[Infowarrior] - VA "fusion center": black colleges are node for terrorists

[Richard Forno]

Virginia terror assessment targets 'historically black colleges' as  
'radicalization nodes'
Stephen C. Webster
Published: Monday April 6, 2009

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Virginia_terror_assessment_targets_enormous_crosssection_0406.html

A newly leaked terrorism assessment from a law enforcement fusion  
center in Virginia shows that police and feds are targeting  
"historically black colleges" as "radicalization nodes" for terrorists.

RAW STORY has published the entirety of the 215 page report, available  
here in PDF format.

 From page 17:

     A wide variety of terror or extremist groups have links to [a  
highlighted area of Virginia]. This area not only has a diverse  
population due to the strong military presence, but it is also the  
site of several universities.

     While most of these universities are considered urban, two are  
designated as a Historically Black Colleges and Universities, while  
Regent University is a private, evangelical Christian institution.  
While the majority of individuals associated with educational  
institutions do not engage in activities of interest to the VFC, it is  
important to note that University-based students groups are recognized  
as a radicalization node for almost every type of extremist group.


Though the report singles out "historically black colleges" early on,  
it also contains an extensive list of peaceful American and  
International activist groups from nearly all cross-sections of  
political engagement, placing them side-by-side with groups that have  
long been known for resorting to violence.

The list of groups the fusion center considers potential terrorist  
threats is as follows:

     Al-Qa’ida
     Al-Shabaab
     HAMAS
     Hizballah
     Jama’at al-Tabligh
     Jama’at ul Fuqra
     Lashkar-e Tayyiba
     Muslim Brotherhood
     Anarchist Extremists
     Green Anarchism Movement
     Anonymous
     Black Separatist Extremists
     Five Percent Nation
     Nation of Islam
     New Black Panther Party
     New African Black Panther Party
     Homegrown Islamic Extremism
     As-Sabiqun
     Iqaamatiddeen Movement
     Lone Wolf Extremists
     Militia Extremists
     Anti-Abortion Extremists
     Army of God
     Animal Defense League
     Animal Liberation Front
     Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty
     Earth First!
     Katuah Earth First
     Blue Ridge Earth First
     Earth Liberation Front
     Sovereign Citizen Extremists
     Moorish Science Temple of America
     Neo-Nazis
     Racist Skinhead Movement
     White Supremacists


The memo also calls out "hacktivism" as a potential terrorist threat.

"Also of note is the phenomenon of hacktivism, defined as 'the  
nonviolent use of illegal or legally ambiguous digital tools in  
pursuit of political ends. These tools include web site defacements,  
redirects, denial-of-service attacks, information theft, web site  
parodies, virtual sit-ins, virtual sabotage, and software  
development,'" the memo reads. "On March 28, 2008, Wired News reported  
that 'Internet griefers'—a makeshift term for people who cause grief— 
posted code and flashing computer animations with the intention of  
triggering migraine headaches and seizures. Hacktivism and griefing  
incidents have ranged from minor inconveniences involving modified  
website content and denial-of-services to potentially dangerous  
scenarios, such as the modification of electronic traffic safety signs."

The center's graphic example of the "dangerous" scenario of altered  
traffic safety signs was culled from a Wired magazine report on an  
incident in Austin, Texas, where a hacker changed a sign to warn of a  
coming zombie infestation.

The report also discusses numerous potential areas of fraud which  
could allow a terrorist to integrate with society, including document  
fraud, student visa fraud, marriage fraud and employer fraud.

"If we are to believe this exaggerated threat assessment, Virginia's  
learning and religious institutions must be hotbeds of terrorist  
activity,' said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington  
Legislative Office, in an advisory. "This document and its authors  
have displayed a fundamental disregard for our constitutional rights  
of free expression and association. Unfortunately, it's not the first  
time we've seen such an indifference to these basic rights from local  
fusion centers. Congress must take the necessary steps to institute  
real and thorough oversight mechanisms at fusion centers before we  
reach a point where we are all considered potential suspects."

"There is an appalling lack of oversight at these fusion centers and  
they are becoming – as the ACLU has repeatedly warned – a breeding  
ground for overzealous police intelligence activities," said Michael  
German, ACLU Policy Counsel and former FBI Agent, in a release. "The  
Virginia threat assessment isn’t just disturbing for encouraging  
police to treat education and religious practices with suspicion, it's  
bad law enforcement. Lawmakers from all levels of government need to  
enact legislation to protect against these spying activities that  
threaten our democracy while doing nothing to improve security."

Recently, a Department of Homeland Security-funded fusion center in  
Missouri was accused of blatant disregard for the United States  
Constitution after one of its memos encouraged the surveillance of  
third party activists, Christians and supporters of Congressman Ron  
Paul, for their alleged potential status as illegal militia.

The center retracted its memo and publicly apologized when Congressman  
Paul, along with former presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin and  
former Congressman Bob Barr, sent a letter to Missouri Governor Jay  
Nixon (PDF link), demanding an about-face.

In 2007, the ACLU published a study called "What's Wrong with Fusion  
Centers?," exploring the troubling aspects of the post-9/11 law  
enforcement aparatus, which are designed to facilitate communication  
between local agencies.

The Virginia fusion center's memo was first published by Cryptome.

This report was written in haste and should be considered incomplete  
until a further and more thorough analysis of the Virginia fusion  
center's memo can be completed.