Terrorism Recruiting Manual Discovered By West Point Researchers Worries Authorities

For months now, counterterrorism officials have seen signs that al-Qaida has been looking for new and innovative ways to recruit terrorists, including a new manual that has surfaced on the Internet.

Researchers at West Point recently stumbled on the 51-page manual while they were visiting a jihadi chat room, called Ecles. It’s a Web site that allows members to have interactive discussions, post videos and download manuals. Ecles is the second most popular jihadi chat room on the Web, and al-Qaida often posts things there. Because of that, it is a place counterterrorism analysts track regularly.

So when the West Point analysts discovered a step-by-step primer called “The Art of Recruiting Mujahedeen,” it got their attention. On one level, the manual might be an early indication that al-Qaida is trying to identify new sleeper terrorists. On the other hand, the book is so basic it seems to suggest al-Qaida is getting desperate for new members.

Brian Fishman, the head of research at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center, says he was struck by the remedial tone of the book. At the end of a chapter, for example, there are questions to judge both the recruiter’s progress and the recruit’s.

“The recruiter himself doesn’t have to use a lot of judgment — they are simply the intermediary for the technique that is being taught in the handbook,” Fishman says.

Here’s how the manual, as translated by the CIA, suggests a recruiter build a rapport with a recruit:

“This stage lasts approximately three weeks,” it says. “You must do something important at this stage. You must identify his interests and relations with people and how he spends the whole 24 hours, meaning you study him secretly to be reassured about your choice.”

This section touches on such things as being nice to the recruit. It suggests the recruiter pretend to be his friend, perhaps even buy him small gifts. It ends with a questionnaire to assess progress. “Is the recruit anxious to see you?” it asks. You get one point for “no” and three points for “yes.” Does he accept your advice and respect your opinion? It reads a little like one of those relationship quizzes in women’s magazines. “If you have received less than 10 points, you are on the wrong path, repeat the stages from the beginning. From 10 to 18, you are on your way.”

Read Full Article At NPR

West Point Reports Theft Of Radio Equipment Worth $400K – Reward

Army investigators are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to whoever stole more than $400,000 worth of equipment from a warehouse at West Point.

According to the Army Criminal Investigation Command, the crime occurred between 5 p.m. Sept. 16 and 7 a.m. Sept. 17 in a storage facility near Washington Gate.

The perimeter fence around the warehouse was cut, CID reports said, and the “door to the building, although secured with lock and key, was easy to open with a strenuous pull.”

The stolen goods included 330 Motorola Portable Astro Digital XTS 5000 radios, worth $1,142 each, and about 600 Ni-Cad batteries worth $87 each.

The most interoperable radio of its class, the Motorola XTS 5000 radio is an incredibly versatile Public Safety portable designed for mission-critical APCO Project 25 users. APCO Project 25 is a set of industry standards for digital mobile radio designed primarily for public safety agencies.

Investigators publicized the theft and introduced the reward this week. Anyone with information is asked to call Special Agent Jared Kalmes at 938-7548.

Source