Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Al-Qaeda makes off with drone wreckage; Muslim archeology on Temple Mount erasing traces of Jewish altar- Israel Matzav

Carl in Jerusalem
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2011/02/al-qaeda-makes-off-with-drone-wreckage.html
Wednesday, February 09, 2011


An American predator drone crashed in Yemen on Tuesday. But you won't believewhat happened next....
A suspected US spy drone crashed near the south Yemen town of Loder on Tuesday before Al-Qaeda gunmen made off with the wreckage, a police official and witnesses said.

The drone crashed in Jahayn village near Loder, in Yemen's Abyan province where Al-Qaeda has a strong presence, and was found by local residents, the official told AFP.

Witnesses said residents called in police, who collected the debris.

But as they headed to a police station about 30 kilometres (18 miles) away, Al-Qaeda gunmen in cars intercepted the police and hijacked the wreckage. There were no reports of casualties.

The police official said the drone was a Predator, which is used for reconnaissance but can also be armed with missiles. The US military has widely used Predator drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he believed the drone was "monitoring the movements of Al-Qaeda partisans, who have a strong presence" in Loder.
Awesome. Soon we'll have al-Qaeda drones flying around.

Don't these things have self-destruct mechanisms?



Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Muslim archeology on Temple Mount erasing traces of Jewish altar

An eight-month 'archeological dig' by the Muslim Waqf on the Temple Mount may have destroyed any traces of the altar from the Jewish Temples, which is located in the same place according to Jewish tradition (Hat Tip: Gershon D).

The digs have been taking place under the Dome of the Chain, believed to have been built over 1300 years ago. For eight months, the dome - which has a diameter of 14 meters - has been surrounded by a metal fence and black cloth, which hide whatever activity has been going on there from outside inspection. The Muslim Waqf religious authority has claimed the activity is simply a refurbishing of the structure, but refuses adamantly to let Jews or tourists near.

Jewish activists made various attempts to enter the Dome, but met with no success. In the end, the Our Temple Mountnews outlet found an Arab who was willing to take photos inside the compound in return for a handsome fee (see below). The man said that it appears the Waqf has already completed its digs and is now covering the dig with dirt.
Our Temple Mount notes that according to Jewish tradition, the place where the Dome of the Chain is located is the spot upon which the sacrificial Altar stood in Temple times. Temple activists said that the Muslim digs are intended to erase the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.
There are more pictures here.