Terrorism California

The editor of one of the largest Vietnamese-language newspapers in the United States has received a death threat from a right-wing group. The typewritten communique accuses editor Yen Ngoc Do and several other prominent Vietnamese-Americans of unspecified pro-Communist activities. It threatens to execute them on April 30, the 15th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, unless they stop their activities.

As an FBI agent, George Vinson brought down all sorts of terrorists: Armenian Justice Commandos in Los Angeles, an assassin hired by Saddam Hussein to kill a critic in the San Joaquin Valley and various white supremacists and hatemongers. It was Vinson's SWAT team in 1984 that engaged in a two-day shootout with bank robber and neo-Nazi leader Robert Mathews in Puget Sound, finally prevailing when Mathews burned to death in a fire caused by cases of his own ammunition.

The state has proposed new regulations aimed at identifying and curbing the spread of infectious disease linked to bioterrorism, including increasing the length of quarantine for people with smallpox. Under the proposed regulations, which took effect on an emergency basis earlier this month, doctors and laboratories must report within an hour cases of smallpox, viral fevers such as Ebola and other pathogens likely to be used by bioterrorists.

In a year where California counties already are struggling from increased energy costs and a softening economy, bioterrorism preparedness could drain an additional $80 million from the coffers of those governments, which supply most of the social services used by poor people and others.

A man claiming to belong to a group called the Nuclear Liberation Front claimed responsibility for a bomb that blew out dozens of windows at a laboratory where nuclear weapons are designed. The bomb, planted beneath a car in a parking lot near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 40 miles east of San Francisco, exploded Saturday morning.

The city of Berkeley pledged $5,000 as the start of a reward fund for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the firebombing of two Berkeley bookstores. A spokesman for Mayor Loni Hancock said that within a day of the city offer, $550 in pledges had been received from the public.

A suspect in a plot to blow up two huge propane tanks near here is a dangerous flight risk and should not be released from custody pending his trial, U.S. District Magistrate Dale Drozd ruled Friday. Kevin R. Patterson, 42, of Camino, was arrested last week on firearms charges stemming from the alleged bombing plot and had sought release on bond.

The FBI declared Tuesday that the raw intelligence that prompted Gov. Gray Davis' warning of terrorists targeting West Coast bridges was not credible. The conclusion was included in a brief threat advisory update sent out over the federal National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies.

Gov. Gray Davis said his first reaction was that he had no choice: Bulletins issued by the FBI and two other federal agencies warned of possible terrorist attacks on the West Coast, and, more specifically, against bridges. "My first impression was, 'My God, this is going to happen [Friday]--at rush hour,' " Davis said, recounting the briefing he received from top aides Thursday morning. With that, he opted to issue an extraordinary public warning about the potential attacks.

A national media watchdog organization and several groups opposed to U.S. policy in Central America have charged KNBC and three other California television stations with "irresponsible and flimsy" journalism for reporting earlier this month that the California Highway Patrol had warned its officers that they are the "special target of a Nicaraguan terrorist group" operating in the United States.

The state has proposed new regulations aimed at identifying and curbing the spread of infectious disease linked to bioterrorism, including increasing the length of quarantine for people with smallpox. Under the proposed regulations, which took effect on an emergency basis earlier this month, doctors and laboratories must report within an hour cases of smallpox, viral fevers such as Ebola and other pathogens likely to be used by bioterrorists.

California will explore a multiple-stage alert system like the one used during the energy crisis to provide cities with guidance about the seriousness of terrorist threat warnings, Gov. Gray Davis said Thursday. The idea emerged from the governor's private meeting with half a dozen Bay Area mayors on Treasure Island to discuss terrorism issues, including security on the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate and Davis' controversial announcement of a threat against the spans.

The FBI declared Tuesday that the raw intelligence that prompted Gov. Gray Davis' warning of terrorists targeting West Coast bridges was not credible. The conclusion was included in a brief threat advisory update sent out over the federal National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies.

Gov. Gray Davis said his first reaction was that he had no choice: Bulletins issued by the FBI and two other federal agencies warned of possible terrorist attacks on the West Coast, and, more specifically, against bridges. "My first impression was, 'My God, this is going to happen [Friday]--at rush hour,' " Davis said, recounting the briefing he received from top aides Thursday morning. With that, he opted to issue an extraordinary public warning about the potential attacks.

Given their first chance to react to a specific terrorist threat after weeks of vague warnings, many California motorists on Friday shrugged off the prospect of attacks on some of the state's most high-profile bridges. Some drivers admitted they were anxious, a day after Gov. Gray Davis disclosed a "credible" terrorist threat against several major spans, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro and the Coronado Bridge in San Diego.

Gov. Gray Davis warned Thursday of a "credible" terrorist threat against major bridges in California, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, but federal officials called the threats "uncorroborated" and expressed annoyance with the governor. "He certainly didn't get in contact with us," said one senior Bush administration official, who added that the White House also was unhappy with Davis' actions.

Gov. Gray Davis warned Thursday of a "credible" terrorist threat against major bridges in California, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, but federal officials called the threats "uncorroborated" and expressed annoyance with the governor. "He certainly didn't get in contact with us," said one senior Bush administration official, who added that the White House also was unhappy with Davis' actions.

In a year where California counties already are struggling from increased energy costs and a softening economy, bioterrorism preparedness could drain an additional $80 million from the coffers of those governments, which supply most of the social services used by poor people and others.

Suggesting that their clients may be victims of an overreaction to Y2K fears, attorneys entered not-guilty pleas Monday on behalf of two Northern California men indicted on firearms charges arising from an alleged bombing plot. The defendants, Kevin Ray Patterson, 42, of Camino, and Charles D. Kiles, 49, of Placerville, were arrested early this month as a federal anti-terrorist task force sought to clamp down on terrorism on the eve of the new millennium.

A suspect in a plot to blow up two huge propane tanks near here is a dangerous flight risk and should not be released from custody pending his trial, U.S. District Magistrate Dale Drozd ruled Friday. Kevin R. Patterson, 42, of Camino, was arrested last week on firearms charges stemming from the alleged bombing plot and had sought release on bond.