terrorism

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

School’s Out for Summer — Today is the last day of school for elementary students in Arlington. High school students had their last day on Wednesday and middle school students had their last day on Thursday. [YouTube]

Man Charged With Pentagon Shootings — Alexandria resident Yonathan Melaku, 22, has been charged with destruction of property and firearm violations in five separate shootings at Northern Virginia military installations last year. Melaku was arrested in Arlington National Cemetery last Friday, authorities say, with a backpack containing a ammonium nitrate, a key component in certain explosives, and a notebook containing referencing Al Qaeda and jihad. Sources tell Fox News that Melaku was “self-radicalized through the internet,” but there’s “no indication he was planning to harm individuals.” [FBI, Fox News]

‘Rabbit’ Coming to Clarendon in July — The new salad-and-cupcakes store ‘Rabbit,’ from the father-son pair behind Tangysweet and Red Velvet Cupcakery, is expected to open in late July. Rabbit’s location in Clarendon is “the perfect place,” says co-owner Aaron Gordon. The 50-seat restaurant will also serve wine, beer and sandwiches. [Washington Post]

Pentagon Police Vigilant Day and Night

By ARLnow.com

As the country celebrates Osama bin Laden’s demise, Pentagon police officers are remaining ever-vigilant in their mission of protecting Department of Defense workers.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency protects DoD workers at the Pentagon and at other leased and owned installations in the Washington area. An article published today by the American Forces Press Service details the work of the PFPA officers who work the night shift at the Pentagon.

The article discusses how officers monitor the various sensors and cameras around the 280-acre Pentagon reservation. Among the sensors present inside and outside the complex are sensors that monitor for potential chemical, biological and radiological threat.

The article also mentions that the PFPA monitors Federal Aviation Administration communications “so we can listen to aircraft that are coming our way.”

The ability to monitor incoming aircraft communications did not exist before the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the article says.

VSP Urges Vigilance in Wake of bin Laden’s Death

By ARLnow.com

Virginia State Police have issued a statement regarding the death of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden at the hands of U.S. forces.

VSP is urging Virginia residents to “remain vigilant in their awareness to suspicious activity within their communities and workplaces.” Specifically, the agency is asking Virginians to be on the lookout for terrorist fundraising, surveillance and “dry runs.”

RICHMOND – As the nation heralds the capture and death of the founder and leader of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Virginians are reminded to remain vigilant in their awareness to suspicious activity within their communities and workplaces. Over the past nine months, Virginia state and local law enforcement have been working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to spread awareness of the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (http://www.dhs.gov/files/reportincidents/see-something-say-something.shtm). The national campaign is designed to help America’s businesses, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping our country and commonwealth safe.

“At this time, there is no known direct threat against Virginia or its infrastructure as a result of these recent events,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent.  “We simply want to remind our citizens to stay attune to their surroundings and environment, and to always report suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

Virginians have numerous ways of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement:

  • Call 911 to reach your local police or sheriff’s office
  • Dial #77 on your cell to reach your nearest Virginia State Police Office
  • Call 1-877-4VA-TIPS to reach Virginia’s Terrorist Tip Hotline
  • Email Virginia State Police/Virginia Fusion Center at [email protected]

See the rest of the press release after the jump.

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Quiet Remembrance at Pentagon Memorial

By ARLnow.com

In contrast to the noisy, jubilant celebration at the White House, the scene at the Pentagon Memorial last night was one of quiet remembrance.

About two dozen visitors trickled in to the memorial following the announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed by American forces in Pakistan. As visitors strolled the dimly-lit grounds, only the peaceful sound of bubbling water could be heard. The sound came from small pools below each of the memorial’s 184 benches, which represent the 184 people killed during the bin Laden-orchestrated attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Two visitors said they came to the Pentagon seeking a deeper connection to the evening’s news.

“The celebrations over at the White House didn’t fully capture the emotions of the night,” said Crystal Adams, of the District. Fellow District resident Brian Chiglinsky agreed.

“It felt like this was the place for a more solemn remembrance about the importance of tonight and what this past decade has meant to our generation,” he said.

(more…)

Is This the House of a Terrorist?

By ARLnow.com

This is the house on 11th Street South in the Arlington View neighborhood where alleged “wannabe jihadist” Awais Younis lived with family members.

Younis, also known as Sundullah Ghizai and Mohhanme Khan, was arrested by the FBI last week and charged with threatening — via Facebook — to set off pipe bombs in Georgetown and on Metro trains.

Younis, graduated from Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School in 2004. A high school classmate and neighbor said the Afghanistan native was “real quiet.”

“He stayed to himself, kind of like an outsider,” LaRondre Gaskins told WUSA 9. “No friends but certain things that happened he was real weird about, like when 9-11 happened… he clapped about it in class.”

A family member, meanwhile, called the charges “bullsh-t.”

Younis, who is in his mid-20s, will undergo a court-ordered mental health evaluation. A court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 21.

All was quiet at Younis’ house this morning. There was little activity on the street, save an elderly woman taking items out of her SUV.

On the porch in front of the red brick home, Encyclopedia Britannicas were stacked haphazardly in a potato chip box. Down the side of the house, an Afghan rug was folded next to a Dell computer box, apparently waiting to be taken away as trash.

Arlington Man Accused of Making Metro Bomb Threats

By ARLnow.com

The FBI’s terrorism task force has arrested a 25-year-old Arlington man on suspicion of making bomb threats via Facebook.

Awais Younis was taken into custody on Dec. 7. In court documents, he’s accused of threatening to use pipe bombs to blow up a busy section of Georgetown. He’s also accused of threatening to place bombs on Metro trains.

More from TBD, Fox 5 and the Washington Post.

Man Arrested in Plot to Bomb Arlington Metro Stations

By ARLnow.com

A 34-year-old man from Ashburn has been arrested by the FBI, accused of plotting to bomb four Arlington Metro stations.

Feds say Farooque Ahmed thought he was assisting members of al-Qaeda by providing sketches, photos and videos of the Pentagon City, Courthouse, Arlington Cemetery and Crystal City stations. According to prosecutors, he also observed and detailed security procedures in the stations for his handlers, who he believed to be affiliated with the terror organization.

Ahmed collected the information “with the intent to plan and assist in planning multiple bombings to cause mass casualties at Metrorail stations,” the indictment reads.

His goal, according to the indictment, was “to kill as many military personnel as possible.”

Read the full indictment and see more details about Ahmed’s life from TBD and the Washington Post.

Flickr pool photo by Mattron.

Emergency Exercise, Metro Closure Planned for Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

A large-scale emergency exercise will take place at the Rosslyn Metro on Saturday, Feb. 13. About 150 Arlington police and fire personnel, along with 50 volunteer victims, will participate in a simulated terrorist bombing of a Metrorail train in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

Firefighters will use their recently-acquired Mobile Emergency Response Vehicles (MERVs) to travel through the tunnels. MERVs, which were used during the 2005 bombing of the London Underground, can reduce the time it takes first-responders to reach underground victims from 45 minutes to 4 minutes.

The exercise will take place between 9 AM and noon. The $1.2 million in funding for it came from a federal Homeland Security grant.

Rosslyn residents should take note that the Rosslyn and the Arlington Cemetery Metro stations will be closed throughout President’s Day weekend for a major track rehabilitation project. The closure will begin on Friday, Feb. 12 at 10 PM. The stations will reopen Tuesday morning.