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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:
Terror Within: Domestic Extremism in the USA

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

Multiple sources suggest that North Korea has shut down a reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear power plant, signaling they could be harvesting a new load of fuel with which to develop more weapons and increase pressure to force more favorable negotiations over its nuclear programs. North and South Korea have agreed to resume talks.

The Eleventh UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice met 18-25 April in Thailand. Some 2,000 delegates from more than 100 countries discussed the threats presented by transnational organized crime, economic and financial graft, corruption, and terrorism. They addressed ratification of the UN convention against corruption as well as 13 universal counter-terrorism instruments, and mutual cooperation, including a special treaty-signing event. They also discussed capacity-building efforts and measures to aid the rule of law when emerging from instability and war.
http://www.11uncongress.org/main/main1.htm

Insurance company Aon released its annual risk map, graphically illustrating a world facing greater risk from global terrorism. The analysis includes market perceptions and ratings for risks of confiscation, legal and regulatory risk, and political violence. On the map, Iraq rose from fifth place to first, becoming the most dangerous country in which to do business. India, Pakistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Nepal, Somalia and Russia are labeled at severe risk from terrorism while Greenland, Uruguay, North Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam and Botswana are given low risk ratings. Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands and the UK have been raised from "guarded" to "elevated". Five countries saw reduced risk. Cyprus fell from high to elevated, and Western Sahara went from elevated to guarded. Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and East Timor moved from guarded to low.
http://www.aon.com/uk/en/risk_management/insurance/political_risk/map_publications.jsp

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2. Africa

Burundi's faltering peace process is the focus of a regional emergency meeting. April 22, the end of President Domitien Ndayizeye's interim term, was meant to coincide with elections. With elections delayed, a new timetable will be drawn up and regional leaders will likely extend Ndayizeye's mandate accordingly.

At the Eritrea-Ethiopia border two recent armed clashes left four dead. The disputes were likely over cattle rustling.

Ethiopia's army says that 300 rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front entered the country from Somalia. During several days of fighting 30 rebels were killed and a similar number captured.

In Nigeria's northern city of Kokoto, Shia Muslims marched to commemorate Mohammed's birthday. Majority Sunnis responded with stone throwing. Police responded to the clashes with teargas. 21 people were injured.

Togo has begun voting to choose a successor to late President Gnassingbe Eyadema, whose son is running against opposition activist Emmanuel Bob Akitani. Political turmoil following the death of the long-time ruler led to at least seven deaths, and more violence is anticipated.

Western Sahara's overall political climate has improved but the stalemate continues. The latest UN Mission report recommends a 6-month extension to provide ceasefire monitoring and maintain stability.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2005/254

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3. Americas

Colombia's indigenous peoples are in danger of disappearing amid the conflict among rebels, armed militias and the government. Violent attacks and forced displacement are increasing and more than 20 indigenous leaders were murdered or disappeared so far this year.
http://www.onic.org.co
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/+0wwBmelVpEeqxwwwwnwwwwwwwhFqnN0bItFqnDni5AFqnN0bIDzmxwwwwwww/opendoc.html

Ecuador's parliament threw out President Gutierrez after a prolonged popular uprising that was turning increasingly violent. He took refuge in the Brazilian embassy and has now been granted asylum in Brazil. Alfredo Palacio, the Vice President, has taken his place and issued an arrest warrant for Gutierrez.

Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was charged with abuse of authority over his alleged role in a minor land dispute. He is on bail, but the move may block him from the 2006 presidential election. The move has had a negative impact on financial markets due to fears that preventing the popular politician from running in the election could lead to a broader political crisis.

The US Defense Department transferred 17 Guantanamo Bay detainees to Afghanistan and one to Turkey. The Combatant Status Review Panel determined them to no longer be enemy combatants.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050419-2661.html

Venezuelan authorities detained eight Colombian soldiers at a boarder post where they are thought to have taken a shortcut as they returned from leave.

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4. Asia Pacific

Burma is accused of using chemical weapons against ethnic Karen rebels. The report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide offers medical and circumstantial evidence to support the claim.
http://www.csw.org.uk/latestnews/2005/Burma_21_04_05.htm

China and Japan have taken steps to reduce tension between the two countries. China has limited anti-Japanese demonstrations while Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi apologized for its wartime actions. China has asked Japan to back up apologies with action.

Japan's High Court rejected an appeal that Chinese survivors of biological warfare experiments should be compensated and more than 160 Japanese lawmakers have visited the controversial Yasujuni war shrine.

In Kyrgyzstan, recent land seizures have contributed to a large exodus in ethnic minority groups. Before the Akayev regime was toppled migration was at 60 people a day but that number has increased to more than 260 per day.

Philippine rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government completed another round of peace talks ending in a breakthrough over one of the major stumbling blocks to peace, regarding an agreement over ancestral lands. Talks will continue over the next few months.

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5. Europe

Armenians commemorated the 90th anniversary of the end of the Ottoman Empire and the bloody aftermath that followed, calling for the death of 1.5 million Armenians during deportation from Turkey to be acknowledged as genocide.

Belarus hosted a meeting with US Secretary of State Rice who generated controversy when she also met with Belarusian dissidents in Lithuania. Belarus President Lukashenko met with Russian President Putin and criticized US backing of "regime change".

Irish Prime Minister Ahern told the Dail that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) is recruiting new members and that some IRA members had moved on to crime.

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi resigned after his government collapsed in the wake of poor local election results but he has now formed a new coalition government ahead of May 2006 elections.

Russian journalists with the Novaya Gazeta published a report analyzing responsibility for mishandling the Beslan hostage-taking crisis, finding that those officially responsible were not really in charge but were subject to federal officials working in a separate headquarters.
http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/1062/news/n_15467.htm

Spain has begun the mass trial of 41 people accused of membership in al Qaeda and involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. Only 24 of those indicted are in court while others remain in hiding or are awaiting the outcome of extradition efforts.

Spain's Basque separatists won an electoral victory but lost ground to the Basque Socialist Party of radical separatists and the previously insignificant Communist Party of the Basque Lands. With the moderate nationalists failing to reach a majority, they will need to work in coalition and may be unable to pursue autonomy plans.

UK election preparations are taking place under heightened alert. A Muslim voter campaign by the Muslim Council of Britain was interrupted by a group of fundamentalists condemning all voting.
http://www.mcb.org.uk/

In Northern Ireland, a public inquiry into the 1999 murder of solicitor Rosemary Nelson has opened and will examine accusations of security force collusion in her death.

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6. Middle East

For the first time in the Arab world, a woman acted as speaker of parliament when Alees Samaan chaired a session for Bahrain's parliament..

In Gaza, militants with the Popular Resistance Committees shot and injured an Israeli soldier and a civilian in retaliation for killing three Palestinian boys. The Israeli army has begun moving equipment out of its Gaza bases in preparation for the pullout, which has been delayed until mid-August.

Iraqi and US security forces raided the town of Madaen, where Sunni Arab gunmen allegedly carried out a mass hostage taking. Claims, counterclaims and rumors abounded, with the incident variously called an atrocity to foment sectarian violence or an excuse to raid the town. When troops entered the town they faced no resistance and found no hostages. It took another two days to discover the bodies, when more than 50 corpses were dragged from the Tigris river, apparently those of the hostages. There were many other attacks during the week, including the assassination of 19 men shot in a football stadium. Suicide and car bombs killed dozens more. A suicide bomber attacking Prime Minister Allawi's convoy killed two, although Allawi was not hurt. A commercial helicopter was shot down, killing all 11 on board. The insurgent group Islamic Army posted a video on the internet showing their apparent revenge shooting of the sole survivor.

Iranian Arabs clashed with security forces in Khuzestan province following false rumors that the ethnic mix of the mainly Arab region would be altered. The ethnic unrest lasted for several days, killing five and leading to about 200 arrests.

Israel released nine Jordanian prisoners accused of firearms and other offenses connected to the Palestinian intifada. This is a goodwill measure meant to help improve relations.

Kuwait's parliament approved a law allowing women to vote and run for office in municipal elections.

Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati has ended more than six weeks of political deadlock with the formation of a new government, making it possible to hold new elections in May as the constitution requires. The death toll in the February 14 bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has risen to 20 following the death of former minister Bassel Fleihan.

Saudi Arabian security forces responded to a militant attack against a Mecca checkpoint shortly after voting ended in the first national elections. Two militants were killed and one injured. A member of the security forces was also killed. Conservatives appear to have performed well in the elections.

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7. South Asia

Afghan militants have stepped up attacks with the end of winter. Clashes with Afghan soldiers in Zabul province killed eight, while 12 were killed in US-led operations in Khost province.

Bangladeshi and Indian soldiers exchanged gunfire at the border, killing one Indian border policeman and a Bangladeshi girl. Two farmers were shot dead by Indian border troops in the southwest. In another of an increasing number of such incidents, Indian border forces accused Bangladesh military helicopters of entering Indian airspace.

Indian-administered Kashmir successfully opened a second bus service along the ceasefire line, supporting this with heightened security measures. Eleven suspected separatists were killed as they allegedly infiltrated the Line of Control.

Nepal's Maoist rebels continued threats against private schools, forcing a number of them to shut down. A bomb left by suspected rebels exploded in a village, killing five children and wounding three more as they played with the device. The Nepalese army claims it lost three personnel and killed 22 rebels in clashes in the western Rukum district.

In Pakistan, seven prisoners escaped through a window by using their turbans as ropes.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels continued internecine fighting in which a breakaway group attacked a camp, killing five and injuring seven.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Classic email worms are not longer causing epidemics and instead instant messaging worms and network viruses that do not require user action in order to spread are more populate. Botnets and adware are also increasing. These findings were reported in the quarterly report "Malware Evolution" from Kaspersky Labs.
http://www.viruslist.com/en/analysis?pubid=162454316

DSW Shoe Warehouse reports that thieves stole credit card numbers of 1.4 million customers, ten times more than announced last month. In some cases drivers' license and checking account numbers were also taken.
http://www.dswshoe.com/pressRelease.jsp

Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business suffered a computer breach that may have permitted access to the personal information of more than 5,000 students, alumni, faculty and staff.
http://business.tepper.cmu.edu/default.aspx?id=143024

The Financial Services Roundtable successfully completed the pilot test of its Identity Theft Assistance Center and has announced it will now be made permanent. Once referred to the center by a bank, a victim of identity theft is given free assistance to help restore their financial identity.
http://www.identitytheftassistance.org/home/index.cfm

The US Government Accountability Office warns of serious security flaws in the Internal Revenue Service computing systems, putting taxpayers at risk of identity theft.
http://www.gao.gov/htext/d05482.html

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9. Finance

Operation "Cyber Chase" was a year-long investigation between the Australian Federal Police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and other jurisdictions to crack down on an international internet pharmaceutical and money laundering syndicate.
http://www.afp.gov.au/afp/page/Media/2005/home.asp http://www.dea.gov/pubs/pressrel/pr042005.html

French investigators looking into possible embezzlement of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) funds are possibly linking a Tunisian bank account managed by PLO treasurer Nizar Abu Ghazaleh to Yasser Arafat's wife.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB111395236486511347-IZjfoNjlaF4m52rZHSIcKWEm4,00.html

Using court filings and Israeli military documents, Wall street Journal reporter Glen Simpson reports on Jordan-based Arab Bank links to terrorism. He described a chain via individual donors; charities based in the US, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere; various global banks; Arab Bank's New York, West Bank, and Gaza Strip branches; small Islamic charities in Palestinian territories; and the families of dead and jailed Islamic militants. His report, "Arab Bank's Link to Terrorism Poses Dilemma for US Policy" also discusses ways the bank has helped the US and Israel and the associated policy issues. It was published in the April 20 edition.

The US Treasury designated two Latvian financial institutions, Multibanka and VEF Bank, as "primary money laundering concerns".
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2401.htm

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10. Human Rights

A global coalition of civil liberties groups launched a report and campaign to counter "The emergence of a global infrastructure for registration and surveillance".
http://www.i-cams.org/ http://www.statewatch.org/

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart addressed the Access to Information and Privacy Conference with a call for the energy put in to facilitate surveillance is matched by equal energy directed to securing the right of privacy.
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/speech/2005/sp-d_050420_e.asp
Her office recently released the "Policy Scan" Survey: Identification & Authentication Issues in Canada" http://www.privcom.gc.ca/information/ps_050404_e.asp

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Rabel Osman Ahmed was extradited from Spain to Italy, where he faces additional terrorism charges. He had been extradited to Spain for six months in connection with the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

Hasan Akbar was convicted of murder and attempted murder of fellow US soldiers serving in Kuwait. He launched a grenade and rifle attack that killed two officers and wounded 14 other colleagues at the beginning of the Iraq war.

Pasteur Bizimungu, former president of Rwanda, has begun an appeal against charges of inciting civil disobedience, associating with criminals, and embezzlement. The Supreme Court is considering whether to let stand the 15-year prison term imposed on the country's first post-genocide president.

Steven Michael Ekberg pleaded guilty to possession of the deadly poison ricin, which he created at home.

Zayead Christopher Hajaig "Barry John Felton") was indicted in the US on immigration and weapons charges. The British subject raised suspicion when he tried to upgrade his pilot training before qualifying and, finding inquiries were under way, fled the country and is considered a fugitive.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/04-20-05.html

Saleh Hamori, Moatsam Sheikh, and Moussa Darwish, all members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were arrested in Israel on suspicion of planning to assassinate Shas leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Aiden Hulme failed to have his conviction, over Real IRA bombings in England, overturned on appeal. He will serve 20 years in prison No one was killed in the series of explosions in London and Birmingham in 2001.

Zacarias Moussaoui has pleaded guilty to membership in al Qaeda and conspiring to commit terrorist attacks, but denies any role in the 9/11 hijackings, with which he had originally been charged.
http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/index.html

Moso Muhammad and Yalha Talyan of Tanzania will be deported from Pakistan at the end of April after serving a 3-year prison term for links to al Qaeda.

Adolfo Scilingo was convicted in Spain of crimes against humanity committed in his role as an Argentine naval officer during the "dirty war" of military rule from 1976 - 1983. He was sentenced to 640 years in prison: 21 years for each of 30 murders as well as five years each for torture and illegal detention. Under Spanish law the maximum sentence for any non-terrorist crime is 30 years.

Sawsaan Tabbaa and four other American Muslims have brought suit against the US Department of Homeland Security for having been detained for more than six hours at the Canadian border when they returned from a religious conference in Toronto, Canada.
http://nyclu.org/pdfs/tabbaa_v_chertoff_complaint.pdf

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12. Transportation

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) faces a range of serious criticisms in new reports from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector General. Lack of management controls left establishment of a new Operations Center vulnerable to waste and abuse, including monies wasted on lavish artwork, flowers and a fitness center with towel service. Another report finds that airport screeners have made no progress in detecting weapons or explosives since the last undercover investigation in 2003. It recommends use of more technology for explosives screening, not just metal detectors. A third report says that not enough is done to prevent passenger baggage thefts that, since January 2003, have resulted in 37 employee dismissals and payment of $736,000 in passenger claims.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0334.xml
http://www.tsa.gov/public/mdisplay?theme=46

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has published an assessment of maritime security and how to improve it. " Future unknown: The terrorist threat to Australian maritime security" identifies major terrorist threats such as direct attacks on ports and ships, using a ship as a weapon, or using a ship to transport terrorists or terrorist materials. Identifying current security gaps, they recommend improved coordination, better management of dangerous goods and the supply chain, and addressing employment of foreign seafarers.
http://www.aspi.org.au/publications.cfm?pubID=69

US federal district judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that the Washington DC ban on shipping hazardous materials by rail through the city will be in force. The rail carrier, CSX Transportation, filed an appeal and was granted an administrative stay that will delay the ban.
http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/opinions/district-court-2005.html
http://www.csx.com/?fuseaction=company.news_detail&i=47233&news_year=-1

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Indonesia has approved a plan to start construction of their first nuclear power station in 2010, on the Muria peninsula in central Java.

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology provided the testing and measurement capabilities for four new national standards adopted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that establish baseline requirements for radiation-detection devices.
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/factsheet/radiation_detector_standards.htm

DHS announced establishment of a new Domestic Nuclear Detection Office that will " develop the global nuclear detection architecture, and acquire, and support the deployment of the domestic detection system to detect and report attempts to import or transport a nuclear device or fissile or radiological material intended for illicit use".
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4474

Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requested consultation in setting up a Government Decontamination Service.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/gds/

Africa Malaria Day was marked on April 24. The World Bank launched a new global initiative to combat the disease, that kills more than a million people each year, mostly children under five. Meanwhile, the Roll Back Malaria partnership was deemed a failure in an editorial in The Lancet that cites poor advice and unclear division of responsibilities among the partners that has contributed to a rising number of cases.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTHEALTHNUTRITIONANDPOPULATION/EXTMALARIA/0,,menuPK:377604~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:377598,00.html http://www.rbm.who.int/c
http://www.thelancet.com/journal/journal.isa(registration)

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14. Recently Published

Victoria DeGrazia, "Irresistible Empire: America's Advance Through 20th-Century Europe", Harvard University

Loretta Napoleoni, "Terror Incorporated: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror network", Seven Stories (First published in 2003 in the UK as "Modern Jihad")

William Polk, "Understanding Iraq", HarperCollins

David Reynolds, "John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Deeded Civil Rights", Knopf

Ira Rutkow, "Bleeding Blue and Gray: Civil War Surgery and the Evolution of American Medicine" Random

Ernesto Tenembaum, "Enemigos", Grupo Editorial Norma

Uwe Timm, transl. Anthea Bell, "In My Brother's Shadow: A Life and Death in the SS" Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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FEATURE ARTICLE: Terror Within: Domestic Extremism in the USA

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) had maintained their siege of the Branch Davidian headquarters in Waco, Texas for weeks as they looked for an opportunity to arrest the cult's leader, David Koresh, on weapons charges. On April 19, 1993, the ATF began a dawn raid on the compound. They launched tear gas and stun grenades inside and began to demolish the walls.

Inside the compound, a fire was started. Taking hold of the wooden buildings, it quickly spread and dramatically worsened when it reached the store of munitions, which exploded. After the fire, more than 80 cult members, including many children, were dead. Some, including Koresh, had died of gunshot wounds. There were only 11 survivors, who later stood trial, with five convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the deaths of four government agents.

Exactly two years later, in retaliation for the Waco siege, a huge car bomb exploded at the federal government building in Oklahoma City, that housed a children's nursery and government offices, including the ATF. The Oklahoma City bomb killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured more than 500. It is the largest case of domestic terrorism ever seen in the US.

Ten years later, the mastermind of the bombing, Timothy McVeigh is dead by lethal injection. His colleague, Terry Nichols, was sentenced to life in prison and a third man who knew of the plan was sentenced to 12 years in prison. A memorial to the victims was opened in 2000, and ceremonies marking the tenth anniversary were held this week.

The Oklahoma City bombing turned the spotlight on anti-government extremists and led to increased action to infiltrate and limit paramilitary militias and radical right groups. The number of militia groups sharply declined, and many more recent attacks have been from individual actors. The Southern Poverty Law Center identified 858 militia and anti-government groups in 1996, but by 2004 they had dwindled to 152. However, 474 hate groups that did not engage in paramilitary training were identified in 1997, while there were 762 in 2004. Although these numbers declined, those who continue to follow these ideologies are among the most extreme. There are also a small number of left-wing militant groups, focusing on environmental issues and globalization. ABC News reported that a secret FBI report is tracking 338 files for investigation into 22 domestic terrorist networks.

September 11 turned the focus sharply towards international groups, but the domestic threat is real and growing. Today threats from anti-government militias, race-based hate groups (Black Separatist, Christian Identity, Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Confederate, Neo-Nazi, etc.), environmental and religious extremists, and domestic cells of international terrorist organizations. Many of these groups leverage the internet to promote their agendas, encouraging and instructing lone actors. For example, they provide names and addresses of abortion providers, law enforcement officials, and judges, inciting their murders and keeping score of successful strikes.

In February, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Mueller described three areas of greatest concern:

This potential confluence of domestic and international terrorist against a common enemy - the government - presents a nightmare scenario, not least because so many counter-terrorism measures have been focused on external threats and measures taken abroad. Domestic counter-terrorism operations have not been given the level of investment of international threats and little is known of sleeper cells in the US or of emerging threats, such as increasing religious extremism. Indeed, a draft Department of Homeland Security planning document obtained by Congressional Quarterly, left-wing groups are identified as terrorist threats but not right-wing anti-government groups, despite their much higher level of activities.

The 9/11 commission pointed to both operational and strategic problems that could have helped to foil the September 11 plot. Above all, they cited the "failure of imagination" that kept people from understanding the extent of the threat. Today's disproportionate and often ill- judged investments in airport security at the expense of all other forms of transportation or any other sector of critical infrastructure seem to indicate a focus on the last event at the expense of the next. This is a sure recipe for yet another "failure of imagination".

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