The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

---

• FBI, DHS Warn Police on Homegrown Terrorists
  
  
  
• Smart Grid Can be Wiped Out by Electromagnetic
  Weapons
  
  
• Homeland Security – Napolitano Offers Shift in
  Tone
  
  
• Military Planning For Possible H1N1 Outbreak
  
  
  
• Suspicious Package Found on Capitol Hill
  

FBI, DHS Warn Police on Homegrown Terrorists Posted: 29 Jul 2009 11:44 PM PDT Antiterrorism officials are increasingly concerned about American-bred extremists who travel abroad for terror training and then return home, sometimes quietly recruiting followers over the years. Federal authorities have issued a bulletin to law enforcement agencies around the country on the heels of the arrest Monday in North Carolina of a man whose devotion to the cause of violent jihad allegedly began 20 years ago. The internal bulletin – reviewed by The Associated Press – says the FBI and the Homeland Security Department are very worried about the danger posed by little-noticed Americans traveling abroad to learn terrorism techniques, then coming back to the United States, where they may be dormant for long periods of time while they look for followers to recruit for future attacks. On Monday, the FBI arrested Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, charging he was the ringleader of a group of aspiring international terrorists. The charges “underscore our ongoing concerns about individuals returning to the United States after training or fighting on behalf of extremists overseas,” said Justice Department spokesman Richard Kolko. “As a general matter, such individuals may be in a unique position to solicit others in the U.S. to follow their example, given their combat experience, their network of overseas contacts and their credibility among young radicals seeking an authority figure,” Kolko said. Six other suspects – including Boyd’s two sons – were also charged in what prosecutors say was a long-running conspiracy to train for violence and then fight overseas. Boyd’s wife, Sabrina, said in a statement Tuesday that the charges are unsubstantiated. 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

Smart Grid Can be Wiped Out by Electromagnetic Weapons Posted: 29 Jul 2009 11:37 PM PDT There’s been plenty of evidence recently that the Smart Grid could become a serious security risk for IT and households. Now comes something potentially just as troubling: A U.S. Congressman warns that the grid can be taken down by an electromagnetic weapon. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (Rep.-Md.) issued that warning recently. He’s not your typical “the-sky-is-falling” Congressman he’s a former research scientist and engineer and has previously has worked on projects for NASA and the military. Bartlett issued his warning yesterday at a House Science subcommittee hearing about how to roll out the Smart Grid. At the hearing, he warned that a weapon that fired an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could wipe out significant sections of the Smart Grid. According to a Science News account of the hearings: EMP is a powerful and potentially devastating form of electromagnetic “fallout.” It’s usually associated with nuclear weapons, although it can be triggered by any major explosive bursts. Unlike radioactive fallout, this rain won’t directly harm living things. It will just catastrophically fry all electronics and modern electrical systems by inducing staggeringly large and rapid current or voltage surges. The magazine goes on to report that Bartlett warns small nations could use the weapon against the Smart Grid, when it is developed: All one needs to wreak some serious EMP damage, he charges, is a sea-worthy steamer, $100,000 to buy a scud-missile launcher, and a crude nuclear weapon. Then fling the device high into the air and detonate its warhead. 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 – Napolitano Offers Shift in Tone Posted: 29 Jul 2009 11:29 PM PDT Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano on Wednesday called for closer collaboration with foreign partners, more intensive cooperation with local law-enforcement officials, and greater involvement by citizens in watching for and responding to terrorist threats. “For too long, we’ve treated the public as a liability to be protected rather than as an asset in our nation’s collective security,” Ms. Napolitano said during a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “This approach, unfortunately, has allowed confusion, anxiety and fear to linger.” [...] “The terror threat is even more decentralized, networked and adaptive than on 9/11,” she said. “The United States needed an approach that was “more layered, networked and resilient.” In her speech, Ms. Napolitano seemed intent on a shift of tone, a recasting of the way Americans view the terror threat. Implicitly, she seemed to rebuke the approach taken by the Bush administration, which critics said too often seemed to exaggerate threats and sow a sense of fear. [...] Ms. Napolitano said she had traveled 30,000 miles just in the past few weeks — “from Islamabad to Seattle” — while brokering new international agreements to improve security arrangements that would be effective even before potential terrorists reached American shores. She also emphasized the importance of the facilities, called intelligence fusion centers, that have been set up nationwide to improve and streamline communications between the local officials most likely to see the first signs of suspicious activity — like a flight school student showing interest in learning to take off but not to land a plane — and state and federal officials. 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

Military Planning For Possible H1N1 Outbreak Posted: 29 Jul 2009 11:23 PM PDT The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significant outbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials. The proposal is awaiting final approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The officials would not be identified because the proposal from U.S. Northern Command’s Gen. Victor Renuart has not been approved by the secretary. The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military. Don’t Miss * U.S. students face second quarantine in China * School: No shortage of volunteers for swine flu trials It has yet to be determined how many troops would be needed and whether they would come from the active duty or the National Guard and Reserve forces. Civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts in the event of a major outbreak, the official said. The military, as they would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients. 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

Suspicious Package Found on Capitol Hill Posted: 29 Jul 2009 02:22 PM PDT FOX 5 has learned that Capitol Police are investigating a suspicious package that was found in the Longworth House Office Building on Wednesday afternoon, and people are being evacuated from the building until the device is removed. Capitol Police say initial tests of the package were inconclusive, but just to be cautious they are evacuating the Longworth Building and sending those people to the Cannon Building until the package is safely removed. Capitol Police Sergeant Kimberly Schneider says Virginia State police will help in taking the device to Quantico to be rendered safe. 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

	Email delivery powered by Google