TROJAN HORSE SCHOOL PLOT • 18TH ST. K&R • PRC’S DEEP PANDA • BARRIO AZTECA
Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals
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VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 4
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UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL JIHAD
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Counter
The Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals JUNE/JULY 2015
VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 4
COVER STORY:
30
CONTENTS
30
18
46
58
UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL JIHAD By Ken Javes
FEATURES: 08
Firsthand: 18TH STREET GANG KIDNAP FOR RANSOM By Larry Winston and Brian Davis
16 18
SECURITY AT THE PORT OF ASHDOD By Henry Morgenstern
Case Study: “TROJAN HORSE” SCHOOL PLOT IN BIRMINGHAM, U.K. By Anthony Tucker-Jones
46
DEEP PANDA: PRC CYBER-MILITIA CONDUCTS SHAPING OPERATIONS? By Ron Smith
58
THE RISE AND FALL OF BARRIO AZTECA By Joseph J. Kolb
DEPARTMENTS: 06
From the Editor
44
Book Review
69
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 5
Counter The
FROM THE EDITOR:
Capt. Alton G. Graham
By Chris Graham Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals
A
lton Graham was born in rural South Alabama on the 8th of September, 1941. Shortly after that day the United States felt indignation at the Imperial Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s conquest of Europe. The nation was mobilized and locked in combat with the Axis forces. The United States was a powerhouse of productivity and Americans unquestionably wanted to win, but the outcome of the war was far from certain. Ultimately, our grandfathers beat down those two regimes and later rescued South Korea from a communist invasion from the north. The boy from Alabama dreamed of flying airplanes and set out to become a pilot. He enrolled in the U.S. Marine Corps MarCad program. With an associate degree, he went to flight school. Upon graduation he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He learned to fly the F-8 Crusader and deployed to Vietnam to fly combat missions against the communists. He and approximately 1.5 million other Americans risked their lives battling to free South Vietnam from socialist enslavement by the North Vietnamese Army. They fought as bravely as any generation of Americans, but with deficient leadership, failed to win the war. They did, however, deter and slow the spread of totalitarian and authoritarian governance around the world and serve as an inspiration to each of us who stand for liberty and fight to counter the global jihad. Capt. Alton G. Graham showed me what it was to be an adult, and on the 22nd of April, 2015, he drew his last breath. I miss you Dad. With Love,
Chris Graham Editor, The Counter Terrorist www.chrisgrahamauthor.com
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VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 4 JUNE/JULY 2015
Editor Chris Graham Director of Operations Sol Bradman Director of Advertizing Carmen Arnaes Production Assistant Ashley Villegas Contributing Editors Kevin Freeman Jennifer Hesterman Richard Marquise Tom Nypaver Dean Olson Steve Young Graphic Design Morrison Creative Company Copy Editor Laura Town Advertising Sales Chris Bell Bell@homelandsecurityssi.com 305-632-2309 Publisher: Security Solutions International 13155 SW 134th St. • STE 103 Miami, 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 103, Miami, Florida. 33186 or info@thecounterterroristmag.com 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: reprints@parsintl.com Phone: 212-221-9595 • Fax: 212-221-9195 Please visit the magazine web site where you can also contact the editorial staff:
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Firsthand:
18TH STREET GANG KIDNAP FOR RANSOM
In September of 1989, LAPD Robbery Homicide Division (RHD) detectives were called to investigate the kidnapping of a priest in the East Los Angeles area known as Hollenbeck division. The person reporting the crime was the victim’s brother, who was also the church’s treasurer.
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By Larry Winston and Brian Davis
T
he investigation determined that a custodian at the church observed four male Hispanic suspects enter the church rectory by opening an unlocked door to the residence and take the priest at gunpoint to an unknown location. The suspects’ vehicle (observed in the church parking lot by the witness) was a late 1970s Ford Thunderbird, gray or silver in color. The witness was unable to record a license plate number.
The victim’s brother reported that approximately three hours after the kidnapping, he received a phone call at his residence from a male demanding $40,000.00 for the safe return of the priest. The brother also stated that the caller was Hispanic and his voice seemed young, approximately 20 to 30 years old. The caller stated he would call again in 24 hours with further instructions. The victim’s brother informed RHD
LAPD officer arresting suspected gang members. Photo by: Chris Yarzab
that a fund raising event was held two weeks earlier at the church to obtain money to replace the church’s roof. The event raised over $40,000.00 in donations from local businesses. The event was publicized by the local media and attended by hundreds of the area’s citizens. The brother recalled that at the event, private security had been hired to protect the donations collected. He further stated that a male Hispanic, 26
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Clanton 14 Street graffiti. Photo by: MzNobody
years of age, known to the church as an active 18th Street gang member, had been escorted off the grounds by security after having been observed urinating on parked vehicles in the church parking lot. Hollenbeck division and all of Los Angeles County is inundated with gang activity. One of the more prolific gangs in Hollenbeck is the 18th Street gang. This gang began in the 1960s as a street gang in the neighboring Rampart area of Los Angeles. The gang was originally part of the “Clanton 14� gang but formed its own organization after a dispute among members involving the acceptance of immigrants into the membership.
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The 18th Street gang grew by expanding its membership into other nationalities and races and was one of the first multi-racial, multi-ethnic gangs in Los Angeles. They have strong alliances with the prison gang known as the Mexican Mafia. The 18th Street gang, to date, has been identified in over 120 cities in 37 states and the District of Colombia in the U.S.A., as well as internationally in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Lebanon, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Membership is well over 50,000 and the gang is involved in various criminal
Freshly tattooed teardrops signifies the number of killings by a young member of the 18th Street Gang in Los Angeles. Photo by: J. Ross Baughman
activities, including but not limited to: Drug trafficking, arson, money laundering, extortion, human trafficking, murder, racketeering, illegal immigration, and last but not least, kidnapping for ransom. Because there was a demand for ransom, the Special Investigation Section (SIS), was called to assist the RHD in the investigation. SIS is a team of 20 senior detectives that specializes in the surveillance and arrest of armed suspects and is also tasked with the surveillance for all kidnap for ransom cases that originate within the city of Los Angeles. SIS detectives set up at the brothers’ residence, placing a Spanish-speaking
detective inside to monitor and record any incoming phone calls. Four SIS detectives provided covert perimeter security of the residence. A warrant was obtained, which allowed the local phone company to place a trap on the brothers’ landline phone, which would record incoming phone numbers. At the time of this investigation (1988) cell phone use by suspects was rare. Landline phones and payphones were plentiful and used often. At 0900, the day following the ransom demand, SIS detectives monitored an incoming phone call to the brother from an unknown male Hispanic suspect. The conversation was in both Spanish
and English. The caller demanded that at noon (same day), $40,000.00 cash be placed into a backpack and delivered by the brother alone to the park across the street from the church and placed into the trash can next to the men’s bathroom. The caller additionally stated that if they saw anyone with the brother or noticed the police in the area they would shoot the priest in the head and dump his body into the Los Angeles River. The brother stated that the money was in the bank and church guidelines required two signatures from church officials to get that large of an amount of cash at one time (as he was instructed).
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 11
SIS is a team of 20 senior detectives that specializes in the surveillance and arrest of armed suspects and is also tasked with the surveillance for all kidnap for ransom cases that originate within the city of Los Angeles.
The brother asked for an additional three hours to contact the appropriate church officials to obtain the proper signatures. He also stated that before he would give up the church’s money he wanted to speak to the priest to ensure that he was alive. The suspect stated that he would call back at 2 pm and allow the brother to speak with the priest for 10 seconds. Following that, the money had to be dropped into the trash can at 3 pm or the priest would be killed. SIS supervisor Davis dispatched his remaining ten detectives to the area of the church and adjacent park to covertly observe movements in the area prior to and during the ransom drop. At approximately 1100 hours, RHD detectives received information from the phone company regarding the trap
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An LAPD officer during a tactical home search operation in Arleta, California. Photo by: Chris Yarzab
on the brothers’ phone line. The phone number used by the suspect was in fact a pay phone located one block east of the church in front of a liquor store. Based on this intelligence, Detective Davis had three SIS detectives position themselves covertly to cover the pay phone and the remaining seven detectives deploy around the vicinity of the park. Detectives noted that the pay phone could be observed from the south end of the park, which was elevated on a hillside. Additionally, a surveillance helicopter was planned to be positioned high and wide of the park prior to the next scheduled phone call in case the need arose for air support. Six detectives deployed in the park, two on foot and four in two vehicles. The seventh detective was positioned in a van with a clear view of the pay phone, armed with a M1-A4 assault rifle equipped with
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mounted optics. Every SIS detective undergoes extensive and ongoing firearms and tactics training. Part of their ongoing program is sniper training to provide the unit with the ability to take out a suspect from long range if need be to protect the lives of a victim or officer in just this type of situation. At approximately 1330 hours, SIS detectives observed a male Hispanic 25-30 years of age make a call from the payphone. The suspect was heavily tattooed around the neck, and detectives observed an “18” tattoo prominently displayed on the back of the suspect’s neck, indicating his gang affiliation. The Hispanic completed his call and walked out of view. An SIS footman immediately approached the pay phone and placed a call to the RHD office and hung up. This was the procedure prior to cell phones that detectives could use to obtain
the phone records of a public phone and simply look at the number called prior to the known number dialed by the detective and obtain records and a location if need be. At approximately 1355 hours, detectives observed the same suspect seen at the pay phone earlier return to the phone, this time with the priest in tow. The priest had a large overcoat on and it appeared that his hands were bound in front of his body and partially obscured by the size of the coat. He appeared disoriented and had a three-inch cut over his right eye. Detectives observed the suspect dial the phone, have a short conversation on the phone and then hold the phone up to the priest’s mouth. At the same time, Detective Davis received information from the detective in the brothers’ residence that an incoming call was in progress from the
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 13
the description of the vehicle that had been seen by a witness at the kidnapping. The vehicle drove eastbound at a high rate of speed with three males inside. The surveillance helicopter broadcast the movements of the vehicle while SIS detectives followed at a distance. The vehicle eventually slowed and drove normally for several minutes while SIS detectives in vehicles moved into positon to stop the vehicle and determine their involvement (if any) in the kidnapping. The vehicle stopped at a red light and it was quickly determined that SIS detectives could perform a vehicle containment technique affording the element of surprise and good background, should lethal force become necessary. As detectives quickly blocked the vehicle from moving, a suspect in the right front seat leaned out the passenger window and fired three rounds
suspect. Seconds later, the suspect began stating his demands once again to the brother. Detective Davis stated via radio to take that suspect into custody if it could be done safely. Detectives near the pay phone seized that opportunity while the suspect was busy speaking on the phone and his attention was not focused on the victim. Detective Winston, along with two other detectives, approached the suspect on foot, knocking him to the ground and taking him into custody without incident. A search of the suspect disclosed a .45 caliber handgun in his waistband. The priest was quickly led away and placed in a police vehicle and taken to safety. Immediately, detectives on foot in the park observed two male Hispanics running southbound towards a primer gray older Ford Thunderbird similar to
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from a handgun towards the detectives. Detectives, using .45 caliber handguns and shotguns, immediately returned fire at that suspect. Simultaneously, the driver suspect attempted to exit his vehicle armed with a handgun and was fatally shot. Detectives ordered the remaining suspect to put his hands up in both English and Spanish, but with no response. After detectives repositioned themselves for tactical benefit to clear the vehicle, they approached the vehicle and observed the third suspect down, slumped forward, motionless with a handgun on the floorboard between his feet. Paramedics were called to the scene and all three suspects were pronounced dead. Further investigation by RHD disclosed that all four suspects were documented 18th Street gang members. All four had lengthy records for robbery, extortion, and various drug charges. The SIS has been in existence since 1965 and has handled several hundred kidnap cases resulting in the arrests of hundreds of suspects and the safe recovery of every victim.
Detectives observed the suspect dial the phone, have a short conversation on the phone and then hold the phone up to the priest’s mouth.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS Mr. Winston’s 30 years of service with the Los Angeles Police Department includes 17 years with the Special Investigation Section (SIS) as a Detective Supervisor. He also served six years in a deep, long-term undercover investigation of terrorist organizations, and today provides instruction as a consultant (www.train2tail.com). Mr. Davis’ 35-year career with the Los Angeles Police Department includes 30 years in criminal surveillance and crime scene analysis with 19 years as team supervisor, including nine years of homicide investigations and general crime investigations. He served as supervisor of the Special Investigation Section (SIS), and now provides instruction (www.train2tail.com).
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Photo by: Jessenia Castillo.
SECURITY AT THE PORT OF ASHDOD By Henry Morgenstern
Faced with a bewildering array of threats from suicide bombers to floating mines, rockets and missile fire, Israel’s Port of Ashdod is a model of port security.
O
n Sunday, March 14th 2004 at around 4 pm, two young men from Gaza (14 miles from the port) dressed as Israeli Soldiers wandered around the port and were seen by a passerby who instantly advised them that they could get water and whatever else they needed at a nearby workers cafeteria. One of them headed to the location and blew himself up, while the other one went to a different nearby location. The final death count was 11, and many more maimed and injured for life. They had come in what appeared to be an empty container. They cleverly created a false bottom that allowed them to fit in tightly, with an exit hatch cut into the metal. The container had been passed for entry as empty on its way back to the port from the Karni crossing at Gaza. Besides the shock of the attacks for the Israelis, which would have been bad enough, the attack rattled the security establishment. As Israel’s largest port, Ashdod had been thought, like Ben Gurion Airport, to be impregnable. Today, the port handles 60% of Israel’s imports, and is located 20 miles from Tel Aviv on Israel’s
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southern shore. Handling about 18 million tons of cargo and 900 thousand TEU’s of containerized cargo, the port is one of the few world class (in the top 50) ports that is an open water port with a breakwater that has been built to provide protection. Thousands of ships from super-sized container vessels to small fishing boats dock at the port every year. On May 10th of this year we were lucky enough to get a full security briefing and complete tour from the head of security of the port and his deputy as part of SSI’s Advanced Homeland Security training in Israel. A delegation of 19 homeland security professionals and graduate students of homeland security from Saint Leo University joined us for this May’s mission marking more than 25 missions since 2005. On day one, still jet-lagged, the group got to see the command and control center for the City of Ashdod, viewing CCTV camera footage of last summer’s missile attacks. After a morning lecture on bombs and other terrorist weapons of choice we headed to the port to find out how Israeli security works in practice. Israeli’s have a very clear security doctrine
which is called Israeli Circles of Security and the port is a model of this doctrine. At its most simple, the doctrine is based on the concept that attackers will never get to the target because they will have to pass through several circles of security. The outermost circle is the Intelligence circle which in the case of the port can start in the ship’s port of origin with careful scrutiny of its ownership, crew, officers and travel destinations. Way before the ship is cleared for entry into the port, the ship has been completely profiled. Profiling is not a dirty word in Israel, the ship will not be offended. The safety of all is paramount. We got to see the boats used on patrol in action as well as the adjoining navy base. Besides the ship’s and crew profiles, the cargo is subjected to the latest technology with many technologies employed to avoid surprises. The group came away with an impressive example of a port standing up to a wide range of challenges. For more information on November’s trip to Israel: http://www. homelandsecurityssi.com/advanced-israeltraining or call 305-401-6906.
•
U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA1 John Gaffney. U.S. Coast Guard imagery used in illustration without endorsement expressed or implied.
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Case Study:
“TROJAN HORSE” SCHOOL PLOT IN BIRMINGHAM, U.K. A former member of the British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has warned that the U.K. is facing “Jihadimania.” Nazir Afzal, who was head of the CPS in the North West of England, has likened the situation to the “Beatlemania” that swept the country in the 1960s.1
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By Anthony Tucker-Jones
H
e says that teachers are not protecting school children from Islamist propaganda, which carries the fashionable and rebellious allure of modern day pop idols. Intelligence reports indicate over 600 Britons have travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State of the Levant and Iraq. This includes teenage boys and girls who have become “conflict tourists.” Mr. Afzal fears the extent of “Jihadimania” in British schools
is far worse than originally assessed. He also warned that those students who are thwarted in their aspirations to travel are still a “ticking time bomb” for the security services.2 Last year, the British public was shocked to discover that Islamist activism was also carried out in the country’s classrooms. Alarm spread when it was reported that nearly 25 of Birmingham’s 400 schools were believed to be involved
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 19
in what was popularly referred to as a “Trojan Horse plot.” The Telegraph reported that Tahir Alam, chairman of governors at Park View School (Birmingham), wrote a 72-page guide for manipulating teachers and curriculum.3 Alam’s accusers allege that he was the ringleader of a group of Muslims in senior positions in the British school system who used their authority to wage the “civilization jihad” described
in the Muslim Brotherhood strategy document An Explanatory Memorandum, seized by the FBI while serving a search warrant in 2004.4 This incident came to light at a time when some British citizens were disheartened to see the British judiciary accept implementation of shariahcompliant wills. Citizens expressed increasing concern with the supremacist group Muslim Brotherhood carrying
A young girl is pictured during the Military Stabilisation Support Team (MSST) visit to Abbazhan School and Womenís Centre in Gereshk, Helmand, Afghanistan. Photo by: Sean Clee
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Parents of some of the victims of the 2014 Chibok, Nigeria kidnapping mourn their losses. Photo by: VOA
out activities in London.5 In the wake of all this, a small number of London schoolgirls even flew to Syria to become jihadi brides. Unsurprisingly, pundits asserted that the U.K.’s Prevent Strategy designed to pre-empt radicalisation was simply not working. Park View School has over 600 students, almost all of whom are Muslim; the school serves an area in which almost 100 percent of the families are Muslim.6 Regardless of the facts of the case known as the “Trojan Horse plot,” the incident highlighted the potential threat posed to British schoolchildren by Islamist agitators following the Muslim Brotherhood templates and spreading Islamist doctrine to impressionable youngsters. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair likened the situation in Birmingham to Nigeria’s Boko Haram terror network, which is vehemently
Members of vigilantism against Boko Haram in Gombi, Nigeria on February 2015. Photo by: VOA opposed to Western education.7 This group came to international prominence after kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls and swearing allegiance to ISIS. The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and al-Shabaab in Somalia both have a similar
disregard for education, especially when it comes to females, and wage irregular war to ensure the dominance of Shariah. In the U.K., central to the alleged “Islamising agenda” was the calculated removal of secular head teachers and
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…“Radicalisation is a hugely complex issue and many teachers understandably have not received the training or support to enable them to confidently spot the early signs.”10 22 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
the imposition of Islamic practices.8 Complainants state that boys and girls were segregated, assemblies featured Islamist views, other religions were derided, and music banned. Birmingham’s Park View Education Trust was accused of praising the late al-Qaeda firebrand Anwar al-Awlaki, using school facilities to copy Osama Bin Laden DVDs, and using public funds to sponsor trips to Mecca. Multiple school officials deny the charges, but no less than five official, but largely uncoordinated, inquiries were launched in an attempt to discover exactly what had been going on. The
general public was reassured when the Chairman of the Parliamentary Education Committee announced early this year that aside from a single incident in one school, “no evidence of extremism or radicalisation was found by any of the inquiries in any of the schools involved.” He went on to criticise wasting resources carrying out these investigations, however, it is not immediately clear how narrowly he may be defining “extremism.”9 Mary Bousted, the General Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said the Trojan Horse affair led to “national panic.” She also criticised the muddled chain of command caused by schools being accountable to so many different organisations. In particular, she highlighted a fundamental flaw in tackling potential Islamisation of schools, saying, “Radicalisation is a hugely complex issue and many teachers understandably have not received the training or support to enable them to confidently spot the early signs.”10 Some believe the letter that sparked the media firestorm over the “Trojan Horse plot” was a hoax, but it is clear that there is at least some substance to the allegations. There can be no denying that the city of Birmingham has proved to be a hotbed for home-grown jihadists. West Midlands Police say that outside of London the biggest threat from al-Qaedainspired terrorism comes from this area of the U.K. In recent years, a spate of terror plots have centred on the Sparkbrook and Sparkhill districts of Birmingham.11 Although the anonymous letter became public in March 2014, the West Midlands Police Counter Terrorism Unit, Department of Education’s Extremist Unit, Birmingham City Council, and the National Association of Head Teachers were already aware of it. Birmingham City Council had
NANSEN PRIMARY PARK VIEW ACEDEMIC
BIRMINGHAM
GOLDEN HILLOCK
been in receipt of the letter since at least November 2013.12 Four whole months were wasted before any action was taken to assess the claims that an Islamist plot was unfolding in Birmingham’s Muslim schools. Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of the U.K.’s schools regulator—the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted)— was very critical of this inertia, stating there’d been a lack of urgency in the council’s response to persistent complaints from head teachers about the conduct of certain governors. The furor in the media resulted in Ofsted carrying out full inspections
at five schools. These schools were subsequently rated “inadequate.” These included: Park View, Golden Hillock, and Nansen Primary, all run by the Park View Educational Trust. Monitoring visits were conducted at sixteen others, while Oldknow Academy and Saltley were put into “special measures.” Initially the Department for Education said it was investigating claims that the “Trojan Horse plot” had targeted 12 schools. However, it has become clear that Birmingham City Council investigated allegations involving twice that number of schools. While the latter acknowledged problems with governance,
it asserted that there was no hard evidence of violent extremism, radicalisation, or an anti-British agenda.13 In contrast, a leaked report from Peter Clarke, a former national head of counter terrorism appointed by the Department for Education, stated that his investigation did find a campaign to introduce “an intolerant and aggressive Islamist agenda” into Birmingham schools.14 The totality of the “Trojan Horse plot” is unclear, but it appears that a culture of harassing staff who did not share governors’ cultural and religious outlook was evident. Razwan Faraz, deputy head of Nansen school, part of
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 23
Shortly after Boston Marathon explosions on April 15, 2013. Photo by: Aaron "tango" Tang
the Park View Education Trust, was also the administrator of a school consultancy calling itself the “Educational Activists,” dedicated to instigating what he called an “Islamising agenda.”15 It emerged that the former head of Oldknow Academy resigned in January 2014, citing “undue pressure” from the governors. Likewise, the departures of head teachers Balwant
24 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
Bains, Saeeda Bano, and Liz Manley, who ran Saltley School, Nansen Primary, and Ladpool Primary schools, respectively, were all Trojan Horse-related. Tahir Alam, chairman of the Park View Educational Trust, denied the allegations, saying the plot was made up. Nevertheless, there are questions to be answered regarding his relationship with Nansen’s deputy head, Razwan Faraz. Alam, along with the three-member board, resigned in mid-July 2014, saying the decision had been made in the best interests of the children. Worth noting, he was an Ofsted inspector and employed by Birmingham City Council as a specialist in school governance. Mr. Alam was involved in drafting the 2007 guide “Meeting the needs of Muslim Students,” published by the Muslim Council of Great Britain. In its defence, the Park View Educational Trust said, “The Ofsted reports find absolutely no evidence of extremism or an imposition of strict Islamic practices in our schools. We reject the judgment that students are not being prepared to play an integrated role in modern society.”16 Officials display a lack of clarity regarding this event. Some say that there is no evidence that Muslim extremists were trying to take over British schools with an Islamist agenda, while concurrently officials also say that up to 100 staff could now be banned from teaching because of their links to the scandal.17 It has since been reported that the “Park View Brotherhood,” consisting of over 50 Park View staff, had sent upwards of 3,000 WhatsApp group messages that included offensive remarks regarding British troops and claims that the jihadist murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in London and the Boston bombing were hoaxes.18 On the face of it, this would seem to indicate a
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Prime Minister David Cameron met with Allama Qamaruzzaman Azmi at North Manchester Jamia Mosque on August 7, 2013 to discuss current issues and challenges facing the world and British Muslim communities. Photo by: Drshabbir.khan
widespread problem that cannot simply be put down to merely unprofessional teachers’ bad behavior. In the wake of the Birmingham Trojan Horse plot, radicalisation of children elsewhere in the U.K. remains a problem. Earlier this year, three British schoolgirls from Bethnal Green Academy in London travelled to Syria to become jihadi brides.19 In this instance at least one of them may have been radicalised by their parents.20 Two other girls from the same school had traveled before them, one of whom was detained at the last minute before her aircraft took off.21 Ofsted has pledged to conduct shorter and more frequent inspections in order to pick up developing trends earlier. Ofsted has said it is going into schools
26 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
in Birmingham, Bradford, Luton, and Tower Hamlets, where the children are predominantly Muslim. The inspection framework will reportedly include an element called “Fundamental British Values”. What is clear from this sorry saga is that CONTEST, the U.K.’s overarching strategy for countering terrorism, is failing at its most basic level. It consists of four key elements: Pursue the attackers, Prevent radicalisation, Protect the public and Prepare for attacks. Critics argue that the second is simply not working and that in many instances is counterproductive within Britain’s Muslim community. Clearly it failed Birmingham and London’s schoolchildren.22 Western societies will have to gain clarity to
determine whether their interests are merely to counter individual shootings and bombings, or whether they wish to defeat the supremacists’ campaign to impose their will.
•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Tucker-Jones is a former U.K. defence intelligence officer and is a widely published consultant on the subject of regional conflicts and counter terrorism. He is the author of over twenty books including: The Rise of Militant Islam, Kalashnikov in Combat, The Iraq War, and The Afghan War.
ENDNOTES Tom Whitehead, “Terrorists have become ‘like pop stars’ to teenagers,” The 1
Counter The
Asia Pacific Edition The Counter Terrorist Magazine Asia Pacific Edition is finally available for the Asia Pacific region counter-terrorism and homeland security practitioners. The Asia Pacific Edition not only gives the readers a worldwide counter-terrorism perspective but also in-depth information about counter terrorism activities in Asia. The Asia Pacific Edition provides an excellent platform for counter-terrorism and homeland solutions providers to access and penetrate the Asia Pacific market.
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 27
Daily Telegraph, April 7, 2015 2 Ibid. 3 Andrew Gilligan, “Guide to school Islamisation, by ‘ringleader’ of Trojan Horse plot,” The Telegraph, April 26, 2014 4 Mohammed Akram, An Explanatory Memorandum, Center for Security Policy, 1991 3 John Bingham, “Islamic law is adopted by British legal chiefs,” The Sunday Telegraph & Francis Elliot, Michael Savage, Sean O’Neill, “PM orders inquiry into Islam group terror links,” The Times, April 1, 2014 4 John Bingham, “Islamic law is adopted by British legal chiefs,” The Sunday Telegraph & Francis Elliot, Michael Savage, Sean O’Neill, “PM orders inquiry into Islam group terror links,” The Times, April 1, 2014 5 John Bingham, “Islamic law is adopted by British legal chiefs,” The Sunday Telegraph & Francis Elliot, Michael Savage, Sean O’Neill, “PM orders inquiry into Islam group terror links,” The Times, April 1, 2014 6 Park View Educational Trust, Response to allegations, May 15, 2014 7 Matthew Holehouse, “Trojan Horse
28 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
plot driven by same ‘warped’ Islamic extremism as Boko Haram,” says Tony Blair, The Daily Telegraph, June 15, 2014 8 “Trojan Horse: Campaign to impose ‘faith based’ ideology,” BBC News, June 9, 2014 & “How will government shut out the Trojan horse?” BBC News, June 10, 2014 9 Patrick Howse, ‘Overlapping “Trojan Horse” inquiries criticised by MPs,’ BBC News, March 17, 2015 10 Patrick Howse, ‘Overlapping “Trojan Horse” inquiries criticised by MPs,’ BBC News, March 17, 2015 11 Peter Wilson, “Terrorism trial puts focus on Sparkhill and Sparkbrook,” BBC News, February 21, 2013 12 “Calls to reinstate Birmingham Trojan Horse head teachers,” BBC News, August 19, 2014 13 Richard Garner, “Pupils at ‘Trojan Horse’ school shown extremist Jihadi promotional video, MPs told,” The Independent, April 8, 2015 14 “Trojan Horse plot schools timeline,” BBC News, July 22, 2014 15 Andrew Gilligan, ‘Government intervenes at school “taken over” by Muslim radicals, The Sunday Telegraph, March 23, 2014
Statement from Park View Educational Trust on Ofsted reports on Park View, Golden Hillock and Nansen Schools, June 9, 2014 17 Richard Kerbaj & Sian Griffiths, “100 Islamist teachers face ban,” The Sunday Times, April 5, 2015. The National College for Teaching and Leadership announced it was investigating 30 teaching staff with links to the Trojan Horse scandal, but the investigation could encompass about 100 teachers. 18 John Rossomando, “UK May Fire 100 Islamist Educators in ‘Trojan Horse’ Scandal,” investigativeproject.org, April 7, 2015 19 Paul Peachy, “Police fear three British schoolgirls travelling to Syria to join Isis,” I, February 21, 2015 20 John Simpson, “Father of runaway was at jihad rally,” The Times, March 28, 2015 21Andrew Gilligan, “Fifth Isil runaway held on take-off,” The Sunday Telegraph, March 29, 2015 22 Judith Burns, “Trojan Horse schools struggle to recruit staff: Wilshaw,” BBC News, January 29, 2015 16
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UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL JIHAD by Ken Javes “That it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Qur’an, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to paradise.” -Thomas Jefferson’s retelling of Sidi Haji Abdulrahman Adja’s response when questioned about piracy conducted by the Barbary States.
30 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
by Ken Javes
I
, like many of my fellow citizens who have witnessed the results of jihadist movements and Islamic extremism overseas, have always held fast to the ideal that those movements could never take root here in the United States. After all, we fought them “over there” so that we didn’t have to fight them here … but
facts have forced me to reconsider. I recently had the opportunity to attend former FBI agent John Guandolo’s Understanding the Threat train-the-trainer course (www. understandingthethreat.com). The training included guest speakers with specialized expertise and was an intense
practical course focused on a small number of students. The course was intended to provide a graduate-level depth of instruction pertaining to the global jihadist and extremist movement along with presentation and instructional methods to assist trainers in relaying the information to their target audience
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 31
or community. The course focused on the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist networks active in the United States, historical review of totalitarian movements and their impact on the U.S., a refresher on American founding principles, Constitutional counters and approaches to combat the threat, and access to resources to aid in researching and identifying indicators of extremist movements in local communities. The class was limited to twelve students. We had a mix of military, former military, law enforcement, college students, and civilians working in various professional fields who were active in their communities. The curriculum consisted of sixty-five hours of instruction, but we got far more than we bargained for. Conversations typically started over breakfast, continued through lunch and dinner, and usually concluded around nine or ten pm. So, it was not your typical government training program. Reading is required prior to attending; I would recommend that anyone interested in participating read The Qur’an, Milestones by Sayyid Qutb, Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky, Raising a Jihadi Generation by John Guandolo, and have a working knowledge of U.S. history, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution.
DAY 1 The first day of the course consisted of travel, introductions, review of the course format, goals, and an inventory exam to gauge students’ understanding of the pre-course requirements, threats, and the founding principles of the United States. This was followed by a discussion of the “Cold War” and the unrestricted warfare strategy employed
32 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
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Convicted prisoners receiving Quranic education in Central Jail Faisalabad, Pakistan in 2010. Photo by: Tariq Babur
by the Reagan administration to bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union. The calculated military build-up, economic strengthening, and support of resistance movements and proxies used to defeat the Soviets are the same techniques adopted by current adversaries and subversive movements to attack the pillars of our society.
DAY 2 Photo by: atphalix
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The day was dedicated to an in-depth study of the history of Islam following the Qur’an and Bukhari Hadith, two mutually supporting documents. One is believed to provide the revelations and word of Allah; the other consists of stories from the life of Muhammed, who, as
the “perfect example,” sets the template for emulation by all who subscribe to the Muslim faith. Examining one text without the other gives an incomplete picture when trying to decipher statements, actions, or policies enforced under shariah law. The history lesson started with the birth of “the prophet” Muhammed in Mecca in the year 570 AD and the conditions in Arabia at the time. Tribal warfare was a constant, there was no central government, and neither the Byzantine or Persian empires laid claim to the area. His development and the founding of the Islamic faith occurred during a time when both the Roman and Persian armies were exhausted and depleted from conflicts between the two empires, which allowed an insulated environment for the growth of the movement without persecution from either side. His first revelations occurred in 610 AD and Muhammed began to form a small base of followers from among the population in Mecca, leveraging his influence as a merchant to spread his prophecies. The teachings at this time are the ones most often cited as the basis for the “peaceful and tolerant” view of Islam. However, Muhammed’s views shifted towards a less tolerant and more militant approach as he gained more followers and influence after moving to the city of Medina in 622. This is where the concept of abrogation is introduced in that any prophecy or action of the prophet that occurs later, chronologically, cancels any conflicting view from the past. This is a key military and political strategy being employed by the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Hamas, ISIS, or any other guerilla movement that seeks the overthrow of a system of government. Following
Pro-Muslim Brotherhood Rally, Sydney, Australia, 1 September 2013 Photo by: Eye OnRadicals Muhammed’s example, these groups claim persecution and preach “tolerance” until they have sufficient infrastructure and military strength to ensure a victory. We can see this at work in the Arab Spring movement and the rise of ISIS, for example. Other topics discussed included the development of the Qur’an, how
science is viewed in the Islamic faith, and some of the controversial views toward women under the system of shariah.
DAY 3 Day three began with short student presentations on a topic of our choice based off of the previous day’s instruction.
The purpose was to gauge each student’s understanding of the topic, presentation ability, and comfort speaking to a group. Immediately following critiques of the presentations we delved into the main topic of the day, which was an overview of Islamic/shariah law. The most common misunderstanding among the general
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 35
A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi fires fireworks towards police during clashes in Cairo on August 14, 2013, as security forces backed by bulldozers moved in on two huge pro-Morsi protest camps, launching a long-threatened crackdown that left dozens dead. The clearance operation began shortly after dawn when security forces surrounded the sprawling Rabaa al-Adawiya camp in east Cairo. Photo by: MOSAAB EL-SHAMY
“Arab Spring” in Tahrir Square. Photo by: Jonathan Rashad
36 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
A member of ISIS with the flag of the Islamic State. Photo by: VOA
public is that the religion of Islam and its practice is separate from the exercise of the shariah legal system, economics, and governance. In reality, per the highest Islamic scholars and authorities, there is no differentiation. The practice of Islam is allencompassing and provides a complete way of life for the practitioner. It is impossible to practice true Islam without also abiding by the rules and regulations codified under shariah. In Western society, we have developed under a system that allows the separation of secular law and government from religious practices, which makes it difficult for many to comprehend living under a system as total as Islam. Another interesting factor is the observation of Muslims who practice their faith to varying degrees, or in moderation, and do not espouse the overthrow of our way of life. This gives
us individuals who can be peaceful and moderate Muslims, but full adherence to Islam cannot be moderate and is only peaceful under certain circumstances. Again, the actions of ISIS, when analyzed and compared to shariah, show absolute compliance in their efforts to bring non-compliant governments and apostates back to the “true” path. Our misunderstanding has led to “outreach” programs which have been utilized by operatives from named terrorist organizations to gain access to political, religious, and economic figures in our society. The study included examination of the sources for Islamic Law, which included: The Qur’an, Hadith, and a condensed, or tabletop, reference produced as a guidebook for compliance for the average practitioner titled Reliance of the Traveler. The day concluded with a study of the concepts of sacred-space,
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 37
slander as defined by the extremists, language and terms, and yet another pen run dry.
DAY 4
The most common misunderstanding among the general public is that the religion of Islam and its practice is separate from the exercise of the shariah legal system, economics, and governance.
We began the day with a quiz to gauge our retention of the material presented so far and a review. Next was a brief overview of the global Islamic movement, with particular emphasis on the activities occurring in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, and the pendulumlike swings between secular governance
and implementation of shariah in each of these countries throughout history. This led to an examination of key Muslim Brotherhood documents captured in counter terrorism raids conducted against various leaders starting after September 11th, 2001. The captured documents outline the Brotherhood’s strategy of “Civilization Jihad� and the methods advocated for use in penetrating educational, legal, and political systems, government offices, intelligence apparatuses, media, and
The most wanted suspects and terrorists by Egyptian police and national security department as being armed militias of the Muslim Brotherhood in Suez canal. Photo by: Elagamytarek
38 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
Flag of Jihad showed during a protest in Rotterdam. Photo by: Wouter Engler
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 39
Muslim Brotherhood graphics. Photo by: Elagamytarek the military in order to subvert these systems to further the implementation of Islamic law in the United States. These documents were all entered as evidence, and confirmed by the defense, in The United States vs. The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development Trial of 2008. This was the single largest terrorism finance trial in U.S. history. The documents portray a very organized and efficient Muslim Brotherhood movement that has been operating here since 1963. We discussed the past and current structure of the Muslim Brotherhood, its various fronts and organizations, lobbying efforts, and lines of operation. Comparisons were then drawn between subversive or totalitarian movements throughout history, how they were successful in breaking the four pillars of society and rising to power. We finished the day with a philosophical
40 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
discussion of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals and the downfalls inherent in the corruption of language and its relationship to truth brought to light in Josef Pieper’s Abuse of Language. We capped another late night off with an exploration of Just War Theory.
DAY 5 The fifth day started with another quiz, which led to a historical examination of the differences between the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam, where the power centers for both currently reside, and how many Westerners overestimate the significance of the conflict between the two. Special emphasis was placed on the Shiite philosophy prevalent in Iran and the dangers that would result if the Iranian government came to possess weapons of mass destruction. We also discussed a number of subversive,
criminal, smuggling, and funding schemes perpetrated by Iranian agents and proxies in the United States to provide funding for Hezbollah and Hamas. Most of the afternoon consisted of discussions about shariah finance, zakat, and how these various mechanisms are used to provide funding to jihadis worldwide. This includes many major U.S. financial institutions where widespread ignorance of shariahcompliant financial practices has resulted in millions being funneled to adversarial groups and organizations. The remainder of the day consisted of discussions on the founding principles and origins of the United States. Without understanding the unique value of our system, articulating why it should be defended is difficult at best. This included an examination of Natural Law, value systems of the times, and
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President Barack Obama is greeted by U.S. Central Command Commander, Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III. Photo by Sgt. Fredrick J. Coleman
how the weight of deciding to conduct an armed revolution weighed on the founders. The founders also understood that freedoms could not be extended to those who would seek to destroy it. The night concluded with an enlightening comparison of the U.S. Constitution, the Iranian Constitution, and shariah law.
42 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
DAY 6 Day six began with another round of student presentations on various topics from the preceding week of instruction, followed by discussions and critiques. The remainder of the day consisted of an analysis of the language and symbolism being used by jihadi groups that is
typically missed by the general public. We also looked at examples of how true intentions have been misinterpreted by our media and political leadership. Once there is an understanding of the philosophy, language, methodology, and symbolism jihadists use, the goals and statements made by these individuals are remarkably clear. Unfortunately, many rely on overly generous assumptions of our enemies rather than the words they speak to their own constituents. The day concluded with a short graduation ceremony and parting words. The global jihad is widely misunderstood by Westerners. Political leaders take advantage of this ignorance to provide unfounded reassurances. Media outlets rarely have deep levels of insight into Islam and naively rely on what they are told that fits their preferred paradigms. If it has occurred to you that the global jihad is more than a disparate mix of unrelated criminal incidents committed by individuals practicing their own religion incorrectly you may wish to study this subject with people who have relevant and uncommon insight. Former FBI agent John Guandolo has assembled such a group. If you want to be part of the solution within your agency rather than part of the problem, I highly recommend Guandolo’s training.
•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Javes has over 18 years of military and security consulting experience. He served with Marine Reconnaissance and Force Reconnaissance units. He currently serves as the president of Shibumi Tactical LLC (www.shibumitactical.blogspot.com).
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 43
BOOK REVIEW
The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy By: Michael Pillsbury
Reviewed by: Chris Graham
M
ao Tse – Tung seized power in China in 1949. His communist party is the single party referenced when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is described as a socialist single-party state today. In the intervening years, socialist central planning has caused the death of 18-45 million Chinese by famine (and the terror implemented to enforce The Great Leap Forward plan). The PRC deployed its’ army in combat against the United States to prevent the defeat of North Korea after US forces ejected the North Korean Army from South Korea. In Vietnam, the PRC deployed advisors, equipment and aid to assist North Vietnam’s defeat of the United States’ defense of South Vietnam. In recent decades, the PRC is known to have supported communist/socialist insurgencies around the world and today China provides assistance to Iran and other unsavory groups. American citizens face the fact that political leaders have borrowed at least $1.3 trillion from China to sustain continued governmental deficit spending. Those politicians, and key business leaders with interests in China suggest that the PRC is now moderate. They say that the USA and PRC are economically interdependent, so the Chinese government would not act against
44 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
America because of the losses they would incur. But is this true? China specialist Michael Pillsbury served in presidential administrations from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama and has an answer to this question. Unlike other China “experts”, however, Pillsbury speaks the relevant Chinese dialects, has spent extensive time in the country and has read key books, and documents popular within their government. He has close relations with senior defectors from the PRC and openly professes to have been wrong on this subject for many years. His book, The Hundred-Year Marathon (2015), contains his revelations. Pillsbury states that PRC officials often use the term da tong to describe their
aspirations. He says that this is often translated as “commonwealth” or “an era of harmony.” However, he says it is more accurate to translate it as “an era of unipolar dominance.” Americans with an interest in history generally believe that President Richard Nixon shrewdly opened a new, more constructive relationship with the PRC, but Pillsbury states, “We now know… that the decision to pursue an opening with the United States came…from…a committee of four Chinese generals.” He also says, “The Americans just didn’t realize it, nor did Washington yet know [a key] Chinese document called America the enemy and likened it to Hitler.” The author asserts, “Today most outsiders believe that Mao’s command system has given way to an embrace of free enterprise and a trade policy of abiding by international rules. Because of a largely credulous community of international bankers, academics and think tank experts, China has gotten away with this message that it aspires to be more and more like the West. But a closer look at China’s economy reveals something entirely different.” “Over the past several years I, and other experts, have learned from Chinese defectors and dissidents that Beijing has a sophisticated system in place to mislead foreigners about what is going
on in their country and reconfirm Western biases and wishful thinking”, Pillsbury said. The senior defector described “a secret unit at the top of the Chinese leadership that controlled the media carefully to ensure that only the ‘right’ messages got out about China. The key, she said, was to shape messages to foreign nations, and especially the United States, by first disseminating them in domestic channels.” “She revealed that the operation had a $12 billion annual budget and was run by the Politburo’s Standing Committee, which met weekly in a secret room in Beijing, spending much of its time creating messages to be promoted by a propaganda system that controlled Chinese newspapers, television programs, and magazines published overseas, as well as the Chinese Internet.” Pillsbury also reports, “A recent study by the Center for International Media Assistance finds that ‘China’s restrictions have begun to seriously affect…reporting and operations of international organizations’.” If you are familiar with the Muslim Brotherhood document An Explanatory Memorandum’s (2013, Center for Security Policy) explanation of the illogically accommodating treatment of Islam, shariah and jihad that we see among politicians and media, you have a basis for understanding the author’s description of “Confucius Institutes”. He says, “[T]he Chinese government in 2004 launched one of its cleverest operations – establishment of Confucius Institutes across the world…pacifism and sincerity are highlighted as China’s main cultural values… In the past decade the institutes have been welcomed on some 350 college campuses across the world, including Stanford, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania.… one fifth of all the Confucius Institutes worldwide are in America.” He adds, “Building on
their successes on university campuses, the Confucius Institutes are now moving into high school and elementary schools worldwide – with a similar modus operandi…Chinese companies have begun to make substantial donations to think tanks and universities to fund US policy studies of China that support Beijing’s views.” Unfortunately, the author reports that the PRCs support for terrorism designed to distract and exhaust the West now includes support to Islamic terrorist groups. He reports, “China’s cooperation with the al Qaeda terrorist network was not entirely indirect. Intelligence reports obtained by the Pentagon in December 2001 revealed that China supplied arms to al Qaeda after the September 11 attacks. The Taliban and the al Qaeda fighters embedded among them took delivery of a shipment of Chinese made surface to air missiles just a week after the attacks, and US Special Forces discovered 30 of these missiles in May 2002.” Pillsbury also reports, “In November 2003…the Libyan government supplied Western officials a trove of documents including a detailed instructional manual, printed in Chinese, for making 1000 pound bombs with conventional explosives wrapped around fissile material… reports claim that these documents showed that Chinese nuclear weapons experts were still collaborating with️ Pakistani nuclear scientist for years after initially supplying the design information to Pakistan and Libya.” The author quotes an official People’s Liberation Army newspaper: “Some people might think that things similar to the ‘Pearl Harbor incident’ are unlikely to take place during the information age. It could be regarded as the ‘Pearl Harbor incident’ for the 21st-century if a surprise attack is conducted against the enemy’s crucial information systems
of command, control, and invitations by such means as electromagnetic pulse weapons… Even a superpower like the United States, which possesses nuclear missiles and a powerful armed forces, cannot guarantee immunity…a highly computerized open society like the United States is extremely vulnerable to electronic attack from all sides. This is because the US economy, from banks to telephone systems and from PowerPoint to iron and steel works, relies entirely on computer networks… When a country grows increasingly powerful economically and technologically… It will become increasingly dependent on modern information systems… The United States is more vulnerable to these attacks than any other country in the world.” Pillsbury quotes three of the PRC’s preeminent military strategists writing: “Lightning attacks and powerful first strikes will be more widely used” and he adds that Colonel Liu Mingfu (PLA) “alludes to the importance of striking American weaknesses, and preparing to hit the Americans once the West becomes wise to China’s hundred-year game plan.” The Hundred-Year Marathon is a Chinese strategy to defeat the USA and dominate the world. The strategy is more than half complete, and it is believed to be ahead of schedule. Anyone who has not read Unrestricted Warfare (Col. Liang and Col. Xiangsui, 1999) and The Hundred-Year Marathon (Pillsbury, 2015) is entirely ignorant of the face of warfare in our lifetime.
•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Graham is the former commander of a military anti-terrorism unit, the editor of The Counter Terrorist magazine and author of the highly acclaimed new novel Election: Dezinformatsiya and The Great Game (www.chrisgrahamauthor.com).
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 45
DEEP PANDA: PRC CYBER-MILITIA CONDUCTS SHAPING OPERATIONS?
46 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
By Ron Smith
On January 27, 2015, a database administrator at Anthem Healthcare, the second largest healthcare provider in the U.S., noticed something odd running on one of the company’s servers. A process that he had not created was collecting data using his credentials.
H
e stopped the process and notified the company’s information security department.1 Eight days later, the company revealed publicly that it had been the victim of a cyber attack that affected as many as 80 million past and current customers.2 Attackers may have had access to Anthem’s network for months before being detected. The company revealed in a memo to its clients that
unauthorized access to the server had begun on December 10, 2014.3 The attackers would have likely required access to Anthem’s network for some period of time prior to this date in order to determine what systems had the information they were after and obtain the necessary credentials to access the data. Hints that the initial attack may have happened months earlier came from a blog post by security researcher, Brian
Krebs. In the post, he pieces together several bits of public information that not only seem to implicate the Chinese in the Anthem breach but also point to preparations for an attack targeted at the company in April of 2014.4 Prior to December of 2014, Anthem was known as WellPoint. Krebs points out in his article that on April 21, 2014 a domain was registered with a strikingly similar name to WellPoint, “we11point.
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 47
com.” The use of the number “1” instead of the letter “l” in the name is a common tactic that WellPoint attackers might use to fool targets into thinking it’s actually the WellPoint website. The domain initially appeared to be registered to “wen ben zhou” in China. Minutes later, the registration information was changed to “ad fire” in the Cayman Islands.5 The next day,
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Company headquarters on Monument Circle in Indianapolis. Photo by: Serge Melki
April 22, 2014, several subdomains were added under we11point.com such as “myhr.we11point.com” and “extcitrix.we11point.com.”6 These new subdomains matched up with actual subdomains that existed under the real WellPoint website at the time. Also on April 22, 2014, a piece of malware was uploaded to the virus scanning website, VirusTotal, that was
made to look like a plugin for popular enterprise remote access software from Citrix.7 This could be used to trick someone into thinking it was an update from Citrix and was okay to install on their computer. Interestingly, the malware was associated with “extcitrix. we11point.com” according to a report from antivirus vendor, Symantec.8 The malware was even cryptographically
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 49
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signed to make it look more legitimate and possibly help fool antivirus or other protection software. The signature showed to be from a publisher named “DTOPTOOLZ Co.” According to cyber intelligence firm, CrowdStrike, this signature had been used in the past by a Chinese cyberespionage group the firm calls “Deep Panda.” This group has been associated with attacks on the U.S. government, defense contractors, healthcare companies, and technology firms. Further ties to Deep Panda can be found in the Internet Protocol (IP) address used for all the fake We11point domains, 198.200.45.112. This IP has specifically been observed in other Deep Panda-related activities, according to CrowdStrike.9 There is not a direct link available from public information to indicate the “we11point.com” infrastructure was indeed related to the Anthem breach discovered in January 2015. Several bits of circumstantial evidence certainly point in that direction, but there is nothing tying these public observations to what actually happened inside Anthem’s network. What is clear is that the fake “We11point” infrastructure could have been used to lure company employees
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into installing the Citrix malware. Based on this possibility, it’s not hard to suspect that any successful malware infections from such a campaign could have ultimately led to the exfiltration of data discovered in January. Without additional internal details from Anthem at hand, this is merely a suspicion. Anthem reported the breach to the U.S. government and retained the services of Mandiant, a cybersecurity company owned by FireEye that specializes in responding to these types of breaches. Those investigating the case would have had access to Anthem’s internal logs that could provide clues as to whether the “we11point” infrastructure was involved in the breach or not. Indeed, there were early reports from government officials close to the case that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was suspected in the attack.10 It’s unclear whether this connection to the PRC was related to the “we11point” evidence or not. In late February, the FBI said it was close to actually identifying who was behind the attack on Anthem but was unsure if it would make a conclusion public.11 Unlike a physical investigation where search warrants and subpoenas can
Without effective counters to these cyber attacks, China can continue to leverage cyber espionage to pursue its national interests.
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 51
If industries like the financial industry and the defense industry continue to invest in creating more formidable cyber defenses, other industries like healthcare may be more enticing targets to achieve cyberespionage goals.
52 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
lead to direct evidence that ultimately implicates those behind the crime, cyber investigations often lack access to enough evidence to implicate a specific actor or group. Investigators involved in responding to the Anthem breach may have access to systems within Anthem’s control, but they would lack access to systems in China. If that’s where the evidence points, they would not get the complete story. The PRC has repeatedly denied that their government sponsors hacking U.S. and other foreign institutions, despite widespread reports and voluminous, persistent circumstantial evidence to the contrary.12 PRC officials say this knowing that investigators lack full access to any Chinese systems involved in the attack. Unlike the Home Depot breach announced last September where compromised credit card numbers were being immediately sold on the black market, no evidence has surfaced that any of the information stolen from Anthem has made its way online.13 This may be a clue into the motives of the attacker(s) behind the Anthem breach. If the harvesting of that many social security numbers and other data wasn’t to be immediately sold on the black market, then events suggest that the data may have been gathered for informational means. Another interesting fact is that the attackers did not seem to target patient medical records even though they had everything they needed to do so. Instead, they took only the more generic data such as addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers.14 One theory suggests that the Anthem breach was the result of a hacking competition co-sponsored by Topsec Network Security, a Chinese information security firm with ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This theory rests on ties between a failed attack on
VAE Systems, a contracting firm used by some government agencies, and the website for the hacking competition. The hacking competition website was hosted on the same server as the command server for the VAE Systems attack. It was even set up akin to the Anthem attack in that it utilized a fake web infrastructure and similar malware. This could be coincidence in that the professor running the competition may have also been doing work for the PLA and simply used the same server.15 CrowdStrike’s co-founder, Dmitri Alperovitch, suggests that the real reason Anthem was breached was to gather details that could help them find U.S. spies working in China.16 This is supported by other recent attacks seemingly aimed at gathering personal information on government employees: • Keypoint Government Solutions December 2014 – Performs background checks for government clearances – 48,000 records compromised – attack traced to Chinese IP addresses17 • United States Postal Service November 2014 – 800,00 employee records compromised – China suspected18 • Office of Personnel Management July 2014 – Maintains data on federal employees – breached but no data stolen – attack traced to China19 Mr. Alperovitch mentions the Chinese were suspected of breaking into two other insurance providers and three other hospital chains that haven’t been made public. Many theories have been posited about why the Chinese have been targeting so much personal information in the last year. Some suggest that the Chinese are building a database on government employees so they can use that information to make targeted attacks against them. Other theories are
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 53
that the Chinese will use the data for counterintelligence or recruiting. The connection between the Anthem breach and Deep Panda tells a story of its own. This adversary has been attributed attacks against targets in a variety of sectors and seems to be deeply aligned with the PRC’s demonstrated objectives. This fuels suspicions that Deep Panda is one of the Chinese government’s privateer cyber militias, if not an actual element of the People’s Liberation Army. Targets attributed to this adversary include national security think tanks, members of the defense industrial base, government agencies, financial institutions, and telecommunications companies.20 If Deep Panda is attempting to obtain military and other strategic secrets, as its past behavior suggests, building a database on potential targets seems like a logical step. The Anthem breach may simply be a means to an end. In March of this year, another healthcare provider announced it was the victim of a cyber attack. Premera Blue Cross, a healthcare insurer in Washington State, revealed that attackers had taken data from 11 million patients.21 There are a few striking similarities between the Anthem breach and the Premera breach.
54 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
Premera discovered its breach on January 29, 2015, the same day that Anthem notified government authorities of its own attack. There is no public indication of how Premera discovered their breach. They indicate the breach initiated on May 5, 2014, which is roughly the same timeframe the infrastructure for the Anthem breach was stood up. Similar information at Premera was accessed as with the Anthem breach such as names, addresses, social security numbers, telephone numbers, and dates of birth. As with Anthem, Premera reached out to the federal government and Mandiant to help respond to the breach.22 ThreatConnect published information that a similar misspelled domain name had been registered that seemed to mimic Premera’s web address. In this case, the attacker used two n’s to look like the “m” in the Premera name: prennera.com.23 If Anthem was indeed attacked by the adversary known as Deep Panda, then it seems plausible that they may have also targeted Premera. The PRC’s easy access to the private records of millions of Americans puts a disturbing twist on the ongoing cyber attacks on American institutions. If industries like the financial industry
and the defense industry continue to invest in creating more formidable cyber defenses, other industries like healthcare may be more enticing targets to achieve cyberespionage goals. China experiences very little in the way of consequences for its cyberespionage efforts. The rewards are certainly much higher than the costs. Without effective counters to these cyber attacks, China can continue to leverage cyber espionage to pursue its national interests. We are left to guess if this colossal explosion in strategic criminal activity is the groundwork for shaping operations in pursuit of the PRC’s Hundred-Year Marathon Strategy outlined in Michael Pillsbury’s book of the same name*, and described in Unrestricted Warfare by Col. Liang and Col. Xiangsui of the People’s Liberation Army. *Editor’s note: See this issue’s Book Review.
•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Smith (pseudonym) leads a team of cybersecurity researchers and analysts at a Fortune 100 corporation. He has over 20 years of experience in information security and has provided relevant specialist skills in a variety of sectors.
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ENDNOTES Steve Ragan, “Anthem confirms data breach, but full extent remains unknown,” CSO Online, http://www. csoonline.com/article/2880352/disasterrecovery/anthem-confirms-data-breachbut-full-extent-remains-unknown.html 2 Anthem Facts website, Anthem Facts, https://www.anthemfacts.com/ 3 Staticworld, “Anthem Memo,” staticworld.com, http://core0.staticworld. net/images/article/2015/02/anthem_ memo-100567092-orig.jpg 4 Brian Krebs, “Anthem Breach May Have Started in April 2014,” Krebs on Security, http://krebsonsecurity. com/2015/02/anthem-breach-may-havestarted-in-april-2014/ 5 Brian Krebs, Whois Changes Image, Krebs on Security, http://krebsonsecurity. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ we11point-whoischanges.png 6 ThreatConnect, Wellpoint Evil2Legit Image, ThreatConnect Blog, http://www. threatconnect.com/news/wp-content/ uploads/2015/12/wellpoint-evil2legit1. jpg 7 VirusTotal, Malware Analysis, Virustotal.com, https://www.virustotal. com/en-gb/file/8d168092d5601ebbaed2 4ec3caeef7454c48cf21366cd76560755e b33aff89e9/analysis/ 8 Symantec Corporation, Backdoor. Mivast Malware Writeup, Symantec. com, https://www.symantec.com/ security_response/earthlink_writeup. jsp?docid=2015-020623-0740-99 9 Matt Dahl, “I am Ironman: DEEP PANDA Uses Sakula Malware to Target Organizations in Multiple Sectors,” The Adversary Manifesto, http://blog. crowdstrike.com/ironman-deeppanda-uses-sakula-malware-targetorganizations-multiple-sectors/ 10 Michael A. Riley and Jordon Robertson, “Chinese State1
56 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
Sponsored Hackers Suspected in Anthem Attack,” BloombergBusiness, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/ articles/2015-02-05/signs-of-chinasponsored-hackers-seen-in-anthemattack 11 Ellen Nakashima, “Security firm finds link between China and Anthem hack,” The Washington Post, http://www. washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/ wp/2015/02/27/security-firm-finds-linkbetween-china-and-anthem-hack/ 12 Ben Blanchard, “Chinese military denies role in reported U.S. hacking,” Reuters, http://www. reuters.com/article/2015/03/20/ us-china-usa-cybersecurityidUSKBN0MG0TT20150320 13 Brian Krebs, “Home Depot: 56M Cards Impacted, Malware Contained,” Krebs on Security, http://krebsonsecurity. com/2014/09/home-depot-56m-cardsimpacted-malware-contained/ 14 Paresh Dave, “Anthem cyberattack reminiscent of other Chinese hacks, expert says,” Los Angeles Times, http:// www.latimes.com/business/technology/ la-fi-tn-anthem-cybersecurity20150205-story.html 15 Ellen Nakashima, “Security firm finds link between China and Anthem hack,” The Washington Post, http://www. washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/ wp/2015/02/27/security-firm-finds-linkbetween-china-and-anthem-hack/ 16 Jose Pagliery, “Anthem probe looking at China as possible source of hack,” CNNMoney, http://money.cnn. com/2015/02/06/technology/anthemhack/index.html 17 Camille Tuutti, Jack Moore and Aliya Sternstein, “48,000 Federal Employees Potentially Affected by Second Background Check Hack,” Nextgov, http://www.nextgov.com/
cybersecurity/2014/12/opm-alertsfeds-second-background-checkbreach/101622/ 18 Ellen Nakashima, “China suspected of breaching U.S. Postal Service computer networks,” The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ blogs/federal- eye/wp/2014/11/10/ china-suspected-of-breaching-u-s-postalservice-computer-networks/ 19 Ellen Nakashima and Lisa Rein, “Chinese hackers go after U.S. workers’ personal data,” The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ world/national-security/chinesehackers-go-after-us-workers-personaldata/2014/07/10/92db92e8-0846-11e48a6a-19355c7e870a_story.html 20 Dmitri Alperovitch, “Deep in Thought: Chinese Targeting of National Security Think Tanks,” The Adversary Manifesto, http://blog.crowdstrike. com/deep-thought-chinese-targetingnational-security-think-tanks/ 21 Annie Zak and Rachel Lerman, “Premera Blue Cross hit by cyber attack, 11 million people affected across country,” Puget Sound Business Journal, http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/ blog/health-care-inc/2015/03/premerablue-cross-hit-by-cyber-attack-11million.html 22 Brian Krebs, “Premera Blue Cross Breach Exposes Financial, Medical Records,” Krebs on Security, http:// krebsonsecurity.com/2015/03/premerablue-cross-breach-exposes-financialmedical-records/ 23 ThreatConnect, “Premera Latest Healthcare Insurance Agency to be Breached,” ThreatConnect Blog, http:// www.threatconnect.com/news/premeralatest-healthcare-insurance-agency-to-bebreached/
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58 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
By Joseph J. Kolb
THE RISE AND FALL OF BARRIO AZTECA Barrio Azteca was responsible for more than 80 percent of the 11,000 (+) murders in Ciudad Juarez between 2007 and 2012.1
B
arrio Azteca enjoyed a rapid rise from a Texas prison gang to a notorious militia for the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (Juarez) drug trafficking organization (DTO), but today, Barrio Azteca has been dealt a blow from RICO prosecutions originating with law enforcement agents in El Paso, Texas. Unfortunately, they remain a drug trafficking and violent crime threat along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Barrio Azteca began in the Texas prison system, created for self-preservation, and then rose to infamy during the height of the Mexican government’s “war on drugs.” In the past two years, the U.S. government has attempted to capitalize on in-fighting and flipped suspects to testify against the gang. Multiple convictions from the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) have occurred, mass murder
prosecutions have moved forward, and convictions have been obtained. The Barrio Aztecas are one of the most vicious transnational criminal organizations and are associated with the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez corridor. They were founded in 1986 by Mexican and Mexican-American inmates in the Coffield Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison who opposed the Texas Mexican Mafia and Texas
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 59
Syndicate.2 The Barrio Azteca prison gang quickly spread to the streets of the Segundo Barrio of El Paso upon their release, where they plied their trade in minor drug smuggling from Mexico, selling drugs and engaging in extortion, auto theft, and prostitution. The gang’s growth as a transnational criminal organization was facilitated by its members’ travel. Many of its members were in the U.S. illegally and after serving their prison terms were
60 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
deported back to Mexico. Returning to an atmosphere of political and police corruption, Aztecas in Mexico were able to flourish. In the early part of the millennium, the Barrio Aztecas were believed to have 3,000 members in the Ciudad Juarez area.3 Their movement back and forth across the border was fluid. Mexican and U.S. factions were created, which would have implications for the El Paso crews as recent arrests and convictions mounted. This transnational
criminal seeding was similar to what occurred with hundreds of the Los Angeles-based MS13 members who were deported back to Central America in the 1990s after serving prison time. A turning point for the Barrio Azetcas came in the late 1990s, when they became loosely affiliated with the Sinaloa Federation. This accelerated their taste for the profits and power associated with high-volume drug trafficking across the border between El Paso and
Central El Paso from Scenic Drive. Photo by: Smguy101
Ciudad Juarez.4 A former leader of the gang recently testified in court that long before Ciudad Juarez was turned into the “Murder Capital of the World,” with the VCF and Sinaloa Federation battling each other, VCF wanted to kill off the Aztecas because they suspected them of stealing millions of dollars in drug revenues.5 By 2007, the Aztecas’ relationship with Sinaloa dissolved and they fully aligned themselves with the VCF DTO via their established enforcement group
Overview of El Paso. Photo by: NinaMT
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 61
Mexican troops during a patrol. Photo by: BSMFBSMF
in Ciudad Juarez, called La Linea. At the core of this alliance, according to a former Azteca, was the blood brother of Azteca Eduardo “Tablas” Ravelo.6 Ravelo has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for nearly four years after fleeing a 2011 RICO indictment. Their sole task was to create fear and mayhem among the VCF opponents, especially the Artistas Asesinos, their Sinaloa counterparts, by keeping the “body count up.”5 “The BA will always have a strong link to Juarez cartel members because of ‘Tablas,’” the former member said. The influence of the Aztecas in the Juarez plaza was reflected, according to the former member, in the trust placed in them by the VCF DTO. “The heroin drug exchange was only allowed through one BA distributer,” he said. “If any heroin was in circulation and was not
62 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
being served up from this BA distributer, then that was confirmation that you were getting your heroin from the contrario or the enemy-Sinaloa cartel. Penalties for this was death, kidnapping, etc. Juarez cartel was in understandings with the BA that the heroin exchange was only permitted via BA.”6 By 2010, following double-digit massacres in the Juarez Cereso Prison, high-body count episodes occurred in rapid succession and many in the U.S. government believed that the Mexican Drug War was more like an insurgency.7 In January, 16 people were murdered in a house party. Later, there were synchronized attacks on two white SUVs, killing a U.S. consulate worker, the husband of a consulate worker, and an El Paso County Jail detention officer. Then there was the murder of 14 and the
wounding of 20 in October. A vehicleborne improvised explosive device killed three. A former gang member testified that the gang used a cell phone to detonate the C4 and diesel fuel bomb.8 Barrio Azteca received training from Los Zetas9 in the Sierra Madre mountains in southeast Chihuahua state. The former Mexican special forces soldiers (Zetas) of the Gulf Cartel have gone on to be a dominant DTO in eastern Mexico but see opportunities like the Aztecas to share their military expertise in communication, ambush, and intelligence as a counter to the expansion of the Sinaloa elements. By 2012, the Aztecas were listed third as a Tier 1 gang threat by the Texas Department of Public Safety10 based on their level of criminal activity, as well as the connection to the VCF DTO. At the core of the U.S. government’s offensive is the RICO statute. But a year before the Department of Justice leveled an indictment against members, discord within the gang began to whittle away at the stability and cohesion of the organization. As much as a militarylike hierarchal structure contributes to the strength of the Aztecas, it also has contributed to its targeting by law enforcement. Rather than being a gang of loose confederate franchises, like some street gangs, the Aztecas rely heavily upon their rank structure, where there is a president (cap mayor), captains (capos), soldiers (soladados), prospects (prospectos), and associates (esquinas). Pursuant to the RICO cases, much of the upper echelon has been arrested, leaving the lower ranks fighting among themselves in violent power grabs. Many members have scattered throughout Texas and to neighboring New Mexico, further weakening the core of the organization. After the arrests of 35 members for the 2010 killings, the murder rate in Ciudad
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 63
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Photo by: Astrid Bussink from Queens
“This blood line of members is gone but still run the streets from behind prison bars,”…
64 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
Juarez plummeted to 2,086 in 2011 from 3,622 a year earlier. In 2012, it declined to 751. According to an Azteca member, the gang was affected by hundreds being killed on the streets of Ciudad Juarez in the war with the Sinoalas, dozens of arrests in the RICO cases, and members being flipped by law enforcement to testify against other members.6 “I
was in custody at the time but it was floating around that BA members were renouncing in hand fulls,” said the former member. He said members fleeing to the U.S. to escape carnage in Ciudad Juarez were quickly turned into assets by U.S. law enforcement. “This became a weakness for the BA because this in turn gave the government an advantage on Intel on BA operations in Juarez,” the
included charges of drug smuggling, extortion, robbery, trafficking of firearms, money laundering, obstruction of justice, witness retaliation, kidnapping, and murder. Among the murders mentioned in the indictment were those connected to the U.S. Consulate in 2010. This was followed by a second RICO punch in 2014, which netted eight more influential members. Charges in this case included the collection of a “quota” or street tax from drug dealers, which was then used to purchase money orders mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to imprisoned members. The proceeds were also being used to further the criminal enterprise. The former member said the two rounds of RICO indictments may have dried up the old leadership either from the arrests or in forcing them underground. “This blood line of members is gone but still run the streets from behind prison bars,” he said.
Mexican military in Michoacan. Photo by: Diego Fernández
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE FACE OF THE BA
source said. “Most BA members that were apprehended in that RICO case were major players in hardcore BA organized crimes, from key drug distributers to straight assassins,” said the source. The RICO case filed in 2011 swept up executioners from the U.S., one of whom was a killer in Juarez living in El Paso. A total of 35 members, including Ravelo, were named in the indictment, which
The impact of the killings, imprisonments, defections, and loss of traditional leadership can’t be refuted. But, for an organization so ingrained in a region that it has expressed minimal intentions for large-scale expansion into other markets, the potential for them to regroup can’t be ignored. According to the 2014 Texas Department of Public Safety Gang Threat Assessment, the decline of the VCFDTO has had a direct impact on the Aztecas, which was essentially its sole distributor of heroin into El Paso.10 This perceived weakening brought in elements of Sureño 13, but Barrio Azteca remains the dominant force.10 There are reports of Aztecas breaking ties with the VCFDTO and aligning themselves with the Sinaloa DTO.10
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 65
There is already speculation that VCF is attempting to regain lost ground in Ciudad Juarez, especially the hotly contested Valley of Juarez on the eastern side of the city. This will put the members who defected to Sinaloa in a precarious position. How this will play out in Ciudad Juarez and the streets of El Paso remains to be seen.
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66 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
“From my point of view, it balances out from true BA old school members being gone and the newer generation acting on different terms or styles,” said the former member.6 He cites the number of soldiers who had been killed, jailed, turned into government witnesses, or renounced the gang outright, among them being Ravelo on the run and Castrellon, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2014. “RICO is so effective that BA members often think twice about being in leadership positions, although you are not asked, but rather ordered to do so,” said the former member. “It’s tough because you are at these terms guaranteed to lose your life whether murdered or imprisoned, your life is lost. You must be willing to give up everything for the BA.”
•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Kolb is the program manager for the New Mexico Gang Task Force. Kolb regularly travelled to Ciudad Juarez as a journalist to report on Mexican security issues and U.S. public safety.
ENDNOTES Kolb, Joseph, Cartel hitman testifies to 800 murders, daily quotas at kingpin trial, Fox News, http://www.foxnews. com/us/2014/02/11/cartel-hitmantestifies-to-800-murders-daily-quotas-atkingpin-trial/ 2 Sullivan, John, The Barrio Azteca, Los Aztecas Network, Homeland1, taken from, http://www.homeland1. com/homeland-security-columnists/thecounter-terrorist/articles/1455224-thebarrio-azteca-los-aztecas-network/, June 3, 2013. 3 http://www.insightcrime.org/mexicoorganized-crime-news/barrio-azteca 4 Burton, Fred, and Ben West, The Barrio Azteca Trial and the Prison GangCartel Interface, Security Weekly, taken from, 1
https://www.stratfor.com/ weekly/20081119_barrio_azteca_trial_ and_prison_gang_cartel_interface, Nov. 19, 2008 5 Washington Valdez, Diana, Infighting hurt Barrio Aztecas who worked for Juarez cartel, taken from, El Paso Times, http://www.elpasotimes.com/ ci_23940645/ba-gang-leader-juarez-had50-bodyguards-and, Aug. 26, 2013. 6 Email correspondence with former BA member. 7 Cattan, Natha, and Stephen Kurczy, Mexico drug war an ‘insurgency’? US official’s gaffe sparks US-Mexico row, The Christian Science Monitor, taken from, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/ Americas/2011/0210/Mexico-drug-waran-insurgency-US-official-s-gaffe-sparksUS-Mexico-row, Feb. 10, 2011. 8 Valdez Washington, Diane, Juarez consulate killings: cameraman who filmed car bombing testifies, El Paso Times, taken from http://www. elpasotimes.com/news/ci_25129092/ multiple-gunshots-killed-three-juarez2010-el-paso, Feb. 13, 2014. 9 Personal statements by law enforcement official requesting anonymity. 10 Texas Gang Threat Assessment, Texas Department of Public Safety, http://dps.texas.gov/director_staff/ media_and_communications/2014/ txGangThreatAssessment.pdf, April 2014 11 Barrio Azteca lieutenant who ordered the consulate murders in Ciudad Juarez sentenced to life in prison, U.S. Department of Justice, Taken from http://www.fbi.gov/elpaso/ press-release/2014/barrio-aztecalieutenant-who-ordered-the-consulatemurders-in-ciudad-juarez-sentenced-tolife-in-prison, April 24, 2014.
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The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 67
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IB CONSULTANCY IB Consultancy is an independent defense and security company dedicated to making this world a safer and more secure place. To achieve this IB Consultancy provides rapid, innovative defense and security services to government, trade & industry. Their services are always fully tailored to meet your requirements helping you reach your objectives. IB Consultancy connects businesses, governments and NGOs from different continents in our common goal to make this world a safer and more secure place. IB Consultancy has a comprehensive network of stakeholders, lobbyists, subject matter experts and decision makers which has been shaped by our highly skilled consultants. They bring with them their networking knowledge from international organizations, national government departments, research institutes, and companies in support of your business. www.ib-consultancy.com
SSI
SSI PVB ÂŽ
68 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
The Portable Vehicle Barrier transfers the momentum of a moving vehicle upwards and stops it in its tracks. Two adults can deploy the barrier in minutes without any need for electricity. It can be equipped with wheels to act as a swing barrier. You can add anchoring cables and place the PVBs in a single row or more. The PVB can be folded quickly for moving and storage; it is reusable and durable. www.ssipvb.com
Innovative Products GS-20 GROUND SENSOR The GS-20 is a wireless, long-term, battery operated sensor designed to detect subjects in restricted areas. Personnel are detected via seismic, magnetic, thermal, or custom triggers programmed into the GS-20 sensor. Run times of a year are typical with extended run times possible. Once subjects are detected, alerts are sent via text, emails or directly to a handheld programmer/receiver. Applications include Border Protection, Military, Law Enforcement and Critical Infrastructure Protection. www.vortexsystems.us
BREACHER’S PULL KIT SSI’s new “Pull Kit” takes years of breaching experience and puts it all in one convenient Pelican case. The kit contains customized: case plate, elongated hooks and custom made hammer along with specially selected accessories. It has 4 carabiners rated for over 6,000 lbs. each, a custom made 39" x 1 “rolled steel window spear with rounded ends, and 6' chain - textured powder coated black for non-slip grip. It is built with a custom made elongated Thor hammer with 12 pound custom head and 3' composite handle. It can be used with any vehicle with a standard two inch hitch receiver. Bradman@homelandsecurityssi.com
FRANK PROCTOR Y NOTCH PISTOL SIGHTS This sight system was designed to give shooters maximum speed and accuracy. Most pistol sights are set up with either wide rear sights and narrow front sights for fast but not so accurate shooting or narrow rear sights and a wider front for more precise, but possibly slower shooting. The top of the Y is .140 wide and the bottom of the Y is .100. The front sight is .117 wide with a .040 fiber optic insert. The front sight is .180 tall and the sight set is designed for point of aim = point of impact with the dot resting in the Y where the notch tapers down. www.wayofthegun.us The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 69
Counter
ADVERTISER INDEX
The
JUNE/JULY 2015
VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 4
Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals To request detailed product information, visit our website http://thecounterterroristmag.com/readerservicecard.php or scan this code. Select the appropriate Reader Service Number (RSN) on the web-form and submit your contact information. Individual advertiser’s websites are also provided below for your convenience.”
Page
Ad/Company • website and/or email.......................................................................................................... RSN Number
53
10th Annual Homeland Security Professionals Conference • www.terrorconference.com........................ 177
71
Advanced Homeland Security Training in Israel • www.homelandsecurityssi.com...................................... 215
7
American Public University • www.amuonline.com/counter-terrorist............................................................... 25
66
Army Network Modernization 2015 Conference • www.armynetworkmodernization.com......................... 113
2
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing • www.barrett.net...................................................................................... 121
17
Brunswick Commercial and Government Products • www.brunswickcgp.com.......................................... 178
28
Counter Assault • www.counterassault.com..................................................................................................... 241
29
Elevated Tactics by SSI • www.homelandsecurityssi.com.................................................................................. 291
13
Elite K9 • www.elitek9.com............................................................................................................................... 277
41
Homeland Security Network • www.homelandsecuritynet.com...................................................................... 19
63
K9 Cop Magazine • www.k9copmagazine.com............................................................................................... 279
3
Lewis Machine & Tool • www.lmtdefense.com................................................................................................ 259
57
MACTAC • www.homelandsecurityssi.com........................................................................................................... 228
66
Next Generation Integration ISR Conference • www.integratedisr.com...................................................... 115
37
NTOA • www.ntoa.org...................................................................................................................................... 329
51
Occupational Health • www.ohdusa.com....................................................................................................... 213
43
Patriot3 • www.patriot3.com............................................................................................................................ 301
75
Phantom Products Inc. • www.phantomlights.com.......................................................................................... 209
25
Police One • www.policeoneacademy.com........................................................................................................ 335
14
Reconyx • www.reconyx.com........................................................................................................................... 303
54
Southern Police Equipment • www.southernpoliceequipment.com................................................................... 343
33
SSI Pull Kit • www.homelandsecurityssi.com...................................................................................................... 179
55
SSI PVBs • www.ssipvb.com.............................................................................................................................. 226
4
Surveilance One • www.survone.com.............................................................................................................. 319
67
TacOps East • www.tacopseast.com.................................................................................................................. 21
27
The Counter Terrorist Magazine • www.thecounterterroristmag.com.............................................................. 255
15
TSSI • www.tssi-ops.com.................................................................................................................................... 249
76
Vortex • www.vortexsystems.us......................................................................................................................... 311
70 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
The Advanced Global Security Workshop in
Israel ®
The experts on training in:
the Homeland Security professionals best resource
Since 2005, SSI has taken nearly 500 First Responders to Israel and shown them the basics of the Israel security concept. Thanks in part to that program, we are better able to defend ourselves in the United States. In response to demand, we are now offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience covering the following advanced subjects: November 6–14
2015
Hezbollah - a threat as deadly as al-Qaeda - Learn about them in their own territory, along Israel’s northern border. Hostage Rescue - Discover how they go wrong. Hospital Response - Find out how Israel’s critical response hospitals handle surge and multi-casualty incidents. Israel Counter Terrorism units - Learn how they operate. Israel National Police - National Academy; See how they train? Sensitive Installations - Participate in a day-long exercise and training program in how to set up a complete security system. Secret Israel Homeland Security Simulator - See how this works at a base south of Tel Aviv.
Stay in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and visit some of the most amazing sites! Register now if you are US Military, a Homeland Security Professional, a Security Professional, an EMS, or an EMT.
www.homelandsecurityssi.com
LEARN MORE at: Call now for more information. Circle 215 on Reader Service Card
Phone: 866-573-3999 Fax: 866-573-2090 info@homelandsecurityssi.com Circle 50 on Reader Service Card Circle 215 on Reader Service Card
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 71
TRAINING REVIEW
Mike Pannone Pistol & Carbine
A
t 9:00 am on a clear morning, Jim Wilson introduced Mike Pannone at the Grey Training Facility near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Grey medical officer Jose Negron, a former navy corpsman and paramedic, delivered a medical brief, and Pannone gave a short safety brief. Pannone is a former Recon Marine and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta veteran. After sustaining a severe blast injury, Mike retired from 1st SFOD-D. He is also a competitive shooter (with USPSA Master ranking) and a high-threat security contractor. I shot Mike’s CZ-sponsored course with a Glock 17 (with Frank Proctor’s Y notch sights to try out) and a long barrel AR with an ACOG 4x32 optic. The first advice Pannone gave was to “know why you do what you do.” He specified, “Know the following critical evaluation criteria with a high level of specificity: what you do (establish the task), why you do it (desired end state), and how it works (i.e. the mechanism of success. What specifically makes this technique succeed?) Identify the most likely failure points or mistakes; precede those with proper training. He also observed that the biggest deficit shooters he encounters normally have is in running guns rapidly and effectively without making mistakes. He asserted that ninety percent of sport shooting skills and combat shooting skills cross over. He designs his training to benefit both and believes that sport matches are a good place to validate techniques. While Mike set respectable safety standards, he mercifully applied common sense that is all too often uncommon.
72 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
Shooters were expected to clear weapons independently, selecting appropriate backdrops and open terrain as is necessary. His methodology takes into account the unfortunate question: if shooters are micromanaged and inadequately trained, how can they develop the competence and confidence necessary to win gunfights without
Mike Pannone. Photos courtesy of www.greytacticaloutfitters.com “Big Sarge” telling them what to do? He ensured that everyone grasped that “a safe direction” and “downrange” are not synonyms and he defined accidental discharges and negligent discharges. Accidental being something someone might encounter if they were climbing a
By Chris Graham
ladder and friction on gear manipulated their rifle safety before another item pressed the trigger on that slung rifle as they moved. Negligence is involved in any scenario in which a safety and/or trigger are operated inappropriately. The first drill we shot was at the seven-yard line against a dot on an IPSC target. We fired five rounds standard, five rounds strong hand, and five rounds non-dominant hand (with no time limits) to warm up and provide an opportunity for Mike to inventory where shooters’ skills were. Mike made the case that you can’t unlearn things (such as bad habits), you can only learn new things to replace them with (similar to the way computer memory works). He also stated that there are no advanced marksmanship techniques, just advanced understanding of applying these techniques. We discussed grip, action versus reaction, stepping into the target, body position, and efficient reloads. At seven yards we practiced combat reloads with one round loaded in each mag. Mike explained that shaking a pistol to get the mag free was inefficient and he cautioned against using a fresh mag to pull out a hanging mag. He recommended only using a finger to peel a hung mag free. We did tac(tical) reload drills, exchanging one full mag for a partial mag, efficiently bringing guns up to maximum capacity. We went to the ten-yard line for some shooting on the move. Mike advocated keeping it simple: just cushion with bent knees and walk. We practiced five shots to the A zone per iteration, then practiced
three to the A, two to the credit card box in the head. We moved to the side as well. Mike encouraged shooters to develop the habit of always initiating movement with smallest motions first, then larger, so the safety would always be operated before moving the rifle out of the shoulder (for example). Pannone shared that he wasn’t a fan of position sul and advocated a standby position with the
pistol low with the non-firing hand thumb wrapping the slide. At the ten-yard line we fired both hands, right hand, and left from the holster. Between the ten- and fifteenyard lines we practiced an innovative fetal prone to brace the pistol between knees for recoil control and the ability to make use of unusual cover. We discussed the advantages of fiber optic sights and
disadvantages such as the perceived difference in zero in different light conditions and angles. Mike introduced a drill called Face in the Crowd. This drill is intended to be run with multiple layered target banks with two targets requiring two hits each with more no shoot targets interspersed. Some banks only have no shoot targets. The drill requires calculation, shooting
The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015 73
on the move to both directions and to the rear (yes, Mike Pannone recognizes that shooting while moving to the rear is a useful skill). We also practiced a reload drill where each mag has one round, and a partner keeps replacing that round in empty mags on the deck with the shooter continuing to reload from the deck for ten rounds at five, ten, fifteen, and twenty yards. The last thing we did for the day was ten iterations of draw fast, shoot perfect at the seven yard line to practice a fast draw while metering shot speed. The second day of training was rifle day. Pannone stated that the AR is the best ergonomically designed rifle in the world (indeed, I have never failed to notice that no matter what weapons a Western country produces for the world and for themselves, their top special operations units carry M-4s). Mike also pointed out that dialing up and down the brightness on popular electronic optics alters their apparent zero. We fired on dots placed on IPSCs at fifty yards, confirming all zeros were close, then moved to 100 yards to confirm zeros and holds. We executed combat reload drills at closer range with one round loaded per magazine, then discussed Mike’s recommended remedial action for a double feed bolt override malfunction: execute immediate action and determine that bolt override is the malfunction by feel. Place the safety on, if not transitioning to a pistol, drop the muzzle in the dirt (average amounts of dirt in the muzzle will not cause the feared barrel explosion), and place the stock center chest preferably behind cover. Forcefully attempt to lock the bolt to the rear. However far is the limit of the charging handle’s movement, release it and chop it forward. Elevate the muzzle and depress it again, allowing obstructions to fall free. Cycle the bolt and ensure metal seats on metal as the
74 The Counter Terrorist ~ June/July 2015
bolt locks home. Load (a new mag), chamber a round and fire. It can be a quick, consistent fix for a problem that can otherwise become time consuming or require tools, and it can be employed on multiple weapon systems. After lunch, we did the bolt override drill blindfolded. At five yards we shot a drill on IPSC targets with different designs drawn on it. We fired two rounds into the A zone and one into each design (to practice holds), and we did it ambidextrously. At fifty yards we shot a thirty-second drill firing five standing, five kneeling, five prone into the A zone and did it lefthanded. With the same limits, we fired three rounds standing, three kneeling, three prone, three kneeling, and three standing. We ran from the twenty yard line to the five firing drills right-handed then left. At the hundred yard line we fired one round, executed a combat reload and fired nine rounds prone in five seconds, then did the same left-handed. We conducted the bolt override drill. Then we concluded
by confirming our 100 yard zeros. All shooters enjoyed the training. I knew my ACOG would not be ideal for the close ranges of this course, but came away with some good data, and my Proctor sights performed well. Mike Pannone has an interesting combination of experience to draw upon. You will find that he strives for simplicity and the distillation of truth. Two days is a very limited time to conduct training on multiple weapon systems, but if you have the opportunity to shoot with Pannone, I recommend you take advantage of it. His training had no stated prerequisites, but experienced shooters and instructors will gain the most from it. www.ctt-solutions.com
•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mr. Graham is the former commander of a military anti-terrorism unit, editor of The Counter Terrorist magazine and creator of 30-10 Pro Pistol Training (www.30-10pistol.com).
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