Homeland Security Leader

From The Sun, by Alex West

ANTI-TERROR bosses last night hailed their latest ally in the war on terror — the BLACK DEATH.

At least 40 al-Qaeda fanatics died horribly after being struck down with the disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages.

The killer bug, also known as the plague, swept through insurgents training at a forest camp in Algeria, North Africa. It came to light when security forces found a body by a roadside.

The victim was a terrorist in AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb), the largest and most powerful al-Qaeda group outside the Middle East.

It trains Muslim fighters to kill British and US troops.

Now al-Qaeda chiefs fear the plague has been passed to other terror cells — or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

One security source said: “This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

“It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda.”

Black Death comes in various forms.

Full Story…

From Police.com, by David Griffith

As this issue of POLICE arrives in your mailbox, Barack Obama is preparing to become the 44th President of the United States. And if you assembled the other 43 men who have held the office and asked them to give him advice, they would tell him that regardless of what your goal was when you ran for president or the positions of your platform, events shape the presidency more than the presidency shapes events.

Case in point: George W. Bush. The much despised departing President Bush came into office with the goal of healing the divide between Democrats and Republicans and uniting the country. He leaves office with the country more divided than ever.

Such are the perils of the office.

No one knows how Obama’s presidency will play out. The only thing we do know is what he has said that he plans to do in the next four years. The following is an examination of what he’s said about issues near and dear to American law enforcement and commentary from leading law enforcement experts on how it will affect you.

Full Story…

From HSDailyWire.com

The large UAV — it has a 62-ft. wingspan and weighs around 45,000 pounds at takeoff — is the U.S. military’s principle vanguard for a potential new age of stealthy, autonomous combat aircraft.

From CNN

An undersea cable carrying Internet traffic was cut off the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai, officials said Friday, the third loss of a line carrying Internet and telephone traffic in three days.
art.dubai.gi.jpg

Dubai has been hit hard by an Internet outage apparently caused by a cut undersea cable.

Ships have been dispatched to repair two undersea cables damaged on Wednesday off Egypt.

FLAG Telecom, which owns one of the cables, said repairs were expected to be completed by February 12. France Telecom, part owner of the other cable, said it was uncertain when repairs on it would be repaired.

Full Story…

From AP Reports

A well-known U.S. anti-kidnapping expert has himself fallen victim to the wave of abductions in Mexico as unidentified assailants snatched him from a street in the northern state of Coahuila.

Local authorities say American Felix Batista was in Mexico to give talks and offer advice against kidnapping. The former U.S. army officer sometimes serves as a negotiator with kidnappers.

Batista is a consultant for the Houston, Texas-based security firm ASI Global LLC.

Full Story…

The Islamic Jihadist Threat
December 11th & 12th

Classes will be held at:
Carlysle Suites
1731 New Hampshire Ave.
N.W. Washington, DC 20009
Classes begin 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Cost is: $495.00, early registration
Before November 10th fee is:$450.00

Fascinating Presentation! Made me think about things that previously had been completely unclear and not even thought about. Everyone in the USneeds to hear this now.
- Lieutenant (Florida Police Department)

This course is designed to give First Responders a deep understanding of the terror mindset and an explanation of the reasons for the Global Jihad as well as practical tips for Law Enforcement in detecting, preventing and responding to acts of terror.

This is the definitive program for anyone concerned with detecting, preventing and responding to acts of terror. The program gives very valuable insight into the thinking behind the Global Jihad and its manifestations here in theUSA.

In a fascinating and insightful, packed two-day program, you are taken through the formative phases of the Islamic religion and will understand the different branches of Islam, understand how these were formed and on what ideology they are based. You are taken through a journey up to the present time, to really understand how extremism is organized in Radical Islam.

In addition, you will learn about Islamic Culture – knowledge that can help you build strong relationship with Islamic communities – most of whom can actually help detect radical threats:

- Where does the hatred come from?
- Arab naming conventions
- Jihad
- The Five Pillars of Islam
- Ramadan
- Domestic Terror groups
- International Terror groups
- Understanding the culture of Jihad

You will also get practical hands-on information on recognizing Suicide Bombers, planning and changing protocols to respond to acts of terror, the detection of terrorists through fake ID’s and the basics of their tools such as IED and VBIED’s.

To Register call 1-866- 573-3999

Register online: http://www.homelandsecurityssi.com/ssi/content/view/186/150/

Tuesday, Sec. Michael Chertoff stressed cyber-security issues during a talk at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce saying, “Cyber-security will be a major priority for the next Administration.”

Sec. Chertoff detailed a recent case where over 40 million credit card numbers were compromised to steal millions of dollars from Americans. The ring used a technique called “war driving” to access retailer’s networks remotely from mobile vehicles and plant sniffers on their networks to collect customer’s credit card and account information.

The Secretary went on to detail the department’s ongoing cyber-security initiatives to the packed room of business leaders.

From TSA Release

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it has transmitted to the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would strengthen the security of general aviation by further minimizing the vulnerability of aircraft being used as weapons or to transport dangerous people or materials. The proposed regulation would reduce the susceptibility of large aircraft misuse by individuals wishing to harm the United States and its citizens.

The Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) regulation would require all U.S. operators of aircraft exceeding 12,500 pounds maximum take-off weight to implement security programs that would be subject to compliance audits by TSA. The proposed regulation would also require operators to verify that passengers are not on the No Fly and/or Selectee portions of the federal government’s consolidated terrorist watch list.

“General aviation operators are excellent security partners and this will give them a strong common framework for security that will reduce risk while supporting the open nature of the general aviation industry,” said TSA Administrator Kip Hawley.

The Large Aircraft Security Program is a significant component in the department’s plans to enhance domestic general aviation security. The LASP would require currently unregulated general aviation operations over a specific weight threshold to adopt security measures, which would align these operations with operations currently regulated for security purposes.

TSA continues to enhance international and domestic general aviation security by developing a comprehensive strategy to:

* Establish baseline standards of security for general aviation operations;
* Ensure that flight crews have undergone a fingerprint-based criminal history records and terrorist name check;
* Designate security coordinators;
* Conduct watch list matching of passengers through TSA-approved watch list matching service provider; and
* Check/validate property on board for unauthorized persons and accessible weapons

Today’s proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register and open to public comment for 60 days. Persons wishing to comment on the proposed rule may access the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting comments. For more information please visit www.tsa.gov.

From DOJ Release

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) today announced that there have been significant developments in the investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings, which killed five individuals and injured 17 others. In particular, we are able to confirm that substantial progress has been made in the investigation by bringing to bear new and sophisticated scientific tools.

We are unable to provide additional information at this time. The Department, the FBI, and the USPIS have significant obligations to the victims of these attacks and their families that must be fulfilled before any additional information on the investigation can be made public. In addition, investigative documents remain under court seal. We anticipate being able to provide additional details in the near future.

Additional Information on the Investigation

The investigation known as “Amerithrax” is one of the most complex and comprehensive ever conducted by law enforcement. Over the past seven years, the Amerithrax Task Force, which is comprised of 17 FBI Special Agents and 10 U.S. Postal Inspectors, has executed approximately 75 searches and conducted more than 9,100 interviews in the relentless pursuit of the perpetrator of these attacks.