Earlier this week, the owner of a Wordpress-based blogging platform Blogetery.com was informed by the site’s hosting provider Burst.net that their servers had been deactivated following a request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Although preliminary reports attributed this takedown to copyrighted content, it has since been discovered that the removal was due to “terrorist materials”. A press release from BurstNet explains “Upon review, Burst.net determined that the posted material, in addition to potentially inciting dangerous activities, specifically violated the BurstNet Acceptable Use Policy. This policy strictly prohibits the posting of ‘terrorist propaganda, racist material, or bomb/weapon instructions’. Due to this violation and the fact that the site had a history of previous abuse, BurstNet elected to immediately disable the system.” Burst.net later posted comments to a forum indicating that they would not allow the customer access to his data. “We cannot give him his data nor can we provide any other details. By stating this, most would recognize that something serious is afoot.”
Corporate
BP Propaganda Poetry
At first glance, the process looks chaotic, but after a minute of watching the orchestration a brilliant concert plays out. One of the young men of the Alabama National Guard is from a town not far from the work on Dauphin Island’s west end, as are many others in his outfit. He says that being on active duty in the place he calls home is something state guards hope for. Though they go wherever and whenever they are deployed, often overseas, working to protect home surf and turf is always a welcome assignment. Sweat-stained brows, hands sticky with salty sand, throats parched from Gulf Coast winds and heat, these soldiers of Alabama are producing a visible protection as mile after mile of shoreline become lined with a solid defence against the oil spill should it come ashore. These ‘boxes’, when full of sand are often used as barriers against mortar fire in war zones. Some of these guardsmen have been behind them overseas. They don’t seem to care, however, whether they are used to stop weapons or an oil spill – they care that what they are accomplishing as a team is protecting home.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) DHS IED/VBIED Construction and Tactics Overview
(U//FOUO) The Intelligence Community currently has no specific, credible intelligence indicating that domestic or international terrorist organizations intend to use Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) or Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) against targets within the Homeland. However, both foreign and domestic terrorist groups continue to use IEDs/VBIEDs as a frequently employed method of attack, and in particular, the frequency of lethal IED incidents overseas is cause for continuing concern.
Minnesota, National Guard
(U//FOUO) National Guard Mexico Travel Advisory
FOUO Minnesota National Guard (MNNG) advisory to personnel with respect to travel to the United Mexican States (Mexico).
Iraq, U.S. Army
Operation Iraqi Freedom “Demons in Baghdad” Report
To establish a single source of facts documenting the 728th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron‘s deployment to Baghdad in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). This final report is based on information collected from each of the squadron’s work centers in garrison, prior to deployment and during operations at Camp Griffin, Baghdad International Airport, Iraq.
Headline
Mexico Drug Cartel Carnage Photos
Intelligence Fusion Centers, Virginia
Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) Overview Brief
Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) Overview Brief, April 22, 2009.
California, National Guard
(U//FOUO//LES) California Military Department Antiterrorism Bulletin March 2010
(U//FOUO//LES) California Military Department Antiterrorism Bulletin March 2010.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) DHS Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) Homemade Explosive Warning
(U//FOUO) Terrorists could use the explosive Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), also referred to as acetone peroxide, in an attack against the United States. In December 2001, British shoe-bomber Richard Reid tried to detonate an explosive device with TATP as the initiator while aboard a flight from Paris to Miami. TATP can be made from hydrogen peroxide, acetone, and sulfuric acid. These ingredients are commonly available from drug stores, hardware stores, and car batteries. TATP is extremely sensitive to impact, friction, static/sparks, and heat, and may react violently to drug field testing.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
COMISAF Campaign Overview June 2010
Commander, International Security Assistance Force Campaign Overview June 2010.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) DHS Protective Security Coordination Division
(U//FOUO) DHS Protective Security Coordination Division, March 31, 2010.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) HITRAC Homeland Security Threat Overview
(U//FOUO) HITRAC Homeland Security Threat Overview, October 2007.
U.S. Army
FM 31-27 Pack Animals in Support of Special Operations Forces
This manual provides guidance for training Army special operations forces (ARSOF) personnel in the techniques of animal pack transport and for organizing and operating pack animal units. It captures some of the expertise and techniques that have been lost in the United States (U.S.) Army over the last 50 years. The chapters on care, feeding, and veterinary medicine compose a considerable portion of the manual; however, this material is not intended as a substitute for veterinary expertise nor will it make a veterinarian out of the reader. ARSOF personnel must have a rudimentary knowledge of anatomy and physiology, common injuries, diseases (particularly of the feet), feeding, and watering to properly care for the animals and to avoid abusing them from overloading or overworking.
European Union, United States
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) July 2010 Draft
EU Restricted, U.S. Confidential Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) July 2010 Draft.
Headline
Afghan Children
Intelligence Fusion Centers, New Jersey
(U//FOUO) New Jersey ROIC 2009 Threat Information
(U//FOUO) The NJ ROIC Analysis Element has no information regarding any specific, credible threat to New Jersey or the U.S. Homeland at this time. Due to an active, federal counterterror investigation, the NJ ROIC Analysis Element produced this overview of potential targets of terrorist activity and the tactics, techniques, and procedures that extremists may use. It was produced with information from FBI and DHS, based on analysis of police investigations, thwarted plots, and past terrorist attacks.
Afghanistan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
ISAF Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) Profile and Branch Locations
ISAF Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) Profile and Branch Locations, August 2009.
Montana
Confidential Montana Department of Corrections Gang Guide
Confidential Montana Department of Corrections Gang Guide, November 2007.
Afghanistan, Department of Defense
Human Terrain System Afghan Saffron Report
Saffron, referred to by some as “red gold,” has been in demand for centuries. The Latin name for the plant which bears the delicate spice is Crocus sativus L. Saffron growing has been promoted in Afghanistan in recent years in response to a call from the Afghan government to investigate economically viable licit alternatives to poppy. Due to the significant labor costs inherent to saffron production, saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. Not only are saffron profits competitive with opium, in relation to other licit crops, but saffron needs little water during growth, requires minimal refinement, and has a low volume and weight, making it easily transportable.
Afghanistan, Department of Defense
Human Terrain System Report: Salafist and Wahhabist Influence in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is in many ways an unlikely home for radical Islamic ideologies. Afghan religious life until the 1950s was, and in many places still is, traditional, conservative, rural, and mystical. Just as Afghanistan was politically and ethnically highly fragmented, religious life has also varied tremendously depending on region, ethno-linguistic group, and degree of urbanization.
News
Al-Qaeda Magazine is Cupcake Recipe Book
Recently reports of an English-language “al-Qaeda magazine” were dealt with in mostly uncritical terms by the majority of news outlets. Wired’s Danger Room blog described how the new magazine was an attempt “to move politically frustrated Muslim youth in the West down the road of violent extremism” by filling that “inexplicably vacant media space between O: The Oprah Magazine, Popular Mechanics and the al-Qaida book Knights Under The Prophet’s Banner”. FOXNews quotes Brookings Institution fellow Bruce Reidel as saying that the magazine is “clearly intended for the aspiring jihadist in the U.S. or U.K. who may be the next Fort Hood murderer or Times Square bomber”. The Daily Beast quotes U.S. government officials as saying that the “U.S. government is aware of this new propaganda vehicle by al Qaeda in Yemen and Anwar Awlaki” and that “AQAP and Awlaki are clearly trying to incite terrorist activity overseas, and to recruit new extremists. The packaging of this magazine may be slick, but the contents are as vile as the authors.”
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) DHS Independence Day 2010 Awareness Note
(U//FOUO) The Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center (HITRAC) produces Infrastructure Protection Notes to provide information on risks impacting the critical infrastructure community including terrorist threats, natural hazards, and other events. This IP Note is a joint publication of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) Homeland Counterterrorism Division and the Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP), and is designed to
promote security awareness and to identify actions that the critical infrastructure community can take to mitigate risks to the Nation’s critical infrastructure. As an update to the 26 May 2010 IP Note: Preparing for an Evolving Terrorist Threat, this IP Note serves as a reminder for the critical infrastructure community to remain vigilant during the 4 July 2010 Independence Day holiday.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Veterans Affairs Monthly Data Breach Report April 2010
FOUO Department of Veterans Affairs Monthly Data Breach Report April 2010.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Overview
DHS and DOJ officials have announced a new partnership to provide leadership for enhanced development of the Global Justice XML Data Model as a base for the deployment of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). NIEM will provide enhanced capabilities for organizations to share data across federal, state, local and tribal lines. This paper gives an overview of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). It outlines the background, concepts, objectives and the development strategy for implementing NIEM.
Intelligence Fusion Centers, Louisiana
(U//FOUO) Louisiana Fusion Center Fake Anti-Virus Malware Warning
Over the past few days, there has been an increase in computers infected with Fake spyware and anti-virus malware. These infestations produce a popup stating that your machine is infected with viruses and offer a way to remove them. The object of this software is to trick you into believing you have viruses that need to be removed. A scan will launch after you “click” anywhere on the message and will request payment for removal of the “viruses”.