The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

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• Feds: Man Plotted Terror Attack On Mass Transit
  
• TSA Begins Pilot Test of Explosives Detection Technology
  
• House Panel Examines EMP, Cyber Terror Threats to Electric
  Grid
  
• DHS Scans 98 Percent of Imports for Radiation
  
• Homeland Security Launches New YouTube and DHS.gov
  Websites
  
• Osama bin Laden’s Son Thought Killed in Predator Strike
  
• U.S. Looks For Volunteers For Swine Flu Vaccine Test
  
• Feds – U.S. Man Gave Al-Qaeda NYC Subway Information
  

Feds: Man Plotted Terror Attack On Mass Transit Posted: 22 Jul 2009 11:53 PM PDT A young man whose journey from Patchogue to Pakistan took him to an al-Qaida training camp and an attack on a U.S. military base emerged yesterday as a key player in al-Qaida plots against area mass transit systems, as he continued to cooperate in multiple investigations of international terrorism. Bryant Neal Vinas, 26, was captured in Pakistan in November. He pleaded guilty secretly in January to aiding in a 2008 rocket attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, training with al-Qaida and supplying information on city subways and the Long Island Rail Road to the terrorist group, according to Brooklyn federal court records unsealed yesterday. Following in the footsteps of previous American terror trainees such as John Walker Lindh and Jose Padilla, the licensed truck driver who grew up in Medford provided information after his arrest in Peshawar that led to a warning to area commuters in November about a possible attack on mass transit, law enforcement officials told Newsday. “He . . . turned on his country,” one official said, calling Vinas “the real deal.” Read Full Article This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

TSA Begins Pilot Test of Explosives Detection Technology Posted: 22 Jul 2009 11:42 PM PDT The Transportation Security Administration, in conjunction with the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, today begins a three-week pilot test of explosives screening of vehicles at the Port Jefferson Ferry Terminal. The pilot employs backscatter imaging technology to screen vehicles for explosives before they are driven onto the Port Jefferson-Bridgeport Ferry at Port Jefferson. “Vehicle screening technology is yet another tool that TSA can deploy to respond to threats that arise from new intelligence or as part of major events,” said John Sammon, TSA Assistant Administrator, Office of Transportation Sector Network Management. “This test will allow us to develop a plan for future deployment during times of heightened security threat levels.” Prior to boarding, drivers will proceed slowly past a backscatter screening van which will capture high-quality, photo-like images of a vehicle’s cargo and contents. After being screened, drivers will be instructed by TSA transportation security officers to stop for approximately 10-15 seconds while the images are evaluated. If it is determined that there are no explosives in the vehicle, the driver will then be directed to the vehicle staging area. If there is a need for additional screening, drivers will be directed to a secondary screening location where TSA-certified explosive detection canine teams will be available to inspect vehicles. “More than one million passengers pass through this terminal annually and ride the Port Jefferson ferry,” said Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry Vice President Frederick A. Hall. “By working with TSA, Homeland Security and local law enforcement, we are helping to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep our customers, employees, terminals and vessels safe.” Testing will occur Monday through Friday. The backscatter van has passed government standards for health and safety which enables drivers to move past the van without having to exit their vehicles. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

House Panel Examines EMP, Cyber Terror Threats to Electric Grid Posted: 22 Jul 2009 11:34 PM PDT Legislation must allow fast action in case of physical attacks, like an EMP pulse, or cyber attacks against the electric grid, experts say Although some have considered an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) on the nation’s electric grid unlikely, experts told a panel of the House Homeland Security Committee Tuesday that if the US completely ignores the possibility of such an attack, the possibility of an attack gets much higher. “Some in government have taken the position that EMP attack and geomagnetic storm disruption are low-probability events…” said William Graham, chairman for the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse, a congressionally mandated commission to study the risk of EMP pulses. “By ignoring large scale, catastrophic EMP vulnerability, we invite such attack on our infrastructure by adversaries looking to attack us where we are weak, not where we are strong.” A high-altitude EMP is the result of the detonation of a nuclear warhead at altitudes between 40-400 km above the Earth’s surface, Graham told the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology. “The immediate effects of EMP are disruption of, and damage to, electronic systems and electrical infrastructure,” Graham said. “EMP is not reported in the scientific literature to have direct effects on people.” Subcommittee chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) said the risk of an EMP attack or cyber attack is a significant threat to homeland security. “Many nation states, like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, have offensive cyber attack capabilities, while terrorist groups like Hezbollah and al Qaeda continue to work to develop capabilities to attack and destroy critical infrastructure like the electric grid through cyber means,” Clarke said. Homeland Security Today – preparedness and security news – House Panel Examines Threats to US Electric Grid This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

DHS Scans 98 Percent of Imports for Radiation Posted: 22 Jul 2009 06:35 PM PDT The Department of Homeland Security scans 98 percent of imported cargo for radiation, according to a new report. The report touts the department’s achievements in the five years since the 9/11 Commission reported on U.S. preparedness to face terrorist attacks. According to the report, Customs and Border Protection operates at 58 ports around the world to screen containers for terrorist risk under the Container Security Initiative. Under the separate Secure Freight Initiative, the agency scans all containers at five ports. Under the law Congress passed last year to implement all recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, it called for 100 percent scanning of all U.S.-bound cargo by 2012. The report is silent on the department’s progress toward meeting that goal, although last year officials told Congress that they would not meet the deadline. The SAFE Port Act of 2006 called for a scan-all pilot program at three ports. Customs expanded the pilot to two additional locations. The 9/11 Commission report made no recommendations on surface cargo security, but strongly recommended improving screening of airline luggage and cargo. DHS reported that the Transportation Security Administration is screening all baggage, and 95 percent of freight shipped aboard passenger aircraft. TSA is on track to reach the 100 percent target by next month, another congressional mandate, DHS said. Read Full Article This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Homeland Security Launches New YouTube and DHS.gov Websites Posted: 22 Jul 2009 06:30 PM PDT The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today launched the DHS YouTube Channel and announced the redesign of DHS.govsteps to enhance the Department’s web presence, increase transparency and provide accurate, up-to-date information to the public. “Social media plays an increasingly large role in our engagement with the public, especially in the event of an incident or disaster,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “These new tools will facilitate an open dialogue about the Department’s security efforts across the nation and around the world.” The YouTube Channel, will allow DHS to use video to highlight events, speeches, public service announcements and other related content. DHS’s emphasis on web 2.0 tools such as YouTube allows the Department to provide greater transparency and access to the public and our state, local, territorial, tribal, private sector, and international partners. DHS.gov was reorganized around Secretary Napolitano’s five major responsibilities counterterrorism, border security, enforcement of immigration laws, disaster preparedness and response and Department unification and redesigned based on user input and search analysis to help visitors find relevant and timely information. See New Site This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Osama bin Laden’s Son Thought Killed in Predator Strike Posted: 22 Jul 2009 06:18 PM PDT Sa’ad bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, is thought to have been killed in a US Predator airstrike in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The report has not been confirmed. Sa’ad is thought to have been killed during a strike earlier this year, US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. “We’re pretty sure but we’re not certain,” one official said. “We are hopeful.” US intelligence want to confirm or deny Sa’ad’s death by using DNA testing. But it is unclear if they have recovered a body from the attack site. The officials would not identify the date or the location of the airstrike that is thought to have killed Sa’ad. The covert US air campaign has focused heavily on North and South Waziristan. Fifty percent of the attacks occurred in South Waziristan, and 38 percent took place in North Waziristan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. The US has killed a total of 22 High Value Targets which include some of the high- and mid-level Taliban and al Qaeda. Read Full Article This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

U.S. Looks For Volunteers For Swine Flu Vaccine Test Posted: 22 Jul 2009 01:51 PM PDT The U.S. Government is looking for volunteers in 8 states who are willing to be among the first to receive a swine flu vaccination. Scientists will first will begin testing different doses of the swine flu vaccine in healthy adults. If there are no immediate safety concerns, testing will quickly begin in babies and children. The studies take place at medical centers in cities around the country including Baltimore; Iowa City, Iowa; St. Louis; Nashville; Seattle; Atlanta; Cincinnati and Houston. This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Feds – U.S. Man Gave Al-Qaeda NYC Subway Information Posted: 22 Jul 2009 01:13 PM PDT Authorities revealed Wednesday that an American — charged with providing information to al-Qaida on the New York transit system and attacking a U.S. military base in Afghanistan — has been a secret witness in the fight against terror both here and overseas. Court papers unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn identified the defendant as Bryant Neal Vinas, also known as “Ibrahim.” His identity had been kept secret since his indictment late last year, and federal prosecutors refused to discuss his background Wednesday. But a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case, said Vinas provided critical information that led to a security alert about the New York City subway system last year. Federal authorities issued an alert around Thanksgiving last year saying the FBI had received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system around the holidays. The origin of that report, the source said, was Vinas. Prosecutors charged Vinas in a rocket attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in September 2008. Court papers allege he also gave “expert advice and assistance … on the New York transit system and Long Island Railroad.” For five months last year, Vinas received “military-style training” from al-Qaida, according to court papers. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

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