Keeping Security in Shape

Turkey challenging Israel

On the surface Israel is in a position of "damned if we do, damned if we don't" - enforce the blockade. The only "out" that Israel has from Turkey's spot light grabbing maneuver is if Israel turns the tables on Turkey and Hamas by blocking the ship's arrival and demanding the immediate release of Gilad Shalit, before any aid will reach Gaza. Shalit's well being has been a forgotten issue by much of the global media and political leadership, perhaps with the eyes of the world on Gaza, hamas will capitulate.
If Turkey persists in delivering aid without influencing Hamas to release Shalit, Israel's counter action will be seen in the form of more military and humanitarian aid for Greece and for the Kurdish Diaspora - a country and a people often at odds with Turkey.

How the Threat of Terrorism Defeated Comedy Central

Background: Creators of the satirical animated series "South Park", Matt Stone and Trey Parker, received implied threats from a group operating a radical Muslim website called RevolutionMuslim.com. At the heart of the matter was the satirical depiction of the Muslim prophet Mohammad in one of South Park's upcoming episodes. The Muslim Revolution published an open warning to Stone and Parker saying that they may end up like assassinated film maker Theo Van Gogh, who's dead image was used showing his throat cut and dagger in his chest. Van Gogh, was marked for death when he made a documentary film presenting the brutal treatment of women by Muslim fundamentalists.

When the  South Park episode aired on the Comedy Central network, the image or satirical image of Mohammad was replaced by a bear and mention of his name was bleeped out. The main issue here is that Comedy Central made the edits to the episode with out the permission of Stone and Parker, citing the implied threat from Muslim Revolution.

Research into Muslim Revolution leads to a bunch of individuals who use the website to espouse hatred, are in a sense paper tigers, beating their chests in an attempt to intimidate others about the power of Jihadism. None of the members behind the website explicitly state their intention to kill or maim, but indirectly imply that bad things happen to those who defile Mohammad.

So, did an act of terrorism occur right under our noses or did Muslim Revolution use their First Amendment rights to deny South Park creators Stone and Parker their rights under the First Amendment?

Defining terrorism has been a challenge for the ages. 30 different countries, 30 different definitions. Multiply that number by each country's multiple security, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies and the number of definitions can sky rocket. Amongst US federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, terrorism is defined as a violent act committed for the purpose of causing political or social change. The following is the FBI's definition: "The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

 Interestingly, it is possible for people to be charged by respective states for making, "terroristic threats". The following is the Terroristic Threat definition according to state of New York, where Muslim Revolution is based:

TERRORISTIC THREAT

   § 490.20 Making a terroristic threat.
  1. A person is guilty of making a terroristic threat when with intent
 to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a
 unit of government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of
 a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping, he or she
 threatens to commit or cause to be committed a specified offense and
 thereby causes a reasonable expectation or fear of the imminent
 commission of such offense.
  2. It shall be no defense to a prosecution pursuant to this section
 that the defendant did not have the intent or capability of committing
 the specified offense or that the threat was not made to a person who
 was a subject thereof.
  Making a terroristic threat is a class D felony.

State of New Jersey

(1) "A person is guilty of a crime if he threatens to commit any crime of violence with the purpose to terrorize another or in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror."

(2) "A person commits a crime if he threatens to commit a crime of violence with the purpose to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly or facility of public transportation or otherwise to cause serious public inconvenience or in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such evacuation or inconvenience.

The failure to stand up to the veiled threats by the Muslim Revolution, is an example of how terrorism wins, even if the threat is implied. The best tool against Muslim Revolution and potential copycats is for democratic societies to learn to be resilient in the face of terrorism.

Staying in Israel for 3 weeks. Life as usual despite the coverage of the global media proclaiming high tensions in the country.

The Dubai Assassination - A False Flag Operation?

Dear Friends,
 The recent fall out over the assassination of Mahmoud al- Mabhouh has much of the world looking at the Israeli government as being behind this action. Though a dead al-Mabhouh would impede Hamas' ability at acquiring arms via Iran and other countries, a positive development for Israel, there were too many logistical and tactical errors committed by the "assassination unit" that defies the belief that the Mossad is responsible.

1. Tradecraft (clandestine operational techniques).
A. Identities ,if the Israeli government were going to assassinate al-Mabhouh, the identities used would be from people with no connection to Israel in the first place. Why risk any discovery and having the identities of real people on fake passports go back to Israel?

B. Passports, history has dictated that using passports from countries like Canada or New Zealand in covert operations are safer because if an operation is exposed, there is no major political fallout from these two countries. England, France, and Germany are the most powerful countries in the European Union. To use these European passports is not good tradecraft but does show chutzpah if Israel was in fact behind the operation.

C. Tactical Operation Plan, Though the assassination was a success for lack of a better word, the attention to detail in terms of being compromised by video surveillance was lacking. Based on the CCTV footage released, a number of  "operatives" look in to the cameras directly. Why be so obvious, except if to draw attention to one's self? If I am a government agency planning to covertly kill or capture a wanted individual in a hotel, I would first need to know everything that could compromise my operation including how many security officers are deployed by the hotel and by my target, the presence of hotel staff, and the specific elements of the security technology deployed. It is not just enough knowing the number and locations of surveillance cameras, but it is key to know the make and manufacturer of the video, identity, and access control systems used, so the full capability of the security measures at the hotel are made aware to the operatives. 

D. Place of Assassination, though there was a benefit to killing al-Mabhouh in a hotel - his body was concealed for several hours, why perpetrate this act in an environment covered by dozens of surveillance cameras? The most successful assassination attempts in the past have occurred while the victim is in transit - either walking or driving. But even if the "hit" were to be perpetrated outside, Dubai is not Beirut, much money was invested in the infrastructure including hundreds of exterior security cameras. Dubai is an international destination of the United Arab Emirates, ironically one of the few Arab countries that have a more open relationship with Israel, why risk killing al-Mabhouh in Dubai and not elsewhere?
 

2. The Assassination Squad The participants in the assassination, may have assumed that they were working for Israeli intelligence, but their controllers could have been from Fatah, hence a false flag operation. By using the names of real Israeli citizens on fake passports, any investigation into al-Mabhouh's death would lead to Israel as well as much condemnation from Europe. If the members of the hit team were or will be captured, and it is is a false flag operation; the operatives would say that they were working for Israel. The Israeli intelligence services deploys some of the most sophisticated means of technical surveillance in the world plus has dozens of human assets of Arab descent who are trained to infiltrate and operate in Arab countries and territories, why fly in so many Europeans? The recent arrest of former Fatah officials may bring to light the full scope of the operation.

3. Dubai's Security Technology The advancements in information systems have made it more challenging for individuals to falsify their identities and conceal their international travel records. Definitely a challenge to those launching covert operations for both governments and terrorist groups. What I find highly ironic about the statements by the U.A.E. is the focus on their use of video analytics and biometric technology. The cause of the irony is that both of these technologies have been pioneered and developed in Israel. Many facial recognition and video analytic software applications that are developed in Israel get sold to larger manufacturers who embed the technology within their own video surveillance products. It would not surprise me if some of this cutting edge technology that was conceptualized and developed in Israel; is used in service in Dubai, a territory that is known to purchase state of the art technology. If the Israeli government was responsible for this operation, it is then quite embarrassing that agents were exposed by Israeli designed technologies.

4. Fallout Who would benefit the most from al-Mabhouh dead and with the blame focused on Israel?
 
Answer: Fatah/Palestinian Authority (Formerly the PLO). A less powerful Hamas, will help Fatah in regaining its foothold in Gaza and in the "Arab" street in general.  Fatah has the ability to steal ID's from Israeli citizens due to so many Palestinians having access to Israel plus homegrown proficiencies in cyber warfare. Fatah also has over 45 years experience in launching international terrorist operations which include recruiting (terrorists, surveillance, and support teams). Fatah has worked in the past (mostly in the 70's and 80's with well known European terrorist groups like the IRA (Northern Ireland) and the Baader Meinhoff Gang (Germany) and may still have relationships with former Intelligence officers from former Soviet and East Bloc countries. There is no reason to doubt that Fatah could have received help from outside intelligence professionals in putting the whole operation together. What other entity gets mileage out of al-Mabhouh dead and blame on Israel - only Fatah.

Israel On some level al-Mabhouh's death is a welcome development but it could have been potentially beneficial if al-Mabhouh was kept alive. If the Israeli intelligence services were able to track al'Mabhouh's movements and communications, it would make sense to keep al-Mabhouh spending Hamas' money and resources on weapons and then Israel could capture weapon shipments at sea or present proof to the UN or other authorities that Iran or other groups are sending arms to Hamas. Given that there is a high degree of compartmentalization within any intelligence service, (meaning information and resources are not shared and kept secure between members of the same agency) in the immediate aftermath of al-Mabhouh's death, it is conceivable that many Israeli intelligence and special operation figures may have believed that Israel was involved in the operation. However, with the CCTV video footage, and poor tradecraft demonstrated, I am sure many security and intelligence professionals within Israel may arrive to the hypothesis that a false flag operation occurred. In the meantime, Israel's enemies may start to think twice about how secure their organizations are (if Israel was responsible that is), so why should the Israeli government say anything to the contrary. But conversely, the European countries are quite mad at Israel right now. Another possible reason for the Israeli government's silence is the drop in confidence of the government, by Israeli citizens that would occur if news came to light that Fatah was indeed able to steal Israeli identities.

The above is just my interpretation of what could be the back story in Dubai based on the circumstantial evidence released by the U.A.E. and my own professional experiences and knowledge about tactical intelligence operations.

Top 10 Arguments to Doubt the "Israeli Involvement on the Assassination of al-Mabhouh:

Top 10 Arguments to Doubt the "Israeli Involvement on the Assassination of al-Mabhouh:

1. The IRA and PIRA have the skill sets and talent to pull of the hit. Why would they? Because both organizations had/have good relations with Palestinian Fatah leadership, who are getting more aggressive in defeating Hamas.

2. Israel has a plethora of assets who are Arab who could have easily been used as the surveillance and assassination squads, why bring in so many Europeans?

3. The CCTV footage is compelling to some degree, but if anyone was to view the comings and goings of any hotel, especially the lobby, it is quite easy to fabricate and link a believable story line based on the recorded activity.

4. Visitors come and go through that hotel quite often staying under 24 hours.

5. Dubai is a criminal's paradise for shady business dealings, quite reasonable why many people travel on falsified documents.

6. Where is the coroner's report on the body? How specific is the report on how al-Mabhouh died?

7. It would make more sense for for Israel to have al-Mabhouh live, spend Hamas money and resources on Iranian weapons, and then capture the weapons at sea.

8. An outsourced hit team paid by private individuals, for the purpose of causing more anger toward Israel and more instability within Hamas.

9. Such a labor intensive operation, with a high price tag for a target like al-Mabhouh, it would be far easier to kill him in transit, why in a hotel with all of those security cameras present?

10. Is it out of the realm of possibility that al-Mabhouh died similar to David Carradine, via rough sex act gone bad? What would be the official response from the government of Dubai if he died in such a way? Would the government expose such a "scandal" or cover it up with other allegations? It is the worst kept secret that Dubai has a vibrant sex trade. Why else would a wanted terrorist stay at such a luxurious hotel, without security, except to indulge a prostitute?

Crazy Times if You Haven't Noticed

Office shootings, lone wolf terrorism, massive earthquakes, economic bubbles, China, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Russia, CPI increases, loan defaults, rising unemployment, bankruptcy, bank failures, Pakistan, Venezuela, Mexico, cartels, human trafficking, drug overdoses, drug running, child molesters, undisciplined gun owners, economic downturns,  Ponzi schemes, infidelity, tax fraud, tax increases, bridge toll increases, salary decreases, partisan politics, racism, negligent manufacturing, climate change, industrial espionage, outsourcing, political assassinations, suicide bombers, child abductions, cancer, birth defects, illegal immigration, health care reform, nursing shortages, malpractice increases, censorship, over zealous gun control, anti-Semitism, drunk driving, budget deficits, a misguided United Nations, paparazzi, and Herpes.

But never forget to stop and smell the roses.

Aviation Security

Here we go again, aviation security is shown to be vulnerable to committed terrorists seeking to do blow up planes. In response, the TSA enacts reactionary tactics to try to prohibit further attempts by terrorists.

Oh yeah, US authorities previously had the intelligence that the perpetrator of the failed bombing, AbdulMutallab, had been radicalized by al qaida sympathizing imams. Now where have I heard this before, the US had the intelligence, but despite the alleged open sharing of information within the US intelligence community, the Airline authorities were left in the dark.  

The next time I fly to New york, I might get there faster walking.

The Essence of Security

The concept of security can best be described as a feeling one experiences when the opportunity of risk or danger is minimized or terminated. To achieve this feeling of being protected, countless methods and measures have been created in prevention or in response to perceived threats. Security methods and measures essentially manifest themselves in only three major applications:

1. People - trained security officers, law enforcement, military, and employees

2. Equipment - Gates, cameras, intercoms, and IT software and hardware systems to name a few of dozens.

3. Policies and Procedures - "What to do if..." "Shelter in place is to be activated when.." "HR must inform security prior to terminating employees" "All employees must wear company ID badges while on the property", etc.

From these three major applications we can extrapolate 5 security missions:

1. Deter - To psychologically influence a potential offender's actions to cause him, her, or them to abort the initial plan.

2. Detect - To get the earliest possible indication of a potential harmful activity

3. Deny/Delay - To successfully repel potential attacker(s) assault or to impede their progress toward their goal by physical or digital barriers.

4. Assess - To possess the command structure, technology, and communication channels to understand the scope of the perceived threat.

5. Respond - implement the needed measures to counter the threat, mitigate loss, and to initiate recovery.

Security solutions are generally applied when criminals exploit vulnerabilities in an organization's protective shield whether they be physical or digital. Security is not achieved if protective solutions only account for physical threats and not digital crimes. Conversely, an organization or business that is chiefly protected through any number of firewalls, virtual private networks, back up systems, high levels of encryption can not be considered secure if an intruder can simply walk through the unsecured back door of a facility propped open by cigarette smokers and in no time flat is in the server room.

The challenge of today's security director is to maintain a well balanced and finely tuned security machine that succeeds in blending the appropriate security applications to achieve the 5 security missions.

How Many Signs of Terrorism Activity Can There Be?

Recently the DHS, in cooperation with the Colorado Office of Homeland Security, has released an instructional video about the 8 signs of Terrrorism, with the purpose of instructing viewers on what to look for when an act of terrorism is being planned. Just a few years ago, the DHS in cooperation with the Illinois Office of Homeland Security released an instructional video about the 7 signs of terrorism planning.

I am waiting for the folks from Illinois to up the ante and say in fact that there are 9 signs of terrorsm planning and that Colorado is behind the times.

 

 

In all seriousness, dedicated terorist organization learn to adapt to out maneuver anti-terrorist methods. Knowing that terrorist groups will eventually expoit a weakness, the goal of anti-terrorism should be to delay the time it takes for terrorists to find a solution to our defenses.

Iranian Threat to or Not To Be

The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) is quelling the alarm that Iran is intent on arming itself with nuclear weapons in the near future. Is it possible that this is in fact the case? Or is this latest announcement peppered with politicized intelligence and in fact is an underhanded jab at Israel?

The back story on the tension between the US and Israel has to do with Israel ignoring American requests to stop building Jewish settlements in the contested territories west of the Jordan River.  Israel, in relation to the Iranian threat, has done somewhat of a remarkable job in lobbying the rest of the world as to the dangers of a nuclear capable Iran. Furthermore, Israel has exposed and possibly may have destroyed (in Syria) some of Iran's nuclear building initiatives.

So by the US deflating the Iranian threat, Israel loses some global support for any unilateral actions it may take against Iran. With the Iranian threat in the background, the focus on an Israel West Bank compromise will be all the more prevalent.

No sooner do I write this than I read about the US scrapping the Missile Base Defense initiative in Europe. The Obama administration argued that the resources meant for this program can be better used to contain the Iranian missile threat (nuclear or otherwise I suppose).

http://www.newsweek.com/id/215529

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32889934/ns/politics-white_house