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Weekly Security Brief - May 12th
by Sabre 12/5/2014, 12:35
Dilitas Weekly Security Brief This email 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. Please feel free to forward this document to colleagues.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: The wife of a would-be jihadi who allegedly travelled to Syria to join a terror training camp told her husband to "go and die" in a text message row, Kingston Crown Court has heard this week. Mashudur Choudhury, 31, of Portsmouth, allegedly went to the Middle Eastern country with four other people from his local area. He is on trial for engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. The court heard that his wife told him by text message, “Go die in battlefield. Go die, I really mean it just go. I’ll be relieved. At last. At last.”Two British jihadists known as Abu Abdullah al-Biritani and Abu Jibril al-Biritani have become the latest casualties of infighting between rival factions in Syria. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is investigating claims on Twitter that the two Britons have been killed by their fellow Islamists while fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. These latest deaths take the total number of Britons killed in Syria to 12, the last three of whom have been at the hands of rebels, according to experts. The home secretary, Theresa May, has won the backing of MPs for her controversial plan to strip naturalised British terror suspects of their UK passports after it was revised following last-minute negotiations with the Liberal Democrats.MPs have called for sweeping changes to counter-terrorism policing, including stripping Scotland Yard of its role in overseeing and leading investigations. The Home Affairs Select Committee said responsibility for counter-terrorism should move from the Met Police to the six-month-old National Crime Agency. It said intelligence agencies required better oversight and accountability. The Association of Chief Police Officers said MPs had misunderstood the Met's role. The UK's Counter-Terrorism Command currently sits within the Metropolitan Police, with the force working with both the security and intelligence agencies as well as regional police units. A statement by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Terrorism and Allied Matters Board (consisting of assistant commissioner Cressida Dick, chief constable Sara Thornton, chief constable Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable Chris Sims, chief constable Mark Gilmore and chief constable Matt Baggott) said they were "concerned" the committee had recommended that responsibility for counter- terrorism policing should be moved to the National Crime Agency.Britain’s Home Affairs Committee said that the UK needs to take urgent action to stop citizens travelling to fight in Syria and other conflicts, warning that that Britain faced a "terrorist threat" as grave as at any point since the September 11 attacks on the US. Committee chairman Keith Vaz said, "Stopping British men and women going to become foreign fighters, in Syria and other theatres of conflict, and engaging with them when they return is vital to avoid endangering the security of the UK for many years to come", further stating that, "Recent events involving Boko Haram... al Shabaab... and al Qaeda show that the terrorist threat to the UK is as grave as at any point in the past 13 years". Britain has been considered a prime target for militant Islamists since the 9/11 attacks. Four suicide bombers killed 52 people in 2005 when they attacked London's transport system. Britain's threat level is currently "substantial", the third-highest rating of five, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility, but the committee said the divergent nature of the threat made it more complex than before. Northern Ireland and Eire: A 47-year-old man has appeared in court in connection with the largest seizure of Semtex recovered in Northern Ireland in the last 10 years. Thomas Hughes, from north Belfast, was charged with having 2.5 kg of Semtex explosive with intent to endanger life. A detective told the court the Semtex was found inside the airing cupboard of his flat. Mr Hughes was remanded in custody and will appear in court again on 30 May. The officer told Belfast Magistrates' Court it was used solely by republican terrorists, most recently dissident republicans. The police believed the Semtex would be cut to order to be distributed to other terrorist cells to make improvised explosive devices. A defence solicitor said Mr Hughes was shocked and horrified when the Semtex was shown to him. He said he came from a republican background, but was a strong supporter of the peace process and was vehemently anti any dissident activity. He said he lived at his partners address and others had access to the flat. The district judge said Semtex was known for its use in terrorist activities in Northern Ireland and it would be foolhardy to release him on bail at this time. Security sources have told the BBC they believe that the amount of explosives found could have been used to make up to 20 under-car booby trap bombs. A Londonderry dissident republican has pleaded guilty to charges connected to a foiled mortar bomb attack on a police station in March last year. Seamus McLaughlin appeared in Belfast Crown Court and pleaded guilty to having four "ready to deploy" mortars and an improvised explosive incendiary device with intent to endanger life. He also admitted having a vehicle for the purposes of an act of terrorism. McLaughlin was remanded in custody to await sentencing. A second defendant, Gary McDaid, has also been charged with possessing explosives with intent to endanger life and having them in suspicious circumstances. His trial is due to start in September. Gerry Adams, a key figure in Northern Ireland's peace process and president of the Sinn Féin party, was released without charge by police on 4 May after spending four days under arrest in connection with one of the most notorious unsolved Irish Republican Army murders of the Troubles. Northern Ireland police said in a short statement that a 65-year-old-man arrested by detectives investigating the abduction and murder of Jean McConville has been released pending a report to be sent the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.Almost 100 IRA fugitives who were given "letters of comfort" from Tony Blair's government stating they were no longer wanted for past crimes are suspects in nearly 300 murder cases, a senior police commander admitted admitted week. Drew Harris, assistant chief constable of the PSNI, initially told MPs each of the IRA "on the runs" included notorious individuals who were linked to 200 murder investigations – immediately angering unionists already unhappy with the so-called "get-out-of-jail" scheme. But shortly afterwards, the PSNI was forced to clarify Harris's Westminster testimony by pointing out that these 95 IRA recipients of the letters were of interest in connection with 295 killings from the Troubles between 1969 and 1998.A US college which took oral evidence from ex-Northern Irish paramilitaries has offered to hand back tapes to stop further arrests - denying victims' relatives a possible route to justice. Researchers from Boston College interviewed up to 40 former loyalist and republican paramilitaries about their role in the Northern Ireland troubles on the understanding that the tapes would remain secret until after their deaths. It is understood that Gerry Adams was arrested last week on the basis of interviews given by former IRA members Dolours Price and Brendan 'Darkie Hughes' who implicated Mr Adams in the abduction and murder of Jean McConville. Mr Adams strenuously denies the allegations. Source Gerry Adams has welcomed the proposed handover of a paramilitary archive from an American university that included allegations on tape that he ordered the kidnapping, killing and secret burial of a mother of 10 during the Troubles. Boston College has announced that it was prepared to give back taped recordings and other material to dozens of ex IRA and loyalist paramilitaries.The case against a man accused of murdering 29 people in the 1998 Omagh bomb was adjourned this week until 3 June. Seamus Daly appeared at Omagh Magistrates Court by video link from Maghaberry Prison. A prosecutor told the court the investigation was at an early stage and asked for the four-week adjournment. A defence lawyer told the court all materials in the case had been in police possession for nine years. International: The US Secretary of State has said that a specialist team is set to start work in Nigeria to help find more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by militants. He said the US team, working with the Nigerian government, would do everything possible to free the girls. Earlier, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said he hoped "a turning point" had been reached in the fight against Islamist insurgents Boko Haram. Nigeria has been criticized for its slow response to the kidnappings. The schoolgirls were seized from their boarding school on the night of 14 April in the town of Chibok in north-eastern Borno state.The governor of Nigeria's Borno state says he has information on the whereabouts of about 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist group Boko Haram. Governor Kashim Shettima said he had passed reports of the sightings of the girls to the military for verification. Mr Shettima added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon. Earlier, France's president offered to host a summit on Boko Haram. "I suggested, with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a meeting of Nigeria's neighbouring countries" Francois Hollande said. "If the countries agree, it should take place next Saturday" he added. Countries neighbouring Nigeria, such as Cameroon, Niger and Chad, would be invited to the security summit. Aides said the US, UK and EU would also be likely to attend.Saudi Arabia has detained 62 suspected al-Qaeda militants with links to radicals in Syria and Yemen who were plotting attacks on government and foreign targets in the kingdom, its Interior Ministry. The Saudi Interior Ministry's security spokesman [said of those arrested] "They swore allegiance to their warlord and started in constructing components of the organisation, means of support and planning for terrorist operations targeting government installations and foreign interests and the assassination of security personalities." Saudi Arabia has said that it has uncovered an al-Qaeda group that has been plotting to assassinate officials and attack government and foreign targets. [...] Saudi Arabia was hit by a string of al-Qaeda-led attacks between 2003 to 2006 in which fighters’ targeted residential compounds for foreigners and Saudi government facilities, killing dozens of people.The world's most wanted woman, Samantha Lewthwaite, dubbed the White Widow, is being protected in Somalia by al-Qaeda fighters. Lewthwaite is reportedly hiding in Somalia after narrowly escaping death when a Kenya Defence Forces jet bombed a training camp of radical Islamic group al-Shabaab. According to the Daily Express, she is now being guarded by nearly 15 men from the Istishhadyin unit, or suicide brigade, who have orders to protect her. Lewthwaite, who converted to Islam at 17, is the widow of Germaine Lindsay, who was one of those who detonated explosives on the London Underground on July 7 2005, the report said. She travelled to Kenya in 2011 with her three children using a false passport. She is wanted in connection with several terror plots, including the Westgate Mall massacre in Kenya last September, in which 67 people were killed, the report said. Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri secretly worked for MI5, his lawyers have told his US terror trial. The defence claimed the Egyptian-born preacher, who was giving evidence for the first time in his trial in New York, had been tasked to "keep the streets of London safe". Abu Hamza denies 11 terrorism charges. He answered "never" when asked if he had assisted the kidnapping of western tourists in Yemen in 1998 and set up a jihadist training camp in Oregon. Abu Hamza was jailed in the UK for inciting murder and racial hatred with his sermons at a north London mosque, before being extradited to the US nearly two years ago. He said he had neverhelped al-Qaeda or other militant groups.A French security agent has been killed and another seriously injured in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. They were in a car protecting the European Union mission when they were shot at by unidentified men. A Yemeni driver was also wounded in the attack, described by French President Francois Hollande as "cowardly". Westerners have been targeted several times in recent months, including a German diplomat wounded in a shooting two weeks ago. Western embassies in Yemen are on heightened security measures after increasingly bold attacks on foreigners by al-Qaeda despite lost ground to an army offensive in the south. The EU has said that it had limited its presence in Yemen to essential staff, while France ordered its diplomats to restrict their movement. The US also suspended operations at its embassy while the British Foreign Office issued a new travel alert advising against all travel to Yemen and strongly urging British nationals to leave the country.Islamic terrorists are having increasing problems getting along with each other. In Syria, two major factions of al-Qaeda have been fighting each other since January, leaving over a thousand Islamic terrorists’ dead and many more disillusioned and demoralised. For the last month, two factions of the Pakistani Taliban have been fighting each other, leaving over 60 dead. This sort of thing is not new, but it has been getting more common and more intense. As a result, the Islamic terrorist groups involved not only suffer personnel losses, but also find it harder to obtain new recruits and raise money. These problems have become a major issue for al-Qaeda, which is most frequently hit with these factional warsAn FBI agent is being held on anti-terrorism charges in Pakistan after authorities found ammunition in a bag as he boarded a plane in Karachi, Pakistani and US officials have said. The agent was detained by airport police in Karachi when he tried to board a Pakistan International Airlines flight to Islamabad. He was in possession of 15 bullets and a magazine for a 9mm pistol, police officials said. In recent years, several Americans have been detained in Pakistan on charges that fuelled diplomatic tension between the two countries. In the most high-profile case, a CIA contractor was detained for nearly two months in 2011 in the killing of two men in Lahore. [He] argued that he had acted in self-defence after the two men tried to rob him. The incident sparked violent protests across Pakistan and greatly strained bilateral relations. Source A court in Pakistan has granted bail to an agent with the US FBI who was arrested for carrying ammunition while trying to board a flight in Karachi. The agent was released after paying a bail bond of $10,000 and handed to the US consulate.It is only a matter of time before jihadis in al-Qaeda-type groups that have taken over much of eastern Syria and western Iraq have a violent impact on the world outside these two countries. The road is open wide to new attacks along the lines of 9/11 and 7/7, and it may be too late to close it. Those who doubt that these are the jihadis' long-term intentions should have a look at a chilling but fascinating video posted recently by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, formerly al-Qaeda in Iraq. It shows a group of foreign fighters burning their passports to emphasize theirpermanent commitment to jihad. Cyber News: Great Britain has the highest level of mobile malware of any country across the world with new figures showing that Android users remain the most targeted of any smartphone owners. The numbers, which are part of F-Secure’s Mobile Threat Report for Q1 2014, showed that 99 per cent of the 277 new mobile threats discovered were carried out against Android users. That translates to 275 of the new threats being against Android smartphones with just one threat each targeting iOS and Symbian.MI5 has warned that foreign spy agencies are targeting IT workers within big organisations as a means of gaining privileged access to sensitive data. The security service's warning about spy- infiltration tactics is a bid to encourage corporations to bolster their defences against such attacks, the FT (via the Daily Mail) reports. While grooming internal sources with access to highly sensitive information used to take years in the time of the Cold War spymasters, it now takes much less time - basically however long it takes the new recruit to get privileged access to company info... that's if they don't have it already.A major, global cyber-terrorist attack has long been the stuff of fiction, the threat that a malevolent hacker could bring down businesses, sabotage power plants and cause widespread death and destruction by bringing down planes, traffic systems and defence networks. The founder of the independent Kaspersky Lab security company, Eugene Kaspersky, has revealed to the Guardian that a cyber-terrorist attack, similar to Die Hard's “fire sale” scenario, is his biggest fear and that the UK and most other nations are ill-prepared for it. “I’m really afraid of terrorist attacks. I don’t know when or where, but I’m afraid it is going to happen,” said Kaspersky, adding that a potential remote attack on critical infrastructure, including power stations and transport systems, was entirely possible and something he and his researchers had been talking about for a while. And Finally ...Criminals are using drones fitted with heat-seeking cameras to spot cannabis farms that can be raided, it has been claimed. Crooks are fitting the flying remote-controlled devices with equipment to spot the heat given off by farms' hydroponic lights, according to reports. Once a farm is identified, the property is reportedly either burgled or the owner extorted. One criminal told the Halesowen News, "It is not like I'm using my drone to see if people have nice televisions - I am just after drugs to steal and sell, if you break the law then you enter me and my drone's world." The 33-year-old criminal added, "Half the time we don’t even need to use violence to get the crop. Growing cannabis has gone mainstream and the people growing it are not gangsters." Labour MP Tom Watson, who is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on drones, said the story was "remarkable". He told the paper, "It is no surprise enterprising criminals would want to get the upper hand in the criminal underworld by using drones." There are a multitude of uses for drones, which were originally developed and used by the military for combat purposes. Google recently purchased high-altitude solar-powered drone builder Titan Aerospace as part of an attempt to bring internet access to remote areas of the world. Visit Dilitas at our Facebook page. Ensure that your own security arrangements are adequate and robust at all times. Report any suspicious activity to Police immediately Confidential Anti Terrorist Hotline: 0800 789 321 or dial 999 |
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