Alleged Supporter of Terrorist Group Extradited from Paraguay

PHILADELPHIA—Moussa Ali Hamdan, 38, a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon and a former resident of Brooklyn, New York, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia today after being extradited from Paraguay. He is being held pending a detention hearing. Hamdan is among several defendants charged in a conspiracy to provide material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was indicted November 24, 2009, along with nine co-defendants. Hamdan was taken into U.S. custody in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Thursday, by U.S. Marshals who escorted him to Washington, D.C., where members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force took him into custody.

At the time of the indictment, Hamdan had left the United States. On June 15, 2010, Paraguayan authorities arrested him in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Paraguay for the crime of material support of terrorism.

Hamdan is charged in 28 of the 31 counts in the indictment, including conspiring to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of proceeds from the sale of counterfeit money, stolen (genuine) money, and fraudulent passports. According to the indictment, Hamdan and several other defendants were also charged with several counts of transporting stolen goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and making false statements to government officials.

According to a related criminal complaint Hamdan began purchasing purportedly stolen cellular telephones from a cooperating witness acting as an agent of the government and participated in the purchase and transportation of purportedly stolen goods on numerous occasions. These stolen goods included cellular telephones, laptop computers, Sony Play Station 2 systems, and automobiles, which the conspirators caused to be transported to destinations outside Pennsylvania, including overseas destinations such as Lebanon and Benin (Africa). Hamdan also allegedly bought counterfeit goods—namely, counterfeit Nike® shoes and Mitchell & Ness® sports jerseys—from the cooperating witness. The complaint details efforts by defendants Moussa Ali Hamdan and his co-defendants to sell the CW counterfeit United States currency for the purpose of raising funds for Hizballah. In total, the conspirators provided the CW with approximately $10,000 in counterfeit United States currency. The complaint also alleges that certain of Hamdan’s co-defendants generated additional funds for Hizballah by selling fraudulent passports. The CW and the defendants participated in the purchase of two fake passports—one from the United Kingdom and one from Canada—for the benefit of Hizballah. Hamdan allegedly agreed to pay $10,000 towards the purchase of these passports, in order to satisfy a debt he owed to the CW.

If convicted of all charges, Hamdan faces a statutory maximum sentence of 260 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New Jersey State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Secret Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Philadelphia Police Department, Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Air Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Beam Winter and Vineet Gauri, and National Security Division Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to extend special thanks to the Paraguayan judicial and law enforcement authorities, including the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, for their invaluable assistance in the arrest and subsequent extradition of Hamdan, as well as the Office of International Affairs and U.S. Embassy, Asuncion, Diplomatic Security personnel who were involved in ensuring Hamdan’s capture and return to the United States.

Public Safety Technology in the News

Editor's Note: Many of the technologies discussed hear are used by domestic law enforcement during their homeland security and/or counter-terrorism mission.

New Device Can Sniff Out Dirty Bombs, Other Radiation
Contra Costa Times, (10/02/2008), Mike Taugher

Law enforcement and other agencies have a new tool to alert them to small amounts of radiation. The devices, called adaptable radiation area monitors, can detect small amounts of radiation and identify what type it is. The device can be placed inside vehicles to patrol highways or survey stadium entrances, or set up on a road. It could be used in a variety of ways, for example, in a vehicle to inspect a parade route. The New Jersey State Police have installed the detectors in a fleet of vehicles. The equipment is small enough to pack into a SUV. The software allows authorities to immediately know whether the source of the radiation is from natural, industrial or medical sources or from materials that could be used in a dirty or nuclear bomb. The technology can detect tiny amounts of radioactive material at about 40 miles per hour, within 12 feet of the material. The technology was developed at Livermore National Laboratory in California.
www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/ci_10611239

Tiny Cameras Going With Seattle Cops Out on the Street
Seattle Times, (09/11/2008), Jennifer Sullivan

Some Seattle police officers are now using tiny video cameras to record events as they perform their duties. The cameras, which weigh about 3.5 ounces, are made by VIEVU, a company founded by former Seattle police officers Steve Ward. He said video provides an accurate account of events during an incident and can be useful in determining liability. The devices can be worn on an officer's uniform, helmet or belt and can store more than four hours of video. Seattle police have used the cameras during demonstrations.
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008172390_cameras11m.html

Dog to Sniff Out Phones in Prisons
Tampa Tribune, (10/04/2008), Josh Poltilove

The Florida Department of Corrections will soon be using a dog's powerful sense of smell to deter smuggling of cell phones into prisons. Razor, a 14-month-old Malinois, is trained to smell cell phones and will report for duty in November. Cell phones can help inmates commit a variety of illegal activity, including dealing drugs, planning escapes and harassing victims. Between July 2007 and June 2008, authorities confiscated 336 cell phones from Florida prison inmates. A state law took effect in October making it illegal to smuggle cells phones into prisons.
www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081004/ARTICLE/810040364/-1/newssitemap

North Charleston Police Take Step into the Future
The Post and Courier, (09/25/2008), Noah Haglund

The police department in North Charleston, S.C., is the latest Law enforcement agency to use a wireless device that allows officers to quickly check criminal histories and vehicle registration. The handheld unit allows police to check a national database for warrants and vehicle information, before they confront a driver. Previously, officers had to call dispatchers to obtain that information. The device is made by the Atlanta-based American Law enforcement Network and costs about $400. The monthly subscription fee is $30 per unit. About 500 departments in five states are using the device.
www.charleston.net/news/2008/sep/25/north_charleston_police_take_step_into_f55749/

State Buying DNA-Testing Robots to Speed Up Results
Coloradoan, (09/05/2008), Trevor Hughes

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is turning to robotic analyzers to speed up processing of DNA evidence samples. CBI has a backlog of DNA evidence requiring testing, partly due to more samples being submitted from property crimes in addition to violent crimes such as rape and homicide. CBI already has one robotic analyzer, which is used to develop DNA profiles from convicted felons. Three new analyzers will be used for evidentiary samples taken from crime scenes and suspects. The new analyzers are to be installed by the end of 2008, with technicians trained and using them by May 2009.
www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/UPDATES01/80905017

Grant to Help Solve Crimes
The Troy Messenger, (10/04/2008), Holli Keaton

The Troy University Forensic Science Institute is using a U.S. Department of Justice grant to expand its services for Law enforcement. The institute offers training to Law enforcement and helps with computer crime research. The university also uses its computer forensic science lab to help local, state and federal Law enforcement obtain digital evidence. The $463,000 grant will allow the university to offer more in-depth training, increase cybercrime work and expand the lab.
www.troymessenger.com/news/2008/oct/04/grant-help-solve-crimes

FEMA Awards $17.6 Million in Equipment and Training to Smaller Emergency Response Agencies Nationwide
Media-Newswire.com, (09/29/2008)

More than 1,000 emergency response agencies in the United States will receive equipment and training under $17.6 million in grants awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grants are awarded through the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). FY 2008 CEDAP funds are to be used for extrication devices; thermal imaging, night vision and video surveillance tools; chemical, biological and radiological detection tools; information technology and risk management tools; and vehicle tracking tools. Of the 1,045 grant awards, 79 percent were awarded to Law enforcement agencies. The rest went to fire departments, emergency medical service, emergency management and public safety agencies.
www.desastres.org/noticias.php?id=29092008-09

GM Introduces technology to Slow Down Stolen Vehicles for Police
Canadian Press, (10/02/2008)

technology to remotely slow down stolen vehicles may soon be available. General Motors of Canada is introducing the technology through its OnStar service beginning with some 2009 model year cars. An On-Star adviser can locate a vehicle using a global positioning system and send a remote signal to slow a vehicle down to help police make an arrest. Police say it will help them catch car thieves and possibly reduce the number of high-speed chases. The owner of the vehicle must first contact the police and an OnStar adviser and request the service before it can be activated. Once activated, the suspect car's parking lights flash to alert police to the correct vehicle, which is slowed to a crawl so police can easily pull it over. The car's brakes and steering will still work; the accelerator will not.
www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2008/10/02/6959481.html

One Day Counter-Terrorism Symposium

The New Jersey United States Marine Corps Reserve Association and NJIT Present a One Day Counter-Terrorism Symposium

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2008
Location: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Theme: Homeland Counter-Terrorism: Where We Are, Where We Are Going

The mission of this symposium is to educate the public on counter-terrorist prevention strategies and disaster response; this symposium will have a particular emphasis on Customs and Border Control, Managing the Radius of The Risk, and Transportation Security. We also have an opportunity to meet with a Regiment which formed as a direct result of current military efforts abroad. The latest in a series of seminars hosted by the NJ Marine Corps Reserve Association, and others which focus on different pro-active aspects of terrorist prevention and disaster response. Attendance certificates will be distributed.

Feature Speakers:
Mr. Kevin H. McCabe, Customs and Border, Protection Chief, Seaport Enforcement Branch
Mr. David Gruber, Senior Assistant Commissioner for Health Infrastructure
Major John Hunt, New Jersey State Police
Mr. Scott L. Kisch, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
Transportation Expert Mr. Harold Neil, former Executive Assistant of the NJ Transportation’s Office of Transportation Security
Commander Frank Fiumano, US Coast Guard
Jack P. Mattera, Deputy Director, Department of Public Safety

More Information:
Contact: Colonel Walter F. Conner, USMC (ret)
Telephone: 609-977-2114
Email: wconner9@verizon.net

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- August 18, 2008

F.B.I. will present scientific evidence in anthrax case to counter doubts
“Growing doubts from scientists about the strength of the government’s case against the late Bruce E. Ivins, the military researcher named as the anthrax killer, are forcing the Justice Department to begin disclosing more fully the scientific evidence it used to implicate him. […] ‘That is going to be critically important, because right now there is really no data to make a scientific judgment one way or the other,’ Brad Smith, a molecular biologist at the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. ‘The information that has been put out, there is really very little scientific information in there.’ F.B.I officials say they are confident that their scientific evidence against Dr. Ivins, who killed himself last month as the Justice Department was preparing an indictment against him, will withstand scrutiny, and they plan to present their findings for review by leading scientists. But the scrutiny may only raise fresh questions.” (New York Times; 15Aug08; Eric Lichtblau & David Johnston)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/washington/16anthrax.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

U.S. Sen. Grassley: More than $4.1 Million to Iowa from Health and Human Services
“Senator Chuck Grassley today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Iowa Department of Public Health a $4,113,883 grant through the Hospital Preparedness Program. […] The Iowa Department of Public Health must use the funds to help pay for the following capabilities: an interoperable communication system, bed tracking system, emergency system for the advance registration of volunteer health professionals, fatality management plans and hospital evacuation plans. The funds may be optionally used to pay for the following capabilities: alternate care sites, mobile medical assets, pharmaceutical caches, personal protective equipment and decontamination. The funds must incorporate the National Incident Management System, education and preparedness training and exercises, evaluations and corrective actions into the development and maintenance of all capabilities.” (Iowa Politics; 15Aug08)
http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=133694

Labs that perform bioterrorism research proliferating
“There are 326 laboratories authorized by the CDC to work with biological agents, an increase from 194 in 2003. Another 73 are authorized by the USDA.. […] The criteria include that the individual have no convictions of a crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year, not be a fugitive from Justice or an illegal alien, and that the individual not have been dishonorably discharged from the Army. […] Of the 399 institutions registered to work with biological agents, 234 are working with anthrax, the records show. Many of them are working with, or at least storing, the ‘Ames strain,’ which was used in the anthrax mailings. Martin Hugh-Jones, a professor at Louisiana State University, said obtaining permission to work with that strain has become almost like a status symbol for labs. LSU was one of 16 laboratories identified by the FBI as working with the Ames strain of anthrax before the letters were mailed.” (Courant; 16Aug08; Dave Altimari)
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/nation/hc-labsecurity0816.artaug16,0,1589319.story

Rensselaer researcher wins AIChE Young Investigator Award
“Ravi S. Kane, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has won the 2008 Young Investigator Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum. […] In a recent publication in Nature Nanotechnology, Kane’s team demonstrated for the first time that upon exposure to invisible and near-infrared light, carbon nanotubes mediate the selective deactivation of attached proteins. Kane’s group used this phenomenon to design nanotube-peptide conjugates that selectively destroy anthrax toxin from a mixture of proteins. The group also used these findings to develop and create transparent ‘self-cleaning’ nanotube coatings.” (Rensselaer; 18Aug08)
http://news.rpi.edu/update.do

Nanocoating preventing corrosion and reducing ice formation on aircrafts
“The development of a transparent coating that causes water to bead up into drops and roll or bounce off a surface will help protect and sustain Air Force systems by preventing corrosion and reducing ice formation on optical elements and aircraft. […] Their recent work has opened the door to new applications that exploit the way the coated surface interacts with liquid droplets. When water droplets roll along the coated surface, they pick up debris as they go. Doctor Brinker explained that this property might make the collection, concentration and identification of aerosol borne particles like anthrax possible.” (Nanotechnology; 17Aug08)
http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=7185

Siting a national biolab [Plum Island, Mississippi]
“The lab, called the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, would eventually replace a 24-acre research complex on Plum Island, just off the northeastern tip of Long Island in the Sound. Although a spokeswoman for homeland security has said that an expansion and upgrade of the facility at Plum Island is still on the table, that proposal is costly and apparently not ranked highly among the agency's preferred plans. Overruling their own advisers, homeland security officials selected Flora, Miss. That site was ranked 14th out of 17 locations around the country on grounds that it was too remote from existing biodefense programs and researchers with expertise in contagious diseases.” (Courant; 18Aug08)
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-biolab.artaug18,0,7612906.story

Reliable biosafety essential to prevent bioterrorism: Ambassador Masood Khan
“A reliable biosafety and biosecurity regime is essential to prevent and counter bioterrorism and biological warfare, Ambassador Masood Khan said. Speaking at the 2008 meeting of experts of Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) […] While emphasising the importance of a code of conduct for an oversight of the scientific research, he said that it was not possible to have one universal code of conduct. He suggested that each state party needed to intensify its efforts to involve life scientists, policy makers and relevant international organizations to develop flexible but effective codes of conduct containing elements of ethics, education and training programmes [sic].” (Associated Press of Pakistan; 18Aug08)
http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49257&Itemid=2

Firms in defence export breaches
“Australian companies have repeatedly breached export control regulations designed to prevent sensitive defence technology falling into the hands of North Korea, Iran, China and Russia. Previously undisclosed information issued by the Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon, reveals that in the past three years there have been 41 known breaches of Australia's defence export regulations. […] Mr Fitzgibbon did not reveal the names of the
firms involved or the specific equipment or materials involved in each case. But he did confirm the rules were broken in relation to both military equipment and so-called ''dual use'' technology that has both civilian and military applications. The breaches involved military equipment, chemicals, telecommunications and electronic equipment, information security technology, avionics, material processing technology and other controlled goods. Seventeen breaches involved the export of chemicals which are regulated because they could be used in the manufacture of chemical weapons, explosives or missile propellants.” (The Canberra Times; 16Aug08; Phillip Dorling)
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/firms-in-defence-export-breaches/1246064.aspx

Chemical weapon depots look to weapon-less future [Pine Bluff, Arkansas]
“During the Cold War, the Pine Bluff Arsenal held the secrets of the nation's stockpile chemical and biological weapons against prying Soviet eyes. Now, arsenal commander Col. Bill Barnett worries about disclosing how many gas masks and mortar rounds workers can produce in a day. The fear comes not from the threat of foreign spies, but rather the possibility of being undercut by competing private manufacturers. […] As the arsenal prepares to eliminate its remaining mustard gas, the base about 35 miles southeast of Little Rock finds its mission changing as the United States destroys the weapons it and other eight other arsenal sites once housed. While some only housed the biological and chemical agents, other bases now manufacture weapons or other items needed as the nation fights two other wars abroad. The Pine Bluff Arsenal, conceived a month before the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, had the task of building grenades and bombs for the growing U.S. military. Over time, the arsenal began manufacturing chemical and biological weapons, storing them in earthen igloos that also housed German rockets studied after World War II.” (Chicago Tribune; 17Aug08; Jon Gambrell)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ar-chemicalweapons-f,0,5049937.story

Preparing for an urban WMD attack [San Francisco, California]
“The scenario was this: a terrorist with a backpack full of sodium cyanide--a chemical used in gold mining operations that quickly attacks and shuts down the human respiratory system--unleashed it inside 555 California. […] The attack instantly kills a number of people and injures others. Because of the victims, the fire department is the first to arrive
on the scene, and when the firefighter discover what's happened, they isolate the building's lobby and deny entry into the building by anyone else, and then quickly set up a mass decontamination system nearby. And then they call in the specialists. […] the whole point: to bring in the many different types of specialists […] the scenario had more to it: emergency personnel also discover an improvised explosive device inside 555 California, and just when they're dealing with everything going on there, there's also a shooting in another office building nearby. […] the exercise, which cost about a quarter million dollars, was paid for with federal grant money. One of the elements of the scenario was that no one actually knows at first what the terrorist has attacked with. […] Finding out and then disseminating that information is one of the goals of the exercise.” (CNet News; 16Aug08; Daniel Terdiman)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10018658-52.html?hhTest=1

Site of former [Fernald Preserve near Cincinnati] Ohio uranium plant turns to nature
“A site once home to a Cold War-era uranium processing plant and the focus of a contentious struggle to clean up toxic waste has re-emerged as a haven for wildlife and a memorial to those who worked to make the area safe. The Fernald Preserve and its visitors center make their public debut Wednesday at the former site of the government facility that processed uranium metal for nuclear weapons from 1952 to 1989. […] The $4.4 billion site cleanup was officially completed in January 2007. The visitor's center and preserve, which cost $7 million, are the first developed under Legacy Management, which is responsible for more than 60 other waste sites around the country […]” (San José Examiner; 16Aug08; Lisa Cornwell, AP)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1540544~Site_of_former_Ohio_uranium_plant_turns_to_nature.html

Terror drill finds culprit with dirty bomb [New York, New York]
“More than 17 boats from a variety of agencies, including the Coast Guard, FDNY and New Jersey State Police, set up a checkpoint underneath the Verrazano Bridge at the mouth of the harbor to scan all incoming vessels. Scores of boats were boarded and searched during the drill, which officials said was the largest counterterrorism exercise in the city's history and allowed the NYPD to test two new $750,000 radiation-tracking boats. The Tracs boats successfully stopped a speedboat named The Last Dollar and found a device that simulated the same radiation as a dirty bomb.” (Daily News; 15Aug08; Jonathan Lemire)
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/08/15/2008-08-15_terror_drill_finds_culprit_with_dirty_bo-1.html

Iran Rejects Nuclear, Terrorism Charges Against Banks
“Iran has rejected accusations by France, Britain and the United States that its banks are financing illegal nuclear activities and Terrorism. Iran sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council Friday, calling the allegations baseless. It also accused France, Britain and the U.S. of trying to disrupt the financial affairs of millions of Iranian bank customers. Earlier this month, the three countries warned the Security Council of attempts by Iran to use the country's banks to help expand its nuclear capabilities.” (Voice of America; 16Aug08)
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-16-voa12.cfm

Yorkshire schoolboy locked up on terror charge
“Britain's youngest terrorist - a teenager from Wesat Yorkshire – was behind bars today after a guide to death and explosives was found in the schoolboy's home. Hammaad Munshi, just 16 and taking GCSEs when arrested, was part of a cell of cyber groomers that set out to brainwash the vulnerable to kill ‘non-believers’ […] Two bags of ball-bearings – the shrapnel of choice for suicide bombers - were found in one of his pockets. On his PC were al Qaida propaganda videos and recordings promoting ‘murder and destruction.’ […] Also found were US and Canadian military training manuals, a Terrorist's Handbook, a Mujahideen Explosives Handbook, and a Mujahideen Poisons Handbook containing a recipe for ricin and encouragement for ‘brothers’ to experiment on ‘kuffar’ (non-believers).” (Yorkshire Post; 18Aug08)
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Yorkshire-schoolboy-locked-up-on.4401314.jp

Nuke [CBRN] trainer says he taught Uganda only ‘defense’
“More information continues to emerge about Uganda’s chemical and biological weapons operation--the U.K. expert who provided the training to top Ugandans insists in an exclusive interview with The Black Star News that the East Africans were trained only on ‘defensive’ and not ‘offensive’ capabilities. ‘There is a big difference between defense and attack—huge difference,’ says Ian Day, Operations Director at U.K.-based The CBRN Team Ltd (an acronym referring to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear), who provided the training to the Ugandans. […] There have been widespread speculation that biological agents or toxins have been used to kill prominent Ugandans. Last year, when a top Uganda military official, Brigadier Noble Mayombo, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defense died suddenly, there was speculation that some type of toxins could have caused his demise.” (Black Star News; 15Aug08; Milton Allimadi)
http://blackstarnews.com/?c=122&a=4768

Police personnel to study Terrorism, conflict resolution
“With an aim to prepare them for upcoming challenges, Police personnel will now be given formal training in subjects like Terrorism, biological warfare, forensic science and conflict resolution at the first National Police University to be established here. […] The courses to be offered by the university would include subjects like Terrorism, organised crime, cyber crime, VIP security, forensic science, biological warfare, criminal psychology, human rights, public relation, communal tension, conflict resolution, peace and harmony and man management, he said.” (Zee News; 17Aug08)
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=462631&sid=NAT

The war on terror is shrinking
“As science races to confront Terrorism with new technology, researchers are unveiling a new generation of devices featuring ever-more sophisticated sensors to quickly detect explosives, radiation, chemicals and biological agents. Most share the promise of doing more with far less bulk, suggesting a future in which radiation from a dirty bomb is detected by a commuter’s iPhone, a laptop warns of explosives more than a football field’s length away, a hand-held unit spots airborne anthrax spores within seconds and a device no bigger than a matchbox sniffs out a tiny release of hazardous chemicals. […] The method […] has its origins in […] how certain frequencies of light can produce sound waves when pulsed onto a surface. Importantly, the version devised by Oak Ridge researchers lets them identify materials out in the open instead of within a pressurized chamber that would have undermined the technique’s usefulness. Essentially, the instrument illuminates a target with pulses of laser light. The light reflected off the target’s surface generates a signature sound when it becomes a vibration through an interaction with a tiny quartz crystal tuning fork.” (MSNBC; 18Aug08; Bryn Nelson)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26044715/

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.

Civilian, Military Defenders Gather for Vehicle Bomb Demonstration

By Jennifer M. McCarthy
Special to American Forces Press Service

April 11, 2008 - Federal and state law enforcement personnel joined servicemembers at the explosive ordnance range here April 9 for a vehicle bomb demonstration. FBI agents based in New York and New Jersey, New Jersey State Police, Defense Department police, and Army and Air Force personnel saw a large box truck, a sport utility vehicle, two sedans, and a minivan ripped asunder by explosives and sent soaring into the air.

The vehicles were rigged with controlled explosive devices detonated as part of a week-long joint training course that helped hone the law enforcement officials' skills in the tools and techniques used to identify and neutralize vehicle bombs.

As well as allowing participants a chance to earn a certificate from the FBI Bomb Data Center, the course provided real-world experience, particularly to soldiers and airmen deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The training was good. It is useful in principle," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Bramble of the 305th Civil Engineer Squadron's explosive ordnance disposal flight. Bramble recently returned from a deployment in Afghanistan. "This training is geared towards populated areas," he said. "It decreases collateral damage."

Terrorists have adopted vehicle bombs as a prominent weapon of choice, but they are not a new tactic. One of the earliest uses of a car bomb was the attempted assassination of Sultan Abdul Hamid II in Istanbul in 1905 by Armenian separatists. Since then, terrorist groups have used vehicle bombs as a way to try to cause chaos and destruction.

Don Breecre, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and environmental bomb technician, said the Fort Dix demonstration was "a chance for bomb techs, EOD, to train on the tools we use to defeat vehicle bombs."

"Perfect practice makes perfect," he said.

(Jennifer M. McCarthy works at Fort Dix Public Affairs.)