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.
New York Police Expand Dirty Bomb Security
July 2, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Thousands of additional law enforcement officers within 50 miles of New York City will have access to radiation detectors for dirty bombs and nuclear devices, New York police said on Wednesday.
The detectors, including cell phone-sized devices that officers wear on their belts, could help uncover a dirty bomb that might be assembled outside New York and smuggled in, police said at a security conference. New York Police Department officers have used such devices for several years.
Police spokesman Paul Browne said thousands of law enforcement officers would be using the devices in areas surrounding New York City, including state police and sheriff’s departments in New Jersey and Connecticut.
The increase in officers and equipment was being funded by a federal program called “Securing the Cities” that had been allocated $54 million in the past three years, Browne said.
Nearly eight years after the September 11 attacks in 2001, New York remains the top target for groups like al Qaeda planning attacks on the United States, police and lawmakers said, and the possibility of a radiological attack on a public transport system remained high.
“We know that terrorists come here and we know that they are surveying here,” said Captain Michael Riggio of the NYPD counterterrorism division.
The belt devices, which buzz when they detect radiation, are the “first line of defense” against a possible dirty bomb or a small-scale nuclear device, he said.
Group of Somali-Americans Indicted on Terror Charges
July 1, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
al-Shabaab
A federal grand jury has indicted a group of Somali-Americans on terror-related charges after more than 20 young men from the Minneapolis area were recruited to join an Al Qaeda-linked group in Somalia, according to two law enforcement sources.
The indictments have yet to be unsealed, but an announcement is expected in the next few weeks. One law enforcement source told FOX News the grand jury already has handed up indictments against at least three people.
Among those charged is a man from Minneapolis who went to war-torn Somalia and then, about four months ago, relocated to Seattle, according to the two sources and a leader in the Minneapolis Somali community. The man was then arrested in a Seattle airport and transferred to a jail in Minneapolis, where he is currently being detained, according to the law enforcement sources.
The law enforcement sources said the man, described as in his 20s, has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist group, in this case al-Shabaab, which has been warring with the moderate Somali government since 2006.
NYPD: High-profile Buildings Need Tighter Security
Managers and developers of high-profile skyscrapers and other buildings in the city need to take more steps to guard against terrorist attacks, according to a new report by the New York Police Department.
“The same qualities that make the city’s buildings recognized icons of design, culture and commerce also make them continuous targets of terrorism,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a foreword for the report.
The report is available in pdf format here.
The report — which was to be distributed Wednesday at a meeting with private security officials — doesn’t name the buildings the NYPD believes are at highest risk for bombings or other types of attacks. But the Empire State Building, New York Stock Exchange and Freedom Tower planned for ground zero have been cited in the past as potential targets.
The report offers a formula for measuring the vulnerability of buildings to attacks based on design, prominence and proximity to landmarks and other more likely targets. As an example, it cites the destruction of a smaller World Trade Center building caused by the collapse of one of the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
High-risk buildings should use securely fixed “anti-ram” columns to harden their perimeters, the report says. Large explosions, it says, cause ordinary concrete barriers or planters to shatter and create a shrapnel-like hazard. It also says builders should reduce the risk of broken glass by positioning glass facades away from nearby landmarks.
North Korea Ship Has Turned Around
A North Korean ship tracked by the US Navy and suspected of transporting weapons or military know-how in violation of UN sanctions has turned around, a Pentagon official said.
The official declined to provide details, including where the Kang Nam 1 ship — reportedly originally bound for Myanmar — could now be headed, but news reports out of South Korea suggested the ship may be returning home two weeks after it set sail June 17.
A diplomatic source speaking on condition of anonymity told the Korea Herald that the ship was “near our waters,” which could suggest that sanctions were having an effect on reclusive North Korea.
“If the ship is on its way back, it would mean that Resolution 1874 is taking effect and causing the North to retreat,” Kim Tae-woo, vice president of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, told the newspaper.
The Kang Nam 1 quickly drew the attention of the US military under new UN sanctions designed to punish Pyongyang over its May 25 underground nuclear test.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, confirmed Sunday that the United States was tracking the cargo ship.
“Obviously we’re pursuing and following the progress of that ship very closely,” she told the CBS network.
al Qaeda Warns France Of Revenge For Burka Stance
Al-Qaeda’s North Africa wing threatened on Tuesday to take revenge on France for its opposition to the burka, calling on Muslims to retaliate against the country, the US monitoring service SITE Intelligence reported.
Earlier this month, President Nicolas Sarkozy said the burka, which covers the whole face, was not welcome in the strictly secular country.
“Yesterday was the hijab (the Islamic headscarf long banned in French schools) and today, it is the niqab (the full veil),” Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was quoted as saying.
“We will take revenge for the honour of our daughters and sisters against France and against its interests by every means at our disposal.”
The group also called on Muslims to retaliate for what it called French “hostility” against the community and its attempt to obstruct Islam’s practice on its territory.
“For us, the mujahedeen … we will not remain silent to such provocations and injustices,” Abdul Wadud said without elaborating, according to SITE.
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.”
Detonated Blasting Cap Found On Tracks Near Train Station
June 29, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
Wenham Mass. Kids looking for rocks along the train tracks yesterday made a puzzling discovery: a detonated blasting cap on the tracks near the commuter rail station.
The discovery temporarily shut down a section of the parking lot near the Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing and police made a passing train continue to the Ipswich station without stopping.
Police Sgt. Jeffrey Tobey said there was no evidence of any explosive material on the tracks or else they would have shut down the Newburyport line.
In fact, the detonated blasting cap wasn’t even on the tracks anymore.
Tobey said the two kids brought their discovery to the Hamilton police station down the road.
Hamilton police contacted MBTA police who are now working with the FBI on an investigation, Tobey said.
via Detonated blasting cap found on tracks near train station – SalemNews.com, Salem, MA.
N. Korea: U.S. Plotting Pre-Emptive Nuclear War
The rhetoric out of North Korea continues…
North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he ordered the deployment of a ground-based, mobile missile intercept system and radar system to Hawaii amid concerns the North may fire a long-range missile toward the islands, about 4,500 miles away.
“Through the U.S. forces’ clamorous movements, it has been brought to light that the U.S. attempt to launch a pre-emptive strike on our republic has become a brutal fact,” the North’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary.
The paper also accused the U.S. of deploying nuclear-powered aircraft and atomic-armed submarines in waters near the Korean peninsula, saying the moves prove “the U.S. pre-emptive nuclear war” on the North is imminent.
The commentary, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, said the North will bolster its nuclear arsenal in self-defense.
The North routinely accuses the U.S. of plotting to invade the North. But the U.S., which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has said it has no such plan.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-28
June 28, 2009 by national
Filed under National Interest
- Rocket Attack on U.S. Base in Afghanistan Kills 2 Troops, Wounds 4 Americans… http://ff.im/4f6zK #
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- Dept. Homeland Security To Kill Domestic Satellite Spying http://tinyurl.com/nknuce #
- People On Terror Watch List Allowed To Buy Guns – http://tinyurl.com/lulw8a #
- Pakistans Nuclear Nightmare – http://tinyurl.com/kra7l5 #
- Preview Homeland Security Television, now on National Terror Alert 24/7 http://tinyurl.com/m4jxzr #
- Pensioners Kidnap, Torture Financial Advisor Who Lost £2m – http://tinyurl.com/mn2fnh #
- Man Threatens To Crash Plane, Shoot Police – Phoenix – http://tinyurl.com/m3dcd7 #
- 8 Children Burned In Homemade Acid-Bomb Attack – http://tinyurl.com/kmohul #
- How Safe Is Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal – http://tinyurl.com/mnherv #
- Taliban Use Stolen U.S. Gear Against U.S. – http://tinyurl.com/lpkfps #
- Buck Knives CEO Nervous About Switchblade Rule – http://tinyurl.com/lzpw5y #
- Study Explores Emergency Training In Second Life – http://tinyurl.com/llp7bh #
- Homeland Security Television Returns to NationalTerrorAlert.com. Available 24/7 http://tinyurl.com/l3hj46 #
- Somali Islamists Cut Off Hands and Feet of 4 Thieves : Homeland Security News http://bit.ly/jVbQi #
- Getting Executive Buy-in For Disaster Preparedness : Homeland Security News http://bit.ly/YKJhb #
- After Minneapolis, FBI Eyes Atlanta’s Somalis : Homeland Security News http://cli.gs/7h3LA #
- Homeland Security Television (HSTV), the world's first online, on-demand Homeland Security Television Network 24/7. http://bit.ly/1aSKqF #
- Alleged ETA Terror Members Arrested Gathering Intel – Paris : Homeland Security News http://tinyurl.com/njlgz5 #
- "Mango scare at Columbus airport | Gadling.com" http://bit.ly/153PMJ #
- Requesting an invite for Tweetboard Alpha (http://tweetboard.com) by @140ware, for my site: http://www.nationalterroralert.com #
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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.
6 Deemed National Security Threat Retain Aviation Licenses
At least six men suspected or convicted of crimes that threaten national security retained their federal aviation licenses, despite antiterrorism laws written after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that required license revocation. Among them was a Libyan sentenced to 27 years in prison by a Scottish court for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.
In response to questions from The New York Times, the Transportation Security Administration, which is supposed to root out such individuals, announced that the Federal Aviation Administration suspended the licenses on Thursday.
The two agencies appeared to be unaware that the men were among the nearly one million people licensed as pilots, mechanics and flight dispatchers. They were identified by a tiny family-owned company in Mineola, N.Y., demonstrating software it developed to scrub lists of bank customers for terrorism links.
