Iacsp Magazine v15n3 21stcentury

8/8/2019 Iacsp Magazine v15n3 21stcentury

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Vol.15, No.3Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International

www.thejournalofcounterterrorism.org

12

Police

experts

wearing white

overalls (rear) walk

down a street to inspect

damage caused by a truck

bombing in the Algerian town

of Reghaia, 30 km (20 miles) east of

Algiers, October 30, 2006. The bombing

was one of two simultaneous attacks on police

stations overnight believed by security sources to

have been carried out by the main rebel group, the Salafist

group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). REUTERS/Louafi

Larbi (ALGERIA)

Doing Businessin the 21st Century

Where Terrorism is a Fact of LifeBy Michael Perelman, Aaron Richman, Dov Zwerling


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pany, this attack was a turning point for the

organization, and was coined as such by

ITRR analysts monitoring the region:

TAM-C Briefing2006-12-18

This 10Dec2006 attack on western

interests is a first for the group in over 5

years and the first since their 2004 pledge

of allegiance to Al Qaeda. This symbolizesits paramilitary development and the fact

that the group is now ready and willing to

join in on the International Jihad. TAM-C

analysts see a growing threat in this group

also known as GSPC.

Reuters has provided a sample of

incidents reported since January,

2007, when the Salafist Group for

Preaching and Combat (GSPC)

swore allegiance to Osama bin

Ladin and changed its name to Al

Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

In April 2007, 33 people were killed

in Algiers in a triple suicide bombing.

On Dec 11 2007, a twin suicide

bombing claimed by al Qaeda at

U.N. offices and a court building in

Algiers killed at least 41 people.

In February 2008, al Qaeda gun-

men attacked the Israeli embassy in

the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott,

highlighting Mauritanias status as

one of the few Arab countries withdiplomatic ties to the Jewish state.

In February 2008, Austrian tour-

ists Andrea Kloiber, 43, and Wolf-

gang Ebner, 51, disappeared while

on holiday in Tunisia and were held

hostage by al Qaedas North African

wing for eight months in a remote

desert area of Mali. The group had

demanded the release of Islamic

militants held in jail in Algeria and

Tunisia. The Austrians were freed

unharmed eight months later.

In September 2008, Mauritania said12 of its soldiers abducted in an attack

claimed by al Qaeda were found with

their heads cut off.

In April 2009 two Canadian diplo-

mats and two European tourists held

hostage by al Qaedas North African

wing in the Sahara were released after

several months in captivity. The group

had demanded 20 of its members be

freed from detention in Mali and other

countries as a condition for releasing

A

nti-government protest activ-

ity locations, times & dates,

which can affect a companys

personnel and assets; crime

patterns and trends that put the companyspersonnel at risk; the risk of using certain

motor routes for inbound and outbound

travel; the risk of known terror operatives

active in the area all point to the subse-

quent possibility of a criminal or terror-

related incident.

Looking at North Africa

North Africa, an area claimed by al Qaeda

of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has be-

Companies that have assets and personnel

abroad and that operate in regions at high risk

of terrorism must integrate comprehensive

and customized intelligence into their

risk management program. Through the

early identication of the terrorist threat,

the private sector can effectively allocatecountermeasures to survive and prosper.

Reacting to an incident is too late.

The ind ica tors o f a te r ro r is t

organizations intent must be used

in advance to protect a companys

personnel and assets.

Recognizing that what happened

yesterday is of importance only

in context of what may happen

tomorrow, the Institute of Terrorism

Research and Response (ITRR)

recognized the need to employ

security service concepts to meet

clients needs in the 21st century.

From on-the-ground resources

to communica t ion in te rcepts ,

professional intelligence service

concepts and personnel must be used to

understand and predict the threat.

come a very dangerous place indeed. As

these aggressive Islamists attempt to unite

the area spanning North Africa from Tunisia

(some would include Libya) to the Atlantic

Ocean, they have challenged governments

of all of the sovereign North African and

Sahel countries.

And they have made it dangerous for all

of those who are not members of theirorganizations. AQIMs activity in Al-

geria, Mali, and Mauritania provides an

excellent example.

The targets chosen by the organization

before it changed its name from GSPC

to AQIM were mostly local government

forces and security services who were

seen to be in partnership with the oncecolonist French government. This all

changed on December 10, 2006, when a

GSPC terrorist threw a bomb and fired

indiscriminately at two buses carrying

foreign employees of Halliburton.

One of the Algerian drivers was killed in

the attack, and several Brits, Americans,

and Canadians were injured. Both because

of the location of the attack, in the capitol

Algiers, and the target; an American com-

One of the Algerian drivers was

killed in the attack, and several

Brits, Americans, and Canadians

were injured. Both because of the

location of the attack, in the capitol

Algiers, and the target; an American

company, this attack was a turning

point for the organization,


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Vol.15, No.3Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International

www.thejournalofcounterterrorism.org

14

the hostages.

May 31, 2009 AQIM murdered

British tourist, Edwin Dyer,

after the British government

refused to exchange him for

Abu Qatada.

On June 23, 2009 an American

business man was killed in

Mauritania for what AQIM

claimed was his Christianizingactivities.

Making IntelligenceBased Decisions

One only needs to observe activity

in the region of the Mediterranean

Sea in the area of North African to

recognize the patterns of future ter-

rorist activity.

Recruitment Phase: A recent Alert

issued by ITRRs Targeted Action-

able Monitoring Center (TAM-C)

identified the aggressive recruitment pro-

gram being conducted by al Qaeda of the

Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) as they attempt

to strengthen their position in Algeria. In

the 23June2009 Alert, Abu Yahya al-Libi

was quoted as saying, Protect your

religion and from here, I turn to the Mus-

lims of North Africa to help their brothers

in Algeria.

To the Libyans al-Libi said, Your chil-dren did not hesitate to go out and fight

in Afghanistan and Iraq, and you have

neighbors that need your help. Rise and

come to their aid. They are brothers,

neighbors and of the same religion.

It is noteworthy, that on 23June2009, less

than 24 hours after the release of the al-Libi

message and the TAM-C Alert, an American

educator was murdered by AQIM terrorists

in Mauritanias capital, Nouakchott.

Taking credit for the murder, AQIM re-leased a written statement claiming the

Nouakchott killing. It was perpetrated to

end the victims Christianizing activities...

at time when savage bombs of Americans

harvest the lives of our innocent Muslim

brothers in Pakistan and Afghanistan....

Equipment Acquisition Phase: To carry

out terrorist activities, weapons are need-

ed. As al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb

prepares to carry out additional attacks,

they equip themselves using equipment

and weaponry of government troops that

they have attacked.

For example, on 17June2009, AQIM

attackers killed a group of Algerian

police officers in a combined roadside

IED and firearms attack on a caravan

of six vehicles escorting Chinese labor-

ers. During this operation the jihadists

also stole equipment and uniforms, and

set the police vehicles on fire. During

previous attacks, AQIM terrorists added

the stolen passports of contract workers

to their inventory.

Targeting Recon and Surveil lance: On

2March2009, the Targeted Actionable

Monitoring Center released an Alert

based on jihadi communications. The

intercepted communications dealt with

the pre-operational reconnaissance for an

operation in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt.

The reconnaissance cell provided GPS data,

maps, and photographs of Sharm el

Sheik. Additionally, this communica-

tions indicated the size of the terror

action cell and type of weaponry to

be used.

Moving to the Target Phase: Some-

times information of intelligence

value can result from an adversarys

unintentional release of information.This occurred when TAM-C analysts

recognized coded communications

that an attack would occur.

TAM-C Alert 2008-07-16

An analysis of this threat leads

the TAM-C to believe that the large

attack may include the Persian Gulf

states or Turkey.

Such an analysis is based on earlier

communications isolating these

regions...

Conclusion

This is a clear threat on an imminent attack,

and all ITRR clients should take this threat

seriously...

Nine days after the TAM-C Alert was is-

sued, a double explosion terror attack oc-

curred in Istanbul.

The worlds economies have taken a beat-

ing, making the business environment

more difficult than ever before. In todays

market knowledge is power, and foresight

is priceless; this is also true for security

and intelligence. Organizations that look

at all of the risks, both financial and se-

curity are organizations that will prosper

in the 21st century, refusing to surrender

to terrorism.

Authors

Michael Perelman, Co-Director, ITRR, Aaron

Richman, Co-Director, ITRR, Dov Zwerling, Director

of Tactical Operations, ITRR

References

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/

guidterr/app_a.pdf

For example, on 17June2009, AQIM

attackers killed a group of Algerian

police officers in a combined

roadside IED and rearms attack on

a caravan of six vehicles escorting

Chinese laborers.

Documents

Iacsp Magazine v15n3 21stcentury