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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Independent Monitoring Commission's Third Report on Paramilitary Activities in Northern Ireland

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

The Kyoto Protocol that aims to curb world wide warming will be effective worldwide following Russian President Putin's approval of the ratified treaty. Russia, with 17 percent of developed nations' greenhouse gas. Although signed by 126 countries, the treaty only comes into effect now that 55 percent of emissions are covered. Rising temperatures are connected with extreme weather patterns including droughts, floods, and rising sea levels that could spark conflict.

New world population estimates suggest a stable population of 9 billion in 2300 but with a range between 2.3 billion to 1.3 trillion depending on fertility levels and life expectancy.
http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm

UN Secretary General Annan has launched a campaign to rebuild the UN security system, an effort that could determine how the UN can operate in dangerous situations throughout the world. The new plan proposed a new directorate to coordinate security matters, funding to improve safety of UN offices around the world. Some countries have expressed fears this could divert development funds or lead to involvement in internal affairs of host countries.

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2. Africa

The unusually severe locust invasion in western Africa has resulted in limited losses, with Mauritania worst affected with up to half of the crops destroyed.

The Botswana Democratic Party that has ruled since independence in 1966 has won another electoral victory, with 44 of 57 parliamentarian seats and Festus Mogae as president.

Burundi's Tutsi-dominated parties have accepted the interim constitution but would like to discuss changes before the November 26 referendum on whether the interim constitution will become permanent.

In southern Chad ethnic fighting between Muslims and non-Muslim mobs killed 12 and injured 16 after a trade dispute escalated.

Rioting over higher electricity prices in Guinea killed one and injured several people in the latest of a series of economically motivated protests.

Ivory Coast is the topic of an African Union crisis meeting to address the first major resumption of fighting since last year's truce. Government aircraft launched air strikes on the northern city of Bouake that is held by rebels of the New Forces. This violation of the ceasefire was apparently a government attempt to retake the town. French peacekeeping forces monitoring the ceasefire in the area were also struck, killing eight soldiers and injuring 23. French forces retaliated, destroying two government warplanes. Additional French troops have been dispatched. Meanwhile, unrest developed in Abidjan, and French citizens are under attack by roving machete-wielding gangs. UN humanitarian agencies have suspended operations across the country. In a separate development, a water shortage at the main jail in Abidjan led to rioting that killed seven prisoners and injured at least 30. The prison, built for 1500, now holds some 5500 and they had only small rations of drinking water for five days. The water supply problem affected the whole district.

In Liberia, rioting broke out in the capital Monrovia, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 200. UN peacekeepers have arrested as many as 250 people and a curfew is in place. Heads of the former Taylor government, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) have agreed to dissolve their military wings in preparation for next year's elections.

Clashes between breakaway Somaliland and Puntland last weekend killed more than a hundred people, mostly civilians.

Sudan's government is unable to fully control its own forces and the worsening situation in Darfur might easily enter a state of anarchy according to the monthly briefing for the UN Security Council. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sc8236.doc.htm Aid agencies have been forced to reduce operations and Medecins Sand Frontieres has withdrawn. The government refused to agree to a no-fly zone over Darfur and has defended its forcible relocation of refugees. African Union mediators are meeting separately with the Sudanese government and rebel representatives to see if any progress can be made.

Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army, following recent losses, is reportedly prepared to enter into peace talks with the government. The government expressed skepticism over the offer.

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3. Americas

Canada's Privacy Commissioner warned that personal freedoms are being undermined in the "war on terror" and there are particular concerns over the cross-boarder flow of personal information about Canadians, particularly in connection to the US Patriot Act, and the use of new surveillance technologies.
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2004/nr-c_041104_e.asp
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/information/ar/200304/200304_e.pdf

Colombian President Uribe wants to change the constitution to allow him to serve another term. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels freed four hostages.

Ecuador's opposition congressional representatives have presented a petition to trigger impeachment proceedings against President Gutierrez who is accused of misusing public funds.

In Haiti, the death toll in October was at least 79. Three gang leaders have been arrested and calm is returning to the capital, but a wave of kidnappings has emerged.

US President Bush was elected to office with 51 percent of the popular vote.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking information on a "self proclaimed American jihadist using the alias Azzam the American, aka Assam Al-Amriki" who appeared on a television interview.
http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant.htm

In Uruguay Tabare Vazquez was elected president. He is the first leftist leader in 170 years.

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4. Asia Pacific

The Australia Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) released its 2003-4 Annual Report, warning of the threat from extremism and documenting its efforts in the past year. The threat level in Australia remained at medium but in much of the world Australian interests are at high risk. To illustrate this, they cite examples including French al Qaeda suspect Willy Brigette and the September 9 attack on Australia's embassy in Jakarta.
http://www.asio.gov.au/

In the Chinese province Henan clashes between ethnic Ham and Muslim Hui communities killed at least seven and injured more than 40. Martial law has been declared.

Taiwan claims it has established diplomatic ties with Vanuatu, but China disputes that the island would have changed its diplomatic recognition from Beijing to Taipei. In Taiwaon, the High Court rejected an opposition challenge to the spring presidential election, leaving Chen Shui-bian in place.

Indonesia's Aceh province was the scene of further violence, with at least 19 people killed last weekend.

South Korean patrol boats fired warning shots when North Korean boats crossed the "Northern Limit Line" that marks the disputed maritime border. North Korea called the clash a grave provocation.

In southern Thailand fresh violence in a number of incidents has left at least nine dead. Following last week's incident when 85 Muslims were killed, many suffocated or crushed while in police custody, the brutal methods of the army seem only to be further destabilizing the situation and threatening regional security, particularly in this border area and other Muslim-dominant locations.

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5. Europe

Finland and Latvia posted terrorism warnings following a US report that the region could face an imminent attack, but did not acknowledge any specific threat information.

In Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia province there is a political crisis over the lack of agreement as to the winner of the presidential race. The opposition candidate Bagapsh was declared the winner over Russian-backed Khadzhimba. The current Russian-backed government has proposed another election and blacked out the sole television station, and now are suggesting Russian intervention to settle the issue may be required.

Macedonia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, has been recognized as a nation by the US. The Greek foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador to make a formal complaint over the move. Greece refuses to recognize the name for fear it implies a territorial claim over their bordering province of the same name.

Dutch film director Teho van Gogh was killed in connection with his attacks against Islam. His death has been linked to Muslim extremists and a letter, left on his body, contained death threats against a Dutch politician. Several suspects have been arrested and the government has promised to take touch action against Islamic radicalism.

In Russia's Chechnya province, two car bombs in Grozny wounded 17 people, most connected with the security service. Chechen militant leader Basayev said attacks on civilians would continue as long as Russian troops continue to abuse human rights in Chechnya. Chechen president Alkhanov cited a 70 percent unemployment rate as one of the motives driving recruits to the rebels. Chechen official Ramzan Kadyrov said he is ready to send forces into Georgia if necessary to eliminate Chechen separatists hiding there.

Spanish police have arrested four people, bringing to 33 the number of suspects arrested over an alleged plot to blow up a courthouse and other buildings.

Ukrainians will have a run-off election following results showing Prime Minister Yanukovych in a dead heat with challenger Viktor Yushchenko. There have been large demonstrations protesting voting irregularities. International observers agree that the election did not meet international standards.

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6. Middle East

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has been taken to hospital in Paris. His illness has not been diagnosed, but his condition is critical.

In Gaza a local taxi driver was killed when Israeli soldiers searching for tunnels exchanged fire with armed Palestinians. Two children were killed when a tank shell hit their home and two Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli missile strike.

Iran marked the 25th anniversary of the hostage taking of 52 Americans when the US embassy was seized during the Islamic Revolution with large anti-US and anti-Israeli demonstrations. Demonstrations featured repeated burning in effigy of US president Bush.

Iran and India have agreed a partnership to develop a gas field in Iran. China has agreed to buy oil and gas from Iran and develop an oil field. Iran's parliament has approved a bill that requires the government to continue its nuclear program

Iraq's interim government has declared a 60-day state of emergency because of escalating violence including attacks against police stations that killed dozens of police, attacks in Samarra that killed at least 33 people and the assassination of Hatem Kamil Abdul Fatah, deputy governor of Baghdad. Infrastructure destruction is also common. Only the Kurdish-controlled north is excluded from the emergency.

Meanwhile, US forces in Iraq have been bombing the area around Falluja in preparation for a major offensive against the rebel stronghold. UN Secretary General Annan has warned that such an assault could seriously inflame the situation. Despite the continued attacks the Independent Electoral Commission for Iraq has prepared voter registration lists that people can now check to see if they are properly registered. Expatriate Iraqis will also be allowed to vote.

Tel Aviv, Israel, was the scene of a suicide bombing for which the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility. The bomber was 16 years old. He killed himself and three Israelis and wounded up to 40. His family, whose home was destroyed, condemned the PFLP for recruiting a teenager. Human Rights Watch called for all armed groups to immediately end all use of children in attacks.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/11/02/isrlpa9591.htm

United Arab Emirate ruler Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan has died and is succeeded by his eldest son Sheikh Khalifa.

In the West Bank four members of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades died in clashes with Israeli soldiers. A wanted Fatah militant and two other men were killed in an Israeli operation. In another incident a 12-year-old boy was killed.

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7. South Asia

Hamid Karzai has been officially declared winner of Afghanistan's presidential election. (http://www.afg-electionresults.org/english/english.htm) He promised to crack down on warlords and drug money and made an offer of amnesty to Taliban fighters except for those few linked to al Qaeda or terrorist acts. Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to cooperate in tracking down al Qaeda fighters at their border.

In India 20 years ago widespread religious riots broke out following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Sikh members of her bodyguard. From 1-4 November a thousand people, mostly Sikhs, were killed and some 35,000 forced to flee. Gandhi's assassination had been motivated by the June 1984 assault on the Golden Temple of Amritsar during a government operation against Sikh separatists.

Andhra Pradesh state government asked Maoist rebels to surrender their arms as a precursor to further peace discussions but the rebels have rejected the offer, saying issues of their rights are more important. In the northeast state of Manipur a major operation against rebel groups operating at the Burmese border has been underway with reports that two Indian soldiers and 13 rebels have died and 34 rebels have been captured.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, Indian troops killed five militants during a five-hour siege inside a mosque. In other clashes, a leader of Laskhar-e-Taiba, Abdul Manan ("Abdullah") was killed as well as a second rebel and in a grenade explosion rebels killed four civilians.

Nepal's Maoist rebels attacked government district offices, destroying several buildings and killing three rebels.

In Quetta, Pakistan, a car bomb, believed connected with anti-federalist elements, killed four people. Gunmen in Karachi opened fire at a mosque, killing one. A bomb blast in south Waziristan killed six soldiers.

Sri Lanka's peace talks remain stalled as neither side is prepared to take the first step and the Tamil Tiger rebels have dismissed a government "blueprint" without review. Meanwhile, clashes between rival Muslim groups in the east broke out after a hand grenade was thrown into a mosque. Ten people were injured and several homes destroyed.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Three new variants of the Bagle worm have been spreading rapidly. Most serious is Bagle-AT that incorporates one of several executable files that can spread across file-sharing networks and allow backdoor control to an infected machine.
http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/bagle_at.shtml
http://www.messagelabs.com/news/pressreleases/detail/default.asp?contentItemId=1198&region=

ScanSafe reports that Microsoft Internet Explorer attacks are more common than any other hacking technique with Exploit.HTML.Mht targeting almost twice the number of organizations as other exploits. http://scansafe.net/scansafe/news/story?id=40934 IE's latest bug is a buffer overflow vulnerability that could inject hostile code into vulnerable systems.
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/842160

AT&T announced new features to their Internet Protect service that "integrate worm and virus mitigation into AT&T's network-based firewall, offering protection without the need to deploy firewalls at each company location". The new service will be available early next year.
http://www.att.com/news/item/0,1847,13302,00.html

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9. Finance

Internet bank Cahoot upgraded their systems, leaving a security loophole that allowed customers to access other people's account details. The problem has been repaired. http://www.cahoot.com/ Wells Fargo experienced the third breach of data security within a year, this time after four computers containing personal information at billing company Regulus Integrated Solutions were stolen. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-wells3nov03,1,1870689.story?coll=la-headlines-technology

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank issued an assessment of the financial sector in Kazakhstan that included evaluation of their AML/CFT programs. They summarize the general situation as follows:
"Reputational risk remains a potential concern for financial sector stability and the authorities' development plans. For instance, some banks rely on foreign funding. Kazakhstan's economic recent growth is largely based on substantial oil, gas and mineral reserves; and was facilitated by early reforms, such as its rapid privatization in the 1990s. Its geographic location, however, renders it a potentially convenient drug trafficking corridor. The authorities indicated that they have arrested persons for drug trafficking who may have been using the proceeds to fund terrorism. These factors, together with organized crime, regional security issues, lack of transparency linked to natural resource management, particularly the energy and mineral sector, and the need to encourage foreign investment create substantial challenges in respect of limiting risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing. Because the links between drug trafficking and terrorism in the region could present serious challenges to regional and economic stability, lack of attention to implementing appropriate AML/CFT policies, procedures and sanctions could handicap Kazakhstan's development efforts."
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=17811.0

Transparency International reports on British regulation of trust and company service providers in "One Problem, Two Standards" http://www.transparency.org/working_papers/thematic/Money_Laundering_PRP_003_18_Oct_04.pdf

Amid continuing investigations into money laundering and other scandals at Riggs National Bank, PNC Financial Services Group may not proceed with their proposed acquisition. The Riggs question has hurt PNC's stock price.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/newssummary/s_268754.html

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10. Human Rights

An Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conference on internally displaced persons (IDPs) called for pre-emptive action to avoid displacement and for better international cooperation to find long-term solutions. The Norwegian Refugee Council's report "Trapped in Displacement: Internally Displaced People in the OSCE Area" called on nations to ensure free and safe return conditions, IDP involvement in planning solutions, and independent monitoring. http://www.idpproject.org/publications/osce_report.pdf A Brookings Institution report addressed obstacles to voting. http://www.osce.org/news/show_news.php?ut=2&id=4510 Note the map of IDPs worldwide http://www.idpproject.org/images/website_maps/IDP_worldmap.gif

Chile's army has accepted responsibility for human rights violations under Pinochet's military dictatorship. For the first time they have acknowledged the atrocities were not limited to excesses of individual officers.

The UN has launched the International Year of Sport and Physical Education that will be observed through 2005. (Note last week's article on "Sports for Peace and Development https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2004/103104.html#FeatureArticle)

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Mohammad Anvari-Hamedani was charged in US court with 23 counts of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that prohibits trade with Iran and with eight counts of money laundering alleging use of hawala and foreign bank accounts to transfer funds to Iran.
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/moneylaunder110404.htm

Mohammad Aslam has been charged in British court with the 1984 kidnapping and murder of India's Deputy High Commissioner Ravindra Mhatre. The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Army had claimed responsibility.

Hedi Ben Youssef Boudhiba, arrested in Britain in August, has lost an appeal to stop his extradition to Spain where he is wanted for alleged support of al Qaeda.

Sadhuram Devkota ("Prashant") has been arrested in Nepal in connection with allegedly leading Maoist rebel operations in Kathmandu.

Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Nobel Peace Prizewinner, is suing the US government for blocking publication of her memoirs because the country of Iran is subject to US sanctions.

Slobodan Milosevic, former president of Yugoslavia, has won back the right to defend himself, but two court-appointed lawyers will stand by in case they are needed.

Mohammed Hussain ("Zulfiqar", "Abdul Hassan") of Pakistan has been sentenced to death by an Indian court for a 1997 bus bombing that killed four and injured 24.

Mohammed Amir Khan, was sentenced in Indian court to life in prison, for involvement in two 1998 marketplace bombs.

"Mohammed B" will face six charges in the Netherlands including murder and participating in a criminal organisation with terrorist characteristics in connection with the death of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Seven other people were also arrested in connection with the case.

Father Matthew Ojara, a prominent priest, was arrested in Uganda on suspicion of collaborating with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

The extradition of former Cali drug cartel leader Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela to the US has been authorized by Colombia's Supreme Court.

Abilio Soares, former governor of the then-Indonesian province of East Timor and the only person jailed for the 1999 violence, has been cleared following a Supreme Court ruling that because the military was in charge at the time, a civilian like Soares could not be responsible.

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12. Transportation

The week of October 26 - November 1 showed a significant rise in serious piracy incidents in Indonesia waters. Instead of 2-3 attacks per week, there were seven, including attacks involving multiple speedboats attacking simultaneously. http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/imb_piracy/weekly_piracy_report.asp

The crew of luxury cruise liner Crystal Harmony is testing prototype versions of the first internationally issued biometric ID cards in preparation for compliance with the revised UN Convention on Seafarers' Identity Documents.
http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/convdisp1.htm
http://www.crystalcruises.com/mc_presskit.aspx?PK=10

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Safety recommended harmonizing international standards for all lifetime phases of nuclear installations. Recommended future steps included:
"* improving the analytical processes by which the data from lessons learned as a result of low level occurrences can be used to prevent higher level incidents;
* encouraging acceptance of the view that transparency plays an important role in maintaining public confidence;
* creating international management approaches regarding long term operation of nuclear power facilities".
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2004/topical_issues.html

The Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade association, reports that all 103 US nuclear plants have met the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's October 29 deadline for more stringent security measures.
http://www.nei.org/index.asp?catnum=4&catid=717

The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded 14 contracts to fund research into improving medical tools against emerging infectious diseases, including work to improve anthrax vaccines.
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/nov2004/niaid-01.htm

Under Project Bioshield, the US government awarded a contract for 75 million civilian doses of anthrax vaccine worth more than $877 million to VaxGen.
http://www.b2i.us/frame.asp?BzID=923&to=rl&Nav=0&S=0&L=1

The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses will release its report on November 12. An advance report from New Scientist suggests the sarin nerve gas could be responsible for gulf war syndrome.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996609
http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi/

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14. Recently Published

Anouar Benmalek, transl. Joanna Kilmartin, "The Lovers of Algeria" Graywolf (novel)

Matthew Brzezinski, "Fortress America: On the Front Lines of Homeland Secrity - An Inside Look at the Coming Surveillance State" Bantam

Jacob Chikuhwa, "A Crisis of Governance: Zimbabwe" Algora

Matthew G. Devost, et al, "Cyber Adversary Characterization: Auditing the Hacker Mind" Syngress http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1931836116/

Masha Hamilton, "The Distance Between Us" Unbridled Books (fiction)

Mahdi Obeidi and Kurt Pitzer, "The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam's Nuclear Mastermind" John Wiley

Michael Ybarra, "Washington Gone Crazy: Senator Pat McCarran the Great American Communist Hunt" Steerforth

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FEATURE ARTICLE: Independent Monitoring Commission's Third Report on Paramilitary Activities in Northern Ireland

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) was established to monitor paramilitary activities and assess security in Northern Ireland for the British and Irish governments. Their latest 6-month review was released to the public this week. It indicates some reduction in paramilitary violence, particularly on the republican side, but that violence remains disturbingly high. This report is of particular importance because it has come in the midst of efforts to restore devolution. The success of this endeavor may rest on issues related to paramilitary violence and disarmament.

The report stresses the historical context of current events and the ways in which paramilitary groups have evolved from primarily politically motivated violence to political methods. Terrorism as a tactic has been largely replaced with other methods of community control involving extreme violence and influence motivated by fear. In addition, financing has turned from terrorist to non-terrorist crimes. Indeed, they may be committed by an individual connected to the organization rather than with organizational sanction, complicating analysis of whether a given incident is a genuine paramilitary activity.

Activities of specific groups are next described in detail. The Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) "has targeted on and off-duty members of the security forces and has undertaken an unsuccessful bomb attack, which we believe was directed against security force personnel. It claimed responsibility for a series of hoaxes in and around Belfast, as well as an attempted improvised incendiary device attack, on 31 August". Equipment and weapons have been found and they are believed actively recruiting, training and planning. IMC concludes "that CIRA has increased its level of activity, remains capable of making effective attacks, albeit sporadically, and is a dangerous organisation which intends to continue to engage in acts of terrorism and other crime".

The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) was reported responsible for a combined robbery and kidnapping in July, a number of shootings and assaults, and members of INLA are actively involved in organized crime.

Over this reporting period, the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) "was involved in a feud with the UVF/RHC in pursuit of which it carried out an attack which led to a number of related incidents. The LVF subsequently agreed to mediation and to stand down its East Belfast members mainly responsible for the violence". It continues to recruit and is involved in "virtually every form" of organized crime, but appear not to want renewed violence.

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) remains "a sophisticated and well controlled organisation which maintained itself in a state of readiness and was capable of reverting to more widespread violence were the decision taken that it should do so". It has maintained this capability, continued recruitment in small numbers, gathered intelligence, and engaged in low-level training. It committed no murders and fewer shootings or assaults and made efforts to contain potential parade-related violence. In addition, "We believe it was responsible for the major theft of goods in Dunmurry in May and was engaged in significant amounts of smuggling" but in Ireland certain organized crime has been stopped.

The Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) is potentially a very dangerous group that "remains a considerable threat". RIRS "has undertaken a number of postal bomb attacks and threats against prison officers, people involved in the new policing arrangements and senior politicians. It has also ordered at least one local exiling. It undertook a serious shooting attack against a PSNI station in September. The organisation seeks to improve its intelligence gathering ability and to improve engineering capacity and access to weaponry. It trains members in the use of guns and explosives. It continues to attract new members and its senior members are committed to launching attacks on security forces. Arrests in the Spring led to the discovery of incendiary and explosive devices at a RIRA bomb-making facility. RIRA is also engaged in smuggling and other non-terrorist crime in Ireland North and South".

In the previous report IMC said that despite a "ceasefire" the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) had decommissioned no weapons and instead was responsible for half of the paramilitary murders committed between January 2003 and February 2004 as well as other crimes. During this reporting period the UDA "has not been responsible for any murders [but] it did undertake shootings and assaults. In August members of the UDA are believed to have undertaken a vicious sectarian attack against 3 Catholic men". At this time there is no evidence they want to engage in further loyalist feuding. They remain heavily involved in organized crime.

Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) "remains an active and violent organisation. It committed 2 of the 4 paramilitary murders over the period since the end of February 2004, undertook a number of bomb attacks after the second murder in May as part of its feud with the LVF; and was responsible for other bomb attacks, including against nationalists". They are involved in organized crime and members have been involved in racial attacks.

Next, the report moves on to discuss incidents and trends in paramilitary violence. The murder rate remains essentially unchanged compared with the previous six months but over the last 12 months has been markedly lower than in the calendar years 2000-2003 inclusive. Although levels of other violence remain high, since March the number of victims has fallen. Among republicans shootings declined 42 percent compared with the preceding six-month period and 69 percent compared with the corresponding six-months in 2003. Assaults were reduced 31 and 25 percent respectively. Among loyalists, shootings were down 43 percent compared with the prior six months but up 15 percent compared with the same period in 2003. Assaults were down by 26 percent and 9 percent respectively. Overall, loyalist groups were responsible for more than three times the number of victims of shootings and over twice the number of assaults compared to republicans.

Section 5 reviews paramilitary groups extending activities into a widening range of non-terrorist crime. At the top end of the scale are the smuggling of drugs, oil and other high value goods, large scale counterfeiting and bank robbery. Lower down are activities such as retail of these goods as in supply of smuggled alcohol to individual pubs. These small scale activities have a major cumulative effect both in financing illegal activities and in undermining legitimate businesses. It also " creates a more insidious situation" by providing organized crime influence and roots inside the community.

These activities are widespread: "The Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force has stated that there are some 230 organised criminal gangs believed to be operating in Northern Ireland. We have been advised that about 60 percent or some 140 have paramilitary links and that, of the top 25 criminal gangs involved in international activities operating in early 2004, 17, some two-thirds, had paramilitary associations. Seldom in the developed world has this high proportion of the most serious criminals been associated with groups originating in terrorism, with an organisational structure and discipline, and the experience of planning, learning and conducting sophisticated clandestine operations, methods of handling money, and with traditions of extreme violence."
Having said all this, the IMC puts these numbers in the context of crime elsewhere, demonstrating that the view of Northern Ireland as a place rife with violent crime is false.

Finally, the report lays out a variety of responses to crime and violence:

Additional Resources:

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