Tag Archives: Terror
U.S – Teen Arrested for Planning Alleged IS-Inspired Attack on Pope
September 16, 2015
Source: abcnews
The FBI quietly arrested a 15-year-old boy outside of Philadelphia last month for allegedly threatening to launch an IS-inspired assault on Pope Francis while the world leader tours the United States next week, ABC News has learned.
The case, like so many others in recent months, highlights just how effective ISIS has become in using social media to radicalize Americans, particularly children.
“The minor was inspired by [IS] and sought to conduct a detailed homeland attack which included multiple attackers, firearms, and multiple explosives, targeting a foreign dignitary at a high-profile event,” according to a joint intelligence bulletin by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued to law enforcement across the country on Aug 14.
The “foreign dignitary” mentioned in that bulletin is the Pope, who will finish his U.S. trip with two days of events in Philadelphia, sources told ABC News. In fact, the case is what the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Mike McCaul, was likely referring to Sunday when he disclosed that U.S. authorities “have disrupted one particular case” involving threats to attack the Pope, sources said.
“The minor obtained explosives instructions and further disseminated these instructions through social media,” according to the joint intelligence bulletin.
The boy has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and attempting to provide material support to terrorist activity, the bulletin added.
But sources familiar with the case emphasized that any threat from him was not imminent, and that the boy’s plans were “aspirational.” Additionally, the sources said, there are questions about the boy’s mental health.
In addition, despite repeated threats from ISIS and other groups to target the Pope and the Vatican more broadly over the past year, there is no specific, credible threat to the Pope during his visit to the United States next week, law enforcement officials said Monday.
“The FBI is working closely with the United States Secret Service and our federal, state and local partners in advance of the papal visit to ensure the safety and security of all,” a spokeswoman for the FBI’s field office in Philadelphia said in a statement. She would not comment on any specific cases or threats.
Meanwhile, the FBI-DHS intelligence bulletin noted that “several recent instances” –- including the case now tied to the Pope’s upcoming visit -– “demonstrate some youth are vulnerable to messaging from [ISIS] and its supporters.”
Their “innovative use of social media and messaging has played a key role in motivating young U.S.-based males and females to travel to join the self-declared Islamic State or allegedly attempt to conduct attacks in the Homeland on behalf of” ISIS, the bulletin said.
“These incidents also show that some U.S.-based youth are willing to connect over social media with like-minded persons, and have proven adept at obfuscating such social media usage from their parents and guardians,” the bulletin added.
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Mother who was feared to have fled Britain to join ISIS in Syria is charged with child abduction
September 5, 2015
Source: Daily Mail
- Woman in court accused of planning to travel to Syria with her children
- On Tuesday Turkish authorities had detained the family-of-five
- Refused to stand in the dock, telling judge ‘it’s part of my religion’
- Remanded into custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court
A woman who allegedly planned to travel to Syria with her four children has refused to stand before a judge as she appeared in court charged with child abduction.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was detained in Turkey on Tuesday after the family went missing from their home in north-east London last week.
She appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court in London today, where she indicated she would plead not guilty and refused to stand in the dock before District Judge Susan Green.
The defendant told the judge: ‘I’m sorry, it’s part of my religion, so I would prefer to sit down.’
Judge Green responded: ‘I’m not going to argue. Get on with the case.’
The defendant’s father broke down in tears in the public gallery as his daughter was remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on September 21.
The woman’s husband, two sisters and her cousin were also sitting in the public gallery.
Kidnapping for Ransom Too Lucrative for Terrorists
July 7 , 2013
Source: ASP
Kidnapping Western nationals for ransom has unlocked an alarming source of funds for terrorist organizations, and current counter-strategies don’t seem to offer an effective deterrent.
According to David Cohen at the U.S. Treasury Department, terrorist organizations have accumulated over $120 million through kidnapping for ransom (KFR) between 2004 and 2012—a fairly enticing supply of cash for organizations that have increasingly turned to criminal networks and techniques to finance attacks.
The U.K.’s Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism estimates that over 150 foreign nationals have been kidnapped by Islamist terrorist groups since 2008, many by al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM). In fact AQIM alone received an estimated $65 million in KFR payments between 2005 and 2011, with notable kidnappings that include the In Amenas hostage crisis and the abduction of a German, a Swiss, and two British tourists in Mali.
Providing a rare look into the inner workings of the AQIM organization, a few weeks ago the Associated Press discovered a letter (verified by the Pentagon) from AQIM leaders scolding Mokhtar Belmokhtar, leader of the AQIM faction al-Mulathameen Brigade, for his handling of the hostage negotiations for kidnapped Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler.
While the letter did provide valuable insight into the inner workings of AQIM, it most notably confirmed that leaders recognize the profitability of KFR as a long term strategy and that they are confident in their ability to negotiate higher and higher sums.
Although Canadian officials denied involvement, the letter indicated that Belmokhtar had negotiated $1.1 million in ransom (“meager” by AQIM standards) to secure the release of captured diplomat Robert Fowler in 2009. Some argued that while the Canadian government may not have paid the sum directly, officials have not denied that a third party was involved.
Most Western governments denounce negotiating with terrorists, but with the exception of the U.S. and the U.K. few seem to actually adhere to this pledge.
The G8’s communiqué issued last week did include a staunch guarantee from all member states to not paying terrorist ransoms. In addition to the three T’s—trade, taxes, and transparency—on the agenda, the world leaders united to “unequivocally reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists.”
This declaration marks an important step towards showing solidarity among world leaders and publicizing the issue of KFR in regions like North Africa. Higher awareness among travelers and private sector workers might be the best first step.
However given the inconsistency of governments in the past, the G8 declaration needs some more prescriptions to have consequence.
Interestingly the other recommendations that the G8 made to improve transparency and fight corruption could also help to mitigate KFR if thoroughly pursued, such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.
Pertinent FATF standards include:
- Linking customs and tax agencies to prevent money laundering and cash couriers
- Establishing financial intelligence units that track illicit money flow
- Stricter requirements for financial institutions to report suspicious activity
- Criminalizing funding a terrorist organizations regardless if those funds are linked to an attack
These will help expose private companies or third party organizations that may be paying ransoms, with or without government knowledge, and impose much stricter consequences.
One potential obstacle is the difficulty with which governments label terrorists. As terrorist groups and other criminal organizations collaborate more, radicals will begin to use criminal surrogates to kidnap foreigners and negotiate ransoms on their behalf.
This aspect has to be approached at a local and regional level. The U.S. can work with high KFR risk nations to improve protection services and institutions, but regional cooperation must improve, especially in North Africa. Morocco and Algeria have to reengage and participate in organizations such as the Arab Maghreb Union. Intelligence sharing from local sources and border cooperation can effectively combat criminal and terrorist operations.
If AQIM and other groups continue to reap cash from the KFR industry, other efforts to limit terror financing will become futile. The U.S. and the U.K. must continue to press Europe to commit to non-negotiation, foster greater regional cooperation in the Sahel and Maghreb, and increase public awareness of the high risk of kidnapping.
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Kidnappings in the Philippines: “Run and we will kill you – Warren Rodwell`s Story
June 17 , 2013
Source: KRmagazine
At 6pm on December 5, 2011, 55-year-old Warren Rodwell, who was building a house on the Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines, had downed tools for the day when four gunmen ambushed him
Warren Rodwell on his kidnapping in Philippines
“RUN and we will kill you.”
When Australian adventurer Warren Rodwell heard those words, he knew he was not simply under arrest.
It was 6pm on December 5, 2011. The 55-year-old, who was building a house on the Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines, had downed tools for the day when four gunmen ambushed him
“I’d been on the phone and was just on the outside of the house in an enclosed area. Two guys came around one way pointing rifles at me and shot me in the hand. The other two came around from behind and handcuffed me,” he said.
“When he shot me I swore at him, then he said ‘police’ and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. It all happened too quickly.
“We had to walk two or three kilometres through rice fields. They were behind me trying to hit me with the butt of the rifle and kick me to move me. The guy said ‘run and we will kill you’.
“I was in front and by the time we eventually got to a river and into a boat, I realised I was being kidnapped.”
The gunmen wore military uniforms and their M16 rifles were plastered with police insignia.
The former Australian soldier knew to stay calm and do as he was told when they forced him into a stolen community boat. A similar vessel would carry him to freedom 15 months later.
THE PHILLIPINES
Sydney-born Rodwell lived a nomadic lifestyle. He had trotted the globe twice and seen about 50 countries when he decided to settle in one of the most dangerous parts of the world and marry Miraflor Gutang, 26 years his junior.
“I was looking at early retirement in the Philippines because it was halfway between China, where I’d been teaching for about 10 years, and Australia,” he said.
“I didn’t have a great deal of money but I’d saved some and this was one place that I could buy a bit of cheap land, put a house on it and it’d serve the purpose for my Filipino wife.”
His plan was for the couple to eventually split their time between the three countries, but by late November 2011 it began to unravel.
He separated from Ms Gutang and she moved back in with her parents. He continued working on their house, in what he said was considered a ‘safe area’.
Two weeks later, he was kidnapped.
STAYING ALIVE
Within hours Rodwell realised the rebels who kidnapped him were untrained. After an hour on the boat one of the motors caught on fire and exploded.
“They were kicking the boards that were on fire on to me. Then they were throwing the diesel overboard. As soon as the first guy went overboard so did I. I was in the sea handcuffed. I thought I would drown,” he said.
He was pulled back on to the boat, which his captors then paddled for five hours to an island. It was then apparent they were lost.
“They moored the boat in behind a great big naval ship. The next day the army was there with their military helicopters so we had to hide from them for fear of being shot. Then they took me on an eight-hour boat trip that night. I had to change boats, then the smaller boat hit a rock and it looked like we were going to drown in this raging sea. It was like a movie.”
Filipino police have identified the al-Qaida linked group Abu Sayyaf as being involved in Rodwell’s kidnapping.
For the first three months in the jungle, he thought they were going to kill him.
“I very much so (thought I would die) from having my head cut off. I was going to go crazy thinking about it. I thought the best thing is, just accept it,” he said.
“A couple of times people would cock their weapon and threaten to shoot me and I’d just say ‘Go ahead you f…g idiot … I’m worth 10 million Philippine pesos ($AUD250,000) and you’re worth none so go ahead and shoot’.”
But Rodwell was not the only one who was nervous.
“We got caught at times on the mountains and below us would be civilians coming for water and above us would be the military patrols,” he said.
“The fear was that if the military found our camp, they’d just start shooting. They wouldn’t be looking for me. They’d just shoot anyone they could see.
“Sometimes there were civilians around because they’d come in to do illegal logging or we’d be near a mosque or school. Whenever our presence was found we’d move on. They couldn’t trust anyone because if there was another rebel group they’d try to steal me.”
As his life descended into disaster, Rodwell fought to control his mind by thinking about history, dates and numbers.
“That was the hardest thing of all,” he said. “I had no books or notepads but sometimes the newspaper would be brought in and I’d have my photo taken with it for proof of the date and I’d keep it. I didn’t have any reading glasses but I’d still read the whole newspaper.”
Despite his military experience as a field engineer in the 70s and his acquired survival skills, he never tried to escape.
“I had opportunities but you wouldn’t even call it an escape because there was nowhere I could go,” he said.
“Even if I did get away, the area is all controlled by Abu Sayyaf. That would be like jumping out of the frying pan. It wouldn’t be a smart move at all.”
CAPTIVITY
For the next 15 months Rodwell fought to stay sane amid the constant threat of being shot or beheaded.
He was moved between 30 different locations within the Basilan Islands as his captors tried to evade the military and other militant groups.
Most of the time he was cold and starving. At about 7pm each day, he would climb into his hammock with a roaring stomach.
But he ate as often as his captors. On a good day he was fed boiled rice but at times he went up to six weeks without proper food.
“A treat might have been a can of sardines shared with three or four others,” he said.
“Sometimes it might be one small piece of dried fish. If they added anything to the rice it was one thing only. Sometimes they’d add a shrimp or small prawn but it was pretty meagre.
“At times what I would do to flavour the boiled rice is I would use the conjunctivitis from my eyes because I don’t get much nourishment or taste out of boiled rice. When it goes two or three days of boiled rice only, that’s a lack of oxygen getting to my brain and I start getting headaches and disoriented.
“Some of the messengers that would come in were sympathetic towards me and they would smuggle in bananas and things like that.”
His captors also caught wild birds and cooked tree roots.
There was no sanitary and Rodwell went months without washing.
“I had a wash every three or four months with a bit of water out of a bottle,” he said.
“I did acquire a razor and I’d shave all of the hair off my body for cleanliness. That was a way to keep my body clean. It’s an old military trick. Then I wouldn’t get lice or anything.
“Going to the toilet was a problem with the broken hand. The guy would pour water down my back like you would with a baby.”
He spent about 10 weeks in the mountains and the rest of the time in mangrove swamps.
“At the beginning all I had was a pair of shorts but I acquired and stole some clothes. I’d use whatever I could. One sleeping bag was broken so I tore that and wrapped that around me,” he said.
“When I got transferred in boats they’d sometimes put a blanket around me so I’d steal that. I did end up eventually having a balaclava and then a Filipino army shirt.
“The big problem for most of the time was mosquitos. In the jungle swamps we’d be attacked quite ferociously.”
CAPTORS
Rodwell’s captors, who spoke no English, were child-like.
“The reason I was treated badly was because they don’t know how to look after themselves,” he said.
“Most of my captors were pretty good-hearted souls but being Muslims they’re not restricted by the 10 commandments. They just see it as anyone who’s foreign as having a market.
“This whole thing is a cottage industry. They’re all second and third generation. I only met one or two people who were jungle fighters. The rest were civilians, around 19-20 years old.”
During his time in captivity, Rodwell was guarded by about 100 different rebels.
Within weeks of his capture, his kidnappers began to soften and signs of Stockholm syndrome set in.
“I bonded enough with my guards that on December 31 they took the handcuffs off and gave me something to shave with,” he said.
“It was a bit scary. The only mirror I had was the handcuffs to look at and I could see all this grey hair appearing on my face.
“I had so many changes of guard that I’d recognise the behaviours in them. The married guy would be in tears because he’d miss his family. A couple of them went crazy.
“With others we’d listen to the noises in our stomach from hunger.”
RELEASE
When a ransom of $94,600 was paid on February 3 this year the captors kept their hostage.
“The delay was that between the different levels (of the group) some people were trying to do a side deal on their own,” he said.
“Apparently it was at the insistence of the vice governor that they must release me otherwise he wouldn’t help them in the future with any cases.”
Rodwell had been told on a number of occasions throughout the 15-month ordeal that he would soon be released.
“I believed no one. I didn’t build up hope. I became emotionless,” he said.
“I started suffering PTSD during the captivity and I started healing myself by analysing the situations a lot.”
Throughout, his militant captors released a series of “proof of life’’ videos as part of their ransom demands.
When the “proof of life” questions increased in frequency, he knew something was afoot.
“They were sending questions through every month instead of every two or three months. I also knew something was happening because I’d been moved very close to a fishing village,” he said.
“It was just a gut feeling and it was that weekend that I actually got released.”
As the tide went out on March 22 and darkness fell, Rodwell was put on a boat. After about two hours at sea, he was transferred to a smaller fishing boat and taken to shore.
“The fisherman paddled it to shore and told me to get out. I was told to start walking and say ‘please help me, please help me’.”
He was spotted by Pagadian wharf workers in the early hours of the next morning and taken to the local police station. It was now March 23 – his dead mother’s birthday.
He was then transported to the US military base at Zamboanga for treatment before being flown Manila to recuperate.
During this time he decided against a reunion with his Filipino wife.
“I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone because I know that when she does talk to me, sometimes it ends up being a heated debate trying to understand and communicate,” he said.
“When I’m dealing with the police and we’re doing interviews about the ordeal, I haven’t really got time for someone (breaking down on me). That’d be like being attacked by a wild animal in the dark.
“I also delayed speaking to my children and siblings for a few days because I wasn’t ready.”
Rodwell said he did not believe his estranged wife was involved in his abduction.
“These Filipinos just love to talk. It’s quite possible that with Miraflor, being a bit loose-lipped, that might have helped with the information being disseminated about me being a foreigner and where I was living. It’s just a lack of prudence but these things happen.”
RECOVERY
It has been 18 months since Rodwell was shot and his hand still hasn’t been operated on.
“I’m waiting to go on a waiting list,” he said. “I’ve already been rejected from one waiting list at the Royal Brisbane Hospital because it’s too long and I’m waiting to hear back from QEII hospital.”
He has been diagnosed with PTSD, has damaged nerve tracts in his lower legs and feet and chipped teeth from trying to open coconuts.
But amazingly, he says he is recovering well.
“I’m seeing a private psychologist. Everything is good. I don’t have nightmares. I’ve pulled up pretty well,” he said.
“At the moment I’m still alive and all things considered I’m quite functional.
“I don’t need to see the psychologist for another three months.”
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Iraqi security forces broke up an al-Qaida plot to use chemical weapons, as well as to smuggle them to Europe and North America
June 2 , 2013
Source: The Tribune Review
Iraqi security forces broke up an al-Qaida plot to use chemical weapons, as well as to smuggle them to Europe and North America, the defense ministry announced on Saturday.
Five men were arrested after military intelligence monitored their activities for three months, Gen. Mohamed al-Askari said duringa news conference broadcast on television.
Three workshops for manufacturing sarin and mustard gas were uncovered, he said, and remote-controlled toy planes were seized.
Iraqi soldiers display containing chemical materials confiscated from four men accused of planning to make chemical weapons such as nerve and mustard gas.
Al-Askari said the group intended to put gas in the toy airplanes to attack Shiite Muslim pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Kadhimiya in Baghdad, according to al-Mada Press.
Group members said they also intended to smuggle the weapons to a neighboring country and use them on targets in Europe and North America, al-Mada cited al-Askari as saying. Two chemical manufacturing sites were raided in Baghdad and another unidentified province in the country, the ministry said.
The terrorist cell planning to use the poison gas received instructions on how to make it from al-Qaida outside of Iraq, al-Mada reported.
Al-Qaida in Iraq is believed to be the only offshoot of the terrorist network to have used chemical weapons, the BBC reported. It detonated 16 crude chlorine bombs in Iraq between October 2006 and June 2007.
Chlorine inhalation made many hundreds of people sick, but no deaths resulting from exposure to the chemical were recorded, U.S. officials said at the time.
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Brazil to Install Border Security Cameras
June 1, 2013
Source: Insightcrime.org
Brazil will install video surveillance cameras along the 17,000 kilometer border it shares with 10 other countries, as part of a national public security strategy aimed at combating organized crime along the frontier.
Brazil’s National Public Security Secretariat will provide $13.9 million (29.5 million Brazilian reales) to 60 municipalities in 11 states that border other countries, for the purchase and installation of at least 624 security cameras, Folha reported. Funds will also be used for the transmission systems, video surveillance reception, and the training of system operators. Muncipal, state and federal authorities will work together to review the images
The cameras will be particularly heavily clustered along the border with Paraguay, in the Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana, and Santa Catarina departments, according to Folha’s map.
InSight Crime Analysis
Installing security cameras is part of a wider initiative focusing on Brazil’s border security. Since the implementation of the “Strategic Border Plan” in August 2011, Brazil has reportedly broken up 65 criminal organizations operating along the frontier. Brazil has also signed cooperation agreements with a number of countries, most recently Bolivia, in an attempt to help further secure its borders.
As Latin America’s largest market for cocaine and a transhipment point for drugs going to Europe, border security is a major issue for Brazil. Bolivian and Peruvian cocaine is shipped from Bolivia or through Paraguay, along routes controlled by Brazilian gangs. Human trafficking is also a major problem, leading the government to recently invest in ten new control posts in border towns.
It is worth questioning whether the increased camera surveillance will significantly impact border crime, and whether the cost will be worth the investment. The US has had mixed results with its own expensive border strategy, which emphasized the use of technology. Geographical factors may make surveillance particularly difficult in some regions of Brazil, such as the Amazon. Moreover, evidence from the US has suggested that increased border security in certain zones simply shifts illegal crossings into different areas.
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Revealed: Hundreds of words to avoid using online if you don’t want the government spying on you
June 1, 2013
Source: Daily Mail
Dept. of Homeland Security Forced to Release List of Keywords Used to Monitor Social Networking Sites.
- Department of Homeland Security forced to release list following freedom of information request
- Agency insists it only looks for evidence of genuine threats to the U.S. and not for signs of general dissent
The Department of Homeland Security has been forced to release a list of keywords and phrases it uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist or other threats against the U.S.
The intriguing the list includes obvious choices such as ‘attack’, ‘Al Qaeda’, ‘terrorism’ and ‘dirty bomb’ alongside dozens of seemingly innocent words like ‘pork’, ‘cloud’, ‘team’ and ‘Mexico’.
Released under a freedom of information request, the information sheds new light on how government analysts are instructed to patrol the internet searching for domestic and external threats.
The words are included in the department’s 2011 ‘Analyst’s Desktop Binder‘ used by workers at their National Operations Center which instructs workers to identify ‘media reports that reflect adversely on DHS and response activities’.
Department chiefs were forced to release the manual following a House hearing over documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit which revealed how analysts monitor social networks and media organisations for comments that ‘reflect adversely’ on the government.
However they insisted the practice was aimed not at policing the internet for disparaging remarks about the government and signs of general dissent, but to provide awareness of any potential threats.
As well as terrorism, analysts are instructed to search for evidence of unfolding natural disasters, public health threats and serious crimes such as mall/school shootings, major drug busts, illegal immigrant busts.
The list has been posted online by the Electronic Privacy Information Center – a privacy watchdog group who filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act before suing to obtain the release of the documents.
In a letter to the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counter-terrorism and Intelligence, the centre described the choice of words as ‘broad, vague and ambiguous’.
Scroll down for full list
Threat detection: Released under a freedom of information request, the information sheds new light on how government analysts are instructed to patrol the internet searching for domestic and external threats
They point out that it includes ‘vast amounts of First Amendment protected speech that is entirely unrelated to the Department of Homeland Security mission to protect the public against terrorism and disasters.’
A senior Homeland Security official told the Huffington Post that the manual ‘is a starting point, not the endgame’ in maintaining situational awareness of natural and man-made threats and denied that the government was monitoring signs of dissent.
However the agency admitted that the language used was vague and in need of updating.
Spokesman Matthew Chandler told website: ‘To ensure clarity, as part of … routine compliance review, DHS will review the language contained in all materials to clearly and accurately convey the parameters and intention of the program.’
MIND YOUR LANGUAGE: THE LIST OF KEYWORDS IN FULL
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Risk Assessment – Threat of ‘lone wolf’ terrorism growing, experts warn
April 30, 2013
Source: The daily telegraph
All eyes may be on Africa, but there are fears of a new, unpredictable threat in the west: the so-called “lone wolf”.
This isn’t about a particular country or cause, and some worry it could be a growing trend.
In 2011 Anders Behring Breivik shocked the world with a Norwegian terror rampage. He bombed government buildings in Oslo before going on a shooting spree at a camp held by the country’s Labour Party. The bombings killed eight people, and the shooting left 69 dead.
Breivik was later found to hold various far-right beliefs, including a perception of Islam and Marxism as “the enemy”.
There are fears this kind of attack could happen more often.
Workplace violence
In America, Nidal Malik Hasan is set to undergo court martial proceedings this year after being accused of carrying out a mass shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. The shooting, which happened in 2009, left 13 dead and 30 injured.
The Fort Hood attack is regarded by some as terrorism because of Hasan’s alleged radicalisation, with reports he had been emailing Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric and alleged al-Qaeda recruiter based in Yemen, and monitored for several years as a security threat. The US Department of Defence, however, has referred to it as an act of workplace violence.
Lone wolf attacks could be related to various forms of extremism – for example, Islamism or neo-Nazism – but the danger is that they are hard to track. People operating alone can be harder to follow than a large organisation.
In a recent book, Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understand the Growing Threat, security consultant Jeffrey D Simon argues that lone wolves can be more creative than terrorist groups.
Terrorist breeding ground
He also points out the importance of the internet as a potential breeding ground for terrorists – though this is also an opportunity for counter-terrorism agencies to monitor potential threats.
Britons present their own risks, with a potential rise in British-born terrorists who have trained abroad before returning to the UK.
Last year the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank predicted that terrorists could put their training in countries including Somalia, Yemen or Nigeria to use on UK streets.
In a report, RUSI director-general Michael Clarke wrote: “The threat they pose, so far, is in the possibility that high numbers of such individuals, operating alone and unsupported, albeit in an amateur way, may nevertheless be lucky in a few attempts.
“They are harder to track and their behaviour much harder to predict.”
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News: Boston Marathon: Two bomb blasts at finish line
April 16, 2013
Source: BBC – ABC News
Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon have injured a number of people. Video and photographs from Boston show a scene of confusion, with emergency services descending on the scene.
See the video here: BBC
Two bombs erupted at the famed Boston Marathon today, killing two people and injuring at least 78 while turning the race into what lookedlike a war zone.
Within hours of the explosions, law enforcement officials, including those with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, were questioning a potential person of interest at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where many of the injured were taken, sources told ABC News.
The casualties were caused by two bombs that exploded almost simultaneously near the race finish line on Boylston Street before 3 p.m. The area was crowded with runners and spectators, and thousands of runners were still completing the race at the time of the first explosion.
Police said that two people were killed. At least 78 were taken to hospitals with injuries, including some which have been described as amputations and severe burns.
Watch ABC News’ Live Coverage of the Boston Marathon Explosions
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis declined to say whether he thought the devices were acts of terrorism, but said, “You can reach your own conclusion based on what happened.”
According to law enforcement sources, the first bomb exploded at the Marathon Sports running store, and blew out windows in four nearby buildings, injuring 15 to 20 individuals. The second blast occurred about 50 to 100 yards away, severely injuring more bystanders, Davis said.
Read the whole story and latest news here: ABC News
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