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Archive for February 2009

Mexico (Country threat level - 3):

February 19, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

The Mexican military has increased its presence in Torreon following a series of recent drug-related clashes between security forces and gunmen that left at least seven people dead and eight others injured in recent days. Violent incidents were reported in the neighborhoods of Durangueña, El Consuelo, Las Almedas, San Isidro, Nuevo Mexico, El Tajito and Miguel Hildago. At one point, authorities issued a “red alert,” urging the city’s residents to stay in doors while they engaged a group of gunmen in hot pursuit in the La Rosita neighborhood. The military has reportedly established checkpoints on roads throughout the city, including on Avenida La Durangueña.

ASI Comment: While Torreon has not been immune to drug-related violence, the situation has traditionally not been as severe as in cities located along the U.S.-Mexico border such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. The most recent incidents indicate a clear upward trend in the level of drug-related violence in the city. These incidents have not generally targeted foreigners, though they have greatly increased the collateral risk to bystanders. Given the high concentration of foreign companies in Torreon, the Mexican military and federal police officers are likely to send additional reinforcements to the city in the coming days in response to this trend.

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United States (Country threat level - 3):Continental Airlines flight 3407

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

crashed into a house in Clarence, New York (a suburb of Buffalo), at approximately 2210 local time on 12 February 2009. Clarence is located approximately 10 mi/16 km from Buffalo International Airport (KBUF/BUF). All 48 passengers on board, including four crew members, and a man in the house died. The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash, though reports indicate that light snow and fog were present in the area at the time of the incident

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Feds charge son resumed his convicted spy father’s work

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

(AP, 2/1/09)A 24-year-old Eugene man faces federal charges he traveled the globe to get money from Russian spies and disperse the money to family members at the direction of his father, a former CIA spy imprisoned in Oregon since 1997 for espionage. Nathaniel James Nicholson, 24, of Eugene, Ore., and his father, Harold James Nicholson, 58, who is incarcerated at a federal prison in Sheridan, Ore., are charged on two counts of conspiracy, one count of acting as agents of a foreign government and four counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The federal charges allege the son met with the father in prison on several occasion to obtain information with the intent to then meet with representatives of the Russian Federation. The indictment alleges the son then brought the money, paid by the Russian Federation for the father’s past espionage activities, back to Oregon to disperse to family members at his father’s direction.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/38622497.html

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Drive-By ‘War Cloning’ Attack Hacks Electronic Passports, Driver’s Licenses

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

 (Dark Reading, 2/2/09)

With a $250 used RFID scanner he purchased on eBay and a low-profile antenna tucked away in his car, a security researcher recently cruised the streets along Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, where he captured — and cloned — a half-dozen electronic passports within an hour. This newest RFID attack is being coined as “war cloning” given its similarity to war-driving, or wireless sniffing.

The security weaknesses of the EPC Gen 2 RFID tags, which lack encryption and true authentication, have been well-known and of concern to privacy advocates for some time. These tags are being used in the new wallet-sized passport cards that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers under the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative for travel to and from Western Hemisphere countries. The e-cards are aimed at simplifying and speeding up the border-crossing process, providing U.S. Customs and border agents with information on the individual as he or she queues up to inspection booths at the border.

http://www.darkreading.com/security/privacy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=213000321&cid=nl_DR_WEEKLY_T

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Congress opens secrets to local first responders

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

(AP, 2/3/09)

Terrorists could be lurking in some American town, but the local sheriff or fire chief might be left in the dark about the threat because he can’t easily access information classified by the Feds in Washington. That scenario could change under legislation passed by the House to reduce overclassification of threat information.

“Classifying information for the wrong reasons — to protect turf or to avoid embarrassment — is wrong,” said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., sponsor of the bill that passed on a voice vote. She said that in her eight years on the House Intelligence Committee, “I become incredibly frustrated with this practice — which the Bush administration elevated to an art form.” The legislation would require the Homeland Security Department to produce a declassified version of threat information for state and local first responders who don’t have the security clearance to view classified material.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gXWjD52LjxBpk5wM6Xf_ajkdc8GwD964EAQO0

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Wildfires Could Fuel ‘Forest Jihad’ Terrorists, Experts Say

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

 (Fox News, 2/9/09)

Firefighters and homeowners aren’t the only ones keenly watching Australia’s massive wildfires, responsible for killing at least 173 people in the southern part of the continent.
Terrorism experts suspect Muslim extremists are watching closely, too — and taking note of the devastation.

While Australian authorities have revealed no evidence linking the wildfires to extremists, terrorism experts say the large death toll, the huge swath of destruction and the massive financial blow to the country are proving to Islamic terrorists that arson can be a highly effective — and simple — tool of holy war. In November, an extremist Web site called on Muslims to launch a “forest jihad” in Australia, Europe, Russia and the United States.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,490306,00.html

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Alarm raised over increase in Eurospies

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

 (Times Online, 2/12/09)

Keep an extra close eye on the stunning blonde with the long legs, EU bureaucrats were told yesterday. She might seem harmless, but the chances are that she is an agent for a foreign power. A growing number of spies are trying to get their hands on confidential EU documents using a range of guises including journalists, lobbyists, trainees on secondment and IT support workers.

As if to prove the scale of the problem, a top-secret internal memo setting out the threat of espionage was itself leaked yesterday. “Like any large-scale organisation which deals with confidential information, there are always people who endeavour to gain access to this information,” said Valerie Rampi, a European Commission spokeswoman. She said that the head of Belgian security confirmed that “there has been an increase in such activity” in and around the EU institutions.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5713130.ece

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Los Alamos computers missing

February 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

 (AP, 2/12/09)

The Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory in New Mexico is missing 69 computers, including at least a dozen that were stolen last year, a lab spokesman said. No classified information has been lost, spokesman Kevin Roark said. The watchdog group Project on Government Oversight released a memo dated Feb. 3 from the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration that said 67 computers were missing, including 13 that were lost or stolen in past 12 months.

Roark initially confirmed those figures, but later updated them. He said a total of 80 computers were lost or stolen in 2008, but 11 were recovered. The lab was initiating a monthlong inventory to account for every computer, Roark said. The computers were a cybersecurity issue because they may contain personal information like names and addresses, but they did not contain any classified information, he said.

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090212/NEWS01/902120320/1002/NEWS01

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Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Ongoing Winter Storm Response

February 3, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Release Date: February 3, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

As our neighbors in the central U.S. face the aftermath of last week’s storm and a new weather system moving in today, we have been moving aggressively to help them get back on their feet.

I’ve been in touch with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and his state emergency leadership to pledge our support and hear from them personally about how the Department of Homeland Security can best support their round-the-clock efforts.

I’ve also been in constant contact with Nancy Ward, Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, about her agency’s efforts in Kentucky.  FEMA was on the ground and began to respond as soon as the storm hit. Immediately following the storm, FEMA toured the damaged areas with Governor Beshear and the chief of Kentucky emergency operations, General John Heltzel. Over the past several days, FEMA has been working closely with its partners at the Regional Response Coordination Center and the Kentucky State Emergency Operations Center to provide direct response and relief, and to coordinate federal resources to get help where it’s needed most. 

FEMA is assisting Kentucky with communications, emergency power, commodities and removing debris from roadways. Nearly 40 truckloads of water and more than 25 truckloads of meals have arrived at a central federal distribution point at Fort Campbell, Ky., and from there move to commonwealth distribution centers in Greenville and Paducah.

I have also been in close contact with Governors Mike Beebe of Arkansas and Jay Nixon of Missouri, and am closely monitoring the response efforts in those states as well. We’ve brought in thousands of cots and blankets, food and water, and more than 330 generators to Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri, and more supply trucks are inbound today.

In the days and weeks ahead we’ll continue to work closely with our state and local partners on the ground to support the men, women and families in these communities.  I thank everyone involved in these recovery efforts.

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Nigeria (Country threat level - 5):

February 3, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

Two local militant groups, the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV) and the Patriotic Force (PF), warned on 3 February 2009 that they will launch an “oil war” in the Niger Delta if major oil companies do not leave the region by 14 February. The militant groups stated that “Operation Zero Exploration” will include attacks on Shell, Agip, Intel, Nigeria LNG and the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) personnel and installations. The militants are accusing the oil companies of supporting and aiding the Nigerian military in carrying out attacks on their camps in the region. The latest confrontation occurred when the military’s Joint Task Force (JTF) apparently attacked an NDV camp on 30 January, causing the Movement for the Emancipation for the Niger Delta (MEND) — which is NDV’s parent organization — to call off its unilateral ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), Nigeria’s senior oil workers’ union, threatened to go on strike beginning on 9 February over insecurity in the Niger Delta. The union stated that it will withdraw all services from upstream facilities unless the Nigerian government takes definitive steps to improve security in the region. PENGASSAN did not specify the steps that the government must take, but in the past similar threats to go on strike have been averted through negotiations.

Comments:  Watch this instability as it was in Venezuela.  This is ripe for nationalization.  As we have seen before in the African continent, nationalization leads to industry failure.

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