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Posts with tag terrorism
Twitter a Potential Terrorist Tool?
...Wait... Twitter?
Apparently the U.S. Army thinks that Twitter is a terrorist threat just waiting to happen. We know that liberal activists used Twitter to stay organized at the Republican National Convention this year, and that a journalism student Twittered his way out of jail, but the idea that the microblogging service is a deadly tool to be feared seems like a bit of a stretch.
The report features a number of hypothetical scenarios in which terrorists use Twitter to set an ambush for U.S. soldiers, detonate an explosive device, or gather information for identity theft. Steven Aftergood, an intelligence analyst with Federation of the American Scientists (who posted the report), was quick to downplay the importance of the threat. Aftergood told Wired's Danger Room, "If we have time to worry about 'Twitter threats' then we're in good shape. I mean, it's important to keep some sense of proportion." [From: Yahoo! News, Danger Room]
Kevlar Containers Could Thwart Suitcase Bombs
Suitcase bombs have been a worry of officials since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, when an explosive slipped by scanners into the belly of the jet. Of course, modern scanners are much more sensitive and explosive devices that are small enough to slip by them could easily be contained if detonated within these five foot by five foot luggage containers.
Many airlines are resisting the idea, primarily because the government hasn't offered any financial assistance to institute the program. The containers are heavy (265 pounds) and expensive ($18,000). The airlines are already struggling to stay afloat and can't afford to outfit much of their fleet of aircraft with these containers. Additionally, the weight of the containers reduces the amount of cargo and passengers a plane can carry, further reducing revenue.
The containers are the result of 17 years of research and failed prototypes. Eventually, the government may shell out for containers on flights coming from countries with high levels of terrorist activity, but we probably won't see them on domestic flights any time soon. [From: USA Today]
'World of Warcraft' a Terrorist Hotspot?
Yes, it sounds a little ridiculous to us too, but the above image shows the government is at least considering it. The picture is from a presentation given by Dr. Dwight Toavs, a professor at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University. From what we can tell, he wasn't trying to be funny. The "Keep" is supposed to be the White House, 110 gold and 234 silver are the coordinates of the attack, while the "Dragon Fire Spell" is a nuclear weapon.
Yes, it's certainly possible that a terrorist group could use WoW in this manner if it wanted to, but given the huge number of other communication channels available online, this particular one seems somewhat... unlikely to us. [From: Machinist]
Al Qaeda's Web-Based War Is Up and Running Fast
Want to know just how plugged in al-Queda is? Read the article in the Washington Post, which details the various online activities of the terrorist group.
For example, back in December, al-Qaeda launched a question and answers forum where high-ranking, and wanted, members of the organization post videos responding to questions and complaints posted by visitors including supporters, detractors, and even journalists. Every three to four days a new video or audio clip is posted by as-Sahab, the terrorist network's propaganda wing. The number of videos produced by the communications group has grown exponentially, from only a half dozen in 2002, to 98 videos in 2007.
The videos take various forms, from simple monologues in front of the camera to full fledged, high production value, documentary films. The videos are offered not only as streams online, but as videos specially formated for cell phones and iPods, making their extremism easily portable.
According to the article, the level of sophistication has caught law enforcement agencies like the FBI and Scotland Yard completely off guard, and has proven to be quite an embarrassment. As one unnamed foreign diplomat told Defense Secretary Robert Gates, "How has one man in a cave managed to outcommunicate the world's greatest communication society?"
Okay, Gates -- thanks for relaying the anonymous, quotable quote, but get us up to speed, will ya? [Source: Washington Post]
Taliban Attacks Shut Down Cell Phone Service In Afghanistan
Cell phone companies that provide cell phone service to southern Afghanistan have shut down. The communication blackout is in response to Taliban attacks on cell phone towers around the country.
The Taliban was certain that NATO and the U.S were tracking the cell phone signals of Taliban fighters in order to plan precision attacks against them, so they threatened to blow up cell phone towers unless cell phone service was shut off at night. The service was not shut off at night, so the Taliban made good on its threat.
Approximately 10 towers have been attacked since last month. Seven of those towers suffered serious damage. In total, the attacks have resulted in almost $2 million in damage. Consequently, Afghanistan's four major cell phone companies began cutting service entirely across southern areas of the country, which is inconveniencing a good 250,000 customers.
The inability to protect such obvious targets from attack does not bode well for a country struggling to maintain a strong central government.
Some members of the Taliban have now begun demanding that service be restored. Their cell phones aren't working either. But didn't they just...? Oh, nevermind.
From AP/AOL News
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Al Qaeda Voicemail Recipients Warned By Saudi Government
Chances are you've received some unwanted calls, text messages, and even voice messages in your day. But, we're guessing you've never received voicemail quite like the sort that is under watch of the Saudi Arabian government. Should any Saudi citizen receive a message from Al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri, the government is warning, you must report it by Saturday or face arrest.
Apparently Al Qaeda is attempting to ramp up its attacks in Saudi Arabia and is going on a bit of a recruiting spree. A recording of Zawahri is being sent around requesting either personal or monetary support for the group's terrorist actions. That the Saudi government is aware of the voice messages and is taking action to prevent recruiting is good news.
From textually.org and The Gulf Times
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Four Cell Phone Towers Destroyed By Taliban
Last month, the Taliban issued warnings to mobile phone service providers in Afghanistan. It said that any cell tower that was not shut down by 5 PM for a period of 10 hours would be destroyed. Providers did not take this threat kindly and have not shut anything down. Well, as of this morning, it would seem that the Taliban wasn't kidding, since it has done its best to punish mobile phone providers this week by destroying four cell towers, the latest of which went down last night.
As we reported earlier this week, the Taliban believe that U.S. military forces are using cell phone signals to track insurgents. According to the Taliban, the military is gaining access to the signals provided by the phones many of the group carries and using those signals to target attacks. It's unclear whether there's any truth to that charge (the military certainly has plenty of tricks up its sleeve), but you can be sure the towers' destruction (and the resulting communication outages) should earn the Taliban no more support from the people of Afghanistan.
From textually.org
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Taliban Threatens to Blow Up Cell Phone Towers
Taliban militants are threatening to blow up the radio towers of cell phone companies in Afghanistan if they don't shut down their networks for ten hours, starting at 5 P.M, according to the Associated Press. Zabiullah Mujaheed, a Taliban spokesman, has said the networks have three days to comply with the demands.
The Taliban believes that the U.S. military is using the cell phone signals to collect intelligence about insurgent locations and plans. In the past, leaders have even accused Afghanistan's four cell phone companies of conspiring with the American forces.
But while the complicity of the cell phone companies would certainly be of aide to the U.S., it is not necessary. U.S. intelligence agencies have satellites and other technologies that would allow them to intercept cell phone signals without the assistance of the companies themselves.
The only people who would suffer, alas, from a post-dusk cell-phone-network-shut-down, are the Afghani people (and, presumably, the cell phone companies).
So far none of the mobile operators have agreed to the Taliban's demands.
From AOL News/AP
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Mid-East Cable Cuts Now Affecting 85-Million -- Are Terrorists Involved?
Over the past few weeks, numerous undersea data cables providing data access to large portions over the Middle East have been severed. Five separate cable cuts have been detected since January 23, a rash of incidents that some have blamed on wayward fishing trawlers, while others are suspecting terrorism. Regardless of the cause, the scope of the damage is just now becoming known, with 85-million users said to be currently unable to connect to the Internet.
The outages are primarily impacting people from Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and India, countries that rely on the undersea cables for their connectivity to the rest of the world. Repairs are ongoing right now, but it's unclear just how long they'll take or when the region will be back online. And, since the cause of the cuts is still unknown, there's no guarantee that once they're fixed, it won't just happen again.
From BetaNews
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