Documents obtained through FOIA requests show that the Department of Homeland Security was monitoring Occupy Wall Street demonstrations since their inception on September 17th of last year. Truthout filed the requests with the DHS and received hundreds of pages of documents, and a government spokesperson promised more by mid-April. The FBI however, claims it is "unable to identify main file records responsive to the FOIA" relating to OWS. This flies in the face of clear evidence that an FBI agent corresponded with an informant who embedded himself in the protests. more ›

Accused "lone wolf" terrorist Jose Pimentel has been assigned a new attorney, after the Legal Aid Society learned that it was representing the informant in the case for an unrelated criminal matter. Pimentel's new counsel is Lori Cohen, a private criminal defense attorney who defended the Egyptian banker accused to assaulting a housekeeper last spring, and has several homicide cases under her belt. "The credibility of the person who led him to do those things will certainly be an issue," Cohen tells DNAinfo, referring to reports that the case against Pimentel may be tainted by entrapment. more ›

At a hastily-assembled press conference Sunday night, Mayor Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly stated that arresting 27-year-old terror suspect Jose Pimentel was an urgent priority "before he could detonate a fully-operated bomb." But the FBI's refusal to take the case based on "holes" and entrapment issues as well as the revelations that Pimentel, a frequent marijuana smoker, had attempted to circumcise himself pose the salient question: was Pimentel ever a serious threat to society? more ›

They're all just thieving, gropey-handed perverts until they actually catch someone: TSA agents at JFK airport nabbed a 54-year-old man yesterday with a battery-powered stun gun, three "electric stun batons," an "electric stun pen," and pepper spray. According to the Post, Mohamed Hefni was waiting in a first-class lounge to board a Saudi Airlines flight to Riyadh when he was detained for the contents of his checked bag. more ›

One of the men reportedly zapped by 59-year-old Larry McKelvey's stun gun at last Sunday's Jets game claims that McKelvey "jabbered" during the moment of silence for 9/11 victims, and badmouthed George W. Bush, in addition to sitting during the national anthem. "It was the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen," 46-year-old Ian Cummings told the Daily News. McKelvey allegedly used his stun gun (not to ever be confused with the trademarked name of a completely DIFFERENT type of weapon that pumps electrical current into human bodies) to shock Cummings, a former Marine and a third man, before being subdued by the crowd. more ›

With the demise of the worst aspects of the porno-scanners comes new hope for people who want to be treated like human beings when passing through airport security: We'll soon be able to keep our shoes on. "We are moving towards an intelligence and risk-based approach to how we screen," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tells Politico. "I think one of the first things you will see over time is the ability to keep your shoes on." Woo-hoo! Basic human dignity! However she noted that "one of the last things you will [see] is the reduction or limitation on liquids," meaning our pricey, extra-hold Staten Island-strength hair epoxy will still be thrown away. more ›

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are issuing a warning that terrorists may be renting small planes and filling them with explosives for possible attacks. The bulletin says, "Violent extremists with knowledge of general aviation and access to small planes pose a significant potential threat to the Homeland." more ›

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano spoke to the editorial board of the Dallas Morning-News and believed that if a 9/11-style plot would not happen today. However, she admitted, "There are no guarantees," though there is more intelligence sharing, "better targeting of airline passengers who need 'special attention,'and background checks at flight schools." Also, maybe White House officials should take White House Briefs titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US" seriously. more ›

Lawmakers in Albany sent Governor Cuomo a letter on Monday imploring him to cease participation in a controversial immigration enforcement program, the Times reports. Run by the Department of Homeland Security, the Orwellian-sounding Secure Communities was implemented under President Bush in 2008, and checks the "fingerprints of everyone arrested and booked…against Department of Homeland Security immigration records," so illegal immigrants convicted of a crime are swiftly deported. more ›

You'll recall that last year Pascal Abidor, a 26-year-old doctoral student and dual U.S.-French citizen, was traveling back to Brooklyn from Montreal on an Amtrak train when a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer ordered him to turn on his laptop and enter his password so that his computer could be searched—during this time they kept Abidor in a cell before being releasing him without charge several hours later. (And without his computer.) The ACLU filed a lawsuit on his behalf, and Abidor says he fears the incident flagged him for life. more ›

Yesterday, Rep. Peter King held hearings on Muslim "radicalization" in the United States. The House Homeland Security Committee Chairman has been criticized for saying Muslims Americans are not cooperating with authorities and his House colleague, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), broke down when describing the efforts of a Muslim first responder who died on 9/11 ("Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a fellow American who gave his life for other Americans"). However, King said after the hearings, "I'm more convinced than ever that they were appropriate," and they were meant to "inform, not inflame." more ›

Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, just started his controversial hearings on "Muslim radicalization" today. King promised to run a fair hearing, but he's also not afraid to play the sympathy card: King confirmed to Politico that he's under 24-hour police protection from the NYPD and Nassau County Police Department because of overseas threats. more ›

Rep. Peter King (R-LI) has already made clear his thoughts on subjects ranging from WikiLeaks ("terrorists") to Michael Jackson ("pedophile") to the "Ground Zero mosque" ("bad form") so there is little shock to see the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee had a few eyebrow-raising things to say when talking to the Observer about his new gig. Like: "Muslim leaders are not cooperating with law enforcement. [Law enforcement people] don't feel any sense of cooperation." Certainly, King's upcoming time atop the committee, which he looks at as "a legislative counterterrorism strike force," will not be lacking for interesting soundbites. more ›

Last week, suspicious explosives-filled, Chicago-bound packages were intercepted in the U.K. and Dubai—apparently minutes before detonation—and set off concerns about similar cargo shipments from Yemen. Now, the NY Times reports, "Saudi intelligence officials warned the United States in early October that Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen was planning a terrorist attack using one or more aircraft, three weeks before a plot to send parcel bombs on cargo planes was foiled at the last minute, American and European officials said Friday." more ›

On May 1st, Pascal Abidor, a 26-year-old doctoral student and dual U.S.-French citizen, was on an Amtrak train from Montreal to New York when a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer examined his two passports, which had visas for Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Although the officer had no reasonable cause to search and seize Abidor's property, he ordered him to turn on his laptop and enter his password so that his computer could be searched. The student was subsequently handcuffed, taken off the train, and kept in a holding cell for several hours before being released without charge. 11 days later, he finally got his computer back. Welcome to America, American citizen! more ›

Today, those of you passing through big transit hubs, like Grand Central, Penn Station and Herald Square, may seem more police officers and other law enforcement agencies in force. That's because it's the second big transit drill involving the NYPD (including its Counterterrorism, ESU, K9, Transit and plainclothes units); police from Amtrak, the MTA, the Port Authority, and NJ Transit; the National guard; the TSA; and NY State's Homeland Security. According to WABC 7, "Beginning at approximately 7 a.m., commuters will experience increased police presence; bag screenings and inspections of train and subway cars." The last drill was in April. more ›

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano fired back at accusations that the White House was shortchanging NYC area counter-terrorism funding, telling Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island) in a letter that the NY Times happened to obtain, "We are concerned. that more than $275 million in federal funding for New York City’s port and transit security since 2006 has not yet been drawn down." more ›

Yesterday, President Obama spent the late afternoon and evening in the Big Apple. The agenda: Thank the NYPD for thwarting the Times Square car bomb and then a fundraiser for House Democrats. At Police headquarters, Obama said, "I just wanted to stop by say,.Thank you. The country is proud of you... the president is proud of you. I don’t think I need to tell you that given the potential for attack everywhere in the country, we’ve got a lot to learn from what is taking place here." more ›

Senator Charles Schumer, who said folks at the White House "just don't get it and are not doing right by New York City on anti-terrorism funding" after it was revealed that funding for regular transit and port security was cut by 25%, now says, "I think it is unfair to blame this on the President." Instead, Schumer blames other White House departments: "Folks at OMB and at Homeland Security - they should have seen this and caught it. more ›

The White House wants New Yorkers—like Rep. Peter King and Senator Charles Schumer—to stop freaking out over funding to counterterrorism programs being cut. Because the White House says NYC's funds actually increased... thanks to stimulus money (and no thanks to the Bush Administration). more ›

Why does President Obama hate us so much? And by us, we mean those who live, work and/or visit the city where a car bomb was allegedly placed by a man with ties to the Pakistani Taliban. WCBS 2 reports that the White House has cut funding for counterterrorism in NYC "by $42 million - 27 percent - and for port security by $11.2 million, or 25 percent." Rep. Peter King (R-NY), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, was shocked, "This is definitely a slap in the face to New York." And maybe Mayor Bloomberg—guess his visit to DC last week didn't make much of an impression. more ›

The Turkish immigrant who used comped chips to cheat casinos nationwide has landed on Homeland Security's terrorist watch list. Seyit Ibrahim Yel used the name Mustafa Seda as an alias in the states, and the FBI began tracking him after the real Mustafa Seda sold Yel his ID. Yel used the fake identity to scam American casinos out of over $500,000, and recently escaped to Abu Dhabi. Though he was arrested for stealing gasoline, a judge didn't hold him without bail because arrest warrants were under the name Mustafa Seda. more ›

Sen. Chuck Schumer had some harsh words for Homeland Security today regarding its plan to cut coast guard counter-terror patrols from NY’s shores. “If there was ever a plan that was penny wise and pound foolish, this is it," said the senior senator, calling the 90-member unit the city’s “eyes and ears.” Obama’s budget called for the patrol to be consolidated and transferred to Boston, but, said Schumer "If they're going to consolidate, they should consolidate in New York, since we, of course, are a much greater terror threat than Boston." The unit was established after 9/11 to patrol New York Harbor, reports NY1. Schumer threatened that if the administration doesn't reconsider, he'll block the proposal. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg called for more anti-terrorism funding for NYC at a Homeland Security Advisory Council meeting in Midtown this afternoon. Hosted by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mayor Bloomberg, in what passes as a passionate display for him, stressed that NYC is still a target for terrorists, and challenged Homeland Security to add funding for programs such as "Securing the Cities:" more ›

President Obama used his weekly address to discuss the Christmas Day incident where a Nigerian national allegedly tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight landing in Detroit. And he said, for the first time, that suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab may be linked to Al Qaeda, "It appears that he joined an affiliate of Al Qaeda, and that this group — Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for America." [Video after the jump] more ›

ABC News showed photographs of the underwear worn by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab while he allegedly tried to destroy a Northwest Airlines flight landing in Detroit last week. ABC News explains, "The first photo... shows the slightly charred underpants with the bomb packet still in place... The bomb packet is a six-inch long container of the high-explosive chemical PETN, less than a half cup in volume, weighing about 80 grams. A government test with 50 grams of PETN blew a hole in the side of an airliner. That was the amount in the bomb carried by the so-called shoe bomber Richard Reid over Christmas 2001. The underpants bomb would have been one and a half times as powerful." more ›

With nerves running high after the December 25 incident of a Nigerian man allegedly trying to set off an explosive on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, the flight crew of today's NWA Flight 253 asked for emergency help because of a disruptive Nigerian passenger, an incident the Department of Homeland Security later characterized as "nonserious." The Detroit Free-Press reports, "A law enforcement official says the man removed from a flight to Detroit today posed no security risk to the plane. The official says the passenger was taken into custody after becoming verbally disruptive on landing. Subsequent interviews by investigators determined he was a businessman who became ill during the flight." (CNN said the passenger had locked himself in the lavatory for an hour.) more ›

You may know John Elway from such a hits as Super Bowl XXXII and Home Improvement episode "The Eve of Construction." But the retired Denver Broncos' quarterback has now found a new drive in fighting terrorism, as you'll see in this gonzo instructional video "Recognizing the 8 Signs of Terrorism," which was produced in partnership with the Colorado governor's Office of Homeland Security, and the FBI, thanks to a federal Homeland Security grant. more ›