A Summary of World-Wide Terrorism Events, Groups, and Terrorist Strategies and Tactics

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• 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 2005
  
  Limousine Terror?
  Concerns Surface of Al-Qaeda VBIED Attacks During Inauguration
  From 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 Annexes
  December 2004
  (PDF, 114 pages, 2MB)
  http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf
  
  National Response Plan
  December 2004
  Full Version (PDF, 426 pages, 4MB)
  includes all annexes, "Emergency Support Function Annexes", "Support
  Annexes", and "Incident Annexes."
  http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRP_FullText.pdf
   

• 31 Dec 2004

  Radical Iraqi Groups Threaten 'Un-Islamic' Election in Iraq
  According 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 2004
  
  DHS 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 2004
  U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  601 South 12th Street
  Arlington, 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-Amriki
  
  He 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 here
  
  In 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, 2004
  
  D.O.S. Patterns of Global Terrorism -2003
  Released 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, 2004
  Testimony 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 2004
  IMPORTANT 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 Correspondent
  
  UNITED 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 Secretary
  FOR 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 2003
  
  Report 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 House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  
  The 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, including
  9/11 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 RELEASE
  Contact: Clark Staten, Chief Executive Officer
  Telephone: +1 773-631-3774
  Internet E-Mail: sysop@mail.emergency.com
  Or 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 Counterterrorism
  Remarks at On-the-Record Briefing on the Release of the Annual Patterns of Global Terrorism 2002 report
  Washington, DC
  April 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 Security
  Planning & 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 2002
  
  POTUS 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 2002
  The 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)

• 25 Oct 2002
  
  New 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 9/11
  
  Click 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 2002
  
  US 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 2002
  
  U.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)