MSA Security Blog

On Friday, February 17th, a 29-year-old Moroccan citizen was arrested as the culmination of a yearlong FBI investigation.  The Virginia man has been charged with plotting a suicide bombing inside the U.S. Capitol.  The suspect thought he was conspiring with members of al Qaeda who were really undercover agents.  When arrested, the individual was wearing a vest containing what he thought were viable explosive devices given to him by undercover FBI agents.  According to reports, the suspect Amine El Khalifi of Alexandria, VA was taken into custody with an inoperable firearm and the inert explosive vest.  El Khalifi had openly expressed his desire to attack at least 30 people by targeting a restaurant and building in Alexandria, as well as a synagogue and a place frequented by military personnel in Washington, DC.  However, the suspect decided his target would be the Capitol after he conducted surveillance of the building on several occasions.  El Khalifi, who is scheduled to appear in court today, has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and faces life in prison.

The MSA Research & Intelligence Analysis Team recently provided a Special Analysis Report on the Potential Iranian Threat. The report highlights MSA’s assessment of the current threat to Israeli and Western interests posed by Iran, as well as implications of potential actions, should already heightened tensions escalate. 

Overview

In a video released on extremist websites on Saturday, February 11^th, al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri calls on Muslims around the world to support the Syrian uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s “pernicious, cancerous regime.”  More specifically, Zawahiri addresses Muslims living in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, asking them to join in the uprising while also warning Syrian rebels not to rely on the West for help.  The video is titled “Onward, Lions of Syria” and runs eight minutes long. 

Overview

In a 14-minute-long video posted on jihadist forums yesterday, al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri formally announced that Somalia’s militant group al Shabaab has officially joined the al Qaeda network.  Al Shabaab’s leader Mukhtar Abu al-Zubeir was also featured in the message, pledging his allegiance to the terror network.  Al Shabaab has publicly declared links to al Qaeda since October 2009, but there has been little evidence of any clear, direct collaboration.  Until now, the strongest indication of cooperation between al Shabaab and al Qaeda has been the presence of several al Qaeda in East Africa operatives within Somalia, including Fazul Abdullah Muhammad who was killed by Somali forces last year.  Additionally, intelligence collected last summer suggested a potential alliance was forming between al Shabaab and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

According to reports, the hacking group Anonymous has allegedly released a 15-minute-long recording of a sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard.  During the purportedly intercepted call, agents discussed how to track and prosecute members of Anonymous.  The hackers also released an email, supposedly sent by an FBI agent to various European law enforcement agencies, which provided the phone number and password necessary to access the conference call. The authenticity of the recording and email has not yet been confirmed, but the FBI has stated that they are currently investigating.  For further information on this story, please see the link below:

We recently received information regarding a game called “Geo-Cache” in which participants claim to have hidden thousands of small “treasure boxes” in privately owned, public spaces throughout Manhattan.  This is part of a long-standing, worldwide activity similar to a treasure hunt. On Wednesday, Geo-Cache participants called property management at a location in midtown Manhattan and gave them clues as to where they might find the “treasure” hidden on their property. The treasure box was later found in a sprinkler control valve and yesterday, another small treasure was found magnetically attached to a metal railing.  While the boxes seem to contain harmless items, the incidents highlight the vulnerability of these spaces and the possibility that a nefarious item could be easily concealed at any of these locations around the city. This serves as a reminder to security personal to remain vigilant for any suspicious or noteworthy activity at their sites.

Overview

Two TSA agents noticed suspicious items in a passenger’s carry-on bag on Monday during routine screening at LaGuardia Airport.  The items in question were two pipes, raising suspicion that they could have been pipe bombs.  Rather than reporting the items as suspicious to the Port Authority Bomb Squad, the items were placed aside in the screening area for several hours.  In a statement released by the TSA, the items were not allowed through the checkpoint due to their appearance.  The owner apparently surrendered them voluntarily.  Screeners on the next shift noticed the items, and notified the bomb squad.  According to the passenger, the pipes were used for homeopathic medicine and the items were cleared by a TSA bomb specialist.