GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: DEBKA REPORT: Central Jerusalem bombing work of terrorist professionals

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: DEBKAfile

24March2011 4:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The bomb which exploded Wednesday afternoon, March 23, near the No. 74 bus stop opposite Binyanei Haooma at Jerusalem's main northern entrance was detonated by remote control. It killed a female tourist and injured 30-40 passers-by and passengers, several seriously plus at least 20 shock victims who later sought hospital treatment.

DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources report that the attack was professionally executed by a team of three to five with local aid from East Jerusalem Palestinians. While the authorities have reassured the city that it was a one-off attack, intelligence and terror experts are certain a terrorist organization activated trained bombers and may do so again.

The 1-2 kilogram device planted in a suitcase was detonated at one of the busiest corners of Jerusalem, where taxis wait to pick up out-of-town arrivals and two buses take on passengers. The site of attack must have been picked in advance, with the bomber waiting in a getaway car nearby to detonate the device as one of the buses was pulling away and drive off to Arab Jerusalem or the West Bank before the police arrived. This method is familiar from the 2003-2006 Palestinian war of terror. The police initially set up road blocks on the highway to Tel Aviv before realizing too late that the bombers had headed east. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: North Korea Nears Completion of Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: ABC News

10March2011 9:37amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: North Korea appears to be protesting the joint U.S. and South Korean military maneuvers by jamming Global Positioning Devices in the south, which is a nuisance for cell phone and computers users -- but is a hint of the looming menace for the military.

Since March 4, Pyongyang has been trying to disrupt GPS receivers critical to South Korean military communications apparently in protest of the ongoing joint military training exercises between South Korean and U.S. forces. Strong jamming signals were sent intermittently every five to 10 minutes.

The scope of the damage has been minimal, putting some mobile phones and certain military equipment that use GPS signals on the fritz.

Large metropolitan areas including parts of Seoul, Incheon and Paju have been affected by the jamming, but "the situation is getting wrapped up, no severe damage has been reported for the last two days," Kyoungwoo Lee, deputy director of Korea Communications Commission, said.

The jamming, however, has raised questions about whether the Korean peninsula is bracing for new electronic warfare. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: 'New Taliban device' killed bomb expert

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Independent

10February2011 2:11pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: A bomb disposal hero did not have equipment to detect a new Taliban device which killed him in Afghanistan, an inquest heard today.

Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid was posthumously awarded the George Cross for disarming 64 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in five months.

But on the last day before he was due to fly home to see his family, he triggered a pressure plate which had recently been developed by the Taliban.

The 30-year-old was hailed as "phenomenally great" and "a giant of a man" as his inquest in Truro came to a close.

S/Sgt Schmid died after his knee came into contact with the plate as he disarmed his third set of explosives on that day alone in Sangin.

Colonel Bob Seddon, Britain's top bomb disposal officer who resigned last year, said it was a "constant battle" to keep up with new IEDs developed by the Taliban. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING:FBI asks for KREM 2's help with backpack bomb investigation

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: KREM.com

25January2011 8:55amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  SPOKANE -- The FBI is turning to KREM 2 News for help one week after city workers discovered a bomb in Downtown Spokane.

Investigators are requesting all of KREM 2’s video to help piece together the domestic terrorism act. Agents will not comment on specifics of the investigation but they say they are looking at every shred of evidence behind the attempt to bomb the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.

On Monday, our editors pieced together all of our footage from that day to give to the FBI.

Spokesperson Frank Harrill says this remains a very wide reaching investigation and any material either from the public or the media might help the FBI determine who deposited the device. (read full article)

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Severed head found at Moscow airport thought to belong to suicide bomber

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: FOX NEWS

25January2011 8:22amEST

CIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  (NewsCore) - The severed head of a suspected suicide bomber was located Monday after a massive bomb ripped through a bustling Russian airport, killing at least 35 people and injuring dozens more.

The explosion brought devastation to the arrivals hall of Domodedovo Airport, the busiest of Moscow's three airports, at 4:32pm local time.

Law enforcement officials told the RIA Novosti news agency that the bomb, which was detonated close to a cafe, had the equivalent power of five kilos (11 lbs) of TNT. It was packed with metal objects to maximize the potential damage.

Sky News reported that a British citizen, and possibly a second, were killed, citing the Russian Prosecutor's Office. An Italian and a Frenchman were among the estimated 130 people injured, 20 of whom were gravely ill, Russian media said.

"Burned people are running about ... they are carrying pieces of flesh on stretchers," a shaken eyewitness named Andrei was quoted as saying by AFP.

"Me and my colleague were thrown against the wall, we were hit hard. We were only saved by the fact that there were a lot of people around us," said rental company worker Alexei Spiridonov.

"We jumped up and tried to help [the] wounded. Body parts lay around, there was blood everywhere. It was an awful picture," he told Russia's LifeNews

News reports in Russia suggested the atrocity was the work of one, or possibly two, suicide bombers who may have had assistance from several accomplices.

The Interfax news agency said that a severed head found at the bomb site, a "meet and greet" area accessible to the public, was believed to be that of the bomber.

"We found the head of a man of Arab appearance, aged 30 to 35. It seems he detonated the explosive device," a law enforcement source told the agency.

Further Russian reports said that three men were being hunted by authorities, who described the bombing as an "act of terror." (read full report)

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Report: At Least 23 Dead in Explosion in Moscow’s Busiest Airport

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: FOX NEWS

24January2011 9:25pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  A witness to the massive explosion that killed at least 35 people at Moscow's busiest airport Monday says he saw a man carrying a flaming suitcase seconds before the blast.

Artyom Zhilenkov, a 35-year-old driver, told The Associated Press he was just a few yards away from the explosion and saw a man who may have been the bomber.

"I saw the suitcase, the suitcase was on fire. So, either the man blew up something, or something went off on the man's body, or the suitcase went off." said Zhilenkov, whose clothes were soaked in blood.

"The guy standing next to me was torn to pieces," he added.

Russian officials put the death toll at 31 and said nearly 170 people were injured in the explosion Monday afternoon, while an airport spokesman reported 35 dead and about 46 wounded.

(read full report)