Surveillance of Visa Holders? No, not your Credit Card.

The recent arrest of a Saudi man on terrorism charges has some lawmakers arguing for surveillance of visa holders. "The case of [Khalid Ali-M] Aldawsari, who was in the U.S. on a student visa and enrolled at a community college in Texas, has ignited a debate among House lawmakers over whether further steps need to be taken to screen or monitor people in the U.S. on visas," reports The Hill. "House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) wants to increase surveillance and screening measures on individuals in the U.S. on visas from countries known for terrorist activities, such as Saudi Arabia and Yemen."

Terrorism Arrest Made In Texas Over Attack Plot

• On 02/23/2011, a 20-year-old male was arrested in Lubbock, Texas on the federal charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.
• The suspect has been identified as Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a Saudi Arabian national who had been living in Lubbock, Texas on a legal student visa.
• Aldawsari reportedly had been researching and acquiring numerous chemical ingredients necessary for the production of explosives.
• Potential targets may have included the residence of former President George W. Bush as well as a number of vital infrastructure locations.
• At this time, it is believed that Aldawsari was acting alone and has no known ties to any international terrorist organization.

On Wednesday, February 23, 2011, Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari was arrested by law enforcement authorities following an investigation into his attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Aldawsari is described as a 20-year-old, Saudi Arabian national who was a resident of Lubbock, Texas. Aldawsari apparently gained legal entrance into the United States on a student visa in 2008 and had been attending South Plains College. Open source reports indicate that the suspect had done extensive online research concerning the contents and manufacture of explosives and had recently gone through the process of acquiring the chemical ingredients and other materials required to produce them. Aldawsari reportedly planned to build some form of improvised explosive device. Additionally, some national media outlets claim that he had posted several violent extremist statements on his online blog and personal journal. Emails allegedly sent by Aldawsari to himself specifically mentioned the Dallas residence of former President George W. Bush, and other key infrastructure locations including hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants as potential targets for an attack. Some media coverage has indicated that Aldawsari’s list of potential targets also included at least 12 reservoir dams located in California and Colorado. The suspect reportedly attempted to acquire one of the more rare explosive components from a company based in North Carolina. The company, being suspicious of the request later reported it to the authorities, leading to the investigation that culminated in Aldawsari’s arrest.

Colombia Seizes 100-Foot-Long Narco Sub

Showing once again just how ingenuous and well funded the drug cartels are. In 2008 police seized 2 tons of cocaine worth approximately $100 million, so this would mean that the sub could (for a cost of 2 million) smuggle in about $400 million worth of cocaine. That is one heck of a profit margin.

two tons of cocaine worth $100 million

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By Matthew Harwood

02/16/2011 -
It isn't a one-off event anymore: drug smuggling has been driven beneath the waves as part of its constant evolution.
Over the weekend, the Colombian Navy seized South America's second narco submarine with the help of intelligence supplied by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The nearly 100-foot-long, fiberglass vessel sat at the end of a man-made canal in the jungles of Timbiqui in southwestern Colombia, according to The Houston Chronicle. As of yesterday, the vessel was under guard as bad weather delayed the Colombian Navy from towing it out of its watery haunt.
This is the second discovery of a narco sub within the last year. In July, the DEA supplied intelligence to the Ecudorian authorities that led to the seizure of another narco-sub deep in the jungle. The Chronicle notes that it is not known whether the same organization built both vessels.
Colombian Navy officials said the submarine could probably accomodate four smugglers and carry about 8 tons of cocaine up north to Mexico without surfacing. According to media reports, the vessel was a model of sophistication, including navigational equipment, built-in bunk beds, and two remote cameras attached to its conning tower. The Colombian Navy estimates the narco sub cost about $2 million to build, according to RTT News.
Jay Bergman, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for the Andean region, told The Houston Chronicle that the discovery confirms narco subs are the next evolution in drug smuggling. It's all part of the dance that drug cartels and law enforcement play: when speed boats or fishing trawlers don't cut it anymore, drug smugglers opt for less detectable smuggling conveyances, like remora-like containers attached to ships and semi-submersibles. Now it seems at least one drug-smuggling organization believes it's time to dive far beneath the ocean's surface to avoid detection.
The narco submarine's builders, however, haven't perfected the design just yet. While the vessel could fully submerge, it would have been teethered to the surface by a nearly 30-foot-long snorkel to deliver air to its engine.
"If somebody is going in one of these things, I'm like, 'What are they thinking?' “ Bergman told the Chronicle. "You can go down, but can't guarantee you can come back up."

 

 

 

Using Social Media to Collect Debt

A very interesting article about how "posting your life" on social media can effect you. Are you perhaps pushing off some bills, and telling the collectors that you are unemployed and just don't have the money right now?  Well, if you have been posting about the new job you have or perhaps your brand new HD TV that you watched the big game on, they may not be as understanding.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent slain, another wounded in Mexico

By the CNN Wire Staff

February 15, 2011 11:22 p.m. EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Mexican government confirms ICE agent slain in gun attack
• Second victim in stable condition after being shot in the arm and leg
• U.S. officials, Mexican government condemn attack

(CNN) -- Gunmen opened fire on two U.S. immigration agents in Mexico on Tuesday, killing one and injuring the other, officials said.
The two agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were attacked Tuesday afternoon while driving between Mexico City and Monterrey.
One of the agents was gravely wounded and died later Tuesday. The other was in stable condition after being shot in the arm and leg, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The shooting took place about 23 miles north of downtown Mexico City at approximately 3 p.m. ET, an ICE official said. The official spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity because the case is still under investigation.

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Homegrown Terrorism and Cyberattacks

♦ Homegrown terrorism is the number one threat to the United States, says the intelligence community. "While homegrown actors represent a 'numerically small' segment of the terrorist threat, they have disproportionate access to US facilities, noted Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. He said that he remains 'especially focused on Al Qaeda’s resolve to target Americans for recruitment,'" reports The Christian Science Monitor. 'This focus is the result of the damage that US forces have done to Al Qaeda in places like Pakistan, officials argue. US success in targeting insurgent operatives has in turn encouraged Al Qaeda to look for other ways to harm America – specifically, recruiting Americans to take part in terrorist attacks on their home soil, they say."
♦ Besides homegrown terrorism, the intelligence community's top leaders increasingly fear cyberattacks as another dire threat to national security. CIA Director Leon Panetta told House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that "terrorists are determined to find a way to hack into the power grid system in the United States, which he said 'brings down the financial system, brings down our government systems. You could paralyze this country,'" according to the Los Angeles Times. "He noted that extremists in Iran, Russia and China are developing 'a significant capacity' to stage such an attack, and that 'hundreds of thousands' of attempts are being made to sneak into national security networks."