Oslo: Bomb blast near Norway prime minister's office

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14252515

A large bomb blast has hit near government headquarters in the Norwegian capital Oslo, killing at least one person.

The offices of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg were damaged extensively - a government spokeswoman said he was safe.

Police said a number of people were injured in the city centre explosion.

No-one has said they were behind the attack, which witnesses said could be heard across the capital.

Television footage from the scene showed rubble and glass from shattered windows in the streets - smoke was rising from some buildings. The wreckage of at least one car was on one street.

All roads into the city centre have been closed, said national broadcaster NRK, and security officials evacuated people from the area, fearing another blast.

"Police can confirm there were deaths and injuries following the explosion in the government quarter this afternoon," police said in a statement.

Oistein Mjarum, head of communications for the Norwegian Red Cross, said his offices were close to the site of the explosion.

"There was a massive explosion which could be heard over the capital Oslo," he told the BBC.

Government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told the Associated Press Mr Stoltenberg was safe. Initial reports said he was not hurt.

A spokesman for Oslo University hospital said seven people had been taken there for treatment.

"I don't know how seriously wounded they are," he told Reuters.

'Complete chaos'

Mr Mjarum said there were fires burning in the prime minister's 17-storey building.

"This is a very busy area on Friday afternoon and there was a lot of people in the streets, and many people working in these buildings that are now burning," he said.

Eyewitness Ole Tommy Pedersen said he was standing at a bus stop about 100m away from the blast.

"I saw three or four injured people being carried out of the building a few minutes later," Mr Pedersen told AP.

He said there was a cloud of smoke billowing from the lower floors.

An NRK journalist, Ingunn Andersen, said the headquarters of tabloid newspaper VG had also been damaged.

"I see that some windows of the VG building and the government headquarters have been broken. Some people covered with blood are lying in the street," AP quoted her as saying.

"It's complete chaos here. The windows are blown out in all the buildings close by."

Mr Mjarum said people were in shock in Oslo and across Norway.

"We have never had a terrorist attack like this in Norway - if that's what it is - but of course this has been a great fear for all Norwegians when they have seen what has been happening around the world."

Watchdog calls for review of counter-terrorism powers at ports and airports

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/18/travel-counter-terror-powers-review-call

David Anderson QC says powers used to stop more than 85,000 travellers in 2009/11 may erode trust for some communities


The use of counter-terrorism powers by special branch officers to randomly stop and examine more than 85,000 travellers a year at ports and airports should be reviewed, a government watchdog says.


David Anderson QC – who replaced Lord Carlile as the independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation – said 2,687 people were questioned for more than an hour in 2009/10 to establish if they were or could be involved in terrorist activity. A total of 466 people were detained for up to nine hours.


Anderson said the number of travellers detained under the schedule 7 powers of the Terrorism Act 2000 declined in 2010/11, but no official figures have yet been published.

His call for a review follows complaints by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies that people from minority groups, especially Asians, areup to 42 times more likely than white people to be the target of schedule 7 powers.


The Home Office has responded to concerns among minorities "who may believe they are disproportionately affected" by saying it is looking at how the power is used. Officials are to report later this year.


Anderson said that in the absence of a reliable breakdown of the ethnic or religious background of those who are stopped, it is difficult to reach conclusions. But he said his own experience backed up research findings by Durham University that random stops at airports have a negative impact within Muslim communities."Negative experiences included repeated stops of the same individuals; the stress caused to the person stopped and to those travelling with them, as they worry about missing flights or losing baggage; the seizure of mobile phones and credit cards, intrusive and maladroit questions about religious beliefs and community activities; and a feeling they were being targeted as Muslims and used to build up a profiles of Muslim communities," said Anderson in his annual report, published on Monday.

"I heard similar stories myself from Muslim organisations and individuals."


He said he had no doubt that schedule 7 powers were useful in the conviction of terrorists, but that must be weighed against the fact that for some communities it is "bubbling under the surface … eroding trust".


He said there should be a "careful review of the extent and conditions" of the use of schedule 7 powers involving the police, airlines and carriers, port users and the public to ensure there are adequate safeguards."

Terrorism is crime, and should be prosecuted as such wherever possible. A thicket of special powers for dealing with terrorism has grown up over the past 12 years, many of them useful and even necessary," said Anderson.


"But we lose ground to the terrorists if we allow those powers to be operated without sufficient regard for the liberties of innocent people who risk being subjected to them."








The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.


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Sheriff tells Congress he needs more personnel to patrol shipping channel

The Houston Chronicle

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia warned members of Congress last week that budget cuts to local law enforcement agencies could make the nation’s maritime borders vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Testifying before a House Homeland Security Subcommittee, Garcia said a hiring freeze has already left his agency understaffed and overworked, leaving the economically important Houston Ship Channel Security District to be patrolled at times by a force not trained for maritime security.

The fiscal year 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill passed by the House cut grants to local and state law enforcement programs by $1.23 billion, a 55 percent reduction from grant programs in 2011, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told the panel.

The appropriations legislation is waiting action in the Senate.

Garcia told the panel that local law enforcement agencies depend on this federal money. He declined to say specifically how many additional officers he felt were needed to patrol the channel, citing security concerns.

“We need additional resources to help us at the local level so we can stay ahead of domestic and international terrorism,’’ he said. “Our biggest challenge in securing the ship channel is the woeful shortage of these resources from all government levels.”

Alan Bernstein, director of public affairs for the sheriff’s office, declined to say how many officers now patrol the channel, also citing security concerns.

The channel, part of Port Houston, is a passage for ocean vessels coming and going from the Gulf of Mexico to Houston-area shipyards and oil refineries.

Garcia’s agency has received $30 million in Homeland Security grants for hardware upgrades but he said he needs additional money to fund salaries.

The Harris County sheriff’s budget received $382 million from the county for this fiscal year.

Documents recovered from the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, Garcia said, revealed that al-Qaeda considered attacking oil tankers like the ones that use the Houston channel.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said budget constraints must force agencies from each level of government to work efficiently together but that protecting water borders should be a top priority.

“Ultimately, whether we are talking about narcotics, undocumented aliens, or those who might wish to do us harm, we know that people will take the route they perceive to offer the best opportunity to enter the country,” Cuellar said. “If we secure the land borders, people will try to come across our maritime borders and vice versa, so we must take a comprehensive approach to our nation’s border security.

Port Facilities and Maritime Security Courses offered by CTTA
The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.

CTTA offers a Port Facilities and Maritime Security course which includes the following topics:

•International Maritime Organization
•International Shipping and Port Facility Security Code(ISPS Code)
•Definitions and Responsibilities according to the ISPS Code
•Planning for Port Facility Security: The 3 Levels of Security
•Identification, Recognition, and Reaction to Threats: Concepts of Security
•Equipment Related to Port Security
•Security Measures for Port Security
•Fundamental Concepts Related to Port Security
•Education and Training Relative to Port Security 

The Academy also provides tailored security and safety oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.

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India says all terror groups on radar for Mumbai blasts

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-07/14/c_13985541.htm

NEW DELHI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- India Thursday said that all terror groups operating from the country or abroad are on the radar for the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai Wednesday which claimed the lives of at least 17 people and injured over 70 others.

Meanwhile, Indian security agencies are focusing attention upon the home-grown terror group Indian Mujahedeen (IM) as the perpetrator of the blasts.

"We do not want to proceed with any kind of pre-supposition and speculate. All groups who have the capacity are suspected. All angles will be explored, leads will be followed without any predetermination of the cause," Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram told the media in Mumbai. The Indian Home Minister also admitted there was no intelligence inputs related to Wednesday's blasts.

"There have been no inputs from the central and state agencies. This cannot be referred to as an intelligence failure since we keep talking to each other every hour. The group has worked in a clandestine manner and so could not be tracked," he said.

Chidambaram, however, said that preliminary investigation suggested that the blasts were not executed with the help of a remote trigger. "Ammonium nitrate has been used with a timer device. The three blasts were separated by an eight to 10 minute interval that shows it was a coordinated terror attack," he said.

The Indian government Thursday put all its metropolitan cities, including the national capital, on high alert following the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai. "The Indian capital, the southern cities of Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, and the eastern city of Kolkata have been put on high alert. All the local governments have been asked to step up security," a senior government official said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi are due to visit the blast sites Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Mumbai said the home-grown terror group, Indian Mujahedeen’s (IM) Bhatkal brothers are behind Wednesday's blasts.

The IM is also blamed for other terror attacks across India, including the Jan. 2010 attack against a German restaurant in Pune, western India, which killed a dozen people, including foreigners.

The terror group also has the penchant to stage attacks on the date 13th and 26th, as most of the past attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, took place on these two dates, according to local experts.

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CTTA offers comprehensive Counter-Terrorism courses designed for decision makers and first responders.  

From preventative design to developing intelligence assets to the first response to an attack CTTA provides law enforcement personnel the tool to counter this growing threat.

The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.
The Academy also provides tailored security and safety-oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.

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FBI Probes How Stun Gun Got on Plane

http://www.lawofficer.com/article/news/fbi-probes-how-stun-gun-got-pl

PASSAIC COUNTY, N.J. -- A stun gun that looked like a cellphone was found aboard an empty JetBlue airplane that had landed at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday night, raising questions about how the concealed weapon made it past security checkpoints.

The FBI is investigating the apparent security lapse, authorities said Monday. The thin, rectangular device was found in a seat pocket by a worker cleaning the airplane after it arrived from Boston's Logan International Airport. Authorities said it was likely left behind by a passenger.

The passenger assigned to the seat where the stun gun was found said Monday during a brief phone interview that it was not hers.

Kara Kearney, an auditor at Boston University, said she moved from her assigned seat, 10B, because a nearby television monitor showing the in-flight movie, "Troy," was not working. The stun gun was found in the pocket in front of 10B, authorities said.

"It's not mine, but I really don't want to talk about it," the 31-year-old from Lincroft said before hanging up.

Authorities said the stun gun was likely not intended as an in-flight weapon.

"We know who the passengers were, and based on preliminary information, it does not appear that an attack was imminent," said Bryan Travers, spokesman for the Newark FBI office. "This was more of a case of someone bringing something on a plane that they shouldn't have brought."

Travers declined further comment.

"This incident is the latest in a troubling pattern of breaches in our aviation security system," said Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. "TSA and the FBI need to quickly determine how this stun gun made it onto a plane, and we need assurances that steps are being taken to make sure this doesn't happen again."

The stun gun, identified by authorities as a "Striker 1800KV," was found on Flight 1179. There were 96 passengers and four crew members on the flight, according to a JetBlue statement. The stun gun was in a black case and resembled a cellular telephone, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said.

Similar stun guns offered on the Internet sell for about $20. The Striker is "one of the highest voltage compact models on the market," according to onlinestunguns.com, a website advertising the stun gun. The site says the 1.8-million-volt shocking device measures a little over 4 inches long and 2 inches wide.

It is illegal in New Jersey to carry a stun gun, which can momentarily incapacitate a person. They are also prohibited as carry-on items but may be transported in checked luggage, according to the TSA website.

Port Authority police were notified of the stun gun about 10:20 p.m., after a worker preparing the plane for another flight found the gun. Police swept the plane with K-9 units but found nothing suspicious, and the plane was cleared to board passengers for the next flight out of Terminal A. Coleman said the FBI and TSA were notified and have taken over the investigation.

A TSA representative issued a statement Monday but would not say whether the agency's screening measures would detect a stun gun.

"TSA employs multiple layers of security to minimize risk, deter future attacks and protect the traveling public," the TSA said in a statement. "Those layers include checkpoint screening technology, federal air marshals, fortified cockpit doors and armed pilots, among others both seen and unseen."

Travers said the investigation was being handled by the FBI's Boston office. A spokesman from the Boston office did not reply to a message seeking comment.

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CTTA offers an Airport and Airline Security course, which includes the following topics:

Airport Security Operations
-ICAO and IATA security standards
-Perimeter protection and access control
-Protecting public areas
-Protecting restricted area-Vehicle and pedestrian patrols

Airline Security Operations
-ICAO and IATA security standards
-Passenger Profiling
-Passenger and employee screening
-Dealing with unruly passengers
-Cargo, courier and mail security

The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.
The Academy also provides tailored security and safety-oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.

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SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF BIN LADEN

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF BIN LADEN.

THE END OF AL QAEDA?

Montreal, July 6, 2011

Recent events in Pakistan have raised questions on the future of terrorism, what the death of Bin Laden means and where this all may take us in the near and mid-range future. 

We asked Mr. Ronald Myles, former RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) investigator with a profound knowledge of terrorists and terrorism from around the world to give us a few comments on the latest developments.

Mr. Myles is retired from active duty but has agreed to assist and is presently on the Board of Advisors of the Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA). He works closely with the CTTA in following world events and providing his unique insight and comments on events related to security matters.  CTTA specializes in teaching anti- terrorist training and methods of protection and self-protection for people traveling in dangerous regions. 

Mr. Myles commented on the major security event of the year.  The following are his comments.

Bin Laden is dead. Shot by American Navy SEALS and subsequently buried at sea. Does this mean that Al Qaeda is dead and that there will be no more terrorism?

Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. Al Qaeda is a successful terrorist organization and they will continue their ‘work’. Part of the reason that it is successful is also one of the aspects that make it difficult to stop. That is compartmentalization.  In intelligence agencies this is called “The need to know principle” As head of Al Qaeda, Bin Laden was the apparent leader of a massive organization stretching all through the third world. Indeed, intelligence reports state that there are “Al Qaeda” cells in Great Britain and North America. But the idea that he was an actual ‘leader’ is more wishful thinking on his part than reality.  Bin Laden could release his video-taped declarations to the world but his influence was limited by a number of facts.

Directives are given by the leadership.  There is a certain amount of communication between the parties and it would be easy to think that with the passing of Bin Laden, the terrorism and terrorist acts would die with him. After all, he’s not there anymore to organize and order terrorist acts. Unfortunately, and despite the above, an organization like this is not really centrally administered or controlled.  Communication is short and brief, sometimes using the public air waves to pass coded messages.

Directives given by the leaders are more suggestions, an attempt to co-ordinate efforts and create the perception of unification, but the receiving body is not obliged to follow these orders and indeed oftentimes doesn’t.  As well there are often philosophical differences between the leaders.

One of the aspects of successful terrorist organizations throughout the world is the ‘cell’.   According to the theory, a cell is made up of anywhere between 3 and 6 people who are willing to work for a common goal, usually political in nature and who are willing to use violence or deadly force to achieve their objectives. More than 6 people in any one cell is considered a security risk.  Only one person in any particular cell knows any one person in another cell.    This type of structure is in place for security reasons.  If one person is caught by the authorities, he can only give up the people in his own cell.  In a worst case scenario, if the leader of the cell was caught, he could only give up one other cell. The other cells would be safe.  Whereas this does have certain security advantages, it makes the organization difficult if not impossible to control.

Al Qaeda is made up this way. There are ‘branches’ of Al Qaeda throughout the middle east. They will continue bombing, sending young people on suicide missions and generally trying to take control of their particular piece of real estate. So in that sense, terrorism in general is not dead, it is not going away and we can look forward to many more years of this kind of conflict.  So the death of the leader is not going to stop Al Qaeda.  There are others in place to carry on his work.

BUT

If there is a light on the horizon, it comes from short off-handed statements made by US Government officials when they were making their press releases, describing the raid on the Bin Laden compound and what the SEALS took away with them besides the terrorist’s body.  Computers, documents and video tapes that were seized after the shootout with Bin Laden all may contain information on Bin Laden’s associates, plans etc.  What it boils down to is how much data did Bin Laden kept in any form other than his personal memory. If it is on a computer, we can be sure that the Americans will break any code or password or whatever and extract the info.  If it is written down and coded, someone in the US intelligence system will break that code and if it is on video tape, then the US now has photos of the enemy.

So in a sense, Al Qaeda may be brought to its knees by the actions of the same man who built it up. If there is a lot of good intelligence on these media, then we’ll see the result in the next few weeks and months as the US closes in on more and more Al Qaeda operatives. If Bin Laden didn’t keep notes like we hope he did, then its business as usual.  Only time will tell. 

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) (Ticker Symbol: CTTG) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.

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CTTA Executive Will be a Featured Speaker at CJSC Institute Seminar

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ctta-executive-will-be-a-featured-speaker-at-cjsc-institute-seminar-2011-07-06?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Angelo Marino - "Islamic Mythology for Law Enforcement & Security Personnel" Seminar 

MONTREAL, Jul 6, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) CTTG 0.00% , a leader in the worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, is pleased to announce that Angelo Marino, its Vice President of Operations, has been invited to address an important and timely seminar entitled "Islamic Mythology for Law Enforcement & Security Personnel" to be hosted by the Criminal Justice Security Career Institute.

The Criminal Justice Security Career Institute (CJSC Institute) under the direction and leadership of the President/CEO Jorge Reyes Jr. (former U.S. OIG, Sr. Special Agent) and in partnership with the Florida Technical College (FTC) will host the seminar on Thursday, July 7, 2011 at the CJSC Institute/ FTC facilities located in Orlando Florida. 

The seminar is open to law enforcement executives, criminal justice educators, security experts, intelligence analysts, legal representatives, public officials, and others.

Featured Special Speakers 

Angelo Marino, Vice President of the Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA).

Educated and certified in various North American institutions, Angelo Marino completed a Master of Science in Policing and Social Conflict and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration.

Mr. Marino was awarded the `Citizenship Achievement Award` for outstanding service to community and country, by the Canadian House of Commons and is a distinguished coach and educator for National Security Alliance, Kid-Safe Network.

Mr. Marino, who also serves as the Chief Instructor for CTTA, is considered to be one of Canada's most renowned specialist and master instructor. Mr. Marino has worked in over 43 countries as an instructor, operator, and security consultant. Mr. Marino has personally trained the Presidential Security Details of two countries. 

Bassem Chaaban, Director of Operations, Center for Peace, Islamic Society of Central Florida.

The Islamic Society of Central Florida (ISCF) is an organization which strives to serve the greater Central Florida community by catering to the social, religious, and economic needs of its Muslim inhabitants. By integrating a diverse, and talented, rich Muslim populace with the greater Central Florida community based upon a foundation built upon mutual respect and understanding, ISCF is focused on developing a model American Muslim community. 

The Center for Peace is a non-profit, volunteer, outreach arm of the Islamic Society of Central Florida that works to dispel stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. With the mission in mind that education builds tolerance and understanding, the Center for Peace continues to bond people for unity and peace. The objective of the Center is to facilitate and coordinate outreach efforts in the Central Florida community by promoting understanding and acceptance among people of all faiths and backgrounds about Islam. 

By establishing the Seminar Initiative, the CJSC Institute hopes to make a difference by creating awareness and understanding in support of all personnel involved in homeland security.