Posted on 10/19/2004 9:07:36 PM PDT by Calpernia
SINGAPORE - Preliminary investigations by US intelligence agencies have yielded no direct evidence linking piracy to terrorism. Yet the possibility of an alliance between piracy and terrorism cannot be ruled out. Piracy provides lucrative means of raising funds with which to purchase weapons for terrorists. In turn, terrorist groups can provide the expertise with which pirates may better avoid capture or arrest by lawful authorities. Such a possible collaborative relationship brings vital benefits to either party. If circumstances allow, terrorist bases and safe havens may even provide the necessary protection for pirates to hide their operations and activities.
With the intense crackdown on terrorist cells on land, terrorist groups are likely to shift their operations to sea out of necessity and to avoid attention. Recent discoveries show that sophisticated groups such as al-Qaeda already have placed their sights on attacking maritime targets: terrorist suspect Babar Ahmad, apprehended on August 4 in London, had plans detailing vulnerabilities in US naval fleets. State governments in Southeast Asia have long recognized this fact and have set up cooperative efforts in coordinating maritime patrols, in particular along the Malacca Strait.
Maritime smuggling Smuggling, or the illegal transport of goods, is a maritime crime committed to evade paying custom dues. It is an act that on the surface has only minor significance in regard to security issues. Smugglers, after all, are aiming to make lucrative profits by illegal cost-cutting. Theoretically, smuggling entails no risk of life and limb, even if the smugglers are apprehended, so long as they are not armed. Smuggling, in fact, falls more under the jurisdiction of maritime customs authorities.
Maritime smuggling, however, can serve as an avenue by which weapons and explosives may be supplied to terrorists. Logically, a maritime smuggling operation is more secure than an overland operation, as surveillance at sea is much more difficult than on land. This means that thwarting smuggling attempts requires excellent intelligence from moles or infiltrated spies within the smuggling ring itself.
One recent smuggling case is particularly noteworthy. On July 24 the Philippine authorities apprehended a shipment of rifles and other assorted weapons aboard a motor vessel. These weapons were to be transferred to fishing boats and taken ashore to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the biggest armed insurgent group operating in the Philippines. Both sides, rebels and government officials, have taken to accusing each other for involvement in the weapons shipment.
This incident highlights the need for maritime security forces to guard against smugglers. Aside from being a source of direct weapon supplies, smuggling also provides a lucrative form of revenue that can help finance terrorist activities.
Mimicked terror tactics As with terrorism on land, maritime terrorism tends to mimic successful tactics employed by other terrorist groups. This was a claim made by a leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan armed insurgent group, when he commented on the attack on the USS Cole in 2000.
Terrorist tactics that have proved successful or effective are then repeated elsewhere and modified according to local circumstances and situations. Attention devoted by both media and intelligence communities to maritime terrorism is much less than that given to land-based terrorism. The following factors may explain why.
Important activities such as commerce, production or political events are mostly carried out on land. Activities at sea, even those of vital importance, are mainly the concerns of a minority group in society - sailors, naval personnel, or maritime merchants. These people, by virtue of their trade, are usually cut off from mainstream social affairs by the necessity of long periods spent away at sea.
Terrorist attacks at sea tend to hit mostly individual targets (ships), unlike terrorist attacks on land, such as a bombing in a crowded place, that may kill or injure multiple targets. The effects of sudden death in usually predominantly urban environments on land have a greater psychological impact on the public, especially if filmed by media or reported in newspaper photographs. This is in contrast to humanitarian disasters at sea, where evidence of the carnage is recovered over time, and the usual loss of evidence beneath the waves leads to much ambiguity. The fear factor in the wake of a successful maritime terrorist attack is thus depleted.
The frequency of maritime terrorist attacks is significantly less than of land-based attacks. This is partly due to the level of difficulty in obtaining, preparing and piloting a seacraft for a suicide-bomb attack as compared with a land-based car or truck bomb. Also the opportunities of hitting a ship stationed at port may not always abound, as port security can be easily reinforced if necessary.
Terrorist groups, however, are openly exploring opportunities to stage acts of terrorism on commercial shipping. According to a CNN report in May, Western intelligence uncovered plans by al-Qaeda contemplating an attack on ships moored at ports and maritime choke points, including the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. In Southeast Asia, the Malacca Strait is another important waterway that remains vulnerable to terrorist activity or piracy if security measures are lax.
Terrorist acts pertaining to maritime terrorism have happened several times already.
Here is the piracy article. Thanks for the email, NW_AZ!
HAHAHAHAHA LOLOLOLOL
Piracy is a type of terrorism in my opinion.
Thanks for the link Calpernia.
A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel attached to his crotch. The bartender asks him why it is there and the pirate replies, "Arrrr!! She's drivin me nuts!"
This might be funny if there was any US intelligence in SE Asia. Unfortunately there is not.
Bump for the morning.
(aside) People might want to get a copy of Richard Minters new book "Shadow War". We talks about this subject. I learned a thing or two.
I think Mia T posted about that book here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1238582/posts
Get it, if only for the bibliography.
I obsess on this subject (probably more than is healthful) and this is one of the best to come out this year.
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