| From The Editor December 4, 2006 |
Al-Qaeda Threatens to Attack Europe during HolidaysEuropean authorities have been warned that al-Qaeda may be planning a large-scale attack against air and rail travel during the upcoming holiday season. Arab and Western intelligence agencies said that they have stepped up their security postures after identifying a recent increase in Jihadist communication transmissions about plans of a strike in Europe during the holidays. The intelligence agencies also referenced recent interrogations of captured al-Qaeda suspects in the Middle East in which additional information on a plot surfaced. According to an Arab official, one suspect disclosed that plans for repeating this summer's transatlantic aviation plot from Heathrow were all prepared. The holiday season presents an especially vulnerable period due to the increased travel traffic and the symbolic and economic corollary it could bring. Moreover, jihadist threats, mainly derived from expansive jihadi Internet sites, against Europe over the holiday season have been brought to authorities' attention before. Last year, TRC reported a threat of an attack issued by a member of the Bayt al-Maqdes Internet forum specifically directed against Italy. "I say to you that the Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may God grant him honor, is in good health in a safe place, and we will be seeing him soon during the Christmas holidays in the land of the Christians after the coming strike in Europe, with Italy at the lead," read one statement. This member, who called himself "Saif al-Adl from Peshawar," expressed no group affiliation but claimed to know Osama bin Laden's whereabouts, condition, and plans. Full Story Gary Jackson |
| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
| "Dare greatly. It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena." Theodore Roosevelt |
| PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS |
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| BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
US works to bridge its Muslim trust gapIt was an awkward moment for Martin Ficke, the special agent in charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York. He was seated next to a member of the British Parliament for a panel on the "War on Terror and the Clash of Civilizations." Why, the moderator asked Mr. Ficke, was this prominent British citizen with a diplomatic passport questioned for almost an hour when he landed at the airport? To the audience, filled with Muslim-American students, the answer was obvious. His name is Shahid Malik, a Muslim name. "I've already talked to him about it privately and apologized," Ficke said. "It shouldn't have happened."Full Story 2 teens charged in blasts at Wal-MartTwo teenage boys have been charged with setting off two homemade bombs inside a Wal-Mart filled with holiday shoppers, authorities said. Hundreds of customers were evacuated from the store when the acid bombs detonated Saturday afternoon. At least eight people were treated for irritation to their eyes and throat or ringing in their ears, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. Investigators said they had identified the boys after showing security camera photos to teenagers at a McDonald's.Full Story New homeland security buzz: Bomb-sniffing beesScientists at a U.S. weapons laboratory say they have trained bees to sniff out explosives in a project they say could have far-reaching applications for U.S. homeland security and the Iraq war. Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico said they trained honeybees to stick out their proboscis -- the tube they use to feed on nectar -- when they smell explosives in anything from cars and roadside bombs to belts similar to those used by suicide bombers. Researchers in the program, dubbed the Stealthy Insect Sensor Project, published their findings Monday.Full Story State police eyed as hubs of terrorism data networkA new plan from the U.S. intelligence czar will use intelligence centers run by state police as the hubs for a national network of officials from different agencies and levels of government sharing information about terrorism. In a move likely to rattle privacy mavens, the three-year plan for implementing the congressionally mandated Information Sharing Environment (ISE) also lays out policies designed to ease sharing with foreign governments, and proposes to widen the definition of shareable terrorism information. The plan "provides a road map for the successful implementation of the ISE, and responds to the recommendations of the September 11 commission," said Thomas McNamara, program manager for the ISE in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.Full Story Imams' disruptive behavior object lesson for terrorismTaking a page from the unpublished O.J. Simpson book, if I were a terrorist, what would be my domestic strategy for bringing America to its knees? The recent incident aboard a US Airways plane in Minneapolis exposed one component of my strategy. I would have suggested that six imams shout "Allah" as they approached the plane for boarding and then not take their assigned seats once onboard. I would have told them to sit in seats where they could block every exit, including the one in first class, which is closest to the cockpit.Full Story |
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TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME AND DD-214 CLICK HERE Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 |
| SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
U.S. warns of possible al-Qaida financial cyberattackThe U.S. government warned American private financial services on Thursday of an al-Qaida call for a cyberattack against online stock trading and banking Web sites beginning on Friday, a source said. The source, a person familiar with the warning, said the Islamic militant group aimed to penetrate and destroy the databases of the U.S. financial sites. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed an alert had been distributed but said there was no reason to believe the threat was credible. The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued a "situational awareness report to industry stakeholders," said Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke. The warning said the threat called for attacks to begin Friday and run through the month of December in retaliation for the United States keeping terrorism suspects at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba.Full Story Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel SuggestionIt was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.Full Story TSA employees missing hundreds of uniforms and badgesTransportation Security Administration employees are busy this time of year. Their one of the last lines of defense to keep you safe in the air. It's something air travelers have come to expect. "I'd want everybody checked before they got on an airplane," says one traveler. But a new threat may not be in the luggage, but in the uniforms worn by TSA screeners. Federal records obtained by our sister station in Nashville show screeners across the country have lost hundreds of their uniforms and credentials over the past two years. That includes 15 at both Memphis and Nashville International Airports.Full Story Houston pair accused of aiding TalibanKobie Williams left Ramadan baskets packed with chocolate-laced trail mix on his neighbors' doorsteps and wistfully spoke of going to Egypt to study the Quran. Adnan Mirza was active in Muslim groups and spent his Sundays at a Houston soup kitchen feeding the homeless. To their friends and families, Williams, 33, and Mirza, 29, were enthusiastic college students dedicated to God and family. But Justice Department officials presented a shockingly different view of the men Tuesday, branding both as Taliban supporters - one contributing $350 to terrorists - who conspired to train with weapons with the goal of fighting U.S.-led forces in the Mideast.Full Story NYPD's Record of Restraint ImprovingCritics of the New York Police Department have seized on the killing of an man outside a strip club in a barrage of detectives' bullets as proof of an undisciplined, gun-happy force. But statistics give a different picture, backing the NYPD's insistence that its officers, overall, are well-trained and prudent. The shooting last weekend, killing an unarmed man who was to be married later in the day, brought unwelcome attention to a department that, for better and worse, is often in the headlines.Full Story |
| TRAINING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Mirror Image Training: Training to Combat TerrorismMirror Image is a tactical and strategic training course developed and owned by the Terrorism Research Center. TRC instructors have trained hundreds of military personnel that are subsequently deployed to active combat operations, as well as large numbers of first responders, law enforcement, and security professionals. Mirror Image is an intensive one-week classroom and field-training program, designed to realistically simulate terrorist recruiting, training techniques, and operational tactics. During the course, participants will receive insight into the mindset and rationale of the terrorist through hands-on experience with the methods and means terrorist employ, education about terrorist ideologies and the cultural dimensions that influence their decision making process. Military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security professionals will, in turn, be able to see themselves as the terrorists see them and understand the weaknesses in their own environment that the terrorists will seek to exploit, and which all too often they miss. Armed with these insights participants will leave the course better able to anticipate, prevent and respond to multiple terrorist threats. December 10-15, 2006: Blackwater Training Center, Moyock, NC A detailed brochure may be downloaded at: www.terrorism.com Questions on TRC training, please contact Betty O'Hearns-Hines, Training Coordinator for the Terrorism Research Center. Email: betty@terrorism.com Phone: (727)360-4302 voice or (727)409-1754 |
| FRANKS REVIEW |
Service Equipment ReviewKa-Bar TDI Knife & Xmas Wish ListAt the past two SHOT Shows ('05 & '06) I've visited the Ka-Bar booth and taken a look at their TDI (Tactical Defense Institute) knife - now knives. I must confess: originally I thought this was a gimmick design based loosely on the kerambit fighting blades. Then I had a few discussions with the folks at Ka-Bar and received a little education on the background and intended use for the TDI Knife. Several conversations followed with various police / defense trainers and my research of the design and functionality of the knife continued. What I've discovered is a handy knife, of various sizes now, that works well with little training. This week's review is of the Ka-Bar TDI... AND, as a bonus, since Christmas is three weeks from today, I've added in a Christmas Wish List. No, I don't expect anyone to buy me these gifts; but they are great ideas for the contemporary warrior in your life.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/knives/kabartdi.htm Recreational Equipment ReviewSmith & Wesson Model 64 SS.38 RevolverWay back in the mid-1980s, after the United States Army adopted the Beretta 92F as its new standard sidearm, police agencies around the country began to follow suit. Living in Maryland as I was, and not far from the Beretta plant in Accokeek, Maryland, I noticed a lot of local agencies making quick transitions to the 9mm pistol. With one local agency that meant getting rid of their Smith & Wesson Model 64 stainless steel revolvers. These revolvers, in .38 special sporting a 4" barrel, were being surplused onto the market through various dealers. I happened to have been lucky enough to purchase one of them and have enjoyed it for about twenty years now. In this week's review, we're going to take a look at the revolver as a field gun while hunting, camping, etc., and specifically the S&W 64 as it still performs two decades after being phased out of police use.
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The Blackwater Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e-publication. The BTW provides readers valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical and strategic security issues. Editor-in-Chief – Gary Jackson (btw@blackwaterusa.com) Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training
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