November 2008

Improper disposal of equipment is allowing radioactive materials to contaminate metals used to make consumer products

French authorities made headlines last month when they said as many as 500 sets of radioactive buttons had been installed in elevators throughout France. It wasn't an isolated case.  Improper disposal of industrial equipment and medical scanners containing radioactive materials is allowing nuclear waste to trickle into scrap smelters, contaminating consumer goods, threatening the $140-billion trade in recycled metal and spurring the United Nations to call for increased screening…Abandoned medical scanners, food processing devices and mining equipment containing radioactive metals such as cesium-137 and cobalt-60 are often picked up by collectors and sold to recyclers, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear arm. De Bruin said he sometimes found such items hidden in beer kegs and lead pipes to prevent detection.  There may be more than 1 million missing radioactive sources worldwide, the Vienna-based atomic agency estimates…..(LA Times, 12 Nov 08)

FBI accuses Tarek Mehanna of lying in Daniel J. Maldonado terror case

Statements that Tarek Mehanna allegedly made to the FBI two years ago in the midst of a terrorism investigation came back to haunt him last weekend, when the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy graduate was arrested as he was about to board a Boston flight to start a new job overseas.  Mehanna, 26, who was living in a sprawling house in Sudbury with his parents, is charged with lying to the FBI in December 2006 when questioned about the whereabouts and activities of Daniel J. Maldonado, a former Methuen resident who was suspected of training at an Al Qaeda terrorist camp to overthrow the Somali government.  An FBI affidavit unsealed in federal court in Boston Monday alleges that Mehanna told agents on Dec. 16, 2006, that he had known Maldonado for three or four years and that when he last spoke to him two weeks earlier, Maldonado was living in a suburb of Alexandria, Egypt, and working for a website.  But Maldonado had actually placed several calls from Somalia to Mehanna's Sudbury home four days before the FBI interview, urging him to "join him in training for jihad," the affidavit says.

After Maldonado's capture a month later, a cooperating witness secretly recorded conversations with Mehanna, who fretted about lying to the FBI, according to the affidavit.  "When the FBI asked me where Dan was . . . I told them he was still in Egypt . . . and he had called me the day before that from Somalia," Mehanna told the witness, according to the affidavit. "That's very bad. I don't know how the heck I'm gonna explain that one."…..(Boston Globe, 12 Nov 08)

8 Arrested in Alleged KKK Initiation-Related Murder

An Oklahoma woman invited to a rural Louisiana campsite for a Ku Klux Klan initiation ritual was shot and killed after she asked to be taken back to town, the sheriff of a New Orleans suburb said Tuesday.  Eight people were arrested after authorities found the woman's body hidden under some brush, on the side of a road several miles from the remote campsite where the initiation was planned.  Investigators found weapons, several flags and six Klan robes at the campsite, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said in a news release.  Strain said the woman, whose identity was not released, was recruited over the Internet to participate in the ritual and then return to her home state to find other members for the white supremacist group.  But Strain said the group's leader, Raymond "Chuck" Foster, 44, shot and killed the woman Sunday after a fight broke out when she tried to leave. Foster was charged with second-degree murder and is being held without bond…..(AP, 11 Nov 08)

No.2  Ku Klux Klan group on trial in Ky. teen's beating

The 28-acre compound that the nation's second-largest Ku Klux Klan outfit calls home features a high gate with armed guards, a stage for the group's annual gatherings and an open field for burning crosses.  The Southern Poverty Law Center wants to take it all away.  On these tranquil grounds amid western Kentucky's low, rolling hills, the Imperial Klans of America incited members to severely beat a Latino teen at a county fair, the civil rights group contends in a lawsuit. The center hopes its case will bankrupt this Klan group, a tactic the center has used to decimate other racist organizations.  Jury selection begins Wednesday in Meade County, about 40 miles south of Louisville and 120 miles from the compound…..(AP, 11 Nov 08)

Homeland Security Blues

One of the most powerful, but also most perilous, national-security posts in the post-9/11 U.S. government is the job of homeland security secretary. The secretary is responsible for running a huge department encompassing a grab bag of agencies. These include a medium-sized Navy (the U.S. Coast Guard), an elite plainclothes presidential bodyguard regiment (the U.S. Secret Service), a substantial prison system (detention facilities run by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau) and massive uniformed battalions that police airports and land borders. Not to mention the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a bureau that processes citizenship applications and the department's own intelligence office. The person heading the department has sweeping powers to organize, hire and fire workforces and award giant contracts for high-tech equipment like radiation detectors and border-protection sensors. But if another terrorist attack occurs inside U.S. borders, the homeland security secretary will be among the first to face blame. The outgoing secretary, Michael Chertoff, is still living down his department's slow response to a non-man-made disaster, Hurricane Katrina……(Newsweek, 11 Nov 08)

Judge drops anti-terror charges in power plant trespassing

A Ottawa County judge dropped anti-terror felony charges against a Muskegon man Tuesday, saying a Grand Haven power plant can't be considered a Homeland Security "key facility" because its fencing has too many gaps to meet that definition. During a hearing to determine whether a preliminary hearing should be held, 58th District Judge Richard Kloote dismissed felony trespassing charges against Jeremy Sowa, 275 D, Muskegon. Those charges were brought following Sowa's arrest after a man was seen trespassing at the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power's Sims III Power Plant, which officials at the U.S. Homeland Security Department consider a possible terror target.  Assistant Prosecutor Greg Babbitt said he will consider appealing Kloote's ruling to the 20th Circuit Court or pursuing misdemeanor charges against Sowa, 26. Sowa's attorney Greg Todd said his client is prepared to enter a guilty plea to misdemeanor trespassing charges……(Muskegon Chronicle, 11 Nov 08)

SD County part of new federal database program

San Diego County authorities will soon be able to use fingerprints to check the immigration status of suspects in county jails, federal officials announced Tuesday.  The "Secure Communities" program allows officials access to both federal criminal and immigration records when they take suspects' fingerprints during the booking process, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.  It will be implemented Wednesday in Dallas County in Texas and Wake County in North Carolina. By February it will expand to about 45 counties across the country, including San Diego County.  David Venturella, an ICE director involved in the program, said the goal is to identify criminals for deportation. He said local authorities will notify ICE if fingerprints match those of a non-U.S. citizen, but federal agents would decide whether someone is deportable……(AP, 11 Nov 08)

GE developing nuclear detection system

The research arm of General Electric Co. is adapting its medical imaging technology to detect radioactive materials in the fight against terrorism.  The technology, which is being developed by GE Global Research with $7 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, would lead to the development of a prototype of a mobile Standoff Radiation Imaging System, GE Global Research said Monday.  The research is part of a Department of Homeland Security program to advance technologies for law enforcement and first responders to better protect against nuclear threats.  The project intends to build a prototype imaging system that can identify even weak radioactivity at a distance while in a moving vehicle…..(Business Week, 11 Nov 08)

 All US airports to have family screening lanes

Airports across the country will have designated security lanes for families to move through preflight inspections at their own pace, just in time for the busy Thanksgiving travel season.  The Transportation Security Administration is expanding its family lanes to every security checkpoint in the country by November 20. The popular lanes, which have been tested at 48 airports, provide a space for families and passengers who don't travel very often to move through security at their own pace.  People who carry prohibited items for medical needs _ such as cough syrup, insulin, contact lens solution and breast milk or baby formula _ will also be directed to the family lanes…In August 2006, the TSA changed its screening policies after officials foiled a plot to use liquid explosives to blow up commercial airlines headed toward the U.S. Intelligence officials remain concerned that terrorists could carry liquid explosives onto planes…….(AP, 10 Nov 08)

Audit: Public shorted on terror prosecutions

Federal prosecutors have spent far less time pursuing terrorism suspects over the past five years than the American people paid for, a new Justice Department audit concludes.   The study released Monday says the government has increased prosecutors' time and other resources devoted to combating health care fraud and drug trafficking.   The audit, which raises questions about how prosecutors around the country allocate their time among top crime-fighting priorities, was issued by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine.  It comes amid concerns that the FBI is too strapped by counterterrorism cases to fully investigate financial firms that may have contributed to the nation's economic crisis……(AP, 10 Nov 08)

Questioning the Vulnerability of Federal Buildings

There are moments in life that form foundations for future actions. Perhaps, on a personal note, the moment of the announcement of the bombing at the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City was that moment for me. When Terry Nicols and Timothy McVeigh detonated the ammonium nitrate truck bomb that killed 168 people, including 15 children, and injured more than 800 the morning of April 19, 1995, it moved me beyond any moment in my life until September 11th. At the time it was the worst terrorist attack on American soil and it remains the worst act of domestic terrorism. It was a personal moment made more so by the fact that a friend, an F.B.I. agent counseling local businesses on industrial espionage, was originally from Oklahoma City and immediately rushed home to be part of the team…Following September 11th, the Federal Protective Services charged with providing guards and law enforcement personnel to federal buildings was moved from the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service to the Department of Homeland Security under Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Recently, a report from the GAO was publicized criticizing the federal protective service and highlighting the fact that federal buildings were unguarded and therefore vulnerable to attack (the actual report can be found here)……(Threats Watch, 10 Nov 08)

Cutbacks and confusion over building security leave workers wondering who's guarding the doors.

GAO's most recent report on building security (GAO-08-683), released in June, concluded that dwindling re-sources at the Federal Protective Service had "diminished security at facilities and increased the risk of crime or terrorist attacks." FPS is the primary agency responsible for protecting more than 1 million federal employees at about 9,000 General Services Administration-owned or leased buildings nationwide.  Formerly a component of GSA's Public Buildings Service, the Federal Protective Service was transferred to ICE in 2003. In this transition, many say, FPS became a victim of Homeland Security budget battles. With costs exceeding revenue, FPS instituted cutbacks, which brought a 20 percent decrease in staffing between fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2007. And the agency's strategic plan shifted to put the emphasis on hiring private security guards.  The security agency, facing hiring freezes after its transfer to ICE, began expanding its contract guard force out of necessity. Simultaneously, FPS leaders were developing a strategic approach that would keep inspectors, who monitor security compliance, in-house and contract out the more mundane elements of law enforcement, such as access control. This strategic shift, not formally announced until the spring of 2007, has been met with extreme skepticism from lawmakers……(Gov Exec, 1 Nov 08)

GAO Report: The Federal Protective Service Faces Several Challenges That Hamper Its Ability to Protect Federal Facilities

High Court May Consider Legality of al-Marri Detention

Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was close to going on trial for fraud when prosecutors marched into an Illinois courtroom with a demand. Dismiss the charges, they said, because President Bush had just designated the defendant an enemy combatant.  Marri's attorneys protested, but U.S. Attorney Jan Paul Miller declared that the military had already taken custody of the Qatari national, now deemed an al-Qaeda sleeper agent. "There is no longer a judicial proceeding before this court," he said.  With that, Marri was whisked to a Navy brig in Charleston, S.C., where he has spent more than five years. His case raises a question with vast implications for presidential power and civil liberties: Can the military indefinitely detain, without charge, a U.S. citizen or legal resident seized on U.S. soil?  The Supreme Court is now being asked to consider the legality of Marri's detention, which is one of the broadest and most controversial assertions of executive authority since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Marri's attorneys want the court to overturn an appellate ruling that backed the administration. The final brief is due Monday, and the justices are expected to decide soon whether to take the case…..(Washington Post, 9 Nov 08)

Documents Unsealed: Hezbollah-Linked Drug Network
In April 2008, Chekri Mahmoud Harb (a.k.a. "Taliban") and a handful of other individuals were named in a recently unsealed superseding indictment alleging the existence of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy. While there is no mention of terrorism ties in the court documents, an October 2008 L.A. Times article noted that Harb "acted as the hub of an unusual and alarming alliance between South American cocaine traffickers and Middle Eastern militants...Authorities accuse Harb of being a 'world-class.......(NEFA, 9 Nov 08)

Federal Judge Upholds Terrorist Designation of Al-Haramain
Ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation (AHIF), federal judge Garr M. King concluded that "there is sufficient evidence in the classified and unclassified record demonstrating that AHIF-Oregon supported SDGTs.......(NEFA, 9 Nov 08)

Federal Judge Dismisses 2 Counts in Clearance Revocation Lawsuit
Dr. Abdel Moniem Ali El-Ganayni, a native-born Egyptian who became a U.S. citizen in 1988 and who worked as a physicist at Bettis Laboratory, sued the Department of Energy (DOE) and the DOE Secretary after his security clearance was suspended. In assessing the case, federal judge Terrence F. McVerry pointed out that "this is a difficult and important case that implicates the constitutional separation of powers.......(NEFA, 9 Nov 08)

DOJ OIG Examines FBI's Tracking of Threat Information
The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General initiated an audit “to evaluate the policies and procedures the FBI uses to identify, assess, and track terrorist threats and suspicious incidents.” The report “found that Guardian [Threat Tracking System] represents a significant.......(NEFA, 9 Nov 08)

FBI Threat Tracking Improves, Report Says

The FBI's main electronic system that tracks terrorist threats and suspicious incidents amounts to a "significant improvement" over earlier computer packages, but the bureau could do more to improve its accuracy, the Justice Department inspector general said yesterday.   The system stored 108,000 threats and suspicious incidents between July 2004 and November 2007, the "overwhelming majority" of them bum leads, according to the report by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. Agents ultimately opened 600 criminal investigations based on the tips.

Fine said that the bureau generally handled high-priority tips quickly. Still, his report faulted the bureau for allowing low-priority incidents to remain in the computer tracking system for longer than a month. He also said that FBI supervisors should have reviewed more of the false leads before line agents decided to close the cases…..(Washington Post, 8 Nov 08)

TSA to Assume Watch List Vetting with Secure Flight Program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced the issuance of the Secure Flight Final Rule, which shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and carries out a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. By bringing watch list matching responsibilities in-house, TSA can better remedy possible misidentifications when a traveler's name is similar to one found on a watch list.  "Secure Flight is a critical tool that will further improve aviation security and fix the major customer service issue of watch list misidentifications, a frustratingly common occurrence for travelers under the existing airline-based system," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "We know that threats to our aviation system persist, and Secure Flight will help us better protect the traveling public while creating a more consistent passenger prescreening process, ultimately reducing the number of misidentification issues."…..(FSM, 8 Nov 08)

Restitution tops $4M in Midwest eco-terrorism case

An environmental activist who committed arson at Michigan State University in 1999 is now ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution, a federal judge decided Monday.  Frank Ambrose, 33, of Detroit was sentenced Oct. 20 to nine years in federal prison. He and Marie Mason committed arson at MSU's Agriculture Hall on New Year's Eve 1999 to protest genetic-crop research in the name of the radical Earth Liberation Front.  They also admitted to tree spikings in Indiana and fires at four homes under construction in the Detroit area.  U.S. Chief District Judge Paul Maloney had ordered $3.7 million in restitution but raised it to $4.14 million after a "discrepancy." He did not specify what the discrepancy was.  Ambrose and prosecutors had until this week to file objections to the new payout. Nothing was filed.  A quarter of the money is owed to the university.  Mason, 46, will be sentenced in February……(AP, 7 Nov 08)

FBI finds most terrorism threat reports baseless

The FBI tracked about 108,000 potential terrorism threats or suspicious incidents from mid-2004 to November 2007, but most were found groundless, a Justice Department review found on Friday.  The department's office of inspector general gave the figure in an audit of the FBI's terrorism case-tracking system, called Guardian, launched in 2002 after the September 11 attacks.  "The FBI determined that the overwhelming majority of the threat information documented in Guardian had no nexus to terrorism. However, as a result of information reported in Guardian the FBI initiated over 600 criminal and terrorism-related investigations from October 2006 to December 2007," the inspector general's report said.  The report did not discuss the result of the investigations……(Reuters, 7 Nov 08)

The Paradox of Colombia

The recent GAO report on the lack of success of U.S. aid to Colombia is striking because it lays out the fundamental paradox of the multi-pronged war there.  The GAO finds, as many of us have written about, that the $6.1 billion in U.S. aid since 2000 has helped Colombia achieve notable successes. This is especially notable in recouping territory and dismantling much of the infrastructure of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the disarming (with many flaws) of the United Self Defense Forces (AUC). Both are designated terrorist organizations, and both presented direct and real threats to the Colombia state.  But despite those historic gains, the production of cocaine has not diminished. The GAO report says (borne out recent conversations I had with senior Colombian police and military leaders) that cocaine production has actually increased……(Douglas Farah, 7 Nov 08)

Challenges in Implementing Plan Colombia   (GAO)

USF Student Came to US to "Cause Harm Within This Country"
In June 2008, University of South Florida student Ahmed Abellatif Sherif Mohamed pled guilty to providing material support to terrorists. In a sentencing document filed in federal court, DOJ argued that "the evidence gathered during this investigation also revealed that the defendant used his admission to the United States in order to focus his attention on gathering information about explosives and acquiring components in this country to construct explosives to cause harm within this country." Further, "The defendant...supported a radical brand of jihadist thought.......(NEFA, 7 Nov 08)

Monzer Al-Kassar Trial Underway - Documents Available
In June 2007, federal authorities in New York announced the arrest of Monzer Al Kassar (a.k.a. "Abu Munawar," a.k.a. "El Taous"), an international arms dealer charged with conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the FARC to be used to kill Americans in Colombia. As Al Kassar's trial gets underway in New York, the NEFA Foundation is highlighting the collection of court documents pertaining to this case that are available in the "Featured Legal Documents" section…..(NEFA, 7 Nov 08)

Department of Homeland Security issues final rule on Secure Flight

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued its final rule on Secure Flight, which will require all air passengers to provide their full name, date of birth and gender. The rule shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual airlines to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  By bringing watch list matching responsibilities in-house, TSA hopes to enhance the security of domestic and international commercial air travel by reducing misidentifications when a traveler's name is similar to one found on a watch list…..(Expo Web, 7 Nov 08)

Federal agencies miss smart card ID deadlines by wide margin

Federal agencies continue to miss by a wide margin the implementation deadlines for an ambitious government-wide smart card identity credential initiative designed to shore up the security of federal networks and facilities.

The most recent deadline passed on Oct. 27. By then, agencies were supposed to have finished issuing new Personal Identity Verification (PIV) smart cards to all their employees and contractors under a 2004 presidential directive, Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12).  Of the more than 5.5 million federal employees and contractors who were supposed to have been issued PIV cards by that date, less than 1.6 million -- or 29% -- actually did get them, according to numbers by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is overseeing the effort……(Computerworld, 6 Nov 08)

Agency Plans Electronic Overhaul of Case-Management System

The Bush administration has launched a major overhaul of the nation's immigration services agency, selecting an industry consortium led by IBM to reinvent how the government handles about 7 million applications each year for visas, citizenship and approval to work in the United States, officials announced yesterday.   If successful, the five-year, $500 million effort to convert U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' case-management system from paper-based to electronic could reduce backlogs and processing delays by at least 20 percent, and possibly more than 50 percent…The new system would allow government agencies, from the Border Patrol to the FBI to the Labor Department, to access immigration records faster and more accurately. In combination with initiatives to link digital fingerprint scans to unique identification numbers, it would create a lifelong digital record for applicants. It also would eliminate the need for time- and labor-intensive filing and refiling of paper forms, which are stored at 200 locations in 70 million manila file folders……(Washington Post, 7 Nov 08)

Men Plead Not Guilty in Alleged Plot To Kill Obama

Two men loosely affiliated with the white supremacy movement pleaded not guilty yesterday to conspiracy and firearms charges in what authorities describe as a plot to assassinate President-elect Barack Obama.  Daniel G. Cowart, 20, of Tennessee, and Paul M. Schlesselman, 18, of Arkansas, are being held without bail in a Tennessee prison after local law enforcement officials arrested them last month. They appeared yesterday before a federal magistrate in Memphis. Both men could face more than a decade behind bars if convicted of involvement in the alleged conspiracy.  The men hatched a plan to steal weapons, ambush a predominately African American school and then attack Obama at a rally, while wearing white top hats and tails, according to a sworn statement last week by federal agent Brian Weaks……(Washington Post, 7 Nov 08)

Judge Is Told 6 Algerians Should Remain Detained

A Justice Department lawyer yesterday urged a federal judge to continue the detention of six Algerians at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, contending they would "take up arms" and attack Americans if released.

The accusations came during the first habeas corpus hearing ever held for a Guantanamo prisoner, a landmark in the detainees' legal saga of more than six years. The Supreme Court ruled in June that the prison's approximately 250 detainees have the right to challenge their confinements in U.S. federal courts. The six Algerians appeared before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon yesterday.  The government alleges that the six Algerians were planning to go to Afghanistan to fight U.S. forces. But the detainees' lawyers said the men are innocent, never should have been confined and, after nearly seven years of captivity, should be freed. The lawyers described the detainees as hardworking family men.  "They were not found lurking in some dark basement or backyard garage, making bombs. They were not found with any weapons or explosives or any other instruments of war,"……(Washington Post, 7 Nov 08)

Latest in Iran Sanctions: No U-Turn

In the first letter of its kind from an Iranian leader to an American president elect since the Iranian revolution, Iranian President Mahmoud Admedinejad congratulated President Elect Obama on his vicotry and called for an end to America's "war-oriented policies, occupation, bullying, deception and intimidation of nations and imposing discriminatory policies on them and international affairs, which have evoked hatred toward American leaders." Other Iranian officials have been more specific, calling for Obama to show goodwill by ending U.S. sanctions on Iran. That, however, is unlikely to happen.  Yesterday the Treasury department made clear there would be no change in direction (no U-turn, if you will) from the current policy of exposing -- and taking countermeasures against -- the involvement of Iranian banks in the regime's support for terrorist groups and nuclear and missile proliferation. Following the recommendation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to strengthn measures to protect the financial sector from the risks posed to the international financial system by Iran, the Treasury revoked the "U-Turn" license under which Iran had previously been able to indirectly access the U.S. financial system to dollarize transactions.  Treasury also provided an updated fact sheet detailing Iran's misuse of the international financial system to support illicit activities…..(Counterterrorism Blog, 7 Nov 08)

US clamps down on Iran

The Bush administration moved Thursday to clamp down on Iran by barring financial institutions from routing certain money transfers through the United States on behalf of Iranian banks, Iran's government and others in the country.  Specifically, the Treasury Department announced that it is revoking Iran's so-called "U-turn" license that until now has allowed for such money transfers under certain conditions.  "This regulatory action will close the last general entry point for Iran to the U.S. financial system," the department said in a release.  Prior to Thursday's action, U.S. financial institutions were allowed to process certain money transfers for Iranian banks and other Iranian customers as long as the payments were initiated offshore by a bank that was not neither Iranian nor American and only passed through the U.S. financial system en route to another offshore bank that was neither Iranian nor American…….(AP, 7 Nov 08)

Judge nixes part of Pa. Muslim scientist's lawsuit

A federal judge said he doesn't have jurisdiction to decide whether a Muslim scientist was wrongly denied a security clearance but is still considering whether his due process rights were violated.  The American Civil Liberties Union, suing on behalf of Abdel Moniem El-Ganayni, says the government is hiding behind a claim of national security to keep from disclosing why El-Ganayni lost his security clearance in December.  The ACLU contends El-Ganayni was wrongly fired from his job in May at a nuclear warship parts plant because he spoke out against U.S. foreign policy and the alleged mistreatment of Muslims by the FBI.  In an opinion issued Oct. 31, U.S. District Judge Terrence McVerry agreed with the government that he doesn't have the jurisdiction to second-guess the U.S. Department of Energy's decision to deny El-Ganayni his security clearance. But McVerry left open the possibility that the Energy Department violated its own procedures……(AP, 6 Nov 08)

Jury in Arms Trial Is Told About a Double Sting Operation

For more than 30 years, prosecutors say, Monzer al-Kassar, a Syrian-born merchant, has been involved in illegal arms deals and money laundering. On Wednesday, as his trial opened in Federal District Court in Manhattan, prosecutors told the jury about what they said were his plans to sell arms to rebels who wanted to kill Americans.

Brendan R. McGuire, a prosecutor, said that Mr. Kassar and his co-defendant had “agreed together to put an arsenal of weapons, explosives and missiles into the hands of terrorists.”   But what Mr. Kassar and the co-defendant, Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, did not know, Mr. McGuire said, was that the deal was an elaborate sting operation run by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which was using informants to pose as brokers seeking arms for a Colombian terrorist organization.   When the defense lawyers offered their version of the case, they made a startling assertion that turned the government’s allegation on its head. They said that Mr. Kassar had been an important intelligence source for the government of Spain, where he had lived for about 25 years.

And when the “brokers,” who unbeknownst to Mr. Kassar and Mr. Godoy were controlled by the D.E.A., came to them seeking arms for terrorists, Mr. Kassar reported them to the Spanish authorities, and continued to deal with them in order to learn as much as he could to have them arrested……(New York Times, 6 Nov 08)

Accused Syrian arms dealer a spy for Spain: lawyers

Syrian arms dealer on trial for agreeing to sell weapons to Colombian rebels was in fact providing information to Spanish intelligence officers who were targeting the group, defense lawyers said on Wednesday.  Monzer al-Kassar, 62, a longtime Spanish resident known as the "prince of Marbella" for his rich lifestyle in the glitzy seaside town, is accused of conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia also known as the FARC.  In opening arguments at Manhattan federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McGuire said the U.S. government hired undercover operatives to pose as FARC arms buyers and to videotape their negotiations with Kassar and a second defendant, Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, 59.  They met at Kassar's home in Marbella and discussed the sale of weapons, including assault and sniper rifles and rocket propelled grenade launchers, to the FARC, McGuire said.  Kassar told the men he understood the arms would be used against U.S. helicopters and also offered to send 1,000 men to fight with the FARC against the U.S. military, McGuire said…..(Reuters, 6 Nov 08)

Security Grants to Have Fewer Requirements

The Department of Homeland Security announced plans yesterday to dole out $3 billion in counterterrorism grants next year to state and local agencies with far-fewer strings attached than in past years, in a concession to sharply tightening budgets at all levels of government.  The total amount mandated by Congress to go to the 50 states and the District, as well as funds for ports, transit systems, emergency managers, tribes, nonprofit groups and others, remains close to last year's levels. But, unlike in past years, DHS acted months earlier in revealing specific amounts that will go to the states and the 62 designated high-risk cities.  The DHS move marks a response to criticism from a Democratic Congress and increasingly restive state and local leaders. They have complained that the Bush administration's domestic security officials have focused on terrorism at the expense of other law enforcement priorities, such as fighting drugs, gangs and violent crime…….(Washington Post, 6 Nov 08)

GAO report: Plan Colombia success limited

The nearly $5 billion U.S. aid package known as Plan Colombia failed to meet its goal of halving illegal narcotics production in this Andean nation, says a U.S. congressional report released Wednesday.  The General Accounting Office report does, however, note that the mostly military assistance helped Colombia markedly improve security, with kidnapping and murder rates falling and the armed forces greatly diminishing the leftist rebel threat.  Its release comes as U.S. officials make it clear that aid for Colombia, an estimated $657 million in fiscal 2008, will now be trimmed because of the U.S. financial crisis.  A widening scandal over army killings of civilians to boost body counts that cost Colombia's army chief his job this week could, additionally, impact U.S. aid to the nation…..(AP, 5 Nov 08)

Money Remitter Sentenced for Concealing Terrorist Financing
In August 2008, Saifullah Ranjha, a U.S. national living in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, pled guilty to conspiring to launder money and to concealing terrorist financing. On November 4, 2008, he was sentenced to 110 months in prison……(NEFA, 5 Nov 08)

Man Sentenced In Money Laundering Scheme

The U.S. Attorney's office says a Pakistani national living in Washington and Maryland has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison for money laundering plot and concealing terrorist financing.  Saifullah Anjum Ranjha, 45, was sentenced to 110 months in prison on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty in August. U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis also ordered Ranjha to forfeit $2,208,000.  According to his guilty plea, Ranjha operated a money remitter business in Washington known as Hamza.  Cooperating witnesses posed as drug smugglers, cigarette smugglers and other criminals, and in one case as a terrorist who wanted to send money to al-Qaida……(AP, 4 Nov 08)

TSA Approves New Checkpoint System's Nationwide Roll-out

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that is has officially approved an ad-sponsored airport security checkpoint enhancement system -- known as SecureTray System(R) -- for use in all U.S. airports. The announcement was made after nearly 16 months of live system testing in 15 small-, mid- and large-sized airports in 10 states.  TSA spokeswoman, Sterling Payne, said the program aims to upgrade equipment at airport checkpoints at no cost to the federal government (according to a Nov. 4, 2008 USA Today article).

SecureTray System is installed in every checkpoint within participating airports and is a surprisingly low-tech solution for areas filled with high-tech equipment. It's simply a specially-built rolling cart (used to recycle bins from the end to the front of checkpoints); two oversized stainless steel tables (custom-fitted to each side of the checkpoint's existing x-ray equipment); and bright-white bins with advertisements affixed to their inside bottoms……(Press Release, 4 Nov 08)

Plans advance for DHS systems engineering R&D center

The Homeland Security Department plans to soon issue a solicitation that eventually could be worth up to $455 million for a contractor to establish and operate a research and development center dedicated to systems engineering and development, including  information technology systems.  The new federally funded research and development center would help DHS identify and implement best practices for technical systems engineering and acquisitions, and would be named the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (SEDI).
The SEDI would generally work on the most complex homeland security systems, according to a draft solicitation notice. In addition, the notice said the SEDI would provide program-level technical and integration expertise to DHS program managers that is not otherwise available…..(FCW, 4 Nov 08).

White House Inaction on Rules For Hedge Funds Is Criticized

…"Hedge funds are unregulated financial companies that can handle millions of dollars in offshore money without any legal obligation to check who is behind the funds or report suspicious activities," Levin said in a statement. "But instead of plugging the hedge fund regulatory gap by issuing a final rule, the Administration went the opposite way, withdrew its anti-money laundering proposal, and offered nothing in its place."  Seven years ago, the Patriot Act required every financial institution to establish a program to combat money laundering. A year later the administration advertised a proposed rule to implement the law. The rule was never finalized, however, and last week the Treasury withdrew it, saying the proposal was "dated."  Among the reasons given by past and present administration officials for the inaction were that there were no government examiners in place who could readily enforce the measures because the hedge fund industry is largely unregulated. Moreover, some regulators said the likelihood that a terrorist group would use a hedge fund is relatively small because hedge funds typically require large upfront investments and place limits on when investors can withdraw their money…..(Washington Post, 4 Nov 08)

U.S. Efforts Divert Iran-Bound Cargo

The United States thwarted a suspect shipment from North Korea to Iran by persuading the Indian government to deny clearance for the North Korean flight to travel through Indian airspace, U.S. officials said yesterday.

Nine weeks after the flight was diverted in August, the Bush administration removed North Korea from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism in a bid to salvage an accord to end Pyongyang's nuclear programs. U.S. officials suspect the North Korean plane, an Ilyushin-62 jet owned by the North Korean state airline, was carrying sophisticated technology -- such as ballistic missile parts -- that could be used in a program for weapons of mass destruction. The jet stopped in Burma on Aug. 7 and sought permission to cross Indian airspace to reach Iran. India is not part of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative, but officials in New Delhi agreed to a U.S. request to deny access…During the talks on its nuclear programs, North Korea has pledged to halt proliferation activities. But questions have persisted over whether such sales continue, including the country's suspected involvement in the building of a nuclear reactor in Syria that Israeli jets destroyed in 2007.…..(Washington Post, 4 Nov 08)

Get a Deep Insight into the Biometrics for Homeland Security Analysis and Forecasts 2008-2018

…The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and later bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005 have made it imperative for countries worldwide to tighten national security. These security measures require more-accurate, suitable and efficient ways to identify and monitor individuals passing through airports, border stations and other points of entry. The security developments also need to accommodate the increasing movement of people between countries. Embassies and some other public buildings and infrastructure require improved security technologies, with biometric technologies increasingly important. The US Government has popularized the phrase ``homeland security`` as it focused its efforts in boosting security within its national territory from terrorism, improving the security of borders, airports and ports in particular. Homeland security is now a key focal point of government budget - you must capture your share of that market today.  Biometrics have unique physical and behavioral characteristics that can be measured by automated methods. The best known of these biometric identifiers are fingerprints, iris and facial characteristics. Importantly, there are emerging methods that make use of other identifiers such as vein patterns on hands and voice recognition, amongst other developed and emerging technologies - but what are they and can they be introduced in a cost-effective scenario? Furthermore, there is great potential for technology transfer within/between electronics and other scientific and engineering disciplines, including data analysis, defense, security and biotechnology. This report delivers clear opportunities for you and your organization - take advantage of it immediately……(Business Wire, 4 Nov 08)

Judge dismisses terrorism charge

A Blount County judge Monday dismissed an act-of-terrorism charge against a man who authorities said pulled a practice grenade out of his pocket during an argument at an Alcoa Highway restaurant.  Jack Hensley of Alcoa had been charged with distribution or delivery of any substance as an act of terrorism or as a hoax, a Class C felony, after a Jan. 11 incident in which he allegedly pulled an inert, practice hand grenade out of his pocket and set it on the table in front of him in the midst of a verbal altercation at the Waffle House on Alcoa Highway.

But Judge William R. Brewer of Blount County General Sessions Court ruled, based on a motion by Hensley's attorney, T. Scott Jones, that displaying the faux weapon did not meet the requirements of the anti-terrorism statute under which Hensley was charged…..(Knoxville Sentinel, 4 Nov 08)

Thailand: Alleged Russian Arms Dealer Appears In Court

The defense lawyer for a Russian man alleged to be one of the world's biggest arms dealers told a Thai court Friday (31 Oct) that his client had been illegally detained and should be released.  The United States is seeking the extradition of Viktor Bout, who has been indicted in the U.S. on four terrorism-related charges. He was arrested in Thailand in March.  Defense attorney Preecha Prasertsak petitioned the court to dismiss the extradition case, arguing that his client had been illegally detained when he was first arrested.  "His detention was based on a flawed arrest warrant," Preecha said, because the arrest warrant issued two days before Bout was detained at a luxury Bangkok hotel was not dated.  The 41-year-old Russian has been dubbed "The Merchant of Death" by the media, but he denies any involvement in illicit activities. He was purportedly the model for the arms dealer portrayed by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 movie "Lord of War."  According to reports by U.N. agencies and several Western governments, Bout has delivered arms to dictators and warlords in Africa and Afghanistan…..(My Sinchew, 4 Nov 08)

Guantanamo Inmates To Launch First Habeas Corpus Challenges

Six Algerians detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the last seven years are to become on Thursday the first prisoners to challenge their continued imprisonment in a U.S. federal court.  The prison at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, where some 800 men classified as "enemy combatants" have been held without trial, is a central piece of outgoing President George W. Bush's "war on terror."  After years of legal wrangling, the U.S. Supreme Court in June granted Guantanamo detainees access to the civil court system and the right to file Habeas Corpus cases challenging their detention. The case of the Algerians is the first of a series of such cases.

"It is not a trial over these men being guilty or innocent, it is only a trial about whether the president can say legally that based on these facts and this law, 'I have a basis for holding these men'," defense lawyer Robert Kirsch said.  Some 250 prisoners remain in the military base, and all of them have started Habeas Corpus challenges……(AFP, 4 Nov 08)

Payments to Informants in Colombia Revealed

The Drug Enforcement Administration has paid more than $3.3 million to four confidential informants in an investigation that led to the arrest of a man prosecutors called an international arms dealer, according to court documents. The man, Monzer al-Kassar, and a co-defendant, Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, are scheduled to go on trial this week in Federal District Court in Manhattan. They are charged in a conspiracy to sell weapons to rebels in Colombia who wanted to kill Americans there. Opening arguments are to begin on Wednesday.  A third defendant, Tareq Mousa al-Ghazi, was also to stand trial, but he had a heart attack and required emergency surgery, said his lawyer, Marc A. Agnifilo. The judge, Jed S. Rakoff, ordered his case to be separated and said he would be tried later. The three men have been charged with conspiring to support terrorism and to kill Americans. They have pleaded not guilty……(New York Times, 3 Nov 08)

Canada may join U.S.-led energy, environment security project

Canada may join a new, U.S.-led effort to gather and share intelligence about threats to energy and environmental security, a newly released document shows.  The project, spearheaded by the U.S. Energy Department's intelligence and counterintelligence unit, is billed as a "radically different" way of understanding security matters.  The Energy and Environmental Security Ecosystem, or EESE, will include a members-only website for governments, industry and experts to swap information and make contacts. There may also be face-to-face meetings.  The project, to be launched next year, is meant to improve understanding of the security implications of energy and environmental issues, says the website's architect……(Canadian Press, 3 Nov 08)

Inside the Department of Homeland Security's Tech Garage

To hear Jay Cohen, undersecretary of the S & T Directorate, talk about technology development for the defense of the homeland, one would be forgiven for mistaking him for a chief executive of a Silicon Valley start-up. He's brimming with energy and optimism about the prospect of public-private partnerships developing technology to secure the homeland.  Cohen oversees an agency with an $830 million dollar budget, nearly half of which is devoted to the directorate's high-priority technology needs. About 10 percent of the budget goes into further innovation in homeland security technology and about 1 percent of the budget goes into a rapid-development fund. Projects in that fund must cost less than $1 million and have a time-to-market of less than a year.  In order to reduce redundancy, the DHS cannot recreate any of the programs of the Centers for Disease Control or others….(Gov Tech, 3 Nov 08)

Air Force opens office to manage nuclear mission

The Air Force on Nov. 1 stood up a headquarters office to oversee nuclear issues as the service works to restore confidence following a string of highly publicized mistakes in handling nuclear weapons and material. The Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Office, known as A10, "will be instrumental in managing the overall nuclear enterprise and will be directly involved in implementing the Air Force nuclear roadmap as well as preparing to stand up the Air Force Global Strike Command," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said. Maj. Gen. C. Donald Alston was named assistant chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration and will lead the A10 office. Alston directed the Air Force Nuclear Task Force, the panel charged with identifying root causes of the erosion of nuclear operations within the service and recommending remedies.  The Air Force announced in late October that during the next year it would consolidate nuclear bombers and missiles into a single command, known as Global Strike Command. The service also released its roadmap for revitalizing the nuclear enterprise……(Gov Exec, 3 Nov 08)

Oaklawn participates in Homeland Security Training

Emergency Responder, Patrick Crouse, RRT from Oaklawn Hospital, recently completed Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), located in Anniston, Alabama. Crouse completed the “Pandemic Influenza Planning and Preparedness Course.” The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation. Two years ago Crouse completed the “Healthcare Leadership” course at the CDP, which dealt with WMD disaster training. He also has completed six other FEMA emergency management courses and has attended National Emergency Management Summits in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. …..(Battle Creek Enquirer,  3 Nov 08)

University of Arizona co-opted to become spy central, using lasers on migrants

… The university (Univ of Arizona) and Homeland Security are promoting Dr. Hsinchun Chen, in charge of Internet spying worldwide and based at the university. He is on the lookout for "suspicious" behavior.  "Dr. Chen is the founder of the Knowledge Computing Corporation, a university spin-off company and a market leader in law enforcement and intelligence information sharing and data mining," according to a statement to publicize Dr. Chen's efforts.  The latest news is that the university is using lasers on migrants.  Jay Nunamaker, director of UA's Center for Management of Information in the Eller College of Management, said the university is using the laser doppler vibrometer on migrants… Homeland Security said, "The Center for Border Security and Immigration, led by the University of Arizona in Tucson and the University of Texas at El Paso, will develop technologies, tools and advanced methods to balance immigration and commerce with effective border security, as well as assess threats and vulnerabilities, improve surveillance and screening, analyze immigration trends, and enhance policy and law enforcement efforts."  The university is receiving $16 million from Homeland Security.  Because of the fear of an economic collapse in the US, university researchers are scrambling after the dollars.  Homeland Security dollars are also funding US intelligence training in Israel, according to Security Solutions International.
The Homeland Security funded Israeli training follows the news that the same security corporations responsible for building the Apartheid Wall in Palestine, including Israel's Elbit Systems, were subcontracted for security work on the US Apartheid Wall on the US/Mexico border…..(Brenda Norrell, 3 Nov 08)

UA will use $16M grant to track migrants

…At UA, research will focus on developing new security technologies, gathering data about immigrants and analyzing methods by which similar data have been gathered in past years, said Jay Cohen, the DHS undersecretary for science and technology.

"We want to know how many immigrants are coming, how many illegal immigrants, where do they go, what do they do, how do they support the economy," said Jay Nunamaker, director of UA's Center for Management of Information in the Eller College of Management… One of the security projects already under way is a laser doppler vibrometer, he said.  The vibrometer measures someone's blood pressure and heart rate at a distance. The tool now used is accurate at under 10 yards, as long as the person at whom it is aimed is not wearing a turtleneck shirt or has a beard.  Nunamaker said the goal is to make the laser beam that is aimed at the suspect's carotid artery invisible and have it be accurate up to 100 yards.  "We're trying to get a sense, 'Do people who are telling a lie give off different signals than people who are telling the truth?' "….(Tucson Citizen, 3 Sep  08)

Classification System is “Broken,” Advisers Tell DHS

The national security classification system at the Department of Homeland Security is “broken,” and one of the top ten challenges facing the next Secretary of Homeland Security is to fix it, according to a recent report (pdf) from the Homeland Security Advisory Council.  “The federal security clearance process and classification system is broken and is a barrier (and often an excuse) for not sharing pertinent information with homeland security partners,” the report stated.  “The next Secretary should direct a concerted effort to resolve these clearance and classification issues.”  See “Top Ten Challenges Facing the Next Secretary of Homeland Security,” Homeland Security Advisory Council, September 11, 2008 (Key Challenge 3, at page 8).  The Homeland Security Advisory Council is chaired by William H. Webster, the former Director of Central Intelligence and FBI Director.  The Vice Chair is James R. Schlesinger, the former Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense…..(FAS, 3 Nov 08)

U.S. Navy Intercepts Ballistic Missile Shot From Hawaii Base

One of two short-range ballistic missiles shot from a military facility in Hawaii in a defense system test was hit by an interceptor missile fired from a Navy ship, U.S. Navy officials said.  Vice Adm. Samuel J. Locklear said Saturday's trial marked the first time that the Navy — rather than the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency — oversaw the firing of a so-called Standard Missile-3 interceptor against a ballistic missile target…..(AP, 2 Nov 08)

October 2008

EMP: The Next Iranian strategic threat to the US Mainland?

Over the past seven months I have been interacting with US Homeland Security and European defense officials and experts on a the potential next threat to the West, more particularly against mainland America. The signature of that strategic menace is EMP: Electro Magnetic Pulse; a weapon of the future, already available in design, construction and possible deployment. As eyes are focused on the Iranian nuclear threat, and as we began recently to understand that the missile advances are as important then the fissile material development, attention is now being drawn by private sector projects and some in the defense world to what can cause a wider circle of damages and thus more deterrence against US national security.  In short, and I borrow from the Project "Shield America.org," an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack could be triggered by a nuclear warhead detonated at high altitude over America. The resulting blast would create an EMP, a shockwave that could "cripple military and civilian communications, power, transportation, water, food, and other infrastructure." Even if a high-altitude EMP kills nobody at first, it would paralyze a large section of the United States. The lingering practical and economic effects would take anywhere from hours to years to resolve: when secondary effects are considered, an EMP could be even deadlier than a direct nuclear strike against the mainland.   Indeed, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett has written: "Where the terrorist airliner attacks of 9/11 killed thousands, a terrorist EMP attack could indirectly kill millions and conceivably cause the permanent collapse of our entire society."... the issue of identifying the origination point of such a menace. Many indicators direct us to Iran. In previous articles on CTB and other outlets I have focused on the "missiles threat" as a dossier by itself independently from the "Nuclear" file for a rational consideration: Missiles can be used to deliver nuclear weapons, but also "other weapons" including chemical and biological. In the case of Hezbollah's mini war of July 2006 with Israel, large rockets and small missiles were conceived as classical but were strategically aimed at chemical sites as well. Hence the missile threat is diverse. In the case of the EMP weapon system, we need to look at Iran's missiles capability also from the perspective of delivering a blow, not just to Israel or US and Western targets in the region, but also across large bodies of water.......(Counterterrorism Blog/Walid Phares, 31 Oct 08)

   -Heritage Foundation - Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack: A Preventable Homeland Security Catastrophe, October 2008

   -Testimony of William Graham: Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack Statement before the House Armed Services Committee – July 10, 2008

State Warns Passport Applicants Of Danger of Credit Card Fraud

The State Department has notified approximately 400 passport applicants in the D.C. area of a breach in its database security that allowed a ring of thieves to obtain confidential information so they could fraudulently use credit cards stolen from the mail, officials said.   The scheme, involving two major government agencies, came to light months ago through a fluke. On March 25, D.C. police officers on a routine patrol stopped a car on the suspicion that its windows were excessively tinted, an apparent violation of city law. Smelling marijuana, the officers searched the car and discovered that the 24-year-old driver was carrying 21 credit cards not in his name and printouts of eight passport applications -- and that four of the names on the passport applications matched the names on four of the credit cards, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.  Upon his arrest, the driver, Leiutenant Q. Harris Jr., told police that he worked with a co-conspirator who was employed by the State Department and another co-conspirator who worked for the U.S. Postal Service, court documents said. Officers on the scene called American Express about some of the cards in Harris's possession, and were told that they had recently been used and that a fraud alert had been placed on them.  But the investigation was hampered because Harris was fatally shot while getting into his car in Northeast Washington on April 17, just days after appearing in court on fraud charges and shortly after he agreed to cooperate in the probe.……(Washington Post, 31 Oct 08)

GAO: Localities Expose Social Security Numbers Online

Many county governments across the U.S. are providing citizen's full or partial Social Security Numbers available online or in bulk to prviate companies, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last week.

At a time when states are seeking additional laws to punish businesses that inadvertently leak their citizens' personal and financial data, the GAO's findings would appear to highlight an overlooked area of consumer protection, as states weigh trade-offs between open-records laws, privacy, and the potential income that the sale of consumer records can generate.   Roughly 85 percent of counties nationwide make the records available, and only 16 percent of counties place any restrictions on the types of entities that can obtain those records.

As the GAO notes, public records -- such as birth, marriage and death certificates, civil and criminal court case files, and property liens -- that used to be accessible only in the county recorder's office can now be viewed remotely online in many states. Indeed, earlier this year, Security Fix revealed that Maryland was publishing the SSNs, names, birthdays and addresses on tens of thousands of people who had received traffic citations in the state…….(Washington Post, 31 Oct 08)

D.C. Safety Zones a Legitimate Police Tool, Federal Judge Says

A federal judge yesterday cleared the way for D.C. police to continue using checkpoints to screen motorists going into neighborhoods beset by crime, saying that the public had an "overwhelming need to be protected" from gunmen in cars.  U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon strongly endorsed the tactics that were used for 14 days in June and July in the Trinidad area, a Northeast Washington neighborhood near Gallaudet University. Residents there pushed for action after a spate of shootings, including a triple homicide May 31. But the roadblock on Montello Avenue NE drew complaints from those who said the police had no legal right to ask drivers whether they had a legitimate reason to be there.  The Partnership for Civil Justice, an organization that has filed other challenges to the police, sued the District on behalf of four residents and asked the judge for an injunction to stop the checkpoints until broader legal issues are decided.……(Washington Post, 31 Oct 08)

Jurors in U.S. Convict Son Of Ex-Liberian President Taylor

A federal jury in Miami yesterday convicted the son of onetime Liberian leader Charles Taylor in the first test of an American law that gives prosecutors the power to bring charges for acts of torture committed in foreign lands.

Roy M. Belfast Jr., also known as Charles "Chuckie" Taylor, 31, will be sentenced early next year on the charges, which include conspiracy, torture and firearms violations. He faces the possibility of life in prison.  Authorities say Taylor led a violent security force in Liberia while his father served as president of the African nation. The elite anti-terrorist unit initially protected the country's leaders and other dignitaries. But the squad later turned its energy toward training fighters and cracking down on political opponents, according to court papers……(Washington Post, 31 Oct 08)

Airport security report lightweight?

The Homeland Security Department is keeping secret the results of an investigation into whether airport security screeners have been tipped off in advance about tests in which undercover agents try to slip weapons by them.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said a report on the investigation released Oct. 24 is useless because it omits findings and recommended improvements. He is urging the department to make them public.  "All the stuff that has meat to it is classified," Thompson said. "The department is notorious for over-classifying information."  A six-page unclassified portion of the report by Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner said his investigation found "some areas of concern" and recommended 12 ways to improve aviation security. No specific recommendations were cited in the public portion of the report……(USA Today, 31 Oct 08)

Homeland Security Equipment Missing: Worth Millions

It is only a matter of time before terrorists strike again here in the United States. That is the warning from many homeland security experts. But a News 4 Trouble Shooters investigation uncovers millions of dollars in equipment used in the fight against terrorism is missing…not all of the gear you paid for is being used to battle the bad guys.

A News 4 Trouble Shooters investigation uncovered the Department of Homeland Security is missing more than $32 million dollars worth of equipment. The list of missing equipment includes thousands of computers and laptops, some containing sensitive information; devices to detect explosives, like the ones used to scan your bags at the airport; and thousands of pieces of surveillance equipment, like night vision cameras used along the Mexican border to spot people illegally crossing into the U.S., including potential terrorists.  The News 4 Trouble Shooters obtained inventory reports that document which DHS agencies misplaced certain equipment within the last three years.  Homeland security expert Saul Wilen believes some of the equipment may have fallen into the hands of those who want to hurt us…….(WOAI, 31 Oct 08)

Teen Bomb Suspect's Lawyer Tries to Shift Blame