If you were to evaluate your value to terrorists as a kidnapping hostage, would you conclude that you are a “not high profile” person? Most people, except for the egocentric among us, would likely view themselves as low profile and of little worth to Islamic terrorists seeking to kidnap westerners. According to police sources in Birmingham, England, that should be of little comfort to you as you reside or travel abroad, as the foiling of an “Iraq Style” kidnapping plot in Birmingham this morning demonstrated. It appears to be another instance of home grown terrorism in the United Kingdom, with the terrorists trying “a different approach.”
Kidnappings are not a new tactic for terrorists, as the kidnapping and subsequent murders of British and American contractors and reporters in Iraq in recent years clearly illustrate. However, the British government, which recently focused on improving security on mass transit systems, must now stretch its investigative resources to include potential plots to kidnap its own citizens who would ordinarily be of no value to terrorists. The unnamed potential victim of the Birmingham plot disrupted by police today has been taken into protective police custody, but at this point it appears the man was selected for kidnapping merely because he was a young, average soldier of the British Military home on leave. The soldier had no reason to consider himself worth kidnapping. He was not a ranking officer capable of influencing war decisions or policies. Since that describes a large number of American and allied military personnel stationed abroad in nations with large or predominantly Muslim populations, this particular plot should be of concern to all.
What do we know about the potential victim of this kidnapping plot? He was in his 20s, and was considered a low profile, low ranking soldier. In all respects a low value target. The terrorists selected him based on unrevealed as yet criteria, observed his daily routine and transportation routes while home on leave, and organized a tactical plan to kidnap the young man. The exposed plot did not include plans for ransom, or demands for the release of terrorist detainees or political exiles. The stated intention of the foiled terrorists was to kidnap the young soldier, film his torture and eventual beheading, and broadcast that film via the Internet as a terrorist recruiting propaganda tool.
With that as the goal, realistically any westerner could be utilized as the sacrificial lamb, so to speak, in such films. One need not be a diplomatic, military, or political persona to be effectively used for this purpose. One need only be a westerner. Islamic terrorists will cheer the beheading of a lieutenant, embassy secretary, or accountant as lustily as that of a lieutenant colonel, embassy DCM, or CEO.
Securing mass transit facilities and implementing explosive/chem/bio detection technologies are within the scope of reasonably expected government protection of its citizens. However, this Birmingham plot, apparently involving British Islamic terrorists seeking to kidnap average “infidels” in the UK, is a frustrating nightmare for intelligence and law enforcement agencies. While the potential victim of this plot is in protective custody, how does a government reassure the general population, from which this target was selected, that the government can protect them? The answer is chillingly simple: Governments can make no such assurances of protection from random targeting of average citizens or visiting westerners.
In this case, a trained British soldier of low rank, home on leave, was selected. Such a target would be unsuspecting and unlikely to take precautions to protect himself from fellow British citizens plotting to kidnap him. What should concern the average American or allied business or leisure traveler is the predictable evolution of the Birmingham plot into plots to kidnap westerners with even less training and situational awareness than this unsuspecting soldier possessed.
With this in mind, Spy the News! urges readers who are serving abroad in military or civilian capacities to review the situational awareness and abduction avoidance skills included in government or military provided training. If your employer did not provide training in abduction avoidance/survival, consult the following basic open-source sites for travel and personal security tips that, while seemingly common sense, are often overlooked by harried travelers on tight schedules:
U.S. Department of State “A Safe Trip Abroad”
Wikipedia “How to Thwart an Abduction Attempt”: This basic resource also includes common street crime situations including rape, child abduction, etc.
The government/DOD provided training in these areas is more detailed and tactically oriented, but the USDOS and Wikipedia tips should prove valuable to anyone lacking formal training. The US Government is constitutionally charged with providing for the “common defense,” meaning national security. Individual security is a matter of personal responsibility coupled with government help in educating citizens how to provide for their own personal defense in situations where government protection is unavailable. Hopefully the thwarting of the Birmingham kidnap plot today will slow terrorist plans to implement this strategy on a large scale throughout the world or perhaps convince them this new direction of attack is of little value compared to more visible hard targets. Hard targets are more easily secured and thus, while more desirable, are actually safer than the average citizen or soldier would be if kidnapping replaced IEDs or sniping as preferred terrorist tactics.
Spy the News! reminds readers to be aware, be safe, and be wise. You have more value as a hostage and potential beheading victim than you likely realize.
Technorati Search Tags: UK Terror Arrests Birmingham Kidnapping Plot Counterterrorist Operation Travel Safety Beheading British Military Abduction Avoidance Islamic Terrorists Terrorist Tactics Global War On Terror US Department of State
Kidnappings are not a new tactic for terrorists, as the kidnapping and subsequent murders of British and American contractors and reporters in Iraq in recent years clearly illustrate. However, the British government, which recently focused on improving security on mass transit systems, must now stretch its investigative resources to include potential plots to kidnap its own citizens who would ordinarily be of no value to terrorists. The unnamed potential victim of the Birmingham plot disrupted by police today has been taken into protective police custody, but at this point it appears the man was selected for kidnapping merely because he was a young, average soldier of the British Military home on leave. The soldier had no reason to consider himself worth kidnapping. He was not a ranking officer capable of influencing war decisions or policies. Since that describes a large number of American and allied military personnel stationed abroad in nations with large or predominantly Muslim populations, this particular plot should be of concern to all.
What do we know about the potential victim of this kidnapping plot? He was in his 20s, and was considered a low profile, low ranking soldier. In all respects a low value target. The terrorists selected him based on unrevealed as yet criteria, observed his daily routine and transportation routes while home on leave, and organized a tactical plan to kidnap the young man. The exposed plot did not include plans for ransom, or demands for the release of terrorist detainees or political exiles. The stated intention of the foiled terrorists was to kidnap the young soldier, film his torture and eventual beheading, and broadcast that film via the Internet as a terrorist recruiting propaganda tool.
With that as the goal, realistically any westerner could be utilized as the sacrificial lamb, so to speak, in such films. One need not be a diplomatic, military, or political persona to be effectively used for this purpose. One need only be a westerner. Islamic terrorists will cheer the beheading of a lieutenant, embassy secretary, or accountant as lustily as that of a lieutenant colonel, embassy DCM, or CEO.
Securing mass transit facilities and implementing explosive/chem/bio detection technologies are within the scope of reasonably expected government protection of its citizens. However, this Birmingham plot, apparently involving British Islamic terrorists seeking to kidnap average “infidels” in the UK, is a frustrating nightmare for intelligence and law enforcement agencies. While the potential victim of this plot is in protective custody, how does a government reassure the general population, from which this target was selected, that the government can protect them? The answer is chillingly simple: Governments can make no such assurances of protection from random targeting of average citizens or visiting westerners.
In this case, a trained British soldier of low rank, home on leave, was selected. Such a target would be unsuspecting and unlikely to take precautions to protect himself from fellow British citizens plotting to kidnap him. What should concern the average American or allied business or leisure traveler is the predictable evolution of the Birmingham plot into plots to kidnap westerners with even less training and situational awareness than this unsuspecting soldier possessed.
With this in mind, Spy the News! urges readers who are serving abroad in military or civilian capacities to review the situational awareness and abduction avoidance skills included in government or military provided training. If your employer did not provide training in abduction avoidance/survival, consult the following basic open-source sites for travel and personal security tips that, while seemingly common sense, are often overlooked by harried travelers on tight schedules:
U.S. Department of State “A Safe Trip Abroad”
Wikipedia “How to Thwart an Abduction Attempt”: This basic resource also includes common street crime situations including rape, child abduction, etc.
The government/DOD provided training in these areas is more detailed and tactically oriented, but the USDOS and Wikipedia tips should prove valuable to anyone lacking formal training. The US Government is constitutionally charged with providing for the “common defense,” meaning national security. Individual security is a matter of personal responsibility coupled with government help in educating citizens how to provide for their own personal defense in situations where government protection is unavailable. Hopefully the thwarting of the Birmingham kidnap plot today will slow terrorist plans to implement this strategy on a large scale throughout the world or perhaps convince them this new direction of attack is of little value compared to more visible hard targets. Hard targets are more easily secured and thus, while more desirable, are actually safer than the average citizen or soldier would be if kidnapping replaced IEDs or sniping as preferred terrorist tactics.
Spy the News! reminds readers to be aware, be safe, and be wise. You have more value as a hostage and potential beheading victim than you likely realize.
Technorati Search Tags: UK Terror Arrests Birmingham Kidnapping Plot Counterterrorist Operation Travel Safety Beheading British Military Abduction Avoidance Islamic Terrorists Terrorist Tactics Global War On Terror US Department of State
No comments:
Post a Comment