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"Afghans Cracking Down on Security Firms"
Associated Press (10/11/07) ; Straziuso, Jason; Abrashi, Fisnik The Afghan government is increasing regulation on private security firms operating in the country, including several Western companies. Two Afghan security companies, Watan and Caps, were raided this week and shut down for possessing illegal weapons. Government officials say that an additional dozen or more will be closed soon, including some Western companies and firms guarding Western embassies. Although the crackdown on private firms comes just weeks after Blackwater USA guards allegedly killed 17 civilians in Baghdad, Afghan officials say that their increased efforts are a reaction to a riot in Kabul that killed 20 people last year. There are 59 security companies currently registered in Afghanistan, with an estimated 25 others operating without a license, providing security for foreign embassies that do not trust Afghan forces for protection. Afghan officials say that many these companies do not respect their laws, intimidate citizens, and do not cooperate with local security forces. The lack of proper regulation "has generated an unfortunate and nearly anarchical PSC market with a long series of security problems and criminal activities," according to the draft of rules that is being considered by the Afghan government.
(go to web site) "Bomb Kills Barber in Northwestern Pakistan"
International Herald Tribune (10/11/07) A series of bombings in northwestern Pakistan have targeted shops considered by extremists to be offensive to Islam. In Kohat, a bomb destroyed ten music shops on Wednesday; music was banned by the Taliban during its brief rule over Afghanistan. In Karak, bombs damaged two music shops and damaged a barber shop, killing the owner. Islamic militants in the province have warned barbers not to shave customers; under the Taliban, men in Afghanistan were required to grow beards. The bombings follow another one in Peshawar on Tuesday that targeted music shops and wounded a dozen people.
(go to web site) "France Investigates Theft of Bomb-Making Chemicals"
eitb24.com (10/11/07) Four armed persons believed to be involved with the nationalist group ETA stole an undisclosed amount of chemicals from a plant in southwestern France, according to authorities. The perpetrators, two men and two women, bound the manager of the Lorette factory and left by van after stealing the chemicals, which government officials say could be used to make bombs. Authorities are linking the incident with the ETA due to a similar robbery involving Basque militants.
(go to web site) "I, Robot. You, Alleged Thief"
Financial Week (10/08/07) ; O'Brien, Sarah Robotic FX founder and president Jameel Ahed is being sued for stealing secret data from former employer iRobot Corp. Ahed admitted to a federal court that he destroyed 100 CD-ROMs, erased data on his private laptop, and threw company materials into a public trash bin. However, he claims that his accusers planted a box marked "iRobot," which contained a device used to produce a product called a PackBot, in the trash bin to frame him. iRobot accuses Ahed of stealing secret data which he used to produce a product called The Negotiator, which is very similar to iRobot's PackBot. Detectives tailing Ahed saw him throw items into a dumpster near a friend's house, and when federal marshals showed up to arrest Ahed, he was in the process of erasing his laptop's hard drive. Ahed admits to these activities, but claims that he erased Robotic FX data from his laptop, and the CD-ROMS that he destroyed also contained company data.
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"Suspended 14-Year-Old Shoots 4, Then Kills Himself at Cleveland School"
New York Daily News (10/11/07) ; Kennedy, Helen Four people were shot Wednesday in a shooting at a Cleveland high school that ended when the gunman killed himself. Asa Coon, 14, entered SuccessTech Academy Wednesday, two days after being suspended for fighting, and opened fire in a crowded hallway. Two teachers and two students were hit and another student was injured during a stampede away from the gunman, who shot himself before police arrived. One student said that Coon claimed that he would "shoot everybody dead" after getting in a fight that led to his suspension. "I knew that dude was crazy," said another classmate. "We used to say he going to come one day and shoot us up - but we never knew it was really going to happen." SuccessTech is a school for 250 high-achieving students interested in technology.
(go to web site) "Cleveland School Shooting -- Students Say Threats Not Taken Seriously"
Times Reporter (OH) (10/11/07) ; Milicia, Joe The 14-year-old student behind the October 10 shooting at a Cleveland high school had a history of violent behavior and previously threatened suicide, according to juvenile court records. Asa Coon was placed in a juvenile facility after a domestic violence incident and threatened to commit suicide while staying in a mental health facility last year. Coon also was suspended from SuccessTech Academy last year after trying to physically harm a student. Although most of the 240 students at the school are black, authorities do not believe race was a factor in the attack by Coon, who is white. People that know him say Coon was an outcast at his school and was bullied by classmates. "He just couldn't handle the kids always messing with him. I'm not justifying nothing and not saying he's did the right thing, but his cries for help were just not heard," said Joseph Fletcher, one of Coon's neighbors. Parents are questioning how Coon managed to enter the school with weapons, especially since he was suspended on October 8 and a security guard is stationed on the first floor of the building. Although SuccessTech is equipped with metal detectors, students say they are used infrequently.
(go to web site) "U.S. Targets Weapons Technology Theft"
ABC News (10/11/07) ; Ryan, Jason; Thomas, Pierre; Date, Jack According to a 2006 Pentagon report, 108 countries were actively seeking to obtain sensitive technologies from the United States, up from 37 countries in 1997. Security experts say that such actions pose a "very serious threat" despite being low-profile, as was the case recently when officials intercepted a shipment of machines used to break up kidney stones--which can also be used to trigger explosives--heading to Pakistan instead of to a hospital in South Africa. "These technologies are basically the reason the United States is a super power," says John Pike, a weapons proliferation specialist. "These are the technologies that give America's military a quarter of a century's lead over that of Russia and China." National intelligence director Michael McConnell recently stated that China and Russia are two of the "most aggressive" countries in pursuing American technologies. In response, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has installed Field Intelligence Groups in each of its branch offices to ensure that international contracts and partnerships are free of theft and espionage. Additionally, U.S. Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) and Randy Forbes (R-Va.) proposed legislation on Oct. 11 that would enact stricter penalties for violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Administration Act.
(go to web site) "French Officials: CIA Warned Counterparts in Europe of Possible Terror Attacks"
Associated Press (10/04/07) The CIA recently notified intelligence officials in France, England, Italy, and Germany about possible bombing attacks planned for this month, warning French officials about a threat to its sewage system. According to Le Monde newspaper, French officials verified receiving the CIA's warning and are taking it very seriously but say the warning is "so vague" and have no details about a specific time or place for the possible strike. Le Monde said CIA operatives intercepted an email on Sept. 11 addressed to Salah Gasmi, a major figure in the Al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa cell, who may be working with members of the Islamic extremist group that evaded arrest in Germany last month in connection with an uncovered bombing attempt. Security officials say there is "very deep concern" that up to 10 members of the Islamic Jihad Union are evading authorities and collaborating on other terrorist schemes.
(go to web site) "Valley to Host Largest-Ever Terrorism Drill"
Arizona Republic (10/10/07) ; Holstege, Sean Next week's TOPOFF exercise will be the largest terrorism drill in U.S. history, testing the disaster preparation and communications of top government officials. This year's TOPOFF, the fourth biennial drill and first since Hurricane Katrina , will force officials to react to three simultaneous dirty bomb explosions in Arizona, Oregon, and Guam. Arizona's test is especially important because the Phoenix area is set to host the Super Bowl in February, giving officials a chance to test out their security plans in advance of the event. The exercise in Phoenix will simulate an explosion near the intersection of two major highways, which would destroy evacuation routes and possibly poison the nearby Salt River with radioactive fallout. The test will give Arizona officials a chance to test out their communications system, which will be critical to security during the Super Bowl. Other security measures to be used during the exercise include digital license-plate readers, cameras that can scan a crowd for suspicious faces or objects, and a 10-mile no-fly zone around the stadium in Glendale, to be patrolled by military fighters. "The significance of this exercise is the physical doing of it," says Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. "It will give us feedback about our chains of communication, allow us to test our equipment and let us make sure everything works the way it ought to."
(go to web site) "Al Qaeda Documents Show Internal Trouble"
U.S. News & World Report (10/10/07) ; Whitelaw, Kevin Despite a unified front, the al Qaeda infrastructure is rife with factions and internal strife, says a recent study released by the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center. The report, based on internal al Qaeda documents, conversations, and letters, claims the terrorist organization "has been at war with itself" from the outset and that the same insecurities still exist, citing instances of insubordination to orders given by leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Though the report focuses heavily on the leadership's infighting over issues such as strategy and whether to broaden their targets to countries outside of the United States, accounts of betrayal and prejudices between Arab and non-Arab members are also documented. Due to the organization's breadth and varying range of tenets, researchers add that "al Qaeda Central finds itself unable to control the uses--and abuses--of its brand by self-starting 'affiliate' groups."
(go to web site) "Top Al-Qaeda Fighter Reported Killed in Algeria"
Agence France Presse (10/10/07) Zobeir Harkat, a principal bomb maker in the North African Maghreb cell of al-Qaeda, and two other Islamists were killed by Algerian security agents in an Oct. 7 gunfight in the country's turbulent Kabylie region. Harkat and his group, formerly called the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), closely followed Osama bin Laden, and authorities say the group is responsible for as many as 100 deaths from suicide bombers in 2007. Police stations in eastern Algiers, the parliament building, and military headquarters have all been targets of Harkat, who is also blamed for an incident in early September when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a crowd awaiting the arrival of President Bouteflika, leaving 22 dead and 10 injured.
(go to web site) "Leak Severs Link to al-Qaeda's Secrets"
Washington Post (10/09/07) P. A1 ; Warrick, Joby SITE Intelligence Group, a private firm which monitors terrorist organizations, claims that a leak within the Bush administration has ruined their surveillance operation against al-Qaeda. SITE exploited a security breach in al-Qaeda's network to obtain last month's new video from Osama bin Laden days before its official release. On the morning of Sept. 7, a SITE representative offered an advance copy to White House counsel Fred F. Fielding and Michael Leiter of the National Counterterrorism Center in order to give the Bush administration a chance to prepare for its inevitable release. SITE set up a private Web site with a link to the video and a transcript, asking it to be kept secret in order to protect the integrity of future investigations. However, within a few hours, dozens of government-registered computers downloaded the video, and by that afternoon it had been leaked to the press. According to SITE officials, this alerted al-Qaeda of the security breach, which has since been fixed. "Techniques that took years to develop are now ineffective and worthless," said SITE founder Rita Katz.
(go to web site) "Tropical Storm Krosa Affects 5 Million People in East China"
Xinhua News Agency (10/08/07) Though no casualties have been reported in mainland China, tropical storm Krosa has caused billions of yuan in economic losses so far and has destroyed over 1,600 homes along the coast, says an area relief agency. Krosa, downgraded from a typhoon, made landfall between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces on Oct. 7, prompting authorities to evacuate more than 1.41 million people in both regions. Zhejiang province's flood control and drought relief agency estimates over 5.38 million people in 649 townships of seven cities were affected by the storm, enduring flooded streets, power outages, sidelined transportation services, and closed schools and businesses. The storm reached as far inland as Shanghai, where officials reportedly evacuated almost 9,000 people, mostly workers, on Sunday evening amidst strong winds and drenching rains of up to six inches. Taiwan news sources say Krosa killed five and injured 56 on the island nation, disrupting air and highway travel and causing power outages.
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"Israel Suspected of 'Hacking' Syrian Air Defenses"
Register (UK) (10/04/07) ; Leyden, John Israel's attack on a suspected nuclear facility deep inside Syria has raised questions as to how Israeli fighter jets evaded the detection of enemy radar systems. Speculation has arisen that the success of the attack can be attributed to the "Suter" airborne network system developed by BAE Systems and integrated into unmanned aircraft by L-3 communications. Suter, rather than jamming radar signals, allows users to hack into enemy defense systems. "The technology allows users to invade communications networks, see what enemy sensors see, and even take over as systems administrator so sensors can be manipulated into positions so that approaching aircraft can't be seen," says Aviation Week. "The process involves locating enemy emitters with great precision and then directing data streams into them that can include false targets and misleading message algorithms." According to Aviation Week, Suter has been "tested operationally" in Afghanistan and Iraq.
(go to web site) "Hackers Could Skew US Elections"
New Scientist (10/09/07) ; Marshall, Jessica Security experts at the recent APWG eCrime Researchers Summit at Carnegie Mellon University warned that hackers are likely to use the Internet to deceive U.S. voters in an attempt to affect the outcome of elections. Although election deception is nothing new, security experts say it could be much more difficult to uncover the perpetrator as the Internet creates far greater anonymity. The Internet could be used to spread misinformation such as the location of voting sites, voting times, and candidates' positions on issues through spam, botnets, and Internet phone calls. Internet-based telephone attacks are more difficult to trace than those using landlines, notes Rachna Dhamija of the Harvard Center for Research on Computation and Society. Such attacks could employ botnets, which would make them even harder to trace and potentially much larger. Candidates may also be attacked, either directly through their Web site, as John McCain was when a picture on his Web site was changed stating he had altered his position on an issue, or through typo domains such as hillaryclingon.com or muttromney.com, which could be used to collect fraudulent donations or spread malware. In 2004, a fake John Kerry Web site stole campaign contributions and users' debit-card numbers. Fraudulent campaign sites can also be used to expose users to phishing and malware attacks as it is difficult to know what the official site of a candidate is. "The fact is that all of the technology for all of these things to happen is already in place," says Indiana University's Christopher Soghoian. "I'm not sure this will happen in 2008, but it will happen."
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