The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

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• Homeland Security To Reveal Terror Prevention
  Plans
  
  
• Biohazard Drill At Postal Service Center A
  Success
  
  
• EMP – Electromagnetic Pulse Conference Sept. 8th
  – 10th
  
  
• Extremists Who Raided U.N. Offices Not Considered
  a Terror Group
  
  
• Operation Cassandra – South Florida Prepares For
  Terror Drill
  
  
• Germany Openly Warns of Terror Threat
  
  
• Should A New Pathogen Lab Be Built In Tornado
  Alley
  
  
• Feds Seek 8th Terror Suspect In North
  Carolina

Homeland Security To Reveal Terror Prevention Plans Posted: 28 Jul 2009 10:47 PM PDT U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to reveal on Wednesday the Obama administration’s domestic policies to prevent terrorist attacks, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday. In an interview, Napolitano said the new strategy is expected to rely largely on refining and expanding initiatives launched under former President George W. Bush, the paper reported on its website. The new plans are part of a wider effort to significantly increase the cooperation Napolitano’s agency has with state and local governments in the United States, the paper said. Napolitano is also expected to call for more civic awareness and involvement to prevent attacks, the paper said, adding that she is likely to discuss efforts to work closer with foreign governments, from sharing airline-passenger data to intelligence about potential plots. “We live in a world now where no one department of government can be held to be the sole repository of protecting security,” Napolitano told the paper in an interview on Monday. “There is a role to be played at every level.” 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

Biohazard Drill At Postal Service Center A Success Posted: 28 Jul 2009 10:36 PM PDT An exercise to test the biohazard detection system at the U.S. Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center in Richland Township went off without a hitch late Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of emergency responders with the Richland Township Fire Department and Cambria County’s hazardous-materials team joined local postal officials and postal inspectors from Pittsburgh in conducting the drill at the facility at 235 Jari Drive. The drill began at 4:30 p.m. with a simulated alert of the system, which is installed on mail-processing equipment at the facility and samples the air, said J. Bruce Hammerle, postal inspector in charge of the drill. “It seemed like everything went very well,” he said. Hammerle said the Postal Service periodically conducts drills at all processing and distribution centers to protect its employees and give them the experience of working with the emergency responders. The mail is extremely safe, Hammerle said, adding that there have not been any anthrax incidents since 2001 and there have been extremely few real hazardous materials incidents at any postal site in the U.S. Johnstown Postmaster Mike Hudak said there has never been a hazardous materials incident in Johnstown. 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

EMP – Electromagnetic Pulse Conference Sept. 8th – 10th Posted: 28 Jul 2009 10:18 PM PDT North American Conference on the Threat Posed by Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) to U.S. and Canada to be Held in Niagara Falls Sept. 8-10 EMPACT America today announced plans for an international conference “Protecting America Against Electromagnetic Pulse,” to be held at the Niagara Falls Conference Center, Sept. 8-10. The conference, which will feature opening remarks from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich via video and in-person speakers including experts on EMP representing Congress, the military, academia and the private sector. The conference will focus on the nation’s vulnerability to an electromagnetic pulse attack, as well as response, preparedness and recovery strategies. “Government and industry must devote coordinated energy and funding to protect our nation’s electric-power, telecommunications, food, healthcare, financial and other infrastructures from the devastating potential of major natural disasters, conventional terrorist threats, cyber attacks and an EMP attack,” said Henry Schwartz, founder of the not-for-profit EMPACT America. “Congressional commissions and committees have tried to call attention to the immediate EMP threat from rogue states or terrorist groups using a [primitive] missile to detonate a [crude] nuclear warhead miles above the United States or Canada, knocking out all digital and electronic devices, our electrical grid, communications, and other infrastructures for months, or even years,” added Schwartz, whose companies Steuben Foods in Elma and Elmhurst Dairy in New York City are among the region’s largest suppliers of milk and dairy products. Erie County Executive Chris Collins joined with Schwartz in calling for local and national EMP preparedness efforts. “EMP is an issue that was not previously on our readiness list, but now has our attention,” Collins said. “Given the potentially grave consequences to both public and private assets, we will take steps at the county level to make it part of our disaster preparedness efforts.” EMP is a burst of electromagnetic energy which occurs naturally (solar flares) and from manmade sources (nuclear detonations). The non-radioactive pulses of magnetic energy adversely affect a wide range of electronic devices, ranging from cell phones, personal computers and vehicle ignitions, to power grids and satellites and air traffic control systems. The absence of vital power and communications equipment poses major difficulties for disaster recovery officials, health care providers, utilities, and the business community in serving the public in the aftermath of such an incident. Reports from the Congressional EMP Commission and the National Academy of Sciences characterize electromagnetic pulse as a potentially catastrophic threat. In a July 21 hearing before a House Homeland Security subcommittee, Commission Chairman Dr. William R. Graham testified that EMP “. . .is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences.” “It has the capability to produce significant damage to critical infrastructures and thus the very fabric of U.S. society,” Graham told the panel. A likely scenario for an EMP attack involves a nuclear missile launch by a rogue state or terrorist group. In recent months, efforts by North Korea to develop nuclear technology and launch missiles have raised fears of a near-term EMP attack. In June, the Obama administration took steps to beef-up anti-ballistic missile defenses to protect Hawaii from any North Korean launch. Schwartz is also urging federal lawmakers to reactivate the EMP commission in the upcoming legislative session. The commission, which was established in 2001, saw its term expire in Dec. 2008. In addition to Gingrich, Schwartz has assembled a global stable of experts to discuss the growing EMP threat and ways to minimize the impact. The speakers will also include current and former military, national security and disaster preparedness officials to lead workshops on dealing with the EMP threat. More information on EMP, EMPACT America and its upcoming conference can be found at www.empactamerica.org. Additional information on attending the conference is available by calling 716-805-3366. EMPACT America works with a coalition of national grassroots organizations, corporations, and local and national government representatives to ensure public safety by expanding awareness and developing a management plan for the EMP threat. Founder Henry Schwartz is the owner of Steuben Foods, a high-tech manufacturer of food and beverage products for global and regional brand name food companies. Steuben employs more than 475 workers at its Elma, N.Y. plant. Schwartz also owns Elmhurst Dairy, Metropolitan New York’s largest milk processor. Empact America 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

Extremists Who Raided U.N. Offices Not Considered a Terror Group Posted: 28 Jul 2009 10:03 PM PDT The extremist group al-Shabaab raided three U.N. offices in Somalia last week in a campaign to rid the volatile African nation of all “enemies of Islam,” and the world body can’t do a thing about it — yet. Though the U.S. State Department designated al-Shabaab a foreign terrorist organization in March 2008, the U.N. has yet to add the Islamic militia to its list of terrorist groups whose members face international sanctions and travel bans. While the U.S. has been cracking down on the Al Qaeda-linked group’s recruitment efforts at home, the lack of an international standard has allowed al-Shabaab to channel its funds — much of which come from piracy along Somalia’s lengthy coast — through banks in the Arabian Gulf. “There are millions and millions and millions of dollars coming into this organization. It’s being funneled in banks in Qatar and other places — that’s pretty well documented — yet nobody’s really doing anything about it,” said Jeffrey Addicott, director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. 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

Operation Cassandra – South Florida Prepares For Terror Drill Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:58 PM PDT The city of Miami Beach police and fire departments will conduct large scale anti-terror drills on Wednesday, according to the city. The Miami Beach exercise will happen along Pine Tree Drive and 24 Street. It is scenario-based and will feature a mock terrorist attack, simulated shots fired, simulated victim triage, ambulance transports, along with SWAT and hostage negotiators. The city wants to make sure its residents know about these drills in advance so they are not alarmed. The drills are part of a larger anti-terror effort effort called “Operation Cassandra.” 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

Germany Openly Warns of Terror Threat Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:50 PM PDT A recent routine police operation uncovered a possible terror suspect. The development illustrates just how tense the security situation is in Germany, with the government issuing the clearest warnings yet of a possible attack by Islamist terrorists. How much do the country’s security officials know? The officers were exceedingly polite, waiting for Ali R. to complete his Friday prayers, pack his things and leave the mosque in the western German city of Essen. Only then did they approach the imam and ask him to come with them. They took him to the Büren Prison near the northwestern city of Paderborn, where detainees are held pending deportation. The action was taken in response to a request by the German foreigners registration authority, which had been seeking Ali R., a medical student, since March, because his German residence permit had expired. The officers were not particularly enthusiastic about their mission, which was just another routine police operation. As a result, their search of Ali R., 29, was perfunctory at best. via The Great Fear: Germany Openly Warns of Terror Threat – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International. 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

Should A New Pathogen Lab Be Built In Tornado Alley Posted: 28 Jul 2009 09:43 PM PDT Is it a good idea to build an infectious animal disease lab in an agricultural area in Kansas that is within the nation’s Tornado Alley? The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has plans to do just that, but a report draft from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—obtained by The Washington Post—calls the reasoning for the move not “scientifically defensible,” according to the paper. The lab in question is the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, which studies biological threats that could sicken U.S. livestock. The current facilities—formerly run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and now also managed by the DHS—are on Plum Island (off the coast of Long Island, N.Y.) and have been in operation for more than 50 years. But, according to the DHS’s Web site, “there is physically not enough room at the Plum Island Facility” to expand research to new diseases. That’s why the DHS has plans to build a multi-million-dollar new lab in Manhattan, Kan. There, researchers could study novel diseases “that have not been thoroughly characterized before,” the department’s Web site explains—an undertaking tagged as “Biosafety Level 4”—not allowed at level 3-rated Plum Island. But starting such a sensitive laboratory on the U.S. mainland in a highly agricultural area—and one that is frequently struck by damaging storms—has raised eyebrows at the GAO. After looking into the methods that went into selecting the site, investigators found them lacking. “Drawing conclusions about relocating research with highly infectious exotic animal pathogens from questionable methodology could result in regrettable consequences,” the GAO report draft noted. Those “regrettable consequences” could include the spread of an infectious disease to U.S. animals—and even humans. The costly 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the U.K. was a result of an accident at a similar research facility, the Post reported. 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

Feds Seek 8th Terror Suspect In North Carolina Posted: 28 Jul 2009 10:38 AM PDT New details are emerging after the arrest of what federal officials say was a terror cell in Johnston County. Federal prosecutors now say an eighth suspect who went to Pakistan last year is still being sought. Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22, Ziyad Yaghi, 21, and four others, including Boyd’s sons, were all taken into custody by federal investigators. They are all charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad. The justice department says Boyd received military-style training in terrorist training camps and worked to recruit others. They say some of the men even practiced military tactics and the use of weapons on private property in Caswell County. 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

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