Homeland Security

Further Reading

• Australia foils 'terror plot' aimed at downing plane Press TV 30 Jul 2017 -- Australia has thwarted a Takfiri-inspired "terrorist plot" aimed at downing an aircraft with explosives.
• Russia Repeatedly Offered US to Jointly Combat Cybercrime - Putin Sputnik 30 Jul 2017 -- Russia has repeatedly suggested the United States to establish cooperation, including in combating cybercrime, but heard only groundless accusations in reply, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Britain Strips More Than 100 Islamic State Fighters of Citizenship VOA 30 Jul 2017 -- Their home countries don't want them back. Hundreds of foreign fighters who enlisted with Islamic State to fight in Syria and Iraq are being stripped of their citizenship and blocked from returning by Western governments.
• Pakistan's Northwest Region Continues its Struggle Against Terror Financing VOA 30 Jul 2017 -- Pakistan's restive northwest province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued directives to its administrative and security departments to make serious efforts to cut off the money supply of banned terror groups.
• Will IS Losses in Iraq, Syria Boost al-Qaida? VOA 29 Jul 2017 -- As Islamic State militants continue to lose territory in their declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, officials and analysts are expressing concern that al-Qaida is making efforts to turn those losses into gains for itself.
• Al-Qaida Announces Establishment of Group in Indian Kashmir VOA 28 Jul 2017 -- Indian police say they are investigating a claim by al-Qaida that it has established a new group in Indian Kashmir.
• House Republicans Give Trump $1.6B in Wall Funding Before Break VOA 28 Jul 2017 -- The U.S. House of Representatives closed its summer session with a key legislative accomplishment Friday that included a gift for President Donald Trump.
• Islamic State Threatens Iran in New Video VOA 27 Jul 2017 -- The Islamic State group has issued a short new video in which it threatens the Islamic Republic of Iran and vows to destabilize the country with terrorist attacks.
• European Court of Justice's Decision on Hamas US Dept. of State 27 Jul 2017
• Top EU court keeps Hamas on 'terror' blacklist Press TV 26 Jul 2017 -- The European Union's top court has ruled that Hamas should remain on the 28-nation bloc's "terror" blacklist, rejecting an earlier decision by a lower court to remove the Palestinian resistance movement from the list.
• Faction Leader Claims 30,000 Afghans Fighting in Iraq, Syria VOA 25 Jul 2017 -- A prominent former Afghan insurgent leader Tuesday said 30,000 of his countrymen are fighting in Syria and Iraq.
• Alleged ISIS Supporter Indicted for Attempting to Provide Material Support to Foreign Terrorist Organization US Dept. of Justice 21 Jul 2017 -- Amer Sinan Alhaggagi, 22, of Oakland, California, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in San Francisco with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
• Algerian Man Extradited for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists Makes Initial Appearance US Dept. of Justice 21 Jul 2017 -- Ali Charaf Damache, aka "Theblackflag," 52, of Algeria, made his initial appearance today following extradition from Spain for his involvement in conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists.
• US Counterterror Director Says No Info Indicates Daesh Leader Baghdadi Dead Sputnik 21 Jul 2017 -- US National Counterterrorism Center Director Nick Rasmussen said on Friday that has seen not seen any evidence that would indicate Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Daesh terrorist group, has been killed.
• Russia Says In Talks With U.S. On Creating Cybersecurity Workgroup RFE/RL 21 Jul 2017 -- Moscow and Washington are in negotiations to create a joint cybersecurity working group, Andrei Krutskikh, a special presidential envoy on cybersecurity told Russian news agencies on July 20.
• State Department Amendments to the Terrorist Designation of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade US Dept. of State 21 Jul 2017 -- The Department of State has amended the designation of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 to change the group's primary name to Khalid bin Al-Walid Army and to add new aliases.
• Top US Counterterror Official Says No Evidence IS Leader Dead VOA 21 Jul 2017 -- A top U.S. counterterrorism official says despite claims and rumors, there is nothing to indicate the leader of the Islamic State terror group is dead.
• US Supreme Court rejects Trump's travel ban on relatives Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- The US Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by President Donald Trump to include grandparents and other relatives of US citizens in his travel ban on people from six predominantly Muslim nations.
• Saudi 'entities' channeling money to terrorist groups: US State Dept. Press TV 20 Jul 2017 -- The United States has praised Qatar's "strong partnership" in the fight against "terrorism," but accused individuals and "entities" in Saudi Arabia of channeling money out of the country to "terrorist" organizations.
• US DoS Report Aims to Distract From 'US Role in Supporting' Terrorism - Tehran Sputnik 20 Jul 2017 -- The US State Department's report on counterterrorism activities in 2016 is not trustworthy and represents a futile attempt to distract public attention from the US role in supporting terrorism, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Thursday.
• Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Justin Siberell on the Release of Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2017
• State Department Releases Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2017 -- Today the State Department released its annual report, Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, which provides the Department of State's annual Congressionally-mandated assessment of trends and events in international terrorism that transpired from January 1 to December 31, 2016.
• Naval War College Wargame Focuses on Civ-Mil Response to Cyber Attacks NNS 18 Jul 2017 -- U.S. Naval War College (NWC), Newport, Rhode Island welcomed to campus elected officials, business and government leaders, and military members, to conduct a wargame focused on civilian cyber attacks and their effects.
• State Dept.: grandparents exempt from Trump travel ban Press TV 18 Jul 2017 -- The US State Department has issued new instructions allowing the grandparents of US citizens who were previously included in President Donald Trump's travel ban to be granted American visas.
• Turkey Says It Is Dealing Blows to IS Cells VOA 17 Jul 2017 -- Turkish security and intelligence organizations are dealing blows to Islamic State cells and networks in the country, a high-level Turkish official told VOA, speaking on condition of anonymity.
• Wisconsin National Guard ends flood-relief mission Army News 17 Jul 2017 -- Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers and Airmen serving on state active duty in the wake of extreme flooding have concluded their mission to support civil authorities in Burlington, Wisconsin.
• Indonesian Attempts to Curb Hardliners, Terrorists Worry Activists VOA 17 Jul 2017 -- A raft of recent moves by the Indonesian government to curb the presence of hardliners and terrorists has human rights activists worried.
• Iraqi Interior Ministry Says Daesh Leader Baghdadi Likely Still Alive Sputnik 16 Jul 2017 -- Abu Ali Basri, the head of the intelligence and counterterrorism department of the Iraqi Interior Ministry, stated that Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the leader of the Daesh terror group (outlawed in Russia), is likely to be alive and he is hiding nearly Syria's Raqqa.
• Russian Gave Trump's Son Folder With Information Damaging To Clinton: Report RFE/RL 15 Jul 2017 -- The Associated Press is reporting that a Russian lobbyist who met with U.S. President Donald Trump's son last year gave him a portfolio of information she said was damaging to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
• Hawaii judge rules grandparents are exempt from Trump travel ban Press TV 14 Jul 2017 -- A US federal judge in the state of Hawaii has ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to vastly expand the number of people exempt from a controversial travel ban on nationals of six Muslim-majority countries.
• U.S. Court Rules Against Trump Restrictions On Travelers With U.S. Relatives RFE/RL 14 Jul 2017 -- A U.S. judge has ruled against the Trump administration's restrictions on refugees and travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries who have American relatives.
• US Judge Expands Exemptions to US Travel Ban VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- The U.S. State Department said Friday that it is reviewing a ruling by a federal judge that may allow thousands more travelers and refugees excluded from the United States by a presidential order to obtain travel documents.
• Down But Not Out: West Faces Long War Against Islamic State VOA 14 Jul 2017 -- America's top envoy to the coalition battling the Islamic State, Brett McGurk, declared last month open season on the terror group's foreign recruits in the besieged northern Syrian city.
• On-the-Record Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Jul 2017 -- Special Briefing by Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition To Counter ISIS, Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition To Counter ISIS
• U.S. Government Takes Russia's Kaspersky Lab Off List Of Approved Vendors RFE/RL 12 Jul 2017 -- The Trump administration has removed Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab from two lists of approved vendors used by government agencies to purchase technology equipment, amid concerns the cybersecurity firm's products could be used by the Kremlin to gain entry into U.S. networks.
• FBI Nominee Says He Will Support Probe Of Russian Meddling RFE/RL 12 Jul 2017 -- Christopher Wray has told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that, if confirmed as the new FBI director, he would fully support the investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
• Tillerson Signs Pact with Qatar to Curb Terrorism Financing VOA 12 Jul 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's effort to resolve a dispute between Qatar and four of its Persian Gulf neighbors shifted Wednesday to Saudi Arabia where he is due to meet with officials from the nations accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism.
• Emails Show Trump's Son Expected Incriminating Russian Information on Clinton VOA 11 Jul 2017 -- Newly disclosed emails show that an intermediary for a Russian lawyer promised U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest son incriminating information last year about Trump's presidential opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, to bolster Moscow's support of the real estate mogul's candidacy.
• Trump's Son Publishes E-Mails With Russian Offer Of Damaging Information On Clinton RFE/RL 11 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest son has published e-mails showing he was aware that a Russian lawyer he met with in 2016 had alleged ties to the Russian government, and that he was offered "sensitive information" that could help Trump's election campaign.
• Report Claims Trump's Son Was Told Russia Provided Damaging Information About Clinton RFE/RL 11 Jul 2017 -- Donald Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government was the source of information damaging to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton before meeting with a Russian lawyer about it, the New York Times reported on July 10.
• IS confirms death of top leader al-Baghdadi People's Daily 11 Jul 2017 -- The Islamic State (IS) militant group has confirmed the death of its top leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a local news website reported on Tuesday.
• Daesh declares its ringleader dead: Source Press TV 11 Jul 2017 -- After its collapse in Mosul, Daesh has announced that the Takfiri terror group's leader Ibrahim al-Samarrai, aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, "has been killed," a local source in Iraq's Nineveh province says.
• Daesh Confirms Death of Group Leader al-Baghdadi Sputnik 11 Jul 2017 -- Daesh terrorists confirmed the group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, Al Sumaria TV channel reports citing a source in the Iraqi province of Nineveh.
• Syrian Monitoring Group Says IS Leader Baghdadi Is Dead RFE/RL 11 Jul 2017 -- The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has received "confirmed information" from sources within the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.
• Anti-IS Coalition Aims to Turn Up Heat on Terror Group VOA 11 Jul 2017 -- From stemming the flow of foreign fighters to cracking down on terrorism financing, global coalition leaders are meeting in Washington this week to explore ways to further intensify pressure on the Islamic State militant group.
• Pentagon Officials: No Confirmation of Reports Islamic State Leader Is Dead VOA 11 Jul 2017 -- Pentagon officials say they have no information to confirm reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.
• US, Qatar Sign Pact to Fight Terrorism VOA 11 Jul 2017 -- The United States and Qatar have signed a memorandum of understanding to fight terrorism in the Persian Gulf nation.
• Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists and Soliciting the Murder of a Federal Judge US Dept. of Justice 10 Jul 2017 -- Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support or resources to terrorists and one count of solicitation to commit a crime of violence.
• Reports: Trump Son Met With Russian Lawyer After Offer Of Damaging Clinton Information RFE/RL 10 Jul 2017 -- U.S. media are reporting that U.S. President Donald Trump's son and others met with a Kremlin-connected lawyer during the 2016 campaign after being promised damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
• Alarm Bells Raised In U.S. About Russian Lawyer Before She Met Trump's Son RFE/RL 10 Jul 2017 -- Prior to her controversial meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's son, Russian lawyer Natalya Veselnitskaya drew the attention and ire of American officials over her alleged lobbying against a U.S. law despised by the Kremlin and a hefty hotel bill handed to U.S. authorities for reimbursement.
• White House Aide Dismisses Claims of Collusion Between Trump Jr., Russian Lawyer Sputnik 10 Jul 2017 -- A White House aide dismissed media reports of alleged collusion between Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer last year.
• Kremlin: Unaware of Russian Lawyer's 2016 Contact with Trump Campaign VOA 10 Jul 2017 -- The Kremlin says it is unaware of a 2016 meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump's senior staff and a Russian attorney who promised to provide damaging information about Trump's challenger, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
• Trump Backs Off Cybersecurity Plan With Putin After Criticism From Own Party RFE/RL 10 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump late on July 9 stepped back from his proposal to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish a cybersecurity unit to prevent hacking and election meddling after he received blistering criticism from his own party.
• Trump Says He Twice 'Strongly Pressed' Putin on US Election Meddling VOA 09 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he twice "strongly pressed" Russian President Vladimir Putin about Russia's meddling in last year's U.S. election and it was now time to "move forward in working constructively" with Moscow.
• Report: Russia Behind Hacking of US Energy, Nuclear Companies VOA 09 Jul 2017 -- Hackers who penetrated the business networks of U.S. energy and nuclear companies in recent weeks were working for the Russian government according to a report in a prominent newspaper.
• Putin: Trump Seemed To 'Agree' With Denial Of Russian Election Meddling RFE/RL 08 Jul 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he held an in-depth discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump about Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and that his counterpart seemed to agree with Russia's position that there were "no grounds" for such accusations.
• 'Everybody Knows' Russia Meddled in US Elections - US Ambassador to UN Sputnik 08 Jul 2017 -- "Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in an interview clip aired Saturday.
• Haley denounces Russia for 'meddling' in elections on 'multiple continents' Press TV 08 Jul 2017 -- US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has decried what she refers to as Russian "meddling" in the world elections, including the 2016 presidential vote in the United States.
• Trump Confronts Putin on Russia's Meddling in US Election VOA 07 Jul 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump "pressed" Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Moscow's meddling in last year's U.S. presidential election at their first face-to-face meeting Friday, according to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
• Colorado and Wyoming National Guard troops helping wildfire battles Army News 07 Jul 2017 -- As wildfires burned Friday in Colorado and Wyoming, National Guard troops and helicopters joined the battle to assist civilian fire crews.
• Pakistan Hails UN for Listing Jamaat-ul-Ahrar as Global Terrorist VOA 07 Jul 2017 -- Pakistan has hailed a United Nations Security Council decision to declare the group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, or JuA, a global terrorist organization. The anti-state militant group has claimed responsibility for a majority of recent terrorist attacks in the country.
• Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS US Dept. of Justice 06 Jul 2017 -- Aaron Travis Daniels, 20, aka Harun Muhammad, aka Abu Yusef, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 2339B.
• Notorious Russian Hacker With Links To FSB Scandal Sentenced To Prison RFE/RL 06 Jul 2017 -- A notorious Russian hacker whose exploits and later arrest gave glimpses into the intersection of computer crime and Russian law enforcement has been sentenced to two years in prison.
• Steeped in Martyrdom, Cubs of the Caliphate Groomed as Jihadist Legacy VOA 06 Jul 2017 -- They are known as the cubs of the caliphate, youngsters enlisted by the Islamic State, which views them as "the generation that will conquer Baghdad, Jerusalem, Mecca and Rome."
• Trump: Russia, Others May Have Meddled in US Election VOA 06 Jul 2017 -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russia might have meddled in last year's U.S. presidential election to help him win the White House, but that others also might have interfered.
• Riyadh major foreign sponsor of extremism in UK: Think tank Press TV 05 Jul 2017 -- A British think tank says Saudi Arabia is the main sponsor of extremism in the UK, urging a probe into sources of the money being injected mainly by the Riyadh regime into the institutions promoting radicalism in the European state.
• Tajik Police Kill Four Relatives Of Ex-OMON Commander Who Joined Islamic State RFE/RL 05 Jul 2017 -- Four close relatives of a former police commander in Tajikistan who joined the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in 2015 have been killed in a clash with Tajik security forces.
• Saudi Arabia 'Major Foreign Sponsor of Extremism in UK,' Report Reveals Sputnik 05 Jul 2017 -- A new report by the Henry Jackson Society claims Saudi Arabia has been sponsoring Islamist extremists in Britain. The findings come as British Prime Minister Theresa May faces pressure to publish the government's own report into foreign funding of terrorism.
• Half of all countries aware but lacking national plan on cybersecurity, UN agency reports UN News 05 Jul 2017 -- Only about half of all countries have a cybersecurity strategy or are in the process of developing one, the United Nations telecommunications agency today reported, urging more countries to consider national policies to protect against cybercrime.
• US Defends Travel Ban Restrictions VOA 04 Jul 2017 -- The United States is defending its travel ban on six majority-Muslim countries, including restrictions that block grandparents and "extended" relatives of people already in the U.S. from joining them.
• French president vows to enhance security, lift state of emergency Press TV 03 Jul 2017 -- President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to intensify security measures in France, stressing that the measure is aimed at restoring the freedoms lost under the country's state of emergency.
• UN health agency declares end to latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo UN News 03 Jul 2017 -- A recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is over, the United Nations health agency today said, while adding that enhanced surveillance for the virus continues.
• Ukraine Security Service Blames Russia For Recent Cyberattack RFE/RL 01 Jul 2017 -- Ukraine's state security service (SBU) says that the Russian security services were involved in a recent cyberattack that hit Ukraine.
• Is So-called Islamic State Gaining Strength in Pakistan? VOA 01 Jul 2017 -- Faced with a series of terror attacks, Pakistan is fighting back against Islamic State-affiliated militants after repeatedly claiming that Islamic State has been unable to establish a foothold in the country, analysts say.
• Ukraine Blames Russia for Massive Cyber Attack VOA 01 Jul 2017 -- Ukraine has blamed Russian security services for a massive cyber attack that started in the last week in Ukraine and eventually spread to computers across the world.
• Kashmiri Rebel Chief Rejects US Terror Sanctions VOA 01 Jul 2017 -- The leader of a prominent Kashmir rebel group has rejected U.S. sanctions and vowed to continue fighting until the disputed Himalayan region is "liberated from India."