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Bosnian commando reportedly targeting Vatican, BBC Monitoring, August 30, 2004



Rome: A few lines sent by the MSU Multinational Specialized Unit carabinieri regiment based in Sarajevo to the Carabinieri Force General Command have been keeping the Italian security apparatus on the alert for the last few days.

The threat is a precise one: an attack to be carried out in the Vatican during a religious ceremony.

But this is not the only cause for worry. There are other details which are being checked. According to the "source", a commando is already in Rome and has an unspecified quantity of plastic explosive C4.

The commando

Obviously, the note does not reveal the "source", but the fact that the regiment has decided to forward it means that credence is being given to the warning.

The news talks about a commando made up by 10 fundamentalists (seven women and three men) from Brcko, in Bosnia-Hercegovina and is already in Rome.

According to the "contact", the action has already been planed in detail, and the explosive is ready.

"They are waiting to act and will do so during a public ceremony." No other details were given, butt the carabinieri attached a list of suspected people living in the Brcko area to their note.

This detail seems to mean that they believe their informer is reliable. These names are now being checked. Controls have been set up at land borders, particularly with Slovenia, and airports.

The anti-terrorism men in Italy have been observing mosques, religious paces and cultural centres for months and this activity has been stepped up even further in recent days.

The explosive

They are also checking the possibility that the fundamentalists may have a relevant quantity of C4. This is an explosive often used in attacks carried out by groups linked to Al-Qa'idah. It is not difficult to get hold of in the Balkans and it could have been shipped to Italy via the "Adriatic route".

SOURCE: Corriere della Sera, Milan, in Italian 27 Aug 04

http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2004/August_30/5.html

Looking at websites, I think this is a hoax. Several reasons support this: dates sometimes change on different pages, which otherwise keep the same text. Secondly, I can't find any information on it on the BBC website! That is very telling.

I thought that this was the source of the article.


http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2004/08_Agosto/27/vaticano.shtml

Of course it's not in English, so I'm not certain if it can be trusted.

The only other site I've seen with the story is freerepublic ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1201451/posts ), which is simply quoting the article above. That story is dated August 27, 2004. I haven't seen this article with multiple dates. Perhaps you can enlighten.

BBC Monitoring Service simply translates and reports news from other international reporting agencies. I'm not sure why you'd be looking for an original story on BBC. May I suggest you review BBC Montitoring Services at http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk

I've been having trouble getting through to the site to verify that they translated the story from the original source. The link is on BBC World Service, so I'm not sure why it's a dead link.

Why would it be on the BBC site? Well, why wouldn't this be in world-wide news? If it is true, you can be very sure that the world news would have picked it up. BBC is one I look to, but I also did a google news search. Nothing. The Vatican would have released the information as well.

Notice when the BBC monitoring is listed. Your first posting says _Dec 30_ as well. Now go to here http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/cds082704.htm . You will see they have it as the _27_ the same day the story came out. Notice also the kind of website it is.

Context tells me that anti-Islamic Serbs created this story to help create fear against Muslims and reinforce a "look how evil they are" mentality. That I have found the "monitoring" dates to be different on different sites begins to tell that something is wrong. That no major news network has picked this up.... completes that assesment. I could be wrong. But my reading of it I think is the most logical explanation.

It's really strange to see all those anti-islamic Serbs at an Italian news source.

Yes, the pro-Milosevic group also picked up the story as well. They have also mentioned the destruction of churches in March. Since that site has a story on it, I guess that never happened either.

Where in my post do you see December 30? I see 08-27 and 08-30, but not 12-30. Where in *any* of these news stories to you see December 30?

Once again, perhaps you could enlighten. Please highlight in the post "December 30."

By the way, this story *was* published by the BBC through an international newswire available by subscription. But since you don't have access to the service, the story must have never been published.

By the way, at the bottom of the story the following is posted

Sorry. I did not mean Dec 30. I meant Aug 30. But the point stands -- some sites show "Aug 30" for the BBC Monitoring, other show "Aug 27." For BBC Monitoring. Which is it?

The threat, if real, would make news. Why? Because this is the Vatican. US has many pilgrims who go there. They would be warned, as they are everywhere else there is a threat.

Many hate Islam, and in Italy there is a sense of xenophobia with Islam developing. Why? Because there are more muslims there now, something which even the Pope has recognized. But the xenophobia continues. So does it surprise you some will be scared?

On the other hand, we do not get major news sources telling us of this "threat." Again, let's be critical here.

The Italian story ran on August 27th and was translated and picked up by BBC Monitoring on August 30th.

For someone who has deduced that this is a Serbian international conspiracy to make muslims look bad, I'm surprised you couldn't figure that out.

Please note also the question mark behind the title of the thread. I wasn't entirely convinced, but thought it was worth mentioning.

Do you see the magic question mark?

I'll be sure to avoid posting anything remotely imperfect in future posts. I'll also be sure to only post stories originally written in English, as we all know that the English language media is free of bias and is more accurate.

I certainly hope the Italians (not the Serbs, by the way) are wrong. I'm assuming that you did notice that the original was written in a non-Slavic, Romantic-like language.

Once again. Notice the link I gave. Notice when it says BBC Monitoring got it: Bosnian commando reportedly targeting Vatican
___BBC Monitoring - August 27, 2004, Friday___

Do you note the two different dates which BBC Monitoring supposedly got it? So if it got it on the 30th, why does the website say the 27th?

I know one can get Italian Newspapers which also say JPII is the Anti-Christ. Notice again the question is the _source_ and the lack of subsequent verification by other news sources.

You now put the "notice the question mark" comment at the end, yet doing so defending the initial article as being valid. Stop playing games.

Henry Karlson

You seem so convinced that it is a Serbian plot to elicit sympathy for the Serbs, suppose its true? Are you willing to just chalk it up as propaganda? Or, do you do as the Italian authorities are doing now and placing the Vatican on high alert. Dont forget the Vatican is seen by Islam as the pinnacle of Christianity and what a prize it would be do do harm to it.

JoeS

Joe,

I see it as a complex situation. Some people believe it. Some people make more stories up. Both happen. And the second group reinforces the first. The point I have made, which is quite valid -- if there is any real plot, which has been exposed, this will be already released in the international press. The only thing which has been released is Al-Qaeda said they do not (and I repeat not) plan target the Vatican. Are they telling the truth? I don't know, probably they would target the Vatican if they thought it would do them good. But they know the Vatican is not the Italian authority... now the Vatican has some say, but not enough. So can they do something? Maybe.

It is when "a plot has been exposed" and the international press, which would pick it up, does not pick it up. Something is wrong. And something is wrong with the story when particulars change. It reads like a typical urban legend.

Indeed...they won't target the Vatican, THEY SAY...but will happily target more "painful" places. All of which, will, of course, make the terrorists look like more peaceful, reasonable Muslims...

I am deeply saddened, however, by the desecration of a Serbian Orthodox cemetery:

Satanists desecrate cemetery
From correspondents in Belgrade
August 29, 2004

VANDALS who authorities said belonged to a sect of Satanists desecrated about 30 graves at a Serbian Orthodox cemetery in central Serbia, the Glas Javnosti daily reported today.

Gravestones and crosses as well as several graveside statues were smashed and uprooted before dawn yesterday at the cemetery in Kragujevac, a town 90km south-east of Belgrade, the newspaper said.

The crosses were dug out and left scattered near the graves or stuck into the ground upside down in what investigative judge Zoran Arsenijevic told reporters was an apparent "Satanic ritual."

"We also discovered Satanic symbols and signs painted all over the place," the newspaper quoted Mr Arsenijevic as saying.

The police said an "intense investigation" had been launched.

It was the second incident of vandalism attributed to Satanism this month at the Kragujevac cemetery.

Gaudior, in sorrow. And, NO ONE SAID THESE WERE MUSLIMS WHO DID SO, SO LET'S NOT GO THERE.

It must also be pointed out here that only a small portion of terrorist activities that have been squashed is ever made public. For whatever reasons we may never know the extent of worldwide terrorism until they succeed. How many attempts by those who intend on harming us or our way of life will be openly admitted to? Its only when you hear of an explosion somewhere or hostages taken is the terrorist exposed as to who he or she is. We can only surmise that there have been hundreds and maybe thousands of attempts at terror which has been quietly contained.

JoeS

JoeS

Henry,

I stand corrected. The SUC picked up the story on the 30th. The BBC picked up the story the day it was released on the 27th.

I'm not sure what that has to do with the accuracy of the story. If ABC reports something on the 26th and NBC picks it up the next day, does that make it an urban legend?

Your logic is astounding.

I am not arguing that this article is true. I'm arguing that your determination that it is a global Serbian plot or a report by Italian journalists who believe the Pope is the anti-Christ is hasty and your dismissal of the article outright seems to be based on tortured reasoning. If anything is urban legend, it's your Serbian global plot theory.

First you claimed that it was reported on 12-30. Oh, oops, let's backtrack, you meant 08-30. Next, BBC had nothing to do with the story. Then it was a Serbian plot. Then an Italian plot. Now the big trick in your mind, I suppose the one that proves your conspiracy theory, is the fact that the SUC picked it up three days late.

Yeah, that proves it!

You need to watch less TV and read less political fiction.

I just put the dang article up so you could read and decide for yourself, not conjure international global conspiracies, and smear ethnic groups in the process.

Hey, if the Vatican is looking for enemies, it doesn't have to look very far. There are many folks on the planet who would be delighted if the Vatican sank into the earth. Authorities have to take threats seriously, no matter where they come from.