By Aaron Richman

This Intelligence report includes information from open and closed intelligence sources. Not all information is able to be verified; however, the TAM-C is actively evaluating the reporting to establish its accuracy and to determine if it represents a possible link to terrorism.

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Involved in Possible "Dry Run"

Analyts have been notified that earlier this month, a Remote Control Airplane (UAV) hit a Passenger Ferry in the New York/New Jersey area. The event has not received media coverage yet suspicions may point to a "dry run" of a terrorist attack. The technique has been used in Iraq a number of times.

The TSA has put out a warning against "Dry runs" of attempts to carry suspicious objects past airport security. The alert was put out July 20 to its federal air marshals and transportation security officers.

Analysts have reported in the past on the threat of the use of UAVs in precision attacks on targets that may be thought of as "hardened", including transportation, tall buildings, and sports stadiums.

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Al-Qaeda Uses Small Remote-Controlled Explosive-laden Aircraft

For the first time, Al-Qaeda used a small remote controlled explosive aircraft in attempt to destroy President Talabani's Headquarters in Sulimaniya. Kurdish sources said authorities in Kurdistan thwarted the attack but voiced fear of al Qaeda's growing technological weapons expertise in Iraq.

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SAM Used in South-Western Afghanistan Against Western Air Target

Media reports still have not confirmed, but apparently a SAM (most likely a SA-7 shoulder launched missile) was shot at a C-130 Hercules aircraft on 22JUL2007 over the Nimroz region of Afghanistan. There is a SAM alert for western aircraft in Afghanistan affecting both civilian and military aircraft.

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Possible Threat to Pakistani Government Embassies Abroad

In retaliation for President General Musharraf's actions against Islamic Radicals at Islamabad's Red Mosque, Al-Qaeda has declared Jihad on Pakistan. There has been a rash of suicide bombing killing dozens in the weeks since the attack on the Mosque. Analysts believe that the rhetoric on the side of Pakistani clerics against the government could incite planned attacks on Official Pakistani Governmental Entities including Embassies, Consulates and all official Diplomatic personnel.

TAM-C analysts consider European cities in which large amounts of Pakistani immigrants live to have the greatest risk of attack.

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By Aaron Richman

Tam-C native Arab language miners have come across a threat made by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on Algeria and Morocco.

The threat was posted on a site known for AQIM postings and warns Muslims not to go to official centers, police stations, or military barracks because they will be the target of attacks. The Islamic Militant group has been targeting the government facilities because of its continued fight against terrorism and non-Islamic government. There has been a rise in the number and quality of the attacks in Algeria and Morocco has been on high alert for the past two weeks.

Because of the AQIM's presence in southern European countries with North African immigrants, this alert is also applicable to southern European cities.

Conclusion:

Al-Qaeda operatives in Algeria and Morocco have been under constant chase by local police. Past experiences will teach us that attacks are usually multiple and simultaneous, and use truck or car bombs by suicide bombers.

TAM-C recommends all western interests, specifically oil related, heighten security measures and force protection regulations. The threat included attempts at toppling buildings possibly by large truck bombs.

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This Intelligence report includes information from open and closed intelligence sources. Not all information is able to be verified; however, the TAM-C is actively evaluating the reporting to establish its accuracy and to determine if it represents a possible link to terrorism. For more information about these intelligence briefings, visit

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Iraqi Smuggling Ring Busted in Peru Reveals Other Threats

Last week the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) speculated that Al Qaeda will use its Al Qaeda in Iraq connection to perpetrate an attack on American soil. This raises the suspicion to Iraqi refugees entering the US under illegal circumstances. Peruvian Law Enforcement officials have busted a criminal ring based in Lima, Peru that smuggled Iraqi citizens into the US by using stolen and altered European passports. EU civilians do not need a visa to visit the US. Reports say that over a dozen Iraqis have been arrested in the last month with stolen Dutch and German passports.

Earlier intelligence reports have stated that the entrance of foreign Muslim extremists with European passports is a likely scenario for a large attack being carried out on US soil. Jihadi websites have posted articles about this modus operandi, exploiting the visa-free agreements between the US and European countries. Past TAM-C reports have warned about an increase of especially violent smuggling operations on the Mexican Border and a large increase in OTM (Other Than Mexican) illegals. TAM-C is also warning of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) border patrols becoming targets for cross-border attacks by smugglers and terrorist entities south of the border.

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Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM/GSPC) attack Train Carrying Gas in Algeria

An Algerian soldier was wounded in the secondary explosion caused by a bomb set on the tracks and detonated with the arrival of a gas cargo train. The second bomb detonated as military arrived on the scene a nearby house.

TAM-C has cautioned about the threat of homegrown terrorists using trains carrying explosive or Hazardous Materials as a ready made bomb. All that is needed is a smaller bomb to ignite a freight car or to knock the train off the tracks. Many American towns are built on major railroad paths, turning this type of transportation and cargo into a backdoor time bomb. A bomb could be attached to a specific train car or could be placed on the tracks and detonated by remote control or cell phone. This was the type of attack (using this MO) conducted in Algeria. It may be repeated in Europe and America. (See European Threats)

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European Threats

Italian Police Arrest Moroccan Imam Using Local Mosque as a Terror School

The city of Perugia in Italy was the scene of the arrests of three Moroccans who where providing terror related training. The training included weapons training, hand-to-hand combat, preparation of poisons, preparations of explosives, and piloting a Boeing 747. Chemical substances found on the site may have been used in bomb making experiments.

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Polish Military Intelligence Arrest Palestinian Suspected of Ties with Al Qaeda

The individual was arrested with a fake passport after several days of MI surveillance. The false ID is thought to be connected to a Polish network (recently busted) producing fake passports and other documents used by groups with links to international militants.

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German Authorities are on High Alert for Jihadis Returning from Pakistani Terror Camps

Germany has been high on the Al Qaeda threat list along with German interests abroad. The alert comes from concrete evidence that 14 German passport holding Islamic radicals have traveled to Pakistan to take part in a terror training camp and have since returned to Germany.

The threats to European cities comes from first and second generation immigrants (from Islamic countries like North Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, and the Balkans) who have EU passports and can travel freely throughout the western world.

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Taliban Suicide Campaign Under Way, as Promised by Pakistani Islamic Clerics

Islamic militants in Pakistan have been threatening to force Jihad on Pakistan in the form of hundreds of suicide bombers. After General Pervez Musharraf's aggressive moves on the Lil Misjad (Red Mosque) in Islamabad, Al Qaeda and the Taliban declared Jihad on Pakistan. A string of suicide bombings have followed killing over 150 people in a few days.

The amount of trained suicide bombers immediately available supports western intelligence presumption that Pakistan has become the center for Islamic Radical militancy and is the current base for both Al Qaeda and Taliban militant training camps near the Waziristani border-region with Afghanistan. The lack of a base for operation many say has been the reason Al Qaeda has not been able to carry out large 9/11 style attacks.

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Anti-government Protests in Tacoma

Washington's Smash Ice protest movement, aimed at disrupting the efforts of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, will be conducting protests at the Tacoma Federal Building, located on Pacific Ave between S 17th Street and S 19th Street anytime that ICE enforcement officers conduct raids. These protests will be taking place the day after each raid.

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Senate pulls an all-nighter to push for a vote on withdrawing troops from Iraq. Think Progress is live-blogging the filibuster.

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The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) is providing free automatic access to the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) (HSDL) for all federal, state, and local government agencies, research institutions, and U.S. military instillations.

The library offers a collection of over 45,000 homeland security-related policy and strategy documents to include:

• Presidential directives, executive orders, and key U.S. policy documents
  
• Homeland Security related reports from federal, state, and local agencies from around the globe
  
• Homeland Security related theses and research reports
  
• Featured documents on terrorism, public health, school violence, emergency response, border security, and more
  
• Quick links to state homeland security offices

For individual access, users may request an account by going to the “Request an Individual Account” link from the HSDL homepage or visiting https://www.hsdl.org/?auth/request_account.

CHDS also offers organization-wide access via IP and DNS domain authentication. If you are interested in organization-wide access to the HSDL, CHDS ask that you e-mail hsdl@nps.edu and provide the following information:

• Your organization’s IP range and CIDR number/subnet mask (Example 152.30.0.0/16). If NAT (Network Address Translation) or a proxy server is used to access the internet, please provide the ip/subnet for the NAT or proxy server interface.

• Or, the DNS domain names associated with the computers in your organization (Example dhs.gov).
  

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By Bob Jaffin

Tornado disasters in Iowa…ice storms in Washington…fires in California … Snow and flooding in New England. One common feature is that the local police and fire, along with the National Guard, are undermanned when responding because too many first responders are off fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Local National Guard armories have been stripped of hardware and assets in order to sustain the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, which means the first-responders are also under-equipped.

This highlights the larger issue of public service and volunteerism in this country.

This often-overlooked challenge has local emergency planners and volunteer organization officials very concerned. If the underlying numbers are correct, it signals major problems for even relatively small multi-jurisdictional events or disasters. In Jefferson County West Virginia, for example, the subject has come up at Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meetings, meetings of the county’s counterterrorism committee and at meetings of the Jefferson County Office Homeland Security (JCOHS). Barbara Miller of JCOHS observed “Our citizens are very involved and love to help the community but many do serve in two or more organizations - in the case of county wide event we could have problems.”

Current estimates indicate the real number of volunteers actually available within a small to medium sized area would be some 25 - 40% less than the aggregate count on the volunteer lists – and this is before factoring in volunteers who simply do not show up, are tied down by family complications, or are on vacation or sick time. When these variables are added, the situation looks even bleaker. This is a daily concern for local emergency planners, yet not one that gets any attention at the state, regional, or national level.

Because there is a geographic-distance matrix that defines where we live in relationship to where we work, the ‘multi-volunteer’ creates double, triple or quadruple jeopardy. "Especially in small communities, you may have a person in the National Guard, working for the fire or police department, who may also be a part-time ambulance driver. So when you lose one person to deployment, you actually lose several functions,” states Randal Noller a National Guard spokesman in a YAHOO NEWS! Article dated June 14, 2007.

Here are two not-so-imaginary examples:

1 - Firefighter Jon DoGood works in a major metropolitan fire department and commutes to work from a small community 24 miles downwind and downstream from his job in the city. Jon is also a volunteer on the local Ambulance squad and National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew chief. If there is an emergency in the city while Jon is on duty he can handle it without impact on his two volunteer jobs. But change that scenario to a 6,000 gallon chlorine tank rupture leak with a 25 mile downwind plume that has occurred just within city limits. While Jon is responding as a firefighter in the city he is also needed in his own community to help evacuate those in the path of the deadly plume. That’s DOUBLE JEOPARDY.

2 –Or the region is overwhelmed by a vicious spring storm that brought high wind, golf ball sized hail, and 22 inches of rain over three days. The governor then declares a state of emergency for the city and the ten surrounding counties, and activates the Guard. Everyone downstream of the city along the 42 mile long, 1000 yard wide path of the flooding needs to be evacuated, the city has cancelled all leaves and recalled all firefighter and law enforcement personnel for disaster relief activities including pumping out flooded power generation plants and water treatment facilities.

Does Jon help his family and neighbors as they rush to evacuate as they all own homes along the river? The police did in New Orleans when Katrina hit. That’s TRIPLE JEOPARDY plus the additional problem of family risk and split loyalties as we’ve seen from New Orleans and the recent Kansas tornados.

The fact is that the real number of volunteers available in any given area is much smaller than what is currently being reported, and far below what a summation of volunteer lists show as available. But these lists that provide the numbers that many emergency planners, local officials and first responders use in preparing large scale response plans, and in most jurisdictions nationwide they are just flat-out inaccurate.

Clearly the good news is that there is a cadre of Americans who can and do volunteer in their own communities and adjoining communities. The dual realities here are that this is still a relatively small number of our neighbors and co-workers, but, much more significantly, many of these selfless individuals are already on the public protection-first response payrolls. The issue received national attention in the aftermath of the tragic fire in Charleston SC in which 9 brave firefighters perished. The media coverage revealed that at least one of them was a volunteer fire fighter in another jurisdiction.

Yet another side of the volunteer issue is that of our public-spirited citizen-soldiers serving in the armed forces. In that same YAHOO article James Valiquet, president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police remarked how "A lot of the people that are given by nature to public service are serving their country overseas, In Manchester, our biggest city, they're trying to fill 25 positions and they only had three or four viable candidates."
This is a powerful demonstration of the impact of continued deployment of the Reserves and National Guard into the combat zones.

Additional, but less obvious issues include positions left vacant for extended periods of time due to deployments; the impact of combat related deaths in small towns; and the impact of incapacitating injuries on those public servants who return home and can no longer perform their duties, as well as the financial implications on both the individual and the town on those who may be eligible for extended benefits from the local jurisdictions.

The issues that need to be addressed are:

• How do we collect all volunteer information at the lowest or organizational level and
  what level of detail should be required and standardized ?

• How do we integrate this information?
  
• Who will take on this responsibility and how will it be funded?
  

Unfortunately, solutions are much more complex then simply answering a set of questions. Since the challenges are multi-jurisdictional and tend to be viewed as “nobody’s” problems or “everybody’s” problems, there is no political interest left at any level of government to resolve the issue.

For many reasons the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not considered the concept of true regional team building, although F.E.M.A., EPA, and DOT have been very successful in creating permanent regional structures. There is now a solid, if regionally inconsistent, base of LEPCs that were created by statute to look at these issues. With proper support, enabling legislation and a change in DHS funding criteria that rewards pro-active regional grass roots activities; the lack of quality volunteer-personnel planning information can be corrected.

Three things are clear:

1. We cannot look to limit volunteerism in any way. It is an intrinsic part of the fabric that makes America great.

2. We need to involve a much larger segment of the American public in volunteer programs related to manmade and naturally occurring disasters.

3. Regional cooperation and coordination based on data sharing is neither a luxury nor a theoretical goal; it is an immediate necessity.

In the last two years scientists and governments have acknowledged that severe weather events are becoming, and will continue to become both more prevalent and more destructive. Additionally, last week’s attacks in London and Scotland continue to serve notice that the threat from Islamic terrorists remains very much alive.

It’s time for a federal agency to take the lead on this situation now.

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Bob Jaffin is currently a program manager for the Military Studies and Public Safety degree programs at American Military University.

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In a commentary article for the Wall Street Journal, Terror Free Tomorrow president Ken Ballen unveils significant findings of the first uncensored public opinion survey of Iran since President Ahmadinejad took office.

The survey shines a light on widespread discontent with the current system of government, the economy and isolation from the West.

Read the full article.

Related Articles and Blogs
Study from Terror Free Tomorrow (viewfromiran.blogspot.com)
Poll Results Point to Internal Dissent Over Iran's Nuke Program (kfwb.com)

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Director Marc Forster (who's just been tagged to do the newest James Bond feature) has announced plans to direct a new movie inspired by the real-life experience of Kurdish immigrant Ibrahim Parlak.

In 2004, Parklak was taken into custody by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on July 29, 2004, based on his alleged past ties to the PKK, a rebel group that sought to win independence for Northern Kurdistan from Turkish rule.

Conservative political commentator, radio talk show host, columnist, and attorney Debbie Schlussel thinks the planned movie will be a total whitewash of what really took place.

Read Schlussel's take. Then tell us what you think.

"James Bond Director Whitewashes Real Terrorist, Defames ICE Agents, Tries to Influence Court"

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This Intelligence report includes information from open and closed intelligence sources. Not all information is able to be verified; however, the TAM-C is actively evaluating the reporting to establish its accuracy and to determine if it represents a possible link to terrorism.

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Failed London and Glasgow Attacks Opens Doors for Intelligence gathering

The failed terror plots in London and Glasgow are now allowing British investigators to learn about the perpetrators, their connections, and the techniques used. To date, connections have been made to Iraqi Al Qaeda militants, Australian Islamic radicals, and a worldwide ring of Muslim doctors (see next Article) who consorted to carry out attacks by using their special civil status. Many of those involved in this attack were of Indian ancestry.

The investigations are still underway and are revealing the international connections of each of the local radical Muslim cells. TAM-C analysts have been warning of the growing threat of radical Islamic entities from India, specifically from the Jammu and Kashmir areas.

Reports are supporting the seriousness and professional engineering of the VBIEDs and the span of destruction that would have followed the successful detonation of the devices. Although the devices were first believed to be amateurish and harmless, continued study has shown that, given the crackdown on other forms of detonation and explosives in the UK, the devices that were built were of high quality.

Related Item:
When Will They Hit Frankfurt? Blogger Andrew Hammel, writes about why terrorists strike more often in Europe than in the United States.

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"Those Who Cure You Will Kill You" Threat From Doctor Terror Ring

The London / Glasgow terror plot has now been discovered to have been planned and executed by doctors, who are part of an international radical Muslim internet community. British Anglican Cleric Canon Andrew White was told, "Those who cure you will kill you" by a man he met in Jordan at a Peace meeting (that was far from a peace-talk). It is believed that the speaker was a high ranking official in Al Qaeda Iraq.

The Al Qaeda contact also said that militants were no longer going to be targeting just Iraq. They were planning actions that would target Britain and America. The FBI has confirmed that two suspects in the failed car bombings in Britain had contacted a clearinghouse for foreign doctors about working in the United States. British officials are investigating more links between the attacks and Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

The techniques used in the Iraqi / Afghani war zones are being utilized now on the western home front. TAM-C analysts have previously alerted to this use of Iraq as a testing ground to perfect chemical attacks using chlorine and other easy-to-obtain hazardous materials.

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300 lbs of Compressed Chlorine Gas Stolen from Texas Water Plant
Last week (02JUL2007) thieves cut a hole in the fence of the compound in order to gain entry to the plant. Once there, they turned on and off valves and sabotaged an electric box.

Local Montgomery County and FBI Authorities are investigating the theft with obvious fears of an Iraqi-style chemical bomb using Chlorine as a chemical agent. TAM-C analysts remind its subscribers that the most effective use of Chlorine gas would be in low lying areas such as subways, interstate and pedestrian tunnels, sports stadiums, and any closed building.

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Australian Radical Muslim Population Becoming More Militant
Last week's failed London / Glasgow terror attempts involved a number of doctors and medical staff (discussed above). Australian authorities have arrested an Indian doctor while attempting to board a plane to India on a one way ticket. He and another arrested doctor are believed to have connections with the doctors who carried out last week's attacks. [One doctor has since been released, but investigations are still pending.]

A government backed report in Australia this week indicates that the views of Australian Islamists are extreme when compared to those of other western countries. The newer Muslim community in Australia has had less time to form strong roots within the local Australian communities. They are finding it difficult to keep young immigrants from getting involved in radical Islamic groups. TAM-C analysts have been watching the situation of Muslim extremists and the suspicious activities in Australia. We will continue to do so.

Australian authorities have warned of an imminent attack on western interests in Indonesia and specifically Bali, where a 2002 bomb killed over 200 people (mostly Australian tourists). It was hit again in 2005.

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Explosion Caused by Traffic Accident on Tappen Zee Bridge in New York

A 01JUL2007 accident between a tractor-trailer and a car has left one man dead from the explosions that followed. The accident shut down the bridge for nine hours, creating traffic havoc from the Rockland side of the bridge. Reports from the scene spoke of up to three loud explosions that were like "bombs going off".

TAM-C analysts have been warning repeatedly of the threat to infrastructural bridges. Numerous attacks in Iraq, specifically on bridges, have brought the impact and importance of bridges to light. Although there are currently no connections to terror in this instance, TAM-C analysts see the incident (and resultant bridge closure) as an example of how such a terror attack (even when failed) could effect population centers.

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Possible Osama Bin Laden Message to Come Soon

TAM-C miners have found a posting on a jihadi website stating that a message from Osama Bin Laden will be coming soon. TAM-C does not know whether the message will be written, voice or video. Many questions of OBL's existence have surfaced because he has failed to appear on newer Al Qaeda videos. Some analysts believe that Bin Laden may have died of Typhoid more than a year ago and the Al Qaeda network is withholding this news to maintain morale within the Islamist ranks.

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By Aaron Richman

This Intelligence report from the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response includes information from open and closed intelligence sources.

Not all information is able to be verified; however, the TAM-C is actively evaluating the reporting to establish its accuracy and to determine if it represents a possible link to terrorism.

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United Kingdom Multiple Car-Bomb Terror Attacks Still Underway

Vigilant emergency medical personnel, responding to a random Ambulance call in a bar in the Haymarket area of London, noticed a silver Mercedes-Benz oddly parked and observed smoke coming from the car. London Police bomb technicians neutralized the explosive device which was made of a mixture of extremely flammable materials including 60 liters of gasoline, a number of propane tanks, and nails scattered around the vehicle. Police said that a "viable detonating device" was connected to the bomb. A rapid investigation, using local key-source intelligence and CCTV, led police to the second vehicle that had been towed after being parked in an illegal parking space.

Terror Alerts in the United Kingdom have gone up following the attempt. Saturday's (30 June 2007) attack on Glasgow Airport in Scotland used the same technique as the other two in London. There is sure to be direct connection between the three. Latest reports state that the vehicles used in the London attacks originated in Glasgow.

Recent threats have mentioned London bars, transport, and landmark buildings that have been targeted in the past as well. Although no specific intelligence existed about this attempted attack, the target and technique has been mentioned in earlier plots. Dhiren Barot was jailed in the UK for 40 years after admitting to planning a number of terror attacks, one of which was to pack a stretch limousine with gas cylinders and detonate it near landmark buildings. His chosen targets stretch the Atlantic to include Washington DC and New York.

Los Angles authorities are on high alert after reports of a man connected to an earlier terror plot in London left Heathrow for LA for a two night stay, planning to return immediatly to the UK. This type of behavior is a sign for air travel security authorities of suspicious behavior, especially after the events in the UK.

The thwarting of London's attempted terror attack is a classic example of how security authorities can act responsively without prior intelligence and based on the first responder community's training and experience.

Proper briefing of security personnel at the near-by night club may have thwarted the attack even earlier. First reports from the scene mentioned that a bouncer at the club saw the driver of the first vehicle drive erratically, park illegally, and run away. This behavior should have been a clear sign of an obvious suspect. A jihadi website had a post that "London will be attacked" just 17 hours before the attack. Investigations are looking into a possible connection. The website makes a connection to the Al Qaeda call for suicide attacks in reaction to the British Knighting of Salman Rushdie.

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Iraqi PM: AQ Planning Attacks in Other Countries
Iraqi Prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki, stated that through interrogations of Al Qaeda suspects arrested in Iraq, intelligence has been received that the multi-national Sunni terror organization is actively seeking ways to carry out attacks in other countries.

The latest offensives by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has led AQ planners to look to other arenas to strike both western targets and rival factions strongholds. This report came out two weeks after a Taliban propaganda video declared that it is sending suicide squads to western countries.

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Bosnian Wahabbis Arrested, Points to Bigger Threats
A Tunisian born self appointed leader of the radical Islamic community in Bosnia was arrested this week by Bosnian Security forces for an attempted plot to kill some local villagers. The Baltic Islamic communities have received press attention after Al Qaeda operatives were reported searching for "white" Muslims who do not fit the physical characteristics of the "Arab Muslim".

TAM-C analysts have been watching the threat from the radicalization of the Baltic States (Bosnia, Albania, and Serbia) Muslim population by Al Qaeda and other internationally led jihadi groups. A number of Balkan-born American citizens have been arrested in the last year on charges dealing with terrorism and radical Islam. Terror organizations will be using radical Muslims from these areas to assist in carrying out acts of terror both in Europe and America.

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Amusement Park Tragedies Raising General Threat
The recent string of highly publicized severe injuries and deaths in amusement parks both in the USA and Europe is a precursor for targeting characteristics. TAM-C has mentioned the use of past tragedies in providing direction of future terror attacks.

The recent use of a "Mickey Mouse"-like character named "Farfour" by a Hamas-run children's television show, displays the knowledge of the emotional effect that threats by or on childhood elements has on the western world. TAM-C analysts are monitoring any mentioning of Amusement Parks specifically Disneyworld, Disneyland, Euro Disney, and Hollywood affiliated parks.

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Bottle Bombs - Easy to Learn How and Easy to Build
Bottle Bombs have reached new popularity with kids and are seen widely on Internet video sites. Their construction is simple and can be done with easy to obtain materials. The bombs are made in two ways; one, with dry ice and the other with caustic acid. Both are put inside plastic bottles from 20 ounces to three liters (or another airtight container), and left to expand and explode over time. The detonation time for the dry ice bombs are approximately 45 minutes and the acid varies between 5 to 15 minutes.

The use of this explosive device has been used for pranks and mailbox attacks around the country but there is certainly a threat that the bottle bomb -- improved and perfected -- could be used by both domestic and international terrorist entities. Security and First Responder mangers are asked to brief personnel on this threat and to take proper precautions with suspected items.

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Hamas Threatens Multinational Force Option for Gaza
Hamas officials in Gaza have said that any multinational force will be met with bullets and mortars. EU and UN officials have been entertaining Palestinian Authority requests for a multinational force in Gaza.

Following the attack on Spanish UNIFIL observers in South Lebanon last week, TAM-C analysts expect more attacks on International Aid organizations and Military and Policing Agencies.

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Attempt to Disrupt International Military Arms Exhibition
The DSEi Defense Systems & Equipment International Exhibition 2007, held be in London (11-14 September 2007), is being targeted by anti-war/anti-globalization groups. They have targeted this military weapons exhibition because (they state) it includes vendors from countries "who have human rights violations and a poor quality of life."

TAM-C analysts have been observing groups such as smashEDO as they prepare to disrupt this event. They have held training sessions since May. They are encouraging groups to "Blockade, Destroy, March, Smash, Infiltrate, Invade, Picket, Harass" in an effort to close DSEi.

The offense against the exhibit begins with July Days of Action Against the Arms Trade (See 29 - 30 July). These are to be world-wide "days of autonomous action" against any company involved in the production, transportation, or sales of military arms.

This will be followed by an attempt to disrupt transportation leading to the exhibition. The final effort aimed at closing down the exhibition will be occurring at the London site. TAM-C analysts expect aggressive protests with the high likelihood of violence.

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Aaron Richman is the managing partner for the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response in Philadelphia and Israel, where he is responsible for emergency management and planning. He's also an adjunct professor at American Military University where he teaches courses in Emergency and Disaster Management.

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Timothy Brown, a 20-year veteran of the United States Army, wrote an interesting article for the Global Politician about the shifting sectarian dynamics in Iraq. It's a bit long, but a very interesting read.

Excerpt:
The March 2003 United States invasion of Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom, reversed 300 years of Turkish Ottoman, Sunni based monarchial and military rule in the country. The toppling of Saddam Hussein, the Baa’th Socialist Party of Iraq, and moreover, the total evisceration of the governmental structure, set in motion the decentralizing centrifugal forces of sectarianism.

Read the entire article at Global Politican online.

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