Terrorism & L. A.

Good Morning,Breakfasteers

Terrorism & L. A.

January 27, 2009

John E. Karayan

Jonathan [Club] Breafasteers

Disclaimer:Disclaimer: Just My Opinion; Just My Opinion; not not that of ...that of ...

Woodbury University, where I am a Professor of Business

Delta Scientific, on whose Board I serve

FBI, where I am an Alumni of the L. A. FBI’s Citizen’s Academy

We have met the enemy & he is us

It’s not NewIt’s Rare, and Rarely BigIt’s Mostly Home GrownIt’s about Free PublicityInternationally, it’s a Business

Solutions

Learn from History what worked

Intelligence

Find the Money & Raise the Cost

Read news, rather than Watch it

Prepare, Harden, & Practice

Everything Old is New AgainEverything Old is New Again

Who was the “Defender of the Doomed” &

How was He Involved with Bombing in L.A.

Aftermath of the Bombing of the L. A. Times Building, Oct. 1 1910

Death of Innocents & Publicity-generating Destruction

16 sticks of dynamite Hit a natural gas line

“The newspaper was just going to press; the composing and press rooms were full of working men and women … in 5 minutes 21 of the workers were dead, some mercifully at the first shock, but others only after the slow agony of burning alive.”

The New York Times

Terrorism?

Int’l Ass’n of Bridge & Structural Iron Workers determined to unionize Los Angeles Often violently: 70 bombing from 1907 to 1911

Not deadly: set off when people would not be in harm’s way

No deaths & few injuries reported before 1910

Or Just Playing Hard Ball?

James B. McNamara, brother of Iron Workers secretary-treasurer John J. McNamara bragged of setting the three dynamite bombs in Los Angeles, but said he didn’t intend for them to kill anyone

The timer had been set for 4:00 a.m., when the building would be empty, and he had not considered the gas line.

Inherit the Windfall…

Among other, AFL President Samuel Gompers believed McNamara’s framed by anti-union forces

Originally defended by Job Harriman, Socialist candidate for mayor of Los Angeles

Iron Workers & AFL hired Clarence Darrow, too

He believed his clients were guilty

Got caught trying to bribe a juror on the street

Wall Street Bomb Noon Sept. 16 1920

Hallmarks of Terrorism?

Wagon Bomb Horse-drawn wagon parked among

Lunchtime crowds at Financial District's busiest corner

100 pounds dynamite + 500 pounds of heavy, cast-iron sash weights exploded by timer

Killed 30+ messengers, stenos, clerks, & brokers

Was it Terrorism?

Not obviously: by 3:30 pm, the NYSE Board of Governors decided to open for business the next day

Washington Post call the bombing an "act of war“

Case still unsolved

Most Likely Was

Officials blamed anarchist and communist elements

Most likely followers of Italian anarchist Luigi Galeani, incensed over the indictment for murder of two of their colleagues, Sacco and Vanzetti

Galleanist bombs continue for 12 more years, culminating with the attempted assassination of Sacco and Vanzetti trial judge Webster Thayer in 1932

Unintended Consequences

Caused renewed investigation into foreign radicals, stimulating the development of the U.S. Justice Department's General Intelligence Division of the Bureau of Investigation (forerunner of the FBI)

My Definition of Terrorism?

The unlawful use of violence

to intimidate

a population

in furtherance of political objectives

In U.S., Mostly “Home Grown”

Eco Rights escalating firebombing SUV Dealer

Animal Rights firebomb Santa Cruz prof’s home

National Alliance Neo Nazi (former leader wrote Turner Diaries; depicts bombing of FBI headquarters)

Narcotics & Northern Mexico

Oklahoma City

Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device April 19, 1995 168 lives; over 800 people injured Until 9/11 deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. Timothy McVeigh had promoted The Turner

Diaries & protested at Waco

Volume of Small Successes

Success ratio of Home Grown low, but much higher than for International Terrorists

So far, threats far more localized

So far, threats far less open-ended

International Terrorism

Directed or influenced by a Foreign Group :

State Sponsors of Terrorism Traditional Clearly Defined Foreign Groups Extremists inspired by their interpretation of

their religion

Translated into Right Brain…

State Sponsored

Formalized Groups

Radical Extremists

Extremists

Greatest International Threat: al-Qa’ida

3 styles of attack:

A Team - most dedicated & disciplined

B Team – affiliated groups

C Team – sympathetic extremists

“A” team: the “19 hijacker” model

– Plot hatched overseas– Operating in US with external

support– Highly disciplined & dedicated– Self contained team– Tight operational security

Previous Attempt do it with a Truck Bomb Failed

February 26, 1993: Killed 6 & injured 1,042

Car bomb detonated below WTC

1,500 lb urea nitrate-hydrogen gas enhanced device

Intended to knock the North Tower into the South

World Trade Barriers

1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings

Two truck bombs exploded simultaneously outside the U.S. Embassies

August 7, 1998

Kenya and Tanzania

Killed: over 200 locals

Injured: over 5,000 locals

“B” team – “Bali Nightclub” model

– Small teams

– Sympathetic allies

– Supported financially by al-Qa’ida

Bali, Indonesia 10/12/02Car Bomb Hundreds killed and missing

Mombassa Kenya 11/28/02Rocket attack on Israeli aircraft

C team – the “shoe bomber” model

– Individual– Recruited from radical mosque or prison– Training Camp attendance on own – Expendable– Test operation

Paris/Miami 12/23/01

Djerba, Tunisia 4/11/02Suicide Bomb on Synagogue

Highest Priority Targets

White House and other symbolic targets

Nuclear power plants; chemical facilities

Soft Targets

Schools

Shopping centers

Amusement parks

Sporting venues

Religious sites

Terrorists are attracted to attacks against soft targets because their destruction would cause terror at least as great as that caused by an operation against symbolic US Government targets.  

• Vehicle bombs

• Para-military assaults

• Anti-aircraft “Bazookas”

Current Terrorist Group TrendsCurrent Terrorist Group Trends

Managing the Risk: Emphasizing Prevention

FBI’s Transformation Learning from ISRAEL & UK Improved Information Sharing

– ISIS– Infraguard

Follow the Money Interagency Cooperative Planning &Training

Thanks for Permission to use Non-Classified Information from

L. A. Office of FBI

Delta Scientific Corporation

For More ….

John.Karayan@woodbury.edu or

http://faculty.woodbury.edu/karayanj

http://www.deltascientific.com

http://www.infraguard.net