IR, 1/1-11/02

IR, 1/1-11/02

Intelligence Report 07 JANUARY 2002

This Open Source report is provided by the U.S. Coast Guard MSO Mobile Intelligence Department as a guide to Industry and Law Enforcement to stay informed of National Security issues.

Additions to the Specially Designated Global Terrorist List

The U.S. government designated another six entities as suspected terrorist organizations and ordered their financial assets blocked.

A Treasury Department spokeswoman said it was too early to tell if any of the six organizations has financial assets in the United States. She said the organizations were not believed to have been involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Treasury said five of the six groups have been especially active in the United Kingdom. They are:

Continuity IRA

Loyalist Volunteer Force

Orange Volunteers

Red Hand Defenders

Ulster Defence Association, also known as the Ulster Freedom Fighters.

The sixth organization named, First October Antifascist Resistance Group, has been active in Spain.

The World's Oceans Could Be The Next Target In The War On Terrorism

The world of maritime shipping could be the next frontier in the United States' war on terrorism. Industry analysts say that it is rapidly becoming apparent that any measure of real security has probably been sacrificed in the quest for speed and economy on the world's oceans.

As one maritime security expert put it: "Shipping is the unprotected belly of America." That sentiment is also shared by the U.S. Coast Guard. (USCG) Commandant Admiral James Loy told a meeting this week at the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO): "We must change our assumptions underlying maritime security. What we saw on September 11 was new ... hijackers taking over commercial flights for the sole purpose of turning them into human guided weapons of mass destruction. We must translate that thought pattern and recognize the vulnerability of our maritime environment."

The USCG is providing the thrust -- and some of the finance -- for negotiations to tighten global maritime security, and as with the broader war on terror it has been strongly backed. Maritime security experts warn that U.S. coastal cities are wide open to attack from the sea. Fuel-laden tankers could be seized and used as floating missiles, or any one of tens of thousands of shipping containers shuttled into the country each day could contain a terrorist chemical, biological, or nuclear device.

The United States relies heavily on shipping to import almost 50 percent of the 19.5 million barrels of oil it consumes each day, and to carry nearly all of the 90 million tons of grain it exports each year. Since 11 September, the USCG has increased its patrols of "critical national infrastructure", such as ports, oil terminals and coastal nuclear power stations. Approaching ships must give 96 hours notice and are often boarded and escorted into port.

Ships' crews themselves are screened as a potential threat. The Philippines, which is home of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, is the world's biggest crew supplier, while Indonesia is home to numerous radical Muslim groups and is the world's second biggest crew supplier.

On 10 September, the day before the terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, the U.S. Coast Guard spent one percent of its operating budget on maritime and port security. Today, it spends 57 percent. That's a fundamental change.

To be totally secure, the whole maritime industry may have to undergo a radical overhaul. Security experts point to reports that an associate of terrorist Usama bin Laden had been found entering Italy in a shipping container as proof that security needed to be beefed up not just in the U.S, but all across the world. Containers are rarely inspected on their journey and provide easy cover for smugglers to transport drugs, weapons and people.

Shipping experts say just two percent of shipping containers entering the U.S. are inspected. The weakness of inspection regimes is illustrated by U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that about 90 percent of cocaine shipments to the U.S. get through undetected. The U.S. Coast Guard seized a record 138,393 pounds of cocaine this year, but estimates it was "just the tip of the iceberg" that was getting through.

According to security experts, the U.S. is well down the road toward sealing its sea borders, but some initiatives will take longer than others. In particular, the U.S. wants to introduce a global "chain of custody" for the world's 15 million shipping containers, so someone somewhere can always be held responsible for their contents. (Source: Emergency Response & Research Institute)

Security Begins with You

If you observe individuals attempting unauthorized access to your facility contact the local authorities immediately. Then inform the US Coast Guard Intelligence Division at:

(251) 441-5755

24hrs at: 441-5121

Computer Security

In recent days, we've heard about attacks from anthrax or smallpox. These bacteria and viruses potentially can kill millions of people and it's difficult to defend against them.

Yet, in the world of computers and the Internet, there also are infectious agents that can cause great harm and that are difficult to defend against. Last year, according to a research firm in California, Computer Economics, worms and viruses cost us more than $17 billion.

This figure includes the costs associated with cleaning malicious computer codes from networks, servers and clients. It also includes the costs of restoring lost or damaged files, plus lost productivity.

No one knows what the future holds, but if malicious individuals can cause billions of dollars in damage to our information systems, how much harm could state-sponsored cyber-terrorists cause?

Computer worms and viruses

A computer virus is a program that copies itself into other programs - it's similar to the way biological viruses invade a host's cells. The computer virus becomes active when you click on the program.

Typically, a virus would come into your computer as an e-mail attachment, probably as an executable file. That is, the attachment would have the letters ".exe" or ".com" or ".vbs." Alternatively, your computer could become infected when you visit a maliciously designed Web page.

If you have a virus, when you open its file it executes a program that can do such things as erase your files or lock up your system. One way it can propagate is by going to your address book and then using your computer to mail out copies.

If you don't open the file, however, a virus usually doesn't harm you. A worm, however, is different. A worm is capable of self-propagation. A single execution or release of a worm can result in millions of infected hosts, whereas the single execution of a virus will only infect one host.

Worms and viruses are out there and they can do staggering economic damage. In a terrorist situation, they could do even worse. However, there are defenses.

4 Tips to Increasing Computer Security

Run a good, well-known virus scanner and insure that it gets updated often

Update your virus program whenever you log onto the Internet.

Don't open attachments from people you don't know

Change your passwords regularly

The rewards for good computer safety practices are invaluable. They save time and aggravation, and help keep damaging programs from spreading and wreaking economic havoc.

International Computer Attacks over last 7 Days

Radical Islamic Groups

This is part three of a continuing series looking at Islamic groups that have become active since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Particularly since the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November of that year, radical Islam has attracted widespread press attention as the driving ideology of the most active Middle Eastern terrorist groups and state sponsors. Much of the data used for this report comes from Patterns of Global Terrorism: 2000 (U.S. Dept. of State web site at: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2000/)

The Islamic Group and Al-Jihad

Egyptian security authorities continue to gain the upper hand in their battle against the opposition Islamic Group and its ally, Al-Jihad, groups that, over the past several decades, periodically have gone underground and then resurfaced. There have been no large-scale terrorist attacks by these groups since the Islamic Group's November 17, 1997 attack on tourists near Luxor, and no attacks inside Egypt at all since August 1998. The gunmen in the Luxor attack killed 58 tourists and wounded 26 others, and then committed suicide or were killed by Egyptian security forces.

Sensing that they are on the defensive and that terrorism has made them unpopular, in late 1997 leaders of both groups, including their common spiritual leader, the 63 year old blind cleric Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman, declared a ceasefire with the Egyptian government. Muhammad Hamza, who is in operational control of the Islamic Group in Egypt while Abd al-Rahman remains incarcerated in the United States, has abided by the truce.

Despite the decline of the groups' activities within Egypt, factions of the groups that are in exile have gravitated to the network of Usama bin Ladin. Several SDTs from the Islamic Group and Al-Jihad now serve in bin Ladin's inner circle as his top lieutenants, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, Rifai Taha Musa, and Abu Hafs Masri (Mohammad Atef). These leaders forswear any truce with the Egyptian government and also seek, in concert with bin Ladin, to attack U.S. interests directly.

Abd al-Rahman was not convicted specifically for the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, but he was convicted for related unsuccessful plots in the New York area, and those convicted in the Trade Center bombing were allegedly associated with him. There has been much speculation about the relationship, if any, between Abd al-Rahman and bin Ladin.

Both recruited fighters for the Afghan conflict against the Soviet Union through centers in the United States and elsewhere, but it is not clear that the two men had any direct contact with each other in Afghanistan. The two also had close connections to the Islamic government of Sudan, although Abd al-Rahman left Sudan in 1990, before bin Ladin relocated there. Abd al-Rahman's two sons reportedly have been in or around Afghanistan since the war ended in 1989.

Before the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing, some of Abd al-Rahman's aides reportedly had personal contact with bin Ladin associates in the United States. Although their recruiting presence has raised questions as to whether or not the United States gave bin Ladin or Abd al-Rahman assistance during the Afghan war, the Central Intelligence Agency has told the Congressional Research Service that it found no evidence that the Agency provided any direct assistance to either of them. The U.S. assistance program for the anti-Soviet groups in Afghanistan focused primarily on indigenous Afghan mujahedin and not Arab volunteers such as those sponsored by bin Ladin or Abd al-Rahman.

The Islamic Group and Al-Jihad formed in the early 1970s as offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood, which opted to work within the political system after being crushed by former President Gamal Abd al-Nasser. Both seek to replace Egypt's pro-Western, secular government with an Islamic state. Al-Jihad was responsible for the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in October 1981. The Islamic Group has been responsible for several attacks on high-ranking Egyptian officials, including the killing of the People's Assembly Speaker in October 1990 and the wounding of the Minister of Information in April 1993. The Islamic Group also has a nonviolent arm, which recruits and builds support openly in poor neighborhoods in Cairo, Alexandria and throughout southern Egypt, and runs social service programs. Al-Jihad has operated only clandestinely, focusing almost exclusively on assassinations.

Specially Designated Terrorists (SDTs)

The following Egyptian Islamist figures have been named as SDTs:

Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman, who was acquitted in 1984 of inciting Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's assassination, is in a medical detention facility in Missouri following his October 1995 conviction for planning terrorist conspiracies in the New York area

Ayman al-Zawahiri, about 50, who is a top lieutenant of bin Ladin and was convicted in Egypt for the Sadat assassination

Rifa'i Taha Musa, about 47, another top aide to bin Ladin

Abbud al-Zumar, leader of the remnants of the original Jihad who is serving a 40 year sentence in Egypt

Talat Qasim, about 44, a propaganda leader of the Islamic Group

Muhammad Shawqi Islambouli, about 46, the brother of the lead gunman in the Sadat assassination. Islambouli, a military leader of the Islamic Group, also is believed to be associated with bin Ladin in Afghanistan.

Bin Laden Hunt Points to Iran Connection

The trail in the worldwide hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is leading to Iran. Airline ticket receipts uncovered in al Qaeda hideouts in the hills of Tora Bora indicate that foreign fighters entered Afghanistan after traveling through Tehran International Airport.

U.S. intelligence officials believe Iran may provide a better escape route than the central Asian nations north of Afghanistan or Pakistan to the south. The reason: Iran has no formal diplomatic ties with the United States and thus may cannot be counted on to cooperate in capturing Bin Laden, blamed by U.S. officials for the September 11 attacks.

Bin Laden in the past has sent Al Qaeda emissaries to western Iran to set up cells there. U.S. intelligence agencies also have reports from the late 1990s linking Bin Laden to Iranian intelligence. One report stated that Bin Laden met with an Iranian intelligence official in Khartoum, Sudan in 1996.

Somalia Being Reviewed for Further Operations

U.S. and allied military forces are stepping up aerial-reconnaissance flights over Somalia in preparation for raids against al Qaeda terrorist bases in the North African nation

Intelligence reports indicate that some 100 Al Qaeda terrorists were identified recently in Somalia. The terrorists were spotted as part of the Islamic rebel group there known as Al-Ittihad Al-Islam.

The Mogadishu-based group, known as AIAI, is linked to Somali warlord Hussein Mohammed Aideed and has close ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist group in Afghanistan.

The reconnaissance flights over Somalia include aerial surveillance by U.S. EP-3, British Nimrod and French Atlantique aircraft. The number of flights increased sharply during the last week.

U.S. intelligence reports over the last several months have indicated that weapons from terrorists in Afghanistan have been transported to Somalia on the Horn of Africa.

A Look at the India - Pakistan Issue

There are unconfirmed reports that India may be withdrawing the second of its three Army HQ reserve divisions from the Northeast for redeployment to the west. This division has gone west in 40 years only once before, during the Kargil 1999 crisis, when India thought Pakistan would open an attack on Kashmir. A corps HQ and a division would normally have shifted west based upon CI operations leaving in the Eastern Command, two corps HQs and four divisions, one of which is so deeply involved in CI operations it may be hard to disengage. Some reports indicate that a brigade from one of the four divisions may also be preparing to move.

The formations in the Northeast India designated as army reserves are not actually reserves. They all are tasked against China. India appears to be assuming there will be no trouble with China while it engages in its search for satisfaction in the west because only a minimal defense is now left in the Northeast.

Securing Food Sources

Events since 11 September 2001 make it Imperative that we diligently work towards ensuring the safekeeping of food supplies for the American public as well as our armed forces.

Food Service Personnel are our first line of defense in ensuring the safety of foods served. When receiving product from food vendors or produce suppliers Food Service Personnel must exercise vigilance to ensure products are safe for consumption.

The following measures shall be implemented to minimize threats to food supplies:

Product should be coming from approved sources and should be delivered by familiar firms and known persons carrying appropriate documentation. If you do not know the truck driver, request proper Identification.

If brands are not familiar or boxes are not properly marked, they should be rejected.

Keep in close contact with suppliers to ensure they understand the situation and send only packaging that you are expecting to receive.

Any product that appears adulterated or tampered with must also be rejected. If detected later, after delivery, it should be segregated and placed on hold for further review. These cases must be reported to the local health authorities.

Procedures should also be reviewed to ensure product is safely stored after receipt.

Access to food supplies should be limited to only appropriate personnel.

Storage spaces should be adequately locked and monitored.

Any indication of food borne Illness should be immediately reported to the Health Authorities.

Syria Developing VX Gas Missile Warhead

Syria is developing a warhead that could deliver VX gas on a Scud-class missile. U.S. defense sources said Syria is advancing in the research and development of a VX warhead on the Scud C missile. The sources said the project could be concluded over the next year.

VX is a nerve gas that has long been produced by Syria. Damascus is already believed to have produced a Scud warhead that can deliver Sarin gas. The VX warhead has been tested on a Scud B missile. The first test was detected as early as 1998. The test was to ensure that VX gas would disperse upon impact of the missile.

The latest Syrian efforts are on the longer-range Scud C program. The Scud B has a range of about 300 kilometers. The Scud C has a range of 500 kilometers.

North Korea is said to have supplied Syria with both technology and equipment for the VX program. But Syria is believed to have shut out all foreigners from its Scud VX weaponization project.

Syria is also developing a chemical warhead for the Scud D program. That missile is said to have a range of up to 700 kilometers. In September 2000, Syria flight-tested the Scud D, which is said to have achieved a range of 600 kilometers.

For Questions or Comments regarding this report, contact CWO Anthony M. Davis at (251) 441-5755

Email: adavis@miomobile.uscg.mil

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Intelligence Report 14 JANUARY 2002

This Open Source report is provided by the U.S. Coast Guard MSO Mobile Intelligence Department as a guide to Industry and Law Enforcement to stay informed of National Security issues.

Recently Reported Incidents

MSO Mobile Intelligence has received reports of numerous suspicious incidents. The incidents listed below are not limited to the Mobile, Alabama area. The following is a brief listing:

Two Male individuals gained unauthorized access to a Coast Guard facility around 0130. When challenged by security personnel, they climbed over a fence and fled.

Numerous incidents of suspicious vehicle activity at a plant facilities.

Numerous instances of stolen identification cards, military vehicles with decals, uniforms and equipment.

Five Columbian Stowaways on a freight vessel overpowered security personnel and fled. Two were later captured. Three are still at large.

An 18-wheel tractor-trailer with two Middle Eastern individuals attempted to gain access to a port facility. After being questioned and presenting suspicious paperwork, they fled from the gate.

Security Begins with You

If you observe individuals attempting unauthorized access to your facility contact the local authorities immediately. Then inform the US Coast Guard Intelligence Division at:

(251) 441-5755

24hrs at: 441-5121

Al Qaeda Operation in the Phillipines

Six years before the September 11 attacks, Philippine police took down an Al Qaeda cell. During a routine fire alarm at the Dona Josefa Apartments, Manila police discovered plans for a potential attack on Pope John Paul II and the bombing of multiple aircraft. Middle Eastern tourists, who came to Manila's neon-lit nightclub district, often used the Dona Josefa apartment building for short-term rentals.

Investigators found a photograph of the pontiff tucked into the corner of a bedside mirror, near a new crucifix, rosary and Bible. There were street maps of Manila, plotting the papal motorcade's route; two remote-control brass pipe bombs; and a phone message from a tailor saying that the cassock ordered was ready for a final fitting. It was obvious they had planned to dress someone up as a priest, and smuggle the bomb past the Holy Father's security detail

A supply of chemicals were found in the apartment which also made it clear that the conspirators had other, plans for larger, more populated targets. Four hot plates were found which showed they were planning to gear up for mass production. After a thorough search of the evidence, a complete inventory of the apartment's contents included a large supply of explosive components: sulfuric, picric and nitric acid, pure glycerin, acetone, sodium trichlorate, nitrobenzoyl, ammonia, silver nitrates, methanamine and ANFO binary explosive, among others. Funnels, thermometers, graduated cylinders and beakers, mortars and pestles, various electronic fusing systems, timers, circuit breakers, batteries, chemistry reference manuals and a recipe written in Arabic on how to build powerful liquid bombs.

More than 200 pages of classified Philippine and U.S. intelligence documents were obtained by The Washington Post Magazine, described in simple detailed directions, how to build a bomb.

Step One: "Put 0.5g of sodium hydroxide with 30 ml of warm water. Add to them 3g of picric acid . . ."

Step Six: "By using an eye dropper, very slowly add sulfuric acid to the liquid until its color is changed to orange, then to brown . . ."

Step Eleven: "Leave the mixture for 12 to 14 hours to allow the acetone peroxide to precipitate, then wash on filter paper until PH level=7 . . ."

Final Step: "Put them in a dark place to dry."

Their product was stored in kitchen cabinets to cure. Investigators found a foot-long finished bomb with a Casio wristwatch timer.

A clue to the identity of the suspects emerged when investigators found dozens of passports with different identities hidden inside a wall. Of those were Abdul Hakim, student, age 26, Pakistani passport No. C665334, issued in Kuwait. His real name, investigators would eventually discover, was Abdul Hakim Murad. According to transcripts from his interrogation, he was Pakistani-born, graduated from high school in Al-Jery, Kuwait, then attended the Emirates Flying School in Dubai. Later, moving on to flight schools in Texas, upstate New York and North Carolina, where after completing the required 275 hours of flight time, he received a commercial pilot's license from Coastal Aviation Inc. on June 8, 1992.

Fingerprints found at the apartment helped identify Ramzi Yousef. Years of assembling bombs had left his fingers scarred and distinctively deformed from mishaps mixing chemicals. He was educated in bomb making in Afghanistan at a training camp for Osama bin Laden's followers, and in turn had taught others the craft in Lahore, Pakistan.

Information obtained from Yousef's laptop computer provided a larger picture of their intentions. The files were encrypted and in Arabic, but were eventually deciphered and translated. One of Yousef's translated documents -- stamped SECRET by Philippine intelligence -- spells out the terrorist cell's objectives:

"All people who support the U.S. government are our targets in our future plans and that is because all those people are responsible for their government's actions and they support the U.S. foreign policy and are satisfied with it.

We will hit all U.S. nuclear targets.

If the U.S. government keeps supporting Israel, then we will continue to carry out operations inside and outside the United States to include… " The text ends at this point.

One of the files on the computer consisted of a printout with U.S. airline schedules. The file, named “BOJINKA”, listed the travel itineraries of 11 long-haul flights between Asia and the United States, mostly on United and American airlines. All the flights had several legs, and were grouped under five headings bearing code names of accomplices such as Zyed, Majbos or Obaid.

Each accomplice would leave the bombs on the first leg of the flight, and then eventually return to locations like Lahore, Pakistan. Obaid, for instance, would fly from Singapore to Hong Kong on United Flight 80, which continued as United Flight 806 to San Francisco. Under the flight plan, Yousef had written:

"SETTING: 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM. TIMER: 23HR. BOJINKA: 20:30-21:30 NRT Date 5."

Zyed, on the other hand, would take Northwest Airlines Flight 30 from Manila to Seoul, with continued service to Los Angeles.

"SETTING: 8:30-9:00. TIMER: 10HR. BOJINKA: 19:30-20:00 NRT Date 4," the accompanying instruction read.

The repeated use of the word "TIMER" concerned investigators, who by then had made the connection between the dozens of Casio wristwatches found in The apartment and one discovered a few weeks earlier on a Philippine Airlines flight from the Philippine town of Cebu to Tokyo's Narita International Airport. The watch had served to detonate a blast that ripped through the

Boeing 747, killing a Japanese passenger and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.

This earlier bombing had been a dry run to test the terrorists' new generation of nitroglycerin explosive, known as a "Mark II" bomb. Yousef had deposited his device -- lethal liquid concealed in a contact lens solution bottle with cotton-ball stabilizing agents and a harmless-looking wristwatch wrapped around it -- under seat 27F on the Manila-to-Cebu leg of the flight to Tokyo. He had gotten off in Cebu after setting the watch's timer for four hours later. The same plan, code-named Operation BOJINKA (meaning "loud bang" in Serbo-Croatian), to be repeated on the 11 American commercial jetliners, with the timing devices synchronized to go off as the planes reached mid-ocean would have killed an estimated that 4,000 passengers had the plot been successful.

Three years later, September 11, 2001, the suicide attacks coincided almost to the day, with another anniversary: the 1996 conviction, in a Manhattan court, of BOJINKA's original plotters. (Source: Extracted from multiple sources)

Radical Islamic Groups

This is part four of a continuing series looking at Islamic groups that have become active since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Particularly since the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November of that year, radical Islam has attracted widespread press attention as the driving ideology of the most active Middle Eastern terrorist groups and state sponsors. The data used for this report comes from Patterns of Global Terrorism: 2000 (U.S. Dept. of State web site at: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2000/)

Al Qaeda

Over the past six years, Al Qaeda, the network of Usama bin Ladin, has evolved from a regional threat to U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf to a global threat to U.S. citizens and national security interests. In building this network, bin Ladin has assembled a coalition of disparate radical Islamic groups of varying nationalities to work toward common goals - the expulsion of non-Muslim control or influence from Muslim-inhabited lands. The network's ideology, laid out in several pronouncements signed by bin Ladin and his allies, has led bin Ladin to support Islamic fighters or terrorists against Serb forces in Bosnia; against Soviet forces in Afghanistan and now Russian forces in Chechnya; against Indian control over part of Kashmir; against secular or pro-Western governments in Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan; and against U.S. troops and citizens in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Yemen, Jordan, and against the U.S. mainland itself.

The backbone of the Saudi dissident's network is the ideological and personal bond among the Arab volunteers who were recruited by bin Ladin for the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-1989). Financially, it draws on the personal fortune of bin Ladin, estimated at about $300 million, but also reportedly including funding from many other sources. Al Qaeda now encompasses members and factions of several major Islamic militant organizations, including Egypt's Islamic Group and Al-Jihad, Algeria's Armed Islamic Group, Pakistan's Harakat ul-Mujahidin, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and opposition groups in Saudi group in the Philippines.

Although there are few evident links to Hamas, bin Ladin was a follower of Dr. Abdullah al-Azzam, a Palestinian of Jordanian origin who was influential in the founding of both Hamas and Al Qaeda. Reflecting its low level of early activity, Al Qaeda was not discussed in U.S. government reports until the “Patterns of Global Terrorism 1993.” That report, which did not mention a formal group name, said that several thousand non-Afghan Muslims fought in the war against the Soviets and the Afghan Communist government during 1979 to 1992. Although the Taliban movement of Afghanistan, which controlled about 90% of that country until recent U.S. military intervention, gave bin Ladin and his subordinates safehaven. Bin Ladin does not appear to be acting on behalf of the Taliban, or vice versa.

Bin Ladin's network has been connected to a number of acts of terrorism. A U.S. court for involvement in several of them has indicted bin Ladin himself.

They include the following:

Bin Ladin has claimed responsibility for the December 1992 attempted bombings against 100 U.S. servicemen in Yemen - there to support U.N. relief operations in Somalia (Operation Restore Hope). No one was killed.

In press interviews, bin Ladin has openly boasted that he provided weapons to anti-U.S. militias in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope and that his loyalists fought against U.S. forces there. His involvement with the Somali militias appears to have strengthened his view that terrorism and low-technology combat can succeed in causing the United States to withdraw from military involvement abroad.

The four Saudi nationals who confessed to the November 13, 1995 bombing of a U.S. military training facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, admitted on Saudi television to being inspired by bin Ladin and other Islamic radicals. Three of the confessors were veterans of conflicts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya.

According to the Patterns 1997 report, members of bin Ladin's organization might have aided the Islamic Group assassination attempt against Egyptian President Mubarak in Ethiopia in June 1995.

There is no direct evidence that bin Ladin was involved in the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. However, the Patterns of Global Terrorism 1999 report says that bin Ladin's network was responsible for plots in Asia believed orchestrated by Ramzi Ahmad Yusuf, who was captured in Pakistan, brought to the United States, and convicted in November 1997 of masterminding the Trade Center bombing. The plots in Asia, all of which failed, were: to assassinate the Pope during his late 1994 visit to the Philippines and President Clinton during his visit there in early 1995; to bomb the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Manila in late 1994; and to bomb U.S. trans-Pacific flights.

The network reportedly also has links to the Abu Sayyaf Islamic separatist The August 7, 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 persons, including 12 American citizens, occurred just after a six month period in which bin Ladin had issued repeated and open threats, including a February 1998 pronouncement calling for the killing of U.S. civilians and servicemen worldwide. On August 20, 1998, the United States launched cruise missiles on bin Ladin's training camps in eastern Afghanistan, based on U.S. evidence of his network's involvement in the bombings. The United States also struck a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that the Administration alleged was linked to bin Ladin and was producing chemical weapons agents. U.S. officials add that the bombings were intended to disrupt planning for a new attack. For their alleged role in the bombings, a U.S. court has indicted 17 members of Al Qaeda, including bin Ladin.

Four of the six in U.S. custody have been tried and convicted; three are in custody in Britain.

In December 1999, U.S. and Jordanian law enforcement authorities uncovered and thwarted two alleged plots - one in the United States and one in Jordan - to attack U.S. citizens celebrating the new millennium. The United States plot, allegedly to bomb Los Angeles international airport, was orchestrated by a pro-bin Ladin cell of Algerian Armed Islamic Group members coming from Canada. In June 2000, Jordan tried 28 who allegedly were planning to attack tourists during millennium festivities in that country, but 15 of those charged are still at large. Also in June 2000, Lebanon placed 29 alleged followers of bin Ladin on trial for planning terrorist attacks in Jordan. The presence of bin Ladin cells in Jordan and Lebanon - coupled with Israeli arrests of alleged bin Ladin operatives in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - suggests that Al Qaeda might plan acts of terrorism in connection with the Palestinian uprising.

The Patterns of Global Terrorism 2000 report says that “supporters” of bin Ladin are suspected in the October 12, 2000 bombing of the destroyer U.S.S. Cole in the harbor of the port of Aden, Yemen. The blast, which severely damaged the ship, killed 17 and injured 39 Navy personnel. Since the August 1998 U.S. retaliatory strikes on the Afghan camps and the Sudan pharmaceutical plant, the Taliban leadership has tried to dissociate itself from bin Ladin by asserting that he is no longer its guest. However, Taliban officials have rebuffed repeated U.S. requests to extradite him, claiming that the United States has not provided the Taliban with convincing evidence that bin Ladin might have been involved in anti-U.S. terrorism. Adding to the U.S. concerns, several hundred U.S. shoulder-held anti-aircraft weapons (“Stingers”) are still at large in Afghanistan, and, because of bin Ladin's financial resources, it is highly likely he has acquired some of them. U.S. officials say bin Ladin's fighters have experimented with chemical weapons and might be trying to purchase nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction materials. From those comments, it is reasonable to assume that bin Ladin's organization has at least a rudimentary chemical weapons capability.

The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon and the hijacking of flight 093 have been definitively linked to the Al Qaeda organization.

Israel Seizes Arms Shipment

Israel has intercepted the vessel, KARINE A, a boat, which it says was carrying 50 tons of weapons destined for the Palestinian Authority. Israeli forces seized the ship in the Red Sea, at the southern tip of the country.

The interception came as US peace envoy Anthony Zinni began a day of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Israeli commandos had boarded the boat 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Israeli port of Eilat on Thursday in a raid.

The Israeli government has accused the Palestinian Authority of being behind the 50 tons of arms being shipped, which included Katyusha rockets, rifles, mortar shells, mines, a variety of anti-tank missiles and over 3,000 pounds of plastic explosives.

The captain of the ship, who was arrested by Israel, said the boat, the Karine A, belonged to the Palestinian Authority and was carrying mortars, long-range missiles and anti-tank rockets from Iran. He said he took his orders from a Palestinian Authority official in Greece. (Mutiple sources)

Land Mine Found in Car in Washington State

Police discovered a land mine under a car seat during a routine traffic stop New Year's Eve, and prosecutors say the driver was carrying instructions for setting it off.

The driver was jailed for investigation of possessing an explosive device and possessing a dangerous weapon.

Bradley Hull, 33, was ordered held Wednesday on $25,000 bond. Patrol Officers learned he had a suspended driver's license, arrested him and searched his car. Police found a dark green object under the seat with MI8A1 written on it; the Washington State Patrol bomb squad identified the object as a mine.

The M18A1 was designed for use against massed infantry attacks and can kill people within a 160-foot radius, according to a 1966 U.S. Army Field Manual. It required a detonator that was not present. The individual said he keeps this item for protection against his father.

Heat-Sensing Camera Detects Deception

A recent study suggests that a heat-sensing camera trained on people's faces can detect deception, and may be useful in spotting terrorists at airports.

Mayo Clinic researchers tested six of eight subjects. Of those that were deceptive for the test, a high-resolution thermal imaging camera detected a faint blushing around their eyes. These, in comparison of the truthful subjects indicate that there is evidence of deception.

Such facial imaging could provide a simple and rapid way of scanning people being questioned at crucial security points at airports or border crossings.

Other scientists questioned the validity of the findings, due to the small number of individuals tested and doubted whether this technology could be used for real-life situations.

The study conducted involved 20 military recruits. These recruits were randomly to either take a $20 bill from the clothing of a store mannequin, or to do nothing.

During the interview process, the recruits were then filmed with the thermal imaging system. Each of the recruits was asked the same questions, in the same order. Those who took the money were instructed in advance to lie about the theft.

Six of the eight recruits who took the money displayed heat patterns around their eyes. Eleven of the 12, who did not take the money, had shown no indication of deceit. Follow-up testing revealed similar results.

Ex-Nuclear Plant Worker Makes Threats

A 43-year-old mechanic recently fired from a nuclear plant was arrested for allegedly threatening former co-workers. Authorities found a cache of more than 250 weapons in his home and a rented storage locker.

The man may have wanted revenge over losing his job at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station plant several weeks ago. He had worked at the plant since 1984, but lost access to the nuclear reactor area in 1995.

Several times since his firing, the man called to threaten supervisors and other employees at the plant in San Diego County, 65 miles south of Los Angeles. The individual did not threaten the nuclear plant itself.

The man was arrested Tuesday at his Laguna Niguel home and booked for investigation of terrorist threats. Officials found 54 weapons at the man's house and more than 200 at a storage locker he rented in San Juan Capistrano. The cache included tear gas, hand grenades and assault rifles. The locker also contained 4,000 to 5,000 rounds of ammunition and four inert hand grenades lying next to a container of explosive powder.

Two deputies at the storage unit were overcome by a yellowish vapor that officials later identified as military-grade tear gas. The deputies were taken to a hospital to be examined. A hazardous Material Team was sent to the scene. (Multiple Sources)

IRS Computers, Guns and Badges Missing

The Internal Revenue Service is working to account for more than 2,300 computers that are missing over a three-year period. A recent Treasury Department audit was unable to determine whether the laptops and other small computers were lost, stolen or simply not properly documented. The IRS is reasonably sure that none contained sensitive taxpayer data or could provide a way for hackers to break into the tax agency's secure main computers.

A Treasury inspector general uncovered the missing computers during an audit late last year that also found six unaccounted-for IRS firearms and hundreds of lost investigative items such as badges and communications gear.

Of the six missing guns, one was lost in an ocean boating accident and five were stolen from vehicles. Fifty communications devices, 40 identification badges and 15 pieces of electronic surveillance gear were also reported missing, which according to auditors could compromise the public's safety or ongoing investigations.

Expert: Terrorist Organizations Have Sent

Sleeper Agents For Training In The West

Islamic insurgency groups and their Middle East government sponsors are sending agents to the West for training in weapons of mass destruction as well as cyber warfare.

Iran, Iraq, Syria as well as Hamas and Hizbullah have sent agents to Europe and the United States for training in WMD and cyber warfare. In many cases the agents enroll in Western universities under the guise of those studying liberal arts, and then change their major to the sciences.

According to Yonah Alexander, director of the Washington-based International Center for Terrorism Studies, Advanced technology, including the use of biological, chemical and cyber warfare, is the terrorist challenge for tomorrow.

He said the Iranian-backed Shi'ite group has sent followers around the world to serve as so-called sleeper agents. These are members activated in times of crisis when the organization or government can no longer maintain a presence in the targeted country. "Hizbullah has sent entire families to settle in Latin America, South Africa and Europe," Alexander said. "It's a long-term approach that follows the Soviet model to send sleepers. U.S. law enforcement agencies are taking this very seriously."

Alexander said Islamic insurgents will continue to launch massive terrorist attacks regardless of the fate of Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden. He said Bin Laden's Al Qaida operates in 60 countries around the world and is supported by numerous satellite groups.

Upcoming Terrorist Calender

01/14/1986

Guatemala

Democratic Government Returns

President Vinicio Cerezo and a new congress were inaugurated, initiating the first democratically elected civilian government after fifteen years of military rule.

01/14

Sri Lanka

Tamil Thai Pongal Day

01/15/1918

Egypt

Birthday of President Nasser

Former Egyptian president Gamel Abd El Nasser was born.

01/15/1922

Ireland

Founding of Irish Free State

01/15/1991

Tunisia, Middle East

Abu Iyad Assassinated

Abu Iyad, the second-ranking PLO leader, and two other high-ranking PLO officials were assassinated by a guard suspected of working for the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO).

01/16/1977

Benin

Liberation Day (Martyrs' Day)

Commemorates the repulsion of an invasion by mercenary troops from Gabon. No longer officially celebrated following the transition from a Marxist-Leninist military regime to a civilian government.

01/16/1979

Iran

The Shah Departed Iran

01/17/1991

Iraq, Kuwait

Allied Air Campaign Begins

The start of hostilities between the multi-national forces and Iraqi forces. The beginning of Operation Desert Storm.

01/17/1993

Iraq

U.S. Missile Raid Near Baghdad

The United States carried out a missile strike against a nuclear fabrication and reprocessing facility southeast of Baghdad. The raid came as a response to Iraq's refusal to allow UN weapons inspectors to enter Iraqi airspace through the "no-fly" zone.

\01/17/1973

Philippines

Constitution Day

01/18/1993

France, Iraq, United Kingdom, United States

Allies Raid Iraq

French, British, and U.S. aircraft carried out raids against air defense installations in Iraq's "no-fly" zones.

01/18/1952

Tunisia

Bourguiba Revolution

Also known as Remembrance Day.

01/19/1993

Czech Republic, Slovak Republic

Admission To United Nations

The Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were admitted as member states of the United Nations.

01/20/1973

Guinea-Bissau

National Heroes' Day

Commemorates the assassination of Amilcar Cabral, founder of the ruling party.

01/20/1981

Iran

U.S. Embassy Hostages Released

Fifty-two American hostages were released after 444 days in captivity following an agreement between the U.S. and Iran arranged by Algeria.