• French satirical magazine today publishes unflattering caricatures of Prophet Mohammed

    The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo announced yesterday (Tuesday) that today (Wednesday), it would publish satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as a protest against the violent wave of anti-American demonstrations in several Muslim countries

  • U.S. urgently needs better bioterrorism, disease tracking system

    Nearly eleven years have passed since the fall 2001 bioterrorism-related anthrax attacks that shook the United States, killing five people and injuring seventeen, a leading bioterrorism expert says the country has still not learned its lesson; he says that current data mining approaches are passive and do not provide immediate solutions to the emergencies at hand, proposing instead an electronic, clinician-based reporting system which would have the capacity to limit the impact of a bioterrorism attack

  • Libya arrests 50 in connection with Benghazi consulate attack

    The Libyan government and the Obama administration differ on the origins of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi; Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, insisted that attack in Benghazi was similar to the attacks on embassies in Cairo and Sana, and that all were reminiscent of previous spontaneous unrest among Muslim in response to perceived slights toward the Prophet Mohammed; the Libyan president, announcing the arrest of about 50 in connection to the attack, said the attack was planned “by foreigners” affiliated with al Qaeda; among those arrested are militants from Mali and Algeria

  • U.S. sends two guided missile destroyers, more drones, to Libya

    The United States is increasing its military and intelligence presence in and around Libya – on the ground, in the air, and at sea; in addition to helping the Libyan authorities hunt down the members of the cell which attacked the consulate, the United States is increasing its surveillance of Islamic militants in eastern Libya, with the al Qaeda-linked Imprisoned Omar Abdul Rahman Brigades considered to be the main culprit behind the consulate attack, and behind Islamic terrorism in Libya more generally; drone strikes against militants in Libya, similar to the drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, should be initiated sooner rather than later

  • DHS, FBI warn of the “risk of violence” in wake of movie controversy; movie producer’s identity revealed

    The FBI and DHS yesterday issued a Joint Intelligence Bulletin which warned faith-based organizations in the United States and U.S. embassies abroad that “the risk of violence could increase both at home and abroad as the film continues to gain attention”

  • Details, timeline of attack on Benghazi compound emerge

    The details and time line of the assault on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi raises questions about whether internal and external security arrangements were sufficient; the relative ease with which the assailants managed to enter the compound, and then shoot their way from building to building, suggests that there were not enough security guards to protect the compound; but there are also questions about the security arrangements between the United States and Libya. It is not clear why it took the Libyan government – or the local police – nearly four hours to respond: the assault began at 10:00 p.m., but Libyan units did not arrive in force until 2:00 a.m.

  • U.S. Middle East embassies under attack

    Three U.S. embassies in the Middle East and North Africa came under attack on Tuesday and Wednesday; the attacks, in Cairo, Benghazi, and Sanaa, have raised different questions; the attack in Cairo, which saw a score of ultraislamist demonstrators scale the walls of the embassy and pull down the U.S. flag, raised questions about a press release issued by the embassy, a release which, some charged, appeared to be more concerned with the hurt feelings of Muslims than with the security of U.S. personnel and the rule of law; the Benghazi attack raised questions of a more operational nature, concerning intelligence and protection

  • Are Americans safer today than they were four years ago?

    The presidential campaign is dominated by economic issues, so the question the two candidates invite their audience to ponder is: “Are you better off now than four years ago?”; the question “Are you safer today than you were four years ago” is hardly, if ever, posed; security experts agree that while security challenges posed by China, Iran, and Islamists in Africa have grown, Americans are safer today than they were four years ago because the Obama administration, relative to its predecessor and, has pursued the campaign against terrorism and terrorists more aggressively and more single-mindedly; sustained drone strikes and secretive special operations have weakened al Qaeda considerably over the last four years

  • In Pakistan, stronger support for militant groups among the middle class than the poor

    Expectations that poorer people are more susceptible to the appeals of violent groups have contributed to U.S. policies that focus on using aid to reduce poverty as a way to combat militant violence; a new survey found, however, that the poor in Pakistan were substantially more negative toward militant groups than their middle class countrymen

  • More traffic deaths following 9/11

    In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, many Americans started driving more due to a fear of flying — and lost their lives in traffic accidents; why did this happen more frequently in some states than in others? Why did Spanish driving habits not change in the same way following the 2004 train bombings in Madrid? Psychologists offer an answer

  • Lawmakers threaten Pakistan aid unless jailed Pakistani doctor is released

    Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) is threatening to hold up Senate business unless a discussion is scheduled on the fate of the jailed Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who helped the United States locate Ossama bin Laden; Paul has been working for a month to bring the issue of U.S. aid to Pakistan to a vote – and he is gathering support for a vote on freezing all aid to Pakistan until Afridi is freed

  • The historical and future probabilities of 9/11-size terrorist events

    On the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, two statisticians apply statistical methods to try and accurately estimate the probability of a 9/11-size terrorist attack occurring during the next decade; examining the historical data from 1968 to 2007, they show that the likelihood of a 9/11-size attack occurring within this time frame was between 11 and 35 percent; looking forward, the likelihood increase to between 25 and 50 percent – and, under certain circumstances, to 95 percent

  • Questions raised about cost, reliability of BioWatch upgrade

    One year ago, DHS said a new contract for Biowatch, a system for detecting biological attacks on the United States, would be awarded in May 2012 and would cost an estimated $3.1 billion during its initial five years of operation; now DHS has decided to postpone the plans due to concerns about cost and reliability

  • DHS funds more tests of autonomous power buoy for ocean surveillance

    Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has entered into an agreement with DHS Science & Technology Directorate to perform a new round of in-ocean tests on the company’s Autonomous PowerBuoy to demonstrate its use for ocean surveillance

  • Assassination attempt on Quebec’s premier-elect foiled

    A man shouting “The Anglos are waking up” broke into a victory party held by Pauline Marois, Quebec’s premier-elect and the leader of the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ), after the party won the provincial election on Tuesday; the gunman missed Marois but killed one man and wounded two others; the PQ emerged as the largest party in the province, but it failed to win an outright majority; its minority government status means that it will not be able to push for a referendum on Quebec’s independence from Canada