SECTION I - CURRENT INTELLIGENCE

FBI ARRESTS MUSLIM AMERICAN IN CHRISTMAS TIME TERROR PLOT The FBI arrested Derrick Shareef, 22, on Wednesday (6 Dec) after he made a deal with an undercover FBI agent to trade a pair of speakers for a 9mm pistol and four hand grenades. The FBI had been tracking Shareef, a U.S.-born citizen and Muslim convert, since an acquaintance of his had alerted authorities that Shareef was plotting to wage "violent jihad." The FBI taped Shareef talking about planting grenades in trash cans at the Cherry Vale Mall in Rockford, IL. Allegedly, Shareef said the explosion from the grenades would turn the trash cans into shrapnel to cause maximum casualties. Authorities say the plot was planned for 22 December, the last Friday before Christmas, when Shareef figured the mall would be the most crowded. In an arraignment on 8 December, Shareef was charged with one count of attempting to damage a building through fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Michael B. Mann, Shareef's defense attorney,  would not comment on the charges, but if convicted, Shareef could spend the rest of his life in prison. An FBI affidavit stated that Shareef was under investigation since September when he told an acquaintance that "he wanted to commit acts of violent jihad against targets in the United States as well as commit other crimes." Besides the shopping mall, Shareef also discussed targeting government buildings such as court houses. Shareef allegedly said "I just want to smoke a judge." Shareef and his acquaintance reconnoitered the mall on  30 November to determine where the grenades should be placed to cause the most pandemonium. Authorities believe Shareef might have learned about jihad through videos and web sites. He was arrested on Wednesday after meeting with an undercover agent of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force who showed him four grenades and a 9mm pistol, none of which actually worked. Shareef was arrested when he allegedly offered to trade a set of speakers for the weapons. Shpendim Nadzaku, imam of the Muslim Association of Greater Rockford commended authorities for breaking up the terror plot, saying, "We take this opportunity to reiterate the Muslim community's condemnation of terrorism in the name of Islam." [WisconsinStJournal 9Dec06/Robinson (AP)]

BULGARIA'S OWN AFIO OPPOSES THE OPENING OF SOVIET-ERA SECRET FILES Members of Bulgaria's Association of Former Intelligence Agents (AFIA) publicly decried a bill before parliament that would open all secret files from the country's past when it was an ally of the Soviet Union and a member of the Warsaw Pact. The AFIA said that the legislation aims not to shed light on the country's murky past, but to replace the political elite. "If opened, the files will spring a mine on many people from the ruling three-party coalition," the organization said. The former intelligence officers contend that Bulgarian society would not benefit from the opening of the files and that active members of the Bulgarian foreign service, some of whom are ambassadors and special service chiefs, could be harmed. [EAB/Novinite 5Dec06]

IRAQ'S SUNNI INSURGENCY RECEIVES MILLIONS FROM PRIVATE SAUDI CITIZENS The Associated Press has interviewed several truck drivers who claim to have transported boxes of cash from Saudi Arabia into Iraq which they say was destined for Sunni insurgents. This claim is backed up by both Iraqi government officials and the U.S. Iraq Study Group report released last week. The Saudi government, however, denies that any money from its country is funding the Iraqi insurgency. Two unnamed Iraqi officials say that most of the money is collected from private Saudi citizens as "zakat" an Islamic tradition of charitable giving. Apparently not all contributors know that the funds are supporting the insurgents, but give their money to clerics who in turn use it to fund anti-coalition forces. An Iraqi official said that recently $25 million in Saudi donations to a radical Sunni cleric were used to purchase Russian weapons, including the Strela anti-aircraft missile from arms dealers in Romania. However, Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, a spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, said, "There isn't any organized terror finance, and we will not permit any such unorganized acts." He stressed that last year the Saudi government set up a special task force to track suspicious financial operations, and has cracked down on "zakat" abuses in response to U.S. pressure following the September 11th terrorist attacks. A number of truck drivers in Middle East capitals, though, say that Saudi religious events, such as the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, are used to raise money, which is then shipped to Iraq on buses with returning pilgrims. One driver said that he was provided boxes of cash to deliver to specified addresses in Iraq. "I know it is being sent to the resistance, and if I don't take it with me, they will kill me," said the driver identified only as Hussein. He claimed he was told the contents of the boxes to ensure he hid them from authorities at the border. The Iraq Study Group found that the Saudi government is an ally of the U.S. in the War on Terror assisting with intelligence, but that many Saudi citizens have tribal allegiance to Sunni Iraqis and see the struggle there as one of survival against Iraqi Shiites. [Harvey/PhilaInquirer 8Dec06/Nasrawi (AP)]

CIVIL LIBERTIES WATCHDOG GROUP IMPRESSED WITH NSA SAFEGUARDS BUILT INTO DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM Senior members of the NSA briefed the government-appointed Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on its domestic eavesdropping program. After the long-awaited presentation, two of the board's five members spoke on the record to say they were impressed with the privacy safeguards that NSA had built into the program that monitors suspect telephone and computer communications at least one end of which is overseas. "If the American public, especially civil libertarians like myself, could be more informed about how careful the government is to protect our privacy while still protecting us from attacks, we'd be more reassured," said Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House lawyer. Alan Raul, a former Reagan White House lawyer and the board's vice chairman, said the group "found there was a great appreciation inside government, both at the political and career levels, for protections on privacy and civil liberties." He further stated that he believed the U.S. public may have an "underappreciation" of the seriousness that the government is giving the protection of citizens' privacy rights. President Bush had delayed the briefing for over year under fears of widening the circle of those who know details of the program, especially in light of public disclosures that had been made in the media. Davis, however, believes the President could tell the public even more about the program's protections without compromising national security. The oversight board was formed in a compromise between Congress and the White House amid growing concerns about controversial intelligence programs such as the NSA's warrantless surveillance program, the financial tracking database, and CIA secret prisons and harsh interrogation techniques. Some Democrats believe, however, that the board does not have sufficient independence since the compromise struck left it under the control of the President. The board has conducted 16 closed session meetings to discuss classified matters and question intelligence agencies. It held its first public hearings on 5 December at Georgetown University (UPI) to hear from public critics of the administration's programs, to include the American Civil Liberties Union.  [PJK/WHDHTV7 28Nov06/AP]

JAILED RUSSIAN DISSIDENT NAMES FSB COLONEL IN PLOT TO KILL EX-KGB OFFICER LITVINENKO After the Kremlin refused to allow Scotland Yard to interview jailed dissident Mikhail Trepashkin, he released a statement through an intermediary naming an active FSB colonel as the primary player in the plot to poison former KGB/FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko. Trepashkin, a lawyer being held in a penal camp in the Urals, claimed the colonel was one of four masked men appearing with Litvinenko in a 1998 photograph of a press conference. At the press conference Litvinenko had accused his former superiors at the FSB of ordering the assassination of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. The Telegraph would not publish the name of the colonel out of legal concerns. Trepashkin, who is not known as an alarmist or having a history of making wild or exaggerated claims, said that he has further evidence of the colonel's involvement but would only reveal it to British police. The former lawyer said that he believes the plot was hatched over a long period of time and that it was designed to make it appear Litvinenko died of natural causes. However, Trepashkin theorizes that the polonium-210 used to poison Litvinenko acted much more quickly than the assassins had planned, hence their act was revealed. Trepashkin believes his life may now be endanger and expects to be transferred from the minimum security prison where he as a year left on his sentence to a tougher prison where he thinks he may be attacked or even killed. [CL/Telegraph 10Dec06/Womack and Freeman]

SECTION II - CONTEXT AND PRECEDENCE

TERROR SUSPECT REMAINS BEYOND THE REACH OF THE U.S. IN NORWAY In Spring 2003, according to data complied by EU investigators, three CIA operatives, one of which had just allegedly participated in the kidnapping of a Muslim cleric in Italy, checked into the same hotel in Oslo. Shortly thereafter, an Islamic radical named Mullah Krekar received a warning from an anonymous source in the Norwegian government that the CIA was after him. Krekar was then the head of Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish insurgent group. The CIA operatives supposedly left by the end of Summer 2003, and if there target was Krekar, they had abandoned plans to capture him or scare him out of Norway.
    Krekar has enjoyed the protection of Norwegian law as a political refugee for over a decade, and this was allegedly not the CIA's first attempt to get at him. Although Krekar lives in Norway, evidence shows that he has secretly slipped in and out of Northern Iraq to lead attacks on civilians and U.S. forces. Labeled a security threat by the Norwegian government, Krekar, like other Islamic militants living freely in European countries- such as radical clerics in London and supporters of the Hamburg cell in Germany that carried out the 9/11 attacks- highlights the frustration the CIA faces in pursuing terrorist suspects in Europe.
    The U.S. portrayed Krekar prior to the invasion of Iraq as the link between Saddam Hussein's government and al-Qaeda. Pressured to prove the linkage, the CIA has pursued Krekar and attempted numerous times to apprehend him and turn him over to a friendly Middle Eastern government. Norway has declared Krekar a threat and order him deported, but legal wrangling has allowed him to stay. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said, "The United States continues to consider Krekar to be a threat to national security, and we think the same with respect to Ansar al-Islam," but neither the U.S. nor Norway would say that Krekar was a target of "extraordinary rendition." Both former Secretary of State Collin Powell, who named Krekar and his group as the connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda in his 2003 speech before the U.N., and former Attorney General John Ashcroft have called on the Norwegian government to expel Krekar.
    Krekar, whose real name is Najumuddin Faraj Ahmad, 50, published his autobiography under the title "My Own Words" and has achieved minor celebrity status in Norway. He claims to have quit as Ansar's leader in 2002, but continues to make public statements in support of terrorist acts. He has called Osama bin Laden "a good Muslim" and considered the June 2006 death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi "bad news," although he said he was not sad as Zarqawi is now in paradise. Brynjar Meling, Krekar's defense attorney, claims that the U.S., Norway and even other Islamists have built Krekar up into a symbol, bigger than he is, and that Krekar has allowed them to do it.
    The U.S. did not always consider Krekar an enemy, though. In 1990, he fled Northern Iraq and sought and received asylum in Norway. He returned to the Kurdish area of Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War and the northern area was deemed a "no-fly zone" and protected by U.S. war planes. Krekar claims that in early 2001, he and other Kurdish leaders met with CIA representatives to discuss plans to overthrow the Hussein government. Then, later that year he formed Ansar al-Islam, an organization which the CIA claims gave safe haven to al-Qaeda members fleeing the U.S. attack in Afghanistan.
    In September 2002, he was arrested by Iranian authorities while trying to cross the mountainous border between Iraq and Iran. Iran deported Krekar to Amsterdam where he was arrested by Dutch officials for extradition to Jordan where he was allegedly wanted on drug charges. Krekar claimed, however, to have never even been to Jordan and called the arrest a U.S. plot. The Dutch confirmed U.S. interest in the case, but did not elaborate. Krekar said that while he was in Dutch custody he was questioned by the FBI about al-Qaeda. The Dutch released him in 2003 when Jordan could not provide detailed evidence against him and he returned to Oslo.
    Norway arrested Krekar on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, but released him a few weeks later for lack of evidence. The U.S. again presented Norway with evidence of Krekar's terrorist ties when a failed suicide bomber admitted under interrogation that Krekar had order his attack. However, under questioning by Norwegian officials the suicide bomber said that he had been tortured into naming Krekar. Repeated attempts by Norwegian immigration officials to eject Krekar from the country based on classified evidence have failed, although he is still considered a terrorist threat. On Nov. 22, an appellate court upheld the government's decision, declaring, "Reasons exist to fear that the plaintiff has links with terrorist activities and groups." However, Norwegian law does not permit the extradition of anyone to a country where he or she may face the death penalty, and Iraq is considered such a country. Arvid Sjoedin, another of his attorneys, said last month, "think Mullah Krekar can get a mortgage and prepare for a long and secure stay in Norway." [CL/WashPost 4Dec06/Whitlock]

THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM PRESENTS THE REAL WORLD OF ESPIONAGE The International Spy Museum opened its doors in July 2002 at 800 F Street, NW and explores the craft, history, practice and contemporary role of espionage. The focus of the museum is the art of human intelligence portraying the role and acts of spies throughout history. The $40 million museum promises a non-political, non-biased and informative view of intelligence activities all over the world.
    The first executive director of the Spy Museum was Peter Earnest, a 36-year CIA veteran. He began his CIA career in 1957 and served in the clandestine service in the Middle East and Europe and for ten years in the Soviet and East European area. He later served as the CIA's Chief of U.S. Senate Relations and acted as chief of litigation support to the CIA's Directorate of Operations. Earnest said that the museum contributes to the public research, discussion and understanding of the world of intelligence, including breakthrough developments in the areas of science and technology.
    The museum exhibits date all the way back to a 1777 letter from George Washington authorizing a New York spy network. It includes 007 gee-whiz gadgets like a 1980's coat outfitted with a buttonhole camera. The museum also looks at the people who were involved in espionage, their motivations, how they were recruited, and how they operated. Exhibits include "The School for Spies" that describes the tools and techniques of espionage, "The Secret History of Spies" that examines espionage from Biblical times forward, and "Spies Among Us" includes espionage tales from World War II and includes celebrity spies such as singer Josephine Baker, actor Sterling Howard and chef Julia Child. The museum does not ignore popular culture's view of spying which Earnest says is portrayed in about 5% of the museum's exhibits.
    Joseph Goulden, author of 18 non-fiction books on the world of espionage says the museum does a service in de-mystifying the intelligence profession. "What they have done is very authentic- this is real life," Goulden said. "The Spy Museum is number one on our list when friends come to town." Goulden says that the same qualities that make a good case officer are the same that make a good salesman, con man or crook. He believes the Spy Museum corrects the public image of espionage which has been soiled by the "crap" published and put on the screen. He said the Church Commission Hearings in the mid-1970's, along with headline-grabbing senators, led further to a misunderstanding of the CIA's and FBI's "mischief" which Goulden emphasizes was authorized by Presidential direction. According to Goulden, though, the pendulum has swung the other way since the attacks on 9/11, and the need for intelligence is recognized by the public. Goulden's current work is a book about Cold War intelligence in which he seeks to give credit to spies now in their 70's and 80's for winning the Cold War just as World War II veterans have been recognized for their victory. [JosephG/IACSP Journal of Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Vol. 12, No. 4/Davis]

SECTION III - CYBER INTELLIGENCE

CHINESE CYBER WARFARE CAPABILITY TURNS FROM DEFENSIVE TO OFFENSIVE  The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) in its annual report, released Nov. 16 said that China has moved its cyber warfare strategy from a defensive to a primarily offensive posture. The strategy targets enemy networks and seeks to disrupt an adversary's ability to access information. The plan focuses on U.S. command and control systems and systems that deliver precision munitions. In response to U.S. progress, China has developed mobile command and control centers that use wireless technology and satellite communication to relay battlefield information. �It�s very clear from the doctoral writings of the [People�s Liberation Army] that they take cyberwarfare as one of the main ways they must be ready to attack the United States,� said USCC Chairman Larry Wortzel in an interview. �Their overall doctrine holds that a modern war in the 21st century involves cyber warfare, electronic attack and warfare in space.� China has a significant cyber warfare capability with cyber warfare regiments, and engineering and electronic warfare schools. Wortzel says, "China may be a potential or latent military threat, but the cyber war is on."  An attack on U.S. computer systems at the Commerce Department�s Bureau of Industry and Security last month was traced back to China. The Bureau had to replace hundreds of computers. In May, four Chinese Americans were convicted of illegally exporting sensitive technologies involved in radar and electronic warfare to China. The Defense Department's 2006 report comments on the Chinese advances in cyber warfare and claims that China is developing the ability to launch pre-emptive attacks against enemy networks. The PLA calls its plan �Integrated Network Electronic Warfare� which incorporates computer network operations with electronic warfare, kinetic strikes against C4 nodes and virus attacks on enemy systems.   [FCW 1Dec06/Rogin]

DHS AND DOE BEGIN A $60 MILLION EFFORT TO SCAN CARGO FOR NUCLEAR MATERIALS The first phase of the Secure Freight Initiative was announced on 7 Dec as an effort to build on existing port security measures by enabling the government to scan inbound containers overseas for nuclear and radiological materials. The $60 million effort will start at six foreign ports. �Our highest priority and greatest sense of urgency has to be aimed at preventing a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb attack against the homeland,� said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. �This initiative advances a comprehensive strategy to secure the global supply chain and cut off any possibility of exploitation by terrorists. I appreciate the commitment of our international allies in sharing more information and harmonizing our risk reduction efforts.� The initial phase of Secure Freight involves the deployment of a combination of existing technology and proven nuclear detection devices to six foreign ports: Port Qasim in Pakistan; Puerto Cortes in Honduras; Southampton in the United Kingdom; Port Salalah in Oman; Port of Singapore; and the Gamman Terminal at Port Busan in Korea. Beginning in early 2007, container ships at these ports will be scanned for radiation and risk factor information. A positive finding will simultaneously alert U.S. Homeland Security personnel and host nation officials. Ships will not be allowed to depart for the U.S. until they successfully pass the scan. Active scanning for radiation is not the only piece of the Secure Freight initiative. Data about the ship and its cargo, its manifest and other risk assessment information will provide improved risk analysis, targeting and scrutiny of high-risk cargo inbound to the United States.  [KathyP/DHS 7Dec06]

ARMY IS CREATING MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY FOR SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Foley, the Army�s director of architecture, operations and space announced at AFCEA's recent Defense Spectrum Summit on 6 December that the Defense Department's radio frequency spectrum is so critical to network-centric combat operations that the Army is developing a new Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) just to manage allocation of the spectrum. Currently, the Navy has authorized 250 electronic warfare officers to work with the Army to deconflict spectrum issues in Iraq, according to John Grimes, DOD chief information officer and assistant secretary of Defense for networks and information integration. As more radio frequency dependent systems are employed on the battlefield more conflicts are inevitable. For example, Grimes said that emitters on the battlefield were knocking out the Global Positioning System receivers of a low-cost commercial unmanned aerial vehicle. The job of managing the spectrum is complicated by the use of high-powered jammers used for knocking out the detonation devices of improvised explosive devices. The jammers can interfere with friendly communications. Foley says the Army wants two spectrum managers per brigade combat team, doubling the current number. The Navy is also establishing a spectrum management career field and the Marine Corps has already designated spectrum managers. However, Foley emphasizes that management of the spectrum alone will not fix all the problems. He says spectrum requirements must be built into the combat system development process.  [FCW 7Dec06/Brewin]

SECTION IV - BOOKS, SOURCES AND ISSUES

The Militant Ideology Atlas, William McCants (ed.), Combating Terrorism Center CTC calls The Militant Ideology Atlas the first systematic mapping of the ideology that inspired al-Qaeda. The researchers spent over a year compiling articles and conducting in-depth study of militant Islam's top thinkers and their most popular writings. Hundreds of personalities in the Jihadi Movement are cataloged and over 11,000 citations are provided. The empirically supported findings of the project are surprising: