Weekly Security Brief - March 31st 2014

Dilitas Weekly Security Brief



This report has been compiled from current, open source data supplied through contacts within Diplomatic Posts, law enforcement agencies and UK intelligence services.
The information herein is to keep you informed of the current security situations within the UK and the rest of the world.
If you require more specific information on any other prevailing matters, please contact us at info@dilitas.com detailing what you require and we will respond to you.

Regards,
Christopher Cully
Managing Director



The threat to the UK from International Terrorism is SUBSTANTIAL



The threat to Great Britain from Irish Republican Terrorism is MODERATE



Domestic:



Two men have pleaded guilty to charges of encouraging terrorism and disseminating terrorist material at the Old Bailey earlier last week. Both Ibrahim Hassan and Shah Hussain admitted disseminating audio files by Anwar al-Awlaki and are said to have made speeches at a mosque in Regents Park. Ibrahim Hassan had been arrested last year after speaking to BBC Newsnight claiming one of Lee Rigby’s killers had been approached by the security services. The pair are due to be sentenced on the 2nd May 2014.



A forty two year old from Birkenhead has been found guilty last week of engaging in the conduct in the preparation of terrorist acts. Police had raided the home of Ian Forman last summer and had found a homemade improvised explosive, plans outlining details of a bomb attack at mosques and Islamic centres and anti-islamic videos featuring Foreman himself. Police had first become aware of Forman after colleagues of his raised concerns around his behaviour at work, where he would research chemicals and explosive substances on his employers IT systems. Kingston Crown Court was told that a list of targets found on Forman’s home computer included an Islamic Centre and a Mosque in Liverpool. The Crown prosecutor told the court that Forman was a deeply racist man who had embraced extreme right-wing ideology. She said, “His ultimate goal was to create explosive devices that could be used as part of acts of terrorism against one of those sections of society who were different in race and religion to himself and represented the object of his hatred.” Forman is due to be sentenced on the 1st May.



A serving British soldier is set to be charged with explosives and terrorism offences, it was revealed last week. Ryan McGee, who had been serving with The Rifles at the time of his arrest last December, is alleged to have made an improvised bomb and had been in possession of a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook. The Crown Prosecution Service stated that it could not speculate on the soldiers alleged motivation, but there was enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction that would be in the public’s interest. McGee is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on the 2nd April.



An expert witness used by the crown in the trial of the 21/7 bombers used "unsound" methods to reach flawed conclusions about whether the mix of materials carried by the accused men amounted to a viable explosive, the court of appeal has heard this week. In 2007, at the original trial of the plotters involved, they claimed that the bombs they made were deliberately constructed not to explode and were actually a hoax. They claimed that they had planned to carry out a series of fake suicide attacks as part of a protest against the invasion of Iraq. At the end of the trial, four men were found guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions, conspiracy to murder and they were sentenced to life in jail.



A UK study challenges certain myths about terrorism sympathizers, finding them to be more often found among not the dispossessed and downtrodden, but the comfortable. The study surveyed more than 600 British residents and citizens of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Muslim heritage. A small minority of people (2.4%) expressed some sympathy for violent protest and terrorism, whilst over 6% remained neutral - i.e., they did not show sympathies but nor did they condemn such acts. However, sympathy levels increased among those under 20, those in full time education rather than employment, those born in the UK, and high earners (£75,000 per year or more). Interestingly, migrants and those speaking a language other than English at home, and those who reported having poor physical health, were all less likely to show sympathies for terrorist acts.



Al-Qaeda is encouraging terrorists to mount bomb attacks at Epsom Downs Racecourse when the Queen and tens of thousands of spectators attend the Derby. Inspire, an English-language magazine published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has published an article encouraging jihadists returning from the civil war in Syria to become suicide bombers or use car bombs to inflict mass casualties at key sporting events. In addition to the Epsom Derby, the magazine mentions Wimbledon, football matches and the Savoy Hotel as suggested targets



There are no longer any terror suspects subjected to special prevention and investigation measures, the terrorism watchdog has confirmed. Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs) expired between 2 January and 10 February for seven out of 10 men believed to have been involved in al-Qaeda-related terrorism, David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said.



Northern Ireland and Eire:



Former Irish Republican Army Commander, Ivor Bell, has been charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of Jean McConville in 1972. Family members of McConville attended court a week last Saturday to see Bell charged with her murder. A solicitor for Bell stated that evidence against him was not credible and was based on information held on the ‘Boston College Tapes’ – a series of interviews from former republican and loyalist paramilitaries which were not due to be made public until after those involved had died. Bell was refused bail as it is understood that there is a high risk of him absconding.



Several arrests were made last week in connection to the murder of two Catholic workmen in north Belfast in 1994. The arrests were carried out as part of Operation Stafford, an investigation into a series of murders and crimes by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). A 48 year old man has since been charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm and is due to appear in court later today. A female and three other men also arrested, have since been released.



The 1998 Omagh bombing could and should have been prevented, a court has heard. Lawyers for the father of one of those killed in the atrocity claimed there was enough intelligence available before the terror strike. Michael Gallagher is seeking to judicially review Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers' decision to rule out a public inquiry. His son Aiden was among 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, who died in the Real IRA attack. Together with relatives of some other victims, Mr Gallagher is campaigning for a cross-border investigation into allegations that the security services could have done more to thwart the bombers.



A bomb which exploded in a residential area of Londonderry on Wednesday night resulted in residents being evacuated for over six hours. The bomb, placed inside a car, had only caused damage to the vehicle but was later examined by police and army bomb disposal personnel. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.



The former IRA Commander, Martin McGuinness, is set to make an historic trip to Windsor Castle to attend a state banquet hosted by the Queen it has been claimed. Two years after he memorably shook hands with the British monarch, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister is said to be on the guest list for a white tie dinner in honour of Irish President Michael D Higgins next month.



Tony Blair could be questioned over his role in the IRA “comfort letters” scandal – but his evidence to a senior judge may be kept secret. The deal for the so-called “on-the-runs” saw up to 200 IRA terror suspects sent letters of assurance, telling them police no longer wanted them. The scale of the scheme emerged last month when a suspect in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing walked free because he had a letter, sparking a political storm.



Gardaí say it is just “a matter of time” before dissident republican Declan Smith dies from traumatic gunshot injuries to his head. The 32-year-old was shot in the face at close range after he dropped his child off at a crèche in north Dublin on 21 March. Smith, originally from Belfast, has been on a life support machine since he was rushed to hospital. Garda sources said he was “fading fast” and that it was just a “matter of turning off the machine”. Detectives believe the shooting is the result of an internal feud within the Real IRA in north Dublin over money.



An inquiry into IRA-Garda collusion in the murders of two of the most senior RUC officers to die in the Troubles should be reopened on the back of the Garda surveillance scandal, a lawyer for one of the dead men's families has said. Revelations that phone calls at stations have been recorded since the 1980s could have major ramifications for investigations into the Provo ambush of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan on their way home from a security meeting in Dundalk in March 1989.



International:



A court in Pakistan has charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with treason, the first army chief to face such a prosecution. Mr Musharraf is accused of unlawfully suspending the constitution and instituting emergency rule in 2007. He pleaded not guilty and has always claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated. He faces the death penalty if convicted.President from 2001 to 2008, he was one of Pakistan's longest-serving rulers.



 The United States and the European Union agreed last week to work together to prepare possible tougher economic sanctions in response to Russia's behaviour in Ukraine, including on the energy sector, and to make Europe less dependent on Russian gas.



US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced no breakthrough on Ukraine, following four hours of "frank" talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov yesterday. Mr Kerry said he told Mr Lavrov that the US still considered Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Crimea region to be "illegal and illegitimate". He said he had stressed that no decision on Ukraine's future could be made without Kiev's involvement. Earlier Mr Lavrov set out demands for a neutral and federal Ukraine. Mr Kerry told a news conference in Paris: "We will not accept a path forward where the legitimate government of Ukraine is not at the table. "This principle is clear: no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine." He said he had also raised "strong concerns" about the presence of Russian troops on the Ukraine border, which he said created a climate of fear and intimidation.



North and South Korea have exchanged fire into the sea across the disputed western sea border, South Korea says. North Korea announced early on Monday that it would hold live-fire drills in seven parts of the border area. South Korea says it returned fire after North Korean shells landed in its territorial waters. The area has been a flashpoint between the two Koreas. The UN drew the western border after the Korean War, but North Korea has never recognised it. In late 2010, four South Koreans were killed on a border island by North Korean artillery fire.



Thirty-five out of 53 nations taking part in a summit on nuclear security have pledged to turn international guidelines into national laws. The US, UK and Japan were among the countries to agree to the deal at the summit in the Dutch city of The Hague. Major nuclear powers Russia, China, India and Pakistan did not join the initiative. One of the main objectives of the deal is to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear material.



A court in New York has found Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law, guilty last week on three terrorism related charges. Sulaiman Abu-Ghaith was charged in relation to conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiring to provide support to al-Qaeda and providing support to al-Qaeda. Abu-Ghaith denied he was a recruiter for the group, claiming his role was only to encourage Muslims to rise up against their oppressors and that his meetings with Bin Laden were out of respect for his status. Abu-Ghaith, who is the highest ranking al-Qaeda figure to face trial in the US since the 9/11 attacks, could face a life sentence when sentenced in September.



Now that Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans, the feds have their sights set on another radical cleric. Hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri is scheduled for trial in Manhattan Federal Court on April 14. Known for his prosthetic hooks and for breeding terrorists at a London mosque, the Egyptian-born imam is charged with supporting the Taliban, aiding an attack on tourists in Yemen in 1998 that left four hostages dead and plotting to set up an al-Qaeda training camp in Oregon.



An Al-Qaeda sympathiser, Jose Pimentel (29), was sentenced to sixteen years in prison last week, having previously pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism. Pimentel had admitted trying to build a pipe bomb to use in a terror attack in New York and to carry out attacks targeting law enforcement officials,



American soldiers and Jews. Described as a ‘lone wolf’, court papers also highlighted how Pimentel had maintained a website praising Osama bin Laden and justifying the September 11th attacks.



Al-Qaeda operatives may be infiltrating Syria to establish a staging ground for new attacks against the West, the New York Times has said. US intelligence and antiterrorism specialists believe Syria has seen an influx of mid-ranking and other veteran al-Qaeda members from Pakistan in past months, the newspaper said last week. The concern emerged as secret intelligence findings hinted at possible work by Ayman al-Zawahiri and other al-Qaeda commanders to prepare a more sophisticated strategy for tracking down and taking in Syrian rebel fighters from Western countries. The terror group could exploit Syria to "recruit individuals and develop the capability to be able not just to carry out attacks inside of Syria, but also to use Syria as a launching pad," CIA Director John Brennan told members of the House of Representatives.



Afghanistan has accused Pakistan's intelligence service of staging an attack, two weeks ago, on a hotel in Kabul in which nine people including foreigners were shot dead by militants. Afghanistan usually speaks of unnamed foreign powers when it wants to hint at a suspected Pakistani role in an incident, but the statement by Afghanistan's NDS intelligence agency pointed its finger directly at Islamabad. The National Security Council (NSC), which is chaired by Afghan President Hamid Karzai,



 also alleged that a Pakistani diplomat was seen scoping out the corridors of the Serena hotel ahead of the attack. Security guards searched four attackers - twice - before allowing them to enter an Afghan hotel where the young men proceeded to the restaurant and killed nine diners, including four foreigners and an AFP journalist, his wife and two children, according to chilling closed-circuit video broadcast last weekend by a local TV station. The question of how the gunmen penetrated the tight security of the Serena hotel - considered one of the safest spots in the Afghan capital - with pistols and ammunition is one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the attack. Afghan authorities have said the attackers hid the weaponry in the soles of their shoes, wrapped in plastic. An Interior Ministry spokesman displayed the tiny pistols, which fit in the palm of a hand, ammunition and large shoes at a press conference following the attack.



Earlier last week, Turkish forces shot down a Syrian military jet that they claimed was violating their airspace despite warnings. The Turkey's Prime Minister warned such action by Syria merited a "heavy response". Turkey and Syria - once allies - share more than 500 miles of border.



Turkey has blocked access to YouTube, hours after the release of a leaked tape in which top national security figures appear to discuss preparing for a possible clash with Syria. Turkey's foreign ministry has said that the leaking of the recording was a "wretched attack" on national security and those behind it would receive the heaviest punishment. The news comes only a day after courts in the country ordered that a ban of Twitter be lifted.



Yemeni security forces freed two Westerners unharmed last week after they were kidnapped by gunmen in the capital Sanaa, police sources said, in an incident highlighting the growing security threat in the country. They said one of the Westerners was a diplomat [believed Italian] for the United Nations and the other was a woman accompanying him. Hostage-taking in Yemen is sometimes carried out by militants aiming to intimidate Westerners, but is also used as a tactic by tribesmen to resolve disputes with the government, and by opportunists hoping to sell hostages on to other groups.



A congressional committee last week criticised US federal agencies for failing to detect and prevent last spring's attack on the Boston Marathon. A House Homeland Security Committee report criticised the Customs and Border Protection office, the FBI and other US entities for their failure to adequately exchange information on Tamerlan Tsarnaev - one of the two men alleged to have concocted and carried out the bombing attack last April, the Boston Globe reported. Tsarnaev, who was killed in a shootout with police several days after the bombing, was initially investigated by the FBI in 2011. His younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is scheduled to go on trial in November for his alleged participation in the terrorist attack, which killed several people and injured more than 250.



Libya could become the next crucible of global terrorism, akin to Afghanistan under the Taliban, the country’s former Prime Minister has warned. Ali Zeidan urged Britain, America and France to try to bring the country back from the brink of collapse, almost three years after the killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Mr Zeidan, who fled to Germany after being ousted by parliament when he lost a confidence vote this month, said, “Libya could be a base for al-Qaeda for any operation to Italy, to Britain, to France, to Spain, to Morocco, to everywhere ...”



An Egyptian court last week opened and adjourned a second mass trial of 683 alleged supporters of Mohamed Morsi, including the Muslim Brotherhood's top leader, Mohammad Badie. The supporters are on trial for murder, incitement of violence and sabotage. A lawyer at the trial said sentencing would take place at the 28 April hearing. The proceedings followed a day after the same court handed down death sentences to 529 suspected backers of Morsi over a deadly attack on a police station. The death sentence verdict was criticized by rights groups, the US, and the



EU, among others.



Weeks before Benigno Aquino III was elected president of the Philippines in 2010, the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hosted a secret meeting with a high-ranking US embassy official and two American dignitaries. Four years now into his presidency, Aquino has now signed a final peace agreement with the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group. This will hopefully bring an end to 40 years of armed conflict in Mindanao that has left at least 120,000 people dead and displaced more than two million.



Three US Secret Service agents tasked with protecting President Barack Obama in the Netherlands have been sent home for "disciplinary reasons". The Washington Post reported that one was found drunk and passed out in the hallway of an Amsterdam hotel. A Secret Service spokesman declined to give details but said the three had been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.



A new study, "Cost-Benefit Analysis of Airport Security: Are Airports Too Safe?," published in the March edition of Journal of Air Transport Management, concluded that the addition of greater security measures at airports in the United States may not be worth the cost. The study by [two academics] suggested that the US should instead consider relaxing some of the currently existing security tactics in use at the nation's airports. Using cost and risk reduction numbers for Los Angeles International Airport that were calculated before the Nov. 1 shooting there, Mueller and Stewart looked at several potential threats, as well as several potential security measures. After looking at the cost and effectiveness of those security measures in managing the potential threats, the study concluded that the cost of such measures would not be justified, as none of them would be able to completely eliminate any of the threats. The report added that, given how highly questionable increasing security was found to be, airports may want to consider whether their current security arrangements might be excessive. In their report, Mueller and Stewart also concluded that airports are not priority targets for terrorists.



The Transportation Security Administration has spent some $1 billion training thousands of “behaviour detection officers” to look for facial expressions and other nonverbal clues that would identify terrorists. But critics say there’s no evidence that these efforts have stopped a single terrorist or accomplished much beyond inconveniencing tens of thousands of passengers a year. The TSA seems to have fallen for a classic form of self-deception: the belief that you can read liars’ minds by watching their bodies. Most people think liars give themselves away by averting their eyes or making nervous gestures, and many law-enforcement officers have been trained to look for specific tics, like gazing upward in a certain manner. But in scientific experiments, people do a lousy job of spotting liars. Law-enforcement officers and other presumed experts are not consistently better at it than ordinary people even though they’re more confident in their abilities.



Cyber News:



Governments alone cannot solve the IT security challenge. The IT industry and the business community need to take action too. Over the last few years, the UK government and its agencies have invested significantly in stepping up cybersecurity protection, even devoting a significant share of a declining military budget to cyber measures. By the Government's own estimates, 93 per cent of large companies, and 87 per cent of SMEs, have suffered a cyber-breach over the last year – with a cost ranging from £450,000 to £850,000 for breaches at large enterprises.



Federal agents notified more than 3,000 US companies last year that their computer systems had been hacked, White House officials have told industry executives, marking the first time the government has revealed how often it tipped off the private sector to cyber intrusions. The alerts went to firms large and small, from local banks to major defence contractors to national retailers such as Target, which suffered a breach last fall that led to the theft of tens of millions of Americans’ credit card and personal data, according to government and industry officials.



A Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesman Geng Yansheng, at his monthly press briefing, denounced US “hypocrisy” on the issue of cyber-spying. “For some time, some people in America have jabbered on and on, criticising China for carrying out hacking attacks,” Geng said. “The facts prove that this is completely without basis, simply a thief yelling ‘Stop, thief!’” He went on to add that recent media reports regarding US surveillance of Chinese government bureaus and companies “completely expose US hypocrisy and hegemony.”

---

The CPD team would like to thank Chris Cully at Dilitas LTD for allowing us to publish their Security Brief on the forum.
Please do not share this outside CPD.

---

http://www.dilitas.com/

The City of London Police Overseas Anti Corruption Unit (OACU) has launched a new video, Consequences Begin at Home, to help businesses understand the implications of the Bribery Act and how it affects them.

The video, designed to be used by companies as internal training for their staff, is available free of charge and has particular relevance for small and medium-sized enterprises who do not have the same capacity or resources available to them as bigger organisations.

Commander Steve Head said: “Corruption differs from most other crimes in that most of the victims are abroad and are often unaware of the offence. But the corrosive effect that this type of offence can have on society and on the rule of law cannot be underestimated. We regularly engage with our International partners and colleagues, assisting them in the pursuit of offenders. The consequences on individuals within the UK are also significant so please take the time to watch/use the video. Commercial reputations take many years of hard work to establish, but can literally be lost overnight through lack of adequate procedures and governance, please don’t be that company.”

OACU has a global remit to investigate allegations of UK companies and individuals involved in Bribery in developing countries overseas. The unit also provides information and crime prevention advice about the Act and its practicable application to commercial organisations

View the video at: http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/corruptionvideo

Superb, many thanks to Dilitas for the security briefs.

From City of London police
At 1600hrs on Friday 4th April 2014 there is a possible protest in the vicinity of St Paul’s. 

There is a policing plan in place.

If you see any suspicious behaviour or activity please call the City of London Police on 020-7601-2222 or in an emergency dial 999

Update for above post:



Wave of Action demonstrations organised by Anonymous on Friday 04/04/2014 and Saturday 05/04/2014

This event is believed to be organised by the Anonymous group to campaign against Fracking, Corruption, New Anti Social Law, Water Cannons and Cuts.
On Friday the 04/04/2014, the event will begin at 1300hrs, and finish at 1300hrs 05/04/2014. The initial event is a rally and some speeches at Trafalgar Square followed by people celebrating the Occupy Movement. It has been suggested that a vigil/tribute is planned for 2300hrs at St Paul’s Cathedral on the 04/05/2014.

The 'Wave Of Action' demonstrators have stated on open source media that they do not intend to occupy St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 4th April 2014, due to a likely police presence in the area. As demonstrators have been asked to bring tents, there may be an intention to occupy a public space somewhere else in Central London.

On Saturday 05/04/2014 Wave Of Action intend to regroup in Trafalgar Square at 1000 hrs and then support demonstrations at Harvey Nichols (Anti fur protests) and Hyde Park ( Bedroom tax)

In recent demonstrations and protests the above groups have failed to attract the numbers as seen in recent years with the maximum recently being in the low hundreds. Open source information has corroborated this for this weekend.

Other parallel Events
There are other small scale events in Central London, in isolation these parallel events do not pose any issues, however together across Central London their will be an increased police presence.
There is a proportionate policing plan in place to deal with these demonstrations. There is no current intelligence to suggest there will be any disorder at this event. At present the organisers of these events have not liaised with Police. This is not unusual for this type of demonstration. There will be Police Liaison Officers on duty throughout these events linking in and engaging with the demonstrators.

Please see attached link for details should you encounter a protest in or near to your building.

http://www.vocal.co.uk/cssc/protest-in-business-premises/For updates during Friday and Saturday follow the MPS public order twitter account @MetPoliceEvents


In an emergency call 999
For non emergencies call 101
For the Anti Terrorist Hotline call 0800 789 321 
http://www.met.police.uk/so/at_hotline.htmwww.cssc.gb.comAdvice to Business:
http://www.vocal.co.uk/cssc/cssc-advice-to-business/Disclaimer:
The MPS accepts no duty of care in respect of any losses financial or otherwise incurred by (name of organisation) in respect of action (name of organisation) takes in response to information provided by MPS Police or MPS Police Staff to (name of organisation) and other business leads in the hub.

(Name of organisation) accepts that by participating in the CSSC initiative as a partner agency, it is responsible for a applying its professional judgment as to the advice it disseminates to other individuals in organisations in response to information provided by the MPS. (Name of organisation) accepts that the MPS is not liable for any losses resulting from actions taken by other individuals or organisations to whom (name of organisation) disseminates information.