New York State Joseph P. McGrann Metropolitan Transportation Authority Acting Chief of Police Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF .or :9 Daily Intelligence Briefing -. 2020' any Counterterrorism asWrce . . On this Date: TIMES SQUARE INCIDENT Event Synopsis: Approx -at 1829 hours, May 1, 2010, the NYPD respondl in the vicinity of 45th Broadway (Times 39?} Police evacuated Times Square after observing a smoldering SUV initially reported by a street vendor. Wehiclaengine was running with hazard lights on. The NYPD Bomb Squad responded to the scene. Items found inside of vehicle were: Positioningoidiarges am Three (3) 20le cans of Propane, two (2) Gasoline mgr; mm containers, and gun powder (was also reported as ?reworks), two (2) clocks w/batteries and 2 x4 empty metal box. Items in the vehicle were rendered safe. Through multi-agency investigation, Faisal Shahzad was identi?ed as the perpetrator of the attempted bombing. Shahzad was arrested approximately 53 Mus after t_he attempt when he was taken into custodv at John F. Kennec_lv International Airrm after boarding Emirates Flight 202 to Dubai with his ?nal destination as Islamabad, Pakistan.Of note: Materials related to the bomb were found in his apartment, including boxes that had contained the alarm clocks, and his car at the airport had a 9 mm Kel-Tec SUB-2000 carbine with ?ve full ma azines of ammunition. N. Dre agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Bridges and Tunnels MT A Capital Construction MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Joseph P. McGrann Metropolitan Transportation Authority Acting Chief of Police Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force org On June 21, 2010, in Federal District Court in Manhattan he confessed to 10 counts arising from the bombing attempt. On October 5, 2010, Shahzad was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to a 10-count indictment in June, including charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting an act of terrorism. (U) Terrorism During a Pandemic: Assessing the Threat and Balancing the Hype (U) During this time of heightened uncertainty and fear brought on by the pandemic, the fear of terrorism has not gone away, and terrorists are integrating the virus into their propaganda, and to a lesser extent, their attack plans. Many terrorist groups have not hesitated to release propaganda stating their interest in using the virus to perpetrate terrorist attacks. Unsurprisingly, terrorists are looking at new tactics and techniques inspired by the virus, and they?re also incorporating (and reactions to it) into their recruitment messages and radicalization activities. Since the onset of the pandemic, the terrorist threat may have changed but that change has not been an unmitigated increase, despite reports suggesting the contrary. (U) To understand the potential threat that terrorists pose, and how that threat has changed since the onset of the pandemic, we must consider a balance of information. Analysis of the threat needs to consider derogatory information suggesting an increase in the threat level, as well as exculpatory information that may point to decreasing danger posed by terrorists. We need to consider not only how terrorists may use the virus, but also how the virus may reduce terrorists? ability (and willingness) to act. The virus could even be playing a role in mitigating the terrorist threat in the short term, an element that media reports (and undoubtedly some classi?ed threat assessments) largely fail to mention. impact on terrorist attack planning (U) The most sensational reporting about and terrorism argues that terrorists will seek to weaponize the virus and could use it in terrorist attacks. In this scenario, terrorists would identify an individual infected by the virus and then use that person to infect others. A number of logistical hurdles exist in the infected individual threat scenario, namely correctly identifying someone infected, and then successfully infecting other people at a time when most people are staying at home. A less likely scenario involves the actual weaponization of the virus (and the ability to deploy it, such as in an aerosol spray) capable of infecting other people. While the former scenario is plausible (if improbable), the second scenario is largely the stuff of ?ction. Terrorists have attempted to develop biological weapons for decades with limited success. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Metro-North Railroad MT A New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police The virus does present new targets for terrorists, using either conventional attack methods or the infected individual scenario. Hospitals, one of the only remaining places where people are still allowed to congregate during strict social distancing measures, are potential targets, as recent events have demonstrated. First responders and police, of course, remain targets of terrorists, regardless of the pandemic or attack method. Terrorists may also cite the virus as the catalyst for their action. However, in many cases, attack plans may have already been under way for months, or even years. We should be wary of attributing too much to the virus as motivation in any future attacks, and balance our assessment of those attacks that do occur and are attributable (in whole, or in part) to the virus with an understanding that some planned attacks may not be taking place. (U) The COVID-19 pandemic also creates mitigating conditions for the terrorist threat in much of the world. Around the globe, people are implementing physical distancing measures and, therefore, removing a significant terrorist target: crowds. Physical distancing measures make tactics such as vehicle ramming’s, stabbings, and bombings far less effective. Without the crowds that usually allow these relatively simple attacks to generate casualties, terrorists may determine that their plans are best perpetrated once physical distancing measures are no longer in place. (U) While it may be convenient to think of terrorists as relatively omnipotent, my work in counterterrorism has demonstrated that this is far from the case. Terrorists, like everybody else, can and do get sick, as do their family and friends, creating a burden on care. At the same time, the economic devastation caused by the virus has likely left many would-be terrorists without a source of income. They may be struggling with daily subsistence, meaning devoting additional resources (both in time and money) to attack planning and weapons/component procurements may take a back seat to more immediate needs. (U) The intense media focus on COVID-19 may also dissuade some would-be terrorists from engaging in attacks during the pandemic. Most terrorists seek recognition for their attacks, with the ultimate goal of sowing fear in a population. This is difficult to do if no one is paying attention to you. A recent attack in France demonstrates how little media attention some attacks are generating. Even for a COVID-19 attack (involving an infected individual), this tactic also does not guarantee media attention. The reality is that anyone we come into contact with could be a virus carrier – determining responsibility would be difficult and far from instantaneous, minimizing one of terrorism’s objectives: instilling fear. This fear would also likely be mitigated by the current environment, which is one where fear is already pervasive due to the global pandemic. Radicalization and recruitment (U) Terrorists have an ongoing need to insert themselves into current events and remain relevant, so will undoubtedly incorporate the virus into their radicalization and recruitment efforts, whether their Islamic extremists or white nationalists. Beyond this, security responses, including any missteps by security services and/or over-zealous enforcement of quarantine laws, as well as the reduction in civil liberties, are all likely to feature prominently in terrorist propaganda across the ideological spectrum. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police (U) However, when considering terrorist propaganda and their radicalization and recruitment efforts, it remains critical to remember that talk is not action. Terrorist chatter will undoubtedly include much speculation about weaponizing the virus, and some may go so far as to speculate on possible actions. Very few will actually take action on their ideas and cross the threshold from extremist to terrorist, and even fewer will succeed in any kind of attack. Of course, this is relatively cold comfort for law enforcement and security services tasked with monitoring this chatter – the uptick in extremist interest in the virus is undoubtedly making their job more difficult. Conclusion (U) Much has been made in media reporting (and in government threat assessments) about the evolving terrorist threat and COVID-19. But it is critical to remember that the key word here is evolving – we won’t know for months (or years) after the pandemic what actual effect the virus has had on the base rate of terrorism around the world. We do know that terrorists are seeking to incorporate and exploit the virus into their terrorist agenda. In seeking to understand the threat, it is critical that we consider both exacerbating factors as well as mitigating factors, and keep our assessment of the threat grounded in reality of terrorist capability. Of course, law enforcement and security services will remain alert for the unlikely possibility of terrorists weaponizing the virus, or even attempting to do so through lower-capability style attacks like an infected individual. It’s also critical to remember that terrorists may have put their plans on hold but not abandoned them entirely, and that those plans may resume once physical distancing measures are eased. (U) Finally, the terrorist threat most likely to increase in the short term is in conflict zones – where terrorists will seek to take advantage of any security vacuum and decline in international counterterrorism cooperation created by the virus. Some countries may have to scale back their counterterrorism operations because of the pandemic due to reduced budgets, health risks to military personnel, and shifting priorities. Terrorists will seek to exploit this gap, and they are the ones most likely to be successful. https://www.justsecurity.org/69895/terrorism-during-a-pandemic-assessing-the-threat-and-balancingthe-hype/ (U) How Europe's terrorists take advantage of the pandemic (U) The Covid-19 pandemic leaves no one unaffected, including terrorists. (U) European terrorist networks are torn between protecting their own members against the virus and using the pandemic to further their goals. This causes immediate and long-term effects on terrorism in Europe. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police (U) Like many state and other non-state actors, terrorist groups manipulate the global pandemic in their radical narratives. They do so to unify their followers, attract new sympathizers, and further their objectives. (U) Daesh sees in the coronavirus "a torment sent by Allah to his enemies". China would be particularly hard-hit as punishment for its treatment of Uighur Muslims, and it is no coincidence that Iran's holy Shiite city Qom is one of the new epicenters of the outbreak. (U) Far-right terrorists also blame their enemies hoping to radicalize others and promote their goals. They see the pandemic as a result of a biological weapon deployed by China, aimed at destroying Western powers, or blame migrants for causing its spread. (U) Terrorist groups also use the pandemic to gain visibility. Daesh, for instance, has been exploiting hashtags related to the coronavirus to redirect users to their radical propaganda. European extremist groups also capitalize on current fear and chaos to incite followers to commit attacks. (U) Neo-nazi groups encourage supporters to stir panic during the coronavirus outbreak and anarchist groups have called on members to commit attacks, as police forces would be overburdened with corona-related tasks. (U) The coronavirus pandemic has already caused high numbers of deaths, massive economic disruption, and had a huge impact on the daily lives of millions of people. In short, everything terrorists would want to achieve with their attacks. (U) No surprise thus that the global pandemic serves as inspiration and influences the modus operandi of terrorists, both in terms of tactics and target selection. (U) Terrorist networks have encouraged followers to weaponize their own illness by trying to infect others. The pandemic might also serve as inspiration for their long-term strategies, leading to a potential rise of attempts to commit biological attacks. (U) Similar attacks occur fortunately very rarely; the most significant bio-terror attacks to date are a salmonellosis outbreak in Oregon, committed by the Rajneesh sect in the mid-80s, and the more than two dozen anthrax or ricin-laced letters in the early 2000s. (U) Terrorists have also found inspiration in the global pandemic with regards to their target selection, in particular critical health infrastructures. (U) Recently, the FBI killed a far-right terrorist, who had accelerated his attack plan and changed the target to a hospital treating Covid-19 patients. (U) For terrorists, the current crisis also serves as an ideal case study to learn about the threats and effects of atypical warfare methods and could thus inspire them to adopt innovative attacks, such as disruptions in the food supply or medicine and other health supplies. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police (U) 'Apocalyptic-ism' plays an important role in many terrorist narratives. (U) Violent extremists thus will most likely play out the apocalyptic narrative of the pandemic to spur their supporters to action. (U) Jihadist groups have seen in the coronavirus pandemic a sign that the world is approaching the Day of Judgement. In the past, a similar doomsday narrative has served as a crucial recruiting pitch for foreign fighters to fight with Daesh in the final battles of the apocalypse. (U) Also right-wing extremists, who believe the world is heading towards a genocidal race war, might see in the apocalyptic scenarios of the pandemic a call for violent action. (U) The Covid-19 outbreak could also lead to a rise of violent actions by the hands of environmental extremists. Economic difficulties, a lack of public support, and more urgent needs might thwart advances in the global warming agenda and interrupt green investments by national governments. (U) Moreover, having witnessed the immediate environmental benefits due to radical actions like a global lockdown and economic disruption, eco-activists could be triggered to resort to violence. European counter-terrorism? (U) The pandemic is showing its first effects on terrorism. The global pandemic could, however, also have a long-term impact on Europe's counter-terrorism measures. (U) Particularly worrying is the risk of a possible application of epidemiological tracking tools for counter-terrorism purposes. (U) Both democratic and non-democratic countries have, under the exceptionalism of emergency laws and with various degrees of invasiveness, introduced wide-spread contact and movement digital tracking tools aimed to determine the whereabouts of an infected person. (U) A future 'national emergency' situation, in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack, could pave the way for adding such apps to the counter-terrorism toolbox. (U) However, similar wide-spread and systematic analytical tools to survey the spread of radicalism would not only threaten a number of fundamental rights, but would also be ineffective. (U) Based on an idea that radicalization is contagious and spreads by the mere interaction between people, it would risk increasing stigmatization and other grievances among segments of the population and eventually create new breeding grounds for extremism in the EU. https://euobserver.com/opinion/148173 The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police (U) George Washington Program on Extremism Publishes Policy Paper on Domestic Terror Threat (U) According to a recently published policy paper by the George Washington Program on Extremism, the authors outlined seven policy recommendations, such as administrative actions, legislative and policy changes, and other possible federal and state legal and prosecutorial powers, which could allow for a more comprehensive and effective approach to countering domestic terrorism threats. The paper focused on the recent arrests of domestic extremists, as well as current efforts by law enforcement to disrupt and counter the growing influence of racially motivated violent extremist ideology—specifically white supremacy. (U) The first policy recommendation was to examine options related to the designation of foreign white supremacist groups as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). At present, there are no white supremacist organizations on the FTO list. Designation could be a powerful tool to leverage against foreign white supremacists and other racially and ethnically motivated terrorists, as well as Americans who provide support to them. (U) The second policy recommendation was to consider a rights-protecting domestic terrorism statute. Some argue that a new statute could fill gaps within what is considered a terrorist act to fit the modern threat and/or more broadly address the threat of domestic terrorism, providing more tools for the investigation and prosecution of groups and individuals examined in this report. Doing so could be a potent tool for law enforcement, including providing more resources, as well as appropriate charges and penalties for perpetrators. (U) The third recommendation was to expand information sharing. This report outlined the challenges to investigating and prosecuting racially and ethnically motivated extremism to interdict modern threats. Addressing those challenges writ large requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society toolkit. (U) The fourth policy recommendation included utilizing oversight, data, and resources to better understand and address this modern threat. Congress included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 a requirement for increased coordination between the FBI, US Department of Homeland Security, and intelligence community and an annual report on domestic terrorism. The data reporting requirement will require these agencies to clearly identify the threat. (U) The fifth policy recommendation was to pass legislation to properly resource the threat. Congressional action is needed to properly counter the rising threat of domestic terrorism. Bipartisan legislation is needed to enhance the federal government’s efforts to prevent domestic terrorism by authorizing law offices that are focused specifically on this threat, and requiring federal law enforcement agencies to regularly assess the threat of white supremacy and apportion resources based on the analysis. (U) The sixth and seventh policy recommendations were to prevent the next generation of threats and, to speak out against threats and educate the public. The authors argued the need for The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police immediate and uncontroversial investments in prevention to change the trajectory of extremism. Domestic extremist groups seek to mainstream their message, even sometimes purposefully sounding less extreme in order to garner support without raising alarm. Speaking out can not only prevent this mainstreaming, but also make it less socially acceptable to espouse these views. (U) The entire policy paper is available on the Program on Extremism’s website. Regional News: April 30, 2020 New York, NY Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Scheduled To Sail From New York City The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is scheduled to depart New York City on Thursday after deploying there to help with the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Northern Command announced on Tuesday that the Comfort, which arrived in Manhattan on March 30, would return to its berth in Norfolk, Va. Other military personnel, ships, aircraft and facilities will remain involved in the disaster response, and the Comfort itself will continue to stand by. "Even as USNS Comfort departs NYC, the ship and its embarked medical task force remain prepared for future tasking," the statement said. "The Navy, along with other U.S. Northern Command dedicated forces, remains engaged throughout the nation in support of the broader COVID-19 response." There was no immediate information about a prospective second deployment for the Comfort or whether the ship might sail to another destination within the United States or somewhere abroad. The Comfort often undertakes medical missions to the Caribbean, Central American and elsewhere. The ship's roughly 1,000 patient beds were first to be used as spillover capacity for non-coronavirus sufferers in greater New York, with the idea that they would free up space on land for pandemic victims. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and public health officials asked that the ship, which had not seen many cases, begin taking suspected pandemic patients, the first of which came aboard on April 6. There was no immediately available accounting about how many total patients the Comfort accommodated during its deployment to New York. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police The Comfort's sibling, the West Coast-based hospital ship USNS Mercy, deployed to Los Angeles to help with the pandemic there. The crew of the Mercy also had to try to manage a COVID-19 outbreak among its own personnel. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/28/847457974/hospital-ship-usnscomfort-scheduled-to-sail-from-new-york-city National News: April 30, 2020 Washington, DC FBI Records 28 'Active Shooter Incidents' in 2019 There were 28 active shooter incidents in the United States last year, up from 27 the previous year, the FBI said in a report released Tuesday. The FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals engaged in killing people in a populated area. The shooting incidents last year, carried out by 30 active shooters, killed 97 people and wounded 150, the FBI said. That compares with 85 killed and 128 wounded the previous year. The report, the FBI’s fifth in a series on active shooters in recent years, highlighted several characteristics of the shooters: 29 were male, one was female 26 acted alone 5 were in their teens, 13 in their 20s, 4 in their 30s, 5 in their 40s, 2 in their 50s and one in his 60s Nine of the shooters were killed by law enforcement officers at the scene of the shootings and five committed suicide. The deadliest shooting incident last year occurred on August 3 when a gunman shot and killed 23 people and injured 22 others at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. The perpetrator, 21-year-old white supremacist Patrick Crusius, was later charged with capital murder. The shooting incident with the second-highest number of casualties came the next day when Connor Stephen Betts, 24, killed nine people and wounded 27 others outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio. Betts was later killed by responding officers. https://www.voanews.com/usa/fbi-records-28-active-shooter-incidents-2019 The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police International News: April 30, 2020 Middle East Amid heightened terrorist activity, Iraqi forces aggressively pursue ISIS Iraqi forces launched two separate military operations on Monday to pursue the remnants of the so-called Islamic State in central parts of the country as well as in long stretches of desert wasteland near the Syrian border. The offensives come as the terrorist group has renewed its insurgency across various parts of Iraq. One of the operations took place in the westernmost parts of the largely-barren Rutba district of western Anbar province, Iraqi state media INA reported Monday. The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—an umbrella grouping of mostly Iran-backed Shia militias known in Arabic as the Hashd al-Shaabi—also participated. The operation came after an incident on Sunday in which fighters thought to be from the Islamic State but described in military statements only as a “terrorist group” launched an armed assault on a village in Rutba’s al-Walid subdistrict, kidnapping one resident. A security unit deployed to the area and clashed with the fleeing fighters, killing one. The exchange also led to the death of one civilian and injuries to three others. On Tuesday, the military communications center called the Security Media Cell (SMC) reported that forces had captured two suspected terrorists in an ambush in an area between the Walid and Tarbil subdistricts, west of Rutba. The town of Tarbil is situated on the Jordanian border with a reportedly high Palestinian population. Anbar province also borders Syria, from where large numbers of Islamic State members have infiltrated Iraqi territory after the group lost all of its Syrian territorial claims in March 2019 at the hands of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by Coalition airpower. The second operation, also on Monday, took place in the Mutaibija area of Salahuddin province’s Samarra district, according to an SMC statement. The army and other security forces began a “massive military operation within the Mutaibija region to hunt Da’esh [ISIS] remnants and enhance security and stability in them.” Immediately bordering Diyala province—another area where the terrorist group has been notably active recently—, Mutaibija has been the site of repeated Iraqi operations since the Islamic State’s territorial collapse in Iraq in late 2017. The sprawling domain’s rugged terrain, covered with dense vegetation, has made it a favored hiding spot for insurgents to regroup and plan attacks on nearby localities and security outposts. Multiple rural areas of Iraq with similarly rough topography have long been exploited by the terrorist organization's sleeper cells as launchpads for future attacks. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police In a separate statement later Monday, the SMC also announced the arrest of a suspected Islamic State “executions committee official” in an ambush on the road leading to Salahuddin’s southernmost Dujail district, a Shia-majority section of the predominately Sunni province. As the terrorist organization stepped up its attacks over the past several weeks, Iraqi, French, Australian, British, and American aircraft carried out air operations against militant hideouts across different parts of Iraq in April, anti-ISIS Coalition spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III said in a tweet on Sunday. The recent efforts come amid increased numbers of insurgent-style attacks by the group, emboldened as a series of crises that Iraq finds itself embroiled in. From the new coronavirus outbreak that has crippled governments worldwide to the ongoing power-struggle in the national capital over the composition of a cabinet, much-needed attention appeared to have been diverted away from areas where Islamic State operatives have always been most active. Between the first of the year and April 22, members of the terrorist group have killed 170 civilians and security personnel in attacks across the country, according to a recent military statement. In that time period, forces were reported to have carried out 1,060 security operations, killing 135 Islamic State fighters, destroying 279 hideouts and tunnels, as well as seizing and disposing of large numbers of explosives, rockets, and suicide vests. Early Tuesday, a member of the terrorist group detonated his suicide vest while attempting to penetrate the intelligence headquarters of Kirkuk province, one of the most prominent areas disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal Iraqi government. Six people were reportedly wounded. Top Kurdistan Region officials and Peshmerga commanders have issued repeated warnings to both the Iraqi government and the international community that the Islamic State remains active and capable of reasserting itself to continue its campaign of violence, especially in disputed territories. “All the root causes that led to the rise of ISIS, and the collaboration of the people with ISIS,” as Kurdistan Region Prime Minister explained in a February interview with France 24, “still exist.” Despite years of attempts by the Iraqi government to stop their growth, terrorist groups continue to find new recruits from Sunni-majority areas of Iraq in part, perhaps, because of the treatment Sunnis received at the hands of Shia-led Baghdad, continuing a vicious cycle of violence 17 years after the fall of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, whose government favored Sunni Arabs and repressed all others. This can be demonstrated in the case of two individuals who stand trial on terrorism-related charges in the US and Germany. Both are from Anbar’s Falluja; one was in his early teen years when the other is alleged to have killed Iraqi police officers as part of the Al Qaeda in Iraq group. The living conditions of Sunnis under a Shia-led government—periodically worsened depending on the ruler—may just have facilitated the Islamic State’s recruitment of now-27-year-old Taha al-J, fighting at the whims of a Saddam-era senior military officer said to have established the terrorist group in 2012. https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/f5315df9-bb72-4402-bdcd-e9cb230f4674 The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police April 30, 2020 Beirut, Lebanon ISIS terrorist claims he received training in Turkey before going to Iraq The Central Investigation Court of the Presidency released a statement on Wednesday that said two Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) terrorists were captured in military operations in Baghdad and AlAnbar. The statement by the Iraqi judiciary said, “The first suspect confessed to belonging to the ISIS terrorist gangs, and detonated several explosive devices against the Iraqi Armed Forces.” “The terrorist received administrative and military training courses in Turkey before starting his actions in Iraq,” the Iraqi judiciary said. The statement indicated that “the second terrorist confessed before the investigating judge of his ISIS affiliation and the setting up of fake checkpoints in Haditha, Anbar Province, that were targeting civilians and security forces.” He continued, “The confirmation and arrest of the accused come in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.” On Monday, the Iraqi Armed Forces launched a large-scale operation in two separates parts of the country. The first operation took place along the administrative border of the Diyala and Salaheddine governorates, while the second operation began along the Syrian border with the Al-Anbar Governorate. https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-terrorist-claims-he-received-training-in-turkey-before-goingto-iraq/ ****************************** Significant Dates in History ***************************** May 1, 1971 Northeast Corridor Amtrak is in business Brief description: The Chiefs, the Limiteds, the Zephyrs. They were more than passenger trains. They surrounded us with impeccable comfort and tantalized our palates with elegant dining fare as they whisked into a world of romance and mystique. During the 1940s, the passenger train began fighting a battle against the airplane and private automobile. By the 1960s, the passenger train was rarely considered as a means of travel. Schedules were erratic, trains were run down, and more often than not the journey was a miserable experience. Then, in October 1970, in an attempt to revive passenger rail service, congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act. That Act created Amtrak, a private company which, on this day in 1971, began managing a nation-wide rail system dedicated to passenger service. The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police For more information about Amtrak go to: http://www.libertynet.org/~dvarp/amtrak/about_am.html May 1, 1931 New York City Empire State Building dedicated Brief description: At the White House in Washington, D.C., President Herbert Hoover pushes a button that turns on the lights of New York City's Empire State Building, officially opening the tallest building erected to that date. Standing 102 stories or 1,454 feet from the top of its lightning rod to its base at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue below, the skyscraper became a world-famous symbol of American ambition and still dominates the Manhattan skyline. Designed by architect William Frederick Lamb, the Empire State Building was constructed during the height of the Great Depression but took just over a year to complete at a cost of only $40 million. The Empire State Building was surpassed as the world's tallest building in 1972 by downtown Manhattan's first World Trade Center tower, but it remains a major tourist destination and a New York City icon. For more information about the Empire State Building go to: http://www.esbnyc.com/index2.cfm?CFID=6480598&CFTOKEN=12994615 ****************************Significant Terrorist Attack Dates************************** May 1, 2004 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Gunmen open fire on oil contracting office Brief Description: On May 1, four unidentified gunmen opened fire at a petrochemical plant owned by Exxon Mobil and Saudi SABIC and killed six people and injuring at least two. Prince Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to the UK, called the attack an “indiscriminate evil rampage.” Authorities have not disclosed the identities of the gunmen or their motive; however, the four are thought to have been brothers. Some Saudi authorities, including Interior Minister Prince Nayef, are blaming al Qaeda for the attack. Another interior ministry official said that three of the gunmen worked at the contractor’s Yanbu offices, so they used their key cards to bypass security at the building in Riyadh. Type of Attack: Handgun Intended Target: foreign oil extraction companies Ultimate Target: Saudis and foreigners Killed: 10 Injured:5 Attack Group Attribution (primary):Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula Attack Group Attribution(secondary): None Attack Group Attribution (tertiary):None External Aid: None Property Damaged: None Law Enforcement Response: The fleeing gunmen led authorities on a chase through residential areas of Yanbu, some 550 miles northwest of Riyadh. Although the commandeered cars for an escape, police engaged them in a shoot-out near a Holiday Inn in downtown Yanbu. Police have since set up checkpoints throughout Yanbu that have prevented citizen movement due to the “heavy police presence.” International Response: US Ambassador James Oberwetter condemned the attacks and offered condolences to the families of those killed. He said, “The United States appreciates everything the Saudi authorities are doing to fight terrorism, including here in the kingdom.” Lessons Learned: None The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Joseph P. McGrann Metropolitan Transportation Authority Acting Chief of Police Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF d.or Terrorist Individuals Involved: Abdullah Saud Abu-Nayan al-Sobaie; Mustafa al-Ansari Victims: Among the dead: two US engineers from ABB-Lummus, two Britons (one also from ABB) named Michael Hardy and Michael McGillen, one Australian named Anthony Richard Mason, one Saudi. Three gunmen were killed. One Saudi national guard was also killed. According to the Scotsman, witnesses reported that the gunmen tied the naked body of one of those killed to the back of their vehicle and dragged it through the streets, past the Ibn Hayyan Secondary Boys School. Witnesses also claimed the gunmen were urging the boys to join the ?ght in Iraq. Two other ABB-Lrunmus employees were injured, among others. A Saudi police captain was also seriously injured. Two Canadians were also hospitalized. Resolution: Police killed three of the gunmen and arrested the fourth. The shooting also prompted the exodus of ABB staff?some 90 employees and 30 family members--from Saudi Arabia via chartered ?ights. Historical Implications: The US government had been warning US citizens? nonessential government employees, family members, and private citizens--to leave Saudi Arabia over potential attacks against foreigners. An ABB spokesman said that there are at least 50 Americans in Yanbu alone, and some six million expats?including 300,000 Americans--live throughout Saudi Arabia and are primarily employed in the extraction industry. It would not be surprising if al Qaeda was somehow behind this attack, as Osama bin Laden has called for the overthrow of the Saudi royal family and the expulsion of all foreign presence in Saudi Arabia. Targeting the oil sector, including oil terminals, refmeries, and pipelines, is also not a new tactic. Crown Prince Abdullah said, ?The kingdom will eliminate terrorism no matter how long it takes.? Security forces have been hunting Islamists and scoring successes for months. Abdullah, however, was later quoted as being ?95 percent sru?e? Zionists were responsible for terrorist acts in the Kingdom. Bibliography: May 1, 2003 King Abdul-Azziz Naval Base, Jubail, Saudi Arabia US Contractor gunned down in Saudi Arabia Brief Description: A US. civilian employee working at King Abdul-Aziz Naval Base in Jubail, Saudi Arabia was shot three times, but is expected to recover. Perpetrator is rmknown, but it follows only days after a State Department warning of attacks on civilians. Type of Attack: Intended Target: U.S. civilian Ultimate Target: US. and Saudi Arabian governments Killed:0 Injuredzl Attack Group Attribution (primary):Unknown Attack Group Attribution (secondary):None Attack Group Attribution (tertiary):None External Aid: None Property Damaged: None Law Enforcement Response: None International Response: None Lessons Learned: None Terrorist Individuals Involved: None Victims: US civilian injured. Resolution: None Historical Implications: Western diplomats suspect groups sympathetic to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden have been behind a string of attacks against Westerners in Saudi Arabia since late 2000. The Saudi government has blamed many of the attacks on gangs ?ghting over the illegal liquor trade. Bibliography: Gunman Wormds US. Defense Worker in Saudi Arabia Reuters, Thu May 1, 2:35 PM External News Items: None Date: May 1, 2001 Organization: Fatah Tanzim Attack Type: Shooting The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Metro?North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Joseph P. McGrann Metropolitan Transportation Authority Acting Chief of Police Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF d.or . . Casualties: . Location: Between Ofra and Belt El, . Target Type: Vehicle Killed: 1 West Bank . Injured: 0 Details: An Israeli motorist was killed when his vehicle was ?red upon and overtumed at a junction between Ofra and Beit El. His father had been killed in a similar attack 5 months before. May 1, 1999 Albuquerque, New Mexico Arson attack at Planned Parenthood Planned Parenthood of New Mexico was set on the by an arsonist who placed an accelerant imder the front door. Ricky Lee McDonald was charged with this crime. (Source: USDOJ BJA) Date: May 1, 1998 Organization: Unknown Attack Type: Bombing Casualties: Target Type: Of?ce Location: Pau, France Killed: 0 Injured: 1 Details: A home-made bomb, planted by suspected Basque separatists, wrecked a state tax of?ce in the southwestern French town of Pau. A passer?by was w01mded. The Basque Guenilla group Ipairetarrak telephoned a warning to the ?re brigade shortly before the blast. May 1, 1993 Buenos Aires, Argentina Homemade bombs damage building Brief description: Two homemade bombs exploded in Buenos Aires causing damage to the facade of a building. Two other explosive devices were deactivated. No further information is available. May 1, 1985 Brussels, Belgium Communist Combatant Cells bomb of?ce building Brief description: A van packed with explosives exploded outside the of?ces of the Belgian Employer's Federation in Brussels killing two ?remen and injuring 13. The Cormnunist Combatant Cells claimed responsibility. No fulther information is available. May 1, 1961 Havana, Cuba First US. Aircraft Hijacked Brief Description: Puerto Rican born Antuilo Ramierez Ortiz forced at gimpoint a National Airlines plane to ?y to Havana, Cuba, where he was given asylum. Type of Attack: Hijacking Intended Target: U.S. airline Ultimate Target: US. government Killed: 0 Injured: 0 Attack Group Attribution (primary): None Attack Group Attribution (secondary): None Attack Group Attribution (tertiary): None External Aid: None Property Damaged: None Law Enforcement Response: None International The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Metro?North Railroad MTA New York City Transit New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force ICTF@mtapd.org Joseph P. McGrann Acting Chief of Police Response: None Lessons Learned: None Terrorist Individuals Involved: Puerto Rican born Antuilo Ramierez Ortiz Victims: None Resolution: None Historical Implications: Hijacking as a terrorist tactic soon became prominent and by the late 1960s led to International Civil Aviation Organization treaties against hijacking, air piracy, and eventually bombing airliners. Bibliography: Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1961-2001: A Brief Chronology U.S. Department of State http://www.state.gov External News Items: None The agencies of the MTA, MTA Bus Company MTA Long Island Rail Road MTA Bridges and Tunnels MTA Capital Construction MTA Metro-North Railroad MTA New York City Transit