abc.net.au Sun, Feb 16 2003 11:28 AM AEDT

Editors of top science magazines have voiced concern terrorists could use studies they publish to help make chemical or biological weapons.

Because of this fear a statement has been signed by editors of leading science publications urging cautious self-censorship.

"Any work that might be used by terrorists for malevolent purposes should not be published," the statement said.

"Self-governance," the editors say, is "an alternative to government review of forthcoming journal articles."

The joint statement was released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting and scheduled for publication in key journals next week.

It resulted from a workshop sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and the Centre for Security and International Studies (CSIS) earlier this year, at the urging of the American Society of Microbiology.

It was presented at the AAAS annual meeting by the president of the American Society of Microbiology, Ronald Atlas.

"Open publication brings benefits not only to public health but also in efforts to combat terrorism," the statement said.

"Without independent verification of research results, we can neither advance biomedical research nor provide the knowledge base for building strong biodefence systems."

Science magazine editor Donald Kennedy hopes scientists and security experts can work on the problem together.

"The two cultures now must come together for the greater good," he said.

www.nytimes.com February 16, 2003 Privacy Invasion Curtailed (February 13, 2003) To the Editor:

William Safire ("Privacy Invasion Curtailed," column, Feb. 13) is on target in criticizing the Bush administration's efforts to eradicate the protection currently afforded American citizens from the intrusive and snooping eyes of the F.B.I. and others. To clothe the government's efforts in the cloak of fighting terrorism does a grave injustice to the guarantees of the Bill of Rights.

No citizen's rights, no civil rights should ever be stripped from Americans without the oversight protection of Congress or the federal courts, and then only in extraordinary circumstances.

We must not be panicked by the Bush administration into allowing the destruction of our Bill of Rights, which so many have given their lives to preserve. The federal government has received its authority from the citizens and governs only by our consent. That authority must not be ceded lightly.  

JAMES L. COOPER Margate, N.J., Feb. 13, 2003

www.timesofoman.com

MANAMA — Bahrain announced yesterday it had broken up a terror ring of five people possibly linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network.

The five suspects are all Bahrainis and were arrested three days ago, a senior Bahraini official said.

Authorities are trying to “establish if the cell is linked to groups inside or outside Bahrain,” the official added in a reference to the Al Qaeda network.

The identification of the cell members appeared to point to a connection with Bin Laden supporters.

“Bahraini security forces broke up a cell that had been plotting terrorist acts ... targeting the kingdom’s national interests and endangering the lives of innocent citizens,” said an official spokesman, quoted by the state BNA news agency.

It was the first time the kingdom had announced the arrest of Bahraini “terrorists” on its soil since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Mukhtar Al Bakri, a US citizen of Yemeni descent allegedly connected to Al Qaeda, gave himself up to US authorities here in September last year and was transferred to the United States.

Security forces “seized arms and ammunition” which members of the cell “planned to use to carry out terrorist acts against the security of the country and its citizens,” the spokesman said.

The senior Bahraini official said pistols, machineguns and ammunition intended to be used “against Bahraini interests” were found in the group’s possession. The arrest of one member led to the arrest of the others, he added.

The official spokesman identified the members of the cell as Mohieddin Mahmud Mohieddin Khan, born in Lebanon in 1961; Bassam Abderrazzak Abdullah Bukhua, born in 1970; Bassam Yussef Abdelkarim Ali, 1956; Issa Abdullah Abderrahman Al Baluchi, born in the Saudi city of Al Khobar in 1972; and Jamal Hilal Mohammed Al Baluchi, 1965.

The suspects are being questioned to establish “if they are affiliated to specific political organisations or were operating in an isolated manner,” the spokesman said.

Authorities did not disclose the targets which the group allegedly planned to attack.

The daily Al Wassat said one of the suspects had two stints in Afghanistan, the last in 1986.

News of the arrests follows an announcement by the United States that it was cutting down its diplomatic presence in Bahrain, where more than 5,000 Americans, mostly military, reside.

On Wednesday, the United States said it was allowing non-essential US embassy personnel to leave Bahrain, as well as neighbouring Qatar, at government expense amid fears of possible terror attacks as Washington steps up a massive military build-up in the Gulf in preparation for an anticipated invasion of Iraq. — AFP

www.gainesvilletimes.com Saturday, February 15, 2003 By ALVIN PEABODY The Times

Greg Covington packed his shopping cart with batteries, duct tape and plastic sheeting as he shopped Friday at Lowe's Home Improvement Store on Skelton Road.

"When we heard about a terrorism alert earlier this week, my wife insisted that I stock up on these supplies just in case something does happen," the East Hall County resident said.

The federal government raised the national threat level to orange, the second highest, on Feb. 7 after U.S. intelligence obtained unspecified evidence that agents of al-Qaida might be preparing for another attack.

The government had urged citizens to use duct tape and plastic sheeting to cover windows and doors in the event of chemical or biological attack. In addition to those supplies, people are buying batteries, flashlights, portable radios, gas masks, survival gear and weapons.

"We've seen a rush to buy a lot of these items over the past several days," said Keith Abernathy, a Lowe's executive in Gainesville. "We couldn't bring them in fast enough, as people were buying them off the shelves."

Home Depot on Dawsonville Highway also has seen a jump in such purchases. The store is prominently displaying items useful in an emergency. Store officials have asked their suppliers to keep flashlights, batteries, duct tape and plastic sheeting coming and instructed their stores to keep the shelves stocked.

Ben Vallano of Oakwood shopped at Home Depot for plywood to build a bookcase for his daughter over the weekend.

"But I couldn't help but pick out a few of the emergency items I see here on display," Vallano said Friday afternoon.

The father of four bought two flashlights, 10 packs of batteries and two rolls of plastic.

"We all are worried about what could possibly happen to us. Let's not forget the recent warnings from Osama bin Laden," Vallano said, referring to al-Qaida's leader.

Despite the alerts and increased likelihood of a war with Iraq, some people are taking it in stride.

"Of course I'm frightened about the unknown," said Rachel Hambry. "Aren't we all? But I refuse to be intimidated by those terrorists overseas. They're not going to dictate how I conduct my life on a daily basis," said the Lula resident as she shopped at Lowe's.

Gertrude Loggins, who accompanied Hambry at the store, agreed.

"We're heading for Washington, D.C., this weekend to visit some family," she said. "You can bet that if I was concerned about terrorism I certainly wouldn't be going up there."

E-mail: apeabody@gainesvilletimes.com

www.channel5.co.uk A successful terrorist attack on London is inevitable, the city's mayor Ken Livingstone has warned. But he says they will never manage to replicate the scale of destruction seen in Washington and New York on September 11. Mr Livingstone claimed that while every counter-terrorist measure was being taken to thwart potential attacks, one small group would inevitably achieve their aim as the IRA had done in the past. Describing the terror alert currently gripping Britain as a tragedy, Mr Livingstone said: "Someone will one day get through with something but I don't think we will see an attack on this city on the scale of September 11. "There is clearly a danger but I don't believe that al-Qaeda has the resources to do the sort of massive co-ordinated attack it managed on Washington and New York. "We are much more likely to see a small group of people succeed with something like a car bomb with devastation in one small area. "We would be lying to say that we will always be able to nip the terrorists in the bud. One day they will get through as the IRA did." Mr Livingstone also accused Labour Party chairman John Reid of being "alarmist" and going "over the top" when he compared the seriousness of the current threat to Britain with that on September 11. A total of nine suspects have been arrested near airports in England over the past week, while Heathrow's terminal two was evacuated after a security alert yesterday. Six of the suspects were subsequently released from arrest under anti-terror laws. Five were later handed over to the immigration service. One man caught with a hand grenade getting off a jet at Gatwick airport on Thursday was today still being questioned by anti-terrorism officers. Police in West Yorkshire arrested two men aged 25 and 26 on Thursday, and seized a car near the perimeter fence of Leeds/Bradford Airport. The men have been released without charge. Roads have been closed around Stansted in Essex while security has been beefed up at airports in Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham since high-profile security measures were launched on Tuesday. Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Trotter said the Metropolitan Police was doing all it could to protect the capital. "We're taking every measure necessary to keep London safe and the evidence of our activity is out there on the streets. We'll do everything that is required to deal with the threat that we perceive at the moment," he said. Passengers were evacuated in a security alert at Heathrow's terminal two, which was closed for 90 minutes yesterday. It reopened in the afternoon after a suspect package was found. It turned out to be a false alarm. Scotland Yard revealed yesterday that four men in their 20s were arrested on Thursday afternoon in Langley, Berkshire, four miles from Heathrow. They were later released from arrest under anti-terrorism laws but were kept in custody and handed over to immigration officials. Two other arrests made in the Hounslow area, near Heathrow, were described as not significant. One man was released yesterday and one handed over to the immigration service. Anti-terror squad detectives were still questioning the 37-year-old man from Venezuela caught with a live hand grenade in his luggage at Gatwick. At Stansted, the access road to the terminal was closed for five hours amid heightened security measures. It is understood the action was taken due to the arrival and departure of flights by the Israeli airline El Al to Tel Aviv, which are considered a potential target for terrorists. The road was guarded by armed police.