Eyes on Commercial Facilities:

Open Source Week in Review

11 November – 18 November

New York State Office of Homeland Security

Intelligence Division

________________________________________________________________________
This product is designed to provide agencies and personnel with an interest in the Commercial Facilities
Sector situational awareness of worldwide events and developments as reported in the Open Source
domain. No operational, classified or law enforcement sensitive information is contained within the report.
This information has been compiled by the NYS OHS Intelligence Division. For questions, comments,
suggestions or additional information please contact: Intelligence Analyst Brian Nussbaum at
bnussbaum@security.state.ny.us

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 Table of Contents

Week in review- Summary & Analysis................... 3

New York State ......................................................... 4

North America .......................................................... 6

International..........................................................10

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This weekly product is designed to provide agencies and personnel with a Commercial
Facilities interest situational awareness of worldwide events and developments in the
Commercial Facilities Sector as reported in the open source domain. It is a compilation
of Open Source information only, no operational, classified or law enforcement sensitive
information is contained within the report. This information has been compiled by the
NYS OHS Intelligence Division.

Open Source Week in review- Summary & AnalysiS

Hotel Security remained an important area of discussion this week in the Commercial
Facility sector, stemming from several stories in Puerto Rico, Somalia, India and
elsewhere. In Puerto Rico there was an incident that served as a reminder that hotels are
often venues for traditional criminal activity; a New York tourist was assaulted and
robbed in his high-end luxury hotel room. While several assailants were arrested, the
threat for violence targeting hotel guests remains a concern.

Around the world, there were several stories about hotel security with an international
terrorism nexus. In India this week hotel security issues were highlighted by a flurry of
stories about ties between the recent arrest of David Coleman Headley in the United
States and threats in India. Based on news reports, Headley - accused of ties to Lashkar e
Taiba (LeT) and Harkat ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) - appears to have stayed at both hotels
targeted by LeT in the November 2008 attack on Mumbai, India. He reportedly also may
have visited some of the other targets in that attack, leading to speculation that he may
have had some direct involvement with LeT in plotting attacks against India.

In Somalia, authorities disrupted what appears to be a plot to attack a peace summit in the
town of Hargeisa with suicide bombers. Posing as members of the peace delegation two
suspected terrorists had their hotel rooms searched, where authorities discovered
explosives “suitable for use in a suicide attack.”

In the world of sporting security, one of the major stories this week has been the early
steps in planning for security at Super Bowl XLV this February in Arlington, Texas. The
game, one of the highest profile sporting events in the United States, brings with it a host
of security concerns. Local mayors in north Texas, and law enforcement from every
level of government, have been involved in planning efforts. “Thousands” of local, state
and federal law enforcement officers are expected to be working to ensure security on
game day.

There was also a serious mall security issue this week. Here in New York State, there
was violence at a Brooklyn Mall resulting from a massive gathering of teenagers. There
were at least two separate incidents in which shots were fired at the mall, and three teens
were wounded. The most interesting aspect of the large gathering is how it was
“organized.” The teens congregated at a restaurant following its weekly food specials
being publicized and discussed on a social-networking website. Over several weeks, the
crowd had been growing and becoming a security concern. This week, NYPD deployed
officers to the mall to help deal with the issue; however there was still some violence.

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 New York State

Title: Buffalo Wings Exec: “It Was the Perfect Storm”

Published: November 13, 2009
Source: The New York Times, BROOKLYN
Link: (http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/buffalo-wings-exec-it-was-the-
perfect-storm/)

The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant at the Atlantic Terminal mall had been trying for
three weeks to address growing crowds of kids coming out for the Tuesday night 50-cent
wings special, a top executive said in a telephone interview today.

But a confluence of forces — the restaurant’s location in a major transportation hub, the
ability of social networking to rally people, and the interest of a large number of kids
wanting to gather on the night before a school holiday — all combined to set the stage for
the violence that broke out later that night in nearby Fort Greene, he said.

“It’s sort of a perfect storm, it’s very unfortunate,” said Michael Mehiel, the chief
operating officer for Four M Capital LLC, the New York area franchisee for the Buffalo
Wild Wings chain.

Last night, Mr. Mehiel sent an e-mail announcing that the Flatbush Avenue restaurant’s
Tuesday night wings special will be indefinitely canceled. But in the interview, Mr.
Mehiel said the restaurant’s bargain night was “used as a flag.”

“It could have been Starbucks with kids looking for lattes, or McDonald’s for double
cheeseburgers,” Mr. Mehiel said. “They chose our mall, they chose our special as the
rallying call.”

Mr. Mehiel said the restaurant, and the Atlantic Terminal mall, had been ramping up its
security in the weeks leading up to Tuesday night’s events. Sometime around Oct. 29, he
said, he received a call from the mall’s general manager telling him, “the crowds are
getting out of control, there are too many kids, they’re spilling out into the mall, you guys
have to do something.”

The restaurant immediately doubled security from two to four guards, he said, and
“gained control of the doors,” meaning no one was allowed in unless there was a seat for
them. Since then, he said, there have been “zero instances of violence in the restaurant.”

However, the crowds continued to grow in the mall. He said the mall increased security,
and the restaurant added a fifth guard. On Monday, after they picked up the chatter on
social networking sites over the weekend, encouraging Brooklyn’s teenagers to come to
Tuesday night’s special, they informed the 88th Precinct, he said.

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On Tuesday, the NYPD sent “a large detail to the mall,” he said, but “unfortunately this
incident occurred.” Three teenagers were shot in two separate incidents related to groups
of roving teens, but none suffered life-threatening injuries. (88th Precinct detectives have
asked for witnesses to come forward.)

Mr. Mehiel said there have been no other incidents like this in any of the franchise’s
other restaurants. But the Atlantic mall restaurant is unusual, he said, in that “it is in an
enormous transportation hub. People from all over the borough can get there easily.”

Capt. Anthony Tasso, commanding officer of the 88th Precinct, said Wednesday in an e-
mail that, “None of the involved individuals were from Clinton Hill, Fort Greene.”

The restaurant has been in contact with the precinct and will continue to work to address
the problems, he said. Meanwhile, he said, the police department is “in no way
disappointed in us.”

As for criticism of the restaurant by Council Member Letitia James, he said he is not
interested in picking a fight with her. “She has a job to do, we understand that,” he said.

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 North America
Title: Police to Play Big Game-Day Role When Super-Bowl Comes to
Arlington
Published: November 17, 2009
Source: The Dallas Morning News, TEXAS
Author: Jeff Mosier
Link:
(http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/111709dnmetsuperbowlmeeting.2c
161ba05.html)

Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman said he doubts many North Texas police officers
will get a holiday when the 2011 Super Bowl arrives.

Thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers will be working on game
day, and countless more could be called on if needed.

Bowman, speaking after a Super Bowl XLV Council of Mayors meeting Monday, said
that he couldn't reveal more specific staffing levels but that the law enforcement effort
would be massive.

"Every officer in North Texas will somehow be connected to the Super Bowl," Bowman
said.

The Arlington chief was a presenter at the host committee's second Council of Mayors
meeting. Mayors and city council representatives from more than 50 North Texas cities
gathered at Cowboys Stadium to discuss the game and related events. Other topics
included transportation.

Bowman said safety plans have been in the making since the 2011 Super Bowl was still
up for bid. He said it would be tough to say when security plans would be completed
because they are constantly changing.

"Nothing will be left to chance," Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. "We'll have the
airspace taken care of. We'll have all the space around ... [the stadium] taken care of."

The Public Safety Executive Committee, which is organizing security, includes Bowman,
other police and fire chiefs, an FBI representative and members from the National
Football League and Super Bowl XLV Host Committee.

Local law enforcement officials have also gone to previous Super Bowls to study
security, and many are planning to attend the one next year in South Florida.

There will also be a 10-mile no-fly zone around Cowboys Stadium that could last from 4
p.m. to midnight on game day. That would effectively ground flights at the municipal

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airports in Arlington and Grand Prairie as well as corporate flights at Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport. Commercial flights at D/FW would still be permitted.

Bob Porter, director of Arlington Municipal Airport, said customs agents would be placed
at some general aviation airports to handle private international flights coming to the
region for the Super Bowl. He said the Federal Aviation Administration is also
considering installing temporary towers at some airports that don't have them to help with
the increased traffic.

Porter said that as many as 1,500 private planes – about half of them corporate – could be
coming to North Texas for the game.

Title: Security Plan Being Developed for Super Bowl XLV

Published: November 17, 2009
Source: WFAA, TEXAS
Link: (http://www.wfaa.com/news/business/Super-Bowl-Security-70275527.html)

Dallas-Fort Worth area mayors attended a strategy session for the 2011 Super Bowl in
North Texas on Monday, and learned more about keeping fans and players safe.

Stadium security will start in the sky.

An estimated 1,500 private aircraft are expected to touch down for Super Bowl XLV at
Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, ferrying titans of industry on corporate jets and wealthy
fans from around the world.

Bob Porter, manager of Arlington Municipal Airport, explained that smaller, outlying
airports will have to be utilized to deal with the influx. "The FAA is considering putting
in temporary towers to handle all the aircraft that's expected," he said.

But no matter who they are, if fans don't get to the airports near the stadium by 4 p.m. on
Super Bowl Sunday, they'll be locked out of the skies. The FAA is planning to enforce a
no-fly zone until midnight within a 10 mile radius of the stadium. Flights up to 30 miles
away will be restricted.

Everyone from dignitaries to assistants will have to go through a security screening to get
back on their planes. "You would actually be wanded with a metal detector comining in,
there would be a manifest of the passengers on board you would be checking off," Porter
explained.

On the ground, representatives of major area law enforcement agencies will be in

undisclosed locations, ready to direct any response needed with massive
manpower. "Every officer in North Texas will somehow be connected to the Super Bowl
on game day," said Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman.

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Cities will direct their own security, but they'll also take direction from the Super Bowl
2011 Executive Public Safety Committee. Committee members include police and fire
chiefs from Arlington, Dallas, Irving and Fort Worth, along with an FBI agent and an
NFL representative.

Chief Bowman addressed North Texans sensitive to possible threats, after enduring both
the Fort Hood killings and the recent alleged terrorist plot against a downtown building.

"We are working diligently to ensure this is the absolutely safest place it can possibly
be," he said. "We don't worry about those scenarios here."

Title: Breaking Down Crime at Area Malls

Published: November 17, 2009
Source: ABC 2, MARYLAND
Link:(http://www.abc2news.com/content/investigators/story/Breaking-Down-Crime-at-Area-
Malls/MPocOScHPESUw6REXMCG8A.cspx)

Crime does not need to hamper what may already be a down year for holiday shopping.
While most wallets are already taking a hit, the last thing you need is for your security to
do the same.

Crime is on shopper Jean Slaughter's mind as she starts to prepare her holiday lists and
hit area malls.

"[I’m not concerned] in broad daylight, but I wouldn't come here at night time by
myself."

ABC2 News chose one shopping center in each of the four surrounding counties;
breaking down each center's crime stats leading up to the holiday season.

Take the Mall at Columbia in Howard County from January of this year through August.
In those eight months the mall had 12 robberies, about 500 thefts from 50 dollars to more
than 200, one automobile theft and 29 assaults.

In Baltimore County at Towson Town Center, there were 19 assaults, four thefts from
cars, two robberies and no motor vehicle thefts during the same eight months.

In Harford County at the Festival at Bel Air, there were 49 incidents of theft and two
assaults from January through August.

The intent is not to compare and contrast different malls but simply inform you of the
crime numbers you need to know as you begin your holiday shopping, keeping in mind
that places like the Fesitval at Bel Air serves a lot less people than Arundel Mills Mall.

"That comfortable safe shopping environment is a top priority and we work very hard,

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use a lot of different tactics to make sure that we provide it for our shoppers," said
Wendy Ellis, Director of Marketing for Arundel Mills.

Ellis says that hard work is paying off. Last year's crime numbers for the mall were
arguably some of the highest in the area. This year though there have only been 14
assaults, down nearly 50 percent, 20 auto thefts, down nearly 40 percent. And then there
was general theft. Arundel Mills Mall had 864 thefts in the first eight months of 2008,
but for the same time this year only 385; a drop of 55 percent.

"Yes absolutely we're thrilled the stats have come down but that doesn't make it any less
of a priority any other time of the year. It is a number 1, 100 percent of the time, 24, 7,
365. This is what we do."

Ellis says the mall added T3 machines to help patrols in addition to regular foot patrols
and security officers on segways. There is also an elaborate security camera system and
more vigilant vendors.

Those measures plus a good relationship with Anne Arundel County Police have helped
bring the crime numbers down and put shoppers like Slaughter more at ease.

"Sure it does. You would hope all the malls will do that, have more guards policing the
shopping, parking lots."

Security, vigilance and now knowledge arming shoppers against those annual crimes of
opportunities.

Title: New York Tourist Robbed Inside Ritz Hotel in Puerto Rico
Published: November 9, 2009
Source: Associated Press, PUERTO RICO
Link:(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g_xaoohy3VrI_M11Oc2E0Zwe8MzwD9BS
409O0)

A New York lawyer was robbed inside his room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Puerto Rico
by assailants who tied him up before dawn Monday and stole $800 in cash, police said.

The robbers bound Robert J. Anello with lamp cords and a necktie and threatened him
until he gave up the password for a debit card that was stolen along with the cash from a
safe, according to a police statement.

Anello's assistant at his law firm said his phone was also taken.

"He's fine. It's just we're frantically trying to get him some kind of communication
device," said Donna Kolakowski, of the New York firm Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand,
Iason, Anello & Bohrer.

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Six people have been arrested in the case, said police Sgt. Ricardo Haddock. He said
investigators were taking fingerprints from the hotel and no further information was
available.

Police said Anello, 54, declined medical attention following the robbery at one of the
Caribbean island's top luxury hotels, located in the Isla Verde tourist district east of San
Juan.

Hotel spokeswoman Mirem Ubarri said she could not comment on the robbery during the
police investigation. She said guests' safety is a top priority for the hotel and there is no
need to change security procedures.

International

Title: Ahmedabad Steps Up Hotel Security, Fearing Terror Strike

Published: November 14, 2009
Source: ANI, INDIA
Link: (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/ahmedabad-steps-up-hotel-security-fearing-
terror-strike_100274622.html)

Security of hotels in Ahmedabad has been beefed up in the wake of reports that US terror
suspect David Coleman Headley stayed at top-end hotels in various cities with the aim of
conducting a recce for terrorist attacks.

The Gujarat government has directed hotels to take thumb impressions of all guests and
keep a copy of their identity cards.

Security personnel have also been deployed to check vehicle movement in the city.

“We will tell the hotel people to take thumb impression of the customers. This is a new
thing. The staff can come to the police station and we will tell them how to implement
this. If they do not implement it, the department will take the required action,” said M.H
Vasani, a police inspector.

The FBI arrested Headley, a Chicago resident, in October 2009 for plotting terror attacks
overseas, including India. He was arrested along with Pakistani-born Canadian citizen
Tahawwur Hussein Rana.

It is reported that Headley came in close contact with several unidentified leaders of
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation with links to Al Qaeda.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a case against Headley and Rana
in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

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Headley was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving
murder and maiming outside the United States and one count of conspiracy to provide
material support to that overseas terrorism conspiracy.

Title: David Headley Case: Cops Search Paharganj Hotels, Cyber Cafes
Published: November 16, 2009
Source: Indian Express, INDIA
Link: (http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/542020/)

Delhi Police on Sunday conducted searches in cyber cafes and hotels in Central Delhi’s
Paharganj area, where suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba militant David Coleman Headley, had
stayed during his four-day trip.

He had reportedly stayed in two budget hotels. Official sources said details of visitors,
foreigners and others who had stayed between March 3 and March 13 in the hotels in
Paharganj are being checked.

Headley had stayed in Hotel De Holiday International and Hotel Anand from March 7 to
10. “The exercise is to know whether any suspicious person stayed in hotels around these
two hotels,” said an official.

The police and National Investigation Agency, meanwhile, are trying to find out if
Headley met anyone in Delhi during his stay.

Delhi Police officials termed today’s searches part of a ‘routine exercise’.

“This is part of a routine exercise. Every cyber cafe is checked by the police once a week
and this area is frequented by people from other parts of the country,” a senior police
officer said.

Headley was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago last month.

A Special Cell team, that visited hotels De Holiday Inn and Hotel Anand in Paharganj
three days ago, had spoke to the staff there and recovered his passport details.

Senior officials said they are probing whether Headley had used cyber cafes in the area.

The National Investigating Agency has registered a case against Headley and his
Canadian accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana to probe their role in various terror strikes
in the country, including the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

The duo was arrested by the FBI for plotting attacks in India at the behest of the LeT.

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Title: Hotels Told to Keep Eyes on Foreigners
Published: November 16, 2009
Source: The Times of India, INDIA
Link: (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hotels-told-to-keep-eye-on-
foreigners/articleshow/5233744.cms)

The David Headley case has spurred Delhi Police into stepping up its vigil on foreign
tourists, even at the risk of harassing innocent travellers and costing hotels business.
Stung by the revelation that Headley stayed in Delhi earlier this year, and concerned
about the security implications for events like the Commonwealth Games -- which are
expected to see thousands of foreign tourists pour into the capital -- the cops have issued
guidelines to hotel owners even as investigators have been visiting several cyber cafes
and hotels in Paharganj.

"There are certain things which will be strictly adhered to. Besides installing CCTVs at
correct places and frisking each visitor with a hand-held metal detector, we have made
ID-card proof mandatory. We have also instructed the police to ensure that managers
record the contact numbers of all visitors. The beat constables will visit the hotel during
the day and note down these numbers. We will then randomly cross-check these
numbers," Karnail Singh, joint commissioner, northern range told TOI.

According to the local police, the hotel managers have also been instructed to report the
arrival of any foreign tourist to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office even if he has
valid papers with the FRRO stamp. "At times, managers fear that they might upset
business if they cross-check the antecedents of foreigners. But the security of the country
cannot be compromised now, especially as the 2010 Games are drawing near," said a
senior police officer.

A Special Cell team had visited hotels De Holiday Inn and Anand in Paharganj, where
Headley stayed, three days ago and spoke to staff there. A check on the antecedents of the
staffers was also carried out.

"We have proposed that the integrated network connecting police stations in India also
keep scope for live CCTV footages from hotels for quick action. We hope this will help
us counter terrorism better," added another officer.

The hotel owners, themselves say they are not taking chances any more. "Besides the
usual checking using hand-held metal detectors and CCTV camera footage, we now ask
for telephone numbers and even ask visitors to call back home from our own ISD
facilities just to satisfy our doubts," said a manager at a three star hotel at Chuna Mandi
near Paharganj.

"The Karol Bagh blasts last year had forced us to introduce a slew of measures to enforce
security in areas frequented by tourists. But, we did not introduce anything specific for
foreign tourists. But, with the Headley case surfacing now, we have to be on our guard,"
said a senior special cell officer.

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Title: Five Arrested in Anti-Terror Raids
Published: November 17, 2009
Source: Agence France Presse, UNITED KINGDOM
Link: (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hpfw5jcSLeqUra8liwewMOfaB8NQ)

Anti-terror police arrested five people on Monday in pre-dawn raids in Manchester and
near London's Heathrow airport, officials said.

The detentions, including a 26-year-old man seized in a hotel near Heathrow, were linked
to an alleged overseas threat, media reported, while officials sought to play down the
immediate danger.

"This is a complex and ongoing investigation, which has now reached the point where it
was necessary to make arrests and speak to a number of people," said Assistant Chief
Constable Dave Thompson of Greater Manchester Police.

"Protecting people both at home and abroad is our primary concern, which is why we
take such steps," said Thompson, adding that the raids, starting at 4:00 am, were carried
out by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.

No armed officers were involved in the arrests, which he described as "low-key." No

further details were available.

Britain reduced its national terror alert status in July from "severe" to "substantial," its
lowest since July 2005 suicide attacks in London which killed 56.

In June 2007 there were failed car bomb attacks in central London and at Glasgow airport
in Scotland, days after Prime Minister Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair.

Title: Egypt Tightens Security Ahead of Algeria Match

Published: November 12, 2009
Source: Agence France Presse, PAKISTAN
Author: Cris Bouroncle
Link: (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gyK6EWQTFaTVagRQL1X1j8ossjSA)

Egypt stepped up security for a decisive World Cup qualifier between Algeria and Egypt
on Saturday, with police vowing tight protection for the Algerians whose bus was stoned
when they arrived in Cairo.

Thousands of home fans, their faces painted in red, white and black and waving Egyptian
flags, thronged the Cairo International Stadium hours before the highly charged match,
which was due to kick off at 7:30 pm (1730 GMT).

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A tight cordon was set up outside the ground, where around 2,000 Algerian fans were
also expected among the capacity 70,000 crowd.

Press reports said police units would also be deployed throughout the stands as security
was raised to highest-ever levels.

The challenge is tough for Egypt's Pharoahs, who need to win by a three-goal margin to
qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and stop Algeria's Desert Foxes from
sewing up the African Group C qualifying place.

Despite official appeals for calm, tensions boiled over on Thursday when the Algerian
team bus was stoned on its way from Cairo airport, with three players injured.

World football governing body FIFA ordered Egypt to guarantee security for the match
after the attack.

Egyptian official daily Al-Ahram quoted a deputy interior minister, Abdel Rahim al-
Qanawi, as saying police will undertake unprecedented security to safeguard the players
in their hotel and on their way to the stadium.

"The Algerian team's bus will be secured completely, in a way that never happened
before with other teams," he said.

One FIFA representative, Walter Gagg, confirmed to AFP that three Algerian players had
sustained injuries, potentially ruling them out of the showdown.

"We saw that three players had been injured -- Khaled Lemmouchia on the head, Rafik
Halliche above the eye and Rafik Saifi on the arm," Gagg said.

"These weren't superficial injuries," he stressed. "With the stitches needed, we will have
to see if these players can play. The team doctor has still to make a decision on that."

Gagg said Algeria's goalkeeping coach had suffered concussion, and described the bus
itself as in a "very bad way with broken windows and traces of blood on the floor".

"The players were afraid, they were terrified," he said.

For the Algerians, Egyptian security officials and the media added insult to the injuries
by saying that the Algerian team faked the attack.

The Egyptian press reported that an initial investigation showed the Algerians had
smashed the windows of the bus with emergency hammers.

Algerian press reports on Saturday said an angry crowd attacked homes of Egyptian
workers at M'sila, in southeastern Algeria, after news of the stoning and graphic pictures
of the players' injuries were published in the media.

14
A group of young men ransacked a building occupied by managers of a cement works
belonging to Egypt's Orascom, El-Watan newspaper reported.

Police took the managers and their families to safety but "all flats in the residence were
ransacked and looted" and a car was set on fire, the report said.

The newspaper Quotidien d'Oran said 14 police were hurt in clashes with the young men.

In Algiers, all streets leading to the Egyptian embassy were closed from Thursday
evening and security measures installed at Egyptian companies, an AFP reporter said.

And in France's southern port of Marseille, which has many residents of Algerian origin,
security at the Egyptian consulate was boosted and 600 police officers flooded the city
centre.

In Cairo the Algerian squad held a light training session on Friday under police
protection, with captain Yazid Mansouri saying: "The players are standing firm and
united."

The rival national teams have a history of bad blood, with riots breaking out after Egypt
defeated Algeria in a 1989 match in Cairo.

Algeria player Lakhdar Belloumi was tried in absentia and sentenced to prison in Egypt
for allegedly seriously injuring the Egyptian team doctor with a bottle after that match.

Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Belloumi over the incident.

Egypt last qualified for the World Cup in 1990, and Algeria in 1986.

Title: Thai Military Denies Story About Arrest of Its Spy.

Published: November 3, 2009
Source: Asia One, CAMBODIA
Link: (http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20091115-179962.html)

The Thai military yesterday refuted a report that an official from the Armed Forces'
Security Centre was caught spying at the City Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap where ex-
premier Thaksin Shinawatra stayed during his visit to Cambodia last week.

Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Sithichai Markkunchorn said no one by the name of
Manit, as claimed by Cambodia, worked under the centre.

He said the accusation had slandered the Thai Armed Forces and called on Cambodia to
identify the last name of the person arrested.

15
He urged the public to use discretion and not believe any information without checking,
as the country may fall victim to ill-intentioned groups.

Ties between the Thai and Cambodian militaries remained normal while people on both
sides of the border continued their ways and earned a living from border trade as usual,
he said.

Thepthai Senpong, the Democrat Party leader's personal spokesman, lashed out at Pheu
Thai Party MP Jatuporn Promphan for protecting Cambodia and insulting the Thai
government by accusing it of stealing information from Cambodia.

He blamed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for releasing such news to the media
with the intent of cornering the Thai government.

"Hun Sen has done that because he wants to justify his action against the Thai
government. It's a shame that Thais have helped Cambodia to defame their own country,"
he said.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Watanayagorn could not confirm that a second
Thai citizen was detained in Cambodia, as reported by a Phnom Penh newspaper.

Panitan, during a telephone interview from Singapore, said he had received no reports
that a security official attached to the Thai Armed Forces' Security Centre was arrested by
Cambodian authorities.

The Khmer newspaper said an officer known only as "Manit" was apprehended at the
City Angkor hotel in Siem Reap.

Title: Suicide Attack Against Meeting Organized By Finns Thwarted in

Somalia
Published: November 13, 2009
Source: Helsingin Sanomat, SOMALIA
Link:
(http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Suicide+attack+against+meeting+organised+by+Finns+thwarted+in+Som
alia/1135250710061)

Security officials in Somaliland narrowly thwarted a terror attack that had been planned
against a peace conference in the town of Hargeisa last Sunday. The gathering of clan
leaders had been organised by Finn Church Aid, the foreign aid arm of the Finnish
Lutheran Church.

Ten kilos of powder-based explosives were found in the possession of two uninvited
guests. The aim was apparently to conduct a suicide attack against the meeting of the
chiefs of the Hawie clan.

Such an attack would have put the lives of seven Finnish citizens at risk.

16
The events began to unfold on Friday of last week, when about 30 clan leaders flew from
the Somali capital Mogadishu to the Hargeisa meeting. Also on board the commercial
flight were two young men. At the destination they boarded a bus taking the participants
in the meeting to their hotel.

The hotel’s security personnel made note of the nervous behaviour of the two. Organisers
of the meeting also noted that there were two people there who had not been invited.

“Their room was searched, and explosives suitable for use in a suicide attack were found
in their possession”, said Antti Pentikäinen, executive director of Finn Church Aid, who
spoke by telephone from Washington.

Pentikäinen himself was to have attended the meeting on Sunday, its opening day, but the
trip was cancelled after the terror plot was unveiled.

The suspects were arrested, and they have been interrogated by local officials. The
identity of the suspected would-be bombers has not been disclosed, nor is there any
information on what rebel group they might belong to. News of the incident apparently
has not been reported in Somaliland itself* (see note below).

On the basis of previous suicide attacks, the main suspect is the al-Shabab movement,
which controls the south of Somalia. Al-Shabab introduced the practice of suicide attacks
to Somalia a few years ago, and the movement is believed to have links with the al-Qaeda
network.

After the plot was unveiled, the organisers considered cancelling the meeting. However,
it began on schedule on Sunday.

“Security arrangements are at the maximum. The meeting will proceed only if security
can be guaranteed”, Pentikäinen says.

The planned attack will not stop meetings aimed at peace from being organised in the
future, Pentikäinen says. However, he adds that the situation will make it necessary to re-
evaluate how the security of participants and organisers can be guaranteed.

“In Somalia, we are trusted as organisers of meetings of this type. Under no

circumstances do we plan to pull out. When we have collected all information about this
event, we will ponder how the risks could be minimised in the future.”

He sees the case as a worrying example of how security for aid organisations has
deteriorated in recent years, especially in fragile states such as Somalia.

Finn Church Aid has organised gatherings of clan chiefs and religious leaders in Somalia
for a year and a half already. The meetings are low-profile events set up for airing the
views of local leaders on how the peace process in Somalia should proceed.

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Pentikäinen emphasises that Finn Church Aid does not bring its own agenda to the peace
process. Instead, it seeks to support local communities, and to communicate their views
to the international community.

*NOTE: Apparently this was not the case. We have been informed by a reader that "in
fact it was the local media which broke the story first, followed by the BBC Somali
Service on the same day".

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