Texas A&M gunman alert during Bushes' visit called misunderstanding - msnbc.com

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M University locked down its main campus Thursday after a report that a suspected gunman had been spotted while the Bush family was on campus.

The incident appeared to be a misunderstanding, NBC News reported.

A member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets was walking down the street with his rifle about 2 miles from where the Bush family was, NBC said.

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The university's notification system, called "Code Maroon," sent a message at 5:35 p.m.: “All Clear. Person with replica weapon identified. No danger. Resume normal activity.”

Earlier, a campus bus driver was on his route around 4 p.m. when he reported seeing an individual carrying a weapon, possibly a rifle, near a building next to the student union, according to A&M spokesman Lane Stephenson.

The situation at first raised fears of what happened last month when a student opened fire on the University of Texas campus in Austin before he eventually turned the gun on himself in the library.

A&M's emergency notification system sent texts and e-mails telling students, faculty and staff to remain indoors while police looked for the suspected gunman. Students reported seeing police, including SWAT team members, searched all over campus.

About two hours later, students, faculty and staff were notified that there was no danger and they could resume normal activities.

"University officials believe the basis for the report was an individual who had in his possession a 'dummy' rifle — a replica," according to the A&M statement.

The person with the replica rifle had apparently walked through Rudder Tower on his way to the western part of campus, where he got into his car and drove home, A&M officials said.

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The university said no actual weapon had been found.

About two miles away from where the suspected gunman was spotted, the university was to hold an event where former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara were hosting former first lady Laura Bush at the George Bush Presidential Library Center. Stephenson said the Bush event was still planned as scheduled.

The A&M campus, which ranks as the nation's sixth-largest university in enrollment with more than 49,000 students, is 95 miles northwest of Houston.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Biodiversity study sounds an extinction alert (for things with spines) - Christian Science Monitor

If a creature has a spine and walks, flies, swims, or crawls, it may be in serious trouble.

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Some 20 percent of all vertebrate species on Earth are threatened by extinction, according to a newly published survey – a study the research team involved says is the most exhaustive to date on biodiversity among vertebrates.

The losses are due largely to human encroachment on habitat, over-fishing and over-hunting, as well as the arrival of invasive species in habitats whose natural inhabitants have no defenses against the invaders, the study says.

But within an admittedly bleak global picture, the researchers add, conservation efforts have halted the decline in some species and brought others a significant step closer to recovery.

"The bad news can be extremely disheartening," says Ana Rodrigues, a scientist with the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology in Paris and one of a team of 174 scientists from 38 countries who co-authored the study.

"But our results show that conservation efforts are not wasted," she adds.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal species in an ecosystem. Generally the greater the diversity, the more resilient the ecosystem is to disturbances, either natural or man-made.

Using an internationally recognized "red list" index that tries to capture changes in a species' population size, structure, and geographic range, among other factors, the team found that without conservation programs, biodiversity among birds and mammals would have declined an additional 18 percent over the past 30 years. The programs range from efforts to establish safe havens such as marine protected areas or wildlife reserves to campaigns to battle invasive species.

The report draws on research conducted by some 3,000 scientists worldwide. It was published Tuesday on the journal Science’s website as delegates from 194 countries were meeting in Nagoya, Japan, to try to set conservation targets for the next decade under the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity, which is scheduled to end Oct. 29.

Eight years ago, parties to the convention agreed to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. But in April, a study published online in Science showed that the rate of decline in biodiversity across a broad range of plants and animals was not slowing. Countries had failed to meet the 2010 goal.

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US issues travel alert for Europe amid threat of Al Qaeda attack - Los Angeles Times

Snipers of the German police stand guard on a roof during the celebration for the 20th anniversary of the German reunification in front of the town hall in Bremen. Germany's interior ministry said in a statement that the travel alert for Americans comes in light of recent threats and that Berlin was informed by the U.S. of the decision to issue the alert. (Ingo Wagner, AFP/Getty Images / October 3, 2010)

The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday for American citizens in Europe in light of increased U.S. and European intelligence that a large-scale Al Qaeda attack may be imminent.

Intelligence officials in the U.S. and Europe have said an increase in activity in recent weeks suggests that a small cell of potential terrorists hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region, are preparing an attack that could be as spectacular as the 2008 raids in Mumbai, India, that killed 166 people.

Plotters could be planning to use "a variety of means and target both official and private interests," the State Department said, adding that Americans abroad should be careful riding on railways, subways and other transportation systems, and visiting hotels, restaurants and tourist spots.

"U.S. citizens should take every precaution," the travel alert said.

It is thought that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is behind the current plot, and if successful, it could become the largest terrorist action since the Sept. 11 attacks nine years ago.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are traveling in Europe at any given time — as tourists, college students and business professionals. But the State Department did not upgrade its alert to a warning, which could lead to widespread cancellations of airline and hotel bookings.

Nevertheless, many now in Europe found themselves quickly aware of the situation. With the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves in London preparing for a preseason game, the National Basketball Assn. promised to take "appropriate" measures to ensure their safety.

"The NBA is staying in contact with the U.S. Embassy, the CIA and Scotland Yard," said Lakers spokesman John Black. "They are keeping us informed of the situation."

European governments began warning of a possible attack last week.

In Britain, the threat of terrorism has been listed as "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely. Britain's Foreign Office also warned its citizens to be careful traveling in France.

French Defense Minister Hervé Morin told Le Parisien newspaper that "the terrorist threat exists and could hit us at any moment." But Morin said law-enforcement officials were continuing to pursue would-be terrorists.

"Networks organizing themselves to prepare attacks are constantly being dismantled around the world," he said. "It is good for the French to know this."

The U.S. military in recent weeks has stepped up drone missile attacks on suspected hideouts in regions of Pakistan, and the United States is passing its intelligence to its European counterparts.

According to intelligence sources, the current threat apparently arose after the arrest and interrogation of a German man of Pakistani origin who was being held at the U.S. air base in Bagram, Afghanistan. He reportedly has provided information about the activities of half a dozen other men from Germany and England who were linked through Al Qaeda and allegedly talking to other operatives in several European cities about upcoming strikes.

richard.serrano@latimes.com

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US issues travel alert for Americans in Europe - Christian Science Monitor

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

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The US State Department issued a travel alert Sunday to urge Americans traveling to Europe to use caution and vigilance in the wake of a terrorist plot uncovered last week to attack major European cities.

"Current information suggests that Al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks," warns the alert. "US citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling."

The alert also warns that terrorists might attack public transportation systems and "tourist infrastructure."

The alert is not a travel warning, which would advise Americans from traveling to Europe. But it underlines how seriously officials are taking the recent Al Qaeda threat against Europe.

The Associated Press reports that the US did not meet strong opposition from European leaders when it informed them of the plan to issue the alert. But the New York Times reports that European officials have been worried about the effect such an action could have on tourism and student travel to Europe.

A US official told the AP the travel alert is “a cumulative result of information the US has received over an extended period.” But it comes after the revelation last week that Western intelligence agencies had uncovered an Al Qaeda plot to wage attacks on European cities. The Monitor reported that the plan was reportedly to mimic the style of the deadly attack on Mumbai in 2008, with small teams of heavily-armed militants moving in teams to capture and execute Westerners in Britain, France, and Germany.

Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan were reportedly behind the attack, and intelligence agencies have said that Osama bin Laden was possibly involved personally. The plot may have been uncovered when authorities detained a German terror suspect in Afghanistan in July.

Media reports have linked the plot to US drone strikes in Pakistan. But it is unclear whether the Al Qaeda plot was an attempt to respond to the drone strikes, or whether the strikes were intended to disrupt the plot – or both. The Wall Street Journal reports that the number of reported drone attacks in Pakistan doubled in September, up to 22.

Regardless of the reason for the reported plot to attack Europe, officials appear to be reacting with seriousness.

In addition to the travel alert, Sweden announced Friday that it has raised its terror alert to the highest status, reports The Guardian. France has been hit particularly hard: the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated twice in September after bomb threats and a warning was issued about a female suicide bomber targeting public transit. The Monitor reported that France has been unusually shaken by the recent threats.

The terror warnings have put Europe on alert and caused France, which prides itself in taking something of a phlegmatic view of the threat of terrorism, to increase its terror alert to “red plus” – the second-highest level. France's uncharacteristic cautiousness could signal the seriousness of recent threats, say security analysts, and suggests a new attitude emerging in France toward security.

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