counterterrorism

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Terror Trackers Tackle Jihadis Online

Two firms spearhead web war on terror

(Newser) - Two low-profile private contractors are at the forefront of the fight against cyber-jihadis, Der Speigel reports. From secret US locations, IntelCenter and SITE track footprints that al-Qaeda and other groups leave online. They detect new statements in the maze of terror-linked sites and rapidly transmit them to the world's counter-terror...

Al-Qaeda Works Cheap, Stays Hidden
Al-Qaeda
Works Cheap,
Stays Hidden

Al-Qaeda Works Cheap, Stays Hidden

Cells dodge dragnet by avoiding traceable transactions

(Newser) - International efforts to cut off terrorists from funding have failed because al-Qaeda cells operate cheaply and independently, avoiding official funding channels, experts say. While the US and its allies have focused on freezing bank accounts and monitoring financial transactions, operatives build $15 bombs, drum up hard-to-trace cash through illegal scams,...

Big Apple Is Big Brother, Privacy Advocates Warn

(Newser) - Anti-terrorism measures planned for New York City have civil liberties groups worried, the Guardian of London reports. Operation Sentinel calls for cameras to be placed at every bridge and tunnel into Manhattan to photograph every vehicle entering and leaving. Details would then be kept on a huge city database.

Pakistan Spends US Anti-Terror Aid on Jets

Shift in counter-terrorism funding angers lawmakers

(Newser) - A plan to spend US funds earmarked for anti-terrorism aid to upgrade Pakistan's F-16 jets is angering lawmakers who complain that it's a misuse of the money, the New York Times reports. The Bush administration says the $230 million will boost the jets' ability to strike at insurgents. Critics say...

Air Force Seeks Anti-Terror $16M for 'Comfort Pods'

Congress nixes funds for high-flying accommodations on military planes

(Newser) - Air Force chiefs have sought $16 million in anti-terrorism funds to build luxurious "comfort capsules" to be installed in military aircraft for VIP officer travel, reports the Washington Post. The project's costs have soared as finicky generals demand changes, with modifications in the plush leather seats—including a switch...

From Britain With Love: MI6 Seeks Minorities

Spy agency wants women, Asians, Arabs, to help fight terrorism

(Newser) - Next year's 007's may look more like Charlie's Angels than James Bond, as MI6 seeks to recruit more women and minority agents, the AP reports. The drive, which has netted 20,000 résumés over the past 12 months, welcomes Asian and Middle Eastern language speakers, the disabled, and...

Ailing bin Laden Mere Months From Death?

Terror mastermind succumbing to kidney disease, CIA claims

(Newser) - Terror leader Osama bin Laden is dying from kidney disease, according to a CIA analysis of the medications he has been taking, reports Time.The world's most wanted terrorist likely has no more than 12 months to live, and may already be teetering on the brink of death, according to...

US and Europe to Share Private Data

Security efforts to be eased by agreement

(Newser) - The US and the European Union will soon allow security agencies to swap private information, including credit card purchases, travel histories and web surfing. The potential agreement is a breakthrough in a standoff between American counterterrorism officials and their trans-Atlantic counterparts, whose countries tend to have more stringent privacy laws....

US Bounty Program Fails to Rein In Terrorists

Lure of huge rewards does little to dent al-Qaeda leadership

(Newser) - Money may be the root of all evil, but the almighty dollar is doing a poor job to stop it: Washington’s efforts to catch terror suspects using steep bounties is largely a bust, the Washington Post reports. “The program could use some rejuvenation,” said one ex-official. “...

Government's Spy Powers Up, But Terror Arrests Down

Civil-liberty groups squawk; feds say numbers don't tell whole story

(Newser) - Big Brother is watching … but hasn’t found much, the Los Angeles Times reports. Despite vastly increased domestic spying activities, terrorism prosecutions have plummeted 50% since 2002; last year alone saw a 19% drop, despite a 9% increase in eavesdropping warrants. The Bush administration, meanwhile, is pushing for even...

NYPD and FBI Tussle Over War on Terror

Frustrated NY cops use 1,000 officers to thwart attacks

(Newser) - Irked by the FBI, New York police have quietly turned their anti-terror mission into a global operation, the Washington Post reports. They have nabbed suspected terrorists and won convictions, but Big Apple cops still fume over the FBI's refusal to share data. “Controlling information is power, and they don't...

Chinese Say They Foiled 2 Terror Plots

Hijack attempt blocked while earlier raid stopped Olympic attack

(Newser) - China has thwarted two terror attacks, a top official revealed today, including an attempted plane hijacking on Friday and a January raid that captured and killed terrorists aiming to "sabotage" the Beijing Olympics, reports CNN. Both incidents were linked to regional separatists whose “goal was very clear,”...

Bomb Dogs Will Ride Amtrak
Bomb Dogs Will Ride Amtrak

Bomb Dogs Will Ride Amtrak

Security stepped up on nation's rail system

(Newser) - Amtrak is stepping up security, with random screening of carry-on bags and security teams packing machine guns and leading bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains, reports AP. The new system, beginning this week, echoes stricter security procedures at the nation's airports. Amtrak insists there should be no additional departure delays...

Panel Blasts 'Appalling' US Terror Readiness

Panel calls for sweeping changes to National Guard, Army Reserves

(Newser) - The US is woefully under-prepared for a terrorist attack on home soil, according to a scathing report by an independent commission charged by Congress to recommend National Guard and Army Reserve policy. "It's totally unacceptable," the panel declared of American readiness in the event of such an attack....

Bush to Cut Anti-Terror Funding
Bush to Cut Anti-Terror Funding

Bush to Cut Anti-Terror Funding

Proposal to ax port, transit security sparks bipartisan ire

(Newser) - Bush plans to cut counterterror funds in half next year, nixing port and transit security plans altogether, the AP reports. The drop from $3.2 billion to $1.4 billion would slash police, fire, and rescue budgets nationwide—and run counter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's vow of less...

Security Device Sector Booms
Security Device Sector Booms

Security Device Sector Booms

James Bond-style gadgets range from biometric keyboard to blast-proof curtains

(Newser) - The inventions that turned up this month at a competition to find the world's most promising security start-up sound like prop candidates for a James Bond film than the real world: explosion-proof curtains and a hand-held tester for exposure to nerve agents were featured alongside the winner, a night-vision camera...

Homeland Security Adviser Joins White House Exodus

Townsend leaves behind mixed legacy

(Newser) - The president's homeland security adviser resigned today, extending the string of high-profile White House departures. Frances Frago Townsend was in charge of the president’s counterterrorism program for 4½ years, the Washington Post reports, managing the response to the London bombing and upgrading air transportation security. No reason was given...

Soccer Mom Tracks Terrorists
Soccer Mom Tracks Terrorists

Soccer Mom Tracks Terrorists

Former cheerleader chats up jihadists on her home computer

(Newser) - A suburban Montana mom led US forces to Taliban cells in Afghanistan, found a renegade Stinger missile merchant in Pakistan, and identified a ring of suicide bombers. She also nabbed two domestic terrorists—all from her home computer. Shannen Rossmiller is an amateur Internet sleuth who poses as an al-Qaeda...

UK Is Ready for Its Closeup
UK Is Ready
for Its Closeup

UK Is Ready for Its Closeup

With 1 surveillance camera for every 15 Britons, unexamined life is nonexistent

(Newser) - The nation that embraced the "Big Brother" TV show is becoming eerily like the society George Orwell envisioned, reports the LA Times. Litterers under closed-circuit surveillance respond to commands to pick up trash they drop, and errant cyclists are ordered to dismount in pedestrian-only areas. Britons increasingly are trading...

CIA Probes Its Own Watchdog
CIA Probes Its Own Watchdog

CIA Probes Its Own Watchdog

Agency chief moves to 'call off the dogs' with investigation into secret prisons findings

(Newser) - In an unprecedented move, the director of the CIA is challenging the agency's own inspector general by ordering an internal investigation of his investigation, reports the Los Angeles Times. CIA Inspector General John Helgerson has issued a series of scathing reports about the agency; now director Michael Hayden has ordered...

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