National News

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Bush Signs Executive Order Interpreting Geneva Conventions President Bush on July 20 signed an executive order interpreting “the Geneva Conventions Common Article 3 as applied to a program of detention and interrogation operated by the Central Intelligence Agency.” While denying that members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban are protected by the Geneva Conventions (see the Quote of the Week), Bush said he determined “that Common Article 3 shall apply to a program of detention and interrogation operated by the Central Intelligence Agency” and that the program “fully complies with the obligations of the United States under Common Article 3.” [View order] [View Focus on Geneva Conventions]

TSA Warns Airports About Terror Dry Runs (Washington Post) The Transportation Security Administration warned earlier this week “that terrorists might be testing whether innocent-looking bomb components can be smuggled onto an airp***,” reports the Associated Press, “… although TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe emphasized there is ‘no credible, specific threat.’ … Citing four incidents since last September at the San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore airports, the agency said screeners had found in checked and carry-on luggage various combinations of ‘wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components and dense clay-like substances,’ including block cheese.” Two of the four cases appeared to be innocent, and the report of clay in ice packs that were wrapped in duct tape turned out to be false. [View article]

Two Americans Convicted of Getting Terrorist Training (Washington Post) On July 20, a Houston judge sentenced Daniel Joseph Maldonado, a U.S. citizen, to ten years in prison for receiving military training from a terrorist organization. Maldonado admitted traveling to Somalia in 2006 to join the Islamic Courts Union and elements of al-Qaeda to fight jihad against the Transitional Federal Government to establish an independent Islamic state in Somalia. And Mahmud Faruq Brent Al Mutazzim, a “Washington, D.C., cab driver who admitted he attended training camps in Pakistan was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison after he was portrayed as eager to serve a terrorist group,” reports the Associated Press. [View Justice Dept. press release] [View AP article]

Police Chiefs Distribute Primer on Immigration Enforcement (USA Today) The International Association of Chiefs of Police “is distributing an unusual primer on immigration enforcement to thousands of law enforcement agencies, saying the absence of a national immigration policy has left local communities with an ‘overwhelming’ burden,” reports USA Today. “The publication … offers instruction on when state and local officers may intervene in cases involving illegal immigrants” but “stops short of urging local authorities to enforce federal immigration laws but says agencies can no longer ignore the local troubles posed by the explosive growth of undocumented immigrants.” [View article]

Study Finds Challenges in Emergency Radio Communications (Government Computer News) “Software Defined Radio Forum, a nonprofit international industry association for reconfigurable wireless technology, has found that a lot of hurdles remain to providing secure radio communications when a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina strikes,” reports Government Computer News. “The report cites five key challenges: incompatible and aging communications equipment, limited budgets and funding, fragmented planning and coordination, insufficient spectrum, and inadequate equipment standards.” [View article]

ID Card for First Responders Could Ease Access Problems (Federal Computer Week) “The departments of Defense and Homeland Security are making sure [that] first responders” have easier access to an emergency location, reports Federal Computer Week. The departments are promoting “the use of a First Responder Authentication Credentials (FRAC) identification card, which was a key component in the July 19 Summer Breeze Exercise. The FRAC card is encoded with critical data that lets commanders at the scene authenticate the responder’s credentials using a wireless handheld device.… The Summer Breeze exercises demonstrated that use of the FRAC made for quicker ID checks than the traditional visual identification method.” [View article]

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International News

Al-Qaeda Faces Rebellion From the Ranks (London Times) “Fed up with being part of a group that cuts off a person’s face with piano wire to teach others a lesson, dozens of low-level members of al-Qaeda in Iraq are daring to become informants for the US military in a hostile Baghdad neighbourhood,” reports the Times. “The ground-breaking move in Doura is part of a wider trend that has started in other al-Qaeda hotspots across the country and in which Sunni insurgent groups and tribal sheikhs have stood together with the coalition against the extremist movement.… Al-Qaeda informants comprise largely members of the Doura network who found themselves either working with the group after the US-led invasion in March 2003, or signed up to earn extra cash because there were no other jobs going. Disgusted at the attacks and intimidation techniques used on friends, neighbours and even relatives, they are now increasingly looking for a way out.” [View article]

President Links Qaeda of Iraq to Qaeda of 9/11 (New York Times) “President Bush sought anew on Tuesday to draw connections between the Iraqi group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and the terrorist network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks …” reports the New York Times. “The Iraqi group is a homegrown Sunni Arab extremist group with some foreign operatives that has claimed a loose affiliation to Mr. bin Laden’s network, although the precise links are unclear.” [View article]

UK to Get ‘Unified’ Border Force (BBC) “Britain is to get a ‘unified border force’ to boost the fight against terrorism, the prime minister has said,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. “… A ‘highly visible’ uniformed force would bring together immigration and Customs officers, Gordon Brown said. He also announced a review of allowing intercept evidence in court, and plans to double from 28 days the time police can hold suspects without charge.… Brown said the new borders officers would have ‘immigration, customs and police powers to investigate and detain people suspected of immigration, customs and criminal offences.’” [View article]

Al-Qaeda Denies U.S. Arrest of Top Iraqi (London Guardian) “An al-Qaida umbrella group in Iraq”--the Islamic State of Iraq--“on Tuesday denied reports that U.S. troops had captured the highest-ranking Iraqi in their leadership” (Khaled al-Mashhadani or Abu Shahid), reports the Associated Press. (See last week’s newsletter.) But the Islamic State of Iraq “gave no indication of al-Mashhadani’s current whereabouts nor did it provide any proof that the Iraqi militant was not in captivity.” [View article]

U.S. Acts Against Groups Aiding Hezbollah (Yahoo! News) The Treasury Department “took action Tuesday against an Iran-based foundation, including its U.S. branch, for allegedly providing support to Hezbollah, a terrorist group …” reports the Associated Press. The “action covers the Martyrs Foundation and Goodwill Charitable Organization of Dearborn, Mich.,” and “al-Qard al-Hassan, a Beirut firm.” [View article]

Computer Problems Mar Thai Tsunami Drill (Melbourne, Australia, Age) “Computer glitches have marred Thailand’s biggest tsunami evacuation drill since the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster …” reports the Age. “Sirens blared as thousands of Thais and foreigners ran to higher ground during” Thursday’s exercise “in six southern provinces hit by the December 2004 tsunami which killed nearly 5,400 people in Thailand, including 1,953 foreigners.” But there was “a 20-minute gap between the first report of an undersea earthquake and signals sent to 79 warning towers in the region.” It should have been 10 minutes. [View article]

Freed by Libya, Medical Workers Arrive in Bulgaria (New York Times) “After more than eight years in jail in Libya, five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor” were released on Tuesday and flown to Bulgaria, reports the New York Times. (See last week’s newsletter.) Their “plight began in 1999 when they were charged with intentionally infecting 400 Libyan children with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.” The medical workers’ “release comes at the end of eight years of imprisonment, alleged torture to extract confessions, three trials, and two separate death sentences.” [View article]

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DHS News

FEMA Knew of Toxic Gas in Trailers (Washington Post) “The Federal Emergency Management Agency since early 2006 has suppressed warnings from its own field workers about health problems experienced by hurricane victims living in government-provided trailers with levels of a toxic chemical 75 times the recommended maximum for U.S. workers, congressional lawmakers said” on July 19, reports the Washington Post. “… As many as 120,000 families displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita lived in the suspect trailers, and hundreds have complained of ill effects.” In response to an Associated Press story that indicated that FEMA intended to continue selling or donating the trailers, FEMA announced that it is reviewing policies related to travel trailers, including the status of sales and donations, and intends to announce interim changes to these policies as soon as decisions are made. [View article] [View FEMA press release]

DHS Releases Real ID Plan (Federal Computer Week) “The Homeland Security Department released its plan to push forward new nationally standardized drivers’ licenses,” reports Federal Computer Week. “… the plan includes a staffing configuration for the Real ID Program Office and goals to focus on in the next year … monitoring state implementation, issuing guidelines, helping states implement card standards, overseeing grants to the states and proposing alternative implementation solutions in an effort to ease states’ transition to the new cards.” [View article]

DHS Privacy Office Is Making Progress, Says GAO “The DHS Privacy Office has made significant progress in carrying out its statutory responsibilities,” according to Linda Koontz, Government Accountability Office Director of Information Management Issues, who testified on Tuesday before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law (Committee on the Judiciary). The Privacy Office “has established a compliance framework for conducting” privacy impact assessments and “taken actions to integrate privacy considerations into the DHS decision-making process … However, limited progress has been made in … updating public notices for systems of records that were in existence” before the Homeland Security Department was created. [View abstract]

TSA Will Allow Most Types of Lighters on P***s (New York Times) “Federal aviation authorities have decided to stop enforcing a two-year-old rule against taking cigarette lighters on airp***s, concluding that it was a waste of time to search for them before passengers boarded,” reports the New York Times. “… The policy change, which is to go into effect on Aug. 4, applies to disposable butane lighters, like Bics, and refillable lighters, like Zippos. Torch lighters, which have thin, hotter flames, will continue to be banned.” [View article] [View TSA list]

FEMA Encourages Pet Protection Plans The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Humane Society of the United States recommend the following steps before a disaster:

• Contact a local animal shelter, humane society, veterinarian or emergency management office for information on caring for pets in an emergency
• Find out if there will be any shelters set up to take pets in an emergency, and see if your veterinarian will accept your pet in an emergency
• Make sure the pet has a properly fitted collar that includes current license and rabies tags. Consider having the pet identified through microchip technology (your veterinarian can help locate a provider)
• Contact motels and hotels in communities outside the area and find out if they will accept pets in an emergency
• Keep a week’s emergency supply of pet food, water and other essential support items including a first-aid kit
• Take pictures of the animal and keep them with important papers you plan to carry with you in an emergency
• If a pet sitter is used while you are on vacation, discuss disaster plans and evacuation sites

New HSI Report Abstracts Abstracts of four more Homeland Security Institute reports are now available on the institute’s website: Homeland Security Strategic Planning, March 2007 Independent Cost Assessment of the Nationwide Automatic Identification System, January 2007 Integration of Maritime Security Plans, December 2006 National Incident Management System, December 2006

Other Federal News

FBI Seeks to Pay Telecoms for Data (Washington Post) “The FBI wants to pay the major telecommunications companies to retain their customers’ Internet and phone call information for at least two years for the agency’s use in counterterrorism investigations and is asking Congress for $5 million a year to defray the cost …” reports the Washington Post. “The FBI would not have direct access to the records. It would need to present a subpoena or an administrative warrant, known as a national security letter, to obtain the information that the companies would keep in a database … The proposal has raised concerns by civil libertarians who point to telecom companies’ alleged involvement in the government’s domestic surveillance program and to a recent Justice Department inspector general’s report on FBI abuse of national security letters.” (See the March 16 newsletter.) [View article]

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State and Local News

Judge Strikes Down Hazleton, PA, Immigration Law (CBS News) “A federal judge on Thursday struck down the city of Hazleton’s tough anti-immigration law [see the Nov. 3, 2006, newsletter], ruling unconstitutional a measure that has been copied around the country,” reports the Associated Press. “The city’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.” [View article]

Illinois Student Accused of Terrorist Threat (Washington Post) A Southern Illinois University student was arrested July 20 after “threatening a ‘murderous rampage’ similar to April’s deadly shooting spree at Virginia Tech …” reports the Associated Press. “A gun dealer had alerted federal authorities about Olutosin Oduwole, saying he had seemed overly anxious to get an online shipment of semiautomatic weapons … police said they found a handwritten note in his car demanding payment” of $50,000 “to a PayPal account.” Oduwole, 22, “was being held on a total of $1.1 million bail.” [View article]

9/11 Workers Not Getting Enough Care, Says GAO (New York Times) “The federal government still does not have an adequate array of health programs for ground zero workers--or a reliable estimate of how much treating their illnesses will cost,” says a Government Accountability Office report released on Tuesday, according to the New York Times. [View article] [View GAO abstract]

West Virginia Antiterror Training Site Expands (Charleston [WV] Daily Mail) The Summit Point Training Campus “in Jefferson County where government agents have honed their protection and anti-terrorism skills for decades is being expanded into a 270-acre campus,” reports the Associated Press. It “is next to a motorsports park where agents train on driving courses and shooting ranges, will offer additional firing ranges, classrooms, even canine training facilities for government agencies and private security firms alike … Agencies will also share resources such as crisis management and firing range experts.” [View article]

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Private-Sector News

International Banks Shun Cuba Under U.S. Scrutiny (Yahoo! News) “Heightened scrutiny of banking transactions by the United States since the September 11 attacks has led European and Canadian banks to curtail dealings with Cuba, bankers and businesses say,” reports Reuters. “Cuba ceased exporting armed revolution to Latin America two decades ago, but Washington still lists Communist Cuba as a ‘rogue’ state that sponsors terrorism, along with Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea.… HSBC, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Nova Scotia, also known as Scotiabank, have closed accounts of Cuban companies or reduced business tied to Cuba since last year to comply with U.S. regulations.… The U.S. Treasury denied it was actively pressuring foreign banks to cut off business with Cuba, but said it has stepped up pressure on banks to cut ties with Iran in recent months. Such efforts may be causing international banks to rethink their overall policies toward customer relationship risk.” [View article]

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Education The Homeland Security Institute lists these education programs as a service to readers who may be interested; it does not endorse them or their courses. New education listings are posted for four weeks. Hospital Security Preparedness Course (July 31–August 3, October 29–November 1; Washington, DC) The ER One Institute at the Washington Hospital Center is holding a course for hospital protective services and law enforcement. The goal is to achieve competency in handling all hazards to hospital security, from routine situations to mass-casualty incidents and terrorist attacks against the facility. Students will experience comprehensive hands-on training, live drills, and classroom instruction from faculty with extensive security and counterterrorism experience. For more information, call Lisa Rizzolo at (202) 877-7453. [View course website] 18th Annual Hazmat Continuing Challenge (September 4-7; Sacramento, CA) The annual Continuing Challenge Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Workshop provides training, networking, and hands-on learning opportunities to all employees in hazardous materials emergency response fields. [View course website] Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties (September 9-14, October 21-26; Aberdeen, MD, and Ft. Detrick, MD) This course is conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. It is designed for Medical Corps and Nurse Corps officers and physician assistants, Medical Service Corps officers, and other selected medical professionals. It comprises classroom, laboratory, and field training. [View course website] Terrorism: Threats, Training, Tactics and Technology (September 24-26, Quincy, MA) Nationally renowned experts will discuss terrorism, emerging threats, training, tactics, and technology issues. Participants will have the opportunity to explore some of the challenges and gain a comprehensive understanding of issues related to terrorism. [View course website] Field Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties (September 24-28, November 5-9; Aberdeen, MD) This course is conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. It is designed for Medical Service Corps officers and non-commissioned officers in medical or chemical specialties. It comprises classroom, laboratory, and field training. [View course website]

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New Upcoming Events (After four weeks, new events will be moved to the Upcoming Events page) ACE Exchange VI (July 30–August 1, Brooklyn, NY) The Automated Commercial Environment is the commercial trade processing system being developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to facilitate legitimate trade while strengthening border security. The ACE Exchanges will provide information on ACE and allow an open forum of communication between Customs and Border Protection and the trade community. The conferences will educate the trade community on the benefits of ACE, its impact on business operations, and legal policy changes under way, such as the new mandatory electronic manifest policy. [View conference website] (September 11-13; Baltimore) The expo will feature the latest products and tools from the leading suppliers in biometrics applications. More than 100 biometrics leaders--giants, upstarts, plus research and standard groups--will be there, along with reps from the top technology firms and biometric specialists attending the co-located Biometric Consortium Conference. [View conference website] CBRN Resilience 2007 (September 20-21; London) Participants will understand global chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear strategies and how these are shaping the future requirements and tactics of the blue-light services and responsible agencies; benchmark their post-incident response, recovery, and operational sustainability plans, including mass decontamination of personnel and infrastructure, health care, and logistical support; and assess preparedness and joint working initiatives among police, fire and rescue, ambulance, and local, regional, and national government. [View conference website] Interdisciplinary Analyses of Aggression & Terrorism (September 27-30; Madrid, Spain) This conference, sponsored by the International Colloquium on Conflict and Aggression and the Society for Terrorism Research, will feature researchers from around the world who will present their findings and offer directions for future study. It will include structured discussion and play as well as casual conversation, questions, answers, and sharing of ideas with colleagues. [View conference website] National Emergency Management Assn. Conference (September 28–October 2; Oklahoma City) The conference will feature presentations by leaders in emergency management, along with exhibits, workshops, and committee meetings. [View conference website] 3rd Symposium and Exhibition on International Civil Aviation Organization Machine-Readable Travel Documents, Biometrics and Security Standards (October 1-3; Montreal) The symposium and exhibition will cover the main features and benefits of globally interoperable and ICAO-compliant machine-readable travel documents and e-passports and the latest biometric technology to enhance security in airline passenger service systems, enrollment, issuance, and border control inspection systems. [View conference website] National First Responder’s Conference (October 1; Colorado Springs) This conference is cosponsored by the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. Topics will include “The Impact of 4th Generation Warfare on First Responders,” establishing interagency communications systems, and managing trauma. [View conference website] Homeland Defense/Homeland Security Symposium V (October 2-4; Colorado Springs) The symposium features high-level participation by the Defense and Homeland Security departments and their corporate, academic, and media counterparts for an exchange of views on how best to protect our country and our friends. International participants will offer their perspectives on our shared challenges. [View conference website] Physical and Critical Infrastructure Resilience Conference (October 9; Arlington, VA) The conference will discuss approaches to securing critical infrastructure, such as how the government and private stakeholders can work together and how to build and maintain a risk assessment, create partnerships, and reduce vulnerabilities. Speakers will discuss the nation’s physical and information technology security, including lessons learned, tools, and methods used and those that need to be developed. [View conference website] Road and Rail Security Symposium and Expo (October 29-31; Charleston, SC) Leading transportation and security professionals discuss threat assessment, prevention, and consequence management and how real the threat is to your community, business, or agency; whether you are prepared; and how to respond and where to turn for help. Networking events, tabletop displays, and presentations and workshops will facilitate industry, military, and government interaction to construct a system of prevention, mitigation, and containment and response initiatives. The expo will explore emerging technologies and the latest in products and services in transportation security and response capabilities. [View conference website]

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Calls for Papers (March 16-20, 2008; Orlando, FL) SPIE is soliciting papers on imaging, sensors, and displays as they relate to homeland security and other topics. The deadline for submitting abstracts is September 3. [View call for papers]

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