Developing a deeper understanding of terrorism today to aid local law enforcement tomorrow

Analysis by Security Consulting Investigations, LLC
"Your premier private investigative service worldwide."
Dr. Ross L. Riggs, Director

1 October 2014

THE ISLAMIC STATE is terminology that is worthwhile as a non-identifier which aides U.S. media in re-drawing the lines as to what constitutes 1) a Member of the Islamic State 2) a State Action by the Islamic State (as compared to non-State action and classified as a 'private action' even when the subject identifies themselves in allegiance to the Islamic State and declares their actions as designed to further the Islamic State. In other words, IS has become a tool for the politically correct to redefine it however they need to for their purposes.

If one traces the etymology of the term Islamic State, a direct correlation can be found with its predecessors of ISIS including but not limited to: the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; ISIL, the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant as well as others. The purpose of the recodification of the terminology is to bolster the Obama Administration's claim following the death of Osama bin Laden that al Qaeda is decimated and on the run, that terrorism as such was eliminated from the known threats for the citizens of the US by al Qaeda's demise.

Nothing, of course, is further than the truth - al Qaeda has been growing and morphing into all varieties of terrorist outlets all across the Middle East and northern Africa. One cannot deny the vitality of the terrorist movement, unless, of course, you consider events such as the pathetic attempt by major media outlets in the U.S. kowtowing to pressure from the Obama Administration to label the beheading of Colleen Hufford, age 54 and the brutal stabbing of Traci Johnson, who remains in serious condition, by Jah'keem Yisrael a known Muslim extremist who tried to convert co-workers to Islam and screamed Islamic phrases as "workplace violence". According to reliable sources, Nolen began attending worship services this May at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City. This is the same Mosque that Breitbart News report that Imam Suhaib, who had ties to al-Qaeda mastermind Anwar al-Awlaki used to attend.

Under the category of "NAH...HE DIDN'T REALLY SAY THAT, DID HE?" is the
report on CNN September 30th during the morning expose' on the Oklahoma beheading case, stating that the prosecutor was not going to seek the death penalty, the talking heads of psychobabble were declaring the actions by Jah'keem Yisrael, aka Alton Alexander Nolen, a result of the build-up of family and personal pressures since he was a child and the resulting violence was the proximate result of his environment. The anchor, John Berman, closed the

segment with the statement, "this case is a difficult case (referring to the beheading)...any way you slice it." In fact, the news watch Buzz Feed News counted 3 times in 10 seconds that he used the phrase referring to the beheading.

A SECOND THREATENED BEHEADING IN OKLAHOMA CITY - MAN ARRESTED
After a verbal altercation and on-going difficulty in an Oklahoma base nursing home, one employee threatened to behead a female employee. The man, arrested on charges of TERRORISM, claimed that he represented ISIS. Here are the basic facts from MAILONLINE:

• Jacob Mugambi Muriithi, 30, worked 20 miles away from beheading scene;
• A Muslim, he was fired on Wednesday for the threats at Bellvue Nursing Home;
• Muriithi told the victim he would cut off her head and post the footage on Facebook;
• Police arrested him Friday - the same day  Alton Alexander Nolen was identified as the suspect in the beheading at  Vaughan Foods in Moore, OK; 
• Muriithi is now being held on terrorism charges with his bail set at $1million.  

First - it is critical to reinforce with local police and with the public that other than a very rare "in the right place at the right time" kind of moment, police very seldom have the ability to "prevent crime" or "protect the citizens" to understand the concept, refer to this author's published article "To Protect and Serve". There is only one person who must accept the responsibility to protect and that is the individual who is facing the attacker. Police respond to a call for help which means that the attack has already taken place. If police take it upon themselves to be the ultimate guardian of the population then every time they fail to be at the exact right spot at the exact time, they will count themselves a failure - great for destroying a job satisfaction and increasing stress exponentially. If the public actually believe that the police officer will come springing out of a phone booth, blue tights and a red cape ready to whisk them to safety, they will certainly be eager to vote down the next safety

levy and bad mouth the police every chance they get.

Can crime be prevented by having a police force that is strong, resilient, professional in appearance and highly visible with a great track record of cases solved and convictions received? Yes! Absolutely! The "less stupid" criminals will go hunt their prey in cities where the probability of being apprehended either in the act or following the investigation is much less. The point, however, is that the individual citizen must be ready at a second's notice to not be a victim. (I have another whole diatribe on why we should drop that word from our language all together, by the way!) The local citizens must be willing, equipped and prepared to defend themselves. Local law enforcement can learn from these recent instances however and take action to prevent such acts of terrorism in their communities -

FIRST ACTION POINT: Local Law Enforcement should get behind quality, self-protection training for their citizens; everything from identifying trouble, reporting suspicious persons and events (sometimes to their employers and to local police).

Recently in a small town in NE Ohio a 90 plus year old woman who lives alone was nearly stabbed to death one evening because she partially opened her front door to someone asking for 組asoline・because his car broke down. This assault never had to happen. A peep hole in the door. A front camera with a video screen, or simply knowing that as a 90 year old woman, she does not answer the front door after dark. Yes, it is a sad commentary on our times but, these are the times in which we live and we must be prepared to protect ourselves.

SECOND ACTION POINT: Local Law Enforcement should train employers on their responsibility to take the reports by employees of bullying, extreme behavior of any kind, and threats very seriously and have a course of action laid out based on the type of threat or incident.

THIRD ACTION POINT: Develop connections within neighborhoods. COPS NEED TO GET OUT OF THEIR CARS - talk to people, develop a rapport with young people, elderly people, shop owners, - Cops need to develop their people skills. The earliest signs of someone about to cause serious trouble (even within normally closed communities like a Mosque) there are always people who either know or suspect something is building and about to happen. Usually these people would tell the authorities if they had someone they trusted and that they knew how to reach. It does not happen overnight but it will never happen if the department does not start.

Here come the nay-sayers with "not enough money, short on personnel...we're running from call to call now and have no time to stop and walk the beat, eating the grocer's apples and getting the kitten down from the tree (oops, that's the fire department's job...skip that last one!)

There are always excuses. There are always obstacles. PRO-ACTIVE POLICING requires no longer being satisfied just going from call to call as "responders"...Someone once said, "if you always do what you've always done, you always get what you've always gotten."

If you go all the way back to 9-11, there was information out there about the hijackers. The citizens who were in contact with them - such as at the flight school - were not trained on what to be looking for, and there was no connection for people to know who to call, how to call, or what to report. The car bomb in Times Square - how many times did those guys drive cross-country and go around buying up chemicals in quantities that only the world's largest hair salon would need?・Did you know that those guys did not exactly fit the description of "Che' Robere's House of Hair". Someone, somewhere, had a gut instinct that these guys were up to something, but "who you gonna call?"

Agencies must not forget the lessons of 9-11 and begin to retreat behind their walls of non-cooperation. Organizations, such as the International Counter Terrorism Officer's Association, continue to support inter-agency cooperation, training, and information sharing. We have the tools, the people, the equipment and methodologies to stop these attacks but we have to get back to some good old fashioned police work.

Beheading of French tourist - The Islamic state claims responsibility

A 55 year old professional mountaineering guide from Nice France, Herve Gourdel was kidnapped on September 28, 2014 by a jihadist group called Jund al-Khalifa (caliphate soldiers). She had been hiking in an Algerian national park. The group claims allegiance to the Islamic State. They had threatened to kill Gourdel unless France stopped bombing ISIS targets in Iraq. A search by a large contingent of security forces of Algeria in the Tizi Ouzou region failed to locate Gourdel. Thirty minutes after President Obama urged the world to

unite against ISIS and destroy what he called a "network of death". ISIS released the short video of Gourdel's beheading.


According to the Langley Intelligence Group, "an international appeal from ISIS in which it called on its backers everywhere to attack Europeans...jihadists in the Philippines declared that they were holding two Germans hostage and would kill them unless Berlin withdrew support for the U.S. led campaign against ISIS or paid ransom...jihadists in a wide array of other locations, including Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, Pakistan and the Caucasus are among those who have pledged allegiance to ISIs, which is gaining supporters around the world...as this terror network grows, so too does the danger to the security of Americans and other westerners who seek to travel the world."

Anti-Terrorism and The ICTOA 2013 Conference

ICTOA CONFERENCE 2013

Las Vegas

 

 

October 10th, 2013 | Author: Dr. Ross Riggs

 

Anti Terrorism

Jim Biesterfeld Sovereign Executive Services

951-301-1971 abiest@verizon.net

GOALS of ANTI-TERRORISM OPERATIONS

• Decrease desirability of the target
• Identify terrorist activity
• Decrease the effectiveness of an attack

The key is to make it not financially, politically worth the cost


Title 5 of the USC defines Terrorism (Note: the Fort Hood killings fit the description for a terrorist act very clearly)


LONE WOLF Operations

• Self-Radicalized
• Extremist +
• Many attempts to join regular cause, i.e. Al Qaeda but rejected
• Acts independent of organized groups but may get assistance from such a group for supplies occasionally.
• More difficult to detect – do not ignore the indicators

The Manchester Document – al Qaeda’s Playbook

Target Selection 

                                                      > Blasting and destroying embassies

                                                      > Attack vital economic centers

                                                      > Destroy bridges leading into and out of cities

                                                      > Removal of key personalities  “Those that block Allah’s path”

                                                      Target Recon

                                                           To Identify Potential Targets

                                                     

                                                      > Key function that LE patrol units may discover

                                                      > Gather information about:

                                                                       The enemy

                                                                       The land

                                                                       The installations

                                                                       The neighborhood

‘Collectors’ will:

> Move in two directions

> Often use a rental vehicle paid for in cash

> Have quality ID documents either real or excellent fakes

> Will have a quick answer for why they are in a certain place at a certain time(s)

> May be carrying blueprints or floor plans of buildings

> Will have notes on the physical layout, often these will be laying in plain sight in the vehicle

> Checking access controls

> Monitoring the physical security people

> Interested in types of construction

                  Both technical and non-technical

 Q: What will stand out about them?

A: Maybe nothing but… they will test to see how close can they get?

PROXIMITY

A: Notice how long they stay.

DURATION

A: How often do they show up?

FREQUENCY

“The key is to make it financially, politically not worth the cost.” 

– J. Biesterfeld of Sovereign Executive Services

THE CHANGING NATURE OF TERROR

The following is excerpted from “Counter Terrorism: Cyber-War in Tomorrow’s Mirrors” by Dr. Ross L. Riggs

Jihadists often create extensive on-line personas that enable them to build a following, almost a set of groupies that inflate the ego of the would-be terrorists. These cyberspace braggarts may take the step from the virtual world of cyber based calls for jihad and acts of terror to putting down the keyboard and picking up a weapon. It is WEBehavior's mission to find them before they do.

There are websites and magazines devoted to providing a forum for these virtual jihadists. They will often utilize some of the very same marketing tools that major entrepreneurial success stories in the Western world use to promote their products. 
 

These tools, based on how social media is used and by whom, allow investigators to read and understand the context of information that is prevalent on the social media sites. They are particularly useful when the information is posted by the virtual jihadists themselves. By understanding the nature of the social media posts and appreciating the context of what is said, how it is said, when and by whom, it is possible to deduce if a virtual jihadist is going to engage a target in the real world; where that potential target might be; and when such an attack could take place. 

WEBehavior’s CEO says that radical sites and publications like Inspire offer rewards for loyalty to a site or for an increase in the number of posts on a site by a given individual. The rewards can be extremely trivial inducements for this extended loyalty, a ploy known as gamification. Both the virtual and real-world jihadist then has a claim to fame and it is that inflated sense of importance that opens the door for the jihadists’ writings to be tracked by investigators in the race to stop the next attack. 

Alix Levine and the folks at WEBehavior will quickly admit to you that they are not clairvoyant. They are, however, committed and that commitment has paid off in being able to see today’s cyber war in tomorrow’s mirrors. The information that they are able to glean from exhaustive research has begun to point to where tomorrow’s attacks may come and who their perpetrators will likely be.

CYBER-WARFARE: A Military Response Capability

  April 5th, 2013 | Author: Dr. Ross Riggs

A short time ago, I presented a lecture series on Cyber-Warfare on ICTOA Radio as part of a Lecture Series: Counter Terrorism in the United States 2013

The following is an update to that lecture:

Cyber-Warfare has become the tool of our enemies; particularly, the Chinese have used this capability to go beyond nuisance hacking to espionage and the deliberate shutting down of resources necessary for the daily functioning of services with a goal of adversely effecting the United State’s economy and its dollar’s showing on world markets. In the recent lecture, SCI took the position that certain of these acts are acts of war against the United States and companies continuing to do business with avowed enemies of the U.S. were committing nothing less than treason. SCI has also held that until recently, the strongest response from those in the ‘IT world’ was to provide counter-measures for attacks after they happen and do very little to track down the perpetrators of the attacks to force them to cease any further attacks by eliminating their capability to do so.

A report released by the Pentagon today has changed the playing field quite a bit. Although much of the report is classified so not all parts can be shared in this venue, SCI can report what has been released on the expanded capabilities of the U.S. military to seek out and destroy those who are engaged in acts of war against the U.S.

The first step was to delineate what, in cyber-technology, constitutes an act of war. There must be a way to articulate what that line is and how it has been crossed to permit a military response in retaliation for the attack. There is a distinction made between cyber attacks that are espionage and/or theft and cyber acts of war. General Keith Alexander, head of the Cyber-Command was quoted as saying, “If the intent is to disrupt or destroy our infrastructure, I think you’ve crossed a line.”^[1] Lt. Col. Damien Pickart a Pentagon spokesman confirmed that there have been developed rules of engagement that “provide a defined framework for how best to respond to the plethora off cyber-threats we face.”^[2] `

Perhaps the primary effectiveness of the new development in cyber-warfare from the military standpoint is the wisdom the Pentagon has shown in implementing a solid strategy. First, they defined for their commanders what constitutes an act of war in the cyber-world. Secondly, and most encouraging is that they have given military commanders both the clear guidance they need in such instances but also the authority to take retaliatory action without seeking a presidential clearance to act. The military response can be swift, sure and definitive. That is a combination that creates a solid deterrence to those who seek to harm the interests of the United States. 

One CSO of a major security company was quoted as saying, “This is putting the world on notice, particularly the Chinese, that we’re tired of them breaking into private companies.”^[3]

In a time when the world has been receiving mixed messages from the Administration about our willingness to protect our own, the Pentagon should be applauded for stepping up to the task of sending a clear message that the line has been drawn and to cross it will bring a definitive response.

_________________________________

 

[1] Pentagon Develops Rules of Engagement for Cyberwar USA Today 5 April 2013 5A

[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.