the counter terrorist magazine - june/july 2012

The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 1

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C Y B E R - E S P I O N A G E • S U I C I D E B O AT B O M B • V E VA K • E M S R E P O R T I N G

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VOlUME 5 • NUMBER 2

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Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals

CounterThe

iran's nuclear objectives

2 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 3Circle 340 on Reader Service CardCircle 13 on Reader Service Card

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4 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 5

Counter The

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jUNE/jUlY 2012VOlUME 5 • NUMBER 3

8

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coVeR stoRy: 30 IRAN’S NUClEAR OBjECTIVES By Henry Morgenstern

FeAtURes:

8 Firsthand: USN/USCG ENCOUNTER SUICIDE BOAT BOMB By Phillip Null

20 Case Study: ThE RISE Of CYBER-ESPIONAGE By Chris Mark

44 EMS AND fIRST RESPONDER INTEllIGENCE REPORTING By John Runyan

54 VEVAK: INTEllIGENCE fOR TERROR By Tom Nypaver

depARtments:

6 from the Editor Tenacity

42 Book Review Milestones

66 Innovative Products DSG Alpha Holster, Hyperfire, Kerm-Lock URA, MK107 Diablo, OpMOD pVS-14, Rapid Assault plate Carrier

72 Training Review VATA Combat Carbine

Cover: Photo: National Nuclear Security Administration


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From The ediTor:

TenacityBy Chris Graham

Counter The


Volume 5 • Number 3 juNe/july 2012

EditorChris GrahamDirector of OperationsSol bradmanDirector of AdvertizingCarmen ArnaesDirector of ProductionKelli richardsonContributing Editorseeben barlowJennifer Hestermanrichard marquiseTom NypaverSteve youngGraphic Designmorrison Creative CompanyCopy EditorLaura TownOffice Managerlily ValdesPublisher:Security Solutions International13155 SW 134th St. • STe 204miami, Florida 33186

ISSN 1941-8639 The Counter Terrorist Magazine, Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals is published by Security Solutions International llC, as a service to the nation’s First responders and Homeland Security Professionals with the aim of deepening understanding of issues related to Terrorism. No part of the publication can be reproduced without permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the authors represented and not necessarily the opinions of the publisher. Please direct all editorial correspondence related to the magazine to: Security Solutions International SSI, 13155 SW 134th Street, Suite 204, miami, Florida. 33186 or [email protected] The subscription price for 6 issues is $34.99 and the price of the magazine is $5.99. (1-866-573-3999) Fax: 1-786-573-2090.For article reprints, e-prints, posters and plaques please contact:PArS International Corp.Web: www.magreprints.com/quickquote.asp email: [email protected]: 212-221-9595 • Fax: 212-221-9195Please visit the magazine web site where you can also contact the editorial staff:

www.thecounterterrroristmag.com© 2012 Security Solutions International

n january 2011, Australian Special Air Service soldier ben roberts-Smith was presented the Victoria Cross for Australia, his nation’s highest award. He was recognized for actions conducted in support of operation SlIPPer in Afghanistan.

mr. roberts-Smith’s citation reads: on the 11th june 2010, a troop of the Special operations Task Group conducted a helicopter assault into Tizak, Kandahar Province, in order to capture or kill a senior Taliban commander.

Immediately upon the helicopter insertion, the troop was engaged by machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire from multiple, dominating positions. Two soldiers were wounded in action and the troop was pinned down by fire from three machine guns in an elevated fortified position to the south of the village. under the cover of close air support, suppressive small arms and machine gun fire, Corporal roberts-Smith and his patrol manoeuvred to within 70 metres of the enemy position in order to neutralise the enemy machine gun positions and regain the initiative.

upon commencement of the assault, the patrol drew very heavy, intense, effective and sustained fire from the enemy position. Corporal roberts-Smith and his patrol members fought towards the enemy position until, at a range of 40 metres, the weight of fire prevented further movement forward. At this point, he identified the opportunity to exploit some cover provided by a small structure.

As he approached the structure, Corporal roberts-Smith identified an insurgent grenadier in the throes of engaging his patrol. Corporal roberts-Smith instinctively engaged the insurgent at point-blank range resulting in the death of the insurgent. With the members of his patrol still pinned down by the three enemy machine gun positions, he exposed his own position in order to draw fire away from his patrol, which enabled them to bring fire to bear against the enemy. His actions enabled his Patrol Commander to throw a grenade and silence one of the machine guns. Seizing the advantage, and demonstrating extreme devotion to duty and the most conspicuous gallantry, Corporal roberts-Smith, with a total disregard for his own safety, stormed the enemy position killing the two remaining machine gunners.

His act of valour enabled his patrol to break-in to the enemy position and to lift the weight of fire from the remainder of the troop who had been pinned down by the machine gun fire. on seizing the fortified gun position, Corporal roberts-Smith then took the initiative again and continued to assault enemy positions in depth during which he and another patrol member engaged and killed further enemy. His acts of selfless valour directly enabled his troop to go on and clear the village of Tizak of Taliban. This decisive engagement subsequently caused the remainder of the Taliban in Shah Wali Kot District to retreat from the area.”1

ben roberts-Smith’s actions demonstrate the tenacity, initiative, and judgment that built the Special Air Service regiment’s reputation. roberts-Smith’s accomplishments serve as an inspiration to each of us who are entrusted with protecting the lives, liberty, and property of our countrymen.

Semper Fidelis,

Chris Grahameditor, The Counter Terrorist

1http://www.defence.gov.au/special_events/roberts-Smith/index.htm accessed on 04-20-2012.



Counter The

Usn/UscG encoUnteR sUIcIde BoAt BomB

On April 24, 2004, seven men, five with the US Navy and two with a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, pulled away from the USS Firebolt in a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) and headed toward their patrol area around the Khawr al Amaya Oil Terminal in the North Arabian Gulf.

By Phillip Null

response, the rHIb coxswain brought his vessel’s bow around and, pushing the throttles flush to the console, made best speed to meet it head on. The purpose of the head-on approach is to show a clear signal of assertiveness that will either force the opposing vessel to slow or alter course and turn away. As the rHIb closed on its target, the sailors noted several details that made it unique from other traffic common in the area, most of which were wooden fishing dhows with inboard engines that moved slowly and were littered with fishing tackle and the

he mission was to run inter- ference for uS marines guarding the facility who had reported frequent small boat incursions into the waterside security zone surrounding the terminal. The Firebolt and an Australian patrol vessel would provide a visual deterrence and heavy firepower while the rHIb intercepted any approaching vessels, cautioning and redirecting them around the two-mile security zone.

It wasn't long before an inbound vessel was sighted, its course a direct line toward the terminal’s supporting structure. In

tAs we were approaching this vessel, I noticed that it looked brand new. It had a brand-new paint job, outboard engines, and no fishing gear on the deck whatsoever.

Local vessel explodes. All photos courtesy USCG.

USS Firebolt.

Firsthand:


grime of a work boat. In contrast, the approaching vessel was moving in fast and in less than a minute after it was first observed on the horizon, it was within feet of the rHIb. Close aboard the boat finally responded to the rHIb’s pres-ence and altered its course away from the terminal, but maintained speed even as the rHIb turned with it and paced alongside.

“This boat was very different than the norm you would see over there. As we were approaching this vessel, I noticed that it looked brand new. It had a brand-new paint job, outboard engines, and no fishing gear on the deck whatsoever. All I could see was one person on deck,” uSCG Petty officer joseph ruggiero, one of the men aboard the rHIb, re-ported.

Pulling even with the vessel’s con-sole the rHIb crew shouted and made hand gestures at the operator to bring his engines to neutral and stop. Normal procedure was to direct the vessel to stop and upon compliance hand the crew a chart printed with the boundaries of the restricted area and warnings in local languages to keep out. The suspect vessel never reduced speed, however, and the operator just waved his hand in the oppo-site direction then turned away from the terminal toward open water. The rHIb crew assumed this action meant the operator understood and was complying with its orders to depart the area. With distance increasing, the rHIb coxswain slowed to shadow the vessel’s departure, but as he did the suspect made a tight turn to a reciprocal course and headed straight for the rHIb’s beam. real-izing the vessel was trying to ram him, the rHIb coxswain turned away and slammed the throttles forward to avoid collision. The vessels came within 15 feet of one another.

Suddenly there was a thundering



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explosion. The force and heat of the blast travelled up then out from the suspect boat, tearing its fiberglass from the frame and disintegrating the hull and operator into lethal pieces of shrapnel and debris. yards away the seven sailors crowded on 17 feet of rHIb had no room to move and no time to seek cover. When the blast reached their position, it forced the rHIb and crew up and into the air before the displaced oxygen returned to its point of origin and pulled them into the water, capsizing what remained of the rHIb.

“When the explosion happened, I was basically looking at the boat. [I was later told by] my shipmates and other Navy sailors, as soon as the blast went off, they were about 150 yards from us; they didn’t see anyone emerge from the water for at least a full minute,” ruggiero said.

Debris from the suspect vessel littered the water and acted as shrapnel, opening wounds on the heads, arms, and torsos of the crew before coming to rest on the surface. Positioned only a few hundred yards, away the Firebolt observed the blast then waited nearly a full minute for the first sailor to resurface.

“I first pulled my lanyard on my life jacket, when the only thing that hap-pened was air escaping from it causing it not to inflate,” ruggiero said. It had been shredded by the blast.

Now treading water and struggling un-der injuries to his arms and face, ruggiero swam in circles looking for the rHIb through burning sheens of oil and gas. As his arms moved, one brushed against the hose of his Camelbak and he recalled prior discussions with his team on water survival tactics. realizing the hydration bladder might hold enough air to keep him afloat, he blew into the mouthpiece and found the bladder's integrity was not compromised by the blast. Held afloat by the makeshift lifejacket, ruggiero began to search for other survivors.

The first he observed was his fellow Coast Guardsman, Petty officer 3rd Class Nathan bruckenthal, whose lifejacket had inflated and was keeping him afloat only 20 feet away. ruggiero swam the distance and as he got close he identified several deep wounds to the back of bruckenthal’s head that were spilling blood into the water. His eyes rolled back and forth and he mumbled incoherently as he went in and out of consciousness. ruggiero pulled his friend onto his chest and backstroked toward the capsized rHIb where he could lift him onto the dry hull and assess his injuries. once alongside the rHIb, ruggiero found Navy Petty officer 1st Class A.r. Daley, the rHIb’s coxswain, holding onto the hull, disori-ented and focused on injuries to his arm that had lost 90 percent of the tricep and a large portion of the hand. After lifting bruckenthal onto the hull and reassur-ing the coxswain, ruggiero moved to the opposite side and continued his search for survivors. Fifty yards away was Navy Petty officer 1st Class michael Pernaselli, whose body floated lifelessly face down in the water. ruggiero yelled Pernaselli’s name and when he failed to receive a re-sponse, he started swimming toward him. With Pernaselli’s body in tow, ruggiero again backstroked toward the rHIb, but against an eight-knot current he made little headway.

by this point, eight minutes after the explosion, a helicopter was airborne from the Australian patrol boat and had closed the distance between the ship and the po-sition of the survivors, and it was hoisting Navy Petty officer 2nd Class Chris Watts from the water. Simultaneously, a rescue swimmer deployed from the deck of the Firebolt reached the capsized rHIb. bruckenthal and Daley were quickly pulled from the water onto the Firebolt, but because of their position away from the rHIb, ruggiero and Pernaselli

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14 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 15Circle 201 on Reader Service Card

were prevented from receiving the same assistance. This left ruggiero fighting the current and rotor wash for over 20 minutes until he reached the rHIb, and he climbed onboard still holding onto Pernaselli. Seeing his friend conscious and sitting on the rHIb, a third Coast Guardsman onboard the Firebolt jumped into the water with a life ring and swam to his position. He was quickly joined by a Navy officer who also went in the water. The two helped ruggiero secure Pernaselli in the life ring.

others were injured. ruggiero continues to deal with lingering effects from the ex-plosion, and for over a year had difficulty hearing and suffered bleeding from both ears. He only recently completed exten-sive dental work to realign his jaw. Petty officer joseph ruggiero earned a bronze Star with Combat “V” for Valor and a Purple Heart, the first awarded to a Coast Guardsman since the Vietnam War.

conclUsIonSeven trained fighting men, fully aware

of the threats they faced protecting the terminal and well equipped to counter them, were still vulnerable to explosives concealed in a boat that closed on their position faster than they could determine its intent. The security they provided was effective, however, and the boat’s intend-ed target was left undamaged. Intelligence gained with their lives also prevented additional deaths because a description of the involved boat was briefed to security personnel manning Iraq’s two terminals and they were able to move other patrol boats to safety as follow-on attacks were identified and interdicted with preemp-tive small arms and mK-19 fire.

Detecting these vessels is a difficult task once they have left their dock or trailer for open water. The only indicators that can be expected are minor abnormalities not easily observed unless close aboard. Although small craft are the preferred car-rier for a waterborne bomb, larger ships are capable of serving in this capacity, as demonstrated by Palestinian terror-ists who rigged six tons of TNT to the keel of a commercial freighter in a failed attempt to attack a crowded Israeli beach. monitoring the way vessels ride in the water is the simplest and most immedi-ate method for identifying potential attackers. low freeboard or a persistent list to one side are indications the vessel is overloaded, possibly with explosives. Condition of the vessel, its deck, and the

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“I later reentered the water from the capsized [boat] with mike’s body and started swimming back towards the Firebolt where I was assisted by two shipmates, who jumped into the water from the Firebolt. The three of us, while pulling mike’s body, eventually made it close enough to the Firebolt where we were given a line and pulled in towards the ship,” ruggiero said.

All were recovered onto the ship’s deck. Forty minutes elapsed from the explo-

sion to the recovery of all the victims. Three servicemen, Pernaselli, Watts, and bruckenthal, died in the attack and four

Amaya Oil Terminal.


type of equipment carried onboard can all suggest a voyage isn’t for recreational or commercial purposes. The absence of fishing poles on a sport fisher, wires visible outside of compartments, or tarps covering the deck are indicators merit-ing increased attention and scrutiny. The demeanor of the crew, and its focus on surrounding vessels, level of cooperation, and overall appearance will often be the most telling signs. A suspect focused and unwilling to avert his attention from a large commercial tanker while sweating profusely and speaking in short sentences should key suspicion. less suspicious, but a documented tactic, is overt friendliness by those onboard as they ease their vessel into striking range and detonate.

When a vessel is suspected of carrying explosives, maintaining standoff distance outside projected blast and fragmenta-tion reach is crucial to survival of a ship

and her crew. This is accomplished with pre-attack intelligence allowing avoidance altogether or the employment of armed escort vessels or onboard ship security. establishing boundaries surrounding a protected ship or facility, divided into layers to first investigate and when within range to stop by force, is the method used by the uS Navy to protect its fleet. Called a Naval Vessel Protection Zone, the area of water surrounding each war-ship is separated into a warning zone at the outer edge, where minimum speeds are directed for passing vessels, and an exclusion zone at the closest ring, where access is restricted and any offending vessel failing to obey commands will be taken under fire. To extend the protective boundary, small boats are often employed to intercept and query approaching vessels before they transit close enough to become a threat. These vessels and

the absence of fishing poles on a sport fisher, wires visible outside of

compartments, or tarps covering

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the crew take significant risk moving on inbound contacts and rely on early threat detection by judging responses to com-mands communicated over radios and loudspeakers. A vessel failing to turn away when ordered on VHF-Fm Channel 16, the international hailing frequency, and continuing on course despite the obvious presence of armed vessels will be classi-fied as a threat. Without knowing for sure that the threatening craft is rigged with explosives, aggressive boat tactics intend-ed to alter the suspect vessel’s course will be the initial response. If these efforts fail, escalation to warning shots and disabling fire will become necessary. The tactic of concentric rings has proved successful as evidenced by the unsuccessful attempt to bomb the Khawr al Amaya oil Termi-nal discussed above. Confirmation of an explosive laden vessel gives cause for lethal countermeasures. Firing on those operating the vessel may prevent them from actuating any detonation trigger, but without action to disable and stop the vessel it will continue to move, possibly closer to its target where a timer, pressure switch, or remote control from a handler will initiate the explosion.

Targeting the propelling machinery, the

engine spaces and propellers, will stop the vessel’s forward momentum, preserving the standoff distance needed to prevent damage and injury. rifles chambered for .223 or larger rounds are ideal for this purpose, allowing multiple rounds with sufficient penetration capability to be rapidly fired into the engines until they stop. In the event no clear line of fire to the engines can be established, fully automatic bursts into the vessel’s hull concentrated on its centerline will cause it to drag and reduce speed as it begins to flood. The resulting rush of water is also likely to force a turn as the vessel begins to list to its heavier side. even when dead in the water, a boat bomb continues to pose a threat and needs to be destroyed or, if time and circumstance require, disarmed and preserved as evidence and for intelligence value. Destructive fire is accomplished by firing into the vessel’s hull until it floods and sinks.

As we read of other bombing at-tempts ending in failure, it’s important to remember that these events can become unintentional trial runs for future attacks. Those responsible for attacking the uSS Cole made an earlier attempt to bomb the USS The Sullivans in january 2000, but their boat sank under the weight of the explosives. The attackers learned what they did wrong and got it right on the next try. only through a combination of intelligence, awareness, and decisive application of firepower can future attacks be prevented or countered. •ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Null is a veteran of the US Coast Guard with assignments that include the Maritime Safety & Security Team in Miami, Florida, a nationwide deploy-able tactical unit responsible for antiter-rorism and border interdiction missions. This article is based on interviews with Petty Officer Joseph Ruggiero, and De-partment of the Navy records.


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A rigid-hull inflatable aboard the USS Firebolt.


Counter The

At a Hopkinton, Massachusetts, office, an executive received an email that appeared to be from a coworker on March 1, 2011. Attached to the email was an Excel spreadsheet titled “2011 Recruitment plan.” The man opened the spreadsheet. The email was not from a coworker, it was a carefully crafted attack known as ”spearfishing” in which a fraudulent email is sent to a specific person.

he spearfishing email contained an excel spreadsheet with a zero-day exploit and a version of the Poison Ivy rAT (remote administration tool) payload embedded. The rAT enabled a hacker to gain privileged access to the network of rSA Security (an American computer and network security com-pany). The company had been founded by ron rivest, Adi Shamir, and leonard Adleman, the inventors of the rSA public key cryptographic algorithm. This single event initiated an attack that would result in the compromise of one of the largest and most respected data security compa-nies in the world.

Within weeks, hackers had penetrated rSA’s defenses and stolen the source code to the vaunted two-factor authentication

system, SecurID. SecurID is used by an estimated 250 million people worldwide. The attack was believed to have been ini-tiated using a zero-day exploit created by a Chinese hacker. evidence suggests the possibility of Chinese-sponsored cyber- espionage.1 rSA’s Ceo, Art Coviello, stated the stolen SecurID information “could potentially be used to reduce the effectiveness of a current two-factor authentication implementation as part of a broader attack (italics added).”2 This proved to be an ominous prediction.

on may 27, 2011, an employee at l-3 Communications, a major supplier of communication, intelligence, surveil-lance, and reconnaissance technology to the Department of Defense, noticed suspicious activity in the network. An in-

tthe RIse oF cyBeR-espIonAGe

Case Study:

the Us government and Us companies are losing the battle to protect sensitive data.

2011 Recruitment Plan

By Chris Mark

©istockphoto/loops7


vestigation showed a hacker had accessed the network using cloned rSA SecurID tokens3 and potentially accessed critical intellectual property related to defense projects. This is only one of several re-ported attacks that seem to have originat-ed from the rSA breach months before.4 It is believed that Northrup Grumman Corporation (a designer, systems integra-tor, and manufacturer of military aircraft) may have been targeted, and lockheed martin (an American aerospace, de-fense, security, and advanced technology company) announced that it too was the target of a “significant and tenacious” attack, which also apparently originated from the compromised rSA tokens.5

by February 2012 security analysts began to acknowledge what many have known for a long time. The uS govern-ment and uS companies are losing the battle to protect sensitive data. At rSA’s

“one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. so let them call us terrorists.”


annual security convention, robert mueller, head of the Federal bureau of Investigation, told the audience, “There are only two types of companies. Those that have been hacked, and those that will be.” echoing his sentiments, rSA’s Coviello took the stage and ominously informed the crowd, “our networks will be penetrated. We should no longer be surprised by this.” He added, “The reality today is that we are in an arms race with our adversaries, and right now, more often than not, they are winning.”6

The comments at rSA accurately depict the state of cybersecurity today. organizations are spending billions of dollars per year and are being literally and figuratively eviscerated by people intent on stealing data. There are growing num-bers of reasons why data is stolen but, in general, the motivations can be fit into three broad categories: political or social activism, cyber- espionage, and financial crimes. regardless of the basic motiva-tions, the methods of attack are similar

and the same techniques used to perpe-trate politically motivated attacks are used to steal financial data.

During a london speech in 2007 on credit card security and compliance, a French participant stated unequivocally to me that the recommendations provid-ed did not apply to companies accepting credit cards in France because, “In France we do things differently.” my response was to ask a series of simple questions. “Is the Internet in France based on the Inter-net protocol? Does the oSI model apply in France? Is structured query language used in France?” He sheepishly answered “yes” to all the questions. Whether the motivation is stealing credit card data, intellectual property, or state secrets, the attack principles are the same because the underlying protocols and technologies are the same.

To understand the difficulty of protect-ing systems from today’s attacks, it is use-ful to look at the concepts of unrestricted warfare and guerilla tactics. As stated in

Panel discussion at the 3rd annual State of the Net conference, held in Washington, D.C. From Left: Lord w:Toby Harris (UK Parliament), Chrsitopher Painter (US DoJ), Scott Charney, (MSFT),

Chris Young (RSA Security) and Ari Schwartz (CDT). Photo: Joe Hall



mao Tse-tung’s on Guerilla Warfare:“At one end of the spectrum, ranks of

electronic boxes buried deep in the earth hungrily spew out endless tapes. Scientists and engineers confer in air conditioned offices; missiles are checked by intense men who move about them silently, almost reverently….in forty minutes the countdown begins.

At the other end of the spectrum, a tired man wearing a greasy felt hat, a tattered shirt, and soiled shorts is seated, his back against a tree. barrel pressed between his knees, butt resting on the moist earth between his sandaled feet, is a browning automatic rifle...Draped around his neck, a sausage-like cloth tube with three day’s supply of rice…In forty minutes his group of fifteen men will oc-cupy a previously prepared ambush.”7

In today’s world of cybersecurity, companies are spending billions of dollars on cutting-edge equipment and monitor-ing systems and networks around the clock. on the other end of the spectrum is Hector Xavier monsegur, also known as “Sabu.” Sabu is a 28-year-old unem-ployed, high school graduate. He is a fa-

ther of two who lives on public assistance in a housing project in New york’s lower east Side. With a dilapidated computer he allegedly wreaked havoc on numer-ous companies, including Fox, Sony, and PbS.8 He does not require sophisticated equipment. All he needs is knowledge, patience, time, and motivation to attack a company.

As mentioned previously, there are several motivations that drive hacking be-havior. Although these motivations often intersect and may overlap, generally, they tend to be either financial or ideological. Financially driven crimes are, arguably, easier to anticipate and counter. Volumes have been written on the exploits of the russian business Network, boA Factory, mazafaka, and other alleged financially motivated criminal groups. Today, companies are also facing increasingly dangerous adversaries driven by ideology. People driven by ideology are often more dangerous and difficult to deter. Their willingness to accept greater risk and focus greater resources for less-perceived return makes them particularly chal-lenging. There are primarily two types of ideologically motivated adversaries threat-ening companies today: social or politi-cally motivated hacktavists, and “patriotic hackers” involved in cyber-espionage.

Hacktavism refers to cyberattacks or data thefts that are conducted primarily to make a political, social, or other state-ment. It should be noted that although the primary objective may be politically or so-cially motivated, these attacks often result in stolen financial and other data that may be used for financial gain. Two of the most prominent groups active today appear to be lulzSec and Anonymous.

In 2004 a relatively anonymous hacker named jeremy Hammond presented the lulzSec manifesto at the hacker conven-tion known as DefCon. To a chorus of boos and hisses, and with a bandana cov-

ering his face, the hacker, political activ-ist, and self-styled anarchist known online as “anarchaos” and “crediblethreat” stated defiantly, “one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. So let them call us terrorists.” He added moments later, “I’ll still bomb their buildings.”9 He served two years in prison in 2006 for cyberat-tacks. In 2011 Hammond was arrested again for a hack against the uS intelli-gence company Stratfor.

Although Anonymous is believed to be a loosely knit, decentralized group of hackers whose members may overlap with those of lulzSec, its motivations can be seen in its published manifesto. like lulzSec, Anonymous has political interests.10 Its manifesto states:

“The intention of Anonymous is to protect free flow of information of all types from the control of any individual, corporation, or government entity. We

will do this until our proverbial, dying breath. We do this not only for ourselves, but for the citizens of the world. We are people campaigning at this very mo-ment for your freedom of information exchange, freedom of expression, and free use of the Internet. Please remember this as you watch the news, read posts on Twitter, comment on youTube or Face-book, or send email to a friend or loved one: Anonymous is making every effort to defend free speech and free informa-tion on the Internet”

Anonymous concedes that it does not control, or try to control its own mem-bers’ actions.

“may we remind you that Anony-mous is a dynamic entity. Furthermore, anything attributed, credited, or tagged to Anonymous is not always based on the consensus of us as a whole. even the document you read now was written by at


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least ten people simultaneously.’State-sponsored cyber-espionage

includes hacks perpetrated directly by foreign governments, or by foreign orga-nizations and individuals associated with foreign governments. Although numerous countries engage in cyber-espionage, the largest perpetrator of cyber-espionage appears to be the People’s republic of China. Although the motivations are of-ten ultimately financial, we see a glimpse into how China reportedly motivates attackers to perpetrate the crimes. China calls those who steal for the benefit of China, “patriot hackers”.11 by appealing to the patriotism of the hacker, it applies moral relativism to the act. In short, the hacker, in their eyes, is not committing a wrong, he or she is patriotically support-ing China.

on April 15, 2011, the uS Congres-sional Subcommittee on oversight and Investigations conducted a hearing on


“knowledge is critical to deter the threat of terrorism.”

Elena Mastors, Ph.D. | Dean, School of Security & Global Studies

Dr. Mastors represents the caliber of AMU scholar-practitioners, combining in-depth field research with academic rigor. A foremost expert in political-psychology pertaining to counter-terrorism, she taught at the U.S. Naval War College and frequently lectures on subjects of conflict, terrorism, and political leadership. A published author, her works include, Breaking al-Qaeda: Psychological and Operational Techniques and The Lesser Jihad: Recruits and the al-Qaida Network.

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Chinese cyber-espionage. The hearing revealed the uS government’s awareness of Chinese cyberattacks. In describing the situation in her opening remarks, sub-committee chairperson Dana rohrbacher astutely stated:

“[The]united States is under attack.”12

“The Communist Chinese Govern-ment has defined us as the enemy. It is buying, building and stealing whatever it takes to contain and destroy us. Again, the Chinese Government has defined us as the enemy.”

The rSA compromise, as well as the theft of data from DuPont, and the theft of intellectual property from American Superconductor, microsoft, Cisco, and motorola to name but a few, demonstrate the motivation and sophistication of the efforts to steal data from uS compa-nies.13 It should be noted that the united States is not the only victim. The united Kingdom reportedly loses $45 billion per

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year from cybercrime with $28 billion in losses directly attributable to cyber-espi-onage.14 As detailed in the congressional report:

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“The economics of cyber-theft is simple: Stealing technology is far easier and cheaper than doing original research and development. It is also far less risky to the spy than historic cloak and dagger economic espionage.”15

Cybercrime has been an issue for companies since the Internet boom of the late 1990s. early criminal efforts focused on stealing financial data such as credit and debit card information, and website defacements. Throughout the 2000s companies have been plagued with data thieves stealing financial data. Today, companies and governments are increas-ingly facing more dangerous hacktivist and cyberespionage attacks. Companies that have focused on protecting financial data are now faced with the daunting task

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news/government/security/229700151 (accessed 3/15/12)

6Cowley, Stacy. (Feb 28, 2012) “New Cybersecurity reality: Attack-ers are winning.” http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/28/technology/rsa_cy-bersecurity_attacks/index.htm (accessed 3/15/12)

721st Century u.S. military manuals: mao Tse-tung on Guerrilla Warfare (yu Chi Chan) u.S. marine Corps reference Publication FmFrP 12-18 (accessed 3/18/12)

8http://www.foxnews.com/sci-tech/2012/03/06/exclusive-unmasking-worlds-most-wanted-hacker/

9http://www.belch.com/blog/2012/03/08/lulzsec-hacker-deliv-ered-defcon-manifesto-in-2004/ (accessed 3/12/12)

10http://www.indybay.org/news-items/2010/12/09/18666107.php (ac-cessed 3/12/12)

11of representatives, united States House (2011-06-30). Communist Chi-nese Cyber-Attacks, Cyber-espionage and Theft of American Technology (Kindle locations 188-189). Kindle edition. (ac-cessed 3/13/12)

12House of representatives, united States House (2011-06-30). Communist Chinese Cyber-Attacks, Cyber-espionage and Theft of American Technology (Kindle location 66). Kindle edition. (accessed 3/12/12)

13http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-19/news/30176716_1_alternative-energy-china-ties-data-theft-case (accessed 3/18/12)

14http://cyberpointllc.com/news_09.html (accessed 3/13/12)

15House of representatives, united States House (2011-06-30). Communist Chinese Cyber-Attacks, Cyber-espionage and Theft of American Technology (Kindle locations 188-189). Kindle edi-tion. (accessed 3/13/12)

of protecting intellectual property and systems from a motivated, sophisticated adversary often driven by ideology. •ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Mark is the founder of Mark Consulting Group, Inc. He is a data security and risk professional. He has consulted for numerous Fortune 500 companies and publishes the blog: www.GlobalRiskInfo.com.

END NOTES 1http://jeffreycarr.blogspot.

com/2011/06/18-days-from-0day-to-8k-rsa-attack.html (accessed 3/18/12)

2http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Northrop-Grumman-l3-Communica-tions-Hacked-via-Cloned-rSA-SecurID-Tokens-841662/ (accessed 3/18/12)



5http://www.informationweek.com/


Counter The

US AND IRAN: ONGOING LOw-INTENSITy CONFLICT

I believe Iran’s push for nuclear weaponry is but another facet of its ongoing war with the uSA. Israel is but one front in this long, low-intensity conflict.1 The effective start date of the conflict between Iran and the uS is well known and has nothing to do with Iran’s current push to develop nuclear weapons. Current events should be seen as the outcome, not the cause of a long process of adversarial relations between the two countries. The political, economic and diplomatic warfare, began on November

IRAn’s nUcleAR oBJectIVesBy henry Morgenstern

Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran. Photo: Government of Iran

...should Iran be considered an Israeli issue, or is this a Us/International problem?

I had the privilege of being in Washington, DC to attend the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference last March at the invitation of one of AIPAC’s board members.

A IPAC is one of the most powerful lobbying groups

in the nation; more than 13,000 people attended, including President barack obama, the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, and the Prime minister of Israel, benjamin Netanyahu, and members of Congress. This year’s conference attendance certainly reflects the power of the pro-Israel lobby. Despite the concern for the nation of Israel and its supporters over a nuclear Iran and the centrality of that subject at the conference, one of the questions asked by many speakers was: should Iran be considered an Israeli issue, or is this a uS/International problem?


Iran does not manifest a passive

resistance to our way of life but a very

active resistance. the aims of expanding the revolution to the

entire world were first embodied in the constitution of

Iran in 1979.

HISTORy OF RELEVANT US/IRANIAN RELATIONS

• 1979 Iranian “students” seize 63 hostages at uS embassy in Tehran, uS severs diplomatic ties and uS imposes sanctions against Iran.

• 1980 22 September - Iraq invades, uS supports Iraq in war on Iran.

• 1981 20 january - last 52 uS hostages freed in january. Their release comes after uS President jimmy Carter leaves office. 444 days spent in captivity.

• 1983 Attacks on American facilities. 241 uS Servicemen (220 marines) killed by Iranian Shia terrorist proxies “Amal”, later known as Hezbollah.

• 1985/6 uS holds secret talks with Iran and makes weapons shipments, to help convince the Iranians to assist in releasing uS hostages in lebanon. Diversion of revenue to Nicaragua nearly brings down reagan Presidency.

• 1987/8 US forces engage in series of encounters with Iranian maritime forces, including strikes on Persian Gulf oil platforms.

• 1988 uS cruiser Vincennes mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Airbus over the Gulf, killing all 290 people on board. As a result, and believing that the uS was about to throw its military might against Iran directly, Khomeini, according to him, “drinks a cup of poison” and capitulates in the Iran/Iraq war – two weeks after the airliner was shot down.

• 1997 muhammad Khatami elected president of Iran.

• 1998 President Khatami calls for a "dialogue with the American people" in American TV interview. but in a sermon a few weeks later he is sharply critical of uS "oppressive policies".

• 2001 The uS alleges that elements within the Iranian Government were directly involved in the bombing of an American military base in Saudi Arabia in 1996.

• 2002 russian technicians begin construction of Iran's first nuclear reactor at bushehr despite strong objections from uS.

• 2003 The uN's International Atomic energy Agency (IAeA) conducts a series of inspections in Iran.

• 2003 White House refusal to rule out the “military option” after IAeA says Iran "failed to report certain nuclear materials and activities". First round of sanctions begins, 9 years ago.

Note: When the uS invaded Iraq in the summer of 2002 until 2003, Iran apparently put its nuclear program on the back burner.

4th 1979 when men identified as “students” invaded the uS embassy in Iran and took the staff hostage,2 holding them for 444 days with at least tacit approval from the leader of the Iranian revolution Ayatollah Khomeini.

CLASH OF VALUES AND CIVILIzATIONS

Democratic principles and the notion of compromise are anathema to Islamic supremacists. Indeed, the present maximum leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, head of the Council of Guardians and Iran’s supreme leader, was

one of the foremost Persian translators of Sayed Qutb*. Qutb’s principle contribution to radical Islam was creating a disdain for the American way of life as the embodiment of all that is corrupt. Any government of man such as one “by the people, and for the people” does not come from the divine law of the Koran as given to mohammed and embodied in shariah. Therefore, the guardian and leader of the Islamic revolution must be religious, and this leader is the ultimate safeguard for the purity of man’s regimes, according to Islamists. Iran’s maximum religious leader makes the key

decisions and his will is enforced by the revolutionary Guard. Nothing made this clearer than recent power struggles between the supreme leader and the President Ahmadinejad, which Khamenei won handily.3 While Iran’s government has some checks and balances, everything must be endorsed by the religious leadership, including those who may stand for election. logically, this puts it in conflict with democratic traditions.

Iran does not manifest a passive resistance to our way of life but a very active resistance. The aims of expanding the revolution to the entire world were first embodied in the constitution of Iran in 1979. This is reflected in Iran’s proxy Hamas, which calls for the total destruction of Israel in its charter. Successive regimes have been diligent in the pursuit of this goal. Apart from recently attempting to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the uSA in Washington DC, the Islamist regime has been active since 1979, killing and maiming Americans in Lebanon, in Afghanistan, in Iraq4 and elsewhere. It has been especially active through its terror proxies Hamas (which has tentacles in the uSA)5 and Hezbollah6. recently, the Supreme leader declared, “In response to threats of oil embargo and war, we have our own threats to impose at the right time." It is likely that he means that they are prepared to unleash jihad in uS Cities.

The idea that the world’s first Islamist State may be willing to compromise on the basis of the uS President’s self-proclaimed “tough talk” of not “taking anything off the table” seems unlikely. Why would this intimidate the battle-hardened Iranian leaders? A prime example of the intransigence of the regime and its resultant immunity to public pressures was the Iran and Iraq

Iran Hostage Crisis student demonstration, Washington, D.C., 1979. Photo: Trikosko, Marion S.

*Editors Note: See Book Review on page 42 of this issue.


war that was fought from 1982 to 1988 – millions on both sides were killed.

Harold rhode, a former Defense Department official, cited the case of the uSS Vincennes and details the Iranian response to this in his study, Iranian Negotiating Behavior,7 which details the cult of the strongman and how compromise is considered a sign of the ultimate weakness in that society. *Editor’s note: See this issue’s Book Review. The war raged for years, causing costly Iranian casualties, but Khomeini would not yield. About a week after the uS missile cruiser Vincennes mistakenly downed an Iranian airliner, Khomeini publicly announced an end to the bloody, eight-year war and said that Iran had to swallow this “poison” in order to prevent dire consequences for the country and the Islamist revolution. From an Iranian point of view, this was no accident. The Vincennes incident proved


the first mistake was the offer by

the newly elected president Barack

obama to open talks without preconditions

with Iran.

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that the u.S. was signaling its willingness to use power mercilessly, and Iran had therefore no choice but to give in to the American demand to end the war.8

myths about moderates in the Islamic supremacist world who might come to the rescue of the West in Iran’s march to nuclear armament are also extremely dangerous notions that only fuel the crisis. There are no moderates in Iran’s leadership. Khamenei is as guilty9 as Khomeini in the slaughter of as many as 30,000 Iranians in 1988. Khatamei who was President and often regarded as a moderate in the West, was President in 1997 when the regime was as hard-line as it gets. Similar is the notion that the so-called “Arab Spring” that toppled non-Islamist heads of state will trickle into Iran. Iran, like Syria, will firmly repress any resistance.

The current conflict between the

Bushehr nuclear power plant under construction.


• The Iranians are watching the struggle in Syria. This has accelerated their programs. bashar Al Assad is their representative, and they have bolstered his regime. They anticipate the possibility of being next if that regime falls.

• Khamenai is obsessed with his own survival as supreme leader. He is in every sense the “Chosen one” and wants to continue. Although uS inaction in Syria is relaxing the idea that the uS might act to implement regime change, he would still likely prefer the insurance of nuclear weapons.

• Iran wants to win the “long war” that has raged between the two nations and knows that nuclear weapons will give a significant edge.

• The Gulf will become the fiefdom of Iran. lebanon is dominated by Iranian surrogates. Iraq is subject to Iranian influence after the withdrawal of uS forces, and bahrain is already known as the 14th province of Iran. All the oil States are likely to become part of this fiefdom, including Saudi Arabia if Iran has nuclear weapons.

The uS response to its old adversary

supreme leader and Ahmadinejad is unlikely to help. The President of Iran is now a lame duck and will be replaced but the regime will go on. Hoping that resistance will come from the streets is also futile since in 2009 (possibly the world’s best chance yet to depose the Iranian regime by assisting the rioting resistance) we missed the opportunity to intervene, leaving Iranian citizens to brutal repression. our lack of involvement in Syria will also signal to the regime that we will likely do nothing. This guarantees the further repression of the Iranian people.

wHAT DOES IRAN GAIN wITH NUCLEAR wEApONS?

I believe that the first reason why Iran is willing to enter into a debilitating economic conflict with the West in order to obtain nuclear weapons is because it feels that it can obtain these weapons. The uS government’s handling of the

Industrial engineering department (left) and "Nuclear Engineering and Physics" department (right) of Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. Photo: Ladsgroup

issue so far could serve as a case study in how not to deal with a terrorist state in international diplomacy.

The first mistake was the offer by the newly elected President barack obama to open talks without preconditions with Iran. 10As expected, the Iranians rejected this-even after having claimed it was the prime reason for the friction on nuclear issues in the first place! As soon as the President of the united States agreed to talks, they withdrew their keenness for “talks” and said the President was two-faced. The countries in the region took note of the uS move and the Iranian rebuff and in 2008 allegiances logically began to shift to Iran since countries in the Gulf had reason to doubt uS resolve.11

In a lively session at AIPAC named “Nuclear Intentions: Why Iran really wants Nukes’’,12 many of the reasons Iran wants nuclear weapons were enumerated:

• Iran wants to export the Islamic revolution, achieve hegemony over the Islamic world and bring back the Persian domination of the caliphate as well as achieve shia dominance of Islam.

• Iran would rather be North Korea than Iraq. Iran has witnessed first-hand how the uS can intervene in the region and topple regimes.

• Iran is a one-resource country and has only oil and natural gas. An attack against their oil fields would likely topple the regime fairly quickly. Having nuclear weapons deters adversaries.

• The regime will be able to use its terrorist proxies to the brink of nuclear war and know that they have the ability to retaliate. For example, if a bomb were placed in a uS City by Hezbollah – how would the uS respond if Iran is a nuclear power?

As has been pointed out by martin Kroenig, there is never a good time for war, especially after a decade of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Khamenai is obsessed with his

own survival as supreme leader. he is in every sense the “chosen one” and wants to continue.

IAEA's Safeguard inspectors. Photo: Dean Calma

38 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2012 39Circle 305 on Reader Service CardCircle 345 on Reader Service Card


has been perplexing. As has been pointed out by martin Kroenig, 13there is never a good time for war, especially after a decade of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He suggests that the idea that there are many good reasons not to attack Iran fade with the terrifying prospect of that country obtaining nuclear weapons. The usual canards stating that Iran’s hard liners will be strengthened, that this will not set back the Iranians much, that Iran will retaliate against our cities, close the straits of Hormuz and irrevocably damage the uS relations with the Islamic world are just that – naïve beliefs. The hardliners are already firmly in power, so no amount of attacks will give them an edge. An attack would only convince Iran that further nuclear programs will yield further attacks – a real deterrent in their terms. The ideas that they will retaliate or that our standing in the muslim world will be damaged are minor problems compared with the devastating consequence of a nuclear Iran. Perhaps the very best argument for not allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons is one advanced by brett Stephens.

“A state that can take a rock in its right hand to stone a woman to death should not have a nuclear bomb within reach of its left.” •ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Morgenstern is the president of Security Solutions International (www.homelandsecurityssi.com) – the publisher of The Counter Terrorist magazine. He is the author of Suicide Terror: understanding and confronting the threat (www.suicideterror.com). The opinions expressed in this article are his own.

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END NOTES1“Tehran Children on ‘jerusalem

Day’: We Came to Say Death to Israel, Death to America,” (Nov. 13, 2004). Youtube.com, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcklo8HcNyo.

2joseph j. St. marie and Shahdad Naghshpour, Revolutionary Iran and the United States: Low Intensity Conflict in the Persian Gulf (Farnham: Ashgate, 2011).

3David batty and Saeed Kamali Denghan, “Iran elections: Ahmadinejad rivals Set to Gain Control of Parliament,” The Guardian, march 3, 2012.

4jay Solomon, “Iran Funnels New Weapons to Iraq and Afghanistan,” The Wall Street Journal, july 2, 2011.

5Investigative Project on Terrorism chronicles the rise of front groups such as CAIr that have been proven co-conspirators in raising uS money for HAmAS, since the 1990’s. www.

investigativeproject.org6Cindy Saine, “uS lawmaker: Iran

may Have Hezbollah operatives in uS,” Voice of America, march 21, 2012.

7elton l. Daniels, The History of Iran (Westport: Greenwood, 2012), 218.

8Christina Lamb, “Khomeini Fatwa 'led to Killing of 30,000 in Iran,” The Telegraph, Feb. 4, 2001.

9brett Stephens, “The bogus Intelligence Debate,” Wall Street Journal, european ed., march 19. 2012.

10Thomas erdbrink, “Facing obama, Iran Suddenly Hedges on Talks,” Wall Street Journal, Nov. 13, 2008.

11matthew Kroenig, “Time to Attack Iran,” Foreignaffairs.com, jan. 2012.

12mark Dubowitz, brad Sherman, Avi Issacharoff, AIPAC Panel Discussion, “Nuclear Intentions: Why Iran Wants Nukes,” aipac.org, march 5, 2012.

13Kroenig.



Book review

s ayed Qutb was born into a wealthy egyptian family in 1906. In 1949 he spent two years in the united States studying, working, and traveling. He decided the country was corrupt and immoral. by the mid-1950s he was recognized as the intellectual leader of the muslim brotherhood. He is known for extensive writing and is credited with authoring Milestones, one of the most influential works for Islamic suprema-cists. This book has been translated into numerous languages and is available in multiple versions.

Qutb asks, “How is it possible to start the task of reviving Islam?” He answers, “It is necessary that there should be a vanguard that sets out with this determi-nation….” He concludes, “I have written Milestones for this vanguard….”

The author asserts, “Islam…means to bring human beings into submission to God, to free them from servitude to other human beings…to deliver them from the clutches of human lordship and man-made laws, value systems, and traditions so that they will acknowledge the sovereignty and authority of God and follow his law in all spheres of life.” Qutb adds, “When the purpose is to abolish the existing system and to replace it with a new system, then it stands to reason that this new system should also come into the battlefield as an organized movement….” He concludes, “It is therefore necessary that Islam’s theo-retical foundation—belief—materialize in the form of an organized and active group from the very beginning.”

Qutb makes the interesting assertion that “…this religion forbids the imposi-

Book who do not believe in God and the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and his Messenger have forbidden, and who do not consider the true religion as their way of life, until they are subdued and pay Jizyah.”

He observed, “It may happen that the enemies of Islam consider it expedient not take action against Islam, if Islam leaves them alone in their geographi-cal boundaries to continue the lordship of some men over others and does not extend its message and its declaration of universal freedom within their domain. but Islam cannot agree to this unless they submit to its authority by paying jizyah, which will be a guarantee that they have opened their doors for the preaching of Islam and will not put any obstacle in its way through the power of the state.” He added, “Thus wherever an Islamic com-munity exists it has a God-given right to step forward and take control of the political authority….”

Qutb concluded, “It is not the func-tion of Islam to compromise with the concepts of jahiliyyah that are current in the world or to coexist…” and added the threat, “Islam will change your concepts, your modes of living, and your values.”

There is little point to studying how improvised explosive devices are em-ployed or the capabilities and limita-tions of an AK-47 without also studying why they will be employed. Milestones provides much insight into why. When as many voters, security personnel, and policy makers have read this book as jihadists have, we will be well on our way to more efficient, more effective counter-terrorism operations. •

tion of its belief by force…,” but reveals “…it tries to annihilate all those political and material powers that stand between people and Islam.” Interestingly, at the time of this writing, the world had already witnessed communist revolu-tionary warfare tactics combine the two tracks of deceptive nonviolent efforts and combat to obtain goals. likewise, Qutb encouraged insurgency and admonished muslims to “enter the field with preach-ing as well as the movement, and to strike hard at all… Political powers….”

And just as muslim brotherhood affiliates today use the term “freedom” creatively, Qutb also advocated “freedom” and states, “Freedom does not mean that they can make their desires their gods, or that they can choose to remain in the servitude of other human beings…. Whatever system is to be established in the world ought to be on the authority of God. Then every individual is free, under the protection of this universal system, to adopt any belief he wishes to adopt.” He states, “The peace that Islam desires is that the religion has the obedience of all the world’s people.”

Qutb notes, “the Islamic movement… stands on the clear verses of the Koran…. Fight against those among the People of the

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Counter The

t

Times Square is closed by the NYPD due to a bomb scare. Photo: from Tokyo Japan

errorism prevention relies on the sharing of timely and accurate intelligence from a wide variety of sources, including national programs such as the “If you see something, say something” campaign encouraging citizens to report unusual activity in their community. This program, originally implemented by New york City’s metro Transit Authority, is now part of a Department of Homeland Security nationwide campaign.1 The campaign is also visible in los Angeles and Chicago. The “If you see something, say something” campaign receives a myriad of “suspicious” activity tips daily. The success of this campaign has yet to be determined.2

Other programs attempt to incorporate first responders, including emergency medical Services (emS) personnel, into intelligence reporting roles.3 One such program is the Fire Service Intelligence enterprise (FSIe). The FSIe “…is a collaborative effort of the State and local Program Office, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security, and the uS Fire Administration (uSFA) with support from the National Preparedness Directorate in FemA.”4 Participating fire agencies include FDNy, los Angeles, Washington, baltimore, miami-Dade County, and Chicago.5 over the last few years, the inclusion of first responders, specifically emS personnel,

terrorist attacks always have indicators leading up to attacks that provide opportunities to intervene if noticed.

The collection and reporting of information are essential to the prevention of terrorism and major crimes. Intelligence reporting, in this case, refers to alerting law enforcement agencies to suspicious activity associated with a potential terrorist attack or major crimes.

ems And FIRst RespondeR IntellIGence RepoRtInGBy john Runyan

People trapped in London underground. Photo: Adam Stacey.


first responders reporting suspicious activity to government agencies. many view first responder reporting of suspicious activity as dangerous and intrusive, potentially leading to violent acts of retaliation. other providers believe that reporting will create a lack of public trust resulting in some individuals not calling for help simply because of mistrust or fear of our profession. Additionally, today’s society expects privacy in all medical matters. our nation’s health care providers are required to expend considerable effort to comply with patient privacy rules and regulations. This often discourages providers from disclosing information of any kind.

Despite the negative implications, emS can take a positive and proactive role reporting lifesaving information. emS’ role in intelligence reporting of suspicious activity should be limited to that of potential terrorism and life-threatening criminal activity. It is not the responsibility of emS to provide information to law enforcement regarding suspicious activity related to routine crimes, unpopular

into this role has proven controversial. Safety issues, patient privacy, community trust, and scope of practice are all reasons cited to exclude emS and other health care personnel from the intelligence reporting

role. Despite these concerns, some cities, including New york and Washington DC, have provided first responders with the training to identify and report suspicious activity generally associated with terrorism. boston emS has a full-time presence in the boston regional Intelligence Center enabling boston emS to stay current with homeland security and public safety issues.

emS and fire personnel respond to emergencies offering assistance and specialized services. We do not arrest, detain, or interrogate the individuals we encounter while performing our duties. Traditionally, our profession reports only specific criminal activity, such as child abuse or neglect, to authorities. As a result, fire and emS personnel enjoy a certain amount of trust from the community. In today’s society, citizens expect rapid, professional, and private service from our nation’s fire and emS organizations. Communities often do not worry about

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political leaning, or drug abuse. I believe that type of reporting goes beyond the acceptable scope of emS providers and potentially interferes with our ability to provide safe and effective medical care.

The benefit of emS intelligence reporting regarding indicators of terrorism, however, outweighs the potential risk. reporting indicators of terrorism provides opportunities to prevent acts of terrorism, protects our nation and community, and ultimately saves lives. History is full of acts of terrorism and extreme violence, such as the Columbine High School shooting in littleton, Colorado, that had warning signs but no intervention took place. The events leading up to the April 20, 1999, massacre produced numerous opportunities for intervention in the year leading up to the attack. eric Harris and Dylan Klebold showed classmates homemade videos of shooting their guns. The jefferson County Sheriff’s office received several complaints from concerned parents regarding the violent website maintained by eric Harris. Two months prior, Dylan Klebold submitted a

FDNY Ambulance. Photo: Kevin B.

The Columbine High School Memorial, located in Clement Park in Littleton, Colorado. Photo: Seraphimblade

A New York City fire fighter looks up at what remains of

the World Trade Center. Photo: Jim Watson,U.S. Navy


story described by his teacher as “the most vicious story she’d ever read.”6

missed opportunities were also among the factors that contributed to the 2005 london Tube bombings, 9/11, and others. mohammad Sidique Khan, the alleged leader of the 2005 london Tube bombings, had been on the periphery of other terror-related investigations. As a result, Khan was never formally investigated. Detainees outside of the united Kingdom reported on Khan as part of a potential fertilizer bomb plot, but these detainees were never shown a picture to confirm Khan’s identity until after the Tube bombings.7 Intelligence personnel did attempt to identify Khan and another bomber, Shehzad Tanweer, however, a lack of resources resulted in a diversion in the investigation.8

Terrorist attacks always have indicators leading up to attacks that provide opportunities to intervene if noticed.

Terrorists do not have the ability to materialize with weapons in hand and reconnaissance complete. Successful intervention depends on recognition of and reaction to these indicators. Indicators can be suspicious activity such as conducting surveillance, rehearsing an attack, accumulating tools/weapons, and the rendezvous of a team. These indicators create an opportunity for alert responders and the public to notice the preparation for an attack and potentially for law enforcement officers to intervene. For many attacks, one of the most common clues pertain to changes in mood and behavior. Individuals familiar with terrorists have often noticed a change in behavior that appeared suspicious, but the individuals failed to act. A change in behavior was noted among those terrorists involved in the london Tube bombings and the attempted airline bombing on Christmas Day in 2009.9


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Reporting and active participation aimed at stopping terrorism remains

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New York, NY, September 13, 2001 -- Fire fighters continue to battle smouldering fires and clean up the wreckage at the World Trade Center. Photo: FEMA Photo Library.

Khan had worked with difficult children and became a well-respected teacher’s assistant. eventually, he began to display an intolerant attitude, which was contrary to his usual demeanor.10

Incidents of reporting were responsible for stopping the 2010 Times Square bombing. New york City street vendor Lance Orton was among a group of individuals responsible for noticing and reporting the suspicious, smoking Nissan Pathfinder.11 In 2007 a london ambulance crew responding to an emergency at a nightclub noted a similar incident involving a suspicious vehicle with smoke.12 The vehicle turned out to be a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VbIeD). The nightclub contained an estimated 1,700 people. Despite the

successful interventions of these two cases, it is important to remember that not all incidents will involve reporting suspicious activity as obvious as a VbIeD spewing smoke. However, reporting of suspicious behavior or a scene resembling a bomb lab will prove just as crucial.

Public reporting of suspicious activity remains instrumental in successful intervention of terrorist activity. reporting of suspicious behavior and indicators of terrorism by the general public have proven successful in intervening against terrorist attacks. A joint study conducted by the rAND Corporation and the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions at research Triangle Institute International examined 68 potential terrorist acts over a 10-year period from 1999 to 2009. The


Suspected car bomb in Times Square, June 2010. Photo: T L Miles

purpose of the study was to determine what interventions prevented the attacks. of the 68 recognized attempted attacks examined, reporting from the general public was responsible for stopping approximately one-third of these cases.13

reporting and active participation aimed at stopping terrorism remains critical to our nation’s safety and security. Despite the best efforts of the nation’s intelligence community, acts of terrorism still occur and are often highly decentralized. our nation’s network of terrorist early warning groups and 72 fusion centers would greatly benefit from the assistance of all our nation’s first responders. Knowing your community and response area enables you to recognize suspicious or unusual behavior. •


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END NOTES1DHS Announces “If you See

Something, Say Something” Campaign Partnership with the National Hockey league. (2011). retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20111229-dhs-partnership-nhl.shtm

2resnick, S. (2011). Is DHS’s ‘If you see something, say something’ campaign helpful or burdensome? retrieved from http://newmexicoindependent.com/68938/is-dhs%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98if-you-see-something-say-something%e2%80%99-campaign-helpful-or-burdensome on january 2012.

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role as Anti-Terrorist eyes of the uS Government. retrieved from http://www.emsvillage.com/articles/article.cfm?id=2276 on march 2012.

4Suburban emergency management Project. (2009) What is the Fire Service Intelligence enterprise?” retrieved from http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?biotID=652 on march 2012

5Ibid.6Kohn, D. (2009). Coumbine:

Were There Warning Signs? retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-3475_162-286163.html on march 2012

7reynolds, P. (2006). missed chances but nobody blamed. retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4763097.stm on march 2012.

8Ibid. 9esposito, r. and ross, b. (2009).

Investigators: Northwest bomb Plot Planned by al Qaeda in yemen. retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/blotter/al-qaeda-yemen-planned-northwest-flight-253-bomb-plot/story?id=9426085#.T2KW8myghFV on December 2011.

10bbC. (2007). Profile: mohammad Sidique Khan. retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4762209.stm

11Nichols, m. (2010). Ny street vendors praised for spotting car bomb. retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/03/us-timessquare-vendors-iduSTre64209V20100503 on December 2011.

12bbC. Police avert car bomb ‘carnage’ (2007). retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6252276.stm on December 2011.

13Hollywood, john S. & Strom, Kevin j. (may 2011) Can you help stop terror plots? retrieved on December 30, 2011 from http://www.cnn.com/2011/oPINIoN/05/10/hollywood.strom.terrorism/




Counter The

In February 2012 Azerbaijani authorities arrested 22 spies, bombings rocked New Delhi and Bangkok, and a foiled plot was discovered in Tbilisi, Georgia. Iranian agents are suspected to have been involved in each incident.

VEVAK’S CREATIONIntelligence efforts in the early years of

the regime were lacking in organization and oversight. The deficiency soon became apparent. Following a bombing attack against the Islamic republic of Iran’s ministry of Telecommunications on october 1, 1982, Prime minister mir Hussein moussavi called for a quick solution to fill the intelligence gaps through a bill that would create a single intelligence agency in Iran.1 Parliament

IntellIGence FoR teRRoR

Iranian Flag. Photo: Farzaaaad2000

In Iran, VeVAK uses IRGc, Iranian army bases and bases disguised to look like normal cities to train non-Iranian agents.

mBy Tom Nypaver

ost press reports point to suspicions that these are the actions of the Iranian revolutionary Guards Corps (IrGC) or Hezbollah, but there is likely another Iranian agency that is also very much involved in these events—the Vezarat-e ettela’at va Amniat-e Keshvar (VeVAK). VeVAK is Iran’s ministry of Intelligence and Security (moIS) and it has been a key agency supporting the Iranian regime for the last three decades.


created the organization as a ministry so that it would be under the supervision of the prime minister, president, and parliament, reportedly in hopes that this broad oversight would prevent VeVAK from becoming excessively powerful like the shah’s Sāzemān-e ettelā’āt va Amniyat-e Keshvar (SAVAK)—National Intelligence and Security organization had been.2 Thus, VEVAK was born on September 1, 1983, with broad latitude and the charge of “gathering, procurement, analysis, and classification of necessary information inside and outside the country.”3 VeVAK’s activities, however, would exceed this charter and come to include propaganda murder, kidnapping, torture, and terrorist attacks.

Circle 257 on Reader Service CardCircle 105 on Reader Service Card Circle 107 on Reader Service Card

VEVAK OpERATIONSVeVAK’s methodology can be

described in simple tactical terms as: find, fix, finish, and exploit. VeVAK acts as the primary agency for the find, fix, and exploit phases, but it often outsources the finish phase to agents, proxies, the IrGC, or the Qods (jerusalem) Force. According to Jane’s Intelligence Review, “The ministry of Intelligence and Security (moIS) plays the lead role in organizing and conducting terrorist operations abroad.”4 In Iran, VEVAK uses IrGC, Iranian army bases and bases disguised to look like normal cities to train non-Iranian agents.5 Iran also trains surrogates in foreign camps. These surrogates use assassination, kidnapping, and bombings to finish VeVAK targets. The most infamous of these forces is the lebanese shiite militia Hezbollah. Through Hezbollah, VeVAK is able to influence and control other terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad.6 The ministry also conducts extensive propaganda activities to exploit perceptions of its operations inside Iran and around the world.

DISSIDENT OpERATIONSIran did not wait for the formation

of VeVAK to begin killing its enemies. In December 1979 Iranian agents murdered a relative of the shah in Paris.7 In july 1980 David belfield (aka Daoud Salahuddin) assassinated an Iranian diplomat in bethesda, maryland. belfield was employed as a security guard at the Iranian interest section of the Algerian embassy in Washington, DC, but later fled to Iran.8 Also in july 1980 an Iranian-financed hit man attempted to assassinate former prime minister Shapour baktiar in Paris.9 The formation of VeVAK would formalize and organize Iranian efforts to eliminate dissidents.

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David Belfield (aka Daoud Salahuddin) assassinated an Iranian diplomat in Bethesda, Maryland. Belfield was employed as a security guard at the Iranian interest section of the

Algerian Embassy in Washington, DC, shown above. Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid


Iranian defector reza Khalili10 provides insight to this process:

“rasool has been sent to london from moIS as an agent to infiltrate the opposition groups. His duties are to identify group leaders, sympathizers, and individuals connected to them who travel in and out of Iran. This information is used by moIS to arrest members and sympathizers upon their arrival in Iran and to assassinate opposition leaders abroad.”11

journalist and author ronen bergman provides an anecdote about one VEVAK officer who ran such operations. Farhad Abdulgasem mesbahi was VeVAK head of the France station in 1983. mossad regarded mesbahi as an excellent operative and gave him the code name Gladiator. “mossad and DGSe [French Intelligence] learned

From left, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, and President Sheikh Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar make their farewells after a ceremony celebrating the transfer of full governmental authority

to the Iraqi Interim Government in Baghdad, Iraq, 2004. Photo: U.S. Navy

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that mesbahi’s activities were part of a major scheme to eliminate figures in the Iranian opposition.” mesbadi had also commanded the 1979 Paris murder mentioned. France quickly declared Mesbahi persona non grata, and mesbahi moved to Vienna and then to brussels. In 1989 VeVAK minister Ali Fallahian appointed mesbahi as the deputy head of station in bonn, Germany, to act as a back channel to the Germans. The Germans recruited mesbahi who “provided them with enormous amounts of information about Iran’s intelligence and terror networks in europe, and especially Germany.”12

The murders of Darioush and Parnaveh Forouhar in Tehran in November 1998 (critics of the Islamist government) began a series of killings within Iran. Kahlili recalls, “In what became known

Journalist ed Blanche references

a leaked Us intelligence report

that indicated Iran contracted

Iraqi militias to kill Ambassador l. paul

Bremer in 2003



as the ‘chain murders of dissidents,’ moIS agents stepped up their killing spree, murdering dozens of dissident intellectuals, journalists, poets, writers, and political activists.”13 The Iran Human rights Documentation Center summarizes the campaign: “From 1979 [to 1999], high-level officials within the Islamic republic of Iran, particularly those within the revolutionary Guards and the ministry of Intelligence, have been linked to at least 162 extrajudicial killings of the regime’s political opponents around the globe.”14 With protection of the regime as the primary goal, VeVAK operations against dissidents became a key tactic to achieve that strategic end.

ASSASSINATIONS AND KIDNAppINGS

The Iranian regime demonstrated its willingness to kidnap foreign citizens during the lebanon hostage crisis. Imad mugniyah commanded Iran’s proxy militia, Hezbollah, in carrying out some of Iran’s dirty work. bergman notes, “between late 1982 and june 1986, the peak period for Hizballah’s hostage operations, ninety-six foreign citizens were abducted in lebanon.”15 Iranian-directed hostage taking has declined, but has not gone away. This was seen in bosnia in 1995. john r. Schindler, professor of national security affairs at the uS Naval War College in Newport, rhode Island, recalls, “The [CIA’s Chief of Station, Sarajevo] learned that his VEVAK opposite number was planning an operation to kidnap, torture, and kill him.”16 Iran employed this tactic in Iraq as well. journalist ed blanche references a leaked uS intelligence report that indicated Iran contracted Iraqi militias to kill Ambassador l. Paul bremer in 2003.17 The most recent example occurred on march 8, 2007, when former


FbI agent robert levinson disappeared on Kish Island in Iran. According to former CIA officer robert baer, “The FbI’s best guess is that a rogue element of Iran’s intelligence service grabbed him.”18 If this was, indeed, a “rogue” element, this may indicate that VeVAK is an adversary that is even more dangerous because it operates on unsanctioned initiative. Fred burton, former deputy chief of the counter-terrorism division of the Diplomatic Security Service, assessed:

“There is a possibility levinson was abducted or even killed by a criminal syndicate… However, due to levinson’s profile, he obviously was under tight moIS surveillance... even on the off chance levinson did fall victim to a criminal plot, the moIS would have witnessed it. In that case, the Iranian government would have no motive to deny any knowledge of levinson”.19

These accounts indicate that VeVAK is at least complicit in the abduction by either employing or turning a blind eye to surrogates or criminals. There is little doubt that VeVAK has and will continue to view kidnapping and assassination as among its key tasks.

HEzBOLLAHIran has long denied its connection

to Hezbollah while openly showing support for the terrorist organization through its rhetoric. because of the volume of Hezbollah activities, Iran and VeVAK have been unable to cover their tracks. Former FbI director louis Freeh asserted, “Although the Hezbollah is based in lebanon, it takes its orders and draws finances and logistic support from Tehran, particularly Iran’s two security services, the Islamic revolutionary Guards Corps (IrGC) and the Intelligence and Security ministry (moIS).”20 Hezbollah operations

supported by VeVAK include:• Hostage taking in beirut and

lebanon throughout the 1980s21 • The 1983 bombings of the uS

embassy and marine barracks in beirut22 • The 1992 bombing of the Israeli

embassy in Argentina, and the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Hebrew Mutual Association (AmIA) in Argentina23

• The 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia24

• The 2007 plot to bomb the Israeli embassy and russian radar station in Azerbaijan25

BOSNIAN MUSLIMSThe bosnian War of 1992–1995

captivated the world. Supporters from

all sides rushed to the aid of bosnian Muslims to protect them from the Croats and Serbs. Iran did not miss its chance to provide arms and paramilitary support to the bosnians. Author Kenneth Timmerman adds, “The Iranian intelligence service ‘[VeVAK]’ ran wild through the area developing intelligence networks, setting up terrorist support systems, recruiting terrorist ‘sleeper’ agents and agents of influence, and insinuating itself with the bosnian leadership to a remarkable degree.”26 bosnia became a rallying point for mujahideen from across the muslim world. Iran embraced them all, but also focused on setting up a bosnian intelligence apparatus in VeVAK’s image.

A grave digger at a cemetery in Sarajevo, 1992. Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev

Bosnia became a rallying point for mujahideen from across the muslim world. Iran embraced them all, but also focused on setting up a Bosnian intelligence apparatus in VeVAK’s image.


Schindler observes, “While Sarajevo’s secret police sent some officers to Iran for extended training, hundreds of mujahidin passed through VeVAK and Pasdaran courses held in bosnia in the last year of the war.”27 VeVAK’s involvement in bosnia enabled it to increase its intelligence networks in the muslim world and to portray itself once more as the protector of muslims everywhere.

IRAqI MILITIASjournalist Neil mackay of the Scotland

Herald cites british ministry of Defense sources who assert that Iran passed false information on weapons of mass destruction through Iraqi exiles to convince the united States to go to war in Iraq. mackay also reports that Iran conducts the following activities:

• Transferring improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators

• Inciting sectarian violence• Surveillance and intelligence

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other reports are harder to verify. A baghdad newspaper claimed in 2007 that the city of Karballa was under VeVAK control.29 journalist michael ledeen says that Iranians operating inside Iraq were from IrGC or Qods, but some also came from VeVAK. Their mission, says ledeen, was to lead a variety of militias in the “second lebanon.”30 Others accounts differ. baer recalls, “’The Iranians aren’t crazy or naïve enough to send their own secret service agents [into Iraq], nor do they have to,’ one Shia politician in basra told the independent International Crisis Group. ‘Thanks to the parties that used to be exiled in Iran and those that currently dominate the local government, they already have Iraqi accomplices on the ground.’”31 The debate over whether Iranian operatives were physically in Iraq largely depends on the definition of who is an Iranian—that is, how Iraqis who lived in exile in Iran should be counted. An

example can be seen at the highest level. Selig S. Harrison, scholar, journalist, and author, describes such an instance:

“Soon after its 2003 invasion, the united States sponsored the creation of the National Intelligence Service, headed by a longtime anti-Saddam CIA ally, mohammed Shahwani, a Sunni. Al-maliki countered by installing an Iran-trained VeVAK protégé, Sheerwan al-Waeli, as head of the ministry of National Security, and succeeded in replacing Shahwani with his own man in August 2009…. Al-maliki, like many other Shiite political leaders of his generation, spent the Iran-Iraq War years (1980-1988) in exile in Iran and has longstanding ties with VeVAK.”32

It is difficult to determine the exact nature of VEVAK’s role in supporting Iraqi operations. yet, there can be no question that VeVAK is involved in supporting Iraqi militias to some extent,


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given its role as the “defender” of the shia and the Iranian Islamic regime.

pROpAGANDAControlling perceptions at home and

abroad is a critical VeVAK mission. VeVAK propaganda efforts are vast and permeate all communications made by the regime. Through propaganda the ministry attempts to convince all audiences of the legitimacy and piety of the regime and to discredit any opposing views. Propaganda is used independently and in the exploit phase of any VeVAK operation. VeVAK disseminates its propaganda through unwitting proxies, forged documents, announcements and commercials on IrNA television, and via prisoner confessions. In an attempt to discredit dissident Iranian exiles, VeVAK conducts an aggressive campaign to spread disinformation through foreign academia and media, and through

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organizations, including Human rights Watch, Amnesty International, the uS Department of State, and the uN Human rights commission.33 The Iran Focus website claims that mohammad-reza Irvani, VeVAK deputy minister to Ali yunesi, “scored a propaganda coup on may 18 [2005], when Human rights Watch put out a 28-page report on alleged human rights violations by the [dissident terrorist group] meK.”34 VeVAK has also conducted deception operations targeting Western governments. Schindler offers this case:

“In the spring of 1994, the british Foreign office discovered a letter, purportedly from Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd, explaining that london’s balkan policy was motivated by Islamophobia. It was a crude forgery, a clear case of what the KGb termed ‘active measures’ during the Cold War, and it had the mark of VeVAK. In late may,

the british expelled Vahid belourchi, the first secretary of the Iranian embassy in london, who was the VeVAK officer behind the operation.”35

other propaganda actions are directed at the people of Iran. VeVAK ministers Heydar moslehi and Qolam-Hossein mohseni-ejei have taken a more active role in making public statements on IrNA that deny Iranian involvement and accuse the opposition. In February 2009 VeVAK produced a commercial featuring a computer-generated cartoon of Senator john mcCain and billionaire activist George Soros.36 The ad alleged an American-Zionist conspiracy and encouraged the Iranian public to report all spies to VeVAK.

Within Iran, the forced confession is VeVAK’s main propaganda tool used to control and eliminate dissidents internally. elaine Sciolino, New York Times journalist and author, says VeVAK

is especially fond of creating videotaped confessions spliced with images of other dissidents or historic Americans to implicate the accused:

“There has been a pattern to the way such dissidents have been treated. usually they’ve been quietly arrested. Then, weeks or months later, they are paraded on state-run television recanting their anti-state activities, in detailed confessions that generally sound more invented than real.”37

In total, these activities amount to a sophisticated and enduring campaign by VEVAK to attempt to control perceptions of the regime. VeVAK takes every opportunity to inject each message with some measure of deception.

CONCLUSIONVeVAK is a formidable opponent of

Western governments, a fact officially recognized by Washington on February


Premium (November 27, 2010). 20Freeh, louis j. 2005. My FBI:

Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror. New york: St. martin’s Press. p. 9.

21bergman. p. 106. 22o’reilly, Cary. 2009. “Iran ordered

to Pay $310 million to u.S. embassy bombing Victim.” bloomberg, october 16. See also: brewer v. Iran. 2009. https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2008cv0534-20. See also: Valore v. Iran. 2007. https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2003cv1959-24

23Schindler. p. 136-137.24Heiser v. Iran. 2006. https://ecf.

dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2000cv2329-133

25Valiyev, Anar. 2009. “Alleged Iranian and Hezbollah Agents on Trial for Targeting russian-operated radar Station in Azerbaijan.” Terrorism monitor

Volume 7 Issue 20, july 9. http://www.jamestown.org (November 24, 2010).

26Timmerman, Kenneth r. 2006. Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran. New york: Three rivers Press. p. 138.

27Schindler. p. 241.28mackay, Neil. 2006. “Iran’s Spies.”

Herald Scotland, December 23. http://www.heraldscotland.com/iran-s-spies-1.834461 (November 4, 2010).

29blanche, ed. 2007. “The Hidden Hand.” Middle East, (march 2007): 7-10. p. 10

30ledeen, michael A. 2007. The Iranian Time Bomb. New york: St. martin’s Press. p. 119-123.

31baer. p. 90. 32Harrison, Selig S. 2010. “Iraq, Iran

and the united States.” Foreign Service journal, march 2010.

33mackay. 34Shakiba, Nader. 2005.

“Profile of Iran’s master Terrorist: mohammad-reza Iravani (a.k.a. Amr-Hossein Taghavi).” http://www.iranfocus.com/en/?option=com_content&task=view&id=2223 may 27. (october 22, 2010).

35Schindler. p. 137.36Geraghty, jim. 2008. “Iranian

Intelligence Creates Coolest McCain Campaign Ad ever.” National review online, February 12. (November 22, 2010).

37Sciolino, elaine. 2000. Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran. New york: Free Press. p. 239-242.

38u.S. Department of Treasury. 2012. “ Treasury Designates Iranian ministry of Intelligence and Security for Human rights Abuses and Support for Terrorism.” http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1424.aspx


16, 2012, when the uS Department of the Treasury designated VeVAK as an organization that supports terrorism and human rights abuses.38 Its leadership has remained loyal to the authoritarian Islamic regime. Devotion and fanaticism permeate its ranks. VeVAK’s operatives should be considered well-trained, experienced, and dangerous adversaries. Although some of the proxies have botched recent attempts to finish targets, VeVAK personnel likely remain behind the scenes continuing to find, fix, and exploit. These operatives have demonstrated the ability to conduct operations throughout Asia, Europe, the middle east, and the former Soviet states. In some of these regions, VeVAK can draw from a large pool of surrogate organizations to distance itself from terrorist acts. •

ABOUT THE AUTHORMr. Nypaver commanded U.S. Army

Special Forces A-Teams (ODAs) on multiple international deployments. He is a National Guard captain and is currently a graduate student focusing on national security issues at the Bush School at Texas A&M University.

END NOTES1Iran Human rights Documentation

Center. 2008. “No Safe Haven: Iran’s Global Assassination Campaign.” http://iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/english/pdfs/reports/No-Safe-Haven_may08.pdf (october 22, 2010). p. 9.

2Ibid.3Ibid. See also: Kahana, ephraim, &

muhammad Suwaed. 2009. Historical Dictionary of Middle Eastern Intelligence. lanham, md: Scarecrow Press. p. 125.

4Venter, A. 2001. “Iran’s Increasingly unconventional Arsenal.” jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst, April 1. jane’s online

(November 29, 2010).5Kahana. p. 131.6Calabresi, massimo. 2000. “Terrorism:

A Hidden Hand in the breakdown of Peace.” Time magazine, February 28.

7bergman, ronen. 2008. The Secret War With Iran. New york: Free Press. p. 136.

8Silverman, Ira. 2002. “An American Terrorist.” The New yorker, August 5. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/08/05/020805fa_fact?currentPage=1 (November 21, 2010).

9bergman. p. 136. 10“reza Kahlili” is a pseudonym

used by an IrGC agent for the CIA who later defected. Khalili has changed the names of people and places in his book to protect his identity. Names of government officials have not been changed.

11Kahlili, reza. 2010. A Time to betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran. New york: Threshold editions. p. 226.

12bergman. p. 133-140. 13Kahlili. p. 320. 14Iran Human rights Documentation

Center. 2008. “No Safe Haven: Iran’s Global Assassination Campaign.” http://iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/english/pdfs/reports/No-Safe-Haven_may08.pdf (october 22, 2010).

15bergman. p. 93. 16Schindler, john r. 2007. Unholy

Terror: Bosnia, Al-Qa’ida, and The Rise of Global Jihad. St. Paul, mN: Zenith Press. p. 241.

17blanche, ed. 2007. “The Hidden Hand.” Middle East, (march 2007): 7-10. p. 10.

18baer, robert. 2008. The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower. New york: Crown. p. 11.

19burton, Fred. 2007. “Iran: The Apparent Abduction of an ex-FbI Agent.” Stratfor, April 25. Stratfor



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Training review

VATA Combat CarbineBy Greg lapin

imes change and it is important that TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Pro-cedures) evolve to meet new demands. For this reason, southern Louisiana based VATA Group met with one of the busiest federal SWAT teams (one of their members had just been shot during a warrant service) to provide

them updated combat shooting training. This was important because it is always important to keep a fresh set of eyeballs looking for training scars.

Class began with an in-depth safety brief because reinforcing the four cardinal rules prevents negligent discharges and complacency. Students were encour-aged to train like they intend to fight. They were encouraged not to get lazy

or sloppy, and perform every function as though their life and the life of their buddy depends on it. A brief review of the basics reveals that everyone, no matter how good, has training scars and room for improvement. over time, human beings tend to become lax on the details and finer points of shooting. As just one example, it was explained to students that they shouldn’t just stack their thumbs

high, but drive their support thumb and manage recoil to the best of their ability to compress reset time between shots.

once the shooters got dialed in with Combat Fundamental Details, instruc-tors took them through Non-Standard response drills (NSrs), Vertical Track drills, and Zipper drills. The human body is an amazing system, and one never really knows how it’s going to react to trauma. Primarily when training law enforcement (because they rarely have to worry about running out of ammo) we say, “get yourselves out of the mindset of the controlled and hammer pairs.” Take the guess work out of it and “shoot them as many times as they need to be shot, as fast as the situation and your skill level allow.” We also talked about something we call the “Kill Corridor.” This simply refers to a narrow corridor of high value targets that runs up the body, from the pelvic girdle to the brain “box”.

The guys were shooting faster, driv-ing their rifles, and getting good hits throughout the Kill Corridor and execut-ing immediate transitions if and when their primaries went down. They were communicating with each other and tactical loading in between commands (of course, instructors insured that at some point rifles ran dry). We have all heard the valuable quote, “speed is fine, but accuracy is final.” of course, the truth is, if you’re not fast enough, you won’t have to worry about accurate, because you’ll be dead. The shooting equation requires skill at both accuracy and speed.

After a day of shooting, diagnosing shooting inefficiencies, self-critiquing, and pushing the limits, it was time to move on to gunfighter craft. Cruisers, units, g-rides—whatever you want to call them—are NoT good cover, but they are better than no cover at all. So if that’s all you’ve got, then you better be familiar with how to use them. you don’t want to

find yourself in an uncomfortable posi-tion for the first time in a gunfight.

We talked about the realities of cover, concealment, and the seriousness of limiting the exposure of your own body. We went through body position, opti-cal offset, and trajectory when you can’t employ your rifle conventionally. We set up multiple stations. The first station was a simple standing barricade/cover that illustrated that if you have distance on the subject and have the ability to penetrate past the plane of the cover a little, then you can reverse your support hand and C-clamp the hand guard to really stabilize the rifle and improve your ability to get fast, accurate shots on target. When transitioning to your support side, rather than moving the entire rifle over to your support shoulder and switching your fire control hand, you can maintain your normal grip on the rifle and simply shift it over to your support shoulder.

Students performed the same task from the kneeling position, both conventional and “the monica”, utilizing the C-clamp. From there they moved on to a vehicle, where we showed them the standard ur-ban Prone and the Fetal Prone, explain-ing the differences in positions and why and where they might use them. In the prone positions the shooters realized that even though they are pretty awkward and uncomfortable, you can get accurate, fast hits while drastically limiting your expo-sure. They were working out certain gear issues and realizing that some of their government-purchased kit (and place-ment of that kit) was not optimal.

once they finished getting brass burns on their arms, they moved to another vehicle. At this station they utilized the junkyard squat over the hood. They developed comfort rotating the rifle a full 90 degrees to maximize their cover and get their heads low, and they realized that if they shot their own vehicle, 1) it

would be some embarrassing paperwork and 2) their rounds were not hitting their intended target.

I always ask, “What is the best way to get someone to stop shooting at you?” and someone always responds with, “Shoot back.” I like to clarify and say, “Shoot them.” The junkyard position was covered from both backed away from the vehicle to make sure incoming rounds were deflected off the hood area well above their heads and from close up, using it for support, which simulated that they had an enemy in an elevated position.

We finished up the course and sat down with the shooters for a debrief—what worked, what didn’t, why, and how they can tweak things to make it easier. The gun fighter ethos, was talked about and we all shared some stories with each other. The shooters were all 40+ years old and in good shape. They were all quiet professionals who were eager to learn and progress in their chosen field.•

www.vatatrainingcenter.com

ABOUT THE AUTHORMr. Lapin is a former New Orleans

Police Department Criminal Intelli-gence Bureau detective. He has deployed to numerous high-threat regions to conduct security operations on behalf of the US government and provides international anti-piracy services. He has trained personnel from federal, state and local agencies and is a principal of VATA group.

tPhoto courtesy of www.vatatrainingcenter.com

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