STATE OF ALASKA
DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT 03-364 (as of 11:00 AM December 30, 2003) Homeland Security Advisory System – National Level: Orange-High U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security Advisory System – Alaska Level: Orange-High Alaska Division of Homeland Security
State Emergency Coordination Center Preparedness Level: 2-Heightened Sense of Awareness Alaska Division of Emergency Services
Military installations in Alaska are at FPCON B.
Current Internet Threat Level: 1-Regular Vigilance Internet Security Systems
State Emergency Coordination Center (SECC) Operations: To reach the SECC dial (907) 428-7100 or 1-888-462-7100, 24 hours per day. The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has a web site available for information on emergency topics at http://www.ak-prepared.com and Homeland Security information at http://www.ak-prepared.com/homelandsecurity/. For further information: Countries: U.S. State Department Background Notes. Maps: United Nations Cartographic Section Terrorist Groups: Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations Background Information on Other Terrorist Groups. State of Alaska Situation Nothing to Report. National Situation · With federal authorities warning that the risk of a terrorist attack remains high, New Year’s celebrations around the nation will be seasoned with equal parts of caution and revelry. Public partygoers in some cities can expect to encounter security measures such as bomb-sniffing dogs, video surveillance equipment, police snipers on rooftops and skies devoid of all private aircraft as they ring in 2004. The Department of Homeland Security announced today that it has approved temporary flight restrictions for the Strip in Las Vegas, New York City’s Times Square and downtown Chicago. More... · Roughly 60 terrorist groups, many of which are expanding their access to homemade weapons of mass destruction, are operating worldwide, the National Defense Council Foundation reported yesterday. The foundation, made up of former military special operations forces members, found terrorists are getting better at sustaining themselves through the drug trade and other illegal activities, giving them the economic base for terrorist activities. The foundation usually puts out an annual count of world conflicts this time of year, but the prevalence of terrorist activities made the true tally of conflicts impossible to calculate. More... · Against a holiday backdrop of elevated terrorist threat alerts, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released an extensive package of interim guidance documents designed to help water utilities plan and respond to intentional acts of contamination, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) website reported. The Response Protocol Tool Box (RPTB): Planning for and Responding to Contamination Threats to Drinking Water Systems document now comprises an overview and four modules that total 356 pages of utility security guidance information. Available online from the EPA's Water Infrastructure Security website, the four modules comprise a 46-page planning guide, a 95-page threat management guide, an 85-page site characterization and sampling guide and a 113-page analytical guide. Two addition modules covering public health response and remediation and recovery are expected to be released in early 2004, the AWWA reported. More... International Situation · Philippine authorities said today they were set to deport two American brothers arrested for suspected links to terrorism and for allegedly meeting charity groups believed to be al-Qaeda fronts in the country. One of the men worked as a heating and air conditioning technician at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — a major nuclear weapons lab outside San Francisco — for about 10 years ending in 2000. Michael Ray Stubbs, 55, and his brother James, 56, a convert to Islam, were arrested on immigration violation charges December 13 in the town of Tanza in Cavite province, 21 miles southwest of Manila. More... · Russia has removed all Soviet-built anti-aircraft missiles from its vast arms depots in a Moldova province to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorists. The missiles were flown from Trans-Dniester Province to the Moscow on Saturday. No anti-aircraft missiles are left in Trans-Dniester. The Defense Ministry said in the statement that it had decided to remove the weapons to "minimize the potential danger of terrorists seizing the portable and other air defense missiles and using them for terror goals." About 2,000 Russian troops remain in Trans-Dniester, guarding giant Soviet-era ammunition depots and acting as peacekeepers. The Russian military was deployed in the separatist province to end a 1992 war that killed some 1,500 people and left Trans-Dniester de-facto independent. More... Spotlight on Terrorism Ansar al-Islam (AI) a.k.a. Partisans of Islam, Helpers of Islam, Supporters of Islam Description Ansar al-Islam is a radical Islamist group of Iraqi Kurds and Arabs who have vowed to establish an independent Islamic state in northern Iraq. It was formed in September 2001 and is closely allied with al-Qaeda. Its members trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and now provide safe haven to al-Qaeda fighters fleeing Afghanistan. (Ansar al-Islam was designated on 20 February 2003, under E.O. 13224. The UNSCR 1267 Committee designated Ansar al-Islam pursuant to UNSCRs 1267, 1390, and 1455 on 27 February 2003.) Activities The group is challenging one of the two main Kurdish political factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and has mounted ambushes and attacks in PUK areas. AI members have been implicated in assassinations and assassination attempts against PUK officials and claim to have produced cyanide-based toxins, ricin, and alfatoxin. Strength Approximately 700 members. Location/Area of Operation Ansar al-Islam is based in northern Iraq near the Iranian border outside Baghdad’s control. External Aid The group receives funding, training, equipment, and combat support from al-Qaeda. Significant Dates Dec 31, 1968 Philippines: Marxist-Leninist Party Founded; The Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of the Philippines was founded.
Jan 1, 1964 Israel, Middle East: Fatah Day; The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded at a meeting in Jerusalem. |