Tag Archives: Investigation

Department of Homeland Security to Step Up Airport Security in Wake of Russian Plane Crash

The Department of Homeland Security is ramping up airport security following the suspected bombing of a Russian plane over Egypt. The new security focuses on certain overseas airports.

As Egyptian authorities investigate whether an airport insider may have planted a bomb on the doomed airliner, U.S. lawmakers and aviation officials are raising questions about security at American airports. They say dozens of current airport employees are being screened for possible ties to or sympathies with extremist groups.

According to news reports, surveillance video at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport is being scrutinized for someone with access to the plane on the airport ramp. While no official determination has been made, U.S. and U.K. officials have said they believe it’s likely a bomb brought down the flight last Saturday, killing more than 200 people.

With the recent congressional reports and hearing on airline security due to an undercover operation revealing that the TSA failed 95% of the time when detecting fake explosives, new action is being called into place.

“It’s no secret that people interested in harming America are coming up with creative ways to circumvent the existing security measures,” House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at the hearing.

In airports both here and abroad extra attention will be paid to bags, including extra scrutiny of the list of passenger names to make sure they match the name on all the checked baggage.

Security will focus on airport workers who are poorly paid and could be susceptible to terrorists bribes.

Investigation of Russian Plane Crash Continues; Bomb Theory Supported By Egyptian Officials

New evidence, including a voice recording of the cockpit, is bolstering the theory that a bomb did take down the Russian airplane, killing 224 people. The Egyptian team investigating the crash told Fox News that they are “90 percent sure” a bomb brought down the plane.

“The indications and analysis so far of the sound on the black box indicate it was a bomb,” the investigator added.

The investigator did ask to remain anonymous due to “sensitivities.”

An Egyptian official heading the investigation told CBS News that there is a noise that can be heard on the recording of the cockpit just before it cuts out, however, they cannot define it as a bomb at this time.

Over the past week, U.S. and U.K. investigators believed that the evidence pointed to a bomb being planted on the plane by Islamist militants due to intercepted chatter from members of ISIS, but Russian and Egyptian officials dismissed the claim. However, an ISIS affiliate has claimed that they brought down the plane since the beginning of the investigation.

And while Egyptian and other officials believe there is a high chance of a bomb being the cause of the crash, Russian forensic experts did warn NBC News that it could be weeks or months before they can conclusively affirm that theory. Pieces of the plane have been sent to Moscow for analysis.

Since the crash, Russia has suspended all flights to Egypt for security issues. Russian inspectors have been sent to the Sharm el-Sheikh airport to investigate security concerns. Egyptian officials are also questioning airport security and staff and some employees are even under surveillance. Security officials at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport have told the Associated Press that there have been gaps in security for awhile. Between non functioning equipment, lax searches, and policemen who can be bribed, that drugs and weapons slip through security all the time according to Fox News.

British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond stated that if a bomb was the cause of the plane crash, that airport security in all areas where ISIS is active would have to be rethought.

At this time Britain and the United States have stopped flights to the resort and Russia has suspended all flights to Egypt due to security concerns.

Defense Department Labs Reportedly Mishandle Plague; Encephalitis

The allegedly accidental shipments of live anthrax bacteria to various labs around the nation by Defense Department labs is apparently just one of many possible breaches of deadly organisms.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says they are now investigating reports that Army labs mishandled plague bacteria as well as encephalitis.  The Army had previously stopped all production, shipping and handling of materials at nine labs but had left the impression it was due to the unauthorized shipments of anthrax.

“Additional testing is being conducted to try and verify once and for all whether or not [anthrax] was labeled correctly and placed in the right location,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

When asked by reporters about the apparent deception, Cook said that officials wanted to release info “without alarming the public.”  He said they are waiting for results of the investigation.

Army spokesman Dov Schwartz told reporters that there is no risk to the general public from the plague involved in the current situation.

If not treated quickly after infection, the untreated pneumonic plague has a 93% fatality rate and can be spread person to person through coughing.

“Anthrax being mishandled is disconcerting enough, but now the mishandling also includes other potentially dangerous viruses including plague. The committee has zero tolerance for these widespread mishaps and will continue working to ensure that the Department corrects these failures so that the nation’s bioterrorism response efforts are not hampered further,” House Energy and Commerce Committee  Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking Democrat, Frank Pallone of New Jersey, said in a joint statement.

Philadelphia Train Crash: Train Sped Up Before Derailment

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)  say the Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia accelerated from 70 to over 100 miles per hour as it entered the curve where it jumped the tracks.

At 106 miles per hour, the train was over twice the 50 miles per hour speed limit for the curve.

The discovery was made after reviewing a video taken from a camera facing the front of the train according to the NTSB.

NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt says he’s hopeful the engineer will be able to give clarity as to why the train accelerated into the curve.

“What I believe is a very good way to interview people is, honestly, to not ask them questions, to basically give them a figurative blank sheet of paper and ask them what they recall,” Sumwalt said Thursday. “Really, we want to know his account of what he recalls leading into this tragic accident.”

Robert Goggin, attorney for engineer Brandon Bostian, says that his client cannot remember anything about the crash.

“He remembers coming into the curve, he remembers attempting to reduce speed, but thereafter he was knocked out just like all the other passengers on the train,” Goggin said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” program.  He said Bostian suffered a concussion and gash on his head.

“We will have to wait for his memory to come back or for other facts to be ascertained by the NTSB,” the lawyer said.

Eight people died in the accident after the remains of the eighth victim were found today by cadaver dogs.  All 243 people on board the train have now been accounted for by Philadelphia officials.

Baltimore Police Undergoes Federal Investigation

On the heels of riots in Baltimore and the arrest and charges against six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, the mayor has asked the federal government to carry out an investigation of the police department.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that the police had a “fractured” relationship with the community.  The declaration comes after the Obama administration’s new attorney general visited the city and held a private meeting with Blake.

“The attorney general is actively considering that option in light of what she heard from law enforcement, city officials, and community, faith and youth leaders in Baltimore yesterday,” Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said.

A spokesman for Baltimore City Council President Jack Young said that Mr. Young has been calling for an investigation since October.  The requested investigation is similar to the one in Ferguson, Missouri after the Michael Brown incident.

In the first five years of their term, the Justice Department has started investigations into over 20 police departments, more than double the amount of the previous term.

Five law enforcement agencies were found to have had no violations.  Cities that have faced similar investigations include New Orleans and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Justice Department Will Not Bring Charges Against Darren Wilson

In the wake of the violent protests in St. Louis and Ferguson, Missouri over the decision by the grand jury not to charge officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, it’s reported the Justice Department will not be filing any charges against the former officer.

The prosecutors within the Justice Department did not find sufficient evidence to support any charges, including civil rights charges.

The FBI’s investigation into the incident destroyed many of the claims that Michael Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot by Officer Wilson.  The FBI’s investigation showed Brown was actually charging toward Officer Wilson in a manner consistent with the officer’s report of the incident.

The Justice Department plans to release a report explaining the decision but spokeswoman Dena Iverson would not tell the New York Times when that might be released to the public.

A larger investigation into the Ferguson police department remains open and active according to Justice Department officials.

Ferguson Grand Jury Brings No Indictments

The grand jury in St. Louis County Missouri has issued no indictments in the case of officer Darren Wilson.

The grand jury made up of nine whites and three blacks examined every piece of evidence collected by the local, state and federal investigators.  They heard hours of testimony and were able to ask direct questions of those involved including officer Wilson.

The evidence showed the claims of supporters of Michael Brown did not know the facts of the case.

One witness said Brown charged at officer Darren Wilson in a manner that was “like a football player.  Head down.”

Wilson said that Brown attempted to grab his gun while the officer sat inside his cruiser.  When the officer fired a round through his car window in an attempt to back off Brown, the 18-year-old showed an “aggressive” posture.

“The only way I can describe it, it looks like a demon, that’s how angry he looked,” Wilson told the grand jury. “He comes back toward me again with his hands up.”

“Just coming straight at me like he was going to run right through me,” Wilson said. “And when he gets about … 8 to 10 feet away … all I see is his head and that’s what I shot.”

The Justice Department says their investigation against Officer Wilson is still open and no decision has been made regarding charges.

British Police Stop UK Islamic Terror Plot

British police have stopped and Islamic terror plot aimed at London.

Four men were taken into custody according to London’s Metropolitan Police.  Police did not release details on the attack but said they were “part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist related terrorism.”

“They have all been taken to police stations in central London and remain in custody,” Metropolitan Police said.

The arrests come on the heels of 10 men arrested two weeks ago on similar terrorism related charges.   The men were charged with supporting a banned organization and encouraging terrorism.

The UK’s Press Association said that radical British cleric Anjem Choudary, who has been accused of brainwashing men in Belgium to fight for Islamic terror groups in Syria, was among the men arrested in late September.

UK officials say that at least 500 British citizens are in Iraq or Syria fighting with Islamic terrorist groups.  The country has banned any Briton who fights with an Islamic terror group from being able to return to the country.

Live Action Releases Scathing Report On Planned Parenthood

A six-year investigative report on Planned Parenthood has been presented to members of Congress as part of an initiative to ask them to stop federal funding of the abortion provider.

Live Action, the pro-life organization headed by national speaker and activist Lila Rose, presented the document exposing lawlessness, abuses and illicit activities conducted by members of Planned Parenthood.

“Planned Parenthood staffers, nurses, and managers have been documented coaching and covering for sex-traffickers, ignoring the sexual abuse of young girls, and putting women’s lives at risk. The corporation is awash in deaths, injuries, and allegations of and settlements paid for massive fraud,” Live Action wrote in a petition posted online asking for people join with them in asking Congress to defund Planned Parenthood.

The report shows that Planned Parenthood’s surgical centers have quotas for procedures performed and conditions & staff routinely put “women’s lives as risk” in their rush to meet quotas.

“We are going through the halls of Congress and dropping off this six-year report, along with a letter to each member whether they’re in the Senate or the House, explaining what this report is, and the importance of reviewing the fact that $500 million every year is going to fund the biggest abortion chain in the country, Planned Parenthood,” Rose told reporters.

UN Official Says Evidence Against Assad Growing

An official with the United Nations says evidence is growing against Syrian President Bashir al-Assad.

Navi Pillay, head of the U.N.’s human rights office, said a panel investigating the abuses in the Syrian civil war has found “massive evidence” showing the crimes were initiated at the highest levels of the Syrian government including the head of state.

Pillay later denied knowing the names on the investigator’s secret list of suspects but her remarks about a head of state being involved goes against all previous U.N. investigations into war crimes. Investigators, who work independently of Pillay’s office, have previously said evidence points to high levels of the government but did not implicate al-Assad.

The U.N. Human Rights Office says that accountability for war crimes should be part of any agreement ending the civil war.

The question about al-Assad remaining in power is a point of contention between the United States and Russia as the superpowers work to bring the sides of the war to the peace table.