Homeland Security Launches Pilot to Counter Small-Vessel
Attacks
Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:18 PM PDT
The U.S. Homeland Security Department is undertaking a pilot
program aimed at countering the threat of a small-vessel attack on the
nation’s ports, an official told Global Security Newswire last week (see
GSN, July 24).
Boats docked at a marina in San Diego, Calif. The United States
has launched a new effort to protect its ports from small vessel attacks,
an official said last week (Don Emmert/Getty Images).
The agency’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office has launched a
“West Coast Maritime Pilot” effort, based in San Diego and Washington
state’s Puget Sound region.
The program is slated to deploy and evaluate radiation and
nuclear detection equipment, to include human-portable and mobile, or
boat-mounted, systems, according to Chris Inman, the detection office
director for the San Diego portion of the effort.
Program officials will develop a regional maritime concept of
operations and provide naval-specific training on nuclear detection
equipment, he said. It also will “identify any gaps that may still be
remaining in that maritime architecture,” Inman said.
National concern about the threats posed by small naval vessels
appears to be on the rise.
Bethann Rooney, manager of port security for the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey, sees a small-vessel attack as the greatest
security risk facing the nation’s ports today.
“For us, we’ve essentially got a single choke point that all
deep draft vessels need to pass,” she said during a July 10 panel
discussion at the Center for National Policy. “If that choke point is
compromised by a small vessel attack … it will essentially shut down the
entire port of New York and New Jersey.”
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An EMP Attack, Thinking The Unthinkable – James Carafano
Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:07 PM PDT
When the 9/11 Commission issued its
report, it complained that federal agencies had a colossal “failure of
imagination.” Nobody could accuse Newt Gingrich from suffering that
shortfall.
When he delivered a major address on national security last
week, the former Speaker of the House went after Defense Secretary Robert
Gates for planning for the future the Pentagon wants, rather than dealing
with the many serious problems it may actually face. Gingrich mentioned
one challenge that many find too terrible to contemplate — which is why
our government should spend a lot more time doing exactly that.
I’m referring to the Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP). This method
of attack is usually associated with a nuclear blast. In addition to
thermal, radiation, heat and concussive force, an atomic detonation throws
off an incredible amount of electro-magnetic energy.
Picture a massive tsunami, but with lightning instead of water.
And, like the surge produced by lightning, electrical systems act like
antennas sucking down a rush of electrons that fry circuits and burn out
micro-chips.
EMP is not normally addressed when talking about nuclear
attack, because most nuclear strikes are planned as low-air bursts where
most of the energy, EMP included, go straight into the ground (and
flattening the city in-between). In such scenarios, electrical systems
would be disabled by EMP, though few would notice, because most people
would have been crushed or melted in the firestorm following the
detonation.
A deliberate EMP attack, however, would be different. If, for
example, an enemy detonated a nuclear weapon carried on a ballistic
missile 200 miles or so above the earth, people on the ground might never
know an attack occurred. But if the explosion happened high enough over
North America, the blossom of EMP might cover the entire United
States.
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Seven Charged With Terrorism Conspiracy In North Carolina – FBI
Posted: 27 Jul 2009 03:18 PM PDT
Daniel Patrick Boyd
Seven individuals have been charged with conspiring to provide
material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and
injure persons abroad, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for the
National Security Division; George E.B. Holding, U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of North Carolina; and Owen D. Harris, Special Agent in
Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Division, announced today.
On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, a federal grand jury in the
Eastern District of North Carolina returned a sealed seven-count
indictment against the following defendants:
- Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, a U.S. citizen and resident of North
Carolina
All the defendants are charged with conspiracy to provide
material support to terrorists, as well as conspiracy to murder, kidnap,
maim and injure persons abroad. In addition, Daniel Boyd, Hysen Sherifi
and Zakariya Boyd are each charged with possession of a firearm in
furtherance of a crime of violence. Daniel Boyd and Dylan Boyd are also
each charged with selling a firearm to a convicted felon. Finally, Daniel
Boyd is also charged with receiving a firearm through interstate commerce
and two counts of making false statements in a terrorism
investigation.
The defendants were arrested at various locations this
morning by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. They made their
initial appearances today in federal court in Raleigh, N.C. At that time,
the indictment was unsealed.
“The indictment alleges that Daniel Boyd is a veteran of
terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan who, over the past
three years, has conspired with others in this country to recruit and help
young men travel overseas in order to kill. Given the weapons allegedly
involved in this conspiracy and the seriousness of the charges, the many
agents, analysts and prosecutors who were able to bring about this case
and safely remove these defendants from our streets deserve special
thanks,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for the National
Security Division.
“These charges hammer home the point that terrorists and
their supporters are not confined to the remote regions of some far away
land but can grow and fester right here at home. Terrorists and their
supporters are relentless and constant in their efforts to hurt and kill
innocent people across the globe. We must be equally relentless and
constant in our efforts to stop them,” said U.S. Attorney George E.B.
Holding.
“The threat that extremists and radicals pose to America and
our allies has not dulled or gone away. These arrests today show there are
people living among us, in our communities in North Carolina and around
the US, that are honing their skills to carry out acts of murder and
mayhem. Their ultimate goal is to wage war on freedom and democracy. The
FBI and our law enforcement partners are doing all we can to stop them
from thriving and successfully attacking again,” said Owen D. Harris,
Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI. “We will
remain vigilant, so must the public. If you see or hear something — act —
call your local police department or the FBI. September 11th is not a
vague memory for us, nor should it be for anyone.”
“The cooperation between federal, state and local
authorities throughout this investigation has been outstanding. It is only
with our ongoing law enforcement partnership through the Joint Terrorism
Task Force in conjunction with North Carolina’s fusion center, ISAAC, that
we are able to ensure public safety from these terrorist threats,” said
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Director Robin P.
Pendergraft.
The Conspiracy
According to the indictment, during the period from 1989
through 1992, Daniel Boyd traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan where he
received military-style training in terrorist training camps for the
purpose of engaging in violent jihad. Following this training, he
allegedly fought in Afghanistan.
From roughly November 2006 through at least July 2009, the
indictment alleges that Daniel Boyd and the other defendants conspired
to provide material support and resources to terrorists, including
currency, training, transportation and personnel. The defendants also
conspired to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad during this
period. The object of the conspiracy, according to the indictment, was
to advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in
terrorist activities abroad and committing acts of murder, kidnapping or
maiming persons abroad.
The indictment alleges that, as part of the conspiracy,
the defendants prepared themselves to engage in violent jihad and were
willing to die as martyrs. They also allegedly offered training in
weapons and financing, and helped arrange overseas travel and contacts
so others could wage violent jihad overseas.
As part of the conspiracy, the indictment further alleges
that the defendants raised money to support training efforts, disguised
the destination of such monies from the donors, and obtained assault
weapons to develop skills with the weapons. Some defendants also
allegedly radicalized others to believe that violent jihad was a
personal religious obligation.
Recruitment and Travels
Among other acts, the indictment alleges that Daniel Boyd
traveled to Gaza in March 2006 and attempted to enter Palestine in order
to introduce his son to individuals who also believed that violent jihad
was a personal religious obligation. Later, in October 2006, defendant
Ziyad Yaghi allegedly departed the United States for Jordan to engage in
violent jihad.
In June 2007, Daniel Boyd and several other defendants
departed the United States for Israel in an effort to engage in violent
jihad, but ultimately returned to the United States after failing in their
efforts. According to the indictment, after his return to the United
States, Daniel Boyd made false statements twice to federal officials about
who he had planned to meet on his trip to Israel.
In February 2008, Daniel Boyd allegedly solicited money to
fund the travel of additional individuals overseas to engage in violent
jihad and in March 2008, discussed with Anes Subasic preparations to send
two individuals abroad for this purpose. He allegedly accepted $500 in
cash from defendant Hysen Sherifi to be used to help fund jihad overseas
and later showed Sherifi how to operate an AK-47 assault weapon.
In July 2008, Sharifi allegedly departed the United States
for Kosovo to engage in violent jihad. According to the indictment,
Sharifi later returned to North Carolina in April 2009, for the purpose of
soliciting funds and personnel to support the mujihadeen.
Weapons and Training
The indictment also alleges that Daniel Boyd obtained a
variety of weapons in furtherance of the conspiracy to murder persons
overseas and provide material support to terrorists. These included a
Bushmaster M4A3 rifle that Boyd allegedly received illegally via
interstate commerce in 2006, as well as an ETA M16 V System C-MAG that
he purchased in 2006. In 2007, he allegedly purchased a Ruger mini 14
long gun.
During 2008, the indictment alleges that Boyd purchased a
Mossburg 100 ATR .270 rifle, a Llama Camanche III .357 revolver, a
Century Arms AK Sporter 7.62 X 39 rifle and a Ruger mini 30 7.62 X 39
rifle. During 2009, Boyd allegedly purchased a Ishmash SAGA .308 rifle,
a Century Arms Polish Tantal 5.45 X 39 rifle, a Century Arms C91 rifle
.308, a Century Arms M70B1 7.62 X 34 rifle, a Ruger mini 14 5.56 rifle,
and a Smith & Wesson MP15 .223 rifle.
The indictment further alleges that in February 2009,
Daniel Boyd and his son, Dylan Boyd, knowingly sold a Beretta 9 mm
handgun and ammunition to a convicted felon. In addition, the indictment
alleges that in June 2009, Daniel Boyd and his son, Zakariya Boyd, used
firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence, specifically conspiracy
to murder.
Finally, the indictment alleges that Daniel Boyd and
several of the defendants practiced military tactics and the use of
weapons on private property in Caswell County, N.C., in June and July
2009.
Each of the defendants faces potential life imprisonment
if convicted of conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons
abroad. In addition, conspiracy to provide material support to
terrorists carries a maximum 15 year sentence. The charges of receiving
a firearm through interstate commerce and selling a firearm to a
convicted felon each carry a maximum 10 year sentence. Making false
statements in a terrorism investigation carries a maximum 8 year
sentence, while possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of
violence carries a consecutive 5 year sentence.
This investigation is being conducted by the Raleigh Joint
Terrorism Task Force of the Charlotte Division of the FBI and NCISAAC,
the North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Barbara D. Kocher and Jason Cowley of the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and Trial Attorney
Jason Kellhofer, of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice
Department’s National Security Division.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains mere
allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty in a court of law.
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