Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005880.html
21 January 2007
New anti-terrorism law goes into effect [Germany]
heise.de:
With the publication of the Supplementary Anti-Terrorism Act in the German Gazette today, the German government's controversial new measures to combat terrorism have taken effect. This Act expands and extends the authority created for the secret services after September 11, 2001. The Constitution Office, the Federal Intelligent Agency (BND), and the Federal Armed Forces Counterintelligence Office (MAD) will now all be able to collect information from airlines, banks, postal firms, and telecommunications and teleservice companies. And they can do so not only when investigating suspected terrorists, but also when investigating "unconstitutional efforts" within Germany. For instance, the use of the IMSI catcher to monitor mobile communications has been greatly expanded. The Secret Services may also conduct covert investigations within the Schengen information system.
The services that have a right to collect information will now have a much easier time getting it from the private sector. In particular, Article 10 of the German constitution, which stipulates that a ministerial order is required with the consent of the G10 commission in the German parliament, has been restricted, making it easier for the Secret Services to get information from airlines and banks, for instance. However, the Secret Services still have to report to the parliamentary oversight commission.
Furthermore, the prerequisites for the acquisition of connection and traffic data from postal companies, telecommunications firms, and teleservice providers have been extended to include additional cases of violence. Now, the investigations must concern attempts to disturb basic democratic liberty or the existence or security of the federal government or the country or attempts to illegally obstruct the operations of constitutional organizational units at the federal or state level or the work that its members perform. Furthermore, the secret services can obtain data about vehicles and vehicle owners automatically from the record books. The new Supplementary Act also provides a legal foundation for a comprehensive test for the inclusion of fingerprints in electronic passports.
Posted on 21 January 2007 @ 20:29
A RECAP on this TimesOnline.co.uk article - snippet.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://osint.internet-haganah.com/archives/000766.html
January 22, 2007
Terror watch on Mecca pilgrims (UK)
January 21, 2007:
The intelligence agencies are monitoring every Muslim who travels from Britain to Mecca on pilgrimage in a wider effort to piece together intelligence on suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist activity.
A senior Whitehall official has disclosed that the operation targeting trips to the holy city in Saudi Arabia by more than 100,000 British Muslims is part of a trawl by MI5 and MI6 for information about movements of suspected terrorists. It follows evidence that British Islamic terrorists have visited the city before carrying out attacks in Britain and abroad.
Posted on 22 January 2007 @ 01:24 GMT