---

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:
Agroterrorism

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

---

1. World

Halfway through the month-long meeting, the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty finally adopted an agenda that will allow them to proceed to address substantive issues of nuclear disarmament, weapons of mass destruction, and peaceful use of nuclear energy. Recent events in Iran (soon to resume uranium reprocessing and nuclear power development) and North Korea (soon to test a nuclear weapon), indicating increasing nuclear threat potential and lack of international consensus, should spur attendees to action - but may not.

The World Food Program is in discussions with the US to consider alleviating famines by implementing a financial market in drought derivatives as an insurance measure to ensure early response to looming crises.

Reporter Simon Reeve knows that there are nearly 200 official countries in the world, and set out to visit some of the unrecognized nations: Trans-Dniester, South Ossetia, Taiwan, Nagorno Karabakj, and Somaliland in "Places that Don't Exist".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/4491059.stm

A report last week in Newsweek magazine claimed that desecration of the Koran was used as a tactic against detainees that are held in Guantanamo Bay. As the story spread, violent protests around the world began. In Afghanistan riots have killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more. Anti-American protests were also seen in Pakistan and Hamas activists in the Gaza Strip led demonstrations and flag burning. Saudi Arabia was the first Arab state to voice criticism, and other governments have maintained a low-key response. US authorities are investigating the allegations, which Secretary of State Rice said are abhorrent and such actions would not be tolerated.

---

2. Africa

Cameroon and Nigeria met again to discuss Nigerian troop withdrawal from the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula but failed to agree on a timetable for Nigerian troop withdrawal or demarcation of the maritime border. Bakassi had been awarded to Cameroon in 2002.

Democratic Republic of Congo's assembly has adopted a new constitution, in another step to end years of war and instability. Last week an attack against UN peacekeepers in the eastern Ituri region killed at least one soldier, but there were no reports of militia casualties.

Ethiopia is holding general elections.

Ivory Coast's army and rebels have agreed to begin disarming next month and will set up a national army.

Mauritania has charged seven men, allegedly trained in Algeria by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, with forming a new terrorist organization.

In Somalia, the most powerful warlords have joined forces to secure the capital, Mogadishu. The African union has approved a plan to send African peacekeepers but do not yet have the necessary funds. The involvement of foreign troops is highly controversial and has contributed to widening factionalism in the transitional government.

Sudanese government forces, rebels, armed militias and tribesmen have reduced the number of attacks against aid workers, but banditry and attacks against civilians are brutal and widespread, although the volume has declined. To address continued insecurity and the attendant humanitarian crisis, the UN recommends strengthening the African Union mission in the country.

Togo's refugee flow to Ghana and Benin has slowed, but only after the numbers exceeded 26,000.

Zimbabwe took 62 South Africans to the border, where most have been taken into the custody of the South African police. They had been imprisoned in connection with a coup plot against Equatorial Guinea.

---

3. Americas

Colombian General Carlos Ospina said that this year's counter-offensive by the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) demonstrated techniques brought from Irish Republican Army (IRA) trainers. Three men had been convicted of such training and support but their whereabouts are currently unknown.

Cuban exile and wanted terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, whose extradition from the US to Venezuela has been requested in connection with his role in the bombing of a Cuban airline, has been identified as a former agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB153/index.htm

Mexico's Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos has invited the Inter Milan football (soccer) club to play their team, which is based in the southern state of Chiapas.

The US Department of Homeland Security's secure data network doesn't work and cannot assure security, according to an Inspector General report.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0334.xml

US federal Judge Dale Kimball ordered the FBI to search records thoroughly rather than rely on a brief database search in order to investigate potential links between the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and members of the Aryan Republican Army whose white supremacist members formed a bank robbery gang.

---

4. Asia Pacific

China proposed a new formula, "two sides, one China", to describe relations with Taiwan. Although supported by a Taiwan opposition leader, the government has rejected the suggestion. Taiwan has also detained a spy ring of 17 military officers and civilians accused of passing military secrets to China.

East Timor increased security measures in the capital, Dili, after Australia's foreign ministry warned of a potential bomb threat.

Japan has named April 29, currently celebrated as Greenery Day, as Showa Day to commemorate World War II Emperor Hirohito.

Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled that immunity from prosecution granted Australian police assisting in the country is unconstitutional.

Philippine rebels with the Maoist New People's Army raided the town hall in Santa Rosa to assassinate the mayor; a bodyguard was also killed.

In Uzbekistan, weeks of increasingly volatile protests grew larger and turned deadly when soldiers opened fire. More than a dozen people have been killed and many more wounded. Security forces have sealed off Andijan city, where many people were shot dead on Friday.

---

5. Europe

Czech victims of those killed in the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia will receive compensation from the government.

An Italian court has acquitted five Tunisians, alleged members of Ansar al-Islam, of charges of planning and supporting international terrorism by providing false documents and logistical support. Four of the men were jailed on lesser charges.

In the Netherlands, military leaders are appearing in court in response to a lawsuit brought by families of some victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The Dutch government, which was in charge of the UN peacekeeping mission in Srebrenica, has accepted partial responsibility for the massacre.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to establish a joint commission to examine security, economic cooperation, humanitarian, and other sensitive issues between the two countries.

Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero's state of the nation address called for Basque separatist group ETA to disband and for all to join the fight against international terrorism.

Turkey's conviction of Kurdish rebel leader was found to be unfair by the European Court of Human Rights, which suggested a retrial would be an appropriate remedy.

British Prime Minister Blair made three new appointments to the Northern Ireland Office, as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The new Northern Ireland Secretary is Peter Hain, who has been meeting with Northern Ireland's political parties. Republican party Sinn Fein failed to secure a seat in the area where Robert McCartney had lived. McCartney's murder was allegedly covered up by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). His sisters have campaigned for justice in finding out the truth behind his death and their efforts led to EU consideration of funding a civil case against the suspected killers, coming from a fund set up to help victims of terrorism. After their success in the first steps of this effort, the sisters have received threats to be burned out of their homes and businesses.

---

6. Middle East

Arab and European countries and the US have been asked, by Human Rights Watch,, to refrain from sending suspected Islamic militants to Egypt, where they are likely to face torture.

The Gaza withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers has been rescheduled from July 25 to mid-August, following the end of the Tisha Be Av mourning period.

Egypt's parliament approved a constitutional amendment to allow contested presidential elections for any party whose candidate receives the backing of at least 65 members of parliament. Egyptian judges have been meeting to establish measures for ensuring judicial independence.

In Iraq the casualty rates are surging, following widespread suicide bombings, car bombings, kidnappings, and other attacks. The number of suicide bombings alone has reached record levels. In April, more than 67 insurgents blew themselves up, and there were 135 car bombings that took hundreds of lives. Half of these car bombings were suicides. These numbers are likely to be dwarfed by the level of violence in May. Meanwhile, the US is conducting an offensive against a rebel enclave in western Iraq, also seeing high casualties.

Kuwait has completed indictments against former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, including the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Lebanese Hezbollah gunners fired rockets against Israeli forces in the Shaba Farms area, while Israeli defense forces responded with artillery shells and fighter jet bombing against three Hezbollah outposts. There were three such attacks in less than two days. The cross-border exchanges have accelerated greatly in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabian police exchanged gunfire at a checkpoint in the capital, Riyadh. They captured the suspected militant, who was injured, as well as a bystander.

---

7. South Asia

Afghanistan's insurgency has continued its spring expansion, with clashes against US-led forces, attacks against government security personnel, suicide and other attacks in areas frequented by foreigners, etc. More than a hundred militants were reported killed, as well as scores of security forces and foreigners. Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar said that if the Afghan government does offer an amnesty program, he would refuse it, being in no need of safety guarantees.

Bangladesh is investigating the deaths of more than 100 people in custody of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), believing they may be extrajudicial killings.

In the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a procession held by the opposition Telegu Desam party turned violent and police opened fire, killing five party members and injuring 20. One policeman was also killed.

India has published details of those killed in the 2002 religious riots in Gujarat, which were sparked by a train fire that killed 59 Hindu pilgrims. For the first time, the government detailed financial relief and assistance paid to the families of those killed including 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus. In addition 223 people were missing, 2500 injured, 900 women widowed, and 600 children orphaned.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, an explosion in Srinagar killed one and injured 34. A car bomb or landmines caused the blast, and militant group Al-Nasarin claimed responsibility. Also in Srinigar, a grenade exploded near a school, killing two women and injuring more than 40, mostly schoolboys and girls. Nearby, a parcel bomb exploded, killing three members of a family: the motive and responsibility are unknown.

India has resumed military aid to Nepal, following their lifting of the state of emergency and release of detained politicians.

Nepal's Maoist rebels have offered to work with opposition political parties in a pro-democracy coalition, but the opposition have rejected involvement with a violent movement and prefer to continue peaceful means.

In Pakistan's Balochistan province tribal leaders say that government peace initiatives have collapsed. This position is reinforced by an increase in attacks against government installations.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels warn that holding up post-tsunami aid will hurt efforts to restart peace talks. In eastern Sri Lanka, the death of a protestor in a group demanding removal of a security barrier is being investigated. A Tamil Tiger has also been found dead, apparently at the hands of a renegade faction.

---

8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

South Africa's Department of Transport has warned that half of the country's drivers' licenses - more than three million - may be faked. A fraud unit is being set up to investigate the findings of this audit.

Security firm F-Secure completed exhaustive testing, including wireless viruses and direct transfers, that demonstrates cars cannot be infected with current computer viruses.
http://www.f-secure.com

The US Federal Bureau of Investigations reports it has stopped a series of broad and long lasting computer breaches linked to the theft of Cisco software last May.

Britain's National Infrastructure Security Coordination Center warned of high-risk configurations in Virtual Private Networks in which cryptographic weaknesses make them vulnerable to attacks.
http://www.niscc.gov.uk/niscc/docs/al-20050509-00386.html?lang=en

Netcraft warns that by replacing textual content on a web page with similar-looking images make it more difficult to detect phishing sites using common measures such as firewalls and content filtering.
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2005/05/12/fraudsters_seek_to_make_phishing_sites_undetectable_by_content_filters.html

The US National Institute for Standards and Technology demonstrated that it is possible to identify repeating patterns in quantum information stored in charged atoms, a step the could enable future quantum computers to break the encryption codes most commonly used today.
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/fourier.htm
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/fourier.htm#back

Microsoft is planning to offer a new subscription-based anti-virus and security service called Windows One-Care later this year.

---

9. Finance

King Abdullah of Jordan will pardon Ahmed Chalabi, an Iraqi political leader, for fraud charges connected with the collapse of his bank following $300 million in missing deposits. Chalabi had been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

EU peacekeepers in Bosnia have begun operations to stop the illegal timber trade that is financing criminal gangs and depriving the country of its most precious resource.

---

10. Human Rights

The International Labor Organization reports, "A Global Alliance Against Forced Labor" finds that some 12.3 million people are enslaved worldwide, many victims of human trafficking that generates profits in excess of $30 billion per year.

Members of the Non-Aligned Movement ended their first summit on women's rights with the Putrajaya Declaration that promises to do more to improve the lives of women by protecting their safety, health and education and giving them a greater political role.

The US state of Connecticut executed serial killer Michael Ross, at his request. This is the first execution in New England for 45 years.

The US Government Accountability Office issued two reports connected with free and unfettered information. "Information Management: Implementation of the Freedom of Information Act" faults the government response in meeting the Act's requirements. "Video News Releases: Unattributed Prepackaged News Stories Violate Publicity and Propaganda Prohibition" reports that government stories packaged to be indistinguishable from news segments are illegal.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-648T
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-643T

The Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict of the University of Bochum is holding its annual conference in The Hague on 22 May 2005, from 2-6 p.m. The focus this is "Human Dignity in Africa". For more information or to register please email , indicating your name, position and institution.

---

11. Law and Legal Issues

William Courtney ("Mo"), a leading loyalist in Northern Ireland, was granted bail while awaiting trial for murder, due to lengthy prosecution delays.

Noel Davila was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a US federal judge for sending fake anthrax to a state prosecutor.

Michael McKevitt, leader of the Real IRA, has been granted a judicial rule of the decision that the British government would donate money to help finance a civil claim to the victims of the 1998 Omagh bombing.

Etienne Nzabonimana and his half-brother Samuel Ndashyikirwa are on trial in Belgium for their role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Gustavo Noboa, former President of Ecuador, has been placed under house arrest while being investigated for his handling of debt negotiations.

Ian Norris, former CEO of British engineering firm Morgan Crucible, is fighting a US extradition request based on an alleged price fixing cartel.

Alberto Santofimio Botero, a former justice minister in Colombia, has been arrested for allegedly planning the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in 1989. The crime had previously been blamed on as associate of drug baron Pablo Escobar.

---

12. Transportation

A light aircraft entered the Washington DC no-fly zone, causing evacuation of the Congress, White House, and other offices. The false alarm highlighted the serious security concerns related to small craft, and demonstrated that some of the new response mechanisms are working as planned.

Argentina has become the first South American country to sign up to the Container Security Initiative, beginning with the port of Buenos Aires. Located at the river Rio de la Plata and the ocean, the port is a critical transshipment point for containers.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/05112005.xml

US border controls are the subject of two new publications. Customs and Border Protection published a fact sheet on border inspection surveillance technologies.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/fact_sheets/fact_sheet_cbp_securing.xml
The Government Accountability Office reviews the challenges faced by immigration enforcement agencies, including concerns over management frameworks and supporting systems.

The US State Department said it would encrypt the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags planned for new passports.

---

13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Cernavoda nuclear power station in Romania was the center of an international disaster exercise in which more than 60 countries participated in a major accident simulation.

Germany has shut down the Obrigheim reactor, its oldest plant, and the second of 19 that will be closed.

May 13 marked the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw pact. Soviet documents newly released show plans for a preemptive nuclear strike against the west.
http://www.nsarchive.org

India's lower house of parliament approved new legislation forbidding proliferation of WMD. India also test fired the Prithvi 1 nuclear-capable missile.

The US Department of Energy's Inspector General issued two reports. "National Nuclear Security Administration's Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility" acknowledges delays due to foreign policy issues that mean schedule and cost parameters will not be met. "Property Control and Accountability at the Idaho National Laboratory" describes the loss of more than 200 computers and disk drives that may have contained sensitive information.
http://www.ig.doe.gov/igreports.htm#cal2005

The Nigerian strain of polio has passed from Africa through the Middle East - including Yemen, which is suffering a major outbreak - and into Asia. In Mali, a court sentenced eleven men to prison terms of up to three years for refusing to let their children be vaccinated against polio.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today issued two reports on agricultural biotechnology that cover the evolving world requirements for the traceability and labeling of agricultural biotechnology products and on the complexities of predicting the use of these products in the future.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/05/0155.xml

The World Health Organization has recognized 23 non-commercial web sites for providing reliable information that can be included in the Vaccine Safety Net.
http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/en/

---

14. Recently Published

Robert Borofsky, "Yanomami: The fierce controversy and what we can learn from it", University of California Press

Andrew Carroll, "Behind the Lines: Powerful and Revealing American and Foreign War Letters - and One Man's Search to Find Them" Scribner.

Defense Intelligence Agency Technology Forecasts and Reviews Committee of the National Research Council, "Avoiding Surprise in an Era of Global Technology Advances", National Academies Press
http://ww.nap.edu

Simon Deyle, "Carry Me Back: The Domestic Slave Trade in American Life" Oxford University Press

European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), "European judicial systems - Facts and figures", Council of Europe Publishing
http://book.coe.int/sysmodules/RBS_page/admin/redirect.php?id=36&lang=EN&produit_aliasid=1920

Mark Mazower, "Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews 1450-1950", Alfred A Knopf

---

FEATURE ARTICLE: Agroterrorism

Agriculture is one of the most important of the critical infrastructures and as such the impact of a terrorist attack against crops, livestock or food production would have a long-term, devastating impact. The effects were summarized in a Rand Research Brief as follows:

Although these threats have been understood for many years, they have received little attention until now. The First Annual International Symposium on Agroterrorism, hosted by the Heart of America Joint Terrorism Task Force, was held May 2-6 in Kansas City, Missouri. It brought together experts from Australia, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Russia, the UK and US who are working in law enforcement, agriculture and food processing industries, science, academia, health and medicine, and government.

The conference goal was "To prevent an act of Agroterrorism in the U.S. through a well coordinated intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination process; to develop a technical and tactical response capability sufficient to neutralize and eliminate a potential attack; and to educate the agriculture community on the role of law enforcement in responding to threats directed at the nation's food supply". To achieve this goal, the conference began with a review of vulnerabilities, risks and threats. Presenters took into account the particular characteristics of the agricultural industry, which have been summarized by the Congressional Research Service as:

Participants reviewed a case study of the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK, and the widespread impact of avian influenza in East Asia is well known and both illustrate the potential impact of a deliberate attack. In the US, the first terrorist attack involving food was in 1984, when members of a religious commune poisoned salad bars to try to influence a local election. There are many international incidents of chemical and biological attacks targeting agriculture, starting in ancient times. More recently were anthrax attacks in World War I, defoliation in Vietnam, chemical attacks during the Angolan civil war, and many incidents of crop and water poisoning.

Countries that have researched or used agricultural warfare include Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, North Korea, South Africa, Syria, UK, US, USSR (and subsequently Russia and the Central Asian states), and Zimbabwe (when it was Rhodesia). A variety of terrorist groups have also been interested, including other domestic groups, environmental and animal rights militants, al Qaeda, and Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.

Next, the meeting discussed ways to protect the food supply, including both private industry and government initiatives. In general, private industry is responsible for undertaking risk assessment, a mitigation strategy, recall strategies, and the education and testing necessary to deploy and maintain their efforts.

The government, in turn, regulates the industry and also assists with industry collaboration, public health, and border control. The US has developed a National Response Plan and addressed agriculture in the National Strategies for critical infrastructure protection.

For both industry and government, increased public/private cooperation and increased awareness are two of the most important aspects of improved security. In addition, consideration of both physical and cyber security, throughout the entire supply chain, are necessary. Addressing supply chain issues, the conference reviewed measures for tracking livestock during transportation, and reviewed the case studies of chromium contamination of cattle in the northwest and a swine flu outbreak in Taiwan.

Should an incident occur, early detection, reporting of outbreaks, containment, and rapid remediation are essential. The conference reviewed two case studies: a chemical threat from anhydrous ammonia and a port detection investigation in Houston, Texas. Laboratory capabilities, investigation, and international cooperation were also reviewed.

Robert Mueller of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, was one of the first presenters to the International Symposium on Agroterrorism. His closing remarks summarize the consensus opinion:

Further Reading:

---

HOW TO CONTACT US:

Please contact us with your questions or comments by sending email to .

We look forward to hearing from you.
Editorial Team
TerrorismCentral
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2005 by TerrorismCentral.