Man Decapitated ‘Beheaded’ Aboard Greyhound Bus – Canada – Updates
July 31, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
A man aboard a Canada Greyhound bus was decapitated after being repeatedly stabbed b y another passenger. Police said Thursday they didn’t know what prompted a passenger on a Greyhound bus heading to Winnipeg to viciously attack the man sitting next to him.
Passengers said the man repeatedly stabbed his seat-mate before beheading him and carrying the victim’s head around the bus.
Shocked passengers described the horrific attack as something incomprehensible.
New Defense Strategy Shifts Focus From Conventional Warfare To Fight Against Terrorists
July 31, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Excellent article from the Washington Post detailing the new U.S. National Defense Strategy.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says that even winning the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will not end the “Long War” against violent extremism and that the fight against al-Qaeda and other terrorists should be the nation’s top military priority over coming decades, according to a new National Defense Strategy he approved last month. Read more
Attack On Iran? Israel and US Keeping All Options On The Table
July 31, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
The United States will soon link Israel up to two advanced missile detection systems as a precaution against any future attack by a nuclear-armed Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday.
The allies are also in advanced talks on upgrading Israel’s Arrow II ballistic shield, though they disagree over whether it should incorporate an American interceptor missile, Barak said after meeting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Washington has been leading efforts to curb Iran’s atomic ambitions through sanctions, mindful of Israel’s threats to resort to military strikes if it deems diplomacy a dead end.
Barak told reporters that the Israeli and U.S. governments “see eye to eye on the need to keep all options on the table … though we may not agree on each and every detail.”
“It’s important the Americans understand our position, and I think that they understand it a lot better after this visit,” said Barak, who was one of the more vocal Israeli critics of a U.S. intelligence report last year that concluded Iran had shelved a military nuclear program in 2003.
Suicide Underwear The Undergarment of Choice For Terrorists – India
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Stories of Interest
Would-be suicide bombers may now be packing more than just the bare necessities in their underwear, and no, it’s not a terrorist fashion statement. Suicide underwear, rather than explosives jackets and suicide belts appear to make it easier for suicide bombers to evade “conservative” body searches.
A study by India’s Sihala Police College forensic lab sources states that recent suicide attacks were carried out by suicide bombers used “explosives-laden” under-garments, briefs in particular, to carry out the attacks. Read more
Storm Worm Virus – Warning From The FBI
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
The FBI and its partner, the Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3, have received reports of recent spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software, known as malware. These e-mails, which contain the phrase “F.B.I. vs. facebook,” direct e-mail recipients to click on a link to view an article about the FBI and Facebook, a popular social networking website. Read more
Canton Teen Accused Of Setting Off Bomb Under Freeway Overpass
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
An 18-year-old Canton man was charged Tuesday with setting off a bomb under the overpass at I-275 and Haggerty Road, and pointing a shotgun at two people who challenged him.
Canton Police said Ian Michael Douglas was charged with: threatening terrorism by telling the pair he planned to derail a train, a 20-year felony; placing explosives near property, a 15-year felony; two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon; a four-year felony; and using a firearm in the commission of a felony, which carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence on conviction. Read more
Man Arrested During Bomb Scare Near Wisconsin Capitol
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
A 67-year-old man is in custody in Madison in connection with two bomb scares near the Capitol building.
A police spokesman says David R. Floyd was arrested in front of the office building housing the Department of Justice across the street from the Capitol. Read more
U.S. Intel: Iran Planning Nuclear Strike on U.S.?
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Iran has carried out missile tests for what could be a plan for a nuclear strike on the United States, the head of a national security panel has warned.
In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee and in remarks to a private conference on missile defense over the weekend hosted by the Claremont Institute, Dr. William Graham warned that the U.S. intelligence community doesn’t have a story to explain the recent Iranian tests. Read more
CIA Cites Pakistan Spy Agency’s Ties to Militant Groups
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
Unfortunately it appears the situation in Pakistan is continuing to worsen.
The CIA has confronted senior Pakistani officials with evidence showing that members of the country’s spy service have deepened their ties with some militant groups responsible for a surge of violence in Afghanistan, possibly including the suicide bombing this month of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, The New York Times reported.
A top CIA official traveled to Islamabad this month with new information about ties between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency and militants operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas, the newspaper said on its Web site late Tuesday. Its sources were American military and intelligence officials it did not identify.
The Times said the CIA assessment pointed to links between the ISI and the militant network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, which American officials believe maintains close ties to senior figures of Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
The CIA has depended heavily on the ISI for information about militants in Pakistan despite long-standing concerns about divided loyalties within the Pakistani spy service, which had close relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
India – 12 Bombs In Diamond Hub, 6 Elsewhere, Shut Down Surat
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
Three days after serial blasts ripped through Ahmedabad, killing at least 50 and leaving another 150 wounded, Surat’s diamond hub was on the edge today after police recovered and defused as many as 18 bombs.
Diamond shops and factories shut down as bomb disposal squads got down to work, defusing bombs found in the areas of Varachha, Katargam, Kapodara and Mahidharpura. Read more
Three Thousand Blank British Passports Stolen In Raid Could Be Used In Terrorism
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
UPDATE: 07/31/08 Arrest Made
British police say they’ve arrested a delivery man over the theft of thousands of blank British passports and visa stickers.
Greater Manchester Police say the 48-year-old man is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery. It follows a raid on Monday on a delivery van carrying 3,000 blank documents bound for British embassies overseas.
Officers say the suspect was traveling in the van with the driver. Police claim the theft took place as the driver stopped at a store to buy chocolate.
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Thousands of stolen passports worth millions of pounds could be used for fraudulent or terrorist activity, experts warned yesterday. The Foreign Office admitted a serious breach of security when a van carrying the blank passports was hijacked outside a shop in Oldham, Greater Manchester, on Monday morning. A spokesman confirmed that 24 parcels containing blank passports and vignettes, used for visa inserts, were taken from a van travelling from a printers in Oldham to RAF Northolt, north-west London. Read more
Two Apparent Pipe Bombs Found at Separate Post Offices in Ohio
July 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
Two devices that appeared to be pipe bombs were found at separate post offices Tuesday, authorities said. Both buildings were evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Columbus bomb squads, the FBI, a U.S. Postal Service inspector, and local authorities were examining the devices found in Guysville and Stewart, two small towns in southeast Ohio. Read more
US Senator Says China Plans To Spy On Olympic Hotel Guests
July 29, 2008 by national
Filed under Stories of Interest
A top Republican US senator on Tuesday said China is planning to spy on guests who stay at foreign-owned hotels during the Olympic Games, which begin next month.
“The Chinese government has put in place a system to spy on and gather information about every guest at hotels where Olympic visitors are staying,” Kansas Senator Sam Brownback told reporters.
“This means journalists, athletes’ families, human rights advocates and other visitors will be subjected to invasive intelligence gathering by the Chinese Public Security Bureau.”
The State Department issued a warning in March that Americans traveling to China for the Olympic Games could expect their hotel rooms there to be monitored.
China responded at the time that security arrangements were in accordance with international standards.
Brownback said he was first notified months ago by human rights advocates of Beijing’s plan to monitor Internet use at foreign-owned hotels, and that “several international hotel chains” have confirmed receiving orders to install software and hardware to monitor Internet activity.
He declined to reveal the names of the hotels, saying they feared losing their licenses to operate in China and faced large fines if they did not comply with the Chinese order.
“They don’t want to do this. They are being forced to do this,” Brownback said. “If they are specifically identified, they could face retaliation by the Communist government.”
Los Angeles Earthquake Rocks Southern California
July 29, 2008 by national
Filed under Stories of Interest
A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. No immediate damage was reported.
The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas.
Preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 miles east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles near Chino Hills in San Bernardino County.
Read our special report, What To Do In An Earthquake.
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Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury in Los Angeles. San Bernardino County fire dispatch also had no immediate reports of damage.
The quake struck at 11:42 a.m. PDT. Buildings swayed in downtown Los Angeles for several seconds.
Workers quickly evacuated some office buildings.
“It was dramatic. The whole building moved and it lasted for a while,” said Los Angeles County sheriffs spokesman Steve Whitmore, who was in the sheriffs suburban Monterey Park headquarters east of Los Angeles.
