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FBI Arrests Two More in NYC Terrorism Investigation
NEW YORK – Two men linked to an alleged al-Qaida associate accused of a plot to attack New York City with homemade bombs were arrested Friday after one of the men caused a traffic accident while under surveillance.
Obama Orders Dangerous Declassification of Material at HSS
Obama Administration Declassifies Documents at a High Rate which could endager national security.
Attacks Show Al-Qaeda Inspired Groups Target the West
WASHINGTON – From Detroit to Afghanistan, scattered terrorists inspired and equipped by al-Qaida have attacked recently with surprising speed and worldwide reach, challenging the U.S. strategy of slowly and deliberately targeting the terror group's top leaders.
WASHINGTON – From Detroit to Afghanistan, scattered terrorists inspired and equipped by al-Qaida have attacked recently with surprising speed and worldwide reach, challenging the U.S. strategy of slowly and deliberately targeting the terror group's top leaders.
Counterterror officials and other experts say the botched Christmas Day airliner bombing and the Dec. 30 assault at a CIA base in Afghanistan demonstrate that al-Qaida and its supporters can react quickly when opportunities arise.
The new attacks, plotted by local militants as opposed to al-Qaida's core group, also warn of the possibility of new mini-fronts in the war on terrorism that could stretch American resources even more thinly across the globe. They come as U.S. forces are focusing on the Taliban in Afghanistan and al-Qaida in Pakistan.
Al-Qaida's adaptability contrasts with the comparatively plodding pace of the U.S. military buildup in Afghanistan, which will take almost a full year. As the U.S. moves in, the terror group moves on.
FBI Arrests Two More in NYC Terrorism Investigation
NEW YORK – Two men linked to an alleged al-Qaida associate accused of a plot to attack New York City with homemade bombs were arrested Friday after one of the men caused a traffic accident while under surveillance.
Zarein Ahmedzay pleaded not guilty to a false statement charge in an indictment accusing him of lying to the FBI about a trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The other suspect, Adis Medunjanin, remained in custody, and it was unclear when he would appear in court.
Obama Increases Declassified Material at Health Safe and & Security
From AtlasShrugs - an always attentive site for Radical Islam
On December 29, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order (E.O.) 13526 on Classified National Security Information. The new E.O. is posted on the White House website: and supersedes E.O. 12958, as amended.
As in the past, the new order in no way affects Restricted Data (RD) or Formerly Restricted Data (FRD) information which is classified under the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) and not under the E.O.. The E.O. specifically excludes RD and FRD information from its regulation.
As the President promised, this E.O. is designed to both reduce the amount of information initially classified, avoid overclassification, and raise the standards for what information can remain classified beyond its initial period, usually 25 years. The new E.O. was drafted in an interagency setting and used input from the public and from the Public Interest Declassification Board.
With the new E.O. signed, a new implementing regulation for the E.O. will be issued by the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) within 180 days and in turn DOE must update its implementing directive to be in compliance.
Here are some changes from the new E.O. that will have an impact on DOE's classification program:
§ When determining to originally classify information, if there is significant doubt about the need to classify the information, it shall not be classified.
§ If there is significant doubt about the appropriate level of classification, information shall be classified at the lower level.
§ DOE will be required to complete a fundamental classification guidance review for NSI within 2 years of the effective date of the Order. This fundamental review will be led by the Office of Technical Guidance (HS-92) and will involve classification authorities and subject matter experts throughout the complex. This effort will evaluate whether information currently classified as NSI in our guidance should remain classified under this new E.O.
§ Derivative classification authorities must be trained every 2 years. If not completed, then the derivative classification authority must normally be suspended. [Note: We will be examining this requirement against our 3-year training cycle and looking at how we can minimize the impact to the field.] Original classification authorities must complete annual training. If not completed, then the original classification authority will be suspended.
§ Information in permanently historically valuable records exempted from automatic declassification at 25 years must be declassified at 50 years unless it concerns: a confidential human source, a human intelligence source, or key design concepts of weapons of mass destruction. There are exceptions to this rule and a process identified to extend classification in extreme cases. However, the general idea is that most information should be declassified at 50 years.
§ A new National Declassification Center (NDC) will be established to streamline declassification processes, facilitate quality-assurance measures, and implement standardized training regarding the declassification of records determined to have permanent historical value. Another important aspect of its mission will be to handle referred records. This is already a major effort for Office of Document Reviews (HS-93) at the National Archives and we support the new center and its focus on the review of millions of pages of records in an improved efficient and streamlined process. The President has committed the NDC to process over 400 million records by 2013 and so this center will be very large scale in nature.
§ A new paragraph has been inserted in this new E.O. at DOE's request. It states: " The Secretary of Energy shall determine when information concerning foreign nuclear programs that was removed from the Restricted Data category in order to carry out provisions of the National Security Act of 1947, as amended, may be declassified. Unless otherwise determined, such information shall be declassified when comparable information concerning the United States nuclear program is declassified." This paragraph is focused on foreign nuclear program information that was transclassified under section 142(e) of the AEA and protected as NSI. We have always had a fundamental equity to ensure this information is not declassified ahead of similar RD information. This new paragraph makes clear that other agencies must seek DOE declassification guidance for such information.
In addition, here are highlights of other changes to the new Order:
§ The Order is effective 180 days from the date of issuance, except for sections 1.7, 3.3, and 3.7, which are effective immediately.
§ The definition of "weapons of mass destruction" has been changed. [Note: For the purposes of the Order, this definition relates only to NSI.]
§ For information in records determined not to have permanent historical value, the duration of classification beyond 25 years shall be the same as the disposition (destruction) date of the records, although it may be extended if the records are retained beyond their disposition date for business reasons.
§ Delegations of original classification authority shall be reported to the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO).
§ Classified information originating in one agency may be disseminated to another agency or U.S. entity by any agency to which it has been made available without the consent of the originating agency unless the originating agency has determined that prior authorization is required for such dissemination and has marked or indicated such requirement on the medium containing the classified information in accordance with implementing directives issued pursuant to this order. [Note - Documents created prior to the effective date of this Order shall not be disseminated outside any other agency to which they have been made available without the consent of the originating agency.]
§ Classified information originating in one agency may be disseminated by any other agency to which it has been made available to a foreign government in accordance with statute, this order, directives implementing this order, direction of the President, or with the consent of the originating agency.
§ The Director of National Intelligence, as head of the Intelligence Community, will determine which information concerning intelligence sources, methods, and activities to declassify or downgrade for the Intelligence Community and will issue any necessary directives.
§ Classified, nonrecord materials will be declassified as soon as the information contained therein no longer meets the standards for classification.
§ The standards for exempting information from automatic declassification at 25 years have been strengthened.
§ Criteria for reclassifying information that has been released to the public under proper authority have been strengthened.
§ Authorized holders of classified information may challenge the classification of information originated by another agency. (unquote)
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