FAS | Intelligence | News | 1999 ||||

December 1999 Intelligence News

• ELUSIVE TERROR SUSPECT Voice of America 28 December 1999 -- Osama bin Laden, considered the world's number one terrorist by the United States, still eludes capture.
• NEW YORK - SECURITY Voice of America 28 December 1999 -- New York City officials say they are taking steps to prevent attacks by terrorists. But New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has criticized the news media for making more of the possibility of terrorism than it deserves.
• SEATTLE CELEBRATION CANCELED Voice of America 28 December 1999 -- The mayor of Seattle has canceled a planned New Year's Eve celebration, citing safety concerns.
• Frankfurt Parcel Bombs FBI National Press Office December 23, 1999 -- The U.S. Government received unsubstantiated information that individuals may be planning to send bombs in small parcels to addresses in the United States. The information received indicates that the parcels would be sent from Frankfurt, Germany.
• CLINTON-TERRORISM Voice of America 23 December 1999 -- A mail-bomb warning has heightened concerns in the United States about possible terrorist activity during Christmas and New-Year observances.
• U-S TERRORISM / PLEA Voice of America 22 December 1999 -- Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian man arrested last week by U-S authorities in the western state of Washington, pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges that he tried to bring explosive materials into the United States from Canada.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 22 December 1999 -- . TERRORIST THREATS Worldwide caution announcement issued. Americans are being informed to exercise caution during the holidays. Americans are not being told to avoid specific locations. US Posts are on an heightened state of alert. What is the status of US embassies? Phnom Penh have reduced services. Amcit was detained by US Customs in Bahamas. Quito embassy has reopened. Consulate in Guayaquil remain closed. Diplomatic Security assessment team is assessing the security situation. Groups that have committed terrorist acts are being watched. Secretary Albright has an ongoing dialogue with governments around the world to counter terrorist threats. Is the GIA group a part of the Usama bin Ladin operation? What security adjustments are being taken in the State Department to defend against terrorists attacks?
• U-S-TERROR ALERT Voice of America 22 December 1999 -- The Clinton Administration is sharpening warnings to Americans at home and abroad concerning the threat of terrorism during the Christmas and millennial celebrations.
• TERRORISM THREAT CLOUDS U-S HOLIDAYS Voice of America 22 December 1999 -- Security at airports and border crossings with Canada and Mexico has been increased. The government has asked Americans at home and abroad to be especially watchful as they celebrate.
• TERROR REACT Voice of America 22 December 1999 -- While U-S officials are telling Americans to be alert for a possible terrorist attack during the next few weeks, many travelers are taking the risks and warnings in stride.
• Text: NTSB Hall's Statement on EgyptAir Salvage Operation USIA 21 December 1999 -- The passenger remains and aircraft parts from the ill-fated EgyptAir Flight 990 have been recovered from the ocean floor by the salvage vessel Smit Pioneer and have been returned to land for analysis, according to a statement released December 21 by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall.
• Pentagon giving cyberwarfare high priority Copley News Service December 21, 1999 -- John Pike, military expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said one reason little information has been provided about offensive cyberwarfare is the involvement of the super-secret NSA, the agency responsible for the nation's electronic intelligence.
• DoD News Briefing Tuesday, December 21, 1999 -- At approximately 11:45 today, somebody spotted a suspicious package -- that is, a box with wires sticking out of it -- in a ceiling in the "C" Ring. There was an area that was evacuated, including Chairman Shelton's office and the office of the J-3, the director of Operations for the Joint Staff. But everybody -- there was an "all clear" sounded at about 12:58. They concluded that the box was something that had been left behind by an electrical contractor the day before.
• TERRORISM REACT Voice of America 21 December 1999 -- A bomb scare forced America's top general and much of his staff to evacuate their offices briefly Tuesday.
• Text: State Dept. Issues New Worldwide Caution on Terrorist Threat USIA 21 December 1999 -- The State Department late December 21 issued a new Worldwide Caution saying that "the U.S. Government believes that terrorists may be planning to conduct attacks, including against official and non-official Americans, in and around the New Year period (from now through mid-January 2000).
• CLINTON-TERRORISM Voice of America 21 December 1999 -- The Clinton Administration says it knows of no specific threats of millennium-related terrorism activity in the United States despite last week's arrest of an Algerian man trying to bring bomb-making material in from Canada.
• AFGHAN / U-S TERRORISM Voice of America 21 December 1999 -- Afghanistan's Taleban Islamic movement is standing by its refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden, a man the United States accuses of terrorism.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 21 December 1999 -- ECUADOR - US Embassy Quito's closure related to specific security concerns: suspicious activity, physical security. An assessment team from Diplomatic Security is there making an inspection. TERRORISM US media has been very responsible in reporting this issue. US has ongoing obligation to inform about terrorist information, and is keeping the information we have under review at the highest levels.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 20 December 1999 -- TERRORISM / SECURITY Arrest of Algerian in Seattle / Connections to Organized Terrorist Groups / US-Canada Cooperation on Counter Terrorism / Embassies on Heightened Security Posture / Terrorist Threats Foiled
• BOMB SUSPECT INVESTIGATION Voice of America 20 December 1999 -- Authorities in the United States and Canada are trying to determine if an Algerian man had accomplices in a suspected millennium bomb plot.
• FAA Statement on Strengthened Security Measures December 20, 1999 -- Generally, the FAA does not discuss threat levels or changes in security procedures since to do so would undermine the overall effectiveness of the security program and heighten the potential risk to the public. However, travelers at our nation's airports may notice some of the more visible changes.
• Transcript: PBS Lehrer Report Discusses Possible Terrorist Threats USIA 20 December 1999 -- With the State Department having issued, a week and a half ago, a worldwide warning regarding possible terrorist threats during millennium celebrations plus the arrest over the past weekend of a man charged with carrying bomb making materials at the U.S.-Canadian border, U.S. officials are on high alert.
• THE MYSTEROUS CASE OF WEN HO LEE Voice of America 20 December 1999 -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation has finally arrested an ethnic Chinese scientists, Wen Ho Lee, accusing him of removing secret data from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. But the question of whether he is also a spy for China, remains to be proved.
• U-S TERRORISM Voice of America 18 December 1999 -- U-S authorities have charged a man with bringing explosive materials into the United States. Authorities in Seattle are trying to determine if the man -- who is said to be of Algerian descent -- was planning a millennium terrorist attack.
• Text: NATO Confirms Anti-Dayton Intelligence Activities in Bosnia USIA 17 December 1999 -- NATO revealed December 17 that the materials seized in an October 14 sweep by Stabilization Force (SFOR) troops in the Mostar region of Bosnia-Herzegovina show "significant anti-Dayton activities" by a secret intelligence service.
• Text: War Crimes Prosecutor Condemns Spying on Staff in Bosnia USIA 17 December 1999 -- The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, issued a comment December 17 on the announcement by the international peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina (SFOR) that Tribunal staff have been under surveillance by Bosnian Croats.
• DoD News Briefing Thursday, December 16, 1999 -- The Rand Corporation released a report today that has been done for the Pentagon on the status of preparedness for terrorism attacks in the United States. One was that there is still too much ambiguity in terms of where the responsibility lies in the federal government for responding to a terrorism attack, and the other one was that too much attention has been focused by the federal government on chemical and biological attack possibilities and not enough on conventional.
• JORDAN / TERROR ARRESTS Voice of America 15 December 1999 -- U-S officials say more than a dozen people suspected of planning terrorist attacks on Americans have been arrested in Jordan.
• FUTUREWAR IN CYBERSPACE Voice of America 15 December 1999 -- Top Pentagon officials say the United States is in a virtual war in cyberspace, while experts outside government say America is being "invaded," every hour of every day, by hostile forces using computers.
• THE CHARGES AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST USAMA BIN LADEN USIA 15 December 1999 -- The Taliban Movement of Afghanistan, led by Mullah Mohammad Omar, continues to provide safe haven to the indicted terrorist Usama bin Laden. Spokesmen for the Taliban and its mass media continue the disinformation campaign that no one has provided the Taliban with proof of bin Laden's alleged crimes.
• TERRORIST WARNING Voice of America 14 December 1999 -- The United States says it will hold Afghanistan's Taleban movement responsible if any terrorist attacks are carried out against Americans.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 14 December 1999 -- TERRORISM Update on Arrests & Terrorist Threat / Alleged Usama bin Laden Connection / Ambassador Sheehan's Meeting with Taliban / Will There Be Additional Arrests / Potential Extradition to US / Millennium Related / US Discussions With Governments Worldwide / Security at US Embassies / Relevance of Worldwide Caution to Threats in US
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 13 December 1999 -- The United States Government has specific and credible information that terrorist groups have been planning terrorist actions against American citizens and that this is a worldwide threat connected to the New Year celebrations and the Ramaddan period.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 13 December 1999 -- This was a device that needed to be activated by Mr. Gusev, who did not appear to have a foreknowledge of the kinds of meetings that would take place there or even whether there were going to be meetings.
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIRMAN OF ANTI-TERRORISM WORKING GROUP 13 December 1999 -- The International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted last Thursday by the General Assembly, was introduced by Philippe Kirsch of Canada, the Chairman of the Assembly�s Ad Hoc Working Group on terrorism, which prepared the text.
• Statement of Commerce Under Secretary William A. Reinsch On Delay of Encryption Regulation Bureau of Export Administration, US Department of Commerce, December 13, 1999 -- The Administration decided today to delay the release of its pending regulation on encryption exports no later than January 14, 2000 to permit further consultation with affected parties.
• Text: NTSB Hall's Statement on Egyptair Salvage Effort USIA 13 December 1999 -- NTSB Chairman James Hall and FBI Director Louis Freeh held a news briefing December 13 after they visited the salvage ship, which has begun recovery operations of human remains and plane parts of EgyptAir Flight 990.
• Text: Commerce Statement on Delay of Encryption Regulations USIA 13 December 1999 -- The Clinton administration has postponed the release of new regulations for the export of U.S. encryption software until January 14.
• Transcript: Albright Interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" USIA 12 December 1999 -- Secretary of State Albright says the State Department has "an obligation to let the American people know when there are potential terrorist threats, and we are concerned about Americans traveling abroad and being in large groups.
• Ex-Workers: Arrest May Hurt Labs By S.U. Mahesh Albuquerque Journal December 12, 1999 -- "As long as there continues to be reasonable doubt concerning (Lee's) guilt, it will have a chilling effect on scientists in general and foreign scientists in particular," said John Pike, a defense analyst with the Federation of American Scientists.
• Criminal Charges 1st in Lab History By Brendan Smith Albuquerque Journal December 11, 1999 -- Faced with a "political circus" over the Chinese spy allegations, federal officials were under pressure to charge Lee with something, even if it wasn't espionage, said Pike from the Federation of American Scientists. "The publicity around the whole case certainly created a strong presumption he should be indicted for something," Pike said. "I'm saying that without reference to his guilt or innocence."
• Group Questions Motives For Scientist's Arrest Albuquerque Journal December 11, 1999 -- "Security violations like this are a lot more pervasive than anyone cares to admit," said John Pike, a defense analyst with the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, D.C. "For every person who does this for espionage purposes, there are surely many thousands who do it just for personal conveniences because it makes their job easier," Pike said.
• The cold war is over, the spy game isn't JUSTIN BROWN Christian Science Monitor December 10, 1999 -- "Clearly each country has major security concerns about the other," says Steve Aftergood, who directs a project on government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists. "We still want to know everything that's going on there, and they want to know everything going on here."
• Text: NTSB Chairman Hall on EgyptAir Flight 990 Crash Investigation USIA 10 December 1999 -- NTSB Chairman Jim Hall and FBI Director Louis Freeh will visit the "Smit Pioneer" salvage vessel on December 13 in Rhode Island, prior to beginning salvage operations for the ill-fated EgyptAir 990.
• WEN HO LEE ARREST Voice of America 10 December 1999 -- A former scientist at a U-S nuclear weapons laboratory has been indicted for mishandling classified information.
• Nuclear Scientist Wen Ho Lee Accused of Endangering U.S. National Security CNN THE WORLD TODAY December 10, 1999 -- JOHN PIKE "This data would mainly confirm what they probably already knew. It would give them the opportunity to check their own data, to check their own calculations, to basically confirm that they were on the right track."
• RUSSIA / U-S SPY Voice of America 10 December 1999 -- Russia is stepping up its criticism of the United States over the U-S expulsion of a Russian diplomat from Washington on spying charges.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 10 December 1999 -- I can confirm that the process of the investigation has shifted and they are now interviewing people in order to determine or develop leads in the case.
• U-S RELEASES EGYPTIAN JAILED ON SECRET EVIDENCE Voice of America 09 December 1999 -- Nasser Ahmed, an Egyptian citizen, has been released from federal jail in New York after three years, during which the Immigration and Naturalization Service kept him locked up on the basis of secret evidence.
• RUSSIAN SPY CASE Voice of America 09 December 1999 -- American counter intelligence officials have given more details of what they describe as a Russian intelligence operation aimed at the State Department.
• KING CONSPIRACY Voice of America 09 December 1999 -- A jury in Memphis, Tennessee, has found the 1968 assassination of U-S civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was the result of a conspiracy.
• ASSEMBLY ADOPTS CONVENTION ON SUPPRESSION OF TERRORIST FINANCING; TEXT TO OPEN FOR SIGNATURE ON 10 JANUARY Press Release GA/9683 - 9 December 1999 -- The new instrument, by which States would be required to make the provision of such funding a criminal offence under their domestic laws, and to confiscate assets allocated for terrorist purposes, was adopted on the recommendation of the Assembly's Sixth Committee (Legal).
• To catch a spy By John Diamond Chicago Tribune December 9, 1999 -- John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists, a Washington-based intelligence watchdog group, shook his head at Gusev's conspicuous behavior. "Either this was a deliberate provocation by Russia, or they're not turning spies out the way they used to," Pike said.
• Press Briefing on Russian Diplomat Declared Persona Non Grata David Carpenter, Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, and Neil J. Gallagher, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI National Security Division -- December 9, 1999 -- We began a technical survey utilizing very sophisticated, very sensitive, technical equipment and were able to locate what we believed to be a listening and transmittal device.
• Russian Diplomat Declared Persona Non Grata U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman -- December 8, 1999 -- Today the U.S. Government apprehended and detained a Russian Diplomat, Second Secretary Stanislav Borisovich Gusev, who was gathering information from a listening device that was placed inside the State Department.
• Espionage FOX SPECIAL REPORT WITH BRIT HUME December 8, 1999, Wednesday -- JOHN PIKE: "I think a lot of people figured they would close up shop and go home. Well, the KGB broke up and changed its name, but these agencies are still very much alive and very much doing what they were doing throughout the Cold War."
• Text: Aaron says Battle Against Corruption Depends on Enforcement USIA 08 December 1999 -- U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce David Aaron says the success of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Anti-Bribery Convention depends on how effectively it is monitored and enforced.
• LOCKERBIE SUSPECTS Voice of America 08 December 1999 -- A Scottish judge has ruled the two Libyans accused of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988 should stand trial on conspiracy charges.
• EGYPTAIR SITREP Voice of America 08 December 1999 -- Six weeks after the crash of EgyptAir flight 990 off the U-S coast, federal air safety investigators are still trying to find out what caused the disaster.
• Fact Sheet: U.S. Government Views on Terrorism USIA 07 December 1999 -- Some Muslims, and others, believe that the U.S. has seemed, at times, to link terrorism with Islam. This is not U.S. Government policy. It is important to recognize that terrorists are criminals. They are not identified by race, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.
• MEXICO/FBI Voice of America 03 December 1999 -- The director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation went to the dusty compound south of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico where six bodies have been exhumed in a joint Mexico/US law enforcement operation.
• Engineers battle age-old tactic in information warfare defense (AFPN) 03 December 1999 -- Free software is currently available on the Internet that allows computer users to implement steganography technology for covert communications within a photograph. The goal is security through obscurity as opposed to encryption.
• Text: Clinton Statement on Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act USIA 03 December 1999 -- President Clinton signed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 late December 3, pointing out that it contained a provision, known as the "Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act," that establishes a global program targeting the activities of significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations."
• Text: The U.S. Is Against Terrorism, Not Islam, Says Amb. Milam USIA 02 December 1999 -- "The idea that the United States sees Islam as its enemy and that Muslims should therefore treat the United States as their enemy is not only reprehensible; it is downright dangerous," says U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan William B. Milam.
• Text: Drug Czar on Mexico's Suspected Mass Gravesites USIA 02 December 1999 -- The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Barry McCaffrey, has emphasized the brutality of drug trafficking rings in commenting on the discovery of suspected mass gravesites in Mexico.
• RUSSIA / U-S SPY Voice of America 01 December 1999 -- Russia has ordered the expulsion of a U-S diplomat accused of trying to steal military secrets.