U.S. man charged in Pentagon, Capitol explosive plot

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.

Man indicted in case of bombs meant for border

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.

DHS demos cell phone-based chemical detector

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.

Advanced Crisis Communications Strategies for Public Safety Communications Supervisors (AWR-212-W) Now an online course

This online course provided by Ball State University provides 9-1-1 supervisors with a core understanding of media relations and how it connects to both their daily job duties and their larger roles within crisis situations.  The course includes the following modules:

• The Media and Public Safety Emergencies
• Working Relationships With the Media Before A Crisis
• Working Relationships With the Media During and After A Crisis
• Social Media and Crisis Communications

http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CentersandInstitutes/ACCT/Registration.aspx

 

Taskbooks for All-Hazard for ICS positions Available

Here is a Link to the Taskbooks for All-Hazard for ICS positions

http://ping.fm/0jV0G Have a great night!

Wyoming First Responder Training Needs Assessment

Wyoming First Responder Training Needs  Assessment – See the Results Here

http://www.wleacademy.com/HLS/2011TNAHLS.pdf

Scenario Based Executive Level Training – What is this training about?

This course is created to expand and sustain homeland security leadership across the country. Developed by the Western Community Policing Institute and the Virginia Center for Policing Innovation, the course is designed to be challenge and scenario-based, requiring active participation and problem-solving. Participants, as leaders of their communities, will

Scenario Bases Executive Level Training

learn about leadership theories and traits that will assist them in planning and preparing for a National or domestic all hazards catastrophic event. This course will use historical figures and a pandemic influenza case study to examine and discuss how leaders, at critical times, can do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reasons.

The target audiences for this program are executive leaders representing a broad spectrum of public and private organizations that have official responsibility in implementing a capabilities-based approach to preparedness during a time of a community crisis. This would include representatives from any of the following disciplines and any other executives who have direct involvement in emergency management operations:

Who should attend?
– Law enforcement
– Emergency medical services
– Fire service — Communications
– Public works & public utilities — Government administration
– Public safety — Health care & Private sector executives
– Education
– Emergency Managers

Cost – None

Training is provided by Western Oregon University and is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The course consists of topics including: Carrying Out the Homeland Security Mission: Defining and Understanding Leadership and Management Roles; Successfully Integrating and Synchronizing the Homeland Security Mission through Leadership: Situational Leadership; Homeland Security Executive leadership Skills: Primal Leadership and Emotional Intelligence (EI); Comprehensive Application of Homeland Security Strategies: Transformational Leadership; and, using case studies to assess leadership characteristics.

To Schedule a Course , please contact us at: 307 358 1020 or russell.clark@wyo.gov