South Carolina Serial Killer On The Loose
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Police released a sketch Friday of the serial killer on the loose who they believe murdered four people in six days in rural South Carolina.
The latest victim linked to the same killer is a man who was shot in his family’s small furniture and appliance store in Gaffney, S.C.
Stephen Tyler, 45, was found dead and his 15-year-old daughter seriously injured about 7 p.m. Thursday at Tyler Home Center.
Tyler’s wife, his older daughter and an employee found them, County Coroner Dennis Fowler said.
Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton said the latest shooting death and those of three others since last Saturday — a peach farmer, an elderly woman and her daughter — are connected.
“We’re concerned,” Blanton told reporters Friday. “We’re dealing with a man that’s killed four people.”
The suspect is described as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, with blue eyes. Blanton classified him as a serial killer.
Investigators don’t know exactly who he is or whether he is familiar with the area.
California Terror Informant Faces Deportation
July 1, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
He’s a Pakistani immigrant who helped the United States in the war on terror, but now the U.S. government wants to deport him. His lawyers are working furiously to try to allow him to stay in his adopted country.
The man, who wants to remain unidentified, said he put himself in harm’s way by working as an undercover informant in California for ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, searching out terrorist connections.
He said ICE agents told him if he worked for ICE, he could stay here indefinitely or even get a green card.
The former informant is originally from Karachi, Pakistan and has lived in the US for over 20 years, first as a student and then as a white-collar professional. But now he faces deportation back to Pakistan.
“I thought I had a chance to live here without being deported or you know that’s what they told me, (ICE agents) said if I work with them as an informant I will be able to stay in this country indefinitely,” he said.
ICE agents approached him in 2004 after he was charged with overstaying his legal visa and suggested there was another way to stay in the United States.
“They told me if I helped them they would get me a green card, but later on they changed their statement and they said I can stay in the United States indefinitely, you know,” the informant said in describing those events.
In exchange, the agents wanted him to work as a confidential informant, to help crack the case of a Fresno paralegal named Akram Sabar Chaudhry, who the agents said was filing false asylum claims for immigrants.
Warren Air Force Base Conducts National-level Terror Exercise
June 30, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
A simulated terrorist attack on a 90th Missile Wing ICBM launch facility provided the exercise scenario for Nuclear Weapon Accident/Incident Exercise 2009.
This national-level exercise involving 11 federal agencies and 1,300 personnel was the largest and most complex exercise ever conducted at a missile base.
Accident response and associated consequent management procedures are routinely practiced by local responders and the 90th Missile Wing; however, this exercise was made far more complex by the criminal aspect associated with terrorist activities.
Close and careful coordination with a number of federal agencies, particularly the FBI, was essential to gather information swiftly to identify and capture the terrorists responsible for the attack.
The exercise challenged responders in several ways. Balancing the need for personnel safety in a potentially hazardous situation while allowing law enforcement officials to gather time critical evidence for criminal response, required a clear understanding of the risks involved.
Minutes counted in determining which terrorist group was responsible and developing courses of action to track and capture them.
As response elements arrived from across the nation, the wing’s initial response force transitioned to a response task force with a formal transfer of incident command between the wing commander Col. Mike Morgan, 90th MW commander, and the
Twentieth Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Roger W. Burg.
General Burg then led the federal agency response for consequence management along with supporting the FBI in their counter-terrorism mission.
In addition to the FBI, major exercise players included the Department of Energy providing weapon system technical expertise, Homeland Security and FEMA for consequence management, US Northern Command for operational command of the IRF/RTF, the State of Wyoming and the Wyoming Guard for initial response and logistical support, and Air Force Space Command for filling key RTF leadership positions.
“This is the first time the country has brought together military operators with a very robust interagency package,” said Exercise Director and Director of Nuclear Support at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency U. S. Army Brig. Gen. Ernie Audino “This is a complex exercise with many moving parts.” “It is critical to make the U.S. military the best in the world,” he continued. “And it’s not just the extensive training we go through, but it’s how we capture the lessons learned from that training. It is an endless, necessary cycle.”
DHS Report Concludes General Aviation Security Threat is Limited
June 30, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) recently welcomed a conclusion in a recent report conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS-0IG) that “general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security.”
“This report validates what we in the general aviation community have said before: General aviation does not represent a significant security threat,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The industry has always emphasized security, and in the years since the 9/11 attacks, we have remained diligent and adopted numerous measures to ensure that our aircraft, crews and passengers are safe and secure.”
Following are the key findings included in the 30-page study by the DHS-OIG:
* “We determined that general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security. We also determined that the steps general aviation airport owners and managers have taken to enhance security are positive and effective.”
* “The current status of [general aviation] operations does not present a serious homeland security vulnerability requiring TSA to increase regulatory oversight of the industry.”
* “Although [TSA's Office of Intelligence] has identified potential threats, it has concluded that most [general aviation] aircraft are too light to inflict significant damage, and has not identified specific imminent threats from [general aviation] aircraft.”
“We recognize that this report doesn’t mean our industry can take its eye off the ball on security,” Bolen continued. “We will continue working with policymakers to promote effective proposals for enhancing security while recognizing the business aviation community’s need for mobility and flexibility. At the same time, we welcome this recognition of our industry’s long-standing commitment to security, and the effective measures we’ve taken to minimize security threats.”
Pentagon, DHS Divided On Military’s Role at Border
June 27, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
A proposal to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to counter drug trafficking has triggered a bureaucratic standoff between the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security over the military’s role in domestic affairs, according to officials in both departments.
The debate has engaged a pair of powerful personalities, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, in what their subordinates describe as a turf fight over who should direct the use of troops to assist in the fight against Mexican cartels and who should pay for them.
Boeing To Staff Seattle FBI Fusion Center
June 27, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
To advance information sharing against terrorism, Boeing Co. expects to be among the first major corporations ? maybe the first ? to assign its own analyst to the Seattle FBI Fusion Center intelligence sharing office, according to a senior Boeing official.
The center is one of dozens around the country created by state and local governments to share anti-terrorism intelligence. Boeing wants to set an example of how private owners of critical infrastructure can get involved in such centers to generate and receive criminal and anti-terrorism intelligence, said Richard Hovel, Boeing senior advisor on aviation and homeland security.
“Hopefully, this will be the first of many similar efforts across the nation that will establish a collaborative partnership between the public sector and industry, and protect our critical infrastructure more effectively and expeditiously,” Hovel testified at a May 25 field hearing in Bellevue, Wash., sponsored by the House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment.
Boeing and the fusion centers have similar goals, Hovel said. The private sector, which owns about 80 percent of critical infrastructure, needs to have real-time access to information from the fusion centers. At the same time, the fusion centers need access to “mature intelligence capabilities” in private companies, Hovel said.
via Boeing to staff FBI Fusion Center — Washington Technology.
After Minneapolis, FBI Eyes Atlanta’s Somalis
June 25, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
In this small town on the edge of Atlanta, the FBI and local law enforcement are looking out for an alarming kind of crime: radical Islamist terrorists potentially trying to recruit the town’s young Somali-Americans to fight a war in Africa.
There is terrorist recruitment taking place already in Minnesota, said Clarkston police chief Tony J. Scipio. That’s why his department and the FBI are looking for anything similar in the Somali-American community here in Clarkston.
In Minneapolis, as many as 20 young men have been reported missing from their homes since last fall. They are thought to have been lured into the ranks of al-Shabaab in Somalia. That group got a terrorist designation from the U.S. State Department, which ties it to al-Qaeda, bombings, assassinations and attacks on peacekeepers. A powerful faction fighting Somalia’s transitional government, al-Shabaab’s agenda is extremely strict Sharia law.
To fight potential recruiters, the Atlanta FBI has spent the last several months in what the agent-in-charge called an “outreach” program to Clarkston Somali-Americans, including mosque visits and community meetings.
Dept. Homeland Security To Kill Domestic Satellite Spying
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to kill a program begun by the Bush administration that would use U.S. spy satellites for domestic security and law enforcement, a government official said Monday.
Napolitano recently reached her decision after the program was discussed with law enforcement officials, and she was told it was not an urgent issue, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about it.
The program was announced in 2007 and was to have the Homeland Security Department use overhead and mapping imagery from existing satellites for homeland security and law enforcement purposes.
The program, called the National Applications Office, has been delayed because of privacy and civil liberty concerns.
The program was included in the Obama administration’s 2010 budget request, according to Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat and House homeland security committee member who was briefed on the department’s classified intelligence budget.
Harman said Monday she had not been given final word that the program would be killed. She said she would talk to Napolitano on Tuesday.
Harman has been outspoken about her concerns that the program is unnecessary, far reaching and open-ended.
“I thought this was just an invitation to huge mischief,” Harman said. Of killing the program, she said, “It shows real leadership on the part of Janet Napolitano.”
Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said Napolitano began looking at the program shortly after she became secretary. Kudwa said the department expects to announce the results of that review soon.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he hoped the department wasn’t canceling the program.
“If it is true, it’s a very big mistake,” said King, who is the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. “This is definitely a step back in the war on terror.”
For years, domestic agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Interior Department have had access to this satellite imagery for scientific research, to assist in response to natural disasters like hurricanes and fires, and to map out vulnerabilities during a major public event like the Super Bowl.
New York OEM Brings Preparedness To Facebook
June 16, 2009 by national
Filed under Emergency Preparedness
The city’s Office of Emergency Services is looking to expand its reach through a popular social networking site.
OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno announced the launch of the new OEM Facebook page.
It is designed to make it easier for New Yorkers to get information on emergency preparedness.
Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Christopher Kelly was on hand for the announcement and became one of the OEM’s first “fans” on the social networking website.
Bruno encouraged all New Yorkers to sign on at facebook.com/NYCemergencymanagement.
“From that you’ll get lots of information about what’s happening in New York and you’ll get good tips on how to be safe in New York for yourself, your family and your community,” said Bruno.
Users can also get information on upcoming events and programs.
OEM has also added email alerts, twitter and YouTube videos as part of its outreach effort.
DHS Launches ‘The Blog @ Homeland Security’
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the launch of a blog it calls The Blog @ Homeland Security.
It’s described as a new way for DHS to offer an inside-out view of what they’re doing each day to secure the nation.
The blog features a video message from Secretary Napolitano outlining the Department’s five overarching responsibilities, an invitation for visitors to comment and the latest “tweets” from @dhsjournal.
At NTARC we are excited to see the Dept. of Homeland Security moving in this direction, providing the public an opportunity to interact and share their ideas and opinions on some very important issues. Our hope is that Secretary Napolitano will also consider re-starting the Bloggers Roundtable or something of a similar nature in the near future. (please keep us in mind)
You can visit the site at The Blog @ Homeland Security
Homeland Security Offering Hurricane Preparedness Webinar
June 15, 2009 by national
Filed under Emergency Preparedness
Past hurricanes have taught us that knowing your vulnerabilities and what actions you should take, can greatly reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster.
The Dept. of Homeland Security is hosting a webinar on hurricane preparedness on June 23, 2009 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. We encourage emergency management personnel, preparedness and disaster volunteers, first responders and others to register and attend.
2009 Hurricane Season:
A Readiness Guide for Critical Infrastructure Partners
You can register here
CIA Chief Says bin Laden in Pakistan
June 11, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
CIA Director Leon Panetta said on Thursday the U.S. intelligence agency believes al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan and hopes joint operations with Pakistani forces will find him.
Asked whether he was sure that bin Laden was in Pakistan, Panetta told reporters: “The last information we had, that’s still the case.”
Bin Laden, who has eluded a U.S. manhunt since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has issued audio and videotapes over the years demonstrating that he is still alive.
Finding bin Laden is “one of our major priorities,” Panetta said. “One of our hopes is that the Pakistanis move in militarily, combined with our operations, we may be able to have a better chance” to find the al Qaeda leader, he said.
Panetta said al Qaeda “remains the most serious security threat” to the United States and its leaders, particularly in Pakistan, continue to plot against America.
There are “a number of people” on the ground in Pakistan providing intelligence on al Qaeda targets to the United States, he said.
FBI Director Defends Use of Informants in Mosques
June 8, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
FBI Director Robert Mueller says his agency will continue to use informants inside American mosques, despite complaints from Muslim organizations.
Mueller told reporters Monday in Los Angeles that investigations in places of worship will be respectful of First Amendment rights, but will continue if warranted by evidence of possible wrongdoing.
A Muslim organization has asked the Justice Department to investigate complaints that the FBI is asking followers of the faith to spy on Islamic leaders.
DHS Halts U.S. Based Delta Flights Into Kenya
June 2, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Increased fighting in Somalia and recent threat information indicating possible attacks against US interests in East Africa have prompted the Department of Homeland Security to deny Delta Airlines their first direct flights to and from Nairobi, Kenya which were to begin today from the United States.
The flights were to embark from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport and arrive in Nairobi with a welcoming ceremony with Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Late on Monday night, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano decided to cancel the flights following recommendations from the Transportation Security Administration. According to one official Napolitano called Delta’s CEO to inform Delta of the decision
