‘Concise’ Terror Alerts to Replace Color Codes

Image via Wikipedia

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday outlined the new terror alert warning system that will replace the color-coded system that was put in place following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The new system, which will be implemented in 90 days, will reduce the number of threat levels from five under the color-coded system to two. Alerts will be categorized as being either “imminent” or “elevated” and will be issued as statements from the Department of Homeland Security. Those statements will include a summary of the potential threat, information about steps that are being taken to ensure the safety of the public, and recommendations about steps that the public can take. The phasing out of the old system, which was criticized for scaring the public and doing little to raise awareness about possible terrorist threats, comes amid an increase in the number of terrorist plots being conceived inside the U.S. Among the homegrown plots that have been uncovered in the past two years was the plot by Najibullah Zazi to attack the New York City subway system and Faisal Shahzad’s plot to detonate a car bomb in Times Square. Zazi was a legal permanent U.S. resident, while Shahzad was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

By:  Armour National Security Group, LLC – (A New York Security Firm)

NYPD’s Lessons Learned From Tucson-Style Shootings

Image via Wikipedia

The New York Police Department on Jan. 20 gave security officials from the city’s private sector an analysis of active shooter attacks that have taken place over the last 45 years. The analysis noted that the overwhelming majority of such attacks, which are similar to the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., involve a single attacker that is actively killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. According to Jessica Tisch, the director of policy and planning at the NYPD’s counterterrorism squad, the fact that 98 percent of active shooter attacks are carried out by just one individual makes them more difficult to detect before they take place. The analysis also found that 46 percent of active shooter attacks ended after law enforcement or bystanders used force against the attacker, while 40 percent ended after the attacker committed suicide. Meanwhile, the NYPD’s Capt. Michael Riggio provided advice to corporate business security officials in attendance at a conference in Manhattan on how to handle active shooter attacks. He said that companies should prepare drills that simulate such attacks and create a room stocked with medical supplies that employees can flee to in the event a shooter is in the building. Riggio also noted that employees should be trained to not approach police officers responding to an active shooter attack, and to evacuate the building with their hands open and above their heads. Finally, Riggio said that if employees cannot avoid a confrontation with the shooter, they should arm themselves with whatever they can find and attack him as aggressively and violently as possible.

By:  Armour National Security Group, LLC – (A New York Security Firm)

Egypt Investigates Deadly Church Bombing

Image via Wikipedia

The new year got off to a violent start in the Egyptian city of Alexandria when a Coptic church was bombed shortly after the conclusion of midnight Mass on Saturday. The bombing, which is believed to be the worst act of sectarian violence in Egypt since 2000, killed 21 people and injured nearly 100 others. The attack sparked demonstrations by Christians, who stormed a mosque across the street from the church that was bombed and got into clashes with Egyptian security forces on Saturday afternoon. Authorities were forced to fire tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the demonstration. Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities are continuing their investigation into the bombing. On Sunday, an undisclosed number of people were arrested in suspicion of being involved in the attack. Egyptian authorities have also said that they are trying to determine whether the bombing, which the Egyptian Interior Ministry has blamed on “foreign elements,” was carried out with a car bomb or explosives held by a suicide bomber.

By:  Armour National Security Group, LLC – (A New York Security Company)

Clinton Treads Carefully in Leading Massive Damage-Control Campaign

Image by US Army Korea - IMCOM via Flickr

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other State Department officials have been working for weeks now to contain the damage from the WikiLeaks’ release of hundreds of thousands of confidential diplomatic cables, some of which painted foreign officials in an unflattering light. Several days before the cables were leaked, Clinton called leaders in a number of countries–including the U.K., France, and China–to warn them about the impending release of the documents. In addition, State Department bureaus began developing assessments of the impact of the release several weeks ago, after officials realized that WikiLeaks had obtained a large amount of diplomatic messages. Since last Friday, a task force has been running a round-the-clock “war room” at the State Department to address any issues that may arise from the release of the documents. Clinton has also sent a message to State Department personnel in an effort to boost morale, and has said that personnel still need to send candid reports back to officials in Washington, despite the fact that the release of some of the cables has proved embarrassing. While Clinton has said that she did not believe that the release of the cables would do any permanent damage to relations between the U.S. and other countries, some U.S. diplomats say that WikiLeaks has documents that it has not released that could potentially do more damage than those that were recently leaked.

By: Armour National Security Group, LLC – (A New York Security Company)

Defense, Friends Say Ore. Bomb Plot Suspect Set Up

Image via Wikipedia

Mohamed Osman Mohamud on Monday pleaded not guilty to a charge related to his alleged involvement in a plot to detonate explosives at a recent Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore. During the hearing, the public defender representing Mohamud said that the plot–which was involved setting off six 55-gallon drums of explosives in a van at Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square–was part of a setup by the FBI. However, prosecutors defended the sting operation, saying that Mohamud opted to not back out of the plot and seemed to relish the carnage that would take place when the bomb was detonated. Prosecutors also noted that Mohamud dialed a cell phone number that he thought would detonate the bomb.

By : Armour National Security Group, LLC – (A New York Security Company)

TSA Chief: Resisting Scanners Just Means Delays

Image via Wikipedia

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole is calling on holiday travelers not to participate in National Opt-Out Day, a protest against the full-body scanners that have raised privacy concerns because they produce detailed images of airline passengers’ naked bodies. The organizers of the protest are calling on airline passengers to opt out of being scanned on Wednesday and instead submit to a more time consuming pat down search, in the hopes that forcing TSA agents to conduct a large number of pat downs will create significant delays. Pistole has acknowledged that the protest has the potential to snarl airline travel on what is the busiest travel day of the year, which in turn would only hurt those “who want to go home and see their loved ones.” So far there is little if any indication that passengers are protesting against the scanners by choosing to be patted down by TSA agents. However, Paul Ruden a spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents, said just one or two airline passengers protesting the scanners would be enough to cause “huge” delays.

By :  Armour National Security Group, LLC

TSA: Airport Security Pat-Downs Are Here to Stay

Image via Wikipedia

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole made an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday to discuss the controversy surrounding the security measures that are in place at airports across the country. Under those security measures, airline passengers at some airports must go through full-body scanners, which are capable of seeing through passengers’ clothing. The TSA plans to have 500 scanners installed at airports across the country by the end of this year, with plans to install an additional 500 scanners by the end of 2011. Although passengers can opt out of the scans, those who choose to do so–as well as those who require a secondary screening–must be go through a pat-down, which involves a TSA agent checking the passenger’s breasts and/or groin. While Pistole acknowledged that some passengers were concerned about the images produced by the scanners, and that some felt that the pat-downs were “demeaning,” he noted that the TSA’s security policies are not going to change. However, the TSA has relaxed some of its security procedures for airline pilots. The TSA announced Friday that pilots would no longer be required to go through the full-body scans or endure the pat-downs–a move that came after pilots criticized the security measures as being unnecessary. Nevertheless, pilots will still be required to present ID and go through metal detectors at airport security checkpoints.

By: Armour National Security Group, LLC,  http://www.armournationalsecurity.com

Airport Check-In: Registered Traveler Program Clear is Back

Image via Wikipedia

Some travelers will now be able to skip to the front of the line at security checkpoints at Orlando International Airport. In order to do that, travelers will have to sign up for Clear, a service which screens travelers before they arrive at the airport. When travelers sign up for the program, they pay a $179 fee and submit their fingerprints and iris scan. This information is then stored in Clear’s machines in airports in order to verify the identity of travelers. The service was operated for several years by Verified Identity Pass, though the company eventually declared bankruptcy and ceased operations. Travelers who had valid Clear memberships when Verified Identity Pass folded will be able to use the service for the remaining terms of their memberships.

Bomb Makers Plotted Blasts Over U.S.

Image via Wikipedia

Investigators looking into the recent attempt to send explosives to the U.S. on board cargo flights believe they have determined the intent of those behind the plot. According to investigators, there are several signs that indicate that the bombers intended for the explosives to detonate while the cargo planes were in mid-air before they landed at their destinations. For example, the cell phones that the terrorists used as detonators had been altered to maximize their battery life. Authorities say that the changes, which included removing the screen face from the cell phones, could have allowed the devices’ batteries to last three to four days. In addition, officials say that the fact that the packages that contained the explosives had outdated addresses of synagogues in Chicago was another indication that the terrorists behind the plot wanted to detonate their explosives while the cargo planes were in mid-air. However, authorities do not believe that the terrorists would have had full control over where the devices would have detonated. It remains unclear whether the devices would have worked as designed.