Archive for category Crime

Law Enforcement: Terror Case Is Called One of the Most Serious in Years

Sep 25

Posted by Matt in Crime, Law Enforcement, Military News | No Comments

   Bravo to the local law enforcement agencies and the various federal agencies involved in uncovering this plot.  This deal also highlights the importance of promoting ‘DIY counter-terrorism’.  What I mean by that, is everyone hears about the ‘lone wolf’ concept, of some nut job or group learning how to assemble an operation and the key components of an operation all on their own.  There is so much information available online to learn how to make explosives or how to correctly conduct an operation, that it can empower the individual to do whatever they want to do.  In my view, we must apply good sound police and investigative techniques to finding these guys, but also empower the citizenry with the knowledge necessary to identify these threats.  This case totally highlights the importance of that.

   This window licker named Zazi bought a ton of hydrogen peroxide at a beauty supplies store, and thanks to the store attendant, he was able to put two and two together and reported the suspicious activity to authorities. They took it from there and uncovered a massive terror plot.  That beauty store attendant is what I would define as a ‘lone sheepdog’ or the counter to the ‘lone wolf’, and good job to you sir. -Matt

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Terror Case Is Called One of the Most Serious in Years

By DAVID JOHNSTON and SCOTT SHANE

September 25, 2009

WASHINGTON — Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, senior government officials have announced dozens of terrorism cases that on closer examination seemed to diminish as legitimate threats. The accumulating evidence against a Denver airport shuttle driver suggests he may be different, with some investigators calling his case the most serious in years.

Documents filed in Brooklyn against the driver, Najibullah Zazi, contend he bought chemicals needed to build a bomb — hydrogen peroxide, acetone and hydrochloric acid — and in doing so, Mr. Zazi took a critical step made by few other terrorism suspects.

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Crime: Helicopter Used in Swedish Cash Depot Raid

Sep 23

Posted by Matt in Crime, Sweden | 2 Comments

   Thanks to Doug for sending me this.  I think what is interesting about this, is the complexity of the operation.  These are not amateurs, and reading through the little details on this thing, you can’t help but to be impressed.  The question I have, and Doug alluded to this as well, is if this is a state sponsored crime or what?  Is this the act of a state sponsored cell, a terrorist cell, or just some really organized criminal gang?.  What do they plan on doing with the cash, if this is part of  a larger plot?

   One more comment on this.  These criminals were operating within the police and bank’s OODA loop, and defeated them.  With the helicopter, they were able to accelerate the movements and maximize observational capability.  The bag with ‘bomb’ written on it, is what threw the police off operationally, and bought the criminals some time.  That is what is interesting to me about this whole thing. -Matt

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Helicopter used in Swedish cash depot raid

By Per Nyberg

09/23/2009

(CNN) — A helicopter and explosives were used in an early morning raid on a cash depot in Stockholm, Sweden, police said Wednesday.

A helicopter landed on the roof of the G4S cash depot in Vastberga, in the southern part of Stockholm, shortly after 5 a.m. (11 p.m. ET), Swedish police said.

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Law Enforcement: On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

Aug 12

Posted by Matt in Crime, Law Enforcement, Tactical Thought Process | 4 Comments

   This is an excellent read, and I want to thank Matt for sending me this.  I love it when readers are inspired by stuff, and send it in for the rest of us to enjoy.

   I put this under ‘law enforcement’, but really, this could apply to military and security contractors.  It is a really good definition of what we are and what drives us.  It also defines the correct mindset to have in order to survive and win the fight.  Enjoy. -Matt

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 On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

(From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)

“Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.

The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?”

- William J. Bennett

  In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy

  November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep.

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Crime: British Contractor Kills Two Colleagues in Iraq

Aug 9

Posted by Matt in Crime, Iraq | No Comments

   Tragic.  For those that know the deceased and for the families, I am sorry you are having to go through this. -Matt

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British Contractor Kills Two Colleagues in Iraq

By Ernesto LondoñoWashington Post Foreign ServiceSunday, August 9, 2009

BAGHDAD, Aug. 9 — A British private security contractor was taken into custody by Iraqi authorities in Baghdad’s Green Zone early Sunday after he fatally shot two colleagues, Iraqi officials said.

The gunman, identified as Danny Fitzsimmons, also shot an Iraqi as he attempted to flee the compound, according to Iraqi officials and two other sources familiar with the incident. The Iraqi man was critically wounded, Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman at Iraq’s Interior Ministry said.

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Crime: 8 Killed in $7 Million Baghdad Bank Robbery

Jul 29

Posted by Matt in Crime, Iraq | No Comments

     Scary stuff and this kind of thing is not cool for the war effort.  Rest in peace to the Iraqi security guards that were gunned down in this.

     Also, the use of suppressed weapons is interesting as well.  Obviously these guys were well equipped and somewhat trained to pull off something like this.  Could it be organized crime, or the insurgency, or a little bit of both?  Who knows, but what pisses me off now is that money will be used to fund future operations, and we will probably see more robberies like this one. Worse yet, this money could be used to fund operations against US troops and the Iraqi forces.-Matt

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8 killed in $7-million Baghdad bank robbery

Iraq police say the overnight robbery appeared to be a sophisticated operation. A recent spate of robberies has aroused suspicion that insurgents are financing their activities through crime.

By Liz Sly and Usama Redha

July 29, 2009

Reporting from Baghdad — Thieves killed eight security guards and made off with nearly $7 million in an overnight bank heist Tuesday that police officials say could have been the work of insurgents.

The deadly robbery came on the day U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates flew into Baghdad on an unannounced visit to get a first-hand look at conditions now that American combat troops have withdrawn from Iraq’s cities.

Gates said he thought the transfer of authority to the Iraqis had gone smoothly.

“I think it’s inevitable given the changes of circumstances that there would be the occasional problem,” he said at a news conference with Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim Mifarji.

“What I think is remarkable is that you have such a dramatic redeployment of American forces and a dramatic change of the rules of operation, and there have been so few problems along the way.”

Iraqi police said the thieves used guns equipped with silencers to kill three guards outside a branch of the state-owned Rafidain Bank in east Baghdad’s Karada neighborhood during the night. They then killed five guards who were sleeping inside the bank before making off with the cash.

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Crime: 2 People Shot at U.S. Holocaust Museum–Security Guard Stops an Active Shooter

Jun 10

Posted by Matt in Crime, Washington DC | 1 Comment

   I hope and pray that the security guard that was wounded in this incident is able to survive, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends.  I think the angle I want to highlight here, is that this shooter was there to kill, and thus gets the title of ‘active shooter’.  And the ones that responded and were able to stop him from killing, are the security guards.  It wasn’t a SWAT team, or a special forces team, or some other SRT team, it was trained and ready to go security guards.  

   Without a doubt, today’s security professionals who carry weapons are completely aware of the active shooter scenario.  That timing is everything, and you cannot wait on the cavalry to stop something like this or people will die.  It is on the first responders (a security guard with a gun or even a private citizen with a gun) to stop it, and that is the reality of security and crime in today’s world.  

     The more we can train and keep on top of the best industry practices for dealing with active shooters, the better.  It sounds to me like these guys did what was necessary to stop the guy, and certainly sacrificed to stop him.  Right now, a security guard is sitting in a hospital bed hanging on to dear life, but because of their courage, they did their job and stopped this asshole.

   It also sounds like the shooter was prior military and WW2 veteran, a member of MENSA, a white supremacist and had a criminal background.  And what did he do?  He decided to engage targets in a museum, before going through the screening machines and stations.  So the targets would be anyone in that lobby or security guards in this scenario, and he bypassed the security apparatus, and made the security station area the target area.  The shotgun is also a perfect weapon for shooting at multiple targets at close range, and quickly.  Oh, and I guess he had a book as well, and possibly this was a way to promote his book. Now this guy is in the hospital, thanks to the good work of some security professionals. -Matt

Edit:  The guard has died.  Rest in peace, and thank you for your sacrifice. 

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2 People Shot at U.S. Holocaust Museum

By Debbi Wilgoren and William Branigin

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 2:52 PM

A gunman armed with a shotgun walked into the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in downtown Washington today and opened fire on a security guard before being shot and seriously wounded by two other guards, authorities said.

The security guard and the gunman were both transported to George Washington University Hospital with serious injuries, police said. A hospital spokesperson declined to release information on the condition of the two.

A third person sustained minor injuries in the shooting, according to police.

A law enforcement source identified the gunman as James W. von Brunn, who is known to authorities as a white supremacist.

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Mexico: Shootout Kills 16 in Mexico’s Acapulco Resort

Jun 8

Posted by Matt in Crime, Mexico, Video | No Comments

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Legal News: Five U.S. Contractors Held in Slaying of James Kitterman

Jun 6

Posted by Matt in Crime, Iraq, Legal News | 5 Comments

    Wow, this story is getting deeper.  I do not have the inside track on this thing and if any readers have anything pertinent to add, post it in the comments section.  Or you can email me in private through the contact form.-Matt

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Five U.S. contractors held in slaying of another in Iraq

June 6, 2009

    * Story Highlights

    * NEW: Weapons confiscated in raid of suspects’ firm, official says

    * Five arrested in death of fellow contractor James Kitterman

    * Kitterman found bound, blindfolded and fatally stabbed

    * Victim owned a construction company that operated in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Five American security contractors were detained in connection with the killing of another American contractor last month inside Baghdad’s Green Zone, sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Saturday.

Iraqi and U.S. personnel took the five into custody in an operation inside the Green Zone before dawn on Friday, according to an Iraqi official involved in the investigation into the killing of James Kitterman. The five, who have not yet been charged, were being held by Iraqi security forces Saturday at a jail inside the heavily protected zone, he said.

The troops also confiscated weapons during the raid on the suspects’ firm at about 4 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Building Snowmobiles: The Attack By Fire and the Super-empowered Individual

Jun 5

Posted by Matt in Building Snowmobiles, Crime, Disaster Response, Law Enforcement, Tactical Thought Process | 1 Comment

“It’s a schemer who put you where you are. You were a schemer. You had plans. Look where it got you. I just did what I do best-I took your plan and turned it on itself. Look what I have done to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple bullets. Nobody panics when the expected people get killed. Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if the plans are horrifying. If I tell the press that tomorrow a gangbanger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will get blown up, nobody panics. But when I say one little old mayor will die, everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I am an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos, Harvey? It’s fair. “-The Joker, from the movie Dark Knight

     This is a building snowmobiles post for the simple reason that no one else is covering this arsonist story or fire in this way (minus maybe War Nerd), or really getting into the concepts of the ‘attack by fire’.  Oyler, the arsonist, is the ultimate definition of the super-empowered individual, and truly symbolizes a modern day Joker.  Fortunately, he will be meeting the same fate as that character.

   Now of course I will not give a DIY class about using the attack by fire, but I do want to give a hint to the reader that this is stuff we need to be thinking about.  Lets just say it should be in your toolbox of ideas, so you know how to defend against it. But according to the Geneva Convention, fire as an offensive weapon has been ruled out, hence why flame throwers are not used anymore. (I posted the protocol below)  But if you read through it, it lists everything a terrorist or an insurgent wouldn’t mind doing to achieve a goal.  So learning how to defend against it, is key.

     But back to the attack by fire and the super-empowered individual.  What Oyler did, is exactly what arsonists do, and that is get off on lighting fires.  He had been perfecting his technique all summer in 2006, and the Esperanza Fire was his so called ‘masterpiece of chaos’.  So what can we learn from this tragic event? I will attempt to answer that question, both from a smokejumper/forest fire fighter position, and from a security professional position, and also delve into the attack by fire from a warfighter and strategist point of view.  

     As a smokejumper, I fought many forest fires throughout the west.  We would fight the small fires, and we would fight the big fires, it didn’t matter.  We would fight naturally started fires(lightening started) and we would fight man made fires (trash fires, thrown cigarettes, etc.).  But the most disheartening and frightening fires, are the ones set by arsonists.  Especially arsonists that know what they are doing.

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Bounties: Mexico Nabs Zeta Gang Leader On Most-Wanted List

May 2

Posted by Matt in Bounties, Crime, Mexico | 1 Comment

   Right on, and good on the guy(s) that helped nab this clown. -Matt

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LosZetasBounties: Mexico Nabs Zeta Gang Leader On Most Wanted List

Mexico nabs Zeta gang leader on most-wanted list

By ISTRA PACHECO

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican police on Wednesday arrested suspected Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico’s 24 most-wanted drug traffickers.

Sauceda Gamboa appears on a list of 24 alleged drug traffickers published by prosecutors in March. Authorities have offered rewards of up to $2.1 million for each suspect. Together with a list of 13 lower-ranking drug suspects, the group covers Mexico’s most powerful cartel operators.

With Sauceda Gamboa’s arrest Wednesday at a home in the border city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, authorities have arrested five of the 37 whose names appeared on the lists.

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