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DAILY OPEN SOURCE BRIEF May 13, 2008
Scope: Provide our community partners with current news articles relating to terrorism, homeland security, critical incident response and public safety. Re-distribution is encouraged.
Feds see no Indy 500 terror threat The Indianapolis 500 is an attractive target for terrorists, federal authorities said, but there has been no credible or specific threat aimed at the Memorial Day weekend race. In an internal FBI/DHS assessment released Monday to local police, officials said such sporting events, which attract hundreds of thousands of spectators, are attractive potential targets. The assessment said these popular events are inviting to terrorists because of the potential to inflict large numbers of casualties while the whole world is watching. The assessment is supported by a congressional report, expected to be released this week, about the threat to mass gatherings. The report finds that major events – such as NASCAR races, the Super Bowl and presidential nominating conventions – are all attractive targets to terrorists. The report also raised the potential for infectious disease outbreaks and other bioterro r threats. Rep. Bennie Thompson said first responders and private organizations are working hard to secure these events and prepare for mass causalities. But “without increased federal support and guidance, mass gatherings will remain vulnerable.” Indianapolis Motor Speedway spokesman Fred Nation said Monday, “We are fortunate to have excellent cooperation with all appropriate federal, state and local agencies to monitor and protect the security of our fans.” Officials estimate between 200,000 and 300,000 people will attend the Indy 500. Monday’s FBI/DHS assessment did not address health concerns. But it hammered on the ease in which terrorists could steal or falsify identification to get access to the event areas.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/NEWS07/805130335/1002/LOCAL
U.S. victims of terror in Israel sue Swiss bank Several American victims of terrorist attacks in Israel are demanding more than $500 million in compensation from a Swiss bank. The plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit say that UBS AG provided cash to Iran that made it possible for the country to fund terrorism. The lawsuit says UBS knew the money would be used to carry out terrorist attacks. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan. It notes that the Federal Reserve fined UBS $100 million in 2004 for violating trade sanctions by sending dollars to Iran and other countries. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-12-terrorist-attack-victims_N.htm?csp=34
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Pentagon Drops Charges Against '20th' 9/11 Hijacker The Pentagon has dropped charges against a Saudi at Guantanamo who was alleged to have been the so-called "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 attacks. Mohammed alQahtani was one of six men charged by the military in February with murder and war crimes for their alleged roles in the 2001 attacks. Authorities say al-Qahtani missed out on taking part in the attacks because he was denied entry to the U.S. by an immigration agent. But in reviewing the case, the convening authority for military commissions, decided to dismiss the charges against al-Qahtani and proceed with the arraignment for the other five. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be filed again later. The attorney said he could not comment on the reasons for the dismissal until discussing the case with lawyers for the other five defendants. Officials previously said al-Qahtani had been subjected to a harsh interrogation authorized by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. The five defe ndants include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the terrorist attacks in 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 people, and Ramzi Binalshibh, who is said to have been the main intermediary between the hijackers and al-Qaida leaders. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for all of them. The U.S. has alleged that alQahtani, who military records show is about 28, barely missed becoming the 20th hijacker on Sept. 11, 2001. The Saudi was denied entry into the country by immigration agents at the airport in Orlando, Florida. At the time, he had more than $2,400 in cash, no return plane ticket and lead hijacker Mohamed Atta was waiting for him, the military has said. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355242,00.html Antidote to lethal germ 'closer' Scientists are on their way to developing an effective antidote for botulinum toxin - one of the world's most feared biological weapons. Defense experts say that just one gram of the poison can kill hundreds of thousands of people. Several people each year fall victim to "botulism" from food poisoning. With funding from the US government, researchers have broken through a barrier towards developing an effective antidote against the most potent form of the toxin. The researchers have developed a protein that blocks the effects of the toxin by tricking it into not attacking cells in the body. Scientists anticipate at least four to five years before the antidote can be turned into an approved drug. The Clostridium botulinum bacterium produces seven different neurotoxins, which attach to proteins inside human nerve cells and blocks the chemicals they use to communicate with each another and with muscles. This can paralyse breathing muscles, which eventually suffocates the victim. The new protein developed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory acts on the most powerful of these seven toxins, for which there is no medical treatment. It behaves as a decoy to proteins in the nerve cells, which means that the toxin chooses not to attach itself to the nerve cells when it enters the body. This prevents paralysis. Vaccines for botulinum toxin already exist, designed to be administered before an attack, but this research could produce a drug that would work afterwards. The US government has proposed increasing funding for research into defense against bioweapons such as botulinum to $9bnin 2009. This is a rise of more than 5% on the previous year. Although botulinum toxin has never been successfully used as a bioweapon, the Japanese terrorist cult, Aum Shinrikyo, tried three times between 1990 and 1995. Also, in the runup to the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq reportedly produced thousands of liters of the toxin. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/7395731.stm
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The U.S. Quietly Slashes the Reward Posted for the Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq The U.S. government has quietly withdrawn a $5 million reward it was offering for the killing or capture of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, named by Pentagon officials as the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. AlMasri had been one of America's most wanted figures in Iraq ever since his identity was revealed in 2006. But U.S. News has learned that the bounty for him was reduced and that he was unceremoniously dropped in late February from the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program, which offers cash payments for information that leads to the capture or killing of wanted terrorists. Currently, the bounty for the Egyptian militant stands at $100,000, a more modest payout that is now covered by the separate—and decidedly lower profile—Department of Defense Rewards Program. Officially, defense sources say that rewards have historically been reduced for a number of reasons. "When they have reduced rewards in the past, some of the discussion has been to devalue them [the terrorists], to not hold them in such high regard," says a senior defense official. It's psychological warfare of sorts: "It may cause them to do things that say, 'Look, I'm important,'" says the official—and in so doing, perhaps do something that makes it easier for them to be captured. The reasons in the past have also been more pedestrian, adds the official. "Sometimes the rewards are set so high that for some people maybe $100,000 is more tangible than $1 million." Others insist that the move reflects a shift in thinking about the importance of al-Masri. "The overarching reason is his blatant ineffectiveness as a leader of AQI," says a U.S. military official. When U.S. officials first revealed al-Masri's identity, the Pentagon offered a $250,000 reward for his capture. Later, the figure was raised to $5 million as part of the State Department's rewards program. Last week, Iraqi police reported that they had captured al-Masri, but U.S. officials denied the report and insist that he remains at large. The confusion followed apparently erroneous reports in 2006 and 2007 that al-Masri had been killed. In recent months, AQI has suffered serious operational defeats, particularly after Sunni tribesmen turned against the group in Iraq's Anbar province. But AQI remains the largest Sunni extremist organization in Iraq and retains strength in northern Iraq, near the city of Mosul. Al-Masri first rose to prominence as a senior operational commander under Zarqawi's leadership of AQI. U.S. officials believe that al-Masri was involved in the construction of car bombs used in AQI's 2003 deadly attacks on the United Nations headquarters and the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, as well as bombings of Shiite celebrations and a U.S. checkpoint, according to the National Counterterrorism Center. http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/iraq/2008/05/12/the-us-quietly-slashes-the-rewardposted-for-the-leader-of-al-qaeda-in-iraq.html U.S. strikes al-Qaeda base in Iraq The U.S. military says Air Force fighter jets have dropped eight large bombs to destroy an al-Qaeda in Iraq training base south of Baghdad. The military says Monday's airstrikes by two U.S. Air Force F-16s targeted a large area booby trapped with bombs hidden in the ground and in trees. AP Television News footage showed an area covered in palm trees being leveled by powerful bombs. The military says the area in the district of Arab Jabour was used to manufacture bombs, stash weapons caches and train and launch sniper attacks at U.S. military convoys. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05-12-iraq-strike_N.htm?csp=34
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Treatment Could Be The Nation's First Line Of Defense Against Terrorist Smallpox Outbreak The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nation's first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine. "This work is particularly important because those younger than 36 years old in the U.S. population have not been vaccinated against smallpox, which makes the need for a strong and fast-acting treatment all the more vital should we ever face a smallpox outbreak," said Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., LIAI president & scientific director. Scientist Shane Crotty, Ph.D., who developed the antibody treatment, said the NIH grant will fund pre-clinical testing of the work he and his research team started three years ago. In 2005, the researchers, studying blood samples from people who had received the smallpox vaccine, were able to isolate the anti-H3 antibody as an extremely potent fighter against smallpox. The scientists then proved its effectiveness by testing in mice. "Now we've made fully human antibodies to fight the smallpox virus." The human antibodies are developed from special genetically engineered mice. If further testing shows the treatment to be safe and effective in humans, the NIH has indicated interest in stockpiling the antibody nationwide. "Hopefully we will never need to use it, but if we do, the treatment will be there." The smallpox virus has been the subject of intense research interest worldwide in the last several years, prompted by bioterrorism concerns. The virus was mostly eradicated in the U.S. early in the 20th century and vaccinations for the general public were ended in 1972. But in the aftermath of 9-11, new concerns have arisen that the smallpox virus could be used as a bioterrorist agent. Disease experts fear that samples of the smallpox virus may have fallen into the hands of terrorists or dangerous countries at some point. This concern has led to the creation of worldwide stockpiles of the smallpox vaccine over the last several years. Unlike the vaccine, the anti-H3 antibody would provide immediate treatment, even if the person had already been exposed. "It would work similar to how an antibiotic treats and for a short time protects against a bacterial infection. This could be very important should people become infected before they have a chance to be vaccinated." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107029.php U.S. sees big drop in terrorism cases The number of terrorism and national security cases initiated by the U.S. Justice Department has declined by more than 50 percent, a recent study shows. The nonprofit Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University says data it obtained from the government reveal a drop of 19 percent last year and more than 50 percent since 2002. http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/05/12/us_sees_big_drop_in_terrorism_cases /3165/
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Northern Ireland policeman survives car bomb attack An Irish republican armed group identified by the International Monitoring Commission last week as a major threat to the Northern Ireland peace process was today being blamed for an overnight bomb attack on a police officer. The off-duty policeman was injured when a booby-trap bomb device exploded under his car in the CountyTyrone. Security sources on both sides of the Irish border said the group, known as Oghlaigh hnaEireann (Army of Ireland), was behind the attempted murder. The officer, a Catholic recruit to the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI), suffered leg injuries but survived the blast. Oghlaigh hna Eireann was behind a series of firebombs and hoax bombs in Cookstown, Co Tyrone at the weekend.http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/13/northernireland?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews Article retrieved from the Global Incident Map website Second terror suspect wins bail, UK A tribunal has ruled a second counter-terrorism detainee, known only as "OO", should be released. The wheelchair-using detainee is the second Jordanian national to have won a bail application after the courts said deportation could lead to torture. On Thursday the Special Immigration Appeals Commission agreed to bail Abu Qatada, described previously as Osama bin Laden's ambassador in Europe. Both men are still in jail while strict bail conditions are thrashed out. The eventual conditions for both men are expected to amount to house arrest including a possible 22-hour curfew, restrictions on visitors and communications and even places of worship. Similar conditions are imposed on terrorism suspects who are on control orders. Detainee OO is an imam who first came to the UK in the 1990s. His wife and their large family have all since become British citizens. He was accused of being a member of a group using the name Jama'at al-Muslimeen. This group was allegedly linked to extremist activity in the UK and overseas. Police arrested OO in January 2006 when the home secretary launched a bid to deport him, during which he was held at maximum security Belmarsh Prison. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/7392879.stm
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Community Training Nothing to Report Events and Holidays May 26, 2008: US-Memorial Day June 14, 2008: US- Flag Day
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June 15, 2008: US-Father’s Day Anniversaries May 14, 1948: Founding of the State of Israel. May 16, 2003: Morocco- al-Sirat al-Mustaqim members conducted near-simultaneous explosive attacks at five locations in Casablanca, killing 42 and injuring 100. May 28, 1964: Colombia- Founding of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). June 2, 2006: Canada- Police arrest 17 alleged terrorists in Ontario; group believed to be planning attacks using truck bombs, small-arms fire. June 3, 2007: US- Authorities disrupt plot to blow up a system of jet fuel supply tanks and pipelines at JFK International Airport in New York. June 7, 2006: Iraq- Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qa’ida in Iraq, killed in Coalition raid. June 21, 2001: US Court indicts 13 members of Saudi Hizballah and one Lebonese hizballah member for 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers that killed 19 US airmen. June 25, 1996: Bombing of Khobar Towers in Dhahran, 19 US airmen killed; Saudi and Lebanese Hizballah responsible. June 27, 1994: Japan- Sarin gas attack kills seven and wounds 600 in Matsumoto; Aum Shinrikyo responsible. June 29, 2007: UK- Two car bombs safely dismantled in London. June 30, 2007: UK- Burning vehicle driven into Glasgow airport;Iraqi doctors, others arrested in this and 29 June 2007 attempted carbombing.
The calendar of events is intended to alert the reader to upcoming terrorism anniversary dates, community training and significant community events. If you have training announcements, additional terrorism related anniversary dates, or significant events in your area, please email them to kwilson@eastbaytewg.org and I will include them in the calendar of events. Your input is valuable and appreciated. Thank you.
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