April 9, 2017

Alert – Egypt: ISIS Claims Responsibility for Coptic Church Attacks Killing at Least 45 People

Today, two different attacks on Coptic Christian churches occurred in Egypt – one in Alexandria killing 16 and another in Tanta killing 29. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the explosions that were timed to coincide with Palm Sunday services.

As a reminder, the U.S. State Department has a Travel Warning in place for Egypt (the Travel Warning was last updated in December), which states in part: “The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens of threats from terrorist groups in Egypt and to consider the risks of travel to the country.”

According to BBC:

Two blasts targeting Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday have killed at least 45 people, officials say.

In Alexandria, an explosion outside St Mark’s Coptic church killed 16 people. Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church, had been attending Mass inside and was unhurt, state media reported. An earlier blast at St George’s Coptic church in Tanta killed 29 people.

So-called Islamic State (IS) says it is behind the explosions. The group has recently targeted Copts in Egypt.

Following the attacks, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi ordered military deployments to protect “vital and important infrastructure” across the country, the government said in a statement.

Four police officers, including one policewoman, were among those killed in Alexandria, the interior ministry said. The suicide bomber blew himself up after they stopped him from entering the church.

The first explosion in Tanta, 94km (58 miles) north of Cairo, took place near the altar. The explosions injured at least 71 people in Tanta and 35 others in Alexandria, the health ministry said.

The Egyptian government announced three days of mourning.

The blasts appear to have been timed for maximum impact, as people gathered to mark Palm Sunday. It is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.

Egyptian security forces had been put on alert in anticipation of attacks.

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April 8, 2017

Alert – Philippines Earthquake Strikes Just South of Manila

Earthquakes have struck the Philippines today in the beach resort area of Batangas just to the south of Manila, with some quakes measuring as high as 6.0. Only minor damage has been reported so far.

According to CNN Philippines:

A series of earthquakes hit Batangas on Saturday afternoon, being felt in parts of Metro Manila and some areas of south Luzon.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the first tremor hit 2km northwest of Mabini, Batangas at 3.07 p.m.

As of 4:29 p.m., Phivolcs reported the following earthquake intensities:

 Intensity VII – Mabini, Batangas

 Intensity VI – Calatagan, Nasugbu and Tingloy, Batangas

 Intensity V – Batangas City, Sto. Tomas and Lemery Batangas; Tagaytay City

 Intensity IV- Dasmarinas, Cavite: Lucena City; Pateros City

 Intensity III – Makati City; Pasay City; Quezon City; Muntinlupa City; Malabon City; Mandaluyong City; Bacoor, Cavite

 Intensity II – Daet, Camarines Sur

Phivolcs recorded a second stronger quake at 3:09 p.m. 12 kilometers northwest of Mabini, clocking in at magnitude-6.0.

As of 4:43 p.m., Phivolcs reported the same earthquake intensities as the first one.

A third magnitude-4.1 tremor was recorded at 3:29 p.m. 2 kilometers northwest of San Luis, Batangas.

Meanwhile, the United States Global Survey (USGS) also reported three earthquakes.

A magnitude-5.5 quake in Bagalangit, Mabini, Batangas was recorded at 3:08 p.m., while a stronger magnitude-5.9 tremor was recorded shortly after in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas.

USGS added a third magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit Taysan, Batangas at 3:29 p.m.

Shortly after the quakes, Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas told CNN Philippines there was no electricity in Batangas City, Bauan, and Mabini.

He added so far, only minor damages have been reported and no evacuations have taken place, but they are still closely monitoring the developments for possible action.

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April 7, 2017

Alert – Poland: High-Speed Passenger Train Hits Truck, Injuring 19

At least 19 passengers aboard one of Poland’s Pendolino intercity fast trains were injured when it hit a truck and derailed in Schodnia. Seven have life-threatening injuries. 300 passengers were aboard.

According to the Associated Press:

A fast train hit a flat-bed truck at an unguarded railway crossing Friday in southwestern Poland, sending 19 people to the hospital, including seven with life-threatening injuries, officials said. A number of other people suffered less severe injuries in the derailment.

The accident occurred around 3 p.m. in the village of Schodnia, when a Pendolino intercity train carrying some 300 passengers hit the vehicle, Pawel Fratczak, the spokesman for national firefighters, told The Associated Press. The train partially derailed but remained upright. The truck driver was not hurt, he said.

Regional police spokeswoman Monika Mrugala said seven of those injured were in life-threatening condition. Some of the injured were airlifted to a hospital, others were taken by ambulances. Passengers that were not injured were taken to a nearby restaurant and then put on buses provided by Poland’s state railway, PKP, to continue their journey.

Mrugala said the truck was transporting another truck on its trailer when it was hit at the crossing, which has no barriers, only warning lights. The truck was badly damaged and its make could not be immediately determined, she said. Police were investigating the cause of the accident, she said.

The railway tracks need repair and traffic there will probably not be restored before Thursday, according to PKP spokesman Cezary Nowak.

Italian-made Pendolino trains operating in Poland have a top speed of 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph).

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April 7, 2017

Alert – Florida: Orlando Area Wildfire Prompts Hotel Evacuations

A fast moving wildfire covering 50 acres near Orlando’s International Drive and Interstate 4 have resulted in evacuations at the Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort. Although there are no road closures, officials are asking the public to avoid the area. There are no reported injuries.

According to the Orlando Sentinel:

Orange County Fire Rescue and Florida Forest Service crews were responding to a wildfire near Daryl Carter Parkway between International Drive and Interstate 4 on Friday afternoon.

OCFR reported on social media that several units were on the scene near apartments and the commercial district. The Orlando office of the Florida Forest Service said the 50-acre fire was fast moving. The service said it had 6 bulldozers and a helicopter fighting the fire.

Orange County Fire Rescue said there are no structures in danger at this point. Two buildings at the Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort were evacuated.

Images from helicopter cameras showed huge plumes of smoke. There are no road closures, although officials are asking the public to avoid the area. No injuries have been reported.

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April 7, 2017

Two teenage girls fell to their death from the balcony of the Camelot by the Sea Hotel in the resort town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Foul play is not suspected.

According to CBS News:

Authorities say two teenage girls fell to their deaths from the 18th-floor balcony of a beachfront hotel in South Carolina. Horry County Coroner Robert Edge says 16-year-old Daniela Flores fell to a 10th-floor parking deck, while 17-year-old Amber Franco’s body was found on the roof of a ground-level Dunkin’ Donuts. The hotel has 18 floors.

Myrtle Beach Police Lt. Joey Crosby tells news outlets someone called 911 to report seeing the girls fall Wednesday at the Camelot By the Sea Hotel. Crosby says both teens were students at Myrtle Beach High School, which is on spring break this week.

Myrtle Beach High School Principal John Washburn said both girls were in honors classes and were well-liked. Counselors were brought in to the school on Thursday and will continue to be available for students and teachers.

Crosby says authorities do not suspect foul play, but don’t know yet exactly what prompted the falls.

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April 7, 2017

Alert – Sweden: Central Stockholm Incident Treated as Terrorism (Update 3)

On Friday afternoon Sweden time, a stolen truck drove onto central Stockholm’s pedestrian street Drottninggatan and smashed into a window of Ahlens department store. According to national broadcaster Sveriges Radio, at least three people have died and many are injured. The incident is reportedly now being treated as a terrorist act with one person having been arrested. Police have urged people to stay away from central Stockholm.

According to Aftonbladet (Swedish news):

At 14:53 alerted police to the Drottninggatan in central Stockholm. Barely an hour later, state prime minister Stefan Löfven Sweden has become a victim of a terrorist act. Sweden has been attacked. Everything points to terror, says Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.

A Spendrups truck must be driven at Queen Street for a long distance and hit a number of people. According to the Security Police “a large number of wounded.” The truck then drove into Åhlens house at the intersection Master Samuelsgatan and Drottninggatan. The truck began shortly thereafter burn.

According to data Aftonbladet has at least one person arrested. Swedish Radio report that Stefan Löfven confirmed that an arrest. The truck just ran full speed down Queen Street and drove the people, saying Durde who witnessed the incident.

According to BBC:

A lorry has driven into a store in central Stockholm, killing at least three people, Swedish media say. Shots have also reportedly been fired. Swedish police said a number of people were injured, and they are treating it as terrorism.

The incident occurred on Drottninggatan (Queen Street), one of the city’s major pedestrian streets, just before 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT).

Witnesses told local media they saw a lorry driving into the window of the Ahlens department store, and they have seen people on the ground.

“There is total confusion, I do not know how many are injured, many people are totally shocked,” one witness, Leif Arnmar, who was working in the department store, told Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

Shots have also reportedly been fired in another part of the city, says BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, citing security sources. It is not yet known if the two incidents are connected.

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April 7, 2017

Alert – New York City: Train Service Remains Disrupted Due to Rail Damage

In the wake of Monday’s train derailment at Penn Station, train service remains spotty for Long Island Rail Road; however, Amtrak expects all of its trains to run today. Eight of the 21 tracks at Penn Station have been out of service.

According to ABC News:

Train service into New York City remains disrupted after transit officials say Amtrak didn’t complete work on damaged rails at Penn Station on time.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it has canceled 10 Long Island Rail Road trains into Manhattan for Friday’s morning rush hour and terminated four others at stations in Queens.

MTA says Amtrak crews didn’t finish track repair work by 4 a.m. Friday as promised. The agency also says Amtrak denied access to tracks overnight so LIRR could pre-position its trains.

Amtrak said Thursday it expected to have all 21 tracks at Penn Station operating Friday morning. A message left with Amtrak was immediately returned.

Eight of the 21 tracks have been out of service since Monday morning, when a New Jersey Transit train derailed, causing cancellations and lengthy delays for travelers on Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road.

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April 7, 2017

ALERT- Canada: American Charged after Mock Explosive Device Found at Toronto Airport

Yesterday, a “mock” explosive device was found at Toronto Pearson International Airport’s preclearance facility – the device tested negative for explosives. A man, who was scheduled to depart on United Airlines flight 547 to Chicago O’Hare, was arrested.

According to ABC News:

A 58-year-old American man was charged with mischief after a “mock Improvised Explosive Device” was found at Toronto Pearson International Airport today, according to police. The mock IED was discovered during screening of the traveler’s suitcase at a Toronto preclearance facility, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement. The agency said it paused all traveler processing while Canadian Air Transport Security Authority officials swabbed the device for explosives. CBP said the device tested negative.

The man was scheduled to depart on United Airlines flight 547 to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, according to CBP, which added that the plane was inspected and both travelers and baggage were screened again. The plane sat on the tarmac as passengers waited on board.

Police in Peel, Ontario, told ABC News that the man who was charged has been held by authorities ahead of a bail hearing scheduled for Friday. An officer declined to provide ABC News further information about the man.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 7:00 a.m. today, but was delayed nearly seven hours before taking off.

Peel Regional Police provide law enforcement for the airport, located in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside Toronto. CBP provides immigration, customs and other inspections at the airport for travelers planning to enter the United States.

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April 6, 2017

Alert – United States Launches Military Strike Against Syria

This evening, the United States has launched an air strike against Syria in retaliation for a deadly gas attack carried out on citizens there.

According to CNN:

The United States launched a military strike Thursday on a Syrian government target in retaliation for their chemical weapons attack on civilians earlier in the week.

On President Donald Trump’s orders, US warships launched between 50-60 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian government airbase where the warplanes that carried out the chemical attacks were based, US officials said.

“Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the air field in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched,” Trump said during short remarks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago. “It is in this vital national security of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”

He added: “There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of the UN Security Council. Years of previous attempts at changing Assad’s behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically.”

A US defense official said the strike was targeted on runway, aircraft and fuel points. The missiles were launched from warships in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Strikes are over “until another decision is made,” the official said.

The strikes are the first direct military action the US has taken against the leadership of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s six-year civil war and represent a substantial escalation of the US’ military campaign in the region, which could be interpreted by the Syrian government as an act of war.

Trump was very affected by the images of dead children among the civilian casualties in the Syrian chemical weapons attack and felt compelled to act, a senior administration official said.

The US began launching airstrikes in Syria in September 2014 under President Barack Obama as part of its coalition campaign against ISIS, but has only targeted the terrorist group and not Syrian government forces.

Trump met with his national security team before his dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mar-a-Lago Thursday, where he made the decision to pull the trigger on the biggest military action of his presidency, an administration official says.

He sat through dinner with the President Xi as action was under way.

Defense Secretary James Mattis has been updating Trump about the missile strikes in Syria following his dinner with Xi, according to a US official.

Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Trump’s national security adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster were with Trump at Mar-a-Lago at the time. Vice President Mike Pence remained in Washington, where he returned to the White House after dinner.

Trump’s order to strike the Syrian government targets came a day after he said the chemical attacks — whose grisly effects were broadcast worldwide where videos captured in the immediate aftermath — “crossed a lot of lines for me” and said he felt a “responsibility” to respon

“I will tell you it’s already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much,” Trump said.

“When you kill innocent children — innocent babies — babies — little babies with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line, many, many lines,” Trump said.

Trump’s decision to launch the strikes, the most significant military action of his young presidency, came nearly four years after the US first concluded that Syrian forces had used chemical weapons in Syria. The Obama administration concluded that Syria had violated the “red line” Obama had set a year earlier in discussing the use of chemical weapons, but ultimately decided against military action against Syria in favor of a Russian-brokered deal to extricate the country’s chemical weapons stockpile.

Trump at the time said the US should “stay the hell out of Syria” and urged Obama on Twitter to “not attack Syria” in the wake of the 2013 chemical attack.

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April 5, 2017

Alert – US Department of Homeland Security: Ban on Electronics Could “Possibly” Expand to More Airports and Devices

CNN is reporting that the United States Department of Homeland Security – after having instituted a ban on carrying electronic devices larger than cellphones on board for flights to the United States from 10 African and Middle East airports – has said it could “possibly” expand the ban. However, no expansion is imminent.

According to CNN:

The ban on electronic devices on board some direct flights to the United States could expand to include more airports and devices, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The existing ban — which governs certain devices from 10 specific African and Middle Eastern airports in eight countries — requires passengers on those flights to place electronic devices larger than cellphones in their checked luggage.

“Could we see an expansion? Possibly, we have not ruled out that there could be an expansion in the future,” DHS spokesman David Lapan told reporters. He added that any expansion to the ban — which took effect two weeks ago — is not imminent.

The Department of Homeland Security is also targeting and isolating certain aircraft for additional screening upon landing in the United States, according to a source with knowledge of the screening procedures.

US authorities have said the electronics ban is focused on the eight countries in part because of intelligence indicating a greater threat there. Intelligence and law enforcement assessments done in recent months also indicate that, though the broader vulnerabilities exist, the US has more confidence in detection machines and security screeners at airports in the US and Europe. Advanced technology and training helps mitigate the risk.

Lapan said it was too soon to tell if any of the airports currently on the list would be removed and that the policy would be reviewed based on emerging threats. He added, though, that “nothing is foolproof.”

“It is always our goal to prevent somebody from seeking to get an explosive device on an airplane and so we put things into place to try to mitigate that to the greatest extent possible,” he said. “But, short of having people stop flying completely — that’s the only way you can guarantee that no one will ever get blown up in an airplane.”

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