COMBAT TERRORISM

By Lenzy Kelley

Lenzy Kelley was born and raised in New York City. He attended Haaren High School in Hell's Kitchen. After graduation in 1962, he joined the United States Army. After completing parachute training at Fort Benning Georgia, he was assigned to Fort Campbell Kentucky. In 1963 he married his childhood sweetheart Carolyne. Their first son Lenzy Darnel

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Regency Publishers
• Release date: Feb 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960113962

Book preview

PREFACE

This handbook is intended to provide information and suggestions to reduce the vulnerability to acts of terrorism and active shooter events. In addition, it’s also intended to educate the general public as to the nature of our enemies and various steps that can be taken to protect individuals and their loved ones at home and abroad.

Since the last publication, there has not been a major terrorist attack. However, the threat is still real. While there have been no major attacks, there has been a numerous active shooter and mass shootings domestically and abroad. In view of these attacks, we all must continue to maintain a high level of vigilance not only for terrorist activity, but also for active -shooter and mass shooting events. Unfortunately, it’s become necessary to take appropriate measures to protect yourself from these acts not only when traveling, but also on a day-to-day basis within your community and work environment. Terrorist acts are no longer confined to other countries. Since 1993 there have been two attacks on the World Trade Center and numerous other attacks detected and foiled. In today’s climate, no one is safe. With our everyday safety at peril, it is imperative that all of us become aware of our surroundings and take the necessary steps to be discussed in this handbook to protect ourselves against terrorist activities, active shooters and mass shootings.

In Memory of Lenzy Kelley, Sr.

Unpublished Work ã 1996 Lenzy Kelley, Jr.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Introduction: I’m fairly certain that we don’t have anyone like James Bond working for the Federal Government. (Hope I’m wrong). What we do have are ordinary people doing an extraordinary job in protecting the Homeland. Some of those extraordinary people are part of a group that falls under the auspices of Home Land Security (HLS) called the Red Cell Group. Their job is to anticipate how would-be terrorist would attack the United States. This group is extremely important as terrorist groups are constantly probing our defenses in an attempt to discover weaknesses. The United States was recently tipped off by an al Qaeda turn coat that warned of mail packages send as a dry run. The bomb plotters needed to determine how long it would take and whether there would be any problems encountered with the packages getting through the U.S. mail system. This plot is an example of why we must remain on our guard at all times because our enemies do not let up. The 9/11 attack has forever changed the landscape in America. Things will never be the same. We cannot afford to do business as usual. The moment we let our guards down, it will result in people dying.

9/11 should have shaken our complacency of past years when terror acts occurred elsewhere. Unfortunately, terror attacks visit’s the world with frightening regularity. Most people want to know why it is happening, when it will stop and how to defend against it. There is no magic bullet to stop it and no location to hide from it. We can only expect our government to maintain a vigilant watch, address the causes and carry the battle to the enemy. Beyond that we must carry on with our lives and routines with a watchful eye. To do otherwise means the terrorists have won. Asking our government to protect us could be a problem as our government is run by ordinary people who make mistakes and are not always vigilant. This is the scenario which led to 9/11. We were not paying attention. We missed clues and red flags. As a result, we were not prepared and we paid for it in lives. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans believe that more home land attacks are inevitable with bus, train and harbor attacks next. Hopefully that won’t come to past. However, Americans expect their government to do a better job of protecting the Homeland. The mistakes made leading up to 9/11 are not acceptable and cannot be repeated.

Terrorist strikes are not only against the US Government but other Governments and installations worldwide. During the past 30 years, terrorists have killed or maimed thousands of military personnel, public servants, businessmen, educators and clergy worldwide. Each year, the statistics get increasingly grim and the terrorist incidents become increasingly lethal. Even though the Islamic terror threat is directed mainly at the United States the majority of the countries in the world today are dealing with some level of terrorist threats and actual terrorist attacks.

In the past, the threat of terrorism came principally from two distinct ideologies, communism and Iranian Islamic fundamentalism. Both used terrorism as a form of warfare with knowledge that democracies, their main enemies, are especially vulnerable. However, with the collapse of the Soviet empire, terrorism from communist regimes has all but vanished, while terrorism from Islamic fundamentalist has increased dramatically.

The cost of terrorism goes far beyond the carnage and destruction caused by individual incidents. When the United States is the target of such actions, the cost of terrorism must be measured not only in loss of American life or damage to U.S. installations and property, but in less tangible though no less meaningful terms-loss of American credibility and a diminished capacity of the United States to influence international events. After the 9/11 WTC attacks it several years for the American Airline Industry to recover.

TERRORIST IDEOLOGUES

Not all Islamic Muslims are terrorist. However, a lot terrorist is Islamic Muslims. The chief terror threat directed at the west is Islamic. Sharia or Islamic law rule most Muslim countries. Non-Muslim symbols such as churches or crosses and anything else touched by western influence are Haram (forbidden). Those suspected of holding Christian or other non-Islamic beliefs become a target. Terror groups such as Boko Haram often recruit common thugs who also kill rape, and loot.

TERRORIST ATTACKS

Each terrorist attack—each bombing, each assassination, each incident that brings international humiliation to Free World institutions—undermines public confidence in the established government and erodes national resolve and faith in its leadership. The U. S. Defense Department responds to the terrorist threat and activities with two forms of positive actions:

—Counterterrorism

"Counter-terrorism—actions initiated by Governments to combat terrorism. Those actions include intelligence gathering, sharing intelligence with other countries, enhanced personnel training, apprehension of terrorists, and infiltration of terrorist’s organizations.

—Anti-terrorism

Anti-terrorism—actions that individuals can take to reduce the vulnerability of people and facilities, such as barriers, gates, armed guards, travel visa controls and personal habits. Recent terrorist’s acts directed at US personnel and resources at home and overseas reinforce the need for additional training and anti-terrorism planning. The term anti-terrorism" is used to denote those defensive measures personnel can take to reduce their vulnerability

Chapter 2

TERRORISM

Definition: Terrorism is the criminal use of violence or the threat of violence to attain goals, often political or ideological in nature, through fear, intimidation, or coercion. A terrorist act is usually dramatic and violent. It is often directed against a symbolic target and is intended to influence others, rather than the immediate victim. The serious effects of terrorism generated by local and international terrorist groups in many countries of the world and the demonstrated ability of some groups to operate across national boundaries have made terrorism an international problem.

As a calculated use or threat of violence its intent is to cause fear to coerce or intimidate governments or societies and individuals in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious or ideological. Terrorist seek goals beyond the ugliness of their acts that may be economic, historical, ideological, political or religious. Terrorist worldwide engage in horrific behavior that ordinary people can hardly comprehend. Terrorist carry out their acts methodically, and shrewdly. They demonstrate patience and have a keen awareness of their intended target. One of the frightening aspects of terrorist is that they don’t care if they get caught as most of their attacks are suicide. Terrorism in short is a formidable adversary. Americans continue to be a target of these crazed bloodthirsty terrorist who believe in their twisted vision that killing Americans is the highest virtue. Along with killing westerns, terrorist is also killing history with their wanton destruction of priceless ancient Islamic manuscripts and parchments. In October 2012, the Taliban stormed the fabled city of Timbuktu and destroyed many ancient monuments, as they also did in Afghanistan.

Characteristics:

Terrorist groups are not governed by time constraints. Preparation for conspiratorial terrorism can take months or even years, and most terrorist groups are psychologically prepared for protractedoperations.

Terrorism is not limited by political borders. Many Terrorists operateinternationally.

Political terrorist groups are durable. Some organizations thought to have been destroyed or dispersed have revived in one form or another to pose renewedthreats.

Most political terrorism is calculated and rational, not mindless. Terrorists usually seek to create a credible threat for political leverage. Their immediate objectives are mainly psychological: generation of fear among the populace, disruption within the government, and a general loss of confidence in the existing social order or government policies.

The more common types of violence committed by terrorist are bombings, hijacking, kidnapping and assassination; however, robbery of finance offices or weapons storage facilities play an important role in furthering terrorist objectives, and such acts are of particular concern to government agencies and personnel.

Terrorists carefully reconnoiter any target they intend to attack.

Terrorists seek to adapt their appearance to the given surroundings. They could try for instance to gain access in uniforms of police or in ambulances using appropriate vehicles. (This tactic has been used in Afghanistan on numerous occasions costing many American lives). Many terrorists are females!

Terrorist bombers will plant a first bomb to drive the crowd towards a second explosion or avenue of escape. In the event of a bombing, it’s important that all stay calm and leave the area quickly at the same time avoiding large crowds as the entire area will become a crime scene and will be condone off. The crime scene should encompass the furthest broken window shattered by the blast. The bombing may occur with no intelligence, warning, chatter or other credible advance threat. If the bomb is an IED it could be an anti-personnel type designed not to kill but to cause shrapnel damage to soft tissue, physiological shock, maim and cause general chaos. Depending on how it is placed, the explosion trajectory could go up (push) or sideways (knee-high). The bomb could be detonated by a timer, remote control or cell phone. After a bombing attack, the FAA should immediately declare a no-fly zone and check airplane departures for perpetrators who may be trying to flee. In addition, phone carriers should shut down cell phone service to prevent possible remotedetonation.

It’s possible that no one will claim responsibility. If so, the investigators will need to determine if this was group or individual driven. Islamic radicals don’t mind dying in a suicide attack. Domestic terrorist most likely will want to get away without being caught. Following the blast, the forensic teams move in to try and determine who was responsible (Terrorist, foreign or domestic or local extremist). Questions to be answered: was it rehearsed? If so, did anybody see anything? How sophisticated was the explosive device? Who made it? How many bombs were there? The more bombs, the more people involved. More people could mean a group or an organization. What type of bomb was it? How was it constructed? What did the shrapnel consist of? If ball bearings, who’s the manufacture? Is there a bomb signature? (Similar to other bombings) Was it military C4 or smokeless powder? Unfortunately, at crime scenes you often have turf battles. However, the forensic team needs to clear all personnel out of the crime scene in order to gather evidence. The type of evidence they are looking for includes finger prints, fiber, hair, shoe impressions, clothing, backpacks, receipts, circuit boards, and other materials. Other investigators should check cell phone carriers to determine what phone numbers were called before, during and after the blast. During the investigations, authorities may reach out to the public in the event cell phone camera videos managed to capture the event. Use of an unsophisticated device doesn’t mean that those responsible are unsophisticated. Use of low-tech items may be a means for bombers to stay off of the radar of the investigators.

Chapter 3

Legacy Of Terror

(Previous terror attacks, not a total Listing):

April 2013 - KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A car bomb blast killed five Americans, including three U.S. soldiers and a young diplomat while an American civilian died in a separate attack.

8 March 2013 - A suicide bomber on a bicycle struck outside the Afghan Defense Ministry on Saturday, one of two attacks that killed at least 18 people as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited the nation.

February 2013 - A bomb hidden in a water tank ripped through a crowd bazaar in Quetta Pakistan killing 79 people. The bomb targeted the country’s minority Shiite Muslim sect. No group has stepped forth to claim responsibility.

February 2013 - Suicide terrorist attack at the US Embassy in Ankara Turkey.

February 2013 - Road side bombing kills 6 in Afghanistan

February 2013 - Two men arrested after a suicide bomber blows himself up in a bombing attempt in northern Mali

January 2013 - Al Qaeda linked terrorist attack a gas plant in Algeria. During this attack, hostages were taken and one terrorist demand was for the release of blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman. Rahman was convicted in 1995 of plotting to blow up New York City landmarks and was implicated in the 1993 WTC bombing. He is currently serving a life sentence in a federal prison.

January 2013 - An alleged Al Qaeda operative was recently extradited to New York from Great Britain to face charges of participating in a plot to attack international targets to include New York City subways.

December 2012 - In Mogadishu, Members of al-Shabaab staged a suicide car bombing in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that left 2 civilians dead and 7 injured.

December 2012 - Boko Haram terrorist murdered at least 10 Christians in the Nigeria village of Chibok

November 2012 - In the Philippines, suspected NPA insurgents ambushed an army patrol in the south of the Philippines, killing 4 soldiers

October 2012 - Pakistani school girl shot by Islamic radicals because she promoted girls’ education and western thinking

October 2012 - Suspected Islamic militants staged a number of attacks in three southern Thai provinces (Patani, Songkhla and Yala), killing at least 11 people. The victims included 3 paramilitary rangers, as well as 2 Muslims killed in a drive-by shooting.

September 2012 - Around 100 suspected PKK fighters simultaneously attacked four government and security buildings in the small town of Beytüşşebap, near the border with Syria. At least 10 soldiers and 3 attackers were killed during the assault, while 7 soldiers were injured.

August 2012 - In Russia, a suspected suicide bomber attacked a Russian armored vehicle leaving a garrison in the Chechen capital Grozny, killing at least four soldiers and injuring three others.

July 2012 - In Kenya, Masked militants attacked worshipers with hand grenades and automatic gunfire at two churches in the northern Kenyan city of Garissa, killing at least 18 and injuring dozens more. Garissa has been the site of several attacks, most of which Kenyan authorities blame on groups allied to or sympathetic with the Somali organization Al-Shabaab.

June 2012 - A bomb in a pickup truck killed at least 26 people at a market in the northwestern Pakistani town of Landi Kotal. At least 65 others were injured in the attack, which apparently targeted a tribal leader allied with the government against the Pakistani Taliban.

May 2012 - In a rare attack in the Colombian capital Bogota, a bomb targeting former interior minister Fernando Londoño Hoyos killed his driver and a police officer and left him and almost 40 bystanders injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but leftist rebels belonging to FARC are the main suspects.

April 2012 - In Yemen, a group of militants attacked an Army checkpoint near the ancient city of Shibam in a pre-dawn raid and killed seven soldiers before escaping with weapons and ammunition

March 2012 - In Nigeria gunmen ambushed a police patrol in the Niger Delta, shooting 4 officers to death. Responsibility was claimed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in a press release the next day.

February 2012 - In Iraq, a suicide car bomber killed 19 police officers and cadets in front of a Baghdad academy in the deadliest attack in the country since 27 January. At least 26 others were injured in the blast, most of them new recruits for the security forces.

January 2012 - In Kandahar Afghanistan, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated his explosives at a checkpoint in the city of Kandahar. Four children and a police officer were killed and 16 more were wounded in the bombing. Later in the day there were two more blasts in the Chawk Madad market, killing 6 and injuring 19 more, including 7 police officers.

Oct 2011 - A Bangladeshi native living in Jamaica Queens tried to detonate a 1,000-pound bomb, at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York

May 2011 -An Algerian born Islamic terrorist arrested for plotting to blow up synagogues in New York City

October 2010 - package bomb discovered in England timed to blow a cargo plan out of the air. The bomb was hooked up to a cell phone alarm.

September 2010 - French miners working at a French nuclear facility in Niger taken hostage

Terrorist attacks within the last two years

21 January Suicide bombing Baghdad, Iraq Two suicide bombers attacked an open-air market in central Baghdad. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility without offering evidence.

24 March – 5 April Arson, beheadings, looting, mass shooting Palma, Mozambique Battle of Palma A large group of Islamist insurgents overran Palma, Cabo Delgado Province, attacking many buildings and people. The Islamists invaded the city, killing dozens of people before Mozambique regained control days later. Palma was left destroyed, and a major oil and gas company decided to suspend all operations in the area due to the battle.

28 March Suicide bombing Makassar, Indonesia Two suspected suicide bombers attacked a Sacred Heart Cathedral, Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia during Palm Sunday service. At least 20 people were injured. The attack was allegedly carried out by the Islamic terrorist group

21 April Car bombing Quetta, Pakistan Quetta Serena Hotel bombing. A car bomb exploded in the car park of the luxury Serena Hotel in Balochistan’s capital. It was claimed by Islamist group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, who said it was a suicide car bombing. [ Terrorism in Pakistan

23 April Stabbing Rambouillet knife attack A man stabbed an admin worker to death at the police station in which she worked in Rambouillet, Yvelines, Île-de-France. Police shot him dead at the scene. Europol classified the attack as jihadist terrorism.[9][10]Lone wolf Islamic terrorism in Europe

25 April RPG attack Mainok, Nigeria Mainok attack A group of jihadists arrived in trucks and used rocket-propelled grenades to attack an army convoy and base in Borno State.

3 May Arson, mass shooting Faso Kodyel attack About 100 insurgents burnt homes and shot residents in a village in Foutouri, Komondjari Province, Est Region, Burkina Faso.

8 May Car bombing Kabul, Afghanistan Kabul school bombing At least 85 people were killed and dozens of others injured in the bombing of a school in the Afghan capital. The attack took place in a neighborhood that has frequently been attacked by militants belonging to the regional Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province over the years.

23 May Mass shooting Miguel del Ene, Peru Up to eighteen people were killed in a red-light zone bar of San Miguel del Ene, Vizcatán del Ene District, Satipo Province, Peru. Along with the corpses, some of which were burned, leaflets signed by the Militarized Communist Party of Peru were found, featuring the hammer and sickle and defining the attack as a social cleansing operation.] Shining Path Internal conflict in Peru

4 June – 5 June Mass shooting Burkina Faso Solhan and Tadaryat massacres In the evening of 4 June, 13 civilians and a soldier were killed in an attack at the village of Tadaryat in Yagha Province, Sahel Region. The attackers also raided the community’s motorbikes and cattle. Hours later in the early morning of 5 June, insurgents attacked Solhan village in Yagha, killing around 138 civilians.Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso

26 August Suicide bombing Kabul, Afghanistan 2021 Kabul airport attack a suicide bombing occurred near Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. These attacks came hours after the United States State Department told Americans outside the airport to leave due to a terrorist threat. At least 183 people were killed in the attacks, including 13 US service members, two British nationals and a child of a British national.

3 September Stabbing Auckland, New Zealand 2021 Auckland Countdown stabbing at 14:40 NZST, seven people were stabbed at the LynnMall Countdown supermarket in New Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand. The attacker was being followed by police who shot him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Terrorism in New Zealand

15 October