Homeland Security

Further Reading

• Texas Terrain Complicates Trump Border Wall Debate August 25, 2017 9:17 AM Katherine Gypson - Matthew Hudak, acting Del Rio sector chief at U.S. Border Patrol, says the problem of border security is best solved with an approach mixing infrastructure, technology and personnel.
• US to Stop Issuing Visas to Citizens From 3 African Countries, Cambodia
August 25, 2017 1:02 PM Salem Solomon - The United States plans to stop issuing visas to citizens from four countries that it says aren't accepting deported citizens. The list includes three African countries - Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone - as well as Cambodia. The U.S. has suspended visas twice before under previous administrations in efforts to push deportations forward.
• 4 Barcelona Attack Suspects Appear for Court Interrogations VOA 22 Aug 2017 -- A suspect arrested in connection with last week's deadly van attack in Barcelona told Spain's high court Tuesday that the group had been planning a much larger attack using explosives, judicial sources said.
• National Guard WMD Civil Support Teams Pursue Innovation AFPS 21 Aug 2017 -- National Guard weapons of mass destruction civil support teams respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents throughout the homeland and advise and assist local and civil authorities on response measures.
• Spanish police confirm Barcelona attacker shot dead Press TV 21 Aug 2017 -- Spanish police say they have killed the driver of a van that rammed into a group of pedestrians in Barcelona last week and claimed 13 lives.
• Lebanon foils bomb attack on UAE passenger plane: Minister Press TV 21 Aug 2017 -- Lebanon says its forces played a major role in the recent foiling of a bomb attack aboard a passenger plane bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Australia.
• Spanish Police Shoot Dead Suspected Barcelona Attack Driver VOA 21 Aug 2017 -- Police in Spain have shot dead a man they believe was the driver of Thursday's deadly van attack in Barcelona.
• Spain 'dismantles cell behind terror attacks' Press TV 20 Aug 2017 -- Spain says it has dismantled an extremist cell behind the recent terrorist attacks in Catalonia, which were claimed by the Takfiri Daesh group.
• DoD Initiates Process to Elevate U.S. Cyber Command to Unified Combatant Command AFPS 18 Aug 2017 -- At the direction of the president, the Defense Department today initiated the process to elevate U.S. Cyber Command to a unified combatant command.
• Newly activated Guard unit to bolster Army Cyber forces Army News 18 Aug 2017 -- The newly formed, full-time Army National Guard cyber unit, Task Force Echo, activated under control of Army Cyber this week. The event marked the largest mobilization of reserve-component forces for a cyber unit in support of U.S. Cyber Command.
• DoD Announces Elevation of U.S. Cyber Command to a Unified Combatant Command DoD 18 Aug 2017 -- Today, at the direction of the President, the Department of Defense initiated the process to elevate U.S. Cyber Command to a unified combatant command. The decision is consistent with Title 10 of U.S. Code, section 167b, and the recommendation of the Secretary of Defense.
• Department of Defense Off-Camera Press Briefing on Elevation of Cyber Command DoD 18 Aug 2017 -- Colonel Rob Manning, Director, Defense Press Office; Kenneth P. Rapuano, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security
• Spanish Police Make 4th Arrest Following Terror Attacks VOA 18 Aug 2017 -- Catalan police have arrested a fourth man in connection with two terrorist attacks in the Barcelona region Thursday that left at least 14 people dead and dozens more injured.
• Reserve, Guard Airmen Continue Supporting Wildfire Suppression Efforts AFPS 17 Aug 2017 -- Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard C-130 aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System continue supporting wildland fire suppression efforts as the National Preparedness System's fire preparedness level sits at PL-5, its highest level.
• Van plows into crowd in Spain's Barcelona, killing many Press TV 17 Aug 2017 -- A van has crashed into dozens of people in the center of the Spanish city of Barcelona, killing at least a dozen people and injuring many others.
• At Least 12 Dead, Suspect in Custody After Terror Van Attack in Barcelona VOA 17 Aug 2017 -- Police in Barcelona say they've arrested one man in connection to a terrorist attack Thursday in a van hopped a curb on a busy street and crashed into dozens of people, leaving 13 dead and dozens more injured.
• Pakistan Slams US for Declaring Anti-India Kashmir Group as 'Terrorist' VOA 17 Aug 2017 -- Pakistan has criticized the United States for designating Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest militant group fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region, as a "foreign terrorist" organization.
• State Department Terrorist Designation of Hizbul Mujahideen US Dept. of State 16 Aug 2017 -- The Department of State has designated Hizbul Mujahideen–also known as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, also known as HM–as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.
• Security Council told African-led force on terrorism in the Sahel operational but challenged UN News 15 Aug 2017 -- The joint task force by the so-called Group of Five (G5) – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – to tackle the threat of terrorism in Africa's Sahel region is now operational, but a number of challenges remain, including funding, the United Nations Security Council was today told.
• Army, FEMA prepare for disaster relief in southwest US in Vigilant Guard exercise Army News 14 Aug 2017 -- Whether stemming from manmade or natural causes, a disaster can strike at any time -- and the best way to mitigate the resulting fallout is through preparedness and extensive training.
• Russia arrests 4 suspects over Daesh plot to launch attacks in Moscow Press TV 14 Aug 2017 -- Russia has busted a Daesh-linked terror cell working on a plot to launch attacks in the capital Moscow.
• Sessions concedes Charlottesville was 'domestic terrorism' Press TV 14 Aug 2017 -- US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called the deadly car attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend an act of domestic terrorism.
• Russian FSB Detains Daesh-Linked Terrorists Plotting Suicide Attacks in Moscow Sputnik 14 Aug 2017 -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained members of a terrorist group who have been plotting suicide bomber attacks in Moscow.
• UN chief Guterres condemns terrorist attack in Burkina Faso UN News 14 Aug 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the terrorist attack carried out yesterday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
• Trump declares opioid epidemic 'national emergency' Press TV 12 Aug 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has declared the country's opioid drugs epidemic a "national emergency," a designation that would offer states more federal resources and power to combat the crisis.
• Guardsmen Aid in Oregon, Montana Wildfire Battles AFPS 09 Aug 2017 -- About 25 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers continue to support the Oregon Department of Forestry with firefighting efforts at the Whitewater Fire in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area east of Detroit, Oregon.
• Suspect Arrested After Car Rams Paris Counterterror Troops RFE/RL 09 Aug 2017 -- French police have shot and arrested a suspect following a highway chase after a car rammed into soldiers outside a barracks in a Paris suburb, injuring six.
• As Caliphate Crumbles, Islamic State Turns to Old-Fashioned Crime VOA 09 Aug 2017 -- There's an increasing convergence between criminal and jihadist milieus in European countries – notably France and the Low Countries, generally Belgium and the Netherlands. Radicalization experts say they expect the crime-terror nexus to grow as Islamic State tries to find new sources of revenue to replace those it is losing as its caliphate shrinks, and to mount attacks in Europe to demonstrate its continued relevance.
• Police Arrest Man Suspected of Car Attack on French Soldiers Near Paris VOA 09 Aug 2017 -- French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has confirmed the arrest of the man suspected of ramming a car into a group of French soldiers Wednesday in a suburb of Paris, injuring six of them in what authorities say was a deliberate attack.
• Press Briefing on the Opioid Crisis, 8/8/2017 The White House 08 Aug 2017
• Arrests, Crackdown Put Spotlight On Islamic State Threat In Iran RFE/RL 08 Aug 2017 -- A fresh wave of arrests of alleged Islamic State (IS) militants, while scant on details, is helping build the case that the extremist group's activities in Iran go beyond the recent deadly bombings in Tehran.
• Pakistani Police Foil Taliban Attack In Lahore After Bombing, Officials Say RFE/RL 08 Aug 2017 -- Pakistani authorities say they have foiled a terrorist attack in the eastern city of Lahore, hours after a bombing wounded more than 30 people.
• Level of terrorist threat in France very high: Interior min. Press TV 06 Aug 2017 -- French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb says the level of the terrorist threat in the country is "very high" as over 270 French nationals who have fought alongside Daesh in Iraq and Syria have returned home.
• Pakistan Dismisses US Assertions Fighting Terrorism 'Selectively' VOA 06 Aug 2017 -- Pakistan has dismissed latest U.S. assertions it is "selectively" fighting terrorist groups or allowing insurgents to use Pakistani soil for plotting attacks against Afghanistan.
• Syria: UN study finds foreign fighters return 'disillusioned' by groups they joined UN News 04 Aug 2017 -- A number of "disillusioned and disappointed" foreign terrorist fighters left Syria and returned to their countries of origin when they found these groups hardly make good on their promises, except promise of death and destruction, according to a report issued by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
• Australian police charge two men over plane bomb, gas device plots Press TV 04 Aug 2017 -- Police in Australia have charged two men with plotting to bomb a plane and conduct a chemical attack in the country.
• Republican Senators Seek to Ramp Up US Border Security VOA 03 Aug 2017 -- One day after President Donald Trump endorsed a plan to reduce and reshape legal immigration to the United States, Republican lawmakers unveiled border security legislation to stem the flow of illegal immigration.
• UN resolution calls on members to block access of terrorists to arms Press TV 03 Aug 2017 -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a resolution that calls on all countries to stop the supply of weapons to "terrorists" and extremist groups.
• Saudi asks US judge to drop lawsuits over 9/11 attacks Press TV 02 Aug 2017 -- Saudi Arabia has asked a US judge to dismiss the lawsuits that hold Riyadh responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks and seek damages for the victims.
• Adopting new resolution, UN Security Council moves to thwart terrorists' access to weapons UN News 02 Aug 2017 -- The United Nations Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons, particularly small arms and light weapons, the "destabilizing accumulation and misuse" of which the 15-member body said "continue to pose threats to international peace and security and cause significant loss of life."
• International Sting Hits Dark Web's Promise of Anonymity VOA 01 Aug 2017 -- They are known as the "dark Web" – encrypted corners of the internet that promise anonymity to customers who want to buy or sell illegal drugs, weapons and other contraband.
• DHS Waives Environmental Laws in Building Border Wall VOA 01 Aug 2017 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is exempting itself from complying with environmental and other laws in constructing a wall along the Southern California border with Mexico, the agency said Tuesday.