From AlertsUSA
Islamic State Threat Poster Targets NYC Toronto Police Warn of Vehicle Ramming Attack Threat State Dept Issues Security Alert for Juarez
July 14, 2018
Between July 11-13, the following related Flash SMS messages were sent to AlertsUSA subscriber mobile devices:
o AlertsUSA subscriber mobile devices:
7/11 – New Islamic State threat poster in circulation on social media targets New York City. See email for more.
7/12 – Toronto, Ont. police warn of a possible “vehicle ramming attack” in the vicinity of the CN Tower. Increased police presence across the city. Vigilance urged.
7/13 – State Dept issues security alert for Juarez, MX (just south of El Paso) due to marked increase in homicides, incl shootings in downtown area. See email.
What You Need To Know
On Wednesday, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of the release of a new Islamic State threat poster in circulation on social media targeting New York City. Within the image, a lone jihadist stands looking north at a bombed out and burning scene from a position near the intersection of Battery Place and West Street in Lower Manhattan.
Three lines of Arabic text appear on the poster which read as follows:
O worshipers of the cross
You will not rejoice to live in peace
Until we live that peace as a reality in the Muslim countries
Readers are reminded that a number of prior attacks carried out in the U.S. and Europe over the past few years either by or in coordination with the Islamic State, or their supporters, have been preceded by the release of such propaganda posters. As such, continued vigilance and situational awareness is urged.
Toronto Police Warn of Vehicle Ramming Attack Threat
On Thursday, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of a warning by Toronto, Ontario police that they has received “credible information” regarding a potential vehicle ramming attack in the area of the CN Tower located in the downtown core of the city. While the Toronto Police Service still declines to provide any specifics about the threat, the information was deemed credible enough to dramatically ramp up the law enforcement presence in the downtown area, including the deployment of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) teams and other emergency task force assets.
Here again, readers are reminded that on April 23rd of this year, a Canadian national, Alek Minassian, race a rented Chevrolet Express van on the sidewalk over the course of several blocks of the North York City Center business district of Toronto, deliberately targeting pedestrians. 10 were killed and 16 seriously injured in the attack.
State Dept Issues Security Alert for Juarez, Mexico
On Friday, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of a new security alert issued by the State Department for Juarez, Mexico (located just over the border from El Paso, TX). Quoting from the official alert message:
In all of 2017, there were 767 homicides in Juarez, according to the city’s security and justice board. By comparison, there were 19 murders in El Paso in all of 2017.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.
OTHER SMS ALERTS FROM THIS WEEK
NOT DETAILED IN THIS NEWSLETTER ISSUE
7/12 – POTUS has arrived in the UK. Large protests forming. AlertsUSA reminds of embassy guidance to keep a low profile & to use caution near large gatherings.
7/10 – Massive gas explosion rocks Sun Prairie, WI. Several bldgs leveled. Evac underway to at ~.5 mile around N Main & E Bristol. Police urge avoiding the area.
7/10 – Numerous demonstrations scheduled for July 12-14 POTUS visit to UK. Large crowds & road closures expected. US Embassy urges caution and low profile. See email.
7/9 – US State Dept raises the travel advisory for Haiti to Level 4. DO NOT TRAVEL due to widespread unrest & violent crime. See email for full advisory.
7/9 – Bomb threat against Ryanair Flt. #FR1108, Eindhoven to Edinburgh, Scotland. Plane returned to terminal at last min and evacuated. Add’l alerts as warranted.
7/8 – State Dept. urging US citizens in Haiti to cont to shelter in place due to demonstrations, roadblocks, & violence across the country. See email for more info.
House Homeland Security Committee July 2018 Terror Threat Snapshot
July 7, 2018
What You Need To Know
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security released the July 2018 edition of its monthly Terror Threat Snapshot on Tuesday, June 10. The report details global terrorist activities and attacks. This month’s report highlights information on ISIS’s terror campaign in Europe, the number of ISIS linked plots against the West since 2013, and statistics on homegrown jihad cases since 2013.
Key points from the July 2018 Terror Threat Snapshot include:
– On June 27, 2018, Libyan militia leader Ahmed Abu Khatallah was found guilty on four of 22 charges and sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
– Homegrown Islamist extremism continues to be an issue, as there have been 154 homegrown jihadist cases in the U.S. since 2013.
The report also covers recent developments in the U.S. against terrorism in June 2018, including the arrest and/or imprisonment of nine individuals. Information is also provided regarding recent plots and attacks by various terrorist groups as well as operations against those groups, including ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and Al-Shabaab.
View the full July 2018 Terror Threat Snapshot here.
Commentary and Analysis
July 7, 2018
What To Expect From A Trump-Putin Summit
Donald Trump has been consistent in his desire to make a “deal” with Vladimir Putin since he first began campaigning for president and in his conviction that, unlike his predecessors, he can pull off a successful reset with Russia. For the past eighteen months, the various “Russiagate” investigations—and the skepticism of his secretaries of state and defense and his National Security Advisors—have constrained his ability to pursue his agenda with Russia. But, fresh from what he views as a successful summit with Kim Jong-un, his determination to meet with Putin for a bilateral summit has prevailed. They will meet in Helsinki on July 16. Read more here.
Helsinki Summit: What Can Trump & Putin Learn From Finland?
Presidents Putin and Trump will meet soon in Helsinki. At a time of uncertainty in the US-Russia relationship, the meeting is an important step forward in clarifying that relationship, one that should be not reduced to a Trump tweet or a Putin chess move. Read more here.
NATO Is Sick, And Trump Is The Best Doctor It’s Likely To Get
NATO is needed and always will be as long as threats to the West exist in the form of Russia and state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran, whose utmost desire is the weakening if not destruction of Western civilization. But support for NATO, just like support for free trade, does not mean that the status quo must be protected and left unchallenged. Read more here.
Mexico’s Next Crisis Will Arrive From the South
In the wake of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s historic victory, the markets are focused on Mexico’s economic prospects, keenly sniffing for any whiff of either pragmatic promise or populist calamity. Yet while a financial crisis is possible, Central American migration may prove the new administration’s biggest first challenge. Read more here.
Why Spain Could Be the European Populists’ Next Battleground
When Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, refused to let the rescue ship Aquarius – which was carrying 629 men, women, and children – land, the European Union was presented with yet another migration emergency. The vessel was stranded for days in the Mediterranean looking for a place to dock, with an EU-wide solution nowhere to be found. Eventually, Spain’s newly-installed socialist government stepped up and allowed the boat to dock. But just as is happening in Italy, Greece and Germany, there may come a time when the Spanish public gets tired of being Europe’s latest welcome mat for tens of thousands of people trying to flee Africa. Read more here.
World News Roundup
July 7, 2018
Other Developments We Are Following
AMERICAS
The 4 key things to watch for at the Trump-Putin summit
Mexico: 40% of country is paralyzed by violence, says new chief of staff
Stolen U.S. Military Drone Documents Found for Sale on Dark Web
The USAF Is Hiding Its Controversial Flyoff Between the A-10 and F-35
US indicts 12 Russians for hacking DNC emails during the 2016 election
US Air Force: Hypoxia Among Pilots Mysterious, But Real
CIA’s top recruiter on how the agency finds – and keeps – its spies
Trump blasts UK PM May’s Brexit plan, says it puts trade deal in doubt
Trade War With China Exposes U.S. Mineral Import Problem
Nicaragua unrest death toll rises before new protests
Venezuelans are starving, but the country still sends crude to Cuba
LOL: Schumer ‘afraid’ of what Trump will agree to in Putin meeting
EUROPE
NATO’s problem is that Europeans won’t fight
Trump tells NATO leaders to up military spending to 4 percent of GDP
Russia Will Not Mass-Produce 5th Generation Stealth Fighter Jet
A Russian Pipeline Threat to European Security
US calls on European allies to take harsh line against Iran
Don’t Give Russia the Gift of Extending New START
German gov feuds over military spending increases after NATO summit
Trump doesn’t rule out ending military exercises in the Baltics
Germany Lines Up with China in Trade War
Donald Trump: US-UK trade deal ‘absolutely possible’
Police identify source of deadly Novichok nerve agent in UK deaths
Germany wary over Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin meeting
Austria, Germany seeking to restrict movement within Schengen
Strait of Gibraltar: Resorts plagued by drug dealing, human traffickers
MIDDLE EAST
Israel fires missile at Syrian drone: army
Syria war: Government attacks IS enclave in south-west
Boko Haram continues to drive terrorism threat in northern Nigeria
Osama Bin Laden’s ex-bodyguard Sami must return to Germany, court rules
UN calls for access to Syrians stranded in desert after Deraa’s fall
Iraq PM looks to calm Basra unrest as demos spread
Gaza marks more than 100 days since mass protests began
Alarm as violence displaces hundreds of thousands in Ethiopia
Zimbabwe opposition takes to streets in vote-rigging warning
US to cut military aid for Africa’s fight against terrorism
ASIA
China, the U.S. and the Race for Space
Pakistan election: More than 100 die in bomb attacks on poll rallies
With eye on China, New Zealand buys US anti-submarine jets
China’s new combat units prepare for electronic warfare
U.S., North Korea to meet on Sunday over war remains
South Korea scrambles fighter jets after Russian bombers trespass zone
Japan seeks tougher North Korea nuclear inspections.
South Korea wants formal end to the Korean War this year
Blackwater founder makes new pitch for mercenaries to take over Afghan war
Moon presses Trump, Kim for breakthrough in nuclear talks.
North Korea fuel shipments exceeded sanctions limit, U.S. says.
Algeria halts refugee expulsions to Sahara after outrage.
UN eyes shutting down Darfur peace mission in 2020.
Homeland Security
Since 2015, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has used the National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin to highlight the continuing terror threat to the U.S. Homeland.
CURRENTLY ACTIVE NTAS BULLETIN
PDF (1 pg, 186 KB)
Web Version
Travel Security
The U.S. Dept. of State Travel Website is the authoritative federal source for information on the security situation at travel destinations worldwide. With tensions rapidly increasing in most regions, readers planning international travel, even to such common destinations as Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands, are strongly encouraged to do a little research on the security situation at your destination well prior to departure.
Active USGOV Travel Notices
Active USGOV Travel Advisories
Other USGOV Travel Resources
Smart Traveler Enrollment Prog (STEP)
Travelers with Special Considerations
Faith-Based Travel Information
Information for Women Travelers
Driving and Road Safety Abroad
Safe Travels During Storm Season
The Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides a variety of resources to enhance the safety and security of the U.S. private sector businesses and organizations operating abroad.
Mariners and U.S. citizens considering maritime travel should also review information at the websites of the National Geospatial Agency, the Maritime Security Communications with Industry Portal, and the U.S. Coast Guard for information related to maritime and port security globally.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website is the authoritative federal source for information on current health issues related to specific destinations worldwide. These issues may arise from disease outbreaks, special events or gatherings, natural disasters, or other conditions that may affect travelers’ health.
Foreign Sources of Travel Guidance
Australia Dept. of Foreign Affairs
UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.
Via: threatjournal
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