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Eyes on Banking, finance and

Commercial Facilities:
Open Source Week in Review

1 July – 14 July

New York State Division of Homeland Security and


Emergency Services, Office of Counter Terrorism -
Intelligence Division

________________________________________________________________________
This weekly product is designed to provide those with an interest in the Banking, Finance, and Commercial Facilities
Sector with situational awareness of potential threats and terrorist attacks worldwide. It is a compilation of Open
Source information only; no operational, classified or law enforcement sensitive information is contained within the
report. This information has been compiled by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency
Service, Office of Counterterrorism - Intelligence Division. For questions, comments, suggestions or additional
information please contact: Jeff Rizzo at jrizzo@security.state.ny.us

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Table of Contents

Week in review- Summary & Analysis ................... 3

New York State ........................................................ 4

North America .......................................................... 4

International ........................................................ 10

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This weekly product is designed to provide those with an interest in the Banking,
Finance, and Commercial Facilities Sector with situational awareness of potential
threats and terrorist attacks worldwide. It is a compilation of Open Source information
only; no operational, classified or law enforcement sensitive information is contained
within the report. This information has been compiled by the New York State Division of
Homeland Security and Emergency Service, Office of Counterterrorism - Intelligence
Division. Your comments on the report are welcome.

Open Source Week in review- Summary & Analysis

This week‘s Banking, Finance, and Commercial Facilities report focuses on the targeting
of public events by Al Qaeda and their affiliated groups, and ongoing regional meetings
throughout the world focused on strengthening money laundering and terrorism finance
regulations.

On July 11th, the Al Qaeda-linked, Somali-based group al-Shabab claimed responsibility


for three blasts that that killed 74 people and wounded 70 others as they watched the
World Cup finals in Uganda‘s capital, Kampala. The first blast struck an Ethiopian
restaurant at approximately 10:25pm, followed by two more explosions at a rugby club
about 50 minutes later. The bombings mark the first time
al-Shabab carried out an attack outside Somalia.

The following day, investigators found a suicide vest and


ball bearings in a disco-hall in the suburbs of Kampala. The
vest and bearings are consistent with blast material found at
the bomb sites. To date, police have arrested five ―nationals
from three African countries‖ and suggest that the Ugandan
militant group, the Allied Democratic Forces, may have
been involved in the bombings claimed by al-Shabab.

In Norway, three Al Qaeda suspects were arrested for


plotting a terrorist attack. Police were able to find three men
using the US‘ Terrorism Finance Tracking Program (TFTP)
which searched through international bank transactions
recorded by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
(SWIFT), a Belgium based company. Officials state the suspects were planning to use a
peroxide-based explosive as a weapon. The three suspects, an Uzbek, Uighur, and Iraqi,
all had Norwegian citizenship at the time of their arrest.

Senegal hosted the 13th Annual Meeting, and 9th Annual Technical Assistance and
Training Forum, of the Asia/Pacific Group (APG), July 12-16. In addition to discussing
issues and progress regarding anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism finance
procedures of the APG, Nepal will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Mongolia, Thailand, and Malaysia regarding the exchange of financial information.
Nepal and India also plan to sign a similar MoU in the next few months.

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Similarly, Senegal hosted the Inter-governmental Action Group against Money
Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) on July 9. Abdullah Shehu, Director General of
GIABA, urged banks and other financial institutions to ―fulfill their obligations regarding
money laundering laws‖ to promote financial integration in Western Africa.

New York State

Nothing Significant to Report

North America

Title: Security tower unveiled at Square One Mall


Published: July 1, 2010
Source: Boston.com, MASSACHUSETTS
Author: Ellen Nakashima
Link: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062805052.html)

Simon Property Group, a large national mall company whose portfolio includes 14 malls
in Massachusetts, said that it is deploying a mobile security observation tower that will
visit its local malls as part of a crime-prevention effort.

According to Simon, this portable tower is the first of its kind to be used in New England.
The tower is also adjustable; its maximum height is 21 feet, a Simon spokeswoman said.

"The tower is initially located at Square One Mall in Saugus, MA, beginning on June 30,
and will be periodically relocated to other New England Simon malls," the company said
in a press release. "In addition, the tower will be made available from time to time to law
enforcement and other community organizations in the communities served by the malls
as an extension of the partnership between the two."

In a statement, Simon regional senior vice president Ron Hanson said, ―We are confident
the mobile tower will be an effective crime deterrent and make our shoppers feel even
more safe and comfortable while visiting our shopping centers.‖

The deployment of the tower is part of a strategic alliance with AlliedBarton Security
Services, Simon's release said.

Other Simon malls in Massachusetts include Burlington Mall, Northshore Mall in


Peabody, and South Shore Plaza in Braintree.

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Title: What's the Next Big Money Laundering Threat?
Published: July 8, 2010
Source: bankinfosecurity.com, UNITED STATES
Author: Tom Field
Link: (http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=2727&opg=1)

Bulk cash smuggling and mobile technologies - these are among the latest, greatest
money laundering risks to banking institutions.

And in an exclusive interview, former police investigator Sullivan outlines:

How bulk cash smuggling works;


Red flags institutions should monitor;
Why mobile technology poses the next big money laundering threat.

Sullivan is a former Investigator with the NY State Police and was the state investigations
coordinator assigned to the NY HIFCA El Dorado Task Force in Manhattan. He has more
than 20 years of police experience. Sullivan possesses a Masters in Economic Crime
Management and is both a certified anti-money laundering specialist and certified anti-
money laundering professional. He is also the director of AMLtrainer.com.

TOM FIELD: What are the latest trends in money laundering? Hi, this is Tom Field,
editorial director with Information Security Media Group, and I'm talking with our
resident expert in money laundering, former police officer Kevin Sullivan. Kevin, it's a
pleasure to talk with you again.

KEVIN SULLIVAN: Hi, Tom it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you very much.

FIELD: You and I have talked an awful lot about trends over the years. We've talked
about virtual money laundering. We've talked about money mules. A year ago we were
talking about rabbis being arrested in money laundering schemes. What do you find to be
the hot topic so far this year in money laundering?

SULLIVAN: So far this year, the hot topic is the old expression 'What's old is new.' It
seems to be bulk cash smuggling, and what that is - it's usually the result of an illegal
narcotic operation or some form of black market peso exchange, trade-based money
laundering process or perhaps just the final pieces of the puzzle of some type of scam or
fraud or associated crime.

Now, the department of justice described the Mexican drug trafficking organizations as
the greatest organized crime threat to the United States. Well, when you sit back and
think about that for a minute, that's pretty interesting, and with that is the cross border

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pipeline, which moves products between Mexico and the United States both north and
south. And the primary goods flowing northbound are cocaine, human traffic, gang
members that they hire to be enforcers for the drug lords and marijuana.

The products that head southbound are large amounts of cash, stolen cars and weapons.
Now, it's estimated that the Mexican cartels smuggle approximately $20 to $30 billion a
year. And about 25% to 50% of that money is laundered through a Mexican financial
institution. Unfortunately, financial institutions in Mexico are not always regulated with
AML in mind. However, several Mexican financial institutions have recently ceased to
accept cash deposits, specifically in geographical areas that have a high criminal
enterprise history.

Now, they've also done very recently -- the Mexican government has announced that it
would limit individual bank account holders to deposits of no more than $4,000 a month.
Now, this may not sound like much to you or I, especially when I know that high salary
that you make there, Tom, but does not affect the average Mexican household because
they make--the average Mexican household makes far less than $4,000 a month. So what
happens here is that the bulk cash that is made in the U.S. from the criminal organizations
has got to get transported across the border. There are 417 official border crossings
between the U.S. and Mexico, and note I said "official" border crossings. One of the
methods that the bulk cash smugglers will use is a form of smurfing or structuring where
an individual carries approximately $5,000 to $10,000 on his person and crosses the
border.

Now, that certainly seems easy enough, but they also use a non-bulk cash format. They'll
use their criminal proceeds through wire transfers. They will use stored value cards,
which I'm not sure if we talked about. We may have talked about that in one of the
webinars. And another example of a trade-based money laundering is something
interesting that's popping up on the borders - second-hand clothing stores. And reportedly
there are hundreds of establishments that sell large quantities of second-hand clothing,
which is then introduced into Mexico via illegal methods, of course, because of
importation of second-hand clothes into Mexico is prohibited due to sanitary reasons.

So, as I said a million times before on any of webinars and we've talked before, anything
of value can be laundered. So here's an example of second-hand clothing being
laundered. Stored value cards used for laundering. So let me just--to give your listeners
an idea of what I'm talking about here let me just take you through a typical bulk cash
smuggling scenario. Money from the local drug sales here where I am in New York is
usually taken to a stash house, or they may refer to it as a central counting location. That
money arrives in the streets in the form of small bills, usually fives, tens, 20's because
much to my chagrin the local drug dealers don't usually take an AMEX card, so
everything happens in small bills.

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Well, small bills need to be refined, and when I say refined what that means in AML
terms is you take small bills and turn them into large bills, and the reason you turn them
into large bills is because it reduces the mass size and makes it easier to conceal. It's a lot
easier to conceal $1 million of hundred dollar bills than it is $1 million of singles.
Further, what they do is they vacuum pack it in plastic bags and surround it with coffee
grounds and pepper or smelly substances to attempt to thwart the drug-sniffing dogs, and
they hide it in a vehicle, usually cars or trucks and usually use some sort of advanced
electronic trap compartment.

And they rotate vehicles, they rotate drivers so they don't see the same car, the same
driver, the same license plates. They're not stupid about it; they're very bright. Further,
they use advanced counter surveillance techniques, so they're surveying us. They will
also be at the border crossings on both sides, using high tech communication gear, and
they're just watching the border crossing to look and see what lane looks to be the best
lane to go through and if there's anybody getting pulled out.

So they're very high tech. Don't ever think that they're just dopey guys just moving some
cash around. They're very, very sophisticated techniques that they use. So that's what's
the latest that's been going on and a really hot topic right now back in the money
laundering world.

FIELD: How do you recommend that banking institutions on the U.S. side of the border
deal with an issue like bulk cash smuggling? What do they have to be looking out for?

SULLIVAN: Well, that's a good questions because on the surface it may seem like, well,
what does that got to do with the U.S. bank? So let me tell you that about two years ago
the DEA, ICE in conjunction with FinCEN created a list of possible red flags of
suspicious behavior that might be indicative of bulk cash smuggling. So allow me to go
through a couple of them.

One would be an increase in the sale of large denomination U.S. bank notes to Mexican
institutions. Another might be large volumes of small denominations of U.S. bank notes
being sent from Mexican casa de cambios to their accounts in the U.S. via armored
transport or sold directly to U.S. banks. There could be multiple wire transfers, which
would be initiated by a casa de cambio that directs U.S. financial institutions to remit
funds to jurisdictions outside of Mexico that have absolutely no apparent business
relationship with that casa de cambio.

And of course, there's the refining or the exchange of small denomination U.S. bills for
large bills. So they came out with a list of about eight, nine, 10 different red flag
scenarios, which is available on the FinCEN website. Not a bad concept for all banks to
look at just to see if they are being used in some form of cross border bulk cash
smuggling, because banks are not immune to this.

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FIELD: Now, Kevin, you mentioned FinCEN, and I know there's been some AML
clarification and guidance issued so far this year. What's your take on the most important
elements for banking institutions to be paying attention to?

SULLIVAN: The very most interesting one actually was something quite recently that
had to do with broker and beneficial ownership. Several of the brokered dealer
associations have complained to FinCEN about the guidance or lack thereof concerning
beneficial ownership, and their point to FinCEN was that one, there was no manual like
the FFIEC manual that really spelled out what you should or shouldn't do or what
examiners need to do when they come walking in the door. They really don't have that for
broker-dealers.

Another one of their grievances was specifically on how beneficial ownership is detailed,
and I think their quote was that they think that it is impossible for financial institutions to
verify beneficial owners, as the guidance that FinCEN suggested, given that most entities
organized under U.S. law are not required to disclose information about their beneficial
ownerships. So it does bring up a, kind of, a catch 22 situation.

And finally the broker-dealer association last thought was that if the new FinCEN rule on
beneficial ownership, that was initially to deal with U.S. Patriot Act Section 312, which
has specifically to do with private banking and correspondent accounts and beneficial
owners, and you had to know the beneficial owner of your private banking and
correspondent accounts. And now it seems that FinCEN wants to expand that to all
accounts across the board, but it just isn't written up that way, and there is a little
confusion and debate with the trade associations about that and does that rule expand to
all accounts, or is it just private banking and correspondent banking?

FIELD: We're headed into the second half of the year now. In terms of the threats that
you're taking a look at and guidance you might expect, what are the trends that we really
ought to keep an eye for as we make the rush toward 2011?

SULLIVAN: Okay, I'm going to give you one big one, and I like to look at this like a
baseball scout, where a scout goes out and looks at college players and high school
players and minor league ball players and tries to figure out what guy has the five tools
necessary to become a major league ballplayer. Well, I try to look at it where would I
focus myself if I had unlimited funds. Which of course, law enforcement does, and the
banks don't, but if I had to predict what's going to be the next big thing -- it's mobile
technology. I'll tell you why mobile technology's going to be big, or it has the potential of
being big, and also a big money laundering issue.

With the addition of the smart phones there's a new key technology that's called near field
communication. What that is, it's a form of radio frequency identification that lets a cell
phone act like a contact list card, and with all the benefits that a smart phone brings also.

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And what this does is this intelligence allows for the conception of an e-wallet. Now, just
think of where the problems could be here? As you know, Tom, every time there's a new
technology out there it takes a while before the good guys catch on to where the holes are
-- where to plug the leaks. But the bad guys are out there right now. The bad guys are
there exploiting this technology, and they know that it'll be a long time before the good
guys figure out what the problem is and how to react to it.

And also what confused matters just like with one of the issues with stored value and
ATM's, you're no longer talking about just a customer-bank relationship. You're talking
about several entities in the way. A lot of third parties are involved. There're a lot of third
parties that will be involved in mobile phone technology. Who's responsible? Who is
responsible for checking beneficial ownership? Who is responsible for doing customer
due diligence? It's a nightmare, and it'll be 10 years before we get on the stick and try to
figure this out. And so if I were going to turn to the dark side tomorrow, one of the things
I would do is heavily investigate mobile phone technology and how that's going to affect
money laundering.

FIELD: Well, that's a good point because we've got lots of banking institutions now that
are investing in mobile technologies and person to person payments, and it's good advice
to go in there with your eyes wide open.

SULLIVAN: And don't get me wrong. I don't say that's a bad technology. Hey, look, if
you look at credit cards and you can look at it from one aspect and say, well, gee there's a
lot of credit card fraud going on there, therefore it must be bad. No, not at all. Of all the
fraud that goes in credit cards, maybe it's a half of a percent. You know, there is a lot of
check kiting that happens. Does that mean all checks are bad? No. I don't think that this is
a bad thing. I think it's a good thing. Anytime you can move forward and get new
technology and make life easier for people, that's a great thing. However, we have to
realize with every great thing and every new technology, comes the timeframe when
people will learn to abuse it, and we have to figure out how they can abuse it and how we
take countermeasures.

FIELD: Kevin, as always I appreciate your time and your insights. Thank you so much.

SULLIVAN: Well, thank you very much, Tom.

FIELD: We've been talking about anti-money laundering trends. We've been talking
with Kevin Sullivan. For Information Security Media Group I'm Tom Field. Thank you
very much.

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International

Title: South Africa Has Big Goals After Cup Success


Published: June 24, 2010
Source: National Public Radio, INDONESIA
Author: David Tidmarsh
Link: (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128029207)

South Africa defended itself against criticism about violent crime, disruptive labor strikes
and lackluster organization ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Now the country is winning
widespread praise after a successful tournament, boosting its ambitions to host other
major sporting events.

"It's not the safest country and this was our problem," said Franz Beckenbauer, a member
of FIFA's executive committee who was one of the people who acknowledged the
challenges South Africa was facing in hosting the World Cup, which ended Sunday with
Spain's 1-0 defeat of the Netherlands. "But this organizing committee, with help from
FIFA, has done a very good job," said Mr. Beckenbauer, who won Cups as both a player
and coach.

Absent from international competitions for most of its apartheid era due to sanctions,
South Africa is just beginning to build a track record of staging sporting events. Part of
that entails showing off infrastructure, winning over visitors and reversing what many
describe as an image problem.

"The general view is that South Africa has done an excellent job in staging the World
Cup. There have been far fewer, if any, issues than were expected," said Michael Payne,
former chief marketing officer of the International Olympic Committee. "The fact that
they have proved they can do this will be a very good calling card to go after other
events."

Indeed, South Africa has been so encouraged by the response to the World Cup here that
officials have set their sights on hosting the summer Olympics in 2020, possibly in the
city of Durban. On Saturday, President Jacob Zuma met Jacques Rogge, who heads the
International Olympic Committee.

"This has proved to the world that we are capable of hosting any international event. We
have the resources and infrastructure," Mr. Zuma said.

South Africa may have been the first World Cup host to be knocked out after the first
round, but that doesn't appear to have diminished interest in the event. Stadium
attendance passed the three million mark with two games to be played, only the third time
the World Cup has topped that figure, according to FIFA, the global soccer federation.
(South Africa still lags behind U.S. in 1994 and Germany in 2006 for average
attendance).

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To be sure, the World Cup hasn't swept South Africa's problems away. The country is
burdened with a bulging underclass—unemployment hovers at 25%—and violent crime
remains a threat. Meanwhile, labor unrest poses a constant threat to event planners. The
country endured a transportation strike just before the World Cup and South Africa's
leading electricity supplier narrowly averted a work stoppage during the tournament.

And there have been a few significant organizational glitches for fans. A lack of public
transportation caused massive traffic jams. On Wednesday, congestion at Durban's new
airport caused hundreds of people, including a handful of FIFA executives, to miss
Spain's semifinal 1-0 defeat of Germany. Stadium security workers also went on strike at
four stadiums, prompting South Africa's police to assume security duties.

Still, South Africa is winning important converts. It previously staged successful rugby
and cricket championships, and stepped in to host last year's popular Indian Premier
League cricket tournament, after it was moved amid tensions during Indian elections.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said last week that if it can host a World Cup it can certainly
organize the summer Olympics.

"Africa can be proud to have organized this World Cup. South Africa can be even
prouder," Mr. Blatter said during a briefing in Johannesburg Thursday.

As the first World Cup to be hosted by an African country, this has very much been the
continent's tournament. Many Africans have expressed hope that the continent as a whole
will benefit from the mainly positive coverage of sport's most-watched spectacle. After
2016, Africa will be the only continent not to have hosted an Olympic Games.

"This has given a major lift to African football, not just because South Africa hosted but
because Ghana did so well," said Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe, president of the Ghana
supporters club and a consultant for the Ghana Football Association. Ghana was the only
African team to reach the final group of eight.

Meanwhile, World Cup sponsors have used their presence in South Africa to target
consumers from Cape Town to Cairo.

For Visa, which is also a top level Olympic sponsor, the move was part of efforts to open
new markets in the developing world and in countries where the Olympic sports are far
less popular than soccer such as in Africa, the Middle East and South America. In
anticipation of the World Cup, Visa was able to get its cards accepted with 14,000
merchants and in 200 malls across South Africa. Visa signed an eight-year, $180 million
deal to become FIFA's exclusive world-wide banking partner in 2007.

"In an emerging market, you're trying to build an acceptance type of infrastructure and an
event like this helps accelerate that," said Antonio Lucio, Visa's chief marketing officer.
"If the Olympics or the World Cup come to Africa, we'll be there."

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For some major brands, there is an expectation by customers they will sponsor the
world's biggest sporting event and the business payoff is expected later. "The World Cup
will come and go. The real test will be what happens after," said Don Thompson,
president of McDonald's Corp., which has more than 130 restaurants in South Africa.

For many who associate Africa with war, poverty and AIDS, South Africa's World Cup
has shown another side to the continent. The country boasts a transparent democracy, a
rich class of consumers and a nationwide network of roads.

Now South African officials want to parlay that success into an Olympics bid, in part to
find a use for the many stadiums that were built to host the World Cup.

In Durban, the new stadium has room for a track around the soccer field. It also has an
iconic arch built above the top that can be scaled and is also accessible by cable car. The
stadium's southern end is open and has a large empty platform that could serve as a stage
for an Olympic torch.

Title: Somali militants claim responsibility for Uganda bombings


Published: July 12, 2010
Source: CNN, UGANDA
Link: (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/12/uganda.bombings/?fbid=ZljnPkpNo6z)

Somali Islamist militant movement on Monday claimed responsibility for a trio of


bombings that killed at least 74 people Sunday at two venues in the Ugandan capital
where crowds had gathered to watch the World Cup final.

"And the best of men have promised and they have delivered," said an Arabic statement
issued by Al-Shabaab's press office and obtained by CNN. "Blessed and exalted among
men -- (taking) full responsibility. ...We wage war against the 6,000 collaborators; they
have received their response."

The 6,000 is an apparent reference to African Union peacekeepers in Somalia. Uganda


contributes troops to the peacekeeping effort.

"We are behind the attack because we are at war with them," Al-Shabaab spokesman Ali
Mohamoud Rage told reporters at a news conference in Mogadishu, Somalia.

"We had given warning to the Ugandans to refrain from their involvement in our country.
We spoke to the leaders and we spoke to the people and they never listened to us."

Rage said young suicide bombers carried out the attacks but did not specify their
nationalities. "May Allah accept these martyrs who carried out the blessed operation and
exploded themselves in the middle of the infidels," he said.

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However, Police Chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura told reporters arrests have been made in
connection with the bombings. He would not say how many people have been arrested or
provide details.

Earlier Monday, Sheikh Abu Al Zubeir, identified as "the Emir of Al-Shabaab in


Somalia," said in an Arabic website posting, "My message to the Ugandan and Burundian
nations is that you will be the target for our retribution to the massacres perpetrated
against the Somali men, women and children in Mogadishu by your forces." The
statement was posted on an al-Qaeda affiliated website that previously has carried
statements and videos from Al-Shabaab.

The website set up a page Monday to "receive congratulations" on Al-Shabaab's behalf


for the "blessed operations" in Uganda.

Suspicion had centered on Somali Islamist groups shortly after the explosions in
Kampala, Uganda. Islamic militants battling Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional
government had previously threatened attacks on Uganda and Burundi, which also
contributes troops to the peacekeeping effort in Somalia.

President Yoweri Museveni declared a week of national mourning for victims of the
bombings, beginning Tuesday, according to a government statement. All flags on public
buildings will be lowered to half-staff during the mourning period, the statement said.

Meanwhile, a journalist in Mogadishu reported that shelling was under way in the city as
of Monday night.

Eighty-five people were injured in the Ugandan blasts, Kayihura told reporters. Of those,
three are Americans, he said. They were transferred from the national hospital to a
privately owned hospital in Kampala, he said.

"This incident shows that it was terrorism," he said. Kayihura said he could not confirm
that Al-Shabaab was responsible, but said the nature of the explosives used were
consistent with the group. Police are using forensics to analyze the explosives, he said,
and will deliver a report in a day or two.

The 74 fatalities included 28 Ugandans, one Irish citizen, one Indian, one American and
11 people who are either Ethiopian or Eritrean, according to the Ugandan government.

"If you want to fight, why don't you attack soldiers or military installations instead of
fighting innocent people watching football?" said Museveni, who on Monday visited a
rugby sports center where two of the blasts occurred Sunday.

The blasts hit in the capital, Kampala, within 50 minutes of each other. The first one
struck an Ethiopian restaurant in a neighborhood dotted with bars and popular among
expatriates; two others exploded at the rugby center.

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A senior Ugandan government official confirmed there were three bombs. The second
one at the rugby club was the most severe, said the official, who was not authorized to
speak to the media because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the death of one American. An organization that works
with children in Uganda identified him as Nate Henn.

In a post on its website, the organization -- Invisible Children -- said Henn was in the
country working with Ugandan students. CNN could not independently verify the
information.

"Nate was not a glory-seeker and never sought the spotlight. He asked not to be made a
hero of," the post said. "But the life he lived inspires reflection and imitation."

Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said President
Barack Obama is "deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and
cowardly attacks."

Obama called Museveni on Monday morning and offered to provide support and
assistance, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "I'm told the FBI will assist in the
investigation of the bombings."

Museveni said, "We wish to condemn the criminality of these attacks. From a casual look
at the scene, I'm confident police will be able to reconstruct the crime scene. ... We shall
go after them because we know where they come from."

The bombings, he said, show "criminality and terrorism has always been hovering over
us."

In a government statement, Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said he "condemns in


the strongest terms the despicable terrorist acts that killed over 60 people in Kampala."

Ahmed said "the fact that the victims were enjoying the World Cup reveals the evil and
ugly nature of the perpetrators and the need to uproot from [the] region those who do not
value the sanctity of human life," the statement said.

"The president also denounces the fringe Al-Shabaab terrorist groups [that] rejoice of the
carnage and stated that Somalia mourns with the brotherly people of Uganda."

Stone Atwine was watching the game at the rugby center when the blast occurred.

"It happened toward the 90th minute of the game ... this loud explosion," he said. "We
didn't know what was happening, we were running around, scampering for safety. I saw
dead guys still seated in their chairs with blood."

14
Atwine said a second explosion struck the venue seconds later, knocking out power. "At
that point, we ran off. My friends and I ran into the car and drove off."

Relatives flocked to hospitals and mortuaries to look for loved ones Monday.

"I was watching the game with my brother at the rugby center," said Ian Lule, who was
among a group gathered at a city hospital. "The blast left him unconscious. I don't know
how he is."

In the capital, crowds huddled around newspapers, talking in hushed tones.

"Everyone is shocked, everyone is talking about it," said Mark Keith Muhumuza, who
was watching the game at a stadium near the rubgy center explosion. "We were in panic
mode at the stadium because we thought we would be attacked next."

Muhumuza said when the game ended, he went to the rugby center. "People were
wailing, some were trying to find their relatives, others were trying to run away from the
scene."

"You can never stop attacks in the world," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter. "During the
World Cup, the world should have been touched by the emotions of football. I'm very sad
and I was very touched.

"Can you link this to the World Cup? I don't know," Blatter said. "It was when the World
Cup was on TV, but it's not for us to investigate a link. But being linked or not to
football, we as human beings condemn the attacks. ... I deplore what has happened and
look forward to the good that football can bring to our world."

The sites of the bombings remained cordoned off as authorities intensified security in the
east African nation. Police and military forces patrolled the capital.

Some of the injured at the restaurant included six members of an American church
mission working with a local congregation, according to the Rev. Kathleen Kind, pastor
of Christ Community United Methodist Church in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

All the church members were accounted for and families had been contacted, Kind said.
Their injuries ranged from broken bones and flesh wounds to temporary blindness and
hearing problems, she said.

Kayihura said the bombings could have been avoided if the two venues had used security
measures such as metal detectors and the placement of guards to frisk those entering.

The African Union summit is scheduled to be held in Kampala next week.

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Title: Unexploded bomb vest found in Uganda; 4 arrested
Published: July 13, 2010
Source: Yahoo News, UGANDA
Link: (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100713/ap_on_re_af/af_uganda_explosions )

Investigators found an unexploded suicide vest with ball bearings in a disco hall in
Uganda's capital, suggesting that militants had planned a third bombing during the World
Cup final, officials said Tuesday. Four foreign suspects were arrested in connection with
the find.

The discovery of a suicide vest in a suburb of Kampala on Monday was consistent with
what was seen at the two blast sites in Kampala, said the inspector general of police, Kale
Kaihura. The vest contained ball bearings, as did the bombs that exploded Sunday.
Officials believe suicide bombers took part in the twin blasts during the World Cup final.

"What we found here is consistent with what we found on both scenes of crime. And so
this is a very significant lead in our investigation," Kaihura said.

Four people were arrested in connection with the discovery of the unexploded vest, said
Edward Ochom, the director of criminal investigations. He said the four were not
Ugandan but would not say their nationalities. Kale hinted that Somali nationals could be
among those arrested.

Kaihura said a Ugandan militant group — the Allied Democratic Forces — may also
have played a role in the attack. Like al-Shabab, the ADF is primarily a Muslim radical
group.

The death toll from Sunday's attack rose to 76, Kaihura said. Officials found a bomb vest,
detonator, wires and ball bearings in a bag at the disco similar to a laptop computer bag,
he said.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said five injured
Americans have been evacuated, and that the fatalities included one American.

"We have Diplomatic Security agents on the ground, along with a small number of FBI
agents," Crowley said. "I think the FBI is going to send a significant team, flyaway team,
this afternoon ... at the request of Ugandan authorities to assist in the investigation."

Al-Shabab, Somalia's most dangerous militant group, claimed responsibility for the
attacks. The Islamists are calling for Uganda to withdraw their African Union
peacekeeping forces from Somalia.

The claim by al-Shabab, whose fighters are trained by militant veterans of the conflicts in
Afghanistan and Iraq, raises the security stakes in East Africa and has broader

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implications globally. The group in the past has recruited Somali-Americans to carry out
suicide bombings in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab, an ultra-conservative Islamic group that has drawn comparisons to the


Taliban, has long threatened to attack outside of Somalia's borders, but the bombings late
Sunday are the first time the group has done so.

"We warned Uganda not to deploy troops to Somalia, they ignored us," said Sheik Ali
Mohamud Rage, al-Shabab's spokesman. "We warned them to stop massacring our
people, and they ignored that. The explosions in Kampala were only a minor message to
them. ... We will target them everywhere if Uganda does not withdraw from our land."

Rage said a second country with peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu — Burundi — could
soon face attacks. Fighting in Mogadishu between militants and Somali troops or African
Union peacekeepers frequently kills civilians.

The militants attacked two sites in Uganda's capital, one at an Ethiopian restaurant, the
other at a rugby club where World Cup fans were watching the tournament's final at an
outdoor screening.

Title: Five arrested as FBI agents jet in


Published: July 14, 2010
Source: The Monitor, UGANDA
Author: Emmanuel Gyezaho
Link: (http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/957540/-/view/printVersion/-
/vdtl3x/-/index.html )

American security agents dispatched by the US government are in Uganda aiding


investigations into Sunday night‘s terrorist attacks which killed 74 people who were
watching the World Cup finals.

Yesterday, officials said the death toll had risen to 76 after two more victims died in
hospital. There were conflicting accounts yesterday about the number of people arrested
in connection with the bombings; with a government minister putting the number of
suspects at five, while a military official said at least eight people were apprehended.

African suspects

The official, a senior member of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, spoke to Daily
Monitor on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the investigations.
But State Minister for Internal Affairs Matia Kasaija told Parliament that the government
had arrested five people.

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He gave no further details about their nationality or where they were being detained but
the military source said that the suspects were ―nationals from three African countries‖,
and they are being held at a location in Kampala. ―None of the suspects talked in
English,‖ said the source.

Police chief Kale Kayihura was tight-lipped about the arrests at a news conference
yesterday morning. While he admitted that some arrests had been made, he gave no
further details.
On Monday, detectives attached to the American Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
busied themselves gathering evidence from the bomb blast scenes at the Kyadondo
Rugby grounds and Ethiopian Village restaurant in Kabalagala, a US government official
told Daily Monitor yesterday.

―Yesterday (Monday), a three-person FBI team was on the ground in Kampala collecting
evidence,‖ said Ms Joann Lockard, the public affairs officer at the US Mission in
Kampala, in email correspondences with this newspaper. She also revealed that
Diplomatic Security (DS) special agents ―have been assisting the Ugandan police since
the incident first occurred.‖

The FBI investigators flew in from Nairobi, Kenya, she said and ―came to assist by
providing initial bomb forensics to assist the Ugandan authorities.‖ Ms Lockard said the
FBI and DS will be assisting security agencies here with ―all aspects of the bombing
investigation, to include: forensics, evidence collection, and analysis.‖

Investigators will want to ascertain what forms of explosives were used in the triple
blasts, whether they were manufactured in Uganda or imported into the country and
whether the attacks were suicide bombings.

Somali al Shabaab Islamists linked to Osama Bin Laden‘s al Qaeda network said on
Monday that they had carried out the attacks. Asked whether the US government is
accepting the claim of responsibility from the Somali group, Ms Lockard said:
―Obviously, the investigation itself is ongoing, but the preliminary information that we
have certainly would confirm that link.‖

Ms Lockard insisted that Ugandan law enforcement authorities ―remain in the lead of this
investigation,‖ and said an additional FBI team was on standby in the US ―ready to assist
if needed.‖ ―But we will continue to do everything in our power to assist Uganda in
bringing the perpetrators of these attacks to justice,‖ she added.

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Title: 'Swift' used in Norway's al Qaeda sting, US says
Published: July 9, 2010
Source: EUobserver.com, NORWAY
Author: Valentina Pop
Link: (http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/article/default.aspx?objid=71585)

Three al Qaeda suspects arrested in a Norway bomb plot were tracked down via the US
anti-terrorism program searching through international bank transactions recorded by the
Belgium-based company Swift, an American official said.

Norwegian police on Thursday said they had arrested three men suspected of having links
to al Qaeda in a conspiracy with links to the US and UK. The men, one of whom was
arrested in Germany, are suspected of planning to use bombs containing peroxide which
are both powerful and easily transported.

One of the suspects is a 39-year old Norwegian citizen, a Muslim Uighur from China,
who had lived in Norway since 1999. Another is an Iraqi citizen, aged 37, who was
granted Norwegian residency on humanitarian grounds, while the third is an Uzbek
national, 31, who was granted permanent residency in Norway on grounds of family
reunification.

"I can tell you the 'Terrorism Finance Tracking Program' (TFTP) provided support to the
Norwegian investigation of that al Qaeda threat," under-secretary for terrorism and
financial intelligence Stuart Levey told Brussels journalists in a conference call on
Thursday (8 July).

His comments were made in connection to a vote in the European Parliament in


Strasbourg the same day approving an EU-US agreement on the flow of data from the
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift), which was
interrupted in February when MEPs struck down an earlier deal due to privacy concerns.

Mr Levey explained that the TFTP stopped receiving new data, but continued to
"generate leads" based on data it had at the end of 2009, when Swift moved storage of
European transactions from the US to the Netherlands.

The TFTP program started as a covert operation in 2001, following the terrorist attacks
on New York and Washington. It was outed only in 2006, when the New York Times ran
a front page story on it.

Following the outrage of Europeans when they found out that US prosecutors were
secretly snooping on their bank transactions, Swift decided to reconfigure its database
structure, so that no EU data would be kept on US soil, where it can be subject to
"national security orders."

19
Referring to extra privacy safeguards inserted into the new Swift deal, the US official
said they are "intended to give assurances to Europeans" that the checks and balances
included in the program from its beginning in 2001 "are real and effective."

"At the same time, nothing in the agreement compromises the functioning of the
program," he added.

Asked about the average amounts of terrorist funding the TFTP is able to track down, Mr
Levey said even if it was a transaction of a couple of hundreds of euros, it could provide
valuable information, particularly on the location of the suspect.

"With respect to al Qaeda, it's under very significant financial stress. In fact it is in the
worst financial position it's been in in years. And able to generate donations from
individuals, but only small amounts," he said.

Despite all the publicity generated by the EU-US negotiations and the outing of the
program in 2006, terrorist suspects continued to use banks for money transfers.

"Sometimes they're not aware we know about them, sometimes they simply have no
choice, because there is no other way to make a payment in another country," one US
official familiar with the program told journalists in Washington on 23 June.

Title: Regional meeting on money laundering opens in Dakar


Published: July 10, 2010
Source: Afrique en ligne, SENEGAL
Link: (http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/regional-meeting-on-money-
laundering-opens-in-dakar-2010071052481.html)

The Inter-governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa


(GIABA) is hosting a two-day regional meeting here on policies against money
laundering and financing terrorism.

The meeting, which began Friday, is being attended by Directors General of financial
institutions of member countries of the Economic Community of West Africa States
(ECOWAS).

Declaring the meeting open, the Director General of GIABA, Abdullahi Shehu, said that
the implementation of a robust policy against money laundering would streng then anti-
fraud controls and promote financial integration.

To do otherwise would expose financial institutions to the risk of losing their good
reputation and clients as well as their operating licence, Shehu said.

He urged financial institutions to strive to fulfill their obligations regarding the money-
laundering laws.

20
Shehu said 11 countries had been evaluated according to the procedure of the Financial
Action Task Force, noting that money laundering was a criminal offence in 15 GIABA
member countries.

He urged member countries to take the necessary measures to rid the West African region
of threats of money laundering and financing terrorism.

Title: Singapore To Host Asia Pacific Group Money Laundering Conference


Published: July 8, 2010
Source: Gov Monitor, SINGAPORE
Link: (http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/united_states/singapore-to-host-asia-pacific-
group-money-laundering-conference-35194.html)

Singapore will host the 13th Annual Meeting and the related 9th Annual Technical
Assistance and Training Forum of the Asia/Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering
concurrently from 12 to 16 July 2010 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention
and Exhibition Centre.

More than 300 senior government officials from the Asia/Pacific region and around the
world will convene in Singapore to discuss key developments and policy responses to
pertinent issues related to anti-money laundering and the counter-financing of terrorism
(AML/CFT). The APG Annual Meeting will also review the progress made by APG
members in implementing the international standards on AML/CFT established by the
Financial Action Task Force.

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs is the Guest-
of-Honour and will deliver the opening address during the opening ceremony on
Tuesday, 13 July 2010.

The week-long series of meetings will be chaired by the current APG Co-Chairs Mr Ong
Hian Sun, Director, Commercial Affairs Department, Singapore Police Force, and
Commissioner Tony Negus, Australian Federal Police.

This annual high level gathering demonstrates the continued commitment and
cooperation of APG members to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

Mr Ong Hian Sun said ―Singapore‘s hosting of the meeting demonstrates Singapore‘s
strong commitment to help promote robust anti-money laundering/counter terrorism

21
financing standards in the Asia Pacific region, and enhance international cooperation to
combat cross-border financing of illicit activities.‖

Further information about the APG can be found at www.apgml.org.

History and Objectives of APG

The APG was officially established as a regional organisation in 1997 at the fourth
Asia/Pacific Money Laundering Symposium in Bangkok.

The mission of the APG is to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in the
Asia/Pacific region through implementation of the international AML/CFT standards in
APG member.

To achieve this, the APG:

Provides a strong and autonomous regional AML/CFT body for APG members and
observers, including all strategically important jurisdictions in the Asia/Pacific region;
Actively participates in, and co-operates with, the global AML/CFT network, including
the FATF, other FATF-style regional bodies and relevant international and regional
organizations;
Assesses APG members‘ compliance with the global standards;
Provides assistance to APG members to implement the global standards through effective
planning and guidance; and
Ensures that mechanisms are in place for international cooperation, given the
international dimension to money laundering and terrorist financing.

APG Membership

The APG currently has 40 members and a number of ‗observer‘ jurisdictions and
organisations.

While it is not a pre-condition of membership that laws to criminalise money laundering


and terrorist financing are already enacted, members must make a commitment to
implement legislation and other measures based on the accepted international standards
for AML/CFT.

22
Title: Nepal to strike deal on money laundering
Published: July 5, 2010
Source: nepalnews.com, NEPAL
Link: (http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/business-a-economy/7321-nepal-to-strike-
deal-on-money-laundering.html)

Nepal is all set to strike a deal with Mongolia, Thailand and Malaysia regarding financial
information exchange to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect will be signed at the 13th
annual general meeting of the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) to be
held in Singapore from July 12-16. Nepal is a member of the APG.

The MoU will make it mandatory for the two sides to provide each other financial
information on bank balance, investment in real estate, shares and about persons
suspected to have been involved in money laundering and terrorist financing.

It is also learnt that Nepal and India are also all set to sign such a MoU within a few
months.

Nepal has also asked Hong Kong to sign a MoU in the light of alleged capital flight to
Hong Kong in the name of importing wool, it is reported.

During the AGM, Nepal will forward its opinions on compliance on anti-money
laundering (AML) and combating financing on terrorism (CFT) measures. Nepal has
already enforced anti-money laundering laws and enforced them in several areas
including government agencies, banks and financial institutions, insurance companies,
money transfer agencies, money changers, cooperatives and casinos already.

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