Weekly Security Brief - June 23rd

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.

 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:
A Russian student has appeared in court charged in connection with two bomb scares at a university and with carrying two knives outside his country's embassy. Vladimir Vladimirovich Aust, 18, was arrested on June 10 after two evacuations and a controlled explosion at Newcastle University last week. He is accused of making an explosive substance between September 1 last year and June 11 this year. He is also accused of carrying two lock knives when he was arrested near the Russian embassy in Bayswater Road, central London, on June 10.

A British jihadist fighting with the savage militant Muslim forces overrunning Iraq has called for David Cameron and Theresa May to be beheaded. The insurgent, calling himself Abu Rashash Britani, had already threatened to bring terror back to the UK. Writing on Twitter, the fanatic said, “I think when we establish khilafah (a Muslim state), a battalion of mujahadeen shud head to UK and capture david cameron & theresa may n behead them both.” In a sickening call to arms he urged his “brothers” to take to the streets and kill. He also called for revenge for the killing of a female Muslim student in Essex this week – although it is not known yet if her murder was religiously motivated.

David Cameron warned the UK last week that the Islamist terror group ISIS could be planning attacks in the UK, due to a growing number of British extremists fighting in Iraq and Syria. ISIS has now established itself as one of the most powerful jihadi groups in the world, and this week took control of more areas of Iraq. Figures suggest that around 400 individuals from the UK have taken part in fighting for ISIS in Syria, many more are expected to have aligned themselves to the group in Iraq. Cameron told MP’s at this week’s question time:
 "I'd disagree with those people who think this is nothing to do with us and if they want to have some sort of extreme Islamist regime in the middle of Iraq that won't affect us – it will’.
 Cameron’s warning comes in the same week it was discovered that ISIS fighters are sending guidelines, in English, regarding Britons travelling to the Middle East to fight for the group on Twitter.
Five Syrian terror organisations, including ISIS, were formally banned in the UK last week. A Home Office proscription order, approved by Parliament, will make it illegal for any individual to be a member of or support the groups, which includes the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) which are behind the current insurgency in Iraq. The move now means that membership of any of the groups could carry a maximum jail term of ten years.
 The four other groups that are now banned in the UK are:
* Turkiye Halk Kurtulus Partisi-Cehesi (the Turkish Liberation party)
* Kateeba al-Kawthar
* Abdallah Azzam Brigades
* Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Northern Ireland and Eire:
First Minister Peter Robinson has cancelled an investment trip to Brazil over fears of trouble during this summer's loyalist marching season. Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness had been invited to the South American country by business leaders there. July is the climax of the Orange Order's parading, which in the past has involved serious sectarian violence and injured scores of police officers. The Democratic Unionist Party leader told the BBC, "I just think things are so serious that to be out of Northern Ireland at this time would be entirely wrong." Riots have followed annual Twelfth of July loyal order demonstrations in north Belfast for many years

International:
The Iraqi government appears to have lost control of its western borders after Sunni militants reportedly captured crossings to Syria and Jordan. Officials said the rebels took two key crossings in Anbar on Sunday, a day after seizing one at Qaim, a town in the province that borders Syria. The strategically important airport in the northern town of Tal Afar has also reportedly fallen to the rebels. Isis-led militants have cut a swathe through parts of Iraq. US President Barack Obama warned of the risk of the insurgents destablising other countries in the region. "We're going to have to be vigilant generally," he told the US TV network CBS, in case the militants "spill over into some of our allies like Jordan". "Their extreme ideology poses a medium and long-term threat, " he added. Since the fall of Mosul in early June, Isis - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - have helped win large areas in the west and north. They have taken four strategically important towns in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province - Qaim, Rutba, Rawa and Anah - in the last two days. Gunmen reportedly captured the border posts of al-Waleed, on the Syrian frontier, and Turaibil, on the Jordanian border, on Sunday after government forces pulled out. The capture of frontier crossings could help Isis transport weapons and other equipment to different battlefields, analysts say.

The security services will not be able to monitor all of the Britons who return to the country after fighting in Syria, a former MI6 director has said. Richard Barrett issued the warning following reports there could be as many as 500 Britons fighting in Syria. He said fighters who represent a terror threat on their return would be a "very small" but unpredictable number. His comments come after an apparent recruitment video for jihadists in Iraq and Syria featured several Britons. Mr Barrett, a former MI6 director of global counter-terrorism, told the BBC News Channel it was "out of the question" for the security services to follow all of the Britons who have fought in Syria if and when they return. "Clearly they'll have to prioritise and they'll have to choose those that they think are likely to pose the greatest risk," he said. "Beyond that I think they'll have to rely very much on members of the community and other people expressing their concern and worry about the behaviour of perhaps their returned friend or family member."

The Syrian government and rebel groups have reportedly agreed a truce in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. A copy of the ceasefire deal, seen by the BBC, says the main entrances to the Syrian camp will be opened and basic services will be restored. About 18,000 people have been besieged since last July. Rights groups say more than 100 people have starved to death. The military said it had attacked nine targets in response to the killing of a 15-year-old boy in a strike in the occupied Golan Heights on the border between the two countries on Sunday. Two others, including the boy's father, an Israeli defence contractor, were injured when a blast hit their vehicle. Israel called the boy's death the most substantial incident in the Golan since start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. It is unclear whether Syrian rebels or government forces were behind the incident. Israeli military spokesman, Lt Col Peter Lerner, told the Associated Press news agency the attack from Syria was "clearly intentional" but it was unclear whether the blast in the area of Tel Hazeka near the Quneitra crossing was the result of mortar fire, a roadside bomb or shelling. He described it as "an unprovoked act of aggression against Israel and a direct continuation to recent attacks that occurred in the area".

The Syrian President has said that terrorism will strike back against the West and other countries that “supported” attacks in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. This follows warnings by the UK and Germany over the threat of returning jihadists. Ever since the revolt broke out in 2011, Assad has blamed all violence in the country on a foreign-backed “terrorist” plot. He said, “The West and countries that support extremism and terrorism in Syria and the region ... must realize that this growing threat will strike the whole world, especially the countries that support terrorism and that allowed it to grow.” Germany has also warned that battle-hardened jihadists returning from Syria are no longer an ‘abstract threat’ but a ‘deadly danger’ to Europe.

Senior militants from al-Qaeda's central command have released a video calling on Muslims in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir to follow the example of "brothers" in Syria and Iraq and wage a violent jihad against Indian authorities. The video, which cites the "new Afghanistan being created in Syria" as inspiration, is the first to specifically target Kashmir. Entitled "War should continue, message to the Muslims of Kashmir", the video was uploaded in recent days to a website where statements by other leaders of al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been released in the past.

The next 9/11-style terrorist attack will come from Iraq and Syria if the Iraqi government collapses, Senator Lindsey Graham said a week ago. “According to our own Director of National Intelligence, FBI director, the next 9/11 is coming from here,” Graham (R-S.C.) said in an interview on CBS's 'Face the Nation.' When asked about his personal opinion, Graham said he agreed with that statement and that another 9/11 attack was “inevitable”. He said, “The seeds of 9/11s are being planted all over Iraq and Syria.” Graham made the remarks while speaking about ISIS, the militant Sunni group’s movement towards Baghdad.
Several arrests were made last week in connection to bomb attacks along Kenya’s coast. Arrests were made involving several suspects, including the owner and driver of one of the vehicles used by the attackers, in relation to an incident last Sunday in Mpeketoni. A further individual was arrested in relation to operating social media accounts purportedly used by al-Shabab to claim responsibility for the attacks. Further incidents took place in local villages on Monday. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the bombings, stating they were in revenge for the presence of Kenyan troops in Somalia and the killing of Muslims.

Several people were killed last week after a suicide bomber targeted a venue in northern Nigeria which was televising a World Cup match. It is understood that the bomber, in a tricycle taxi, detonated the explosives as the Brazil / Mexico match was being screened on Tuesday evening. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, militant group, Boko Haram, has in the past described football as ‘un- Islamic’. Nigerian authorities have now warned the public to avoid public screenings of the World Cup, fearing more militant attacks.

Eight suspected Islamic militants were arrested in Spain earlier last week in connection with allegedly recruiting and sending radical fighters to Syria and Iraq. It is understood the leader of the suspected cell had been detained in Afghanistan in 2011 and was later a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. Raids had occurred across Madrid, with those arrested believed to be Moroccan, Spanish, Bulgarian and Argentinean. The arrests in Spain came days after the country’s terror alert level was raised from 2 to 3, however the arrests are not believed to pose an imminent terrorist threat in Spain.

FBI counter terrorism agents have arrested two men in Texas following long running surveillance operations. The men, Rahatul Ashikim Khan, and Michael Todd Wolfe are both expected to appear in court in Texas. They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of supporting terrorism. The FBI said that Khan, 23, allegedly tried to recruit an FBI confidential human source to travel to Somalia to join al-Shabaab, while Wolfe, also 23, wanted to move to Syria to join ISIS.

Israel has sent reinforcements to the West Bank to step up the search for three teenagers believed to have been abducted by Palestinians. A senior military official said the working assumption was that the Israeli youths had been kidnapped by “terrorists” and that he “could not confirm if they are alive or dead”. Israeli troops searching for three Israeli teenagers missing in the West Bank have clashed with Palestinians, detaining scores for questioning. The army says 150 Palestinians, including leading Hamas members, have so far been arrested. Palestinian medics say a 19-year-old was shot dead during clashes near Ramallah, which erupted after soldier conducted house-to-house searches. Israel has accused Hamas of kidnapping the teens, though Hamas denies this.

Chemical weapons such as chlorine have likely been used in a "systematic manner" in Syria, according to a report by a team from the world's chemical weapons authority to investigate alleged attacks following a Daily Telegraph investigation that established chlorine had been used in three attacks in the north of the country in March. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission said evidence "lends credence to the view that toxic chemicals, most likely pulmonary irritating agents such as chlorine, have been used in a systematic manner in a number of attacks," according to a copy of a report by a UN fact-finding mission. President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebels have both accused the other side of using chemical agents, including chlorine, in the bloody uprising that began in March 2011.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry last weekend warned Russia that the US and its G7 partners would “raise the costs” Moscow could face, unless it curbed weapons flowing into Ukraine and cut ties with pro-Russia separatists. In Ukraine on 14 June, 49 servicemen were killed when pro- Russian separatists shot down an army transport plane in the east of the country. The US contends Russia has sent tanks and rocket launchers to the rebels. Russia is continuing to mass forces on the border with Ukraine, the secretary-general of NATO has said. Speaking at the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank in London, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that 'at least a few thousand more' Russian troops had been deployed to the border area.

The maker of a drone that fires pepper spray bullets says it has received its first order for the machine. South Africa-based Desert Wolf told the BBC it had secured the sale of 25 units to a mining company after showing off the tech at a trade show. It is marketing the device as a "riot control copter" that can tackle crowds "without endangering the lives of security staff". Desert Wolf's website states that its Skunk octacopter drone is fitted with four high-capacity paintball barrels, each capable of firing up to 20 bullets per second. In addition to pepper-spray ammunition, the firm says it can also be armed with dye-marker balls and solid plastic balls. The machine can carry up to 4,000 bullets at a time as well as "blinding lasers" and on-board speakers that can communicate warnings to a crowd.

As many as 75 scientists working in US federal government laboratories in Atlanta may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria and are being offered treatment to prevent infection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. The potential exposure occurred after researchers working in a high-level biosecurity laboratory at the agency's Atlanta campus failed to follow proper procedures to inactivate the bacteria. They then transferred the samples, which may have contained live bacteria, to lower-security CDC labs not equipped to handle live anthrax.

Cyber News:
The “IBM Security Services 2014 Cyber Security Intelligence Index,” a report that includes cyber security data on close to 1,000 of IBM Security Services' clients located in 133 countries, indicates that “human error” is involved in more than 95 percent of the security incidents investigated in 2013.
Dating sites have become the latest target for phishing emails as a number of campaigns targeting would-be daters have been launched in recent weeks with a variety of frauds resulting. Net monitoring company Netcraft found that members of a long list of online dating sites including Match.com, eHarmony, PlentyOfFish [POF], Zoosk, Christian Mingle and many more have been targeted by the phishing emails that have been able to pilfer various details. Attackers send emails from hacked websites in order to hide the sender’s identity and any data acquired is then used to befriend online dating users to trick them into handing over cash.

And Finally ...
An American traveller was trapped in a toilet on board a Hong Kong-bound flight for more than an hour after his middle finger became jammed in a rubbish bin. The 32-
 year-old traveller was forced to endure a landing at Chek Lap Kok airport while standing in the bathroom alone. Police said it was not until firefighters had been called, 10 minutes after the plane from Newark had landed, that the man, identified only as Daniel, managed to free himself. The passenger's bizarre ordeal started when he went to visit the toilet at 4am on the Cathay Pacific flight. “An initial investigation showed that he threw trash into a rubbish bin inside the toilet, but his middle finger was accidentally stuck in the bin,” a police officer said. Unable to pull free it himself the passenger summoned flight attendants who had little option other than to allow him to stay into the bathroom until the aircraft had landed. Ten minutes after landing, the pilot called police for help with Daniel's situation, police revealed. Firemen were then called on board, but shortly before they arrived the passenger managed to free himself. “An initial examination showed there were no apparent injuries on his finger. He did not require hospital treatment or examination," said the police officer. According to police, the man then left the airport and continued his journey into the city.

Significant Forthcoming Anniversaries:
23 June 1985 Sabotage of Air India flight 185 off the Irish coast. Kills 329 people
 25 June 1996 Bomb at the U.S. military base at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia kills 19 US airmen.
 26 June 1995 Attempted assassination of Egyptian president Mubarak during a visit to Ethiopia.
 27 June 1994 Sarin gas attack in the Japanese city of Matsumoto kills 7 people. Aum Shinrikyo sect responsible.
 28 June 1988 US Defence Attaché William Norden is murdered in Athens by November 17 terrorist group.
 28 June 1914 Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo precipitates the 1914-1918 Great war.
 29 June 2007 Two VBIED’s left in London’s Cockspur Street and Haymarket are made safe by police explosives officer.
 29 June 1999 PKK Leader Abdullah Oçalan is sentenced to death by hanging for treason. Later commuted to life in jail.
 29 June 2014 Ramadan (fasting begins at dawn) - Ends 28 July 2014 (Eid al-Fitr)
 30 June 2007 Two individuals attempt to crash a VBIED into a Glasgow Airport passenger terminal.
1 July 2010 Muhammad Oudeh (aka Abu Daoud), mastermind of the Munich Olympic Games terrorist incident in 1972, dies in Damascus
 4 July 2014 U.S. Independence Day
4 July 1976 Israelis mount a rescue mission on Entebbe to free 246 hijacked hostages; two hostages and one hijacker killed
 7 July 2005 Four Person-Borne IED attacks were mounted on London’s transport infrastructure killing 52 people and injuring 700.
 11 July 2010 Twin blasts kill 74, wound more than 70 in Kampala during telecast of World Cup; al-Shabaab claims responsibility
 11 July 2006 Synchronized bomb attacks on India’s railway system in Mumbai kills 200 people and injures nearly 1000.
 11 July 1988 Palestinian radicals belonging to the Abu Nidal terrorist group attack a Greek tourist ferry killing 11 people
 12 July 1690 Battle of the Boyne: Northern Ireland Loyalists celebrate with parades
 12 July 1994 A massive 2 tonne truck bomb made safe at the Lancashire port of Heysham after vehicle arrived from Northern Ireland. First ever use by the Provisional IRA of a concealed lorry bomb on the mainland.
 12 July 2006 Abduction by Hezbollah of two Israeli soldiers precipitates the non- successful invasion of Lebanon by Israeli military forces.
 13 July 2011 Three blasts in crowded areas kill 18 and wound more than 130 in Mumbai; attack is said to commemorate birthday of sole surviving gunman of November 2008 Mumbai siege
 16 July 2000 Two Aum Shinrikyo members sentenced to death for sarin gas attack in 1995
 17 July 2009 Near-simultaneous bombings of JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta kill nine and wound more than 50
 18 July 1994 Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center bombed, killing 85 and wounding hundreds; Hizballah responsible
 20 July 1997 Provisional IRA’s current ceasefire takes effect and continues to date.
 20 July 1982 Provisional IRA bombs at Hyde Park and at Regents Park kills 12 people.
 20 July 1990 Provisional IRA bomb attack on London Stock Exchange
20 July 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus
20 July 2012 Ramadan (Lasts until 18 August 2012)
21 July 2005 Attempted suicide bomb attacks on London’s transport system, an attack that almost mirrored the attacks two weeks earlier that killed 52 people. The four co-conspirators involved were each jailed in July 2007 to a minimum of 40 years behind bars.
 22 July 2011 Lone attacker, Norwegian national, Anders Brevik, sets of a VBIED at a government building in Oslo, then later, goes on shooting rampage in Utoya; more than 70 killed – mainly young students, and dozens wounded
 22 July 2005 Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes is shot dead by police officers as he is mistaken for a suspected suicide bomber at Stockwell underground station.
 24 July 2001 Tamil Tigers attack Bandaranaike international airport in Sri Lanka killing 18 and injuring 12, and destroying 24 aircraft.
 25 July 1995 Algerian Islamist terrorists blamed for a bomb that functioned at a Paris metro station (Saint-Michel) killing seven people.
 26 July 1996 Car bomb functions at the Israeli Embassy in Kensington, London.
27 July 2012 Start of the 2012 Olympic Games.
28 July 2005 Largest ever mobilization of British police officers since World War Two when the Met Police Service, the British Transport Police and City of London Police deploy officers at rail stations and transport hubs within the capital.
 28 July 2005 Provisional IRA calls on all its ‘units’ to dump their weapons and made a formal announcement of the end of their campaign of violence.
 31 July 2002 Nine students, including five US citizens, killed and 85 wounded by bomb at Hebrew University, Israel. HAMAS responsible, later apologizes for American deaths.
 31 July 1959 Founding day of the Basque terrorist group, ETA.


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