August 2013 Security News

Yemen Al-Qaeda Leader Reportedly Killed By Drone Strike RFE/RL 30 Aug 2013 -- Reports from Yemen quote unnamed local security officials as saying that a U.S. drone strike has killed an Al-Qaeda leader in the southern part of the country.
Al-Qaeda Group Claims Responsibility For Baghdad Bombings RFE/RL 30 Aug 2013 -- An Al-Qaeda group has claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings across Baghdad that killed more than 70 people and wounded over 200 people.
Life jail term of doctor who helped CIA kill bin Laden annulled IRNA 30 Aug 2013 -- Pakistani officials have cancelled the 33-year sentence to a Pakistani doctor for 'helping' the Central Intelligence Agency in hunting down Osama bin Laden.
Third Tsarnaev Friend Indicted Over Boston Bombings RFE/RL 30 Aug 2013 -- A friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been indicted for allegedly making false statements to investigators.
Third Tsarnaev Friend Indicted in Boston Bombing Case RIA Novosti 30 Aug 2013 -- Another college friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was indicted Thursday on charges he lied to police during the investigation of the April 15 attack.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 30 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Detainee Transfer Announced DoD 29 Aug 2013
India Arrests Terror Suspect VOA 29 Aug 2013 -- Indian police have arrested a top leader of a domestic terrorist group which allegedly masterminded several deadly attacks across the country.
Retrial Ordered For Pakistani Doctor Who Helped Find Bin Laden RFE/RL 29 Aug 2013 -- A senior judicial official in Pakistan has overturned the 33-year jail sentence against the doctor who helped the U.S. track down Osama bin Laden.
NORAD, Russia Hope to Build on Vigilant Eagle 13 Successes AFPS 29 Aug 2013 -- Senior military officials from the North American Aerospace Defense Command and Russia ready to take the lessons learned to make next year’s exercise even more challenging.
California Guard Deploys Predator to Support Firefighters AFPS 29 Aug 2013 -- The California National Guard has deployed a remotely piloted aircraft that improves the incident commander’s ability to monitor conditions on the ground.
129th Rescue Wing continues fighting Rim Fire AFNS 29 Aug 2013 -- Air National guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing have performed more than 400 bucket drops resulting in over 188,000 gallons of water dropped since they began fighting the Rim Fire August 20.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 29 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Fort Hood Shooter Sentenced to Death VOA 28 Aug 2013 -- A U.S. military jury has sentenced an Army psychiatrist to death for intentionally killing 13 fellow soldiers in the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.
NYPD labels mosques terrorism enterprises PressTV 28 Aug 2013 -- The New York Police Department is conducting massive spying operations on all mosques.
Georgian National Convicted In Volgograd Of Terrorism RFE/RL 28 Aug 2013 -- Russia's Volgograd Oblast Court has sentenced a Georgian citizen to a four-year jail term for being an active member of Al-Qaeda.
Royal Navy takes part in counter-drugs operations UK MOD 28 Aug 2013 -- Royal Navy warship HMS Argyll has just completed an intense period of counter-narcotics operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Aircraft deploy to California to aid firefighting effort AFNS 28 Aug 2013 -- The U.S. Forest Service, through the National Interagency Fire Center, has ordered the three MAFFS aircraft operating at the Boise Air Tanker Base moved to McClellan Air Tanker base.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 28 Aug 2013 [PDF]
In US, Civilian Use of Drones Awaits Regulations VOA 27 Aug 2013 -- Judging by the number of autonomous vehicles displayed at the recent international exhibition in Washington, unmanned aerial vehicles or drones are here to stay.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 27 Aug 2013 [PDF]
US Jury Considers Sentence for Fort Hood Shooter VOA 26 Aug 2013 -- Family members of U.S. soldiers killed in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009 are testifying at the sentencing phase of the shooter's trial.
Victims of Fort Hood Shooter Tell Court of Their Suffering VOA 26 Aug 2013 -- In a courtroom at Fort Hood, Texas Monday, Major Nidal Hasan sat quietly as witness after witness described how their lives were shattered when he went on a murderous shooting rampage.
Vigilant Eagle Continues Closer U.S.-Russian Cooperation AFPS 26 Aug 2013 -- Beginning tomorrow, fighter jets from the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Russian air force will scramble during an air defense exercise.
S.C. Guardsmen train to protect skies over National Capital Region Army News 26 Aug 2013 -- The 1st Battalion, 362nd Air Defense Artillery initiated the road to war with an initial assessment to validate a unit for their National Capital Region mission.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 26 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Russian Delegation Flies to US for Intl. Antiterror Drills RIA Novosti 24 Aug 2013 -- A Russian military delegation has left for the United States to take part in a US-Canadian-Russian air-defense exercise.
Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Convicted VOA 23 Aug 2013 -- The jury in the Fort Hood, Texas mass murder trial has convicted U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan of murdering 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting on the base in November, 2009.
U.S. Soldier Convicted Of Murder For Fort Hood Rampage RFE/RL 23 Aug 2013 -- A U.S. Army psychiatrist who killed 13 fellow soldiers in a rampage on a military base has been found guilty on all charges.
US Soldier Convicted in Ft. Hood Shooting Rampage, Eligible for Execution RIA Novosti 23 Aug 2013 -- A US Army psychiatrist was convicted of premeditated murder for a 2009 rampage shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas that left 13 people dead.
US Military Jury Deliberating a Second Day in Fort Hood Shooting Case VOA 23 Aug 2013 -- A U.S. military jury is deliberating for a second day in the murder trial of an Army psychiatrist who has admitted killing 13 soldiers and wounding more than 30 others.
U.S. Imam Gets 25 Years For Taliban Aid RFE/RL 23 Aug 2013 -- An imam in Florida has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in sending tens of thousands of dollars to the Pakistani Taliban, which is considered a terrorist group by the United States.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 23 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Fort Hood Shooting Case Goes to Jury VOA 22 Aug 2013 -- The jury is now deliberating in the trial of U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, accused of murdering 13 people in a shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas in November 2009.
Iranians Sentenced Over Bomb Plot RFE/RL 22 Aug 2013 -- A Thai court has sentenced one Iranian man to life in prison and given another a 15-year jail term in connection with their involvement in a bomb plot.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 22 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Terrorist Designation of Mohamed Lahbous US Dept. of State 21 Aug 2013
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 21 Aug 2013 [PDF]
State Department Won't Fire Officials Over Benghazi Attack VOA 20 Aug 2013 -- U.S. authorities say four State Department officials placed on administrative leave after last year's deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, will be allowed to return to work.
US Reopens Embassy in Yemen VOA 20 Aug 2013 -- The United States has reopened its embassy in Yemen, two weeks after it was closed due to a security threat.
Pakistan’s Musharraf Indicted For Bhutto Killing VOA 20 Aug 2013 -- An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan indicted former military leader Pervez Musharraf on charges of conspiring to murder Benazir Bhutto.
Musharraf Indicted For Bhutto Murder RFE/RL 20 Aug 2013 -- A court in Pakistan has indicted former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for the 2007 murder of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Pakistan Musharraf fomally indicted in Benazir's murder case IRNA 20 Aug 2013 -- An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan formally charge-sheeted former military president Pervez Musharraf in the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Court Papers Detail Boston Bombing Suspect's Injuries VOA 20 Aug 2013 -- Court papers released Monday detail the injuries suffered by surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
California National Guard battles wildfires AFNS 20 Aug 2013 -- Nearly a dozen aircraft and crews from the California Air and Army National Guard are battling wildfires across Northern California.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 20 Aug 2013 [PDF]
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 19 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Ex-diplomat: US accelerating drone attacks in Yemen Iran Press TV 18 Aug 2013 -- A former US diplomat in Yemen has said that Washington's recent drone strikes in Yemen show the US is set to accelerate airstrikes in the country.
USS Rentz Seizes a Ton of Cocaine Worth $78 Million During its First Week in 4th Fleet NNS 16 Aug 2013 -- Less than a week on station in the 4th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) the frigate USS Rentz (FFG 46) and embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) seized 2,123 lbs. of cocaine from a fishing vessel north of the Galapagos Islands last week.
US, Iraq Vow to Fight al-Qaida Surge VOA 16 Aug 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed his Iraqi counterpart to the State Department on Thursday, as part of a 2008 agreement outlining long-term cooperation on counterterrorism and other issues. The talks came as Iraq is facing a surge in violence from the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida, a group now spreading into Syria.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 16 Aug 2013 [PDF]
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 15 Aug 2013 [PDF]
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 14 Aug 2013 [PDF]
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 13 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Al-Qaeda-affiliated group claims responsibility for recent carnage in Iraq Iran Press TV 12 Aug 2013 -- An al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the recent deadly bombings in Iraq, which killed dozens of people.
Al-Qaeda Claims Eid Bombings in Iraq RFE/RL 12 Aug 2013 -- Al-Qaeda's front group in Iraq, the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," has claimed responsibility for a wave of bomb attacks that killed 74 people and injured hundreds during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 12 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Syrian Army troops kill top al-Qaeda commander in Latakia Iran Press TV 11 Aug 2013 -- Syrian Army troops have killed a senior commander of a foreign-sponsored militant group affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization during a mop-up operation against anti-government gunmen in the country's principal port city of Latakia, Press TV reports.
New H7N9 bird flu case reported in south China Iran Press TV 10 Aug 2013 -- Chinese health authorities have reported a new case of infection with the H7N9 strain of bird flu in the country's southern province of Guangdong.
US assassination drone strikes kill 5 in southern Yemen Iran Press TV 10 Aug 2013 -- At least five people have been killed in airstrikes carried out by a US assassination drone in southern Yemen.
Evidence insufficient to identify source of respiratory syndrome in Middle East – UN UN News Centre 09 Aug 2013 -- Further research is needed to identify the specific source – whether animal or otherwise – of the coronavirus that is causing the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in humans, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.
Missouri Guard Assists Flood-response Efforts AFPS 09 Aug 2013 -- The Missouri National Guard continues to assist local authorities responding to severe flash flooding that's occurred in parts of the state.
Yemen: 12 Suspected Militants Killed in US Drone Strikes VOA 09 Aug 2013 -- Yemeni officials say three more drone strikes have killed at least 12 suspected militants, as the U.S. expands its fight against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 09 Aug 2013 [PDF]
US Orders Diplomats Out of Lahore VOA 08 Aug 2013 -- The United States has ordered the evacuation of its consulate in the eastern Pakistani city Lahore because of what it calls "specific threats." The State Department also issued a new travel warning urging all U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Pakistan.
US killer drone strikes Yemen's Marib Province Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2013 -- Six people have been killed in a US assassination drone strike in Yemen's western province of Marib.
Ban welcomes $100 million Saudi contribution for UN counter-terrorism efforts UN News Centre 08 Aug 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his sincere gratitude to King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia for his announcement of a $100 million contribution for United Nations counter-terrorism efforts.
Colombia grew less coca in 2012, UN survey reports UN News Centre 08 Aug 2013 -- Coca cultivation in Colombia, one of the world's largest producers along with Bolivia and Peru, fell by a quarter in 2012, according to a new survey presented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government.
Suspected Drone Strike Kills Eight in Yemen VOA 08 Aug 2013 -- U.S. drone strikes killed at least eight suspected al Qaida militants in Yemen on Thursday, bringing the number of people killed by drones in less than two weeks to at least 25.
Powerful bomb explosion claims 40 lives in southwestern Pakistan Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2013 -- A powerful explosion near a police station in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta has claimed at least 40 lives and injured several others, security sources say.
Pakistani Police Officers Killed In Suicide Attack At Funeral RFE/RL 08 Aug 2013 -- At least 30 people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral procession in the country's volatile southwest.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 08 Aug 2013 [PDF]
Scientists Seek to Renew Controversial Bird Flu Research VOA 07 Aug 2013 -- Research scientists who sparked global alarm in 2011 with a laboratory-grown strain of bird flu, are seeking to try such experiments again with a new strain that has killed at least 43 people in China this year.
USS Rentz Arrives in 4th Fleet to Conduct Counter Drug Operations and UNITAS NNS 07 Aug 2013 -- Sailors and an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Legal Detachment aboard the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Rentz (FFG 46) arrived in 4th Fleets area of operations Aug. 7 to join the multinational interagency fight against transnational organized crime as part of Operation Martillo.
Threats Show Need to Keep Ahead of Terror Groups, Obama Says AFPS 07 Aug 2013 -- The threats to U.S. embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa show the importance of America staying ahead of terrorists, President Barack Obama said on NBC's "Tonight Show" yesterday.
ANG contingency response, Army units test earthquake response AFNS 07 Aug 2013 -- Nearly 100 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group and the U.S. Army's 689th Rapid Port Opening Element deployed to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport on Aug. 5, to set up a logistics hub as part of exercise Gateway Relief, an earthquake-response scenario directed by the U.S. Transportation Command.
Bird flu may spread among people: Study Iran Press TV 07 Aug 2013 -- Scientists have reported that the first likely case of human-to-human transmission of the H7N9 bird flu virus has emerged in China.
Seven killed in US assassination drone attack in southern Yemen Iran Press TV 07 Aug 2013 -- At least seven people have been killed in a fresh US assassination drone attack in the southern Yemeni governorate of Shabwa, local sources say.
Yemen Foils Terror Plot VOA 07 Aug 2013 -- Yemeni authorities say they have foiled an al-Qaida plot to seize two southern cities and storm strategic oil and gas facilities nearby. They say the plot involved kidnapping or killing foreigners working there.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 07 Aug 2013 [PDF]
DOD Aids Reduction of Emergency Personnel in Yemen AFPS 06 Aug 2013 -- In response to a State Department request, the Air Force transported personnel out of Sanaa, Yemen, early this morning as part of a reduction in emergency personnel, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
Britain summons all embassy staff from Yemen; shutters mission Iran Press TV 06 Aug 2013 -- The UK government has temporarily withdrawn all staff from its embassy in Yemen in addition to shuttering the mission altogether due to what the authorities claimed as "increased security concerns".
US raises alert for warships in Middle East Iran Press TV 06 Aug 2013 -- The United States has reportedly ordered its warships in the Middle East to be ready in case of a possible terror attack by al-Qaeda.
US citizens urged to leave Yemen due to 'high security threat' level Iran Press TV 06 Aug 2013 -- The US State Department has called on American citizens in Yemen to leave the country "immediately" because of security concerns.
U.S. Urges Citizens To Leave Yemen 'Immediately'; U.K. Pulls Embassy Staff RFE/RL 06 Aug 2013 -- The U.S. State Department has ordered all nonessential staff out of Yemen and told U.S. citizens to leave the country 'immediately' amid heightened security in the region against a possible terrorist attack.
UN human rights office concerned about Bahrain's toughened anti-terrorism law UN News Centre 06 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations human rights office today said it is concerned about a recommendation to toughen punishments in Bahrain, including revoking the citizenship of anyone convicted of terrorist offenses.
US Evacuates Yemen Embassy VOA 06 Aug 2013 -- The U.S. State Department has ordered the evacuation of non-essential staff at the American embassy in Yemen due to terrorist threats, as reports emerge that intercepted al-Qaida communications led to the recent closure of dozens of U.S. diplomatic posts.
Al-Qaida in Yemen Emerges as Key US Threat VOA 06 Aug 2013 -- Al-Qaida'sYemen-based affiliate is at the root of a U.S. decision to close some diplomatic posts worldwide due to heightened terror alerts.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 06 Aug 2013 [PDF]
White House Defends Progress Against al-Qaida, Affiliates VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The White House Monday discussed the ongoing threat from Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as reporters pressed President Obama's spokesman about the extension of some U.S. embassy closures.
Security Council strongly condemns attack near Indian consulate in eastern Afghanistan UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations Security Council today condemned in the strongest terms the recent suicide attack near the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad which killed and injured civilians, including children.
US Extends Security Closure of Some Diplomatic Missions VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The United States says 19 of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa will remain closed for the rest of the week, even as it reopened some of its embassies on Monday.
Taiwan reports first occurrence of H5N3 bird flu CNA 05 Aug 2013 -- An outbreak of low pathogenic H5N3 avian influenza has been detected on a duck farm in the eastern county of Hualien, the first occurrence of the virus strain in Taiwan.
Coca crop cultivation declines for second straight year in Bolivia - UN report UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- Coca crop cultivation continued to decline in Bolivia for a second straight year in 2012, according to a new survey presented today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government.
US Extends Closure of Some Diplomatic Missions VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The United States reopened some of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa on Monday, while 19 embassies and consulates in the region remain closed due to security concerns.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 05 Aug 2013 [PDF]
US embassies will remain closed until Saturday Iran Press TV 04 Aug 2013 -- US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has announced that the country's embassies and consulates in 19 cities will remain closed until Saturday.
Statement on Update of Embassy and Consulate Closure US Dept. of State 04 Aug 201
US Extends Security Closure of Some Diplomatic Missions VOA 04 Aug 2013 -- The United States says most of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa will remain closed all week. More than 20 embassies and consulates were closed Sunday due to security concerns.
GOP, Democrats Support Closing US Embassies VOA 04 Aug 2013 -- U.S. lawmakers and former high-ranking officials say the closing of more than 20 American embassies and consulates and the issuance of a global travel alert are both extraordinary and appropriate responses to credible terrorist threats.
FBI gives telecom provider spying devices Iran Press TV 03 Aug 2013 -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is secretly pressurizing telecommunications providers into installing spying devices inside internal networks of companies in order to facilitate espionage programs.
Bomber Targets Indian Consulate, Kills Afghan Children In Nearby Mosque RFE/RL 03 Aug 2013 -- A suspected suicide car bomb has killed at least nine civilians in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.
US will continue its drone strikes Iran Press TV 03 Aug 2013 -- US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen will go on despite assurances by Secretary of State John Kerry their use is being reduced, the State Department said.
WMD experts train for Big Stage Army News 02 Aug 2013 -- Members of the 52nd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team from Columbus, Ohio, and the 103rd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team from Fort Richardson, Alaska, responded to a simulated chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear incident July 30-31 at the Vibrant Response 13-2 exercise at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.
U.S. Closing Embassies Sunday Across Muslim World RFE/RL 02 Aug 2013 -- The United States says it is closing its embassies and consulates in many Muslim countries on August 4 after receiving an unspecified threat.
FBI Says It Could Not Have Prevented Boston Bombing – Report RIA Novosti 02 Aug 2013 -- The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has concluded that it could not have prevented the deadly Boston Marathon attack despite being warned by Russia that suspected bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was becoming increasingly radicalized, The New York Times reported this week.
US Warns of al-Qaida Threat, Closes Embassies August 4 VOA 02 Aug 2013 -- The United States has issued a travel alert for U.S. citizens worldwide that warns of an al-Qaida terrorist threat.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 02 Aug 2013 [PDF]
US assassination drone strikes Yemen - Four killed Iran Press TV 01 Aug 2013 -- A US assassination drone strike has killed at least four people in Yemen, the third of such attacks in the last five days.
UN anti-narcotics panel urges Uruguay to reconsider draft law on cannabis sale UN News Centre 01 Aug 2013 -- The independent United Nations body tasked with monitoring the production and consumption of narcotics worldwide today urged Uruguay to review a draft law that would permit the sale of cannabis for non-medical use.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 01 Aug 2013 [PDF]

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August 2013 Security News