"Military-Style' Raid on California Power Station Spooks U.S."

Yeah, I'm spooked, all right. It was only a matter of time before infrastructure, rather than symbolic targets, came under attack. Sink the grid, push through funding for single-household wind turbines (or any reasonably priced alternative that decentralizes the grid), and do it now, before we're paying out the backend too.

Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Foreign Policy. The intruder(s) then fired more than 100 rounds from what two officials described as a high-powered rifle at several transformers in the facility. Ten transformers were damaged in one area of the facility, and three transformer banks -- or groups of transformers -- were hit in another, according to a PG&E spokesman...

"Initially, the attack was being treated as vandalism and handled by local law enforcement," the senior intelligence official said. "However, investigators have been quoted in the press expressing opinions that there are indications that the timing of the attacks and target selection indicate a higher level of planning and sophistication."

The FBI has taken over the case. There appears to have been some initial concern, or at least interest, in the fact that the shooting happened one day after the Boston Marathon bombing.

complex.foreignpolicy.com...

reply to post by Eidolon23


This is all around strange.

Are we looking at a case of militant environmentalists? Perhaps corporate sabotage? Government directed false-flag? A couple of crack pots? Terrorists?

Is there any indication they knew that the lines they were cutting were emergency lines, or just a coincidence?

Firing 'high powered' rifles at transformers?

WTF do they think this is a video game?

Also this happened all the way back in April, quite a bit of delay for this news is it not?
Or did I just miss it the first time it was released?

-FBB

I was wondering why more weren't concerned about this last spring/summer. There was one incident near Humbolt, the other near San Jose if memory is working tonight (tired). I'm glad it's getting some serious consideration. Hopefully PG&E has tightened security so people can't just break in.

My thinking at the time - terrorism. A coordinated effort would have seen these attempts all over the place so domestic terrorism is more likely. What extremest groups are in that area? What are their grievances? Environmentalist group perhaps? That's not to blame them (I'm pro environment), but some of these folks can be pretty aggressive. Shooting at wires and transformers is pretty ballsy IMO. It tells me the person knows something about electricity (not something I would take aim at with a weapon).

reply to post by Eidolon23


Wow, unknown shooters and they think due to the sophistication of the attack, that it may have been a rehearsal. Time to dispense some security funding...

Security footage


News cast (April 2013)

reply to post by blindprometheus


The quality of that security video stinks. You would think with them being the power company and all they would puts some good flood lights around the building.

reply to post by Dianec


Better security would help detour the general public from vandalism type attacks. As far as protection from some one with a planned agenda, security usually tends to fail. In general, when security is increased anywhere, its like a band aid. It covers up the obvious problem with big money but doesn't heal the threat. I would imagine most of the money spent on raising security, would just line someones pocket.

you would not believe how easy it would be to take down a major cell-phone link or lift a few manhole covers to the landlines stick some home made explosives around a major junction or attack the electricity or water especially if you know where to hit and the train tracks are childs play guerilla war fare 101 someone had lots of nuts to squeeze of a hundred rounds almost like they were testing a plan a dry run maybe

FriedBabelBroccoli
reply to post by Eidolon23

 

This is all around strange.

Are we looking at a case of militant environmentalists? Perhaps corporate sabotage? Government directed false-flag? A couple of crack pots? Terrorists?

The article carefully avoids speculation. Doesn't mean we have to.

Military style and location (Cali) busts the field wide open, as anyone from drug cartels to religious extremists to industrial saboteurs could be responsible.

Is there any indication they knew that the lines they were cutting were emergency lines, or just a coincidence?

Also a point the article skirts, but the Op was so tight, I'd be shocked if it were a coincidence.

Also this happened all the way back in April, quite a bit of delay for this news is it not?
Or did I just miss it the first time it was released?

It was reported locally (and sparingly), but this is the kind of rumbling before the #storm you'd want to quash national distribution of if you were in a position to.

reply to post by FriedBabelBroccoli


Sounds like globalist black ops folks practicing toward creating chaos . . . toward fostering . . . "solutions" to the chaos that result in much greater

!!! CONTROL !!! and tyranny by the PTB.

I'm skeptical lesser sorts would be that 'sophisticated' in their efforts.

reply to post by Eidolon23

Is there any indication they knew that the lines they were cutting were emergency lines, or just a coincidence?

That is an interesting question.

So it begs a further question, did anything else happen in the area at the time they lost emergency services?

Robberies perhaps.

reply to post by blindprometheus


True but big flood lights might help to see the culprits and "might" deter a bunch of thugs. If it's terrorism - little will deter them.

If this is a rehearsal by a cell It was likely seen as a failure since it didn't cause widespread discord. It's been 8 months so wouldn't they have acted again by now if this were a rehearsal? Whoever it was they were awfully sloppy. Guns fired? That's like saying "come see what's going on. Terrorists would have just blown it up. I'm going with environmental terrorism by a newer group (probably very small), with low organization and low resources. Or someone on drugs who was angry at PG&E.

I have had a thing for hidden underground tunnels and such. People would not believe how easily it would be to take down infrastructure..... Show me a sub station with a guard, go ahead I dare ya.

I have tripped around underground in places that were full of cables and switch boxes all going to somewhere. I live only half a mile from a set of high tension lines that supplies most of the power for the Sierra Nevada foothills. One tower goes down, and all kinds of places have no power. Including Aerojet and Mather.

IMO it only further proves to me that real terrorists are stupid. Were I in a mood to terrorize I would not need a fancy jet and a complex plan...... couple of boxes of road flares, some bolt cutters and a large caliber rifle and it would take less than 12 hours to shut down the majority of California.

I don't spend much time afraid of terrorism.... I suspect these plants were targeted by someone either doing a dry run or just stinking bored. Maybe someone killed the power to steal something. Sure is easier to get around an alarm when the power is out. Were I FBI the first place to look would be every robbery in the areas taken down....

There scared because some one shot at the transformers. But when a guy cuts down power poles and even unbolted the arm on a high powered transmission line and put it on rail road tracks so that a train hit it. Never worried them at all?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Dianec



It seemed to me at the time that this was something to keep an eye on as well. I live in Humboldt County and it may seem like small potatoes but it really did cause havoc. The main reason being the disruption of access to emergency services. Not only that but it happened more than once with some of the areas hit were fairly remote. As of yet, the culprits have never been identified.

This is the link to the San Jose incident thread

www.abovetopsecret.com...

This is the link to the story in our local news blog

lostcoastoutpost.com...

Penny

reply to post by pennylemon


Yes.
Picture multiple shopping malls being shot up or burned while emergency services communications are down.

reply to post by Eidolon23


How can they possibly suggest vandalism? How insulting...

Reason # 47 to ban "assault weapons" - their ability to take out power stations with their high rate of fire.
Or a competing power company wanted to sell some electricity to a neighbor and sent in the goons.
Could be for much more mundane reasons though in all probability but that's no fun to speculate about!

Asktheanimals
...
Or a competing power company wanted to sell some electricity to a neighbor and sent in the goons
...

The rumours I heard about this suggested it was pulled off the unions to "influence" ongoing union contract talks with AT&T - and it was successful by all accounts. It's interesting to note that it was AT&T who put up the $250k reward for catching the culprits.

Union workers sounds far more likely to me that terrorists, though I'm not sure it that easy to draw a distinction be the two.

reply to post by Mamatus


Quite right. Our infrastructure is almost entirely naked.

Asktheanimals
Reason # 47 to ban "assault weapons" - their ability to take out power stations with their high rate of fire.

Nah. Don't need a high rate of fire. Most large distribution transformers are filled with a type of oil to provide internal electrical insulation and cooling. One hit with a high powered rifle to drain the oil and the transformer will fail. Do that to a number of transformers and you can imagine the calamity. Don't need high rate of fire. Scoped 30-06 (or thereabouts) hunting rifle would be just about perfect.