August 2014 Security News

'Militants returning from Iraq, Syria may attack Germany' Iran Press TV 31 Aug 2014 -- The chief of Germany's domestic security agency has warned of the potential attacks against the country by militants returning from Iraq and Syria.
In Beslan, Struggle For A ‘New Life’ Decade After Tragedy RFE/RL 31 Aug 2014 -- Ten years have passed since armed militants stormed the school on September 1, 2004, and took 1,100 children, mothers and teachers hostage in the gymnasium.
Ghana Officials Meet to Prepare Aggressive Ebola Strategy VOA 31 Aug 2014 -- Ghana is to launch a nationwide Ebola campaign to educate students against the deadly disease.
Pentagon Prepares Options for President on ISIL AFPS 29 Aug 2014 -- Military officials here and at U.S. Central Command are working to present President Barack Obama with options to contain the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria.
Britain Raises Terror Alert, Cites British Terrorists VOA 29 Aug 2014 -- Britain has raised its terrorism alert level in response to the rise of Islamic extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, and the belief that British citizens fighting with such groups could bring terror home.
Britain raises terror threat level to 'severe' Iran Press TV 29 Aug 2014 -- Britain has raised the terror threat risk level from substantial to “severe,” meaning that a terrorist attack is considered “highly likely,” due to recent developments in Iraq and Syria.
James Foley 'waterboarded' by ISIL militants inspired by CIA Iran Press TV 29 Aug 2014 -- James Foley, an American journalist who was beheaded by ISIL militants last week, was among at least four Western hostages who were “waterboarded several times."
Nigerians Threaten to Burn Ebola Units VOA 29 Aug 2014 -- As fears of Ebola spread across West Africa, some Nigerians are rejecting the idea of building Ebola isolation units in their neighborhoods.
Senegal Confirms First Ebola Case; Riots Reported in So. Guinea City VOA 29 Aug 2014 -- Fears of Ebola spread deeper through West Africa Friday, as Senegal announced its first case and the World Health Organization shuttered its laboratory in Sierra Leone after a healthcare worker became infected with the highly contagious virus.
Senegal becomes 5th African nation to confirm first case of Ebola Iran Press TV 29 Aug 2014 -- Senegal becomes the fifth African nation to verify the Ebola outbreak as the country's authorities have confirmed the first infected case.
UN health agency identifies countries at risk for spread of Ebola UN News Centre 29 Aug 2014 -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six countries at risk for spread of the Ebola virus disease, adding that it is working with them to ensure that full surveillance, preparedness and response plans are in place.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 29 Aug 2014 [PDF]
US Seeks International Coalition to Defeat IS Militants VOA 28 Aug 2014 -- The United States Wednesday said it is seeking to build an international coalition to confront the threat posed by Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq.
Jihadist Recruitment Tools Raise US Concerns VOA 28 Aug 2014 -- The deaths of as many as two U.S. citizens in Syria fighting alongside the group known as the Islamic State are raising fears about the number of Americans drawn to the jihadist cause and the possibility of an Islamic State attack in the United States.
Syrian Extradited to US on Terrorism Charges VOA 28 Aug 2014 -- A Syrian man accused in a plot to attack U.S. troops in Iraq has been extradited to the United States.
Ebola caseload could exceed 20,000 in course of emergency, UN response roadmap shows UN News Centre 28 Aug 2014 -- The United Nations World Health Organization has issued a roadmap that aims to stop Ebola transmissions within six to nine months.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 28 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Islamic State Militants Take US Humanitarian Aid Worker Hostage RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2014 -- A female US humanitarian aid worker is being held captive by Islamic State (IS) militants who are demanding a $6.6 million ransom for her release, as well as the release of a Muslim woman, a neuroscientist, from a US prison.
Details Emerging About Douglas McCain, an American Jihadist Killed in Syria VOA 27 Aug 2014 -- Douglas McAuthur McCain, the first known American to be killed while fighting alongside Islamic militants in Syria, was an undistinguished 33-year-old raised in Minnesota who most recently worked as a caregiver in California.
US intelligence agencies believe 300 Americans fighting for ISIL Iran Press TV 27 Aug 2014 -- There are as many as 300 Americans fighting alongside the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, prompting widespread concern in Washington that the militants could pose a direct threat to the homeland once they return.
Senators urge US to cut off ISIL funding Iran Press TV 27 Aug 2014 -- Two US senators urge the Obama administration to try and cut off the ISIL terrorist group’s massive financing, according to a report.
Turkey makes volte-face, moves to curb ISIL Iran Press TV 27 Aug 2014 -- Turkey is struggling hard to stem the flow of ISIL militants in a major policy shift by the Ankara government which previously allowed Takfiri militants free access to neighboring Syria.
Islamic State Recruits Women to Support Its Fight VOA 27 Aug 2014 -- A few months after the militant group Islamic State, or IS, took over the Syrian city of Raqaa and set up checkpoints, it encountered a problem: the militants' enemies were escaping the city disguised as women.
WHO: Dozens Monitored for Possible Ebola in DRC VOA 27 Aug 2014 -- The World Health Organization says 80 people are now being monitored for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where officials reported an outbreak of the disease this week.
WHO Worker Arrives in Germany for Ebola Treatment VOA 27 Aug 2014 -- A World Health Organization worker infected with Ebola has arrived in Germany for treatment.
DoD Plays Key Role in Disaster Response, Official Says AFPS 27 Aug 2014 -- September is National Preparedness Month, a time when people across the country are encouraged to prepare for emergencies and disasters.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 27 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Islamic State Growing Larger Than Al-Qaeda Ever Thought They Could - Experts RIA Novosti 26 Aug 2014 -- The Islamic State (IS) jihadi movement has evidently overshadowed al-Qaeda, claim terrorism experts.
US Eyes Islamic State Threat VOA 26 Aug 2014 -- As the U.S. begins surveillance flights over Syria to track Sunni extremists who claim responsibility for beheading American journalist James Foley, there are mixed messages coming out of Washington over whether the Islamic State (IS) could attack U.S. soil.
US Transfers Pakistani Bagram Detainees to Islamabad, Angering Kabul VOA 26 Aug 2014 -- The fate of nine Pakistani detainees who were held at a U.S. military prison in Afghanistan is a source of friction between Islamabad and Kabul.
Joint Statement on United States-Republic of Korea Bilateral Cyber Policy Consultations US Dept. of State 26 Aug 2014
Foley’s Boss Contradicts Claims Journalist Was Killed 1 Year Ago RIA Novosti 26 Aug 2014 -- American journalist James Foley’s boss and friends contradict claims that he was killed by Islamic State (IS) militants a year ago.
US Government Uses NSA ‘Google’ to Access Data Records RIA Novosti 26 Aug 2014 -- The US National Security Agency (NSA) shares vast amounts of communications data with the country’s government agencies using a search engine similar to Google.
Ebola Outbreak Claims Lives of Over 120 Medical Workers - World Health Organization RIA Novosti 26 Aug 2014 -- The Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa has claimed the lives of more than 120 health care workers so far, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 26 Aug 2014 [PDF]
US Journalist's Release Reveals Divisions Among Al-Qaida Offshoots VOA 25 Aug 2014 -- The release of American freelance journalist Peter Theo Curtis reveals growing divisions between the different offshoots of the terrorist al-Qaida group fighting for power in Syria, analysts say.
Two Ebola Deaths Confirmed in DRC VOA 25 Aug 2014 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo's health minister said two Ebola deaths have been confirmed in his country.
Liberian Doctor Who Received Ebola Drug Dies VOA 25 Aug 2014 -- A Liberian doctor who was one of three Africans to be treated with an experimental Ebola drug has died.
Liberian Doctor Treated With Anti-Ebola ZMapp Drug Dies RIA Novosti 25 Aug 2014 -- Liberian medical doctor Abraham Borbor, who was injected with the anti-Ebola trial vaccine ZMapp, has died, the country’s information minister said Monday.
Japan Awaiting WHO Approval to Provide Experimental Ebola Vaccine RIA Novosti 25 Aug 2014 -- If the approval of the World Health Organization (WHO) is granted, Tokyo plans to provide an experimental drug to Ebola victims, a Japanese government spokesman said Monday, according to Agence France Presse (AFP).
British Ebola Patient Arrives at London Hospital VOA 25 Aug 2014 -- The first British citizen to contract the Ebola virus has arrived at a London hospital for treatment.
British Medical Worker Infected with Ebola Arrives in London from Sierra Leone RIA Novosti 25 Aug 2014 -- The plane carrying the UK citizen, who contracted the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, landed at a Royal Air Force base in West London, BBC reported early Monday.
Flight restrictions hamper ability to battle Ebola – UN UN News Centre 25 Aug 2014 -- The United Nations today cautioned against flight restrictions into and out of Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, saying such limitations were preventing the transport of critically-needed health workers and supplies, as well as contributing to economic and diplomatic isolation of the region.
Hurricane Hunters fly into 'Cristobal' AFNS 25 Aug 2014 -- Aircrews with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron have been flying data-gathering missions into Tropical Storm Cristobal out of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, since Aug. 21.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 25 Aug 2014 [PDF]
China Executes 8 on Terrorism Convictions VOA 24 Aug 2014 -- China is reported to have executed eight people from the restive northwestern region of Xinjiang who were convicted of terrorist attacks.
Sierra Leone Criminalizes Hiding Ebola Patients VOA 23 Aug 2014 -- Sierra Leone has passed a law that makes it illegal to harbor people with Ebola.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 22 Aug 2014 [PDF]
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 21 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Obama: 'World Appalled' By Foley Beheading RFE/RL 20 Aug 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has said the whole world is appalled by the beheading of American journalist James Foley by jihadist militants of the Islamic State (IS) group.'
IS Militants Behead US Journalist Taken Captive in 2012 - Reports RIA Novosti 20 Aug 2014 -- The Islamic State militant group may have beheaded US journalist James Foley, taken prisoner by armed men in Syria in 2012, in retaliation for airstrikes against its rebels approved by US President Barack Obama earlier this month.
Obama Condemns US Journalist's Beheading VOA 20 Aug 2014 -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday condemned the Islamic State militant group that beheaded an American journalist as a spreading 'cancer' that must be eradicated.
France Wants Arabs, Iran, UN Security Council to Tackle Islamic State VOA 20 Aug 2014 -- France said on Wednesday it wanted the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and regional countries, including Arab states and Iran, to coordinate action against the militant group Islamic State, the insurgents who control parts of Iraq and Syria.
Statement by the President The White House 20 Aug 2014
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 20 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Islamic State Militants 'Kill Reporter On Video' RFE/RL 19 Aug 2014 -- The Islamic State militant group has released a video purportedly showing the beheading of a American journalist.
US Attempting to Verify Beheading of Journalist VOA 19 Aug 2014 -- The Obama administration says it is trying confirm the authenticity of a video that purports to show the killing of an American photojournalist by Islamic State militants.
US Airstrikes May Push Islamic State Back into Fight Against Assad VOA 19 Aug 2014 -- Syria and the United States are both attacking Islamic State militants who have displaced thousands of civilians in Syria and northern Iraq. But, U.S. airstrikes in Iraq could push those forces back across the border and again into the fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
ISIL, enemy number-one of Islam: Saudi Mufti Iran Press TV 19 Aug 2014 -- Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh has strongly condemned Takfiri ISIL terrorists for their crimes in the Middle East and violation of Islamic principles and teachings.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 19 Aug 2014 [PDF]
US Imposes Sanctions Against Key Members of Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2014 -- US authorities have imposed sanctions on two key members of Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra military groups, the US Department of the Treasury said on its website.
Terrorist Designation of Abu Mohammed al-Adnani US Dept. of State 18 Aug 2014 -- The Department of State has designated Abu Mohammed al-Adnani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
Rogers: Cybercom Defending Networks, Nation AFPS 18 Aug 2014 -- U.S. Cyber Command continues to expand its capabilities and capacity, Navy Adm. Mike Rogers said Aug. 14.
DoD Continues Aid to Combat Western Wildfires AFPS 18 Aug 2014 -- Two Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in the Northwest, Great Basin, and elsewhere in the West at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 18 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Adopting resolution, Security Council approves sanctions against militants in Iraq, Syria UN News Centre 15 Aug 2014 -- Expressing its "gravest concern" that parts of Iraq and Syria are now under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front, the United Nations Security Council today placed six individuals affiliated with the terrorist groups on its Al-Qaida sanctions list and threatened measures against those who finance, recruit or supply weapons to them.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 15 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Drug control efforts go local in Myanmar's Kachin State IRIN 14 Aug 2014 -- Myanmar's northern Kachin State, renowned for its heroin production, is changing tack in its efforts to curb rampant drug use and cultivation: In addition to crop-substitution programmes, community-led campaigns aim to change minds and steer people towards treatment.
NSA Program Capable of Launching Attacks Without Human Input – Snowden RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2014 -- During his interview with Wired, Edward Snowden explained that the NSA has a secret program called Monstermind capable of autonomously detecting and responding to foreign cyberattacks.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 14 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Northcom Provides Update on Firefighting Effort AFPS 13 Aug 2014 -- U.S. Northern Command officials today provided updated facts and figures on the Defense Department's assistance to wildfire-suppression efforts in the West.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 13 Aug 2014 [PDF]
DoD Continues Aid to Combat Wildfires in Northwest AFPS 12 Aug 2014 -- Two Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in the Northwest, Great Basin, and elsewhere in the West at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 12 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Hagel Calls ISIL Terrorists Threat to Civilized World AFPS 11 Aug 2014 -- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant poses a threat to the civilized world, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in Sydney today.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 11 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Baghdadi Leader of barbarity & bloodshed IRNA 10 Aug 2014 -- Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)—an Al-Qaeda offshoot—has emerged as one of the world's most bloodthirsty terrorists in recent months due to the groups crimes in Syria and Iraq
California Guardsmen Aid in Wildfire Battle AFPS 08 Aug 2014 -- In what has become a nearly annual mission for the California National Guard, Army and Air Force aviators are dousing wildfires across Northern California, where they soon may be joined by Army Guard firefighting hand crews on the ground.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 08 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Northcom Officials Provide Update on Wildfire Efforts AFPS 07 Aug 2014 -- U.S. Northern Command officials today provided an update on support that Defense Department aircraft have provided to the battle against wildfires in the Northwest.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 07 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Hurricane Hunters fly into Hurricane Iselle for life-saving data AFNS 06 Aug 2014 -- Airmen with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the Hurricane Hunters, deployed to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, from Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, Aug. 5 to collect weather data in Hurricane Iselle as it approaches the Hawaiian Islands.
US Sanctions 3 Over Funding in Kuwait for Islamic Militants VOA 06 Aug 2014 -- The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three men it said funneled money from Kuwait to Islamic militant groups in Iraq and Syria.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 06 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Feinstein Statement on Redactions in Detention, Interrogation Study Office of Sen. Feinstein 05 Aug 2014 -- “After further review of the redacted version of the executive summary, I have concluded that certain redactions eliminate or obscure key facts that support the report’s findings and conclusions. Until these redactions are addressed to the committee’s satisfaction, the report will not be made public."
Airmen continue support to wildfire battle AFNS 05 Aug 2014 -- Two Defense Department C-130 Hercules equipped with U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in the Northwest, the Great Basin, and elsewhere in the West at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 05 Aug 2014 [PDF]
Hurricane Hunters fly into Tropical Storm Bertha AFNS 04 Aug 2014 -- Aircrew members from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters have been flying data-gathering missions into Tropical Storm Bertha out of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
DOD Continues Support to Wildfire Battle AFPS 04 Aug 2014 -- Two Defense Department C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in the Northwest, the Great Basin, and elsewhere in the West at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
Judge Steps Aside in Cole Case, Lawyers Question Appointee AFPS 04 Aug 2014 -- The judge in the military commission related to the USS Cole bombing has taken himself "off detail" in the case, and the newly assigned judge took on three hours of questioning from defense attorneys today.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 04 Aug 2014 [PDF]

Press Conference by the President The White House 01 Aug 2014 -- "And when we engaged in some of these enhanced interrogation techniques, techniques that I believe and I think any fair-minded person would believe were torture, we crossed a line. And that needs to be -- that needs to be understood and accepted. And we have to, as a country, take responsibility for that so that, hopefully, we don't do it again in the future."

China rebuts Canada's cyberattack accusation People's Daily 01 Aug 2014 -- Canada's accusation that China hacked into its computer systems at the National Research Council has been met with strong opposition.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 01 Aug 2014 [PDF]

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August 2014 Security News