Emergency management1 is critical to court performance. For many years, court leaders have been concerned with ensuring the safety of all who use the nation’s courthouses. During the 1978 Second National Conference on the Judiciary, participants recognized that “security in the courtroom and in the courthouse has been an increasing problem in recent years” (Friesen, 1978, p. 195). The 1990 Trial Court Performance Standards required courts to ensure the safety of their facilities (Commission on Trial Court Performance Standards, 1990).
In 1995, the National Association for Court Management produced the Court Security Guide, and several states followed with their own security manuals. This focus on emergency management increased exponentially following the terrorist attacks on
September 11, 2001. Since then, the court community has heightened its efforts to address safety issues across the board. For example, the September 2002 9-11 Summit (http://www. 9-11summit.org/) brought together court leaders from across the country to discuss emergency management and pool the knowledge of court professionals who experienced emergencies firsthand. Judicial organizations also responded by offering programs on, creating committees to specifically address, and writing journal and newsletter articles on emergency management. The Best Practices Institute Board also acknowledged the importance of emergency management by designating it a focus area for the Institute in 2002-2003.
READ ON
http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/Comm_CtSecEMfCtsPub.pdf
Showing posts with label court. Show all posts
Showing posts with label court. Show all posts
Friday, May 16, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- May 9, 2008
Hoffman Estates [Illinois] seeks volunteers for bioterrorism drill
“Hoffman Estates officials are looking for 2,000 to 3,000 volunteers next week to participate in a bioterrorism exercise in return for department store coupons and tickets to an indoor football game. The volunteers are needed for a large-scale drill, planned for Tuesday at the Sears Centre arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., to test how medicine would be distributed to victims of a public-health emergency. […] During a large medical emergency, such as a terrorist biological attack, the Cook County Department of Public Health would need to dispense medication to those exposed to a disease, Christensen said. The goal of the drill is to test how long it takes to screen people and provide them with medication.” (Chicago Tribune; 07May08; Ken Manson)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-help-bigdrill-both-08-may08,0,2434278.story
Simulated Mass Dispensing Exercise [Lawrence Douglas County, Kansas]
“I [journalist Ronda Miller] received an email from the Lawrence Douglas County Health Department a couple of days ago asking for volunteers for a simulated mass dispensing exercise at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. It took place today from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 P.M. […] I was there for approximately twenty minutes before receiving my pretend antibiotics (individual bags of M&M's which represented one perscription [sic] each for myself and my two children), an informational fact sheet about Anthrax, and information about Doxycycline - the oral tablet that would be given for such an illness. Thank you Douglas County and all of the volunteer professionals and citizens who helped put this practice system into play.” (Lawrence Journal World & News; 07May08; Ronda Miller) http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/at-random/2008/may/07/simulated-mass-dispensing-exercise/
Universal Detection Technology Invited to Present Its BSM-2000 Anthrax Detection Technology At the IEEE [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] International Conference On Technologies for Homeland Security
“A developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, announced today that it will present the technology for its BSM-2000 airborne anthrax monitor in a poster session at the IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security. The conference is being held at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts on May 12-13.” (Prime News Wire; 07May08; Jacques Tizabi) http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=142106
Sequim [Wahington state], Battelle find way to expand utilities
“Battelle and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have run their Marine Research Operations campus northeast of Sequim since the mid-1970s, raising annual contracts to $15 million last year. In labs along Sequim Bay, scientists conduct research on chemicals' effects on the environment, how mollusks can be used to detect bioterrorism and how algae can generate hydrogen fuel. […] Battelle has already brought in Peninsula College students to work with researchers on a range of environmental problems, Briggs added. […] The labs now have 80 people on staff.” (Peninsula Daily News; 06May08; Diane Urbani de la Paz)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080507/NEWS/805070305
DOR BioPharma Acquires Option for Third-Generation Anthrax Vaccine From Harvard University
“The option, which was obtained through negotiation with Harvard University's Office of Technology Development, encompasses an issued U.S. patent that covers engineered variants of protective antigen (PA) developed in the Harvard Medical School laboratory of Dr. John Collier. PA is the principal determinant of protective immunity to anthrax and is being developed for second- and third-generation anthrax vaccines.” (Market Wire; 08May08) http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=853801
NIH [National Institutes of Health] awards LIAI [La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology] major grant to test safety of new smallpox treatment
“The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nations first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine. […] LIAI scientist Shane Crotty, Ph.D., who developed the antibody treatment, said the NIH grant will fund pre-clinical testing of the work he and his research team started three years ago. In 2005, the researchers, studying blood samples from people who had received the smallpox vaccine, were able to isolate the anti-H3 antibody as an extremely potent fighter against smallpox. The scientists then proved its effectiveness by testing in mice.” (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News; 08May08; Bonnie Ward) http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=35250240
Court of appeals to hear Locy arguments tomorrow
“On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., will hear Toni Locy’s appeal of a contempt finding that could impose crippling fines on the former USA Today reporter. Former Army scientist Steven Hatfill first subpoenaed Locy as a witness in his Privacy Act suit against the government for naming him as a ‘person of interest’ in its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people and left 17 others injured.~U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton informed Hatfill that he could not succeed on his claim without pinpointing specific sources within the government who released such information.~Hatfill subsequently subpoenaed five reporters to ascertain the identities of the anonymous sources that named him in news stories about the investigation. His efforts turned up three sources – including two of Locy’s – who voluntarily released the reporters from their promises of confidentiality.” (The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; 08May08; Matthew Pollack) http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=6740
Molecular diagnostics report: technologies, markets, and companies
“Research and Markets has announced the addition of the Jain PharmaBiotech report ‘Molecular Diagnostics - Technologies, Markets and Companies’ to their offering. This report describes and evaluates the molecular diagnostics technologies that will play an important role in practice of medicine, public health, pharmaceutical industry, forensics and biological warfare in the 21st century. This includes several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technologies, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), peptide nucleic acids (PNA), electrochemical detection of DNA, biochips, nanotechnology and proteomic technologies.” (Small Times; 07May08; Laura Wood)
http://www.smalltimes.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=161299
Threat level low, but two sites on Maui might merit further cleanup
“According to new draft reports by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an undetermined amount of unexploded munitions from practice bombing runs and target exercises remain in Maui County. Draft reports for four former target zones say a safety risk remains more than 60 years later, although the potential harm to the public appears to be fairly minimal. […] The members also detected ‘anomalies’ under the ground. Fifty soil samples were taken but revealed no dangerous toxins or metals.” (The Maui News; 08May08; Chris Hamilton) http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/503516.html?nav=10
700 mil. yen 'wasted' on disposal plan / Cabinet office focused on mechanized arms disposal in China against advice
“The government wasted at least 700 million yen on developing equipment that will never be used in the disposal of chemical weapons discarded in China by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War Two, it has been learned. Already, in relation to the government-commissioned chemical arms disposal work, the former head of Pacific Consultants International, a major consultancy firm, was arrested in late April on suspicion of aggravated breach of trust over the misappropriation of funds given to the firm by the government. But it is now clear that at least 700 million yen from state coffers was wasted when the government office in charge of the work decided to scrap a plan to use machines to dig up the weapons in favor of a manual approach. This latest discovery highlights a further dubious aspect of the government-funded disposal work.” (The Yomiuri Shimbun; 08May08) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080508dy01.htm
Chinese, Japanese leaders seek for new prospects for bilateral ties
“Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held talks in Tokyo Wednesday to seek for new prospects for the two countries' strategic and mutually beneficial relations. Hu is on a five-day state visit to Japan, the first to the country by China's head of state in a decade. On national defense, proposed that the two countries strengthen high-level exchange of visits by defense departments of the two countries and expand multi-level exchanges and cooperation. […] The two leaders also agreed to continue cooperation in facilitating the process of destroying chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China at the end of World War Two, and on the issues of climate change, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and promoting regional cooperation in East Asia as well as support for Africa's development.” (People’s daily Online; 08May08; Xinhua) http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6406301.html
Crews deal with fake explosion in terror drill
[Whatcom County, Washington state] “The mood was jovial Tuesday afternoon as military personnel moved ‘bloodied’ local high school students and dummies through a decontamination tent at the Northwest Washington Fair and Events Center. But officials say their experiences during the drill will come in handy if a major terrorist attack or natural disaster actually hits Whatcom County. […] Hundreds of troops from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army North joined state and local emergency responders dealing with a fake explosion of a tanker truck full of toxic chemicals, pretending it injured hundreds.” (The Bellingham Herald; 07May08; Caleb Heeringa) http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/402462.html
36--Amendment of this Solicitation as Follows: this is 100% set aside for small business concerns.
“Department of the Army Contracting Agency, North Region ACA, Aberdeen Proving Ground. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, and supplemented with additional information included in this notice. […] The Government contemplates award of a Firm-Fixed Price Contract. Description of Requirement: CLIN0001 1H x 2W Chemical Warfare Air Filter Unit (Bag in / Bag Out Housing), 1200cfm with the following
characteristics: 12 & 14 ga T304 Stainless steel construction with #2-B finish.” (Trading Markets; 06May08; Department of the Army) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1513265/
Regional meeting on chemical weapons begins in Ecuador
“A regional meeting on chemical weapons non-proliferation attended by 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries started Tuesday in Ecuador's capital of Quito. Delegates from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPAQ) [OPCW] will also take part in the two-day meeting, the Ecuadorian foreign ministry said in a statement. Representatives will discuss efforts on dismantling and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to guarantee peace for the countries that do not own nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and prevent threats from countries with such weapons, it said.” (Mathaba News Agency; 08May08)
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=591487
Padilla co-defendant challenges Indiana prison designation
“A man convicted along with one-time ‘dirty bomb’ suspect Jose Padilla of supporting al-Qaida wants a federal judge to block the government from sending him to a prison unit where his telephone calls, mail and visitors would be closely monitored. A lawyer for Kifah Wael Jayyousi, 46, claims the Communications Management Unit at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., amounts to ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ and his inclusion in that unit is discriminatory because it is based partly on his Muslim faith and Arab ethnicity. Jayyousi wanted to do his time at a prison near his home in Detroit. But on April 30, he learned that he was going to the Indiana institution and that he would be placed in the special unit ‘to protect the safety, security and orderly operation of (prisons) facilities, and protect the public,’ court documents show. The unit's restrictions include live monitoring and recording of all phone calls unless they are with an inmate's lawyers. Calls must be made in English unless arrangements are made to have a government translator present, and all visits with family and friends are also monitored. Every piece of mail is reviewed.” (Chicago Tribune; 08May08; Curt Anderson) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-sou-padilla-terrorch,0,4774033.story
Response teams train for disaster [Reno, Nevada]
“Members of two National Guard Civil Support Teams and the Reno Fire Department responded Monday to a report of a suspicious odor near Reno-Tahoe International Airport. It was a just a drill, but the reasons behind it were real. ‘We become familiar with how the other departments work, so we can respond to terrorist attacks, natural disasters like earthquakes or a hazardous spill,’ said Sgt. Eulizes Montalvo, a member of the 95th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team from Hayward, Calif. Montalvo's team and the 92nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team from Las Vegas are in Reno this week training with Reno's Hazardous Materials Response Team for chemical, biological, radiological, explosive and nuclear events. Operation Joint Support was staged Monday at the Nevada Air National Guard base near Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Similar training will occur Wednesday near the Stead Airport in north Reno.” (Reno Gazette-Journal; 06May08; Lenita Powers) http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS04/805060350/1321/NEWS
Europe wary of US demand to scan shipping containers
“Europe's shipping and ports industry is anxiously awaiting the verdict of the United States on the feasibility of a massive increase in anti-terrorism scannning [sic] of shipping containers.~As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) presents the results of three pilot projects to Congress on 8 May, the price tag of a full roll-out of the scheme looks increasingly unacceptable to European industry, which is backed in its opposition by the European Commission. […] The pilot projects involved 100% scanning of all containers bound for the US, using X-ray or gamma-ray imaging systems and radiation detection – an approach that is to be demanded by 2012 from all ports that ship containers to US territory. The US administration reported that one of the projects – in the UK port of Southampton – ‘seems to be successful.’” (European Voice; 08May08; Jim Brundsden)
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/europe-wary-of-us-demand-to-scan-shipping-containers/60673.aspx
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
“Hoffman Estates officials are looking for 2,000 to 3,000 volunteers next week to participate in a bioterrorism exercise in return for department store coupons and tickets to an indoor football game. The volunteers are needed for a large-scale drill, planned for Tuesday at the Sears Centre arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., to test how medicine would be distributed to victims of a public-health emergency. […] During a large medical emergency, such as a terrorist biological attack, the Cook County Department of Public Health would need to dispense medication to those exposed to a disease, Christensen said. The goal of the drill is to test how long it takes to screen people and provide them with medication.” (Chicago Tribune; 07May08; Ken Manson)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-help-bigdrill-both-08-may08,0,2434278.story
Simulated Mass Dispensing Exercise [Lawrence Douglas County, Kansas]
“I [journalist Ronda Miller] received an email from the Lawrence Douglas County Health Department a couple of days ago asking for volunteers for a simulated mass dispensing exercise at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. It took place today from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 P.M. […] I was there for approximately twenty minutes before receiving my pretend antibiotics (individual bags of M&M's which represented one perscription [sic] each for myself and my two children), an informational fact sheet about Anthrax, and information about Doxycycline - the oral tablet that would be given for such an illness. Thank you Douglas County and all of the volunteer professionals and citizens who helped put this practice system into play.” (Lawrence Journal World & News; 07May08; Ronda Miller) http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/at-random/2008/may/07/simulated-mass-dispensing-exercise/
Universal Detection Technology Invited to Present Its BSM-2000 Anthrax Detection Technology At the IEEE [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] International Conference On Technologies for Homeland Security
“A developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, announced today that it will present the technology for its BSM-2000 airborne anthrax monitor in a poster session at the IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security. The conference is being held at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts on May 12-13.” (Prime News Wire; 07May08; Jacques Tizabi) http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=142106
Sequim [Wahington state], Battelle find way to expand utilities
“Battelle and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have run their Marine Research Operations campus northeast of Sequim since the mid-1970s, raising annual contracts to $15 million last year. In labs along Sequim Bay, scientists conduct research on chemicals' effects on the environment, how mollusks can be used to detect bioterrorism and how algae can generate hydrogen fuel. […] Battelle has already brought in Peninsula College students to work with researchers on a range of environmental problems, Briggs added. […] The labs now have 80 people on staff.” (Peninsula Daily News; 06May08; Diane Urbani de la Paz)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080507/NEWS/805070305
DOR BioPharma Acquires Option for Third-Generation Anthrax Vaccine From Harvard University
“The option, which was obtained through negotiation with Harvard University's Office of Technology Development, encompasses an issued U.S. patent that covers engineered variants of protective antigen (PA) developed in the Harvard Medical School laboratory of Dr. John Collier. PA is the principal determinant of protective immunity to anthrax and is being developed for second- and third-generation anthrax vaccines.” (Market Wire; 08May08) http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=853801
NIH [National Institutes of Health] awards LIAI [La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology] major grant to test safety of new smallpox treatment
“The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nations first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine. […] LIAI scientist Shane Crotty, Ph.D., who developed the antibody treatment, said the NIH grant will fund pre-clinical testing of the work he and his research team started three years ago. In 2005, the researchers, studying blood samples from people who had received the smallpox vaccine, were able to isolate the anti-H3 antibody as an extremely potent fighter against smallpox. The scientists then proved its effectiveness by testing in mice.” (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News; 08May08; Bonnie Ward) http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=35250240
Court of appeals to hear Locy arguments tomorrow
“On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., will hear Toni Locy’s appeal of a contempt finding that could impose crippling fines on the former USA Today reporter. Former Army scientist Steven Hatfill first subpoenaed Locy as a witness in his Privacy Act suit against the government for naming him as a ‘person of interest’ in its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people and left 17 others injured.~U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton informed Hatfill that he could not succeed on his claim without pinpointing specific sources within the government who released such information.~Hatfill subsequently subpoenaed five reporters to ascertain the identities of the anonymous sources that named him in news stories about the investigation. His efforts turned up three sources – including two of Locy’s – who voluntarily released the reporters from their promises of confidentiality.” (The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; 08May08; Matthew Pollack) http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=6740
Molecular diagnostics report: technologies, markets, and companies
“Research and Markets has announced the addition of the Jain PharmaBiotech report ‘Molecular Diagnostics - Technologies, Markets and Companies’ to their offering. This report describes and evaluates the molecular diagnostics technologies that will play an important role in practice of medicine, public health, pharmaceutical industry, forensics and biological warfare in the 21st century. This includes several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technologies, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), peptide nucleic acids (PNA), electrochemical detection of DNA, biochips, nanotechnology and proteomic technologies.” (Small Times; 07May08; Laura Wood)
http://www.smalltimes.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=161299
Threat level low, but two sites on Maui might merit further cleanup
“According to new draft reports by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an undetermined amount of unexploded munitions from practice bombing runs and target exercises remain in Maui County. Draft reports for four former target zones say a safety risk remains more than 60 years later, although the potential harm to the public appears to be fairly minimal. […] The members also detected ‘anomalies’ under the ground. Fifty soil samples were taken but revealed no dangerous toxins or metals.” (The Maui News; 08May08; Chris Hamilton) http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/503516.html?nav=10
700 mil. yen 'wasted' on disposal plan / Cabinet office focused on mechanized arms disposal in China against advice
“The government wasted at least 700 million yen on developing equipment that will never be used in the disposal of chemical weapons discarded in China by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War Two, it has been learned. Already, in relation to the government-commissioned chemical arms disposal work, the former head of Pacific Consultants International, a major consultancy firm, was arrested in late April on suspicion of aggravated breach of trust over the misappropriation of funds given to the firm by the government. But it is now clear that at least 700 million yen from state coffers was wasted when the government office in charge of the work decided to scrap a plan to use machines to dig up the weapons in favor of a manual approach. This latest discovery highlights a further dubious aspect of the government-funded disposal work.” (The Yomiuri Shimbun; 08May08) http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080508dy01.htm
Chinese, Japanese leaders seek for new prospects for bilateral ties
“Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held talks in Tokyo Wednesday to seek for new prospects for the two countries' strategic and mutually beneficial relations. Hu is on a five-day state visit to Japan, the first to the country by China's head of state in a decade. On national defense, proposed that the two countries strengthen high-level exchange of visits by defense departments of the two countries and expand multi-level exchanges and cooperation. […] The two leaders also agreed to continue cooperation in facilitating the process of destroying chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China at the end of World War Two, and on the issues of climate change, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and promoting regional cooperation in East Asia as well as support for Africa's development.” (People’s daily Online; 08May08; Xinhua) http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6406301.html
Crews deal with fake explosion in terror drill
[Whatcom County, Washington state] “The mood was jovial Tuesday afternoon as military personnel moved ‘bloodied’ local high school students and dummies through a decontamination tent at the Northwest Washington Fair and Events Center. But officials say their experiences during the drill will come in handy if a major terrorist attack or natural disaster actually hits Whatcom County. […] Hundreds of troops from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army North joined state and local emergency responders dealing with a fake explosion of a tanker truck full of toxic chemicals, pretending it injured hundreds.” (The Bellingham Herald; 07May08; Caleb Heeringa) http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/402462.html
36--Amendment of this Solicitation as Follows: this is 100% set aside for small business concerns.
“Department of the Army Contracting Agency, North Region ACA, Aberdeen Proving Ground. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, and supplemented with additional information included in this notice. […] The Government contemplates award of a Firm-Fixed Price Contract. Description of Requirement: CLIN0001 1H x 2W Chemical Warfare Air Filter Unit (Bag in / Bag Out Housing), 1200cfm with the following
characteristics: 12 & 14 ga T304 Stainless steel construction with #2-B finish.” (Trading Markets; 06May08; Department of the Army) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1513265/
Regional meeting on chemical weapons begins in Ecuador
“A regional meeting on chemical weapons non-proliferation attended by 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries started Tuesday in Ecuador's capital of Quito. Delegates from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPAQ) [OPCW] will also take part in the two-day meeting, the Ecuadorian foreign ministry said in a statement. Representatives will discuss efforts on dismantling and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to guarantee peace for the countries that do not own nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and prevent threats from countries with such weapons, it said.” (Mathaba News Agency; 08May08)
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=591487
Padilla co-defendant challenges Indiana prison designation
“A man convicted along with one-time ‘dirty bomb’ suspect Jose Padilla of supporting al-Qaida wants a federal judge to block the government from sending him to a prison unit where his telephone calls, mail and visitors would be closely monitored. A lawyer for Kifah Wael Jayyousi, 46, claims the Communications Management Unit at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., amounts to ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ and his inclusion in that unit is discriminatory because it is based partly on his Muslim faith and Arab ethnicity. Jayyousi wanted to do his time at a prison near his home in Detroit. But on April 30, he learned that he was going to the Indiana institution and that he would be placed in the special unit ‘to protect the safety, security and orderly operation of (prisons) facilities, and protect the public,’ court documents show. The unit's restrictions include live monitoring and recording of all phone calls unless they are with an inmate's lawyers. Calls must be made in English unless arrangements are made to have a government translator present, and all visits with family and friends are also monitored. Every piece of mail is reviewed.” (Chicago Tribune; 08May08; Curt Anderson) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-sou-padilla-terrorch,0,4774033.story
Response teams train for disaster [Reno, Nevada]
“Members of two National Guard Civil Support Teams and the Reno Fire Department responded Monday to a report of a suspicious odor near Reno-Tahoe International Airport. It was a just a drill, but the reasons behind it were real. ‘We become familiar with how the other departments work, so we can respond to terrorist attacks, natural disasters like earthquakes or a hazardous spill,’ said Sgt. Eulizes Montalvo, a member of the 95th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team from Hayward, Calif. Montalvo's team and the 92nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team from Las Vegas are in Reno this week training with Reno's Hazardous Materials Response Team for chemical, biological, radiological, explosive and nuclear events. Operation Joint Support was staged Monday at the Nevada Air National Guard base near Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Similar training will occur Wednesday near the Stead Airport in north Reno.” (Reno Gazette-Journal; 06May08; Lenita Powers) http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS04/805060350/1321/NEWS
Europe wary of US demand to scan shipping containers
“Europe's shipping and ports industry is anxiously awaiting the verdict of the United States on the feasibility of a massive increase in anti-terrorism scannning [sic] of shipping containers.~As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) presents the results of three pilot projects to Congress on 8 May, the price tag of a full roll-out of the scheme looks increasingly unacceptable to European industry, which is backed in its opposition by the European Commission. […] The pilot projects involved 100% scanning of all containers bound for the US, using X-ray or gamma-ray imaging systems and radiation detection – an approach that is to be demanded by 2012 from all ports that ship containers to US territory. The US administration reported that one of the projects – in the UK port of Southampton – ‘seems to be successful.’” (European Voice; 08May08; Jim Brundsden)
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/europe-wary-of-us-demand-to-scan-shipping-containers/60673.aspx
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- February 22, 2008
Biolab officials face skeptics
“Four officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S.Department of Agriculture faced a demonstrative crowd of about 250 people Thursday night, many of whom waved signs protesting the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The officials had come to Creedmoor [North Carolina] to answer local questions about the facility, intended to study and develop countermeasures for foreign diseases such as hoof-and-mouth or swine fever that could enter the U.S. and infect agricultural animals.”
(The News & Observer, 22Feb08, Jim Wise) http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/959021.html
Texas A&M to pay $1 million fine to end ban on biodefense research
“Texas A&M University will pay a $1 million fine to resume biodefense research on campus – the long-awaited federal penalty for failing to report illnesses and infection in its labs last year. In a conference call Wednesday, top university officials said the payment, which is 100 times larger than the fine A&M originally proposed, should put an end to nine months of uncertainty around the research program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspended biodefense research at A&M in June.”
(Dallas Morning News, 21Feb08, Emily Ramshaw) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-biodefense_21tex.ART.State.Edition1.45e1a02.html
[Washington] State preparing for the worst as 2010 Winter Olympics approach
“With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., just around the corner, Washington state is using its partnership with British Columbia to prepare for bio terrorist attacks and other public-health emergencies. That cross-country partnership, which has already led to sharing of information on severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and a salmonella pet-food problem, was noted in a new federal report on health-emergency preparedness. [….] State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky said Washington and Canadian labs and epidemiologists are in constant contact.” (The Seattle Times; 21Feb08; Rachel La Corte, AP) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004193011_emergency21m.html
Amtrak contracts for explosives detection
“New Jersey-based Smiths Detection has been contracted by Amtrak for the recently announced planned upgrade of passenger screening procedures. Under the contract Smiths Detection will supply Amtrak the company's Sabre 4000 detection systems for the quick detection of explosives, narcotics, chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals among other threats.” (UPI, 21Feb08) http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Briefing/2008/02/21/amtrak_contracts_for_explosives_detection/1496/
Federal Funding Helps Prepare Students For BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure]
“Maryland will need space for new students under the military's Base Realignment and Closure [BRAC] program, but there's also a need for more specialized educational programs. Sen[ator] Barbara Mikulski announced Wednesday that schools will get more than $300,000 in federal dollars to develop programs to help prepare for BRAC. At Aberdeen High School's Science and Mathematics Academy, students work alongside mentors from the Department of Defense at Aberdeen Proving Ground […] Some of Aberdeen's 12th graders shared with Mikulski parts of their projects that were made possible with the federal dollars secured by the senator. ‘What I'm looking at is the decontamination of chemical warfare against warfare agents,’ said student Jacob Burlin. ‘We are studying levels of ketamines and how it affects the heart when you are exposed to a nerve agent,’ said student Ashley Larsen.” (WBAL TV, 20Feb08) http://www.wbaltv.com/news/15358983/detail.html
Salt Plains [Oklahoma] digging area remains closed to the public
“The crystal site at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge will not open for its usual digging period until more than 400 sites within the area can be searched for chemicals, officials said. Last April, about 134 vials of blistering solutions used in military chemical warfare training kits were unearthed about a mile from the public entrance to the crystal digging site after a Bartlesville Boy Scout found a vial on April 21. The crystal digging area has been closed to the public since.” (Enid News, 20Feb08, Cass Rains) http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_051003224.html
Court upholds dismissal of ‘agent orange’ suit
“A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a civil lawsuit against major U.S. chemical companies brought by Vietnamese plaintiffs over the use of dioxin, or ‘agent orange,’ during the Vietnam War. The decision was handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York involving a suit brought against Dow Chemical Co, Monsanto Co and nearly 30 other companies that had earlier been dismissed by a U.S. district court.” (Reuters, 22Feb08, Martha
Graybow)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2257383520080222
Canadian firm cited as potential source for dirty bomb material
“Canada's leading nuclear medicine company has been identified by a U.S. scientific panel as a major source of potential ‘dirty bomb’ materials at American hospitals and research labs, prompting a call to end the use of devices requiring radioactive cesium-137 as soon as possible. The U.S. National Research Council, commissioned by Congress to assess the terrorism risks posed by radioactive substances used for medical and scientific purposes, released a report Wednesday in Washington that highlighted blood irradiators and other machines - hundreds of them supplied to U.S. institutions by Ottawa-based MDS Nordion - as vulnerable to terrorists.” (Canada.com; 21Feb08; Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=3a0f27ab-8fc0-426c-8ff3-7ba93c60b5a1&k=86298
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
Resources on legal information was instrumental in sponsoring this blog entry.
“Four officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S.Department of Agriculture faced a demonstrative crowd of about 250 people Thursday night, many of whom waved signs protesting the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The officials had come to Creedmoor [North Carolina] to answer local questions about the facility, intended to study and develop countermeasures for foreign diseases such as hoof-and-mouth or swine fever that could enter the U.S. and infect agricultural animals.”
(The News & Observer, 22Feb08, Jim Wise) http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/959021.html
Texas A&M to pay $1 million fine to end ban on biodefense research
“Texas A&M University will pay a $1 million fine to resume biodefense research on campus – the long-awaited federal penalty for failing to report illnesses and infection in its labs last year. In a conference call Wednesday, top university officials said the payment, which is 100 times larger than the fine A&M originally proposed, should put an end to nine months of uncertainty around the research program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspended biodefense research at A&M in June.”
(Dallas Morning News, 21Feb08, Emily Ramshaw) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-biodefense_21tex.ART.State.Edition1.45e1a02.html
[Washington] State preparing for the worst as 2010 Winter Olympics approach
“With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., just around the corner, Washington state is using its partnership with British Columbia to prepare for bio terrorist attacks and other public-health emergencies. That cross-country partnership, which has already led to sharing of information on severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and a salmonella pet-food problem, was noted in a new federal report on health-emergency preparedness. [….] State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky said Washington and Canadian labs and epidemiologists are in constant contact.” (The Seattle Times; 21Feb08; Rachel La Corte, AP) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004193011_emergency21m.html
Amtrak contracts for explosives detection
“New Jersey-based Smiths Detection has been contracted by Amtrak for the recently announced planned upgrade of passenger screening procedures. Under the contract Smiths Detection will supply Amtrak the company's Sabre 4000 detection systems for the quick detection of explosives, narcotics, chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals among other threats.” (UPI, 21Feb08) http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Briefing/2008/02/21/amtrak_contracts_for_explosives_detection/1496/
Federal Funding Helps Prepare Students For BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure]
“Maryland will need space for new students under the military's Base Realignment and Closure [BRAC] program, but there's also a need for more specialized educational programs. Sen[ator] Barbara Mikulski announced Wednesday that schools will get more than $300,000 in federal dollars to develop programs to help prepare for BRAC. At Aberdeen High School's Science and Mathematics Academy, students work alongside mentors from the Department of Defense at Aberdeen Proving Ground […] Some of Aberdeen's 12th graders shared with Mikulski parts of their projects that were made possible with the federal dollars secured by the senator. ‘What I'm looking at is the decontamination of chemical warfare against warfare agents,’ said student Jacob Burlin. ‘We are studying levels of ketamines and how it affects the heart when you are exposed to a nerve agent,’ said student Ashley Larsen.” (WBAL TV, 20Feb08) http://www.wbaltv.com/news/15358983/detail.html
Salt Plains [Oklahoma] digging area remains closed to the public
“The crystal site at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge will not open for its usual digging period until more than 400 sites within the area can be searched for chemicals, officials said. Last April, about 134 vials of blistering solutions used in military chemical warfare training kits were unearthed about a mile from the public entrance to the crystal digging site after a Bartlesville Boy Scout found a vial on April 21. The crystal digging area has been closed to the public since.” (Enid News, 20Feb08, Cass Rains) http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_051003224.html
Court upholds dismissal of ‘agent orange’ suit
“A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a civil lawsuit against major U.S. chemical companies brought by Vietnamese plaintiffs over the use of dioxin, or ‘agent orange,’ during the Vietnam War. The decision was handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York involving a suit brought against Dow Chemical Co, Monsanto Co and nearly 30 other companies that had earlier been dismissed by a U.S. district court.” (Reuters, 22Feb08, Martha
Graybow)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2257383520080222
Canadian firm cited as potential source for dirty bomb material
“Canada's leading nuclear medicine company has been identified by a U.S. scientific panel as a major source of potential ‘dirty bomb’ materials at American hospitals and research labs, prompting a call to end the use of devices requiring radioactive cesium-137 as soon as possible. The U.S. National Research Council, commissioned by Congress to assess the terrorism risks posed by radioactive substances used for medical and scientific purposes, released a report Wednesday in Washington that highlighted blood irradiators and other machines - hundreds of them supplied to U.S. institutions by Ottawa-based MDS Nordion - as vulnerable to terrorists.” (Canada.com; 21Feb08; Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=3a0f27ab-8fc0-426c-8ff3-7ba93c60b5a1&k=86298
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
Resources on legal information was instrumental in sponsoring this blog entry.
SOUTHERN CONE RENDITION PROGRAM: PERU'S PARTICIPATION Operation Condor Crimes Focus of Italian Indictments
National Security Archive Update, February 22, 2008
New York Times Story Draws Attention to 1980 Abduction, Disappearance Case
Washington D.C., February 22, 2008 - Declassified U.S. documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive (www.nsarchive.org) show that the U.S. government had detailed knowledge of collaboration between the Peruvian, Bolivian and Argentine secret police forces to kidnap, torture and "permanently disappear" three militants in a Cold War rendition operation in Lima in June 1980--but took insufficient action to save the victims.
The Archive's documents are part of a sweeping Italian investigation of Condor that has issued arrest warrants for 140 former top officials from seven South American countries and, in the words of today's New York Times, has "agitated political establishments up and down the continent."
The documents address what has become known as "the case of the missing Montoneros," a covert operation by a death squad unit of Argentina's feared Battalion 601 to kidnap three members of a militant group living in Lima, Peru, on June 12, 1980, and render them through Bolivia back to Argentina. (A fourth member, previously captured, was brought to Lima to identify his colleagues and then disappeared with them.) "The present situation is that the four Argentines will be held in Peru and then expelled to Bolivia where they will be expelled to Argentina," a U.S. official reported from Buenos Aires four days after Esther Gianetti de Molfino, María Inés Raverta and Julio César Ramírez were kidnapped in broad daylight in downtown Lima. "Once in Argentina they will be interrogated and then permanently disappeared."
Italy's indictments include General Morales Bermudez and his military deputy Pedro Richter Prada, among 138 other military officers from Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay who were involved in the kidnapping, torture and disappearances of 25 Latin Americans who had dual Italian citizenship. The indictments, in a 250-page court filing by Italian judge Luisianna Figliolia last December, come after a six-year investigation by investigative magistrate Giancarlo Capaldo, who drew on hundreds of declassified documents provided by the National Security Archive's Southern Cone project. "These documents provide hard evidence of Condor crimes," according to project director Carlos Osorio, "that almost 30 years later still demand the resolution of justice."
The New York Times story, "Italy Follows Trail of Secret South American Abductions," noted that the Italian effort at universal jurisdiction "deals not only with individual cases involving Italian citizens but also with the broader responsibilities of Condor's cross-border kidnapping and torture operations." The story also suggested that Condor's allied effort to track down, kidnap, and secretly transport targets to third countries, according to historians, was "reminiscent of the United States' modern terrorist rendition program."
The Archive's Peter Kornbluh noted "sinister similarities between Condor and the current U.S. rendition, enhanced interrogation, and black site detention operations."
Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information about today's posting.
http://www.nsarchive.org
Information on the criminal justice technology was supportive of publishing this entry.
New York Times Story Draws Attention to 1980 Abduction, Disappearance Case
Washington D.C., February 22, 2008 - Declassified U.S. documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive (www.nsarchive.org) show that the U.S. government had detailed knowledge of collaboration between the Peruvian, Bolivian and Argentine secret police forces to kidnap, torture and "permanently disappear" three militants in a Cold War rendition operation in Lima in June 1980--but took insufficient action to save the victims.
The Archive's documents are part of a sweeping Italian investigation of Condor that has issued arrest warrants for 140 former top officials from seven South American countries and, in the words of today's New York Times, has "agitated political establishments up and down the continent."
The documents address what has become known as "the case of the missing Montoneros," a covert operation by a death squad unit of Argentina's feared Battalion 601 to kidnap three members of a militant group living in Lima, Peru, on June 12, 1980, and render them through Bolivia back to Argentina. (A fourth member, previously captured, was brought to Lima to identify his colleagues and then disappeared with them.) "The present situation is that the four Argentines will be held in Peru and then expelled to Bolivia where they will be expelled to Argentina," a U.S. official reported from Buenos Aires four days after Esther Gianetti de Molfino, María Inés Raverta and Julio César Ramírez were kidnapped in broad daylight in downtown Lima. "Once in Argentina they will be interrogated and then permanently disappeared."
Italy's indictments include General Morales Bermudez and his military deputy Pedro Richter Prada, among 138 other military officers from Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay who were involved in the kidnapping, torture and disappearances of 25 Latin Americans who had dual Italian citizenship. The indictments, in a 250-page court filing by Italian judge Luisianna Figliolia last December, come after a six-year investigation by investigative magistrate Giancarlo Capaldo, who drew on hundreds of declassified documents provided by the National Security Archive's Southern Cone project. "These documents provide hard evidence of Condor crimes," according to project director Carlos Osorio, "that almost 30 years later still demand the resolution of justice."
The New York Times story, "Italy Follows Trail of Secret South American Abductions," noted that the Italian effort at universal jurisdiction "deals not only with individual cases involving Italian citizens but also with the broader responsibilities of Condor's cross-border kidnapping and torture operations." The story also suggested that Condor's allied effort to track down, kidnap, and secretly transport targets to third countries, according to historians, was "reminiscent of the United States' modern terrorist rendition program."
The Archive's Peter Kornbluh noted "sinister similarities between Condor and the current U.S. rendition, enhanced interrogation, and black site detention operations."
Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information about today's posting.
http://www.nsarchive.org
Information on the criminal justice technology was supportive of publishing this entry.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Coalition Troops in Iraq Kill Two Insurgents, Capture 24
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 17, 2008 - Coalition forces killed two terrorists and captured 24 suspects today during operations to disrupt al Qaeda networks operating in central and northern Iraq, military officials said. In Sharqat, coalition forces targeted the alleged founder of an insurgent group tied to the leader of the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Beiji. As coalition forces called for the occupants of a target building to come out, one man ran out of the building and was directed to stop. He continued toward the ground force's position despite continued commands to stop and was killed. Two suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.
South of Kirkuk today, coalition forces captured an alleged associate of the terrorist network in the city. The suspect is linked to the alleged former leader of the assassination cell in Hawijah who was detained Jan. 10. Coalition forces detained four other suspected terrorists.
During two operations in Mosul today, coalition forces detained five suspected terrorists while targeting associates of foreign terrorists and weapons facilitators.
"These captures represent another step forward in disrupting the al Qaeda networks operating in northern Iraq," said Navy Cmdr. Scott Rye, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "As terrorists move their operations, we will follow. Al Qaeda will find no safe haven in Iraq."
Coalition forces killed an armed suspect during an assault on a suspected finance network for Iranian-trained "special groups" today in the Suwayrah area, south of Baghdad, military officials said. Upon arrival to the target area, coalition forces were engaged by an armed suspect. Coalition forces returned fire, killing the suspect. Large amounts of Iraqi currency were found on site.
Also in Baghdad today, coalition forces captured an alleged senior level car-bomb facilitator for al Qaeda in Iraq networks throughout Baghdad and north to Tikrit. Reports indicate the detainee was a former leader for the network in Karkh and was involved in the abduction of an Iraqi intelligence officer last spring. The suspect is believed to be a direct associate of senior al Qaeda leaders throughout Baghdad and the surrounding area. Coalition forces detained another suspect without incident.
In another operation conducted in western Baghdad today, coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists, including a person linked to the transport of improvised explosive device and car bomb supplies in northern Iraq.
Also today, seven more suspects were detained during coalition operations in Baqouba and southwest of Samarra.
"Iraqi and coalition forces are on the offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq," said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "We're finding the
places they hide and disrupting the supply of weapons they use for vicious attacks against innocent Iraqis."
Also today, the alert action of Iraqi soldiers prevented a suicide bomber from reaching her intended target in Baghdad's Rusafa sector. As a result of their quick reaction, officials said, the only death resulting from the aborted attack was that of the female suicide bomber.
Two Iraqi citizens were injured in the blast. The attempted attack took place when a woman, who appeared to be a beggar, was noticed having a bulky protrusion around her midsection, said Iraqi Army Col. Fahdel, 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division. Alert Iraqi soldiers quickly realized her intent and ordered her to raise her hands, said Fahdel. At that time, she raised one of her hands, but had an object with wires attached concealed in her other hand.
Sensing the potential danger, the soldiers fired three rounds. The woman staggered back to a nearby shop, where the blast detonated. It is unknown whether she detonated the blast herself or if it was detonated by another source. The soldiers' quick action prevented the potential loss of a large number of civilian lives.
In yesterday's operations:
-- In Mosul, coalition forces captured an alleged al Qaeda leader involved in the network on the east side of the city. Reports indicate the suspect is associated with several senior leaders in the area, including a judge of a terrorist illegal court system, and the radical Taliban-like spiritual advisor for the al Qaeda in Iraq networks in the city. The ground force detained one suspect in addition to the wanted individual.
-- In another Mosul operation, coalition forces detained nine more suspected terrorists. In one of the target buildings, the ground force discovered what they assessed to be an IED materials cache. Once the area was clear and secure, coalition forces destroyed the explosive materials to prevent future use for terrorist attacks.
-- U.S. troops killed two terrorists during raids to disrupt al Qaeda operations northeast of Samarra near the Hamrin Mountains.
-- Members of the Sons of Iraq citizens' security group delivered two suspected terrorists to U.S. soldiers posted in Baghdad's East Rashid sector. The citizens had seized the suspects because they were carrying homemade explosives, which were later safely destroyed. Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers on patrol found a penetrator-type mine and 10 60 mm mortar rounds. Three men were detained during the incident.
In Feb. 15 operations:
-- Two terrorists detonated suicide vests, killing three Iraqi civilians and one Iraqi police officer outside a mosque in Tal Afar. Sixteen Iraqis were injured during the prayer-time explosion. "Our condolences go out to the families of those who lost loved ones in this senseless act," said Army Maj. Gary Dangerfield, a U.S. military spokesman. Information from the city's mayor indicates the damage and loss of life would have been much greater if the terrorists had been able to detonate their vests inside the mosque.
-- Iraqi National Police and U.S. troops discovered two weapons caches during a joint mission north of Baghdad. The total amount of ordnance discovered included 112 rocket-propelled grenade launchers; three white-phosphorus mortars; 16 82 mm mortars; six blasting caps; an improvised blasting cap; 13 hand grenades; 10 120 mm mortar propellant bags; 1,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition; an 81 mm mortar and a rocket. The rocket was destroyed on site.
-- Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team captured a key special groups criminal leader in Baghdad's Shaab neighborhood. U.S. intelligence sources said the detainee is linked to a series of area kidnappings and murders. The suspect also is believed responsible for weapons smuggling operations and the November bombing of a coalition outpost as well as the killing of an Iraqi police official.
-- Tipped off by an Iraqi citizen, U.S. soldiers found a substantial weapons and ammunitions cache in northwest Baghdad. The cache contained 80 81 mm mortar rounds, 38 120 mm mortar rounds, 33 107 mm rockets, a 60 mm mortar round, 500 anti-aircraft rounds, 50 rocket sleds and components, 30 hand grenades, 10 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, five RPG launchers, five mortar tubes, seven new AK-47s, five MP5 submachine guns and 150 200-round belts of 7.62 mm ammunition. "These were weapons ready to be used against the Iraqi people," said Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a U.S. military spokesman. "Countless lives were saved because one concerned Iraqi citizen tipped
off coalition forces about this cache."
-- Attack helicopters responded to a small-arms fire attack on coalition forces near the town of Jurf al-Sukr. The helicopters engaged one structure with rockets. The incident is under investigation.
-- Members of the Sons of Iraq citizens' group handed over a suspected special groups criminal to U.S. soldiers posted in Baghdad's West Rashid sector. The suspect was taken to a coalition forces' detention facility for questioning.
In Feb. 13 operations:
-- Iraqi and U.S. Special Forces troops detained seven suspected al Qaeda terrorists during a Baghdad-area operation. The detainees are linked to multiple improvised-explosive device attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. A former insurgent provided information about terrorist groups operating in the area.
-- Iraqi forces discovered a large weapons cache and delivered it to coalition troops. The munitions were collected by Iraqi civil defense employees from the towns of Numaniyah, Suveira and Aziziyah. The cache contained more than 2,000 pieces of munitions, including a 107 mm rocket, 14.5 mm rounds, 82 mm rounds, 155 mm rounds, 100 mm rounds, hand grenades, 130 mm rounds and 30 meters of fuse-fire cord.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Feb. 17, 2008 - Coalition forces killed two terrorists and captured 24 suspects today during operations to disrupt al Qaeda networks operating in central and northern Iraq, military officials said. In Sharqat, coalition forces targeted the alleged founder of an insurgent group tied to the leader of the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Beiji. As coalition forces called for the occupants of a target building to come out, one man ran out of the building and was directed to stop. He continued toward the ground force's position despite continued commands to stop and was killed. Two suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.
South of Kirkuk today, coalition forces captured an alleged associate of the terrorist network in the city. The suspect is linked to the alleged former leader of the assassination cell in Hawijah who was detained Jan. 10. Coalition forces detained four other suspected terrorists.
During two operations in Mosul today, coalition forces detained five suspected terrorists while targeting associates of foreign terrorists and weapons facilitators.
"These captures represent another step forward in disrupting the al Qaeda networks operating in northern Iraq," said Navy Cmdr. Scott Rye, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "As terrorists move their operations, we will follow. Al Qaeda will find no safe haven in Iraq."
Coalition forces killed an armed suspect during an assault on a suspected finance network for Iranian-trained "special groups" today in the Suwayrah area, south of Baghdad, military officials said. Upon arrival to the target area, coalition forces were engaged by an armed suspect. Coalition forces returned fire, killing the suspect. Large amounts of Iraqi currency were found on site.
Also in Baghdad today, coalition forces captured an alleged senior level car-bomb facilitator for al Qaeda in Iraq networks throughout Baghdad and north to Tikrit. Reports indicate the detainee was a former leader for the network in Karkh and was involved in the abduction of an Iraqi intelligence officer last spring. The suspect is believed to be a direct associate of senior al Qaeda leaders throughout Baghdad and the surrounding area. Coalition forces detained another suspect without incident.
In another operation conducted in western Baghdad today, coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists, including a person linked to the transport of improvised explosive device and car bomb supplies in northern Iraq.
Also today, seven more suspects were detained during coalition operations in Baqouba and southwest of Samarra.
"Iraqi and coalition forces are on the offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq," said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "We're finding the
places they hide and disrupting the supply of weapons they use for vicious attacks against innocent Iraqis."
Also today, the alert action of Iraqi soldiers prevented a suicide bomber from reaching her intended target in Baghdad's Rusafa sector. As a result of their quick reaction, officials said, the only death resulting from the aborted attack was that of the female suicide bomber.
Two Iraqi citizens were injured in the blast. The attempted attack took place when a woman, who appeared to be a beggar, was noticed having a bulky protrusion around her midsection, said Iraqi Army Col. Fahdel, 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division. Alert Iraqi soldiers quickly realized her intent and ordered her to raise her hands, said Fahdel. At that time, she raised one of her hands, but had an object with wires attached concealed in her other hand.
Sensing the potential danger, the soldiers fired three rounds. The woman staggered back to a nearby shop, where the blast detonated. It is unknown whether she detonated the blast herself or if it was detonated by another source. The soldiers' quick action prevented the potential loss of a large number of civilian lives.
In yesterday's operations:
-- In Mosul, coalition forces captured an alleged al Qaeda leader involved in the network on the east side of the city. Reports indicate the suspect is associated with several senior leaders in the area, including a judge of a terrorist illegal court system, and the radical Taliban-like spiritual advisor for the al Qaeda in Iraq networks in the city. The ground force detained one suspect in addition to the wanted individual.
-- In another Mosul operation, coalition forces detained nine more suspected terrorists. In one of the target buildings, the ground force discovered what they assessed to be an IED materials cache. Once the area was clear and secure, coalition forces destroyed the explosive materials to prevent future use for terrorist attacks.
-- U.S. troops killed two terrorists during raids to disrupt al Qaeda operations northeast of Samarra near the Hamrin Mountains.
-- Members of the Sons of Iraq citizens' security group delivered two suspected terrorists to U.S. soldiers posted in Baghdad's East Rashid sector. The citizens had seized the suspects because they were carrying homemade explosives, which were later safely destroyed. Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers on patrol found a penetrator-type mine and 10 60 mm mortar rounds. Three men were detained during the incident.
In Feb. 15 operations:
-- Two terrorists detonated suicide vests, killing three Iraqi civilians and one Iraqi police officer outside a mosque in Tal Afar. Sixteen Iraqis were injured during the prayer-time explosion. "Our condolences go out to the families of those who lost loved ones in this senseless act," said Army Maj. Gary Dangerfield, a U.S. military spokesman. Information from the city's mayor indicates the damage and loss of life would have been much greater if the terrorists had been able to detonate their vests inside the mosque.
-- Iraqi National Police and U.S. troops discovered two weapons caches during a joint mission north of Baghdad. The total amount of ordnance discovered included 112 rocket-propelled grenade launchers; three white-phosphorus mortars; 16 82 mm mortars; six blasting caps; an improvised blasting cap; 13 hand grenades; 10 120 mm mortar propellant bags; 1,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition; an 81 mm mortar and a rocket. The rocket was destroyed on site.
-- Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team captured a key special groups criminal leader in Baghdad's Shaab neighborhood. U.S. intelligence sources said the detainee is linked to a series of area kidnappings and murders. The suspect also is believed responsible for weapons smuggling operations and the November bombing of a coalition outpost as well as the killing of an Iraqi police official.
-- Tipped off by an Iraqi citizen, U.S. soldiers found a substantial weapons and ammunitions cache in northwest Baghdad. The cache contained 80 81 mm mortar rounds, 38 120 mm mortar rounds, 33 107 mm rockets, a 60 mm mortar round, 500 anti-aircraft rounds, 50 rocket sleds and components, 30 hand grenades, 10 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, five RPG launchers, five mortar tubes, seven new AK-47s, five MP5 submachine guns and 150 200-round belts of 7.62 mm ammunition. "These were weapons ready to be used against the Iraqi people," said Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a U.S. military spokesman. "Countless lives were saved because one concerned Iraqi citizen tipped
off coalition forces about this cache."
-- Attack helicopters responded to a small-arms fire attack on coalition forces near the town of Jurf al-Sukr. The helicopters engaged one structure with rockets. The incident is under investigation.
-- Members of the Sons of Iraq citizens' group handed over a suspected special groups criminal to U.S. soldiers posted in Baghdad's West Rashid sector. The suspect was taken to a coalition forces' detention facility for questioning.
In Feb. 13 operations:
-- Iraqi and U.S. Special Forces troops detained seven suspected al Qaeda terrorists during a Baghdad-area operation. The detainees are linked to multiple improvised-explosive device attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. A former insurgent provided information about terrorist groups operating in the area.
-- Iraqi forces discovered a large weapons cache and delivered it to coalition troops. The munitions were collected by Iraqi civil defense employees from the towns of Numaniyah, Suveira and Aziziyah. The cache contained more than 2,000 pieces of munitions, including a 107 mm rocket, 14.5 mm rounds, 82 mm rounds, 155 mm rounds, 100 mm rounds, hand grenades, 130 mm rounds and 30 meters of fuse-fire cord.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sept. 11 Co-Conspirators Charged
The Defense Department announced today that charges have been sworn against six detainees at Guantanamo, alleged to be responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks upon the United States of America which occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Those attacks resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 people. The charges allege a long term, highly sophisticated, organized plan by al Qaeda to attack the United States.
The accused are: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Mohamed al Kahtani.
Each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy and the separate, substantive offenses of: murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, terrorism and providing material support for terrorism.
The first four defendants, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali are also charged with the substantive offense of hijacking or hazarding a vessel.
All of the charges are alleged to have been in support of the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
Now that sworn charges have been received, the convening authority will review the charges and supporting evidence to determine whether probable cause exists to refer the case for trial by military commission. The chief prosecutor has requested that charges to be tried jointly and be referred as capital for each defendant. If the convening authority, Susan Crawford, in her sole discretion, decides to refer the cases as capital, the defendants will face the possibility of being sentenced to death.
The charge sheet details 169 overt acts allegedly committed by the defendants in furtherance of the Sept. 11 events.
The charges allege that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks by proposing the operational concept to Usama bin Laden as early as 1996, obtaining approval and funding from Usama bin Laden for the attacks, overseeing the entire operation, and training the hijackers in all aspects of the operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin 'Attash is alleged to have administered an al Qaeda training camp in Logar, Afghanistan where two of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were trained. He is also alleged to have traveled to Malaysia in 1999 to observe airport security by U. S. air carriers to assist in formulating the hijacking plan.
Ramzi Binalshibh is alleged to have lived with the Hamburg, Germany, al Qaeda cell where three of the Sept. 11 hijackers resided. It is alleged that Binalshibh was originally selected by Usama bin Laden to be one of the Sept. 11 hijackers and that he made a "martyr video" in preparation for the operation. He was unable to obtain a US visa and, therefore, could not enter the United States as the other hijackers did. In light of this, it is alleged that Binalshibh assisted in finding flight schools for the hijackers in the United States, and continued to assist the conspiracy by engaging in numerous financial transactions in support of the Sept. 11 operation.
Ali Abdul Aziz Ali's role is alleged to have included sending approximately $120,000 to the hijackers for their expenses and flight training, and facilitating travel to the United States for nine of the hijackers.
Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi is alleged to have assisted and prepared the hijackers with money, western clothing, traveler's checks and credit cards. He is also alleged to have facilitated the transfer of thousands of dollars between the accounts of alleged Sept. 11 hijackers and himself on Sept. 11, 2001.
Mohamed al Kahtani is alleged to have attempted to enter the United States on August 4, 2001, through Orlando International Airport where he was denied entry. It is also alleged that al Kahtani carried $2,800 in cash and had an itinerary listing a phone number associated with Hawsawi.
If the convening authority refers the charges to trial, the prosecution bears the burden of proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard applied in all U.S. and military criminal trials.
In the military commissions process, every defendant has the following rights: The right to remain silent and to have no adverse inference drawn from it; the right to be represented by detailed military counsel, as well as civilian counsel of his own selection and at no expense to the government; the right to examine all evidence used against him by the prosecution; the right to obtain evidence and to call witnesses on his own behalf including expert witnesses; the right to cross-examine every witness called by the prosecution; the right to be present during the presentation of evidence; the right to have a military commission panel of at least five military members determine his guilt by a 2/3 majority, or in the case of a capital offense, a unanimous decision of a military commission composed of at least 12 members; and the right to an appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review, then through the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to the United States Supreme Court.
These rights are guaranteed to the defendant under the Military Commissions Act, and are specifically designed to ensure that every defendant receives a fair trial, consistent with American and international standards of justice and the rule of law.
The sworn charges are only allegations that each accused has committed a war crime under the Military Commissions Act. The accused are presumed innocent of any criminal charges unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at a military commission.
The accused are: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Mohamed al Kahtani.
Each of the defendants is charged with conspiracy and the separate, substantive offenses of: murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, terrorism and providing material support for terrorism.
The first four defendants, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali are also charged with the substantive offense of hijacking or hazarding a vessel.
All of the charges are alleged to have been in support of the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
Now that sworn charges have been received, the convening authority will review the charges and supporting evidence to determine whether probable cause exists to refer the case for trial by military commission. The chief prosecutor has requested that charges to be tried jointly and be referred as capital for each defendant. If the convening authority, Susan Crawford, in her sole discretion, decides to refer the cases as capital, the defendants will face the possibility of being sentenced to death.
The charge sheet details 169 overt acts allegedly committed by the defendants in furtherance of the Sept. 11 events.
The charges allege that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks by proposing the operational concept to Usama bin Laden as early as 1996, obtaining approval and funding from Usama bin Laden for the attacks, overseeing the entire operation, and training the hijackers in all aspects of the operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin 'Attash is alleged to have administered an al Qaeda training camp in Logar, Afghanistan where two of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were trained. He is also alleged to have traveled to Malaysia in 1999 to observe airport security by U. S. air carriers to assist in formulating the hijacking plan.
Ramzi Binalshibh is alleged to have lived with the Hamburg, Germany, al Qaeda cell where three of the Sept. 11 hijackers resided. It is alleged that Binalshibh was originally selected by Usama bin Laden to be one of the Sept. 11 hijackers and that he made a "martyr video" in preparation for the operation. He was unable to obtain a US visa and, therefore, could not enter the United States as the other hijackers did. In light of this, it is alleged that Binalshibh assisted in finding flight schools for the hijackers in the United States, and continued to assist the conspiracy by engaging in numerous financial transactions in support of the Sept. 11 operation.
Ali Abdul Aziz Ali's role is alleged to have included sending approximately $120,000 to the hijackers for their expenses and flight training, and facilitating travel to the United States for nine of the hijackers.
Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi is alleged to have assisted and prepared the hijackers with money, western clothing, traveler's checks and credit cards. He is also alleged to have facilitated the transfer of thousands of dollars between the accounts of alleged Sept. 11 hijackers and himself on Sept. 11, 2001.
Mohamed al Kahtani is alleged to have attempted to enter the United States on August 4, 2001, through Orlando International Airport where he was denied entry. It is also alleged that al Kahtani carried $2,800 in cash and had an itinerary listing a phone number associated with Hawsawi.
If the convening authority refers the charges to trial, the prosecution bears the burden of proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard applied in all U.S. and military criminal trials.
In the military commissions process, every defendant has the following rights: The right to remain silent and to have no adverse inference drawn from it; the right to be represented by detailed military counsel, as well as civilian counsel of his own selection and at no expense to the government; the right to examine all evidence used against him by the prosecution; the right to obtain evidence and to call witnesses on his own behalf including expert witnesses; the right to cross-examine every witness called by the prosecution; the right to be present during the presentation of evidence; the right to have a military commission panel of at least five military members determine his guilt by a 2/3 majority, or in the case of a capital offense, a unanimous decision of a military commission composed of at least 12 members; and the right to an appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review, then through the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to the United States Supreme Court.
These rights are guaranteed to the defendant under the Military Commissions Act, and are specifically designed to ensure that every defendant receives a fair trial, consistent with American and international standards of justice and the rule of law.
The sworn charges are only allegations that each accused has committed a war crime under the Military Commissions Act. The accused are presumed innocent of any criminal charges unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at a military commission.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 18, 2008
NTI [Nuclear Threat Initiative]’s Global Health and Security Program Receives Major Grant from Google Foundation
“The Google Foundation today announced a $2.5 million grant to NTI’s Global Health and Security Initiative (GHSI) to greatly enhance its work to rapidly detect, identify and respond to infectious disease outbreaks in Southeast Asia. This funding will strengthen GHSI’s global public health agenda, which includes efforts already underway in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The Global Health and Security Initiative, which develops and implements the biological programs of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), is working around the world to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats. […] NTI’s Global Health and Security Initiative works through innovative partnerships worldwide to address the threat of natural pandemics, accidental outbreaks from laboratories and use of biological agents as a weapon.” (NTI, 17Jan08) http://www.nti.org/c_press/Google_grant_toGHSI_011708.pdf
Tracking Outbreaks [in Texas]
“Five major laboratories gather and provide electronic laboratory results from health-care providers across Texas, and each submits as many as 7,800 records a year to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The state then submits the data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). The slow and costly process of manually entering data sent in by labs is now becoming a thing of the past in Texas as the state pioneers a data conversion tool that will automatically convert lab results to the appropriate data format regardless of the format in which it was submitted. […] A key goal of the NEDSS, developed in part with the Texas DSHS, is to facilitate the development of integrated, registry-based public health surveillance systems through the exchange of data based on a single set of criteria. The data travels securely via the Internet to the CDC's Public Health Information Network Messaging System. The system can identify people in a region who are developing common symptoms, such as a flulike illness or even bioterrorism.” (Government Technology, 17Jan08, Chandler Harris)
http://www.govtech.com/gt/216914?topic=117677
Electronic health record network launched statewide [in Maine]
“Beginning today, Martin's Point Health Care and health-care providers statewide will participate in a pilot project to create an electronic health record network that will allow health-care providers to share patient information statewide. Organizers hope it also will lead to improved and more efficient patient care. Proponents say the new network will allow caregivers to more quickly and efficiently access key clinical information needed to provide the best care for patients, and may help reduce medical errors. Over time, the Maine Centers for Disease Control and HealthInfoNet, a statewide nonprofit organization, expect to link these two systems to allow public health officials to more quickly identify and respond to disease outbreaks, potential epidemics and bioterrorism threats.” (The Times Record, 16Jan08, Beth Brogan) http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/E9D25A51447B54D4052573D2006DC0ED?Opendocument
Delaware Court Denies Motion by SIGA Technologies Seeking to Dismiss PharmAthene's Legal Action in Breach of Contract Lawsuit Against SIGA
“PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that the Delaware Chancery Court today issued a ruling denying a motion by SIGA Technologies to dismiss PharmAthene's complaint, which alleges that it has a right to an exclusive license to develop and market SIGA's drug candidate, SIGA-246. SIGA's request to dismiss the claim by PharmAthene was denied in all respects by the Delaware Court. […] SIGA-246 is a small molecule orally-active antiviral drug candidate for the treatment of smallpox.” (PharmaLive.com, 16Jan08, PR Newsire)
http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=506543&categoryid=27
76 percent of Newport [Chemical Depot]'s VX agent neutralized
“About 76 percent of the chemical agent VX stored at Newport Chemical Depot [Indiana] has been chemically neutralized, and VX destruction could be completed as early as this summer, officials say. So far, 1,934,186 pounds of VX have been neutralized, or 229,176 gallons. Neutralization began May 5, 2005. ‘We anticipate completion of neutralization of the Newport stockpile during the summer of 2008,’ said Jeff Brubaker, site project manager for the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, located north of Terre Haute in Vermillion County.” (Terre Haute tribune-Star, 17Jan08, Sue Loughlin) http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_017235148.html?keyword=topstory
Chinese war time victims demand compensation
“Two Chinese victims injured by chemical weapons left over in China by Japanese aggressor troops during World War II on Thursday filed a lawsuit to the Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation from the Japanese government. Four Japanese lawyers, representing two Chinese teenage victims, filed the charges to the court in the morning. The Japanese government has deployed and abandoned chemical weapons in China against international law, resulting in the injury to two Chinese children, the lawsuit said. The Japanese government acknowledged the fact that the two children were injured by left-over chemical weapons by Japan but failed to make proper compensation, the plaintiffs said, demanding compensation totaling 66 million yen (around 617,000 U.S. dollars).” (China Daily, 17Jan08, Xinhua) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-01/17/content_6402295.htm
[Hillary] Clinton declares Yucca Mountain [Nevada] 'will be off the table forever'
“Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton put a national spotlight on Nevada's signature issue Wednesday, holding a discussion on Yucca Mountain before a full contingent of national media. ‘When I am president, Yucca Mountain will be off the table forever,’ Clinton said. […] Las Vegas-based transportation consultant Fred Dilger called Nevada just ‘the point of the spear.’ The waste would arrive in 10,000 shipments, many of them going through major cities like Chicago and Atlanta, Dilger said. […] Railway accidents could have tragic consequences, or terrorists could target the shipments, Dilger said. ‘We will have solved the terrorists' problem for them if we implement this.’ Clinton agreed, saying terrorists who want to detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ in America no longer would have to find radioactive material and smuggle it into the country, as it would already be here and difficult to protect.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 17Jan08, Molly Ball) http://www.lvrj.com/news/13860977.html
Napping Guards Reported at Weapons Plant
“Seven guards have been caught sleeping at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge [Tennessee] since 2000, a federal spokesman said Wednesday. Three were fired and the rest were disciplined, said Steven Wyatt, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, a Department of Energy unit that oversees the Y-12 complex. The administration reported Monday only two guards had fallen asleep at their posts in four years at the high-security plant, about 20 miles west of Knoxville. […] Y-12, a potential terrorist target containing the key ingredients for a ‘dirty bomb,’ makes uranium parts for every warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It also dismantles old weapons and is the nation's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.” (Houston Chronicle; 16Jan08; Duncan Mansfield, AP) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5461127.html
Kyrgyzstan: IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] investigates radioactive seizure
“The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lodged a formal request with the Kyrgyz government to provide more detailed data on the troubling incident that unfolded in the last days of 2007. But an IAEA official has told RFE/RL [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] that the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog is still awaiting an official reply from Kyrgyz officials -- a week after they announced that dangerous levels of the radioactive substance cesium-137 had been discovered aboard a freight train bound for Iran. The IAEA official added that Bishkek so far had not asked the agency for any assistance or support on the matter.” (Spero News, 17Jan08, Jeffrey Donovan)
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idarticle=13699
'Pac Man' compound could gobble-up nuclear waste
“An atomic scale version of the Pac-Man could help gobble up nuclear waste. The new work could lay the groundwork for ways to remove trace radioactivity from water, reuse dissolved uranium waste during reprocessing, perhaps even help clean up the mess left by a ‘dirty bomb’. A charged oxide is one of uranium's most prevalent forms, and is a tricky radioactive contaminant to deal with because it is readily soluble in water and inert, so it does not react with many other chemicals, and so is difficult to lock up. Now scientists at the University of Edinburgh report in Nature how they have taken this common form of uranium and enclosed it in a specially designed molecular scaffold to make it much more reactive and easier to handle. The newly discovered uranium compound has a shape which resembles a Pac Man, with a uranium atom in its jaws, which consist of organic molecules.” (Telegraph.co.uk, 16Jan08, Roger Highfield) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/01/16/scipacman116.xml
Porton Down guinea-pigs get apology
“An apology and thousands of pounds in compensation are to be offered to hundreds of former Service personnel who acted as guinea-pigs in chemical and biological research tests at Porton Down [U.K.] in the 1950s and 1960s. Lawyers for the Ministry of Defence are in the final stages of negotiations for an out-of-court settlement, which is expected to award £8,300 to each of the 360 Porton Down volunteers who have put in claims – a total bill for the MoD of nearly £3 million. Although the details of the deal were still being worked on yesterday, some Porton Down servicemen said that they were dissatisfied with the compensation being offered.”
(Times Online, 18Jan08, Michael Evans)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3206993.ece
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
“The Google Foundation today announced a $2.5 million grant to NTI’s Global Health and Security Initiative (GHSI) to greatly enhance its work to rapidly detect, identify and respond to infectious disease outbreaks in Southeast Asia. This funding will strengthen GHSI’s global public health agenda, which includes efforts already underway in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The Global Health and Security Initiative, which develops and implements the biological programs of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), is working around the world to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats. […] NTI’s Global Health and Security Initiative works through innovative partnerships worldwide to address the threat of natural pandemics, accidental outbreaks from laboratories and use of biological agents as a weapon.” (NTI, 17Jan08) http://www.nti.org/c_press/Google_grant_toGHSI_011708.pdf
Tracking Outbreaks [in Texas]
“Five major laboratories gather and provide electronic laboratory results from health-care providers across Texas, and each submits as many as 7,800 records a year to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The state then submits the data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). The slow and costly process of manually entering data sent in by labs is now becoming a thing of the past in Texas as the state pioneers a data conversion tool that will automatically convert lab results to the appropriate data format regardless of the format in which it was submitted. […] A key goal of the NEDSS, developed in part with the Texas DSHS, is to facilitate the development of integrated, registry-based public health surveillance systems through the exchange of data based on a single set of criteria. The data travels securely via the Internet to the CDC's Public Health Information Network Messaging System. The system can identify people in a region who are developing common symptoms, such as a flulike illness or even bioterrorism.” (Government Technology, 17Jan08, Chandler Harris)
http://www.govtech.com/gt/216914?topic=117677
Electronic health record network launched statewide [in Maine]
“Beginning today, Martin's Point Health Care and health-care providers statewide will participate in a pilot project to create an electronic health record network that will allow health-care providers to share patient information statewide. Organizers hope it also will lead to improved and more efficient patient care. Proponents say the new network will allow caregivers to more quickly and efficiently access key clinical information needed to provide the best care for patients, and may help reduce medical errors. Over time, the Maine Centers for Disease Control and HealthInfoNet, a statewide nonprofit organization, expect to link these two systems to allow public health officials to more quickly identify and respond to disease outbreaks, potential epidemics and bioterrorism threats.” (The Times Record, 16Jan08, Beth Brogan) http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/E9D25A51447B54D4052573D2006DC0ED?Opendocument
Delaware Court Denies Motion by SIGA Technologies Seeking to Dismiss PharmAthene's Legal Action in Breach of Contract Lawsuit Against SIGA
“PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that the Delaware Chancery Court today issued a ruling denying a motion by SIGA Technologies to dismiss PharmAthene's complaint, which alleges that it has a right to an exclusive license to develop and market SIGA's drug candidate, SIGA-246. SIGA's request to dismiss the claim by PharmAthene was denied in all respects by the Delaware Court. […] SIGA-246 is a small molecule orally-active antiviral drug candidate for the treatment of smallpox.” (PharmaLive.com, 16Jan08, PR Newsire)
http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=506543&categoryid=27
76 percent of Newport [Chemical Depot]'s VX agent neutralized
“About 76 percent of the chemical agent VX stored at Newport Chemical Depot [Indiana] has been chemically neutralized, and VX destruction could be completed as early as this summer, officials say. So far, 1,934,186 pounds of VX have been neutralized, or 229,176 gallons. Neutralization began May 5, 2005. ‘We anticipate completion of neutralization of the Newport stockpile during the summer of 2008,’ said Jeff Brubaker, site project manager for the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, located north of Terre Haute in Vermillion County.” (Terre Haute tribune-Star, 17Jan08, Sue Loughlin) http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_017235148.html?keyword=topstory
Chinese war time victims demand compensation
“Two Chinese victims injured by chemical weapons left over in China by Japanese aggressor troops during World War II on Thursday filed a lawsuit to the Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation from the Japanese government. Four Japanese lawyers, representing two Chinese teenage victims, filed the charges to the court in the morning. The Japanese government has deployed and abandoned chemical weapons in China against international law, resulting in the injury to two Chinese children, the lawsuit said. The Japanese government acknowledged the fact that the two children were injured by left-over chemical weapons by Japan but failed to make proper compensation, the plaintiffs said, demanding compensation totaling 66 million yen (around 617,000 U.S. dollars).” (China Daily, 17Jan08, Xinhua) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-01/17/content_6402295.htm
[Hillary] Clinton declares Yucca Mountain [Nevada] 'will be off the table forever'
“Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton put a national spotlight on Nevada's signature issue Wednesday, holding a discussion on Yucca Mountain before a full contingent of national media. ‘When I am president, Yucca Mountain will be off the table forever,’ Clinton said. […] Las Vegas-based transportation consultant Fred Dilger called Nevada just ‘the point of the spear.’ The waste would arrive in 10,000 shipments, many of them going through major cities like Chicago and Atlanta, Dilger said. […] Railway accidents could have tragic consequences, or terrorists could target the shipments, Dilger said. ‘We will have solved the terrorists' problem for them if we implement this.’ Clinton agreed, saying terrorists who want to detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ in America no longer would have to find radioactive material and smuggle it into the country, as it would already be here and difficult to protect.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 17Jan08, Molly Ball) http://www.lvrj.com/news/13860977.html
Napping Guards Reported at Weapons Plant
“Seven guards have been caught sleeping at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge [Tennessee] since 2000, a federal spokesman said Wednesday. Three were fired and the rest were disciplined, said Steven Wyatt, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, a Department of Energy unit that oversees the Y-12 complex. The administration reported Monday only two guards had fallen asleep at their posts in four years at the high-security plant, about 20 miles west of Knoxville. […] Y-12, a potential terrorist target containing the key ingredients for a ‘dirty bomb,’ makes uranium parts for every warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It also dismantles old weapons and is the nation's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.” (Houston Chronicle; 16Jan08; Duncan Mansfield, AP) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5461127.html
Kyrgyzstan: IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] investigates radioactive seizure
“The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lodged a formal request with the Kyrgyz government to provide more detailed data on the troubling incident that unfolded in the last days of 2007. But an IAEA official has told RFE/RL [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] that the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog is still awaiting an official reply from Kyrgyz officials -- a week after they announced that dangerous levels of the radioactive substance cesium-137 had been discovered aboard a freight train bound for Iran. The IAEA official added that Bishkek so far had not asked the agency for any assistance or support on the matter.” (Spero News, 17Jan08, Jeffrey Donovan)
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idarticle=13699
'Pac Man' compound could gobble-up nuclear waste
“An atomic scale version of the Pac-Man could help gobble up nuclear waste. The new work could lay the groundwork for ways to remove trace radioactivity from water, reuse dissolved uranium waste during reprocessing, perhaps even help clean up the mess left by a ‘dirty bomb’. A charged oxide is one of uranium's most prevalent forms, and is a tricky radioactive contaminant to deal with because it is readily soluble in water and inert, so it does not react with many other chemicals, and so is difficult to lock up. Now scientists at the University of Edinburgh report in Nature how they have taken this common form of uranium and enclosed it in a specially designed molecular scaffold to make it much more reactive and easier to handle. The newly discovered uranium compound has a shape which resembles a Pac Man, with a uranium atom in its jaws, which consist of organic molecules.” (Telegraph.co.uk, 16Jan08, Roger Highfield) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/01/16/scipacman116.xml
Porton Down guinea-pigs get apology
“An apology and thousands of pounds in compensation are to be offered to hundreds of former Service personnel who acted as guinea-pigs in chemical and biological research tests at Porton Down [U.K.] in the 1950s and 1960s. Lawyers for the Ministry of Defence are in the final stages of negotiations for an out-of-court settlement, which is expected to award £8,300 to each of the 360 Porton Down volunteers who have put in claims – a total bill for the MoD of nearly £3 million. Although the details of the deal were still being worked on yesterday, some Porton Down servicemen said that they were dissatisfied with the compensation being offered.”
(Times Online, 18Jan08, Michael Evans)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3206993.ece
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
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