance of "fair use". Rather, "fair use" is
determined by the overall extent to which the cited work does or does not
substantially satisfy the criteria in their totality. If you wish to use
copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
THIS DOCUMENT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. COPYING AND DISSEMINATION IS
PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.
--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
No comments:
Post a Comment