Ahmad Rahami appears in Manhattan Federal Court on terrorism charges for Chelsea bombing

The man accused of planting bombs in Manhattan and New Jersey was finally brought before a federal judge Thursday — nearly two months after being wounded in a shootout with cops.
Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, sported a thick beard, light beige shirt and prison uniform and walked with a limp during the presentment in Manhattan Federal Court before Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
His public defender, David Patton, said Rahami still was suffering from his wounds that could become infected at Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he is being held.
“We have some real concerns about Mr. Rahami's medical condition and the ability of the MCC to provide adequate medical care,” Patton said.
Rahami has endured eight to 10 surgeries and still has an open wound on his right leg that requires dressing.
He nearly lost his left hand and has serious liver damage, Patton said.
Patton did not request bail during the proceeding in which Netburn read the terrorism charges against Rahami. The alleged terrorist will enter a plea at a later proceeding.
"He certainly plans to enter a plea of not guilty," Patton said after the proceeding.
Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, faces up to life in prison for using weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, destruction of property and use of a destructive device during a crime of violence.

Rahami was wounded in shootout with police before being taken into custody.

“For his alleged acts of terror, Rahami will now face justice in a federal courthouse just blocks south of where he allegedly planted his bombs,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
Netburn said she would discuss Rahami’s medical care at a conference Wednesday.
The Sept. 17 bombing in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood injured 31 people. The explosive was “packed with ball bearings and steel nuts, hundreds of which were recovered from the blast site,” according to court papers.
A second pressure-cooker bomb allegedly planted by Rahami nearby failed to explode.

Rahami was also arraigned from a hospital bed on charges of attempted murder of a police officer.

More explosives were found in two New Jersey locations that same day, officials said.
Authorities have described Rahami as a "jihadist" who begged for martyrdom and praised Osama bin Laden.
He bought bomb components on eBay, made a video of himself testing out homemade explosives, and kept a journal expressing outrage at the U.S. "slaughter" of overseas jihadists, officials said.
He was taken into custody Sept. 19 following a furious manhunt that concluded with him being shot by police in Linden, N.J.
Rahami also faces five counts of attempted murder of a police officer from the shootout.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/ahmad-rahami-appears-federal-court-terrorism-charges-article-1.2867375

US intelligence to begin briefing Donald Trump’s transition team

Members of the United States Intelligence Community will soon begin sharing top-secret information with the White House transition team of president-elect Donald Trump. According to a report by CBS News, Trump’s team will receive “practically the same briefings” as those given by intelligence personnel to US President Barack Obama. The briefings will be delivered by career intelligence officers who are reportedly ready to brief Trump’s transition team as soon as the latter requests it.

The 70-year-old business tycoon was confirmed as the president-elect in the early hours of Wednesday, after scoring one of the greatest electoral upsets in American political history. He is scheduled to meet President Obama at the White House this week, where he will discuss with him the pending transition of his executive team, as well as pressing matters of national security. According to CBS, the President has already authorized the Intelligence Community to brief Trump and his senior aides on certain topics. Obama will continue to authorize intelligence briefings given to the Trump team until January 20 of next year, when the Republican president-elect will replace President Obama at the White House. As soon as Trump’s transition team members provide the names of his chosen cabinet officials, the Intelligence Community will begin to brief them as well.

Meanwhile US Air Force four-star General Michael Hayden (ret.) raised doubts on Wednesday about Trump’s ability to understand the way intelligence works. General Hayden, who led the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency in under the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, told CBS that Trump won Tuesday’s presidential election by “showing anger [and] being accusatory”. These are qualities that are “very alien to the way intelligence works” and do not fit “into the intelligence picture”, he said. General Hayden was one of 50 senior Republican national-security officials who signed an open letter in August, claiming that Trump “lacks the character, values and experience” to be president and “would put at risk [America’s] national security and well-being”. The 50 included former directors of the CIA, the NSA, the Office of National Intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security, and others.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis

https://intelnews.org/2016/11/10/01-2007/|

US reinforcing troops in Europe as planned

The United States is continuing to reinforce its military forces in Europe as planned, irrespective of President-elect Donald Trump's future intentions, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Trump, who will take office in January, raised serious concerns in Europe by promising during his campaign that US engagement in NATO under his presidency would be conditional on members' payments to the alliance.

Washington is scheduled to start deploying an additional combat brigade in Europe in February to bring the number of brigades on the continent to three.

The plan is part of an effort to boost Eastern European defenses against possible attack by Russia.

"We are executing plans as they were constructed with our NATO allies," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.

"We leave it to the next administration to speak their policy choices," he added. "We have one commander-in-chief at a time."

The new brigade is set to begin its deployment with an exercise in Poland before sending companies to Bulgaria, Romania and the Baltic States.

Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, has criticized President Barack Obama's policy toward Moscow, saying he wants to improve relations.

Asked about the possibility that the current defense secretary, Ash Carter, would remain in office under Trump, Cook declined to comment on what he called "hypothetical" situations.

Carter "is focused on his job right now and he wants to serve this president until the end of his term," he said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-reinforcing-troops-europe-planned-233232762.html 

Senior anti-corruption official to lead China’s main spy organization

A senior Chinese official with a leading role in the country’s ongoing anti-corruption crusade has been appointed head of the nation’s spy agency, which has undergone extensive purges in recent years. Chen Wenqing, 56, will be replacing Geng Huichang as Minister of State Security. Geng, 65, will be retiring after nearly a decade at the helm of China’s intelligence and security agency, which is responsible for intelligence collection, counterintelligence and political security. Chen’s appointment was approved on Monday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. It comes a year after he was appointed as the senior Communist Party representative at the Ministry of State Security.

Chen, a native of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, joined the police force at a young age and rose through the ranks to become the local director of the Ministry of State Security’s local field office. After eight years in that post, he was appointed provincial director of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Communist Party’s agency responsible for combating corruption among Party apparatchiks. In 2012, Chen became the youngest-ever deputy director of the CCDI, working under the commission’s chairman, Wang Qishan. From that post, Chen helped lead a massive anti-corruption campaign that resulted in the purging of over 100 senior Communist Party officials on charges of dishonesty and sleaze. Those purged included several senior officials at Ministry of State Security. Among them was Zhou Yongkang, Secretary of China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which oversees the country’s security, intelligence and law enforcement institutions. The crackdown also targeted the deputy director of the Ministry of State Security, Ma Jian, and its once-powerful Beijing director, Liang Ke.

In recent years, several officials from the CCDI, who are seen by many as uncorrupted and incorruptible, have filled the positions of former Ministry of State Security bureaucrats who were fired during the government’s anti-corruption campaign. Chens’ appointment makes him the third senior CCDI official to be appointed to a senior post in the Ministry of State Security. Some experts believe that Chen’s move affirms the growing power of the CCDI, which has been the main implementation vehicle of President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anticorruption campaign that has gripped China since his rise to power in 2012.

https://intelnews.org/2016/11/08/01-2005/ 

ISIS Is Watching you: Islamic State Hacking Team Shares Access to Security Cameras Around the Word

BLACKOPS Cyber (BOC), a U.S. based Cyber Intelligence firm, located a new type of threat in October which is indicative of the latest focus of the terrorist organization – technical resource development for lone wolves around the world.

BOC revealed in a report to authorities that the team had identified where a well-known ISIS hacking team was sharing access links as well as vulnerabilities to widely used surveillance systems.

Through late Summer and early Fall BOC witnessed the merger of two ISIS hacking groups that posted the surveillance camera links. “It literally took pace before our eyes,” said a BLACKOPS Cyber spokesperson.

The cameras were located around the world, in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Along with the lists of cameras, the terrorists posted a video on how to access  them. After examining the video, a BOC technical operative determined the vulnerability was “a viable rootkit vulnerability that would not require a lot of skill to execute.”

BOC noted that there is a need for video surveillance companies examine their security vulnerabilities and address them as needed, adding that some systems may be vulnerable and others may not.

Recent attacks against the Dyn DNS service powered by a huge IoT botnet highlight the importance to properly address the security of devices such as CCTV and DVR connected to the Internet.

BLACKOPS Cyber stated that their primary concern was that terrorists could use control of the camera’s to aid and conceal the activities of lone wolves. However, the concern for using the access to prepare for an attack exists as well, according to their spokesperson who said, “While the cameras can be used to conceal an attack, they can also be used to plan and execute one. ISIS operatives and lone wolves have been known to surveil an area extensively before carrying out an attack, and this access makes that much easier for them.”

Making the job of carrying out an attack easier is something that ISIS seems to be attempting through technology, according to BLACKOPS Cyber. BOC reports that they have seen an upsurge in ISIS related technical information and training over the past year.

The BOC spokesperson noted, “Technical support for lone wolves has been a recent focus for ISIS operatives. The focus on technical training for new operatives is concerning whether it is the basics of concealing their identities or much more sophisticated technical capabilities.”

For this reason, BOC maintains that it is more important than ever for intelligence agencies to protect their online sources, “ISIS operatives are not only spending a more time online, they are smarter about it. When we share our sources and resources or post critical intelligence channels on social media, they are certain to pick up on it.” According to BOC this can result in the loss of access to intel.

One camera on the list from ISIS hackers looks provides a view of the Square in a U.S city. G-TV camera

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/53048/terrorism/isis-surveillance-cameras.html 

SAS in Iraq given 'kill list' of 200 British jihadis to take out

British soliders in Iraq have reportedly been told their secret mission could be the most important in the SAS's 75-year history.

British special forces in Iraq have reportedly been handed a list of 200 British jihadis to kill before they attempt to return to Britain.
SAS soldiers have been told to “use whatever means possible” to kill or capture the militants, according to the Sunday Times.

The newspaper quoted a senior defence source as saying: “A kill list has been drawn up containing the names of hundreds of very bad people. A lot of them are from the UK. The hunt is now on for British Islamists who have effectively gone off-grid."

“This is a multinational special forces operation. The SAS have their own part of the plan and they will be going after British nationals. This is a kill or capture mission and it has already begun."

“We do not have exact numbers of UK nationals in Iraq. The figures which have been in the press are just estimates. We know there are British people in Iraq, but we have no idea of their identities."

“That’s the challenge we face. There is a lot of international co-operation because it’s regarded as a global problem.”

Estimates suggest there could be up to 700 British jihadis still fighting for Isis in Iraq and Syria. The SAS hit list focuses on the 200 most senior members that pose a direct threat to the UK. Reported to be included are at least 12 bomb-makers who studied electronics at British universities before fleeing to the Middle East to join Isis and other terrorist groups.

The list of British men and women has been compiled from intelligence supplied by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and is said to include Sally Jones, a mother-of-two from Kent who is now in Syria working as a recruiter for Isis. 

Any jihadis captured are likely to be handed over to Iraqi authorities to be tried. They could face execution if found guilty.

Sources said SAS soldiers have been told the mission to kill or capture the Isis operatives could be the most important in the regiment’s 75-year history.

The teams of specialist soldiers are based at the headquarters of US Joint Special Operations Command near Baghdad. They are also tasked with providing advice and support to Iraqi forces as the attempt to retake the city of Mosul from Isis.

Up to 100 members of Britain’s special forces are believed to be operating in Iraq and Syria to combat the threat from homegrown jihadis working with Isis. 

The possibility of Isis being defeated in Iraq has raised the prospect that British people currently fighting for the organisation in the Middle East will return home and plan attacks on UK soil.

The Ministry of Defence would not comment on the existence of an SAS hit list. A spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on issues of special forces involvement.”

Previous strikes by the British military on UK citizens fighting for terrorist groups led to accusations the government was carrying out illegal assassinations.


In 2011, then Prime Minister David Cameron faced questions after ordering a lethal drone strike against two British citizens fighting for Isis in Syria. It was the first time British drones had targeted British citizens, although the United States has being targetting US jihadis abroad for some time.

The apparent change in military policy was condemned by Amnesty International, which called the move “extremely alarming” and accused the UK of “conducting summary executions from the air”.

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and peer Baroness Jones sought permission for a judicial review of the policy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/sas-special-forces-hit-list-iraq-syria-isis-terrorist-attacks-drones-a7400756.html

Merger of BlackOps Cyber and GhostSec Thwarts Brussels Terror Attack

GhostSec, formerly part of the Anonymous collective, has merged with an established intelligence agency. GhostSec has been instrumental in helping authorities around the world to prevent terror attacks and locate persons of interest connected to terrorism and cybercrime.

On September 22, a terror plot against Université libre de Bruxelles, in Belgium, was thwarted due to intel uncovered by GhostSec, an online counterterrorism unit which has been instrumental in thwarting terror attacks in the past. GhostSec recently merged with BlackOps Cyber (BOC), an intel agency which provides a wide range of services including intel collection, darknet operations, threat analysis, monitoring of threat actors and counterterrorism services.

The threat emanated from a jihadist account on Twitter. According to BOC, the threats were discovered in a series of tweets and revealed an imminent plan to carry out an attack on the university in Brussels. From prior intel collected, BOC operatives knew Brussels had a high probability of being attacked again, as the city is often mentioned in jihadist communications.

Prior to last month’s attacks in New York and New Jersey, this particular Twitter account was openly tweeting the easily located and legally purchased components of canister and pipe bombs. The tweets also indicated the bombing would be in retaliation for the US-led coalition bombing of the University of Mosul.  

About BlackOps Cyber

BlackOps Cyber, affiliated with BlackOps Partners, is a leading developer and provider of special technical intelligence services, lawful intercept monitoring and surveillance capabilities, offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, managed security services, intelligence analysis, and rigorous operational training and subject matter expertise support to corporate security, militaries, federal, state, and local governments, and other government agencies.

For more information on the thwarted attack and/or the merger of GhostSec with BlackOps Cyber please contact us: gayleamurray@protonmail.com or team@blackopscyber.com

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3111206#ixzz4O12rESNr