National News

Foreigners Getting Flight Training Without Security Checks (ABC News) Under “new laws, American flight schools are only supposed to provide pilot training to foreign students who have been given a background check by the TSA and have a specific type of visa. But in thousands of cases that has not happened,” reports ABC News. [View article]

U.S. Steps Up Deportation of Immigrant Criminals (Washington Post) “Immigration officials are increasingly scouring jails and courts nationwide and reviewing years-old criminal records to identify deportable immigrants, efforts that have contributed to a steep rise in deportations and strained the immigration court system,” reports the Washington Post. “… U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, it placed 164,000 criminals in deportation proceedings, a sharp increase from the 64,000 the agency said it identified and placed in proceedings the year before.” [View article]

Attacks Against Border Agents Up Sharply (USA Today) “Violence against government agents working along the U.S.-Mexican border is escalating in response to government efforts to crack down on illegal drug and human smuggling rings,” reports USA Today. “… Since 2004, the number of assaults has more than doubled, from 384 that year to 987 in fiscal 2007.” [View article]

Computer Model Tries to Predict Terrorist Activity (Government Computer News) “Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Advanced Computer Studies announced this week that they have launched an online portal that will let analysts query rules on the behavior of terrorist organizations and forecast their future behavior,” reports Government Computer News. “The SOMA Terror Organization Portal (STOP) is based on a framework of Stochastic Opponent Modeling Agents. A formal, logical-statistical reasoning framework, SOMA uses data about the past behavior of terrorist groups to learn rules about the probability of an organization, community or person taking certain actions in certain situations.” [View article]

U.S. Navy photo

International News

New Abu Ghraib Evidence Published (Wired) Psychologist Philip Zimbardo, “an expert witness in the defense of an Abu Ghraib guard,” put together a video that includes “previously unseen photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq” for presentation at this week’s Technology Entertainment and Design conference, reports Wired. “Many of the images are explicit and gruesome, depicting nudity, degradation, simulated sex acts and guards posing with corpses.” The video accompanies an interview with Zimbardo on the Wired website. [View interview]

UN Says Iran May Have Continued Nuke Program After 2003 (New York Times) International Atomic Energy Agency documents “indicate [that] Iran may have focused on a nuclear weapons program after 2003—the year that a U.S. intelligence report says such work stopped,” reports the Associated Press. “… an Iranian video [depicted] mock-ups of a missile re-entry vehicle” apparently configured “to carry a nuclear warhead. Other documentation showed the Iranians experimenting with warheads and missile trajectories” that made sense only for nuclear weapons. The Iranian missile project was not just “‘being thought about or talked about, but the assumption is it was being practically worked on,’ [Simon] Smith” (Britain’s chief delegate to the IAEA) said. [View article]

Chinese Heparin Ingredients May Be Cause of American Patient Deaths (New York Times) “With reports of more than 400 patients in the United States suffering serious complications after receiving the blood-thinner heparin, American investigators are trying to determine whether the raw material for the drug, made from pig intestines, became contaminated on the journey that begins in the slaughterhouses of China,” reports the New York Times. The Changzhou SPL factory “supplies much of the active ingredient in heparin for Baxter International, which earlier this month halted sales of multidose vials of heparin after reports of injuries and four deaths.” [View article]

Threat From Unpiloted Aircraft (Denver Post) “Terrorists could use unmanned drones in aerial attacks,” and “robotics offered a frighteningly easy way to evade security,” reports the Associated Press, citing experts at a robotics conference this week in Britain. “The know-how and materials for manufacturing lethal, improvised robots are easily available … ‘Sooner or later we’re going to see a Cessna programmed to fly into a building,’ said Rear Adm. Chris Parry, who formed the [UK] Ministry of Defense’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Center in 2005. He said small, remotely piloted planes or even converted model aircraft were ‘ideal weapons’ for terrorists because they are easy to build and could evade radar.” [View article]

Sadr Extends His Militia’s Cease-Fire (New York Times) “Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army militia on Friday to extend its cease-fire for six more months, bolstering hopes that a recent trend toward sharply lower Iraqi civilian and American military deaths in Baghdad would continue,” reports the New York Times. [View article]

U.S. Moves to Expand in Pakistan (Boston Globe) The United States wants to expand its “presence in and around the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan by creating special coordination centers on the Afghan side of the border where US, Afghan, and Pakistani officials can share intelligence about Al Qaeda and Taliban militants,” reports the Boston Globe. $453 million in “economic support … would initially focus on school and road construction projects.” U.S. expansion is “made possible, in part, by rising Pakistani anger at a string of suicide attacks by militants from the region.” Besides the economic package, the United States would deploy “counterinsurgency trainers to teach an elite Pakistani force to fight Al Qaeda and indigenous extremists.” [View article]

Most-Wanted Terrorist Walks Free in Yemeni Court (Fox News) Jaber Elbaneh, “a Yemeni-American, one of the FBI’s 26 ‘most wanted’ for terrorism, appeared at a session of his trial in a Yemeni court Saturday with bodyguards and then walked free, apparently not subject to any form of incarceration,” reports the Associated Press. He “and 22 other Al Qaeda members [are on trial] for a series attacks on oil facilities … Elbaneh was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in November in a lower court on charges of masterminding two attacks in the eastern Marid and Hadramawt provinces in Sept. 2006.” He escaped and later surrendered “but was then never sent back to jail … In May 2003, U.S. prosecutors charged Elbaneh in absentia with conspiring with” the “Lackawanna Six,” but Yemen refused a U.S. request to extradite him. [View article]

Wheelchair Bomber Attacks in Iraq (USA Today) “A man in a wheelchair laden with explosives persuaded security guards Monday to push him into an Iraqi operations center, where he blew himself up in an attack”—another “indication that al-Qaeda in Iraq is expanding its tactics to avoid detection before a bombing,” reports the Associated Press. “The Iraqi military indefinitely banned all motorcycles, bicycles and hand-pushed and horse-drawn carts from Baghdad’s streets on Sunday, two days after a bomb hidden under a horse-drawn cart exploded downtown, killing three civilians.… in an attack at a tribal gathering near Fallujah on Jan. 20, the bomber was a 15-year-old boy carrying a box of candy.… It remains unclear if al-Qaeda has begun using teenagers and women because it has been unable to recruit new insurgents or because they are more difficult to detect.… It was unknown whether the attacker really was wheelchair-bound or was using the wheelchair as a prop.” [View article]

Top Terror Recruiter in UK Found Guilty (BBC) Mohammed Hamid—“one of the most important recruiters for Islamist extremism in the” United Kingdom—“has been convicted … of training men in secret camps in the [UK] to prepare them to fight abroad,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. “Among those to have passed through Hamid’s camps were the four failed suicide bombers of 21 July 2005.… Seven other men have been convicted in connection with his camps.” [View article]

Libya Talks With Jihadis Linked to al-Qaeda (Cairo, Egypt, Middle East Times) “A foundation headed by the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is re-launching talks with the al-Qaida-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group,” reports United Press International. “The Gadhafi International Foundation for Charity Associations and Development said … that the talks were ‘taking place under (the) direct oversight’ of Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi, its chairman”—“widely regarded as one of his father’s most trusted deputies.” [View article]

Norwegian Arctic Doomsday Vault Preserves Seeds in Case of Disaster (London Daily Mail) “A ‘Doomsday’ seed vault opens this week in the Arctic to preserve crops in the face of climate change, war and natural disasters,” reports the Daily Mail. “The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is intended as a back-up to the network of seed banks around the world which store, grow and replenish thousands of varieties of crops.” The vault holds “a quarter of a million samples—totalling around 10 million seeds—from virtually every country.” [View article]

Indian Muslim Scholars Decry Terrorism (BBC) “An influential group of Muslim theologians in India have denounced terrorism, saying it is completely against the teachings of Islam,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. “Their statements were made at a meeting”—attended by “scholars from 6,000 religious schools.” [View article]

DHS News

DHS photo

FEMA Needs to Better Coordinate Govt. and Volunteer Response The Federal Emergency Management Agency needs to better coordinate the roles of government and voluntary responders under the new National Response Framework, according to the Government Accountability Office. “The Red Cross agreed that FEMA should be the primary agency for mass care” under the framework because FEMA can “direct federal agencies’ resources to meet mass care needs.” But FEMA does not have the specialized staff to work with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, nor has it coordinated with the National Council on Disability to better serve the disabled during emergencies. [View GAO summary]

Immigration Agency Accused of Illegal Searches (Washington Post) “A privately convened commission”—the National Commission on ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Misconduct and Violations of 4th Amendment Rights—“of labor and immigrant advocates held the first of several planned nationwide hearings [on Monday] to publicize allegations that U.S. immigration officials routinely violate constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure during workplace raids,” reports the Washington Post. “… witnesses and members of the 10-person panel accused [ICE] officials of using arrest warrants for a limited number of illegal immigrants who work at a given company as a pretext to detain the entire workforce, including many U.S. citizens, while agents determine whether there are additional illegal immigrants among them.” ICE spokeswoman Pat Reilly “said the agency’s procedures for questioning workers during raids at businesses are fair and humane.” [View article]

DHS photo

DHS Selects Schools to Host New Centers of Excellence The Homeland Security Department has chosen 11 universities to lead five new Centers of Excellence:

• The University of Arizona at Tucson and the University of Texas at El Paso will co-lead the Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration
• Northeastern University in Boston and the University of Rhode Island in Kingston will co-lead the Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response
• The University of Hawaii in Honolulu and Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, will co-lead the Center of Excellence for Maritime, Island and Port Security
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, will co-lead the Center of Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coast Infrastructure and Emergency Management
• Texas Southern University in Houston, the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, MS, will co-lead the Center of Excellence for Transportation Security

Natl. Response Framework Broadcast March 5 The Federal Emergency Management Agency will make a nationwide TV broadcast and webcast on the National Response Framework on the afternoon of March 5. Questions can be submitted during the broadcast by email. [View announcement]

Other Federal News

Justice Dept. Raises Fines for Employing Illegal Immigrants The Justice Department is increasing by 25% the “civil fines imposed on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants,” Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced on February 22. The increase is “the maximum allowed by law and the first such increase since 1999.” The department is “also working with the Department of Homeland Security to increase criminal prosecutions against the most egregious employer offenders.” [View transcript]

State and Local News

Former Ashcroft Aide Says States Can Pass Their Own Laws on Immigration (Birmingham [AL] News) “Kris Kobach, who served as former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s chief adviser on immigration and border security,” on February 23 “said there are several areas in which states can pass laws,” reports the Birmingham News. “Among them, he said, are sanctions against employers for hiring illegal aliens, restricting access to secondary education for illegal immigrants, and not allowing undocumented immigrants to have driver licenses.” [View article]

Private-Sector News

DHS Issues Contracts for Departmental ID Cards The Homeland Security Department has awarded five-year contracts worth up to about $180 million to three companies—BearingPoint, EDS, and XTec—for a system of Personal Identity Verification cards, mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, to be issued to DHS employees and contractors. [View press release]

Education The Homeland Security Institute lists these education programs as a service to readers who may be interested; it does not endorse them or their courses. New education listings are posted for four weeks. Hospital Security Preparedness Course (March 31–April 3; June 2-5; Washington, DC) The ER One Institute at Washington Hospital Center is holding a course for hospital protective services and law enforcement. The goal is to achieve competency in handling all hazards to hospital security, from routine situations to mass-casualty incidents and terrorist attacks against the facility. Students will experience comprehensive hands-on training, live drills, and classroom instruction from faculty with extensive security and counterterrorism experience. Contact Lisa Rizzolo at (202) 364-5180, ext 115. [View conference website] Homeland Security Intelligence Workshop (March 27-28; Arlington, VA) This workshop explores the emerging requirements for conducting homeland security intelligence activities, focusing on practical implementation. [View course website] Hospital Disaster Life Support Course (March 12-13; May 14-15; Washington, DC) This course by the ER One Institute at the Washington Hospital Center teaches hospital disaster management response principles for physicians, critical care and emergency nurses, physician extenders, paramedics, hospital administrators, protective services, and emergency preparedness staff. The course combines classroom discussion of all-hazards response issues with hands-on exercise simulation for conventional, chemical, and biological mass-casualty incidents. For those who have already taken the course, ER One has a Hospital Disaster Life Support II update course. Contact Rick Tappan at (202) 877-4468. [View conference website] Georgetown U. Microbiology & Immunology Open House (April 2; Washington, DC) Georgetown University’s Department of Microbiology & Immunology, which offers master of science degrees in microbiology & immunology, biomedical science policy & advocacy, and biohazardous threat agents & emerging infectious diseases, will hold an open house for anyone interested in its degree or certificate programs. [View conference website] Medical Response in a Hostile Environment (May 30–June 1; Caldwell, OH) The Medical Corps Combat/Field Medicine School prepares civilians, with or without medical background, as well as military and government personnel, to rapidly and effectively respond to both major and minor personal injuries sustained far from medical care. [View course website]

New Upcoming Events (After four weeks, events are moved to the Upcoming Events page) (March 5-6; San Antonio) The conference will bring together senior leaders from government and world-renowned experts representing a wide range of disciplines to provide perspectives and generate discussion about issues affecting the information security of organizations and businesses and help participants develop approaches to deal with this accelerating, alarming, and costly threat. [View conference website] National Emergency Management Association Midyear Conference (March 9-13; Washington, DC) The conference will cover the Emergency Management Accreditation Program, Emergency Management Assistance Compacts, climate change and emergency management, and more. [View conference website] National Disaster Medical System Training Summit (March 15-19; Nashville, TN) This conference promotes interaction among federal, state, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and academia to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those involved in the management or delivery of public health and medical care during disasters. Expert faculty will discuss clinical care, public health, and disaster response. [View conference website] (March 16-18; Nashville, TN) Held in conjunction with the 2008 National Disaster Medical System Training Summit, the Disaster Response & Recovery Exposition gives local, state, and federal public health and emergency preparedness practitioners and policy makers an opportunity to discover the latest equipment, technologies, and services. [View conference website] 2nd Annual Homeland Defense and Security Education Summit (March 18-19; Adelphi, MD) This year’s theme is “Innovation in Education and Training”; the summit will focus on innovation in program development, technology, research, and academics. It will be an opportunity for educators and trainers to exchange and compare best practices, improve leadership and workforce development, and network with colleagues from more than 150 learning institutions nationwide. The summit is hosted by the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security, the North American Aerospace Defense Command–U.S. Northern Command Homeland Security and Defense Education Consortium, the DHS Office of the Chief Learning Officer, and the University of Maryland University College. [View conference website] Terrorism: Training, Threats, Tactics and Technology (April 1-3; Albuquerque, NM) At this conference, sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories’ Security Systems and Technology Center and by the Terrorism Research Center, participants will explore some of the challenges and gain a comprehensive understanding of issues related to terrorism. [View conference website] 2008 Defense Industrial Base/Critical Infrastructure Protection Conference and Technology Exhibition (April 7-9; Miami) This conference and exhibition is designed to facilitate public-private partnerships for improving preparedness and response and will focus on cyber-security and information assurance, supply chain and response management, and intelligence and threat warning. [View conference website] Fire Dept. Instructors Conference (April 7-12; Indianapolis) This conference features courses and training options to improve the way the safety and effectiveness of the way fire department instructors do their job, in areas such as live burn, collapse rescue, leadership training, and recruitment. [View conference website] Chemical and Biological Medical Treatment Symposia (April 13-18; Spiez, Switzerland) These symposia will explore the scientific, medical, and policy aspects of chemical, biological, and radiological warfare and terrorism, including accidents and incidents across the spectrum. They will consider the effects of chemical, biological, and radiological agents wrongly used or abused, intentional or accidental, on the community and individuals, military and civilian, and on the infrastructure at each echelon of government. The symposia will further build on an area still not adequately addressed by convention, agreement, or treaty: the terrorist or combat threat to the chemical, petrochemical, oil, pharmaceutical, biochemical, and other industries, along with agro-terrorism. [View conference website] Fire-Rescue Med (April 21–23; Las Vegas, NV) This conference for fire-based emergency medical services personnel offers 35 education sessions taught by industry leaders, along with networking sessions. [View conference website] GovSec, U.S. Law and Ready 2008 (April 23-24; Washington, DC) This forum fosters communication and cooperation between industry and government security, law enforcement, and emergency responders at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels to protect America’s citizens and critical assets. It features speakers from Estonia, the FBI, the U.S. Fire Administration, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, plus exhibits of “cutting edge technology and hot new products, tools and vehicles.” [View conference website] 2008 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (May 12-13; Waltham, MA) This conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, with technical assistance from the DHS Science & Technology Directorate, will focus on novel and innovative technologies that address the most pressing national security problems. It will provide a forum for innovators to discuss ideas, concepts, and findings and will bring together innovators from leading universities, research laboratories, Homeland Security Centers of Excellence, small businesses, system integrators, and the end user community. New this year, the conference will feature parallel tracks with invited talks in non-overlapping technical sessions. Also, the conference will contain a planned session on detecting and protecting against terrorist surveillance. [View conference website] IED 2008 Symposium and Expo (May 13-15; Fayetteville, NC) IED 2008 will feature expert speakers on improvised explosive devices and the challenges and threats they pose internationally and domestically. It will explore and identify new technologies, methods, and tactics for eliminating the IED threat and protecting personnel from the hazards of explosives. IED 2008 will bring military, government, law enforcement, security, and industry leaders together with end users and operators. [View conference website] (May 19-23; Pala, CA) California’s fire, emergency medical services, and disaster conference and expo provides an empirical educational offering that includes all first responders: firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nurses, physician assistants, disaster managers, and physicians. It features speakers, preconference meetings, and opportunities for continuing education credits. [View conference website]