United States

The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)—Responsibilities and Potential Congressional Concerns

The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) was established in 2004 to ensure that information from any source about potential terrorist acts against the U.S. could be made available to analysts and that appropriate responses could be planned. Investigations of the 9/11 attacks had demonstrated that information possessed by different agencies had not been shared and thus that disparate indications of the looming threat had not been connected and warning had not been provided. As a component of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the NCTC is composed of analysts with backgrounds in many government agencies and has access to various agency databases.

NYPD Brief: Attack on Police and ISI Offices in Lahore, Pakistan, May 27, 2009

Summary
•On 5/27/09 at least four gunmen opened fire and set off of a car bomb between police and intelligence buildings in Lahore, Pakistan.
•Latest reports indicate that at least 23 people are dead, and hundreds wounded.
•Two suspects were taken into custody, but were later released.
•There have been no claims of responsibility, but the attack is assessed to be a response to the Pakistani army’s offensive in the Swat Valley.

FBI (U//FOUO) White Supremacist Extremist Violence Possibly Decreases

(U) Based on data from FBI and open source reporting, the FBI assesses with medium confidence that acts of violence by White Supremacist Extremists (WSEs) slightly decreased between 1 January 2007 and 31 October 2009. As the majority of incidents involved racist skinheads, the FBI assesses with high confidence this element is the most violent in the WSE movement. Much of the violence has been against ethnic, religious, government, and law enforcement targets in furtherance of racial views, but violence has also occurred against other WSEse or non-WSE whites.

Al Qaeda and Affiliates: Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications for U.S. Policy

Al Qaeda (AQ) has evolved into a significantly different terrorist organization than the one that perpetrated the September 11, 2001, attacks. At the time, Al Qaeda was composed mostly of a core cadre of veterans of the Afghan insurgency against the Soviets, with a centralized leadership structure, made up mostly of Egyptians. Most of the organization’s plots either emanated from the top or were approved by the leadership. Some analysts describe pre-9/11 Al Qaeda as akin to a corporation, with Osama Bin Laden acting as an agile Chief Executive Officer issuing orders and soliciting ideas from subordinates.

U.S. Army Guide: What Should You do if You Spot an IED/VBIED/SVBIED/PBIED?

If stopping the vehicle puts it within the estimated casualty radius of the possible IED/VBIED, the driver should speed up and quickly move through the danger area to a tactically safe position and distance (the minimum safe distance is dependent on the mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil considerations [METT-TC] factors).

NYPD Street Gang Manual

This book is a compilation of various gang intelligence information from various sources including detective and police officer files, primarily confiscated from arrested and/or incarcerated individual gang notes and drawings. Additional material was obtained from other law enforcement agencies’ publications and presentations used for internal officer training, as well as from various other gang publications and internet sources. Six major New York City gangs are presented in this book: the Bloods, the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, the Netas, the Crips, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and the Mexican Gangs. Sections within this book include the origin and history of the gang, its structure, rules and regulations, oaths and pledges, symbols and emblems, coded language and hand signals, clothing, tattoos and graffiti. It is our hope that an officer’s knowledge of gang characteristics will assist in combating gang-motivated crimes and reduce the propensity for violence towards the law enforcement community and innocent citizens.

Law Enforcement Online Virtual Command Centers Brief

• Intelligence Information Sharing System allowing LE Agencies, DoD, Intelligence Community, and Emergency Management to pass critical time sensitive information in a secure environment –LE Vetted Information
• Operational 12 yearswithover 100,000 vetted members
• Certified and Accredited for Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) and Law Enforcement Sensitive (LES) Information
• Protected through an encrypted VPN tunnel
• No Individual User Costs –internet access only

USMC Intelligence Activity Haiti Open Source Digest

The Washington Post ran an article this morning entitled, “As food distribution improves, Haitians want U.S to ‘take over’.” The increasingly prominent role of U.S. troops and civilian workers is creating high expectations among Haitians. “I want the Americans to take over the country. The Haitian government can’t do anything for us,” said Jean-Louis Geffrard, a laborer who lives under a tarp. The article contains several quotes that underscore the fact that the average citizen has no confidence in their government, but virtually 100% faith in the United States. Average Haitians are taking quick notice to how U.S. troops have brought order and efficiency to aid distribution.

Open Source Center Walking Time to Medical Facilities and Food Distribution Centers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

This analysis shows the average walking time from medical facilities and primary food distribution centers in Port-au-Prince. Results of the analysis show locations of extreme road obstruction and the relationship between camps to medical facilities and food distribution centers. The analysis was conducted by creating a road network in a GIS, outlined in the methodology below. This road network can be used in future analysis to describe walking or driving distance from specific location, or to find best route information.

Virginia Fusion Center Bloods Street Gang Intelligence Report

The Bloods street gang has become one of the most violent and notorious criminal organizations, spreading its influence in the U.S. from coast to coast. A traditionally African American gang, Bloods membership today includes Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians. Blood members are involved in a variety of criminal activities including murder, assault, robbery, and narcotics distribution. Nationally, gang membership in the Bloods has been estimated between 15,000 and 20,000 members.1 Blood sets range from highly organized and structured groups similar to the Italian Mafia to loosely organized cliques with little discipline and loyalty. The Bloods have grown in popularity over the years thanks in part to the proliferation of music, movies, and television shows glorifying the “gangsta” lifestyle as well as social networking sites and the vast amount of information on the gang available on the Internet. Current intelligence gathered by the Virginia Fusion Center and other law enforcement agencies indicates the Bloods are a significant criminal threat to the Commonwealth and will continue to grow in numbers and operational scope.

(U//LES) Surenos 2008 Special Gang Report

Historically, Hispanic gangs north of the dividing line have claimed allegiance to the Nortenos and those to the south claimed allegiance to the Surenos. All California Hispanic criminal street gangs claim allegiance to the Nortenos or Surenos, with the exception of the Fresno Bulldogs. Whether it’s on the streets or in the correctional facilities, the Fresno Bulldogs function independently and do not align themselves with Nortenos or Surenos. The Fresno Bulldogs are a unique California based gang that has the power, strength and a large enough membership to stand on its own and remain free from the politics of the Nortenos and Surenos. All other Hispanic criminal street gangs are forced to choose a side whether they want to join in or not.

(U//FOUO) Jakarta Hotel Bombings: A Look at Insider Threats and the Targeting of Western Executives

(U//FOUO) This intelligence bulletin was produced in conjunction with the Jakarta Hotel Bombing Intelligence Briefing which is also available from the San Diego RTTAC. This document presents an analysis of the Jakarta suicide bombings and the post‐attack investigation to include key judgments, tactics, techniques, and procedures. This bulletin is based on preliminary open source reporting pending a final report from Indonesian authorities.

FBI (U//FOUO) Domestic Terrorists’ Intent and Capability to Use Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Weapons

(U) This assessment discusses the use and attempted use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials by domestic terrorists subsequent to the 2001 anthrax attacks. According to the MIOG Section 266-1(1), “domestic terrorists” are “individual(s) who seek to further political or social goals wholly or in part through activities that involve the use of force or violence and violate federal law.” For the purposes of this assessment, the definition excludes foreign-based and “homegrown” terrorists who identify with or are affiliated with an international terrorist ideology or group.