At a June 2004 press conference, then Deputy Attorney General James Comey outlined the case against Jose Padilla, the so-called “dirty bomber” suspect, and his connections to al-Qaeda.1 Jose Padilla gained notoriety for the alleged plan to use a radiological dispersal device (RDD). However Padilla’s plot to utilize natural gas to blow up apartment buildings in the United States did not seem to draw as much attention as the plan to utilize a RDD. There has been very little discussion pertaining to his plot to cause a catastrophic fire/explosion event at apartment buildings using natural gas.
United States
Department of Defense
How a Boy Becomes a Martyr: The Dangers of Web 2.0 Technology
The following report is a fictitious account of how a young person in America could become a suicide bomber for an Islamic extremist group. It is the fifth in a series of reports on Web 2.0 technology and future urban warfare. All references to people, groups, and products are intended for illustrative purposes only. As such, the authors do not suggest that any of the products or organizations listed condone or support extremist activities.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI The School Shooter: A Quick Reference Guide
REMEMBER
# Many offenders experienced a significant personal loss in the months leading up to the attack, such as a death, breakup, or divorce in the family.
# Many offenders engaged in repetitive viewing of violent media and were often fascinated with previous school shootings. Repeated viewing of movies depicting school shootings, such as “Zero Day” and “Elephant,” may indicate a fascination with campus attacks.
# Be aware of the subject’s online videos, blogs, and social networking activities.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI Rage and Racism: Skinhead Violence On The Far Right
This intelligence assessment examines acts of violence by racist skinheads between 1 January 2007 and 30 September 2008. For the purposes of this report these acts are limited to physical violence against persons (assaults, rape, murder) and property (arson). Threats of violence and violence by incarcerated racist skinheads who are members of prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood are not included. The assessment is designed to help law enforcement become more aware of the violent tendencies of racist skinheads. The statistical information for this report is drawn from news reports available on the Internet, police reports, and FBI case information.
Intelligence Fusion Centers, New Jersey
HAMAS Sympathizers in New Jersey: Supporting Terrorism Abroad
The Palestinian statehood issue remains a popular and unifying cause throughout the Arab and Islamic world, and a high agenda item for militant jihadists. HAMAS is one of the principal terrorist groups involved in this conflict and uses violence in the form of terrorism to further its cause. The organization has long been designated by the US Department of State as a terrorist group. According to the State Department’s 2007 “Country Reports on Terrorism,” HAMAS receives funding from Iran, sympathetic supporters in Arab countries, and from the Palestinian diaspora around the world, including in the United States.
New York
NYPD Responding to Terrorist Attacks: Trends in European Response Scenarios
This paper analyzes three high-profile European case studies of post-9/11 terrorist attacks (Istanbul [2003], Madrid [2004], and London [2005]). It also examines targeting and tactical information gleaned from several failed/foiled plots in Europe. Although the general findings of this paper can be applied to any type of large scale terrorist attack, this study focuses on those attacks perpetrated by Muslim extremists since this subset currently constitutes the most prominent terrorist threat to the U.S.
National Counterterrorism Center
NCTC Lone-Actor Terrorists with Biological Expertise: A Potential Threat with Limited Indicators
Elements of the U. S. government hosted an interdisciplinary, unclassified workshop to better understand the potential threat from independently acting terrorists with biological expertise. Such lone-actor terrorists have the potential to carry out high-impact biological attacks while generating few signatures, making detection or disruption of their efforts challenging. The one-day workshop explored the possible motivations, intents, and objectives of lone-actor terrorists who might consider conducting biological attacks; examined scientific infrastructure vulnerabilities that these individuals could exploit; and identified strategies to mitigate this potential threat.
Department of State
U.S. State Department: Look out for terrorist beggars
(SBU) On January 20, a suicide bomber disguised as a beggar approached Afghan warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum outside a mosque in northern Afghanistan. Though the “beggar” detonated his device one meter from Dostum, no one was killed in the explosion other than the bombers himself. In this issue of Terrorist Tactics, we will see how posing as a beggar can serve as a clever ruse to carry out pre-operational surveillance.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS General Protective Measures For Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED)
Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) pose complex security challenges for all sectors. To reduce vulnerabilities from an attack using VBIEDs, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) recommends the protective measures listed below.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS Analysis of Mumbai Combined Arms Operation
On 26 November 2008, Islamic extremists conducted terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. Mumbai is the commercial and financial capital city of India, with a population of over 14 million. Ten gunmen paralyzed India’s largest city in a matter of minutes Wednesday night, with the siege continuing until Saturday afternoon. To fully identify appropriate protective measures, it is essential to retrace the assault planning process, and examine all facets taken by the terrorists to achieve their [goals].
Multi-National Corps Iraq
Camp Victory Server Consolidation for Advanced Leveraging of Equipment
Server Consolidation for Advanced Leveraging of Equipment (SCALE) evaluates VMware ESX Server 3.0.1 virtualization software for use at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. Global Cyberspace Integration Center (GCIC) personnel and Multi-National Corps – Iraq, C6 (MNC-I/C6) synchronized efforts to reduce information technology (IT) equipment, power, space, and heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC) demands while increasing system redundancy and scalability for Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet), Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet), and Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System (CENTRIXS) in direct support to 8,000 Coalition warfighters.
Congressional Research Service
Government Collection of Private Information: PATRIOT Act Reauthorization
Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act, in part, to “provid[e] enhanced investigative tools” to “assist in the prevention of future terrorist activities and the preliminary acts and crimes which further such activities.” To that end, the Act eased restrictions on the government’s ability to collect information regarding people’s activities and conversations, both in domestic criminal investigations and in the realms of foreign intelligence gathering and national security.
Africa, U.S. Africa Command
AFRICOM Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa
AFRICOM Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa Brief to the Surface Navy Association.
Congressional Research Service
U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel
Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II. From 1976-2004, Israel was the largest annual recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, having been supplanted by Iraq. Since 1985, the United States has provided nearly $3 billion in grants annually to Israel.
U.S. Army
The State of Army Information Assurance Program
Traditional & Constant Threats
* Pirated applications
* Copyright violations
* Hijacking
* Illegal downloads
* Illegal applications
* Attachments
* Insider threats
* Phishing
U.S. Army
Institute of Landwarfare: Army of the 21st Century
ARFORGEN is the structured progression of increased unit readiness over time, resulting in recurring periods of availabilityof trained, ready, and cohesive units prepared for operational deployment in support of civil authorities and combatant commander requirements.
U.S. Marine Corps
USMC Training Atmospherics and Set Design Enhancements
This specification establishes the functional capabilities for the atmospherics set design training enhancements effort. This specification is required to enhance and upgrade existing and future USMC Military Operation in Urban Terrain (MOUT), Home Station Training (HST) areas and Ranges. Even though these areas are typically equipped with streets, courtyard walls, mosques, buildings, and village shanties, the atmosphere is void of detailed cultural realism such as items listed. Specifically, this specification will provide the detailed information required for placing, updating or enhancing spaces and places within the training areas.
Multi-National Corps Iraq, National Defense University
MNF-Iraq Detainee Aspects of Transition
The goal is to isolate irreconcilable insurgents, increase # of moderates, and minimize impacts of detention policy on alienating population (i.e., creating insurgent supporters and recruits).
United States
U.S. State/Territory Sex Offender Registry Agencies
FOUO U.S. State/Territory Sex Offender Registry Agencies
Department of Agriculture
USDA National Veterinary Stockpile Preparedness
USDA National Veterinary Stockpile Preparedness Brief from the USAHA/AAVLD Joint Meeting.
U.S. Secret Service
U.S. Secret Service First Responder Computer Forensics
THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE
Investigates . . .
Counterfeit currency
Fraud involving U.S. financial obligations and securities
Crimes affecting other federally insured financial institutions
Threats against the President & other government officials
Telecommunications fraud
Access Device fraud
Identity fraud
Computer fraud
Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service Emergency Management Plan for the National Patient Information Reporting System
The National Patient Information Reporting System (NPIRS) Emergency Management Plan (EMP) establishes procedures to recover NPIRS after a disruption. The following objectives have been established for this plan:
• Maximize the effectiveness of contingency operations through an established plan that consists of the following phases:
− Notification/Activation phase to detect and assess damage and to activate the plan
− Recovery phase to restore temporary NPIRS operations and recover damage done to the original system
− Reconstitution phase to restore NPIRS system processing capabilities to normal operations
• Identify the activities, resources, and procedures needed to carry out NPIRS processing requirements during prolonged interruptions to normal operations.
• Assign responsibilities to designated OIT/NPIRS personnel and provide guidance for recovering NPIRS during prolonged periods of interruption to normal operations.
• Ensure coordination with other OIT/NPIRS staff who will participate in the contingency planning strategies; ensure coordination with external points of contact and vendors who will participate in the contingency planning strategies.
U.S. Marine Corps
USMC Motor Transport Equipment Technical Specifications
TM 11240-OD: USMC Motor Transport Equipment Principal Technical Characteristics
Department of Defense
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle Safety
• The concern: Theater tactical vehicle mishaps
• CENTCOM vehicle accident data Jan 2003 – Aug 2008
• 246 fatalities
• 900 serious injuries
• MNC-I data for CY05
• 384 rollovers
• 71 fatalities
Department of Homeland Security
DHS Food and Agriculture Sector Infrastructure Protection
Food and Agriculture Security Partners
DHS coordinatesthe overall national effort to enhance CIKR protection and resiliency through the implementation of the NIPP; With guidanceprovided by Homeland Security, these agencies shall collaborate with all relevant partners to prevent, deter, and mitigate deliberate efforts to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit the food and agriculture sector
* Government Coordinating Council (GCC) –the council which provides effective coordination of agricultural security and food defense strategies and activities, policy, and communication across government and between the government and the private sector to support the nation’s homeland security mission
–Sector Specific Agency (SSA) –the designated sector specific agencies for food and agriculture are the USDA and DHHS (FDA)
–21 Food & Agriculture GCC members
* Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) –created by private industry to serve the sector’s counterterrorism and security interests; represents the scope,breadth, depth, and interdependence of the U.S. Food and Agriculture Sector (i.e., owners, operators, associations)