Spotting Terrorist Activities

Introduction

Since September 11, the USA has become proactive in detecting and preventing criminal activities. In addition to the enactment of the Homeland Act and the Patriotic Act,.the government setup the National Counterterrorism Center in 2004. NCTC is the primary organization that integrates and analyzes information pertaining to counterterrorism. However, the center is not in charge of domestic terrorism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Central Intelligent Agency and other partners are in charge of domestic terrorism. One of the major strategies applicable in the counterterrorism is the gathering and sharing of information from the public. Fusion centers are some of the earliest strategies by the Federal government to gather information from the public. The fusion centers encourage the public to share information with the relevant authorities of any suspicious activities. Surveillance is one of the best strategies to identify potential terrorist activities, to report the activities and to devise counterterrorism measures. The public is at the best position to observe such activities and as such as the most important partners in fighting both international and domestic terrorism. The purpose of this essay is to identify and describe the suspicious activities that citizens should report to the authority and to identify opportunities for sharing information among citizens.

Certain kind of activities is indicators of terrorist plans, especially where they happen near a high-profile facility, site or where many people often gather. The suspicious activity reporting requires one to report usual activities. Fusion centers pre-date the September 11 attack are meant to act as collaborative centers for numerous agencies. Their main aim is to detect, prevent, investigate and respond to terrorist activities, as well as other criminal activities. The FBI urges people to be on the lookout for such activities. Some of the activities include surveillance, deploying assets, suspicious persons, acquiring supplies and testing security. It is critical for citizens to identify and report suspicious recording or monitoring activities including taking notes, mapping, cameras and other observation devices. Citizens are urged to report any attempt to acquire explosives, ammunitions, dangerous chemicals, access cards, badges, uniforms and identification badges to key installations.

The three activities are indicators of terrorist activities. The purchase of one tone of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is suspicious not just by the volume of the fertilizer but the potential of using the fertilizer in improvised explosive devises. First, Miguel should raise suspicion due the large volume of the fertilizer bought. The same volume of one ton of ammonium nitrate was used by Timothy McVeigh to kill 168 people. According to Adamson (2010), car bombs made from ammonium nitrates have become common globally. The readily available product (ammonium nitrate) mixed with fuel was used to destroy the Oklahoma city Federal building. Although fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate is hard to make explosives, it is important not to rule out the possibility. Ammonium nitrate requires some source of energy. That is why the action of buying a large volume of car racing fuel should trigger some action. Racing fuel can be used to sensitize ammonium nitrate. The commercial form of ammonium nitrate combined with a fuel is ANFO. These chemicals can be used to make explosives

The second suspicious activity is the purchase of large volume of car racing fuel. According to Carla, the stranger bought large quantities of racing fuel. It is rare to find an individual purchasing a large volume of racing fuel. Although the action alone may go unnoticed, when an individual buy such large volume of fuel and a large volume of ammonium nitrate, then the activities become suspicious.

Miguel has noticed a used car idling vacant in a large civic center. In a nearby building, there is a forthcoming event that will involve a large number of persons. The unattended car remains there for a number of days. According to the FBI, it is critical to identify suspicious individuals or unattended vehicles parked in strategic places. It is also important to identify any form of surveillance going on. The presence of the vacant car is a cause for suspicion and Miguel should use his discretion to judge whether the car is a potential threat. Therefore, the three activities, when considered to be perpetrated by a single individual, indicate potential terrorist plan. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh used ammonium nitrate, fuel, and a used car to bomb a federal building. Terrorist have a history of copying ideas. In the past days, Miguel and his friend have observed activities almost replicating Timothy’s activities. Therefore, they should not assume the activities are disjoint and should inform the authority for further investigation.

If it is the same individual or two close friends who has bought the one ton of ammonium nitrate and the large volume of racing fuel, it is more likely that Miguel and his friend are witness to terrorist’s plan. As stated above, the three items are a replicate of one of the worst domestic terrorism. A combination of ammonium nitrate and racing fuel can make an explosive. In addition, Miguel notices the vacant car is parked adjacent to a facility that will host a large volume of visitors. The event is the likely target. Assuming that the store is in a rural setup, the fact that the customer is unfamiliar to both Miguel and his friend is a cause for alarm.

The conversation between Miguel and his friend presents a good opportunity for the two to share knowledge and thus build more insight into the behavior of the customer. Although Miguel and his friend do not have a background in security or surveillance, they can discuss the information they have to make a cohesive analysis of the activities. Citizens are required to be observant of what is happening in their surrounding as a way of deterring terrorism.

According to the Homeland Department, prompt and detail reporting of suspicious activities play a great role in preventing crime and terrorist activities. The Homeland Department advises individuals to report the suspicious activity to the local police department. Therefore, the first step should be to report the activities to the local police department. Most local police departments have forms for filling-in suspicious activities. They require individuals to offer a brief description of the suspicious activity. The description should cover the date, time, and location. In addition, Miguel should give the physical description of the suspect and describe vehicles or other means of transport or residence. Miguel can also use the nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) and Initiative (NSI) to report the activities.

In conclusion, fighting crime and terrorism activities require a multidisciplinary and collaborative strategy that involve active gathering of intelligence and information. The Nation Suspicious Activity (SAR) initiative (NSI) provides a collaborative platform through which the public can provide vital information to the law informant to deter, prevent and combat terrorist activities. Miguel and his friend have such an opportunity to deter a potential terrorist plan. Although observing suspicious activities does not mean the suspect is a terrorist, it is important to report such activities for further investigation. It is the civic responsibility of the citizen to inform the authority any suspicious activity.

References

Arean M & Arrigo A (2010). The terrorist identity: Explaining the terrorist threat. Now York University Press.

Definition of terrorism.

Homeland Security. Report suspicious activity.

National Counterterrorism Center.

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