Terrorism: Law Enforcement Response Notes

Terrorism and Law Enforcement Response

Why Western Countries Targeted?

• Western countries and symbols like the Twin Towers are targeted as symbols.

Patriot Act

• The Patriot Act was enacted to fight terrorism.

• The Department of Homeland Security was formed.

• It became a top priority after September 11, 2001 and a top focus of the FBI.

• The USA PATRIOT ACT (USAPA) expanded the use of surveillance without needing to show 'need'.

Operation Enduring Freedom

• In October 2001, the US and the UK invaded Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) seeking Bin Laden and other terrorists.

• In 2003, the US and the UK (Northern Alliance) invaded Iraq.

• President Bush stated that the reasons were to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and free the Iraqi people.

• The US fought in Iraq for 20 years.

9/11 Hijackers

• The 9/11 hijackers originated from various countries, including:

  • 1 from Egypt

  • 1 from Lebanon

  • 2 from UAE

  • 15 from Saudi Arabia

Terrorism as a Political Strategy

• Terrorism is a political strategy that aims to effect change through violence.

• Guerrilla warfare is sometimes condoned.

• Terrorism is a criminal act but has distinctions.

Freedom Fighter vs. Terrorist

• The distinction between a freedom fighter and a terrorist is subjective.

• Targets, support-gaining methods, ideology, and the suffering caused differentiate the two.

• The question of whether people are willfully changing or being forced out of fear is relevant.

Terrorist Mindset

• Terrorists avoid failure and prefer inaction to appearing weak or incompetent.

Reasons for Using Terrorism

• Groups resort to terrorism when they fail to mobilize support for their cause.

• Terrorism is considered cheap and effective.

Gaining Public Support

• Terrorists may commit violent acts, like bombings and civilian killings, and then justify their actions to gain public support.

Jehad Serwan Mostafa

• Jehad Serwan Mostafa is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list.

• He is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and a foreign terrorist organization.

• He also charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

• Aliases: Emir Anwar, Ahmed Gurey, Anwar al-Amriki, "Ahmed", "Anwar", Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir

• Date of Birth: December 28, 1981

• Description: Brown hair, blue eyes, 6'1", 170 pounds, light complexion, American citizen.

• Mostafa is left-handed and has a distinctive scar on his right hand. He wears a full beard and glasses.

• The Rewards For Justice Program is offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.</p></li><li><p>He may have visited Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African countries.</p></li><li><p>Mostafa was raised in San Diego, California.</p></li><li><p>Mostafa is believed to be the highest-ranking United States citizen fighting with al-Shabaab.</p></li><li><p>Mostafa is currently charged in a superseding indictment in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, San Diego, California</p></li></ul><h4 id="dd8139b6-5149-4e80-9cc7-66c444292921" data-toc-id="dd8139b6-5149-4e80-9cc7-66c444292921" collapsed="false" seolevelmigrated="true">Goals of Jihad</h4><ul><li><p>Recover Jerusalem.</p></li><li><p>Destruction of Israel.</p></li><li><p>Avenge dead Muslims by Infidels.</p></li><li><p>Destroy Great Satan.</p></li><li><p>Destroy weak Muslims.</p></li></ul><h4 id="99b34e26-28bd-47d2-8fd8-f314544a6e0c" data-toc-id="99b34e26-28bd-47d2-8fd8-f314544a6e0c" collapsed="false" seolevelmigrated="true">US Aid to Israel</h4><ul><li><p>Israel was granted a state in 1948 on parts of the Muslim Holy Land.</p></li><li><p>The Arab world views the US as helping Israel.</p></li><li><p>In fiscal year 2019, the US provided$3.8 billion in foreign military aid to Israel$.</p></li><li><p>Israel also benefits from about$8 billion of loan guarantees$.</p></li><li><p>Almost all US aid to Israel is now in the form of military assistance.</p></li><li><p>The United States has granted more total aid to Israel since World War II than to any other country.</p></li><li><p>Cumulative US foreign assistance obligations between 1946 and 2019 to the top ten recipients (inflation-adjusted to 2019 dollars):</p><ul><li><p>Egypt:$143.88

• Afghanistan $134.38</p></li><li><p>Vietnam (former South):$128.98

• Iraq: $85.428</p></li><li><p>Korea Republic:$84.838

• United Kingdom: $78.158</p></li><li><p>Turkey:$69.898

• France: $43.98</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Of that aid, around$8.5 million went toward the economy, while the rest went to the Israeli military.

Goals of ISIS, According to ISIS

• Establish Caliphate in Middle East.

• Purify bad Muslims.

• Fulfill apocalyptic prophecy (Battle of Islam and Rome).

• Jihad against civilized World.

• Recognize no other religion.

• No Peace…ever.

• Slavery, female slavery OK.

How to Recruit New Members

• Prisons

• Social groups

• Internet

Why Join?

• Defending our way of life

• A sense of duty

• Leadership opportunities

• To find purpose

• To have adventure

• To gain experience

• To continue family tradition

• To earn respect

• To form friendships

• To learn discipline

• To gain perspective

• To find a positive environment

Indoctrination

• Create “Us against Them” mentality

• They are evil, we are justified liberators

• Exploitation: Economics, Religion, Race

• Create an atmosphere of fear

• Role of the media in creating divide and fear in various groups

• Their religion is taking over, they are taking our jobs, they want our guns, they are racist, they hate women, they only care about profits

Terrorist Profile

• There is not a "terrorist profile"

• There are some things that many have in common

Potential Risk Factors

• Having a History of Criminal Violence

• Having a Criminal History

• Having Been Involved With a Gang or Delinquent Peers

• Having a Terrorist Friend

• Being a Member of an Extremist Group

• Having a Deep Commitment to an Extremist Ideology

• Having Psychological Issues

• Having a Sporadic Work History

• Having Less Education

• Having a Lower Social Economic Status

• Failing to Achieve One’s Aspirations

• Having Trouble in Romantic Relationships

• Having Trouble in Platonic Relationships

• Having Been Abused as an Adult

• Being Distant From One’s Family

Risk Factors Among Lone-Actor Terrorists

• Having a Criminal Record

• Having Personal & Political Grievances

• Having Received a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Delusional Disorder

• Having an Enabler

• Being Unemployed

• Having at Least a Bachelor’s Degree

• Being Socially Isolated

• Being Single Living Alone

• Having Military Experience

• Being Male

Special Interest Terrorism

• They seek to resolve specific issues, rather than political change.

• Their acts are an effort to force government and the general public to change attitudes.

• Examples include:

  • Animal rights

  • Anti-abortion

  • Pro-abortion

  • Pro-environment (ELF)

  • Anti-technology

  • Anti-bioengineering

  • Anti-nuclear

Timothy McVeigh

• Timothy McVeigh was an American domestic terrorist who perpetrated the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people and injured over 680 others.

• The bombing was the deadliest act of terrorism within the United States prior to the September 11 attacks.

• McVeigh hoped to inspire a revolt against the federal government.

• McVeigh was influenced by:

  • Ruby Ridge

  • Waco

  • Turner Diaries

• "I chose to bomb a federal building because such an action served more purposes than other options.

• Foremost the bombing was a retaliatory strike; a counter attack for the cumulative raids (and subsequent violence and damage) that federal agents had participated in over the preceding years (including, but not limited to, Waco).

International Terrorist Attacks

• Examples of significant and recent international terrorist attacks include:

  • The Beirut Barracks Bombing, Oct. 23, 1983

  • The USS Cole, October 12, 2000

  • The World Trade Center, Feb. 26, 1993

  • Sept. 11, 2001

  • The U.S. Benghazi Libya Consulate, Sept. 11, 2012

John Walker Lindh

• A convert to Sunni Islam in California at age 16.

• Lindh traveled to Yemen in 1998 to study Arabic and stayed there for 10 months. He later returned in 2000.

• Then went to Afghanistan to aid the Taliban.

• Lindh secured Irish citizenship in 2013.

JWL Release Date

• May 23, 2019

• On May 23, 2019, Lindh was released from the Terre Haute, Indiana federal prison prior to the end of his 20-year sentence for good behavior, although he accepted several probation requirements due to his continued support of Islamist ideology. [2] The probation lasts for the remaining three years of his sentence

Caliphate

• A caliphate is an Islamic state.

• It's led by a caliph, who is a political and religious leader.

• His power and authority is absolute.

Anwar Al-Awlaki

• Personal:

  • Birth place: Las Cruces, New Mexico

  • Education: Colorado State University, B.S. in Civil Engineering; San Diego State University, Masters in Education; George Washington University, attended a Ph.D. Human Resources program

• Timeline:

  • November 5, 2009 - Army Major Nidal Hasan kills 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood. Al-Awlaki is suspected of communicating with Hasan, according to the United States government.

  • December 25, 2009 - Date of the failed plot to bring down a jetliner over Detroit. Al-Awlaki is suspected of directing the plot, according to the United States government.

  • 2010 - The US Treasury Department names al-Awlaki a specially designated global terrorist.

  • November 2, 2010 - Is formally charged in absentia with incitement to kill foreigners by Yemeni prosecutors. Charges stem from his connection to suspects in the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt and the Ft. Hood shooting.

  • January 17, 2011 - A Yemeni court sentences in absentia al-Awlaki to 10 years in prison for charges of inciting to kill foreigners.

  • May 6, 2011 - A US official tells CNN that al-Awlaki was targeted by a missile strike from a military drone within the last two days. He was not injured, but two al Qaeda operatives were killed.

  • September 30, 2011 - YEMEN-eight kilometers from the town of Khashe he is killed by a CIA drone strike.

Samir Khan

• His parents were worried about the increasingly radical nature of their son’s philosophy.

• They turned to members of their religious communities to impress the perils of such thinking and behavior.

• In 2009, he left Charlotte for Yemen, started a magazine for jihadists called Inspire.

• It featured how-to articles.

Inspire Magazine

• The Summer 2010 issue advised making a pressure cooker bomb using everyday materials ("How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom").

• The Fall 2010 issue encouraged using one's car to "mow down" people in crowded places ("The ultimate mowing machine").

• Died in Yemen, age 25, in a drone strike that also took the life of the radical cleric Anwar al- Awlaki

Taliban

• Muslims from India fighting the British

• Taliban (means students)

Al Qaeda

• AL QAEDA emerged out of the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

• As the Soviets prepared to withdraw, Osama bin Laden decided to capitalize on the network they had built to take jihad global.

• Bin Laden’s goal was to bring together under a single umbrella the hundreds of small jihadist groups struggling against their own regimes.

Weapons Used in San Bernardino Terror Attack

• The four weapons used in the San Bernardino mass shooting were purchased more than three years ago.

• Two of the weapons were illegal under California law because they were modified and violated the state's ban on assault weapons.

  • AR-15 semiautomatic rifle:

    • Maker: DPMS Panther Arms

    • Caliber: .223-caliber

    • Modification: Added a high-capacity magazine

  • AR-15 semiautomatic rifle:

    • Maker: Smith & Wesson

    • Caliber: .223-caliber

    • Modification: Unsuccessfully attempted to make weapon automatic

  • Semiautomatic pistol:

    • Maker: Llama

    • Caliber: 9mm

  • Semiautomatic pistol:

    • Maker: Springfield Armory

    • Caliber: 9mm

Timeline

• 1998- Bin Laden calls for more attacks on Americans. He is also indicted in the US for embassy bombings

• 2000- USS Cole bombed in Yemen, kills 17 sailors

• 2001- August Bin Laden threatens US

• 2001- September World Trade Center bombing

ISIS

• ISIS Kids

  • Cubs of the Caliphate

• American and British ISIS Brides plead to go home

  • She regrets joining the terrorist group and that she and other recruits like her did so because they were "ignorant" and "brainwashed."

  • Her first two husbands died fighting for ISIS

  • "I would tell them please forgive me for being so ignorant, and I was really young and ignorant and I was 19 when I decided to leave. I believe that America gives second chances. I want to return and I’ll never come back to the Middle East.
    Omar Mateen

• Born in New York state.

• Parents immigrated from Afghanistan.

• He was a security guard. Went to Trooper school and a separate police academy

• Committed the deadliest terror attack since 9/11

• Hated homosexuals, so he went to a nightclub in Orlando and started shooting.

• He called 9-1-1 and told the operator he swore allegiance to ISIL

• Killed 49 injured 53

• Stated he was triggered in part because of the US involvement in Syria and Iraq.

• 320 people in the club at 2:00 AM.

• Within 45 minutes 100 police were on scene

• Marteen barricaded himself in a bathroom with hostages.

• Police engaged at 5:14 AM. 11 officers fired 150 rounds, hitting him 8 times.

• Weapons Used

  • SIG SAUER MCX

  • GLOCK 17

FBI and Omar Mateen

• Orlando Nightclub shooter Omar Mateen was interviewed by the FBI twice

• He HAD BEEN on a terror watch list

• His last interview was 10 months before the shooting

• Killed 49 wounded 58

• FBI stated “He is not a terrorist, I don’t believe he will go Postal or anything like that”.

Bernie Sanders Quote

• "Climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism” says Bernie