U.S. targets terrorist fundraisers in South America

By Jamie Crawford

The United States on Wednesday designated a Colombian national as a terrorist for his alleged role directing fund-raising activities in the Americas on behalf of Hezbollah, a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
In addition, the Treasury Department also designated four individuals and three entities for their purported role in laundering money for Ayman Joumaa, an alleged drug trafficker and money-launderer currently under indictment by a U.S. federal court.
"The Joumaa network is a sophisticated multi-national money-laundering ring, which launders the proceeds of drug trafficking for the benefit of criminals and the terrorist group Hizballah," David S. Cohen, under secretary for terrorism and financial Intelligence, said in a written statement. "We and our partners will continue to aggressively map, expose and disable this network, as we are doing with today's sanctions."
Ali Mohamad Saleh, a Lebanese Colombian national, was designated as a "specially designated global terrorist" for his role directing Hezbollah's fund-raising activities in the Americas, Treasury said in a press release. Previously designated under separate sanctions for his role as a money-launderer for other organizations, Saleh solicited donations for Hezbollah from Colombian business owners and residents, and coordinated the transfer of those funds via Venezuela to Hezbollah's base in Lebanon. He also maintained communication with suspected Hezbollah operatives in Venezuela, Germany, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia the Treasury Department said.

Abbas Hussein Harb and Ibrahim Chibli were designated pursuant to the Kingpin Act for their roles in the movement of millions of dollars of narcotics-related proceeds in the Joumaa network. Both men used their organizations to launder money for the Joumaa organization through the Lebanese financial system, federal authorities said. Harb is a dual citizen of Venezuela and Lebanon, and Chibli is a citizen of Lebanon.
The Kingpin Act is a federal law that targets the financial networks of significant narcotics traffickers and their organizations worldwide.
Both Harb and Saleh each had a brother designated by Treasury under the Kingpin Act in Wednesday's action for their roles in the Joumaa network. Three companies under the control of both men were sanctioned as well.
Ayman Joumaa was designated under the Kingpin Act in January 2011 for his role as a high-level money launderer and drug trafficker with operations in the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Africa. He was indicted by a U.S. District Court in Virginia in November 2011 for being the leader of an international money -laundering effort that coordinated the shipments of cocaine destined for the United States from Colombia to the Los Zetas drug cartel in Mexico.
Treasury's actions, which prohibit any U.S. citizen from conducting financial and commercial activity with the entities named, and freeze any of their assets under U.S. jurisdiction, were carried out in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"These sanctions will go a long way toward ensuring that the entire Joumaa network is brought to justice," John Arvanitis, chief of financial operations for the DEA, said in the same written statement.

http://www.cnn.com/

Army foils al-Qaeda attempt to capture town

The Yemeni army has foiled an Al-Qaeda attempt to take control on Attaq, the capital of Shabwa governorate, after the army imposed a siege on Al-Qaeda militants in the neighboring governorate of Abyan, security sources affirmed on Monday.
Chief of Attaq district, Abdullah Al-Sumnah, reiterated that security sources in collaboration with local tribesmen could strongly foiled an Al-Qeeda's plot.
He affirmed that Al-Qaeda operatives were planning to attack security checkpoints or infiltrating to the town through byways, asserting that tight security measures were taken to confront any Al-Qaeda potential raids.
He pointed out that officials of the governorate coordinate with tribal leaders and dignitaries of the areas surrounding the district to fight Al-Qeda and thwart its plans.
Meanwhile, local sources in Abyan revealed that sharp disagreements emerged between the Republican Guard brigades positioned in Abyan and the governor of Abyan Jamal Al-Aqel regarding the Popular Resistance Committees that backed the army in fighting Al-Qaeda.
Fears have been raised by the Republican Guard that these committees will untimely turn to militias that will demand to separate South Yemen from the north.
The local sources said that forces of the Republican Guard led by son of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh demanded to demobilize members of the Popular Resistance Committees and hand over the positions retaken again from Al-Qaeda to the Republican Guard.
Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded, killing four tribesmen and wounding another of what is called the Popular Resistance Committees formed of tribesmen to back the army, the Defense Ministry said. Military sources said six jihadists died in clashes with troops, elsewhere in Abyan.
The Yemeni army has foiled an Al-Qaeda attempt to take control on Attaq, the capital of Shabwa governorate, after the army imposed a siege on Al-Qaeda militants in the neighboring governorate of Abyan, security sources affirmed on Monday.
Chief of Attaq district, Abdullah Al-Sumnah, reiterated that security sources in collaboration with local tribesmen could strongly foiled an Al-Qeeda's plot.
He affirmed that Al-Qaeda operatives were planning to attack security checkpoints or infiltrating to the town through byways, asserting that tight security measures were taken to confront any Al-Qaeda potential raids.
He pointed out that officials of the governorate coordinate with tribal leaders and dignitaries of the areas surrounding the district to fight Al-Qeda and thwart its plans.
Meanwhile, local sources in Abyan revealed that sharp disagreements emerged between the Republican Guard brigades positioned in Abyan and the governor of Abyan Jamal Al-Aqel regarding the Popular Resistance Committees that backed the army in fighting Al-Qaeda.
Fears have been raised by the Republican Guard that these committees will untimely turn to militias that will demand to separate South Yemen from the north.
The local sources said that forces of the Republican Guard led by son of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh demanded to demobilize members of the Popular Resistance Committees and hand over the positions retaken again from Al-Qaeda to the Republican Guard.
Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded, killing four tribesmen and wounding another of what is called the Popular Resistance Committees formed of tribesmen to back the army, the Defense Ministry said. Military sources said six jihadists died in clashes with troops, elsewhere in Abyan.

 http://yemenpost.net/

Convictions in Scandinavian 'Mumbai-style' terror plot

Four men behind what officials describe as the most serious Islamist terrorist plot ever hatched in Scandinavia were convicted of the plot Monday in a courthouse in Glostrup, just outside of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Three Swedish nationals and a Tunisian resident of Sweden were found guilty of targeting Jyllands Posten, the Copenhagen-based newspaper responsible for publishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The court ruled there was no doubt about their plan to attack and sentenced each of the men to 12 years in prison.

Counterterrorism officials in the United States and Scandinavia believe the plot was directed by al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan.

Authorities contend the four suspects planned a gun attack on the newspaper, to be followed by "the execution" of hostages.

It is possible a reception due to be attended by Denmark's crown prince in the same building as the newspaper was the intended target, a prosecutor said in court. The reception was to be held hours after the terrorist cell was arrested, but the prosecutor said there was no evidence the men were specifically targeting the crown prince.

The cell's plans were thwarted by a joint operation of Swedish and Danish security services, which tracked the suspects in December 2010 as they drove from Sweden to Denmark with a submachine gun, a silencer, and several dozen 9mm submachine gun cartridges, authorities say.

The four men convicted -- Mounir Dhahri, 46, a Tunisian citizen; Munir Awad, 31, of Lebanese descent; Sahbi Zalouti, 39, of Tunisian descent; and Omar Aboelazm, 32, of Egyptian descent -- are charged with plotting to kill a large number of people at the newspaper. They have denied the charges.

Western security services believe the plot was part of a broader al Qaeda conspiracy, authorized by Osama bin Laden, to strike Europe with operations mirroring the Mumbai, India, attack in November 2008, which killed nearly 200 people.

Dhahri, the suspected ringleader of the cell, Awad, and Zalouti had all traveled to Pakistan in early 2010. Awad and Zalouti, traveling separately, were arrested by Pakistani authorities in August 2010 before they could reach the North Waziristan region and were subsequently deported, according to a Swedish counterterrorism source.

During the trial, prosecutors pointed to a map showing Miramshah in North Waziristan and told the jury the plot had links to Pakistan, according to Elisabeth Haslund, a reporter for Berlingske newspaper, who attended the proceedings. But while the court ruled that Dhahri spent time in Waziristan, few details emerged in court on his movements there.

The court heard that Zalouti admitted to Swedish police he wired money from Sweden via Western Union to Dhahri in Bannu, a town bordering North Waziristan, according to Haslund.

Dhahri evaded capture in Pakistan, and he is believed to have received training there prior to returning to Europe shortly before the group began to plot their attack, according to the source.

At trial, it was revealed that Dhahri traveled back from Pakistan through Athens and Brussels, where Zalouti picked him up in a car. According to prosecutors, they then traveled to Copenhagen to case targets including the Jyllands Posten before traveling on to Stockholm.

Awad, the Lebanese-born suspect, had long been on the radar screen of Swedish counterterrorism services. He was suspected of having joined up with jihadist militants in Somalia in 2006 before fleeing the country when Ethiopian troops launched a military operation against Islamist militants there, according to a Danish security source.

By October 2010, Swedish security services had begun tracking the cell, placing listening devices in the men's apartments. A Swedish counterterrorism source told CNN the group did not settle on attacking the newspaper until shortly before the planned attack, and often squabbled.

Prosecutors stated that in the weeks before the plot was thwarted, there were 75 calls from a SIM card used by Dhahri to a number in Pakistan linked to "Masror," an individual suspected of involvement in terrorist activity. In court Monday, state prosecutor Gyrithe Ulrich argued the men deserved a significant prison sentence because they were "fulfilling a task ordered from Pakistan" and came close to carrying out their operation, according to Haslund.

On the evening of December 28, 2010, three of the cell members set off from Stockholm in a rental car with Dhahri at the wheel, authorities said. Security services continuously monitored their progress, including from the air. Zalouti bailed from the journey at the last minute, and was later arrested in Stockholm, according to court documents.

The court heard that after his arrest, he claimed to Swedish police he was aware that Dhahri -- his best friend -- and the others were planning an attack on the Jyllands Posten newspaper, but wanted out, according to Haslund.

Taking the stand in court, Zalouti said that at the time he only suspected a possible plot and had thought about calling police to alert them of his concerns after getting out of the car in Sweden, Haslund said.

It was just after 2 a.m. when the vehicle carrying the other cell members crossed the iconic Oresund Bridge connecting the two countries, authorities say. When they reached Copenhagen, they were initially unable to find the address where they planned to sleep. Just after 10 a.m. on December 29, Danish police, concerned the men might be about to try launch their operation, moved in to make the arrests.

Authorities say officials had already taken precautions. When they learned the group was planning to travel to Denmark, they secretly disabled their weapons, according to a Swedish counterterrorism source.

Plastic wrist strips were also found in their car, according to court documents, and security services said they believed the materials were going to be used to handcuff hostages. Security services believe the plan was to try to take up to 200 journalists hostage at the newspaper and execute many of them, a Swedish counterterrorism source told CNN.

The equivalent of $20,000 in cash was also recovered from the suspects, and a pistol and ammunition were found in one of their apartments, according to court documents.

A Swedish counterterrorism source has told CNN that investigations have revealed a complex set of connections between the plotters and a network linked to Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior Pakistani al Qaeda operative who Western intelligence believe orchestrated al Qaeda's plans to hit Europe with Mumbai-style attacks.

Dhahri and Awad had a connection to "Farid," a Stockholm-based militant of Moroccan descent who is suspected of acting as facilitator for Kashmiri's terrorist network, according to a Swedish counterterrorism source.

At trial, the prosecutor stated that in the days before the cell set off for Sweden, Dhahri was in touch by phone five times with Farid, using Zalouti's phone.

Also involved with Kashmiri's network was David Headley, an American of Pakistani descent who pleaded guilty two years ago to helping plot the Mumbai attacks.

According to an interview of Headley by India's National Investigation Agency that was obtained by CNN, Headley met with Farid in 2009 in relation to a plot Headley himself was planning against the Jyllands Posten newspaper.

The newspaper and its cartoonists have been targeted by several plots in recent years, including one by a Norwegian al Qaeda cell that was broken up in July 2010.

Kashmiri was reported killed in a drone strike in June 2011.

An attack strategy document seized on an alleged al Qaeda recruit in Berlin last spring indicates the terrorist group still hopes to launch a gun and hostage execution attack in Europe because of the publicity and fear such attacks would create.

 http://edition.cnn.com/

The very model of a successful bin Laden raid

By Mike Mount

Inside the Pentagon there are historical displays for almost everything the military has done dating back to this country's Revolutionary War. There are also models of all kinds: planes, trucks, missiles, ships and submarines.
On Wednesday an unassuming display popped up in one of hallways with little fanfare. At first there was passing interest, but as word spread more and more people started to gather around, asking questions and taking pictures.
The Styrofoam-and-acrylic model turned out to be a bit of new Pentagon history - it shows Osama bin Laden's walled compound and surrounding farmland.
Designed and built to be used in the planning for the May 2011 raid that killed the al Qaeda leader, the model also was taken to the White House to brief President Obama on plans for the raid.
It was built over a six-week period in the months before the raid and has sat on display in the lobby of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, just a few miles from the Pentagon and White House.
Until last week, the model was considered classified and only those working or visiting the building could see it.

Now it is declassified, and agency officials wanted to bring it over to the Pentagon for a brief time to show it off to Department of Defense "customers" to highlight what the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency can do for them, according to an agency information sheet.
The to-scale diorama helped the Navy Seals literally measure the steps it would take to get to bin Laden.
"We were able, through what we call pattern-of-life activity analysis, to determine that there was certainly a very important person there because there was operational security that was taking place at that compound that was unusual for any other compound in that area," Letitia Long told CNN's Security Clearance last March.
"It was a large compound. It was built in a very different way than surrounding compounds ... (featuring) the situational security, the high walls, the concertina wire, very little interaction with other members of the community," Long said.
After its brief display at the Pentagon, the model will return to the lobby of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency building.

 http://edition.cnn.com/

Bin Laden raid nets one intel employee big bonus

By Arielle Hawkins

The identities of the Navy SEALs who raided Osama bin Laden's compound remain a mystery, but one man who helped get them there is getting his due – publicly and financially.
Eric R. Benn, with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, has won a Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for his satellite imagery of the terrorist's compound in Pakistan.
Benn "oversaw and validated trade craft and methodologies applied in the final pursuit of and successful raid on the Osama bin Laden compound in Abbottabad," according to an announcement about the financial reward from the Senior Executives Association, a non-profit group which runs the award ceremony.
His satellite imagery interpretation was used to create a built-to-scale model of the al Qaeda leader's hide out. This model was then used in White House senior strategy briefings, helping the Navy SEALs to map out their May 2011 attack, according to the the president of the association.
"Mr. Benn's singular accomplishment is probably the most stunning and the one that will produce shock and awe for most Americans" said Carol Bonosaro, President of the SEA.
Benn was nominated for the award by the NGA, Bonosaro told Security Clearance.
Benn, and the other 53 award recipients, each earned a lump sum bonus equaling 35 percent of their normal annual salaries. They received their honors at an event last month at the State Department.
The Presidential Rank Awards, established by Congress in 1978, are given out annually. The number of awardees is capped by Congress but in 2011 the Obama administration further reduced the number of awardees citing economy.

 http://security.blogs.cnn.com/

To kill or to capture, that is the question.

By Pam Benson

The director of the National Counterterrorism Center made it clear Wednesday where he stands in the debate over whether it is better to capture suspected terrorists or kill them outright. Matthew Olsen prefers capture.
Olsen made his comments during a discussion on the evolving threat of al Qaeda at an American Bar Association event.
Asked if he prefers gaining important intelligence through interrogation over killing terrorists, Olsen responded, "I have a strong preference for gaining intelligence," a comment that brought laughter from the audience.
As the NCTC director, his job is to make sure his analysts have access to as much terrorism-related information as possible so they can connect the dots and help thwart potential plots.

The center was created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when the intelligence community was criticized for not working together to merge available information that might have prevented the worst attack on the U.S. soil.
Olsen said the goal of terrorist interrogations "is to get intelligence in order to understand what's happening, what the terrorists plans are in order to stop them."
The Obama administration has dramatically increased the targeted killing of suspected terrorists by using CIA-operated unmanned drones to fire missiles at them in the tribal regions of Pakistan and in Yemen, where what the U.S. considers al Qaeda's most dangerous affiliate operates.
But Olsen would not get drawn into a debate about the drone program. "The important thing is that when we have the opportunity to detain and interrogate somebody, we take advantage of that. I think that has been what we've done," he said.
Capture versus killing was an issue last year during intense discussions at the White House, when President Obama was deciding whether to authorize a raid into the Pakistan compound where Osama bin Laden was believed to be living. Some of the president's key advisers, including Vice President Joe Biden and then Defense Secretary Robert Gates, favored a missile strike on the compound over a risky raid by Navy special unit.
In an interview Wednesday on "CBS This Morning," Gates explained he was concerned about how the Pakistanis would react if the United States went into the compound and bin Laden wasn't there.
"My view was, let's kill him, but let's use a missile of some kind," Gates said. "The objection to that was, 'Well, we couldn't collect any information to exploit.'"
Gates said a missile strike was "probably the least risky way" to take bin Laden out. Gates said Obama's decision to authorize a raid instead was a "very courageous call."

http://edition.cnn.com/

U.K. faces problem of security service members with links to terrorism

Abdul Rahman, a 33-year old Scotland Yard constable of Bangladeshi descent, had his security clearance revoked in 2006 — he chose to resign rather than be dismissed — following an MI5 investigation which concluded that, in 2001, he spent time in a terrorist training camp in Pakistan; he is one of three members of the U.K. security forces dismissed because of links to terrorism; this case made the headline because he is suing the service for compensation, and the secret legal proceedings are about to begin

U.K. authorities embroiled in wrongful termination suit // Source: wikimedia.org

One of the intractable security problems the U.S. and other coalition forces face in Afghanistan is the infiltration of the ranks of Afghan police and military by Taliban sympathizers. Scores of coalition soldiers, and Afghan government police and military, were killed by Taliban members in Afghani police or military uniforms, uniforms which allowed them to access facilities and areas which otherwise would be closed to them.
Do the U.K. security forces face a similar problem, even if on a smaller scale? The case of Abdul Rahman, 33, may be an indication.
Rahman joined Scotland Yard in 2003, but in 2006 an internal investigation by MI5 concluded that he might have visited a terrorist training camp in Pakistan when he travelled there in 2001. When confronted with the MI5 report, Rahman chose to resign rather than be dismissed from the force, and he  is now suing Scotland Yard for compensation.
Scotland Yard said in legal documents that it acted “for the purpose of safeguarding national and public security.” The Telegraph quotes a source familiar with the case to say that there were either one or two other officers who had also lost their jobs because of MI5’s suspicion that they might have trained as terrorists.
“There was concern that these people had come into the force under false pretences,” the senior Metropolitan Police source told the Telegraph. “There were two or three cases at the same time that were of a similar nature, where there were concerns about potential terrorist links.”
Rahman drew the attention of MI5 following the comprehensive security review of the U.K. security situation, a review launched in the wake of the 7 July 2005 terrorist attack, and the subsequent failed 21 July bombings.
MI5 recommended that Rahman security clearance (or CTC, for counter-terrorist check) be suspended, and Scotland Yard accepted, suspending Rahman’s CTC on 22 June 2006.  He was interviewed three times, and in November 2006 he was told that his CTC vetting clearance had been revoked.
Rahman’s lawyer, Jasmine van Loggerenberg, of Russell Jones and Walker, said: “My client absolutely denies the allegations against him and this forms the basis of his claims against the police. It’s important to stress that this is a case being brought by Mr. Rahman, not by the Metropolitan Police. There are no criminal proceedings against him. Mr. Rahman has never been arrested, questioned or charged in a criminal context in relation to these proceedings.”
The Telegraph reports that last month, after a 5-year legal battle, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that his case could be held in secret, although Rahman had wanted a public hearing. Mr. Justice Mitting, a High Court judge who also specializes in terror cases in his role aschairman of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, ruled that Rahman and his legal team would be banned from parts of the hearing that concerned issues of national security.
Scotland Yard applied to have Rahman’s case heard in secret because the service wants to protect intelligence sources, sources which might be compromised if the sensitive evidence emerges in open court.
The legal proceedings will be held in such secrecy, in fact, that a security-cleared “special advocate,” instead of his own lawyer, will be appointed on Rahman’s behalf.

http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/

Officials Say Britain's MI6 Key To Al Qaida Double Agent In Thwarted Bomb Plot

By: Eileen Sullivan, Kimberly Dozier, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The double agent in the foiled al-Qaida bomb plot had a British passport, making the U.K.'s intelligence agency key to the international sting operation.

Two officials briefed on the investigation said the double agent had a British passport. The officials requested anonymity to discuss the operational details. One official said the British intelligence agency, MI6, gave the double agent the passport as part of the ruse.

Al-Qaida wants terror recruits that have a U.S. or British passport because they are more likely to be able to travel to and from the West without raising suspicion.

British Prime Minister David Cameron's office on Friday declined to comment in any detail on the reports of the country's role in thwarting the new bomb plot uncovered in Yemen.

Last month, al-Qaida's Yemen branch entrusted a new, sophisticated underwear bomb designed to take down and airplane with a would-be suicide bomber. But the bomber was actually a double agent, working with the CIA, Saudi intelligence agencies and the MI6. The double agent turned the bomb over to the U.S. government.

The operation shows the close cooperation among the U.S., Britain, and Saudi Arabia, whose intelligence service played a major role in infiltrating the organization, and helping communicate with the agent.

The British intelligence role was first reported by NBC News.

The explosive has been described as an upgrade over the 2009 Christmas bomb that nearly brought down an airliner over Detroit. This new device contained lead azide, a chemical known as a reliable detonator. After the Christmas attack failed, al-Qaida used lead azide as the detonator in the 2010 plot against cargo planes.

Security procedures at U.S. airports were unchanged despite the plot, a reflection of both the U.S. confidence in its security systems and a recognition that the government can't realistically expect travelers to endure much more. Increased costs and delays to airlines and shipping companies from new security measures could have a global economic impact too.

Security officials said they believe airport security systems put in place in the United States in recent years could have detected the new device or one like it. But the attempt served as a stark reminder that security overseas is quite different.

While airline checks in the United States mean passing through an onerous, sometimes embarrassing series of pat-downs and body scans, procedures overseas can be a mixed bag. The U.S. cannot force other countries to permanently adopt the expensive and intrusive measures that have become common in American airports over the past decade. 

 http://www.hstoday.us/home.html

Terror's Technician: al Qaeda bomb-maker is US' worst nightmare

Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who runs a clandestine bomb factory in Yemen, has built a reputation as al Qaeda's bomb-making savant one potential near miss at a time: explosive-rigged underwear aboard a Christmas flight to the US in 2009, printers fitted with high-grade explosives less than a yearlater, and now possibly a metal-free device that could avoid airport detectors, causing ripples in American law enforcement agencies.
Asiri, now called 'Evil Genius', by US intelligence agencies, has emerged as CIA's worst nightmare since the slaying of terror chief Osama bin Laden and is now  a major focus of America's anti-terrorism efforts, CNN reported quoting US intelligence officials.
Before those failed attempts, he staged an even more audacious attack: Turning his own brother into a suicide bomber in a mission that injured Saudi Arabia's top counterterrorism official and was later decried by the US State Department for its "brutality, novelty and sophistication."
"You tyrants ... your bastions and fortifications will not prevent us from reaching you," said an al Qaeda statement claiming responsibility for the August 2009 blast in Jiddah.
This appears to be the essence of al-Asiri's plots as one of the leaders of the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. A pattern has emerged of explosive expertise channeled into designs using a smuggler-style stealth and innovation to try to outwit security forces and spy agencies.
US authorities on Tuesday probed the latest device believed to be the work of the Saudi-born al-Asiri or one of his students after it was uncovered in a CIA operation.
It was described as a refinement of the underwear bomb that failed to detonate aboard a jetliner over Detroit on December 25, 2009. The twist this time was an absence of metal, which could have made the device undetectable by conventional airport scanners.
The primary charge in the latest device was high-grade military explosive that the Times, quoting an official, said "undoubtedly would have brought down an aircraft."
The other change in the metal-free device was that it could detonate in two ways. An improvement, to ensure that a repeat failure like the one to blow-up a jet over Detroit does not occur again.
"It was a threat from a standpoint of the design," said John Brennan, US President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser.

Who is al-Asiri?
Al-Asiri, 30, was a student of Chemistry in Riyah. He tried to join the al Qaeda in Iraq to fight off the 2003 US invasion but he was arrested by Saudi officials when trying to cross the border. He arrived in Yemen in 2006 after being jailed by Saudi officials in crackdowns against Islamic militants.

File photo of al Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. AP/Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior

"They put me in prison and I began to see the depths of (the Saudi) servitude to the Crusaders and their hatred for the true worshippers of God, from the way they interrogated me," he is quoted as saying in the September 2009 issue of Sada al-Malahem, or Voice of Battles, an Arabic-language online magazine put out by al Qaeda's branch in Yemen.
His younger brother, Abdullah, also made the trek to Yemen as they turned their backs on their father, a four-decade veteran of the Saudi military.
In Yemen's rugged northern mountains, they met with fugitive Yemeni militant Nasser al-Wahishi, a former aide to Osama bin Laden, and became the nucleus of the new al Qaeda affiliate, said the magazine account, which could not be independently confirmed.
They later brought in US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki as a powerful propaganda voice in the West. Al-Awlaki was killed in a US airstrike last September.
US intelligence officials at first believed al-Asiri also was killed in the attack, but the suspicions were proven wrong several weeks later.

Attacking Saudi:
In August 2009, al-Asiri was linked to an elaborate scheme to strike at the heart of Saudi's intelligence services. His first experiment was with his brother, Abdullah, who posed as a disenchanted militant wishing to surrender to high-ranking officials in his homeland. A Saudi royal jet was dispatched. To avoid detection, the explosive- laden with 100 grams of PETN or pentaerythritol tetranitrate which was reportedly hidden in his rectum or held between his legs.

A file photo of Saudi Arabia's Deputy Interior minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. (Reuters)

Once inside the Saudi intelligence offices in the Red Sea port of Jiddah, he detonated the device near his target: deputy interior minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef - whose father Prince Nayef ran the ministry and would later become the kingdom's heir to the throne.
Prince Mohammed was slightly injured in the suicide blast. But for al Asiri, it was near success. Never before had they got so close to killing a royal family member.
The bomb used, was an industrial explosive known as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, the same material used in 2001 by convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid when he tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight.
It would become a signature element of al-Asiri's plots, according to intelligence analysts.

Failed bombings:


After the failed Christmas 2009 bombing, investigators pulled al-Asiri's fingerprint off the bomb hidden in the underwear of the Nigerian-born suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, aboard the Northwest Airlines flight. Click here for details.
The design of the bomb was innovative, US counterterrorism officals were quoted by CNN.
The main PETN explosive was located in a specially sewn pouch in Abdulmutallab's underwear. The explosive was connected to a detonator. A syringe in his underwear, filled with two chemicals: potassium permanganate and ethylene glycol would serve as the inititiating device.

A file photo of Abdulmutallab, accused of setting alight an explosive device attached to his body. (Reuters)

As the flight approached Detroit, Abdulmutallab plunged the syringe, mixing the two chemicals and setting them afire. This flame set off the detonator, according to the prosecution. The PETN device, however, failed to detonate. Instead, some of it started burning.
While those on board the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 were lucky, Asiri was undettered. Within months he designed a device that could be integrated into a printer.
Asiri was linked to the discovery of printer cartridges packed with 400 grams of PETN and sent by international courier with Chicago-area synagogues listed as the destination. Click here for details.
Specially trained dogs and even X-ray scanners could not detect the explosive-rigged packages - believed powerful enough to bring down a plane.
"The toner cartridge contains the toner which is carbon-based and that is an organic material. The carbon's molecular structure is close to that of PETN," al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula boasted later, reports CNN.

Asiri, a major threat?Al-Asiri became a major focus of America's anti-terrorism efforts. In March 2011, Washington officially designed al-Asiri as a wanted terrorist, calling him the primary bombmaker for AQAP. It also presumably puts al-Asiri among the chief targets on the US hit list.
Last month, US officials expressed concern that al Qaeda "intends to advance plots along multiple fronts, including renewed efforts to target Western aviation," according to a joint intelligence bulletin circulated from the US Northern Command, the FBI and Homeland Security Department.
While al-Asiri has been dubbed the master bomb-maker of al Qaeda's Yemen franchise, it may be wrong to label him the linchpin of the group's ability to strike with explosives, said Gregory Johnsen, a Yemen expert at Princeton University.
Although US officials touted the disrupted plot as a success, they acknowledged AQAP remained determined to strike and its master bombmaker, al-Asiri, was apparently hard at work seeking to circumvent airport security.
It is al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen that "we're most worried about, the affiliate we spend the most time on. They're operating in the midst of essentially an insurgency, a multi-polar struggle for the control of Yemen. And that allows them the opportunity to recruit, to fundraise, to plot," say US counterterrorism officials.
"I think it is safe to assume that in the nearly six years that he has been in Yemen, he has trained other individuals to replace him if he were to be killed," Johnsen wrote on his blog on Tuesday. "It is unlikely that Asiri is the only bombmaker AQAP has within its ranks - he is just the only name we know."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/

FBI sting operations become more common

The FBI is using more and more informants in sting operations aiming to spot, and thwart, terrorist attacks in the United States; this use of informants and undercover agent by the FBI is being questioned by defense attorneys and civil liberties advocates, who ask whether such operations are preventing crimes that could have resulted in scores of deaths, or creating a crime that would not have occurred without the FBI’s help

The Cleveland Five, accused of attempting to blow up a bridge // Source: chinapost.com.tw

Last week, HSNW reported on a successful FBI sting operation that led to the arrest of five self-described anarchists who plotted to blow up the Ohio 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga River.
The FBI had used a paid informant, who made contact with one of the five, Douglas Wright, at an Occupy Cleveland rally in October, and was present during the group’s discussions of planning violent action. The anarchists’ plans evolved during this time from toppling financial signs atop high-rise buildings in downtown Cleveland to, ultimately, destroying the bridge.
The group had determined that their most effective statement would be the destruction of the bridge, and were researching different explosive materials which they could make themselves. They settled on  C-4 plastic explosive, and the FBI informant suggested that he might be able to obtain a quantity of it. He supplied the group with a mock explosive that the conspirators then planted at the base of the bridge and drove off, attempting to detonate the fake C-4 by keying in a code in a transmission device.
This use of informants and undercover agent by the FBI is being questioned by defense attorneys and civil liberties advocates, who ask whether such operations are preventing crimes that could have resulted in scores of deaths, or creating a crime that would not have occurred without the FBI’s help.
In February, the FBI arrested a Moroccan man who set out to attack the U.S. Capitol armed with a suicide vest and an automatic handgun. Both the vest and weapon had been provided to him by the FBI, and both were harmless. As with the Cleveland five, the man had considered other targets, settling finally on the Capitol.
“Presently, the prevailing kind of view in the public is that the war on terror is so important that we’re going to condone aggressive government conduct,” said Geoffrey Mearns, a former assistant U.S. attorney for one of the Oklahoma City bombers prosecutors.
Mearns said the FBI and prosecutors are under intense pressure when deciding how to carry out an investigation because they know lives are at stake. “If they miscalculate, the consequences are devastating,” he said.
Michael German, former FBI undercover agent and now an ACLU attorney, says the bureau is now much more willing to provide encouragement and material to further a plot.
Many people are uncomfortable with the sting-type operations, saying that such investigations have the air of entrapment. An entrapment defense, however, is unlikely to stand up in court.
As in the case of the Portland Christmas tree lighting ceremony bombing attempt of 2010, FBI undercover agents supplied Mohemmed Osman Mohmmud with an inert explosive device and bomb.
In that case, Mohammud had selected the target, and had repeatedly affirmed his desire to go operational, that is, to conduct an attack. According to the FBI, Mohammud was informed that there would be children present, and he answered that his goal was to inflict mass casualties, regardless of the age of the victims.
Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham University School of Law, told Peter Krouse of the Plain Dealer that terrorism cases have high conviction rates but that public debate often focuses on who initiates the plot. Who, for instance, is the first to mention al-Qaeda or to embrace jihad? Who suggests the target or chooses the weapon?
With the foiled Cleveland bridge bombers, it appears from the FBI’s narrative that “almost everything started with the defendants themselves,” she said, although it is not so clear that they could have carried out the crime without the government’s help.
In the case of the Cleveland bridge bombing suspects, where the attack plan originated is of little consequence, since the accused bombers took what they believed were the explosives, planted them at their target site, and attempted to detonate them.

http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/

Official: Attempt to blow up plane thwarted

[Updated at 6:09 p.m. ET] A U.S. official told CNN the plot was disrupted "well before it was ever a threat to the United States.”
The official added that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was the group responsible for the plot.
"We believe AQAP produced the device, and we believe it was intended to be used by a suicide bomber on an aircraft," the official said. "The device and the plot are consistent with what we know about AQAP’s plans, intentions, and capabilities. They remain committed to striking targets in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Homeland, and Europe. And AQAP is probably feeling pressure to conduct a successful attack to, from their perspective, avenge the deaths of Bin Laden and (Anwar al-Awlaki).”
Terrorist's death signals U.S-Yemen cooperation
The official added, as others have, that the device has the hallmarks of their previous bombs including the failed assassination attempt on Saudi security official Mohammed Bin Nayif as well as the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing.
"While similar, a preliminary review of this device shows that it has some significant differences from the device used in the Christmas day attack," the U.S. official said. "It is clear that AQAP is revamping its bomb techniques to try to avoid the causes of the failure of the 2009 device."
The official said the FBI was thoroughly examining the device.
The U.S. official added it believed that the threat from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is due in part to territorial gains they were able to make during Yemen's political standoff in early 2011.
"Those territorial gains have allowed the group to establish additional training camps," the official said.
[Updated at 5:58 p.m. ET] Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed the plot during a press conference on an unrelated issue.
"What this incident makes clear is that this country ahs to continue to remain vigilant against those that would seek to attack this country," Panetta said. "We will do everything necessary to keep America safe"
[Updated at 5:36 p.m. ET] CNN Terrorism Analyst Paul Cruickshank says one of the key things officials will be looking at is the exact make-up of the device and how it may be similar or different to the device used in the attempted bombing of an airliner in 2009.
Cruickshank said the suspect in the 2009 attempt, dubbed the "underwear bomber" wore the device for a long time as he traveled throughout Africa and it may have become desensitized. Tests on this device may allow officials to learn more about what changes al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula may have been made following the failed bombing.
Al Qaeda's biggest threat: al Asiri
[Updated at 5:20 p.m. ET] Matt Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, released a statement saying that they had no specific threat about an active plot against the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security statement added that the incident showed that enemies still have a high interest in targeting air transportation, which underscores the continued need for increased security at airports.
The statement reads:
“We have no specific, credible information regarding an active terrorist plot against the U.S. at this time, although we continue to monitor efforts by al-Qaeda and its affiliates to carry out terrorist attacks, both in the Homeland and abroad. Since this IED demonstrates our adversaries’ interest in targeting the aviation sector, DHS continues, at the direction of the President, to employ a risk-based, layered approach to ensure the security of the traveling public.
"These layers include threat and vulnerability analysis, prescreening and screening of passengers, using the best available technology, random searches at airports, federal air marshal coverage and additional security measures both seen and unseen. DHS will continue to work with our federal, state, local, international and private sector partners to identify potential threats and take appropriate protective measures. As always, we encourage law enforcement and security officials, as well as the general public, to maintain vigilance and report suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.”
[Updated at 5:16 p.m. ET] The FBI released a statement Monday afternoon saying that the device was seized abroad.
It reads in full:
"As a result of close cooperation with our security and intelligence partners overseas, an improvised explosive device (IED) designed to carry out a terrorist attack has been seized abroad. The FBI currently has possession of the IED and is conducting technical and forensics analysis on it. Initial exploitation indicates that the device is very similar to IEDs that have been used previously by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in attempted terrorist attacks, including against aircraft and for targeted assassinations. The device never presented a threat to public safety, and the U.S. government is working closely with international partners to address associated concerns with the device. We refer you to the Department of Homeland Security, including the Transportation Security Administration, regarding ongoing security measures to safeguard the American people and the traveling public."
[Updated at 5:10 p.m. ET]  CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellen reports that a counterterrorism official said they do not believe the attack was  planned to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden.
Officials said they believed the device never posed a threat to the public and heralded the thwarted plot and recovered device as a sign that American intelligence capabilities have improved.
[Updated at 5:05 p.m. ET] Caitlin Hayden, the Deputy National Security Council Spokesperson, released a statement about the plot on behalf of the White House:
"The President was first informed about the plot in April by his Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor John Brennan, and he has received regular updates and briefings as needed from his national security team. While the President was assured that the device did not pose a threat to the public, he directed the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement and intelligence agencies to take whatever steps necessary to guard against this type of attack. The disruption of this IED plot underscores the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism here and abroad. The President thanks all intelligence and counterterrorism professionals involved for their outstanding work and for serving with the extraordinary skill and commitment that their enormous responsibilities demand.”
[Updated at 5:03 p.m. ET] A U.S. counterterrorism official said the specific device was "nonmetallic" and was made to be used by a suicide bomber on an airliner.
The device is different from what was used by the "underwear bomber" in 2009, but it was in the same category, the official said. Those changes show al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is adapting its tactics.
[Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET] U.S. and international intelligence agencies have broken up an attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound jetliner, a U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN on Monday.
"This is a success story," the U.S. official said, adding that an explosive device was recovered.
The device has the hallmarks of previous bombing attempts by members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula including those used in the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day in 2009 and against a senior Saudi official earlier in 2009, according to the U.S official. Both devices were associated with Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri, the official said.
The plot was disrupted before it threatened Americans or allies and no airlines were at risk, the U.S official said.
The recovery of the device underscores the need to remain vigilant against a resilient and determined enemy, the official said.
Investigators are looking to analyze the device and expect it will yield valuable insights that will assist in adapting security practices here and abroad, officials said.

 http://edition.cnn.com/

U.S. officials confirm release of senior Taliban

By Nick Paton Walsh

Up to 20 high-level insurgent prisoners have been released from NATO custody in Afghanistan over the past two years in an effort to boost peace negotiations with the Taliban in various regions of the country, according to U.S. officials.
The insurgents, held at the jointly-run NATO-Afghan detention facility of Parwan, are considered "bad guys," said one U.S. official who did not want to be identified discussing a sensitive issue. Their release was undertaken, the official said, often at the request of the Afghan government. In all cases, they were assessed as unlikely to rejoin the insurgency.
The official added that the Taliban detainees had been in the maximum security Parwan detention center “for a reason” – but that NATO "does not release anyone when there is a high likelihood they will rejoin the insurgency." The official said he was aware of only two releases in the last nine months.
Some previously released Afghan detainees, especially from the U.S.-run detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have allegedly rejoined the insurgency, suggesting such programs are not without risk.
The U.S. official said the releases occur “when officials determine that the benefits significantly outweigh the risks.”
The releases are often intended to assist efforts by ISAF field commanders to negotiate truces or peace with local insurgent leaders in areas where the Taliban are strong.
News of the releases was first broken by the Washington Post which quoted U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker as telling reporters: "The Afghans have come to us with information that might strengthen the reconciliation process. Many times we do act on it."
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Monday expanded upon the ambassador's comments, with spokesman Gavin Sundwall saying, “Ambassador Crocker was referencing a two-year old, rarely-used program in which senior military officials, together with their Afghan counterparts, weigh the benefits of releasing certain individuals who are being detained at the Parwan Detention Facility and who are willing to denounce violence and engage in the process of reconciliation."
"Fewer than 20 detainees have ever been released under this program,” he added, “and the decision to release a detainee takes into account whether they pose any further security threat.”

http://edition.cnn.com/

USS Cole attack mastermind killed in drone strike in Yemen

A U.S. drone attack in Yemen kills Fahd al-Quso, 37, one of the masterminds of the 2000 USS Cold attack; al-Quso was a senior operative in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and among other plots, was behind the underwear bomber’s attempt on a Delta flight to Detroit; he escaped an earlier drone attack, in 2009; the Obama administration has dramatically intensified drone attacks on terrorist targets; since Obama took office on 20 January 2009, there have been 260 attacks by Predators or Reapers in Pakistan — averaging one every four days; in addition, there have also been some three dozen drone attacks on terrorist targets in Yemen, and a few in Somalia

Hull of the U.S.S. Cole following the suicide bombing attack // Source: al-bab.com

A U.S. drone fired a missile which killed Fahd al-Quso, 37, an al Qaeda operative who was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2002 for his role in the bombing of USS Cole. The 2000 attack on U.S. Navy ship took the lives of seventeen American soldiers and injured thirty-nine.
Al-Quso escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2003. He was on the FBI’s most wanted list, with a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. He turned himself in to the Yemeni authorities in 2005, and served two more years in prison. He was released in 2007.
The Guardian reports that one, and possibly two, more al Qaeda operatives died in the missile attack on a car they were driving in the Wadi Rafad valley in the country’s southern Shabwa province.
Al Qaeda admitted the death, saying in a statement: “Al-Qaida affirms the martyrdom of the Fahd al-Quso in an American attack this afternoon in Rafad.”
The United States, unhappy with al-Quso’s 2007 release from jail, used its intelligence network in Yemen to track him. In 2009, following a CIA drone attack which was coordinated with the Yemeni authorities, the Yemeni government announced that al-Quso was killed, but he resurfaced after a couple of month.
In his teens, al-Quso, who would later be known for his talent for disguises, studied Salafi Islam in northern Yemen, then returned to the south and became to a welder.
Al-Quso was involved in plotting the Christmas 2009 bombing, and met with the Nigerian bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, in Yemen before the latter left on his way to execute his failed attack over Detroit with a bomb concealed in his underwear.
The use of drones to target terrorists was initiated by the Bush administration in 2004, but was dramatically intensified under the Obama. The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports that since Obama took office on 20 January 2009, there have been 260 attacks by Predators or Reapers in Pakistan — averaging one every four days. In addition, there have also been some three dozen drone attacks on terrorist targets in Yemen, and a few in Somalia.
The Obama administration also escalated to drone war in another respect: the president has authorized the use of drones against American citizens consorting with al Qaeda. Last September, CIA drones killed Anwar al Awlaqi, a New Mexico-born Jihadist involved in operational planning for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and North Carolina blogger Samir Khan, who was the editor of Inspire, al Qaeda’s English-language magazine. Two weeks after the attack on al Awlaqi, his 16-year old son, Abdulrahman, was killed in a drone strike on a training camp for al Qaeda militants.
In addition to their al Qaeda affiliation, and their untimely demise, Fahd al-Quso and Anwar al Awlaqi share something else in common: both hail from the same tribe in the Shabwa province in south Yemen.

 http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/

Brits Testing 2012 London Olympic Security on a Week-Long Exercise

Navy and Army Lynx helicopters on HMS Ocean. Photo: Royal Navy

The primary form of air defense is provided by RAF Typhoon aircraft which will form the outer ring of defense outside London. They will be assisted by Royal Navy Lynx and RAF Puma helicopters armed with snipers with Ground Based Air Defense forming the final line of security. Under the Air Security Plan, 30-miles (48km) of airspace surrounding the Olympic Park would become a restricted flying zone.
The Air Security Plan for the Olympic Games builds on the Royal Air Force’s existing defense of UK airspace, which includes round-the-clock radar surveillance and Typhoon fighters held at high readiness 24/7. The exercise integrates the additional forces being used to ensure the safety of the Olympics, as part of the Ministry of Defence’s role to ensure a safe and secure Games this summer.

These include the Typhoon fighter jets that arrived at RAF Northolt on Wednesday May 2nd, (the first time fighter planes are stationed at the base since the end of World War II). They are testing the procedures military aircrews will use to intercept and communicate with aircraft breaching the restricted airspace during the Olympic Games. It will also evaluate the actions pilots must take in response. Pilots entering the restricted airspace can expect to be intercepted by Typhoon fighters, or military helicopters.

A view of the 'nerve centre' of Operation 'Olympic Guardian', Otherwise known as the Combined Ops Room or COR. Photo: Cpl Joe Blogs/MoD.

RAF Puma helicopters, along with Royal Navy and Army Lynx, carrying teams of RAF Regiment snipers will be on high alert to intercept intruders into restricted airspace, while airborne surveillance by RAF E-3D Sentry Airborne Early Warning & Control (AWACS) and Royal Navy Sea King ASACS (Airborne Surveillance and Control System) provide integration and airspace control.

On the ground, the RAF is providing further mobile ground radar systems (Type 101 radar), while the Army is deploying air observers at 14 additional locations. High Velocity Missile (HVM) and Rapier missile systems will also provide radar detection and active defense capability, to provide additional layers of early warning and low-level air-defense coverage. These Rapier and Starstreak High Velocity Missiles (HVM) air defense systems were also deployed in six sites in and around London.

Lynx MK8 from 815 NAS, leaving HMS Ocean with Rt Hon Phillip Hammond MP, Secretary of State (SofS) for Defence on board. Canary Wharf in visible the background. The Ocean and Bulwark are currently deployed in the Thames in London support for Exercise Olympic Guardian. Photo: Royal Navy, Crown Copyright.

While aircraft activity over the urban area is expected to increase, Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha, Air Component Commander for Olympics Air Security assured the disturbance to the public will be minimal: “We have sought to limit the amount of flying to the minimum required to ensure that our Forces are ready for their important role delivering air security for the Olympics, balancing this against the need for us to reduce disturbance to a minimum.

Rapier Mk2 missiles fire unit deployed at Blackheath Common, one of six sites selected for deployment of Ground Based Air defense (GBAD) units during the Olympic Games this summer. Photo: Richard Watt, MOD

On May 4th the Royal Navy’s largest warship HMS Ocean has arrived on the River Thames in preparation for the London Olympics. Berthed at Greenwich, the ship will act as a launch pad for four Royal Navy Lynx helicopters and four Army Air Corps Lynx which will patrol the airspace over the capital. Royal Marines snipers from 539 Assault Squadron and 43 Commando will be on board the Navy Lynx helicopters, ready to shoot out the engines of suspicious vessels on the water while RAF Regiment snipers will do the same from the Army Lynx against light aircraft intruding.
P2000 patrol vessels sailing the Thames river are set to ensure safety and security and will investigate any unknown craft or people on the water. Air security will be tested throughout the weekend during the exercise while river operations are set to take place from Tuesday.
Captain Andrew Bretton, Commanding Officer of HMS Ocean said: “As a former Commanding Officer of HMS Westminster, a ship with such great links to London, I am particularly pleased to be bringing HMS Ocean to Greenwich to be part of the Olympics, a truly once-in-a-generation event.” HMS Ocean is the largest ship in the Royal Navy and is ideally suited to the task of supporting the police in providing security for the world’s largest and most famous sporting event. Captain Bretton said.

RAF Merlin supporting Royal Navy surface assault landing craft operating with the Dorset Police, as part of 'Operation Olympics' LIVEX. Photo: Cpl Joe Blogs/MoD.

Olympic Guardian also saw Fleet Flagship HMS Bulwark stage her own security rehearsals ahead of the Olympic sailing competition off Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbor. HMS Bulwark will act as the command platform during the Olympics for the Dorset Police Authority as well as representatives from the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), RNLI and regional civil authorities. Royal Navy bomb disposal experts will be on board and are set to ensure the area is safe for sailing while Merlin helicopters from 814 Naval Air Squadron and embarked Royal Marines will ensure safety from the skies.
As part of their exercise, the team on board HMS Bulwark practiced their communications systems and ran through the workings of the airborne and surface assets. HMS Bulwark’s Commanding Officer Captain Alex Burton is responsible for the military presence in Dorset during the Games.

http://defense-update.com/

No Hezbollah training camps in metropolitan Detroit: FBI

FBI assistant special agent Todd Mayberry, the head of the FBI’s counterterrorism activities in Michigan, told attendees at a security conference that the Iran-supported Hezbollah has no training camps in the Detroit area
FBI assistant special agent Todd Mayberry, the head of the FBI’s counterterrorism activities in Michigan, told attendees at a security conference that the Iran-supported Hezbollah has no training camps in the Detroit area.
U.S. authorities are concerned about how Hezbollah sympathizers would react if Israel or the United States were to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“If Israel or anyone else chooses to act against Iran, what exactly is Hezbollah or Iran going to do? That’s the…$64,000 question,” Mayberry told the conference attendees at the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center. “If something were to happen with Iran, would they take the gloves off? Where would the targets be?”
Mayberry said that the “two main threats that I think would impact the Jewish community” are Iran and its proxy Hezbollah, and individuals who become radicalized through jihadi Web sites on the Internet.
Hezbollah has grown in influence and capability since its establishment in 1982. Its growth as the dominant Shi’a group in Lebanon was aided by three developments: the 1982 invasion of south Lebanon by Israel, and the destruction, during that invasion, of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Front) military power in Lebanon and subsequent expulsion of the PLO leadership from Lebanon to Tunisia. With growing resentment by Shi’a population of the heavy-handed Israeli occupation, and with the Sunni PLO forces no longer in south Lebanon to keep the Shi’a Hezbollah in check, the organization – benefitting from the third development: the coming of the Ayatollahs to power in Iran – saw its ranks swell and its power increase.
The organization has received hundreds of millions of dollars from Iran, in addition to large quantities of advanced weaponry, training of militia members by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and a massive build-up by Iranian engineers of a vast system of tunnels and bunkers throughout south Lebanon.
Analysts for the House Homeland Security Committee estimate that there are “hundreds of Hezbollah operatives” in the United States, along with an estimated “several thousand sympathetic donors.” The committee experts distinguish between a “supporter” and someone who would be willing to engage in violent activity.
The second threat to the Jewish community is the new self-radicalization that occurs as individuals become terrorists by frequenting jihadi Web sites and chat rooms. Mayberry said that one major problem is keeping track of so many potentially radical Web sites, and differentiating between what might be a potential threat from what may be just idle talk.
Mayberry also spoke about the FBI’s efforts to work with local imams in an attempt to prevent young Muslims from becoming radicalized via the Internet. He said sometimes potential terrorists may contact a legitimate mosque in what he called a “last-ditch” effort to justify their leanings, asking “Is this really what the Quran says”?
“One of the things we’re really working with the imams on is” trying to convince them to take seriously radicals who contact them.” Mayberry went on to say that “the imams have been very responsive.”

http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/

FBI still short on terrorism experts

A report by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) says that the FBI, despite progress made in hiring terrorism experts, is still facing difficulties staffing its Counterterrorism Division (CTD)
A report by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) says that the FBI is still facing difficulties staffing its Counterterrorism Division (CTD).  
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, FBI launched a hiring campaign which saw the hiring of thousands of additional staff. Within a short time, the agency’s staff was increased by 38 percent.
The Examiner reports that these efforts notwithstanding, in 2005 the FBI reported that nearly 40 percent of the positions in parts of Counterterrorism Division (CTD) were vacant.
The latest GAO report, the unclassified version of which release two weeks ago, describes “the extent to which counterterrorism vacancies existed at FBI HQ since 2005 and the reasons for the vacancies as well as the impact of the strategies implemented by the FBI to address these vacancies.”
The report notes: “From fiscal years 2005 through 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s human capital strategies contributed to reductions in the vacancy rate for all positions in the Counterterrorism Division (CTD) from 26 percent to 6 percent. Most vacancies were caused by transfers to other parts of the FBI. While overall vacancies declined, trends in vacancies varied by position. For example, vacancies for special agents and professional staff generally decreased each year while vacancies for intelligence analysts varied during the same time period.”
To address the shortfall in staffing, the FBI, in 2005, created its Headquarters Staffing Initiative (HSI). The GAO estimates that since 2006, the FBI has spent $50 million to staff CTD with special agents under HSI. According to the FBI, “HSI is the primary reason agent vacancies in CTD were reduced. In addition, FBI officials said HSI yielded other benefits.”


 http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/

Dead, captured and wanted

As the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death approaches, CNN has updated this list, originally published in September 2011, taking a look at some of the dead, captured and the remaining most wanted terrorists from the last 10 years.

While progress has been made, there are still terrorists being saught by the U.S. government. CNN spoke with a number of intelligence agencies to come up with this list of "dirty dozens." Here are the 12 most significant terrorists who are now dead, have been captured and those who are still being hunted. The lists are obviously subjective–there are many more candidates–but these are some of the top combatants in the war on terror.

DEAD

1. Osama Bin Laden:
Founder and leader of al Qaeda, responsible for the 9/11 attacks against the US as well as numerous other mass casualty attacks. He was killed by US Navy Seals during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad,Pakistan in May 2011



2. Muhammad Atef
Founding member and military chief of al Qaeda. He was killed by a US airstrike during early fighting in Afghanistan in November 2001


3. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
A militant jihadist who opposed US presence in the Middle East and had a profound hatred for Israel. He formed his own terrorist group, Tawhid wal-Jihad. In 2004, he pledged alliance to al Qaeda and changed the name of his group to al Qaeda in Iraq. He was responsible for hundreds of attacks in Iraq. US bombs killed Zarqawi in Iraq in June 2006.


4. Abu Layth al-Libi
Senior al Qaeda military commander who planned attacks against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan including a 2007 bombing of the Bagram Air Base during a visit by then Vice President Richard Cheney. He was killed in a drone attack in Pakistan in March 2008


5. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman
Until his recent death, he was the number 2 to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and was a key facilitator with al Qaeda affiliates. Materials seized in the Bin Laden compound showed Rahman was in frequent contact with Bin Laden. He was killed by a drone strike in Pakistan in August 2011


6. Abu Hamza Rabia
Third ranking member of al Qaeda who replaced Muhammad Atef after his death. He served as an operational planner for attacks against the US and was killed by a drone strike in Pakistan in November 2005


7. Abu Ayyub al Masri
Replaced Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as leader of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the insurgency in Iraq. He was killed in a joint US/Iraq operation in April 2010


8. Sayeed al-Masri (also known as Abu Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid)
Number 3 in al Qaeda hierarchy, commander of operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and chief financial officer. He was killed in drone strike in Pakistan in May 2010


9. Mohammad Hasan Khalil al-Hakim
Senior operational manager, deputy chief of external operations, head of propaganda for al Qaeda. He was killed by a drone strike in Pakistan in October 2008


10. Abu Khabab al-Masri (also known as Midhat Mursi)
Al Qaeda's chief bomb maker and chemical weapons expert. He was killed in a drone attack in Pakistan in July 2008


11. Abu Obeidah al Masri
Senior al Qaeda operative who was implicated in the 2006 Trans-Atlantic plot to bomb commercial airliners after take off from London. He died of natural causes in December 2007


12. Anwar al-Awlaki
Yemeni American, Muslim cleric who advocated violent jihad against the United States. He was connected to two of the 9/11 hijackers as well as the accused Ft. Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Milik Hasan and suspected underwear bomber Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab. He was considered an operational leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen. A CIA drone strike killed Awlaki in September 2011.

CAPTURED

1. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)

Third ranking member of al Qaeda, operational planner and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. He was captured in Pakistan in March 2003, and is held at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO), Cuba


2. Abu Faraj al-Libi
Replaced KSM after his capture, directed operations against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, planned 2003 assassination attempt against then Pakistani President Pervez Musharref. He was captured in May 2005 and is held at GITMO


3. Ramzi Bin al-Shibh
Involved in planning of 9/11 attacks, associated with some of the 9/11 hijackers, believed to have been targeted to be the 20th hijacker but was unable to get into the US. He was captured in September 2002 and is held at GITMO


4. Abu Zubaydah
Initially believed to be a high ranking al Qaeda leader, but the US later concluded he held a much lesser position. He was captured in Pakistan in March 2002 and is held at GITMO.


5. Umar Patek
Connected to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing which killed more than 200 people including 7 Americans. He was captured by Pakistani forces in January 2011 and sent to Indonesia


6. Younis al-Mauretani
A key planner for al Qaeda who is believed to have had direct contact with Osama Bin Laden and was involved in planning attacks in Europe. He was captured by Pakistani forces in September 2011 and is held by the Pakistanis.


7. Hambali (also Riduan Isamuddin)
Operations Chief for the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya (JI), often described as Bin Laden's leader in Southeast Asia, believed to be connected to a number of deadly bombing attacks in Indonsia. He was captured in a joint US/Thai operation in Thailand in August 2003 and is held at GITMO


8. al Rahim al Nashiri
Head of al Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf, believed to be the mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 which killed 17 US sailors. He was captured in November 2002 and is held at GITMO


9. Ali al Aziz Ali
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's nephew and chief deputy who helped train some of the 9/11 hijackers. He was captured in April 2003 and is held at GITMO


10. Walid bin Attash
Former Bin Laden body guard, assisted 9/11 hijackers, helped with preparations for the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in East Africa and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole. He was captured in April 2003 and is held at GITMO


11. Mustafa Ahman al Hawsawi
Worked with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on numerous al Qaeda plots including providing assistance to 9/11 hijackers. He was captured with KSM in March 2003 in Pakistan and is held in GITMO


12. Abdul Ghani Baradar
A founder of Afghan Taliban, deputy to leader Mullah Omar, directed the insurgency against US and coalition forces from Pakistan. He was captured by Pakistani and American intelligence forces in February 2010 and is held by the Pakistanis

MOST WANTED:

1. Ayman al-Zawahiri
A physician, long time deputy to Osama Bin Laden who recently was named leader of al Qaeda following Bin Laden's death. He has been seen and heard in numerous al Qaeda videos and audio tapes on the web. He is on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list, was indicted in the U.S. for his role in the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania


2. Saif al-Adel
A member of the senior leadership of al Qaeda who is believed to be in Iran. He is on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list and was indicted by the U.S. in connection with the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania


3. Anas al-Liby
A computer expert for al Qaeda who is on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list, and has been indicted for his role in the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.


4. Ibrahim al-Asiri
Suspected of being the chief bombmaker for AQAP, Asiri is believed to be responsible for designing the explosive devices used in the unsuccessful Christmas Day 2009 plot to blow up a US airliner as it landed in Detroit and in the cargo plane bomb plot in 2010.

5. Adnan el Shukrijumah
A senior leader of al Qaeda's external operations program who is on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list and has been indicted by the U.S. in the 2009 plot to attack the New York City subway system as well as targets in the United Kingdom.


6. Hakimullah Mehsud
A leader of the Pakistan Taliban with close ties to al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban. He claimed responsibility for the 2009 bombing a the Khost Forward Operating Base which killed 7 CIA employees. He is on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.


7. Abu Yahy al-Libi
Islamic scholar, high ranking member of al Qaeda, seen as the public face of al Qaeda, appearing frequently in internet videos


8. Adam Gadahn
American propagandist for al Qaeda who is frequently seen on al Qaeda website videos. He is on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List and has been indicted for treason and material support for al Qaeda.


9. Mullah Mohammad Omar
Leader of the Afghanistan Taliban who allowed Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven in Afghanistan when the Taliban controlled the country prior to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S.


10. Nasser Al Wahishi
Leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), former private secretary to Osama Bin Laden. He has vowed to avenge Bin Laden's death.


11. Sirajuddin Haqqani
Senior leader of the Haqqani network in Afghanistan which maintains close ties to al Qaeda and who is believed to have planned an assassination attempt against Afghani President Hamid Karzai


12. Wali Ur Rehman
Senior member of Pakistani Taliban who has participated in cross border attacks against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan

http://edition.cnn.com/

US Intel: No Threat Tied To Bin Laden Anniversary

U.S. counterterrorism officials see no specific threat tied to next week's one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. But they're concerned about violence from al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen because of increased intelligence chatter in the past six months, The Associated Press has learned.

The Yemen group, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been a persistent concern since 2009, when one of its adherents nearly brought down a jetliner over Detroit on Christmas. In the past six months, counterterrorism officials have seen what they consider an increase in intelligence about potential threats from the group, according to an intelligence official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

Officials are worried that the terror group "intends to advance plots along multiple fronts, including renewed efforts to target Western aviation," according to a joint intelligence bulletin circulated Wednesday from U.S. Northern Command, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the bulletin.

The terror group has twice tried to attack U.S.-bound flights and is considered the most active al-Qaida affiliate, recruiting Westerners.

Other al-Qaida affiliates, including the group al-Shabab in Somalia, have pledged to avenge bin Laden's death. But intelligence officials have not seen signs of current plots against the U.S. Still, officials urged law enforcement to be on the watch.

"We remain concerned that terrorists not yet identified by the intelligence community and law enforcement could seek to advance or execute attacks with little or no warning on or about the anniversary of bin Laden's death," the intelligence bulletin said.

Bin Laden was killed last year in a May 2 raid by the U.S. military. The terror leader was living in a compound in one of Pakistan's suburbs, having evaded capture for nearly 10 years. 

http://www.hstoday.us/home.html