Prague Twin

Monday, November 13, 2006

Be Afraid

Just over a month ago, I smelled something fishy about a supposed terrorist plot to take over the synagogue in Prague.

Nothing really added up about the story. This is from the original post above.

Here is what we actually do know. Princ Dobrosi, an Albanian ex-drug kingpin from Kosovo met this summer with Arfan Qaeder Bhatti. As reported in the Prague Monitor, Bhatti is a Pakistani with a Norwegian passport who was arrested last week engaging in an act of terrorism.... in Oslo. So at the exact same time, Prague goes on alert and Dobrosi is brought in for questioning.

Dobrosi and Bhatti did time together up in Norway. Dobrosi escaped, got caught in Prauge, and was eventually released from Norwegian prison. He admits to meeting Bhatti. He even admitts that he thought Bhatti wanted to get in on his cigarette scheme. He says he was surprised at the visit because there was no criminal behavior on the mind. He said he just wanted to see how he lived.

Now I was still trying to give the authorities the benefit of the doubt that maybe Bhatti tried to talk Dobrosi into doing something. But, even if he had, the reaction from the city authorities was way overblown. Once they had talked to Dobrosi and released him, we should be taken off high-alert.

Now we get this (sorry, the link is gone)

Prague, Nov 3 (CTK) - Some Jewish organisations have asked Interior Minister Ivan Langer (Civic Democrats, ODS) to submit reliable evidence to support the claim that the Jewish community in Prague was threatened with a terrorist attack on September 23.

They say they believe that it was nothing but a "media bubble," scare mongering news and a "political media game" designed to divert attention from the scandals of Czech political tops.

They cite that the main dinner that involved most of the Jewish community had already occured on the 22nd of September, and yet the emergency meeting was held on the 23rd.


These groups however were not joined by the Prague Jewish community in their call for an investigation. A very PC Frantisek Banyai told reporters that he trusts the police saying, "We suppose that the interior ministry knows what it does."

That is right, don't make waves in your own bathtub. Let the other organizations apply pressure and stay neutral. Smart move.

What we see here is a clumsy example of the government using fear to acheive political goals. This is of course partially driven by police bureaucrats who want to provide themselves with job security. This then is just a mediocre attempt at this old game, spotted and tagged by the people it affected.

There is a certain peace of mind in knowing how unsophisticated the local authorities are. If they were better at what they do (like in some other countries I can think of) they could have us all scared out of our pants. But here we all pretty much know it is crap and that the politicians are corrupt and people just shake their heads and accept it.

Why make a fuss?

15 Comments:

  • I remember the coverage of the "breaking up a serious al Qaeda plot" but just barely. Hype or disinformation to cover methods and sources? Can you really make that call?

    Good work though, just what blogging should be.

    By Blogger Roger Fraley, at 1:21 AM  

  • Hard to know for sure. The thing is, if they had broken up the plot, at least one arrest should have beeen made, one would think.

    I think this hiding of methods and sources is an excuse for not having to prove they are actually doing anything.... but that is just me.

    Thanks for reading, and your thoughtful comment.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 7:55 AM  

  • PT

    Kind of reminds me of how Democrats campaign on the issue of gun control!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:44 PM  

  • Fear mongering and all out lies? Yeah, I'll buy that.

    Kind of reminds me how Republicans campaign on terrorism.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 5:30 PM  

  • PT

    Yeah man,,, sure,,, their really arent Islamic fundementalists hell bent on unleashing the Atom on Western democracies... Keep your head in the sand.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:01 PM  

  • Explore the London liquid explosive plot for an explaination.

    Keep drinking the Kool-Aid

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 7:47 PM  

  • What happens if someone who is good at making you afraid gets in their?

    By Blogger Octavian, at 10:48 PM  

  • Octavian,

    Welcome.

    Well, so far they haven't. My hope is that people will see through it, but I guess I'm being over optimistic.

    The thing is that the country is so small and the government so new... it's like the county sherrif trying to pull off international espionage.

    But good point, they will get more sophisticated with time.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 11:42 PM  

  • PT

    Most people I have queried agree that had Bin Laden had the option of a nuclear device or dirty bomb instead of 4 hijacked airliners, he would have opted for the former. Thus far you have maneuvered around answering this question in any type of definitive way, so I ask you the same question now for the record.

    Please answer.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:24 PM  

  • I'm sure he would love one. Where do you suppose he is going to get it?

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 4:55 PM  

  • PT

    Well I'm glad you’re sure he would “love one” (presumably to use on western democracies, no?)

    Now,,,, please answer the question.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:19 AM  

  • PT

    If he is still alive he will buy it from N. Korea who is nuclear weapons rich and cash poor.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:22 AM  

  • I don't think N. Korea is anywhere near producing a bomb small enough to be effective for him. Nor is Osama in a position to transport the (presumable huge) thing out of the country to his home base and then again to a "western democracy".

    Have you really thought this through? And if so, what point are you trying to make.

    If it is that OBL is someday going to get the bomb and use it on us, maybe we should have captured him before we invaded Iraq.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 10:30 AM  

  • PT

    For god's sake man! ,,,, PLEASE,,,,,,,answerthequestion!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:56 PM  

  • What is the question?

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 3:55 PM  

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