ERRI Counter-Terrorism Archive Page
A Summary of World-Wide Terrorism Events,
Groups, and Terrorist Strategies and Tactics
This Page has been accessed
times since 18:00CST on 11/22/95
Get the latest on Emergency.Blog
Click Here...
Google Terrorism News Feed
(Click on the story to read more)
Contents (1989 to Present)  
Sub-Menu/Index
General Terrorism-Related Articles
Terrorism-Related Links
Graphics and Related Diagrams
Terror Pix/Histories of Terror Leaders
Terrorism; N. America - Chronological
Order
Terrorism Middle-East - Chronological order
Terrorism - Europe - Chronological Order
Terrorism - Latin America - Chronological Order
Terrorism - Africa -
Chronological Order
Terrorism - Asia - Chronological
Order
Summary of
ERRI Terrorist Alerts/Advisories - 1998-2004
To Access our exclusive ERRI Usama Bin Laden Page,
please click here
Visit the ERRI Homeland
Security/News Feeds Archive:
http://www.emergency.com/2007/erri_homeland_security_archive.htm
Click banner to visit this site:
 
Javascript Menu of Chemical/Biological Related Terrorism Articles
function buildArray() {
var a = buildArray.arguments;
for (i=0; i
ERRI Chemical/Biological Related Articles
05/95-Tokyo, Japan Poison Gas Campaign
05/95: Chemical Attack - Are We Prepared
03/96: Senate Hearings Say We're Not Prepared...
08/96: Increasing threat of Chem/Bio Attack
11/96: Pandora's Box All Too Real, Bio-Attack
12/96: Chem/Bio Training/Funding Battles Ensue
06/97: Chicago Prepares For Chem/Bio Attack
08/97: E.R. Doctors Prepare For Chem/Bio Attacks
02/98: The WMD/Terrorist threat From Iraq
Chem Bio Terrorist Attack - Lesson on Line
Subscribe to EmergencyNet News NOW!
Visit Google Checkout by choosing the service you desire
and then clicking on Blue "Buy Now" Below
$100.0 - Daily Intelligence Report
$100.0 - Daily Emergency Service Report
$150.0 - Daily Combined News Report
$250.0 - Immediate *FLASH* Reports
General Terrorism-Related Articles
 Summary and
Index of Selected Terror Events of the Early 21st Century, February,
2008, can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2008/terr_summary08.htm
Tuesday, February
05, 2008 -- Annual Threat Assessment of the Director of National
Intelligence
for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence:
http://www.emergency.com/archive/cat_counter-terrorism.htm
Monday, January
28, 2008 -- Pakistani Militant Leader Threatens Washington, London and
New York
More Dangerous Than Osama; Militant Leader Claims He Is Fighting a
'Defensive' Jihad to Destroy the White House
http://www.emergency.com/archive/cat_counter-terrorism.htm
Friday, December 28, 2007 -- Pakistan
Cites Al Qaeda Tie to Bhutto's Death
 --
Thursday, December 27, 2007 - Bhutto
Assassination in Pakistan
(video)
-- 2/27/2007 - 12:17:14 PM CST -Bhutto
Assassinated, 20 Others Dead in Terror
Attack
-- Tuesday, October 23, 2007, Vol. 13,
No. 296, Pakistan's Bhutto receives new
threat
Can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/archive/cat_counter-terrorism.htm
11 Dec 2007 -- VBIED
Attack on U.N. Compound Algiers, Algeria, can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2007/Algeria_UN_attk_11Dec2007.htm
11 January, 2007
-- "Comments on 'Perceptions' and the War in Iraq," By Paul Anderson,
EmergencyNet News Correspondent
http://www.emergency.com/2007/iraq_counter-insurgency_perceptions.htm
Nov 21, 2006, Vol. 12, No.
324 --
The Face of
Terror; Britons Need to Know About the
Fanaticism that Threatens Them,
Times of London (includes ERRI
commentary)
August
22, 2006, International Terrorism, Region: Pakistan/India/Kashmir, In the
Spotlight: Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM), by/from Center for Defense Information (CDI),
w/ additional references, can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2006/jem_backgrndr.htm
August 10, 2006, 3:34:00 AM -VERY
Preliminary Analysis of U.K. Terror Plot (Operation Bojinka comparison), can be
found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2006/bojinka_comparison.html
30 July 2006:
ERRI Analysis Of Situation in Mid-East (Latest Hezbollah/Israeli Conflict), can
be found on the internet at:
http://www.emergency.com/2006/Hezbollah_israel_crisis07-30-06.htm
Tue, 11 Jul 2006, 16:27CDT -- EmergencyNet
News: Summary and Chronology of Bombay (Mumbai) Train Bombings, 11 July 2006,
Can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2006/Mumbai_train_bmbing_11Jul2006.htm
25 Dec 2005 - 09:00CST:
The Continued Morphing and Spread of Al-Qaeda
05 August
2005 08:00CDT: Chicago Institute Issues World-Wide
Terrorism Advisory Following Attacks in England and
Egypt:
http://www.emergency.com/2005/thrt_advry_05aug2005.htm
Series of
EmergencyNet News "Real-time" Reports Concerning Bombings and Attempted Bombings
in London, England- 07 July and 21
July 2005
to present...
01 May 2005
"Are Terrorism
Threats Against the United States at the Lowest Level since 9/11?"
Analysis by ERRI about the Washington Post article which reports that the
terrorist threat is "lower" than in recent times. We disagree.
Can be found on the internet at:
http://www.emergency.com/2005/ter-threat-low_may05.htm
Please also see:
Attorney
general refutes recent reports of diminished risk
From Kevin Bohn; CNN, Tuesday, May 3, 2005 Posted: 9:49 PM EDT (0149 GMT
Chronology of
Significant Terrorist Events - 2004, Can be found at:
http://www.tkb.org/documents/Downloads/NCTC_Report.pdf
28 Apr 2005
2004 -- Country Reports on Terrorism
State
Department Report
WASHINGTON, DC: These reports are submitted in compliance with Title 22 of
the United States Code, Section 2656(f) (the "Act"), which requires the
Department of State to provide Congress with a full and complete annual report
on terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the criteria of Section
(a)(1) and (2) of the Act.
NOTE: This report is no longer called "Patterns of Global Terrorism" as
it was in previous years; it is now called
"Country Reports on
Terrorism."
To view the PDF files, you will need to download at no cost, the Adobe Acrobat
Reader .
In addition to the individual report files listed below, this report is also
available as a single file.
-- Table of Contents
-- Chapter 1 -- Legislative Requirements and Key Terms
-- Chapter 2 -- Overview
-- Chapter 3 -- Global Jihad: Evolving and Adapting
-- Chapter 4 -- Building International Will and Capacity to Counter Terrorism
-- Chapter 5 -- Country Reports A
-- Chapter 5 -- Country Reports B
-- Chapter 6 -- Terrorist Groups
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/45313.pdf
(Caution - large file - will require long
download on slow connections)
11 Apr 2005
FEMA Capability Building- Planning for First Responders
State and Local Guide (SLG) 101: Guide for All-Hazard Emergency Operations
Planning
This guide outlines the preparedness, response and short-term recovery
planning components that FEMA recommends be included in state and local
emergency operations plans. It offers FEMA's best judgment and recommendation on
how to handle the entire planning process. It also encourages emergency managers
to address all the hazards that threaten their jurisdictions in a single
operations plan rather than stand-alone plans. Comprehensive HazMat Emergency Response-Capability Assessment Program (CHER-CAP) CHER-CAP is a comprehensive preparedness program offered by FEMA to local
communities and Tribal governments to address HazMat incidents. It is designed
to help communities better understand HazMat risks, identify planning
deficiencies, update plans, train first responders and identify systemic
strengths and needed improvements. Federal Response Plan
A signed agreement among 27 federal departments and agencies, and the
American Red Cross, that provides the mechanism for coordinating delivery of
federal assistance and resources to augment efforts of state and local
governments overwhelmed by a major disaster or emergency. CONPLAN - Federal Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan The CONPLAN provides overall guidance to federal, state and local agencies
concerning how the federal government would respond to a potential or actual
terrorist threat or incident that occurs in the United States, particularly one
involving WMD. All documents can be found at:
http://www.fema.gov/fema/first_res.shtm
16 Mar 2005
U.S. Report Lists Possibilities for Terrorist Attacks and Likely Toll
WASHINGTON, DC: The Department of Homeland Security, trying to focus
antiterrorism spending better nationwide, has identified a dozen possible
strikes it views as most plausible or devastating, including detonation of a
nuclear device in a major city, release of Sarin nerve agent in office buildings
and a truck bombing of a sports arena.
The document, known simply as the National Planning Scenarios, reads more
like a doomsday plan, offering estimates of the probable deaths and economic
damage caused by each type of attack.
They include blowing up a chlorine tank, killing 17,500 people and injuring more
than 100,000; spreading pneumonic plague in the bathrooms of an airport, sports
arena and train station, killing 2,500 and sickening 8,000 worldwide; and
infecting cattle with foot-and-mouth disease at several sites, costing hundreds
of millions of dollars in losses. Specific locations are not named because the
events could unfold in many major metropolitan or rural areas, the document
says.
-- Source: Eric Lipton, NYTimes,
click here for the report... http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/16/
politics/16home.html?hp&ex=1111035600&en= 083f2bf6b69b9744&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Click here for a list of 15 nightmare terror scenarios, graphic, from NYTimes
Homeland Security Department:
http://www.dhs.gov
13 Mar 2005
Zarqawi Planning U.S. Hit?
USA/IRAQ: Two weeks after intelligence officials confirmed that
Osama bin Laden had sent a
message to Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, urging him to
plan attacks on U.S. soil, details are emerging from one of al-Zarqawi's
lieutenants about what the man behind many of the terrorist attacks in Iraq
could have in mind.
Intelligence officials tell TIME that interrogation of a member of al-Zarqawi's
organization, who was taken into U.S. custody last year and has been described
as a top aide, indicates that al-Zarqawi has given ample consideration to
assaults on the American homeland. According to a restricted bulletin that
circulated among U.S. security agencies last week, the interrogated aide said
al-Zarqawi has talked about hitting "soft targets" in the U.S., which could
include "movie theaters, restaurants and schools."
Want to know more? Visit the Mar. 21,
2005 issue of TIME magazine at:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1037626,00.html
Additional reference: "Real
Time" Coverage of Hostage/Barricade Incident at School in Beslan, North Ossetia,
Russia, 01-17 Sep 2004, which can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2004/Ossetia__school_hostage.htm
08 March, 2005 Threats
of Terror Attacks on High-Tech Firms in India, can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2005/bangalore_threat_030805.mht
05 Mar 2005: "The
Rise of Islamic Militancy in the Netherlands (Europe),"
Series of Real Time EmergencyNet News Reports From Aug 19,
2004 to Present
16 Feb 2005
CIA, FBI Warn Panel on Top
Threats to U.S.
WASHINGTON, DC: The
NYPost and Associated Press are reporting that groups associated with
al-Qaeda are at the top of the list of threats to the United States. The
information came to light as top government intelligence officials testified
before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, also saying Iran has
emerged as a top threat to American interests in the Middle East.
Despite gains made against al-Qaeda, CIA Director Porter Goss, in an
unusually blunt statement before the mostly secretive Senate Intelligence
Committee, said the terror group is intent on finding ways to circumvent
U.S. security enhancements to attack the homeland. "It may be only a matter
of time before al-Qaeda or other groups attempt to use
chemical, biological,
radiological or nuclear weapons. We must focus on that," Goss said.
FBI Director Robert Mueller said he worries about a true sleeper operative
whom he contended has been in place for years to launch an attack inside the
United States. "I remain very concerned about what we are not seeing," he
said in his prepared remarks.
Mueller, Goss and other intelligence leaders provided these and other
assessments at the annual briefing of threats from around the globe. Click
here for the whole story from NYPost on-line:
http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/I/INTELLIGENCE_THREATS?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
DCI Porter J. Goss's testimony on "Global Intelligence
Challenges 2005: Meeting Long-Term Challenges with a Long-Term
Strategy" before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
--
http://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/2004/Goss_testimony_02162005.html
15 Feb 2005
U.N. Team Predicts Rise in Terror Attacks
UNITED NATIONS -
According to the Associated Press and a report appearing today on the Houma
Courier website, a U.N. team monitoring sanctions on al-Qaeda predicted
Tuesday there will be an escalation of terrorist attacks, saying the network
remains determined to strike around the world.
Terrorism involving al-Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction remains among
the paramount global threats, the team said in a report.
"The team sees no let up in the determination of al-Qaeda, the Taliban and
their associates to continue their campaign of terror. It sees al-Qaeda
continuing to spread its message to all parts of the world, and a further
escalation in terms of brutality of attacks," the report said.
"Whatever the situation in Iraq, al-Qaeda's global terrorism will continue
and will remain a challenge to all states," it added.... Click here for the
entire article:
http://www.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050215/API/502150752
A similar article appears on the
USAToday website at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-02-15-un-terror_x.htm
LATEST FROM GAO
Homeland Security: Agency Plans, Implementation, and Challenges
Related to the National Strategy for Homeland Security. GAO-05-33,
January 14.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-33
Highlights -
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0533high.pdf
16 Jan 2005Limousine Terror?Concerns Surface of Al-Qaeda VBIED Attacks During InaugurationFrom the Jan. 24, 2005 issue of TIME magazine
DC: As Washington gears up for the first Inaugural of the post-9/11 era, one
potential security threat has emerged as a particular focus of concern:
vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, or VBIEDS, possibly disguised as
limousines. The fears were prompted in part, say U.S. intelligence sources, by a
39-page document seized from al-Qaeda last year, titled "Rough Presentation
for Gas Limo Project." It lays out a scenario for using limousines to
deliver bombs equipped with cylinders of a flammable gas. Though the
Inauguration is not specifically mentioned, parts of the document began
circulating among senior U.S. intelligence authorities on Jan. 5. In response,
barriers have been set up to block any vehicle bent on destruction. The document is believed to have been written by Issa al-Hindi, an al-Qaeda
operative captured in Britain last year. It recommends concealing bombs in limos
because the vehicles "blend in" and "can transport larger payloads than sedans
... and do not require special driving skills." The limos can "access
underground parking structures that do not accommodate trucks" and "have tinted
windows that can hide an improvised explosive device from outside." The document
calls for the deployment of three limos, each carrying 12 or more compressed-gas
cylinders to create a "full fuel-air explosion by venting flammable gas into a
confined space and then igniting it." It suggests painting the cylinders yellow
to falsely "signify toxic gases to spread terror and chaos when emergency and
haz-mat teams arrive." Article continues at:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1018032,00.html
ERRI analysts say that they are told by government sources that there are "no
specific threats concerning VBIEDs at this time." But, officials say that they
are monitoring a number of possible scenarios and/or other indicators at the
time of this report. One DC official told EmergencyNet News, "security is very
tight and we will use an abundance of caution during this coming
week...everything that can be done to prevent an attack is already underway."
Additional ERRI reference/briefing on VBIEDs can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2004/Potential_Indicators_VBIEDS_files/frame.htm
11 Jan 2005
New DHS Head Named...
WASHINGTON, DC: President Bush
has chosen federal appeals court judge Michael Chertoff to be his new Homeland
Security chief.
Judge Chertoff has been a Judge on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit since June 2003. Prior to that, he
was Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department
of Justice, where he directed the national prosecution effort against terrorism,
as well as major prosecutions of corporate fraud. From 1994-2001, he was a
partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins. From 1983-1990, Judge Chertoff was
a federal prosecutor in New York City and New Jersey, and from 1990-1994, he
served as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Watch this space for more official
information...
Emergency Response Resource Locator:
The U.S. National Response Plan
is now available from DHS. The documents are as follows:National Response Plan and AnnexesDecember 2004(PDF, 114 pages, 2MB)
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf
National Response PlanDecember 2004Full Version (PDF, 426 pages, 4MB)includes all annexes, "Emergency Support Function Annexes", "SupportAnnexes", and "Incident Annexes."
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRP_FullText.pdf
31 Dec 2004
Radical Iraqi Groups Threaten 'Un-Islamic'
Election in IraqAccording to Mujahedeen "Democracy is Apostasy"
(What its really all about...)
IRAQ:
According to a report by
ABCNews (Australia) and AFP (Agence
France Presse),
radical Islamist groups in Iraq said in an Internet statement Thursday they
considered democracy "farcial and un-Islamic" and warned that no-one who took
part in next month's polls would be safe. "Those who participate in this dirty farce will not be sheltered from the blows
of the mujahedeen," said a statement posted on an Islamist website signed by the
Al Qaeda linked "Ansar Al-Sunnah," the "Islamic Army in Iraq" and the "Army of
the Mujahedeen." US-led forces and the Iraq security apparatus are boosting their numbers across
the country fearing attacks by insurgents aimed at derailing the January 30
elections in Iraq, the first since the downfall of former president Saddam
Hussein last year. "Democracy is a word of Greek origin meaning the sovereignty of the people...
this concept is considered apostasy, contrary to the doctrine of one God and
Sharia (Islamic law)," the statement from the three groups said. "Democracy is a farce created by our enemies to confer what they call legitimacy
on the new government which is subservient to the crusaders and executes their
orders." "To try to ensure these elections succeed would be the greatest gift to America,
the enemy of Islam and the tyrant of our time," it added. -- Source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1274882.htm
[ERRI analysis by Sr. analyst C. L. Staten: "This report, in a nutshell,
points out a fundamental part of the problems we must face. Radical Islam is
trying to force a confrontation based on "religion as politics." They can't seem
to understand (or they just reject) the concept of separation of church/state
and this appears to be a deep "sticking point," with the militants. Unless the
Western Democracies are willing to give up this basic premise (unlikely) and
allow theocracies and the establishment of a "state religion" in Iraq and
elsewhere (more unlikely), there will always be a conflict with this more
militant and fundamentalist wing of Islam."]
20 Dec 2004
2004 & Beyond: Madrid, Beslan Show Terror
War Far From Won
Prague (RFE/RL) A year ago, Madrid was
best-known for its art, nightlife, and world-class soccer team. Beslan was hardly heard of at all outside the small Russian republic of North
Ossetia. Yet in 2004 both entered a growing lexicon of places that have suffered horrific
attacks. In the Spanish capital, 192 people were killed in simultaneous train bombings in
March that appeared timed to influence the country's general elections. The
attack was blamed on Islamic militants with ties to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda
terrorist group. In Beslan, six months later, Chechen militants with possible international
involvement seized a primary school and took hundreds hostage. At least 340
people, including many children, died in a botched rescue effort by security
forces. The past year also saw deadly attacks in Uzbekistan, Moscow, Saudi Arabia,
Egypt, and Indonesia, among other places. Peter Bergen is a terrorism expert and author of the book "Holy War, Inc." He
told RFE/RL that 2004 could rival 2003 for the most terrorist attacks in a
single year. "The good news is that the organization [Al-Qaeda] has been
damaged," he said. "The bad news is that the wider ideological movement has
remained fairly vibrant and has been energized by the war in Iraq."
The United States justified the Iraq war as part of the fight against terrorism.
But in Bergen's opinion, the war aggravated anti-U.S. sentiment in the Muslim
world and could spawn a generation of new terrorists. "There's no doubt that
even if the Iraq war ended tomorrow, the foreign fighters who entered Iraq are
not going to go home and open coffee shops and falafel stands," he said. "They
are going to be part of an international jihadist movement, similar to the
movement that emerged out of Afghanistan in the '80s and '90s." -- Source:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/
library/news/2004/12/sec-041217-rferl01.htm
16 Dec 2004DHS v 2.O:
Rethinking the Department of Homeland Security
WASHINGTON, DC: Co-authored by the
Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Heritage Foundation, was
the product of a task force of experts from academia, research centers, the
private sector, and congressional staff. The evaluation used 4 criteria to
evaluate whether DHS could meet its mandate from the Homeland Security Act of
2002: management, roles and missions, authorities, and resources.Key recommendations include:
-- creating an Undersecretary for Policy, to improve policy making
-- a "flattened" organizational structure, consolidating agencies with
overlapping missions, eliminating directors of border and transportation
security, preparedness and response, and information analysis and infrastructure
protection (with those agencies reporting directly to the secretary via the
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security) eliminating wasteful spending by a
"risk-based mechanism for department-wide resource allocation and grant-making
and by developing pre-determined 'response packages' to respond to catastrophic
terrorism." "Clarifying authorities and national leadership roles for
bio-defense, cyber-defense, and critical infrastructure protection."
-- Improving departmental oversight by having the DHS report to a single
permanent oversight committee in the House and the Senate rationalizing
congressional committee structure and establishing (vs. the nearly 80 committees
that now have their fingers in the pie).The report issues yet another call to change the formulas used to allocate
spending to one based on risk (Congress has deferred action on that contentious
issue until the next session. Overall, it said "Congress and the Administration
should develop a comprehensive plan to restructure the department, including
establishing a nonpartisan commission to review the performance of the
department and assess its capacity to fulfill the missions outlined in the
Homeland Security Act in the areas of management, missions, authorities, and
resources and to report back within six months."
Reference:
http://www.csis.org/hs/041213_dhsv2.pdf
(requires Adobe .pdf reader/plg-in to
review this file)
Can also be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/pdf/041213_dhsv2.pdf
09Nov 2004U.S. Department of Homeland Security601 South 12th StreetArlington, VA 22202
Stolen Crop-Duster - TSA Advisory
On November 1, 2004, a crop dusting aircraft was stolen from Ejido Queretaro,
near Mexicali, Mexico. Although there is currently no indication that this has
any connection to terrorist activity, the theft is cause for concern. Past
information indicates that members of al-Qaeda may have planned—or may still be
planning—to disperse biological or chemical agents from crop dusting aircraft.
The stolen aircraft has been identified as a Piper PA 25, Pawnee, and is similar
to one depicted below. It is registered in Mexico and bears the tail number
XBCYP. If you see the aircraft described above, you should immediately contact
the TSA General Aviation Hotline at (866) 427-3287. (See
http://www.eaa.org/communications/ eaanews/advisory.pdf for picture of
aircraft type)Advisory – Security Information for Aerial Application Operators/Airports
Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate suspicious incidents and
inquiries involving crop dusters and spray equipment. In September 2001, the
National Agricultural Aviation Association issued an advisory to its members.
The advisory warned members to “be vigilant to any suspicious activity relative
to the use, training in or acquisition of dangerous chemicals or airborne
application of same including threats, unusual purchases, suspicious behavior by
employees or customers, and unusual contacts with the public.” The advisory also
instructed individuals to report any suspicious circumstances or information to
local FBI offices.TSA wants to remind aerial application operators and airport operators to review
the security measures contained in the TSA Information Publication, Security
Guidelines for General Aviation Airports (available at
http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/ editorial/editorial_1113.xml ), and the
National Agricultural Aviation Association security measures (available at
www.agaviation.org). For example, aerial
application operators and airport operators are encouraged to consider the
following:• Store aircraft and crop protection products in locked hangars with
electronic security systems when not in use.• Park and disable loader trucks, forklifts, or other equipment to block
aircraft.• In cases where the aircraft must be left outdoors, use propeller locks,
propeller chains or tiedowns on aircraft.• Remove batteries from planes and disassemble engines from unused aircraft.• Install hidden security switches to prevent unauthorized startup of the
aircraft.• Outdoor security lighting around hangars and operations is encouraged.• Establish contact with Federal and local law enforcement agencies to
coordinate responses to security breaches at agricultural aviation facilities.
Encourage operators to list the appropriate law enforcement agency telephone
numbers in a prominent place within their operations.Persons should report any suspicious activity immediately to local law
enforcement and the TSA General Aviation Hotline at 866-GASECUR (866-427-3287).
30 Oct 2004
SEEKING INFORMATION
WASHINGTON, DC: The FBI is urgently seeking information on the identity of
the person pictured here--a self-proclaimed American jihadist using the alias 'Azzam
the American, aka 'Azzam Al-AmrikiHe may currently be located outside the United States.
To give you as much information as possible on this person, we are attaching
clips from the video interview he recently gave, and the transcript of those
clips. We hope you might recognize him from his voice, his body language, or the
style and content of his speech.
Streaming video of the video clip
(RealVideo)MPEG of the video clip
Transcript of the video clip
If you have any information that might lead to identifying and/or locating
this person--or his interviewer-- please contact the USG immediately. Use our
Submit a Tip form located on this
website. In the U.S., contact the
Joint Terrorism Task Force at your nearest FBI office or contact your
closest law enforcement agency. Overseas, you may contact your closest U.S. Embassy.
Source for announcement: http://www.fbi.gov/
[Asst. webmaster note: Also please see 28 Oct 2004, ADAM
YAHIYE GADAHN below. An Imam in California says he identified the man pictured
above as the man pictured below. This has NOT been officially confirmed by U.S.
government sources. Please also see
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137087,00.html for additional reference]
28 Sep 2004
Record Oil Prices Caused by Conflicts/Insurgencies
 NYC:
Crude oil hit $50 per barrel in after-hours trading in New York due to
concerns about possible supply disruptions in Nigeria, where rebels have
threatened to wage war against oil producers, and because of ongoing supply
concerns in Iraq and Russia. Analysts said instability
in the Middle East, political unrest in Nigeria, Africa's top oil exporter, and
damage to U.S. production from the Caribbean's hurricanes were keeping traders
on edge about world supplies.
Get the whole
story from Forbes.com, click hereIn related news, insurgents in Nigeria’s southern Niger Delta reportedly will
begin “a full-scale armed struggle” to wrest control of the region’s oil riches
from the government on Friday, a rebel spokesman said today. Fears of disruption
in Nigerian oil supplies has already sent world prices spiraling beyond 50 US
dollars a gallon.Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta "People’s Volunteer Force,"
also warned that all oil company employees would be legitimate targets and
advised foreign embassies to pull their nationals out of the oil region.“We will target government infrastructure and oil company personnel,”
Dokubo-Asari reportedly said. “Oil facilities will not be targeted since it will
endanger the environment.” (Ed. informal note: Yeah right, like the guerillas
care about the ecology... mostly they are worried that such attacks will destroy
oil that can be stolen and sold)
ERRI crisis analysts have previously reported on several occasions about a
"rising insurgency" in Nigeria...and suggested that it could even be part of a
larger plot to increase world oil prices and engage in a kind of "economic
warfare" against the United States and her allies.
Reference: Please see: 24 Sep 2000, ERRI To Examine Oil as A "Weapon of
Asymmetric Warfare" on the net at:
http://www.emergency.com/2001/2000_topten.htm)
03 Aug 2004
 The
Department of Homeland Security has raised the threat level to orange for
the financial services sector in New York City, New Jersey, and Washington,
D.C.
Raising the threat level to orange allows for increased protection in and
around buildings that require it and will also raise awareness for
employees, residents, customers and visitors.
Residents in these areas might expect to see special buffer zones to
secure perimeters of buildings from unauthorized cars and trucks,
restrictions to affected underground parking, security personnel using
identification badges and digital photos to keep track of people entering
and exiting buildings, increased law enforcement presence, and robust
screening of vehicles, packages and deliveries.
This latest threat information serves as a reminder that terrorists still
strive to harm the United States. There are, however, some basic steps
people can take to prepare themselves and their families to handle
emergencies of all kinds: Make a family emergency plan, Get an emergency
supply kit, and Be Informed.
To access local preparedness information:
New York:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/
New Jersey:
http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/
Washington, DC:
http://emergencycenter.dc.gov/eia/site/default.asp
To find out more information about latest threat information, please
visit www.dhs.gov.
Reports That Led to Terror Alert Were Years Old, Officials Tell NYT
WASHINGTON, DC: Much of the information that led the authorities to
raise the terror alert at several large financial institutions in the New
York City and Washington areas was three or four years old, unnamed
intelligence and law enforcement officials reportedly told Douglas Jehl and
David Johnson of the New York Times on Monday. They reported that they
had not yet found concrete evidence that a terrorist plot or preparatory
surveillance operations were still under way.
But, the officials continued to regard the information as significant and
troubling because the reconnaissance already conducted has provided Al Qaeda
with the knowledge necessary to carry out attacks against the sites in
Manhattan, Washington and Newark. They said that history has shown that Al
Qaeda has often struck years after its operatives began surveillance of an
intended target.
Taken together with a separate, more general stream of intelligence, which
indicates that Al Qaeda intends to strike in the United States this year,
possibly in New York or Washington, the officials said even the dated but
highly detailed evidence of surveillance was sufficient to prompt the
authorities to undertake a global effort to track down the unidentified
suspects involved in the surveillance operations.
"You could say that the bulk of this information is old, but we know that Al
Qaeda collects, collects, collects until they're comfortable,'' said one
senior government official. "Only then do they carry out an operation. And
there are signs that some of this may have been updated or may be more
recent.''
President Bush said the alert issued on Sunday reflected "a serious
business.'' He said at a White House news conference, "We wouldn't be
contacting authorities at the local level unless something was real.''
April 29, 2004D.O.S. Patterns of Global Terrorism -2003Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2003/c12108.htm -- Html format
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/31912.pdf
-- .PDF format
(7MB)
15 Mar 2004: ERRI/EmergencyNet
News Special Report; Terrorist Bombing in Spain
can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/2004/Madrid_bmb031104.htm
02 Mar 2004: Profile/Backgrounder: Abu Musab Zarqawi
Current and Projected National Security Threats
to the United States, 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 24, 2004Testimony of Mr. George Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence, Central
Intelligence Agency Mr. Robert S. Mueller, III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby (USN), Director, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
http://intelligence.senate.gov/0402hrg/040224/witness.htm
11 March 2004:
Series of "Real-Time" Reports Concerning Multiple Train Bombings Madrid,
Spain
09 Feb 2004IMPORTANT REFERENCE FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES
FEMA: "Fire and Emergency Services Preparedness Guide for the Homeland
Security Advisory System" -- First Edition - January 2004 --
click here to
view/download copy (Note: Requires Adobe Acrobat
plug-in/viewer to read)
03 Dec 2003
Communication Deficiencies Hamper
Homeland Fight Against Terrorism
By Paul Anderson, EmergencyNet News
CorrespondentUNITED STATES: The Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the
Information Age has released a report on Tuesday saying that the U.S. Government
has not taken advantage of the technology expertise available to it in relation
to fighting the war on terrorism. The 168-page report entitled "Creating A
Trusted Information for Homeland Security" said the nation’s system for
analyzing and sharing intelligence purportedly has a number of gaps in it.
The report alleges major deficiencies in communications between state and
federal agencies, between intelligence and law enforcement and between public
and private sector arms of government. It proposes that a System-wide Homeland
Analysis and Resource Exchange (SHARE) network be created to allow multi-agency
access to information, extending the anti-terrorism capabilities through
intelligence of agencies in the United States.According to the Markle Foundation, the SHARE network would need to distinguish
useful signals about terrorist activity from "noise" and maximize the ability
for agencies to make sense of the information. The full report can be found
online at:http://www.markletaskforce.org/Report2_Full_Report.pdf
(caution, large file, probably difficult
on slow internet connections - Requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in to view)
ERRI analysts have previously reported
on and advocated better information sharing between local, state, federal and
military agencies. They believe that this is only viable option to be able to
"connect the dots" and prevent further vulnerabilities within the continental
United States. See: http://www.emergency.com/intelops.htm and
http://www.emergency.com/2002/intel_11Sep01.htm
22 Nov 2003
Evolving Terrorist Threats; Chicago
Analyst Explores "Two Terror Tracks"
Chicago, IL: Terrorist threats
has evolved, into a much broader and more diffuse situation than ever before,
with a new strategy of attacks by loosely affiliated groups against highly
vulnerable (soft) targets.
ERRI senior national security
analyst, Clark Staten, said on Friday that he believes that there may
actually be "two tracks of terror attacks."
One track is a more centralized path
and of larger magnitude, probably coming with direction, specially personnel,
and financing from the remaining leadership of Al-Qaeda, and involving
potentially long-term planning. The second track seems to involves more
opportunistic attacks and less sophisticated planning and execution. These
lesser attacks are carried out by Al-Qaeda motivated local cells, are generally
of a limited significance, and essentially self-directed. ERRI continues to
look for additional evidence to support these hypothesis' and will provide
additional details if/when they emerge.
21:00CST - 09 Nov 2003
Chicago Institute Issues World-Wide
Terrorist Alert By Paul Anderson
Chicago, IL (EmergencyNet
News) -- Clark Staten, executive director of the Chicago-based Emergency
Response & Research Institute (ERRI) this evening issued a world-wide
terrorist warning concerning an increased possibility of terrorist
attacks against American and allied embassies, military facilities,
businesses and citizens...worldwide. "Given the current tactical
circumstances in the Mid-East and the ever escalating rhetoric by
various militant organizations, we feel that we must urge additional
caution and awareness for Americans everywhere at this time," Staten
said."Although we have no information about specific targets at this time,
various threat indicators and warnings -- including at least two recent
messages purportedly from Usama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri
-- would seem to indicate that it is only reasonable and prudent
to increase the overall U.S. defense posture at this time," Staten
added.
In keeping with advice from the U.S. State Dept., ERRI reminds U.S.
citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps
to increase their security awareness and to lessen their vulnerability,
particularly in the Mid-East and Far-East. Americans should maintain a low
profile, vary routes and times for all necessary travel, and treat mail from
unfamiliar sources with additional suspicion. During an assessment
meeting held earlier Sunday, ERRI analysts said that they also could not
exclude the possibility of an attack in the continental United States in
the near term.
EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events worldwide and will
provide additional advisories and alerts as circumstances dictate...
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Office of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2003
DHS ANNOUNCES $2.2 BILLION FOR STATE AND LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS
States Apply Through One Form in Streamlined Online Process
Today, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced the allocation of over
$2.2 billion dollars in grant funding from the Office for Domestic Preparedness
demonstrating the Administration’s commitment to enhance the abilities of our
first responders to prevent, respond and recover from potential acts of
terrorism.
For the first time, states can apply online for their allocated grants using one
form that will serve as a “one-stop-shop” application for three different
programs that benefit first responders and will provide additional resources to
state and local government counterterrorism efforts. “No longer will our state and local partners have to go to different places
within the department to apply for terrorism-related funding. It ensures that
nationwide, Homeland Security officials have one place where they can tap into
the resources as well as the information they need,” said Secretary of Homeland
Security Tom Ridge. “State and local communication and coordination, after all,
reflects the very nature of homeland security, the federal government working
with the home towns of America to keep our country safe and free.” Since March 1, DHS will have allocated or awarded over $6 billion dollars in
grant funding for first responders from the FY ’03 Budget, the FY ’03
Supplemental and the FY ’04 Budget to help first responders across the country
enhance their capabilities and provide additional resources for state and local
governments to protect their citizens and critical infrastructure. The $2.2 billion dollars allocated to DHS from the FY ’04 Budget will be
distributed as part of three programs that provide significant resources to the
state and local governments in different areas. These three programs are the
State Homeland Security Program, the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention
Program and Citizen Corps. Under the new system, the State Administrative Agencies apply with one
application form online as part of the Homeland Security Grant Program,
streamlining the process with which DHS distributes the funds through the state
governments. In addition to the single application, DHS is launching an
interagency grants and training website on the DHS website at
www.dhs.gov/grants.
The website provides information on homeland security and public safety grant
opportunities offered by the Department of Homeland Security and other federal
Departments and Agencies including HHS, DOJ and the EPA and a link to the
Compendium of Federal Terrorism Training for State and Local Audiences, an
interagency site for training opportunities available to state and local
emergency personnel.
ERRI Monthly Briefing -- August 2003
The ERRI Monthly Briefing is now available for download at
http://www.emergency.com/2003/ERRI_Aug03.pdf
Included in this edition:
-- Military Mutiny in Manila-- Iraq Delivers Warning to the Western World-- Australian Network Says it will Aid Terrorists-- Warnings and Advisories
-- U.S. Intelligence Accused of not Understanding Pre-9/11 Terrorist Threat
25 July 2003Report Says U.S. Intelligence Failed To Grasp Pre-9/11 Terrorist
Threat
WASHINGTON, DC:
According a congressional report released on
Thursday, U.S. intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence
Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, share the blame for failing
to "disrupt" the 9/11 attacks by keeping would-be terrorists out of the
country or trying to unravel their plot. Those agencies possessed a wealth
of information stretching back years about terrorist leader Usama bin Laden,
his associates and their activities. Still, none of the intelligence
indicated the exact time, location and method of the 9/11 attacks, the
report says.
According to the nearly 900-page joint House-Senate document, which is
the most exhaustive account to date about what the government knew and when
about bin Laden and his plans to attack the United States, congressional
investigators concluded that the intelligence agencies, including the FBI,
"too often failed to focus on that information and consider and appreciate
its collective significance in terms of a probable terrorist attack."
Also, the agencies didn’t "demonstrate sufficient initiative in coming to
grips" with the terrorist threat. According to the report, "some significant
pieces of information in the vast stream of data being collected were
over-looked, some were not recognized as potentially significant at the time
and therefore not disseminated, and some required additional action on the
part of foreign governments before a direct connection to the hijackers
could have been established. For all those reasons, the intelligence
community failed to fully capitalize on available, and potentially
important, information."
The committee’s report is a narrative of how 19 Middle Eastern hijackers
commandeered four commercial aircraft and flew them into U.S. landmarks and
a field in Pennsylvania. It documents specific pieces of information
intercepted by a number of agencies, including the CIA, FBI and National
Security Agency, that the committee deemed relevant to the 9/11 attacks.
The report’s authors also blamed both the administrations of George W.
Bush and Bill Clinton. The report said: "Between 1996 and September 2001,
the counterterrorism strategy adopted by the U.S. government did not succeed
in eliminating Afghanistan as a sanctuary and training ground for bin
Laden’s terrorist network." The government, the report found, was too
dependent on law enforcement as a means of combating terrorism, and didn’t
rely enough on military or intelligence actions abroad. This judgment is
also consistent with an assessment made by ERRI analysts after the bombings
of the two U.S. embassies in Eastern Africa.
Intelligence officials have reportedly largely dismissed the
congressional report in private, saying it offers few conclusions about
intelligence lapses that haven’t already been heard. Some current and former
intelligence officials have defended the agencies, particularly the CIA, as
having paid attention to the terrorist threat since the mid-1990s. One
senior intelligence official, who asked to remain anonymous, noted that CIA
Director George Tenet was one of the few senior federal officials drawing
attention to bin Laden’s role in financing global terrorist operations in
the 1990s. Decide for yourself...click the link below to download your own copy of
the the report (be advised...multi-megabyte file - over 800
pages)...Congressional Reports: Joint Inquiry into Intelligence
Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11,
2001
 WASHINGTON,
DC: February 2002, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence agreed to conduct a Joint
Inquiry into the activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community in connection
with the terrorist attacks perpetrated against our nation on September 11,
2001. This report (available as both S. Rept. 107-351 and H. Rept. 107-792)
consists of 832 pages that presents the joint inquiry’s findings and
conclusions, an accompanying narrative, and a series of recommendations.
 Click the link
for access to the entire report:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/911.html
ERRI Monthly
Briefing -- 06 July 2003
The ERRI Monthly Briefing (Vol. 2, No. 5) is now available for download
at
http://www.emergency.com/2003/ERRI_Jul03.pdf
Included
in this edition:
-- U.S. Says High Probability Al-Qaeda will use WMD-- Resistance Group Claims Responsibility for Iraq Attacks-- New Lab in Richmond Assigned to Bioterror-- SL May Have Killed 60,000-- Threats and Advisories-- Al-Qaeda Gains African Footholds Amid Weak Security in the Region
06 July 2003 -- TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:
The White HouseOffice of the Press SecretaryThe following fact sheet was released by the White House July 1, 2003
Fact Sheet: Progress in the Global War on Terrorism
"As long as terrorists and their allies plot to harm America, America is
at war. We did not choose this war. Yet, with the safety of the American
people at stake, we will continue to wage this war with all our might.
"From the beginning, we have known the effort would be long and
difficult, and that our resolve would be tested. We know that sacrifice is
unavoidable. We have seen victories in the decisive defeat of two terror
regimes, and in the relentless pursuit of a global terror network. Yet the
war on terror goes on. We will not be distracted, and we will prevail."
-- President George W. Bush, July 1, 2003.
Defeat of Two Terror Regimes
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan:
-- Eliminated the repressive Taliban regime-- Denied al-Qaida safe-haven from which to plan, train, and conduct
operations
Operation Iraqi Freedom:
-- Ended a regime that possessed weapons of mass destruction, harbored
and supported terrorists, suppressed human rights and defied the just
demands of the United Nations and the world-- Stopped Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaida affiliate, from operating in
northeastern Iraq-- Eliminated from Iraq the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi network, which had
established a poison and explosives training camp in northeastern Iraq-- Shut down the Salman Pak training camp where members of al-Qaida had
trained
Pursuit of Global Terror Network:
-- Since September 2001, over 3,000 al-Qaida suspects have been detained
in over 90 countries-- Almost all of those directly involved in orchestrating the September 11th
attacks are now in custody or confirmed dead-- Of the senior al-Qaida leaders, operational managers, and key
facilitators we have been tracking, 65 percent have been captured or killed
In the global war on terrorism, the United States and its allies have:
-- Denied al-Qaida its sanctuary in Afghanistan-- Removed the Taliban regime which supported and provided sanctuary to al-Qaida-- Disrupted al-Qaida's finances-- Dismantled entire al-Qaida cells throughout the world-- Captured or killed many of al-Qaida's top leaders from the 9/11 period,
including9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaykh Muhammad,key plotters Ramzi bin al Shibh, Abu
Zubaydah and Muhammad Atef, USS Cole attack planner Walid Ba'Attash, and Abu
Yasir al-Jaz'iri, top al-Qaida facilitator-- Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong have all
been strong partners in the War on Terrorism, arresting dozens of terrorist
leaders with al-Qaida ties-- Pakistan has taken into custody more than 500 terrorist suspects,
including Ramzi bin al Shibh and Khalid Shaykh Mohammad-- The U.S. is working closely with the Afghan and Pakistani governments to
deny sanctuary to terrorists moving into and among their border areas-- The United Kingdom along with Spain, Italy, Germany, France and other
European nations have disrupted al-Qaida cells-- Many Middle East and North Africa nations have sought and arrested al-Qaida
members-- Yemen has taken action against numerous al-Qaida members. It was in Yemen
that al-Harithi was found and killed-- Jordan arrested two individuals with links to al-Qaida who were
responsible for the murder of USAID employee Laurence Foley in Amman-- Saudi Arabian authorities have uncovered terrorist operations in the holy
city of Mecca-- Saudi Arabian security services captured Abu Bakr al-Azdi, who is
believed to be a central figure in the Riyadh bombing of May 12, 2003-- Security services also killed a major al-Qaida operational planner and
fundraiser, known as "Swift Sword"-- Morocco arrested al-Qaida operatives planning attacks against U.S.
shipping-- Djibouti is hosting the U.S. military as they pursue al-Qaida and others
in the Horn of Africa-- Since 9/11, the U.S. and other countries have frozen over $137 million,
much of which was supporting al-Qaida operations-- We have developed partnerships with both Canada and Mexico to stop
illicit border crossings and facilitate legitimate trade and travel.-- In the United States, al-Qaida associated cells were dismantled in
Buffalo, New York, and Portland, Oregon and arrested individuals charged
with supporting the Egyptian-based Al-Gamat Al-Islamiyya.
Terrorist Tracking and Threat Integration
To improve intelligence sharing and coordination, the President directed
the establishment of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC), whose
partner agencies include CIA, FBI, DHS, DOD, and State.
-- The FBI established the National Joint Terrorism Task Force and we
have expanded FBI-led interagency Joint Terrorism Task Forces investigating
terrorist activity around the country to 66.-- The Attorney General established the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task
Force to identify and locate terrorists.-- The State Department has developed tamper-resistant visas and new digital
passports.
03 July 2003
Erroneous Information About ERRI 2002 Annual
Terrorism Report
Circulating on the Internet
CHICAGO, IL -- According to reliable sources in
Washington, someone has circulated an erroneous and potentially libelous
report on a well-known security mailing list, suggesting that ERRI (the
parent of this website) was engaging in some
sort of "surreptitious propaganda," directed at smearing the U.S. military
headquarters in Washington, DC. Upon hearing about the posting, ERRI
CEO and U.S. Army veteran Clark Staten said in response, "Nothing could be further from the
truth...the poster's apparent confusion concerns a Muslim terrorist/criminal
organization called "The Pentagon" which has been active in the southern
Philippines for several years," Staten added.
On page 9 of 16 pages of the ERRI 2002 Annual
Terrorism report
(see download link immediately below), there
is, in fact, a listing for "The Pentagon," which actually is a force of
between 100-200 Muslim separatist rebels, who have carried out kidnappings,
bombings, and other violent acts in the Mindanao region of the southern
Philippines. This group is also believed affiliated with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) and/or may have ties to Al-Qaeda. Both the Philippine and
U.S. government have designated "The Pentagon" a terrorist organization.
While we sincerely regret any misunderstanding
about this issue, we also must suggest that whomever posted this criticism
of our 2002 terrorism report is not very familiar with the identification of international
terrorist organizations, or they had some other (unknown) motive for making
such
allegations in a public posting. Further questions or comments about this
issue can be be directed to:
webmaster@mail.emergency.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Clark Staten, Chief Executive OfficerTelephone: +1 773-631-3774Internet E-Mail:
sysop@mail.emergency.comOr alternatively, Analyst Jeremy Zakis: +61 41 620 5005
jzakis@mail.emergency.com
Download Full Report:
http://www.emergency.com/2003/ERRI_2003_Ann.pdf
Islamic Terrorists Conduct 56% of 2002 Attacks, But
Colombia Still The Most Violent Country (Annual Terrorism Report)
CHICAGO, IL -- Jun. 18, 2003 -- Islamic terrorism accounted for 56
percent of all terrorist attacks in the world during 2002, but Left Wing
Rebels ensured Colombia remained the most dangerous country in the world.
The Emergency Response and Research Institute (ERRI) today released the ERRI
Annual Report into International Terrorist Activity 2002 with a warning that
the 33 percent decline in terrorist attacks compared with the previous year
was more an "aberration" rather than a lasting "trend".
Clark Staten, Senior Analyst and CEO of ERRI, says that successes in the
U.S.-led war on terrorism played a significant role in breaking up the Al-Qaeda
network, but warned that the major terrorist organizations were now
reorganizing and adapting to the current world climate.
"The nature of global conflict is changing. It is the considered opinion
of the ERRI that there is a general paradigm shift underway in regard to how
future conflicts will unfold," Staten says.
The terrorists of the 90's and 21st century seem less interested in
public opinion about themselves, as those of previous decades did and are
now more interested in "larger body counts of their perceived enemy," Staten
adds.
According to the annual report, Islamic terrorism remained the most
dominant making up 56 percent of all attacks in 2002, compared with left and
right wing terrorist attacks which made up only 36 percent. Colombia was
again the most dangerous country where terrorism is concerned, recording a
total of 37 major attacks for the year.
The ERRI Annual Report into International Terrorist Activity 2002 reports
monthly terrorism statistics and charts the trends between 2001 and 2002.
Copies of the ERRI Annual Report into International Terrorist Activity
2002 are now available online at
http://www.emergency.com/2003/ERRI_2003_Ann.pdf
or can be obtained by e-mailing Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Counterterrorism
Analyst, at jzakis@mail.emergency.com
ERRI June Counter-Terrorism and National Security Briefing
In This Issue...
-- What the World Must Understand About Terrorism -
Page 2-- Morocco Bombing Investigation Update
-
Page 3-- Terrorism Alerts Guided by Threat Matrix
-
Page 4-- Logan Increases Security
-
Page 4-- Warnings and Advisories -
Page 5-- Terrorism Statistics
-
Page 5-- Pentagon Considers Overseas Military Shift
-
Page 6
June 2003, Volume
2, Issue 4, Click here to download/read.
(Please note: Requires Adobe
Acrobat reader/web plug-in to view)
Potential Indicators of Threats Involving Vehicle Borne (VBIEDs) and Other
Improvised Explosive Devices
Compilation/Summary/Analysis and New Data Added by The Emergency Response
& Research Institute (ERRI), Chicago, IL – February, 2004
Apr 30 2003
Ambassador Cofer Black, Coordinator for CounterterrorismRemarks at On-the-Record Briefing on the Release of the Annual Patterns
of Global Terrorism 2002 reportWashington, DCApril 30, 2003
AMBASSADOR BLACK: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. There were 199
international terrorist attacks during 2002. That represents a significant
drop from the previous year – 44% fewer attacks. In fact, it is the lowest
level of terrorism in more than 30 years. The last time the annual total
fell below 200 attacks was in 1969, shortly after the advent of modern
terrorism. This is a remarkable achievement...
Click here to review the entire report:
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/20177.pdf
(requires Adobe Acrobat .pdf reader/plug-in to view)
Html
version: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2002/html/
The FREE
ERRI Monthly Counter-Terrorism and National Security Briefing
for March, 2003 is now available for download
at
http://www.emergency.com/2003/erri_Mar03.pdf
Included in this edition:-- FBI Warns that Al-Qaeda Remains Biggest Terrorist Threat to CONUS-- Report That Iraq's Chemical and Biological Capabilities Are Stronger-- California Identifies 624 Possible Terrorist Targets-- Pentagon Reports That Iraq Deployment is Combat Ready-- February 2003 Terrorism Statistics-- More News From Iraq and Afghanistan-- Warnings and Advisories
(Requires Adobe .pdf viewer/plug-in to open - available
for free from Adobe)
 Radio
interview w/ERRI's Clark Staten, Topic: Homeland Security - WBEZ Public
Radio (NPR)
http://www.wbez.org/audio_library/ram/848/848_030321b.ram
(Requires RealAudio Player)
29 Mar 2003:
Urban Warfare Considerations; Understanding and Combating Irregular and
Guerilla Forces During A "Conventional War" In Iraq
23 Feb 2003
U.S. Officials Warn Of Attacks By Lone Terrorists
WASHINGTON:
According
to a report by the New York Times, law enforcement and intelligence
official say that the possibility of war with Iraq could unleash acts of
anti-American violence in the United States or overseas by individual crazed
extremists who do not belong to al-Qaeda or other Middle Eastern terrorist
groups but sympathize with their perceived grievances. A classified FBI
intelligence bulletin, issued on Wednesday to state and local law
enforcement agencies throughout the country, warned the authorities to be on
the alert for lone terrorists who are not directed by organizations like al-Qaeda.
The bulletin said: "Lone extremists represent an ongoing terrorist threat in
the United States. Lone extremists may operate independently or on the
fringes of established extremist groups, either alone or with one or two
accomplices."
Law enforcement and intelligence officials said in interviews with the
newspaper that they believe the threat of such attacks by individual
extremists is growing because of the possibility of a U.S.-led war against
Iraq. The officials said a war would inflame anti-American sentiment
throughout the Arab world, adding to a litany of causes that have stoked
hatred of the United States. One of the main issues expressed by many Arabs
is their belief that the United States has supported Israel in its effort to
put down the Palestinian uprising. And some people may decide to strike
against American targets almost on the spur of the moment.
The Times said in its report that analysts regard the new taped message
believed to be from the fugitive
Usama bin Laden as
a summons to his followers, and perhaps to new sympathizers, to conduct
actions against the American targets in response to the possible war in
Iraq. Counter- terrorism officials have long feared that a solitary
terrorist with an automatic weapon or one committed to a suicide bombing
could inflict heavy casualties in the United States.
April
8, 2002: Change in Terrorism Tactics Reported; Suicide Bombers Could Have
Major Implications
Click here to review:
June 23, 1998: SOME COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERTS FEAR
SMALLER GROUPS IN A BIO ATTACK
April 24, 1998:
U.S. INTEL OPERATIONS SAID INADEQUATE; LONE EXTREMISTS RATHER
THAN RADICAL ORGANIZATIONS BIGGEST THREAT IN U.S.
11:30CST - 20 Feb 2003
 Ashcroft
Announces New Terrorism Arrests
Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrest of
several individuals allegedly associated with the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. The arrests reportedly took place in Miami, Chicago, and other unspecified
locations in the past 24 hours.
Click here to review official 20 Feb 2003 USDOJ news release: MEMBERS OF
THE PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH RACKETEERING AND
CONSPIRACY TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO TERRORISTS
EmergencyNet News first reported about Palestinian Islamic Jihad
fund-raising activities in the United States, and about their involvement
in S. Florida in 1997.
Click here to read that
report...
Homeland Security - Citizen Preparedness Information
Announcement
 "The threat of terrorism forces us to make a choice: We can be
afraid or we can be ready," Ridge said. "Today, America's families declare
we will not be afraid and will be ready."
View and print a copy of the new citizen preparedness brochure from
www.Ready.gov:
"Preparing Makes
Sense. Get Ready Now." Download PDF
or call 1-800-BE-READY for more
information.
U.S.
Department of Homeland SecurityPlanning & Prevention; National Security Emergencies
What Citizens Should Do in the Event of a Terrorism Event...
URL:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=14&content=446
27 Feb 2003 - Terrorism Alert Level Lowered
WASHINGTON, DC: The national terror alert is
expected to be lowered from orange to yellow, administration officials said
Thursday. "Today's decision to lower the threat level was based on a
careful review of how this specific intelligence has evolved and progressed
over the past three weeks as well as counter-terrorism actions we have taken
to address specific aspects of the threat situation," Attorney General John
Ashcroft and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said.
March 11,
2002: HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE-3 (Color Alert
System)
ERRI/EmergencyNet
News Counter-Terrorism and National Security Monthly Report, February 2003,
Volume 2, Issue 2 ( large file: 265KB, requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in to
review)
 Tom Ridge Assumes Command of New
Cabinet Agency
Executive Order: Amendment of Executive Orders, and Other Actions, in
Connection with the Establishment of the Department of Homeland Security
Department
0f Homeland Security Website --
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
21 Jan 2003
 NEW YORK CITY/UNITED NATIONS:
The world's major powers met on
Monday to give new urgency to the global war on terrorism and seek greater
controls on nuclear, chemical and biological materials that could fall into
the hands of terrorists. United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan opened
a Security Council meeting of foreign ministers with a statement that the
world faces a "grave and growing threat from international terrorism" and a
call for greater efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass
destruction. Foreign ministers from 13 of the 15 U.N. Security Council
members attended the open council meeting on terrorism. As it seems is often
the case with such multinational organizations, some counter-terrorism
experts say they would welcome "greater efforts" to battle terrorism, and
they contend that the U.N. has frequently been "long on talk" and "short on
meaningful action" when it comes to the "world-wide war on terrorism."
ERRI Terrorism and
Nation Monthly Security Report Jan. 2003, Vol. 2,
No. 1
(Reader Note: Requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in
to review...238KB file, may require long download time on slow internet
connection)
26 Nov 2002POTUS Signs Law Creating Department Of Homeland Security
WASHINGTON: POTUS on Monday signed into law newly enacted
legislation that establishes a cabinet-level Department of Homeland
Security, and announced he was nominating Tom Ridge, former Governor of
Pennsylvania, as secretary of the new department. Ridge currently heads the
White House office of homeland security. The new department, the President
said, will combine 22 existing federal agencies and employ 170,000 workers,
the most sweeping federal reorganization since the Defense Department's
birth in 1947 during the Truman presidency.
Speaking at a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, POTUS
said he would nominate the secretary of the navy, Gordon England, as deputy
director of the new department, and former Arkansas representative Asa
Hutchinson as the department's under secretary for border and transportation
security. Hutchinson currently heads the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
All three nominations are subject to approval by the Senate...
President Bush Signs Homeland Security
Act Remarks by the President at the Signing of H.R. 5005
The Homeland Security Act of 2002The East Room, 13:30EST
Click here to review President Bush's remarks...
Click "View Chart" to Review the Organizational Chart of the New Homeland Defense Department
(Graphic Will Open in A Separate Window)
function Openme(newin) {
flyout=window.open(newin,"flyout","resizable=no,scrollbars=yes,width=640,height=400,top=100,left=100")
}
// -->
25 Oct 2002New Hart/Rudman Report: U.S. Commission on National Security
"A year after 9/11, America remains dangerously unprepared to prevent and respond to a catastrophic terrorist attack on U.S. soil," says the
United States Commission on National Security report, which was sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. "In all likelihood, the next attack will result in even greater casualties and widespread disruption to our lives and economy."
"The need for immediate action is made more urgent by the prospect of the United States going to war with Iraq and the possibility Saddam Hussein might threaten the use of weapons of mass destruction in America."
Click here to read the New York Times story...
The panel also found that most local police and fire departments did not have chemical protection gear, portable detection equipment for chemical, biological or nuclear agents or adequate training programs for dealing with such attacks.
Click here to download the .pdf report from the Council on Foreign Relations.
Now Available....
ERRI/EmergencyNet News Special Report on the Attacks
of 9/11Click here to access
"One Year After; 9/11 First Anniversary Special Report," compiled by ERRI
and EmergencyNet News...
(Review requires Adobe .pdf reader or plug-in -- large
file, 556kb, users with slow internet connections may require extended
download times.
Click here for
our original coverage of the 9/11 Disasters
19 Sep 2002US Intelligence Said To Have Failed To Heed Terror Warnings
WASHINGTON: A congressional investigator said US intelligence
services had been warned that Usama Bin Laden was considering attacking US
targets with aircraft three years before the 9/11 attacks. Eleanor Hill,
head of the investigation into how US intelligence failed to stop last
year's attacks, said officials never looked closely at the potential threat
of hijacked air- liners flying into buildings. She concluded that US
intelligence agencies had made mistakes, failing to put enough resources
into tracking operatives of the al-Qaeda network...
ERRI's Clark Staten said of the hearings this morning, "This
Congressional inquiry can not be simply an attempt at 'finger-pointing' or
engaging in 'political recriminations'." "This issue is too important for
that...and any political operative, regardless of party, who tries to
exploit the tragedy of 09/11 for political advantage should be put out of
office at the next election," Staten continued. "What is needed is actual
change in the mind-set and actions of all who protect, defend, and govern
our great nation...America can no longer allow continued political
game-playing, 'cold-war' mentality, nor operational planning and
staffing left over from a decades long struggle with the former Soviet
Union," Staten added.
"We must move faster, plan better, be more innovative, and train harder
than our adversaries, if we are to hope to defeat them...that should be what
these hearings are all about...finding immediate solutions to long
developing problems that have been all but ignored by at least part of the
government in the past," the veteran analyst continued. "To do less will
potentially result in hundreds or even thousands of deaths or injuries to
American citizens...we CAN NOT allow that to happen again," Staten
concluded.
18 Sep 2002U.S. Officials Say Terror Cells Can Strike At Will
WASHINGTON:
U.S.
officials tell the Washington Times that intelligence obtained from
self-professed 9/11 organizer Ramzi Binalshibh indicates al-Qaeda has
decentralized its leadership structure, making it more dangerous. This
report is in concurrence with a previous ERRI assessment. The report in
Wednesday's edition of the newspaper says terrorist cells now have more
autonomy to conduct attacks around the world. One U.S. intelligence official
told Times reporter Bill Gertz: "The decentralization means the danger from
this group is growing..."
30 Aug 2002
THREAT MATRIX:
Guidelines On How To Spot Bombers Given To Israelis
ISRAEL: Police in Israel on Friday will issue guidelines to the
public on how to spot a Palestinian homicide or car bomber. Citizens are
being urged to look out for clues such as individuals behaving
suspiciously, wearing unseasonable attire or displaying bulges in their
clothing. Members of the public are also being advised on what to do if
they identify a possible bomber.
More than a hundred Israelis have been killed in scores of Palestinian
homicide attacks over the past few years. The information is produced in a
free pamphlet, entitled "Only Together Will We Stop Terror." According to
the pamphlet, the signs of spotting a bomber are:
-- Wearing unseasonably warm attire.-- Protruding bulges in
clothing.-- Sweating, mumbling or fidgeting.|-- Avoiding
police.-- Trying to fit into crowds.
As Israelis have become more vigilant in recent months,
homicide/suicide bombers have employed new tactics to avoid detection,
such as dying their hair to look more European and by dressing in Israeli
army uniforms or as Orthodox Jews.
The pamphlet says that in looking out for car bombs, people should be
suspicious of mismatched license plates, vehicles parked in unusual
locations or if the car is weighed down at the back, because of explosives
in the trunk. Citizens who suspect a homicide attacker or car bomb are
urged to stay calm, inform police immediately and keep the suspect in
sight but at a safe distance.
ERRI counter-terrorism analysts said that the clues for identification
of bombers may be just as applicable in other parts of the world as they
are in Israel, and that similar tactics may be employed elsewhere by
Al-Qaeda or other associated terrorist organizations.
30 July 2002
AFGHANISTAN: A top Afghan intelligence official reported on
Tuesday that a would-be homicide bomber with more than a half-ton of
explosives packed into his car was just 300 yards from the U.S. Embassy on
Monday when he was stopped by a chance traffic accident. Foreign
intelligence information indicated the alleged terrorist, who was captured
by Afghan authorities after a car chase through Kabul, is a foreigner and a
member of the al-Qaeda terror group. -- *Assessment by ERRI's C. L. Staten: Our most current assessment at
ERRI suggests that lower level Al-Qaeda associates are in the midst of
undertaking a series of small or medium strikes on "easier" targets to
retain public attention...and to include car bombings and assassinations.
See above. These acts are being undertaken by "independent cells" with
motivation by (and funding?), but little direction from top leadership of
Al-Qaeda. It would be our estimate that we will see this trend continue and
that there is a greater than even chance of an attack of much greater
magnitude (possibly involving Weapons of Mass Destruction) during August or
September. We are particularly concerned about a major "anniversary attack"
on Sept. 11th, 2002, in the continental U.S.
ERRI Terrorism and
Nation Security Report,
July 2002, Vol. 1,
No. 4, (Note: Requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in
to review...264KB file, may require long download time on slow internet
connection)
Download
your
FREE Copy today...ERRI Monthly
Counter-Terrorism and National Security Briefing,
June 2002, Volume
1, Issue 3
(241KB -Requires Adobe
Acrobat reader/plug-in to review)
ERRI
Annual Report Of International Terrorist Activity: 2001 (Statistics, analysis, charts,
terrorist groups, etc. -- requires Adobe Acrobat reader/plug-in to review.
Caution is urged for those with slow internet connections, this is a large 626kb
file)
ERRI Monthly
Terrorism and National Security Report, May 2002, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Download requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in to review this
document...Free download available from link in right column of this page)
11 June 2002
Resource Notification
CSIS Addresses The Threat of a "Dirty Nuclear Weapon"
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) developed a
terrorist attack scenario and a one-day workshop to address a plausible -
large - cross-jurisdictional crisis in Washington, DC. The overall purpose
of the workshop was to help frame the planning requirement (end state), for
the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) led crisis-planning
effort, by identifying some of the key issues and friction points to be
resolved in the event of a detonation of a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD)
in downtown Washington, D.C. To review the report, click below:
http://www.csis.org/features/crisisreport.pdf
(Note: requires Adobe .pdf reader/plug-in)
09:40CDT - 10 June 2002
"Dirty Bomb" Plot Thwarted Says Attorney General
By Paul Anderson
 MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a short
time ago that the U.S. government had thwarted a radical plot to engage in
the use of "dirty bomb" within a U.S. city. Secondarily, Ashcroft's
announcement indicated that the plot, allegedly included a U.S. citizen of
Hispanic descent, who "converted" to Islam. the suspect was
identified by authorities as Abdullah Al-Mujahir, aka Jose Padilla.
ERRI's Clark Staten said
"ERRI has warned on several occasions about the possibility of the use of
conventional explosives, piggy-backed with radioactive materials...it
looks like, had the 'bad guys' had their way, that concern was to have
become frightfully true." "These are not real nuclear bombs, but
rather, access-denial and fear-mongering weapons," Staten added.
Ashcroft said that the information concerning
Al-Mujahir's plot came from "multiple, independent, and corroborating
sources." Padilla is reportedly being transferred to military custody. Few other
official details were made immediately available, and EmergencyNet News is
monitoring the implications of this statement and will provide additional
details as more becomes available...
Additional References:(1)
http://www.emergency.com/2002/suicide_implications.htm
(2)
http://www.emergency.com/2001/binladen_nuke.htm
(3)
22:00CDT - 22 Apr
2002: Zubaydah Says Al-Qaeda Can Build a
Dirty Bomb...Outside Reference: (1)
Dirty
Bombs: Response to a Threat; FAS Public Interest Report
(2)
The Reality of
Dirty bombs; useful MSNBC Macromedia Flash Presentation of Scenarios in
New York city and Washington, DC
06 June 2002
Homeland Defense Restructuring
In
what is being called the biggest government restructuring since 1947,
President George W. Bush addressed the nation to unveil the creation of a new Homeland Defense cabinet agency.
Federal sources say the president will ask Congress to pass legislation to
implement the new plan by year's end. The new agency will reportedly
directly oversee:(1) Border and transportation security(2) Emergency preparation and response
(3) Chemical, biological and nuclear countermeasures(4) Further analysis of intelligence from the FBI and CIA...
Click below to review 29 page White House report
on the proposed creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/book.pdf
(note: requires Adobe .pdf reader, which is
available for free download by clicking on the Acrobat Reader link in the
right column)
Suspected Planner Of 9/11 Terror Attacks Named By U.S.
WASHINGTON: In what could be the first direct link between last
year's hijackings and an earlier plot to blow up U.S. arliners, U.S.
officials have identified top al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed as one
of the militant leaders behind the 9/11 attacks. One unnamed official
reportedly said: "He's part of the brains of the plot. He's also a major
player in the al-Qaeda organization. He helped planned this whole operation.
We would like to locate, arrest him and bring him to justice."
 A
second unnamed U.S. official said the Kuwaiti-born Mohammed was believed to
have played a key role in the 9/11 attacks and is currently believed to be
in either Afghanistan or Pakistan. The official described Mohammed as a top
lieutenant to Usama bin Laden. Mohammed was indicted in the United States in
1996 for his alleged role in a plot to blow up U.S. civilian airliners over
the Pacific. The U.S. government is offering a reward of up to $25 million
for information leading to his capture and conviction. One of the U.S.
officials said Mohammed is a relative of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, believed to
have been the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in which six
people were killed.
Mohammed
was previously named to a list of individuals linked to terrorism by the
U.S. government.
Preliminary
Summary of Emergency Response and Research
Institute (ERRI) Terrorism Statistics: 2000 and 2001
(requires Adobe .pdf plug-in and/or reader to view -- available free, see
link in right column)
Full 2001 report to be made available soon...watch
this page for notification.
U.S. State Dept. Report: 2001 -- Patterns of Global Terrorism
COMPLIMENTARY SAMPLE:
ERRI
April Monthly Report on Terrorism and U.S. National Security (in .pdf format, requires Adobe reader/plugin to
read)...Download it now!!
17 May 2002Congressional Inquiries About Hijacking Warnings
WASHINGTON:
The White House on Thursday defended POTUS for not
disclosing intelligence before the 9/11 attacks that Usama bin Laden
wanted to hijack U.S. airplanes. National Security Adviser Condoleezza
Rice said that threat information at the time was not specific and that
disclosing the generalized information could have risked crippling the
nation's civil aviation system. Some Congressional members pressed the
White House to hand over the top-secret CIA analysis and release an FBI
memo written even earlier that warned FBIHQ that many Middle Eastern men
were training at U.S. flight schools. President Bush said today of the
alleged furor, "In Washington, second guessing has become second nature
with some people."
ERRI's Sr. National Security analyst, Clark Staten, said today that the
real issue probably doesn't relate directly to the White House, but within
other government agencies. "The primary problem would appear to involve a
lack of integrated and synthesized analytical capability within the
intelligence community, that would rapidly and comprehensively gather and
make sense of a multitude of threats...thus better enabling decision
makers to take the appropriate action," Staten added. "This is not a
time for 'finger-pointing,' but rather for better preparedness...it is
also long past time for any sort of a sense of denial, from any quarter,
about the capabilities of our enemies...it is obvious that they will use
whatever means possible to spread terror and wreck mayhem on our country,"
Staten concluded.
16 May 2002U.S. Intelligence Reportedly Warned Of Plane Hijackings
WASHINGTON:
US security agencies were reportedly placed on alert
last summer after receiving intelligence reports that Usama bin Laden was
planning to hijack US aircraft. The alert was revealed by the White House
that said that the information was passed to POTUS during routine
intelligence briefings and the "appropriate agencies" were notified.
Reportedly, POTUS was provided a range of options that could be undertaken
by terrorist groups, including Bin laden & Al-Qaeda. The US
intelligence community has already been heavily criticized by the press
and some members of Congress for its failure to detect warning signs of
the 9/11 homicide attacks on New York and Washington.
The attacks, which saw hijacked aircraft flown into the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon, are believed to have been carried by bin Laden's
al-Qaeda terror group. However, the White House said the information
received by the President dealt with conventional hijackings -- not the
use of planes as missiles to attack buildings. Alerts of this nature are
commonly included in daily intelligence briefings to the White House,
officials said.
Observers in Washington say the timing of this admission is
significant, as a congressional committee is about to start hearings into
intelligence failings before 9/11. The White House apparently did not want
to be put on the defensive with leaks about what might have POTUS known or
when. Meanwhile, the White House has denied that a memo last July from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation's Arizona office could have prevented the
attacks had it been acted on. Several intelligence observers say that the
memos lacked specificity that would have been cause for action. Others
inside the beltway told Emergencynet News that the emergence of these
issues at this time may be the result of "political maneuvering" on the
part of some members of Congress
The memo is reported to have warned that groups like al-Qaeda might
have sent students to flight schools in the US, but none of the people
identified in the document had any connection with the attacks. Even
though the memo was reviewed, the FBI did not take any action on its
central recommendation -- that flight school records and visa applications
by foreign students be cross-referenced. Additionally, the agency
apparently did not connect the memo with the case of Zacharias Moussaoui,
a French national of Moroccan descent who was arrested in August after
seeking flight training in Minnesota -- and saying he was not particularly
interested in learning to land airplanes. Moussaoui is facing trial,
accused of conspiring with bin Laden, the hijackers and others to commit
the 9/11 attacks.
Related documents:
Summary of ERRI
Terrorist Alerts/Advisories - 1998-2002
U.S.
Intelligence Didn't Catch 9/11 Clues?
29-31 May 2001:
African Embassy Bombers Found Guilty; ERRI Terrorism Advisories
Issued
Asymmetric Warfare, the
Evolution and Devolution of Terrorism;The Coming Challenge For
Emergency and National Security Forces
EMERGENCY SERVICE
INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS; THE PURSUIT OF USEFUL KNOWLEDGE
"Strategic Knowledge;
Preventing the Bombing of the Bridge to the 21st
Century"
07 May 2002
CHICAGO, IL: ERRI counter-terrorism analysts today said that they
are becoming increasing concerned that the American public may be developing
a "complacent attitude" towards terrorism directed against the USA and her
interests overseas. "We are concerned that as each day passes without
another major incident within the U.S., that memories of 9/11 fade from
everyone's consciousness," ERRI national security analyst Clark Staten said.
"Our on-going analysis of the available evidence would suggest that this is
not a good time for the American public to let down it's guard...in our
considered opinion, there is still danger on the horizon," Staten added. Staten urged continued vigilance and awareness on the part of the American
public and a fresh exploration of all U.S. efforts to better prepare for the
possibility of a future terrorist event.
01 May 2002FBI Unable To Find Specific Trail Of Terror
WASHINGTON: In the most detailed account so far of the investigation, US
intelligence officials have admitted they failed to discover any sort of
paper trail leading to the 9/11 terror attacks. The director of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that after seven months of relentless
work investigators had found no hard evidence mentioning any aspect to the
attacks on New York and Washington. FBI Director Robert Mueller said his
agents had followed up on literally hundreds of thousands of leads and
checked every record they could lay their hands on, from flight reservations
to car rentals to bank accounts.
Investigators have searched through caves in Afghanistan and credit card
bills in the US but so far the very best of US intelligence has been
thwarted by 19 al-Qaeda hijackers, revealing just how little the US knows
about the 9/11 terror attacks. Mueller said the hijackers hid communications
by using hundreds of different pay phones and cell phones, along with hard
to trace pre-paid phone cards. They did not use laptops and stored nothing
on computer hard drives.
Investigators described the terrorists' "tradecraft' as excellent. The
hijackers made sure that all money sent to fund the operation was wired in
small amounts to avoid detection. They also dressed and acted like Americans
and when four of them were stopped for speeding in the days before 9/11,
they kept calm, avoiding suspicion. What investigators do know is that the
attacks on Washington and New York were in the pipeline for as long as five
years and so officials said, it was very very possible that a similar attack
was being plotted right now...(article continues in ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT, Vol. 8, No. 121)
27 Apr 2002CIA Official Warns Next Terror Attack Is "Unavoidable"
WASHINGTON:
Despite the fact that the Central Intelligence Agency
is acquiring more secrets and terrorism information than ever before, a
senior official is warning Americans that a new terrorist attack is almost
"unavoidable." CIA Deputy Director for Operation James Pavitt told an
academic conference earlier this month: "Now for the hard truth. Despite the
best efforts of so much of the world, the next terrorist attack -- it's not
a question of if, it's a question of when. With so many possible targets and
an enemy more than willing to die, the perfect defense isn't possible."
Pavitt said mounting countermeasures against terrorism would require
sacrificing many civil liberties, which make American society great, and, as
a result, would produce a system that, in his view, "is not worth
defending."
The aforementioned warning was contained in an address delivered by
Pavitt, who is in charge of all clandestine operations conducted by the
agency, at an 11 April conference at Duke University in Durham, North
Carolina. The CIA released a transcript of the speech over this weekend.
Pavitt disputes charges the CIA was caught unaware by the 9/11 homicide
attacks in the United States that killed some 3,000 people. He said the CIA
knew the network led by master terrorist Usama bin Laden was planning a
major strike. But he argued that because al-Qaeda carefully screened its
recruits and sharply limited the number of people privy to vital operational
details, learning about the coming attacks was next to impossible.
Pavitt said: "Against that degree of control, that kind of
compartmentalizing, that depth of discipline and fanaticism, I personally
doubt...that anything short of one of the knowledgeable inner circle
personnel or hijackers turning himself in to us would have given us
sufficient foreknowledge to have prevented the horrendous slaughter that
took place on the 11th..."
13:00CDT/14:00EDT - 17 Apr 2002
Another Portion of Bin Laden Compilation Released on MBC
According to international press services, another portion of a
composite tape featuring Usama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, has been
broadcast today by the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).
Preliminary analysis of this latest tape would suggest that it is another
portion of a tape released by the Al-Jazeera network on Monday.
The significance of the portion released today would seem to suggest
that Mr. Bin Laden is most cognizant of the potential effect of terrorist
attacks on Western economies, according to ERRI's Clark Staten. "In the
tape, Bin Laden reportedly trumpeted the negative effect that the attacks
on the World Trade Center had on the U.S stock markets," Staten said.
"This statement by Bin Laden is consistent with theories and concerns of
asymmetric warfare that we have put forth previously," Staten added.
"More enlightened terrorists have discovered (maybe already in some
countries), or will discover soon, that the path to the fear and chaos
that they crave most may be more easily achieved by a wide-scale attack on
infrastructure/economic targets..."
Staten reported in a
ground-breaking 1998 report on "Asymmetric Warfare, the Evolution and
Devolution of Terrorism."
"The time has come for U.S. business and industry to realize that 'bad
guys' also like 'soft targets' and that as our military and government
facilities become more 'hardened,' that terrorists are increasingly likely
to undertake attacks on commercial concerns," the veteran
counter-terrorism analyst continued. "Both the public and private sector
must work together to build a defense that encompasses all of the vital
infrastructure that makes America the premier superpower of the world,"
Staten concluded.
08 Mar 2002
Many Fire, Police, EMS Responders Lack Even Basic Levels of Terrorism
Training/Equipment
According to a
report on March 6th from GovExec.com, a national training standard
should be established and maintained by the federal government for first
responders who are poorly prepared and equipped to recognize or respond to a
weapon of mass destruction attack, emergency officials told a congressional
subcommittee yesterday.“Far too many departments across the nation lack even the most basic levels
of training, equipment and manpower,” said Peter Gorman, a New York Fire
Department captain who represents the International Association of
Firefighters. “The needs are tremendous and can no longer be borne solely by
local jurisdictions. The federal government must help shoulder this burden.”
At a bare minimum, every firefighter, police officer and emergency
medical provider (EMT) should be trained in the basics of an attack
involving a weapon of mass destruction, said Plaugher, chief of the
Arlington County Fire Department in Virginia. Firefighters in particular
need to undergo such training because their current training for fires and
other emergencies sometimes conflicts with how they should respond to a
terrorist incident, he added. Such training should also not leave smaller
municipalities out, officials said.
“There have been millions of dollars allocated for the training,
equipping and exercising of response teams in our largest cities, however,
little has reached rural and suburban America where the threats are as real
and as dangerous,” said William Jenaway, chief of fire and rescue services
of King of Prussia, Pa.
Interestingly, many of the same deficiencies were noted by ERRI's Clark
Staten in a speech on Homeland Defense that he gave at the National Press
Club on 21 Oct 2001.
Click here to
review Staten's comments...
29 Feb 2002
WASHINGTON:
A senior government official said the White House has
activated Cold War-era plans for a so-called "shadow government" consisting
of 75 or more senior officials who live and work secretly outside
Washington, ready to go to work in case the nation's capital is crippled by
a terrorist attack. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
Thursday said the operation has been in effect since the first hours after
the 9/11 terrorist attacks but has evolved over time.
The "continuity of government" operations have been a long-standing
planning process that provides an alternative "command post" in order to
ensure that U.S. government can continue operations after facing an attack
on the capital. "This appears to be pretty much a routine matter," ERRI's
Clark Staten said, "people in the military and national security
establishment are always engaged in contingency planning and ensuring that
essential operations can go on...whatever may happen." "The American people
would expect nothing less," Staten concluded.
09:00CST - 14 Feb 2002
State Department Calls For Better Information Sharing
WASHINGTON:
In the aftermath of Monday's FBI announcement of a pending
terror attack on targets at home and in Yemen, the U.S. State Department
urged the U.S. Justice Department to better coordinate dissemination of
threats against Americans at a meeting at the White House on Tuesday. The DoS has suggested a number of steps for the newly created Office of Homeland
Security to manage the government's internal flow of information regarding
terrorist threats to American citizens abroad.
One State Department official said: "We have been working with the Office
of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice to try to improve the
process and system by which these post-9/11 warnings have been issued. We
have provided those other agencies extensive background -- both written and
orally -- on how we go about assessing threats overseas and have emphasized
to them that the State Department has primary responsibility for the
well-being of Americans outside of the United States. They need to
coordinate with us in a way that they have not done to date."
ERRI's Senior National Security Analyst Clark Staten, said today that
communications issues concerning threats and alerts could be resolved by
creating what he calls an overarching and secure "network of networks," that
could be managed by Director Ridge and the Office of Homeland Security.
Staten said that ERRI had envisioned such a concept several years ago when
they conducted a nation-wide survey and issued a proposal concerning what
was then called a "virtual
disaster network." Modifications of this proposal could be used to
communicate directly with multiple agencies simultaneously and assure the
accuracy, inclusiveness, and interactivity of important terrorism threat
information that needs to be shared in a timely manner.
An FBI official in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday evening sent a fax
message informing the U.S. Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen, that U.S. law
enforcement agencies were on the lookout for one Fawaz Yahya Al-Rabeei, 23,
a Yemini man born in Saudi Arabia, who the bureau said may be involved in a
potential attack on either American assets in Yemen or in the United States.
The controversy is arising because it is reported that the FBI did not
clear the new information through an interagency group that normally handles
the assessment and dissemination of credible terror threats on Americans.
This procedure requires U.S. intelligence agencies to cable the U.S. State
Department Diplomatic Security, who then make an assessment whether the
information is credible and specific enough for U.S. embassies to warn
Americans in their host countries. On Monday no such cable was reportedly
sent.
U.S. officials on Wednesday said that the U.S. Embassy in Yemen did
conduct an "emergency action committee" meeting to discuss the latest
threat. One U.S. official familiar with the information on the threat said
that it differed from many threats against Americans in Yemen because it was
verified by two different sources of information, and offered specific
information about identities of suspects. Nonetheless, the embassy did not
send out a warning to Americans in their host country until later that
afternoon, despite the fact that the FBI warned that the attack would occur
on 12 February.
10 Feb 2002Four Terror Groups With No Ties to Al-Qaeda Could Become U.S. Targets
WASHINGTON, DC:
CIA Director George Tenet this past week
identified terrorist groups in Lebanon, Turkey and Colombia, that have no
apparent ties to al-Qaeda, and which could become possible future U.S.
targets because they have displayed anti-U.S. sentiments. In a report to
Congress on Wednesday, Tenet appeared to broaden the U.S. definition of
international terrorist groups to include organizations that have
threatened, but not yet acted against U.S. facilities, personnel, or
interests overseas. It would appear to be an effort to be more proactive in
preempting terrorism, rather than simply being reactive to it.
Tenet named as one threat the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),
a leftist organization that has not so far attacked targets inside the
United States, though they have been known to participate in the
anti-capitalist/anti-globalist movement. Another group identified as a
possible target in the terrorism war is the Revolutionary People's
Liberation Party/Front in Turkey. Tenet said the group "has publicly
criticized the United States and our operations in Afghanistan."
Intelligence sources added that U.S. intelligence facilities and air bases
in Turkey "have been mentioned as being possible terrorist targets."
The DCI also identified Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and HAMAS. These groups traditionally have
focused their attacks on Israel. He said: "If these groups feel that U.S.
actions [against world-wide terrorism] are threatening their existence, they
may begin targeting Americans directly."
Quotes from President George W. Bush's
2002
State of the
Union Speech:
WASHINGTON, DC:
"As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our
economy is in recession and the civilized world faces unprecedented
dangers, yet the state of our Union has never been stronger," Bush said.
"All nations should know that America will do what is necessary to ensure
our nation's security," he said. "I will not wait on events while dangers
gather. I will not stand by as peril draws closer and closer. The United
States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to
threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons," POTUS continued.
The president said U.S. discoveries in Afghanistan "confirmed our worst
fears." U.S. intelligence experts have discovered diagrams of American
nuclear power plants and public water facilities. They also discovered
detailed instructions for making chemical weapons and surveillance maps of
U.S. and other cities.
"What we have discovered in Afghanistan," Bush said, "is that far from
ending there, our war against terror is only beginning." Terror
organizations are around the world and states still offer safe haven and
money to these organizations, he said.
He said tens of thousands of "dangerous killers" trained in Afghanistan's
terror training camps. He said the terror school graduates are "now spread
around the world like ticking time bombs set to go off without warning." He
said the terrorists view the world as a battlefield, "and we must pursue
them wherever they are."
"We are protected from attack only by vigorous actions abroad and
increased vigilance at home," he said. The budget will double the money
devoted to homeland security.
Bush said his administration will focus on four key areas: bio-terrorism,
emergency response, airport and border security, and improved intelligence.
He said the war has gone well, but it has only just begun. "While the war on
terrorism may not end on out watch, it must be waged on our watch," he said.
Bush said the effort is expensive, but worth it. "While the price of
freedom and security is high, it is never too high," he said. Whatever it
costs to defend our country, we will pay," President Bush added.
A full text of the
President's speech is available at:
http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,44293,00.html
24 Jan 2002WASHINGTON, DC: The White House wants to nearly triple the amount
of money the government spends on preparing for and preventing domestic
terror attacks, with a special emphasis on bolstering the "front-line
soldiers" who would respond -- police, firefighters and emergency medical
teams. POTUS today was to propose | |
