Department of Homeland Security

Department of Homeland Security

(U//FOUO) DHS Courthouse Attacks Report

(U//FOUO) This assessment describes threats and other suspicious activities directed against courthouses in the United States over the past twelve months. Additionally, it provides indications of surveillance and suggested protective measures for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and homicide-suicide bombers to assist in the protection of courthouses and related facilities.

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Intelligence Fusion Centers, New Mexico

(U//LES) El Paso Intelligece Center: Blue Methamphetamine Report

A new type of crystal methamphetamine with a blue color tint is surfacing sporadically in the United States, primarily in California, Washington, and Texas. This substance, known as “blue meth” or “blue ice,” is allegedly more potent and more expensive than traditional crystal methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant that is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance and is a widely abused drug. Although it is commonly sold in powder form, it is also distributed as crystals – crystal meth or ice. According to the 2005 Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual, Chapter 2 Part D, Note (C), “Ice,” for the purposes of this guideline, means a mixture or substance containing dmethamphetamine hydrochloride of at least 80% purity.

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Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation

(U//FOUO) FBI Times Square “Destructuve Device” Bulletin

(U//FOUO) At approximately 1830 hours on 1 May 2010, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) laden with a destructive device was observed parked at 45th Street and Broadway in Times Square, New York City. Eyewitness reports described the vehicle as smoking, and popping noises were heard emanating from it but no detonation occurred. Law enforcement investigation of the SUV revealed the following: three 20lb propane tanks; two five gallon gasoline canisters; one container containing a black powder material; one large, sealed, vault-like container with visible wires connecting to two analog alarm clocks; and one fuse.

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Department of Homeland Security

(SBU) DHS TRIPwire: Times Square Vehicle Incendiary Device Attack

In the evening of May 1, 2010, a vehicle with a large incendiary device was discovered and rendered safe in Times Square, New York City. The vehicle was parked at 1515 7th Ave. in Times Square, according to local police officials. The vehicle did not detonate as designed, and there were no casualties. The investigation into the attempted bombing is still ongoing. According to open sources, the vehicle was a blue Nissan Pathfinder spotted by a street vendor who noticed smoke emanating from the vehicle about 6:30pm EST. It is believed the vehicle was abandoned just after 6:00pm, and had its hazard lights flashing and its engine still running. A firefighter who arrived on the scene shortly after being notified reported seeing a “flash” and heard a “popping sound” from the trunk of the vehicle. Theatres, hotels and all foot traffic in the area were cleared and streets were cordoned off by police.

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Department of Homeland Security

(U//FOUO) DHS Times Square Attempted Bombing Snapshot

(U) Times Square:

–(U) At 6:34pm, a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder bearing Connecticut license plates was discovered in front of 45thStreet and Broadway, the Times Square area of New York City, with smoke in the cabin. Eyewitnesses report seeing smoke and hearing popping sounds coming from inside the vehicle, and people were observed running from the scene. A mounted NYPD Patrol Officer responded, evacuated the area, and notified the bomb squad.

(U) On 2 May, at approximately 1330, Al-Jazeera reported that a group claiming to be Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility for the attack in a one-minute long video posted on a video-sharing Website. It has yet to be determined if the tape is authentic, and if so, if the group played any role in the attack.

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Regional Information Sharing Systems

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Jamaat ul-Fuqra Report

Over the past two decades, a terrorist group known as Jamaat ul-Fuqra, or “Community of the Impoverished,” has been linked to multiple murders, bombings, and various other felonies throughout the United States and Canada. In 1980, a Pakistani cleric named Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani began preaching against Western culture at a Muslim mosque in Brooklyn, NY. He promoted Islam as the path to a better life and called for fighters to join his holy war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

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Regional Information Sharing Systems

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Terrorist Indicators Guide

ANALYSIS of terrorist preparations for past attacks overseas and in the United States suggests that preoperational indicators may be present in the days or weeks prior to an attack. Indicators may point to possible terrorist planning. Alone, an indicator can result from legitimate commercial activity or criminal activity not related to terrorism; however, multiple indicators can suggest a terrorist threat.

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Transportation Security Administration

(U//FOUO//LES) TSA 2006 Terrorist Threat to U.S. Highway System

(U//FOUO) Threats to the U.S. highway system (including tunnels, bridges, long-haul buses, school buses, and commercial trucks) emanate from transnational and domestic terrorist organizations, as well as from insiders and special interest groups. However, the primary threat stems from al-Qa’ida, its affiliates, and other Sunni Muslim extremists, whether foreign or domestic. No reporting indicates a current, credible, and specific terrorist threat to U.S. highway interests. However, since 1993 at least three terrorist plots to bomb tunnels and bridges in the United States have been disrupted, aborted, or abandoned. Further, recurring suspicious incidents involving U.S. highway infrastructure and assets could reflect pre-operational terrorist planning. Thus far, however, no definitive link has been established between any of the suspicious incidents and terrorism.

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Intelligence Fusion Centers, Virginia

Virginia Fusion Center Educational Facilities Threat Assessment

The purpose of this Threat Assessment is to convey potential threats to educational facilities and related assets in the Commonwealth of Virginia in order to prevent terrorist and insider attacks as well as to increase awareness regarding available threat information. It is anticipated that this assessment will assist homeland security personnel in understanding the potential vulnerabilities to public and private schools, colleges, and universities in order to further assist in responding effectively to an educational facility-related incident. This assessment describes insider threats as well as those posed by domestic extremist and international terrorist groups.

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Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Intelligence Fusion Centers

(U//FOUO) DHS/DOJ Fusion Process Analytic Skills & Knowledge Review

To facilitate the development of a nationwide, integrated, inter-connected fusion center capability, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) and the Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) have partnered to develop and deploy the Fusion Process Technical Assistance Program. This program has been developed in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); the Office of the Program Manager, Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and experts from the State and local community—including the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global), the Criminal
Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), and the Global Intelligence Working Group (GIWG).

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Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration

TSA Swiss-Made Miniature Gun Warning

The ATF has issued an officer safety advisory on what is called the world’s smallest gun after a CBS 2 inquiry. The Alert has been issued both in the New York and nationally to all Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives criminal investigators and will be passed on to other federal agencies. The ATF has confiscated thousands of disguised or miniature guns from flashlights that shoot a .25 caliber bullet to pen guns. The latest miniature gun that is alarming the ATF community is the Swiss MiniGun.

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Arkansas, Intelligence Fusion Centers, Louisiana, Mississippi

Gulf Coast Drug Trafficking Brief: Strawberry Methamphetamine

A new kind of methamphetamine that has a strawberry flavor and bright pink coloring was seized for the first time in Carson City, Nevada during a search of an apartment on January 27, 2007. Flavored methamphetamine is the newest metamorphosis of the dangerous street drug. It appears that the flavor and color were added to the meth during the cooking process, instead of afterward, which would mean the drug does not have any less potency than its common counterpart. The colored and flavored methamphetamine, known as “Strawberry Quick” in the Sacramento, California area and now in Carson City, is popular among new users who snort it because the flavoring can cut down on the taste.

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