The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

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• A Former CIA Agent’s Hunt For bin Laden in
  Pakistan
  
  
• Laptops, Cell Phones Fair Game in Customs
  Search
  
  
• EMP A Weapon That Could Create A New Dark Age
  
  
  
• Ready.gov Unveils New PSA – World Upside Down
  
  
  
• Terrorists Shifting Focus to Soft Targets
  
  
  
• FCC Releases Report On Emergency Preparedness
  
  
  
• TSA To Boost Screening For Powder Explosives
  
  
  
• More al Qaeda Terror Plots Involving Planes
  Likely

A Former CIA Agent’s Hunt For bin Laden in Pakistan Posted: 08 Sep 2009 11:16 PM PDT Art Keller, a blond, blue-eyed CIA agent, sits inside a decrepit building deep inside al-Qaeda territory, staring at his computer screen. He is forbidden by his Pakistani minders from venturing out into the badlands of Waziristan to help to find and kill the world’s most wanted man. He is sick and exhausted, and suffering from food poisoning. Back home in the US his father is dying of cancer. The plumbing is basic, the heat intense — the generator has failed again. He pores over cables looking for any scrap of information — an intercepted phone call, an aerial photograph — that might finally end the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The fruitless search has essentially been outsourced by the US to a network of Pashtun spies run by the Pakistani intelligence services. Mr Keller was one of an estimated 50 to 100 CIA agents and special operations officers whose mission for the past eight years has been to find and kill bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders in the hostile and forbidding Pakistani border region, where he is believed to be hiding. Mr Keller, 39, volunteered for the bin Laden team and was sent in 2006 to become acting chief of one of the CIA’s bases in the heart of al-Qaeda and Taleban territory in Waziristan. It was an experience that leaves him wondering today if the al-Qaeda leader will ever be found. Mr Keller was not an obvious choice for the job — he spoke no Middle Eastern languages, and was not an expert on al-Qaeda or Pakistan. Yet in 2006, with many resources diverted to Iraq, the CIA was desperate for agents to join the hunt. Today this is changing. The agency is bringing back CIA retirees — a group known as The Cadre — many of whom are veterans who worked with the Afghan Mujahidin during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. Mr Keller’s replacement when he left Shawshank — the nickname given to his base in Waziristan because it resembled the prison life depicted in The Shawshank Redemption — was one such man, a grey-haired, CIA veteran, 65, who speaks Pashtu. “Some of these guys have been hunting bin Laden for years,” Mr Keller says. His replacement, whom Mr Keller believes is still in Pakistan, has spent eight months a year since the September 11 attacks working out of these CIA safe houses looking for the top al-Qaeda leadership. 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. A Former CIA Agent’s Hunt For bin Laden in Pakistan

Laptops, Cell Phones Fair Game in Customs Search Posted: 08 Sep 2009 09:17 PM PDT International travelers returning to the United States wouldn’t be surprised if customs agents wanted to check their suitcase. What they may not realize is their cell phone, PDA and laptop are also searchable without suspicion. The policy by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was made public in the waning days of the Bush administration and last month was endorsed and clarified by the Obama administration. Under the policy, customs agents may impound a laptop and even copy its hard drive. Civil libertarians say the policy violates the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search. “I don’t carry my laptop overseas anymore,” said Sacramento attorney Mark Reichel. “The fat lady has sung for the fourth amendment.” Reichel said one client who carries sensitive business information on his laptop on international trips sends the hard drive home separately by express mail. The DHS justified the search of electronic devices in what is called Privacy Impact Statement published Aug. 25. “The use of electronic devices capable of storing information relating to criminal activities has been established as the latest method for smuggling (contraband),” an overview declares. 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. Laptops, Cell Phones Fair Game in Customs Search

EMP A Weapon That Could Create A New Dark Age Posted: 08 Sep 2009 09:08 PM PDT With hurricane season upon us once again, the recent anniversary of one of the most deadly and destructive in our nation’s history — the mega-storm called Katrina — was an occasion for remembering what can happen if we are unprepared. Unfortunately, what was arguably the most important lesson of that hurricane has still not been addressed: the truly catastrophic vulnerability of all of the infrastructures upon which our society critically depends to interruptions of the electrical grid. Worse yet, there are both looming man-induced and far more devastating natural means of precipitating such interruptions that we have not begun to address. Should these eventuate, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will look like, well, a day at the beach. It is no exaggeration to say that the effect of one or the other of these assaults on our electrical grid could be to engender what Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called “a world without America.” As Katrina demonstrated, if the electricity goes off for any protracted period, a cascading ripple-effect takes down the means by which we communicate, get food and water, access financial resources, receive medical services, dispose of sewage and move from one location to another. The longer the time without electricity, the more difficult it is to bring such other infrastructures back on line. If some of the roughly 300 transformers that are the backbone of our electrical grid are damaged or destroyed, the interruption to the electrical grid will not be brief. Today, we have few backups in place. These large and complex pieces of equipment are all produced overseas and it takes at least a year to take delivery of even one, let alone many. William R. Graham, President Reagan’s science adviser, estimates that, if the electricity is off in large sections of America (far more than the relatively small area afflicted by Katrina) for as long as a year, the effect will not simply be on the quality of life here. He says as many as 9 in 10 of our men, women and children will die from starvation, disease and/or exposure. via Source – Frank J. Gaffney Jr. – Washington Times. 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. EMP A Weapon That Could Create A New Dark Age

Ready.gov Unveils New PSA – World Upside Down Posted: 08 Sep 2009 09:00 PM PDT September is National Preparedness Month. To urge all Americans to be prepared for unexpected emergencies, Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago, in conjunction with its network shops in New York, Milwaukee and Phoenix, has just unveiled a new public service TV commercial called “World Upside Down” that makes its point with pointed ad copy and visuals that are both artful and quite gripping. The voiceover copy in the 60-second version of the spot asks viewers to imagine what their world would be like if a disaster struck without warning, and their lives were suddenly turned upside down. The public service announcement depicts a family and its furnishings suddenly being chaotically upended. As the ad copy asks us to contemplate such a turn of events, the commercial shows a family and the furnishings in their home suddenly being chaotically upended. The chilling effect is intensified by C-K’s decision to visualize the moment in ultra slow-motion, which turns the potential horror of it all into something almost like poetry in motion. Still, the important and sobering message is not lost. Viewers of “World Upside Down” will surely come away from it with a good reason to visit the Web site www.ready.gov, where there is factual information about preparing oneself and/or one’s family for an emergency. 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. Ready.gov Unveils New PSA – World Upside Down

Terrorists Shifting Focus to Soft Targets Posted: 08 Sep 2009 08:48 PM PDT Bombing hotels abroad is becoming more attractive to terrorists… because it’s easier. As military and government targets get harder to hit, the global intelligence company Stratfor says terrorists are content to strike hotels and other soft targets instead. Stratfor says the number of attacks on hotels has more than doubled since Sept. 11. 2001, when compared with eight years before. Injuries and deaths have increased sixfold when compared with the same period. And when terrorists check in as guests, it gives them full access to the grounds. Such was the case in the July 17th suicide attacks at the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Indonesia. Stratfor also says al-Qaida is changing from a centralized organization with global goals to regional “franchises” with more parochial aims and strong grass-roots support. 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. Terrorists Shifting Focus to Soft Targets

FCC Releases Report On Emergency Preparedness Posted: 08 Sep 2009 08:38 PM PDT The FCC has released a report on its ability to respond in natural disasters, terrorist attacks, public health emergencies, and other events. The report, “FCC’s Preparedness for a Major Public Emergency,” was put together by the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau in response to a 30-day review launched by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “The FCC has an important role to play in ensuring that our nation’s communications infrastructure serves our public safety needs,” Genachowski said. “The Public Safety Bureau’s thorough review concluded that the agency is ready to respond to emergencies, but there is more work to do to maximize the agency’s readiness. The public safety challenges we face are ongoing, dynamic, and growing. Today’s report outlines concrete steps the FCC can and will take to better support public safety communications and protect our nation.” The report, while concluding that the FCC is prepared to keep essential communications open in an emergency, found that the commission could improve its planning and response in the areas of education and training, outreach and collaborations, emergency operations and alerts, and network analysis. Recommendations include a plan for improving the Continuity of Operations and Pandemic plans, and reviews and revisions as needed for emergency procedures in the FCC’s 24/7 operations center. The EAS system is also being reviewed with other agencies to account for “next-generation technologies.” Source Report 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. FCC Releases Report On Emergency Preparedness

TSA To Boost Screening For Powder Explosives Posted: 08 Sep 2009 08:16 PM PDT The Transportation Security Administration said it will soon start additional screening for powder explosives at airport checkpoints but expects only a small percentage of powders will require the special screening. TSA said it will begin using powder explosives detection kits at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and other airports around the country this week, following a pilot test of the kits in late 2008 at airports in Los Angeles, New York, Detroit and Washington, D.C. At about $145 each, the 1,250 kits distributed nationwide cost close to $185,000.Typical security checkpoint procedures will not change, the agency said. Security screeners will use X-rays to determine which substances need additional screening.When substances are selected for additional screening, security officers will use a powder test kit to collect a sample and apply a solution to test for potential explosives. Powders that are “determined to be a potential threat” will not be permitted past checkpoints or in checked baggage, according to TSA. 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. TSA To Boost Screening For Powder Explosives

More al Qaeda Terror Plots Involving Planes Likely Posted: 08 Sep 2009 03:51 PM PDT Al-Qaeda is likely to try again to use aircraft to attack the West, Whitehall officials have told the BBC. Security correspondent Frank Gardner said they believed the airline bomb plot was part of al-Qaeda’s “obsession” with using commercial airliners. The warning comes after three British men were convicted of plotting to blow up flights from London to North America using bombs disguised as soft drinks. Defence expert Michael Clarke agreed that al-Qaeda was “still plotting”. On Monday, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, Tanvir Hussain, 28, and Assad Sarwar, 29, were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court after the UK’s largest ever counter-terrorism operation Their arrests in 2006 changed the face of air travel, prompting the introduction of restrictions on the carriage of liquids. UK intelligence officers believe the plot was directed by al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan, including a British man – Rashid Rauf – from Birmingham, now thought to be dead. ‘Soft targets’ ANALYSIS Daniel Sandford Daniel Sandford, home affairs correspondent Essentially, the rules in British courts are that you cannot use intercept material as evidence in a trial – except in very exceptional circumstances. There has been a lot of pressure already to start introducing it – particularly in terrorism trials where people may have been detained or kept under control orders because of such evidence. In the first airline trial the jury were deadlocked, but in the second trial when these fascinating e-mails communicating between the plot’s leaders and Pakistan were introduced, there was no such deadlock. These e-mails were not intercepted – they were taken off the Yahoo server in America – but it shows, people are saying, that intercept-type evidence works. Liquid bomb plot: What happened Airlines bomb plot: The e-mails Profiles: Airline plot accused Will airport restrictions continue? Prof Clarke, director of defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that al-Qaeda was more “marginalised” now than in the past, but still posed a threat to the West. “There’s no doubt there are people in the tribal areas on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan who have tried these plots,” he said. “There were four or five big plots and they’ve all come to light in the UK. They haven’t worked, but they’re still plotting.” Read Full Story 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. More al Qaeda Terror Plots Involving Planes Likely

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