Bloody day job . . .

Surveillance, electronic or otherwise, works:

 By late 2005, the probe had expanded to involve several hundred investigators on three continents. They kept dozens of suspects under close surveillance for months, even as some of the plotters traveled between Britain and Pakistan to raise money, find recruits and refine their scheme, according to interviews with U.S. and European counterterrorism officials.

 The secondary and probably more drastic front in this war is the war on convenience and sense:

But here’s where today’s TSA response in airports and DHS’s raising of the alert status smacks of sense-think-and-respond (Steve DeAngelis preferred description of adaptive reactions, or ones that are dynamically re-rendered by learning in real time), but without the think part.

I mean, the parameters cited here are 1) US carriers, 2) right now, 3) liquids, and 4) carry-ons. That’s it. When the thínking part is abdicated, we’re into pure reactions, letting terrorists determine the timing, scope, venues, and methods of our response. Does that make you feel any safer? In control?

Ad hoc cosmetic sales in airport kiosks are now through the roof, but what happens when the next plot involves laptop computers?

Since it has been overshadowed by events in the UK, let’s not forget that some terrorism is local:

Two 20-year-old men arrested in Ohio were being held on Thursday on charges of money laundering on behalf of Hezbollah, authorities said.

And is it just me or is the media silence on the ethnicity or religion of the plotters some kind of plot in and of itself?

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.