An update from TSA

I recently visited the TSA website and found several interesting items. First of all, they list significant events from the week prior and I have to say, I was shocked at the low numbers of incidents (at least those reported in the public domain). For instance:

TSA Week at a Glance: 11/16/09 to 11/22/09

• 6 passengers were arrested after investigations of suspicious behavior or fraudulent travel documents
• 24 firearms found at checkpoints
• 7 artfully concealed prohibited items found at checkpoints
• 30 incidents that involved a checkpoint closure, terminal evacuation or sterile area breach

I thought this number was low when taking into account the number of domestic flights and travelers we have in the U.S. Of course any one of these apprehensions could have saved lives, and kudos to TSA's unsung heroes for the job they do protecting us daily. Perhaps the low numbers reflect increased compliance and preparedness by travelers.

When trying to find the number of daily domestic flights in the U.S. , my research led me to a very interesting site : http://flightaware.com/ When I logged in this morning, the site was tracking 4,658 airborne aircraft in the U.S. and had 42,898 arrivals in the last 24 hours. Although the site tracks all types of aircraft, not only commercial flights, it was good education on the sheer volume of air traffic handled at any given time. A good reminder as well of the monumental task our controllers had on 9/11, and the professionalism with which they conducted their efforts to land and divert thousands of aircraft -- all while monitoring for additional hijackings.

TSA's site covered two other items of interest. They are tightening the Aircraft Repair Station Security program both domestically and abroad. Also, TSA assisted AMTRAK with managing the train system in Orlando during the recent shooting event. This is a good partnership, especially since AMTRAK recently announced increased security related to our train system in the U.S. Hopefully the two organizations will share information and lessons learned to increase security across both systems. Here is the TSA site if you want more info on any of these subjects: http://www.tsa.gov

I will be TSA's customer a few times over the next week. Those of us who really understand TSA's role in our national security should take the time to thank them for their efforts. I am sure they would appreciate a kind word and a smile.

I won't be posting anything new until early next week. Happy Thanksgiving!

One Year After Mumbai: What We've Learned

On November 26, 2008, a small group of heavily armed men brought the modern city of Mumbai to its knees, and the world watched in horror as hotels were seized and burned. The terrorists, aligned with the group Lashkar-e-Toiba from Pakistan, also attacked cafes, hospitals and train stations. At least 172 people were killed. Although it wasn't the first terrorist attack in Mumbai, or the bloodiest, it yielded many significant lessons.

#1 - The terrorists accomplished significant pre-planning, including surveillance of the targets. They had hotel diagrams and were able to navigate emergency exits and back doors. In fact, the planning for the Mumbai attacks may have started a year or more before the actual event. This surveillance was not detected.

#2 - The terrorists entered the city by sea - they hijacked a fishing vessel, killed the crew, kept the captain alive long enough for him to navigate the ship into the harbor, then beheaded him. The terrorists then boarded two prepositioned inflatable boats and entered the city at two different points. A maritime assault was not anticipated. Most of our major cities have waterways.

#3 - Heavy resources were moved to the terrorists before the attack - money wired in by several people to different places, allowing for purchase of weapons and bomb building material. "Financial forensics" and stricter monetary transaction laws may have prevented this attack.

#4 - The terrorists were heavily armed. Weapons and ammo may have been preplaced in the hotels. The amount of firepower brought to this fight enabled the terrorists to dig in for 3 days.

#5 - The simultaneous, multiple attacks, by small fire teams of 2-4 men, were spread throughout the city and confused and overwhelmed law enforcement. The attacks were sequential, again, showing extensive planning. Law enforcement must train for simultaneous terrorist attacks that may overwhelm their communications networks.

#6 - The terrorists' purpose: to kill as many people as possible by hitting soft targets. We typically harden targets like headquarters buildings. All targets are on the table for this enemy: churches, schools, buses, hospitals. We must harden these soft targets in anticipation of attack.

#7 - The use of blackberries and satellite phones allowed for constant communication between the terrorists during the attack, as well as with their "handlers" in Pakistan. Knowing how to target and kill the comm of the attackers would decrease the effectiveness of the attack.

#8 - A WMD is not necessary to incite mass panic, confusion and fear; a small, heavily armed, well financed and trained group that is willing to die for their cause can inflict great damage.

These are just a few of the lessons of Mumbai. We must learn from this event and protect our cities and citizens from a similar tragedy.

If you want to further research this event, here are two great sources:

http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2009/RAND_OP249.pdf
http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandSecurity/bg2219.cfm

Domestic Terror Threat Rising - No Surprise

Yesterday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee opened hearings on the Fort Hood tragedy. One of the topics on the agenda is the rising domestic terror threat. But this alarm was sounded months ago, in Apr 09, when DHS released their report entitled Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment. The report was heavily covered in the news, but only for these statements:

"Rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat.”

and

"The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."


DHS was called out by veteran's groups, Congress, et al. Janet Napolitano had to apologize for it. The pundits thought it was somehow political - a complete insult to our hardworking GS employees who have been at their desks, analyzing threats for decades. The sad part -- the statements are exactly on target. Veterans will be recruited due to their skill set. There has been firearms and ammo "hoarding" and returning veterans may have issues that lead to violent acts. Timothy McVeigh was a military veteran sworn to protect and defend the very country he attacked.

And due to the veteran controversy, the rest of the report was ignored.

In the meantime, we've had several high profile domestic terror issues in our country. Najibullah Zazi, an al Qaeda sympathist and now confirmed operative, was arrested for conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in our country. The FBI infiltrated two separate domestic terror plots. The subjects tried to deploy the dummy devices purchased from agents--one outside a federal courthouse in Springfield, Ill and another in a Dallas skyscraper. And it has come to light that two North Carolina men under arrest since July on international terrorism charges were also planning to kill U.S. military personnel. Anarchists stormed Pittsburgh, causing fear among the citizens and casting new light on their anti-government agenda. David Headley from Chicago, formerly known as Daood Gilani, was recruiting terrorists abroad to conduct operations. And Nadal Hasan opened fires into a crowd of unarmed citizens (not combatants) - on the former sanctuary of a military base.

We shouldn't be surprised by these events. The DHS report was an absolute gem - it was actionable intelligence. For the first time, we had current analysis and it was in the hands of our civilian populace, which could be a powerful force multiplier in this fight -- if educated about the threat. The report was pure and unfiltered. It wasn't routed through every last agency for comment (and watered down accordingly). It is a shame the reaction in our country centered around two very true and factual statements, instead of the shock and concern about the rising threat among us. Thanks to the overreaction, I am afraid we will never see a report like that again in the public domain.

Here is a link to the entire report, I highly suggest you take a look:
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf

New gift card laws...from a different perspective

In case you missed this news today, laws regarding gift cards will change in favor of consumers:

"Just in time for the holiday shopping season, the U.S. Federal Reserve on Monday moved to implement legislation aimed at limiting fees and expiration dates associated with retail gift cards. The rules the Fed is proposing would prohibit retailers and issuers, such as MasterCard and Visa, from charging fees to consumers who have used their cards in the previous year. Some issuers currently penalize consumers for not using their gift cards for extended periods, charging them fees that are deducted from their available funds. The proposed Fed rules also would limit card issuers to charging no more than one inactivity, dormancy or service fee a month, and require funds linked to cards be usable for at least five years after a card is issued or last funded."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125838564151550609.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_news

Why do I mention the new law in my forum? This is a good departure point to discuss how terrorist and criminal organizations use prepaid cards to launder, store and move money. Let's say you are a bad guy and have some "dirty" money to launder. Cards might be a good idea. First of all, there is no limit to how many cards you can buy. You can buy them with cash. You can sell them on an online auction site, transfer the value to a "nonbank", and liquidate it by asking for a debit card you can use anonymously at an ATF. Or you can use pre-paid Visa cards to purchase items which you can then sell. And the law change makes this method even more lucrative.

Here are examples of prepaid card abuses by terrorists and criminals to consider:

- In 2001 a suspicious activity report (SAR) filed in the US detailed the acquisition of more than 300 prepaid cards by a single individual who used them to transfer almost $2 million to Colombia.

- In 2004, German tax investigators discovered a case of money laundering through prepaid cards. Two participants of a criminal fund embezzlement scheme transferred parts of their shares of their criminal proceeds onto several prepaid cards. In this case more than 350,000 Euros were hidden and laundered.

- A Mexican criminal caught in at the US border in 2005 was using stolen credit cards to transfer value to prepaid cards.

- In 2008, Indonesian police reported that radical Islamic terrorists were observed selling phone cards. generating $500 per day to fund operations.

You can read more about this in my article from CT and a blog I wrote for the AMU Homeland Security site:

http://www.thecounterterroristmag.com/pdf/Issue3.Exploit.e-Commerce.HestermanLo.pdf

http://inhomelandsecurity.com/2008/08/mobile_payments_a_new_way_for.html

The Story of Khaled Nawaya

You may not have heard about Khaled Nawaya since the U.S. media has not picked up the story. Here is info gleaned from Canadian sources, along with some analysis below...

- Khaled Nawaya is 35 years old. Born in Saudi Arabia, of Syrian decent. Moved to the U.S. at age 17. Earned two degrees, aeronautics and management. Flight instructor. Somehow was affiliated with Embry Riddle University and lost his student visa status in the U.S. Filed a lawsuit against the university and perhaps won a settlement. Recently requested, and was approved for residency in Canada.

- On 6 Oct, lied to border patrol when trying to cross into British Columbia. When repeatedly questioned about the amount of currency in his vehicle, he adamantly stated he had less than the $10K required by law.

- Actually had $800,000 in gold coins. Also had another $70K in cash in the vehicle, and $10K in cash on his person. Contents of the vehicle included a ring bearing the insignia of the terrorist group Hezbollah, 9/11 conspiracy theory-themed DVDs, and a scarf adorned with the images of a former Israeli prime minister and a U.S. president depicted as monkeys.

We'll let the Canadian authorities unravel this mystery, which they are labeling a "probable national-security nexus". But something I found most interesting: the gold coins. Precious metals provide a great vehicle for money laundering. When writing an article for The Counter Terrorist magazine last year entitled "How Terrorists and Criminals Exploit E-Commerce to Store and Move Money", I researched online precious metals brokers which deal in gold, silver and platinum. One gold company did $1B in business in 2007. In 2008, Brinks had over 48,000 fine troy ounces of gold purchased online in their vaults located around the world. Gold is now trading at over $1,000 per ounce. I wasn't a math major, but I believe that is around $40M in gold being held by Brinks.

"Dirty" money could easily be laundered this way, since the online precious metal brokers accept all forms of payment, including transfer through "nonbanks", companies which operate online to support fellow online industries such as gambling and auction sites. The government has tightened restrictions on nonbanks, but it would be quite easy to open an account using data obtained through identity theft, or simply that of an acquaintance or relative. When laundering money, gold is a great vehicle since it retains its value, can't be traced, is much less conspicuous than bulk cash and can be melted, transformed, and resold. Here is a link to my article if you want to learn more:
http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ethecounterterroristmag%2Ecom%2Fpdf%2FIssue3%2EExploit%2Ee-Commerce%2EHestermanLo%2Epdf&urlhash=1BHp

I found it very interesting that Mr. Nawaya wired U.S. dollars to his brother overseas, who then bought the Canadian gold coins on the Internet and had them delivered to Mr. Nawaya in the U.S. (unsure of delivery vehicle). Then Mr. Nawaya loaded the coins into his car, in the U.S., and attempted to drive them across the Canadian border. I will be interested to hear his explanation for this activity.

Nawaya may not be a terrorist or have any nefarious intent. But he did lie to authorities and will likely be charged with his failed declaration under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. These cases aren't always solved. We may never know what Nawaya might have intended to do with his education, pilot's license and $1M in cash. In the realm of counter terrorism we have to become comfortable with what I call the "unknowns and the unknowables". What we can do is continue to see the learning points in these events, in the hopes of connecting the dots down the road, and possibly preventing a terrorist attack.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/hapless-immigrant-or-terrorist-threat/article1357424/

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091111/border_nawaya_091109/20091111/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Veterans Day

Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day, the 11th day of the 11th month, meant to commemorate the end of the Great War, which was hoped to be the "war to end all wars", World War I. In 1954, Congress voted to change the name to Veterans Day to honor all who served in WW I, WW II and Korea. In 1971, an act was passed by Congress to move the holiday to the 4th Monday in October, but the original date was restored in 1978. To all those who have worn the uniform and served our country and its citizens, thank you for your many sacrifices. I'd also like to thank those who haven't served in a "traditional" role, yet support our warfighters whether as a family member, a colleague in the workplace, or a concerned citizen who sends a care package or card to an anonymous soldier serving far from home. Let's always remember the saying "freedom isn't free" and never forget the cost and sacrifice of so many.

Who is radical imam Anwar al Awlaki?

As the investigators start piecing together events leading up to last week's tragic events at Fort Hood, one very interesting piece of evidence has emerged: Nidal Hasan was apparently in contact with Anwar al Awlaki, a renowned radical imam.

Who is Awlaki? Recall the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, which was a place of worship for several of the 9/11 hijackers. According to the 9/11 commission report, Awlaki had personal contact with 2 of the hijackers, both at the mosque in VA, and at a mosque in San Diego.

At Dar al-Hijrah, Awlaki also preached to Hasan and his family, notably around the early 2001 time period. The two may have maintained contact throughout the years, and investigators are looking at Hasan's e-mail accounts for the evidence. Yesterday, Awlaki praised Hasan's actions, calling him a "hero" and using his first name several times, indicating familiarity.

Awlaki was born in Yemen, but moved to the U.S. as a teenager and was formally educated here. He has a B.S. (Civil Engineering) from Colorado State University, an M.A. (Education Leadership) from San Diego State University, and worked toward on a PhD at George Washington University. He now lives in Yemen. He was recently banned from speaking at an event in the UK, a fundraiser for the prisoners at Guantanamo.

Yesterday, I was able to access a cache of his website, no longer accessible. There were many of Awlaki's radical speeches, some of which had been accessed thousands of times. A common theme was his distinct respect for Sayyid Qutb, who was also Osama bin Laden's inspiration. Qutb, an Egyptian, was also educated in the U.S. (in Colorado and DC), and his book "Milestones" is worthy of reading as we try to understand the roots of the radical ideology. Military strategist Sun Tzu's philosophy of "know thy enemy" has perhaps never been more relevant than today.

If you want to read more of Awlaki's writings and the comments of his followers, I was able to locate his 2008 blogs through an internet search engine that finds archived web sites:

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.anwar-alawlaki.com

As Hasan recovers from the wounds inflicted by hero police Sgt Kimberly Munly, we have the rare ability to get inside of his mind and examine his motives. Hopefully we can learn, and prevent future catastrophes such as that at Fort Hood.

Investigators say Fort Hood suspect acted alone

By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
Nov 9, 9:32 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood massacre apparently acted alone and without outside direction, investigative officials said Monday evening, even as the FBI launched an internal review of how it handled information gathered about the doctor nearly a year before the shooting.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan will be charged by the U.S. military rather than in a civilian court, the officials said.

As the investigation continues, FBI Director Robert Mueller has ordered an internal inquiry to see whether the bureau mishandled worrisome information gathered about Hasan beginning in December 2008 and continuing into early this year.

Based on all the investigations since the attack, including a review of that 2008 information, the investigators said they have no evidence that Hasan had help or outside orders in the shootings.

In late 2008, officials said, a separate investigation revealed Hasan's communications with another individual they declined to identify. Separately, another U.S. official said the person Hasan was communicating with was Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical imam overseas who has come under scrutiny for possible links to terror groups. All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case on the record.

Eventually, a joint terrorism task force learned of about 10 or 20 such communications between the two. Officials would not identify the exact type of communications, but al-Awlaki operates a Web site that invites readers to e-mail him. Al-Awlaki was formerly an imam at a Falls Church, Va., mosque where Hasan and his family occasionally worshipped.

The military was made aware of the communications, but because the messages did not advocate violence or threaten violence, law enforcement authorities could not take the matter further, the officials said. The terrorism task force concluded Hasan was not involved in terrorist planning.

One official said Hasan reached out to al-Awlaki, and the other officials said the content of those messages was "consistent with the subject matter of his research," part of which involved post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from U.S. combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

No formal investigation was ever opened based on the contacts, the officials said.

Awlaki, who was released from a jail in Yemen last year, writes a blog that denounces U.S. policies as anti-Muslim.

Investigators tried to interview Hasan on Sunday at the military hospital where he is held under guard, but he refused to answer and requested a lawyer, the officials said.

Alleged shooter tied to mosque of 9/11 hijackers

By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer Pamela Hess, Associated Press Writer – Sun Nov 8, 6:35 pm ET

WASHINGTON – The alleged Fort Hood shooter apparently attended the same Virginia mosque as two Sept. 11 hijackers in 2001, at a time when a radical imam preached there.

Whether the Fort Hood shooter associated with the hijackers is something the FBI will probably look into, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The family of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 and wounded 29 at the Texas military base, held his mother's funeral at the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in the Roanoke Times newspaper.

In 2001, Anwar Aulaqi was an imam, or spiritual leader, at the Washington-area mosque. Aulaqi told the FBI in 2001 that, before he moved to Virginia in early 2001, he met with 9/11 hijacker Nawaf al-Hazmi several times in San Diego. Al-Hazmi was at the time living with Khalid al-Mihdhar, another hijacker. Al-Hazmi and another hijacker, Hani Hanjour, attended the Dar al Hijrah mosque in Virginia in early April 2001.

In his FBI interview, Aulaqi denied ever meeting with al-Hazmi and Hanjour while in Virginia.

Aulaqi, a native-born U.S. citizen, left the United States in 2002, eventually traveling to Yemen. He was investigated by the FBI in 1999 and 2000 after it was learned that he may have been contacted by a possible procurement agent for Osama bin Laden. During this investigation, the FBI learned that Aulaqi knew people involved in raising money for Hamas, a Palestinian group on the U.S. State Department's terrorist list.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, outreach director at Dar al Hijrah, said he did not know whether Hasan ever attended the mosque but confirmed that the Hasan family participated in services there. Abdul-Malik said the Hasans were not leaders at the mosque and their attendance was utterly normal.

The Falls Church mosque is one of the largest on the East Coast, and thousands of worshippers attend prayers and services there every week. Abdul-Malik said it's a mistake for people to conflate regular attendance at a mosque with extremism.

Many Muslims pray at the mosque multiple times a day, he said. "It's part of family life. It's like going out for ice cream after dinner."

Faizul Khan, former imam of the Muslim Community Center in nearby Silver Spring, Md., where Hasan also worshipped, said he was not aware that Hasan had attended services at Dar al Hijrah but said it would not be unusual for Hasan to attend more than one mosque concurrently.

Khan said he did not recall Hasan mentioning having been taught or preached to by Aulaqi.

The London Telegraph first reported the potential link between Hasan and the mosque.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said Sunday it's important for the country not to get caught up in speculation about Hasan's Muslim faith, and he has instructed his commanders to be on the lookout for anti-Muslim reaction to the killings at the Texas post.

He says focusing on the Islamic roots of the suspected shooter could "heighten the backlash" against all Muslims in the military.

Casey says diversity in the military "gives us strength."

Casey declined to answer questions about the investigation into the shooting, but said evidence to this point shows that Hasan acted alone. He toured Fort Hood on Friday with Army Secretary John McHugh.

Casey appeared on ABC's "This Week" and CNN's "State of the Union."