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Ten years after an anthrax attack killed five people and awakened the nation to the dangers of bioterrorism, the United States remains largely unprepared for a large-scale attack or deadly disease outbreak, according to a new report from the WMD Terrorism Research Center. The report, released October 12, gives the country mostly B’s and C’s for its ability to handle small-scale events, such as the anthrax letter attack of 2001, and failing grades for its ability to handle large-scale events. Notably, the report gives the country a “D” across the board for the
Anthrax Letter from the Amerithrax Case
country’s ability to develop and quickly approve medical countermeasures such as diagnostic tools and vaccines, which are crucial in outbreaks of all sizes. Headed by two former U.S. Senators, the bipartisan center is an offshoot of the congressionally chartered WMD Commission, which concluded early last year. In its report, the center says the U.S. has spent more than $65 billion on bio-defense during the past decade, but still has holes that leave it vulnerable. “Today we face the very real possibility that outbreaks of disease — naturally occurring or man-made — can change the very nature of America,” the report concludes. Technology is also making it easier for terrorists to create deadly mischief, the report says. A small team of individuals with graduate-level training and readily available equipment “could produce the type of bio-weapons created by nation-states in the 1960s”
Treasury designates Iranian commercial airline linked to Iran’s support for terrorism
Posted: October 14, 2011 in UncategorizedThe U.S. Department of the Treasury announced October 12 the designation of Iranian commercial airline Mahan Air pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 for providing financial, material, and technological support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). Based in Tehran, Iran, Mahan provides transportation, funds transfers and personnel travel services to the IRGC-QF. Mahan provided travel services to IRGC-QF personnel flown to and from Iran and Syria for military training. Mahan also facilitated the covert travel of suspected IRGC-QF officers into and out of Iraq by bypassing normal security procedures,
Mahan Airlines
and not including information on flight manifests to eliminate records of the IRGC-QF travel. Mahan crews have facilitated IRGC-QF arms shipments. Funds were also transferred via Mahan for the procurement of controlled goods by the IRGC-QF. In addition to the reasons for which Mahan was designated October 12, it also provides transportation services to Hizballah, a Lebanon-based designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Mahan has transported personnel, weapons, and goods for Hizballah, and omitted from cargo manifests secret weapons shipments. As a result of the October 12 action, U.S. persons are barred from engaging in commercial or financial transactions with Mahan, and any assets it may hold under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
The U.S. Department of State alerts U.S. citizens of the potential for anti-U.S. actions following the disruption of a plot, linked to Iran, to commit a significant terrorist act in the United States. This Travel Alert expires January 11, 2012. An Iranian-born U.S. citizen, working on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force –- designated by the Treasury Department in 2007 for its support of terrorism –- is suspected of conspiring to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States. The U.S. government assesses this Iranian-backed plan may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States. U.S. citizens residing and traveling abroad should review the Department’s Worldwide Caution and other travel information when making decisions concerning their travel plans and activities while abroad. U.S. citizens are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). U.S. citizens without Internet access may enroll directly at the nearest U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate. By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the embassy/consulates to contact them in case of emergency.
The Nigerian man accused of trying to detonate an explosive device in his underwear aboard a
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Christmas 2009 flight to Detroit, pleaded guilty to all counts in court October 12. He had been indicted on charges including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, and possession of a firearm or destructive device in furtherance of an act of violence. The suspect had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was a passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route from the Netherlands to Detroit Christmas Day 2009. U.S. officials said the terror group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind the alleged bombing attempt.
Announcing the 7th of a series of monthly webinars being provided by Mission Support Branch of the Emergency Management Institute. The webinars are for Federal, State, Local, Tribal and emergency management personnel and their staff and will be presented monthly (1st Wednesday of each month at 1:00 PM Eastern Time) via the world-wide web.
Subject: Declarations
Date/Time: November 2, 2011 from 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)
Website Information: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/r40349758/•
The webinar is an informational brief. Therefore, participants do not register.
Conference Bridge Information: 1-800-320-4330 and Pin #: 885312
Closed Captioning Information: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1840681&CustomerID=321
Course Description: The webinar will provide an overview of the declaration process, to include the actions required before the President declares a declaration and what actions occur once a declaration has been declared. Additionally, the webinar will review the agreement between FEMA and the State.Course
Goals: At the completion of this training, participants will have a basic knowledge of:•
The declaration process; After a disaster is declared, what happens next; and The agreement between FEEMA and the State.
EMI Website: Webinars are announced on the EMI website at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/webinars/EMI
Point of Contact: For course information, contact the EMI course manager, Doug Kuhn, at (301) 447-1287, 1-800-238-3358 (ext. 1287) or email: doug.kuhn@dhs.gov.
Adobe Connect Information: If you have never attended a Connect Pro meeting before: Test your connection: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview
A University of Colorado (CU) graduate student developed an Android application for Twitter to help people use a common language while tweeting during disasters, the Boulder Daily Camera reported September 29. Twitter has become popular during disasters because it offers a concise and efficient communication medium, he said. But, he said, a need to standardize the syntaxes used on Twitter has surfaced particularly for the emergency personnel, affected individuals, concerned loved ones, information officers, and journalists who use it to provide and monitor information and collaborate on rescue efforts. His application uses syntax developed in 2009 by a doctoral student of CU’s Project EPIC (Empowering the Public with Information in Crisis) research group. Nearly 3,000 tweets using the “Tweak the Tweet” syntax were posted in the weeks following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. The graduate student’s app helps provide a solution to better streamline emergency tweets. When those messages are selected, corresponding tweets that could include a user’s status, needs or offers to help are queued for posting online. The app has been downloaded in 20 countries.
U.S. authorities September 28 arrested and charged a Massachusetts man with plotting to damage or destroy the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. by using remote-controlled aircraft filled with plastic explosives. The man, 26, a U.S. citizen, was also charged with attempting to provide support and resources to al-Qa’ida to carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers overseas, the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said. He was arrested after an undercover operation. The statement said the public was never in danger from the devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees. If convicted, the alleged plotter faces up to 15 years in jail for providing support to foreign terrorists, up to 20 years on a charge of attempting to destroy national defense premises, and up to 20 years on a charge of attempting to damage and destroy buildings owned by the United States. Authorities said the physics graduate from Northeastern University in Boston began planning to commit a violent “jihad” against the US in early 2010, calling Americans “enemies of Allah.” The man, allegedly modified mobile phones to act as electrical switches for improvised explosive devices. He is accused of supplying the phones to undercover FBI agents, whom he believed were members of, or recruiters for, al-Qa’ida. The man allegedly told a
cooperating witness he planned to attack the Pentagon using “small drone airplanes” filled with explosives and guided by GPS equipment. He later expanded the plot to include an attack on the Capitol, and hoped to follow the aerial assault with a ground assault involving six people armed with automatic weapons, the affidavit said. Authorities said he traveled to Washington, D.C., to conduct surveillance and take photographs of his targets, and identified sites at East Potomac Park, near the Capitol, from which he planned to launch his explosive-filled aircraft. He then delivered two thumb drives to the agents with detailed attack plans with step-by-step instructions. An F-86 Sabre remote-controlled aircraft was delivered to the suspect’s Framingham, Massachusetts, storage unit in August, according to the affidavit. His arrest came immediately after he took possession of various weaponry from the undercover agents –- including explosives, grenades, and AK-47 assault rifles –- and locked them in his storage unit, the affidavit said.
An Apache Junction, Arizona man who was a former member of a group with neo-Nazi ties is facing up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for bomb-related offenses. The 28-year-old pleaded guilty September 27 in U.S. district court to possession of unregistered destructive devices and the unlawful transportation of explosive material. He will be sentenced December 13. The convict was charged with the crimes in January when he was pulled over in Apache Junction and officers discovered a grenade-like device in his truck. A search of his home turned up about a dozen of the devices. The U.S. attorney’s office said the convict created them using polyvinyl chloride in a container filled with gunpowder, ball bearings, and an improvised fusing system. The convict, who was a member of the neo-Nazi-linked National Alliance and formerly in the National Socialist Movement, had planned to take the bombs to the Mexico border, according to court documents. Authorities said he used ball bearings to make them more dangerous. The investigation leading up to the convict’s indictment was led by the FBI and members of the Phoenix Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The DHS’s Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) demonstrated in front of invited media and Web cast guests the first-ever cell phone capable of detecting life-threatening chemical exposures, dubbed the Cell-All, Urgent Communications reported September 29. The S&T worked with commercial vendors to miniaturize environmental sensors and embed them in commercial devices. The cell phone’s capabilities were demonstrated by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which used them to detect a mock carbon-monoxide incident. Cell-All is a unique environmental sensor and application for cell phones that enhances personal and public safety, ea DHS S&T spokesman explained. He said Cell-All detects and alerts individuals and public-safety authorities to the release of specific toxic chemicals into the environment. The alert is delivered to a device with specific data, such as exposure level or a map of the affected area. In addition, the chemical-detector-empowered cell phone has the potential to send two-way information anonymously. When a citizens’ phone records a high reading, the chemical data and the person’s location can be transmitted to an emergency operations center anonymously, which then can be sent to first-responder agencies.
