Showing posts with label terrorism and war threat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism and war threat. Show all posts

12.05.2010

Velupillai Prabhakaran - father of LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) KILLED - pictures & file photos

Velupillai Prabhakaran (November 26, 1954 – May 18, 2009) was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers), a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. For over 25 years, the LTTE waged a violent secessionist campaign in **Sri Lanka that led to it being designated a terrorist organization by 32 countries. Prabhakaran was wanted by Interpol for terrorism, murder, organized crime and terrorism conspiracy. He also had arrest warrants against him in Sri Lanka and India.

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran

On May 18, 2009, the Sri Lankan Government led by President and Commander in Chief Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that Prabhakaran had been killed
while trying to escape advancing Sri Lanka Army troops, but UK-based Tamil Tiger spokesperson Selvarasa Pathmanathan claimed that Prabhakaran was "still alive".

On May 19, Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry announced that a body found by the shore of Nandikadal Lagoon had been identified as Prabhakaran's and the body was later shown on Sri Lankan media. A week later Pathmanathan, on behalf of the LTTE, admitted that Prabhakaran had died on May 17. Two weeks later a DNA test confirmed Prabhakaran's and his son Charles Anthony's deaths.

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Sri Lanka's flag

Velupillai Prabhakaran was born in the northern coastal town of Velvettithurai on November 26, 1954, to Thiruvenkadam Velupillai and Vallipuram Parvathy. Angered by what he saw as discrimination against Tamil people by successive Sri Lankan governments, he joined the student group TIP during the standardization debates.


Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
LTTE logo

In 1972 Prabhakaran founded the Tamil New Tigers (TNT) which was a successor to many earlier organizations that protested against the post-colonial political direction of the country, in which the minority Sri Lankan Tamils were pitted against the majority Sinhalese people. In 1975, after becoming heavily involved in the Tamil movement, he carried out the first major political murder by a Tamil militant group, assassinating the mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah, by shooting him at point-blank range when he was about to enter the Hindu temple at Ponnaalai. The assassination was in response to the 1974 Tamil conference incident, for which the Tamil radicals had blamed Duraiappah, because he backed the then ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He was also seen by Tamil militants as betraying the Tamil nationalist sentiments in the Jaffna Peninsula, by allying with the Sinhalese majority government.

On May 5, 1976, the TNT was renamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers.


Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Tamil Eelam territorial claim (green) and approximate de facto territory controlled at the time of the launching of the 2008–2009 Sri Lankan Army Northern offensive (yellow). During the final army offensive, however, all of this area was recaptured by Sri Lankan forces.Tamil Eelam territorial claim (green) and approximate de facto territory controlled at the time of the launching of the 2008–2009 Sri Lankan Army Northern offensive (yellow).[105][106] During the final army offensive, however, all of this area was recaptured by Sri Lankan forces.

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka

Sri Lanka's map

** Sri Lanka (from the Sanskrit “Venerable Island”), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka also known as Ceylon before 1972 and as Taprobane in ancient times, is an island country in South Asia, located about 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) off the southern coast of India. It is home to around twenty million people.

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Sri Lanka (green) on world map

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rare pictures of Prabhakaran

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with his son & daughter

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran in an conference

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with wife, son & daughter

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran (L) with his best cammandos

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with wife, son & daughter

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with his 2 sons

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran (c) with wife, son(R) & 2 elder relatives

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran(c) playing with son

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran(c) getting married

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
LTTE soldiers killed by Srilankan Army

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakara's ID card

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with wife

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran dead body closeup

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with his army

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
LTTE gold coin one side

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
LTTE gold coin other side

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran with son

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran's son's dead body

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran's son

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran inaugerating

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran's dead body

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran saluting parade

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Prabhakaran(c) army-men & army-women with wife(c)

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Feb 20, 2002, Prabhakaran signing a historic ceasefire agreement for peace talks with the Colombo government.

Velupillai Prabhakaran LTTE Srilanka
Sri Lankan people celebrating the death of LTTE & it's leader

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Special Feature :

Is peace near at hand in Sri Lanka? Is a political settlement in sight? Or will the armed conflict in the Tamil areas continue? What will come out of the Colombo talks? How will the militants involve themselves in an India-promoted follow-up? Is Eelam negotiable? In this extended tape-recorded interview with N. Ram of The Hindu, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr. Velupillai Prabakaran responds to these questions and also some on the ideology, strategy and tactics of his organisation and on his own political evolution. Mr. Prabakaran's responses in Tamil have been translated; the interview is being published in two parts (on September 4 and 5, 1986).


** Courtesy : The Hindu

**************** Thanks for reading this post **************

4.25.2010

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the first Chief Minister in the country to have been questioned on a criminal complaint


CM Narendra Modi on 27 March 2010 after getting interrogated by SIT

It is the first time in Indian history that a sitting Chief Minister has been accused and interrogated for a crime such as mass murder. The “will he won’t he” suspense eventually ended on March 27 when Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi presented himself before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be interrogated for his alleged complicity in the 2002 riots. Modi is the first Chief Minister in the country to have been questioned on a criminal complaint.

Close to 1,500 people lost their lives in the days of rioting that followed the burning of a coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, in which 59 kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya died. The investigation into the Godhra
incident and the Gujarat riots has been going on for eight years.

For a man who holds such a high office and, more importantly, is known for his power and control, this was a humbling experience. He is accused of aiding and abetting riots in Gulberg Society, a residential colony in Ahmedabad, where 68 people were killed in a mob attack on February 28, 2002. Modi has been indicted in a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, whose husband Ehsan Jafri, a former Congress Member of Parliament, was killed in the attack on Gulberg Society. Zakia Jafri has accused Modi and 62 others of instructing officials not to heed cries for help by Muslims during the riots. She says her husband made frantic calls to Modi and several police officers and politicians, but no one came to their aid. She believes that the attack on Gulberg Society was a planned one and that her husband was targeted.


Zakia Jafri

6.15.2009

unveiling the mystery of Real-life Superheroes

What are Real-life Superheroes & what do they do ??
People who dress and/or act like comic book superheroes. Sometimes, this label is bestowed upon them by those whom they have helped or the media, while at other times, the aspiring superheroes apply the label to themselves. They usually patrol at night and help the people (specially protecting women against crimes) in need. There are also some who do social welfare jobs.

Who are Real-life Superheroes ??
They usually don't reveal their identities or reveal it to some few.

Some real life examples of Real-life Superheroes (with proper evidences) documented in the news media :

  • The Portland, Oregon-based newspaper Willamette Week reported on Zetaman and his patrols consisting of seeking out the needy with gifts of food and clothing. This was later reported on the Portland-based ABC affiliate, KATU, and CNN.
  • ABC News and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! radio program interviewed Terrifica, a New York City-based woman who patrols bars and parties in an effort to protect inebriated women in danger of being taken advantage of by men. Since the mid-1990s, Terrifica has donned a golden mask, Valkyrie bra, blond wig, red boots and cape, to distract the men she tries to dissuade from seducing drunk young women. She carries a utility belt containing pepper spray, a cell phone, lipstick, a camera to photograph alleged predators, a journal, Terrifica fortune cards, and Smarties for energy. Terrifica has an arch-nemesis, a self-proclaimed philanderer who calls himself Fantastico.
  • TreeHugger reported on Captain Ozone starring in ecological television PSA’s, making appearances at grade schools and hemp festivals, creating a video documentary on environmentalism, and also organizing a public demonstration for renewable energy.
  • The BBC reported on Angle-Grinder Man, a British self-described "wheel-clamp superhero" who uses an angle grinder to cut wheel clamps off vehicles in Kent and London.
  • CNN covered Mexico City's Superbarrio, who wears red tights and a red and yellow wrestler's mask. Rather than fight crime and corruption with violence, he uses his unique image to organize labor rallies and protests, and file petitions.
  • The Age described Polarman of Iqaluit, Canada, whose primary interests are shoveling the snow off sidewalks during the day, and patrolling the streets for criminals at night.
  • WTOP-FM, a radio station in Washington DC, reported on Metro Woman, who uses a superhero costume and identity to spread information on using mass transit and the ecological benefits of using public transportation in the Washington DC Metro region.
  • CBS affiliate WTSP reported about Superhero and Lady Hero in Clearwater, Florida.
  • The Washington Post reported a story about superheroes Captain Prospect and Justice, members of the "Capital City Super Squad" in Washington DC.
  • Central Florida News 13 did a story on "Team Justice," a group of costumed superheroes giving Christmas gifts to the homeless.
  • The Twin Cities-based newspaper City Pages ran a story focusing on a Minnesota superhero, Geist. The article also featured many other Real Life Superheroes.
  • ABC's Nightline news program interviewed real-life superheroes Squeegeeman and Captain Xavier Obvious, who patrol New York City. The heroes have also been documented in Radar Magazine, Time Out New York, and HDNET's Deadline.
  • The Salt Lake City-based newspaper Salt Lake City Weekly reported on the patrols of The Black Monday Society and the costumed identities of its team members Insignis, Ghost, Ha!, Oni, and Silver Dragon. FOX News Salt Lake City ran a story on the team as well.
  • The New York Daily News did an article on Life and Dark Guardian patrolling through New York City and helping the homeless.
  • Rolling Stone ran a feature about the "real superhero community," featuring Master Legend and The Ace.
  • La Repubblica, in Italy, did a brief article about the phenomenon, prominently featuring Entomo The Insect-Man, a masked patroller and activist.In February 2009, Rai 4 filmed a night-time patrol and interview with Entomo at the abandoned Italsider Factory in Naples. This special feature was aired on the TV program 'Sugo'. Following an extensive interview on Il Riformista, Entomo was depicted on all the major Italian newspapers, as well as Spanish: Il Mattino and Panorama, among the many. The Real Life Superhero became a media sensation from day to night, and Yahoo Italia also dedicated its first page to him.
  • Jack Brinatte, known as Razorhawk, appeared on Fox News America Newsroom.
  • CityNews, a news network in Toronto, had an article on Allan Shields, known as Parking Angel, a man whose self proclaimed mission in life is to "try to save as many motorists as possible from receiving one of those irritating - and expensive - parking tickets."
  • The New York Times told of the exploits of Superheroes Anonymous, the first annual gathering of real-life Superheroes from all over America, who cleaned Times Square, helped the homeless, and handed out crime prevention materials."
  • The San Diego Union-Tribune and UPI wrote about heroes like Mr. Xtreme, a security guard who moonlights as a "costumed crime fighter" in San Diego, California. He wears a camouflage wrestling mask with bug-shaped mesh eyes.
  • Thanatos, Life and Phantom Zero were featured in an article by Globe and Mail. They discussed their different views and methods on being Real Life Superheroes.
  • CBS Atlanta reports Crimson Fist patrols Atlanta twice a month to help those in need.
  • Dark Guardian, Life and Phantom Zero were featured in the March edition of Loaded Magazine.
  • Wall Creeper and Zen Blade were featured on Westword, Denver's alternative weekly publiciation.
  • MSN mentions Master Legend, Captain Prospect, Geist, Tothian, Captain Jackson, Nyx, and Michael Brinatte, owner of Hero-gear.net in an online article.
  • ABC KSTP 5 reported on Razorhawk, Geist and the Great Lakes Hero Guild while they patrolled Minneapolis. The segment was re-broadcast nationally on ABC Overnight News.
  • Dark Guardian and Citizen Prime were featured on the Premiere episode of the G4 show, G4 Underground starring Morgan Webb.
  • Cincinnati, Ohio-based NBC affiliate News 5 WLWT reported on Shadow Hare. This was later rebroadcast on CNN.
  • Dark Guardian, Life and Phantom Zero were featured on WPIX channel 11 The CW affiliate as they patrolled New York City. News clip shown featured Dark Guardian confronting a drug dealer courtesy of Superheroes Anonymous film crew.
  • CNN featured an article on Mr. Ravenblade, Dark Guardian, Mr. Xtreme and Superheroes Anonymous.

5.10.2009

interview of Osama bin Laden's wife by british magazine Al-Majallah

The world's media have struggled to find out about Osama bin Laden's personal life. Now a London magazine, Al-Majallah, has scooped them all by tracking and interviewing one of his wife identified only as AS.

She agreed to talk but laid down several conditions. For security reasons, she did not want to be photographed or have her location revealed.

AS spoke calmly and confidently. She lives in a modest house and acts unpretentiously. Following is the text of the interview:

Nasr: First of all, how was your life with Osama?
AS: During my life with him, he used sometimes to come home late at night and lie down alone on his bed for long hours. He did not like anybody to talk to him.
He became angry if I tried to talk to him and I would therefore leave him alone. He used to sit and think for a long time and sleep very late. He did not sleep for more than two or three hours. Though he was beside me, I sometimes felt lonely. During the last period, he was constantly worried and looked tired and exhausted due to lack of sleep, to the extent that most days he was taking medicine and sleeping pills to help him go to sleep.
Nasr: Did you live with his other wives in one house? How did he treat you and them?
AS: No, we did not live in one house. Each wife lived in her own house. There were two wives in Kandahar, each with her own house. The third wife had a house in Kabul, and the fourth in the Tora Bora mountains.
He used to come to me once a week. His wives met only once every month or two when he came to us or sent one of his sons to take us to the house of one of us. We met most often in the house of Umm-Awad. He always warned me against going into town alone and used to say that if I needed anything I could send one of the children to buy what I wanted.
During the last period, he used to speak less to me and I used to spend my time at home, because he prevented me from going outside and used to say that if I went out, harm might come to me. At a later stage, he used to come to me only once every two or three weeks and say he was busy, had some problems, and was in constant meetings with Mullah Omar and the Taliban leaders. Even when he wanted to travel to another area, he did not tell anybody, contrary to the past, when he used to take one of us with him when he travelled.
Nasr: How was the house that you lived in and what kind of food did Osama like?
AS: My house was a very modest one that looked like a simple village house. As for food, Osama liked bread, yoghurt, honey and dates. He rarely eats meat.
Nasr: When he prevented you from going out, was he concerned about you from, for example, the Taliban men?
AS: He told me one time that he was very worried and feared that the Taliban men might turn against him and seek to get rid of him and that the United States might pay one of them money to get rid of him. He also told me he had some differences with Mullah Omar and the Taliban leaders and that they were trying to harass him because they probably did not want him to continue to live with them any more.
Nasr: Who were the closest people to him?
AS: He always used to talk about Mullah Omar, Sulayman Abu-Ghayth [al-Qaida's official spokesman] and Abu-Hafs [an alias for Mohamed Atef, Bin Laden's friend and military planner, killed by US bombing in Afghanistan], and say they have determination and patience. He used to take one of them with him most of the time whenever he wanted to travel.
Nasr: Did he have heavy protection?
AS: He had a large group of soldiers, tribesmen and young Arab mojahedin, and a number of vehicles that he travelled in with them.
Nasr: Did Osama speak to you about his intention to attack the United States?
AS: He did not talk about this at all. He used to talk about America's hegemony and its cooperation with Israel. He always told me that he had a big plan and that he had dedicated himself to confronting them. He used to tell me that the United States was humiliating the Arabs and that he had a large group of young mojahedin who hated the United States and were willing to fight jihad against it.
Nasr: How did Osama reply to the US accusations that he was behind the bombing of its embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam?
AS: I heard him say more than once that the United States is his first enemy, that it is trying to throw its problems and what is happening to it on to our region, that it is pursuing him, trying to kill him and to get rid of him. He said the United States deserves this and even more and that some youths have been guided by God to teach America a lesson.
Nasr: Did you ever ask him whether he was behind these attacks?
AS: No.
Nasr: Why?
AS: He did not like to talk to me about these issues. He was angry with me when I tried to ask him, and told me not to discuss these matters with him ever again.
Nasr: How did he divide his time between his houses, his businesses and the al- Qaida organisation?
AS: He used to come home once a week. He managed his commercial businesses most of the time with a group of employees.
Nasr: In what business fields was he involved?
AS: Trade and construction. He always spoke about his companies that were doing building and roadworks with a large group of charities that were helping the poor and needy among the Afghan people.
Nasr: When was the last time you saw Osama and how was the meeting?
AS: The last time I saw him was before the September events. He came to the house, gave me a telephone and told me to call my family and tell them we were going somewhere else and that there would be no news of me for a long time.
Nasr: Did he tell you about the place you were going to? Did you actually call your family?
AS: Yes, I called my mother and told her that. But he did not tell me where we were going. He prepared a vehicle and ordered me to go with one of his sons and some escorts to an area in the south near the border with Pakistan, which I did not know before. We arrived in the house of a tribesman.
Several days later, we heard about the explosions in the United States and that the latter had declared war on Osama and the Taliban. When the US bombing of Afghanistan started, we moved to a mountainous area with some children and lived in one of the caves for two months until one of his sons came with a group of tribesmen and took us with them. I did not know that we were going to Pakistan until they handed us over to the Pakistani government.
Nasr: Is it true that Osama had kidney pains and suffered from kidney failure?
AS: He always suffered from kidney and stomach pains. He told me once that he was going to Pakistan for treatment.
Nasr: When did he tell you this?
AS: Nearly two months before the September events.
Nasr: Has Osama contacted you from your departure from Afghanistan to this day?
AS: He has not contacted me at all.
Nasr: Do you believe he was killed?
AS: I feel deep inside me that he is still alive. If he had been killed then the entire world would have known about it because Osama's death is not something that can be concealed.
Nasr: If Osama were still alive, where would he be now? Did he possibly leave Afghanistan?
AS: He never spoke to me about his intention to leave Afghanistan and always wished to die there. He told me once that if he ever left Afghanistan it would be to meet his Creator.
Nasr: Did he have any particular hobbies?
AS: Hunting. He used to hunt with a group of friends on Fridays.
Nasr: Do you regret marrying Osama because, in the world's view, he has become a terrorist?
AS: I do not feel regret because everything is willed by fate and divine decree. I do not think he is a terrorist as the west is depicting him.
Nasr: You have sons from Osama bin Laden. How do you view their future?
AS: I will teach them righteousness and the divine path. I am not worried about them because we accept what is written and fated by God Almighty. We cannot repel what is willed by fate and divine decree.
Nasr: If Osama bin Laden does appear again and asks you to return to Afghanistan, or wherever he is, will you agree?
AS: Let us wait and see what happens.
Nasr: When the Taliban banned schools and kept the religious ones only, did Osama's children study? What did they study?
AS: They had private tutors who taught them the English and Arabic languages, mathematics and sciences. They also trained them to use the computer.

** Reprinted by kind permission of Al-Majallah magazine. ** Translation by BBC Monitoring. BBC Monitoring selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

** Interviewer : Khalid Nasr

** About this article : Interview with one of Osama bin Laden's wives. This article was first published on guardian.co.uk at 01.39 GMT on Friday 15 March 2002. It appeared in the Guardian on Friday 15 March 2002 on p4 of the Comment & features section. It was last updated at 01.39 GMT on Friday 15 March 2002.

1.14.2009

Mumbai India November 26 2008 terrorist attacks of , evidences & evnts aftermath

This is a scanned copy of the 69-page dossier (A collection of papers containing detailed information about a particular person or subject; usually a person's record) of material stemming from the ongoing investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 26-29, 2008 that was handed over by India to Pakistan on January 5, 2009.

Evidence 1

Evidence 2


**The Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 26-29, 2008 were more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's financial capital and its largest city. The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.
Where did exactly it take place ?
Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier's College. There was also an explosion at the Mazagaon docks, in Mumbai's port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle.


The Mumbai's attacked areas

action by India's National Security Guards (NSG)& mumbai police men:
By the early morning of 28 November, all sites except for the Taj Mahal Palace had been secured by Mumbai Police and security forces. An action by India's National Security Guards (NSG) on 29 November resulted in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace, ending all fighting in the attacks.

who were the attackers?

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, disclosed that the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.


Ajmal Amir Kasab


photos of attackers

The Indian Government said that the attackers came from Pakistan, and their controllers were in Pakistan. On 7 January 2009, after more than a month of denying the nationality of the attackers, Pakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman officially accepted Ajmal Amir's nationality as Pakistani. On 12 February 2009, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in a televised news briefing, confirmed that parts of the attack had been planned in Pakistan and said that six people, including the alleged mastermind, were being held in connection with the attacks.


Indian policemen, armymen & nsg men who laid down their lives to save Mumbai

7.11.2008

the Man who Saved the World by Doing NOTHING


Ever heard of Stanislav Petrov?

Probably not – but you may very well owe him your life.

Petrov, a former member of the Soviet military, didn't actually do anything – but that's precisely the point.

In 1983, Petrov held a very important station: As lieutenant colonel, he was in charge of monitoring the Soviet Union's satellites over the United States, and watching for any sign of unauthorized military action.

This was the Cold War era, and suspicions were high – on September 1st, the Soviet Union had mistakenly shot down a Korean aircraft it had believed to be a military plane, killing 269 civilians, including an American Congressman. The Soviet Union believed that the United States might launch a missile attack at any moment, and that they would be forced to respond with their own arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Several weeks after the airplane disaster, on September 23rd, another officer called in sick, so Petrov was stuck working a double shift at a secret bunker, monitoring satellite activity, when "suddenly the screen in front of me turned bright red," Petrov told BBC News. "An alarm went off. It was piercing, loud enough to raise a dead man from his grave."

According to the system, the United States had launched five missiles, which were rapidly heading into Soviet territory. The U.S.S.R. was under attack.

All Petrov had to do was push the flashing red button on the desk in front of him, and the Soviets would retaliate with their own battery of missiles, launching a full-scale nuclear war.

"For 15 seconds, we were in a state of shock," he told The Washington Post. "We needed to understand, what's next?"

Though the bunker atmosphere was chaotic, Petrov, who had trained as a scientist, took the time to analyze the data carefully before making his decision. He realized that, if the U.S. did attack, they would be unlikely to launch a mere five missiles at once. And when he studied the system's ground-based radar, he could see no evidence of oncoming missiles.

He still couldn't say for sure what was going on, but "I had a funny feeling in my gut," he told The Post. "I didn't want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it."

Luckily for all of us, he decided not to push that button. Later, his instincts were proven right – the malfunctioning system had given him a false alarm, and the U.S. had not deployed any missiles. Thanks to Petrov's cool head, nuclear war had been narrowly averted, and millions of lives were saved.

Unfortunately, Petrov didn't exactly receive a heroic reward from the Soviet military: Embarrassed by their own mistakes, and angry at Petrov for breaking military protocol, they forced him into early retirement with a pension of $200 a month. Petrov's brave act was kept secret from the outside world until the 1998 publication of a book by one of Petrov's fellow officers, who witnessed his courage on that terrifying night.

Since the book's publication, Petrov has been honored by the United Nations and presented with a World Citizen Award, and there has been talk of giving him the Nobel Prize. Still, the humble Russian scientist plays down his role in averting a nuclear crisis: "I was simply the right person in the right time, that was all," he said in the upcoming documentary, The Red Button and the Man Who Saved the World.

We've got to disagree with him. Sure, he may have done nothing – but in this case, it might just be the hardest thing to do.


Original story by Kathryn Hawkins