International News

Narco-Terror Spreads to North America (UPI) David Johnson, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, “says that narco-terrorism is spreading into North America,” reports United Press International. He “says that the illicit drug trade is directly linked to known terrorist groups in the Western Hemisphere and that these groups are employing terrorist tactics to traffic drugs into North America.” [View article]

State Dept. Says al-Qaeda Is Gaining Strength (Google News) “Al-Qaida has rebuilt some of its pre-Sept. 11 capabilities from remote hiding places in Pakistan, leading to a jump in attacks last year in that country and neighboring Afghanistan …” reports the Associated Press. “Attacks in Pakistan doubled between 2006 and 2007 and the number of fatalities quadrupled, the State Department said in its annual terrorism report. In Afghanistan, the number of attacks rose 16 percent, to 1,127 incidents last year.… The report once again identifies Iran as the world’s ‘most active’ state sponsor of terrorism for supporting Palestinian extremists and insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, where it says elements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps continued to provide militants with weapons, training and funding.… Iranian forces are also giving weapons and financial aid to the Taliban in Afghanistan.” [View article] [View report]

Pakistan’s Talks With Militants Alarm U.S. (New York Times) “Bush administration officials” are increasingly alarmed by “a deal being negotiated between the new Pakistani government and militant tribes in the country’s unruly border area …” reports the New York Times. “Cross-border attacks into Afghanistan by militants based in Pakistan doubled in March from the same period a year ago and” did not diminish in April, “while Pakistani counterinsurgency operations in the tribal areas have dropped sharply during the talks.” (See the Quote of the Week.) [View article]

Indonesia Holds World’s Largest Bird Flu Pandemic Simulation (BBC) On April 25-27, Indonesia held a simulated “human bird flu pandemic—according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the largest ever such simulation in the world,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. “Almost half the world’s total human deaths from bird flu”—107 people—have occurred in Indonesia. The simulation “involved 1,000 people and 20 different institutions, from the armed forces to medics, to the foreign and trade ministries.” [View article]

Standard Operating Procedure Explores Responsibility for Abu Ghraib Abuse (New York Times) “A blockbuster of a documentary, Errol Morris’s ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ is an inquiry into the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib,” writes New York Times critic Manohla Dargis. “… In broad strokes the documentary addresses issues surrounding state-sanctioned torture, the abnegation of government responsibility and what happens when certain young male and female soldiers are left to their own ill-informed devices.” [View review]

‘Incidental Killings of Civilians Are Our Shame ’ (Jerusalem Haaretz) “Unlike the suicide bomber, the box cutter terrorist, the drive-by machine gunner … the Israeli army never intentionally targets non-combatants,” but “we are prepared to excuse it again and again,” writes Haaretz columnist Bradley Burston. “… we send in the assault helicopter, and the tank, and the fighter-bomber, and use them against Palestinians … To spare our own soldiers.… The way we use them, however, kills children.” The “incidental killings of civilians are our shame, our war crime, our suicide bombs, the massacres for which we, virtuous as we believe we are, are directly to blame.” [View commentary]

Nelson Mandela Is on U.S. Terrorist Watch List (USA Today) “Nobel Peace Prize winner and international symbol of freedom Nelson Mandela is flagged on U.S. terrorist watch lists and needs special permission to visit the” United States, reports USA Today. “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls the situation ‘embarrassing.’” Former South African leader Mandela was a member “of South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC), the once-banned anti-Apartheid organization. In the 1970s and ’80s, the ANC was officially designated a terrorist group by the country’s ruling white minority. Other countries, including the United States, followed suit.” [View article]

Iran Puts Its Centrifuges on Display (New York Times) Iran has “released 48 photographs” of its Natanz uranium-processing facility, being toured by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on April 8, reports the New York Times. “Iran is separating U-235 from U-238. Rare in nature, U-235 easily splits in two to produce bursts of atomic energy.” To do this, the fragile centrifuges “must work day and night for months or years on end.” [View article]

Downturn in U.S. Increases Poverty for Mexicans Relying on Migrants (Washington Post) “The effects of the subprime mortgage crisis and the downturn in the U.S. economy have cascaded into Mexico, causing a sudden, precipitous drop in the flow of money sent home by Mexican immigrants and highlighting [Mexico’s] dependence on its wealthier northern neighbor,” reports the Washington Post. (See the Statistics of the Week.) “In January, the cash transfers, known as remittances, sagged almost 7 percent compared with a year earlier, the steepest monthly dip in at least 13 years.” Mexican “economists … believe the decline in remittances is already pushing thousands into extreme poverty and could lead to a significant increase in migration as desperate Mexicans, deprived of support from abroad, flee to an ever more difficult U.S. job market.” [View article]

Thai Police Seize Over 1,000 Fake Passports (Reuters) “Thai authorities have seized more than a thousand fake Asian and Western passports and arrested a man in one of the biggest anti-counterfeiting operations in recent years,” reports Reuters. “… they found a sophisticated passport making operation and more than 1,000 finished and unfinished documents … The passports were for several countries including the United States, New Zealand, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Malta. Police seized two computers, a scanner, three printers and rubber stamps for several countries.” [View article]

British Arrest Three Tamil Tigers (BBC) “Three men have been arrested by counter-terror police as part of an investigation into the Tamil Tigers,” a Sri Lankan terrorist revolutionary group, reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. “All three were arrested” in Britain “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.” [View article]

British Teenager Faces Terror Charges (BBC) Andrew Ibrahim, 19, “was arrested on 17 April” in Bristol, England, and “charged with possession of an explosive substance, the intention to commit terrorism and the possession of articles for terrorist purposes,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. Authorities carried out “three controlled explosions … at his flat.… An intelligence tip-off from within the city’s Muslim community” led to his arrest. [View article]

Europeans Shun Research Cooperation (EurActiv) “Despite repeated political declarations, EU nations are in fact unwilling to accept too much coordination of their national” research and development programs, according to EurActiv, citing a consultation on the future of the European Research Area. “Apart from backing a greater role for the EU in the development of large-scale research infrastructures that in any case are too costly for one member state to develop alone, … many member states are not in much of a hurry to jointly coordinate their national research programmes or priorities,” and many want only voluntary coordination. [View article]

EU Communications Research Must Protect Private Data (EurActiv) “The European Data Protection Supervisor [Peter Hustinx] wants EU research projects to take account of privacy and data protection requirements” early in their development, particularly “information and communication technologies,” according to EurActiv. Hustinx advocates “the principle of ‘privacy by design.’” (The European Union is also moving to guard air passengers’ privacy—see last week’s newsletter.) [View article]

New this week in the Journal of Homeland Security In “Gastrointestinal Anthrax: The Threat,” Kathryn Crockett and Christopher Royse argue that the United States has not thoroughly considered the possibility of gastrointestinal anthrax (versus inhalational or cutaneous anthrax) as a terrorist weapon and needs to research and prepare a defense against it.

DHS News

18 Airports Joining Model Ports Initiative The Model Ports Initiative—a joint venture among federal agencies, the travel industry, airlines, and airport authorities to improve the processes for clearing and welcoming travelers into the United States—will gain 18 new member airports in addition to the first two: Dulles International Airport in Virginia and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Texas. The keystone of the initiative is a new video in Spanish, French, German, and English that assists travelers through customs and immigration, a welcome brochure, and new bilingual directional signage, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The 18 additional airports have the largest number of foreign visitors arriving annually. [View press release]

Natl. Fire Academy Self-Study Courses The National Fire Academy has two new self-study courses available online: “Intermediate All-Hazard National Incident Management System Incident Command System Review for Expanding Incidents” and “Fundamentals Review for Command and General Staff.” They can be used as pre-course modules or refresher training for the classroom-based Incident Command System 300 and 400 courses delivered nationwide by state fire training agencies. [View press release]

Other Federal News

Don’t Say Jihadist, Say Terrorist (San Francisco Chronicle) “Federal agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counter Terrorism Center, are telling their people not to describe Islamic extremists as jihadists or mujahedeen,” reports the Associated Press. “… The reason: Such words may actually boost support for radicals among Arab and Muslim audiences by giving them a veneer of religious credibility or by causing offense to moderates.” [View article]

State and Local News

New York Port Authority Held Liable in 1993 Trade Center Bombing (New York Times) The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court “ruled on Tuesday that the Port Authority” of New York and New Jersey “was liable for damages caused by the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, because it knew about but chose to ignore ‘an extreme and potentially catastrophic vulnerability,’” reports the New York Times. In the 1980s, Scotland Yard and an engineering consultant identified the parking beneath the buildings as a security hazard. “But the authority decided that banning public parking in the underground lot … would be an unacceptable inconvenience and loss of revenue.” [View article]

Washington, DC, Centralizes Its Surveillance Cameras (Washington Post) The District of Columbia will “tie together thousands of city-owned video cameras” and provide “round-the-clock monitoring of the closed-circuit video systems run by nine city agencies,” reports the Washington Post. “… about 4,500 cameras trained on schools, public housing, traffic and government buildings will feed into a central office at the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Hundreds more will be added this year.” [View article]

Prince William County, VA, Reduces Immigrant Checks (Washington Post) “The Prince William County supervisors abolished a key part of the county’s illegal-immigration policy [Tuesday] by directing police officers to question criminal suspects about their immigration status only after they have been arrested …” reports the Washington Post. “‘Every dollar we spend checking immigration status on the street is one less dollar we can spend on our roads, schools and public safety,’ [Supervisor Frank J. Principi] said.” [View article]

New York City’s Controversial Arabic-Language School (New York Times) Last September, the Khalil Gibran International Academy, a public school, opened with “grades 6 through 12,” and “half of its classes in Arabic,” reports the New York Times. The city was assisted by “a nonprofit organization, New Visions for Public Schools,” which had “a $400,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” and by “a secular Arab-American social services agency.” But “the school’s creation provoked a controversy so incendiary that Ms. [Debbie] Almontaser stepped down as the founding principal just weeks before classes began.” The Stop the Madrassa Coalition “sued the [city] Department of Education in October, requesting detailed information about the school’s creation, faculty and curriculum,” and Almontaser has sued “the Education Department and the mayor. She claimed that … she was forced to resign.” [View article]

National News

Marshals Make No-Fly List (Washington Times) “False identifications based on a terrorist no-fly list have for years prevented some federal air marshals from boarding flights they are assigned to protect,” reports the Washington Times. Marshals are sometimes “mistaken for terrorism suspects who share the same names.” The Federal Air Marshal Service “is finally taking steps to address the problem.” [View article]

Supreme Court Upholds Photo ID Voting Law (New York Times) “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld a tough state law requiring voters to show photo identification,” reports Reuters. “… The decision could have broad national significance because more than 20 states have adopted voter identification laws and other states are considering similar legislation. The law requires a photo ID such as a driver’s license to vote in federal, state and local elections.” [View article]

United Nations News

Security Council Calls for Overdue Nonproliferation Reports (San Francisco Chronicle) The United Nations Security Council on April 25 unanimously called “on all states to fully implement” council Resolution 1540 “approved in April 2004 requiring all 192 U.N. member states to adopt laws to prevent ‘non-state actors’ from acquiring nuclear, chemical or biological weapons,” reports the Associated Press. “It notes that some countries—which were not identified—haven’t filed a report on their efforts that was due in October 2004.” The Security Council said essentially the same thing last year (see the March 2, 2007, newsletter). [View article]

IAEA Will Probe Syrian Reactor Evidence The International Atomic Energy Agency will investigate whether a Syrian installation destroyed by Israel last year contained a nuclear reactor. The United States said that the installation was a nuclear reactor that was not yet operational and had no nuclear material in it. (See last week’s newsletter.) [View press release] [View Focus on the IAEA]

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. Public Health Emergency Law and Forensic Epidemiology (CDC; on CD) The Public Health Law Program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released version three of the Public Health Emergency Law and Forensic Epidemiology training materials on CD-ROM. These self-contained training packages were developed by for use by instructors in any jurisdiction in the United States who provide public health preparedness training to frontline practitioners. [View course website] Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties (May 11-16; Aberdeen, MD, and Ft. Detrick, MD) This course is conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. It is designed for Medical Corps and Nurse Corps officers and physician assistants, Medical Service Corps officers, and other selected medical professionals. It comprises classroom, laboratory, and field training. [View course website] Field Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties (June 9-13; Aberdeen, MD) This course is conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. It is designed for Medical Service Corps officers and noncommissioned officers in medical or chemical specialties. It comprises classroom, laboratory, and field training. [View course website] Threat and Vulnerability Assessment (July 15-18; Redmond, WA) This 40-hour course, certified by the Tennessee POST Commission and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, teaches threat assessment methodologies to identify recognize, assess, and prioritize vulnerabilities and threats. [View conference website]

New Upcoming Events (After four weeks, events are moved to the Upcoming Events page) 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (May 5-7; Washington, DC) A networking opportunity where the latest research on the design, development, use, and evaluation of information systems for crisis response and management are presented and discussed. The conference is hosted by the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management. The general theme is “Creating Advanced Systems for Inter-organizational Information Sharing and Collaboration.” [View conference website] (May 6-8; Poughkeepsie, NY) The conference and expo are open to all law enforcement, military, and corrections special operations professionals. The training will feature hostage rescue tactics, flash-bang instructor certification, chemical agent operator certification, less-lethal tactical decision making, SWAT supervision and command decision making, vehicle takedowns, and more. [View conference website] WMD Symposium 2008 (May 7-8; Washington, DC) This year’s theme is “WMD Proliferation and Use: Have We Been Effective, Lucky, or Overly Concerned?” The symposium will examine why our worst fears about weapons of mass destruction proliferation and use have not been realized to date, addressed by distinguished speakers representing multiple viewpoints inside and outside government. [View conference website] Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Research Workshop (May 12-14; Oak Ridge, TN) The workshop will challenge, establish, and debate a far-reaching agenda that broadly and comprehensively outlines a strategy for cyber-security and information intelligence that is founded on sound principles and technologies. [View conference website] Cyber Defence: National Security in a Borderless World (May 14-15; Copenhagen, Denmark) The conference is a practical and strategic networking event for military communication and critical infrastructure protection practitioners. It will provide an overview of how cyber-attacks are evolving and which technologies have been developed to counter the threats. Security experts will discuss how state-of-the-art technologies are exposed to cyber-threats and which preventative measures to take. [View conference website] (May 29–June 1; Hunt Valley, MD) Hazmat teams, technicians, and specialists from around the country will learn firsthand from education sessions, industry experts, hands-on training, rapid intervention team exercises, field trips, and facility tours what is new and how it impacts their daily job. [View conference website] Partnering for a Safer Nation: 2008 Homeland Security S&T Stakeholders Conference–East (June 2-5; Washington, DC) This conference is presented by the National Defense Industrial Association with subject matter support from the DHS Science and Technology Directorate. The agenda and training workshops will focus on the future of the directorate while highlighting the collaborations being built at home and around the world to secure America. [View conference website] Public Security Science and Technology Summer Symposium (June 9-12; Edmonton, Alberta) This symposium’s theme is “Enhancing Capability through Transition and Exploitation.” It will highlight the science and technology knowledge created by the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Research Technology Initiative project partners and the new way forward for the Public Security Technical Program and Canadian Police Research Centre programs. It will also feature a Responder Day focusing on the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialized responder. [View conference website] Federal CBRN Detection Research and Development Opportunities (June 11-13; Arlington, VA) This event is designed to provide the most current information about the role that industry, research contractors, and universities can play in addressing the nation’s needs for new chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear detection technologies and diagnostic tools. It will focus on the research and development requirements of each of the funding departments and agencies. [View conference website] (June 15-18; Toronto) This year’s theme is “Resiliency—Individual, Community and Business.” The conference features presentations, networking, and learning about emergency management, business continuity, emergency response, risk management, information technology, disaster recovery, emergency health, and related disaster management disciplines. [View conference website] (June 23-25; Alexandria, VA) The program will focus on emerging trends, such as expansion of regional information sharing and collaboration and the latest technological innovations. With presentations and representation from a broad cross-section of federal and state agencies, delegates will develop a thorough understanding of the solutions and best practices employed to meet operational requirements. The program will also review the status of current systems such as the DHS Secure Border Initiative and the Justice Department’s Interconnect Wireless Network. [View conference website] CBRN Resilience 2008 (July 8-9; London) Using an attack scenario, the conference will focus on civilian chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear resilience in the United Kingdom, emphasizing the transition from individual capabilities to readiness to respond. Each of the agencies and organizations with a part to play in response to the incident will contribute to improving interagency coordination. [View conference website] Continental Divide Disaster Behavioral Health Conference: Preparing for Pandemic (July 8-10; Colorado Springs, CO) This interactive conference is designed to assist homeland security professionals—including emergency management planners, public health officials, medical personnel, first responders, and behavioral health specialists—to improve care provided to those affected by catastrophes. Major speakers are leading civilian and military behavioral health experts. The conference addresses disaster planning, response, and recovery and includes a daylong tabletop exercise. It is cosponsored by the University of Colorado, U.S. Northern Command, and the Colorado Division of Mental Health. [View conference website] ER One Institute Hospital Security Conference (July 15; Washington, DC) The theme of the conference is “Are We Prepared for Today’s Challenges? Looking Directly Into the Eye of the Enemy.” This conference, sponsored by the Simulation and Training Environment Lab at the Washington Hospital Center’s ER One Institute, will empower hospital-based security professionals to become better prepared for the current security situation. Participants will receive a realistic perspective of the hazards confronting healthcare facilities, learn how to investigate opponents’ motivations, and be readied to respond to threats proactively. [View conference website] International Aviation and Maritime Security Conference (July 21-24; Washington, DC) Sponsored by the U.S. Airport and Seaport Police of the Americas Region and the International Association of Airport and Seaport Police, the conference will examine where the responsibilities lie, how to effectively build teams, tomorrow’s technology, best practices, and risk-mitigation tools. [View conference website] National Homeland Defense Foundation Symposium VI (October 27; Colorado Springs, CO) The theme of Symposium VI is “Securing Our Homelands Through International Collaboration; Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” The symposium fosters the exchange of ideas and technologies among government, industry and the military. [View conference website] Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness (October 29-31; Chicago) The Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense departments will highlight the technology and training tools available and being developed for emergency responders and elicit responders’ technology requirements. The conference will bring together responders, business and industry, academia, and federal, state, tribal, and local stakeholders to network, exchange ideas, and collaboratively address critical incident technology and preparedness needs, protocols, and solutions. [View conference website]

Calls for Papers National Homeland Defense Foundation Symposium VI (October 27; Colorado Springs, CO) The theme of Symposium VI is “Securing Our Homelands Through International Collaboration; Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” Submissions must be emailed in PDF format by August 1 to librarian@nhdf.org. [View conference website]